Friday 31 March 2023

Google Pixel 7 vs Motorola Edge 30 Neo

I now have both of these devices in-hand and they're not incomparable in terms of physical size, so I thought I'd throw together some thoughts on the good and bad stuff about both, the pros and cons of each - particularly given that one is twice the price of the other! It might help someone out there deciding which might suit their needs.

The first port of call really needs to be that price difference. Both smartphones launched in the UK in the Autumn of 2022, the Moto at £349 and Pixel 7, £599. As I write, real-world prices, 6 months on, are usually £299 for the Moto and £499 for the Pixel, so the gap narrows a little, but for our purposes here, I'm still thinking of one being twice the price of the other. Just a quick note to say that I actually have the 256GB version of the Pixel 7 here, which is around £100 more, but the Neo is only available in a 128GB variant (at least, in the UK).

I have reviewed both of these phones separately in my Blog over the last 6 months, so do click through for a drill-down if you're interested in the nitty-gritty beyond comparisons. Motorola Edge 30 Neo and Google Pixel 7. I declared the Neo my Phone of the Year for 2022.

The screen sizes are a dinky 6.28" for the Neo and 6.3", Pixel. So very close indeed. The first thing that strikes me looking at them face-on is that the corners are 'rounded' on the Neo and very much 'squared off' on the Pixel (something that Google, based on current leaks, are fixing in the forthcoming 8-series). In practice, this means that the pixel is less comfortable in the hand with 'sharp' corners often digging in. Somehow, the smoother form of the Neo makes one-handed use, particularly, more pleasant.

Other than that, the Pixel is a shade taller, wider and fatter than the Neo, with substantially more weight into the bargain. It feels heavier in the hand (and pocket) by some margin. The Neo feels stealth-like in comparison. The Pixel's screen goes almost right out to the corners giving, technically, more content (if you count what might be in those corners in your apps and services). The Pixel also has slightly wider bezels all-round, for those concerned (and out with their millimetre measuring tools)!

To make the Pixel feel even more hefty, it has that huge camera 'shelf' across the back - the design language implemented by Google for Pixels since the 6-series (and looking like continuing until at least the 8-range). It is a 'lump' and again, by comparison, the much smaller 'island' on the back of the Neo makes the difference in bulk even more pronounced.

Part of the difference in weight is down to the fact that the Pixel is a glass/aluminium sandwich whilst the Neo has a plastic frame and back. TPU in place (as most will have) and you won't see it of course - so is the extra weight worth it, I wonder. Even if you do go naked, the metal can dent, glass can break but plastic will likely just bounce! Anyway, I do get the 'premium feel' aspect and how nice that is to enjoy one's object of desire! What you also get with the Pixel is a proper IP-rating for dust and water. The Neo? 'Splash and dust resistant' whatever that means!

The screen on the Pixel is an AMOLED one made by Samsung and the Neo, LG's pOLED. The Moto wins this one in manual and auto modes with more brightness and richer, saturated colours. Which is surprising as Samsung panels always seem to come out tops on Galaxy phones compared to others - perhaps they keep the best for themselves! I have noticed with various devices over recent times that, for me, the pOLED seems to be better than most. By the way, regardless of the 'edge' name, the Moto, and Pixel 7 have flat screens!

A quick word about box contents on purchase, followed by battery and charging speeds. Buying a Pixel 7, you get no charger in the box - only a SIM Card Tray tool, charging/data cable and adapter. You can charge the phone at a maximum of 20W, wired or Qi - whatever charging brick, pad or stand you use. The Neo has this licked mostly, with a TPU case and 68W fast charging brick in the box, plus cable and tools and so on - and you can charge the phone from 0-100% in about 35 minutes! The Pixel, the best part of a couple of hours. Usually not an issue for most (and you can get 50% in half an hour or so), but the Neo could, on a long day out (to a piggery, maybe), save your bacon!

