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  • 3 Cool Updates From Samsungs Television

    3 Cool Updates From Samsungs Television

    1. Translucent Ambient Televisions

    For years, Samsung has been trying to make TVs look pretty even when you’re not watching TV. The company just announced the latest lineup of its flagship QLED TVs with an all-new feature called Ambient Mode. Basically, thanks to some hardware trickery, Ambient Mode can replicate the texture on the wall behind your TV and almost make it disappear. It’s sort of like an invisibility cloak for your TV.

     

    The demo of this new feature worked well, blending it perfectly with the brick wall behind it. I am super excited to blend a TV in to my living room wall. It would be perfect, until you see a bunch of wires hanging from some random bricks in my fireplace.  that leads us to number 2

     

    2.A New Single Translucent Cable Wire

    If i have a tv the can be translucent mounted to my wall but the tangle of cords jutting out of the back of the TV, pushing it away from the wall and then dangling down to wherever the cable box, PS4, and Wii U reside, is ugly and pointless. So Samsung did something that strikes you, innately, as both backward and forward thing—it moved all the ports of the TV.

     

    On the 2017 Q9 TV from Samsung they have managed to pack 6 input ports in to a minuscule cord. The Cord is translucent, making it less visible against a bare wall. It will connect to a unit like Samsung’s current One Connect Box, which includes USB 3.0, coax, and multiple HDMI ports. THis seems like the answer to the translucent TV cord issue..

     

    3. The Wall, Summer

     

    MicroLED is a technology that shrinks traditional LEDs to a smaller size, and gives them the ability to produce their own light. Think OLED, but take out the organic part. MicroLED doesn’t require a discrete backlight, and there’s no need for LCD shutters. In turn, this creates a brighter, more contrast-rich television that can turn pixels off individually. This has brought us the next level of cool from Samsung… The Wall.

     

    Yes, yes we have all seen from the unveiling at the CES 2018 in Jan.. so tell me something I don’t know. Samsung’s the Wall is the next big thing. It seemed to be just a concept with actual production and availability in the distant future. Even Samsung said “we are still years away, their next step is a 2-5 year plan for a 75 inch MicroLED set”. With a big announcement today, we have an answer.. August.

    We will see the Wall available to consumers August 2018. Given the customization nature of The Wall and the technology it uses, chances are it won’t be cheap when it does come out this summer. I am still guessing 10k.

  • Nokia 8 Sirocco Brings Welcomed News.

    Nokia 8 Sirocco Brings Welcomed News.

    At Mobile World Congress today, the Nokia 8 Sirocco made news of its release and the unexpected upgrades it got. The resulting looks are impressive to say the least, and the fingerprint reader has been moved to the rear to reduce the bezels at the front. The entire phone has curved points at the edges, with a design that hides the usual antenna lines. The changes and upgrades appear to make the phone sleek, light, and comfortable.

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    The Specs

    The Nokia 8 Sirocco is equipped with Qualcomm’s 835 processor, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. At the center is a 5.5-inch OLED display (2560 x 1440). HMD is also using a dual-camera system at the rear with a 12-megapixel primary camera and ZEISS optics. The front-facing 5-megapixel camera also has a wide-angle (84-degree) lens. The software will support HMD’s “bothie” mode. As HMD has switched to a glass device, there’s also wireless charging on the Nokia 8 Sirocco. Unfortunately, HMD removed the headphone jack. You’ll need to use USB-C or Bluetooth headphones, or make use of the USB-C to 3.5mm headset adapter in the box.
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    More News

    “The Nokia 8 Sirocco will be available in April priced at 749 euros ($920). Alongside the Nokia 8 Sirocco, HMD is also launching two mid-range devices. The Nokia 7 Plus has the same camera system as the Nokia 8 Sirocco, but it swaps the exterior for a ceramic coating. The Nokia 7 Plus includes Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. The 6-inch LCD display (2160 x 1080) on the 7 Plus is 18:9 so it’s extra-tall. The bezels look similar to Google’s Pixel 2 XL display, and HMD has placed the fingerprint reader at the rear to help with that. HMD plans to make the Nokia 7 Plus available in April for 399 euros ($490). HMD is also introducing a refreshed Nokia 6. The new Nokia 6 runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 630 processor, with 3GB of 4GB of RAM, and 32GB or 64GB of storage. HMD has moved the fingerprint reader to the back of the 5.5-inch (1920 x 1080) device. Additionally they added a 16-megapixel camera at the rear with ZEISS optics. The updated Nokia 6 will be available in April priced at 279 euros ($343).”
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    The Summary

