techtoad.com/news techtoad News en-gb Fri, 10 Sep 2010 21:30:59 +0100 Fri, 10 Sep 2010 21:30:59 +0100 http://techtoad.com/rss techtoad.com rss@techtoad.com (Kirk Saywell) webmaster@techtoad.com (Kirk Saywell) 5 http://techtoad.com/news?month=2010-09#newsid348 "We can make you rich!" On Friday 17th September 2010, the Euro Millions draw will be a Super Draw with an estimated jackpot of £85,000,000. For your best chance of winning a slice of that money, or any other Euro Millions draw, check out the TECHTOAD.COM EuroMillions Syndicate. Just paying in 10% towards the total number of tickets could win you £8.5 Million. Click the link for more details of how you could be a millionaire with this syndicate. TECHTOAD.COM EUROMILLIONS SUPERDRAW SYNDICATE - CLICK HERE! Best of luck everyone! Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100 http://techtoad.com/news?month=2010-09#newsid348 http://techtoad.com/news?month=2010-08#newsid347 Jed Miller has given me a list of all the Train Stations with ticket barriers, train stations due to have ticket barriers and information on the times they are open. Please click this link to view them. Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100 http://techtoad.com/news?month=2010-08#newsid347 http://techtoad.com/news?month=2010-07#newsid345 So here I am, 18 years old today! I wrote more interesting stuff on yesterday's entry, so have a read and enjoy! Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100 http://techtoad.com/news?month=2010-07#newsid345 http://techtoad.com/news?month=2010-07#newsid344 Today is my last day of being a child as it is my 18th birthday tomorrow on 23rd July 2010. Not really sure what I should say about becoming an adult 'officially' - same as before I guess, except everything I was doing that was illegal will now be legal, and I get to pay tax yay! On a more interesting note, I am looking to buy a car. I have found that insurance prices for young male drivers is stupidly high, I was getting quotes for small cars in the regions of £3,500 to £4,000. After following some tips from friends and experts, I was getting quotes closer to £2,500 to £3,000. I have done a lot of research this week, I have been filling in online forms, phoning insurance companies and working through hour after hour - I have now officially done 500 car insurance quotes, and I have finally found something reasonable. My advice to anyone who can afford £4k or more for a car, buy a 2005 Toyota Aygo. It has air conditioning, ABS brakes, power steering, is only 5 years old and has quite a nice style, as well as being a practical car - the insurance is really cheap (in comparison to other cars) - it's around £1,990. I would get one myself, but I don't have £6k at hand right now. I can get insurance for my first year of driving for £1,420 on a 1997 Rover Mini Cooper 1.3l - However, getting hold of one that is road-worthy and in my price range is not easy, the Mini was never known for it's reliability after 13 years! If anyone has any idea where I might be able to get a 1997 (or later) classic Rover Mini Cooper for around £2,500 - please let me know! In other news, I will be going out for my birthday party tomorrow night, meeting at the Playhouse in Colchester town at 8:00pm - You are invited, but please text me to let me know that you're coming so that we don't move onto another venue without you. My mobile number is on the contact page. College is officially over and I am waiting for my A2 exam results, which will be available on the 19th August 2010. I will be seeking employment as from September, hopefully something working with computers. I will be going to Germany on holiday this year, from 22nd to 29th August, so I'm sorry to say I won't be around, and probably won't be online much - so I'm not ignoring you! Anyway, I am sure you have better things to be doing than reading about my life, so I'll leave it there for today. Take care and keep in touch! Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100 http://techtoad.com/news?month=2010-07#newsid344 http://techtoad.com/news?month=2010-07#newsid343 I will soon be leaving my childhood behind and turning 18, so I have been looking into getting a contract mobile. As a very technically minded person, who loves gadgets, internet and anything that can go 'beep', I have been doing some research into the best network to go with, and why. Like many people, money doesn't grow on trees for me, so I am looking to keep costs down and get the best value for money that I can. I have been a customer with O2 for many years, I have to say that over all, I have been very satisfied with the service they provide. I have nearly always had a mobile signal, the prices have been fair and I have managed to get some really good deals. For the past few years, I have had unlimited calls and text to other O2 phones and unlimited 3G (HSDPA) mobile broadband all for just £15.00/month. On top of that, as a Pay and Go customer, I have been able to keep £5.00 of the £15 on my phone as credit, allowing me to call and text other networks and landlines when I needed to. O2 also give me 10% of my top-ups back in credit as part of their "O2 Rewards" scheme. Meaning that every month, I get an additional £1.50 credit on my Pay and Go mobile, along with a guaranteed 'surprise' each month which can range from 'Free Calls' to big cash prizes. When I compare this to what some of my other friends pay on their networks, I have to say O2 have done an excellent job! My only concern with O2 is their poor customer service, long waiting times on hold, rude customer support staff who do not fully understand the O2 network and try to 'fob you off' with some excuse. Although this is very annoying, I rarely have to contact O2 support because their network is brilliant. So why don't I just stay with O2? Well, things are starting to change. I have done some online research, tested a few of the major networks in different areas in the UK and been in touch with some friends who work in the mobile industry. It seems that it could be worth me moving to a different network. My first piece of advice is to go directly to one of the major networks, other networks such as 'Tesco Mobile' and 'ASDA Mobile' simply use O2 and Vodafone's network and offer you some different