Fashion Archives - Page 4 of 6 - TBNI.Blog

Casio G-Shock Bluetooth GBA400-1AER UnBoxing

June 10, 2015 by TomBoyNI

With Smart Watches taking over the world, is there a place for a non smart watch?

Absolutely! Of course there is, many people have no interest in a Smart Watch, many people would rather speed £500 on a wrist watch over a smart watch. Others need the functions of a standard watch more than a Smart Watch. Me, for example I wear G-Shocks, for their rugged strength, and I like how they look. I can wear it to work and not even slightly worry about it, same goes for being out on the bike, no weather will phase it, nor me, and if pulling a long a long weekend, or a full day I don’t need to worry about my watch’s battery. I don’t need to worry about damaging it, because let’s be honest if the watch breaks, there’s a good chance my arm is broken with it!

However when browsing I noticed the G-Shock ‘Smart’ Watch at a bargain price of £90 GBP, when the RRP is £180, that was easily enough to tempt me, so it was ordered and arrived the next day.

Basically it is a G-Shock with everything you expect in the rugged strength and chunky looks, with the added bonus of Bluetooth 4.0. There is an app for iOS (and Android) which pairs to the watch, which when you activate and from there the app can control the time settings and the music on your smart device, whether that be song selection or volume.

So its smart settings are basic, time setting and music control. that’s all there will ever be, but that’s fine, not too many people will need or want more from a G-Shock, but it is a nice feature set, it adds to the G-Shock experience, and at a reasonable price it is a bargain.

The battery is touted as lasting for 2 years when using the Bluetooth Features for 2 hours a day, obviously the more or less you use the more or less the battery will be affected. Also it doesn’t remain parked indefinitely. In an attempt to preserve battery the BT connection will disconnect after 2 hours of non use. Some people like this, others hate it, for me I am reasonably indifferent, pairing the watch and a phone back up is very easy and quick, so it doesn’t bother me at all.

All I would say in summary is that this is a G-Shock with a Smart features, it isn’t a smart watch. Don’t expect text, email notifications, for some reason Casio have dropped this feature which they do have on other watches, this is a watch to control your music, if that is something you would benefit from then this is definitely the G-Shock for you. If not the RRP of £180 opens up a massive range of other G-Shock watches for you so have a good browse around. Oh and at £90 this is an absolute bargain!

G-Shock GBA400-1AER Bluetooth 4.0 UnBoxing Gallery :

21/05/2015 Riut Bag – Safer Urban Travel

June 2, 2015 by TomBoyNI

So I was lucky enough to see the Riut Bag at the Gadget Show Live 2015, and I was very impressed. A simple but brilliant concept, a bag made for travellers that makes the stuff inside safer. How? By having no zips on the outside, so unlucky pick pockets, opportunistic thieves and other general scum, this bag makes your pathetic little lives that little bit harder.

I think what makes this even cooler is the fact that it is a successful Kickstarter Campaign, an invention by someone with an idea, who pitched it to the world and the world said yes!

So there we have it a great concept, now how does the inventor make us want one, well she makes it desirable by making it good looking and even more desirable by making it practicable.

And this is the feature list the inventor has packed into one back pack that makes it practicable…

RiutBag specifications

– No outer zips, they are all against your back
– 20 litre capacity, weight 1.06kg
– Holds up to 15 inch laptop: 16.14 inch or 41 cm diagonal measurement across outer laptop case
– Invisible strap lengths
– Waterproof material: base and outer shell
– Sturdy handle and hook for hanging
– Hidden ticket pocket in each strap
– Foam lined throughout for comfort and protection
– Water bottle holders: up to 750ml capacity
– Adjustable chest strap
– One model available
– One colour available

Apple iPod Classic (7th Generation) 160 GB Unboxing

April 29, 2015 by TomBoyNI

As I am sure you are no doubt well aware Apple discontinued their iPod Classic Range towards the end of 2014 siting lack of component parts as the main reason. Since that announcement the price of any remaining iPod Classics shot through the roof so much so that a poor condition example would have easily fetched more than the cost of a brand new item when they were readily available. Mint in box / Sealed examples often fetched more than £1000 as Apple fans and annoying overly rich hipsters grasped out to shady resellers and greedy ba£$%!ds on the likes of gumtree who hoovered up all remaining stock and put these ridiculous price tags on the items!

This trend has now taken a turn for the better and Apple have begun to regularly issue Refurbished Items on their official Store priced at a bargain £162 GBP. The eBay traders are now having to wise up with their prices, but forget them, get yourself over to Apple and pick one up where you will benefit from 1 years Apple Warranty and the option of upgrading the warranty with AppleCare, which co-incidently I picked up on eBay for a mere £15 GBP.

