Gadgetoid

I’ve had the opportunity to try out SlinkLink recently and have been evangelizing it to my colleagues simply because… well… it just works, exceedingly well.

I will also be getting my grubby paws upon some similar devices from Solwise for comparison and compatibility testing.

The general idea behind SlingLink, which uses the standardized HomePlug technology, is to allow you to utilise your existing household power cables as network cables.

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Well my prediction of a £119.99 Xbox 360 Arcade price tag at Play.com has yet to come to fruition, however Game.co.uk have some pretty good deals including a free copy of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed bundled with an Arcade system at £129.99.

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At Gadgetoid we try our best to focus on as wide a range of technology as possible. We’ve had Rob on the sidelines for a while, and reported Hi-Fi news every now and then, but it’s time to take things a little further.

Rob will be stepping up and putting his Hi-Fi experience to good use by covering some key products from our friends at Arcam and, eventually, a more diverse range of high-end audio equipment.

First and foremost we have the Arcam Solo Mini complete with Muso speakers in the office and ready to be reviewed. It’s not, by any stretch of the imagination, a bargain basement Hi-Fi and exemplifies the sort of audio products we’ll be covering over the coming years.

You’ll have to bear with us while Rob is moulded into a thorough and discerning audio journalist. But suffice to say if you’re an audiophile, you’re in for a real treat.

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Baroque, Developed by Sting Entertainment and published by Rising Star Games, was originally released on the Sega Saturn back in 1999, but has been updated and re-released for the Wii and PS2.

Suitable for ages 12 and up, get ready to get Emo! Close the curtains; part the side fringe and stop smiling… we’re about to get serious!

The game is a dark and sinister RPG that takes place following a world-altering cataclysm called the Blaze that took place on May 14, 2032. The world, now existing in a twisted state, is populated by creatures that were once human but that have lost their hearts and minds to the Baroques inside them. (Hence the clever name!) You play the Protagonist, a young man who carries the burden of a sin he cannot recall. He’s lost his memories and cannot speak.

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Review by Johnus Maximus

The long anticipated new Star Wars title from LucasArts has finally arrived. Assuming the role of Darth Vaders secret apprentice, this third-person platform/adventure game fills some of the plot gap between the third and fourth films and will see you unleashing the power of the force like never before

Released on September 19th 2008, The Force Unleashed is developed and published by LucasArts, and is also available on PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii and DS. Despite being short, the game is a lot of fun and offers a well presented cinematic experience that no Star Wars fan can afford to miss out on.

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Review by Johnus Maximus

TNA iMPACT! Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is the first, exclusive video game representation of popular weekly “sports entertainment” tv show TNA iMPACT!. It was released on the 12th of September 2008 and is also available on PS3, PS2 and Wii.

Developed by Midway Studios Los Angeles and published by Midway Games, TNA iMPACT! aims to provide wrestling fans with an exciting alternative to the WWE titles currently on the market. Despite being a technically competent game, it’s not really that much fun.

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I was a non-believer when it came to gaming-grade mousing services. Recently, however, I noticed the SteelSeries Ikari (which has become my mouse of choice) takes a certain degree of pressure before it will move on the surface of my desk. This meant that trying to move the mouse a single pixel (which I have to do from time to time) or with great precision was hampered by a juddering effect that made it frustrating.

I had happened across some gaming grade surfaces whilst browsing the SteelSeries website and decided it would be a good idea to give them a try. I requested the SteelSeries 5L and SteelSeries SP.

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Notebooks are quickly coming around to the wonders of high fidelity audio output, with Optical Digital/Analogue combination jacks prevalent at the moment and, with gaming on laptops being an absurd pipe dream, no real clear need for anything much better than cheap and cheerful integrated audio.

Creative have other plans, however, in the form of their Creative X-Fi Notebook Sound Card and Wireless Receiver allowing the streaming of X-Fi high fidelity audio to speakers without needing to tether yourself.

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Coming in just days after rumors that the UK store Woolworths would be offering the Xbox 360 console starting at just £129.99, Microsoft have officially announced their new, lower prices for all three currently available SKUs starting Friday, the 19th of September .

The new prices start at £129.99, unsurprisingly, for the Arcade, £169.99 for a 60GB hard-drive and single wireless controller and a bargain £229.99 for the 120GB-endowed Elite… which isn’t sounding so Elite now we have a 60GB version. These prices are about £10-£20 under Play.com’s prices at time of writing which means that, once retailers have the time to adjust and create bundle deals, we’ll be seeing even better bargains than this.

To put that into perspective: Play.com sell the Arcade for £149.99 and Game.co.uk for £159.99. If Play.com want to keep that edge then we can expect a ridiculous £119.99 entry point for the Xbox 360- delivered free!

Update: These prices are also reflected in the rest of Europe at 179.99, 239.99 and 299.99 Euros respectively.

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If DAB reception is terrible in your house and you can make do with good old fashioned FM radio but want to do it with style then the Tangent UNO is… well… beautiful.

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