The term “Flagship Killer” takes on new meaning with the Honor 10 + GPU Turbo.

After using the brand new Honor 10 for a couple of months I can say with total confidence it really is a “Flagship Killer”. Producing phones that exceed expectations and challenge the stupidly high prices of new class-leading handsets from Apple and Samsung has raised Huawei, the parent company of Honor to be the second largest global smartphone maker. With Samsung still in top spot but Apple languishing in third. Most impressively Huawei has achieved this without access to the huge US market where the government and regulators have restricted their access due to security concerns. Being a Chinese company and China phobia in the US as it is, Huawei has suffered in North America but still excelled globally.

After using the brand new Honor 10 for a couple of months I can say with total confidence it really is a “Flagship Killer”
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“We believe the recipe of success is simple – give consumers a really good product! That’s what we work hard for every day at Honor,” said George Zhao, President of Honor. “But we don’t just stop at making a good product. We want to co-create a new lifestyle with young people worldwide. We listen to them, we bounce ideas around with them, and we cheer for them. They are our inspiration, and the reason we created the Honor 10, with its AI photography features and exquisite design.”

The mid-priced but high spec market has grown recently, driven by competitors including OnePlus, Huawei & Honor delivering handsets that demonstrate just how overpriced the flagship phones from Apple and Samsung are. I would also suggest that a lack of innovation at the top of the market has devalued their flagships somewhat. People are right to expect serious advances and groundbreaking new features if they are are shelling out around a grand for a phone. Samsung and more specifically Apple designed and built this market in top-end phones to work this way and only have themselves to blame when they can’t keep up with the demands of their customers.

#Honor are targetting the budget flagship space with the #Honor10 and just like the OnePlus 6 you get top tier components in an attractive yet affordable package
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Anyhoo, on to the £399.99 Honor 10. The way android is designed to mould itself to your usage means that the first few days of using a new phone are crucial while you set it up how you want it to work and Android learns how you use your phone and how to give you the best experience and battery life. This bedding-in process means you will experience pretty terrible battery life and a hot handset for the first 4-5 days and that judging the device in any way is foolish until about a week has passed and everything has settled down. By day 7 of my test I think I got the phone I was expecting. It was super fast and a pleasure to use. By week 8 I now know that you will never need to spend more than £500 to get an incredible smartphone that 99.9% of users will love.

By day 7 of my test and after tweaking it to my taste I think I got the phone I was expecting. The #Honor10 was super fast and a pleasure to use
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I was also fortunate as Honor Global wanted to ensure I got the latest Android 8.1 and EMUI 8.1 updates, including GPU Turbo, for this review so I’m testing the Honor 10 at its absolute best. The screen is 5.84” with an aspect of 19:9. It’s FHD+ 2280x1080px (432ppi) and for me proves that great screens don’t need to be 4K. FHD saves a chunk of battery over 4K and the visible difference is almost beyond human perception. On this screen the colours are bold, whites are bright and contrast is crisp, no complaints at all.

The screen is 5.84” with an aspect of 19:9. It’s FHD+ 2280x1080px (432ppi) and for me proves that great screens don’t need to be 4K
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The Honor 10 is loaded with the same flagship processor found in the top end Huawei P20 Pro, the Kirin 970 CPU. This octa-core processor (4×2.36GHz + 4×1.8GHz) is really powerful and makes the Honor 10 blazingly fast in daily use. 4GB of RAM is not a lot but the Honor 10 runs very fast and smooth no matter what you are doing. Interestingly the screen features a notch and the fact I don’t hate it still surprises me. To be fair it is hidden in a lot of my apps as the background remains black unless the app’s header colour is replicated to fill the notch sides and this seems to be limited to only a few apps but if you want to hide it permanently just pop into the settings and bingos, job done.

Honor is pushing the concept of “Beauty in AI” and this phone features advanced AI 2.0 technology, applied chiefly to the smartphone’s camera. The dual 24Mp + 16Mp rear facing AI Camera has an F1.8 wide aperture to improve low light photos and uses its AI to analyse and tweak your photographs. Offering Real-time Scene Recognition of 500+ Scenarios in 22 Categories, smart portrait and event gallery categorisation, dynamic bokeh and multi-subject framing. The AI camera produces pleasing results quickly, analysing, categorising the subject of your photo and treating it to your taste through Scene-specific Parameter Applications. The Dynamic Bokeh effect is all the rage right now and as you can see below can make a small panty dog look very pretty indeed!

The #Honor10 Dynamic Bokeh effect is all the rage right now and as you can see making a small dog look very pretty indeed!
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The #Honor10 camera interface is quick and intuitive with plenty of fun options in AI mode and a powerful regular camera for capturing less filtery images
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And I’m sure social media will be flooded with artistically blurry selfie photos from the Honor 10’s front-facing 8MP, F/1.9 unit which also offers four 3D Studio Lighting Portrait options, for professional like headshots. You can opt out of AI mode easily which boosts the resolution of the rear camera to the full 24Mp and gives really very good results. The camera interface is quick and intuitive with plenty of fun options in AI mode and a powerful regular camera for capturing less filtery images. UHD 4k Video quality is likewise excellent and since the GPU Turbo update can take super slow-mo HD footage at 480fps a feature very similar to the latest Samsung Galaxy S9+.

Confident in the new camera’s abilities Honor and Central St Martins recently celebrated the ground-breaking new AI & Photographic capabilities of the Honor 10 with the talented up and coming young designers graduating this year.

@Honorglobal wanted to ensure I got the latest Android 8.1 and EMUI 8.1 updates for this review so I am testing #Honor10 at its absolute best
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Using the impressive new 24 Megapixel camera they celebrated how mobile technology will increasingly be integrated into education and design in the future, whether it be graphic communication, product, architecture, fashion or jewellery, exploring the future of aesthetics and how mobile technology will play a critical role in that development.

