Author Archive: Gareth

Seasoned tech blogger. Host of the Tech Addicts podcast.

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By March 18, 2014 Read More →

Carphone Warehouse say new HTC One (M8) coming 25th March

htc_one_plus_front_2Ahead of HTC’s official announcement Carphone Warehouse has revealed that the new “HTC One (M8)” handset will be available from selected stores from around 4pm on Tuesday 25th March – just minutes after it is officially announced.

The new HTC flagship device will be officially unveiled by the manufacturer at special events in London and New York earlier that afternoon. Shortly after, the new HTC One (M8) handsets will be transported directly from the venue of the launch announcement to six Carphone Warehouse stores in London. Westfield Stratford, Westfield White City, Oxford Circus, Centrepoint and Tottenham Court Road stores will all be hosting special events celebrating the HTC launch with entertainment and giveaways as well as the first chance for customers to get their hands on the new device. Carphone Warehouse at Selfridges will also be stocking the handset from the same time. 

Full information including videos of the new handset will be shared on www.carphonewarehouse.com and customers will be able to order the HTC One (M8) over the phone from the same afternoon, before it is available from all 770 Carphone Warehouse stores and to order online shortly afterwards.

A Carphone Warehouse spokesperson comments, “The HTC One is an award winning handset that set the bar for design during 2013 and made many sit up and take notice – the new HTC One M8 is likely to continue that trend and will cement HTC’s future as a heavy-hitting smartphone manufacturer. We know how keen customers are to get hold of the latest tech as soon as possible and that is why we are so excited to be able to offer the new HTC One so quickly after it is unveiled.”

Customers can pre-register their interest in the new HTC One (M8) now at http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/help-support/advice-and-news/news/launchpad-rumours/htc-rumours

Posted in: News, Phones
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By March 17, 2014 Read More →

Are Google thinking about launching their own network?

2014-03-15This question recently appeared on a Google Opinion sparking the rumour that Google might be launching their own network. Perhaps as an virtual network operator on a larger network however as they have dug in the wiring for Google Fibre is does not rule out the option that they might go to the expense of erecting their own towers.

The best news here is that Google would be charging less than the other networks as you can only use a Nexus device on their network. A master stroke for all those who love a Nexus, and lets face it, there are a lot.

At any rate, this is merely a rumour now. Gauging from public reaction Google might not both. For us little folk in the UK, we would be unlikely to see a Google network for a least 1,000 years.

Posted in: News, Phones, Rumours
By March 16, 2014 Read More →

Chromecast here on Wednesday?

Chromecast-peeking-630x348Sundar Pichai recently mentioned the Chromecast would come to other markets within weeks. The Chromecast app was updated with new languages and we even had a nice leak of the Chromecast being prepared for launch here in the UK. We just needed one more detail – when?.

The latest leak comes from Android Police. It’s an internal document that states a “new Google product” will be released this Wednesday, March 19th. This document is said to come from Dixons. It’s also labeled as “one of the biggest products this year from Google.”

Now, this document doesn’t specify it’s talking about the Chromecast, but we have been seeing many rumours and news about the HDMI dongle lately. We can’t imagine this being about any other product.

Price continues to be unspecified. The only details we know came from the last rumour, which suggests the price will be £30. Regardless, we will learn all this information very soon. Circle this coming Wednesday in your calendars, guys! March 19th is looking like the day we see the Chromecast arriving!

Posted in: News, TV & Home Cinema
By March 15, 2014 Read More →

Google Drive slashes prices

google-drop-priceMany have discussed what might happen the day your 100gb of free online storage runs out after purchasing a shiny Chromebook. Thankfully there is a nice answer. It looked like the end user was going to have to clear everything out and say “bye bye” and manage with 15gb or shell out some green to keep it, learn here how to do the file migration to Google Drive.

Today Google announced some great news, lower the prices on all its paid subscriptions for Google Drive storage.

100GB of space now costs $1.99/m (down from $4.99/m); a gargantuan 1TB will now cost $9.99/m (down from $49/m) and if you’re really in need of cloud storage you can rent out 10TB+ for a monthly for starting from $99.99. The new pricing plans come into effect today. More details can be found at google.com/settings/storage. And if you already have a subscription Google say not to worry; anyone already signed up to a monthly plan will be automatically switched to the cheaper option, no input needed.

This seems like a positive outcome for Google and supporters of Google Glass, like me. However, Commissioner John Blair did state, following the ruling, that the he felt that there is sufficient scope in the code that bans the use of TV and Video to include Google Glass.

Whilst this ruling may not in itself set a legal precedent relating to the legality of Google Glass and usage while driving and this is likely to rumble on for some time to come until there is a definitive ruling and laws passed.

By March 14, 2014 Read More →

Mobile Tech Addicts Podcast 222: Louder than before

Podcast-Logo_thumb.jpgGareth and Dan are here with another UK update on the mobile front. Dan gives his thoughts on Mobile World Congress 2014.

This week Dan tells us what it was like to be on the ground at MWC, the most leaked phone of the decade, the HTC One (M8) and several of the new devices from Archos get discussed.

