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Showing posts from November, 2017

HTC U11 Life review

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HTC isn’t a company afraid to try new things. In the last few years several of these haven’t panned out too well, like the HTC U Ultra ’s second touchscreen, but the HTC U11 Life is a phone with a concept we can appreciate immediately. It’s a mid-range phone with an accessible price that uses Google’s new Android One program. This means you get an almost untouched version of Android, with the aim of getting much faster updates than other mobiles. That is, unless you're in the US, in which case you get HTC's Sense skin on top. There are notable shortfalls to match the cut-down price tag, like poor low light photo quality, relatively weak speakers and a body made of plastic. But it’s a solid choice for those on a mid-size budget. HTC U11 Life price and availability The HTC U11 Life costs $349/£349 (around AU$460), half the price of top-end alternatives and a lot less than the full-fat HTC U11 . It sees it rub shoulders with the likes of the Honor 9 , Moto X4 , Sony Xperia XZ

Lumo Run

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Runners who want to run faster often focus first on metrics such as pace, distance and heart rate in training.  They look at how well the engine is performing and try to improve that, developing more pace, power and performance through specific training runs or gym sessions. However, there’s a whole lot more to being a better (and faster) runner than building your fitness, as form plays a pivotal role too. That’s where Lumo Run comes in. This portable, personal running coach clips onto your shorts and analyzes your running form. It then uses this information to give you real time feedback and help iron out the kinks in your technique that keep you from scoring that personal best. This small lozenge has a range of on-board sensors delivering lab-grade biomechanic measurements and real time tips, via your headphones, to help you improve on a range of vital running form metrics, including cadence, braking, bounce, pelvic rotation and pelvic drop. It sounds advanced, but it's acce

Polar M200

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One for the more budget-conscious runner, the Polar M200 is aimed at the budget end of the market and can be picked up for $149.95/£129.50/AU$199. Primarily a running watch, the M200 offers integrated GPS, along with optical heart rate monitoring, smartphone connectivity and 24/7 activity tracking, as well as the ability to follow structured training programs. The key question is whether it's the right watch for you at the price point, especially when it's competing with other budget wearables such as the Fitbit Charge 2 and Garmin Vivosmart HR+ . Design Light, secure and comfortable Plain, cheap-looking design Basic, dated screen Aesthetically, the Polar M200 is quite simple, with a silicone strap encircling the watch’s face. The strap feels durable and sits comfortably on your wrist when worn for prolonged periods. In fact, with the M200 weighing in at just 40g, it’s sometimes easy to forget you’re wearing it. However, the combination of the basic strap design and

Fossil Q Venture

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The Fossil Q Venture offers up a more style focused, and smaller smartwatch experience to its larger, more rugged sibling, the Q Explorist . [Update: We're working on our full Fossil Q Venture review, but in the meantime we've updated this review with more information and the latest availability.] The duo are Fossil’s third generation of Android Wear devices, as the company continues to be one of the few persevering with Google's wearable platform. With a thinner 18mm strap and smaller display the Q Venture is suited to smaller wrists, although it won’t look out of place on larger forearms either. Fossil Q Venture price and availability The Fossil Q Venture price starts at $255 (£259), and rises to $275 (£279) if you opt for the gold or rose gold model, making it the same price as the Explorist. It’s currently available from Fossil’s website as well as a number of retailers. The price means it finds itself in the mix with the Samsung Gear S3 and Apple Watch Series 1

Sony Alpha A7R III review

Google Home Max

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The Google Home Max turns the Google Assistant into your very own personal DJ. Well, the same can be said about the Google Home and the Google Home Mini, but the Max is the only one suited to rock the house thanks to its impressive hardware. But of course, this is Google we're dealing with, so you'll also find a hearty dose of artificial intelligence smarts built into the Max. This, in a way, plays just as crucial a role in delivering your music in a crisp, room-filling manner. It's tough to convey the worthiness of an audio product, especially one that claims to take things to the "Max" as this one does. But as someone who has reviewed many headphones and Bluetooth speakers, I can confidently say that there's something special here. We didn't have a chance to test the Max outside of Google's controlled environment, but the demo that showed off what a single Max could do, as well two paired up, left us wanting more. ( Update : The Max may release o

VPN One Click

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VPN One Click is a popular provider which delivers a basic VPN service for a budget price. Experts may not be impressed by the technical specs. There's no support for the configurable and secure OpenVPN protocol, for instance – instead you're left with L2TP/IPSec, IKEv2 and the horribly insecure PPTP . There's better news in VPN One Click's network, which now covers 52 countries. The company supports a wide range of platforms, too, including Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Windows Mobile, Amazon Kindle, assorted consoles and more. The website is a little disappointing with few low-level details on the service. Instead it seems more of a marketing exercise aimed at novice users, and it's not particularly successful even at that level. Want to try VPN One Click? Download it here The low prices may seem appealing, at least initially. Windows Mobile and tablet devices get access for $1.99 (£1.60) a month or $1.67 (£1.35) a month over a year. Android and iOS devices

Google Apps for Work (G Suite) 2016 review

Microsoft Office 365

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[ Editor's Note: What immediately follows is a rundown of the latest developments and features Microsoft has added to Office 365 since this review was last updated .] November 2017 It’s worth noting that Office Android apps have arrived for Chromebooks which are capable of running software from Google’s Play store. Resume Assistant was announced for Microsoft Word, a feature which helps Office 365 users put together a sparkling resume/CV with personalized insights drawn from LinkedIn. Three new apps arrived for Office 365 Business Premium , as well as Microsoft 365 Business, namely: Microsoft Connections, Microsoft Listings and Microsoft Invoicing. Microsoft 365 Business – which comprises of Office 365, Windows 10 plus various security and MDM features – moved out of testing this month, and into general availability,  October 2017 Microsoft powered up Word’s translation tools, allowing for the translation of entire documents across some 60 languages. Microsoft brought