Well here is a surprise albeit it entry level devices it is welcome news and a new beginning.. The Nokia 150 and 150 Dual Sim has been dropped…
These two new devices follow suit of what we are use to seeing in this department and are a good seller even when Nokia feature phones where under Microsoft ownership, Its good to see that they have kept the same footprint and they do look really nice..
Beautifully designed with a polycarbonate shell that keeps its colour even when scratched, the Nokia 150 stays looking great whatever life throws at you. With an impressive 2.4” screen and incredible battery life, you can now enjoy all your favourite features for longer.
On their press release…..
HMD global Oy (“HMD”) has announced the launch of its Nokia 150 and Nokia 150 Dual SIM phones. The launch comes just weeks after HMD entered the market as the new home of Nokia phones. HMD, a start-up headquartered in Finland, will bring a new generation of mobile phones to consumers through an existing feature phone business and new smartphone range. With the launch of Nokia 150, HMD Global will further strengthen the Nokia feature phones portfolio comprising of best-sellers like Nokia 105, Nokia 216 and Nokia 230.
The phones come pre-loaded with games including classic Snake Xenzia and try and buy Nitro Racing by Gameloft. The camera with LED flash allows users to capture their special moments and share them with friends and family through Bluetooth.
Nokia 150 and Nokia 150 Dual SIM come in black and white at only $26 before local taxes and subsidies. The phones will become available globally in select markets – rolling out first in APAC, IMEA and Europe – in Q1’17.
Specs
Device
Nokia 150 and Nokia 150 Dual SIM
Operating system
Nokia Series 30+
Display
2,4” QVGA (240*320)
Battery
BL-5C ,1020 mAh
Talk time & Standby time
Talk time: up to 22 hours,Standby time: up to 31 days for Single SIM, and up to 25 days for Dual SIM
Camera
VGA with LED flash
Connectivity
900/1800 MHz, micro USB, 3.5mm AV connector, Bluetooth 3.0 with SLAM
The ExoLens PRO Wide-Angle, Macro-Zoom and Telephoto lenses for iPhone 7 are all available along with an updated bracket for iPhone 7. The Wide-Angle and Telephoto lenses bring the aspherical lens technology previously reserved for high-end DSLR lenses, straight to your iPhone as a compact mobile accessory lens.
The ExoLens PRO Wide-Angle, Macro-Zoom and Telephoto lenses for iPhone 7 are all available along with an updated bracket for iPhone 7. The Wide-Angle and Telephoto lenses bring the aspherical lens technology previously reserved for high-end DSLR lenses, straight to your iPhone as a compact mobile accessory lens.
The ExoLens PRO Wide-Angle lens with Optics by ZEISS features a ZEISS Mutar™ 0.6x Asph T* Wide-Angle lens, which provides virtually no distortion and exceptional edge-to-edge contrast, resulting in an image quality that is unmatched by any other iPhone accessory lens. This lens helps professionals capture expansive scenery and immerse viewers with frame filling detail, while expanding the frame of the iPhone to see the world in a beautiful new perspective.
The ExoLens PRO Telephoto lens with Optics by ZEISS features a ZEISS Mutar™ 2.0x Asph T* Telephoto lens. The lens offers photographers a narrow shallow depth of field to add a beautiful bokeh to the background while focusing attention on the subject. The telephoto allows the contours of the face to appear more natural and closer to real life, and is ideal for portraits, street photography, or capturing events.
ExoLens PRO Macro-Zoom lens with Optics by ZEISS features the ZEISS Vario-Proxar 40-80 T* macro-zoom lens. The ZEISS Vario-Proxar 40-80 T* macro-zoom lens has a variable focal length of 40 to 80 millimeters. “In combination with the optics of the smartphone camera, turning the ring does not result in an increase or reduction of the field of view,” Optical Designer Dr. Vladan Blahnik from ZEISS explains. “Instead, the ring functions much like a manual focus with which different planes can be set. If photographers want to shoot objects that are three to five centimetres away, they turn the ring to the right as far as it will go, and to the left for objects that are five to eight centimetres away.” This allows users to capture objects measuring three to twelve centimetres filling the complete field of view and capture astonishing details beyond what is visible to the human eye to put you impossibly close to the subject.
The lenses are attached to the device-specific ExoLens® machined aluminium bracket using a screw thread. The bracket features a standard tripod mount (1/4”-20) as well as a cold shoe for mounting accessories such as microphones and lighting systems. Following the launch, ExoLens® PRO with Optics by ZEISS are now compatible with iPhone® 7, with the goal of adding more devices in the future.
