Netgear have sent over a Nighthawk AC1900 Modem router for testing and this thing looks the biz. Over a series of articles on Tracy And Matt we will be taking a look at the router and the functions of it as there is far to many to feature in an unboxing video.
Here have a look as the packaging and contents alongside how to put the good looking communication device together.
Lets take a look and see what’s new on Netflix and Amazon Prime for the week the 23rd 29th November.
Picking an in-car satellite navigation system is a very difficult choice at the moment. What with mobile phones becoming so much more competent at being companions on the road. It seems a bit futile for you to spend money on a decent, dedicated GPS system. However this has not stopped Garmin from producing a high end unit that dwarfs older units from years gone by.
Looking around the device, on the top there is nothing but a large shutter button, allowing you to snap a quick and easy picture. Obviously not whilst driving as that would be dangerous, however if a moment were to present itself whilst you are parked then you can grab it quickly and easily.
The back features the power button, a grill for a speaker that is easily fit for purpose and inside a magnetic circle are some ports for connecting the charger and mount. One of the handiest features is the NuviCam’s ability to just pop onto it’s mount to start charging. No need for fiddling with MicroUSB connector or a proprietary connector every time. A powerful magnets guides you in and clamps the two together with a satisfying connection. This great mechanism eases the burden of having to remove the unit from view every time you leave the car.
On the bottom are three ports, one for a mircoUSB when connecting the unit to a computer or power source outside the car. There are two MicroSD card slots. The first is an expansion port for storage of maps whereas the second is dedicated storage for the dashboard camera. A simple and tidy solution. A 4GB card is included as standard for video recordings.
The Garmin is a massive device first and foremost. A 6 inch screen fills a huge unit however this size allows the NuviCam to capture so many desirable aspects of in-car equipment that you would not normally have access to. Not only does it tell you directions and find local services but it integrates with your phone via Bluetooth, it records your journey via camera, preserving important maneuvers to SD card for easy playback when required and barks orders at you to help or correct your driving.
The device is easy to set up, has a fantastic holder that connects to your dashboard with minimal effort, alongside a very simple to use interface. One thing I can’t sing praises about is the wiring, the power cable and microphone cable are incredibly difficult to conceal. Whilst one is a double width cable that you cannot easily conceal in dashboard seams. The other is so fine it slips out with a simple knock or shudder. However you can forgive this because the rest of the unit works so darn well and there might also be cars out there that have particular troughs that can accommodate. Here is, rather crude, video to illustrate the nuisance wiring.
Whilst we are on the topic of video here are some examples of the in built camera:
As you can see from the footage in the video above the picture quality on the inbuilt DVR is exceptional. A wide angle lens captures everything you could need on the road right down to the fine detail and most importantly number plate information from a considerable distance. Videos are recorded at full HD 1920 by 1080 resolution at 8mb per second. The quality is perfect level of detail and you should hopefully only ever have to use the footage in the instance of any car accidents. Click here to know when do you need a car crash report. A already mentioned it is pretty handy to be able to hit the button to allow you capture a still image along the way in case of something interesting ahead of you. I can’t imagine too many instances that you would need to grab a still image, however it a nice feature to throw in. The 4gb card in included and this is great for about an hours worth of footage, if you were to upgrade to a larger card, say for example 64 gigabytes you can get almost 18 hours of storage.
The screen is excellent, on paper a 6” screen sounds pretty hefty for a portable device however it makes sense when in use as it really has to rival the screens built into the dash of modern cars. One criticism is that modern day smartphones tend to use swipes and gestures to navigate around the menus and the user may find that they are swiping unnecessarily as a Garmin does not support swipe-like movements.
Whilst driving with a camera I noticed that there were a number of warnings as I’d progressed through my journey. There were things like Lane departure notifications, speed limit warnings, proximity collision alarms and whilst these are very handy they become a little annoying from time to time and distracting whilst driving. They were easy enough to turn off and on again whilst parked however I was unable to find a way to vocally interact with these warnings perhaps including the voice command “shut up” may have be a good idea.
Garmin have included a Digital Traffic via DAB radio service. This has a DAB radio receiver built into the unit that allows the device to update itself with traffic information every minute. I found this to be somewhat accurate during rush hour. The Digital Traffic lifetime subscription is included with the new Nuvicam however this does not stretch to all countries around Europe, instead a handful including Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway and Germany. For other countries you receive standard RDS-TMC updates which aren’t quite as luxurious and only update every 15 minutes.
One handy extra feature is the integration of Foursquare point-of-interest locations that appear on the map. This is a nice use of relevant social networking to keep the Garmin system as an up to date platform.
