Random Tech thread.

Texas Ace

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The Roku doesn't have browser capabilities. Just apps. I have one, and I like it. But, to be able to cast a browser to your TV, Chromecast is the best I have seen. But, again, I haven't messed with Apple TV.
Chromecast it is then.

Yea, I don't need a browser per se, just the abiility to project a browser from my device onto the screen, and it looks like Chromecast lets you do that, so I'm set.

35 bucks for that is a pretty sweet deal.
 

Jiggyfly

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Chromecast it is then.

Yea, I don't need a browser per se, just the abiility to project a browser from my device onto the screen, and it looks like Chromecast lets you do that, so I'm set.

35 bucks for that is a pretty sweet deal.
You did not answer the relevant question.

DID YOU WANT A BROWSER OR NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!:panic
 

Jiggyfly

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Amazon just made a $50 tablet and you can buy a six pack

By Heather Kelly @heatherkelly
Amazon Fire six pack
The new 7-inch Amazon Fire is cheap $50 tablet. It's available in a six pack.

You never know when you'll need a tablet, so you might as well stock up.
Good news: Amazon has made a $50, 7-inch Fire tablet. The bottom-of-the-line device is so inexpensive, Amazon is even selling it in six packs. Get six tablets for the price of five ($250).

Stash a couple in the car, one in the bathroom, and one by the bed as an alarm clock. Stick one on the fridge for recipes, hang one on the wall for photos, and keep a stack by the door for trick or treaters.

There are many dirt cheap Android tablets on the market, but Amazon (AMZN, Tech30) claims its little Fire tablet is solidly made. It has a 1.3 GHz processor, a front and back camera, 8GB of storage, plus an SD card slot if you need more space. The key to the price is a cheaper but high-quality IPS display.

The company announced the new tablet along with an updated line of Fire TV devices and larger tablets on Thursday.
There's a new $100 Fire TV set-top box with support for 4K video, and a new version of $50 Amazon's Fire TV Stick. Both come with a remote. The "voice search" button on the remote accesses Alexa, Amazon's version of the Siri smart assistant.

Amazon Fire TVs
Amazon's newest line-up of Fire TV products now work with the Alexa voice assistant.
Just like on the new Apple TV, you can now speak commands to your Fire TV, even older versions. Tell it to "Show movies staring Helen Slater" or ask for weather and traffic information. (Sadly, you cannot control your Fire TV using Alexa on the Echo yet.) Both TV devices have third-party games and the usual streaming apps. There's even an optional gaming edition of the Fire TV that comes with an Amazon game controller.

Amazon's new tablets include a $150 8-inch Fire HD, a $230 10-inch Fire HD, and a $100 Kids Edition tablet. Amazon says they're built to be durable, especially the kids version. It comes with a colorful bumper case and a no-questions-asked 2-year replacement guarantee if your child manages to destroy it.

All the new tablets run Fire OS 5, the newest version of Amazon's Fire operating system. In addition to design and performance improvements, OS 5 includes a very odd new feature called Word Runner. The speed reading tool shows one word at a time on your screen. Supposedly it helps you read faster and improves reading comprehension.

Amazon approaches its hardware pricing in a unique way. Its products are designed to be margin-neutral, meaning Amazon doesn't make a profit of the sale of the devices themselves. Instead it makes money down the line when customers use tablets or TVs to buy Amazon content, apps, or physical products through Amazon's store.

That business plan is obvious as soon as you use an Amazon device. Each screen seems filled with recommendations of other Amazon content for you to buy or rent.

But before you complain, remember that you're viewing those recommendations on a $50 tablet strapped to your bike's handlebars.
 

Jiggyfly

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Google's new OnHub router is beautifully simple

By Heather Kelly @heatherkelly


Everybody puts router in a corner.
It's not just because Wi-Fi routers are unattractive (though most are). We hide them away because where there's a router there's also a nest of cords and aggressively blinking lights.


Inside Google's new OnHub router.
Unfortunately, Wi-Fi networks are strongest when routers are visible. The antennas can reach farther when they're out in the open, not blocked by walls or furniture. Moving a router is one of the most effective things you can do to improve your Wi-Fi coverage.

To solve the the ugly router problem, Google (GOOG) has, rather unexpectedly, designed its own router. The Google OnHub is a $199 router that's easy on the eyes and even easier to set up. The company says the OnHub will simplify the set-up and day-to-day management of a wireless network.

