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.

Reviewed by David Artiss on 12th September 2011.

Whilst on holiday recently we were provided with a Home Plug solution to internet access in the cottage we were staying in. This was great for my laptop, but no so good for my phone or my daughter’s iPod Touch. After a search I came across Connectify – Windows software that will turn your PC into a wireless hotspot.

Sadly, I couldn’t get it to work whilst on holiday, but right now it’s working without any kind of issue.

There are 2 versions, a Lite and Pro, the former being free. The Pro version allows you to fully modify the SSID name (otherwise it’s prefixed with “connectify”) and also use your computer as a repeater (by which I mean it uses the same details as your wifi router and will allow anybody to move seemlessly between the two).

Installing the Lite version, you need to give it a reboot at the end. When it restarts you choose an SSID and password and then which connection you wish to use. So, right now, I’m testing it (a bit pointlessly, I’ll admit) by connecting it to a nearby public wifi. After a few seconds connecting my phone recognises the new SSID and connects (after supplying the password). I can then access the internet. Of course, the real advantage would be connecting the laptop to a wired connection and then transmitting that.

Another difference between the Lite and Pro versions is that only Windows 7 works with the Lite. Vista and XP work with Pro, but only in ad-hoc mode. For this reason I’d only really recommend Connectify for Windows 7 users.

The Pro version is $29.99, but if you use the code EARLYBIRD you can get £10 off this price.

Summary of Connectify

If you’re a Windows 7 user I’d recommend everyone have at least the Lite version  installed, just in case – it could prove invaluable

Reviewed by David Artiss on 10th September 2011.

A couple of years ago I published a review of the home edition of EaseUS Partion Master. At the time I rated it as an excellent alternative to the more well-known brands.Now at version 9, I thought it was time to re-visit the software.

First of all, I should state that my original negative points have now been resolved. The GUI is a lot more slick (no more dodgy fonts) and the help is comprehensive.

As before, it is a simple way to modify and create partitions on your PC. The professional edition – required if you are a business – also comes with a few extra features such as the ability to resize dynamic partitions as well as an option to create a Linux boot disk of the software. In case you don’t have an OS installed or you’ve simply managed to mangle it, this is a great recovery aid.

As I’m sure you can imagine, it doesn’t just offer creation and moving of partitions – you can wipe them, convert them, merge them and, well, pretty much anything else you can think of.

It supports 64-bit versions of Windows and hard drives of over 2TB.

Any new gripes? Well, just one tiny one. There are buttons in the software for a Backup Tool and create a WinPE boot disk – both of these launch a browser page asking you to pay more for the features. I can understand this in the free version, but after paying out for the Professional edition I don’t think this is appropriate – I’d much rather have these options hidden.

There are other versions of Partition Master available too – each at a different price and with different options.

The Professional Edition currently costs just $19.99 (a little over £12).

Screenshots

Summary of EaseUS Partition Master 9.0 Professional Edition

An incredibly well designed and powerful piece of partitioning software at a bargain price. If you’re a home user and don’t need the Linusx boot option then it’s free. But at $19.99 for the Professional Edition, it’s a bargain.

Reviewed by David Artiss on 9th September 2011.