BenQ W1060 projector review

Ever thought of starting your own home cinema but not quite sure what sort of projector might do the job without breaking the bank? Well, BenQ have recently released the W1060 which is currently available on Amazon at under £700 and might meet many of your requirements.

If you want something that looks cool and stylish, the W1060 comes in chic tones of cream and silver and its smoothly curving edges taper downwards in elegant lines. It doesn't weigh a ton at just 3.6kg yet it feels sturdy and reliable. Measuring a very manageable 150 x 330 x 247 mm, you can also carry it around in the supplied soft black case or slip it into a suitcase.

All the features on this projector are extremely easy to manage. On the top is a backlit menu panel with large keys that are easy to navigate without having to make use of the remote. Both the zoom and focus rings are wide and smooth to operate and generally need the lightest touch to achieve the right effect.

Round the back you'll find a useful collection of connectors including VGA, USB, composite, component, S-video, stereo Mini Jack and no less than two HDMI 1.3 ports which will save swapping cables every time you change from Blu-ray to console or set-top box. You also have two 10W speakers but the sound quality is so poor that you should only use these in extremis.

With Full HD (1920 x 1080) as your native resolution, a 2000 ANSI Lumens level of brightness and a contrast ratio of 5000:1, the quality and sharpness of the image is impressive even in relatively well-lit rooms.

The W1060 is also satisfyingly quiet in operation but the only aspect that is disappointing is the rather limited throw ratio of 1.59 - 1.9 which means you'll need a reasonably large room to get a decent size image.

Score: 4/5

Samsung CLX-4195FW review

Need a good, sturdy all-round performer when searching for a new multifunction printer for your small to medium sized office? Then perhaps you should pass your eye over Samsung's new CLX-4194FW.

This colour laser printer has a fax function as well as the usual print, copy and scan options. It feels suitably solid and dependable, measuring 420 x 426 x 448mm and weighing a chunky 21.3kg.

Styled in smart two-tone black and grey, the CLX-4194FW comes with a 250-sheet input tray in the base, a 50-sheet ADF on the top and a 100-sheet output capacity. There are plenty of options for connectivity - via Hi-Speed USB 2.0, Ethernet, Wireless or the Samsung Mobile Print app for Android and iPhone - plus a USB port for flash drives and PictBridge enabled cameras.

Operation is extremely user-friendly thanks to the 4.3" colour touch screen display and like most other printer manufacturers, Samsung has embraced Eco technology to keep running costs low by reducing toner usage by 30% as well as unnecessary power-ups.

The CLX-4194FW has a Dual Core CPU running at 533MHz so printing is relatively nippy at around 15.5ppm for documents and less than 10 seconds for A4 colour photos. The quality and sharpness of colour documents is quite superb and would almost be worth the price of the printer alone (currently £349 on Amazon).

Photos sent via the Samsung app also reveal authentic colours but I did notice that colour prints via PC had a slight tendency towards a pinker hue. The only obvious printing downside, though, is the lack of an auto duplex mode which would really have been the icing on the cake.

I'm also not a fan of providing owners of new printers with 'starter' cartridges  - in this case 1000 page black toner and 700 pages for the three other colours - when you should kick off with the full 2,500 page black and 1,800 page colour. Based on current prices available online, black toners are available for around £58 (i.e. 2.32p per page) and colour for £63-£67 (3.53p and 3.75p) with a 40,000 pages Monthly Duty Cycle.

Score: 4/5

Brother HL-5450dn review

Brother's fastest mono laser printer yet has just been released....

Check out my review on PC Advisor:
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/printing/3373874/brother-hl-5450dn-review/

Score: 4/5

HannsG HP225DJB monitor review

Finding a work desk monitor that's more than half decent and doesn't cost a fortune is not too difficult these days as thankfully there's loads of competition out there for what is a lucrative market.

However, the latest HannsG HP225DJB 21.5" widescreen LED display offers a feature that surprisingly few in its class take for granted - height adjustment. If you're generally glued to a computer for a good 8 hours a day, then you want to view the material at head height and this monitor allows you to raise it by up to 8cm, which should ensure a stark reduction in stiff necks.

It's a relatively sturdy bit of equipment with an oval shaped base that includes a 'pit' for paper-clips, rubber bands and headache tablets. The stand has an extremely smooth swivel action up to 30° and the screen can be tilted through 15°. It has to be said, though, that both the tilt and height adjustment are rather stiff, even if the chances are you won't be readjusting either much once established.

The HP225DJB has the usual HannsG menu buttons discreetly hidden under the bottom right corner of the bezel and round the back is a basic set of VGA and DVI-D inputs (no HDMI alas). You do get included a standard pair of 2 x 1W speakers which you will probably never use plus a regular jack audio input.

Visually its very bright (250cd/m2), you have Full HD (i.e. 1920 x 1080) resolution and a maximum dynamic contrast ratio of 15,000,000:1. Games look fine on it thanks to a 5ms response time and movies have strong colour tones and lighting contrasts.

If you're quick you can pick up one of the HannsG HP225DJB monitors for around £110 at Amazon - if not, Misco are doing a decent offer of £123.

Score: 3.5/5