The #Honor10 handset itself is beautiful with a very cool layered, refractive glass back that shines and changes colours as it moves
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The 3400mAh battery will give you a full day, which is average but totally usable and not a negative in the current marketplace. It also features fast charging which will give you a 50% battery boost in only 25mins. I have tested this and it worked well. After a 9am start, I often get to bed in the early hours of the morning with only 5% left (without recharges) but that is still better than a lot of phones, Hem Hem, Apple! The handset itself is beautiful and the CMF or “ Aurora Glass” design is a 3D glass back with a very pleasing nano-scale optical coating composed of 15 bright glimmering layers that shine and shift colours as it moves. Another nice note is that a basic clear case is included in the box! Plus the handset came with a preinstalled screen protector, so no frustration and bubbles adding one yourself.

EMUI 8.1 on the #Honor10 is fast, slick and fun to use and importantly the AI camera is very good
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128GB of internal storage makes up for the lack of a Micro SD card slot and the only niggle I have with this device is the crap Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, awkwardly located at the bottom front of the screen. I regularly use Google Pay + NFC so need to have the device properly secured and unlocking it with this sensor is a pain in the butt. Both Huawei and Honor phones use a much cheaper fingerprint sensor which works much quicker and being located on the back of the handset meaning no finger contortion to access it. However, this is a minor drawback to an excellent smartphone.

UPDATE: Honor has just released an EMUI update (.146 C432) to address the slow fingerprint reader and indeed it does seem to be a bit quicker now! 

The only niggle I have with this device is the crap Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, awkwardly located at the bottom front of the screen
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Launched in London within a week of each other the Honor 10 is competing against the new OnePlus 6. Following the release of the OnePlus it has suffered from several serious software issues which have had to be patched and then repatched. The OnePlus 6 boasts a slightly bigger screen and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner but only has a 16Mp camera and the OxygenOS seems to have issues causing excessive battery drain and other bugs such as dropped calls seem to be common.

GPU Turbo

The Honor 10, on the other hand, has been rock solid for me with the recent GPU Turbo update making things feel even tighter and more fluid in use. Honor claims this update could boost your gaming performance by up to 60% but maybe because this phone is already an excellent and quick device I tested only about a 10% bump in speed and frame rates. After running multiple GPU tests I could only see a small increase in performance on the Honor 10 but have no doubt that older or lower spec devices will see more of a benefit with GPU Turbo. However, there is no doubt that this update made the handset feel smoother in use and generally quicker, no complaints about that!

I also noticed that AR & VR was super smooth and really impressive on the Honor 10. With this update, it definitely has the grunt to manage the GPU heavy processing these new technologies demand and despite being only FHD the screen is detailed with great contrast. Only a 4K screen would do any better when 1.5 Inches from your eyes in a VR headset and frankly I have never tested a 4K screen on a smartphone that could keep up with any decent VR experience, too many pixels to push so an FHD screen definitely delivers a more pleasing and less juddery experience even if it is a little bit more pixelated than 4K.

When compared to the Samsung Galaxy S9+ in my recent review this mid-priced Honor handset blew the £869 S9+ out of the water in UI speed and fluid user experience and matched it for battery life. What more do I need to say? The Honor 10 is the definition of a bargain and is now available for £399.99 for purchase in select markets including UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, with other markets follow.

Tom Atkinson is a Digital Producer & Photographer at R3Digital and Reviews & Dept. Editor at Tech Trends. Connect on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @R3Digital

The post Product Review: Honor 10 + GPU Turbo appeared first on Tech Trends.

At first Tech Trends was excited to get hold of the S9+ but less thrilled once we turned it on.

I used to be a Samsung Galaxy smartphone fan, in fact, my first smartphone was an S2 and I stuck with them for years before stepping out and trying LG and Sony, then back to Samsung with the S7 in 2016, which was an OK phone. So I feel I am qualified to review the enormous S9+. Sadly I’m not impressed, not at all impressed.

It is a subtly curved glass monolith that feels so nice in the hand that only the threat of dropping it forced me to put an excellent Catalyst case on it
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It looks spectacular and I am a huge fan of the design changes through the Galaxy S8 I reviewed last year, to the S9+. It is a subtly curved glass monolith that feels so nice in the hand that only the threat of dropping it forced me to put an excellent Catalyst case on it. The new position of the fingerprint reader is significantly better than the S8 but still leads to smudges on the camera lens which is just lazy design.

Sound quality is amazing and probably the best thing about the phone but as a package, it is not worth £869. Not even close! I’m not going to go into exhaustive depth on the faults with the S9+ because I don’t need to as they are blatant and obvious. I’ll look at the most annoying starting with the worst.

Sound quality is amazing and probably the best thing about the phone but as a package, it is not worth £869. Not even close!
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There are a lot of detailed tests and benchmark results out there that seem to show the S9+ is a speed monster but they don’t mean anything. My only metric is real-world use
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Now there are a lot of detailed test and benchmark results out there that seem to show the S9+ is a speed monster but they don’t mean anything. My only metric is real-world use. If it smokes the GPU & CPU tests it should feel slicker than hot vaseline, right? Well, No. It is slow, mindbogglingly slow, hair-tearing slow, screaming at it slow. This is just not acceptable. To give you some context I tested its startup against an Honor 7X, which I reviewed last Christmas, and the results are stunning. The Honor 7X costs £229.99, less than a third of the price of the S9+ yes… I know, surely not a fair competition.

The S9+ is slow, mindbogglingly slow, hair-tearing slow, screaming at it slow. This is just not acceptable in 2018
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I cloned the phones so they were identical in every possible way, installed all the latest updates, the same launcher and apps, left notifications on for the all the apps, signed it into the same Play account, hooked up to the same superfast broadband and turned them both off for two days. Later that week when I turned them on, I did it with a stopwatch running and the results back up my criticism.

