Author Archive: Gareth

Seasoned tech blogger. Host of the Tech Addicts podcast.

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By November 3, 2016 Read More →

Tech Addicts UK Podcast – 2nd November – A Miracle Recorded

grid-bubsGareth Myles, Jay Garrett and Gavin Fabiani-Laymond

RSS Link: http://mobiletechaddicts.libsyn.com/rss

Direct Download.

iTunes

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Tunein

 

What have you been playing with?

Gareth

LOGITECH M330 SILENT PLUS UNBOXING

Archos Diamond Selfie

iTrip Clip – Aidan?

Gavin

Obi Worldphone MV1 – £99 –  Iconic Design

DJI Osmo Mobile Review

Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 Review – Don’t BUY IT

Video highlight of the 150+ Apps on my iPhone 7 Plus –

Honor 8 review PLUS shootout with iPhone 7 Plus

Jay

Dell XPS 15 – 4K laptop

Dali Katch Bluetooth speaker

Parrot Minidrones – Swing and Mambo

 

Main Show URL: www.techaddicts.uk

Join the Discussion: https://goo.gl/spaces/6FF6jraF9KHiPUyA6

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @garethmyles ; @gavinfabiani  ; @GadgetyNewsCom ; @JayGarrett

Web: http://gavinsgadgets.com ; http://GadgetyNews.com

Google Plus: +garethmyles ; +gavinfabiani-laymond   ; +JayGarrett

Posted in: News, Podcast
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By November 2, 2016 Read More →

Enhance GX-C1 Laptop Cooling Stand review

boxThe enhance is something of an interesting product in that I can’t imagine how many people will actually need it, however, it’s position on the market is easy to justify. People need their laptops cooled down especially when gaming. The gaming laptop is on the rise so peripherals like this are becoming in demand.

There are a lot of options on the market and some of which are better value than others, however, the Enhance really has something a lot of the competitors cannot brag and that’s the number of fans. For £20 you’re getting one huge fan and four baby brothers. When working all together these fans produce a vast amount of airflow to cool your laptop down.

There are a couple of extra features added to this that some of its competitors do not have. There is USB passthrough, meaning this doesn’t really occupy a USB port on your laptop. The Enhance allows you to plug a device into the Enhance and it will work on the laptop. A rotary dial allowing you to control the speed of the fans and indeed the brightness of the LEDs, 2 rubber braces at the edge of the surface that prevent your laptop from sliding off in the event that your laptop’s rubber feet may not be enough.

On the underside are retractable legs, these legs have three different options the highest of which raises the unit around 3 inches from the desk, an entirely second pair that raises the unit an inch and a half and some pads for no height adjustment. The unit itself is almost 2 inches thick at the widest part so the raise is quite considerable when you have the longer legs in action.

However, this cooling comes at an expense when plugging this into your laptop as it will drain the battery quite quickly. I have noticed that after being plugged in for half an hour on my laptop the battery dropped by almost a quarter. I kept the fans at full speed the entire time just to get an idea of the (pun intended) blow to the battery. A better solution maybe to hook the fan up to are portable battery or power bank.

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One negative I will say is it’s a very difficult one for any company to try and work around is portability. Obviously, this works off your laptop’s battery, however, the unit itself has to be the size of a laptop to cover the area of the laptop. This makes the Enhance a little cumbersome to take with you as it will occupy the same amount of space on a laptop bag as a laptop.  

There are plenty of alternatives on the market some quite a bit cheaper however none of them offer as many fans as this in such a simple design. Being able to control the speed all five fans mean the battery won’t take at big a hit as all five fans give more coverage than two large fans running twice as fast. This certainly isn’t the highest quality but then again the price tag isn’t particularly high either. Overall, It does what it says on the tin and it keeps your laptop cool on the go whilst looking kinda badass.

You can find the blue variant on Amazon.

By November 1, 2016 Read More →

iTrip Clip Bluetooth Headphone Adapter Unboxing

image6-copyGriffin has sent a sample of their iTrip Clip. This little Bluetooth device cuts the cable between your smartphone and headphones to deliver some wireless freedom between your phone and some wired headphones.

