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How To Slash Your Bills In One Hour

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If you’re looking for ways to save money and make your income go further, you need to take some action. Making some quick and easy changes to your spending could help you free up some money and finally help you reach your savings goals – no more scraping by until your next payday.

Want to know how you could slash your bills in one hour? Take a look at these useful tips.

Photo by Sora Khan on Unsplash

Cut down on your insurance

Cutting down on your insurance premium is one quick and simple way to reduce your outgoings. All it takes is a few minutes to find a new deal. Sometimes, you might not need your insurance to be as comprehensive as it is, especially for an older vehicle. It’s worth taking a look at some specialist quotes for the type of vehicle you have, such as a van or motorbike to help you find the right deal. You can find out more, here. Compare quotes regularly to make sure you’re always getting the best deal!

Switch energy providers

Energy providers all want your business and are therefore likely to offer a competitive deal. If you’ve been with the same provider for a long time, it’s worth seeing if other providers will offer you a better rate on your energy consumption. Many providers will also give you an incentive such as a cash reward or gift vouchers for switching over, so it’s worth trying if you think you could be paying too much each month. Check out some cheap energy deals to help you get started.

Find a cheaper phone contract

A mobile phone can be a major expense, and there are always better deals to be found if you’re smart. Buying the phone outright (or with 0% interest) and getting a sim-only deal could be one way of reducing your phone bill, stopping you from paying over the odds for a phone. This way, you won’t be tied into a 24-month contract either, allowing you to benefit from a new release sooner, while being able to sell your old phone for a worthy sum.

Cut the expenses you don’t need

It’s easy to waste your money each month on things you don’t need. Are you a member of a gin club? Or maybe you have a gym membership that you barely use? Look through your monthly statement and work out if there are some expenses you can simply cut out of your life. It’s fascinating to see how much people spent on Netflix during lockdown, and could be a bit of a wakeup call if you are one of the people who barely used it! 

By taking a little time out of your day, you could easily save some money on your bills and bring your monthly spending down. Simple changes can make a big difference, helping you save £100s more over the course of a year. Set yourself a challenge and see how much you could save in one hour!

Mobile phone MYTHS Brits believe the most

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Mobile Phone myths, we’ve all heard of them but are they actually true? OnBuy.com undertook a survey recently to find out just how many of them we believe.

  • A THIRD of Brits believe a mobile phone can reduce sperm count / fertility
  • 66% think a bag of rice will REVIVE a wet phone
  • 18% of people BELIEVE the 5G conspiracy theories (e.g. it will be especially susceptible to cyber-attacks)
  • A QUARTER of people have been told you can charge an iPhone in 20 seconds using a MICROWAVE OVEN

 

Battery Myths

87% of those surveyed by OnBuy believe that apps running in the background use up battery. While it’s worth noting that modern smartphones are optimized to run foreground tasks first. While the others will float harmlessly in the background.

Security Myths

75% of Brits believe that taking out the SIM card will keep you from being tracked. However, your phone can still be tracked if power remains in the battery. Regardless if there’s a SIM or not. Maybe it’s because it’s shown in movies it’s believed.

Mobile Phone Myths

31% of Brits believe that a mobile phone can reduce sperm count if kept in a trouser pocket. While this is simply not the case. Every quality mobile phone brand’s who provide products have to pass a Specific Absorption Rating (SAR) test. This test ensures your phone does not emit enough radiation to cause an issue.

However, the general myth Brits (66%) believe the most is that you can dry a wet phone in a bag of rice. Although we’re pretty sure that one works!

5G

When asked about 5G  conspiracy theories (cyber-attacks/surveillance) those asked responded:

  • Yes – 18%
  • Undecided – 20%
  • No – 63%

Urban Myths

There are some Myths that Brits admit that they’ve heard but haven’t put them to the test! Check out the craziest ones below:

  • You can cook an egg by placing it between two mobile phones – 6%
  • Never use a mobile when there’s a lightning storm – 19%
  • You can charge an iPhone in 20 seconds using a microwave oven – 25%

FULL LIST

The full list of Mobile Phone Myths are below:  

Do you believe…  
Apps running in the background use up battery  87%
A screen protector will stop your phone getting scratched  77%
Taking out your SIM card keeps you from being tracked  75%
More megapixels = better camera  66%
You can dry a wet phone in a bag of rice 66%
Phones interfere with hospitals and planes 43%
Overcharging a phone damages the battery  39%
Charging your phone overnight is bad for it  34%
You shouldn’t keep your phone in the same pocket as a credit card 31%
Having a phone near your private parts can reduce sperm count / fertility  31%
Incognito mode protects your privacy 30%
Smartphones give off dangerous radiation 29%
Mobile phone use near a petrol pump can cause an explosion 26%
You shouldn’t use your phone while it’s charging  24%
A bigger battery means longer battery life  21%
You should drain your battery completely before charging  18%
Free Wi-Fi is safe to use 5%

(OnBuy)

*methodology: to achieve the results OnBuy.com sent out a survey to 3,446 British people. 50% of respondents that took part are male, 45% are female and 5% identify as “other.”

