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savannahsdrabbles · 4 years ago

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Ocean Song - Part One

rating: PG summary: Marine biology student April O’Neil makes a startling discovery.

notes: An AU originally based off of the 2012 TMNT universe, but can be compatible with most versions of the characters. <3 2.7k words. A03 link can be found here. Also special thanks to @cloakedrabbit and @starfiretheninja for beta-reading!

Looking back on the past couple of days’ events, April should have realized that kidnapping an endangered creature was a bad idea.

Well, scratch that.

Maybe attempting to break into a high security laboratory was where she went wrong. Or –

“This is totally wicked!” Casey Jones hollered from the driver’s seat as they took another sharp turn, tires spinning and spitting gravel up into the windshield wipers that were already working overtime. The creature in the backseat squawked and flailed as he skidded across the torn upholstery, desperately trying to sink his claws into something to keep from being thrown about like a rag doll.

“Slow down – and calm down!” The red-head snapped first towards the driver, and then over her shoulder at their passenger as she rapidly typed away on her laptop. A large jolt suddenly rocked the Jeep to one side and then the other, and April threw her arms out as a scream escaped her mouth. “CASEY! BRIDGE!”

Okay. So there were a lot of things that went wrong.

***

“Here we are!” A voice called loudly, causing April to jerk her head up and nearly lose an earbud in the process. “Now I know you’ve told me before, but remind me – what class is this project for? I don’t recall having to do anything like this until I’d reached graduate school.”

April smiled as she rose from her seat and shouldered an air tank onto her back. She carefully pulled the earbuds from her ears and tucked them into the bag of dry clothes she’d brought, then paused to looked out across the ocean. The sky was overcast that afternoon, leaving glare so minimal that even as the boat chugged to a stop beneath them, she was almost certain she could spy movement in the water below. “It’s for a dual-credit course. My science instructor knows that Dad is stationed here and that I study under him, so he said that I could use some of my research work as a science credit.”

“My word,” The fourty-something Japanese man at the stern shook his head in amusement as he pulled a lever to lower the anchor. The ship responded with a groan, lurching slightly at the movement, and the air was soon filled with a steady clack-clack-clack as chains were steadily released into the depths. “I swear, April – you work more than most kids your age. It’s a wonder you even have time to consider college courses. And you’re only – what – sixteen?”

“Seventeen as of last month,” April shrugged lightly and fought back an amused eyeroll as she continued to adjust her gear and flippers. Once she was certain they were secure, the girl reached for her camera and looped the strap over her wrist. She’d known Miles for a few months at this point and was pretty sure that they’d had this exact conversation every time they spoke. Her dad joked that his memory retention was about as long as that of the goldfishthat he studied. “Thankfully most of the college stuff is online, so I don’t have to worry about dealing with all of the paperwork from moving between schools. So it’s not too bad.”

“Ah. Well then, I won’t keep you from your schoolwork any longer.” Miles tapped his wrist and jerked his chin towards the cloudy sky before moving towards the stairs that led below deck. Typically the rule was to never dive alone, but… “Remember, one hour tops, and then I have to check the boat back in for the evening – no exceptions.”

“I know, I know – see you in a bit!” Positioning herself on the side of the boat, April fitted the mouthpiece from her tank into place, flashed an okay sign, and then pushed herself backwards into the rolling waves.

***

No matter how many times she dove, April could never not be amazed by the sheer beauty of the sea.She often wondered if she’d feel the same had her dad chosen a different line of work, but she ultimately pushed those thoughts aside and chose to simply be grateful that she’d always had the opportunity to live near open water. It was, after all, one of the only consistent things in her life.

She couldn’t even begin to count the amount of times that she had moved in her short life. Once or twice a year, her dad was reassigned to a new zoo or university and that meant uprooting everything and moving to the next body of water. Everywhere from Florida to Quebec to now Osaka – a large port city in Japan – had served as a temporary place of residence to April, her father, and the rest of the research team.

“Don’t worry, Pumpkin,” Kirby O’Neil had smiled at April over his mug of hot chocolate – a relocation announcement tradition in the O’Neil household. April remembered scowling into her own mug in response. “I spoke to the Board, and they’re willing to keep us in Osaka at least until you’ve graduated from high school. That way you can finish out your diploma in one place!”.

Five months later and the Board – a maniacal creature seemingly dedicated to repositioning its prisoners at random – had remained true to its word. April had quickly settled into the Japanese immersion class at her high school and was actually doing quite well in the school environment – enough so that the headmaster had paired her with another immersion student to help tutor him in math.

Casey Jones was an up-and-coming hockey player, the oldest child of the English Foreign Language teacher, and a big pain in the butt. Even though he was scheduled to graduate later that year, Casey seemed bound and determined to fail all of his classes – meaning that he and April spent more than the intended amount of time studying and hanging out together.

“It’s just you and me against Japan, Red,” Casey often joked as he would flash her a gap-toothed grin. “Us immigrants gotta stick together.”

If not for his cocky attitude and constant flirting, April might have thought that he was cute.

Might.

April gave a few kicks as she allowed thoughts of school to drift away and happily rolled in the cool water. Several silver fish darted out of her way as she sank lazily past, raising her camera in time to capture a couple of photos. Her blue eyes widened in awe as a class of clownfish and several jellyfish followed, and she rapidly snapped several pictures before they could float out of range. The water grew rapidly colder and darker with every few feet, aided by the clouds that were constantly drifting in front of the sun. Minutes slowly ticked away as her distance from the bobbing boat lengthened until it was no more than a misshapen shadow on the surface of the water above.

Thick, twisted chunks of orange and pink coral and a forest of seaweed eventually began to rise up around her, and she paused in the shadow of a particularly large structure to glance at the time on her camera screen – only twenty minutes left before she had to head for the surface. Yikes – that didn’t leave very long to get more decent shots.

She furrowed her brow in thought – maybe she could convince Miles or another research assistant to bring her out again tomorrow -?

Suddenly, a burst of movement out of the corner of her eye grabbed April’s attention and sent her reeling backwards against the coral. Hundreds of tiny fish blew past her in a frantic, unorganized mass, the undertow tearing at the surrounding seaweed and adding to the chaos and confusion. Before she could right herself, a much larger form shot after the fish, closely followed by another of similar size. The masses cut through the water without a glance in her direction, clearly intent on their prey and unaware that they had been seen.

April gasped as she righted herself and stared at the large, rapidly moving shapes that were quickly disappearing into the distance – what the heck had she just seen? For a moment she wanted to brush it off as simply two seals hunting dinner, but something made her hesitate. Something was off.

Heart pounding, she slowly peeled herself off of the coral wall and ducked into the thick seaweed. Once she was sure that she wouldn’t be spotted, April raised her camera and aimed it at the creatures. By now they were far enough away that the camera wouldn’t focus, but this confirmed what she’d thought she’d seen. Those were not the usual side to side movements that most fish travelled by, or even an up and down motion like dolphins or seals would use – these things had arms and legs that they were kicking like human beings.

Still not acknowledging April’s presence, the two creatures suddenly split up and each silently moved to one side of the school of fish. They then began to duck and weave, almost dancing with each other as they continued to direct the fish into a tighter and more condensed mass.

The numbers on April’s camera screen blinked a warning, reminding her that she only had a few more minutes before she needed to head to the surface, but she shoved the thought aside. She had to get closer.

With one hand firmly clutching her camera, April pushed off of the coral and began to propel herself through the clinging seaweed. The creatures had already put several dozen yards between herself and them, but appeared to be slowing as they closed in on their prey.

Moving through the dense seaweed was more difficult than her targets had made it look, however. The girl grimaced as her limbs repeatedly got tangled in thick pieces of the plant, slowing her motion until she tore them loose. She was almost to the edge of the seaweed when the bigger of the two let out a sharp clicking noise, causing April to freeze in place.

Before she could determine what was happening, a net appeared between the two beings and they cast it across the fish. The smaller creature then reached for a long strand of seaweed that had been wrapped around his forearm and tied the bag shut, thoroughly trapping their dinner. He squealed and clicked in pride, sounding like a dolphin that had just performed a trick and was now expecting a treat. The larger creature chirped in response and reached out to pat the smaller one on the head.

April kicked forward, mind reeling as she struggled to comprehend what she was witnessing, when a thick piece of seaweed tangled itself around her thigh and brought her chase to a stop. The sudden change in momentum caught her off guard, and April flailed her arms around in surprise – only for her camera to slip from her grasp. The small device, now free of anything weighing it down, rocketed towards the surface as the girl let out an exasperated string of curses that were only just masked by her mouthpiece.

Eyes straining to not lose the creatures amidst the bubbles that had stirred up around her, April violently jerked her leg to snap the seaweed. When the clinging inhibitor only seemed to tighten in response, she let out a huff of frustration and reached down to quickly untangle her leg. What met her fingertips, however, was not part of the slimy plants that surrounded her.

The girl let out a muffled stream of bubbles as she twisted around and gasped sharply. The dark tentacle around her leg tightened in response, and several more shot out from the shifting forest to pull at her arms and hair. April instinctively reached for the emergency knife on her belt, but the massive squid let out a fierce grumble as its tentacles tightened around her arms and pinned them to her sides. April’s heart pounded loudly in her ears as she struggled fruitlessly and let out a garbled yell of panic.

Had she been diving with a team, the others would have stepped in at this moment to help her get away. But now here she was, alone and trapped with her only hope nearly twenty minutes away from even beginning to question where she was.

Am I going to die down here?

Just as another tentacle snaked forward to tug at her airline, the water around her erupted into bubbles and April felt herself being violently thrown back and forth. The tentacles remained firmly wrapped around her body, but she felt their grip slacken ever so slightly as two blurs rammed into the squid’s head with claws outstretched. Blood filled the water as the squid flailed beneath its attackers, scaly skin tearing underneath their claws.

April screamed again as one of the creatures suddenly turned on her, eyes wide and ghostly white, and then began to violently attack the limbs holding her tight.

Even as she was being tossed back and forth, April could tell that the creature fighting for her freedom was like nothing she had ever seen in her research. Shape-wise, the creature appeared to be a mix between a human and a turtle, roughly several inches shorter than she was. The terrapin was a pale olive color, covered from head to toe with splotches of purple scales. Thick claws protruded from large, rounded limbs and with each swipe it was clear that they were sharp enough to cut through flesh without much effort. A ramshackle string of lavender stones hung from one of the terrapin’s upper arms, somehow not getting cut or knocked off during the fight, and a quick glance told April that the other creature bore similar decorations on its own body.

When the thrashing tentacles finally began to loosen, the turtle nearest to her grabbed April beneath the armpits and quickly jerked her out of their confinement while the other continued to distract the squid. The turtle’s claws dug into her sides painfully as it held her to its plastron and began to swim awayupwards, causing April to cry out and kick her legs in panic. A series of sharp clicks echoed in April’s ears as she fought, and then several things happened all at once.

The water erupted with even more noise and movement – though April hardly believed it possible – and then the arms around her slackened and fell away, almost immediately to be replaced by several pairs of hands that she could recognize as being human. The next few minutes happened as a blur – she vaguely remembered several decompression stops as they ascended, each accompanied by hands gently patting her body and checking for injury – but before she knew it, they were breaking the surface of the water. There her world continued to move in a confusing blur of shapes and colors as more hands hooked under her arms and heaved her on deck, where her diving equipment was quickly stripped away and replaced with warm towels and gentle touches.

