Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Title: Iron Man
Release Date: May, 2, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Marvel and Paramount Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Pros: Great acting, very funny, great effects, more contemporary setting and origin, pleasing to Iron Man and comic fans
Cons: Feels like a short movie, limited story, not enough action or Iron Man, to many quick edits, no Nick Fury cameo
Overall Score: One thumb up, one sideways; 80/100; B-; * * * out of five.

Gamertell has posted its review for the Iron Man movie, in theater now (released May 2, 2008). According to the review, “The film provides the perfect merging of fact and fiction, featuring a fictional character whose own life has as many ups and downs as Downey’s real-life career. With so much insight, Downey brings incredible character and personality to Stark, helping to extra depth to a previously 2D character. It’s that depth that allows you to simultaneously laugh at Downey’s every word thinking about how much of a jerk he is…

Ultimately, Iron Man is a fun ride that doesn’t live up to the story and emotional quality of Batman Begins, nor is it likely to win over a whole new generation of fans like the Spider-Man films have.”

Head to Gamertell for the full review.

Read [Gamertell]

The Amazon Kindle, while having been released way back in November 2007 somehow feels like a brand new release. I guess when an item sells out within days and remains out-of-stock for about five months it is bound to seem like a new release when it comes back in stock again.

While the Kindle has already been reviewed many times around the Interwebs, I wanted to share my thoughts and feeling towards the Amazon Kindle. Mainly because I feel its overpriced and expensive at $399, but at the same time its (at least in my opinion) well worth the money.

The Kindle would be great for someone who travels often, because it would provide them an easy way to carry multiple books or purchase a new book should they finish, or decide they do not like the one they had thanks to the always connected book store, I do not fit into that category, but can still find the value, let me explain.

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Product: Casio Exilim EX-S10
Price and Availability: $249.99
Pros: Super slim, big 10.1mp, liked Best Shot over time, simple video recording
Cons: Does anyone really need 10.1?  Some motion blur
Overall: I am considering this for my personal camera.  I love the form factor, the Best Shot works for me, one touch recording is key. 
Rating: 10/10

In short, I love this camera.  I take a range of photos for work and for play.  From simple studio shots where I putz around with lighting to lacrosse action photos, having a camera I can whip out anywhere is critical for me.  I hate bulky cameras, mostly cause I refuse to carry them.  If this sounds like you, you are going to love the S10.

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I have used my share of VoIP phones out there, so when Plantronics sent me the newish Calisto Pro Series, I didn’t have too high of expectations.  However I became impressed quickly with the great Bluetooth integration, among other features.  There are three ways you can talk on the phone (or Skype): speakerphone, on the handset, or on the included Bluetooth headset.  This amount of flexibility is a great thing to have when you’re in an office—or even at home—since you have the choice to go anywhere in your house.  So what if you want to sit in your living room, and the Bluetooth signal can’t make it that far?  Don’t worry, the headset is paired with the handset, so just bring the handset with you!

Have I mentioned that the Calisto can also be used as your landline phone?  Well, it sure can.  The device has seemless integration with both Skype (and your computer) and your landline connection.  So if you’re talking long distance to someone across the world, and hang up to make a local call, you don’t even have to switch anything… just hang up, dial the number, and press talk.

Design

Overall, the Calisto’s design is sleek, but not too fancy.  The phone’s handset is a bit bulky, but it’s smaller than most traditional cordless phones, so we won’t dock them there.  The Bluetooth headset is a big flimsy, and I had a hard time with it - but while you’re sitting at your desk, it’s really OK to have a flimsy headset on since you’re not making any sharp movements that will knock it off.

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Back in February Sony announced two new Walkman MP3 players, the A820 and A829 (yes, horrendous names). These are 8 and 16 GB versions of Sony’s flash memory, iPod nano competitors. At first glance, the big shocker is the inclusion of Bluetooth audio on the A829—no more strangulation by your headphone—but the models have much more to offer than that.

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Check out the gallery: The Walkman returns to glory with the Sony NWZ-A829

Photoshop Express recently attracted my attention and I signed up. This was a very easy and short process. Include me in that group of digital photo snapping and sharing fanatics. Sharing photos has become the easy part - choosing where to share them is - well, not so easy. Researching the numerous photo sharing sites available on the internet is very time consuming.

Competition is rampant among these photo hosting sites. Kodak Gallery, Snapfish, Flickr, Photobucket, Shutterfly and Picasa are just a few popular drops in the bucket. I wish that there was a giant list of options that could be checked off that would lead to the perfect site for me. My requirements may not be the same as yours but here goes.

I’d rather not pay a subscription fee. Most photo sharing sites offer free albums but extra features will initiate a fee. Editing abilities and uploads to my blogs as well as other sites are huge time savers. For example, photos in Facebook, Photobucket and Picasa can be edited through Photoshop Express. Viewing options for my visitors are also important to me. Whether viewing as a private visitor or as a public viewer, slideshows and videos are fun. 

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Do you find yourself digging through jackets to find your phone?  Do you dig through the hamper chasing a funky ringtone after leaving your phone in a pants pocket?  If you are like me, you’ve taken many trips, running through your pad trying to track down that ringing mobile phone.  And if you too perform this act, more often than not it stops ringing just as you were getting close.  Panasonic aims to stop our panic run.

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Epson’s RX 595 all in one printer has it all. It prints, it scans, and can even read memory cards and print directly to CDs.

After opening the box, I quickly set up the printer and scrounged around for a USB A male to USB B male cable (which, unfortunately, was not included with the printer) and popped in the software CD. I was a bit disappointed that my MacBook could not automatically detect and use the printer, but installing the software was for the best. Though this is probably not a universal problem, the unit I received had a problem during its initial setup with paper jams. However, after a few aggravating minutes, the jams stopped and printing was smooth as could be.

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Product: Ultra m998 ATX mid-tower PC case
Price: $199.99
Rating: 8/10
Pros: A lot of room to work, very sturdy construction, finished interior and incorporated power plugs.
Cons: Unclear instruction manual and a few crucial difficult-to-reach screws and non-existent “tabs.”
Overall: Great for anyone looking to piece together a rig from scratch and load it up with drives and extra cards.

Click through and read the full review on Gamertell.com.

Product: Skullcandy iPhone FMJ headphones
Price and Availability: $79.95, Currently available for sale, although they are noted as being out-of stock until March 1-15, 2008.
Rating: 10/10
Pros: A comfortable fit, great sounding and a solid, durable feel.
Cons: Not sure I can really call it a con, but at first the cable seemed a bit stiff. It did become a little more flexible with a few days of use.
Overall: A great choice for iPhone and/or BlackBerry Curve users alike.

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