Gadgets Club

Because you are our frequent reader we want to offer you a gift a free copy of iPad: A Magical and Revolutionary Guide.

This short 28 pages guide will help you to get the most out of your shiny new tablet.It contains all the basics iPad tips and tricks.

The iPad: A Magical and Revolutionary Guide was created for people who have an iPad or want to buy one. The guide shows you how to effectively manage your device and keep it organized and tidy, it will give you some tips and tricks, and present you with the MakeUseOf app picks for pretty much anything you’d want to do.

To download the guide click here.

After an unfortunate review from Consumer Reports last Spring, Acer/ Gateway, has increased its efforts to provide customers with better customer service.

While the company’s efforts have been noticed, you can still expect to have long call waiting times and an unknowledgeable tech support agent on the other end if you ever have trouble with one of their laptops or computers. So we know that Acer/ Gateway has some of the worst tech support services around, but who has the best in the industry?

1. Apple

There is no doubt that Apple has by far the best Tech Support services in the industry. Their knowledgeable agents, quick call times, and high functional operating systems make their tech support services nearly flawless. While their Apple Care Protection Plan allows you to call in to receive help, it is expensive and the massive amount of information on the company’s website hardly makes it a necessity. Tech Support site users are generally able to find answers to their questions in two minutes, and MacBook users are even able to use the Express Lane which allows the computer’s problem be identified before a tech agent is even reached. There really isn’t much to be desired from Apple’s tech support team. They do a great job every year and consistently remain the best in the industry.

2. Lenovo

While they may not be as quick as Apple, Lenovo certainly does a great job with their tech support. The company’s tech support website now features ad new layout and solid online tools, and there is even a remote log-in feature which allows Lenovo tech support agents to actively help owners solve problems. The Virtual Agent component, however, was the only drawback as it doesn’t always offer direct solutions and sometimes provides no assistance at all.

3. Sony

Sony has also been able to consistently offer good tech support, and the company has made some solid improvements since last year. In addition to having an online menu that will allow you to select your notebook type down to the operating system to find adequate solutions, they also have a feature that allows tech support agents to take over your computer and manually fix whatever problem your laptop or computer. The e-mail support option is one of the best ways to get tech support; however, expect to wait a few hours for it.

If you want to buy your first camera or if you want a camera which makes beautiful, crystal clear pictures and t is simple to use then the Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 Olympic Edition can be a good solution.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 Olympic Edition has all the features you need to take gorgeous pictures, it is compact and super easy to use.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 Olympic Edition highlights:

 MEGA O.I.S will provide high correction performance against blur caused by a hand-shake, without deterioration of image quality. Intelligent Scene Selector will automatically select which of 6 Scene Modes (Macro, Portrait, Scenery, Night Portrait, Night Scenery and Sunset) best suits your shooting situation.

Intelligent ISO control prevents subjects from appearing blurred by optimizing the shutter speed and ISO sensitivity setting – rendering sharp, clear images whatever the shooting situation. Human faces are captured in focus with appropriate exposure thanks to Face Detection, and the DMC-S3 will even correct unwanted red-eye digitally.

The 14.3 megapixel DMC-S3 features a newly developed 28mm wide-angle LUMIX DC VARIO lens with a 4x optical zoom, all encased within its compact shell. The 28mm wide-angle lens captures wider angles of view compared with a 35mm lens – perfect for shooting group portraits or dynamic landscapes.

The DMC-S3 can also record stunning HD movies (1280x720p) at a smooth 30 fps. Thanks to the integrated LUMIX Image Uploader, you can instantly share your images via Facebook, or videos to YouTube, by connecting to any PC on the spot. All you have to do is checkmark the photos you want to share and connect the camera to a PC.

Pricing and availability

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3 Olympic Edition price tag is £119.95 and you can find it on Johnlewis.com.

To spend a lot of time on the plane, train, subway or car is extremely boring. This is why people love travel gadgets. For summer fun and to combat boredom I recommend playing games on the Nintendo 3DS Console.

This little gadget doesn’t require 3D glasses to enjoy its startling effects, and even offers 3D picture-taking and movie-watching.

The Nintendo 3DS Console features the traditional dual-screen, the top 3.5-inch gaming display is designed to produced crisp 3D images, while the bottom 3D-less display works as the touch panel.

