Review – Jabra Evolve 80 UC. Reclaim the workspace. by @jimboireland #Jabra #Review #Office

Not so long ago we had the fantastic Jabra Move headset in for testing and they turned out to be pretty impressive to say the least.This time round its top of the crop for the office and we have the Jabra Evolve in for inspection so how did these turn out to be,lets find out.

First up is the packaging.WP_20150420_18_17_16_Pro

 

The Jabra Evolve come in a nice flat box but don’t let this fool you as to what’s inside,there comes a separate pouch which then contains the Evolve headset which is neatly tucked inside a black pouch with a nice fluorescent zipline,spaced between the cups is a piece of cushion to keep them from harm or rubbing off each other which could over time cause some abrasion marks.Also included is control unit which is conveniently designed for easy use and enables easy productivity.. this can be connected to your in house system or PC via USB,the headphones themselves have a fixed 3.5mm cable with ample length so there is room to move.

 

 

DESIGN

The headband is solid with a rubberized material on the underside which is comfortable on the head nor does it catch or interfere with your hair,this seems very durable also and should last a long time,the outer side of the band is plastic which seems very tough and flexible,again this would appear to have plenty of longevity in it.

 

EARCUPS

The cups are big,not typically something i would see in our office but these are top dollar,covering the entire ear with a soft flexible ear cushions these block out distractions,this is my idea of headphones be it for music or work,these are very comfortable,labelled internally on both sides its easy to dictate one side from the other,both cups have a job to do which we will go onto next.

 

The left cup houses the micro USB port offering plug and play options so connectivity here is good giving the user choice,also on the left cup there is an indicator to let you know there is power once plugged into your PC etc.

 

The right cup has some more to offer,this hold the ANC toggle, Active Noise Cancellation. There is a huge difference between on and off here making these more than just useful at the office,if your turn ACN on the sound is amazing,even if you just used these a normal pair of headphones these are impressive and give an amazing sound experience which leaves the distraction behind,you can use these for work or pleasure and get great results for both and in comfort too,to be honest i would have no issue using these as just normal headphones the sound is that good and the experience you get.Also on this side is the boom arm which can be simply moved up or down to turn on and off,so when work is done or you simply want to listen to music and move away from your workspace you can swipe up the boom arm and then connect to your portable device with ease.

 

Control Unit.

The control unit is a sleek design which offers easy management of what you want to do,the undersize has a rubber ring which keeps it from slipping around and then there is a light around the centerpiece to enable busy mode which actually looks quite nice especially in a darker environment.Its a simple design with large indicators to guide you simply to your chosen action.If you are on a call the light will appear as shown below or you can activate this to yourself which is quite handy if you want to be left alone,i like this idea..

Conclusion.

They are not cheap,£322.but in this life you get what you pay for, originally designed to make you more productive in your workspace these also act as a true pair or typical personal headphones so the price is worth it,they are comfortable,they do the job,they make life easy,especially in the office,they enhance productivity so infact you are getting quite more than your bargained for when you think of it,these big cupped headphones don’t suite everyone lets be honest but if i had these thrown my way from a company i worked for i would have no problem wearing them at home as well as in the office,beggars cant be choosers..There is other models available to form jabra which are smaller than these so again there is choice to suits ones personal taste along with the bosses.

For the full range of the Evolve series look over here at Jabra UK

 

 

 

 

 

The winner of our Noreve case for the Galaxy Note 4 is…..

Thanks to all that have entered our latest competition,fear not there is much more to come and bigger prizes too.

There can be only one winner unfortunately we do wish we could make everyone winners..

Congratulations to…..

We will be in touch to arrange your prize well done..

Microsoft’s Windows 10 Event – At a Glance by @Tiwaash #Microsoft #Windows10

Finally the much awaited event went live today where Microsoft showcased all about Windows 10 and some new technology which there are introducing the world to. Windows 10 is the most advanced OS made by Microsoft, which will work on various devices of various sizes. Continue reading to know what happened at the event today.

Windows 10 Overview

After the event went live, Terry Myerson announced on stage that, for the first year after Windows 10 launches, any device running Windows 7, Windows 8.1, or Windows Phone 8.1 will be able to upgrade to the latest version of MIcrosoft’s OS — for free. Which we consider is good thing as far as users are concerned.

