#plus alternate colours so the post isn’t too tall

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hi Steph!! I was wondering if you knew of any really long fics (like 25k or more) that are only one chapter, I travel a lot sometimes and some places don't really have good enough internet for multi chapter fics. So yeah, any really long one chapter fics about John and Sherlock would be appreciated. Thank you!

Hey Nonny!!

LOL OKAY FUNNY STORY. I almost replied to this with “oof I’ll have to read EVERYTHING so I’m sorry.... and then... I remembered.......

I put chapter counts on everything 🙃😐 

I’m not the brightest crayon in the box. 🖍 

Anyway, so yes, I can definitely rec you some fics! BUT I should also offer you two suggestions you can totally do to read ANY fic!

On Ao3, you can click on the “Entire Work” button to load ALL chapters of a fic (it’s the very first button along the top) and in turn you can then just read it all there! 

And the very last button along the top, you can Download copies of the fic to your phone or computer with eBook file types (AZw3 for Kindle, ePub for iPhone’s Books app, and MOBI is for other mobile devices and e-readers), the HTML if you want to read it as-is in a web-browser, or the PDF format which is a universal file format that is supported by everything, even web browsers, so it’s a good one to download if you don’t know what format you need :) If you read on an eReader, though, I can’t recommend enough just downloading the format for your device. You get to keep a copy of the fic AND the eReader keeps it nicely formatted. It’s a BRILLIANT, BEAUTIFUL feature that Ao3 gave us, because I like downloading all my fics and read them later in iBooks. Once you start that, Nonny, you can’t do it any other way. AND at the VERY END of the fics, it links BACK to the original post so you can bookmark, kudos, and comment on it!! <3

So yeah, two options you can do to solve your poopy internet and still read long fics hee hee! <3

ANYWAY EXCUSE FOR A NEW LIST LOL. 

ALSO, side note, check out @silentauroriamthereal; a large chunk of her fics are both long AND one chapter, so it’s a good place to go and she’s a brilliant author so I don’t think you’ll be disappointed! <3 Plus a lot of her fics are on this list, so I am sorry hahah.

AND I wanted to make the list a bit longer than I had, so I picked fics over 20K, if that’s alright :) As always, if you wrote a 20k+ single chapter fic, let us know!

SINGLE CHAPTER FICS OVER 20K WORDS

A Life Well-Lived by Kate_Lear (E, 20,121 w., 1 Ch. || Original Male Character, Sherlock Woos John, Jealous Sherlock, Reluctant Bi-John, Past Abuse, Insecure John, Reassuring / Caring Sherlock, Protective Sherlock, Understanding Sherlock) – John got scared off men by an abusive past relationship. Sherlock has to try and woo him while not scaring him off with protective possessive rage.

The White Lotuses by SilentAuror (E, 20,340 w., 1 Ch. || Slow Burn, Domestic, Romance) – One day John realises that he just isn't where he belongs, which is back at Baker Street with Sherlock. So he goes back and Sherlock, in his own way, courts him. Romance.

Out of the Woods by SilentAuror (E, 20,471 w., 1 Ch. || Post S4, Romance, Slow Burn, Flirting, Drunk Sex, Practical Jokes, POV Sherlock, Bottomlock, Possessive John, Pining Sherlock, Frustrated Wanking, Frottage, Hand Jobs, Blow Jobs, First Kiss/Time, Virgin Sherlock, Love Confessions, Soft Sherlock, Dancing, Bum Appreciation, Hanging out with the Yard) – Sherlock is fairly certain that John has taken to flirting with him of late, but can't be entirely certain of it. At least, not until a case takes them into a forest, along with Lestrade's team and something happens that will change everything about their lives...

You're On the Air by prettysailorsoldier (M, 20,616 w., 1 Ch. || Unilock, Matchmaking, Radio, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Sherlock POV, Pining Sherlock, Flirting, Bisexual John) – The Consulting Detective and The Woman dominate the airwaves of their university radio station, doling out advice on everything from meeting the parents to sexual positions. When their ratings start to dip before the holidays, however, manager Mike thinks it's time for some fresh blood, and who better to fill in the gaps than rugby captain--and notorious flirt--John Watson? Part 1 of 25 Days of Johnlock

whiskies neat by Ellipsical (E, 20,660 w., 15 Ch. || Alternate First Meeting, POV Second Person Sherlock, Slow Burn, One Night Stand, Rimming, Blow Jobs, Anal, Soldier John, Crying, Emotional Lovemaking, Switchlock) – Home and hearth and whiskies neat, or, alternatively, Sherlock Holmes falls in love.

Achieving the Together-Coloured Instant by teahigh (E, 20,776 w., 1 Ch. || Est. Rel, PTSD, Codependency, Fluff & Angst, H/C, Smut, Demisexual Sherlock, Experiments) – John wonders if this is how it’s going to be: A life speaking in code, because they’re both too stupid to figure out how to say, “I love you.”

Winter's Delights by Kate_Lear (E, 21,173 w., 1 Ch. || Holmes Family, Christmas, Fake Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Bed Sharing, Domestics) – Sherlock takes John home for Christmas to meet the extended Holmes family. Part 1 of Winter's Delights

Love Is by SilentAuror (E, 21,508 w., 1 Ch. || Angst, UST / URT, Post HLV, Romance) – At Mrs Hudson’s urging, Sherlock finally decides to tell John how he feels about him. Part 1 of Love Is

echoes through time by chellefic (E, 21,619 w., 1 Ch. || First Time, Romance, ACD & BBC, Epistolary) – Mummy sends a trunk from the Holmes cottage in Sussex to 221B. Its contents alter the way John and Sherlock see themselves and one another.

Ghost Stories by SwissMiss (M, 22,256 w., 1 Ch. || Pining, Holmes Family, Christmas, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Bed Sharing, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, First Time) – Sherlock's parents think he and John are a couple. They might be onto something.

Sonatina in G Minor by SilentAuror (E, 22,574 w., 1 Ch. || Case Fic, POV Sherlock, Angst, UST, Sherlock’s Violin, Post-S3, Romance) – John has come back to Baker Street, but Sherlock doesn't understand the strange tension between them, even after he begins teaching John to play the violin at John's request.

The Kepler Problem by kinklock (E, 24,270 w., 1 Ch. || Sci-Fi AU, Alien Sherlock, Space Repairman John, Alien Biology, Horny John) – Working in uncharted space exploration was not as exciting as John had hoped, especially when it turned out to be mostly bot maintenance on uninhabited planets. However, the mystery of the repeated, unexplained malfunctions on planet BAK 2212 might turn out to be exactly the kind of adventure he'd been craving.

26 Pieces by Lanning (E, 28,236 w., 1 Ch. || H/C, Torture, First Time, Happy Ending, Schmoop, Past Abuse) – Mycroft gives Sherlock the apparently simple task of solving a puzzle box containing a stolen microchip. It isn't simple.

The Wisteria Tree by SilentAuror (E, 29,773 w., 1 Ch. || Post-S3, Emotional Love Making, Amnesia/Memory Loss, Sherlock Loves John So Much, Sherlock POV, Romance, Angst with Happy Ending, First Times, Hurt/Comfort, Est. Rel., Retirement) – Sherlock wakes up from a month-long coma only to discover that he has no memory of the previous six years to his own shock as well as John's...

Shallow Grave by SilentAuror (E, 31,672 w., 1 Ch. || Romance, Angst, HLV Fix It, Infidelity, Pining Sherlock, First Person POV Sherlock) – Starts as Sherlock's plane is taking off at the end of His Last Vow. When he finds out that Moriarty is alive and that he's being recalled from his mission, Sherlock decides that he should have told John how he felt before he left. So he walks off the plane and kisses him.

The Midas Touch by flawedamythyst (E, 32,231 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Magical Realism || John has a Magical Cock, Dub Con, Healer John) – John Watson has a medical condition that means everyone he sleeps with is instantly healed of all illness and injury. This causes complications when Sherlock breaks his arm, and even more complications when Sherlock falls in love with him. Yes, this is a story where John has a literal magic healing cock. It's a lot less cracky than you're probably imagining. Warning: Contains complex issues of sexual consent, although not between Sherlock and John.

The Whore of Babylon Was a Perfectly Nice Girl by out_there (E, 32,897 w., 1 Ch. || Past Drug Use, Blowjobs, Toplock, Mentions of Switching, Rough Sex, Background Cases, Sherlock’s Past, Sherlock’s Sexual History, Experienced Sherlock, Past One Night Stands, Fingering, Cuddling, Possessive Sherlock, Paris Holiday, Bed Sharing, Naked Lie-Ins, Bathing Together, Confessions, Worried Sherlock, Laying in Bed All Day, Meddling Mycroft, Naked Lazy Day) – Sherlock walks into a room and takes all the space right out of it. He does the same inside John's head.

Our Enthusiasms Which Cannot Always Be Explained by withoutawish (M, 32,961 w., 1 Ch. || Christmas, Fluff and Angst, H/C, Post-TRF, Case Fic, Mild Gore, Sherlock Whump) – The list that is tacked haphazardly on the refrigerator of 221B reads, ‘Kidney(s), and/or a full cadaver (preferably male, late 30s, under six feet tall), bag of fresh toes, sixteen cow’s eyes (corneas retained), dual exhaust hand –held flame thrower, an unopened first edition copy of Joseph Conrad’s 'Heart of Darkness', and no less than ten abhorrently gruesome murders in the upcoming month.” The one neatly hanging next to it simply reads, “Sex.” One of these lists is not John Watson’s. If John Watson were to put what he really wanted in list form, to live in a land somewhere beyond ‘almosts' now that Sherlock Holmes has indeed returned to him, he would never be able to look his flatmate in the eye ever again.

