Decide what to buy | the Reevoo.com blog, featuring news on TVs, cameras, laptops, mp3 players & other gadgets, shopping tips and deals, reviews and more

Some classic reviews to set you up for the weekend…

Bad points? “None that I have found so far apart from its brutal honesty about my weight :)” Wii Fit

“Works quietly but effectively - a bit like our previous dishwasher (my husband)” Hotpoint FDL570

“Excellent weapon to stop friction between map reader and car driver !!!” Tom Tom 9V00012

“If you dont like the mindless pursuit of slaughtering zombies, this may not be for you” House Of The Dead 2 & 3 Return

“The long poles are a bit of a fiddle to erect. Instructions say can be erected by one person. Maybe if that person was Mr Tickle” Cadiz 7-Man Tent

It’s time for another installment in our What to buy series. We looked at What to buy Dads last week and this week it’s the turn of another tricky customer…the teenage boy.

If you need inspiration, just take a look at these:

For the music lover - Everyone loves music. Get them an MP3 player and they can take music with them wherever they go. The top rated MP3 player on Reevoo at the moment is the 8GB iPod Touch. It’s currently around £100. If you were looking to spend a little less than that, the second highest rated player is the £70 Sony NWZA816 4GB. And for a complete bargain buy, grab some CDs. Prices start from as little at £2.

For the gamer - Why not go for a games console like the PlayStation 3 (£289)? If they already have a console, they might like a gaming chair (£100). It’s comfortable for extended gaming sessions and you can feel the action through it. It can also be used to listen to music and watch films. There are also lots of console accessories, like this PS3 charging station for £15. For smaller gifts, you could go for a video game (prices start at £2).

For Mr Sociable - A mobile phone so that they can keep in contact with all their mates. For a phone packed full of features, how about the Nokia N95 or N96? Or for a more classy option, how about the Samsung Tocco or the new iPhone? (All phone prices vary according to contract)

For the sporty ones - Some tickets to a football or rugby match will make a great gift. For something more original, why not try this Garmin Forerunner 405 (£169) GPS-enabled sport watch, which tracks your training and sends the data to your computer or for trips to the coast this fishing starter kit (£32)?

For gadgety types - A Wind-Up Torch with Mobile Phone Charger (£7) or some travel speakers for your iPod (£9).

And for the boy that has everything? - Give them this Sonic Bomb Alarm Clock (£24) - guaranteed to wake the laziest of teenagers.

All done. Pretty painless, just as shopping should be.

If you’re purchasing online, follow our top tips for online shopping this Christmas.

Sony’s X4500 and W4500 series TVs were first announced back in August, and have been on general sale for a month or so now. I thought it would be good to round up thoughts from around the web on how these models shape up. If these are helpful I’ll turn this into a regular series of posts.

First up, the W4500 series.

My summary of the reviews:

Pros: SD picture, sound quality, contrast, motion handling, design

Cons: Time to download EPG settings, possible clouding issues, value for money

Definately a mixed bag, as you’ll see below!

What HiFi: Sound and Vision:

The 40W4500 is one of the finest TVs we’ve seen all year. And, if you want a screen that can make the most of high-definition content, you’d be bonkers not to give it an audition.
Read more

Bobby J on AV Forums:

The KDL-40W4500 is absolutely brilliant - it produces a clarity of picture in SD digital which is quite mind blowing whilst in analogue the picture is very acceptable - I now can’t wait for my 1st HD viewing.
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BruceWayneIII on AV Forums:

Got my 46″ W4500. Watched a Blu-ray yesterday - Kung-fu Hustle - and although the movie’s image quality isn’t the best Blu-ray has to offer, I was however very, very impressed by the TV’s way of handling it. Deep black, no judder, smooth and colorful. Just excellent.
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Trusted Reviews:

After the ‘warning shot’ of the 52W4500, the smaller 46W4500 seems to suffer even more distractingly with the picture-ruining light pooling problem that troubled us on the large model. Seriously, the problem is so aggravating this time out that it’s hard to believe these TVs are getting through Sony’s quality control systems. In fact, if I hadn’t now seen the problem on two separate W4500 TVs I might have suspected the 46W4500 was faulty.

Basically, someone at Sony needs to get to the bottom of what’s gone wrong with the W4500 range fast, or the brand’s already dwindling profits this year could be in for even more of a hammering.
Read more

For all you original iPhone owners who’ve been fed up with your battery life, this new product may ease the pain a little. The iPow, although it sounds like something out of a Batman comic, is actually an external battery case for the original iPhone (3G version on the way).

It can be charged up at the same time as your iPhone and will apparently double the battery life. It also provides a leather top which closes with a magnetic clasp and mini stereo speakers which are twice as loud as the ones on the iPhone.

