Monday 23 December 2013

Quick Review: Nova Launcher Beta

If you're into customising your phone and making it yours, chances are that you've already installed a custom launcher. Nova is a good solid example, and it's been my launcher of choice for a good while now.

It's very similar to the AOSP (Android Open Source Project) launcher, except that you can customise the bejeesus out of it. You can choose the grid size, and even the speed of the animations. Thankfully, the stock settings are perfectly good if you're a bit daunted by the amount of settings.

There are any amount of other more in-depth reviews out there, so I'll just finish up by saying that it's a good option for anyone looking for a way to waste a lot of time getting it just so ;)

Seeing as I won't be posting until next weekend or afterwards, I'd like to say:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone!

Monday 16 December 2013

Best computing device for students

Students need computers. This is becoming clearer with every passing month and year. Maybe secondary school students don't, but college students certainly do. Well, it's a pain to go without one.

So which one is best for students? An ideal computer for students would be cheap as chips and very portable, without losing out on power or screen/build quality. A pretty tall order, and really it's up to you which device you go for; all I can do is give you a few things to consider before spending a few hundred euro/pounds/dollars. For this, I'm going to restrict my budget to portable devices which cost less than €500, eliminating all Macs and desktops.


Chromebooks:
There was a time when the only halfway-cheap computers you could buy were running Windows. Not any more. You can pick up a perfectly good Chromebook for €250.

Chromebooks are basically laptops running a glorified version of Google's Chrome browser. Almost everything is done in the browser, including editing documents, courtesy of Google Drive. Naturally, you'd want to be fairly heavily invested in Google's ecosystem for this to be a seamless transition. Programmes like Skype and Office are missing, although Google does have alternatives. There's also no "swiss-army knife" video player like VLC on ChromeOS (I could be corrected on that one though).

So what good is it then? It's ideal for people who use their laptops for web-surfing and general work, or who want a second computer. Thankfully the OS is also light enough to balance the middling specs.

Windows:
Windows is undoubtedly the best supported of all the Operating Systems, simply because so many companies use it. It's also had enough time to get lots of programmes, unlike ChromeOS. While Windows 8 has proved to be very controversial, it is still a lot more complete as an operating system. You also get brilliant programmes such as Microsoft Office and the VLC Media Player.

Of course, decent Windows laptops cost a lot more cash than Chromebooks. A decent Windows laptop will cost at least €400, if you want more-than-mediocre specs. There are also lots of brands to choose from. Personally, I quite like Dell, and I've heard good things about Lenovo, although I can only say for sure about Dell.

There are netbooks around, which are on the nice side of €300, but typically they have a severely limited version of Windows, and very poor specs. Couple that with a resource-heavy OS, and you've got a very sub-par user experience. Honestly, if you're looking at netbooks, take a look at a Chromebook instead.

Android/iOS:
Or you could look at a tablet, if it's within budget. Getting a tablet and a keyboard dock may satisfy your needs. I've always found touchscreens to be awkward to type on for longer documents. Apple's iPad has a large advantage in this area, as there are any amount of officially recommended keyboard docks available. Android's offerings suffer in this respect, as there are only 3rd party options, and then only for the most popular devices. You should also watch out that your tablet is secure in the dock, and isn't liable to fall over (not something you want happening in a lecture theatre).

Android's sub-par tablet-optimised app selection is a discussion for another day, but it's enough to say that Apple's selection wipes the floor with Android's. That said, there are enough good Office suites to choose from on Android (personally I use Polaris Office and Quickoffice). The iPad has lots of options, and, though I can't vouch for anything personally, I hear that Office2 HD is a good option.

The iPad Mini starts at €299, and the iPad 2 starts at €389. Keyboards can then cost anything up to another €150. Android tablets are generally cheaper, with my personal favourite being the Nexus 7 (2013), starting at €250. Keyboards for the Nexus 7 can be bought on eBay or Amazon for around €35-50. You can also buy more expensive tablets from Sony or Samsung, although once again you're faced with the issue of keyboards. ASUS got around this issue by including selling their own docks with their tablets. These tablet and dock combinations tend to cost around €500.



Really, it's up to you what you choose.If all you want is something to write essays and surf the net on, then I'd recommend a Chromebook. If you need a more supported Operating System, or just more processing power, then a Windows laptop is the way to go. While I have seen people using iPads as their main device, I wouldn't recommend it unless you're sure that it'll do what you need it to.

