All posts by Steve Makris

Creative Computing, Design, lifestyle, Photography, smartphone technology, Technology, Travel

LET YOUR FINGERS DO THE WALKING ON SMARTPHONE SCREENS FOR BEST SUNSETS

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Love photographing sunsets? Learn how smartphone apps can help you predict sunrises and sunsets in my just published feature in the Spring Edition Canadian Photo News magazine.  Check out the article here.  Continue in the picture book format to lot’s of other helpful articles by seasoned photography writers on tips for shooting wildlife photos, helpful macro photography techniques, inside secrets shooting in RAW format and more.

You can also pick up the free magazine issue at the following locations across Canada:

  Henry’s Photo, Lozeau Photo,  Gosselin Photo, The Camera Store, Kerrisdale Camera, Don’s Photo, Forest City , Camera Kingston, Photo Central, Burlington Camera and London Drugs in the western provinces.

Finding the perfect spot to shoot an old castle lookout tower a modern lighhouse and a fireball dip in a wall break was easy with Sun Position and a tide table for the best date to be on dry land during sunset

Continue reading LET YOUR FINGERS DO THE WALKING ON SMARTPHONE SCREENS FOR BEST SUNSETS →

lifestyle, Photography, smartphone technology, Technology

SONY PHONES PUSH THE ENVELOPE IN PHOTOGRAPHY

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Today Freedom Mobile and Videotron launch two new Sony Xperia smartphones with top features, the XA2 and Xperia XA2 Ultra, at affordable prices. Videotron offers the Xperia XA2 for $29.95 on a $54.95 Plan and Xperia XA2 Ultra startingat $39.95 on a $64.95 plan, while Freedom Mobile offers the XA2 starting at $0 on MyTab $10 & $40 plan and Xperia XA2 Ultra is $0 on My Tab $15 & $40 plan.

Sony differs from most phones in better quality engineering, great optics and smarts, without necessarily going overboard in hardware most consumers would never care to pay more for.

Sony Xperia XA2 120 degree super-wide selfie

Continue reading SONY PHONES PUSH THE ENVELOPE IN PHOTOGRAPHY →

lifestyle, smartphone technology, Technology

SONY PHONES PUSH PHOTOGRAPHY QUALITY ENVELOPE

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Today Freedom Mobile and Videotron launch two new Sony Xperia smartphones with top features, the XA2 and Xperia XA2 Ultra, at affordable prices. Videotron offers the Xperia XA2 for $29.95 on a $54.95 Plan and Xperia XA2 Ultra startingat $39.95 on a $64.95 plan, while Freedom Mobile offers the XA2 starting at $0 on MyTab $10 & $40 plan and Xperia XA2 Ultra is $0 on My Tab $15 & $40 plan.

Sony differs from most phones in better quality engineering, great optics and smarts, without necessarily going overboard in hardware most consumers would never care to pay more for.

Sony Xperia XA2 120 degree super-wide selfie

Continue reading SONY PHONES PUSH PHOTOGRAPHY QUALITY ENVELOPE →

lifestyle, OPERA PHOTOGRAPHY, Photography

LA TRAVIATA DELIVERS IN EDMONTON SEEDY CABARET AND CONVERTED CHURCH

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One more eclectic matinee performance left of #mercuryopera La Traviata this Sunday in Edmonton at #studio96yeg at 2:30 PM.

The opera performed last week at the infamous sold out standing room only #chezpierre  as well. I had the pleasure of attending both previous event venues this week contrasting from church redemption to a seedy cabaret, both rich in texture and colour sweeping you away in a world of love, lust, deceit and sadness. Renowned soprano Katia Paschou  flew in from Greece bringing her Greek tragedy here as Violetta and our very own #borisderow as Alfredo. Challenging photography but after 3,000 frames, some actually turned out! #getolympus E-M5II, E-M10III and #samsungcanada Galalxy 8 Note delivered.

Continue reading LA TRAVIATA DELIVERS IN EDMONTON SEEDY CABARET AND CONVERTED CHURCH →

Design, lifestyle, Photography, smartphone technology, Technology

SAMSUNG’S NEW S9 CAMERA PHONE MIMICS THE HUMAN EYE FOR BETTER PICTURES

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BARCELONA, SPAIN 2018/02/25 – At the unveiling of its newest Galaxy S9 and S9+ smartphones in Barcelona on the eve of the World Mobile Congress, Samsung unveiled its ”reimagined” smarter camera phone which shoots in the dark without flash, slows down videos at time-stopping speeds and creates 3D talking emojis of your likeness in seconds.

