Author Archive: Gareth

Seasoned tech blogger. Host of the Tech Addicts podcast.

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By February 12, 2015 Read More →

What Celebrity would you would most like a selfie with this Valentine’s Day?

Caggie Dunlop 28As Valentine’s Day comes sweeping into the hearts of the public HTC would like focus their attention on those loving moments between couples, however they have noticed that the British public might just be wishing they could have a celebrity to cuddle this year.

The male and female celebrities Brits would most desire a Valentine’s Day selfie with are David Beckham and Jennifer Lawrence according to research carried out by leading design and technology company HTC, to promote its Desire 620 handset. Beckhams are top male heartthrobs. Unsurprisingly David Beckham topped the league of most desirable men to have a selfie with, but the main talking point is a new rival for the crown in the Beckham household with Brooklyn making an appearance on the most desired list.  Brooklyn Beckham beat out competition from celebrity heart-throbs including bad boy Justin Bieber and One Direction’s Zayn Malik who came ninth and tenth respectively. Combined the Beckhams achieved a fifth (19%) of the 2000 18-30 year olds polled, indicating the father-son duo could be one of the most sought after selfie opportunities possible.

Brits prefer American women. Jennifer Lawrence’s True Pheromones may have made her the most desirable female, but the biggest surprise was that the highest placed British woman was only number four. Selfie queen Helen Flanagan, was also beaten out by Rihanna and Katy Perry, indicating that most of the UK prefer American women.  The next highest ranked Brit was Kelly Brook in sixth.

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The Autograph is dead. The data also shows that the autograph is dead. Over half of Brits (55%) reveal they would choose a selfie with their favourite star over anything else, while less than a quarter would want an autograph with their celebrity crush. (22%)

Blokes would also be most bold, with a third of blokes most likely to ask their celebrity crush on a date or for a kiss if they met them. (32%) Women are shyer, with only one in ten likely to do the same (11%).

Most popular celebrity selfies. Ellen DeGeneres took the most popular selfie of the last year with her shot of herself by a who’s who of Hollywood actors, topping other famous selfies of the last 12 months including Kim Kardashian’s famous ‘belfie’, Lukas Podolski’s picture of the German World Cup winning team and Cara Delevingne’s ‘ugly’ shot.

Why do we care about celebrity selfies? We check up on our favourite celebrity’s twitter feeds between two and three times a day (2.51), with nearly a third of us looking at celebrity selfies to get a glimpse into their private lives (29%) or to get a behind the scenes look at what they have been up to (31%). Over a quarter of British females also check celebrity selfies to get fashion inspiration (29%) and a fifth to get beauty tips (22%).

Celebrities are inspiring us to be more selfie obsessed than ever, with the estimated 11 million 18-30 year olds in the UK posting a total of more than one billion selfies in 2014. The average 18-30 year old in the UK is posting over 100 selfies a year with nearly half (49%) now posting at least one selfie a week to social media. To cater for the huge interest in selfies and the desire to make ourselves look our best on our social networks, HTC has now created a range of hardware and software designed specifically for the selfie generation.

The HTC Desire 620 features best-in-class camera tools with a large 5” screen and quad-core processing power. The 8MP main camera has auto focus technology to deliver crisp shots every time, and the 5MP front-facing camera features a built-in countdown mode so you’ll never miss a selfie pose again.

Face Fusion is a tool that allows you to merge your face with that of a friend or celebrity for a completely original look and Live Makeup allows you to set the desired level of skin smoothing and preview the effect in real-time before the image is captured.

Voice Selfie also removes the need for awkward hand contortions by enabling you to trigger the shutter release with a simple command. Simply say “cheese” or “smile” as soon as you’ve struck the perfect pose or trigger the video recording with “action” or “rolling” commands.

Ben Walsh, Head of Marketing UK and Ireland at HTC, said: “There were some great celebrity selfies in 2014 and it’s clear that we’re more interested than ever, with the average person checking their favourite celebrity’s social postings multiple times a day. It is also inspiring us to imitate them, so we’ve created a suite of new features in our Desire handsets which allow HTC customers to get creative with their own selfies.”

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For more details on HTC’s Desire range, visit www.htc.com/uk/ The HTC Desire 620 is available in Santorini White exclusively from Three or in Tuxedo Grey on O2 or Vodafone from Carphone Warehouse. HTC EYE Experience features are also available on the following models: HTC One (M7), HTC One (M8), HTC Desire Eye, HTC One E8, HTC One mini, HTC One mini 2, HTC One max, HTC Desire 816, HTC Desire 820.

Posted in: Cameras, Editorial, Phones
By February 6, 2015 Read More →

Ever wonder about those glowing app reviews?

