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GoPro HD HERO 1080p Action Camera

Published on May 23, 2011 by in Gadgets, Review

 

 

Ever wanted to show off your activities to all your mates. Whether that be jumping out of a plane, driving your car, motorbike, tank, train, bus in fact any vehicle you can think of big and small, even under the water. Then this cam is the one for you. It even shoots in 1080p.

As you can see from the pic above this is a small but packed little cam. Measuring in at just 42mm x 60mm x 30mm and weighing only 150g including battery its as if its not there when your handling it.

As i said this little cam is packed to the brim will gadget coolness. You want to catch all the action and with the 170 degree viewing angle you will. Not only does in shoot in 1080p but even the sound is HD. The mic is set up in such a way to minimise wind noise and get the sounds you really want. You even get to take stills instead on constant filming with 2, 5, 10, 30, 60 seconds auto-photo mode. Set up the time you want press the shutter and then let the fun begin. Like to get wet? Well with a rating down to 180 meters it makes a perfect cam for some beach and water sport fun.

One feature that really stands out for me is that is shoots 60 frames a second at HD resolution. This allows you to watch it back in slow motion with no jumpy frames and it looks AMAZING!!!!!!….

[easyreview title="GoPro HD" cat1title="The verdict" cat1detail="A great all round action plan hard to find anything wrong with it. The only down side is the price at around £300 you have to dig deep to get one. But its well worth saving your pocket money for one" cat1rating="4" summary="Now get saving people"]

 
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Bowers and Wilkins Zeppelin ipod dock

Published on May 7, 2011 by in Gadgets

Ipod docks seem to come in all shapes and sizes and this one definitely fits the bill of odd shapes. Bowers and Wilkins are well known for some amazing sound quality products and the Zeppelin is no exception.

Its called the Zeppelin for obvious reasons. The design is just eye popping no matter what angle you look at it. The metal arm that curves up so perfectly to hold you ipod is just sexy. Round the back with have is a curved goddess of stainless steel with all the various connections.

As for connections you get S-Video and composite video outputs, a mini jack input and a USB port. The usb is used for firmware update which is a real bonus. The video output is a great function but if you have ever tried to watch ipod videos on your Tv you know the quality is not that good on a big screen.

The Zeppelin is compatible with all the ipods and the iphones it even charges the later models while you rock out.

There are 3 separate amps. One powers the 125mm subwoofer and the other 2 handle the left and right pairs of 90mm woofers and 25mm tweeters. Using B&W’s compact M-1 speakers this boasts amazing sound quality the kind you would expect to hear from a much larger full system.
[easyreview title="Bowers and Wilkins Zeppelin ipod dock the Verdict" cat1title="Sound Quality" cat1detail="AMAZING" cat1rating="5" cat2title="Control" cat2detail="No visual or control over your libary with little remote" cat2rating="3" cat3title="Price" cat3detail="A little to much for no control" cat3rating="3" Summary="This is a great system but I think the Sonos S5 Wireless Music System is a better option. Both come in around the same price but there are far greater options and control with the S5"]

 
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Samsung Galaxy S2

Published on May 7, 2011 by in Mobile, Review

Let me first start by just standing on the roof tops and shouting WOW!!!! setting off some fireworks and inviting mates round to get on there knees and beg to play with the new Samsung Galaxy S2.

As you can see this is the thinnest smart phone on the market and to be fair probably the quickest to. In fact it measure a tiny 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5mm and weighing in at just over 100g. With a 1.2GHz dual processor and running Androids 2.3.3 Gingerbread operating system what ever you throw at this phone it will not slow down or stutter at all. Open all your apps, listen to your tunes, play some games and it will still with ease let you do them all at lighting speed.

The screen on this puppy measures in at a massive 4.3 inches and uses AMOLED plus technology which displays sharp images and a great contrast ratio, you can even use it in fairly well in bright sunshine. The camera on the back packs a 8mp sensor and a single LED flash. Their are loads of options for your photos with the typical black and white to sepia options. Its not by far the best quality but it does the job very very well and you will not be disappointed. Now we move onto the video capture at get ready for it 30fps 1080p Full HD. Record pretty much anything at a very very high quality. The only small downside we found was,  with fast moving objects the auto focus was a little slow and not that smooth to adjust. This is a very small downside with the quality that comes with everything else.