The Honor 7X synched everything, filled my screen with notifications and updated the eleven apps showing updates in the Play store in under seven minutes. The S9+ was still checking notifications after thirteen minutes. Now that is a real world speed test and left the Samsung humbled. To be fair I ran the test again, twice and the results were worse so being a nice guy I am highlighting the best results out of three. The S9+ is pathetic at startup. Unbelievable!

Oh and it’s important to note that both phones were fully charged before I turned them on and during this startup test the S9+ used 6% of battery while the Honor used less than 1%, it didn’t even register. I am speechless.

The Honor 7X was quicker and more fleet of foot at everything while the Samsung was laggy, slow to load apps and generally frustrating to use
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Of course, I paid close attention to speed during use including opening apps, playing games, downloading & playing video, and came to the conclusion that the Honor 7X was quicker and more fleet of foot at everything while the Samsung was laggy, slow to load apps and generally frustrating to use. After years of using and testing Samsung smartphones, I recognise this as a long-term problem with Galaxy phones. They have always been laggy and the interface looks sluggish after using an iPhone for example.

That might have been acceptable five years ago but in the current market Samsung just can’t compete yet are still building and selling phones like the S9+ that are inexcusably expensive and that underperform. Some will say, yes but the S9+ has some advanced features the Honor doesn’t, but really? If it can’t perform the basics who cares if it can make you an AR Emoji or charge wirelessly. This is a chronic problem for Samsung but I just don’t think they see the problem exists!

Samsung just can’t compete at the moment but are still building and selling phones like the S9+ that are inexcusably expensive and that underperform
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A few more negatives spring to mind. The AR Emoji feature is a cringing embarrassment and should never have left the lab. It is heavy, very heavy. At 3500 mAh the battery is not enormous enough to cause this so not sure why it feels like a brick in my back pocket.

The screen is also a delight with rich colours and crisp edges and that AMOLED black that I love
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On to the positives, the cameras on the last couple of top end Samsung smartphones have been excellent and this one is no different but with the extra added camera I am not seeing any real improvement in image quality since the S8’s single camera and the new low light F1.5 aperture mode really doesn’t add anything, images are over processed, blocky and lack detail. However, you can rely on the S9+ to produce excellent images indoors and out in most conditions.

The cameras on the last couple of top end Samsung smartphones have been excellent and this one is no different
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Sound is very good, both wired and via Bluetooth
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Sound is very good, both wired and via Bluetooth. As an audio buff, this has been one of the reasons I stuck with Samsung for several years. The screen is also a delight with rich colours and crisp edges and that deep AMOLED black that I love. However I do question the need for a Quad HD+ screen, even on a phone this size. No human can really tell the difference from HD and the hit the higher resolution takes on the battery is not insignificant so I recommend you scale the screen resolution down in the settings and keep your phone alive for a bit longer every day.

So in summary, there is no sane reason why this handset costs £869, not at all. Would I recommend it? No, I wouldn’t.

However, if you want one they are available here.

Tom Atkinson is a Digital Producer & Photographer at R3Digital and Reviews & Dept. Editor at Tech Trends. Connect on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @R3Digital

The post Product Review: Samsung Galaxy S9+ appeared first on Tech Trends.

Another batch of cutting-edge gadgets and accessories for your consideration.

Aukey SK-M30 Portable Bluetooth Speaker

After a positive review of their SK-S1 BT Speaker a few months ago I was excited to get my hands on the Aukey SK-M30 model that although less sturdy, looks much more stylish and comes with the more advanced BT 4.2.

After a positive review of their SK-S1 BT Speaker I was excited to get my hands on the Aukey SK-M30 that although less sturdy, looks more stylish and comes with the more advanced BT 4.2
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Like its cheaper brother, the SK-M30 is super simple to use. Charge the 4000mAh battery via the supplied micro USB cable and you’ll get up to 12 hours of portable music. Instantly connect and wirelessly stream music from your device at a range of up to 10m (33ft) via BT 4.2 or use the included 3.5mm audio cable to connect pretty much anything else and you have a lightweight and super-useful speaker with enough grunt to fill a good-sized room.

Charge up the 4000mAh battery via the supplied micro USB cable and you will get up to 12 hours of portable music
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The sound quality is excellent and I couldn’t fault it when testing out talky radio and music of all types. For its small size the dual 10W drivers and subwoofers put out a really nice sound and for the money, the SK-M30 is a steal and highly recommended. Five simple buttons control power, play, track skipping (back/forward), volume, and even calls with the built-in mic.

Retails at: £43.99 on Amazon in the UK

Catalyst Impact Protection cases for Galaxy S9 & S9+

Only last month I gave Catalyst’s Apple device cases deservedly excellent reviews and wished they would make a case for my Samsung Galaxy S9+, well blow me down, now they do! This month Catalyst announced these brand new S9 & S9+ Impact Protection cases and I am very happy to report that my S9+ is now snuggly protected by the bright but pleasing blue and orange version.

This month Catalyst announced these brand new S9 & S9+ Impact Protection cases and I am very happy to report that my S9+ is now snuggly protected by the bright but pleasing blue and orange version
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They also come in black and clear rubber that forms a protective bumper around the phone’s edge but also cushions and protects around the cameras with a sloped rubber seal that provides easy and smooth access to the fingerprint sensor.

The two S9 cases also come in black and clear rubber that forms a protective bumper around the phone’s edge but also cushions and protects around the cameras
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The back is clear plastic to facilitate wireless charging and as a whole, the cases are sturdy and comfortable to hold. Catalyst’s innovative ‘truss cushioning system’ combined with a proprietary rubber polymer blend provides drop protection up to 3m (9.9ft).

