Pure New Zealand

New Zealand is known for it’s; lush green pastures, rugged snow capped mountains, pure rivers & lakes and all round beautifully diverse landscape.  All these great assets combine in the clean environment to produce some of the finest natural products in the world.

From Manuka honey packed with anti-bacterial properties to the purest milk powder money can buy.  New Zealand has been carving a place in the export market for many years and it’s only getting stronger as demand in countries like China and the United States grows.

Now seemingly there are a plethora of top natural products coming through so how do you decipher the best kind of products to get your health conscious hands on.  Well not only will we give you a top ten guide to the best type of products but we will also recommend some of the most trusted brands producing them.

Manuka Honey – Our favorite honey product is the UMF Manuka honey from Comvita.

Sauvignon Blanc – There is simply no better Savignon Blanc in the world then New Zealand’s Cloudy Bay.

Organic Infant Formula (Milk Powder) – The most trusted brand is Karicare by Nutricia.

Propolis –  Due to their extensive experience in bee products, Comvita get our vote here again.

Merino Wool – For a range of fashionable and practical merino products you can’t go past Icebreaker.

Lamb – Just remember to always look out for the quality mark when buying New Zealand lamb.

Kiwifruit – You can’t go past the largest exporter Zespri for quality Kiwifruit.

Bottled Water – For the finest New Zealand water at your next dinner party, check out Antipodes.

Thermal Mud – There are a few options but we have found this product the best thermal mud option.

Colostrum – One of our stranger exports but renowned in China for it’s health benefits.

Seamless music sweetness

Johnny 5 had it right all those years ago with the antics he got up to in without the pesky restriction of wires! He could: beat up bad guys,  make cocktails, and even drive cars.  So dam it, let’s do the same thing with our music and take it mobile in seamless style.

Let’s face it, nobody likes wires or the incompatibility of some docking stations (don’t get me started on the iOS upgrades that render some systems useless) when it comes to choosing the right mobile speaker systems.   That’s why the wireless speaker systems that connect to your iPhone, Android phone, tablet, laptop or other Bluetooth enabled device and so fricking awesome.

Now, because these music making machines are so awesome we have truly taken our time to find the very best systems for you.   They not only offer a great mobile music option for: holidays, impromptu parties or just hanging outside in the summer but they deliver brilliant sound quality.

Bose® SoundLink® Wireless Mobile speaker

Jawbone JAMBOX

Soundfreaq SFQ-01W Sound Platform

Creative ZiiSound D5

Soundfreaq SFQ-01R Sound Platform

XtremeMac Tango TRX 2.1

Beats by Dr. Dre Beatbox

Audyssey South of Market

Altec Lansing iMW725

Monster Cable Clarityhd Precision

Android and HTC

Due to the factors like; handset variety, innovative features and price point,  Android phones are quickly becoming the dominant mobile phones of choice around the world.

The Android operating system was acquired by Google in 2005 and since then has been brought to the forefront of mobile development.  Using strategic growth tactics (which have been employed by Google in some way shape or form since their own inception way back in1998) they opened up Android’s source code to anybody keen to develop the platform further.  This has seen the adoption and integration of the operating system into many leading mobile brands and hence driving it’s popularity.

Some big mobile companies have bucked the trend and wasted a lot of money such as Nokia’s Symbian platform which has now been migrated to Windows mobile platform so that it can try protect it’s declining market share.  But many brands like HTC, Samsung, LG, Motorola have got it right, taken the leap of faith in getting rid of their proprietary and produced some truly stunning and affordable mobile phones.

So which Android phones are the best?

Motorola DROID BIONIC 4G

HTC EVO 3D 4G

Samsung i9100 Galaxy S II

HTC DROID INCREDIBLE 2

HTC ThunderBolt 4G

Samsung Epic Touch 4G

Samsung DROID CHARGE 4G Android Phone (Verizon Wireless)

Motorola Atrix 4G

LG Thrill 4G

Motorola Photon 4G

The right knife for the job.

