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The Plantronic's 370 Multimedia Headset
review by Michael Richardson

These Head phones are definitely the best I have ever tried. Crystal clear sound and so light you don't feel them on your head at all. The special styling of the double headband type part that fits on top of your head means it is held on very lightly but this double band means they don't have to squeeze your head to stay on so they are extremely light on your head, they don't squeeze at all and are almost like not wearing anything at all. You have to put them on to experience it as you can't believe you actually have a set on, they are so light and unobtrusive. Nicely cushioned round the ear with 40mm speakers that give a good bass response and very clear sound in all circumstances.

Noise cancelling microphone cuts out background distractions and unwanted noise. Microphone response is 100Hz-8KHz , and the speakers Frequency response is 20Hz - 20kHz and the microphone and headphone jacks are 3.5mm plugs, exactly right for plugging straight into your Computer. They also have a unique "Open Ear" design that lets you also hear what's going on in the office or your team mates screams if playing team computer games or if playing games at night you can still hear the doorbell or the telephone ring or the wife yelling out to "get to bed its almost 4a.m."

The pivoting boom microphone allows precise positioning and folds away when not wanted. Plus on top of all this the nice long cable also has an in-line Volume and mute controls, mic on/off. With all this it is hard to see how you could improve on these but the real amazing thing about them is you barley tell you have them on, you can easily wear them for hours of computer play or all day at work. these are definitely the Ferrari of headphones and the best set I have ever tried, and definitely my favourite now.

 

 

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Plantronic's 360 Multimedia Headset
review by Michael Richardson

These Head phones are nice, good clear sound and nice bass. Big padded cushions around the ears for comfort fully enclosed for a closed-ear total game immersion. No outside noise gets into these. I was playing The Suffering, a spooky first person shooter , in the dark late one night when someone came up behind me tapped me on the shoulder to tell me the phone was ringing and I almost jumped out off my skin. They squeeze the head to stay on like most headphone sets but the extra padding makes this comfortable.

Nice boom pivoting precise microphone 40mm speakers, 20Hz - 20khz Speaker frequency response, 100Hz-8KHz microphone frequency response. 2x 5.5mm plugs plug straight into your computer. Nice long cable, with volume control and on/off mic control. Use these with a nice big monitor for total immersion into your game with no distractions from the outside World.

Nice sound, good priced computer Gamer's headphones.

 

 

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The Groove Mate V10
review by Michael Richardson

Sometimes it's great to review new products but this one is one is a hot little number.

The Laser Corp V10 Groove Mate is just that. It's groovy. The review one I received was Hot Pink- really Hot Pink that no girl could help love.

This device is no bigger than the width of a cigarette which makes it slim and extremely light. The menus were well laid out and easy to use. Video, FM radio, MP3's, E-book, Pictures plus a Tetris like game makes this a very neat little package.

The 260k, 176x220, 2 inch video display was very clear and movies looked good unlike some of the earlier players that just seemed to be a coloured blur the quality of the Groove Mate was very nice and you could easily watch movies on it on that long bus ride into work. The 2inch screen is much larger than others I have seen and the movies I watched really did look good.

The sound is excellent with built-in graphics equaliser for either Movies or MP3's. A very nice little unit and something special for that girl in your life.

The black and silver models are also nice and would suit any male or female also but the Hot Pink one really is the stand out and that damn Tetris game is very addictive. This is one nice little compact entertainment unit for that hard to buy for teenager. Very nice little unit and very attractive little price.

Look for the Laser Corp Groove Mate in a store near you.

• The Groove Mate V10 comes in 1, 2 or 4GB storage space for all your music.

• Supports multi music formats such as MP3, WMA and real audio PLUS video in MPEG-4 format for full-screen display with exterior speakers to listen to.

• Transfer your data using the USB 2.0 high speed transmission at 4MB per second.

• Listen to music whilst reading your e-book or playing games on it.

• Can store up to 20 radio stations and allows digital recording.

• Multi-lingual available in English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, France and Italian

 

 

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IDE/Sata HDD Lan Disk Enclosure by Laser Co is what we have all been waiting for. Most people are familiar with an external case for an extra hard drive that you can connect with USB to one computer but this is where this case makes a difference it has a built in ethernet port so once you have plugged it into your network it acts like a extra hard drive that everyone can share.

Great for back up and sharing of files, graphics, mp3's, pictures database information, even movies. A must for security as information can be easily backed up and then it can be unplugged and simply put into a safe or taken off site as a part of your disaster recovery procedures.

Compatible with DSL routers, switches and hubs. It can support FTP severs, DHCP servers, Samba servers, for access over the Internet.

