9 Premium Mac apps free for another 2 days
25% of everything at Griffin Technologies
Sonic Dash for iphone and ipad temporarily free
Download Glary Utilities Pro for Free (worth $40)
- Go to this link
- Download the version entitled Slim Build
- Install the app
- Start the app
- Go to the Status tab
- Click on the register button
- Enter these credentials:
Registration Name: EaseUS UsersRegistration Code: 3788-61679-58234-2362
Amazing portrait photography with a smartphone
Our smartphones are amazing little devices that have wondrous capabilities. One of my favorite features of my smartphone is the built in camera. As great as these devices are, many still complain that the smartphone cameras aren’t “good enough”, so I love seeing what professional photographers can accomplish with them.
There is a great video on Youtube of a French photographer that takes fantastic portrait shots using nothing more than his creativity, a $10 Ikea lamp and a smartphone.
How to find what really matters in YOUR life.
In January, I wrote an article entitled “Do Less, Accomplish More” where I stress the importance of asking “What’s most important to you about […]”. This is an extremely powerful question that will help you make the right decisions. I recently used this question to help a former colleague and wanted to share that experience.
Recently I had an interesting discussion with a former colleague who seemed exasperated and overwhelmed with life. He was so swamped he didn’t know what to do next. He felt was living an information overload life which meant he had lost his bearings and didn’t know how to navigate his life going forward. It was both his work and personal lives.
So after calming him down and bringing him back down to earth, I asked him “what’s most important to you in life?” The first couple of attempts, he went on tangents and started giving me form answers without taking the time to really think about my question. I had to reset the situation, explain the purpose of the exercise and asked it again. I prefaced the question by saying “If you knew tomorrow was your last day on earth, what would most important to you?” I asked him to “allow himself to play this game with me”. I asked him to “take the time and really think about the situation and his answer”.
After 5 minutes of calm and controlled reflection, he smiled and talked about his wife and children. He talked about how he had meet his wife many years ago and how much she helped him grow as a person. He then explained how his children were his single greatest accomplishment and joy. How a smile from either of his kids could make his entire soul smile.
Life often seems uncontrollably overwhelming. You may get the feeling that you are in the passenger seat of this car called life and don’t like where it is heading. The above exercise may seem simple but it is very powerful. It is a great way to periodically ground yourself and remember what really matters in your life. Everyone has a different answer and each person’s unique answer is the right one for them. The important result is to know what really matters in your life and encourage the activities that get you closer to those/them.
Rumors about the Google Nexus 5
With all the new shiny gadgets we have seen in the last month, the Nexus 4 seems less and less interesting. A user on a Korean website, who claims to be in the know, now says LG and Google are working together on the Nexus 5.
He claims it will have a 5 inch full HD screen, a quad-core tegra 4 processor, 8/16GB storage, 2GM of RAM, a 13 megapixel camera and the next version of Android (Key Lime Pie).
The use claims the Nexus 5 will be announced at Google I/O in May and launch shortly after for $299.
Monoprice 9927 headphone review
In December, I wrote about how much I liked the Monoprice 8320 headphones. It doesn’t replace my Etymotic or UE Triple-Fi 10 but for $7 you get something that feels well-built and performs extremely well.
I received requests from readers to review the new Monoprice 9927 headphones. This are newer than the 8320 and comes in black (9927), pink (9960), and white (9963). I had a chance to test the 9927 and wanted to share my opinion.
The first change is the look of these headphones. They are more matt but the rest of the design is the same as the 8320. The other major difference is that these come with different sized eartips. Everything else is a carbon copy of the 8320.
I compared both products (8320 vs 9927) and the sound profile is exactly the same (which is a good thing). If you like the look of the Monoprice 8320 and the tip fits then you can comfortably stick to that model. If you want one of the new colors or want different tip sizes, pick up one of these new headphones.
Monoprice recommends that you break-in the headphones for 24 hours using pink noise to get the best performance.
Apple's A7 will not be built by Samsung
Apple and Samsung have a strange relationship where they constantly fight regarding patents but Apple uses Samsung for many of its components. Digitimes is now reporting that Apple will switch production of its next generation A7 processor to TSMC. The rumor has it that TSMC will start producing the new 20nm processor in May and it will find its way into products in 2014.
