It’s a pretty slick piece of technology but the beauty of this machine is its simplicity. Once you get over its stunning good looks (you won’t look out of place sitting in the window of Starbucks), the first thing that hits you is the speed and simple layout. With the app launcher in the bottom left, it’s just click and go. Could this be the answer to all your tech envy?

Although Chromebooks have been centered around cloud applications and your Google account, it’s apple-esque in its synchronization of your Google account with all your data files, photos and documents making your Chromebook a completely personalised experience. If you’ve an android phone it allows to you take that synchronization to another level on the go. In Google docs you can log in and do all your document writing safe in the knowledge that it’s fully compatible with Microsoft word.

The biggest question new users seem to ask – “Can I use it offline?”. The answer is a simple “Yes”. It even updates with your online file the next time you are online giving you up to date on the go computing. Just click the Google drive icon and click enable offline.

Google are constantly updating the Chrome OS system, improving speed and battery time lasting up to 9 hours, plus the system boots in less than 10 seconds. No need to worry about security as Google take care of all the threats with security updates happening as soon as you go online.

With the Chromebook coming in at less than half the price of the cheapest MacBook Air, it’s certainly providing a value for money alternative to Apple’s MacBook Air or Microsoft Windows machine – and it looks pretty cool too!

The Chromebook is fun and cheap and if you embrace the android family with mobile and tablet, it gives you the full eco-system allowing you full access and complete synchronization of technology.

Why not check it out here.

The right way to buy refurbished items.

If you’re considering buying a refurbished gadget, there are a few best practices you can abide by to make sure your purchasing experience is a good one. Here are a few pointers to help you play it safe when shopping for refurbished products:

Stay Away From ‘As Is’ - If you see something that’s offered for sale “as is,” chances are it’s not worth the investment. The phrase “as is” is a tell-tale sign that something is wrong with the product. (at smartspot – we would never sell a product ‘As Is…’)

Opt for Factory-Certified Products - If you see a refurbished product that is factory certified, then you can purchase it with a degree of confidence that it has been put through the quality-assurance process thoroughly.  (at smartspot, our Nused (premium refurbished) products go through a 15 Step quality assurance process via our purpose built refurbishment centre).

Make Sure It Has a Warranty - Refurbished products should be offered with a warranty so that you’ll still have some recourse in the event that something goes wrong. Usually, manufacturers offer 90-day warrantees on refurbished products. (at smartspot, you get a full 12 month warranty on all our Nused (premium refurbished) product).

Make Sure It Has a Return Policy - Obviously, you’re going to want to return the product if it is defective. Be sure that the return policy is spelled out clearly. (at smartspot you’re covered. See our full Returns Policy at – http://smartspot.ie/terms-and-conditions)

You can save yourself a bundle with refurbished products. Just be sure that you exercise a measure of due diligence when shopping for them.

So there you have it…drop in store or check us out online and buy with confidence at smartspot.

]]> http://blog.smartspot.ie/the-right-way-to-buy-refurbished-items/feed/ 0 http://blog.smartspot.ie/new-12-macbook-and-apple-watch/ http://blog.smartspot.ie/new-12-macbook-and-apple-watch/#comments Tue, 10 Mar 2015 10:13:25 +0000 http://blog.smartspot.ie/?p=346 Yesterday, Apple surprised us with the announcement of the new 12″ Macbook and more details of the Apple Watch. Let’s find out what the biggest 10 things to come out of the event were.

1. Carplay is coming to more cars

Apple announced that every major car manufacturer has committed to launching Carplay in the future and there will be 40 cars shipping with it this year alone. With major updates expected and fierce competition from manufacturers and Android Auto, it’ll be an interesting race.

2. Your iPhone and Apple Watch is going to help a lot of people.

Apple is opening up it’s phones and watches to help move medical research forward. You’ll be able to share your activity with universities and researchers via apps and HealthKit. The data stays with them, not Apple and 5 apps have launched today. ResearchKit goes open source next month too.

3. We now have 12″ Gold Macbooks

Apple launches a redesigned 12″ Macbook today. With a smaller unibody design, processor, more storage and faster processor it’s a great upgrade. It will set you back around €1,499 though.

