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Five things Apple didn’t shout about for iPhone 7 launch

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Apple is well known for shouting about their “best features ever” at every product launch. iPhone 7 was launched with the usual fanfare of features but there are a few items Apple didn’t shout about. Here are our favourite five.

Jet Black is going to scratch really easily

Just an hour or so after the launch of the iPhone 7, the first images emerged from San Franciso as technology journalists got hands on with the latest iPhone. One image emerged which appeared to show scratches on the iPhone 7 Jet Black.

Sure enough, Apple has even admitted that Jet Black model customers should be aware their handset is likely to show signs of wear rather easily. On the iPhone 7 product page, you’ll spot a little 2 sitting beside the Jet Black model. Sure enough, they are admitting it may scratch rather easily.

jet-black-terms-and-conditions

Yes you read that correctly. Apple have the cheek to take the opportunity to peddle their cases! Well, to be fair you would be mad to shell out that kind of cash and not put a case on it. Jet Black throws up another unsung bit of news from the Apple Event.

Jet Black available in limited models

Sure you can still get the Black iPhone 7 in all capacities but after making a big deal about Jet Black, not everyone will be able to get it. Actually, we’d wager very few indeed! Jet Black will only be available to users purchasing the 128GB and 256GB iPhone 7. If you are one of the many who opt for the lowest capacity, which has just upgraded to 32GB, you have to settle for boring old Black. First world problems.

Listening to music on a low battery?

I remember a time when low battery meant I had to plug in my phone while I listened to music. Actually, I use a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, so that’s still the case. In truth, I actually use wireless fast charging while listening to music through my wired earphones. Apple’s flagship can’t to any of this, not even the simple stuff like charging while you listen to music on your earphones. Thanks to the combination of charging and audio into one port, you have to choose. Unless of course, you purchase yet another accessory Apple has forced onto the market.

Wireless AirPods, Bluetooth headphones or Bluetooth adaptors, allow you to listen to music while you charge your iPhone 7. Apple has also created a gorgeous docking station for the iPhone 7. The dock allows users a convenient point to charge their device while also providing a good old-fashioned 3.5mm headphone socket on the back. A very nice accessory for your nightstand or desk in work.

sync and charge while listening to music on iPhone 7

You’ll pay €59 for the privilege of owning one. Apple describes it as an accessory allowing you to “listen to music while you sync and charge.”

There is no fast charging

I also mentioned there how I love fast charging. Other industry leaders like Samsung, HTC, Huawei and LG include fast charging for their flagship phones. Fast charging is great for when you need to listen to music but can’t charge and listen at the same time. It allows you to go from 0% to 50% battery in 30 minutes. Still, Apple felt their range of iPhones didn’t need it.

Honest moment here. I never thought I needed fast charging until I had it. It’s so handy.

Old iPhone models are getting a memory boost

Okay so admittedly, they did shout about this, but everyone is so caught up in new iPhone 7 news it’s not getting much attention. In the coming months, the iPhone 6s will be getting upgraded to 32GB. Now it’s important you understand what this means.

If you already have an iPhone 6s 16GB you are stuck with it. There is no scheme to get you up to 32GB. Sorry.

If you are going to a shop to buy an iPhone and they only have a 16GB model, you’ll probably be limited to that option. Retailers will need to sell through their stock before trying to sell the news iPhone 6s 32GB.

 

You can now share Netflix without sharing your password

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You are one of two kinds of people. Either you borrow someone elses Netflix account, or you are the one who decided to share Netflix. The latter are generous and trusting. Not only do you let your friends have freebies, but you share your Netflix password too. Thankfully, your trust has been rewarded by the team at AccessURL.

Is it ok to share Netflix?

No. Sharing your Netflix details is dangerous and almost certainly illegal, resting in a grey area at best. With that said, I do it. I’m not alone. I’d wager the vast majority of Netflix subscribers have at least one person they share their account details with. Now, for a moment, ask yourself what password you use for Netflix. Where else do you use it? You use the same email to log into something else with the same password too right? Now you can see the real problem.

The people in charge of Netflix don’t appreciate you sharing your details, but more importantly, it leaves you open to data leaks. Obviously, this is not cool.

