Sense 4.1 Update... HTC One X as it should be!

OK... so just a quick update on my previous post...

Like many frustrated HTC One X customers, I couldn't be bothered waiting for them to push the release out OTA, so downloaded the official RUU from XDA and can happily say that both the performance and the battery life have been improved considerably.

Although I was never unhappy with my HOX, I did used to wonder how I was supposed to manage more than one day without having to charge the battery, and I did come across a few minor niggles with the operation of certain aspects of it, mostly coming from Sense itself. Navigating menu's and the home screen could have been so much smoother.

All this has now been rectified though and I can happily confirm that this latest update from HTC has cured the issues. I'm now getting more than a days usage from my phone and navigating around the UI is a delight.

One of the other fixes, which is equally satisfying, is the removal of the '3 dots' in non-ICS apps. This wasn't something I had noticed previously until it was actually pointed out to me on XDA. But all apps that haven't been developed for ICS (including the likes of Facebook, and many games) featured a solid black bar along the bottom of the screen with 3 dots in them. This was used to get to the menu of whatever app you were in.

As I said previous, I never really noticed it. However, now that it's no longer there, and I have manually mapped the 'recent apps' button to be the menu, the difference is amazing. Such a small change can have mass impact on the user experience and makes the HOX a much nicer phone to use as you can now fully appreciate the screen's size and resolution.

I can happily say, that once again, I am thoroughly satisfied with my HTC One X, but the fact of the ridiculous wait for this, to the point where I have had to manually download and update this myself, coupled with the fact that HTC clearly rushed the HOX out the door without sorting this issue prior to launch makes me wonder what HTC were thinking. It's an arms race in the smart phone industry right now, and more imperative than ever to get things right first time.

Either way... I'm happy with the result and am only left with one question... How long do we have to wait for Jelly Bean ???

HTC Making A Little More Sense (4.1)

Latest rumour coming from the HTC camp is that there is finally a worthy update coming for the Sense UI.

Sense 4.1 is set to improve battery levels (from 3 hours screen time to 5), fix some minor glitches with the Wi-Fi connectivity and all-in-all make it a smoother experience.

There is also rumours that users are going to be able to remap the dedicated buttons along the bottom edge of the screen, allowing us to use the (not so) multi-tasking button as a menu button, much like most AOKP roms, thus disposing of the horrible black menu bar that appears in the majority of apps and games. In addition to numerous other dedicated buttons for both the browser and camera.

I will be eagerly awaiting this update over the coming weeks... Shame it's not Jelly Bean, but I guess that's not far off either :) 

My First Taste Of Jelly Bean

So I did it, I took the leap and rooted my HTC One X.
I'm sick of reading blogs about Jelly Bean coming soon, and how well it's performing on the Galaxy Nexus, I decided I had to try it for myself.

OK, so it's not the most stable, and there are still a couple of little faults here and there, but nothing I can't live with. 


Plus, I know once HTC pull their finger out and finally release Jelly Bean with Sense, I can soon enough flash my HOX back to stock and get the update OTA.

Initial thoughts... Superb. Galaxy S3, eat your heart out! 

The new Google Project Butter really make the quad core Tegra 3 chip work, but wow! It works well. Screen transitions are amazing, instant and as the name suggests. Buttery smooth.

The other feature I've been eagerly awaiting to get my hands on it Google Now. I still haven't managed to get my teeth into it just yet, all I have done is open the app, but as soon as I did, I was amazingly impressed that it displayed local delays across trains, and roads in my local area and asking if I wanted suggestions to alternatives. That's Impressive.

That's about it for now... Just wanted to share my initial experience with Jelly Bean. I'll create a full write-up on it over the coming days once I've managed to get my teeth in to it completely.



Massive thanks to TripNDroid for this update, head over to XDA if you want to try it for yourself.

The Power Of Social Media

It's 2012, and we are well in to what we call 'The Digital Age'. Gone are the days of using maps, typewriters, stopping and asking for directions and having photo's developed at the local Boots. Every thing we do can be done at home, (or out on the move) at the flick of a button, or in most cases, the touch of a screen.

Mobile phones are more like pocket size devices which have many features, one of which happens to make calls, camera's, GPS navigation, email and of course, Social Media. 

Why Social Media? What is it that has us addicted to (over) sharing where we are, what we are doing, what we are thinking and in some cases what we are eating? Because if you turn back the clocks some 10 years, to a time when social media didn't exist, I don't ever remember receiving phone calls from friends telling me 'I'm at the cinema about to watch Jurassic Park', or "I'm just in the back garden, chilling in the sun with a glass of beer". This was information we just didn't really share. So, back to the question, 'Why?' Well that's simple - because we can.

But social media isn't just about sharing photo's, information and whereabouts with your friends... oh no! Brands are using it too. Big brands use the power of social media to gauge online interaction with their brand, to see what people are saying, see what people want and in some cases, even to monitor complaints. Which is what this post is focused on.

In the last couple of month, I have used Social Media, particularly Twitter, a couple of times to rant about my dissatisfaction at service levels from a couple of brands, but I did it in such a way that I knew the brand would see it in the hope they would take action, resulting in me receiving almost £150's worth of compensation from the 2. After all, no brand wants bad press. The brand's in question were First Great Western Trains (@FGW), for their poor train service this month, resulting in me missing connections and being late to work 7 times in one month and SCS Sofa's (@SCSSofas) for not delivering our new sofa when stated. Both of these brands picked up on my complaint and handled it very efficiently and left me extremely satisfied with the result. #WellDone ;)

So here's my 'Quick & Simple Guide To Complaining Via Social Media'

Step 1. Google 'Brand name twitter account'.

