Tag Archives: technology

Show how much you love your partner this Valentines with…. a fridge?!! @smeguk @bentallcentre #valentinesgifts #competition #kingstonuponthames

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Just when you thought Valentines Day gifts couldn’t get any more extravagant! Award winning appliance manufacturers (and cool design kings) Smeg released a very special FAB28 red velvet refrigerator (it looks so good it could almost taste as good as Red Velvet cake, seriously!

Anyway, its not all about a fancy fridge on V-Day, Smeg is also teaming up with Bentalls in Kingston-upon-Thames for a week of non-stop fun. From 7th to 14th February, Smeg will showcase their brand new, very special FAB28 red velvet refrigerator, which will be exclusively revealed to Bentalls’ customers and the UK for the very first time. To celebrate, Smeg has devised an exciting competition where one lucky person can win their own red velvet fridge and send a message of love, or even a marriage proposal, to the special people in their life thanks to a clever and innovative built-in fridge cam.n-09

During the event, customers will be invited to use the fridge cam and pose for a photograph alongside their own personal love heart message which they need to tweet with the hashtag #lovesmegfridge and #velvetvalentine to be in with a chance to win. Also don’t forget to look out for the SMEG500R, a limited edition, Fiat-styled refrigerator, which is also debuting for the very first time.

Smeg’s brand manager John Davies says: “We’re delighted to be supporting the Bentalls store in Kingston upon Thames and are excited to show how Smeg always work hard to push the boundaries with experiential activity that engages with our customers. The latest special addition to the Smeg family, the FAB28 red velvet refrigerator is symbolic of our iconic style and with its curved edges, 50s style lettering and soft, matt texture we’re sure this will be a hit!”

But I haven’t got time for a competition, but I do have time for a new fridge! Tell me more! 

With a capacity of 256 litres featuring an ice compartment with a frozen food capacity of 26 litres, the FAB28 red velvet model comes with Smeg’s automatic defrost technology as well as three adjustable glass shelves, one fruit and vegetable container and a chrome wine rack. This fridge has an A++ energy efficiency rating and a 40dB sound level which is far lower than normal conversation levels at 59dB, making it perfect for open-plan living. Priced from £1,275, the dimensions of the Smeg FAB28 measure 60cmW by 69.2cmD by 151cmH and this model is also available in 12 striking colours.

 

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January is coming to an end…surely you can start shopping again no?! @johnlewisretail #shopping #style #beauty #tech

 

Screen Shot 2014-01-20 at 11.03.26Well done Snoochers, you’ve been restrained, you’ve saved yourself your time and money by not going mental in the sales, you’ve started those new years resolutions and 2014 really is the year that you’re going to carry them on. So seeing that you’ve been so good, maybe you can treat yourself…just a little? 

Oh, ok then, well its a good job our friends at John Lewis have kept us in the loop with a few treats that they have in store for you to lay your hands on!

Go crazy people! 

Logitech Protective Folio Case for iPad Air, available in Yellow, Black, Grey and Red – £39.95
These cases are designed to be thin and light enough to look after your iPad without compromising on its slim design, while also allowing full access to buttons, ports and cameras. A SecureLock system features a lightweight, low-profile with easy release clips to keep the corners of your iPad Air firmly to the frame, making it easy to insert and remove. Powerful magnets in the cover will also keep your case closed when on the go.

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John Lewis Nova DAB/FM Bluetooth Mini Clock Radio, available in Black or White – £49.95

A great looking addition for the bedroom, this compact clock radio offers both FM and DAB stations and an easy to use alarm with snooze function. 20 presets will allow you to save your favourite stations and you can also stream your music directly from your smartphone or tablet.Screen Shot 2014-01-20 at 11.01.46Braun HD770 Satin-Hair 7 Colour Hair Dryer – £54.95

