Microsoft Skydrive

Microsoft Skydrive LogoThis is my review of Microsoft Skydrive.  Skydrive allows  you to "Store, organise, and download your files, photos, and favourites on Windows Live servers, and access them from any computer with an Internet connection".  To be able to access skydrive all you require is a Hotmail address, or a Windows Live ID.  The amount of storage you get is really quite good, once you sign in you have 25Gb available to use, I don't know of another service that gives you that much space for free straight away.

Microsoft say the skydrive will work on IE (obviously), Firefox and Safari both on Windows and Mac.  I found it did work fine on Chrome although I had some difficulties when trying to insert pictures into my PowerPoint presentation using the Webapp but this must of been down to the internet connection because since then I have used Chrome and have not encountered any issues, it seems to work fine on both Windows and MacOS.

With the new webapps that are featured in Skydrive you can Edit, Share or Create new documents using the following applications:

• Word
• Excel
• PowerPoint
• OneNote

From here you can access them via the desktop version of the products so you can have full access to all the editing functions, the good thing is the document will automatically be saved into your skydrive account.  An important point to note about Skydrive is you don't need to have the desktop applications installed to use the Webapps.  You can create a Word document, Excel spreadsheet etc from scratch directly in Skydrive.

When you have documents stored in the cloud you can easily share them out with other members of your team so you can collaborate on the document at the same time.  Instead of me talking you through how this works, I think it would be better for you to see it in action, so I have the video below which demonstrates it.

You can share your documents and photos directly onto Facebook and LinkedIn very easily with one click.  With regards to the photos they now have geo-tagging support so you can spot on a map where the photos have been taken.  With regards to the documents, if you have your CV stored on skydrive you can send this up to your profile on LinkedIn, so when ever you make a change to the document then you know that it will still be the most up to date copy on your profile.  

With regards to the photos, I have one gripe about this, there is no Twitter integration, where as I think it should have the options to share your photo.  You can share photos to twitter, but you need to use the application to copy the shared link you create and then paste that into twitter.  With regards to the links again I think that there should be a URL shortener built in, as the links you get are not small as you can see here, https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?cid=ea341d0110ace6df&resid=EA341D0110ACE6DF!127&parid=EA341D0110ACE6DF!141, would not be easy to mention that link, you can put it through tinyurl or bit.ly yourself but it just adds another step.  I am sure that this will included to Skydrive in the near future.

I personally will use skydrive in the future, it does have some nice features, I like the way you can easily create folders and organise all you documents.  It has excellent integration with the Office Suite of applications, and it makes it very easy to collaborate on documents with other members of the team, plus with 25Gb off storage available from the outside for FREE it makes it very attractive.  

Right now you can get the mobile application for Windows Phone and for iPhone.  I have used the iPhone application and it worked very well on the day, I am not sure if there is an Android version coming shortly.

Below are a couple of links so you can read up more about Skydrive

http://explore.live.com/skydrive

http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_live/b/windowslive/

I am always looking at ways to improve, and so I am always interested in feedback so feel free to add any comments to the site, or you can email me here. 

Mifi Version 3 Model E586

This is my review of the latest version of the Mifi Device, the third iteration of it.  I have always loved these devices, and I was a big fan of the first two models, you can read my reviews of those earlier models here (Version 1 & Version 2).  With this model again it has improved with the introduction of HSPA+. With HSPA+ this allows theoretically speeds up to 21.1 Mbps.  This model is better looking than the previous models it has a more sleek look, one of the best things I heard at the launch was "It's shinier than the previous models".

Three are currently upgrading their network for HSPA+ and I believe the majority of the network has been upgraded already.  Most of the time when I was using the device I had the "H" which signalled I was getting better speed than your standard 3G.  The average download speed I was getting was around 7.5 Mbps which is quite impressive even to compared to some users ADSL lines.  I was not sure if I was ever meant to see a "H+" to let me know I was getting the highest speed.  Whenever I was using the device I only saw H or 3G, so I can't say for sure if there is a sign for H+.

If you can achieve these speeds in your home area them as this system gets upgraded more it could become a real replacement for your home internet.  If you were thinking of keeping this at home as your main router, it now comes with a handy dock so you would not have to worry about misplacing it.  Again with this model you can have up to 5 devices connected, so at home you could have your PC, tablet and smartphone connected at one time.

WIth the E586 it now has two buttons on the side, one is the power button to switch the device on/off and get your self started, the other is a button with a key printed on it.  Once pressed this displays the SSID of the wireless network it create, it also displays the WIFI key needed to join the network.  So no more having to carry the cards around or make a note of the password.

