Rough Cuts Ltd Blog

It's not often we get something in genuinely unique, based more on style than functionality, but this week we have just that. The Binatone Brick is modelled on the Motorola DynaTAC, which was unsympathetically nicknamed the brick, because of it's sheer bulk. Having said that, at the time, it was a massive leap from the car battery and curly cord affairs that were lugged around by the 80's 1%! This handset is, frankly ginormous by todays standards. You can, if you choose, put a sim card in it and use it as your main phone. Or if you prefer, you can connect it via bluetooth to your smartphone and use it separately. It wedges beautifully between your shoulder and head but is not a road legal handsfree kit. It's compatible with the 2G network, so is capable of sending SMS messages as well as making and receiving calls. It has digital call quality so calls are clear and hiss free. Not only that, but, it has a memory card slot.... It includes a music player, although ironi

We had the Sony Smart watch in some months ago, however, it wasn't a great experience. To start, the watch looks cumbersome and plastic, the screen resolution was poor, the functionality clumsy and the effective usefulness virtually nil. I wore it for a day or two, then realised I looked like an idiot and it did nothing I want, so it's sat, unreviewed on my shelf ever since, gathering dust. Sadly now, I no longer use an android handset, but the Samsung Galaxy Gear really makes me wish I did. Sure it's not perfect, but look at it! Even James Bond never had a watch this cool. The appearance of the white strapped, rose gold version that we have is clearly a subjective issue, but so far, everyone that has seen it in our office is a fan. The screen is also strikingly clear. Set up is a little tedious if I'm being honest. Initially it had nil charge and, once we'd put it in it's bulky charging clamp bed, it didn't even appear to be charging; but it was. The odd

Don't get me wrong, I love Windows mobile OS. In terms of favourites, I'd place it higher than Android, which I know many people quite justifiably disagree with. I have no beef with Microsoft, I love my X-Box too. I like Microsoft, I just despise Windows and think it's long overdue a massive makeover, to make it simpler and easier to use and less prone to system errors. iPad's just don't do system errors. Ironically iPhone's and Windows phones both 'just work'. Mac OSX isn't perfect, but it's a damn sight less imperfect and I am genuinely excited about Mavericks, which, I hope, will be even less imperfect. My first look at a surface was at a meeting last week, when the geekiest of us, proudly produced it to show us some photos from years gone by. We found we couldn't swipe from photo to photo, instead we had to close the window down.. view the old familiar Windows Explorer underneath, then click to open the next photo. I wasn't impress

Just read a pretty misleading article on Google music and how it doesn't really 'gel' for people with Apple hardware, so I just wanted to set the record straight. For anyone that read the easy cheap networking post using Apple products, you'll be aware that pretty much most of the networked devices I have are Apple. For this article we only need to consider the 2 x Airport Express (Aex) units and Apple TV (Atv) devices. I also use a Mac an iPhone and an iPad. I use iTunes on the Mac pretty extensively for arranging and syncing music between the iPad and iPhone. Music I have is a mix of stuff bought through iTunes and MP3 ripped from old CD's. I boot up Google's Mac software 'Music Manager' which uploads my iTunes folder to Google Music. It doesn't offer 2 way sync, so if I delete an album from iTunes, it remains on Google Music. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing (sometimes I regret deleting an album, and as it's not eating into any storag

The wireless future was supposed to make sharing films, photos, music and documents easier. Computers with various operating systems, mobile phones, would all be able to store and share information around the home, streaming from screen to screen or to a networked device from a networked storage device somewhere else in the same building. For many, this hasn't happened as easily as they thought. Setting up a 'workable' and enjoyable home network can be a challenge. But it doesn't have to be, there are easy and cheap work arounds for most of the problems. Surprisingly, many of these come from Apple. Let me explain my setup before I explain how it works, so that you can decide whether this is what you're looking to achieve. I'll explain the technology I use, the settings or programs I use, where appropriate and the connections between the devices that makes it all possible. We can wirelessly stream music to THREE rooms in the home. Living room, Bedroom and

The Sony Z is the current hottest Android handset on the market. There's no doubt on paper the unit trounces most of the competition. But does the best of Android beat the best of Apple? Well, for starters, there is the size difference to consider. The iPhone 5 is clearly much bigger than the older 4s. The 4s and all of the other handsets were marketted on the fact that you could use them with one hand. That is to say, you could still comfortably reach the upper left hand side of the screen, with the thumb on your right hand. The same can be said of the iPhone 5. Yes, it is a little longer, but it's no wider. So the one handed promises Apple made are still true. Not true of the Xperia Z. Not true at all, it's vast by comparison and it can only be described as a two handed machine. If texting while holding a pint is high on your agenda, you shouldn't even consider the Xperia! On the other hand, if you want the highest screen resolution, then perhaps surprisingly, (co

