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  • Elon and Boring Co. is at it Again, This Time Its Legos

    Elon and Boring Co. is at it Again, This Time Its Legos

    He’s So Cool

    Elon Musk is out again peddling a new one of a kind merchandise from the Boring Co, which is proving to be anything but boring. He took to twitter earlier to tease at the new must have useless gag gift.  First there was the hat, then the ‘not a flamethrower,’ and now Musk has said that the company will produce and sell large, “lifesize” interlocking bricks created using rock collected while the company’s boring machines dig out tunnels under the earth.

     

    What better way to get rid of the organic waste? turn it in to legos. Apparently these will be “super strong,” but with their middles hollowed out to make them lighter and easier to actually move around and use.

    In his tweet Musk states “New Boring Company merch coming soon. Life size LEGO-like interlocking bricks made from tunneling rock that you can use to create sculptures & buildings. Rated for California seismic loads, so super strong, but bored in the middle, like an aircraft wing spar, so not heavy.” He has already stated that the first kit will be  an ancient Egypt motif, according to Musk, which would provide the parts necessary for putting together iconic Eqyptian archaeological wonders like the pyramids, the Sphinx, and the Temple of Horus.

    What Can We Build

    He has not commented on the actual size yet, Im hopping life size or 1/8th scale ? Who wouldn’t want to build a 9 foot Sphinx in there back yard out of Elon Musk’s rock that his tunnel-creating machines excavate from the ground, it would look great next to fire pit and be a real conversation piece, not to mention the HOA fines you would incur… it be worth it just to see Doris’s smug judgmental face.. I digress

    The Boring Company has been drilling holes beneath the headquarters of his rocket company, SpaceX, in LA, as it looks to build a network of underground tunnels for commuters to get around town. All that tunneling leads to excess rock, and you’ve got to do something with it, apparently.

    The Final Thought

    We know it, He has said it, Elon Musk has been chatting about this for a while. He has always wanted find ways to recycle the bedrock it will be removing from its tunnels, with an emphasis on turning them usable bricks.  Musk actually used the term “LEGO-like” when describing the building blocks idea on Twitter. Id worry about legal back lash on anyone else, But Musk can stare off any such litigious suites with a sly inquisitive glance. Yeah hes cool, and he is with out a doubt the “Worlds Most Interesting Man”.

  • Top 4 of the Best Iphone Deals Avilable

    Top 4 of the Best Iphone Deals Avilable

    SO you have finally decided to make the upgrade and get yourself the newest of the new. Now you have to make the tough decision and decide on the model, size and color. Now to find the best deal possible on your new purchase, everyone wants your iPhone business so lets take a look at the 4 best places to get yours.

     

    1. T-mobile, Apple iPhone X

    Switching to T mobile may be the best move right now. Instead of shelling out $1000 for the new iPhone X you can bring your number to Tmobile, pay just $304 for the most powerful and breathtaking smartphone ever conceived. The plan will const you $100 a month, but includes unlimited everything and free Netflix. Plus under the right conditions, there is even a buy one get one free option.

    2. Verizon,  iPhone X

    This option I like, If you have an iPhone 6 or above you can get half off the Iphone X. So for 0$ and only 101.79 a month you will get the IPhone X 64 gb and unlimited service from Verizon. I do recommend paying the extra 10$ for the upgrade unlimited service though. With this particular deal it is best to wait out the 2 years as the half off promotion is paid out monthly for 24 months

    3. Best Buy, All iPhones

    Through best buy you can buy 2 iPhone 8 and 8 plus at a buy one get one free when you buy both on AT&T Next. Offer eligible for new or upgraded lines of activation. The nice thing about this offer is if you are an existing AT&T customer, you don’t have to switch to a new service. Little insider tip, buy both and take advantage of the bogo and $200 off. Purchase an AT&T iPad from Best buy as well and move it on to the second iPhone line to decrease the cost monthly to $10 and give you connection on the iPad.

     

    4. Sprint, Lease option on the iPhone X

    There is a pretty decent option here, Sprint service is greatly improved. Especially if you are in some of their big markets like Orlando, Chicago or Kansas City. For $80 up front you can lease the X. The monthly lease is only $20 a month, added to their $60 unlimited plan and you have your self a pretty great deal.

     

  • Apple Adds Magazines, Buys Texture

    Apple Adds Magazines, Buys Texture

    Just Today Apple has announced that it signed an agreement to acquire the digital magazine service Texture, which serves articles from more than 200 magazines digitally on iOS, Windows, Amazon, and Android devices for a flat monthly fee.

    Apple has acquired the entire company, including staff, and has assured users that the Android version of the app will still be supported. The price of the acquisition was not disclosed.

    What is Texture

    Texture is an app that gives you instant access to both new, and legacy issues of some of the most popular publications. Formerly known as Next Issue, it was one of the very first subscription apps avilable on the app store. Currently you can try Texture free for 7 days when downloading the app. Texture would be boring and unmentionable if it were not for its surprisingly great readability. The digital reading experience is always a headache waiting to happen, but not with Texture. It is smooth, even more please than an actually magazine.