4. Say goodbye to regular USB ports

Apple are using USB Type-C for the Macbook. This port & cable delivers video, data and power all through one wire. Headphone jacks are thankfully still a thing however.

5. Say hello to USB extension ports & cables

If you’re planning on plugging anything into your Macbook, you’ll need an adaptor. A single USB adaptor will set you back around €20, if you want video/Thunderbolt at the same time, it’ll cost you an eyewatering estimated €79.

6. The Apple Watch was shown off again

With no new functionality announced bar being able to customise each watch-face and make calls from your wrist, the Apple Watch will still track your activity, give you glancable information and will try to reduce your reliance on your iPhone. It’ll also feature Apple Pay (yet to launch in Ireland).

7. We saw some of the apps you’ll be able to use

You’ll be able to grab an uber, view your Instagram feed, open your hotel door and more with an Apple Watch.

8. You can get your wrists on it from April 24th from around €349-399

The Apple Watch starts from $349 meaning we’ll see a €349-399 price in Ireland. If you’re looking for a 42mm watch, add an extra €50 to that. If you want to splurge, you’ll be able to pick up a gold Apple Watch Edition for a record breaking $17,000. Irish pricing and availability still hasn’t been announced.

9. You’ll be charging it every day

With an 18 hour battery life quoted by Apple, it’s betting on you getting 8 hours sleep a night. Apple promises “All Day Battery Life” which we’re looking forward to seeing in action. The Apple Watch charges via wireless charging, which magnetically attaches to the watch.

10. Apple TV got a price cut.

Arguably the best news from the event was that the Apple TV got a price cut. You’ll be able to pick one up from around €79.

Article supplied by independent reviewers at: theeffect.net

Once again my son came to the rescue and introduced me to ‘Spotify’.  Spotify lets me search for artists or albums and listen to them for free.  With the free version you get interrupted by adds every three or four songs.  If that really bothers you, you can upgrade to the premium level for €10 per month.  That’s super value at a little under €0.33 per day – I can’t get a bus to Dublin for that – lucky I have my bus pass.

The great thing about ‘Spotify’, is once you set-up your account you can have it on several devices – I have it on my iPad, iPhone and the laptop.  All I do is sign into the account on each device and listen to the music of my choice.

Spotify also has playlists set-up under various categories – Genres and Moods, so you can choose a playlist and listen to music to your heart’s content.   You also have the choice of making-up your own playlist, I didn’t bother.

Well I’m off now to listen to some music on my Spotify account, which I have set-up on the iPad.  I’ll sit down with a nice cup of tea & the paper – listen to some music and let the day drift on by.

Build Quality

The first thing you notice when you pick up the Tab S is just how light it is. Weighing in at just 465g, this thing is worryingly light. That doesn’t mean it feels cheap though, using the same dimpled leather effect like on many of their other Galaxy devices, the Tab S, has a high-quality feel to it if a little tiny bit on the plasticky side.

Hardware

There are stereo speakers located on the left and right of the side of the device when held in landscape mode and they offer loud, but unfortunately not that bassy, audio. There is an 8MP shooter on the back with an LED flash and a 2.1MP camera on front for full HD video. The camera took decent pictures with good colour reproduction and very good levels of detail.

The front facing camera had a clever little ‘real-time makeup’ option that would ‘photoshop your face’ when using the front camera to take a picture.

Display

The display on the Tab S is one of the best mobile display we have ever seen. Having such a large super AMOLED display really makes the difference and when watching videos or just viewing pictures, this screen is simply stunning with a crazy contrast ratio of 100.000:1. We hate to use cliches but this is one of those things that has to be seen to be believed.

Software

The Tab S has Android KitKat running under the hood, powered by a quad-core Qualcomm processor. You’ve got your usual array of multitasking options with the very hand split screen option. The Tab S also comes with a fingerprint scanner like the one found in the Galaxy S5. There is 3GB of RAM with 16GB of storage although this is depleted by the OS on top but you can expand the memory with the Micro SD card slot up to 128GB.