Further technical information and pricing can be found on the website of ExoLens®:
Today Circle has announced is the introduction of Spark, a new blockchain-based protocol to facilitate trusted, compliant money transfers between participating individuals and institutions over the Bitcoin network. As part of this launch, we are also eliminating the ability for customers to buy and sell bitcoin directly on Circle, and introducing a new preferred bitcoin exchange partnership with Coinbase. We actually had a chat with them this morning on the phone about this and the guys are pretty excited… Jeremy and Sean have said the following below
Today we’re announcing the launch of full messaging features in Circle’s apps and higher deposit limits for customers, forthcoming support for sending and receiving money between Circle and The Philippines and Korea, and the introduction of Spark, a new blockchain-based protocol to facilitate trusted, compliant money transfers between participating individuals and institutions over the Bitcoin network. As part of this launch, we are also eliminating the ability for customers to buy and sell bitcoin directly on Circle, and introducing a new preferred bitcoin exchange partnership with Coinbase.
Circle Messaging Features
We’ve rolled out new messaging capabilities to all Circle customers across all of our apps on Web, iOS and Android. We’ve long argued that social payments are best experienced in the context of the conversations and interactions we have with friends, colleagues, family members and individual sellers. Messaging provides context for a payment, whether that be with a funny image, a photo of a meal shared, a moment from a night out, or a picture of the product someone is selling.
The Circle Pay apps are now organized around people instead of solely by transactions. All payments to and from an individual exist in an ongoing conversation with that person, similar to popular messaging apps such as WeChat, Messenger and WhatsApp. This mirrors our support for Circle social payments natively inside of Apple iMessage on iOS 10.
There are no limits on spending and receiving money through Circle, but to help keep Circle safe for everyone, there is a limit on how much new customers can deposit into their Circle accounts within a seven-day period. Responding to one of the requests we hear most frequently, we have raised that initial deposit limit across all our supported currencies as part of these latest app updates, and now offer the highest initial deposit limits of any social payments service. As before, that initial deposit limit can increase the more you use Circle, and there are still no limits on payments or withdrawals.
Give our money messaging experience a try; it’s a significant improvement in the p2p payment experience.
Spark
When we founded Circle, we had a vision and belief that it was finally becoming possible for money to work the way the internet works. A big part of that was a long-term bet on blockchain and digital currency technology, which we thought held the potential to provide the missing layer of protocols needed for open value exchange.
We have never been focused on convincing consumers to replace their familiar native currencies with bitcoin, but instead wanted to bring the benefits of public blockchains and digital assets to consumers without requiring them to know the technical details. We made progress on that over the past year as we launched our social payment app in the US, UK, and parts of Europe, enabling direct payments across currencies, and also allowing people to send local currency to other digital wallets over the Bitcoin blockchain. This ‘hybrid digital money’ model has been in our sights for a long time.
We’re taking another major step forward today with the introduction of Spark, a set of protocol additions that provides a way for digital wallets to exchange value using blockchains, including Bitcoin, as settlement layers. There are many use cases for the technology, but the initial focus is on connecting digital wallets around the world while ensuring that full KYC/AML and compliance requirements can be met, and presenting a seamless experience that reflects local currency exchange rates and conversion rule contracts.
We plan to release Spark as an open source project that anyone in the world can use and implement, and intend to work closely with similarly-minded ecosystem participants to advance the technology and integrate it with additional public and private blockchains.
New Markets and Currencies
The first implementation of Spark comes via two new markets and currencies: We’re excited to announce partnerships with Korea’s Korbit and the Philippines’ Coins.ph. These two early market leaders in digital currency technology will connect to Circle through partnership and implementation of the Spark APIs.
This will allow Circle customers in the US, UK and Europe to send and receive value with customers in Korea and The Philippines seamlessly, with the speed, security and cost efficiency of distributed ledgers, but with a pure fiat-to-fiat consumer experience, and one that is compliant with international standards for KYC & AML. For customers using Circle, Korbit, or Coins, this makes sending international payments as easy as sending a message to a phone number or email address.
Bitcoin Changes and Exchange Partnership
With the introduction of these new features, Circle is now more than ever not a consumer bitcoin exchange, and we will continue to focus resources on global social payments and future next-generation blockchain technology rather than devoting those resources to supporting the buying and selling of bitcoins directly.