Chances are, if said brand have an account, Google will know it, and display it... For those of you not familiar with Twitter ID's, they all start with an '@' symbol. For example, mine is @Lynden2883

Step 2. Tweet Your Disgust.

Create a Tweet, this doesn't have to be Shakespeare's greatest work, and remember you only have 140 characters (including spaces), and you HAVE to get the Twitter ID in there too (maybe even a hash-tag). Make it simple, and make it instant. It's no good waiting until you have calmed down, it has to be there and then.

e.g. Really p*ssed off with @BrandName today, completely #RuinedMyDay, #Thanks

Step 3. Wait For A Reply.

If said brand have a Social Media team worth their salt, they should get back to you, and usually within a couple of hours. In both my cases, it has been within minutes. After all, that's what they are paid to do.

Step 4. Be Brazen.

My Mum always told me, "If you don't ask, you don't get"... so be brazen. Once they've replied, tell them what would make it better, what would be ample compensation for your miss-fortune / inconvenience. Don't ask for something that's clearly not going to happen, like the winning lottery ticket, or £500. But something realistic that you know should be well within their power.

Step 5. Show Gratitude... 

This is something I think people often forget. We are all too quick to complain when things go wrong, but not so quick to give praise when something is handled right. OK, so they messed your order up, or ruined your day, but this wasn't the fault of the customer care / social media team who handled your enquiry, so show a little gratitude in the way they handled it. Sometimes a simple 'Received #GreatCustomerService from @BrandName today, #Thanks :)' goes a long way, and will ensure that team, keeps working the way they did. :)

1 important thing to remember... 'The World Is Watching'. Whether someone follows you or not, there is a high chance that other people will see your tweets, especially if you are using hash tags in there too, and the brands know this also. So they want to be fast, they want to handle your problem, and most importantly, they want to be seen doing so. So use this to your ADVANTAGE!!! 

Go on. Embrace the Power Of Social Media!

A Day of Fun, Laughter and.... Screams!?

Right, off the bat, I have to say that up until Saturday, I'd never been to a theme park, and mostly for the reason that the appeal has never really been there to do so. I've never really seen the enjoyment out of standing in queues for hours on end waiting to go on a ride which lasts (in some cases) seconds...
However, my girlfriend and her family are on the other hand, the complete opposite. Regular visits to Alton Towers each year, holiday's to Disney World in Florida, Portaventura... basically, anywhere there are rollorcoasters... they are there. In short, they are theme park mad.

So when the suggestion of going to Thorpe Park came up, I wasn't particularly excited about it, but figured we were going as a group, so whatever happened, it would be a good day. After all, it was more for Sal's Birthday, as the family couldn't make it the weekend of her birthday, so we decided to do something the weekend before.

As the weeks went by and the weekend got closer, I began to look up the rides, and expected to start to feel some kind of nerves building up, but they didn't. Even when doing my research on the rides I was to expect, I didn't get that sense of 'Oh my god!'... I did however, really start to look forward to the weekend. More so because Sal was getting excited and it was a weekend with her family, which is when I know she is at her happiest.

We were up early doors on Saturday to ensure we got the Thorpe Park first thing and didn't have to queue for the tickets too much. As we got closer, I could see the rides sticking out above the horizon... OMG! These were big... You could see Stealth for miles... and they only got bigger the closer you get.

Once we were parked, got the tickets and were actually in the park, it's then you start to see how big these rides actually are. They tower above everything. Just watching them put a huge smile on my face and gave me a sense of excitement. The sense of excitement I had been looking for over the last couple of weeks.

The crew arrived and we were soon heading off around the park looking for the first ride to go on... As I'd never been before and had no idea about rollor coasters, I was happy to follow everyone's lead and go on whatever they wanted to throw at me first. But still, I had no sense of nerves... nothing was telling me 'this isn't such a good idea'... The first ride we headed for was Nemesis, and as we joined the queue the voice over the speaker said the estimated queuing time was 60 minutes... "60 minutes?... That's a lifetime"... But it wasn't... you stand there (luckily in the sun) chatting away, wandering through the landscaped queuing areas, ducking un-necessarily as the rollor coasters fly by, and actually find that time flies by almost as quick as the people on the ride only a mere couple of feet above your head.

It was only when we got to the very end of the queue, and I was strapped in, that the feeling of fear hit me... and boy did it hit me! Ha! I wasn't panicking, and wanting to get off, but that sense of butterflies that I'd been expecting (and forgotten about) suddenly hit me. By this time tho, it was far to late... We were off... 

The floor below me disappeared, and the coaster was off, ducking and diving through the trees even before we reached the climb to the first and major drop, almost preparing you for what was to come. my legs suspended below me, I decided the best thing was to just relax, and go with it, and boy... was it fun. OK... so it only lasted a minute, tops.. but wow.. the feeling was amazing.

This was the point where I realised why people happily queue for hours to go on a ride that lasts seconds... It was amazing.

Following Nemesis, we headed for Stealth... 0 - 80 in 2 seconds, then up to a height with a view which can only be described as 'breath taking', and then diving back down to the ground again and back into the finish. Must have been all of 10 seconds, but had to be the best rush I've ever experienced in my life. It all happened that fast that I can't exactly remember what was going through my head as we launched, but whatever it was, I must have screamed it, because when I got off, my throat was sore... That deep down sore you get following a night of partying, shouting and screaming. I loved it so much, I was ready to get to the back of the 1hr queue and go back on it again... But the day was drawing fast, and there were more rides to hit.

