Author Archives: David

David is the owner and main author of Artiss.co.uk.

22Sep 2011

Checking out Marks & Spencer LED TVs

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As LED televisions increasingly flood the market, it is becoming increasingly impossible to deny the benefits in their quality. After all, merely a few years ago these televisions were still somewhat rare, and could only be found in the outlandishly expensive sections of electronic stores. However, if you walk into just about any electronic store that sells televisions today, you will almost certainly be presented with a wall full of LED flat screens, each more sleek and beautiful than the last. If you want a simpler way of shopping for these wonderful items, however, but do not want to sacrifice selection, you may want to take a look at some Marks & Spencer LED TVs.

In addition to offering you a convenient online browsing option (a nice alternative to having to go out to a store and walk up and down aisles while being advised by an eager salesperson), the Marks & Spencer selection of LED televisions is also unique in that it offers, mainly, “normal” sized televisions. Due to the quality of picture offered by LED televisions most people are inclined to go after 40 or 50″ screens so as to set up a virtual home theatre. Because of this, it is sometimes hard to find more reasonably sized televisions in certain stores (not naming names ;) ). However, most of the Marks & Spencer LED televisions have simple, manageable 19 inch screens (though some range into the 20’s), meaning that they are easy to handle and easy to place in rooms. In many instances, these televisions are simply more convenient than some of their gargantuan counterparts.

Another interesting benefit of the Marks & Spencer selection is the physical appeal of the televisions. Of course, just about any LED television offers a sleek, smooth design, making them all nice to look at. However, in an average electronics store just about all of these televisions are black, leaving you little choice when it comes to the aesthetics of the device. Even within a relatively small selection, however, Marks & Spencer offers a variety of different colours in its televisions, including black, silver, white, and even pink. While this is not a huge deal with regard to the actual quality of your television, it is a nice perk for those who care about the television’s aesthetic appeal, or how the TV will fit into a given room.

As you’ll be aware I’ve recently moved home and my new bedroom already has a mounting point for a small flat-screen TV, along with power and aerial connections. With small screens and the colour options, the Marks & Spencer range will be an ideal place for me to start (and the one shown in the picture above with wall mounting, Freeview and DVD player looks particularly nice).

To view the different options, or generally gather more information on the televisions that have been discussed, simply visit the Marks & Spencer “TVs and Accessories” section online.

20Sep 2011

The 1 Pound Challenge

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The high street these days is full of pound shops (or 99p shops in some cases) and many of them sell computer and general “tech” accessories. But how good are these going to be for £1? Indeed, when you see that these include USB hubs and Bluetooth dongles, surely these aren’t even going to work – how can you do this for so little money?  Okay, so you can items for little cost on eBay but these sellers will have less overheads.

So, over the coming weeks (and maybe months) I will be plunging the depths of the pound shops to find the best and worst that they have to offer for the tech connoisseur.

Is there a hidden gem under your nose for just a pound?

18Sep 2011

ReTrak Competition Winners

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The recent competition to win retractable ReTrak USB cables was very successful and I’m happy to announce the 4 winners…

  • Robert Durr from Puckeridge.
  • Rebecca Hipkin from Sutton Coldfield
  • Anthea Holloway from Dorset
  • G Grant from Midlothian

Congratulations to them all and a cable is on its way!

A new competition starts tomorrow where you could win one of 10 software licences.

13Sep 2011

Zenis DNA Dock for Samsung Galaxy S2

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After the horror of the last dock that I bought for my Samsung I was reluctant to try another. However, after seeing a Zenis on a colleagues desk I was suitably impressed. So impressed that I bought 2 (one for home, one for work).

Available in either glossy black or white, this is a simple but well built desk dock. The only connector is a Micro USB port and there are 4 soft feet on the underside giving it a really good stability.