    With all the welcomed upgrades and tech going into the Sirocco, Nokia may be making moves to enter the ring with the big “smart phone” dogs. The companies almost novelty strength of their phones, has kept them relevant for this long so lets see what they got. I am eager to see how this new phone operates and competes against Apple and Samsung.

  • Fitbit’s New Smart Watch Unveiled

    Fitbit’s New Smart Watch Unveiled

    Recently Fitbit’s CEO James Park, said that the company is working on a “mass appeal smartwatch” following fading sales of its Iconic line. As of today, the company unveiled it’s new smartwatch at the MWC in Barcelona, Spain.

    First Looks

    Early images were obtained of the company’s upcoming smartwatch, and it doesn’t look bad! The unnamed watch still has some work and fine tuning ahead of it, but Fitbit appears excited for its upcoming launch.

    Similar to the Ionic, this new smartwatch will run the new Fitbit OS platform that allows for app support, notifications, and more in addition to Fitbit’s standard fitness-tracking suite. The new watch is expected to be quite a bit smaller than the Ionic, and it’ll come in black, silver, rose gold, and matte colors with an assortment of different bands. As the product is released, I’m sure we’ll see all sorts of bands and special addition color schemes.

    It’s expected that the smartwatch will be water-resistant up to 50m and comes with the Ionic’s SpO2 sensor that can eventually track and monitor your sleeping habits and nighttime issues such as Sleep Apnea. At the moment it does not appear that the watch will come with GPS. We can likely expect the watches to come with NFC so Fitbit can keep pushing its Fitbit Pay platform, but there’s no word on this just yet.

    Additionally, Fitbit want to expand and “appeal to a larger, more general smartwatch audience”, Wareable’s source says that this watch will also come with a lower price than the Ionic which currently retails for $299. At a cost significantly lower than the Apple Watch, this one is definitely worth trying on.

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    Summary

    With a sleek and polished look, I’m eager to see what the watch will look like at the time of it’s release. I am hoping that there is some upgrades regarding battery life as well. As for now looks like im sticking with my 1985 Casio, but when Fitbit releases there new awaited watch, I may have to upgrade.

  • The Matrix is Calling from the Nokia 8110 Reboot

    The Matrix is Calling from the Nokia 8110 Reboot

    Nokia has debuted a wide range of promising Android phones across a full pricing spectrum, from the slick Nokia 8 Sirocco at the top to the ultrabudget Nokia 1, which runs the stripped-down Android Go operating system. The most exciting news from Nokia is that they are bringing back the Nokia 8110.

    Morpheus?

    The original Nokia 8110 popularised the slider phone. You know the one we all wanted from the Matrix. We got our first look at the rebooted classic alongside a slew of new phones from Nokia at the annual phone fiesta MWC in Barcelona.

     

    Looks like a Banana

    The classic model’s curved case also earned the nickname the banana which Nokia alludes to in the bright yellow colour of the new model. I’m personally going to go full Keanu and get the black. However it is not spring loaded. When asked Nokia’s Raun Forsyth explained: ‘We looked into it but it was a matter of the complexity and the cost and space it took up. So, the width grew, the thickness grew, there were difficulties of making it reliable and risk-free. In the end we had so many concepts on how to do it: one guy wanted an eject button, then we needed something to dampen the eject and so on. In the end, it came down to that conversation of the sweet spot of being reliable, essential, not over-complicated. The phone’s dimensions are very important. Keeping this to what we consider the perfect size is a real challenge.’

     

    It’s a blast from the past with a tiny, non-touch screen and a 0-9 keypad. Navigating it is just as hard as you’d expect until you remember you actually owned Nokia devices 15 years ago. Fortunately that unsightly top antenna from the original phone is nowhere to be seen.

