Monday 23 May 2011

Review: Asus Eee PC Seashell Netbook by Karim Rashid



Last week I was lucky enough to get my hands on not one, but two Asus Eee PC Seashell netbooks to play around with and review for you.






At first glance, it is hard to know what to think of these two tiny netbooks. Both wrapped in a 'wave-imitating' plastic, I can 'sea' how they came up with the name (see what I did there?). Though nice to the touch, I do wonder if wrapping a laptop in 'touch and feel' plastic is a tad juvenile, arguably this could be Asus' target market of course. I have to say, the matt-brown netbook reminds me ever so slightly of a chocolate bar, enough to make my tummy rumble. The pink one could easily be mistaken for an Essex handbag, if I'm honest. 



Opening up the Asus Seashell, I was pleased to see one or two shiny pearls hiding inside. For example, blatantly taking some inspiration from Apple, it has a multi-touch trackpad which allows you to scroll and zoom in and out easily. Considering they are only small gadgets and not the easiest to type on, I was glad to find that the keys are raised and well spaced, again taking inspiration from Apple MacBooks. This makes typing on such a small gadget bearable.





However, as I switched on the netbooks, the Seashell sank a little in my opinion. The 10.1 inch screen is a tad clunky and the resolution is ok for a standard netbook, but nothing spectacular. It's not all bad news though, a play around makes it clear that, whilst these are no office computers, they are well designed and targeted at younger audiences.



The 'Eee Dock' at the top of the desktop, with 'Eee Amuse', 'Eee Sharing' and 'Eee Xperience' are clearly aimed at the under 20's, with games and entertainment taking president over setting out documents and day-to-day usability. Again the colours and textures (and we all know how I feel about pink gadgets), are more suited to style conscious teen girls, than anyone else.



If you were to ask me whether or not I would buy one of these for myself, I would say hell no. However, if you were to ask me whether or not I would buy or recommend one of these for a younger relative, or a girly, pink obsessed friend - then the answer is yes. 



As for Karim Rashid, I'm a little bemused as to why a man who designs chairs as beautiful as this for Magis, created a wavy, sea inspired netbook range for Asus?

Monday 16 May 2011

We've hit 100,000 and not out! - What else could we have added?

With over 100,000 products now listed on the site, variety is something the MoreFrom Group doesn't lack. This week we added further brands to the MoreCameras Division for all of you camera lovers, which include a wider range of accessories to get your teeth into.


Nikon is a brand I am sure you will have heard of, they are well recognised in the camera industry. On the MoreFrom site, you can find everything from Nikon's fabulous budget-buy Coolpix Range, to their high spec models. If you call yourself a 'true pro', you might have come across the award winning Nikon D7000 series- this baby has more features than you could imagine, including a 16.2 MP CMOS sensor.

I am sure most will agree that a camera is not complete without its accessories. The newly added Lowepro range is definitely worth a punt if you're in the market for a camera case. They are recognised in the industry as the leading manufacturer in this area, and pride themselves with over 40 years of creating the perfect cases. We have also added Proper Bags to the site, they provide a range of generic bags & cases - these are definitely worth a look if you can't locate a compatible case for your camera. Another addition is UniRoss if your searching for a spare battery, rechargeable camera batteries and charging units. In addition we have added Sigma, who supply compatible lenses for leading brands Nikon and Canon. So, along with the other items in our Camera Accessories section, there's a good chance that if your looking for something in particular, MoreFrom can deliver it straight to your front door with free delivery.

If you have any questions or notice a brand/product you feel we should stock, please leave a comment below and I'll see what I can do about it. More brands to follow, thanks for reading.

Wednesday 11 May 2011

We're supporting the Which? surcharges super complaint


Continuing our crusade against hidden charges we have at last been joined by consumer watchdog Which? who have launched a ‘super complaint’ against hidden credit card charges. A super complaint is made to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and can be made about any market that is not working properly for consumers. As consumers are not in the position to overcome this issue themselves, Which? have issued a super complaint on behalf of all consumers.

We’ve been championing this cause for many years with our “Philfing” campaign. “Purposefully Hiding what you are Looking For”, where retailers hide extra charges such as delivery and credit card charges in order to display what seems to be a cheap price.

The MoreFrom group sites have no credit card or other surcharges, but many of our competitors continue to hide extra charges until late in their checkout process in the hope that customers will complete their purchase regardless or assume that all retailers do the same. The price comparison sites are also poor at pointing out these differences and unscrupulous retailers simply play the game of advertising low prices to get consumers to their sites where they are then hit with extra charges.

WE DON’T DO THIS ! The price you see on our product page it the price you actually pay and our standard delivery is FREE, regardless of how much you spend.

So next time you are comparing prices, remember...

MoreComputers prices have no hidden charges

Take a look at the Which? Super Complaint web page for more details.

In the coming months we'll also be revisiting our online shopping annoyances survey to see if anything has really changed. More details on this soon.

Tuesday 3 May 2011

It's All Gone A Bit James Bond



Any self confessed geek who doesn’t get excited, not even just a little bit, by the very thought of teleportation devices and x-ray specs, in my eyes in not a true tech geek. James Bond inspired gadgets are about as cool as they can get. Although MoreFrom aren’t likely to start selling products that are exactly like these any time soon, there’s no harm in having a sneaky peek at what ultimate Bond inspired gadgets are out there… just in case you want to try your hand at being a 007 agent for the day.


Tornado Night Vision Goggles – Generation 2+

As if the name isn’t cool enough, feast your eyes on the Tornado Night Vision Goggles. These goggles have two eyepieces that funnel into one night vision tube and lens. Using infrared it is possible to see in low to zero light, and only requires two AA batteries - pretty impressive for such a complex piece of kit.


With a price tag of £3.5k, surely there are other uses to justify the purchase of this rather extravagant boys toy; practical jokes, finding your way to the loo in the night without waking up your other half, creeping up on burglars… I feel I may be clutching at straws here, but I wouldn’t mind giving some night vision goggles a go myself.


Bluetooth Laser Virtual Keyboard

Virtual typing is a relatively new phenomenon, allowing you to type without even having to lay your fingers on a physical keyboard. This Bluetooth virtual keyboard apparently makes it easy to type away on any surface without making a sound, and can link up to desktops, laptops and mobile phones using Bluetooth technology. It has 120 minutes of power if you type continuously, and allows you to reach similar typing speeds of a normal keyboard. All this in a device not much larger than a matchbox.


Robo-Fly - The Ultimate Spy Gadget

We’ve all seen the film Robocop right? Well say hello to robo-fly, the ultimate spy gadget. This tiny robotic insect has been developed by scientists at Harvard University, and is the first six legged robotic creature to mimic the flight methods of its intended counterpart. Weighing in at 60 milligrams, with a wingspan of 3 cms – it looks like a fly, and it flies like a fly, who in their right mind would ever stop to think that this is in fact a spying robo-fly?


Document Scanning Pen

Knowledge is power, and in typical James bond situations, time is of the essence. This document-scanning pen is essentially a pocket photocopier, only much smaller, lighter and easier to conceal. It quickly scans and stores text and images into documents which can be uploaded via USB later on. On a practical note however, if you’re not a thrill seeker looking to become James Bond for the day, this handy pen still has its uses, allowing you to quickly and easily scan on the go.


So, there's a glimpse at what the world of 007 inspired gadgets has to offer. If being James Bond for the day isn't up your street, maybe a real life 'Go Go Gadget Copter' will be...