Alistair Dabbs is a freelance technology tart, juggling IT journalism, editorial training and digital publishing.
You only want me for my BYOD
Something for the Weekend, Sir? Get your kit off... my cloud
They've taken advantage of my goodwill yet again. The really annoying thing is that I pleaded with them to do it, so it's my own fault. And it may be yours, too.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. I want to talk about BYOD. For the benefit of sole traders reading this, it stands for Bring Your Own Device and is the latest craze in …
Passwords are for AES-holes
Something for the Weekend, Sir? Security is an illusion
When did you reach burnout? For me, it was spring 2009. Looking back, I did well to last as long as I did but the constant pressure of coming up with something new, again and again, became too much.
I'm not confessing to an emotional crisis, by the way. I'm talking about my ability to create new system logins that I can remember …
Txt-speak is a sign of humanity 4 U
Something for the Weekend, Sir? But don't ask your dentist for oral sex, OK?
It barely warranted a mention in Reg Hardware's recent Retro Week, but mobile telephony will be celebrating a couple of anniversaries this year. Groupe Spécial Mobil (GSM) was founded 30 years ago and the first commercial GSM networks came into service ten years later.
First text
More significantly for what old farts call ' …
HP Envy 14 Spectre Ultrabook
Review Shiny slab of laptop lusciousness
The test unit I reviewed was forwarded on to me from the Harrods press office. That alone should tell you a lot about the HP Envy 14 Spectre. For you, Harrods may conjure images of oil sheiks browsing bling, affectatious middle classes buying ham and feeble-minded tourists ogling Saint Diana's soiled crockery, but Harrods makes …
Monty Python and the Holy Grail on Blu-ray
Review Your father smelt of elderberries
Round and round we go the video format bush. First you recorded it off the telly. Then you bought it on VHS. Finally, you acquired a perfectly brilliant version on DVD. And now, finally again, Sony Pictures has found yet another way for you to part with your money for the love of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Monty Python …
Jolly rogered
Something for the Weekend, Sir? How The Pirate Bay ban was hijacked by the anti-smut brigade
I note with dismay that the recent High Court ruling to force some ISPs to ban access to The Pirate Bay has been hijacked by lobbyists who are confused about what the interweb does. A classic example was heard on Radio 4's Today on Tuesday, which devoted eight minutes to John Humphrys inexpertly tying himself into a mesh of …
Lenovo U300s Ultrabook
Review 'Ang on, lads, I've got an IdeaPad
A body made from a single piece of aluminium. Uh-huh. A case held shut with magnets. Righty. A multi-gesture trackpad with a glass surface. Ohhh-kayyy, I think I can see what's happening here.
Lenovo U300s Ultrabook Lenovo IdeaPad U300s Ultrabook
With the IdeaPad U300s, Lenovo wants to convince you it has created the most …
Computer nostalgia is 10 PRINT 'BOLLOCKS'
Something for the Weekend, Sir? Memory wobblier than a Sinclair Rampack
"The music is reversible but time is not. Turn back! Turn back! Turn back! Turn back!"
A good sign that you've reached middle age - apart from making mid-1970s ELO references - is when you discover a colleague's date of birth and can remember exactly what you were doing on that day.
The sign of old age is almost the same, …
What kind of LOSER sits in front of a PC...
Something for the Weekend, Sir? ...to read a book?
I have just wasted half a day at the London Book Fair, hoping to discover some new e-book readers with a view to reviewing them for El Reg.
Expecting to wade waist-high through stacks of competitive continental European brands, I was disappointed to find that the exhibition's Digital Zone was dominated by companies offering to …
Laptop computers are crap
Something for the Weekend, Sir? Time to flush them away
Occasionally, the crumbs scavenged by the Dabbs clan are supplemented with purchases from a local food emporium, the expenditure being partly funded by product reviews that I submit to El Reg.
El Reg, by the way, is a real person in a kind of virtual concept common to all omnipresent beings. The last time I was granted an …
The iPad 3 would make me so horny...
Something for the Weekend, Sir? ...if it wasn't so sucky
In my Dad's generation, middle-aged men of means would buy new cars at the end of every July because that's when new licence plates came out. Their old cars would be traded in as part-exchange, sold to third parties through classified ads, or passed magnanimously to relatives.
This was regarded as civilised and financially …
Aliens Blu-ray disc set
Review They mostly come out at night. Mostly.
James Cameron is often credited with turning science fiction from a cult or B-movie genre into a one that earned not just big money but critical success too. The breakthrough film was Aliens and the year was 1986.
