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Sony Experia T Review

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xperia-t

The Xperia T, also known as the James Bond phone, is the latest offering from Japanese manufacturer Sony. This is the most powerful handset of the Xperia range, until the release of Xperia Z is announced. We had a look at the bold new handset to see what all the fuss was about.

Design

Considering this handset is associated with James Bond, you would expect a lean and classy looking handset. On first inspection, this isn’t the mobile equivalent of a man in Tom Ford suit. The Xperia T is rather bulky and comes with a plastic or rubber back panel depending on your colour choice. Neither finishes are particularly enthralling; however, they do feel good in the hand.

Hardware

The Sony Xperia T is the most powerful handset of the Xperia range so as you can imagine, we were excited to put the phone through its paces. The 1.5Ghz Qualcomm Krait dual-core processor makes for extremely smooth operation. Benchmarking tests reveal that it’s an impressive handset, sitting just below the likes of the iPhone 5 and Samsung S3. Running even the most demanding apps wasn’t a problem, meaning you can now play online games without any worry whatsoever.

Screen

Sony has followed the Android market trend by fitting the Xperia T with a large 4.55–inch screen. With a resolution of 720×1280, films and media content are a pleasure to watch.

Storage

The 16GB storage offering may seem unimpressive on the face of it, but with an expandable memory slot that can give you an additional 32GB of storage, the Sony Xperia T is perhaps one of the strongest contenders in the storage department. This makes it ideal for those who keep a lot of data as you can swap out memory cards if and when they are needed, ideal for consumers and secret agents alike.

Camera

Sony are consistent when it comes to providing good cameras on their phones. The Xperia T comes with a 13Mp camera with LED flash. The performance is impressive as we expected, consistently producing sharp photos. While this isn’t the best camera phone on the market, it’s up there in the top 5 handsets.

Software

The Xperia T ships with Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) but is now upgradeable to Jelly Bean, allowing you make use of Google’s highly coveted Google Now concierge service.

Battery life

The official numbers from Sony state that the handset runs for 450 hours on standby, with 5 hours of video playback and 16 hours of music playback. In testing, the Sony Xperia T manages to make it through a day without the need to charge.

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How to Stream Movies without Sacrificing Quality

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With the ever-decreasing number of brick and mortar video stores, digital distribution has become massively popular over the last few years. Services like BBC iPlayer, Rogers OnDemand and Netflix have revolutionized the ways that people access their media — it’s an online game now. And given that most of us are now watching all our favorite films and TV shows via an Internet connection, it might be time to ask yourself: am I ready to sell my DVDs and Boxsets?

How has this changed the way we view our media?

According to a recent Akamai Technologies study conducted by Jupiter Research:

  • 46% of online consumers watch online video monthly or more frequently.
  • 43% of online consumers who connect to the Internet by broadband watch online video at least once per week.
  • 80% of online video users accept the presence of advertising as a trade-off for providing free online video content.

The most frequent complaints among surveyed consumers were slow load times and playback interruption for buffering purposes. Finally, a whopping 42% of online consumers indicated that they were less interested in online video content, preferring their TVs for a rich viewing experience.

What about those of us who don’t have TVs?

The student steaming a TV show into his university dorm has become a ubiquitous symbol of modern life, and for many the simple fact is that their lack of televisions (and cable hookups) necessarily preclude them from watching shows in high quality. Here are a few tips to dramatically improve the quality of your streaming media:

  1. Download the video onto your computer. It may seem obvious, but if you can bypass the entire streaming process, you’ll save yourself the heartache of having the video start to buffer at that crucial moment.
  2. Shut down the other computers sharing the network.
  3. Minimize your network resources: this means closing all windows and applications not directly contributing to the streaming process.
  4. If you have cable Internet, your bandwidth could be affected by their Internet usage; try accessing your streaming sites when you know that they are not using their Internet.
  5. Upgrade you Internet service with your ISP: some connections are simply not equipped to handle video streaming. Make sure that your new contract guarantees a minimum speed to ensure you’re getting the best deal for your dollar.

Remember that selling online is a great way to offset some of these Internet costs; always nice to be paid in cash for your old DVDs — this particularly helpful in overcoming those hidden fees and activation costs that we know are so prevalent today! Free up some space and join the streaming revolution today!

How to Protect Your Laptop Online

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Nowadays almost everyone owns a laptop, and you can connect to the internet almost wherever you go. Home networks, mobile broadband, cafes and cloud connectivity all mean you never have to go without the internet. However, this also means there are people and threats around every corner looking to find weak spots in your system’s security.

Follow these tips and don’t let your laptop be compromised:

Keep your antivirus current

If your current antivirus software doesn’t update at least every week then you need to start looking for another one. Antivirus software should not be set to just block everything or you will find yourself unable to browse at all. Instead, work through the settings as a trial-and-error exercise and customise for your level of use. Before long you will have the perfect amount of protection.