AccessURL gives access to friends and family while protecting you

Chrome extensions usually provide some kind of convenience for users. AccessURL provides convenience and peace of mind – and is remarkably easy to use.

AccessURL allows you to provide access to your password protected accounts without sharing your email and password. Furthermore, AccessURL allows you to decide how long your family or friend can access your account too. Yes, you take the power back! Of course, this works with Netflix and is the most recognisable use, but it would appear to work with any account.

AccessURL makes sharing Netflix a little safer

How does AccessURL work?

Perhaps the most important aspect of AccessURL is how simple it is to use in your efforts to share Netflix. With the Chrome extension installed, you navigate to, and log into, the service you are looking to share. You then click the AccessURL icon in Chrome, select how long you would like to share Netflix (or a similar service), and finally select “create Access url”.

AccessURL lets you Share netflix without sharing passwords

You are then presented with a unique Access URL that you can send to a friend or family member. It’s important you let them know that they will need the Chrome extension installed too.

Is AccessURL secure?

Giving access for your accounts to anyone is a bad idea. For the duration you select when creating the Access URL, who ever has that URL will have full access to your account. During that time, they can treat your account like you would. Sure, they can probably try and reset your password, but they won’t have access to your email. Of course, you could also give them another Access URL with that if you wanted to.

The question here shouldn’t be if AccessURL is secure. In truth, you should ask is it more secure than sharing your email address and password with friends and family. To this question, it’s much easier to say yes. Should you change your mind, return to the AccessURL.com website and you can revoke the URL too.

With security being so important, the team behind the extension have thought about protecting users. For example, if you log out of your Netflix account, the receiver of your Access URL will also be logged out. This is possible as the system depends on cookies (those little bits of data that track you online).

The verdict

All in all, AccessURL is a bad idea that solves a problem created by a much worse idea. People will always share Netflix and other services. This neat little Chrome extension provides you with some sort of protection. Just make sure you always select some sort of expiration for your Access URL.

 

Dare to Care: Goosed gives up smartphones

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Dare to Care is being headed by Today FM to support the Irish Cancer Society. Funds raised by the initiative will go to support cancer researchers tireless efforts to find better ways to diagnose and treat cancer.

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What is the idea behind Dare to Care

Today FM will be daring their presenters to do something that either scares them or makes them uncomfortable. In return, they’ll raise money for doing it. To date, Ian Dempsey shaved his head and Matt Cooper donned a pink hairdo. This whole effort runs through September, and we here at Goosed.ie are set to do out but.

Daring Goosed.ie to give up smartphones

It’s the 16th birthday of the Nokia 3310 and we got all nostalgic thinking it would be great to go back to the days of Nokia ringtones. This escalated into dares, so you see where this is going.

We’ll be giving up smartphones for as long as you can fund it! That means Martin will be getting lost in Dublin without his sat nav, Jon will finally be pulled away from Pokémon GO, Dean will have to dig out his Discman and Gary might miss something in fantasy football.

The scene is set for utter devastation.

Turn the screw…

You decide how long we go for. Currently, we are just waiting to get our hands on some old Nokia phones. Once they are secured, I’ll be hanging up my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge for my weapon of choice: the Nokia 5110. How long this ordeal lasts is in your hands.

Goos3D does Dare to Care

The goal is for Goosed.ie to raise at least €1000 for Dare to Care. All you need to do is donate. You have control over how long this lasts by helping us reach these milestones:

  • €100 will get us started
  • €250 to force us into a second week
  • €500 to force us into a third week
  • and €750 to make us go a whole month from the day we start in an effort to hit €1000.

You can expect to see freakouts, photos taken with an actual camera, Snake score updates, confusion, and a distinct lack of phone charging throughout.

 

Say hello to the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus

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It’s the annual celebration of new iPhones and Apple announce both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

What’s new on the Apple iPhone 7

From an Apple point of view, there has been much innovation with the world’s most popular smartphone brand.

