Decide what to buy

There have been loads of reviews that made us giggle over the past year. Here are a collection of the best…

“Whoever designed the keypad wants his head boiling” Nokia N82

“it is so wonderful it has changed my life and I have now decided to abandon my family take up scientology, move to canada and live as a woman in the future” Belkin iPod audio cable

“It’s internal clock is about as accurate as an elephant playing darts” Packard Bell MZ36 T015

“Setting up is a bit technical especially for someone like myself who thinks a woofer is a dog” Sony DAVDZ531W

“maps and speed limits aren’t accurate. Apparently my local tescos is in a field” Tomtom GO 520 UK&IRE

“The bloody thing beeps at you incessantly when it has finished washing. It may be 2.00 am but it has no respect. I loathe it more than Windows 95″ BOSCH WAE24162

“When I put it on the ground and sit on it, it doesn’t fly. I have tried all the magic words that I have ever heard of, and even made up some of my own, but without success. I even applied for permission to land at heathrow’s Terminal 5, but they said there was a blanket ban on them. Shall Icontact my M.P.?” Double 10.5 Tog Duvet

“The stickiness of the stick is fantastic. It’s memory capacity is capacious” Kingston 1GB USB 2.0 Flash Key Drive

“Great pick up qualities - Like Miss World in a bikini at Wembley after the FA Cup Final!!!!Moves around better than John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever!!!!” Dyson DC16

If you’re all done with your Christmas shopping, you might be holding out for the sales so that you can grab some bargains. But instead of braving the crowds in search of that TV you’ve been after or that MP3 player that’s just a little too pricey at the moment, why not let us do the hard work?

If you have a particular product in mind, just find it on www.reevoo.com and click on the price drop alert to the right of the product or the one on top of the pricing table:

Then just enter your email address and click submit. It’s as easy as that.

If you’re still looking for Christmas gifts for your loved ones, take Reevoo with you to the shops so that you can make sure you’re spending your money on something good.

We’ve had a bit of a break but people have been missing our Funny Friday Reviews so much that we’ve brought them back early. Here are some of the more humorous reviews over on Reevoo

“If you dont like the mindless pursuit of slaughtering zombies, this may not be for you”

“Many times i am watching tv and the bell goes off and i don’t hear it. Ending up with burnt pizza, er i mean spoilt home made Chicken casserole.” Indesit FI31

“Not much help with pronunciation, not that I expect to use it for conversation very much!” Cambridge Latin Course 1

“As soon as I saw this I new it would be perfect for my nephew and as soon as it arrived I knew it would be perfect for me!!” Spongebob Squarepants Karaoke

“Used them for driving in Southern USA. Got a really dark tan. Went into a golf clubhouse with a golf club in my hand and was mistaken for Stevie Wonder.” Scott Glasses

We’ve come across a few strange ones in our time but this little gadget is as strange as it is genius. For years we’ve been telling the time in the same, boring way but now, John Maushammer has a new take on the humble wrist watch.

The Pong watch tells the time by totting up the outcome of an ongoing game of ping pong. The hours and minutes change depending on which side wins the current game.

The watch took Maushammer two years to complete. You can see his progress in the video below:

Nintendo has released its list of goodies planned for the Wii and Nintendo DS in 2009. They include new DS keep-fit title, Walk with me! Do you know your walking routine? Which will help you on your way to walking off all those chocolates and puddings. An Activity Meter comes with the software which will enable you to record a week’s worth of data and compete with friends and other Walk with me! walkers all over the planet.

