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  • iPad Mini, iPad Air First Impressions: Are They Worth the Price?

    iPad Mini, iPad Air First Impressions: Are They Worth the Price?

    Apple’s newest tablets, the iPad Mini and iPad Air for 2019, have been on the market for about a moth now. What are some of the early impressions of these devices, and how do they stack up against the competition? Let’s take a look at Apple’s newest tablets.

    iPad Mini and iPad Air

    iPad Mini and iPad Air

    The iPad Mini and iPad air both fill a great niche for the Apple lineup. While the iPad Pro nearly replaces a laptop and brings tons of features, the Mini and Air are both a great compromise point. If you like your laptop and want a tablet for home use and entertainment, the iPad Mini or Air both fill a great space as upscaled iPhones.

    Specs

    Unsurprisingly, the A12 chip found in the iPhone XS is here and as great as ever. No tablet or smartphone has a chip that holds a candle to the A12, as even Qualcomm and Snapdragon struggle to keep up with Apple’s machine-learning chips. Likewise, the Retina display screens look amazing, with vibrant colors and sharp blacks.

    On the port side, there’s a headphone jack on both of these models, which is great. The iPhone line hasn’t sported a 3.5mm jack since the iPhone 7, so it’s nice to see it here. The charging ports on these iPads use the proprietary Lightning charger, which is a slight disappointment. We were hoping for USB-C compatibility, like the iPad Pro, but that’s not a deal-breaker.

    Design

    The iPad Air is light enough to merit its name, and it sports a great form factor and size. On the same note, the iPad Mini feels great in the hand, and the lack of bezels, much like the iPhone X line, makes the screen feel enormous.

    Oddly, these iPads sport home buttons with Touch ID, instead of the buttonless design of the X line. There’s no option for the depth-sensing Face ID unlock system seen on the iPhone X.

    Bottom Line

    If you’ve been looking for a step between a full-blown laptop and your smartphone, the iPad Mini and iPad Air both fill that niche. For the price of $399 for the Mini or $499 for the Air, you can rock the newest Apple tablet in style.

  • Avengers Endgame Has Leaked: Watch Out for Spoilers

    Avengers Endgame Has Leaked: Watch Out for Spoilers

    The biggest cinematic event of the year is hitting late this month. There’s less than two weeks between now and when Avengers: Endgame hits theaters. However, the film’s conclusion has been leaked online, so spoilers for the whole thing are up in the wild. Here are some ways you can protect yourself from the biggest spoilers.

    Avoiding Avengers Endgame Spoilers

    Social Media

    One of your best bets might be a full-blown social media blackout. No one wants to accidentally scroll past a major spoiler on Facebook, Twitter or Reddit. As such, simply staying off of those sites ad apps could be the right call. In the case of Reddit you can just avoid Marvel-related subreddits until you’ve seen the movie, at least.

    On Twitter, you can mute certain words or phrases manually. Consider muting the Avengers keyword in particular if you’re worried about getting spoiled. You can set it to mute indefinitely or for a set duration. Either way, you won’t see mentions of the chosen keyword for as long as its muted.

    Your Friends

    Depending on how friendly or unfriendly your buddies are, they might inadvertently expose you to spoilers. If your friends are sort-of jerks, consider just avoiding them until after you’ve seen the movie. Otherwise, just let them know you’re really trying to avoid spoilers and don’t want to discuss any leaks with them.

    At the Theater

    Some people are just trolls and will try to spoil the film for you while you’re in line at the theater. Consider pre-purchasing your tickets online so you don’t have to stand in line for a while. You could even skip the concession stand if you want to double down on not exposing yourself to potential trolls who would shout spoilers.

    For those of you considering spoiling the movie for people who are excited to see it: shame on you. Let people enjoy things without wanting to ruin it for them.

    Avengers Endgame hits theaters in the US on April 27th. Tickets are on sale now.

  • How Fitness Bands Can Help You Stay Active

    How Fitness Bands Can Help You Stay Active

    You’ve likely seen coworkers, friends and family sporting those trendy fitness bands, smartwatches or activity trackers. They seem interesting, but you don’t know if they’re right for you. Should you invest in one? Today we’re looking at the ways these bands can help you get active and stay active.

    Fitness Trackers and Activity

    Getting Started

    A lot of people find it hard to get started with physical fitness. Where do you even begin? Fitness trackers give you a great on-ramp to health and fitness. What better time to start than right now? Buying a fitness tracker can be your signal to yourself to start working at being more active.

    Setting Reasonable Goals

    Your fitness tracker can help you set reasonable fitness goals for yourself. You’re not about to get absolutely shredded in a week or two. You won’t be burning a thousand calories a day just to hit crazy goals. The fitness tracker, however, keeps you on track with reasonable goals to get you into an active lifestyle.