The best thing to do is to go into somewhere like Curry's, where they have display models you can play around with. That's worth as much as any guide.

If you think I've left anything out, please feel free to comment.

Monday 9 December 2013

Quick App Comparison: Swiftkey Pro vs Google Keyboard

One of the biggest things people do on their phones is to text, be it with SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook, or whatever. As with everything, it's worth getting a good keyboard for the job. I mostly use either Swiftkey or Google Keyboard. Both of these are available for Android. IOS, due to its highly restricted nature, only has the stock keyboard, although you can do your typing in apps like Fleksy, and paste your stuff where you want it.

Please bear in mind that these are just my personal thoughts, feel free to comment if you disagree.

Google Keyboard is a pretty straightforward keyboard, with no real bells or whistles, aside from its swipe gestures, which now include being able to swipe to the spacebar to insert a space without taking your finger off the screen. As such, it has little to no customisability. Instead it offers simple stability which you can count on all the time. Oh, and you can download it free of charge, providing your phone is running Android 4.0 or higher.

Swiftkey offers you any amount of customisation. It includes 13 themes, and an extensive range of language packs, including Irish! Swiftkey also offers Cloud Sync, meaning that you can add words to your dictionary on one device, and have that word in the dictionary across all devices. In my experience, however, Swiftkey isn't quite as snappy in opening, closing, and general typing, as Google's offering. Swiftkey isn't free however. You can download a free trial for a month, but then you have to buy the full app for €3.99.

For phones, my keyboard of choice is most definitely Google Keyboard.

But, what about tablets? Here is where Swiftkey comes into its own. Google Keyboard takes up about half the screen real estate in landscape, and probably about a third in landscape. It still types perfectly well, but it's always seemed to me to be a terrible waste of screen. Obviously, the devs over at Swiftkey had the same thought. Layouts for Living allows you to change the keyboard to a two-handed split layout, or shift all the keys to the left or right. My personal favourite is the ability to completely undock the keyboard from the bottom of the screen, and move the keyboard around the screen to where you want it. While this does mean that text boxes don't move up to be above the keyboard, it also means that the keyboard only takes up a fraction of the space on-screen, allowing you to see much more of the app or webpage you're in.

Thanks to Layouts for Living, Swiftkey is much better than Google Keyboard for tablets, especially in landscape. It may be a bit steep, but if you type a lot on your tablet, it's well worth it.

Google Keyboard: Recommended for phones and smaller tablets
Pros:
  • Free
  • Stable
  • Smooth
  • Gesture typing
Cons:
  • Not so much customisability
Swiftkey Pro: Recommended for larger tablets (i.e. 10" tablets)
Pros:
  • Loads of customisability
  • Layouts for Living
  • Innovative developers
  • Cloud sync
  • Lots of languages
Cons:
  • Not free
  • Some small performance issues

Links:


Saturday 30 November 2013

No post this week

Hi guys. Sorry but there'll be no blog post this weekend because I'm studying for exams...

Rest assured that normal service will be resumed next week.



Sunday 24 November 2013

Quick Review: Tapatalk 4

Chances are, at one point or another, you've had to read through a forum to try and get an answer or opinion on some question you want answered. If you post regularly in forums, especially on mobile devices, then you'll know that, very often, the experience of posting via the browser is pretty poor.

Enter Tapatalk, a forum reader for both Android and iOS. This nifty little app is fully optimised for phones and tablets (at least on Android), meaning that there's no shifting the page about to try and see what you're typing or reading.

Tapatalk for Android is currently at version 4, and sports a modern Cards UI look. I'm going to focus on the Android app for this, seeing as I don't use the iOS version at all.

I mostly use Tapatalk for the XDA-Developers forum, but I've got it up and running very easily with Android Central,  and a few other forums handy enough. One interesting thing to note, for Irish users, is that Boards.ie does not work with Tapatalk. You have to use the mobile site.

In practical use, the app is fast and responsive, with full support for attachments such as pictures. Very importantly, it supports the Thanks system found in many forums.

One small complaint I would have, is that it does not support signatures. If a user has an important link in his/her signature, you can't see it, leading to a bit of frustration. I don't expect to see signature support implemented in the future though, it goes against the look of the app, and besides, you can always use a computer if you're stuck.

There are nowhere near enough apps like this one in the Play Store. It has a modern UI, works well, and integrates with social media very well.

