THE SYNAPSE CIRCUIT DEFINITIVE SAMSUNG GALAXY S4 GT-19505 REVIEW

Above: Check out the best video review you'll ever see on the Galaxy S4!

THE SYNAPSE CIRCUIT DEFINITIVE SAMSUNG GALAXY S4 GT-19505 REVIEW 

Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! Did you get your Galaxy S4? What? You’re undecided? You’ve been reading / watching the reviews online to help you decide? Ok, this is the definitive review... Synapse Circuit Samsung Galaxy S4 review... Let’s jump straight in... Oh, by the way... It’s funny how the S4 came out in the shops the same time Iron Man 3 went on general release! Anyway...

DESIGN
The S4 doesn’t so much resemble the S3 but the Galaxy Note 2; yes the S4 is the Note 2 mini with an extra sensor thrown in the mix. Oh, the bezel is thinner (the space between the screen within the body / chassis) to accommodate the 5” Full HD (1920 x 1080) Super AMOLED 441 ppi screen! The screen uses Gorilla Glass 3 which is robust to withstand knocks and scratches! Not even the HTC One uses Gorilla Glass 3! I noticed that the Gorilla Glass 3 is very fingerprint resistant! Nice going! However, the screen is quite reflective and using it in direct sunlight isn’t much fun... (See paragraph Camera).

The overall design may not look radical and not much of a departure from the S3 but it is refinement at its best! It’s an amazing feat that the S4 is thinner than the S3! As I have said the design is more of a refinement of the Galaxy Note 2. It’s a beautiful refinement! The metallic outer edge on the S4 actually looks and feels like real metal as opposed to the faux metal edge of the S3 and Note 2.

Premium plastic... I think I may be one of the few who is happy with the plastic body of premium Samsung handsets. Again, the plastic body enables durability and is less prone to scuffs, scratches and dents unlike metal. Also, the S4 doesn’t feel as slippery as the Galaxy S3 and Note 2. I found that the S4 is much better to handle – even when taking pictures / video! That’s a welcome first!

As beautiful as the HTC One is you’d probably want to put it into a protective case obscuring such beauty... Whereas the Galaxy S4 is minimalist and lends itself to a protective case; yes, Samsung have a few case accessories coming to the market soon! Watch out!

The only time I would advocate metal instead of plastic on any premium smartphone is when unbreakable screens is at the centre of the phone – even then metal still has the same durability problems. I would prefer the combination of plastic, metal and a rubberized back for the battery which should alleviate fingerprints. I have understood that the Galaxy Note 3 will feature a break-proof screen and will have metal in the design!

Because of the plastic used on the Galaxy S4 you are able to have a removable battery! The battery cover comes off with ease and therefore you are able to replace the 2600 mAh battery and add up to 64GB of microSD storage. Unlike the HTC One; you can’t replace the battery... When it’s done it’s done. You’d probably carry the charger with you wherever you go as the duration of the battery isn’t great on the One! We’ll come to the S4 battery down the line. I chose the White Frost over the Black Mist as it conceals fingerprints better.

All in all I am very happy with the Galaxy S4 design and materials used. The handset is unbelievably light! When I took it out of the box I was expecting the find the rest of the handset in a compartment below! I did chuckle to myself when it became obvious that what I am holding is it! WOW!!!!

CAMERA
The camera has a 13MP sensor which makes for a larger picture 4128 x 3096; as with dedicated digital cameras higher megapixels do not always result in the best picture quality as you have to factor in the quality of the lens, flash and so on. However, since the Galaxy S2 the picture quality has always been very, very good! The S4 camera does not disappoint! The quality is very close to that of a dedicated digital camera. As a journalist I could use the shots in printed or high quality digital magazines.

The camera is packed with great features that will ensure that you’ll be taking snaps on a regular basis! It’s phenomenal!

The quality of results speaks for themselves.

Again, comparing the S4 camera to the nearest rival, HTC One, the ‘Ultrapixels’ do not have an edge. If all you do is take photos for Facebook then the One 4MP camera isn’t bad at all. However, if you want to do more with your photos then the camera on the S4 is the clear winner! Basically, the camera on the One uses less megapixels but it is larger and therefore lets in more light which makes for better low light pictures. But if you want to take pictures in low lighting conditions you would use a flash! The S4 camera has a flash. The flash can be used as a light for the video in low lighting conditions! Cool! The quality of the video is outstanding! Full HD videos look great as though they have come from a camcorder! The quality is much better than those pocket camcorder devices that promises full HD footage at the cost of quality!

When taking photos you can use the Dual mode that allows you use the front and main camera simultaneously so that you can be in shot too!

You can add sound to a picture that can only be played back on other Galaxy S4 – I guess this will have you encouraging your friends to upgrade to the Galaxy S4 too!

There’s also Drama Shot which captures a sequence of events into one composition! It’s a nice feature!

Of course, there are many modes to choose from! I think many people would just use the automatic settings but if you play around with the settings you will be able to take magnificent shots! During my tests I found the screen too reflective and I had to strain to see what I was doing! That’s the only downside that I can think of.

The front facing camera is a decent 2MP one that allows you to record in full HD! Excellent!



FUNCTIONALITY
I can’t think of any handset on the market that packs the amount of function that the Galaxy S4 has!

Air View allows you to preview contents by hovering your finger over objects such as a gallery folder full of pictures; message contents; video and so on.

Air Gesture does not allow you to touch your S4; answer calls with a wave of the hand! Browse through the picture gallery by waving right or left!

Smart Screen adds Smart Pause to Smart Stay (screen stays on as long you’re looking) and Rotation (adjusts to the orientation of sight). Smart Pause can pause a video as soon as your focus is directed away from the screen! Be aware that the Smart Screen needs adequate light to function with accuracy.

NFC & S BEAM
Share video, pictures, Google maps, etc with the near field communication and S Beam. I wouldn’t share large files i.e. video files as the process can take a while! Hmmm... When you want to use the NFC with other NFC enabled handsets you have to turn off S Beam otherwise the non-Samsung handset gets confused and you will not be able send any files.

DLNA
DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) allows you to share what’s on the Galaxy S4 screen to a DLNA enabled device such as a television. Very nice!

WATCH ON
The WatchOn feature will transform your device into a remote control. If you connect it to home entertainment system and the S4 can make suggestions on TV programs based on your preferences.

GROUP PLAY
Get your friends together and let them enjoy your music simultaneously. Wirelessly connect multiple Samsung Galaxy S4 phones to play games and share photos and documents. Get all Samsung Galaxy S4 phones together and create a powerful sound system that enhances the sound quality and keeps the party going.

SOOOOOO MUCH...
There’s so much to the S4 it will amaze you! Hopefully these fantastic extras will not confuse you – they shouldn’t! There’s a little booklet that takes you through the paces of each function! Let me highlight some of the best functions...

