Boxx Communications Ltd

Simplifying telecommunications for businesses large and small!

Mobiles

Ten years of the iPhone – how far technology has moved on

by

Ten years of the iPhone – how far technology has moved onIt’s such a part of our lives now that it’s funny to think that the iPhone was only launched ten years ago.

Then, it was a revolution – the ability to carry the internet as well as a good camera around in your pocket was new, and the iPhone launch propelled the mobile revolution, as well as the fortunes of its maker, Apple, forward at speed.

The next game-changer was it’s App Store, which meant your phone could be anything from a bank to a scanner, depending on your needs and what developers could create.

In these and so many other ways, the iPhone led the way and others followed, with the smartphone in all guises becoming an indispensable part of 21st Century life.

So, what’s changed after a decade?

The new iPhone X (pronounced iPhone Ten) doesn’t just look sleeker, the new phones have some big changes under the hood as well with an updated iOS that benefits all iPhones new & old.

Here are our top 10…

1) The iPhone X does away with the familiar home button, making the entire front the screen. Instead, you swipe to wake the device up.

2) The latest Apple iPhone also features Face ID.

3) The ‘Do Not Disturb’ feature is an important one for safety. You have to activate it, but using this new mode when your phone is in the car will hide notifications for texts, calls, and other apps while you’re driving. The feature can even notify people that you’re driving and will contact them when you arrive.

4) There are also improvements to Siri, thanks to machine learning and artificial intelligence. ‘She’ can now translate short phrases, and sounds much more natural than previous versions. The new feature is available in Chinese, French, German, Italian or Spanish and you need to ask ‘How do you say….’ and end your phrase with “in Spanish” or your choice of language for it to work.

5) There’s also a new ‘type to Siri’ feature, for those who don’t like talking but want answers, while Apple has also switched to Google, from Bing, as the default web browser.

6) Maps are better too, and Apple has added hundreds of indoor plans of airports and shopping centres around the world.

7) Photos have also had a bit of an overhaul, and live photos now feature Loop, Bounce and Long Exposure options. Loop is similar to Vine, while Bounce puts us in mind of Instagram’s popular Boomerang effect.

8) The files app, too, is very handy and allows you to organise files on your iPhone or iPad better.

9) Third-party platforms such as Google Drive are now available.

10) You can now tweak Control Center, and add your own frequently-used toggles, such as Apple Wallet or low-power mode, to the existing ones, as well as re-arrange them.

That’s a lot of changes in a decade – so we can’t help but wonder what the next ten years will bring!

Categories

Yearly Archive

Subscribe to our newsletter


Our First Mobiles

by

Our First MobilesWith the need for better and more diverse mobile offerings becoming more important, it’s becoming increasingly poignant for providers like ourselves to meet consumer’s increasing needs.

In an attempt to do exactly this, we’ve recently made an exciting change to our mobile supplier. This has allowed us to significantly expand our offerings and provide a better platform to tailor packages that meet individual needs.

In addition to our SIM only deals we have the very best devices on the market available. These include; the Samsung Galaxy A3, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and of course, the iPhone 7.

And for those of you that aren’t so into the super technological smart phones. We’re also looking to add the Nokia 3310 to our repertoire, a very popular old favourite that we discussed in our previous ‘Dumb Phones’ blog.

The excitement of these new mobile packages sparked an office conversation about some of our favourite handsets from the past and more specifically, our very first phones. Given the range of ages in the office some of the suggestions definitely didn’t disappoint in entertainment value and we decided it was only fair that we shared the fun with

Here are some of our favourites;

Emma – Nokia 3310

With over 126 million units being shipped since its initial release and many more forecasted since its second coming, there’s no doubt that this was a very popular first handset. Compact, indestructible and packed with entertainment aka Snake!

Chevon – Sony Ericsson A1018s

One of the favoured features of the A1018s was the interchangeable plate which came in a range of colours, for Chev it was all about Purple. It was great for parents too: with a removable aerial that could be removed as the ultimate punishment.

http://www.topdollarmobile.co.uk/onc_images/product_image/large/884.jpg

Leah -Nokia 7373

Leah would be the first to admit that the garish pink was the selling point for her, closely followed by the sleek design and sliding mechanism the Nokia offered.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=nokia+7373&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiTt9e3gvXUAhUiB8AKHSf8DWoQ_AUICigB&biw=1440&bih=745#imgrc=yduEpYihq4NvXM:

Akeem – HTC Wildfire S

It’s fair to say that a touch screen Smartphone with Android and 3G capabilities isn’t your average first handset, definitely making it the highlight of the bunch.

Kelly -Motorola d460

Dating right back to 1998, one of the great features was the amount of text it could display, a whole 2 lines! One of the down sides though was the length of the aerial.