No headphone jack? NO problem! – Don’t worry if your favourite smartphone doesn’t have the headphone jack. iTrip Clip connects your favourite headphones wirelessly to your smartphone or tablet using Bluetooth 4.1.

Set it and forget it: iTrip Clip reconnects automatically with your smartphone or tablet once properly paired.

Fingertip controls: You’re in complete control of your smartphone or tablet with iTrip Clip’s play, pause, skip tracks forward and backward and volume controls. Activate Siri, and make phone calls, too.

Clip in and go — iTrip Clip’s built-in clip slips onto a sleeve, shirt collar, or bag strap for total control at your fingertips. We actually love iTrip Clip for running and outdoor activity because it’s small enough to clip onto a hat or visor.

Wireless headphones, wireless in-car audio, wireless everythingBluetooth support is great, wirelessly connect your headphones, car stereo, or home audio system to any smartphone. Built-in handsfree mic is perfect for video and audio calling.

Cut the cables that tie you down. With iTrip Clip.

https://griffintechnology.com/

By November 1, 2016 Read More →

5 Useful Tech Hacks For A Smooth Christmas

aaaWith Christmas drawing ever-so-closer, it’s time to start planning in earnest for this year’s festivities. Whether you’re throwing a big one for the whole family, or hosting a more intimate meal, to help make the holiday period go as smoothly as possible online electronics retailer, reichelt.co.uk, have thrown together the most useful tech hacks for the festive period…..

reichelt – online electronics retailer, with many products up to 20% cheaper than elsewhere in the UK

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Keep kids entertained with the Google Santa Tracker

This one’s perfect for big kids and little ones alike. Track where Santa and his trusty reindeer are headed on Christmas Eve via Google Maps, as he traverses the globe bringing gifts to families.

In the run-up to Christmas, you can also check out Santa’s village and prepare for festivities with the elves, jetski with the man himself and learn how different countries celebrate their festive period. Check out the fun here: https://santatracker.google.com/

Rustle up your festive feast the easy way

Ever felt super rushed getting the turkey and all the trimmings done in time? Well, have no fear, the handy Christmas Menu Maker app from ‘Fine Cooking’ is a good tool to have up your sleeve. It enables you to build your Christmas day menu in advance and helps you put your shopping list and schedule together. We’re impressed! Why not grab chocolate shipped cookies and deliver Christmas cookies to your loved ones in the most wonderful time of the year!

Take a look at their all-time favorite Christmas recipes, such as beef tenderloin and roast turkey, as well as their crowd-pleasing winners for more formal occasions.

Download the app for just 79p on the iTunes store and say hello to culinary perfection.

If you are looking to buy an induction hob then it can also be tricky as there are so many considerations and different options available, also have a look at these induction hob reviews as that is a great way of finding the best.

And while you’re preparing to cook up a storm in the kitchen…

Pop your device onto this awesome penguin tripod for easy recipe-following

While you’re attempting to beast that cranberry sauce, having your device well within eye-level for cooking tips is a winner. Forget accidently getting sauce (or brand!) on your iPad, this gadget could well save you a mini tech disaster and is also handy when streaming Christmas carols or watching your favourite festive movie. Nab this one from Mantona for just £18.30 at reichelt. It also doubles up as a selfie stick for bottles, so you can nail that celebratory photo – neat! For fun food recipes and reviews for kitchen products, visit www.spicekitchenandbar.com.

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Hang those Christmas lights easily with this DIY tech fix

Want to get those Christmas lights up so they won’t budge this year? Inexpensive cable ties are great for fixing them securely, and allow you achieve the much sought after straight line. Added bonus: at the end of the season use them to tie up the lights, so that next year you won’t have to deal with a big, knotted mess. Win.