Aliens theatrical release and special edition Blu-ray disc set Aliens on Blu-ray: Two films for the price of one …
Toshiba Portégé Z830-10N 13.3in Ultrabook
Review Five and a half hours on the road
The last time I tested a Toshiba laptop, it had a glowing orange screen and the keyboard rattled like a box of Lego. Come to think of it, newspapers at the time were scaring readers about ‘house parties’, so it was quite a while ago. So perhaps you can imagine how utterly charming the pretentiously named Portégé Z830-10N …
Asus UX21E Zenbook 11.6in Ultrabook
Review Thin! Small! Mad! Gorgeous!
Having already reviewed the slightly larger Asus UX31E Zenbook for El Reg, and quite liking it, I whinged that sending me the UX21E model would be a waste of time. It wasn’t, obviously, because you’re reading this. I loved it. In fact, I preferred it.
Asus UX21E Zenbook Core i5 laptop For such a small device, the Asus UX21E has …
Samsung Series 7 Chonos 15.6in Core i7 notebook
Review NOT a MacBook clone
Surely someone is having a laugh. Having read nothing but five-star reviews of this luxury notebook on other sources, I find myself surprised to be staring at a four-star product on my desk. Four stars is pretty good, you know, but that’s one less than five.
Samsung Series 7 Chonos Intel Core i7 notebook All in good time: …
Wacom Bamboo Fun S Pen and Touch
Review Graphics tablet and trackpad in one
Take TWO pointing devices into the shower? Not me, I use Wac-and-Go.
When I first saw this product demonstrated – a graphics tablet with pressure-sensitive stylus but whose surface equally supports touch gestures – I thought I’d seen the best creative gadget ever.
Wacom Bamboo Fun S Pen and Touch graphics tablet Wacom's Bamboo …
Asus Zenbook UX31E
Review The finest Ultrabook on the market?
I honestly thought it would take the industry a lot longer to start producing Windows Ultrabooks for under a grand that are this good. The Asus Zenbook is as flat and skinny and as light as a MacBook Air without trying to look like one, and is a darn sight better connected.
Asus Zenbook UX31E Smart notebook in size zero …
Apple Thunderbolt Display 27in monitor
Review Dream screen?
After Apple’s hoo-ha about the Thunderbolt port on its newest Macs and MacBook Pros, it’s great to finally have something to plug into it. But I began testing this monitor with tainted expectations: less ‘OK show me what you can do’ and more ‘oh lordy, yet another locked-in connectivity standard’.
It ended with tainted love. …
Apple MacBook Pro 13in Core i5 laptop
Review More of the same but different
Guilty, your honour. In mitigation, I would like to assure the jury that I do not automatically adore everything with Apple branding on it, nor have I any intention of jacking off over a Steve Jobs biography. I just happen to like the current range of Apple MacBook Pro notebook computers, that’s all. Is it such a crime?
Apple …
Acer Aspire S3 Core i7 Ultrabook
Review First among equals?
The Acer Aspire S3 is a major new entrant to the emerging market for ‘ultraportables’ – ultra-thin but powerful notebook PCs with reduced components to keep the space and weight to a minimum. It won’t suit everyone, but if you like the idea of a portable Windows computer than can be carried in one hand or tucked under your …
Acer Iconia A100 7in Android tablet
Review Pocket-sized and throbbing with power
Hey, tablet geeks out there, do you remember what you hated most about Samsung’s original 7in Galaxy Tab? The grainy display, the glitchy software, the lack of memory, the poorly located buttons that you kept pressing by mistake?
Acer Iconia A100 7in Android tablet Designed for portrait usage
I suspect Acer drew up the same …
Apple MacBook Pro 17in 2011
Review Flagship quad-core notebook
A slap across the face is what I need. It’s the only language I understand. My problem is that I have played with too many Apple MacBooks over the past 18 months. They were starting to look similar, a little standard perhaps, maybe even ordinary.
Apple MacBook Pro 17in Quad core as standard: Apple's 17in MacBook Pro
So I took …
HP Envy 17 3D Core i7 laptop
Review Tasty 3D take away
After years of computer journalists telling me – erroneously, I hasten to add – that my next desktop PC will be a laptop, it’s pleasing to see manufacturers such as HP trying to make it happen.
HP Envy 17 3D Viewing spectacle: the Envy 17 3D is a big beast but HP has managed to keep it looking clean and stylish
What do I hate …
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
Review Bigger, better, thinner, lighter
10.1? The impression I get with the naming of this much-anticipated grown-up version of last year’s Galaxy Tab is that it has psychological hangups about (ahem) ‘size’. I imagine it loitering down the pub, boasting of its prowess: “It’s not just TEN inches, Al, it’s TEN-point-ONE!” It wants to be the Spinal Tap of Android …
Apple Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Part Two
Review The cat scan continues
You find me in better spirits compared to my anxious state during last week’s experimentation with OS X Lion. A weekend of sanity makes quite a difference. That is, sanity achieved through the cathartic process of a clean instal.
