Category Archives: Tech News

In-Ear Headphones at a cost of £999 – Impossible unless Astell & Kern AKR02

Tech News

kern

I hear you say £999 for the above Astell & Kern AKR02 in ear headphones. Surely not. But I am afraid that is the correct price. And this is just one of a growing band of expensive high end headphones that are emerging.

The AKR02 headphones have been produced in collaboration with Final Audio Design, and use the company’s Balanced Air Movement (BAM) driver technology, which sport a balanced armature design.

There’s a removeable oxygen-free copper cable, while precision-made air holes in the earphones allow airflow in an effort to improve bass levels. The AKR02 earphones are finished in a polished, stainless steel housing, and each pair comes with an Italian leather case complete with a unique serial number.

More at What Hi-Fi.

Netflix Shares Fall – due to new rumours on the new Apple TV

Apple, Tech News

Reuters reported that Netflix shares slumped more than 7 percent on Monday after a report about a new television streaming product that Comcast and Apple were working on together.

Netflix shares fell $31.49 or 7.78 percent to $374.67. The drop came a day after a story that first appeared in the online edition of The Wall Street Journal said Comcast and Apple were in talks about teaming up for a new TV product that stores programming in the cloud and would replace clunky cable boxes in people’s homes.

Apple and Comcast have declined to comment on the report but a source familiar with the matter told Reuters the discussions were at an early stage and there are a lot of hurdles to be crossed before any agreement is reached.

Apple also wants the TV service’s Internet traffic to be separate from public Internet traffic and would be looking for special treatment from Comcast’s cable pipe to give customers a better experience, the newspaper said.

Arris Group Inc, a company that makes set-top boxes for the cable industry and paid Google $2.35 billion for Motorola’s cable box unit last April, also saw its shares fall 6 percent on fears that an Apple-Comcast partnership could hurt sales of traditional set-top boxes.

I think Netflix has a strong brand already. Maybe Apple should just buy Netflix. It is already an app on the Apple TV, so would make a good fit.

Front Selfie Camera 5mp – Main Rear Camera 4mp – Hello HTC One 2014

Android, Tech News

For the first time in a long time, the front camera of a smartphone will be of a higher mega pixel than the main rear lens. Okay, there is a second rear camera for the depth of field affects and 3D but surely when Samsung, LG, Apple and others are touting 8 to 16mp, HTC cannot still be on the 4mp bandwagon.

Well according to the relentless leaks it looks like this is still the case. In some ways this worries me but in others it does not. Some people will ignore the HTC One 2014 thinking a 4mp rear camera is not enough pixels. But actually, if they do, then they are missing the point completely and potentially a great camera phone.

I owned the HTC One 2013 for quite sometime and wrote probably one of the longest reviews. Look above in the menu and you will see a whole tab just for this phone. The HTC One is all about being able to make sure you captured the moment, then worry about any editing after the shot, and finally leaving you with a video highlight instantly with no editing by yourself of the whole event, ready to share. And the video highlight was only around 15mb. Photos snapped were all under 2mb. So you had a phone with a camera that was fast enough to shoot and capture any moment without worrying too much about which mode to select from the menu, and then left you with a incredible video highlight. In fact, the memories this phone created have not been beaten by any other phone. However, its weakness was landscapes, and this is where a 4mp shot just lack any detail if zoomed in.

So last year’s HTC One set the benchmark. And from what I have seen by all the countless leaks the all new HTC One takes the Ultrapixel and Boomsound to the next level. Advances in processor power and software, a secondary rear camera all allow HTC to take Zoe and camera effects even further by offering post edits of depth of field, 3D and so much more. And even more video highlight creations.

And then there is the aluminium unibody design. It looks gorgeous. Is there a review coming? You bet!

But in the meantime, get ready for HTC’s live launch tonight from 3pm.

Smartphones versus DSLRs versus film: A look at how far we’ve come

Android, Apple, Tech News, Windows

In tech-speak, the iPhone 5S gets the same depth in focus as a full-frame DSLR at f/18. With a phone, you can freeze everyone along the length of a candlelit Christmas dinner table, and keep them all in focus. None of these DSLRs can do that, as f/18 and short shutter speeds don’t mix in candlelight.

Digital Photo Review have a brilliant article and I highly recommend heading over to read the rest.

Reminder – Episode 11 – Gav & Dave’s Tech Podcast is live – Please RT

Android, Apple, Tech News, Wearables, Windows

As you know, I co-host a weekly podcast with David from UKMobileTech called Gav & Dave’s Tech Podcast. It is a light hearted tech podcast broadcast bi-weekly. To subscribe click here for iTunes or copy and paste this link into your favourite podcast app.