USB print server functions built in the host USB is also compatible with with external enclosures, USB Flash disks, Hubs and other USB devices.

Password management provides secure access to its contents and management. Compatible with 3.5 inch IDE and SATA Hard Drives. USB2 port supports transfer rates of up to 480Mb/sec. I found it fairly complicated to actually get a drive inside the unit but I guess you only do this once and the better it is protect and secured in the better. Once set up it worked simply and easily and my office will be certainly
getting one and using it for backups.

A must for every network that needs secure backups or just some extra shared hard disk space. Simply brilliant.

 

 

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This very attractive little wheel mouse glows blue and is perfect for
a note book use. It is very small but still very useable. It is the perfect companion for the mobile road warrior. Small and sleek this mini mouse has superior optical sensor tracking at 800dpi providing smooth precision on any surface. USB ready, hot swappable and plug and play ready makes this mouse ideal for the mobile professional.

I like it, it is small and sexy and has a retractable no mess cable.
Perfect for the notebook user and I keep one in my draw as a standby in cases my mouse suddenly dies which does happen. I also keep one, because of its compact size and no tangle cord, in my repair tool case so if I am on-site and need a mouse it is always there with me. 800dpi optical sensor technology, no need for a mouse pad and no moving parts, ambidextrous, convenient retractable no tangle cord, USB connectivity, driver free plug and play convenience.

 

 

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  You can save Cash this Xmas by using MyNetFone to make your Xmas calls to friends and family. The VoIP calls depend on the speed of your Internet connection and the quality of your ISP but in general are clear and easy to hear although sometimes there is a little echo and delay but no more than any overseas call made through satellite on existing systems that cost a whole lot more. They have the VMNF 100 which is a small grey box that plugs into your switch or router that allows you use any normal phone as a VoIP phone or special packs with a USB phone that plugs into your Computer or notebook, the VMNF 100 and a  Panasonic DECT Cordless Phone, or a NetComm VoIP Deskphone with all the features of a high end office system. See the www.mynetfone.com.au website for more products and plans and current Xmas Specials. I have one of all these types of phones and a few other VoIP phones as well. This does seem to be the way of the future with all Phones and tele comunications and MyNetFone is an Australian company and good provider and local alternative to Skype which you might have heard of before.  MyNetFone has FREE calls to any other MyNetPhone accounts and untimed 10c local anywhere in Australia to normal Phone calls where I believe Skype does not and I also could not get Skype to make calls to Australian mobile phones all this ads up to make MyNetFone a much better alternative in my opinion with some very attractive Xmas Special deals, so start saving money and get onto MyNetPhone.

 

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  This is not only a great device it is a real life saver. Just yesterday morning a Woman in a giant four wheel "Dork" mobile, lipstick in one hand half holding the wheel and mobile phone with the other hand stuck against her head, looking totally self absorbed into her rear vision mirror, at her self, wondering where to apply the next layer of makeup I assume, who was somehow applying her lipstick and steering with the same hand, came to a sudden screeching holt as I was walking my little boy over a crossing to his primary school. She looked up in total surprise, obviously totally mesmerised with the vision of herself and her phone conversation and had just seen the crossing, slammed on the brakes and struggled to get a grasp of the wheel to try to control the 4WD truck/car she was driving.  I looked up at her after my near death experience and could only wonder how many kids and people are killed and maimed by idiots and morons like her every single day.

  This device could be the answer and one should come standard with every modern car. The Sony Ericsson W800-HCB100 is Bluetooth and clips to your visor, so no special installation is required, with a very sturdy clip and lets you talk "hands free". Its fully compatible with all Bluetooth mobile phones and allows up to 5 different users. It can be charged through the cigarette lighter and has 350hr standby time and 15hours Talk Time. It simply unclips and can be placed easily into your pocket and used as a very stylish speaker phone on your desk or at home. Very small compact size, light and sturdy construction makes it very portable indeed. Digital Signal Processing, DSP, echo reduction and Digital noise cancellation makes the reception crystal clear inside and outside the car.  It is illegal to use a mobile phone while driving without such a Hands free device and the cost of the fine would easily buy one of these great little devices and save you the points of your licence.

 I and many other people want the fines for using a phone without one of these devices massively increased, so save yourself some real money and maybe save some ones life and get one of these. The life you save might be MINE.

