It’s been quite a while since Nintendo’s hungry pink puffball last saw a console outing, Kirby’s well known for his various escapades on DS, and his fighting skills in Smash Bros. Brawl, but he’s not seen a proper home console adventure since Kirby 64 at the start of the century. So this adventure has been a long time coming, though it’s not the usual Kirby fare.

The story goes that there’s a new villain going about, Yin-Yarn, whom has a magical staff with which he can turn people into yarn. Kirby notices a Metamato (a power-up item in the series) and tries to eat it, only to find it belongs to the evil sorcerer. He turns Kirby into yarn and he finds himself in a strange land made of patch quilts, sting, and cloth. He also runs into Prince Fluff, ruler of the quilted kingdom, it turns out Yin-Yarn has split the kingdom apart and Fluff needs help to stitch his kingdom back together.

Unlike in usual Kirby games (where he sucks items and enemies in), because he’s now all string, he must instead rely on lassoing bad guys in and using string to unzip scenery and swing about. He can no longer absorb abilities from enemies, instead a simple button tap destroys an enemy, and holding the attack button turns it into a ball of yarn that Kirby can throw about. Kirby does get to transform, though now he can do it of his own accord. Double tapping right turns him into a little car that dashes across the screen, long jumps transform him into an umbrella as he floats downwards, and pressing down turns him into a heavy weight in mid-air. In addition to these there are various sections where Kirby can morph into powerful machines (UFO’s, Tanks, Drills) or animals (Dolphins, Penguins) in order to get through a level. The animations that go with all of Kirby’s transformations are sugar-gum-drop adorable (yes even the tank!) and provide plenty of variety and surprise on Kirby’s adventure. Though there are one or two transformations that are a little hit and miss, in particular the train transformation that provides us with the customary shoehorned motion control segment. You need to draw tracks for Kirby to ride on, and while it’s pretty similar to the paint mechanic of Canvas Curse/Magic Paintbrush on the DS, the fact it’s a train, and the drawn track seems to be incredibly sensitive leads to a lot of frustration sometimes. This is a shame as every other power-up for the most part goes with the traditional control scheme the game encourages you to use (side on wii remote with buttons and occasional tilting)

This time Kirby isn’t alone on this adventure too, it turns out Prince Fluff shares a lot of Kirby’s abilities and can tag along to help him on his quest. This also means there is a co-operative 2 player mode also! Kirby and Fluff can help each other explores the various levels (and mess about, as you can both catch and toss each other about) and also take dual controls on the big machine transformations. Thankfully for those concerned about playing with novice players, there are no lives to be lost and so dying won’t end the game, instead, dying simply means you lose a number of “beads”, the local currency in Fluff’s world. There are also a number of goodies to find as you explore each level, these items range from unlockable music and extras to themed furniture that can be used to furnish Kirby’s temporary abode.

Outside the levels, there are main hubs for each segment of the world, and a large main area with miscellaneous stuff. From here, the music picked up during levels can be played, cut scenes can be watched again, and various game options tweaked. There is also an apartment complex that early on, Kirby gains his own room from. This room can be furnished with items found in the levels, and other characters soon make homes there too, hosting challenges and time attack races that Kirby & Prince Fluff can participate in. The house decoration idea is a nice little timewaster that gives you some time to relax and bask in the outright adorable nature of this game. It’s a shame there isn’t an awful lot of interactivity with the items, though you do get some fun surprises with a few.

Overall, this is video game equivalent of a cute, fluffy kitten; Epic Yarn is unashamedly adorable and flouts it at every opportunity. If the setting doesn’t get you, Kirby’s transformations and adorable yelps will. The cut scenes are set out like a picture book (complete with pleasant sounding narrator) and the music all has a relaxing lullaby quality to it (with exception of maybe boss themes). The game itself is also quite easy, so it becomes quite a relaxing experience, this may not sit well with some gamers, but it you’re looking for something pleasant after a frustratingly hard game, this is the perfect detox. Though there are challanges and the game does have medal rankings for each level (which depends on how many beads you managed to pick up). This game is also by far the best co-op multi-player for beginners, or expert players trying to introduce beginners into gaming, so if you’re a parent looking to share some gaming experience with your kid, this is an ideal place to start! All in all, if you can stand the amount of cute this game peddles at you and fancy something relaxing, then give Kirby a whirl.