VOICE CONTROL
Using the commands ‘Answer’ and ‘Reject’ you can answer or reject an incoming call! The speaker comes on for hands free interaction and it’s the same with the Samsung ChatON application that allows free call, messaging and video calls.

You can take pictures using the commands, ‘Cheese’, ‘Smile’ ‘Capture’ and ‘Shoot’. Brilliant! I love it! There’s no need for a dedicated camera button!

Stop an alarm with ‘Stop’ or ‘Snooze’.

Control the music player with ‘Next’, ‘Previous’, ‘Pause’, ‘Play’, ‘Volume Up’ and ‘Volume Down’.

Beautiful stuff!

S HEALTH
Recently I have modified my dietary habits and increased my physical activity! S Health promises to monitor my calorie intake, weight levels and so on! Very nice!

SOUND
The sound is ok... It can be loud and tinny! The speaker is located at the back of the device like the S3 and Note 2 and it is never going to compete with the HTC One awesome stereo speaker system. But it is unlikely that you’ll be making use of the speaker in public out of consideration to others. You can download an equalizer app if need be to bring out the bass and mid-tones.

BATTERY LIFE
The 2600 mAh battery is an improvement over the 2100 mAh in the S3. But, as you should know by now, the battery is relative to the device and the amount of usage. This is the second day that I have used it and the battery is on 35% which is not bad considering my usage: taking photos, videos, watching video, surfing the Net and playing about with the S4 in general. The battery has improved for sure!

CONCLUSION
Samsung has dubbed the Galaxy S4 a “Life Companion” and they weren’t kidding! If you are going on holiday to a non-English speaking country then you are going to love S Translate! I used it to speak what little German I know and it came out in English!

Normally, when I review a handset I have to return it... On this occasion I am so glad that I don’t have to! The Galaxy S4 is MINE!!!!! All mine! Hahahahaha! Yes, I am mad about the Galaxy S4! I think it is the best that mobile phone technology has to offer! It is every bit a premium handset even though it is so minimalist in appearance.

The Galaxy S4 is running the latest and greatest Android version, Jelly Bean 4.2.2! The TouchWiz overlay is very responsive! Browsing the InterWeb is a great experience especially as I am on Three’s Ultrafast network connection! YouTube videos play smoothly in HD through the Three Ultrafast connection and over Wi-Fi it’s flawless!

You can also open two screens at once! It’s handy for watching video and reading email at the same time! The S4 is more like the Galaxy Note 2 as I have stated in the beginning! It seems as though Samsung takes the design from the last premium model and redefines it for the Galaxy S range, so with that logic in mind the Galaxy Note 3 is set to be a design departure that will filter down to the Galaxy S5! Observations aside I really do think that the Galaxy S4 is a handset you should definitely have!

If you intend to use it for business you will appreciate the fact that you can swap out the battery for a spare one!

If you use it purely on a everyday social level it is awesome!

The 1.9 GHz CPU and the 2GB RAM makes the thing fly!

I was considering the HTC One for a change and it fell short of my requirements.

At this very moment in time the Samsung Galaxy S4 is the best handset on the planet and I have one! Awesome!





Thank you for reading!

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YAHOO MAIL COMPROMISED

YAHOO MAIL COMPROMISED

Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! Are you getting your Galaxy S4 tomorrow? Well, I have been told that it should be with me tomorrow! The review will follow very, very shortly!

Hey, have you got a Yahoo email account? Have you noticed anything strange?

BEWARE
Here’s what’s been happening to a couple of my friends who have Yahoo email accounts...

Case One:
A female friend of mine received the usual, “We need to verify your bank account details...” emails coming through. Then within minutes her account sent mail to everyone on her friend list inviting them to take part in some kind ‘Get Rich’ scam! “Housewife makes $8,000 working from home...” Yeah, right!

She was advised, presumably by Yahoo, that someone from Russia had hacked into her account and that she should change her password immediately! She has changed her password yesterday, but earlier today she received another email from Yahoo telling her that someone from India is hacking her account and that she ought to change her password again!

Crazy!

Case Two:
A male friend called me today and said more or less what was said in the above case only with one major difference: Somebody tried to take out a credit card in his name! What prevented a potential large spending spree was that the hacker wasn’t able to give the right birth date and post code (zip). He received a call from the credit card company to verify!

That was close!

ADVICE
Close / delete your Yahoo email if you are constantly experiencing email being sent out to others that you didn’t send. Try Google Gmail or Hotmail instead.

Do not entertain so called email from your bank / building society. If your bank wanted to contact you about your account they’d do it via post (snail mail).

If people were making easy money they’d write a book and not send out scam spam! What usually happens is this:

The message says that you can earn ex-amounts of $$$$ from something as innocuous as giving your opinion on stuff online. So, you are given a link whereby you enter your bank details in order to be paid! Uh-uh! NO!!!! Don’t do it!

You’re better off selling your homemade muffins or something!

In general just be careful as to who you’re sending your personal information to!  

Thank you for reading!

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REBUILDING THE UK

REBUILDING THE UK

The UK welfare system is messed up for many reasons...

1. There aren’t enough government owned council houses going. Renting privately can be a nightmare in terms of costs – especially in London and that some accommodation is not fit for human living purposes. If you put a dog in some of the places that I have seen offered to human beings the dog would be rescued by the RSPCA! As a result areas can become ghettoized and thus a ghetto mentality ensues and before you know it that area becomes a crime haven: drugs, gangs, prostitution.

Then you have certain areas in the UK that are sought after and this pushes up private housing rents and the councils have to foot the bill to meet the massive housing shortage.

2. All government make the mistake of not structuring the benefit system to match the following:

Skilled workers
Semi-skilled
Manual Labour
Services
Self-Employment

As soon as you become unemployed you are encouraged to go for any job as opposed to no job. This is wrong. We need to get people back into what they were trained and qualified for.

At the moment when you go to the (No)Job Centre it’s like going to Hell!

3. The long term unemployed should work for their benefits or be assigned real self-employment coaches for business development.

As you might have experienced at some point in your life, you become unemployed and despite your efforts you can’t find a job... You become undisciplined and no longer able to get up in the morning. In the past people were sent to centres to develop a CV and apply to just about any job going. Can you imagine going to such a centre for 13 weeks? It’s ridiculous!

It would have been better for people to be placed in real jobs / work environment s for 3 – 4 days a week and get a financial top up on top of their benefits because it helps them pay for travel; clothes and hygiene maintenance (you’d be surprised at how many people aren’t able to present themselves on a basic level) and so on. Such folk would lose their top up for being late and being uncooperative.

Take me as an example... I couldn’t find a job to save my life in London. I took a 13 week course in multimedia and still couldn’t find work in London. I decided to try my luck in Holland, Amsterdam and within 2 weeks of my arrival I was employed as a Web and Graphic Designer and worked for 4 years! I came back to this country and do you think they’d allocate me a position in a Web / Graphic Design company? Employers do not need CVs! CVs are a thing of the past! They need to know what you can do, what you can’t do and what you’d like to do... Oh, and if they’d get on with you and you with them. A CV can’t tell you that. I think well written applications are so much better than trying to sum up people via a CV.

