Dork Adore » Katie

Kobo eReader Touch review

Katie — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:00:14 +0000

Still in need of a last-minute panic purchase present for your mother-in-law?

Pop to WH Smiths and buy a lavender Kobo eReader Touch. That’s my tip, anyway.

If you want a review that gets into the ins and outs of which is better – Kindle or Kobo – you’ve probably come to the wrong place. Unless you’re a supreme tech-head, the choice between the two is likely to come down to which one you like the look of, how wedded you are to the idea of buying your books on Amazon (or NOT buying them on Amazon) and whether you’re willing to fork out the extra fee for a touchscreen.

Personally, I love the Kobo. I love its slightly old-ladyish quilted back (which made my own mother-in-law emit a little “ooh!” of excitement – possibly her first ever emotion towards an item of technology) and I love the fact that I just tap the screen to turn the page (after enlarging the font size to MASSIVE so I can read lying down and hold the eReader miles off).

The set up is easy to master – although having to prod at different sectors of the screen to get the menu up or turn pages may momentarily flummox my in-laws – and buying new books through the online store (accessed via wifi) is simple, if slow.

For many, this will simply be an also-ran that gets referred to as a Kindle, just as all personal organisers used to be called Palm Pilots (oh those silly people who couldn’t tell a Palm from an iPAQ). Then again, no one uses Palms now, so who knows what could happen?

I hope that this “also-ran” sticks around for a good while yet. Without a little bit of diversity, where are we? We’re in an Apple, Amazon, Google love triangle, that’s where. And not everyone wants to be trapped in that relationship.

For a more exhaustive Kindle Vs Kobo comparison, check out ZDNet.

Kobo eReader Touch from WH Smiths

Kobo eReader Touch from Asda

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Plumen CFL eco-bulbs that aren’t ugly. Was that so hard?

Katie — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:41:50 +0000

It’s about time CFL bulbs had a makeover. Aside from the incandescent war being waged by a newspaper that has a bit of a thing about eco-bulbs, they’re not doing themselves any favours by being so downright plain.

Hulger hasn’t tried to tackle those who fear for the future of their dimmer switches, opting to appeal to the aesthetes instead. And it’s about time! Quite why so many CFL bulbs are designed to be long and lean is a mystery — it just means they end up with their ugly bottoms poking out of the base of your lampshade.

The Plumen bulbs are designed to be pretty enough to go completely nude — in fact, if you don’t get more than a flash of bulb bottom you might feel a bit disappointed.

You can buy them from the Plumen shop. They’re available with bayonet and screw tops and there’s a choice of US, European and UK formats. They cost £19.95 and they last eight times longer than incandescent bulbs.

Plumen [via Jorg & Olif]

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Is the very expensive E>One laser hair removal gadget any good?

Katie — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 11:14:58 +0000

There’s a constant war of attrition going on between me and my extensive range of body hair.

If I’m not epilating, waxing or shaving, I’m probably just leaving it all to lie fallow in the hope that a sudden gust of wind won’t reveal the thermal layer of leg hair hidden under my maxi dress.

But could it be that the E>One from E-Swin holds the key to near-constant leg loveliness?

Yes, it could — though you might need to take out a mortgage to acquire one…

E>One that I want

Using the wonders of IPL lasers, the E>One sends a flash of hair-quelling light straight onto your follicles. The hair doesn’t return for a good few weeks, after which it is cowed and craven and more than happy to rethink its decision to sprout in inconvenient locations all over your body.

I had the E>One for quite a few weeks, but I only got round to testing it out once. I was really impressed with the results even after that initial use. The hair returned reluctantly, and in smaller numbers; I wouldn’t be surprised to see it moving on for good if I had that opportunity to give it a few more sessions.

So why did I only test it once in all the time I had it?

Well, hair removal is never a barrel of giggles at the best of times, but at least I can usually distract myself with something on TV. Because the light is not safe for human eyeballs, you have to wear special goggles while doing it. That means you’d also have to make everyone in the room with you wear special goggles. So TV isn’t really an option (and anyway, everything will look yellow through your sexy plastic lab specs).

There’s also a fair amount of mess to be made. You’ll need to squeeze gel all over your leg — the same sort of gel you get doused in when having an ultrasound — and you’ll also need ample space for the fairly large unit. Oh, and if you’ve got moles, you’ll be spending some time covering them over with the stickers provided.

