Month: December 2011

Top Christmas tech 2011

10 Replies Christopher Roberts

What is your favourite bit of tech from 2011 that will be making its way onto your Christmas list? That is if you don’t already have it!

This year has been a really busy one for the tech industry, it would seem that every year, the technology industry gains more pace and steams on ahead. For a great example of this look at cloud computing, this is an industry that has been around and major for less than 5 years, yet it is also an industry that has exploded.

Out of this industry, new firms like SugarSync and Rackspace have emerged, proving to be very profitable. In addition to this, existing firms like Google and Amazon have widened their inventory with the likes of the Chromebook and Amazon’s Web Services.

So, back to the topic in hand…

This year has seen the launch of the iPhone 4 and later the iPhone 4S, LG’s and Panasonic’s new HD and 3D TV sets, the iPad 2, Amazon’s Kindle Fire, Chromebooks, Nintendo’s 3DS, the 6th generation of the iPod Nano, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the HTC Sensation 4G, and many many more bits of cool tech.

Google Chromebook, Amazon Kindle Fire, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Apple iPhone 4, Nintendo 3DSThe thing is which is the best? Which tops your Christmas list?

Given the chance I would love to at least try all of the above, but that’s not going to happen for one simple reason: money. The value of all the new bits of tech released this year mentioned above, is probably around the £5,000 mark, meaning that the average Joe is not going to be able to afford them all. This leads me onto another question, which is best value for money?

I have heard a lot of praise for the Kindle, as being very good value for money, whilst a lot of bad PR surrounding the 3D TV’s mentioned.

So, the questions. What’s your favourite, and why? Which do you think best value for money and do you want any for Christmas?

Hopefully next year with a bit of growth, we will be able to have a competition to win some/all of the above! Stick with it 😉

Smart Meters are the future for your home electricity

15 Replies Christopher Roberts

This is a sponsored post on behalf of British Gas. To find out more about sponsored content on Technology Bloggers, please visit our Privacy Policy.

Smart meters are a clever new technology, that can help to improve the way your energy usage is monitored and recorded, but many people know very little about this new bit of tech.

Smart Meters

Smart meters are a technology that are transforming our understanding of energy, and how we use it. What they allow you to do is to work out how much energy you are using, and on what, much better than ever before.

Smart meters measure gas and electricity usage in your home, by replacing your old electricity and gas meter, with an all new one.

For more information, watch this useful British Gas video about smart meters 🙂

The Benefits

This new energy meter allows you to see much easier how much electricity you are using, due to their handy in-home display, which puts you in control  of your energy.

Thanks to smart meters you can see in real time how much energy you are using. You can check this on its user friendly energy monitor, either online or through our smartphone app. So if you have your kettle and TV on and you are using 1KW, then you know what those appliances use.

According to British Gas this gives you the potential to reduce your bills by around a fantastic 10%!  This is because thanks to smart meters, you can see what energy you are using, and therefore can start to make small changes to use less and save money on your bills.

Another handy thing about smart meters is that they report wireless, so there is no longer a need (or the hassle!) for you or an engineer to take readings. Furthermore, the readings sent will now be 100% accurate, for total piece of mind.

Installation

In the UK British Gas are aiming to provide smart meters in all homes in the near future – meaning that everyone can benefit from this new technology.

British Gas's Corporate LogoThey are starting the roll out now, with 120,000 homes in the UK already having a smart meter. This will grow to around 1.5million by the end of 2012.

Because they are so useful, the UK government has mandated that all households will need to have smart meters installed by 2019.

British Gas have already started to introduce smart meters to homes across the UK, in order to make sure that we are ready in time for 2019.

When your home is ready for an upgrade, British Gas will contact you and their highly trained Smart Energy Experts will change your meters, and explain how to use your energy display and save on your bills.

Head over to British Gas’s website and Facebook page to find out more about smart meters and how you can get yours installed!

What do you think about the new meters which could save you money? Do you have any questions on anything I haven’t covered about smart meters?

Create 3D models of your dreams with PLapp

7 Replies RonF

Did you build your own spaceship or fighter plane when you were a kid having it to either guard your fantasy kingdom or just go gun blazing on your sibling? If you answered yes, you’ll love the iPad app I am reviewing today. PLapp is an amazing app which can be used to build all kinds of plastic models in a digital 3D environment assembling and customizing parts as you wish. Frankly speaking, I straight away was overjoyed by the fun and challenges this game offered.

PLapp is a model kit building app that lets you create 3D models and customize them as per your choice without compromising on the experience of building them in reality and lets you to even share the models you’ve created, with your friends on Facebook.

PLapp iPad app Screenshot

Assembling the parts of your 3D models couldn’t have been more enjoyable, with enough and more options for customization like a range of decals, materials, textures and colors all on your iPad, you can have all the fun you want without worrying about getting your hands dirty. Adding to this, PLapp comes with sound effects that are exactly like those you hear when you assemble and demolish model kits! The app has a simple interface and great functionality to assemble and color your models.

The 3D models you design move around really smoothly, making it hard to believe that they have been digitally created. This app gives you the thrill of having constructed your own models and provides you with plenty of options for customization.

As I said earlier, this app is sure to bring out the child in every adult as it will take you back to those days when you spent hours in your room with your siblings or playmates, patiently assembling various parts to build the machine of your dreams. Download PLapp and lose yourself for a few hours in the enchanting world of building 3D models!

I also found a demo video in Youtube for the app and in case you want to check it out, here is the link – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aIlVJ02Yv8