Something on the Side: Make your own movies

This week in Something on The Side we look at (and give away a copy of) Magix Movie Edit, the Sharp Eco-Driver, HD releases of Metal Fear Sold editions, the Verbatim 3TB USB 3.0 Store ‚’n Save, and the powerful Tiny Monster 11 flashlight.

Make your own movies

With Magix Movie Edit package, editing videos and making films has been simplified for the home user, with easy-to-use features, but offering creative and professional results. It allows easy video transfer from camera to computer, and offers more than 30 tracks for audio dubbing, cinematic titles, effects, and transition. Users can edit ordinary footage into films and share it on DVDs, AVCHD and Blu-ray Discs, complete with interactive menus. 3D video options make it possible to convert video to 3D, along with effects, animations, and 5.1. Surround Sound.

The Pro MX Premium version adds professional dubbing options, extensive disc authoring and a hand-picked selection of bonus programs, including effects and cinematic filters.

Expect to pay: From R999 to R1399, depending on the version.

Availability: Magix Movie Edit Pro MX, Pro MX Plus and Pro MX Premium is distributed in South Africa by Phoenix Software and can be found in mass retail outlets.

Gadget is giving away one copy of Magix Movie Edit Pro MX, valued at R999. All you have to do is subscribe to our newsletter by filling in your first and last name, e-mail address, and security code in the box on the right, above this article. In our next newsletter, we will tell you how you can win.

Sharp Eco-Driver Encourages eco-friendly print practices

Sharp’s new Eco-Driver for its Multi-Function Printers (MFPs) informs users of their ‚”eco-balance‚” – their environmental impact associated with printing – helping businesses to reduce costs by saving paper and printer resources, while boosting their eco-friendly initiatives.

The tool can form an integral part of an office’s best practice print policy, aiding users to save paper by selecting smart printing options. These allow multi page documents to be printed in duplex mode, or even up to four pages on one side, all with a simple selection on the user interface.

The Eco-Driver also prompts the user to select environmentally friendly settings at every print, with a pop-up window.

Availability and price: The Eco Driver can be downloaded at no cost from the Sharp MEA website (www.sharpmea.com) from the Support Download Centre.

Metal Gear Solid editions now available in HD

Konami Digital Entertainment has released HD editions of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for various compatible platforms.

The HD Xbox 360 versions of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater are now available on the Xbox LIVE Games On Demand service, with Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker HD Edition following next week. HD versions of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater will follow for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in September via the PlayStation Network.

Verbatim 3TB USB 3.0 Store ‚’n Save convenient desktop storage

Drive Control Corporation has added a 3TB version to the range of Verbatim Store ‚’n’ Save USB 3.0 desktop hard drives that they stock. The drive is USB 2.0 compatible and includes Nero BackItUp and Burn Essentials software for easy backups.

Thanks to movable padded foot cushions the drive can stand upright, can be put on its side or even stacked. Keeping things environmentally friendly is a green button and energy saving software that automatically puts the drive in sleep mode after a specified time.

The Verbatim 3TB USB 3.0 Store ‚’n Save hard drive is well suited for the home user who requires backup and external storage that is not designed for portability but rather for convenience and versatility on your desktop.

Expect to pay: R 1 999

Availability: Contact Drive Control Corporation for a stockist in your area.

Tiny Monster 11 flashlight Will shed light on any situation

The Tiny Monster 11 flashlight offers users four operating modes. The first mode provides 200 lumens, the second mode 550, the third offering 1 100 lumens and the last, a turbo mode, pushing out an impressive 2 000 lumens of light. A single power button operates the torch and each click of the button increases the light intensity. A safety or lockdown mode is also offered for when the light is being transported and a fully charged set of batteries will last up to two years in standby mode. According to the Tiny Monster 11 importers – QBcle Computing – the torch will operate up to 18 hours when used at the lowest lumens setting, but the time drops to just over an hour when used in turbo mode. Due to the high-powered LEDs the light will get extremely hot, but integrated thermal protection circuitry automatically steps down the light intensity to prevent the light from overheating during long usage times.

Expect to pay: R 3 350. This includes a charger and four rechargeable batteries.

Availability: Visit www.nitecoresa.co.za for ordering information.

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