I’m sure there is many a person out there reading this now who has watched their fair share of cooking shows like; Mastechef or Top Chef .  Watching intently as the various recipes are being made by the contestants, admiring the knives they use under pressure to cut their protein or delicately score the skin of a sumptuous cut of pork belly.

Now you are thinking it’s your turn to take the next step in your culinary journey, maybe to make a living of it and maybe just to up your game in your kitchen at home.   Well what better way to begin by building up your collection of chef knives.  

Finding the right knife is really important as there is a massive difference between a good knife and a great knife.  The quality may not be visible immediately but give it one to two months and you will start to see the difference in quality.  So this is where we come in.  The Quick Ten know you are serious about cooking so we have not mucked around here, we have gone straight for proven quality in creating this Top 10 list.

Nenox Karin Gyutou

Wusthof Classic

Global GF-33

Tojiro-DP Gyutou

MAC Brand Mighty

Misono UX10 Gyutou

Shun DM0706 Classic

J.A. Henckels

Chroma Type 301

Rober Welch Signature

Big Cinema punch for a fraction of the cost! Thank you Samsung

Are you looking to take your love for the movies that step further and bring it home in a big way by getting the latest Home Theater System? Sure you could maybe go out and buy some; socks, a box, buttons and some scissors to create your very own hand puppet show to entertain you and your friends.  But then they would probably point and laugh at you and call you weird and no body wants that.

So how do you choose the best Home Theater System that will give you: great sound quality, enough bass to make you fill queasy and a price tag that will not require you to re-mortgage the house?  Well we took all these factors into consideration, got some of the best movies to watch on Home Theater, heated up the popcorn and got down to some serious research.  

Hopefully our research below will narrow down the search for your ultimate home cinema experience and get you back watching Die Hard the way it should.

Samsung Electronics HT-D6500W

Energy 5.1 Take Classic

KEF KHT3005BL 5.1

Definitive Technology Pro Cinema 800

Sony HT-CT150 3D Sound Bar

Samsung Electronics HT-D6500W

Aperion INTIMUS 5B Harmony SD

Bose CineMate GS Series II Digital

Denon DHT-391XP 5.1 Channel

Klipsch HD 500 Compact 5.1

Succulent Chicken

So often people say that most unusual meat (and other undefinable fleshy food) tastes like chicken, well maybe not survival expert Bear Grylls but that’s because he has eaten the most inedible things on the planet.  However aside from these taste affiliations, chicken is one of the most widely used protein’s (as they love saying on either Top Chef or Masterchef) across the world and provides the base to many a great recipe.

Sure there are multiple uses for chickens like; eggs, pets, fighting or even used in Indonesia to channel evil spirits.  But the plethora of poultry recipes available is something that any real food lover should spend time working through and refining   That’s where we come in, we are about to narrow down your initial decision making and give you the best chicken recipes so you can at least begin your culinary journey on the right foot.

Now you don’t have to worry, these chicken recipes have been researched based on quality, bold flavours and robust ingredients.  So essentially what we are trying to say is that we went into this not looking for finicky, and delicate Michelin star recipes but chicken meals you can re-create at home in your very own kitchen.

Chicken Teriyaki – Recipe and relevant cook book

Honey Glazed Lemon Roast Chicken - Recipe and relevant cook book

Chicken Bacon Roulades - Recipe and relevant cook book

Chicken and Vegetable Pot Pie - Recipe and relevant cook book

Kung Pao Chicken - Recipe and relevant cook book

Peri Peri Chicken - Recipe and relevant cook book

Chicken Cacciatore - Recipe and relevant cook book

Rotisserie Chicken - Recipe and relevant cook book

BBQ Sticky Chicken with Lemon & Garlic - Recipe and relevant cook book

 Chicken Marbella - Recipe and relevant cook book

TomTom

GPS Naviagtors have been keeping us from getting lost and getting into arguments for years with the data and technology used to get us to our chosen destination has also improved remarkably.

