Welcome at Conrad Electronic's BlogNokia has announced some of the details going into its budget 110 and 112 devices, which will be aimed at urban social media users.
According to early reports from wirelessfederation.com, the phones are perfect for consumers using Facebook and Twitter to communicate – with access to both sites available through the phone’s homepage.
Other features that make the device ideal for social media account holders include a high quality camera for photo sharing, eBuddy messenger and fast internet connection for users on the move. In fact, that connection has been made even smoother courtesy of a revised Nokia Browser, which uses up 90 per cent less data.
The 1.8 inch-display should make timelines and feeds a little more visible also. Mary T. McDowell, executive vice president at Nokia, said the company hoped to offer a world class entertainment, social media browsing package to its target audience.
Although the 110 model will ship to Europe in 2012, a date is yet to be set for a UK release. Still, if the devices sell, there’s every chance that Nokia will make yet another impression on the consumer electronics market.
Finally, even before any reviews have arrived, the estimated retail price is one area that few improvements can be made. Recombu.com has reported that a pay as you go Nokia 110 will set consumers back 35 Euros, while the 112 comes in at 35 Euros.
Nokia unveils social media handsets
May 16th, 2012New long-life lighbulbs to hit UK
May 9th, 2012A handful of highly-efficient long-life light bulbs, capable of lasting more than two decades, will make their UK debut later this year, reports bbc.co.uk.
Following successful debuts at a lighting industry conference, General Electric, Philips and Sylvania will all release their own LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs at a cost ranging from £12 – £37.
While more expensive to purchase, LED bulbs use up to 90 per cent less energy than incandescent bulbs and can output enough light equivalent to a 100-watt bulb.
It is for these reasons that experts, such as James Russill, from the Energy Saving Trust (EST), believe they may become standard in home improvement.
“LEDs promise to be the way forward for the whole sector,” said Mr Russill, whose department has been conducting studies on LED lighting performance. ”There are so many benefits: they can be smaller, brighter; it is one of those rare technologies where the trial has shown it performs better than the lighting systems it is replacing but, at the same time, uses less energy.”
Energysavingtrust.org.uk’s ‘Lit Up’ report explains that LED technology works by making use of solid state technology – that is, a bulb with no moving parts, no glass and no filament that can break, unlike incandescent bulbs.
The new generation of LED bulbs also remove the natural heat generated by the light far better than their forebears, leading to the savings
Apple has ‘most loyal’ fanbase
May 3rd, 2012Computing and consumer electronics giant Apple has the most loyal fanbase, according to a customer satisfaction survey published by Vocalabs.
Less than one per cent (0.44) of fans told the customer experience monitoring organisation that they would ditch Apple’s product range in favour of gadgets from another manufacturer.
Customers of Dell – yet another corporate computing behemoth – came second in the poll, with just 1.66 per cent saying that they’d be happy to change their primarily supplier of electronics, reports itproportal.com.
‘Apple had the lowest number of these especially disloyal customers, despite the fact that it is easier to change brands for a piece of electronics than for a bank or a mobile phone. Apple maintains its customer loyalty despite the fact there are few barriers to switching,’ the report read.
Overall customer service however was the main focus of the report, in which Apple was also crowned victorious, padgadget.com says.
Over half (54 per cent) of Apple customers said that they were ‘very satisfied’ with the their customer support experiences during the last six months of 2011, compared to 44 per cent of Dell customers and 49 per cent of HP customers.
The results were compiled by conducting more than 7,000 telephone interviews immediately following a customer support call. The trials took place over a 15 month period.
Other firms assessed in the study included AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, Bank of America, Chase, Citi and Wells Fargo.
Trimming the garden could boost value of a home
May 2nd, 2012When it comes to selling a home, according to industry experts.
In a new poll by HSBC, 71 per cent of property experts claimed that a quick trim of a lawn and flower beds could make it easier for home-owners to sell their house. Seven per cent said it was the most important change that home-owners could make.
