#i got a used computer/tablet hybrid so i might as well start using it

[magpieddd]

I'm trying to get used to drawing with medibang paint so here's a Yuri i made for practice

[dragonrajafanfiction]

The Crane Team: Sons of Amaterasu

The Family Sends Their Regards

“Crow, I need you to pick up some folks for work.”

The hiring process had gone without a single hitch. No doubt that Yoko Uesugi had the backing of Nanami Sakurai so very little ‘vetting’ was actually done of the candidates. Crow trusted Yoko too but at least give them an interview outside a bar.

“I drove you once and now I’m a professional driver?”

“You promised to help me, this is for the cause!” 

“Ugh… fine.”

“Thanks. A few of them are still nervous about… going out. Thanks for understanding.”

He got the address of a single spot outside a diner where he was supposed to pick up members of the Clan. This Clan formerly known as Devil and now was just going to be awkwardly absorbed into the Hydra to form what was simply known as the Japan Branch of Cassell College.

Crow leaned against the car, smoking. Were all the Cassell branches this fractious? He wondered to himself, blowing out a plume of smoke. No, likely not. Unless the men running those branches were just as corrupt as Tachibana. Part of him understood Ms. Sakurai’s desire to seal the documents surrounding the horrors under Genji Industries and Tachibana’s plan to turn Erii into a dragon. Half the Hydra members wouldn’t believe it. The other half might even agree with it.

His phone buzzed again. “I gave them the all clear.” Yoko texted. “They’re coming.”

Three people he recognized as the men from the bar emerged from the diner. They were all wearing suits and ties but they still looked like a bunch of rough rascals as they glared at him. Kiko reminded him a bit of Yasha, the way his eyes scanned him with a cocky smile. Ryuusei gave a cheery wave and invited himself into the front passenger side. “Thank you so much for the pick up!” The man had his hair back into a dark ponytail. When he pulled the handle, the door was still locked. “Uh…”

“Listen… There are still people out there who don’t agree with this whole arrangement. Yoko’s doing her best but she can’t do it alone. You’re not getting in my car unless I have your word that you’re not going to let her down.”

Ryuusei’s eyes widened slightly. “I would never! Yoko is my one true love. The guiding star of my life!”

Crow turned slowly to him with a disbelieving curl of his lips. 

“I’ll do my best!” Young Hayato bowed deeply.

Crow nodded approvingly. “Hayato sits in front. The other two in the back.”

“Are you her boyfriend?” Ryuusei barked, stepping away from the door for a happily smiling Hayato.

“Yoko is a married woman, unless you believe that your Dragon Lord is dead. His body was never recovered at the Red Well with the others. Pursue her at your own risk.” Crow unlocked the doors.

Crow kept his eyes forward as he led his group of misfits from the elevators on the legal department floor of Genji Heavy Industries. Among Hydra, there was a belief that Devils gave off a certain smell. The way certain Hydra looked at the men with him in disgust, Crow could imagine that perhaps that was true. A new area where they would work was sectioned off. Even though they were in the same building and worked for the same company, the Hydra were reluctant to have them by their sides. But at least the area was well outfitted with phones and PCs and comfortable chairs. Most had already arrived on the phones.

“Wow they even have her name on our cubicles…” Hayato breathed.

“Yoko will be here in a minute to explain. I’m going to go smoke…” Crow turned on his heel.

“Don’t go too far.”

Ryuusei had been about to open his computer when Yoko’s voice reached his ears. He spun to face her. She was resplendent in a black long sleeved jacket, short skirt and black heels. She was smiling as though greatly moved by something. Heavy gold chains hung from her neck.

All the members of the Devil Clan stood up in a silent salute and then bowed humbly. Crow remembered the old man Tamayuki’s words. Whether or not she accepted the title, Yoko was the Chief of the Devil Clan.

Had anyone told him that within a few months, Devil clan members would be working on the dime of Hydra in their headquarters, he would have marked them as a lunatic. Had he known that this was going to be the end of things… how different would he have acted towards them? The faces of Devil Clan members flashed in his mind and he forced his mind away from that useless sense of regret. None of what happened back then was anyone’s fault and yet Devil and Hydra were both at fault. True justice was likely impossible. The only solution was to move forward and leave the old ways behind.

“Thank you… for coming here today.” Yoko said in clear and fluent Japanese. “This is a new beginning for the Japan Branch. Things will not go smoothly or evenly. But when those disruptions come, roll with them, like the waves of the tide and stay the course. The goal is reunification. Please… do not forget that. No matter what.”

The Devil Clan members let out a shout of “Hai!”

“Ganbatte.” Yoko bowed and they all bowed again.

She turned on her heel and stepped out of the office. Crow followed her out. “Crow there’s something I need to talk to you about. It’s very important. I know you’re… probably busy.” 

“I’m not.” Crow said. 

“Then follow me.”

Crow followed her through winding corridors and up abandoned staircases to an unknown area of Genji. “Thank you for picking up those guys today.”

“Nothin’ to it.”

“You can say that… but it's important. I hope you can continue to help out.”

“You want me to hang around them to get close to them. I get it. You said it before. Hydra and Devil Clan in the same room.”

She nodded to herself. ���Yes. The separate seating arrangements were not my idea. But they won’t be able to hole the new employees up in their separate area for very long. My hope is that the Devil Clan members themselves will try to mingle. I can’t convert everyone on either side. I just have to trust their hearts.”

“Trust their hearts… huh?” Crow said.

“Someone once said that the strongest thing about Gen Chisei was not his dragonblood but his heart. At first I didn’t believe it.” She glanced down the stairs at him.

“Understandable. Those were your boyfriend’s chains.” Crow said, nodding to the bright gold chains.

“You were there.” She said quietly.

“I heard everything. I’m … truly sorry.”

“Thank you…”

“What made you change your mind about the Young Chief?” Crow asked.

“I didn’t change of my own will. As far as I was concerned, Chisei was a monster. But it was because someone I cared about loved him. And I couldn’t hate him if he loved him so much.” 

Crow blinked in confusion for a moment but continued to follow her.

Eventually, they reached the converted vault apartment where she lived. “Come on in. It’s alright. We have to meet here because this is the only place I can talk freely.” 

Erii peered out of her room and waved at Crow before disappearing back inside. 

“It’s about a boy. The one at the orphanage. I had him taken out from there and placed under the protection of Cassell members.”

She led him to her own bedroom and shut the door. Crow looked around. The space was small. The furniture was simple wood. The bed was plain construction with plain sheets. The only accessory was a small sailor moon doll striking her signature pose on the dresser.

She pulled a tablet from the wall charger. “Please listen to this.”

She pulled up a file and pressed play.

A young boy’s shaky, barely audible voice came from the speaker. “They broke down the door and started shooting. I went to hide in the safe room right away. But my friend ran out of the room.”

“They just started shooting? No warnings? Nothing?”

“No.” 

“What about your friend?”

“He ran back into the wall.”

“What do you mean into the wall?”

He… had his back to the wall. He put his hands up like this…”

“And…?”

“They shot him a lot.”

“Did you see what they looked like?”

“No… they had their faces covered. Just one had a tattoo. The one with the sun.”

Crow sighed as the recording finished. “Look. That time was crazy…”

“Crow. Don’t. Don’t excuse it. That boy wasn’t even a Devil. He was a Hydra child.”

“There were people who died who weren’t even Hybrids! It was crazy! We didn’t have control of the gangs. They just followed orders.”

“Were those orders to murder a whole family without remorse and gun down a child in a house?” She snapped. “If Chisei were here would he have approved of this?”

“These things happened. He never did anything about it.”

She ran her hands through her hair in frustration. “If we don’t… do something about these people. This is not going to work. You can’t expect reunification to happen with the Devil Clan making all the sacrifices to clean up the mess. And these people are part of the mess.”

She pulled out another folder. “This is the witness testimony I’ve gathered so far. None of these people want to be named as witnesses. They’re that scared. This boy is the only live witness I have to these murders who’s willing to talk and he’s too scared to use his real name. And he’s in hiding. All of them who survived just said these men had sun tattoos. They all kept their faces covered. Every time, it was the same. Everyone was killed regardless of what they said or did. The survivors either hid or they played dead. No one escaped. Those who ran were hunted, caught and killed. They wanted no witnesses to hide their atrocities! I need your help, Crow. I need names.”

“No one is going to prosecute these guys. They’re harder asses than Chisei ever was. Even to each other. They’ll get off and come after you.” Crow’s eyes were serious behind his lenses.

“You know who they are.” She leaned forward.

“Yeah. I do. And I can tell you that they’re nuts. Zealots. A separate faction within the executive board. They were focused on the extermination of the Devils. They believed in a pure White King bloodline that did not produce Devils. Only Emperors. That’s why they called themselves Sons of Amaterasu, because they wanted to have an Emperor Bloodline.”

“They’re going to cause trouble. It’s better to nip it in the bud now.” She put the documents away.

“I’ll see what I can do behind the scenes.” Crow said. “Let me try first.”

That night a gathering took place in a historic mansion outside of the city. It was once a Castle stronghold of a village that had long since lost its identity but none of its grandeur. There was no way to get to the mansion. One had to know where it was and turn down a poorly lit path through dense forest to arrive at a padlocked gate. But intruders never make it to the gate.

Everyone arrived armed with swords from the Sengoku Era. This clan of Hybrid were once noble Samurai beholden to a single Daimyo. But after that era faded away, they split into separate families. But they were always beholden to the cause. No Devil Child would survive in their household. They didn’t care to keep them in prisons. They simply killed them as soon as they were identified. The parents of such children were either run off their land, killed, or sterilized. As a result, the appearance of Devils among these families was one of the lowest rates in all of Hydra. Anyone who had born to them a son or daughter that was a Devil had their bloodline abruptly ended.

This is what Crow meant when he said that they were as harsh with each other as they were to Devils.

They sat across from each other on pillows, their ancestral blades placed politely in front of them. They kept their faces masked even amongst each other, their glowing tattoos their own identifier.

“It appears we are all that is left.”

The seven of them sat in a circle, their feet covered under a heated table. “Is there any possibility of continuing the bloodline at this rate?”

“The good women kept frozen embryos and eggs and the good men kept their sperm well banked in case of this catastrophe.  It will take a generation, but I believe recovery is possible. Also, the widows are still available. It’s our men who are scarce.” Said another.

“What threatens us now isn’t genetics. It’s the current atmosphere of Hydra. Even now, those Devils have infiltrated right in the middle of Genji. It won’t be long until Hydra is completely corrupted. The Emperor line will be impossible.” A man at the head of the table spoke in a soft voice. “The population of Devils will explode.”

A gloomy silence was around the table. “With Nanami Sakurai at the head… we have no hope.”

“What are you planning? You don't intend to take violent action? Her installment was sanctioned by Amaterasu no mikoto…”

“He was not a true emperor.” The man at the head of the table said. He waved his hand and three women came with documents in their hands, heads bowed. They were Geisha, their faces painted a ghostly white and they delivered the documents and disappeared like phantoms. The men at the table opened the folders and gasped as they read. “Is this true? There was a second Gen brother? And he was a Devil?”

“He was the ultimate Devil. The Dragon Lord, Ruri Kazama.”

“Where did you get this information?! Some of this is dated 20 years ago!” 

“It’s too accurate to be falsified. The man who has delivered me this documentation is here now. You just can’t see him. Chisei Gen was a creation in a lab, along with his Devil Brother. Tachibana was aware of this and so was the King General of the Devil Clan. Hydra was never going to produce a pure hybrid line. Tachibana was actively harboring and creating Devils.”

“Why is this source helping you?”

The man at the head of the table smiled viciously. “I’ll let him speak for himself.”

Sure enough, the empty space behind him was suddenly occupied by a European looking man in a prim suit. He was carrying a large silver case that looked like it would be too heavy for an ordinary person to lift.

“We are willing to pay handsomely for the elimination of both Yoko and Erii Uesugi. It will for 4 million to retain your services and 14 million if the targets are eliminated and the skeletons of both delivered. You will be well armed to also create as much havoc as you wish. Once the task is completed, you will be sent to protective custody to hide out for a while until things die down.”

One of the men looked the man up and down. “Why would we hide out?”

“Killing Yoko Uesugi will attract the ire of the Gattuso heir. Once the job is done you must leave immediately.”

A sudden chill fell over the table.

“If it means the Salvation of the White King descendants from being corrupted by Devil blood, then the sacrifice will be worth it.” said he man at the head of the table.

“What do you get out of the deal? Why do you want two Devil women dead?”

“That information is classified.” The man set down the case, typed a code in a keypad and stood back. The metal case opened and deformed into a rack of alchemical weapons! “This is the finest weaponry in Dragonslaying. No dragon can withstand this collection. Make good use of it. I’m also entrusting you with these.”

He held out two pieces of dark wood blocks which the man at the head of the table took.

“With these you will disable Erii Uesugi. She will be the easiest to kill. Your leader has been trained in their use.”

[ournervousstudentnut-blog]

Windows 10 vs Windows 8.1: which is best for you?

IT's been more than four years after the Windows 10 released, and though many users initially resisted the shift, it is most certainly here to remain. As always though, there are a number of die-hard fans of prior operating systems that have to make the leap.

Its mix of a far enhanced desktop experience, more intuitive integration of touchscreen features, a plethora of new programs and much better functionality makes it a very clear upgrade over its predecessor.

With loads of new features, improved, integral hardware service and enhanced performance it is also a worthy update for Windows XP and Windows 7 consumers also.

Windows 10 vs Windows 8.1 time

We have found no clear difference in boot times between both OS, not on the 2 computers we employed for this evaluation: a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon plus a Microsoft Surface Guru. Both notebooks flashed to the login screen in 2 minutes, under either Windows 8.1 and Windows 10; using just fractions of a second's difference between the boot times of the 2 OSes on each machine. 1 characteristic that could shave a couple of seconds off real-world boot instances is Windows 10's facial recognition instrument, which permits an individual to be logged at the moment they sit in the front of the PC. This characteristic, however, takes a particular Intel RealSense 3D camera and won't work with a normal webcam. Together with fingerprint readers, these cameras are now relatively common in high-end laptops, which provides Windows 10 a small edge. Winner Windows 10, by a whisker, but only in the event that you count the tiny possible time saving of facial recognition.

The Ideal port for the Ideal apparatus

But ignore all that if you are using a Windows 10 Telephone or tablet-computer, every one of which utilizes a version variant of Windows 10 to show an interface best suited to each display size. Windows 10's tablet-style, in reality, seems an awful lot like Windows 8 Start screen. Microsoft attempted to market Windows 8 as a working system for every single device, however, it did so by forcing the exact same interface across tablet computers and PCs--just two quite different device types. Windows 10 tweaks the formulation, allowing a PC is a PC and also a tablet computer to be a tablet computer, and it is vastly better for this. And if you've got one of these fancy two-in-one hybrids? Windows 10's Continuum mode has you covered. Except, because of Windows 10's shared heart and universal programs Windows 10 Telephones can even mime appropriate Windows 10 PCs when linked to an external screen.

However, what about gambling?

Here is more guarantee for Windows 10 on the gambling side. DirectX 12, in matches that apply it, should observe healthy improvements. However, in games that don't utilize DX12, it is likely going to be a whole lot closer.