Bedtime Stories by Liketheriver (M, 34,388 w., 1 Ch. || Emotional H/C, Romance, Angst & Humour, Bed Sharing, John First Person, TRF, John Whump) – John's POV during Season 2 and beyond when Sherlock takes up semi-permanent residence in his bed. A collection of codas and missing scenes wrapped up into one long fic and topped with a bow that takes the story beyond Reichenbach and into happy territory once more. Part 1 of Bedtime Universe

The Yellow Poppies by SilentAuror (E, 34,952 w., 1 Ch. || H/C, Nightmares, HLV Fix-It, PTSD, Trauma, POV Sherlock, Doctor John) – Sherlock is threatened and assaulted in the hospital immediately after having been shot in the heart, first by Mary, then by Magnussen. As he recovers at Baker Street with John and plans the attack on Appledore with Mycroft, he fights to work through the trauma caused by these two visits. Set during His Last Vow.

The Unfinished Letters by SilentAuror (E, 37,391 w., 1 Ch. || Post S3 / S3 / HLV Fix it, Angst with Happy Ending, Romance, Infidelity, Depression, Case Fic, POV Third Person Sherlock, Love Confessions, Pining Sherlock, Letters) – A fire at Baker Street leads John to read something he was never intended to see: a notebook of half-written, unfinished letters Sherlock wrote during his time away...

Set in Stone by SilentAuror (E, 39,309 w., 1 Ch. || Romance, Wedding, Therapy, Fluff and Angst) – Sherlock and John are back from Ravine Valley and planning their wedding. However, as they move past the trial of the human traffickers, Sherlock can't help but wonder if he's imagining that John is becoming a little distant. Surely he isn't getting cold feet about the wedding... Part 2 of The Ravine Valley series

Act IV by SilentAuror (E, 39,707 w., 1 Ch. || First Person POV Sherlock, HLV Fix-It, Infidelity, Angst, Drama) – After Sherlock is shot, John moves back into Baker Street. They spend the autumn together as John tries to make sense of his life and make some important decisions about both Mary and Sherlock. Canon-compliant, excerpts from His Last Vow.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by SilentAuror (E, 50,635 w., 1 Ch. || Post-S4/S4 Divergence, Case Fic, For a Case / Reverse Fake-Relationship, Conferences, Marriage Equality, Travelling / New York, Pride, Homophobia, Bottomlock, Marriage Proposal, John POV, Sexuality, Love Confessions, Emotional Love Making, Public Hand Jobs, Blow Jobs, Passionate Kissing, Needy/Clingy Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Touching / Hand Holding, Bed Sharing, Little Spoon Sherlock, Intense Orgasms) – John and Sherlock go to New York to attend a conference run by the National Defence of Traditional Marriage Coalition in order to investigate the potential bombing of the annual Manhattan Pride parade. As the conference unfolds, John finds himself repulsed by the toxic ideology being presented, which becomes relevent to his own unacknowledged issues and his friendship with Sherlock...

[tamilkerr]

Lolita lovers

Wondering those busy hallways alone always unnerved Charlotte. Yet here she is  wondering with no sight of her friend, holding down her skirt while she walked around in circles. She was going from the stall that sold the melon soda to the one that sold the figures of pretty girls, and then back round again.

  It seemed that her friend had left the convention without her and she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes “I just want to lay on the floor and cry.” She murmured to herself, but she couldn't, her dress would get dirty.So Charlotte found a solitary corner, crouched down to the floor and started to take many shallow breaths. She did this to stop herself from getting too anxious. She was just about to break down when she heard it. 

 “Hi.” A very soft voice greeted her from above. 

Charlotte looked up to see a hand reaching for her. “Are you ok, you look upset” asked a very cute girl in a similar sort of dress to Charlotte, but this one was black instead of pink. 

“Oh I’m fine, I just..” Charlotte paused and took a deep breath. “I can’t find my friend.” She said.The girl with the black dress and hair to match, simply said “I will help you.” prompting Charlotte to finally take the hand the girl had offered. Soon Charlotte was on her feet. 

 The girls had walked most of the con floor enjoying each other's company and conversation “So you're a gothic lolita then?” Charlotte twiddles her thumbs together, “yes it’s only gothic for me, what about you, what's your style of lolita fashion?”.

 tucking her black hair behind her ear to listen to the answer “well I'm not sure yet, this is my first time wearing lolita” the blonde sounded unsure of herself.    

 Placing a gentle hand on her pink sleeve “well I would continue with the sweet style, it looks really good on you” she blushed at her words but before she could say thanks or give a compliment back.They had walked into the food and seating area and Charlotte’s very loud friend had spotted her “THERE you are!” a tall girl with fiery red hair stood by the small blonde, “I was looking for you everywhere, WHY didn't you tell me you were going to get food” her pink bow almost falling off her head.

 “Aw sorry, I got too ahead of myself” the redhead apologised, the goth girl fixed the blonde's bow and smiled sweetly then went on her way. “Ooo Charlotte, got yourself a girlfriend there” the tall girl teased and a huge blush grew on Charlotte’s face “NO! you just have it all wrong Willow, that gothic girl was helping me find you” wagging her finger in willow face to get the point across.

Much more teasing and walking later the con was at its end, Willow was attempting to join in on a dancing routine with other girls in lolita. While Charlotte was looking about frantically, searching for that kind frilly stranger from earlier “Oh I wanted to give this to her” muttering things to herself as she held a small voodoo doll with black button

eyes “Who’s that for, because it can’t be for you it isn’t pink” Willow gave a toothy smirk.

A little bit of red formed on her cheeks as she answered “It’s for that girl in black from earlier, I just wanted to thank her” Willow did give a small laugh “Nah you just liked her” and with that the taxi for them both had HONKED loudly. 

Backdrop set up and lights just right “Hello my lovely viewers, it’s me Carlottalita” the perky blonde announced “and I’m bringing you the latest in Lolita fashion news.” Charlotte continued the day making videos. As night fell she took her huge ponytail hair extensions out and lay down in bed, posting mindlessly to social media.

“WAKE UP! Charlotte, it’s me willow” a harsh banging on the door, made her shoot straight up in her frilly bed sheets and night dress. “oh COMING! let me find the keys” she had her hand digging around in a bowl filled with many cute keychains. As soon as it was unlocked the women burst through with bags filled to the brim with petticoats, “look at all this, Daisy got rid of everything” she thrust bags into the sleepy girls arms.

“REALLY daisy doo, she’s done with lolita?” Willow nodded at her questions “yup! She announced it with a video early this morning, so obviously I went to console her and maybe get some of her stuff” a very big grin on her lips. Charlotte was still shocked but boiled the kettle to make her and her friend a nice hot cup of tea, so Willow could spill the T.

“That’s not even the best part” Willow stood up after an hour of sitting and chatting “she gave me her tickets to that big con in Paris” Charlotte almost dropped her saucer with her tea cup on it. “Are you serious, France? we are going to France!” her voice went up an octave, she then threw herself at her friend who in return gave her a big bear hug “Yes my tiny friend, so plan out your most loveliest lolita dress yet!”.

That afternoon she was already online looking at bows and socks to match her very expensive dress “wow Lotte that costs the same as a  gaming pc” Willow’s eyes were almost popping out of her head looking at this web page “I know, but this con is really important and special”  twisting and twirling her blonde hair. 

The ginger pinched her cheeks and shook her face from side to side “ohh nah, you're just hoping that you’ll find a fellow lolita girl to fall in love with” Charlotte just swatted her hands away “oh stop it Willow” a big huff escaped her. “just because I fell for someone once, doesn't mean it’ll happen again” the blonde started to daze off thinking of the gothic beauty she had met at one of her first cons.

“she had the loveliest voice as well” unfortunately she had said her thoughts out loud which resulted in her friends endless teasing all through the night. Willow had already made herself comfortable in the pink frilly bed sheets.

Finally the time had arrived to take off “Ahh do you think we have enough bags yet Lotte?” Willow asked as she eyed up the two separate piles of luggage. One pile decorated pink with pandas and the other green with foxes “Haha I worry we don’t have enough” the blonde responded nervously.

After the two had arrived successfully to the airport in separate taxis, with still many hours to go until they got on the plane they messed about in the various shops after putting their luggage through the check in gate.

“Hey don’t I look like Elton John!” the loud mouthed girl bellowed across the shop while she wore novelty pink, sparkly booby glasses. “That is funny because he is in fact gay” Charlotte giggled and nodded as she approached her friend. Against better judgement Willow bought the glasses and wore them as they ate their burgers and fries.

Eventually, they landed in Paris, France after a longer than usual flight due to bad weather Charlotte found one of her bags to be missing. Almost on the verge of tears Charlotte tries her best to hide it from her friend but before they could leave the airport Willow, like a sniffer dog could sense there was something wrong. 

“You had four bags. Now there’s three” she growled. The fiery redhead slammed her hands down onto the help desk “My friend's bag has gone missing” the friend in question watched in horror as she stood alone with the two luggage carts. “Well ma'am luggage does get lost quite often.” She gave a well practiced smile which angered the ginger more “How could you lose it? It's covered in pandas!!!”

Finally leaving the airport the two girls grabbed a taxi heading towards their hotel room. Sitting in an awkward silence the whole journey until they finally got into their pajamas “Thanks Will for trying” giving a soft smile as she spoke.

“I still think we could have gotten it today” still frustrated she wrapped her arms around Charlotte in a supportive cuddle “It’s okay we filled out the form so we should hopefully hear back from them” she returned the cuddle squeezing tighter.