    Navigation is easy, with the actual magazine taking up the largest portion of your display, and only an ellipsis in the bottom left corner to bring up the controls. Individual pages/images can be zoomed in on with an outward pinch, something you clearly can’t do in the print edition.

     

    Texture  CEO John Loughlin  Says “I’m thrilled that Next Issue Media and its award-winning Texture app are being acquired by Apple. The Texture team and its current owners, Condé Nast, Hearst, Meredith, Rogers Media, and KKR, could not be more pleased or excited with this development. We could not imagine a better home or future for the service.” IM sure there was a nice percentage buy in to apple that will make him an insanely rich man.

     

    While we don’t know much about the acquisition some of the details where revealed In a statement from apple ” We’re excited Texture will join Apple, along with an impressive catalog of magazines from many of the world’s leading publishers. We are committed to quality journalism from trusted sources and allowing magazines to keep producing beautifully designed and engaging stories for users.”

     

    The Final Though

    Apple has shocked and bewildered us before with acquisitions, like beats. Whats a head for Texture? no idea. leave it to apple to blow our minds with a medium we all thought went the way of the Bloackbuster.

  • Laptop Lookout: HP ZBook X2

    Laptop Lookout: HP ZBook X2

    Its not a Notebook, barely a laptop but it a great PC solution. Hp is Introducing the world’s most powerful detachable PC with remarkable performance and versatility to push your favorite Adobe applications to the limit. Yes it’s a full-performance workstation-class laptop experience with full-sized keyboard and integrated stand. With HP Quick Keys, keep working in your Adobe® apps without the use of a keyboard. The full-sized Bluetooth® keyboard stays active when detached, so you can keep working.

     

    The Good

    • Adobe featured
    • great stylus
    • Great shortcut OS features
    • Good Keyboard

     

    The Not

    • Battery-life not great
    • Lacks graphic performance
    • Overpriced

     

    The Conclusion

    I cant call it a 2 in 1, its barley a laptop but much more then a notebook or tablet. Really its everything and does it all pretty well but is a master of none.

     

     

    This is no notebook. This is  a specialized tool designed to serve as a complete solution for digital artists, photographers and other creatives. It’s massive, but designed to provide easy access to shortcuts. It also has a professional-grade stylus and a matte 4k display that feels as if you’re drawing on paper.

     

    The Design

    You’ve never seen a laptop like this before. The ZBook is industrial in a way that looks powerful. It’s a large octagon of metal. The back is a very plain gunmetal gray with a reflective Z logo and a whole bunch of vents for cooling. The pull-out kickstand could use a little more to put you fingers in the small notches on the side, but it pulls out almost flat, up to 165 degrees.

     

     

    With a 4k Display and only a 14 inch bezel surrounding it makes it very attractive to look at. Windows Hello is in place with an infrared camera and webcam stuffed in the top. The best part of the design is the 12 programmable shortcut buttons built down the sides. Down the right side you will find  a fingerprint reader, an SD card slot, a USB 3.0 port, an HDMI output, a pair of Thunderbolt ports and a barrel-shaped charging jack.Its a big heaver then the others in its class at 4.9lbs but it feels much more rugged and sturdy. The metal body helps this.

     

    The Power

    It has the power,  it has all the specs of a workstation PC: a quad-core i7 processor (from Intel’s Kaby Lake-R line), an Nvidia Quadro M620 graphics card, and up to 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD in a versatile desgin. These are the top line specs so you are gonna have to pay more to get the juice. It also rocks a  Wacom EMR-enabled and battery-free stylus with 4,096 levels of pressure, comparable to many of Wacom’s gaphics tablets. Then there’s the four modes that the detachable 2-in-1 can be used in. That includes a docked mode where the device can connect to two external 4K displays simultaneously and a “detached” mode where the keyboard functions as a Bluetooth keyboard.

     

    The Final Thought

    Its got some neat, unique features and functions. The short-cut keys, the kickstand. Its got the versatility being a tablet, 2-1, and powerful PC. Yes its the most powerful detachable pc tablet laptop but at what cost?  It’s a good fit for for artists, 4K videographers, and anyone who needs massive power in a versatile form…

     

  • IOT Credit Card is the Solution

    IOT Credit Card is the Solution

     

    The Dynamics company introduced new functionalities for its Wallet Card, an Internet of Things (IoT) connected credit card at the WMC 2018. Two-way communication between banks and cardholders is a highlight, as faster connections could mean safer cards and quicker account changes. Now consumers will be able to communicate with their bank via a connected credit card. I know you are thinking, what does this mean and why would I want this. First off it means safer cards and quicker account changes.

     

    Dynamics CEO Jeffrey Mullen said in the release “We had promised that we would unveil new features with incredible strategic and financial value for both banks and consumers,”. “Today, we start to deliver on that promise by unveiling that the connected Wallet Card has the ability to wirelessly send consumer requests to a bank through the card’s telecommunications connection. For the first time, a bank can ask a customer a question on the card’s display and get an immediate response. With these new consumer insights, the bank can provide better and more informed services.”