And finally…

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Get psyched to run off those calories post Christmas

With January looming round the corner, it’s time to get off the sofa and beat that Christmas bulge. And while you’re saving up the pennies again, getting trim for cheap may well feature on your to-do list. Well, we’ve got just the gadget to help you get motivated without breaking the bank. This bargain fitness tracker from hot German brand, Technaxx  (available at reichelt for £34.80), is the perfect entry-level device. It monitors how many calories you burn, your number of steps and distance travelled. The device also syncs with the Technaxx ‘My Fitness’ app to give you real-time coaching and keep you updated on the status of your goals. Feeling inspired? We are.

By October 31, 2016 Read More →

Archos Diamond Selfie Review

archos-55-diamond-selfieWith superior build quality the Archos Diamond Selfie is marred by a couple of little concerns, however, these can easily be ironed out by a software update. It has to be said that once you pick up the Archos diamond selfie it’s difficult not to fall in love with it. The all metal surround and the black glass really give off a real, premium feel. Certainly there is a lot of weight and heft to the device, however, you will quickly notice just how slippery the device is, especially on a cold day.

The Archos Diamond Selfie has some of the best specs we have seen in a phone from Archos and that are very competitive for the price bracket too.

  • Display – 5.50-inch 1920 x 1080 (FHD) IPS, Full lamination
  • Processor – Qualcomm MSM8937, Octa-core Cortex-A53 1.4 GHz
  • Front Camera – 8-megapixel
  • Resolution – 1080×1920 pixels
  • RAM – 4GB DDR3
  • OS – Android 6.0
  • Storage – 64GB + Micro SD card, up to 128GB
  • Rear Camera – 16-megapixel
  • Battery Capacity – 3000mAh Li-ion, Quick Charge

Looking around the device on the top there are two slits for the antennas and a 3.5-millimetre headphone jack.

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On the right-hand side lies a volume rocker the power button and another antenna slit.

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At the bottom are some fool speaker grills, that we will get back to those later, a microphone hole and a micro USB charger slot. Again some antenna slits.

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On the left-hand side is only has an indentation for the micro SD and SIM card tray. This is where we come to one of the first problems with the phone. This tray is not flush with the device you can feel it move ever so slightly every time you run your finger over it. Your fingernail will stop at the slight protrusion at the hole for the sim ejector tool. The tray itself fits two cards, a microSD or Micro SIM in one and a Nano SIM in the other.

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The back is entirely black glass and finger print city. At the top are the camera and the LED flash. Midway down there is a fingerprint reader and towards the bottom a whole for the speaker. Yes, the speaker is on the back of the device despite the two grills either side of the micro USB connector.

The screen is almost perfect, it’s beautiful, bright, responsive, and efficient. Archos have added an extra button to the screen buttons toward the bottom of the screen. This button removes the onscreen buttons to maximise the screen resolution.

The battery life of the device is quite impressive. Having used it for a few days as my main device I noticed that I was finishing the day with around 40% left, perhaps I don’t have as many apps installed on this as I do with my Nexus 6P, however, having it finish the day with a good bit more than I usually have, is quite impressive.

Android itself runs perfectly smoothly on this device there is very little in the way of additions from Archos. Aside from a couple of applications that they have added, that are not required to be installed during the initial setup. However, there has been a button added to the interface of the Task Manager. A small, ugly button, off centre, to speed up your device the closes all of the applications.

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As it turns out these grills at the bottom are purely cosmetic, the speaker is situated on the back of the device. Whilst this is hardly a problem, or a flaw, it just opens a little concern as to why there would be grills at the bottom, did the device have to be reworked at a later stage in development for reason?

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As this phone is called a Selfie, you would expect there to be an impressive experience with the photos front facing camera. In truth the camera works well, however, the added features in the beautification mode mean that camera’s on-screen preview run at around 15 frames per second, and in low-level light, the preview is around 2 frames per second. I can only hope this device has an early version of the selfie software and retail will see an update.

Flip the camera round the to the rear camera and you have 120 frames per seconds on the preview and it looks gorgeously smooth, the exact opposite of the front facing camera.

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The shots are crisp and attractive. There is little in the way of compression, and honestly, this camera turns out to be one of the better cameras on the marker for the money, Archos have done some great work here. As you can see from the gallery below the colour mix is impressive and the clarity is never questionable.

