Author Archive: Gareth

Seasoned tech blogger. Host of the Tech Addicts podcast.

rss feed

By November 17, 2014 Read More →

Ultimate Ears Boom Social Speaker Unboxing

vlcsnap-2014-11-15-21h02m13s63Gareth takes a look at the Ultimate Ears Boom Social Speaker. This pricey Bluetooth speaker pushes itself as the wireless speaker made to rage, riot, party and play the music you love, out loud. UE BOOM’s 360-degree design blasts bold, immersive sound into any space. Its versatile, go-anywhere shape is designed to be as spontaneous as you – it brings the music, you bring the friends. And with a water and stain resistant acoustic skin and 15-hour rechargeable battery, you’re ready for wherever the day or night takes you.

RRP: £169.00 and you can order one from here: UE BOOM.

 

Posted in: News, Videos/Unboxings
By November 12, 2014 Read More →

Microsoft Lumia 535: “5x5x5”

Chakra_Back_OrangeToday Microsoft Devices Group welcomes the Microsoft Lumia 535 to the Windows Phone 8.1 range, bringing the latest Microsoft experiences to more affordable price levels with five great integrated Microsoft experiences, a wide-angle 5MP front facing camera, and a spacious 5 inch display to help people do more of what they want, for less:

  • Fit more into your Skype video calls with the 5MP wide angle front facing camera
  • Pre-installed Office suite and OneNote – to access, edit and share Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents and OneNote notebooks anywhere
  • 15GB of free OneDrive cloud storage to save and sync your media across devices
  • Experience a truly personal virtual assistant with Cortana on hand to anticipate your needs and make tailored suggestions
  • Built in Microsoft Outlook to connect with work and personal e-mails while on the go
  • A 5 inch qHD display to showcase photos and videos or get even more productive with Office
  • Dual SIM variant for maximum flexibility

Available in both Single and Dual SIM variants, Lumia 535 will begin rolling out to key markets in November, with UK availability expected in Q1 2015. Lumia 535 will be available in bright green, bright orange, white, dark grey, cyan and black and is estimated to cost around 110 EUR before taxes and subsidies. 

Chakra_Marketing_03

Microsoft Corp. announced today the Microsoft Lumia 535 and Lumia 535 Dual SIM smartphones running the latest Windows Phone 8.1 operating system, bringing the latest Microsoft experiences to more affordable price levels.

Offering five great integrated Microsoft experiences, a wide-angle 5 megapixel front facing camera, and a spacious 5 inch display – all for an affordable price – Lumia 535 and Lumia 535 Dual SIM help people do more of what they want, for less.

  • Make memorable Skype video calls and seamlessly switch between voice and video with built-in Skype integration
  • Access, edit and share Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents and OneNote notebooks wherever you are, with the pre-installed Office suite
  • Save and sync photos, videos and Office documents securely with 15GB of free OneDrive cloud storage
  • Experience Cortana, a truly personal virtual assistant that anticipates people’s needs and makes tailored suggestions
  • Connect with work and personal e-mail while on the go, with Microsoft Outlook built-in
  • Showcase photos and videos or get even more productive with Office on the large, 5 inch qHD display
  • Fit more memorable backgrounds or add more friends into Skype video calls and selfies with the 5 MP wide angle front facing camera
  • Never miss a call or text, and be reachable on both SIM cards at any time with Smart Dual SIM for maximum flexibility

“Lumia 535 comes with our “5x5x5” proposition,” said Jo Harlow, Corporate Vice President for Phones at Microsoft. “Innovation should be available to everyone, and we are doing this through the very best integrated Microsoft services free and out-of-the-box, a 5 MP wide-angle front-facing camera and a spacious 5 inch, qHD screen – all at an affordable price.”

 

Lumia 535 and Lumia 535 Dual SIM will begin rolling out to key markets in November, and will be available in bright green, bright orange, white, dark grey, cyan and black. Pricing for Lumia 535 and Lumia 535 Dual SIM will vary by market and operator, but is estimated to be around 110 EUR before taxes and subsidies. 

Posted in: News, Phones, Press Releases
By October 27, 2014 Read More →

Unboxing Inateck 2 in 1 Micro USB Cable + Apple Lightning Adapter Cable

vlcsnap-2014-10-12-16h42m44s189Inateck have provided us with a 2 in 1 Micro USB Cable + Apple Lightning Adapter Cable 1.2m (4ft.) This is ideal for charging your iPhone 6/ 5/ 5s/ 5c /iPad 4/ iPad air/ iPad mini mini2/ iPad 4th gen, whilst also providing a cable for a MicroUSB based device. The cap on the top can also slip onto any other MicroUSB cable in the event his cable, like so many Apple charge cable, doses.

You can purchase from Amazon, here.

