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  • Apple Watch Series 5: What to Expect and Early Rumors

    Apple Watch Series 5: What to Expect and Early Rumors

    It feels like Apple’s Series 4 watch only just launched, but we’re already hearing scuttlebutt related to this year’s Series 5 watch. While Series 4 was a huge leap forward, featuring larger screens, rounded bezels and advanced EKG features, Series 5 is shaping up to be another massive step.

    Apple Watch Series 5

    Sleep Tracking

    One of the major places that the Apple Watch Series 4 is lacking in is advanced sleep tracking tech seen on some competitors’ watches. At present, for sleep tracking, Apple Watch users have to rely on third-party apps. However, the Apple Watch line, up to this point, hasn’t sported good enough battery life to even be worn overnight while sleeping.

    The Series 5 is aiming to fix both of these errors, adding advanced sleep tracking tech as well as better overall battery life. How it will approach the issue of battery life remains to be seen, but it could use a low-power night mode when it detects the wearer is sleeping. Another option is to simply pack in a bigger battery.

    Charging

    Apple’s AirPower proprietary charging pad is now well and truly dead. However, the Apple Watch Series 5 was meant to charge from it and won’t accept normal Qi charging. What this means for the new watch remains to be seen, though it could mean that upcoming iPhones will be able to charge the watch from their own batteries.

    We’ve seen tech like this on Samsung’s phones, so it wouldn’t be odd to see Apple keeping their charging solutions all in the family.

    iPhone-Locked

    Up to this point, every Apple Watch has required an iPhone to set them up. This makes them locked firmly into Apple’s ecosystem, unlike other smartwatches. Most other smartwatches can be used with Android or iPhone, making them more versatile than Apple’s proprietary watch.

    Perhaps the Series 5 will mark the first time that Apple lets their watch out into the wide world of Android phones. It would be a good move for a company that has been seeing slowing sales of their iPhone line.

  • Is Samsung’s Newest Phone Worth the Price? Galaxy S10+ Review

    Is Samsung’s Newest Phone Worth the Price? Galaxy S10+ Review

    Samsung is the big dog in the world of Android phones. Their Galaxy line is a juggernaut, largely defining each era of Android smartphones. Their newest phone, the massive Galaxy S10+ with its unusual hole-punch design in the front is upon us. Is the newest Galaxy phone worth the $1000 price of entry?

    Galaxy S10+ Review

    Galaxy-S10
    Photo Credit: CNET

    Specs

    Under the hood, the Galaxy S10 and S10+ both sport all the bells and whistles you expect from a modern flagship phone. This includes the Eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 CPU, 12 MP main camera, 4100mAh battery in the Plus model and flashy specs like an in-screen fingerprint scanner and wireless charging.

    The most noticeable feature about the phone, however, is that weird hole-punch in the top corner. It’s incredibly eye-catching, and you’ll often find your eye drawn to it during normal use of the phone. This isn’t a case like the iPhone X’s notch, which fades from your notice shortly after using it.

    The Issues

    If you’ve used a Galaxy phone in the last three years, you know that they’re great. The phones are fast, responsive and sport beautiful screens and great cameras. However, the Galaxy S10 has some noteworthy issues we want to discuss.

    The first is that in-screen fingerprint scanner. It’s a 3D scanner, mounted under the screen and impossible to see unless you shine a flashlight at the screen. However, it’s tiny, much smaller than a fingertip and hard to use. It often misses the finger, takes several seconds to unlock, and makes using the phone awkward and cumbersome.

    The phone also comes pre-loaded with shovelware, even if you buy it unlocked directly from Samsung. Within, you’ll find McAfee antivirus cooked into the OS, Facebook (which can’t be uninstalled), your photos will want to share your location with FourSquare, and both FlipBoard and Spotify are on the phone when you open it.

    Bottom Line

    The Galaxy S10 is $900, while the S10+ is $1,000. For those prices, you could opt instead for an iPhone XR, a much more user-friendly and well-designed phone. If you want to keep your phone in Android’s ecosystem, you could opt for any number of more affordable options from Huawei, OnePlus or even one of Samsung’s own older Galaxy phones.

    For the huge price tag, it’s not much worth getting a Samsung Galaxy S10 or S10+. Opt instead for the S9 if you’re dying to own a modern Galaxy phone.