     

     

    Quick Spec Look

    • Smart Feature OS
    • Dual-core 1.1GHz Qualcomm 205 processor
    • 512MB RAM
    • 4GB internal storage
    •  2.4-inch, 320×240-pixel display
    •  Micro-USB charging port
    • Micro SIM
    • 3.5mm headphone jack
    • 1,500 mAh battery

     

    The Final Thought

    I’m getting one, for $60 it will be a nice back up and it’s makes me feel like I can still walk in to a blockbuster video or call Trinity. I know shouldn’t even care about this phone’s specs because it isn’t a smartphone, so specs don’t really matter. It’s just at a 2.4-inch display, Snapdragon 205 processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of built-in storage, 2-megapixel camera, and 1,500 mAh battery that is removable. Remember removable batteries…. I remembers.

     

  • The Home of Tomorrow is Here…

    The Home of Tomorrow is Here…

    Smart Home communities are beginning to pop up in the United States. Home builders are starting to recognize the potential in creating a fully functional smart home form the ground up. These homes of tomorrow come fully equipped with voice activation of every switch and appliance throughout the home.

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    What can these Smart Homes do?

    One Smart Home Community, Brookfield Homes in Washington D.C. has partnered up with Amazon to have the home fully controlled by Alexa. From turning on the stove to drawing the shades. All can be done with a simple voice command through Alexa. The home also comes with a Smart Home app that let’s you control lighting, music, and appliances even when you’re not home. These homes have the ability to learn the owners work, sleep, and daily habits to better assist the owner. The home can make simple automation task such as turning the A/C down before you arrive home form work. These homes usually come with a higher price tag, but can save big on energy bills and efficiency.

    Image result for smart home

    So it has Alexa, what else?

    These smart homes, also come with energy efficient roofs and solar panels to keep your carbon footprint to a minimum. Also these homes are starting to come equipped with Telsa Powerwalls, which is a solar charged lithium battery that can power your whole house. This battery can basically eliminate your monthly electric bill when utilized properly. From voice control lights to automated vacuum systems, these homes are truly designed to improve your life.

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    Summary

    Smart Home Communities are a new endeavor in the housing market that are just now beginning to be explored. But with all the tech advances as of late, these smart homes are extremely convenient for a reasonable price tag. Years ago, an automated robot vacuum sounded made up and pricey but now you can get one online for $200.00. These new communities will continue to grow and advance. Their sole purpose is to facilitate our daily needs and make our homes functional and modern.

  • Hyperloop One, the Train of Tomorrow…Today

    Hyperloop One, the Train of Tomorrow…Today

    In 2017, Virgin Mobile purchased the Hyperloop One company and unveiled its concept for the train of tomorrow. Hyperloop One chose 10 cities around the world to introduce it’s high speed commuter trains and plan to grow from there. This underground train travel up to 7oo MPH in a vacuum sealed tube. Making long distance travels or work commutes obsolete.

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    How it Works

    For the first time in over 100 years, someone has created a completely new form of travel. The idea started with putting the train’s engine not in the train itself, but on the track. Hyperloop one has created a linear motor using electromagnets that lays on the track while propelling the train car at high speeds with minimal effort. The track is encased in a vacuum sealed tube so the train can travel at very high speed with little-to-no resistance. The airless tubes mock a plane traveling in the stratosphere at 200,000 feet. This makes for a very smooth ride, giving the passenger the feeling as if they’re floating. Achieving incredible speeds while simultaneously creating noiseless and comfortable environment, has fundamentally changed travel as we know it.

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    One area that was chosen for a Hyperloop One system was Central Florida. The Hyperloop line is expected to run from Orlando to Miami and can carry passengers to and from the two cities in only 26 minutes. Being able to work in Miami and live in Orlando with a 30 minute commute has never been a possibility. The adverse effects of this commuting system are just now being realized. In this writers opinion, this will terra-form all areas surrounding the Hyperloop One line. There are also plans to place this system in many other countries such as India, Mexico, United Kingdom, and Canada. The trains will eventually carry freight cars completely revolutionizing how we ship goods and resources.

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    Summary

    Hyperloop One has done something that will change the way we live and travel forever. With any new groundbreaking technology it is hard to image how it will change our lives, but it will. We are on the eve of something here. As long as we keep the safety and practicality of it at the foundation, it will only be a benefit for mankind. I don’t know what the future holds for Hyperloop One, but I eagerly await its arrival.

