Electronics Review

Strange Lands Rating – 4.5/5 New Strange Lands Rating: 3.5/5 Update: After writing an extremely positive review, I discovered recently that my Kindle died. The screen is filled with black lines and a mish-mash of screensaver pictures. It wont turn on or off, nor will the computer recognise it. I have not dropped the Kindle, nor put excessive pressure on it, and it always has the protective Amazon casing on it. I’ve found literally 1000s of complaints like this since experiencing the problem. Here’s is a link to just one thread of many Kindle screen problems We highly recommend the Amazon Kindle Keyboard 3G. We do not recommend the Amazon Kindle to travellers Gazing out the window of the night train from Bangkok to the lower regions of Thailand, I...

Strange Lands Rating: 4.5/5 We own two X-mini ii speakers. I’m using one right now. I’m not sure if I could ask for more from a speaker of this size. It’s exceptional. Previously we either had speakers that required batteries and were cumbersome, or speakers that you just plugged in and somehow, without a power source, they enhanced the volume. They were always useless. To begin with, they’re charged by USB. There’s no need to carry about batteries. Secondly, at only 60mmx44mm and 83 grams they’re tiny and light – perfect for the traveller. Thirdly, for such a small device they really pack a punch. Relaxing on the porch of your beach hut in Thailand in the evening, one of these speakers will be more than enough to create a melodic mood. Fourthly,...

Strange Lands Rating 5/5 There was a day, not so long ago, when I scoffed at anyone who paid the crazy money needed to buy an ipod touch – a glorified mp3 player, I thought. Now, I love my ipod touch so much I’m more or less an unofficial sales person for Apple. After purchasing one over 12 months ago, I realised how important this little device could be on my travels. Only about a third of the 32gb of space is dedicated to music and podcasts. Another third comprises mainly of language learning apps, games, exercise programs, maps, social networking apps, and news apps. For language learning in general this device has been exceptional. The flashcard apps I have for Spanish and French will come in very handy soon, whereas the Indonesian flashcards, of which I...