September 2, 2010

Anglophile Reviews: Check Out Our Review of the Apple iPad in London

During our recent trip to London, I had the opportunity to review an Apple iPad thanks to the good graces of Golden Technologies in Valparaiso, Indiana.

My review went live last week.

Here’s an excerpt:

By far the most impressive feature of the iPad was how long the battery lasts. I used it pretty heavily and it lasted for 3 days on one charge. I wish they could apply the same battery technology to the iPhone! The only downside of the battery lasting forever, is that it also takes a really long time for it to charge. Sometimes charging overnight wasn’t enough to get a full charge.

The iPad isn’t quite as portable as I’d hoped. I didn’t feel like it was a safe form factor to cart around London with me as I went from meeting to meeting. So, it stayed safe in the flat. I didn’t want it to get nicked or broken!

I know I already said it once – but the screen on the iPad is amazing to look at. Since I was actually in the UK, I was able to watch the BBC iPlayer and it looked amazing optimized for the iPad. Our flat didn’t have a TV so it was a great way to keep up with our favorite shows. And the nice thing is that since the screen is so big, we propped it up on a table like a TV and sat on the ouch and watched it. Brilliant.

Read the rest of the review here.

Anglophile Reviews: Fonmigo International UK Phone Service Review

Two of the biggest issues the wayward traveler faces while in London is calling back home and getting affordable and reliable internet access.

Fonmigo solves both these issues. We had the opportunity to test out the Fonmigo service on our recent trip and here’s a rundown of how it went.

What is Fonmigo?

Fonmigo is a service that rents out UK phones to Americans before they leave for London. The phone is loaded with useful apps for Twitter, Facebook, E-mail, etc and has minutes loaded onto it. It really takes the headache out of having a phone in London while you’re there and takes the trouble out of having to buy your own pay as you go phone.

The Fonmigo Phone

We got to use the Fonmigo phone for a week and it was a lovely little device. It did everything we needed it to do. It allowed us to keep up with Twitter and Facebook while in London as well as manage our e-mails. It was great for calling home but also very useful for making contact with our friends in London. By having a local cell phone number, it didn’t cost them an arm and a leg to communicate with us.

The phone is sleek and modern – very easy to use. It comes with a user manual that quickly explains how to do basic tasks – but really they weren’t really necessary. The phone just works. The charge on the phone lasts forever – we actually didn’t have to charge it the whole time we were in London.

The Mobile WiFi

I’m a rabid iPhone user and the thought of leaving my iPhone at home while going to London, fills me with abject horror. The only problem is that you should never, under any circumstance turn on international data roaming on your iPhone or else you’ll get hit with a huge surprise when your phone bill comes after the trip.

The Fonmigo Mobile WiFi is an affordable and easy solution. It’s a portable WiFi hotspot that you can carry around with you. Once you register it to your iPhone, you can access the web from anywhere. This is especially useful if you’re navigating the labrythitine streets of London and need Google Maps to find your way.

It was also great for keeping up with e-mail so I didn’t have to wait until I got back to our flat to check e-mails. As someone who likes being plugged in 24/7, the mobile WiFi hotspot allows you to do this at an affordable price.

Conclusion

If you’re travelling to England and want a hassle free way to communicated to your friends back home as well as keep in touch with your friend in England – the Fonmigo is really the way to go. It’s much cheaper than paying international roaming fees and the phones themselves have a lot of useful extras.

If you don’t fancy renting the phone and want to stick with travelling to London with your iPhone, then I recommend picking up the Fonmigo Mobile WiFi hotspot – it’s a great way to stay connected while you’re out exploring the streets of London.

For more information about Fonmigo, check out their website here.

Anglophile Reviews: Robin Hood Starring Russell Crowe

By far the most interesting movie about tax collection I’ve ever seen.

I was pretty dubious about the prospect of yet another movie about Robin Hood, even with Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott involved. It’s a story that’s been so well trod – it’s hard to find anything worth telling about the story again.

Growing up in the 1990′s – there were only two version of Robin Hood to me: The Prince of Thieves with Kevin Costner and Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

Despite stepping into familiar territory, the creators of the new Robin Hood managed to find an interesting and new story worth telling. It’s Robin Hood with a twist – enough of a twist that’s it’s worth watching.

Russell Crowe has been getting criticism for his accent – I didn’t really notice or care. He does a good job as the grumbling Robin. It doesn’t require much range to play Robin Hood and it’s a pretty safe role for him. He does well in it. Cate Blanchett does well as the headstrong Marion.