  As for 4w Drive "Dork" mobile drivers, after they killed their last child at a school crossing, a report advised they not be allowed within 400meters, I think it was, of a school but car companies complained and the politicians got scared so nothing happened , as for idiot Woman who look in their rear vision mirror to put on "make-up", while driving a car should be fined $100,000 and loose their licenses, "for ever", as I cannot think of a more dangerous and incomprehensibly foolish thing to do or maybe we can do genetic tests for morons who think driving a four Wheel "Dork" mobile truck/car, with no safety, bad vision and crap fuel efficiency is the ideal car to drive around the city and pick up the kids from school and have them all culled at birth. If you think this is a little harsh then wait until one of these morons kills your child and then see how you feel.

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  Sony has released its new MDR-EX85LP Headphones, very stylish these EX monitor Headphones have set a new standard in quality with its 13.5mm aperture and they have the most amazing sound quality from any Headphones I have ever heard. It is specially designed for long wearing comfort but its the wide range frequency zone and crystal clear, broad range and dynamic sound that blows you away. I tried it in a MP3 player and then playing games in a PSP.

How different can one set of headphones be to another I hear you ask, well its like the difference between a Mini-Moke and a Ferrari. Not only do these headphones look Hi-class and fashionable the quality of sound they output has to be heard to be believed. I also didn't think there could be SO much difference but there is, the MP3 player sounded better than my expensive home theatre system and playing a game on the PSP, the sound was nearly 3D, it was amazing. My old set from the $2 dollar shop went straight in the bin and no matter what you are using you have to get a set of these.

  It gives Music and Games a whole new dimension. Once you have to experienced them you will not be happy with anything else. It comes with a selection of soft ear rubbers to fit you ear perfectly and are sort of staggered so the entire speaker doesn't plug into your ear which must be much better for you and a lot safer. It  also has a small plastic protector case and a bigger soft like "dice bag" to keep everything in. With CCAW voice coil adoption, 105dB/mW, 5-24,000HZ great quality Xmas resent that someone would actually use every day. Best sound quality I have ever heard, I will definitely be listening to my Xmas carols on a set these this year.

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  You seeing it here FIRST. The New Laser Co's Gamers mouse. Where do I start, Non-tangle USB cord, laser tracking, 8 buttons, multiple resolutions at the touch of one of a button. It has little l.e.d.'s on the side that tell you what resolution it is in. 800, 1600, 2200 the highest resolution in any Gamers mouse available. Get the edge in all your multiplayer games with super fine , super fast control and click a button to slow down for sniper aiming. Another button clicks between single fire, Double fire and Quad fire at the click of just one mouse button you can fire one , two or four shots the wheel changes colour to let you know what Auto Fire mode you are in. The Ultimate Gamers mouse all for just $59.99. Available soon. Get the "Laser Z2 Unfair Advantage" with a Z2 Super gamers mouse. Going to be bundled with a over clocking USB software. If you paly On-line then you need this "Laser Z2 Unfair Advantage" Laser Co mouse.

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    What's new about a USB2 Flash Drive I hear you ask? Well Laser Co have done it gain with a great bargain. Not only is the price unbelievable but it comes with a FREE Norton's Anti-Virus Mini-CD with Norton's AntiVirus 2007.  512m under $42, 1 Gig under $56, 2Gig under $105 with free Norton's Anti Virus. You heard it first here! So check a computer store near you.

For more information or to buy this product visit:
2GB Flash Drive
1GB Flash Drive
512mb Flash Drive

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   Video Cams are nothing new but this little beauty is very small and very light and packed full of features. A price tag of around $50, nonslip clip off base, special "clip on" device to clip to a notebook or LCD screen, USB2 for fast refresh and clear pictures,  built -in microphone, one-touch snapshot photos, records live video, 24 bit, 30 frames a second, 1.3 mega-pixel interpolated sharp images, Skype compatible. Everyone had a webcam in the old days but the Internet was to slow for any real video conferencing but now with USB2, VoIP and broadband a new resurgence in video conferencing is once again emerging and this small, light and portable Video Cam with built in Mic is fantastic for Laptops or Home or Office computers. Good sharp quality and tiny footprint makes this a very useful addition to the way we will communicate.  
 
                                  For more information or to buy this product click here.

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      Now this is HOT! It's a Gamers Keyboard that makes playing First Person shooter games, like Doom and Quake etc., easy to play. In most games you can set the keys up to suit this keypad and with its ergonomic buttons they really let you run the game smoothly and easily. It plugs into the USB so you can have your usual keyboard still plugged in at the same time and just swap to play games without unplugging your usual keyboard. I really love it and would not play without it, once you get used to the easy ergonomic layout you set all your games to have the same layout and they are all easy to play. Available at Electronic Boutique and all good computer stores. 
 
                                  For more information or to buy this product click here.

