Breville Technique VIN258 Review

The Breville Technique VIN258 is certainly a good looking iron, Breville’s designers have paid a lot of attention to get this looking the way it is. The design is futuristic and it wouldn’t look out of place in a Sci-Fi movie, although I doubt many people would pay to see a film where someone spends all their time ironing!
For more information and special offers, click here.

This iron has a very generous 3 metre power cord, a lot of irons come with a 2 metre cord, so the extra metre makes a big difference. Whilst testing I didn’t find the cord snagging on the ironing board, and it was a pleasure to use. It reaches the desired temperature in no time, and the sole of the iron glides over clothes without effort.
Due to the 2750 watts of power, it can produce a lot of steam in a very short time. There is 50g of constant steam and a 110g shot of steam when you most need it. The VIN258′s soleplate is coated in titanium, and this allows you to get through your pile of laundry very quickly. Using this metal allows for even heat, so there is less chance of cloth burn on delicate items.
Once the iron has reached your selected temperature, it will alert you with a noise. I found this a good option to have, as I can leave the iron for a short period and get my clothes ready for ironing, by the time that’s done, the iron is ready to use.
The VIN258 includes an anti-scale feature, if you live in a hard-water area, then this will extend the life of the iron, and ensures the soleplate is kept clean. There’s nothing worse than using the stream option only to find a burst of scale shoots onto your clothes. With the VIN258, this won’t happen.
There is an auto shut off option, which triggers if left for 10 minutes upright, or 30 seconds when face down. This will lessen the risk of the iron burning anything. We don’t recommend you leave the iron alone when it’s on, but if you have to quickly pop into another room, then this safety feature could be a life saver.
The controls are digital, and there are 7 different settings to choose from.
I really liked this iron, and it is at the top of my purchase list. It looks so good, it would make a good gift, although I’d add a box of chocolates to the gift box!

Kindle HD or Nexus 7?

With Christmas fast approaching I'm in a muddle.  As my iPad is now getting on a bit, and I fancy a change.  I fancy a tablet change, and I've whittled the choice down to either the Amazon Kindle Fire HD or the Google Nexus 7.

Now I need to investigate which is the better option for me.  My prime interest is ease of use, as I don't want to have to trawl through various options just to purchase, say, a book. 

Philips Azur GC4850/02 Steam Iron Review

This is a review for the Philips Azur GC4850/02 Steam iron. This particular model has now been on the market for over a year and a half, and it’s still selling strong.

Need cash now? Click here to find out how you could have up to £500 in your account today!

And for good reason too, as it’s a great iron at an affordable price. The styling is traditional with a pleasant pale blue colour.

I find a long power cable is important with an iron, as there’s nothing worse to have the cable continually snag on the ironing board whilst ironing. As the Philips Azur has a 2.5 metre cable, this is half a metre longer than cheaper rivals. The result is minimal snagging whilst ironing, leaving me a happy person! The weight it 1.6KG, and the iron felt comfortable in the hand, and I could easily see myself powering through a full pile of clothes with minimal fuss.
Steam output is rated at 50g a minute, which is standard for level of steam irons, you can also provide a shot steam at 170g/m for more stubborn creases. The ceramic soleplate is designed to move other a range of materials with ease. I found it removed most creases with just a couple of sweeps of the iron.
Power usages is 2600W, and the water reservoir allows for 350ml. Contained in the Iron is an anti-scale feature, which is important to have if you live in a hard water area – I do, and so it’s vital to have such a system otherwise there’s a chance you get scale on your clothes, plus it extends the life of the iron.
The iron comes with the usual temperature settings, steam shot and water spray feature.
In conclusion the Philips

Samsung UE22ES5410W Review

Samsung are continuing their trend for sleekly designed televisions with the Samsung UE22ES5410W 22-inch Widescreen Full HD Smart TV. With a screen width of 22 inches (56 cm), it’s perfectly suited for the bedroom or compact living space, you’re also able to hang it on the wall with a wall fixing – sadly, it doesn’t come supplied, but you’re able to buy it at the point of purchase.

