Author Archive: Gareth

Seasoned tech blogger. Host of the Tech Addicts podcast.

By Gareth October 13, 2014 Read More →

Unboxing RAVPower FileHub

Gareth 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.

Posted in: Gadgets, Videos/Unboxings

By Gareth October 9, 2014 Read More →

Unboxing Binatone HomeSurf 844 tablet

Gareth 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

Posted in: Tablets, Videos/Unboxings

By Gareth October 8, 2014 Read More →

Is your Belkin broken?

It would appear that for some reason Belkin routers can no longer connect to the Internet. As of midnight EDT many Belkin router owners took to Twitter to all point out their Belkin routers were suffering from some sort of fault or demonic possession. At 9:30am PDT Belkin acknowledged the issue and an hour later, issued a workaround. Belkin has not yet revealed the cause of the mass outage. There are many, many annoyed users out there furious at Belkin and their ugly side can be seen on Twitter. One thing is for sure you can take away power, gas and water but don’t meddle with someone’s internet connection.

Update #2: Belkin says all routers should now be fixed.

We have confirmed that the internet connectivity issue is now resolved.

If your service has not yet been restored, please unplug your router and plug it back in after waiting 1 minute. Wait 5 more minutes and the router should reconnect. If you have any further issues, please contact our support at (800) 223-5546.

We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience to our customers. We are taking a number of actions to eliminate this sort of incident from reoccurring

Update #1: Belkin’s official statement.

Starting approximately midnight on October 7, Belkin began experiencing an issue with a service configured in certain Belkin router models that causes a failure when it checks for general network connectivity by pinging a site hosted by Belkin. We know this issue has affected select older Wireless-N Belkin router models including F9K1102, F9K1105, F9K1113 and F9K1116. We are continuing to investigate other possible routers that may have been affected. We are working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. Until there is a fix in place, we have identified a workaround for customers that are using the F9K1102 and F9K1105 routers to regain internet connectivity. That work-around as well as ongoing updates can be found at our outage status page for more information:http://www.belkin.com/outage

Posted in: News, Science & Technology

By Gareth October 6, 2014 Read More →

ZTE Blade L2 Unboxing

Gareth takes a look at ZTE’s new quad-core smartphone with a 5 inch screen and generous 2000mAh battery. For the low price of £89 on Virgin pay as you go it all sounds to good to be true.

ZTE Blade L2 specification:

Android 4.2
Dual-core 1.3GHz
Memory card slot
5in TFT LCD, 854×480 pixels
Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0
MicroUSB, 3.5mm headphone jack
5 megapixel with autofocus and LED flash
VGA front-facing camera
2000mAh Battery
Size 143 x 72 x 9mm
Weight 166g

Posted in: Phones, Videos/Unboxings

By Gareth October 1, 2014 Read More →

Alcatel Onetouch POP 7S LTE pops up at Carphone Warehouse

One company eager to make a name for itself this year it Alcatel. Recently announcing tmy favourite phone of IFA in Berlin, Alcatel are pushing out a entry level 4G tablet. Based around Android KitKat and costing a tiny £149.99 this shares many of the same specifications of the original Google Nexus 7 whilst also adding an IR Blaster and screen mirror to push the on screen tablet content over to your TV rought out of the box. For those not worried about size, the Pop 7S support voice calls. Here is the full press release:

Alcatel Onetouch unveils the POP 7S tablet to offer super-fast LTE connectivity at a smart price. It is a super slim and light 4G entry-level tablet that adds a splash of colour and is perfect for streaming music, watching TV or browsing the internet.

Sporting Android KitKat 4.4, the POP 7S is a fun and feature-packed POP series tablet that is easy-to-use and easy-to-choose. It offers a customised user interface and wide range of dedicated colourful accessories.

The POP 7S is one of the most competitive LTE 7” entry-level tablets available to the mass market. At 8.9mm thin and weighing only 285 grams it is ideal to be effortlessly carried in any backpack, satchel or handbag. Powered by a Quad Core processor, the POP 7S allows seamless multi-tasking between different activities such as gaming or streaming music and comes equipped with a 3 megapixel rear camera to capture priceless moments on the go.

With Miracast, IR blaster technology and a pre-installed app, the POP 7S will become the TV’s best friend. It allows users to mirror screens, control their TV and personalise their daily TV entertainment. Its full-featured TV guide allows users to choose what they want to watch and makes it easy to share with friends and family through social media. The POP 7S brings a brand new interaction to consumers between their tablets and TV, reflecting ALCATEL ONETOUCH’s design ideology of bringing smart technology to daily life.

Voice call support means that the POP 7S is able to make and receive calls via a Bluetooth phone – Sidekick, headset or loudspeaker. Users can continue to browse while catching up with friends and family about the latest films, favourite music or online games.