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      I have been into a hundred businesses and been amused by how many people have their monitor siting up on a couple of Phone books.  It would make it very hard to ever use these (luckily we now have the Internet and don't need them as often), but this stand is amazing and why hasn't someone thought of something like this before. It has a handy stand tray for your pens and bits which is removable and it lifts your Screen or LCD or Laptop up to a better ergonomic height to use. I set mine up under my 21 inch NEC monitor , which is a heavy monster an it holds it up no problem. You can put your keyboard into the slot and have a free desk to do some paper work and have a clear desk that is something I haven't seen in many years. But the biggest advantage is it has a USB2 4 port hub built into the side so Keyboards, printers, cameras, scanners just plug in easily and neatly in an easy to reach spot and it can also be powered so you can have your PC under the desk and still get to all your USB ports easily.   
 
                                  For more information or to buy this product click here.

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      These very trendy and very unusual speakers have a magnet that holds them together so they look like an apple and spread apart to form a very nice sounding set of speakers with volume and power amplifier booster buttons on the inside. Why? Because they can and although unusual, they look very attractive and are indeed a talking point. Very clear and nice sound and very loud for their size. Cute for that teenager with a Laptop or Computer in her room. The have a USB cable that only gets the power to amplify them I think as it also has a minidin stereo speaker plug. Very trendy, an apple speaker a day makes the music stay? Nice attractive and with a clear good sound. A must for Apple computer users.
 
                                  For more information or to buy this product click here.

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      Just one week to go until release of this product in stores.
  Laser printable blank 50x DVD's (+R and -R) packs come with a Free Norton Antivirus 2007 Software CD with 6 months subscription at no extra cost. Good blank disks and great value normally for 50, but now with a bonus FREE Norton Antivirus. You heard it here first.
 
                                  For more information or to buy this product click here.

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  Now this is really neat. Its about credit card high and only a couple of millimetres thick. It is hi-gloss and one side and a polished silver metal on the back. The picture does not do it justice as it is very stylish and beautiful piece of hardware. It has an FM radio with extremely clear reception and the ability to record the radio show you are listening to. Built in graphic equaliser. Plays Games, records dictated voice or whatever,  plays Movies , MP3s, in fact MP1, MP2, MP3, WMA, WMV, ASF and WAV Music format and AMV Video Format. You can convert DVD's, AVI's, and any other video to AMV format for up to two hours of playback. See your own photo album and animated gifs on the full colour screen. Stores up to 40 FM preset radio stations. You can store information as a USB drive and even encrypted partitions. Record and play microphone in Wav and ACT format. All this with a cute GUI user interface. The most compact mini-entertainment system yet. Comes in 512mb, 1gig and 2gig. With a RRP of about $199 its a great present for that hard to by for teenager.

For more information or to buy this product visit:
512mb
1GB
2GB

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  The New Voice over IP USB Keyboard , what a great idea. It has silver buttons across the top with Home, fast forward, back, stop , play, volume up, volume down and mute buttons. It has its own sound card and speakers so apparently you dont need a sound card in your computer so its great for work computers or older laptops with out sound. Mike and head phone sockets are built into the board along with a USB2 hub for 2 extra USB2 ports. Hex key pad and extra keys for Excel, Word, Power Point and email and has a built in Mic. If you have kids who love messaging or like to plug in a full size featured keyboard into your laptop or just want to easily use VoIP on any old workstation this is a very handy device. 116 keys, Hotkeys, productivity keys a very handy keyboard. I plugged it in and it all worked straight away and without having to unplug my PS2 keyboard. It has light calculator type keys that most speed typists seem to like. The speakers and a built in mike, make it all very compact for Messaging and VoIP telephone calls although Skype wanted a phone plugged in as well to work. The built in, extra USB hub and headphone socket are a real user friendly idea. Good clear sound and voice communications worked well and this is an good inexpensive Swiss army knife of keyboards. Get rid of that old piece of crap with the worn out letters and coffee stains you are using now and try one of these.
                                  For more information or to buy this product click here.

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   The New Laser Corps Laser Mouse. It comes cordless with two rechargeable batteries which recharge in its holder when you are not using it. It fits nicely in your hand and glides smoothly as it has no ball as it is not the old optical type but uses the new dual Laser tracking system. Very fine touch at 1600DPI and has 10 buttons (plus a wheel) to run your applications and some are programmable. (Eat your heart out one button Mac users). Its USB and once you get used to the many buttons it really is a time saver with every thing you need just a click away.  Very fine and very responsive up to 20 times more responsive and accurate as an ordinary mouse. A must for multiplayer gamers who need an edge and great for graphics and general office work as well and no annoying cord to get tangled up or ball to get clogged with dirt. Its Laser runs smoothly on almost any surface even smooth or glassy wooden desks with no need for a special pad. A very cool and stylish mouse with lots of time saving feature. It didn't seem to like white paper as a mouse pad. A very accurate and fast mouse.
 