To summarize: Place people in real job situations and let the employer decide if they can find use for such placements on a permanent basis.

For people who want to be self-employed... Such people should be allocated free office space owned by the government. Think about it... The government could easily take over closed office buildings and use it to help people develop their business ideas.

In the past people have had to do a course to present the ‘Business Plan’. Today a business plan is just bureaucratic vanity. There you go: Here’s my plan and watch me become a tax paying avoiding millionaire. NO!!

People have to sit a course to write the darn plan and after all that effort nothing can come of it. Phooey! A business plan starts with an idea. Get people to write down on a single side of A4 paper what is the business and how does it work... Say how the money will come in and from there it can be seen as to what the business requires to get started...

Premises
The government / Job Centre can either supply free office space for a certain period based on reviews on how the business is developing. Or be allowed to work from home if it is Internet based. Loans / grants can only be given if an overseer sanctions it. Let’s say I wanted to spend £1k on advertising and there is access to either a grant or interest free loan then I ought to be given £100 to spend on advertising to see if advertising increases / creates sales and / or opportunities.

To summarise: My proposals are a lot better than throwing money at a problem and hoping for the best! In the past people were given loans that they were not able to pay back and grants that showed no return on the investment.

IMMIGRATION
I think the typical smokescreen is to cry “Stop immigration!” “They’re taking our jobs!” Well, I don’t know about you but I didn’t train in Web and Graphic design to clean toilets or sweep the streets. That’s the jobs I see most immigrants doing. As for the Polish taking over some skilled jobs like construction, I think that many skilled UK construction workers have gone abroad to earn more money! It’s also the same with a lot of skilled UK folk... Skilled UK folk flee the UK because they want to earn real money and have something to show for it! They might even cause an immigration problem for other countries! But I know that Canada advertises for skilled workers to come over to help build a better Canada. I know many people who have immigrated to other countries to find work – I was one of them for a while!

It is clear that the UK needs to replace skilled / trained people to come and take the places that have been left by English men and women going to live and work in other countries.

CONCLUSION
Yes, the welfare system needs a shakeup but I don’t think robbing people on low income is the way to do it.

The CONservative attack on the low income... Ooops, I mean carefully thought out Welfare Reform does not make any sense:

Being on benefits mean that there’s no other income available. The benefits that the unemployed are receiving have to pay not only for food but electricity, gas and water. Forget new clothes!

Now the government are saying that if you happen to be renting privately and that the property has more than one bedroom you have to pay a percentage for each room. And that you have to contribute to paying Council Tax!

However, if you were already struggling the Conservatives think that you’ll magically find some hidden money to pay for the extra room(s) and Council Tax on top of the electricity, gas and water!

Will the masses of unemployed people suddenly find work? I don’t think so!

I count myself very, very lucky to be self-employed!

Are you unemployed? I'd like to hear from you!

Thank you for reading!

Please check out the Synapse Circuit website for video, i-PDF and more! 

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TECH RUMOUR ROUND-UP APRIL 24 2013

An artist concept impression of the 'X'.

TECH RUMOUR ROUND-UP APRIL 24 2013

Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! Are you getting the Galaxy S4 in a few days? I believe I should have mine on Friday or Saturday! I can hardly wait! If you have yet to decide you ought to wait for my definitive review!

Here’s the latest rumours going around in the world of tech...

iPHONE 5S DELAYED FOR 2014
Apparently, Apple are facing delays on the next iPhone because they are having problems implementing the fingerprint screen locking system.

They could release the 5S anyway and concentrate on bettering the iOS... Yes, iOS 7 is proving to be troublesome and may not be ready this year!

iPHABLET?
To follow-up on the success of the iPad mini, Apple are working on a phablet iPhone model in a bid to capture some of that oversized Android handset market! That would be good for iPhone fans who are constantly looking over the shoulders of Galaxy S3, Note 2 and HTC One users!

Go for it Apple! Expect me to remind you of your ‘Hand Science’! Lol!

GOOGLE MOTOROLA X, NO KEY LIME PIE AND NEXUS 4 LTE, NEXUS 5?
Just like Apple are apparently having problems with delivering their tech on time, Google are having problems too! Yes, if the grapevine is correct, the much talked about ‘X’ phone will not be ready in time for the Google I / O conference in May – less than a month away!

Again, the Google Motorola X is the most best kept secret in the industry... Usually you get so called leaked photos of a handset so close to release... Maybe I haven’t looked hard enough... I have seen nothing of the ‘X’ handset at all. So, it could very well be that it won’t make an appearance at the I / O conference... That’d be such a shame... Therefore I am inclined to think it’s a red herring! Google wants to make a big impact! The ‘X’ could be the handsets of all Android handsets!

Yes, I have also learned that Android 5, Key Lime Pie will not be ready in time for the I / O conference too! Now, I find this rumour very, very hard to believe! I have forgotten which manufacturers have given the game away with Android 5 on their new devices – one of which is the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (more about this later).

Android 5 should be one of the reasons for the I / O conference!

Nexus 4 LTE, it is said that there will be a revamp of the Nexus 4 with LTE 4G compatibility! This revamp could also see a microSD slot!

The Nexus 5 handset is rumoured to be going the opposite way of the phablet and will feature a 4.3” or 4.5” 720p HD screen. I can see why Google would do that... They want to keep the handset at the lowest price point.

SAMSUNG NOTE 3
Yes, the latest rumour for Samsung regarding the imminent Note 3 is that it will feature an indestructible screen! That I would love to see!

The Galaxy Note 3 is said to be launched at the IFA Berlin this September; it is also said that Samsung are going to do something radical with the design that will depart from the S3 and S4 look! According to a source, Samsung are a little concerned with how their premium handsets perceived after the aluminium HTC One! It is said that Samsung wanted to use metal on the Galaxy S4 but manufacture proved troublesome... With the Note 3 this can all change! We’ll see...

I have said it many times and I will say it again... Plastic is a more robust material; metal will scratch and dent. A handset like the HTC One is a handset that you’d like to show off and not put into a protective case... Whereas you’d want to invest into a case for an S3, S4 and Note 2... A protective case compliments premium Samsung models as mentioned above. I don’t see what all the fuss is about because Samsung uses plastic for their premium handsets. What do you think?

Thank you for reading!

Please check out the Synapse Circuit website for video, i-PDF and more! 

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THE BUDGET ANDROID SMARTPHONE IS DEAD!

The ZTE Geek powered by Intel.

THE BUDGET ANDROID SMARTPHONE IS DEAD!

Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! I am getting ready to produce the next video so my tech-blogging will not be as frequent! I am hoping to bring you the penultimate review of the Galaxy S4... We’ll see...

Speaking of the Galaxy S4... It’s not really a smartphone is it? No, with a 1.9 GHz processor onboard it’s a Superphone! It’s a Superphone that has killed off...