After a while they settled into their beds and put on some TV they couldn’t understand so just ended up chatting to each other “So Lotte what was in that bag anyway? It wasn’t that fancy dress you just got was it?”

seeing the panic in Willow’s eyes she quickly responded, “well it was just some petticoats and a couple of pairs of socks but, you remember that doll I bought for that girl” When she realized what her blonde friend was going on about she gave her a cheeky grin “oohhh I see, you’re hoping you’ll meet her again” giving Charlotte a wink.

Many people stared at Charlotte and Willow as they walked down the streets of Paris dressed in their usual lolita styles. Charlotte in her pastel coloured lace skirt and top with a bow to match, Willow contrasting in multiple shades of brown with the clockwork decoration plus a top hat to top it all off. 

“So how’d you sleep last night Lotti?” she asked her clearly sleepy friend as they sat down outside a cafe “fine! It wasn’t like I was worried about my bags or anything Will” responding in an overly sarcastic tone.

As their tea and assortment of pastries was brought to them the waitress could not help but focus on their garments “Um excuse me but why are you dressed like that?” She couldn’t help but ask as she set down the numerous plates.

“Well we are wearing lolita” Willow couldn’t help but interject. “It’s just an alternative fashion, the woman who had served just looked more confused and with an ‘Oh’ she just walked away continuing to do her job. So the two friends just spent their whole day sightseeing but unknown to them both that girl whom the blonde has been enamoured with was not far from where they have had tea. 

The dark haired girl stood in a room with many lights and cameras wearing a black dress a lot fancier than the one from before “Rio stop daydreaming and get over here” a woman in a very regal outfit commanded “Okay, coming Hina” the two posed in many positions and wore many clothes but Rio’s were always mostly black. 

“That's enough photos for today ladies” a man with very shiny hair and equally shiny blouse told the girls “Well it’s about time, come Rio we must go meet my new friend” linking arms with her gothic friend and guiding her to a very nice car outside. 

Once inside the vehicle a neutral blonde with gray eyes gave them a very wide smile “Bonjour, you’ll be coming to my house for dinner, I’ve got chef’s making it as we speak” she announced as she held her head high “Rio this is Aimee, Aimee this is Rio” Hina introduced them both to each other.

With that they went to Aimee's house and the whole time they were in her home Rio couldn’t help but feel a sense of uneasiness around this new person. 

They were all sitting in Aimee’s bedroom, she had her own small sofa and coffee table which had a beautiful tea set with a matching cake stand next to it “oh you simply must see my lovely collection of vintage polly pockets” Hina’s eyes lit up at those words but her fellow model didn’t really know what these polly things were. On this white wood shelf there were a lot of tiny little pastel coloured boxes that kind of looked like compact mirrors without any glass “Cool” was all Rio could muster. 

After some time Aimee left the room “Hina how well do you know her?” the goth asked, “Not very, I met her the last time I was here for a photoshoot” her friend said it so casually.

 Rio was a little shocked “What! You’ve only known her for a month? Why are we in her house?” grabbing her friend by the shoulders and shaking her a little “Calm down there’s nothing to worry about it’s very unlikely that she’s a serial killer or something” Hina laughed at her and messed her hair up. 

Their conversation was interrupted by the person in question with another big smile plastered across her face. She informed them that a car was waiting to take them to their hotel.

As the two japanese women entered through the door of the hotel, just across the street from them Charlotte and Willow went through the door of the much smaller hotel. 

Hina couldn’t help but tease her friend as she removed her black lipstick “So did you think Aimee was cute?” Rio looked confused by her question “Well I mean, you do have a thing for blondes” responding quickly to her confusion. “N-n-no I don’t” her cheeks clearly flushed bright red.

Frantically they tried to get ready as fast as they could while simultaneously being as cautious and deliberate as they can be, after layers of clothing such as petticoats and tights were finally on both of the girls were ready to put on their fanciest dresses yet for this convention.

“Will! How does this look on me? Was it worth the money?” Charlotte was frantic “Don’t worry Lotte it definitely looks real expensive and you look damn fine in it might I add” Willow thrusted her hips towards her friend in a joking manner,She was not so worried anymore, just really amused because of her friends' antics. 

hair and makeup all done the two of them went downstairs to the hotel's breakfast buffet as they had much time to spare, one wonders why they were rushing or even worried in the first place. 

While getting to the train was uneventful, being on the train the two overly dressed friends were met with many stares and whispering even a few rude words. 

“I had a few words in mind for those people” the fiery redhead snorted “If you just let me Charlotte” she said through gritted teeth “It’s just best to let people be rude and ignore them Willow” putting her hand gently on her friends shoulder in a sort of soothing manner “Be the bigger person” another hand placed on the other shoulder and softly shaking back and forth to get her point across “NEVER!” she grabbed the blondes cheeks in response.

The line outside of the convention hall was chock a block, you have not seen so much ruffles and lace in one place in your whole life, although there was much pastel to be seen there was plenty of goths with their darkness. 

Rio was with Hina, both were staring out of an open window at the crowd below “wow there are a lot more fellow lollita’s this time around” her friend had to agree “It seems that the online shops have really brought more people in” the two of them were dressed head to toe in very fancy attire, Hina looked like pure royalty with her mostly cream and gold dress whereas her fellow model resembled more vampire royalty with her black and purple outfit. 

Our two British besties stood amongst the crowd somewhere in the middle of the line “OMG it’s Carlottalita and The Maiden of the Cog” a young and very hyperactive girl squealed, with her came a group of more squealing ladies. 

“Hi everyone so nice to see you all here!” waving her two hands in the air while her yellow pigtails bounced frantically “What’s up my fellow shipmates” outstretching her arms in the same direction, waving them about to greet the group. “But you’re not a pirate this time” one of the little fangirls told Willow “Yes but I’m in steampunk so I can still have an airship” crouching down with her hands in a diamond shape to emphasize her point.

As the crazy antics went on in the que, the staff were preparing to open up the doors to let everybody into the convention hall. Aimee was standing atop a staircase watching the doors like a hawk “Miss Lamar, we are preparing to let everybody in, you should probably go join the models from in the conference room” she agreed and followed the staff member to the room in question. 

A large hall was lined with stalls that featured a selection of many different J-fashions but mostly that of the lollita variety not to mention plenty of plush toys and much cute art being sold. Although too much pink and purple kind of took over the place, a good helping of black other darker colours were dotted around the place. 

Not long after getting through the doors the ‘Cog Maiden’ dragged her fellow internet personality to the toilet to freshen up, re-applying their lipstick and fixing their lashes made them ready to face the crowds once again.

Suddenly, the door burst open and a very tall woman was dragging someone in with her 

“Come on, don’t worry I’ll get it fixed and I’ll stitch it back up” she reassured the crying girl, pulling a very ornate sewing kit from her equally beautiful handbag. They couldn’t help but watch as she fixed the large rip in the side of the other girls skirt, even adding a few buttons along the way for decoration. Looking at the repair she cried even more “OMG thank you so much waa” she couldn’t keep herself from hugging the tall lady very tightly “No problem” patting her softly on the head.

The newly happy girl ran out of the toilet to leave her tall friend behind “You did a real good job on that repair there” Charlotte couldn’t help but say and Willow behind her gave a big thumbs up and a grin. 

“Why thank you I do never go anywhere without my trusty sewing kit” she tucked said kit back into her decently sized bag. The three of them couldn’t help but gossip and walk around the main hall together, their new friend got along with Willow especially “So my name’s Zoey but most know me as Meime online” explaining as they all sat and had tea and coffee with each other. 

They were already discussing the online lollita community, Charlotte and Willow just got done explaining their online personas “Ah yes now that you mention it, I do remember you two from a daisy doo video” her eyes lit up with the realization that she had seen these two before.

The two Brits side eyed each other “Well I’ve some bad news for you, she’s quit!” Willow was the one to break the news as Charlotte couldn’t bring herself to do it. Zoey looked visibly upset but was quickly comforted by her new friends telling her of all the pretty frocks that they got from the retired internet personality “I think some might even fit you Zo” the bouncy blonde informed. 

The trio were already making plans for their new American friend to come visit the other two in the UK. As this was all going on Aimee was sitting behind the stage where all the lollita fashion models were doing a panel to an audience of mostly bonnet wearers. Hina was just finishing up answering questions from the crowd when it was Rio’s shot to talk, she mostly discussed the many creepy and spooky patterns that she has gotten to wear over the years.

“That's all from Elizabethy, does anybody have any questions?” immediately all of the ladies in black frantically gathered to ask their many burning questions “Aliceness how long have you and Elizabathy known each other?” another model asked Hina “coming up five years now” with that response she went back to watching Rio muddle her way through the question people asked her.

As they all left the conference hall, the wealthy French girl linked her arms with the Asian girl she had become acquainted with “I know of a wonderful place we should go for dinner after the con, my treat” Rio couldn’t help but cringe at her sickly sweet tone of voice, thankfully she did not see her facial expression.

“I absolutely love that idea” the other girl responded much more positively and with that the goth’s fate was sealed. Meanwhile, Zoey was preparing herself to leave with the two mildly ‘famous’ lollita girls “So how far is your hotel from here” satisfied by the answer they gave she texted her sister letting her know she would be spending the night with others. 

A fully decked out restaurant with pristine white walls and the fanciest of chandeliers, although they weren’t poor none of them were quite used to this level of wealth except for Aimee of course. They sat down on very well cushioned dining chairs and the tables were as highly decorated as the walls around them, with at least five different very fancy forks, a couple of knives and a few spoons.