tariffs, call me picky, but I like to be as direct as possible. So the networks I will be looking at are O2, Orange, Vodafone and 3. Orange - An impressive history, Orange have the most mobile antenna's across the UK in attempt to have the best network coverage, and I would agree that on the surface of things, they do. Almost everywhere I have been, I have been able to get a signal on Orange - However, as soon as I try to actually make a call, send a text or use broadband, the signal becomes weak, slow speeds, poor sound quality when making calls and in some buildings, no signal at all. In conclusion, when it comes to the crunch, Orange just doesn't cut it. Vodafone - I was impressed with Vodafone, their network is available in almost every country, and they have a great deal of experience when it comes to mobile networks. However, I am only really interested in the UK coverage. The first thing I have noticed is that Vodafone have a good all-round service, almost everywhere has a signal good enough to use, but when it comes to mobile broadband, Vodafone falls behind on download and upload speeds in comparison to some of the other networks. I was also shocked by Vodafone's prices, I certainly would not recommend Vodafone for anyone who is trying to cut down on their mobile bills! The network quality was good, but there is certainly room for improvement. 3 - I have always doubted 3 mobile, they have only been established in the UK since around 2003, and made an impressive start by introducing '3G' to the UK before any other network. I always had them down as a network with little to no coverage anywhere in the UK, but it seems that in recent years, the 3 mobile network coverage is rather impressive, but I still would not choose 3 as my network. Currently, 3 mobile do not support HSDPA which is currently the fastest mobile broadband technology available in the UK, they only support UMTS, which would probably be fine for most people, but I am a heavy mobile broadband user, and UMTS is just not enough for me. The prices are very competative, but unless you have a number of friends on the same network, there really isn't that much of a saving. O2 - Recently, I have found several places where I have had no coverage from O2, but in all fairness, I have had no coverage on the other major networks either. It seems that on average, O2 have the best balance of speed and network coverage. Most places in the UK have a good signal from O2 and I have found that I can usually get speeds between 1.5Mbps and 2.5Mbps almost anywhere with O2's HSDPA mobile broadband. There is bad news though, O2 have recently decided to scrap their 'Unlimited Data' and now limit most customers to 500MB/month, some to 750MB/month and the highest paying customers to 1GB/month. It is true that for most people, 500MB is probably enough for mobile browsing and email - but what about those of us who use mobile broadband for a lot more? My internet connection at home is terrible due to my location and the conditions of my local BT exchange - So I use my mobile broadband as a 'backup' connection. I also like to recieve email on my phone, notifications from facebook, attachments from friends and of course, I use Google Maps and other applications which depend on internet. O2 have promised that I will not be charged if I exceed my limit, but my connection will be slowed down. They did not disclose what speed I will get after I exceed my limit, but I imagine it will be too slow to use in any ideal situation. I work with computers a lot and I love being able to use 'Remote Desktop' to view and control my computer at home while I am on the go, this is something that could be seriously affected by the 'speed limit'. A conclusion, well I don't want to draw a conclusion straight from my analysis above, I need to also consider the future plans of the networks. All the major networks are spending millions on improving their networks every day, but I think the data limit that O2 are bringing in is something that all networks will be doing at some point within the next year. BT have also claimed that they will improve 40% of the broadband connections to homes in the UK by 2012, unfortunately, I am not in that 40%, but it does mean I may not need to think about using mobile broadband as an alternative or 'backup' at home within the next decade. If you are somebody who rarely uses their phone for anything, but wants it to be reliable when they do use it - Vodafone is for you, they have an amazing coverage and for a very occasional Pay and Go call or text, you won't be spending much. If you are more of a regular phone user, always chatting with friends and family, sending texts to all your mates, really, I would suggest choosing the network that the MAJORITY of your contacts are on, as this will enable you to save the most money, I personally wouldn't choose Orange right now as there are a number of areas with bad coverage, but things could change, and in my tests, Orange did come through a lot of the time. If you love your mobile, have an iPhone or Smartphone and you want to use internet, apps, text friends and family and probably use your phone more as a gadget - O2 are definately for you. I have been a customer with O2 for a long time, and I can say from experience, that they have the best all-round service. Good signal for the majority of the UK, fair prices and reliable internet. For me, I think O2 will always be my network, but who knows what will change in the future. Many people who have moved away from O2 have realised that the problems they had were far worse on other networks and have often moved back. O2 reward loyalty, and I am a loyal customer. Mon, 12 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100 http://techtoad.com/news?month=2010-07#newsid343 http://techtoad.com/news?month=2010-06#newsid342 I launched my brand new File Sharing service today, it's called Free Public Sharing Bay (FPS Bay) and you can access it 24/7 at fpsbay.com. So, what's so special about FPS Bay? - To be honest, not that much. It's very similar to existing popular file sharing sites such as RapidShare and MegaUpload, but I have developed this web resource with the intent of providing the BEST service I can at NO COST to the users. This is 100% free for