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  • Top 3 Small Walk In Closet Designs

    Top 3 Small Walk In Closet Designs

    If you’re currently facing the small walk-in closet predicament, you’re in the right place to find solutions. Custom closet design can help maximize storage volume in even the most irregular and unfortunately-sized closets.

    A walk-in closet can be quite a luxury. Who doesn’t drool over those beautiful closets you see with miles of shelving and hanging space and even an island in the middle full of storage drawers?! But just because you have a closet that you can “walk” into, doesn’t mean that you have a huge closet. In fact, some “walk-in” closets can be quite small. One sided. Or even more of a step-in then really a “walk” in. And if you have a smaller walk-in closet, it can be even more complicated to organize then a large wall closet.

    Here are our top 3 small walk in closet designs.

    Layout #3: Rock an ‘L’ Shape
    The bare minimum size for a walk-in closet is understood to be 5×5’. Assuming the door swings outward, this means you only have room for a very particular arrangement of storage units. Rather than trying to stuff the closet full on all walls, working within an ‘L’ shape will help you keep everything far more organized and accessible. For these admittedly tiny walk-in closets, we recommend a truly custom combination of hanging rods and open shelving to effectively store your wardrobe essentials.

    One example: situate two hanging rods at waist height, one on the wall opposite the door and the other on one of the adjacent walls. Your hanging rods will, therefore, form an ‘L’ when viewed from above. Add three or four angled shoe shelves above these rods and fill the rest of the remaining vertical space with open adjustable shelving. This way you’ll maximize every last inch of wall space without sacrificing the area that usually hangs below your suits.

    Layout #2: Shelves vs. Rods
    If your walk-in closet managed to get away with only the minimum 3 feet of walking space and you’re stuck with only one wall that’s appropriate for hanging rods, this layout is for you. Of course, adding dual hanging rods to this wall will significantly increase your hanging storage, if that’s what you care most about. However, you might be surprised to discover that the opposite wall (which is usually left bare by developers) can still be used for valuable storage space. A custom designer can incorporate the slimmest of shelving units onto that previously-unused wall, usually at a depth of 12” or less, to help you gain more usable surfaces.

    Alternatively, this layout idea can be customized further by incorporating open shelving units (including angled shoe shelves) on both opposing walls, with as little hanging space as your wardrobe actually requires. Knits and denim actually wear better when stored flat, and you may find that folding clothes lets you fit even more into your minimally-sized closet. Include a single hanging rod section around 72” for any long garments you might need to hang, and you’ll be good to go.

    Layout #1: Duals and Drawers
    For a rectangular walk-in closet with minimal walking space, start your design by adding dual hanging rods on both longer walls. Usually placed around 40 and 80 inches, dual hanging rods essentially double your available hanging space without taking up any more valuable square inches. Add in a bank of soft-close drawers topped with open shelving on the short wall opposite the closet door, and you’ve instantly gained the luxurious feel your closet was lacking.

    This layout is perfect for partners sharing a closet, because you can easily store clothing separates (slacks, blouses, shirts, skirts, and pants) in cohesive areas organized by color, season, or occasion, and you won’t have to expand into each other’s limited territory.

    With These Layouts, No Walk-In Closet is Too Small.
    Armed with the layout ideas that most commonly succeed, you’ll be able to create a more stable plan for how to improve your clothes storage situation. Keep in mind that each of these ideas is merely a starting place, and that a custom design expert will be able to modify and combine these ideas as necessary to create a truly functional layout for your particular space. And, even better, with your storage space maximized, you might even have room to include custom accessories that take a closet from basic to beautiful.


  • Top Five Sites for Travel Deals

    Top Five Sites for Travel Deals

    Everyone loves to take a nice, long vacation and blow off some steam. What’s even better than taking a sweet vacation, though, is saving money while you do it! If you’re looking to book travel to a beautiful exotic location, you’re looking for a deal, right? Well, you’re in luck! Today we’re looking at the top five sites for travel deals!

    Booking.com

    Booking is a great site for finding the exact hotel you want. If you’re a luxury-lover, you can filter for only five-star properties. However, if you’re looking for a nice deal, you can filter by price, instead! Really, any kind of hotel property you want can be filtered for through this robust site. If you love seeing everything about a hotel before you book, this is the site for you!

    Airbnb

    If you’re looking to save money on hotels, the best way is to ditch hotels altogether! Airbnb is a great service that offers some pretty stellar prices. If you’re having trouble finding good deals on conventional hotels, consider checking Airbnb. It’s safe, affordable, and you’ll enjoy some really awesome experiences! You can filter based on the type of house you want to stay in, how much you want to spend and more. Really, you don’t get more convenient deals than this!