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.quoord.tapatalkpro.activity

App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tapatalk-community-reader/id307880732

Wednesday 13 November 2013

Quick Review: Google Nexus 5

Right, every year or two years, I tend to upgrade my phone. For financial reasons, I've tended to buy off eBay, where I could save quite a lot, by buying not-so-hot phones.

For my last purchase however, the Nexus 7 (2013), I decided to buck the trend and buy new. Of course, Google's amazing pricing helped. So, that's what I've done for my latest buy too, namely, the Nexus 5.

First off, this is one serious bit of kit. It runs the latest version of Android (4.4 Kit-Kat) and has class-leading hardware too. Rather than post rather geeky specs here, I'll just link them at the bottom. But, I will say that it has a top-class screen and processor, and has a great feel, both in software and hardware.

I went for a black device, which, reportedly, has a softer feel than the white version. It feels great in the hand. It's also very easy to use one-handed (very important for me!) with only a little jiggling needed to reach the furthest corner from your thumb. That's also helped by the very narrow bezels around the screen. That's been my experience anyway. It's also very light, so your hand won't get tired by it.

The screen, oh the screen. It is fantastic! It has a full HD resolution (1080p), in a 4.95" screen. Colours aren't overblown like on Samsung screens, although they could be a little more vivid. Text is pin-sharp, and it's a joy to read on.

Now, the software, the pride and joy of the Nexus range. It runs pure Google Android, like the Nexus 7, and is absolutely lightning-fast! It opens, installs and uninstalls apps way faster than the phone I had before it, the Galaxy Nexus. Every app feels liquid-smooth, and I've seen webpages load literally instantly.

One of the features I'm really looking forward to seeing implemented is what Google call "immersive mode". The Navigation buttons and status bar are hidden away, and you can use the full screen for the app content. So far, this has only been implemented in the YouTube and Google Play Books apps (that I know of) but hopefully it'll come to loads more apps soon.

People have had two big complaints about the Nexus 5; the camera, and battery life. I hardly ever take pictures, so the (supposedly) lackluster camera won't bother me. Even so, I took the liberty of shooting the same shot with both the Nexus 5 and my old Galaxy Nexus, just to compare. The difference is startling. I doubt I'll ever find the camera really lacking. As for battery life, I brought the phone to school, and tested out how it would do at being in a locker, not touched for 7 hours, and left in Airplane Mode. Under the exact same conditions, my Galaxy Nexus dropped an average of 3-4%. The Nexus 5 dropped just 1%. That's pretty impressive, even if it is doing nothing. In general use I've noticed a huge increase in battery life. I can actually use the phone for an hour or two now without needing to look for a charger.

Unfortunately, you can't actually buy this device directly here in Ireland. You can either do as I did, and get someone in the UK to buy it for you, and ship it over, or use a Parcel Motel, although that requires a UK credit card. It still works out fairly cheaply, compared to similar flagship phones available here in Ireland, such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 or HTC One.

Links:
Specs: http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_nexus_5-5705.php
Camera comparisons: https://plus.google.com/101927269278367311255/posts/JApsXoNSH2t



Friday 8 November 2013

Quick App Review: Easy Voice Recorder + Waves

If you're a musician, especially if you go out gigging or playing in sessions fairly often, then you'll want a few apps on your phone, for all occasions.

First is a good reliable recording app. I use Easy Voice Recorder Pro. It does exactly what it says on the tin, it's an easy-to-use recorder. There's literally no setup, and you can get straight to recording. Even better, it has an attractive user interface, that isn't too cluttered, but has everything you need.

It has a few options for tweaking the quality of the recording, but for the average user the default settings are as good as any.

There is a free version, which has fewer settings than the Pro version, and it may have ads.

Easy Voice Recorder: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.digipom.easyvoicerecorder.pro&hl=en-GB

You'll also, if you play an instrument which you tune manually, want a tuner app. My go-to tuner is Waves. Like Easy Voice Recorder, it has an attractive Holo-style interface, although you can change the accent colour to either blue, orange or black and white.

The main pull for me is that it's very easy to use, it's literally plug-and-play. That's what you want in a session or at a gig, something that (to quote a certain company) "just works".

It's also a paid app, although you get a  7 day trial period before having to commit to a purchase. It's well worth it, if you need a reliable tuner, this is a good option.