As an instance, I conducted Tomb Raider on our PCWorld zero-point system. It's an Intel Core i7-4770K, 16GB of DDR3/1600, along with a GeForce GTX 980. I used exactly the exact same Nvidia drivers using both OSes. Be aware that I conducted Windows 10 construct 10162 instead of the current construct 10240, as that's the previous ISO of Windows 10 previews that Microsoft made accessibly --no amount of coaxing would get Microsoft's servers to kick anything newer. My tests reveal a certain, if modest, advantage for Windows 10. Here is Tomb Raider for one to gawk in: Other evaluations gave a bit more of a triumph for Win10, but that will not set the world on fire like DX12 is anticipated to games that support you're outside. We are planning a more comprehensive look at Windows 10 gaming functionality, so stay tuned.

Personalization

Back in Windows 8, large icons and easy options were in the forefront. The Start screen enabled one to easily organize and resize live tiles, boosting their performance and ease of use. Together with Windows 10, the timeless tiled and desktop UI are no more different interfaces. Rather, elements of these exist and highly configurable. Live tiles are incorporated in the Start menu, instead of inside their interface, in which they may be transferred, the place to reveal rapid info, or launching apps. Programs can be immobilized or transferred to the menu for simple access.

Start Screen vs. Start Menu

The one most significant addition to Windows 10 is that the yield of the Start Menu, especially for routine desktop computer and regular no-touchscreen-use consumer. The Start are full of Screen of Windows 8 never made sense when using a mouse and keyboard and mercifully Microsoft has addressed this. Rather, Windows 10 includes a Start Menu that integrates the Live Tiles of this Windows 8 Start Screen and it may be made to match the entire screen. It is far more intuitive and makes with a mouse/trackpad and keyboard easier. If you mostly use the background computer in Windows then Windows 10 will make you a lot happier.

Edge Browser and Virtual Desktops

I have listed these both together as they're caught up attributes. The Edge browser (that is still a characteristic restricted at the start ) is Microsoft's effort to claw momentum out of Chrome. Edge works considerably faster than Internet Explorer and is only available on Windows 10. Besides this Windows 10 eventually adds Virtual Desktops such as those seen on Linux and Mac OS X. These enable users without multi-monitor installations to make multiple virtual desktops that are useful for dividing utilization between leisure and work, work into jobs or whatever you need. It is a fantastic feature.

You adore Windows Media Center

Microsoft has revamped plenty of items in Windows 10, replacing a lot of its heritage desktop apps with universal programs. By way of instance, Windows Photo Viewer is dead, replaced with the newest Photos app. However, while you may get Windows Photo Viewer back into Windows 10, you can not get Windows Media Center back. As it has gone, together with DVD playback service. For all, this is not a massive loss -- most people flow instead of seeing DVDs, after all, as well as Microsoft,  has been attempting to kill Media Center because of Windows 8. However, for a few, it might be a deal breaker. If you are a Media Center enthusiast -- or in the event that you desperately enjoy some other heritage features that don't now exist in Windows 10 -- afterward Windows 10 might not be for you personally.

Cortana

Another key new feature of Windows 10 not accessible Windows 8 is Cortana - Microsoft's semantic electronic assistant. A sort of super-Siri, which may engage you in the dialog. Over simple speech recognition, Cortana constantly scours the web for advice to notify its interactions with you. Plus it learns from the behavior, contacts and so forth, to be able to better fit your needs. Cortana on Windows Phone is fairly good, and it is currently on iOS and Android. Therefore that the addition of Microsoft's digital helper is a large boost over Windows 8.

Windows 10 vs Windows 8.1: Pairing

Though it was the largest overhaul of this OS since Windows 95, Windows 8 has been unusually secure and bug-free from the get-go. Really we had it operating on regular work programs six months prior to launch. Windows 10 was, to put it charitably, a bit wobblier. Microsoft is frequently issuing updates for your applications, but these updates frequently lead to difficulties. It looks like every couple of months, there are reports of accidental file deletions, glitches, crashes and other various errors. General stability is definitely better than it had been, but the simple fact that these mistakes persist is bothersome. Thus far, we have not seen any bugs that we would believe sufficient to justify downgrading to a previous version of Windows, however, it must be stated that reliability is not Windows 10's strong suit - and it does not seem like it ever is. On the flip side, Windows 10 Enterprise users may cut out a good deal of the hassle - that we will discuss more in a moment - meaning it is not so much of a problem.

Action Center

Windows 8 Windows Store programs might not have been a joy to use on appropriate PCs, but one crucial benefit they stored rocked my socks: System-wide notifications. Where conventional desktop software will become self-explanatory silos, Windows Store programs will take you a pop-up telling at the upper-right corner of the display when, say, you receive a new email or some fresh direct message from Twitter. If you visit them, that is. Following a notification pops up in Windows 8, then it disappears into the ether, never to be viewed or summoned. It's true that you could theoretically view missed notifications in their programs' individual Live Tiles on the beginning screen, but that hangs out there? Windows 10 cures the ailing with the debut of its new Action Center, which looks in the right-hand facet of the taskbar. Missed notifications will live there until you discount then huzzah! . You will also find quick-action buttons that enable you to quickly manage Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, input Tablet Mode, and much more.

Windows 10 appears to provide essentially no appropriate performance benefit over Windows 8 mainstream evaluations, but let us not be overly negative--since there is no reason to be. Together with Windows 7, Microsoft updated the schedule for the way the OS coped with CPUs, which guaranteed improvements and battery lifetime economies for both Intel and AMD CPUs. That was not a check-off thing for Windows 10. Since Windows 8.1 performances were very great.

There are also some improvement from 8.1 to win10 with backup and previous version which you can restore you deleted file more easily. When you didn’t turn on the backup, try this tip how to recover deleted files windows 8 and hope you have a good luck!

And, let's not forget that Windows 10 ushers at DirectX 12, which should very much yield substantial performance increases in games that support it.

[dipulb3]

2021 Mercedes-Maybach GLS600 offers oodles of luxury, but is it enough?

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/2021-mercedes-maybach-gls600-offers-oodles-of-luxury-but-is-it-enough/

2021 Mercedes-Maybach GLS600 offers oodles of luxury, but is it enough?

Hello, opulence.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

There are some folks who need more luxury than a standard Mercedes-Benz can offer. And for them, there’s Mercedes-Maybach. Previously only the S-Class got this extra-extra treatment but now, Maybach is broadening its reach with the new hifalutin GLS600, as well.

Like

Sumptuous rear seats

Excellent onboard tech

Buttery-smooth transmission

Don’t Like

Competitors offer more luxury

Poor fuel economy

This fancy SUV looks like a bright, shiny silver dollar, complete with copious amounts of chrome and an available two-tone paint job. The grille, while shiny as hell, is actually quite subdued with its simple vertical slats. Yes, they reflect the sun and glint into the eyes of the peons that dare look at you, but I honestly expected something even more ostentatious.

The silhouette is dominated by my tester’s available 23-inch multi-spoke wheels. Curiously, the center caps are not self-centering as those on the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, which is a bummer, as that’s a pretty easy feature to incorporate. Regardless, when I open the door the GLS lowers itself slightly and a running board made of anodized aluminum deploys for easy ingress.

2021 Mercedes-Maybach GLS600: When more is more but not too much

See all photos

Inside, the dashboard and front seats are essentially ripped from the standard GLS, but tweaked ever so slightly. My tester has gorgeous, open-pore wood; leather at every touch; ambient lighting; ridiculously comfortable seats that are heated, cooled and massaging; and heated and cooled cup holders. There’s plenty of Maybach badging as well and this thing even has its own dedicated Maybach scent piped in through the air vents. I’m no bloodhound, but Mercedes describes this aroma as, “The white osmanthus blossom, floral and light, rounded off by a gentle leather note and spicy tea.” So yeah, let’s go with that.

But really, the highlight of the Maybach GLS’ cabin is in the back. The standard GLS’ third row is gone and the back seats are moved rearward for improved legroom. You can get a bench seat, but I don’t know why you would, especially since the awesome four-seat configuration is a no-cost option. Also, there’s a built-in champagne cooler, along with holders for your champagne flutes and cooled cup holders for your more boring beverages. Go big, y’all.

This is where you want to be.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

The executive chairs in back are supremely comfortable — heated, cooled and massaging, natch, with a recline function and footrest that brings riders almost half-way to horizontal. At 5 feet, 9 inches tall, I’m able to stretch all the way out, but taller passengers might find their feet resting against the front seat. With a soft pillow for your head and lower back, this is a place to relax, for sure.

Should you want to get some work done, there are optional folding trays for each seat and a tablet computer in case you forget your laptop. You can keep everything charged with two USB-C ports as well as a 115-watt outlet and wireless charging.

Mercedes’ MBUX infotainment system is here, running on a 12.3-inch screen. I usually plug in my phone to use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto when navigating, but I love the virtual overlay on the in-dash navigation that shows precise arrows for turns and street addresses. The virtual assistant is also pretty good, recognizing natural language and will even tell you a joke or two. The standard 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster is nifty, showing me all the information I could possibly want. There is also a standard head-up display to keep everything at eye level.

23s? 23s.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

I really enjoy Mercedes’ suite of advanced driver’s aids and they are all standard on the Maybach. That means you’ve got blind-spot monitoring and lane-keeping assist, while the adaptive cruise control works great in stop-and-go traffic. It can even slow the car down based information gathered from the in-dash navigation. The steering assist helps drivers get down the road and can even change lanes automatically provided the coast is clear. However, this is still a hands-on system and if the GLS thinks the driver is incapacitated in any way it will stop the car in its lane and unlock the doors so first responders have access.

Where the Maybach suffers, however, is in cargo space. Behind those executive seats is only 18.5 cubic feet of space and that’s without the rear of the champers cooler invading the cargo area. That’s a bit less than a Rolls-Royce Cullinan but way less than the 24.5 cubes in the Land Rover Range Rover SVAutobiography. Only the Bentley Bentayga, with 17 cubic feet behind the second row, has less.

If you needed further proof that the Maybach GLS is all about being driven, the SUV has a unique Maybach drive mode that prioritizes the comfort of rear seat passengers. This drive mode starts the GLS in second gear, mutes the throttle and turns off the stop/start for less passenger jostling.

The V8 engine has mild-hybrid assist.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

Of course, the Maybach GLS has plenty of power under the hood, with its 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 good for 550 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque. The engine is supplemented with EQ-Boost, a 48-volt mild-hybrid system that can fill in low-rev turbo lag with an extra 21 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. The EQ-Boost system also makes the stop/start system incredibly smooth, almost imperceptible. Still, even with that hybrid tech, the Maybach GLS is a thirsty gal, earning a fuel economy rating of 15 miles per gallon in the city, 19 mpg highway and 16 mpg combined.

If you want ridiculous speed and great handling, look at the 603-hp Mercedes-AMG GLS63. The Maybach is still quick, scooting to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, but it’s tuned to be softer overall. The Sport mode isn’t as aggressive, forcing me to slow down just a bit and not tackle a backroad with abandon. The Curve mode uses the air suspension system to kind of lean into turns, which sounds bizarre, but makes for a less roly-poly ride. There is also an Off-Road mode that can bounce the big SUV up and down to help get it unstuck from soft sand, in case your chauffeur didn’t air down enough while driving on your private beach. You can also just bounce because it looks cool, too.

I can’t say enough good things about the nine-speed automatic transmission. I’ve always been a fan of the Benz’ modern gearboxes, and this one is a delight, offering up smooth, quiet shifts exactly when I want them. Similarly, the brakes are effortless, with a firm, linear feel despite the Maybach GLS’ 6,000-pound footprint.

The two-tone paint is subtle but effective.

Antuan Goodwin/Roadshow

The 2021 Mercedes-Maybach GLS starts at $161,550 including $1,050 for destination. My tester wears the $18,500 two-tone paint job and the $5,500 23-inch wheels. The fridge is an extra $1,100 and the champagne flute holders are $800. Finally, the folding tables add $1,800 for an as-tested price of $190,000.

If you really want to feel like you’re riding on a cloud, the GLS can’t really touch cars like the Bentley Bentayga or Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Yeah, those SUVs cost a whole bunch more money, but if you’re in the market for a super-luxurious SUV, is price really that much of a concern?

In fact, that’s my one big issue with the Maybach: It doesn’t go far enough. Aside from the ride quality, the Land Rover Range Rover SVAutobiography will get you farther off the beaten path and the Bentley Bentayga is more enjoyable to drive. I’d rather see the Maybach go even bigger in the luxury department to really offer something unique.

[pinktheoristcollector]

Making a list of the decade’s most important and influential gadgets is, in a word, illuminating — and that’s before you factor in all the LEDs. Over the last 10 years, thousands of products have been released, and while some are definitely “cooler” than others, their impact on the past decade, and the decade to come, is by no means identical.

Each gadget tells the story of a new way of thinking, a slow-moving paradigm shift set to change the way we approach the personal technology we interact with on a daily basis. Sure, you might not know what a Raspberry Pi is, but its impact on industries like robotics and home automation has been massive. Unfamiliar with the Adaptive Controller? That’s OK! But the elegantly executed idea has opened up a world of delight for gamers with disabilities. Think drones are just for shooting vacation footage? Think again — and watch your head.

Technology exists to augment the human condition, to make people smarter, better, and ultimately, more human. From smartphones and drones to consoles and cars, the past decade has more than enough life-changing devices to choose from. Here are TIME’s picks for the most important gadgets of the decade.

Apple iPad (2010)

Before the iPad’s introduction in 2010, the idea of a “tablet computer” was mostly relegated to slick science fiction movies and unwieldy laptop-adjacent monstrosities running terrible software. Apple’s iPad — like the iPhone before it — resulted in a cultural shift for personal computing, and set the tone for the next decade of portable devices. Its impressive multitouch display, complete abandonment of physical keys, and gargantuan selection of software and media created a perfect storm of entertainment that everyone could get on board with. And while competitors have had ample time to make laptops or detachable two-in-one computers to attack the iPad’s biggest pain points, Apple has continuously advanced the platform’s iPadOS and hardware (Apple Pencil, anyone?), making any nerd optimistic about the next decade of tablet computing.

Tesla Model S (2012)

Think cars can’t be gadgets? Then you haven’t driven a Tesla Model S — or watched one drive up to you. The electric sedan has slowly reshaped the trajectory of the automotive industry, forcing competitors to embrace a battery-powered future instead of the gas-guzzling present, and challenging the belief that electric cars can’t be cool. Features like downloadable software updates, a huge touchscreen display and advanced autopilot capabilities make it feel like a vehicle from 2022 instead of 2012. Think of the Tesla Model S as the iPod of cars — if your iPod could do zero to 60 in 2.3 seconds.

Raspberry Pi (2012)

At first glance, the Raspberry Pi looks more like a component that fell off the space station. But take a closer look at the miniature Linux computer, originally made for promoting coding in schools, and you’ll find a wide-ranging community in love with the blank slate it provides. To get started you’ll need a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. But once you’re plugged in, the possibilities are endless. Since its debut, a vibrant DIY ecosystem has sprung up around the Raspberry Pi, making it the go-to gadget for tinkerers, engineers, and that one relative you always call whenever your Wi-Fi is on the fritz. Sure, you can use it to learn to code, but it’s got the range to handle everything from robotics and home automation to entertainment. Makers and accessory manufacturers have turned the tiny boxes into everything your budding engineer brain can think of: weather stations, retro game consoles, smart speakers, cloud servers, the whole nine yards. After seven years on the market, and with over 25 million units sold, the Raspberry Pi is a tinkerer’s dream come true.

