Archive for the ‘Lifestyle & Gadgets’ Category

WHICH SHOULD I BUY? – Samsung Galaxy S3 or iPhone 4S?

By Gerald Lynch on May 4th, 2012

There was a time when every self-respecting man about time worth his salt wouldn’t be caught dead with any smartphone other than an Apple iPhone. And though Apple keep on delivering the goods year-on-year with updates to the range, Android smartphones are now every bit as desirable. The new best-in-class model is Samsung’s Galaxy S3. Revealed at a glitzy launch event in London last night, Brandish’s pals over at Tech Digest went hands-on with the new smartphone to get all the juicy details. Is it better than the iPhone 4S, or should you steer clear of the Samsung Galaxy S3? Read on to find out which smartphone you should be spending your money on!

Design and Build Quality

iPhone 4S
Though it’s a rehashed version of the iPhone 4 (with the dreadful antenna issues all ironed out) it’s hard to fault the iPhone 4S design. Whether you grab it in black or white, the angular unibody design with chrome trim oozes style. It’s arguably hit the sweetspot for mobile-phone size at 115.2 mm x 58.66 mm x 9.3 mm too. It does however lack a HDMI-out port, pretty much a standard with high-end Android handsets these days, and it’s a little delicate, with its glass prone to shattering if dropped from even a modest height.

Galaxy S3
Thin at just 8.6mm and light at 133g, the Galaxy S3 feels great in the hand, and slips almost invisibly into a pocket. Available in Pebble Blue and Marble White, its curved edges are meant to conjure memories of nature. However, its plasticy “Hyperglaze” finish lacks that premium feel, and some may decide the Galaxy S3 is a little flimsy, albeit unfairly.

Winner – iPhone 4S

Screen

iPhone 4S
The latest iPhone’s Retina Display is pretty much as good as it gets for mobile display technology right now. Measuring 3.5 inches diagonally, it uses LED backlit IPS TFT LCD technology to deliver images at a staggering 326ppi. What the screen lacks in size it more than makes up for in detail, with vibrant colours, lush brightness and deep blacks.

Galaxy S3
A 4.8 inch Super AMOLED HD display sits on the front of the Galaxy S3 and it’s gorgeous. Though its extra size and resolution mean it “only” hits a 309ppi pixel density, to the naked eye that won’t make a difference. Vibrant and colourful, it dwarfs the iPhone 4S screen, which is a far less comfortable size to view videos on. Bigger, in this case at least, is better.

Winner – Galaxy S3

Processor

iPhone 4S
Apple’s 800Mhz dual-core A5 chip may sound a little dated in this age of quad-core mobile CPUs, but thanks to Apple’s careful marriage of software and hardware, you’ll never find the iPhone 4S being overly taxed. You’ll fly through menu screens, tap away at breathtaking polygonal-3D gaming apps and playback detailed HD video without a stutter.

Galaxy S3
Samsung have popped a quad-core 1.4Ghz Exynos processor in the Galaxy S3. And despite having to push more pixels than the iPhone 4S (and running off the sometimes temperamental Android OS) there wasn’t a stutter or hang to be seen. This is one powerful phone, best presented by the Pop Up Play feature that offers true picture-in-picture multitasking, offering windowed HD video playback. Impressive is an understatement.

Winner – Galaxy S3

Storage

iPhone 4S
Though Apple’s iPhone 4S doesn’t offer expandable storage, they at least offer three different configurations when it comes to size. 16GB, 32GB and 64GB iPhone 4S models are all available, with pricing rising appropriately. It’s a crafty tactic though, as those opting for more storage space have to pop money directly into Apple’s coffers, rather than picking up cheaper expandable storage elsewhere. With the iCloud back-up feature too you’ve got a little leeway with which to store files remotely too, though extensive cloud storage through Apple doesn’t come cheaply.

Galaxy S3
Samsung’s generous storage options make Apple look very cheap here. For starters, you’ve got the same 16GB, 32GB and 64GB handset options. Add on to that the option of popping in as much as an extra 64GB from a microSD card. Then pile on top the 50GB of FREE Dropbox cloud storage that comes as standard with every Galaxy S3 purchase. There’s no competition here.

