Choozer's Blog

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is coming

Samsung's newest addition is soon to be released and looks to be continuing the trend of full HD screens ( 1920 x 1080 pixels ) squeezed into the same form factor as last year. No doubt it will be a monster when it's let loose. Its camera has opted for a gigantic 13 megapixels, a far cry from the HTC One with 4 megapixels and larger CCD sensor, so it will be interesting to see how they compare.

It will be available in white and black on its release.

Check out our comparison with the HTC One X, and Samsung Galaxy S4 over here.

A New Android HTC Contender

March 2013 will witness the release of the latest and confusingly named HTC One (not the HTC One X from last year!). With a full HD resolution screen of 1920 x 1080 pixels, and an improved 4 megapixel camera built in, it should be one to beat for the next few months.

Don't be fooled by the apparently reduced number of megapixels by the way, the HTC One has an enlarged sensor which is the same size as the iPhone 5 and Nokia Luma 920

Check out our comparison with the HTC One X, and Samsung Galaxy S3 over here.

New Phone Choozer Video

To get people in the mood for upgrading their phones, we have a catchy new video to showcae our mobile phone facilities!

Winter Driving Tips

Although a bit late for this winter, it may well come in handy once next year draws in. A few words regarding winter driving essential can be found here.

Ranging from kit to keep in your boot, to a cold weather vehicle check you can carry out, there may well be some useful info for you.

Planning A Journey?

Although still technically in beta, we have a handy new page for any choozers who need a route planner. Type in your start and destination then click the 'Plan My Route' button. A draggable (allowing you to modify your route) map and itemized route plan will be shown to you which is in handy printable format.

Give it a try if you have any long journeys ahead.

Why Buy the Samsung S3

Its predecessor, the Galaxy S2, was one of the top selling phones of 2012 and earned stellar praise from just about everyone. With its fast speeds and excellent camera, the Samsung is sure to be one of 2013’s most desirable devices. So why should anyone consider upgrading to the Galaxy S3?

Looks
Well, the display on this phone is 4.8 inches. That might be a blessing to you if you do a lot of reading or looking at images on your phone. The screen size is the key element in pushing it slightly out of the phone category and into the ‘phablet’ category.

The casing is very nice; smooth and flat and a joy to hold in your hands. The phone is available in a dark blue, purple-ish finish that makes it truly one of the prettiest devices out. It’s looks might even convince you to sell ipad gifts you received over Christmas!

OS
The S3 comes with Ice Cream Sandwich pre-installed, so you can begin using the latest Android OS right away. ICS has received widespread praise for its brilliant reinvention of the platform, making the phone easy to use. One key addition is the ability to go straight from the lock screen to the application of your choice. ICS also has face recognition capability, so why not use this nifty feature too?

Functions
With this phone, you get an impressive quad-core processor. With that comes a lot of speed, making the phone perfect for gaming. You also get an 8 megapixel camera for all your Instgramming and photo sharing needs. The Galaxy S3 is a more than worthy successor to the S2 – the developers have truly made improvements where they matter and kept what works with the original phone. Those who make the upgrade definitely won’t regret it, and it’s also a great introduction to the world of smartphones for someone you’re trying to get hooked.

Donna Eastern is a tech writer from Swiss Cottage. I’m currently trying to sell my macbook pro.

Fuel Cost Calculator Guide

For anyone new to our popular Fuel Cost Calculator, we have a short video showing you some of the benefits and a quick guide on how to use it. Keep an eye on your fuel and travel costs, and save money while you're at it!

Putting on a new face for 2013

Coming to the end of the year, we have been feverishly working on a new look to the site. We hope you like it! Not only will it look swich and up to date, it time it should be fully responsive in that it can alter its shape for smartphones and tablets too. Let us know if you have and suggestions or have spotted bugs. Happy holidays too!

Awaiting the newest Nexus Phone

Android fans will be waiting with baited breath the release of the new LG Google Nexus 4 next week. Built by LG, it will go up against the Samsung Galaxy S3 and HTC One X+ with similar quad core power and very favourable pricing! The only minor downside would be its smaller memory capacity at 8GB or 16GB, encouraging a cloud approach to media viewing. Covered on both sides with Corning Gorilla Glass, it should make quite an impact when it arrives.

A Few Home Energy Saving Godsends

For both environmental and economical reasons, it is now more important than ever to adhere to energy saving practices while at home. Such is the carelessness of modern man that in almost everything we do, wastefulness exists. There is then the opportunity for us to save money, resources and energy in almost all of our home activities. Here are a few products that enable you to do so:

Andersen’s 400 Series Tilt-Wash Double-Hung Insert Window
Left on lights are one of the biggest energy and money killers prevalent in homes throughout Britain. A real enemy to your electric bill, it simply drains energy. While you can remind yourself to always turn the lights off, it’s a bit harder drilling such diligence into your whole family, and doing so in itself, is rather energy consuming if you get my drift.  
The Lutron Maestro Occupancy Sensor is then the perfect answer, as it automatically turns lights on when entering a room and – more usefully – off when exiting. Its sensory technology makes sure lights stay on while someone is inside the room, and through detecting natural light ensures its radiance only turns on when needed. What’s more is that the sensor is compatible with all types of light-bulbs. A must have. 

Made to Measure Magnetic Secondary Glazing
Thinking ahead to the cold winter arriving at the end of the year is rather difficult considering we’re currently swamped in summer – or at least we should be! Nevertheless, those looking to save money will find that thinking ahead is an essentiality and vitality. With that in mind, magnetic secondary glazing is perfect for the winter. 
Through keeping your house warm, this product will save you bundles on gas and electricity heating costs and is also a cheaper alternative to double glazing. 

Rechargeable Batteries 
It’s a wonder that in an age when we have the ability to conduct a broadband speed test, and pay for items using our mobile phones, we ignore the technological genius of... rechargeable batteries! Such an invention is a Godsend and the fact that a good twenty years or so onwards from when they were first commercially available, we still generally ignore their existence is worrying. Rechargeable batteries aren’t only good economically (saving you from buying new ones all the time of course) but they’re invaluable to the environment!

Standby Savers
If you’re into saving energy you’ve most probably heard of standby savers, but it’s still amazing to see how many so called ‘enthusiasts’ haven’t. Standby savers turn off plugged in electrical appliances when not in use, thereby saving energy and reducing carbon CO2 emissions.

These four simple products will save you a heap of money over the years. So enjoy!

Our new Mileage Calculator!

Try out our accurate new Mileage Calculator to work out your distances travelled. You can use full postcodes or partial, and even town and city names. It should also work for different countries so please go ahead and give it a try.

A whole new car database for 2011!

Just in time for autumn, we have installed a whole new car database containing nearly 10,000 UK spec models (5 times bigger than our old one!) to help you chooze. Not only that but each car now has greatly enhanced details including the addition of optional extra pricing, pence per mile and new images.

A quick choozer intro video

We have commissioned a small 30 second intro video to give people an idea of what we do here. Let us know what you think.