Hands-on review: Philips Brilliance 288P Ultra HD 4K 28-inch monitor

Ultra HD 4K screens are in healthy supply at CES 2014 but super high-resolution monitors, however, are comparatively few and far between. Luckily, picking up the slack, there was Philips’ Brilliance 288P Ultra HD 4K monitor.We met up with Philips to check out its latest 28-inch 4K addition that offers PC gamers and users a 3840 x 2160 resolution. Philips also boasted that the Ultra HD set features 10-bit color panel, 2-bits more than most other screens.Fixing the TN panelWe were a bit shocked when a Philips PR rep told us the monitor was a TN panel. Classically these fast response time monitors are tuned for lag free gaming, sacrificing good color and viewing angles. The Philips Brilliance 288P isn’t hindered by either of these issues. Colors are deep and rich, it’s still not the most vibrant color gamut we’ve ever seen on a 4K display, but it’s definitely a step up from the washed out hues usually seen on TN panels.However, we can’t say much about the blacks because the onscreen demo never showed any blacks on the frame.The 4K display played video unhindered by any stuttering or tearing. What’s more details look just superb on this monitor. Philips demoded the unit with a looping video of duck being cut and not only could we see the grain of the fowl, but also the texture of its flowing juices.It’s all in the detailsPeaking our heads around the edges of the screen, we also found the Ultra HD display had some impressive viewing angles for a TN panel and even most IPS displays – monitors that deliver rich colors and deep shadows.Viewing the monitor from the sides only created distorted images once we started looking […]

By |January 9th, 2014|News, Phone Reviews|0 Comments
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Hands-on review: CES 2014: Acer C720P-2600 Chromebook

Acer divvied up a couple of new Android tablet devices earlier this week but also footnoted its announcements with a curiously familiar laptop called the Acer C720P-2600.Those that missed out Acer’s first budget and touchscreen Chromebook, the C720P, should expect practically the same 1,366×768 touchscreen equipped laptop except in a new coat of white. Otherwise the 11.6-inch laptop comes equipped with the same Intel Celeron 2955U processor plus 32GB SSD storage and 2GB of RAM.Touchy touchyThe touchscreen on the Acer C720P-2600 is one of its most important features and it is there to let you poke at things on your screen. But, that’s really just about all it can do. There are not any special gestures other than pinch to zoom or a touchscreen GUI to make the experience any different than using a mouse to click on icons.On one hand it’s a relief that the laptop does not come with any additional bloatware to slow down the quick launching Chromebook users have become accustomed to. At the same time, though, it’s a bit pointless without any special features.What the touchscreen does offer is lag-less tap functionality. Touching anything on the screen seamlessly opened link in the web browser and was perfect for starting web apps web apps from the Chrome desktop.For now, touchscreen control seems like an extra little touch that would be even better with a Chrome OS powered tablet sans the keyboard and laptop body. Fast as the webNavigating through the web was seamless. Even with the menagerie of broadband signals at CES 2014 we easily loaded our Google Drive documents and the TechRadar homepage.Although the hardware is exactly the same as the previous C720P model, its still more than enough to […]

By |January 9th, 2014|News, Phone Reviews|0 Comments
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Hands-on review: CES 2014: Nikon D3300

Overview, build and handlingWhenever I’m asked to recommend an entry-level SLR the Nikon D3100 and Nikon D3200 are always at the forefront of my mind. They have the great Guide Mode to help novices get to grips with their new hobby, and their image quality is very good. On the basis of what we know about the new Nikon D3300, it looks set to be another good choice for novices. It offers the same 24.2-million pixel count as 2012’s D3200, but lacks the optical low-pass filter over the sensor and should therefore capture sharper, more detailed images.Nikon has also improved on the D3200’s Guide Mode for the D3300, offering greater functionality and making it a little cleaner in appearance.Like the Nikon D5300, the D3300 has the manufacturer’s latest generation processing engine: EXPEED 4. This allows the new camera to shoot continuously at a maximum rate of 5fps for up to 100 Fine quality JPEGs. In addition, the native sensitivity range runs from ISO 100 to 12,800 and there’s an expansion setting that takes it to the equivalent of ISO 25,600. Provided that noise is controlled to Nikon’s usual standard, this should mean that the D3300 performs better in low light than its predecessor, making it more versatile.The EXPEED 4 processing engine is also responsible for allowing the D3300 to record Full HD movie footage at framerates up to 50p/60p and with continuous autofocus. Helpfully, there’s a microphone port as well as a built-in stereo mic for better sound recording during movie shooting. Like the D3200, the D3300 has a Special Effects mode that allows a collection of styles to be applied to JPEG images and videos. Nikon has boosted the list of effects to 13 […]

By |January 9th, 2014|News, Phone Reviews|0 Comments
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