Category Archives: Technology

Creative Computing, lifestyle, Office practices, smartphone technology, Technology, Travel

Samsung Canada pushes update software to replaced and older Note7 phones

September 21, 2016 Steve Makris Leave a comment

Starting today, Note7 users with newly replaced safe Note7 phones, will always see a green battery on three screen views.

September 21 2016 – EDMONTON – Starting today, Samsung Canada will distribute an automatic over-the-air software update via Canadian carriers to all to Galaxy Note7 users who purchased a device from Samsung Canada or authorised re-sellers. The free software update will show a green battery icon that will clearly identify the device as a Galaxy Note7 replacement and will indicate that the product has been battery checked and is safe for use.

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lifestyle, Technology

Save lot’s on Amazon PrimeDay for Canada, tonight!

July 11, 2016 Steve Makris Leave a comment

My Amazon Prime Purchaces saved me more than $100, enough to pay the annual membership and free 2-day delivery — My Amazon Prime purchases saved me more than $100, enough to pay the annual membership and free 2-day delivery

Amazon Canada’s 24-hour digital boxing day equivalent PrimeDay is back tonight at midnight PT. You have to be an Amazon Prime member, or start with a one-month free trial. The one-year membership for Canadians costing $79 (plus tax) is a watered down version of the pricier $99 USD US membership, minus the Media Entertainment features.

Is the $79 CDN Amazon Prime membership worth it? It depends on how you use it. My one-year media trial membership is up this Saturday.

Was it worth it for me? Yes! I ordered 10 items for a total of $204.60. I saved more than $100 compared to other online stores, including regular Amazon and real local stores on equivalent items.

Continue reading Save lot’s on Amazon PrimeDay for Canada, tonight! →

Creative Computing, laptops, Office, Technology

HP plans to simplify device management with DaaS

June 30, 2016 Steve Makris Leave a comment

In a world where invisible digital cloud computing runs our lives, HP is announcing a new service designed to look after the analog side of things: devices.

Today HP announces Device as a Service (DaaS) with a goal to remove one of the pain points in business of any size – laptops, desktops, tablets, monitors and more.

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Creative Computing, Design, Technology

New HP Jet Fusion 3D print technology is beyond rocket science

May 20, 2016 Steve Makris Leave a comment

If you think 3D printing is cool, then get ready for 3D printing HP style. This week HP Inc. unveiled the world’s first production-ready commercial 3D printing system. It’s a 3D print prototyping and manufacturing system on steroids, using the HP Jet Fusion 3D 3200 and 4200 printer.

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Best Speakers, Design, lifestyle, shopping laptops, smart watches, smartphone technology, Technology, Valentines Day Gifting

Stumped for Valentines Day Tech?

February 13, 2016 Steve Makris Leave a comment

Valentines Day is about expressing kind thoughts about folks you care about. Here is some enduring smart technology gifting, much of which can be shared. It is a click or a drive away. It doesn’t have to be the most expensive or outlandish tech. It simply cuts to the chase with smart design and value.

And needless to say, fun to give, receive and share!

SMARTPHONES

The HTC ONE A9 comes unlocked and can duke it out with top tier phones for less

-The HTC One A9, available for $649 at HTC’s site only, comes unlocked. You get what you pay for and its a lot, matching tier one phones costing hundereds more. It looks so much like an iPhone but it runs Android Marshmallow with cutting-edge features like optical image stabilization for it rear 13 MP camera, Full HD video for both rear and front UltraPixel camera which outshoots any phone selfie camera, with one of the widest lens views. The Corning Gorilla Glass full HD screen is plenty crisp with wide angle viewing. The slick touch finger reader is an unexpected bonus as is the extra powerful (loud) built-in DAC 24-bit, 192KHz – better than CD quality audio. You have to pair the BoomSound technology in this thin metal and glass beauty with the awesome HTC Pro Studio Earphones $107.99 at Amazon.ca.

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Creative Computing, Design, health, lifestyle, smart watches, smartphone technology, Technology, Uncategorized

CES 2016 shows thousands of global technology gizmos and ideas

January 10, 2016 Steve Makris Leave a comment

The 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is the Mecca of inventiveness. More than 3,800 vendors ranging from tech giants Samsung, Sony and LG with booths the size of several ice arenas to one person 4 square meter single table booths swayed more than 170,000 attendees including some 50,000 outside the U.S.

Check out my coolest YouTube linked products at CES by clicking on the linked names.

Samsung Family Hub Fridge at CES commanded much attention. Priced at more than $6,000 CDN, it will be in Canada later this year pending negotiations with online grocery venues in Canada. It features a 21.5 inch 1080p touch screen, three interior shelve cams, self digital food labelling with expiry dates, screen photo albums, online grocery ordering, weather and more. You can also see what’s in your fridge, live, with a phone app and switch the lower right compartment to a freezer when needed.