Winner – Galaxy S3

Battery

iPhone 4S
The iPhone 4S is said to have 200 hours worth of battery standby time, 8 hours talk time on 3G, 14 hours talk time on 2G, 6 hours 3G browsing, 9 hours Wi-Fi browsing, 10 hours of video playback or 40 hours of audio playback. In reality however, you’re going to be juggling through all these tasks (at times simultaneously) throughout a day, meaning that you’re going to need to recharge that battery long before the day is done.

Galaxy S3
Samsung have popped in a whopping 2100mAh battery in the Galaxy S3. It sounds awesome, but remember there’s a massive screen to power, as well as a quad-core processor draining juice all the time. Touches like the Smart Stay tech should keep battery usage as low as possible, but we can’t pass judgement here till we’ve put the phone through its paces for a bit longer. We’ll call it a tie for now.

Winner – Tie

Software and Apps

iPhone 4S
Apple say there’s an app for everything, and with the iOS App Store, that’s pretty much true. With over 500,000 different apps available in Apple’s store, there’s pretty much an app to cater for every potential need. From fitness to finance, arts to archaeology, you name it, there’s a shed load of apps for every possible niche. Gaming in particular is well served on the iPhone, with it more than a match for handhelds like the Nintendo 3DS or PS Vita these days. Just check out Infinity Blade 2 if you need convincing.

The iPhone 4S also features the much-publicised Siri voice control app. With it, you can search the web, set calendar reminder, dictate emails and much more with just your voice alone. In the US it’s a fully-featured service that has a giant database of details on local businesses and events. In the UK, it’s far less comprehensive in terms of what it can do, making it a bit of a novelty for the time being.

As for the iOS operating system itself, it’s incredibly easy to use and looks beautiful. It pretty much invented the grid-based app layout that everything from the Xbox 360 to Roku entertainment players have ripped off since. It is also however incredibly limited in terms of customisation, and if you’re a tinkerer who likes to get under the hood of his device and tweak every property and potential UI layout, it’s not a patch on Android.

Galaxy S3
The Galaxy S3 runs Android Ice Cream Sandwich. When it comes to apps, Android just can’t compete with iOS. For starters there are fewer apps available, and they tend to be uniformly less visually appealing than similar ones available on the Apple App Store.

Likewise, Android is a far less user-friendly OS, but what it lacks in dummy-proofing, it excels with customisation options. You can make your Android look and act pretty much however you want it to, freely adding widgets and personal touches throughout the device.

Samsung have also gone a long way to stamping their own touches into the software of the phone too. As well as the aforementioned Pop Up Play feature, there’s superfast data sharing over NFC with S Beam, intelligent facial recognition and photo tagging capabilities, eye-tracking screen dimming tech called Smart Stay and their own Siri rival called S Voice.

Winner – iPhone 4S

Camera and Video Recording

iPhone 4S
Though its megapixel count of 8 isn’t any higher than the majority of top-tier smartphones the iPhone 4S’s imaging systems consistently deliver stunning results. Using a lens with an aperture of f/2.4, and combining that with clever HDR and Macro software, you get excellent still image results almost every time. A super-fast shutter speed that lets you snap multiple images directly after each other sweetens the deal, as do the many superb photography apps on the App Store. However, you can’t tweak sensitivity settings like white balance and exposure, which may irk pro photographers.

1080p video recording with anti-shake functionality likewise returns brilliant results on the iPhone 4S, with the iMovie app letting you make a few simple edits on the go.

Galaxy S3
Samsung’s top-tier smartphone camera seems every bit as good as the iPhones. Again, it’s an 8MP offering, with impressive start up speeds of 990ms, and the ability to fire off 3.3 photos a second. A 20 in a row, six photos per second, burst mode also features, alongside Best Shot, which takes 8 pictures and picks out the best based on framing, lighting and blur, as well as elements such as open or closed eyes on the subject.

Then there are the facial recognition features. Snap a friend, tag them in one photo, and every subsequent picture you take of them in the future should automatically be tagged accurately by the handset. Groups of people appearing in the same shots can also have group tags associated with them, making organising large photo libraries incredibly easy. Images can quickly be shared via email or social networks using this feature too.

Elsewhere, more standard features like High Dynamic Range (HDR), panorama, Smile Shot and Beauty Modes are onboard too, as well as plenty of manual settings for things like Exposure values.