New iPhone colours

Admittedly, we’re not starting with the strongest hand here. Rolling our the colour choices for the iPhone 7 felt a little ridiculous in truth. Accompanying last years Rose Gold, Silver and Gold is Space Grey’s replacements in Black and Jet Black. Yes, Apple have opted for two different black colours this year, which seems crazier than two golds for some reason.

range of iPhone 7 colours

Bye bye 16GB iPhones

Even the most devout of iPhone supporters have admitted in the past that the lack of physical memory can be frustrating. Apple finally listened and are making 32GB the lowest memory capacity they offer.  Interestingly, they also outlined that the other iPhones in their portfolio would be upgraded too. Sorry, if you are an existing iPhone owner, that doesn’t mean you. Bigger memory will only apply when resellers in Ireland clear through the smaller memory stock.

iPhone portfolio

You need to rethink how headphones work

Listening to Spotify is possible thanks to a connector from the early part of last century. Countless earphones and headphones can be found around the home, as owners are safe in the knowledge that the trusty 3.5mm connection will always have a use.

Apple has never been ones to care about things like this. The iPhone 7 will be the first major smartphone to ditch the well known 3.5mm headphone socket. In its place, Apple promoted the use of their Lightning connection as a superior option for convenience and audio quality. Apple described this move as being on driven by “courage”. Whether or not such quality will be worth the seismic change remains to be seen. In truth, moving away from the 3.5mm jack has been on the cards for a while now. We, the customers, just needed a little encouragement to make the move.

Lightning to 3.5 adaptor

One nice inclusion from Apple is a Lightning to 3.5mm adaptor which will be included with the iPhone 7. Shoppers will also find new EarPods with a lightning connection on the end. Not included in the box are the Apple Air Pods.

Apple Air Pods

Opinion seems to be pretty straight forward on the Air Pods. Wireless earphones are a smart idea, removing the tangle of cables and adding to comfort. Apple may or may not have achieved this, but the Air Pods looks terrible and rushed. The design would suggest the brief involved a drawing of the old EarPods and some Tipp-ex to remove the cables.

Apple AirPods €179

Not only are the AirPods expensive, you can expect to lose them an insane amount of times and frankly look like they will fall out all the time.

…and the camera

Apple have continued to develop the sensor that power their 12MP primary camera and the 7MP Facetime camera. The picture would appear to be improved, I personally can’t imagine the images being better than the Samsung Galaxy S7, but I can wait to be corrected.

Apple dedicated a large amount of time to Bokeh, but i truth it felt a little laboured as HTC had a similar feature a few years back with the M8. Sure, Apple might do it better, but that’s not the innovation that excites about an iPhone launch.

Anything else?

A new watch known as the Apple Watch Series 2 was announced, along with a Nike+ partnership. Prior to Christmas, Super Mario will get his own iOS game, while Pokémon GO will enjoy new depths with Apple Watch. The iPhone 7 will have a bigger brother in the iPhone 7 Plus, which will boast a dual-lens camera. We could go on for as long as an Apple Keynote discussing it all but we won’t.

iPhone 7 pricing

The pricing at launch would appear to be aligned to iPhone launches from recent memory.

Plan

Vodafone €60 per month

Three €55 per month

Price

€229*

€279*

*Estimated pricing

Apple iPhone 7: The verdict

We are delighted to see Apple ring in the changes with water-resistant design and 32GB memory capacity as standard. We’re willing to let the removal of a traditional headphone socket slide as the belief in lightning is strong. AirPods are bordering on the kind idea that gets laughed at in a few years time. Apple has made significant strides in their design, but ultimately the best they can hope for is to be on par with Samsung in terms of the sheer power given to the user.

With that said, the gap between Apple and Android, for me a die-hard Android user, is closer than ever. I can only imagine that was the plan all along.

The iPhone 7 launches in Ireland on September 16th.

Apple iPhone 7 lauch date

 

Say hello to the Apple iPhone 7 – LIVEBLOG

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Nokia 3310: It was a game changer

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Ready to feel old? This week saw the 16th birthday of the Nokia 3310. Nokia will surely come back on the scene in the near future but still we find one of the most popular and iconic phones ever created was the indestructible Nokia 3310.