Use different passwords

It is estimated that 60% of people use the same password for everything online and on their computer. This is bad form, because once your password is accidentally revealed – and it can happen to anyone – your account on every website you go on will suddenly be compromised. Clicking on a dodgy link that asks for a password can mean yours gets farmed and sold to the highest bidder.

Don’t respond to any emails or calls asking for your details

This is obvious for emails that are clearly spam, but attackers are now able to make more legitimate looking emails nowadays. People are often convinced that their bank or HMRC are emailing them regarding money owed but the key thing to remember is these companies will never ask for any personal information. If you give it to them you are opening your bank account and your laptop to threats.

Don’t ignore software updates

The software for your laptop will frequently download updates for you to install. These close loopholes that can otherwise make your laptop vulnerable to attack and downloading them is a big way to keep your laptop safe. Remember, with more people shopping, browsing and talking online every day internet security is a huge global issue.

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Toshiba Satellite Z830: The Perfect Laptop for Travellers

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Toshiba Satellite Z830

“Incredibly thin and light but has the perfect balance between mobility and performance”—that is how Toshiba describes their Satellite Z830 model. This laptop is one of the thinnest on the market, only measuring around 16mm at its thickest point. It is also one of the lightest laptop models, weighing below 1.11kg and far from its competitors that usually weigh closer around 1.5kg. These two unique features make this laptop perfect for those people who like to travel and are always on the go, but need to be connected all the time.

Critics have praised this Toshiba model, even calling it the “leading Ultrabook on the market” when it came out. The Satellite Z830 is incredibly lightweight and thin, but Toshiba did not compromise its ports. It has a USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports, VGA port, HDMI port, SD card reader, headphone jack, dedicated microphone jack and a gigabit Ethernet. These ports are full-sized and unexpected for an ultralight, ultrathin laptop like this one. These can come in handy when you are travelling and want to be connected all the time with your family or work.

Toshiba Satellite Z830

The Satellite Z830 also has a backlit keyboard which is useful especially if you are typing in a low-light environment. Viewing text, photos and videos on its screen is also a great experience, considering that it has a 13.3-inch screen with 1366×768 screen resolution. Toshiba is known for producing laptops with exceptional sound quality, and the Z830 is no different with its incorporated stereo speakers.

Satellite Z830’s specifications and system performance are also nothing to balk at. Toshiba offers two versions with 128GB SSD—a Core i3 with 4GB of RAM or a Core i5 with a 6GB of RAM. If you are after productivity, these specs will be sure to impress.

The battery performance of Satellite Z830 is another great feature of the laptop. It can last until around 7 hours, if the brightness is not too high, and if you have your wireless radios disabled. Nonetheless, its battery life is way better than many other laptops on the market, making it a perfect gadget to bring during long travels and road trips. However, if you need to do more with your laptop aside from the usual checking of emails or surfing the internet, it is better if you get yourself a spare laptop battery. Many online stores, like A1 Battery Pro, offer great deals on laptop batteries; so you’ll be sure that your Satellite Z830 will never out of power!

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Toshiba Satellite Z830: The Perfect Laptop for Travellers

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Toshiba Satellite Z830

“Incredibly thin and light but has the perfect balance between mobility and performance”—that is how Toshiba describes their Satellite Z830 model. This laptop is one of the thinnest on the market, only measuring around 16mm at its thickest point. It is also one of the lightest laptop models, weighing below 1.11kg and far from its competitors that usually weigh closer around 1.5kg. These two unique features make this laptop perfect for those people who like to travel and are always on the go, but need to be connected all the time.

Critics have praised this Toshiba model, even calling it the “leading Ultrabook on the market” when it came out. The Satellite Z830 is incredibly lightweight and thin, but Toshiba did not compromise its ports. It has a USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports, VGA port, HDMI port, SD card reader, headphone jack, dedicated microphone jack and a gigabit Ethernet. These ports are full-sized and unexpected for an ultralight, ultrathin laptop like this one. These can come in handy when you are travelling and want to be connected all the time with your family or work.

Toshiba Satellite Z830

The Satellite Z830 also has a backlit keyboard which is useful especially if you are typing in a low-light environment. Viewing text, photos and videos on its screen is also a great experience, considering that it has a 13.3-inch screen with 1366×768 screen resolution. Toshiba is known for producing laptops with exceptional sound quality, and the Z830 is no different with its incorporated stereo speakers.

Satellite Z830’s specifications and system performance are also nothing to balk at. Toshiba offers two versions with 128GB SSD—a Core i3 with 4GB of RAM or a Core i5 with a 6GB of RAM. If you are after productivity, these specs will be sure to impress.