As a huge technology and gadget geek, you might be surprised to hear that on the organisational side of things, I can tend to prefer a more off line approach. Especially on my social side. So I thought I would share with you a few products I’ve come across recently that I just love!

Filofax Metropol – Price: £21.00

Mode Personal Organiser – Price £23.00

And with every awesome Filofax, you need a decent pen to go with it! Stationery is a complete weak spot of mine. I can spend hours looking at pens in a good stationers. One place that pretty much hypnotises me is The Pen Shop. When I worked in Liverpool Street, I spent many a day, glued to their shop window, admiring pens that I probably would never buy (I was temping at the time and at £10 p/h, I had to prioritise!). But there is something very personal and special about penship. You just can’t beat a hand written letter!

The Lamy Dialogue Retractable Fountain Pen – Price £195

Porsche P3140 Pocket Ballpen – Price £82.50

Fisher Space Pens 400 Blueberry Ball Pens – Price £27.50

These beautiful pens from The Pen Shop aren’t exactly what you’d call cheap, however, they are articles of beauty. In my opinion, The Pen Shop sell some of the most beautifully crafted pens in the market. The Lamy is my favourite by a long shot. This pen is sexy, sleek and oozes class. It glides across the page effortlessly and is a total joy to use.

The Porsche and Space Pens don’t have the same appeal to me as the Lamy, but they’re still quality. According to Wikipedia, the Space Pen “uses pressurized ink cartridges and is claimed to write in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, over wet and greasy paper, at any angle, and in extreme temperature ranges.”

So for all of you who really don’t believe in writing anymore… Pens and paper goods can be just as attractive as a new shiny gadget.

Who said the pen and paper were dead!

Back in December, Bamboo launched a competition for Girls’n’Gadgets readers to have their handwriting analysed by leading graphologist Ruth Myers. We had many entries and it was very interesting to read what Ruth uncovered about your personalities from the way you crossed your ‘t’s and dotted your ‘i’s. Two winners were selected for a more in-depth analysis of their handwriting. Ruth has spent time looking over a specimen of both Matilda Burgess and Joe Johnson’s handwriting and here is what she has to say…

What Ruth said about Matilda’s handwriting…

Matilda has the ability to focus on her goals without giving in to distractions.  She has a very good intellect and has an interest in the sciences. She also has a very good imagination.

She is a deeply emotional person, but hides her feelings and exercises enormous self-control. As a consequence, she allows no intrusion into her inner life.

Matilda has a strong will-power, drive and ambition. She can motivate others with her enthusiasm and zeal, making her a great leader.

Matilda has great dexterity and an ability to be resourceful when she needs to be. She has a strong personality, is direct in manner and can resist authority. Alert to any injustices, Matilda can be defiant when challenged.

However, Matilda is self-conscious – anxious to avoid ridicule and sensitive to criticism. She is friendly and eager to present a good image to others. Although she may appear sociable, mood swings prevail. She can be cold, defensive and unresponsive to others having a strong self-interest.

Matilda appreciates the good qualities in life and is conscious of sensory impressions – enjoying tone, flavour, fragrances and all forms of beauty.

What Ruth said about Joe’s handwriting…

Joe has a very good intellect. He is ambitious, competitive and disciplined. His drive to succeed is enhanced with good motivation and enduring determination. He seeks perfection, likes order and sets a high standard. Joe pays attention to detail, needing accuracy. He seeks recognition, praise and appreciation.

His enthusiasm and ideas can inspire others. He has a direct nature and likes to take charge, yet he listens more than he communicates. Joe can be subject to mood swings and has a tendency to be on the defensive.

Joe has a broad perspective of life.  He takes in and absorbs all he sees, which fuels his artistic and creative flair.

He has a philosophical attitude to life. Joe absorbs all forms of beauty and culture – enjoying good living, good food, wine and music.

He has excellent timing and can think smoothly and consecutively.

 
What is Bamboo?