Next was Saw. We queued for 2 hours in the baking sun chatting away and having a laugh. Over this time, the ride broke down twice, and we contemplated walking away, but the ride was back up and running within 10 minutes max, and we were relieved we didn't walk off. After all, by this point, we'd been queuing for well over an hour. Saw was a different experience all together. I guess they had tried to encompass that feeling of fear, taken from the Saw movies. It was a very good ride, and had plenty of drops, twists and turns. But I spent more time trying to figure out where I was and what was happening to me, than actually enjoying it. So, I guess, it wasn't my favourite.

I think the only disappointment of the day was that Swarm broke down toward the end of the day, and we never got to go on it... But I'll be back, and that'll be the first coaster I make a B-line for :) 

Needless to say, I now have the bug and will be investing in some Merlin passes over the next couple of month's. With Thorpe Park only a 20 minute drive away from where I live, I'd be mad not to. But I'm also keen to now visit Alton Towers... I hear they have even more, bigger and better rides which I just have to experience.

     

Top Tips To Good Open Rates...

Well, it's been a while since I wrote a post for which I have no excuse for other than having somewhat of a hectic lifestyle at the moment. What with work, the gym 3 times a week and cycling whenever I can. Not to mention standing outside women's changing rooms while the missus tries on copious amounts of clothing only to buy 1 item... all this amounts to not leaving me much time to myself :) 

However, I have finally got 5 mins to write my latest post about Email Subject lines... OK, so I'm sure this has been written many times before, but you can never stress the importance of a good subject line. After all, it is the first thing the recipient sees before opening an email. I suppose they actually see who the email from, but the subject line says what it's about... It's in this split second, in which the 50 character (max) sentence is read that, the user decides whether or not to open or delete. So you have to make it count. 

So here are my top 8 tips to creating the right subject line to deliver success...

1. Test, test and test – Look at email campaigns you’ve sent in the past. What worked? What didn't? What got the highest open? what saw the best return?... These are key learning's to help you decide on your next subject line. You might find that for a particular topic there’s a general trend or subject style that resulted in higher open rates. You may even have a particular email in your inbox that caught your eye and made you open the email.

2. Identify the importance – Try and put as much important and relevant information in to your subject lines as possible. For example, if you’re sending out an email about a special offer make sure the product name and details on the offer appear in the subject line in a clear and concise format such as “25% off ACME Product – Today Only”.

3. Personalise the subject line – Placing personal details such as a name in the subject line makes people feel you care, makes them more loyal to the brand and most importantly, ALWAYS produces more opens that one without. A previous test I carried out for a large mobile network showed open rates of 26% for personalised subject line against 17% for those without the personalisation.

4. Avoid spam keywords – Most email servers automatically filter out any emails that contain spam keywords in their subject line – Words such as free, save, sale, etc all trigger spam detection software so keep them out of your subject lines wherever possible, because its no good having a compelling subject line, if its not even making it to the inbox.

5. Trigger curiosity – One of the best ways to improve open rates is to play to peoples curiosity... People like to be enticed, and they like suspense... So exploit this in your subject line... make them 'want' to open the email. eg. {firstname}, Guess what?

6. Make the offer clear – If you’re making a special offer to your subscriber then be upfront and include it as part of your subject line. People love bargains and special offers so let them know about it before anything else. However, you have to try and do this without using too much spam (tip #4).

7. Easy identification – Make sure your subscribers know the email is coming from you. Deceptive subject lines can confuse people so always try and including your company name in the subject line. Also, make sure you set the “From” attribute of your email to include your name and your companies name, such as “From: John Smith <john@acme.com>”.

8. Exclaim nothing – Avoid using excessive punctuation at the end of your subject lines. Google bans punctuation from AdWords ad’s for a reason – too much hype can annoy and confuse people.

Well there you have it – 8 tips for better subject lines in your next email marketing campaign. If you have any tips you’d like to share feel free to post a comment below.

Politics & Taxes

OK, so normally, I'm not much of a ranter... but when something bugs me, I just have to let it out. I don't know if its my Yorkshire genes that made me this way, or the way that my parents raised me, but I don't see the point in keeping things in. After all, how do you expect something to change if you don't let those responsible, know you have an issue with something.

Politics & Taxes... OMG... (that's Oh My God for those that don't use text speak)... They infuriate me... (Politics and Taxes; not people that don't use text speak). I mean, OK... So I didn't vote and I usually when the news comes to this subject, it's usually a sign for me to shut my brain down or switch over, but enough is enough.

The government whinge, moan and whine over the economy, and how we are in a dire recession (not sure there is a 'good' recession), but yet they continually raise taxes and fuel prices... and what's there excuse for doing such??? To boost the economy and raise more money.

"ARE YOU COMPLETELY STUPID?"

I didn't go to Oxford and I didn't go to collage... Damn... I don't even have any GCSE's... But, what I do know, is that in layman's terms, a recession is a general slowdown in economic activity such as employment and household spending. And why aren't households spending??? Because everything is so expensive... People can't afford to spend money.


Here's just one example...


