Accessories
Microsoft Sidewinder X4 early review: Ain't afraid of no ghost 
What do hardcore gamers fear most? No, it's not being told to get out the house and find a job -- although that can be pretty terrifying. The correct answer is ghosts. More specifically, ghosting: the unpleasant gaming phenomenon when a keyboard can't handle the amount of keys being pressed down, and fails to register any additional inputs.
When performing the kind of nimble-fingered hand gymnastics most gamers find essential, a crucial key press failing to register can be fist-through-screen frustrating. Microsoft's Sidewinder X4 exorcises this problem -- an unconventional wiring setup means you can hit up to 26 keys at once without any hits failing to register. Continue reading...
Canon Imageformula P-150: Portable document scanner for the large of pocket
Have you ever been at a bus stop and quickly needed to scan an electricity bill? Yeah? You're in luck -- Canon has answered all your portable-document-copying prayers with the diminutive Imageformula P-150.
The device measures just 280mm by 95 by 40mm with its feed trays closed, which is about the size of two massive Toblerone bars stacked one on top of the other. Okay, so you couldn't fit it in your pocket -- unless you're a clown, or you let your trews sag like they do in rap videos -- but it's pretty flippin' small. Continue reading...
Amazon plots Kindle app store: Hungover commuters rejoice
Amazon has announced that, from next month, developers will have access to a software-development kit that will let them build apps for the Kindle ebook reader and its obese sibling, the Kindle DX. That means you'll be able to keep up appearances on the train by pretending to read, say, Moby Dick, while actually engaging in something altogether more hangover-friendly.
Given the monochrome, E-Ink display of these devices and the slow page-refresh times, we doubt you'll be feeding that Road Rash addiction on the way to work. But some more sedate games and puzzles -- Sudoku, crosswords and the like -- are almost certainly on the cards, with game developers EA and Sonic Boom both in line to whip up some apps.
A Zagat restaurant-ratings app is also in the works. Amazon suggests other apps might include travel guides that suggest activities based on real-time weather updates, and cookbooks that take people's allergies into account before suggesting recipes. Thrilling stuff. Continue reading...
CES 2010: Charge of the wireless brigade
3D TV and ebooks may have grabbed the headlines at CES 2010, but we noticed another theme of the show that's already in your living rooms, in your pockets and all around you. As we carry around more gadgets, drawing ever more power, in a world where power consumption is a hot-button issue, charging solutions were everywhere.
Here are some examples, from old-school battery boys Duracell and Energiser, to intelligent charging, to the super-coolness that is wireless charging. Continue reading...
Sprint Overdrive 4G wireless router: WiMax? Why not
In the US, some wireless broadband users are way more G than you. Well, one more G anyway, making a total of 4G. US network Sprint has debuted the Overdrive 4G and 3G wireless router.
The Overdrive Mobile Hotspot is built by Sierra Wireless and links up to Clearwire's mobile WiMax network. It creates an ad hoc Wi-Fi network for up to five devices. It's similar to the 3G MiFi portable hotspot, but with the advantage of faster 4G speeds. Where 4G isn't available, the Overdrive switches to 3G. Continue reading...
Peregrine gaming controller: Smell the glove
After attending parties in Las Vegas nightclubs, spotting weird stuff is the most fun to be had at CES. While the Peregrine gaming glove looks oddly familiar at first, it may not actually be such a crazy idea. Wearing the glove, you can do anything from fragging an enemy to creating a new layer in a Photoshop image.
Stainless steel spring contact wires run through the breathable fabric glove to metallic contact points placed around your hand: five on each finger and two on the thumb, as well as one large palm contact point. Simply tap your thumb against any point on your fingers, or tap a finger to your palm, to execute a pre-programmed action. It's rather like the gauntlets worn by Christian Bale's Batman in Batman Begins. Continue reading...
Samsung E101 and E6: Wireless ebook readers take on the Kindle
At annual technology shindig CES, Samsung took the liberty of unveiling two new wireless ebook readers, the 10-inch E101 (pictured above) and 6-inch E6 (shown below), as well as announcing a partnership with Google that will see the Web giant's online library of over a million books made available on these devices. Continue reading...
Woo Audio 6 Special Edition headphone amp: Ears on
It's been a while since we penned anything about super high-end headphone equipment. Since we're freezing our unmentionables off in London today it seems fitting we talk about a valve amp that's quite literally red hot.
This is the Woo Audio 6 Special Edition -- a high-end $1,000 (£620) valve-driven headphone amplifier, aimed towards anyone who appreciates the advantage of headphones that cost as much as a cheap car. That's us. Our headphone of choice is the £500 wood-encased Denon AH-D5000s, and it's with these we have been testing the WA6SE for the last few months. Continue reading...
Christmas on the phone: Top 5 gifts for mobile phone lovers
The right accessory can take a mobile phone from awesome to epic. Check out our list of the gifts that will make you the best friend a phone can have.
iPlayer obsessive: MiFi wireless modem
The MiFi wireless 3G modem means you'll never have to be without Wi-Fi again. Just pop a SIM card from 3 in and wherever there's 3G network coverage, the MiFi belches out a bubble of Wi-Fi that you can connect up to four devices to. That means free Wi-Fi on the train for your phone and laptop, as well as your mates'.
The MiFi is rechargable, smaller than a deck of cards, and takes a microSD card so you can also use it to share files over Wi-Fi without a computer. At 3Mbps, the Wi-Fi won't be as fast as normal broadband, but it's worth it for the iPlayer and Skype love you'll be getting when you'd otherwise be offline. Continue reading...
iriver Story ebook reader tested
A new ebook reader has landed to challenge the Sony Readers, and we actually don't hate it, which is really saying something -- we generally don't like ebook readers at all. It's from the company that makes those MP3 players we like: iriver.
It's called the Story, and it borrows some of the best elements of Amazon's Kindle and some of the best elements of Sony's Readers. You get the Kindle's 152mm (6-inch) e-ink screen and keyboard, plus the Sony Readers' compatibility with loads of file types, SD-card memory expansion and audio player. Continue reading...