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Episode 340 James Haskell (BONUS)

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Benro 3XS Lite

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Are we ready for 5G? A look at 4G

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While many of us are enjoying the speeds of 4G and soon to be 5G there is many parts of the UK that don’t even have access to 4G. If they do have access to 4G it’ll be incredibly slow too. Analysis that has been undertaken by comparemymobile.com, a mobile comparison and recycling website have revealed that Yorkshire and Humber have the lowest download speeds. However, it is still one of the best perfoming regions for 4G availability!

Their research has discovered that Yorkshire and Humber have an average 4G download speed of 20.28Mbps. Furthermore the region comes 3rd on the leaderboard for how often users can access 4G. With an availability rate of 86%. This is according to data reports by OpenSignal. While no regions, at present, even meet the recommended download speeds of 25Mbps for watching 4K content on Netflix!

Each regions averages are based on the 4 big network providers in the UK. That’s EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three. There has been some improvements in the download speed of 4G networks, as the North West of the UK has an average of 23.05Mpbs. Yet this is still below Netflix’s recommended speeds of 25Mbps for 4K viewing content.

Futhermore there’s been little improvement on the availability of 4G. 95% 4G mobile coverage target in the UK was set by the government for Ofcom by the end of 2022. The region closest to this target is 87.09% is London. While many rural communities struggle to get a good connection at home or at work.

Connectivity Quality

Please see a table below of the best/worst performing regions:

Best Performing Worst Performing
North West (23.05 Mbps) Northern Ireland (19.13 Mbps)
London (22.89 Mbps) Yorkshire and Humber (20.28 Mbps)
West Midlands (21.87 Mbps) South East (20.54 Mbps)

When looking at availability the best and worst performing regions are:

Best Performing Worst Performing
London (87.09%) South West (79.06%)
North East (86.99%) Wales (80.17%)
Yorkshire and Humber (86.01%) Eastern (81.42%)

Availability wise,Yorkshire and Humber are doing really well. Yet they sit at the bottom of the table for download speeds. Which indicates there is a long way to go before everyone can get the best connection available.

Now 5G on the way

With plans to roll out 5G later this year, it’s unsurprising that many rural areas are growing frustrated at the lack of 4G signal in their area, let alone the promise of a faster network. Despite this, the UK does remain one of the leading countries in the world for 4G adoption. This is largely due to there being such fierce competition between the four big network providers, EE, O2, Three and Vodafone as well as heavy private investment.

However, there is still a long way to go to ensure that people in rural areas have good access to 4G networks, both in terms of high download speeds and availability. Ofcom’s plans to sell new mobile airwaves in 2020, with coverage obligations attached in its bid to achieve 95% 4G coverage in the UK by 2022 is promising, but it does mean that those with little or no coverage still have a while to wait until they have reliable 4G network access.” Rob Baillie, Mobile Expert at Compare My Mobile 

More information available here. 

The analysis uses Opensignal’s data to compare 4G download speeds and availability in each UK region

Listen to the guys chatting about this by clicking here! 

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Old Honda How To Kill An Hour

Turning An Old Banger Into A Tech-Lovers’ Dream Whip

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Old Honda How To Kill An Hour

 

It’s easy to feel embarrassed about the car you drive, nowadays. Even vehicles which fall into the budget category have far more features at their disposal than those which were found just a few years before. When you have something which has been around for a couple of decades, though, this only gets worse, and can leave people feeling bad about their only mode of transport. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring some of the work which can be done to give your banger an edge against even techiest of cars.

 

Finding The Car

 

The first stage in this journey will involve finding the car you want to transform, unless you already have one. Companies like Foxhayes Car Sales have been in this business for a very long time, making them a good direction to go in for anyone working to get their hands on a secondhand car. It’s always worth reading reviews for both the dealership and the car model you’re considering before you buy.