“Oh wow these plates look so regal” of course Hina was mesmerized by this place, Rio couldn’t help but think but she's always been a bit more cynical with people than her dear friend “Oh you must really try the desserts from this place they are fantastic” when they had all finished their meal, they got to try out these desserts for themself. Rio couldn’t help but love her white chocolate and lime cheesecake, looking over Hina was already nearly finished with her strawberry tart with cream and of course the French girl had French macaroons in many pretty pastel colours. 

Eventually getting in after the train was delayed for about half an hour they de-petticoated as soon as they got in “So this is our humble abode Zoey” willow mockingly fanned out her arms to show off the whole room. Charlotte rolled her eyes, took her pigtails out and laid them down on her night stand. All of them couldn’t wait to get their makeup off and watch some internet videos, the conversation went from what they were watching to about Zoey’s personal life.

It mostly focused on her skills as a seamstress but the subject of her sister came up and her eyes seemed to sparkle with pride when discussing her sibling “Yeah my big sister’s so awe inspiring, she’s a photographer” the other two girls were drawn in by Zoey’s clear enthusiasm “that’s why I’ve been here for a week already because of her job” with that Willow couldn’t help but launch into questions about her sister’s photoshoot she was doing and Charlotte quickly followed suit with the interrogation. 

Sleep overcame them all and they continued their discussions the morning “Oh so what are the names of the models” The American looked a bit apprehensive about answering this question but they both promised her that they wouldn’t discuss it outside of this room “Okay there’s Aliceness, she mostly does hime style and Elizabethy is pretty much all gothic” when Charlotte heard the word gothic she perked up a little bit followed by Willow’s teasing. 

None of them really had time to search up the two lollita fashion girls as they wanted to make the breakfast buffet but it was still really cool to them that Zoey’s family member was involved with fashion photography and not to mention their favourite kind. Unbeknown to them across the street the two girls in question were having their own breakfast but they had room service and were preparing themselves for the day ahead which had them on shoot all day in the studio (around the city as well). 

As soon as Zoey found out about the shoot today she was able to convince her sister to let her friends come along. Charlotte promised to help out as they had studied photography in college, Willow wasn’t so quick to offer assistance “But Lotte it’s our holiday” she whinged but reluctantly agreed. The excitement was palpable although they would have to work hard helping out with lighting and such, the prospex of seeing and meeting Japanese models who exclusively wear their favourite fashion was too much Charlotte almost cried. 

The photographer was already hard at work before her beloved little sister came through the door “Emily! It’s me Zo, I’ve brought reinforcements” she yelled with a slight sing song tone. Emily wasted no time in briefing the girls on what she wanted them to do, it was mostly lighting related but they also offered a great deal of help with different backdrops

 “So what time are the models getting here sis?” she couldn’t help but ask as she set down everyone's cup of tea. Emily gave her phone a cursory glance “They should be here soon but the traffic here can always be a bit of a mess” so they sat and gabbed but the mature woman felt out of place with these youngsters but enjoyed their company anyway. 

Everyone’s attention was diverted to Hina and Rio entering the studio, Charlotte’s mouth was agasp; it was her! Their eyes met each other and for a good solid minute they just stared. 

Remembering that she had seen this cute blonde from a convention Rio was surprised that she was here but Charlotte was blushing profusely at the prospex of seeing gorgeous goth again and possibly getting to know her. “This is Hina Satō she does Hime style and Rio Itō is the gothic one” Emily informed “I hope you don’t mind but my sister and her new friends wanted to help out” She explained to the models who assured her it was fine with them and were thrilled when they found out that they too were into lolita fashion.

Although the two of them worked hard on their specific tasks, one posing and showing off clothes the other adjusting lighting and sorting props they couldn’t help but be a bit distracted by their subtle attraction to each other. Everyone was preparing to take the photoshoot outside around different locations in the city, all were very happy to get out of the very hot studio and into the fresh air. 

They did visit many lovely, lush parks but some dingy and dark locations were not out of the question either. One such place was an alleyway that was situated between two very similar looking  bakeries with plenty of seating out front (this is Paris after all) “Okay you two go set up over there, Stand here models, and you hold that reflector” Emily was being very commanding but they all knew to trust her judgement Charlotte was the one holding the reflector and she stood at the entrance of the alleyway, she admired how photogenic Rio was and got lost in thought about her this is how she became unaware of her surroundings.

Suddenly, she felt herself hit the concrete and a weight on top of her. 

It was Rio! “WHY were you just standing there not paying attention” she was frantic but the ditsy blonde didn’t know. What she had failed to realize was while her head was in the clouds someone on a moped was about to knock her down, luckily for her Rio’s sharp eye had noticed her absent mindedness and seen the driver in plenty of time to get her out of the way.

Charlotte upon realizing their position blushed, they both quickly stood up to get out of this awkward situation “Lotte what you doing you twit, almost getting run over”  the redhead was truly fiery now, luckily for the driver he had already apologized and left on his moped otherwise he might incurred the wrath of Willow (even though it was her friends own fault for standing on the road).

The absent minded girl couldn’t help but feel embarrassed about her idiocy however she was very grateful for the dark haired girls intervention. It made her feelings deepen. “Thank you Rio and I’m so sorry to everyone for causing trouble” The whole group was a little bit shook by what happened so all decided it was best to head back.

Not long after they had finally gotten a chance to sit down and enjoy some cups of tea and coffee (maybe some hot chocolate) a fancy looking and very clearly french girl came through the door. Hina's eyes lit up, she went over to her but Rio just sighed and face palmed herself. “I have made more plans for us” she cackled while clapping, of course Hina was overjoyed while her friend was less than amused. The rest of the group didn’t really get much acknowledgement from this girl named Aimee before she left with the two Asians.

Charlotte looked defeated, obviously upset by Rio’s departure. 

The photographer had gone off to tidy up, her sister and the redhead had recognised their friends clear sadness and asked about it. Willow was flabbergasted “You mean to tell me one of those models was that girl you’ve been thirsting after since that con!” she was damn near dancing at this point, Zoey was very amused by this whole thing “Aww it’s like something out of one of those rom-coms” quickly the two were hatching some crazy plans to get these girls together and in this moment Charlotte knew she had messed up. 

After they had all helped clean up the studio Emily wanted to take them all out for some drinks and a meal (nothing like Aimee’s fancy meals) The blonde was thoroughly embarrassed by the other two telling Emily about her crush on the model, “Come on Will and Zo there’s no need for this”. although she’d like to think of herself as the more mature one she couldn’t help but get roped into the other girls romance schemes. 

Waking up a little bit hungover from the night before however, they had only had a few drinks and a meal (they’re probably light weights) When Zoey’s sister called to make sure she was okay she poked fun at their ability to hold their alcohol. lounging about most of the morning till a call came about the bags with the pandas on it “Finally it took them long enough!” Willow obviously got all worked up about it but quickly calmed down after they said it would be delivered to the hotel later.

Delighted at the fact that she would finally be able to give Rio her gift, the two ‘cupids’ were thrilled by this development and were planning to use this (as they are now very much invested in seeing this possible couple come to be) they rested their elbows on her shoulders “well you have to give it to her lotte” they both cooed at her like a pigeon.

Now she couldn’t help but feel a bundle of nerves in the pit of her stomach at the thought of an audience “please don't embarrass me more than I'm going to embarrass myself” Charlotte pleaded. 

Rio lazed about in her hotel room with sweats and hair in a messy bun, whereas Hina was meticulously plucking her eyebrows “I just don’t see what the problem is, she seems perfectly nice to me” was her response to their argument about Aimee “Well I’m glad you like her but I’m not that fond of her” folding her arms in defiance and Hina just shrugged her shoulders, she was filing her nails now.  

Hina suggested they go get some fresh air outside their hotel and raved about a little coffee shop across the street next to the other hotel. As they made their way to the other side of the street they spotted the girls from yesterday that were helping the American photographer, Rio went over to say hi (as she would like some other company that wasn’t some fancy french girl) 

It amused them all to find out that the hotels where they were staying were across from each other. A small delivery van stopped, out came a driver who brought over a suitcase covered in pandas and asked for a Miss ‘Charlotte Rose White’ once it was handed over he was gone. 

Charlotte’s face was flushed, Rio just stood there confused as she watched her shaking hands reach into the bag and pull out a very spooky looking doll. 

Handing over the small gift “I wanted to give this to you at that convention as a thank you...for being so kind” Some parts of what Charlotte just said were too quiet to hear but Rio got what she meant anyway. She did have to admit it warmed her little black heart to know that a small interaction on her part made someone's day (it did help  that she found the girl in question very cute). 

Giving as much of a smile as she could muster “Thanks, she’s my child now” grasping the dolly close to her chest. Although Willow and Zoey were well aware of what was going on, Hina was left out of the loop “when did you two get soo friendly?” placing her arm around Rio’s shoulder and raising an eyebrow. 

Quickly being brought up to speed and flashing a cheeky grin to her friend “Ooh I see well that's nice” she spoke with a teasing tone, the five of them sat in the coffee shop together of course they mostly spoke about clothes and their online pseudonyms. When Charlotte and Rio both needed to go to the loo neither really talked to each other although they did exchange some soft glances and sweet smiles. 

Unbeknown to them that left the two schemers to their own devices and they quickly roped Hina into their plans “So we need to get these two on a date with each other” Some would say they’re a bit too enthusiastic about getting their pals together.