BlackBerry Z10 drops to $99
When the Blackberry Z10 launched, it was priced at $149 (Canadian dollar) with a 3 year contract. Many thought that the device wasn’t worth that much and the Canadian carriers have now responded by lowering the price to $99 on a 3-year contract.
Bell, Rogers, Virgin Mobile.
Fido sells it for $250 with a 2-year agreement.
Telus sells it for $149 with a 3-year agreement.
Koodo sells it for $400 (using the max $150 tab value)
WhatsApp messenger for Blackberry waiting for you
As wonderful as Blackberry messenger is, none of my contacts seem to be using it so it is pretty useless to me. Now Blackberry lovers can finally join the rest of the instant messaging world because WhatsApp messenger was finally released for Blackberry 10 (BB10).
WhatsApp messenger on Blackberry integrates into the new Blackberry Hub and is Flow enabled.
You can download it from Blackberry World now.
Nexus 5 may come with a Nikon branded camera
The Samsung Galaxy SIV seems like a solid well designed smartphone but most pundits were underwhelmed and expected much more innovation. Now that the Galaxy SIV is out of the way, we can concentrate on other rumored upcoming devices like the Nexus 5.
Phonearena is now reporting that the Google Nexus 5 will come with a “triple camera sensor thing” designed (and branded) by Nikon. The same source told Phonearena that this camera will be the major selling point of the next version of the Nexus device.
We know that Google VP Vic Gundotra has said many times that the next versions of the Google device will have an “insanely great camera”. Could they be bringing tech from Nikon point and shoot cameras to the Nexus 5?
The tipster claims the device will have Android version 5 (aka Key Lime Pie), a 5 inch 1080p screen, snapdragon 600 processor, 2GB of RAM, 8/16GB local storage and a 3140 mAh battery.
Another rumor we have heard is that the product will be sold for $250-300. Most rumors point to a Google IO may launch so everything should be revealed shortly.
Samsung Galaxy SIV coming to Canada in Q2
The minute last week’s Samsung Galaxy SIV announcement finished, Canadians started asking carriers when it would come to the great white Canadian north. Unofficial discussions with reps from Samsung, Rogers, Fido and Telus indicate that it will hit the streets of Toronto (and Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver, etc) by the end of Q2. It seems the phone will come to Rogers, Bell, Telus and their sub-brands (Fido, Koodo, Virgin Mobile).
Which processor will the Samsung Galaxy SIV have
Now that the Samsung Galaxy SIV launch is behind us, many are wondering which version (processor) will come to North America. If you were hoping to bathe in the warmth of the Samsung Exynos 5 octa then you will be really disappointed.
The quad-core processor that will power the North American Samsung Galaxy SIV is fast but many are disappointed. There are many reasons why Samsung may have chosen to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 which may include North American LTE built the chip, good battery usage, good thermal design, etc.
AnTutu benchmarks show the that the new Samsung Galaxy SIV is about 30% faster than the older Samsung Galaxy SIII. The quad-core will run at 1.9Ghz which is 200Mhz faster than the HTC One and 300Mhz faster than the Exynos 5 octa (powering the offshore versions).
Enable 2-factor authentication for Google services
Related Article:
How to enable 2-factor authentication for Google
Sign into your Google account
Click the arrow next to your name
Choose Account
Select Security
Click settings listed under 2-step verification
You have to start the setup process. You are then asked to supply a telephone number where an authentication code will be sent when you login from an “untrusted computer or device”. A code then arrived that you have to enter when Google login detects something strange.
You are then asked to login and test the code. When you login, you will be asked whether you trust the device you are loging in from.
The other option on 2-factor authentication page is the IOS or Android Google authenticator application which generates a new unique login code every 60 seconds. You download the app from your app store, then chose the Google Authenticator option on the 2-factor settings page, you scan the barcode generated on the setup webpage and then test the generated code.
Personally I use the Google authenticator option and have the app on my phone (iphone) and my tablet (nexus 7). If you intend to use the Google Authenticator on multiple devices, download the app on all of your devices at the same time and scan the generated barcode on both devices at the same time. The same unique codes will then be generated on both devices.
