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The Best Reasons To Ski In Perisher

There are so many reasons I could give you for choosing Perisher as the nest destination for your skiing holiday. Thankfully I have condensed the list down to one that that won’t take you too long to read.

Maybe you haven’t skied before and are thinking about trying it out, or maybe you haven’t been in a while and are looking for inspiration to get your gear back out. Here’s why I think I think everyone should head to Perisher as soon as possible. read more

Be More Chill – A Must See Broadway Show

New York is one of the most amazing and energetic cities in the world, seemingly never switching off regardless of the time of day or year. Whether you’re doing different tours, visiting famous filming spots such as the exterior ‘Restaurant’ in Seinfeld or you’re trying different wines in boutique bars and cellars, there’s always something going on in NYC. Are you thinking about taking in a Broadway show while you’re in town? Check out the top reasons why you really shouldn’t miss ‘Be More Chill’.
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Car Rental While Traveling

Wherever you’re headed on your next great vacation, you’ll probably have to figure out how to get around the place you’ll be exploring. If you’re headed to a big city, this might not be must of a logistical issue since big cities tend to have plenty of taxis, busses, subways and even trains. If you’re destination is a bit more low key, renting a car might be the thing to do to explore your destination while you’re there. read more

Gadgets to Get You Cooking, Not Just Eating!

 

If there’s two things we all love, it’s gadgets and eating. And while there are numerous Groupon coupons out there for delicious ways to get food in our gadget loving mouth’s, cooking these for yourself is often the dread of a gadget lover for its perceived lack of technological inclusion. If these are your thoughts, have we got some information for you!

It All Starts With the Scales

Open up a recipe book and the first thing that you will notice is the need to measure and apportion your ingredients. While this once relied on traditional scales and measuring cups, technology has made its way in. Take smart scales, for example. With these handy gadgets you are simply presented with a blank slab to place your ingredients on – however connect your smart phone and suddenly you’re presented with not only the weight, but detection of what you’re weighing including information on its health benefits and freshness.

Pots and Pans!

One of my favorites, smart pans can now send information to your smartphone or tablet that not only tells you when the pan is at the right temperature, but also keep you updated on the cooking status of your food.

If you’re wanting to take this one step further, there are connected crock pots available for you to put your ingredients in early in the morning before work and start the cooking process throughout the day from the comfort of your computer’s web browser or even your smartphone.

What About Apps?

Not to be left out, along with the increased functionality and capabilities of your regular smartphone, apps are able to do more than ever. Not sure if the eggs in your refrigerator are still fresh? Whip out your phone, take a picture and let the app tell you what’s inside. Have a fridge or pantry full of ingredients but you don’t know how to combine them? Whip out your smartphone, snap some quick pictures of what you have and watch the delicious recipe ideas roll on in! These apps are also able to help you use other ingredients to substitute if your pantry is looking a little bare.

Getting gadgets into your kitchen and connected to your smartphone doesn’t require a lot of know-how, and often isn’t as expensive as you may think. Take a look around your kitchen and find the most used items – once you’ve got that list, shop around and see how you can upgrade them to smart or connected devices to get you more interested in the cooking side of eating.

When You Just Don’t Want An iPhone: The Best Competitor Smartphones Out There

For many, their choice of phone is as strong as their religion. You’ll find Apple devotees that will never touch anything other than the iPhone. Then you’ll find the Android lovers that throw scorn on the Apple franchise. The truth is, both Apple and Android are fantastic platforms for the smartphone market. Although the iPhone has generally dominated the market, its reputation has dipped over the last 12 months. Some of the biggest tech commentators have put their faith in Samsung and others instead.

That got us thinking, what else is out there? If you’re not sold on the new iPhone 6 models, what other options are available? We plunged head first into the smartphone market to find out. The truth is there are several great smartphones out there, each with their own benefits. Let’s take a look, shall we?

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Microsoft Lumia 640

The Windows Lumia 640 smartphone is one of the big iPhone competitors. Not only that, but it’s much cheaper. The entire phone has been built around its brilliant front facing ‘selfie’ camera. If you can’t go anywhere without taking a picture of your face, you’ll love it! It has a wide angled lense to squeeze in more detail and it’s a great size for carrying around. Business types will find plenty to love here too with the seamless integration of Outlook Office.

HTC One

If you love the look and feel of the iPhone, but can’t get to grips with the operating system, try the HTC One. It is the only other smartphone on the market that can match Apple’s design and build quality. It feels luxurious and refined in the same way that the iPhone does. With a metal exterior and beautiful display, it’s one of our favourites. This all comes with a price, and you’ll pay nearly the same as an iPhone here.

