Advantages: Great Sound, Great Looks, Great Price
Disadvantages: Remotes a bit cheap, no USB port,

...Having been in the market to downsize my old hi fi for something more compact, I've settled on the Teac reference 300 mkIII with DAB tuner. Its a 3 box system as opposed to the other smaller one box systems manufactured by Teac and others such as Denon, Arcam and Onkyo. As such, although being larger, it is more user friendly to use and has more power at 45 wpc RMS. At around £500 rrp it stands up favourably in price to the Arcam Solo Mini and comes in silver or black finish with machined aluminium fronts and a classy blue display on each unit. It actually appears slightly retro in appearance although the remotes are a bit cheap looking. The silver units can be found for as little as £349 without speakers so its quite a bargain. Sound quality for such a small unit is really clear and well defined with a warm bass typical of Teac... Read review

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Advantages: Compact, yet Powerful
Disadvantages: None

...After re-aranging our lounge a decision was made that the black clunky stacking hi-fi had to go, so a search on the internet and a visit to the Richer Sounds website led me initially to the Denon DM31. I visited my local Richer sounds shop in Norwich the following day with the intention of purchasing a Denon, but a very helpful assistant informed me if I was to run powerful speakers such as mine (Bose Acoustimass 5) I would be better off with the Teac CRL600 with a higher wattage. I hesitated as I had no info on this model, but decided to go with it when he assured me if I wasnt happy I could return it within 14days. I plugged it all in at home and WOW I was very impressed. Far superior than my stacking ugly system. This unit sits beneath my tv ontop of the DVD player and looks well at home. The audio quality from the CD and radio... Read review

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Advantages: Small and Easy to use.
Disadvantages: Can be fiddly to use and expensive

...I decided to buy an SL55 Siemens mobile because of its size. I hate heavy bulky phones that take up all the room in my bag so the SL55 was the way to go. My budget was a little on the small size so I looked up E-Bay and found a refurbished model for £57.00. After a couple of days the phone died on me, so thanks to the dodgy person who sold me the phone, as I’m sure they knew it was broken. I have now learnt a valuable E-Bay lesson. Buy with a guarantee. I’m too trustworthy, that’s my problem. I’ve decided to try and get it fixed but if anyone wants the phone (maybe to repair and use) then please leave a message in my guest book. Anyway, I’m going to discuss the use of the phone, as I did like using it for the time that it worked. The Exterior: My SL55 is grey and Red. The colour... Read review

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Advantages: Stylish phone with a array of features, easy to use software and good build.
Disadvantages: Expensives accessorires and slight problem with the ergonomics.

...There are two kinds of people who will read this review, those who are thinking about buying the Siemens SL45, or those who have brought it and are seeking reassurance on their purchase. I won't give you a list of description and features, you can find those in greater details by visiting www.siemens.com/sl45 you can get all the flash animation and pictures, in addition to the extended services provided by Siemens or third parties (i.e. music, animation down loads etc.) The SL45 has a large screen taking up over a third of the phones length. As a result, the number keys are located very low on the face of the phone. People who like to tap in numbers (or text messaging) using one hand may find it difficult to do so on the keys located on the bottom row. I suppose the saving grace is that the SL45 has the T9 predictive text... Read review

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Advantages: Size, Weight
Disadvantages: None

...TECH TALK on the GEMPLUS USB-SL Card Reader INFO I have been using a Gemplus USB-SL card reader for a while now. I use it at work and it was a natural upgrade from the old serial 410 version. For those who may not know what the USB-SL is, it's an EMV card reader. So in short it is able to read a chip card like a visa and use it in conjunction with an application to process the card. A couple of possible uses would be for internet shopping or as a basic payment system in a shop. THE DEVICE The USB-SL is way better than the older 410. For starters its USB based to in the main it's a plug and play device where as the 410 was a serial device. The use of USB speeds up the device ten fold. The second gain on the USB-SL is its size. It's easily half the size of the old 410. The USB-SL is made from durable plastic and is the size... Read review

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Advantages: Affordable luxury motoring
Disadvantages: Buyers beware!!!!