That said, there’s still considerably less paraphernalia than you need for waxing.

There’s also a whole lot less pain.

Although the light flashes can prickle (and get increasingly close to feeling like electric shocks as you turn up the intensity), they’re a walk in the park if you’re used to waxing or epilating.

You can alter the settings for skin colour and hair thickness (unlike most other units, it works on tanned and brown skin, but it’s not suitable for black skin types). It’s not a particularly easy set up, with a thick book of instructions to plough through before you can unleash the light.

Once you’ve got it set how you need it, however, it’s plain sailing from there on. In fact, all you need to do is make your way around your (freshly shaven) hairy areas and wait a few days for the growing hair falls out. until the hair makes its patchy recovery (around five weeks if your hair is feisty like mine, up to nine weeks if you’ve got bashful follicles).

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The E>One is a lot faster to use than units like the iPulse Smooth Skin because its light panel is about twice the size. The strength of the laser means it’s also the only unit available that promises near-permanent hair removal after around 10 uses (after that, you’ll need to use it a couple of times a year).

I would love to give this system an unequivocal thumbs up. I really wasn’t expecting to be so impressed, but it really did feel like the solution to all my hair-related problems.

However.

It costs £1499!

That is A LOT of money. And since E-Swin reckons you’ll only need to use it about ten times before you’re body-bald for life, the cost-per-use isn’t great either. You can’t even make it sound all that reasonable if you add up the money you might spend over a lifetime on self-waxing (although it will save money in the long run if you pay for waxing).

The only solution to this problem is group purchase. Club together with friends, buy yourself a unit, share it round and once you’ve all done your ten sessions, start renting it out to any hirsute acquaintances.

You can buy the E>One direct from E-Swin, (payment options let you pay by instalment).

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App Reviews: StumbleUpon, Fruit Ninja, Wave Launcher, Katango, Walkit

Katie — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 09:19:00 +0000

This week, we’ve got iPhone, iPad and Android app reviews for your, courtesy of the wondrous team at Frackulous.

Here’s a quick over-view of what you can expect:

StumbleUpon for the iPad. A great way to suck up the precious hours of your life, the StumbleUpon app will give you instant access to pictures of animals doing adorable things. If you don’t already use the toolbar on your browser, we highly recommend it (unless you have a dissertation to finish). StumbleUpon at the App Store.
Wave Launcher gives you more control over how you use your Android. It’s a “must-have” app, according to Susi. Wave Launcher at the Android Market.
Katango is a super-complex and clever Facebook contacts service, that groups your friends, family and miscellaneous randoms into different Google+ style groups. Katango at the App Store.
The WalkIt app for the iPhone comes from the kindly people over at WalkIt, who have helped many of us to discover the efficiency of using legs for commuting with instead of tubes. WalkIt at the App Store.
Fruit Ninja is a classic game for your iPhone. Simple, but addictive. Fruit Ninja at the App Store.

Check out all the reviews overleaf:

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Create an infographic! Everyone’s doing it!

Katie — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 09:26:00 +0000

We’re not entirely sure when it happened, but it seems like the whole internet is busy creating infographics — those image-heavy stats ensembles that bring together all kinds of facts (or possibly “facts”) and place them into more attractive surroundings.

Emma wrote this handy guide to creating your own infographics, which we’ve reproduced here for your viewing pleasure.

Sadly, she didn’t do it as an infographic — she went Old Skool and “wrote” it.

I love a good infographic. It’s such an easy way to view a whole lot of information in one glance. And if you have the skills and knowledge to create your own infographic, it can be a wonderful way to get lots of traffic and awareness of your brand out there (especially if you get featured on sites like Mashable or Social Media Today).

Resources for creating your own infographic:

http://visual.ly/

Visual.ly is a brand new service that lets you create infographics without the need for extensive design knowledge. At the moment you can create a Twitter infographic of your activities, and a full service should be available soon.

http://creately.com/

Creately is a tool for creating simple diagrams and graphs as a base to your infographic. Additionally, it’s collaborative so you can create an infographic as a team effort.

http://www.wordle.net/

I love Wordle or using words to create a beautiful visual. Enter your chosen words and it’ll create a wordy visual. Even better, you can enter your blog url or Delicious username to create an infographic of your chosen content or tags.