LG G3

This is your choice if you’re after acres of screen space. The LG G3 is the biggest smartphone on the list, surpassing the enormous iPhone 6+. It fits somewhere between the largest iPhone and a tablet. It’s great for watching movies, reading or playing games, not so great for putting in your pocket! One thing we love about the G3 is its wireless charging capability. It’s one of the first phones to include this technology and we think it will catch on across the board. Oh, and it will swallow an entire SD card too which could quadruple the memory on board.

Sony Xperia Z3

The real selling point of the Sony Xperia is its battery life. Sony claim it will fetch a brilliant 2 days of power from a single charge. That trounces the iPhone and most other competitors. It’s also entirely waterproof so you can finally check Twitter in the shower. The Z3 version is quite large and impractical, but there is a compact version if you prefer.

Honourable mentions

 

Another great model in the HTC family is the Desire with its fantastic camera and speakers. The Samsung galaxy Alpha has an iPhone style fingerprint scanner and a fierce reputation. Finally, Google have been experimenting and their first Nexus model is quite a triumph.

 

So, Apple haters, there are plenty of other options out there for you! Many of them are actually much more powerful than the iPhone. Which is your smartphone of choice?

Should I Go for the iPhone 6+?

Apple’s iPhone has long been one of the most popular smartphone franchises in the marketplace, and the latest flagship offerings, the iPhone 6 and 6+, are intended as the next evolution of the iconic device. Both the iPhone 6 and 6+ feature a larger screen, faster processor and other upgrades to the previous generation iPhone, making both excellent options for users looking for the latest iteration of the iOS experience. The iPhone 6 does have a few premium features to set it apart from the standard model, but are they enough to justify the differences in price tag?

iPhone 6

The most obvious difference between the iPhone 6 and last generation’s iPhone 5 is the larger size, caused chiefly by the upgraded screen. The screen of the iPhone 6 brings 326 pixels per square inch to its 4.7 inch display to create a high-definition look while still making the phone slimmer than ever at a mere 6.9mm thick.

The iPhone 6 also features a faster processor and more bandwidth for 4GLTE support, creating more powerful voice and data connections in more areas. It also includes a new service, Apple Pay, standard to allow users to integrate their credit cards with their smartphone and make mobile payments with fingerprint verification for maximum security.

Another improved feature of the iPhone 6 is the camera, which has been made to function better in low light and has more accurate facial detection for self-portraits. Battery life is another beneficiary in this generation, delivering up to 10 consecutive hours of Internet time. As for the internal memory sizes, the iPhone 6 comes in a 16GB model, a 64 GB model and a 128GB version for high-capacity users.

iPhone 6+

Where the iPhone 6 is an improvement on its predecessor, the iPhone 6+ is intended as an even more ambitious statement about what a smartphone can be, introducing a 5.5inch display that makes the smartphone more like a small tablet. The iPhone 6 is obviously larger than the standard model because of its focus on the panoramic screen, which also makes the device slightly thicker than the iPhone 6. The display is also more powerful than that of the iPhone 6, showing 401 pixels per square inch for the ultimate in sharpness and clarity.

The iPhone 6+ camera benefits from an upgrade, featuring gyroscopic image stabilization along with the standard improvements from last generation. The larger size of the iPhone 6 is also due in part to the larger high capacity battery, which delivers 24 hours of talk time and 12 hours of Internet time on a full charge.

The iPhone 6 line is a clear step up from the previous incarnation, but the most dramatic improvements are made with the iPhone 6+, which gives users industry leading screen size, battery life and a range of other features distinguishing it as the finest device on the market. Those who choose the standard iPhone 6 will no doubt get a high-caliber device, but for those who want the most comprehensive version of the current iPhone experience, the 6+ is the only way to go.

 

The Cloud: 2015 and beyond

It’s not been a bad year for the world of cloud computing so far.

With an increasing number of businesses adopting the technology as they seek out how they can gain the next competitive advantage over their rivals, the transition from buzzword to a mainstay of modern enterprise appears to be almost complete.

There have been several drivers behind the emergence of the cloud, with growing acceptance of the innovation replacing previous attitudes of trepidation and skepticism. While the inherent momentum-gathering nature of adoption is certainly one of these factors, it is perhaps the development of the cloud itself that has convinced the majority of business leaders it is something worth investing in.

At the heart of this is the hybrid cloud. Whereas not too long ago organizations only had the public and private models to choose from, both had their drawbacks – which sometimes played in key role in the decision-making process of whether or not firms felt the technology was suitable for them.

The private cloud offered better security measures than the public alternative, although its implementation was costlier. The public model was also more scalable, meaning businesses had greater flexibility in transitioning to the network.