Though we spent less time with it, 1080p video recording is also onboard. Just like the S2 before it, the results from our early tests looked a real treat, with video stabilisation options working superbly. Up front, a 1.9MP camera for video calling and shooting 720p video is also available.

Winner – Tie

Price

iPhone 4S
Unlocked, the iPhone 4S in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB sizes cost £499, £599 and £699 respectively.

Galaxy S3
We’re still waiting for official pricing for the Galaxy S3, but if the Galaxy S2 was anything to go by, expect premium pricing. The S2 started at around £500 SIM-Free too depending on retailer, so we’d imagine things to be similar with the Galaxy S3.

Winner – Tie

Overall Winner – Samsung Galaxy S3

There’s not much in it, and the Apple faithful will likely see nothing that will make them change their ways, but our first impressions of the Galaxy S3 suggest it may be the best smartphone on the market today. A great camera, superb screen and innovative software features show Samsung have really pushed the boat out with the Galaxy S3. If the price proves right, and the battery is up to scratch, we could have a new smartphone king on our hands. Remember though, the iPhone 4S is based on a design (that of the iPhone 4) that is now a couple of years old. With the iPhone 5 launch almost certainly looming, the tables could turn yet again very quickly…

Lifestyle & Gadgets, News

Should I buy a new iPad 3? Dissecting the hype behind Apple’s latest tablet

By Gerald Lynch on March 16th, 2012

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Launching three new versions of their swanky iPad tablet in as many years, chances are you’re already pretty familiar with the Apple gadget that’s leading the charge for a whole new era of mobile computing. You may even have one already, swiping through your iPad to read this very post. How meta!

Today, Apple unleash a brand new version of the iPad, with queues wrapping around the block outside many an Apple retail store, and the entire online pre-order stock already snapped up until April.

So what’s so special about the new iPad 3? Is it worth your money if you haven’t already got a tablet, and is it a worthy upgrade if you’ve already got an original iPad or iPad 2? Scroll down for our gut reaction on the new generation device’s key improvements, and the areas we feel it’s still lacking in.

5 things that are great about the new iPad

The Retina Display: Apple’s new iPad packs in brand new screen technology, similar to the super-high resolution display found in their iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S mobile phones. Still 9.7 inches in size, the Retina Display has a 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution. That adds up to 3.1 million pixels, approximately 1 million more than you’d see on an average 1080p HD TV. In other words, high-res images look as close to printed pictures as they possibly can, text is more readable than ever, and individual pixels are practically indistinguishable.
Faster A5X processor: Claiming to be 4x faster than their Nvidia rivals, the new chip inside the latest iPad should allow for superior performance across all apps, and allow for more graphically intense games to feature too. If developers get their act together, it shouldn’t be too big a gap between the quality of PS3, Xbox 360 and iPad games now.
Better camera: After putting a dismal camera into the iPad 2, the new iPad finally has a decent imaging system. The “iSight” camera can take 5MP stills and capture 1080p video, which should lead to some very nice results when paired with the new iPhoto image editing app and the updated iMovie video editing app.
4G mobile connectivity: If you’re a reader in the US, the new iPad is now compatible with superfast LTE mobile broadband, which will make downloading larger apps or streaming video on the go a speedy joy.
Price: Despite all the new features, the new iPad retains the same pricing structure as the last generation. So for just £399, you can walk away today with the basic 16GB Wi-Fi only iPad 3. If you’ve been saving up for an iPad 2, jumping straight up to the new iPad 3 won’t cost you any extra notes.

