Anthony Dhanendran

Paul Allen, Computeractive, Monday 11 October 2010 at 14:43:00

A portable hard disk that uses the faster USB3 connection

The main selling point of Buffalo’s Ministation Lite portable hard disk is that it comes with the faster USB3 connection that will supersede the older, more common USB2....

Tim Smith, Computeractive, Friday 8 October 2010 at 15:48:00

Reduce clutter with this multi-function remote control

Most of us have at least three remote controls in our living rooms, if not more. The Essence 3 can replace three of them by controlling the TV, DVD player...

James Temperton, Computeractive, Thursday 7 October 2010 at 15:47:00

The ideal music player for exercise

The Shuffle is Apple’s smallest iPod, measuring 3cm each side and weighing 12 grams. This latest version offers only 2GB of storage, less than we’d expect at this price....

Tim Smith, Computeractive, Tuesday 5 October 2010 at 12:47:00

The world’s lightest phone, but at what cost?

MORE: click here to watch our video review of the Modu The Modu claims to be the lightest mobile phone in the world and has an entry in the Guinness Book...

Jonathan Parkyn, Computeractive, Monday 4 October 2010 at 17:00:00

Wireless networking with a welcome boost

Wireless routers these days tend to come in two varieties – those with a built-in broadband modem and those without....

Kelvyn Taylor, Computeractive, Friday 1 October 2010 at 17:08:00

Extra-fast networking over the mains

Power Line adapters allow you to connect computers and other devices using the mains electricity wiring in your home. Until now the fastest adapters used the Homeplug AV standard for...

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeractive, Thursday 30 September 2010 at 14:42:00

A professional-style laser printer for the home

Kyocera is known for office laser printers (and, rather oddly, for its ceramic knives, but those don’t concern us here), but its FS-1120D is designed for home users....

David Phelan, Computeractive, Thursday 30 September 2010 at 14:29:00

Nokia fights back in the battle of the smartphones

Nokia used to be the go-to company for intuitive mobile phones but it’s recently slipped, losing ground to Apple and phones running the Android operating system....

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeractive, Wednesday 29 September 2010 at 10:08:00

Simple and small power-line network kit

This power line networking kit from D-Link allows users to connect computers and other devices in their homes without using a conventional wired network, or a wireless network....

Clive Akass, Computeractive, Monday 27 September 2010 at 17:27:00

Protect your property using your phone

Tenbu’s Nio 2.0 fob alarm makes clever use of the Bluetooth wireless feature of mobile phones to sense when a thief is at work....

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeractive, Saturday 25 September 2010 at 09:30:00

A 3D projector for less

The Viewsonic PJD6211 is the first projector we have seen that’s able to bring 3D images into the home. Currently all the rage among manufacturers, 3D technology allows the viewer...

Simon Crisp, Computeractive, Thursday 23 September 2010 at 15:23:00

Charge your devices more easily on the move

Innergie says that its mCube Pro is the world’s smallest universal power adapter – with the device measuring 13x7x2.4cm and weighing a mere 263g without cables, it’s certainly a credible...

Tom Royal, Computeractive, Wednesday 22 September 2010 at 16:25:00

Make photo prints at home with this tiny printer

This latest model in Canon’s Selphy printer range uses technology called dye-sublimation to print small photos. The printer is far smaller than any inkjet, although its tiny design is ruined...

Cliff Joseph, Computeractive, Wednesday 22 September 2010 at 15:17:00

You don’t have to be James Cameron to make a 3D movie

Film director James Cameron reportedly spent more than $200m on Avatar, but thanks to the Aiptek i2 you can film your own 3D film for a fraction of that....

Nigel Whitfield, Computeractive, Wednesday 22 September 2010 at 14:46:00

Record Freeview HD and watch streamed video on your television

The high-definition (HD) terrestrial television service Freeview HD is now available to half the country, allowing them to watch BBC, ITV and Channel 4 in HD, with more channels to...

Paul Lester, Computeractive, Wednesday 22 September 2010 at 14:33:00

An easy to use photo printer and scanner for the home

Kodak’s home photo printers tend to be sold on value: they may be more expensive than some others, but prints cost less so in the long term you’ll save money....

Tom Royal, Computeractive, Tuesday 21 September 2010 at 12:06:00

Get a Blu-ray-playing PC on the cheap

A few weeks back we reviewed Zotac’s Zbox HD-ID11, a tiny PC that can clip to the back of a TV or monitor, noting that it was quite happy to...