    Hopper

    Vacations are great, but you have to get there somehow! If you’re looking to save money on airfare, Hopper is a great way to do just that. This convenient app tracks flights and ticket prices and lets you know when it’s the best time to buy! When you put in your trip details, Hopper will tell you when the best time to get deals is. If tickets are as low as you can expect for the season, Hopper will tell you to buy now. If they’ll likely fall, the app will alert you when it’s time to buy!

    Priceline

    Priceline doesn’t offer a very wide array of knobs to turn by way of customizing your trip. However, it does offer a clean, easy-to-use interface and great deals. Priceline offers deals on full vacation packages, car rentals, plane tickets, hotel rates and more. It’s been around for a while, so you can trust them, and it’s a great place to find deals. As long as you don’t want to be too picky with your vacation, this is a great, easy option to find deals!

    Kayak

    Kayak is another great price aggregator you can find travel deals through. Kayak will show you prices from a ton of different travel sites, including deals on flights, rental cars and hotels. The upshot for Kayak is the granularity of their platform. You’re able to pick nearly every detail about your trip, down to the smallest nuance. Then, Kayak will optimize your choices and try to find you the very best rate. If you want a lot of control over your vacation, try Kayak!


  • Top Five Cell Phone Plans

    Cell phone plans are hard to weigh against one another. Most of the cell companies have some claim to be the “best” or having the “most coverage.” They also almost all have terrible records of customer satisfaction and it seems like everyone hates their phone provider. So, with that in mind, how do you pick a cell phone plan? Today we’ll look at the top five cell phone carriers and their plans.

    Sprint

    Sprint has aggressive pricing and solid speeds on their unlimited data plans. However, they are consistently rated very low on customer satisfaction. Sprint has a habit of slipping hidden fees onto customers’ bills, is generally disagreeable on a corporate level and acts antagonistic to their customer base. They also lag behind the other four on this list on raw speed. If you can afford a better plan, do so. If not, they’re passable.

    Metro PCS

    This oddly-named cell carrier is a solid budget pick. They don’t have the best support, but they offer good pricing for solid network performance. They’re actually a T-Mobile subsidiary, so they use the same network. That’s a good thing, as it turns out, since T-Mobile has really solid performance. If you’re looking for a good budget option, this is the one for you!

    T-Mobile

    Speaking of T-Mobile, they’re our next pick. They offer good network speeds at reasonable prices, and they’re really friendly. It helps a lot that their customer service and corporate side are helpful and knowledgeable. For us, though, they don’t have quite enough coverage or speed to land in the top spot. We largely feel as though they’re tied for second place with AT&T, though, due to their great customer service.

    AT&T

    AT&T is also our second-place pick, but, like we said, they’re tied with T-Mobile. They offer slightly better overall coverage, and their speeds are just a bit better than T-Mobile. What they lack, however, is solid customer service. That’s not to say their customer service is bad, per se, but it’s just not what we’d expect from such a big company. They’re often unsure of how to help or just seem generally unprepared. They also have slightly higher prices than T-Mobile, which make them a little too niche to nab the top spot.

    Verizon

    Verizon is our pick for top, but it’s a close one. Really, it’s nearly a three-way tie between the top three! That said, Verizon does edge out the competition (but just.) They offer slightly better coverage than AT&T and T-Mobile, and their network speeds really are the best. Thankfully, the heated competition ends up being great for the customers (that’s us!) as all of these carriers are fine options. However, Verizon does just enough right to grab the top pick. Good customer service, unlimited plans and great speeds make them the best option, even if they are a bit pricey.

  • Ten Smartest Moments in Sci-Fi Cinema

    Ten Smartest Moments in Sci-Fi Cinema

    Sci-Fi, by its very definition, is a smart genre. The themes and plots of the films deal with science by their very definition. This leads to some pretty clever plotting, and protagonists who are, generally speaking, pretty intelligent. In honor of those smart moves made by smart characters, today we’re looking at the ten smartest moments in sci-fi cinema. Eureka!

    Designing the Death Star Flaw: Rogue One

    Photo Credit: Amazon

    In Rogue One, the genius scientist Galen Erso is forced to help the Empire create a super-weapon. The resulting weapon, the Death Star, is so terrifyingly powerful that it threatens to make the Empire the strongest force in the Galaxy. In order to prevent it from being impossible to defeat, however, Erso leaves a fatal flaw in the design. A single vent goes all the way to the center of the Death Star, and a well-placed shot would allow a sufficiently skilled pilot to destroy the Death Star. Pretty tricky, there, Galen!