Fun and colourful accessories, designed exclusively for the POP 7S include Smart Flip Cases and colourful back covers to truly personalise the new LTE POP tablet.

The POP 7S is available in store and online from Carphone Warehouse with an RRP of £149.00 SIM free.

POP 7S features include:

7” 1024 X 600 WSVGA, IPS Display
Quad Core 1.2GHz
3 Mpxl back and VGA front cameras
8.9mm thin, 285 grams

Posted in: News, Press Releases, Tablets

By Gareth September 27, 2014 Read More →

Newertech Wireless Aluminium Keypad For Macs

NewerTech, a leading performance upgrades and accessories company for Macs, PCs, iPhones, iPads, and iPods since 1988, announced today that it is now shipping the NewerTech Wireless Aluminum Keypad. Designed to complement the look and feel of Apple keyboards, the NewerTech numeric keypad features precision machined aluminum housing, white keys, and a bracket that attaches to the Apple keyboard – no tools needed. The NewerTech Keypad was built to rigorous standards with input from accountants to get every detail of the full-sized 28-key numeric keypad just right, including key-throw, feel, design, size, and connectivity for maximum number crunching workflow excellence.

Comfortable Wide-Spaced Island Keys Reduce Errors

The NewerTech Wireless Aluminum Keypad works with all Bluetooth compatible computers, laptops and devices for the ultimate easy-to-pair Bluetooth workhorse that’s built to last. Bluetooth pairing is quick and reliable, reconnecting automatically when the computer or device is awakened or restarted. The comfortable wide-spaced island keys reduce errors and make the NewerTech Keypad the perfect companion to the Apple wireless keyboard – your fingers won’t know the difference.

Perfect for Traders, Financial Analysts, Accountants, Students, Teachers, Programmers, Agents, Salespeople, & More

The NewerTech Keypad is perfect for financial professionals, including accountants and analysts, as well as students, teachers, administrators, traders, agents, videographers, programmers, salespeople, and more. The responsive full-sized keys assist with accuracy and efficiency. Use this keypad with number intensive financial programs, such as Quicken and Excel or with popular video, music, and graphics software and apps, such as Pro Tools, Logic, and Final Cut Pro to take advantage of shortcuts that are not as easily accessible when using the Apple wireless keyboard alone. Versatile, lightweight, compact, sturdy, and durable, the NewerTech Keypad also works as a stand-alone or with a variety of other keyboards, and it’s a great companion for working at home or on the go.

“In the world of keypads, no product met our criteria, so we made it our mission to create a reliable wireless keypad that’s built to the highest standards and functions the way we expect numeric keypads to work, and complements the wireless keyboards offered by Apple,” said Larry O’Connor, CEO, NewerTech. “That day has finally arrived and now professionals have a high-quality wireless keypad to enhance their number crunching workflows.”

NewerTech Wireless Keypad Features:
• Precision machined aluminum housing.
• Quick and reliable Bluetooth pairing that stays connected with a range up to 30-feet with automatic re-pairing.
• Full-sized 28-key design with delete, tab, navigation, and more.
• Ergonomic tilt with firm desktop grip.
• Lightweight and perfectly sized for mobile or desktop use.
• Long battery life with included 2 AAA batteries.
• Compatible with Bluetooth enabled Macs, PCs, iPhones, iPads and other devices.
• Available with white keys to complement Apple keyboards (black keys and international version coming soon).

Pricing and Availability

The NewerTech Wireless Aluminum Keypad is priced at $54.95 and available for immediate purchase through OWC at: http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/KPA28BTW/, and other major retailers. It includes the Wireless Aluminum Keypad, 2 AAA batteries, and bracket to attach to Mac keyboards. A version with black keys, as well as international versions with illustrative black or white keys, will be announced in late fall 2014. For more info, see www.newertech.com, www.newertech.com/keypad, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewerTech, and Twitter: @NewerTech.

Posted in: News, Press Releases

By Gareth September 26, 2014 Read More →

ARCHOS Platinum Smartphone Range

ARCHOS, a pioneer in Android™ devices, announces the availability of its new range of Platinum smartphones. The ARCHOS 45c Platinum and the ARCHOS 50b Platinum each come with three colourful back casings, the smoothness of Android KitKat®, amazing performance with their MediaTek quad-core processors and IPS screens from £99 and £119 respectively.

Like their large IPS screens offering amazing colours and viewing angles, the three colourful back covers that come with the new ARCHOS Platinums will bring a bit of colour to autumn months. The interchangeable back covers are included in every box. In Deep Black, Metallic Blue and Spicy Pink they offset perfectly the deep black of the screen, obtained the full black lens lamination process.

To as an added bonus, the ARCHOS 50b Platinum also comes with a see-through protective case and 8 GB micro-SD card in every box – the perfect back-to-school gift.

