techtalkpro-blog

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We are proud to announce that we are now Authorized NOON Installers and Dealers. This is an absolutely beautiful and smart home lighting system that combines design, intelligence, and ease of use. Call us at 407.670.9839 for more information and to install your NOON Lighting today. http://netcybersolutions.com/noon/ (at Net CyberSolutions, LLC.) https://www.instagram.com/p/BpYTH-mBdN_RYVN-fdPcEQD1Cvdr05a5HfnC3E0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1pdatz4fgqdn9

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SOBRO SMART COFFEE TABLE

Sobro Smart Coffee Table -  The Coffee Table for Techies

Hello subscribers!

I am beyond excited to announce that I have just ordered the coolest coffee table EVER!! I absolutely must thank my wonderful husband, Cooper, for indulging me with my tech obsession. Despite his thinking that this is a ridiculous coffee table, he understands that these are the things I love tinkering with, reviewing, and writing about.

A full unboxing, setup, and review will be recorded once it arrives, so stay tuned.

For more information on this innovative smart coffee table, visit the SOBRO website at:  https://sobrodesign.com/

Due to the success of the SOBRO Smart Coffee Table, SOBRO has decided to design the SOBRO Smart Side Table, which is currently on IndieGoGo.

I have not ordered the side tables because they are currently on IndieGoGo and I prefer having buying a product that is ready to ship. However, if you are interested in supporting the campaign, you can do so here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sobro-smart-side-table-bluetooth-furniture#/

Sobro Smart Side Table Features

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http://share.robinhood.com/sandrac59 YASSS! Ubiquiti, CRISPR, and AT&T are my winners today!! Still hanging on to my AMD shares despite a slight decrease since they're in the works to collaborate with Intel on their new i7 chip. Yup, I found a new hobby. #learningaboutstocks #Ubiquiti #CRISPR #ATT #AMD (at Emerson Plaza Luxury Condos)

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Comparison of the Intel NUC 7 with a NUC 5

In this video, we cover the major differences between the Intel NUC 7th Gen and the Intel NUC 5th Gen. These small yet powerful little machines can serve so many purposes and currently do so in our home and out at several installations we have done for our business. In our home, we have 3 of these mounted nicely under the desk. One is serving as a main PC, another as a music server, and the last as our main home server.

So, with that said, I hope you enjoy the video showing the differences between the 7th gen NUC and 5th gen NUC along with our build of both gens.

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My First Oculus Rift VR Machine Build and how I Extended Cable Length by 30ft

After months of research and debating on weather or not I wanted to spend the money on not just an Oculus Rift but a machine that would be capable of handling VR, I came across an ad that essentially made that choice for me so much easier. Recently, Oculus announced a summer sale in which you can purchase the Oculus Rift headset along with the touch controllers all for $399.00. So, what comes with this bundle? Here's what you get:

Oculus Headset

A set of touch controllers

2 Sensors

Wireless X-Box Controller (batteries and Bluetooth dongle included)

Note that not all of the deals out there may include the X-Box controller. Mine did, however. 

Oculus Remote

Many retailers will throw in a game or two.

Mine came with Eve Valkyrie, which I had zero interest in and just sold on eBay for $20.

Overall, this was a great deal.......until it came time for the PC build. I wanted something really interesting but since I am not a major gamer, I didn't need anything really outrageous. I don't play WoW, I don't do Call of Duty, Battlefield, or whatever the hottest and latest thing is. So, I could get away with a 1070 graphics card without any issues. So, off to Newegg I went and began my build, which goes a little something like this:

Thermaltake Core V21 Black Extreme MicroATX Cube Chassis 

MSI B250M Bazooka OPT Boost LGA 1151 Intel B250 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard with 16 GB Intel Optane Memory included and RGB LED's

MSI GeForce GTX 1070 DirectX  12 Gaming X 8GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCIe SLI ready Graphics card

Intel Core i5-7600K Kaby Lake Quad Core 3.8 GHz Processor

Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB 650W Smart Zero Fan SLI/CrossFire Ready Continuous Power ATX 12V Plus Gold Certified Full Modular Power Supply

Samsung 850 EVO M.2 2280 1TB Sata III 3-D Vertical SSD

G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 2400 RAM

Putting in an order for another set of these today

Gigabyte Model GC-WB867D-I Bluetooth 4.0/Wi-Fi Expansion Card

EVGA CLC 120 Liquid/Water CPU Cooler with 120mm Radiator, RGB LED, and EVGA Flow Control Software

This will be upgraded soon to something much more visually appealing. I am so not finished with this project. Further in the article I will discuss my future plans. 

Windows 10 Pro

Overall, I am pleased with the build and everything works extremely well. The PC is quite fast and with the M.2 SSD, it's no wonder it's lightning fast. I have ZERO lag playing any games on the Oculus, Steam, and Origin. I've even linked it to play games on the X-Box One that sits in my daughter's room and still experience zero lag while playing Tekken 7. 