 Both were washing their hands but before they could go back and join their friends, Rio reached out her hand toward Charlotte's face, she closed her eyes “There you go, your little bunny clip was falling” speaking very softly. Opening her bright blue eyes to stare straight into those deep brown ones “thanks, you're too sweet Rio” pink still lay on her cheeks. Giggling a little at her  “your one to talk about sweetness Charlotte, I have the doll to prove it” giving a little wink, when they made it back to the table their friends were giving them a strange look (as if they were planning something).

Hina was the first to speak up “So Rio didn’t you say you wanted to go to Louvre Museum?” she had such a smug look on her face that her bestie was suspicious immediately “Yeah but you said that we didn’t have time for that” She retorted raising an eyebrow . Agreeing but quickly explaining that now they had some new pals who would probably like to go with her “Oh well it definitely won't be me I failed history so I’d just be lost” Willow was the first to back out “Ahh it can’t be me either I’ve already gone with Emily” Zoey just shrugged and smiled.

“Guess that leaves Charlotte then” hina said it in such a condescending way that it made Rio almost want to slap her, whereas the blonde just looked dumbfounded by this sudden request “I suppose I don’t mind museums my favourite part is always the art” her voice noticeably went up an octave when talking about the pretty art. 

Still annoyed by besties meddling Rio couldn’t help but be somewhat happy that Charlotte would want to go with her “Cool I guess we’ll go there tomorrow then” the masterminds were bursting with joy at the two future ‘lovers’.

Worry consumed Charlotte, she hadn’t gone on many dates as it isn't easy to approach women and talk to them (and don't get her started on dating apps). So to say she was inexperienced was an understatement, focusing on things like how should she wear her hair was all she could do to lessen the stress of it all. 

Rio didn’t have much more experience but was just a lot more chill about the whole thing, her friends had often told her she was like a robot with how nothing seemed to phase her. Making a good impression still sat in her mind though, deciding to wear something a bit more colourful than usual (although still very dark) to match pink a bit more.

Staring out the windows of their respective rooms were the masterminds of this whole date, looking down at their two friends meeting each other, chatting a little and walking away from the hotels. Everyone was itching to see how it might go but they knew that following them there to spy was more than a bad idea. 

The walk and subsequent train ride was unbelievably awkward but each other's company was enjoyable nonetheless. Most of what they talked about at first was Rio and her work , unlike other models she didn’t travel too much as Lolita was a fashion subculture mostly localized to Asia. Charlotte was just captivated by it all feeling like she had learned so much more although her date didn’t want to be the only one who chatted, when pressed on her career choice the blonde was hesitant to share because many have scoffed at her  ‘so called job’ as they would put it. 

Far from ridicule she got a positive response when explaining that she made videos about all sorts of things she likes mostly the clothing they both loved so much,  Promising to show some when they eventfully sat down for tea or coffee. Rio took her up on that offer and also promised to share her photo portfolio of some of her best modeling work, the dialogue between them slowed down somewhat as they relished in the egyption section especially our goth girl.

Charlotte’s favourite part was still to come, all that beautiful art with the golden frames she was practically drooling. They both knew that seeing the whole Louvre in a few hours would be very difficult so just focused on enjoying what they could, roaming through the gift shops Rio spied a tiny white vase adorned with pink flowers. Looking at her small gifted doll and back at the vase, she bought it.

Of course the British girl was distracted with the many lovely postcards to notice her date's stealthy purchase, both were finally relieved to sit down as their feet had gotten quite sore. as the two lovely ladies were sharing their many photos and videos with each other a certain ‘la dam’ had spotted them.  

Just as Rio was planning to give her date the little vase Aimee had to stick her nose in and join in the conversation (she took a spare chair at the table). “Hiya Rio, it’s so cool to see you here, where’s Hina?” Looking around until her gaze focused on the blonde her “Oh hello and whom

might you be?” Aimee gave a wide grin that Charlotte found unbelievably uncomfortable. 

Holding in a sigh “This is my date”  she put so bluntly to Aimee and “My name’s Charlotte it’s nice to meet you” cutting in to make this whole interaction less awkward or trying at least. She gave her the cold shoulder and grabbed a chair to sit down next to Rio, preventing the girls on said date from looking at one another. 

Almost pulling her black hair out in frustration at Aimee’s rudeness but Rio didn’t say a word (it would be more hassle to chastise her and cause issues between her and Hina), sitting there and just watching this random French lady completely ignoring her existence.

 Barely an hour had passed before the ‘lovely‘ lady had gotten a phone call and was on her way, leaving them alone at last to bask in each other’s company. 

“I am so sorry, she’s Hina’s friend and unfortunately has spent a lot of time with her” Huffing loudly after finishing speaking. Charlotte couldn’t stop herself from laughing (probably from being too nervous about the whole thing), Rio did join in and they just giggled about the whole thing and made lots of jokes about it on the journey back to their hotels. 

The date had gotten to the point of the goodbyes as they stood where they had met hours earlier,. if this hadn’t been their first date they probably would have kissed at this point but at last it was, so they just gave each other a gentle hug.

“Oh lotte, here I saw this in the gift shop” handing the little vase over to the blonde who’s month was in an O shape and thanked her sweetly for said tiny gift “No problem, after all you did get me my daughter” holding the small doll in her hand and winking.

Charlotte's face was quickly becoming her favourite colour, pink. 

As they both got to the front entrance of their respective hotels they looked back at each other and smiled while also waving goodbye. 

While all this was going on the ones who had set this whole arrangement up were watching intently and fawned over the fact they had cuddled. 

[magzoso-tech]

New Post has been published on https://magzoso.com/tech/moto-g8-plus-review/

Moto G8 Plus Review

Motorola’s Moto G series smartphones have long been popular in the budget segment. After launching a slew of new One series models, such as the Motorola One Macro and Motorola One Action (Review) over the past few months, Motorola has now updated its Moto G series, with the new Moto G8 Plus now on sale in India. Available in just one configuration, the main focus of the Moto G8 Plus is its cameras and Dolby-backed stereo speakers.

The latter isn’t a feature we typically find in the sub-Rs. 15,000 segment, which could make the Moto G8 Plus an interesting option for some people. At its retail price of Rs. 13,999, this Motorola smartphone contends directly with the Realme 5 Pro (Review) and the Samsung Galaxy M30s (Review). Even the Redmi Note 8 Pro (Review) is available around the same price bracket.

So, does the Moto G8 Plus have enough features and performance to make it a worthy alternative? Let’s take a look.

Moto G8 Plus design

The Moto G8 Plus is reminiscent of the Motorola One Macro (Review) in terms of its exterior design, especially the arrangement of the camera sensors at the back. The polycarbonate body in the Cosmic Blue colour trim looks nice, and also has a little purplish highlight depending on how you hold this phone against the light. There’s also a Crystal Pink option. The back does look a bit like glass and is quite resilient to scratches and scuffs, but if you want to be careful, you can opt to use the bundled silicone case.

This phone isn’t too heavy but it’s on the thicker side at 9.09mm. The sides are glossy, and can get a little slippery at times. The textured power button has good tactile feedback and so does the volume rocker, but the latter is placed a little too high. The tray on the left can accept two Nano-SIM cards, and the second slot can accept a microSD card (up to 512GB) in lieu of a SIM. We would have liked a dedicated microSD card slot instead of a hybrid one.

The Moto G8 Plus has a glossy back, which attracts fingerprints pretty easily

The Moto G8 Plus has a headphone jack on the top and a USB Type-C port at the bottom. The earpiece and the bottom speaker work in tandem to create a stereo effect. Motorola has used a 6.3-inch LTPS IPS display with Panda glass for scratch protection. The resolution is full-HD+ (1080×2280) and the aspect ratio is 19:9, which Motorola calls a Max Vision display. The panel produces vivid and punchy colours, brightness is good enough for outdoor use, and viewing angles are decently wide. You also get some basic colour adjustments in the Settings menu.

The bezels around the display aren’t too slim but they’re not too intrusive either. There’s a waterdrop notch on the top, which houses the selfie camera. The G8 Plus also features Moto Display, which is an ambient display mode so you can see missed notifications, the battery level, the time, etc on the lockscreen.

The rear cameras protrude a little, creating a bit of imbalance on an otherwise flat surface. The fingerprint sensor has a Moto logo on it and is quite dependable in terms of its performance. You can also use face unlock, which works well as long as there’s enough light around. In the box, you get a case, a 15W Turbo Charger, a SIM eject tool, and a Type-C cable.

The Moto G8 Plus features a bright and vivid IPS display

Moto G8 Plus specifications and software

The Moto G8 Plus runs on the Snapdragon 665 SoC, which we’ve seen in phones such as the Realme 5 (Review), Xiaomi Mi A3 (Review), and Redmi Note 8 (Review). There’s only one version of this phone available, which has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. You also get dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5, dual 4G VoLTE, NFC, support for three satellite navigation systems, FM radio, and the usual suite of sensors including a compass and a gyroscope.

Motorola also claims that the Moto G8 Plus is water resistant, even though it doesn’t have any official IP rating. It’s said to be able to withstand light splashes of water or light rain, but isn’t waterproof, so you should avoid submerging it in any liquid.

The Moto G8 Plus supports fast charging

The software is quite lean and is very close to stock Android. There isn’t any bloatware and the default apps don’t spam you with unnecessary notifications or ads, unlike some other custom Android skins. The Moto G8 Plus ships with Android 9 Pie, and our unit had the September 2019 security patch. Digital Wellbeing and the standard Android gestures are present, in addition to some from Motorola. The Moto app lets you select Moto Actions and set up the Moto Display. Moto Actions are shortcuts and gestures for quickly turning on the camera and torch, taking a quick screenshot, and many other things.

There’s also the Dolby Audio app, which helps boost the volume and quality of sound through the speakers, wired and wireless headphones. Some Google apps such as Slides, News, and Sheets are preinstalled but not many others.