Click here to buy it now from Amazon.co.uk

Design and build quality

Samsung really do design elegant televisions, and the UE22ES5410w is no exception. Finished in white, the TV has a modern feel to it. The plastics used in construction seem to be of good quality, and it’s easy to clean with a cloth.

Screen

The 22 inch (56 cm) 1080p HD screen provides a colourful and vibrant picture, Blu-ray pictures are of high quality and despite the relatively small screen size, you can really see images in detail. Resolution is 1920 x 1080, and it can be used as a second PC monitor, or connect it to your PS3, XBOX 360 etc.

Smart TV Options

One of the main benefits of the Samsung UE22ES5410W is that it’s a Smart Internet TV. What this means is that you’re able to connect it to the internet and benefit from the following:

• Download Samsung Apps – Facebook, Youtube, BBC iPlayer, games etc.
• Skype on TV
• Web browser
• Video on demand services

For a complete list of Apps, click here.

Technical Specifications

• Screen resolution 1920 x 1080
• 1 HDMI connection
• 2 USB ports
• Headphone socket
• Built in WiFi

Audio

• 3W x 2 sound output (RMS)
• SRS TheatreSound HD
• Dolby Digital Plus / Dolby Pulse

Tuner Information

• Freeview
• Freesat HD

Please note that the Samsung UE22ES5410W doesn’t come with Freeview HD.

Summary

At the current price of £229.99 at Amazon.co.uk, the Samsung UE22ES5410W Smart TV really does offer great value for money. It’s an excellent choice as a 2nd TV for the bedroom, or dedicated use on a games console. Go on, treat yourself or your family now!

Digihome LCD42913FHD3D Review

The Digihome LCD42913FHD3D is a 42 inch LCD 3D TV and is suited for people who want a lot of TV for a relatively small amount of money. Read on to see if it’s worth buying.

Click here to buy it from Amazon.co.uk

The main feature of this TV is that it’s 3D enabled, it comes with a set of 4 passive 3D glasses – these are similar to what you use at the cinema. And it’s ready out of the box for 3D viewing. The 42 inch screen is big enough to give a convincing 3D effect, however please don’t expect the same quality of picture as you’d get with a more expensive 3DTV, compromises have been made by Digihome in order to keep to a low price point.

Design and build quality

Build quality is fine, the border around the screen is a little on the thick size, but with its black finish, you don’t really notice it. It’s relatively slim and can be hung on a wall.

Screen

The 42 inch screen provides a full 1080p HD experience, the resolution of which is 1920 x 1080. To be honest, the picture quality isn’t the best, it’s a bit fuzzy in places, but after a while you do get used to it. 3D viewing is ok, buy again, a lot of other 3D TVs offer a better viewing experience. In all honesty, only consider this TV if 3D is a must, and your budget won’t stretch an extra couple of hundred pounds for a more expensive TV.

Technical Specifications

The Digihome LCD42913FHD3D does shine with the number of ports it offers, being:

• HDMI
• VGA input
• Digital audio output
• 2 SCART connections
• USB input – so you’re able to connect a USB HDD (or device) and watch movies from it.

Note that the installed Freeview tuner is the normal Freeview SD tuner, not the Freeview HD version.

Summary

If you want a 42 inch 3D TV and have less than £300 to spend, then this TV will provide you with the goods. However, the picture quality will be bettered if you’re able to spend more cash.

Ariel Atom 3.5 revealed

Ariel, the manufacturer of insanely fast cars have just revealed their latest road toy - the Ariel Atom 3.5.

Ariel have tweaked the chassis, so it's now siffer than it was before.  They've also uprated the engine mountings and added new dampers - giving the car a more comfortable ride, without affecting the famous Atom handling.

The 3.5 also has updated looks, with new headlamps and LED indicators. The front has also been modified, whilst the cockpit has an updated LCD display.

Read more about it at the Ariel Motor Company website.

Weekends

What do weekends mean to you?

For me, a weekend allows me to relax and enjoy time with my family - a bit of a cliche, but it’s true.

