Plantronics has a long history of making good quality headsets primarily for office users, so it was with some pleasure that I was looking forward to the latest addition to the stable, the .Audio 995 wireless headset.

The package includes a plug-and-play wireless USB connector that operates at 2.4GHz - in other words it's not Bluetooth - so while this provides better range and reception, those hoping to avoid using another USB port will need to look elsewhere.

The headset is quite bulky, compared to some other wired headsets out there, but the 995 is quite light and does have a comfortable padded headband and swivel-mounted ear cushions covering 40mm speakers, so I had no discomfort wearing them for several hours at a time.

The microphone boom is adjustable, both telescoping a little as well as bendable, and it folds up nicely out of the way when not in use. As an added bonus the mike automatically mutes when stowed, so you don't have to worry about manually muting and un-muting during a call or if you use speech recognition software. I tried it out with Skype and Dragon Naturally Speaking and found the microphone works very well in both video calls and for dictation.

The speakers are good, but not an audiophile's dream, in particular heavy bass feels a little washed out, but the range is quite impressive and should be fine for the majority of users. Most importantly, voices are crisp and clear so using the 995 for VoIP calls works very nicely.

I was also impressed with the reception on the 995 headset. Plantronics reckons the headphones have a range of 40 feet from the transceiver, but this seems to require that the intervening space is unobstructed as I found the signal started getting a bit erratic after about 30 feet, although that was with walls in the way. Judging by my experience, unless you're hoping to be able to wander around your entire house or office with these on, you should be fine.

Streaming music constantly I got a little over six hours of life from a single charge, slightly less than the seven hours touted by Plantronics, but still more than enough to ensure that you don't have to lose the wireless benefits by constantly having to charge them. Another nice feature is that the headset charges over mini-USB rather than some proprietary connector.

The 995 also includes some handy media controls on the side of the headset making it easy to control the volume as well as pause, play and skip music tracks, but it takes a little bit of practice to remember which button does what by feel alone. I found this feature works in Windows Media Player, iTunes and WinAmp. According to Plantronics it should work for most media players, although some will require the application to be selected rather than just running in the background.

Possibly my biggest gripe with the headset is that unplugging the USB connector doesn't automatically restore sound to the speakers, meaning you have to manually enter the speaker settings and reset them every time you want to switch back and forth between speakers and headphones.

At a retail price of around £80, the Plantronics .audio 995 wireless headset is not exactly cheap, but if you find yourself constantly tangling yourself up in your headset or like to pace about while dictating to your PC or listening to music (and don't want to disturb those around you) I reckon the 995 is a worthwhile investment.

Posted by Ian Williams on June 12, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (1)

I've often fancied one of those natty little Bluetooth headsets that let you take a call while your phone is tucked out of harm's way in your bag or pocket, but there are such a confusing array of these that I've never got around to actually settling on one and buying it.

This week, one of my colleagues solved the problem by offering me one he had been given free by a vendor. I won't name the model in question, but I can't say I'm impressed with the device at all, and I'm now glad I didn't waste any of my own money.

It isn't that the device doesn't work. I had no trouble pairing it up with my mobile phone, after which the handset always diverted audio to the headset whenever the latter was switched on.

No, the problem is that nobody can hear a blasted word I'm saying if I use it to make a call.

The headset is one of those fashionably tiny devices that clips comfortably over your ear, but is so small that the microphone part is actually resting against your cheek. An awful lot of these devices share a similar design, but placing the pickup so far away from your mouth is an obvious flaw, surely?

Whenever I tested the headset to make or receive calls, the person at the far end either couldn't hear me at all, or said it sounded like I was speaking to them from the middle of a boiler room.

Has anyone out there had better luck with these devices, or can recommend one that actually works?

Posted by Daniel Robinson on March 12, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mini laptops, or netbooks as they have become known, are a phenomenon of the last eighteen months or so, ever since Asus unveiled its first Eee PC aimed at the education market.

