the sunday times the sunday times gizmo gear@sunday … · reading bedtime stories. connectr, which...

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GIZMO GIZMO [email protected] TECHNOLOGY NEWS DOCK AND LOAD Q When I power-off my Windows XP PC, it goes through shutdown procedures but then restarts. Help. Tom Edwards, Ipswich A This might be due to broken software drivers, problems with USB devices or incorrect power-saving settings. And Windows often reboots because of a system failure. Try right- clicking on My Computer, Properties, Advanced Tab. Under Startup & Recovery, click on Settings, System Failure and uncheck the Automatically Restart box. There’s more detailed help at tinyurl.com/cji3 Q Every time I connect my iPod to my laptop, it says the device can perform faster with USB 2.0. How can I get this? Casper Ng, London A USB 2.0 can be up to 40 times faster than USB 1.1, making music much quicker to transfer. D-Link’s Dub-C2 card (£22) plugs into the PC-card slot found on most laptops and gives two USB 2.0 ports. But you might not see huge speed increases with all USB 2.0 devices. dontpanic@ sunday-times.co.uk Buzz! The Schools Quiz HHHH PS2, £25. Age 3+ The maker of the quiz-game series Buzz has teamed up with government experts to produce this version of the game to help children learn. It is tailored for 7 to 11-year-olds and assists them in passing key stage 2 of the national curriculum. The cartoon-style quiz-show format and simple five-button controllers (which cost £15 extra) work in the same way as in previous Buzz games. You score points for answering questions first or for putting events in the correct order. There are various themed rounds, but the questions now cover photosynthesis or Viking culture rather than Hollywood blockbusters. The wide range of options makes it easy for children to concentrate on their weaker subjects. The Schools Quiz is certainly no substitute for homework or proper revision, but it is a good way to reinforce what children have already learnt in class while getting the family involved. Just prepare for the odd humiliation as the 5,000-plus questions reveal embarrassing gaps in adults’ knowledge too. Stuart Andrews SLEIGH ’EM IN THE AISLES DON’T DON’T PANIC PANIC Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom HH Xbox 360, £45. Age 16+ Circle of Doom is the fourth instalment of the long-running Kingdom Under Fire series. It serves up relentless hack-and-slash action in the tradition of games such as Diablo, albeit with swish 3-D visuals and an intriguing (if disjointed) plot. There’s no shortage of monsters to kill and, unlike other games of this ilk, it has a wide variety of creatures to fight so you never feel you’re slaying an army of clones. At your disposal are numerous weapons, spells and armour, most of which can be upgraded by looting the battlefield after each fight. Combat is relentless but mainly consists of continually hitting the blue or green gamepad button, and the unintuitive camera positioning results in many a frustrating death. Couple this with the simplistic maps, limited playing area and repetitive gameplay, and the result is anything but magical. Circle of Doom does have its moments, and behind all the faults there is a good game, but unless you’re a diehard fan of this genre the overall experience is likely to be underwhelming. Daniel Emery You can now be in two places at once. Great for parents – and princes, reports Mark Harris HydroPak Portable Power $400 (£205) www.millenniumcell.com 001 732 542 4000 The HydroPack combines two processes to generate 270 watt hours (ie, it could power a 25W bulb for more than 10 hours) from a lightweight cartridge costing $20 (£11). You add water to trigger a chemical reaction that produces hydrogen, which is then consumed in a fuel cell to generate electricity. There are no toxic chemicals or waste products, and the unit is completely silent. The Hydropack has a standard American AC socket and two USB ports and is capable of delivering enough power to charge a laptop, run a mobile phone or provide overnight lighting. HydroPacks go on US sale this summer, aimed at campers. Unlike most battery systems, HydroPacks don’t lose their power over time. Creative Xdock HD $399 (£210) www.creative.com Apple’s iPod and iPhone are great for enjoying music, photos and videos on the move but are