New Geek Monthly Newsletter

Woooohooooo! It’s here … a way for us to stay in touch. Starting in December there will be a monthly newsletter, delivered direct to your inbox.

It’ll cover the latest tech news, trends and tech discounts (so you can save on your next tech purchase). There will be no hard sell, just sharing of useful information. Plus of course a chance to catch up on what tech I have been reviewing lately.

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Here’s how you Build an Internet Brand that People will Love #AD

Do you want to make a brand that people are going to love? Maybe you just want to make sure that you are doing everything you can to stand out from the crowd. Either way, this is the guide for you.

Discover the Purpose of your Brand

Did you know that every single brand out there has a very powerful purpose? You should too. Your purpose is what makes you wake up every day and gets you excited to work. If you don’t have a purpose, then you may find that your customers are unable to connect with your brand and this is the last thing that you want. Studies have shown that 50% of consumers across the world buy based on a company’s brand values too, so dig deep and make sure that you find those little nuggets of truth so you can put them on show for the world to see. Look at the casino.netbet.co.uk website, for example. When you do, you will see that the brand focuses on honesty, integrity and customer experience. 

SOURCE: Pexels.com

Research Competitors

You should never copy the big brands who operate in your industry. You should however try and make yourself aware of where they fail. The ultimate goal here is for you to differentiate yourself from your competitors. You need to convince your customers to buy from you, rather than buying from them. Research the main competition you have and then find out how well they are doing. Create a brand research spreadsheet and then write down your own observations. This might sound boring but at the end of the day, it can help you to really make sure that your brand is better than everything else out there. 

Determine your Target Audience

The foundation for your brand would be for you to determine your target audience. When you have done this, you will then be able to market your product way more efficiently and this can work in your favour. If you are not sure how to determine your target audience, then try and piece together who is going to be buying your product so that you can make the most out of your brand while giving support to your customers.

Establish a Mission Statement

Have you ever given your brand mission a thought? Your brand mission should be a very clear expression of what you are most passionate about within your company. It’s the reason why you market the way you do. Before you can create a brand that your target market audience can trust, you have to make sure that you always do whatever you can to solidify who you are. This will help you to make the best decisions and it will also help you to make sure that every decision you make is a good one.

Of course, there are so many things that you can do to try and rocket your company success, and if you follow this guide then you should have no problems in making sure that you stand out from the crowd while also solidifying your brand for the future.

New Sky TV packages combine Sky Sports and BT Sport in one single subscription

Today Sky launches two new sports packages that combine Sky Sports and BT Sport channels for the first time on Sky TV, bringing together major tournaments from across the sporting world, including the Premier League from Sky Sports and BT Sport, and the Emirates FA Cup and UEFA Champions League from BT Sport.

Sport fans can now easily find all the sport they love in one place, with all eight Sky Sports channels and BT Sport channels – BT Sport 1, 2, 3 and BT ESPN – together in one subscription.

The three new sports packages are available from today, exclusively on Sky TV:

• Sky Sports and BT Sport: at just £35 per month[i] alongside their Sky TV subscription, the new package combines all the sport from Sky Sports and BT Sport and saves sports fans an incredible 35% on standalone monthly subscriptions.

• Sky Sports and BT Sport, plus Sky Entertainment: all the great sport from both Sky Sports and BT Sport, plus award-winning entertainment and thousands of shows on over 300 Sky TV and 40 catch up channels with Sky Entertainment for just £47 a month[ii] - a saving of over 40% on standalone monthly subscriptions.

• BT Sport: for those that prefer greater flexibility, it’s £25 a month[iii]  to bolt on BT Sport to an existing Sky TV package.

Sports fans can enjoy a feast of football fixtures from the Premier League, UEFA Europa League, Scottish Premiership, Emirates FA Cup, and the UEFA Champions League; all the action from the pit lanes and tracks of F1 around the world; every tee off and putt from all four majors, and every wicket from every England home Test, ODI, T20 and the ICC Women’s and Men’s T20 World Cup. Fans will also be able to enjoy Gallagher Premiership Rugby, UFC and MotoGP™. Plus, customers can access all the best entertainment, TV and movies.

With Sky Q’s Voice Search it’s easy to find a specific sport, channel, match, or race from Sky Sports and BT Sport. The BT Sport channels will also be HD as standard and available on Sky Go across mobiles and tablets. There will be no additional fees for multiroom access on Q, or for the full BT Sport VOD catalogue.

The new packages launch just in time for Leicester City vs. Manchester City on Sky Sports on Saturday and the head-to-head between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur on BT Sport.