Circle customers who currently hold bitcoin instead of US dollars, pound sterling, or euros may convert instantly to any of those currencies (depending upon availability in the customer’s area). Customers who previously bought and sold bitcoin in the Circle apps may still sell, if they choose, by converting their bitcoin to dollars, euros, or sterling and then withdrawing the balance to their linked card or bank account. Once converted, the account will remain in dollars, euros, or sterling.
Consumers who seek to buy and sell bitcoin in the future may now leverage our new preferred partnership with Coinbase. Customers may still send their bitcoin to any wallet or exchange of their choosing, but Coinbase is our recommended consumer bitcoin exchange.
Circle customers holding bitcoin balances may also simply continue to hold their bitcoin with Circle and receive Circle’s full bitcoin insurance. All Circle customers can leverage Spark-enabled markets and currencies without needing to buy or hold bitcoin directly.
Our continued use of bitcoin as a settlement token and network behind the scenes means that Circle will continue to be a leading participant in the digital currency markets and ecosystem, with our focus on getting more digital wallets to adopt public blockchains as open transaction settlement networks.
Over the past three years, Circle’s treasury operation has evolved into a major liquidity provider and trading counterparty in both the exchange-traded and OTC digital currency markets. We will continue to promote the growth and maturation of such markets as we empower consumers to use digital assets and public blockchains seamlessly as payment rails and not merely as speculative trading instruments.
More info on Spark will be forthcoming. Meanwhile these new partnerships, additions and changes are effective immediately.
Netflix members worldwide can now download in addition to stream great series and films at no extra cost.
While many members enjoy watching Netflix at home, we’ve often heard they also want to continue their Stranger Things binge while on airplanes and other places where Internet is expensive or limited. Just click the download button on the details page for a film or TV series and you can watch it later without an internet connection.
Many of your favourite streaming series and movies are already available for download, with more on the way, so there is plenty of content available for those times when you are offline. For example, Orange is The New Black, Narcos and The Crown are available for download today.
The new feature is included in all plans and available for phones and tablets on Android and iOS.
To start downloading today, you will need to update your Netflix app to the most recent version and take it with you to enjoy Netflix everywhere you go. If you have any questions, please visit their Help Center.
Barry Walshe is the owner of screenshelf.ie along with top-quality mobile parts and accessories, they provide an outstanding customer support. It has been Barry’s passion to make sure that customers get the best accessories and parts for their Smartphones and iPhones. Today he talks to us about One Plus devices and how they can be kept in top shape.
Whether you have the One Plus One or One Plus 3 smartphone, you are probably wary of any kind of scratch or damage that it might get, not with standing its relatively cheap price. One downside of these phones is that they are metallic and have a unibody, meaning they are more likely to slip from your grasp. Of course, for any smartphone owner, this would definitely be nothing short of disastrous (screens that become cracked and bodies that end up getting scratched are but the most common scenarios). It’s for this reason why we have taken the liberty to
Protective Cases
Without a doubt, if you’re a consumer who bought a One Plus One phone, your basic instinct is to buy the accessory directly from the maker, right? After all, who would know what’s best for these smartphones better than them? What’s good is that we can vouch for One Plus One official protective cases. They offer a variety of colors, a flexible shell, and it’s sturdy and thick enough to prevent scratches and damages from minor falls.
There are variations of protective cases that you should consider as well One of these is a TPU case, which is best for users who want the natural look of their phone to stand out There are plenty of choices for One Plus 3 smartphones that fit these kinds of cases, and what’s good is that they are often thin, lightweight, and the necessary grip for better handling, besides providing protection, of course.
For people who don’t mind cases that make their One Plus One phones appear thicker or chunkier for added protection, then they should definitely consider ElBolt’s Aegis Case or the Poetic Revolution Case. The former has a look that is similar to tire tracks and is pretty heavy-duty when it comes to protection because of its hard polycarbonate shell and TPU interior; it comes with a bonus screen protector too. The latter has the same increased capability to safeguard your phone, but with completely different aesthetics. These are but some of the excellent protective cases you can get for your One Plus phone.
If you’re a lover of leather, though, then you should definitely give the OnePlus 3 Flip Cover a closer look as well as the Olixar Leather-look Wallet and Stand Case. The latter, besides being made of genuine leather that adds lots of protection from scratches, also covers your phone’s screen entirely; it also has the ability to serve as a stand for you to conveniently prop your phone anywhere you like. The former, on the other hand, leans more towards being stylish (thanks to its exquisite PU leather finish) and practical at the same time, since it can function as a wallet too.
