James Branch

I started my I.T. life back in 1987 with a Commodore 64, swiftly moving to the Amiga 500 and 1200, but got my first (What I could call 'real') PC in 1991.... a Packard Bell 486 DX running Windows 3.1 and from then on, I was hooked! I've been working in the I.T. sector in the U.K. for over 10 years now. My career started as a junior technician for Sage Software (Working in house as part of the I.T. tech teams, not developing their software as such) repairing PC's and doing the boring jobs that nobody really wanted or could be bothered to do! It was my first taste of work in the I.T. sector since leaving college (Where I studied I.T. and Business believe it or not!) so as far as I was concerned, I had the best job in the world! After a couple of years I left Sage as a Desktop Support Engineer and worked for a number of I.T. companies, with most of my concentration and dedication being aimed at PC, Server and Network support/design. I'm currently working as part of a two man I.T. support team, so tend to get my hands dirty with not only network design and support, PC & Server repair/maintenance, but I also maintain VoIP telephone systems, have mastered Sharepoint (MOSS/WSS Design, Document Library and Workflows), setup Virtual Servers using VMWare & MS Virtual Server, systems administration, Unix maintenance, and I like to dabble in SQL now and again.... just for my sins! :) I tend not to go very far without my iPod shuffle and can't live without my Blackberry 8820 - it's like an extension to my right (or even left!) hand! As you can probably gather, I'm also addicted to gadgets.... I have quite an impressive collection of toys now, which seem to take up too much space at home! I've gone through more digital cameras that I care to think of, had far too many Palms, games consoles, smart phones and an impressive of collection of PC's and laptops! Not a bad thing though, I think anyway!! My wife might think otherwise! :) When I'm not playing with gadgets or on the internet, I'm spending time with my gorgeous wife and three kids (All boys!) who'll no doubt grow up to be gadget freaks too, I hope! :) You can always find me checking e-mail, Twittering or mooching around Facebook, or indeed finding the next gadget(s) to review! James

Nokia unveils the new C5 Smartphone

Nokia C5

Today, Nokia announced a new handset, called the C5. The C5 is a new smartphone packed into a feature phone body, boasting S60 3rd edition and a host of messaging and social networking features already built-in.  It also boasts a bright 2.2-inch display and a 3.2-megapixel camera.  It will also come with free walk and drive navigation (courtesy of

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New HP Multi-touch tablet is on the way!

HP 2740p

Hewlett Packard have recently been shouting about their new Elitebook, the 2740p.  It’s an ultrathin, convertible tablet which also supports multi-touch and input from a pen. The 2740p will have a 12.1″ LED screen and will be powered by the Intel’s new Core i7/i5 processors, and with up to 8Gb of DDR3 memory stacked inside, an Intel HD graphics card and a choice

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Interactive Gameplay Meets Real World Robotics

roboni i robotic gaming

I’m crazy about gadgets, robots and toys….  so when Robonica put all three together and came up with the Roboni-i Robotic Gaming System, I had to have a closer look! It’s the world’s first programmable gaming robot.  Not only does it look cool, it has 360º movement and with 4 processors on board, aswell as 16 sensors, Roboni-i can

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New Philips HD Media Player coming!

philipspmp size 9

Philips have recently announced that their all new GoGear portable media player will be hitting the shops within the next couple of  months.   The all new Philips ‘Muse’ will come with all the features of the GoGear Connect, but will also have HDMI – complete with 720p video output, all packed into its sleek aluminum casing. There’s also a 3.2inch

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A Humidifier – Star Wars Style!

R2D2 Spotlight Review

During the winter, offices can become very dry.  You can now ensure you don’t dry out too much, with an R2-D2 Humidifier on your desk! This cool, fully licenced Lucasfilm collectable stands at approximately 10cm high and, once filled with water and plugged into your nearest USB port, will help keep your skin (especially your hard working fingers!) moist by blowing out a

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Jays announce new products for 2010

Jays Spotlight News

Jays, the Swedish earphone producer has recently announced plans to expand its product range with two new additions, plus one new prestige model! The new additions, called ‘a-JAYS’ and ‘t-JAYS’ will be released to the market in the first quarter of 2010.  Both models will be available in three different styles with different sound features and varied

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IronKey Secure Flash Drive Review

ironkey review1

Being a self-confessed gadget freak, I’ve collected a large number of USB flash drives over the past few years and like most people, I use them for many purposes; storing pictures, documents, presentations, applications… you name it, it’ll be saved to one of my flash drives. They are of course extremely handy, everyone knows that.  No bigger than

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Desk Genie ‘Non-Slip’ Charging Desk Stand Review

Desk Genie review2

When it came to my gadget list, the one thing I was missing was something to place my Blackberry on when I’m at work.  I have used desk stands for devices in the past, but they generally start getting in the way and eventually end up in my desk drawers! Now, normally I would just arrive at the

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Fred 500 XL Giant Earbud Speakers Review

Fred 500Xspeakers review1

When it comes to gadgets, I think product design is a key area to think about.  Some people might argue that build quality is more important and ultimately, I may tend to agree to an extent.   However, when a gadget has an eye-catching design that really turns heads, then it certainly has to be worth a second look!

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bluDANGLE Wireless Headset Lanyard Review

bluDANGLE review6

Julie kindly arranged for me to review the bluDANGLE, which is basically a very straight forward to use, cheap and relatively sturdy piece of kit! I use a Bluetooth headset quite often, mainly whilst driving, but also when I’m at work.  As I work for a manufacturing organisation, sometimes I have to get myself out and about

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Duracell Daylight TOUGH LED Spotlight Review

LED Spotlight Review1

Currently on the market there is varied choice of specialized LED flash/spotlights available, some of which are quite amazing. They do of course vary in size and price depending on the users requirements.  But lets be honest, for a top quality design and build you really need to be paying a serious amount of money.  It doesn’t suit everyone’s budget, unless of

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