Catalyst’s innovative ‘truss cushioning system’ combined with a proprietary rubber polymer blend provides drop protection up to 3m (9.9ft)
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The ports are a generous size that should fit pretty much any size headphone and charging cable and in the hand, it feels grippy and secure. They really are excellent cases and are a pleasure to pick up and hold.

Retail for: $39.99

USB C Multi Adaptor Hubs from Aukey & Inateck

If you have bought an Apple Mac in the last few years you will be living the nightmare that is USB-C. Last month we reviewed a load of cables & adaptors that might make living with USB-C a little less hellish and this month we are looking at Multi Adaptor Hubs, one from Aukey and one from Inateck, two budget accessory specialists.

If you have bought an Apple Mac in the last few years you will be living the nightmare that is USB-C
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How Apple has convinced large parts of the planet’s population that less is more and that you should pay a premium price for a computer without the connections you need then pay more to add those connections with shitty adaptors is a trick on par with the Devil convincing us he doesn’t exist. He does though, and his name is ignorance!

For those of you suffering loss of connectivity on your Mac the best solution is a Multi Adaptor Hub like the Inateck 9-in-1 USB C Hub with PD Type C Ports, 4K HDMI, VGA, RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet Ports, Micro SD/SD Card Reader or the Aukey USB C Hub with HDMI 4k, VGA, SD & Micro SD Card Slots, Ethernet up to 1K Mbps, 2 USB 3 Ports and 60W USB C PD Throughput. Amongst all that jargon you might have spotted that they are almost identical, with the Inatech offering one extra USB C port for data.

The prices are actually identical, both selling for £59.99 on Amazon in the UK. That is £59.99 of connections that anyone with a brain should expect a computer costing multiple thousands of £/$ to include, right? Hint, buy Microsoft, or anyone else. Enough Apple bashing and onto the Hubs.

The prices are actually identical, both selling for £59.99 on Amazon in the UK. That is £59.99 of connections that anyone with a brain should expect a computer costing multiple thousands of £/$ to include, right?
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Both provide USB C PD (Power Delivery) throughput but where Aukey’s single USB C port handles both data and power the Inateck has two ports, one for data and one for power. This is a small but key difference and I think the Inateck is more flexible in this area. 4K via HDMI was excellent with both hubs and I had no issues there. I will admit to not trying the VGA out on either hub because… I don’t have a VGA monitor anymore, but if you regularly walk into conference rooms and need to hook up with legacy (shit) old projection kit then this will be a life saver.

I didn’t find anything wrong with either hub but they both felt more flimsy than I had hoped, rattling if tapped or shaken
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As a photographer, an SD slot is a must for me, and both hubs performed perfectly in my tests, transferring video and images very quickly indeed. Both Ethernet ports worked well when connected directly to my router, no complaints there either. The Type A USB 3.0 ports did exactly what they needed to and were quick at transferring data and great for connecting external mice and keyboards. I didn’t find anything wrong with either hub but would observe that they were both more flimsy feeling than I had hoped for. They both also rattled if tapped or shaken. For the price, I would like a more solidly built device that might last a bit longer, but Hey Ho.

If I had to pick one of the two it would be the Inateck because the cable folds neatly into the hub and for the extra USB C data port. The Aukey looks a bit better I think but for the cash, the Inateck just beats it.

Retail at: Aukey Hub £59.99 on Amazon UK – Inatech Hub £59.99 on Amazon UK

Ragu Z400 Mini Projector

 

Tom Atkinson is a Digital Producer & Photographer at R3Digital and Reviews & Dept. Editor at Tech Trends. Connect on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @R3Digital

The post July 2018 Tech Trends Product Reviews appeared first on Tech Trends.

Blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies are here to stay, but we’re yet to develop the systems we need to make them work on a global scale.

Blockchain technology will have a world-changing impact, in the same way the Internet did thirty years ago
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Cryptocurrencies have caused a bit of a stir recently but are rapidly recovering from the well-publicised slump early this year. Despite scepticism and some pointed criticisms from central banks and traditional investors, cryptos are attracting serious interest from global financial institutions.

Cryptos are set to continue to be a major disrupting force in the global financial system
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Cryptos are set to continue to be a major disrupting force in the global financial system, so Tech Trends met up with Francisco Portillejo Hoyos for an insider perspective on what to expect next. Hoyos is the CEO of Cryptalgo, a Swiss algotrading and crypto brokerage company, and he helps us make sense of the confusing cryptocurrency landscape and what will be filling our wallets, digital or otherwise, in the future.

While the dollar value of Bitcoin and other coins have depreciated from the January peak, prices have basically returned to their end of 2017 levels. Governments and Regulators are still learning how to best protect investors’ interests and introduce the right trading tools that will breed confidence among traders. Many believe that the leading financial jurisdictions, including the US, UK, South Korea, Japan, and China, will introduce regulatory schemes and frameworks that will remove the uncertainty and will fuel the crypto markets’ growth. He explained.

CEO of Cryptalgo – Francisco Portillejo Hoyos

Elysium Technology Group and Cryptalgo promises a solution to the problems of a fractured crypto market
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A major announcement of a new partnership between leading US innovators in foreign exchange and futures trading solutions, Elysium Technology Group and Cryptalgo promises a solution to the problems of a fractured crypto market and offers a one-stop shop and safe, easy access point into this emerging new world of finance.

Cryptalgo provides financial institutions with a swift entry into cryptocurrencies without the need to invest capital in developing their own secure and efficient platforms. From real-time quotes and aggregated liquidity, to best trade execution and global arbitrage algotrading, we are introducing a best in class, highly secure global cryptocurrency trading platform. All built to the exacting requirements and standards of financial institutions.