far less impressive when linked to a TV or hi-fi. This docking station has an HDMI socket for connecting it to an HD-ready television and claims to “upscale” videos bought from Apple’s iTunes online store, although upscaled videos will not look as good as real high-definition digital downloads. It also boasts of improving the sound of digital music stored on the iPod to exceed CD quality. It comes with an RF-based wireless transmitter to beam tunes to speakers around your house. You also get remote control of your docked iPod via smart on-screen menus. Available in the US soon. S ome of the world’s most famous celebrities are now choosing to travel virtually, as three-dimensional, high-definition holograms. Last week Prince Charles was beamed live to Dubai to address the World Future Energy Summit. Instead of racking up thousands of air miles and producing the estimated 15 tonnes of CO 2 that his US trip last year generated, the Prince was able to address an audience in Abu Dhabi without leaving Clarence House. And he’s not the only one. Sir Richard Branson, Madonna, David Beckham and the green evangelist Al Gore have all used the Eyeliner projection system, made by the British company Musion, to be in two places at once. Although its lifesize, lifelike holograms look futuristic, the inspiration for Eyeliner is a stage trick more than a century old. The “Pepper’s Ghost” illusion used smoke and mirrors — or, rather, a sheet of glass — to summon up spectral phantoms in Victorian theatres. Its 21st-century incarnation is far more sophisticated, of course. “Our system tensions a polymer screen up to five metres tall,” says Ian O’Connell, one of Musion’s directors. “This is illuminated by a hidden projector to create a 3-D image that looks as solid and realistic as a roaring fire.” The challenges involved in creating convincing, interactive holograms are immense, according to O’Connell. “We used a powerful full-HD projector and the latest TelePresence technology from Cisco to transmit HD signals over the internet.” The high-definition projection of Prince Charles used a secure broadband connection to deliver sound and video that is said to have looked better than a Blu-ray movie. One advantage of an internet-based system is that you’re not limited to appearing in just one place. In Musion’s Virtually Live project, starting next week, a pop band will be performing “live” in five nightclubs simultaneously. Unsurprisingly, given its A-list clientele, the Eyeliner system isn’t cheap. While Cisco’s chief executive, John Chambers, aims to bring a two-dimensional high-definition TelePresence system to homes within three years for not much more than £500, Musion’s holographic setup currently costs £70,000. But a more affordable virtual doppelganger was recently unveiled by the American company iRobot, whose $500 (£207) ConnectR robot has wheels, a video camera and a two-way audio link, all of which can be controlled from a web-connected computer anywhere in the world. That means travelling parents or distant relatives can still play a part in family life, driving their ConnectR round the house, swapping gossip or reading bedtime stories. ConnectR, which is currently being trialled in the USA and should be on sale by the summer, needs a home wi-fi network to function, and has the drawbacks that it doesn’t look human and can’t climb stairs. These new technologies can’t be faulted for their efforts to reduce carbon footprints, travel time and stress. But whether granny will appreciate a robot or hologram instead of an invitation to stay next Christmas is another matter. JUST ADD WATER GAMES GAMES I am not a robot. I am your daddy Porsche Kinderbob ¤77 (£58) tinyurl.com/29kjy2 0049 711 9117 8823 Aspiring Le Mans drivers have to start young these days, and wintry weather should never be an excuse for them to miss their training. This super-swish downhill sled should have junior drivers (weighing up to 60kg, or about 9½ stone) steering and cornering like true professionals, thanks to the integration of a shock absorber, the use of metal runners and — that essential Porsche feature — a very loud horn. HHHHHKO HHHHA-OK HHHOK HHSo-so HNo-no The iRobot ConnectR allows remote interaction NIGEL POWELL ANSWERS YOUR WEB-RELATED QUERIES 10 InGear JANUARY 27, 2008 . THE SUNDAY TIMES THE SUNDAY TIMES . JANUARY 27, 2008 InGear 11

