TECHNOLOGY REVIEWS

TECHNOLOGY REVIEWS LED FLOODLIGHTS ARE THE LATEST TREND TECHNOLOGY REVIEWS

South African energy-saving and backup power solution specialist, Mr. Power, has recently added a range of locally assembled LED floodlights to their product offerings. LED lighting is rapidly growing in popularity and becoming standard in most commercial and residential buildings. The dramatic increase in LED usage is largely due to their low energy consumption, long life span and depth, width and versatility. In addition to Mr Power’s LED dimmable and non-dimmable down-lights, the company now also offers a range of floodlights to suit your outdoor needs. Outdoor lighting must be bright for safety and security reasons and have a long life span – Mr Power’s floodlights deliver on this and more. They draw about 10 percent of the energy of conventional floodlights, produce a strong light and come with a two year warranty. They also don’t attract insects or burn your plants.

Prices range from around R400 for a 10w flood to R3200 for a 100w. For more information or to find your closest distributor, please visit www. mrpower.co.za or call the Mr. Power team directly on 011 804 2988.

GLAD ICE CUBE BAGS

Everybody’s favourite ice solution, Ice Cube Bags have have been reinvented by GLAD. Subtle enhancements includes self-seal innovation that is activated when the bag is turned upside down, ensuring that liquids within it do not spill. The bags also boast individually perforated ice cube blocks – making them easy to use, as and when needed. The GLAD Ice Cube Bags lie flat in the freezer or can save freezer space by being placed into awkward spaces. GLAD Ice Cube Bags are a hygienic, airtight and leak-free way of creating ice.

Please visit www.glad.co.za for more information. GLAD Ice Bags can be found in the GLAD aisle at most supermarkets, priced from R13.99.

Q & A: GEYSER CONTROLLER VS GEYSER TIMER

The most common questions Roger Bulgin from Mr. Power is asked, is the differences between a Geyser Controller and a geyser timer. In response to these commonly asked questions, we’ve compiled a Q & A, to help guide you in your decision making:

Why does a geyser use so much electricity?

The geyser uses so much electricity because it’s continuously reheating the water contained inside the tank, and the average geyser holds 150 to 200 litres of water. Every time it switches on, it is the equivalent of turning on 50 incandescent light bulbs! It reheats every time the geyser temperature drops a few degrees, which is when the thermostat switches the element back on and heats the water back up to the required thermostat setting.

How can I reduce the electricity used by my geyser?

Install a Mr. Power Geyser Controller because it is programmed to switch off the geyser when hot water is not required in large amounts. The controller also ensures the geyser is turned off during peak hours. The Geyser Controller from Mr. Power can reduce your electricity bill by as much as 30 percent – which is a huge saving (especially when considering the ever-increasing costs of power). Plus, you are doing your bit for the environment by saving energy.

What is the difference between a Geyser Controller and a geyser timer?

A timer simply turns the geyser element on and off during a specified time period (typically 2-3 hours both in the morning and evening). It is important to understand that when it is turned on, the geyser element reheats the tank of water each time the hot water tap is used, regardless of the amount of water drawn from the tap.

A Mr. Power Geyser Controller detects current, or in layman’s terms, checks to see if there is still hot water in the tank, before switching on the element, thereby avoiding reheating the entire geyser unnecessarily

In addition, the Geyser Controller will switch the element off once the required water temperature is reached.

Unlike the timer, the Geyser Controller will only be active for the period of time necessary to get the water to the pre-set temperature and will then cancel the rest of the time period, thus avoiding unnecessary heating. The Geyser Controller also features a handy boost button which allows you to manually turn the geyser element on if needed.

The Mr. Power Geyser Controller product and installation cost approximately R1 500, which gives a return on investment of less than six months.

For more information or to find your closest distributor, please visit www. mrpower.co.za or call the Mr. Power team directly on 011 804 2988.

GADGETS & TECH REVIEW SAMSUNG EXPANDS INDUSTRY-LEADING WEARABLE LINE WITH SAMSUNG GEAR FIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

Samsung Electronics unveiled the Samsung GEAR Fit, the industry’s first curved, Super AMOLED wearable device for the active consumer, at MWC 2014. The GEAR Fit offers the unmatched convenience of Samsung GEAR technology with the most comprehensive fitness tools available, empowering consumers to stay physically active without sacrificing personal style or mobile connectivity.

