After my very old dishwasher packed in last month and finding myself too lazy to do the dishes by hand every evening I have recently been on the search for a new dishwasher.

I am also quite OCD and I always felt the dishes from the washer seemed cleaner, this is especially true for glasses, I am REALLY OCD about my beer glasses and can’t ever have a beer unless the glass is spotless. Hand washing never seemed to get every single mark off the glass.

So I decided to try and get the best possible washer I could that would guarantee some beautifully clean beer glasses!! I began my dishwasher search at John Lewis, I have become particularly fond of them recently as they offer a 2 year warranty with most electronics for free as part of their service. How many times do you buy something and it pack in shortly after its year anniversary?

Anyway, my search finally lead me to the LG D1454TF Dishwasher, which uses the power of steam to provide you with gentle yet powerful performance when washing your dishes and gently removes baked-on stains without the need for pre-rinsing.

The TrueSteam system is powerful enough to remove stubborn marks from delicate items such as glass, without leaving them streaky, scratched or damaged. Even more impressively, the dual steam spray lets you wash delicate glasses and dirty pots in a single steam cycle.

Also the beauty of using steam is the ability to use considerably more heat compared to a traditional washer, which should hopefully mean better sanitization of my dishes!

The LG is also quite energy efficient compared to cheaper or older models, if we compare it to the Zanussi ZDF2020 which is also on the John Lewis site just 0.92kWh/cycle compared to 1.05kWh/cycle with a estimated annual consumption of 202.4kWh compared to 231kWh.

Water usage is just 9L compared to 15L and noise level is 38dB compared to 51dB

Finally the LG has 14 place settings compared to 12 of the Zanussi, which is a 16.66% increase in capacity, so overall you should using quite a bit less energy and water to get cleaner dishes, which hopefully goes towards justifying the price difference (it does for me).

At £624.00 the LG is by no means cheap, but I see it as an investment, for the time saved manually doing the dishes, not having to pre wash them before I put them into the washer, increased hygiene, and cheaper to run compared to less expensive washers.

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My hunt for a new dishwasher, even these can be geeky!

If you are looking for a new phone that is not going to break the bank and does not tie you into a 24 month contract then the new Sony Xperia SP could be just for you. T-Mobile has this brand new 4G capable phone for just £249.99.

This price puts the phone is direct competition with the Google Nexus 4, however, while it is newer, it isn’t necessarily a better phone as it only has a Dual core, 1500 MHz Snapdragon CPU compared to the Nexus 4s quad-core 1.7 GHz Snapdragon. However Sony has included a 2370 mAH battery and with the less powerful CPU it is reported that you will get 1.5 days worth of moderate use, which could make it the perfect phone for travelers/businessmen that need longer battery life over the absolute best performance.

The SP also has 4G capability, which means your phone would be future proof compared to the Nexus, however as the phone is locked to T-Mobile you won’t be using it any time soon unless you buy an unlock code.

Finally a major selling point for the SP is the inclusion of a microSD slot meaning you can add a cheap 32GB card.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• 3G with 42Mbps HSDPA and 5.8 Mbps HSUPA; 100Mbps LTE
• 4.6″ 16M-color 720p TFT capacitive touchscreen with Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 and Corning Gorilla Glass protection
• Android OS v4.1.2 Jelly Bean
• Dual-core 1.7 GHz Krait CPU, 1 GB RAM, Adreno 320 GPU; Qualcomm S4 Pro MSM8960T chipset
• 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash
• 1080p video recording @ 30fps with HDR mode, continuous autofocus and stereo sound
• VGA front-facing camera
• Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct and DLNA; Wireless TV out
• GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS
• 8GB of built-in storage
• MHL-enabled microUSB port
• Bluetooth v4.0
• NFC
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
• Solid build quality
• Ample 2370 mAh battery
• Dedicated camera key

Source: T-Mobile

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Sony Xperia SP 4G LTE now on T-Mobile PAYG for £249.99