It also, and this is crucial, comes with a grey rubber insert that goes into the slot where the phone docks. Normally this would be needed. However, if you have a case on your phone remove this insert and you’ll find it fits without the need to take your case off. It’s not spectacularly snug like this (it wobbles a bit, but that may be due to the slim case I’m using) but it’s good enough.

The case comes in a clear plastic case with non-English details on it (not that you need any).

I got mine for about £8.50 from eBay1. Despatched from Korea, I still received it within a matter of days.

Summary of Zenis DNA Dock

Good quality, a reasonable price and works even if you’re using a case – the only case for the Samsung Galaxy S2 that I’d recommend
Star Star Star Star Star


Reviewed by David Artiss on 13th September 2011.

  1. Note: It doesn’t come with a USB cable [↩]
12Sep 2011

Creative ZiiSound D5x

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The ZiiSound D5x is an enhanced version of the D5, which I reviewed last year. At the time I praised its sound quality and looks.

Well, with the D5x, none of that has changed – it looks and sounds just as good. What that extra letter on the end means, however, is that it now has an ability to link, via Bluetooth, to other D5x speakers and even to an optional sub-woofer (the DSx). In fact you can have 3 D5x speakers and the DSx connected together in total, allowing you to play back audio in a variety of ways – including using one as a centre speaker and then having separate left and right channels.

The same apt-X Bluetooth connectivity is present too so you know that the audio being shared across devices will be high quality.

As always, Creative have gone to town with the high quality packaging of their product. A well made, embossed, external box is opened up to reveal everything nicely packaged inside in smaller boxes. Little details, even down to an embossed card with the product details on, make you think you’ve bought  a quality product. Included is a thick manual with plenty of walk-through assistance on pairing and connecting other devices.

It’s a lot more compact than other premium iPhone docs (the B&W Zeppelin, for instance) and, although somewhat bland in its black, angled, rectangular form, it has enough aesthetic touches to make up for it. For example, the ends of the ZiiSound are finished in a dark-gun metal material  and the volume is shown via a series of white LEDs. To adjust the volume you simply move you fingers across the touch sensitive panel on the top – it responds and looks superb.

For testing I took my daughter’s iPod Touch and connected the supplied Apple adapter underneath. This gives it apt-X transmission capability and it docks nicely in the top (charging the iPod as well). I also had the DSx subwoofer (I’ll review that later). The speaker was placed one side of the room and the sub-woofer in an opposite corner. The result was an amazing sound, with the only wires being present being connections to the mains (the D5x has an external power supply, I assume, to keep the size of the speakers down). There was no interference and I’d never have known the connection was via Bluetooth – although that’s probably a lot to do with the use of apt-X. The link between speakers has a 30 metre range (whereas the Bluetooth connection is 10 metres).

Using the DSx sub-woofer is how most people will want to connect it, and that’s when it really comes into its own. As with the D5 you can use an audio connector rather than Bluetooth and, along with the DSx, it makes an amazing sound bar for the TV – discreet but with an amazing sound. With most flat screen TVs coming with poor quality sound this works as a brilliant alternative – and much cheaper than many equivalent quality alternatives.

Visually, the only difference is the addition of an extra light and touch sensitive button on the front for the purpose of device linking. Otherwise it’s still the same wonderful looking unit it was before – all shiny blacks and metallic ends! But that’s not to say that’s the only difference as the D5x is a lot lighter than the D5 – it’s only around 60% the weight of the original!

Sound and Vision Magazine said…

… beyond purer sonics, what this system really delivers is surprising horsepower for its size.”Room-filling sound” is a phrase that gets tossed around quite a bit these days, but the D5x/DSx 2.1 combo really does have sufficient power for a party.

Summary of Creative ZiiSound D5x

If you have no intention of buying more than one, or the matching sub-woofer, then I’d stick with the original D5 which is currently £50 cheaper. Otherwise, this is a brilliant sound system, particularly with the DSx sub-woofer.
Star Star Star Star Star


Reviewed by David Artiss on 12th September 2011.

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