Lyssa McGowan, Chief Consumer Officer, Sky said: “Our customers have always loved sport and we’re delighted to now be able to offer them even more. From the excitement of the UEFA Champions League, Tiger Woods defending The Masters and the rise of Fallon Sherrock, 2020 is a huge year of sport. Now, through our partnership with BT and the launch of our new sports packages, millions of fans can watch all the sports they love.”

Jim White, Sky Sports presenter, said: ‘It might not be January 31st but what a great signing for Sky Sports customers! More sport, whenever you want it, all in one place.’

The deal is the latest in a series of content partnerships for Sky, with the BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5, Netflix and Warner Media all entering into new agreements. In 2020, Sky will also start building Sky Studios Elstree, Europe’s leading production Studio resulting in 2000 new jobs and £3bn production investment in UK creative sector expected in first five years.

NOW TV customers will soon be able to enjoy BT Sport on their NOW TV Smart Stick or NOW TV Smart Box with Voice Search, when the BT Sport app launches in the app store later this spring.

To find out more about the new packages and upgrade, visit sky.com/sport for details. 

BT TV has also launched a new range of TV packages which integrate NOW TV and offer flexible access to Sky Entertainment featuring Sky Atlantic, Sky Cinema, as well as all the live sporting action on Sky Sports.

EU Backs Controversial Article 13 Copyright Law

“The European Parliament has backed controversial copyright laws critics say could change the nature of the net. The new rules include holding technology companies responsible for material posted without proper copyright permission. Many musicians and creators say the new rules will compensate artists fairly - but others say they will destroy user-generated content. The Copyright Directive was backed by 348 MEPs, with 278 against. [source BBC News]”.

Article 13 detailed in the EU Copyright Directive states that services such as YouTube could be held responsible if their users upload copyright-protected movies and music. As a YouTuber myself, this is very concerning. Over the years I have had claims made against my own generated content by others and had to appeal the process. Under the old rules (governed by YouTube) I would have the opportunity to appeal such claims. My understanding of Article 13 is that if such a claim were made, it would be YouTube (or the platform you are posting to) responsibility to stop the content at the source to avoid liability. So, for repeat offenders their only recourse of action could be to stop that person uploading in the first place.

Article 13 is a lot more complicated than what I have detailed above, but I do strongly feel that the finer details have been put together and will be pushed through by MEP’s that do not fully understand the repercussions for many content creators, spread across many different platforms. Whilst it might benefit some more traditional artists, who may see less copying and slight increases in royalties, it does not address fair use and how easy it would be for false claims to potentially arise. I do also think that how content is treated, will be determined by which country it is posted from. I also envisage that we will see restricted access to content depending upon your location.

Although not directly related to Article 13, nor a solution, I have been using a VPN for many years to give me some extra online security and recently switched to NordVPN. Here’s where a VPN comes into play. It redirects your internet traffic through a specially configured VPN server, hiding your IP address and encrypting all the data that is sent or received. The encrypted data is essentially gibberish to anyone who intercepts it, making it impossible to read.

“Various countries around the world restrict access to one type of online content or another. Social networks, games, chat apps – even Google itself is not beyond the reach of censorship. In addition, many academic institutions and workplaces enable firewalls to limit access to websites for various reasons. These range from seeking to increase productivity to restricting inappropriate content.

Websites and services are blocked by denying users’ access based on their IP address. When you connect to the internet, your IP shows the country you are currently in, which means that any restrictions valid there are applied to you as well.

Using a VPN allows you to connect to remote VPN servers, making your IP address look like you are physically located somewhere else. This IP swap helps you access restricted websites and keeps your private information safe at the same time."

It is a sad day for the internet and I hope that we are able to ride the storm.

* Some links are affiliate links. Views expressed in this article are solely an opinion of the author.

TalkTalk Leads the Charge for Fairer Broadband

• Broadband customers feeling ripped off as new research reveals 87% think mid-contract price hikes are unfair

• TalkTalk launches Fairer Broadband Charter calling for industry-wide change to put an end to mid-contract price hikes and unfair industry standards

• 62% of consumers admit they don’t know when their broadband contract ends as providers allow customers to fall into higher out of contract prices  

Today sees TalkTalk launch a Fairer Broadband Charter to challenge unfair industry practices as new research unveils the true extent of consumer frustration within the telecoms industry.  

The research commissioned by TalkTalk as part of its campaign for fairer broadband found that almost nine out of ten (87%) consumers think it’s unfair that providers raise their broadband price mid-contract. All major providers except TalkTalk have introduced a mid-contract broadband price increase in the last 18 months, so it’s no surprise that 54% of consumers would support a complete ban on these price hikes. 