VNUnet, along with other technology sites, has covered many of these models, which are characterised by a relatively small size and low purchase price when compared to traditional ultraportable laptop machines.

Since Intel introduced its Atom processor last year, netbooks have standardised on this platform to such an extent that there is very little difference in specifications between any of the models. Almost all have a 1.6GHz processor, 1GB of memory, and are based on the same Intel motherboard components.

Apart from the screen and keyboard, which are often subject to the personal taste of the buyer, it seems that just about the only differentiator is the choice of storage device, with some models using Flash memory solid state disks (SSDs) while others stick with laptop-style hard drives.

With this in mind, is there any point at all in benchmarking the performance of these models?

We have found that there are can be some differences in overall system performance, depending on the technology used. Many Flash SSDs deliver performance equivalent to that of a hard drive, although they are more costly, so buyers tend to get less storage for the same price. Netbooks with SSDs tend to have about 20GB, while similar models with a hard drive offer up to 160GB, for example.

However, some types of Flash memory deliver less impressive performance. To quote Wikipedia; "Lower priced drives usually use Multi-level cell (MLC) flash memory, which is slower and less reliable than Single-level cell (SLC) flash memory."

While this difference shows up in benchmark tests, the average user probably would not notice, especially if they are just using the device for browsing the web, accessing email, or typing up the occasional document.

It seems that potential buyers would be best advised not to worry too much about performance, but about other aspects of the system, such as the keyboard, screen and other facilities provided.

Posted by Daniel Robinson on January 27, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Sony launched its ultra-lightweight P-Series netbook at the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas last week and we were able to get our hands on one for a bit at a recent London launch event. With the top of the range model costing £1,368.99 when bought directly from Sony it certainly isn't cheap, but it is undoubtedly an impressive bit of kit and takes the concept of portability to a whole new level.

The standard model weighs a paltry 638g making it feel almost like an empty shell when you pick it up. This figure is with a three-cell battery and while it won't be a massive burden, the six-cell version will add on a few extra grams, some of which can be shaved off by going for the version with the SSD drive.

Similarly, we weren't able to weigh the power adaptor, but it is small and light, so it won't tack on too much extra weight to the total.

Unlike Sony's recently released TT-series laptops which are encased in carbon fibre, the P-Series is made from plastic and because it's so thin we would be worried that it might be dangerously flimsy. None of the demo units we saw had any signs of damage, but we wouldn't suggest flinging this about too much.

Until someone perfects a flexible display that can be rolled up the device is about as small as it can be while still being functional.

The eight inch 16:9 widescreen is amazingly clear and runs at a resolution of 1600x768, which although an impressive technical feat does mean many users will end up squinting at the screen. There is a zoom function to help combat this or users can just turn down the resolution a notch or two, and given that most sites and applications are happy at lower resolutions so this shouldn't have a negative impact on usability.

In keeping the P-Series as small as possible Sony has had to ditch the trackpad, leaving just a nub nestled in the middle of the keyboard for cursor control. Personally I had no problems getting used to using the little joystick type control, but many customers may want to invest in a small external mouse to keep with them.

The brushed aluminium keyboard is a good size and the isolated keys are a nice touch. I found it easy to type on, even at speed except occasionally we kept brushing the mouse nub which it would treat as a mouse click (an option that can be disabled) and move the cursor to wherever the mouse pointer was located at the time.

The P-series sports two USB ports, one on each side and a combination HDMI/port extender. A small extender is provided adding video and wired Ethernet ports is included in the box.

Connectivity can be done via Bluetooth, draft-n Wi-Fi and there is a SIM-free 3G HSDPA modem and GPS built-in as well. Because there is not enough space above the screen, the webcam is situated off to the right, but it isn't angled at all meaning you're left tilting your head at odd angles if you want your face in the centre of the display when on a video conference.