Battery

With the Super AMOLED screen using up less power than a conventional LCD display, the Tab S had an extremely impressive battery life with us getting a good day’s usage out of it. Like any mobile device though, the higher you have the brightness (which we had quite high a lot to enjoy the gorgeous screen) the quicker your battery drains so to get the best out of this tablet, and any mobile device, it’s best to keep the screen at an medium to low brightness.

Conclusion

We were excited to get our hands on one of the new Tab S’s and we definitely weren’t disappointed. We loved how light the tablet was, how amazing the colours and details were on the screen and just how much the tablet could handle when it came to labour-intensive tasks. So if you’re looking for a high-end android tablet, you would definitely be wise to check out what the Galaxy Tab S has to offer.

The Tab S we reviewed was the 10.5″ ‘Dazzling White’ 16GB model but there is also an 8.4″ model and a ‘Titanium Bronze’ colour option too

.

Article supplied by independent reviewers at: theeffect.net

The Z3 Range of devices have a lot of similarities. They each have the 2.5ghz quad core Snapdragon 801, Adreno 330 GPU and 3gb of RAM (2gb in the compact). We’ve detailed out the specifics of each device below for you to have look over. One notable feature exclusive to the Z3 line is the PlayStation Remote Play. Basically, like you can do with the Sony PlayStation Vita, you can stream your PS4 games to your device. They’ve even launched an adaptor for the Dual Shock 4 that you can mount your Z3 device onto to better stream the games.

On top of those, Sony also announced the SmartWatch 3 which, thankfully, is powered by Android Wear! It actaully looks pretty slick! It’s not got the lust worthy round screen we’re all wanting, but it does look good and also has GPS so you can use it for a sports tracker independent of a phone.

We’re really looking forward to spending some quality time with all these new devices and are super excited for the Sony range this year!

Xperia Z3

5.2-inch 1920×1080 TRILUMINOS display
2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor
Adreno 330 GPU
20.7-megapixel rear camera with Exmor RS sensor, ISO 3200 in manual mode
2.2-megapixel front camera
3GB of RAM
16GB storage
microSD slot with support for cards up to 128GB
4G LTE connectivity
146.5 x 72 x 7.3mm
IP65 and IP68 rated for resistance to dust and water
3100mAh battery
Android 4.4 KitKat

Xperia Z3 Compact

4.6-inch 1280×720 display
2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor
Adreno 330 GPU
20.7-megapixel rear camera with Exmor RS image sensor, ISO 12800 in manual mode
2.2-megapixel front camera
2GB of RAM
16GB storage
microSD slot with support for cards up to 128GB
127.3 x 64.9 x 8.64mm
IP65, IP68 rated for resistance to dust and water
2600mAh battery
Android 4.4 KitKat
Z3_Compact_Tablet

Xperia Z3 Compact Tablet

8-inch 1920×1200 display
2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor
8.1-megapixel rear camera with Exmor RS image sensor
2.2-megapixel front camera
3GB of RAM
16GB storage
microSD slot with support for cards up to 128GB
4G LTE connectivity optional
IP65, IP68 rated for dust and water resistance
4500mAh battery
Android 4.4 KitKat

Xperia E3

4.5-inch 854×480 IPS display
1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor
5-megapixel rear, VGA front cameras
1GB of RAM
4GB of storage
microSD slot with support for cards up to 32GB
137.1 x 69.4 x 8.5 mm
4G LTE connectivity
2330mAh battery
Android 4.4 KitKat
sony-smartwatch-3-630×430

Sony SmartWatch 3

1.6-inch 320×320 LCD display
4GB of storage
IP68 rated for resistance to water
GPS, accelerometer, microphone, compass
Charges over microUSD
Available in black and lime editions at launch, with white and pink straps coming later on
sony-smartband-talk

Sony SmartBand Talk

1.4-inch always-on e-paper display
Built-in accelerometer and altimeter sensor
IP68 rated for water resistance
Black and white available at launch, more colors coming later on.

Article supplied by independent reviewers at: theeffect.net

Called the HTC One M8 for Windows, on the outside, it’s identical to the HTC One M8 that we all know and love, with the same design and dimensions and it even works with the HTC One Dot Case.

