2018 LAPTOPS IMPRESS AT CES IN LAS VEGAS

Laptops. Love them or hate them. They are the workhorse of mobile computing, despite the popularity of cutting-edge smartphones. Compared to predictable desktops, laptops have been keeping with the times with Bluetooth and cellular connectivity and sizes or form factours to please many.

Some very cool laptop designs and functionality are showing at CES 2018 expanding lifestyle, work and gaming needs.

Dell’s very classy XPS 13 oozes with looks and features

 

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NEW GADGETS, BIG AND SMALL AT CES 2018 IN VEGAS

The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week is about big and small dreams. Here is a sampling of new products from tech giants as well as small companies that might strike your fancy.

  • At the CES: Unveiled showed new gadgets for seniors with design and purpose, like $100-$150 custom smart shoes and sneakers from E-Vone for seniors. They have built-in accelerometer, pressure sensor, gyroscope, and GPS all coordinated to notify caregivers and loved ones of a fall. The built-in GSM sends out the location and time of an incident from anywhere with a cellular connection for a $20/month USD service fee. E-Vone

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BIG SCREEN IDEAS FROM KOREAN TECH GIANTS AT CES 2018

The annual 2018 Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas this week is ready to unveil big and small technologies in more than 4,000 booth exhibits over 250,000 m(2.7 million sq feet) of exhibit space ranging in size from one desk, a chair and sign to 6,000 m2  (60,000 sq feet) four story structures from tech giants like LG and Samsung.

Speaking of big, Korean Tech Giants Samsung and LG started early on Day Zero making noise about their new big screen technology.

Samsung showed The Wall, a preview of the 146-inch modular screen

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SHOOTING FIREWORKS OR STREAKING STARS IS A “SNAP” WITH OLYMPUS MIRRORLESS CAMERAS

Happy New Years Eve everyone! My eye candy photo contribution to wishing everyone a healthy and joyous ’18 despite the cold weather start! I shot it on my living room floor with the new loaded Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III, $899 with power zoom kit lens ($699.99 body only). I used the unique Olympus Live Composite Mode which makes taking professional fireworks and star streaking photos a “snap”.

Don’t let the small size of the full-featured Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III fool you

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EPSON’S TOP TWO SUPERTANK PRINTERS OFFER BIG INK SAVINGS IN MANY WAYS

Much has been said in the media about Epson’s  Supertank printers launched two years ago. The new second generation seven models are out just in time for the holidays. Like their predecessors, they are unique in that they come with bottles of ink in the box instead of normal cartridges most printers have. These bottle-fed printers have enough ink to print for two years yielding 14,000 pages black/9,000 colour – equivalent to about 30 traditional ink cartridges.

Epson sleek ET 7700 Supertank with two year ink supply in the box

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THE QUEST FOR THE PERFECT GIFT

Still can’t decide on that perfect gift? This collection boasts uniqueness, practicality and smarts not to mention having something to brag about.


The Sage universal fit in-ear monitor from  $772 from Noble Audio is not your every day audio earpiece. It features two proprietary Knowles balanced drivers per piece that result in a true to life flat accurate sound, suitable for phones or portable amps. It’s meticulously crafted with an aluminium shell and non-twisting pull-out cables, ending in a natural twist to securely fit around each ear. The packaging oozes gifting with a generous supply of earbud adaptors, a small brush to keep the components tidy and a tough weather proof carrying case with a personal engraved metal contact card which helps lost units find themselves home. You can upgrade the Sage fitted with striking one-off universal acrylic pieces (pictured in photo)  for $1,028. There are eight in-ear models to pick from, with up to 10 proprietary balanced armature drivers per side like the Kaiser Encore $2,341. For a bit more and several weeks of patience, artist John ”the Wizard” Moulton will fit the Encore in an acrylic customized shell (choice of uploaded custom art work, laser engraving, glow in the dark, 24K gold nugget or wire filament) for $2,700.

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MY FAVOURITE TEN GIFT GUIDE IN WiFiHiFi DEC/JAN MAGAZINE

Steve Makris’ Top 10 Tech Gift Picks (re-printed from WiFiHiFi Magazine)

Sing it with me: “These are a few of my favourite things.” After checking out plenty of cool tech gear this year, I’ve founded that these 10 items, noted in no particular order, are best-in-class, well-designed, and functional.

AncestryDNA

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HAPPY 25TH SMARTPHONE!

Today is the 25th anniversary of the smartphone. Although traditional cell phones launched 40 years ago, the Simon Personal Communicator from IBM, unveiled at COMDEX Las Vegas 1992, featured touchscreen, stylus and could send and receive faxes, e-mails, and cellular pages.

IBM’s Simon Personal Communicator had it all, even stylus, 25 years ago. Except a browser and cameras compared to the 146 times faster processor of today’s S Pen totting Samsung Galaxy Note 8

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CONVERT YOUR CASH TO DIGITAL AMAZON CASH

Amazon Cash is here in Canada. The new service lets customers add cash (instead from their debit or credit cards) to their Amazon Balance at more than 6,000 physical Canada Post locations around the country, with more partners being added regularly.

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Making sense of technology