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Legit Bluetooth

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:50:09 +0100

Introducing the Plantronics Voyager PRO

Here in California, we have just a celebrated the first year of the “Hands-Free Law” where all drivers must use a hands-free device to speak on their mobile phone. When the law was first instituted last July, there was a big run on wired and wireless headsets as consumers were trying to stay compliant with the new law after all, who wanted an excuse for California’s finest to pull you over and offer you a $20 and $50 ticket? There was a measurable increase in sales of headsets devices during this period as well. Many any companies responded to the new law by offering up more and more solutions for headsets and car kits.

While some of these devices that have been introduced in the past year were top quality, many companies tried to make a quick buck by rebranding some very poor performers. It became harder and harder to tell who to trust with your after-market headset purchase. Many of the newer companies released very inexpensive and (in our opinion) very inferior products to be sold in at your local wireless store or kiosk. Of course people were buying these because the price was right not necessarily for the feature set or look – some of these Bluetooth headsets still sell for less than $10!

At Legit Reviews, we try and only evaluate quality manufacturers who have a solid history of providing the best for their customers. One of the companies who have always put out superior products for the mobile road warrior is Plantronics. Today, we look at Plantronics’ newest Bluetooth flagship; the Voyager PRO Bluetooth Headset. This new headset replaces the Plantronics Voyager 510 and comes with a $89.99 price tag which makes it towards the upper tier of Bluetooth headsets, but we expect a fully-loaded and well-functioning device.

On paper, this looks like a very good product. The Voyager PRO features an active DSP that Plantronics calls "Audio IQ²". This noise reduction system utilizes the Voyager PRO’s two microphones to help cancel out ambient noise from your surroundings to help project your voice to the caller you are speaking to. It’s also supposed to help with the sound quality of the speaker as you are listening.The Voyager PRO also sports a WindSmart microphone screen to help shield the microphones from wind noise further allowing the headset to thrive in less-than-ideal conditions.

While not the lightest headset on the market, the Voyager PRO weighs in around 17 grams which is even heavier than our beloved but clunky . The difference between the Voyager PRO and the Jawbone however is how the weight is distributed across the user’s ears. We really didn’t notice how heavy the older Voyager 510 was so we expect similar results for this new headset.

Key Specifications:

Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR
AudioIQ² DSP and eSCO
Two noise-cancelling microphones
Stainless steel WindSmart mic screens
Li-ion battery
Multipoint technology
QuickPair Technology
Micro-USB Charging Connection
6 Hours Talktime
5 Day Standby Time
33-Foot Operation Range
Advertised Weight: 17.5 grams

Kingston 32GB DataTraveler 112 USB Flash Drive

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:42:53 +0100

Manufacturer:	Kingston
Product:	DT112/32GB

Kingston DataTraveler 112

Kingston’s family of DataTraveler USB Flash drives are among the most recognized around the world and are always being updated. One of the newest additions to the Kingston USB Flash Drive series family is the DataTraveler 112. This drive is aimed at the mainstream USB Flash Drive market as it comes with standard read/write speeds and a very competitive price point. With summer coming to a close and the back-to-school shopping season in full swing, storage devices like this should be high on the list of many of our readers.

The Kingston DataTraveler 112 USB 2.0 Flash drive series is available in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB capacities with each size drive coming in a different color.

Today, we are looking 32GB version of the DataTraveler 112, which is the largest offered in this drive series. The DataTraveler 112 comes backed by a five-year warranty and free tech support, so if the drive ever fails during that time period you are covered. Other companies like Crucial, Transcend, and RiDATA offer just two year warranties and PNY offers just a one year warranty, so be sure to keep the warranty length in mind when pricing USB 2.0 Flash Drives. Just remember that warranty doesn't apply to data loss or recovery, so be sure to back your data up often on a drive of this size. Kingston says that you can store 6,416 pictures that were taken by a 10 Megapixel camera, 6,080 4MB MP3 songs and 3,264 MP3 audiobooks at 3.7MB/hr file sizes on the 32GB DataTraveler 112. This drive packs a ton of storage into a small form factor!