5 reasons not to care about the new iPad

4G doesn’t work yet in the UK: With Ofcom still divvying up the new 4G spectrum in the UK, it’s going to be likely more than a year (at the very earliest) before the 4G standard is widely available in the UK. The new iPad will still be faster over mobile internet than older generations thanks to an improved antenna system, but the incredible speeds that 4G allows for will be out of reach to those in Blighty.
It’s thicker and heavier than last years model: It’s only a slight difference, near invisible to the naked eye, but the new iPad is bulkier than the iPad 2. Using the Wi-Fi models as an example, the iPad 2 is 8.8 mm thick and weighs 600 grammes. The new iPad Wi-Fi only by comparison measures 9.4 mm thick and weighs 650 grammes. It’s not a massive difference, but will be noticeable to those used to the svelte lines of the iPad 2.
The iPad 2 is now way cheaper: While the new iPad is reasonably priced at £399, if you’re not fussed about the new features, the iPad 2 now sits attractively at £329 for the basic model, brand new. Second hand iPad 2′s will likely be drastically cheaper again than that price too.
No Siri: With the iPhone 4S Apple introduced the voice controlled personal assistant feature Siri, which can help manage your calendar, find directions, take notes and search the apps and media stored on your device, as well as a ton of other cool features, just by speaking to it. The iPad 3 gets voice dictation. Seems a bit of a let down, and perhaps even a little cheap on Apple’s behalf if they’re withholding this for a future generation of the tablet. Which leads onto our next point…
Apple almost certainly have something EVEN better lined up: Just prior to the iPad 3 launch, rumours were shooting around the web that Apple were going to be squeezing in new cutting-edge touchscreen technology into the new iPad. Apparently in talks with a company called Senseg who specialise in displays that react to touch differently depending on what’s displayed onscreen, it turned out not to make the cut for the final product. But knowing Apple, it’s likely that the Senseg technology, along with a host of other improvements, are being held back for future updates to their tablet, as they drip feed new features in with each successive update to the device, encouraging existing owners to splash more cash with an upgrade.

Should I buy a new iPad?

If you’ve been waiting to jump onto the tablet bandwagon, the new iPad is easily the most advanced offering out on the market, and, backed by the superb App Store and intuitive iOS user interface, it’s the slickest and easiest to use too. The screen looks great, it’s faster than its predecessor’s and it’s no more expensive than earlier versions.

If however you have an iPad 2, it’s a little more difficult to say. Without 4G connectivity in the UK, the new iPad isn’t quite as impressive as it could be, and unless you’re really into gaming or image/video editing, the new camera and screen upgrades wont mean that much to you. Also, if you’ve never owned a tablet before, and are strapped for cash, the iPad 2 is now available from a number of retailers and second-hand stores for a really great price.

Overall though, we’d say grab the new iPad if you can afford to. The screen really is a revelation in our opinion, and you’ll be the envy of your mates with your shiny new tech toy.

Tags: Apple, iPad 3, iPad 3 features, iPad 3 hands on, iPad 3 preview, iPad 3 specs, iPad HD, iPhoto, iPhoto app preview, iPhoto video, iSight, New iPad, new iPad features, new iPad hands on, new iPad preview, new iPad specs, specs, Tim Cook, video preview
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Brand Spotlight, Celeb style, Collaborations, features, Lifestyle & Gadgets, Trends

Spencer Hart collaborate with Samsung

By Laura on January 1st, 2012

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A few weeks ago we were invited to one of our favourite Savile Row tailors, Spencer Hart, to learn about their recent collaboration with Samsung.

The collaboration involves integrating mobile technology into the traditional craft of Savile Row design and lifestyle tailoring. To be perfectly honest I was a bit skeptical at first, but as soon as I saw how the tailors were able to use the Samsung Galaxy Note, all doubts disappeared.

The Samsung Galaxy Note features the S Pen – and advanced pen-input technology combined with a full touch 5.3” HD Super AMOLED screen for sketching, editing documents or annotating images. Spencer Hart founder Nick Hart is using this technology to complement the traditional tools of tailoring for measuring up clients and showcasing different fabrics, fits and designs.

We had a chance to speak to Nick Hart about the collaboration. He explained how it is changing the way they work stating: “In our world we spend time with our clients to make sure everything is perfect and there’s a huge amount of detail we need to record to create clothing that’s tailor-made to them. When you work with high profile people things need to be done quickly and you’ve got to be flexible – using this new technology will make us more efficient as a business and allow more time for creativity.

“And of course it’s not just for work. I travel a lot and I’m always looking for new ideas. The Galaxy Note means I can capture inspiration while on the move, through images, memos and sketches, and share them instantly with colleagues, suppliers and even clients!”

The Samsung Galaxy Note devices is now being used in store at the Spencer Hart flagship at 62/64 Brook Street, London.

