Category Archives: lifestyle

AFFORDABLE PHONES KEEP ON GETTING BETTER

The new ZTE Axon 7 Mini, $0 on a gold two-year term or $399 with no term from Virgin Mobile, thinks it’s a top tier phone with a low sticker price.

It follows a smart industry trend of quality affordable phones like the Alcatel Idol 4S, Samsung Galaxy A5, Moto G4 Plus and Nexus 5X with features and performance that won’t break the bank.

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SAMSUNG WEARABLE DEVICES NOW ON iPHONES

 

Samsung wearable envy for iPhone users? Tired of your square Apple Watch? No more.

Now iPhone users can discover Samsung’s best smartwatches and health trackers by downloading the Samsung Gear S app for the Gear S2 and Gear S3 or the Samsung Gear Fit app for the Gear Fit2 on compatible iOS devices from the Apple App Store.

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50th ANNIVERSARY OF CES HAS MUCH TO CELEBRATE

The 2017 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is over! With information overload beyond comprehension for most folks, and more than 3,800 exhibiting company booths to explore, the 50th anniversary tech Mecca show came to an end on Sunday.

Giant brands like Samsung, LG, Panasonic and Sony backed by a crew of several hundred each, in multi million dollar “booths” large enough to fill a dozen homes each, impressed. In contrast, one-person booths with a single table, among the 600 startup displays the CES Eureka Park Marketplace hoped for the break of a lifetime.

Robots at CES were entertaining but robotic vacuum cleaners from LG and Samsung were smarter

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BIG BRANDS OUTDO EACH OTHER IN SMARTNESS AT CES

CES in Las Vegas used to be just for geeks. Not anymore. Now it’s about solving the many pain points in our lives, even analog ones. Interestingly, many are rather simple products for home chores introduced by big brand companies who seem to revel at taking a break from rocket science technology. Let’s check some out.

  • The LG Hom-Bot Network Water Mop is a combination robotic vacuum and mopping machine, connected to your phone, that remembers your home floor layout.  But if you happen to be in its path, it will ask you to kindly move out of the way. LG is introducing several new versions of current home products with network capability for tracking and voice control.
Vacuum Wars Korean Style – LG Hom-Bot Water Mop  left, vs Samsung POWERbot VR7000
  • Samsung’s low profile POWERbot VR7000 Robot Vacuum ensures generates up to 20 watts of suction power while covering areas that hand-operated vacuum cleaners miss, like under beds. It has an 11-inch wide self cleaning brush and is designed to pick up dust against the wall and floor corners. Its smartphone controllable and works with Amazon Echo for folks who want to shout orders to a complying smart vacuum.

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THE NEW TV’S AT CES 2017

On Wednesday in Las Vegas, press day at the Mandalay Bay had multinational companies bragging about their newest technologies in big ticket items like TV’s, home appliances and the latest innovations.

This, on the eve of the four-day CES technology show, covering more than 2.5 million sq ft of show space.

But it’s the big screen TV that lead the news lines today. Not surprising to most folks.  To me, TV’s have been a big disappointment for a long time. Why? Because until a few years ago the quality of TV’s  had a long way to go to match the original visual quality of Spielberg, Lucas and Tarantino movies.

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CES TECH IN VEGAS – A ROLLERCOASTER OF TECHNOLOGY – 2 DAYS TO GO

The four day CES 2017 giant tech show in Las Vegas, starts this Thursday. More than 180,000 attendees from 80 countries and 3,800 exhibitors on 2.5 million square feet of exhibit space will woo 7,500 media covering the winners and losers of the next Holiday season.  Follow my daily take on what’s hot and what’s not!

Livall Bling Helmet BH60

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12 TECH DAYS OF CHRISTMAS…DAY 12!

At last! My 12 tech days of Christmas comes to an end today. The words of the perennial 1909 festive song by Frederic Austin’s original had changed slightly, but the meaning is all the same. Merry Christmas!

On the twelfth day of Christmas my tech love gave to me, last minute presents, the most high-tech items, ten low tech gizmos, nine stocking stuffers, eight vacuum cleaners, seven image catchers, six shiny laptops, five top-tier smartphones, four odd collections, three streaming players, two instant photos and a java in a pear tree.

OK, it’s Saturday afternoon and you still have a few tech gifts to go on your list. You don’t want to order online, you need to have it all wrapped up for Christmas morning.  We know that someone special could be you!

Someone recently got the new Googe Pixel phone. What is the best accessory for it? The Google Daydream VR headset, $99 for watching surround 36 VR online, even playing games with the nifty handheld remote control. It’s compact and covered with fuzzy woolly grey fabric. cloth. Most phone shops have them.

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12 TECH DAYS OF CHRISTMAS…DAY 11

Follow my daily 12 tech days of Christmas. The words of the perennial 1909 festive song by Frederic Austin’s original have changed slightly, but the meaning is all the same. Merry Christmas!

“On the eleventh day of Christmas my tech love gave to me, the most hi-tech items, ten low-tech gizmos, nine stocking stuffers, eight vacuum cleaners, seven image catchers, six shiny laptops, five top-tier smartphones, four odd collections, three streaming players, two instant photos and a java in a pear tree.”

These awesome gifts are the best consumer technology offerings for extreme experiences. They range from several hundred bucks to more than a thousand. What is unique about them? Will they satisfy a need to go beyond what you have been used to? You may not want to go back.

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Follow my daily 12 tech days of Christmas. The words of the perennial 1909 festive song by Frederic Austin’s original have changed slightly, but the meaning is all the same. Merry Christmas!

“On the tenth day of Christmas my tech love gave to me, ten low tech gizmos, nine stocking stuffers, eight vacuum cleaners, seven image catchers, six shiny laptops, five top-tier smartphones, four odd collections, three streaming players, two instant photos and a java in a pear tree.”

Check out these low tech but high performing gifts that start under $10 and prove themselves invaluable in making your life a bit easier as well as protect your valuable stuff.

  • NITE IZE SPOTLIT LED CARABINER LIGHT, $7 is a mini-beacon to light up dark places or clip to anything you need to keep an eye on. A steel carabiner attaches to a key ring, dog collar, or anything with a zipper pull, he LED bulb provides enough light to read fine print or slide a key into a door lock. Available with a white or red LED at Mountain Coop 

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