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Technology has transformed driving, especially in terms of navigation. It was only two decades ago when sat-navs were a luxury item, but now they’re commonplace. People rely on sat-navs so much that they wouldn’t even consider going on a long distance drive without one.

Back in the day, it was a case of using maps and learning the route before you left, whilst memorising or taking note of road names. When was the last time you decided to navigate to a location by a printed map rather than sat-nav or mobile phone? Probably a very long time, and that’s completely understandable because the technology is quite brilliant. We no longer have to worry about getting lost, whilst we can also keep track of speed cameras too. It’s hard to fault the technology and how far we’ve come, however, it’s certainly true that we rely a bit too much on this new technology now.

Glass etching was once something you would have to go to a specialist for, and the costs weren’t exactly cheap, however, it is now possible to learn the art of glass etching yourself, and there are many products you can buy to help you perfect this skill. There are some pen engravers which you can you use with stencils, so all you really need is a cool and purposeful hand. If you’re able to etch glass to a good standard, you can make some of your Christmas presents more memorable, and the good news is these pens are incredibly cheap. What people don’t know is that these pens can also deliver deep grooves in metal, wood, leather, plastic, and ceramic, so they’re very multipurpose. If you’d like one of these and fancy practising this Christmas, try mastering wood first, but if you can, always choose a pen engraver that sits comfortably in the hand.

The CamRanger is an incredibly nifty bit of kit that’s being widely used by professional portrait, commercial and editorial photographers. What it essentially allows them to do is control the camera via an Apple or Android device, whilst it tethers the photographs taken through to the device via a simple cable. This basically means that the photographer can see the photos as they come through and critique them on a larger screen rather than the DSLR’s display. It’s a very clever tool that will be sure to impress your clients, so you can quickly see if another shot is needed, whether lighting needs to be tweaked or the post for instance. At under £300 it’s an incredibly worthwhile investment for any professional photographer, and that’s why it’s becoming such a useful tool in the industry and we’re sure its popularity will only continue to grow over the coming months and years.

With the forever developing technology, it can be hard to keep up. Smart watches are the latest trend, but are they worth investing in?

Smart watches will certainly suit some lifestyles more than others, with buisness men and women being the primary target audience. There are many features to smart watches, and we will outline a few to help you gain a better understanding before you make a purchase.

Phone calls- you can see who is calling you straight from your watch. This means you can have your phone on silence and receive a small vibration to your wrist to alert you that you have a phone call. This feature is extremely helpful during business meetings, where you do not want to cause a distraction.

Notifications- this includes text messages, emails, app messages and much more. As previously mentioned, the discrete alerting system allows you to control your messages without looking rude on your phone.

Extras- Calendars, calculators and camera control are all extra features that you may find on a smart watch. You can set alarms to alert you of meeting times in a discrete manor.

If you are about to take off on an adventure of a life time or you may be planning a holiday away with the family, a portable charger should be on your checklist.

Mobile phones, tablets, and cameras are all part of our holiday must haves, but keeping the battery going while we are on the move can be difficult. A simple addition of a portable charger is all you need. These chargers can either be mains charged or solar charged, both allowing you to charge multiple devices before they lose their charge.

Modern models come in a compact design that fit nicely into your bag, not taking up too much space. It seems that the new mobile phones are losing their battery life quicker than ever, that’s why a quick boost by a portable charger can come in handy. Chargers are available in a variety of designs and varying prices, so there is one that will suit your style and needs.

As other industries continue to advance in regard to technology, the hospitality industry is also not left behind.

Here are some of the latest restaurant technologies:

Tablet restaurant management- This system provides for real-time views of tables, catalogues the menu by a selection’s name or ingredients, processes sales and delivery tickets as well as sends orders to the kitchen and therefore ensures faster service of food and beverages.

