S. West

A lot of phone for a budget/mid-range price!, 7 Jan 2013

I got this phone as a Xmas present for my wife, as her first smartphone, and I'm very impressed with it for the money. This is what people need to remember when saying it doesn't do this or it hasn't got that....it's a mid-range device that is a LOT less money than the top-range devices such as the Galaxy S III or an iPhone 5. If you want those features, get your wallet out, but I have to say there's not a lot that this phone doesn't have - for way less than £200 you get a speedy dual-core chip, a great 5MP camera and HD video.

I have an iPhone 4 and I'm amazed how close this phone comes to it. Where the iPhone wins is mainly cosmetic, with a thinner, sleeker body, although the… Read more

Nice littel tank, 13 Dec 2012

Bought this primarily to use as a quarantine/hospital tank for my tropical BiUbe (35l), but as I was going to keep it on my desk in the study I also wanted it to look attractive too, hence the Chi and not some cheap plastic job. I must say it works well on both counts. It has a small footprint, but is plenty big enough for 2-3 small fish or 1 larger one, and looks great. The fountain is very relaxing while I'm working but adding the stones cradle on top does the job nicely if I require silence. The integral LED light illuminates the tank with subtlety and you soon get the knack of turning it on/off without getting your fingers wet.

Whenever I intend to buy new fish for the Biube,… Read more

Give it a chance!, 12 Jun 2012

I have a theory about this heater which might explain some of the bad reviews regarding it prematurely switching off before reaching the set temperature:

When I first tested the heater in a tank with water at room temp, I set the dial to 25C and lo and behold, it switched off after about 10 mins when the water was still only at 22C (using another thermometer to check). So I wacked the dial up to 28C and once again, it switched off pretty quickly with the water still only at around 22.5C. I started composing the scathing review in my mind...

But hang on. Patience is a virtue. If you leave it alone, it switches on and off all the time, but the temp keeps slowly rising. I… Read more