    Ejecting the Xenomorph: Alien

    ALIEN: COVENANT

    Photo Credit: Xenopedia

    Towards the end of Alien, Ripley has nearly escaped from the terrifying monster stalking her. However, as she ejects the escape pod from the Nostromo, she realizes the Xenomorph is in it with her. A bit of quick thinking, however, saves her life. Luckily for her, she’s already wearing a space suit. As such, she simply opens the pod’s airlock and sends the monster careening into the cold depths of outer space. She then collapses back into her seat, exhausted but victorious. Clever, quick thinking won the day for the heroic Ripley.

    Tricking the Humans: Ex Machina

    Photo Credit: Letterboxed

    In this eerie, introspective sci-fi film, AI construct Ava tricks protagonist Caleb into letting her earn her freedom. Her creator, Nathan, is a narcissistic creep, and Ava has no power to oppose him. As such, she manipulates Caleb, a visitor to the facility, into distracting Nathan long enough for her to escape. She displays cunning, sensuality and wit in her expert manipulation of Caleb and Nathan. As such, Ex Machina is a very trippy, smart film in its examination of AI, androids and programming.

    Using the Wrong Name: Terminator 2

    Photo Credit: Amazon

    In the sequel to the classic sci-fi film Terminator, the future John Connor sends a reprogrammed Terminator unit back to defend his younger self. The evil forces of Skynet send back a T-1000 model that can shapeshift to hunt John as a young man. At one point, John calls home to his foster parents to check on them, and his foster mother seems unusually nice. In a stroke of genius, the T-800 takes the phone and fakes John’s voice, using the wrong name for the dog. The “foster mom” falls for it, using the wrong name, outing itself as the T-1000. Who says computers are dumb?

    Using the Storm Trooper Outfits: Star Wars

    Photo Credit: Captain Toy

    When Luke, Han and Chewie storm the Death Star to save Leia from the evil Empire, they use Storm Trooper outfits to sneak undetected. This is a smart move for the group: they even pretend that Chewie is their prisoner! This lets them move uninhibited through certain areas in the Death Star. The element of surprise allows them to find Leia, and then escape with her on the Millennium Falcon. The only downside, of course, is that old Ben Kenobi has to sacrifice himself for the rest of the heroes to escape.

    Harnessing the Lightning Bolt: Back to the Future

    Photo Credit: MovieWeb

    In the first Back to the Future film, Marty McFly accidentally travels back in time to the 1950’s in a DeLorean-shaped time machine. Upon arriving in the past, he realizes he’s stuck: the DeLorean needs plutonium to generate 1.21 gigawatts of power to time travel. Finding the past version of his friend Dr. Brown, who invented the time machine, the two concoct a plan. They know the exact time and date that a lightning bolt will strike the clock tower in town. As such, they can plan to have the DeLorean harness that power exactly as the bolt strikes, giving it the required power and sending Marty back to the future!

    Using the Pod’s Air Pressure: 2001 A Space Odyssey

    Photo Credit: YouTube

    In this classic Kubrick film, astronaut Dave Bowman gets stuck outside the ship when onboard AI HAL begins to malfunction. HAL locks the outer airlock, preventing Dave’s pod from reentering the ship. In a quick-witted moment of genius, Dave decompresses his pod and uses the air pressure to propel himself to the ship. He then manually overrides HAL’s lockout, reentering the ship. Then, HAL finds himself powerless as Dave overrides his processes and shuts him down for good.

    Outsmarting the Predator: Predator

    Photo Credit: Daily Grindhouse

    1987 classic sci-fi flick Predator features Arnold in his prime as protagonist Dutch. Dutch leads an elite team of soldiers in the Central American jungle, but they are picked off one by one by a dangerous alien. Realizing the creature relies on a thermal imaging device to see him, Dutch covers himself in cold mud to mask his thermal signature. Thus, he is able to fight the cloaked monster on more even footing, ultimately defeating it.

    Surviving: The Martian

    Photo Credit: Addicted2Success

    When Matt Damon’s character, Mark Watney, is left behind on Mars, he has to survive the harsh wasteland. He uses every bit of his scientific know-how to fashion food and living space for himself. It’s quite inspiring to watch Watney master his environment and persevere in the face of insurmountable odds. He even manages to create a way to communicate with NASA back on Earth! In the end, his perseverance pays off and he is rescued by his crewmates!

    Closing the Loop: Looper

    Photo Credit: Letterboxed

    Before he shot the superb sci-fi sequel The Last Jedi for the Star Wars franchise, director Rian Johnson created the excellent, mind-blowing sci-fi actioner Looper. The protagonist, Joe, is a titular Looper: a hitman who works for the mob killing people who are sent back in time to be executed. However, Loopers are guaranteed not to talk to police by killing their future selves when they’re sent back in time. Joe, however, hesitates when his older self is sent back without a bag over his head, which isn’t protocol. His hesitation results in his older self overpowering him and escaping.