From design to timing the Nokia 3310 will go down in mobile history as being the product that paved the way for smartphones to become what they have today. Chances are you are currently reading this on a smartphone. When the Nokia 3310 launched, mobile phones grew in popularity amongst the public. But what made the 3310 so popular with lasting fond memories to this very day?

The Nokia 3310 style

For those who weren’t into phones back then, it sounds like madness. Back in 1999, phones had these blocky antennas and were boring ugly square things. Nokia was changing the game when 3310 took the stage with a neat compact design, lovely rubber buttons and a slight but elegant curvature that set it apart from the competition.

While the claims were, at the time, that the lack of button cover and antenna meant poor reception and the ability to pocket dial. Eventually became forgotten myths and these designs became the standard for the following five years.

Downloadable content

Yes, it was a thing back then. WAP, infrared and the likes. Ringtones like the crazy frog and pizza man and texting codes to get tunes, ringtones, wallpapers and if you were skilled enough build your own polyphonic ringtone.

You couldn’t go anywhere without seeing an ad which advertised the latest ringtones. Capitalising on the latest songs from TV shows, you could buy most hot tones. Most schools also had that one kid that was beast at creating them: like a little polyphonic Mozart.

Snake: Need we say any more?

Like Tetris to the Gameboy or Mario to the Nintendo or Crash Bandicoot to the PS1, Snake had the iconic status of being the first and by far the most fun game to ever present itself on the mobile stage.

Simple, beautiful and effective coupled with a style which allowed you to play for short bursts if you wanted. Similar to some of the bigger app games that have been released down the years such as Flappy Bird, the whole point was to emulate the simple mechanics to bring people in and keep them playing. To this date, people have been trying to emulate or recreate snake.

The dawn of picture messages

It’s grand now that we have Snapchat, Instagram, Emojis, Memes and the likes. But remember there was a time none of these existed and again setting the trend for these was the Nokia 3310. Picture messaging began with simple Happy Birthday images or something cheesy to send someone you were flirting with. Years later and communications with images is much more common.

Nokia 3310 graphics

Cheap as chips

Think about this for a second. How much did you pay on your last smartphone or what was it worth if you’re on contract? Now think what you would get for under €100. Pretty bleak phones to be perfectly honest. But the good old 3310 was around £100 (pre Euro… feel old again) For the first time a device was affordable for both teenagers and young people – though people did think the 3310 was expensive at the time.

And for the final trip down nostalgia way, do you remember Xpress-on Covers? Flick down cases covering the keypads or just colourful cases. Customisation was key for the Nokia 3310. I don’t feel safe sharing what my own was but let’s just say I’m not proud.nokia 3310 covers

Adoption among younger people was much greater since you could immediately get in touch with friends or family through calls or texts. The habits developed from this generation (texting, customisation, etc.) would later influence design for future devices and apps.

I would like to rid myself of the smartphone world as a test. I’m sure I have one of these babies hiding in a drawer somewhere.

First look at the Asus ZenWatch 3 at IFA

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Here at Goos3D, we like to keep our ears to the ground. All this week, when we haven’t been honing our Fantasy Football teams, we’ve been keeping a sharp eye on developments at IFA in Berlin. One of the first gadgets that caught our eye was the Asus ZenWatch 3.

Design

At first glance, the Asus ZenWatch 3 certainly has the look of a high-quality wearable device. At launch, it will be available in three different colours. Rose Gold, Bronze, and Silver, all of which will sport a premium stainless steel finish.Asus

Previous iterations of the ZenWatch were rectangular in shape, similar in design to the Apple Watch. This time, Asus have gone with the more popular circular watch face, 1.39 inches in size, and carrying an AMOLED display. There are also three function buttons on the side of the display, giving the Asus Zenwatch 3 a real watch look and feel. The wearable is also IP67 certified, meaning it is water and dust resistant.

Functionality

The Asus ZenWatch 3 is the first smartwatch running Android Wear 2.0. While there are no immediate benefits, running Android 2.0 makes the Asus ZenWatch 3 future proof to any upcoming app developments on the Android Wear platform.

Under the shiny exterior, the Asus ZenWatch 3 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 2100 chipset. The biggest difference this makes relates to the charging capabilities. Asus suggested that the battery would charge to 60% after 15 minutes. Hands-on tests at IFA would appear to confirm this.

