Try Before You Buy: A Hardware Review of Three Gadgets On The Market

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Try Before You Buy: A Hardware Review of Three Gadgets On The Market

Gadgets fascinate me. Like walking in to a book shop and being overwhelmed with the story I am yet to discover. The act of searching the shelves for a new discovery, a new tale that I feel some personal connection to is often more exhilarating than reading the book itself. For me, gadgets are the same. The time I spend searching for a new 'toy', a new piece of technology, is usually greater than the time I will actually spend using it. Like a great adventurer, for me, it's all about the discovery.

While browsing the internet recently, I felt an urge to write a hardware review. With so many new hardware gadgets on the market today, I decided to share my experiences with others so that they too can make these great discoveries.

The first of my hardware reviews comes in the form of a netbook for children. Move over blackboard, there's a new educator in town and it's called the Zoostorm Fizzbook Bang Notebook. What first attracted me to this hardware was its name. It is clearly marketed to a younger audience and I like that you instantly know who this computer is for. So what do we look for when buying a computer for a child?

Ultimately price, because like most things, children grow out of things fast. However practically it also needs to be light and easy to carry around, easy to use and practical. With a convenient carrying handle and a weight of just 1.4kg, the Fizzbook Bang seems to meet these requirements. Equally impressive is the tough plastic that has been used, enabling it to withstand accidental 'drops'. A good sized keyboard and an 8.9 inch panel screen make the computer easily accessible and with 1 GB of memory, children can store a reasonable amount of data for the price. Finally ports for webcams, internet connection and built in Wi-Fi also means children can keep in touch with friends and family at the flick of a connection. The built in educational software brings me back to reality for the purpose of this item in the first place. Personally, I'd say this is a winning piece of hardware.

One thing I didn't mention in my prerequisites for a child computer was safety, which leads me on to my second discovery. I was delighted to find the Picstick Child Safety USB Key, with PIC standing for Parents in Control. It claims to keep your child safe online. In my naivety, I didn't realise such a gadget existed so I felt compelled to write yet another hardware review.

This miraculous USB stick contains access software that takes control to a whole other level. Parents just insert the USB stick, install the software, set-up the access permissions and all of a sudden you are able to control the Internet usage, Application, Chat/Privacy, Print and Email of your children.
Now I haven't trialled the effectiveness of this Picstick myself, however quite honestly any piece of hardware that claims to restrict unorthodox websites, monitor child chat sessions and allow parents to block certain terms online is worth a try in my opinion.

Finally I come to a gadget after my own heart, the Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet. I like my gadgets to be practical and easy to navigate and it seems this would satisfy this request. It's stylish with a touch screen but compact, so it would slip in my handbag with no queries of where I would fit the other ten items I carry every day. It's fast to load and music can be mine at the touch of a button. Depending on how many tunes I own, I can store 60, 120 or 250GB of media. But the greatest thing is that this gadget does so much more than play music. I can also watch videos, photos, connect to the web and check my emails, play games and if I chose to treat myself to the additional docking station, I can connect it to my sky box and schedule recordings. Watching Ugly Betty on my morning commute? Sounds ideal.

Maybe you are a little more spontaneous than me. Maybe you like to walk straight in to a store and buy the first mp3 player, laptop or mobile phone you see. However if you are more like me, I think it's good to do your research before buying any gadgets like this. Check out hardware reviews online so you can try before you buy.

About the Author

Dominic Donaldson is an expert in Technology Find out more about hardware reviews and why it is worthwile checking what others have to say before buying your new gadgets

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