As you can see, there is plenty of space on the bottom for more mods, which I intend to do. I would like a custom liquid cooling kit. Since none of the drive bays are being used, I could essentially go with a kit that utilizes the drive bays as the resorvoir/pump. I'm leaning towards something like this:

Being in the IT/Network Engineering field, cable management is essential, even at home. I like things to look neat and aesthetically pleasing. With that, baseboards were removed, wires were tucked in, Keystone wall plates and connectors were ordered, and extension cables were ordered. Here is where we ran into a bit of a problem with the Oculus Rift. The Oculus headset uses both a UBS and HDMI connection. However, if you try to extend past 6 feet with any basic cable, you will never get the headset to work. After a little research, we found that the Oculus does NOT like passive cables. In order to extend your headset past the 12 ft that is standard with your headset, you need to have ACTIVE HDMI cables. Active cables have built in chips that allow for longer runs and help push the signals the signals to run farther than your standard passive cables. I completed my setup like this:

Active HDMI cable from HDMI on video card to a Keystone on the wall

Active HDMI from that Keystone through the wall to another Keystone below my 60" TV

Oculus Headset plugs into the HDMI jack on the wall under the TV.

From the 60" TV, we ran a regular HDMI cable

For USB, we ran SuperSpeed USB 3.0 cables from the PC to the Keystone then another Superspeed USB 3.0  through the wall to the Keystone under the TV for the 2 sensors and headset USB.

I did the same for the USB cables in order to make everything look neat and not have wires and equipment constantly in the way.

So, for those looking to take advantage of the 6 week summer Oculus deal and need some ideas, I hope this article is able to help. I know many users have had a hard time with extending the length of their headset past the 12 feet and have tried many different ways unsuccessfully. I can assure you that this is this setup works 100% and that the HDMI cables make all of the difference. 

If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or just want to chat, please feel free to comment or send me an email. 

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Vacation Resort UniFi Installation - Large scale wi-fi network, Mesh network, and captive portal

Windsor Palms is a large vacation resort in the city of Kissimmee that is host to thousands of vacationers annually and consists of condominiums, townhomes, and single family homes. The full property is 120,000 square meters and the Clubhouse/Pool area where we deployed a Captive Portal using Unifi AC Mesh Pro AP’s measures at 3,750 square meters. Our company was contracted to design a large-scale network with very specific needs in mind for the condominiums and Clubhouse/Pool area. This was a two-part project, which after its completion, we have been approached for an expansion into the townhomes. This is an excellent indication that they are pleased with the quality of the products, our design, and reliability of the network.  

Condominium Units  

Windsor Palms management and the Condo Owners Association determined that they wanted each individual condo unit to have a dedicated access point with their own unique SSID and Password. Management also requested that they have the ability to change SSID’s and Passwords at the condo owners request. Designing this network and implementing it with a guarantee that they would receive the full functionality that they were requesting took some time and it certainly did not come without a few challenges along the way, but we were able to develop the perfect solution.  

Scope:

10 buildings (3 story buildings) – Management assigned a name to each building for their internal identification purposes

30 Condos per buildingEach building is divided into two separate addresses (ex: 2300 Butterfly Palm Way and 2302 Butterfly Palm Way is 1 building) with 15 units per side.

The first step was having internet brought to each building. To accomplish this, we had a local ISP bring fiber to each building. The local ISP provided a 500 Mbit synchronous connection with 16 static IP’s.

Prior to installation, we took a significant amount of time in planning the IP scheme, SSID scheme, passwords, and wire mapping. Documentation was essential for resort management to be able to access the controller and manage certain parts of the network such as password changes and HotSpot management. This request from the client did present a minor issue since, as a company, we manage many other sites on our UniFi controller that we clearly are unable to give them access to. As a result, we created a dedicated email address under our domain and created a separate account that still belongs to us, but allows them the capability to see their site only as opposed to our multiple sites.  

IP Scheme:  

We assigned the static IP as X.X.X.99 for the clubhouse, X.X.X.100 for bldg. 1, X.X.X.101, for building 2, and that external IP scheme continues throughout until building 10.

The internal IP scheme is a class B (172.x.x.x) and goes as follows:172.20.x.x = Building 1172.21.x.x = Building 2….and so on until building 10

The first 40 IP addresses were blocked out of the DHCP server for statically assigned hardwareSSID’s were created based off of the building number, street name, and condo unit. For example, 2300BPW#101, 2302 BPW#205 are some examples of the SSID’s. We used this SSID scheme for all 10 buildings. Passwords consist of a portion of the SSID and randomly generated characters. Excel spreadsheets were created for full documentation of Unit, SSID, Password, Port number, and patch panel number.

Hardware Used Per Building:

1 UniFi USG Router

2 Unifi 24 port PoE 250W switches. We used two 24 port switches instead of one 48 port for purposes of wire management.Because each of the 10 buildings are divided into two separate addresses, we used one switch for 2300 BPW and another for 2302 BPW.

1 UniFi Cloud Key

30 UniFi Ap's

Enclosed 6U rack with fan

Port Assignment:

The first 15 ports of each switch were used exclusively for individual unit AP’s and correspond to their unit number.

101 – Port 1

102 – Port 2

103 – Port 3

104 – Port 4

105 – Port 5

201 – Port 6…….and so on until you reach unit 305 at port 15

Port 24 was used to create the link between the switches

Port 23 on the lower switch is used as the uplink from the router

Port 23 on the upper switch is used for the Cloud Key

Port 22 is used for our local connection when directly connecting our laptop for local maintenance

When designing the network, we decided to color code our patch cables to differentiate between the device connections. This was done in the event that we needed to troubleshoot via remote and we needed someone onsite to disconnect a device, we could easily tell them what color patch cable to disconnect. For example:

Blue connects access points

Green links the two switches

Yellow connects from the demark to router

Black connects router to the switch

Orange connects the cloud key to the switch.