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeractive, Sunday 19 September 2010 at 10:00:00

Read and create Blu-ray discs

The PX-B940SA from Plextor can both read and create Blu-ray discs. It’s an internal drive so it’ll only fit inside a desktop computer, not a laptop or a smaller home-entertainment...

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeractive, Thursday 16 September 2010 at 16:30:00

Make your PC look (a bit) more like a Mac

Cherry’s Strait keyboard is apparently inspired by Apple’s current keyboard design. The metallic-painted body and shallow keys are very similar, and the white keytops and USB cable are clearly designed...

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeractive, Thursday 16 September 2010 at 15:53:00

A printer you can email

Recently HP has ‘simplified’ its printer naming system, which actually makes it harder to identify individual printers. This one, for instance, mainly has the words 'HP Photosmart' with 'Wireless' on...

Tom Royal, Computeractive, Wednesday 15 September 2010 at 16:32:00

A file server and streaming hub for your home network

A few months ago we reviewed the Synology DS210j, a device that allows you to connect one or two hard disks to a home network and use as a mini...

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeractive, Wednesday 15 September 2010 at 11:31:00

A programmable keyboard with its own screen

We’ve seen keyboards with screens built in. Logitech’s G19 was one such model, with the screen showing email, instant messages and in-game statistics....

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeractive, Tuesday 14 September 2010 at 12:43:00

A wide, low-profile keyboard

Cherry’s Infinity keyboard is wide but thin – on a desk it stands only a centimetre or so off the surface....

Jonathan Parkyn, Computeractive, Tuesday 14 September 2010 at 12:42:00

Get yourself out of a tangle with this wireless desktop set

For anyone who is fed up with constantly tugging their mouse or keyboard cable for more slack, a wireless desktop set is usually the answer....

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeractive, Wednesday 6 October 2010 at 16:23:00

Reorganise a hard disk, back up important data and improve performance

Paragon’s disk utilities are designed to help keep your computer’s hard disk in shape. The 2010 version of Paragon’s Hard Disk Manager Suite is a collection of those tools that...

Jonathan Parkyn, Computeractive, Sunday 3 October 2010 at 10:00:00

A very different kind of first-person game

In games, the first-person perspective (you view the game from the main character’s eyes) is usually reserved for shooting games....

Jonathan Parkyn, Computeractive, Wednesday 29 September 2010 at 15:11:00

A second offering of the game you can't refuse

With its historical setting and violent themes, Mafia II feels a little like what you might get if you put a Grand Theft Auto game into a cocktail mixer with...

Tom Royal, Computeractive, Sunday 26 September 2010 at 13:11:00

Take on the zombie hordes again in this long-awaited sequel

Dead Rising was one of the best, but also one of the most frustrating, titles to arrive early on the Xbox 360 console....

Craig Harris, Computeractive, Wednesday 22 September 2010 at 12:33:00

Make natural-looking art on a computer

Gazing at a painting to which you’ve just added the finishing brush strokes is certainly a fulfilling experience – until you notice the cat’s paw marks dotted throughout your lounge....

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeractive, Tuesday 21 September 2010 at 17:00:00

Build an empire; conquer the world; bring back the T-shirt

Civilization V is the latest edition of a turn-based strategy game series that began back in the early 1990s. Civilization Revolution, released for consoles in 2008, simplified the gameplay to...

Jonathan Parkyn, Computeractive, Saturday 18 September 2010 at 10:00:00

A crafty sequel to one of the best-selling strategy games ever

If a computer game is successful these days, you can usually guarantee there will be sequel, often as little as 12 months later....

Will Stapley, Computeractive, Friday 17 September 2010 at 15:08:00

Online protection and backup rolled into one

Internet Security Complete 2011 from Webroot combines standard online computer protection with a range of additional security tools. Setup was quick and easy, but it was disappointing that Webroot Internet...

Tim Smith, Computeractive, Friday 17 September 2010 at 12:32:00

Take better screenshots for research and reference

Screenshots (also called screen grabs) are pictures of your computer screen or specific windows and are a useful way to record web research or explain problems and answers....

Will Stapley, Computeractive, Tuesday 14 September 2010 at 15:36:00

Powerful security tools with customisable menus

While basic security tools such as anti-virus and firewall software will protect you from most threats, security suites offer more comprehensive protection....

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeractive, Friday 10 September 2010 at 09:30:00

Photo editing, organisation and project-making are all part of this collection of software

The first thing you notice about Photo Explosion is that the box, though small, is quite heavy. That’s largely due to the 400-page manual included inside (the installation DVD is...