Tags: Samsung, Samsung Galaxy Note, Savile Row, Spencer Hart, tailoring
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features, Lifestyle & Gadgets

Introducing Saint craft lager

By Laura on November 16th, 2011

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A few weeks ago, The Saint Brewing Co sent Brandish one of the very first bottles of their new lager – Saint.
The Saint Brewing Co, has spent two years developing Saint, and it has definitely paid off. It is a wonderful tasting lower-carbonated lager, with distinct sharp citrus taste, floral and soft fruit notes.

The Saint Brewing Co hails from Manchester and are making a name for themselves as a leader in the craft lager revival.

Independently made in small batches, Saint has developed a lager that brings contemporary style to craft brewing. Combine their unique process with high quality ingredients, and you get the fresh tasting, light bodied and easy to drink Saint.

Steve Wilkinson, head brew master for Saint said, “For too long the lager market’s been dominated by a dated range of continental brands, all of which taste pretty much the same: overly bitter and gassy. Saint’s something different, something new: light, fresh and, best of all, genuinely British.”

This is probably one of the best lagers we have had in a long time, so can’t wait for it to be available in bars nationwide in January.

Tags: Beer, Craft lager, manchester, Saint, The saint Brewing co
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Lifestyle & Gadgets

Puttluck: The first ever iPhone app to feature a live competition with prizes

By Laura on August 10th, 2011

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Everyone loves a good game of golf, but lets face it not all of us have the time or money to hit the green.
So what if you could play a game and even win real prizes, all in the comfort of your own home?
That is the very idea behind our new favourite app Puttluck.

The app uses the gyroscopic abilities of the iPhone 4, allowing the game to emulates putting. In other words it is like the Wii, only for your phone. The game features a nine-hole course with a variety of increasingly difficult putts and two difficulty levels.

In addition Puttluck is about to launch their third competition of 2011, in conjunction with The PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club, Johns Creek, Georgia. Taking place from 11th August to 14th August 2011, participants have the chance to win £500 worth of Black Widow golf goodies including everything from grips, cleats, and tees.

The object of the game is for players complete the nine hole course with the lowest score in the quickest time possible. The players’ score and time are recorded and this will determine the overall winner. The score on each hole is added together, giving a grand total after the nine holes have been played. As players complete the nine holes scores will be posted onto the live leader board within the Game Centre, allowing all competitors from across the globe to monitor who is in the lead. Competitors can play the nine holes and post as many scores as they like during the tournament, so get practicing.

The app is available for download here in the iTunes store for 59p.

Tags: golf, golf app, iPhone app, PGA, putting game, puttluck, wii app
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Competitions And Promotions, features, Lifestyle & Gadgets

Competition: Break Free from traffic with a brand new GO LIVE 820 TomTom SatNav

By Laura on July 28th, 2011

19 comments

We have teamed up with our friends over at TomTom to help you break free from traffic by giving you the chance to win a brand new GO LIVE 820 satnav!

TomTom recently commissioned a study to find out more about the psychological effect of traffic on drivers. They discovered that it’s not just a massive pain, but can actually increase stress levels. In fact women suffered an 8.7% increase in stress from driving in traffic, whilst men suffered a staggering increase of 60%. The report went on to suggest that long term exposure to traffic related stress could potentially become hazardous to your health.

TomTom kindly wants to help one of our readers break free from traffic by offering you the chance to win a new GO LIVE 820.The device comes complete with TomTom’s HD traffic service, providing updates every two minutes to help drivers steer clear of delays. In fact it delivers accurate traffic information seven times quicker than any other provider and gives you speed camera warnings, weather reports and information obtained via Local Search with Google.

To celebrate the launch of the GO LIVE 820, TomTom have recruited a host of UK celebrities including John Cleese, Chris Kamara, Scott Mills, and Ronan O’Gara to provide a little comic relief around the stresses of being stuck in traffic.

So if you would like have a chance of winning a GO LIVE 820 device worth £199.99, visit and
‘Like’ the official TomTom Facebook page, watch the John Cleese video and answer the
following question in the comments section below:

What three items does John Cleese take out of his glove compartment?

a) Bunny ears, rubber gloves and a CD
b) Sun glasses, a tennis ball and a CD
c) A sandwich, a bowler hat and a CD

(Competition closes on Thursday 25th August 2011. Only UK fans will be eligible to win the prize. Winner will be picked at random.)

