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#17 – Grass Roots to Grandeur – What's next for post-Covid Football?
Posted bygeorgepitches 9th Oct 2020 9th Oct 2020 Posted infootball writingTags:2020, amateur football writing, blog, coronavirus, coronavirus ban, covid football, covid-19, covid-19 timeline, economics, english football blog, entertainment, finance, foot, football, football and coronavirus, football bailout, football blog, football furlough, football info, football journalism, football saviour, football twitter, football without fans, football writing, footballing blog, grass roots football, info, let fans in, liverpool uni, non league football, owners, pandemic writing, post covid football, premier league, premier league blog, premier league owners, royal albert hall, sean dyche, social media, sports and leisure, student blog, student football, student football blog, student of the game, talksport, the athletic, the football league covid, tifo football, twitter, uni blog, what's next, wordpress, wordpress blog, writing
2020 has been a year like no other. An unfolding emergency in a far-off land snowballed into the greatest public health crisis in living memory with Covid-19 affecting every one of us in different ways. No-one was exempt, no industry unaffected and no part of life unaltered by 'the invisible enemy'. Even football, a part of life that seems able to transcend the everyday, has felt the full, crippling force of coronavirus and if something is not done quickly, the game we love could be forever changed.
In order to better understand how the Covid-19 pandemic affected football I have recorded the major dates and announcements made by governing bodies as the crisis panned out.
31st Dec. 2019 – China alerts WHO of new cases of "viral pneumonia"
11th Jan. 2020 – First Covid-19 death
13th Mar. 2020 – Premier League announce postponement indefinitely.
17th Mar. 2020 – UEFA announce Euro2020 will be postponed until 2021.
11th Apr. 2020 – Revealed at least 3 Premier League clubs to use the furlough scheme.
17th Jun. 2020 – Project restart underway in the Premier League with Aston Villa hosting Sheffield United.
5th Aug. 2020 – Arsenal plan to make 55 staff redundant following financial impact of Covid-19.
23rd Aug. 2020 – Champions League final marks the end of the longest season on record.
(as of) Sep. 2020 – "get fans back" petition has over 183,000 signatures.
In just 6 short months, the entire English footballing infrastructure collapsed and emerging from the ashes was half a game, a skeleton if you will. The very raw basis for existing but without the heart or soul of what makes people fall in love with football in the first place. I am, of course, talking about fans.
This is not to discredit any of the incredible work that was undertaken to ensure football could return at all. No-one in the footballing world has anything other than the utmost respect for the authorities involved in all 'project restarts' globally. There is, however, a shadow of doubt looming larger and larger as the days go by that football simply isn't economically viable until fans are allowed back into stadiums.
A large part of the recent outcries follows the UK government's decision to allow 3000 people into the Royal Albert Hall during the Christmas period. This seems a far cry from the strict 'rule of 6' and '2 metre social distancing' measures that been enforced nationwide. In context, should plans go ahead and the full 3000 admitted, the RAH would be operating at 56% capacity. This is deemed perfectly acceptable, but Tranmere Rovers are unable to let 1000 spectators into their stadium. This would be at a capacity of 7%. Not to mention Prenton Park is an outdoor venue and the RAH is not. According to the current understanding of the virus, transmission rates are higher indoors – one of the reasons, at the time of writing, the 10pm enforced closure time has been imposed on pubs and restaurants. The decision to pack an indoor venue over Christmas only serves to confuse and frustrate a population that's patience has waned far enough.
Tranmere's vice-chairman Nicola Palios (NicolaPalios) took to Twitter to vent her frustration "someone please explain the logic". Palios isn't alone in her hunger for answers.
Football has had a target on its back since the pandemic began with Health Secretary Matt Hancock previously suggesting Premier League players should front some of the financial burden that is being placed upon clubs themselves. Hancock did not reserve this policy idea for any other industry. This strained the relationship football fans have with aspects of the current government even further.
But realistically what could the future of football look like should the terraces remain empty?
According to reports, the English game (all divisions) could be losing as much as £100m every month. This is obviously unsustainable for any industry and like with most things in life, it will end up hitting those at the bottom of the pile the hardest.
The Premier League has benefitted from increased broadcasting rights for the league's 3 broadcasting partners (Sky Sports, BT Sport and Amazon Prime). This has allowed some revenue to be made through televised games while fans are still unable to return however, the same cannot be said for the lower leagues. The Championship have enjoyed a few televised matches but aside from the Play-Offs, the lower divisions have been almost entirely neglected.
The situation has been both referred to as "at breaking point" and "crumbling" by owners of EFL clubs which further demonstrates the severity of the current situation. Football365.com created a pros and cons list of 6 ideas of how to save the football industry and is well worth a read. It, among other things, puts into perspective how nuanced the issue of potential bailouts are – a typical go-to solution.
One thing is for certain, clubs at the top of the pyramid, who enjoy all the benefits of being there, are being supported by, at the very least, 72 other clubs not mentioning all non-league football. Should the bricks begin to fall, the cushioned seats at the top would begin to feel much less comfortable. Domestic cups would cease to function if smaller teams are abandoned as there will be no-one left to play. You can hardly capture the 'magic of the FA cup', when the biggest upset is one big club beating another. Football in its most pure, unadulterated form would be left severely lacking in thrill.
Does this not then place a moral imperative on those at the top to support the bottom?
Burnley manager Sean Dyche faced backlash when he conveyed his view that lower division clubs should not necessarily be supported by Premier League sides. He used an ill-advised comparison with hedge fund managers "every hedge fund manager that is incredibly successful, are they going to filter down to hedge fund managers that are not so successful?". Criticism was levelled at Dyche as his statement lends credence to a cold truth football fans don't really want to admit, football is a business.
There should be an expectation that football is better than that. For many, it isn't just a business, it's a way of life and the fans hold on to the belief that their clubs echo their feelings when unfortunately, that isn't always the case. I feel, possibly arrogantly, government bailouts should be reserved for morally bankrupt, corrupt institutions like the banking sector in 2008. In this instance, they are inherently shameful and would symbolise the Premier League's elitist attitude, wiping their hands of the very infrastructure that props them up. Football is a sport for everyone, and we should champion the belief that it can be saved by us and us alone.
I would stress the idea of a bailout is not in itself shameful, far from it. Many sectors are facing almost wholescale economic downturn and government funding to keep them afloat is vital. Pubs, theatres, cinemas, gyms, theme-parks and libraries to name but a few are facing the full force of an economic downturn of potentially 14% by the end of 2020. Swiftly depleting government resources should be reserved for these industries that need it the most.
The point with football is broader. Pubs are not funded by private billionaires. The cost of running a gym isn't footed by an investment consortium or backed by an entire regime. The football business is unique in the amount of wealth held at the top. The hope, in these times, is that said wealth is able to trickle down and support contemporaries for that, purely, is what other football clubs are.
As of July 2020, Wigan Athletic, Bolton Wanderers and Bury have all entered administration with Bury already being dissolved. A combined 369 years of history teetering on the precipice from financial mismanagement. The question is, without action now, how many years of history will be lost from Covid?
I feel, the most obvious solution to an admittedly complex problem is a systematic funding package provided by those clubs at the top who are able to cope with the Covid-19 crisis more comfortably to those who are struggling to remain afloat. It's not like this hasn't happened before either, history points to several occasions where fans have come to the rescue of their clubs so is it so much of a stretch to ask clubs and owners, who's financial might greatly eclipsis that of the heroic fans, to step up and save an industry?
In the current climate, all that most of us are looking for is clarity but that seems to be the one thing that's forever out of reach. Many look to football to forget the mundane and even miserable nature of life at the moment but even the wonderful escapism that football is cannot be relied upon anymore. We need football to remain on the pedestal that we have held it upon for years.
#18 – Form is Temporary, Cesc is Permanent


The Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) maintains the only recognized provincial Registry for Métis. The Registry was established in 1994 to identify and register Métis citizens and harvesters who are eligible rights holders in the province of Ontario.
Métis people who are ordinarily citizens of Ontario can make an application for citizenship to the MNO. The applications are assessed by an independent Registrar who approves for citizenship those applicants who meet the criteria set out in the National Definition for Métis, voted on and accepted by the citizens of the MNO in their 2004 Annual General Assembly.
MNO Harvester's Certificate applications may be found at the bottom of the Harvesting page.


Tightly managing departmental budgets in-year, so that instead of spending up to budget, departments deliver underspends.
So it seems that a budget isn't about what you plan to spend at all. It's about identifying the money that you might have spent under different circumstances but aren't now going to spend.
The departments have all signed up to underspend something, it seems. While the biggest underspend is going to be in Defence, the next from Education non-schools (marginal stuff like child protection, then), the smallest underspend will apparently be from … the Treasury. I wonder how they pulled that one off?


