The UK’s smartphone users are more interested in battery life than futuristic features such as 3D graphics, curved screens and eye-tracking when it comes to buying a new device.
Research by price comparison site uSwitch.com found that Britons think the most important thing about any smartphone is how easy it is to use, with 29 per cent voting this a top priority.
Next was phone call reception with 19 per cent, the same amount as battery life.
Ernest Doku from uSwitch.com said the study “shows that Brits can spot a gimmick from a mile away”, adding: “It’s actually the basics that affect the everyday user experience – like long battery life and a robust design – that people really care about.”
Putting a price on kitchen gadgets
The kitchen is no longer just a place for food preparation but a technological hub containing gadgets worth hundreds, a poll has found.
British kitchens now house an estimated 163 million gadgets – an average of seven each – according to a study of 2,000 people by Barclaycard’s deals website.
Long-standing kitchen staples such as the microwave and toaster are joined in the top 10 most-desired gadgets by more modern inventions, including smoothie makers and juicers.
More than a quarter of British households own a steamer (27 per cent) or a George Foreman grill (26 per cent), while 1.6 million households own an ice cream maker, 930,000 a popcorn machine and 46,000 a cupcake maker.
Driving everyone around the bend
Rows over routes are the biggest cause of in-car friction, according to an AA/Populus survey.
Two in three people argue in the car, with 18 to 24-year-olds more likely to row than those over 65.
Getting from A to B was the main cause of arguments, followed by driving too fast, not asking for directions and noisy children.
The survey, based on responses from more than 23,000 AA members, also showed that car occupants argued about shouting at other drivers, the temperature in the car, not agreeing where to eat or what to listen to, and the topic of conversation.
Boys facing ‘bake and enter’ charge
Two 17-year-old boys have been charged with breaking into a Pennsylvania home and baking drug-laced brownies.
The boys were found with drug paraphernalia and more than two pounds of the unspecified drug used to make the treats.
Both of them have been charged in Montgomery County Juvenile Court.
The Perkiomen township is in the Philadelphia suburbs, northwest of the city.
Married couple together, forever
After nearly 62 years of marriage, little separated Don and Maxine Simpson – not even death.
The California couple died just four hours apart in July, spending their last moments side by side. He was 90 and she was 87.
Granddaughter Melissa Sloan said her grandmother died first and, when her body was taken away, Don Simpson’s soul left with her.
The couple were active with local civic groups. They are survived by one son and five grandchildren.