So, how were we able to obtain 30 separate SSID’s from a controller that technically only allows five? Well, that was a bit tricky but we figured it out. Here is how we did this:

We created 2 SSID’s in the controller. One consisted of the building name (Maleficent, Captain Hook, etc) and was the broadcasted (not hidden) SSID. The second one was a hidden SSID based on building number and street name. The purpose of this second SSID is for us (the network engineers) to have full access from anywhere in the building for maintenance purposes.

Within the controller, we clicked on each access point once it was adopted and under configurations gave it an alias (2300BPW#101) and under WLANS did an override of the broadcast SSID using the above-mentioned scheme.

Clubhouse, Pool Area, and Management Offices  

Client requirements: HotSpot/Captive Portal to cover the following areas

Pool & Jacuzzi

Bar

Gameroom

Theater

Sundry shop

Gym

Volleyball court

Tennis court

Wired management office and point of sale systems

Wired theater for streaming devices

Wired network shared printers

Wired Internet café

Wireless access points for management and employees

Hardware Used:

1 UniFi USG Router

2 Unifi 24 port PoE 250W switches We used two 24 port switches instead of one 48 port for purposes of differentiating between wired and wireless connections

1 UniFi Cloud Key

3 UniFi Ap’s (these AP’s are mainly for indoor use by management and employees)

3 UniFi AC Mesh Pro AP

Enclosed 6U rack with fan

Port Assignments:

Wireless switch handles the wireless AP’s and follows the same port scheme as the condos for the cloud key, router connection, and link between switches.

Wired switch consists of all management office computers, printers, point of sale in sundry shop and bar, and theater equipment. This switch also follows the same port scheme as the condos for the cloud key, router connection, and link between switches.

HotSpot For the hotspot, we used the built-in hotspot in the UniFi controller. The client wanted the capability for guests to purchase wi-fi by either using their credit card directly through their device or purchasing a voucher at the Sundry Store. To accomplish this, we had management create a Stripe account that we linked via an API and configured the Wi-Fi packages as requested by management. We designed a custom splash page with terms of service and configured it so once the customer is connected, it directs them to the Windsor Palms website. Mesh Network The requirement from the client was complete coverage of all the above-mentioned clubhouse areas. For this, we used the UniFi AC Mesh Pro AP devices for two primary reasons. The Mesh covers a large area with a small number of access pointsThe 2.4GHz and 5GHz ranges balances the load for connected devices in and around the clubhouse. During peak vacation season, the clubhouse/pool area sees approximately 100 guests at any given time. Future Expansion As a result of the success of the Condo and Clubhouse projects, the Townhome owners have vigorously expressed the desire to have the same services that the condo owners have. We have been approached to begin designing a network for the townhomes, which consist of 15 buildings and a total of 106 townhomes. For this project, we plan on using the outdoor UniFi AC Mesh Pro AP devices.

Full Video with Images, Heat Maps, and Drive Through Tour of the Facility

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NetCybersolutions, LLC becomes PakEdge dealers for Control4

Very exciting news! Net CyberSolutions, LLC keeps growing and we are now Pakedge dealers for Control4 systems. If you are A/V and/or Home Automation installers and need a company with over 25+ years of experience in designing solid, bulletproof networks that are guaranteed to work with your systems, please contact me at 407-670-9839 or 407-620-1768. A solid, strong, and flawless network is the essential backbone to any A/V and Home Automation System. Without that solid backbone, your system simply will not function properly, which just makes everyone, including the system brand look bad. Our job is to make sure that your company and the brand we represent maintains the excellent reputation it deserves. When it comes to Network Design, we are the Network Engineers you need on your team.

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Huawei Mate 9 Tips & Tricks

There is no question that the Huawei Mate 9 is full of interesting features that many other smartphones lack. It reminds me of a commercial that Samsung came out with a few years back when they released the Galaxy S3

Well, Huawei can definitely say that to these two phone giants because they have jam packed features into this phone that neither of them have been able to do.

Scrolling Screen Capture

Scrolling screen capture is able to be done with the Apple iPhone. However, it is NOT possible without the need of another app like Tailor that will put the pieces together for you. Sure, it doesn't seem that hard to do, but it is a bit tedious and unnecessary when other devices have the feature already built in. Samsung also has a scrolling screen capture capability built in,  but it involves multiple taps and fumbling around to make it work. Huawei has built in a very easy and seamless way with a simple knock and draw gesture:

Huawei has also implemented a method to take a simple screen shot of just a portion of your screen

Click each image to enlarge it

Huawei has also made it fairly simple to connect guests to your wi-fi network using a simple QR code. So, if you have a long and complicated password, connecting guests to your wifi is as simple as a click of a button.

As you've seen, I have been able to record all of these actions directly from my screen, and doing so is very, very simple.

Huawei has made it extremely simple to export data from your old phone to the Mate 9. HiSuite is their program that you would download from their website, which allows you to back up the data from your old phone to your computer. Or, if this is too tedious, you can always use Phone Clone. You can find this in the app store for both Android and iPhones. This app generates a QR code that you will scan and your data begins the transfer process. 

Huawei has also added a lot of interesting features to the Mate 9. Adding Watermarks that detail time, dates, locations, temperature, altitude, etc is just one interesting feature. 