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Teesside Mum's new shop to help families of premature babies
A Teesside mum-of-six whose children were all born early has set up a shop to help families of premature babies.
Louise Marshall's youngest child is miracle baby Roman who survived against the odds after being born at 24 weeks. He weighed just one pound four ounces and spent the first six months of his life in hospital.
Her oldest son Kyle was born at 36 weeks. He is now 20 and, despite a serious visual impairment, is about to start the second year of a Law degree at York St John University.
Roman celebrated his 12th birthday a few days after his mum and her partner Dan Keenan opened Simply Babywear. The shop – in Middlesbrough town centre's Dundas Indoor Market – sells ranges of clothing and accessories for tiny three-pound premature babies to three-year-old toddlers.
Louise, who up until now has been fully occupied with being a mum and carer, said she hopes the shop will be life-changing: "I was looking after my disabled son and my youngest has got quite a few challenging learning difficulties, so when he was at primary school it wasn't feasible for me to get a job – especially when my oldest was still needing quite a lot of support.
"Now he's at uni and my youngest is at secondary school I thought now is the time that I need to start making things better for me and my kids' futures."
To keep them occupied during the first lockdown Louise and Dan started selling babywear, ornaments and sweets online. Babywear proved the most popular and gave them the idea of opening their shop.
They have benefitted from Dundas Indoor Market's enterprise scheme which offers new traders savings on their rent as well as flexible leases.
"That's really helpful," said Dan. "Because we're just coming out of lockdown and it's the summer holidays we knew it might be quiet to start with. Once September comes and then the run up to Christmas we're really confident the shop's going to do well."
Dan can personalise bibs, vests and sleepsuits and the couple have already created a highly responsive and reliable chain of suppliers who deliver to the shop within 24 hours.
That has proved particularly important for parents wanting clothes for premature babies. "I struggled to get clothes to fit my children because they were all so tiny," said Louise. "And that seems to be an even bigger problem now with the closure of so many of the big shops. Our range for premature babies has sold really well and I am so pleased that we can help families who might be going through a really difficult time."
Market manager David Harris said: "We're delighted to be able to welcome independent traders, like Simply Babywear, who provide much-needed support for parents.
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He added: "We're always on the lookout for new local traders. It might be – like Louise and Dan – that they're starting out in retail, perhaps they might be looking to re-locate, or they think they'll do well because they complement the type of businesses already based here. We would especially welcome interest from a baker, florist, barber or greengrocer."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Q: Including properties file outside of WAR but inside classpath So i have a web service which will be deployed as a war file (In Oracle Weblogic 12c), and they would like a properties.file outside of the war file (but in the classpath and not hardcoded path - which is what I have now)
All it will contain is
username=username
password=password

How would I go about setting/getting the file from the classpath? (And more importantly, where would this classpath be?)

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<domain> -> Environment -> Servers -> Configuration -> Server start: Class Path

Add full path to the file location and restart managed node.

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URL url = this.getClass().getResource("fileName");

Or
InputStream stream = this.getClass().getResourceAsStream("fileName");

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Land of Zenith
Land of Zenith Slot Review – Push Gaming
The Land of Zenith slot has a bit of everything. Just like a bride, it has all ingredients for good luck: something old, something new, something borrowed (or often seen in the industry, if you may), and something fun (I know that saying is 'something blue', but I've adapted it to fit our context. It makes more sense this way).
The 'something old' element is the theme of the slot. One can see from the very first screen that this online slot has pretty strong steampunk vibes. From the impressive machine in the backdrop to the symbols with a mechanical vibe, the whole atmosphere screams retrofuturistic. I don't know about you, but I get some serious Jules Vernes vibes.
The 'something new' is represented by the date of the release, of course. Land of Zenith was launched in March 2021, so it's as new as it can be. The mechanics behind the features that have been incorporated to fit the theme can also be included here.
However, the free spins round is quite popular in other titles from Push Gaming and other providers. So, one can say this slot's 'borrowed' the free spins bonus, but so did many others.
Lastly, the 'something fun' is the result. I added all the other elements above and I've concluded that being in the Land of Zenith is a hugely fun experience, filled with modern, cool features. Keep reading, I'll explain everything in this review.
Land of Zenith – what you need to know
Land of Zenith features a reel setup with six reels and four rows, a popular format amongst online slots. However, this grid holds a peculiar-looking element on the left side of the screen: a mechanism with three discs and an orb. If you think they don't have any substantial role in the gameplay, I must sadly tell you that you are mistaken. The device with three discs is actually the heart of the slot.
Top-notch graphics
Colossal max win of 21,003x the stake
Has a super high value symbols and three high value ones
The Disc Mechanism might appear difficult at first
It can be tricky to trigger the free spins
Land of Zenith – Theme and background
Push Gaming is known for paying attention to all details, and Land of Zenith makes no exception. The developer took their time and designed the theme taking all elements into account. The reels are part of a complex instrument that can take you to the Land of Zenith island up in the sky, a place where free spins and mystery symbols run free. This machine has been completely integrated into the mechanics of the game, enriching the gameplay even more.
The symbols follow the theme faithfully, being rich in details and featuring tiny gears that remind me of clock elements. The characters representing a villain with a top hat, two pilots with aviator goggles, a man-machine, and mechanical owls, butterflies, and scrolls bring the online slot even closer to the steampunk theme.
Land of Zenith – Gameplay
The grid in the Land of Zenith can hold 13 enigmatic symbols. The volatility is high, while the RTP has an above-average value of 96.29%.
The super high-paying symbol is the villain with a pointy beard and a crazy look on his face, as all villains have. It pays 200x the stake for six on a payline and 75x, 25x, and 7.5x for five, four, and three on the screen. The good guys hit as high value symbols, with the male pilot awarding up to 100x the bet and the female one, up to 90x the bet. Their companion is an angry-looking machine, which reminds me of Watson, with prizes of up to 75x the stake. Other prizes awarded by this character range from 2x to 20x the stake for three and five on a payline. The mid-value symbols consist of a mechanical owl awarding up to 35x the stake, a golden butterfly with a top prize of 30x the bet, and a Wakanda-style scroll with a max reward of 25x the bet.
This ship also comes with a Wild Crest symbol that acts as Wild, awarding the equal amounts as the villain, and a Turner symbol that lands only on reels 2, 4, and 6. The Turner hits in a Clockwise or an Anti-Clockwise variant. When one such symbol appears, the three discs that are part of the Disc Mechanism are turned in the direction shown by the symbols. I know it sounds a bit complicated, but trust me, it'll make sense later on.
Land of Zenith – features
The features are aggregated into the mechanism of the Land of Zenith slot. So, the way to trigger them might be a bit confusing for some players. Don't worry, it's my job to explain how online slots work, so keep reading.
Before I start explaining the features, I feel I must first tell you how the Disc Mechanism works. The only way to trigger the features is by activating the Disc Mechanism. It's composed of three circular discs: the inner, middle, and outer ones. Now, each disc can rotate individually to one of the 12 available positions. Also, each disc has multiple grooves that, if aligned in a full groove formation, trigger the Bouncing Mystery Feature. The Disc Mechanism is also the key to triggering the free spins, but it's not that simple. To activate the free spins round you need to align all three discs when the Disc Mechanism turns to gold. The gold turning part is crucial for, if the disc keeps its normal colour, the game will trigger the Bouncing Mystery Feature.
Now that I've settled this, I guess you are wondering how you can move the discs. Here's when the Turner symbol comes in. Depending on the reel it lands one, the Turner can rotate the inner, middle, or outer disc as follows:
If the Turner symbol hits the second reel, the inner disc will rotate one position in the direction shown by the turner
If the Turner symbol hits the fourth reel, the middle disc will rotate one position in the direction shown by the turner
If the Turner symbol hits the sixth reel, the outer disc will rotate one position in the direction shown by the turner
As you can see, the Turner symbol can really turn the game 180 degrees.
Land of Zenith – bouncing mystery feature
This feature introduces a new symbol in the Land of Zenith slot, the mystery symbol. It lands only in the Bouncing Mystery Feature that consists of one respin. Once you activate the round, the reels become blurred and a bright Orb appears out of nowhere on the screen. The Orb shoots in a random direction and each time it hits the edge of the grid, it turns the symbol in that nearest position into a Mystery symbol. Then, the Orb can either disappear or divide itself into two Orbs and keep hitting the edges of the reels.
If two Orbs collide, they disappear, leaving a cross formation filled with Mystery symbols. After the screen has as many Mystery symbols as possible, the other symbols land, and the Mystery symbols reveal what symbols they've been hiding. All Mystery symbols will turn into the same matching symbol, chosen at random.
Now that the cat is out of the bag, it's time for the discs to rotate into a random position. The Disc Mechanism will take care that all three discs stop in positions without forming a full groove. This Disc Mechanism is quite sneaky, I tell you.
Land of Zenith – hypermode free spins
The crown jewel in the Land of Zenith slot is without a doubt the free spins round. As I said before, to activate this bonus, you'll need to tick two boxes. First, the Disc Mechanism must turn to gold, and second, all three discs must form a full groove.
The free games bonus starts with 20 free spins displayed on a timer. You should finish the free games before the timer ends. If you still have time at the end of a free spin, the game awards one more free game. If, however, you run of time at the end of a free spin, the round ends immediately. So, the key to playing more free spins is to increase the spinning speed of the reels. Fortunately, Land of Zenith gives you the chance to do this. Each Wild that hits in the bonus round increases the spinning speed of the reels, filling the Retrigger Meter.
If you manage to land enough Wilds to fill the entire Retrigger Meter, the game awards a Retrigger. Unlike other online slots, retriggers in Land of Zenith aren't free spins, but seconds. So, a Retrigger consists of 10 seconds more.
To make things even more exciting, the first four retriggers will remove four types of low-paying symbols. So, the symbols in shapes of sun, star, planet, and moon will slowly disappear from the grid, leaving only mid, high, and super high value symbols hitting the screen.
When the hypermode free spins feature ends, the screen comes back to the initial appearance, and the Disc Mechanism turns the discs so that they land in random positions, without forming a complete groove.
Land of Zenith – My verdict
Land of Zenith is a videoslot that really gets your blood running. The fast-paced music in the free spins will make you feel a burst of adrenaline as you try to defeat the ultima villain known to man: time. Also, the entire mechanism of the game fits perfectly with the symbols and the features, giving you the sensation that you have to complete a puzzle to get into one of the bonus rounds. Regardless of the feature you want to activate, remember that the key is the Tuner symbol. It's the fuel that gets the engine running.
However, in my opinion, the Land of Zenith slot might seem difficult for newbies. The Disc Mechanism that links all features activates in certain circumstances that might be hard to obtain. Depending on what you want, this slot can be either complicated or delightful. The only way to find out is by playing it.
All in all, Land of Zenith is an entertaining slot, with a juicy top prize of 21,003x the stake. Push Gaming took its job seriously and created a marvelous island up in the clouds, where they gathered all sorts of retro-futuristic elements, putting them together gracefully into a complex but fun game.
If you like our Land of Zenith slot review, then you should read the following:
Jammin Jars 2 slotreview
Other Push Gaming Games
Mad Cars
Fat Banker
Play Land of Zenith Game
Land of Zenith Details