Bamboo is the first interactive tablet combining multi-touch and pen input. Providing a simple and spontaneous way of using computers at home or work, you operate it by either using your fingers or the digital pen provided. It is the perfect tool for self-expression and personalisation when communicating through social networking tools, such as Facebook and Twitter, or for producing everyday documents like presentations. It enables anyone to be creative.
There are five models in the range – Bamboo, Bamboo Fun, Bamboo Pen, Bamboo Touch and Bamboo Special Edition. Each one comes with Bamboo Apps, which are an ever-increasing series of small but useful tools that enable you to do anything from digital doodling and sketching, to adding handwritten notes to a map or playing addictive little games in your lunch hour.  The Doodle application allows Bamboo users to freely draw, sketch or write short handwritten notes.

This Valentines day, we know what you’re thinking. What do you get the portable storage enthusiast that has everything? Well, this novelty USB stick might be the answer. If the relationship isn’t that serious, that is.

Let’s take the idea that a novelty Flash drive might not go down too well on Feb 14th, package it up in a neat little heart-shaped gift box, add a pink bow and put it aside for the time being. Now, let’s have a look at the device. The exterior casing might look a bit silly but at 4gb, this is actually one big heart – perhaps it does make a good Valentine’s gift after all. Measuring roughly 4cmx4cm (as much as you can measure a heart shape), it’s also easy to carry round, for a novelty drive.

But should you give this to your Valentine? We’re not sure how romantic of a present a Flash drive can be, but this is definitely a cute gift nonetheless. It’s also got loads of storage space. But maybe give a box of chocolates to your other half, too.

Priced at £17.25 and available from www.qvcuk.com

Robert Llewellyn

Robert Llewellyn accepts that he is possibly best known for his role as Kryten in BBC’s Red Dwarf and as presenter of Channel 4′s Scrapheap Challenge. A self described amateur nerd, Robert has always been interested in technology and engineering but due to his chronic dyscalculia had to accept he was probably better at talking about it than trying to measure something and then build it.

It instantly took me back to when I was about 14 years old, pure awe and excitement at seeing what this incredible little machine can do. I can remember opening mysterious boxes when I was a kid to find a model airoplane, or my favourite, a model tank with working tracks, that went over carpet hills in my childhood home. But the Parrot AR drone knocks spots off all of them, it’s a four blade miniature helicopter you can control from an iPhone, iPad, or through a browser on a Mac or PC.

I assumed it would only work indoors, in a room where you had a wi-fi network and judging from the comments on the AR drone app page on iTunes, I’m not alone in that. However the AR drone has it’s own wifi network built in, you can fly it anywhere. Okay, you can fly it anywhere as long as it’s not too far from you iPhone.

When you switch it on the wifi link appears on the list of possible connections in your settings screen. You open the app, ‘AR Free Flight’ and stand back. Okay, now you can sit down because the first time you use it the app takes a moment to work out the communication protocols, but then suddenly, your iPhone screen shows you the view from the front mounted camera. I saw my feet, I moved my feet and if there was video lag it was very slight.

AR Drone

The screen not only shows you the image, it has the controls superimposed. On the left, a button to over ride the built in auto pilot and on the right, a direction button to allow you to rotate or raise and lower the scary little fellow.

But here’s the best bit, you use the iPhone’s accelerometer to steer it, lean the phone to the left or right, the drone re-creates the movement. It’s remarkably sensitive, which means in a nutshell that if the machine survives your first attempt at flight you’re doing well. It will crash, it will zip across the room and whack into something. When this happens the in built motion detectors in the drone kills the motors and it crashes to the floor. If you remember to take your thumbs off the screen, it sorts itself out very quickly and just hovers at a safe distance from danger.

So if it’s that hard to fly, how on earth do you land it safely? This was another feature I loved. If you can gently steer it over a safe flat bit of floor, you just press the landing button and it lowers very gently down. Once it’s landed the motors stop and it’s only then you realise how unspeakably tense you’ve been while it was flying.

Taking off is also simple, you press the take-off button and the 4 tiny electric motors start up, spinning the rotors to a blur and it just lifts off the ground and stays remarkably static in mid air. It is almost insect like, a big scary insect that looks at you menacingly with it’s single eye. It hovers at about a meter off the ground without you doing anything.

AR Drone Colour

The AR drone’s downward facing camera (which you can also switch to on the iPhone screen) is connected to an image measurement unit which judges movement and distance, that’s what keeps it steady in auto flight. Damn clever.