April blinked rapidly, her eyes stinging as they adjusted to the sudden brightness. “What – ”

“We’ve got you, Little One,” A female biologist that April recognized from her father’s crew came into view amongst the blur of movement and blankets being piled on her shoulders, her face creased in maternal concern. “Delta Team was out patrolling and pulled up right alongside Miles just as your camera surfaced – we were afraid something terrible had happened to you! And – oh, you’re bleeding!”

“I –”

Miles’ voice suddenly broke through the chaos. “Give us a hand – we’ve got something big!”

Rina’s head jerked around to look at something out of April’s line of sight, and then she wrapped her arms around the girl and turned her away from the ruckus occurring on the other boat. The woman muttered something softly in Japanese, her eyes widening as she pulled April tighter against her body. “Oh my word…”

“What’s going on?” April turned against the arms holding her right as a full net thudded onto the deck she’d been on less than an hour ago. The large mass inside of it was curled inward and bleeding slightly, but one limp arm was clearly visible, bearing a bracelet of string and lavender stones.

Next Chapter

#savannah drabbles #rottmnt #tmnt #tmnt 2012 #tmnt au #sea turtles au

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cyberwolf1989-blog · 7 years ago

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Top 10 Games Of 2017

Almost the end of the year, YouTube is making people cringe with YouTube Rewind, so why not release my list of top 10 games of 2017? Thing is, I’m taking a Dunkey approach and one of the games on this list isn’t from this year, but I’ve been messing around with it. Also, I have not played anything on Nintendo Switch, or Cuphead, so don’t rage at me, I’m sure they’re good.

10: Injustice 2

Fighting games have always been fun for me, but hard to stick with. I lose interest and move onto something else. Injustice 2 found a way to keep players like me coming back, with its wide array of customization for each of its 24 (maybe more) characters, not including the DLC characters. It's also one of the most visually impressive fighters I've seen to date.

9: Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

Several years later, I still find myself going back to this game, wanting to better myself. It's a love/hate relationship, but it's wrapped in this strong vibe, that I try to capture in my own life, with the colorful environments and the amazing soundtrack, using music from some of synthwaves biggest names, covering action movie-esqe shootouts, hazy drug fueled massacres, and can go from making you grin, to a dark, atmospheric song that makes you squirm in your seat, unsure of what's next. The ending? Yeah, it's a easy cop out, but the ride there is all good...except for the reporter levels.

8: Destiny 2

I don't care what anyone says, this was a step in the right direction. The free roam maps are so much larger than in the first, and the story has more presence (I don't even remember what we were doing in 1). But, what's most important, is how it plays. I'm glad to say it's very well done, if not meant to be enjoyed with friends. I'm currently waiting for my paycheck so I can get the expansion and play some more with my friends again.

7: No Man's Sky

Oh...you think I'm joking here? "You like No Man's Lie?" First off, wow, what an original comment. Bet you watch your Rick and Morty every night. Second, time to face facts: NO MANS SKY IS A MORE COMPLETE GAME NOW THAN STAR CITIZEN WILL BE IN A YEAR. You can build bases, get a vehicle, even roam with other explorers (if, you know, you can find them, so many planets), take jobs, there's factions, freighters, and there's an actual story now. It's still got a bit to go before it becomes that god tier game we heard about, but the team has shown they're committed to fixing their mistakes, so, can we STOP using the same cringey dead memes? Just go on spotify, throw on a playlist, and go out exploring.

6: Fire Pro Wrestling: World

When I found out this game was available on Steam, it was an instant buy. At first glance, this game seems lackluster. The roster is either japanese wrestlers you probably wouldn't know unless you were a hardcore fan, or some characters the dev made up. But, before you boot up the game? Check out the Workshop for the game, and you will find yourself in heaven. If someone created the character, you can download them into the game. You also could make one yourself...but come on, that system is way too complicated. Hell, even if the fighting system frustrates you, it's fun to set all the fighters to AI and watch Shrek vs Big Smoke vs Hulk Hogan vs Filthy Frank.

5: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

I finally got to play this game, finding it for 20 bucks at Gamestop. Uncharted is probably one of my fave Playstation franchises, and it's amazing how close all the games were released, but not one is a slip up. That said, 3 was the series weakest leg. The story was ok, but the villains were lackluster. This? This ramps up all the action to 250%, brings some of the most stunning visuals I've seen on the system TO DATE, and is a fitting end for the story of Nathan Drake, as well as a great cast of characters, old and new. I can't really describe it in text, you just gotta go play it. Also, you can dab in multiplayer.

4: Middle Earth: Shadow Of War

If you see me on facebook, you know this was coming. I'll be honest, story-line wise, this game is not great. If you're a Tolkien lore nerd, you'll prolly rage jizz 8 times in the first act. Hell, playing the story is a bit boring as well. They try, but the story missions STILL feel like shit you do to get the next ability unlocked. When it comes to playing the main missions, it feels like every basic free roaming games missions, where it's linear, the objectives range from go here to kill this. When you're just killing captains, though...that's where the stories start. You'll build armies, suffer betrayals, play orcs against one another, and build these intense rivalries! Some of these I will never forget, and I'll suffer through a bastardization as long as you make it fun.

3: Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus

This game...is just pure video games. You know how people describe video games in TV Shows, like they live a different life? That's Wolfenstein 2. I'm not me. I'm BJ Blaskowitz, gunning down Nazi's with the dual wielding power of god in the form of the most devastating weapons known to man! The story, much like one, is better than what you would expect out of a gory violent shooter. I could go on, but honestly, I couldn't do it anymore justice. I'm going for a 100% with this game. Go pick it up, sit back, and embrace the primal side.

2: Yakuza Zero

I have always loved this series. I was in a nice place when I played the first on PS2 about 10 years ago. I think I didn't hear much about Zero prior to its release, but I saw Angry Joe review the game, and I remember how much I loved playing Yakuza 3. With my next paycheck, I picked up the final copy at my local Gamestop. You play as two characters, one being the series protagonist, and the other, a fan favorite secondary character. The first is framed for a murder, and the other is asked to carry out a hit, but complications arise. It sounds generic, but only because I don't want to spoil you, as this game is a trip. Think of it as if anime existed in real life. There's dramatic situations, with some serious themes, but at the same time, you and your enemies have goddamn fight auras, and can dish out these attacks that you say "Ok, that killed him." only to see him either get up or just be knocked out. I won't even get into the various side quests for each character. The downsides is it's not for everyone. Japanese only audio with english subs, the free roam is more akin to a town in a Final Fantasy game than GTA, although it fits.

1: Horizon: Zero Dawn

I didn't really start digging into this game until a month back. I bought it shortly after E3, Gamestop had a promotion knocking the price to half. I also bought a new computer monitor I needed to make my graphics card compatible. HZD languished a bit as I explored a bunch of new games. Then, last month, a few friends were getting into a talk about their game of the year. I said Shadow Of War, and a few others went against me, with this. I said that while it was decent, it felt like a generic overstuffed free roam game. I'm a fucking idiot. Upon replaying, I was treated to a beautiful open world that actually MAKES you want to explore it. I didn't get involved in too many side quests, sticking to those that branched off the main plot, and I was surprised with my progress. When a free roam game doesn't make me want to use a fast travel, it's a W, man. I'm nearly done, and look forward to picking up the DLC. There's other stuff too, but this list is gonna be too long to hold people's attention as it is.

#gaming #top 10 games of 2017 #2017 #retrospective #my name jeff

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williamlwolf89 · 5 years ago

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Working From Home? 14 Sanity-Saving Tools (+ 35 Pro Tips)

Working from home is the dream for many.

For others, having to work from home is a nightmare — a paradigm shift brought on by a career change, personal tragedy, or the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

But dream or nightmare, a full-time switch or a temporary one, work-from-home jobs present unique challenges.

And to help you face those challenges, we’re going to teach you what you need to know. No fluff, no filler — just the necessities.

In This Guide: 9 Essentials for Your Home Office // 5 Apps You Need to Work Remotely // 35 Tips for Remote Workers (From Pros Who Do It Everyday)

Let’s dive in.

Note: There are quite a few referral links in this post, which means we’ll get a small commission if you use them to grab any of the tools or apps we discuss. However, there’s no extra cost to you. We appreciate your support.

5 Home Office Essentials (+ 4 to Consider)

There’s overlap between what you “need to do your job” in an office environment and what you need to do it remotely.

For example, you don’t need me to point out you need a chair. Or a Keurig, since you no longer swing by your favorite coffee shop on the way to work.

But there are items that matter more when you work from home, and they’re things that can make or break you as a remote worker.

Things like…

1. A Dedicated Workspace (Preferably One With a Door)

When you’re telecommuting for the first time, it’s tempting to pick up your laptop, plop down on the couch, and go about your workday.

But unless you’re living alone (and, honestly, even then), this is a mistake.

I should know — it’s precisely what I used to do. I was so happy to be working from home, I made our living room my home office.

“Why would I want to be hidden away on the other side of the house?” I asked my wife. “Being able to see you and the girls is one of the biggest perks of working from home.”

The problem?

It’s difficult to focus on work when you’re setting up shop in the same room your family members are using to dance to the “Frozen” soundtrack.

It’s a lesson I learned the hard way, but to achieve a healthy work-life balance, you have to separate your two worlds. And to do that, you have to be able to get away.

What Do We Recommend?

Pick a room with a door. A room you aren’t using for anything else is ideal, but commandeering a bedroom during the day will work too.

If a closed-off space for your home office isn’t an option, choose an area offering at least a modicum of privacy. This could be your dining room table, your kitchen counter, or the tiny nook under the stairs your kids haven’t yet discovered.

What’s the Cost?

Unless your significant other or roommate “makes you pay” in some way, claiming an area as your home office is free.

2. Headphones (Especially if There’s No Door)

If you used to work in a cubicle, or shared an office with a loud eater, you already know a good pair of headphones are worth their weight in gold.

Working remotely may mean you no longer have co-workers nearby to distract you, but it doesn’t mean you’re free from distractions.

A good headset will help keep outside noises at bay; plus, if you have a job where you’re on a lot of video conference calls, they’re a must-have item anyway.

What Do We Recommend?

Sony’s WH-1000XM3 ($278), the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 ($399), and Apple’s AirPods Pro ($249) are popular — but pricey — options, and they each have built-in microphones for making calls.

If you need something more budget-friendly, Anker’s Soundcore Life Q20 receives high marks from reviewers on Amazon. And, if needed, those old earbuds that came with your phone can work in a pinch.

What’s the Cost?

Anker’s Q20 costs $60. Those old earbuds are free (if you don’t count what you paid for the phone).

3. A Mac or Windows PC (But Not a Chromebook)

Most likely, you already have a laptop. Maybe you bought it yourself, or maybe it’s one issued to you by your employer.

But if you’re in the market for one, and you’re working remotely, take my advice:

Don’t buy a Chromebook (unless it’s your backup).

