Sony PSP Go Review

July 19th, 2009 by e-tech

Sony PSP GoFor those of us in the handheld world, rumours of the new Sony PSP Go have  been circulating for some months.  There have been many whispered stats, and plenty of fake ‘leaked’ pictures.  Sony have however finally put an end to this speculation and have given us our first hands on test of the PSP Go.

The Sony PSP Go has a brand new look, and while it may have plenty of upgrades there are a few downsides too, first and foremost the loss of the UMD slot means that your old games will not work on this, though it has made the device smaller, and increased it’s battery life.

The next main downside in my view is the smaller screen, the original PSP was just about bearable for watching the odd movie.  Now the screen has been downsized 4.3 to 3.8 inches widescreen you may just find it simply too small.

Infact a lot of the improvements to the Sony PSP Go make it feel more like an attempt to rival the iPod touch, but without the touch.  This comparisson has also sparked questions on why Sony have not integrated cell phone features in to this device, something which truely could put it up against the iPhone and similair portable multi function devices.

Despite this however the Sony PSP Go has plenty of features to keep it going.  Since UMD is no longer supported the PSP Go works soley on direct downloads.  To help support this it comes with a huge 16GB internal flash memory stick, with a slot for another flash card, if required!

The controls for the Sony PSP Go follow the usual playstation layout, it does take a little getting used to, since the controls are pushed together in to the small pop out layer.  This can feel a little bit more cramped, but since the control panel has it’s own section it there are less accidental button presses, which many people found a problem on the original PSP Go.

On top of the original PSP WiFi integration the PSP Go also includes bluetooth compatability.  This allows bluetooth headset integrateion, connection to a cellphone for 3G connectivity, and the possibility of connecting a PS3 on the horizon. Although with the new smaller screen I am not sure just how well that would work out.

The PSP Go allows for much easier integration with TV show, movie and music downloading. Unlike Apple, Sony did not create their own store for this.  Instead they partnered with eMusic, to allow users DRM-free digital media downloading over a WiFi connection. This will supply the top digital media at competitive prices to the PSP Go customers with none of the numerous restrictions placed on iPod users.

We expect to hear more details from Sony in the near future regarding the PSP Go, the world is waiting with baited breath for the technical specs behind teh latest version of the PSP!

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New Medical iPhone Application

July 13th, 2009 by e-tech

Medical iPhone AppThe new medical iPhone application may seem like one of these miscellaneous apps which you never bother to download, but in my eyes this is the most import iPhone app out there today.

Let me reminisce for a few seconds.

Several years ago I was walking through York on a night when me and a friend came accross this young blonde girl having an asthma attack on a bridge.  Needless to say we called an ambulance, but in the meantime what were we supposed to do? Keep her warm or cool, give her water? We did not know.

This is where the new medical iPhone application comes in, it’s a hefty file, so i suggest you wait till you have a decent 3G or WiFi connection. But Download this!  It contains all the medical information you will need to cope with a basic medical crisis, something that could one day help you save somebody’s life!

In my eyes that makes this medical iPhone application the worlds greatest iPhone App!

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Multi Charger Saves you Space!

July 9th, 2009 by e-tech

Charge MatI am a true gadget lover, I test hundreds and play with thousands, so when I saw the new Charging Mat for sale I bowed down.

The charging mat uses one wall socket and can charge up to four devices at a time.  it supports most current devices, and if it doesn’t it supplies additonal cables for $4.95 each!

At $40 the charging mat may seem a little bit expensive, but when you consider it can charge nearly any device, save you space and securely hold your hardware, well it suddenly doesn’t seem quite so much!

The silicon mat rolls up, and you can get a cigareet lighter adapter to charge your gadgets on the go!

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New Sony Vaio W Netbook

July 8th, 2009 by e-tech

Sony have repeatedly stated that they will not be releasing a netbook, today however they seem to have changed their mind.  Sony Vaio have released the W series, and while they don’t call it a Netbook it is small (Ten inches) lightweight and only an inch thick.

Where the new Sony Vaio W Series differs from normal netbooks is the price, costing around $100 more than your typical netbook.  However this is a new release and we do expect the prices to go down in the future. Sony are not known for their cheap prices though, so the future is uncertain!

Personally I like the newSony Netbook, it is smooth and has true Vaio reliability.  In some ways though I think it may flop, it just isn’t cheap enough for the netbook market.  Who know though, maybe some people want small, lightweight high quality, rather than the small crap netbooks that you get from most other suppliers!