 

  • Material: PVC and PC; Length: 1.2m / 4 feet. The extraordinary flat cable design prevents pesky cable tangle
  • Charge your device with your computer or a USB Car/Wall Charger! Sync your device with your computer to transfer music, videos, files and backup your data
  • High durability with transparent and robust protection heads at both plugs,robust durable for stable and reliable transfers. Both for data transfer and charging
  • Plug and play; freely convert between micro B and adapter with lightning plug
  • Compatible devices: smartphones and tablets with lightening or micro B connection, e.g. iPhone 6/5/5C/5S, iPad Mini/iPad Air, Android phones and tablets etc
By October 23, 2014 Read More →

Unboxing Inateck 4 Port USB3.0 Hub With 1 Port Charging

vlcsnap-2014-10-18-22h12m13s239Gareth unboxes Inateck’s 4 Port USB3.0 Hub With 1 Port Charging, the cheapest USB 3.0 hub on around. This hub is equipped with both a 5V 4A power supply and built-in surge protection, 4 Port USB 3.0 + 1 fast charging port (5V 2A) for SamSung tablets and smart phones etc. 

SuperSpeed USB 3.0 supports transfer rates up to 5 Gbps – The actual transmission speed is limited by the setting of the device connected; Backward compatible with USB 2.0/1.1. Support 4 ports USB interfaces for Desktop/ Notebook/ Ultrabook/ SATA HDD Docking Sation/ Digital Camera; Compatible With Windows XP / Vista / 7/8 /MacOS X 10.8.4/ Linux. High Performance with VIA VL812 Chipset; Slim Size – Easy Carrying and Experience; Safe and reliable; Build in Overvoltage/Overcurrent/Leakage and Short-Circuit protection unit. Plug and play; Supports hot swapping. No install driver needed; LED indicators display the status of DC power supply and USB connections.

You can grab one from Amazon.co.uk here for only £19.99

 

By October 22, 2014 Read More →

Nexus 9 UK prices revealed

nexus-9-release-date-578-80The HTC built Nexus 9 has now arrived on the Google Play store and Amazon here in the UK with prices starting from £319 for the 16GB Wi-Fi only version. Other variations include the 32GB pushing the price to £399 and adding LTE connectivity continues to increase the price to £459. This is more in keeping with Google’s Nexus 10 pricing over the last few years. Many are furious at the iPad-esq pricing and it’s easy to see why. Google have made much headway with their cheaply priced Nexus 7 over the last three years and most had hoped for the Nexus 9 to mirror this. It features a 8.9-inch display, supported by a 2.3 GHz 64-bit Nvidia Tegra K1 processor and a 6700mAh battery, high specs for a high price. Oh yeah, it’s made by HTC, who make expensive devices.

Pre-orders for the Wi-Fi only version opened on October 17 – Google is promising that units will leave the warehouse in 2-3 weeks. If you order, expect it on November 3rd. If it doesn’t arrive, just wait longer.

 

Posted in: News, Tablets
By October 21, 2014 Read More →

Unboxing Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Unboxing Samsung Galaxy Note 4Gareth has gotten his hands on, and unboxed Samsung Galaxy Note 4. This latest Phablet offering from Samsung is due to spark all manner of uncomparable iPhone 6+ vs Note 4 debates, battle and stand offs. Here Gareth, a Note veteran,  unboxes the phone and takes a couple of days to adjust to the features and form some some early opinions of the feature set.

 

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 specification:

  • Dimensions – 153.5 X 78.6 X 8.5 mm / 176g
  • Display – 5.7” Quad HD Super AMOLED (2560 x1440)
  • Processor – 2.7GHz Quad Core Process
  • Memory – 3GB RAM + 32GB Internal memory
  • Supports microSD up to 128GB
  • Network – 2.5G (GSM/GPRS/EDGE) : 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
  • 3G (HSPA+ 42Mbps): 850/900/1900/2100 MHz
  • 4G (LTE Cat.4 150/50Mbps) or 4G (LTE Cat.6 300/50Mbps)
  • Camera – Front Camera 3.7MP + F1.9/ Selfie (90º), Wide selfie mode (120º)
  • Rear Camera 16M+ Smart OIS/ Fast AF, Live HDR(Rich Tone)
  • OSAndroid 4.4 (Kitkat)Connectivity – Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2X2 MIMO)Download Booster
  • NFC
  • Bluetooth® v 4.1 (BLE),ANT+ , 
  • USB2.0, MHL 3.0
  • IR LED (Remote Control)
  • Battery3220mAh Fast Charging
  • S Pen – 15g, Hovering 15mm, Pressure level 2,048
  • Sensor – Gesture, Accelerometer, Geo-magnetic, Gyroscope, RGB ambient light, Proximity, Barometer, Hall Sensor, Finger Scanner, UV, HRM

By October 20, 2014 Read More →

ALCATEL ONETOUCH introduces the IDOL 2 MINI S

image001Alcatel Onetouch has launched the IDOL 2 MINI S 4G LTE smartphone through Carphone Warehouse. This good looking Android smartphone has been built with performance and usability in mind. Its brushed metallic finishing and diamond cut perfectly complement its Quad Core processing power and a sharp IPS display to create a smartphone perfect for style-conscious consumers. With an 8 megapixel rear camera for HD video capture and crisp photos with image stabilisation enhancements, the IDOL 2 MINI S is a premium choice without the price tag.