It’s not the prettiest of things and in my opinion, makes the iPhone look a little clumpy. It’ll also add 98 grams to your handbag or pocket but if you’re after more juice, then I suppose it’s not so bad. You can pick one up at twistedcarbon for £49.99.

This week’s Gadget Watch is all about trees. Metal trees, that is. This fab looking sculpture will not only be an interesting addition to any room but it will also be your one stop shop (or tree), for charging MP3s, mobile phones, cameras and other small, battery operated devices.

How? Well, each of the leaves is actually a solar panel. These 54 solar panels or photovoltaic panels, to be exact, will store energy that can then be used to charge you favourite gadgets.

Pretty different, hey? Each piece is also movable so you can make it even more original by creating your own shapes.

A fun and great looking product that will save you money and give you that nice warm feeling to know that you’re helping to save the planet too.

It was designed by French genius, Vivien Muller and is not yet on the market but we’ll keep you posted.

There are only 49 days left until Christmas. That’s only 8 more weekends. If you’re the type of person that hates venturing into shops at Cristmas, save yourself some hassle and get your stuff online. Not only will youI be free from crowds and car parks but you’ll also save yourself some petrol.

There are a few things you should be careful of and watch out for when shopping online but follow our top tips and it should all be peachy:

Write a list - Write a list of the people you need to buy for and what you want to get them. This will not only ensure that you don’t forget anyone but you will then be able to work out what will be easy to buy online and what you will need to go into a store to buy. For example, a games console is a product that’s easy to choose online by reading reviews, whereas clothing is something that you might want to see and feel in-store.

Always read reviews - you wouldn’t buy a car without a test drive so why not read reviews from people that have test driven the product you’re about to buy? Reviews from people who have actually bought a product can give you a much better idea of what it will be like than journalist or ‘expert’ reviews - who might have only spent a few minutes looking at the product. And funnily enough, there’s over 400,000 real reviews from people like you and me on Reevoo : )

Read up about the retailer if you’re not familiar with the company - look for and check the phone number on the site so that you know you can get through to them if you have any problems. Also search for the company in a search engine to check other people’s experience with the company.

Check the returns policy - although reading reviews makes it less likely you’ll need to return products after Christmas, it’s worth checking out what it would entail if you had to return a gift to the retailer. You may have to pay a restocking fee or shipping costs or you may be able to return the item to a store.

Check all special offers - Christmas is the time all companies will be offering deals on their products but don’t just look at the product price when you’re comparing deals. Also check delivery costs, returns policies (see above) and make sure they are exactly the same products with all of the same features. Reevoo has prices from over a hundred retailers so it’s a good place to start, especially if you’re buying electricals.

Shop early and check delivery times - Companies will stock up on popular items before Christmas but it’s worth shopping as early as you can to avoid the “out of stock” nightmare. Also ensure that the company will be able to deliver your products in time for Christmas.

Payment and secure sites - Be safe online. Consumer Direct, the government-funded advisory service, recommends that before you enter any details into a seller’s site, make sure you can see the closed padlock in the status bar at the bottom of your browser. The web address should also change from http:// to shttp:// or https:// - this indicates a secure purchase. If you’re paying by credit card, this offers some security online from non-delivery and fraud although it’s usually only for transactions worth more than £100.  Offers are great ways to save some money but just beware of the ones that seem too good to be true, because they usually are. And if you don’t trust the company completely, it’s probably best if you don’t hand over your card details. Oh, and if you’re buying from an auction site such as ebay, be sure to use a service like PayPal which offers some purchase protection.

Ensure your computer is secure - you should have a firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware software on your computer. Read more about how to make your computer secure on http://www.getsafeonline.org. Also make sure you turn your computer off after use to keep it safe from scammers and malicious software.

Keep records - Keep receipts and any email exchanges. Alsodo a print out of the product you are buying and ensure it includes the price and description of the product.

Now you know all that, happy online shopping!

Some more classics from the reviews on Reevoo…

 ”The top volume is about as loud as a mouse’s bed time story” Samsung F210

 ”Slipped down my nose when it was very hot in Greece” Rosie Glasses

“The indication for which hotplate you are using is under the knob. Must have been a man that designed it!” Cannon C60DH
 

“For the price a very good purchase indeed. You don’t get Rolls Royce for the price of a saloon car” Panasonic  SCPT460EB

 ”I like the trimmer too for my groins” Braun 7681 shaver

Freesat - the free to air satellite TV service that allows you to get HD programming without shelling out for Sky’s premium service - has gained a small but significant following.