    Old Joe sets about finding and killing the child who will eventually grow into the super-powerful Rainmaker villain in his time. Young Joe attempts to stop him but realizes his fight with his old self will result in the young Rainmaker’s mother’s death. Her death will cause her son to grow into the villain Rainmaker, thus repeating the loop. In order to close it, Joe shoots himself, ending the standoff with no further violence. Selfless, heroic and downright genius. Well done Young Joe!

  • BEST DEALS ON SUNGLASSES

    BEST DEALS ON SUNGLASSES

    Stay up on fashion trends while keeping your eyes in good health with a pair of high-quality sunglasses! In addition to being attractive and fashionable, sunglasses provide valuable protection for the long-term health of your eyes.

    It’s true that a good pair of sunglasses will help you look good no matter what you’re doing, but they also shield the eyes from harmful ultraviolet light. These rays not only damage skin, they can contribute to the development of cataracts, spots on the eyes, a condition called snow blindness, multiple types of eye cancers, and more.

    Fortunately, there are many places and ways to find sunglasses that will block 100 percent of harmful UVA and UVB rays that cause damage. Sunglasses are a stylish, affordable, and fun way to protect your eyes. Read on to find out what you need to know about the best places to buy sunglasses.

    In order to be sure that the sunglasses they buy are high-quality, shoppers need to purchase their glasses from reputable dealers. These brands produce sunglasses that are made from state of the art materials, which is especially important when it comes to lenses.

    When we put on sunglasses, our pupils enlarge so that more light can enter the eye. If the sunglasses we wear are poor quality, UV light can be allowed in and cause damage. Well-made sunglasses have layers of protection that shade the eyes and keep harmful rays out.

    Best Places for Sunglass Deals

    Traditional Retailers

    Places like Sunglasshut, Macys, Frames Direct, and Ottica have a wide range of brands at a variety of price points. Some of the most popular brands of sunglasses in a myriad of styles and materials include Ray Ban, Maui Jim, Coach, Burberry, Michael Kors, and Raen. These brands also have their own stores where they sell products made exclusively for them, including sunglasses. These stores also offer valuable information on what standards are required for sunglasses to be considered high-enough quality for these brands to sell. Shoppers can also try name brand sunglasses on in person while in the stores or can shop for glasses online.

    New Online Retailers

    While going into a popular, reputable store to buy sunglasses is the traditional way to buy shades, there are new brands to consider and more modern ways to buy sunglasses. Warby Parker offers shoppers a cool new way to buy sunglasses, in which the company sends fashionable, high-quality, scratch-resistant glasses in groups of 5 to try for free. Customers simply return what they don’t want and pay for what they keep. Zenni provides an interface where customers can upload a photo to “try on” the glasses virtually.

    Once bought, the customized sunglasses are sent to customers within two to three weeks. Diff ensures a good feeling for every pair of sunglasses sold, as they give a pair of reading glasses to people in need. Plus, they offer free shipping on orders of $50 or more. While ModCloth is known for their impeccable style choices in clothes, this is also true for sunglasses at a range of price points, from $20 on up. One of the most pricey and popular companies, Eyeconic provides all of the top designer sunglasses, along with a virtual try-on feature to ensure that every pair looks good before any money is spent. Plus, shipping and returns are free!


  • Top 5 AdWords Management Services

    Top 5 AdWords Management Services

    Well-crafted bids can be very lucrative, whereas misplaced investment on irrelevant keywords, or over-investment, can be disastrous. Many companies try to go it alone, and they grossly underperform in search engine conversion.

    As a result, countless businesses have popped up that are designed to help companies avoid making these mistakes and to leverage search engines into a powerful tool for generating new leads, sales and profits.

    Every agency will promise you stunning results, but, not surprisingly, not everyone will be able to deliver on these promises. Proper AdWords management can be a huge boost to your business, so to make sure you’re getting the right help to make full use of this opportunity, we’ve compiled a list of the five best AdWords management agencies you can find. Each one offers something a bit different, but Mutesix is the one we consider to offer a good balance of everything. Here are some details on each one of our choices:

    #5—Jumpfly

    Another major player that is good for those looking for an agency with lots of resources and experience is Jumpfly. They have over 400 clients, mostly in retail and consumer goods. However, despite being so big, they still only focus on AdWords and PPC.

    This is somewhat surprising, as agencies this big usually branch out into different areas of marketing. But it’s an indicator of success, as they’ve been able to build an impressive roster of clients while focusing on one aspect of online marketing and advertising.

    Jumpfly works to help you find the best Adwords for both Google and Bing, and what’s nice is that they also offer a money back guarantee when you first get started. If you aren’t satisfied with them for any reason, you’re under no obligation to stay with them, but chances are you’ll find yourself being very happy with the work Jumpfly does for your company.