Waves: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.cohortor.gstringsng&hl=en-GB

Sunday 3 November 2013

Quick App Review: DynamicNotifications

There are loads of cool apps out there that try to make your life a little easier. Typically, a manufacturer's fiddling with Android tends to do more harm than good, overall. However, some manufacturers do give us useful features we will actually use in real life. One of the most prominent examples is Motorola with the Moto X. Unfortunately, like many of Motorola's recent high-end phones, this one's a US-exclusive model.

You can, however, get at least some of the useful features from it on your phone today, so long as it's running Android 4.0 or above.

DynamicNotifications replicates the Active Notifications feature found on the Moto X. Essentially, when you get a notification, a text/Facebook message/Google+ notification, the screen will only partially come on, saving battery life (if your phone has an LED screen, Samsung, for example), and allowing you to either open or dismiss the notification without having to fully turn on the screen.

Really, the best way to see if you like it or not is to try it out.

Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.greatbytes.activenotifications&hl=en

Tuesday 22 October 2013

A few Honest Opinions

Right, this is a bit different from most of my usual blogging material. Someone in my year in school asked me to give an honest opinion about everyone in the year. So, that's what I'm going to do, although I'll name no one.

One thing I can honestly say about everyone in the year, is that they're always up for the craic, and they're all sound. So, always add that to whatever I say below.

There's this really loud one, who seems to really enjoy being the life and soul of any group.

Another one is always happy, with, as far as I can see, a really active social life.

There's one who's amazing at art, and a nice person to boot.

This one is a really hard worker, who's always good fun to be around.

One is probably one of the most genuine and generous people you'll ever meet, who also works really hard.

Naturally there's one who is slightly odd, but, I find, in a good way.

Another one is really practical, and he's also, to use the colloquial, "dead-on".

There's one who's really old-at-heart.

If you want something done, there's someone for that too. He's also really practical.

There's a quiet one, who's gotten a lot more outgoing over the past few years.

This one isn't always around, but when he is, certain classes are usually entertaining.

This one's always on about a specific subject, but he'd do anything for you.

There's one who is really good-natured. She's a real heart person.

This guy is hard-working, and he gets on great with the girls.

So, they're the personalities of my year. Really, I can't really think of many negatives about my year. There are so many different personalities that it just sort of works.

Saturday 19 October 2013

Quick App Review: Google Play Music (All Access)

There are plenty of good music players for Android. PowerAmp and MX Player spring to mind straight away. But how about Google's own offering? Is that good enough for the job?

Google's Play Music is available for all Android devices running Android 2.2+. An iOS version is, reportedly, coming sometime this month (probably around the 28th-29th).

The app plays music files stored on your phone, songs you've uploaded to Google Play, and, if you're subscribed to Google Play All Access, tracks stored on Google's servers too.

One of the big pulls for this app is the ability to upload up to 20,000 of your own songs to Google Play, and download or stream them to any of your devices. Google provides a Music Manager to install on your computer and will upload your songs bit by bit until they're all up. This can take quite a long time, based on your Internet speeds. It took me the best part of two weeks to upload ~7000 songs, although my internet isn't the fastest around.

All Access is Google's equivalent of Spotify. Unlike Spotify though, there's no free option, apart from your own Library. All Access costs €9.99 per month, and, for that, you get unlimited streaming.

So, how does this service work in practice? I've found it to be really quite stable. It's never Force Closed on me, on any of 3 Android devices, and the Web player is also pretty good.

Google updated the app in the last day or two, with an "I'm Feeling Lucky" option. What this does is analyse your listening history, and gives you a Radio station based on that. My music taste isn't quite typical for someone my age, and, so far, I've heard nothing I don't like.

You should try it out, even the free part of the service is well worth checking out.

Google Play Music: https://play.google.com/about/music/

Saturday 12 October 2013

The High Life

Or, maybe more accurately, the advantages of Cloud Storage.

You've probably heard of Cloud Storage before now. Maybe you didn't have a clue what it was, or why it was important, but you've probably heard of it anyway.

In a nutshell, Cloud Storage is where, rather than you having your files on your laptop, or a memory stick, you have it on an account on the Internet.

Why do this?

Imagine if your computer got damaged, or your memory stick with all your precious work and photos got stolen. You'd have only a very slim chance of recovering your data. Now, what if you put your photos, documents and other important files in the cloud? You wouldn't have any need of a memory stick, because all your files are right there in the Cloud, safe.

Which service should I use?

A quick Google of "cloud storage" will give you any amount of results, between sites offering the service, and news sites discussing it. The best ones to use, which offer the best combination of free storage and sharing functionality, are Google Drive and Dropbox.