It also features a hardware Wi-Fi on/off switch, something I always like to see in a netbook as it makes it very easy to turn the Wi-Fi on and off as needed which can noticeably extend battery life.

Below the keyboard are the left, right and middle mouse buttons, a shortcut button and the CrossMediaBar (XMB) launch button. The XMB allows users to boot straight into a menu system that PS3 and PSP owners will be familiar with and gives easy access to media such as photos, video and music as well as a web browser, Skype, Pidgin for instant messaging.

Sony mentioned that booting into the XMB took around 25 seconds and booting into Vista from the XMB took a further 1:45. However it should be noted that the model we were using was a prototype and Sony assured us it would be a bit quicker on the production model.

It runs Windows Vista Premium or Business edition, which runs happily, but given our first impressions of the upcoming Windows 7, we would probably recommend upgrading to that as soon as possible.

Ultimately, the price tag is going make the P-Series an exclusive device and for a lot less money you can get something not much heavier or slower, but for those with the money to spare who need a fully functional notebook that can slip into a handbag or a large coat pocket this could be a winner, and we can guarantee if you pull this out at a meeting it will turn some heads.

Posted by Ian Williams on January 15, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (10)

This photo shows Apple's iPhone 3G alongside two other new devices, the HP iPaq 914 and Nokia's E71. As the picture demonstrates, they are all approximately the same size, although varying in weight and thickness.

All three devices represent the latest technology, supporting 3G wireless broadband, Wi-Fi, and GPS capability for navigation and other location-based services. As such, these are all high-end devices and potential rivals for RIM's BlackBerry models in the enterprise.

Of the three, the Nokia E71 is the slimmest and the lightest, while the iPaq 914 is the heaviest and thickest at 154g and 16mm. However, it also appears to have the largest battery capacity, at 1940mAh.

The Nokia E71 has already been reviewed in depth by IT Week here. To sum up: it is a very capable business messaging handset, but its keyboard is somewhat cramped compared to a BlackBerry.

The same criticism can be levelled at the iPaq 914, but I found I could enter text fairly easily. The HP device also has one feature that might please BlackBerry users; a jog dial thumbwheel on the right side of the case, similar to that seen on older BlackBerry models before RIM introduced its 'Pearl' mini trackball. It also supports touch-screen input via a stylus as well as a standard five-way navigation control, giving users more input choice than most devices.

Apple's iPhone 3G has the best display and offers the best web experience through its Safari browser, but has two drawbacks as far as I'm concerned; no keyboard and a battery that cannot be removed by the user.

As with the first iPhone, the device is very simple to use, but I found Apple's on-screen 'soft' keyboard a pain - even compared with the tiny keys on the E71 and iPaq 914 - and kept finding myself hitting the wrong letter. The iPhone could prove a hit with business users that need a decent browser - such as for web-based applications - but I can't see heavy email users or anyone whose job entails entering a lot of data being happy with it.

All three models feature some form of assisted GPS (A-GPS) to speed up the time it takes to get a fix on the user's location. While the E71 has Nokia Maps, both the iPaq 914 and the iPhone use Google Maps. The iPhone version of this application is slicker, but both have pretty much the same functionality, including the option to fix your location GPS and get directions to a specified destination. However, Nokia Maps supports turn-by-turn directions for drivers, although it costs extra to have the directions spoken aloud.

Posted by Daniel Robinson on July 28, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Mini laptops have been a surprise hit over the last year or so, following the launch of the original Asus Eee PC. Other vendors have since brought out numerous models to try and emulate its success.

The latest to become available is the oddly named Wind from Micro Star International (MSI), a firm best known for its motherboards and 'bare bones' PC and server systems.

Despite the dubious name, it seems to be rather a well designed mini laptop, just slightly larger than the Asus Eee PC 900 and 901, thus making room for a keyboard that users can live with and a decent 10in screen.

It is based on Intel's 1.6GHz Atom processor and has 1GB RAM, and unlike the Eee PC it has an 80GB hard drive instead of Flash SSD storage. It also ships with Windows XP, although this is the Home edition rather than XP Professional.

