I've just spent an entertaining few minutes talking to Allan Tee
on Talk Radio Europe about an assortment of gadgets.
Today’s choices were:
Motorola X Style mobile phone
This is effectively the Mark III Moto X flagship smartphone,
available as the ‘Pure’ in the USA and the ‘Style’ elsewhere. It has a 5.7-inch HD screen and will run on the Android
operating system. Motorola says over three-quarters of the front of the phone
is screen, which means there’s not much wasted space around the edges. It’s equipped
with a 1.8GHz hexa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, a 3,000mAh battery, and up to
64GB of built-in storage which can also be expanded.
There are a couple of really noteworthy things: not only
does it have a battery that’s theoretically capable of lasting all day but it
comes with a fast charger that will give it around 10 hours of battery life
from just 15 minutes of charge. And it has a 21-megapixel camera sensor, which
the company says will make it ‘best in class’. It’s also customisable: if you
order the phone online you can choose from a range of colours and materials.
Pricing without a connection ('SIM-free') is expected to be £359 in the UK, that’s
around €500. Availability is expected early September.
BedJet v2 air-conditioning for your bed
This isn’t just about cooling you down or warming you up; it’s about helping you sleep better.
Apparently one of the problems with getting a good night’s
sleep is that your core body temperature changes during the night. If you wake
up in the middle of the night to kick the covers off, you’re less likely to
feel refreshed when you get up in the morning.
So, when you get your BedJet, you tell it your gender, your
age and a little bit about your body type – it then monitors the temperature in
bed and adjusts it throughout the night. It can replace your
electric blanket in the winter and saves you getting out of bed to change
the thermostat in the room or to open the windows.
Essentially it’s a box that lives under (or next to) your
bed and quietly blows air through your bedding. It’s got a remote control but
the really clever stuff happens when you connect it to your mobile phone or
tablet.
BedJet v2 is expected to sell at $500 (£320 / €450) but it’s currently
on offer for much less if you order via crowd-funding site kickstarter.com. The
company says it should ship in time for Christmas this year.
Touchjet Wave, turning a TV into a touchscreen computer
This is another piece of add-on technology to enhance what
you’ve already got.
There’s a little arm that clips on top of your TV, a bit
like a desk lamp, and a little box that plugs into an HDMI socket on the back.
Connect it to the mains and you’re good to go.
When you switch it on, it powers up with the Android
operating system and can link up with your home WiFi, like a giant tablet
computer.
That little clip-on arm has an infrared eye to see where you
touch the screen, so it’ll respond to your touch like a tablet, which means you
can listen to music, download films, play games, do your social networking and
browse the internet.
The company reckons they’ll ship the Wave from March 2016,
with pricing at the moment from $149 if you include shipping (around £100 /
€135).
Hoverkraft, a construction game that hovers
This was announced at the 2014 New York Toy Fair but has
taken a while to make it into the UK.
The basic idea is similar to Jenga, where you try to build a
tower of wooden blocks, or even building a castle from a pack of playing cards.
This new game uses magnets to make the playing board hover.
The overall base is around 10 inches square, with a separate playing area that
hovers above it and is tethered in place. You then need to stack 3D plastic
pieces on the hovering board, a bit like the computer game Tetris, but in real
life.
Price is £29.99 (€43).
Tuesday, 18 August 2015
Friday, 7 August 2015
Trusting TripAdvisor
Online customer reviews are useful, but it's a system that may sometimes mislead. Positive and negative votes can be influenced by social media campaigns and an assortment of irrelevant factors, which is why I approach The Shed in Wadebridge with caution. At the time I visit it's number 3 in the TripAdvisor.com list of restaurants in Wadebridge, yet its tiny size makes it an unlikely candidate in any foodie directory.
First impressions are... how on earth can they cook anything in there? Yes, the venue's small - a few tables outside and some seats indoors - but the kitchen area itself is barely larger than a wardrobe. Service is friendly and helpful, demonstrating a genuine desire to please. We've arrived at lunchtime - walked in from Padstow, since you ask - and are feeling pretty hungry, which means we order our food and drinks quickly but carefully.
Our coffee arrives. It's good. Really good. These days most cafes are capable of producing a decent cappuccino. At The Shed, the coffee blend and the construction of our cappuccinos is exceptional.
Our food is equally impressive. Imaginative, well presented and packed with flavour. I've chosen oak-smoked kippers on toast with pink grapefruit (£5.95). The citrus cuts through the oil of the fish; simple, good-looking and very tasty. My wife's frittata is accompanied by a colourful 'superfood' salad: she's impressed with taste, quantity and appearance. A visiting customer suggests that Gordon Ramsay may want to add The Shed's 'Beached Benedict' - an updated Eggs Benedict with samphire replacing the bacon - to his menu. It certainly wouldn't seem out of place. Perhaps he'll become a regular visitor, having recently bought a holiday home a few miles away.