How to secure your online accounts
What is 2-factor authentication?
One of the most common ways to hijack your online accounts is to steal your passwords. The way to prevent this type of issue is to use a technique called 2-factor authentication. The 2 factors are:
- Something you know : your password which is still used
- Something you have : a one-time use password that is generated on demand that proves you are in possession of something physical.
You use 2-factor authentication everytime you use your bank’s automated banking machine. You go to their machine, you insert your card (something you have) and then enter your pin (something you know).
Many of today’s most popular services allow you to add this additional level of security to your account such as Dropbox, Google, Lastpass, Paypal, Facebook, Yahoo, etc.
Detractors
Some detractors complain that you need to use a physical device (phone, USB key, token, etc) that can be lost and then causes issues when you try to login.
Their second complaint is about services that email your unique one-time login code to your phone, because they complaint that you have to hand-over your personal phone number to a third party.
My views
I believe more security is better and use 2-factor authentication when available and recommend you do the same. It is an extra step but how much is extra security worth?
Tweeting from the grave will soon be possible
Twitter is one of those services that users love and the general public just doesn’t understand. Now a startup will enable you to tweet from the grave. The LivesOn service is being developed by a British ad agency called Lean Mean Fighting Machine. They setup a new twitter account with your existing twitter handle and add a “_liveson” at the end. For my twitter handle is ekiledjian and my LivesOn ID would be ekiledjian_livesone.
The system is in closed limited beta and is still in active development but the company claims it will learn about the user (while alive of course) by studying tweet patterns, writing style, preferred content, re-tweet strategy ,etc. In will then allow you to follow it (only you) while you are alive so it can collect your feedback and fine-tune its engine. Once you pass away, a designated person will notify LivesOn that you have passed and will authorize them to “public” your LivesOn account.
The company has partnered with Queen Mary University (London) to develop and fine tune the Artificial Intelligence engine. Interestingly the team isn’t working on monetizing the service just yet. The company claims to have 7000 registed users worldwide
But this type of service opens up a whole bunch of questions around monetization and death:
- Is there really a market for this type of service or will it only be used by hardcore twitter fans?
- How will grieving family members feel about “something” tweeting in the name of their departed loved one?
- Will this type of service help or hinder the grieving process?
Google News now in tablet flavour
- You can find new articles, news sources, and even topics of interest with intuitive gestures. Swipe horizontally between sections – from Business to Entertainment, for example – or tap “Explore in depth” to see multiple articles and other info related to a particular story.
- We’ve also added more breathing room between articles, making it easier to spot the stories you really care about.
I believe this change was made December 2012 but it's news to me and I wanted to share it.
Does Daylight Saving Time reduce energy consumption
We switched to Daylight Saving Time (Summer Time in Europe) this past weekend and most of us are still groggy and missing that 1 extra hour of sleep. DST was first proposed by George Vernon Hudson and implemented during WWI. It was thought that by shifting people’s awake time by one hour, there would be more light in the evening this reducing the need for artificial light (aka reduce usage of electricity in the evening).
Many have wondered if there is really any benefit to this sleep-reducing tradition and recent information says no. There have been a few studies and most show little to no gain by using DST. A paper from the US National Bureau of Standards says there are absolutely no benefits.
Pictures of the Samsung Galaxy SIV?
We are 3 days away from the launch of the Samsung Galaxy SIV in New York’s Time Square and the rumors surrounding the device have reached a feverish pitch. Now a Chinese site has published pictures claiming to be the Samsun Galaxy SIV.
We know Samsung takes confidentiality seriously and this may simply be a Galaxy SIV with a Halloween costume or may even be a decoy unit meant to take potential leakers off track. Coming from China, it may even be a knock off device made by a local manufacturer.
The photos do mesh with the other rumors we have been hearing for some time now: 2GB RAM, 13 mp camera, Android 4.2 and the new Samsung Exynos Octa (eight core processor).
So for now, enjoy these pics are what the device may look like but I wouldn’t these as definite snapshots just yet.