Three months before I started working at Smart Blogger, I bought a new laptop — a beautiful, shiny Google Pixelbook.

I loved it (and still do). But I wouldn’t have bought it had I known I was weeks away from a new career where I’d be working remotely.

Working from home meant using the Pixelbook for video conferencing, file sharing, and task management. For some apps and tools (Slack, Zoom), it was more than up for the challenge. For others (like GoToWebinar), it wasn’t.

Unless you have complete control over the tools your remote team members use to work together, having a Chromebook as your daily driver is a risk.

What Do We Recommend?

Stick with Windows or Mac for your primary work computer.

What’s the Cost?

The new Macbook Air and Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 both retail for $999. You can find Windows laptops from Dell, Lenovo, HP, and Acer for less (and more).

4. Strong Wi-Fi

When you work in a typical office, Internet connection is rarely a concern.

Small business or large, your employer has a plan that probably costs a small fortune. You go to work, do various online activities for 8 hours, and go home. Everything just works.

But when you work from home, you’re not using your employer’s wi-fi. You’re using yours.

Even if your employer reimburses you, it’s still your wi-fi service — and it probably doesn’t cost a small fortune. If you’re like most, you’re using the cheapest plan your ISP (Internet Service Provider) offers that lets you stream Hulu or Netflix without buffering.

That’s fine if you’re literally watching “Parks & Rec” for the seventh time. But when your job relies on you having fast and reliable Internet access, you may need more.

What Do We Recommend?

The speed and reliability of your wi-fi depends on a number of factors, but we’ll focus on three: your ISP plan, your modem, and your router.

Wi-Fi Plan:

Choose the best plan you can afford. If your employer reimburses you, get the highest plan they’ll allow. If all the plans suck, find a new ISP.

Modem:

If you rent your modem from your ISP, see if you’re eligible for an upgrade. Even better? Stop renting and buy a top-quality modem online (that’s what I did). You’ll get better performance, and you’ll save money in the long run.

Note: If you go this route, make sure you choose a modem that’s compatible with your ISP. Their website will be able to provide you a list.

Router:

To ensure your designated home office isn’t in a “dead zone,” a “mesh” wi-fi system can be a life saver. Personally, I opted for Google Nest WiFi in my home, but the Netgear Orbi is a solid option too. It gives you 4,500 square feet of coverage, and it received solid marks in Ry Crist’s CNET review.

What’s the Cost?

Wi-Fi plans vary.

Modems will cost anywhere from $50 to several hundred dollars. Mesh wi-fi systems come in all shapes and sizes, but the two we discussed — Netgear Orbi and Google Nest WiFi — cost $196 and $239, respectively.

5. A Second Monitor

If you’re used to having a dual-monitor setup at work, switching to a single monitor is one of the hardest adjustments when you’re working from home.

Now, if working remotely is your new normal, you may decide to buy a monitor (or two) for your home office. But in the meantime, there’s a chance you already have a second screen at your disposal:

Your iPad.

If you have a Mac using macOS Catalina, you can use “Sidecar” to turn your iPad into a second display. And if you have a Windows PC (or an older Mac), you can use the Duet Display app.

What Do We Recommend?

Working at home doesn’t mean having to live without dual monitors. If you know you’ll be working from home permanently, find a new monitor on Amazon that fits your budget. Or, if you already own an iPad, double its usefulness by turning it into a second display.

What’s the Cost?

Cheap monitors start around $100.

Sidecar is included if you’re using a compatible Mac. The Duet Display app costs $9.99.

An iPad, if you already own it, is free. Otherwise, new iPads start around $279.

Home Office Gear: 4 More to Consider

The previous five items were pretty universal. If you’re working from home, there’s an excellent chance they were relevant to you and your situation.

These next four are a bit more niche, so we’ll run through them quickly:

6. A Standing Desk

In an office environment, there are meetings to walk to, TPS reports to shred, and water coolers to gossip around.

You don’t have those when you’re working from home, which is why many remote employees find themselves sitting for too many hours during the day.

It’s little wonder then why, when providing their expert tips (see below) for this post, two different members of the Smart Blogger team recommended standing desks to our readers.

And a third, yours truly, used a standing desk to write the words you’re reading right now:

Standing desks aren’t for everyone. But, they might be for you. You can learn more about them and their history in this write-up from Art of Manliness.

7. Ergonomic Keyboard 8. Ergonomic (Vertical) Mouse 9. Blue-Light Blocking Glasses

Many remote workers find themselves spending more time — not less — in front of their computers.

Meetings are now virtual…

You’re no longer in a coworking space where you’re snagged by colleagues for “two-second” conversations when you’re on your way to the bathroom…

As a result, a majority of your workday, if not all of it, is now spent staring at your computer screen, typing away on your keyboard, and mousing away with your mouse.

The result?

Strained eyes and sore wrists.

Until I started working from home, I never experienced these ailments. But thankfully, after doing some research, I was able to find tools to help me combat them.

Switching to the Logitech MX Vertical Wireless Mouse solved my wrist pain. Blue Light Blocking Glasses from Swanwick helped my eye strain.

And if I decide to try an ergonomic keyword, Julia McCoy of Content Hacker has great things to say about the Kinesis Freestyle2.

If you find yourself struggling, give these a look.

5 Apps & Software for Working Remotely

There are lots of apps out there for remote workers. That’s why most “how to work from home” guides inundate you with dozens and dozens of tools that all sound the same and, more or less, do the same things.

It can be overwhelming. And confusing.

So, let’s keep things simple…

The apps and software you need to work from home can be grouped into just five categories. We’ll start with the one you’re probably most familiar with:

1. Video Chat Software

Next to eliminating their daily commute, the thing most people enjoy about remote jobs is “no more meetings.”

Yeah, about that.

While physically sitting next to co-workers might be a thing of the past when you’re remote working, video conferencing is common for many work-at-home jobs.

Plus, let’s face it:

You need social interaction when you’re working from home. You need face-to-face time. Otherwise, eventually, you’ll go stir-crazy.

The video chat app you use — Zoom, Microsoft’s Skype for Business, Google Hangouts — will be decided by your employer or project manager.

Knowing how to use your particular video calls app can save your sanity (and save you from possible embarrassment), so here are tutorials for each:

Zoom Video Tutorials

Getting Started with Skype

Hangouts Help

What Do We Recommend?

We primarily use Zoom for video calls at Smart Blogger. You don’t have to create an account or download any software to use it, which makes it very user friendly. If you have sway over the video chat software your team uses, Zoom is a good choice.

What’s the Cost?

A personal Zoom account is free, and you can host a meeting with up to 100 participants for up to 40 minutes. If you need more, their paid plans start at $14.99 a month.

2. File Sharing Software

Sharing files with colleagues used to be easy. Just save everything to your company’s LAN (local area network) and, boom, you’re done.

But unless your employer has a VPN server, sharing files while you’re working from home is a bit trickier.

Thankfully, we all have access to cloud storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive. A full-featured collaboration tool like Confluence from Atlassian can work, too, by letting you attach files to pages.

Just like with video chat software, the file sharing app your team uses will be decided by your employer. Here are guides to help you learn the ins and outs of each:

Google Drive cheat sheet

Dropbox video tutorials

OneDrive video training

Manage Files (Confluence)

What Do We Recommend?

We use Google Drive at Smart Blogger. It works on Windows, Mac, and ChromeOS (plus Android and iOS). And, if you use Gmail, you’re likely already familiar with it.

Just make sure you understand how permissions work in Google Drive before sharing folders with your colleagues.

What’s the Cost?

A free Google Drive account comes with your Gmail address, and with it you get you 15 GB of cloud storage. But for sharing files as a virtual team, you should look into one of Google’s paid options. You can get a G Suite Business account for $12 per user each month, and it comes with unlimited Google Drive storage.

3. Task & Project Management Software

You may already be familiar with Kanban boards, integrated master schedules, and the like. Your team may already be using them.

But now that you’re working remotely, you’ll likely be leaning on them more and more.

Project management apps like Asana, monday.com, and Trello help virtual teams stay on track. And even if your team isn’t, there’s no reason you can’t use them to manage your own tasks.

What Do We Recommend?

Start Blogger uses Asana to manage our projects. However, several team members, including yours truly, also use Trello to track individual tasks.

What’s the Cost?

Both Asana and Trello offer free plans, which work great if your team is small (or if you’re using them alone). If you have a larger team, or you need more features:

Asana Premium is $10.99 per user (per month)

Trello Business is $9.99 per user (per month)

monday.com’s plans start at $39 per month (for 5 users)

4. Chat App for Team Interaction

You might be on opposite sides of your city, state, or country (or even the world), but your virtual team still needs to shoot the breeze and interact with each other.

(And no, emailing the entire office isn’t an option. Don’t be that person.)

Chat apps like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Google Hangouts Chat let you and your colleagues build comradery and stay engaged even though you’re miles apart.

In the remote worker’s toolkit, they’re a must-have tool. If you’ve never used them before, here are guides to help you get started:

Top 5 tips for getting started in Slack

Microsoft Teams video training

Get started with Hangouts Chat

What Do We Recommend?

Slack is the tool we use to interact with each other at Smart Blogger, and it’s difficult to imagine working from home without it.

What’s the Cost?

You can get a lot of mileage out of the free version of Slack. If you need to upgrade, paid plans start at $6.67 (and that’s for your entire team).

Microsoft Teams is included in Office 365. The Business Essentials plan is $5 per user each month, while the Business Premium plan is $12.50.

Google Hangouts Chat comes with a G Suite Business account. The Basic plan costs $6 per user each month.

5. Time Management App (to Help You Keep it All Straight)

Yeah, this one is a bit of a cheat.

You don’t have to be working from hope to benefit from a good time management tool.

But, trust me, when you’re working remotely, having one is vital.

Remote work can be deceptive. You think you’ll have all this extra time now that you’re no longer having to commute, do your hair, put on pants, what have you. Then five o’clock rolls around, and you’re suddenly wondering why you didn’t get more accomplished.

Try as you might, maintaining a healthy work-life balance is going to be tricky when you work at home. Laundry, personal errands, and playing with the kids will creep into your workday.

For increased productivity, and to keep all the balls you’re juggling from falling, an app like Todoist or Things can work wonders for your various to-do lists.

What Do We Recommend?

I’ve used Todoist for years. It’s easy to use, it’s packed with features, and it’s available on every major platform and device.

What’s the Cost?

The free version of Todoist gives you 80 projects and up to 5 people per project. If you need more, their paid plans start at only $3 per user each month.

If you don’t like the idea of recurring fees, and you’re an Apple user, give Things a look. The app has a one-time $9.99 fee for iPhone/Apple Watch, a one-time $19.99 fee for iPad, and a one-time $49.99 fee for Mac.

How to Work From Home: 35 Tips for Remote Workers (From Pros Who Do It Everyday)

Now for the fun part.

I reached out to some of my colleagues at Smart Blogger and asked them for their best “work from home” tips.

Here’s what they had to say:

1. If you’re single, having a pet really helps with feeling isolated

At Smart Blogger, nearly everyone has a dog or cat to keep them company throughout the day. We also bond over stories about our pets.

