Tag Archives: The Gadget Man

The Gadget Man – Episode 82.5 – Attempted Telephone Extortion by a ‘Help Desk’

The Gadget Man - Episode 82.5 - Attempted Telephone Extortion by a 'Help Desk'
The Gadget Man – Episode 82.5 – Attempted Telephone Extortion by a ‘Help Desk’

We’re now firmed established in the New Year now and 2016 is looking to be a memorable one for technology. What hasn’t changed however is computer crime. Criminals have now settled in to established methods of computer crime using either hacking or persuasion on the telephone or email.

Attached is a recording of a telephone conversation I had with a ‘cold caller’ who goes on to tell me that I possibly have issues with my computer and with their help, they are suggesting they can fix them.

I have had countless telephone calls very similar to this one, what is different is that I specifically request the caller to go home and think about who they are working for, when they immediately hang up on me.

To be clear, NO COMPANY is able to tie your telephone number to your computer in this context. It would be incredibly time consuming to go about such an act and would therefore be reserved for government or police forces to do. If anybody calls you out of the blue and suggests your computer is faulty, hang up and consider reporting the call to the police and telephone provider. Do NOT follow any instructions by the caller to run software of ANY kind, they are simply attempting to extort money from you which could run into thousands of pounds.

If you know ANYONE who might be vulnerable to this kind of scam then please send them the link to this page.

Happy New Year

Matt

Photo Credit : Christiaan Colen via Flickr

The Gadget Man – Episode 82 – Gadget Review of the Year

Its my last broadcast of the year and I so talk about my top 5 gadgets of the year. Listen to the stream to hear what I thought of the following :-

These are all products I’ve reviewed in the past, so you can click on each of them to take you to it’s relevant feature.

 

The Gadgetman Episode 80 – Mini Sun SAD Lamp – plus ‘Ed Sheeran Quits Twitter’

The Gadgetman Episode 80 Mini Sun SAD Lamp plus Ed Sheeran Quit Twitter InstagramIn the words of Deep Purple; “The Nights Are Closing In”, and with it the increase of Seasonal Affective Disorder or S.A.D.  which affects around 3-6% of the UK’s population.

I’ve been testing a SAD Therapy Lamp from Mini Sun which helps to lessen these symptoms through light therapy. Use of the Therapy Lamp for 60 minutes a day, not only produces the correct levels of serotonin to help fight the effects of SAD, but also comes in a very nice padded carry case similar in size to an iPad.

I sat the device to the side on my desk which gave the impression of sitting by the window on a sunny day. Having suffered from SAD in the past, I found it comforting as the natural light produced by the lamp gave a feeling of the sun shining on my face.

The lamp is available in both white and pink designs and can be purchased via Mini Sun‘s website and is an excellent addition during these dreary winter months.

To find out more, listen to this mornings recording above which also features a discussion about Ed Sheeran quitting social media.
The Gadgetman Episode 80 Mini Sun SAD Lamp plus Ed Sheeran Quit Twitter Instagram

 

Smartwatch Guide 2015

It’s certainly been a busy time for smart watches over the last 18 months and we are certainly seemingly spoilt for choice. We’re also not spoilt for price options either, there should be no reason that you shouldn’t be able to find a smartwatch to suit yours or a loved ones  style.

To help find the right watch, our friends at Mighty Skins have produced a handy infographic that details everything including price, compatibility, functionality and battery life.

You can download the info graphic, by clicking the image below or head over to Mighty Skins themselves.

Smartwatches-IG-2015_Mighty-Skins

On Our Doorstep – December 2015 – Great Scott! Is that a Hoverboard?

We’re not just on air and online, we’re also in print in this month’s On Our Doorstep, where we talk in depth about the latest so called ‘Hoverboard’ craze. There’s  lots of other interesting articles again this month, so click the link below and dig in.

The Gadget Man – Episode 78 – Fujifilm Finepix S9900W Bridge Camera

Matt Porter, the Gadget Man reviews the Fujifilm Finepix S9900W
Matt Porter, the Gadget Man reviews the Fujifilm Finepix S9900W

One of my favourite pastimes is photography, although very strictly on an amateur basis. I’ve have been very lucky indeed to have been able to test out a wide range of cameras from Fujifilm this year.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been testing the Fujifilm Finepix S9900W Bridge Camera. This is a true bridge camera and it ticks most of the boxes for me with it’s 50 times zoom lens and inclusion of viewfinder.  One thing I didn’t mention on the radio was it’s wireless compatibility which allows for almost instant uploading of photos and remote control from your smart phone.

Listen in to the stream and enjoy some of the photo’s I’ve been able to take with this lovely camera over the last few weeks.

Thank you to Jeannie at Fujifilm as ever!!!

The Gadget Man – Episode 77 – Touchability Grip Gloves from touchscreengloves.co.uk

Touchability GlovesIf you live in the UK, you will have noticed the sudden change in temperature over the past couple of days, whilst this time a few of weeks ago we were basking in warmer than normal October, are now plunged into the depths of winter.

 

Recently, I have taken to cycling to work on an e-bike and aside from a decent coat, hat, waterproof trousers, spare set of clothes and shoes, in this weather; gloves are a MUST!! These days however, gloves get in the way from our obsessive use of touch technology!! Not so, it would seem. Gloves no longer obscure the use of mobile phones and cause breakages with their slippery surfaces, not when they are Touchability Grip Gloves from touchscreengloves.co.uk.

Click to buy from Amazon!!

The gloves I tried were standard knitted type with the addition of silver woven in. The silver gives conductivity and allows the electrical signals from your fingers to travel through the glove material onto your touch screen device. Not only that, the palm side of the gloves had rubber dots attached meaning that even the most slippery phone would stay secure in your hand.

Listen into the stream to hear what I thought of the gloves and head over to www.touchscreengloves.co.uk to see the Grip gloves and their full range of products.

The Gadget Man – Episode 76 – Transcend DrivePro Body 10 Bodycam

Transcend DrivePro Body Cam 10
Transcend DrivePro Body Cam 10

This week I talk about a new wave of devices aimed at both Police and private security firms. Body Cams allow for the collection of video evidence which is aimed at reducing the time wasted by conflicting opinions from police and witnesses to crimes.

I have been reviewing the Transcend DrivePro Body 10, a really excellent example of such a device, which is easy to set up, extremely simple to wear and operate and produces excellent 1080p video in both daylight and nighttime. The device has an excellent F2.8 160 degree wide angle lens and comes with a 32GB micro SD card included.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WzGO7-4IEU

Video is split in to manageable sized files which means that en entire video file does not need to be viewed or copied to other media for use in court. It is also time and date stamped with the option of adding additional text to the file which is displayed on the resulting video.

The device is weatherproof and also includes a ‘snap shot’ button for taking 3.3mp image files. Operation of the video is simple and only requires the power button to be depressed to start recording and pressed again to stop.

Don’t forget to listen in to the stream to find out more about the Transcend DrivePro Body 10.

Many thanks to Transcend for providing me with a demo unit.