In what way? In pretty much every way you can imagine…because these days there is hardly anything that a smartphone cannot do!

Here’s just a little selection of everyday items that you can leave at home from now on – assuming that you have the right app!

• Your bubble level bar, plumb bob and protractor
  For all DIY’ers, home improvers and hobby-carpenters there is one app you absolutely shouldn’t miss: The iHandy carpenter kit lets you measure distances, angles or check the verticality of a wall with nothing more than a smartphone. A landmark invention for all of us who do not have a perfectly equipped tool kit at home, but in how far this satisfies the slightly more sophisticated demands of a professional, like an architect or engineer, is questionable, to say the least.
• Your calculator
  Considering that every ordinary mobile phone has got a built-in function for calculating, this may sound little spectacular at the first glance, but don’t let that first impression deceive you! HandyCalc is much more than a mere gimmick for lazy adders and multipliers: It solves whole systems of equations, draws the corresponding graphs and calculates variables or statistic data like the median or mean value. Quite a professional tool for a freebie app.
• Your parking disc
  Yes, really. There is an app to replace the good old parking disc. Works amazingly easy, although you might hope for the whole system to be just a little bit more elaborate: Just install the app, set the time and place it behind your windscreen for the whole world to see – and that is it. Unfortunately, that’s probably going to be it with your iphone, too, because I wouldn’t trust the iphone to be in the exact place when you come back from your shopping spree. If you ask me, to simply risk getting a ticket might be the wiser choice in this situation, economically speaking, but maybe that’s just me…
• Your electric heater
  There is one App that we have examined above all else: The Portable Heater. Do we have to worry? Is the iphone going to replace our electric heaters? Nice try – but apart from a competent graphic design and more or less convincing sounds this application does not offer anything more than hot air. Or, to be completely honest, not even that…

So what do these examples tell us? There are good apps and rather useless apps. There are some that really make your life easier – and others just don’t. But its good to know that there some things remain which are not in imminent danger to be replaced by a digital alternative …

I don’t know, is it just me? The wet and cold weather triggers in me an uncontrollable desire to escape the winter weather and go somewhere else – somewhere nice and warm preferably. The last vacations feel like ages ago, and I get itchy feet by the mere thought of summer, sun and beaches. Yearningly, I think back to those times when, sitting in a nice street cafe, you could at least pretend that the summer vacations weren’t over just yet…

But this is becoming increasingly difficult…when you go out these days, you invariably end up having to squeeze into already packed bars or smoky pubs – and this doesn‘t really help with the holiday mood. This is probably the reason why pubs and restaurants with outside facilities are always a lot more popular than others which do not offer that option. And pub owners up and down the country are trying to combat the biting cold with woollen blankets, hot beverages and mushroom heaters in order to attract more customers. But have you ever thought about what the avoidable luxuries of sitting outside in the middle of winter do to our environment?

I know, this is probably one of the very last things you’ll want to think about in such a cosy moment. But did you know that every single one of these mushroom heaters emits as much CO2 as a compact car? In reaction to these statistics, more and more cities all over Europe are thinking of banning or already have banned the patio heaters and the extra carbon-emissions they produce.

But fortunately this doesn’t mean that we all have to give up the Mediterranean atmosphere for good. Electric heaters are a good alternative when it comes to simulating sunnier climates – they also keep you warm and cosy, but without the harmful carbon-dioxide emissions.

And if on top of that the restaurant also switches to green electricity, both customers and the owners have already taken a large step towards reducing their carbon footprint. Cheers!

Snow. We have had more than our fair share of it recently. Snow and ice caused huge disruptions and chaos throughout Europe lately when bitterly cold polar air masses rolling in from the Arctic Circle brought road traffic to a standstill and caused airports to be closed, fleets of aircraft to be grounded and trains to freeze in – or more exactly to – their tracks. And if the weather forecasters are to believed, there is more – much more – to come.