                                  For more information or to buy this product click here.

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  The New Laser VoIP Plug and Play Phone. This very stylish little phone is the Ultimate accessory for your Laptop or PC and looks just like a small mobile phone with one big difference it gives you FREE calls to any other VoIP phone connected to a computer anywhere else in the World and cheap calls to any normal land line phone.  Big screen, 10 ring types, built in sound card so no sound card needed (great for Laptops),  noise and echo reduction, missed calls and dialled calls on screen, full duplex communications, Skype compatible. Nice and light it fits into your hand nicely and my XP computer recognised it immediately as it was plugged in as a VoIP phone. The new Skype  Software was easy to install and use and has many new features. Will soon come with $10 of free calls.
                                 For more information or to buy this product click here.

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    Netcomm - VoIP Desktop Phone. V85 Full Duplex
Full duplex hands free Speakerphone, Dual row LCD display for status and setup functions, 10 speed dials and 50 number functions, simple set-up via keypad or web browser. On hold, call waiting, redial, mute , hands free. Try VoIP and this is the best little handset for the office we have seen about $199 in good computer stores.
                   For more information or to buy this product click here.

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Win in the
New Laser / MRPC Treasure Hunt

 

Win a Great Laser 10x disk box.
With a 2GB.mrpc.net Treasure Hunt.
Simply look through the 2gb.mrpc.net website
and Count how many treasure boxes: like this
are spread through the site and email the correct number
to mrpc@mrpc.net Each Week we will pick 5 correct answers
and they all will win a FREE Laser Paradise disk box.

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    Laser 10 disk storage device fits into a spare 5.25" bay, slot. Disks and their computers always get separated and lost. I have two of these storage devices in my own computer and four in my Server and one in each office computer. They are a CD storage device and store 10 CD's or DVD's in a very handy flip up storage system. It is very compact and fits into a blank 5-1/4" slot in your Computer case. It fits in just like a CD player. As I said I have two in my own Desktop Computer. In the top one I keep all my Motherboard Driver CDs, my Operating System disks, all my driver disks (cameras, scanners etc.) and Business software. All ways right where I need them and can find them. I wish I had a dollar for every time I asked a client onsite for their drivers or the original motherboard disk and got "I haven't seen that for 3 years, I got no idea where it could be, do you really need it?". Yes I usually do. Keep all your drivers right there in your computer. The right ones can be kept with each computer. Got a corrupt Scanner or (camera or whatever), driver! Open the draw, pull out the disk, put it in the drive, its loaded . Not a 3 hours search through all my computer stuff, must be in the garage somewhere? Another 2 hours on the net. "Sorry we discontinued that scanner two weeks ago the driver is no longer available." Downloaded a driver from some suspect site that might be it?

 The second draw I keep my favourite game CD's, the ones you need to put the disk in for it to run. So if I have a hour to kill, I open it, get out "Call of Duty" or whatever, drop it in and play for an hour not spend the hour searching through hundreds of game boxes trying to find the right disk so I can play a game. These are very inexpensive and everyone needs at least two. In a corporate office each set of disks that belong with a certain computer can stay with that computer and as an ex IT service guy I can confirm that this alone will save a fortune in service calls and nightmare headaches trying to find and then figure out which disks go with which computer. They really are an indispensable item. The close mechanism is a little delicate so you do have to be gentle shutting them.
   A great idea from Laser Corporation. Available at Electronic Boutique and good retailers.

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 USB Flash Drives just got sexy. This little beauty called "The Biz" is about the thickness of two credit cards and easily slips into your wallet. USB2 , Hot plug install, Windows, Linux and Mac OS compatible and Shock resistant. Carry all your email or portable applications in your wallet. Key chain USBs do tend to take a beating and fall off and get lost or get wrecked crashing into your keys but this little device looks good and works well in 512k, 1G, 2G with 4 and 8Gig coming. Soon we will be able to carry all our personal data and files around with us. I have heard of some Techs having a fully bootable OS and all their diagnostic tools on these devices so they can plug them into a computer and boot from it and run their tests and fix it. Great for backing up or moving files, music or photos from one computer to another. For travellers you can get portable apps like word processors, spreadsheets, email, etc. that run on the USB flash drive so you can use a Hotel or Airport computer or Internet Cafe safely and have all your work with you.

  Also available in blank white so you can print on them. Corporate logos maybe for, super business cards or Corporate giveaways. A nice idea would be a Corporate Xmas card or full multimedia product catalogue on the flash drive with "The Biz" as a specially printed corporate unit, it could be updated when ever the sales rep comes in with his laptop. Lots of uses. Another great gadget from Laser Corporation. Available at all good computer retailers.