Ultimately, The Shed is somewhere I wish was my local cafe. And somewhere I'll make a point of returning to when I'm next on holiday in Cornwall. Thank you, TripAdvisor reviewers.
First impressions are... how on earth can they cook anything in there? Yes, the venue's small - a few tables outside and some seats indoors - but the kitchen area itself is barely larger than a wardrobe. Service is friendly and helpful, demonstrating a genuine desire to please. We've arrived at lunchtime - walked in from Padstow, since you ask - and are feeling pretty hungry, which means we order our food and drinks quickly but carefully.
Our coffee arrives. It's good. Really good. These days most cafes are capable of producing a decent cappuccino. At The Shed, the coffee blend and the construction of our cappuccinos is exceptional.
Our food is equally impressive. Imaginative, well presented and packed with flavour. I've chosen oak-smoked kippers on toast with pink grapefruit (£5.95). The citrus cuts through the oil of the fish; simple, good-looking and very tasty. My wife's frittata is accompanied by a colourful 'superfood' salad: she's impressed with taste, quantity and appearance. A visiting customer suggests that Gordon Ramsay may want to add The Shed's 'Beached Benedict' - an updated Eggs Benedict with samphire replacing the bacon - to his menu. It certainly wouldn't seem out of place. Perhaps he'll become a regular visitor, having recently bought a holiday home a few miles away.
Ultimately, The Shed is somewhere I wish was my local cafe. And somewhere I'll make a point of returning to when I'm next on holiday in Cornwall. Thank you, TripAdvisor reviewers.
Wednesday, 5 August 2015
Truro in the rain
The last time we came to Truro, it was a rainy day in the middle of our holiday and we were accompanied by a grumpy teenager. We visited the cathedral, had lunch at a little cafe and ended up in Marks & Spencer, where the teenager asked me to buy him five pairs of socks. I think that was his highlight. Everyone was pretty miserable.
Today, we have no teenager. He's grown up. But I'm slightly grumpy before we've even started, mainly because I've been reading a city guide that's peppered with greengrocers' apostrophes [yes, many greengrocers] and poorly-explained historical references. It's also raining. Again.
Time to leave the frustrating guide behind. We've come to the city because we want to give Truro a second chance. Theoretically a city - with stunning architecture, shops, cafes and galleries - is a good place to be on holiday when a sunny coastal walk is out of the question.
In reality, it's not. Not in the rain. Our first stop, the cathedral cafe, is struggling to cope with the number of visitors. We escape to 108 Coffee House, where the quality of the coffee, the friendly service and the honest food deliver a welcome respite from the grim weather. Later we drop into the Arts Cafe, which seems similarly cheering (although we didn't stop to eat). Lemon Street provides an attractive Georgian view. But overall it's a bit too practical, especially on a rainy Wednesday. If you want mystery and magic, stories of fishing and mermaids, druids and dragons, Cornwall is the right place. If you need to go shopping, Truro is undoubtedly a sensible destination. But if you're looking for an escape from damp reality, this isn't where you want to be. Sorry, Truro, maybe when the sun's out. Third time lucky?
Time to leave the frustrating guide behind. We've come to the city because we want to give Truro a second chance. Theoretically a city - with stunning architecture, shops, cafes and galleries - is a good place to be on holiday when a sunny coastal walk is out of the question.
In reality, it's not. Not in the rain. Our first stop, the cathedral cafe, is struggling to cope with the number of visitors. We escape to 108 Coffee House, where the quality of the coffee, the friendly service and the honest food deliver a welcome respite from the grim weather. Later we drop into the Arts Cafe, which seems similarly cheering (although we didn't stop to eat). Lemon Street provides an attractive Georgian view. But overall it's a bit too practical, especially on a rainy Wednesday. If you want mystery and magic, stories of fishing and mermaids, druids and dragons, Cornwall is the right place. If you need to go shopping, Truro is undoubtedly a sensible destination. But if you're looking for an escape from damp reality, this isn't where you want to be. Sorry, Truro, maybe when the sun's out. Third time lucky?