Glass Covers
One Plus One accessories that center on protection are not limited to cases as well For one, if you only want to prevent scratches from being formed on your screen, then you can opt for a tempered glass protector for it instead. The Asmart Tempered Glass Screen Protector is one brand that is worth recommending for it can be seamless added to any One Plus 3 phone and prevents any unsightly bubbles from forming on the screen. This is all thanks to its tempered glass technology. It not only protects but smoothly integrates itself into your phone as well Another brand that’s worth looking into is the APLUS Tempered Glass Screen Protector, which has practically similar perks. A glass cover, with its comparative minimalism, greatly retains the form and design of the phone as well.
Car Mounts
If you’re always on the go and want to ensure that your phone won’t any way be placed in any precarious position inside your vehicle, then you may want to consider getting a car mount for it. Most of these mounts are magnetic, which pretty much ensures that your phone would stay in place as you travel. This makes it perfect for safely using One Plus phones to play music or while you are trying to navigate through traffic or areas you’re unfamiliar with. The TechMatte MagGrip Air Vent Car Mount is one brand that exemplifies all the qualities said above.
Skullcandy, Inc., the performance and lifestyle audio brand founded at the intersection of innovation and creative culture announced today the launch of Crusher® Wireless, the most immersive multi-sensory experience in Skullcandy’s offering. Crusher Wireless is an evolution of one of Skullcandy’s most celebrated products, the original Crusher® headphones, and has been completely rebuilt from the ground up with elegant industrial design, premium materials, Bluetooth® functionality and a suite of innovative technologies that enable an immersive audio experience.
“We want provide users a more immersive experience with music, movies, and really all media content. We want them to feel like they are in the front row of the concert or inside the movie experience,” said Hoby Darling, Skullcandy President and Chief Executive Officer. “Through our research and development efforts, we have worked to provide an enhanced audio and tactile experience that makes nearly all forms of media more fun and engaging for users. The new Crusher Wireless is a game changer in how people experience media content.”
Crusher Wireless delivers a premium acoustic experience while integrating refined Crusher Technology and stereo sound. This expansion of the Crusher family includes a proprietary built-in amplifier that powers both audio and stereo immersion drivers, enabling a dual-sensory and dual-channel bass experience. The result is a stereo haptic bass response that delivers directional bass you can feel, without sacrificing audio quality, and is a unique offering in the market today.
Crusher Wireless is also loaded with features that support the premium, immersive, multi-sensory experience: Bluetooth® functionality, customizable haptic experience through adjustable bass controls, noise-isolating fit, elevated audio quality, built-in microphone, track and volume controls, and an upgrade in aesthetics, including memory foam cushions and travel-friendly collapsible design. Furthermore, up to 40-hours of rechargeable Bluetooth battery life enabled by an auto on/off smart circuit, ensures you can go for days before needing to plug in. At £119.99, Crusher Wireless delivers a premium, immersive, multi-sensory experience, Bluetooth functionality, and days of battery life among other remarkable features.
Crusher Wireless is available now online and at select retailers globally. Learn more at: Crusher Wireless and we will have our review soon.. These look pretty sweet indeed…..
The wristband earphones wrap around your wrist so they don’t get tangled or lost and with the new design being reminiscent of a candy cane, they are a great idea for a Christmas present this year (or a treat for yourself!). They bring a festive touch to the collection and are available for a limited time only. Lets take a look at the latest instalment from Wraps….
Following the success of the Talk and Special Edition Wraps wristband earphones ranges, the company is now launching a new version, Wraps Limited Edition Berry, to celebrate the festive Christmas season.
Based on the Talk Wraps but with a striped pink design to bring this look to life, you can now listen to your Christmas songs whilst adding a festive touch to your look! Reminiscent of a candy cane and the traditional Christmas berries, they are sure to get you in the party mood. Perfect for treating yourself or an excellent gift or stocking filler – the new Wraps Limited Edition Berry will be available for a short time only so get yours whilst you still can!
Using Wraps earphones has fast become as much about how good you look wearing them as it is how good they sound. Not only do the earphones look and sound great, they also solve the daily frustration of those that are easily broken, tangled or lost. Wraps solve 3 inherent problems all earphones have: storage, anti- tangle and style simply by enabling you to wear them on your wrist whilst you’re not using them. #WearYourSound with pride and bring your outfit to life while also having your favourite music ‘on hand’ whenever you want it.