Tags: competition, GO LIVE 820, John Cleese, Sat nav, Tom Tom
Posted in Competitions And Promotions, features, Lifestyle & Gadgets | 19 Comments »

features, health, Lifestyle & Gadgets, News

Skate For Cancer takes on France

By Laura on June 2nd, 2011

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Skate for Cancer (S4C) was started by Rob Dyer after he lost a number of important people including his mother to Cancer. Anyone who has ever met Rob will tell you that he is a truly inspirational individual who turned something very tragic into a source of inspiration, dedicating himself to raising awareness of cancer amongst young people.

In 2004, S4C was formed as a project that would see him and his crew skate across North America, building awareness and raising money to fight cancer. Since then he has now skateboarded across North America, New Zealand and Australia. Next up he will be tacking France

S4C is about “inspiring youth and building a community of informed people who were hyped on getting involved and making healthy choices that prevented contracting the disease in the first place. Rob always understood the importance of medical research, but felt that his purpose was to focus more on the preventative lifestyle decisions that are often ignored by many charities. Instead of concentrating on collecting money for research, Rob preferred to inspire people…”

Rob is an amazing individual who proves on a daily basis just how much one can achieve with a little bit of passion. To follow his journey as he prepares to for his Skate across France you can check out his blog here.

Tags: Cancer awareness, Rob Dyer, Skate across France, Skate for Cancer, skateboarding
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Entertainment, iPhone App, Lifestyle & Gadgets

Augmented reality race game launched for the AR.Drone

By Laura on May 17th, 2011

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Parrot have just announced AR.Race a cool new game for the AR.Drone.

The AR Drone, in case you haven’t had a chance to check it out is a remote controlled quadrotor helicopter with built in wifi and 2 cameras – controlled via the iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad. Parrot, have now launched a free racing game on the app store that will allow 1-4 pilots to challenge each other on the same circuit bring users a whole new experience.

Five game levels are available, with or without the use of the inflatable items which include a 2 pylons with a finishing line and a donut. Check out some of the pictures of the game in action in the gallery.

The game will be available for free on the App Store from 7 June

AR.Race

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Tags: AR.Drone, AR.Race, games
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Lifestyle & Gadgets, Watches

Casio launched Formula 1 predictor game on Facebook

By Laura on May 17th, 2011

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Formula 1 fan? Then make sure you check out the Facebook game Casio lauched last month. Users have to try and predict specific race times from each Grand Prix for the chance to winning various prizes, including a VIP trip to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Casio EDIFICE watches and more.

Each week, you are asked to ‘Guess the Time’ of the driver in pole position and the fastest lap time of Casio’s Formula 1 partner Red Bull Racing. Users will be entered into a draw every week they play.

players who guess either time correctly get to go on a tour of the Red Bull Racing factory in Milton Keynes, and the users who come closest each week overall will win one of Casio’s latest EDIFICE watches.

I have had a chance to check out the EDIFICE watch… and trust me they are pretty awesome. You can check out the game here.

Tags: casio, forumal 1, grand prix
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Competitions And Promotions, Lifestyle & Gadgets, music

Giveaway: Two tickets to the Ford Focus ‘Start More Live’ event

By Laura on May 16th, 2011

6 comments

Ford has just launch the new Ford Focus and to celebrate they are hosting an event called “’Start More Live” on May 25 in Central London. In the run up to the event they have teamed up with Tim Lovejoy and Robbie Knox, to hunt down the best of everything from gadgets to golf, stunt driving and food.

At the event there will be the latest car tech on display, the chance to try out some golfing trick shots with Jeremy Dale, Stefan Gates cooking up an extreme culinary storm, and a performance by The Enemy’.

There are only 250 tickets to the event, but Ford have generously offered us a pair to give away to Brandish readers. To enter leave us a comment and we will pick a winner at random on Friday May 20th.

To find out more about the new Ford Focus and Start More Live” head over to their Facebook page.

***Please make sure you can attend the event in central London on May 25 before entering. You will be responsible for covering your own transportation/any accommodation costs.