The research also found that loyal customers continue to be punished as broadband providers fail to let customers know when their contract is coming to an end. Almost two out of three (62%) say they don’t know when their contract ends, as they’re left to roll onto higher out-of-contract rates.

Since launching its range of Fixed Price Plans two years ago, which guarantee no mid-contract broadband price increases, TalkTalk’s Fairness Charter is the latest demonstration of its commitment to fairness and value. The three-point charter challenges the telecoms industry to end mid-contract broadband price hikes by promising that the price customers sign up to will be the same for the duration of their contract.

Following Ofcom’s latest initiative to ensure customers are notified when their contract is coming to an end, TalkTalk’s Fairer Broadband charter puts the value provider ahead of the pack with its pledge to continue contacting all customers before they come out-of-contract. TalkTalk is taking this a step further by proactively offering competitive package prices so customers can continue benefiting from value for money broadband that suits their needs. The charter also encourages competitors to follow TalkTalk’s lead in offering a connection guarantee – allowing customers to walk away if their connectivity falls short of what they were promised.

Tristia Harrison, CEO, TalkTalk says “Telecoms companies have been ripping-off consumers for far too long. The industry has to change to rebuild trust with consumers. We led the way two years ago and became the first provider to guarantee no mid-contract price rises. It’s proved hugely popular and today we’re going even further. Our Fairer Broadband Charter sets out three simple ways we’ll put customers first. I’m challenging our rivals to follow our lead so that the whole industry can rebuild trust with customers.” 

TalkTalk’s Fairer Broadband Charter

1. Ending unfair price rises:

It’s time to end unfair mid-contract price rises. We are challenging all providers to guarantee that the price customers sign up to will be the price they pay.  

Customers can feel cheated when providers increase prices mid-way through a contract. TalkTalk is the only major broadband provider to guarantee no mid-contract broadband price rises across all its plans. It’s an issue of trust. If customers sign a contract, they expect it to be honoured.

1. Delivering what we promise:

We are challenging all providers to introduce a connection guarantee – allowing all new fibre customers to walk away if the speed and reliability of services falls short of what they were promised. 

Customers need to have confidence than they’ll get what they were promised. That’s why we’ve introduced a Great Connection Guarantee, meaning new fibre customers are free to leave at any point for the first 30 days of going live if they’re unhappy with the connection. Our standard broadband customers who upgrade to fibre can also make the most of this initiative.  If they are unhappy with their upgrade, they can rollback to standard broadband without penalty in the first 30 days of going live.
We are now looking at extending this initiative to new standard broadband customers.

1. Rewarding loyalty:

We are challenging all providers to proactively write to customers before their contract expires, warning them about any price rises and offering the option to re-contract at lower prices than standard out-of-contract pricing. That gives power back to customers and avoids hidden price increases. 

For too long, providers have avoided warning customers when their contract is about to expire. That leaves too many customers paying more than they realise. Some customers may prefer the flexibility of being out of contract, but providers should warn them and allow customers to make an informed choice, rather than hoping they don’t realise their bills have gone up.

We already contact customers to let them know their price will change when their contract ends, but to ensure they take advantage of our best value deals we’re taking this a step further.  

We will:

• contact all customers before they come out of contract, offering competitive packages so they can continue benefiting from fixed, value for money broadband that suits their needs.

• always aim to offer the best available deals and clearly state in the communications that other promotions may be available at any given time.

• contact all customers, including those out-of-contract, on an annual basis with a ‘value update’. This will allow them to review their products and services helping to ensure they get the best deal for them.

The Great Tech Race

Some of Sky Sports' most well-known faces took to the race course this week as they put some of TV's most exciting gadgets to the test in a race.

Soccer AM's Tubes, Nasser Hussain, Carl Froch, Will Greenwood and Natalie Pinkham were the stars battling for glory as they marshalled one piece of technology each around the track.

Tubes was put in charge of BATCAM Drive, a 35mph small kart, while Nasser Hussain took charge of the The BATCAM drone, which is used in the Premier League, and is capable of flying at 40mph.

Carl Froch tried to find his way round the track on a Steadiseg – a modified Segway - with a Steadicam, while Natalie Pinkham drove the Sky Cart and Will Greenwood sprinted on foot, wearing a Ref Cam and Umpire Cam.

But the real question is… who came out on top? Watch the video to find out.

1 in 5 Brits Don't Want a Smartphone

1 in 5 Brits say “I don’t want a smartphone – I just want a phone that makes calls” – new research

14 September 2017 - New research from Future Thinking has found that the consumer response to the recent iPhone launch remains underwhelming amid a growing backlash against smartphone evolution.