The Wraps Limited Edition Berry feature a built-in headset microphone and 3.5mm gold plated jack and a light, spherical ABS housing helps control the sound. With a choice of small, medium and large silicon tips it provides a comfortable and secure fit whilst worn in the ear or on a wrist. A large 10MM dynamic speaker, tuned by world-renowned British Audio sound engineers, delivers exceptional sound quality.
When worn on the wrist, the unique patented slider system keeps the lightweight heads, slider and jack plug all connected together for a secure compact fit. The cables are kept in perfect alignment and remain tangle free and always close to hand! The British designers blended materials and colours to craft a fashion statement earphone that can stylise your outfit and coordinate your look so whether travelling to work, to a Christmas party or heading off to school, there is a Wraps earphone for you!
The Wraps Limited Edition Berry is available from www.mywraps.com priced at £19.99 and we will have our review of them soon so stay tuned for that…
Neil Tohill is the Director of an Irish company called Southside Motor Factors. He regularly writes about the motoring industry and has created this infographic about best practice for using a satnav/GPS navigation device while driving. We have some more satnav reviews to come and another thing to keep in mind is dashcams as we have said before,we have some of them to come too very soon, Check out the infographic below and tell us what you think…
Satnavs can undoubtedly be massively helpful driving aids, especially for those who spend a lot of time on the road and frequently drive in unfamiliar territories. However, many drivers have a tendency to trust in their satnav too much. More than 1 in 10 drivers under the age of 24 have narrowly avoided a crash because of a distraction from their satnav, for example, while there have been horror stories of drivers being drastically misrouted because they failed to check that the destination they typed into their satnav was the correct one.
Guest Post by Thomas Stein. Are VPN connections only useful to bypass geo-blocks??
I first heard about VPN services and VPN connections back in 2012. It was Summer Olympics in London and I wanted to watch the Hungarians win their gold medals on Hungarian TV online.
Unfortunately I lived outside Hungary at that moment and could not access the Hungarian TV station to watch their live streams from the Summer Olympics. It wasn’t an error with the feed, it was simply a so called geo-block (geographical block) causing the problem. As I visited the website of the Hungarian TV station they checked my IP address. Discovering that I was located outside Hungary they gave me an error message telling me that this stream was unavailable for me.
Luckily my brain quickly understood that there was a way to bypass this geo-block, by getting myself an IP address in Hungary. I quickly found out that a VPN connection was the solution for me, and thus I got myself a VPN subscription and got myself a Hungarian IP address. A few minutes later I was watching Hungarian TV online from outside Hungary.
That was four years ago and I still have my VPN subscription. But, is a VPN only useful for those in need of bypassing geo-blocks?
Is a VPN only useful for those in need of bypassing geo-blocks?
There is little doubt about the fact that a high percentage of the users signing up for VPN services do it for this purpose. But, there are those who actually use their VPN subscription for much more than just streaming content online (which would normally be unavailable). Here I will give you some of the main reasons for using a VPN besides bypassing geo-blocks.
Some of the most important arguments used by VPN users for using a VPN
A VPN connection will encrypt your online activity. There are different levels of encryption used depending on which VPN protocol you use, but any VPN encryption method is way better than no encryption. This will make it way harder for any intruder to get hold of your confidential information.
If your VPN provider has a no-log policy any movement you do online will be untraceable back to you. People who check your IP address to do you any harm will not get your actual IP address, but only see the IP address provided to you by your VPN provider.
With a VPN subscription you can get access to cheaper flight tickets and similar products. Lots of airlines give users different prices depending on their location. Use your VPN to get an IP address in another nation and do a search on the airfares again. If you are lucky you can save lots of dollars on airfares and lots of similar services.
Almost all Torrent sites advise their users to use a VPN. As more and more Torrent sites are observed and downloads discovered by local ISP’s (and reported), using a VPN can keep your tracks covered and let you download content safely online.
It is crucial to encrypt your movements online in this world packed with free WiFi Hotspots using unencrypted networks.
VPN applications often come with extra functions such as DDoS protection and built-in firewalls to keep you safe online.
Some ISP’s set a limit to your streaming speeds. When you visit certain domains they limit your download speed. Using a VPN will let you bypass such streaming speed regulations.
As you will see from this list a VPN is about much more than only bypassing geo-blocks. Do you have any other reason for using a VPN? I would love to have you write even more reasons to use a VPN.
This article is written by Thomas Stein, the creator of http://www.ipaddressguide.org/ On his website he writes about geo-blocks, streaming services like Netflix and NOW TV, tech news and about Internet security.
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