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Page 1: THE SUNDAY TIMES THE SUNDAY TIMES GIZMO gear@sunday … · reading bedtime stories. ConnectR, which is currently being trialled in the USA and should be on sale by the summer, needs

GIZMO GIZMO [email protected] TECHNOLOGY NEWS

DOCK AND LOAD

QWhen I power-offmy Windows XP PC,

it goes throughshutdown proceduresbut then restarts. Help. Tom Edwards, Ipswich

AThis might be due tobroken software drivers,

problems with USB devicesor incorrect power-savingsettings. And Windows oftenreboots because of asystem failure. Try right-clicking on My Computer,Properties, Advanced Tab.Under Startup & Recovery,click on Settings, SystemFailure and uncheck theAutomatically Restart box.There’s more detailed helpat tinyurl.com/cji3

QEvery time I connectmy iPod to my

laptop, it says thedevice can performfaster with USB 2.0.How can I get this? Casper Ng, London

AUSB 2.0 can be up to40 times faster than

USB 1.1, making musicmuch quicker to transfer.D-Link’s Dub-C2 card (£22)plugs into the PC-card slotfound on most laptops andgives two USB 2.0 ports.But you might not see hugespeed increases with allUSB 2.0 devices.

[email protected]

Buzz! The Schools Quiz HHHHPS2, £25. Age 3+

The maker of the quiz-game series Buzz hasteamed up with government experts toproduce this version of the game to helpchildren learn. It is tailored for 7 to11-year-olds and assists them in passingkey stage 2 of the national curriculum. The

cartoon-style quiz-show format and simplefive-button controllers (which cost £15 extra)work in the same way as in previous Buzzgames. You score points for answeringquestions first or for putting events in thecorrect order. There are various themedrounds, but the questions now coverphotosynthesis or Viking culture rather thanHollywood blockbusters.

The wide range of options makes it easy forchildren to concentrate on their weakersubjects. The Schools Quiz is certainly nosubstitute for homework or proper revision,but it is a good way to reinforce what childrenhave already learnt in class while getting thefamily involved. Just prepare for the oddhumiliation as the 5,000-plus questionsreveal embarrassing gaps in adults’knowledge too. Stuart Andrews

SLEIGH ’EM IN THE AISLES

DON’TDON’TPANICPANIC

Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom HHXbox 360, £45. Age 16+

Circle of Doom is the fourth instalment ofthe long-running Kingdom Under Fire series.It serves up relentless hack-and-slash actionin the tradition of games such as Diablo,albeit with swish 3-D visuals and anintriguing (if disjointed) plot. There’s no

shortage of monsters to kill and, unlike othergames of this ilk, it has a wide variety ofcreatures to fight so you never feel you’reslaying an army of clones. At your disposalare numerous weapons, spells and armour,most of which can be upgraded by lootingthe battlefield after each fight.

Combat is relentless but mainly consistsof continually hitting the blue or greengamepad button, and the unintuitive camerapositioning results in many a frustratingdeath. Couple this with the simplistic maps,limited playing area and repetitive gameplay,and the result is anything but magical.Circle of Doom does have its moments,and behind all the faults there is a goodgame, but unless you’re a diehard fan ofthis genre the overall experience is likely tobe underwhelming. Daniel Emery

You can nowbe in twoplaces at

once. Great forparents – and princes,reports Mark Harris

HydroPak Portable Power$400 (£205) www.millenniumcell.com001 732 542 4000

The HydroPackcombines twoprocesses to generate270 watt hours (ie, itcould power a 25Wbulb for more than 10hours) from alightweight cartridgecosting $20 (£11). Youadd water to trigger achemical reaction thatproduces hydrogen,which is thenconsumed in a fuel cellto generate electricity.There are no toxicchemicals or wasteproducts, and the unitis completely silent. TheHydropack has a standardAmerican AC socket and two USB ports and is capable ofdelivering enough power to charge a laptop, run a mobilephone or provide overnight lighting. HydroPacks go on USsale this summer, aimed at campers. Unlike most batterysystems, HydroPacks don’t lose their power over time.