If you look at the iPhone screen when it’s flying, it’s very important to remember that this is not a virtual machine, it’s a real machine that can hit things, it can crash and it can break. Break as in not work again. You can’t just re-boot it if you’ve broken it, more on that in a moment.

It’s only when you apply your thumbs to the control buttons that it gets frighteningly confusing for someone who didn’t grow up with game consoles. Someone like me. However, once I took it outside, it was utterly fantastic and I soon become far more in tune with making it climb, bank and turn. I found exterior flying much easier and more fun.

The drone comes with an indoor kit and an outdoor evil flying beetle kit. The indoor one surrounds the rotors with moulded foam, the outdoor one leaves the rotors free and it felt to me like this gave far more control. I managed to steer it very well, I sent it surprisingly high up and on two occasions I landed it very carefully exactly where I wanted it to land. On about 35 occasions I didn’t, but it was over grass so it wasn’t catastrophic.

So, all in all this is an amazing toy, there’s no point pretending it serves any useful purpose, but it’s truly great fun and fascinating to watch.

So the breaking thing. The second time I tried to fly it indoors I sent it smashing into a kitchen cabinet. It fell on the stone floor and a little bit of plastic shard flew off. It was a section of one of the gear wheels below a rotor blade. My heart sank, I’d only flown it twice for about 40 seconds and I’d seriously mashed it.

I got out a tube of superglue and with the deft use of my Leatherman glued the broken wheel back together. I took it outside, pressed take off and to my delight and pride up it went. I’ve now clocked up a couple of hours flight time, that’s many battery re-charges as the batteries last about 15 minutes.

There is really only one drawback, the inability to record the footage coming from the cameras. The AR Drone is fitted with 2 cameras, one front facing, one downward and you can switch between the two on the fly. However, being able to record this footage would make this a 5 star gadget toy. I’ve heard there are 3rd party apps that make this possible, but to have it built in would be a sure fire win. Hopefully a software update could make this possible.

I have to say, I’m a little bit of a sucker when it comes to cases for my phones. I do like to swap and change quite a bit and so I’ve tried most makes in most colours. For my iPhone, finding practical, solid and fashionable cases is no problem, but for my Blackberry, it’s a nightmare.

I was recently sent one of Cygnett’s Frost matte slim cases and Incipio’s famous Dotties case for my iPhone 4. Both cases are great quality and reasonably priced. The inclusion of the screen protector on both products were a welcomed addition as I seem to go though screen protectors like they’re going out of fashion!

The Cygnet Frost case probably pipped it for me over the Dotties number, but only just. It’s super slim body protects your phone, without making it feel bulky or heavy. The smooth and silky finish of the polycarbonate material is not only a joy to touch, but extremely durable. The ease of getting the cover on and off surprised me as the majority of these hard cases can be very stiff to remove and has caused cracks and breaks to the weaker areas where the buttons are exposed. This doesn’t appear to be a problem at all with the Cygnett Frost. The cases come in 6 different colours and are priced at £19.99 from Amazon.

The Dotties iPhone 4 case is definitely the more fun of the two. With it’s changable dots and it’s high density silicone, it’s a great case to have if you’re around kids or just in a colourful mood. It’s an easy fit case, with no chance of cracks or breaks and comes in a variety of colours. The Dottie retails at $29.99 and is available from their website.

All in all, they’re both fab cases, for different occasions and moods. Both get a GnG thumbs up!

We’ve received our final entries for the Be Bamboo handwriting competition. Handwriting expert Ruth Myers has given each entrant’s handwriting the once over, read the results below.

Lynda Wookey

Ruth says: “A direct and agreeable nature. She has high goals and anticipates the future. Possesses a natural responsiveness to the needs and feelings of others.”

Dennis Harding

Ruth says: “The writer has a strong depth of emotion and uses his good intellect to trying to control any impulsiveness. He has creative ability and his intuitiveness aids communication.”

Matilda Burgess

Ruth says: “Outwardly friendly but not in an intimate way. Strong self-interest and subject to mood swings. Highly enthusiastic and strong magnetic zeal. This writer also has leadership ability.”

Dawn Smith

Ruth says: “Rather inhibited writer with a tendency not to overspend. Her thinking controls her feelings and she very rarely shows outward emotion. She can handle difficult situations well.”