2. Schedule time to hang out with friends

Whether it’s a phone call or getting together for happy hour, I always try to have at least two or three “connection points” scheduled each week. For me, it’s usually other entrepreneurs, because I feel like they are the only people who “get” me, but the point is to be a bit more proactive with your social life. There’s a lot less serendipitous hanging out when you’re working from home.

3. Get an air purifier

I recently added an air purifier to my office, and I was shocked at how much it helped with my allergies and even the overall smell of the house.

— Jon Morrow Founder & CEO WFH Experience: 15 Years

4. Set clear boundaries on your time, tasks, and calls

This is one of the first and fuzziest challenges for most people. When you’re working, you’re working, not doing household chores or cooking. Strive to start and end your day at the same times, with a little flex because you can. Tell family and friends you’ll get back to them after work.

5. Shut off audio notifications on everything — phone, social media and email

Put your phone in sleep mode. Use the controls built in to your devices to silence them during your work hours so you’re not distracted. This will also help train those insistent family members and friends who “only need two mintues” that turns into 20 to leave a message. Be prepared for complaints.

6. Set ‘focus time’ when you shut off every form of online communication to work

I coined the term “go dark” at Smart Blogger so I could have several uninterrupted hours to work. I closed out of all programs and set a smiling dark moon face for my “status” in Slack. Works like gangbusters.

7. Use a focus music app with the Pomodoro technique

I use a Focus@Will, a personalized focus music app, but there are many others. My “Pomodoro” sweet spot is 50 minutes, so I set the app with my choice of music for 50 minutes with my coffee and water on my desk and everything else shut off. I’ve trained myself that when the music is on all I can do is work. It’s actually quite enjoyable to have that deep focus time. With breaks of 15-20 minutes between sessions, I can do three or four highly productive sessions in a row.

8. Don’t try to squeeze in household tasks

Other than unavoidable visits from the pest control guy and delivery or repair folks, forget multi-tasking. The distraction from a household task as mundane as laundry will kill your concentration.

9. Get, or create, a standing desk

My first standing desk was stacked cardboard boxes and a hunk of wood. It will save your back, legs and other parts. I upgraded to a height adjustable desk. Don’t neglect ergonomics for even a short period.

10. Don’t eat at your desk

Build in those short breaks from the beginning and eat outside when you can.

11. Wear blue light blocking glasses

This recent upgrade has saved my eyes from feeling fried at the end of the day. Use monitor apps like f.lux that adjust the color balance of your monitor throughout the day.

— Marsha Stopa Senior Instructor WFH Experience: 15 Years

12. Start the day with three important goals

It’s a commonly given piece of advice but it works for me. I write (or type) three work goals under the heading “What would make today awesome?” (I write down some personal goals too.) Not only does it focus you during the day but it also helps you recognize a good day. Sometimes I’ll feel like I didn’t have a great day, but then see that I got my three things done and realize it was better than I thought. And that’s a good feeling to end on.

13. Link healthy habits to fixed points in your day

I wanted to hydrate better and found it fairly easy to start the day with a large glass of water. That became an automatic habit within a week or so. However, I found it harder to keep drinking water later in the day. Now I attach it to other “cues” during the day. For instance, I have another glass of water just before walking my dog Cooper in the afternoon.

14. Extend productive working sessions a little past the point of comfort

If you’ve been “in the zone” on a challenging task but feel yourself flagging, push yourself to do another 10 minutes. I find this gives me an extra boost of motivation/energy and I’m probably still more productive in the tail end of focus time than I would be starting from scratch later.

15. Get a standing desk. And a standing mat. (But sit sometimes too)

Standing desks are great but they’re tough on your feet and knees if you don’t have a proper mat to stand on. Also, standing all day is arguably not much better than sitting all day, so vary things a little. I try to do at least a couple of short sessions sitting at my desk on my laptop. Ergonomically it’s not great, but I don’t do it for hours on end and it breaks up the standing.

16. Vary your equipment

My first career was as a software developer and wrote so much code that I gave myself carpal tunnel syndrome before that was even really a thing. At one point I even had a special foot pedal that worked as a shift key to relieve the strain on my pinky finger! I’m not a coder any more but still suffer from time to time and not just from typing — sometimes end the day with a bad case of ��trackpad hand” from too many hours using too limited a range of movement. So sometimes I’ll switch to a regular mouse for a couple of days to change the gestures just a little.

17. Get a gaming monitor (but not for gaming)

After years of using a regular 16:9 monitor I recently upgraded to an “ultrawide” 21:9. Being able to have two or even three full page apps open side-by-side has made a noticeable difference to my productivity.

— Glen Long Chief Operating Officer WFH Experience: 10 Years

18. Learn to recognize when your most productive time is

I work best first thing in the morning and then late at night. During the day there are enough distractions for me to easily lose focus, so unless there’s an urgent problem to solve, I give myself space to do other things mid day.

Experiment with times during the day to see when you feel more productive and energized to do your work. It may surprise you.

Discovering that you are unproductive during certain hours also allows you to give yourself a break at those times, instead of stressing out about “not getting enough done”.

Bonus: If you work with international clients, you may find that your “odd” hours might fit nicely with their “on” hours for communication and appointments. 🙂

— Tim Gary Tech Wizard WFH��Experience: 15 Years

19. Stretch and move around

Sitting or even standing in roughly the same place for several hours a day is not something your body will be thanking you for. Sitting for long periods is rough on your back and your behind, while standing is tough on your legs. Take breaks to stretch and move around. Getting your muscles and joints moving in a variety of ways can help prevent repetitive motion injuries like carpal tunnel.

20. Set boundaries with friends and family

Your work is important. Your time is important. It can be difficult for friends and family to understand that just because you work from home, doesn’t mean you aren’t working.

Make sure you set very clear boundaries with your friends and family about what your work hours are and whether or not you can be available to them during that time. You can set rules on what types of interactions are allowable during your working hours and what types of interactions must remain outside of your working hours.

This will help keep your working hours calmer, less chaotic, and more focused.

21. Have a separate space for work

Whether that means an actual home office, a section of your dining room or just a separate workspace on your computer, have a space for work that is separate from the rest of your life.

A separate space makes it easier for your brain to transition from working time, to non-working time. I use separate internet browsers for work and my personal hobbies. This way once my work day is done, I close everything that involves work — tabs, apps, etc. and if I use my computer after work all work stuff is safely tucked away out of sight.

22. Learn a bit about lighting

I’m not a photographer or videographer so lighting isn’t something I ever gave much thought to, but if you are going to have meetings with clients that may involve video it will be in your best interest to learn the very basics about lighting.

If you’re on a video meeting and there is more light behind you than in front of you, you’re going to show up on camera as quite a shadowy figure. Making sure your lit properly helps people see you better and makes the experience more comfortable for everyone involved.

Unless you’re going for a mysterious look…

— Jenn Arman Business Operations Manager WFH Experience: 10 Years

23. Create separate user profiles for your internet browser

If you use the same laptop/computer for both work and rummaging through the Internet on your offtime, you should create separate user profiles on your browser — especially if you, like me, tend to leave a lot of tabs open.

I have a separate profile for private use, for Smart Blogger tasks and for working on my own blog. When I need to start work, I open my Smarty Blogger browser, and it automatically opens the pages I need on a daily basis. Every other page that I frequently use, but don’t need all the time is bookmarked, so they’re only a click away.

24. Get out and catch some sun

When you work from home, you need to remind yourself to get out every now and again to catch some vitamin D. I had a period of a few months where I was spending all daylight hours inside, and frankly, it’s depressing. Take a break to go out for a short walk. It honestly helps keep you sane.

25. Have a routine, but be flexible

When you work from home, it can be harder to beat the procrastination monster. Having a steady routine can help you with this though.

Set a time at which you start each day. If you have a number of recurring tasks, tackle them in the same order. This will help prevent you from procrastinating on which task to start first.

On the other hand, while it’s good to have a routine, don’t forget that flexibility is one of the main perks of the job. You don’t have to be overly rigid. It’s okay to have a day where you start a little later, or you move one of your tasks to the end of the day, because you’re just not in the mood for it.

— Robert van Tongeren Instructor WFH Experience: 6 Years

26. Take mental breaks

Take a break every hour or so to disengage from your work and allow your brain to have a little playtime. Stick your earbuds in, go outside for 5-10 mins, breath, take in the surroundings and allow your mind to think of anything but your work tasks. Think of it as like taking a break between sets in a workout. I often find problems easier to solve, solutions will pop into my head after having a mental break.

27. Have a mobility/stretching routine

Sitting in the same position for hours can wreak havoc on your body, a good place to start is with a book called Deskbound: Standing up to a Sitting World by Kelly Starrett.

28. Level up your skills

Always look how you can improve and add more value for your clients. Ask yourself: How can I be better at my job, what skills do I need to learn or improve? How can I raise myself to a higher level?

29. Stay balanced

Have activities outside of work that you can constantly get better at and that are a natural expression of who you are. This helps keep you balanced. If I’m always working and serving others I end up feeling like a robot who has no time for myself.

— Curt Levey Customer Support Specialist WFH Experience: 4 Years

30. Communicate constantly to friends & family about your work schedule

Working remotely means that your schedule is often more flexible than your friends who work in an office — or are retired. I had to learn to set very clear boundaries: just because I’m at home in front of a computer, that doesn’t mean I can just pick up to go to a lunch date or attend a rehearsal at 2 in the afternoon.

Now that I’ve been working remotely for 10 years, most of my friends get it. But I still have to be clear about it from time to time, and especially when I’m visiting friends or family.

— Felicity Fields Operations Manager WFH Experience: 6 Years

31. Prioritize YOU time on your calendar

It’s so easy to let your calendar get jammed packed and even when you get up from your desk “at the end of the day”, it’s so easy to get sucked back into your workspace — because it’s just right there! So, in order to ensure that you leave time for yourself, to stretch, go for a walk, meditate or anything else that nurtures YOU, it’s critical to prioritize yourself by putting your self-care on your calendar before the calendar gets booked up.

32. Be sure to meal prep

Secondarily, because the above is true, and the community lunchroom isn’t a thing, it’s super easy to neglect eating healthy and it’s super simple to just ‘grab a bite’ which becomes anything handy, VS anything healthy. I mean the kitchen is just right there, right?! So making sure you meal-prep will enable you to ‘grab a bite’ in between all those meetings, but it will be a healthy bite, and your body and energy level will thank you. Besides, it’s easy to let the pounds creep up when you’re wearing yoga pants instead of ‘work clothes’ so it’s a nice way to treat yourself (and your waistline!) nicely. 🙂

— Patricia Sweeney Marketing Wizard WFH Experience: 14 Years

33. Enjoy the days you can work in pajamas, but don’t overuse them

Working in your pjs is one of the great perks of working from home, but it shouldn’t be your go to outfit. Put some time in your morning routine to get yourself prepared for “the office”. It will help you be more productive on your projects and improve your mood by setting the stage for a good day.

34. Make your home office somewhere you enjoy spending time

When you work in a standard office you’re often encouraged to personalize the space so you can feel comfortable. Do the same for your home office. Don’t let it get too cluttered. Make sure you have plenty of light. Splurge on a heater or ergonomic desk setup. Plants, diffusers, pictures, and music will keep you more energized in your workspace.