The combination of this ecosystem and a regulated environment will turn cryptocurrencies into a mainstream and fast-growing asset class
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Chairman of Elysium Technology Group, Andrew Siciliano also believes now is the time to begin offering crypto investment solutions to their established client base;

“New trading platforms like this promote confidence in these disruptive new markets, he says. “Cryptalgo has the knowhow, experience, and execution platform complementing the Elysium offering. The partnership will deliver a comprehensive, high-end cryptocurrency trading solution for our clients.”

We are witnessing significant investments made by very credible funds and companies into blockchain and crypto companies
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“The combination of this ecosystem and a regulated environment will turn cryptocurrencies into a mainstream and fast-growing asset class,” added Hoyos. “We are witnessing significant investments made by very credible funds and companies into blockchain and crypto companies, and we’re delighted that Elysium, the market leader in FX post-trading platforms, has chosen to partner with Cryptalgo as it looks to extend its offering into cryptocurrency trading.”

Tech Trends predicts we will start seeing more of a trickle-down effect where cryptocurrencies become a more viable option for ordinary people. OK, anyone can technically already buy cryptos such as Bitcoin and Ethereum and spend them at thousands of outlets on the web and even some physical stores, but I don’t think it is rude to say that, right now, only super-geeks and tech enthusiasts have really bought into the system properly. That’s changing fast though, and soon you too might be filling up the tank on Ethereum and grocery shopping with Bitcoin!

Current estimations predict that the value of the entire cryptocurrency market will reach $1 trillion in 2018
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Image by MichaelWuensch from Pixabay

Current estimations predict that the value of the entire cryptocurrency market will reach $1 trillion in 2018, with crypto the fastest growing asset class to date. However, it is a still a bit Wild West out there as Hoyos explained;

Despite the crypto ecosystem evolving at a rapid pace, it is still in its infancy. This nascent market has deep inefficiencies. The market participants are spread across the globe, fragmented, disconnected and lack standardization. If one or more coins emerge both as a reliable store of value (immune to hacking) and an efficient means of exchange (capable of handling very large transaction volumes in a very short time), then the banking sector as we know it will be fundamentally transformed.

In response to that problem, Cryptalgo has developed the ‘Galaxy’, a highly secure global backbone that interconnects with multiple exchanges. It’s an institutional-grade global infrastructure that interconnects with crypto exchanges via a network of global servers that are placed in proximity to the exchanges around the world.

Andrew expanded; Moneymaking opportunities come and go very quickly. We believe this will be the same in cryptocurrency trading. Institutions need trading solutions that they are familiar with; that feature “Best prices” and “Best Execution”. This cannot be achieved without speedy access to the entire global crypto market. Institutions not only need to get the best pricing on very large orders, but they also need methods for preventing market shifts when placing such orders. This means they cannot rely on a quote from a single crypto exchange or an execution of a trade transaction. They require strong compliance standards, stringent cyber-security measures and other high-end tools – all of which Cryptalgo is developing.

Institutions not only need to get the best pricing on very large orders, but methods for preventing market shifts when placing such orders
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Should you consider cryptocurrency as an investment vehicle?

Although there is no certainty about their future prices, cryptocurrencies are a new type of asset. The question is whether you should consider it for inclusion in your investment portfolio.

There are many reasons why Bitcoin may be a good investment. One of them is its deflationary model. Take the US dollar as an example; Its supply increases more and more every year. And although the same might be true of Bitcoin at the moment, there will be less of the cryptocurrency mined every 4 years, and its supply is actually finite – meaning that after all the Bitcoins are mined, the supply will remain fixed forever after.

There are many potential disadvantages to investing in cryptocurrency, the most important one being its volatility. Therefore, if you're looking to dip your toes in, make sure to start small.
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Stabilising and expanding the high-end of the crypto trading should hopefully provide increased stability for the currencies and global markets, nurturing and growing their potential while making them more secure for those using them day-to-day. Hoyos sees huge potential in decentralised crypto and a future where national currencies might disappear altogether.

It is possible that in twenty years’ time, bank accounts will have disappeared because we will be able to store our money in private wallets on the blockchain. Blockchain technology will have a world-changing impact, in the same way the Internet did thirty years ago. We believe that cryptocurrencies will be fully regulated and mainstream. They will be offered by all the financial institutions using their institutional-grade trading and investment tools, featuring tens of thousands of coins and with an aggregated market cap of trillions of dollars.

It is possible that in twenty years’ time, bank accounts will have disappeared because we will be able to store our money in private wallets on the blockchain
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Tom Atkinson is a Digital Producer & Photographer at R3Digital and Reviews & Dept. Editor at Tech Trends. Connect on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @R3Digital

The post A Crypto Future appeared first on Tech Trends.

We certainly had our share of gorgeous gadgets this month, from a spy’s dream drive to the lovely Microsoft Surface Book to the Samsung Galaxy S8, plus the usual sprinkling of more random tech.  

iStorage diskAshur 2 SSD

Testing out the new diskAshur 2 SSD 256GB from iStorage shows that industrial grade security need not slow down your workflow, or look unappealing. This very sexy little portable USB SSD features real-time AES-XTS 256-bit hardware encryption and software free design, setup and operation. Unlike any other portable drive I have tested before, this is platform/device independent and works across all operating systems including all versions of MS Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, Chrome, Thin Clients, Zero Clients and embedded systems, any device with a USB port, in fact. Now THAT’s impressive.

DiskAshur from iStorage shows how industrial grade security can be efficient and look good
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As a media professional who is constantly moving large and rather important files around on drives this was a bit of a  revelation. On the subject of large files, I tested out the speed of the diskAshur 2 SSD via its built-in USB 3.1 cable and wow! Blackmagic Disk Speed Test read 310 MBps READ / 250 MBps WRITE with 5GB files. This is very swift indeed, specially when you consider the encryption involved. I think the drive is able to be so fast due to a dedicated hardware-based secure microprocessor (Common Criteria EAL4+ ready), which also employs built-in physical protection mechanisms designed to defend against external tamper, bypass attacks and more.