Especially designed to protect delicate and coloured hair, this clever dryer helps to prevent heat damage, giving your hair a vibrant and healthy looking finish for longer. IONTEC technology uses green ion jets to release millions of satin ions effectively onto your hair to attract moisture particles from the air, which results in a radiant shine. The included diffuser is great for curl, wave and scrunch styles as it reduces the airflow to a soft waft for greater control and reduced frizz. A cold shot is also on board for that final finish.Screen Shot 2014-01-20 at 11.02.11
Monster DNA On-Ear Headphones with ControlTalk, Carbon Fibre – £169.95
These headphones come with plush cushions that create an acoustic seal and a foldable design, for easy and safe storage. The unique titanium drivers let you listen to your track as the producer intended, with the clearest clarity and deepest bass, while the built-in microphone allows you to easily switch between your calls and songs.Screen Shot 2014-01-20 at 11.02.21
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 15 Dual-Mode Laptop, Intel Pentium, 4GB RAM, 500GB, 15.6″ Touch Screen, Black & Silver – £449.95
Ideal for entertainment, this versatile device features a dual-mode, thin and light design that flips 300 degrees from a laptop to stand mode, allowing you to enjoy your favourite film or make the most of touchscreen applications on the go. Also great for everyday documents such as word and excel, the keyboard can be switched back into classic laptop mode for quick and easy word processing. The 10-Point Multitouch Display also lets you utilise the Windows 8′ touch interface, while the nine hour battery life and 4GB of RAM will allow you to surf the web as well as creating, saving and sharing documents.

@nowtv can read your mind…well sort of! #technology #television #NowTV #magic

So earlier this month (and as you can see from the fun video above), the fab people at Now TV teamed up with the even more fab magician/oddball John van der Put and his pooch, Mr Piffles, to predict what you’ll love to watch on the NOW TV Box this winter…

With a captive audience at Waterloo station van der Put was put to the test earlier this month and managed to wow commuters with his magical prowess and predictions.

However, Now TV realised that van der Put was proving far too popular, and seeing that they couldn’t mass produce him, the easiest thing would be to add a new element to its already popular device, and they called it…the Mind Reader.

NOW TV Mind Reader, is a new magical predicition tool that helps viewers select the perfect film, sporting event or TV show for them from NOW TV’s expansive offering…keen to find out more?  You can try it for yourself here www.nowtv.com/mindreader and see what NOW TV predicts for you!

Sorry, I’ve forgotten, what’s NOW TV again? 

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The NOW TV Box, which turns your TV into a smart TV and gives instant access to Sky Movies, Sky Sports and the 10 entertainment channels including Sky 1 and Sky Atlantic, is available for £9.99 right here: https://shop.nowtv.com/

If you want to watch the great content NOW TV will predict for you, take advantage of a free NOW TV trial. Head over to www.nowtv.com to get started.

 

BAFTA goes ballistic for bluetooth with @Igbloo! #business #startup #technology #music

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So you bring a gadget to the market, start a kickstarter campaign hoping for the best, and end up with BAFTA inviting you to become an official gift partner for the EE British Academy Film Awards in 2014. Not bad eh?

Proving that you’ve got to be in it to win it, Stage One Technology have managed to do just that with its new bluetooth music receiver which will bring music to the ears of Hollywood’s finest come next years awards season.Screen Shot 2013-11-05 at 11.42.19

From what we’ve seen so far, its not hard to see why BAFTA and others have jumped at the chance to partner up with this technology. With the brand new Igbloo there is no more need to ‘dock’ your music devices, as it plays your favourite tunes all through blue tooth. So no more “tinny tunes” just connect  your phone, ipod, laptop or pc to your existing hi-fi system with NO WIRES and NO EFFORT! Ba-da-bing!

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Want to find out more? 

For more information on this creative and entrepreneurial project visit www.igbloo.com or check out their Kickstarter page.

Come on music lovers become part of the next generation!