...BUDGET ANDROID HANDSETS
Recently I bought myself a ZTE Blade 3 as a replacement for my Samsung Galaxy S which died to a suspected component damage through an unofficial battery extension kit. I was very happy with the performance of my newly acquired Blade 3 until I upgraded the Facebook app!

I don’t know if you have noticed, but every time popular apps such as Facebook get an update it invariably means that the file size (of the app) increases. And not only do such apps take up more room on your handset it also demands more of the CPU and RAM! If you happen to be in possession of a premium smartphone or superphone then the chances are you wouldn’t have noticed a difference in the overall performance of the handset. But on these budget Android handsets, such as the ZTE Blade 3, accessing Facebook can take minutes instead of seconds! Frustrating! The single 1 GHz CPU and 512 MB RAM struggles to handle the new Facebook Chat Heads that comes with the Messenger update! As a result I am not that much better off than before.

Yes, my friends... The budget Android handset is dead...

...LONG LIVE THE BUDGET HANDSET
Because of the extremely high standards of the new Superphones, HTC One, Sony Xperia Z and the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S4 the specs of the budget Android handset will be higher and cheaper!

Expect to see budget handsets that will have the following spec:

1.2 GHz dual-core CPU
1 GB RAM
4.3” screen – at least!
5 GB or 6 GB internal storage
5MP camera
LED flash
1MP front facing camera

Such spec should come in at around the £120 mark! It could even be cheaper!

PREDICTION: THE RISE OF INTEL
With the Motorola RAZRi I feel that the power of the Intel single core 2 GHz Intel Atom CPU went unnoticed in terms of phenomena that is the iPhone and Galaxy S. I don’t know if this was down to the publicity Motorola spent on the RAZRi, but it’s one of the most underrated handsets going! The RAZRi is down to some great attributes:
8 GB internal storage
1 GB RAM – it makes a huge difference to 512 MB!
8 MP camera with full 1080p HD

But none of that would mean much without the 2 GHz Intel Atom processor! I predict that there will be some great budget and mid-range handsets coming our way that will contain an Intel processor!

Thank you for reading!

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SAMSUNG GALAXY S4 MINI OR CUT-DOWN?

SAMSUNG GALAXY S4 MINI

Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! Can you believe that there’s nothing on TV on a Saturday night! I should be out partying but these days DJs have no clue about music! I would need 20 litres of Red Bull to keep me awake! Lol! It’s true! I have been to clubs where I feel stranded because getting transportation back home in the middle of the night is a pain! So, I am watching the Matrix Reloaded... Anyway, here’s the latest on Samsung...

GALAXY S4 MINI
Hmmmm... It seems that when a manufacturer of a major device adds the word “mini” to the name of a popular device you’d be forgiven to expect all of that (big) into this (mini). But that’s – as we have come to know – isn’t the case with a certain tablet and not with the most popular handset in the world at the moment, the Galaxy S3!

I felt that Samsung had a great opportunity to really stick it to the iPhone but shot a little wide; meaning – instead of the same 8MP, 1080p HD camera as found in the S3 they changed it to a 5MP, 720p HD camera for the mini!

In other words the Galaxy S3 mini was supposed to be the equivalent of the iPhone so to speak! All that technology (from the S3) inside the 4.3” S3 mini!

Yes, the Galaxy S4 mini is due anytime now and I wish that it would be a smaller version of the S4 to please folk who prefer a smaller screen... Here’s the rumoured spec of the S4 mini:

4.3” 960 x 540 HD display
8MP camera
Android 4.2.2

I hope that Samsung will come through for folks with small hands, but I have a feeling that the above spec is in fact the S4 mini.

I guess it’s fairly obvious that the Galaxy S4 mini can’t be as thin as its bigger brother or sister and feature the same innards, but it can be a little thicker! It stands to reason, right? Yeah, the Galaxy S4 Compact! There you go! And it should cost exactly the same as the fully blown S4 because the innards are the same only in a compact body! Stands to reason!

6 DAYS
Yes, 6 days before I get my Galaxy S4! I can't wait!

Thank you for reading!

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GREAT NEWS FOR ANDROID! GET LOOPY!!!!

GREAT NEWS FOR ANDROID!
GET LOOPY!!!!

Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! Did you read my Google I / O 2013 blog? Did you enjoy it? Do you recall that I was harping on about better apps? More specifically a decent movie app? Well, I have great news...

FRUITY LOOPS FOR ANDROID IS HERE!!!!!
What? Fruity Loops doesn’t mean anything to you? How about FL Studio? Oh, you still have no clue? No worries! Let me fill you in...

FL Studio is one of the best digital audio workstations (DAW) going on the PC! It started life as a simple but versatile (software) drum machine and over the years the drum machine evolved into a full music production suite for the PC platform! It is POWERFUL!!!!  The makers, Image Line, decided to change the name from Fruity Loops to FL Studio in order to be taken more seriously! I know, it sounds like a breakfast cereal! Lol!

It may not mean much to you, but I can tell you that this is great news for us Android fans! It’s a sign that high-quality apps are coming to Android in greater numbers! Quality apps for Android are what I predicted some time ago... And FL Studio for Android is a great indication that many serious developers will be bringing their apps to Android too!

MUSIC MAKING
You may not be interested in making music, but what I love about FL Studio is that it is reasonably priced that you can afford to indulge a fantasy... It’s always a good idea and a wonderful experience to take up a hobby! At $20 you can afford to!

I love making music on my PC and I can see myself working out ideas on my Galaxy S4 (when I get hold of it) or Note 2 and then transferring it to the PC and vice versa!

Oh, in my dizziness I forgot to mention that the FL Studio app for Android will work on every screen and that you need Android 2.3, Gingerbread as a minimum requirement! Cool!

With FL Studio for Android you can expect great synthesizers, drum machine and effects... I can’t emphasize how great this app is (if you are not familiar with it).

CONCLUSION
Yes, my Android friends... Make no mistake... Great apps are coming! So, from apps I am expecting some hardware too! I want USB keyboard controllers, soundcards, etc. That’d be something!

I am one very happy Android fan right now! I’d be over the moon if Synapse Audio (no relation) brings out Orion Studio for Android!

Thank you for reading!

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GOOGLE I / O 2013: SPECS

GOOGLE I / O 2013 MAY 15 - 17: SPECULATIONS

Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! The great event is almost upon us... It’s a little under a month away! The exciting thing about Google’s I / O event is that you never quite know what to expect! Even though we are expecting to hear about Android 5, Key Lime Pie, we don’t really know what the next incarnation of Android will bring... What will be the state of Project Glass? What will be the new features in the next generation Nexus 7 tablet? Oooh, I am getting dizzy...

