Category Archives: The Gadget Man

Cutting-edge Swedish fashion brand WeSC launches range of contemporary true wireless headphones

Fashion and lifestyle brand WeSC, known for stand-out creativity and style, has released a line of headphones.

Specifically designed for youth on-the-go, the range is made up of affordable yet stylish true wireless in-ear and on-ear headphones, as well as a more traditional wired stereo headset.

Cutting-edge Swedish fashion brand launches range of contemporary true wireless headphones
Cutting-edge Swedish fashion brand launches range of contemporary true wireless headphones

Featuring high-quality dynamic sound and with a minimal, striking and contemporary look, the headphones are in-keeping with the brand’s young, fresh and stylish aesthetic.

Founded in 1999, WeSC (We Are the Superlative Conspiracy) is known for its fashionable designs, mixing skateboarding, music, and art youth sub-cultures to create stand-out pieces.

Joseph Janus, CEO of WeSC, said: “We are extremely excited to be launching our latest headphone range.

“True wireless continues to grow in the market and customers are looking for trusted brands where fashion meets function, and we are confident our products deliver.”

Cutting-edge Swedish fashion brand launches range of contemporary true wireless headphones
Cutting-edge Swedish fashion brand launches range of contemporary true wireless headphones

The headphones are available in an assortment of colours – black, white, navy and pink and include a variety of features aimed at the needs of urban teens.

The brand’s true wireless earbuds boast up to 20 hours playing time when fully charged, and the over-ear model was designed with travel in mind with a foldable and light design.

Cutting-edge Swedish fashion brand launches range of contemporary true wireless headphones
Cutting-edge Swedish fashion brand launches range of contemporary true wireless headphones

WeSC is known for numerous exclusive collaborations and limited editions with renowned brands and artists such as Adidas, Absolut Vodka, Nokia, Smart and the Andy Warhol Foundation, RZA, Skrillex, Axwell, Beny Fairfax, Jason Lee, Arto Saari, Galantis and more.

The new collection of lifestyle-inspired headphones is available from Amazon and start from £14.95

If you decide to purchase using the links below, we may receive a commission.

New Cat® S62 Pro Smartphone featuring FLIR Lepton Advanced Integrated Thermal Camera – Reviewing Soon!

The launch of the Cat® S62 Pro is the pinnacle of innovation, functional design and rugged durability. It incorporates the highest resolution FLIR Lepton® thermal imaging, which is a game-changer for more demanding work environments, such as engineering, mining, manufacture, agriculture and wildlife. Compared with its predecessor, it is 12% more compact, with a 10% bigger screen. It is faster, more powerful and incredibly tough, making it the ultimate work phone.

Cat S62 Pro Dirtproof
Cat S62 Pro Dirtproof

With isotherm alarming, you can monitor a custom temperature range (anything between -20 degrees Celsius to +400 degrees Celsius) and add alarms to alert you when something falls within that range. This is hugely useful and time-saving when watching for machinery to reach a specified temperature, screening for unusually elevated temperatures, finding game or livestock at night, or even checking if the braai is at the right temperature. 

Cat S62 Pro FLIR Lepton Thermal Imaging Camera
Cat S62 Pro FLIR Lepton Thermal Imaging Camera

Powered by the FLIR Lepton 3.5 and the new MyFLIR™ Pro app, the S62 Pro offers a four-fold increase in the number of thermal pixels and an unmatched feature set within the included application. For the first time, professionals and consumers can access FLIR Systems’ VividIR™ image processing, enhanced MSX® (Multi-Spectral Dynamic Imaging), and visible-to-thermal blending technologies integrated into their smartphone. 

Users can now vary the intensity of MSX®, which overlays visual outline detail from the scene onto the thermal image or use the new alpha blending feature to combine thermal detail with the visual image from the Sony dual-pixel camera. Together these upgrades deliver dramatically enhanced image quality, sharper images and higher thermal resolution to provide greater context and understanding of the thermal image you are seeing.

Cat S62 Pro Waterproof Smartphone
Cat S62 Pro Waterproof Smartphone

Tested to Cat® phones’ demanding, market-leading rugged standards, the S62 Pro is incredibly tough. It achieves and surpasses an ingress protection rating of IP68 and US military standard, Mil-Spec 810H. It has undergone rigorous testing including repeated drop tests from 1.8m onto steel, with multiple drops onto every side and corner, as well as extensive waterproof, dirt and dustproof, temperature extreme survivability, and vibration and tumble tests. 