DataTraveler 112 Features/Benefits:

Capacities – 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB
Dimensions – 2.10” x 0.83” x 0.41” (53.40mm x 21.0mm x 10.50mm)
Weight - 11g
Operating Temperature – 0° to 60° C / 32° to 140° F
Storage Temperature – -20° - 85° C / -4° to 185° F
Convenient – Pocket-sized for easy transportability
Simple – Just plug into a USB port
Practical – Capless design protects USB connector; no cap to lose
Customizable — Co-Logo program available
Guaranteed – Five-year warranty

The dimensions on the DataTraveler 112 are 53.40mm x 21.0mm x 10.50mm with a weight of just 11g, which makes it a fairly small USB 2.0 Flash drive. The drive has holes for a keychain ring or lanyard at the end of the drive, but it does not come with a small keychain ring which can be attached to the drive.

As mentioned previously, the DataTraveler 112 USB 2.0 Flash drive has a capless design, and by just sliding the yellow plastic housing down the drive is ready to be used. The capless slide design also offers some protection for the USB connector, but more than anything there is no cap to lose. The DataTraveler 112 also features an LED activity light, so you can see when the drive is active.

Flipping the DT112 over you can get a view of the other side and a better look at the slide design. The slide design is nice, and the slide mechanism requires slight tension on it to work. This is ideal as you don't want the USB connector to be out when it is not needed.

Kingston does not give speed ratings on their 'standard' series USB drives, so let's take a look at a couple of performance benchmarks to see how the 32GB Kingston DataTraveler 112 USB 2.0 Flash drive does in read and write tests.

Titanium Design

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:36:23 +0100

This updated pic comparing the Cruzer Titanium (on the left) to the rest of the flash drives,

Maintaining the standards set by the original, the new Cruzer Titanium makes it impossible to lose the cap, because there isn't one. Instead, the USB connector is protected by a retractable white slider that only moves when a small amount pressure is applied. The slider is recessed into the casing of the flash drive, so that while it's easily accessible to the thumb, it cannot move accidentally when thrown into a bag. The also doubles as an activity LED, that shines a bright blue when connected to the computer and flashes when data is being transferred. The smooth casing, developed by Liquid Metal is very elegant, casting a nice speckled reflection reminiscent of a fine set of mechanics tools. Towards the back is a small loop for attaching a lanyard, and two grooves for attaching the included belt clip. (The belt clip, while an interesting addition for a flash drive didn't have smooth edges and proved hard to clip onto even a pair of jeans, let alone a belt, so I never use it.) Back to the casing however, despite its being smooth and shiny, it's actually quite rugged. SanDisk goes so far to claim the drive can withstand over 2000 pounds of crush force. I don't happen to have that kind of machinery readily accessible, but I do have a car, so on to the juicy bit of the testing!

Dell Studio 15

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:18:23 +0100

Full review of Dell Studio 15

The Dell Studio 1537 is a beautifully designed laptop that manages to look good without sacrificing computing power or running up the starting price. Sporting a red lid and an overall smooth appearance, our 1537 came packed with an Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26GHz to go along with a 320GB HDD, 4GB RAM, and a dedicated 256MB ATI Radeon HD 3450 GPU. For a price that won't surpass 3 digits, the 1537 does an admirable job or satisfying you, your onlookers, and your wallet.

Design, Keyboard and Mouse

The look and feel of the Studio 1537 is stylishly smooth. The red lid features a shiny silver Dell logo in the center and is smooth to the touch. The screen is wide and glossy and there is a silver frame around the display as well as the black speakers and backlit keyboard, which creates a nice effect. Beyond being backlit, the keyboard also features a number of multimedia touch buttons and is full sized. The trackpad is comfortable to use and appears as only a slight depression in the palmrest. The Studio has a tapered front which helps avoid the boxy look, and reaches thinness of 1" in the front. However, it is about 1/3" deeper in the back, and our model shipped with a 9-cell battery which made it even bulkier. It's not so thick that it looks bad at all, it's simply not competing with the thinnest of thin laptops.

Connectivity

The 1537 comes with a solid array of connectivity options. For your high quality video needs you get HDMI as well as the older VGA, and for your data transfer needs there is mini FireWire in addition to 3USB ports and 1USB/eSATA. The Studio 1537 also comes with a nice looking slot loading DVD player, eliminating the need for unsightly trays, as well as 2 audio out jacks so that you and a friend can both listen at the same time. You can even connect through your fingers with the biometric fingerprint reader. Audio in, Ethernet, and wireless on/off switch (as well as a button for Dell's "WiFi Catcher") round out the remaining options.

Display

The display on the Studio is great, and the colors look sharp on the glossy screen. The display is LED backlit and extremely bright, making outdoor use possible even in direct sunlight. The viewing angles are excellent, especially from the sides or below. The only thing holding our Studio back was the rather average WXGA 1280x800 resolution, which is fine for most purposes but a little short of impressive.