Sunday, 2 August 2015
The Prawn Supremacy
Prawn on the Lawn has recently appeared on Duke Street in Padstow, replacing the long-established Margot's Bistro. Much like the original PotL fish restaurant in London, Padstow's new seafood bar is also a fishmonger's shop, which means you could easily buy the main ingredients to re-create their dishes at home. Except... well, there'd be something missing. Because there's magic in the air here. The food is joyful. Simple in theory but, with apologies for the cliché, much more than the sum of its parts. We chose tapas-style dishes: seared tuna, razor clams, scallops and the open prawn sandwich that gives the place its name. All delightful.
But this isn't a review of Prawn on the Lawn. I wasn't making notes, mainly because I was enjoying the experience too much. Margot's was a Padstow landmark for over 20 years. Based on my visit, I'd say Prawn on the Lawn is guaranteed an equally long tenure here.
But this isn't a review of Prawn on the Lawn. I wasn't making notes, mainly because I was enjoying the experience too much. Margot's was a Padstow landmark for over 20 years. Based on my visit, I'd say Prawn on the Lawn is guaranteed an equally long tenure here.
Wednesday, 22 July 2015
TRE 'gadget guru' technology for July 2015
The technology I talked about in July as ‘gadget guru’ for Talk Radio Europe is…
New Apple iPod
It seems that the iPhone and the iPad haven’t killed off the iPod. Apple has announced a new version of its iPod touch, with a new range of colours, improved cameras and the Apple A8 chip, which makes it more powerful and better at tracking your movement.
The 16GB model costs £159 or €229, depending on where you’re buying it.
Marshall London mobile phone
Amplifier maker Marshall – well, the part of the company that makes headphones – has said it’s going to make an Android-powered phone as well.
It’ll be called the Marshall London and, as you might expect, has a focus on music. There are two speakers on the front and there’s a separate music processor inside, which should improve the sound quality. It’s also capable of playing more types of music file than other devices. There’s a button on the top that takes you straight to your music and it’s got two headphone sockets to let you listen with a friend. In addition it has a decent stereo microphone in case you fancy doing your own recording.
Other specs include a 4.7-inch display, an 8 megapixel camera and 1.2GHz processor. It’s being made by a Swedish company called Zound, which has licensed the Marshall brand – and that explains why it’s being launched in Sweden.
Pricing is expected to be around €540 SIM-free when it goes on sale.
Coolpeds Briefcase Electric Scooter
When you’re tired and you’ve had a long flight, there can be nothing worse than dragging your suitcase through the airport – and then dragging it through the streets as well.
Now there’s an American company that reckons it might have solved the problem. Coolpeds makes electric scooters – and they’ve now taken that technology and built it into a suitcase. So instead of having a case with wheels that you drag behind you with the handle; a little platform folds down for you to stand on and you use the handle for steering.
It weighs about 7.9kg including the case, will run for up to 10km on one charge and can reach a speed of up to 20kph.
The price is currently $599 (around €550 or £385) – but is being promoted for less on crowd-funding site indiegogo.com.
FishHunter
This is described as a Military Grade Fish Finder Sonar that fits in your pocket. It’s about the size of a cricket ball – it’s round with a point sticking out of it – and it uses Bluetooth technology to connect to your phone, that’s the same wireless system as a hands free headset.
When it’s in the water it sends out high frequencies to work out the depth of the water, the temperature of the water, the contours of the bottom of the lake or wherever you’re fishing, if there’s any weed below the surface – and, most importantly, the location of any fish. All this then appears on the screen of your phone.
So – you switch on your phone, switch on the FishFinder, attach it to your fishing rod and cast it into the water. And because there’s GPS built in as well, you can tell it to remember your favourite spots.
It runs for up to 8 hours on rechargeable batteries and costs £129 (around €185)
New Apple iPod
It seems that the iPhone and the iPad haven’t killed off the iPod. Apple has announced a new version of its iPod touch, with a new range of colours, improved cameras and the Apple A8 chip, which makes it more powerful and better at tracking your movement.
The 16GB model costs £159 or €229, depending on where you’re buying it.
Marshall London mobile phone
Amplifier maker Marshall – well, the part of the company that makes headphones – has said it’s going to make an Android-powered phone as well.
It’ll be called the Marshall London and, as you might expect, has a focus on music. There are two speakers on the front and there’s a separate music processor inside, which should improve the sound quality. It’s also capable of playing more types of music file than other devices. There’s a button on the top that takes you straight to your music and it’s got two headphone sockets to let you listen with a friend. In addition it has a decent stereo microphone in case you fancy doing your own recording.
Other specs include a 4.7-inch display, an 8 megapixel camera and 1.2GHz processor. It’s being made by a Swedish company called Zound, which has licensed the Marshall brand – and that explains why it’s being launched in Sweden.
Pricing is expected to be around €540 SIM-free when it goes on sale.