The Refurb items will sell out quickly so have a look on your choosen AppStore for an app called ‘RefurbMe’ with this you can set up alerts to push to your phone the second new items come on the Refurb Store. In the UK this is normally around 2300 – 0100 hrs so expect a late night / early morning bing and be prepared to get ordering straight away.

I am not going to even bother with the likes of a review for the iPod, it is an icon and needs no introduction, just know that this beast holds so much music you’ll never listen to it all and it even plays videos. Oh and this is the old 30 PIN connector so hopefully you haven’t chucked out all of you old tech just because the lightning adapter appeared!

This article was written on 29/04/2015 and at this point Apple were regularly releasing Refurb’d iPod Classics on the UK Certified Refurbished Store. I placed my order on 02/04/2015 and they have come back into stock approximately 4 times since then. Obviously this could cease at any point without warning and let’s be honest it will stop sooner rather than later as I doubt many are returned and refurbished on the grand scale of things, so if you are interested in one get an alert set up and be ready to Click on Buy asap!

iPod Classic (7th Generation) 160GB Certified Refurbished Unboxing Gallery :

Pebble Watch Unboxing

April 29, 2015 by TomBoyNI

With my annual trip over to the Gadget Show Live, this year I picked myself up a Pebble Watch. With the imminent release of the Apple Watch at the time I was curious if a Smart Watch had a place in my life, but the price tag of £299 GBP was more than I was prepared to spend on a effectively what would be a trail.

As is plainly evident from this blog my watch of choice is a G-Shock, so moving to a delicate Smart Watch is a big move.

The deal on the Pebble Watch was great with a show special of £80 so I jumped on the Smart Watch ship.

Pebble Watch Unboxing Gallery :

G Shock GD-120-CM-4ER Unboxing

March 31, 2015 by TomBoyNI

The latest G-Shock to my collection, and a lovely birthday present, is the Red Camo GD-120-CM-4ER. With its large face (one of the XL sizes) and reverse display it has instantly become one of my favourite Gs. Also without doubt it gets the most positive reaction of any of my watches, so far with universal approval from everyone who has spotted it. Having worn it daily for almost a month I have no complaints, the strap has kept its design flawlessly, my only rather minor gripe is that the retaining band, like most gets stained, what starts out as a nice bright red quickly becomes dull and almost dirty looking. Thankfully it is a minor issue, and one that would rarely ever be seen. The important aspect being the strap so far is holding out flawlessly. One final thing, this is not a discreet watch, however Im pretty sure you already know that!

By way of information, in relation to replacements and repairs, a new strap and bezel will be costly, coming in at around £55 for both delivered from Casio.

Wear it, enjoy it!

G-Shock GLS-8900 2-ER Unboxing

November 25, 2014 by TomBoyNI

With winter quickly approaching and the temperatures rapidly dropping what a better time to get a new G-Shock, and a winter G-Shock at that!

The G-Shock GLS-8900 Low Temp Editions were brought out just in time for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, (the funky colour range at least was refreshed.) These are branded as Low Temp and claim to function to -20 degrees celsius. Hopefully we don’t experience that this winter but if we do at least the watch should keep on ticking.

A full colour range to suit every pallet was released, with black, blue, pink and a yellow. Myself, not having a blue G-Shock decided on the blue. It was only when I received it I noted that the blue is actually flecked, you can’t see in the photos that there is almost a metallic fleck throughout the strap, and in my opinion it looks really smart.

Finally, this is a big G, not GX-56 big but as you can see from the comparison photos with my GA-1000 and from the photos of the watch on my wrist this is a good sized G!

Some of the Stats and Specifications from the Casio Web Site :

G-Shock GA-1000-FC-1AER : Unboxing

September 16, 2014 by TomBoyNI

My latest G-Shock to the collection is the G-Shock ‘Premium’ GA-1000-FC-1AER from the Aviator Series.

With its titanium strap and bezel, and functions consisting of but not limited to a compass, thermometer and altimeter and couple these features with its tough as hell yet smart as hell look this watch definitely deserves its ‘Premium’ label.

This is a big beast of a watch and in the gallery below you will see a couple of photos directly comparing it in size to that of the GA-100 Series, a series which is known for its bulk, if you don’t like a big watch you’d best look elsewhere. Other than that she is a weighty beast too, but it feels right, strong, and pretty damn tough!

A picture paints a thousand words, or so they say, so here is a 20,000 word review on why this watch is the dogs danglies!