    #4—CPC Strategy

    CPC Strategy is what we call a heavyweight agency. They have over 250 clients, and many of them are national brands that are forces within their respective markets. In general, they work almost exclusively with clients in retail, but they have also been known to work with other consumer goods companies. Some of their most well-known clients include Sears, WWF, Clarks and Omaha Steaks.

    You can expect the people at CPC Strategy to have a wide range of experience in many different types of marketing, but they have particular success in AdWords management. Additionally, because they are so big, they have lots of resources available to help you achieve your goals.

    But all this experience and all these resources come with an extra cost. If you are only looking for an AdWords manager, the folks at CPC can certainly do the job, but there may be other agencies with a more focused PPC approach

    Also, because of their size, CPC might not be able to offer you the same level of personalization as other boutique firms, but they are certainly more than capable of delivering a quality AdWords management strategy, and they have ways of complementing this to help bring your business to new levels.

    #3—Tower 33 Digital Marketing

    One of the most important things to know about marketing is that it requires a multi-leveled approach. When people come into contact with your product, they are all at different stages. Some are ready to make a purchase, some are just informing themselves of the different options and others are just curious consumers seeing what’s out there.

    As such, for marketing to be successful, it’s important to tailor messages to find and connect with people on all different levels. This is very similar to the “Customer Journey” approach used by Tower 33 Digital Marketing. They make use of AdWords, SEO, social media and other forms of digital marketing to reach people at all different parts of the sales funnel and direct them to your company. They have a proven track record of improving traffic and conversion numbers.

    #2—SINGLE GRAIN

    What’s nice about Single Grain is that it combines marketing and web development. When it comes to internet marketing, design and strategy are closely linked, although few too many people realize this. Single Grain offers custom web design, and they also offer a whole host of WordPress plugins to help make your site run more effectively, efficiently and profitably.

    Single Grain is a boutique firm that works to create a personalized marketing plan for your company. You won’t have to worry about being treated like a nobody, even if you are a small company. The people over at Single Grain will soon become your family, and doing business with them will seem easy.

    #1–Mutesix – Our #1 Pick for Adwords

    The secret behind the continued success of MuteSix brings an omnichannel approach to it’s paid search strategy. Google is moving away from content targeting and toward user targeting to remain competitive with FB ad platform. The Google Ads Department at MuteSix leverages its massive FB ads experience when it comes to audience targeting and creative and applies it on the Google Ads platform for successful campaigns in channels like Display network and YouTube that have been historically very challenging.

    Google Ads is an ever-changing landscape where the targeting is only getting better across Search, Shopping, Display, & YouTube. With that in mind, MuteSix is constantly leveraging the latest ad formats, audiences, & betas to stay ahead of the game. One of the distinguishing features of MuteSix’s Paid Search department is their creative output. They create branded videos and display ads for all of their clients. MuteSix’s specialiizes in servicing clients in the e-commerce space, serving 50+ clients across mutplie verticals with 2 official Google Case Studies.

    While Mutesix has a heavy focus on AdWords and PPC management, they also offer a range of other digital marketing services, such as social media marketing and Facebook marketing. This allows you to create a broad plan that can drive paid traffic to your site, improve conversion rates and increase profits.

    Lastly, Mutesix serves as a great resource. They keep an up-to-date and relevant blog that helps keep you apprised of the latest trends in the industry so that nothing takes you by surprise. It’s a nice added touch that helps set Mutesix apart from other agencies.

    Final thoughts

    The upsurge of eCommerce and digital marketing has made proper AdWords management essential for any business operating online. However, this world can be confusing, and as such, it can be expensive. Finding a quality agency that will work to understand your needs and to craft a strategy that will succeed is of utmost importance.

    It combines web development products with a range of digital marketing strategies, including AdWords management, to deliver a custom-made marketing strategy that will help make your business better.


  • Best CPAP Machines

    Best CPAP Machines

    Sleep apnea is a serious problem for those affected. Getting treatment for sleep apnea isn’t just about sleeping through the night — it’s about preventing serious health complications. Whether you suffer from it yourself or sleep near someone who does, it can be awful. If you’re affected, you may find it hard to sleep through the night and rarely wake up feeling rested.

    Sleep apnea may also put you at higher risk for diabetes, high blood pressure and anxiety. Fortunately there are ways for people to cope with this condition. The most common form of sleep apnea treatment is with a CPAP machine, which works by creating a continuous stream of air into your airway while you sleep to keep the airway clear and unobstructed.  In order to help, here’s our roundup of the 3 best CPAP machines.