The diskAshur 2 SSD has a really nice keypad and each key clicks softly but confidently when pushed so you know when a number has registered. The keypad lets you securely access the drive with your own unique 7-15 digit PIN. Following the instructions to setup my personalised passcode was easy, but do choose carefully, as you’ll only want to do this once. When that is done you simply plug it into your computer, input your code and push the unlock button, and off you go! A really nice feature is that when you want to finish using the drive you simply use your computer interface to eject the drive and that is that, your data is automatically secured.

Input the wrong pin code 15 times and the drive automatically wipes out its data
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Unlike other solutions out there, the diskAshur 2 SSD reacts to an automated attack by entering the deadlock frozen state, which renders all such attacks as useless, and if you input the code wrongly fifteen consecutive times, the device assumes it is being attacked and will delete the encryption key and lock itself, rendering all data previously stored on the drive lost forever. At this point the drive can be reset to factory default settings.

You can pre-program the drive with a self-destruct function, handy for spies on the run
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And if you are on the run from the foreign spies or the KGB and need to ensure your data does not fall into enemy hands you can pre-program the diskAshur 2 SSD with your own unique Self Destruct PIN which, once implemented, instantly deletes the encryption key, all PINs, data and then creates a new encryption key! Below are a few more specs and you can check out the full spec here.

• USB 3.1 Encrypted Portable SSD
• Capacities up to 4TB*
• FIPS PUB 197 validated
• AES-XTS 256-bit hardware encryption – no software required
• OS & Platform independent
• Employs EDGE* Technology
• Available in 4 colours: Phantom Black, Ocean Blue, Fiery Red & Racing Green

RRP: £219 256GB version

Samsung Galaxy S8

When I first realised that the Galaxy S8 was entirely buttonless, I wondered whether I’d miss the functionality of the home button in any way, but the short answer to that has been a resounding “No”. The most impressive thing about this phone is its screen, and the fact that you don’t get a button, together with the gorgeous Infinity Display, means that every inch of real estate on this baby is pure, vivid screen. And that’s no bad thing in my book. Besides, for those – like me – who are upgrading from the previous Galaxy models, there is still the exact same button functionality, in the same place where the physical one used to be. So your brain soon gets used to it, and starts wondering why we ever put up with buttons in the first place.

Read Tech Trends full review here

RRP: £689

Microsoft Surface Book

In October last year Microsoft released an upgraded Surface Book with a Performance Base featuring a new, more powerful Nvidia GeForce GTX 965M with 2GB of VRAM and a larger battery. They had not bumped the Intel i7 up from 6th generation to 7th but that was not a deal breaker and promises of a faster internal SSD and the upcoming Windows 10 Creators Update hooked me in. Unfortunately these things do take time to arrive here in the UK, but as I unpacked it last week I couldn’t help but think it had been worth the wait.

Read Tech Trends full review here.

RRP: $2,799 / £2,399

Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve Micro Panel

RRP: $995

AnySharp Pro Knife Sharpener

We like to stay sharp here at Tech Trends so were pleased to see that the AnySharp Pro Knife Sharpener lives up to its claim of being ‘The Worlds Best Knife Sharpener’. A sharp knife is essential for opening all those ultra-securely packaged gadgets that arrive in the post, specially those those evil clear plastic blister packs that USB drives always come in. I tell you, a sharp knife can really save your sanity when trying to open one of those!

I find that a sharp knife always comes in handy
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AnySharp claim that sculpting your old dull blades to the perfect 20 degree angle was no problem, and I duly tested this on some of my very old knives (I hate throwing knives away) I found the best candidate rattling around in my toolkit, where it had lived for about fifteen years or so. It was a serious challenge, but a few swipes across the tungsten carbide v section brought it right back to life. It works on most blades; hunting knives, kitchen knives and even serrated knives but maybe not your good old zombie machete. I was always a purist and favoured whetstones for knife sharpening but I am, well, a rather lazy man, so the AnySharp is a very welcome addition to the kitchen drawer. The best thing about it is its PowerGrip suction cup base, which attaches securely to any smooth surface or worktop without the need for any tools. Once it’s attached you can sharpen any knife safely hands-free! No whetstone does that!

Add endorsements from Jamie Oliver and (bizarrely) Jilly Cooper, plus a lifetime warranty and you’re laughing. Say good-bye to those raggedy tomato slices.

RRP: $22.99

You will rarely pass a Techie at work without spotting a fancy water bottle or filter bottle on their desk. We Technophiles take hydration seriously! Sitting in front of a computer for days on end with the aircon drying you out like an Inca mummy is no joke so Tech Trends is looking at two top level water filter devices, one very old school and one 21st century.

Black+Blum Eau Good Filter Bottle

This super elegant Eau Good Filter water bottle from Black+Blum uses a ancient traditional Japanese Binchotan charcoal to make your tap water taste great. Yes charcoal, you read me right, but this is no ordinary charcoal like for a BBQ, Binchotan charcoal was introduced to Japan by a Japanese monk and scholar called Kukai 1,200 years ago and is made by wood being placed in a kiln and charred at a relatively low temperature for some time, then, near the end of the process, the kiln temperature is raised to about 1000 degree Celsius to make the wood red-hot. The charcoal is then removed and quickly covered with a special powder made from earth, sand and ash, and this gives the charcoal surface a whitish hue. The rapid rise in temperature, followed by a rapid cooling, incinerates the bark and leaves a smooth, hard surface. If you strike it, you’ll hear a clear, metallic sound. Now this is sounding serious! This super charcoal has an incredibly porous surface with tiny cavities oriented in many directions. Just 1 gram has a surface area in excess of 500 m2 (about one tenth the size of a football field). It is also known as active carbon as the ions of contaminants are attracted to the surface of the carbon, where they will be held. It is also able to release minerals such as calcium, iron and magnesium back into the water, which enhances its taste and health benefits.