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Jute doormat with natural, charcoal/black and gold lurex thread. 50 x 75cm.
This handwoven beauty is perfectly robust and durable for any high traffic areas. Signature metallic thread has been added with a shade of natural jute. Jute is a natural fibre and comes from the stem and outer skin of the jute plant.


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Home Politics
Boris Johnson will struggle to influence world leaders unless he puts his money where his mouth is on foreign aid
Boris Johnson has a presentation problem.
He wants to project "Global Britain" as a force for good in the world and 2021 should be his year to shine.
The UK holds the rotating presidency of the G7 group of industrialised nations, with world leaders heading to Cornwall for a summit in June.
The prime minister is also hosting a global conference on climate change in November.
Yet at the same time and despite years of the UK proudly maintaining its status as a "soft power superpower" – spending 0.7% of national income on overseas aid – Mr Johnson is having to deal with the fallout of a decision to cut funding to the neediest.
The excuse given in 2020 for slashing the aid budget by about a third, reducing the spending target "temporarily" to 0.5% of GNI, was the economic hit from the coronavirus pandemic.
But this health crisis has shown how interconnected the world is and how supporting the poorest and most vulnerable communities is the surest way of ensuring global stability.
In fact, other G7 nations like Germany, France and the United States are increasing the amount of money they spend on overseas aid.
Subscribe to ClimateCast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Spreaker
It makes the UK's decision to go in the opposite direction look all the more out of place.
It will also make it much harder for Mr Johnson to influence the rest of the world to support his rallying cries on vital issues like climate change, poverty reduction and global health if he is not willing – as much as before at least – to put his money where his mouth is.
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This listing is for new Michelin Latitude Tour HP 275/40R20XL 106W BSW Tires. Manufacturer part number: 07767. The Latitude Tour HP is a premium tire built for top end crossover and sport utility vehicles. This All-Season tire built with a symmetric pattern is perfect for sunny days all the way to light snow. Michelin had highway stability in mind when they designed this tire with stable shoulder blocks, a continuous center rib and 2-D Active Sipes. This tire also features FAZ technology (Filament At Zero degrees) that strengthen the twin steel belts even in the winter.


