Product Reviews Net |
- Plan Your Pregnancy By Week With an iPhone App
- Pioneer introduces new Sound Wing speakers with HVT
- Pimp Your Screen App: Personalize Your iOS Device
- iOS 4.3.1 release arrives: Bug fixes and iPod Touch issues addressed
- New Educational iPad App: Kindergarten 1.0
- WWF Earth Hour 2011: Virtually Switch Off Lights
- Killzone 3 Patch 1.07 on Way: Preliminary Notes Revealed
- Importance of iPhone 5 edge-to-edge screen in 2011
- Facebook Dislike Button: Most Wanted In 2011
- Hitachi Connected TV: Partnership with Espial In 2011
- iPad 2 problems cause returns, replacements repeat issues
- iPad 2 Backlight Bleed: Hands-on with Bleeding Problems
- Tomb Raider: Legend – PS3 Trophy Guide Revealed
- Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters Game Coming to Nintendo 3DS
- Nintendo 3DS games at launch not exploiting potential
- Rock Band 3: New DLC Brings DragonForce Tracks
| Plan Your Pregnancy By Week With an iPhone App Posted: 26 Mar 2011 12:38 PM PDT
Mums to be can get help to plan their pregnancy by week following the launch of a clever application. Pregnancy: Week by Week 1.0 is a fully featured pregnancy tracker tool for owners of the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Released by Viaden Mobile, the application gives users detailed month by month information on the process of pregnancy, and the development of the baby as it grows. Expectant mums can find almost everything they need to know during pregnancy. There is a readymade to-do list which allows women to plan healthcare procedures and other important events. A mother's nutrition is also a big focus of the application with the in-built food tracker; this allows users to log everything eaten during the day. The app will also calculate the daily number of calories, as well as the amount of nutrients according to the user's trimester and age. There is a readymade shopping list which includes everything an expectant mother needs for when the baby is born, and items can be removed or added to the list. Users can track their weight, measurements of hips and waist, blood sugar, pulse and blood pressure all within the app.
Free advice can also be obtained via the Live Support option, and when that special day finally comes, the new arrival can be announced via Facebook and Twitter. Despite only being available for a short time the app has been receiving great reviews from users. Pregnancy: Week by Week 1.0 is available worldwide on the App Store for only $1.99/£1.19. iOS 3.0 or later required. For more coverage:
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| Pioneer introduces new Sound Wing speakers with HVT Posted: 26 Mar 2011 11:08 AM PDT
If you are locking to set yourself up with a new set of speakers then we have some exciting news for you. Having previously brought you news of Pioneer's VSX-1021 AV Receiver System that is to feature Apple's Airplay, we now have news that Pioneer has introduced their latest speakers, the Sound Wings. These speakers are not like any ordinary speakers, as they feature HVT (Horizontal-Vertical Transforming) technology. They are designed to produce a sound output of 100W while maintaining bass caliber and reducing unwanted vibration. They give off omnidirectional sounds which will cover the while room and feature a closely packaged double diaphragm. The HVT technology allows for excess space to be taken up with the coils inside the speaker and in theory allows for a thinner design speaker overall even though the Sound Wings still measure 109mm thick. They are expected to cost in the region of $500 and will be available in June this year. More details about the speakers can be found at AkihabaraNews by clicking the link. What do you think of the Pioneer Sound Wing Speakers? Let us know in the comments below. For more coverage:
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| Pimp Your Screen App: Personalize Your iOS Device Posted: 26 Mar 2011 11:04 AM PDT
Are you bored with the current wallpaper on your iOS device and wish you had more choice of backgrounds? Well thanks to Apalon's recently released Pimp Your Screen app, you now have the ability to personalize your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPod with a large number of unique backgrounds to choose from. According to Marc Saltzman over on the usatoday.com website, users have many different styles, colors and objects to choose from, such as hand-drawn characters, cars and flowers. A lot of the images – such as tree branches and picture frames – look like slots or shelves that appear to hold your app icons in place. Many of the images are available for both horizontal and vertical orientation. The Pimp Your Screen app enables users to scroll through the featured images by theme, such as Skins or Neon, or just flick through the collection by category: Popular and Recent for example. Another great feature is the fact that it enables you to preview what each background will look like with your icons. However, if you then want to set the image as your home screen or lock screen, you have to save it first and then go to your photos and set it as wallpaper. You can read more about the Pimp Your Screen app over on the itunes.apple.com website. Have you downloaded this application yet? If you have, what do you think of it? For more coverage:
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| iOS 4.3.1 release arrives: Bug fixes and iPod Touch issues addressed Posted: 26 Mar 2011 10:42 AM PDT
For those of you that own an Apple device, you will have been running the latest iOS 4.3. This update has caused a lot of problems for a lot of people since it was released. Most of the problems we have already brought to your attention in other news. One of the problems that were being experienced is a graphics issue that was affecting the 4th generation iPod. If you are one of the people who have been experiencing these problems, then we have some exciting new for you. Apple has just released the iOS 4.3.1 update which is designed to resolve most of the issues that have been reported. Things like cellular network connection bugs are to be fixed, also AV-Out and enterprise apps issues. It will be available across all Apple devices and can be downloaded at iTunes. A full list of details about what the fix will feature can be found at TUAW by clicking the link. Have you been experiencing any problems? Which problems have affected you? You can let us know if the update has successfully fixed your problems in the comments below. Are there any issues that have not yet been addressed? For more coverage:
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| New Educational iPad App: Kindergarten 1.0 Posted: 26 Mar 2011 10:41 AM PDT
If you are looking for a new educational app for your iPad, a feature packed application has recently been released. Kindergarten 1.0 cover's multiple aspects of a child's education and keeps them entertained as they learn. Released by Demansol Software Solutions the app has twenty one features in one pack. Children can learn to play and learn with colors, alphabets and numbers, and much more. They can learn about different animals and birds with pictures, and there is also a writing section that teaches kids to write alphabets in a colorful manner. Other things children are taught include the calendar, this teaches days and months of the year, and they can also draw and sketch to really use their imagination. There are even fun quizzes to test their knowledge, which include Hangman and a mathematical quiz.
Kindergarten 1.0 is available worldwide on the App Store for only $1.99/£1.19. iOS 3.2 or later required. Check the application in action in the video below.
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| WWF Earth Hour 2011: Virtually Switch Off Lights Posted: 26 Mar 2011 10:19 AM PDT
Earlier today we reminded you that today (Saturday, March 26) WWF Earth Hour 2011 takes place, for those of you who have never heard of Earth Hour it is an event which takes place at 8.30PM annually where people turn off lights and unnecessary electrical equipment, this has been set up to remind us of climate change. Some stores have confirmed that they will be taking part in Earth Hour 2011, now we have found a way for you to do your bit and spread the word via social networking thanks to the “Lights Out” Twitter application. If you head over to EH2011.com you can use the application, simply choose your time zone and then click the “Sign in with Twitter” button, once done you have to allow the app access to your Twitter account and it will modify your Twitter image by adding the Earth Hour logo to it, also it will tweet this message “Prepare yourself for Earth Hour 2011 with the “Lights Off” Twitter-application. http://eh2011.com #earthhour“. At 8.30PM the “lights will be switched out” on my Twitter image, meaning that all you will see is a black box with the Earth Hour logo showing, it will be interesting to see how many people’s Twitter pictures have their lights turned out at 8.30PM tonight, once the hour is up you can “turn the light back on” here. Will you “turned the lights out” on your Twitter account? For more coverage:
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| Killzone 3 Patch 1.07 on Way: Preliminary Notes Revealed Posted: 26 Mar 2011 10:04 AM PDT