Google Chromecast (2013)

Google’s Chromecast, released in 2013, made it dead simple to beam media from your laptop or smartphone to your TV, helping popularize the very concept of streaming. It bridged the gap for people who wanted a piece of the future without investing in a pricey smart TV, or spending over a hundred bucks on some expensive and gaudy streaming box. At $35, Chromecast democratized streaming while giving users an integral piece of smart home connectivity for cheap. Now, the platform is capable of streaming more than media; Google’s added support for its game-streaming Stadia service to its more powerful Chromecast Ultra devices. It might not be an essential piece of technology in the decade to come, but the Chromecast’s influence on streaming media can’t be understated.

DJI Phantom (2013)

While you might hear a drone before you see it, chances are you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what it sees, and how cool the view is a few hundred feet in the air. And of all the footage-capturing drones around, DJI’s Phantom is the most recognizable — and the most popular drone on YouTube. Its signature all-white design makes it hard to miss, and the company’s dedication to making drone piloting as simple as possible has made the Phantom an easy choice for beginning pilots, and a satisfying tool for aerial photography. And this is only the beginning. There’s already a professional drone racing league, and with companies betting on drones to handle everything from shipping goods to construction to surveillance, you’re bound to interact with more than a few in the decade to come.

Amazon Echo (2014)

Talking to yourself is still a little odd, but talking to your voice assistant has become a common activity in homes worldwide thanks to Amazon’s Alexa, the voice assistant built into its Echo devices and other smart home gadgets. Voice assistants are the new kid on the block, ideal for managing your smart home devices, handling media playback or quickly communicating with friends and family. Amazon’s Echo smart speaker and Alexa voice assistant is one of the most popular, with over 100 million Alexa-enabled devices sold as of 2019. As the first of its kind, Alexa blazed a trail for the multiple competitors trying to sell you on their own voice assistants to varying degrees of success. While convenient, though, the proliferation of devices like the Echo has spurred controversy surrounding the data collection practices of smart device manufacturers, becoming one of the most high-profile privacy issues of our time.

Apple Watch (2015)

While many have tried, no one has been able to match the polish and performance of the Apple Watch, which set the standard for what a smartwatch could do. Since its introduction in 2015, it’s gone from a device for early adopters and fashion-deficient nerds to a mainstream accessory, thanks to its smart software and ever-improving hardware. And as the Apple Watch expands its health-oriented features, it could become the easiest way to keep your health on track and your day on schedule.

Apple AirPods (2016)

Like the iconic iPod before it, Apple’s AirPods have captured the hearts, minds and ears of music lovers looking to jam to some tunes. First released in 2016, AirPods quickly became an icon in their own right, both for their aesthetic appeal as well as their larger cultural impact. But widespread adoption hasn’t come without criticism. Its controversial manufacturing methods make disposal and recycling difficult, and could alter how we think about the future of our gadgets once we’re done with them. AirPods even carry social significance thanks to the glut classist jokes and memes spread across social media, transforming them into earbuds that double as a not-so-subtle status indicator. However, their cutting-edge hardware and software evolved further in this year’s AirPods Pro, and helped cement them as the gold standard of truly wireless audio for music fans.

Nintendo Switch (2017)

When it comes to gaming on the go, no one can top Nintendo’s track record, beginning with the humble Game Boy in 1989. But the introduction of its hybrid Nintendo Switch in 2017 — which you can play either portably or connected to your TV — might be the company’s most important contribution to gaming yet. Compared to the competition, it handily takes the crown as the most important video game console of the decade, with fans begging developers to bring their next title to the Switch. Its smartphone-inspired portability, paired with Nintendo’s ever-growing library of blockbuster, independent and vintage titles, makes the Switch feel like the culmination of Nintendo’s idea of what gaming should be.

Xbox Adaptive Controller (2018)

Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive Controller, made for gamers with limited mobility and highly modifiable for different users’ needs, is perhaps my favorite gadget of the decade, and one I pray is duplicated by other major game companies. Not only does it look slick, it’s designed to accommodate a subset of gamers long ignored by the larger gaming industry. Microsoft worked alongside organizations like the Cerebral Palsy Foundation and the AbleGamers Charity to shape everything from the huge buttons on its face to its accessible packaging. With over a dozen ports for connecting assistive controllers, buttons and joysticks, and its compatibility with both Xbox One consoles and Windows PCs, Xbox’s Adaptive Controller is one of the most important developments in the gaming industry, and should put a smile on anyone’s face.

[newstechreviews]

Making a list of the decade’s most important and influential gadgets is, in a word, illuminating — and that’s before you factor in all the LEDs. Over the last 10 years, thousands of products have been released, and while some are definitely “cooler” than others, their impact on the past decade, and the decade to come, is by no means identical.

Each gadget tells the story of a new way of thinking, a slow-moving paradigm shift set to change the way we approach the personal technology we interact with on a daily basis. Sure, you might not know what a Raspberry Pi is, but its impact on industries like robotics and home automation has been massive. Unfamiliar with the Adaptive Controller? That’s OK! But the elegantly executed idea has opened up a world of delight for gamers with disabilities. Think drones are just for shooting vacation footage? Think again — and watch your head.

Technology exists to augment the human condition, to make people smarter, better, and ultimately, more human. From smartphones and drones to consoles and cars, the past decade has more than enough life-changing devices to choose from. Here are TIME’s picks for the most important gadgets of the decade.

Apple iPad (2010)

Before the iPad’s introduction in 2010, the idea of a “tablet computer” was mostly relegated to slick science fiction movies and unwieldy laptop-adjacent monstrosities running terrible software. Apple’s iPad — like the iPhone before it — resulted in a cultural shift for personal computing, and set the tone for the next decade of portable devices. Its impressive multitouch display, complete abandonment of physical keys, and gargantuan selection of software and media created a perfect storm of entertainment that everyone could get on board with. And while competitors have had ample time to make laptops or detachable two-in-one computers to attack the iPad’s biggest pain points, Apple has continuously advanced the platform’s iPadOS and hardware (Apple Pencil, anyone?), making any nerd optimistic about the next decade of tablet computing.

Tesla Model S (2012)

Think cars can’t be gadgets? Then you haven’t driven a Tesla Model S — or watched one drive up to you. The electric sedan has slowly reshaped the trajectory of the automotive industry, forcing competitors to embrace a battery-powered future instead of the gas-guzzling present, and challenging the belief that electric cars can’t be cool. Features like downloadable software updates, a huge touchscreen display and advanced autopilot capabilities make it feel like a vehicle from 2022 instead of 2012. Think of the Tesla Model S as the iPod of cars — if your iPod could do zero to 60 in 2.3 seconds.

Raspberry Pi (2012)

At first glance, the Raspberry Pi looks more like a component that fell off the space station. But take a closer look at the miniature Linux computer, originally made for promoting coding in schools, and you’ll find a wide-ranging community in love with the blank slate it provides. To get started you’ll need a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. But once you’re plugged in, the possibilities are endless. Since its debut, a vibrant DIY ecosystem has sprung up around the Raspberry Pi, making it the go-to gadget for tinkerers, engineers, and that one relative you always call whenever your Wi-Fi is on the fritz. Sure, you can use it to learn to code, but it’s got the range to handle everything from robotics and home automation to entertainment. Makers and accessory manufacturers have turned the tiny boxes into everything your budding engineer brain can think of: weather stations, retro game consoles, smart speakers, cloud servers, the whole nine yards. After seven years on the market, and with over 25 million units sold, the Raspberry Pi is a tinkerer’s dream come true.

Google Chromecast (2013)

Google’s Chromecast, released in 2013, made it dead simple to beam media from your laptop or smartphone to your TV, helping popularize the very concept of streaming. It bridged the gap for people who wanted a piece of the future without investing in a pricey smart TV, or spending over a hundred bucks on some expensive and gaudy streaming box. At $35, Chromecast democratized streaming while giving users an integral piece of smart home connectivity for cheap. Now, the platform is capable of streaming more than media; Google’s added support for its game-streaming Stadia service to its more powerful Chromecast Ultra devices. It might not be an essential piece of technology in the decade to come, but the Chromecast’s influence on streaming media can’t be understated.

DJI Phantom (2013)

While you might hear a drone before you see it, chances are you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what it sees, and how cool the view is a few hundred feet in the air. And of all the footage-capturing drones around, DJI’s Phantom is the most recognizable — and the most popular drone on YouTube. Its signature all-white design makes it hard to miss, and the company’s dedication to making drone piloting as simple as possible has made the Phantom an easy choice for beginning pilots, and a satisfying tool for aerial photography. And this is only the beginning. There’s already a professional drone racing league, and with companies betting on drones to handle everything from shipping goods to construction to surveillance, you’re bound to interact with more than a few in the decade to come.

Amazon Echo (2014)

Talking to yourself is still a little odd, but talking to your voice assistant has become a common activity in homes worldwide thanks to Amazon’s Alexa, the voice assistant built into its Echo devices and other smart home gadgets. Voice assistants are the new kid on the block, ideal for managing your smart home devices, handling media playback or quickly communicating with friends and family. Amazon’s Echo smart speaker and Alexa voice assistant is one of the most popular, with over 100 million Alexa-enabled devices sold as of 2019. As the first of its kind, Alexa blazed a trail for the multiple competitors trying to sell you on their own voice assistants to varying degrees of success. While convenient, though, the proliferation of devices like the Echo has spurred controversy surrounding the data collection practices of smart device manufacturers, becoming one of the most high-profile privacy issues of our time.

Apple Watch (2015)

While many have tried, no one has been able to match the polish and performance of the Apple Watch, which set the standard for what a smartwatch could do. Since its introduction in 2015, it’s gone from a device for early adopters and fashion-deficient nerds to a mainstream accessory, thanks to its smart software and ever-improving hardware. And as the Apple Watch expands its health-oriented features, it could become the easiest way to keep your health on track and your day on schedule.

Apple AirPods (2016)

Like the iconic iPod before it, Apple’s AirPods have captured the hearts, minds and ears of music lovers looking to jam to some tunes. First released in 2016, AirPods quickly became an icon in their own right, both for their aesthetic appeal as well as their larger cultural impact. But widespread adoption hasn’t come without criticism. Its controversial manufacturing methods make disposal and recycling difficult, and could alter how we think about the future of our gadgets once we’re done with them. AirPods even carry social significance thanks to the glut classist jokes and memes spread across social media, transforming them into earbuds that double as a not-so-subtle status indicator. However, their cutting-edge hardware and software evolved further in this year’s AirPods Pro, and helped cement them as the gold standard of truly wireless audio for music fans.

Nintendo Switch (2017)

When it comes to gaming on the go, no one can top Nintendo’s track record, beginning with the humble Game Boy in 1989. But the introduction of its hybrid Nintendo Switch in 2017 — which you can play either portably or connected to your TV — might be the company’s most important contribution to gaming yet. Compared to the competition, it handily takes the crown as the most important video game console of the decade, with fans begging developers to bring their next title to the Switch. Its smartphone-inspired portability, paired with Nintendo’s ever-growing library of blockbuster, independent and vintage titles, makes the Switch feel like the culmination of Nintendo’s idea of what gaming should be.

Xbox Adaptive Controller (2018)

Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive Controller, made for gamers with limited mobility and highly modifiable for different users’ needs, is perhaps my favorite gadget of the decade, and one I pray is duplicated by other major game companies. Not only does it look slick, it’s designed to accommodate a subset of gamers long ignored by the larger gaming industry. Microsoft worked alongside organizations like the Cerebral Palsy Foundation and the AbleGamers Charity to shape everything from the huge buttons on its face to its accessible packaging. With over a dozen ports for connecting assistive controllers, buttons and joysticks, and its compatibility with both Xbox One consoles and Windows PCs, Xbox’s Adaptive Controller is one of the most important developments in the gaming industry, and should put a smile on anyone’s face.

[itsfinancethings]

Making a list of the decade’s most important and influential gadgets is, in a word, illuminating — and that’s before you factor in all the LEDs. Over the last 10 years, thousands of products have been released, and while some are definitely “cooler” than others, their impact on the past decade, and the decade to come, is by no means identical.

Each gadget tells the story of a new way of thinking, a slow-moving paradigm shift set to change the way we approach the personal technology we interact with on a daily basis. Sure, you might not know what a Raspberry Pi is, but its impact on industries like robotics and home automation has been massive. Unfamiliar with the Adaptive Controller? That’s OK! But the elegantly executed idea has opened up a world of delight for gamers with disabilities. Think drones are just for shooting vacation footage? Think again — and watch your head.

Technology exists to augment the human condition, to make people smarter, better, and ultimately, more human. From smartphones and drones to consoles and cars, the past decade has more than enough life-changing devices to choose from. Here are TIME’s picks for the most important gadgets of the decade.

Apple iPad (2010)

Before the iPad’s introduction in 2010, the idea of a “tablet computer” was mostly relegated to slick science fiction movies and unwieldy laptop-adjacent monstrosities running terrible software. Apple’s iPad — like the iPhone before it — resulted in a cultural shift for personal computing, and set the tone for the next decade of portable devices. Its impressive multitouch display, complete abandonment of physical keys, and gargantuan selection of software and media created a perfect storm of entertainment that everyone could get on board with. And while competitors have had ample time to make laptops or detachable two-in-one computers to attack the iPad’s biggest pain points, Apple has continuously advanced the platform’s iPadOS and hardware (Apple Pencil, anyone?), making any nerd optimistic about the next decade of tablet computing.

Tesla Model S (2012)

Think cars can’t be gadgets? Then you haven’t driven a Tesla Model S — or watched one drive up to you. The electric sedan has slowly reshaped the trajectory of the automotive industry, forcing competitors to embrace a battery-powered future instead of the gas-guzzling present, and challenging the belief that electric cars can’t be cool. Features like downloadable software updates, a huge touchscreen display and advanced autopilot capabilities make it feel like a vehicle from 2022 instead of 2012. Think of the Tesla Model S as the iPod of cars — if your iPod could do zero to 60 in 2.3 seconds.

Raspberry Pi (2012)

At first glance, the Raspberry Pi looks more like a component that fell off the space station. But take a closer look at the miniature Linux computer, originally made for promoting coding in schools, and you’ll find a wide-ranging community in love with the blank slate it provides. To get started you’ll need a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. But once you’re plugged in, the possibilities are endless. Since its debut, a vibrant DIY ecosystem has sprung up around the Raspberry Pi, making it the go-to gadget for tinkerers, engineers, and that one relative you always call whenever your Wi-Fi is on the fritz. Sure, you can use it to learn to code, but it’s got the range to handle everything from robotics and home automation to entertainment. Makers and accessory manufacturers have turned the tiny boxes into everything your budding engineer brain can think of: weather stations, retro game consoles, smart speakers, cloud servers, the whole nine yards. After seven years on the market, and with over 25 million units sold, the Raspberry Pi is a tinkerer’s dream come true.

Google Chromecast (2013)

Google’s Chromecast, released in 2013, made it dead simple to beam media from your laptop or smartphone to your TV, helping popularize the very concept of streaming. It bridged the gap for people who wanted a piece of the future without investing in a pricey smart TV, or spending over a hundred bucks on some expensive and gaudy streaming box. At $35, Chromecast democratized streaming while giving users an integral piece of smart home connectivity for cheap. Now, the platform is capable of streaming more than media; Google’s added support for its game-streaming Stadia service to its more powerful Chromecast Ultra devices. It might not be an essential piece of technology in the decade to come, but the Chromecast’s influence on streaming media can’t be understated.