Coolpeds Briefcase Electric Scooter
When you’re tired and you’ve had a long flight, there can be nothing worse than dragging your suitcase through the airport – and then dragging it through the streets as well.
Now there’s an American company that reckons it might have solved the problem. Coolpeds makes electric scooters – and they’ve now taken that technology and built it into a suitcase. So instead of having a case with wheels that you drag behind you with the handle; a little platform folds down for you to stand on and you use the handle for steering.
It weighs about 7.9kg including the case, will run for up to 10km on one charge and can reach a speed of up to 20kph.
The price is currently $599 (around €550 or £385) – but is being promoted for less on crowd-funding site indiegogo.com.
FishHunter
This is described as a Military Grade Fish Finder Sonar that fits in your pocket. It’s about the size of a cricket ball – it’s round with a point sticking out of it – and it uses Bluetooth technology to connect to your phone, that’s the same wireless system as a hands free headset.
When it’s in the water it sends out high frequencies to work out the depth of the water, the temperature of the water, the contours of the bottom of the lake or wherever you’re fishing, if there’s any weed below the surface – and, most importantly, the location of any fish. All this then appears on the screen of your phone.
So – you switch on your phone, switch on the FishFinder, attach it to your fishing rod and cast it into the water. And because there’s GPS built in as well, you can tell it to remember your favourite spots.
It runs for up to 8 hours on rechargeable batteries and costs £129 (around €185)
Thursday, 16 July 2015
Looking for a connection
I could well be breathing the same air as my great-grandparents. I've walked the streets of Tenterden, where they once lived, and may even be enjoying the same type of lunch my great-grandfather regularly ate. (It's a cheese-and-pickle roll, accompanied by a half-pint of Kentish bitter, since you ask.) In fact, this space between the bar and the fireplace in the William Caxton pub might have been his favourite spot. The pub was called the Black Horse back in 1891, when great-grandfather was listed as 'innkeeper' on a census form, but I'm sure he'd recognise the place.
Researching your relatives is pretty easy if you're only looking back at the past hundred years or so. Thanks to online records, I've found the pub where great-granddad Richard once lived. (It's also where my grandfather lived for a while, perhaps unsurprisingly.) However, innkeeping wasn't a career that Richard followed for long. Although he was at the Black Horse in 1891, ten years later he appears to have followed his father's footsteps into the building and decorating trade.
Sometimes research can make you feel closer to your relatives. In this case, despite my proximity to the historic Richard Bridge, I'm not feeling any emotional attachment. Time to move on. I've already had a wander round the graveyard of St Mildred's church without any success, so I'm going to visit Cranbrook Road cemetery. It opened in 1887 and is at the same end of town as the pub, which fills me with some hope.
Much to my surprise, I discover a double-width plot that contains Richard, his wife Kate and two of their children. Four deaths in ten years. And a few rows back, I discover a headstone for Richard's parents, my great-great-grandmother and great-great-grandfather. A passer-by tells me that Ashford Borough Council are very good at providing information about the location of burial plots. On this occasion, I didn't need anyone else's help. I reckon that's a family trait... and maybe even the lineal connection I'm looking for.
Researching your relatives is pretty easy if you're only looking back at the past hundred years or so. Thanks to online records, I've found the pub where great-granddad Richard once lived. (It's also where my grandfather lived for a while, perhaps unsurprisingly.) However, innkeeping wasn't a career that Richard followed for long. Although he was at the Black Horse in 1891, ten years later he appears to have followed his father's footsteps into the building and decorating trade.Sometimes research can make you feel closer to your relatives. In this case, despite my proximity to the historic Richard Bridge, I'm not feeling any emotional attachment. Time to move on. I've already had a wander round the graveyard of St Mildred's church without any success, so I'm going to visit Cranbrook Road cemetery. It opened in 1887 and is at the same end of town as the pub, which fills me with some hope.
Much to my surprise, I discover a double-width plot that contains Richard, his wife Kate and two of their children. Four deaths in ten years. And a few rows back, I discover a headstone for Richard's parents, my great-great-grandmother and great-great-grandfather. A passer-by tells me that Ashford Borough Council are very good at providing information about the location of burial plots. On this occasion, I didn't need anyone else's help. I reckon that's a family trait... and maybe even the lineal connection I'm looking for.
Wednesday, 24 December 2014
How not to start your podcast
I’ve mentioned podcasting before, haven’t I? You see, I enjoy podcasting. And I enjoy podcasts. Some I listen to for entertainment. Some I listen to in the hope they’ll improve my own podcasting by offering tips and techniques I can borrow.