“Samsung understands that the next generation of wearable mobile solutions must directly reflect the diverse interests and needs of consumers,” said Craige Fleischer, Director of Mobile Communications at Samsung South Africa. “In response, our GEAR product portfolio continues to expand with unique devices for a wide range of lifestyles, including the new GEAR Fit designed to assist users striving to live more fit and active lives without sacrificing their own personal style or their ability to stay connected on the go.”

Whether used as a standalone or companion device, the Samsung GEAR Fit empowers consumers to take charge of their personal and active lives, whilst staying connected so they never have to miss a moment.

The ultimate modern fitness solution

The Samsung GEAR Fit is designed to comfortably contour to consumers’ wrists while offering a vivid Super AMOLED display. It provides so much more than an everyday fitness band, keeping consumers up to date with instant notifications from GALAXY smartphones, including incoming calls, emails, SMS, alarm, S-planner and 3rd party applications. Changeable straps in black, orange and mocha grey give consumers the freedom to express their individual style, changing the look of the GEARFit to match any outfit or mood, whilst staying connected on the move. The sleek new Samsung GEAR Fit provides the superior connectivity benefits of Samsung wearable technology with a custom, real time fitness coaching to provide unique, personalised advice and workout SAMSUNG UNVEILS GALAXY S5, DESIGNED FOR WHAT MATTERS MOST recommendations.

Samsung Electronics recently announced the fifth generation of the GALAXY S series, the Galaxy S5, that’s been designed with what matters most to consumers in mind. The new GALAXY S5 offers a refined experience with innovation and essential features for day-to-day use.

The GALAXY S5 combines an advanced camera, fast network connectivity, dedicated fitness tools and enhanced device protection features as consumers stay fit and connected, in style.

Capture the moments that matter

The ability to capture and save precious life memories as they happen is regarded as one of the most important smart phone features. The new GALAXYS5 offers superior camera functionality, featuring a 16 megapixel camera with an enhanced menu and user interface that allow consumers to easily take, edit and share photos. The GALAXY S5 delivers the world’s fastest autofocus speed of up to 0.3 seconds and the advanced High Dynamic Range (HDR), reproducing natural light and colour with striking intensity under any circumstances. The new Selective Focus feature allows users to focus on a specific area of an object whilst simultaneously blurring out the background. With this capability,

a special lens kit to create a shallow depth of field (DOF) effect is no longer required.

Tap into the fastest connections

The GALAXY S5 features the most advanced LTE experience and Wi-Fi performance options available today, ensuring blazing fast data speeds for unrivaled media consumption and productivity. It supports the fifth generation Wi-Fi 802.11ac, 2X2 MIMO and the large number of LTE frequencies, with LTE Category 4 as standard. For consumers seeking an even faster connection, the GALAXY S5 now features Download Booster, an innovative Wi-Fi technology that enhances data speed by bonding Wi-Fi and LTE simultaneously. GALAXY S5 will help ensure that consumers have the fastest available connection, regardless of where they are.

Be more fit and active

With the improved S Health 3.0, the new GALAXY S5 offers more tools to help you stay fit and healthy. It provides a comprehensive personal fitness tracker to monitor and manage behaviour, along with additional tools including a pedometer, diet and exercise recordkeeping functions and a new built-in heart rate monitor. The GALAXY S5 can further be personalised with an enriched third party application ecosystem and the ability to pair with next generation GEAR products for real-time fitness coaching.

Express modern, glam look

SAMSUNG CAMERA NX30

The GALAXY S5 blends iconic Samsung design with modern trends to appeal to a range of consumer tastes and interests. It features a perforated pattern on the back cover creating a modern glam look. Its new sleek, contoured shape comes in an array of vivid colours, including charcoal black, shimmery white and electric blue, to complement the style of the individual consumer.