I tested one out at home, pitting it against my existing router, an Apple (AAPL, Tech30) Airport Extreme (which is also pretty good looking, for a router). Speed tests showed the OnHub was a bit faster than the Airport connection (a difference of about 6 megabits per second). OnHub did even better at long distances, up to three rooms away. Overall the difference in network performance wasn't too huge, at least in this limited face-off.

The OnHub is a squat cylindrical device. Outside is a swappable plastic shell that comes in two colors, black and blue. Google says there will be more color options in the future. It looks non-threatening -- almost cool -- and bears more than a passing resemblance to the Amazon Echo.

Yes, the OnHub is attractive enough to leave laying around the house. Unfortunately, it can't do much about the power and Ethernet cords, which discretely slip out the back under the shell. Google did tone down the lights so that the router only glows when it needs to tell you something, and you can adjust their brightness.

What really sets the OnHub apart is its app. Wireless networks are a marvel of modern technology -- you can stream TV shows in the bath! -- but they can also be also messy, temperamental and confusing.
The OnHub app does a good job of using plain language and simplified design to help you identify problems and monitor your network.

You can only set up and control the router using the companion iOS or Android mobile app. There is no desktop or web option. The app walks you through the set up process with illustrations and clear instructions.

It displays how many devices are attached to the network, including how much data each is using. If you want to play favorites, you can set the router to prioritize Wi-Fi for a specific device for one, two, or four hours. Most helpfully, if there's a problem, it helps find out where exactly things are going wonky and suggests fixes.

The app makes it easy to share your network. Instead of pointing houseguests to a piece of paper with your 12-character alpha numeric password scribbled on it, you can share the network name and password directly from the app.
You can even manage an OnHub remotely. Anyone with elderly family members will appreciate the ability to troubleshoot their Internet connections from anywhere.

The OnHub is a Google product, designed by a mix of in-house and external teams. But it's made by a third party -- in this case, TP-LINK. Soon other companies will come out with their own OnHub routers, including ASUS. This is similar to how the company approaches other hardware, including the Chromebook and Nexus smartphones.

For now, the OnHub is just a nice upgrade for a home Wi-Fi network. But there are dormant features that could turn it into much more. It's primed to become a hub for all the connected devices in your home.

It has Bluetooth and ZigBee build-in, though they're not currently enabled. There is no mention of a microphone (sorry Google Now fans), but it does have a 3 watt speaker. Updates happen automatically, so Google could push out any improvements easily.

If Google decided to unleash all the OnHub's powers, it would be much more than a pretty face. And far more likely to score a spot in my living room.
 

Jiggyfly

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How Apple TV Stacks Up: A Rundown of Streaming Devices
By BRIAN X. CHEN OCT. 28, 2015

Just in time for the holiday shopping season, Apple, Amazon, Roku and Google have introduced new video streaming devices. They all have features in common — namely, access to popular video streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and HBO. But there are a few characteristics that make each stand apart, like their prices, remote controls or the ability to stream video content for high-end 4K television sets.

After testing all the devices, the Apple TV stood out as the most compelling – albeit priciest – of the pack. But it’s not the best for everyone, so to make picking one easy for you, we assessed the pros and cons of each device.

​BEST ALL-AROUND STREAMER
Apple TV
PRICE: $149 (32GB); $199 (64GB)
BEST FOR: Cordcutters, especially Apple customers, who want a solid general purpose device for TV, apps and gaming.

SPECIAL FEATURES: A beautiful user interface; access to third-party apps and games through Apple’s App Store; voice-powered controls with Siri; a comfortable remote control with a touch pad and motion sensors for gaming; Bluetooth support for third-party accessories like game controllers; ability to stream Apple Music.

DOWNSIDES: Can’t download unapproved third-party apps outside Apple’s App Store; can’t yet access Amazon’s catalog of streaming content; can’t stream Ultra-HD 4K content.



BEST BET FOR ULTRA HD
Roku TV
PRICE: $130

BEST FOR: Early adopters of fancy ultra-HD televisions (or those who plan to buy one very soon).

SPECIAL FEATURES: Access to third-party apps and games through Roku’s app store; ability to receive recommendations for programming to watch based on TV shows or actors that you tag; ability to stream some 4K high-definition programming from Netflix, Amazon, Vudu and others; comfortable remote control.

DOWNSIDES: At 6.5 inches wide, set-top box is large and unattractive.



​GOOD DEAL FOR AMAZON CUSTOMERS
Amazon Fire TV
PRICE: $100

BEST FOR: Amazon Prime customers; owners of 4K (Ultra-HD) televisions.