ANDROID 5, KEY LIME PIE
What can we expect from Android 5, Key Lime Pie? I think one of the things is more SPEED!!!! Android 4.1 / 4.2, Jelly Bean benefited a great deal from Project Butter to speed the thing up! Furthermore, I think the guys at Cyanogenmod have really made great use of making Jelly Bean faster still! Again, I don’t know why Google and maverick developers, Cyanogenmod work together. Why? Anyway, that’s beside the point... I am expecting Google to go all out with Android 5.

Speed is a must and I am expecting the overall performance to be improved by 30% - 40%! And that will be something to behold! Trust me on that! However, I can tell you that speed is not so much an issue where the dual and quad core handsets are concerned. The biggest problem with Android is these budget handsets! Budget handsets don’t seem to have enough power to make the Android experience pleasant. If Google could make Android 5 fly on the average budget handset they’ll be onto a winner! Either that or budget handsets have to gain some muscle! The budget Android handset should at least have a 1.2 GHz CPU and no less than 1GB RAM; today’s Facebook app requires more CPU power and RAM!!!!!

A greater User Interface Experience. Good thing about Android is also the bad thing: it’s free for any manufacturer to use. This leaves Android looking quite minimalistic and a little Frankenstein monster... Let me explain...

As you know, many manufacturers put their own skin over Android: Samsung, TouchWiz; HTC, Sense and LG, UI as good examples. Therefore Android has to be minimal. But when Google produces its own vanilla handset in the Nexus it does look a little Frankenstein monster in that Google Now looks so different from the rest of it... The YouTube widget could do with an overhaul that resembles Google Now... The vanilla Android experience is a good one, but it needs something... A skin without a skin... That is going to a tough challenge. This is why the next incarnation of Android is exciting because it’s a great operating system that can be greater still! The rods for Google’s back are the varied handsets available... With the iPhone there’s just two models to cater to.

Now, would it be possible for different versions of Android 5 based upon handset specs? Some would say that my idea would be like renaming other versions of Android as Android 5 A, B and C, but if there are going to be different handsets with different spec maybe it’s time for Google to unify Android based upon the expectation of the spec? I think so! There again would that mean extra work for app developers to keep their apps small! My LG L3 is useless as I can’t fit any more apps on it! Lol! Well, that’s progress for you!

Another question comes to mind... Can Android be more like Ubuntu? In the future would it be possible for yet another Linux based operating system that can be used on a Windows PC? There again, Ubuntu is available for Android devices!

Is it feasible for Google to buyout the makers of Ubuntu?

NEXUS 7 GENERATION 2
This is going to be an interesting development... It is expected that the 7” tablet will have a full 1080p HD screen! Now will Google do the next generation Nexus 7 with Asus or will LG get a look in? LG? Hmmm... I don’t know... LG doesn’t have a track record with tablets... I think they’ll team-up with Asus again! The Nexus is a pretty decent tablet.

Ok, what was wrong with the Nexus 7? Yes, please get me started... Lol!

The bezel is too big! Jeez! The bezel spoils the whole look of the tablet! I guess the large bezel makes the tablet easier to handle, but I think the thinner the bezel the better. I can see Google possibly running into yet another patent war with Apple as I believe Apple have come up with a solution for a screen handling without  accidentally launching an app, etc.

Please, Google! Give the Nexus 7 next generation a thinner bezel!

No external storage! It still irks me that Google thinks that its users won’t be able to figure out how to access external storage i.e. SD or microSD. I think external storage is a must! They need an edge over other competitors!

RAM, I don’t think that 1GB of RAM is enough! Today’s premium handsets boast 2GB RAM and it does come in handy for these multimedia apps! Add another 1GB of RAM to make it 2GB or why not add 4GB?

A distinct lack of vision beyond placing yet another tablet onto the market... What is a little annoying about Google’s Nexus is that it is centred around consumption there’s little by the way from them in terms of their own core apps for all manner of things... I would love to see Google get a team together to create apps for things that people love to do:

Video editing.
Music composition.
Photo editing.

Yes, I am aware that you can download apps for the above but I think Google needs to have a core set of apps that are a cut above! You know? I would have liked to have seen some USB peripherals that compliment the Nexus 7 and because they’re USB they can work on the PC as well! Yes, I would have wanted a MIDI mini music keyboard so that I could make music on the Nexus and then transfer the MIDI file to my main PC music making program! Yeah, that’s me, the would be composer. Again, I think Google are missing opportunities! Ideally, Nexus would come complete with key core apps that users can tap into straightaway! It’s like the set of apps that comes with Windows or like iWorks on the Apple Mac computers! Yeah, apps that will be compatible with the PC!

PROJECT GLASS
I expect to hear that Project Glass is on its way to retail. I think we’ll see a demo of the finished article. I would imagine that the cost will be prohibitive to most. I want one already, but will I get run over by a vehicle crossing the road? Lol! I think I would be so taken with this exotic technology!
I wonder if we’ll see another cool demo like last year’s sky diving intro! Awesome!

Some people have expressed their concern regarding privacy, but like Eric Schmidt says, “If you’re doing something you shouldn’t be doing then you shouldn’t be doing it...”

THE NEXUS SPHERE?
Will the Nexus Sphere make a comeback? The media playback device looked interesting and showed some promise. I don’t even remember what was wrong with it why it got taken off the Play Store!

I think there’s a market for a device that can stream media to TV, Wi-Fi HiFi, etc that can be controlled via an Android handset or tablet! But the cost has to be reasonable – below £100!

THE UNEXPECTED
What I absolutely love about Google is that they are quite experimental and radical with it! What I don’t like is when they abandon stuff that they started like App Inventor! I don’t know why Google didn’t develop it further to a professional polish! Bah! When App Inventor was announced Google made a weird song and dance out of it as though folk had to be privileged to be on the program. By the time I got on it I was like, “Is this what all the fuss is about?” Yes, it was short-sighted of me but it annoyed me how Google publicized it.

In fact I think Google are very bad at publicizing what they do! I think Apple have done great adverts to introduce their products: iPod, iPhone, iTunes, App Store and so on. Samsung make even greater ads that give solid information and cheeky humour. The only decent ad that Google has on UK TV at the moment is the Chrome campaign.

The Nexus 7 ads were ok, but on the whole Google ads are lacklustre! And it’s a shame! But then on the other hand Google has done very well using its own YouTube platform for showcasing their products. However, they need their products to be ubiquitous like Siri is! Google Now ought to be in the minds of the public – it’s better than Siri!

I would like to see Google do a lot more to show people the delights of Android; show off some of the great apps available for all manner of things and so on. Ooops! I digress a little...

NEW HANDSETS
There’s talk about the Nexus 5 and the mysterious Motorola X. I wish I could tell you something about these handsets, but it will be all speculation. I wouldn’t want you to get all excited and be disappointed with the reality!

I know that on both handsets Google want to wow folk with the camera. What the camera entails I just don’t know! It could be the software or hardware or both!

It is also rumour that these possible handsets will not be ready in time for the conference. Again, you just can’t tell for sure with Google. I appreciate that they play their cards close to their chest! And that’s what makes the Google I / O conference exciting!