The Pixel has a slightly bigger battery, but they're both good. They both perform well, too. In my tests, with average use, they are both two day batteries. The other thing that the Pixel wins on is reverse charging, for those who might make use of it, passing through power to other phones or peripherals. You can also utilise this for real pass-through with the Pixel with a cable plugged in from the AC and peripheral on the back, charging both. The Neo's Qi Charging is seriously trickle at 5W but it's absolutely fine for overnight use.

The Pixel is powered by Google's Tensor 2 chipset and the Neo, a humble SnapDragon 695. Executing everyday tasks, you really wouldn't know though. Yes, of course, if you go shooting/editing video on-the-fly and getting into some serious heavy gaming (neither of which I do, outside of review-testing), then yes - you'll see the difference. Slightly! I say slightly, because even with this workload, the Neo does extraordinarily well. Playing heavier games than I normally would during testing and it keeps up just fine. Copying loads of files between the phone and PC, for example, yes, it processes a little quicker using the Pixel but really not that most folk would notice. They both have 8GB RAM which in both cases keep things ticking along with background tasks. The Neo makes use of its RAM partly to keep Motorola's Ready For working fluidly.

Ready For is Motorola's version of Samsung's DeX. And in some ways it's better than DeX. But for our purposes here, the comparison between the Pixel and the Neo shows that the Google system doesn't yet have any kind of Desktop Mode (though they have been talking about including it for years as the hardware would support it). So what we're left with is a big plus for me and Ready For for the Neo over nothing of the sort for the Pixel. There is a caveat though - unlike Motorola's implementation for it's more expensive models, it's not wired - only wireless. This means that you can't plug it in and there's no support for HDMI. However, with a good connection, Bluetooth, WiFi and Router, the Neo does the stuff as you'd expect. There is some latency with audio-in-video - but this is also the same trying to use the Pixel to share video from locally-stored data. All different with ChromeCast units and Cloud-based data of course, but locally stored, they're on a par with no cable. So a draw. Except that with Ready For, you do get a tailor-made front-end UI on the telly and PC, not to mention NexDock and similar productivity-based units and setups at your disposal.

Motorola's Peek Display arrangements are unique to their handsets and offer a UI which is quite brilliantly thought out, but with one major drawback. It's not truly always on. So a mark up for the Pixel here. But hold on. The Pixel's AoD is incredibly lily-livered! It's dull and dim and, yes, it might be always on (if you choose) but it's all but illegible in many lighting conditions. It's been so badly adjusted in the OS that unless you're under a bright light, you have to move it (to liven up the Lock Screen) to see (even) what the time is. Sitting on the arm of the sofa, watching the telly in the evening, I just can't see what it says. Which renders the point win for the Pixel here, lost again - if you can't see it in many light conditions, you might as well just have the clever Moto Peek system anyway - nudge, tap or lift for the same result!

I won't go right through the Peek Display system here again, as I have blogged about it many times before, but it's excellent. Why Google can't tweak the algorithms to make their AoD work well, I don't know. I suppose it's down to battery fears and potential complaints from users about that. But the battery on the Pixel 7 is so good anyway, it really wouldn't matter. (Samsung for the win here, incidentally, as their AoD is totally customisable with independently controlled brightness.) However, where the Pixel pulls one back is with Now Playing (when you can see it). It's their turn for something unique. Listening at all times for music that might be playing around you, searching the database, on device, for what it is and displaying it across the AoD. A fabulous feature about which I've been raving for years now!

