ZDNet UK First Take

Three notebook cases, First Take: Bags of potential

Sensible commuters and business travellers will want to protect their mobile technology in a good-quality travel bag. Here are three contenders.

March 26, 2015 by Sandra Vogel in Mobility

Dragon NaturallySpeaking 13: In good voice

Voice recognition technology is good enough for almost all your dictation and PC control needs, although Nuance's desktop software still has the odd rough edge.

September 30, 2014 by Mary Branscombe in Enterprise Software

3D printing: Alternatives and accessories

3D printing isn't the only way to get 3D objects out of your computer. Here are some complementary tools for everything from crafting your own designs to serious structural engineering.

September 15, 2014 by Mary Branscombe in Printers

LibreOffice 4.3, First Take: Still desktop-bound

Another update improves the free office suite that's still trying to compete with older versions of Microsoft Office. However, both Office and modern web apps are moving in a different, more mobile, direction.

September 8, 2014 by Mary Branscombe in Enterprise Software

Lenovo B50-30, First Take: A Windows notebook at a Chromebook price point

If you're envious of the affordability of Chrome OS laptops, but need to run Windows applications, Lenovo's 15.6-inch B50-30 has much to recommend it.

August 6, 2014 by Sandra Vogel in Laptops

Uros Goodspeed, First Take: A portable multi-SIM wi-fi hotspot

Fed up with SIM-swapping or roaming charges when travelling? A Finnish company offers a neat mobile connectivity solution.

August 6, 2014 by Sandra Vogel in Mobility

First take, Acer Iconia One 7: Attractive price, disappointing specs

Acer's new seven-inch tablet comes in at a good price, but that means a number of compromises too.

July 17, 2014 by Sandra Vogel in Mobility

First Take, Asus MeMO Pad 7 (ME176CX): All the tablet you could wish for, considering the price

If you are looking for low cost efficiency this tablet is a worth a second look.

July 15, 2014 by Sandra Vogel in Mobility

First Take: IDAPT Modulo external battery

Hands on with a clever expandable battery to keep your phone and tablet charged up that won't break the bank

July 14, 2014 by Mary Branscombe in Mobility

Azure Files service, First Take: SMB file sharing for cloud VMs

Cloud storage to use inside your cloud service: Azure Files represents another step towards blending the concepts of Platform and Infrastructure as a Service for a very pragmatic approach to cloud.

June 18, 2014 by Mary Branscombe in Cloud

Lync 2013 for Android, First Take: Now available for tablets

In a much-needed upgrade, Lync 2013 gets bigger and a little bit better on Android devices.

June 6, 2014 by Mary Branscombe in Networking

Azure AD Cloud App Discovery, First Take: Shining a light on shadow IT

Track down the cloud services that people are using on your office network using this Azure Active Directory service, currently in preview.

April 30, 2014 by Mary Branscombe in Cloud

iPad Air keyboards: Kensington v Belkin

Document editing and creation on a slate tablet will usually require an add-on keyboard. We examine a pair of leading contenders for Apple's iPad Air.

April 4, 2014 by Sandra Vogel in iPad

Office for iPad, First Take: Recommended, if you have an Office 365 subscription

With Office for iPad, Microsoft has set a very high bar for the forthcoming touch-based Windows 8 version of Office. If you've got an iPad and access to Office 365, these tools have to be a recommended install.

March 28, 2014 by Simon Bisson in Enterprise Software