Take whatever you think a movie about Robin Hood would normally be about and turn it on it’s head. The plot takes a little while to get moving early on but basically Russell Crowe plays Robin Longstride – an able archer in Richard the Lionheart’s army. Through the result of a battle and good fortune, Robin comes to impersonate a knight which leads to all sort sof interesting results. The main force driving the plot is that King John is hungry for tax revenue.

There’s only one scene in the movie where Robin hood ‘steals from the rich and gives to the poor.’ The movie is mostly about politics and the main enemy is Britain’s favorite punching bag, the scheming French. There’s a very enjoyable final climactic battle that borders on the ridiculous (I won’t say why in fear of giving too much away, but you’ll know it when you see it).

Being pretty familiar with the historical backdrop of the era in which this takes place – I’m not sure how accurate this movie really is. It’s sort of lives in the same type of universe that Gladiator lived in – it uses real characters to tell the story of a fictional one with much dramatic license. Which you don’t really mind because the movie is exciting enough.

Robin Hood features an excellent array of secondary characters – and you really get the feeling that they’re setting up for a sequel as they give them a lot of depth. The score of the film is rather nice.

I mostly went for the scenery and the movie does not disappoint. There are plenty of beautiful lingering shots of the English Countryside but they also went to great pains to recreate what London would have looked like in the 12 century – which was pretty freaking cool. I’m happy to report that the movie was actually filmed on location in England, including in the REAL Sherwood Forest.

It’s not an Oscar worthy movie or better than other versions of Robin Hood – but it didn’t really have to be, did it? It’s a fun, new take on the classic story that’s worth watching. That’s really all that matters.

I’d certainly see a sequel.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Anglophile Reviews: Tottering-By-Gently English Aristocratic Comic

The fabulous cartoon strip from Country Life Magazine (our favorite British Magazine!), The Totterings, has been made into a book. Anglotopia recently received a book entitled Out and About with the Totterings from the comic strip Tottering By Gently. This delightful book by Annie Tempest offers a humorous look in to the wealthy Tottering family.

The family is comprised of; Lord Tottering “Dickey,” Lady Tottering “Daffy,” and their children, Selena, Freddy, and Daisy. They also have a lovable black Labradors name Slobber and Scribble. They live in a large country house and have all of the charms and quirks that one would expect. The illustrations in this little gem are absolutely charming. The book chronicles the lives of daily life on the estate.

Some of my favorite cartoons are with Lady Tottering, indulging in chocolate, wine or a lovely bubble bath. There is something very relatable with her character.  I especially enjoyed  the cartoons with their lovable labradors. Annie Tempest, gives such accurate personality to the labradors in this book, that as a labrador owner, I found myself laughing out loud while reading. As a matter of fact I often found myself laughing out loud while reading this book.

This book makes a wonderful addition to my coffee table. I like that this book, portrays life on an English estate in such a charming way. We have had guests pull the book off the table and laugh at the cartoons as well. This book would make a wonderful gift for the consummate anglophile. Annie Tempest has done a wonderful job of illustrating the quirkiness and charm of the Totterings.

The Totterings are quintessentially English and this book is a must have for the Anglophile out there who’d like an insight in the upper class fantasy lifestyles of the English Aristocracy. The cartoons harkens back to simpler, less complicated days and they are always a delight to read. If you enjoyed Brideshead Revisited (in all its incarnations) then you’ll love Out and About With the Totterings!

New London iPhone App Launched from Walk Talk Tours – Review Inside

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I’m a huge fan of Walk Talk Tours and I’ve written about them before. Basically they create audio tours of major cities in Britain that you can download and put on your MP3 player or iPod.

I’m happy to announce that they’ve gone to the next level and launched their own iPhone app with Sploro Interactive.

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It’s a combination ride and stride tour that features a section of the audio tour from the top of a double decker bus and the rest of the tour consists of a 1.8 mile tour.

The tour is of the high quality that is to be expected from Walk Talk tours and it’s great having it in an easy to use iPhone app that features a tour breakdown, guidepoints, a handy map and much more.

Right now – they’re giving the App away from free until May 31st! So get your app now before the price goes up.

While I can’t give the app a proper on the ground review – I’m familiar enough to London to know that the app is accurate in it’s directions, provides fascinating anecdotes and makes it easy to follow on London’s confusing streets.

Even if you’re not going to London it’s worth having just to hear someone with a nice British accent read the whole journey to you – you’ll definitely learn quite a bit and then you’ll want to book a trip to do it in person!

If you’d like you can download the app for free from the iTunes store here: London Ride and Stride