My one small negative about this is that again it comes with a Micro SD card slot, but you still can't access this over the wifi network, so if you do want to use the card you will need to connect it to your machine via USB.

With this model it now also comes in white, which quite a few people were very pleased with.  So now if you wanted to purchase this to match other white smartphones/tablets etc, well now you can.

       

For prices and details head over to Three's site for all the options you have in purchasing this product.

I am always looking at ways to improve, and so I am always interested in feedback so feel free to add any comments to the site, or you can email me here.

SCOTutor for Lion

This is my review of the new application that has been published by Don McAllister of Screencastsonline. This is a great video tutorial taking you through step-by-step of many of the new features with the Lion operating system. If you are already a subscriber to Screencastsonline then you will be familiar with the high quality tutorials that are published each week. I hope that he continues .......

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Krusell Luna iPad 2 Case Review

This is my review of the iPad 2 case from Krusell.  This case is currently available for purchase from Gearzap.

The case fits perfectly around the iPad 2.  When it is in the case is a very tight fit so you know there will be no movement of the device whilst it is sitting in the case.  It does this while still giving you full and easy access to all the buttons, the cameras (front and rear facing) and the dock connector at the bottom of the device.  Since I have had this, the iPad has not been out of the case. 

The case is made to a very high quality, it has been made out of leather, the one I have is brown, but I believe you can also get it in Red or Sand.  It looks very smart whilst carrying the device around plus it does look stylish when you have it sitting on the desk etc.

The interior of the case is made up of a very soft microfibre cloth, so it really does protect your iPad whilst it is in the case, there are no abrasive materials that could scratch the iPad surface.

The case also has three settings on the opening cover so you can also convert the case into a stand as you can see in the picture above.  Because it has three different height settings you can easily adjust the iPad for the optimal viewing angle.

The case acts just like the smart cases from Apple, because there are magnets on the front of the case, it puts your iPad to sleep when you close the screen as well as waking your iPad from sleep when you open the case.  This is where I have one small criticism of the case, sometimes if you fold the front cover right back on it's self the magnets sometimes put the iPad to sleep.

This case is well priced at £26.95 inc vat you can purchase this from the following link

I am always looking at ways to improve, and so I am always interested in feedback so feel free to add any comments to the site, or you can email me here.

Lumafire M200 Personal Projector Review

This is my review of the Lumafire M200 Personal Projector.  I first saw this projector and many others when I attended the Gadget Show Live event earlier this year.  On the stand Personal Projectors had a very wide range of portable devices on display.  To see the whole range they offer you can visit their site from this link. 

One unique thing I have just found out about this projector is that this is a British brand, which I am sure you will all agree that's a rare thing in today's electronic market.

The projector is very lightweight, and small to carry around, it weighs around 500g, the power supply that is supplied with the device is also very small.  They have made this as portable as they can without comprising quality.  The actual size of the projector is around 5 inches square.

The main technical specifications of the device are:

• Superior XGA Resolution (1024 * 768 Resolution)
• 100 Lumens
• Enhanced Colour Technology
• USB, SD, VGA & HDMI Connections
• Onboard Speakers & Audio Out
• Case, Remote Control & Tripod Included
• 20,000 hr LED Lifespan
• Keystone correction
• Actual Dimensions: 13 x 12.7 x 4.9 cm (5.1 x 5 x 1.9 inches)

I found this very useful to use with my small netbook, this way I could work on the netbook, but then see it on the wall.  This was brilliant when connecting my small flip hd camera up so I could show the grandparents the footage from the school fete where my daughter was dancing.

In this photo we had the projector  about 12 feet from the wall, the screen was around 175cm across, the picture was still clear, it could of been sharper if the wall would of been white as opposed to the cream that it was.

I have a couple of minor negative points, the silver dial around the lens does not move, it’s not how you focus the display, this is done with the dial on the top, so I feel rather than put the plastic cover there the lens could of sat flush inside the device.  Also  I did not like the stand that comes with the device, I felt you could have much better support, personally I always used the gorilla pod when using the projector.

This could be used for both business and personal use.  This is highly portable, because of its size it would be easy to carry this around between presentations.  Supplied with the projector is a remote control, tripod, composite AV lead, VGA lead for laptops, pretty much everything you need straight away once you have purchased the product.  One final point to note is that the projector is very quiet when running, the fan noise really is kept to a minimum.

The cost of the projector is £333 (£399 including VAT).

I am always looking at ways to improve, and so I am always interested in feedback so feel free to add any comments here