Police Jewellery - Great when you want to make a statement

Male Jewellery is becoming more popular, and one of the most recognisable brands is Police. Police is an Italian brand and have been in business since 1983.

Famous for their deal with David Beckham promoting their sunglasses, Police also make excellent Jewellery.

Other notable wearers of the Police brand are:

Bruce Willis
George Clooney
Antonio Banderas

However, I’m not too sure if you start wearing these items if you’ll also turn into someone famous…

Samsung 305U 11.6 inch Laptop Review

Click image above for the latest deals on this laptop.

If you’re looking for a portable laptop, maybe because your primary laptop is too big to constantly carry with you, then it’s worth having a look at the Samsung 305U.  Read on for my detailed review.

Design and build quality

Weighing in at 1.21kg, the Samsung 305U is a very light laptop, combined with dimensions of: width 277.6mm x depth:196mm x height:23.1 - 27.5 mm – this is the same height as a £1 coin and it really is a perfectly sized portable laptop.

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Ideal for a student or if you travel a lot on business.  The 305U feels very solid, with almost no flex.  The shell doesn’t give under pressure, and it survived a drop from my desk (oops!) without any damage to the laptop.

Screen

The 11.6inch laptop provides a native resolution of 1366×768.  Colours are rich and contrast is good.

Keyboard

The keyboard has excellent feedback and it comfortable to use for extended periods.  Despite the small size of the laptop, it doesn’t feel cramped.

Performance

For its size the Samsung 305U perform remarkably well.  It’s fast, and able to handle having multiple applications running in the background.  This is mainly due to the AMD dual core processor (AMD Dual Core E450 1.65 GHz) and also that the graphics card uses 256MB.  I was able to play some modern 3D games at lower settings, the AMD HD 6310 graphics card really does shine.  Whilst I wouldn’t use it as a dedicated games machine, it’s certainly good enough for the occasional play.

The 305U has 4GB of RAM on board and is located on the motherboard’s 1 DIMM slot.  There’s a 500GB HDD and due to its compact size there isn’t an optical drive.  If you want to watch your DVDs on the move, then you’ll need to purchase a separate USB DVD drive.

Battery life

From normal use I was able to get 5 hours of life from a full charge.  Perfectly adequate for day-to-day purposes.

Ports

•  1 x VGA
• 1 x HDMI
• 3 x USB 2.0
• Headphone/Mic. Combo
• Internal Mic
• 4-in-1 Multi Card Slot (SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC)
• Ethernet
• Wi-Fi 802.11bgn

Speakers are rated at 2 x 1.5 W and there is a 1.3MP Webcam – this produces good images and is great for Skype.

Operating System

The Samsung comes pre-installed with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit and a 60 day trial ofNorton Internet Security.

Summary

 This is an excellent laptop at this price point, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

Amazon are currently offering 26% off the RRP of £379.99 (saving £99.01), so if you’re thinking about buying this laptop then hurry, as I’m sure at this price it’ll soon be out of stock.

Originally posted at http://homecomputerbuyer.com - reproduced with permission.

Asus X73E 17.3-inch Laptop Review

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If you’re looking for a cheap 17.3 inch laptop, then the Asus X73E laptop may fit the bill. Read the full review below.

Design and build quality

Weighing 3.2 kg it’s not the lightest of laptops, however 17 inch laptops aren’t really designed with portability in mind. The textured aluminium effect is pleasant on the eye and also to touch. It makes the laptop look more expensive than what it is – always a plus point!

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Screen

The 17.3 inch screen boasts a native resolution of 1600×900 – this is one of the main benefits of the laptop. Having the extra screen space is great if you like to have more than one application on screen at once, or if you enjoy working with applications such as Photoshop. However, note that this is a budget laptop, so whilst the screen size is large, it’s not ideal for heavy graphical processing. Saying that, it’s fine for editing your holiday photos etc.

