BT Home SmartPhone

The UK's number one phone brand* brings you a revolutionary new touch screen phone that enables you to surf the web, check emails, update Facebook, and download apps, all on your home phone. No need to fire up your laptop to go online, BT's Home SmartPhone is always on and one tap away from the information you're after. Fed up with the kids taking your mobile to go online or play games? Get the Home SmartPhone for the family to keep everyone happy, and keep your mobile as your own personal device. This BT SmartPhone brings the home phone into the 21st century, making it the phone for the connected home.

Touch Screen

The 3.5" capacitive touch screen allows you to quickly and easily search the web, including the ability to zoom in and out using the pinch of your fingers.

Downloadable Apps

You'll find that the BT Home SmartPhone comes pre-loaded with Facebook and Twitter apps, allowing you to easily keep in touch with friends and family on your social networks as well as over the phone. Keep yourself entertained with Tune-In Radio and YouTube, or choose from games, tools and loads more apps to download through the Opera mobile apps store.

Browsing Online

Want to search online and don't want to wait for your computer to boot up? Use the Home SmartPhone to quickly find what you want, wherever you are in the house. With the flexibility offered by the BT Home SmartPhone, you'll be able to look up recipes online in the kitchen, or check your email in the garden. You can even call direct from selected telephone numbers online just by clicking on the number and selecting "Call".

Save up to 300 numbers, giving you all your contacts at your fingertipsAll the Standard Phone Features You'd Expect

• See at a glance who's calling with caller display
• Never miss a message with 24 min recording time on the answer machine
• Record your own greeting or choose one of ours
• Don't miss important messages when your away from home, access your messages remotely
• Listen to your messages privately through the handset, or play them using the hands-free speaker

Plus Additional Smartphone Features

• Store all your favourite music on the phone and play it around the house with the video and music player and 2GB expandable memory
• Comes with a front facing camera**, so if you want to go online and make video calls your friends can see you while you chat

Freedom to Move Around

The BT Home SmartPhone features a long range of up to 300m, allowing you the freedom to walk around in and outside your home without interrupting your call. You can also talk while doing other tasks thanks to the hands-free function - bringing the caller's voice into the room and letting you get on with things while you chat. You'll find this phone to be perfect for those long conversations, with a talk time of 8 hours and a standby time of up to 80 hours.

Crystal clear sound means you won't miss a word. Our phones are stringently tested in the UK to ensure they all meet our high standards.Quality Built-in

Even Better for the Environment

Eco credentials come as standard with this BT Phone and it's good to know the packaging it comes in is recyclable. You also find that the BT Home SmartPhone uses an energy-efficient power supply so is kind to the environment as well as your wallet.

What's in the (Recyclable) Box?

• One base station
• One Charger unit
• One mains power supply
• One handset
• One telephone line cord
• One USB mains power supply
• Rechargeable battery
• User guide

* UK's Best Selling Landline Phone Based on Sales Source: GfK RT UK Landline Phone Market in Volume & Value, March 2012 - March 2013
** The BT Home SmartPhone comes with a 1 megapixel camera out of the box which will be upgraded to 2 megapixel with over the air (OTA) free software update.

Box Contains

Handset
Rechargeable Battery
Charger
Base Station
Power Supply Unit
Line Cord
User Guide

I have been using this telephone for nearly one month. When I originally received the box, I was able to set the telephone up very quickly. Very easy to install as soon as it is taken out of the box. I was able to set it up on my home WIFI and was able to surf the Internet. It is possible to set up both facebook and twitter on the handset, however I was disappointed to find no parental controls to protect these from use by my children.

I have used the phone for both telephone calls and Internet use. For phone calls, the phone allows clear and crisp calls, easy to use. I liked the ability to import telephone books from other devices and was able to manually input contacts into the phone - great as my husband and children will not look a number up in my handwritten address book and expect me to recite numbers from memory at the drop of the hat.

I do, however, have a number of negative points regarding this phone.