     

  • Its a Deal with MoviePass

    Its a Deal with MoviePass

    MoviePass is an American subscription-based movie ticketing service. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in New York City, the service allows subscribers to purchase a single movie ticket per day for a flat subscription fee per month

     

    The Great

    • Terrific value
    • great interface and useabilty
    • Very Convenient
    • Unlimited Movies

    The Not

    • No New Releases
    • 2d standard movies only
    • You have to pay the full year up front

    The Conclusion

    I wish they had this when I was growing up, It would have been my wildest dream to have an unlimited movie ticket to the theater around the corner. Today, its def the worth the $8 a month.  I no longer need to pirate new movies and the headaches that come with that are long gone.

    The Movie Pass Experience

    Once you sign up, right now they are offering $7.95 a month rates, they will send you a credit card. You simply use your phones app to find the movie you want and reserve your ticket. Then head to the movies, when you get close to the theater you will get an alert your card is active. You then use the card to purchase your reserved ticket. Easy peasy.

    I don’t get to the movies as much as I used to and I’ve never been one to go to a theater alone. This made me a little apprehensive of the deal, but I decided to sign up after seeing how beneficial Moviepass can be.  After using it for the last month I have enjoyed the experience so much I thought I would give you my own thoughts. Moviepass is kind of like the Netflix of movie theater going.  You pay a flat fee and then you can see as many 2D movies as you want during the month.  The catch is you can only see 1 movie every 24 hours.  You could still easily see 25-30 movies a month if you so choose.

     

    Loop Holes

    So I thought I would look for weaknesses in the Movie Pass logistics. First up was using the card to purchase concessions, it worked with no issues but then declined when I bought my ticket. So I decided to reserve my ticket for the day before and pick it up, then book another ticket for the day Im going to the movies but use the previous days ticket. Thus making my card valid for concession purchases. So far its a lot of leg work but it works.

    I also thought it would be good to get a second pass so I could take who ever else with me to the theater, but apparently this is frowned upon and they will disable your account. I don’t know how they would every figure it out though. Again so far so good.

    Some have also reported that you can only see a movie one time with Moviepass.  This is not the case you can go to the same movie multiple times, at least that is my personal experience.

    The Final Thought

    It hasn’t quite been 30 days for me yet but I have gone to 4 movies.  The first 3 cost $5.99 per ticket and the 4th one was $9.99.  So I have gotten $27.96 in value out of my $7.99 monthly fee. I find Im going to the movies more because I can and seeing movies I would otherwise skip entirely. All in all its been a good experience its a must have for any movie buff, and a great investment for the casual movie goer. Im hoping this becomes adoptive and saves the movie theater platform. Being a catalyst for Studios to produce more movies for us to go to the theaters for.

  • Top Five Cable Tv Providers

    Top Five Cable Tv Providers

    As hard as we try to cut the cord, go to a entertainment on demand premise we still need that live cable goodness. Streaming CNN or ESPN makes you fell like your behind the actual breaking updates. Not to mention the constant and consistent back round noise that cable TV can provide. I just want to watch something I can ignore. The final and one of the biggest necessities of cables is it give you the option to watch something when you don’t know what you want to watch.  I know, I know even as I am writing this I just keep thinking ooooh shut up with your first world problems, and since these are my concerns my only conclusion is its a wonderful time to be alive in America.  Lets take a look at the Top Cable options, some of these are location based and you may not be lucky enough to be in their footprint… uhg again with the first world problems. These are the best for cable TV options.

    1.At&t Uverse

    While this can be one of the more pricer options and only available to a limited footprint in limited areas, if you are lucky enough to fall in the Uverse green zone you have the best option available. With four TV packages to choose from with a selection of 200–550 channels. It uses a fiber optic network, which makes the service more reliable than satellite or cable TV. U-verse’s pricing is more competitive if you bundle it with Internet and/or phone service, but on its own, it’s priced higher than competing packages. Big benefits of Uverse is the standard whole home DVR, advanced interface, and no degradation on bandwidth. At&t has since decided it has more lucrative options for its Fiber network so it has begun aggressively switching all its uverse users to Directv.