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeractive, Saturday 4 September 2010 at 10:00:00

Edit and organise your pictures easily

We recently reviewed the latest version of Adobe's professional image-editing tool Photoshop. It's a powerful program and gives you complete control over any kind of photo....

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeractive, Thursday 2 September 2010 at 17:18:00

The big name in work software returns

A few years ago Microsoft Office was the best way to get hold of good-quality software for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations, but there are now lots of alternatives....

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeractive, Wednesday 1 September 2010 at 17:10:00

Get your daily and Sunday papers online – for a price

The Times and Sunday Times recently made history by becoming the first national newspapers to charge their online readers to read the newspapers online....

Simon Williams, Computeractive, Tuesday 31 August 2010 at 16:17:00

A good page designer for home-office use

When Microsoft introduced its redesigned Office 2007, the desktop-publishing program Publisher was not included in the package, but the balance has now been restored with Publisher 2010....

Tim Smith, Computeractive, Sunday 29 August 2010 at 09:15:00

Take to the skies with this realistic flight simulator

Lock On: Flaming Cliffs 2 is an add-on pack for the flight simulator game Lock On:Modern Air Combat (LOMAC). The original game is getting on for eight years old, but...

Jonathan Parkyn, Computeractive, Saturday 28 August 2010 at 09:15:00

Possibly the last word in point-and-shoot gaming

Anyone who has ever played a first-person shooter game, such as Call of Duty, will doubtless have had the pleasure of playing through the sniping level, the inevitable part of...

Will Stapley, Computeractive, Tuesday 24 August 2010 at 17:05:00

Internet security and online backup at a good price

Backup and Security 2010 is designed to protect your computer (and up to two more in one household) from online threats, as well as safeguarding the data on them....

Jonathan Parkyn, Computeractive, Friday 20 August 2010 at 16:00:00

Revisit the pirates and puzzles of this classic adventure game

In a world where many computer games can look enormously dated after as little as 18 months, it’s a testament to the classic Lucasarts adventure titles that re-releases, such as...

Tim Smith, Computeractive, Tuesday 17 August 2010 at 17:23:00

Start making music on your PC with this easy-to-use software

Music Maker 16 Premium allows people to make music in two ways: by arranging small snippets of music, called samples, or by using virtual instruments called synthesisers (or a combination...

Will Stapley, Computeractive, Monday 16 August 2010 at 15:57:00

Comprehensive security package with a wide range of features

Perhaps best known for its Ad-Aware Free software for spyware detection and removal, Lavasoft also makes some all-round home security software....

Kelvyn Taylor, Computeractive, Friday 13 August 2010 at 16:44:00

A fully programmable spreadsheet for number-heads

Spreadsheets created in Microsoft Excel or compatible programs are very useful for analysing data using the built-in functions to create formulas....

Will Stapley, Computeractive, Thursday 12 August 2010 at 16:00:00

Complete online security package with added extras

Security suites such as this are perfect for PC users looking for complete protection from online threats. With a firewall and real-time scanning for viruses, Kaspersky Pure is an all-in-one...

Tim Smith, Computeractive, Monday 9 August 2010 at 17:19:00

A simple but reliable and powerful online backup service

The ideal backup software should be as unobtrusive as possible but should spring into life when it’s needed. Humyo is an online-backup service that seems to fit that bill....

Computeractive, Tuesday 5 October 2010 at 09:30:00

The smallest mobile phone in the world

This is the Modu, claimed to be the smallest mobile phone in the world, with an entry in the Guiness Book of Records to prove it....

Computeractive, Monday 4 October 2010 at 16:13:00

Get more information from this useful tool

The Status bar at the bottom of the Excel 2007 window includes lots of useful information including the sum, average or count of selected cells....

Computeractive, Monday 4 October 2010 at 15:24:00

The latest iPod Nano is tiny - but is it any good? We take a look.

Every year Apple releases a new range of iPod music players, and it seems to be the Nano that changes the most....

Computeractive, Monday 27 September 2010 at 17:39:00

Separate first and surnames for better sorting

It’s common to use one column for names in a spreadsheet but this can cause problems if you want to sort by surname....

Computeractive, Tuesday 21 September 2010 at 09:30:00

PortableApps won't clog up your Registry and can still run at startup

The Portable Apps launcher is a good way of installing software on your computer without the risk of slowing it down and it is possible to set up both the...

Computeractive, Friday 17 September 2010 at 12:24:00

A couple of months after its release, we check in for a look at how the Apple iPad is faring

MORE: click here to read our full review of the Apple iPad Apple’s iPad has been out for a few months now, so we thought we’d take a look at one...

