Reviews

Sydney Morning Herald

Monday February 12, 2007

David Flynn, Anna Raciti, Rod Easdown, Greg Borrowman

Belkin Easy Transfer Cable

$99.95 www.belkin.com/anz *** 1/2

Getting a new PC is always fun, but moving all your documents, photos and emails off the old machine onto the new system certainly isn't.

The fastest way is to shuttle the files directly from the old PC to the new one using a USB transfer cable and that's when Belkin's Easy Transfer Cable steps up to the plate.

This 2.4 metre cable has USB plugs at both ends and a small hub of circuitry in the middle. Because most new PCs now come loaded with Microsoft's Windows Vista, Belkin includes a copy of Microsoft's Windows Easy Transfer program on CD.

This handy utility (included in Windows Vista and available free from www.microsoft.com/download) scours your XP machine and copies document folders (including pictures, music and video), email (messages, contacts and account settings) plus internet settings such as your bookmarks of favourite websites.

You will, however, need to re-install your software such as Office, Photoshop and iTunes onto the Vista system.

Once the data is bundled up, the cable flings it onto the new system at a terrific rate - an 8GB test file clocked in at just shy of 10 minutes. It's faster and less hassle than using an external hard drive or burning the data onto DVDs.

The cable can also be used to move files and synchronise folders between two PCs using the supplied LapLink pcSync software. We found this to be an awkward program and preferred the approach taken with Belkin's previous File Transfer cable. This used a Spartan file manager, which was built into the cable hub so there was no software CD - a real "plug and play" solution ideal for notebook PC users.

Another sore point is that in the US the Easy Transfer Cable sells for $US40 - that's equivalent to $51, about half the local RRP. We don't mind a little profit for Belkin's Australian office, but a 100 per cent mark-up is way over the top. David Flynn

Netgear Skype WiFi Phone SPH101

$469 www.netgear.com.au ****

It looks like a regular mobile phone but the Skype WiFi Phone SPH101 doesn't make calls via the mobile phone network. Instead, when you switch it on, it seeks out wireless PC networks in range and allows you to make calls via the internet using Skype.

That's right - you no longer have to sit in front of your PC wearing a Madonna-style headset to take advantage of Skype.

Call other Skype users worldwide free or tap into the paid-for Skype services such as SkypeOut to call regular phone numbers at dramatically reduced prices.

The SkypeOut rate is 2.7 cents a minute to a long list of countries, regardless of where you're calling from. For example, calling your mate in Portugal can cost the same as much as calling your parents in the next suburb. The Skype website (www.skype.com) has a list of countries and call rates.

Your account balance is displayed on the phone's screen and, after finishing a call, the balance is updated.

Setting up the phone is an exercise in simplicity. However, you will need to have a wireless network operating in your home.

We tested the unit with a Netgear RangeMax 240 wireless router. During set-up, the phone found three networks within range, including our own. All of them were quite sensibly locked, so we had to enter the WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) security key we set up when originally installing the router.

Once connected to a network you can either sign into an existing Skype account or create a new one (it's free). If you sign into your existing account, your contacts are displayed on the phone. If you're a new user, adding contacts is simple once you know their Skype user names.

As with using Skype on your PC with a headset, the call quality of the SPH101 is determined by your broadband connection but, generally speaking, it is very good.

The phone's colour screen is bright and the user menus are intuitive. Build quality is excellent and although it feels slightly larger and heavier than a typical mobile phone on, you'll hardly notice the difference after a few calls.

Want to save money on calls without donning a headset? The SPH101 is an elegant solution. Anna Raciti

JBL Spyro speakers system

$229.95 www.conexus.com.au *** 1/2

So cute. Cute is important right now. Let's face it, portable and computer speakers are pretty boring. When a brand with the history and horsepower of JBL comes along with an offering, you just have to have a listen, especially when they look this good.

The system is called Spyro and consists of a tiny pair of speakers - they're about the height of a matchbox - shaped like flowers and a mushroom subwoofer that can be placed under the desk but looks good enough to sit on top of it. The cloth-covered cables look and feel great, the last few centimetres before the blooming speakers being rigid stems with which you can angle the speakers towards your ears.

Sypro speakers come in four colours: white, black, fuchsia and a powder blue JBL calls retro.

The system has an in-built amplifier so you simply plug the mini jack into the headphone output of your computer, digital portable, CD player or whatever and get surprisingly robust sound. The Spyro system is much louder than most mini speaker systems, but manages to avoid distortion under all but the most trying of conditions.

The plus and minus symbols on the right-hand speaker are touch controls to adjust volume. You can also mute the sound with a single tap and there's a control on the subwoofer outlet to adjust low-range output.

The system remembers your previous volume setting and reverts to it when switched on.

It lacks a good deal of mid-range output, so can sound a bit thin, but it's not bad for such a compact system and for something that was designed primarily to be cute we were pleasantly surprised.

JBL has a second system it calls Spot, with the right and left speakers the same shape as the mushroom sub, only smaller. It's also $229.95. Rod Easdown

Sennheiser MXL51 Street earphones

$59.95 www.syntec.com.au *** 1/2

What do you do with your earbud-style earphones when they're not in your ears? Do you let them dangle untidily or tuck them into your pocket?

Whatever you do, the leads will probably become tangled and untangling them is a frustrating and time-consuming job that risks damaging the delicate wiring.

German headphone maker Sennheiser has a simple, elegant solution. Its new MXL51 Street earphones don't use the conventional "Y" design. Instead, the left and right earphone cords sprout from either side of a corded lanyard that sits around your neck.

This design has many advantages. First, if one of the earbuds falls from your ear, it won't dislodge the other. Second, when you're not using the earbuds they hang neatly from the lanyard on either side of your chest. This means they can't tangle and you don't have to work out which one goes into which ear when you're ready to start listening again. Finally, there's no alligator-clip to damage your clothing.

The lanyard has a snaplock fitting so you can attach it like a necklace.

The lock is also a swivel, so no matter how you twist and turn, the lanyard will always sit neatly around your neck.

The earphones incorporate Sennheiser's "BassWind" bass enhancement system, so you hear much deeper, more extended bass than with ordinary earbud designs.

High-frequency performance is also superior, extending smoothly to 21kHz.

The earphones come with washable earbud covers and a soft, triangular carry-case.

Greg Borrowman

© 2007 Sydney Morning Herald

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