Sure, you cannot ignore the explosion of smart phones globally and their ability to include GPS navigational apps (not too mention Google’s own Mobile Navigation play) that has seen a decline over the years of the dedicated GPS navigation device.  However  they still offer a far superior experience then the smart phone alternatives because they are a specialist and robust device with larger screens and more features.

Certainly for the GPS businesses of this world to continue to grow within the personal automotive category (some GPS businesses are seeing growth in other categories such as; Marine, Aircraft, Freight etc) they will need to evolve their business model into a more ubiquitous approach.  So rather than being bound by navigation units, they are only bound by creating applications within different mobile programming languages like Android and applying an appropriate licensing model.

But irrespective of this we thought it would be good to look at some of the best and most affordable navigational devices in the market currently.  Because their is no doubt that you can pick up an absolute bargain on a fantastic GPS navigator device with a little help from you friends at The Quick Ten.  So what are the best GPS Navigational devices?

TomTom XL 340 S 

Garmin Nuvi 3790T

TomTom XXL 540 S

Garmin Nuvi 205W

Magellan RoadMate 1470

Garmin nüvi 1450LMT 5-Inch 

Motorola MotoNav TN765t 

Nextar SNAP7 7-Inch

TomTom GO 720 4.3-Inch

Magellan RoadMate 5045 5-Inch

Apple vs. Samsung

Tablet’s have come a a long way since their humble and conceptual beginnings back in 1888 when a  patent was made for a electrical stylus device for capturing handwriting and then many moons later with the more recognizably commercial release of the Windows Tablet PC in 2002 .

However when looking at which company really brought this form of computer to the forefront of commercial viability then you cannot look past the marketing behemoth that is Apple.   They were the first to really “shift the needle” in terms of innovation in this space and push a gluttony of users towards this way of mobile computing.

With so many Tablets now entering the market it’s becoming a bit of a minefield in terms of finding the best possible brand to sink your hard earned cash into.  That’s where we come in, we have compiled a list of the Top Ten tablet brands that are currently in the market and their corresponding best selling and most trusted product.

Apple – We recommend the Apple iPad 2 MC769LL/A Tablet 

Samsung  - We recommend the Samsung Galaxy Tab (10.1-Inch, 16GB, Wi-Fi)

Asus  - We recommend the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer TF101-A1 10.1-Inch

Acer - We recommend the Acer Iconia Tab A500-10S16u 10.1-Inch

Blackberry - We recommend the Blackberry Playbook 7-Inch Tablet (32GB)

Toshiba - We recommend the Toshiba Thrive 10.1-Inch 16 GB Android Tablet AT105-T1016

 Motorola - We recommend the MOTOROLA XOOM Android Tablet 

HP - We recommend the HP TouchPad Wi-Fi 32 GB 9.7-Inch

HTC - We recommend the HTC Flyer 3G WiFi HotSpot GPS 5MP 7 Inch

Dell - We recommend the Dell Streak 7 Wi-Fi Tablet

The best way to start your day!

Staying healthy is a combination of a few key things like;  maintaining a good diet, keeping stress free, using the right skin care products and keeping fit.  So with all these things you need to keep an eye on to maintain a healthy lifestyle, it’s very useful when an appliance comes along that can create a wholesome supplement very quickly.

What are we talking about? A juicer of course and it’s come a long way since it’s beginning back in 1928.  Sure in 1928 the basic premise was the same in terms of extracting essential vitamins from fruit but it was more about juice from citrus fruits.  Nowadays it’s about extracting juice from all manner of fruits and vegetables.

A favourite juice recipe of ours is “A Very Berry Meledy”.  Simply add: 2 cups of strawberries, 2 cups of blueberries, 1 1/2 cups of raspberries.  Then juice till your heart is content and you will be revitalized before you can say “which juicer should I buy?”.  Indeed though which juicers should you buy? Well check out our top ten that has been compiled based on; design, reliability, and price.