Performance and Conclusion

With a score of 79 on Worldbench, the Studio 1537 fit in fairly well next to other multimedia laptops we tested. A score of 2845 PCMarks was a little less encouraging, and we had expected the notebook to do better. Still, overall we found the performance to be quite acceptable and when we remember we're getting a notebook with a few style points too it made it easier to cut the Studio some slack. With the 9 cell battery the battery life hit almost 6 hours, which is plenty. On the whole, the Studio is a beautifully designed and perfectly capable laptop for a price that won't break the bank.

Summary and Details

The Studio 15 from Dell is an affordable mid-range 15-inch laptop. Just like all other Dell laptops, you can customize it down to the smallest detail and the Studio 15 more so than others. It's even available in custom lid colors and patterns.

It can be configured with either lower-end Pentium Dual Core processors with a slower FSB, or the more efficient Core 2 Duo. The 256MB ATI Radeon 3450 is also an optional upgrade from the integrated Intel GMA; the 3450 is not the fastest graphics card on the market, but should be sufficient for games in low detail settings. Intel graphics are however not at all suited for gaming.

Another detail worth noting is that either a dedicated GPU or a fast processor is mandatory if you select the optional Blu-Ray player upgrade.

Dell Studio 15 Technical Specifications

Processor 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory 4GB
Harddrive 320GB
OS Windows Vista Home Premium
Weight 6.11 lbs (w/ 9-cell battery)
Screen 15.4 in
Screen resolution 1280x800
Graphic Card ATI Mobility Radeon HD3450
Battery Life 6 hrs

Toshiba L350

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:14:01 +0100

Promoted by Toshiba as a desktop alternative for the business class, the L350 is indeed powerful enough to do your everday tasks, but that power comes in a large and clunky package that leaves mobility something to be desired.

Full review of Toshiba L350

Meet Toshiba's L350 laptop computer from their Satellite Pro lineup. It is a budget computer for today's business professional promoting all the features you need, without the fuss and flair of much more.

Our unit weighed in at about nine and a half pounds, fifteen inches across and roughly two inches thick, this laptop is a beast to lug around, and really makes a difference in the style one can mobilize with this amount of weight.

Aesthetically, the machines plastic casing with a dull gray and black finish stress that the L350 is certainly not intended to promote PC envy amongst fellow corporate users.

Features, Performance and Conclusion

The L350 features a full-size keyboard with a number pad and raised black, plastic keys.

Regrettably, this Satellite doesn't come with much of an impressive list for connectivity, but it does match what is needed most by business professionals. Featuring a wireless on/off switch, multi-media card reader mic-in / audio out, and that handy volume knob.There is also a VGA output, Ethernet port, three USB 2.0 ports ExpressCard slot and a standard modem connection.

Performance was very decent, but with integrated Graphics it left something to be desired - another thing to note is this unit comes pre-packaged with the Microsoft Windows XP operating system, which leaves something else to be desired with Vista hitting mainstream acceptance.

At a little over a $1000 purchase price, the Toshiba L350 Satellite Pro may be the laptop for you - if you need a 17 inch budget laptop.

Toshiba L350 Technical Specifications

Processor Intel Core2 Duo Processor T8100
Memory 2GB 667Mhz DDR2
Harddrive 160GB 5,400rpm SATA
OS Windows XP Pro
Weight 7.1 - 9.3 lbs
Screen 17 inches
Screen resolution 1440x900
Graphic Card Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
Battery Life 3.75 hours

Sony VAIO Z

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:11:09 +0100

Full review of Sony VAIO Z

We haven't reviewed the Sony VAIO Z laptop yet - the following is a summary based on the hardware in the VAIO Z series.

Summary and Information

The VAIO Z series is one of Sony's premium ultraportable series, and is priced accordingly. Like most VAIOs it comes with a little extra, such as a high-resolution 'X-BRITE' LED-lit screen, a Blu-Ray player and dedicated graphics.

It's neither the thinnest or lightest laptop, like for instance the MacBook Air or the Lenovo X301, but makes up for it by using more powerful hardware. For example, the VAIO Z is equipped with the regular, higher clocked Core 2 Duo's, whereas its thinner competition use low-voltage CPUs. It even has a dedicated graphics card to help with the HD media playback and provide some light gaming capability, which is unusual in this weight category.