  • Samsung Delays Galaxy Fold Launch Events

    Samsung Delays Galaxy Fold Launch Events

    The Galaxy Fold is hitting some snags. It’s been reported that the first-of-its-kind foldable smartphone is having some serious issues with its early review models. Flickering, dying screens, bulges in the hinges and even full internal screen failures have been common with early review models.

    In a reportedly unrelated move, Samsung has delayed two Galaxy Fold launch events. Now its unclear if the Fold will be hitting its shipping dates on time. However, Samsung holds that the delay in the April 23rd and 24th events were delayed due to issues with the venue, not the phone.

    Galaxy Fold Launch Events Delayed

    Casting Doubt

    When the Galaxy Fold was first announced, it was greeted with cautious optimism by smartphone enthusiasts. However, there are now a number of questions being asked about the incredibly expensive folding handset.

    The Galaxy Fold will retail for around $2,000, making it one of the most expensive smartphones ever released. On top of being incredibly pricey and sporting an unusual design, early issues with review models have some people wondering whether the phone will even be worth that price tag.

    Folding Phones

    Some have even gone so far as to question whether folding smartphones are going to work out. The apparent fragility of the phone and its supposed lack of difference from existing Galaxy phones has many enthusiasts worried. Will general consumers even be willing to drop thousands of dollars on a phone that could break so easily?

    Official Word

    The official word from Samsung is that the Galaxy Fold is still on track for its April 26th launch date. While Samsung assures the public that the phones will be moving along at a good clip, many are drawing parallels to the disastrous Galaxy Note 7 launch. During that launch, many people noted their Note 7’s batteries overheating and even catching fire in some cases.

    Time will tell if the tremendously expensive foldable phone, which sports double the screen size in the same space as a normal smartphone, proves popular enough to overcome these early hurdles. Samsung certainly has their work cut out for them convincing the public that the Fold is worth the expense.

  • Which Smartwatch Should You Buy? Samsung vs Apple

    Which Smartwatch Should You Buy? Samsung vs Apple

    The Apple Watch Series 4 finally has a true competitor in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active. The two tech giants are each pitting their best wearable tech against the other. If you’re wondering which of these two excellent smart watches is right for you, read on.

    Apple Watch vs Samsung Galaxy Watch Active

    Price Point

    The first, and most notable, aspect of the two watches when paired head-to-head is the price point. Where the Galaxy Watch only costs $200, the Apple Watch Series 4 is double that price. That’s a pretty stark difference out of the gate. Does Apple do anything different enough to merit that huge uptick in price?

    Appearance

    The next most obvious difference between the two watches is the shape and appearance. The Apple Watch has the distinct square shape and rounded bezels that make it look like a baby iPhone X strapped to your wrist.

    The Galaxy watch, meanwhile, sports a round face that looks more reminiscent of a traditional watch face. Both are stylish, with large screens and bright colors.

    Fitness Features

    The main show with both of these smart watches is the fitness features. Both watches track your fitness activity an let you set daily goals. The Apple Watch can automatically detect swims, while the Galaxy can auto-detect cycling. Both are water-resistant, so they can both function as swim trackers.

    Both offer breathing exercises, GPS solutions and fun visuals to track your various fitness activities. The Apple Watch is a bit faster to note heartrate changes and keeps up quickly with what you’re doing.

    Bottom Line

    Both watches feature ample smartwatch features, such as getting texts and notifications on your wrist and even answering calls through your watch. While the Apple Watch is the significantly pricier option, it’s sufficiently different to be its own thing.

    Which one is right for you? Well, if you like Apple’s iOS and general feel, you’ll love the super-premium Apple Watch. If you like Samsung’s simple, straightforward and third-party forward design style, you’ll love the Galaxy Active.

  • Sega Genesis Mini Games and Details: What and When?

    Sega Genesis Mini Games and Details: What and When?

    For a certain generation, the Sega Genesis defines what gaming looked like in the early 90’s. The slick, fast-paced action of Sonic the Hedgehog, Streets of Rage and Gunstar Heroes has always been synonymous with Sega. Now, we can look forward to the upcoming Sega Genesis Mini to recapture that classic gaming feel.

    Sega Genesis Mini Details

    The System

    The system itself is an adorable, miniature version of the Sega Genesis. Not the later redesign, mind you, but the chunkier original. The sleek black lines, glossy sheen and distinctly retro look all look great at the tiny scale.

    Much like Nintendo’s own NES and SNES Classic systems, this one will include perfect recreations of the original controller. The incredibly faithful reproduction is core the Genesis Mini’s charm. There are countless ways to play Genesis games already on the market, so the exact replica appearance is key to this product’s appeal.

