Mobile Tech

A watch used to be for telling you the time, now lots do far more. This top of the range one from Polar does so much that there are no less than ten screens on the watch and when you sync the data you realise that what you saw on the watch was only a small proportion of the data it is keeping.

Although this does not have ‘Smart’ in its name it is far more than just a watch it is taking your pulse counting your steps and is the first watch I have used that tells you your blood oxygen saturation and of course it also tells you the time.

Having recently told you about a conventional watch whose straps are made from recycled plastic and the watch is solar powered. Here we are right up to date with a Smart Watch that can do almost everything while linked to your SmartPhone, so far I have discovered 16 different faces for the watch, some just tell the time others do much more with the Wear OS App.

While a lot of people totally rely on their phone to know the time I am not one of them I still prefer a watch. This offering from Fossil is made with around sixteen recycled plastic bottles that go to make up the five straps supplied with the watch. The watch itself has an outer ring that is a solar cell so this and other things help protect the planet.

I must be getting old as I remember the very first Kindle. These days so many people are reading them on the bus or train, what you rarely see is a real book being read. The kindle of course has a huge advantage over a book be it hardback or paperback in that they weigh even less and for good measure you do not have to turn over the corner of a page it knows where you got to.

Well-known for its work in the development of E ink display phone cases, Oaxis the award-winning technology company, has branched out with its product line up. This new addition, launched via the Kickstarter route, is entitled Timepiece with a price tag of £95 for Early Bird backers.

A couple of days before the UK launch I was invited to a breakfast briefing in a swish Kensington hotel to see this conference room camera in action. It is designed for a meeting of between say five and ten people and also remote connections can connect to become part of the meeting. I emphasize part of the meeting as normal conference room cameras do not do this.

Having recently told you about CUE also a fun coding solution for older children here I regress slightly to tell you about an offering for children from six years upwards. This one is called DOT, again a Robot for the child to control.

Tucked away on your wrist, this Nokia device can check on various health issues.

When a dog is at home you normally know where it is, when it is in your garden likewise – unless or course you have a very big garden – however if you let your dog off its lead when out for a walk/run and you lose sight of it maybe not.

This is an analogue watch but it also is a full featured health and fitness device that works in conjunctions with your Android or iOS device, so it can truly be called the best of both worlds a timepiece and even possibly a life saver.

Having told you in the last few months about their excellent SmartPhone, their rather good MateBook computer I now get the chance to tell you about their watch that can bring both into focus in different ways, here the Huawei Watch.

While the Apple Watch does what it does quite well it could do more for you especially if you have certain medical conditions so here is a band (strap) to attach to your Apple Watch to fill the void left by the basic Apple software.

Wrist watches are less popular now than at any time since people stopped using a pocket watch. However fitness devices worn on the wrist are now so popular that the fact they also tell the time is perhaps often overlooked by many.

Do children spend too much time using a mobile device? Amazon believes it has a solution for this problem with a tablet and software managed by parents.

It seems a long time ago when I first looked at one of these devices and they have moved on in what they show and indeed how they show it. For those who do not know it's a screen that shows you the easiest/quickest way to get from A to B and these days so much more. According to some information I was sent they have been around for 25 years.

Data is valuable. It is up to you to ensure it is fully protected especially when it is being transported.

Like many companies, Amazon holds a Christmas in July event for journalists in order to promote products such as the Fire Tablet forming the basis for this review.

Having recently told you about the latest Alcatel Smart Watch called the ‘Go Watch’ I now have the chance to see how they arrived there by looking at its predecessor which should still be on sale in some outlets and its look may suit the older user.

Alcatel better known for budget phones have made a venture into Smart Watches this latest version is aimed at the 18-30+ plus market so as someone who is definitely 30+ I gave an early sample the once and twice over to see what it could do.

Health issues played a major part in the products displayed at the recent Wearable Technology Show.

Going to the Planetarium is an expensive experience, buying a telescope is also expensive, looking at the stars with a naked eye requires a clear night – that probably means a cold night – you also need to be clear of light pollution. This product works indoors whenever you want.

Noted for its expertise in the development of educational devices for young children, LeapFrog has come up with the LeapFrog Epic™. This product is an Android-based tablet aimed at children in the three to nine year old age group.

As Apple in the UK tend to be very tight with review items until now my only foray into their world is via an ancient iPod that is too old to be updated to anything like recent firmware. So this courtesy of Vodafone is my first use of an iPad the Mini 3.

The Kurio Tab 2 is a tablet that has been designed for young children to use. Arriving with the claim of being “the safest tablet for kids”, the Kurio Tab 2 is a 7-inch Android device that is supplied preloaded with 40 educational and fun apps that should appeal to its targeted audience.

Motorola are one of the most up to date phone manufacturers, they seem to be first to update to the latest version of Android this is 4.4.4 which is still the latest apart from the supposed version 5 available on a very few selected devices.

Here is the latest and greatest Moto G from Motorola who smashed through the glass ceiling of SmartPhone pricing, with their first Moto G, then more recently a 4G offering also bearing Moto G name and now the latest Moto G.

This is a 7inch Android Tablet, from the same range as the A1 I reviewed in June. This looks and feels quite different and I have not really worked out why the only thing I noticed – remember I am a man – is this this was black and the A1 was cream.

Do you want a fool proof way to access your photos, videos and music on a range of devices? While OTG is great it does not work on all devices. This uses Wi-Fi to do the work so once the data is on the unit it can be accessed.

This is a three in one cable, you can charge your device, you can mirror your device on your PC and even use your computer keyboard and mouse to move around your Android devices screens and even type on it should you need. Finally you can transfer data between the two.