The S2 is packed full to the brim with tech as it should be. To be honest this post would turn into an encyclopedia if i went through everything this phone has to offer. The main thing that stood out to me is how easy it is to use and the little tweaks they have made for Androids Gingerbread. Instead of the notification swipe just showing mail and messages you can also turn on your wifi, blue-tooth etc. Voice talk is a great feature. Tap a big blue button and speak to open contacts, mail, music, navigation and more. As this is powered by Vlingo the more you use it the more it learns your voice and therefore the more accurate it will be.  It is sometimes hard to believe that this is still a phone at the end of the day and not a mini tablet computer. Calling contacts and contact information can all be linked to facebook and twitter accounts so you can get there status or tweets nice and easily. There are options for messaging a contact, calling them and of course video calls to. The video call is nice and simple to use and is a real great quality. Gaming is a real pleasure to because of the speed of this phone and of course it has the normal accelerometer etc for the mobile gaming experience.

The Verdict

+ This is a simple one for a change EVERYTHING!!!!!

- Battery life will only last about 10hours with lots of playing, the back cover is flimsy plastic.

This is a real jump forward with the smart phones with the dual processor. With the IPhone 5 coming out next year  this is going to be tough bay to beat.

 
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Sony Ericsson Xperia Play

Published on April 28, 2011 by in Games, Mobile, Review

Remember back in the day when the original Sony PlayStation was the size of fridge. Ok i might have exaggerated just a little bit. Well Sony Ericsson had now combined Goggles Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system with the gaming abilities of the PSP.

First thing you notice about the Xperia Play is that is feels a little bulky in comparison to the many other smart phones now on the market. Measuring 62 by 119 by 16mm. This is due to the slide out gaming pad which makes the PlayStation phone as many are calling it the gaming platform it is. With the direction pad on the left, two touch sensitive touch pads and the four well known PlayStation buttons on the right any gamer will feel straight at home with the controls. Two shoulders buttons finish off all the gaming feel to the phone.

So it looks very fancy but as we know looks aren’t every when it comes to tech. The gaming experience on the Xperia Play is a good one if you can find the games you want to play. The games run nice and smooth with its 1GHz processor. There are 2 different ways to get you games up and running. Slide the phone open and it will launch the Xperia play app. This shows you games you have downloaded and ones you could download. What is annoying is that you cant filter these games by say price or type. Touching a game will then launch the Android market where you can choose you game and pay for it using your gmail account. Here is where is starts to get a little frustrating. If you want a Gameloft game you will be directed to the browser where you will have to pay by either pay pal or use pay for it which adds the cost of the game straight to your phone bill. The other app you can use is called PlayStation pocket where you can download classic PlayStation games.  Touch one of these games and you will be directed again to the Android market. Download the game but the annoying thing is the game from the PlayStation pocket does not show up in the Xperia play app that launches when you slide the phone open. This just makes the whole experience very time consuming to find the games you want to play. Now we come to the games themselves. The pre installed Fifa 10 tell you to press the A button but there is no A button and this is just one of many instances of this problem. This is due to the fact it has just been dropped in and was originally designed for touch screen not touch controls. The original PlayStation games still come up with the old piracy warning from the 90′s and some even have huge black bars down either side. I hope in the future Sony have a software update that can stem some of these problems.

Putting the gaming to one side the Xperia play is still a very slick and smooth phone running phone with every day use. The Android 2.3 Gingerbread system with Sony tweaks are very simple to use. From dragging apps onto one another to create folders, to simpling pinching the screen to see all 5 home screens at once makes it very easy to navigate your way around. On the back you will find the 5mp camera with LED photo light which can in very handy in low light conditions. It takes good shots and although the video can be a little blurry it still runs very smoothly.