But although what we have been experiencing since the end of last month would have defied imagination as little as a few years ago when anybody wanting to put their money on a White Christmas would have been turned away by a bookmaker shaking his head pitifully because he did not have the heart to relieve a poor fool of his money, it is still next to nothing for the inhabitants of the cold north.

Eskimos, or Eskimoes, or Inuit, as we should perhaps be calling them, are used to snow – and lots of it. That’s why they have a hundred different words for snow. Or do they?

Well, first it depends on what you mean by Eskimo. There are several different peoples populating the Arctic north and each of them has their own different language. By saying that all these peoples have different words for snow would be the same as saying that Europeans also have a number of different names for snow – which does not really come as a surprise to anyone. What’s more the Aleutian languages these peoples speak are not comparable to European languages: they are built up differently. Such so-called polysynthetic languages have a stem word which obtains a different meaning by adding a certain suffix. This allows the Aleutian people to differentiate between snow that is lying on the ground, snow that is falling from the sky, snow that has started to melt, snow that fell yesterday, snow that has been piled up round the back of the house… We use additional words to describe the state of the snow or its whereabouts, which is why technically speaking we have far fewer words for snow than the peoples of the Arctic north.

But although we may have fewer words for snow, we are getting an extraordinary amount of it for this time of the year – along with plummeting temperatures and a high chill factor which are both contributing to making life that little bit more difficult.

So what can we do for you? Well, what we can do is help you to combat the cold and these blistering Arctic temperatures both at home and in the office with a fine selection of different heaters – oil heaters, electric heaters, hundreds and thousands of different heaters.

It would be interesting to hear what the peoples of the Arctic Circle would have to say to that …

There is hardly a thing in winter that we look forward to as much as to our beloved Christmas markets. It is a tradition that goes back over 600 years in history and it has become one of the central elements of our Christmas culture. But also in other countries the “German Christmas Markets” are becoming increasingly popular. In Birmingham, Manchester or Edinburgh you can find such markets, and even Chicago or Denver have their own version of this traditionally German advent custom. The festive atmosphere, evoked by lush decorations, festive music and the illumination of the winter scenery, attracts people of all ages to stroll across the market, admire the diverse products the stall-holders have to offer and feast on seasonal specialties like gingerbread or roasted almonds. And, of course, the mulled wine – or glühwein as the locals like to call it – which is, by the way, the best remedy to fight off the biting cold.

But those of you who have to endure all day in the stalls, selling food or artisan craftwork to the jostling crowds, will need another solution to that problem. How about an electric heater? These convenient little devices keep you nice and warm in your market stall, so you can enjoy the atmosphere without getting frostbite or catching a cold. For this is probably the last thing you’ll need for Christmas…

For only €65.39 you can get yourself a super compact heater so that you are well- prepared for the Christmas market and any other outdoor activity … in the Trotec24 online shop!

If only everything had gone according to plan – the local tradesmen you contracted would be putting the finishing touches to your new house, the removal men would be on their way round to pack your belongings and whisk them away to your new address and you and your family would be spending your first Christmas gathered together around the beautifully decorated Christmas tree in your very first new family home. If only…

But unfortunately – as it is so often the case in real life – if there’s one thing you can be sure of, then it’s that everything seldom goes according to plan:

Unforeseen events and unpredictable factors can often lead to maddening delays in the schedules of private developers. And because time is nearly always a very scarce commodity during such enterprising ventures, setbacks like these tend to set the aspiring homeowner very much on edge.

And then before you know it it’s winter.

A sharp drop in the temperature can confront you, the home builder, with a whole range of new problems: you now have to decide whether you want to put your building project on hold, hoping above hope that the weather will improve again and that the temperatures will start to rise again – in which case you should perhaps prepare yourself for a very long wait – or you can decide to take control and fight back the biting cold by installing a powerful mobile heating unit.