When it comes to the voice commands I found it to be fairly accurate. I do not have a particularly broad Northern Irish accent and I did not have to make a much of an affort to “bend” my accent to help the system pick up certain phrases or words. Once you learn how it works you find it to be quite confident at picking up local requests. I did have an issue trying to find the nearest Smyths Toy Shop at one stage and it recommended Smiths Tours or some such over 300 miles away. Changing it to Smyths-Toy-Shop-Belfast sorted that out on the first try.
Comparing this to a smartphone app like Google Maps the Garmin is a very choice satellite navigation system. The differences are phenomenal. Having used Google Maps to navigate for the last few months I have found it I have made several errors whereas the Garmin has always kept me right I have not had to question its logic or lane placement when leaving a motorway. The roads around Dublin tend to be quite difficult for new drivers to understand and mistakes are often made along the way, the Garmin helped me navigate them very easily and in a sensible fashion that I was able to understand whilst not distracting me from my driving.
Certainly the Garmin is more expensive than using your smartphone on the road. There is no doubt it is really for the road warrior as opposed to the casual driver. Having something like this in your car will require forward thinking as this is such a large, bulky device you will likely need to take it with you when leaving your car in a city centre for fear that it may be spotted and removed. It wipes the floor with smartphone and inbuilt car navigation. There is also the factor it does not impact on your phone’s battery life or data allowance and can be used across Europe without fear of extra charges and will actually serve as a bit of a talking piece for passengers in the car.
The Garmin Nuvicam will make you realise just how half baked the other options are and it is with a heavy heart I have to hand this back to Garmin.
Let’s take a look and see whats new on Netflix for the fortnight 9th – 22nd November
Let’s take a look and see whats new on Amazon Prime for the fortnight 9th – 22nd November
A phone that gives you complete control is now a reality with thanks to London based company Wileyfox. This new company has launched with two devices the swift and the storm, today I will be reviewing the swift their cheaper phone but by no means does cheap mean basic. Don’t forget to check out the hands on video with Gareth to see the swift in action.
Product Specifications
Wileyfox use Cyanogen OS 12.1 based on android lollipop 5.1.1. The swift comes packed with a 13mp primary camera, 5mp front facing camera, a Quad core Snapdragon 410 8916, 16GB ROM, 2GB RAM, Expandable memory up to 32GB, Dual SIM functionality,4G LTE, 5″ HD Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 IPS Display. This all comes packaged with a very reasonable price of £129. So will this be enough for the average phone user to take a chance on the Wileyfox?
A hidden game when checking out the phones software. More annoying than fun.
The phone looks and feels like a high end device at a budget price. The rear cover with the Wileyfox embossed logo really makes the phone stand out. The phone has a plastic casing but has a nice non slip feel.
At top of the phone you have the 3.5mm headphone jack, microphone.
On the right hand side of the phone you have the volume rocker and power button.
At the bottom of the phone you have the usb charge point and two grills where lies the phones impressive speakers.
On the left hand side there is nothing but smooth plastic. Pop off the cover and you have the removable 2500mh battery, two slots for your sim cards and the micro sd card slot.
On the rear of the swift you have the 13 megapixel camera with led flash and below this the indented Wileyfox logo.
On the front of the phone you have the ear speaker at the top, with the LED notification light to the right of this. To the left you have the 5 megapixel front facing camera. There is no capacitive buttons at the bottom of the swift they are on screen.
Smart phones are increasing in size, the phone I currently use is 5.5inches making the Wiley fox’s decision to use the popular 5 inch size a downsizing of screen for me. However this was not a problem as the 5 inch screen is the perfect size screen for any user. Its bright vivid 720p display makes using the phone, watching video playback, capturing images with the camera a dream. Wileyfox also offer screen replacement cover for £9.99 per year, which is a fantastic option to have.
Cyanogen OS
The swift uses Cyanogen 12.1 with android 5.1.1 it looks and feels like android so don’t be alarmed that this is too 1much of a change when choosing this phone. It is close to almost naked android. In fact the Cyanogen OS allows consumers the chance to delete any or all the apps that are preloaded on the device and download only the apps that you need. This feature is great as some apps run tirelessly in the background of my current phone and if I could uninstall them I would free up some valuable space. From the main menu screen you can access the app drawer which is laid out in an alphabetical list format. The bottom of the screen there is an a-z list which you can fast track the letter you are looking for.
You have the option to have android or cyanogen themes on the phone.