Continue reading SAMSUNG’S NEW S9 CAMERA PHONE MIMICS THE HUMAN EYE FOR BETTER PICTURES →

Design, lifestyle, Photography, smartphone technology, Technology

NEW SAMSUNG S9 REVEALED TOMORROW – HOW WILL IT FAIR WITH THESE TOP CAMERA PHONES?

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This Sunday Samsung unveils the new Galaxy S9 at its “Unpacked” event on the eve of the 2018 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Coincidentally there are no other majour phone brand launches at MWC, reportedly avoiding being overshadowed by the Korean giant’s next top tier phone. Watch the event LIVE

Samsung’s new S9 with promised hot camera features is unveiled tomorrow morning in Barcelona

Continue reading NEW SAMSUNG S9 REVEALED TOMORROW – HOW WILL IT FAIR WITH THESE TOP CAMERA PHONES? →

FACEBOOK, lifestyle

MORE FAMILY PIX AND LESS NEWS SAYS FACEBOOK CEO

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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is showing his softer touchy, feelie, family side with proposed changes to the world’s most popular social site, 2 billion strong. In a media call last month, the T-shirt wearing American computer programmer and Internet entrepreneur announced new directions on Facebook’s news site. He yearns for the original Facebook concept of folks like you and me sharing experiences with each other and keeping in touch.

That worked well but politics and money seem to have taken over with graphic poster ads full of misinformation and harassment. Not to mention how Facebook unwillingly became the medium accused of undermining election integrity in the last US elections.

Facebook has already been making changes quietly tightening the screws on clean posts. They even rejected a recent post of mine, an infographic I designed on how the US Olympic Team’s new high-tech coats dissipate heat from special printed lining. See below.

Facebook kept my post on new fabric print technology in US Olympic Team jackets that keep warm. They thought it was spam. They still do.

Continue reading MORE FAMILY PIX AND LESS NEWS SAYS FACEBOOK CEO →

IFA Berlin 2018, IFA GfK, lifestyle, smartphone technology, Technology

PREMIUM PHONES SOAR, TABLETS FALL, SMART HOMES ATTRACT

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For us North Americans, most sources for our shopping trends are from…North America!

But here’s your chance to follow technology trend opinions from a respected source in Europe. Feast on the  Berlin-based first IFA Tech Trends report for 2018. It’s based on real-time point-of-sales data from partner GfK, a global leader in market and consumer information. IFA put’s on a world class annual tech show in Berlin from 31 August to 5 September 2018.

Here is their report. What’s in for you? A better understanding what smart buyers from around the world, radiating from Europe, are looking to buy, or not, in technology. In fact, they are smarter buyers than us because they consider pricey items as an investment not the latest fad.

Continue reading PREMIUM PHONES SOAR, TABLETS FALL, SMART HOMES ATTRACT →

IFA Berlin 2018, IFA GfK, lifestyle, shopping, Technology

IFA Tech Trends for 2018: Smartphones rule, tablets falter, TV buyers go large in China

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  1. For us North Americans, most sources for our shopping trends are from…North America!

But here’s your chance to follow technology trend opinions from a respected source in Europe. Feast on the  Berlin-based first IFA Tech Trends report for 2018. It’s based on real-time point-of-sales data from partner GfK, a global leader in market and consumer information.

Here is their report. What’s in for you? A better understanding what smart buyers from around the world, radiating from Europe, are looking to buy, or not, in technology. In fact, they are smarter buyers than us because they consider pricey items as an investment not the latest fad.

Continue reading IFA Tech Trends for 2018: Smartphones rule, tablets falter, TV buyers go large in China →

Best Speakers, cars, CES 2018, Design, health, lifestyle, safe driving, shopping, smartphone technology, Technology

“TOILET: FLUSH” AMONG CES 2018 BIG TRENDS TO SMART STUFF AT HOME

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The big trend for 2018?

It’s challenging to pick new trends at the recent 2018 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. After all, with 4,000 vendors showing big and small technology spread out over 2.7 million square feet between several spread-out huge halls, it’s impossible to see it all.

This year though, one repetitive new technology won hands-down. Voice assistant technology from Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Home Assistant were everywhere and in the most interesting appliances.

Gourmia announced five smart kitchen appliances

Continue reading “TOILET: FLUSH” AMONG CES 2018 BIG TRENDS TO SMART STUFF AT HOME →