SPECIAL FEATURES: Easy access to streaming content for Amazon customers, including free content offered through Amazon Prime; voice-powered search capabilities; ability to stream 4K high-definition programming; access to third-party apps and games through Amazon’s app store as well as unauthorized Android TV apps.

DOWNSIDES: User interface is confusing and inelegant; difficult to access Android apps that are installed from outside of Amazon’s app store; remote control feels cheap and uncomfortable; third-party apps and games are not compelling.


​COMPACT DEVICE FOR A LOW PRICE
Google Chromecast
PRICE: $35

BEST FOR: People who are on a tight budget, or those who travel often and want to stream their own content to a hotel television; Android users.

SPECIAL FEATURES: Compact, portable device that can fit in a travel bag pocket; streams content from your smartphone (iPhone or Android), or computer (Macs, Windows PCs and Chromebooks); as cheap as a Blu-ray movie.

DOWNSIDES: No physical remote control; pulling content from a smartphone is not as fast or reliable as running a streaming app directly on a device.
 

Jiggyfly

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Lease a Smartphone or Buy It? The Pros and Cons
OCT. 21, 2015

Credit Minh Uong/The New York Times

Tech Fix
By BRIAN X. CHEN


FOR at least $600 a handset, popular smartphones like Apple’s iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy are expensive. So why not lease one for a low monthly rate, and while you’re at it, get a new phone every year?


That’s the sales pitch that wireless carriers and others are using to lure people into trying a phone plan known as an “early upgrade plan,” under which consumers can buy devices more often than every two years. The plans are in vogue right now since Apple followed carriers like AT&T and Verizon Wireless by offering its own annual upgrade plan for the iPhone in September.

The idea underlying early upgrade plans is simple: You lease a smartphone, and after a certain amount of time — say, one year — you trade in your current device and start a lease for a brand-new phone.



What Pricing Plan to Get for an iPhone 6SEPT. 2, 2015
Tech Fix: Choosing the Best Smartphone Plan for YouSEPT. 2, 2015
We decided to do the math to take a closer look at the pros and cons of the early upgrade plans. We found that if you upgrade every year, you pay more over time than if you paid off a device and held on to it longer.

But we also found that the extra costs of leasing are reasonably low, making early upgrades ideal for tech-loving consumers with disposable income. The plans can also be beneficial even if you don’t intend to trade up to a new device every year but want to reserve that option — in other words, you can take advantage of these plans just for flexibility.

“There is nothing forcing you to go for an early upgrade,” said Toni Toikka, the chief executive of Alekstra, a company that analyzes phone bills and helped The New York Times with the calculations. ”They are a good thing, if you understand them correctly.”

How Early Upgrade Works

In the past, smartphones plans worked like this: You would pay a one-time down payment for a phone and sign a two-year contract, which included the costs of wireless service combined with the remaining cost of the device. People would typically have to wait two years to pay off the rest of the phone before earning the privilege of getting another device at a subsidized rate.


Now the wireless industry has shifted toward so-called equipment installment plans, which state the phone’s actual cost and let you spread out the payments over monthly installments. Many of these plans have built in an option for an early upgrade, so people can hand in their phone early and start a payment plan for the next device. Apple, AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and Sprint each offer slight variations in early upgrade plans.

To do the math on the plans, we decided to use a 64GB iPhone 6s as a base example and add up the costs of leasing the phone over a year.

Under Apple’s iPhone program, which includes coverage from its device insurance program, AppleCare Plus, you would pay $36.58 a month for a new 64GB iPhone 6s. Over the course of one year, that’s $438.96 to lease the phone.

For AT&T’s annual upgrade plan, called Next 12, you would pay $37.50 a month for 12 months before getting the option to trade in for the next iPhone. The total over a year is $450.

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Verizon’s early upgrade plan totals $374.88 in leasing cost over a year, while Sprint’s iPhone Forever program’s total cost for a year before an upgrade added up to $321.24. With T-Mobile’s early upgrade plan, you make a down payment of $99.99 for the 64GB iPhone, and pay $27.09 a month for a year before being able to upgrade, with the cost over the year coming to $425.07.

So how do those early upgrade plans for a 64GB iPhone, which we now know cost from $321 to $450 a year, compare to owning a device before buying a new one?

If you were to fully purchase a $750 iPhone and use it at least two years, that would amount to $375 a year. But you also have to consider that after you have paid off a phone, you can sell it.

For example, if you bought an iPhone 6s for $750, in two years you could probably sell it for about $175, reducing the overall cost of ownership to $575, or $287.50 a year; after you’re done paying for the device, the equipment cost is removed from your phone bill. That makes owning a device outright cheaper than the leasing plans.