Nexus 7 owners were quick to scope out what Google describes in the manual as the “4-pin connector”. Alas, up to now we have only had rumors of what the 4 pins were designed to connect to. Report are surfacing from Japan that the 4 pins connect to an audio dock from the maker of the Nexus 7 Asus. The Google translation of the page is here. The dock itself  appears to be a chunk of plastic that looks like  it is designed to hold up the Nexus 7 in landscape mode, which makes sense considering that the pins are on the long edge. As the image form the Asus  site indicates, there are connections for a mini USB plug, whichjs is likely for power, and a 3.5mm jack to the speakers of your choice.  Not much else on offer, and one has to marvel just a bit at why it has taken so many months for this to come out. Not only that, but why Asus and Google seem to be a bit close mouthed about allowing 3rd party accessory makers at the specifications since so one else has come out with anything similar to date. Interestingly  the Asus/Japan site states that in order to use the dock, the nexus 7 has to be running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and the dock has to be connected to a power supply via the mini USB, which makes sense for charging your tablet but pretty much rules out  any role other than a charging station with speaker connections. At present, there appears to be no provision for a keyboard, other than the existing Bluetooth connection scheme.

So just how much will this dock cost and when can we expect it? Apparently Google’s marketing department thought a Christmastime deployment was not on. There is no mention of the audio dock to be found on any of the usual UK o US Google retailers nor has anything yet been announced. formally,even in Japan. According to the Asus website,  the dock is currently out of stock in Japan and is priced at 3,480 yen, or about £25, excluding VAT. Sources speculate that early 2013 is the earliest that the UK is likely to see the audio dock on offer. The abject failure to offer an easy holiday gift to your Nexus 7 owning friend or family member is yet another indication of pressing need for Google to employ some marketing talent as soon as possible to the Nexus team

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So do we get to use the four pins on the side of the Nexus 7?

In the online world that everybody exists in these days, good quality internet speeds are more important than ever.

Whether you work online, rely on the internet for your business, or simply enjoy staying in touch with friends via the web, a decent internet connection has never been more important.

In terms of internet connectivity and speeds, we’ve come a long way over the years. Now the next stage in internet connection is here – fibre optic broadband.

This type of broadband brings with it a range of benefits that previous internet connections did not. So, what are the benefits of fibre optic broadband?

Much higher internet speeds

Where ADSL broadband, the type that we’ve been using for a number of years, offers speeds of around 24 BM per second, fibre optic broadband eclipses that.

Fibre connections can give users speeds of up to 100 MB per second – more than four times as fast, and getting quicker all the time.

Allows for multiple users

We’ve all been there – you’re trying to watch a film or TV programme over the internet, only for someone else to switch on Skype and drain the bandwidth.

With fibre optic broadband this is not an issue. While ADSL broadband struggles to cope with multiple users, fibre optic is able to support several computers without a noticeable change in speed.

The best is yet to come

While fibre optic users are currently enjoying speeds of around 100 MB per second, experts are hoping this will be boosted to a whopping 300 MB per second by the end of 2013.

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What Are The Benefits Of Fibre Optic Broadband?

For some time now Epson has been a leading brand in the field of printers. This is due in large part to the innovative range of technology that the company’s machines are based on; Epson has for years had an emphasis on using new technological processes to enhance performance.

This innovative spirit can be traced back at least as far as 1969, when Suwa Seikosh – the company that would later be known as Epson – revealed the first quartz watch in the world, dubbed the Seiko Quartz Astron 35SQ. This was before the company became so closely equated with printing technology, of course, but even now Epson manufactures a wide range of products – although it seems certain that printers will be the company’s chief focus.

In 1994 Epson released a colour printer named the Epson Stylus CLR; this product boasted both good quality printing capabilities and an affordable price that made it accessible to everyday computer users, not just offices.

Today’s Epson printers make use of what is known as Micro Piezo technology. This technology is based around piezo elements, which are designed to alter in shape in accordance to electrical signals; these piezo elements apply ink to media by generating pressure.