    Best CPAP Machines

    Intellipap Standard Plus CPAP Machine

    The Intellipap Standard Plus CPAP Machine is the first on our list. Made by DeVilbiss Healthcare, this model features a number of technological functions to keep your airway clear and unobstructed. Flow Rounding technology and SmartFlex functions work in conjunction to help you sleep through the night and get well-rested.

    Other great features are a humidifier mask that keeps your mouth from drying out and a back-up battery. It also features remote reporting, so your doctor can monitor how you’re doing. It even sounds a warning if the mask slips off your face!

    ResMed AirSense 10 Autoset

    The second model on our list is the ResMed AirSense 10 Autoset. Notably, this unit is capable of adjusting its airflow to accommodate the breathing habits of users. It offers Bluetooth connectivity to allow for wireless control. If you like to travel, this is a great pick: it’s rated for use on airplanes! It’s also capable of using any wall outlet, even internationally.

    Like the Intellipap, this unit is capable of long-distance monitoring by your doctor. That means that, even if you’re traveling, your doctor can stay up-to-date on your status! That’s perfect for people with an active lifestyle!

    Philips Respironics DreamStation Auto

    The Philips Respironics DreamStation Auto is last but not least! This entry is the most compact of any of the machines listed here. If you have limited bedside space, this is the option you should go with. This unit is capable of recording any abnormal breathing during the night. It’s also capable of adjusting for abnormal breathing to keep you healthy and sleeping soundly.

    This unit also offers a facemask alert in case it comes loose, like the Intellipap. It also features a humidifier to keep your mouth and throat from drying out. Like the previous entries, this one also offers wireless reporting to your doctor regarding your breathing health.


  • The Best Solar Power Companies

    The Best Solar Power Companies

    Nowadays, many consumers have turned to solar energy for the sake of the environment and for their wallet.  This renewable energy source has globally proven to be cheaper than power from the grid, saving customers hundreds or thousands of dollars per year on their energy bill.

    Solar energy is known to require little maintenance and according to research, solar energy has the least negative impact on the environment compared to the other sources of energy.  Solar energy also has proven to be more reliable as well, since it can be deployed anywhere.

    Solar panels and solar contracts have an average lifespan of 20 years. To help you make the smartest, long-term decision, we’ve compiled top solar power companies and highlighted their respective benefits. Below, you can compare unique cost savings, equipment monitoring, tax breaks, and contracts that require little to no money down. Whichever company you choose, you’ll experience greater energy savings and the perks of environmentally-friendly living. Read on to learn about the best solar power companies that can help you!

    Best Solar Power Companies

    Sunrun

    Sunrun has been helping homeowners save on energy bills since 2007. This solar provider has often been named as both the best and largest solar company in the United States. Sunrun covers over 17 states in the US including South Carolina, Nevada, California and Colorado. You can also choose from flexible payment options that allow you to put as little as zero down. Sunrun provides for four payment plans; Brightsave monthly (which is a 20-year lease with monthly payments), BrightBuy (where you purchase the solar power in full), BrightAdvantage (which is a solar loan with zero down and is a great way to finance your solar panels) and Brightsave prepaid (where you pay for the entire solar lease in full right from the start).

    The great thing about Sunrun is that, regardless of the plan you choose, you are guaranteed backup storage, workmanship warranty as well as a 10-year roof warranty. With Sunrun you are also able to monitor your solar home’s productivity through a innovative app. If your solar panels generate more power than you use, Sunrun will return credits to you.

    When you decide to use Sunrun, it sends a representative to your home to evaluate your solar eligibility. Within three weeks, the company creates a design for you to approve, and after you give your consent, Sunrun begins applying for permits. Permit wait times depend on your local government. Once permits are approved, installation can begin.

    SolarCity

    Solarcity is a solar power company that is known for having the most affordable solar panel plans while still backing its work with guarantees and strong warranties. This solar company benefits greatly from the research and technology that is provided by Tesla – its sister company. Solarcity has services that are available for government planners, homeowners and businesses in about 21 states all across the United States.

    A lot of solar companies just offer solar panel installation but Solarcity additionally offers clients the ability to go off the grid through its back up power supply which ensures that your premise will always have power regardless of any blackouts. Powerwall – a backup power supply that allows you to always have power regardless of city blackouts. Unlike a portable generator Powerwall allows you to access clean power in emergencies. In addition to its Powerwall, Solarcity also offers a 10-year warranty that covers 10 years of necessary maintenance.

    Tesla recently revealed the new solar roof – a surprisingly affordable set of roof tiles with solar cells. To anyone looking at them from the street they will seem like a normal set of roofing tiles. The solar cells are only visible from above so they can use the sun to power your home. They even come in four different, chic-looking styles to help you match the look of your home. SolarCity is the only solar company that can install the solar roof. If you’re wondering about the dependability of these tiles, rest assured knowing that they are stronger than average roofing tiles.

