Mobile Tech

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.

Western Digital, or WD as it is referred to by friends and family, is best known for its hard disk products in various formats. It is therefore not surprising that the company’s next product is based on one of its hard drives. Basically this is a method of providing the user with Cloud-like services while retaining full control over their content from their local base.

This is an Android phone, however if you can cope with the smaller size it can do quite a number of things that you would expect to need a larger device to complete. This is a 112 gram device that slips easily into a pocket or purse.

While most eBooks are using eInk that causes battery power to only be used when a page is turned and I see that Binatone do one of those (higher price) I am looking at a model that uses a conventional display screen and has extra features.

In this final part of the look into the iPhone economy I take a softer approach - looking at what you can load onto your iPhone from Apples appStore

Often as part of my tests of a Satellite Navigation system I take it for a ride on a bus or train, sometimes both. It gives you a chance to see exactly what is shown on the screen and indeed this can be extremely interesting.

Here two items from Griffin to enable you to power iPods. The first PowerDock 2 allows you to charge two iPods simultaneously. The second allows you to power an iPod from either in the car or by inserting an ‘AA’ battery to give you a Power Boost when out and about.

Okay so my normal games involve cards, but as I have a Nintendo DS this is one that Michael could not cover. Over the years I have reviewed a number of software products from GSP for the PC, here a mystery solving game for DS.

Buy the BlackBerry Pearl from T-Mobile and the included SIM gives you 12 months worth of web access and emails included in the price. Yes this is still a phone as well (you do need to pay for phone calls) but it means you email can follow you everywhere.

This product concentrates on the Driving Theory Test. It is a product that runs on the Nintendo DS Lite. Some readers may know that many years ago – before the theory test – I used to be a driving instructor. Then of course all this was the ‘Highway Code’ section after the practical test.

On the face of it this is just another of the huge range of devices to tell your where you are and how to get to where you are not. However after a few days of use I soon realised it did lots of things that other such devices do not.

There are two 605 models, the 30GB version I saw and a 20GB version that comes with several Harry Potter films pre installed.

Satellite navigation is become more popular with big price reductions and many competing designs. The basic price though can still be fairly expensive. Here we look at an alternative that uses the processing power and display capabilities of your mobile phone to offer an alternative pricing plan.

A flexible personal GPS navigation system that can also provide a range of other in-car services.

On the face of it this is a similar device to the recently reviewed Mio A501 but there are subtle differences. This is first a communications device and only then a device that has GPS capabilities indeed they do a model without the GPS.

This is a full featured PDA a phone and of course a GPS unit. However unlike some other PDA’s with GPS abilities this is firstly a GPS unit and it has the ability to make phone calls and to be a PDA. Of course being a PDA you only have a soft keyboard.

Technology can help take some of the strain out of driving by supplying directions through a SatNav device.

For those readers of shall we say ‘more mature years’ you will remember Sidekick as perhaps the first PIM (Personal Information Manager) product on the market, here it forms part of a mobile phone offering from T-Mobile.

This is a tiny sat nav system but not only is it for cars etc but also for pedestrians and bicycles. When I say small it fits into the palm of my hand and I do not have enormous hands.