Otterbox Preserver for iPhone 5s UnBoxing and Video Water Testing

April 30, 2014 by TomBoyNI

I am always on the search for the ultimate phone case, and with my work and hobbies of riding a motorcycle I require something tough, something that will stand up to the elements and most importantly something that will keep my phone in absolute pristine condition! Bulk doesn’t bother me and in recent times my favourite case has been the Otterbox Armor. I had it for my iPhone 5, and it took me from the fine shores of Northern Ireland to the finer shores of Florida. It took me through every theme park and thunderstorm Florida could offer and it never missed a beat. Admittedly it was a beast of a case, but I was fine with that. Nothing was beating it.

Since then and getting an iPhone 5s I have been looking for the same thing. I have tried many cases since then, most recently was the Tech 21 Special Ops Combat case. And to be fair to it, it is a crackin’ case! It felt strong, I trusted it, the only thing it lacked was water resistance and it blocked the fingerprint sensor. And let’s be honest it is the finger print sensor on a iPhone 5s that differentiates it from a 5. You have a 5s and you’ll want to be able to use your finger print sensor or at least show it off on occasion.

So now that Otterbox has bought LifeProof and the designs boffins have started working together the inevitable outcome is the Otterbox Preserver.

Anyone who had a Lifeproof Fre case will instantly recognise the Preserver, the similarities are everywhere from the look to the feel, although the preserver feels stiffer, more rigid and just a little bit tougher. These are all good things, that result in a sleek package. If you are used to the Armor case this one will feel truly insignificant.

Now I am not one to torture test my phone or a case, plenty of others do that. I buy a case to prevent my phone being tortured but it is good to know what you are playing with and the stats that the preserver boasts are as follows :

– Two-piece case with snap assembly for easy installation

– Internal foam cushions device and holds it in place inside the caseIncludes an adjustable lanyard for convenient carrying and tethering

– Waterproof: fully submergible up to 6.6 ft. (2 m) for 30 minutes (IP-X8)

– Drop proof: protects device from drops up to 6.6 ft. (2 m)

– Dust proof: blocks entry of dust and debris particles (IP-6X)

Monster N-Tune Headphones UnBoxing…

March 31, 2014 by TomBoyNI

I got a set of these just after Christmas (I know a bit behind on this one) for an absolutely outstanding price of £49GBP! At the same time I was looking at a set of Beats by Dre which a supermarket chain were offering at a great price also, however after a little reading I decided that the fashion accessory that are Beats Solos are not for me (admittedly the higher up the range of Beats headphones are generally accepted as top class products the general conscious is that the Solos are more of an accessory than a headphone. I don’t want to get into a debate ion Solos, as I haven’t owned a pair, I have no doubt that they offer up a great sound, I just feel that following a little research there is potentially better sets at less money.

Anyway I see these Monster N-Tunes (Monster also make Beats by Dre) and thought they were at a price you couldn’t turn down! So I didn’t!

I have been using them now for a few months and I am massively impressed. The sound is crisp at all levels, the bass is deep, the mids are defined and the highs are oh so high! They are over ear earphones, but not cups, so they rest on your ear, rather than your ear tucked away in side them. And that is my only negative, I have a pretty big head (enough said) and the ears, they are a decent size too, and when it comes to headphones I like my ear inside the cup. I have a set of Sennheiser HD202 and my ear tucks away nicely in them. If these headphones did that I’d be 100% sold.

As it goes I’m 90% sold, the audio quality is so good I am forced to over look the mild discomfort. I get too that some people prefer this style than a full ear cup, so I suppose it is horses for courses!

For the fashion conscious they aren’t Beats by Dre however they are still a premium headphone, and you will stand out more from the crowd with a set of these as opposed to being just another one in that crowd with a set of Beats!

There are plenty of reviews out there from audiophiles, of which I am not, however as a general consumer these ‘cans’ are great. The sound is excellent, that comes from my experience of about 10 years DJing dance music (including a wee patch in Ibiza) so, I, at the minimum can at least say when something works well for the end consumer!

These work well, sound great, look good in shiny white, and let’s be honest everything looks good in shiny white!

UnBoxing Gallery of Monster N-Tune Headphones :

Casio G-Shock GA1009AER UnBoxing

February 11, 2014 by TomBoyNI

G-Shocks are without doubt one of the hardest, toughest and in my opinion coolest watches in the world. Couple this with the oversized G-Shock range and the GA-100 series, in my book you are onto a winner every time!

This Christmas I was lucky enough to get another GA-100, bringing my total to 3 (Black, White and now Yellow!). This time I opened the box to see the bright, and oh so shiny GA-100-9AER staring at me, that product code referring to the yellow model.

This watch is big, vivid and in your face! If you can’t handle that then this is not the watch nor the range for you. However for me the fact that this watch is big, vivid and in your face is all part of what makes it so very very cool!

Here is my unboxing gallery :

Disclosure :