 

Giving It A Brain

 

Modern cars will have more than one computer at the heart. These systems control anything from entertainment to braking and steering, but you won’t need all of that. Instead, a single computer should do the trick, and there are loads on the market which are designed to occupy your stereo slots. You may need to buy a fascia to replace this in your car, but this will be worth it to give yourself a touchscreen, sat nav, and a range of other features.

 

Letting It Speak

 

This next option is a bit of a double whammy. While most cars have decent speakers, it will be a good idea to swap these out, with most models having convenient kits and guides available online. Along with speakers, though, having a tool like Google Assistant can also be very helpful. This can either be handled through your phone or the computer itself, but this will require an internet connection.

 

Connectivity

 

Next up, it’s time to think about connectivity, and how you’re going to keep your digital life moving forwards in a stone-age vehicle. WiFi hotspots are a good place to start, with loads of cell phone companies offering data packages which will be perfect for your time on the road. Along with this, it will also be worth converting the car’s 12v lighter port into a couple of USB connections, as this will make it easier to charge your devices.

 

The Gift Of Sight

 

One of the key features found on a lot of modern cars are sensors. Being able to avoid collisions, making it easier to park, and offering security in the case of an accident are all great benefits, and all of them can come from installing a simple camera system into your car. It will take some work to do this, but this will be well worth it.

 

With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to take on the challenge of turning an old car into something worthy of a tech-lover’s dream.

Apple March 25th Streaming

Apple March 25th Streaming Event – Surprise?

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The Apple March 25th Streaming Event which many believe to be the birth of a long awaited video service. Which will be of a streaming service of some sort. However it may not be the typical Netflix type of subscription video service. But something else entirely different.

If rumours are to be believed it may be an enhanced version of the iTunes store and associated Tv app for the iPhone/iPad. The event is said to be more of an update to an already established service than the birth of a new one. The new updated platform will hold all of Apple’s Originals and the iTunes transactional video on demand service (movies, tv shows). Furthermore it will aggregate a broad range of third party tv and OTT video services. So things like HBO and of Showtime.

Strategy

The new service will not be available to non-Apple devices. But Apple is also opening iTunes video content for viewing on non Apple devices via Airplay 2, on third party smart Tv’s. Apple make more money via third party services than it does selling movies and tv shows through iTunes. According to Ovum, iTunes global market share fell from 70% in 2011 to 22% in 2018! Yet it’s share in global retail OTT video revenue share it’s increased from 5% in 2016 to 10% in 2018.

It appears like Apple’s aim would be to get people back into iTunes. With the help from their Apple Originals videos. According to Ovum, the Originals service will also be free to Apple device owners, the content may also be already pre installed in the new app! Consequently once people are using iTunes, Apple will encourage users to browse their TVOD service and to sign up for the third party streaming services.

Apple will look to take all the best bits from Netflix/Amazon and incorporate them into their service. For example the high end productions from Netflix (Apple Originals) aggregation of third-party services (such as Amazon Prime Channels) and the curation of the TVOD service (Amazon). With Apple’s closed wall ecosystem and a 600million Apple device user base and what you’d expect to be a user friendly interface, Apple may be in a strong position.

The Future

According to Ovum, hybrid services that the one Apple is rumoured to be launching will take 33% of subscription market share by 2023. While Netflix’s global market share will stabilise around the 20% mark and Amazon’s will slightly increase to 12%.

Apple look to be placing their bets on rather than building a rival to Netflix. To reimagine TV while incorporating the best of Netflix. It seems as though Apple will move into this strategy in to the 2020’s. With a TV world whereby consumers can build their own entertainment package from multiple on-demand services and linear channel services. Plus AVOD where it charges consumers a subscription for access while also carrying advertising. While 2010’s belonged to Netflix and streaming the forthcoming years may look very different.

Figure 1: Netflix, Amazon and other services in the USA, 2018-2023 (in millions)

 Apple March Event Streaming

Source: Ovum

Episode 319 Gadgets Boy

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Nokia – You Lose!

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Credit: Hobi.com

Credit: Hobi.com

 

Everyone’s first love soon comes to an end. *Most of the time*

After Nokia (who used to be the BIGGEST DOG IN THE PARK, everyone knew what the nokia ringtone was, everyone had a Nokia, didnt matter what style it was, everyone had a Nokia) got bought out by Microsoft their CEO said this:

“we didn’t do anything wrong, but somehow, we lost”

They didnt actually do anything wrong in business but they didnt change in a very quick changing world, when they should have done, were too slow to the punch and got piped by Blackberry who then got piped Apple.  – It seems clear if you don’t change you will lose!