— Laurie Pillman Executive Assistant to the CEO WFH Experience: 5 Years

And here’s one from me:

35. Make sure you check in (and check out)

The thing I struggle with most as a remote worker is separating “work life” from “home life.” Even with a dedicated office space, it’s easy for my two worlds to blend.

What’s helped me is visualizing one of those old-school “time clocks” people used back in the day.

“Clock in” and it’s work time. I listen to Jon’s latest podcast episode, edit a draft from one of our writers, send an outreach email, etc.

“Clock out” and I focus on my personal life. I’ll look at my daughter’s homework, go over healthcare paperwork with my wife, do the dishes, etc.

Whichever world I’m in, I try to give it my complete and undivided attention.

— Kevin J. Duncan Editor-in-Chief WFH Experience: 1 Amazing Year

I Love Working From Home. How About You?

We’re the lucky ones, you know.

No long commute? Getting to set our own schedules? Working mere feet away from our loved ones? It’s a blessing, a gift from God.

Even though it’s easy to get lost in deadlines, drafts to edit, and emails to read, I pray I never forget how fortunate I am to be doing what I do.

Savor these moments. Wrap your arms around them. Because it doesn’t matter if you’re a freelancer getting paid to write, an independent contractor, a data entry specialist, or a part-time customer service representative for a call center, working from home is a special experience. You’re getting to do what many people dream about doing.

Let me know if this guide was helpful by leaving a comment below. And, if there’s a tool or tip we missed, please don’t hesitate to share it.

Stay safe out there, folks.

About the Author: When he’s not busy telling waitresses, baristas, and anyone else who crosses his path that Jon Morrow once said he was in the top 1% of bloggers, Kevin J. Duncan is Smart Blogger’s Editor in Chief.

The post Working From Home? 14 Sanity-Saving Tools (+ 35 Pro Tips) appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/working-from-home/

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kymozment · 6 years ago

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Clearomizers Cartomizers and Tanks

You have probably heard these terms before and wondered, “What the heck are Clearomizers, Cartomizers, and Tanks?"

Well, today you’re going to get a lesson in vaping history about the very earliest of vaping atomizers, the clearos and cartos. Experienced vapers are familiar with these because many of them started out with these atomizers on stick batteries before moving onto more advanced vape gear.

The examples below were the options available to vapers in the very beginning of vaping popularity. The options increased over time to what we have now, but some older vapers still use some of these options because they are affordable and the devices are simple to use.

Let’s Start from the Beginning

In the beginning, there were cartomizers. These early atomizers were cylindrical tubes that encased the coil and wicking material and often came in stainless steel or a colored finish. There are actually two styles of cartomizers, which we will get into as well.

The first type of cartomizer is a short tube filled with a single coil and wicking material rolled up inside. This piece screws into the 510 connection on a stick battery and maybe a yellow color to simulate the familiar “cigarette butt” or maybe a variety of different colors depending on the manufacturer of the device. For example, Halo G6 cartomizers come in white, black, purple, green, burgundy and so on. The stick battery colors are the same as well for customization. These come “pre-filled” with Halo e-juice or as “blanks” you can fill with your own e-liquid.

These cartomizers are usually a standard resistance of 2.4 - 3.0 for older devices that are not for sub-ohm use. These include stick batteries, eGo-style batteries, and any device that works with variable voltage/wattage (twist batteries) in the range of 1 - 12W.

These are great for use in an emergency when you accidentally break a tank and have no access to a replacement right away. Just pop one onto your eGo twist and set the voltage between 3.8 and 4.2 and you’re good to go.

These also come in single or dual coil options. The single coil cartos are in the resistance range of 1.5 to 3.0 ohms. The single coil produces a cooler vape with less throat hit, while the dual coil produces more vapor and throat hit and is meant for devices with variable voltage/variable wattage.

The Second Type of Cartomizer: The Carto Tank Cartomizer

These are pretty much the same type of atomizer, the difference is that they are made to go inside of a cartomizer tank. They have a flat, flanged bottom and pre-drilled holes on the side for wicking juice from the tank. These cannot be used in place of the other cartomizers and vice versa.

Carto tanks are a glass tank with a top and bottom that is hollow in the center (which is where the cartomizer goes) the atomizer soaks e-liquid in through the holes ( or slots) in the sides of the tube. These are older style tanks and not used much anymore. They were prone to flooding and gurgling because there was no way to adjust the juice feed to keep too much juice from getting in at a time. They were also very messy to fill because the metal tube had to be pulled down from the center to allow for refilling which often resulted in juice leaking from the bottom of the tank.

Pluses and Minuses

Both of these types of cartomizers have their good points and their bad points. Their good points are that they are versatile, easy to find from known vendors and some online retailers, blanks can be filled with your own e-liquid flavors, and will last a week or two as long as you prime them before use and don’t let them go dry.

The bad points of these are that they only hold 1 -2 mils of juice, you cannot tell how much liquid is in the tank, can get gunky pretty fast, and sometimes you will get the flavor of the polyfill wicking for the first few uses. You can clean them but it is a pain, so just buy a box of 5 and discard them as needed.

The Next Evolutionary Step: The Clearomizer

The clearomizer was the next step up when moving from stick batteries to eGo-style batteries. Clearomizers are plastic tanks with an atomizer (heating coil) and wicks. You would fill them by removing the drip tip and dripping juice down the sides of the tube. The plastic tanks were more attractive and came in a variety of colors to match your device battery. The only drawback to some of these is that citrus and acidic juices like pineapple and cinnamon would cause them to crack. Also, too much pressure when opening or closing could also cause the tank to crack at the bottom where it screws onto the battery.

Disposable and Replaceable Coil Clearos

The very basic clearomizers which are the CE4 style are disposable and meant to be thrown away when the heating coil burns out or the tank cracks. These are priced around $1 or so and are easily replaced by a variety of retailers. Can also be purchased in packs of 5.

The clearos with replaceable coils are the eGo CE4+, CE5, and H2. They hold 1.6 mils of e-liquid and come with a tiny coil head that can be removed and replaced as needed. They are also compatible with all types of eGo batteries. The tank is easy to clean and can be used over and over until it needs replacing. This is a very affordable way to vape when you have a small budget. These also come in either plastic or glass and are priced between $2 - $3 each.

Moving On to Tanks: The Glassomizer

The earliest tanks besides carto tanks and before sub-ohm tanks were the glassomizer tanks. These tanks had a standard 510 connection and could be used on eGo batteries and some low wattage mods. These tanks often had long wicks like the Vivi Nova that sat on top or were at the bottom of the atomizer tube. The ones with the coils at the bottom tend to last longer and don’t get burnt as often as the ones with the coils and wicks at the top.

The glassomizers hold 1.5 mils of e-liquid, are made from Pyrex glass, and come apart for easy cleaning. Examples of glassomizers are: Aspire K1&K2, Aspire BVC Vivi Nova, Any Vape Davide BDC Mini, and Aspire Triton Mini.

That Brings Us Up to Current Day

Our options as vapers are more varied and equipment has improved over time. Tank options now include modern vape tanks, sub-ohm tanks, rebuildable tanks, and rebuildable dripping atomizers. The previous options are still available for those who want to try them out and work their way up to more advanced gear slowly. The License to Vape guides are designed to help new people understand what vaping is, the terminology and even help experienced vapers find reviews on some of the more advanced gear.

If you are new to vaping and want to learn more, make sure you check out the License to Vape beginners guide here. It is packed with a lot of information for all new people switching over to vaping and why the switch makes sense.

Now that you’ve had your history lesson for the day, go and pass on your newly acquired knowledge. Share with your friends and family and let’s make it a priority to get everyone we love off cigarettes.

The following post Clearomizers, Cartomizers, and Tanks was first seen on License to Vape News

via License To Vape : Best Vaping & Electronic Cigarette Buying Guide - Feed https://www.licensetovape.com/guide/beginner/clearomizers-cartomizers-and-tanks/

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ruthsulivan · 6 years ago

Text

Clearomizers, Cartomizers, and Tanks

You have probably heard these terms before and wondered, “What the heck are Clearomizers, Cartomizers, and Tanks?“

Let’s Start from the Beginning

The Second Type of Cartomizer: The Carto Tank Cartomizer

Pluses and Minuses

The Next Evolutionary Step: The Clearomizer

Disposable and Replaceable Coil Clearos

Moving On to Tanks: The Glassomizer

That Brings Us Up to Current Day

The following post Clearomizers, Cartomizers, and Tanks was first seen on License to Vape News

Clearomizers, Cartomizers, and Tanks published first on http://www.licensetovape.com/

0 notes

licensetovape · 6 years ago

Text

Clearomizers, Cartomizers, and Tanks

You have probably heard these terms before and wondered, “What the heck are Clearomizers, Cartomizers, and Tanks?"

Let’s Start from the Beginning

The Second Type of Cartomizer: The Carto Tank Cartomizer

Pluses and Minuses

The Next Evolutionary Step: The Clearomizer

Disposable and Replaceable Coil Clearos

Moving On to Tanks: The Glassomizer

That Brings Us Up to Current Day

The following post Clearomizers, Cartomizers, and Tanks was first seen on License to Vape News

#vaping #vape shops #Ecig

0 notes

smartecky · 6 years ago

Text

There are no secrets in consumer electronics anymore. Sometimes it’s the fault of flubs and flaws and leakers. Sometimes it’s by design. In the case of the Galaxy Note 9, it’s a little bit of both.

The Galaxy S9 wasn’t the blockbuster Samsung’s shareholders were expecting, so the company understandably primed the pump through a combination of teasers and leaks — some no doubt unintentional and others that seemed suspiciously less so.

By the time yesterday’s big event at Brooklyn’s house that Jay-Z built rolled around, we knew just about everything we needed to know about the upcoming handset, and virtually every leaked spec proved accurate. Sure, the company amazingly managed to through in a surprise or two, but the event was all about the Note.

And understandably so. The phablet, along with the Galaxy S line, forms the cornerstone of Samsung’s entire consumer approach. It’s a portfolio that expands with each event, to include wearables, productivity, the smart home, automotive, a smart assistant and now the long-awaited smart speaker. None of which would make a lick of sense without the handsets.

If the Galaxy S is Samsung’s tentpole device, the Note represents what the company has deemed its “innovation brand,” the uber-premium device that allows the company to push the limits of its mobile hardware. In past generations, that’s meant the Edge display (curving screen), S-Pen, giant screen and dual-camera. That innovation, naturally, comes at a price.

Here it’s $1,000. It’s a price that, until a year ago seemed impossibly steep for a smartphone. For the Galaxy Note 9, on the other hand, that’s just where things start. Any hopes that the new model might represent a move toward the mainstream for the line in the wake of an underwhelming S9 performance can be put to rest here.

The Note is what it’s always been and will likely always continue to be: a device for the diehard. A very good device, mind, but one for those with an arm and or a leg to spare. Most of the good new features will trickle their way down the food chain to the company’s more mainstream device. At $720/$840, the S9 isn’t a budget phone by any stretch of the imagination, but at the very least, keeping it to three digits seems a little more palatable.

A good rule of thumb for a hardware review is incorporating the product into one’s own life as much as possible. It’s a pretty easy ask with a device like the Note 9, which has the advantage of great hardware and software design built upon the learnings and missteps of several generations.