Essential device protection

The GALAXY S5 is IP67 dust and water resistant. It also offers a Finger Scanner, providing a secure, biometric screen locking feature and a seamless, safe mobile payment experience to consumers. The Ultra Power Saving Mode turns the display to black and white and shuts down all unnecessary features to minimise the battery consumption.

or around the world. AutoShare saves photographs to your smartphone as you shoot, and with Remote Viewfinder Pro, you can control your camera with your smartphone. Easily post photos to social networks, store them on the cloud—with 1 TB of storage via HomeSync—and back them up to your PC. You can even monitor a sleeping baby from another room.

The versatile Samsung smart camera NX30 delivers the performance you demand. Its 20.3MP APS-C CMOS sensor ensures brilliant images even in low lit situations; the next-generation hybrid autofocus system provides accurate focusing and a 1/8,000 second shutter speed enables you to capture fast-moving subjects with little to no blur. You can also share your brilliant images with embedded NFC (Near Field Communication) and Wi-Fi—these features let you quickly send pictures to your smartphone or tablet by simply touching the camera to the device. The NX30’s dynamic design and seamless build quality—including tiltable eyelevel electronic viewfinder and Super AMOLED Swivel and Touch Display are as professional as the images it takes.

Advanced Hybrid AF & 20.3MP APS-C CMOS Sensor

Built with a hybrid AF (Auto Focus) system and 20.3MP APS-C sensor that is ideal for creating rich images with DSLR-quality in a mirrorless system lens camera, the NX30 delivers lightningquick focusing while producing stunning depth-of-field and out-focusing effects. The hybrid AF (Auto Focus) system combines Phase detection AF and contrast AF for faster and more accurate autofocusing. Measuring 23.5mm x 15.7mm, the 20.3MP APS-C CMOS sensor captures the most light to create beautiful, noise-free pictures and video. And with an incredibly short shutter lag, the NX30 allows you to shoot accurate, sharply detailed images faster.

1/8,000 Sec. Shutter Speed

Freeze the ultimate moment with the Samsung SMART CAMERA NX30, which boasts a top shutter speed of 1/8,000 of a second. With this fast shutter and quick autofocus system, you can perfectly capture movement far removed from what the naked eye can see, without even a hint of motion blur.

Save and share anytime, anywhere

NFC- and Wi-Fienabled features let you tag and go for effortless sharing. Photo Beam and MobileLink allow you to share images with compatible smartphones next to you

ZONNEBLOEM COMMISSIONS LEADING SA DESIGNER

Zonnebloem have teamed up with Haldane Martin, one of South Africa’s most successful industrial and interior designers, to develop a stylish range of merchandising units for restaurants, bars and retail outlets.

This partnership coincides with the unveiling of Zonnebloem’s new tagline, “crafting contemporary classics”. Haldane’s first design is a sleek, multi-purpose, dark cork-topped table that also functions as an ice bucket stand. The table top can be used to hold a bottle, a decanter and a glass of wine, and the legs have been configured so as to support an ice bucket.

Haldane has also created two free-standing display units for wine shops, featuring some of the same materials, including the distinctive dark cork and brass fixtures. “He has reinterpreted the traditional in a pleasingly modern and original way that corresponds with Zonnebloem’s approach to winemaking. His designs reflect the cardinal principles of harmony and balance evident in our wellcrafted wines. Zonnebloem is a South African classic. Wine collectors have enormous respect for the brand with vintages from the 1940s, ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s still fetching impressive prices on auction. At the same time, it’s a growing brand that has been building international support for its classically styled but refreshing and modern-tasting wines,” says global brand manager Dè-Mari Kellerman. Haldane Martin was approached, she says, because he has been one of the most successful exponents of a modern South African cultural identity. “He uses design to reflect a sense of time and place. That’s exactly what our winemakers do. They mirror the uniqueness of each vintage and draw from very specific vineyard blocks to achieve a sense of time and place…He works with materials in a way that is kind to the planet and to people. In the same way, all our wines are made by following the principles of ecosustainability.” Kellerman confirmed that, internationally, Zonnebloem is also growing its year-on-year sales and it is also one of the most popular ranges in the dutyfree channel.

WINNING FINE BRANDY BAR DESIGN UNVEILED AT DESIGN INDABA

Fine Brandy Bar Design Initiative’s winning bar at Design Indaba

Pretoria furniture designer Peet van Straaten was announced the winner of the Fine Brandy Bar Design Initiative, as his creation was unveiled in life-size format at the prestigious Design Indaba event in Cape Town.

