Author Archive: Matt

More than 20 years in the IT industry. Blogging with a passion and thirst for new technology since 2005.

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By March 5, 2014 Read More →

Voice Activation

voice-600x372The hands free control (voice activation) allows you to wave your hand over the screen to change pages and you can even scroll up and down web pages with your eyes.

The Moto X has a crystal clear 4.7-inch AMOLED display, a 10 megapixel camera with Quick Capture so that you never miss a moment and an impressive Intuitive Android KitKat operating system to name a few. The camera on this phone is excellent and able to take fantastic shots quickly without blurring the images. The interface is slick and it shoots quickly, making taking photographs with the Moto X simple and easy, it’s a great phone if you’re a fan of photography for blogging, social networking or just for the fun of it.

The Moto X’s touchless control is perhaps the most outstanding feature and is sure to be a favourite choice amongst consumers. The Moto X is always ready so that you don’t have to wait around for it to catch up with your busy lifestyle. The touchless control responds to your voice instantly and opens up your device without the need for hands. The Moto X can search for anything you want on Google, set an alarm or get you directions or the weather in an instant and all with simple voice commands. The phone responds clearly so it is easy for you to hear and comprehend the responding voice. The phone is capable of understanding you, no matter what your accent is so you can enjoy this feature without speaking like a robot in order to be understood.

Following the release of the Moto X the overall industry reaction has been very positive with the industry largely handing out 4 star reviews:

By March 5, 2014 Read More →

Is A Mobile Wallet the Right Choice for You?

Is A Mobile Wallet the Right Choice for You?In 1999, PayPal was launched as the first Internet-based money transfer system. Since then, mobile phones have become the new wallet and the number of apps that make this e-shift possible are growing by the minute. Now, mobile banking has moved into cloud-based apps like Square Wallet and LevelUp that allow smart phone users to sync their bank accounts and pay electronically in the real world.

THE BENEFITS

Using your “mobile wallet” to pay for items instead of using actual credit cards allows you to lighten the load of your real wallet and, more importantly, cuts down on your risk of identity theft in the event you lose your wallet. If you lose your phone, at least you know it has a security lock in place (if you’ve set it) and you can also call your phone company and have it shut off.

Other benefits of using a mobile wallet:

  • Paying for the items is usually quicker, moving you and the line behind you through faster.
  • The method of payment stays with the customer, making it harder for anyone trying to swipe your identity information by peering over your shoulder.
  • Lightens the load of physical credit cards and cash on hand.

Businesses that cater to mobile wallet users can reap the benefits, as well. Just as the mobile wallet user enjoys a faster line and more secured method payment, so too do the businesses. Faster lines mean happier customers and strengthening security on identity theft by installing mobile wallet user-friendly technology is always good business. Having a card payment provider also cuts down on the amount of actual cash a business must handle daily. Card processing involves the secure transmission of payment information and the settlement of transactions.

The most unique feature with businesses using mobile wallet technology is the ability to use market strategies through the mobile wallet apps with transmitting and redeeming loyalty offers.

THE PRECAUTIONS

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the number of identity fraud victims annually in the U.S. is 11,517,900, costing a person an average of $4,930. Surprisingly, it’s the younger mobile users between the ages of 18 and 24 that are most affected by identity theft at 8.5 percent. Thus, if you fall in that age range and plan to use your mobile phone for financial transactions through mobile wallet apps, you should absolutely strengthen the security on your phone as much as possible. If your mobile phone PIN/keylock code isn’t enough to make you feel at ease, systems like LifeLock can provide monitoring and scanning for threats and quick notifications when there is a security breach. Like credit card payments, mobile phone payments are protected, so if your monthly statement is showing unfamiliar expenses, you should still alert your credit card company as soon as possible.

Something else to consider: mobile wallet technology is new and still somewhat “in development.” Not all businesses or credit card companies are willing to switch and not all smart phones support the applications. However, while it may not be widely accepted yet, the convenience and maximum security features that come along with having a mobile wallet are pushing consumers to reconsider and the businesses are sure to follow.

By March 2, 2014 Read More →

How Online Education is Benefiting Teens

How Online Education is Benefiting TeensAn educated populace is an advantage for almost all facets of a society. Hundreds of studies worldwide have shown that improved higher education results in higher income levels for individuals. While most agree that a good education is useful, students in some areas still have a hard time getting a diploma through traditional means. In case of losing or misplacing your certificate, a realistic replica fake diploma can serve as a temporary placeholder for personal records or to aid in proving your qualifications while you wait for an official replacement. Educators and figures like Bobb, Kamau can affirm that an educated populace with a strong foundation in STEM can contribute significantly to a nation’s economic growth.