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Category: Mobiles & Accessories
We review and play with the latest and greatest mobile phones, from the cutting edge smartphones right through to an easy-to-use phone for your grandparents! We also review mobile accessories and related gadgets.
In the battle to be the iPhone-equivalent "flagship" of the Android system, Samsung's S series and LG's G series keep staking a fresh claim. It's the latter that's about to make the next move with the G4 and it looks to be a case of evolution, not revolution.
Unless LG has some surprises up its sleeve for the forthcoming launch, it appears the emphasis is on enhanced quality rather than revolutionary features. The most visible example is the rear case of the phone: LG has confirmed it will indeed be made of leather, with style and comfort the watchwords. The cover takes a full three-months to manufacture, with several parts of the finishing done by hand.
There are also the usual "best screen ever" claims, with an HD-busting resolution of 1,440 x 2,560 pixels. On the 5.5 inch display that works out at 538 pixels per inch, a third more than the iPhone 6. Not only is LG claiming the screen is significantly brighter and has a higher contrast than rivals, but it says the screen's range of possible colours is 20 per cent above the industry standard. It also says a revision to the touchscreen technology means you can still use finger controls when the screen is wet.
On a usability note, the phone looks set to offer both a removable battery and a microSD slot, something that's become a rarity among high-end handsets.
The main camera will have a 16 megapixel sensor, though the main selling point is a f/1.8 lens, meaning a faster shutter speed than the Samsung Galaxy G6. The key there is that you should get more detail and less blur, even in unfavourable lighting conditions.
As usual this all comes at a price. The US release looks set to cost $825 outright, which translates as £550 even before you factor in the mark-up that's now traditional in the UK. For contract buyers, mobiles.co.uk is pegging the likely price as £30 to £34 a month. For more information visit LG.
Posted on May 15, 2015 May 22, 2015 Author John ListerCategories Mobiles & AccessoriesTags flagship, LG. Smartphone
SIM-only contracts for smartphones are getting cheaper all the time and more and more discerning individuals are opting not to tie themselves into a talk plan for years, even if that does mean stumping up a fair whack for a new phone. For many this puts the flagship phones from the major players just out of arms reach, but if you're willing to forgo the more established brands there are some pretty special devices vying for our attention.
So says Huawei anyway, with a new handheld we've been hearing a bit about recently. It's called the P8, and is the new flagship model for a Chinese manufacturer that's been gathering a bit of a following among those who aren't afraid to think outside the box.
When you look at the specs, you can see why Huawei is using this as its current head-turner. It has a 5.2" display at 1920×1080 resolution and 424ppi – the same as the Xperia Z3. There's 3GB of RAM, between 16 and 64GB of storage with microSD and a Quad-core 2 GHz Cortex-A53 to keep things ticking over. For media you've got a 13MP primary camera capable of full HD video at 30fps, with an 8MP selfie on the front. It's water and dust resistant and has even shelled out on Gorilla Glass 3 for a toughened screen. And it looks pretty sweet as well – check out that slim side bezel.
But looks can be deceiving, as can an apparently impressive collection of internals, so we'll cast our eye over some early reviews to see if it lives up to its billing.
Let's begin where we left off with the design. The Independent is a fan and calls it "a leap forward in design and build quality" for the company, lauding its all-aluminium one-piece frame and the fact that:
"Huawei proudly boasted that a higher proportion (78.3 per cent) of the front of the phone was screen than on rivals like the iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S6."
The display in action is thankfully up to scratch:
"The wall-to-wall screen looks great, even if its HD resolution is less impressive than the Samsung Galaxy S6's far higher pixel count. Even so, the screen looks attractive and full of rich, realistic colours and detail."
Some of the other tricks in Huawei's arsenal are examined here, such as the Voice Wake function, which works a bit like one of those car-key whistle locators except here you speak a pre-recorded phrase and the phone wakes, plays music and sings "I'm here". It also proves that it's down with the current generation with something called Perfect Selfie – a soft focus effect designed to enhance those spotty head-shots, and a light painting mode that:
"Essentially lets you shoot a video which combines light effects into a still picture, though the examples given included dazzling fireworks brandished around remarkably brave models."
It summarises by saying that good things could be on the horizon for Huawei in terms of breaking into the western market – it's "a company that for some time now has felt like it's been on the brink of the big time". Could this be the thing that tips it over?
TechRadar is fairly measured and likes the premium design, the display and feature-packed camera, but does have some issues with the performance. It's not quite as snappy as the Galaxy S6 Edge you see, though considering the price point on that beauty we'd be surprised if it was, and the jury is out on Huawei's Emotion UI – its OS overlay that leads the reviewer to suggest:
"Don't get too excited at the mention of the Lollipop operating system either, as it hasn't escaped the clutches of Huawei's Emotion UI on the P8."
Elsewhere the camera impresses, and it points out that Huawei claims it "outperforms the snapper on the iPhone 6 Plus", which would be an impressive achievement. This is likely down to a new technology:
"Low light enhancement promises clearer, brighter images in poorly lit areas thanks to the world's first four colour RGBW smartphone sensor, independent DSLR-quality ISP (image signal processor) and beefed up OIS."
TechRadar concludes by saying "The Huawei P8 is the most exciting handset to come out of the Chinese firm over the past few years, possibly ever, and it shows some very real promise."
But all of this is a bit early doors. What we really need is someone who's put the P8 through its paces, and here we turn to PC PRO. It has a full review with benchmarks, awarding the phone 4/5 but suggesting it's not quite up to the task of challenging the big boys. There's nothing wrong with the design though, being "super-slim, measuring a mere 6.9mm from front to back, it weighs only 144g, and it looks great." The removable microSD gets a mention, as do water and dust resistance when comparing it to the Samsung Galaxy S6, which has none of these.
As for those fancy camera tricks, PC Pro says
"The results are impressive. The camera is quick to launch and take pictures, plus it focuses quickly and confidently. Importantly, the quality is fantastic, particularly in low light" and "In good light we were impressed to find that the camera dealt well with even tricky scenes, retaining detail in bright skies without losing detail in shadowy areas. Video looks just as good – crisp and rock-steady in all but the most extreme situations."
The only downside was slightly washed out pictures in some conditions, and that some of the software functions seemed a bit gimmicky, but otherwise it seems like good news for snappers.
When it comes to performance it's unfortunately not up to scratch against the likes of the HTC One M9 and Galaxy S6, with the GPU being the main cause. For pure number crunching it's still fairly good though, so if you're not an avid gamer you might not notice much of a difference.
And when it comes to the battery it's a similar story – it lags behind rivals such as the Xperia Z3 and Galaxy S6 to a noticeable degree, sucking around 15% of power for an hour of video playback and around 7% for streaming audio, both below average.
Still, there's plenty to like about the P8 overall and some features, such wind-noise reduction, automatic microphone sensitivity and earpiece volume control sound genuinely useful, even if others, such as ""Knuckle sense" that allows you to capture a screenshot with a tap of your knuckle" do not.
PC Pro concedes that the P8 certainly has its attention but "it isn't quite cheap enough to get our wholehearted recommendation", which brings us back to our original point.
Is this affordable enough to keep you from the suffocating embrace of a two-year contract? Just about. The standard version will cost £360, with the premium £430, which is around 25% off what you'd pay for a "badge" with a similar spec and possibly more if you factor in how cheap microSD cards are. Even despite potential performance issues, we definitely think this is worth keeping an eye on.
Visit Huawei to find out more.
Posted on May 1, 2015 Author Paul LesterCategories Mobiles & AccessoriesTags flagship, Huawei, smartphone
Microsoft's Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL: what do the critics think?
At last, the highly-anticipated Lumia 640 has hit the high streets and online stores. Lumia's latest addition to its portfolio will soon be joined by the Lumia 640 XL, due to be available by the end of April.
So how are the latest Lumia handsets bearing up to the scrutinising eye of the tech press?
According to Wired, Microsoft is expecting 'big things' from the latest 'hero' in its budget stable phone. In a hands-on review, Wired – notoriously not easy to impress – seemed pretty bowled over by the 640.
Claiming the 640 to be a pretty decent mid-range phone with matching mid-range specification, for Wired, what lifts the 640 out of the conundrums of the ordinary, is the fact owners get a free year's subscription to Microsoft Office 365 Personal. This means you can have Office apps on the phone as well as an additional PC or tablet.
So asides getting the main Office apps plus Publisher, Access and Outlook, you'll get 1TB of online storage and 12 month's free Skype calls, a package normally worth £60 year – a nice little extra for sure.
Okay, so we all love extras, but what about the real guts of the phone?
Wired are pleased to see that the new Lumia's screen size has been increased from 4.5 inches to 5 inches, and with an HD 1,280×720 pixels, the resolution has improved too.
The Wired reviewer is also quick to point out that the 640 runs of Windows Phone 8.1, which is "slick and functional" and requires "less grunt from the processor to deliver a quick and smooth performance."
The voice recognition is pretty good too. The 'Cortana' assistant genuinely helpful, says Wired.
On the downside, the processor could be a bit more powerful, concludes Wired, but for £120, it's a general thumbs up from techies that are not easily awe-struck.
'The world won't change'
In a quick play around with the 640, Tech Radar admitted that with the same design language as its predecessor, the Lumia 635, the world won't change with the 640.
Despite its predictable design, the new handset's bonus is, according to Tech Radar, its removable back panel, which means the SIM card and microSD slots are hidden but could prove tiresome to remove if you're using them regularly.
On the upside, during a play through of the apps, the 640 looked beautiful and was "one of the brightest Windows Phone handset" the reviewer had ever used.
For selfie-lovers, the device's front facing camera should be able to cope.
In its review of the Lumia 640, PC Advisor concentrated on the camera and admitted that despite taking trial shots in difficult conditions, the camera did a pretty good job.
However, PC Advisor's net verdict isn't too inspiring as despite being nice looking and relatively cheap, there's no need to get excited in terms of spec, as the 640 offers little more than what's already on offer in a crowded Lumia market.
So what about the yet-to-be-released 640 XL, the 640's bigger and beefier version, what's the word on the street so far?
According to Recombu, despite the handset's thickness, it doesn't come across as bulky and is in fact quite the opposite. Its matte finish is accompanied with a pillowed back for extra grip and comfort.
With vivid colours, good visibility in bright sunlight and respectable viewing angles, the XL's display "packs a wonderful punch", claims Recombu.