It is hygienic too – it can be fully submerged and easily washed with soaps and disinfectants or cleaned with alcohol wipes, which makes it ideal for hygiene-conscious consumers, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. The IP69 rating has recently been added, which includes the ability to withstand washing with high-pressure washers. 

The S62 Pro’s display has been upgraded to 5.7” FHD+ (18 x 9), and memory is now 6GB RAM and 128GB ROM. It also features a faster Qualcomm chipset, Android™ 10, and a large, optimised long-life battery. The Cat® S62 Pro is fully enterprise-ready. It supports Android Enterprise features, including Zero-touch, and has undergone a series of enrolment and policy provisioning tests with leading EMM solutions. Manage all the Android devices in your organisation simply. It is built for business, is rugged and ready to go anywhere – work or play.

We will be reviewing this product very soon!

Key Specifications:

• Picks up heat and measures surface temperatures from a distance of up to 30m.
• Scalable and movable regions of interest with ‘hottest’ and ‘coldest’ indicators.
• Horizontal field of vision is expanded to 57 degrees to capture more of the scene.
• 9 thermal colour palettes to choose from depending on the situation.
• PDF reporting.
• Powerful 4,000mAh battery.
• 12MP Sony dual pixel rear camera and 8MP front camera.
• Hardwearing, non-slip rubberised TPU back.
• Bluetooth 5.0, NFC.

Gadget Man – Episode 169 – Ofcom orders Phone Networks to Stop Locking Phones + Advice and Tips about Switching Networks

In this episode, I chat to James Hazell on BBC Radio Suffolk about the ban on locking mobile phone handsets in the UK.

Mobile phone companies will be banned from selling ‘locked’ handsets, under a range of new rules from Ofcom that will make switching even simpler.

Some companies – including BT/EE, Tesco Mobile and Vodafone – still sell mobile phones that can’t be used on other networks unless they are unlocked. But this is a potentially complicated process which can also cost around £10. Ofcoms research shows that more than a third of people who decided against switching said this put them off.

Switching between mobile networks should now be simpler following Ofcom ruling
Switching between mobile networks should now be simpler following Ofcom ruling

Almost half of the customers who try to unlock their phone have difficulties doing so. For example, they might experience a long delay before getting the code they need to unlock their phone; the code might not work, or they could suffer a loss of service if they did not realise their phone was locked before they tried to switch.

So, following consultation, Ofcom has confirmed that mobile companies will be banned from selling locked phones. This will allow people to move to a different network with their existing handset, hassle-free. The new rules will come in from December 2021.

Gadget Man – Episode 168 – Snakebyte E-Sports Starter Kit – Covid Track and Trace – Ordo Sonic+ Toothbrush – iPhone 12

This is the slightly delayed episode from 15th October 2020. Packed with lots of news and comment. Here I discuss the Snakebyte E-Sports Starter Kit Package , Covid Track and Trace, the Ordo Sonic+ Toothbrush and the iPhone 12 (in four different sizes!).

You can listen in to the recording above or subscribe using your favourite podcast player. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, share or comment! See you presently! Matt.

Ordo Sonic+ Toothbrush
Ordo Sonic+ Toothbrush
Snakebyte E-Sports Starter Kit
Snakebyte E-Sports Starter Kit
Apple iPhone12, iPhone12 Pro, iPad Air
Apple iPhone12, iPhone12 Pro, iPad Air – Image Apple Inc

 

LA music industry experts launch premium headphone brand in the UK

Ausounds is set to take the UK by storm as it releases a range of premium audio products designed by some of the most innovative minds in the music business.

The creative team behind the Los Angeles based brand has designed a range of earphones with leading technology and superior sound, featuring tech such as hybrid planar-magnetic drivers, active noise cancelling developed to have zero effect on sound reproduction and IPX5 rating for use whatever the weather.

Five-time Grammy Award-winning producer Brian Kennedy
Five-time Grammy Award-winning producer Brian Kennedy

Made for music lovers and music creators, the range of headphones, earphones and audio signature products start from £119.95.

With a variety of models and colours, consumers can choose from in-ear and over-ear designs with features including true wireless, noise cancellation and wireless charging.

Ausounds want to make its mark on the UK music industry and is keen to collaborate with passionate unsigned musicians, producers and songwriters.

Made for music lovers and music creators, the range of headphones, earphones and audio signature products start from £119.95.
Made for music lovers and music creators, the range of headphones, earphones and audio signature products start from £119.95.

Marcus Sanchez, President and CMO, said: “The role of music creators in the industry is tantamount to everything; this is where our sound comes from.

“We wanted to create a brand that addresses the many needs of creators at all levels – in their everyday lives and in their work.

