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Sony Experia Z2

21/6/2015

Comments

 
I bought this to replace a Nexus 5 that I'd just dropped and smashed.  My priorities were battery life and camera, both of which the Z2 excels at, especially compared to my old Nexus 5.  It is not a flagship phone as I buy it for £299 at Argos (contract free, unlocked) but it is still competitive, especially the 21mp camera.

After just a couple of days, battery life is exceptional - about twice as good as the Nexus 5 - and I've had no other problems with it.  The construction quality is impeccable.

I'll update this in a couple of months!

5 out of 5.
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Lumo Lift Posture & Activity Coach

11/4/2015

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After reading the review in The Guardian, I thought this is just the thing for me!  I like gadgets, I have terrible posture, and to have something remind me to stop slumping, would be fantastic!  So I ordered it.

So it arrived.  Its quite clever, you put the discreet magnet on the front of your shirt, then the Lumo Lift itself goes inside.  Magnets are available in different colours to blend into your clothes (you'll want this to stop people constantly asking what it is!).  It works on its own, up to a point, but really you need the matching app on your Smartphone for it.

And thats where I hit the problem.  There is no app for the most popular smartphone platform in the world (Android).  I was stumped.  I hadn't come across this before.  It was iPhone only.  Surely they would come out with one soon though?  Months passed by, but still no app.  So I gave up waiting and sold it for a loss on eBay.

Its my fault for not checking first, but really why on earth did they launch a gadget that didn't support Android?

1 out of 5.

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Google Nexus Wireless Charger

30/3/2015

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I bought this second hand on eBay, and have teamed it up with my beloved Nexus 5.  Its a brilliant thing!  You just put the phone on top of it, feel the magnets position it in the right spot, and it makes a sound effect so you know its charging, and thats it!  No messing about with wires.  I've also got the LG QuickCover for my phone, which is compatible with the wireless charger, so I don't even need to remove it from the case to charge.

There's a second advantage, if you unplug the mini-usb cable from the wireless charger itself, and plug it straight into the phone, you get a turbo charger that charges at about 1600 amps instead of about 700 amps.  Like that, the phone will charge fully from empty in about an hour.  It is also exactly the same as the separately available official Nexus Charging Accessory.

Highly recommended - 5 out of 5

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Google Chromecast

28/3/2015

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I got a Google Chromecast when it was launched in the UK in March 2014.  At the time I was using both a Nexus 4 and a Nexus 7 - both 'Pure Google' products, so I thought there would be no problems.

It worked within minutes of unboxing, even with my 2007 TV.  A lovely crisp full-HD picture, and BBC iPlayer, YouTube and Netflix all seemed to work fine.  

The problems started when you actually just wanted to relax, and use it to watch a movie or TV show.  If you need to pause it quickly - e.g. if there's a knock at the door, or the phone rings, it invariably would be unstoppable!  The smartphone or tablet App would have forgotten it was casting a show, and there would be no way to stop it.  So you'd have to unplug it from the TV!  At this point you'd discover that it was burning hot to touch...   so I gave up, I couldn't be bothered with the hassle.  I have 3 ways to put online shows on my TV anyway (laptop via hdmi, xbox 360 or YouView box) so it wasn't worth the hassle.

Its now a year later, and I believe it can work with some sort of remote now, so I may revisit it again.

1 Mark out of 5

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LG Google Nexus 5 Smartphone

19/1/2015

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Having been so delighted with the Nexus 4, I ordered a Nexus 5 from the Google Play store on the day it was launched.  When launched it was a massively powerful phone, and at £340 for the 32GB model, competed head-on with the Apple iPhone 5S which was nearly double the price (£630) and exceeds it in most respects.

After the Nexus 4, the big bright 1080p screen was a dramatic improvement, and it certainly felt quicker, but it also feels cheaper after the lovely glass body of the 4, and I certainly wouldn't want a phone any bigger than this.  Battery life remained disappointing although the Lollipop Android update in late 2014 improved this.

The official LG Quickcover transformed the phone.  If you get one of these, you can change the screen timeout to 2 minutes or more, because when you flip it shut/open it controls the screen, which is very handy indeed.  It also works with the handy wireless charger.  

Update June 2015 : The phone remained fast until the end, despite approaching 2 years old.  The end you say?  Yes, I dropped it while getting out of the car.  Just about 2 feet, but it was enough to smash the super-fragile screen.  The battery life had also become fairly appalling by this point.  This fragility, and the poor battery life, has reduced its score.

3.5 marks out of 5
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Netgear N600 Router (WNDR3700v2)

18/1/2015

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Bought 2nd hand on eBay, this is connected to my BT Plusnet "Up to 80 mb" service, and gives me very nearly that speed.

It successfully competes with umpteem other wireless networks in close proximity, and is wired up, via a switch, to my xbox 360, my youview box, my PC, printer and NAS.  The Android Apps for the router are excellent too.

5 out of 5

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XBox 360 (both of them...)

18/1/2015

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My first white 20GB Xbox lasted a couple of years before dying with the dreaded 'Red Ring of Death' but I'd been enjoying it so it was replaced in 2012 with a 120GB model - the newer black, quieter model.  This is still working OK in 2015.
Used initially mainly as a Windows Media Center extender, but also for Netflix, catch up TV, the odd game, and the brilliant on-demand Xbox Movie rental.
At the time of writing (January 2015) I have no desire for an Xbox One, because I'm not sure what it can offer me that the 360 doesn't already do...


5 out of 5
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Creative Gigaworks T40 Series II Speakers

18/1/2015

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When you open the box and feel the weight of these, you know they'll be good, and they are!  Perfect for the living room of my flat.  16W RMS per channel, impressive given their size.  You can plug a source in at the back, and at the front.  Very highly recommended.


5 marks out of 5
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Humax DTR-T1010 YouView Smart 1TB Freeview+ HD Digital TV Recorder

18/1/2015

Comments

 
I got this after deciding to give up on my beloved long-lived Windows Media Center setup, which Microsoft is not supporting after Windows 8, and hasn't improved for years.

The box mostly works well, smooth HD playback, even while simultaneously recording 2 HD programmes.  The app on my Android phone is excellent, and the on-demand internet services are good, if a bit sluggish compared to using the Xbox - in fact they're painfully slow sometimes, but always OK once the programme starts playing.

Some reviews have been less than glowing, but that's because its not aimed at gadget fans, its aimed at people that want a simple single box solution and for this it delivers very well indeed.

Update : The first box overheated and failed, and had to be replaced under John Lewis' warranty.

4 marks out of 5

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Sony NEX-3 Camera

18/1/2015

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I bought this in a rush in 2011, to take with me to Dubai to photograph QE2. I bought it because it has a large DSLR-sized sensor, making it perform very well in low light.  I've mostly been very happy with it, but it is quite heavy, so I tend to not take it out with me much!  Also I only have the standard 18-55 lens, which is only about a 3x optical zoom, which is a bit disappointing.  It also takes excellent videos in HD with stereo sound, including with the external microphone that I purchased for it.   I'd definitely recommend the NEX range of cameras.
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    I have been into the latest gadgetry and technology since a young age and enjoy trying out the latest tech.

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