LG Signature series features semi transparent glass door

Continue reading CES 2016 shows thousands of global technology gizmos and ideas →

Creative Computing, Design, health, lifestyle, safe driving, smartphone technology, Technology

THE CES 2016 TECH GRIND PROMISES SURPRISES AND DISAPPOINTMENTS

January 4, 2016 Steve Makris Leave a comment

More than 3,500 booths to check out at CES

My annual tech mecha to the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show begins from Edmonton. Follow me here as I update my experience discovering new gadgets and meeting interesting industry shakers and movers.

What does CES have in store for us this year? Lot’s of small startups from around the world on smart personal ware and ways to help us eat, drive, even shower better.

Here are some examples on Day One at CES Unveiled, an early pre-show peak of smart tech.

The self powered Eco-Sensitive Smart Shower head from hydrao.com connects to iOS and Android devices via Bluetooth. It tracks your water consumption and monitors your progress or not, by changing colours.

Continue reading THE CES 2016 TECH GRIND PROMISES SURPRISES AND DISAPPOINTMENTS →

Best Speakers, Boxing Day Tech, lifestyle, shopping laptops, smart watches, smartphone technology, Technology

Second thoughts on great technology for boxing day

December 25, 2015 Steve Makris Leave a comment

Boxing day has great deals on tech gizmos. But the adage of you get what you pay for is still true. You can still get a deal on a cheap product as you can on a quality one. It’s a mindset on wanting to own something that has extra value and features that work for you.

Here is my list of the best tech gizmos I experienced in 2015, which can be had for a better price on boxing day weekend. But there is fewer of these around compared to the bargain priced devices that attract most buyers. Good technology will last into next year and pay itself off.

Why? Because it was well thought out, ahead of its time, designed and built to last. To me, it was conceived with a purpose: to do something better than the competition and make you feel selfishly satisfied every time you use it. It’s like driving a luxury car.

Sonos Play:5 has the sound magic inside to bring life-like sounds in your room

A graphical view of why the Sonos Play:5 sounds so good. Using an Olympus Linear PCM Recorder LS-10 I recorded 70 seconds of Oriental Blue by Al Di Meola in audio CD quality on the Wave:5 from two meters away. I then converted the short audio track to a 3D Analysis view with Steinberg’s Wavelab Elements 8. The left column is the Play:5 audio recording, showing the bass frequency response, top and a view from the other side showing the higher notes or sounds. The verticals show the intensity or volume. The darker green range would be a typical singers range. The right column is typical of most speakers, showing less bass response (think of it as lower foothills – less bass - as you approach a mountain, the main song). — A graphical view of why the Sonos Play:5 sounds so good. Using an Olympus Linear PCM Recorder LS-10 I recorded 70 seconds of Oriental Blue by Al Di Meola in audio CD quality on the Play:5 from two meters away. I then converted the short audio track to a 3D Analysis view with Steinberg’s Wavelab Elements 8. The left column is the Play:5 audio recording, showing the bass frequency response, top and a view from the other side showing the higher notes or sounds. The verticals show the intensity or volume. The darker green range would be a typical singers range. The right column is typical of most speakers, including smaller Sonos speakers, showing less bass response (think of it as lower foothills – less bass – as you approach a mountain, the main song).

Continue reading Second thoughts on great technology for boxing day →

Adobe 2015, Creative Computing, Design, laptops, Photography, smartphone technology, Technology

Adobe Creative Cloud Embraces Mobile and Touch

October 6, 2015 Steve Makris Leave a comment

At Adobe MAX 2015 in Los Angeles today, Adobe outlined its vision for Creative Cloud — a “connected creative canvas” where people create and share their work from anywhere.

Adobe dazzled some 7,000 attendees with new powerful mobile apps, showcasing how cutting-edge innovation is reshaping the industry. For those seeking inspiration or solutions for developing mobile apps Sydney teams can relate to, Adobe’s demonstration of its cloud-based CreativeSync technology was particularly impressive. This feature allows users to seamlessly save and share their work, app settings, tools, and more across multiple devices and with co-workers, ensuring efficiency and collaboration.

“The power to be creative is no longer for the few” said Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayan.

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Design, lifestyle, Office, Office practices, smartphone technology, Technology

Mobile and cloud-hip Office 2016 is here

September 22, 2015 Steve Makris Leave a comment

Today’s worldwide launch of Microsoft’s Office 2016 has something for everyone, from consumers to enterprise – and for a good deal.

That’s because the from-the-ground-up re-worked Office suite will be affordable as a free upgrade to current subscription-based Office 365 users. Office 365 is starting to populate beyond students and consumers. Small businesses find the subscription model cheaper and more hassle-free to administrate compared to the traditional fully paid-for client version. Office 365 Home only costs $99.99 a year and can be used in up to five large and small devices.

Excel 2016 - New Tree Map Chart — Excel 2016 – New Tree Map Chart

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Tech Untangled