Who Are the Plans Good For?

If owning a device fully costs less, that raises the question of who these early upgrade plans are suited for. Our conclusion: The plans can be good for those seeking the freedom to upgrade, as long as you have leased the phone for a certain amount of time or paid it off entirely. In the past, you would typically have had to wait two years or pay a stiff fee to upgrade early.

An important point in all of the early-upgrade plans is that you are not forced to keep leasing new phones every year. If you are happy with your current phone, you can keep it until you have fully paid it off, at which point you own it; you pay nothing extra to do so.

Let’s say, for example, you subscribed to AT&T’s Next 12 annual upgrade program. This program gives you up to 20 months to pay off the phone and own it. So let’s imagine that in 12 months, an iPhone 7 comes out and you are not excited about it. You can just continue paying your lease for eight more months until you own your phone.

By the time the 2017 iPhone comes out, you can sell your current iPhone and start a new lease for the brand-new phone. In this situation, you had the option to upgrade early, but you ended up waiting two years before upgrading and paid no premium.

Buying Advice

So which early upgrade plan should you choose? First check the coverage maps for each phone carrier to see if the network is good where you live. Then decide by price.

T-Mobile and Sprint offer the cheapest leasing plans, so if their networks near you are strong, go for one of those. If not, consider leasing through AT&T or Verizon. Note that Apple’s upgrade plan, which includes insurance, is cheaper than AT&T’s without insurance, and just slightly more expensive than Verizon’s leasing option without insurance. If you are an accident-prone iPhone owner, Apple’s early upgrade plan with baked-in device insurance offers great value.

It remains unclear whether many consumers will want to upgrade every year. Data from multiple research firms suggests that consumers on average still wait at least two years to upgrade to new smartphones. Piper Jaffray, the investment firm, estimates that only 10 percent of iPhone owners are annual upgraders, though it expects that number to grow to 75 percent by the end of 2018.

It’s no wonder annual upgraders are a small group: As this column illustrates, early upgrade plans can be confusing and, in some ways, intimidating.

As far as upgrades go, I’m an advocate for cherishing items for as long as possible. After testing the iPhone 6s for a few weeks and switching back to my iPhone 6, I am still just as satisfied with the older device.

“Why do we constantly need new things?” said Kyle Wiens, the chief executive of iFixit, a company that sells parts for people to repair products. “Why can’t we be happy with what we have?”
 

Jiggyfly

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Choosing the Right Wi-Fi Router for You


Picking a Wi-Fi router is difficult because you can't judge a router by reading its box. Consumers can't assume every new router is better than an old one: A solid old router could give a better signal at a longer range than a cheap, brand-new router, for instance.

Splurging on a fancy new router isn’t the wisest solution, either. You may pay too much for something that is overkill for your needs; by the time you upgrade all your gadgets to be up to speed with your new router, you could buy something even better for cheaper.

To make picking a router easier, The Wirecutter tested dozens of the devices for hundreds of hours and chose a handful for different living situations and budgets.


Putting Mobile Ad Blockers to the Test



BEST ROUTER FOR MOST PEOPLE
TP-Link Archer C7
Fast, long-range, no-frills router
PRICE: $100

BEST FOR: Most people. The Archer C7 is a fast 802.11ac router with incredible range. It's better than many routers that are twice as expensive.

SPECIAL FEATURES: Price. The Archer C7 has an unbeatable price-performance ratio. Faster routers exist, but you’ll be spending more than it's worth for the slight speed increase.

WHAT YOU DON'T GET: A simple interface and useful features found in more expensive routers. It also does not have USB 3.0, an iTunes server, quality-of-service settings, remote access and a VPN server.


SIMPLEST SETUP FOR APPLE HOUSEHOLDS
Apple AirPort Extreme
A great router for Apple fans, not so great for everyone else
PRICE: $199

BEST FOR: Apple households. If the majority of your devices start with “i” or “Mac” and you value ease of use over everything else, the AirPort Extreme is a great choice.

SPECIAL FEATURES: AirPort Utility makes router setup and management super easy on Apple devices. Other features include Time Machine backups via USB 2.0 port, easy integration into an existing Apple network as a Wi-Fi extender and remote USB drive access via “Back to my Mac.” Prettier than most routers.

WHAT YOU DON'T GET: Performance that justifies the price. It does not have audio port for AirPlay streaming to speakers, a decent management app for Windows, parental controls and remote router management, and it has only three Ethernet LAN ports (most routers have four).