So what is wrong with the Archos Diamond Selfie? Not that much, to be entirely honest. The phone is retailing for around £200 and what you are getting is amazing. Certainly, you can notice where some of the cutbacks have been made. The lack of precision on the sim card tray, no support for the 5Ghz wifi spectrum, the weight. However, what it does have it is hard to find in that price range, a decent stills camera, a beautiful screen, 64gb of expandable storage and a speedy performance. I really like this phone and I am prepared to admit that I honestly wondered why I paid more than double for a Nexus 6P.

Posted in: Phones, Reviews
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By October 30, 2016 Read More →

Whats new on Netflix and Amazon Prime this week?

post-coverLet’s take a look and see what appeared on Amazon Prime and Netflix for the week of the 24th October to the 30th October 2016.

 

 

By October 30, 2016 Read More →

Christmas gadget gift idea – 360 camera

asdsadIf you’re in search of the ultimate tech gift this Christmas, then look no further than the Kodak Pixpro 360 range. Your loved ones will surely love it when they receive one of the Best Virtual Gift Cards.

  • 360 4K HD Camera
  • 360 4K Camera – dual pack
  • 360 Camera

360 4K HD Camera

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The 360 4K Camera is a pocket-sized marvel that’ll shoot nearly an hour (55 mins) of full 360 degree, ultra-HD 4K resolution video on a single charge.

Check out this stunning footage:

The Kodak Pixpro 360 4K Camera is available from Argos for £349,99 now.

The Kodak Pixpro 360 4K Camera is the world’s first and most complete 4K recording device to capture stunning 360° immersive videos and still images without the need for multiple cameras. With a professional-quality 12MP BSI image sensor, super-simple uploads to Facebook and YouTube 360 video and NFC and Wi-Fi as standard, it’s not hard to see why the Kodak Pixpro 360 4K Camera has won plaudits as a pocket-sized powerhouse.

The Kodak Pixpro 360 4K is easy to use too, featuring intuitive interfaces and simple controls to get the best out of every moment without the hassle of more complex systems. Features such as time-lapse video, burst mode, automatic white balance and stunning 4K still photos are available at the touch of a button.

Whether you’re looking for the ultimate tech gift for a loved one or want to preserve those festive memories, the Kodak Pixpro SP 360 Camera offers serious bang for buck value. Although it’ll fit in the palm of your hand it’ll record 360 degree super-high resolution video for up to 160 minutes on a single charge.

360 4K Camera – dual pack

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The Kodak Pixpro 360 4K Camera is also available in the immensely impressive duo pack, which harnesses two individual 4K Kodak action cameras into a full 360×360 action rig that’ll shoot entirely spherical point-of-view footage in stunning 4k resolution. Available now from Jessops for £749.00.

360 Camera

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Sharing the fun is simplicity itself too, as the Kodak Pixpro SP 360 supports Facebook and YouTube, as well as having a handy companion smartphone app to help keep everything organised. It’s also shockproof, freeze-proof, dust proof and splash resistant into the bargain!

The Kodak Pixpro SP 360 Camera is available from Argos for a mere £249.99 now.

Check out this stunning footage of the camera in action!

The Kodak Pixpro SP 360 Camera captures stunning 360° immersive videos and still images without the need for multiple cameras. With a professional-quality 17MP image sensor, super-simple uploads to Facebook and YouTube 360 video and Wifi as standard, it’s not hard to see why the Kodak Pixpro SP 360 Camera has won plaudits as a pocket-sized powerhouse.

The Kodak Pixpro SP 360 is easy to use too, featuring intuitive interfaces and simple controls to get the best out of every moment without the hassle of more complex systems. Features such as time-lapse video, burst mode, automatic white balance and stunning High quality still photos are available at the touch of a button.

By October 28, 2016 Read More →

Everything you need for Bonfire Night

atago_04Celebrating Bonfire Night? Shop the supplies you need to make sure your night goes off with a bang! Newly launched online retailer for industrial and consumer electronics, reichelt.co.uk, offers a range of tools, components, tech accessories and more – save up to 20% on many top brands.