Personally I use Drive, because you get more storage for free (15 GigaBytes in Drive vs. 2GB in Dropbox), and it integrates perfectly with Google's other services, such as Google+ and Gmail. It's also far more difficult to overload Google's servers, especially compared to Dropbox.

Another viable alternative is Microsoft's Skydrive. You get 7GB free, although you can pay an annual fee for more. Personally, however, Drive has been the best of these, simply because it's never failed me.

It's up to you, which one you decide to use, but, it's probably for the best if you move your important stuff to the Cloud sooner rather than later.

Links:

Google Drive: drive.google.com
Dropbox: dropbox.com
Microsoft Skydrive: skydrive.live.com

Tuesday 8 October 2013

Quick App Review: Sliding Messaging Pro

There are any number of texting apps for Android, even without going into the alternative messaging services such as Viber, WhatsApp, Snapchat, etc. There are so many, that it's difficult to know where to start.

I've found the Sliding Messaging Pro app to be pretty damn close to ideal, for what I want in a texting app.

The User Interface (UI) is smooth, and there's a huge amount of customisation. Don't let the customisation freak you out though, it's great even with the default settings.

The developers are really helpful, and respond very quickly to any complaints or comments you may have. They're a great example of good devs.

There's one tiny issue with this app though. It's not free. On the other hand, you get a free 15 minute trial when you buy it, and if you don't like it, you can get your refund.

Well, that's my opinion on it. Feel free to comment.

Here's the link for the app, in case you're curious:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.klinker.android.messaging_donate&hl=en

Sunday 29 September 2013

Quick Review: Nexus 7 (2013)

I got this device shortly after it first came out, around mid-August. Having had over a month to get used to it, here are my opinions on it.

I, personally, love this thing. It's really light, the battery life's amazing, and the screen and performance are mind-blowing.

I mostly use it for reading, and the screen size and aspect ratio are perfectly suited for it. I also have a few games on it, although I don't play them too often. I've generally found the device gets a little hot while playing more graphics-intensive games like Real Racing 3. On the other hand, you can turn all the graphics settings up to 11, and it'll still play smooth as silk.

I'm not going to use benchmarks for these kinds of reviews, I've always found that they have very little in common with real-world performance. I've yet to find any situation where the tablet gets bogged down in processes, although I have had a few "deadlocks". These are where the tablet completely stops responding for a few seconds. This, unfortunately, is an issue with the Android firmware on the device, and we'll have to wait for Google to get around to fixing it.

Speaking of the firmware, the Nexus 7 comes with the latest version of Android (4.3), pushed directly by Google. This device being a Nexus means that you're guaranteed to be on the latest firmware within a month of it being released. While this does mean that you lose out on a lot of the gimmicks and features pushed by other manufacturers, the overall experience on the device is way smoother and faster because of the lightweight firmware. Additionally, because this device is a Nexus, there's a huge amount of aftermarket firmware you can download onto it, giving you loads of features, if you want them. Thanks to this, your device will be supported for a very long time, even after Google drops support.

My only issue, and it's a really small one, is that the bezel on the sides of the device when you hold it in portrait are very small. There's nowhere to put your thumb if you hold it by the side in one hand. You get used to it though.

Right, that's my (not so) quick review of the Nexus 7 (2013). I completely recommend it to anyone in the market for a small tablet.

Final score: 4.5/5

Tuesday 24 September 2013

A Quiet Man's Take on Things

The quiet man is the one you won't see. He's the guy who gets more of the work done in a group. He's also typically the guy who can't see the point of all the talking people do, all the time.

But the quiet man sees more than you'd give him credit for, and knows more than he should, maybe.

Many of the most successful businessmen and leaders, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, J. Robert Oppenheimer, were all quiet men. That's because they weren't so preoccupied with their own egos that they couldn't see that other people were better suited to jobs or tasks. Plus, quiet men will listen to every side of a story or plan, and then decide what to do.

Quiet men work alone maybe a bit more than they should. That's probably because the people around them will either rely too much on them, or not pay them the slightest heed. In those situations, you're better off working on your own.


Wednesday 18 September 2013

Regarding New Posts

Apologies for the lack of posts. Due to school taking up virtually all my time, I'll be limiting all further posts to weekends, so as to allow me to focus entirely on school.