The average fuel tank costs around £70 - £100 to fill... apart from that being ridiculous (not to mention greedy), families can't afford to pay out £100 in fuel alone to go away at the weekend, and then when they do go away, its costing them even more in food, accommodation and activities because the companies that provide these services have also boosted their prices to enable them to pay for their amenities (which have also gone up in costs)... This results in Mr & Mrs Bloggs, spending the weekend sitting in front of the telly doing nothing and saving what little, hard earned cash they have... 


So I put to you Mr Cameron... Does it not make sense, (as apposed to spending BILLIONS of the countries hard earned cash on Nuclear submarines that won't be read until 2025 and that we clearly don't need) that if you were to lower taxes and the cost of fuel, that people would then be able (and more happy) to spend more money, to go on that weekend away, etc... thus (slowly) bringing the country out of recession ???


Please like and share this post... It's not often that I actually ask people to share my work... But I really think this matters, to all of us. Because clearly, our PM is more concerned with making money for the government to spend on things we just don't need to be spending it on (such as said Subs, which are clearly a statement more than anything else and if come 2025, when they are ready, we are still in an age that requires such 'peace keeping' forces then I would imagine it will be 'us' that is at the disadvantage).


Rant Over! :)

Samsung Galaxy Ace 2... Is It Really Reaching Its Potential?

Because I realise that not everyone needs a 1.5GHz quad-core, all singing, all dancing smart phone with true HD screen and 8MP camera. (I said 'realise'... doesn't mean I don't understand why). But, either way... I thought I'd write a post on what's set to be the benchmark setter for the next tier down... The Samsung Galaxy Ace 2.

The Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 is very much a sequel to the original Ace, and is doesn't just stop at the name. The guys at Samsung have obviously taken a note from the previous success of the original in terms of the design, only adding a little more curve to it, making it more rounded.

It does have a more solid a feel than it's predecessor. However, as with most Samsung's, it still feel a little tacky, a bit flimsy and a bit cheap, but the weight and build quality feels about right for a phone that will likely land in the £200-£300 category SIM free.

I think one of the largest letdowns about the new Galaxy Ace 2 is its lack of Ice Cream Sandwich, despite having a dual core 800MHz processor, you'd have thought it being more than up to the job of becoming the baseline model for the new version of Android, and with no current rumours coming from Samsung as to whether the new OS will be emerging on the handset, this could be the end before it begins. That said... the market the new Galaxy Ace 2 is aimed at, quite possibly won't care what version of Android its running.

I think the biggest let down of the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 is its processing power... it's not what you expect for what could have been the leader of this category of phone. Jumping from app to app, opening trays and using apps isn't as smooth as you would expect (or hope). Which is a surprise considering the 800MHz Dual core should be more than capable of the task.

The camera hasn't changed either. Still 5MP and still with a single LED flash. Again, the speed of the processor lets it down again, with the shutter speed seeming somewhat delayed, meaning you could quite possibly miss that perfect shot you were trying to capture.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 is definitely a step in the right direction for a handset in this category – it's, faster, smoother and has slightly improved build quality.
However, I can't help but feel it could have been so much better. 

BUT... I use a HTC One X, so maybe, just maybe... I'm setting my benchmark a little high.

The Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 is now available on Three on a variety of tariffs.

Reaching The Mark? The New Samsung Galaxy S3

Right, so I have to get clear off-the-bat, that I'm not a big fan of Samsung phones. As I've said in previous posts, there was something with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus that didn't quite 'click' with me and I think that was down to the way Samsung phones handle the front end of Android Ice Cream Sandwich. But, needless to say, I do know that the new Samsung Galaxy S3 will have been eagerly awaited by those Galaxy S2 fans out there, and to those of you that this is aimed at, this could be the phone of the year for you. Samsung's new 'flagship handset' so-to-speak. So to keep this as professional as I can, I will try to be as un-biased as possible and give it the credit it deserves. 

One of the things I really disliked about the Galaxy S2, was it's flat, boring, rectangular shape, almost without any curves whatsoever. Samsung have ditched this, and opted for a more oval shaped approach, very much like the Galaxy Nexus. (Which I have to say, is a very pretty phone), and lets be fair... What your phone looks like, is becoming more and more important when choosing it. So already, Samsung have got a +1 in my books for the looks of the Galaxy S3. It's also considerably bigger than its predecessor, the S2. 4.8 inch corner to corner, JUST slightly larger than my HTC One X, making it one of the largest smartphones on the market. Obviously no where near the size of the Samsung Galaxy Note... but that's just ridiculous :P

Another interesting feature coming from Samsung with the S3, is that you can now get it in either white or blue... That's a new one... I can't say I've seen many blue phones about. This will add somewhat a distinction to the handset when stood around on the train, bus stop, or wherever you are when looking at what phone the person next to you is using. You'll easily be able to identify that it's a Galaxy S3.

Following in the Galaxy Nexus' footprint (and in keeping up with the trend), the new Galaxy S3 is also has a true HD screen, matching the HTC One X's 1280 x 720, although the S3 uses Super AMOLED screen, whereas the HTC One X uses Super LCD 2. I'm sure there will be some uber boffins out there that will correct me on this, but to me, the truth is that it's getting harder and harder to distinguish between all these technologies, as both theses screens are superb.

The Galaxy S3 comes with an 8-megapixel camera, which is the same resolution as last year's Galaxy S2. Although It might not have increased the pixel count, it does have some new and quite cool features, including one of my favourites from the Galaxy Nexus, which was its ability to capture a shot the split second you hit the shutter button, with no lag whatsoever, thus making sure you NEVER miss a shot, as well as other common features such as face and smile detection.