Moto G8 Plus performance and battery life

With day-to-day usage, the Moto G8 Plus managed to cope quite well. We were able to multitask quite effortlessly; it was easy to find what we wanted thanks to the near-stock Android UI and we didn’t face any heating issues. It is a bit difficult to reach the upper end of the tall display, but thankfully there are plenty of gestures to help. For instance, you can swipe down on the fingerprint sensor to pull down the notification shade, or perform a simple on-screen gesture by swiping your finger diagonally to either of the bottom corners, to shrink the contents of the screen. The ability to wave your palm over the phone to wake up the display is also very convenient. You can even take a peek at your notifications by holding down its icon on the lockscreen.

Moto G8 Plus Benchmark numbers were pretty decent too. In AnTuTu, we got a score of 170,004 points while the T-Rex test in GFXbench returned 34fps. The framerate in the latter test was a little low since the full-HD resolution taxes this processor. The same is reflected when playing heavy 3D games such as PUBG Mobile. It defaulted to the ‘Low’ graphics preset, which didn’t look very good, but at least gameplay wasn’t affected too much. The phone got a little warm when gaming, but not to an alarming extent.

The Moto G8 Plus features an action camera, similar to the Motorola One Action

The speakers on the Moto G8 Plus sounded excellent, thanks to Dolby Audio. The earpiece got just as loud as the bottom-firing speaker, which created a good stereo effect. You can leave the Dolby setting at ‘Auto’ or manually tinker with the bass, mids, and vocals depending on your style of listening. This effect works when playing audio through the speakers as well as wired and even wireless headsets. This added to the bright and punchy colours of the display made for an enjoyable multimedia experience.

The Moto G8 Plus supports Motorola’s 15W Turbo Charging feature. You even get a little logo in the clock widget which tells you when the phone is charging quickly. The phone can also be fast-charged using any standard Quick Charge 3.0 charger. In our battery loop test, the Moto G8 Plus ran for 14 hours and 10 minutes, which is a good show.

With normal usage, which involved playing games, using the camera, and surfing the Internet, we easily sailed past a day and into the next. With more frugal usage, we were averaging about a day and a half. With the bundled Turbo Charger, we were able to charge the Moto G8 Plus battery from zero to 36 percent in half an hour; up to 70 percent in an hour, and fully in about two hours. These aren’t particularly good times, but still a lot better than having no fast charging at all.

Moto G8 Plus cameras

The Moto G8 Plus has three sensors at the back — a 48-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture; a 16-megapixel wide-angle camera specially for GoPro-style videos; and a 5-megapixel depth sensor. The phone also has a laser autofocus module and an LED flash. The camera app is easy to master, thanks to a simple layout. Besides the main shooting modes, you can access a separate menu of additional modes such as Portrait, Panorama, and Night Vision, plus some fun modes like Spot Colour and Cutout.

In daylight, the primary camera captured good-looking landscapes and close-ups. It handled HDR well, balancing the exposure of light and dark areas nicely. Colours were vivid but not overly boosted, and details were good. This phone saves 12-megapixel oversampled photos by default and there’s no option to shoot at the full 48-megapixel resolution. In Manual mode, you can capture RAW files too.

Landscape shot with HDR from the Moto G8 Plus (tap for full-sized image)

Close-up shot from the Moto G8 Plus (tap for full-sized image)

Low-light shot from the Moto G8 Plus (tap for full-sized image)

Shot using Night Vision mode from Moto G8 Plus (tap for full-sized image)

Close-up shots looked good, with plenty of detail, vivid colours, and very good sharpness. In low light, close-ups still looked decent with little to no noise. Landscape shots on the other hand had muddy details in low-light, and blacks in the shadow regions were crushed easily.

Night Vision own the Moto G8 Plus did make a noticeable difference. Colours were punchier and bright areas were metered better, but details didn’t really improve much. As long you don’t zoom into a photo too much, results will look pleasing. However, it’s not foolproof and there were instances when Night Vision ended up making photos worse than the standard mode. Also, it takes a while before you can see the final result, as the phone processes it in the background after you’ve taken a shot.

The depth sensor did a good job of detecting edges around our subject and blurring backgrounds. The blur effect can be adjusted before and after a shot has been taken. Lighting effects can also be added for drama.

Shot using Portrait mode from the Moto G8 Plus (tap for full-sized image)

Low-light selfie shot from the Moto G8 Plus (tap for full-sized image)

The 16-megapixel action camera can only be used for shooting videos and not stills, which is a little disappointing. Considering how pretty much every manufacturer is slapping wide-angle cameras onto their phones now, it’s a shame we can’t use it for photos on the Moto G8 Plus. The wide-angle camera can be accessed through a little toggle near the shutter button when in video mode. The phone needs to be held vertically in order to record landscape video, just like on the Motorola One Action. We found this to be very convenient when we were moving about quickly.

Videos taken with the wide-angle action camera on the Moto G8 Plus are stabilised at 1080p 30fps, but not at 60fps. In daylight, video quality was good and the electronic stabilisation worked decently well, albeit with mild jerkiness when we made any sudden movements. Video quality was a lot weaker in low light, with noticeable grain and softer details.

Switching to the primary camera, you can set the resolution all the way up to 4K at 30fps, but without stabilisation. Here, colours looked wildly exaggerated depending on the subject being shot. Videos are electronically stabilised at 1080p 30fps, and footage looked good, with better colour reproduction. In low light, the quality dropped and we noticed focus hunting when shooting landscapes.

The 25-megapixel selfie camera on the Moto G8 Plus has an f/2 aperture and you can set it to capture selfies at that full resolution or oversampled to 6 megapixels. We didn’t find any discernible difference between the two resolutions, so it’s worth saving storage space with the lower resolution. Selfies looked decent in the daytime, with good colours and details. You can enable Face Beauty mode, which smoothened skin textures.

In low light, image quality was generally below average. Details were weak, there was visible noise, and skin tones looked off. You do get a lot of shooting modes for the selfie camera, such as Spot Colour, Group Selfie, Portrait, and even slow-motion video.

Verdict

All things considered, the Moto G8 Plus manages to pack in a decent set of features, with its strengths being the lean Android experience, very good stereo speakers, solid battery life, a crisp display, and above-average camera quality when shooting in daylight. Compared to Motorola’s One series models such as the One Macro (Review), One Action (Review), and One Vision (Review), which all hover within the same price range, we’d pick the G8 Plus for its better display and slightly faster SoC.

Compared to the competition including the Realme 5 Pro (Review) and the Redmi Note 8 Pro (Review), the Moto G8 Plus falls a bit short. The processor isn’t the most powerful, especially for this screen resolution, which shows when it comes to playing heavy games. Most of the competition at around this price offer more powerful processors for this reason. The cameras on the G8 Plus aren’t the most versatile either, since you can’t shoot wide-angle stills, and the low-light performance of all the cameras was underwhelming.

The Moto G8 Plus isn’t the best all-rounder, but if stock Android, a good display, and stereo speakers are high on your priority list, you might find it worth your while.

[tophostingplans]

Top 08 The Best Laptop 2020

New Post has been published on https://emarketingshare.com/top-08-the-best-laptop-2020-2/

Top 08 The Best Laptop 2020

Top 08 ,The Best Laptop 2020 :

how to choose your laptop?

  Welcome to our information to the most effective laptop computer in 2020. We stay in a world the place smartphones are ubiquitous, tablets are commonplace, and even smartwatches are a factor that folks discuss on the common. However all through all of those advances, the standard laptop computer has persevered — and for good motive. When it comes time to work, whether or not that is enhancing photographs, writing a variety of emails, composing paperwork, or staying in contact with colleagues and household, we’re right here that will help you discover the most effective laptops for the job.

  TOP 08 LAPTOPS 2020:

The Dell XPS 13 is the most effective laptop computer of 2020. 

Photograph by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

1. DELL XPS 13 (2020)

THE BEST LAPTOP YOU CAN BUY

IfIf you’re in search of a laptop computer that does nearly all the things proper, we suggest Dell’s newest XPS 13. It includes a sturdy construct, 10th Gen Intel processors with highly effective built-in graphics, and a virtually bezel-free 16:10 panel.

The show is what you’ll possible discover first. It has a 91.5 p.c screen-to-body ratio with a backside bezel of simply 4.6mm. You’ll be able to configure the XPS with a 1920 x 1200 pixel or 4K show, however the lower-resolution mannequin must be satisfactory for anybody who’s not doing artistic work. It delivers as much as 500 nits of brightness (a lot for working in a vibrant room and even outdoor) and correct, vivid colours. It’ll additionally provide you with considerably higher battery life, along with the decrease value.

You’ll be able to customise numerous different specs; the present base mannequin has a Core i5-1035G1, 8GB RAM, a 256GB SSD, and a 1920 x 1200 non-touch show. (There’s allegedly a mannequin with a Core i3 and 4GB RAM floating round, but it surely’s not at present listed on Dell’s web site. It is best to keep away from it should you see it.) We suggest this base mannequin to anybody who simply desires to browse; should you plan on gaming or artistic work, it’s value upgrading for extra storage and RAM.

THE LATEST XPS 13 EXCELS AT PRODUCTIVITY AND EVEN HAS ENOUGH POWER FOR LIGHT GAMING

The Ice Lake processor options Intel’s new Iris Plus built-in graphics, which delivered distinctive efficiency for an built-in GPU. You’ll nonetheless desire a discrete graphics card for critical gaming, however you’ll haven’t any drawback working lighter fare like Overwatch and Rocket League. On these video games, it delivers comparable efficiency to some lower-tier graphics playing cards, comparable to Nvidia’s MX150 that got here in older variations of the Razer Blade Stealth.

