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Content by Mr. Ian Thomas
Reviewer Rank: 1,779
Helpful Votes:
483
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Learn more about Your Profile.
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Reviews Written by
Mr. Ian Thomas "iantho" (Cambridge, UK)
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Top-of-the-range gadget toothbrush, 15 Oct 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
I first heard about this product when it won the toothbrush supertest on Channel 5's "Gadget Show" programme. The professional dentist was really impressed with the results, and the presenters loved the technology. The unique selling point is the wireless 'SmartGuide" - a digital LCD display which wirelessly connects to the toothbrush whenever it's turned on and gives loads of useful info.
The SmartGuide times your brushing and tells you to work on a different quarter of your mouth every 30 seconds. It warns if you press too hard, and tells you when you've reached the recommended 2 minutes of brushing time. It also displays which of the 5 brush modes you are currently in: daily clean, massage, sensitive, polish and deep clean. If you change brush heads, the brush will sense this and automatically change to the best brush mode for the type of brush head you are currently using - cool! It comes with a couple of different brush heads to try. I think the polishing head would appeal to those who are desperate for pearly whites. It will even remind you to change your brush head after you've been using it for 3 months.
The battery life is excellent - I brush twice a day and only need to charge every 10-14 days or so. It happily charges overnight but you can safely leave the brush in the stand on charge all the time if you like. The battery level indicator is very useful and pretty accurate. You can also see progress when recharging. I think you could take this on holiday in the handy travel case for a week or so and not even need to bother taking the charger, which is great. That said, the charger will work abroad and is pretty compact, so it would be fine to take it along too.
Perhaps the biggest selling point is that the Triumph is the only rechargeable brush currently endorsed by the British Dental Health Foundation. That alone is a great reason to buy one. I can't fault it, I would never consider changing to another electric toothbrush, and will replace this one when it wears out. Top marks! And it looks like all the other reviewers agree!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Capable server but flaky unresponsive web interface, 18 Aug 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
If you want a simple and affordable media NAS, I would strongly recommend this one. It is easy to configure and reliable in use. It serves out files via the generic UPnP and DLNA protocols which are supported by a wide range of devices including games consoles such as the XBOX 360 and PS3. This facility is provided by the TwonkyMedia server software that comes pre-installed on the box, which automatically indexes files whenever they are added/changed and then serves them out. As this box is just running a cut-down version of Linux, it also has a Samba server which can be seen by Windows and Linux for simple reading and writing of files.
The included 500GB hard drive is a Western Digital Green drive, which is quiet and fast but more importantly has a very efficient low power consumption (quite important for a drive that might be left running a lot of the time). The box offers two standard RAID configurations if you want to add a second internal drive: RAID 0 (double the space) or RAID 1 (double the security). I bought a Samsung EcoGreen 500GB drive to run in RAID 1 - this was very easy to do. Just physically install the drive, boot up and choose RAID 1 from the web admin interace. It automatically synchronises the disks (which can take a couple of hours if the first disk is quite full) and that's it!
The server has relatively good read and write performance for a device of this type, but you have to remember that overall performance is constrained by the weakest link, which is not likely to be network bandwidth (assuming you have at least 54G wifi) or hard drive speed, but in this case the speed of the processor inside the box. The manufacturer claims it is capable of streaming multiple concurrent HD streams, which I can believe, but writing to the box does slow everything down, especially the web interface. It's pretty much unusable until the write operation has finished.
Which brings me on to my main criticism - the web interface itself, which on the face of it looks very pretty and stylish with its Flash animations. Navigation is easy and responsive and there's plenty of functionality for file management (move/rename/delete). However, I have never managed to successfully view a video clip (no matter how small) from within this interface directly. It starts pumping the data across, which is evident from the flashing activity LEDs on the back, but Windows Media Player never seems to start playing even after a couple of minutes of buffering. This isn't a problem for me, as I use my XBOX 360 or a Linux PC running 'boxee' as a client, but for anyone intending to access media this way I wouldn't advise it.
I really like the way this box is designed. It looks quite stylish and minimalist. It's compact and very quiet in operation, even during intensive disk operations. The built-in fan is virtually silent. The small LCD screen is suprisingly useful for checking the current status (how much disk space, how is it being used, etc) and for simple admin tasks like updating firmware, shutting down and so on. It's just a nice touch really.
This is a well-built quality NAS, but it's really more about the hardware and media server software than the client-side interface, which I just can't get to work properly. There are probably better media servers available, but I think this represents good value for money and a safe investment.
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3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
What were they thinking?!, 6 Aug 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
First off I should point out that I am a massive horror film fan and particularly like cult and foreign language horror movies. I'm very open-minded and like to give each film a fair chance. In this case, I was very tempted to stop wasting time and give up about 15 minutes in, but unfortunately for me I sat right through the 90 minutes so that I could write a fair review. With every passing minute I got more and more irritated...