As a result of this process Epson printers are able to achieve a great degree of accuracy, more so than machines based around the comparatively crude process of inkjet printing. Images printed using Micro Piezo technology are far finer and more specific; the process also lowers the amount of ink used, providing an additional environmental benefit, and is faster than inkjet technology as well. On the whole, it is the ideal choice for both home and business use.

Epson is continuing to develop its piezoelectric technology and recently unveiled the Epson Micro Piezo TFP Print Head, which has been billed as the single most sophisticated example of the technology. Its nozzle has a ground breaking density of 360 dpi, making it simply the finest piezoelectric print head to hit the market. Most recent releases including the WorkForce pro, is an example of the design’s ability to reduce cost for the consumer.

Outside of printing technology, Epson is a key player in the field of projection equipment. Epson became involved in this area in 1989 when it released the VPJ-700 projector, and over the years it has continued to improve its projection technology with devices such as the EB-450Wi that was released in 2010. More recent projectors are based around the New Epson Cinema Filter, which provides high contrast footage and strong colour quality. As with the company’s printers, the projectors that are designed by Epson are prime examples of cutting edge technological innovation.

As a new world of technology continues to be built around us it looks certain that Epson will retain its key role when it comes to innovative, world-changing devices.

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Epson: front runners in printer performance and innovative technology

*Apologies for the delay, the winner is Danielle. The winner has been emailed, and if no reply is received before the end of the week a new winner will be announced*

Endsleigh Insurance are trying to raise awareness for student safety with the below infographic, and they are also kindly offering a Western Digital 500GB Portable External Hard Drive to one lucky reader. All you have to do is post a comment and we will pick a winner in 2 weeks time (6th of December). The drive is perfect to back up all your personal data.

If you are concerned about losing your computer or having it stolen then please look into student insurance with Endsleigh

Post from: Mighty Gadget - Gadget and Technology Blog

Student safety guide and a chance to win a Western Digital 500GB Portable External Hard Drive

It may or may not have been obvious on this blog that I have been quite fond of Google, all my phones are Android, I use GMail/Google Apps religiously, and recommend them to all my clients.

This fondness ended quite quickly following the launch the Nexus 7, where I quickly learned that Google care very little about customer service and is seriously making me jump ship to Apple for my future devices.

I appreciate this blog post is a bit petty and me just venting at Google, however I do feel it is important to show how much Google is willing to screw its customers over.

Anyway, I preordered my Nexus 7 on the 28th June, as soon as I saw it available, it was completely an impulse buy, and then the following day I decided to cancel my order. I had already heard rumours of the Amazon Kindle Fire, and Tesco were already offering the 16GB version with free delivery and £15 off RRP.

I received no reply to this, but no money came out so I stupidly thought it would have automatically cancelled.  In the mean time I closed my office and started working from home.

On the 18 Jul Google shipped the order, but forrgot to put the address on the order so it took 2 days for TNT to deliver it to one of the neighbouring businesses, this obviously meant I was unable to decline the delivery. It also meant I had to take nearly a full day off work to trek to the office and pick it up (I am self employed so it cost me money).

I contacted Google again on the 20th of July asking for me to return the item and recieve a full refund. I received no reply. In the mean time I also tried to phone Google using the number  on the invoice, which turned out to be a fax number, and I was unable to easily locate any other number to call.

On the 26th of July I sent another message requesting a refund if I sent it back or I would attempt a chargeback on my credit card. No reply.

Finally on the 2nd of August I sent a message again threatening a chargeback. No reply.

Unfortunately when I looked into doing a chargeback I was informed that I couldn’t as I had received the goods and I would have to take Google to court.

In the mean time work picked up and I forgot about the situation, and finally on the 16th of October Google emails me saying:

” Hi,

Thanks for contacting Google. It appears that you recently attempted to contact support by replying to your purchase receipt from Devices on Google Play. We apologise for the delay in responding to your query.  If you still wish to contact a member of the Google Play support team about your device purchase (including warranty replacements, returns, billing/invoice, questions about the Google Play credit, etc.), you can reach us by email or phone here:

http://support.google.com/googleplay/bin/request.py?contact_type=contact_policy&policy=hardware

If you’ve already successfully contacted our Google Play support team, no further action is required.