Retailing from £219, the XL's affordable price is one of its plus points according to the Tech Radar review. Other 'pros' include its large battery, bright screen and the fact it feels good to hold. On the downside, it's only available on Windows Phone 8.1 – for now – and is 1080p on a 5.7 inch screen.
For more information visit Microsoft.
Posted on April 21, 2015 Author Gabrielle PickardCategories Mobiles & AccessoriesTags Lumia, Microsoft, smartphone
Archos 50 Oxygen Plus: Taking the 'smart' out of the smartphone?
Archos, the French multinational producer of tablets, phones and other electronic devices, has extended its range with the 50 Oxygen Plus. Okay, so its name might sound more like a medical device designed to help people breathe than a smartphone, but that doesn't mean to say it's not worth bothering about.
On the contrary, according to Archos, the 50 Oxygen Plus combines an ergonomic design with performance and power for an affordable price. Well they would say that, but what we ask is what do the critics think?
Tech Radar: stifled by the 'big shots'
After a hands on review of the Archos 50 Oxygen Plus, Tech Radar came to the conclusion that whilst it's a decent affordable smartphone, it will be difficult for the 50 Oxygen Plus to stand out amongst the 'bigger names' in the market.
With a SIM-free retail price of just £149.99, Tech Radar is quick to point out that the 50 Oxygen Plus offers value for money – on paper at least.
While the current model is available on 3G, Tech Radar advise to hold out until June when 4G variant with Android Lollipop makes an appearance for just £30 or so more than the current model.
Asides its low cost and incoming 4G with Lollipop, Tech Radar praise the 50 Oxygen Plus for its "strong spec."
The key features of this "strong spec" include a 5-inch 720p display, 1GB of RAM, 1.4GHz octa-core processor, 8MP and 5MP cameras, 16GB of internal storage with a microSD slot for expansion, dual SIM support and a 2000mAh battery.
On the downside, Tech Radar thinks the 50 Oxygen Plus looks awful and a "bit like the iPhone 6" but with a cheap look and feel. As well as limited availability another weakness of the low-cost French smartphone is that its performance is a "little lacking."
Digital Versus: Uncanny iPhone 6 resemblance
Deeming the 50 Oxygen Plus as an "extremely thin mid-range smartphone with an undeniably Apple-inspired design", Digital Versus doesn't seem too impressed with Archos' new smartphone.
The review places the phone's spec as "pretty traditional" but quick to point out the fact the handset is available in two versions.
Mobile Tech Review seem a little more forthcoming of the 50 Oxygen Plus, claiming that because the phone is powered by an Octo-Core 3G processor and a powerful GPU, users have the ability to "enjoy games, video and applications without lagging."
Mobile Tech Review also seems pretty impressed with the handset's 8MP rear camera with LED flash and a 5MP front camera with multiple picture-taking modes to apparently capture "crystal clear memories".
All in all, the Archos 50 Oxygen Plus is a cheap smartphone and, as we all know, cheap can often come at the expense of quality.
That said, it's not a total thumbs down for the 50 Oxygen Plus and to regard the handset as taking the 'smart' out of the smartphone would be a little unfair.
If you're looking a smartphone that doesn't break the bank and with its iPhone 6 resemblance certainly "looks the part", then the Archos 50 Oxygen Plus could certainly be one to consider.
For more information visit Archos.
Posted on April 7, 2015 Author Gabrielle PickardCategories Mobiles & AccessoriesTags archos, oxygen plus, smartphone
Hands On With The HTC M9 – Evolution Or Revolution?
The release of HTC's M9 is perhaps the company's most significant launch since the M7 – a device that for many represented the very pinnacle of the premium smartphones market. Since then Samsung has delivered some all-metal beauties of its own and Apple made a significant generational leap with iPhone 6 and 6+, so everyone was hoping that HTC would do something special to get itself back in front.
First impressions are that it hasn't. The now familiar dual-speaker array still runs the design, which in some ways may be holding it back because there are no immediate stand-out new features such as a fingerprint scanner or waterproofing. It has ditched the UltraPixel experiment though – or at least in terms of the main camera. Now you'll find a beefy 20MP number at the rear, though the front-facer still uses Ultrapixel technology with 4MP resolution, which certainly seems like a sensible switch.
Elsewhere the M9 offers some pretty impressive core architecture with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 64-bit processor and a whopping 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and a microSD slot for expansion with a 2840mAh battery. The 5" display is stuck at 1920×1080 but does boast a sharp 441ppi and there's fast-charging here courtesy of Qualcomm's Quick Charge 2.0.
It's a little early for full reviews but plenty of people have been getting their hands on the new M9, so let's see if it has enough to keep HTC on the consumer's radar.
Speaking of which, TechRadar sums things up quite well from the off by describing it as "a great phone if you're upgrading from two years ago" – the concern here certainly seems to be that there's not enough of an upgrade from the impressive M8. It lauds the beautiful design that needs to be seen up close to be truly appreciated.
"It needs to be felt. To speak about it, or even show it in pictures, doesn't really do justice to the premium finish in the hand, to the well-balanced design, to the way everything feels weighty and solid."
The power button has been moved to the side below the volume controls, which is slightly frustrating as they are all the same size and shape so it can be difficult to tell them apart by feel, and the familiar black band containing the HTC logo is still present but feels like it unnecessarily adds to the bulk of the phone. The display is impressive without being outstanding, with a colour temperature that's a little on the cool side, and it points out that avoiding an upgrade to QHD resolution will do favours for the battery life. Elsewhere the high specs contribute to a pleasant user experience as:
"everything [is] feeling a little snappier again compared to the mode from last year. It's clean, fast and apps are almost infallible in opening and closing".
The "upgrade" to Dolby powered Boomsound over Beats doesn't appear to be particularly noticeable, but the important thing is that it's not any worse, and it concludes by saying that as an upgrade from the M7 it's great – "night and day better" in fact, but not quite the leap forward we've seen in the past.
Forbes continues on a similar line and describes the M9 as a "beautiful, basic upgrade" and points out that HTC has responded to questions about the design with this:
"I would describe it much like the Porsche. When you've got a design that works incredibly well – that's timeless and classic – you don't want to chuck out all that experience you've gained from before and start afresh".
Fair enough. There's obviously plenty to like about the design and here again it's described as "one of the best looking smartphones I've ever held" and importantly is also very nice to use. Sense 7 brings some nifty improvements such as the ability to be contextually aware and deliver a more intuitive user experience.
"It senses when you're at home, work or on a night out and appropriately changes the apps on the home screen"
Learning and refining based on your habits over time. Recommendations pop up depending on where you are – train times when arriving at a train station for example, and the new theme generator can use a picture you've taken to generate a theme based on the colours in the image.
It is also impressed by the new Dolby integration and describes it as "louder and better than the M8, with the addition of more clarity, base and a more 3D sound" and has positive things to say about the battery life (in lieu of a proper test) due to the increased capacity and power-saving features of Android 5.2 and Sense 7. Forbes concludes by saying that while not a significant upgrade, the M9 takes the important step of ensuring that it's at least bang up to date with today's market.
If there's one area that's been a point of contention for HTC it's been the camera and rather notorious "Ultrapixel experiment". Having distanced itself from this with the M9 and considering this is a major feature for many users we thought we'd have a look at what CNet had to say in its dedicated day and a half test of the snapper. The switch to megapixels for the rear camera may be welcomed, but does mean it's not quite as unique, removing, for example, "the Duo camera, which took innovative (but not always great) two-level focus photos" . More concerning than this is that CNet says "it just isn't that good". It's described as a step down from the iPhone 6 Plus – photos can be grainy and struggle a bit in low light environments, the auto-focus is a little slow and though it is capable of taking some very good images, is ultimately a bit disappointing. Close-up shots fair better if you fiddle with the settings and it's capable of 4K video recording, which is neat, and this is generally handled well. Where it does score some points, ironically, is with the front-facing Ultrapixel camera.
"It's wide-angle, has great light sensitivity, is super-crisp, and is generally one of the best front cams I've seen. It's better than the iPhone 6 Plus' FaceTime front camera, easily."
The only slight downside is that there's more distortion at times due to the wider-angle but the benefits of fitting more into the shot outweigh this considerably.
So the HTC M9 is certainly evolution rather than revolution, but fans of the original should still find plenty to like, even if M8 owners might find it a bit more difficult to justify an upgrade. The official price SIM-Free is £579 and on contract you're looking at around £40 a month if you don't want to pay much up front for the handset.
Visit HTC to find out more.
Posted on March 30, 2015 Author Paul LesterCategories Mobiles & AccessoriesTags HTC, m9, smartphone
Samsung S6 EDGE – Game Changer or Flawed Beauty?
Samsung's certainly doing what it can to get noticed in the smartphone arena, not that this seems particularly necessary. After delivering all-metal bodies in the A5 and A3 for those who crave a sleeker shell it's now thinking outside the box with the S6 Galaxy EDGE, a device that aims to take aesthetics to a new level by wrapping the screen around the side bezel.
It's a beautiful looking device and will certainly appeal to those who like to turn heads with their mobile, but we've seen too many examples of form prevailing over function in the past to want to rush out and buy one quite yet. Going by the specs sheet at least, this doesn't seem to be the case here. An uber-powerful Octacore 2.1GHz processor and 3GB of RAM runs the thing and the 1,440 x 2560 resolution of the 5.1" display, boasting a whopping 576ppi shows that it'll probably be needed. A 5MP front camera and 16MP round the back is as much as you'll probably ever need, but with no microSD slot you'll have to make do with up to 64GB of in-built storage.
We're sure everyone would want to get hands-on with the EDGE, and luckily a fair few have. Let's see what they think.
PCPro describes it as a "stunner", offering a range of photos but admitting that "it's impossible to precisely replicate in a photograph just how the metal catches the light and shimmers as you move it around." Those curved edges importantly offer an ideal compromise in terms of a big screen and comfortable size, with it feeling very comfortable for one-handed use, and the only downside is that the battery is no longer (easily) removable and there's no microSD slot, and sadly also no apparent waterproofing or dust resistance like the S5. Display-wise there's some questions here as to whether it needed to be quite so high resolution, but first impressions were positive nonetheless.
"The S6 Edge's screen certainly looks great subjectively, with bright, vibrant colours and perfect contrast"
and with Gorilla Glass 4 ensuring that extra curved area will have to take a hell of a pounding to result in serious damage we could be looking at one of the best on the market. Finally it looks at the camera, which is one thing that doesn't seem to have undergone any major revisions, retaining the same 16MP as the S5. Some welcome tweaks should improve the overall experience though:
"The aperture is larger at f/1.9 (the S5's was an f/2.2 snapper), and the S6 Edge now has optical image stabilisation, which should improve the sharpness of images shot in low light. It also boasts a new quick launch feature: double-click the home button and the camera app will launch in a claimed 0.7 seconds."
