Should You Buy The New Tesco Hudl 2?

We all know that the budget end of the tablet market is filled with horribly impossible to use small Android tablets (apart from Google's own of course) but now surprisingly the UK's biggest Supermarket, Tesco, has got in on the act and has done a brilliant job. As the name suggests the Hudle 2 is the next iteration to Tesco's budget Android tablet and after the huge success of the original nobody can blame them for going at it again. At only £130 the Hudl 2 is perfect for kids and those that are perhaps new to tablets and won't use or need the features of a larger more expensive device. At that price you'd expect fairly lacklustre tech specs but Tesco have pulled out all the stops with this one.

The 8.3" Full HD screen makes using the device a joy and the crisp, clear text makes it perfect for a bit of Facebook, online shopping and reading books while the Intel Atom quad-core processor and 2GB RAM makes it great for watching HD films and even gaming. It comes with the latest version of Android (at the time of writing anyway) which is called KitKat meaning you get a great choice of apps from the Google Play store. Unfortunately Tesco have loaded a few of their own which can't be deleted but they don't really get in the way too much. However, one of these apps, the child safety app, is very useful. It lets you set profiles for everybody in the family and with this you can set which apps and websites they can use and even how long and what times of the day they can use the tablet - essential for any family.

But, and there's always a but, the battery life is really the thing you'll notice on the Hudl 2, at most it'll give you 8 hours of web browsing and book reading but as soon as you play a movie or processor intensive game the battery will really start to drain - you'll certainly be charging it almost daily. It's also not the greatest looking of tablets and weighs just over 400g which is significantly heavier than the 330g iPad Mini, but then it is half the price. The cameras are pretty pointless t00 with a 5MP rear and 1.2MP at the front - although nobody should ever being using a tablet to take masterpiece photos anyway.

So, should you buy the Tesco Hudl 2 tablet?

If you're looking for a budget tablet for your kids, something cheap to use around the house or a gift for your parents or grandparents then absolutely yes, you should buy one - it's a really great tablet.

If you're looking for a sleek, good looking, feature filled tablet for more than web browsing and the odd bit of gaming then no, you'd be better going for an iPad Mini, Nexus 7 or Amazon Fire HD.

Shareconomy to get an 'Independent' Review

It's a £9bn global industry and a recent announcement by the UK government proves it wants to be at the heart of it. As part of the Conservative - Lib Dem coalition's plans recover the economy through entrepreneurs an independent review of the 'sharing economy', commonly known as the shareconomy, has been ordered.

Some of the best known companies in the shareconomy include ZipCar, Airbnb, Lyft, and even London's Boris bikes. The whole aim of these is generally access not ownership meaning that anybody can access a car, for example, but not everybody has to own one. The car sharing company, City Car Club, is a good example of this. They have cars dotted around a number of UK cities and members simply book a car online for however long they want. This gives those who don't need to use a car often or simply can't afford to own a car access to one whenever they need it.

The industry is growing rapidly and is expected to be worth over £200bn within 15 years but these new business models aren't without controversy. Airbnb has recently faced opposition in New York and San Francisco with some accusing the company of facilitating illegal hotels and most are aware of Uber's recent trials and tribulations.

Although this review is being called 'independent' it's being conducted by Debbie Wosskow who founded Love Home Swap - one of the biggest home sharing companies out there so I think we know what the results of this review will be already.

How It Started - Site Review

Ever wondered how the world's most famous companies started out? I have. Now there's an amazing website where you can find out, it's called How It Started. The website features a whole range of companies from Mashable to Hooters and just about everything in between.

The site is a pleasure to use with each company featured in a colourful grid style on the homepage. You can filter companies by type to narrow down to your area of interest or simply browse them all. Once you click on a company their page opens with a brief description and a large video that details how they got started. You can then flick through the companies until you get to another that you find interesting.

It's not just businesses on there either though. There's a whole host of celebrities and public figures too, including Wretch 32 and Tim Lovejoy.

There's another cool section to the website and that's 'How do they make money?'. This part shows how different companies actually make money (if they do actually make money). It shows whether they're profitable and how they make their profit - advertising, freemium, subscribers etc.

The site's got a good blog with lots of posts about entrepreneurship, music and productivity.

Although the site doesn't quite seem 100% complete and a lot of the content isn't their own there is still a tonne of information on there and they seem to be growing quite quickly.

Take a look and see what you think, comment below with your opinions.