While screens smaller than 12in are considered too small for business use by some experts, I found the Wind's 10in display with its 1024 x 600 resolution quite comfortable for productivity applications, and the system's keyboard is large enough for typing at a reasonable speed.

The evaluation unit I saw had Microsoft Office 2007 installed, and the Wind seemed to handle applications such as Word and Excel with little difficulty. It would thus seem to make a good mobile system for workers needing to access documents and their email while on the road.

However, the downside on all small systems like this is usually battery life. I didn't have enough time using the Wind to test this, but MSI rates it at up to three hours with the three-cell standard battery pack, and this is likely to be an optimistic figure. An optional six-cell unit will provide longer life, but this bumps up the weight from just over a kilogram to about 1.2kg.

The Wind has three USB ports, a slot for SD Card and Memory Stick Flash disks, VGA and Ethernet ports, and includes 802.11b/g Wi-Fi. It costs £329.

Posted by Daniel Robinson on July 25, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Following IT Week's full review of the Eee PC 900 and HP Mini-Note a couple of weeks back, I grabbed the chance to have a quick look at two new mini laptops that are currently being evaluated by colleagues on other publications at our offices.

The Asus Eee PC 901 is, as you might expect, very similar to its predecessor, but has a more polished feel and slightly more rounded styling. It actually costs less, at about £272 + VAT, but has the same 8.9in screen and is pretty much the same size and shape.

In fact, the most significant differences are that the 901 is based on a 1.6GHz version of Intel's new Atom processor and has a larger 6-cell battery. The older model had a 900MHz ULV Celeron and a 3-cell battery.

Sadly, the larger battery bumps up the weight from just under 1kg to 1.15kg - nearly a 20 percent increase. However, one of my colleagues reports that the battery life is much improved because of this, going from just over an hour and a half to several hours.

The same Intel Atom processor powers Acer's Aspire One. This is very similar in size to the Eee PC and also has an 8.9in screen, but is just a couple of centimetres wider. This extra width allows for a keyboard with slightly bigger keys that I found much easier to type on.

Like the Eee PC, the Aspire One ships in Linux or Windows versions. The Linux model has 512MB memory, a 3-cell battery and an 8GB Flash SSD for storage and costs £199 +VAT, while the Windows version has 1GB, a 6-cell battery and an 80GB hard drive and costs £299 + VAT.

The Linux-based Aspire One is lighter at just under a kilogram, while the Windows-based unit weighs about 1.26kg. With Linux, the Aspire has a battery life of just over two hours, according to another colleague who has used it at length.

Both of the models I looked at here were Linux models, and the two had quite similar user interfaces that separated the built-in functions and applications into categories such as 'work' and 'play'. Both have a built-in office suite - StarOffice 8 on the Eee PC and OpenOffice.org 2.3 on the Aspire One.

For users who just need a light, low-cost device for word processing or surfing the Web, both of these machines would seem to fit the bill, although I found the larger keyboard of the Aspire One preferable. Both are also capable of running Windows, but are only available with Windows XP Home edition.

One of my colleagues hopes to have a Windows version of the Eee PC soon, so that we can compare benchmark scores between the 901 and the 900. However, we will not be able to do the same for the Aspire, as Acer has said it wants to push the Linux version and so will not be making any Windows models available for testing.

Posted by Daniel Robinson on June 19, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)

This photo shows the Asus Eee PC 900 next to HP’s 2133 Mini-Note PC, two miniature laptops that are approximately the same size and both of which cost less than £500.

As should be apparent from the picture, HP’s model is slightly wider, which enables it to have larger keys and thus makes for easier typing. The Mini-Note is also more polished, with a brushed aluminium case, while the Asus feels rather plasticky by comparison.

However, the Asus has the advantage of weighing under a kilogram, while the Windows version of HP’s pint-sized portable weighs almost half again as much at 1.46kg.