Overall, it was voted as the third most popular home improvement task that home-owners can get involved in. They were also advised to de-clutter their home by 93 per cent of experts polled and to re-paint the walls (75 per cent).
According to ifamagazine.co.uk, a lower proportion of home-owners thought these changes would make a difference in a potential buyer’s perspective of their home than experts did for all three of these tasks.
Reacting to the survey, HSBC’s head of mortgages, Peter Dockar, pointed out that home-owners could probably get most of these small tasks done over the coming bank holidays.
He told hsbc.co.uk: “Many householders spend the Bank Holidays on DIY projects to help boost property value and saleability. However, it is often the smaller jobs like painting the front door that can make all the difference when looking for a quick sale.”
Gardening named as one of the cheapest hobbies
May 1st, 2012
Dailymail.co.uk journalist Sean Poulter has recommended gardening to readers of his column; listing the cheap cost as a key benefit in what are tough economic times for UK households.
Mr Poulter opened his article by stating: “For those weighed down down by money troubles, the spiralling cost of ‘fun’ activities can make them just another cause for concern. But there’s one pastime that is bucking the trend – gardening.”
The journalist went on to cite results from the most recent Consumer Price Index, which found that the cost to engage in 10 out of 11 pastimes has risen faster than rates for inflation. The journalist was then to quick to point out that the price of gardening has not.
Although the cost to maintain a patch has naturally risen by 17 per cent, due to inflation, the figure is a small increase in comparison to those plaguing other hobbies. This could interest those reading his piece; possibly persuading them to order cheap gardening supplies and stay at home on weekends.
In some of the other results listed, attending a Premier League football match was named as one of the most expensive hobbies, with the average price for a ticket up by 184 per cent compared with results gathered 10 years ago, to £48.90 – representing a six per cent increase.
Also looking at activity prices from the last decade was Halifax, which alerted gym-goers of the rising costs to work out; an expense which has risen by 48 per cent, according to figures cited by Press Association.
Motorists could soon order McDonalds through their Sat-Nav
February 29th, 2012Conrad Electronic UK News:
Developers in Japan are working on a Sat-Nav that can let the driver order a McDonald’s whilst on the move, motoringmouth.co.uk reports.
With car supplies becoming increasingly tech-savvy, developers have been increasingly desperate to provide a platform that will get the most out of their new technology.
Now, developers from 26 companies including Toyota and Panasonic have teamed up to create what they think will be the next big thing: a Sat-Nav that can place an order at a local McDonald’s restaurant.
The system works by allowing users to select items from the menu once a car gets within a certain range of one of the restaurants. The order is then made and collected at the drive-through facility. Payment can be made virtually for those users who have set up an “online wallet”.
McDonald’s was chosen over other competitors for its drive-through facility, as it was decided that this would be the best way to complement the new system.
Early tests are set to take place in March, with a national roll-out to take place shortly afterwards if the trial proves successful. The firm is then set to turn its attention to the UK where it is lobbying for a similar network, telegraph.co.uk reports.
Once established, the technology can also be used by other businesses, using location-based services to offer deals to those who are close – or on the way – to one of their outlets.
DIY experts to transform school’s library
February 29th, 2012Do-it-yourself experts Linda Barker and Craig Phillips are to transform the library of Sandbrook Primary School in Moreton.
Inspiring DIY enthusiasts around the nation, the famous pair will help the school revitalise its reading area after it was selected to take part in the Get Britain Reading campaign by ITV show ‘Daybreak’.
Wirralglobe.co.uk revealed why the duo have taken the project on, citing comments from former ‘Big Brother’ contestant Phillips. He revealed: “Looking at some of the statistics about reading among children led me to get involved.”
Phillips also gave an insight into what he and Barker will do with their DIY products, adding: “The room was basically a storage room before with a few shelves for the books, so we have ripped it all out and we are giving it a woodland theme. It’s still going to be a library but we’re going to create a fun and open place for the kids to use.”