An optional upgrade that should make this laptop incredibly fast is the dual-SSD RAID configuration. This gives it almost double the performance of the already fast and completely silent Solid State Drive technology. Coincidentally, it also doubles the price tag - but hey, if you want the fastest laptop on the planet, I'm sure you don't expect it to be cheap.

Sony VAIO Z Technical Specifications

Processor 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile P9500
Memory 3GB DDR3
Harddrive 2x64GB SSD
OS Windows Vista Business
Weight 3.31 lbs
Screen 13.1
Screen resolution 1366 x 768 (WXGA)
Graphic Card NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS

Sony Vaio FW

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:09:22 +0100

Full review of Sony Vaio FW

The multimedia powerhouse that is the Sony VAIO FW-270j meets all your entertainment features and more in one attractive package. The 16.4" glossy 16:9 HD display in concert with the HDMI port and Blu-ray player give you all the tools you need for high quality video playback. With an Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 2.26GHz CPU, 4GB RAM and a 320GB HDD, it can handle most other computing tasks too. It's a little heavy and just fair on battery life, but it makes up for it with style points and multimedia prowess.

Design, Keyboard and Mouse

The FW-270J isn't lacking for grace. With a minimalist design featuring a Macbook-like silver chassis and black chiclet keyboard, you'll love looking at more than just the glossy display. The display rests on what looks like two large hinges, the rightmost of which has a glowing green band which is lit when the computer is on. Everything about the laptop looks very smooth except for the lid, which is strangely black matte. The keyboard itself lacks a number pad despite room for it but the keys are well spaced and are decent for typing. The trackpad is smooth and comfortable.

Multimedia Power

This VAIO comes with a Blu-ray player, HDMI, and a beautiful 16.4" glossy HD display. Although the display claims to be "Full HD 1080p" the resolution is a 720p 1600x900 (Sony explains that it's only 1080p "when connected to a compatible HDTV", which essentially means you can use it as a Blu-ray player for your TV). The backlighting was excellent and helped eliminate the glare, and the viewing angles were good enough that multiple people could easily watch a movie on it sitting side by side. There is also a set of multimedia buttons placed above the keyboard, one of which gives you access to Sony's helpful built in multimedia software.

Connectivity

The FW-270j has a standard slew of ports with a few nice additions. You'll find a card reader, audio in/out, VGA, HDMI and i.Link S400 (ie: mini FireWire) as well as an ExpressCard/34 slot and 3 USB ports. Bluetooth and 802.11a/b/g/n was also included in the unit. The HDMI port is essential to any HTPC, and the list of other ports is enough to get most of your general computing jobs done.

Performance and Conclusion

This computer is a multimedia powerhouse with good internals but it lacked a GPU, which explains the score of 3235 on PCMark Vantage, although we were a little disappointed with the 74 on Worldbench. Battery performance was adequate for this type of laptop, with 101 minutes while watching a Blu-ray (enough time to actually finish it on one charge) and 181 minutes in general use. The downside of this laptop was that it is "just" decent in overall testing and it is a little heavy, but in return you are getting a beautiful laptop which looks as good as the HD video it is capable of easily playing.

Sony Vaio FW Technical Specifications

Processor 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile
Memory 3 GB
Harddrive 250 GB
OS Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
Weight 6.4 lbs
Screen 16.4
Screen resolution 1600 x 900
Graphic Card Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500 MHD
Battery Life 5.5 hours

Apple MacBook MB063LL/B 13.3" Laptop

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:20:11 +0100

Manufacturer:			Apple Computer

Model:			MB063LL/B

Screen Size:			13.3 inches

Processor Options:			2.2 GHz Intel Core Duo X2

System Memory:			2000 MB DDR2 SDRAM

Hard Disk Capacity:			160 GB

Weight:			1500 hundredths-pounds

Width:			12.8 inches

Technical Details

2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4 MB shared L2 Cache
1 GB (two SO-DIMM) 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300); 160 GB 5400 rpm Serial ATA hard drive; 8x SuperDrive
One FireWire 400, two USB 2.0 ports, DVI, VGA, S-video, and composite video (requires adapters, sold separately)
Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) Ethernet; Built-in AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi (based on IEEE 802.11n draft specification)4; built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) module
13.3-inch (diagonal) glossy TFT widescreen display, 1280 x 800 resolution; Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard

HP Mini 1151NR Netbook

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 10:44:37 +0100

HP Mini 1151NR Netbook (Verizon Wireless) Detail

It’s ultra-portable. Lightweight. Less expensive than standard notebooks and functions on America’s largest and most reliable 3G network.You can keep on top of business and stay informed and in touch when out of the office and even when out of the country! The HP Mini comes with Genuine Windows®XP Home Edition Operating System, is global capable*, features a 10.1” display, 1GB of RAM and 80GB of Hard Drive. It comes with a built-in Web-cam and microphone, Bluetooth and Windows Media Player.