James – Samsung e250

Aside from the awesome sliding design the Bluetooth feature was a favourite, making the capabilities of swapping media between friends endless.

http://static.clickbd.com/global/classified/item_img/325437_0_original.jpg

These memories, aside from entertainment value, also highlighted how far we have come in terms of technological advancements in recent years.
We’re now offering a bigger variety in handsets, features and packages than ever before. Whether you’re looking for a SIM only deal for your existing handset or a mobile package to include all that you could possibly need, we’re confident that we can help!

Categories

Yearly Archive

Subscribe to our newsletter


Life-Hack Apps

by

Life-Hack AppsWe’re all trying to fit more and more into our lives in the quest to have it all, which means there’s a premium on hints and tips that save us time. And all the better if they come in app form!

With that in mind, here’s our look at some of the best organisational apps out there:

1) Laundrapp

Household tasks can drain us of time and energy, yet are easily outsourced. Say goodbye to washing and ironing with Laundrapp, which collects your washing, cleans it and then delivers it back to your doorstep – what’s not to love? It’s only available across some of the UK now but is expanding fast, so keep an eye out where you are.

2) Taskrabbit

Fed up with trying to get those irritating jobs done around the house? Taskrabbit is the answer, matching local tradespeople to jobs that need doing. Just choose what you need, and when you want it doing, and the site will match you up with someone appropriate.

3) Trello

If your DIY needs are a bit more complicated – say planning a major house renovation of some kind – then Trello could help. Boards help you keep track of every step, and you can assign jobs and deadlines as well as move projects through a lifecycle to completion. Trello is also great for managing projects at work too. Use it to collaborate with colleagues and/or clients alike to drive productivity.

4) Evernote

If you’re still at the very early planning stages of something big, whether it’s house-related or to do with work, then Evernote is great for keeping track of all your ideas. Organise ideas by notes, and sync and share them where you like so they are always with you.

5) Trip It

If, like us, you’d always rather be planning a holiday, then Trip It is great – you just forward all your booking emails on and the app transforms them into a master itinerary with every detail marked out. Magic.

6) Playground Buddy

If you’re away and finding things to occupy the kids a bit of a strain – the playground buddy app lists all the playgrounds close to your location, and operates worldwide!

7) Forest App

Sometimes you just need to get off you phone and get your head down and concentrate. Forest App is great for that. Simply decide how long you need, and set the timer – a tree will start growing on your screen which will be killed if you scroll away to something else before the designated time is up.

8) Headspace

It’s all very well being organised, but we’re all still living life at a very fast pace which can make it hard to relax into sleep at night. Headspace is a meditation app, which has variety of sessions for you to listen too, all with the aim of making you more mindful and less stressed.

So start taking back control of your life, as well as leaving time for the fun stuff you want to do!

Categories

Yearly Archive

Subscribe to our newsletter


Homeworking

by

HomeworkingProhibitively slow broadband speeds and poor mobile coverage are hampering the work from home revolution, with up to four million people affected across the UK.

New research, from price comparison and switching service uSwitch, found that 25% of employees have experienced such severe issues with their telecoms services in the past 12 months that they’ve been prevented from working from home.

When the survey results were extrapolated to the estimated number of people working from home, across the UK population, it meant almost 4m people were unable to work from home because of inadequate service.
Increasingly flexible work environments offered by businesses have seen 43% of UK employees work from home at least once in the past year, rising to 55% among 18-34 year olds.

Yet almost 6 out of 10 have fallen foul of sluggish internet speeds and patchy call quality in the same time period. The problems have been so severe for just under half (46%) of those with issues that they believe they are no longer able to work from home.

The need for dependable broadband and mobile services has seen workers spend a combined £190m over the last year on alternative measures to ensure consistent access to internet and phone services, including accessing Wi-Fi internet at local cafes and buying a signal booster to amplify their broadband signal. Some have even switched to a new provider in an attempt to get an improved service.

The most common complaint amongst home working internet customers was having broadband speeds simply too slow for them to work effectively (32%), while one in five (18%) have suffered from an intermittent connection. A third of mobile users (32%) complained that their reception was patchy, while one in ten (11%) couldn’t get any reception at all in their home.

Home workers are most likely to use their broadband connection to email colleagues or clients (76%), research and browse the internet (69%), share files via the cloud (39%) and stay in touch via Skype (34%), according to the survey.

For those that have experienced issues, even these most basic tasks have been affected by a sub-standard internet service. Nearly a third (30%) were unable to send a large file to their clients or colleagues and almost one in ten (9%) have been on a conference call that cut out.

Frustratingly, a quarter (25%) have had to work late to make up for the lost time and one in five (20%) have lost a work opportunity or some business due to the shoddy service. A further one in five (20%) have been stopped from working from home completely by their employer because of ongoing issues.