YPkG0HWIt’s no surprise that the business of getting people to download your app is a difficult one. With so many rivals clamoring to get their similarly themed application ahead of the competition, or nefarious sods who want to bombard you with adverts or straight up steal information, it seems almost absurd that the 100’s or 1000’s of glowing reviews in the Appstore or Google Play could have come from just one person. Or could it? A recent post on Reddit shows that the simplest tactic might be the easiest solution and what you had thought and probably dismissed might actually be way things really  are. Rather than resorting to clever coding and an intelligent work around for Apple or Google’s personal identification system companies are simply setting up dozens of tablets with fake user profiles and writing the reviews themselves.

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Of course we all knew this was happening, however it’s not until you see it, and take in the impressive set up that you realise that this is a simple problem that we are having to deal with. No level of security or vetting with stop Guest10257 from telling you that “Facebook Messenger Lite +” and “Hotspot Sniffer Dog” are the greatest apps they have ever downloaded. Your security will be fine and you won’t find too many ads intruding on the screen.

Now if only someone would write an app that allows the little lady above to post to all those accounts from just one tablet… that would be a step forward.

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Posted in: Editorial
By February 5, 2015 Read More →

Don’t get angry, get Neeson

8379-three-mobile-games-had-super-bowl-ads-this-year-here-they-are-if-you-missed-themThere were three mobile games to show off during the much coveted Super Bowl ad breaks this year. The most impressive of which was Liam Neeson making fun of his Taken role for Clash of the Clans. Whilst a little predictable, there is a genuine laugh to be had at Liam’s expense regarding a Barista. Certainly a nice addition to the typical big screen trailers, hardware previews and car commercials it proves that mobile gaming is really a force to be reckoned with and rumours of a $4.5m fee shows there is plenty of money to throw about. Advert follows:

 

Posted in: Apps & Games
By February 4, 2015 Read More →

Unboxing Revealmedia Body Camera

vlcsnap-2015-02-03-14h30m03s73Gareth takes a look at the RS3-SX Body Worn Camera System from Revealmedia. This unit is typically worn by the Police to document response situations. Built for reliability and designed to be light weight the Body Worn Camera is a versatile and almost essential piece of equipment for an officer on the job.

  • Accurate positioning. Horizontal and vertical camera adjustment.
  • Front-facing screen. 2.5” screen displays footage as it is being recorded. Proven to improve outcomes.
  • Multi-use. Use camera on body, in car or standalone (eg. in interviews).
  • Secure. Files will only load and play on a computer running DEMS software; not on any other device
  • Wide field of view. 120º horizontal, 60º vertical
  • Dock and go. Automatic file uploading and battery charging via cable or docking station.
  • Rugged case. Designed for use on the front line – where you work.
  • Usage log. Encrypted log on RS3-SX. Automatically detect if a video has been tampered with.
  • Playback. On camera video and audio playback. Review footage in the field.
  • Mark evidence. Mark footage as ‘evidential’ when in record mode. Automatic filing after upload to DEMS.
  • Stealth mode. Enables recording without screen or lights.

RECORDING

  • Audio and video recording – yes
  • Recording resolution – Full HD
  • Recording speed – 30 frames per second
  • Field of view, horizontal – 120º
  • Field of view, vertical – 60º
  • Encoding technology, video – H264
  • Encoding technology, audio – MPEG-4
  • Recording activation switch – single slider switch; one action record
  • Recording capacity – >8hrs
  • Recording format – .mov
  • Date and time stamp – yes

By February 3, 2015 Read More →

Unboxing the Amazon FireTV and Game Controller

vlcsnap-2015-02-02-16h20m46s104Gareth takes a look at the UK version of the all in one TV solution. Amazon’s FireTV is an Android based entertainment device that stream media from online sources and caters to the gaming crowds. Certainly, the FireTV has been out for a while, Gareth states his reasons why he is looking at this now and ultimately why he has chosen the FireTV over a Nexus Player, why he did not purchase another Roku 3 nor rely on a Chromecast.

The FireTV come in a standard package, with an optional gaming controller. Specs for the FireTV are pretty impressive for a set top box, aside from the one storage option of 8GB. However, as the device is designed with gaming as a major player it will be interesting to see how performance manages as technology progresses. 

  • Processor: 1.7GHz Quad Core, Qualcomm Krait 300
  • RAM: 2GB
  • Storage: 8GB flash
  • Max. Output Video Resolution: 1080p
  • Dimensions: 115(L) x 115(W) x 17.5(H) mm
  • Weight: 281 g
  • Connectivity: 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (MIMO), Bluetooth 4.0, Ethernet, USB
  • Power: Built-in universal 6 W power supply 

By January 16, 2015 Read More →

Google updates to the Spiral 2

Project-Ara-Modular-Android-phone-2Google has finally unveiled it’s new prototype for Project Ara called the Spiral 2 and it features a 3G modem, 11 additional modules, and other selectable options. The Spiral 2 is a pretty decent step forward from the original prototype. So far it has a 3G modem / RF bus for antenna support and features a totally different processor which is an ASIC (application specific integrated circuits) processor. One of the more impressive notes is that Google has 11 prototype modules already and, of course, more are on the way as companies and developers make their own. These modules are held to the phone through magnets within the bracket frames so popping a module in is pretty easy.