Credit Netgear
THE COMPLETE PACKAGE
Netgear R6400
Great speed and range with a better user interface
PRICE: $150

BEST FOR: People who want a router that can also be used as a media server or virtual private network server or people who want something easier to use than the Archer C7 but just as fast.

SPECIAL FEATURES: This has great performance at long range. It also has Time Machine and ReadyShare backups, iTunes streaming, USB 3.0, parental controls, OpenVPN server for securing your public Wi-Fi browsing, remote access to connected storage and an access point mode for extending your existing wireless network.

WHAT YOU DON'T GET: The ability to also use the router as a Wi-Fi extender or repeater. The setup is more complex than for an Apple AirPort Extreme.


INEXPENSIVE ALTERNATIVE FOR TINY SPACES
TP-Link TL-WDR3600
High speeds on a tight budget
PRICE: $60

BEST FOR: People with one- or two-bedroom apartments or small homes who need just a simple wireless connection for their devices.

SPECIAL FEATURES: Decent last-generation 802.11n performance for a low cost. It also has four gigabit Ethernet ports; two USB 2.0 ports for file or printer sharing, built-in DLNA server for media streaming and guest Wi-Fi networks.

WHAT YOU DON'T GET: There is no simple user interface, support for wireless-ac speeds, user-friendly parental controls, USB 3.0 ports, quality-of-service settings, iTunes server.


THE UNCARRIER’S HIDDEN GEM
T-Mobile Personal Cellspot
For T-Mobile subscribers, an excellent router for a low cost
PRICE: A deposit of up to $25

BEST FOR: T-Mobile subscribers, who can get this router from a T-Mobile store for anywhere from nothing to a $25 deposit. (Call ahead to check availability.)

SPECIAL FEATURES: It’s a modified version of an Asus RT-AC68U, a high-end 802.11ac router that doesn't quite have the long-range performance of the Archer C7 but has an easier-to-use interface and better features, like a VPN server and the ability to act as a wireless extender. At its full price ($180), the RT-AC68U isn't a great deal, but for under $25, it's astonishingly good.

WHAT YOU DON'T GET: A free router forever. If you leave T-Mobile, you’ll have to pay the carrier $99 or return the router (still a great deal).
 

junk

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Amazon just made a $50 tablet and you can buy a six pack

By Heather Kelly @heatherkelly
Amazon Fire six pack
The new 7-inch Amazon Fire is cheap $50 tablet. It's available in a six pack.

You never know when you'll need a tablet, so you might as well stock up.
Good news: Amazon has made a $50, 7-inch Fire tablet. The bottom-of-the-line device is so inexpensive, Amazon is even selling it in six packs. Get six tablets for the price of five ($250).

Stash a couple in the car, one in the bathroom, and one by the bed as an alarm clock. Stick one on the fridge for recipes, hang one on the wall for photos, and keep a stack by the door for trick or treaters.

There are many dirt cheap Android tablets on the market, but Amazon (AMZN, Tech30) claims its little Fire tablet is solidly made. It has a 1.3 GHz processor, a front and back camera, 8GB of storage, plus an SD card slot if you need more space. The key to the price is a cheaper but high-quality IPS display.

The company announced the new tablet along with an updated line of Fire TV devices and larger tablets on Thursday.
There's a new $100 Fire TV set-top box with support for 4K video, and a new version of $50 Amazon's Fire TV Stick. Both come with a remote. The "voice search" button on the remote accesses Alexa, Amazon's version of the Siri smart assistant.

Amazon Fire TVs
Amazon's newest line-up of Fire TV products now work with the Alexa voice assistant.
Just like on the new Apple TV, you can now speak commands to your Fire TV, even older versions. Tell it to "Show movies staring Helen Slater" or ask for weather and traffic information. (Sadly, you cannot control your Fire TV using Alexa on the Echo yet.) Both TV devices have third-party games and the usual streaming apps. There's even an optional gaming edition of the Fire TV that comes with an Amazon game controller.

Amazon's new tablets include a $150 8-inch Fire HD, a $230 10-inch Fire HD, and a $100 Kids Edition tablet. Amazon says they're built to be durable, especially the kids version. It comes with a colorful bumper case and a no-questions-asked 2-year replacement guarantee if your child manages to destroy it.

All the new tablets run Fire OS 5, the newest version of Amazon's Fire operating system. In addition to design and performance improvements, OS 5 includes a very odd new feature called Word Runner. The speed reading tool shows one word at a time on your screen. Supposedly it helps you read faster and improves reading comprehension.