• The handset feels cheap and light. It does not feel like it will last - my mobile phone feels well made and I am 'confident' that if it is dropped, the handset will still work, however this handset does not feel like it will last many drops. 
• there is no option to lock the handset to stop little hands from exploring. I found on a number of occasions that someone had been messing with the phone and things had been activated to make all calls Internet calls rather than normal telephone calls which meant I had to spend half an hour going through menus to deactivate it.
• On one occasion the power supply for the 'hub' had come out, however when looking at the phone it looked like it was all OK and ready to go. It wasn't until I went to make a phone call I realised there was a problem - it would be helpful for an icon to be visible on the telephone to say there is no reception from the hub.
• I have the ring tone on maximum volume and still find it very quiet - not possible to hear the ring when in a different room which is a problem as there is only one handset. Only solution is to carry phone around every time you leave the room

I think that it is a nice phone but not suitable for families with children who like to fiddle with apps etc. It is also not suitable for families with very young children who are likely to drop the phone as I don't feel that it is a very sturdy phone. It is great for people who want a home phone that is like an android smart phone but not for anyone who is a technophobe.

I received this product through the Amazon Vine Program.

Breville 2400 W Digital Steam Iron

With a very powerful 2400w, ironing is made less of a chore with the Breville VIN292 steam iron. 

It produces more steam and has a reduced heat-up time compared to lesser watt models helping you plough through your pile of laundry very quickly and efficiently. The job is made even easier thanks to the VIN292's ceramic finish soleplate which provides an incredibly smooth glide through the creased and crumpled clothes, so there's no need to work up a sweat when tackling the chore.

This ceramic content affects how well the heat distributes throughout the soleplate, keeping it at the temperature selected and even throughout with no unwanted hot spots that could damage your clothes. It creates an easy and effortless glide during ironing with no snagging and it ensures long-life, protecting the soleplate against scratching and surface damage. The soleplate is also much larger than the industry standard helping you cover a greater surface area per stroke to save time and effort.

A fundamental principle of ironing is the more steam, the better and so the higher the steam ratings of the iron, the better it will be to use. An iron's steam ratings determine how easy it will be to use, how effective and efficient it is and therefore how much time you can save to do other, more exciting things with your time. The VIN292 has an impressive 40 grams (g) of constant steam, also known as steam per minute, which is the amount of steam generated by the iron when in normal use. 

In addition to this, there is also a shot of steam, specifically a powerful 100g for the VIN292. This works as an extra boost to help remove those stubborn creases that refuse to budge or give that added crispness when creating creases on trousers. 

Completing the trio of essential steam features is the vertical steam function. This allows the iron to be used vertically to steam hanging clothes such as dresses or suits or household fabrics such as curtains, so however difficult, delicate or unwieldy the item, it can be thoroughly and properly ironed with ease.

The Breville VIN292 boasts other handy design features to help you breeze through the work. These include anti-scale, anti-drip, auto shut-off and self-clean functions. The iron features a 250ml water tank which illuminates when in use. When it's empty, the tank emits a beep or alarm thanks to the dry tank alert so you never need run dry. The advanced digital display and controls improve the accuracy and ease of selecting and viewing your chosen temperature and it's fitted with an extensive 3 metre (m) cord making it very easy to move and handle when in use. Like the tank, the handle illuminates for striking effect Like the tank, the handle illuminates for striking effect and has a soft-touch, satin chrome finish that is ergonomic, comfortable and attractive.

There are many positives to this iron - a tool used for a job which has to be done, but is no one's favourite job! This iron is very light and easy to use, with a long power cable which I found to be plenty long enough - with previous irons I have had to use extension leads, however this one did not need one.  The water tank inlet cover opens the opposite way to my previous irons, and I found this helped prevent me from pouring water all over the floor when refilling the iron.

There are, however, a number of negatives that I have found: the water tank does not seem to be very large and I always seem to be filling it up, the slider for amount of steam to be used kept being knocked by my hand while holding the iron and sometimes I found that the lightness of the iron seemed to mean that on harder to iron fabrics I had to use extra pressure while holding the iron.

The 'digital' element of the iron was an LCD lighted scale for temperature, where previous irons have a temperature dial. I found this useful when the iron had cooled down however I often knocked the buttons to reduce the temperature when I didn't want to it. I found no benefits to this feature on the iron. 

In summary - this is a nice, light iron, however I think I prefer my older, heavier iron to power through the mountains of ironing I do each week.

I received this iron through the Amazon Vine Programme.

