Tag Archives: Tech Reviews

Is your Dashcam Ready for a Winter Upgrade?

Like many of us, both our family cars have a Dashcam fitted. My wife has a standard front-facing model and my car has a dual camera model. Fortunately, we haven’t yet needed to rely on footage from our dashcams in court, although some years ago, I used ‘helmet-cam’ footage as evidence in a road-rage incident. Having cameras in both the cars and when cycling illustrates that driving on the roads today can be hazardous.

Now with the clocks changing and the darker, more hazardous winter months upon us, it is more important than ever that our cars and associated equipment is ready for this time of the year. We need to check our fluid levels, tyre tread and make sure that we carry additional warm clothing in the car in case of breakdowns or traffic snarl-ups.

One thing we might have overlooked is items such as sat-navs and dash-cams. Many of these items may have been installed in our vehicles for some time, in fact, we may have inherited them when buying vehicles or they have simply been passed from car to car over the years.

It’s incredibly important that these gadgets function as well as possible and it’s absolutely irrefutable that dashcams have improved in picture quality and functionality over the years, so it may well be time to look at an upgrade!

Todays’ dash-cams have superior quality video and vastly better optics, allowing them to work in low light situations where our current cameras just show noise. The resolution of these devices has also improved to allow for the recording of UHD quality video. All of these improvements mean that should you be involved in a road traffic incident, your camera will have been able to record the highest possible evidence which you might need to rely on later on. Added to this Dash Cams from the likes of Nextbase can also contact the emergency services in event of an accident if you aren’t able to!

With all this in mind, the folks at Nextbase have got together with Halfords to provide an upgrade scheme to help drivers purchase the latest Nextbase dashcams. You simply need to take you current dashcam or sat-nav (regardless of age) to your local Halfords shop and you will be able to receive at 20% discount on Nextbase Dashcams and your old device will be recycled at an approved electronics goods recycling centre,

Richard Browning, Director of Nextbase, commented: “As we approach some of the darkest, harshest days that this climate has to offer, we wanted to do something to help those with Dash Cams that are no longer fit for purpose on UK roads. Our partnership with Halfords has allowed us to do just that, offering the best Dash Cam on the market for every price point at a very significant 20% saving. There really is no excuse for not having a top-of-the-range Dash Cam with this promotion. My hope is that the offer inspires people to take a second, look at the Dash Cam in their vehicle and ask themselves: ‘do I trust this to make a difference if/when the time comes to use it?’ If the answer is no, then you need to make your way to the closest Halfords ASAP.”

Daniel Tomson, Halfords’ car technology expert added, “We’re encouraging drivers to do everything they can to prepare for darker nights and make sure that they and their vehicles are ready for the clocks going back. Poor lighting and weather conditions can make driving a hazard at this time of year, so it’s important that you’re driving with a Dash Cam with great night vision and crystal-clear image quality. We would encourage anyone shopping at Halfords to take advantage of this offer as it will help keep our roads safer and means that drivers can access the latest award-winning Nextbase models at a significantly reduced price.”

For more information, click here to visit Halfords website

As promised, the ‘Helmet Cam’ video I was talking about at the beginning of the article is embedded below.

The Gadget Man – Episode 39 – Volkswagen e-Golf Electric Vehicle

This week we talk about at the Volkswagen e-Golf, a really superb electric vehicle which successfully bridged the gap from traditional petrol or diesel car to fully fledged electric car.

This really was a superb vehicle on every level, the handling was just amazing. It was incredibly easy to drive and once I had got the handle of ‘Park Pilot’, that too was amazing. A really great car, and a head turner too!.

Thanks to VW Press Office for supplying the car with everything I would ever need and thanks to the two delivery drivers who were equally polite and helpful.

Dont forget to listen to the stream above, and wait for the full review coming soon!

The Gadget Man – Episode 34 – Miele Scout RX1 – Robotic Vacuum Cleaner


Today we chatted about the Miele Scout RX1 Robotic Vacuum Cleaner. This is the second robotic vacuum we have reviewed for the gadget slot so it was interesting to strike a comparison.

Isaac was kind enough to film the RX1 as it scooted around the studio. If you are looking for a robotic vacuum cleaner, the RX1 is not going to disappoint you.

A full review is coming up online in the next few days, in the meantime, listen in by clicking the play button at the top of the page!!