Amazon approaches its hardware pricing in a unique way. Its products are designed to be margin-neutral, meaning Amazon doesn't make a profit of the sale of the devices themselves. Instead it makes money down the line when customers use tablets or TVs to buy Amazon content, apps, or physical products through Amazon's store.

That business plan is obvious as soon as you use an Amazon device. Each screen seems filled with recommendations of other Amazon content for you to buy or rent.

But before you complain, remember that you're viewing those recommendations on a $50 tablet strapped to your bike's handlebars.
I got one of the $50 Amazon tablets. Pretty good for the price especially if you have Prime and want to download movies/shows to watch on the go.
 

Jiggyfly

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An iPhone-Charging Wallet Could Be the Best Backup Battery Ever
There's only one question: How does it feel to sit on?
By Eric Limer
Nov 3, 2015 @ 4:45 PM
New TechnologyBest New Gadgets In 2015




​No matter how well you take care of your phone, it's going to happen. One night you'll forget to charge, or you'll wind up out too late and suddenly, battery crisis time. It's a hassle to care a just-in-case backup battery, but maybe it doesn't have to be. The Nomad Wallet puts one right in your back pocket.

It's a very simple design. The Nomad Wallet is just a normal wallet with a small battery and integrated Lightning cable in its spine. With a 2,400 mAh capacity, the Nomad packs a little bit less charge than what you might find in a lipstick-style backup battery, but there's still enough juice to save your bacon in an emergency. The smaller size is forgivable—a feature, even—when you think about how much more often you'll be sitting on this battery than charging with it.

And when it comes to design, the Nomad sure looks pretty sleek, even slimmer than your average trifold, so it doesn't seem too bad to sit on. Not to mention if you are a wallet-in-front sort of person—gotta save your spine—that's not even an issue.


There are a few apparent downsides. The Nomad is a little pricey at $80 for a preorder or $100 retail. That's more than I paid for my wallet and two backup batteries combined. And don't expect the battery to last forever like a good wallet might; every lithium-ion battery has an expiration date. Oh and don't forget to charge your wallet. Last but not least, it only comes in an iPhone friendly flavor, so Android fans are out of luck for now.

All that said, having battery backup on hand at all times sounds like a dream come true, and if I can't always get an all-day battery on my phone, I'd settle for keeping a backup in my wallet.


The Nomad is available for preorder now at a price of $80, and will hit Best Buy for $100 on November 15th.
 

Jiggyfly

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The Solar-Powered Phone Charger That Actually Works
We try out the Solartab.
By Rachel Z. Arndt
Oct 29, 2015 @ 8:30 AM
New TechnologyBest New Gadgets In 2015



​Even though solar-panel chargers have been around awhile, it still feels pretty futuristic to plug a phone into something drawing power from the sun. What feels even more futuristic is plugging it into a solar charger that actually works: the Solartab.

Many solar-powered chargers are too puny to make much of a dent in refilling a phone or tablet's battery life. Either their capacity is too low, their output is too weak, or both. That's not the case with the $119 Solartab, which has a 13,000-mAh battery—more than seven times larger than an iPhone 6S' (and just under seven times larger than an iPhone 6's)—and outputs power at 5 watts (the minimum needed for most tablets and phones).

Because the charger is actually a 5.5-watt solar panel and battery, it can hold power, meaning it doesn't need to be in the sunlight to charge devices. When it is it sends power to the device's battery. When nothing's plugged in, the power gets stored for later.


"The idea of the Solartab started because we couldn't find a good solar charger that offered a truly efficient solar panel and everything you'd need in one single portable package, without the need for annoying extra wires to connect a power bank," says Eskil Vestre, one of creators of Solartab. So he and his team put everything—the battery and the solar panel—in one object, a rectangle that resembles a first-generation iPad. Because it's flat, and with a Moleskine-style black cover, the 2.65 device is easy to carry around; it easily nestles next to a real iPad in a backpack.

When we tried out the Solartab, it took about two hours to fully charge a dead iPhone 6. The company says an iPad Air 2 will charge in four hours. As for charging the Solartab: Twelve hours of direct sunlight will resurrect its battery, which can then charge an iPhone 6S seven times.
 

Genghis Khan

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I got one of the $50 Amazon tablets. Pretty good for the price especially if you have Prime and want to download movies/shows to watch on the go.
I got one too. It's pretty solid. Can't beat the price.
 