    Staying Accountable

    Fitness trackers show you the black-and-white numbers when it comes to your activity. There’s no fudging it to spare your feelings or undercutting it to make you feel bad. When you get out and work out, the fitness band records that.

    Essentially, a fitness tracker can act like a workout buddy who keeps you accountable. When you see your weekly reports about your fitness, they keep you accountable to your own goals.

    Making it Fun

    One of the best things that fitness bands do is make a healthy lifestyle into something fun. Who doesn’t love hitting goals and getting fun badges and rewards? Humans love working towards things and getting rewarded. It’s the base of many of our games and even economic systems.

    Applying this to fitness is a surefire way to make yourself excited about getting into shape. Nothing quite captures the fun of working out like an activity tracker that you use to hit your goals. Take control of your fitness with an activity tracker today!

  • PlayStation 5 Details Come to Light: Coming Sooner Than You Think

    PlayStation 5 Details Come to Light: Coming Sooner Than You Think

    Despite lots of noise to the contrary, it appears Sony isn’t prepared to give up on hardware just yet. Conventional consoles have had a place in living rooms for the last 30 years, so it’s reassuring to hear from Mark Cerny of Sony that the next PlayStation will be a high-end gaming machine, not a streaming service.

    PlayStation 5 Details

    Loading Times

    One of the first things Cerny made clear during the showcase of the new PlayStation’s tech is that loading times will be a thing of the past. The preliminary guesses on the specs hold that the PS5 (which Sony hasn’t referred to as anything but “next-gen PlayStation”) will have a solid-state drive. Guesses hold that the SSD will have an impressive 256GB storage.

    SSDs are notoriously expensive, but they offer a lot of great benefits that hard drives don’t. SSDs have notably faster loading times, bring up textures and maps with insane speed. Unlike hard drives, SSDs don’t have moving parts, making them less likely to wear out over time than traditional discs.

    Other Specs

    While every console generation is expected to have marked increases in tech under the hood, the next-gen PlayStation is set to bring brand new architecture to the living room. The preliminary specs show impressive pieces of hardware under the hood.

    The CPU will be running eight cores of AMD’s new 7nm Zen 2 microarchitecture. The CPU itself will be of AMD’s Ryzen product line. Meanwhile, the GPU will be a custom Radeon Navi processor capable of advanced ray tracing. This will mark the first time ray tracing is available in a home console.

    Other Notes

    The next-gen PlayStation will support backward compatibility, making it a notably better investment than the PS4 or PS3 were at their launch. Neither of the prior PlayStation iterations had long-term support for backwards compatibility, largely invalidating existing game collections.

    The system isn’t expected to hit store shelves until 2020. However, that would mean a markedly faster console cycle than some people were expecting. As of yet, we don’t know how much the system will cost. However, with the high-end specs, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the system at $600.

  • Best Playground Equipment Suppliers

    Best Playground Equipment Suppliers

    Playground equipment plays a vital role in the education system. Children learn to play, socialize and enjoy their time outside. However, you have to be certain, when looking at installing new equipment, that it’s both safe and affordable. After all, not many people know a lot about playground equipment, who supplies it and which suppliers are the best. Today, in order to help, we’ve compiled a list of the best suppliers out there!

    Best Playground Equipment Suppliers

    CedarWorks

    Our first entry is CedarWorks, a supplier that specializes in wooden construction. Plastic construction is largely considered more durable, but wood has a charm that is hard to deny. CedarWorks offers options that are both aesthetically pleasing and long-lasting, in spite of wood’s reputation. They are generally considered to be a high-quality supplier.

    Another upside to the CedarWorks range is the general lack of per-person weight limits on their swing sets. They offer such well-made, durable equipment that you won’t have to worry about them wearing down fast. They offer everything from play houses to balance beams and even sand boxes and see-saws.

    APC Play

    APC Play is another well-regarded playground equipment supplier. If you love sales, this is the company for you, as they offer great deals. APC Play is well-known for their high-quality construction, as their equipment is made in America. They offer some of the best sales in the industry, and you should highly consider them if you’re looking to find a deal.

    Constructive Playthings

    Constructive Playthings offers durable, high-quality playground equipment. Their equipment is mostly plastic in construction, which means it’s both lightweight and durable. Their site is a great boon for shopping for equipment. You can sort options by age, and you’re able to see everything from toddler-appropriate options to equipment for 12-year-olds. They even offer free shipping on orders over $500 if they’re sent by UPS! That’s a hard deal to pass up if you’re looking to save.

  • Budget Gaming Laptops: Get the Most for Your Money

    Budget Gaming Laptops: Get the Most for Your Money

    Anyone who has ever considered getting into PC gaming might have been immediately scared off by a few things. The first thing, of course, is just how complex it can be to build you own gaming rig. The second thing is just how expensive it can be to purchase a pre-made gaming computer.