OUR REVIEW OFDELL XPS 13 (2020)

VERGE SCORE9OUT OF 10

Purchase for $999.99 from Dell

Relating to the opposite fundamentals, the XPS beats its competitors in nearly each manner. We bought an appropriate seven hours of battery life and even three hours of sunshine gaming. (League of Legends was playable for about 85 p.c of that point.) The keyboard and touchpad are among the many greatest of their classes as properly. And at simply 2.Eight kilos and 0.58 inches thick, it’s fairly moveable.

The most important knock towards the XPS 13 is its restricted port choice. With simply two Thunderbolt Three ports, a headphone jack, and a microSD slot, it’s entering into MacBook territory (although it does ship with a USB-C to USB-A dongle). The 720p webcam can also be fairly horrible, although, in Dell’s protection, it needed to squeeze the factor right into a 2.25mm prime bezel.

These are legit considerations that will drive some customers to look elsewhere. However for many customers, they received’t be as essential as the basics: construct high quality, keyboard, touchpad, show, and efficiency. The XPS excels in all of these areas, incomes it our prime suggestion.

The MacBook Air is the most effective laptop computer for Mac customers. 

Photograph by Nilay Patel / The Verge

2. MACBOOK AIR (2020)

THE BEST LAPTOP FOR MAC USERS

TheThe 2020 MacBook Air is the best choice for most individuals preferring the Apple ecosystem. The Air comes with 10th Gen Intel processors (although in a decrease energy variation than the XPS 13), a pointy Retina show, and a brand new scissor-switch keyboard. The bottom configuration (together with a Core i3, 8GB RAM, and 256GB storage) is available in below $1,000, however we suggest that you simply go for, at minimal, the upgraded mannequin with a Core i5 processor.

MacBook keyboards have been virtually universally maligned for the previous few years. However the 2020 Air inherited the new-and-improved keyboard from the newest 16-inch MacBook Professional, which brings again the “inverted T” arrow structure and keys with 1mm of journey. There’s no Contact Bar, however that’s a controversial function already, and most customers must be high quality with the usual prime row and performance keys. It does retain the Contact ID fingerprint scanner for straightforward logins and fee authentication.

THE MACBOOK AIR IS THE DEFAULT APPLE LAPTOP FOR MOST PEOPLE

You’ll be able to configure the Air with three totally different Y-series chips, maxing out at a 1.2GHz quad-core Core i7. We had no drawback with the 1.1GHz Core i5, although; it dealt with Chrome, Slack, Zoom, and Lightroom simply high quality, and had single-threaded Geekbench scores according to these of the 16-inch MacBook Professional.

The place you would possibly run into bother is with heavy workloads that must run for lengthy intervals of time, comparable to rendering graphics or exporting video. We witnessed some thermal throttling in these circumstances, and clock speeds had been capped at lower than half of the processor’s enhance. Which means should you’re doing heavy artistic work or different duties that basically push the CPU, you’re prone to expertise slowdown and a really loud fan.

OUR REVIEW OFAPPLE MACBOOK AIR (2020)

VERGE SCORE8.5OUT OF 10

Purchase for $999.00 from Apple Purchase for $999.99 from Greatest Purchase

The MacBook Air does have a number of different vital weaknesses. The first one is battery life. We bought about 5 hours utilizing a workflow of Chrome, Slack, Zoom, and Lightroom with the display on most brightness. You’ll most likely get extra juice should you dim the display and stick to Apple’s apps, however we count on most individuals will need to preserve the brightness excessive (it solely will get as much as 400 nits), and third-party packages are requirements for a lot of.

Regardless of these downsides, although, the MacBook Air will function a reliable and dependable system for many customers. It has the wonderful design, show, efficiency, and (lastly) keyboard that we count on from Apple. Energy customers who want the Professional most likely know who they’re; everybody else must be simply high quality with the Air.

OTHER BEST LAPTOPS

Wants for laptops can range extensively. Some individuals must do intense video enhancing and may pony up for a professional machine. Others simply want a dependable keyboard and some home windows, so one thing much less highly effective will do. Some would possibly desire a tremendous mild laptop computer that may typically double as a pill. Some will desire a moveable gaming machine able to working the entire newest titles. Others desire a tall aspect-ratio display, which is way more snug to make use of than a cramped 16:9 show should you primarily do your work in Workplace paperwork or an online browser. Beneath, we’ve bought suggestions for all of these use circumstances and extra.

There are many nice choices within the Home windows PC world, full with the newest processors and designs, and Apple’s MacBook lineup has been not too long ago refreshed fully with new keyboards and upgraded efficiency.

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a superb gaming laptop computer.

 Photograph by Avery White for The Verge

3. ASUS ROG ZEPHYRUS G14

AN EXCELLENT GAMING LAPTOP

The Zephyrus G14 is an astonishingly highly effective gaming laptop computer for a low worth (relative to different notebooks with comparable hardware). It pairs AMD’s new Ryzen 9 4900HS with an Nvidia RTX 2060 Max-Q GPU and a 120HZ show, and it may possibly run demanding video games at their highest settings and not using a drawback. It’s additionally fairly mild for such a strong laptop computer, weighing simply over 3.5 kilos. Its battery life can also be spectacular for a gaming rig; we bought virtually 9 hours of multitasking.

However you don’t have to be a gamer to understand the Zephyrus G14. It’s additionally a terrific pocket book for enterprise and on a regular basis multitasking with a novel retro design. Plus, the keyboard and touchpad are distinctive and quiet sufficient to not hassle officemates. On the flip facet, if you should use your laptop computer for videoconferences, the G14 wouldn’t be a terrific alternative, because it lacks a webcam.

OUR REVIEW OFASUS ROG ZEPHYRUS G14

VERGE SCORE8.5OUT OF 10

Purchase for $1,449.99 from Greatest Purchase

The MacBook Professional is a superb laptop computer for video enhancing. 

Photograph by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

4. MACBOOK PRO (16-INCH, 2019)

A GREAT CHOICE FOR MAC POWER USERS

The 16-inch MacBook Professional is the most effective Apple laptop computer for energy customers. Apple handled the most important complaints that folks have traditionally had about MacBook Professionals, and should you can abdomen the value, there’s not quite a bit else to complain about.

Most significantly, the keyboard is sweet once more. The keys have a full millimeter of journey, and whereas the typing expertise isn’t distinctive, it’s a world away from the maligned butterfly keyboard of MacBooks previous. It’s pretty quiet, too.

This MacBook additionally options the most effective sound you’ll discover on a laptop computer. Apple has crammed three audio system into either side, together with two woofers. The result’s balanced audio with audible bass and nice stereo separation. For individuals who want a laptop computer that may crank by means of enhancing video, working with a number of audio tracks, or processing massive batches of photographs, the 16-inch MacBook Professional is the king of the hill.

OUR REVIEW OFAPPLE MACBOOK PRO (16-INCH, 2019)

VERGE SCORE8.5OUT OF 10

Purchase for $2,399.00 from Apple Purchase for $2,399.99 from Greatest Purchase Purchase for $2,399.00 from B&H

The HP Envy x360 is the most effective laptop computer you should buy for below $1,000.

 Photograph by Monica Chin / The Verge

5. HP ENVY X360 (2020)

THE BEST MID-RANGE ULTRABOOK

You don’t must spend $1,000 to get a laptop computer that appears and feels premium. The HP Envy x360 2020 is among the greatest midrange laptops you should buy, due to its sturdy and compact construct, stylish convertible design, and glorious efficiency.

A part of what makes the Envy so nice is that HP has ported over numerous parts from its glorious 2019 flagship, the Spectre x360, together with the skinny and lightweight chassis, and almost bezel-free show with an 88 p.c screen-to-body ratio. The touchscreen (which helps HP’s MPP2.Zero pen) is vibrant and appears nice. (You’ll be able to select a 300-nit, 400-nit, or 1,000-nit panel). And HP has added a row of handy hotkeys to the keyboard, together with kill switches for the microphone and webcam.

However essentially the most thrilling function is inside: The brand new Envy x360 is powered by AMD’s Ryzen 4000 sequence. The Ryzen 5-4500U in my mannequin did an impressive job with a reasonably heavy load of multitasking. And AMD’s built-in Raedon graphics delivered good gaming efficiency similar to what you’d count on from a lower-powered discrete GPU.

OUR REVIEW OFHP ENVY X360 (2020)

VERGE SCORE8.5OUT OF 10

Purchase for $759.99 from HP

The HP Elite Dragonfly is a superb enterprise laptop computer. 

Photograph by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

6. HP ELITE DRAGONFLY

A BUSINESS LAPTOP WITH SOLID SECURITY

If you happen to’re a enterprise skilled and cash isn’t any object for you or your organization, you may’t do higher than the HP Elite Dragonfly. The 2020 mannequin is the primary Dragonfly that options HP’s super-secure SureView Mirror know-how, which tints the display in order that snoops can’t see what you’re doing when you’re working in public. When it’s not tinted, the show will get fairly vibrant (over 700 nits) and has nice viewing angles.

The brand new Dragonfly can also be the primary laptop computer to incorporate a built-in Tile tracker. Which means should you lose the system, you need to use the Tile smartphone app to set off an alarm (if it’s in Bluetooth vary) or find it wherever on this planet utilizing Tile’s crowd-finding community. The tracker can work for a restricted time even when the laptop computer is off.