The operating system runs smoothly with a 64-bit CPU at 1.2GHzsnapdragon processor although when running the performance test it scored quite low. When playing high spec games like Batman the dark knight rises on the swift there was a noticeable lag at times however gameplay was still enjoyable. Less graphic enduring games such as Minecraft and Jurassic World builder app played seamless.
Thankfully Wileyfox did not opt for the pitiful option of 4 gb or 8 gb on board storage. The swift comes with 16 gb on board storage. This is all powered by the 2500mh battery which does last 24 hours with general use. The battery for me lasted about 8 hours before I had it drained although I had used the swift to its full capacity. On my daily commute to work I could watch a 30min programme, listen to music when walking to work, general use during the working day, another 30 min programme on my way home as well as the occasional phone call.
The camera quality is average. The 13 megapixel camera performs well however the quality reduces in low light conditions. Below are a few examples of the 13mp camera and a short video for you to make up your own mind.
The video quality is fine, however when the digital zoom option is used the quality reduces dramatically.
The panorama option was my favorite option when using the camera.
There are plenty of options and filters to use within the camera app, so perhaps with extra time and tweaking the settings you can utilise the camera to its full potential.
The speakers are loud, with twin speakers located at the bottom of the phone. Built in to the swift there is an equalizer option which is always handy to have.
Should you join the Wileyfox revolution? In my opinion yes! If you are looking for a smart phone as a gift for Christmas or looking for a phone that can perform on a budget you cant go wrong with the swift. Take a chance on Wileyfox as I expect them to make a huge splash in the mobile phone arena. The swift packs a lot of hardware for its £129 price and with the additional 3 year phone replacement at £9.99 and screen protection at a further £9.99 per year this should make a killer selling point.
I do not want to renew my membership to the cracked screen club but for the protection at this price it makes the to join the Wileyfox revolution an easy choice. There are other smartphones available around this price with similar specs but if you want something a little different and a break from the norm they sign up with Wileyfox who in their own words provide unrivalled customisation, privacy and security and freedom.
“Unrivalled customisation: give your phone a look and personality that’s as unique as yours.
Unrivalled privacy and security: choose precisely the data you wish to share; protect apps with additional PINs; prevent spam with Truecaller Integrated Dialler.
Unrivalled freedom: curate your own suite of apps – delete any or all of the apps we preload to get you started and download the ones you need. Enriching your life, extending your battery life; keeping you connected everywhere, to everyone, for longer. “ https://www.wileyfox.com/
Sony is no stranger to the smart watch, they have produced a few generations of their signature Sony SmartWatch over the last couple of years. I personally owned the original Sony Smartwatch when it first came out 4 years ago. Whilst it might not be a conventional SmartWatch as we know it is perhaps better described as more of an iPod Shuffle with a screen on a wrist strap. This really was one of the first smartwatch devices and was a pretty big trendsetter.
The second Sony Smartwatch made a lot of big changes and sorted out many of the problems of the original, notably becoming a pure Smartwatch, no clips, just a small screen with a processor on a strap. Of the smartwatches available at the time, the Sony smartwatch 2 was probably the most impressive, that is until the Samsung Galaxy Gear appeared shortly after.
My current smartwatch is the LG G Watch, a simple approach to Android Wear and a cheaper option for anyone wanting to test the water. Moving to the SmartWatch 3 from the LG G watch isn’t as exciting as as one might think. Android Wear is the same from device to device with very little in the way of modification. What we really have to look at is mainly just the physical differences between the two devices and how they operate from your wrist. The Sony SmartWatch and the LG G Watch are practically identical when it comes to many are the physical aspects of these devices.
The big bonus of the Sony SmartWatch 3 over the LG G watch is comfort, I really noticed a big difference with the Smart Watch on my wrist. I seem to remember adjusting the LG G watch quite frequently as it became somewhat uncomfortable over the course of the day, I was always reminded that I had it on. The SmartWatch 3 has a much more snug fit around your wrist and is ultimately more comfortable. That’s not to say it’s like a second skin, it just has a better fit when it comes to the watch face.
Another major difference is the button on the side, the LG G Watch uses a couple of taps to the watch screen to wake it up whereas the SmartWatch relies on an old fashioned button, some may prefer this however.
The screen itself occupies a strange portion of the front facing panel. It isn’t quite centralised on the y axis leaving a bar at the bottom that looks almost like an Android phone where capacitive controls may have once resided. The screen feels smaller than the LG G watch and appear to be roughly the same size to the eye. The resolution of the screen works, if not as pretty as some of the other competitors from Motorola, Huawei and Samsung.