Taking feedback from 1.7 million insiders from the Microsoft Insider Program, Windows 10 can easily be called as the most advanced OS from the company which offers seamless multitasking with special attention on the user security and privacy and comes with loads of features. The key features are listed below

  • Now Cortana is made available on PCs & laptops with advanced capabilities and “Hey Cortana” activates the personal assistant.
  • Improved design and interface.
  • New universal apps for PC such as Outlook, Calendar etc. now are more functional and go well with the whole interface.
  • Project Spartan is here to replace Internet Explorer. Spartan is fast responsive and feature rich, providing you with the option to create notes right on the browser, there is reading mode on board and many more.
  • Gaming is getting a massive push in Windows 10. A new Xbox app enables Game DVR for sharing clips of most PC games with your friends — and they’re sent across Xbox Live, so Xbox One owners can watch as well.

Cortana for Windows 10

On the desktop of Windows 10, Cortana takes the form of a search box located right beside the Start button. The box will allow you to search the web and your local computer, with results popping up above it. Cortana can be used to perform simple searches, but as on Windows Phone, it can also be used to surface much richer information, like flight statuses. Cortana can also be used to send and dictate emails, control music, and launch apps. Notifications will also pop up here.

Windows 10 for Phones

Joe Belfiore today demonstrated the new experience tailored specifically for phones and tablets with screens of 8 inches and smaller. The most immediate change is a shift of the background image to sit behind the UI tiles, making for a much tidier and more attractive interface. The settings menu has also been cleaned up dramatically, with Belfiore noting it’s a universal app that will function identically whether on the desktop or mobile version. The first build of Windows 10 for phones will be made available to members of the Windows Insider Program in February.

Office for Windows 10 Phone & Tablet

Microsoft demoed Office for Windows 10 today, giving a first look at how it will look on phones and small tablets. It’s a huge improvement over what Word, Powerpoint, and Excel currently look like on WindowsPhone. The new apps look a lot more like their desktop counterparts, just streamlined to make more sense for a small, touchscreen device.

Windows 10 for Xbox One

Microsoft’s gaming chief Phil Spencer just announced that Windows 10 is coming to Xbox One. “For developers that want to bring their application over the TV screen this is going to make it very easy for them to do so.” Microsoft announced a the new Xbox App for Windows 10 and Xbox One Streaming to Windows 10 devices.

New Device: 84-inch Surface Hub tailored for Windows 10

Microsoft unveiled a whole new category of device designed to showcase Windows 10. It’s called the Surface Hub. Surface Hub features an 84-inch 4K display with support for multi-touch and pen input. A 55-inch option will also be available. The massive screen also includes dual cameras, microphones, and a wide array of “advanced sensors,” Microsoft says.

New way of Computing: Windows Holographic with HoloLens Headset

Microsoft also revealed its next great innovation: Windows Holographic. It’s an augmented reality experience that employs a headset, much like all the VR goggles. Microsoft’s solution adds holograms to the world around you. The HoloLens headset is described as “the most advanced holographic computer the world has ever seen.” It’s a self-contained computer, including a CPU, a GPU, and a dedicated holographic processor. The dark visor up front contains a see-through display, there’s spatial sound so you can “hear” holograms behind you, and HoloLens also integrates a set of motion and environmental sensors.

Stay tuned for more tech buzz.

Twitter for Windows Phone gets an update AT LAST. by @jimboireland #Twitter #WindowsPhone

Well its been how many months now since twitter last seen an update on Windows Phone yes it was way back then when Android and iOS reaped updates quite regular especially Twitter for Android.

Todays news will be welcome for many users of the app but i fear third party apps have took over the official with apps like Tweetium and Twabbit for example,Windows Phone users have given up along time ago on the official app so can it claw back any of its old friends,well lets see what is new..

Much awaited was to add photos via DM and to have the ability to upload more than one photo at a time and this is now possible which will help current users of the app.We also have people hub integration also you can now ask Cortana (where available) to send tweet when in the app..You can now also share websites from IE to the app from your device,Apart from that there is no cosmetic changes either so it still looks a bit on the outdated side there and notifications are still an issue and sharing is also missing although you can via IE.

Source   Thanks for the tip Milorad.