Gaming just got better and now you can share your best work via @HauppaugeHQ #gaming #technology #gameplay

Screen Shot 2013-09-29 at 17.55.13Gamers! Have you ever wanted to film video recordings of your best game play in HD with full 5.1 Dolby Digital sound, upload them to You Tube and share with your friends? Thought so! Well thanks to Hauppauge Digital, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAUP) a leading developer and manufacturer of digital TV and data broadcast receiver products you can!! Its just released the HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition Plus – packed with new features including:

  • “one touch “ Game play capture and Audio Commentary recording
  • Optical audio for 5 channel sound quality
  • Built in hardware streaming
  • Personal logo inserter
  • Simple editing
  • One click YouTube upload option
  • Twitch or Ustream channel streams via Hauppauge SteamEez application
  • Record your Xbox®360 or PS3® or WiiU® gameplay in 1080p HD
  • Mac Compatibility

This is the latest launch in Hauppauge’s popular range of high definition console and PC gaming personal video recorders so we’re sure you’ll all be super excited now that this is available!  Screen Shot 2013-09-29 at 17.53.49

The new solution, which uses  state of the art H.264 video encoders more commonly  found in broadcasting technology, records HD video and audio from a PC or Sony® PlayStation®3 or Microsoft® Xbox® 360 onto a Windows laptop or desktop PC or MAC using an HDMI input.

With this device, you will benefit from improved audio reproduction thanks to the addition of an optical audio 5.1 channel input, which enables videos to be recorded in full 5.1 Dolby Digital sound.  For further audio enhancement, you and your fellow gamers can also connect to game consoles with optical S/PDIF connections and play back the recorded footage in a 5.1 surround sound speaker system which will deliver an authentic  home theatre experience.

Is that all? Thought not…

Exclusively available to owners of the HD PVR 2 GE Plus is a free download of the full version of HDPVRCapture Mac.   The application allows users to record game play on their Mac OSX 10.7/10.8 on an Intel-based 32 or 64-bit processor and then edit with iMovie.

Downloads are available from: http://www.hdpvrcapture.com/wordpress/?page_id=3451

Tell me a little more about this product 

Designed by gamers for gamers, HD PVR 2 GE Plus allows users to create their own events to be viewed by up to 1000 followers on Twitch or Ustream channels.  Built-in hardware streaming means typical applications could include live streaming over the Internet, the creation of high definition movies showing game play to share with friends or creating a discussion forum to talk tactics in real-time.

Gamers will also find that editing capabilities have been streamlined and instant uploads to YouTube can be carried out with just one click.  A personal logo inserter also allows users to “burn” a personalised logo directly into their recordings with full surround sound audio. Recordings can be viewed on computer screens using the included ArcSoft ShowBiz application and a real-time video pass through allows for HD TV viewing while recording games on a disk drive.

So what are you waiting for?! If you love gaming and want to share your talent online, then this is the ultimate piece of kit you’ll need!

Got Kids? Have you heard of Justin’s World? It might be the entertainment you need! #children #jigsongs #apps

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If you thought it was ridiculous that kids were getting gadget savvy then its about to get a whole lot worse…or is it? Britain’s best-loved children’s entertainer Justin Fletcher – also known as Mr Tumble – has launched Justin’s World this summer, a new range of apps for pre-school children.

And its most recent addition is ‘Jigsongs’ aimed at children aged 2-6yrs, out now for just 69p?

We all know how much children love doing puzzles. We also know how much they love singing their favourite songs. And of course Justin Fletcher is pretty popular with little ones as well. So why not put all three together. Well, that’s exactly what he’s done and its come in the form of Jigsongs!

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Kids (and adults) can choose from: Old Macdonald, Twinkle Twinkle, One Two Three Four Five, or Justin’s all time personal favourite, The Grand Old Duke of York.

So, if you’ve got a couple of little ones, its time to give yourself some ‘me’ time, and let them take advantage of this fab new fun for kids.

If you’re already familiar with Justin Fletcher’s work, you can expect all the fun, excitement and entertainment brought to the screen, but with an entirely new interactive, learning through play experience. Justin’s World puts the child in control of activities, allowing them to consume the content in a way and at a speed that suits them.Screen Shot 2013-09-18 at 21.40.38

Sounds perfect…where can I get it? 