OK so that was all quite complex but does it do the job? Tech Trends first flicked the charcoal and blow me down if it didn’t ping a bit like metal, popped it in the bottle, wedged it into the special locking bulge and filled it up. After leaving it for a few hours we quaffed it down and indeed it tasted a lot better that straight out the tap. It’s a winner! Five replacement charcoal sticks are £30.95 including a 10% discount but it probably works out cheaper than buying water, specially if you happen to travel a lot. You can take an empty water bottle through security and most airports now have handy taps to refill them at the other end, so with one of these you can avoid paying that ever-so-reasonable  who said good water was cheap.

• BPA free tritan, cork, stainless steel, silicon
• Includes x1 binchotan active charcoal filter (6 months life)
• Automatic email updates for when to boil and replace charcoal
• W 8.5cm  H 24cm  / W 3.3″  H 9.4″
• 800 ml  27 floz

RRP: £19.95

ZeroWater Filter and TDS Meter

This 12-cup water filter jug from ZeroWater looks much like every other water filter out there but what makes it a more high-tech drinking solution is its patented, 5-stage Ion Exchange Filtration system, which removes virtually all dissolved solids from your water. These solids may include minerals, salts, metals, chemicals and runoff. Mmmm runoff, my favourite non-specific dissolved solid! The ZeroWater filter is also the first in its class to benefit from a sealed lid and reservoir, which allows filtered water to be poured while water, which hasn’t yet been, filtered remains in the reservoir. This adds a further 2 cups of capacity to the 10 cups of filtered water in the jug. It also features a very cool one-handed, pull and pour button spout for easy pouring from the fridge or for filling bottles. Four additional stages of water filtration ensure larger particles and other impurities are removed.

Well I used the laboratory-grade Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) meter provided on our unfiltered tap water and got a reading of 078. I then filled up the jug and measured the filtered water and… dum dum duuuum! Got a reading of 000. So this seems to do a fine job of removing those unpleasant impurities from your water, and that can only be a good thing. Our water normally tastes fine if a little chloriney and after filtering through the ZeroWater tasted very different. It’s difficult to describe the taste but it is not unpleasant and definitely better than straight out of the tap.

• Certified* to reduce Lead, Chromium, & Mercury
• Premium 5-Stage Dual-Ion Exchange filtration system
• Ion-Exchange system that removes virtually all dissolved solids in your water
• The FDA requires the TDS level in PURIFIED bottled water to reach 000-010ppm. ZeroWater is the only filter in its class to achieve this level.

RRP: £39.99

Tom Atkinson is a Digital Producer & Photographer at R3Digital and Reviews & Dept. Editor at Tech Trends. Connect on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @R3Digital

The post August 2017 Tech Trends Product Reviews appeared first on Tech Trends.

Does Samsung’s latest smartphone push all the right buttons? Tech Trends gets down and dirty with the S8. 

I didn't miss having a home button at all
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When I first realised that the Galaxy S8 was entirely buttonless, I wondered whether I’d miss the functionality of the home button in any way, but the short answer to that has been a resounding “No”. The most impressive thing about this phone is its screen, and the fact that you don’t get a button, together with the gorgeous Infinity Display, means that every inch of real estate on this baby is pure, vivid screen. And that’s no bad thing in my book. Besides, for those – like me – who are upgrading from the previous Galaxy models, there is still the exact same button functionality, in the same place where the physical one used to be. So your brain soon gets used to it, and starts wondering why we ever put up with buttons in the first place.

After spending some time with the S8, I can say it's the best screen I've ever used
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Personally, I have always favoured Samsung SuperAMOLED smartphone screens and felt the colours and contrast were better than the competition, and after spending some quality time with the S8 can honestly say it is the best screen I have used. Blacks are dark and silky while colours are bright and bold but don’t feel fake. These qualities carry across from the interface to enjoying videos, games and photos and once you switch the default resolution from FHD+ to WQHD+ detail and sharpness leap to another level and the quality of this SuperAMOLED panel shines. You will not get tired of looking at your Galaxy S8, which is no bad thing considering how often most of us check our phones every day.

The quality of this SuperAMOLED panel shines
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Video plays smoothly and without lag or stutter
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Watching HD and 4K video is a great experience, the high quality colour and sharpness of the screen stand out at the maximum resolution of 2960x1440px but notably video plays smoothly and without lag or stutter at this resolution, which is very impressive when you consider the pixel density is 570dpi. That’s a lot of pixels to push around, so it’s clear Samsung have made sure the S8’s hardware is powerful enough to handle high quality media streaming video without a hitch. We can’t focus on the technical excellence of the screen without discussing its 18.5:9 display ratio, almost bezel-less design and curved corners that really help the S8 stand out visually and make it so comfortable to hold. I actually can’t stop fondling this phone! It’s so nice to hold and play with I keep picking it up to just feel it.

The S8 is so nice to hold and play with I keep picking it up to just feel it
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I was not a fan of the S7 Edge as all, as I found the edges quite sharp and uncomfortable but the Galaxy S8 is a pleasure to hold and use, smooth and glossy with a very nice weight to it. Some find the longer, narrower format odd but I enjoy the way it fits my hand better and it doesn’t mean we sacrifice any screen real estate with the S8 display measuring 5.8″ which is still big. The Infinity Display rolls cleanly off at the edges (in a far more tactile and pleasing way that on older Galaxy S models) and the curved corners of the screen mirror the corners of the device. Both these effects combine to make the eye and the hand flow around the handset and focus your attention on the content you are engaging with while your awareness of the edges are diminished. It really is a lovely piece of design with form and function working in harmony.