However, the emergence of the hybrid cloud now provides companies with a happy medium – mixing scalability with improved data protection, allowing firms that previously had reservations over the public cloud’s ability to keep their information safe, but who didn’t want to fully invest in their own private cloud, the opportunity to dip their toe in the water and see what it feels like.

So, if the hybrid model is taking the cloud into the mainstream, what’s next?

Third-party suppliers like Canopy are continually developing innovative new applications to complement the functionality of their product and one trend that is likely to define this sector over the next few years is the increasing reliance of businesses on what the cloud has to offer.

At the moment, the majority of cloud users are likely to have implemented it for a number of common purposes – file sharing, email and employee mobility. However, it would not be a surprise to see more organizations investing in the cloud to support more mission-critical elements of their enterprise as their understanding and trust of this system grows.

The point of employee mobility is another interesting one, as this is likely to expand even further, with more personnel calling for flexible working benefits and firms looking for ways to attract and retain talent in a competitive jobs market.

This, combined with the expanding tablet and smartphone market, means that more businesses will probably turn to bring-your-own-device or choose-your-own-device policies. Research by International Data Corporation suggests the former is more popular in the US, while European staff prefer the latter option. Either way, both are growing in popularity and this trend isn’t expected to reverse any time soon.

One of the most exciting aspects of cloud computing is the pace at which the sector is developing – in a matter of years, it has altered almost beyond recognition, changing the way we do business along the way. Long may that continue.

Top Reasons Your Laptop Should Be a Dell

Here’s a fact: there are so many laptops out there on the market, that it can be completely confusing and overwhelming trying to figure out which one to buy. Are you a Mac, or a PC? Do you want a 13” screen, or 15”? What sort of specs are you looking for? And what are you going to use your laptop for? These are just a few of the questions that come up when you start shopping for a new laptop. But we can tell you that a Dell is a great choice for your all-around needs, and you’re not going to regret the choice. Here’s why:

Great support

When you get a new laptop, you really want to make sure that you’re supported in your new purchase! This means any funny things that happen are taken care of by a support team, and you’re not left in the dark trying to fix your expensive new machine on your own. Dell’s support crew is there for you and is great at helping to solve any issues that arise. You’ll also get free shipping with many of their products so make sure to look into this if you decide to buy online!

Stay connected

With Dell, it’s easy to stay connected whether you run your own business from home or are working from the office. And they make it super easy for you to work on the go. These days, many people are running their own business or working remotely, so it’s important to have a machine that can handle everything you need to do. Bring your Dell wherever you need to work and you’ll be sure it has the power and durability to manage all of your tasks.

Versatility

Are you a gamer? Photo editor? Office worker? Or do you have some other project in the works? A Dell is a great choice if you need a machine that can handle anything and everything. And because they don’t make it until you order it, you have full customizability options for your new laptop. If you can dream it, they can build it! And this means you’ll have a laptop that can help you create whatever it is that you envision!

Tips for Getting Great Internet Service When Traveling

If you’re anything like most people, when you go traveling, your life doesn’t stop. There are still emails to be answered, work to be done, and people to connect with no matter where you are in the world. Luckily, most destinations have options for internet use so you don’t have to ignore your life back home just because you’re on vacation. (Remember that it is important to take a break from work sometimes, though!) And even if you are somewhere without great wireless internet access, there are options available for you. You’re never too far from an internet connection in our world today! Read on to learn more about how you can find great internet service easily wherever you are in the world.

internet

Wi-Fi

If you’re traveling with a laptop, you can easily find Wi-Fi hotspots when you’re on the road. Many spots like Starbucks and McDonald’s are found all over the world, and are a go-to for internet access in a pinch. Most major cities around the world will have plenty of cafes and coffee shops where you can go for free Wi-Fi as well. If you’re staying in a hotel or hostel, they will probably be able to hook you up with internet access as well, although budget accommodations often have spotty Wi-Fi and you might want to opt for a cafe.

Mobile broadband

For those who need more reliable internet access on the go, a mobile broadband plan is the way to go. Virgin Media’s mobile broadband is an excellent choice for people who need to access the internet without Wi-Fi and have a broadband plan they can rely on. Broadband plans are great especially if you’ll be using GPS for directions. You’ll never have to worry about whether you’re in a Wi-Fi hotspot with a strong signal, because you’ll always be connected!

Internet cafes

If you’ve decided to travel light and leave your computer at home, but want to check email, upload photos or do anything else internet-related now and then, internet cafes are a great option. This way, you can pay by the hour and use the internet as you wish, without the hassle and risk of carrying expensive technology with you. You can even print documents or travel itineraries if you need to.