DJI Phantom (2013)

While you might hear a drone before you see it, chances are you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what it sees, and how cool the view is a few hundred feet in the air. And of all the footage-capturing drones around, DJI’s Phantom is the most recognizable — and the most popular drone on YouTube. Its signature all-white design makes it hard to miss, and the company’s dedication to making drone piloting as simple as possible has made the Phantom an easy choice for beginning pilots, and a satisfying tool for aerial photography. And this is only the beginning. There’s already a professional drone racing league, and with companies betting on drones to handle everything from shipping goods to construction to surveillance, you’re bound to interact with more than a few in the decade to come.

Amazon Echo (2014)

Talking to yourself is still a little odd, but talking to your voice assistant has become a common activity in homes worldwide thanks to Amazon’s Alexa, the voice assistant built into its Echo devices and other smart home gadgets. Voice assistants are the new kid on the block, ideal for managing your smart home devices, handling media playback or quickly communicating with friends and family. Amazon’s Echo smart speaker and Alexa voice assistant is one of the most popular, with over 100 million Alexa-enabled devices sold as of 2019. As the first of its kind, Alexa blazed a trail for the multiple competitors trying to sell you on their own voice assistants to varying degrees of success. While convenient, though, the proliferation of devices like the Echo has spurred controversy surrounding the data collection practices of smart device manufacturers, becoming one of the most high-profile privacy issues of our time.

Apple Watch (2015)

While many have tried, no one has been able to match the polish and performance of the Apple Watch, which set the standard for what a smartwatch could do. Since its introduction in 2015, it’s gone from a device for early adopters and fashion-deficient nerds to a mainstream accessory, thanks to its smart software and ever-improving hardware. And as the Apple Watch expands its health-oriented features, it could become the easiest way to keep your health on track and your day on schedule.

Apple AirPods (2016)

Like the iconic iPod before it, Apple’s AirPods have captured the hearts, minds and ears of music lovers looking to jam to some tunes. First released in 2016, AirPods quickly became an icon in their own right, both for their aesthetic appeal as well as their larger cultural impact. But widespread adoption hasn’t come without criticism. Its controversial manufacturing methods make disposal and recycling difficult, and could alter how we think about the future of our gadgets once we’re done with them. AirPods even carry social significance thanks to the glut classist jokes and memes spread across social media, transforming them into earbuds that double as a not-so-subtle status indicator. However, their cutting-edge hardware and software evolved further in this year’s AirPods Pro, and helped cement them as the gold standard of truly wireless audio for music fans.

Nintendo Switch (2017)

When it comes to gaming on the go, no one can top Nintendo’s track record, beginning with the humble Game Boy in 1989. But the introduction of its hybrid Nintendo Switch in 2017 — which you can play either portably or connected to your TV — might be the company’s most important contribution to gaming yet. Compared to the competition, it handily takes the crown as the most important video game console of the decade, with fans begging developers to bring their next title to the Switch. Its smartphone-inspired portability, paired with Nintendo’s ever-growing library of blockbuster, independent and vintage titles, makes the Switch feel like the culmination of Nintendo’s idea of what gaming should be.

Xbox Adaptive Controller (2018)

Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive Controller, made for gamers with limited mobility and highly modifiable for different users’ needs, is perhaps my favorite gadget of the decade, and one I pray is duplicated by other major game companies. Not only does it look slick, it’s designed to accommodate a subset of gamers long ignored by the larger gaming industry. Microsoft worked alongside organizations like the Cerebral Palsy Foundation and the AbleGamers Charity to shape everything from the huge buttons on its face to its accessible packaging. With over a dozen ports for connecting assistive controllers, buttons and joysticks, and its compatibility with both Xbox One consoles and Windows PCs, Xbox’s Adaptive Controller is one of the most important developments in the gaming industry, and should put a smile on anyone’s face.

[viralnewstime]

Making a list of the decade’s most important and influential gadgets is, in a word, illuminating — and that’s before you factor in all the LEDs. Over the last 10 years, thousands of products have been released, and while some are definitely “cooler” than others, their impact on the past decade, and the decade to come, is by no means identical.

Each gadget tells the story of a new way of thinking, a slow-moving paradigm shift set to change the way we approach the personal technology we interact with on a daily basis. Sure, you might not know what a Raspberry Pi is, but its impact on industries like robotics and home automation has been massive. Unfamiliar with the Adaptive Controller? That’s OK! But the elegantly executed idea has opened up a world of delight for gamers with disabilities. Think drones are just for shooting vacation footage? Think again — and watch your head.

Technology exists to augment the human condition, to make people smarter, better, and ultimately, more human. From smartphones and drones to consoles and cars, the past decade has more than enough life-changing devices to choose from. Here are TIME’s picks for the most important gadgets of the decade.

Apple iPad (2010)

Before the iPad’s introduction in 2010, the idea of a “tablet computer” was mostly relegated to slick science fiction movies and unwieldy laptop-adjacent monstrosities running terrible software. Apple’s iPad — like the iPhone before it — resulted in a cultural shift for personal computing, and set the tone for the next decade of portable devices. Its impressive multitouch display, complete abandonment of physical keys, and gargantuan selection of software and media created a perfect storm of entertainment that everyone could get on board with. And while competitors have had ample time to make laptops or detachable two-in-one computers to attack the iPad’s biggest pain points, Apple has continuously advanced the platform’s iPadOS and hardware (Apple Pencil, anyone?), making any nerd optimistic about the next decade of tablet computing.

Tesla Model S (2012)

Think cars can’t be gadgets? Then you haven’t driven a Tesla Model S — or watched one drive up to you. The electric sedan has slowly reshaped the trajectory of the automotive industry, forcing competitors to embrace a battery-powered future instead of the gas-guzzling present, and challenging the belief that electric cars can’t be cool. Features like downloadable software updates, a huge touchscreen display and advanced autopilot capabilities make it feel like a vehicle from 2022 instead of 2012. Think of the Tesla Model S as the iPod of cars — if your iPod could do zero to 60 in 2.3 seconds.

Raspberry Pi (2012)

At first glance, the Raspberry Pi looks more like a component that fell off the space station. But take a closer look at the miniature Linux computer, originally made for promoting coding in schools, and you’ll find a wide-ranging community in love with the blank slate it provides. To get started you’ll need a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. But once you’re plugged in, the possibilities are endless. Since its debut, a vibrant DIY ecosystem has sprung up around the Raspberry Pi, making it the go-to gadget for tinkerers, engineers, and that one relative you always call whenever your Wi-Fi is on the fritz. Sure, you can use it to learn to code, but it’s got the range to handle everything from robotics and home automation to entertainment. Makers and accessory manufacturers have turned the tiny boxes into everything your budding engineer brain can think of: weather stations, retro game consoles, smart speakers, cloud servers, the whole nine yards. After seven years on the market, and with over 25 million units sold, the Raspberry Pi is a tinkerer’s dream come true.

Google Chromecast (2013)

Google’s Chromecast, released in 2013, made it dead simple to beam media from your laptop or smartphone to your TV, helping popularize the very concept of streaming. It bridged the gap for people who wanted a piece of the future without investing in a pricey smart TV, or spending over a hundred bucks on some expensive and gaudy streaming box. At $35, Chromecast democratized streaming while giving users an integral piece of smart home connectivity for cheap. Now, the platform is capable of streaming more than media; Google’s added support for its game-streaming Stadia service to its more powerful Chromecast Ultra devices. It might not be an essential piece of technology in the decade to come, but the Chromecast’s influence on streaming media can’t be understated.

DJI Phantom (2013)

While you might hear a drone before you see it, chances are you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what it sees, and how cool the view is a few hundred feet in the air. And of all the footage-capturing drones around, DJI’s Phantom is the most recognizable — and the most popular drone on YouTube. Its signature all-white design makes it hard to miss, and the company’s dedication to making drone piloting as simple as possible has made the Phantom an easy choice for beginning pilots, and a satisfying tool for aerial photography. And this is only the beginning. There’s already a professional drone racing league, and with companies betting on drones to handle everything from shipping goods to construction to surveillance, you’re bound to interact with more than a few in the decade to come.

Amazon Echo (2014)

Talking to yourself is still a little odd, but talking to your voice assistant has become a common activity in homes worldwide thanks to Amazon’s Alexa, the voice assistant built into its Echo devices and other smart home gadgets. Voice assistants are the new kid on the block, ideal for managing your smart home devices, handling media playback or quickly communicating with friends and family. Amazon’s Echo smart speaker and Alexa voice assistant is one of the most popular, with over 100 million Alexa-enabled devices sold as of 2019. As the first of its kind, Alexa blazed a trail for the multiple competitors trying to sell you on their own voice assistants to varying degrees of success. While convenient, though, the proliferation of devices like the Echo has spurred controversy surrounding the data collection practices of smart device manufacturers, becoming one of the most high-profile privacy issues of our time.

Apple Watch (2015)

While many have tried, no one has been able to match the polish and performance of the Apple Watch, which set the standard for what a smartwatch could do. Since its introduction in 2015, it’s gone from a device for early adopters and fashion-deficient nerds to a mainstream accessory, thanks to its smart software and ever-improving hardware. And as the Apple Watch expands its health-oriented features, it could become the easiest way to keep your health on track and your day on schedule.

Apple AirPods (2016)

Like the iconic iPod before it, Apple’s AirPods have captured the hearts, minds and ears of music lovers looking to jam to some tunes. First released in 2016, AirPods quickly became an icon in their own right, both for their aesthetic appeal as well as their larger cultural impact. But widespread adoption hasn’t come without criticism. Its controversial manufacturing methods make disposal and recycling difficult, and could alter how we think about the future of our gadgets once we’re done with them. AirPods even carry social significance thanks to the glut classist jokes and memes spread across social media, transforming them into earbuds that double as a not-so-subtle status indicator. However, their cutting-edge hardware and software evolved further in this year’s AirPods Pro, and helped cement them as the gold standard of truly wireless audio for music fans.

Nintendo Switch (2017)

When it comes to gaming on the go, no one can top Nintendo’s track record, beginning with the humble Game Boy in 1989. But the introduction of its hybrid Nintendo Switch in 2017 — which you can play either portably or connected to your TV — might be the company’s most important contribution to gaming yet. Compared to the competition, it handily takes the crown as the most important video game console of the decade, with fans begging developers to bring their next title to the Switch. Its smartphone-inspired portability, paired with Nintendo’s ever-growing library of blockbuster, independent and vintage titles, makes the Switch feel like the culmination of Nintendo’s idea of what gaming should be.

Xbox Adaptive Controller (2018)

Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive Controller, made for gamers with limited mobility and highly modifiable for different users’ needs, is perhaps my favorite gadget of the decade, and one I pray is duplicated by other major game companies. Not only does it look slick, it’s designed to accommodate a subset of gamers long ignored by the larger gaming industry. Microsoft worked alongside organizations like the Cerebral Palsy Foundation and the AbleGamers Charity to shape everything from the huge buttons on its face to its accessible packaging. With over a dozen ports for connecting assistive controllers, buttons and joysticks, and its compatibility with both Xbox One consoles and Windows PCs, Xbox’s Adaptive Controller is one of the most important developments in the gaming industry, and should put a smile on anyone’s face.

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Dragon Dancer Chapter 16: Dragon’s Spawn

When I managed to open my eyes, sometimes the sun shone and birds sang. At other times, it was the crickets singing in the dark of night. I could never keep my eyes open for long enough to ask how many days and nights had passed.

The breeze against my skin told me we stayed outside. Lukas brought me fish, clams and seaweed to eat.

"Aiko knows how to fish." He told me, once I stopped slipping in and out of consciousness. "We're lucky she does. It would have taken me forever to learn."

"Have you gotten in touch with anyone? Is there a town nearby?" I cleared my throat, "I need to contact Cassell. Your grandmother knows where my family lives. They're in danger."

Lukas looked down at me. "I'm… my grandmother's dead. She uh… was shot when they were kidnapping Tobias." He pressed his lips together.

Previous Chapter

Go back to the Beginning

"I'm sorry…"

"Are you?" He asked, giving a sharp glare.

I chewed my lip. "Of course. It's never easy, losing family. I wouldn't wish that on you." It was all I could think to say. "I never wished her dead."

"Do you know where we are?" He abruptly changed the subject, but I could see annoyance and irritation in his eyes.

I nodded. "We should be near one of the labs."

He gave a slow nod. "Do you know which one?"

"Um … I got the location from a vision of someone's memories. He was a test subject here."

"We're in Siberia." He said, turning one crimson eye to me, watching.

I gaped a few moments. "Are you sure? Isn't Siberia cold?"

"Not in the summer." He kept his expression neutral.

"Summer?" I recalled seeing the falling snow and a frigid wind as I dangled out the window during the kidnapping attempt. "Was… was I asleep that long?"

He began to laugh, low and bitter. "I was hoping you would know what you did."

"How is it summer?" I looked around. I was lying in the shadow of what appeared to be a large rockslide. It was warm even in the shade.

"I don't know! You're the time traveler!" He massaged his forehead and stood up. "You're the one who went back in time in the first place!"

My mouth opened but then shut. I couldn't tell him that it was my father who sent me back in time. "What about the lab? Do you think there might be a phone?"

"Possibly. But there are so many servitors there I can't go near it."

"How are the kids!"

He looked away. "They're ….Alright…" he said, after a pause.

"Can I see them?" 

"Yeah but… do you remember when we got here?" He looked down at me, reading my face.

"Yeah I… almost turned into a Servitor but I was able to stop it in time."

He walked over to me and knelt next to me. "You don't know how to control your powers. I suggest that you not use them until you've been trained."

He rested his hand on my back. "I know you meant well… those kids were going to die. You didn't do anything wrong… I speak Japanese so I was able to explain a lot to them while you were resting. They understand… in fact, they're grateful."

 "They are?" I lifted my eyes to him.

He nodded. "They really are."

I sighed to myself. "If it's summer then...I did it. I got them away from Chisei."

He was silent for a few more moments. “There’s one more problem. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. It might not be a good idea to tell anyone else about your abilities.” He shifted to be closer to me. “The reason why unstable hybrids exist is because the dragon in them is too powerful. If you can counteract that? It means that some hybrids can have all the power with none of the consequences. The people who were after you before… are still going to be after you. And if Cassell finds out…? Who’s to say they won’t start using you too?”

Lukas gazed at me, his eyes then lowered and he stood back up. "I want to check out the lab tonight and see if there's power in the building. You can come along, but only if you're going to stay behind me."

"What about the kids? We can't leave them alone.”

"They're going to have to cope for a bit while we make contact with the outside."

I watched him leave. As soon as he was out of earshot, I summoned Ielia from her necklace. She looked at me with clear concern and relief.

"I'm ok. Though I think I may have made a little mistake."

She held up her thumb and forefinger and winked. Just a little mistake.

"I don't know how I did it though." I sighed. "I visualized the best I could based on the vision…. But it felt wrong. Scary."

The other me offered me her hand to stand up and I picked myself up off the ground and followed her to a clearing. 

She disappeared. I looked around for the children and saw a little young girl and boy standing next to each other. 

The girl held the boy's hand. His eyes were wrapped in tight cloth bandages. Her hair was so long it reached past her calves "Can you speak English?" I asked.

They didn't seem to.  I held my hand to my chest. "Charlotte."

Then I pointed to them.

The girl pointed to herself. "Chika." To her brother. "Eiji." She then wrapped her arms around him. He smiled and returned the hug.

I couldn't help but chuckle. I made a little heart with my hands.

When I looked around the laboratory was easy to find, set up on a hill, they made no attempt to hide their little torture facility. Perhaps being in Siberia was hiding place enough.

I turned to the two youngsters. "Where are everyone else?" They didn't understand me.