    In order to help you avoid both of these issues, today we’ve got a few of the best budget gaming laptops on the market rounded up for you. Here’s how you can get into PC gaming on a budget and without having to learn how to build your own system!

    Budget Gaming Laptops

    Dell G-5 15

    The G-series of Dell gaming laptops might not be as flashy as their Alienware subsidiary, but they’re rock-solid and well-worth the price. For an intro price of $800 for the G-5’s base model, you get a solid  4GB GTX 1050 graphics card.

    Such a card is more than capable to tackle most modern AAA titles. However, if you want some more power, you can upgrade to the 6GB GTX 1060 if you’re willing to pay $1,000. For those looking for something notably more powerful, a cool $1,200 gets you the RTX 2060, a much newer and very powerful graphics card.

    Acer Predator Helios 300

    This slick-looking gaming laptop is more than just a flashy case. This brand-new budget gaming laptop will hit stores later in April, and it’s rocking some seriously cool hardware under the hood for its $1,000 price tag.

    Inside the sleek case, you’ll find a 6GB Nvidia GTX 1060 GPU, Intel Core i7-8750H CPU, and a 144Hz refresh rate 15.6-inch HD IPS display. It also sports 16GB of system RAM, making it a multitasking beast. This is all bolstered by the 256GB NVMe SSD, a blazing-fast storage solution with a surprising amount of storage.

    Lenovo Legion Y7000

    Lenovo’s Legion line of gaming laptops are all available for a sub-$1,000 price tag, and the differences between them are pretty nitty-gritty. The mean-looking Y7000 is our favorite on its silver-and-angry aesthetic alone.

    Regardless of your aesthetic sensibilities, these are some stellar laptops and you can’t go wrong with any of them. From the Y7000 to the Y530 to the Y730, you need only find a price point and specs you like in the mix to make these laptops well worth the low asking price.

  • A Jeep Pickup in 2019? Upcoming 2020 Jeep Gladiator

    A Jeep Pickup in 2019? Upcoming 2020 Jeep Gladiator

    The new 2020 Jeep Gladiator Pickup is turning a lot of heads. Jeep’s got a reputation for making solid cars that are well-worth their price. Is the new 2020 Gladiator shaping up to be part of this storied tradition, or does it fall flat? Let’s look at some of the features you can expect to see on next year’s Gladiator Pickup! Remember, the is the first time since the early 90’s that Jeep has made a pickup truck!

    2019 Jeep Wrangler Pickup

    Design

    Early looks at the upcoming vehicle show it has a unique Jeep spin on the classic pickup truck design. If you’re familiar with the previous Wrangler bodies, it’s not a far cry from that in design. The trademark box-shape that Jeep is known for is here, as is a slick-looking truck bed. It’s a rather stylish-looking vehicle, almost militaristic and rugged-looking.

    The truck bed, which gives this the pickup qualities you love, looks to be about the medium in length compared to other pickups. This upcoming vehicle has a total length of 205 inches. That makes it roughly the same size as the most mid-size pickups. That could change between now and the release of the vehicle, of course.

    New Features

    It looks like this upcoming Gladiator pickup is going to sport a soft top convertible option. That’s a pretty big departure from other pickup trucks! This makes the truck an interesting hybrid between work and play. If you’re looking for a work truck that you can also take to the beach and cruise in the sun, this is the one for you!

    It’s expected that this upcoming Wrangler will have a variety of powertrain options based on trim level. Jeep has historically offered a very wide array of trim levels for all of their vehicles. We expect the horsepower to range from around 300 up to 700 depending on the trim, although there are no concrete details yet.

    Pricing and Release

    The 2020 Jeep Gladiator is going to hit Jeep dealerships in the next week or so. As for pricing, the base sport manual starts a $33,545, making this about par the course for a brand-new Jeep. Expect to see lots of these rugged, awesome-looking Jeep pickups hitting the road soon. If you want one of your own, head down to your local Jeep dealership and scope out their inventory!

  • Foods to Avoid on Easter

    Foods to Avoid on Easter

    No one likes having gastrointestinal issues at family gatherings on Easter. If you’re going to an Easter party, there are some foods to avoid. We’re going to break down some of the foods that can be the hardest on your gut and why you should avoid them when you’re trying to enjoy time with family.

    No one wants to be bloated, gassy or in the bathroom the entire time they’re visiting family. So, if you’re hosting, consider not having any of these foods out. If you’re visiting, consider just avoiding these foods altogether. Why risk getting sick on a snack when you’re trying to enjoy the festivities?