On the Wii, you can look forward to classics like Pikmin and Mario Power Tennis. Check out the full list below:

Nintendo Wii Software 2009

Chrysler Classic Racing (ZOO) 9 Jan 2009

Jeep Thrills (formerly Let’s Off Road) (ZOO) 9 Jan 2009

Army Men: Soldiers of Misfortune (ZOO) 16 Jan 2009

Skate City Heroes (ZOO) 16 Jan 2009

Story Hour Adventures (ZOO) 16 Jan 2009

Story Hour Fairy Tales (ZOO) 16 Jan 2009

NeoPets Puzzle Adventure (Capcom) 23 Jan 2009

Twin Strike: Operation Thunder (ZOO) Jan 2009

Riding Stables (dtp young entertainment) Jan 2009

Music Party (dtp young entertainment) Jan 2009

Ultimate Band (Capcom) 5 Feb 2009

NEW PLAY CONTROL! Pikmin (Nintendo) 6 Feb 2009

Hotel For Dogs (505 Games) 6 Feb 2009

NARUTO Clash of Ninja Revolution 2 European Version (TOMY / Nintendo) 13 Feb 2009

Deadly Creatures (THQ) 13 Feb 2009

CM 2 - World Kitchen (505 Games) 20 Feb 2009

The Destiny of Zorro (505 Games) 27 Feb 2009

House of the Dead: Overkill (SEGA) Feb 2009

Ben 10: Alien Force (D3Publisher) Feb 2009

Onechanbra-Bikini Zombi Slayers (D3Publisher) Feb 2009

Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars (SouthPeak Games) Feb 2009

