iollo's review cornerhttp://www.iollo.com/Copyright iollo's review cornersNewsI purchased the Sony VAIO TZ150N to replace my outdated desktop and after only a couple of weeks, I'm coming to realise it's been the best purchase I have made in quite a long time. As a first time expensive computer buyer, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I first purchased the laptop. I’ve come to find that the Sony VAIO TZ150N is top of the line in just about every way, including speed, power, and appearance. Processor Brand: Intel Processor Class: Core 2 Duo Processor Speed: 1.06 GHz Mobile Technology: Intel Centrino Duo Installed Memory: 1 GB Hard Drive Capacity: 100 GB Display Size: 11.1 in Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Business Weight: 2.6 lbs The Sony VAIO TZ150N’s design is what catches your eye to begin with. It’s has a wonderful look that really draws the eye. Unlike a lot of computers today, this one is slim and light. It seems like Sony has taken the initiative to join in with the rest of the computer makers who are offering slim computers. I’ve discovered that this one is not all flash, though. There are some big time features, as well. . The first thing that caught my eye was the excellent battery life. On average, the battery lasts for close to four hours, so you never have to worry about your machine dying at the worst time. This was a draw for me, since my old computer had chronic battery problems. In addition, I appreciate the added performance that I get out of the machine. It comes equipped with 1GB of ram and has an Intel Core 2 Duo, which makes it one of the most powerful machines on the market. . The fringe features are something to write about, as well. This machine is small and is only about an inch thick. That didn’t stop them from outfitting the Sony VAIO TZ150N with a DVD burner, though. This extra feature allows me the freedom to copy video files without having to leave the house. The computer also features an enhanced sound system, which makes movie watching an absolute pleasure. Before I purchased the machine, I read some reviews that were critical of the computer’s screen. I have had no such problems, though, and still find the screen to be both functional and good looking. . I was particularly concerned with getting a computer that had flat keys. The keyboard is much like many Apple computers, in that the keys are evenly spaced out and the keys are not raised. This makes typing much easier and allows me to complete papers and other assignments without too much trouble. In addition to that, the touchpad is highly functional and quite easy to use. I have long been a fan of the button on IBM computers, but this new touchpad has opened my eyes to a new way of doing things. . All in all, the price of this computer is fairly high compared to many other computers, but is somewhat low on the Sony scale of things. It checks in at just under $2,300, though I managed to get mine on sale. It comes with a standard one year warranty, but that can be extended to a two-year warrant for only $149. That is what I did and it makes me feel much better about my machine. . The Sony VAIO TZ150N is the perfect computer for a person who cares about sleek design. It’s a thin, powerful laptop that packs a lot of punch. That, combined with the powerful battery, makes this computer a great buy. Because it’s so expensive, it’s definitely a good idea to go with the extended warranty, though.Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:31:14 +0000http://www.iollo.com/computers/sony-vaio-tz150n-review/http://www.iollo.com/computers/sony-vaio-tz150n-review/Digital SLR cameras are becoming increasingly more affordable but manufacturers are still bringing out ‘bridge cameras’ such as the Olympus SP-510UZ. A ‘bridge camera’ is a digital camera which isn’t SLR but acts like an SLR camera. For the average camera user this is a good thing as it keeps the price down and still produces quite good quality photos and short movies.. The SP-510UZ boasts about its 10x optical zoom and 7.1 megapixels for the cheap RRP of £200 but what interested me was that it had a maximum ISO of 4000, achievable by using BrightCapture technology. Along with the camera you also get a 2 year warranty which is always useful to have. Once I picked up the camera the first thing I noticed was its chunky feel, but it has grip on the lens barrel and the side stops it from being too awkward to hold, even if your moving around a lot its less likely to fall out of your hands. When you turn on the SP-510UZ it only takes moments to power up, which is good if you see something and need to take a fast picture. Pictures can either be taken via the screen or the electronic viewfinder with a dedicated button to switch between them in a hurry, for example if the sun glares on the screen you can quickly switch to the viewfinder mode by pressing this button. Once I had used the camera for a while I had noticed that the ISO of 4000 that excited me while buying the camera is only true if you use the 3 megapixel mode in the camera, which was disappointing. The full 7.1 megapixels are only available with an ISO of 1600, which is still okay but not what I had expected when I bought the camera. Likewise the fine zoom option which will zoom into 15x will reduce the image to a 3 megapixel image as it crops, which is slightly disappointing but personally I hardly ever use the fine zoom, the 10x zoom is more than enough in most situations. The guide function of the camera is quite useful as it adjusts the settings on the camera for different situations if you are not sure which settings to use, for example when shooting into backlight it will adjust the settings so you get a much clearer image. The internal memory of the camera can only hold 4 highest quality JPEG’s so I would recommend investing in an additional xD card to put in the camera, even a 512Mb card would be sufficient for most users, but if you insist on only taking the highest quality images you can then I would advise getting the biggest card you can afford as they do take up a lot of memory. Overall this camera is good for an everyday point and click camera and with all the extra features (you can even use it as an alarm if you wanted to) it is really worth it at this price. Tue, 12 Feb 2008 12:43:27 +0000http://www.iollo.com/cameras-and-photography/olympus-sp510uz-review/http://www.iollo.com/cameras-and-photography/olympus-sp510uz-review/Listening