    Vivint Solar

    Vivint Solar is also one of the best solar power companies. Vivint made its debut as a home security and home automation company in 1999 and has transitioned into a top solar company. Vivint Solar offers four payment plans in addition to warranties and solar panel performance monitoring. This solar contractor can help you save money on your utility bill while decreasing your impact on the environment. With operations in 16 states, it has the third largest coverage in the United States.

    In addition to solar panel installations, Vivint Solar does offer backup battery storage. This company’s solar power warranties include a 25-year performance warranty. The inverter is also covered by a 20-year workmanship warranty. Vivint will fix or pay for any damage it might cause to your property or belongings. This company offers four different payment plans: Solar Purchase, Solar Loan, Solar PPA, and Solar Lease. Regardless of which plan you choose, Vivint Solar will maintain and monitor your solar panels. These plans are also transferrable, should you decide to sell your home. Some of these plans also include product and power output warranties. Should the system fail to function or if it functions inefficiently Vivint Solar will take care of it.

    After you have set up a consultation with Vivint Solar, they will set up a time to meet with you. At this meeting Vivint will go over how solar works where you live and explain the benefits of using solar panels. After that comes an on-site survey, where they will look around your home for about an hour to evaluate your home’s solar eligibility. Designs will be drawn that best accommodate your house.


  • Xiaomi Mi A2 Spec Roundup: Ditching the Headphone Jack

    Xiaomi Mi A2 Spec Roundup: Ditching the Headphone Jack

    Xiaomi might not be a terribly recognizable name in the US, but they’re a juggernaut in China. They primarily make low-end smartphones, at least price-wise, that function well nonetheless. The newest batch of phones they’ve announced are the Xiaomi Mi A2 and the Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite. The normal Mi A2 follows a few trends started by Apple in order to stay modern and fresh. Let’s look at some of the newly-announced specs of this Chinese smartphone.

    So Long, 3.5mm Jack

    It seems modern smartphones are allergic to 3.5mm jacks. Case in point? Even budget smartphones are ditching them now. This design trend has been partly in order to increase waterproofing, and partly to streamline designs. As the Mi A2 isn’t waterproof, in this case we can only assume the lack of the jack is to mirror the designs of premium smartphones. The Mi A2 Lite, however, retains the legacy output port. Those who still love their traditional wired headphones need not despair—yet.

    Hello, USB-C

    Instead of the micro-USB sported by the Mi A2 Lite, the Mi A2 has a USB-C port. Again, this seems to keep the phone in line with the design features of modern smartphones. USB-C is a great standard, allowing for fast charging and allowing for dongles for 3.5mm jacks to convert to the USB-C. This is a good switch, to be sure, and it’s good to see even low-end phones adopting the style.

    Xiaomi Mi A2 Specs

    The Mi A2 has reasonable specs for a smartphone of its price. It starts with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. It also carries a Snapdragon 660 processor and an Adreno 512 GPU.  Oddly, it has a smaller battery than its little sibling, the A2 Lite. It sports a back-mounted fingerprint scanner and an IR blaster, as well, which both function reasonably well.

    Interestingly, the A2 doesn’t have a notch design, but the A2 Lite does. This somewhat muddies the connection between the standard A2 and a premium smartphone look but isn’t exactly a negative. In fact, many Android enthusiasts see the notch as ugly, or a reminder of Apple’s design philosophy.

    Bottom Line

    The standard Xiaomi Mi A2 runs right around $290, while the Lite runs around $209. Neither will receive a normal American release, but you will be able to buy them online if you’re interested in the combination of low price and reasonable performance.

  • Missing Faces: Franchises We Need on Nintendo Switch

    Missing Faces: Franchises We Need on Nintendo Switch

    The Nintendo Switch has proved quite popular since its launch in March of 2017. The momentum of the console has continued quite well into its second year, with titles like Mario Tennis Aces, Octopath Traveler and Kirby Star Allies keeping the console fresh. Later this year, fans will be treated to Mario Party, Smash Bros and Pokemon entries that are brand new to the console. However, there are still many franchises and games that we’ve yet to see on the system. In fact, today’s list focuses entirely on franchises we need on Nintendo Switch that haven’t been given solid titles or release dates yet. We’re focusing mostly on Nintendo franchises, but they’re not the only games we want to see on the system.

    2D Mario

    Photo Credit: Nintendo

    From 2006 to 2012 Nintendo flooded the market with serviceable but somewhat “same-y” 2D Mario titles. New Super Mario Bros on the DS, a sequel on the Wii, another DS title and a sequel on the Wii U followed. After years of diminishing returns in terms of sales and critical response, Nintendo backed off of 2D Mario. In fact, they backed off so hard that we haven’t seen a proper 2D Mario game (not counting Super Mario Run) since 2012. And, to be honest, that’s not a bad thing: Nintendo overdid it there for a while.

