There are hundreds of smartphones available, with a few more prominent brands but plenty of cheaper options to choose from. Two particular brands, considered the leaders in the smart phone industry, are often compared to one another in the media and social media users often joke about their ‘rivals’. However, while it is easy to be influenced by the opinions of others, it is important to research thoroughly before choosing a smartphone to ensure it fits your lifestyle and needs.

While the smaller manufacturers tend to use the same technology for the software side of the devices, the bigger competitors often use their own software and this can cause issues for some users. Swapping from one brand to another when upgrading can cause issues with transferring data from the old phone to the new, while apps may also be different and the user data incompatible with the new phone.

Ultimately, you should look at what the tech has to offer before looking at the brand name. Even as a...
Read More

Over the last few years more and more smart devices are becoming available on the market. There are a number of different types of devices you can control through your smart phone or tablet such as lights, plugs, cameras and heating. Often you connect all of these smart devices to one main app or device such as an Alexa. This will then allow you to turn them on and off and create schedules for them. This can be really useful when you are away from home as you can make it appear as though people are in the house because the lights and TV etc can come on and off.

Some devices such as the Amazon Echo Show, allow you to video call your friends and family and also drop in on your device when you are away. Lots of people use these to drop in on their new puppy or to keep an eye on their home when on holiday. You do need to ensure that you have the devices set up correctly and that you set a password to make sure that they cannot be accessed without your permission as unfortunately the...
Read More

If you are considering having gates installed to the front of your property, then you may want to have electric ones. They offer several advantages over manual ones and can also add value to your home. You may even find that they help to bring your house insurance down and can act as a deterrent for burglars.

There are several different types of electric gates and you need to think carefully about how you will be using them in order to decide which ones will be best for you. If you often have visitors then you may want to install an intercom system on the gates too and a button to allow you to open them from inside your home. Although this may be more costly than a remote control set of gates, it can increase your security and make life a lot easier.

It is also a good idea to have pedestrian access so that you do not have to open the gates completely.  

The cost of electric gates can vary massively from around a couple of thousand pounds upwards of twenty thousand pounds. ...
Read More

With Christmas only a couple of weeks away many people are doing their last minute buys in preparation for the big day. When it comes to choosing gifts for someone, you may struggle to know what to buy them. Some people just want presents that they need which may appear a little boring to others while others may not care what they have as long as it is a surprise. When it comes to electrical goods, again people have mixed reviews. Some people do not want to receive technology such as tablets, music systems or kitchen electrical good such as coffee makers and blenders, whereas others don’t mind at all and actually welcome something that is going to be useful. It is important to try and gauge the opinion of the person you are buying for. If your budget allows you could always buy one electrical item and then a different item too so they have the best of both worlds. Often hair dryers, straighteners and phones are a quite welcomed gift in many households. IF you are buying anything ...
Read More

More and more people are getting home listening devices in their homes such as Google nest and Amazon Alexa as they try to embrace new technology and make their lives easier in some ways. There has been however some debate about the wisdom of having a device in the home that could potentially be listening to conversations and tracking an individual’s internet searches and targeting marketing to these individuals as a result of this.

It is without doubt that we live in a world where our privacy is compromised continually as companies sell on our details to the highest bidder. Targeted advertising has become commonplace on our mobile devices so it would be very difficult to avoid this but the listening devices in our homes take this a step further as a recent development indicates that Alexa will be able to predict our next response from a question posed. For example, if we ask for the opening times of an attraction in a certain location the device will ask whether we want to kn...
Read More