I will do my best to bring you the highlights in due course!

Thank you for reading!

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MYSTERY SHOPPER: MOBILE SHOPPING

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT:
MYSTERY SHOPPER,
MOBILE SHOPPING

Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! It was such a beautiful day in London earlier! The Sun was splendid and there was nice breeze to go with it! Mmmmmm... Very, very tranquil... If only I could be at a beach... Never mind... I thought that I would take the opportunity to go mystery shopping... Here’s where I went...

Phones 4U
Tesco Mobile Dept
Virgin Media
Three

All based in the area of Enfield, Middlesex! Here’s my findings...

PHONES 4U
Location: Southbury Rd, Enfield, Middlesex
Last year the Phones 4U shops that I have visited up and down London where appalling! What I found was an all-round lack of knowledge of the top handsets at the time and a way too aggressive sales approach... “Have a seat while I talk at you and glower at you for being hesitant...”

Today, I popped into PC World / Phones 4U at Southbury road. What caught my eye was the dummy model of the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S4... I have to tell you right now that I am in love with the S4! As predicted the phone is so much better in the hand than it is in a picture! I am right about getting a protective case straightaway for easier handling! Anyway, I digress...

I met with a sales assistant called Tom and I was impressed with not only his knowledge on the Galaxy S4 but the top range of handsets that included the HTC One and the Sony XPeria Z. I was very impressed! Tom answered all my questions and what’s more is that he didn’t push for a sale! Normally, it’d be... “Take a seat and let’s see what we can do for you today...” None of that!

Marks out of 10! Phones 4U Southbury road, Enfield scores an excellent 9.5!

TESCO MOBILE DEPT
Location: Ponders End, Enfield, Middlesex
I can’t say too much about Tesco Mobile as they are fairly new to mobile retail. In other words I have not seen Tesco as being as good as the major mobile retail outlets – they have their own network (based on O2) as well as a retail dept within their large 24hr chain of supermarkets. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with the sales reps! I met a rep of Asian Indian origin (I assume that he is the manager of that dept because he wore a suit and had no name tag that I could see...) and a young lady named Paige.

If you are up for a Galaxy S3 the following deal may interest you:

£ 21 per month
Freephone
100 mins / 500 texts
1GB data
Unlimited Text Booster
24 month contract

It’s not bad at all! I think the 1GB data allowance should give you enough room to use free calling and text apps!

I found that the Manager and Paige had a good overall knowledge of the products. The manager and Paige gave good advice and they were both good listeners. I find that it is important for sales folk to listen to the needs of the customer to give an informed opinion. I was happy that I was not pushed into any direction. I was given some options to explore and I didn’t feel pressurized into making a decision on the spot!

If you are a regular shopper at Tesco and have a Tesco Club Card (for saving points) you do get some points added to your card each time you pay your phone bill by direct debit. Therefore, you do get some money back in the form of money and product vouchers that will save you money throughout the course the 24 month contract.

9.0

VIRGIN MEDIA
Location: Palace Gardens Shopping Centre, Enfield
Virgin Media stores have it all... Youthful sales assistants; a majority of handsets on demo and a lounge area where one can chill out when giving details to seal the deal! However, where they are going wrong is that they do not know enough about the products they are selling!

A young female assistant has it in her mind that every Android phone they sell has Jelly Bean, Android 4.1 or 4.2 installed on them. It’s not the case... A lot of their budget range have either Android Gingerbread, 2.3 or Ice Cream Sandwich, 4.0 installed on them. This is bad news if you’re an Android fan like me! There isn’t much difference between Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich in terms of functionality – yes, Ice Cream Sandwich has the ‘Face Unlock’ feature whereby you can just look at your phone and it unlocks but it’s quite novelty. But Jelly Bean has the improved speed and polish that makes it a joy to use! When an assistant is telling folk that a handset they’re interested into has Android Jelly Bean on it when it’s not the case is an instant deduction of 4 points.

I found the overall knowledge of the assistants to be very poor and some of them had to get the information from the Web. Sure, it is better that a sales assistant find out exact details rather than sell on misinformation but what do these people do all day? Surely, there must be some time they can devote to learning about their products? Apparently not!

When you go into a Virgin Media store for a mobile deal you had better do your homework regarding the handset or handsets that you have an interest in.

I have to say that some of the assistants seem a bit false... They smile at you and when they think you’re not looking they roll their eyes as if to say that a present some kind of bother by asking them product details.

But this is not the first time I have had a negative experience with Virgin Media. Two years ago I had to change a Galaxy Ace due to problems with the battery, Wi-Fi connection and not enough space for apps. They really should have known that the Galaxy Ace wasn’t up to much. I then got an HTC Desire which has a better battery and decent Wi-Fi connection, but it didn’t have much by the way of storage space. The trouble with many apps as they get updated is that they become bigger in terms of megabytes and they can be more demanding on the CPU and RAM.

And recently I purchased a ZTE Blade 3 to replace my Galaxy S and was told that the Blade 3 had Jelly Bean on it and it does not. Plus I was told by a representative that I would get £10 off the sale because I am a Virgin Media customer – I have my cable and Internet with them; it wasn’t the case. I was very, very annoyed.

A miserable 4

THREE
Location: Palace Gardens Shopping Centre, Enfield
What can I say about Three? I think that they have a great and unbeatable deal with their ‘Ultrafast’ connection that comes close to 4G but without any extra costs! Therefore I am going with Three on the Galaxy S4!

Three, Palace Gardens Shopping Centre, Enfield has just been refurbished. It looks ok... It’s good that they have more functioning handsets on display based upon premium and manufacturer. The new refurbishment has a youthful feel to it... I don’t know how that will make mature people feel... I think they should have had seats around the display models for comfort. I also wished they had more tablets on display. See the picture (taken with the ZTE Blade 3).

How did I find the staff? Hmmm... It’s a mixture... Some of the staff really has a good knowledge of their products and it’s the males that rule in that area. The women seem to be a moody bunch... There was one Polish woman there a while back who was vile – no exaggeration. This Polish woman (at least I think she’s Polish) seem to lie through her teeth at me to make sale – any sale! I hated her demeanour and I was happy not to see her in the new refurb!

The other women tend to be a little pushy but not to the level as the Polish woman and they don’t really know too much about their stock. When I walked into the all new refurbished shop I was greeted with a nice enough female assistant who wanted to help but just a tad too much. I felt a little pressurized – like I was her commission. I made enquiries about several handsets and I had to correct her on all of them. But I was careful not to correct her in an obnoxious way like a know-it-all nerd / geek. I gain no pleasure from making people look like fools. When her manager called her away from attending to me I was happy to see her go! Lol!