Other Camera features of the Huawei Mate 9 include:

Time Lapse Mode

Slow Motion Recording

Wide Aperture Mode

Beauty Mode for selfies (provides smoother looking skin)

Perfect Selfie automatically applies custom beauty settings to your selfies

Light Painting Mode allows you to take shots of light trails with 4 mode options

Tail Light Trails - Trails of light made by cars at night

Light Graffiti - Trails of light in dark environments

Silky Water - Flowing Water

Star Track - Star trails in the sky

Smart Controller

Smart Controller features an infrared sensor that pairs with devices in your home to control them all from one local place. You can pair TV's, Set Top Boxes like your Apple TV or Roku, Air Conditioners, Network Devices, Cameras, and Projectors.

Hope you enjoyed these tips and tricks and I'll make sure to pass more along as I continue exploring the Mate 9. 

Please feel free to leave comments below.

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Move Over Apple & Samsung! The Huawei Mate 9 is Here and it's Quite the Serious Competitor.

Huawei has finally released the Mate 9 and without hesitation,  I had to immediately run to Best Buy and get my hands on this amazing phone. Let me say that I was previously an iPhone owner for many, many years since the iPhone 3G came out. After having the Apple 7 Plus for a month, I was bored and fed up with their rehashing of old technology and removal of things I NEED like a headphone jack. I sold my iPhone and bought a Samsung S7 Edge. Needless to say, that phone lasted a whole 60 days before I bought I got my hands on the Huawei Mate 9. I should also mention that when I bought my S7, I also bought the Samsung Gear watch. That went back to the store less than 12 hours later where I exchanged it for the Huawei Watch. That, by far, has been the best decision I ever made and why I decided to buy the Mate 9. The Huawei Watch is a stunning piece that makes full use of the large round screen, is extremely responsive, stunningly gorgeous, and gets compliments all of the time. People can't believe that they can get such an amazing smart (and I do mean smart) watch at such an affordable price. 

My Huawei Watch

Watch Features

Full Circle Face

Ergonomic Button

42mm Diameter

Always on Screen

Scratch Resistant Sapphire Crystal

High Definition 1.4" AMOLED Display

Cold-Forged 316L Stainless Steel Casing

Leather and Stainless steel straps

Theater Mode

300mAh

400X400 Screen

10,000:1 High Contrast Ratio

Bluetooth 4.1 BLE

WiFi

6-Axis Motion Sensor (Gyroscope + Accelerometer)

Heart Rate Sensor

Barometer

Vibration Motor

512 MB RAM and 4BG ROM

Huawei Watch Models starting at $299.22 for the Stainless Steel with Black Suture Leather Strap

Learn more about the models above at Huawei Watch

For ladies who want a more feminine and elegant look, Huawei has designed a more fashionable and sophisticated line that includes two models with Swarovski Zirconia

Ladies Huawei Watch Models

Learn more about the ladies design at Huawei Watch for Ladies

As I mentioned, having such a stellar experience with their watch, I decided that I would give their Mate 9 a go. AMAZING! The design and engineering on this phone is by far the best I have seen in any smart phone. I especially love the fingerprint reader on the back because it's what makes the most sense at least to me. When you grab a phone, your index finger is precisely where the reader is and it seems that Huawei had that exact thought in mind when they put their sensor on the back. The responsiveness of the fingerprint reader is instant.

  Oh my, the camera! Holy (something I can't say here)! The capabilities of the camera are out of this world. Let's face it, they have partnered with an industry leader in optics, lenses, and photography. I'm familiar with the Leica brand due to the scanners they design, which forensic investigators use to preserve crime scenes. With that said, I knew that the camera had to be rather spectacular, and indeed it is.

They have incorporated a second-generation Leica Dual Camera with a 12MP RGB sensor and 20MP monochrome sensor. This allows the cameras to work together to capture the absolute fine details of an image. The RGB sensors capture vivid colors while the monochrome picks the fine details, creating bright and crisp photos. You can make on screen adjustments prior to taking a picture by focusing on an object and then another circle on the screen allows you to focus the light elsewhere. Once your picture is taken, the editing capabilities are out of this world. Also, this has the capability to shoot in 4K.

These are just two pictures I took today. I'm still exploring all of the features of the phones camera

Camera Settings

Main Camera

20MP Monochrome

12MP RGB

F2.2

Optical Image Stabilization

BSI CMOS

Dual Tone Flash

PDAF+CAF+LASER+DEPTH Auto Focus

2x Hybrid Zoom

4K Video Recording

  Front Camera

8MP AF

F1.9

I can definitively say, that this is by far the most impressive smart phone I have had the pleasure of laying my hands on. Also, for someone like me, a business owner who is always out and about on projects, it's absolutely pointless to have a business line in my home office. Well.....wouldn't you know that you can have 2 sim cards in this? I was beyond excited because now I can completely separate my personal line from business line.

Dual Sim Support

Nano SIM+MicroSD slot and secondary card supporting WCDMA & GSM

In the sound settings, you can designate different ringtones for each SIM

 Now, if you're one of those who feels turned off by the 1080p display.....DON'T! The colors a vibrant, the images are sharp, and with the 5'9" FHD display you will not even notice the difference. For audiophiles, like my husband and I, this phone fully supports flac (file and decoding). This is a very big plus.