Episode 11 is now live.

If you get a moment and have enjoyed the podcast, please leave some feedback in iTunes. Thanks.

Sony Bluetooth NFC Headset SBH80 – review

Reviews, Tech News, Wearables

As much as I like my phones, I also like headphones. I have reviewed several pairs already on here. Go to menu, reviews, accessories, headphones. I have owned far a fairly broad selection of headphones, so feel free to ask for a comparison to another make if necessary.
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First up the official specifications –

– Bluetooth 3.0, NFC, Multipoint connectivity
– HD Voice, Noise cancellation
– AptX audio enhancement (must have)

Box Contents

– SBH80 unit
– Sony AI-1000 cicroUSB charging cable
– Earbuds (3 sizes)
– Documentation (useless)

Supported Bluetooth Profiles:

-Handsfree profile (HFP) v1.6 (HD ready)
-Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) v1.2
-Audio Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) v1.4 – Control and Target role
Acoustic:

Speaker type: 5.8 mm dynamic
Ear coupling: In-ear canal
Nominal Impedance: 15 Ohm
Frequency response: 10Hz … 20000Hz, (diffuse field oriented mid-high range).
Max SPL: 100dBA (EN 50332-1)
Total harmonic distortion: <0.5% (100Hz .. 10000Hz @ 100dBSPL)
Microphone: Dual MEMS

Controls:

-Power key
-Answer/Call end
-Play/Pause music key
-Next/Previous track keys

Connectors: Micro USB charger connector

Battery Capacity:

Standby time: (up to) 400 hours
Talk time: (up to) 8 hours
Stream time: 8 hours
Battery: 115 mAh
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First up, the enclosed documentation is rubbish. The manual or quick start pamphlet is all full of meaningless pictures. So head over to the online user guide by Sony. Click here. There is also a link to the PDF manual.

Sony advertise the headset as splash proof, so if it rains there is nothing to worry about. However, there appears to be no official IP rating so I would be a little careful.

Pairing was simple. I fully charged the headset, and pressed the tiny button to switch on. It takes 2.5 hours to charge the band for 8 hours usage. Then using the NFC from the headset and the Note 3 paired the two together. The headset allows for 2 devices to be paired.
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So the million dollar question. What are they like to use? And what do they sound like? The band sits on your neck, and once there you won’t know it’s still on your neck. It also takes the strain off the ear buds which is important since the cable from the band to the ear buds is rather thin. This in turn takes the weight off your ears. These in ear buds are so comfy. The band has the flap concealing the micro USB slot and the on / off switch. On the left hand side is the control for the volume up and down and phone. Press the phone button to accept the call. Press and hold to reject call. During the call, pressing the phone button mutes the mic, pressing and holding rejects a call whilst on a call. Whilst on a call, if another call comes in, you can switch back and forth between the calls. The right side has the music controls. Play/Pause. Track rewind and fast forward. Holding down the music controls scrolls forward or back along the track. The band also contains a tiny notification light -:

-Flashing red light: battery level is between 0% and 4%.
-Yellow light: battery level is between 5% and 29%.
-Green light: battery level is between 30% and 100%.
-Flashing cyan-coloured light: headset is in pairing mode.
-Flashing purple light: a call is coming in.

If you have a Sony smartphone like the Xperia Z1 or upcoming Z2 you can set to receive a notification when the headset battery is critically low. The main antenna for the device rests on the right cable, so it’s best to have your phone on the same side to ensure perfect sound without any drop outs in sound. In the time I’ve used the headset I’ve not suffered from this.

Sound and call quality. Making and receiving calls, peoples voices were crystal clear. The sound quality as a music player was very good but not as good as say the Sony XBA-H1 or anything more expensive. There is sub bass attack if the tracks include it, and at sometimes this might feel too much, but it’s a fairly neutral musical sound in the mid and treble. In fact, the overall presentation is fairly neutral with a slight hint of bass at times, although some bass driven tracks will explode with bass and muddle the midrange. It’s an odd experience at times. The soundstage is slightly closed in, but separation is reasonable. The presentation is trying to be too accurate at times, and the the treble is the weakness in this setup. But I am being super analytical. Overall it’s a great all round package. The sound is private so I didn’t get any complaints that the sound was leaking and in the same light I couldn’t hear anyone either. In terms of volume I’ve not had issue with the sound volume not being loud enough.

These are very popular headphones/headset and if you want to know more headover to Amazon’s Deal on the Sony SBH-80 Stereo Bluetooth Headset

If you have any questions, please leave a question in the comments section.