Round the front the 5MP is a welcome upgrade over the previous 2MP, and with object-tracking autofocus added to video it seems as though Samsung has done enough to deliver on this front again.
KnowYourMobile certainly doesn't hold back in its praise for the new handset, lauding the fact that the specs are up there with the very best but reserving its biggest plaudits for the display. According to tests done of the EDGE and standard S6 by Display Mate, "these are the BEST smartphone displays on market. Bar none." Everything from pixels per inch and resolution to colour accuracy, brightness and contrast wowed the judges and it's impressive to say the least that Samsung has somehow improved on the excellent Galaxy Note 4, when other manufacturers may have sat on their laurels.
Elsewhere it goes into detail on some of the additional features, like Samsung Pay and an improved fingerprint sensor. The former runs via the latter, using the sensor for authentication, and the whole process (on paper at least) appears to work very well.
"Samsung Pay does seem to have some advantages over Apple Pay. Namely it does not rely on NFC alone. Samsung Pay also works with MST, which allows you to use contactless payments even at cashier terminals that lack NFC—such as ones that only take swipe cards."
Finally, TechRadar is similarly in love with a phone that it describes as "a bit bonkers" but with a screen that looks amazingly next generation. It's a very tidy design, managing the clever trick of being able to fit a 5.1" display into a device that's about the same size as the iPhone 6, and though the camera does protrude from the back, which affects the overall aesthetic slightly, nobody could argue that this isn't an uber-premium device. The display is similarly lauded, being described as "something to behold" and it seems clear that Samsung has nailed this part of the design, which will be its main selling point.
Moving on to operation, TouchWiz has been improved and offers some nice features that'll help users take advantage of the USP.
"For instance, when the phone is flipped on its front the sides will glow a specific colour when one of your favourite contacts calls in, so you can see who it is without having to turn the Edge over."
It's a shame that features from the Galaxy Note Edge, such as being able to control music while browsing the web won't make it to the S6 due to the refined design but the ability to see notifications like time and weather from the sidebar when it's asleep will still be present, and no doubt a raft of apps will open up possibilities even further.
It seems pretty clear that the unanimous verdict for the EDGE so far is along the lines of "wow". But most are hesitant to suggest it'll be a real game-changer, at least not right away. The biggest stumbling block here will be the price, which hasn't been confirmed in the UK yet but in Europe is reported as €849 SIM-free for the 32GB model. Ouch. Couple this with the fact that as gorgeous as it is we'll only really get an idea for how well the display works and feels for day-to-day use when it's undergone some full reviews and it seems like there's still work to be done to convince the mainstream market.
Visit Samsung to find out more.
Posted on March 24, 2015 Author Paul LesterCategories Mobiles & AccessoriesTags s6, Samsung, smartphone
LG G Flex 2 – there's no beauty without curves
"Same is not sexy". This is the rather bold statement LG is going with to describe its intriguingly shaped Flex 2. We're not sure how true this is in the grand scheme of things but we're inclined to agree that as far as sexy tech goes, LG may have a point. It's nice to see something new in a market swarming with great looking devices that can genuinely turn heads again.
The curved 5.5", full HD P-OLED screen on this beautiful creation was the main reason why it collected 14 "Best Phone" awards at the 2015 International CES show and now that it's heading to the UK we're dying to know if it has the brains to go with these looks.
Fortunately it's no slouch when it comes to interiors, with a 13MP rear camera and 4K Ultra HD camcorder, so you can finally get your hands on some content for that snazzy new TV. A 2.1MP selfie and full HD video recorder on the front should do most people quite nicely, and with an octa-core Snapdragon 810 2.0GHz CPU keeping things ticking over should have no problems with responsive operation. 32GB of internal memory with an important option of microSD up to 2TB means you won't run out of space if you're getting carried away with 4K video, and a 3,000 mAh battery should mean you won't run out of juice either.
So on paper at least, the G Flex 2 seems like it could be the complete package, but how does it all stack up together, and are there any hidden downsides to a bendy display? We had a read around to find out.
As TechRadar points out this is LG's second attempt at a curved smartphone and one in which it has appeared to address many of its predecessor's problems, but that the all-important display isn't quite as radical as LG would you have you believe: "Instead, the curve gives it a subtle bow in the middle so, like one of LG's new 4K TVs, its faint curvature goes from a 400mm to a 700mm radius." What's interesting here is that it isn't just curved; it's also flexible, which importantly makes it more durable and gives the user some degree of comfort control depending on how they're using it.
"The Flex 2 felt contoured to my face and more accessible with one hand than a normal 5.5-inch phone. I've seen the G Flex withstand 1,000 pounds of pressure, and LG claims this one is even stronger. It's the ultimate anti-iPhone 6 BendGate phone."
It notes that the flexible nature makes it a little more effective for viewing multimedia, taking phone calls and fitting snugly into a pocket. And like the previous Flex, the Flex 2 has an "advanced self-healing back", which can recover from light scratches in around 10 seconds. It's an impressive claim, but may be a little far-fetched as "looking at the back cover, I still received what must be considered "medium" scratches that haven't gone away. Sadly, it doesn't live up to the hype."
The only other potential issues with the design are based around the controls and speaker. The sides and top are devoid of power and volume buttons. These have been placed on the rear, which can take a bit of getting used to, and a relatively powerful speaker loses significant appeal if it's not pumping the tunes in your direction. Despite these foibles Techradar is impressed overall, awarding it 4/5.
Moving away from the USP and onto more conventional matters we'll pick up TrustedReviews and its 7/10 review as it delves a bit deeper into the core functions. The quality of the display itself is pleasingly impressive. It writes that the smaller 5.5" size feels more manageable and the benefits of OLED (or P-OLED – since it's made from plastic for the flexibility) shine through.
"Its sharp, black levels really impress for watching films, and viewing angles are excellent. The 403ppi pixel density of the 5.5-inch screen means it impresses for clarity as well."
With Lollipop 5.0.2 and LG's UI on top the Flex 2 is pretty up to date on the software front, and many of LGs additions, such as the gesture-related features and smart keyboard, are quite effective, though it is running the risk of feeling a little overwhelming. The processor keeps things ticking over nicely, allocating its cores as and when needed to cope with intensive tasks and optimise performance, but it can run uncomfortably hot, which seems largely to be a drawback of the curved design.
On the camera front you'll find the same array as the impressive G3 with a few extra features to improve the experience, such as a dual-LED flash for better close-ups, optical image stabilisation and something called Gesture Shot, which allows you to take pictures without having to touch the screen or device itself. Overall the results are impressive, though it does note that with when it comes to shooting video, the 5-minute limit for 4K might mean that 1080p is a better default option.
We'll let AndroidPit fill in some gaps for us with a look at the battery, which it points out is a step down from the 3,500 mAh of the original, though doesn't suffer because of optimisations in other areas. The G Flex 2 also offers fast charging, which offers a couple of benefits. "The G Flex 2 can charge up to 50 percent capacity in less than 40 minutes. The G Flex 2 also makes use of stepped charging technology; where standard battery charging comes in at 1.8A, the G Flex 2's stepped charging is capable of 2.6A." It made it through a full day of fairly heavy use quite well, though the more demanding consumer might be asking for a little bit more considering the competition.
AndroidPit also emphasises the durability that a flexible phone can bring and the peace of mind that comes with it for more accident-prone users. LG has actually produced something called Dura-Guard Glass for the Flex 2, which is effectively customised Gorilla Glass that's 20% stronger than Gorilla Glass 3 with improved strength and shock absorbency at the edges, which are most vulnerable to drops. This all culminates in:
"a premium device with serious hardware backed up by all the benefits of superior durability, flexibility and ergonomics. As a normal phone the G Flex 2 would be great, but adding a near-indestructible build quality makes it truly outstanding."
The LG G Flex 2 will be available exclusively on Vodaphone for six weeks from 19th March when it's officially launched, and you can expect to pay around £500 SIM-free.
Posted on March 10, 2015 Author Paul LesterCategories Mobiles & AccessoriesTags Flex2, LG, smartphone
Kyocera Torque – budget-priced ruggedized smartphone crosses the pond
There are few things in life more frustrating than damaging a smartphone. Apart from the expense involved, the thought of spending days without catching up on Twitter and playing Candy Crush is often too much for some people to bear, so it's no wonder we're starting to see an increasing focus on durability. Toughened screens and waterproofing are all well and good but if you're particularly clumsy or perhaps have a penchant for all-terrain activities then you might like an all-terrain smartphone, and there have been precious few of those to choose from.
Luckily one is on the way in the Kyocera Torque, a new version of a phone with the same concept that was doing the rounds a couple of years ago in the US, and it looks like it could stand up to quite a bit of punishment. What's interesting about it is that unlike some other phones that justify pricing a mid-range handset at a high-end price due to a relatively unique concept; this is a budget model with fairly reasonable specs.
A quad-core 1.4GHz Snapdragon processor powers a 4.5" display with 1280×720 resolution that can also be operated with regular gloves on or when wet, which given the target market could come in very handy. Incorporated into the display, or specifically the glass front panel, is something called "smart sonic receiver", which uses the whole surface as a speaker detecting both sound and vibrations and is designed to transmit sound through the cartilage of your ear to improve audio for both phone calls and media playback.
An 8MP rear camera and 2MP front facer are fairly standard, though it would have been nice to see a bit more going on in this area given that if you are venturing into the great outdoors with it there may be a fair few photo opportunities, and a meaty 3,100mAh battery offers reassuring impressions that it'll last quite some time between charges.
In terms of protection you're getting the latest IPX5 and IPX8 waterproofing, which essentially means it can survive in five feet of water for around 30 minutes, it's dustproof and shockproof and can also withstand temperatures between -21 and 50 degrees centigrade for three hours. Unfortunately it only runs Android 4.4, which given the specifications is unlikely to be upgraded, but since at this price point many people will be picking one up as a secondary phone it shouldn't be too much of an issue.
The Torque is already doing the rounds in the US but will be coming to the UK in the spring – in fact it's the first Kyocera model to be launched into the European market. No prices have been announced as yet, but with a $99.99 tag we expect it to be affordable, to say the least.
Posted on February 24, 2015 Author Paul LesterCategories Mobiles & AccessoriesTags kyocera, ruggedised, smartphone