everybody. Eventually, once the site kicks off and I start getting more interest, I hope to provide a file sharing service with all the great features that the existing websites offer, without any of the limitations, fees, waiting time or sign-ups. FPS Bay is 100% free to use and doesn't require sign up. It's quick and easy to use and will allow you to upload anything (exclusions can be found in the terms and conditions). I really want everybody to please start using this service, not just 'for the hell of it' but whenever you need file sharing, think fpsbay.com! Tell your friends, family and co-workers, give it a try, spread the word! It's simple to use - choose the file to upload, wait for it to upload, you are given 2 links, one you can share and allow anyone who has the link to download the file, the other you keep private and you can visit any time to delete the file you uploaded (just in case you don't want it on there anymore, or if you upload the wrong thing). I am going to finance the service on donations and advertising, so please, let me help you out by helping me out - you spread the word, get people using the site, and i'll keep my end of the deal and keep improving it so that it is the best for everyone! Thanks for reading, check back later for updates! Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100 http://techtoad.com/news?month=2010-06#newsid342 http://techtoad.com/news?month=2010-04#newsid341 Jed Miller is a very good friend of mine, if you visit this site often, you probably have seen pictures of Jed. Well, for the first time in 2 years he has had a hair cut - I have never known a hair cut to start of so much discussion - it's the talk of the college! You can see a photo of Jed's radical new hair cut here. Bare in mind that Jed's hair was very long, it looked something like this. I think it looks awesome! Nice one dude! A new look for Jed... this could be the start of something good. Mon, 26 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0100 http://techtoad.com/news?month=2010-04#newsid341 http://techtoad.com/news?month=2010-04#newsid340 Once again, sorry for getting so behind updating this - I keep meaning to do it but just don't get the time. Thankfully though, I have finally finished and handed in all the coursework for all my subjects. I have to give a presentation tomorrow for my EPQ Computing project, other than that - it's just revision and exams now. Had a nice time today down at Clacton, going around the Arcades and Pier with my Dad - surprisingly walked away with a profit (excluding petrol). Past week has been some really nice weather, it'll be good to be able to get out some more again as we break into the summer. Wishing everyone the best of luck with their exams next month, feeling confident about mine. Sadly, as the end of college approaches, there won't be much more from JedCast, but it has been a real pleasure being involved with Storm Radio and the JedCast over the past year. Leaving college with some good memories, and some I'd rather forget. I wish everyone the best of luck for their future. I don't plan on going to university, not this year at least - Hoping to go straight into work. I'll be 18 this July, one of the youngest of my academic year group, but hoping to be driving by then. I have passed my theory test and will be taking my practical test hopefully soon. Over the Easter holidays I totally re-arranged my room. Put up a new desk and mounted my monitors on a different wall. I'll try and get some pictures on the site soon, but I'm terrible for getting round to doing these things while i'm approaching the end of my education. I know it's late, but would like to say happy 18th birthday to Emily from techtoad, for last month (23rd March) glad to hear you had a great day! Planning on going on holiday to Germany later this year - Will write more about it when I get back. I would also just quickly like to say thank you to everyone who has been submitting quotes and suggestions to the site - it's much appreciated and they will be used! Wishing everyone the best of luck with their future, hope you are well. That's all from me today. Sun, 25 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0100 http://techtoad.com/news?month=2010-04#newsid340 http://techtoad.com/news?month=2010-01#newsid338 Happy 18th Birthday to Saxon from Techtoad Love you lots! xxx Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://techtoad.com/news?month=2010-01#newsid338 http://techtoad.com/news?month=2010-01#newsid337 No, i'm not dead - it's been ages since I posted anything on here. Truth is, i've been very busy with college work, and a bit lazy with my free time. Nothing much has happened over the last few months, Christmas and New Year were good, bought myself a new laptop (customised Dell Latitude E5400) and been cracking down on my computing project which I have finally finished and submitted for assesment! I have just completed my General Studies exams, not too bad, but not feeling confident of a high grade! That aside, I am focusing on the EPQ project I took on towards the end of 2009, CISCO CCNA2 and Electronics Coursework. I'll be learning to drive soon too - gonna be a busy few months! In other news, i've been working with The Jed Cast, formerly with Storm Radio - I've been to a few recording sessions and have been helping out with a few activities outside of the studio. I'll try to mirror some of the PodCasts on the site so that you can download them directly. I'd like to thank the JedCast for including me in the recent episodes, and hope to work with you more in future. Personal life is great, it's nice to spend a bit of time and relax with Saxon when I don't have the pressures of college on, and there is always good 'ol Jed to make college a bit more fun ;) Business news is good - been keeping busy with some private work, and am also happy to introduce a new price scheme that you literally won't believe - more about that soon! I have moved my Linode VPS from Atlanta US, to London UK. Not really much difference, but there is a smaller latency, which I understand is better for multiple small packets, and about the same for continuous or large data transfers.   Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://techtoad.com/news?month=2010-01#newsid337