• 20% of British consumers said: “I don’t want a smartphone - I just want a phone that makes calls.”
• Only 5% said they planned to upgrade to an iPhone soon after launch; 65% said they were happy with their existing phone.
• And 8% expressed the view: “It’s all a con anyway - it’s nearly the same as the most recent model in what it does.”

Despite the overwhelming amount of media content generated around Apple’s big event on Tuesday, the wider picture suggests that it is failing to engage a growing group of people.

The findings come from Future Thinking’s recent poll, conducted at the end of August, which surveyed more than 4,300 respondents. It follows a recent survey from US-based analyst Piper Jaffrey which showed that only 16% of existing iPhone users in the US expect to upgrade to one of the new iPhones. This is only 1% up from last year’s survey.

John Whittaker, head of marketing at Future Thinking commented:

“Consumer hype remains underwhelming, especially given what a huge moment this is supposed to be for Apple. Apple and its peers are targeting a premium market that is gradually shrinking, while a growing smartphone evolution backlash is starting to emerge. 

“Our research shows that 20% of people now do not want a smartphone at all – instead they just want a phone that makes calls, driven primarily by those over 45 years of age. Many have ditched their smartphones in exchange for a simpler, more liberating life without being glued to a screen and being bombarded with notifications. The rebooted version of the classic Nokia 3310 launched earlier this year is one response to this trend.

“Cutting through all the hype around new iPhone launches and other increasingly expensive and complicated Smartphones, the industry needs to be aware of the growing group of people who are looking for something different to yet another iPhone.”

A Bunch of New Ways to Pay with your Mobile

Now, several new services will be launched around Europe where you will be able to pay with your mobile device on different credit or bank card terminals. One of these services have children and young adults as their main consumer group.

Since last summer, it has been possible to pay with your  mobile phone directly through credit card terminals around nordic country Sweden with the help of an app called “SEQR”. Now the company's new product “SEQR Go” who caters to children and adolescents - will be released later this year.

How does it work then?

A parent may transfer funds to their child's virtual account, and then the child can pay the retailer by "bliping" the cell phone at the the card terminal. However, this requires an Android phone, and both the terminal and the phone need to have so-called NFC technology integrated - which allows the phone and the card terminal to "talk" to each other without physical contact. Fortunately this technology has been integrated in Android-compatible phones for quite some time now; so if your kid have a relatively new Android phone - this shouldn’t be a problem. 

Only the money that has been put on the account can be used, which means that your children can not use money that don't exist “physically” on the account.

- “The app will be equated with cash”, says Peter Fredell, CEO of Seamless, the company behind the app.

Parents can of course also keep track of the receipts to see which transactions that have been made, or not been made. So if your newly 18 year old youngster have been playing some Live Blackjack, you will be notified :)

Many are perhaps wondering what would happen if your phone is lost or stolen? Can someone else use the mobile to shop for you or your child’s money?

- “To start with, almost everyone has a PIN-code on their phone. And for a transactions of over 200 Swedish Kronors (around £ 20) an additional PIN is required”

Last week the mobile payment service “Samsung Pay” was launched  in Sweden. This function is integrated in Samsungs latest phone models, and so far, some of the bigger banks in sweden are on the train with this new technology. “But more banks are joining as we speak”, says Oscar Happy, head of Samsung Pay in the Nordic region - which comprises of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. A combination of the techniques NFC and MST are used here.

- “At the moment it works on virtually all card terminals in Sweden”, Oscar ads

To secure the payments some safety measures are required by the user, including fingerprints. No age limit is required from Samsung's part. However, such a limit can be implemented by the card issuer- when the service needs to be connected to a debit card or something similar. 

- “This makes things so much easier and smoother”, says Bengt Nilervall, transaction-expert at the Swedish Trade Federation.

He sees advantages for both customers and merchants, and mentions that the long checkout queues can go faster, as an example.

According to Nilervall there are currently NFC technology in about 15 percent of the country's Debit card terminals, and the goal is to reach 50 % in 2017. “There are more mobile payment services, such as Apple and Android Pay, - unfortunately not yet here in Sweden.”

Guest Article by Andre Utas

Amazon Pantry Prime Day Offer: £10 Off Orders Over £50

In case you hadn't heard, which would be quite difficult, today is Amazon Prime Day. Even better news is that there is a great offer in the Amazon Pantry section of the website. This superb Prime Day Offer gets you £10 Off Orders Over £50. Take advantage and stock up on some essentials. 

HERE'S THE LINK

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