Have Sony Ericsson managed to pull it off a smart phone and hand held gaming device in one. Unfortunately the answer is no. As a phone it is just another smart phone that runs very smoothly and I’m sure many will enjoy. As a hand held gaming device it lacks the offering of games  which really is what it needs.

The Verdict

+ Runs smoothly, Games controls are well built and sit great in hand, Excellent build qualty

- Confusing software, display not very bright, games are expensive

I hope the next generation of the Xperia Play can be a little slimmer and the game choices far greater. This will then move this phone from average to great.

exaggerated

 
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BlackBerry PlayBook Almost here

Published on April 28, 2011 by in Computing, Mobile

The long awaited Blackberry PlayBook is very nearly here in the UK. We are still yet to hear an actually release date. Many of our sources say April to June so its getting closer and we here at geeksphere are excited about BlackBerry’s first tablet.

Here are the main specs

Display 7” 1024×600 

Capacitive Touch Screen

Operating System Blackberry Tablet OS with QNX software
Memory 1gb Ram
Performance 1ghz Dual core processor
Storage 16GB, 32GB, 64GB
Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n 

Bluetooth v2.1+EDR

Camera 5mp Rear Facing 

3mp Front Facing

1080p HD

Sensor GPS 

Accelerometer

Gyroscope

Digital Compass

Flash 10.1

Pricing is still a little up in the air at the moment. In the US its retailing for $499. So forget the exchange rates cos here in the UK we tend to get ripped off a bit when it comes to tech. It looks like it will be priced around £499. So when you compare that to say the ipad2 retailing for around the same price will it live up to all the expectations and be an a Apple killer.

Keep checking back for an official review when we get out hands on one.

 
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Top Ten Kinect Games So Far 2011

The Kinect has been a great success for Xbox since its launch and I’m sure the popularity of the system will continue to grow. I can just imagine what kind of games are yet to come.

Here is a list of the top ten Xbox Kinect games so far for 2011

1 – Zumba

Another dance style game that seem to be coming ever more popular. Zumba is a great calorie burning body pumping kind of game. Match the moves of the people on screen and see that weight slide off. Lets see how many versions of this there are to come?

2 – EA Sports Active 2


Another fitness type game that we all seem to love. This one gives you a very structured workout and even comes with a heart rate monitor so you can see just how hard your working.

3 – Kinect Sports

More of a party type game ranging from bowling to volleyball and hurdles to table tennis its got it all covered. A great game to get all the family involved. You can even have party games with special challenges that you don’t get in the main game.

4 – Dance Central

Every one loves a good boogie and this definitely lets you get down and funky. Just copy the set dance moves in time with the music. Think your the best then battle your friends and see who is crowned the king of the dance floor. One thing I love about this game is the free style where you do what you want but it records you and plays it back at the end. Some very interesting moves my other half pulls off.

5 – Your Shape: Fitness Evolved

Not quite as popular as the EA version of this fitness type game but still a good one never the less. You can pick whether you want a personal trainer and set specific fitness goals. Then again you might just want to try some yoga or even cardio boxing.

6 – The Biggest Loser: Ultimate Workout

Another fitness game I hear you cry and yes im afraid it is. As with the other games follow the person on screen set you goals etc etc. I hope kinect come out with some new innovations soon. That said a good game that is easy to follow and I’m sure if you use it regularly you will see fitness results.

7Kinect Joyride

A fun little racer that i think works best for the younger gamer. Stretch your arms out in front like holding a steering wheel and away you go. Collect power ups and thrust your arms forward to use the power boost. A fairly basic but fun game. In two player you get to pull off silly poses to keep your car steady in flight. Yeah a flying car is always fun. I hope to see better driving games in the not to near future.

8 – Kinect Adventures

This little baby comes free with the kinect so i did not expect much but was pleasantly surprised. Lots of mini games and works best with a few friends round. You get to have fun jumping, kicking, punching and lots of other movements. Two player mode is great. Its down the list as it can lose its appeal very quickly. Think this is one that gets pulled out the box when you have a few mates round rather than every day play.