I walked away from our little encampment, searching for the other children.

I found Tobias gathering sticks in his arms. He looked at me wide-eyed, dropping what he was holding. He backed away. 

Puzzled at his reaction, I tried to reassure him. "It's ok. It's ...it's just me."

He fell to the ground trembling with terror. 

"I'm not… going to hurt you. I know it hurt before but that was because you were going to turn into a Servitor."

He didn't relax.

"I'm sorry…." I said, my voice going quiet.

"It's ok Tobias." Lukas was carrying his own load of wood. He was alone. "I told her not to use her powers."

He dumped it unceremoniously into a pile and slapped his hands together. "This should give you enough fuel to last the night, but we won't be gone long.

Another girl walked behind him carrying a long pole of bamboo. "Is this Aiko?" 

"Yeah that's our Fisher!" Lukas smiled proudly.

"Where's everyone else?" I looked around in confusion.

Lukas sighed,  "This is it I'm afraid. The rest didn't make it."

The weight of his words fell heavy on my heart. "Didn't make it?"

"I waited for them to come out of that strange darkness… they never did." He was again looking at me with that blank expression.

I took a breath but no words came out. I hung my head, numbness spreading from my heart to my mind. 

They died in that cold and dark place that I'd brought them to. My mind drew an immediate conclusion. I was at fault for more death… and the deaths of children.

I felt a hand close around mine. It was the long haired girl. She patted my arm, saying something in Japanese.

Lukas translated. "She said it's ok."

I shook my head. "No. It's not."

Aiko regarded me with her wide dark eyes. Then she asked Lukas something. Lukas answered in Japanese. The two had a little conversation.

Lukas turned to me. "She said, bad things happen. You have to move on." 

I nodded even though I was certain I never would.

That night, we approached the largest of the buildings on the laboratory complex. The door was simple to break through. Supplies were left on tables, books scattered about offices, and even rotted food was left on the counter in a break room, as if the person who made it had just walked away.

There were plenty of beds where human test subjects were held.

Cables connecting the satellite network to the computers had been damaged by animals. Together we scavenged for replacements for them.

Lukas worked on getting the satellite communication online while I explored. 

I made my way into a few of the wards until I saw the room that Ruri Kazama's Speaking Spirit had revealed from that man's memories. The windows, the bed… it was just like this. I stood recalling how many times he'd been stabbed with painful needles. Locked away and tormented for twenty three years. No wonder he was a murderer.

I left that room out of the room and found Lukas rummaging through a file cabinet.

"I got it turned on but it needs to update." He said. "I found something strange. Look.”

He hands me a manila folder. “Light King… resurrection.” I opened it. “So they really were trying to wake up a dragon? But I thought the legend said that the Light King was burned up and the ashes got eaten?”

“Yes. Those legends are based off of information found on an artifact called the Ice Sea Tablets. According to experts it’s the Dark King’s retelling of how he quelled the rebellion of the Light King.”

“So… you think he was lying?” I looked up from the folder.

“Maybe? What bothers me most is that many sources suggest that the Light King was even crueler to humans than the Dark King was. Why would anyone want to bring him back?”

I stared at the papers. There were photographs of artifacts, bits of bronze and pieces of pottery. When I flipped over to one full page glossy photo of an urn, whispering filled my ears. I clapped the folder shut but the voices were in my head now. “Oh no…” 

It was just like last time in the underwater tower. Instinctively placing my hands over my ears didn’t help at all. "I'm hearing voices! Dragon voices!" My voice shook.

"What? Where?" 

"In my head! It's trying to talk to me!" The whispers grew more intense. Lukas grabbed my shoulders. He was talking to me but I couldn’t focus on his voice over the insistent chattering in my mind.

The ground under our feet lurched, throwing us to the floor, ceiling tiles rained on our heads. Lukas yanked me under a desk. The whole building groaned, banged and crashed around us. I clung to him, fearing being buried alive. It seemed to last forever but then the shuddering stopped.

I coughed against clouds of dust and insulation. Lukas went out from under the desk first. The computer had been smashed by falling debris.

We both stared at it in despair. “So much for calling for help.” Lukas grumbled.

We picked our way through the rocks and debris back to the outside where we were met with an impressive sight. A massive rockslide had collapsed part of a hill, and revealed what appeared to be a metal wall carved into the mountain. It was artistically etched with the image of a tree. The bottom of the wall was broken open, revealing a cave.

I swallowed hard. Again. Not this again. “We should check on the kids.”

I started to run towards the campsite. Lukas shouted a warning. A snake head emerged from inside the cave, flicking its tongue around two massive tusks that curled up over its nose. Its eyes flashed. It hissed, threw back its head. A stream of milky white fluid rained down on us even at this distance, landing just short of me as I ran.

I looked over my shoulder. Lukas was running toward it. I skidded to a halt. That thing was massive. There was no way he could fight it alone. It turned to face him, pulling more of its body out of the cave.

It wasn’t looking at me any more. I could see the mass of the coils were unprotected. I closed my eyes. The darkness behind my lids lit up with stars and that beam of light came flying. I eagerly reached for it.

Without questioning whether or not I could throw at this distance, I let it fly and it flashed like lightning in the night. It struck the beast and disappeared into his flesh. A fountain burst of blood spurted into the air. 

The snake retreated, pushing its body back into the cave and turned its head back to me only to be pummeled by Lukas’s icy whirlwind. It disappeared, its eyes watching us from the dark..

I hurried back to Lukas dodging the steaming white puddles of a sticky film wilting the grass.

From within the cave I heard it. A rhythmic grunt. I turned. The beast’s jaw had dropped in a rictus grin, saliva dripping from its needle-like teeth. “Ha...ha...ha…”

I couldn’t fight, but the snake would follow me back to the kids if I ran. “Ielia…”

My doppleganger appeared, light spear in hand. She darted to the cave in a full sprint. The beast reared up, mouth open. She took a flying leap right into the cave, running beyond it forcing it to turn a coil toward me to fight her. It spit at her, but she was not affected by its acid.

It arched its back, howling as the beams from my hand impacted it from behind. Blood erupted from every side, raining down on us. 

It collapsed, throwing its coils over its head in a futile effort to protect itself before lying still, it’s tongue hanging from its mouth. 

I lowered my hand, feeling the power of the dragon leave me shaking. 

Lukas stared at me, a mixture of fear and amazement on his face. “So, this is the strength of S-Class. No wonder… no one stood a chance against you.” He shook his head turning back to the cave. “There are lights on in there. There might be communication there as well.”

He turned to me. “I’ve changed my mind. You go in, I’ll stay back with the kids. Find a way to contact Cassell.”

“You want me to go alone? I can’t… what if… what if I mess up again?”

“You won’t.” He smiled at me. “You don’t know how to control your powers… it’s true. But I’m not going to stand in your way.”

“But I can’t…!”

His smile vanished and his irritation returned. He balled his hands into fists. “Listen to me and you listen well! Real well.” He walked up close to me and I took a step back. “You killed my brother’s bodyguards. You killed my brother after he turned servitor. You can travel through time…. You can control the level of Dragon power in people’s veins and … in so doing,  brought the Lord of the Devil Clan, Ruri Kazama, to his knees!”

He pointed to the dead serpent. “You did that!” He shouted. “So don’t tell me you can’t!”

I stood in silence, head lowered.

“You started hearing dragon voices and all of a sudden there’s… a big earthquake? How in the world am I supposed to know that you weren’t the cause of it?” He let out a loud frustrated sigh, running his hand roughly through his hair.

“I’ve met powerful hybrids… but you…” He pointed to me. “...you’re something else! So stop playing innocent! I’ll be waiting at the camp with the children for you.”  

He turned and walked away, arms swinging at his side.

He was right. I wasn’t playing innocent, but I had a hard time remembering the truth of who I really was.

Something else.

Next Chapter

[evnoweb]

Looking for a Class Robot? Try Robo Wunderkind

There are a lot of options if you want to bring programmable robots to your classroom. One I discovered this summer and have fallen in love with is Sunburst’s Robo Wunderkind. It is a build-a-robot kit designed to introduce children ages six and up to coding and robotics as well as the fun of problem-solving and creative thinking. The robot starts in about thirty pieces (there are so many, I didn’t really count them). You don’t use all of them in one robot, just pick those that will make your robot do what you want. The completed robot can move around on wheels, make sounds, light up like a flashlight, sense distance and movement, twist and turn, follow a maze, or whatever else your imagination can conjure up.

But don’t be confused. The goal of this kit is as much about building the robot as having fun exploring, experimenting, and tinkering.

What is Robo Wunderkind

Robo Wunderkind is an award-winning robotics kit that lets young children build an interactive robot and then program it to do what they want. It can be used at home, in school, or as an extracurricular tool for teaching STEAM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, art, and math). The box includes a bunch of color-coded parts, a few instructions, and a whole lot of excitement. The builder’s job is to connect the pieces into the robot of their dreams, program it to do what they need, and then start over.

Fair warning: This robot doesn’t look like the famous humanoid robots of literature–C3PO or Marvin the Paranoid Android (from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), with arms, legs, and a head. It’s more like something you might construct from Lego Mindstorm though easier to set up, build, program, operate, and decode. I’ve used both and hands down would start my younger students with Robo Wunderkind. I agree with Tech Crunch when they say:

“You won’t build a robot as sophisticated as a robot built using Lego Mindstorms. But Robo Wunderkind seems more accessible and a good way to try robotics before switching to Arduino and Raspberry Pi when your kid grows up.

How to get started

If I were to rate myself with robotics, I might be closer to a 5 than a 10. I approach the task of building my own with a small degree of trepidation. I tell you this because, if I can build a robot with this system, any six-year-old (and up) can.

To get started, I needed a mobile device (like an iPhone, Android phone, or an iPad–the latter is recommended), a Bluetooth connection, and a risk-takers mentality. That’s it! No plugs, electricity, logins, registrations, software, or magic codes. The kit I received from Sunburst included all the basic pieces like wheels, sensors, motors, a cable, connectors, and lights.

I started with what’s called the Main Block–a big orange rectangular shape with a battery, CPU, accelerometer, and a speaker. Everything else will be attached to it. Since it needed to be charged, I plugged it in and downloaded the two apps while I waited:

Robo Live

Robo Code

Once the Main Block was fully charged, I activated Robo Live, planning to complete one of its starter projects. The first step was for the app to recognize my Robo, which it didn’t. Turns out, I needed a quick firmware update, delivered via WiFi. That done, I started building the Driver project detailed in the Robo Live Workshop. It couldn’t have been easier. It listed all of the required parts and how to connect them. When I did this properly, the app beeped, like a congratulations. When the project was completed, I could swivel the 3D image and compare it to what I had built.

Spot on.

The process was quick, intuitive, and easy to understand. The connections between the parts are snug–no danger that they will disconnect.

Robot built, I moved on to the first app, Robo Code, where I program my robot to do something clever. Robo Code simplifies this activity by placing all of the coding tools at the bottom of the screen. All I had to do was drag-and-drop, connect them the way I’d like, customize where that was available like changing colors or making a light brighter or dimmer, and then test it with the Go button. When I got stuck (once–really, only once), there was a help button that explained what each icon means and what the underlying choices provide.

After running through a few more sample programs, the concepts snapped into place. From then on, I could build the robot quickly and program it to do a wide variety of simple actions.

Sunburst’s Robo Wunderkind Education Robotics Kit is robust with plenty of projects and robot parts to entertain students. The Advanced Upgrade Kit includes six more parts similar to what is found in the Education Kit–like a light sensor, motion sensor, LED display,  and RGB LED. This is perfect for longer robotics programs and/or older students.

Suggestion: I started on my iPhone but quickly switched to my iPad. The code symbols are a bit small for a smartphone screen and become hidden under the iPhone’s lower coping. 

The apps

Two apps are recommended to get started–Robo Code and Robo Live. These can be located quickly in the App Store or Google Play by scanning the QR code included in the instructions:

Go ahead–scan the image above on your smartphone or tablet to get one of the apps. I’ll wait. Done? OK. With these two apps, students can build predesigned projects as well as customized projects that they invent themselves.

Robo Code

Robot Code allows students to code everything from simple to complicated as they bring their robot to life. Its visual drag-and-drop interface, similar to other coding apps students have probably used (like Scratch or Lightbot), makes coding Robo Wunderkind quickly accessible. With this app, students can build a flashlight, a distance meter, a distance alarm, an obstacle avoider, and a driver.

Robo Live

Robo Live lets students control the robot they’ve already built in real time using easy drag and drop functions located on the app’s dashboard.

Robo Wunderkind Curriculum

The Robo Wunderkind Curriculum is fifty+ hours of activities that teach and reinforce core robotics skills. Lessons are each about five hours and cover topics like road safety, math, art, and nature studies. There’s also a separate set of activities for afterschool programs, summer camps, and workshops.  The curriculum includes a comprehensive teachers’ guide that trains educators in the Robo Wunderkind robots, the apps, the projects, and the activities. Each lesson is categorized according to its focus and includes the difficulty level, goals, vocabulary, materials required, activity stages, big ideas, age level, steps, and expected learning outcomes. There’s also a helpful Student Journal available so students can take notes, review, quiz themselves, and track their progress.

The Robo Wunderkind Curriculum is aligned with Common Core Math, Reading, Writing, and Speaking and Listening Standards; ISTE; CSTA Computing systems and Algorithms & Programming Standards; and NGSS Standards.

What I really like about Robo Wunderkind

It’s Lego compatible. With Lego adapters (most sold separately), kids can build a hybrid robot of Robo Wunderkind modules and Lego bricks.

It’s not one piece. You build your own robot so each student’s is different.

Module parts are color coded according to their actions so you won’t confuse connectors with sensors.

App instructions are very clear. They show exactly what to put where and the app pings at you when it’s done correctly. The ability to rotate it in 3D–I can’t overstate how useful that is.

The robots aren’t just for play. For example, I made a flashlight–a torch–with a green light, and it works magnificently.

Just to spotlight how intuitive Robo Wunderkind is, some of the projects took me less than five minutes to complete.

It comes in German, Swedish, and English–excellent.

Who will love this robot

kids who love Legos

kids who think outside the box

kids who love fiddling with mobile devices

kids who like remote controlled toys but always want them to do something they aren’t designed to do

teachers looking for clever STEAM and STEM projects

***

If you like Legos but wish your creations moved, talked, and could run through a maze with you, you will love Robo Wunderkind.

Want a little more? Here’s a clever video:

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

Looking for a Class Robot? Try Robo Wunderkind published first on https://medium.com/@DigitalDLCourse

[corpasa]

Looking for a Class Robot? Try Robo Wunderkind

There are a lot of options if you want to bring programmable robots to your classroom. One I discovered this summer and have fallen in love with is Sunburst’s Robo Wunderkind. It is a build-a-robot kit designed to introduce children ages six and up to coding and robotics as well as the fun of problem-solving and creative thinking. The robot starts in about thirty pieces (there are so many, I didn’t really count them). You don’t use all of them in one robot, just pick those that will make your robot do what you want. The completed robot can move around on wheels, make sounds, light up like a flashlight, sense distance and movement, twist and turn, follow a maze, or whatever else your imagination can conjure up.

But don’t be confused. The goal of this kit is as much about building the robot as having fun exploring, experimenting, and tinkering.

What is Robo Wunderkind

Robo Wunderkind is an award-winning robotics kit that lets young children build an interactive robot and then program it to do what they want. It can be used at home, in school, or as an extracurricular tool for teaching STEAM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, art, and math). The box includes a bunch of color-coded parts, a few instructions, and a whole lot of excitement. The builder’s job is to connect the pieces into the robot of their dreams, program it to do what they need, and then start over.