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One device, countless possibilities. Enjoy barbecuing with no compromises, with the Petromax Atago barbecuing is a breeze. The unique air supply regulation makes it easy to control the temperature, so setting the ideal one for both steak and fish is very easy. The Petromax Atago can be used in combination with the Petromax Dutch ovens, or a Dutch oven of similar size, to conjure up casseroles, soups, pasta, or even bread when camping, in the garden or during other outdoor activities. A sweet dessert and a delicious coffee is usually the grand finale of an evening barbecue.

The residual heat of the Petromax Atago can used for a dessert or coffee. The Petromax percolator and the Petromax ft3 are perfect for this. A campfire is a unique moment for children as well as for a romantic evening as a couple. The Petromax Atago can be used as a fire bowl either folded or unfolded, and offers an easy option for making a safe camp fire with firewood. If you want some tips so you can avoid mosquitos during the nigth, check with terminix pennsylvania.

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The camping stove from BioLite makes environmental awareness a top priority: The compact mini-oven for use while on the go is fuelled only by renewable resources and therefore protects the environment and the user’s health.

Cumbersome carrying of heavy petroleum bottles is a thing of the past. Fir cones, branches, and twigs are used as heating material to fuel the thermo-electric generator inside you can learn more about at houseshowoff.com. A litre of water can be brought to the boil in just 4.5 minutes.

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The cold blast lantern Feuerhand is produced in Germany ever since. The Feuerhand storm lantern is fueled by Petroleum and features heat-resistant glass. It provides a gentle light which lasts up to 20 hours of maximum burning time.

By October 27, 2016 Read More →

Give Your Phone a Christmas Jumper This Year with FLAVR’s quirky cases

unspecifiedFLAVR, the new lifestyle brand from global mobile accessories and connected devices specialist, STRAX GmbH, today launches its brand new festive range of comedy Christmas jumper themed phones cases for iPhone 5/5SE, 6/6S, 7, 7 Plus and Galaxy 7 and 7 Edge. The new cases are available from £9.99 at Carphone Warehouse.

Christmas jumpers have increased in popularity over the last few years with more and more people sporting them on nights out or at work in the festive season. Usually the rule is the more extreme the design, the better. Now that need not just apply to the jumper with FLAVR’s new Christmas cases where the design is so bad, it’s good!

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With designs to appeal to everyone such as the “I want to believe” case (For X-Files fans), the “Selfie Elfie” case, the “Do the Dab” case and the “Jingle Balls case”, the new FLAVR range is sure to cause amusement amongst friends and colleagues.

For the more reserved who still want to get involved in the festive spirit, there are also a number of patterned designs to match their chosen jumper shown below. All of the range will be packaged in the shape of a stocking or Christmas card to make the perfect pre-Christmas or secret Santa Gift.

The FLAVR Christmas jumper cases are available from £9.99 from Carphone Warehouse and will also be available online in November from http://www.shopflavr.com/

Posted in: Accessories, Phones
By October 25, 2016 Read More →

Benq GW2270 LED Monitor unboxing

image5The Benq GW2270 is a wallet friendly 22-inch monitor with a 1080p resolution and IPS LCD screen. Including popular features, such as, low-blue light mode for reduced eye-strain and a low-power backlight, this display looks to be a simple, cheap and reliable option.

 

Specs

  • Response Time: 5ms
  • Viewing Angle: 178°/178°
  • Panel Type: AMVA+
  • Contrast: 3000:1
  • Brightness: 250cd/m2
  • Resolution: 1920 x 1080
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • LCD Size: 21.5″
  • Back Light Unit: LED
  • VGADVI-D
  • Without Stand: HxWxD 400 x 506 x 178mm
  • Weight: 4.6kg
  • AMA
  • Flicker Free
  • HDCP
  • 100 x 100 VESA
  • Tilt: -5°/20°
  • Low Blue Light
  • Power Supply: 90-264AC
  • Power Consumption (Power saving mode): 0.5W
https://www.ukmeds.co.uk/surgical-face-masks