If you have been following the whole Project Ara development then you will be interested to know that the hardware for Project Ara devices will not be made using mostly 3D printing as was originally planned. Hopefully the new method won’t affect the cost of production too much in terms of increasing it.

Google did not announce any sort of base cost for a Project Ara device, only that they are going to try and keep it low and let consumers customize their device as much as they like. This will allow consumers to control the cost of their device initially, and then future upgrades can be done whenever a user wants to do it and keeping it within a budget if needed. The base device will feature an exoskeleton type of set-up inside and users can just slip a module into the available spaces. Some modules that can be swapped out include ones for batteries, storage, processors, cameras, speakers, and other components.

Currently a third prototype is in the works, named the Spiral 3, and when that launches it will be labeled as a “Market Pilot Launch”. This means that a few lucky people will be able to get one of these third prototypes. Puetro Rico, or more specifically the University of Puerto system, is the first location announced for the Market Pilot. From here Google will determine how they want to scale the global Market Pilot launch for the Spiral 3 and are hoping to have “20-30 modules across 10 categories” by the time this takes place. This includes the possibility of subsidized / on-contract modules as well.

So for right now getting a Project Ara device is really difficult even if you are a developer and sign up for it. As for a launch date here in the United States, nothing was mentioned regarding that but hopefully we see this in 2015.

Posted in: News, Phones
By January 15, 2015 Read More →

David Cameron wants to see your browsing history

SWITZERLAND-WEF-DAVOS-CAMERONIn a disgusting announcement regarding privacy destruction David Cameron has decided that encrypted messaging services such as WhatsApp and Snapchat could be banned unless they provide the government with backdoor access to user data. Cameron has said that carrying out surveillance on these services is essential for tackling terror attacks like the recent Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris.

“Are we going to allow a means of communications which it simply isn’t possible to read?” said Cameron. “My answer to that question is: ‘No, we must not’.” “The attacks in Paris demonstrated the scale of the threat that we face and the need to have robust powers through our intelligence and security agencies in order to keep our people safe.”

Cameron is now championing plans to resurrect the ‘Snoopers Charter’, this allows authorities more powers concerning the monitoring of online communications requiring internet service providers, mobile phone networks and telecommunications companies to maintain records of every user’s internet browsing, social media activity, phone calls, text messages, and now, instant messages. Currently, Internet Service Providers can keep data where it has been processed for normal business purposes such as billing or marketing for 12 months, regulated by the Data Protection Act 1998.

The new proposals would require telecommunications companies to keep data that that would not ordinarily be retained for business purposes, for up to 12 months – during which time official agencies would be able to access the data. As things currently stand, the draft document does not specify which types of data firms would be obliged to keep.

The idea is that if passed in its current form, the bill would stop extremists from being able to communicate with each other without being monitored by intelligence agencies at a cost of £1.8bn over ten years. This allows extremists plenty of time to invest in some form of Virtual Private Network to avoid the Internet Service Provider from recording such communications, leaving only the law abiding open for surveillance. The UK Government would certainly not use this access to allow councils to snoop further, HMRC to monitor online transactions and authorities to search your internet browsing history for a spanking video.

 

Posted in: Editorial, News
By January 14, 2015 Read More →

GCell Solar Powered Keyboard Folio From Atlanta Solar Unboxing

vlcsnap-2015-01-11-13h19m56s62Gareth takes a look at the GCell Solar Powered Keyboard Folio against the Nexus 10 and iPad Air, check more solar power information at the Better Tomorrow Solar Atlanta website. Considered as one of the better  keyboard solutions for the iPad and suitable Android tablets this folio offers a rechargable battery option alongside a solar cell backup to help keep you productive during your day.

The Bluetooth® wireless keyboard uses solar technology to harvest indoor and outdoor light energy into a rechargeable battery. The convenience offered by the GCell keyboard allows users to type with an iPad from the home, at the office or during the daily commute without need to change batteries or revert to a mains powered charger.

The design has been focused on providing a contemporary, thinner streamlined and lightweight profile, popular with users of wireless keyboards. This ultra-portable keyboard weighs only 235g, is less than 6mm thick and has a lavish silicone-paint finish giving it a silky feel.

Posted in: Videos/Unboxings
By January 12, 2015 Read More →

Alcatel joins the wearable fun

unnamedAlcatel continue to pick up traction with a new affordable smartwatch, cunningly titled “The WATCH.” Featuring a 1.22”, 262K round screen and a 210mAh battery Alcatel boasts the Watch can work for 2-5 days on a 1 hour charge. Also packing a IP67 rating for water resistance and compatibility with Android 4.3 or above and iOS 7, this looks like a neat little wearable worth looking at.