The Mate 9 also has a 4000mAh battery that under normal use can last up to 2 days. Granted, not the biggest in the market but the reason those others can do that is because they lack features that the better named brands have, including Huawei. Even when you look at these other brands such as Samsung, LG, Sony, Microsoft, etc. they come in at 3,000 mAh. The iPhone 7 Plus is rumored to have only 2,900mAh but good luck finding that on their page. The stats come from a MacRumors teardown of the phone. So, with this said, the Huawei Mate 9 definitely gives its competitors a run for its money.

Specifications

SIZE 

Height 6.17"

 Width 3.10"

Depth 0.31"

Weight 0.41 lbs

COLORS:

Space Gray

 Moonlight Silver

 Champagne Gold

 Mocha Brown

Ceramic White

(Space Gray and Moonlight Silver are most common colors to find. The others are pretty hard to come by)

DISPLAY

 5.9" FHD Display

1080p (1920x1080)

373ppi

CPU

HUAWEI Kirin 960

Octa-core CPU (4 x 2.4 GHz A73+ 4 x 1.8 GHz A53) + i6 co-processor

 Mali-G71 MP8

OS: 

Android™ 7.0

Memory

4GB RAM + 64GB ROM

Micro SD card slot

support up to 256GB (uses SIM 2 slot)

Connectivity

Wi-Fi 2.4G/5G, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac with Wi-Fi Direct support

BT4.2

support BLE

USB Type C (High Speed USB)

NFC

NFC Supported

Now, Huawei has done something with the Mate 9 that completely impressed me with the Huawei Watch, and that is their packaging. Now, I know...it's only packaging. However, it is very elegantly packaged giving you that high quality feel that the phone does actually have. Also, it appears to already have a screen protector in place, which is very nice, as I can never get those things on properly myself. Huawei has also included a Matte Case, which is nice because it protects the back of your phone without making it bulky. Overall, I think that the Huawei Mate 9 is by far one of the best quality phones I have owned. Paired with the Huawei Watch, it is absolutely perfect and exactly what I have been looking for in my quest for a smart phone and smartwatch that meets all of my needs and expectations.   

My Huawei Mate 9 and Huawei Watch

Now, let's talk price. The Huawei Mate 9 costs $599.99 at Best Buy for the Space Grat and Moonlight Silver. These phones come fully UNLOCKED but will only work with GSM carriers in the U.S like AT& T and T-Mobile.  I have only seen the other colors available on Amazon but they are International versions. The Mate 9 does have other versions such as the Mate 9 Pro that can run you a little over $850. It is quite similar to the S7 edge in design and so far I have only seen International versions of that as well. Huaweie went the distance and partnered with Porsche to create the Porsche Design Huawei Mate 9 Luxury Edition at $2,800 on Amazon for the Internationa version. This model has 6GB Ram and 256GB ROM with a 5.5" Curved AMOLED Display, which also resembles the S7 Edge.

These are images of the Mate 9 Pro and Mate 9 Porsche Design

You can find more information on the the Mate 9 Pro and Porsche Design by visiting the Huawei websites linked below:

Huawei Mate 9 Pro

Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design

Please feel free to leave questions or comments and I hope you enjoyed this review.

[techtalkpro-blog]

The Apple IIe - What a score!!

Today we scored a minty Apple IIe. I'll admit, when this came out, I was 7 years old so this machine made me feel like a bit of a dim bulb when I first turned it on.....as you'll clearly see. Oh, and don't mind my cat's appearance. New things are intriguing to him and he feels the need to be in the middle of it all.

Our plan for this machine is to add the following:

Microdrive Turbo - This is a floppy hard drive emulator that uses compactflash

Ramworks IIII kit - Allows you to install whopping 4Mb of RAM

Apple II VGA Scaler - Lets you connect a VGA monitor

We will continue to upload videos as the project goes on and show you our upgrades. Hope you enjoy!

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Nest and Alexa working together. #homeautomation #amazonalexa #smarthomes #smarthome #nest #nestthermostat #netcybersolutions #insteon #amazonecho #amazon #amazon (at Net CyberSolutions, LLC.)

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Alexa in action! #amazonecho #amazon #netcybersolutions #amazonalexa #smarthomes #smarthome #insteon #homeautomation (at Net CyberSolutions, LLC.)

[techtalkpro-blog]

Apple Event on September 7, 2016 SURVEY

The long anticipated Apple Event will be taking place on September 7, 2016. Apple plans to reveal several new models of their current products along with all new operating systems (iOS 10, MacOS Sierra, WatchOS 3, and Apple TVOS 10). Rumors of new iPad and MacBook reveals have been whispered here and there. However, in typical Apple fashion, we are sure that this event will focus mostly on the much talked about iPhone 7. There have been so many rumors surrounding the iPhone 7, with some saying that they love the new idea and some already jumping ship. Given all of the hype surrounding this event, I are interested in learning what my readers think and have to say.

Please take a moment to complete our quick 10 question survey. It should take no longer than 5 minutes and I promise that it will provide you with plenty of information as to what Apple has in store for the new iPhone 7 and iOS 10.

Also, stay tuned for an in depth article on September 7th following the event with all of the details on all of Apple's reveals.  