There is a price difference between the LG G Watch and the Sony SmartWatch 3 and this price difference certainly feels like it made it’s way into the stock straps provided. LG of gone for a very basic approach to keep the price down whereas the Sony SmartWatch 3 has an infinitely superior strap with a good solid clip to keep it from falling off the wrist. Additionally, being interchangeable with other ones that Sony sell the watch can be equipped for various different life challenges whether it be a marathon, a day in the office or a holiday.
The biggest annoyance of the Sony SmartWatch 3 is the charging port, a single micro USB connector is pushed into the back of the device. This can be a little annoying especially late at night when you just want to get the thing on charge and get into bed. The typical micro USB “is this the right way round?” syndrome happens whilst you attempt to keep a small rubber flap out of the way. On a number of occasions I have picked up the watch in the morning to find that it is dead, I had not put the charger in fully and the battery does not last more than the day. The little LG G Watch sits beside it in it’s cosy cradle enjoying a flow of constant power.
The Sony SmartWatch 3 is a decent entry into the Android wear catalogue at a cheaper price than some of the high-end watches making it one to consider or perhaps a backup. There will be the odd moment it infuriates you however these are hopefully going to be few and far between. I have a feeling that if Sony provide a Smartwatch 4 it really will be a contender.
You can purchase the Sony Smartwatch 3 from Mobilefun for £179.00
Memo to Facebook, you bought the wrong company. AuraVisor has officially just become the first true Virtual Reality game changer in the industry. James Talbot. CEO, AuraVisor, wants the industry to know that his AuraVisor is definitely the most cutting edge product. It’s the first virtual reality system that doesn’t need to be connected to a computer or smartphone. Its on-board computer allows you to break free from other devices and experience the ultimate in virtual reality.
Talbot is still in shock over Oculus Rift’s Founder Palmer Lucky’s recent tweets that were circulated over the major tech sites that the industry is not ready for the mass market until VR can get rid of the $1,000 high-end PCs that are connected to the headsets via wires.
Talbot said, “We beg to differ and that is the essence of our Kickstarter campaign. AuraVisor has everything you need embedded in the headset now to experience VR without the need for a separate computer, connected by wires or even a smartphone.”
AuraVisor is a virtual reality head mounted computer (HMC) that works without a computer or smartphone, free from the clutter of wires and the hassle of interchanging a smart phone. AuraVisor has an on-board Android based operating system that allows you to experience the immersion of virtual reality, and all it offers, without breaking the budget.
The built in 5″ screen delivers full 1080 HD video and a wide 100° field of vision means that the AuraVisor provides a truly immersive gaming experience but, more than that, it’s a completely standalone entertainment system. AuraVisor fully supports 3D movies. Imagine watching the latest action films in full 3D on the equivalent of a 100 foot screen.
AuraVisor has powerful on-board WiFi and a simple smart scrolling graphical user interface. Simply turn on, download and immerse yourself in whatever activity you like.
Users have the ability to download more content, including games, videos and apps from the VR store. The VR store is based on, and linked to, the Google Play Store. With support for popular video apps such as Netflix, Hulu and YouTube, and gaming engines such as Unity and Unreal Engine. AuraVisor supports almost every entertainment and gaming option a user would need. A HDMI input allows users to connect a computer or gaming system for even more content. AuraVisor includes 16 GB of on board memory, with an expandable microSD slot, users can add their own content and provide additional storage space for apps.
AuraVisor features a built-in Lithium Ion battery which provides more than five hours of power. With included Bluetooth gaming controller, microUSB charging cable, Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI 2.0 input and support for 4K UHD video at 60fps, AuraVisor will immerse users into the latest and greatest content available today, at a price that everyone can afford.
Currently available as part of our Kickstarter launch are options such as additional adult and children-sized faceplates and a Power Bank Battery, designed specifically for AuraVisor allowing additional gaming and entertainment time. Other features and options will be announced soon.
With over 600 backers, the AuraVisor Kickstarter campaign has already smashed its £100,000 funding goal in little over a week. For more information on the Kickstarter campaign, please visit AuraVisor Kickstarter Campaign
This is the Huawei Nexus 6P, the flagship Android device. Google have put out two Nexus devices this year and this is the Nexus 5X’s bigger brother. Packed to the gills with the latest tech the 6P is easily one of the most eye catching devices on the market, but it is any good?
Over a series of videos we will take a look at the Nexus 6P’s various features starting the the routine unboxing.
Huawei Nexus 6P spec list:
Operating System
Lets take a look at what streaming on Amazon Prime from the 26th October to the 1st November.
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