Poppy Fitzwalter

Ruth says: “Generally gets on well with others and is adaptable. Can be considerate and fair in attitude. Optimistic in nature with good determination. Poppy has cultural leanings.”

Sarah Fletcher

Ruth says: “Friendly and communicative. Good imagination and has the ability to express herself by the written word. Emotional by nature and can be considerate to others.”

Kelly Marsh

Ruth says: ”This writer is somewhat impulsive but still sets practial goals. Sensitive to rebuff or rejection – insecure and self-doubt reigns. Tendency to be shy and fears humiliation.”

Justin Walis

Ruth says: “Justin has a broad perspective of life and likes to be where the action is. He has a strong depth of emotion. He is friendly with an adaptable and flexible attitude. Justin has an imagination.”

Robin Matthews

Ruth says: “With a poised, cool temperament, this writer can sometimes be withdrawn emotionally. Often experiences difficulty in expressing feelings although outwardly friendly. Robin has a tendency to be obdurate, has an accuracy for details and is prone to mood swings.”

And the winner is…

Ruth has anaylsed all the entrants handwriting and has picked two winners. Both winners will receive an in-depth anaylsis of their handwriting.

The winners Ruth has chosen are…

Joe Johnson

and

Matilda Burgess

Congratulations to both Joe and Matilda! An in-depth analysis of your handwriting will appear on Girls’n'Gadgets shortly.

Wacom, together with Girls’n'Gadgets, would like to thank all those who entered the Be Bamboo Handwriting Competition.

I am of a generation, and perhaps a particular kind of family, that believes a picture is worth a thousand words. Dozens of 3mm film cameras and, holy of holies, the 8mm and then VHS video camcorder have been dragged to every family gathering, every football game, every swim meet, every birthday, every holiday. Extended family gatherings conjure memories of carefully staged group photos and parties punctuated by the familiar refrain of, “Wait, wait! Do that again!” as a video camcorder as large and difficult as a small toddler was set up to capture these precious, precious moments together.

However, my generation is a unique byproduct of a hyperactive global economy built on endlessly recycled wealth. It would thus be fairer to say that we do believe that a picture is worth a thousand words, but a thousand pictures are worth a million words, and a million is always better than a thousand. We are a generation of personal documentarians, intent on recording (and now sharing) every encounter and every moment of our lives. We demand technology that is not only able to keep pace with our voracious appetite for capturing and sharing, but is also unobtrusive. In short, sleek build + ease of use + durability + availability – faff = awesome gadget.

Enter the Flip UltraHD 3rd Generation digital camcorder. If portable HD digital camcorders are the current princes of the digital photography world, then Flip is like their badass cousin who looks much better in that suit of armor and doesn’t clunk around in their giant metal boots. It is fair to say Flip rule the digital HD camcorder market, and with very good reason. The previous Flip UltraHD camcorder incarnations have excelled out of the gate with stylish and ergonomic build, ease of use and, as Steven Leckart pointed out in Wired when the original Flip debuted, “It is actually fun to use and it actually friggin works.” The Flip UltraHD works like this:

1) Pick up camera.

2) Make sure camera is on.

3) Press the red button. You are recording.

4) When you are done capturing, say, your children for embarrassing posterity, press the red button again.

Ta-da! Recorded. To upload the videos on to your laptop, just plug it in using the inbuilt USB (very handy) and you’re pretty much good to go. Alternatively, you can connect the Flip straight to your HDTV using the Flip HDMI cable, but you will need to buy this separately.

The quality of videos in good conditions (i.e. plenty of light and very stable arm) have never been called into question, but there were some niggles in the 2nd generation with stability and video quality in poor light conditions. Flip have taken this on board and the UltraHD image stability has seen a marked improvement.

There have also been some grumbles about the lack of a memory card slot, which limits the Flip UltraHD’s onboard memory to its existing 8GB. However, unless you are planning on filming your response to Inception in one take on the Flip UltraHD, it is unlikely that this will be a significant barrier to using, and enjoying, the Flip.

I would like to thank the good people at Dabs for kindly lending us the Flip UltraHD. Dabs have rededicated themselves to customer service and value for money, which reflected in their industry awards for service.