9 – Dr Kawashima’s Body and Brain

Brain training games seem to have lost there popularity of late as we seem to be more interested in jumping around dancing or getting fit. I don’t think this will change the trend. As with the above game its great when you can compete with others making it a bit more exciting. You definitely have to use your brain for the many challenges but the boredom will set in very quickly.



10 – Kinectimals

Aimed more at the younger gamer this cute and fuzzy game lets you raise,train and interact with various felines from cheetahs to pumas. A good fun game to watch the little ones play as they roll and jump all over the living room floor.

 

Things to come

With three fitness and two dance games in the top ten I hope game developers are broadening there imaginations for future. This is such an innovation in the way we game I cross my fingers in anticipation for what the future holds for this cutting edge device.

 


 
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Silverlit Radio Control Heli Mission

Published on April 18, 2011 by in Gadgets, Review

This caught my eye the other day as I passed my local toy store. The name alone sounds so cool. Heli Mission put me in James Bond mode and had to get one.

Remote HeliYou really get a two for one with this little baby. A remote control truck and a helicopter. Drive the truck to where you want to launch the helicopter press the launch button and sit back in amazement. The doors on the back of the truck open and out pops your remote control helicopter.

It may seem small but the helicopter is very controlable with its Gyroscopic auto-stability. You control up/down/left/right with a very easy to use control system.

I think this would make a great gift for kids and adults a like. I so far have not got bored of driving my little truck around then going watch this watch this BOOM here is my helicopter…

The Verdict

+ Easy to use, strong to survive crashes, great gift for all

- need 10 AA batteries

 
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Sonos S5 Wireless Music System

We all have songs on our computers library whether that be ripped cd’s or downloads. Wouldn’t it be great to use that music in any room of the house with out having to run wires everywhere. Well the Award winning Sonos S5 has the solution.

Set up of the Sonos s5 could not be easier. Plug it in to a power supply and your router and away you go its that easy. The only down side to this is that if you want music in your front room and your router is upstairs. But good old sonos has a solution for this to. Plug in what they call a zonebridge into your router then you can put your Sonos S5 any where in the house and let the wireless music fun begin.

Don’t let the size of the device fool you. Normally the sound quality is well a little bit pants with things this small. 5 speakers each with there own dedicated amplifier makes the sonos s5 sound quality not only high quality but rivals that of much bigger systems. 1 sub, 2 tweeters and 2 mid range drivers cover everything from deep bass to high frequency responses.

So its wireless but how can you control it if your not at your computer?.. Well there are so many options for this its madness I tell you. If you have a Android phone, iphone, ipad, ipod touch then its as easy as downloading the app and away you go. Its get even better the app is free. If you don’t own any of the above devices of course you can control it from you computer or spend a  little bit more cash and get the official Sonos Controller 200. The full colour touch screen again makes its so simple to control your tunes to get your house pumping.

Now unless you live in a box or a garage you probably have more than one room in your house. So your going to want more of your music in more then one room. Or maybe you want different music in different rooms well guess what you can do that to. Just get yourself another Sonos S5  plug it in where you want it press the two buttons on the top and its connected and ready to go. So your got your wireless controller pick what music you want in each room and away you go. Lets the kids rock out to whatever it is kids listen to these days while you chill out to some old school tunes with no arguments. Control the volume of each unit as well so you can turn it down when the kids blast out some pumping tunes.

Sonos s5 gives you access to over 100000 free Internet radio stations so i don’t think you will ever be stuck for what to listen to. You can then use it with many music services like deezer, last.fm, spotify and napster. Like most devices the companies keep making them better. Updating the Sonos s5 is automatic. Just register the product and it tells you when updates are available then the wireless units do the rest. Click update and each one will update to the latest versions.

The Verdict

+ Easy set up, easy expansion for more rooms, excellent sound quality, free app control

- Cost, having to buy the zonebridge if you want first speaker away from router

All in all a great if not one of the best wireless speakers systems out there. If you down mind digging a little deeper in your pockets its well worth spending that little extra money.