If you’ve been investigating getting Freesat (you’ll need a dish), then you might be interested to know that two of the big names in personal video recorders, Panasonic and Humax, are preparing to release hard drive recorders with Freesat tuners installed.

Humax have recently annouced their forthcoming FOXSAT-HDR which will feature twin Freesat tuners alongside a stonking 320GB of hard drive storage. The PVR will be compatible with the new Freesat+ recording platform, with both due for release next month. More information is available from Hummy.org.uk

Meanwhile, it looks like Panasonic won’t be far behind. The folks at PVR Junction have done some digging, and it looks like Pana will be releasing a Blu-ray recorder and Freesat PVR combo, the Panasonic DMR-BW500, sometime in 2009.

But I think it will take a little more than Freesat PVRs, or even Freesat+, to get Freesat competing seriously in the Sky/Freeview dual - dish installation needs to be cheap and really pushed by someone who cares.

In the meantime, you can check out the latest PVR reviews at Reevoo.

I know it’s all a bit doom and gloom at the moment in the money department but what happens when you actually need to buy something?

Laptops may seem like an unaffordable luxury but if you’re a student or you run your own business or you just need soemthing that you can carry around with you, laptops are your best bet and you can get one for cheaper than you think.

We’ve set the bar at £300 and found some great deals. Here are the top ten most highly rated laptops under £300, rated by people who have actually bought them:

1. Asus EEE PC 4GB INT - £170

2. Advent 4211 - £230

3. Packard Bell MX37 T003 - £300

4. Toshiba Equium L350-10L - £300

5. Compaq CQ50100EM SI40 - £300

6. Toshiba Equium L300-146 - £300

7. Asus EEE PC 701 4G - £205

8. Asus EEE PC 701 8G - £205

9. EI Systems 1201 T23701G - £250

10. Acer As5633 - £300

So there we go. With prices as low as £170, you’re sure to find something. Asus EEE PCs are great to take anywhere because they’re so tiny, and I especially like all of the new colours they come in but they may take a bit of getting used to. A couple of the reviews from guys mention that the keys are a little difficult for them to type with. If they don’t sound like they’re for you, an extra 50 or so will get you the Advent 4211. It’s got some great reviews. Nuala from County Louth says:

“It’s just fantastic. The best money I ever spent. You can use it anywhere. I would’nt be without it”

And if online gaming’s your thing, Fiona from Wales says:

“Very small and lightweight. Speedy processor means not matter how many screens you’ve got open it doesnt slow. Would higly recommend for anyone looking for an internet laptop. I find it good for online gaming as the applications do not slow the computer even if palying several sites at once.”

If you’re after something stylish, go for the Compaq CQ50100EM SI40. Everyone raves about its design. But if you ask me, the Toshiba Equium L350-10L packs a whole lot into £300 and looks to be well worth the money.

So lots of bargains there and lots of different laptops to choose from. If you’ve come across any others, let us know.

It’s half term next week which means many of us will be carting the kids around for days out, going to visit relatives and possibly getting stuck trying to find things to do. Well, while you’re in the car, a little something called Sat-Nanny may be able to help when you need to stop-off somewhere with the kids or if you’re just trying to find fun things to do.

Sat-Nanny is a joint initiative from the folks over at www.childfriendly.co.uk and RoadTour. It’s a programme that works on most sat navs that will let parents know where the nearest child-friendly stops and activities for little tykes are.

Here are a couple of examples of some of the places it will pull up and the info it will give parents:

The Crown- Twickenham: This pub boasts a huge enclosed beer garden, with two fenced off play areas for children of different age groups, making it easy for adults to relax in the knowledge kids are happy and safe.  There is plenty of space for families to eat inside as well, and car parking available.  There is a children’s menu, but the food is limited to the stock options (pizza, fish fingers & macaroni cheese).  Food for adults is typical gastro pub fare - nothing extraordinary, but well priced.  There are baby-changing facilities.

The Mohair Centre- East Sussex: This is definitely a children’s farm with angora goats all ready to be stroked by the kids and other farm animals such as pigs, cows and chickens. In Spring, you’ll be able to watch the lambing and kidding. No kidding! There are also spinning and weaving demonstrations and a nature trail to help the kids, yours not theirs, explore life on the farm.

Hmmm, who was all up for getting it until they read that?!

Well, regardless of the strange lingo, it will help parents find some nice places to take their children. It only costs a one-off fee of £9.95 so it may be worth it. You can download it here: www.roadtour.co.uk.

You can also see a demo here: Sat-Nanny demo

If you’re still relying on traditional methods of navigation that force you to stop every so often to mess around with a big book of roads, treat yourself and get your hands on a nice, shiny satellite navigation system.