to music has just become more stylish with Gear4 releasing their new Blackbox Bluetooth speaker system and the Blackbox Mini for those who want more portability. The Blackbox allows the user to connect via bluetooth or 3.5mm jack to your PC, Ipod and even mobile phone. So after a week of waiting the day finally came where I received my Blackbox from Gear4. My first impression was that it is much smaller than I’d expected it to be. Upon opening the packaging the first thing you notice is the look: a sleek high-gloss black finish with blue control lights and a brighter red LED display for the equalizer on the front. I know that to some people this might not be important, but I like it when something doesn’t only perform well but looks good while doing so. It was simple to set up, just a simple plug-in and play. The controls are kept to a minimum which comprise of volume, play/pause, track skip and pairing functions, along with a LED control which will cycle through different equalizer display modes. Along with the player came a remote control which allows you to use any of the controls mentioned before from quite a distance away and also includes mute and standby buttons which aren’t on the player itself. The 24 watt output from stereo speakers is pretty good for a device this size; it’s more than enough for the average sized bedroom. The sound quality is great, even when on a higher volume. Although the sound doesn’t overly distort it would be a nice addition to have treble and bass controls for the user to fine tune the sound. The pairing process was quite straightforward; it gives an in depth explanation in the user manual for those who have any trouble with it. The only downside I have found was when I paired it to my PC, it worked well for half an hour but then my PC went into power saving mode and the music stopped, I wouldn’t really consider this to be a fault in the blackbox, more something I need to remember in the future as I can imagine if pairing to a PDA or mp3 player for example it would act the same way if the player goes into standby. When using the Bluetooth aspect of these speakers I have paired it with my mobile phone and my PC, both paired quite easily but the sound quality is reduced, quite significantly when I used my mobile so much that I couldn’t listen to it for that long, when using a PC it was reduced, but not by so much. All in all I’d say that Gear4 have done a pretty good job with these speakers. The wired output from them is excellent, the Bluetooth is average and it looks amazing, especially if the black gloss finish matches your PC.Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:04:29 +0000http://www.iollo.com/electronics/gear4-blackbox-bluetooth-speakers/http://www.iollo.com/electronics/gear4-blackbox-bluetooth-speakers/When, after the longest couple of weeks of my life, I finally received the new Gateway NX570X notebook, my first impression upon opening the box was "oooh, shiny". The mirror polish I opted for during customization may not have been necessary, but I'm the kind of girl who will pay that extra little bit for the premium package. Call me what you will, but I like how my laptop simply looks expensive. In fact, it's not a very expensive rig. Granted, mine was just over 2000 dollars, but I pretty much opted for the maximum in choices. More conservative budgets could easily capture this sleek notebook for under 1500, or even 1000 dollars for bare essentials, and even then, it's still a damned decent computer. My little bundle of joy just screams with processing power. It gets plenty warm, but mind, I didn't buy it for my lap. It's a desktop replacement for my home, and so far I've taken it out to lunch a couple of times. I'm probably guilty of wanting to show it off, but honest, I did have work to do. At the core of this notebook lies a dual core Intel Core 2 T560 (1.83GHz) monster. It's been a great performer in my games, multitasking, and even video encoding. To support this speed is a nice sized 2 GB of RAM to really help out with those larger or many programs, big games, and such. Speaking of games. I've opted to include an ATI Radeon Mobility graphics module, 128MB graphics make Battlefield 2 and Lord of the Rings Online look oh so pretty. I don't know about you all, but I'm still attached to my Windows XP Professional. Brilliantly, Gateway offers to equip their outbound computers with XP instead of Vista, so I'm a happy customer in that department. I'm not really big on other Microsoft products, personally. I use other office tools when I need them. But for all of you out there who want it, Gateway has a whole slew of Office products to pick and choose from while customizing. Just watch it. They get expensive quick. I opted for built in Bluetooth, and it functions rather nicely. I keep a wireless mouse in my bag for out-of-house use, because, and I'm sure you can agree, those finger pads are simply annoying. My phone seems to communicate well with the laptop, but I don't use that feature. Who knows, you might. Theoretically, I can send pictures I took with my phone directly to the hard drive without emailing them to myself. The display I chose is a simply-brilliant TFT Active Matrix WSXGA+ for a large and in charge 1680 by 1050 pixels. A few other pleasant entries in this bundle include a 160GB hard drive, 8x Dual Layer DVD-RW drive, and a 3 year warranty. The battery is where I didn't get "The Best". I don't take the laptop places very often (a few outings for lunch so far), so I don't need much in the battery department. I decided to go with the minimum choice. A pair of 6-cell Lithium Ion batteries serve my needs. As for the choice, they offer 8-cell, and even 12-cell batteries. The big ones actually stick out the side of the laptop because they're so big. I don't know about you, but there's no way I could look at my machine with something like that poking out the side. Maybe I'm picky. Maybe there's an actual element of feng shui to this notebook that just should not be messed with. All in all, it's a sweet little rig. Gorgeous graphics on a tight, sharp, and colorful display, fluid and speedy processing, and plenty of space for all my media are just the start of what makes this machine so great.Sun, 04 Nov 2007 20:12:50 +0000http://www.iollo.com/computers/my-gateway-nx570x-notebook/http://www.iollo.com/computers/my-gateway-nx570x-notebook/