Ewan Taylor-Gibson, broadband expert at uSwitch.com, said:

Flexible working is more popular than ever. It’s a fact that employees who can influence their work environment have better overall job satisfaction and improved wellbeing. But before committing to remote working, employees should make sure their home office is ready for use.

Our tips for getting your home ready:

1) Check whether your connection the most reliable available – For example is fibre available in your area? This will give you faster speeds and reduce the risk of services cutting out.

2) Fine-tune your work environment by making sure your router is away from devices that could interfere with the signal – like your TV.

3) Be aware that working during peak traffic times, such as the evening, could have a notable impact on your internet speeds.

4) If plagued by patchy mobile signal at home, look into whether an alternative mobile provider could offer better reception in your area. The Ofcom coverage maps will help you!

Categories

Yearly Archive

Subscribe to our newsletter


Digital detoxing revolution births the dumb phone

by

Digital detoxing revolution births the dumb phoneHas technology got so smart and all-consuming that the only natural step is to ditch it and revert back to simpler, less-connected times?

Digital detoxes and tech free time are becoming increasingly popular as more people awake to the fact that always being online and constantly connected is more of a stress than a boon.

It’s a subject that is back under the microscope following news that the hottest new gadget on the block this summer won’t be the latest smartphone, but it’s older, dumber cousin – the Nokia 3310.

A relic from the days when mobiles were all about texting and long battery life, the 3310 has no WiFi, GPS connectivity (gasp!) or ability to add apps – yet it’s still one of the most anticipated releases this year.

The digital detox trend is one that handset manufacturers have started to pick up on, with an increasing number of phones on the market that make a virtue of how few features they have. These ‘dumb’ phones are often targeting the older generations, but are finding new fans among the young, too, as they cotton on to the fact that always being available online makes it hard to truly relax.

The 3310 and other, similar, handsets offer a return to a less complex time – when anyone with your contact details could get hold of you, but you didn’t feel compelled to answer even if it was an email from your boss at the weekend as there was no expectation that you’d have seen it.

The pressure of posting, commenting or liking posts on social media is eradicated through the absence of WiFi and GPS connectivity, leaving more time to live in the moment and enjoy the company of those around you instead of being glued to a screen. The new 3310, unlike the original, does feature a camera so you won’t have to worry about missing out on memorable snaps which can be uploaded at a more convenient time.

Being ‘offline’ for hours at a time will certainly be very stressful for some, maybe even unbearable, so while full-on digital detoxing is not for everyone, there are some steps that we can all take to minimise technologies impact on our overall health and well-being.

-If detoxing isn’t for you, perhaps consider moderating your use, especially before bedtime, to give your brain a chance to recharge like your phone but in a separate room to minimise the temptation to surf the web into the small hours.

-Having a gadget free day when work permits can also be very freeing – even just reducing the number of push notifications so you don’t feel compelled to answer everything the second it comes in makes a big difference too.

-Many platforms now come with do not disturb hours as well – so even if you can’t give up on tech completely, you can make sure that you’re the one in control.

Categories

Yearly Archive

Pokémon Go and the 4G effect!

by

Pokémon Go and the 4G effect!

The latest craze – Pokémon Go – has hit fever pitch. It’s literally everywhere and people of all ages and around the world can’t seem to get enough!

The retro game came back with a vengeance….. Adults are reliving their youth, kids – who let’s face it would usually rather take the car – suddenly want to walk everywhere and complete strangers are united in a common interest, which is a phenomenal outcome for a mere video game.

With retail stores promoting that ‘Pokémon are hiding in stores near you’ and ‘we’ll be releasing Pokémon lures in our stores’, it seems everyone is jumping on the bandwagon.

Image Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/silly_little_man/28293004446/

So what has hooked us all into the new geo-based game….? Well for starters, it’s completely free to play, unlike other games it blends real life with a virtual world and players can easily take to social media to share their Pokémon catching triumphs.

Here at Boxx Towers, we’re just as taken with the new game and a few members of the team, in particular, are racing against each other to complete the levels. So in a bid to embrace the excitement we organised an office Pokémon tournament.

What started out as a little time out from the day-to-day and a chance to win some ‘house points’ in our ongoing team games, quickly became very competitive.

For the 45 minutes each team was allowed out-of-office to catch Pokémon, some took to bicycles, others drove to a local and well known Pokémon ‘hot spot’ and some roped in an expert (aka 10-year-old son) to help!

Gaming aside, Pokémon Go demonstrates the reliance we these days have on data. 4G is now a necessity in all walks of life – and what 10-year-olds now want for themselves!

Whether your need for 4G data is low or high, we have a SIM only mobile package to fit your (and your Pokémon hunting) needs!

Page 2 of 5
1 2 3 4 5