Author Archive: Matt

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

rss feed Facebook Twitter Pinterest Google Plus YouTube

Author's Website →

By May 17, 2011 Read More →

Gear4 UnityRemote review

Gear4 UnityRemote review Here at tracyandmatt.co.uk we like to review interesting products and this one that I’ve been given for review is no different, here I have the new product from gear4 the UnityRemote. It is a very clever attempt at a universal remote and I have been putting it through its paces for over a week now.

Question is, is it good enough to be top of the universal remote market or is it just an expensive product that will end up at the back of shelves?

To find out, read on for the full review.

Posted in: Gadgets, Reviews
By May 15, 2011 Read More →

Amazing camera-phone photos

nokia_n8 And you thought phones were just for talking to your mates. These amazing photographs prove how technologically advanced the current wave of smart phones have become.

Renowned aerial photographer Jason Hawkes travelled around Britain in a helicopter, taking aerial photographs of landmarks and the landscape using only the 12-megapixel camera of a Nokia N8 smartphone.

Hawkes set out to capture the UK’s most stunning locations in five days using only the Nokia N8 as his main camera for Nokia’s HD Horizons project. The campaign was launched to prove that the best camera you have is the one you have on you all the time – and we think that Nokia proved their point.

Visit www.thenokiareview.com to see all the amazing shots for yourself.

 

Posted by: Tracy

Posted in: Phones
By May 15, 2011 Read More →

New phone buying tips

mobile_phone_generic In our digital age, it’s unlikely you know anyone who doesn’t own a mobile phone. Even your Nan has been pushed into carrying one, regardless of whether she actually uses it or not.

With the market booming how can you haggle the best deal for yourself when the mobile giants no longer need to give you the hard sell on the latest handset?

The key to unlocking an Aladdin’s Cave of unique offers and upgrades is loyalty. Customer loyalty, or retention, is the Holy Grail for networks. The competition is longer about getting customers but simply about holding onto them.

Your power lies in your ability to switch contracts if the grass looks greener elsewhere.

With that in mind, be brave, start playing hard ball and get to grips with our top tips on how to get the most out of your network provider.

 

Posted in: Editorial
By May 14, 2011 Read More →

Consumers ‘held hostage’ by SIM-locked phones

giffgaff_002 Mobile users are being “held hostage” by their provider because of the cost of unlocking their phones to switch to other providers, a recent report claims.

The report shows that the majority of people using unlocked phones is due to “consumer confusion” surrounding the issue, with almost a third not sure if it is legal to change to a different provider.

The survey, which was carried out by YouGov amongst 2019 adults on behalf of MVNO GiffGaff, showed that consumers are missing out on the “best deals” and that they wanted more information on how to “unlock” their mobile when they bought them.

Our old friend Mike Fairman, chief executive of giffgaff, said: “Consumers risk being held hostage by their mobile network to the tune of £400 million simply to switch networks with their existing phone. The practice of selling mobile phones locked to one network, or Sim-locking as it is known in the industry, is having a big impact on consumers’ ability to get the best deal on the market.”

The report also claimed that consumers were currently charged around £17 to switch networks meaning this service alone could be worth millions to the mobile phone industry.

 

Posted by: Tracy

Posted in: News
By May 12, 2011 Read More →

LG show their own Optimus Black video

lg-optimus-black-Mobile Earlier this week I posted an unboxing video of the LG Optimus Black which arrived in a unique presentation box from LG all the way from Korea. I’ve been rather impressed with the Black, it’s certainly thin and the NOVA display technology is awesome.

LG also recorded their own unboxing video of the Optimus Black which you can check out below, I’m not sure that it could be called the standard retail package though but I really need to get me one of those boxes!

 

Posted in: Videos/Unboxings
By May 9, 2011 Read More →

Brother Printer Competition

MFC5895CW_FRONT

It has been a little while since we hosted a competition but we’ve got a few coming up for you over the next few weeks. We’re starting here with a Brother A3 All in One Printer competition.

Would you like to win a Brother MFC-5895CW high speed A3 inkjet all in one printer? Ideal for printing your favourite photos for the home or printing professional looking documents and scanning in the office. Compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux the MFC-5895CW also offers wireless printing, a compact footprint form factor whilst delivering 28 page per minute print speeds, 150 sheet paper capacity and Blue Angel environmental standards.

Entering is easy. All you have to do is follow tracyandmatt on Twitter and retweet the following tweet: "RT @tracyandmatt I’m hoping to win a #Brother A3 Printer on tracyandmatt.co.uk – Find out how you can enter too: http://bit.ly/brothercomp" 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. You’ll have to keep following us as we’ll notify winners via DM.

