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Dan Leonard
Latest articles from Dan
The hands-free law for all drivers wanting to use a mobile phone in the UK is coming up on its first anniversary, there is no better time to invest in a Bluetooth headset if you hoping to make that important call when out on the road. Sony Ericsson thinks... Read more
Sony Ericsson thinks it has the answer with two new headsets. Sony Ericsson were the first company to use Bluetooth connectivity in mobile headsets and both the HBH-610 and the HBH-PV700 are Bluetooth2.0. Here we look at the HBH-610. Using Digital Signal... Read more
The first instalment of the Sonic series on the Nintendo DS, and the fourth on Nintendo handhelds, might well be the best Sonic yet- regardless of console. We take a closer look. Sure, the marriage of the MegaDrive software kings with arch rivals Nintendo... Read more
You may have loved the first person shooter Serious Sam, but will the second in the series do the same again? We get blasting and find out. Coming straight out of Croatia, the follow up to Serious Sam is a cheeky little first person shooter featuring... Read more
The W900 is the 3G follow on to the hugely successful and popular W800 from Sony Ericsson, but do we really need it? We get listening to find out. The W900 is billed as the latest and greatest in the 3G Walkman series. Spotted at the launch in October... Read more
KISS, having been bought out by Linksys owner Cisco, is starting to introduce more network friendly devices. It’s latest offering - the DP-558 starts to blur the lines between PVR, DVD and media bridge, but can the network company simply buy its way... Read more
Placed firmly in the musical youth market, the W550i is one of latest edition to the Sony Ericsson Walkman series - a tri-band GSM phone with music/Java/internet and email capability. As with the K750i/D750i, Sony Ericsson has again introduced a cluster... Read more
With the UK release of the Sony PSP delayed until September, Nintendo have the summer to assert their authority on the handheld market with the new DS console. Reports from the Nintendo camp suggest they are well on the way to their target of 6 million... Read more
If you haven't delved into video editing software before, Ulead and rival Pinnacle are the forerunners in the hobby market. They lack the editorial advances of the two leading online desktop editing tools, Final Cut Pro and Premier, but bring the domestic... Read more
Combination DVD and VHS players may seem a little 1980s, but don't let the yuppie passion for questionable combination products dissuade you entirely. Sure, when one half claps out, you might be left wishing you had separate units, but find a well made... Read more
Although still awaiting release in the UK, eager gamers are snapping up imported versions of the console from America and Japan. We give a Japanese version of the handheld console a first look. The value pack we tested came with PSP, case, headphones,... Read more
Possibly the most interesting product so far from peripheral lead kings AverMedia, this nifty box will slip inside a cigarette box, yet has the power to pluck digital terrestrial TV from the air and display it on your Windows driven desktop or laptop... Read more
JVC, having produced one of the first ever mini consumer DV cameras, may have become a relative stranger to the DV camcorder market but is hoping that its new model the JVC GRPD1EK will put it back in the frame. Pitched between the domestic and professional... Read more
The STIKAX is a handheld device for mixing sound and images on a PC. One part hardware, one part software, the STIKAX package comprises a handheld device, desktop software and a sample loop CD. The aim of the product is to allow individual and groups... Read more
Unless you have delved into anime (or manga- as it is colloquially known, thanks to its most successful distributor to the UK), you may never have heard of Astro Boy, Ultraman or Akira. These fundamental successes have influenced comics, movies and pop-culture... Read more
First thing to say is these are large! The packaging is 10.5 x 10.5 x 115.5cm in size, and the saber is approximately 110 cm in length. These Jedi weapons are heavy too- the hilt is made from solid metal and then packed with batteries. From a series including... Read more
Handfree doesn’t have to mean wearing one of those silly headsets. We look at Motorola’s answer to the problem - a Bluetooth wireless speaker. The bundle includes the speaker, lanyard, car charger and neoprene open fronted case, with clip. The unit... Read more
Thanks to the ever popular direct sale policies of the likes of Apple, Dell and Tiny, buying online these days is easy, with a range of power and drive options available across the various screen (machine) sizes. Spotting the difference between models... Read more
The IFP-990 is a 256Mb flash player and the most compact colour-screened player I've seen to date, weighing in at just 62g (w 64mm x l 51 mm x d 20mm) and roughly the length of an AA battery it’s small and compact, but does iriver’s IFP-900 live up... Read more
What should you be looking for in the latest Bluetooth headset? We look at the Zen, a headset that hopes size doesn't matter, but will it by the time we're done with our tests? The first thing you'll notice with the Zen is the large ear clip will draw... Read more
Should you opt for a separate DVD player over a laptop? We got the LG DP8821 into the office to see if the portable DVD player still has a place in our gadget bag. This 7in TFT portable DVD from LG looks, feels and sounds good. The exterior is topped... Read more
The Logitech IO pen enables the user to write in ink on special paper, then pass information to a miniature camera attached to a pen. The pack comprises the pen, a well designed ergonomic desktop cradle, two electronic paper pads and MyScript Notes software... Read more
How the mighty have fallen. Once the choice of the caravanning community and the housebound, board games ruled the roost come holidays, Christmas or a rainy afternoon. However with the advent of the PC and then the console you're more likely to find kids... Read more
Do we really want to be carrying around a PDA and a mobile phone? Of course not. We want a device that can be all singing and all dancing, all the time. For most, this means the Blackberry or the PalmOne Treo 600, however T-Mobile, not wanting its customers... Read more