Power in style

Both Platinums have a 2MP front camera for better selfies and 5 and 8 MP back cameras with autofocus and flash. Able to record video in full 1080p HD, the ARCHOS 45c and 50b Platinums let users capture the colour of their lives in full definition.

Along with their stylish design, the new ARCHOS Platinum smartphones have the power under the hood with their quad-core MediaTek processors and dual SIM placements.

“ARCHOS’ latest colourful smartphones bring quad-core performance and the latest multimedia features to the style, utility and affordability conscious consumer. MediaTek is pleased to be powering ARCHOS’ latest Platinum devices,” said Siegmund Redl, MediaTek’s VP and GM of Corporate Marketing in Europe.

”Archos is proud to have our latest Platinum smartphones powered by MediaTek’s latest quad-core processors,” said Loïc Poirier, ARCHOS’ CEO, “giving 2014’s Platinum range performance in phase with its stylish, colourful designs.”

The ARCHOS 45c and 50b Platinum are available now from £99 and £119 respectively from www.archos.com and its usual retailers.

For more information about ARCHOS’ entire selection of smartphones, tablets and connected objects, visit us at www.archos.com, Facebook and Twitter.

The new range of ARCHOS Platinum smartphones as well as ARCHOS’ full range of other smartphones, tablets and connected objects will be on display at the ARCHOS stand at HKTDC from October 13^th to 16^th at booth 1A-F09.

Posted in: News, Phones

By Gareth September 18, 2014 Read More →

Mobile Tech Addicts Podcast 229: +

Gareth, Phil and Jay Garrett get together to chat about the latest mobile phone, tablet and chromebook news in the UK.

Featuring Gareth, Phil and Jay Garrett

Direct Download

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Email us: [email protected] Tel: 0208 123 3757

Show Notes

Mobile Mayhem

iPhone 6

iPhone 6+

iWatch

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge

Feelings:

LG G3

Listen’s corner:

I’m looking for a way to stream music from my Android phone to my HiFi.

Obviously there are Bluetooth adapters out there but Bluetooth audio

quality isn’t great…

There’s the Rocki which is Wi-Fi and apparently great audio quality but

can only play locally stored music, not streams from radio or Spotify

etc.

Any ideas?

Bargain Basement:

Samsung GALAXY S4 Zoom £169.00

Vodafone Smart 4 Turbo Black £79.00

Email us: [email protected] Tel: 0208 123 3757

Gareth Myles – @garethmyles

Matt and Tracy Davis – @tracyandmatt

Dan Carter – @mobilemandan

Phil Lain – @low405

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Posted in: News, Podcast, Videos/Unboxings

By Gareth September 18, 2014 Read More →

Set the mood with the Diamond+ Bluetooth Speaker

Here is a little peripheral to cheer up a dull room. A bluetooth speaker that becomes a 3 in 1 entertainment system. Not only does the Bluetooth speaker pump out your funky beats, if puts on a light show with 16 million colors that pulsate with the beat. Add in an alarm clock function featuring a natural sunrise or sunset to gently wake-up or fall asleep to. It’s probably one of the must-have speakers out there today.

Yantouch www.yantouch.com, winner of the Red Dot Award for their “Music + Light” consumer electronics designs, announced today that it is shipping the world’s first 3-in-l Bluetooth speaker, the Diamond+ Bluetooth speaker, with 300% Sound Boost and patented audio technologies; ambient wash wall light with 16 million colors that pulsates to the beat of the music; and a wake-up/sleep feature with natural sunrise and sunset lighting and music to gently and naturally fall asleep and wake-up.

Great for camping and outdoor/indoor parties, the all-in-one entertainment system “instant party-in-a-box” features planetarium-like music and light modes for solid, bright, saturated, flashing, and alternating lights with 16 million variations of pink, purple, blue, fuchsia, orange, gold, green, white, and red. If you’re taking your baby camping, read on for tips and tricks to camping with a young one. The light can be set up against a wall to create a wash wall effect or be placed in the center of the room or party as a conversational piece. The Diamond+’s Bluetooth speaker is an N-class 2.1 speaker system with patented sideways stereo effect with right and left woofer tubes on the sides of the device and other patented technologies, including Neodymium Super Magnet technologies and a Bass Resonant Tube that pumps up the bass with 300% sound boost for vibrant music that fills the party with booming crystal clear sound.

The Natural Sleep feature works with the devices’ music and lighting system to emulate sunset to help you fall asleep naturally, gradually dimming the light and music. The Natural Wake-up function provides a sunrise effect to silently bring you from deep sleep to shallow sleep in 30 minutes, then wake you up slowly with natural birds singing. Distributed by Aplars www.aplars.com, a leading e-commerce store for electronic products and accessories and available immediately at Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/Yantouch-BlackDiamond-Portable-Wireless-Bluetooth/dp/B00JFGIVWE and other online retailers, the Diamond+ is priced at only $149, 2-3 times lower priced than the $300-$450 it costs to buy each item separately: Bluetooth speaker, Smart Light and Natural Wake-up/Sleep device.