There are other notable differences; the Eee PC has Windows XP installed (although the Home edition rather than Professional), and with 1GB memory, it feels as responsive as any other Windows XP system. The HP Mini-Note ships with Vista Business Edition, and despite its having 2GB of memory, Vista is a severe drag on its performance.

Asus also ships the Eee PC with 12GB of Flash solid state disk (SSD), while the HP model has a more conventional 120GB hard drive. Both have an 8.9in screen, but the Eee PC has a native resolution of 1024 x 600, while HP’s is a step up at 1280 x 768.

In early tests, the HP Mini-Note appeared to have a longer lasting battery than the Eee PC, but a full report will appear in a future issue of IT Week.

Posted by Daniel Robinson on May 25, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Verbatim has kindly sent me one of its new pocket hard drives for evaluation. The Hi-Speed Store 'n' Go USB 2.0 HD is a tiny device that stores up to 12GB of data on a 1in hard drive, and also includes a portable environment that enables entire applications to be stored and run by connecting the drive up to any Windows PC. The drive costs £100.

The photo of the Store 'n' Go drive perhaps doesn't give a sense of scale. The thing really is tiny – it looks like it would fit comfortably inside a matchbox. Its hinged USB connector is stowed neatly in a recess in the top of the drive when not in use, and folds out when you want to plug it into a PC.

I tested out the drive by copying some multi-gigabyte VMware virtual PC images from one Windows XP computer to another, and its performance seemed ample for this task.

However, Verbatim also includes with the Store 'n' Go a piece of software called Ceedo, from a firm called Ceedo Technologies. This can be launched when you plug the drive into a computer's USB port, and it displays a kind of replica of the Windows Start menu, complete with links to any applications that are stored on the drive.

Ceedo's web page provides a selection of applications, such as photo editors, security tools, office applications, archiving tools, and others, all of which can be downloaded freely to the Verbatim drive. The applications can be run from here, but leave no trace behind when you have finished and remove the Store 'n' Go drive.

I selected a few, such as the AbiWord word processor and FastStone Image Viewer, and watched as they installed. The Ceedo software seems to intercept the standard Windows installation routine, and ensures that the application is diverted to a Program Files folder on the Store 'n' Go drive instead of the computer's hard drive.

Ceedo also has available separate a tool called Argo Application Installer, which can apparently install any Windows application to the Store 'n' Go. This costs $29.95 (£15.40) to download.

Posted by Daniel Robinson on March 15, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nokia's N800 Internet Tablet is available from the end of January, and IT Week has obtained a sample model for review.

Like its predecessor the N770, the new model is a lightweight device about the same size as a large spectacle case. This makes Nokia's web tablet fairly easy to slot into a pocket, but it also makes text somewhat difficult to read on its 4.1in 800 x 480 touch-screen display.

Because Nokia is at pains to distinguish its Internet Tablet brand from mobile phones, the N800 cannot connect to a mobile network. Instead, it relies on Wi-Fi hotspots or a Bluetooth data link with a phone to get connected.

Fortunately, Nokia has made it fairly easy to find and connect to Wi-Fi hotspots, and I was able to get connected and surfing the Web within minutes of powering on the N800. A pop-up on-screen keyboard appears whenever you need to enter some text, before disappearing out of the way again when you have finished with it.

The N800 runs an embedded version of Linux and comes with the Opera browser and Flash 7 player, which enables users to view pretty much any website. It also features a media player, PDF viewer, and client software for email, IM, and IP telephony.

I found that web sites such as the BBC's news pages were often difficult to read without using the magnifier tool, and not all video files I tried to access would play in the built-in media player.

While the N800 is not a replacement for a smartphone, it is a device that could find a niche in business, especially as Nokia has made available an open source development platform to enable applications to be built for it.

A full review of the N800 will appear in a future issue of IT Week.

Posted by Daniel Robinson on January 29, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1)