Regards,

The Google Play Team”

Finally I managed to get through to someone on Google, they were very apologetic and said the issue would be raised.  Unfortunately the final response from Google has been:

“Hi James,

Sorry about the delay in response.

I apologize that this became so complicated. The best I can do is put a
note in with our specialist team you have your shipping cost refunded. I
hope you are enjoying the device.

If you have any further questions, I’ll gladly help. Just respond directly
to this email.

Regards,

Colin
The Google Play Team”

I am not sure about anybody else but I do not think a £10 refund is anywhere near acceptable, I didn’t want the device, it has taken 4 months to receive a reply, they didn’t even deliver it on time or to the correct address.

Anyway, moving away from the Google ecosystem is a little easier said than done, so it looks like I am stuck with them for now, but I personally would never buy any hardware directly from Google again as they just don’t give a damn about their customers.

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My love affair with Google is over!

Following the huge success of Beats By Dre, celebrity endorsements for headphones and earphones has taken off massively including releases such as SMS Audio Street By 50, House Of Marley Freedom Zion, Soul By Ludacris SL99, and WeSC Chambers By Rza Premium. Wanting to make the most of this new trend Tinchy Stryder and Goji have teamed together to produce the On Cloud 9 range of headphones and earphones. Goji are a relatively unknown brand but are part of DSG Retail the company that owns Dixons, Currys and PC World, and this partnership is probably a big push to try and bring Goji headphones to the mainstream.

A lot of this review will have comparisons to Beats by Dr and other celebrity endorsed headphones as this is clearly the market Goji are focusing on. These headphones were tested using a laptop, a Fiio e17 Digital to Analogue Converter and music ripped in the FLAC codec to get the most of the sound.

The headphones packaging is very smart and sturdily built, not dissimilar to Beats By Dre, and when opened the similarity continues with the headphone being constructed of a lot of glossy plastic, this maybe a little off putting to some, but the actual build quality of the headphones seems excellent, they have nice solid clunky hinges for folding them away, and the cable is surprisingly thick and long(1.8m), overall the look is excellent if your preference is more fashionable rather than the styles from Denon and Sennheiser . Unlike Beats by Dre the accessories you get are lacking, there is a carry pouch and that is it, whereas the Beats include, minijack, clean cloth, iPhone enabled cable, a normal headphone cable and a 1/8 to 1/4″ Adapter, the Cloud 9s also lack the powered noise isolation of the Beats. Personally I don’t mind the lack of accessories and noise cancellation, they are unnecessary and just add to the cost of the product, and this is where the Cloud 9s really excel.

The headphones are very comparatively priced with the in-ear headphones costing £39.99, the on-ear headphones ones costing £49.99, and the over-ear headphones costing £69.99. To put that into perspective, the equivalent Beats By Dre weigh in at £279.95 – an astronomical difference. We were kindly given the over-ear headphones to review.

My overall impression was very good, unsurprisingly they favour bass, so if you prefer a reference headphone these won’t be for you, but then you probably knew that already. The mid and high range are a little less detailed than the Beats, with an overall sound being a little worse than the Beats. While they aren’t quite as good as the Beats, but the fact they are less than 1/3rd of the price of them makes them an excellent buy, and the only reason I could see someone wanting the Beats over these is purely because the Beats are perceived as more fashionable. If you are wanting some great sounding, bass rich fashion headphones then you won’t go far wrong with these.