     

     

     

     

    2.Spectrum

    This one was quite a surprise to jump to number 2 and take the silver. With the Charter/Time Warner merger the T-1000 of internet cable providers have Spectrum offering an affordable 100 Mbps internet options, with quality cable for a reasonable price. They offer all the latest features like whole home DVR and VOIP telephone options with on screen caller ID. While its great they do not make you sign a long term contract, there are installation fees and the price does jump from time to time.

     

     

     

     

     

    3.Verizon Fios

    This is a great service that has dropped to bronze due to Verizon cutting off expansion plans for Fios and their fiber game.Verizon’s Fios internet service is one of the best money can buy. It’s lightning fast, and thanks to its fiber infrastructure, it’s also reliable. Add in customer service that exceeds the expectations you have a top tier cable option, if you are lucky to be in the footprint. The company has established areas,  but it’s mostly major cities with no further plans to expand.  They have an array of customizable  plans to fit your needs and budgets. They have the speed, channel lineup, on-demand and features and functions that you could want. Did I mention they offer Gbps? a gigabit!!!

     

     

     

     

    4.Optimum

    This was another surprise from a traditional cable provider. One of the smaller guys offers the best bang for you buck. Optimum has the 100Mbps, full channel lineups, great interface all the basics are there. Where they stand out is there whole home DVR allows you to record 15 shows at once. This is nice for the prime-time Sunday nights. They are even offering up to 400Mbps in some areas and at a great price.

     

     

     

    5. DriecTV

    You cant count Directv out, and being the focus of At&t’s cable service they are adding more and more features and functions you see in the Uverse system constantly. The Sunday NFL package is legendary and a necessity for all die hard football fans. The downsides are still the contract, the hardware and the outages when it rains, additionally you still have to bring your own internet connection.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    The Worst: Comcast Xfinity

    Billing its self as a premium provider but sorely missing on features function and execution Comcast Xfinity is by leaps and bound the worst dollar spent in the cable business. With constant freezes, reboots, outages and interface lock downs it is a frustrating mess. Just this morning I was forced to watch the Talented Mr Ripply when the menu on Infinity froze forbidding me to change the channel until it has performed its 5 min interface reboot sequence. Nope, just nope.

     

     

     

  • Which Marvel Character Are You? – Outcome Quiz

    Which Marvel Character Are You? – Outcome Quiz

    Ever wondered which Marvel Character you were?

    Now you can find out with our short quiz! Just click on the answers that apply the most to you and see what your Marvel Match is! Afterwards, share your results in the comments down below!

    Looking for more Marvel?

    Read some of our articles on the latest Marvel movie, Black Panther here:

    Black Panther Smashes Biggest Monday Records

    Celebrities are Raving about Black Panther

  • Celebrities are Raving about Black Panther

    Celebrities are Raving about Black Panther

    Celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, and Michelle Obama are praising the new Marvel film.

    This past week, Black Panther hit the big screen and it hit hard, smashing past President’s Day Weekend records with a $235 million debut. Here’s what celebrities high and low are saying about the latest Marvel action flick.

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    For one pair of viewers on a budget, they were willing to go to even greater lengths to get into the movie theater. Take a look:

     

    Kids Attempt Trenchcoat Trick at Black Panther Viewing

     


    View the full video here: https://t.co/SFlJ7o9b3i

     

     

    According to this article by Essence, here are some of the milestones Black Panther has reached:

    Milestones

    1. Biggest February Debut Ever
    2. Fifth Film to Debut with over $200M
    3. Second Biggest Marvel Movie Opening
    4. Second Best Sunday Opening Ever
    5. Biggest Global Debut Ever for a Predominantly Black Cast
    6. Biggest Domestic Debut Ever for a Predominantly Black Cast

    Do you think Black Panther is just another Marvel action rehash or an incredible cultural phenomenon? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

    For more, check out trending tweets at https://twitter.com/hashtag/blackpanther and Instas at https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/blackpanther/. You can also read more on our article about all the records the movie has set here: Black Panther Smashes Biggest Monday Records



    Ever wondered which Marvel Character you were? Take our Marvel Character Quiz today and find out!

    Which Marvel Character Are You? – Outcome Quiz