For a glimpse of the new iOS 10 Messages, please watch this video below:

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Apple, Inc. vs. The FBI: The Backdoor Controversy That Compromises Security to all iOS Users

On December 2nd 2015, the city of San Bernardino experienced terror like never before. Two individuals stormed into a Holiday event at the Inland Regional Center and opened fire with semi-automatic weapons. The perpetrators fled the scene in a black SUV but not before leaving behind an explosive device intended to detonate remotely and cause bodily harm to the emergency responders. Luckily, the device failed. Fourteen people were killed in the shooting and 24 others suffered non-fatal injuries resulting from the shooting. Rumors were immediately flying about who could have committed such a heinous act. Many speculated that this could have been workplace violence, where an employee had a grudge against the employer while others began suspecting terrorism as bits and pieces of information began to pour through the countless news media that provided non-stop reporting of the event. It wasn’t until much later that day that we began to learn of the identity of the perpetrators after police tracked down the black SUV and a shoot out ensued. After 5 minutes of gunfire, both perpetrators were killed. The shooters were 28-year-old Syed Rizwan Farook and 29-year-old Tashfeen Malik - a married couple with a six-month-old daughter. T was quickly determined that this was indeed a terrorist attack and that the couple was inspired to carry out these attacks by foreign terrorist organizations. Although the couple was not tied to any particular cell, ISIL referred to them as supporters. This shooting has led to massive searches and in depth investigation into the couple’s life. However, one significant controversy surrounding this investigation involves phone decryption.

An Apple iPhone 5C is at the center of this controversy and the battle lies between the U.S government, specifically the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Apple, Inc. However, the device itself is not really what is central to the case, but the operating system that is running on the phone in question. The operating system is iOS 9, which Apple takes great pride in its new security features. New iOS security features most concerning to the FBI include:

Default passcode is 6 digits with iOS 9, which increases the amount of possible combinations from 10,000 to 1,000,000 possible combinations. You have three options when setting up your code from a custom alphanumeric, custom numeric, or 4 digits. However, the default is the 6-digit code. A six digit alphanumeric code can take 5 1/2 years to crack.

Data reset after 10 failed passcode attempts.

After 5 failed attempts, the iPhone is disabled for a certain amount of minutes based on the number of failed attempts.

The FBI has reason to believe that the phone in question contains pertinent data related to the attacks, despite the fact that two destroyed phones belonging to the attackers were recovered in dumpsters behind their home. Investigators were able to access Farooq’s iCloud account and see that the last iCloud backup on his phone was October 19, 2015, leaving a gap of nearly six weeks that has the FBI scrambling for answers as to what communication and activities were conducted on that phone in that lapsed time. Authorities believe that Farooq turned off the automatic iCloud backup feature just a few weeks prior to the attack. However, the FBI ordered the county to reset the iCloud password, which has caused a new controversy as many state this was a huge mistake. Resetting the password prevents the iPhone from automatically backing up to the cloud. Although it is suspected that Farooq turned it off, it is not a certainty as there are several other reasons as to why the phone may have not backed up. Investigators are looking to gain access to his phone in order to gain insight into this attack as well as any other potential terrorists he may have been in contact with. Brute force passcode retrieval could essentially brick the iPhone 5c, causing the encryption keys necessary to access the data to erase and information to be destroyed forever. The FBI is also concerned about the time it would take to even attempt to recover the passcode due to the escalating time delays after entering incorrect passcodes. Currently, the time frames are as follows:

1-4 Attempts - None

5 Attempts - 1 Minute

6 Attempts - 5 Minutes

7-8 Attempts - 15 Minutes

9 Attempts - 1 Hour

10+ Attempts - Black Screen and Wiped Device

Although there is no way to tell by examining the exterior of the phone if the “erase all content” feature is turned on, the FBI feels certain that the feature is enabled. The iPhone 5c owner is the San Bernardino Department of Public Health, who issued the phone to Farooq as part of his employment with the department with the feature already enabled. Also, Farooq’s iCloud account showed that this feature was turned on. All of these security features built into Apple’s iOS have caused quite a burden for the government, causing them to seek assistance from Apple to decrypt the iPhone. However, this has not come without a great battle between Apple and the U.S. government.

On February 16, 2016, the United States filed a motion with the U.S District Court asking the court to compel Apple to assist them by providing the FBI with a custom signed iPhone software file, recovery bundle, or other software image file that can be loaded on the device in order to override built in security features. The primary functions of this file would be the following:

 1.     Bypass or disable the auto erased function

2.     Allow the FBI to submit passcodes electronically as opposed to entering them manually

3.     Disable the time delays between failed passcode attempts

The government relied on the All Writs Act in order to get this passed and cited previous cases as precedence. On the same day that a Federal Judge ordered Apple to build software that overrides these security features, Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, issued a public letter to all customers stating that Apple will oppose the order due to the implications this would cause, the precedent it would set, and the threat to privacy and data security. Cook further states that Apple has spent decades trying to build security measures such as the ones now provided in the new iOS and that asking their engineers to develop a new iOS that undoes all of this hard work is unacceptable, as it weakens security and safety for all users.

Apple has received some backlash over their stance, but Apple does indeed have supporters on their side, many who have grown distrustful of our government after Edward Snowden exposed NSA surveillance operations in 2013. Many, including Tim Cook, feel that if Apple is forced to create this software that would create a backdoor to users personal data, what would prevent the government from using this same software or precedent for future cases? Despite the FBI stating that the software would only be used on this device, the precedence would be set and the technology would exist and can potentially end up in the wrong hands. As it stands, when presented with a warrant, companies are compelled to provide plain text versions of data. However, such law does not exist for encrypted data. In 2010, the Obama administration began working on such a law that would force companies to provide unencrypted data. However, this work took a screeching halt in 2013 after Snowden released his information on the NSA. This has many people wondering if their obsession over a state department issued phone is truly what is important to the government or is this just a ploy to create this precedence, especially since Farook and Malik went out of their way to destroy two phones that they already recovered. Why would Farook use a business issued phone to conduct any terrorist activities and then not destroy that phone along with the others? Although sympathetic to the tragedy that occurred that day, I have to question the motives of our government.