OBSERVATIONS
As a long standing customer of Three I was very, very disappointed that I wasn’t made a special offer on my Galaxy S4! Ok, this didn’t happen in the shop but on the phone! I figured that the sales department would recognize my custom and give a special deal! A week after I received a call from a sales representative of Three offering me a “deal” on the Sony Xperia J. I think it was £13 per month on an “exclusive” deal that can be seen on their website! It disgusts me that I was made to feel that I was getting an exclusive deal. Bah!

Three are also quite notorious for selling under-powered handsets talking them up as though they are brilliant! Oh, that’s right... I was offered the crap HTC Desire C! Never! So, I asked the woman if she could offer me a better handset and I asked her what information she has on me...

I could tell that she didn’t have much of an idea as to who she was speaking with... Why? She’d have known that I have ordered the Galaxy S4, on contract with them already with the Galaxy Note 2 and I have a SIM only deal. She only knew of the SIM only deal. If she knew a little more about me she’d have known that I have a predilection for high-end handsets. The HTC Desire C would be seen as an insult by me; c’mon, it’s rubbish! She should have never offered me that handset!

To call me up unprepared is terribly insulting. I must have been with Three for about 4 years at least! And this is the best they can do???? It’s disgusting!

When the woman did have a look at my account with Three she started to explain how that Three are the only ones offering the Galaxy S4 without an upfront cost to which I responded, “How does that make me feel to be offered the same deal as everybody else? How does that make me an appreciated customer?” She had no answers. However, because I haven’t renewed my contract with EE (Orange) I am interested in a SIM only deal (with Three) for my Galaxy S2.

As it stands I should have been made some decent offers for my loyalty with Three. I back them when the likes of Phones 4U are saying that they are, “Not very good... People complain about Three...” I found that Three hasn’t let me down on mobile yet! The only time I couldn’t get a signal was when I was standing on the cliffs of Plymouth! I don’t recall a signal from Orange (I was with them at the time) either!

I am not happy with Three at all! Grrrrrrrrrr! How dare they call me up and not know much about me? How dare they call me up pretending that they are giving me a special offer for my loyalty when they don’t even know how deep my loyalty is? It’s despicable! Disgraceful! I used to work in sales and when I called someone out of the blue I would first find out who I am talking with as it gives me no advantage to assume!

Three have got to work on their shop and phone staff.

A well deserved 2

There you have it! Phones 4U seemed to have learned their lessons from the past and Tesco are doing surprisingly well with their friendly and knowledgeable staff.

Don’t get hoodwinked by sales folk who only can only see a commission instead of a customer!

Thank you for reading!

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TAKING DOWN JODIE MARSH

Jodie Marsh: Before and after. Going down?

ANTISOCIAL NETWORKING: JODIE MARSH ANTI-BULLYING CAMPAIGN & UNDERSTANDING THE MEDIA

Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! I hope that you have had a good day and if your day is still unravelling there is still time...

TAKING DOWN JODIE MARSH

If you are not a UK resident then the chances are you don’t know too much about Jodie Marsh. Jodie Marsh is a model and recently she has become a renaissance person! The question is, “What doesn’t Jodie Marsh do?” She’s a big rival to the other plastic Barbie, Jordan aka Katie Price. Both models have had their very public spats over the years and an anti-Jody Marsh backlash had her breakdown and reveal that she was bullied as a child. A few years down the line Jodie Marsh has become a prominent anti-bullying campaigner! Here’s an excerpt in what I assume is Marsh’s own words from her official Facebook site / profile:

“My name is Jodie Marsh. I was bullied at school. I was told every day that I was ugly, a freak, had a big nose etc. At age 15 I begged my mum for rhinoplasty as I felt so ugly and that re-shaping my nose would be the answer. The bullying got worse. I got told "don't stand in the sun, you might melt" and got called "plastic face" and "Michael Jackson". I wanted to end my life. Today at age 34 I am the INBF Champion of America, I'm an anti bullying campaigner, model, author, TV star and mummy to 4 beautiful doggies. I LOVE my life! So I guess I just really want to say I'm glad the bullies didn't win, I'm glad I didn't end my life, I'm glad I achieved things (and hopefully will continue to do so). Don't ever let anyone make you believe you're ugly. Beauty truly does come from within. Love yourself and love your life. We only live once - make the most of it. And choose to be a SURVIVOR like I did. You'll never ever regret it. Love you x x x x”

And here’s some of the negative fallout...

Emma White surely the way to 'beat the bullies' is to remain true to yourself and be proud of who you are. not change every part of yourself and look like 'that!' if my baby girl looked up to you I would be devastated! I will teach her to love the skin she is in and not sell herself!! if bullies make you change then THEY have won NOT you!

Louis Spanish Inquisition Jobe Bollox! Who on earth has a nose job at 15 would it not been easier to of grown a pair of nuts? U sure enough had the sand to wear next to nothing in public which I'm sure makes u at 15 look pretty and respectable rather than now being false and an attention seeker!! Ruined it!!

Ken Doherty In fairness you really have some snaggle(nose), if you really think you are beautiful then why do you constantly show off your body if beauty comes from within. BE HAPPY WITH YOURSELF AND YOU WILL ALWAYS BE BEAUTIFUL. "just a thought".

James McGill Hate to bring you bad news but your still a munter <"munter" meaning ugly>.

Miike Garcia Lookin good, buttt fake nose, fake tits, fake hair, and all the tats, doesn't necessarily make you a bangn chick lol, natural is the way to go ladies...

Lynn Howey She is a tramp! Everything for attention!

Hannah Montero Get bullied- re invent ur self plastic and act like a slag .... NO ... Enough of the sob sorry... Every one terrorises each other young, kids r mean ... no excuse to use it for getting naked 15 years down the line and act like a SLOSH POT...

Crippy Cooke You make yourself a beacon of "natural beauty" but you have had copious amounts of plastic surgery? You have let the bullies win by altering your appearance to try and fit in to society. You're one of the worst role models to women, but for some reason they look up to you. Staggering... Beauty comes from within? You're artificial. Inside and out. Hypocrite and a liar.

Tom Lacey She hated being called Michael Jackson so much that she got his face tattooed on her arm.

I didn’t bother to correct the spelling and grammar. But you get the gist of the negativity aimed towards her. A lot of it is just plain stupid. Some try to make valid points about her plastic surgery but end up looking malicious. The overall sentiment is that the bullies have won due to Marsh’s change of appearance, but her critics have in turn become bullies themselves.

Is Jodie Marsh a role model to women? Of course she is! Jodie Marsh is a successful woman with drive and determination and just because she is a nude model it does not mean to say that young women aren’t able to take her drive, ambition and success and use it for whatever their personal goals are: doctor; actress; software programmer; writer; body builder and so on. It is so narrow minded that some parents would think that their little girl would want to grow up to be model from the media exposure Jodie Marsh is currently enjoying. If you are a parent and you are letting the media raise your children then you are a damned fool! More fool your children!

As long as there is a need for models then there will always be young women (and men) posing on the various mediums: magazines, newspapers, television, etc. It’s a fact of life! I wonder how many of her male detractors have bought magazines that Marsh has appeared in and on the cover.