HP Mini 1151NR Netbook (Verizon Wireless)

Mobile Broadband Capable
80GB Hard Drive
1GB RAM
Genuine Windows XP Home Edition
Built-in Webcam and Microphone
Bluetooth

Included Accessories

VZW Mobile Broadband Service Quick Reference Guide
Product Essentials Manual
Worldwide Tech Support Numbers
Warranty Information
Notepad
Home office card
LifeLock security card
HP & LifeLock (ID Theft Protection) Coupons
Screen Wipe

HTC Hero

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:25:19 +0100

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The HTC Hero is HTC's third distinct Android handset, demonstrating a further evolution of that operating systen combined with a little bit of HTC know-how.

The hardware is a step up from the existing HTC Magic, but perhaps the most significant development here is under the hood. HTC have taken the standard Android interface and have added "HTC Sense", a enhanced user interface which HTC says is more people-centric and easier to use. HTC Sense is roughly equivalent to the TouchFLO interface found on HTC's Windows devices, and although HTC are very good at this sort of thing, the danger is that Android phones from different manufacturers will come with a very different look-and-feel.

One major improvement that the HTC Hero brings to the Android platform is support for Flash. Yup, we can't quite believe that it has taken all this time, but it does bring significantly greater capabilities to the phone and its browser.

The display on the HTC Hero is a 3.2" 320 x 480 pixel touch-sensitive panel with an anti-fingerprint coating to keep it clean. It's very similar to the display on HTC's other Android devices, and it lags behind the newest Windows phones in terms of resolution.. and behind the iPhone in terms of size.

The HTC Hero is a 3.5G phone with 900 / 2100 MHz UMTS support and quad-band GSM, although a future US version will probably support different UMTS frequencies. The Hero has a maximum download speed of 7.2 Mbps using HSDPA, and the maximum HSUPA upload speed is 2 Mbps. 802.11b and g WiFi is supported too, which is often a more cost effective way of transferring large amounts of data. Local connectivity is via Bluetooth 2.0 or USB.

On the back is a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, much better than the 3.2 megapixel one in the Magic. GPS is built-in for use with Google Maps and other location aware applications, and the HTC Hero also has a digital compass.

The built-in media player handles most common formats including MP3, AAC, MPEG4, H.263, H.264 and Windows Media audio and video. And at last, the HTC Hero comes with a standard 3.5mm audio socket.

The processor is a fairly standard Qualcomm MSM7200A running at 528 MHz, and internal RAM is a decent 288 Mb. Flash storage is via microSD cards, but we're not sure how much is built into the phone. The large 1350 mAh battery is quoted as giving 7 hours of talktime on 3G and an astonishing 31 days standby time - if these figures are accurate, then it means that you can talk on the HTC Hero for pretty much a whole working day.

The HTC Hero looks very different to the Magic and the HTC Dream / T-Mobile G1 devices. The squared-off shape is a little like the new HTC Touch Diamond phones, but it retains the Magic's trackball on a pronounced "kick" at the bottom of the phone. It does look quite distinctive, and not at all like the black slabby handsets that some of the competition come out with. The white version is Teflon coated to improve protection, the brown version presumably is not. Perhaps it doesn't have the exquisite looks of the iPhone, but the HTC Hero is certainly a good looking handset.

There's no word on pricing or carrier availability, although HTC say that the Hero should be available during July in Europe and Asia later in the summer, followed by a North America version later in the year. Our guess is that the HTC Hero will cost roughly €500 SIM-free, but will be much cheaper with a contract.

HTC Hero at a glance
Available:	July 2009 (Europe), Q3 (Asia), Q4 est (US)
Network:	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 UMTS 900 / 2100
Data:	GPRS + EDGE + UMTS (3G) + HSDPA + HSUPA + WiFi
Screen:	3.2" 320 x 480 pixels
Camera:	5 megapixels
Size:	PDA-style device 112 x 56 x 14mm / 135 grams
Bluetooth:	Yes
Memory card:	MicroSD
Infra-red:	No
Polyphonic:	Yes
Java:	Yes
GPS:	Yes
OS:	Android
Battery life:	7 hours talk / 31 days standby (3G) 7.8 hours talk / 18 days standby (GSM)