One of the big wins for the Pixel is the always up-to-date software. OS updates and monthly security. This is where Motorola has an appalling record and it's a huge number of points to the Pixel in this department. Motorola (until very recent flagship-only handsets) have adopted an approach of monitoring usage. If they consider enough people are using their handsets they will plough R&D resources into keeping their software updated. If they don't see that usage, they just drop devices like a stone. Abandoned, pretty much. So those left holding the baby just have to buy a new phone (or live with a phone being out of date). The Neo has got no formal promises of any updates whatsoever. It's arrived on Android 12, in April 2023 it still has no Android 13 and, to be honest, nobody really knows whether or not it will get it - let alone 14 or beyond. Motorola let down their user-base with this attitude, concluding that most users don't even know what an OS or security update is - let alone be bothered about it. All the points go to the Pixel here. If we were scoring it'd be a ten-nil whitewash as the Pixel 7 has Android 13 (with Android 14 Betas available to all Pixel users) and bang up-to-date monthly security.

The Pixel software experience is probably one of the biggest differentiators between the phones here. Pixels can no longer be considered the Vanilla flavour of yesteryear, like phones still on the AndroidOne programme (Nokia being one of the very few left supporting that) but rather littered with all sorts of enhancements for the Pixel experience. Some you'll like, some you'll love, some you won't be able to do without once used! But also some you'll hate and which will annoy and irritate. It's a personal choice on all fronts and the user will have to make up their own mind. Fixed Launcher elements, for example, taking up space on the screen - Search Widget, At a Glance up-top, whether you like it or not. But then there's aforementioned Now Playing, clever tools in the phone's app integrating into the Google Assistant, smart stuff in Maps for navigation and readily-available information, Call Screening, Hold for Me, Direct My Call, Universal Search, assignable Quick Tap on the back of the phone, Google Recorder, Theming, personal safety stuff - there's oodles of it and more every quarter with Feature Drops, some of which are available outside of the Pixel lineup (eventually), much of it exclusive.

Not to be left out though, the Neo has a bunch of cards up its sleeve as well to enhance the Moto software experience, most of which can be used or not used, unlike the Pixel's launcher items. Attentive display, their own Theming, unique gestures like chop-chop for torch or twist-twist for camera and so on. One of my favourites is the notification light around the camera island which can be set to flash and pulse when they are incoming. With a TPU in place, this smartly finds itself around the edges of the phone so it's visible even with the phone laid down on its back. In both phones there are oodles of software tweaks to help the user but I guess the points must go to Pixel here as the depth of Google's are far-reaching and many exclusive.

Connectivity is solid in my tests on both the phones, from cellular, data, calls, WiFi to GPS and NFC. All solid, so points shared. Security arrangements call another draw I think as they both have on-screen optical fingerprint scanners and face-unlock. In my tests here I found that there's nothing much to choose between them. The fingerprint scanner is marginally faster on the Neo, but the face-unlock snatches it back for the Pixel - Moto's system is particularly troublesome during set-up with full face beards!

During the above-mentioned drill-down reviews I spoke about the sound coming from both of these phones' speakers and now, some time on, I don't think that my view has changed. The output from the Pixel 7 is not on par with (even) the Pixel 6a and neither of them are as good as what comes out of the Neo here. It would seem that Moto have used some components and/or software to really push the boundaries here, especially at full volume, which they've not even used for their current flagship phones. The sound is louder and of better quality than the Pixel 7, for sure, though most people not nit-picking would be happy with the Pixel for causal use in relatively quiet environments. Points to the Neo here though.

In a points reversal, we come to cameras, as you might expect, with Google's AI software processing and clever manipulation with all sorts of tools in the bag at the users disposal. The Pixel's main shooter, on paper, is not as capable as the Neo's. Same is true of the wide-angle pair. In fact, you have to get down to the video recording in order to see a technical advantage as the Pixel shoots 4K and the Neo, 1080p. But as we know, with Google, the magic is sprinkled on during that AI/processing. You can see it in action, take a shot, watch it work and make an ordinary shot, special. The algorithms are quite amazing at times, regardless of venturing into other tools like Magic Eraser, Night Sight and more. Having said all this, the Neo's camera set-up is perfectly good enough for the vast majority of people, takes a wildly amazing close-up/macro shot and Moto's camera app has its own bunch of tools. There's much fun to be had with both, but yes, for anyone wanting to push boundaries on what photos can be grabbed from a smartphone, the Pixel takes the biscuit.