Apple Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Safari swipe Swipe your fingers sideways across your Magic Mouse or Magic …
Apple Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Part One
Review The mane event?
There was a time when I’d be excited about the launch of a new version of Apple’s Mac operating system. I’d count the days leading up to the launch with the same fervour as opening the windows on a yuletide advent calendar.
Apple Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Installing the big cat
The day of arrival was never a disappointment. The …
HP TouchSmart 610 touchscreen all-in-one PC
Review Quite literally, laid back
This is going to be good. I reviewed the first TouchSmart 600 all-in-one home desktop computer in January 2010, and loved it, frankly. I fondly remember Reg Hardware readers expressing their admiration for my gushing praise at the time... That was sarcasm. Enough, I’m over it.
HP TouchSmart 610 Finger friendly: HP's TouchSmart …
Apple iMac 27in
Review Don’t try this at home, kids
For those of you who revel in Mac versus Windows shouting matches, click the Comments link now. You’ve already made up your minds, so feel free to dive into the debate without reading the review. That’s what you normally do, anyway.
Apple iMac 27in Widescreen viewing: Apple's iMac 27in
If you’re still with me, let me confirm …
Acer Iconia Tab A500 10in Android tablet
Review Well-connected Honeycomb fondleslab
PC manufacturers clearly haven’t been reading the script. They were supposed to over-hype their forthcoming Android 3.0 tablets as iPad-killers (check!), miss their initial launch dates (check!) and then let us all down by delivering a hunk of poorly designed, obsolete tat (er…).
Acer Iconia A500 Acer's Iconia Tab A500: lighter …
Sony Vaio VPCF21Z1E 16in laptop
Review Plastic paving slab offers 3D fun
Imagine my joy when asked to try out a 3D entertainment centre built into a Sony Vaio notebook. Imagine my disappointment, then, when I discover that the notebook in question is actually too big to fit in my notebook bag.
Sony Vaio VPCF21Z1E Sony's Vaio VPCF21Z1E: don’t think of it as an overgrown notebook but as a very …
Motorola Xoom
Review A slab of 10in Honeycomb goodness
You will be aware that 2011 is supposed to be the year that Android tablets hit the big-time. In case you missed it, the explosion of new devices was supposed to happen at Easter. In the event, many launches have since been put back to later in the year, while other products have been launched but are plainly impossible to buy …
Bolle BP-10 iPhone photo printer
Review Photographs from your mobile without AirPrint
Here’s a home photo-print ‘toaster’ with a difference: it can’t be plugged into a computer, nor does it support Wi-Fi. Instead, it comes with a built-in dock for an Apple iPhone. As such, the Bolle BP-10 is promoted as the world’s first dedicated iPhone printer. In other words, it won’t print from anything else.
Bolle BP-10 …
Canon Pixma MG-5250 Wi-Fi all-in-one inkjet printer
Review Hard copy companion for iOS 4 and Android users
Canon has launched so many photo all-in-ones recently that only a handful of people outside Canon seem to be able to tell one from another. One thing I can say, though, is that if you go shopping for the Pixma MG-5250 to print your Christmas pics on, you shouldn’t be disappointed.
Canon Pixma MG-5250 Canon's Pixma MG-5250 …
Cyberlink v. Nero media authoring suites
Review Taste the difference
Back in the day, Cyberlink was best known for DVD player software, while Nero was a developer of CD-writing ('burning') utilities. Now both companies are producers of very successful creative multimedia suites that play DVDs, burn discs and a whole lot more. For an embarrassingly low price, both packages offer audio, video and …
HP Pavilion dv6-3085ea 15.6in notebook
Review Family favourite?
Those who want their notebook PCs to play music and video while managing a burgeoning digital image collection should cast an eye at the HP Pavilion dv6-3085ea. It's an attractively slim computer with a design outline that's generally reminiscent of Apple's MacBook Pro. The clamshell even stays closed thanks to Apple-style …
iMovie for iPhone 4
Review Video editing on the Judas phone
Let's get one thing straight: this is not a port of Apple iMovie from the Mac OS to the iPhone OS. Rather, think of the iMovie iPhone app is a massively cut-down version with a handful of editing functions and even fewer options.
Apple iMovie for iPhone 4 Getting started in Apple's iMovie for iPhone 4: Pick a theme from a …
Lite-on iHBS112 internal Blu-ray writer
Review Cheap and fast - cheerful too?
Lite-On is certainly pushing the boundaries of optical disc burning at aggressive prices. The iHBS112 is an internal drive that goes beyond the combo by letting you read and write Blu-ray, DVD and CD media in one unit. Its Blu-ray writing speed, 12x, matches the current fastest on the market.
That's not bad for £123.
As a …
HP MediaSmart Server EX490
Review Home backup goes large
Beyond the entry level market for NAS (network attached storage) there is the kind of buyer who has big server requirements within a small operation, and thinks they might get a great deal bigger later on. That's who HP's MediaSmart Server EX490 is aimed at.