Jiggyfly

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The Best TVs for Under $500

You don't have to spend your entire paycheck just to get a high-quality television.
Let's take a moment to thank the early-adopters, those obsessive — and often deep-pocketed — heroes who pay a premium to field-test the most cutting edge tech before it filters down into more mainstream products. They're the reason that high definition is now the default image resolution for TVs, and why most new displays are WiFi-enabled. Soon, those intrepid pioneers might usher ultra high-def into ubiquity, or convince every flatscreen-maker to curve their screens.

But the biggest trickle-down effect in TVs is the sheer quality of today's bargain-priced models. Here are the flat screens you can now get for less than half a grand, and with zero regrets.


Best for Smart Features
LG LF5900 43-inch LED
Tons of new TVs are smart, meaning they can sync to your WiFi and access streaming video services, such as Hulu and Netflix, without a separate device (like a Roku or Apple TV). But a manufacturer will usually use its own, proprietary interface. And most of those, based on our testing, are horrible, with layer after layer of menus, and enough hurdles to make the feature useless. LG's webOS interface is the rare exception. It's a joy to use, with a pane of frequently and recently-used options that pops up on the bottom of the screen, and the ability to quickly switch back and forth from streaming to live TV options. You don't have to dig through menus or hunt down another remote. It's the best smart TV interface anywhere, and it's now available even on TVs at this price point. [$450; lg.com]

Best for Screen Size
Vizio E-Series 48-inch LED
Vizio has long been considered to have the best overall value in the affordable TV segment, and though it's now branching out into premium sets — its biggest 4K display costs $4,000 — Vizio still focuses on bargain-minded models. This E-Series display is a prime example, with a 48-inch screen that's backlit with LEDs, which has greater brightness levels and lower energy usage than traditional LCD screens. Other companies offer 48-inch TVs for the same amount, but with less screen resolution (such as 720p, instead of this one's full 1080p HD), or without smart features. This model is smart, and though its interface isn't as amazing as LG's, Amazon Instant, Netflix, and Hulu are all right there, on a similar lower-screen pop-up pane. [$450; vizio.com]

RELATED: The Best Televisions for Any Budget

Best for Even More Screen Size
TCL FS3800 50-inch LED
If 48 inches isn't big enough, how about 50? Those two extra inches make more of a difference that you might think — screens are measured diagonally, so any increase boosts the display's total dimensions considerably. Like our Vizio pick, this model is LED-backlit and smart. Its only drawback is image quality. TCL sets aren't as consistently well-made as Vizio's, so particularly eagle-eyed viewers might take issue with its slightly muted colors, and shadows that appear more gray than black. But not everyone is a stickler for saturation and contrast, and you can always play with the settings to tune the picture to your taste. This is a quality big-screen TV, for a small-screen price. [$440; amazon.com]

Best for Under $350
Samsung H5003 40-inch LED
If a price ceiling of $500 is too high for your budget, you're going to have to sacrifice screen size. Then again, depending on the size of your last or current TV set, or your plans for a new one, 40 inches might not be a downgrade at all. This LED set skips the smart features, also not a problem if you have an existing streaming device or game console, or have convinced yourself that Netflix isn't your thing (an honorable delusion). It also has a refresh rate of 60Hz, so the images on-screen appear at half or a quarter as quickly as many present-day TVs. This, believe it or not, is a bonus — high refresh rates are sold as a feature, but do more harm than good, turning everything that isn't broadcast live, such as sports, into an artificially smoothed, yet also herky-jerky mess. This is often referred to as the soap opera effect, and it's the biggest scam in the consumer electronics industry since 3D TV. A limit of 60Hz is preferable to being forced to dive into the settings, and hope that a higher refresh rate can be turned down. [$330; samsung.com]


Best for Under $200
Vizio D-Series 32-inch LED
The pickings at this price level are pretty slim. Major players like LG and Samsung are nowhere to be seen, and if you wander into a big-box store looking to spend less than $200, you might wind up leaving with something from a manufacturer you've never heard of, because it's the store's execrable, failure-prone house brand. Vizio is the safest bet, and its 32-inch D-Series LED is a solid choice for smaller room applications. Dorm rooms, bedrooms, but not bathrooms — this model is too big for quarters that close. Plus, bathroom TVs are just an urban legend, right? [$190; vizio.com]
 

Jiggyfly

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Sam’s Club Black Friday 2015 ad posted: Here are this year’s best deals

BGR
November 9, 2015


Our Black Friday 2015 hub is filling up fast, and the latest addition comes courtesy of popular nationwide retailer Sam’s Club. Walmart has some big sales going on this holiday shopping season — some of which have already begun — so you could be sure Walmart-owned Sam’s Club had plans to follow suit. Now, those plans have been made official as Sam’s Club releases its big Black Friday 2015 ad, and we’ve got all the details for you here.