Gillette Venus & Olay Razor with Shower Holder

Product Features

• Helps replenish your skin's moisture while you shave close
• No need for separate shave cream, your skin will emerge ultra smooth and beautiful
• Soft grip handle for confident control
• Any Venus blade fits any handle
• Contains 1 razor, 1 blade and a shower holder

You love the feeling of soft, smooth skin, but shaving can sometimes make your skin dull and dry. Only the new Venus & Olay razor combines Venus' best shaving technology and Olay's skin expertise all in one.

Olay Moisture Bars help lock in moisture to your skin for less dryness, while Venus' five blades shave you close with every smoothing stroke.

The Venus & Olay razor boosts your shave and helps lock in moisture so you can enjoy ultra-smooth, beautiful skin. It’s the only razor designed with Venus’ love for smooth legs and Olay’s passion for skin care.   Venus products are designed to fit all lifestyles, whether you seek the perfect shave or an indulging and pampering experience. Venus encourages all women to reveal their inner Goddess, making them feel sexy, confident and carefree.

 

The latest release from Gillette which brings together the top name of Gillette with the equally brilliant name of Olay. 

 

The razor gives a clean shave, first time with its five blades (not sure if there really needs to be this many, but they give a perfect shave first time) which is moisturised simultaneously with the Olay products which surround the blades.

 

There are only two negatives which I found with this product - the cost of the replacement blades (£20.49 for six blade 'units') and also the stand which the razor sits in while not in use. It is something which attaches, via suction cups, to tiled walls in a vertical position. I must admit that I prefer the little stands which Gillette razors used to have, where the replacement blade units could be stored underneath in a little box. I prefer not to leave my razor on the wall in the shower cubicle as I have children!

 

In summary, I would say that it is a great razor which gives a great shave, first time, and needs no extra products either before or after the shave, but has expensive refills and an okay, but not the best, storage stand.

 

I received this razor through the Amazon Vine Programme.

Leapster GS Explorer

Enjoy state of the art gaming and boost your learning at the same time with the Green LeapsterGS Explorer . The smart looking, kid-proof games console is packed with cool features and will win over your mum and dad when they realise how much it boosts the skills you learn at school . It has all the best bits of the original Leapster Explorer, like its library of more than 300 downloadable apps and games , only this swanky updated model has the following extras: Thinner design that's nicer to handle, bigger screen for better viewing. Built-in camera to put pictures of yourself into games. Built-in video recorder and voice recorder for capturing memories. Nearly 4 x more memory (2GB in total). Built-in sensor for tilting, turning and shaking The LeapsterGS Explorer needs 4 x AA batteries, which are not included. 

Leapfrog are a huge name in educational toys and this is their latest product. Looking similar to 'grown up' consoles, this is a very sturdy and reasonably priced product which children are going to love and will not realise that they are learning as they play.

Available in both pink or green colourways, this will be attractive to both girls and boys alike. The console needs 4xAA batteries to power it, although it would have been great if a connection had been available to power it from mains electric. 

The console includes both a camera for still photography and video footage, which has good clarity for a child's console. There is a stylus actually attached to the console - perfect as these things often get lost. There is a software disc included in the pack which is very easy to install, as is the console to set up. It is possible to have three profiles set up on the console.

Once the software has been installed on a computer (both windows and mac compatible) it is possible to download games and apps to your console via USB cable (included). These range in price from £3.50 to £20 (new releases) and it possible to download games, ebooks, flashcards, music and creative apps. As with all Leapfrog devices there are a range of popular characters included within the games: Cars, Brave, Dora to name but a few.

This is a great idea for a Christmas gift, it will let young children have their own console which is sturdy and more manageable for little hands then some of the popular consoles available on the market and is reasonably priced.

I received this through the Amazon Vine Programme.

Brainbox - Horrible Science Blood and Guts

BrainBox is a fast and fun memory game that does not require any pens, pencils, paper, playing board or even a table! Each round takes 10 seconds so all players are involved. A game lasts as long as you want it to, 10 minutes is the norm, but playing for 5 minutes is great fun also. BrainBox is educational and is perfect for families and groups of friends to play, wherever they are, on a level-playing field. Packed in a sturdy cool magnetic cube box. BrainBox is ready to play without any set-up time needed. The rules are pretty straight forward. You can play solo or with as many people as you want. A player simply picks a card and studies it for 10 seconds before being asked a question from the back, chosen by the roll of a die. A correct answer means the card is kept, if not it is returned to the box. The player with most cards after 5 or 10 minutes wins! The winner may not be who you expect as this fabulous game is about observation and memory, not learned facts! BrainBox Horrible Science: Blood & Guta contains all the gore and more! Full of fabulously horrible facts about our bodies, from bulging brains and gurgling guts to awesome eyeballs and awful earwax! 