The battery performance of Satellite Z830 is another great feature of the laptop. It can last until around 7 hours, if the brightness is not too high, and if you have your wireless radios disabled. Nonetheless, its battery life is way better than many other laptops on the market, making it a perfect gadget to bring during long travels and road trips. However, if you need to do more with your laptop aside from the usual checking of emails or surfing the internet, it is better if you get yourself a spare laptop battery. Many online stores, like A1 Battery Pro, offer great deals on laptop batteries; so you’ll be sure that your Satellite Z830 will never out of power!

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Top Five Upcoming Smartphones for 2013

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YotaPhone The tech world saw its first glimpse of the smartphone industry’s plans for the coming year at CES 2013, and it seems that there are plenty of new features to get excited about between now and December. Here, we take a look at the most innovative and exciting top of the line releases, coming into a market already filled with fantastic deals on mobile phones and tablets – which one are you looking forward to?

HTC M7
HTC’s newest offering has been pegged as a bit of a last-ditch attempt at pushing back into the market, as the tech giant has seen a few ups and downs over the past 12 months. The new flagship handset is not due to launch until February, where it will be displayed at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, but it’s already rumoured to have a 4.7-inch display and an impressive 13MP camera, as well as the new HTC Sense 5.0 software.

Samsung Galaxy S4
Samsung seem to have a new contender from its Galaxy series constantly in the pipeline, and this is yet again expected to blow competitors out of the water. Also boasting a 13MP camera, the S4 is also expected to have an additional 2MP camera on the front alongside a 5-inch LCD display. We’re most looking forward to the flexible design, though – Samsung has reported that it has developed a bendable, foldable display.

Blackberry 10
The hype around this handset may not be for all the right reasons – many are speculating about what the new device can do for ailing manufacturer RIM – but the Blackberry 10 is likely to impress the make’s fans, with a 4.2-inch LCD touchscreen and a dual-core processor to boot. 2GB of RAM makes it more than capable of handling high-intensity use, showing that RIM are developing their smartphone technologies.

Samsung Galaxy Note III
Another Galaxy, but a personal favourite of ours; the Galaxy Note is Samsung’s contribution to the middling “phablet” market, and the Note III is no different. The screen size is expected to exceed 6 inches, making it similar in size to the Google Nexus 7, and with an eight-core processor and flexible screen similar to the S4, we’re expecting this one to make a big impact when it launches in September.

YotaPhone
The YotaPhone is a bit of an anomaly, boasting a particularly unusual feature: as well as a 4.3-inch LCD screen on the front of the device, it also has an e-ink reader on the back, allowing you to do anything from checking the time to reading e-mails, all without having to turn the main display on – making it easy on battery life as well as on the eyes. A gesture-based navigation system and attractive shape (if a little bulky) makes this a definite one to watch as we find out whether e-ink tech can really succeed in the smartphone market.

The Trendiest Gadgets For 2013

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s3fronts The year 2012 has come and gone, and with it all the technological innovations launched in 2012, making way for a flood of new gadgets in 2013.

We saw the release of a Samsung quad-core mobile phones with burst shoot capabilities, ginormous 84inch 3D HD televisions by LG with voice recognition that will set you back a pretty penny, and portable gaming with high quality graphics and touch capability of the PSP Vita. It was a year of much technological advancement which took years in the making. It was a remarkable year for the followers of technology as they were blessed with many cutting-edge products from small manufacturers up to the titans of the tech world. The year 2012 shall be remembered as a pretty great year for the tech world and needless to say, we have nothing to do but look forward to what 2013 has in store for us.

For you console gamers out there and fans of the Xbox 360, you better be prepared for the new Xbox 720 which is set to be unveiled in the summer of 2013. The new beast is supposedly going to be called Durango and packs a quad-core processor, 8GB RAM, Blu-ray capability, live TV recording, 3D gaming features with augmented reality glasses of course.

The next gadget takes us back to futuristic science fiction movies of the 80s and 90s. Get ready for the mindboggling Celluon Magic Cube Laser Projection Keyboard and Touchpad, within the year. Yes, the name is a mouth-full, but with this amount of innovation packed into one device, do we really care? This device is compatible with iOS, Windows XP, Vista, and Mac (no android yet as they may have not yet been able to get in touch with the proper channels) Not to mention, it is quite affordable at around $130-150!

To round off the trendiest gadgets for 2013, it would have to be the Google Smart-Glasses. This is a pair of wearable eyeglasses that is said to have the functionality of a smartphone. It is something that the engineers at Google have been working on for the past two years and techies around the world have been waiting for in anticipation. It is still too early to tell what other capabilities it will have but with a long-awaited arrival onto the market, it’s safe to say that consumers should expect nothing less than amazing – it is after all a Google creation.

What are the Benefits of Fibre Broadband?