The first two of four of Justin’s World’s apps are already available at the Apple App store for iOS (iPhone and iPad) and were released from May 2013 onwards with android versions of the apps expected to follow shortly.

The apps are being developed in partnership with the creator of Mr Tumble and series producer of ‘Something Special’, Allan Johnston.

How does it all work? 

Well, Justin’s World uses storybooks, games and puzzles that build on Justin’s well-known character-based performances and features high quality illustrations, video and music combined with curriculum-based teaching games from the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Primary National Curriculum. So you may be able to give your kiddies a head start in world domination by speeding up their education…voluntarily! Screen Shot 2013-09-18 at 21.41.09

Tell us more…

Ok, the first releases in the series of Justin’s World apps include interactive adaptations of popular children’s play activities such as books, puzzles, songs and games:

  • Justin’s World – Goldilocks – an interactive adaptation of the popular children’s story. Justin guides and helps you through a series of number and language based activities in line with the EYFS. All characters played by Justin Fletcher
  • Justin’s World – Letter Sounds – pick the letter that matches the sound then drag and drop to complete the word! Developed in line with the Primary National Strategy, this phonics  activity features Justin teaching the sound and letting the child join in.
  • Justin’s World – Jigsongs – puzzles but with a special sing along musical twist! Drag the pieces in place to finish the puzzle and watch videos of Justin come to life singing some of his favourite songs. The first release includes Old Macdonald, Twinkle Twinkle, 1,2,3,4,5 and The Grand Old Duke of York.
  • Justin’s World Animal Sounds – A totally free app to say thank you to all or Justin’s World followers. Join in with Justin’s hilarious impersonations of well known animals

So there you go, embrace the tech, follow the UK’s best loved childrens entertainer, and realise that this really is the future of fun (for the little ones anyway!) Enjoy!!

Start your week by giving – with these awesome pressies! @rolleigermany @velodyneaudio @papertango #tech #gift

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Ok folks, so if you need to start your week buying some cool gifts for someone in your life, we’ve found some super fun technology that anyone with an interest in gadgets would be itching to get their hands on. 
Rollei Action Camera
First up, is a new Action Camera from German camera manufacturer Rollei. These guys have been making cameras since the 1920s, and not only do they have prestige in this area, they are in no way dated, with this little number:
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Camera details: S50 WIFI Actioncam: 14 Megapixel WiFi Action-Camcorder with Full HD Video Resolution 1080p (1920x1080p/30 fps)
The camera allows live video streaming and immediate upload to social networks: Adventure lovers can use the Rollei Actioncam 5S WiFi via their smartphone with an app. They can view and share videos in real-time – enabled by integrated WiFi (up to 20 m range) and corresponding app (for iOS and Android). Full HD Resolution (1080p) guarantees breath-taking results in optimal quality. You can increase the frame rate up to 60 fps (1080i) to capture crystal clear slow-motion images. Photos can be taken while video recording. The video time lapse function gives you a whole new outlook for video recordings and boasts intervals!
There’s so much packed in to these little numbers you’ll wonder why you ever bothered to consider anything else! So get snap happy!
Next up, for all you music lovers, who hate other noise, Velodyne has just introduced its latest vQuiet line of noise-cancelling headphones. 
vQuiet Headphones
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vQuiet headphones are designed to reduce jet engine and other ambient noise by 90 percent while delivering the highest-quality musical or other audio experience. The headphones are available in matte black with a diamond-blue Velodyne insignia on each ear cup that serves as a bypass/mute button, and are foldable for easy storage. A control module on the vQuiet’s detachable audio cable enables users to seamlessly transition from listening to music or watching video to talking on the phone when connected to devices that have these features.
Oh, and did we mention how cool they look too??!!!
And finally, its not just about the gifts you give, but also the way you give it, so step ahead of the game and give the coolest cards in existence via Paper Tango.
Paper Tango 
Founded by designer Judy Robinson, Paper Tango is a London based company specialising in origami-inspired gifts and 3- dimensional greeting cards.  All of Paper Tango’s cards are intricately laser-cut and hand folded to produce a 3D pop up; creating a unique gift. Paper Tango’s latest range of greeting cards ‘Spots London’, is a range of pop up cards showcasing various London architectural landmarks including Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, The London Eye and more. Screen Shot 2013-09-15 at 20.38.55
The cards, made from the premium British and Italian paper, are laser cut and then hand-folded, glued and trimmed in Indonesia, where Judy personally trained her workers in the craft. Each card is then carefully assessed, before being packed with the envelope and a small map of London showing where the landmark is.
In addition to the ‘Spots London’ range, Judy has started to develop a Paris range with the Eiffel Tower currently available online.
So now you have everything you need to start your week with giving someone  a truly awesome gift! Have fun snoochers!! 