As per OpCentral, Online education fills this gap, giving students who might otherwise drop out a chance to stay in school and graduate.

Help for Schools

Economically depressed urban areas and remote areas with small populations both have the same problems in terms of schooling: there is not enough money to adequately provide a superior high school experience for their students. Whether school districts are too large or too small, resources will still get stretched trying to provide for the basic needs of the lowest common denominator. Enrichment or advanced placement classes are luxuries these districts can’t afford or justify. With the advent of online education programs, however, students have available hundreds of classes to round out their education. Instead of finding the money to hire and keep specialized teachers, school districts can help fund individual students’ classes online or assist them in finding scholarships and grants to cover their tuition.

Social Safety

According to a survey by Microsoft, 72 percent of children ages 8-17 have been bullied worldwide. While it is certainly preferable for students to stand up and work things out themselves, in some cases this is simply impossible. Students like Amanda Todd, who committed suicide after being bullied, are not unique anymore. In these extreme cases, it’s much better for students to leave the physical school environment and continue their education online. They can earn a high school diploma online and, if they attended accredited schools like Penn Foster, can even continue on to earn a degree without ever having to switch schools.

Job Security

There are many reasons why students drop out of high school and college, but online education like this Cambridge IGCSE chemistry tuition can address many of them. Students who have limited means for college can take classes at home, saving money on transportation and fitting classes in among job responsibilities. They can even work a full time job while going to school, moving on to a more lucrative position once they graduate. Online education opens up more opportunities to students than traditional high school and college courses, and allows more of them to take advantage of trade certificate programs that ensure a chance at a higher income in a shorter amount of time than in a traditional four year program.

Posted in: Editorial
By February 28, 2014 Read More →

Win an HP Pavilion A4 15″ Notebook

pavillion-15It has been a little while since we last had a good competition or give-away on the site but we’re back with a corker. We’ve teamed up with AMD and we have a fantastic HP Pavilion A4 Notebook, in red, worth around £450 and one lucky reader is going to be walking away with it!

To see the prize that we are giving away in more detail, check out the official video below and then you can see how to enter after that…

 

As usual we are going to make this very easy for you.

To enter, all you have to do is follow tracyandmatt on Twitter and retweet the following tweet: “RT @tracyandmatt I want to win a red HP Pavilion A4 Notebook from tracyandmatt and @AMD see how you can enter too: http://bit.ly/amdcomp” You can also click the retweet link below to save you copying and pasting the phrase. Your twitter name will be entered in to the draw.

RETWEET ME!

Your twitter name will be entered in to the draw. You’ll have to keep following us as we’ll notify winners via DM.

 

Entry is open until midnight on the 31st March 2014 and the winner will be picked on the 1st April. Will that be a lucky day for you?

We’ll contact the winner via twitter so make sure that you are still following us!

Good luck.

By February 27, 2014 Read More →

All New HTC One coming March 25th

saveHTC have started sending out ‘save the date’ emails advising the the “Best Smartphone of 2013 is about to get better”.

The special announcement says the 25th March is the date that we’ll be able to see the HTC One successor, officially, for the first time.

Expect to see information on the ‘All New Scooby Doo Show’  ‘All New HTC One’ become more frequent between now and then as more information is bound to leak!

Posted in: News
By February 25, 2014 Read More →

Mail vs. Modern Newsletters

Email-v-mailToday, less and less people are using actual mail to send anything. This is especially true of getting the word out about something. The question is, is it more or less helpful?

 

Getting the Word Out

If you look at your inbox, you probably are receiving many emails per day from companies who want you to take some time to take a look at the product or service they are offering. At some point, the messages simply get deleted, or placed into the SPAM folder, never to be seen again, without even being opened. This can also be said for paper mail. Many people will open their postbox and find it filled with junk mail that will eventually end up in the bin. The most important element to getting a person to read your message is to do something that separates you from the competition. What will make your message special?

 

Subject Line

The potential customer will probably decide within five seconds if they are going to open your message or not. It is very important that the first thing a person sees grabs their attention and makes them want to read what you have to say. In an email, the subject line can be very important because it gives the organization the chance to say something in order to get that message open. For a physical mailing it would be best to create this transparency through something like translucent envelopes, which allow the person to see what is inside.