Fair warning: This robot doesn’t look like the famous humanoid robots of literature–C3PO or Marvin the Paranoid Android (from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), with arms, legs, and a head. It’s more like something you might construct from Lego Mindstorm though easier to set up, build, program, operate, and decode. I’ve used both and hands down would start my younger students with Robo Wunderkind. I agree with Tech Crunch when they say:

“You won’t build a robot as sophisticated as a robot built using Lego Mindstorms. But Robo Wunderkind seems more accessible and a good way to try robotics before switching to Arduino and Raspberry Pi when your kid grows up.

How to get started

If I were to rate myself with robotics, I might be closer to a 5 than a 10. I approach the task of building my own with a small degree of trepidation. I tell you this because, if I can build a robot with this system, any six-year-old (and up) can.

To get started, I needed a mobile device (like an iPhone, Android phone, or an iPad–the latter is recommended), a Bluetooth connection, and a risk-takers mentality. That’s it! No plugs, electricity, logins, registrations, software, or magic codes. The kit I received from Sunburst included all the basic pieces like wheels, sensors, motors, a cable, connectors, and lights.

I started with what’s called the Main Block–a big orange rectangular shape with a battery, CPU, accelerometer, and a speaker. Everything else will be attached to it. Since it needed to be charged, I plugged it in and downloaded the two apps while I waited:

Robo Live

Robo Code

Once the Main Block was fully charged, I activated Robo Live, planning to complete one of its starter projects. The first step was for the app to recognize my Robo, which it didn’t. Turns out, I needed a quick firmware update, delivered via WiFi. That done, I started building the Driver project detailed in the Robo Live Workshop. It couldn’t have been easier. It listed all of the required parts and how to connect them. When I did this properly, the app beeped, like a congratulations. When the project was completed, I could swivel the 3D image and compare it to what I had built.

Spot on.

The process was quick, intuitive, and easy to understand. The connections between the parts are snug–no danger that they will disconnect.

Robot built, I moved on to the first app, Robo Code, where I program my robot to do something clever. Robo Code simplifies this activity by placing all of the coding tools at the bottom of the screen. All I had to do was drag-and-drop, connect them the way I’d like, customize where that was available like changing colors or making a light brighter or dimmer, and then test it with the Go button. When I got stuck (once–really, only once), there was a help button that explained what each icon means and what the underlying choices provide.

After running through a few more sample programs, the concepts snapped into place. From then on, I could build the robot quickly and program it to do a wide variety of simple actions.

Sunburst’s Robo Wunderkind Education Robotics Kit is robust with plenty of projects and robot parts to entertain students. The Advanced Upgrade Kit includes six more parts similar to what is found in the Education Kit–like a light sensor, motion sensor, LED display,  and RGB LED. This is perfect for longer robotics programs and/or older students.

Suggestion: I started on my iPhone but quickly switched to my iPad. The code symbols are a bit small for a smartphone screen and become hidden under the iPhone’s lower coping. 

The apps

Two apps are recommended to get started–Robo Code and Robo Live. These can be located quickly in the App Store or Google Play by scanning the QR code included in the instructions:

Go ahead–scan the image above on your smartphone or tablet to get one of the apps. I’ll wait. Done? OK. With these two apps, students can build predesigned projects as well as customized projects that they invent themselves.

Robo Code

Robot Code allows students to code everything from simple to complicated as they bring their robot to life. Its visual drag-and-drop interface, similar to other coding apps students have probably used (like Scratch or Lightbot), makes coding Robo Wunderkind quickly accessible. With this app, students can build a flashlight, a distance meter, a distance alarm, an obstacle avoider, and a driver.

Robo Live

Robo Live lets students control the robot they’ve already built in real time using easy drag and drop functions located on the app’s dashboard.

Robo Wunderkind Curriculum

The Robo Wunderkind Curriculum is fifty+ hours of activities that teach and reinforce core robotics skills. Lessons are each about five hours and cover topics like road safety, math, art, and nature studies. There’s also a separate set of activities for afterschool programs, summer camps, and workshops.  The curriculum includes a comprehensive teachers’ guide that trains educators in the Robo Wunderkind robots, the apps, the projects, and the activities. Each lesson is categorized according to its focus and includes the difficulty level, goals, vocabulary, materials required, activity stages, big ideas, age level, steps, and expected learning outcomes. There’s also a helpful Student Journal available so students can take notes, review, quiz themselves, and track their progress.

The Robo Wunderkind Curriculum is aligned with Common Core Math, Reading, Writing, and Speaking and Listening Standards; ISTE; CSTA Computing systems and Algorithms & Programming Standards; and NGSS Standards.

What I really like about Robo Wunderkind

It’s Lego compatible. With Lego adapters (most sold separately), kids can build a hybrid robot of Robo Wunderkind modules and Lego bricks.

It’s not one piece. You build your own robot so each student’s is different.

Module parts are color coded according to their actions so you won’t confuse connectors with sensors.

App instructions are very clear. They show exactly what to put where and the app pings at you when it’s done correctly. The ability to rotate it in 3D–I can’t overstate how useful that is.

The robots aren’t just for play. For example, I made a flashlight–a torch–with a green light, and it works magnificently.

Just to spotlight how intuitive Robo Wunderkind is, some of the projects took me less than five minutes to complete.

It comes in German, Swedish, and English–excellent.

Who will love this robot

kids who love Legos

kids who think outside the box

kids who love fiddling with mobile devices

kids who like remote controlled toys but always want them to do something they aren’t designed to do

teachers looking for clever STEAM and STEM projects

***

If you like Legos but wish your creations moved, talked, and could run through a maze with you, you will love Robo Wunderkind.

Want a little more? Here’s a clever video:

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

Looking for a Class Robot? Try Robo Wunderkind published first on https://medium.com/@DLBusinessNow

[kriterium3-blog]

Fujitsu Amilo Pi 1505 Battery all-laptopbattery.com

Before that, there was Motorola. Its Atrix phone worked the same way, but its laptop dock cost $500, the software you used with it was half-baked, and the phone was only “strong” by 2011’s standards. Again, few people cared.Still, the dream hasn’t died. The latest group to give it a try is Andromium, a startup headed by alumni of Google and Y Combinator. Its new Kickstarter project, the Superbook, essentially flips the Atrix concept, and applies it to various Android phones. At its core, the Superbook is just a laptop shell. It’s got an 11.6-inch display with a 1366x768 resolution, a QWERTY keyboard with Android-specific keys, a multi-touch trackpad, and a battery that Andromium rates at eight or so hours of use. (Though that’ll move closer to 10 hours if Andromium reaches $500,000 in funding, which currently looks likely.) In a recent Reddit AMA, the company said the device is composed of soft plastic.In other words, it’s small and basic. It makes up for that by being cheap — it starts at $99 through Kickstarter, and the company expects it to start in the $129 range if and when it hits retailers. (If the campaign hits $1 million, the company plans to offer a slightly more expensive 1080p display option as well.)

To power it, you activate the Andromium OS app — which is available in beta form in the Google Play Store — on your phone, then plug it into the shell over microUSB or USB-C. You’re not limited to any particular model, but the company says the phone should have at least 1.5GB of RAM, a dual-core chip, and Android 5.0 or higher. (It also has to support the USB-OTG standard, but that shouldn't be an issue for the vast majority of devices.)The idea, as it’s always been, is to leverage your phone’s power with a laptop’s form factor. In Andromium’s eyes, buying a new phone then becomes akin to buying a new laptop. Now, that probably won't hold true for everyone. A cheaper phone won’t be as smooth as a pricier one. Plenty of Chromebooks are affordable and perfectly capable. And while your phone is a tiny computer, it’s not a tiny laptop — much of the Superbook’s success will come down to how well Andromium OS turns Android into competent desktop software.

That said, it does seem to have the basics down — a browser, a file manager, a taskbar, a launcher, some level of multitasking, etc. — and as we’ve seen on Chrome OS, Android itself has plenty of apps that translate well enough to desktops. You can watch videos on YouTube, write documents with Microsoft Word, and play a bunch of games. The Superbook's display isn't a touchscreen, though, which could make using those a little less natural.Andromium says it’ll open its SDK so developers can tailor their apps for Andromium, too, though how much support that gets remains to be seen.In any case, the campaign has raised more than $400,000 in a couple days of funding, way past its initial target. While the usual risk with crowdfunding projects remain, Andromium says its prototypes are finished, and that it hopes to ship the Superbook to backers by February 2017.Either way, given how strong today’s smartphones have become, the time might finally be right to make this nerd fantasy a reality. Again.

A Thursday report from The Verge points toward a major potential problem with USB-C, the new cable standard that powers an ever-expanding group of devices.The power stream through USB-C cables is reversible, meaning a laptop can power a smaller device through the same port it uses to charge. When Verge writer Dieter Bohn plugged his phone into his laptop, it drank too greedily from the computer's battery:I used a cheap cable I found on Amazon to charge my Nexus 6P and it drew too much power from my MacBook Air’s USB ports. Apple did a remarkable job engineering the MacBook’s ports — they shut down temporarily to protect themselves — but when they came back online, they only worked intermittently.I've experienced firsthand the pain of a faulty charge bricking a device, so this story resonates.Gadgets are built to pull as much juice as they can handle from power sources, and generally those sources aren't build to cap the flow through their ports. A cable's job is to let a gadget sip as hard as it can without overtaxing the source.

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Bohn found a Google engineer, Benson Leung, who destroyed his Chromebook Pixel with another faulty cord. Leung's made a small reputation for himself online as the sole qualified person reviewing USB-C cords for safety online. He posts those reviews on Amazon. Here's his review of the cord that destroyed his laptop. But those reviews are hard to find — though an enterprising group of internetters have aggregated them online here.The problem here, which Bohn identifies, is that it's too easy to buy a USB-C cable that can fry your computer, and it's not enough to simply trust a few reviews. If USB-C is to succeed at becoming the universal data/power cord for gadgets, there needs to be a simple, quick method for anyone to determine if a cable is safe or not. And Amazon has to stop selling faulty ones online.Today, Lenovo took the wraps off the Yoga Book: A new tablet/laptop hybrid, offered in both Android and Windows 10 flavors, focused squarely on helping users be productive.

Like most tablets made in the last two years or so, the Yoga Book is taking its cues from Microsoft.Unlike most of those tablets, the Yoga Book seems to be inspired not by the Microsoft Surface, which even Apple has imitated with its iPad Pro— but rather the Microsoft Courier, a hotly-anticipated tablet that was first leaked to the press in 2008, and then killed on Bill Gates' orders in 2010, before it was even officially announced.The Courier would have been a dual-screen "booklet" PC. Rather than a keyboard, it sported two 7-inch touchscreens, connected by a hinge. With those two screens, you could use it as kind of a so-called "infinite journal," sketching or taking notes with a stylus on one side while reading the news or making appointments on the other.It's billed by Lenovo as a super-thin, super-light tablet. You may have noticed already that it doesn't have a keyboard, in the traditional sense. Instead, it's a funky kind of touchscreen, called the "Halo keyboard" by Lenovo, that basically tries to recreate the feeling of typing with a regular laptop keyboard without actually being one.

The Halo keyboard also gives the Yoga Book its best, and most Courier-esque feature:The Halo keyboard pulls double duty as a sketchpad, thanks to its neat wide-open hinge. If you lay down a piece of paper on top of the keyboard, and use the stylus that comes with the Yoga Book in its ballpoint pen mode (seriously, it switches), any notes you take will instantly be digitized and put on the main screen. It does the same thing without paper and with the stylus in its normal mode, but, well, that's less fun.Either way, as you can see, the spirit of the Microsoft Courier lives on in the Yoga Book. The second screen isn't quite the full-on touchscreen promised by the Courier (the Verge reports that Lenovo tried, but the second screen degraded battery life too much), but the core concept of a dedicated sketchpad has clearly endured. There's a case to be made that despite the hype, the Courier was little more than a science project that deserved to be killed. But times have changed since 2010, and maybe the moment is right for a stylus-driven tablet after all these years.

The Yoga Book will be available by the end of October, starting at $499 for the Android version and $550 for the Windows 10 model. And while it remains to be seen if Lenovo's gamble on a more offbeat kind of tablet will pay off, it's very nice to see a company finally think a little different.The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships so we may get a share of the revenue from your purchase.Since you don't have all day to scour the web for noteworthy sales and discounts, we rounded up the best bargains for you to shop in one convenient place.Bluetooth speakers are a great way to take your music with you wherever you go. Capable of 15 hours of continuous play on a single charge, this speaker by Jawbone is a great asset for tailgates, camping trips, and when summer comes back around, days at the beach. It also has an internal microphone so you can take calls hands-free when your phone starts ringing.

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If you’re looking for a good value on a laptop, the Dell Inspiron is a solid deal today. It’s thin and light, with all of the specs you want out of a computer at this price point: a 6th generation Intel core processor, a 256GB solid state hard drive, 8GB RAM, and a 1080p display. It also features a touchscreen, which can make toggling through numerous tags a bit more convenient if you prefer the feel of a tablet. Also, for those specifically in the market for a touchscreen computer, the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga is available at a discount at Best Buy today as well, so compare the two before you buy to make sure you find which is right for you.We are big supporters of portable chargers here at Insider Picks. They are great investments in that they will save you a lot of stress over time. Just pop one in your glove box, bag, or pants pocket and avoid the panic that can be induced when your phone dies at an inopportune time. This lipstick-tube-sized model is a great value for how much juice it holds.Everyone could use a solid backpack to travel with, whether on your daily commute to work or to fit into the overhead bin while vacationing. And of anything you might pack in your bag, it is likely that none of your worldly possessions are of higher personal value to you than your laptop. For this reason, NIID created a backpack with your computer in mind. It’s waterproof, and has a cushioned compartment for your precious tech.

The NomadPlus is perfect for those who are concerned they’ll forget to charge their charger (if there’s anything more frustrating that being stuck with a dead phone, it’s plugging in your portable charger only to discover it’s dead as well). With the NomadPlus, you can simultaneously refuel both your phone and charger through a wall outlet. When your phone is fully juiced, you can unplug the unit with the comfort that your backup charge is ready to go as well.Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Business Insider's Insider Picks team. We aim to highlight products and services you might find interesting, and if you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners, including Amazon. Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback.

[techabrelcom]

Best Vlogging Camera Under 100 (Our 2018 Choices)

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Over the last few months, I have been watching a few of the main popular vloggers on Youtube and it got me thinking about doing it myself. But, I am on a bit of a budget and only wanted to spend a maximum of $100.

Because of this, I decided that researching the best vlogging camera under 100 would be a fun thing to write about here as well. Just in the last week, I have looked up a ton of these camera optioons in this price range and came up with this list of seven that I feel are your best bang for the buck.

Our Recommendations:

Nikon Coolpix L32

Learn More About The Nikon COOLPIX L32

The essential feature of this video camera is its 5x zoom NIKKOR lens. This flexible lens helps you get every detail of broad angle shots such as a household image to more close up shots. It uses the electronic vibration decrease innovation that assists you take constant videos even without using a tripod. Its 20.1 megapixels sensing unit works for taking clear and crisp images. The video quality is likewise quite high. The film button takes you to video shooting mode where you can start recording your minutes in 720P hd video quality.