I think I've only mentioned price and value-for-money once in all this, but this is where I started. The Neo is roughly speaking half the price of the Pixel 7 and represents terrific value. The Pixel 6a comes closer on price with the Neo, and you then get all the Pixel special stuff and software support going forward - but you don't get wireless charging, 68W charging with a charger supporting that in the box or that glorious pOLED screen. But back to the Pixel 7 and yes, it does feel more substantial in the hand than the Neo - but the Neo feels cute and much more ergonomically friendly.

The pros and cons listed here and discussed reflect one thing really - that the Neo is terrific value for money in comparison with the Pixel 7 but it depends on what you value in the process. For me, the big draws of the Neo are fast charging, size and shape, Peek Display, great sounding speakers, Ready For - and the Pixel 7, always up-to-date software (with a long, long guaranteed support window), being able to try out all the new Android features first and yes, even though I don't care much about cameras on phones, even I can't deny that it's fascinating to watch the magic tools at work.

Is it worth double the money? For me, no. I'd be very happy with the Neo. There's no perfect phone. Probably never will be. There will always be personal pros and cons, irritations, likes and dislikes, so people just have to research well, read up and make a choice. I can say that from my time with smartphones, Neo and Pixel are two holes which you can really get sucked into. There's a great draw with both. Google's world of Pixel and Motorola's world of Edge are both charming and fairly addictive.

You can support what I do here in my blog by using my Amazon Affiliate link if you're thinking of buying either of these phones by clicking this link (and shopping as normal). It costs you no more and I get a small clawback in order to use Amazon to get in the next review device. Thanks
Images from GSMArena's great 3D Sizing tool - check it out!

Sunday 12 March 2023

Holy Spider (2022)

I don't see many films from Iran, but here's one from director Ali Abbasi which is really rather well done. Supposedly based on a true story from 2000 where, in the city of Mashhad, a serial killer is on the loose. I did watch and enjoy Ballad of a White Cow (2021) and the vampire film A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014), so this'll be my third.

Dubbed 'the holy' city, it seems that everyone who lives there is very religious and lives by the rules laid out within that structure. One man decides that in order to further his cause and belief, ladies who are earning money in the city by prostitution need to be eradicated - and that it is the will of a higher power that he should do this. We start to follow this man, so it's clear from early-on in the film who it is and what he's doing. He's pretending to be a customer, gets them back to his place, strangles them with their own headscarf then dumps their bodies in an out-of-city location. All this, on his motorbike.

We also spend time with him as a family man, raising 3 kids and providing for his wife and family by means of a building job. So he's physically fairly fit in order to carry out his nocturnal activities on the nights that his wife and kids spend with relatives. He comes across mainly as a good family provider and shows dedication to the unit.

So, the bodies are piling up and the press have named the serial killer the Spider Killer. It all feels like a religion-driven version of Jack, or the Yorkshire Ripper. Our central character, Saeed, is clearly convinced that he is doing the right, moral thing and that his actions are justified. He also knows, however, that it needs to be kept under wraps as, justified as he thinks he is, those around him, including the press and law-makers of the land would see it differently and he'd face their justice.

Enter Rahimi, a journalist who has arrived in the city in order to report on the story and, as things unfold amongst a regime which doesn't seem that keen to stop what's going on, place herself upfront and central as bait in a risky virtual sole attempt to catch the killer. She's got unfairly-inflicted baggage from her past into the bargain and when people locally find out about that, they are less welcoming of her intervention, even as a reporter.

What eventually gets exposed here is not so much the killer and his deeds, but the regime, the system and the way in which 'in the name of religion' hideous deeds may be attempted to be swept under the carpet by the government, authorities and local press. The culture and climate are presented as all-powerful, injecting fear into the population - and only shifting from the path it's leaders want to follow where public outcry and international pressure through the press is brought to bear.