A modern horror film has to deliver at least one of these three things to succeed: it has to either be scary, funny, or clever, or all three. The real issue with this film is that it fails on all three levels. The story is a shambles and the characters are straight out of 'Young Frankenstein', but only by accident - Bruno the hunch-backed assistant is bad enough, but the old beardy weirdy in the funny hat with long nails is never going to work as the main character in a horror film. He speaks like he's in slow motion and just wiggles his eyebrows a bit in the hope that it looks scary.
The plot goes nowhere because there's no story to tell - the old guy gets out of prison and continues his age-old hunt for the perfect woman to give him a child. There's no development of the one-dimensional characters and not one of them is likeable in any way, so there's no-one to sympathise with or root for.
Now on to the 'special' effects. There are some disgusting gory moments and some of them actually look real (I suspect they tried to save money by actually cutting up some stuntmen). However, they're not scary at all - they're just plain pointless and stupid. It adds nothing to the story at all as the main characters aren't in peril and most of the victims are nameless policemen or unnamed random victims.
From reading about it on the net, it seems this cult film is supposed to be something of a 'black comedy'. I'm not sure whether it's the director's style (or lack thereof), the bad acting and dialogue, or the subtitles blocking the humour, but I just didn't find it funny. It was laughably bad, but just not interesting enough to warrant wasting any time on it. Perhaps it's of more interest if you've seen earlier 'Coffin Joe' episodes, but I'd be surprised if anyone would come back for more...
I really am disappointed with this one as I wanted to like it - probably the worst film I remember seeing for quite a while, of any genre. It could be that I just didn't get it, but there are plenty of other quite negative reviews on here so it's not just me losing the plot or missing something.
A real shame.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Reliable and idiot-proof!, 16 Jul 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
The best recommendation I can give for this product is that I trust it to look after both my parent's computers, and have been trusting it for several years now. Neither of them are very computer-literate, both tend to panic if something happens that they don't understand, and neither are particularly careful with their internet usage! Despite my Dad being infected by a trojan horse quite recently, no harm was done - Norton 360 quietly quarantined the infected files, told him what had happened, and quietly carried on about its business.
I can see two key improvements over 360 v2.0:
- the efficiency has been improved so it takes far fewer system resources while background scanning.
- there is now improved access to the advanced options for more experienced users, and the activity logs are now readily available through the main interface (which was not the case in v2.0 and was a real problem for me when trying to diagnose infections). As a Norton Internet Security user myself, this version is slightly more familiar and powerful.
However, this product is still intended to provide a general all-round security *and* backup *and* system maintenance tool for users who just want to forget it's even there running silently in the background. For power users who like to tweak, customise and get right under the hood, Norton Internet Security 2009 would still get my strong recommendation.
But this remains the most reliable system out there for piece-of-mind with little or no interaction required. It's nice to see Norton is still working on this system and noticeably improving it with each release.
5* from me!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Some nice touches but expensive, 10 Jul 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
This is basically a high capacity Lithium-Ion battery in a stylish casing with a standard USB output that can be used to recharge any compatible USB device on the move. The most likely devices would be an iPod or mobile phone. In my experience, the 2600mAh Polymer Li-Ion battery has enough juice when fully charged to completely recharge an iPod Touch 2G or iPhone 3G roughly twice (from empty). It holds its charge very well for long periods so it can be charged, forgotten about for a while, and then used in an emergency without any problems.
It can be recharged from any standard USB port (either directly from a PC or via a mains USB adaptor plug). The supplied charging cable comes with two USB inputs so you can connect both at once (where available) to speed up the recharge. However, on one PC I tried to perform this rapid recharge with, it complained about a USB power surge and disabled the USB sockets.
It has 3 blue LEDs which illuminate at the push of a button to indicate how much charge currently remains in the unit. It also has a high power LED torch bulb built-in and makes a very useful emergency light. The styling is very nice - it is roughly the same size and shape as an iPod Touch/iPhone and looks quite sleek. It is supplied with a nice soft carry pouch which has room for the supplied cables and adaptors. The pouch is probably too big to carry round in a pocket with all the other cables in it, but you would be able to carry just the battery pack and the one adaptor you need around with you in a pocket.
This is a high quality device, officially licensed by Apple as an iPod accessory. It is clearly manufactured to a high standard and will probably last a long time and withstand some abuse. However, I feel it's a little too expensive for what it is, which is why it's only a 4* product. I have already been using the Philips SCE4430/05 - Power4Life Rechargeable PowerPack up to 5V + USB charger for a few months and it's just as effective, only a slightly smaller capacity, but is currently cheaper. You have to decide whether this is worth paying more for - I'd probably say no, but it's still a very nice battery pack.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Cheap and cheerful but too big for most wine bottles, 12 Jun 2009
I think this would do an okay job of resealing a wine bottle if I could find one that was big enough. I've tried this in a couple of average wine bottles and it's too big to actually fit in far enough to make a seal, let alone with enough room to push down the lever and make it air tight.