Incidentally, the Flip UltraHD 3rd Generation digital camcorder was cheaper on Dabs than on Amazon at time of writing. That’s a pretty serious commitment to price. Good work, Dabs.

This year’s X Factor is over, with Matt Cardle crowned winner and Wagner a name that will sadly now be associated with a Brazilian pervert rather than a German composer. But fear not X Factor fans, Lucky Voice has come up with a clever new device that enables you to recreate the magic and mayhem of Saturday nights in the comfort of your own home.

The GEAR4 X Factor Party Box is designed to ‘turn your computer into the ultimate karaoke machine.’ The pack is made up of a microphone (my friends and I were delighted to no longer have to pretend with wooden spoons!), a mixing unit and cables to connect up your speakers and computer. Once you get your head around what goes where, it’s surprisingly easy to get started.

With every new Party Box purchase, a code is provided which allows you to log in to the website, http://www.xfactorkaraoke.com/. Once you have redeemed the code, you are prompted to sign up for an account. All of this was extremely straightforward and you are given instant access to a huge pool of songs for a month. At first, I was a bit miffed but after further investigation, it looks easy to buy more credit and renew your account. You have options to either buy PAYG credit or access for a set time period i.e. £3.99 for 24 hours. Considering most people are likely to wheel this product out for a party, this seems to be a good option.

I trialled the Karaoke machine on the night of the X Factor final, AKA the night when me and my mates all get together for our annual Xmas feast. The evening was sponsored by the lovely people at T-Mobile. Expecting to find only songs featured on the X Factor, we were pleasantly surprised to find a whole range of songs, almost everything we searched for was available. The next couple of hours were then taken up with Natalie Imbruglia’s Torn, lots (and lots) of Take That, horrific attempts at Leona and many more.

Whilst the sound is obviously dependent on the speakers you use, the voices were heard clearly and the mixer unit gives you the ability to adjust the backing track (useful to drown out the particularly terrible drowning cats among us). The lyrics appear on the computer and were perfectly in time with the music.

For a price of £49.95, I was really impressed with the GEAR4 X Factor Party Box. It’s portable, easy-to-set up and definitely has longevity far beyond X Factor season. Available to buy here – http://shop.luckyvoice.com/products/x-factor-party-box. T-Mobile is currently offering its customers a free Karaoke night in, just click here to receive your code to redeem for 24 hours free access to the Lucky Box song library.

Happy Singing!!!

We’ve received our second lot of entries for the Be Bamboo handwriting competition. Handwriting expert Ruth Myers has given each entrant’s handwriting the once over, read the results below.

There is still time to enter, see details at the bottom of this post.

Paula Brown 

Ruth says: “Will communicate well with others and whilst outwardly willing to listen, if she thinks she is right she will not let anyone interefere with her plans and ideals”

Sarah Calder

Ruth says: “Generally sympathetic attitude and can be considerate to others. She could handle crisis situations calmly and has the ability to think smoothly and consecutively”

Alicia Green

Ruth says: “She possesses a natural poise – a spectator of life she will always use judgment her intuitive insight is a plus factor to her creative ability. Only perfection will satisfy”

Monica Green

Ruth says: “Although outwardly friendly, in reality, she is withdrawn emotionally. A tendency to be self-concerned, internalizing her feelings and can be prone to mood swings”

Jane Bray

Ruth says: “She sees the big picture and wants to be noticed and be part of it! A logical analytical thinker can be kindly and conscientious. Low boredom threshold”

Lulu Edwards 

Ruth says: “Strong depth of emotion. Order and routine are important factors. Strong willpower. She has leadership ability. An individualist who will follow her own creative ideas”

Maria Moore

Ruth says: ”This writer is affectionate in nature and inclined to be somewhat impulsive. Kindly in attitude, she can also express sympathy . She can take charge”

Harriet Moore

Ruth says: “Good intellect, this writer can be individualistic in other words she sets her own standards and does not follow the crowd. She can give orders to others”

Be Bamboo Words: “I am…”

Scan and e-mail your submissions to handwriting@raniericoms.com. Alternatively, Wacom pen & tablet users can use the Bamboo app Doodler, which enables you to capture any thought, idea or message and save it on the computer or share them with friends or colleagues.