But I guess that’s human nature when it comes to expressing an opinion; no matter how dumb it is people will express such ill thought out opinions just to hear / see their mind’s voice / thought. The advent of Social Media makes it easy for any fool to express his or her opinion. But what is it about the Internet that brings out such viciousness in some people? I guess, like many bullies, they are cowards or have a deep seated problem with themselves... At the very least these fools have been taken in by the media...

HOW THE MEDIA WORKS
Yes, some of you are right to question the motives of celebrities when they are drumming up publicity for their cause. Some of us have seen that the many claims of the benefits of Live Aid were greatly exaggerated. We’re not blind... People are still starving in Africa and other parts of the world.

Let’s get this straight... Jodie Marsh is a professional personality who has used her sexuality to get to where she is right now. It’s not the best way in the world to gain fortune and fame but she has done it. If it wasn’t her it’d be someone else. Like many professional personalities Marsh has cultivated an image that is an extension of her real self. In other word her persona is partly or wholly contrived. It’s just like a person going to work in a suit. And we all know that people who wear suits want to give a certain impression i.e. trustworthiness, competence, etc. But we know from a terrible mishandling of our money some bank managers cannot be trusted and are anything but competent.

Professional personality or celebrity – take your pick – have to constantly adjust their persona in order to stay relevant; that’s their job! They have to reinvent themselves for the times... Once upon a time Jodie Marsh can be seen in Central London going to events with nothing but a couple of belts covering her cleavage. She was seen as a party animal and has done many, many things to gain publicity thus keeping her in a career. Marsh has done a few suspect “reality” TV programs where in one of them she’s auditioning a husband... Purleeeeeeeeeease! When she is rebuffed by the public she then sets about reinventing herself again. This time she has chosen to be a spokesperson for anti-bullying. You know what? Regardless of her motives to stay in the public eye at least someone is doing something to highlight that the bullying that happens in school can be very, very severe with horrendous results.

What do I think of her programs on the subject of bullying? I think they are not too bad. I thought that she handled herself well and the programs weren’t too contrived. Yes, everything you see on TV is contrived. Contrived for our benefit! Sometimes you can see the strings so to speak but many programs have a formula. Jodie Marsh’s last program on bullying which aired last week had the usual hallmarks: tear jerking interviews; a few bullied young children; children taking a stand and happy dancing children at the end. There’s nothing wrong with that! It was important to give viewers a happy ending and a positive outlook.

Just because Jodie Marsh is a professional personality it does not mean to say that she isn’t genuine about tackling bullying. Besides, what is she going to do? Don cape and leap tall buildings in a single bound? The best thing she can do is use her considerable fame as leverage to let people know that they do not have to suffer in silence.

EVERYBODY HURTS
Yes, as plastic as some aspects of Marsh’s body is she can hurt like the rest of us. Therefore I would like to ask her detractors to use their brains and to not waste time posting negative comments and insults against her and get with her program! Be part of the solution! It is really dumb to say that the bullies won over Jodie because she has changed her appearance. As she pointed out, after the work done on her nose she still got bullied. If I had a nose like that as a child I would want to change it! I have horrible teeth and I wonder why my parents didn’t sort it out! But I wasn’t bullied for it - thankfully. I consider myself a nice person, inner beauty ‘n’ all but I would change my teeth tomorrow if I could! Lol! Jodie Marsh is not fake or lacks inner beauty to want to change her appearance to her liking. Once again, Jodie Marsh is a professional personality and it is her job to get publicity for herself and endeavours.

Use your common sense! Big boobs on models could mean more modelling work! Career longevity! We’d moan if she was unemployed on welfare seeking fame at “our expense”! She has it, so why not be happy for her? Personally, I wish women didn’t have to take risks with their bodies to enhance their career potential but that’s the world. Perhaps Jodie Marsh can tackle this subject in due course.

In the meantime I think something can be done to alleviate bullying and I am glad that Jodie Marsh has brought it to the attention of the public.

If you don’t like what she’s selling don’t buy into it. There’s no need to be nasty!

Let me leave you with some positive comments...

Kelly Louise Dooler All these haters make me chuckle, all the woman who are being negative, are probably fat or ugly, and the guys well they are all probably sad lonely and single or they have a fat ugly girlfriend, if u choose to enhance what you are unhappy with, it's your choice, no matter where you go in life there will always be haters, hate is a massive sign of jealousy, jealous of ur wealth, ur looks, ur hard earned body, so let em hate, n smile every day xx

Nicola Wiscombe Clennan Why are some people so nasty and disrespectful to others, writing horrible comments on such a positive post!! I think Jody looks beautiful then and now. Let her live her life they way she wants to, after all it is her life!! She's trying to make a diffence. If she wasn't famous would there be so much negativity on this post....don't think so!

Again I have chosen not to edit the positive comments.

Thank you for reading!

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ARE BATTERY EXTENSION KITS ANY GOOD?

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT ASKS:
ARE BATTERY EXTENSION KITS ANY GOOD?

Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! What a lovely day it has been! It is still quite sunny out even though it is almost 19:00! Time for a spring clean!

BATTERY EXTENSION KITS, ARE THEY GOOD?

The reason why I ask is because I am still mourning the death of my much beloved Samsung Galaxy S! That phone was so awesome with its front-facing camera ‘n’ all! So, I am left wondering why my Galaxy S died...

When I got my Galaxy S it wasn’t long before I noticed that the battery didn’t last long. So, I looked online and found that there were some battery extension kits available! I purchased a kit that gave me a bigger battery, 3000 mAh, and a battery cover to compensate for the extra bulk! It worked perfectly for the first year and afterwards I noticed that the battery would lose charge quicker than it did. By the end of the day I had to resort to the original Samsung battery.

I also noticed that my Galaxy S was starting to function erratically; apps took ages to launch and then they did they crashed! I performed a factory reset and it seemed to work better for a while... Within a couple of hours the same problems persisted. The next thing I did was to root it. Rooting seemed to work for a bit...

OBSERVATION & CONCLUSION

I noticed that whenever I had to use the original battery I noticed that the phone performed a lot better – albeit briefly!

Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that battery extension kits may way work in the short term but over a long period – let’s say a year or so – these kits could damage your handset. I think that my beloved Galaxy S was damaged because the extra power was burning it out!

So, the moral of this blog is: Use those battery extension kits at your own risk. You’d be better off purchasing a spare battery directly from the manufacturer.

My rule... And I must stress that this is MY RULE... My rule is that if the battery kit is not from the same manufacturer as your handset then do not purchase it.

It’s funny, I never bought myself an extension kit for the Galaxy S2 and it works perfectly – more so now that I am running a Cyanogenmod version of Android Jelly Bean 4.2! The battery consumption is so much better than how it was with TouchWiz! Hmmmm... Interesting...

Please let me know if you have had any problems or good experiences with your battery extensions.

Thank you for reading!

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