For more information or to buy this product visit:
512mb
1GB
2GB

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  These neat little cases come from Laser and are a must if you have a MP3 Player. It protects your player and has a built in speaker when you don't want to listen to your headphones and others want to listen to your tunes also.  This little speaker is LOUD. I was very surprised at how much volume it pumped out and the sound quality was good not squeaky as a lot of little speakers can be. My little girl put in an order for the pink one as soon as she saw it. Compatible with most portable Media devices.

  It has a hard solid case so it protects your MP3 investment, (no more broken screens). Belt loop and climbers hook included. Lets you share the music with your friends and comes in a variety of fashion colours. Another winner from Laser Corporation. Available at all good computer retailers.

For more information or to buy this product click here.

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This neat little device converts your PS2 controller devices to USB for use in your PC. So you can use any Play Station controller including the Guitar Hero in your PC. There is lots of FREE software for the Guitar on the PC including editors so you can make your own songs. So if you are a Hero Guitar addict and want to make your own Hero Guitar songs get this device from www.redoctane.com about $19 and check out our Links pages for links to the free software. Also works well with steering wheels, game pads, and dance pads.

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 TAC Guitars for the Guitar Hero PS2 Game:

 This is a great new Guitar for the Guitar Hero PS2 Game. It is a PS2 controller device which plugs straight into your PS2 and Acts as the main or second Guitar for multiplayer mode in Guitar Hero. Guitar Hero is the latest Game taking the World by storm in which you play the coloured buttons on the guitar while strumming the PS2 Guitar in time with software that plays on your TV via the Play Station 2. Its like playing the Ultimate "Air Guitar" , to great songs, (over 50)  in the Guitar Hero PS2 Game.  Playing the Game is like playing lead guitar for the greatest rock and roll bands in the world with no musical knowledge needed what so ever and if I thought single player mode was great with several levels of difficulty, enough to try even a real guitarist but it also has Multiplayer Mode. Two people jamming together on these duelling guitars is so much fun its addictive. Great at parties as the others can play drums , bash on tins or tambourines or anything handy that makes a noise while the others can below out the vocals. A good fun party night or for family nights , my family jams regularly with my girl on lead guitar, me on the other guitar and my little boy playing the pots and pans drums plus the wife on percussion and vocals its a wild fun time bashing away to Guitar Hero's heavy metal guitar riffs as loud as my home stereo can blast. I don't know what the neighbours must think. Some 70's hippy terrorist band has kidnapped the nice people next door, and they playing Smoke on the Water constantly to torture them.

  This is the Black and Silver Shredder Guitar from TAC (The Ant Commandos), and is fully compatible with the Guitar Hero Game. In fact I liked it better , it has a thinner neck which makes it easier for me (and the kids) to get your hand around it , plus the buttons are smaller so are closer and easier to play. They also have a new flying V type guitar called the Red Rocking V and the Blue Rocking V and out soon two new wireless models on the way the Red Freedom V and the Blue Freedom V. These look great and wireless would be a lot of fun, completely free to jump about as much as you wish without the restriction of the PS2 controller cord. You can get a PS2 controller to USB converter for the PC.

   I got my Shredder from J&B Hi Fi for about $49, great value. The TAC "V" Guitars and the Wireless Guitars are to be released very soon in the U.S. so should be here soon also. I can't wait to get one.
Plus "Hero Guitar 2" another 50 great songs to play is marked for release in the U.S. in December.
      
            Blue Rocking V             Red Freedom V Wireless

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Game Description: Fantastic Guitar Simulation
Publisher: Red Octane
Developer: Red Octane
Genre: Music, Guitar, Simulation, Rock and Roll.
Rating: 11 out of 10