Keyboard

Being a large laptop, there is plenty of space for a full size keyboard. The quality is good and the X73E has a chiclet style keyboard. If you don’t know what a chiclet keyboard is, well it’s the same style you see on a Macbook Air. It’s comfortable to type on for a long period of time, and because of the chiclet style, any dropped crumbs of food can just be brushed off (hooray!)

Performance

The Asus X73E uses an Intel Core i3 2350 processor with a speed of 2.3 GHz and has 4GB of RAM, it won’t set the world on fire. The HDD capacity is 500GB. For the price it represents good value for money. I was able to watch full screen movies on it without a problem, and it’s great for browsing the internet, emails, writing documents and working on MS Excel.

Battery life

One of the main weak points of this laptop is the battery life – 3.5 hours. I think I’m getting too used to more expensive laptops and their 7 hours batteries! A couple of years back and 3.5 hours would’ve been a selling point.
As the laptop is one of the largest you can buy, it’s more suited for keeping in the home or office, and therefore battery life is less of an issue.

Ports

Being a budget laptop, the Asus X73E doesn’t have a wealth of ports. No USB 3.0 here. What it does have is:

• 1 x HDMI
• 1 x VGA
• Card Reader
• 3 x USB 2.0
• Ethernet
• Wi-Fi 802.11bg/g/n
• Headphone and Microphone jacks

There’s also a webcam and a DVD rewriter.

Operating System

The X73E comes with Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit.

To read more, please read the full review here.

Reproduced here with permission from homecomputerbuyer.com

Toshiba Satellite L855-12G Review

With the L855-12G, Toshiba proves they know how to build a good laptop.  With a Intel core i5-3210M 2.5/3.1GHz, 6GB of RAM, and a 750GB HDD you get a lot of laptop for your money.

 Click here now for special deals on this laptop

Features

If you’re after a laptop with great performance and style, then the L855-12G is worth a look.  After taking it out of the box the first thing that stuck me was the brushed aluminium finish - it really sets it apart from other laptops in this price bracket. The Intel i5 processor and 1GB AMD Radeon HD 7670M dedicated graphics card means it can handle most modern 3D games - great if you or someone in your family love playing games. The laptop comes with 6GB of RAM, and it can easily handle multiple open applications without any sign of slow down. With a 750GB HDD, there is plenty of room for HD movies, games, photos and all your other files. The 15.6 inch screen has a resolution of 1366 x 768, this is ample for most, and with a HDMI port, you can connect the laptop to a 1080p TV for HD movie output. After a full charge I managed to get just over 4 hours from the battery, this isn’t bad considering the specification of the laptop.

Ports

• Ethernet
• Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth
• Card reader (SD/MMC)
• 2 x USB 3.0
• 1 x USB 2.0
• HDMI

There’s also a DVD RW drive, and an integrated webcam.

Conclusion

The Toshiba Satellite L855-12G is perfect if you want more than just the typical laptop.  It’s a premium product from Toshiba, and the aluminium case really does give the impression that it’s worth more than it actually is.

Review provided by my website - http://homecomputerbuyer.com

Toshiba Satellite C855-18D 15.6-inch Laptop Review

Click above to see latest deals on this laptop.

The Toshiba Satellite C855-18D is the latest in a long line up of Toshiba Satellite laptops.  This laptop comes with the Intel®  i5-3210M processor and comes with either a red or silver gloss finish.  Both are attractive to the eye, so personal choice will dictate which one you prefer.  Personally, I like the silver option.

Design and build quality

The case is made out of plastic, and is well finished - something you'd expect from Toshiba.  The weight is around 2.3KG, so a little lighter than other laptops in this price range.

Screen

The screen is 15.6 inches (39.6cm) in size and supports a resolution of 1366x768 - the standard for this size of screen.  If you hook the laptop up to an external monitor, then the maximum resolution is 2048x1536.  It uses an Intel® HD Graphics 4000 as the graphics card, it’s not a discrete card, so uses part of the RAM as its own.  This isn't really designed as a gamers laptop, so if you purchase it, please don't expect to play the latest 3D games at their highest settings.  However, it's good enough for basic photo editing and watching movies.

