Stories by James Dickinson

Panasonic NV-GS300

Panasonic's NV-GS300 is a high quality Mini DV camcorder, with all the bells and whistles that we usually find lacking from mid-priced models. It's nice to finally see a manufacturer including functional extras a mid range units.

Hitachi DZ-HS303

What do you do if you can't decide between the convenience of a DVD camcorder and the capacity of a hard disk model? If you're Hitachi you stick them together to create the world's first hybrid DVD/HDD camcorder. Hitachi's hybrid technology is a grea...

Bowers & Wilkins MT30

When it comes to home theatre speakers they don't get much better than B&W's Mini Theatre range. Three packages are available, each using the same set of five satellite speakers, but coming with a different subwoofer. We took a look at the MT30, the ...

Toshiba gigabeat S (MES30)

One of the first things that strikes you when looking at Toshiba's latest portable media player is the presence of a Windows key. You certainly don't see those on the iPod, and that's because the gigabeat S is the first player to have Windows Portabl...

Sony HDR-UX1

As one of Sony's two new high definition camcorders, the HDR-UX1 should be an attractive proposition. In many ways it is, with good quality video, a reasonable feature set and excellent construction. Unfortunately the UX1 just can't compare to its si...

Creative Live! Cam Vista IM

Creative's Live! Cam Vista IM is a simple yet effective Web cam. It doesn't do anything particularly special, but it does the basics reasonably well. A couple of nice extras and a low price make it a great package for anyone who is a fan of talking o...

Sony DCR-DVD905

As the top of the range DVD camcorder in Sony's lineup, the DCR-DVD905 is a predictably good performer. With excellent video quality for a DVD model, a larger than average LCD screen and convenient operating use, the package is a good bet for the ama...

Sony HDR-SR1

Sony really seems keen to take the bull by the horns with High Definition and has just rolled out another two models to its line-up of HD camcorders. This takes its range of High Definition consumer models to four, which is far more than any other ma...

Philips DVDR9000H

Philips' DVDR9000H represents a new generation of DVD/HDD recorders in Australia. As one of only a handful of recorders on the Australian market to boast a digital TV tuner, it offers substantially better functionality and picture quality than any of...

JVC Everio GZ-MG26

Sitting at the bottom of JVC's Everio range of hard disk camcorders is the GZ-MG26, the smallest sibling of five brothers. But this is no runt of the litter, sporting the same excellent design and wide range of features that has left us enamoured wit...

Panasonic VDR-D150

Panasonic's VDR-D150 is an entry level DVD camcorder that offers a good range of functions in an easy to use package, but falls down when it comes to the quality of its video footage and still images.

JVC Everio GZ-MG37

JVC seems to have a hard disk camcorder for every occasion, with five models now on offer in the Everio range. The GZ-MG37 is the second lowest priced of the group, which is apparent when comparing the quality of its video and stills to its more expe...

Sony DCRSR80

Sony has recently quadrupled the size of its hard disk based Handycam series, and the DCRSR80 sits atop the range of new models. With a 60GB hard drive - larger than virtually any other camcorder on the market - a 12x optical zoom and a few unusual e...

Canon DC40

Canon's DC40 is the company's top of the range DVD camcorder. As such it offers a good range of features and decent quality video to boot. The let downs come in the form of occasionally blurry stills, the lack of a microphone jack and a tendency to o...

Lenovo 3000 V100

The Lenovo 3000 V100 is billed as the company's smallest widescreen notebook. Lenovo categorise it as an ultraportable, and while it is quite petite, it won't quite satisfy those who are after a truly tiny device. Nevertheless, weighing in at only tw...