It’s still not perfect by any means, and the company’s everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach to the line means there are plenty of features that never really made their may into my routine. And while, as the largely unchanged product design suggests — the Note 9 doesn’t represent a hugely significant milestone in the product line — there are enough tweaks throughout the product to maintain its place toward the top of the Android heap.

All charged up

Let’s address the gorilla in the room here. Two years ago, Galaxy Notes started exploding. Samsung recalled the devices, started selling them, more exploded and they recalled them again, ultimately discontinuing the product.

Samsung apologized profusely and agreed to institute more rigorous safety checks. For the next few devices, the company didn’t rock the boat. Battery sizes on Galaxy products stayed mostly the same. It was a combination of pragmatism and optics. The company needed time to ensure that future products wouldn’t suffer the same fate, while demonstrating to the public and shareholders that it was doing due diligence.

“What we want to do is a tempered approach to innovation any time,” Samsung’s director of Product Strategy and Marketing told me ahead of launch, “so this was the right time to increase the battery to meet consumer needs.”

Given Samsung’s massive business as a component manufacturer, the whole fiasco ultimately didn’t dent the bottom line. In fact, in a strange way, it might ultimately be a net positive. Now it can boast about having one of the most rigorous battery testing processes in the business. Now it’s a feature, not a bug.

At 4,000mAh, the Note 9 features a 700mAh increase above its predecessor. It’s not an unprecedented number — Huawei’s already hit the 4,000 mark — but it’s the largest ever on a Note device, putting the handset in the top percentile.

As far as how that actually translates to real-world usage, Samsung’s not giving a number yet. The company simply says “all day and all night” in its release. I found that to be pretty close to the truth. I unplugged the handset at 100 percent yesterday afternoon. I texted, listened to Spotify, took photos, downloaded and just generally attempted to live my life on the damn thing.

Just under 22 hours later, it gave up the ghost and after much notification-based consternation about a critically low battery, the screen went black. Like I said, it’s not crazy battery life, but going most of a full day and night without a charge is a nice little luxury — and the sort of thing all phone makers should strive to achieve on their flagship products.

The company also, kindly, included the new Wireless Charging Duo. The charging pad is not quite as ambitious as the AirPower, but unlike that product, introduced nearly a year ago by Apple, I have this in my hands right now. So, point: Samsung. Charging the device from zero to 100 percent took three hours on the dot with the $120 “Fast Charge” pad. And it’s nice and toasty now.

Memories

Okay, about that price. Again, we’re talking $999.99 to start. There’s also a second SKU. That one will run you $1,295.99. Take a moment if you need to.

That’s a silly amount of money if you’re not the starting point guard for the Golden State Warriors. So much for the rumors that the company would be working to make its devices more economically accessible. And while the premium hardware has always meant that the Galaxy line is going to remain on the pricey side, I can’t help but point out that a few key decisions could have kept the price down, while maintaining build quality.

Storage is arguably the primary culprit. The aforementioned two SKUs give you either 6GB of RAM with 128GB or 8GB of RAM with 512GB. With cloud syncing and the rest, it’s hard to imagine I would come close to that limit in the two or so years until the time comes to upgrade my handset.

I’m sure those sorts of crazy media-hoarding power users do, in fact, exist in the world, but they’re undoubtedly a rarity. Besides, as Samsung helpfully pointed out, 512GB SD cards already exist in the world. Sure, that’s another $350 tacked onto the bottom line, but it’s there, if you need it. For most users, it’s hard to see Samsung’s claim of having “the world’s first 1TB-ready smartphone” (512GB+512GB) exists for little more reason than racking up yet another flashy claim for the 1960s Batman utility belt of smartphones.

Sure, Samsung no doubt gets a deal on Samsung-built hard drives, but the component has to be a key part in what’s driving costs up. For a company as driven by choice as Samsung, I’m honestly surprised we’re not getting more options up front here in the States.

Remote control

Confession: After testing many Galaxy Note models over the course of many years, I’ve never figured out a great use for the S-Pen. I mean, I’m happy that people like it, and obviously all of the early skepticism about the return of the stylus was quickly put to rest, as the company has continued to go back to the well, year after year.

But all of the handwritten note taking and animated GIF drawing just isn’t for me, man. I also recently spoke to an artist friend who told me that the Note doesn’t really cut it for him on the drawing front, either. Again, if you like or love it, more power to you, but it’s just not for me.

As silly as the idea of using the S-Pen as a remote control might appear at first glance, however, it’s clear to me that this is the first use of the built-in accessory I could honestly see using on a daily basis. It’s handy once you get beyond the silliness of holding a stylus in your hand while running, and serves as a handy surrogate for those who don’t own a compatible smartwatch.

The S-Pen now sports Bluetooth Low Energy, allowing it to control different aspects of phone use. Low Energy or not, that tech requires power, so the stylus now contains a super conductor, which charges it when slotted inside the phone; 40 seconds of charging should get you a healthy 30 minutes of use. Even so, the phone will bug you to remind you that you really ought to dock the thing when not in use.

The compatible apps are still fairly limited at launch, but it’s enough to demonstrate how this could be a handy little addition. Of the bunch, I got the most out of music control for Spotify. One click plays/pauses a song, and a double-click extends the track. Sure, it’s limited functionality, but it saved me from having to fiddle with the phone to change songs went I went for my run this morning.

You’ll need to be a bit more creative when determining usefulness in some of the other apps. Using it as a shutter button in the camera app, for instance, could be a useful way to take a selfie without having to hold the phone at arms’ length.

The entire time, I wondered what one might be able to accomplish with additional buttons (volume/rewind/gameplay)? What about a pedometer to track steps when you’re running on the treadmill without it in the pocket? Or even a beacon to help absent-minded folks like myself find it after we invariably drop it between couch cushions.

But yeah, I understand why the company would choose to keep things simple for what remains a sort of secondary functionality. Or, heck, maybe the company just needs to hold some features for the Note 10 (Note X?).

Oh, and the Blue and Lavender versions of the phone come in striking yellow and purple S-Pens, with lock-screen ink color to match. So that’s pretty fun.

Hey man, nice shot

Nowhere is the Note’s cumulative evolution better represented than the camera. Each subsequent Galaxy S and Note release seem to offer new hardware and/or software upgrades, giving the company two distinct opportunities per year to improve imaging for the line. The S9, announced back in February, notably brought improved low-light photography to the line. The dual aperture flips between f/1.5 and f/2.4, to let in more light.

It’s a neat trick for a smartphone. Behold, a head to head between the Note 9 (left) and iPhone X (right):

Here’s what we’re dealing with on the hardware front:

Rear: Dual Camera with Dual OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)

Wide-angle: Super Speed Dual Pixel 12MP AF, F1.5/F2.4, OIS

Telephoto: 12MP AF, F2.4, OIS

2X optical zoom, up to 10X digital zoom

Front: 8MP AF, F1.7

This time out, the improvements are mostly on the software side of things. Two features in particular stand out: Scene Optimizer and Flaw Detection. The first should prove familiar to those who’ve been paying attention to the smartphone game of late. LG is probably the most prominent example.

Camera hardware is pretty great across the board of most modern smartphone flagships. As such, these new features are designed to eliminate the current weakest link: human error. Scene Optimizer saves amateur photographers from having to futz with more advanced settings like white balance and saturation.

The feature uses AI to determine what the camera is seeing, and adjusts settings accordingly. There are 20 different settings, including: Food, Portraits, Flowers, Indoor scenes, Animals, Landscapes, Greenery, Trees, Sky, Mountains, Beaches, Sunrises and sunsets, Watersides, Street scenes, Night scenes, Waterfalls, Snow, Birds, Backlit and Text.

Some are pretty general, others are weirdly specific, but it’s a good mix, and I suspect Samsung will continue to add to it through OTA updates. That said, the function itself doesn’t need a cloud connection, doing all of the processing on-board. The feature worked well with most of the flowers and food I threw at it (so to speak), popping up a small icon in the bottom of the screen to let me know that it knows what it’s looking at. It also did well with book text.

The success rate of other things, like trees, were, unsurprisingly, dependent on context. Get just the top part and it identifies it as “Greenery.” Flip the phone to portrait mode and get the whole of the trunk and it pops up the “Tree” icon. I did get a few false positives along the way; the Note 9 thought my fingers were food, which is deeply disturbing for any number of reasons.

[Without Scene Optimizer – left, With Scene Optimizer – right]

Obviously, it’s not going to be perfect. I found, in the case of flowers that it has the tendency to oversaturate the colors. If you agree, you can disable the feature in settings. However, you have to do this before the shot is taken. There’s no way to manually override the feature to tell it what kind of object you’re shooting. That seems like a bit of a no-brainer addition.

[Super slow-mo matcha under the flicking lights]

Flaw Detection serves a similar role as Scene Optimizer, helping you avoid getting in your own way as an amateur photog. The feature is designed to alert you if a shot is blurry, if there’s a smudge on the screen, if the subject blinked or if backlighting is making everything look crappy. In the case of lens smudging and backlighting, it only bothers with a single alert every 24 hours.

The blink detection worked well. Blur detection, on the other hand, was a bit more of a crap shoot for subjects in motion and those that were too close to the lens to get a good focus. The feature could use a bit of work, but I still think it’s one of the more compelling additions on the whole of the device and anticipate a lot of other companies introducing their own versions in the coming year.

Design Note

The more the Note changes, the more it stays the same, I suppose. As expected, the design language hasn’t changed much, which is no doubt part of what made Samsung CEO DJ Koh think he could get away with using the device in public ahead of launch. The footprint is virtually the same in spite of the ever-so-slightly larger screen (6.3 > 6.4-inches, same 2,960 x 1,440 resolution) — from 162.5 x 74.8 x 8.6 mm on the 8, to 161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8 mm on the 9.

That’s perfectly fine. Samsung’s done an impressive job cramming a lot of screen into a manageable footprint over the past several gens. The only major change (aside from the lovely new blue and purple paint jobs) is the migration of the fingerprint sensor from the side of the camera to underneath it.

This was a clear instance of Samsung responding to feedback from users frustrated by all the times they mistook the camera for the fingerprint reader. The new placement helps a bit, though it’s still fairly close to the camera, and the fact that both are similar shapes doesn’t help matters. Thank goodness for that new smudge detector.

Oh, and the headphone jack is still present, because of course it is. For Samsung, it’s an important way to distinguish the product and approach from a world gone dongle mad.

Note on Notes

Oh Bixby, you eternal bastion of unfulfilled potential. A full rundown of new features can be found here. Overall, the smart assistant promises to be more conversational, with better concierge features. That said, Samsung’s once again tweaking it until the last moment, so I can’t offer you a full review until closer to the phone’s August 24 street date.

So stay tuned for that, I guess. I will say that the setup process can be a bit of a slog for a feature designed to make everything easier. Playing with Bixby voice required me to navigate several pages in order to connect the two. Thankfully, you should only have to deal with that the one time.

Samsung’s continuing to tweak the internals to make its device more suitable for gaming. The water-carbon cooling system tweaks the liquid cooling system found on the device since the S7, to help diffuse heat more efficiently. The large, bright screen meanwhile, is well-suited to mobile gaming, and the 6GB model handled Fortnite fairly well.