If you own a PlayStation 3 console and a copy of the Killzone 3 game, I think we have some pretty exciting news for you. Guerrilla Games has just revealed preliminary notes for its upcoming Killzone 3 patch, which the developer is hoping to release in the first week of April. Not only does the upcoming 1.07 patch contain fixes for a number of problems, but according to Envisager over at vissy.co.uk it also provides a feature that many a gamer has been waiting for – Custom Games. However, it appears that this feature will be rolled out in two phases. The first phase – which is included in the 1.07 patch – will provide players with the option of creating unranked games, with a choice of map, game mode, missions (Warzone only) and mission time (Warzone only), as well as being able to invite squad members / enemy squad leader. Phase 2 of the Custom Games, which will be rolled out in a future patch, will provide gamers with several options such as turning friendly fire on and off, turning brutal melee on and off, adjusting the kill count for Guerrilla Warfare and configurable abilities, skills, ribbons and weapons. The 1.07 patch has also fixed a crash that occurred when joining a Guerrilla Warfare Clan match, lowered the increased accuracy ribbon effectiveness, fixed a crash that happened when players joined a Warzone game and added a 'mute all' button. You can read about the other changes via the vissy.co.uk website. Are you happy that the upcoming patch is bringing the Custom Games feature? For more coverage:
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| Importance of iPhone 5 edge-to-edge screen in 2011 Posted: 26 Mar 2011 09:57 AM PDT
The advancing technology amongst gadgets such as Apple devices, laptops and TVs means consumers are able to get a lot of power and high-tech specs at their disposal. Many of these devices are forever expanding their screens also to maximize user experience. But does a device need to be made bigger in order to have a larger screen? Not necessarily it seems with edge-to-edge screens becoming more popular. The technology for these screens has been available for years but it seems only now the next gen products are replacing current screens with these. Rumors are already spiraling about the iPhone 5 and how it may feature an edge-to-edge screen. This would mean users will be getting a similar sized device only with a larger display. Other examples of devices that feature the screens are Apple's MacBook Pro and some LG HDTVs. What we at Product Reviews want to find out is does the size of a screen matter that much to you when choosing a device? When it comes to screens we personally feel that there is no need for a border as it just adds unnecessary size to a device or takes up room that could be otherwise used for more screen. It also seems silly to manufacture a device and waste material on a border when there is no need. What do you think of edge-to-edge screens? How important is having an edge-to-edge screen on your device? Let us know in the comments below. For more coverage:
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| Facebook Dislike Button: Most Wanted In 2011 Posted: 26 Mar 2011 09:47 AM PDT
Recently Facebook added “Questions” to their impressive list of features for the popular social networking website, today we thought we would look at other features which could be added, it seems to us as though a dislike button is what people really want. Over 3 million people have “Liked” the “Dislike Button” Facebook page, you can show your support for the new feature by liking this page, also you can read what people have to say on the matter in the page’s discussions section. Lots of people do not like the Facebook like button as people quite often “like” what they don’t really like, if you check out Kate Drewett’s article on TheDrum.co.uk she points out that roughly 20,000 people liked a post from Facebook which announced an interruption to the chat service, surely 20k people didn’t like the announcement, instead they “Liked” it to spread the word. To us the word like is misleading when you take into account how Facebook use it, obviously there are some things which you like, some things you dislike and some things you want to share, at the moment no matter how you feel about a status update, photo, video or link you have to “like” it to share it, surely it is about time this changed. Obviously Facebook’s designers do not want to make things to complicated and want to keep the site’s relatively minimalistic design, surely a drop-down menu with the options “Like”, “Dislike” or “Share” would not affect the site’s design to dramatically. We would love to hear how you feel about the dislike button, should it be added? Is it unnecessary? Let us know your opinion in the comments section below. For more coverage:
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| Hitachi Connected TV: Partnership with Espial In 2011 Posted: 26 Mar 2011 09:05 AM PDT
For those of you that do not know, Hitachi is a Japanese company that specializes in high-technological products such as projectors, camcorders and TVs. The company today announced that their latest Connected TV models will begin shipping with the Espial TV Browser into the Japanese market, becoming the first manufacturer in Japan to do so. The aim of this deal is become one of the highest quality TV providers in the Japanese market. The models in the Connected TV range that will feature the integrated browser are the L42-XP07, L37-XP07, L32-XP07 LCDs and the P50-XP07, P46-XP07, P42-XP07 PDPs. As explained in the article at MSPNews the Espial TV Browser operates both BML and HTML modes reducing ROM resources as it is only one-codebase for two browsers as opposed to two. Also the web page loading performance is best because of its architecture. Japan Country Sales Director of Espial, Yukio Kanemori said the company 'are pleased to be helping Hitachi take a market leadership position' and 'look forward to working with them.' You can read more details about what the two companies thoughts are in the full article by clicking the link above. What do you think of the new partnership? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. For more coverage:
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| iPad 2 problems cause returns, replacements repeat issues Posted: 26 Mar 2011 08:10 AM PDT
Following on from our earlier post about the Apple iPad 2 problems with backlight bleeding, we have been informed of numerous problems with the second-generation iPad. The main issues seem to be intermittent WiFi connection problems, and bleeding from the backlight, which can be in a few places around the edge of the screen. We've heard from a few readers on the above issues, and the official Apple discussion forums (found here) are plagued with users reporting issues with the iPad 2. One guy said that he had taken the iPad 2 back "4 times already", and that each replacement he was given, had the same backlight issue. We can confirm from earlier testing that not all iPad 2's are affected, but looking at reports so far, this is a big problem causing upset for a lot of buyers. We expect Apple to issue some sort of announcement soon, which would also be a good move on their part. Apple reps have confirmed they’re aware of the black light bleed problem, and we wait to see if the issue is limited to a certain batch of iPad 2's. Have you had your iPad 2 replaced? On a positive note, Apple have not caused any problems that we're aware of when users wanted a replacement, it was done right away, although that has been dependant on stocks. You can see a video below showing the bleeding issue. For more coverage:
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| iPad 2 Backlight Bleed: Hands-on with Bleeding Problems Posted: 26 Mar 2011 07:32 AM PDT
The UK has had the iPad 2 for a few hours now and following earlier issues in the United States, some UK users are starting to find problems with Apple's 2nd generation tablet, and this includes our hands-on unit. On this page you can see a couple of photos showing the issue that seems to be bigger than it first looks. Apple's iPad 2 backlight has a bleed, the light is bleeding in a few places, as you can see in the photo we took, and this showed while playing a couple of games and during movie playback. The light bleeding only happens when the iPad 2 screen is black. If you adjust your brightness level on the new iPad, by lowering it, then you will reduce the bleeding. We tried a second iPad 2 model (a while version) in the office, and that fine. We've had feedback from other buyers and it seems that this is a big issue affecting thousands of people, you can see if your model is affected by going to a dark screen and looking around the edges.
The question for iPad 2 owners with backlight bleeding is what to do next? The best advice is to go and take your iPad 2 back to the store you bought it from, and they should issue you with a replacement. Some rumors point to the glue needing to dry, but we do not buy that. It's likely that many iPad 2 owners will keep their device even with the problem, rather than having the hassle to get a replacement. Is this you? Is your iPad 2 backlight bleeding? For more coverage:
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| Tomb Raider: Legend – PS3 Trophy Guide Revealed Posted: 26 Mar 2011 07:14 AM PDT
Back in January we brought our readers news about the Tomb Raider HD Trilogy that was due to be released exclusively for the PlayStation 3 this month, which as many of you will know was to bring the Tomb Raider: Legend game to the PS3 for the first time. Mark Fajardo over on the justpushstart.com website has not only provided a full list of trophies that are up for grabs in the Tomb Raider: Legend game, but also a guide on how you can achieve them. This of course includes the Platinum Master of Tomb Raider: Legend trophy. However, as with other games, the platinum trophy is only unlocked when the player has achieved all the other trophies within the game. There are several bronze trophies to unlock including Box Cutter, which requires players to destroy 10 boxes while on a motorcycle in Peru. Other bronze trophies up for grabs include Most Rewarding, which players achieve just by collecting a reward, The Professional (players must complete the Bolivian temple without dying) and Kill (With) Your Television, which requires gamers to kill an enemy with a TV monitor. In the meantime, if players kill 2 enemies during the same aerial attack, they unlock the silver Double Style Points trophy. Other silver trophies include Copper and Tin for the Win, You Wear it All, Good Time in Level 2, You Got the Silver and A Job Well Done. You can view the full list of trophies via the JPS website. Are you looking forward to playing the Tomb Raider: Legend game on your PlayStation 3? For more coverage:
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| Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters Game Coming to Nintendo 3DS Posted: 26 Mar 2011 06:09 AM PDT
Way back in July last year it was confirmed that a Green Lantern game was in the works, and that it would be arriving around about the same time that the much-anticipated movie hits the big screen. At that point that was the only bit of information that was revealed. However, it now appears that a few more details have been revealed. According to Mark Langshaw over at digitalspy.co.uk, Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment has just confirmed that the upcoming Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters game will be coming to the Nintendo 3DS. The Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters game – which is developed by Griptonite Games – will take advantage of the Nintendo 3DS console's stereoscopic 3D capabilities. There is also said to be a 2D version of the game in the works for the Nintendo Wii and standard DS console. In the meantime, Double Helix Games is also working on a different version for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game will see players taking control of Hal Jordan, as he takes flight across the galaxy with the Green Lantern ring and battles against the Manhunters. Both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game will also enable a second player to join in the game and control Sinestro. The Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters game will be available as from June 10th, while the Green Lantern movie opens on June 17th. Can you see yourself playing the Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters game? For more coverage:
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| Nintendo 3DS games at launch not exploiting potential Posted: 26 Mar 2011 06:00 AM PDT
The Nintendo 3DS was launched yesterday in Europe, and arrives in the US on Sunday. But are the Nintendo 3DS games at launch not exploiting potential of the new console? There will be sixteen games available on launch day, but it seems developers have cut corners to be ready in time. Chris Kohler of Wired.com has written an article looking at what is available for the 3DS game wise at launch. Some of the games which will be available are very short, or are just rush jobs brought over from other consoles. The games are not bad, but just don't seem to fully exploit the 3DS potential. The games will retail for around $40 a go, so you will not want to waste your money on a dud. Steel Diver is a fun game, especially in the Periscope mode where you have to swivel round a full 360 degree angle to find enemy ships and launch torpedoes at them. But the game is a little on the short side, and has none of the online play or StreetPass features. Pilotwings Resort lets you fly planes and hang gliders over a series of courses, but when these are completed there is not much point in keeping the game. Ridge Racer 3D is a fun game but it does not make full use of the 3D graphics, often looking like a normal 2D game. But it does use the StreetPass feature of the console.
The 3DS does look like it will have a great future, but owners will have to wait for better games becoming available. In time developers will start to really push the technology and release better games. It is only recently that we have seen games that fully utilize the full potential of the PlayStation 3. Use the link to read about all of the 3DS games available at launch. Which launch games do you like the look of? For more coverage:
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| Rock Band 3: New DLC Brings DragonForce Tracks Posted: 26 Mar 2011 05:43 AM PDT
We have some great news now for all you Rock Band 3 fans out there, as Harmonix has just revealed details for its upcoming DLC. Not only will fans be able to purchase the Days of Peace Pack 01, but they'll also have the opportunity to buy individual DragonForce tracks. As noted by hmxhenry over on the rockband.com forum, the Days of Peace Pack provides gamers with 3 legendary rock tunes from the late 1960s / early 1970s including 'Somebody to Love' by Jefferson Airplane, 'Black Magic Woman' by Santana and 'Spinning Wheel' by Blood, Sweat & Tears. The two single tracks from UK power metal band DragonForce are 'Through the Fire and Flames' and 'Operation Ground and Pound.' The downloadable songs will be available for the Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360 on March 29th and for the PlayStation 3 system on March 30th. All tracks will be available to buy individually for 160 Microsoft Points / $1.99 / £0.99 / €1.49 / 200 Wii Points, while the Days of Peace Pack 01 will set you back 550 Wii Points / 440 Microsoft Points / $5.49 / £2.49 / €3.99. Do you own a copy of the Rock Band 3 game? If so, will you be buying any of these tracks? For more coverage:
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