The clever picture system is an in developed mode that assists you get a little creative with your pictures. It concentrates on the face of the subject, applying a skin smoothing mask and has a smile shutter trigger. It has an easy to use menu that makes ids an excellent video camera for beginners. Another Key feature is that it operates on regular AA batteries. This minimizes required charging time. It likewise features an external storage space. You can for that reason utilize memory cards with different storage capabilities according to your requirements.

Pros

Light and easy to carry

Takes quality images and videos and works specifically well for outside experiences

Easy to use

Durable (Can manage a couple of falls).

No charging time required. Just plug in a new set of AA batteries and you are good to go.

Budget-friendly.

Cons

Experiences problems in checking out the sd card.

Limited settings which might be a point of frustration for someone hoping to do more than simply point and shoot photography.

Performs poorly in low light conditions.

This electronic camera has its benefits and brief comings as does any other. Regarding whether you enjoy your user experience will considerably depend upon your expectations. While it might be best for novices in photography, some of the constraints may opt to be an offer breaker for amateur and professional photographers alike.

Sony Cyber-Shot DSCW800

Learn More About The Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W800

This Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W800 review has actually established that the compactness and simple interface are the two main points that make the video camera an inconspicuous compact. The image quality, while not the best, is good when shooting in bright environments. In addition, the Smart Auto mode ensures that your images are well focused and well exposed. On the disadvantage, you do not get a viewfinder and the panorama mode is rather disappointing. There is also the issue of the limited viewing angles that make it difficult to shoot low or high angle shots. Overall, it is a skilled cam for beginners who don’t have a lot to spend. And while it will not win any quality awards, the images are passable as long as you do not inspect them at full size.

Pros

Ability to tape-record 1280 x 720 footage at 30 fps

Integrated mono microphone and mono speaker

Geared up with contrast auto-focusing system

Face detection AF for discovering faces in the frame

Good performance in intense light conditions

Smooth styling and black/grey surfaces

Some manual control

Compact and lightweight construction

Affordable rate

Good value for the cash

Panorama shooting

Cons

Maximum light level of sensitivity is poor by today’s standards

Does not have viewfinder

LCD screen has really low resolution

Slow constant shooting rate of 1 frame per second

Sensing unit is somewhat smaller than average

Slow shutter speed

Lower real resolution

Screen is truly little

Restricted zoom range

Minimal LCD seeing angles

Does not support RAW files

No cordless connection

No handbook focus and exposure choices

Canon PowerShot A2500

Learn More About The Canon PowerShot A2500

At this price, Canon PowerShot A2500 proves to be a good deal for mid-income consumers. Compared to other electronic cameras in same price sector, A2500 deals best image quality and is rather enjoyable to use with different result filters. However similar to ire predecessor, the camera lacks optical image stabilization; it comes with digital image stabilization.

Readily available with the dimensions of 97.7 x 56.0 x 20.9 mm, the camera felt quite sleek and comfortable to hold. With its 125 gram weight, Canon PowerShot A2500 is amongst the lightest snapper around. Style smart, it looks more like Canon.

The current electronic camera from Canon includes capability to deliver finest close-ups and macro shots. Its UI looks quite easy and you will discover no difficulty navigating through the Menu. Further, the electronic camera uses 720p HD video, which is rather vibrant and exceptionally realistic. It shoots videos at 30 fps with 640 x 480 pixel resolution.

Other features consist of:

It provides 220 shots on complete recharged battery

Automobile Smart function let the electronic camera pick the very best readily available shooting mode depending on the surroundings

The big shutter helps with in blurring the moving subjects

Offered with New ECO Mode

Canon PowerShot ELPH 340 HS 16MP Digital Camera’

Learn More About The Canon Power Shot ELPH 340 HS

This Canon Point and Shoot Electronic camera have a number excellent elements of the Point and Shoot Cameras, such as; product, features, and design. It’s a truly one of the Best Buy Product that most Point and Shoot Video cameras searcher wish to select. This Canon PowerShot ELPH 340 HS 16MP Digital Video Camera (Silver) aspects probably accordance with exactly what you are want to select. The Canon Power Shot ELPH 340 HS digital cam is an imaginative force to be reckoned with. Its effective 12x optical zoom puts you into the action from anywhere, all set to catch with the quality only Canon optics can deliver. Built-in Wi-Fi means you’re constantly connected to your world, transferring images and video directly to popular social networking sites, mobile phones and your computer. You can likewise shoot remotely with a compatible mobile phone or tablet to easily record group photos, and connect wirelessly to a compatible Android device with a simple touch using integrated NFC (Near Field Communication). The high-resolution CMOS sensing unit integrates with the DIGIC 4+ image processor giving you outstanding image quality in all circumstances, consisting of low light. With innovative functions like 1080p full HD, Hybrid Auto and Smart AUTO, the Power Shot ELPH 340 HS catches the excitement of your everyday life with style.

At the time of publishing this Canon PowerShot ELPH 340 HS 16MP Digital Camera (Silver) Evaluation, We found more than 519 client examines about this Finest Buy Point and Shoot Electronic Cameras and they had actually offered around 4.2 usually from a possible 5 stars, there are obviously a slight small shortcoming about this Canon PowerShot ELPH 340 HS 16MP Digital Camera (Silver), however the consumer reviews are positively typically– read on this website– it’s actually useful for anybody in deciding to purchase Canon PowerShot ELPH 340 HS 16MP Digital Cam (Silver).

Choosing A Good Budget Vlogging Camera

As you go deeper into vlogging, you will find that an excellent digital video camera can considerably affect the quality and professionalism of your videos on YouTube. To obtain a top quality camera, you have to consider aspects. Exactly what do you try to find in a video camera?

Quality of the Image

The most vital part of the cam for vlogging is picture quality. You ought to search for a cam that records no less than 1080p or Full HD. An electronic camera below that is the standard quality of vlogs and can block the advancement of your vlogs.

Weight

The camera does not weigh in particular but rather can end up being shockingly considerable when you hold one with your arm outstretched for more than a couple of minutes. Vlogging cameras ought to be light so you can use them throughout the day and you won’t get drained pipes while you’re vlogging.

Optical Image Stabilization

This is very standard for vlog while strolling or carrying out various exercises that include a good deal of activity. Despite the fact that Youtube and video changing programming can assist settle the recording, it will not approach the nature of the video memory electronic camera with worked in optical image change. This component averts lightweight video material and enhances the quality of your logs.

Noise

Your watchers will not adhere to all your vlog on the off possibility that they can’t hear the word that you are stating. In this way, prior to getting it is necessary to focus on the receiver of the video camera. Every camera has actually a worked in amplifier with tolerable quality, nevertheless, can raise undesirable foundation clamor. A few video cameras have a receiver jack, so you can utilize an external microphone to improve the sound of your logs.

Lens

Considered that a significant portion of your recordings is taped from a separation of the hand, it is essential to search for a camera with a lens that provides excellent video quality when shooting in short proximity. Nothing is more irritating than not in focus for most of your vlog.

Your Requirements

Obviously, the best video camera for taking images is an electronic camera that is best has the tendency to your requirements. If you record in low light conditions, you must search for electronic cameras that work for this errand. If you vlog in a hurry and capture enterprise, the activity webcam is better for you. Perhaps you require a clean noise, so you anticipate a computer game camera with the capability to interface outside amplifiers. You should consider the sort of vlogs you have to make, and choose the enlistment cam that best suits your requirements. A flip screen is routinely viewed as an excellent match for basic vloggers.

Conclusion

Video blogs do not need much. You do not need expensive equipment. This needs just required abilities and some hardware and software that will contribute to the charming quality of the video. You do not need to buy the most costly camcorder or cam to get top quality video. Even a simple video camera will do due to the fact that there are a great deal of great economical cameras. In many cases, people today have an extremely sophisticated video camera right in their pocket with their smartphone. This is rather adequate.

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Nokia was among those planet's biggest cellular cellphone manufacturers however, it dropped behind with all the introduction of i-phone along with Android tablets.  In addition to that, the Blackphone two has got just another wonderful feature identified as CIDS (Mobile Intrusion Detection System), that informs you whether the system joins to an questionable cell tower, even within a try to guard your requirements along with texting contrary to sting-ray surveillance apparatus utilized by govt bureaus.  In terms of specs, this specific particular Android smart-phone provides a more 5.5-inch full hd LCD exhibit.  The 4 and can give outcomes plus 5 in. Android mobiles give significance of money.  With a style and design, specs, an installation, and applications functions, the Galaxy notice 8 would be the Android mobile it's possible to buy.   Coming into the look, notably the front and rear back panel, Vivo X-5 additionally, into some amazing extent, generally seems to be more moved from i-phone 6.  The system functions on FunTouch OS, and it really is a personalized skin set in addition to Android 5.1.  It's just a hybrid double SIM portable i.e. that you may utilize the 2nd SIM slot either to get a sd-card or even micro sim-card.  Under its company name, Google published a Android mobile about January 5, 2010.  Moreover you're able to multitask.  SMS & phone calls Encrypted from Default: All of mobiles within this listing have use of Signal personal Messenger , and it is definitely an program which deletes messages and your calls .   Though the Nexus mobiles were adequate specs for low-ish rates, the device plough an alternative furrow, starting up at #599 for its regular hand set and also a whopping #719 for its XL variant.  The tablets with the list's costs are for apparatus that are contract-free.  The Nokia 8 additionally packs at a design and style 2.45 GHz Octa centre Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip, 4 GB of RAM and 64 and 128 GB of memory card that is often expanded to 256 GB with a micro sd card.  Since it has security updates as Google is still the maintainer of the Android functioning platform, the Pixel has applications service.   Samsung-galaxy S-7 Edge can be really a tiny  bit greater brother of S-7.  It's a larger display screen (together with all the thinnest curved borders), even larger battery and also a little bigger selling price.  Forecasts NFC apparatus; in 2013, 285 Million nfc-enabled gadgets (Phones along with CE apparatus) are predicted to become transported.  Only at 5.5 inches, so the mobile presents enough display screen real estate to secure you during your picture watching along with your own intensive gambling without a hiccups whilst the telephone will be backedup by way of a competent chip and also a generous 2GB of RAM.  Specifics will be shared by this informative article . bootloader   Other noteworthy mobiles will probably be inserted into this list just as seen matched (Hell O Nexii!)) .  So far while the cameras have been all concerned, the samsung-galaxy j-2 (20 17) packs a 5-megapixel main camera to the back and also a 2-megapixel entrance shot for selfies.  Samsung price ranges are offline and out of online stores to get a regular basis.  Together with their very first try in the market place, a system which resembles the smartphone was launched by Razer.  Even the V-30 could be the flagship mobile from LG, that was unable to contend, at least together with its mobile rival Samsung.   Look at all records Android works on for above 80 per cent of all tablets marketed in India.  OnePlus has supported that their flagship smartphone, also the OnePlus 5 will probably be upgraded to Android Oreo later on.  This apparatus includes a 5inch OLED 1080p exhibit having a pixel density of 441 ppi.  And also the checklist covers all the most Android mobiles that are optimal/optimally .  Developed with latest mobile 4.2 OS, the TECNO S-3 is stuffed with top-notch, outstanding smart-phone attributes.  For this particularparticular, the Jio has entered the set of Best 10 businesses that were cellphone.  Here you might have found that the top mobiles is not it.  To get this to list we have released Indian companies' set which are part with this effort.   During the upcoming time, the united states will observe significant increase in Produced in India cell phones.  They realised being a consequence focussed energies to building an OS as a way to vie from Windows and Symbian mobile phone so that the the marketplace was far too small.  It might be well worth noting that the checklist also has unannounced 2018 ASeries tablets, and that, as opposed to lots of escapes, will probably undoubtedly be jogging Android 7.1 Nougat outside from this carton.  As is evident in the aforementioned, we now can understand also their accessibility available on the marketplace is maybe not really  and that we now have just a few 6GB RAM phones.   Having stated this, you can find a number of mobiles which will certainly make it done.  Let us take a good look in what tablets will probably be obtaining exactly the Android 8.0 Oreo upgrade.  Data could be that the definition of generally utilized to spell out the number (commonly in megabytes) that you may obtain or add onto your own smartphone by way of the mobile telephone community.  We keep to upgrade this record Tracfone's Android devices with all and that means they can be easily seen by you and browse with the alternatives.  It's not right, with all the screen finish choosing fingerprints up and also the camera program not as consistently amazing, however, also the P10 in addition is still a pretty good illustration of the 5.5-inch smart-phone.   It enhances virtually all facets from your initial way too, using a far larger camera at non invasive, an adequate performance bulge and also a style and design that more than befits its requesting cost.  Their next smartphone, also the more Blackphone two, has been powered with an security-focused branch of Android termed Quiet OS , that comprises privateness enhancements including as for instance an safety centre which enables one to regulate exactly what data programs can get (much more about this later on).  This moment together with their first Android smart-phone.  It's a DualSIM mobile, built with a Quad HD 5.2-inch exhibit, secure using Corning Gorilla Glass 4.  The apparatus can be offered in 3 2 and 64GB memory variations which comes with a memory slot.   It includes a eye-grabbing 6.3-inch multi-touch screen, a complex digicam setup using just two wheeled stabilized detectors (a thinned along with also a telephoto one particular), along with an ultra-sensitive s-pen stylus.  With more than two billion Android apparatus out there there, which turns out to over than 500-million frozen tablets and phones -- in different words, there can very well be frozen Android apparatus than that are people in america, thus root state is still a significant market which needs to be Welcome into.  Samsung Galaxy S 8 is at the location with the list due to astonishing screen a amazing style plus some power packaged with your telephone.   If it's cell mobiles in Dubai or everywhere in UAE, then Awok is still among many very best cell mobiles on the web providers so that you may purchase from top cellphone mobiles supplies around UAE.  There exists a QHD OLED FullVision Screen which will beg one to utilize the phone pixel resolution.  However, in the event that it's possible to stay with a more compact battery and also a more compact display screen (which will not possess some problems), we might suggest the Pixel 2.  They offer the best ratio in the industry.  Our own lives are dominated by Mobile phones mobiles once we see every person.  The price tag in model worth, Pakistan for your hottest gadgets fluctuates with regard to specs & features, and memory capability.   The bigger apparatus is just one of many most useful seeming tablets in the future in Huawei thus far, though in addition supplying a amazing battery lifetime, competent double cameras, a lot of storage and power along with older EMUI computer software.  Offering substantial transport rates for info and voice, WCDMA 3G empowers smart-phones to get the web at rates that are affordable.  LG's the latest smart-phone just like the LG g 6 and also LG Q 6 are guaranteed to obtain the Android 8.0 Oreo upgrade.  Hindi-language service is more built, and it is a significant element for smart phones found in India, in which Hindi could be the speech for 40-percent of the people.   When it truly is really a system which runs Android Nougat, the Xposed frame-work isn't readily available for your own OnePlus 5 only nevertheless.  It sets it well already as well as also elsewhere.  LG manufactures even the Google Nexus 5 and can be merely #299-and it's the boon of as an Android telephones designed.  The Cherry cellular One would be exactly the exact same Android one particular mobile that's already accessible the Philippines.  Whether you are looking for smartphones that are state-of-the-art cell telephones or anything else in between, it is all in your palms.   As our principal purpose would be to simply help you to find efficient and suitable cellphones, in the best prices at Dubai, we now here, within our site, can  continue to keep you up to date to the most recent releases of cellular mobiles, together side a set in their own features.  LG's applications is smooth and capable, if somewhat UN coordinated and more straightforward in afew regions -- however this can be claimed about many phones.  And it's really not simply applications customization which produces it transpire -- Google has comprised a Snapdragon 835, 4GB of RAM along with 64GB (Instantly, 128GB) of storage to create certain that your cellphone has a great deal of space to operate.   Android 6.01 Marshmallow, an Octa Core Snapdragon 652 CPU combined with Adreno 510GPU along with 4GB of RAM are several other most current advanced features which will surely allow you to truly feel smug.  Stability Patch Timeframe: Blackphone asserts that bugs will probably probably be patched over seventy two hours such as also the Pixel along with Google, Blackberry works by using Android's recommended stability limitation period frame they can patch bugs compared to that should you need to.  Apple will not abide by a particular time framework having its own security patches upgrades are issued over a month of bugs.  