Some – like the ExtraShot podcast for video professionals – are very listenable even when you only have a very basic understanding of the subject. It offers an impressive combination of personalities and production values that kept me listening even when I had no idea what the two presenters were talking about.
And some demonstrate rather spectacularly how things shouldn’t be done.
I won’t name-and-shame the company whose podcast I’ve just heard, so let’s just say they have hundreds of employees and millions of customers. They provide a product and service that’s all about helping you store, organise and present information.
Now let’s jump straight into their latest podcast:
[theme tune, followed by brief introductions of the three presenters]
Voice 1: Those that are paying attention may notice that the last podcast was number 40.
Voice 2: No-one’s paying attention.
Voice 1: No-one’s paying attention. Someone’s paying attention. Who’s that one person, mom?
Voice 2: Not my mom. My mom gave up. She stopped listening to this. It’s true.
Voice 1: Erm. We’re now at 42 because we did record a 41…
Voice 2: …but it was lost forever.
Voice 1: It’s just on my computer…
Voice 2: Oh, it’s not lost.
Voice 1: …and all I need to do is listen to it.
Voice 3: So you will release these out of order on purpose?
Voice 1: I think that is about to happen. Although who knows when this will get released. So…
Voice 2: When did we record 41? It was like a year…
Voice 1: Six months ago.
Voice 2: Six months ago.
Voice 3: Do you have to explain the cliff-hanger then, like…?
Voice 1: You know what’s funny, though? Number 40 – because we haven’t done this in a year – number 40 was about the previous conference.
Voice 2: No way.
Voice 1: And there was a cliff-hanger at the end where we said “We just have too much stuff. We’re gonna do part 2 in the next podcast.” Then when we recorded the next podcast we didn’t.
Voice 2: We forgot.
Voice 1: Because we forgot. [Laughter] And now we’re gonna talk about this year’s conference.
I didn’t make it beyond the first couple of minutes, so the company’s 2014 conference (which took place two months earlier) remains a mystery.
Look, I understand that podcasts need personality. Yes, some of this is ‘banter’ – so let’s not take it too seriously – but it’s also being broadcast in the company’s name on the company’s web site, so I’m not going to dismiss it completely.
Ultimately, I’m left in no doubt that this particular company doesn’t have much commitment to its podcasts. And that doesn’t reflect well on its products, either.
Some – like the ExtraShot podcast for video professionals – are very listenable even when you only have a very basic understanding of the subject. It offers an impressive combination of personalities and production values that kept me listening even when I had no idea what the two presenters were talking about.
And some demonstrate rather spectacularly how things shouldn’t be done.
I won’t name-and-shame the company whose podcast I’ve just heard, so let’s just say they have hundreds of employees and millions of customers. They provide a product and service that’s all about helping you store, organise and present information.
Now let’s jump straight into their latest podcast:
[theme tune, followed by brief introductions of the three presenters]
Voice 1: Those that are paying attention may notice that the last podcast was number 40.
Voice 2: No-one’s paying attention.
Voice 1: No-one’s paying attention. Someone’s paying attention. Who’s that one person, mom?
Voice 2: Not my mom. My mom gave up. She stopped listening to this. It’s true.
Voice 1: Erm. We’re now at 42 because we did record a 41…
Voice 2: …but it was lost forever.
Voice 1: It’s just on my computer…
Voice 2: Oh, it’s not lost.
Voice 1: …and all I need to do is listen to it.
Voice 3: So you will release these out of order on purpose?
Voice 1: I think that is about to happen. Although who knows when this will get released. So…
Voice 2: When did we record 41? It was like a year…
Voice 1: Six months ago.
Voice 2: Six months ago.
Voice 3: Do you have to explain the cliff-hanger then, like…?
Voice 1: You know what’s funny, though? Number 40 – because we haven’t done this in a year – number 40 was about the previous conference.
Voice 2: No way.
Voice 1: And there was a cliff-hanger at the end where we said “We just have too much stuff. We’re gonna do part 2 in the next podcast.” Then when we recorded the next podcast we didn’t.
Voice 2: We forgot.
Voice 1: Because we forgot. [Laughter] And now we’re gonna talk about this year’s conference.
I didn’t make it beyond the first couple of minutes, so the company’s 2014 conference (which took place two months earlier) remains a mystery.
Look, I understand that podcasts need personality. Yes, some of this is ‘banter’ – so let’s not take it too seriously – but it’s also being broadcast in the company’s name on the company’s web site, so I’m not going to dismiss it completely.
Ultimately, I’m left in no doubt that this particular company doesn’t have much commitment to its podcasts. And that doesn’t reflect well on its products, either.
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