...Tomorrow is a sad day. I'm going to drive my much loved 500SL from Glasgow to Cheshire where it's new owner will be waiting. The car was new in 1988 and cost the lucky buyer over £40,000. After looking at many examples I eventually found this one and bought it in 2000. The car was in great condition having covered 68000 miles from new. Everything was right about the car, no rust, a full dealer history, a recent service and an enthusiatic owner. This review is for anyone considering buying an older car. It can be a great joy and relatively cheap but only if you're careful on day one. This model of Mercedes, known as the r107, was one of the most prestigous car of it's time. The build quality is superb and with proper care the car will go on for ever. My car has been a pleasure to own and I have been fortunate with the choice... Read review

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Advantages: Well made, fast wireless card (54Mbps), Supports UPNP Servers, supports lots of file formats.
Disadvantages: Bulky & arkward remote control

...A: Very good! The Philips SL300i is a neat little box which plugs into your TV using a SCART lead. Once plugged in it opens up a whole new world for your entertainment. You can store all your photos, music and videos on a computer located elsewhere in your house and view them on your TV via a wired or wireless connection. On the back is an Ethernet port, SCART connection and audio outputs so you can connect to a external sound system if you wish. This little beauty was recommended to me by a friends dad as I mentioned I had been looking for a good all round wireless media center to use via my TV. I also have a Pinnacle Showcenter, and by comparison the Streamium makes the Showcenter look like an old black & white TV, in other words it is in a different league. With the SL300i comes the usual CD's with the server software on, now... Read review

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Advantages: Easier to use than SL55
Disadvantages: A lot

...What can I say about this phone? I bought one for myself just before Christmas because I had always wanted the SL55 but felt it was too small and dinky to press buttons etc. This larger version of that phone is a lot easier to use due to a larger screen and larger buttons on the keypad. It also incorporates a camera capable of taking still images or 30 second video clips. It's not a bad camera, but there are better ones out there if you take the time to look around. Other features include a sound recorder, so that you can record songs and noises and set them as ringtones, and the other usuals, calculator, stopwatch, alarm clock etc. The Siemens SL65 comes standard with three games, which are: Bubble Boost (a platform game a bit like rayman), Golf Pro 3D and Siemens Rally all of which can be quite addictive if you start playing... Read review

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Advantages: top of its class
Disadvantages: there are none!

...Ahh, Technics SL1210 MK2 decks are a delight in themsleves, and proof that some things in life DO stand the test of time!! The Sleek Black casings, the silver pop up light, the black and silver feet, oohh it oozes class!! Not only are SL1210 MK2's the most technically accurate turntables, with the most amazing pitch control, they are very hardwearing, a friend of mines got tossed out of a 6th floor window in an emergency situation (!) and survived, well the covers never, but they still work a treat and thats the main thing. If you dont abuse your decks, look after the covers, maintain your needles regularly and keep the boxes, they will hold their retail value exceptionally well if you ever decide to sell them (though why would is beyond me!!) Technics are still the DJ's number one choice, but i do understand people who... Read review

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Advantages: Stylish, compact, packed with features.
Disadvantages: Texting can be a little difficult at first.

...“I Will Fly you to the moon and back if you’ll be, if you’ll be my baby”. My dirty old Nokia 3310 was past its sell-by-date years ago so I have to admit to getting ridiculously over excited at the prospect of a new phone. So many decisions to be made. Colour, polyphonic ringtones, games, and camera, one of those flip clamshell types or a standard Nokia style? Given my self-imposed budget of £60 surely I had given myself little leeway regarding the type of phone I could purchase? Never underestimate the dididave obsession with bargain hunting. It is rare that I pay full price for anything and as such revel in the underground culture that is the boot sale, charity shop and online auction world. Trawling through the Internet back alleys in search of my next gadget I came across the Siemen’s SL55. This little beauty retails... Read review

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