“Using our industry knowledge and working with music influencers and leaders, we are redefining the sound of audio.”

Combining innovative technology with style and design, Ausounds’ products deliver the full music experience to the listener – just as the producers and songwriters intended for it to be heard.

The brand is committed to supporting up-and-coming artists and talent, helping to drive forward the vibrant British music scene.

Ausounds is also working with music influencers and leaders, including its first brand ambassador, five-time Grammy Award-winning producer Brian Kennedy.

The Ausounds engineering team has unsurpassed experience in research and development for established brands such as Beats, JBL, Bose, and Sennheiser; winning multiple awards for audio performance and industrial design. All of the products are designed, developed and manufactured in Ausounds’ own facilities.

Blaq Tuxedo
Blaq Tuxedo

Ausounds represents the future generation of audio technology, and, after huge success in the USA, Canadian and Japanese markets, the earphone giant set its sights on the UK.

The team behind Ausounds is on a mission to provide premium products for everyday use, at an accessible price point.

Lil Eddie Judge and vocal coach on the XFactor US
Lil Eddie Judge and vocal coach on the XFactor US

Ausounds is led by its CEO, Michael Chen, an Oxford Brookes University graduate with over 16 years of experience in audio manufacturing.

Joining him is President and CMO, Marcus Sanchez, a music industry veteran who has worked with huge brands including Audeze, Universal Music Group and Monster Cable, as well as musicians like Rihanna and Usher.

Ausounds’ products are currently available to buy from Richer Sounds, iamaudio.co.uk and independent high street retailers.

We Finally Launch Our Custom T-Shirt Store – tshirtslogans.uk

My Summer of creativity continues with the launch of my much pondered Custom T-Shirt Store.

I was a massive fan of the 1980s Slogan T-Shirts such as ‘Choose Life’, ‘Go-Go’, ‘Frankie Say Relax Don’t Do It!’, ‘Frankie Say Arm the Unemployed’, ‘Frankie Say War! Hide Yourself’, ‘Save the Whale’ etc, so, to code a website to generate these for people nearly forty years after they were so popular, as well as having them printed and posted, finally ticks that box.

All text is customisable with 1 to 3 lines available to print.

I’m really looking forward to seeing how creative people can be!

You can also order mugs too!

Turtles all the way down
Turtles all the way down

Modern Tech Gadgets All Homeowners Will Want

We are living in the future. It’s just that we don’t realise it yet. There are more and more home gadgets coming out all the time, and some of them are seriously impressive. If you’re a homeowner who wants to be at the cutting edge of all that’s hot, then this is the article for you! We’re going to run through some of the best, most exciting, and most useful tech gadgets available for purchase. Install them in your home, and you’ll feel like you’re living in the future!

Pexels – CC0 Licence

Robot Assistants

Home devices such as the Alexa and Next are increasingly popular, and it’s not hard to see why: you can do so much with them. From dimming the lights to playing television shows and songs, these devices not only make the home more convenient; they also make it more fun. You can get as many as you need for your home, so why not have one in a couple of different rooms? There are new features coming out all the time on these devices, so you never know just what they’ll be able to do in the coming years. 

Clean Homes

Who wants to spend all of their time cleaning the home? Not us. They’ve been talking about technology that’ll clean the home for around a century, but it feels as if now, the time has finally come. There are some excellent robot vacuum cleaners available on the market. Perhaps right at the top of the list is the D77, which has some seriously impressive features. For instance, you can program it so that it can clean a variety of different floor types, and it’ll even empty its contents into another bin. A seriously cool gadget, and one that reduces the time you spend cleaning your home. Perfect. 

Keeping the Home Secure

The security of your home will be right at the top of the list of your priorities. And in this day and age, there are plenty of tech tools that can help to keep your home even more secure. There are tech-enabled deadbolts, for example, which can only be opened with a code or smartphone. Then there are services such as those offered by Minut, a company that specializes in smart home monitoring. This is especially useful if you rent out your property, since you’ll always know that everything is just as it should be. There are also video doorbells, so you can always see who’s outside of your home, whether you’re at home or not. 

Air Quality Assistance

There’s something that has a big impact on the quality of a home that many people overlook: the quality of the air. If you want to improve your air, then look at investing in a tech air purifier. It’ll automatically detect the quality of your air and make adjustments as and when it’s needed, and it can even remove bad odors too. It’s one of those things you won’t know that you needed for your property until you get one.

What Practical Applications Does a Drone Have?

Drones are becoming increasingly popular for their ability to capture footage with spectacular views. However, most people don’t really have a practical use for a drone outside of just being a hobby that allows them to take cool footage and potentially spy on their neighbours. So to help you understand drones a bit better, we’ve put together a list of practical uses for drones in the modern-day.