The three buttons on the side of the display are all functional. The middle button returns the user to the main display. The top button initiates the fitness app, while the bottom button brings the user to the settings menu.

Price and Release Date for the Asus Zenwatch 3

Asus ZenWatch 3 (2)There are no confirmed release dates for the Asus ZenWatch 3 as yet, but suggestions are that it will be available in mainland Europe from late this year. Pricing starts at US$ 229, making the Asus ZenWatch an affordable and stylish player in the wearable market.

What is the total cost of the Note7 recall?

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It’s no secret that Samsung has recalled one million Note7 units this week, but just what is the cost of the Note7 recall?

Why recall the Note7?

Samsung decided to recall one million handsets as 35 units were reporting to have caught fire. Mathematicians amongst you will note that is about 0.0014%. With safety being a priority, such a risk was too great for Samsung who opted to recall and relaunch.cost of the note7 recall fires

What is the cost of the Note7 recall for Samsung?

It doesn’t come cheap. We can’t question the fact it was the right thing to do, but it’s a hefty bill for Samsung. Analysts reckon they are looking at a cost of around one billion Dollars between recalling the phones, re-tests, and repairs. Samsung’s head of business, Koh Dong Jin, referred to as ‘a heartbreaking amount’. It is still unknown who the providers of the batteries are for Samsung’s models, but we can assume that they will be sharing in the cost of the whole debacle.

Samsung has already dropped Samsung SDI who supply 70% of batteries, while the rest are supplied by Amperex Technology. This blunder carries a one billion Dollar price tag. A significant cost, but it still only represents a bit less than 5% of the companies projected net income this year. Samsung may have an insurance policy to cover this blunder, but no information on this has been released.

If there is anyone that will benefit from all of this, it’s Apple. They will be unveiling the new iPhone 7 on Wednesday and will bask in the misfortunes of their most biggest rivals.

Apple iPhone 7 Launch: What to expect on September 7th

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Apple has enjoyed plenty of face time (pardon the pun) in the news recently ahead of the iPhone 7 launch. Of course, given the impending launch, Tim Cook would have rathered the headlines didn’t include tax evasion. Rather than bore you with the details of corperate tax, let’s look at the highly anticipated iPhone 7 launch.

iPhone 7 launch models

September 7th sees Apple’s keynote event for the latest iPhone announcement. We’ve looked at some of the rumours in the build up, but what’s looking likely?

Well, firstly, we’ll probably see an iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. Rumour has been rife about the the ‘Plus’ will be replaced by ‘Pro’. Other rumours suggest there will be an iPhone 7, a 7 Plus and a 7 Pro. But not much buzz has been around it, so we’re putting this rumour of 3 models on the bench for now. ‘Pro’ replacing the ‘Plus’ is looking good though.

Less is more

Apple’s iPhone 7 is due a redesign. With every new generation of iPhone, we usually see a new design. This has been the norm from the start. It gives those who splashed out on the new model to flaunt their new purchase without openly bragging about it.

With most phones being released these days, less is more in terms of bezel. Bezel is basically the front of your phone that isn’t part of the screen. An edge to edge screen is what people seem to want these days. So expect a narrower model this year, similar to what Sony and Samsung have done.

Innovation

Apple usually steps up its game by coming up with some kind of feature that hasn’t been done before every couple of years. The iPhone 5s brought us the finger print scanner, while the 6s brought up 3D Touch. The S series usually has the innovation, whereas the standard iPhone series has generally worked on design and camera and processor upgrades. But this year, there are strong rumours of big changes.

dual lens expected to be confirmed for iPhone 7 launch

Au revoir headphone socket

In order to make their phone thinner, Apple are looking to get rid of our headphone jacks and opt to listen to our music via bluetooth headsets. Fair enough, bluetooth headphones aren’t exactly innovation. It’s been around for awhile. But getting rid of the headphone jack is new. Usually, this forces people towards what is a better experience, so let’s wait and see.

no headphone socket expected to feature for the iPhone 7 launch

Apple is notorious for having awful phone batteries. Having to listen to your music through Bluetooth is not going to help. If they do improve the battery, you’ll probably end up with the same battery life time as your 6s anyway, if not still worse as Bluetooth is a killer on battery. Also, for some reason, it’s just easier finding headphones with a wire. If you have headphones that are connected in some way, fair enough, it may not be much hassle changing over. But if you have 2 little ear pieces to go into each ear, you may want to make yourself a headphone kitty.  If you lose one ear piece, the other one isn’t much use to you. And knowing Apple, you’ll be looking at around €30 to replace them.