I don't know any of the actors, but they all seem to carry it well, are convincing in their roles and while they tell the story for us, the film offers us a broader picture about the situation people find themselves in when trying to fight the system that they think is wrong, creating unjustified outcomes. It's also quite graphic at times, with convincing close-up views of Saeed choking the life out of these defenceless women as he 'cleans up the streets'. I won't tell you the outcome, but there are some twists and turns along the way as we edge closer to finding out whether or not justice is done.

The production values are not the best and some of the handheld camerawork a little dodgy at times, but it's pulled together well and makes the points it sets out to do. I caught this on Mubi and, well, it seems to be the only way one can see it in the UK. Recommended.

Tuesday 7 March 2023

Ikiru (1952) and Living (2022)

Living is a 2022 remake of Kurosawa 1952 film called Ikiru starring Bill Nighy playing the same white-collar worker for the local council, stuck in his patterns of behaviour as was Takashi Shimura in the original.

Both actors play the part perfectly, the difference being that the whole scenario is moved to 1950's London in the remake rather than Japan in the first. Our central character (Kanji Watanabe and Mr Williams) learns early on in the film that he has cancer and limited time. He decides to get up from his desk and disappear, looking for some meaning in his last days, seeking out the fun which he'd, for so long, denied himself - but also, eventually, something worthwhile to make a difference with his time left.

He buddies up with a drinking partner initially and lives a little of the high-life, but then bumps into a girl who works in his office. He confides in her. He becomes infatuated with her youth, fun, opportunity for living. Tongues wag, but there's nothing here for them to wag about.

We spend much time with the pair as they spend theirs together - having fun, but he, also taking stock of his life and the meaning of existence. Bill Nighy is such a good actor that he can turn even a slow drama into something gripping - and he shines here. As did Shimura.

Aimee Lou Wood is very good in support as the colleague as is Alex Sharp as the newbie employee lurking around the fringes of the story. There's much to enjoy about the 1950's sets and scene for those who can remember it, along with the same era's seaside resorts and tea rooms. The mono Ikiru presents a much darker, more bleak Tokyo of the 1950's, but then the film was made back at the time.

Both films are slow dramas, but compelling studies of a quiet man looking into himself and contemplating the meaning of life as his draws to a close. Moving at times, funny too, always engaging - highly recommended.

Living is just arriving on streaming services in the UK and Ikiru, I'm not sure! I watched it while back when someone posted the whole film to YouTube but I don't see it there now. BFI seem to have it.

The Wailing (Gokseong, 2016)

This Korean mystery horror film is also a bit of a ghost story, really. You'll need to keep on your toes whilst watching to pick up on the clues as to who is what and what's going on. Like all good mystery films! The outcome and journey are certainly worth the two and a half hour runtime!

In a rural village with continual rain it seems, our story starts with the main character who is a lazy, not very competent or committed police officer, more interested in his family than his job. Some grizzly happenings begin on his watch involving families being murdered by one of their own (who has become 'sick'), which he approaches as part of his job, until it involves his own folk. Slowly those in the know seem to suspect that all this is kind of otherworldly!

Meanwhile, out in the woods, there's a Japanese stranger living an apparently quiet existence with his rather aggressive dog. The trail leads to him, as he always seems to be lurking around the crime scenes, so it's not long before he's confronted by the team. Including a priest in training who, happens along as a friend of one of the policemen! By this stage they are suspecting even more that there's something sinister and superstitious. When our policeman's daughter becomes apparently 'possessed' with the same thing, he ramps it up and goes all-out to find out what's going on and looking for a solution.

There's a young girl hanging about too, who they think is a bit of a fruit-loop, getting in their way, throwing stones at them as they try to process some of the crime scenes. Anyway, they confront the Japanese man, things get out of hand, our policeman is getting more and more irate and aggressive, well outside the professional role expected of him in his job. In the end, the family decide to employ a Shaman to cast out the 'spirit' from the daughter, who goes about his ritualistic antics in the mix, making a shedload of cash out of them in the process.