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The Garmin Nuvi 760 Portable GPS System

June 24th, 2009 by e-tech

Portable GPS Unit

If you’ve been searching for the perfect portable GPS navigation system, look no further than the Garmin nüvi 760 4.3-inch widescreen bluetooth portable GPS automobile navigator.  This GPS is really the best that money can buy – especially if you aren’t trying to go broke when purchasing one.  The dimensions are 4.8 x 0.8 x 2.8 inches and weighing in at only 2.8 pounds, this widescreen model features built-in bluetooth and FM.  Its also easy on the eyes because its got a 4.3 inch touch screen, 480 x 272 pixels, and Wqvga display with a color backlight.  We mentioned bluetooth and FM, which is a great deal because it allows you to make hands-free calling and offers traffic broadcasts by using a “silent” FM data channel, which determines the best route based on the traffic status.This model also preloaded with City Navigator and North American Nt Maps, along with the “Where am I/Where’s my car?” feature – which is something totally new and only offered by nuvi, the first GPS to answer two common questions: “Where am I?” and “Where’s my car?”.  At any given moment, your exact latitude and longitude coordinates can be given to you, along with the nearest address and intersection.  The nuvi 700 can also direct you to the closest gas stations, police stations, and hospitals.  And you no longer have to worry about not being able to find your car in a huge parking lot – this model can automatically track the exact spot the car was in the last time it was removed from the mount.  Unfortunately, it can’t carry you to the car, but we’ll wait for that to come out next year.  And for its last trick, the speed limit indicator displays speed limits for all highways and interstates.So, besides the fact that this GPS has a super user-friendly interface and the sleek, slim, and pocket-sized design is so pleasing to the eye, lets talk about price on the Garmin nuvi line.  No need to panic, we’ve found it on Amazon for $199, which is a lot better than the original price of $399.  In fact, less than a year ago, you would only been able to get a nuvi250W for $199.  Sound like a good deal?  You’re right – it is.Let’s face it, there is really nothing better than having a cool gadget that tells us how to get from A to B.  Now, thanks to the nuvi 760, you can hold the world in the palm of your hand at a very sweet price.  

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How to Speed Up Boot Time on Your PC or Laptop

June 2nd, 2009 by e-tech

One of the most annoying things about your general PC, whether Windows, Linux or Mac, is the boot time.  Things have become a little easier, but even so I still findmyself twiddling my thumbs for close to a minute while my laptop loads up. Fortunately there are a few ways to speed up the boot time of your PC, especially if you are using a Vista Machine, you can speed up vista boot time with easy simply by spending $30 on a usb flash drive!

So lets get down to basics, how can you speed up your PC?

First things first, the easiest, cheapest and quickest way to speed up a computer is by formatting and re-installing the OS, this does however bring in a few probelms, especially if you have hundreds of programs installed (Like me).

The second, more advisable way is to start uninstalling programs you do not use.  Many of these will have background processes, some which start on boot and then close back down, others will constantly run. Either way they all will slow down your computers boot time by a small but significant amount.

You can uninstall programs from the control panel, however this often leaves things on your computer which can still slow it down, for this reason I suggest using something like Perfect Uninstaller

Once you have uninstalled the useless unused programs off your PC the next step in speeding up your computers boot time is to clean up the registry. Registry cleaning is often considered insignificant, however a single registry clean up can cut your computers boot time in half! Registry cleaning is as simple as a single click with products like Registry Easy!

Once you have removed all these excess programs then your next step is to keep your computer clean, An Antivirus such as McAfee and some anti-spyware tools such as Adaware are pretty much essential here!

Once you have the basics out of the way you can look at more interior ways to speed up boot time on your computer. These small tweaks can massively increase your computers Boot time

Change your Bios to speed up boot time on your PC, make your Hard drive the primary boot device (Ususally CD drive as default) and reduce the time the boot program pauses to let you press the safe mood and system set up keys.

Remove the boot up splash screen to speed up Windows boot time, this can be done in MSCONFIG by checking the /noguiboot option.

If you are using windows vista you can massively speed up vista boot time by using the fantastic ReadyBoost system. This actualy turns a USB flash drive in to extra memory for your computer, and gives a huge boost to your computers boot speed in Vista!

And there you have it, some cheap easy ways to speed up computer boot time!

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Beat the Smoking Ban with the New Cigar

May 8th, 2009 by e-tech

Electronic Cigar

The smoking ban in the UK has touched many, so it’s not surprising that alternatives are being sought the country over.  Fortunately for thoseof you who have the nicotine dependancy I Want One of Those has just brought out the Electronic Cigar, a disposabledevice which evaporates a mist of a concoction containing nicotine and flavorings to make it similar to smoking the real thing!

And since there is no smoke, this is not affected by the smoking ban!

Good for 600 puffs of carciogen free heaven you will love this disposable electronic cigar!

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