    The size and shape of a standard credit card, the Wallet Card contains a cell phone chip and antenna for data transfers, along with a magnetic stripe, programmable EMV chip, and a programmable contactless chip, the release said. All of the communication with the bank appears on a 65,000 pixel display on the front of the card.

    Whats this one do?

    There are 3 big features that creates new opportunities for communication and value this will bring to the end card user. one it will let the bank verify purchases. Lets say if an FI suspects a fraudulent purchase using an existing card, the bank can ask a consumer to verify on their card that they made a particular purchase and the consumer can quickly respond. It will allow the banks to offer on-the-spot credit limit increase . Instead of the  declining a transaction, the FI can ask a consumer if they would like to increase the credit limit on their card.

     

    It will also give the financial institutions the benefit of adding cards. If the FI believes a consumer might benefit from a new card offering, the bank can ask if the cardholder would like to download the new card immediately. Or if you need to Upgrade cards ,  the bank can ask a consumer if they would like to upgrade their card to one that has additional features or value.

     

    The Final Thought.

    Seems cool. Sign me up. Makes clearing all those subscription services easy to cancel if I can just tap my card and get a new card number.

     

     

     

  • The Best Preorder Deals for the S9

    The Best Preorder Deals for the S9

    Finally, the wait to preorder the new Samsung Galaxy S9 is over! Starting this week, customers can preorder the innovative Samsung Galaxy S9 or S9+ through Samsung and other leading cellular retailers. I have personally scoured the web and contacted all my insiders at every vendor I know to find the best preorder Deals for the Samsung S9.

    1. Samsung Direct

    With a direct order from Samsung, you can take advantage of direct pricing of $719 for the galaxy s9. With a $300 trade-in offer for my Galaxy s7, and samsungs no interest financing option I can purchase the phone for just $18 a month. They are also offering a 12 month upgrade option. Basically, after 12 months, you’ll be eligible to upgrade your phone. Just return the phone in good condition, and they apply a credit to your account for up to 50% of the initial financed amount.

    In Short for a little more then the cost of a Netflix subscription I can get the newest Galaxy, every year, on release day for $18 a months.

    Net Cost $216 per year

    2. Verizon

    The big red machine is offering the same $300 off for my galaxy S7, dropping the price from $33 a month to $21 a month. By switching to Verizon they will give me an additional $150 prepaid visa card. The down side to this deal is that Im stuck on Verizon service for 24 months.

    Total Net cost : $149 a year for 2 years

    3. Xfinity Mobile

    This came as a bit of a surprise but The Samsung Galaxy S9 can be purchased for $719 from Xfinity Mobile, and the S9+ can be bought for $839. Two-year monthly installment plans with $30 payments are available. Xfinity Mobile is also offering up to $350 savings on Samsung’s new phones when trading in eligible smartphones, but only $300 for my S7. There is also a promotion to give you a $200 prepaid card for purchasing a Samsung device.

    Total Net Cost: $110 a year for 2 years.  

     

     

  • 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.

  • Amazon Buys Ring Doorbell Company

    Amazon Buys Ring Doorbell Company

    News broke today that Amazon has purchased the Ring Co., best known for their smart doorbell system. The terms of the deal are still unknown, but it’s expected that Amazon will likely keep the product as is with an upgraded Amazon Ecosystem. Ring already supports Alexa voice control and I would imagine we can expect more upgrades to come. The rumored purchase price was for $1 Billion dollars, but this is not confirmed.

    Image result for ring doorbell

    What the Sale Means for Ring?

    The two companies aren’t specific about their plans. In a statement, Amazon told Engadget it was “excited” to work with Ring and aid in its “mission to keep homes safe and secure.” the company said it could “achieve even more” by allying itself with Amazon as it focuses on its “vision for safer neighborhoods.” With this purchase in addition to Blink, Amazon now own two major companies that produce doorbells and wireless security cameras. Amazon’s apparent mission is find a cornerstone in the home safety market.

    Ring doorbell

    This purchase should help Amazon have the hardware to rival the GoogleNest System. Nest partnered up with Google and has been expanding their presence most recently with the Hello Video Doorbell. We can all imagine that Amazon will make a similar addition to the Ring especially after they recently changed their policy to state the following:

    The Policy Change

    “Where permitted by applicable law, you may choose to use additional functionality in your Ring product that, through video data from your device, can recognize facial characteristics of familiar visitors. For example, you may want to receive different notifications from your Ring Doorbell depending on whether a visitor is a stranger or a member of your household. If you choose to activate this feature, we obtain certain facial feature information about the visitors you ask your Ring product to recognize. We require your explicit consent before you can take advantage of this feature.”

    The Summary

    This recent purchase could mean big things for Amazon and the smart doorbell company. Because of the Google and Nest partnership, Amazon could feel threatened and need to make moves to stay atop the voice activated and video world. Never the less, Amazon should increase the doorbell’s capability and features. I await to see what upgrades the company gets.

  • 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.

    Image result for fitbit smartwatch

    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.