I guess that probably gives enough of the back-end of what's going on without heading down the road with spoilers and more information. Rest assured that if you pay attention, there is a kind of logic to it all and in the end, though it does indeed remain a stretch in terms of reality, ghostliness and the supernatural. Be warned!

I shall focus instead on the excellent performance of the main leads. The little girl, played by Hwan-hee Kim, sometimes playing a near 'The Exorcist' role and does it staggeringly well. She's only young and yet she grasped this role and made it very convincing, being 'possessed' and acting that out. Our policeman is played by Kwak Do-won in a gripping portrayal of the man caught in the middle of all this chaos and the Japanese man is Jun Kunimura (of Kill Bill fame). The supporting cast do their bit very well and director Na Hong-jin holds it all together nicely.

It's a bit mad in places and can be a bit gory. Not a lot is left to the imagination and we meander sometimes into near-zombie territory, so you can imagine what to expect from that! It's an excellent thriller, laying aside the supernatural mumbo-jumbo and an enjoyable ride, shot beautifully with excellent cinematography throughout. The film is littered with mysterious characters and it's often hard to keep track of where the story is going - or even where it is! It's a long film, so factor in a break when watching - available now on various streaming services. Just pay attention!

Monday 6 March 2023

Empire of Light (2022)

Here's another delightful and powerful performance from Olivia Colman in another cracking Sam Mendes creation. This one's a slow, observational drama set in a cinema in an English coastal town in the early 1980's.


Hilary is working as a Deputy Manager, of sorts, under the eye of the Manager played by Colin Firth. He's not in it much, but when he is, he plays reliably, as his character, Donald Ellis, takes advantage of Hilary and her position. She has recovered from some mental health problems in her past and is being supported in this job.

We join the story on the first day of a new employee's shift as Stephen, played by Micheal Ward, nervously tries to find his feet in amongst a handful of new colleagues. We spend time with the team in thier staff room, getting ready for the cinema-goers, cleaning up at the end of their shift, sorting out the popcorn and dealing with the box office leading to the performances.

The projectionist amongst them is played by Toby Jones and he's perfect for the role. Married to his craft, film, cinema - with a feel created by Mendes much like Cinema Paradiso. The love of film and cinema, which is reflected in one scene towards the end when Stephen is shown the projection room. But unlike Cinema Paradiso, the love letter to film is not the central story. We head off into that, following the unlikely blossoming relationship between Hilary and the significantly younger Stephen.

We spend time with them as they explore their pasts, their lives, their hopes and dreams. We travel with them on days out, wandering around the town, exploring the closed-down parts of the cinema they work in, significantly spending time caring for a pigeon with a broken wing between them as they close in towards more intimate activities. Hilary is a delicate soul though and when something goes not quite to plan for her, she sinks into despair and back towards mental health issues.

The resulting events I won't spoil for you, but things do go downhill rather with some behaviours on display which Hilary lives to regret. We get a look at how the police and social services of the time dealt with someone who was in need but not coping with life outside of services. An era when the emphasis in the UK was on community care, closing down psychiatric hospitals and other facilities and supporting people to live ordinary lives in ordinary settings. Often going wrong.

Simultaneously, we get a peek at the social disorder of the time surrounding the 'Mods' movement, resurging from the 1960's, focusing on seaside towns, and the difficult position the whole team at the cinema found themselves in when the mob broke into the cinema, racially targeting Stephen. So yes, there are lots of social issues weaved in and out of the film, racism of the day, mental health issues pertaining to the era, the abusive behaviour of those in power over others and more.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film, felt it was amazingly well acted by the whole cast, the cinematography was beautifully executed with interesting visuals, the music supported the theme of the day and genre of film and I felt that Mendes pulled it all together very nicely. An excellent outing, thoroughly recommended which is now streaming on Disney+.