Pirates versus Ninja (SouthPeak Games) Feb 2009

CID The Dummy (Oxygen Games) Feb 2009

Tenchu Shadow Assassins (Ubisoft) 5 Mar 2009

Yamaha Supercross (ZOO) 6 Mar 2009

Big Foot Collision Course (ZOO) 6 Mar 2009

Diva Girls: Princess on Ice (505 Games) 6 Mar 2009

Smiley World Island Challenge (ZOO) 13 Mar 2009

Jelly Belly Ballistic Beans (ZOO) 13 Mar 2009

Sim Animals (EA) 23 Mar 2009

Little King´s Story (Rising Star Games) 28 Mar 2009

NEW PLAY CONTROL! Mario Power Tennis (Nintendo) Mar 2009

Sonic and the Black Knight (SEGA) Mar 2009

MADWORLD (SEGA) Mar 2009

Diabolik: The Original Sin (Black Bean /Lago Srl) Mar 2009

Bob the Builder: Festival of Fun (Mastertronic) Mar 2009

AMF Bowling World Lanes (Bethsoft europe) Q1 2009

Runaway The Dream of the Turtle (Focus Home Interactive) Q1 2009

Job Island (Hudson Soft) Q1 2009

Kororinpa 2 (working title) (Hudson Soft) Q1 2009

King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga (Ignition) Q1 2009

Samurai Shodown Anthology (Ignition) Q1 2009

Jillian Michaels´ Fitness Ultimatum 2009 (Koch Media / Deep Silver) Q1 2009

Castlevania Judgment (Konami) Q1 2009

PES 2009 (Konami) Q1 2009

Cake Mania - In the Mix! (Majesco/Codemasters) Q1 2009

Escape The Museum (Majesco/Codemasters) Q1 2009

Rock Revolution (Konami) Q1 2009

Hysteria Hospital: Emergeny Ward (Oxygen Games) Q1 2009

Roogoo (SouthPeak Games) Q1 2009

Brave: A Warrior’s Tale (SouthPeak Games) Q1 2009

Line Rider 2: Unbound (InXile) Q1 2009

PurrPals II (InXile) Q1 2009

Nintendo DS Software 2009

Chrysler Classic Racing (ZOO) 9 Jan 2009

My Chinese Coach (Ubisoft) 15 Jan 2009

Petz My Monkey Family (Ubisoft) 15 Jan 2009

Petz My Kitten Family (Ubisoft) 15 Jan 2009

Lord of the Rings:Conquest (EA) 16 Jan 2009

Army Men: Soldiers of Misfortune (ZOO) 16 Jan 2009

Tecktonic (Koch Media / Deep Silver) 16 Jan 2009

Sim Animals (EA) 23 Jan 2009

NeoPets Puzzle Adventure (Capcom) 23 Jan 2009

Word Master (ZOO) 30 Jan 2009

The Woodleys - Sports (dtp young entertainment) Jan 2009

Best Friend - My Horse (dtp young entertainment) Jan 2009

Ultimate Band (Disney Interactive Studios) 4 Feb 2009

Scrabble 2009 (Ubisoft) 5 Feb 2009

Imagine: Ballet Dancer (Ubisoft) 5 Feb 2009

Johnny Bravo (Mastertronic) 6 Feb 2009

Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir (Nintendo) 6 Feb 2009

Harvest Fishing (Rising Star) 6 Feb 2009

XG Blast! (Rising Star) 6 Feb 2009

Hotel for Dogs (505 Games) 6 Feb 2009

Imagine: Movie Star (Ubisoft) 12 Feb 2009

My Pet Zoo Vet (505 Games) 13 Feb 2009

Buffy (505 Games) 13 Feb 2009

Rune Factory (Rising Star) 13 Feb 2009

Walk with me! Do you know your walking routine? bundled with two Activity Meters (Nintendo) 20 Feb 2009

Lux Pain (Rising Star) 20 Feb 2009

Pop Town (505 Games) 27 Feb 2009

Mahjong Quest (Astragon) 27 Feb 2009

The Chase: Felix meets Felicity (Atari) Feb 2009

Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell (Disney Interactive Studios) Feb 2009

Mushroom Men: Rise of The Fungi (SouthPeak Games) Feb 2009

Insecticide (SouthPeak Games) Feb 2009

Ben 10: Alien Force (D3Publisher) Feb 2009

Crazy Machines (dtp young entertainment) Feb 2009

My pet beauty salon (dtp young entertainment) Feb 2009

The Chase: Felix meets Felicity (Atari) Feb 2009

Diva Girls: Diva Dancers (505 Games) 6 Mar 2009

Yamaha Supercross (ZOO) 6 Mar 2009

Big Foot Collision Course (ZOO) 6 Mar 2009

Club Penguin (Disney Interactive Studios) 13 Mar 2009

Populous (Rising Star) 13 Mar 2009

Smile World Island Challenge (ZOO) 13 Mar 2009

Jelly Belly Ballistic Beans (ZOO) 13 Mar 2009

Emergency Room (505 Games) 27 Mar 2009

My Beauty Salon (505 Games) 27 Mar 2009

NARUTO NINJA DESTINY 2 European Versión (TOMY / Nintendo) Mar 2009

Bleach: Dark Souls (SEGA) Mar 2009

History^TM Great Empires: Rome (Black Bean / Lago Srl) Mar 2009

Diabolik: The Original Sin (Black Bean / Lago Srl) Mar 2009

Puzzle Quest Galactrix (D3Publisher) Mar 2009

Challenge Me: Brain Puzzles (Oxygen Games) Mar 2009

Challenge Me: Maths Workout (Oxygen Games) Mar 2009

Ducati Moto (Bethsoft europe) Q1 2009

AMF Bowling Pinbusters! (Bethsoft europe) Q1 2009

Dungeon Raiders (Focus Home Entertainment) Q1 2009

Sherlock Holmes “Le mystere de la momie” (Focus Home Entertainment) Q1 2009

Blood Bowl (Focus Home Entertainment) Q1 2009

Let’s Play: Firemen (Koch/Deep Silver) Q1 2009

Bomberman 2 (working title) (Hudson Soft) Q1 2009

Enchanted Folk and the School of Wizardry (Konami) Q1 2009

Rock Revolution (Konami) Q1 2009

Cake Mania 2 (Majesco/Codemasters) Q1 2009

Maths Blaster (Majesco) Q1 2009

Powerbike (Majesco) Q1 2009

Left Brain Right Brain 2 (Majesco) Q1 2009

Wonderworld Amusement Park (Majesco) Q1 2009

Babysitting Mania (Majesco/Codemasters) Q1 2009

Our House (Majesco) Q1 2009

Big Bang Mini (SouthPeak Games) Q1 2009

Brave: Shaman’s Challenge (SouthPeak Games) Q1 2009

Roogoo (SouthPeak Games) Q1 2009

De Blob (THQ) Q1 2009

Gauntlet (Eidos) Spring 2009

Winx Club Secret Diary 2009 (Konami) early 2009

See Nintendo for more details.