Creative Xdock HD$399 (£210) www.creative.com

Apple’s iPod and iPhone are great for enjoying music, photosand videos on the move but are far less impressive whenlinked to a TV or hi-fi. This docking station has an HDMIsocket for connecting it to an HD-ready television and claimsto “upscale” videos bought from Apple’s iTunes online store,although upscaled videos will not look as good as realhigh-definition digital downloads. It also boasts of improvingthe sound of digital music stored on the iPod to exceed CDquality. It comes with an RF-based wireless transmitter tobeam tunes to speakers around your house. You also getremote control of your docked iPod via smart on-screenmenus. Available in the US soon.

Some of the world’s mostfamous celebrities are nowchoosing to travel virtually, asthree-dimensional,high-definition holograms.

Last week Prince Charles was beamedlive to Dubai to address the WorldFuture Energy Summit. Instead ofracking up thousands of air miles andproducing the estimated 15 tonnes ofCO2 that his US trip last yeargenerated, the Prince was able toaddress an audience in Abu Dhabiwithout leaving Clarence House.And he’s not the only one. Sir

Richard Branson, Madonna, David

Beckham and the green evangelist AlGore have all used the Eyelinerprojection system, made by the Britishcompany Musion, to be in two placesat once.Although its lifesize, lifelike

holograms look futuristic, theinspiration for Eyeliner is a stage trickmore than a century old. The“Pepper’s Ghost” illusion used smokeand mirrors — or, rather, a sheet ofglass — to summon up spectralphantoms in Victorian theatres. Its21st-century incarnation is far moresophisticated, of course. “Our systemtensions a polymer screen up to fivemetres tall,” says Ian O’Connell, one ofMusion’s directors. “This is illuminatedby a hidden projector to create a 3-Dimage that looks as solid and realisticas a roaring fire.”The challenges involved in creating

convincing, interactive holograms areimmense, according to O’Connell. “Weused a powerful full-HD projector andthe latest TelePresence technologyfrom Cisco to transmit HD signals overthe internet.”The high-definition projection of

Prince Charles used a securebroadband connection to deliver sound

and video that is said to have lookedbetter than a Blu-ray movie.One advantage of an internet-based

system is that you’re not limited toappearing in just one place. InMusion’s Virtually Live project,starting next week, a pop band will beperforming “live” in five nightclubssimultaneously.Unsurprisingly, given its A-list

clientele, the Eyeliner system isn’t

cheap. While Cisco’s chief executive,John Chambers, aims to bring atwo-dimensional high-definitionTelePresence system to homes withinthree years for not much more than£500, Musion’s holographic setupcurrently costs £70,000. But a moreaffordable virtual doppelganger wasrecently unveiled by the Americancompany iRobot, whose $500 (£207)ConnectR robot has wheels, a video

camera and a two-way audio link, allof which can be controlled from aweb-connected computer anywhere inthe world.That means travelling parents or

distant relatives can still play a part infamily life, driving their ConnectRround the house, swapping gossip orreading bedtime stories.ConnectR, which is currently being

trialled in the USA and should be on

sale by the summer, needs a homewi-fi network to function, and has thedrawbacks that it doesn’t look humanand can’t climb stairs.These new technologies can’t be

faulted for their efforts to reducecarbon footprints, travel time andstress. But whether granny willappreciate a robot or holograminstead of an invitation to stay nextChristmas is another matter.

JUST ADD WATER

GAMESGAMES

I am not arobot. I amyour daddy

Porsche Kinderbob¤77 (£58) tinyurl.com/29kjy20049 711 9117 8823

Aspiring Le Mans drivers have tostart young these days, and wintryweather should never be an excusefor them to miss their training. Thissuper-swish downhill sled shouldhave junior drivers(weighing up to 60kg, orabout 9½ stone) steeringand cornering like trueprofessionals, thanks to theintegration of a shock absorber,the use of metal runners and —that essential Porsche feature — avery loud horn.

HHHHHKO HHHHA-OKHHHOK HHSo-so HNo-no

The iRobotConnectR allows

remote interaction

NIGEL POWELL ANSWERSYOUR WEB-RELATED QUERIES

10 InGear JANUARY 27, 2008 . THE SUNDAY TIMES THE SUNDAY TIMES . JANUARY 27, 2008 InGear 11