Keyboard

The touchpad has two buttons below it, and supports multi-touch gestures.  This means you can pinch to zoom, rotate, scroll etc. all from the touchpad.  This is great for photo editing or when you're browsing the internet - scrolling down without having to use the keyboard makes for a more pleasurable experience.  The keyboard in matt-black and has 102 keys, the quality is good, with a decent response as you type.

Performance

The Toshiba Satellite C855-18D comes with the Intel® i5-3210M Processor with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0.  Clock speed is set at : 2.50GHz, with 3.10 Turbo GHz mode.  This aids computational power, and also the graphics card when required to do so. 

6GB of memory is supplied, and there is a 640GB HDD. A DVD rewriter drive is also installed in the machine.

Battery life

Battery life is good, and we had about 5 hours from a fresh charge.

Ports

The C855-18D boasts a number ports, being:

• 1 × external VGA monitor
• 1 × Ethernet adaptor
• WiFI 802.11b/g/n 
• Bluetooth 4.0
• 1 × external microphone
• 1 × headphone (stereo)
• 2 × USB 2.0
• 1 × USB 3.0
• 1 × Multi-Card Reader
• 1 × HDMI-out supporting 1080p signal format
• 1 × integrated 1.0MP HD Web Camera (1,280 x 800) with built-in microphone

Operating System

Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit comes as standard.  There is also an array of pre-installed software provided by Toshiba. Also included is Microsoft Office Starter edition.  This gives you MS Word and Excel for free (they're supported by Microsoft adverts).

Get 14% off RRP at Amazon.co.uk. Hurry stocks will bound to run low soon.

Visit my website for more information and special offers.

HP 17.3-inch Pavilion dv7-7102ea Entertainment Laptop Review

Thinking of getting a new entertainment laptop?  Then you might be interested in reading about the HP dv7-7102ea.

Being a rather large laptop, it’s really suited to stay in your home, however due to its power, it’s a great all-rounder.  Watch HD movies and play the latest games - it’ll do it all.

Live in the United States?

I live in the United Kingdom, for those of you in the United States, what’s the thing that makes you proud to be American?

I’ve visited the U.S. a couple of times in the past, and hope to visit again soon - although my wife is off to Boston on business tomorrow, I’m staying at home to look after our child.  

One of the things I like about America is that a lot of people have a very positive outlook, especially when it comes to business - I suppose it’s part of the ‘American Dream’.  Another thing I love is Amazon - some great deals on there.

Things to look for when buying your next laptop

Is your current laptop about to give up the ghost? Or maybe you're at your local coffee shop and see other people get their shiny laptops out, and you're a little envious?

Laptops keep coming down in price, combined with longer battery life, more effort by manufacturers to design aesthetically pleasing laptops and it's a great time to consider getting a new one.

Once purchased you'll probably have it for the next couple of years, so it's important to do your research and ensure you get end up regretting what you bought.

A couple of things to consider are:


SSD storage - SSD stands for Solid State Drive.  There are no moving parts, and they're generally quicker than traditional HD Drives.  They also consume less power, and take up less space.  Therefore, they're more common in Ultrabooks or laptops such as the Macbook Air.

USB 3.0 - USB 3.0 allows for faster communication between your laptop and external device.  This means your laptop can send up to 3.2Gbits of data per second to a compatible device.  This is important if you want to backup the data stored on your laptop on a regular basis.

Head over here to read some reviews on the latest laptops for sale.

Samsung NP350V5C 15.6-inch Laptop Review

If you're thinking of getting a new laptop, maybe for yourself, or a relative, then you must consider the Samsung NP350V5C.

At the current price of £369.99 the Samsung laptop represents good value. It’s well designed with a solid buld, good battery life, and a generous amount of disk space combined with a processor that will suit most people. 
Read more about the NP350V5C here.

Kindle Fire HD coming to the UK - October 25th 2012

Good news for people living in the UK.  The Kindle Fire HD (and Kindle Fire) is coming here!

It's currently on pre-order, and is on a first-come-first-served basis, so if you're interested, then it's best to place your pre-order right now.