With a screen size of 4.5”, the IDOL 2 MINI S is compact and fits in the palm. Despite its size, the IDOL 2 MINI S doesn’t compromise on the user experience. Innovative, user-focused features like One Finger Zoom ensure that it can genuinely be used with one finger.

The IDOL 2 MINI S is available in Slate from Carphone Warehouse priced at £12 per month on pay monthly. 

image001

IDOL 2 MINI S

  • 4.5” qHD IPS display
  • 8.5 mm thin
  • Quad Core 1.2 GHz
  • 4G LTE – Cat 4
  • 8 Mpxl 1080p main camera
  • 2 Mpxl front camera
  • Android 4.3 (4.4 FOTA)
  • NFC
Posted in: News, Phones
By October 16, 2014 Read More →

50% off a Personalised Phone Case

5SmyoThese days, no matter what type of smartphone you own, a phone case of some kind is pretty much essential. Obviously there are 1000’s of designs out there but if you want to stand out and be individual then there’s no substitute for a persoanlised phone case.

The folks over at magicyourband.com have cases for Apple iPhones and Samsung Galaxy devices. Their 3D cases allow you to wrap your own photos, logos, images and text right around the whole case which not only looks cool but provides a high degree of protection.

The magicyourband.com design tool employs both Flash, WebGL and HTML5 technologies so should work on almost any device/platform.

The company has provided us with discount code NOVCASE50 which will give you 50% off any phone case that you purchase. The discount code expires at the end of November 2014 and is limited to one use of the code per customer. Just enter the coupon code in the checkout to have the discount applied.

Head over and check out the cases on offer!

Posted in: Deals & Offers, News, Phones
By October 13, 2014 Read More →

Unboxing RAVPower FileHub

vlcsnap-2014-10-11-20h36m23s122Gareth takes a look at the RAVPower FileHub a Wireless SD Flash Card Reader, USB Storage Media Sharing, NAS File Server, power bank, Wi-Fi portable hotspot device. This new pocketable device is available from Amazon for £29.99 and manages to not only improve on the basic portable power source but add in some pretty neat hardware features to reduce the contents of your gadget bag. Check the video to see what it’s all about.

A FileHub is a revolutionary device that you can use to: 

  • Transfer files (photos, movies or videos) between your SD card/USB Portable Hard Disk Drive and your Kindle Fire, Android/iOS smartphones and tablets 
  • Transfer files between your iOS and android devices 
  • Move files (photos/Movies/Music) from your mobile device to SD card / USB HDD / Flash Disk
  • A built-in 3000 mah power bank that you can use to charge your mobile devices.

Portable WLAN Hot Spot – Bypass your internet access to your existing Wi-Fi router,so you may access any data in the SD or HDD while surfing the internet simultaneously.(Allow 5 maximum connections at the same time for data sharing,or connecting to the internet service.

Specifications:

  • CPU: Ralink RT 5350 MIPS24KEc 350 MHz
  • WiFi Frequency : 2.4 GHZ Speed: 72Mbps at 20Mhz / 150 Mbps at 40MHZ
  • External Battery Pack : 3000 mah 1.5A Max Input 1A Output
  • SD Card Speed: Read: 3MB/S Write: 3.5MB/S
  • USB Interface: Micro USB 2.0 

Product Notes:

  • Please download AirStor app or Solid Explorer first from iOS or Android app store.(You can also manage filehub by ES File Explorer (Android)/ File Browser (IOS) ) 
  • You have to connect the filehub with your existing Wi-Fi router to have internet service.
  • RP-WD01 only support hard drives with DOS/Windows format.
  • Due to the limitation of Apple iOS system, you can not open the folder in your iPad, so you cannot copy it out to your external storage devices.
By October 9, 2014 Read More →

Unboxing Binatone HomeSurf 844 tablet

vlcsnap-2014-10-07-07h02m40s24Gareth takes a look at a new low end, budget offering from Binatone. Taking a few queues from Apple and Samsung’s similarly sized devices the Binatone Homesurf is a £75 alternative that might suit someone not chasing that high end feel or experience.

Binatone HomeSurf 84 specification:

  • Android KitKat 4.4.2
  • 8” multi-capacitive touch screen
  • Dual core 1.5GHz processor
  • Latest Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system
  • 1GB RAM and 8GB flash memory
  • Expandable Micro SD storage up to 32GB
  • 0.3MP front camera
  • 2.0MP rear camera
  • High quality loudspeaker
  • Integrated microphone
  • Audio file supports MP3 player
  • Video file supports MP4 player
  • 4 dimensional gravity sensing
  • Battery life 2800 mah

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