Download Twitter for WindowsPhone

 

Is this the future for computers ? Check out Mouse-Box by @jimboireland #MouseBox #PC

Lets face it things are getting smaller and of course things are also getting bigger it depends on the technology,example been phones are now phablets they have reached already sizes we once never thought,ever since the first Galaxy Note was launched we all snubbed it and laughed but look at how that has changed in the last two years alone..

Our PC or Laptop is also another example of how things have become smaller,thinner or lighter and in some cases larger,change is of course good but everyone cant be pleased.Mouse-Box might have the answer for some with their new invention which is not on sale yet nor seeking crowdfunding as yet,but they have crammed a PC into a Mouse..

 

Mouse-Box has crammed quite alot into what looks like our standard mouse which we are all so familiar with.

It has a Micro HDMI port,2 UBS 3.0 ports,Wi-Fi,1.4GHz Quad-core ARM Cortex CPU, 128GB of flash storage and also cloud storage plus an accelerometer and gyroscope..So all you need after that is a screen and a keyboard and away you go,this seems like a pretty cool idea but can it take off ?

 

Source

Browse the news from the entire Internet in one app with #FeedViewer #WindowsPhone by @jimboireland

There is many news apps out there today on any platform and plenty of new aggregators examples on Windows Phone would be Magnify and Flipboard which are kind of similar but nice apps all the same and new apps are always welcome on Windows Phone

This is a new app made by Václav Dajbych who sent it in for us to test out and it seems nice and i like the layout too,you can select from already loaded news sources and then you can add more yourself using the add sources option.

 

The app is quite new so i found one bug initially on testing it out such as not been able to add some RSS feeds giving an error but other than that its quite a nice app and looks well,you can also view the content off line once read,the app initially shows you the main story and some text then you can view the entire article with one tap then you can mark the article as read when finished,to move from one article to another you simply swipe to the left.

1 / 11

As you can see its mostly BBC thats pre-installed on the app but you can add more sources if required,you can pick from News,Sports,Tech,Business etc and you will have an option with your active feeds which of course can be removed if you wish,there is also a nice live tile too for your homescreen.

What do you think ? Sound off below in the comments..

DOWNLOAD FEED VIEWER.

Microsoft to discontinue Nokia Mail and Nokia Chat on 9th March, 2015 by @Tiwaash #Microsoft #NokiaMail

Microsoft sent out mails to Nokia Mail users informing that she Nokia Mail and Nokia Chat services powered by Yahoo from March 9, 2015 onwards.

Beginning 9 March, 2015, you will no longer be able to sign in, access your existing emails, or send and receive new messages using your Nokia Mail or Nokia Chat address. If you want to save your existing emails, you must copy your existing Nokia Mail to another email service or to your computer before 9 March, 2015″ read the mail from Microsoft.

Microsoft also detailed about the withdrawal of support from all the services for which the users use Nokia Mail id.

If you use your Nokia Mail or Nokia Chat address to sign in to Yahoo services such as Flickr, you will no longer be able to do so after March 9, 2015 and all your data and content will be deleted. If you’re a Flickr user, follow this link to move your photos to a new Flickr account, to prevent losing your photos:https://help.yahoo.com/kb/flickr/SLN7315.html?impressions=true

If you have been using Nokia Mail as your contact email for other apps or services, we advise you to update your profile on these services to use an alternative email address. We recommend that you let your friends and family know about your new email address as well”.

So considering this as an early warning signal from Microsoft it is better to follow the instructions given here & save your important mails & chats.
Stay tuned for more tech buzz.

Microsoft Band gets Guided Workouts support in its first major update by @Tiwaash #Fitness #MicrosoftBand #Wearable

Microsoft has updated its Band fitness tracker in its first major update. Microsoft started rolling out additional features to the Band such as guided workout and more.

The Band fitness tracker is getting 12 Guided Workouts that Microsoft has sourced from various partners, like Gold’s Gym and Men’s Fitness magazine. Users will have to load the workouts from the Microsoft Health app to the wearable gadget. Earlier in January, Microsoft pushed a general software update to the Microsoft Band and to the Health app, which primarily addressed performance and fixed a few bugs.

The  Microsoft Band uses a series of timers and wrist buzzes to guide the user through the workouts. Some of the workouts use common exercise equipment like kettlebells, dumbbells, plyometric boxes, and jumprope.

To know about Microsoft Band and it’s feature click here.

Stay tuned for more tech buzz.