Read more about it here, and then pre-order at Amazon.

Almost time for my holiday.

In two days, I'll be sitting on a plane, heading off to sunny Majorca.  Rented a villa for a week, so my son can spend time in the pool.  No doubt we'll all have a good time!

New Appliance Review - Tefal Gv8431

I've just reviewed a new steam generator iron.  It's the Tefal Gv8431, and it'll cut your ironing time in half!

So that'll give me the rest of Saturday to do the important things in life, now I just need to work out what to do - maybe I'll go shopping, or go for a good meal?  One thing I won't need to do is ironing!

Hello me,  Well I say me, as I assume no one else will be interested in reading this post.  But if you are (and you're not my evil twin) then I bid you a hearty good-day.

Now, I'm in the middle of coding some software, and have taken a short break, not wanting to be away from my laptop (I seem to be stuck to it), I thought I'd write a quick blog post about nothing in particular - this will be similar to about 92.567% of blog posts written today.

Maybe I should go and read some of the other 7.433 posts that are out there.  I'm sure at least one of those will have been written by you.

Toshiba Satellite C855-18D Review

Good review of the Toshiba Satellite C855-18D here. Comes with MS Office Starter and Win 7 64-bit home premium.
Have a look here

Save some money this winter with energy saving tips.

I've written a blog entry here: Energy Saving Tips explaining how you could save around £70 in the next year, just by following some simple rules at home.

For example, don't leave any of your appliances on standby - just switching your TV off at the plug at night could save you around £7 ($10 USD) a year.

If you have any more tips, then please let me know.

Thanks for reading.

Thursday

It's Thursday, and I'm having a quick coffee break - unlike Bond, stirred not shaken.  Shaking my cup of coffee would just end in tears (and a wet keyboard).

Slurp…

Words for the day  "I'm doing this because…"  I think I'm going to write that on a post-it note and stick in above my monitor.  Then when I'm idly browsing the internet, I'm sure I'll look up, see that note, and think I should be doing something a little more productive.  Especially if I end up reading some celebrity gossip nonsense!

Krups Kp150040 Nescafe Dolce Gusto Genio Review

Four out of Five Stars - Great value coffee machine. The Krups Kp150040 makes a great espresso, and will also make tea - a novel thing to do with a coffee maker.

http://homeapplianceshopper.com/krups-kp150040-nescafe-dolce-gusto-genio-review/

Sony VAIO SVE1511F1EW.CEK 15.5-inch Laptop Review

I've just reviewed the Sony VAIO Series 15 (SVE1511F1EW.CEK) laptop. It's a great laptop with the usual high quality Sony finish. Let me know if you want more information.

http://www.onlywire.com/r/100034959

Breville Technique VIN258 Review

Breville Technique VIN258 Review can be found here. It's an iron that wouldn't look out of place in a sci-fi movie. This iron has a titanium soleplate and a digital display.

http://www.onlywire.com/r/99858330

Morphy Richards 73231 Bagless Vacuum Cleaner Review

Great vacuum cleaner if you have pets in your house. Tackles pet hairs with ease. Morphy Richards 73231 Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner is a great choice if you have pets in your house. Its bagless technology means no loss of suction power whilst cleaner. We give it 5 out of 5 stars.

http://www.onlywire.com/r/99840381

Electrolux Z4772a review

The Electrolux Z4772a is Electrolux's latest product using bagless technology. Recommended vacuum. Read more.

http://www.onlywire.com/r/99534061

Severin S2 One Touch Coffee Machine Review

A quick review on Severin's new S2 One touch coffee maker. One of the main features of this machine is its one touch technology, normally only found on more expensive coffee machines. It's simple to use, so simple, that even I can make a great cup of coffee! I think this machine will give the Italian makers a run for their money.

http://www.onlywire.com/r/99529541

Hello world

This is my first post, in programming, it's traditional to start a new language by writing a small piece of code that'll output "Hello World!",  so I think I'll start my blog with the same

"Hello World!".

I wonder if anyone will read this?