This is the must have accessory and Game of the Year, words fail me you have to try one. Boot up your Playstation on the giant Plasma screen pick you Guitar type and rock Legend avatar and Crank up your Home Theatre Amp to 11 thats right past 10 all the way to 11 and like I have been for the past few days blow the next door folk away with Smoke on the Water, Frankenstein, White Zombie, Iron Man, Queen, David Bowie, Crossroads, Thunder Kiss, ZZtop in fact 40 great rock guitar covers that blow your TV system apart. Notes come up on the TV in front of digital bands playing on the screen and if you press the corresponding coloured notes you get the blasting sound of the guitar solos if you miss them you don't. The effect is similar to playing an Air Guitar but with the sound and the vibrato with the tremolo arm. The effect is exactly as if you are playing a real guitar and you add your own feel with the timing and the tremolo arm so the illusion that you are really playing is complete. I played guitar in the first two bands I ever played with,  (I am a keyboard player but everyone wants to be a Guitar Hero), so I know the feel and it is exactly like playing guitar for real only I could never play anywhere near as good as the sounds that come out of this. They really have the ultimate package here and although they give you 40 great thumbing Guitar songs I cant wait for more song CD's to come out. It is simple to learn no musical knowledge is needed and even young kids can quickly play like a star. Jumping around the room like a mad man raging out shaking what's left of my long hair like up and down and bouncing around like ACDC , having the most fun I can remember having for a long while I have hardly put it down for 4 days now, constantly playing I actually have calluses on my fingers just like a real guitar. It is truly amazing, jump into your closest Wizards store and get one before they are all sold out. This is by far the ultimate toy I have ever reviewed , you must have one. I have to go now, I have to get the band back together man.....
 Whats a good name for a over 40's band. "Fat, Bald and Bitter", I like it lets rock.
Game 11 out of 10
                    This is the Game sensation of the Year
 

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Laser Corp's Gamers Keyboard

  This mostly designed for Gamers keyboard is very nice looking, the picture doesn't do it justice. It is a matt black with a brushed aluminium coloured surround. The keys have a nice strong quality feel so you know you have pushed a key. Not the calculator feel of cheap Keyboards. It has a nice tight layout of keys - No numeric keyboard though, and eight Internet Hotkeys for browser and email control. But where this keyboard is different is the large circular gamers keypad on the left hand side. This is an ergonomic First Person Shooter (and other games) fast and comfortable Gamers Keypad. With all your usual movement and special keys all layered out with large and easy to reach keys. Movement, quick weapons changes, communications, grenades, crouch , jump all there, easy to reach and with over 42 special extra keys everything you will ever need is there. I had to remap a few keys in my favourite games but quickly got used to the very well planed key layout. It really did improve my gaming scores and when I returned to my usual keyboard I quickly missed the great and easy to use instinctive layout and plugged it back in. It is a USB 2 keyboard and XP recognised it straight away and worked with out me having to disconnect my other keyboard. It also has a USB 2 Hub built in with two extra USB 2 ports ready for use. Good for USB headphones and the like.  All up I can't play Games now without it, so I love it, with the RRP of around $100 it's a small price to pay for a good quality keyboard and if it can improve your Game scores as well that's a bonus. My advice is, if you are a Gamer, go out and grab one of these and after you get used to it, you will never go Back. Happy Gaming.

For more information or to buy this product click here.
 
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Elements Remote Control
Great little device you plug in the USB plug (dongle)
and you have a PCMCIA sized no bigger than a credit card
It allows wireless operation of your PC , CD, DVD functions
from a distance of up to 7 meters. Great for watching movies,
listening to CD's or multimedia mouseless presentations.
Wireless infra red connection
Pre programmed for Windows Media player and Power Point,
Win DVD and Power DVD. Can be programmed as you wish.

Available from Aldi Stores.

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The Iomega Prize, was Drawn
and won by Monica Allan
An Iomega Rev Drive with up to 35 Gig,
90Gig compressed
 on a cartridge, capacity.

 

Available from good Computer Stores.

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• Advanced equipment & data protection from blackouts, sags and surges
• Gives you enough battery backup time to ride through most power outages
• Phone line transient protector guards phone equipment from "back door" power surges
  coming into your computer via the telephone lines
• Built-in USB communication port
• Compact design fits on/under your desk or mounts on the wall
• The Powerware 3105 combine with LanSafe power management software keeps your data safe and your equipment free from damage
• A great device it comes with 3x power points with Surge protection, nicely wide so you can fit in your power adapter plugs and 3x power points with Surge protection and Battery Back up so if there is No power they still keep working long enough to shut down your computer safely.
• Plus a surge protector for your telephone line and a USB connector to you computer and software so that if you are not there it will shut your computer down safely for you.
• And Yes I have one of these in my office and it has saved my computers on numerous occasions.

Eaton Powerware 3105
UPS and Surge protector.
A must have item from $99

Order Online here
[Click here to Order]

Available from good Computer Stores.

  The very first thing you should buy for you computer is an Uninterruptible Power Supply or UPS. Through many years of owning a computer repair centre at Castle Hill I have seen for my self the damage storms and surges can do to a Computer. Your computer is one of the most expensive and biggest purchases in your life next to your Home and Car and you should look after it. A simple device like the 3105 can save your investment (and your friend if you are a computer geek like me) , from a painful death. A strike or surge can totally destroy a computer and a few dollars could save it. The very FIRST thing you should buy for your new computer is not the latest game but a UPS.  If it every happens to you and it might, you will thank the gods you did.
 