HP MediaSmart Server EX490 HP's MediaSmart Server EX490: looks like a …
Apple MacBook mid-2010
Review White mischief?
There’s no persuading a committed PC nerd of the unnerdy appeal of Apple’s consumer products, so I won’t bother. Whatever I write about Apple’s latest MacBook, they’ll hate it. They can buy computers for far less money that achieve better benchmark results, and serious computers are supposed to look hideous, so case closed.
Move …
Acer Aspire 1825PT 11.6in touchscreen notebook
Review At last, a Tablet PC done right?
Some years ago, I made a fool of myself by describing Microsoft's ultimately doomed Tablet PC concept as a good idea. My saving grace was that I wasn't as dim as all the Tablet PC manufacturers, who chose to overprice their own products out of existence.
Acer Aspire 1825PT Acer's Aspire 1825PT: if only Tablet PCs had always …
Asus EeeTop PC ET2203T 21in touchscreen all-in-one
Review Full HD and finger friendly
Testing touchscreen PCs is always a pleasure but it’s especially satisfying when a manufacturer gives you lots of display surface to tickle. In the case of the ET2203 model of Asus’ EeeTop (named by a Yorkshireman, perhaps?) all-in-one PC, you get a rather splendid 21.6in, supporting 1920 x 1080. That’s full 1080p HD resolution …
Universal Tech MyXerver Pro MX3800
Review World's first wireless Nas, apparently
It was only a matter of time before someone thought of putting Wi-Fi connectivity into a network-attached storage (Nas) drive for small networks. Come to think of it, we must have thought of it at least three years ago, but at the end of last year, Universal Tech lay claim to being the first to bring the idea to market. …
Toshiba Satellite U500-1EX touchscreen notebook
Review A light touch?
Toshiba is evidently very pleased with its Satellite U500 design: it has now based several models on it, including one with joint Ducati branding. The 1EX version reviewed here adds support for Windows 7 touchscreen gestures.
Toshiba Satellite U500 Toshiba's Satellite U500-1EX, decked out in an 'interesting' two-tone black and …
Apple MacBook Pro 15in
Review Class act
Remember the Apple PowerBooks? They were pants. Of course, I didn't know this at the time. It's only now, having had the chance to play with Apple's latest MacBook Pro, that I realise that everything that came before it was so dreadfully ordinary.
Apple MacBook Pro 15in Apple's MacBook Pro 15in: now with Core i5 or i7 CPU …
Dell Inspiron One 19 Touch touchscreen all-in-one
Review Gives the finger to touch tech PC price premiums
Despite appearing on sale in larger numbers in recent months, touchscreen PCs still tend to be sold as luxury items with a price to match. So with the Inspiron One 19 Touch, which starts from under £500, Dell is deliberately giving the whole touchscreen PC market a boot up the backside.
Dell Inspiron One Touch All fingers and …
Acer H5360 3D projector
Review Play 3D games and movies on your wall
2010 is supposed to be the year that 3D breaks into mainstream home entertainment but most of the PR puff has been focused on expensive TV sets. Acer does a good job of making this currently tiny market a damned sight more interesting with its H5360, a sub-£600 '3D Ready' digital projector.
Acer H5360 3D ready? Acer's H5360 …
Medion E54009 touch monitor
Review Go touchscreen without buying a new PC
Love or scoff at the idea, Windows 7’s touchscreen features need to be experienced first-hand, and jabbing away at a demo machine at PC World doesn’t really count. The problem is that buying in to touchscreen technology for the home is an expensive experiment: you would normally need to invest in a brand new touchscreen notebook …
HP TouchSmart 600
Review Touchscreen iMac wannabee
Every now and again, reviewing a new PC can be a pleasure rather than a chore. The feeling is not the result of blistering performance or a full set of ticks next to a spec list, but the natural response to using high-quality kit that works exactly as you want it to. HP’s TouchSmart 600 looks beautiful and reveals an approach to …
Samsung SH-BO83L
Review Combo upgrade time?
For those using their PCs as home entertainment centres, the Samsung SH-BO83L internal drive turns your computer into a versatile Blu-ray player while also acting as a fast DVD and CD writer. In one step, it upgrades your disc burning ability and adds BD-Rom support at a thoroughly reasonable price.
Samsung SH-BO83L Internal BD …
Aiptek MobileCinema D10
Review Looks like a toy, performs like one too
Remember those rugged plastic ‘singalong’ cassette players you could buy for pre-school children? The Aiptek MobileCinema D10 looks a projector version of the same kind of thing. Encased in tough, nursery-blue plastic, it is the least fragile projector we have ever tested, and the only one that required absolutely no warmup or …