It looks like a watch and feels like a watch but it’s much smarter than that. ALCATEL ONETOUCH introduces the WATCH, a smartwatch that puts a premium on elegant design at a very accessible price. In launching the WATCH, ALCATEL ONETOUCH is not content just to make the latest connected technology available to the greatest number of consumers. Offering the WATCH at a fraction of the cost of competitors, the smartphone brand has implemented its design expertise to offer a series of fine finishes that meet the demands of those looking for the same look and feel as a traditional watch.

                                                                                          

“It’s called a wearable, so we wanted to make something that would be a pleasure to wear,” said ALCATEL ONETOUCH’s Chief Marketing Officer Dan Dery. “The watch face and the band are slim, like a regular watch, but it has the multi-functionality of a smartwatch.”

Available in several styles — sporty dark red/volcano black, feminine all-white, classic chrome/dark gray and elegant metal-white — the ALCATEL ONETOUCH WATCH employs materials such as brushed chrome, micro-textured resin bands and white stainless steel. This choice of finishes assures that it will appeal to both men and women, demonstrating ALCATEL ONETOUCH’s dedication to bringing to the market products that fulfill everyone’s needs.

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While offering choice and style, the WATCH also offers multiple fitness functions and connects to Android and iOS smartphones via Bluetooth.

Monitors User Activity

The WATCH is packed with sensors: the heart-rate monitor is embedded discretely on the underside of the watch face; there’s also an accelerometer, gyroscope, altimeter and e-compass.

The WATCH also allows users to track their sleep cycle, distance covered, steps taken and calories burned. To monitor their fitness goals, users can access the activity overview that the WATCH offers. You can track your first yoga as a practice session with this.

Multimedia Remote Control and Phone Notifications

When the smartwatch is connected to a smartphone, it sends users call notifications; social media updates and vibrates if users stray too far from their phones.

Touching the WATCH’s screen activates a multimedia remote control. Users can control music, take pictures from their phone from a distance or make their phone ring in order to locate it.

Simplicity of Use Is Built In

The WATCH is compatible with a number of ALCATEL ONETOUCH smartphones in the HERO, IDOL and POP series, as well as with any phone running on Android 4.3 or above and on iOS 7 or above. It is dust and water-resistant, with a long battery life.

                              

Speaking of the battery, the WATCH has a clever USB charger integrated into its band for simplicity of use. With beauty and functionality integrated into one device, ALCATEL ONETOUCH offers a smartwatch at a smart price, fulfilling its mission of making the latest technology available to all.

By January 9, 2015 Read More →

HTC Re camera to deliver live streaming on YouTube

specs-top-cameraHTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, today announced live streaming from its new RE™ camera to YouTube. Now consumers can easily share the moment by connecting a RE camera to their YouTube channel and sending a live broadcast link to viewers around the world and do some real cellular bonding with friends family and fans.

Available for Android™ devices beginning tomorrow, Jan. 9, through a free update to the RE app in the Google Play™ store, the new live streaming feature allows RE users to not only capture great video with ease, but also to share special moments and favourite events with those who can’t be there. Friends across the world or traveling family members won’t miss any live action. The free update will also be available for iOS later in Q1 2015.

The RE camera’s wide-angle capture and small form ensure that both you and your RE won’t miss anything. With storage via a microSD™ card in addition to backup to your smartphone and the cloud, RE is always ready to capture your precious memories.

The live streaming feature is a simple-to-use and handy add-on to get the most out of video capture, making it easy to broadcast a piano recital, snorkeling adventure, puppy cam and more. With the RE app, sign in to your YouTube channel and activate live streaming, to learn about more streaming options, visit this go live webcasting website. Once verified, broadcasting from your RE is a snap. Any live footage you wish to share is transmitted directly from RE to your smartphone, which then sends your broadcast to your YouTube channel. Invite people to view the event by sending your broadcast link to tune in via SMS or social networks. Even if they can’t watch it live, the link will continue to be active, even after the broadcast ends.

Viewers do not need a YouTube channel to view broadcasts, and live streams can be broadcast in public mode, which makes videos available to anyone who has the link or discovers it on YouTube, or in private mode, which limits the broadcast to only those you share it with.

Availability

The updated software for the RE application will be available beginning tomorrow, Jan. 9, in the Google Play store and is coming to the Apple App Store™ later in Q1 2015.

The HTC RE is now available at EE, Three and selected consumer electronics retail partners.

When used according to guidelines, the RE is rated for use in up to one meter of water for up to 30 minutes. For further information on availability, features, functionality and accessories, visit www.REcamera.com

Posted in: Gadgets, Press Releases
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