  Over the years I have seen hundreds of people shattered when their computers where Nuked, not just the cost, as some insurance say it is an act of God and wont pay, or to claim on your House insurance puts your rates up so you dont claim and NO it is NOT a warranty claim as warranty only covers a faulty manufacturing fault by the manufacturer it does NOT cover misuse, surges or lightning strikes. 

   Its not just the cost , the loss of your computer for days or weeks as it is fixed, the loss of all your Data is probably a much bigger problem. Yes you may loose everything if your Hard Drive is damaged. I have had a big man with tattoos who owned an auto repair body place crying, yes really crying in my store as we told him it was all lost. He had NO backups, (don't get me started here this is another issue), all his business for 6 years was on his computer and it was ALL gone. He pleaded he was out of business and he was finished if we couldn't get his Data back. All his accounts, all his records gone, payroll, tax, billing, emails, everything lost forever and although it was heart breaking to see this poor man reduced to tears there was nothing we could do for him and a few dollars investment in a UPS surge protector and a proper backup procedure would have saved him. As I said we had hundreds such cases but the vision of this poor, big man who was so distraught that he was brought to tears has always stayed with me and ever since I have always made sure every business machine and Home machine I own has a UPS and surge protection.

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• Fast, safe and versatile ADSL Modem Router with both USB and 4 Ethernet Ports
• 11g Wireless Access Points with WEP, wPA- 802.1 x Security
• Supports ADSL, ADSL2 and ADSL2
• Advanced Security Firewall (SPI) and VPN pass- through
• Universal Plug & Play (UPnP) and Quality of Services (QoS)
• Easy Set-up Wizard and Video Tutorials

NetComm NB5 plus 4W
ADSL2+ Modem Router.
a real bargain at $199

Order Online here
[Click here to Order]
Available from good Computer Stores.
 

  I have been testing this for some time now. The first thing I noticed was the increase in speed from my old Modem to this one. I have the same connection with the same ISP but this modem is noticeably faster something I did not expect. Some one told me it must be the better enhanced Roms that the quality name modems, as this one, use which gives you a noticeable speed increase. ?? Whatever it is on the same connection and same ISP as my old modem this delivered a notable increase in page loads on my computer and I was impressed. 

  The Set up interface was the easiest to use I have found yet and it all just worked in 5 minutes of installation. This is a big difference to hours of work and multiple support calls that some of the others take to get going. The radio 11g Internet worked like a treat and straight away with little effort and the four port router and firewall where all likewise simple to setup. I was very impressed by this modem and will be using this for some time and it is also ADSL2 capable so is future proof. I liked this piece of hardware very much, especially the simple setup and everything just worked straight away, what a nice change for computer hardware the other companies should take NOTE.  If you are thinking of a good easy to setup small network solution this NetComm Modem/Router is for you.

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• Share broadband Internet connection to any room with a power point
• Establish or extend an Ethernet LAN using power wires
• Connect any Ethernet device
• Plug into wall or power  board
• Connect a gaming console to the Internet for on-line gaming
• Maximum data carrier rate 14Mbps
• Range up to 200 metres

NetComm NP210 Set for two
plus 2x cables and Software.
Special Price $189

Order Online here
[Click here to Order]
Available from good Computer Stores.

 Brilliant little device that allows you to extend the Ethernet connection buy simply sticking one of these into a power point or power board and it uses the power cable and comes out at the other Plug so you can easily extend your network or share your internet connection. I had a friend who had a small Home office and his kids had run a cable up the stairs and into their rooms so the could share the broadband access on their computers. This looked bad and was dangerous if somebody tripped over this and fell down the stairs. With this little system he was able to plug this adapter in to his power board in his office run an Ethernet cable from his router to the plug in his power board, ( Ethernet cable plugs straight into the bottom of these plugs as seen above), he then plugged another one into the kids rooms power point and run a cable from that to the Nic card in their computer and there you have it, No mess, No dangerous cables in the hall and up the stairs. You could also use it to easily connect your game console near the TV up to the Internet for online gaming, or for multiple Kids rooms or offices.
Connects up to 15 devices onto your network.
 
  Easy as 1,2,3. Yes he could have used radio but for this solution the NP210's offered less cost , better security and no possible interference problems this was and is a very neat little solution. You could also use it to easily connect your game console near the TV up to the Internet for online gaming. Connects up to 15 devices onto your network and yes it just woks, simply and easily with out as much as one little hic up or need to read instructions (not that I think you should not read the instructions but), it was simplicity itself.

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