The S3 packs a powerful quad-core processor clocked at 1.4GHz (not quite the 1.5GHz of the HTC One X - but what's 0.1GHz between friends), which should make it more than capable when playing high-resolution video and graphically demanding games. However, I have noticed with the HTC One X, that as phones get more powerful, the apps and games that are released are equally becoming more demanding, making it un-noticeable that you are using a phone with just as much (or in some cases) more power than  your home PC or laptop. But I suppose, that was to be expected. Needless to say, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is definitely up there with the big boys when it comes to processing power.

All the usual toys are packed into the S3 too, such as Samsung Beam (S Beam), which works very similar to the NFC features on HTC and other android phones, allowing you to instantly pass data from one phone to another, only this time, as apposed to going over NFC, S Beam uses wifi, making it slightly faster (if that's possible).

I think the newest toy to come with the Galaxy S3 is the new S Voice... a strike back at Apple's Siri. Siri well and truly stole the majority of the limelight in the aftermath of the iPhone 4S launch: It could be said, that the iPhone 4S was marketed almost exclusively for it’s voice assistant feature. But what the people loved, more than actually productive stuff like scheduling appointments or sending texts, were the more... random commands (some of which are admittedly hilarious), such as telling Siri 'I love you' and asking 'where is the best place to hide a body?'. Each one coming back with a witty answer, such as 'but we barely know each other' and listing places such as local tips, morgues and rivers. But now it's Samsung's turn. In addition to initiating calls, S Voice can wake the phone, request songs, send emails and text messages, use the calendar app, adjust the volume, capture photos, snooze the alarm and enquire about the weather, making Siri old news. For now, Samsung says this feature will support eight languages, including, among others, Spanish, German, Korean and American / British English.

In Summary, it would seem that there's not a great deal of change with the Galaxy S3, other than upgrading all the major components... but, with the S2 being such a huge success, there wasn't a great deal to change other than bringing it in to the current (ever changing) times. And although I won't be rushing out to get my hands on one, I'm confident it will be the success that the Galaxy S2 was last year.

The Cookie Law

On 26th May 2012 all UK websites must offer their users a consent mechanism to allow cookies to store information about your browsing activity and potentially pass this to 3rd parties. This includes tools such as Google Maps, Google Analytics, social sharing buttons and many more! But what does this mean for your website?

What are cookies?
Cookies are a small sweet cake (biscuit), typically round, flat, and crisp. The best cookies usually have chocolate chips in them, or (my personal favourite) are chocolate biscuits with chocolate chip cookies in them... #NomNom... OK.. slightly off track there. In the digital world, cookies are small text files that are stored on the user's computer (yours) to remember choices as you navigate round the site. They are used to remember user preferences, to track site performance and to target advertising. Essentially making your user journey better.

What is the law?
‘The Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive)(Amendment) Regulations 2011’ has been commonly referred to for at least the last 12 months as the ‘Cookie Law’.

What does it do?
In short, it means that all website operators are now required to ask a website user’s permission when placing certain types of cookies on their devices or computers. They must also explain what they are and why they are placed there.

When did it become law?
26 May 2011, and assumed that browser technology could be used to manage cookie permissions. However, this was not the case, and the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) declared a suspension on enforcing the law until 26 May 2012 by when browser developments would have caught up. Again, this has not proved to be the case, which has left all website operators with the task of implementing measures to comply. With no practical guidance being issued by the ICO on how to do this, companies are taking their lead from the ICC (International Chamber of Commerce).

What can be done?
To ensure your site complies with the law, your Privacy Policy on your sites must explain the different types of cookies used and how you use them. There are four categories of cookies summarised as; strictly necessary, performance, functionality and targeting. In addition, users have to give permissions to allow categories two to four.

What else can be done?
The ICC have interpreted the law to mean that you can gather consent for category one to three cookies by agreement to terms and conditions or privacy policy. Category four, which is what the law was specifically targeted for, and requires explicit consent.

Hungry for more cookies?
For more information on the Cookie Law, visit The Cookie Collective, or visit BBC Food (I know which I prefer :) 

Where Apple Are Going Wrong...

Well it's been a few days (almost a week) since I wrote my last blog post, and already I'm starting to feel like a naughty school boy for not doing something that I should have done. Not to mention the with-drawl symptoms I am getting from not writing.

So I thought today, I would write a post to let Apple know where they are going wrong. And because I because I know my opinion means a lot to them, I know they will honor it and completely re-write their strategy, launching the new iPhone 5 (whenever that may be) with a completely new look,  cut me in on the profit thus making me a millionaire over night. (Well.. you can but dream!).

I used an iPhone for a quite a long time in comparison to other handsets I've had. I even bought my girlfriend one for Christmas last year, so obviously, I appreciate that they are amazing phones. They are built to an extremely high standard, they look beautiful, and in terms of their touchscreen, they are more responsive than any other phone on the market. Quite simply, they are perfect... Which is where I think they fall flat.

To maintain their perfection, they have sacrificed a certain element that I think a lot of people (particularly Android users) want from a smart phone... They lack that element of fun!

When I hit the unlock button on my HTC One X, I am suddenly hit by a smoothly animated picture showcase. Beautiful images flying around the screen in Polaroid style frames which make me smile every time I unlock it - each one displaying in a crisp, sharp resolution making me smile in amazement at its performance, followed by an almost bigger smile as the memory of the photo which is being displayed. And because I have so many photo's on my phone, It's very rare that I am shown the same picture as last time. Making each time I unlock, a new reminiscing moment of happy times in my life...