The curved corners of the screen perfectly mirror the corners of the device.
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The full width of the screen can be filled with your video or photo content
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The buttons appear and disappear depending on what you are doing and the full width of the screen can be filled with your video or photo content with a further tap on the screen, leaving nothing blocking or hovering over your images. YouTube already works with this feature and a little icon button pops up offering to get the interface out of the way leaving you to enjoy the film. This feels so liberating and fresh I think it will draw a new army of fans to Samsung.

The navigation buttons appear and disappear depending on what you are doing
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The main concern with the lack of a button on the front and smaller side mounted ON/OFF button is the new placement of the fingerprint scanner on the back of the handset. LG have had great success with this same feature and (while drawing some criticism from rather unimaginative elements of the tech press) reported very positive user experiences with a rear mounted scanner, so I am confident that S8 users will adapt. The new larger scanner is located next to the camera on the back of the phone, which is a comfortable place for the tip of my forefinger to rest, and while I do not personally use this feature (I’m an old-fashioned pin kind of person) conscious S8 users will also have access to iris and face recognition functions, as well as the good old “pattern swipe” option.

There are many security options available for keeping your phone content safe
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I was happy to see Samsung have retained a physical headphone jack
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I was happy to see Samsung have retained a physical headphone jack for those of us who don’t want to shell out on Bluetooth cans. Testing out the audio quality with a pair of excellent SoundMAGIC E10s I can report that it is much the same as on the S7 which means very good indeed, tight bass and smooth mids with no peaky treble led to a enjoyable session streaming Google Play Music. However if you are a bit old fashioned or an Audiophile like me you might want to store your music as FLAC on your device and the S8 comes as standard with 64GB of internal storage which is as much as most people will need for apps and photos. For those of us who have to have thousands of their favourite tracks on their phone, however, the S8 will also take a micro SDXC card up to 256GB. The included headphones performed well and tout the AKG logo, claiming to have been tweaked by the audio specialist, but to be honest I would always spend a few extra quid on a well-rated pair from another manufacturer to get best results as the on-board DAC is very capable.

The S8 comfortably got me through the day with around 30% battery left at bedtime
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Now on to grunt! Depending where you buy your Galaxy S8 it will be powered by either the Exynos 8895 or the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, both very good CPUs whose strength lies in their power and efficiency. With a surprisingly small 3000mAh battery the S8 needs all the help it can get to keep you Twittering, WhatsApping and streaming media through a long day. I am probably a moderate smartphone user but am pleased to report that my Exynos 8895 version S8 comfortably got me through the day with around 30% battery left at bedtime, so power users might run into issues, but to be honest this battery should be enough to keep most people happy. If you do forget to charge it overnight the rapid charge feature really is fast, and will get you from 0% to 40% in half an hour, so plug it in while you shower and dress and you are good to go again.

While other smartphone makers are moving onto Dual Camera technology in their flagship handsets Samsung has not radically redesigned the S8 camera from the old S7 version, but after testing it out in some extremely difficult conditions and comparing it to the S7 it is clear a lot of work has been done on the software under the hood. The S7 had the best mobile camera I had used and I can say with confidence that the S8 shows improvements in some key areas. The 12MP Dual Pixel sensor now sports faster autofocus and a really impressive F1.7 lens which when combined with next generation image processing produces the best low light photos I have ever seen from a smartphone.

The S8's camera is the first one that I have confidence will capture the moment for me
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The photos are bright and clear with natural colours and fantastic detail. Low light was always the Achilles heel of mobile phone cameras with a high percentage of users expecting good results wherever they happen to be, but this is first time I have been truly impressed with low light results from any manufacturer. Below is a Twitter video and gallery of images we took on the S8 at Reading Festival last week and the ones taken inside the Samsung Hypercube 360 Experience are simply outstanding, considering the conditions were pitch black broken by crazy strobing coloured lights with infinity mirrors and dancing revellers all around.

Incredible Infinity Room @OfficialRandL – Hats off to @SamsungUK for this Hypercube setup #ShareTheStage pic.twitter.com/kkvjCOb9pB

— TechTrends (@techtrends_tech) August 26, 2017

Other software advances are clear to see in the evolution of TouchWiz (newly rebranded as Samsung Experience) which now looks sleeker and less childlike than previously. It has too many updates to discuss all of them here, but the two key ones that stood out for me were the much more stylish default interface, and the swipe-up to open the app drawer. All in all it feels a lot fresher and more modern that I had expected, and really highlights the poor design of TouchWiz going back several years. The one feature that drives me crazy, however, is that the new tap to wake function only works on the home button, not anywhere on the screen like on other devices. This is a small but significant niggle, and perhaps one that could be fixed with an app or patch.

The interface feels a lot fresher, stylish and more modern that I expected
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Samsung are really pushing their personal assistant Bixby
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With the S8 Samsung are really pushing their personal assistant Bixby, even giving it a dedicated button on the left side of the screen. This tech is pretty new and can be a bit frustrating, but after registering my voice by reading a few lines of text and following a brief tutorial I was able to use Bixby’s voice recognition to open Gmail, start an email to a specific contact and give the email a subject, which was pretty cool. I was also able to open WhatsApp, write and send a message to a specific contact, which even cooler! These technologies only improve with use as machine learning gets better with more data being fed in, so if you want to use Bixby and contribute towards its evolution go for it and your reward will be a better robot PA going forward.

There is much more I could discuss but to avoid getting hopelessly techie I will just finish by saying that I am very impressed by this phone, and it is easily the best Samsung smartphone to date, combining truly excellent design with powerful hardware and, yes I will say it again in case you missed it, an awesome screen!

RRP: £689

Tech Trends is a Samsung consultancy and media partner and this is a #sponsored post. However, we retain full editorial control and all reviews accurately reflect our experience in testing out the products.

The post Product Review: Samsung Galaxy S8 appeared first on Tech Trends.