RETWEET ME!

This competition will run for two weeks, ending Friday 20th May 2011 and only open to UK entrants as the printer will be sent directly from Brother in the UK to the winner. Entrants follow tracyandmatt on twitter in order for us to get in touch with the winner.

The winner will be chosen at random within two weeks of the competition closing and the prize will be sent to the winner within thirty days of the winner being chosen.

 

Posted by: Matt

Posted in: Competitions
By May 8, 2011 Read More →

Why I JailBreak My iDevice

cydia There are numerous reasons why I JailBreak my iDevice, but the first thing people say is ‘oh you just want free apps’. Whilst this is achievable when your iDevice has been JailBroken, its not the reason I do, but I’ll go on to that shortly.

I’ve been JailBreaking my iDevices for a few years and with every new iPhone or OS Update, the first thing I do is ensure there is a JailBreak method.

Even with the latest iOS Update 4.3.3 released this week, the JailBreak tools were available to download in a matter of days.

JailBreaking your iDevice is different from unlocking your iDevice. In short, JailBreaking allows you to install applications and system modifications Apple do not want you to use. Unlocking your iPhone allows you to use a SIM Card and Network of your choice, even if the iPhone is locked to a specific network. For me, all of my iDevices have been officially unlocked so this is not an area of ‘iDevice Hacking’ I have looked in to.

 

Posted in: Editorial
By May 8, 2011 Read More →

LG Optimus Black unboxing video

OptimusBlack-Main Yesterday a large box arrived here in the office, wasn’t sure what it was as all I was expecting was the LG Optimus Black. Turns out that the huge box did indeed contain the Optimus Black (P970) and that it was in a really cool presentation pack. It’s been a while since we saw anything quite like it.

The Optimus Black was announced back in January and is expected to go on sale sometime in May here in the UK.

There are two main draws for the Optimus Black. First of all LG are claiming the prize for the worlds thinnest smartphone. At just 9.2mm there’s no denying that it’s slim but as for being the thinnest there’s a bit of contention between LG and Samsung. The Samsung Galaxy S2 may indeed be thinner across parts of the body but the Optimus Black is a consistent 9.2mm across the whole handset.

Secondly LG have fitted a NOVA LCD display in the Black. In essence this is a super-bright and energy efficient display technology offering 700 nits of brightness across the 4″ 480 x 800 display whilst consuming as much as 50% less power than competitors screens.

Check out the video and the full specification below to see it in action. Note that this is a PR model straight from LG and not the retail unit. My demo handset has a faulty loudspeaker that pops and crackles periodically, don’t take too much notice. We’ll have a review for you soon.

 

Posted in: Videos/Unboxings
By May 7, 2011 Read More →

Pay your taxi fare via your mobile

vodafone-logo This month sees the launch of a clever new initiative from mobile giants, Vodafone.

The networks customers are able to add their taxi fares to their phone bill thanks to a special fleet from Vodafone. The companies branded black cabs are offering customers the option to pay via their mobile phones putting a stop to stopping at cash points and paying by cash.

Not only that, but the 500 modified taxis will be fitted with mobile phone chargers to give your handset a free boost on the ride home.

Genius. Great for both the company and customer.

Vodafone customers will simply text the taxi’s licence number and individual code to have the fare added to their monthly mobile phone bill.

 

Posted by: Tracy

Posted in: News
By May 6, 2011 Read More →

Samsung Galaxy S II unboxing and demo video

GalaxyS2-main The Samsung Galaxy S II (Galaxy S2 or i9100) has to be one of the most eagerly awaited handsets of the year. Last year’s Samsung Galaxy S was hugely popular selling tons of units and really making its mark.

The Galaxy S2 is one of only a few handsets around at the moment to have a dual-core CPU and this one is really special. a 1.2GHz Arm-cortex A9 CPU with a Mali-400MP GPU along side. That along with 1GB of RAM and 8 or 16GB of internal storage makes this one of the best specified handsets out there at the moment.

Then there’s the 4.3″ Super AMOLED screen complete with Gorilla Glass.

Perhaps one of the most striking things, when you consider that spec, is that the whole lot fits in a handset thats just 8.5mm thick and weighs just 116 grams!!

I’ve only had my review model for a few hours and already I think it’s awesome. Check out the video I have below, I can scarcely call it an unboxing video as it’s one of the longest I’ve done in a long time. This is the edited, cut-down version and it’s still over 30 minutes long!  Make yourself a coffee and enjoy the show.

 

Posted in: Videos/Unboxings
https://www.ukmeds.co.uk/surgical-face-masks