 
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Amazon Kindle 3 review

This is the third instalment from amazon and like most other products that evolve this one is smaller faster and all in all better than its predecessors.

This may look like the previous kindle to the untrained eye but never judge a book by its cover. The e-book its self is 21% smaller in size and weighs 15% less then the kindle 2. This makes it a very easy to handle. The small amount of weight almost makes it feel like your holding a book. Not only that but the back has a rubberised feel so it sits very comfortably in the hand.

As you can see from the pic above they have moved the power keys and headphone jack to the bottom. This makes no real difference but feels like a better place for them to be.

One of the most noticeable differences is the increase in space. Going from 2gb to 4gb (3.3 usable for user). This allows you to store a libraries worth of books on there about 3500. Think you should always be able to find something to read with that amount. It seems like amazon have doubled everything, the internal storage and the battery life. They claim up to 4 weeks. That would of course be with the wifi off. If this is true then that is a truly amazing battery life.

The E-ink screen have a much higher contrast which makes the screen amazingly easy to read even when the sun is shining right on it. It now has native PDF support which im sure many users will love.

You have two options for connectivity which we are all very use to wifi and 3g. You can get the ebook with just wifi or one with both. Amzon has added an experimental webkit browser with this version. Its fun to see websites in black and white but to be honest we cant really see anyone really using this devise for that. But im sure when the next version of the kindle comes out it will be a lot better.

The Verdict

+ Smaller, light weight and a great screen.  Faster page turns, excellent battery life. Well priced

- No expansion slot for more memory. EPUB  book files not surrported.

 
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ipod nano Review

Apple have come up with some amazing touch type devices. The iphone, ipad, ipod touch and now the latest ipod nano with multi touch.

As with previous ipods you can choose several different colours in fact the nano comes in seven. So we can all express our own funky style with so many choices.

The first thins you notice about the nano is the size. One word sums it up “small”. Just 37.5mm in height, 40.9 mm wide and a tiny 8.78 mm in depth and weighing in at only 21.1 grams. The screen measures up at 1.5 inch which gives you 240×240 pixel resolution.

The multi touch on this little device is amazingly accurate and easy to use for such a small screen. The multi touch lets you swipe to scroll between the screens similar to the iphone or ipod touch.

Press and hold and you can move and customise every screen and move you icons where ever fits for you.

A very useful multi touch function is the rotate. Just put two fingers on the screen and twist which ever way you want the screen to be. This come in very useful when you clip the nano to clothes or bags etc.

Last but by no means least you have your basic press multi touch for play, pause, skip and many other features.

Now this may be a small device but it is packed with innovative functions that will take your music and even fitness to a whole new level.

Your music can be played just like other ipod or iphone devices but a great little feature is the shake to shuffle. It sounds like just what it is shake your nano and it will shuffle your song and pick you a new one, want another then shake again.

There is no need to buy any fancy cases with this little baby as it comes with a built in clip right on the back. As i mentioned earlier with the multi touch twist function your nano screen will always be the right way up how ever you clip it on to you.

Worried about battery life well worry no more. Apple claim it has a 24hour non stop battery life so that is plenty for any one i think. It will charge in exactly the same way and use the same lead as previous ipod, iphones.

If you run or take your ipod to the gym for some motivation well now you can use it to your advantage. With a built in pedometer you can measure your workouts and calories burned. Link it up to the Nike + system you can download your workouts and keep track of your fitness regime.

 

Bored of listening to your music then just switch to the built in radio which will display song, artist or programme your tuned into. The best feature of the radio is the live pause. Want to answer you phone or chat but don’t want to miss what you got on. All you need to do is pause the radio and when you press play again it will continue where you left off. You can rewind up to 15 minutes or fast forward to catch up with to the live broadcast.

 

The Verdict

+ an amazing amount of features for such a small device

- some people may find the small size a little to small

A music device that you can fit in your pocket and have space for your wallet and even your change. Filled to the brim with featues Apple have done it again and who knows where they will go from here. We all wait in anticipation.

 
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geeksphereuk - life or death question! Sonos play 5? Or is there something better for similar price?
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