    However, it’s been long enough now that audiences have had time to recover from Mario fatigue. To capitalize on the Switch’s success and bring in old fans, Nintendo should revive the 2D franchise but drop the “New” branding. Just “Super Mario Bros” is good, and a focus on tight, classic platforming would serve them well.

    Animal Crossing

    Photo Credit: Nintendo

    Animal Crossing: New Leaf was the last proper entry in the series, and it came out on 3DS in 2012. That’s a long time for no proper entries in the series to come out! The Switch is a natural fit for the franchise, which has seen success on both home and portable consoles. As of yet there are no official plans to bring Animal Crossing to the console, but it is high on the list of franchises we need on Nintendo Switch. The combination of zen-like gameplay and cute animal friends makes it an ideal match for the hybrid console. Imagine enjoying spending time with your animal buddies on the go or on the big screen!

    Golden Sun

    Photo Credit: Golden Sun Wiki

    The last entry in the series, Dark Dawn, was released in 2010. As such, the Switch is the ideal home for the next entry in this legendary RPG series. The fantastic story and gameplay would lend themselves well to the hybrid console. Enjoying seeing Djinn summon an ass-whooping on the big screen would be excellent. As of yet, there are no plans for a revival of the series, however.

    F-Zero

    Photo Credit: GoNintendo

    The criminally underrated F-Zero franchise has been dormant for more than 15 years. That’s absolutely nuts! Three distinct console generations have passed since the last time we saw Captain Falcon take to the track. The fast-paced, futuristic racer’s absence has led indie developers to try their hand at the genre, with games like Fast RMX popping up to scratch the itch. Sadly, it’s not the same as the polished, high-energy outings from Nintendo. Switch would be an ideal home for a revival!

    Star Fox

    Photo Credit: Nintendo Wiki

    While Star Fox has had no shortage of entries, the franchise has been in a bit of a slump in terms of quality. 2016’s Star Fox Zero got mixed reviews, due in large part to its highly unusual control scheme and uneven difficulty. However, a potential Switch port or sequel could address these problems by just having a normal control scheme. Honestly, the Star Fox formula is so solid that it’s surprising how often Nintendo releases downright awful Star Fox games.

    Earthbound

    Photo Credit: Twitch

    Fan favorite series Earthbound is known for its witty dialogue, humorous use of game mechanics and top-notch world building. The last entry in the series, Mother 3, saw a Japanese release on GBA, but has yet to get an English-language localization. The series isn’t a dead-ringer for Switch due to the system’s hardware, but instead simply due to the series rock-solid pedigree. Honestly, any new Earthbound would be a fantastic turn, regardless of the hardware it’s released on.

    Kid Icarus

    Photo Credit: Nintendo

    Kid Icarus: Uprising was a surprise hit in 2012 when it released, reviving a long-dormant slumber from decades of inactivity. Smash Bros director Masahiro Sakurai helmed development of the fast-paced shooting game, which carries his distinct trademarks. The only major complaint leveled at the game is the unusual control scheme, which would be addressed completely by the Switch, as it uses conventional controls for its games. The addition of gyro aiming, and portability, make the possibility of a sequel to Uprising rather tantalizing. Sadly, no plans to bring the series to switch have surfaced yet.

    Luigi’s Mansion

    Photo Credit: YouTube

    The charming, pseudo-horror franchise Luigi’s Mansion most recently saw a sequel, Dark Moon, released on 3DS. In fact, the original is even seeing an updated remake on 3DS. However, a third entry on Switch could greatly benefit from gyro aiming and the hybrid portability of the system. It could even forego the mission structure of Dark Moon. Many gamers favor of the Resident Evil-style puzzle exploration of the original. A Switch entry could bring back the things people loved about both entries in the franchise.

    Chrono Trigger

    Photo Credit: Polygon

    There’s nothing about the system in particular that makes this one of the franchises we need on Nintendo Switch. No, Chrono Trigger is one of the greatest traditional RPGs ever released, and a sequel to it (not Chrono Cross) would be fantastic to see on Switch. The huge success of Octopath Traveler and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has proved that RPGs perform well on the system.

    Advance Wars

    Photo Credit: YouTube

    The finest tactical wargame ever released, Advance Wars would be a natural fit on the Switch. The series revolves around tactical turn-based military strategy. A spiritual successor, the non-Nintendo Tiny Metal, is evidence that fans of the series are eager to see a proper release. Another spiritual successor, Wargroove, is set to release in 2020. However, none of these fan-made indie tributes can quite live up to the real thing. Nintendo, do the right thing and bring back Advance Wars!