Tags: competition, Ford Focus, Start More Live
Posted in Competitions And Promotions, Lifestyle & Gadgets, music | 6 Comments »

iPhone App, Lifestyle & Gadgets

iSupr8: Make Ultra Hipster Videos With Your iPhone

By Laura on January 18th, 2011

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If there is one thing that iPhone users apparently love its retro style apps. Both the Hipstamatic and Instagram apps take care of your photos, but what about your videos? They just look so modern and boring. Well get ready to rejoice the iSupr8 is about to fix this by applying a Super 8 filter to your iPhone’s video function.

The £1.99 app lets you record in 360p, 480p or 720p, and has shortcuts to export to your camera roll, share on Facebook and send via email. Check out the demo above.

First posted to Tech Digest

Tags: apps, iphone, isupr8
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Lifestyle & Gadgets

Olympus TOUGH TG-610 and TG-310 Digital Cameras

By Laura on January 17th, 2011

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Olympus has launched the new TG-610 and TG-310, the latest cameras to join their TOUGH line.

As with their other TOUGH cameras, both the TG-610 and TG-310 are waterproof, shockproof and freezeproof allowing you to take great photos and shoot HD movies in almost any environment. I have yet to personally test out these latest models, however, I personally owned one of the older versions of this camera, and found it perfect for more sporty or adventurous people, looking for good quality point and shoot camera that can keep up with them. Mine has survived a month long canoe trip to the Canadian Arctic, multiple skiing trips, been dropped off a few cliffs and even into a beer stein at Octoberfest, yet despite all this abuse it still works perfectly. So if these new cameras are anything like the older versions, tough is a bit of an understatement.

The 14 Megapixel cameras are Eye-Fi card compatibility and will automatically upload your pictures and movies wirelessly to your computer or website. They can also be charged through USB which is obviously useful when your traveling. Designed to shoot underwater, the cameras feature a sliding double lock mechanism protects the battery, card slots and ports, while an additional lens barrier (metal on the TG-610 and hard glass on the TG-310) safeguards the optical zoom lens for taking pictures underwater; the TG-310 is waterproof to three meters while the TG-610 can shoot images up to five meters. The Olympus TOUGH TG-610 also has an automatic Underwater Snapshot Mode. In addition both cameras are freezeproof to -10°C and shockproof to a height of 1.5 meters.

Similar to their EPL cameras they both feature what Olympus calls Magic Filters. These allow you to add a number of filters to your photos including Pop Art, Soft Focus, Punk ( which transforms your image into contrasting pink and blacks), Sparkle Magic (which adds twinkling lights to objects) and the Beauty Mode (allowing you to smooth away wrinkles and eliminate imperfections and blemishes). The cameras also has Face and Pet Detection. While a lot of these filters are rather gimmicky, for the casual photographer they can be quite fun to play around with.

Both cameras will be available from February, with the TG-610 available in silver, black, blue and red for £250 and the TG-310 available in silver, blue, red, white and orange for £200.

Tags: cameras, Olympus, TG310, TG610
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Gallery, Lifestyle & Gadgets, music, photography, Top Five

Top 5 Gifts For The Gadget Lover

By admin on December 9th, 2010

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Searching for the perfect gift for the gadget or tech lover in your life this Christmas? Well look no further, here at Brandish we have complied a list of some of our favourite gadgets to help inspire you this holiday season. From Headphones to Cameras here are our top 5 gadgets.

Tags: christmas, gadgets, gift ideas for men
Posted in Gallery, Lifestyle & Gadgets, music, photography, Top Five | No Comments »

Accessories, Brand Spotlight, Lifestyle & Gadgets, top ten

Top 10 Pantone Inspired Gifts For This Holiday Season

By Laura on November 16th, 2010

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Pantone has been defining pigments for almost 50 years, and sets industry standards in colour. Its matching systems and guides are essential for designers and artists for referencing and producing the precise hue, tint or shade.

In addition to their colour guides they also have a whole range of products inspired by the now infamous coloured chips. So if you are looking for the perfect present for the design or art lover in your life this holiday season check out our top 10 Pantone inspired gifts

Tags: arts, designer, gift guide, pantone
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Lifestyle & Gadgets, photography

Lomo Pearl Blue and Red Fisheye Packs.

By ThomasHewetson on July 14th, 2010

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At Colette you can find two new colourways of red and pearl blue for the now famous (infamous?) Lomo Fisheye camera. Giving Urban Outfitters a run for their money with their Lomography range, Colette have also collaborated in a limited edition Diana F which you can find on their website.