Wednesday 1 March 2023

PodHub UK Podcasts for the Month of February 2023

...a roundup of our month of podcasting. Links to the team, communities and podcast homes on the net at the foot, so scroll down!


Whatever Works
Episode 179 - Eye Dollar Tree!
Friday 3rd February
Aidan and I are back again to bring you an hour of natter about Whatever Works for us and you! Loads of stuff flyin' around including the grand fish finger fry-up, electricity through chocolate, white noise and much more - it's enough to give someone a migraine!

Phones Show Chat
Saturday 4th February
Steve and I are here again with this weekend's Pod and this time we're joined by first-timer Simon Nicholls as he tells us about his path from iOS to Android and back again! Plus lots more as always including Steve trying to turn his phone into a dSLR and me with the Clash of the Ultras!

Tech Addicts Podcast
Sunday 5th February
Gareth and I bring you this weekend's tech twaddle as we chat about the new Samsung phone, more from Marshall, Magic from Honor, Oppo takes a close look with the Reno8, Sony, Chrome, Elgato, Microsoft - it's all here via the link and your podcatcher in spadefuls!

Projector Room
Episode 131 - Pale Blue Plane
Wednesday 8th February
Allan, Gareth and I are back again with our fortnightly roundup of all things film, cinema and TV - from us and you! We become the Watcher as we Let the Right One In, go Plane Deadstreaming, ask Sam to Play it Again while considering Love and Death!

Phones Show Chat
Episode 735 - Get Off My Wrist!
Saturday 11th February
Steve and I are here again with our weekly roundup of thoughts and experiences regarding all things phone! This time we're joined by James Pearce as we get a rundown of his mobile history and new life free of tech! Plus all the usual furniture, that little Neo gets more coverage and we sound-off about audio!

Tech Addicts Podcast
Sunday 12th February
Gareth and I are back again with more wretched ramblings on all things tech! This week, we Flex with Sammy, Pad about with OnePlus and Honor, measure up with GSMArena, go GOGgle-eyed with games and enjoy some Jumbo japes!

Whatever Works
Episode 180 - Up to the Oche!
Friday 17th February
Aidan and I are here again with an Arra's flavoured show as we hit double top time and time again! All sorts of the usual tripe otherwise, to amuse and entertain, we hope, considering Whatever Works for us and you! So go to it and toe the oche for the first leg!

Phones Show Chat
Episode 736 - Fold as Farrari
Saturday 18th February
Steve and I are here again and this weekend as we welcome back Tim Evans for a natter. As always when Tim's on, we get a deeper-than-usual dive into what's-what behind the scenes in the industry, so expect some interesting teases and insights! All sorts included from Google, Samsung and Apple to e-Ink, MWC and Sailfish - so grab a coffee and join us for an hour!

Projector Room
Episode 132 - Viking Wolf Shooter
Wednesday 22nd February
Allan, Gareth and I are back once again with a roundup of all things film, cinema and TV. This time we hit the Mean Streets with that Bad Lieutenant Harvey Keitel, fall asleep in Plainville and visit The Witch in 1923! Loads more as always, so do join us!

Phones Show Chat
Saturday 25th February
Steve and I are here again this weekend and we welcome back Matt Miller to chat about all things phone and more. We find out what he's been up to, what stuff he's using now and what he looks forward to. Plus plenty of other stuff from us.

Tech Addicts Podcast
Sunday 26th February
Gareth, Ricky West and I chat about Xiaomi Walkie Talkie 2S, Oppo Find N2 Flip, Motorola Razr 2023, Honor Magic5 Lite, nubia Neovision AR smart glasses, nubia Pad 3D, AnkerWork M650, Realme GT3 and much more!


Cold Meat (2023)

This 2023 from French writer/director Sébastien Drouin starts out as we join David leaving home, getting on the road to go somewhere in his ...