Tim Cook’s stand against the FBI is not one that is taken lightly. What has been happening around the globe with regards to terrorist attacks is truly devastating. However, allowing the government to play loosey-goosey with people’s personal information has significant implications and dire consequences. Just as the U.S Government cited previous cases to win their case and ask the court to compel Apple to write new software, who is to say that this very case will not be used in the future to gain access to other data, compel a company to access a phones microphone feature to listen in on conversations, enable a camera on a phone, access real-time GPS tracking, among various other features that we, as users, feel are safe and inaccessible by anyone? In an age where almost everything is controlled electronically, this could set a very dangerous precedent and make many Americans feel uncomfortable as they go about their daily lives. With smart homes becoming ever more popular, this order could pave the way for governments to request to tap into home cameras, smart home hubs to control home devices, Bluetooth locks, Amazon Echo’s, etc. As our devices become “smarter” and more connected, encryption is key and is considered the number one goal of tech companies. Allowing the government to compel these companies to decrypt information and loosen their security measures puts everyone’s information and security at risk. As Tim Cook mentioned, the technology could end up in the wrong hands and who knows if the very people we are trying to protect this country from could one day use the technology Apple would be compelled to create against us.

 Tim Cook's Customer Letter

40 Page Motion to the Court

Motion Compelling Apple

[techtalkpro-blog]

U+ is live on Kickstarter and the BWA team has made two new additions to its campaign.

Earlier this month, I reported on the U+; a portable, convenient, and wireless storage device packing an impressive amount of features in an easy to carry package. The team at BWA received an impressive welcome to it's Kickstarter campaign, but several questioned its storage capacity and expressed a desire to see options for greater storage.

As I described in my previous article, U+: The Perfect All-In-One Storage Solution in One Small and Compact Device, U+ is a device that allows you to store, access, and stream video, music, photos, and files wirelessly without the need to use data or plug anything in to your computer. U+ allows up to 5 people to simultaneously stream any content stored on the device from their smartphone, tablet, computer, or laptop via its dedicated app. U+ also has the capability to sync with media files in iTunes.

The BWA team has listened to their customers and I am thrilled to say, U+ is now being offered with 4 storage options: 16G, 32G, 64G, and 128G. The news came less than a week after release and already many have upgraded their pledge to the buffed up storage options. This upgrade in storage comes along with many other robust features and design:

iOS & Android App

Selfie Button Shutter

20 hours of standby

weighs 4.6 ounces

Qualcomm CPU

Samsung RAM

High Speed Flash Memory

Support for the following file formats

Image: JPG, JPEG, BMP, GIF

Music: MP3, WMA, WAV, ACC< FLAC

Video: MP4, MOV, AVI, RM, RMVB, 3GP, MKV, FLV, F4V, WMV

File: DOC, DOCX, LS, XLSX, PPT, PPTX, PDF, TXT

Pricing is a follows:

$59 - Earliest Bird 16G

$69 - Earliest Bird 32G

$89 - Earliest Bird 64G

$119 - Earliest Bird 128G

$113 - Earliest Bird Double Pack 16G

$133 - Earliest Bird Double Pack 32G

$123 - Earliest Bird Double Pack Mix 16G & 32G

$69 - Early Bird 16G

$79 - Early Bird 32G

$99 - Early Bird 64G

$129 - Early Bird 128G

$133 - Early Bird Double Pack 16G

$153 - Early Bird Double Pack 32G

$143 - Early Bird Double Pack Mix 16G & 32G

   As of this article, U+ has reached $19,163  of their $30,000 goal with 39 days to go. You can support and purchase your U+ at their Kickstarter Page. U+ is scheduled to go into mass production November of 2015 and is scheduled to ship in December of 2015.

[techtalkpro-blog]

SafeTrek: The Must Have Safety App that's With You Everywhere You Go

PAY ATTENTION EVERYONE. THIS APP COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE!

Now that I have your attention, not long ago I read about this neat little app that can truly make the difference between life and death.  

Being a female and often finding myself caught at night on my own (gym, groceries, late night at work, etc) and having a teen daughter as well, I decided to download the app and test it out. Let me just mention, I do not suggest downloading the app and playing around with it to make sure it works. I can say, take my word for it...it works and it works QUICKLY, ACCURATELY, and WITHOUT FAIL. Just know, I have the calls and images to prove it. 

SafeTrek is a personal safety app that provides safety and security to its users by ensuring that 911 is called in the event of an emergency. What I LOVE about this app is that when I first heard of it, I thought to myself "Oh, this is perfect for college students walking through campus alone" Knowing this experience first-hand all too well, it can get scary walking from one end of the campus at night to your car all by yourself. Upon further exploring the app, I learned that it was designed BY college students FOR college students. However, it is great to see that this app can be used by anyone. This is designed with nothing but safety in mind and ensuring security for all users. As we already know, this is the perfect app for college kids, kids walking home from school, women walking to their car alone at night,  people traveling to unfamiliar areas, people lost in a sketchy part of town (been there, done that), or anyone required to enter unfamiliar homes such as real estate agents, in home therapist (as a previous one myself, I know what this is like), sales agents, etc. This is a perfect app for people who work night shifts such as nurses, doctors, bartenders, waitresses......literally ANYONE. And, as you can tell, I would have found this app handy plenty of times in my past and I find it handy even now. I will say this, first thing I did was download it on my daughter's phone. My recommendation would be to have it on your iPhone dock for easy access.