Variations of this article originally appeared on It’s Open and EmmaCossey.com

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App review omnibus: Remember names and autotune yourself

Katie — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 09:47:00 +0000

Our friends over at app review show, Frackulous, have put together their latest app omnibus, which we present here for your viewing pleasure.

This week, we’ve got better iPhone video from FiLMiC Pro, cheap places to stay from Airbnb, Songify’s autotune funsies, the death of the guide book, and the chance to become a better friend with What’s My Name on Android.

Apple Store

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Top tips for a Zen-like computing experience

Katie — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 09:00:58 +0000

Whenever we invent time-saving devices we find a way to make them take up time. The computer was supposed to make us more productive, and yet we’re all still working long hours and staring at download status bars slowly installing updates.

But if you bring a little slow life to your work life, you can actually make yourself MORE productive, not less.

Zenware is a slow computing movement that’s all about removing distraction and making our computers function better.

Zenware and the art of clutter-free computing

Install a distraction-free writing tool. I’m using OmmWriter to write this piece. It’s a lovely zen-like typing tool that clears all the nav bars from your computer and gives you a blank writing space. It not only removes the temptation to check Twitter and email, it also encourages you to just type without over-thinking everything. Check Lifehacker for five of the best distraction-free writing tools — I used to love WriteMonkey when I had a PC and WriteRoom for Mac is great too.

Clean up your desktop. You really don’t need all those icons on there. Random downloads, shortcuts to apps you never use, and documents that should be filed away somewhere, avoiding a messy desktop keeps your brain clear and makes you feel more in control of your computing. Digital Frost has some great tips for creating a clear computer desktop.

Get a better browser. If you’re reading DorkAdore you don’t need me to tell you that Explorer is not fit for purpose. Chrome is a great zen-like browser with lovely minimal design. Too many plugins and toolbars just limit your browsing space. If you can’t bear to give up Firefox because you’ve got it all pimped out with add-ons, hide any toolbars you don’t need that often and have them open when you press a button. I wrote a guide to improving Firefox browsing a while back, which has some tips for tidying toolbars.

Stay focused — or don’t. I used to have a simple little applet on my PC that popped up every hour or so to remind me to take a break from the screen and stretch my legs. If you’re keen to stay focused, taking a break can be the best way to increase productivity. TimeOut will dim your screen when it’s time for you to give your eyes a break. WorkRave will also remind you to have a break.

Get Zenned up. Rescue Time is an app that will track your computer use to see where you’re losing time, allowing you to block specific sites or apps for a period of time so you can stay focused on your work. Meanwhile, Clutter Cloak blacks out the majority of your screen, leaving you with just the area your cursor is hovering over, so you can’t see new emails or Facebook updates popping up.

Recommended reading:

More Zenware inspiration on Slate.

Zen and the writer’s desktop: 7 steps to writer’s freedom

[Image: xQlusiveEvan]

Originally posted on Jorg&Olif – The Slow Life Company

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Five alternative social networks

Katie — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 09:00:51 +0000

Hanging out on Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm has its place (usually the workplace), but just as we all have different friendship groups for different real world activities, social networks serve different purposes online.

If you want to get away from the mainstream and go somewhere where everybody knows your name (sort of), why not check out our suggestions for some smaller networks.

We’ve picked niche networks that provide the best places to feed your passions online.

Do let us know if we’ve missed off your favourite!

1. Ravelry

Who’s it for?

Crafting enthusiasts — knitters and crocheters.

Why is it special?
Ravelry is really quite something. While Facebook and Twitter are hogging the headlines, Ravelry went and won .Net’s “Community Site of the Year” Award 2010. It also recently signed up its millionth user.

This isn’t just for collecting fibre arts enthusiasts, it’s a seriously useful resource. In fact, crafters like me are starting to wonder how we ever lived without it. You can search for patterns, join groups of like-minded craft addicts, show off your latest creations and organise your upcoming projects and patterns.

As a resource for finding great patterns, there’s nothing to match it. And as a community it really is a fuzzy and warm place to hang out.

