Review

Intel doesn’t usually get involved in PC manufacturing. Components —especially the CPUs that power computers and mobile devices— are its bread and butter. But with the NUC (or Next Unit of Computing), Intel is going most of the way towards offering its own, intel-branded PC. I say most of the way because what you get out of an Intel NUC box isn’t a functioning PC, but a kit that provides much of what you need to build a capable computer, in a tiny package. Lacking essentials like storage, RAM, Wi-Fi card and an operating system, the Intel NUC is about as barebones as retail PCs get, yet its elegant design and powerful CPU make for a very capable little mini PC —once you assemble the pieces you need and install them.

Sometimes your HDTV needs a little help. Sony’s new generations of Blu-ray players deliver a crisp picture and great sound to your HDTV. I tested both the Sony Wi-Fi Blu-ray Player BDP-S3200 and the Sony Wi-Fi 3D 4K Blu-ray Player BDPS-6200 to see how they performed.  Both offer a solid combination of a responsive Blu-ray player and a streaming device.

I just played the new Mario Kart 8. As good as all of the previous games have been, Mario Kart 8 for the WiiU is a cut above.  Quite simply put, it may just be the best Mario Kart game ever made.  Come find out why.

I was both excited and skeptical when I heard that Roland was releasing the F-20. I was excited because of the sub-$1,000 price point for a weighted-action, 88-note digital piano. I was skeptical for the same reasons.   The appeal of a digital piano is unmistakable – especially for families who want to start piano lessons, but are hesitant to invest in an expensive instrument. The Roland F-20 seems to make the commitment to music a bit less painful.

It began with a Kickstarter campaign in 2012 that successfully brought in over $300K in funding from more than 1,700 backers. Since then, it has become a major competitor in the emerging smart watch market. I’m talking about the MetaWatch STRATA, and I recently had an opportunity to take one for a test drive. 

Hit the links with this all new addition to the Mario Golf series! A staple of the Mushroom Kingdom brand of gaming, Mario Golf has been crushing balls for a long time. Now on the 3DS, Mario Golf: World Tour branches into the realm of the third dimension, and with online and local multiplayer, this is one little golf game that isn’t so little.

Right out of the gate, there are 3 things to really like about the LifeTrak Zone C410 fitness tracker – it tracks your activity level and gives you detailed and useful fitness information, it measures your heart rate just by touching it, and it’s one of the easiest to use fitness trackers I’ve ever tried. It does what it sets out to do and it does it so simply that anyone, even people who find fitness watches and fitness trackers complicated, can pick up and use the device within minutes. 

Let your tween share all her fun moments with the SELPHY CP910 printer from Canon. This compact and portable printer is designed to print out all those selfies, instagram and smartphone photos using a wireless connection.   Get all those cherished photos out of the phone and into your photo albums or scrapbook . It’s the perfect gift for the tween girl in your life. Hand this over and you’ll be the cool adult in her life.

British company Gioteck has started bringing its line of cost effective and unique products to North America.  This will be the first in a three part series reviewing their products. First we’ll take a look at some of their different chat sets. With wired and wireless options alike, Gioteck provides some fairly traditional, and some unusual ideas alike for your in-game online XBox 360, Playstation 3 and 4 chatting. Come take a look at some of these sets.

I’ve never been able to figure out what Kirby is, but does anybody really know? It’s always been rumoured that he got his name from a lawyer that defended Nintendo in a lawsuit 25 years ago, but what species is a pink ball of nothing with triangular arms and feet? Video games never have to make sense, and that’s the best thing about them, right? Kirby’s back for more wind sucking, enemy mimicking, side scrolling fun in Kirby: Triple Deluxe for the Nintendo 3DS. One thing’s for sure: It’s nothing like you’ve ever played before.  Read on to find out more.