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Q: Looking for an approach to break a B-spline/Cubic spline into multiple sections I am self-learning a game developing. The current topic I am learning is about path design. I get some random points and need a good math model to design a smooth path through those points (not necessary to pass all points but in best fitting). I read a book about spline (B-spline and cubic spline) and seems it is a good tool to use them. However, those two splines will get the path throughs the points instead of the best fitting smooth curve. I go research and I found scipy do have a smooth spline interploation may help
from scipy.interpolate import BSpline, CubicSpline
from scipy.interpolate import splrep
from scipy.interpolate import BPoly
import numpy as np
# x, y are the given points
x = np.array([ 0. ,  1.2,  1.9,  3.2,  5, 6.5])
y = np.array([ 0. ,  2.3,  3. ,  4.3,  2.9, 3.1])
t, c, k = splrep(x, y, s=0.8, k=3) # make it smooth by setting s=0.8

spl = BSpline(t, c, k) # create B-spline

The Bspline does help to generate a smooth path. For some reasons, I need to break the path into multiple section of curves. My goal is to change the Bspline into a multiple sections of Bezier curve. So I try the following two approaches found online

*

*I found a question How to create Bezier curves from B-Splines in Sympy? in which someone ask about the same questions. I copy the code from there to below

import aggdraw
import numpy as np
import scipy.interpolate as si
from PIL import Image

# from https://stackoverflow.com/a/35007804/2849934
def scipy_bspline(cv, degree=3):
    """ cv:       Array of control vertices
        degree:   Curve degree
    """
    count = cv.shape[0]

    degree = np.clip(degree, 1, count-1)
    kv = np.clip(np.arange(count+degree+1)-degree, 0, count-degree)

    max_param = count - (degree * (1-periodic))
    spline = si.BSpline(kv, cv, degree)
    return spline, max_param

# based on https://math.stackexchange.com/a/421572/396192
def bspline_to_bezier(cv):
    cv_len = cv.shape[0]
    assert cv_len >= 4, "Provide at least 4 control vertices"
    spline, max_param = scipy_bspline(cv, degree=3)
    for i in range(1, max_param):
        spline = si.insert(i, spline, 2)
    return spline.c[:3 * max_param + 1]

def draw_bezier(d, bezier):
    path = aggdraw.Path()
    path.moveto(*bezier[0])
    for i in range(1, len(bezier) - 1, 3):
        v1, v2, v = bezier[i:i+3]
        path.curveto(*v1, *v2, *v)
    d.path(path, aggdraw.Pen("black", 2))

cv = np.array([[ 40., 148.], [ 40.,  48.],
               [244.,  24.], [160., 120.],
               [240., 144.], [210., 260.],
               [110., 250.]])

im = Image.fromarray(np.ones((400, 400, 3), dtype=np.uint8) * 255)
bezier = bspline_to_bezier(cv)
d = aggdraw.Draw(im)
draw_bezier(d, bezier)
d.flush()
# show/save im

In the code, I don't quite understand what is v1, v2, v = bezier[i:i+3] v1, v2, v, is v1 the start point of the bezier curve, v2 the middle control point and v is the end point? so the bezier curve is always quadratic? I am trying to plot the v1, v2, v for each bezier extracted in the above code as follow, I get something very strange
    for i in range(1, len(bezier) - 1, 3):
        v1, v2, v = bezier[i:i+3]
        cc = np.array([(v1[0], v1[1]), (v2[0], v2[1]), (v[0], v[1])])
        curve = BPoly(cc[:, None, :], [0,1])
        X = np.linspace(0, 1, 20)
        p = curve(X)
        plt.gca().set_aspect('equal')
        plt.plot(*p.T)

Could someone help to explain if anything wrong with the code above?

*I have spent long time to figure out how to break the B spline into multiple Bezier curves but no good results, so I try to think of a different way. I use CubicSpline instead so the piecewise polynormial is avaialbe.

from scipy.interpolate import BSpline, CubicSpline
from scipy.interpolate import splrep
from scipy.interpolate import BPoly
import numpy as np
x = np.array([ 0. ,  1.2,  1.9,  3.2,  5, 6.5])
y = np.array([ 0. ,  2.3,  3. ,  4.3,  2.9, 3.1])
t, c, k = splrep(x, y, s=0.8, k=3)
spl = BSpline(t, c, k)

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
fig, ax = plt.subplots()
xx = np.linspace(0, 6, 500)
ax.plot(xx, spl(xx), 'b-', lw=4, alpha=0.7, label='BSpline')
ax.plot(x, y, 'rs')

xx = x
yy = spl(xx)

cu = CubicSpline(xx, yy)
plt.plot(xx, yy, 'ko')
for i in range(len(cu.x)-1):
    xs = np.linspace(cu.x[i], cu.x[i+1], 100)
    plt.plot(xs, np.polyval(cu.c[:,i], xs - cu.x[i]))

The code does give me a multiple segments but the number of segments depend on the xx I choose. If the xx is very dense, I may end up with so many segements. My goal is to use as less polynormial segments as possible to approach the spline. Could anyone give me some information for any way to do that? Thanks.
Looking for some advice how to apporach the problem


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Thermal printing is considered a standard for businesses today. This is due to the reliability and quality this paper offers. Additionally, thermal printer paper provides long-lasting output without the hefty price tag attached to traditional ink printers.
While you have likely encountered thermal paper in many different locations from the ATM to lottery tickets and at the grocery store, there may be a few pieces of information you never knew about thermal paper rolls. Some interesting bits of information can be found here.
Fact: Thermal paper has been used since the 1960s.
The very first thermal printer was created in the 1960s by Texas Instruments. Even though 3M had begun to develop thermal papers with metallic salts at the same time, NCR Corp, which used dye chemistry for the product, quickly became the top manufacturer of thermal paper because theirs were the most affordable option. Unfortunately, the dye faded quickly, making the product undesirable.
In the 1980s the market changed significantly thanks to Japanese scientists. At this point, more durable paper was created. IN the 1990s, the printing technology evolved further, and thermal paper became more widely used.
Fact: Thermal paper utilizes a special coating called BPA to allow inkless printing.
By now you know that thermal paper is sensitive to heat and that it has been coated with a chemical that allows text to appear. What you may not be aware of is that the chemical is the same one used for producing hard plastics, BPA.
Fact: You can purchase a wide array of thermal paper roll types.
Most people purchase thermal paper based on two factors – price and size. However, there are other factors and features to consider, as well. There are thermal paper options that can print colors other than black, which offers a major advantage when it comes to marketing. There are also thermal paper rolls that come in two sheets. This provides everyone with a copy of the information printed.
Fact: The thermal paper industry is extremely lucrative.
Think about how many businesses print out receipts each day. They only do this by having a supply of receipt paper. With most businesses moving toward thermal paper, business is booming, making this an extremely lucrative market to be in.
Fact: Thermal paper is found everywhere.
You will find thermal paper is used at local stores, for online markets and you can purchase these rolls in a number of locations. When choosing a supplier, make sure to pick one with a great reputation for delivering quality paper, as this will help ensure the best results possible.
While you may not think that thermal paper rolls are that exciting, they have a pretty interesting history. This paper is also something that is used around the world and that virtually everyone has encountered at one point or another.


