The recent large increases in electricity prices has really focused my attention on how much electricity I am using. In an effort to try to cut consumption I have started on a plan to reduce my usage of electricity without to much impact on what I normally do about the house. One of the steps is to find out how much I am using at any one time and what can be done to cut back. I therefore decided that to help with this a method of monitoring electricity consumption in real time and with a means to instantly see the effect of switching something on or off was needed. Having done a quick trawl of the web I found the OWL Wireless Electricity Monitor.

Why Would You Want It?

The most pressing reason for many will be an effort to reduce electricity bills which was started me off on this course as I said above. If you also have a concern for the unnecessary consumption of diminishing resources, the effect of greenhouse gas emissions on global warming along with the obvious damage to the environment, weather changes that are causing short term destruction through storms and long term damage to peoples live and livelihoods through local climate change then this is a way to help do your bit. As with all these things there is something of a trade off You have to recoup the financial cost of the meter to you personally and the cost of manufacturing and transporting the meter in environmental terms.

The ProReviewer post Be Clean, Green and Energy Efficient – Plus Save Money with WakeupOnStandBy pointed to one way to help save electricity and there will be some more posts on reducing bills as well as saving energy consumption and helping the environment, sustainability, etc.

What Does It Do – The Essentials?

Summary:

• Measures Electricity Usage at the meter
• Displays power used, cost and greenhouse gas emission
• Gives room temperature and humidity
• Easy DIY “Connection”

Pros: What’s Good?

Features & Benefits

• Very Easy to Install

• Very Simple to Use
• Portability to measure changes at the appliance

Cons:What’s Not So Good?

• No Memory function
• No Total Electric Used over Time function
• No Cost Per Day or Week Display

* These are available in other more expensive products so it is a trade of on what you are prepared to pay and what your needs are. For the primary purpose of seeing what electricity is being used at any moment and how this changes by switching on or off an appliance the OWL is perfect.

More About What it Does in Detail:

Go to Page 2 for details and screenshots

Go to Page 3 for ProReviewer Summary

(see Page Navigation below)

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

The Pantone Huey is a useful piece of kit combined with a software program that allows you to accurately calibrate the color display of your monitor. This calibration means that you will see images and in particular your photos with accurate color rendition. What’s more the Huey and combined software will automatically adjust the display based on the room lighting conditions.

Why Would You Want It?

Accurately setting the colours, contrast and brightness of your monitor is practically impossible with the naked eye. If you want to see digital images and in particular your photographs as they actually are then accurate calibration is a necessity. If you use digital editing software to change or enhance your images then it is very important you work with accurate settings in order to achieve the desired results. This is even more important if you are then going to print the enhanced images.

I bought a Huey about 12 months ago and I am still amazed at how different the true settings are for my monitors compared to those I have set by eye. The results, particularly where I am printing photos to display or send to relatives make the Huey a worthwhile investment.

What Does It Do – The Essentials?

Summary:

• Sets the colors, brightness and contrast for your computer monitor
• Adjusts the display based on changing room lighting
• Allows optimised settings for different  uses.

Pros: What’s Good?

Features & Benefits

• Simple to set up

• Very Easy to Use
• Good Software included

Cons:What’s Not So Good?

• Extra for Dual monitor setups

More About What it Does in Detail:

Go to Page 2 for details and screenshots

Go to Page 3 for ProReviewer Summary

(see Page Navigation below)

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

AceCad DigiMemo can best be described as a sort of portable scanner and graphics tablet for capturing handwritten notes and sketches or diagrams using a standard paper pad and a special pen/tablet combination. Essentially it provides a method of remotely storing these notes and drawings electronically and transferring them to your PC or laptop. Software is provided to manage the stored notes and convert them to standard image or pdf formats. It will also work as a PC Tablet device while connected to your computer and synchronize writing/drawing on the DigiMemo with your computer while connected. Handwriting can also be recognised using the optional My Script Notes software and then transferred to MS Word. The DigiMemo comes in 4 different sizes depending on your needs:

1. Letter
2. A4
3. A5
4. 6” x 9”
5. There is also an optional portfolio case

Why Would You Want It?

If you take notes or sketches while away from your computer such as at meetings or out on site the DigiMemo provides a way of quickly and easily transferring them to your computer. The included software helps you manage the information and also to convert the notes/drawings to standard graphic and pdf formats. If you don’t want the optional handwriting recognition you could achieve the same results using an ordinary paper pad and pen then scanning the pages, this is however a convenient and easy way to transfer the information to your computer.

Why Do I Want It?

I use my AceCad DigiMemo A402 to take notes at meetings and at conferences. I use the optional handwriting recognition to help convert notes to word documents. (My handwriting is fairly poor and the recognition software needs a bit of manual help from me )

What Does It Do – The Essentials?

Summary:

• Stores handwritten notes and sketches electronically
• Transfers notes/sketches to computer
• Acts as a graphics tablet when connected your computer
• Optional handwriting recognition

Pros: What’s Good?

Features & Benefits

• Easy to use

• Lightweight
• Manage notes and sketches efficiently
• Simple to Use
• Standard USB connection to computer
• Add additional flash memory

Cons:What’s Not So Good?

• Can easily overwrite existing notes (user error)
• Software could be better

More About What it Does in Detail:

Go to Page 2 for details and screenshots

Go to Page 3 for ProReviewer Summary

(See Page Navigation below)

Bookmark It

Hide Sites