The main problem with gaming wheels is finding a solid surface to stick them on. With all the thrills and spills, yanking the whole unit into the air is often a problem. While the suction cups offer one solution, it doesn't work as well as a clamp system.... Read more
Bluetooth headsets are fast becoming two a penny, so what makes this new unit from Logitech the one to opt for? We make a few calls to find out. Not the first Bluetooth headset from peripherals company Logitech, the latest model is the first to feature... Read more
With a strong franchise, the latest worms outing has a lot to live up to. The latest version is a welcomed addition to the PlayStation 2 platform. Its a game that has pulled together the strategic fun lemmings with the revenge on your friends elements... Read more
Desktop computers tend to always suffer from poor gamepads, but console pads can often be a let down when buying from a 3rd party manufacturer. The feel is never quite the same and that extra pad is normally reserved for the lowly second player. It's... Read more
The PMP-120 (or 'Pimp Daddy', as we know it in the office) really does the business. Why? Because unlike other portable media players we've been lucky enough to get our mitts on, the PMP has both the memory and battery life needed to power movies on the... Read more
With security becoming an ever greater concern, Microsoft has turned to fingerprint recognition to protect your files on your computer, but rather than offer yet another dongle to plug in, Microsoft has added the device to a keyboard. It's an understandable... Read more
Maxtor's range of One Touch Family external hard drives share the same features over various sizes from 60 up to 300 GB. We tested the 160 GB model. Bearing in mind the obvious differences in storage, the other attributes remain static across the range.... Read more
Jackie Chan. A martial arts legend. Star of Hong Kong cinema. Master stuntman. Not content with his worldwide best selling cartoon adventures, Jackie now forces his franchise onto the PlayStation2. The premise is as one might imagine- battle evil spirits,... Read more
Obscure is the new game from Ubisoft and MC2, to be released across PS2, Xbox and MS PC/CD Rom. If you are a fan of American High School horror movie titles, you may want to take at look at this on your PS2. Looking beyond the vomit inducing soundtrack... Read more
SO3 is a battle based RPG, akin to Advance Wars on the GameBoy SP. While still a team battle based RPG, developers Enix have remade, rather than continued, the adventures started in Star Ocean EX. As with the Final Fantasy games and the Babycart movies,... Read more
Contrary to the spin on the web, this long expected Freeview receiver is indeed the twin tuner version that was expected. Despite some last minute rumour-mongering, the twin tuner hard drive Freeview box from Thomson is everything you've been hoping for.... Read more
From the creators of The Two Towers CVG comes Forgotten Realms Demon Stone, another game in the Dungeons and Dragons franchise. Atari and Stormfront Studios enlisted the help of cult novelist R.A. Salvatore to give depth to this franchise. When coupled... Read more
Converging devices are changing the nature of home entertainment, with slim-line LCD TVs offering a space saving solution for modern living. This model from Packard Bell combines the screen requirements and solutions for PC, TV, DVD, VCR and console gaming,... Read more
A combined USB memory card reader, pen drive and MP3 player, the player is based on Fuji's xD-Picture Card memory card format, and as of which carries no on board memory of its own, but instead relies on an additional (not included) xD card to run. This... Read more
While a MP3 watch may seem like an obvious development in the wearable device market, examples to reach these shores have been few, and far, between. The Xonix 128MB MP3 Player Watch is one of these first MP3 Player watches to reach the European market.... Read more
Philips take flash sticks one step further with this MP3, Digital camera, digital camcorder and mass storage device. Convergence is never a bad thing, but can a mere 128MB of flash memory support such grandiose plans, especially when billed as a ‘wearable... Read more
The AudioDream is lightweight and sleek, has a square body with convex top and bottom, is 88 x 31 x 21 mm in size, and weighs just 30 grams. It's another converging MP3 player; stores voice, music and files via USB to 256MB of flash memory all via direct... Read more
Nike and Philips join forces on this sporty MP3 radio. Illuminated with unique white light technology, display and navigation are clear and clever, with a dedicated stopwatch control. The four-button array atop the device lead the user through a simple... Read more
Tired of staring at the playlist on your MP3? Looking for something to keep you occupied on those long journeys? Bored of Java gaming? Perhaps a multimedia player would fill the gap. DM-Tech presents the most compact recordable multimedia player available... Read more
The first thing you'll notice about the P510 is that it has an auto-opening feature for the ultra-lazy. A press of the side button and the phone will open and close automatically, through a smooth motor driven action. While such automation may seem twee,... Read more
Offering wireless convenience without the clutter of cables, or the hassle of a recharging station, this battery operated USB mouse gives up to 6 months usage from two standard AA batteries according to Microsoft with the power saving being the main improvement... Read more
The portable DVD player is finding a market in the UK and that means cheaper prices as more manufacturers try and vie for our money. Mustek, a name usually associated with cheap scanners, is the latest manufacturer from the Far East to try and get a piece... Read more
With so many MP3 stick players on the market, manufacturers have to try every trick in the book to get their player to stand out of the crowd. V@mp, a fairly new player to the market, has opted against this principle and instead has strived to offer a... Read more
When Apple released the iPod, it was by no means the first MP3 player that was on the market, but over the past couple of years it has become the defacto MP3 player. Cowon hopes to knock the crown off the ruler with its 20Gb hard drive based player the... Read more
You might still be using an analogue camcorder, but that doesn't mean that any foray into editing and sharing your finished movie has to be analogue as well. The aim of the Avermedia DVD EZMaker is to allow you to transfer video to DVD and VCD, with or... Read more