OK... so maybe the above is a bit much, and making you want to grab a bucket... but it's just one of the simple things you can do with an Android phone which you can't with an iPhone. And of course, this is only one of the features you can set to the unlock screen... You can have a vast array of things displayed there to make your day so much brighter, including the local weather. Beautiful animation of what the weather 'could be doing' near you.. (although you could look out the window). You can have notifications up there also, allowing you to see who's been messaging / emailing or calling you without even having to go in to the phone, which can be simply dragged into the unlock ring, transporting you instantly to whatever app is delivering this notification. 

You can even display your latest Footprints updates up there... Instantly displaying your closest friend's and family's latest Facebook and Twitter updates. All of which you don't get from an iPhone.

Other little things an iPhone can't do which Android does effortlessly are the widgets... And we all love our widgets. I'm particularly fond of my newest widget which set me back a whole £1.60... Ouch! The Pure Calendar widget, (linked directly to my Google ID) displays all my calendar entries on the home screen, allowing me to see where I'm supposed to be and what I'm supposed to be doing over the coming week without making a mess of my home screen. This fully customisable app can be set to a small font with a transparent background so that it doesn't take away from your favourite wallpaper in the background... Now to me, that's perfection :)

I'm not gonna go on listing all the little functions and widgets that are available on Android but not on iPhone... But I will end this with 2 quotes that I've had from Sally and my Mum...

Sally on the iPhone:
The iPhone does exactly as you expect, as soon as you take it out the box, or tap on one of the apps, you know exactly what its going to do.... It lack's fun!

Mum on her HTC Sensation XL:
I can always find some new function/feature, each time I play with it. It's smooth and fast and never had any issues.

So there you go Apple... Make your next iPhone a little more exciting, make it a little less user friendly, and most of all... MAKE IT MORE FUN!!! :)


If like me, your a fan of all things tech, including Android... Check out my mates blog. Relevant Social Media. It's full of interesting articles including a Full Serving Of Ice Cream Sandwich and the new Samsung Galaxy SIII (boooo). Not just pushing this blog because he's a mate... it genuinely is a really good, easy reading and informative blog... So check him out! 

Google - Much, Much More Than An Email...

OK, so I'm a huge fan of Google. Not only do they produce what I believe to be the best mobile phone operating system (Yes folks... Android is Google's contribution to the smart phone world), but they also have a whole host of amazing products that have the ability to make your life (and mine) so much easier, enjoyable and integrated. Yet, it astounds me that in this day and age, in the era of smart phones, tablets and social networks, that many people I talk to (mostly friends that aren't in the digital industry that I am) aren't aware of what a Google ID actually is and don't see it as anything more than just another email address, much like Yahoo and MSN... This is FARRR from the case!

On that, I thought I would write my next blog post about a few of the features and functionality that Google provide me with on a daily basis. All of which don't cost me a penny, are all interlinked and enable me to be more organised, efficient and sociable. :)

Google Mail...

Yes, it's email... straight forward and simple email. But, your email address is just the start. It's not just an address... it's an ID. An online passport if you like. This ID is the core of all Google products, it is the login ID that you use for them all, and the ID which stores all that important information which you hold dear, and in some cases, (like mine) an online backup to your life... How? I'll tell you. But before I do, I'm sure of you by now are wondering... "what if I don't want Google to know everything about my life?" Well, unfortunately, they probably already do. What with all the data you share on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and whatever other social media network, there's probably not a great deal about you life that isn't already on the world wide web. There is a benefit to this however, especially in Google's case. All this data that is collected, including your online browsing behaviour, shopping habits, type of websites visited, etc... is all used by Google to make your online experience better, particularly where advertising is concerned, because lets face it... you're gonna see ads. Doesn't matter if you like them or not, you're going to see them. So wouldn't you rather see something that is of interest to you? That's why Google collects this information. To make the ads you see, more relevant to you. But this post isn't about online marketing, its about Google and it's products.

OK, so we've established that Google Mail is the email functionality, but encompassed in this are a few other nice and handy little features. Google Talk, Calendar and (my favourite) Contacts.

Google Talk is very much like MSN messenger. Quite simply, it's a chat applet. The clever and most useful ones though are the calendar and contacts. They are as you would expect. They are a calendar, and a store for your contacts. However, if like me, you are a smart phone user these are automatically synced with your phone. Meaning as you add new appointments, meetings, contact details, etc... to either interface (phone or Desktop) these are updated on Google's servers, giving you access to them wherever you are... 'Simples'.

Don't you just hate it, when you get a new phone and have to transfer all your details across? Contacts, meetings, photo's etc... You're Google account removed this issue. Once your data is stored on Google, you simply connect your new phone to Google, and viola... all your contacts and details are restored :) 

So those are the basics... But then there's more... More (much more, but I'm not going into all).

Another one of my favourites is Google Reader... There are soo many blogs, forums, sites of interest out there these days that have an RSS feed, it's hard to keep up. Anything from the BBC, through to your local Poodle lovers site... (In simple terms, an RSS feed is a URL which pulls through the posts on a blog, forum etc... Copying this feed url in to a feed reader will display them all in that app, reader, site, etc). Google Reader does just that.

If I come across a new site that I like, and it has an RSS feed, I simply click it, and subscribe using my Google ID. This feed subscription (free) is then added to my list of feeds, which again, I can access either via Google Reader online, or the mobile app. This allows me to keep up to date on news and updates on things that I find interesting, and most mornings, I spend my commute to work reading the latest Android, Disney, and Driftworks updates. 