[techradar]

From the best MP3 players of 2008 to the best laptops of 2008. We look at the most popular in the run-up to Christmas and the most highly rated to help you decide what to buy.

So let’s take a look at the lists:

TOP FIVE MOST POPULAR LAPTOPS OF 2008:

1.    Advent 4211

2.    Acer Aspire ONE A110A

3.    Toshiba L300-13S

4.    Toshiba U400-145 T2390

5.    Dell Inspiron 1525 T5750

TOP FIVE HIGHEST RATED LAPTOPS OF 2008:

1.    Samsung NP-NC10 KA

2.    Apple MacBook Pro MB166

3.    Apple MacBook MB402

4.    Asus Eee PC 1000H

5.    Apple MacBook MB403

There’s no surprise to see that MacBooks dominated the highest rated list. People are very impressed with their speed, design and reliability but they don’t escape negative comments completely - owners say that they’re pricey, could do with better battery life and that they scratch easily.

What may surprise some people is that the 10″ Samsung NP-NC10 KA pips the MacBooks to the post. It has a fantastic score for battery life and owners love its size and weight. It has a 160Gb hard drive, 1GB RAM, Bluetooth, integrated webcam, WiFi and it weighs only 1.3kg.

Check out some of the reviews:

“it has almost everything that a standard entry level laptop has, but it is smaller and lighter. it is a good looking notebook, the wi fi and bluetooth also go along way to make the laptop a true portable work tool”

“battery life really good, as is speed for size. Brilliant to carry around. keyboard good”

“it would been better if it came with 2gb of ram, now i need to upgrade the ram”

Also flying the flag for the small guys was the Advent 4211. It’s the laptop most people are checking out at the moment. Also coming in at 10″ and a little lighter at 1.12kg, it has an 80GB hard drive, 1GB RAM, Bluetooth, WiFi and integrated webcam.

There’s a lot of love for this laptop:

“This little PC is an absolutely top notch system.”

“It’s just fantastic. The best money I ever spent. You can use it anywhere. I wouldn’t be without it.”

“No CD/DVD drive is the only downfall but not really a problem as I bought an external CD/DVD drive and the problem is solved.”

There are loads more laptops to look through. Just read the reviews before you purchase anything to make sure you get the best one for you.

Did you realise that you can get money for you old mobile? Not just a little bit either- you would be surprised how much cash you can get back for your old phone, even if it’s not working! Reevoo have partnered with a number of recycling companies to offer you a choice of reasons for recycling or trading in your phone for cash and for a good cause.

The process is simple- you register your phone online, and get an instant quote for its value. Next you just send off your old handset, either in a pre-paid envelope, or to a freepost address, and then simply sit back and wait for a cheque or money transfer. You can even exchange your phone for nectar points or Tesco Clubcard points. It really is that easy!

So what happens to your old phone? Your phone is either refurbished and sold in developing economies, or it is ecologically disposed of. Gone are the days of endless phones in landfill sites, now the parts are re-used, or the handsets are smelted for energy production. The companies involved are all concerned with the environment, sustainable development and elevating poverty, so help others whilst getting some cash in your own pocket. Greener Solutions Group for example, a leading owner of various mobile recycling companies, are concerned with sustainable development.  Since its launch in 2001, more than £10 million has been raised by its charity partners.

It seems to us here at Reevoo, that it’s a no-brainer- just free post your old phone in, and get some more cash to go and spend on some Christmas presents! For example:

How much is my old phone worth?

Original iPhone - £125!