 

Posted in: Editorial
By February 24, 2014 Read More →

Samsung Galaxy S5 announced at MWC

SM-G900F_charcoal BLACK_03So here’s the news that everyone seems to have been waiting for, Samsung have just now officially announced the new Samsung Galaxy S5 at MWC in Barcelona.

Possibly to go down as one of the worst kept secrets of the year, the Samsung S5 specs read pretty much as per the rumours that have been circulating for quite some time. Among the headlines are the 4K capable 16MP camera, which Samsung claim will be the best in the business. There’s the 5.1″ Full HD screen, 2GB RAM and cutting edge 2.5GHz quad-core CPU. Following in the footsteps of the competing Sony Xperia devices, there’s also IP67 dust and water resistance rating.

The images, which you’ll see below, also look pretty awesome!

Samsung Galaxy S5 Specification:

  • Size: 142 x 72.5 x 8.1
  • Weight: 145g
  • 5.1-inch FHD Super AMOLED display (1920 x 1080 resolution)
  • 2.5GHz quad-core processor
  • 2GB of RAM
  • 16/32GB of memory
  • microSD support up to 64GB
  • 16-megapixel camera with UHD 4K video recording at 30fps and various software features
  • 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera
  • LTE Cat 4 (150/50Mbps) support
  • 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac HT80 MIMO (2×2) Wi-Fi
  • Bluetooth 4.0 BLE/ANT_
  • USB 3.0
  • NFC
  • IR Remote
  • 2800mAh battery
  • IP67 Dust and Water Resistant
  • Fingerprint scanner
  • Heart rate sensor
  • Android 4.4.2 KitKat with various software features on top including Ultra Power Saving Mode, Download Booster, S Health 3.0, Quick Connect, Private Mode, Kids Mode

Posted in: News, Phones
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By February 24, 2014 Read More →

HTC announce the HTC Desire 816 and HTC Desire 610

HTC Desire 816_selfieWhilst we’re all eagerly awaiting news of HTC new HTC M8 aka ‘The All New HTC One’, in a smaller scale announcement today at MWC in Barcelona, HTC have just revealed two new mid-tier smartphones in their Desire range.

The HTC Desire 816 and HTC Desire 610 form part of the 2014 smartphone portfolio and will see their launch in March and May respectively.

HTC has become aware that the latest users of smartphones are content creators, not curators, so these devices have been built to provide consumers the perfect selfie machine for all their SnapChat, WhatsApp and social networking needs.

Two powerful cameras make the HTC Desire 816 ideal for photography lovers. A 13MP rear-facing camera complete with HTC Zoe™ and automatic highlight videos, as well as a 5MP front-facing camera, make it the perfect device for capturing both portraits and stunning landscapes in amazing quality.

The HTC Desire 610 has also been created as a great value, compact entertainment hub. The handset comes packed with a host of features for an incredible mobile audio and visual experience.

Both the 610 and 810 are recognisable HTC phones with front facing BoomSound speakers, beautiful design and similar software features to the leading One range including Zoe, BlinkFeed and Video Highlights.

Full press releases follow…

 

Posted in: News, Phones
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By February 24, 2014 Read More →

Sony announces Xperia Z2, Z2 Tablet, and M2

xperia_z2With Mobile World Congress underway in Barcelona, Sony have used the event to officially announce their latest flagship device, the Xperia Z2.

Aiming to build upon the successes of the Xperia Z1, the Z2 will come with a 5.2″ Display, just 0.2in larger than the existing Xperia Z1 but in a thinner and lighter package. At just 8.2mm thick, Sony has now chosen to follow HTC in using an  aluminium frame construction.

There had been much speculation about the Z2, particularly with regards the screen and many expected that it would be among the first phones to launch with a 2K display. However, the Z2 sticks with a 1920×1080 Full HD screen bust also includes the X-reality picture engine and Triluminos display technology, rather than a straight focus on pixel count.

The Xperia Z2 maintains the IP55 and IP58 dust and waterproofing that we’ve now come to expect from Sony but perhaps one of the best boast-worthy features of the Z2 is that 4K video capable 20.7 megapixel camera which has a 1/2.3-type Exmor RS for mobile CMOS image sensor and a Sony G Lens.

The full press release follows…

Posted in: News, Phones
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By February 20, 2014 Read More →

LG G2 Mini announced

g2-miniThe LG Nexus 5 and LG G2 have proven to be a great success for LG and today the Korean company has just announced a smaller followup for the G2; the LG G2 Mini.

This is LG’s first foray in to the ‘mini version’ market and, based upon the specification sheet you can see below, promises to be another popular device for them.

Posted in: News, Phones
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