This year, Sam’s Club’s huge holiday sale begins online at midnight CST on Thanksgiving Day, but the retailer’s in-store sale doesn’t begin until 7:00 a.m. local time on Black Friday, November 27th. Of note, Sam’s Club stores will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.

According to the company’s ad, all sale prices will be valid until the end of the day on Sunday, November 29th, or while supplies last. And judging from some of these sale prices, supplies definitely won’t last in many cases.

Here are some of this year’s best deals:

Samsung 65″ curved 4K TV: $1,478
Samsung 75″ 4K TV: $2,398
Vizio 55″ 1080p HDTV: $448
JVC 49″ 1080p HDTV: $229.88
JVC 43″ 1080p HDTV: $199.88
$175 off iPad Air 2 WiFi + Cellular models
$150 off iPad Air 2 Wifi models
Dyson Cinetec Big Ball Vacuum: $339.98
HP Pavillion x360 Laptop with Windows 10: $399
Xbox One Gears of War Bundle: $299
PS4 Star Wars Battlefront Bundle: $389
 

Jiggyfly

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PicoBrew Unveils ’3-D Printer for Beer’ With Recipes From Top Micro-Brewers



By WILSON ROTHMAN
CONNECT

The PicoBrew Pico aims to do for home-brewed beer what the Keurig did for coffee. PicoBrew Inc.
You’ll soon be able to buy a machine designed to help people with “no brewing experience” make beer—brand-name beer—on their kitchen counter.

If you’ve ever brewed, or just watched someone slog through the process, the idea of a countertop brewing machine seems crazy. But a startup called PicoBrew designed the Zymatic, which makes beer with digital precision, and less mess. That machine was a Kickstarter hit that put the Seattle-based makers on the map, but still it required the know-how of a seasoned brewer. The new Pico, announced Monday but not shipping until next spring, simplifies things a lot further.

Bill Mitchell, CEO of the Seattle-based PicoBrew, calls the new machine a “3-D printer for beer,” yet I think of it more like a Keurig: You buy $19 PicoPaks, which contain all the ingredients to produce five liters (about 14 bottles worth) of beer. Insert the Pak in the countertop system, and it circulates water heated to just under boiling, extracting the grain sugars and hop essences in a process that takes about two hours. All of the good stuff ends up in a steel tank, and you can throw the biodegradable Pak itself into the compost.

Of course, it’s not ready to drink quite yet: You still have to pitch the yeast and wait five to seven days to ferment at room temperature before you can cool it and tap it. Because the Pico is connected to the Internet, you’ll get an alert on your smartphone when your beer is done.

The level of mess is very low compared to a home-brewer’s typical system—and even compared to PicoBrew’s $2,000 Zymatic—and clean-up is pretty easy, said PicoBrew’s head of marketing, Donald Brewer. You flush clean water through the machine and tank after each batch is complete, and every third batch, you add a cleaning pellet. The heated water itself sanitizes the tank, and the closed system means low risk of contamination.

The key to this, though, is that the Pico’s recipes come from world-class craft brewers.

From Rogue on the West Coast to Dogfish Head on the East Coast, more than 50 cult-favorite brewers are contributing PicoPak recipes (in exchange for licensing fees, naturally). The incentive for them is that often their beers don’t have nationwide distribution, and this is a way for them to reach new fans. Freshness matters with beer, too, so if the machine works properly, you should be able to taste what the brewmaster tastes. And because the Pico recognizes the recipes, even the date that the PicoPak was assembled, it can make minor adjustments to the process to ensure consistency.


The Pico is set to ship next spring, after pre-orders on Kickstarter. PicoBrew Inc.
You can’t make your own recipes in the Pico—not yet at least, said Mr. Brewer. (For now, that’s what the pricier Zymatic is for.) But you can adjust the bitterness and alcohol content of the recipe at the start of the process.

Some hopheads might look down on a machine that takes the know-how out of brewing beer. Still, there’s a giant gap between those who can make it and those who want to drink it. That’s the target that the PicoBrew is aiming for with the Pico, which will cost $1,000 when it goes on sale sometime next spring, but is offered for pre-order on Kickstarter for $500. When it finally shipping, PicoBrew will sell it through major retailers including Amazon. Even the PicoPaks will be available on Amazon Prime.
 

Cotton

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You have my attention.
 
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