2. Junkmarket Style

Who’s it for?
People who like thrifting, upcycling, and creating new stuff from old stuff

Why is it special?
This is a fairly small community — just over 9000 people — but that’s what makes it so great. The people who have joined are supreme beings when it comes to skip diving and yard sale thrifting — and they’re happy to share their secrets, ideas and designs.

The site also features special projects from the editors. If you’re into upcycling, this site is a veritable eyeball feast of repurposed junk.

3. Cycle Social

Who’s it for?
Cycling enthusiasts of every variety.

Why is it special?
If you miss Me and My Bicycle (founder Ben is now too busy to keep it going) this is a good alternative. Made up of over 1000 members, this UK-based biking club has everything you’d expect from a Ning network: you can read users’ blog posts, upload pictures and videos and join smaller groups.

It doesn’t feel quite as active as Me and My Bicycle did in its heyday, but there’s something to be said about a social network that you need to check once every few days rather than once every few minutes.

4. Shoot

Who’s it for?
People who love their gardens… or love the idea of having one

Why is it special?
This is a gardening community that’s perfect for people who want to get gardening but don’t really know how. Sign up and you can recreate your real garden virtually, plugging in all the plant info you can find and planning what you’re going to do next.

Once you’ve told Shoot what plants you’ve got, it will send you regular emails telling you what bits of trimming, cropping and planting you should be doing.

The one downside is that if you get too carried away, you’ll need to pay for proper membership.

5. We Heart It

Who’s it for?
Eye-candy fans and aesthetes.

Why is it special?
This is a community where words aren’t really required. Perhaps it’s more accurate to describe it as a social bookmarking site, since We Heart It works like a visual scrapbook of all your favourite images.

It’s a great place to get inspiration — and to follow taste-makers, designers and other photo fanatics.

Originally posted on Jorg&Olif

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Nursery Rhymes for the iPad

Katie — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:14:23 +0000

It might make you cringe at first — the idea that we’re now so phone-fixated we even do our parenting remotely — but once you get over that initial gut response, you’ll probably realise there are plenty of times when you’d quite like to read stories to your child when you’re not actually there to tuck them in.

Nursery Rhymes with StoryTime is not only a beautifully designed interactive story app, it’s also a two-way book that lets you turn the page and read the story out loud while your child plays with the characters and gives you feedback on your performance.

Check out Susi‘s review on Frackulous for a demo of how the iPhone and iPad link up to let you tell the story. And if you can’t face thinking that you’ll ever be putting your babies to bed via iPhone, just imagine how useful it would be in the car.

More app reviews on Frackulous
Get the Nursery Rhymes StoryTime app

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Colour blocked kitchen gadgets

Katie — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:00:26 +0000

Colour blocking has got the fashion bloggers in a froth of late. We thought it only right to bring you a piece about kitchen electricals that was bang on trend.

So if you’re ready for a full kitchen makeover and you think you could cope with the sight of a rainbow bright array of appliances first thing in the morning, you’re in luck.

There’s a chance I may have got a bit carried away on Polyvore. Just be grateful I didn’t try to put together an outfit for you.

Francis Francis X1 Ground Coffee Machine Dark Blue: Amazon.co.uk £517
KitchenAid KitchenAid yellow pepper mixer £419 GBP
Whirlpool Max 25 Microwave Oven £120
Delonghi Icona Jug Kettle £56
Bodum Bistro Toaster £49
Magicbox Colombo Cordless Telephone £41

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Dork Adore » Katie

Kobo eReader Touch review

More stories like this

Plumen CFL eco-bulbs that aren’t ugly. Was that so hard?

More stories like this

Is the very expensive E>One laser hair removal gadget any good?

E>One that I want

So why did I only test it once in all the time I had it?

Skip to the end

More stories like this

App Reviews: StumbleUpon, Fruit Ninja, Wave Launcher, Katango, Walkit

More stories like this

Create an infographic! Everyone’s doing it!

Resources for creating your own infographic:

More stories like this

App review omnibus: Remember names and autotune yourself

More stories like this

Top tips for a Zen-like computing experience

Zenware and the art of clutter-free computing

More stories like this

Five alternative social networks

More stories like this

Nursery Rhymes for the iPad

More stories like this

Colour blocked kitchen gadgets

More stories like this