A final note

The next smartphone revolution always seems to be a year away. The potential arrival of a Samsung device with a foldable display makes the notion of carrying a massive device around in one’s pocket almost quaint. For the time being, however, the Note remains one of the best methods for transporting a whole lot of screen around on your person.

A lot has changed about the Note in the past seven years, but the core of the device is mostly the same: big screen and stylus coming together to walk the line between productivity and entertainment. It’s big, it’s bold, it’s too expensive for a lot of us. But it remains the phablet to beat.

Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/10/samsung-galaxy-note-9-review/

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review There are no secrets in consumer electronics anymore. Sometimes it’s the fault of flubs and flaws and leakers.

0 notes

chicagopdlover · 6 years ago

Text

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review Big and stylusly stylish, with a price to match Brian Heater @ / 2 days There are no secrets in consumer electronics anymore. Sometimes it’s the fault of flubs and flaws and leakers. Sometimes it’s by design. In the case of the Galaxy Note 9 , it’s a little bit of both. The Galaxy S9 wasn’t the blockbuster Samsung’s shareholders were expecting, so the company understandably primed the pump through a combination of teasers and leaks — some no doubt unintentional and others that seemed suspiciously less so. By the time yesterday’s big event at Brooklyn’s house that Jay-Z built rolled around, we knew just about everything we needed to know about the upcoming handset, and virtually every leaked spec proved accurate. Sure, the company amazingly managed to through in a surprise or two, but the event was all about the Note. And understandably so. The phablet, along with the Galaxy S line, forms the cornerstone of Samsung’s entire consumer approach. It’s a portfolio that expands with each event, to include wearables, productivity, the smart home, automotive, a smart assistant and now the long-awaited smart speaker. None of which would make a lick of sense without the handsets. If the Galaxy S is Samsung’s tentpole device, the Note represents what the company has deemed its “innovation brand,” the uber-premium device that allows the company to push the limits of its mobile hardware. In past generations, that’s meant the Edge display (curving screen), S-Pen, giant screen and dual-camera. That innovation, naturally, comes at a price. Here it’s $1,000. It’s a price that, until a year ago seemed impossibly steep for a smartphone. For the Galaxy Note 9, on the other hand, that’s just where things start . Any hopes that the new model might represent a move toward the mainstream for the line in the wake of an underwhelming S9 performance can be put to rest here. The Note is what it’s always been and will likely always continue to be: a device for the diehard. A very good device, mind, but one for those with an arm and or a leg to spare. Most of the good new features will trickle their way down the food chain to the company’s more mainstream device. At $720/$840, the S9 isn’t a budget phone by any stretch of the imagination, but at the very least, keeping it to three digits seems a little more palatable. A good rule of thumb for a hardware review is incorporating the product into one’s own life as much as possible. It’s a pretty easy ask with a device like the Note 9, which has the advantage of great hardware and software design built upon the learnings and missteps of several generations. It’s still not perfect by any means, and the company’s everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach to the line means there are plenty of features that never really made their may into my routine. And while, as the largely unchanged product design suggests — the Note 9 doesn’t represent a hugely significant milestone in the product line — there are enough tweaks throughout the product to maintain its place toward the top of the Android heap. All charged up Let’s address the gorilla in the room here. Two years ago , Galaxy Notes started exploding. Samsung recalled the devices, started selling them, more exploded and they recalled them again, ultimately discontinuing the product. Samsung apologized profusely and agreed to institute more rigorous safety checks. For the next few devices, the company didn’t rock the boat. Battery sizes on Galaxy products stayed mostly the same. It was a combination of pragmatism and optics. The company needed time to ensure that future products wouldn’t suffer the same fate, while demonstrating to the public and shareholders that it was doing due diligence. “What we want to do is a tempered approach to innovation any time,” Samsung’s director of Product Strategy and Marketing told me ahead of launch, “so this was the right time to increase the battery to meet consumer needs.” Given Samsung’s massive business as a component manufacturer, the whole fiasco ultimately didn’t dent the bottom line. In fact, in a strange way, it might ultimately be a net positive . Now it can boast about having one of the most rigorous battery testing processes in the business. Now it’s a feature, not a bug. At 4,000mAh, the Note 9 features a 700mAh increase above its predecessor. It’s not an unprecedented number — Huawei’s already hit the 4,000 mark — but it’s the largest ever on a Note device, putting the handset in the top percentile. As far as how that actually translates to real-world usage, Samsung’s not giving a number yet. The company simply says “all day and all night” in its release. I found that to be pretty close to the truth. I unplugged the handset at 100 percent yesterday afternoon. I texted, listened to Spotify, took photos, downloaded and just generally attempted to live my life on the damn thing. Just under 22 hours later, it gave up the ghost and after much notification-based consternation about a critically low battery, the screen went black. Like I said, it’s not crazy battery life, but going most of a full day and night without a charge is a nice little luxury — and the sort of thing all phone makers should strive to achieve on their flagship products. The company also, kindly, included the new Wireless Charging Duo . The charging pad is not quite as ambitious as the AirPower, but unlike that product, introduced nearly a year ago by Apple, I have this in my hands right now. So, point: Samsung. Charging the device from zero to 100 percent took three hours on the dot with the $120 “Fast Charge” pad. And it’s nice and toasty now. Memories Okay, about that price. Again, we’re talking $999.99 to start. There’s also a second SKU. That one will run you $1,295.99. Take a moment if you need to. That’s a silly amount of money if you’re not the starting point guard for the Golden State Warriors. So much for the rumors that the company would be working to make its devices more economically accessible. And while the premium hardware has always meant that the Galaxy line is going to remain on the pricey side, I can’t help but point out that a few key decisions could have kept the price down, while maintaining build quality. Storage is arguably the primary culprit. The aforementioned two SKUs give you either 6GB of RAM with 128GB or 8GB of RAM with 512GB. With cloud syncing and the rest, it’s hard to imagine I would come close to that limit in the two or so years until the time comes to upgrade my handset. I’m sure those sorts of crazy media-hoarding power users do, in fact, exist in the world, but they’re undoubtedly a rarity. Besides, as Samsung helpfully pointed out, 512GB SD cards already exist in the world. Sure, that’s another $350 tacked onto the bottom line, but it’s there, if you need it. For most users, it’s hard to see Samsung’s claim of having “the world’s first 1TB-ready smartphone” (512GB+512GB) exists for little more reason than racking up yet another flashy claim for the 1960s Batman utility belt of smartphones. Sure, Samsung no doubt gets a deal on Samsung-built hard drives, but the component has to be a key part in what’s driving costs up. For a company as driven by choice as Samsung, I’m honestly surprised we’re not getting more options up front here in the States. Remote control Confession: After testing many Galaxy Note models over the course of many years, I’ve never figured out a great use for the S-Pen. I mean, I’m happy that people like it, and obviously all of the early skepticism about the return of the stylus was quickly put to rest, as the company has continued to go back to the well, year after year. But all of the handwritten note taking and animated GIF drawing just isn’t for me, man. I also recently spoke to an artist friend who told me that the Note doesn’t really cut it for him on the drawing front, either. Again, if you like or love it, more power to you, but it’s just not for me. As silly as the idea of using the S-Pen as a remote control might appear at first glance, however, it’s clear to me that this is the first use of the built-in accessory I could honestly see using on a daily basis. It’s handy once you get beyond the silliness of holding a stylus in your hand while running, and serves as a handy surrogate for those who don’t own a compatible smartwatch. The S-Pen now sports Bluetooth Low Energy, allowing it to control different aspects of phone use. Low Energy or not, that tech requires power, so the stylus now contains a super conductor, which charges it when slotted inside the phone; 40 seconds of charging should get you a healthy 30 minutes of use. Even so, the phone will bug you to remind you that you really ought to dock the thing when not in use. The compatible apps are still fairly limited at launch, but it’s enough to demonstrate how this could be a handy little addition. Of the bunch, I got the most out of music control for Spotify. One click plays/pauses a song, and a double-click extends the track. Sure, it’s limited functionality, but it saved me from having to fiddle with the phone to change songs went I went for my run this morning. You’ll need to be a bit more creative when determining usefulness in some of the other apps. Using it as a shutter button in the camera app, for instance, could be a useful way to take a selfie without having to hold the phone at arms’ length. The entire time, I wondered what one might be able to accomplish with additional buttons (volume/rewind/gameplay)? What about a pedometer to track steps when you’re running on the treadmill without it in the pocket? Or even a beacon to help absent-minded folks like myself find it after we invariably drop it between couch cushions. But yeah, I understand why the company would choose to keep things simple for what remains a sort of secondary functionality. Or, heck, maybe the company just needs to hold some features for the Note 10 (Note X?). Oh, and the Blue and Lavender versions of the phone come in striking yellow and purple S-Pens, with lock-screen ink color to match. So that’s pretty fun. Hey man, nice shot Nowhere is the Note’s cumulative evolution better represented than the camera. Each subsequent Galaxy S and Note release seem to offer new hardware and/or software upgrades, giving the company two distinct opportunities per year to improve imaging for the line. The S9, announced back in February, notably brought improved low-light photography to the line. The dual aperture flips between f/1.5 and f/2.4, to let in more light. It’s a neat trick for a smartphone. Behold, a head to head between the Note 9 (left) and iPhone X (right): Here’s what we’re dealing with on the hardware front: Rear: Dual Camera with Dual OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) Wide-angle: Super Speed Dual Pixel 12MP AF, F1.5/F2.4, OIS Telephoto: 12MP AF, F2.4, OIS 2X optical zoom, up to 10X digital zoom Front: 8MP AF, F1.7 This time out, the improvements are mostly on the software side of things. Two features in particular stand out: Scene Optimizer and Flaw Detection . The first should prove familiar to those who’ve been paying attention to the smartphone game of late. LG is probably the most prominent example. Camera hardware is pretty great across the board of most modern smartphone flagships. As such, these new features are designed to eliminate the current weakest link: human error. Scene Optimizer saves amateur photographers from having to futz with more advanced settings like white balance and saturation. The feature uses AI to determine what the camera is seeing, and adjusts settings accordingly. There are 20 different settings, including: Food, Portraits, Flowers, Indoor scenes, Animals, Landscapes, Greenery, Trees, Sky, Mountains, Beaches, Sunrises and sunsets, Watersides, Street scenes, Night scenes, Waterfalls, Snow, Birds, Backlit and Text. Some are pretty general, others are weirdly specific, but it’s a good mix, and I suspect Samsung will continue to add to it through OTA updates. That said, the function itself doesn’t need a cloud connection, doing all of the processing on-board. The feature worked well with most of the flowers and food I threw at it (so to speak), popping up a small icon in the bottom of the screen to let me know that it knows what it’s looking at. It also did well with book text. The success rate of other things, like trees, were, unsurprisingly, dependent on context. Get just the top part and it identifies it as “Greenery.” Flip the phone to portrait mode and get the whole of the trunk and it pops up the “Tree” icon. I did get a few false positives along the way; the Note 9 thought my fingers were food, which is deeply disturbing for any number of reasons. [Without Scene Optimizer – left, With Scene Optimizer – right] Obviously, it’s not going to be perfect. I found, in the case of flowers that it has the tendency to oversaturate the colors. If you agree, you can disable the feature in settings. However, you have to do this before the shot is taken. There’s no way to manually override the feature to tell it what kind of object you’re shooting. That seems like a bit of a no-brainer addition. [Super slow-mo matcha under the flicking lights] Flaw Detection serves a similar role as Scene Optimizer, helping you avoid getting in your own way as an amateur photog. The feature is designed to alert you if a shot is blurry, if there’s a smudge on the screen, if the subject blinked or if backlighting is making everything look crappy. In the case of lens smudging and backlighting, it only bothers with a single alert every 24 hours. The blink detection worked well. Blur detection, on the other hand, was a bit more of a crap shoot for subjects in motion and those that were too close to the lens to get a good focus. The feature could use a bit of work, but I still think it’s one of the more compelling additions on the whole of the device and anticipate a lot of other companies introducing their own versions in the coming year. Design Note The more the Note changes, the more it stays the same, I suppose. As expected, the design language hasn’t changed much, which is no doubt part of what made Samsung CEO DJ Koh think he could get away with using the device in public ahead of launch. The footprint is virtually the same in spite of the ever-so-slightly larger screen (6.3 > 6.4-inches, same 2,960 x 1,440 resolution) — from 162.5 x 74.8 x 8.6 mm on the 8, to 161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8 mm on the 9. That’s perfectly fine. Samsung’s done an impressive job cramming a lot of screen into a manageable footprint over the past several gens. The only major change (aside from the lovely new blue and purple paint jobs) is the migration of the fingerprint sensor from the side of the camera to underneath it. This was a clear instance of Samsung responding to feedback from users frustrated by all the times they mistook the camera for the fingerprint reader. The new placement helps a bit, though it’s still fairly close to the camera, and the fact that both are similar shapes doesn’t help matters. Thank goodness for that new smudge detector. Oh, and the headphone jack is still present, because of course it is. For Samsung, it’s an important way to distinguish the product and approach from a world gone dongle mad. Note on Notes Oh Bixby, you eternal bastion of unfulfilled potential. A full rundown of new features can be found here . Overall, the smart assistant promises to be more conversational, with better concierge features. That said, Samsung’s once again tweaking it until the last moment, so I can’t offer you a full review until closer to the phone’s August 24 street date. So stay tuned for that, I guess. I will say that the setup process can be a bit of a slog for a feature designed to make everything easier. Playing with Bixby voice required me to navigate several pages in order to connect the two. Thankfully, you should only have to deal with that the one time. Samsung’s continuing to tweak the internals to make its device more suitable for gaming. The water-carbon cooling system tweaks the liquid cooling system found on the device since the S7, to help diffuse heat more efficiently. The large, bright screen meanwhile, is well-suited to mobile gaming, and the 6GB model handled Fortnite fairly well. A final note The next smartphone revolution always seems to be a year away. The potential arrival of a Samsung device with a foldable display makes the notion of carrying a massive device around in one’s pocket almost quaint. For the time being, however, the Note remains one of the best methods for transporting a whole lot of screen around on your person. A lot has changed about the Note in the past seven years, but the core of the device is mostly the same: big screen and stylus coming together to walk the line between productivity and entertainment. It’s big, it’s bold, it’s too expensive for a lot of us. But it remains the phablet to beat.