Computeractive, Thursday 16 September 2010 at 12:30:00

We take a look at Microsoft's latest web browser

Microsoft has released a beta (test) version of its new Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) web browser, so in this video we take a look at what's new....

Computeractive, Tuesday 14 September 2010 at 12:07:00

Simple online backup

Carbonite is an online backup tool. There’s no messing around with external disks or DVDs. Simply let it run in the background and it will back up your files....

Computeractive, Tuesday 14 September 2010 at 09:30:00

A discreet way to make video recordings

This is the Swann Thumbcam DVR-415, a miniature camcorder ideal for discreet recording. Despite its small stature it can record at 720x480 resolution, the TV norm in the States....

Computeractive, Thursday 9 September 2010 at 09:30:00

A guitar made out of paper? Anthony Dhanendran puts it to the test

The shrewd among you might have noticed that I’m not actually playing any of the frets of this guitar. The even sharper-eyed will have noticed that it doesn’t have any...

Computeractive, Tuesday 7 September 2010 at 09:30:00

Samsung’s Galaxy S is an impressive new Android smartphone

MORE: click here to read our full review of the Samsung Galaxy S Samsung’s Galaxy S is an impressive new smartphone that uses the Google Android operating system....

Computeractive, Sunday 5 September 2010 at 09:15:00

A fan, but not a fan

The Dyson Air Multiplier is a fan, but it’s not a fan. As you can see, where the blades would be on a standard desk fan, is just a hole....

Computeractive, Friday 3 September 2010 at 14:43:00

Is this wireless ebook reader better than the Kindle?

MORE: click here to read our full review of the Bebook Neo This ebook reader is a kind of answer to the Amazon Kindle....

Computeractive, Thursday 2 September 2010 at 14:37:00

A music player built into its own headphones

This is the Sony Walkman NWZ-W252 music player. It’s a 2GB player with space for around 500 tracks. Unlike most MP3 players, the player is built into the headphones and...

Computeractive, Sunday 29 August 2010 at 12:29:00

We get an early look at Microsoft's latest toy - a way to play games by simply moving.

Problems viewing the video? Click here for a smaller version. Microsoft's new Xbox 360 Kinect is a camera that allows you to control games simply by moving....

Computeractive, Thursday 26 August 2010 at 14:41:00

Dell's new netbook is designed for schools and homes

MORE: Click here to read our full review of the Dell Latitude 2110 The Latitude 2110 from Dell is what’s known as a mini-notebook or netbook computer....

Computeractive, Thursday 26 August 2010 at 11:56:00

Keep your blog subscriptions safe in case of problems

If you read lots of blogs with Google Reader it's a good idea to take a back up of the list of blogs every so often, and it's very simple...

Computeractive, Monday 16 August 2010 at 16:23:00

Use the formula auditing tool to find out what is causing errors in an Excel formula

The Formula Auditing Toolbar is an excellent way of tracking down problems in Excel spreadsheets, especially when formulas refer to several cells, and it's easier to use than the name...

Computeractive, Wednesday 11 August 2010 at 16:48:00

Stop unauthorised changes to your work

You can protect Word 2003 documents by adding a password, either to prevent access or stop changes being made to it....

Computeractive, Monday 9 August 2010 at 17:11:00

A webcam that can record high-definition footage

This is the Microsoft Lifecam HD-5000, a high-definition webcam, or 720p to be precise. It's unassuming given the promised video quality and the clever stand can be used to attach...

Computeractive, Wednesday 28 July 2010 at 15:29:00

Can you use a computer to help children learn to write?

This is the Dane-Elec Hello Kitty Zpen. It’s designed to help children who are learning to write. It comes with a colouring game and software for practising letter shapes....

Computeractive, Tuesday 27 July 2010 at 12:06:00

Visa’s latest weapon in the battle against online fraud is coming soon. We find out how it works

The Visa Codesure system comprises a normal Chip and Pin bank card, which also generates one-off passcodes each time a person shops or banks online; doing away with the need for a...

Computeractive, Friday 23 July 2010 at 15:12:00

A Computeractive reader was cold-called by the so-called "Windows Service Centre" - we called them back to see what they do, and filmed the results.

You may have read about the recent spate of cold-calls telling people claiming to be Microsoft and telling people that there is a problem with their computer - then charging...

Computeractive, Friday 23 July 2010 at 15:12:00

A Computeractive reader was cold-called by the "Windows Service Centre" - we called them back to see what they do, and filmed the results.

You may have read about the recent spate of cold-calls telling people that there is a problem with their computer, then charging a fee for "support"....