    The Games

    A huge draw to this system is sure to be the high number of games on display. No less than 40 games will come included with the system, making it a huge value. Of the forty, Sega has announced twenty. They are as follows.

    Sonic the Hedgehog

    Ecco the Dolphin

    Castlevania: Bloodlines

    Space Harrier 2

    Shining Force

    Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine

    ToeJam & Earl

    Comix Zone

    Altered Beast

    Gunstar Heroes

    Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse

    World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck

    Thunder Force III

    Super Fantasy Zone

    Shinobi III

    Streets of Rage 2

    Earthworm Jim

    Sonic the Hedgehog 2

    Contra: Hard Corps

    Landstalker

    Release Details

    The system is set to be released on September 19th in the US, UK and Australia. Interestingly, it will be released as the Sega Mega Drive in the UK and Australia, as per its original branding there. In the US, the system will retail for $80 MRSP. We’re excited to get our hands on the adorable collectible to go alongside our NES and SNES Classics!

  • Best Home Security Systems

    Best Home Security Systems

    Everyone wants their own home to feel like a safe haven. The big wide world can be a scary, chaotic place. You want home to be your sanctuary, and that’s totally fine. As such, you’re looking for the best in home security systems. Today we’re helping you find just that by breaking down the best of the best.

    Best Home Security Systems

    ADT

    The most well-known home security system is the professionally-installed ADT. It’s not terribly easy to get pricing information from ADT without subjecting oneself to lots of salespeople, but here’s some rough numbers for a base system. For the upfront cost of around $129, and an ongoing cost of roughly $47, you get a 3-year contract with monitoring and two door contacts.

    ADT’s not for everyone, though, as the contract length and high price of monitoring can be a turn-off. However, the company is a trusted name, the monitoring is well-regarded and the system is high-quality.

    SimpliSafe

    If you don’t mind installing the system yourself, consider SimpliSafe. The started kit is only $230, which is a small price to pay for peace of mind. While the monitoring starts at $15 per month, you might want to spring for the $25 version of the monitoring for the upgraded features. Those features include app controls and Alexa integration.

    While it’s not the most robust system on the market, SimpliSafe is great for people who don’t want to deal with big companies like ADT but still want a full system for home security.

    Nest Hello

    A stylish, modern and slick doorbell camera, Nest Hello is from the same company that makes the Nest Thermostat. Ample Alexa integration and face recognition make this a very high-tech security solution. It’s around $230 for the up-front cost to get the system installed, and then it’s about $5 per month for the ongoing costs for recording.

    For an upcharge, you can get the more upscale features like facial recognition. The most impressive part about the Nest Hello is the integration, though, as it works together with Alexa or other smart home systems.

  • Super Smash Bros. First DLC Character Now Live

    Super Smash Bros. First DLC Character Now Live

    Super Smash Bros Ultimate was one of the biggest game launches of last year, and the game is still going strong. The ever-popular crossover fighter has seen great sales through into this year, too. The first DLC character from the Fighters Pass, Joker from Persona, is now live. The update brings many new features, too.

    Smash Bros Ultimate Update

    Joker’s Wild

    The newest character to hit the roster is Joker, a fan-favorite character from the Persona series. Persona, a series of dark fantasy JRPGs, has never had a representative in Nintendo’s Smash Bros franchise.

    The character is a slippery, tricky fighter with unusual supernatural powers. Hardcore Smash players will certainly be studying the ins and outs of the character and pushing him to his limits. Expect to see loads of this new character online in the multiplayer battle mode in the weeks to come.

    Stage Editor

    A much-requested feature returning from Super Smash Bros Brawl, the stage editor has returned with this update. This allows players to build custom stages for their own use with friends. They can also upload their stages to the internet so other players the world over can try out their stages!

    Video Editor

    Another big feature introduced in this huge update is the video editor, allowing for more in-depth recording and editing of replays. Whether you’re making your own highlight reel, learning from your past mistakes or just having some fun, the video editor is sure to be a huge hit.

    More to Come

    The Fighters Pass DLC also promises another 4 characters and stage will be coming to the already-stuffed game in the months to come. For the low price of entry, Smash Bros is completely packed to the gills with content. Between fighters, stages and game modes, there’s always more to do in Smash Bros.

    Super Smash Bros Ultimate and the Fighters Pass are both available on the Nintendo Switch 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.

  • 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.