I think for normal wine bottles the smaller version of this would be more suitable: Faringdon Small Bottle Stopper.
As it's not much use for normal sized bottles (in my experience anyway), it's pretty much useless!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Not one of Coelho's best, 26 May 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
I have read a few of Paulo Coelho's books (most recently "The Zahir" and "The Alchemist") and have always found them to be deep and thought-provoking. Sadly, that can't be said of "The Winner Stands Alone".
Set during the Cannes Film Festival, "The Winner Stands Alone" centres around Igor, a Russian businessman who has come to the festival in order to win back his wife Ewa who is now married to Hamid Hussein, a successful fashion designer. During the course of 24 hours, Igor murders innocent people who unfortunately stumble into his path, as he believes that doing so will catch Ewa's attention and make her realise her mistake and come back to him. Along the way, we encounter models, wannabe actresses and film stars, all of whom make up 'The Superclass', but whose lives are not as fulfilling as they wish the public to believe.
"The Winner Stands Alone" is a strange book. The characters are generally not all that likeable and exposing the rot and sadness underneath the glitz and glamour of celebrity is not a new idea. I think most people are aware that the cult of celebrity is getting out of hand and that most of it is a well-polished lie, and those who don't know this simply don't want to know. They are quite happy envying 'The Superclass' and wishing they were up there with them, selling their souls to wear designer clothes.
This is certainly a competent thriller with some interesting insights into the cult of celebrity, but Coelho has set such a high standard in his previous work that I was just expecting more and finished the book feeling a little disappointed.
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Wildthorn
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by Jane Eagland
Edition: Paperback |
| Price: £5.24 |
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| Availability: In stock |
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
An evocative debut, 2 May 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
"Wildthorn" is Jane Eagland's first book. It sets a very high standard which I hope she will achieve with her future novels.
When I first started reading this book, I wasn't particularly impressed. Written in the first person, Eagland uses a lot of short sentences during the opening and, while this can be a punchy technique for building tension, I found it quite irritating and thought it gave the opening quite an amateurish feel. I persevered though, and I'm really glad that I did as the story soon picked up.
Set in the mid-1800s, "Wildthorn" is the story of a repressed 17-year old called Louisa Cosgrove who is locked up in an asylum after she declares her wish to be a doctor rather than be the wife and mother that society expects of her. The story follows her struggle to make those in charge see that she is perfectly sane, while she tries to understand who has had her locked up and betrayed her in such a brutal way. Of course, the more she tries to prove that she is not mad, the more they are convinced of her insanity. She is caught in a seemingly impossible situation, and Eagland makes you feel all of Louisa's frustrations and agonies.
The author has a real knack for developing characters and their relationships, and she is very gifted at making you feel their emotions. I read this book quickly and eagerly, and I think that those who like Philippa Gregory and Sarah Waters would really enjoy this book. An excellent debut - 5 stars!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Improves mouse accuracy and saves your desk!, 17 April 2009
My wireless Logitech laser mouse was slowly starting to wear a hole in my desk! I realised I needed a decent mouse mat before the desk surface was ruined. I've resisted this for ages as I've never found a mouse mat that is comfortable, looks cool and most importantly doesn't ruin the performance of optical/laser mice.
Traditional mouse mats are usually just printed foam with a transparent plasticky coating over the top. This coating is often highly reflective and doesn't suit optical/laser mice at all well. The most annoying symptom is random jumping - the cursor leaps about the screen randomly even when you're not moving the mouse.
This mat is specifically designed for optical/laser mice. It is very thin (about 3mm) with a rubberised backing so it doesn't slide about at all on glossy desks. The top face is silvery with a very fine black grid on it. It is this grid which helps optical mice to pinpoint their location and track movement to very high precision. I've tested it with my laser mouse and my wife's optical mouse and we both think it is excellent. In fact it's better than my bare desk and more comfortable. It also looks pretty smart (if you like black/silver)!
Highly recommended.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Excellent replacement cooler for old CPU, 15 April 2009
I bought one of these to replace an old Akasa cooler for a socket 939 Athlon64 3000+ in my wife's MicroATX PC. There were two reasons I wanted a replacement: (i) the old cooler had a blue LED fan which made the whole room glow blue; (ii) more importantly the old fan was very noisy and getting louder as time passed and the fan wore out.
It was really easy to fit. I just removed the cold cooler, used some Arctic Silver ArctiClean Thermal Material Remover & Surface Purifier 60ml Kit to clean the old thermal compound off the CPU, and then clipped on the new cooler which has compound pre-applied. Don't forget to connect the fan cable! :-)
It reduced the core temp of the CPU by a couple of degrees, but more importantly it was so much quieter. I can't comment on its performance with current AM2/AM2+ generation CPUs like the Athlon X2 or Phenom, but it's rated up to 95W TDP so it should be suitable for just about any CPU you can get!
Highly recommended as a replacement for an old cooler or a quiet alternative to a free stock cooler that comes with a retail CPU. 5 stars!
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