Category Archives: lifestyle

CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES FINALISTS IN AUTONOMOUS CAR COMPETITION

The University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo are finalists among eight North American universities who will compete in the upcoming three year-long autonomous vehicle design competition, AutoDrive Challenge.

The announcement by SAE World Congress Experience, SAE International and General Motors will see teams from both Universities start with a GM supplied a Chevrolet Bolt EV as well as software and parts from strategic partners and suppliers.

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SAMSUNG’S GALAXY S8 EXCELS BUT WILL HAVE UPHILL CLIMB DESPITE ITS HI-TECH FEATURES  

Today Samsung launched its flagship Galaxy S8 smart phone, in New York and London.

The S8 and S8+, bare little resemblance to Samsung’s original candybar 320×480 3.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen Galaxy Phone GT-I7500, launched on April 27, 2009. That’s some 169 successive Galaxy devices ago!

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WHAT SAFE BATTERY FEATURES WILL SAMSUNG’S NY S8 LAUNCH FEATURE?

NEWS UPDATE: Samsung confirmed plans to sell a refurbished Note 7 this year. It will recycle parts of the phone and possibly add new features, but sadly, will mot be available in North America.

This is a big week for Samsung, launching its much awaited S8 smartphone in New York on March 29.

When global media gather in the New York this Wednesday morning, Samsung’s slick marketing machine will be in full swing. Many rumours about the new S8 will be true, others not.

Samsung recalled Note 7 to be refurbished this year in select countries, excluding North America

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ALL ABOUT THE BEST ELECTRIC SMART TOOTHBRUSHES

Happy World Oral Health Day! This is a chance to up your oral health skills with smart electric tooth brushes from fierce competitors Oral B and Philips Sonicare . There are many models to choose from between these brands, the newest ones have Bluetooth smartphone connectivity features that monitor your brushing habits.

Mega rivals Oral B and Philips Sonicare

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HUSQVARNA WALKS THE WALK ON ECO-FRIENDLY LANDSCAPING

MIAMI, FLORIDA – Say hello to the Husqvarna Automower 450X, the Roomba of self-guided lawnmowers. It can cut two football fields on one charge, climb 45 degree slopes and has smarts not to mow over shoes, toys or pets. It plots its own GPS path on an autonomous 24/7 schedule and does a better job than a herd of sheep, minus the droppings!

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These survivor phones could save your life

The beauty of Android phones is that there are so many choices and prices. Tough work phones are few but the ones here have lots to offer if you want durability and smarts. They are designed for outside construction work but they have a “survivor” appealand come unlocked.

The DeWalt MD501 has two SIM slots and a microSD expansion slot

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2017 PHONES DIP $300 BARRIER FOR CANADIANS

This weekend, Android smartphones took centre stage at the Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona for two good reasons.

They are affordable and did not have to compete with the most popular Samsung brand whose upcoming pricey and loaded S8 will launch on March 29.

The average consumer cares about price, battery performance, nice screen and picture quality. These phones, don’t use the fastest processors and typically shave off one or two MB of RAM and feature one notch down Full HD screen resolution at best. More are using metal body instead of plastic. If you want a phone that won’t break the bank, here’s what will be arriving at a phone store near you starting next month.

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USB CHARGE CABLES BUILT TO LAST – AND SHOW OFF

Not much thought is given on the quality of USB charging cables. Until they stop working. It’s smart to have spares around from previous phones. Most are made cheaply and designed to last for a few years of daily use. Generally, a more expensive phone will come with a better-quality USB cable.

NOMAD USB charging cables walk the walk. From left, Universal, Charge, Lightning

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SONOS WANTS TO BRING MUSIC BACK…ALOUD

Sonos, maker of HiFi WiFi speakers for home and work has a message for you:

Music out loud together makes life better!  It goes beyond personal headphones.  When played aloud at home, music can connect family and friends in primal ways that go back thousands of years.

To drive that point, Sonos launched its Wake Up The Silent Home campaign with a moody ad during last night’s Grammy’s. A recent Sonos sponsored global field study was loud and clear on these key insights:

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MOTO Z PLAY IS SWISS ARMY KNIFE OF SMARTPHONES

Shooting your child’s big-time school play or soccer game with your smartphone? It’s challenging. Camera phones zoom but with extreme photo quality loss.

Enter Lenovo’s Moto Z Play, a Swiss Army phone with useful accessory features unlike any other.

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