 

Take a bite of the big Apple iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S and the new #juicecube from @johnlewisretail

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Well phone lovers, its probably the most exciting announcement you’ve heard all year, there is not one but TWO new iPhones coming our way. Yesterday in sunny Cupertino, California,  Apple CEO Tim Cook took to the stage to announce the new technology coming from the ever so exciting giant. What he/they managed to do is bring Summer back into our lives with the colourful iPhone 5c and make us feel a little more futuristic with Apples new flagship phone the iPhone 5S.

So lets take a closer look shall we?

Say bye bye to the iPhone 5 as it will no longer be produced. Instead you’ll have a choice of five colours to start with, for this “bridging phone’s” plastic casing, which everyone has been anticipating and predicting!

Don’t be fooled by its looks, the iPhone 5c will end up being almost identical to the iPhone 5 in terms of its internal features, which for the more tech savvy amongst you will mean an A6 processor, 4-inch retina display and an 8 megapixel camera.

In terms of what is different from the iPhone 5, and better, you’ll find with the iPhone 5c, that it has a much larger battery (which means longer talk time!) and it also has a new HD Face time camera.

This new handset will set you back (out of contract)  16GB £469 and 32GB £549.

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Next up, the biggy….

The  iPhone 5s is really what everyone was waiting for with baited breath – with all its new features its hard to describe this in anyway other than a ‘mega-phone’ it really feels like Apple have upped its game once again and given the crowds what they want.

So remember its what’s on the inside that counts. First up you can expect a brand new camera called iSight, which boasts a new lens with an F2.2 aperture, new sensor and bigger pixels. Guess how good your Instagram pics are gonna be now?! And, no more password protecters, with this tech beauty, you’re going to feel like Tom Cruise in Minority Report as you get to grips with its fingerprint sensor! Screen Shot 2013-09-11 at 08.42.15

In terms of speed, its new processors mean that with its A7 chip, the iPhone 5S will be twice as fast as the iPhone 5 and 5C. And here’s another bit of cool knowledge, the iPhone 5S has a 64-bit processor, which makes it 5x faster than the iPhone 5 and 56 x faster than the very first iPhone!! (We’ve come a long way baby…)

The battery will also be longer lasting giving you 2 more hours of talk time and 25 more hours of standby time.

And finally, say bye bye to the old colour iPhones, this new version is available in three colours including silver, gold and space grey.

Get some future tech for these prices (outside of contract) 16GB £549, 32GB £629, 64GB £709.

The Apple iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s will be available to buy in the UK from the 20th September.

But I can’t wait that long and neither can my current iPhone!

Don’t despair, we know the new iPhones look appealing, but for most of us, buying these are still a long way off, and we’re still having to struggle with the lesser lasting battery lives on our current iPhones. So fear not, we’ve found a solution …. introducing, the Juice Cube!Screen Shot 2013-09-11 at 08.43.29

With prices around £24.95, this is an absolute life-saver for those who can’t do without their gadgets on the go; the Juice Cube has been designed to deliver power when needed. Simply charge the compact Cube and attach it to a phone, games console or MP3 player via a USB cable with the appropriate connector. A three-hour charge will deliver up to six hours of power for a 3G mobile phone, 13.2 hours for a 2G mobile phone, 60 hours for an MP3 player and 20 hours for a games console.