I like Windows operating system. Both of my young kids are using windows phones and they just seem to know how to use them. One has the HTC Radar and one has the Nokia Lumia 800. In all honesty, the Lumia gives us the most headaches with the seemingly unfixable turning on/off bug that makes it nigh on impossible to switch back on after the battery becomes fully depleted, having booked the phone in for repair, it seems to be ok now; touch wood. The Radar, on the other hand, has been pretty much faultless. The Lumia 820 is a lovely unit though and so far, we've yet to hear of any similar software glitches. In the hand it feels like a high quality product. Again though, this new trend of 'bigger is best' makes it just a smidge too large for it to be comfortably used with one hand. Not only that, but the matt edges don't allow for a good grip and it's a heavy unit. So I suspect one to two may have been inadvertently 'launched'. The new Windows OS is lovely to

We've had this unit in for a while and never really used it. It retails at around £80 and should be capable of receiving freeview TV broadcasts through a supplied antenna. Inside the box we found a USB cable, a small magnetic based antenna and a small telescopic aerial. We downloaded the elgato eyeTV tuner app and booted it up. It asked us to plug the device in, but it already was. Here comes disappointment number 1. It's not powered from the iPhone socket. We plugged a USB lead into it and the red light came on. The app recognised this fact and we scanned for TV channels. Unfortunately, indoors, we found nothing. So, I took the unit, along with my Mac that was powering it, outside and I stood in almost zero temperatures to scan again.... and again. But alas, with no joy. Disappointment number 2!  Undeterred and with almost child-like enthusiasm and optimism, I took the magnetic aerial out, plugged it into the device and plonked it on top of my car. Where I sat, in freezin

I honestly thought on the first day of launch, when our demo iPhone 5 showed a scratch on the metal band that this would be a massive problem. Then I saw the problems with the units bending and I thought that this would be a disaster too. An aluminium band as the main support around the outside of an iPhone? Compared to a steel band on the iPhone of old! Surely some mistake!? It's so light by comparison, but at this cost? Well, no, although we have has a couple of people complain about the black paint chipping on their black iPhone 5, it's had very little actual impact. In relation to handsets bending, we've had no complaints at all. None, not a single one, not even an insurance claim. And we've sold lots and lots and lots. Well done Apple. It seems it's all good.

There are very few reviews of Blackberry smartphones on these pages. To be blunt, they wouldn't be very favourable. Anyone who knows me will tell you, I'm not REALLY a fan. In fact, I've hated them, even the handsets that have been given to me, with a connected sim card, with the blackberry service enabled. I loathed them all. The Playbook was ok, I quite liked that. But it wasn't quite as easy to warm to as an iPad. This, well, it's a different beast altogether. Firstly, it's too big for me to to use as a day to day phone. I wouldn't have one for that reason alone. Which, is something of a shame, as the handset is an absolute corker. Within 10 minutes of flicking back and forth between the HUB, the last used apps and the main menu. You'll feel at home. It's a very easy handset to get used to quickly. The Icons are very Apple-esque, but the transform effects are very slick. It's a nice handset to use. The cameras face detect and smile feature i

Just seen a friend of mine hit 50Mbps download on EE just outside Liverpool. He has a 3Gb monthly limit on downloads. So in theory, this means he could use all of his data allowance in just over a minute. But I'm exaggerating, In all honesty, it would probably take him at least 10 minutes. To use ALL of his data allowance... for the whole month. Things need to change. Someone will get stung very quick. Very high data speeds and low, low data allowances do not mix. Watch this space.........

The Oso mount claims to have a unique type of suction cup, that will stick to more surfaces than most other in car mounts. In an 07 civic, there is a very flat part of the dashboard, which is ideal for mounting a phone. But, it's textured, so most mounts won't form a vacuum. The Oso mount on the other hand has a very soft and sticky circle, with a depressed rubberised centre. And, I must say, it works; it works brilliantly. The suction cup will fit to pretty much any, relatively flat, plastic surface, even the more textured part of the dashboard is flat enough for the circle to form a very very tight grip. If the suction cup becomes too clogged up with dust from moving it too frequently, you simply rinse it under a tap, which returns the sticky surface to its original state. The clip design is simplicity itself, quite why more car mount manufacturers don't supply a simply bulldog clip is beyond me. So, you'd assume, with a superb suction cup and a great clip design th