This app has a simple straight-forward design that makes it incredibly easy to use in the most stressful of situations. I will say this again: My recommendation would be to have it on your iPhone dock for easy access. The moment you launch it all you have to do is put your finger on the big blue button until you are either safe and able to enter your 4 digit pin code or you are in an emergency situation. If you are safe, simply enter the 4 digit pin before the 10 seconds and the button returns to blue. In emergency situations, remove your finger and DO NOT enter your pin code. SafeTrek will be notified immediately and 911 will be contacted and informed of your location. You will receive a text from SafeTrek once alerted asking of your emergency. If you are able to respond, great. If not, police will be sent to your location. If you enter your pin during that time, you will receive a text notifying you that they acknowledge you entered your pin and are glad that you are OK. I warn you again, this does not stop local police from calling you, as you can see.

And this is how I know:

SafeTrek works anywhere in the United States and can be found for both Android and iOS.

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[techtalkpro-blog]

U+: The Perfect All-In-One Storage Solution in One Small and Compact Device

Ladies and gents, we have anther promising device launching on Kickstarter October 6th, 2015. To prove that great things do come in small packages, let me introduce you to the U+ All-in-One Storage Device. This little device, about the size of an iPhone 6, promises to deliver on storage, streaming, portability, and accessibility with many great features. 

U+ is an all-in-one wireless storage device, serving as a multimedia center, seamless backup storage, external charger, and more! Everything is integrated and accessible through an easy to use app. What I like most about this device is the size, portability, and the fact that it is COMPLETELY WIRELESS. The U+ allows up to 20 hours of continuous working time. What does this mean? At least for someone like me, saner and more peaceful road trips with kids! 

The U+ supports up to 5 users watching any movie or any other content at the same time; everyone gets to watch, listen to, or access any content they like without the constraints of being forced to watch or do what someone else wants. Best of all, no external data is needed, as this is all controlled by an app via direct wi-fi (device to device connection). The U+ supports MP4, MOV, AVI, RMBV, and MKV video play with built in 1080P high definition video decoder.  

Some of the product features that were provided to me by the U+ team are the following:

Fully wireless and controlled by an app via direct wi-fi

No external data needed

Up to 20 hours of continuous working time

Supports MP4, MOV, AVI, RMVB, MKV, etc. mainstream video play

Built-in 1080P high definition video decoder to ensure smooth video playing

Supports up to 5 users watching any movie or accessing any content stored on the U+

Watch movies, listen to music, and access to files all at your fingertips, making this a great all in one travel companion for business professionals. 

Unique power docking station with 4000mAH that can also charge your devices whenever they are low on power. 

Instantly transfer files between U+ and your devices

Take selfies at ease with the easy to use selfie button

Low battery reminder

Customized naming of photos for easy access

2 capacity options: 16G and 32G

Components of the U+ include Qualcomm CPU and WIFI, Samsung DDRII, high speed Universal Flash Storage for high performance. 

I had a few questions for the U+ team that I am sure many of you are wondering yourselves. I have to say, the team was quick to respond, so pleasant to speak with, and provided me with all the information I needed in order to pass along to my readers. 

First, transfer of information: There are two ways to transfer data to the U+ device. 

You can plug in the USB as you would any storage device to your computer and move/copy the files from your computer directly to the USB

This is where the wireless part comes in and is very handy - The USB is also wireless. You can connect to the device and upload/download directly without the need to plug into a computer. You are able to transmit data back and forth. 

Currently, the plan is to offer two storage capacities, 16G and 32G. I wondered if there were capabilities to expand or any future plans to offer additional storage options. The team at U+ certainly understands the need for more storage capacity and hopes to be able to expand in the future. Dependent on how well their Kickstarter campaign goes, this could be a stretch goal.

Finally, what everyone wants to know - Price. The team at U+ have shared that the MSRP is above $100. How much exactly, I can not say. However, early adopters are ensured up to 50% off MSRP. It is my understanding that exact numbers are still being determined but I have been informed that early adopters  and those supporting the Kickstarter project will be receiving a large discount. 

So, to get in on the early adopter discount, visit http://uplus.leapgadget.com and sign up to receive 50% off MSRP when U+ goes live on Kickstarter

My take on the U+: I can see this being a VERY practical device. Personally, I can see myself using this on road trips and at hotels on vacation to watch shows and movies, business presentations, school presentations, etc. It's small enough to where I can easily slip into my backpack, briefcase, or even my purse. Most of all, I can see this as a storage device for music and videos so that my 16 year old doesn't chew up my data with his constant streaming. Yes....this actually happens EVERY MONTH! And, no...there is never enough room on his phone due to endless pictures and videos. Teenagers!

Remember, the Kickstarter Campaign launches October 6th, 2015. For information and updates on the U+, please subscribe below and follow me on Facebook and Twitter. The team at U+ will be providing me with updates that I can pass along to you. Also, please make sure to register at http://uplus.leapgadget.com for your 50% discount. You can also follow the team on their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/leapgadget?ref=hl for updates.