This announcement was the culmination of a 12-month search for the best design, which included several leading names in the South African design industry who competed for the R50 000 cash prize.

Fine Brandy By Design, a collection of award-winning potstill brandies, namely Oude Meester Demant, Van Ryn’s 12 Year Old Distillers Reserve, Klipdrift Gold, Flight of the Fish Eagle and Collison’s White Gold, will be served neat and in cocktails from the bar.

Van Straaten’s bar, consisting of two pods, aims to elevate the experience for the brandy drinker to a level of installation art. “It uses social media elements to turn the bar into a contemporary and elegant space more akin to a national pavilion or exhibition space, where people socialise, build pride in and learn more about the spirit,” explained Van Straaten.

Pictures taken of patrons at the bar will be posted on social media channels as well as physically hung on the stand.

“The more people who visit the bar, the more the pictures will fill up the pod, reminiscent of a glass filling up. “The bar is a celebration of excellence and an acknowledgment of the individuals that make the distinguished choice to support Fine Brandy. In celebrating the heritage and excellence of the spirit, this design intends to instil pride and bring in an understanding of brandy’s living legacy that is carried by its custodians and patrons. “I design to create something of meaning, with tangible quality, something that will be around for a long time, much like crafting a potstill brandy. The bar gives brandy drinkers the opportunity to interact as part of a group who enjoy the finer things in life – from what is in their glass to the design of the environment in which they are savouring their drink,” said Van Straaten.

With Cape Town named as World Design Capital 2014, the bar design competition gave designers additional motivation to create a world-class design experience.

“We seek to change the perception of brandy as an after-dinner drink to one that is recognised as an international award-winning spirit that is versatile and can be enjoyed in many different ways,” said Fine Brandy By Design Marketing Manager Caroline Scott.

FOOD AND BEER

DINNER PARTY

Inspired by the idea of adding a unique twist to an ordinary dining experience, an intimate food meets beer dinner party was hosted recently at the swanky Johannesburg rooftop venue, Elevate by the team behind South African Breweries latest flavoured beverage, Flying Fish. A first for South Africa, Flying Fish curated and hosted a three-course dinner party, which each part of the evening’s menu infusing with its Crushed Orange and Pressed Lemon variants.

Used to showcase the perfect marriage between flavoured beer and excellent cuisine, the dinner party’s menu was created by Reef Hotel Chef, Keith van Onselen. The decadent and delicious menu proved that flavour was the star of the evening, whilst taking guests on a sensational, mouthwatering journey.

Van Onselen kickstarted the evening by serving a Norwegian Hors D’ Oeuvre, made up of a smoked salmon salad on a bed of wild rocket leaves, accompanied by a tantalizing Flying Fish Pressed Lemon sorbet. The main course gave guests a choice between flamed grilled fillet mignon a La Orange, laced with flavours of Flying Fish Crushed Orange or a pan-fried stuffed chicken breast topped with Parmesan shavings. To top it off, Chef Keith served a decadent Lemon Meringue dessert, imbued with a hint of a Flying Fish Pressed Lemon.

“Flying Fish offers its consumers a unique taste experience and this first ever culinary tour translates into a lifestyle element that people in South Africa could choose to exercise. This dinner not only showcases our products’ ability to entrench itself into everyday life, but also demonstrates that adding unique flavours to food is something each and every one of us can do…all we need is a little inspiration,” said Flying Fish Innovations Project Manager, Qhawekazi Mdikane.

The Flying Fish “food meets beer” experience, hosted the crème de la crème of South Africa’s social scenes. Among the guests were Carol Ralefeta, Maps Maponyane, Luthando Sosha, Eda Rose, Mampho Brescia, Sylvester Falata, Lee-Roy Wright and Mome, to mention but a few.

“I was really inspired by the concept of flavoured beer and how it could add a delightful twist to an ordinary culinary experience. Working with Flying Fish to curate this menu was a delight, because it enabled me to take dining to a different level and challenged me to think out of the box in delivering a menu that was inspired by this unique range of beer flavours.” concluded Chef Keith.