This is a great game that can be played with just one player, but also is as fun with many more players.

The game is contained in a smallish box and contains a set of question/playing cards, an egg timer and die. The cards are double sided; one side containing lots of information and the other a list of questions.  The questions are either biology based or observation based - but all the information you need to answer question is on the card. The only downside to the game is that there are no sets of 'official' answers given - which if played by a group, could lead to arguments (in my house anyway)!

The game has an educational base and it is suggested for ages 8-108 years. It would be perfect for a long journey or to while away an hour at home. There are lots of questions which children will learn about at
school and therefore would be a good addition to any school's resources too.

I received this game through the Amazon Vine Programme.

AmazonBasics Black Leather Folio Cover with Multi-Angle Adjustable Stand for 6-Inch Display e-Readers Including Kindle Touch / Kindle

The leather folio is compatible with the newest version of Kindle and Kindle Touch. The cover protects the device and the stand can be adjusted for an ideal viewing angle. Stand can be adjusted to four different viewing angles Folio cover has a leather exterior and a microfibre interior AmazonBasics Leather Folio Cover with Adjustable Multi-Angle Stand for Kindle Touch / Kindle (Black) Allows for hand-free viewing Provides four different angles for optimum viewing Protects against bumps and scratches Dimensions: 5.04 " x 0.94 " x 7.24 " (LxWxH) Weight: 6.2 oz Warranty: AmazonBasics 1-Year Limited Warranty, click here. Makes an impact and protects against them The stylish leather case looks impressive and offers protection against impacts. The soft microfibre interior protects against scratches and the corner straps securely hold your Kindle Touch in place. When you are not using your Kindle Touch, the exterior elastic strap secures the folio cover on your Kindle Touch to keep it safe. Hand-free use With four different viewing angles, you can adjust your Kindle Touch to the optimum angle when you want to enjoy your Kindle without holding it. 

Leather folio cover for Kindle Touch with adjustable stand The AmazonBasics leather folio with multi-angle adjustable stand is the perfect accessory for the newest Kindle and Kindle Touch. The folio cover features grooves on the microfiber interior that offer multiple viewing angles to enable ease of use when entering notes into your Kindle and hands free viewing when reading. Four corner elastics hold your Kindle securely in place with a convenient elastic strap to keep the case open or securely closed.

I tried this product out with my Kindle - the newer Kindle. I found that the case was a fantastic fit and protected my kindle well.

I found the selling point for this item was the possibility to have your Kindle at three different angles or completely flat. This was very useful when I was using the Kindle to read a university textbook, however I do not use this feature of the case when reading books etc on a sofa etc. 

I already have a case for my Kindle and I must admit that when comparing the two products I was disappointed with the texture of the inside of the case. There is an inner fabric however it is rather rough. This is not an important point to many but I must admit I prefer the cover which I originally bought (although it was more expensive).

In summary a good kindle cover if you want something to basically protect your Kindle or E Reader cover. The texture of the item could be improved but it is great for the price.

i received this product through the Amazon Vine Programme.

Nick Junior this Easter and throughout April

Nick Jr have a great Easter Weekend planned. There are brand new Easter themed episodes of Dora the Explorer and Team Umizoomi. They are also launching a new series called Tickety Toc!


Youngsters will enjoy going on an Easter adventure with Dora to rescue the Hip-Hop-Bunny's basket of eggs which Swiper has taken just before the big Easter Egg Hunt.


Team Umizoomi, the miniature, animated, math powered superheroes, are also taking part in an Easter Egg Hunt while practicing their Math skills, racing against time to find the Rainbow Egg.


Tickety Toc is a brand new show all about the twins, Tommy and Tallulah Tockety, who are energetic and full of humour! This programme looks fantastic. It is based on an ensemble of characters that live on the other side of the Tickety Toc Clock and is based on the familiar patterns of everyday life while introducing children to the concept of time. 
Tickety Toc is on Monday to Friday at 8.15am throughout April.