The devices has new built-in camera with two camera lenses, enabling you to take photographs in 3D. Also you can experience watching 3D films on this gadget, with Nintendo demoing trailers from upcoming 3D movies from Disney, Dreamworks and Disney. The 3D capabilities of the cameras allow you to truly enter a new dimension with Augmented Reality, in the AR Games application.

Nintendo 3DS Console features and specs:

• Size (when closed) – 2.9" high, 5.3" long, 0.8" deep.
• Weight – Approximately 8 ounces (including battery pack, stylus, SD memory card).
• Upper 3D Display – 3.53" (3.02" wide x 1.81" high) with 800 x 240 pixel resolution, range of 16.77 million colors and 400 pixels are allocated to each eye to enable 3D viewing.
• Lower Screen – 3.02" (2.42" wide, 1.81" high) with 320 x 240 pixel resolution and range of 16.77 million colors.
• Cameras – 3 (2 facing out, 1 facing in), each with 640 x 480 resolution capability; single focus lenses using the CMOS capture element; active pixel count is approximately 300,000 pixels.
• Wireless Functionality – 2.4 GHz, supporting IEEE802.11 b/g with the WPA/WPA2 security features.
• Input Controls – A/B/X/Y Button, + control pad, L/R button, START/SELECT, Circle Pad (enabling 360-degree analogue input), Touchscreen, embedded microphone, Camera, Motion sensor, Gyro sensor.
• Other Input Controls – 3D Depth Slider (enabling smooth adjustment of the 3D level effect), HOME (HOME button brings up the HOME menu), Wireless switch (can disable wireless functionality even during game play), POWER button.
• Parental Controls – Enable parents to restrict game content by ratings as well as use of specific wireless connectivity, 3D functionality, etc.
• System Transfer – Enable users to transfer already purchased software from one Nintendo 3DS system to another. DSiWare purchased for the Nintendo DSi or the Nintendo DSi XL can also be transferred into a Nintendo 3DS system.
• Built-in Software – Includes: the Nintendo 3DS Camera, Nintendo 3DS Sound, Mii Maker, StreetPass, Mii Plaza, AR Games, Activity Log, Face Raiders, etc.
• Connector – Game Card slot, SD Card slot, Cradle connector, AC adapter connector, Audio jack (stereo output).
• Sound – Stereo speakers positioned to the left and right of the top screen (supports virtual surround sound).
• Stylus – Telescoping stylus (approximately 3.94" when fully extended).
• Electric Power – AC adapter. Nintendo 3DS Battery Pack (lithium ion battery) [CTR-003].
• Approximate Charge Time – 3.5 hours.
• Approximate Battery Duration – 3-5 hours (3DS software), 5-8 hour (DS software and/or with lowered brightness settings).
• Game Card – Nintendo 3DS Game Card. The size is approximately the same as Nintendo DS Game Card.

Pricing and availability

The Nintendo 3DS Console price tag is £169.00 ($249.99) and you can get it in UK from Asda Direct or Amazon.co.uk and in USA from Amazon.com.

I was excited when I saw that Duke Nukem Forever PC was released.

I was playing Duke Nukem when I was in high school. What a great game it was. Me and my friends played it all day long.

Duke Nukem Forever like its ancestor the 1991 original, Duke Nukem Forever is a hardcore shoot-‘em-up that sees the Duke fighting off hordes of aliens in order to save the world.

Main features

The new version features Pig cops, alien shrink rays and enormous alien bosses… and, of course, babes. Lots and lots of babes.

Aside from shooting everything in sight (and behind and above) the gamer (as Duke) gets to shoot hoops, lift weights, read adult magazines, draw crude messages on whiteboards and gaze lustily at babes… lots of babes.

Locations

The game features locations in the USA from the Las Vegas Strip to the Hoover Dam. In these environments, the Duke gets to unleash his mighty arsenal of optimally dangerous weaponry including shotguns, RPGs, pipe bombs and much, much more. This is complemented in a very ,very adult world by a range of mad vehicles, puzzles to be solved, and extremely violent first-person shooter-based plotting to follow if the Duke is going to save the world.

Multiplayer

Multi-player modes are also included in the long-awaited game. These will enable you to beat your opponent in a variety of hideous ways from fragging, freezing and shattering to exploding and pipe-bombing.

Pricing and availability

Duke Nukem Forever PC price tag is £29.99 and you can get it form Bee.com.