Unless, of course, you are one of those many house builders out there who wince at the mere thought of being burdened with even more extra costs which any form of on-site heating is bound to bring. The list of expenses is already long enough, you say to yourself. And who would want to add yet another crippling expenditure if it can possibly be avoided? Yet these additional costs are only half the story…

A building delay – or a building stop – can often have a much more serious effect on your budget than a minor outlay. Because you are not able to move into your new home, you will have to find some suitable form of interim accommodation – or continue to pay rent if you are fortunate enough not to be evicted. And by failing to provide adequate heating facilities and protecting your property against damage by frost you run the risk of having to deal with burst water pipes and large-scale frozen plumbing.

So when it comes to warding off the cold what better a way to do so than by using one of the many mobile heating solutions from TROTEC. We have a wide range of electric heaters and oil heating units which are all designed to provide you with the means to keep your building project up and running and your building site warm during the colder winter months.

And if winter takes you by surprise and a quick and practical heating solution is needed immediately, you can always rent one fromTKL, the rental division of our company.

… Read more about winter on a construction site in the next part of this article!

Cows hate high temperatures. Temperatures above 20°C can quickly trigger stress among the more tender-footed bovines. What cows really adore is a temperature somewhere between 4 and 16°C – a fact they are only too keen to display by producing high yields of high protein, high quality milk. But just as high temperatures often affect the milk output, so do low temperatures around freezing point. Now is the time to think about a flexible solution which will allow you to bridge the cold gap and provide you with a means of bringing the temperature in the cowshed up to the required temperature when the thermometer falls close to or below freezing.

The electric heaters in the TDE series are robust, no-nonsense heaters which have been designed especially for flexible, mobile use in the cowshed and in other farmyard scenarios

And now there’s a special autumn special offer on which you really won’t want to risk missing: a selection of second-hand models at knock-down prices – all checked by the manufacturer and all with a full year’s guarantee.

There’s no time to waste. Take the bull by the horns and invest in the mobile electric heaters in the TDE series – your cows will be moo-ved by the way you care for them.

Go here to see our super special offer!

The TROTEC waiting game has become one of the most popular discount special offers to date. And now it’s back just in time for the colder time of the year. Now it’s time to save on: electric heaters.

And this is how it works: the TROTEC waiting game begins on 30th September 2010. From this day on the countdown runs backwards. With a 1% discount for every day. The special offer is valid for 40 days, which means that there is a maximum discount and saving of 40%. So order early and save more.

Find out more about the TROTEC waiting game here…

Heating with infrared electric heaters is not only a very cost effective method, but also a well-suited method for closed spaces. No oxygen is being consumed and no annoying odours can occur.

Although the offered appliances are used models with slight traces of use they come with full warranty!

Get more detailed information on IR-Pro Terrasun infrared quarz heaters here.

Although the coldest season of the year is now ending by and by you can already prepare for the next winter by purchasing a premium space heater today!

Heat garages, workshops and tents with the high-quality electric heaters in the TDS-series. Due to their compact and sturdy design these space heaters are well-suited for changing places of action and can be established within seconds.

Convince yourself of the …

… 9 kW lightweight: Click here to order a TDS 50.

… 15 kW industrial heater: Click here to order a TDS 75.

… 22 kW power pack: Click here to order a TDS 100.

Stop freezing while having lunch in a site caravan:

Order the environmentally-friendly TDS 20 electric heater here.

Need help which appliance meets your demands best?

Go to the heating requirement calculation!

To make your choice much easier the Trotec company of groups offers different capacity calculators as guides for the estimated performance calculation helping to find an appliance to suit your individual needs.
Have a look at the new category „CALCULATIONS” in the sidebar on the right side of this blog to find several links to the different capacity calculators.

Save time and money by choosing the right appliance due to our beneficial capacity calculations. Simply determine the needed performance for your requirements fast and easy online.

You can find the capacity calculators on the website of our sister company TKL:

Air conditioners: determine the required cooling capacity both preliminary and professional.

Air purifiers: benefit from the easy-to-use air purification capacity calculator.

Dehumidifiers: determine the required dehumidification performance for your needs.

Fans: which ventilation performance do you need? Simply calculate online now.

Heating units: calculate your heat requirements for rooms of up to 1,000 m³.

Humidifiers: calculate the required humidification performance quick and easy.