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fibre broadband The rollout of fibre optic broadband from providers like TalkTalk is the subject of a lot of buzz right now; everyone wants to be part of the superfast revolution. But how do superfast internet connections work, and what are the benefits of a fibre connection over traditional copper wire phone line connections?

Fibre broadband transmits your internet connection through fibre optic wires which are capable of maintaining strong signal over much greater distances than a phone line, and are much less susceptible to interference. A fibre connection can also deliver much higher speeds – which will become increasingly handy over the next few years as we continue to place great demand on our internet connections.

If you are getting online through a typical ADSL copper wire connection, you may experience various issues with your connection. For example, during peak usage times you may see your connection slow down significantly as other people log on and there is less signal to go around. Problems with internal wiring or the eventual decay of the copper wire delivering your connection can also causes problems in the long term.

Your ADSL broadband speed is likely be limited to around 24Mbps, whereas a fibre connection has the potential to go much, much faster. Although 24Mbps is sufficient for many users at the moment, it will start to look pretty basic over the next few years as much faster connections become the norm. A fibre connection could offer you speeds of well over 100Mbps right now, and this number will increase again over the next few years. This makes fibre connections ideal for heavy internet users, including online gamers and those who stream movies, TV or download music regularly.

Family homes or shared houses are likely to benefit particularly from a fibre connection. These households often have a range of internet user types – from low users who just log on to check emails, get directions and read the news, to heavy users as described above. Many providers now offer superfast connections wherever available, so it is well worth considering making the move to fibre if you can.

There are two different types of fibre optic broadband; fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) and fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP). With FTTC technology all the homes or premises on a street gain access to the internet using the same connection; supplied to a local cabinet. FTTP technology means every building receives its own fibre cable. This option provides the strongest and best connection – but it is of course much harder to implement and requires a much more complicated broadband infrastructure. So your fibre connection is likely to be supplied using FTTC technology.

If you or those you share your internet with are heavy internet users, or if you are running a business or enterprise, a fibre broadband connection will give you much faster upload and download speeds, less interference and a connection that is less vulnerable to decay over time – and fibre broadband is the future of home internet access globally so join the revolution and start surfing superfast now!

Your Television Is Only As Good As What You Watch On It

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Big televisions with stunning picture quality are becoming more common place these days. This is great news for anyone who enjoys watching shows or films in style but it won’t do you much good if you don’t watch anything interesting anyway.

There is no excuse for putting poor quality television programmes on any type of screen now and here are a few tips for making sure that what you watch is as good as what you watch it on.

Choose the Right Service Provider

If you spend money on putting a giant television with great picture clarity in your house then you won’t want to be restricted to the choice of just a few different channels. To get the maximum amount of pleasure out of the new television you will want the biggest range of channels possible. This will allow you to get the most out of your new screen by always having access to a lot of different forms of entertainment. If you buy a great television but only have the choice of a limited number of channels then even the appeal of top quality images will soon wear off.

Make the Most of Your Screen

If you buy a television capable of showing 3D images then you will want to see programmes and events shown in this format. Equally, if you have a high definition TV then it doesn’t seem like a particularly good idea to not be able to watch programmes which take advantage of this type of transmission. These might appear to be extremely obvious points but there are people who don’t take the steps necessary to get the full benefit of their televisions. All it takes is a little bit of forward planning to ensure that you can watch programmes which make the most of your television’s features.

Watch More

If you have always had an uninspiring type of television and a limited number of channels to watch then you have probably never experienced the full pleasure of watching television. However, if you have now followed the previous points here then you should soon find yourself tempted to spend more time viewing than before. This is something to get excited about and you will no doubt discover a lot of interesting things you had never thought of before. One thing you should definitely try and do is expand the range of show you watch. Now that you have a top class TV and a lot of channels it makes sense to look for some new thrills.

Saving Money for the Trendy ‘Techy’

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As much as we may love technology, it’s not always cheap. With negligent spending, it’s quite easy to waste a lot of your income simply on technology alone.

To this end, here are a couple of tips to help you save your money. This is important whether you’re saving up for something special or just want to keep costs down. Whether it’s saving money on your broadband bill, or simply avoiding the latest devices, these are two very simple options with great benefits.

Internet

Most devices use the internet these days, so it’s rather important. Yet it doesn’t need to be expensive. Take the time to search and you can find reliable, fast broadband deals to suit your needs and budget. This will further be affected by your download speed requirements, but the modern market is flexible and all these options.

It is worth remembering that even the fastest device with massive processors is pointless if your internet is slow anyway. You need both a reliable internet service and device; having one but not the other is generally pointless in its aims.

Different Brands

Branding isn’t everything. Whilst devices like the iPhone dominate the market, they’re not your only option. The android platform has proven just that.

Basically, you don’t always need the latest and greatest. Android and other platforms offer many of the benefits anyway, usually for a much smaller cost. These developers still provide quality products, so there’s no need to rely on the latest model every year either.