Yantouch Diamond+ (BlackDiamond+) in snow small

Diamond+ Features:

World’s first 3-in-1 device: “Music+Light+Wake-Up,” with a market value over $300, priced at only $149.
Best Music: World-leading N-class 2.1 speaker system with patented sideways stereo effect. And other Patent Pending Technologies: Spherical Resonant Neodymium speaker (3 Watts x 2), 300% Sound Boost and 2 Woofer Tubes: left & right with Bass Resonant Tube.
Smart Light: Includes 16 million beautiful colors to suit your mood, syncs light with your favorite music.
Bedside Reading Light: functions as a bedside reading lamp before sleeping with soft white light (no heat with energy saving LEDs) while listening to your favorite music.
Natural Sleep Feature: Includes iOS and Android App that emulates sunset to let you fall asleep naturally, gradually dimming light and music.
Natural Wake-up Feature: Sunrise silently brings you from deep to shallow sleep in 30 minutes, than wakes you naturally.
Bluetooth 3.0 Speaker: Features automatic Bluetooth pairing – unlike most Bluetooth speakers which are hard to pair. Connects over 30 feet (more than most competitors).
Rechargeable Li-battery: lasts over 7 hours, great for outdoor parties with USB/AC power cable for charging and attached audio cable for use with non-Bluetooth devices and computers.
Portable and light-weight: 2½ lb with dimensions: 13×11.9×12.8cm.
Remote control: turns on/off, adjusts volume, tracks, and color modes with slot to store remote.

Posted in: MP3 Players & Accessories

By Gareth September 16, 2014 Read More →

Gareth’s top phone from IFA

Recently I have returned from IFA in Berlin and I have felt the need to report on one device in particular that really impressed me to no end. This year we saw some very interesting products from Samsung, Sony and even Phillips, however there was one device that, in my opinion, really stole the show if everything I was told is correct.

Weighing it at a possible £275-£300 is the Alcatel Hero 2. This little known French company grabs the bull by the horns this year and produced a phone that is, on the one hand budget friendly, yet on the other it manages to capture almost everything that every other manufacturer has injected into their latest and greatest. We have no affiliated with Alcatal, and to my knowledge never have, how this Hero 2 handset impressed the sock off me.

Case and point.

Yes, the Hero 2 features a 6″ TFT LCD display. The TFT technology is a little off putting these days, however at the 1080p resolution (367 ppi), and with Dragontrail glass for protection and oleophobic coating this phone almost looks just as good at a Note III. Certainly setting it next to the Note 4, the difference will be night and day however the average user will be looking for something that is easily passable for usage and this is will certainly meets the challenge.

Inside the Hero 2 is a MediaTek MT6592 chipset with an octa-core 1.7GHz Cortex-A7 CPU and 2G of RAM. Internal storage is 16GB expandable by up to 32GB via the microSD card slot. Things run smoothly and with a refreshingly sparse overlay. There are still additions from Alcatel however no where near that we see on the Samsung and Sony devices shown. It was nice to go back to a more familiar interface having spent time with the likes of the Sony Xperia Z3.

You also get Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.0, NFC and 4G. The battery of the Hero 2 is a hefty 3,100mAh rated at a 10hours of 3G talk time (4.5h in 4G mode) and stand-by time of 380 hours. A rather decent 13MP OIS camera sits on the back with a single LED flash and recording video of up to 1080p@30fps. There is a stylus in the Hero 2 and it’s very similar to the Samsung S Pen. Alongside this are a couple of peripherals. For example a game pad, touch screen game controller that click onto the Hero 2 providing protection and simple interaction.

Of all the phones on display in Berlin, this is the one that made the biggest impression on me, and I have thought most about since. Certainly, Lenovo, Samsung and Sony all had strong offerings featuring revolutionary technologies, however it was Alcatel who produced a simple, elegant, well made and modestly priced road warrior. Provided the price translates when crossing the channel…

Posted in: Editorial

Author Archive: Gareth

Unboxing RAVPower FileHub

Unboxing Binatone HomeSurf 844 tablet

Binatone HomeSurf 84 specification:

Is your Belkin broken?

ZTE Blade L2 Unboxing

ZTE Blade L2 specification:

Alcatel Onetouch POP 7S LTE pops up at Carphone Warehouse

Newertech Wireless Aluminium Keypad For Macs

ARCHOS Platinum Smartphone Range

Mobile Tech Addicts Podcast 229: +

Set the mood with the Diamond+ Bluetooth Speaker

Gareth’s top phone from IFA

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