from Christian David Biz https://ift.tt/2w8JJz5 via Article Source

#Christian David Biz

0 notes

sheminecrafts · 6 years ago

Text

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review

youtube

All charged up

youtube

Memories

Okay, about that price. Again, we’re talking $999.99 to start. There’s also a second SKU. That one will run you $1,295.99. Take a moment if you need to.

Remote control

Oh, and the Blue and Lavender versions of the phone come in striking yellow and purple S-Pens, with lock-screen ink color to match. So that’s pretty fun.

Hey man, nice shot

It’s a neat trick for a smartphone. Behold, a head to head between the Note 9 (left) and iPhone X (right):

Here’s what we’re dealing with on the hardware front:

Rear: Dual Camera with Dual OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)

Wide-angle: Super Speed Dual Pixel 12MP AF, F1.5/F2.4, OIS

Telephoto: 12MP AF, F2.4, OIS

2X optical zoom, up to 10X digital zoom

Front: 8MP AF, F1.7

[Without Scene Optimizer – left, With Scene Optimizer – right]

[Super slow-mo matcha under the flicking lights]

[gallery ids="1689899,1689901,1689903,1689904,1689932"]

Design Note

Oh, and the headphone jack is still present, because of course it is. For Samsung, it’s an important way to distinguish the product and approach from a world gone dongle mad.

Note on Notes

A final note

from iraidajzsmmwtv https://ift.tt/2OsHyhb via IFTTT

#IFTTT #iraidajzsmmwtv

0 notes

webdevelopment010 · 6 years ago

Link

All charged up

Memories

Okay, about that price. Again, we’re talking $999.99 to start. There’s also a second SKU. That one will run you $1,295.99. Take a moment if you need to.

Remote control

Oh, and the Blue and Lavender versions of the phone come in striking yellow and purple S-Pens, with lock-screen ink color to match. So that’s pretty fun.

Hey man, nice shot

It’s a neat trick for a smartphone. Behold, a head to head between the Note 9 (left) and iPhone X (right):

Here’s what we’re dealing with on the hardware front:

Rear: Dual Camera with Dual OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)

Wide-angle: Super Speed Dual Pixel 12MP AF, F1.5/F2.4, OIS

Telephoto: 12MP AF, F2.4, OIS

2X optical zoom, up to 10X digital zoom

Front: 8MP AF, F1.7

[Without Scene Optimizer – left, With Scene Optimizer – right]

[Super slow-mo matcha under the flicking lights]

Design Note

Oh, and the headphone jack is still present, because of course it is. For Samsung, it’s an important way to distinguish the product and approach from a world gone dongle mad.

Note on Notes

A final note

Source link

The post Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review appeared first on Fadsmedia.

0 notes

roberttbertton · 6 years ago

Text

All charged up

Memories

Okay, about that price. Again, we’re talking $999.99 to start. There’s also a second SKU. That one will run you $1,295.99. Take a moment if you need to.

Remote control

Oh, and the Blue and Lavender versions of the phone come in striking yellow and purple S-Pens, with lock-screen ink color to match. So that’s pretty fun.

Hey man, nice shot

It’s a neat trick for a smartphone. Behold, a head to head between the Note 9 (left) and iPhone X (right):

Here’s what we’re dealing with on the hardware front:

Rear: Dual Camera with Dual OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)

Wide-angle: Super Speed Dual Pixel 12MP AF, F1.5/F2.4, OIS

Telephoto: 12MP AF, F2.4, OIS

2X optical zoom, up to 10X digital zoom

Front: 8MP AF, F1.7

[Without Scene Optimizer – left, With Scene Optimizer – right]

[Super slow-mo matcha under the flicking lights]

Design Note

Oh, and the headphone jack is still present, because of course it is. For Samsung, it’s an important way to distinguish the product and approach from a world gone dongle mad.

Note on Notes

A final note

Source TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2OsHyhb

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review – BerTTon There are no secrets in consumer electronics anymore. Sometimes it’s the fault of flubs and flaws and leakers.

#AI #news #tech #TechCrunch #technologies

0 notes

jimivaey · 6 years ago

Text

All charged up

Memories

Okay, about that price. Again, we’re talking $999.99 to start. There’s also a second SKU. That one will run you $1,295.99. Take a moment if you need to.

Remote control

Oh, and the Blue and Lavender versions of the phone come in striking yellow and purple S-Pens, with lock-screen ink color to match. So that’s pretty fun.

Hey man, nice shot

It’s a neat trick for a smartphone. Behold, a head to head between the Note 9 (left) and iPhone X (right):

Here’s what we’re dealing with on the hardware front:

Rear: Dual Camera with Dual OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)

Wide-angle: Super Speed Dual Pixel 12MP AF, F1.5/F2.4, OIS

Telephoto: 12MP AF, F2.4, OIS

2X optical zoom, up to 10X digital zoom

Front: 8MP AF, F1.7

[Without Scene Optimizer – left, With Scene Optimizer – right]

[Super slow-mo matcha under the flicking lights]

Design Note

Oh, and the headphone jack is still present, because of course it is. For Samsung, it’s an important way to distinguish the product and approach from a world gone dongle mad.

Note on Notes

A final note

Tech Stories Are Here.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review There are no secrets in consumer electronics anymore. Sometimes it’s the fault of flubs and flaws and leakers.

#Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review

0 notes

fmservers · 6 years ago

Text

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review

youtube

All charged up

youtube

Memories

Okay, about that price. Again, we’re talking $999.99 to start. There’s also a second SKU. That one will run you $1,295.99. Take a moment if you need to.

Remote control

Oh, and the Blue and Lavender versions of the phone come in striking yellow and purple S-Pens, with lock-screen ink color to match. So that’s pretty fun.

Hey man, nice shot

It’s a neat trick for a smartphone. Behold, a head to head between the Note 9 (left) and iPhone X (right):

Here’s what we’re dealing with on the hardware front:

Rear: Dual Camera with Dual OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)

Wide-angle: Super Speed Dual Pixel 12MP AF, F1.5/F2.4, OIS

Telephoto: 12MP AF, F2.4, OIS

2X optical zoom, up to 10X digital zoom

Front: 8MP AF, F1.7

[Without Scene Optimizer – left, With Scene Optimizer – right]

[Super slow-mo matcha under the flicking lights]

[gallery ids="1689899,1689901,1689903,1689904,1689905"]

Design Note

Oh, and the headphone jack is still present, because of course it is. For Samsung, it’s an important way to distinguish the product and approach from a world gone dongle mad.

Note on Notes

A final note

Via Brian Heater https://techcrunch.com

#TechCrunch

0 notes

deepfinds-blog · 6 years ago

Text

All charged up

Memories

Okay, about that price. Again, we’re talking $999.99 to start. There’s also a second SKU. That one will run you $1,295.99. Take a moment if you need to.

Remote control

Oh, and the Blue and Lavender versions of the phone come in striking yellow and purple S-Pens, with lock-screen ink color to match. So that’s pretty fun.

Hey man, nice shot

It’s a neat trick for a smartphone. Behold, a head to head between the Note 9 (left) and iPhone X (right):

Here’s what we’re dealing with on the hardware front:

Rear: Dual Camera with Dual OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)

Wide-angle: Super Speed Dual Pixel 12MP AF, F1.5/F2.4, OIS

Telephoto: 12MP AF, F2.4, OIS

2X optical zoom, up to 10X digital zoom

Front: 8MP AF, F1.7

[Without Scene Optimizer – left, With Scene Optimizer – right]

[Super slow-mo matcha under the flicking lights]

Design Note

Oh, and the headphone jack is still present, because of course it is. For Samsung, it’s an important way to distinguish the product and approach from a world gone dongle mad.

Note on Notes

A final note

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review There are no secrets in consumer electronics anymore. Sometimes it’s the fault of flubs and flaws and leakers.

#Galaxy #Note #review #Samsung

0 notes