Since its release in November 2007, Amazon's Kindle has taken a stronghold in the highly competitive eBook Reader marketplace with its continued evolution. Amazon has addressed many of the complaints of earlier models, such as the weight, slow page turning and awkward navigation buttons to make the Kindle standout as the e-Reader to beat.

The third-generation Kindle - The Kindle DX, is distinctly larger than previous Kindles with its 9.7" diagonal E Ink display, making it suitable for viewing a broader range of reading material such as newspapers and magazines. Although the display is now bigger, the Kindle has an even thinner profile than its earlier iterations, being just over 1/3 of an inch thick.

On paper, the Kindle DX looks impressively feature packed, but can it replace the good old book? Read on to find out.

Features of the Kindle DX
Slim profile - Only 1/3 thickLarge 9.7" high contrast E Ink Pearl DisplayFree 3G Wireless access in over 100 countriesStores up to 3,500 BooksAuto Rotating DisplayPDF Reader built-in5-Way ControllerRead to me, text to speech featureEnhanced reading functions

Hands on

The Kindle DX feels somewhat heavier than the Kindle 2, but due to its very slim profile, it remains comfortable to hold with two hands. It can be held with only one hand, but it's more comfortable to hold with two hands, however.

The new E-Ink pearl display is very impressive. The large screen means you get much more text per page than previous Kindle's, resulting in less page turns. The effects of the acclaimed 50% better contrast are evident. The text on screen looks crisp, dark and clear, making reading a pleasant experience. In comparison to the original Kindle DX, blacks look distinctly more solid.

The dark grey graphite border results in less eye strain than having the white border of the original Kindle DX, as your eyes are better focused on the display.

Navigation

In terms of navigation, it's very similar to the Kindle 2 except all the navigation keys are now on the right and the keyboard is smaller.

The previous/next page buttons are no longer on the left side. Having page controls on only one side is something I don't like as it makes accessing these buttons a little awkward when you are turning pages in the landscape mode.

Using the keyword is a bit awkward as the keys are small and spaced wide apart. Ergonomically the keyboard isn't well designed as you cannot reach the keys with your thumbs when holding the Kindle by the sides. I would have preferred the keyboard to be divided into two sections for better accessibility.

Page turns seem quicker than the original DX, but it's still a bit more sluggish than with an LCD based eBook reader due to the slow refresh rate of the e-Ink screen. In comparison with turning a page of a regular book, the speed is very similar though.

Auto Rotating Display

The auto rotating display feature is great. You can read material such as newspapers, maps and magazines more comfortably by turning the Kindle horizontally. One issue though is that you only need to rotate the screen about 45 degrees for the screen rotation to be triggered, so if you like to lie back and read, you may need to lock the orientation via the menu to prevent any unwanted screen rotation occurring.

Storage

The Kindle DX can hold up to 3,500 books/documents so it's well equipped to store many people's book collection.

There is no memory card reader, so if you use up the 3GB+ space then you cannot expand the memory. This is something I would have liked included, as certain documents can eat up a lot of storage space.

Web Browser

The web browser is a nice feature especially as the wireless access is free. It only provides basic browsing though, so don't expect to be browsing flash or a java based sites as they aren't supported.

Battery Life

The battery life is very satisfactory. After one charge it lasts about three weeks with Wi-Fi off. With Wi-Fi turned on, usage is reduced to about one week.

Final Thoughts

The Kindle DX is slim, lightweight and has a good quality large display making it easy on the eye whilst reading even in sunlight. It does have its design faults though however; most notably, the keyboard is awkward to use and the lack of page turning buttons on both sides.

Overall, if you're looking for a large screen eBook Reader for book reading then the Kindle DX is a fantastic choice, but for other purposes such as viewing PDF documents, surfing the net or taking notes, its limitations hold it back.

For more information on the Kindle DX visit Best eBook Reader

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The Logitech Dual-Action USB game controller provides a great bang for the buck. Cheap, portable, and customizable, this controller stands out from other wired PC controllers. It's certainly not the most attractive device, but what it lacks in appearance, it gains in performance. Black or dark blue in color, this controller is shaped to almost ergonomic perfection for fitting in any gamer's hands, and won't fall out due to the nice rubber grips lining the outer sides of the controller. The layout of the controller uses the polished layout of the PlayStation 2-style controllers that almost every gamer has grown used to.

This controller doesn't connect through the old, giant joystick ports, but instead through USB 2.0, so there is no noticeable lag between a button being pressed and the assigned command being executed in-game, so you don't have to worry about getting killed while you're waiting for your character to shoot, and you are guaranteed to have a port for the controller, since all computers now have USB ports. The USB cable from the controller is just long enough that you don't have to worry about pulling it out of your PC while playing, but not too long to have extra slack to catch on corners or chair legs.