Nokia 5310 - £35

Samsung D900 - £20

Obviously you can’t expect to get cash back for a phone that is in pieces. The various companies have different guidelines on prices depending on the state of the phone, but here are a few outlines. Best prices will be paid for phones that are in one piece, have little cosmetic damage and switch on when charged up. Scratches and cracks are not big problems, but even phones that don’t work might be eligible for cash. Have a look at the individual website for more details, but even sending it off to them for a few quid in return is better for you and then environment!

So- don’t leave your old phones lying around gathering dust- they could be worth a lot, and could contribute to a great Christmas in this tough financial climate! Visit our Mobile Recycling Page and see how easy it is to get cash yourself!

Last week we looked at the top digital cameras of 2008 and this week we bring you MP3 players. There are plenty of them around but which ones are any good?

We’ve looked at the most popular ones - the ones that get the most attention on the web and the highest rated to see how they fare when people get them home.

At the moment, everyone’s after the New 16 GB Apple iPod Nano. It gets great reviews for its design and size but, as with most Apple products, consumers would like more battery life.

Here are the MP3 players getting the most attention at the moment:

1.       New Apple iPod Nano 16GB

2.       Apple iPod Shuffle 2GB 2^ND Generation

3.       Sony Walkman NWZA815B 2GB

4.       Archos GMINI 402

5.       Philips SA167 512MB

And these players are the highest rated by consumers who have all bought the products:

1.       Creative Zen 8GB MP3 Player

2.       Sony NWZA816 4GB MP3 Player

3.       Samsung YP-P2JCB 8GB

4.       Apple iPod Touch 8GB

5.       Samsung YP-T10J 2/4 GB MP3 Player

The Creative Zen 8GB MP3 Player gets great reviews. Consumers hardly have a bad word to say about it and praise its design, battery life and sound quality.

Here are some of the things reviewers had to say:

“excellent all rounder sound, vision, size and value for money” Debs, Co. Durham

“i absolutely love it, the sound and vision quality is exceptional” Nicola, Whitley Bay

If you’re strapped for cash but want to invest in something decent, the Samsung YP-T10J is an absolute bargain at £30. It’s rated 9/10 and seriously impresses reviewers:

“this MP3 player has just about everything you could possibly want and very user friendly. The sound is clear and crisp and the photo/video mode is excellent.” Denise, Norwich

“its awesome, looks good, good sound and battery life, cute, not too common like an ipod” Anonymous

“This MP3 player is capable of superb sound reproduction (though not perhaps with the supplied headphones). It’s easy to find your way around the menu and I think it must be one of the slimest MP3 players around.” Eric, Perthshire

If you’re not impressed with any of these, there are loads of other MP3 players to choose from.

Nintendo are set for world domination with the DS. Not only do they already teach people how to speak different languages and help them stop smoking, they can now be used to read entire books.

The Nintendo DS will now be able to be morphed into an eBook reader with its 100 Classic Book Collection package. Among the classics packed in will be gems from Lewis Carroll, Shakespeare, and Dickens. But if they’re not your cup of tea, you can use the Wi-Fi feature to download something more to your taste.

You can find the list of 100 titles below. If you’ve thought ahead and decided that this would be great Christmas present for someone you know, think again. For some strange reason, this package is set to launch on Boxing Day - clever, hey?

It’s £17.99 and available for pre-order from Amazon. It all works out slightly cheaper than buying one of the £200 Sony e-readers but the thought of sitting on a train whilst trying to read an entire book on that screen makes just popping to the library to pick up a paperback a much more preferable option. What do you think?