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/H5IXIH254AU (CC0)
Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/H5IXIH254AU (CC0)

Drones can be used to monitor large plots of land

Drones are starting to be used for surveillance purposes. For instance, farmers can use a drone with a camera attachment to inspect livestock that is spread over many acres of land instead of driving around to check on them. Similarly, private companies can use drones to monitor large and complex buildings, especially if they have connections such as pipelines that need to be monitored. Lastly, firefighters can also use drones to track wildfires so they know where to position themselves to help cull the flames.

Drones can be used to survey sites

If you’ve ever been involved in a building project then you’ll understand the important role that drone services can play. Professional services can help you survey buildings, structures and roofs for a variety of different purposes. In most situations, the drone footage can be used to perform inspections, but it can also be used to plan out a building or the placement of structures. Since drones can go fairly high and capture a wide-angle view of a specific area, it gives construction specialists an amazing view of the area that they can work with.

Drones are often used to record footage for different industries

High-quality cameras can easily be attached to drones these days, making them very capable machines that can capture footage from many different heights. This can be used for film purposes, such as capturing overhead footage of a filming location. It can also be used to showcase the area around a property that is being sold on the real estate market. This type of stock footage can also be sold and bought depending on the purpose it’s intended for. Some imagery from drones is highly sought after, such as sweeping overheard recordings of specific cities and night footage of iconic skylines. Drones can help us capture some amazing footage and it’s changed the video service industry in many positive ways.

Drones can just be used for fun

Like many new technologies, you don’t have to just focus on practical or professional uses. You could just own a drone and use it for fun! This can include racing drones with your friends, building an obstacle course or even just flying them around because you like the views that it can capture. There’s nothing wrong with using a drone for recreational purposes and there’s no limit to the things you can do with it–the limit is your imagination! Check out this article for cool things you can do with a drone to get some inspiration.

Edifier TWS6 – True Wireless Earbuds with Knowles Balanced Armatures

It’s not often I get to directly compare technology, but this month is an exception because I’m reviewing another set of wireless earbuds, this time from Edifier in the guise of the TWS6.

The Edifier TWS6 Earbuds come with Knowles balanced armature drivers which in turn, deliver great sound quality.  Without becoming too technical, Knowles is a world-leading manufacturer of ‘balanced armatures’ which use an electronic signal to vibrate a tiny reed that is balanced between two magnets inside a tiny enclosure. The motion of the reed is transferred to a very stiff aluminium diaphragm. This diaphragm is free of unwanted resonances in the audio band, allowing it to produce excellent clarity. They are also exceeding small components which mean that other functions can be added.

Edifier TWS6 - True Wireless Earbuds with Knowles Balanced Armatures

The earbuds connect using Bluetooth 5 which means they can also be used for handsfree calls with microphones in both left and right buds and provide excellent clarity using CVC noise cancellation when making calls.

As with most other wireless earbuds, the TWS6 have their own charger case which can itself be charged wirelessly by placing it on a charging pad which features in most modern cars or via USB-C cable. The buds are magnetically docked in the charger meaning they make good contact themselves and provide 8 hours of battery life but can be recharged three times before the case needs recharging itself

Edifier TWS6 - True Wireless Earbuds with Knowles Balanced Armatures

Playback can be controlled by tapping either the left or right buds and simply provide stop/start and track skipping, it would have been nice to see some more functionality, but generally, you have your phone at hand when listening to music, so it wasn’t a big deal.

In the box were a large variety of interchangeable earbuds of different sizes including two different sizes of Memory Foam which I found really comfortable and they were less prone to falling out of your ears.

They are IPX5 waterproof and sweatproof, so if you get caught in the rain or overdo it in the gym, they will survive just fine.

Edifier TWS6 - True Wireless Earbuds with Knowles Balanced Armatures
As a child of the 80s, I was used to listening to horrible tinny music through headphones, so listening to today’s wireless earbuds in supreme quality still blows me away, especially when they are APTx and Dolby Atmos compatible which makes watching movies really impressive.
The Edifier TWS6 can be purchase through many online retailers for around £90 and thought they are great value for money.

You can currently pick them up on Amazon at this link

Another fab product from Edifier!

Matt

Gadget Man – Episode 166 – Is that really you? Three ways to avoid phishing email, the audio version

Following up on my previous blog post avoiding phishing emails, I present the audio version, but is it really me at all?

Tune in and listen, and do let me know what you think?

See you next time!

Stay Safe, Matt