    Foods to Avoid over Easter

    Acidic Foods

    Acidic foods, like soda pop, tomatoes and tomato sauce, citrus fruits and the like can all cause stomach problems. If you’re prone to acid reflux or heartburn, consider avoiding these foods. Whether it’s in the form of a snack or a major part of the meal, consider taking it easy on these foods. Acidic foods impact your stomach more when it’s empty, though, so maybe grab a few orange slices or a bit of grapefruit after the main course!

    The worst part is, tomatoes and citrus fruits are really quite good for you. It’s unfortunate that their high acid content makes them rough on an empty stomach. However, if you eat them in moderation and make sure you don’t have them before a meal you should be okay over the holidays.

    Dairy Products

    A lot of people have a really hard time digesting milk. If too much lactose gets into your large intestine, it can even lead to diarrhea, which is a surefire way to ruin your holiday party. If you’ve got a history of lactose intolerance, avoid ice cream, milkshakes and the like as much as you can.

    If you really, really want your dairy fix, consider hard cheeses or yogurt. Thanks to the way these are made, they actually have no lactose content. That goes for most types of frozen yogurt, too! So, if you’re really hankering for some dairy but can’t handle lactose, these are your best bets. Alternatively, you could also just carry Lactaid pills and take them before eating dairy products.

     

    Fatty Foods

    Foods that are very high in fats, like potato chips, ice cream and red meat can upset your stomach. High-fat food items have a tendency to cause serious issues with the speed at which your intestines move food along. If slowed down too much, this can result in constipation. If sped up too much, this can instead result in diarrhea. In either event, you’ll experience significant discomfort in your abdomen as your intestines deal with the high-fat foods. Just take care to eat these foods sparingly, or avoid them altogether!

     

  • Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Unveiled at Star Wars Celebration

    Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Unveiled at Star Wars Celebration

    The newest video game from EA-owned Respawn entertainment was unveiled at the annual Star Wars Celebration over the weekend. The game, titled Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, will center on the events immediately following the execution of Order 66 in Episode 3.

    Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

    The Darkest Times

    Respawn explained that the time period following the fall of the Jedi at the hands of the Emperor fascinated them. As such, they wanted to set a story in this largely untapped area. Getting a feel for the dangerous, grimy world of a post-Jedi galaxy was important to the studio as they created the game.

    Single Player

    The game, in a turnaround from other EA Star Wars games, will be single-player only. Likewise, it will include no loot boxes or progression outside of in-game advancement. This news is reassuring to players who have grown tired of the normal trajectory for these games, such as Star Wars Battlefront II.

    Protagonist

    The protagonist of the tale, Cal Kestis, is a Jedi Padawan who narrowly avoids being executed by Storm Troopers during the carrying out of Order 66. Cal goes on the run and tries to dodge the Purge Troopers, a specialized order of Storm Troopers who root out surviving Jedi.

    Cal is compelled to complete his Jedi training as he stays on the run from the Purge Troopers set after him. The notably World War II-inspired nature of the Purge Troopers and their harrowing hunt for Jedi will provide a dark backdrop for the story as it unfolds.

    Release Date

    The game will be released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on November 15th of this year. Expect to see the game promoted heavily in the lead-up for Episode IX, which recently got a trailer and a name reveal. Episode IX, Rise of the Skywalker, will release a short month later, on December 20th.

    In the meantime, we’re excited to see this project shape up. This will mark the first major single-player Star Wars video game since The Force Unleashed.

  • Will Disney Plus Be Worth It?

    Will Disney Plus Be Worth It?

    We finally have some hard details on Disney Plus, and it’s almost exactly like we predicted earlier on the site. The service will launch on November 12th, putting it right in the ramp-up for the holiday season. The best news we got about Disney Plus, however, is the price tag. It’ll start at $7 per month, making it a surprisingly low price.

    Will Disney Plus Be Worth It?

    The Price

    First, we have to look at the price. For the low price of $7 you get access to all of Disney’s streaming content from Marvel to Star Wars to animated features. There’s a lot to love crammed into this service, so the asking price of $7 to start is well worth it for the average person. If you even have a passing interest in any of Disney’s properties, you might want to sign up.

    Surprises

    People were surprised to hear about some of the things coming to the service. One example of an incoming show that people didn’t expect was the Simpsons. Disney’s acquisition of Fox seems to bode well for the Disney Plus service. As such, we can expect to see many of Fox TV Studios content on the service.

    Original Content

    Another huge draw for the service is going to be the original content they’re creating for it. For instance, there will be a TV show centered around the relationship between Scarlet Witch and Vision, starring Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen.

    Another fan-favorite character, Tom Hiddelston’s Loki, will be getting his own show on the service, as well. Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan will also star in a live-action show as their MCU characters, Falcon and Winter Soldier, respectively.

    Fans are stoked for the upcoming Star Wars live-action show called the Mandalorian. The show will focus on the grimier, meaner aspects of the Star Wars universe, bringing a badass bounty-hunter everyone loves to the front of the story.