Rumours do suggest that the lightning port where you charge your phone would be the new point of connection for your headphones. This is also a nuisance. You now are forced to buy standard Apple headphones as no other manufacturers will make these headphones with Apples patented lightning port. So maybe add an extra €10 or €20 onto the price of your headphones. Apple know you now need to buy them and this will be easy money for them. Alternatively, you could opt for a Bluetooth adaptor which is available from Griffin.

Smart connector

image

Another new feature that has been rumoured, if not almost confirmed if leaked photos are to be believed, is the iPhone 7 having a new smart connector on the back. Not much light has been shed on its use yet. We at Goos3D reckon that if this is real, it could be Apple’s answer the the wireless charging game. But the fact that it is located so low on the phone, it would be difficult to balance the phone on a wireless platform. Although wireless charging hasn’t taken off as well as Samsung had hoped, it wouldn’t be a bad call for Apple as a temporary solution for when your lightning charger goes faulty. And it will go faulty.

Inside the iPhone 7

So let’s go inside the phone and what you can expect for the iPhone 7 launch. As standard, we can probably expect to see a new A10 processor, which Tim Cook is bound to pitch as being their ‘fastest and most powerful processor to date’. Also, we can probably see an upgraded camera – particularly on the Pro/Plus. Leaked images have shown us  that there will be a dual camera lens, similar to the Huawei P9. A dual lens is a feature we are excited to see. Apple was criticised for years on its camera quality until they finally upgraded to a 12MP in the 6s.

The one thing we think/hope we should be almost guaranteed to see is a 32GB standard iPhone. This should be confirmed on September 7th as Apple got absolutely slated last year after releasing a 16GB 6s. Should Apple really want to get ahead of the curve, releasing a 64GB standard model could give them a massive boost in market share. But we won’t hold our breath.

Make sure to check back here with us on September 7th and we’ll have the lowdown on all of Apple’s iPhone 7 launch announcements at their keynote and see what they have in store for 2017.

 

Griffin accessory all but confirms departure of iPhone headphone socket

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Rumour has been rife in the build up to the next iPhone that Apple will opt to remove the headphone socket. Now, an accessory from Griffin seems to confirm it.

Death of the headphone socket

When the world adopted micro-USB, Apple opted to create the lightning connector. Now when the world moves towards USB-C, Apple are keeping the lightning connector and ridding their phone’s of headphone sockets. Audio should now instead be either passed through the lightning connector or Bluetooth. The former means extreme quality possibilities while the latter means no wires. As unusual as the idea is, killing the headphone socket is a good idea.

What’s the big deal with Griffin’s accessory?

You’ll rarely, if ever, see a new phone launch without accessories to compliment it. From protective cases to chargers, new phones need new toys. For these to be ready at launch, manufacturers like Apple release certain specs and requirements to accessory creators. Griffin’s creation of the Bluetooth adaptor would appear to be further confirmation that the traditional headphone socket is now a thing of the past.

Griffin Bluetooth adaptor

Griffin Bluetooth adaptor for iPhone 7 to replace headphone socket

Griffin’s simple Bluetooth adaptor allows you to use your favourite headphones with the next iPhone even if it doesn’t have a headphone socket. Better still, it only costs £19.99 and is available to pre-order on Amazon.co.uk. Griffin’s Bluetooth adaptor would appear to be specifically designed for use with the impending iPhone 7. The small device will work with other devices, is compatible with Siri and operates over a distance of 15 meters.

We can now leave behind us all the drama of Apple deciding to rid the world of 3.5mm headphone sockets. It’s a step towards better quality and getting more people to go wireless.