For most games, you need to have Logitech's lightweight "WingMan" program running for the games to recognize the controller. This program has excellent options for various game profiles and support for multiple controllers. The program even auto-detects a large amount of games and assigns the default controller layout for you! If you wish to assign your own control scheme, you have a few options to go about doing it, you just have to figure out what works best for you.

In many newer PC video games, the game's native Xbox 360 controller support will pick up on the Logitech Dual Action USB controller and not even require configuration at all, which is very convenient. For those that do require button configuration and/or the Logitech WingMan software, there are only a few steps you must take to configure the controller for the desired game and get started playing!

Overall, this controller is comfortable, reliable, easy-to-use, and affordable. This controller is perfect for any PC gamer with console roots or any console gamer that wants to try out PC gaming, but has trouble adapting to the mouse and keyboard format. Most PC controllers that are more expensive don't even compare to the Logitech Dual-Action USB controller, so why waste the money?

Adam Taylor invites you to check out his YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/tehd3m0l1sh3r and see what new things he has in store!

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If you're looking for an e-Book Reader and high levels of portability are important to you, then there is a good chance that Sony's e-Reader - the Sony PRS-300BC Reader Pocket Edition has caught your eye.

With its lightweight design and 5" display, the PRS-300BC is designed to provide great convenience and ease of use for the avid reader who wants true pocket sized portability. Have Sony got it right or should you wait for the next pocket edition? Read on further to find out.

Features of the Sony PRS-300BC Reader Pocket Edition

5" e-Ink DisplayLightweight and compactThree different font sizes for enhanced readabilityStores up to 350 books on the 512MB on-board memoryUp to 2 weeks reading on a single battery charge

Lightweight and Compact

The PRS-300 is smaller than most traditional e-Readers. Its small profile is about the size of a paperback book so you can fit it in your pocket or purse, making it truly compact and ideal for travel.

Weighing in at just 7.76 oz, the lightweight of the PRS-300 makes it very comfortable to hold. It's remarkably well-balanced so you can comfortably hold it in one hand whilst navigating through the buttons and reading your favourite books.

Display

Reading on the PRS-300 is a joy to behold. With the paper-like e-Ink display, it's easy on the eye and just like reading a real book. The text is crisp and clear with great clarity even in brighter light environments.

There are 3 different font sizes which can be changed using one button, so you can choose a size to match your reading pleasure.

Downloading Books

Wi-Fi isn't included so you can't purchase books on the go unfortunately. Books are transferred via your PC or Mac using a mini USB cable. The transfer process is quick and simple; in terms of simplicity it's very similar to transferring files to an MP3 player. One advantage this gives you is that you have a backup copy of books on your computer.

The Sony Reader store has a large library of books to choose from. One problem is though; they are rather slow to add new titles in comparison with competitor's stores such as Amazon.

Most standard file formats are supported including e-Pub and PDF so you can download public domain books for free. An excellent feature is the ability to borrow books for free from your local library; this is a real money saver. However, not all library's offer this so check with your local library first if this is a feature which appeals to you.

Battery Life

A power adapter isn't included so to charge the device, you need to connect it to your computer using the supplied USB cable. However, an adapter can be purchased separately. The battery life is very impressive; you can get up to 2 weeks usage from a single charge, which equates to about 7,500 page turns.

Final Thoughts

The Sony PRS-300BC Reader Pocket Edition is a beautifully designed e-Book Reader. Being a Sony product I expected quality, but this e-Reader has really surpassed my expectations. Its compact design, great display, long battery life and easy navigation make the PRS-300BC an excellent all rounder.

On the downside, there is no memory slot so you cannot extend the memory once you've used up the 512MB built-in capacity limit. Plus there is no dictionary or an option to write notes, but given the small size of this device and its long battery life it more than makes up for its drawbacks.

Overall, if you want a quality entry-level e-Reader for reading books on-the-go without all the bells and whistles of higher priced e-Readers then the PRS-300BC is an excellent choice.

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Don't you just hate all the hassles of having a PC with all those dang wires infiltrating your workspace. Or not knowing where to put that bulky CPU unit that can't fit in the corner. Or even trying to fit that monitor somewhere on your desk that already has enough stuff as it is. I know most of us do.

Well, that where HP solves this major bottleneck for those who just need an all-in-one PC with a lot of performance for a reasonable price. That is why you are reading this HP Omni 200-5250 review. The HP Omni 200-5250 will make your life a lot less stressful with it's banging features it offers. At the end of this review, you will be convinced enough to purchase this all-in-one desktop with complete confidence. Let's begin.

The Processor
Let's begin where any avid tech person would start, the processor. So what kind of processor does the HP Omni 200-5250 have? This desktop PC has an Intel Pentium E5500 Processor. It runs at 2.8GHz, 2MB Cache, and 800MHz front side bus. Now, some of you who aren't computer savvy are probably a little confuse at this point. I'll break this down some more. When any spec sheet talks about '2.8 GHz', we are talking about the processor's speed. GHz stands for Gigahertz, which is one billion cycles per second, the clock speed of the processor. The more GHz a computer has, the faster it runs.