The school’s headteacher, Claire Temple, said so far, having the work done has been “amazing” for her students. She also confirmed that the school has been helped out by Waterstones, which provided £400 worth of books for free.
The news – also cited by Wirralonline.com – might inspire other DIY-lovers throughout the UK to offer their help to any local schools in need; using their equipment to give something back to the community.
iMac Wi-Fi problem fixed by Apple
February 29th, 2012Conrad Electronic News:
Apple has made a new patch-fix available to download in order to eradicate a connection problem experienced by a number of iMac users, gmanetwork.com reports.
Connection problems arose after people using the latest OS X 10.7.3 update through a Mac system from 2009 or newer put their computers to sleep, only to experience connection problems upon start-up.
The computers wouldn’t connect to any preferred wireless networks, instead trying to get users to manually select a network from the Wi-Fi menu. This meant that only the more experienced Mac user could fix the problem by implementing a script-based workaround to detect the Wi-Fi status, leaving those less knowledgeable in the finer details of computer components and software without a connection.
Technology experts cnet.co.uk also told users to “Keep in mind that this update is only for the iMac systems, and will not work in other systems experiencing similar problems.”
The article instead went on to advise those experiencing connection problems with an iMac older than 2009 to try general troubleshooting rather than resorting to using the update.
The update is a 26mb download and replaces the faulty drivers that were apparently shipped with OS X. It is available for iMac users through the Software Update application on systems. It can also be obtained through Apple’s official website.
Spring cleaning can also help freshen mental health
February 29th, 2012Conrad Electronic News:
Improving and de-cluttering a home can have a positive effect on mental health, one of Britain’s leading life coaches has suggested.
Carole Ann Rice, who regularly offers life tips for readers of The Daily Express, has claimed that an organised house can lead to an organised mind and allow people to live happier more fulfilled lives.
In an article for express.co.uk, she encouraged Brits to embrace the first signs of spring weather by engaging in a spot of home improvement.
Describing Brits’ reaction to the beautiful weather last weekend, she said: “Sheds were cleared, trips were made to DIY superstores, under-stair cupboards were tackled and a need to clear, de-clutter and make new our homes descended.
“It’s called spring cleaning and it’s as primal as knitting woolly mammoth cardis.”
Within the article, Rice described de-cluttering missions and DIY projects as an antidote to depression which could provide the same happy emotions things like shopping do – due to feelings of fulfilment we often get after completing a project.
Mae Anderson, who is a journalist for The Associated Press, agreed with these views and was also keen to point out the mental boosts that home improvements can bring.
“The ritual of spring cleaning can bring lots of poetic benefits: spiritual renewal, charitable donations, a clutter-free lifestyle,” she said.
Joe Elvin
Phillips updates Smart TV service
February 29th, 2012Phillips has announced the changes made to its Smart TV service, which include a new interface and infrastructure.
The new screen can be seen by Phillips Smart TV owners. It will include catch-up content and selection tips for viewers – as well as a section in the bottom half of the screen where users can organise their apps.
Talking to broadbandtvnews.com, VP and head of product strategy, Pieter Vervoort, stated that Phillips will be paying a lot more attention to Smart TV software and gadgets in the future; expecting the number of users to increase.
Vervoort said: “We expect a strong increase in the usage of Smart TV. At the moment more than 60 per cent of all active Smart TV users access the application more than 50 times a month.
“The digital world of contents and apps is no longer restricted to owners of more expensive TV sets, but also within reach of people with a restricted budget.”
On top of this, Phillips will also be launching its Smart TV to iPad digital streaming service for its new Wi-Fi ‘Smart Screen’ 8000 sets.
According to reghardware.com, the Dutch company will also be adding the feature to many more sets as early as this year; from to its 19-inch models to the top of the range sets. The sets are expected to start from £56.