text:
LITA FORD Is Putting Finishing Touches On 'Dark' And 'Badass' New Album
Lita Ford is putting the finishing touches on her long-awaited new solo album, tentatively due in 2020. The follow-up to 2012's "Living Like A Runaway" is once again being helmed by guitarist/producer Gary Hoey, who contributes some guitar playing to the disc, alongside the rest of Ford's backing band, which continues to consist of guitarist Patrick Kennison, drummer Bobby Rock and bassist Marty O'Brien.
In a brand new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, Gary stated about Lita's upcoming LP: "We have enough songs right now to put out a record. But she'll come and we'll just record new songs; when she gets new songs, she just wants to come and record them. So we record them, and then when we sit down with the record company — which I know she's shopping now — it's, like, let's put all the songs on the table and see which ones really fit for this record. This record has a little concept kind of thing to it — [the songs] all sort of fit together. And it's a deep album, man. I cannot wait for people to hear it. I'm going crazy. I'm ready to put the demos out and not even tell her."
Asked to elaborate on the musical and lyrical direction of Lita's new effort, Gary said: "Well, it's dark in some ways, but it's got a big production to it and it's just really badass, man — it's just so great. It's dark in the way that Lita does dark, in the way that Ozzy [Osbourne] and Alice Cooper does dark. They own it and they've lived it and they've been on the edge of death, probably, every one of them. And they pour into their music. And when she does stuff that scares me or shocks me, I always just go, 'And why wouldn't she?' And when record companies and her manager calls me and says, 'Lita needs to write a poppy song. We need something with a nice melody.' And I go, 'Dude, she is not Belinda Carlisle. It's Lita Ford. Don't tell her what to do. This is who she is.' And so, to me, I love artists like that that just own who they are and what they are, and if you embrace that [attitude] with them, you bring out the best."
Earlier this year, Lita told The Metal Voice that her new album will include a song called "Monsters", which was inspired by infamous cult leaders like Charles Manson and David Koresh. "It's just really dark and nasty stuff — brainwashing people and all the stuff [Koresh] did, and got all those people to drink Kool-Aid," she said. "But then again, it could be someone like your attorney, or it could be someone like your mom who is the monster in your life. It could be your manager. You never know who the monster in your life is gonna turn out to be."
Last year, Ford told KBACK Radio that she "was going through a real hard time in my life" during the making of "Living Like A Runaway", "and music was my outlet. I dumped everything into my music, because I didn't wanna start drinking or doing drugs or hurting myself in any other way, so I just rocked out — I put everything into my music, and it really shows in the songs and the lyrics of that album," she said. "They are true — it's a true story, that entire album. But the next album that we're doing is something that I've had in the can for quite a while and it's resurfaced in my life and I'm carrying on with it and I'm making it come to life, and it's really awesome. I don't wanna give it away yet, but I think people are going to be happy with it. It's very riffy, very memorable choruses — stuff that sticks in your head with the riffs and the choruses, the melodies. A real cocky attitude. I love it. I'm very happy with it."
Ford's last release was 2016's "Time Capsule", a collection of songs that were recorded by Lita in the past, but never before made available.
Three years ago, Lita released an autobiography, "Living Like A Runaway: A Memoir", via Dey Street Books (formerly It Books), an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Photo credit: Dustin Jack
BLIND GUARDIAN Shares Music Video For New Single 'Deliver Us From Evil'
AMORPHIS Releases Music Video For New Song 'The Moon'
SLASH FEAT. MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS Share New Song 'Fill My World'
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE Drummer BRAD WILK Undergoes Second Surgery To Repair Torn Meniscus
Here A Sneak Peek At FOO FIGHTERS' Horror Comedy 'Studio 666'
KING BUFFALO
Acheron
Despărțire
Back In Black (Redux) / The Best Of AC/DC


text:
Apply for mentoring
Become a PAF Art Mentor
Inspiring Change
Impact of PAF's Work
Creative Possibilities – Pamela Brown PAF Writer in Residence HMP Magilligan
11/02/2018 What's NewPrison Arts
Lock 'em up and throw away the key. How many times do we hear that phrase used in the context of prisoners? If we mechanically process everyone together then we don't have to see the individual, we don't have to look at someone's background, and we certainly don't have to think about that person returning to our communities.
From my teaching experience, I know that creative writing provides a key…a key to unlocking ideas, unlocking insular thinking and unlocking potential. And with creativity you always begin with potential.
Creative writing changes our mindset, teaches us to think about others, to explore other lives and experiences, whether as fictional characters or as a self-reflection on our own life. We feel compassion, empathy, we connect to philosophies, we encounter character's traits. We nurture and grow, we edit and revise. And what is rehabilitation if not the ability to recognise patterns of behaviour, to understand the need for change, and importantly to have the tools to input that change.
I remember years ago being asked by a friend if I would work with prisoners. I replied 'No'. It was a blank, flat 'No'. Fast forward to 2011, I needed work. I especially wanted to continue in the arts. The Playhouse in Derry asked if I would facilitate 12 weeks of Creative Writing Workshops in HMP Magilligan. I thought, 'Alright, I could do 12 weeks'. Fast forward to 2018 and I'm still there. It has been a long twelve weeks, but I could never have imagined the potential, the achievements and the insights that I have gained during these 7 years.
I've never believed that writing should be locked away in a drawer or a file. We shouldn't be afraid or embarrassed by our personal truths. Time In magazine provides the primary platform to reflect the creative output of the writers in Magilligan. It has evolved with the group and teaches research skills, journalism styles, computer and IT knowhow and provides an opportunity to consider what makes an interesting article or an engaging story. You learn to make decisions about content and form as well as the many techniques for creating any piece of writing.
The anthologies we put together with PAF's support give the writing a function, in the sense of making a finished work which is showcased in print. This work gives the group the sense of belonging together. The work we share with each other in the class, teaches us how to critique and understand someone else's work. I am deliberately emphasising that creative writing is work. The PAF exhibitions, the Koestler Trust Awards, The Listowel Awards and the Prison Reform Trust help us set goals with targets and meet deadlines.
How many of us have said, 'I could write a book?' But writing takes more than time, it takes focus and arduous discipline. I mean the discipline and skills of any craftsman except that in writing you are within an interior world. You need at least 75,000 words for a novel and that certainly takes focus, discipline, tenacity and staying power. And works of quality are even harder to achieve. Prison writing is a unique genre that communicates ideas, conveys thoughts, prejudices, love, hopes, regrets. Writing creates a safe space to step back and reflect upon ourselves, see our thoughts and those of others. It is not just a mirror of the self, it is a larger mirror to see others in all aspects of shared common humanity.
Bob Dylan says in his 'Like A Rollin Stone' song lyric… 'when you've got nothing, you've got nothing to lose, your invisible now, you've got no secrets to conceal…how does it feel?' Creative writing not only tells us how it feels…but it gives a voice to the invisible.
So, who wants to listen to prisoners? Who wants to hear what they have to say? I won't attempt to speak for those who aren't here today, but I know they are grateful to PAF for the support, for realising that the arts play such a vitally important role in their lives, in how they revaluate themselves, and how they stay connected with their families, their wives, their mothers, their children, and with survival. I won't pretend that creative writing is the cure all. It can be a great challenge to make a beginning and see it through to completion. What works for one person may not work for another…but without a doubt the arts have a place in prison because of the infinite possibilities of expression for the prisoner, for literature and definitely for rehabilitation since art creates a parallel world in which to view the actual world. Rather than the reductive concept of locking someone up and throwing away the key.
What have Christopher Marlowe, Daniel Defoe, Oscar Wilde, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, O. Henry, Paul Verlaine, William S. Burroughs, Dashiell Hammett, Ken Kesey, Jack London all got in common? These writers served time in prison. All these writers are among those who have given us some of the most eloquent, true, insightful and beautiful literature. Their struggle, pain and sufferings transformed into art is definitional. Good writing doesn't come from an easy place, good literature has never been main-stream…that's a historical fact, if we look at the cannon of great writers through time.
However, overcoming extreme personal situations, resolving inner conflicts and bringing the self to inner harmony are among the mysteries of creativity, writing, literature, music and art.
I would like to finish by including a poem that one of my students wrote a few weeks ago. I must make a plea that without your support, this poem would never have been written. And you know, and I see this every day that writing doesn't have to be about something huge, it doesn't have to be about an over towering outcome, but it is a way of getting though hour by hour, day by day. And it is often a simple act in creative writing, a few lines that, as if by magic connects one human being to another.
'Poem' by GS
Behind the walls and wire fences,
the locks and razor wire
a young man walks to writing class
and his youthful heart on fire
He's learned to write good poetry
and he has a girl at home
and his love flows through the keyboard
as he writes his girl a poem.
He wrote it in his cell last night
while listening to their song
true love is in the words he writes
he says it won't be long
until the gates are opened wide
and he wants her to be there
a smile upon her luscious lips
and sunlight in her hair.
In all the grey and loneliness
where every man's alone
the young man walks to writing class
and writes his love a poem.
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