Cache is used to store loaded, ready-to-use programs that will be needed later in the initial startup of the computer. The microprocessor will usually have an extra amount of very fast 'cache' memory built in, which again, is a set of instructions the computer will used when it is started or turned on.

Cache memory makes programs on the computer run faster, so as a bonus, the processor it not needed as much as it would normally need to be, which is why some computers run more slowly.

Front side bus is a group of signals, known as a 'bus', which connects the processor to the memory controller, or the slot. To put it simply, the front side bus determines the speed of memory access. The higher the speed of the front side bus, the faster the processor can access information.

RAM/Memory
Another important factor of the HP Omni 200-5250 is it's RAM or random access memory. RAM is another contributing factor behind the speed of the PC. The 200-5250 has 2 slots of 4GB(gigabytes) of PC3-6400 DDR3 SDRAM memory, which can be upgraded to 8GB total if you choose to purchase 2 more RAM cards. Okay, what did I just say, you ask? Let's put it in simple terms, again.

SDRAM stands for synchronous dynamic random access memory. They run at much higher clock speeds than regular memory. SDRAM will synchronize itself with the cpu's bus thus making it run a lot faster. And DDR3 is just the Double Data Rate 3. It is just another factor for making the PC faster. This is already replacing most of the original DDR and DDR2 memory RAMs.

The Hard Drive
Let's face it people. It's a new decade in the computer world. Most computers these days need to have lots of hard drive space to hold movie files, hundreds of pictures, video clips, and masses of other large files. That measly 32 gigabyte hard drive that was 'enough' back in the old days is not going to cut it anymore. That is where HP keeps up with today's demanded hard drive standards.

The HP Omni 200-5250 has a 750GB, 7200 RPM, Serial ATA hard drive. I know, another mouthful. I'll break that down into bit size chunks. By now, I would assume that you know that the larger the amount of hard drive space, the more you can fit files into one drive. 750 gigabytes of hard drive space is pretty massive, even for today's standards. Most PCs come with the normal amount of 250GB of hard drive space, so you are getting a good amount here.

The 7200 revolutions per minute is just the speed of the disk inside the hard drive's case. The faster it spins, the more data it can be transferred to the task being done. But be aware, the faster a hard drives speed, the more heat is being produce. If it is one thing that will kill a hard drive the quickest way possible, it would be heat. But the cooling system on most modern computers help to dissipate this problem.

Serial ATA stands for Serial Advanced Technology Attachment. It is the faster way of transferring data between the hard drive and the motherboard of the computer. All new computers today come with SATA wires.

Operating System
You can't run your HP Omni 200-5250 without an operating system. The Omni 200-5250 comes with Windows 7 64-bit preinstalled. Let's not go off topic with this one. Windows 7 is probably the most recommended and praised operating system in the Windows world. Just do a search online and you will get why so many people love this operating system.

The Monitor
The HP Omni 200-5250 comes with a respectable 21.5 inch full HD 1080p widescreen monitor with LED backlighting. 1080p(p means for progressive scan) is better over the old 1080i(i means for interlacing), the picture on the screen will be a lot more rich, sharp, and detailed. The only real difference between this monitor and the rest is that fact that it weighs twice as much. That is because all the cpu's components are located on the monitor.

The Graphics
Another fact of computer life is that you have to have good graphics. Now I'll be honest about the HP Omni 200-5250. It only has an integrated graphic card, called the Intel GMA X4500 HD. Normally, integrated graphics are not as good as the ones used to plug in the PCI slot in a CPU. But for just the 200-5250, it is still top quality. Besides, this is not a gaming PC, it's an all-in-one. By the way, an integrated graphics card is a graphics card built in the motherboard of a computer, if some you out there were wondering.

Internal DVD Drive
The HP Omni 200-5250 has a slot-load SuperMulti DVD Burner DVD drive with LightScribe ability. This is a good disk drive, pretty reliable in most computers that use it. LightScribe is a program that allows you to do a custom laser burn design on any CD or DVD disk that can be etch. So, if you want to make a cool design or a custom label, you can with this feature.

High Performance Speakers
When you get the HP Omni 200-5250, the all-in-one desktop PC comes with high performing 2.0 speakers. These speakers are crisp and has some bass effect. They aren't a top end sound system, but they do a pretty good job at audio levels in any room.

Other Features
To bring this review to a close, let's give you the other features the HP Omni 200-5250 comes with. This desktop comes with a wireless keyboard and optical mouse. There is also an integrated webcam and a built-in microphone. It comes with 7 USB ports because you can never have enough USB ports.

Some Other Specs
The size of the unit is 21.5 inches in length, 8.7 inches in width, and 16.8 inches in height. The total weight of the desktop is 19.8 pounds. And that is basically it in this review. Well, hopefully this review has convinced you to go ahead and purchase this fine machine.

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