The HTC One M8 for Windows

Inside is where it changes, as it runs Windows Phone 8.1 (with Update 1) instead of Android and brings over HTC staple Blinkfeed but here it’s an app rather than a baked-in launcher. The same ‘Ultrapixel’ Duo Camera is here too, along with the two front facing ‘Boomsound’ speakers and a 5MP front facing camera.

Specs-wise, you’ll find all of the flagship specs that the Android version has, including a 2.3 GHz quad-core processor, 5 inch, 1080p HD screen, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage with MicroSD card support up to 128GB.

Considering that the last HTC Windows Phone devices were launched almost two years ago and the market has been dominated by Nokia, more choice is better for consumers. What do you think, will the great HTC One M8 hardware convince you to switch to Windows Phone?

The full spec list is below.

The HTC One M8 for Windows

General

• Size: 146.36 x 70.6 x 9.35 mm
• Weight: 160 grams
• Display: 5.0 inch, Full HD 1080p

CPU Speed

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, 2.3 GHz quad-core CPU

Platform

• Windows Phone 8.1.1 with Cortana
• HTC BlinkFeed

Memory

• 2GB of RAM
• 32 GB of onboard storage
• Expansion card slot support for microSD cars up to 128 GB

Network

LTE

• 700 MHz / AWS (B13 / B4)

CDMA:

• 1x/DO 800/1900 MHz
• Quad UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+ (850/900/1900/2100)
• Quad GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900)

SIM

• Nano SIM

Sensors

• Accelerometer
• Proximity sensor
• Ambient light sensor
• Gyro sensor
• Barometer sensor

Connectivity

• 3.5 mm stereo audio jack
• NFC
• Bluetooth 4.0 with aptX enabled
• Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 & 5 GHz)
• DLNA for wirelessly streaming media from the phone to a compatible TV or computer
• Micro-USB 2.0
• Microsoft Project My Screen
• Miracast
• Support consumer infrared remote control

Sound

• HTC BoomSound
• Dual frontal stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers

Camera

Duo Camera

• Primary camera: HTC UltraPixel camera, BSI sensor, pixel size 0.2 µm, sensor size 1/3″, f/2.0, 28 mm lens
• HTC ImageChip 2
• 1080p Full HD video recording with HDR video
• Secondary camera: Capture depth information

Front camera

• 5 MP, f/2.0, BSI sensor, wide angle lens, with HDR capability, 1080p Full HD video recording
• Gallery with UFocus, Dimension Plus, Foregrounder

Multimedia

Audio support formats:

• Playback: .aac, .amr, .ogg, .m4a, .mid, .mp3, .wav, .wma
• Recording: .acc

Video supported formats:

• Playback: .3gp, .3g2, .mp4, .wmv, .avi (MP4 ASP and MP3), h.263, h.264
• Recording: .mp4

Location

• Internal GPS antenna + GLONASS
• Digitalis compass

Battery

• Capacity: 2600 mAh
• Embedded rechargeable Li-polymer battery
• Talk time: Up to 24 hours
• Standby time: Up to 387 hours

Article supplied by independent reviewers at: theeffect.net

The guys over at Snapchat have been very busy creating the new features for the updated Snapchat app which has gone live today.

The app now has an added chat feature built in which allows you to talk to all of your friends but still keeping the Snapchat mantra of ‘once it’s gone, it’s gone’ by deleting your messages once you leave the conversation. You are allowed to save important messages though which is handy.

You can also quickly initiate video calls with your friends from within the conversation and switch between your front and back cameras with a simply swipe up and down. We’re really enjoying playing with this latest update here in the office and are glad to see Snapchat getting better functionality. Make sure you go into either the App Store on your iPhone or Google Play on your android phone to update the app. What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments below:

Article supplied by independent reviewers at: theeffect.net

You – “I really like you, we’ve had some great times together and I really appreciate the times you got me a lift when it was raining, found out where everybody was on a night out. You’ve been great, its not you, its me …”

Your Phone – “Eh yeah, I know its not me, its you. There’s nothing wrong with me, I’m a GREAT phone. I get it, you just fancy a new number with a shiny case, well guess what? I WANT to be taken down to Smartspot and traded in … maybe this time I’ll be going out with somebody who doesn’t get caught in the rain every week and who doesn’t keep losing their mates …”

If our tech could talk huh?!