Google+ (plus)

Google+ is Google's answer to Facebook... Slightly behind the times in coming out, but slowly getting bigger in terms of people using it. And, to be honest, I quite like it. Its got some great features in it, such as Hangouts (Like video chat-rooms which you create and talk to mates using video), Circles (similar to Facebook friend groups, but much easier to use, segment, create, etc... as well as the ability to share certain things, comments, posts with certain Circles). I think one of the best features to Google+ however, is its seamless integration with Picasa, Google photo sharing service. You can link all your photo albums on Picasa directly to your Google+ account, and share them through that. As well as being able to them instantly download (or upload) these to / from your smart phone.

So there's just a few of the things which I use on a daily basis from Google, and maybe Yahoo and MSN offer exactly the same and maybe some of you reading this now are just as happy with your Yahoo & MSN accounts, but there's something about Google that makes you feel secure, makes you feel like your data is safe. Afterall, I have never had my Google account hacked and used to send spam, but I have my Hotmail, and, I've never had spam emails from any of my mates using Google, but I have their Yahoo... 

HTC One X - 1 Week In

Right... as you will have no doubt gathered by now, I'm a bit of a geek, and love my techie things. Especially mobile phones and as I mentioned in my second post, I recently changed my Nexus for a HTC One X. I'm now a week into using it and thought (as many have) I would write a review on my thoughts, expectations and opinions of what I think to be HTC's greatest achievement to date.

Usually at this point, a week in to using a new mobile phone, I would have something to niggle about, something that just wasn't quite right. Because like a lot of men... I'm never happy, never satisfied. But... I can honestly say, with the HTC One X, this isn't the case. OK, so if I really wanted to be fussy, there are a couple of teeny weeny little things, but these are just things I'm finding for the sake of finding something. But I'll come onto these later.

First Impressions

I think the first thing you notice about the HTC One X is how well built it feels. Almost on par with the iPhone 4(s), only difference being you can feel confident that if you were to drop the One X, it wouldn't shatter into a million pieces, which is the feeling I always had with my iPhone.

 I've read some reviews that have slated the single piece, polycarbonate body, and lack of access to the battery, but I actually like this idea. Makes the phone feel much more solid and reliable. I've also read about people not being happy that you can't get access to the memory card, or add any kind of expansion to it... Really?? It's already 32Gb... What more do you want? I mean, I'm a huge music fan, and have a HUGE collection of music on my phone, and that's only taking up 20Gb of space, which leaves with with plenty more for other things. Its not like I want to store numerous films on there or more music that I can listen to in a week. There's just no need for it.

The Screen

'Amazing'... That's quite simply the only word that can be used to explain the display on the HTC One X... the resolution is second to non, it's almost as tho the screen is floating on top of the glass and is crystal clear. It's responsive too, but I suppose that's to be expected coming from what, for the moment, is the worlds most powerful mobile processor. The Tegra 3, quad core chip is definitely setting the bar here, and wow, what a bar it is to reach. I've not yet come across a situation where the processor starts to fail, or lag... It's seamlessly jumps from app to app, opening and closing windows, files, apps, whatever you ask it to do, it does it within a fraction of a second and amazingly smooth.

Whilst we're on the subject of 'switching from app to app'... one of the little things I mentioned above, about being silly little niggles for the sake of finding them. One of the things I have noticed with the HTC One X, is how using the 'recent apps' button, doesn't actually show you the apps in their open state... it shows you a screen shot of them, and selecting them, zooms in on the screen shot, and then loads the app as apposed to showing the actual app and zooming into that. Sounds strange, I know, and not the easiest thing to explain without showing it on the actual handset. But when using the same feature on the Nexus, it was the live app that was shown, and selecting it would instantly jump back into the app. Whereas now, there is a millisecond of a delay as the phone switches from the screen shot, to the live app. Again, not an issue to discourage anyone at all from the HTC One X. It's just another one of those things that you would kinda expect 'not' to see from such a high end device.

Camera

I'm a huge photography fan... and although I'm by far no David Bailey, I can take some pretty good shots, and like to know that my phones camera isn't going to let me down when the perfect moment for a great shot passes by. The HTC One X definitely lives up to the mark on this one also... Similar to a lot of smart phones out there now, you are able to access the camera straight from the unlock screen. However, unlike most smart phones, which use the main processor to handle the image taking tasks. The HTC One X uses a new ImageSense processor, a dedicated chip only for the camera. This makes the One X camera amazingly fast, whether it’s the focusing time or the shot to shot time. 

It also has an awesome quick burst mode, which although is pretty quick, isn’t as fast as the machine gun sound the phone makes when you use it, which leads you to believe you have actually taken more shots that you have. That said, it's great to capture those actions shots, when you're not quite sure when to press the button. With the One X, you simple press and hold the shutter button and the phone does the rest. allegedly, it can take up to 99 shots in a minute, although I'm not sure why you would want to.

I'm not really big on taking video's so can't really comment on the video recording capabilities of the One X, but I've read reviews that have raved about this just as much as its still image capturing ability. There is a nice feature in the playback however, which allows you to take stills straight from the video. Which I'm sure comes in quite handy.