If you need to get your hands on one of these ASAP, then we’d recommend contacting www.johnlewis.com

Upgrade to a sleek super sound system with @otoneaudio #tech #gadget #music #audio

 

Screen Shot 2013-09-05 at 08.32.46Need to upgrade your sound system? Then if you’re into the latest gadgets look no further than this bad boy! OTONE Audio is set to invade the speaker dock market with the launch of its very first docking system, SoundShip Micro.

It all sounds seriously space age, this cheeky device is named the SoundShip Micro because of its compact, orbital, space-like design, which also features a unique ‘push and pop’ core that houses all of the devices connectivity ports and also acts as a stand – so its streamlined to perfection with no unsightly wires etc need to be seen.

If you’re also on the move, the SoundShip Micro can be used anywhere thanks to its handy rechargeable lithium ion battery, which provides up to 10 hours of portable playback. The speaker also comes with a handy carry case, giving it license to travel.

I bet you my phone doesn’t work with this…

…well, you’re betting on the wrong card if you think that! One of the things that we love is that connecting to the Soundship (we like that phrase!  – it sounds pretty space age!) couldn’t be easier. The system boasts an array of functionalities, including Micro USB connectivity for Android, Bluetooth and an AUX line in, making it compatible with any device.

Considering it measures just 115x250x45mm in size, the compact portable speaker also provides impressively clean and crisp audio via its two 40mm full-range drivers, packing a punch with a combined audio output of 6 watts.

How much does it cost? 

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At £99.99 its a pretty good investment for the long term. With optimum sound clarity, and original design its pretty much in demand by anyone who likes a high end spec to not only their lifestyles but also their gadgets too.

The SoundShip Micro is the latest in a line of product launches for the brand, following the successful launch of the Sonora AV-Lance soundbar in May.

For a full list of system specifications and features check out its website www.otoneaudio.co.uk.

Forget getting a new TV, its all about having @NowTV #gadget #smarttv

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Are you ready for a revolution? Well it’s upon us and is about to uplift your living room! As if Sky TV wasn’t revolutionary enough, we can all take a step into the future and turn our TV’s into smart TV’s with the help of NOW TV (is that enough TV’s in there for you?!)

Launched only a couple of weeks ago, this beautiful little white box (its smaller than a pub beer mat!) can help you to transform your TV watching with just your wi-fi router! Its super easy to set up (we particularly loved the mini-explanations as to why you were doing certain things in the booklet) and once you’re all logged in, there is already a plethora of channels for you to peruse!

Coming in at an affordable £9.99 if you need yet another excuse to be on Facebook or Spotify, then this is it!  As well as getting on internet specific sites such as Flickr and Vimeo, you can catch up on lots of your favourite shows via 5 Demand and iPlayer. There are also a large number of channels which you might not be too familiar with such as TED  and Crunchyroll (Japanese anime programmes). Our only word of caution on this is that some of them require specific subscriptions such as USTV Now, so you may end up forking out a bit more money than you’d originally intended, but the majority are free to view.

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If you’re also not a Sky customer, what’s really handy is that you can still get Sky Movies and Sky Sports as an instant add on. For this, you would pay on a day by day basis and it isn’t the cheapest option, but these packages are essentially premium if you were a Sky customer or not; so we would recommend that you really pick a specific event that you’re willing to part your hard earned dosh for rather than making these regular occurrence.

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Although the NOW TV box is still in its early stages, we can definitely see the potential for what it can offer. Not everyone can afford Sky TV or its competitors, and with all of our busy lifestyles we certainly like the idea of watching what we want, when we want. Apparently it’s a whopping 2 out of 5 people who stream their ‘must see’ shows on a regular basis, so something like the NOW TV device could be the way of the future. As with every device which is brand spanking new, we’re still waiting for what more can be offered. At first glance the variety is pleasantly surprising, so with this offering growing, we could say good bye to our old TV habits, and quite easily embrace these new ones!

To purchase your Now TV box, visit www.nowtv.com