Featuring Gareth, Dan and Phil

 

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Posted in: News, Podcast
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By March 12, 2014 Read More →

Google Nexus 8 rumours

Nexus7-9530We have a Google Nexus 8 Android tablet rumour to today. Apparently a new report sheds additional light on some of the hardware details of this potential device. Whilst there isn’t too much information there is enough to start dreaming and getting excited. Here are the proposed specs:

Google Nexus 8 Tablet Specification:

  • 8-Inch Display
  • Intel Atom “Moorefield” 64-bit 2.3GHz quad-core processor with enhanced performance memory
  • PowerVR G6430 GPU
  • Android 4.5

Supposedly, Google will announce the tablet later this year and it will be one of the first devices running their next iteration of Android, which will supposedly be 4.5. Using Intel hardware would be a substantial departure from the norm for Google, but we wouldn’t put it past them. The Nexus 10 is due a refresh first and with any luck we might just see version 4.5 on that and a version 5 arriving with a Nexus 8. One can only hope.

Posted in: News, Rumours, Tablets
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By March 11, 2014 Read More →

Asus Chromebox knock the ball out of the park, Stateside

61Q4AURMIvL._SL1500_It would seem the Asus Chromebox is a hit. Currently sitting at No. 1 on Amazon.com’s best seller list the Asus Chromebox makes a desktop companion of the ChromeOS similar to what the Chromebook has been doing for notebooks and laptops.  The Chromebox comes in three different flavours, the first featuring a 1.4 GHz Intel Celeron 2955U Processor with 2GB of Ram for $179, a Intel Core i3-4010U with 4GB of Ram for $409 and an Intel Core i7-4600U with 4GB of Ram for $590. Each unit also features a 16 GB SSD HDD, Intel HD graphics, Gigabit ethernet, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, 2x USB 3.0 ports, 1x 3.5mm headphone / microphone port, 2-in-1 SD/MMC port and the ever evolving Google Chrome OS.

  • Amazon — $179 with free shipping, ships March 14th
  • Newegg — $179, ships March 14th
  • Tiger Direct — $179 with free shipping

The i3 and i5 variants do not appear to be as easy to track down however the reports are these ship on the same dates. At this price is it impossible not to at least be tempted by the box for $179, even just to plug into a TV or unused screen. No news of when this is to appear on the UK shores, right now Amazon.co.uk offer the Samsung Series 3 Chromebox running Intel 1.9GHz, 4GB RAM, 16GB SSD for £279. A nice alternative however likely to be superseded in the near future.

 

Posted in: Desktop Computing, News
By March 10, 2014 Read More →

HP 8 at a price to make you think twice

hp-8-leadHP is back in the Android tablet game with a new budget tablet. They have announced the HP 8, shockingly featuring an 8″ display size on the device. What’s really surprising is the affordable price of the HP 8. At only $170, this is easily the least expensive 8-inch tablet on the market. Of course, with that price you don’t expect that the specs will be anything spectacular to write home about and you would be right. We hope to get this in for a test as soon as possible.

 

Here are the HP 8 Specs:

  • 7.85-Inch (1,024 x 768) display
  • Android 4.2.2
  • A quad-core ARM chip made by the Chinese company Allwinner
  • 1GB of RAM
  • 16GB of expandable storage
  • Stereo speakers
  • 3,800mAh battery

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Posted in: News, Tablets
By March 10, 2014 Read More →

The All New HTC One leaked again

m8_001The All New HTC One has had another leak, this time coming from China. Several picture of the device appeared on the local social network Weibo. The All New HTC One (Anho) will be officially revealed this month, on March 25 and has been referred to by many names over the last few month like the HTC Two, HTC One 2. Keeping the device a secret has proved difficult for HTC, or possibly all of these leaks are staged to remind folks dazzled by the Samsung Galaxy S5 to hang on in there as there is an alternative round the corner.

The photos of the Anho don’t really show anything we haven’t seen before, or reveal any new information only the size of the unit compared to the HTC One Max.

 

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By March 6, 2014 Read More →

How much would you pay for Firefox?

dell_uk_firefoxIf, purchasing a Dell machine here in the UK, you decide you wish to have Firefox included out of the box then you will have to pay an extra £16.25. Mozilla are investigating the charge Dell are enforcing for the option that is entirely voluntary when selecting machine specification. When questioned about the charge Dell responded with:

“Dell Configuration Services, including the application loading service, ensure customers have a complete, ready to use product when it arrives,” a Dell spokesperson told TNW. “In this particular situation, the customer would not be charged for the Mozilla Firefox software download, rather the fee would cover the time and labour involved for factory personnel to load a different image than is provided on the system’s standard configuration.”

Dell’s website in the US, and Canada do not include the option and it really seems like Dell is pushing the boundaries. Mozilla have kinda covered this under their Software Distributions policy, the document states:

If you are using the Mozilla Mark(s) for the unaltered binaries you are distributing, you may not charge for that product. By not charging, we mean the Mozilla product must be without cost and its distribution (whether by download or other media) may not be subject to a fee, or tied to subscribing to or purchasing a service, or the collection of personal information. If you want to sell the product, you may do so, but you must call that product by another name—one unrelated to Mozilla or any of the Mozilla Marks. Remember that we do not want the public to be confused.

Money well spent you think? 

 

https://www.ukmeds.co.uk/surgical-face-masks