100 titles available in the 100 Classic Book Collection:

• Louisa May Alcott - Little Women
• Jane Austen - Emma
• Jane Austen - Mansfield Park
• Jane Austen - Persuasion
• Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice
• Jane Austen - Sense and Sensibility
• Harriet Beecher Stowe - Uncle Tom’s Cabin
• R.D. Blackmore - Lorna Doone
• Anne Bronte - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
• Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre
• Charlotte Bronte - The Professor
• Charlotte Bronte - Shirley
• Charlotte Bronte - Villette
• Emily Bronte - Wuthering Heights
• John Bunyan - The Pilgrim’s Progress
• Frances Burnett - Little Lord Fauntleroy
• Frances Burnett - The Secret Garden
• Lewis Carroll - Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
• Lewis Carroll - Through the Looking-Glass
• Wilkie Collins - The Moonstone
• Wilkie Collins - The Woman in White
• Carlo Collodi - The Adventures of Pinocchio
• Arthur Conan Doyle - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
• Arthur Conan Doyle - The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes
• Joseph Conrad - Lord Jim
• Susan Coolidge - What Katy Did
• James Fenimore Cooper - Last of the Mohicans
• Daniel Defoe - Robinson Crusoe
• Charles Dickens - Barnaby Rudge
• Charles Dickens - Bleak House
• Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
• Charles Dickens - David Copperfield
• Charles Dickens - Dombey and Son
• Charles Dickens - Great Expectations
• Charles Dickens - Hard Times
• Charles Dickens - Martin Chuzzlewit
• Charles Dickens - Nicholas Nickleby
• Charles Dickens - The Old Curiosity Shop
• Charles Dickens - Oliver Twist
• Charles Dickens - The Pickwick Papers
• Charles Dickens - A Tale of Two Cities
• Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo
• Alexandre Dumas - The Three Musketeers
• George Eliot - Adam Bede
• George Eliot - Middlemarch
• George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss
• Henry Rider Haggard - King Solomon’s Mines
• Thomas Hardy - Far From The Madding Crowd
• Thomas Hardy - The Mayor of Casterbridge
• Thomas Hardy - Tess of The D’Urbervilles
• Thomas Hardy - Under the Greenwood Tree
• Nathaniel Hawthorne - The Scarlet Letter
• Victor Hugo - The Hunchback of Notre Dame
• Victor Hugo - Les Miserables
• Washington Irving - The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon
• Charles Kingsley - Westward Ho!
• D.H. Lawrence - Sons And Lovers
• Gaston Leroux - The Phantom of the Opera
• Jack London - The Call of the Wild
• Jack London - White Fang
• Herman Melville - Moby Dick
• Edgar Allen Poe - Tales of Mystery and Imagination
• Sir Walter Scott - Ivanhoe
• Sir Walter Scott - Rob Roy
• Sir Walter Scott - Waverley
• Anna Sewell - Black Beauty
• William Shakespeare - All’s Well That Ends Well
• William Shakespeare - Antony and Cleopatra
• William Shakespeare - As You Like It
• William Shakespeare - The Comedy of Errors
• William Shakespeare - Hamlet
• William Shakespeare - Julius Caesar
• William Shakespeare - King Henry the Fifth
• William Shakespeare - King Lear
• William Shakespeare - King Richard the Third
• William Shakespeare - Love’s Labour’s Lost
• William Shakespeare - Macbeth
• William Shakespeare - The Merchant of Venice
• William Shakespeare - A Midsummer-Night’s Dream
• William Shakespeare - Much Ado About Nothing
• William Shakespeare - Othello, the Moor of Venice
• William Shakespeare - Romeo and Juliet
• William Shakespeare - The Taming of the Shrew
• William Shakespeare - The Tempest
• William Shakespeare - Timon of Athens
• William Shakespeare - Titus Andronicus
• William Shakespeare - Twelfth Night
• William Shakespeare - The Winter’s Tale
• Robert Louis Stevenson - Kidnapped
• Robert Louis Stevenson - The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• Robert Louis Stevenson - Treasure Island
• Jonathan Swift - Gulliver’s Travels
• William Thackeray - Vanity Fair
• Anthony Trollope - Barchester Towers
• Mark Twain - Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
• Mark Twain - Adventures of Tom Sawyer
• Jules Verne - Around the World in Eighty Days
• Jules Verne - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
• Oscar Wilde - The Importance of Being Earnest
• Oscar Wilde - The Picture of Dorian Gray