[pinktheoristcollector]

New top story from Time: The 10 Best Gadgets of the 2010s

Making a list of the decade’s most important and influential gadgets is, in a word, illuminating — and that’s before you factor in all the LEDs. Over the last 10 years, thousands of products have been released, and while some are definitely “cooler” than others, their impact on the past decade, and the decade to come, is by no means identical.

Each gadget tells the story of a new way of thinking, a slow-moving paradigm shift set to change the way we approach the personal technology we interact with on a daily basis. Sure, you might not know what a Raspberry Pi is, but its impact on industries like robotics and home automation has been massive. Unfamiliar with the Adaptive Controller? That’s OK! But the elegantly executed idea has opened up a world of delight for gamers with disabilities. Think drones are just for shooting vacation footage? Think again — and watch your head.

Technology exists to augment the human condition, to make people smarter, better, and ultimately, more human. From smartphones and drones to consoles and cars, the past decade has more than enough life-changing devices to choose from. Here are TIME’s picks for the most important gadgets of the decade.

Apple iPad (2010)

Before the iPad’s introduction in 2010, the idea of a “tablet computer” was mostly relegated to slick science fiction movies and unwieldy laptop-adjacent monstrosities running terrible software. Apple’s iPad — like the iPhone before it — resulted in a cultural shift for personal computing, and set the tone for the next decade of portable devices. Its impressive multitouch display, complete abandonment of physical keys, and gargantuan selection of software and media created a perfect storm of entertainment that everyone could get on board with. And while competitors have had ample time to make laptops or detachable two-in-one computers to attack the iPad’s biggest pain points, Apple has continuously advanced the platform’s iPadOS and hardware (Apple Pencil, anyone?), making any nerd optimistic about the next decade of tablet computing.

Tesla Model S (2012)

Think cars can’t be gadgets? Then you haven’t driven a Tesla Model S — or watched one drive up to you. The electric sedan has slowly reshaped the trajectory of the automotive industry, forcing competitors to embrace a battery-powered future instead of the gas-guzzling present, and challenging the belief that electric cars can’t be cool. Features like downloadable software updates, a huge touchscreen display and advanced autopilot capabilities make it feel like a vehicle from 2022 instead of 2012. Think of the Tesla Model S as the iPod of cars — if your iPod could do zero to 60 in 2.3 seconds.

Raspberry Pi (2012)

At first glance, the Raspberry Pi looks more like a component that fell off the space station. But take a closer look at the miniature Linux computer, originally made for promoting coding in schools, and you’ll find a wide-ranging community in love with the blank slate it provides. To get started you’ll need a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. But once you’re plugged in, the possibilities are endless. Since its debut, a vibrant DIY ecosystem has sprung up around the Raspberry Pi, making it the go-to gadget for tinkerers, engineers, and that one relative you always call whenever your Wi-Fi is on the fritz. Sure, you can use it to learn to code, but it’s got the range to handle everything from robotics and home automation to entertainment. Makers and accessory manufacturers have turned the tiny boxes into everything your budding engineer brain can think of: weather stations, retro game consoles, smart speakers, cloud servers, the whole nine yards. After seven years on the market, and with over 25 million units sold, the Raspberry Pi is a tinkerer’s dream come true.

Google Chromecast (2013)

Google’s Chromecast, released in 2013, made it dead simple to beam media from your laptop or smartphone to your TV, helping popularize the very concept of streaming. It bridged the gap for people who wanted a piece of the future without investing in a pricey smart TV, or spending over a hundred bucks on some expensive and gaudy streaming box. At $35, Chromecast democratized streaming while giving users an integral piece of smart home connectivity for cheap. Now, the platform is capable of streaming more than media; Google’s added support for its game-streaming Stadia service to its more powerful Chromecast Ultra devices. It might not be an essential piece of technology in the decade to come, but the Chromecast’s influence on streaming media can’t be understated.

DJI Phantom (2013)

While you might hear a drone before you see it, chances are you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what it sees, and how cool the view is a few hundred feet in the air. And of all the footage-capturing drones around, DJI’s Phantom is the most recognizable — and the most popular drone on YouTube. Its signature all-white design makes it hard to miss, and the company’s dedication to making drone piloting as simple as possible has made the Phantom an easy choice for beginning pilots, and a satisfying tool for aerial photography. And this is only the beginning. There’s already a professional drone racing league, and with companies betting on drones to handle everything from shipping goods to construction to surveillance, you’re bound to interact with more than a few in the decade to come.

Amazon Echo (2014)

Talking to yourself is still a little odd, but talking to your voice assistant has become a common activity in homes worldwide thanks to Amazon’s Alexa, the voice assistant built into its Echo devices and other smart home gadgets. Voice assistants are the new kid on the block, ideal for managing your smart home devices, handling media playback or quickly communicating with friends and family. Amazon’s Echo smart speaker and Alexa voice assistant is one of the most popular, with over 100 million Alexa-enabled devices sold as of 2019. As the first of its kind, Alexa blazed a trail for the multiple competitors trying to sell you on their own voice assistants to varying degrees of success. While convenient, though, the proliferation of devices like the Echo has spurred controversy surrounding the data collection practices of smart device manufacturers, becoming one of the most high-profile privacy issues of our time.

Apple Watch (2015)

While many have tried, no one has been able to match the polish and performance of the Apple Watch, which set the standard for what a smartwatch could do. Since its introduction in 2015, it’s gone from a device for early adopters and fashion-deficient nerds to a mainstream accessory, thanks to its smart software and ever-improving hardware. And as the Apple Watch expands its health-oriented features, it could become the easiest way to keep your health on track and your day on schedule.

Apple AirPods (2016)

Like the iconic iPod before it, Apple’s AirPods have captured the hearts, minds and ears of music lovers looking to jam to some tunes. First released in 2016, AirPods quickly became an icon in their own right, both for their aesthetic appeal as well as their larger cultural impact. But widespread adoption hasn’t come without criticism. Its controversial manufacturing methods make disposal and recycling difficult, and could alter how we think about the future of our gadgets once we’re done with them. AirPods even carry social significance thanks to the glut classist jokes and memes spread across social media, transforming them into earbuds that double as a not-so-subtle status indicator. However, their cutting-edge hardware and software evolved further in this year’s AirPods Pro, and helped cement them as the gold standard of truly wireless audio for music fans.

Nintendo Switch (2017)

When it comes to gaming on the go, no one can top Nintendo’s track record, beginning with the humble Game Boy in 1989. But the introduction of its hybrid Nintendo Switch in 2017 — which you can play either portably or connected to your TV — might be the company’s most important contribution to gaming yet. Compared to the competition, it handily takes the crown as the most important video game console of the decade, with fans begging developers to bring their next title to the Switch. Its smartphone-inspired portability, paired with Nintendo’s ever-growing library of blockbuster, independent and vintage titles, makes the Switch feel like the culmination of Nintendo’s idea of what gaming should be.

Xbox Adaptive Controller (2018)

Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive Controller, made for gamers with limited mobility and highly modifiable for different users’ needs, is perhaps my favorite gadget of the decade, and one I pray is duplicated by other major game companies. Not only does it look slick, it’s designed to accommodate a subset of gamers long ignored by the larger gaming industry. Microsoft worked alongside organizations like the Cerebral Palsy Foundation and the AbleGamers Charity to shape everything from the huge buttons on its face to its accessible packaging. With over a dozen ports for connecting assistive controllers, buttons and joysticks, and its compatibility with both Xbox One consoles and Windows PCs, Xbox’s Adaptive Controller is one of the most important developments in the gaming industry, and should put a smile on anyone’s face.

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Making a list of the decade’s most important and influential gadgets is, in a word, illuminating — and that’s before you factor in all the LEDs. Over the last 10 years, thousands of products have been released, and while some are definitely “cooler” than others, their impact on the past decade, and the decade to come, is by no means identical.

Each gadget tells the story of a new way of thinking, a slow-moving paradigm shift set to change the way we approach the personal technology we interact with on a daily basis. Sure, you might not know what a Raspberry Pi is, but its impact on industries like robotics and home automation has been massive. Unfamiliar with the Adaptive Controller? That’s OK! But the elegantly executed idea has opened up a world of delight for gamers with disabilities. Think drones are just for shooting vacation footage? Think again — and watch your head.

Technology exists to augment the human condition, to make people smarter, better, and ultimately, more human. From smartphones and drones to consoles and cars, the past decade has more than enough life-changing devices to choose from. Here are TIME’s picks for the most important gadgets of the decade.

Apple iPad (2010)

Before the iPad’s introduction in 2010, the idea of a “tablet computer” was mostly relegated to slick science fiction movies and unwieldy laptop-adjacent monstrosities running terrible software. Apple’s iPad — like the iPhone before it — resulted in a cultural shift for personal computing, and set the tone for the next decade of portable devices. Its impressive multitouch display, complete abandonment of physical keys, and gargantuan selection of software and media created a perfect storm of entertainment that everyone could get on board with. And while competitors have had ample time to make laptops or detachable two-in-one computers to attack the iPad’s biggest pain points, Apple has continuously advanced the platform’s iPadOS and hardware (Apple Pencil, anyone?), making any nerd optimistic about the next decade of tablet computing.

Tesla Model S (2012)

Think cars can’t be gadgets? Then you haven’t driven a Tesla Model S — or watched one drive up to you. The electric sedan has slowly reshaped the trajectory of the automotive industry, forcing competitors to embrace a battery-powered future instead of the gas-guzzling present, and challenging the belief that electric cars can’t be cool. Features like downloadable software updates, a huge touchscreen display and advanced autopilot capabilities make it feel like a vehicle from 2022 instead of 2012. Think of the Tesla Model S as the iPod of cars — if your iPod could do zero to 60 in 2.3 seconds.

Raspberry Pi (2012)

At first glance, the Raspberry Pi looks more like a component that fell off the space station. But take a closer look at the miniature Linux computer, originally made for promoting coding in schools, and you’ll find a wide-ranging community in love with the blank slate it provides. To get started you’ll need a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. But once you’re plugged in, the possibilities are endless. Since its debut, a vibrant DIY ecosystem has sprung up around the Raspberry Pi, making it the go-to gadget for tinkerers, engineers, and that one relative you always call whenever your Wi-Fi is on the fritz. Sure, you can use it to learn to code, but it’s got the range to handle everything from robotics and home automation to entertainment. Makers and accessory manufacturers have turned the tiny boxes into everything your budding engineer brain can think of: weather stations, retro game consoles, smart speakers, cloud servers, the whole nine yards. After seven years on the market, and with over 25 million units sold, the Raspberry Pi is a tinkerer’s dream come true.

Google Chromecast (2013)

Google’s Chromecast, released in 2013, made it dead simple to beam media from your laptop or smartphone to your TV, helping popularize the very concept of streaming. It bridged the gap for people who wanted a piece of the future without investing in a pricey smart TV, or spending over a hundred bucks on some expensive and gaudy streaming box. At $35, Chromecast democratized streaming while giving users an integral piece of smart home connectivity for cheap. Now, the platform is capable of streaming more than media; Google’s added support for its game-streaming Stadia service to its more powerful Chromecast Ultra devices. It might not be an essential piece of technology in the decade to come, but the Chromecast’s influence on streaming media can’t be understated.

DJI Phantom (2013)

While you might hear a drone before you see it, chances are you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what it sees, and how cool the view is a few hundred feet in the air. And of all the footage-capturing drones around, DJI’s Phantom is the most recognizable — and the most popular drone on YouTube. Its signature all-white design makes it hard to miss, and the company’s dedication to making drone piloting as simple as possible has made the Phantom an easy choice for beginning pilots, and a satisfying tool for aerial photography. And this is only the beginning. There’s already a professional drone racing league, and with companies betting on drones to handle everything from shipping goods to construction to surveillance, you’re bound to interact with more than a few in the decade to come.

Amazon Echo (2014)

Talking to yourself is still a little odd, but talking to your voice assistant has become a common activity in homes worldwide thanks to Amazon’s Alexa, the voice assistant built into its Echo devices and other smart home gadgets. Voice assistants are the new kid on the block, ideal for managing your smart home devices, handling media playback or quickly communicating with friends and family. Amazon’s Echo smart speaker and Alexa voice assistant is one of the most popular, with over 100 million Alexa-enabled devices sold as of 2019. As the first of its kind, Alexa blazed a trail for the multiple competitors trying to sell you on their own voice assistants to varying degrees of success. While convenient, though, the proliferation of devices like the Echo has spurred controversy surrounding the data collection practices of smart device manufacturers, becoming one of the most high-profile privacy issues of our time.

Apple Watch (2015)

While many have tried, no one has been able to match the polish and performance of the Apple Watch, which set the standard for what a smartwatch could do. Since its introduction in 2015, it’s gone from a device for early adopters and fashion-deficient nerds to a mainstream accessory, thanks to its smart software and ever-improving hardware. And as the Apple Watch expands its health-oriented features, it could become the easiest way to keep your health on track and your day on schedule.

Apple AirPods (2016)

Like the iconic iPod before it, Apple’s AirPods have captured the hearts, minds and ears of music lovers looking to jam to some tunes. First released in 2016, AirPods quickly became an icon in their own right, both for their aesthetic appeal as well as their larger cultural impact. But widespread adoption hasn’t come without criticism. Its controversial manufacturing methods make disposal and recycling difficult, and could alter how we think about the future of our gadgets once we’re done with them. AirPods even carry social significance thanks to the glut classist jokes and memes spread across social media, transforming them into earbuds that double as a not-so-subtle status indicator. However, their cutting-edge hardware and software evolved further in this year’s AirPods Pro, and helped cement them as the gold standard of truly wireless audio for music fans.

Nintendo Switch (2017)

When it comes to gaming on the go, no one can top Nintendo’s track record, beginning with the humble Game Boy in 1989. But the introduction of its hybrid Nintendo Switch in 2017 — which you can play either portably or connected to your TV — might be the company’s most important contribution to gaming yet. Compared to the competition, it handily takes the crown as the most important video game console of the decade, with fans begging developers to bring their next title to the Switch. Its smartphone-inspired portability, paired with Nintendo’s ever-growing library of blockbuster, independent and vintage titles, makes the Switch feel like the culmination of Nintendo’s idea of what gaming should be.

Xbox Adaptive Controller (2018)

Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive Controller, made for gamers with limited mobility and highly modifiable for different users’ needs, is perhaps my favorite gadget of the decade, and one I pray is duplicated by other major game companies. Not only does it look slick, it’s designed to accommodate a subset of gamers long ignored by the larger gaming industry. Microsoft worked alongside organizations like the Cerebral Palsy Foundation and the AbleGamers Charity to shape everything from the huge buttons on its face to its accessible packaging. With over a dozen ports for connecting assistive controllers, buttons and joysticks, and its compatibility with both Xbox One consoles and Windows PCs, Xbox’s Adaptive Controller is one of the most important developments in the gaming industry, and should put a smile on anyone’s face.