Breville BJE200XL 700-Watt Compact Juice Fountain

Hamilton Beach 67650 Big Mouth Pro Juice Extractor

Waring JEX328 Health Juice Extractor

Black & Decker JE2200B 400-Watt Fruit and Vegetable Juice Extractor

Big Boss Juicer, 700W 18,000 RPM

Omega J8005 Nutrition Center Single-Gear Commercial Masticating Juicer

Cuisinart CJE-1000 1000-Watt 5-Speed Juice Extractor

Waring PJE401 Juice Extractor

Juiceman JM1000M Juiceman Express Junior Juice Extractor

Jack Lalanne’s JLSS Power Juicer DeluxeElectric Juicer

The new Samsung LED HDTV

TV’s have been invading our lounge’s since the late 1940′s and if you believe all the MTV Cribs shows, then they have even started invading the bathrooms of the rich and famous.  But with this invasion has come a piece of technology that now forms part of our everyday lives and drives a multitude of industries which generate trillions every year.

They have come a long way since Milton Berle first appeared on it and are currently evolving at rapid rate which in it’s self is tough enough to keep up with.  But if you buy right and have a bit of vision then you can get yourself a great television that will last you a descent amount of time.

So if we are going to let these entertaining tubes of color into our lives, lounges, bathrooms and even cars then we might as well get the best possible televisions in to keep us entertained.  We have based this top ten list on the following factors to come up with the best TV brands in the market: value for money, reliability, innovation, technology and overall quality.

Samsung – They are producing the best all round TV’s in the market and are aligning themselves with Google across a multitude of new projects that will see them continue to innovate and provide quality product’s.  We recommend the Samsung UN55D8000 55-Inch 3D LED HDTV

Sony – The Sony Bravia has been their flag ship television brand since launching in 2005 and has  produce some of the finest TV’s in the market.  With the release of Sony’s internet TV range they are set to continue to be one of the best brands.  We recommend the Sony BRAVIA 46-Inch LED HDTV with Integrated WiFi

Panasonic – They are really their game in terms of producing some of the best TV’s in the market especially when it comes to picture quality.  We recommend the Panasonic VIERA 32-Inch LCD HDTV

LG – They are producing some of the best looking TV’s and have great amount of trusted features to match such as their extensive picture control options in most models.  An absolute safe bet for price and quality, we recommend the LG INFINIA 55-Inch Full LED Slim LCD HDTV

Sharp –  Whilst the sound quality does need improving on some of the product’s, Samsung still offer some of the best televisions for the price you pay.  The low glare screens also help make these products are viable option for any lounge. We recommend the Sharp Quattron 40-Inch LCD TV

Vizio - Since entering the market in 2002 Vizio has fast become a brand that you can rely on to get great value for money. Whilst they don’t have some of the relationships of the bigger boys, they are still producing some great TV’s.  We recommend the VIZIO 37-Inch Full HD LED LCD HDTV

Toshiba – They provide some of the more intuitive features in their TV’s and holds up exceedingly well when it comes to the 3D TV market as they released one of the first 3D TV’s that do not require glasses.  We recommend the Toshiba REGZA 42-Inch LCD HDTV

Phillips – One of the older brands in the market but still producing solid TV’s that have little to no delay when swapping between features. Well worth a look and we recommend the Philips 40-Inch LED LCD HDTV

Mitsubishi – In a show of their technical clout they have produced a crazy 92 inch 3D TV.  Now whilst we would not recommend going out and buying this TV, it does show that they are serious about staying in this market. We recommend the Mitsubishi 65-Inch 3D-Ready DLP HDTV

JVC – They have great sound and provide excellent value for money.  Although generally their remote controls are a little clunky.  Still well worth the price you pay and has all the necessary bells and whistles.  We recommend the JVC 42-Inch LCD TV