LED Alert systems- The system alerts kitchen workers to time-sensitive tasks such as when the silverware is dry and is ready for use by illuminating a coloured light. The light attracts the attention of the staff and sends a message on the immediate action that should be taken.

Table based entertainment- The new technology helps to eliminate the use of paperwork menus in the restaurants and projects all that guests need to know directly onto their tables. Dishes can be ordered by pressing the virtual button on the e-table.

In case the guests get bored, the system provides a range of entertainment options. For example, they can take a peep at the chefs as they prepare the ordered foods or take a look at interesting information of the local area.

It can be quite amazing to see the effects of technology, and it’s easily done when you take a step back and review what your daily routines are, and how many of them involve some form of technology. We’re not just talking about electric toothbrushes and the alarm that wakes you up, but many homes now include appliances that are controlled by mobile phones.

Lamps, televisions and kettles can all now be hooked up to mobile apps, whilst electricity as a whole can be controlled at the click of one button. There are many energy providers in the UK who offer smart boxes that allow us to control what’s switched on and what’s not, and if you’re yet to experience these yet, you may well be using them regularly in 5 years time. Technology at home is constantly evolving, and so too are our daily routines. Think carefully about how you start and end each day. Does technology play a crucial role?

There has been a lot of talk about Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) in recent years and we’re really starting to see this form of technology being put to good use. We’re not just talking about gaming, but computers in general too. There is no doubt that in the near future we will interact more with computers using AR and VR, and even though these technologies are very much in their early stages, they will certainly bring new levels of innovation to the computing experience over the next 10, 20 or 30 years. It’s said that many companies are now starting to lay the groundwork for working with augmented reality in the manufacturing industry so this will be very interesting to follow, especially over the next 5 years when everything is very much in the early stages. There will without a doubt be many cool prototypes circulating in the media very soon, and we may start seeing them being put to use in the coming months, in real working environments.

If you are lucky enough to invent a product that is not yet on the shelves, protecting your product is extremely important. With such an achievement, many people may wish to steal your idea and take it as their own. The best way to protect your product is you get a patent for it, making it illegally yours. Here are some simple steps to getting a patent for your product:

Record keeping- This entails details on how you came up with the idea, the changes you made to it, when you began working on it, the difficulties you’ve endured during the whole process with as many details as possible.

Qualifying for patenting- Not all inventions can be patented. That’s why it’s always wise to check if it meets certain criteria’s. Before you apply for a patent, the product must not be on sale or known to other people. Also do a patent search to see if there any other similar products that already exist.

Make the Application- Once you’ve established that your product meets the requirements mentioned above, you can now proceed to filing a patent application with your regions patent authority.

In today’s packaging world, shrink tunnel is considered to be the ideal method for packaging your products. The benefits become obvious when you compare this method to alternatives that are available out there in the market and we’re going to guide you through some of the key advantages in this article.

In some cases, shrink tunnel packaging is used for the sole purpose of providing protection to an item. In other cases, it is used to enhance the visual appearance of a product. Then there are other practical uses like keeping something air tight or using shrink wrapping to help hold the contents of a package in place. These are the things that will determine the choice that you will make. At times it is a question of the strength of the wrapping material that needs to be taken into account. Another important aspect is the time factor. For example, when goods need to be packed for a long period of time they need durable shrink-wrapping.
Once you have determined and purchased the kind of shrink tunnel packaging that you need you will move on to the next step of wrapping your products. This will, of course, require you to have the right kind of shrink tunnel equipment so as to be able to perform the task with ease and precision.

There are two kinds of basic tools that you require when working with shrink-wrap. One is a tool that needs to be used for cutting and the other should be a source of heat to mould and seal the wrapping in place. Although this can be achieved with some household tools, for best results you should make use of proper equipment. The most important aspect of wrapping your goods in this material is of course the sealing. The quality of your seal will determine the strength of your packaging. You will, however, need to vacuum all of the air from inside the package prior to putting on the final seal if you require an airtight seal.