Stay tuned, an expect an new post sometime over the weekend



Sunday 15 September 2013

Robots and Fruit

Right, I suppose I'll live up to the name I've given this thing and talk about tech.

In the last week or so, Apple released their new iPhones, the 5C and the 5S.

What I don't like about Apple is that they release these new versions of products, which are only iterative releases, but make them sound super brilliant compared to the last one. Both the new iPhones run iOS 7, which, as far as I can tell, is a childish version of iOS, and, in some ways and places, a blatant copy of Android. There have been enough comparisons done on that last point, so I won't do another one. This is a good example of why Apple bothers me, claiming they are innovating, when they are just repackaging Android.

I'm perfectly happy to admit that I might be missing the point with the iPhone. I want a phone (or tablet) that I have the freedom to do whatever the hell I like to, as regards customisation. Part of the beauty of Android is that whole thing of, if you don't like something, change it. You want to use more of your screen space, or want a whole new look for your phone, install a new Launcher. Want to change icons? Download an icon pack. Want a new update months before your carrier or manufacturer wants you to get it? Install a custom ROM. Android is all about choice, and that's why I've bought into that ecosystem.

Don't forget finance either. Unlocked, the iPhone 5S will cost at least €700 here in Ireland, once it launches. You can buy an unlocked 16GB Nexus 4, and a new 32GB Nexus 7, from the UK, Google Play Store and get it posted to your door, for £460. That's, at today's rates, about €550. And you've gotten two devices for less than one comparable iPhone.

Then again, Samsung do the same thing. They hype their products up so much, but then forget to tell you that all the software makes your phone slower and full of junk you'll only ever use once. Some of their features are good, Multi-Window springs to mind, where you can have two windows side by side. On the other hand, a custom ROM called Paranoid Android made a feature called HALO, which is more versatile, and allows you to do something similar. And they open-sourced it, unlike Samsung, so anyone can use it, free of charge.

What do you guys think? Which side do you vote for? Feel free to comment :-)

Saturday 14 September 2013

Life On Mars (or in the sticks)

As I mentioned in my previous post, I live in the West of Ireland. More specifically, I live in Connemara, in a place called Carna. It's really just a place on a map, there aren't really many landmarks or unifying features to turn it into anything more than that. Still, it's home.

I grew up with my parents in an Irish speaking household. Similarly, both the primary and secondary schools I attend(ed) are all-Irish schools. Well, they are in theory, but in my secondary school, the principal is always complaining that we don't speak enough Irish amongst ourselves. He has a very good point. Teenagers around here all speak English far more than Irish. In a school of over a hundred students, a lot less than that will reply in Irish, if you speak to them in Irish.

If I'm honest though, I can't complain about the education I've received here. True, there was a lack of subjects when I was choosing my final 7 Leaving Cert subjects, but overall, anything I've wanted to do has been accommodated. I'm the only one in my year studying Honours Maths, but I've never been pressured to drop to Ordinary just because I was the only one, either by students or teachers.

The people are nice too. No one has ever given me grief about my hand, or, really, about anything. Back here it's a really close-knit community, you know that everyone really will work together if something really important comes up. But you do have that old thing of everyone knowing everyone else. There are no secrets here, anything that happens is known by the whole village within hours. There's a great Irish expression, "dúirt bean liom gur dhúirt bean léi", which means, literally, "a woman told me that a woman told her". That's really how it is back here.

Naturally, there is, of course, good WiFi. The coverage is good too, provided you're willing to put up with 2G, and the occasional Vodafone fail.

 Right, that's life back here covered. Till the next post :-)

Introduction

Right, I've decided to try and keep a blog. Bear with me for a while, I'm not used to these things really!

I'm a Leaving Certificate student in the West of Ireland. When I say West, I mean West, it's pretty much "Next stop America" from my front door!

I've called this blog "Single-Handed Techie" because that's more or less what I am. I have an upper limb deficiency, which, in plain English, means a short weird looking right hand. I'm OK with saying it like that, because I've had all my life to get used to it, but I'd never describe anyone else that way.

Right, if I'm a techie, I might as well give you guys a rough idea of what I've got, tech-wise. I've got a Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7 (2013), and an Asus Transformer Pad. Yep, I'm a proper Android fan! That said, I've got an iPod (4th Gen) and a 6-year-old Dell Inspiron laptop. Yeah, I should probably think about upgrading that one!

Well, that's as good an introduction as I can think of, I might post again later today. Feel free to comment, if you want.

Till the next time :-)