Music

Now this is probably one of the highest things up on my list of important factors of a smart phone. Its music playing capabilities, purely because, as mentioned above, I'm a huge music fan and the majority of the time, can be found listening to my music wherever I may be... Usually on my commute to and from work. Music playback on the Nexus was a huge let down. Not only was the max volume far too low, but its equaliser was also pretty poor and the bass was non existent. Even through my  Beats earphones, my 'Drum & Bass' and 'DubStep' were more like 'Drum & .......' and 'TinStep'. Which was really disappointing considering this was supposed to be Google's flagship device.

The HTC One X however, is a different beast all together. I suppose this comes from the Beats by Dre processor tucked away in that shell, although I've never used another Dre handset so couldn't comment. The HTC One X tho is amazing. This is the first handset where I haven't constantly had my volume turned up to max, purely because on max, the music would be deafening... The bass is also top notch, and even through my cheap JVC earphones (the Beats have died) the music quality is crisp and clear.

It's a nice interface too, easy to use, fast to respond and has to neat little features in it, including the ability to download album art, fetch additional info on the artist and / or album via SoundHorn as well as the ability to share what you are listening to straight onto your favourite social network.

Overall

I think it's pretty obvious from the above that I am over the moon with the new HTC One X, and am pretty confident that its going to be on top of the 'smart phone league table' for some time. From reading previews of the new Galaxy S3 also, I don't think that's going to be much threat either. It would appear that HTC are making a comeback with one hell of a punch and with the HTC One X, they are definitely re-setting all the bars for the likes of Samsung and Apple to try and reach.

The Handbag...

Well... here it is... here is the result of what happens when you ask a woman to write a post for you blog :)

Content kindly donated by my dear Mum today :) (thanks Mum xoxox)

Yes ladies, we all have one, or one hundred and one ! And we still desire/buy/require/NEED, more!!

Handbags are a woman’s best friend. You can go without a lot of things, in this day and age, but the one thing a woman does not leave the house without, is her beloved handbag.

It may amuse you to learn that it was men, yes men, in the 14th century, that first carried a “handbag“. It was a measure of ones social status!! [ooo er. It wasn’t until the 19th century that the term ‘handbag’ emerged, to describe handheld luggage designed for rail travel.

Hence, all of our lusted after names such as Hermes, [who were in fact saddlers], Mulberry, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dior, etc. started life making large luggage ! [yep, the kitchen sink did in fact fit]

So next time your dearly beloved dares to pass comment [also known as complaining] about your increasingly large collection - blame him !

Drifting... #1

Drifting - To Drift - To purposely force the car into an oversteer, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels, while maintaining control from entry to exit of a corner.

A car is drifting when the rear slip angle is greater than the front slip angle, to such an extent that the front wheels are pointing in the opposite direction to the turn (e.g. car is turning left, wheels are pointed right or vice versa). Also known as 'opposite-lock'.

I blame my parents for both my love of motorsport and the burning passion I have for taking part. Throughout my childhood years we we're involved in a catalogue of activities from 2 wheels to 4, from water to forest. All of which I loved to be involved with and learnt a great deal from. Whether it was helping my Dad build a Rover V8 engine in the hallway of the flat at 12 years old (and destroying my skate board whilst trying to move it - "Yes, I remember, Dad"), to watching them tearing across the countryside in the Ricker. I loved every minute of it.

When I was young, drifting wasn't really on the scene, as I feel if it were, that would have been another sport my parents would have had a go at.... It's only really become big over here in the last few years. Probably coincides with the release of Fast & Furious, Tokyo Drift in 2006.

Needless to say, now, It's huge... From small local events ('Run What You Brung' days) where privateers can turn up in their daily driver and thrash it out across a simple drift course, right through to national championships, on national race tracks - filled with (what are now becoming) well known teams such as Japspeed and Team Orange (US). The sport even has it's own local celebrity, Shane Lynch, who following the demise of Boyzone, donned his helmet and became a 'professional' drift racer for Team Japspeed.

I don't quite know what it is about drifting that I find so compelling, maybe its the thought of being completely out of control, but at the same time maintaining complete control. Maybe its the noise the cars make whilst in a full 4 wheels slide at 60/70MPH, with the rev counter bouncing off the limiter as the flames shoot out of the exhaust. Or maybe, its just memories of watching Tiff Needell on Top Gear as a young boy, purposely sliding cars around the test track in complete control. I really have no idea where this passion for the sport has come from, but I do know that this is going to be my next hobby, and am pretty sure, once I get going... Is going to be what this blog will mostly consist of.

But first things first... I need to find a car... 

Now there are many to chose from in the world of drifting, but of course there are a select few favourites out there, but in the end, it all comes down to your budget. If money were no object, they say that the Scoobie Impreza has an amazing chassis for drifting... just doesnt have what it takes in the engine department and can often be found with full Toyota Supra engine and running gear in them. But that's only when you have money to burn. Another couple of popular cars are Skylines and Silvia's (S13, S14 & S15) but again.. these can work out to be pretty expensive. I need something cheap... something cheerful... and most importantly, something that's not gonna bother me on my first attempt to drift when I ends up in a ditch, against a wall, or round a tree... cause lets face it... It's going to happen. It's not a case of IF... its a definate WHEN! :)

All that said, that still leaves me with a few options to go from... There's plenty of cheap BMW's out there, all of which are rear wheel drive (RWD) and with a little bit of a diet (stripped out of all interior, doorcards, excess weight, etc...) I'm sure it would make the perfect beginners drift car.

So there you have it... That's my new, up and coming project... Will keep you all posted on my progress with reports and possibly some pics as and when they come.