Post from: Mighty Gadget - Gadget and Technology Blog

Goji Tinchy Stryder Headphones: On Cloud 9 Review

Rumors are flying that Apple will release its next generation iPhone as early as August 7, 2012.  Conventional tech wisdom would favor a late September/October release, but Apple has not really been that consistent about iPhone release dates. Apple announced the first generation iPhone in Janurary, 2007 and released it at the end of June of that year, Since then, Apple has moved the announcement and release date to later in the yearfor each succeding generation.  Apple has tended to spread out new and refreshed product announcement in order to maximize sales and publicity while minimizing the “Osborne Effect” of killing sales of existing products because consumers are waiting for the next new thing to arrive.  Historically, the fall was when the iPod product line was showcased in anticipation of the holiday season, but the iPhone has been creeping into that spot as the iPod becomes less and less of a revenue generator for Apple. Also, late July and early August tends to be the time in North America where vacations are taken and schools at all levels return to session. Why would Apple drop a major product announcement into that busy time?

First, Apple may well want to stake a claim to the  iPhone 4 and 3S subscribers that are coming off contact in the US , although it is more likely that Apple wants to get LTE  and iOS6 capable phones in the hands of consumers. Second, is that Apple has made no secret of its interest in the China market and early reviews of iOS 6 show clear indications of attention being given to Chinese language support. It is entirely possible that Apple is planning to saturate the China market with a range of products from the iPhone 5 to low cost, refurbished phones that are culled from other markets. Don’t be surprised if Apple makes it very easy for consumers in North American, UK, European and other mature iPhone markets to trade in their older iPhones for iPhone 5s.

Another real possibly is that Apple will roll out the iPad “mini” at the same time.  The idea of a smaller iPad as a premium alternative to the Kindle Fire or Nexus 7 has been discussed to death, but the real push for it in Apple’s view may be to complete its bid to obsolete dead tree textbooks in schools. Apple has been pretty mum about e-textbooks since January, no doubt in large part due to the expense of the iPad for budget strapped school systems. Putting out an iPad that could be as low as half the cost of the regular iPad could well make the difference. Plus, if the iPad mini rains on the Android tablet parade of Google and Amazon and crimps Microsoft’s plans for the Surface tablet running Windows 8 RT, then I doubt there will be few tears shed in Cuppertino.

Post from: Mighty Gadget - Gadget and Technology Blog

New iPhone in August?

Google’s wildly popular Android Jelly Bean powered Nexus 7  16 GB tablet has so far out stripped sales projections that the company has halted sales for now. One can apparently still get on a waiting list, but apparently it will be some time before any more orders for the 16 GB model can be fulfilled either in the United Kingdom or the United States.  That is not to say that a Nexus 7 tablet is unobtainable. Google Play is more than happy to sell you the 8 GB version for £159. Sources indicate that Google has plenty of those  on hand. Apparently Google thought that buyers would flock to the 8 GB model as the lucky people in the US, who can buy the Kindle Fire have done. At first glance, that would make sense as the Nexus 7 is  a far more capable device at the same $199.00 USD price point as the Kindle Fire.  Further, will all of Google’s cloud based storage options who really needed the extra 8 GB?

Sadly for Google and frustrated, would be purchasers, early reviewers opined that the lack of external expandable memory and the relatively low cost of opting for the additional 8 GB for only forty quid more made the 16 GB Nexus 7 model the way to go. This leaves Google with an excess of the 8 GB model that they are virtually selling at cost, and none of the 16 GB tablet that their retail partners are clamoring for. Complicating matters further, Amazon is rumored to be on the verge of a Kindle Fire 2, that might actually be sold in the UK and Apple appears to be all but certain to be releasing a iPad “mini” that will also be competing in this space.

It will be interesting to see how quickly Asus, the OEM for the  Nexus 7 will be able to refill the retail channel. To a certain degree there are relatively few suppliers for the basic components, especially memory for Asus to turn to. Amazon, Apple and even Microsoft are all believed to be cranking up tablet production and no doubt trying to deny supplies to their competitors.  However, according to reports that have torn down and priced the components of the Nexus 7, while the raw cost of 16 GB models over 8 GB Nexus 7s is only $8.50 USD or a bit more than £5 GBP , the write up is far different, which explains why few if any of Google’s retail partners wanted to handle the 8 GB Nexus 7 and why Google will want to get back in the game with the 16 GB Nexus 7 as soon as possible.

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Nexus 7 16 GB sales on hiatus