Virtually all the things else concerning the Dragonfly is sweet; it has a number of the greatest battery lifetime of any laptop computer in the marketplace (we bought over 11 hours), a smooth and beautiful 2-in-1 design, and an distinctive keyboard. Plus, it incorporates sustainable materials, together with ocean-bound plastics and recycled DVDs.

The Dragonfly is costly, and there are cheaper enterprise laptops that can swimsuit the wants of most professionals simply high quality. However should you’re in search of the most effective of the most effective, it’s the unambiguous winner.

OUR REVIEW OFHP ELITE DRAGONFLY (2020)

VERGE SCORE8.5OUT OF 10

Purchase for $2,885.00 from HP

The Lenovo Chromebook Duet is a superb possibility for funds customers.

 Photograph by Monica Chin / The Verge

7. LENOVO CHROMEBOOK DUET

A GREAT BUDGET LAPTOP FOR KIDS

Lenovo’s Chromebook Duet is a superb convertible laptop computer for teenagers, or anybody who desires a dependable secondary driver for looking and video games. It’s a nice-looking, well-made 10-inch system that comes with a removable keyboard and kickstand.

The Duet is tailored for use round the home and on the go, weighing simply 2.03 kilos and delivering over 11 hours of battery life. Its MediaTek processor isn’t designed to shoulder heavy hundreds, but it surely’s simply high quality for looking in a pair tabs, watching Netflix, or taking part in Android video games — it even handles photograph enhancing fairly properly. The Duet additionally includes a new “pill mode” for Chrome OS, which helps an Android-inspired gesture navigation system and a novel Chrome structure optimized for pill use.

The Chromebook Duet is an absolute steal for its low worth, and is the Chromebook to purchase should you’re on a decent funds.

OUR REVIEW OFLENOVO CHROMEBOOK DUET

VERGE SCORE8.5OUT OF 10

Purchase for $299.00 from Greatest Purchase

The Razer Blade Professional 17 is a strong gaming laptop computer with few compromises.

 Photograph by Monica Chin / The Verge

8. RAZER BLADE PRO 17

THE BEST PORTABLE GAMING LAPTOP

Normally, if you would like a 17-inch laptop computer that may pull playable body charges out of at the moment’s most demanding video games, you’d count on some compromises on portability and design. Notebooks of this measurement typically weigh north of seven kilos and require a number of energy bricks to cost.

However whereas the Blade Professional 17 doesn’t have fairly the gaming chops of some cumbersome desktop replacements, it makes up for that by sporting the compact and enticing design that’s a trademark of the Razer Blade line. At simply over six kilos, it’s not too troublesome to maneuver round (as 17-inch workstations go). You get an RTX GPU (as much as Nvidia’s 2080 Tremendous Max-Q) an eight-core CPU (Intel’s Core i7-10875H) and both a 300Hz display or a 120Hz touchscreen. There’s even an RGB keyboard with coloration results tailor-made to the sport you’re taking part in.

OUR REVIEW OFRAZER BLADE PRO 17 (2020)

VERGE SCORE8.5OUT OF 10

Purchase for $3,199.00 from Razer

[travelworldnetwork]

Copenhagen, Denmark on the Nyhavn Canal. Photo: Shutterstock

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So there you are, strolling leisurely beside Copenhagen's picturesque harbour, admiring the beautifully renovated warehouses and shiny contemporary architecture, when all of a sudden a voice in immaculate English, with a slight Scandi twang, says, "Excuse me, this lane is for bicycles."

I look down and see I'm standing on a path that, very clearly, has a bike symbol marked on it. I apologise and shuffle back to the lane designated for pedestrians, a little embarrassed but confident I'm not the only tourist to make this mistake in Copenhagen, one of the planet's most pedal-friendly cities.

It's said that 400 kilometres of cycle paths snake through the Danish capital, and that around 50 per cent of residents regularly bike to work, school or university (and the pub). There are ample paths and promenades for walkers, too, but as they're often adjacent to the cycle lanes, it's easy to drift, especially when you're distracted by something, as you often are in Copenhagen, which Lonely Planet has decreed the world's top city to visit in 2019.

The Playhouse in Copenhagen. Photo: Jens Markus Lindhe

This one-time Viking fishing village became the capital of Denmark in the 15th century and its majestic regal sites and palaces are among its leading attractions, along with the Tivoli Gardens, an eclectic theme park at the heart of the city, and the Little Mermaid, a bronze statue immortalising one of the fairytale characters of Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen. Perched on a rock, close to Copenhagen's cruise port, it's a fair trek from the city centre and almost everyone who comes wonders what the fuss is about when they see its modest size.

Far more visually striking are the modern landmarks that fringe the shores closer to town and that are helping to revitalise derelict naval and industrial zones.

The newest example is Blox built on the site of a former brewery near the Danish parliament and HC Andersen Boulevard (a road, incidentally, that isn't as idyllic as it sounds – it's central Copenhagen's busiest thoroughfare, its six lanes slicing through the city's core).

Unveiled in May, this jumble of glassy cubes of varying shapes and sizes seemingly stacked atop one another, has been labelled a "micro-city within a city" and contains housing, offices, work spaces, a gym and enticing draws for culture vultures and foodies.

You'll find Blox Eats, which is co-owned by Claus Meyer, co-founder of Noma which has been rated world's best restaurant several times and has become a legend of "new Nordic" cuisine. It recently moved to a new location near Christiania, a hippie-ish commune in Copenhagen's east, and tables there are still notoriously tricky to come by but Blox Eats has a no-reservations policy.

It's a very different affair, though. Instead of elaborate 17-course tasting menus à la Noma, it keeps things relatively simple with salads, baked goodies and smorrebrod (Danish open-faced sandwiches), plus tantalising soups, such as a Thai-style offering with pollock (a North Atlantic fish), mussels, noodles, herbs, coconut and crispy crudites). Menus change weekly and at least 30 per cent of ingredients are organic.

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Blox Eats' first-floor food hall is open for lunch on weekdays, while its ground-floor, espresso-scented cafe-eatery welcomes customers daily until 10pm (weekend brunch is one enticing option).

Blox is also home to the Danish Architecture Centre and its DAC Cafe, which has three rooftop terraces with splendid views of Copenhagen. The Centre's galleries and gift shop showcase the Danish flair for design, which infuses everything from landmark buildings to the furniture inside. A recent exhibition explored the genius of Jorn Utzon, the Copenhagen-born mastermind of the Sydney Opera House.

It's somewhat ironic, I ponder as I exit the building, that Blox was crafted by OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture), a practice founded by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas.

Danish fingerprints are, however, all over the design of other contemporary gems flanking the harbour, including the Black Diamond, a pebble's throw from Blox. Clad in polished black granite, it was completed in 1999, as a shiny extension to the red-brick Royal Danish Library. Skywalks connect the two sections, which couldn't be more different in style and vibe. While the original part feels a bit Hogwarts, with wood panelled reading areas, antique bookshelves and hushed voices, the Black Diamond is flooded with natural light thanks to its tall atrium. There's a vibrant cafe buzzing with Copenhageners of all ages, plus a concert hall and exhibition spaces.

Dubbed a "theatre machine", the Royal Danish Playhouse is another key cultural venue in a gleaming boxy shell. Renowned for its ballet and drama productions – ever fancied watching Shakespeare in Danish? – it's around the corner from Nyhavn, a cobbled quayside tourist magnet lined with yachts and pastel-hued 17th and 18th century townhouses.

Looming diagonally across the harbour is the most controversial of the city's 21st century icons. Costing about US$500 million, the Copenhagen Opera House was designed in so-called "neo-futuristic" fashion by the late Danish architect Henning Larsen, who trained with Utzon. It was panned by critics when it opened in 2004. Some dismissed it as a spaceship or the grille of a vintage Pontiac car.

Larsen himself reportedly reckoned it looked like a toaster and regarded it as a "failed compromise" (he had creative differences with the project's backer, Danish shipping magnate, Maersk McKinney Moller). I can't help but like it, especially its enormous cantilevered "lid". As with many of Copenhagen's prominent new buildings, it's ultra-mesmerising after dark, illuminated with colour that reflects off the water.

The opera house is linked to Nyhavn by water bus and also via Inderhavnsbroen, one of the dual cyclist-pedestrian bridges that swerve over the harbour. Guided tours reveal the building's stunning ensemble of limestone, oak, glass, bronze, maple, gold leaf and Sicilian marble. On a tour of the building, visitors are led round the backstage areas and into the vast main auditorium which can seat an audience of around 1500, who come for everything from Puccini to Kylie (she performed here in November).

From the building's lobby, there's a wonderful panorama of Copenhagen's spire-dotted skyline. Glance across the harbour and you'll see the royal district of Frederiksstaden, home to Amalienborg, residence of Margrethe II, Queen of Denmark, and Frederik's Church, a neoclassical jewel with an incredible green copper dome.The Marble Church, as it's alternatively known, was a project involving two high-profile 18th century architects: a Dane, Nicolai Eigtved, and a Frenchman, Nicolas-Henri Jardin.

For dinner, I go Gallic-Nordic at Zeleste, a charming restaurant serving Danish food with a French twist on Store Strandstraede, an affluent street between Nyhavn and Frederiksstaden. Occupying a quaint 17th century building, with rustic furniture, fireplaces and "Copenhagen's cosiest courtyard", Zeleste scores highly on the hygge scale.

Hygge, pronounced hoo-gah, is a Danish phrase for conjuring a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with loved ones. With a glass of Loire Valley sauvignon blanc for company, and jazzy trumpet tunes floating through the air, I have chilli chickpea salad with mustard vinaigrette, codfish with kale and mussel foam and a "deconstructed" cheesecake, its crushed base sprinkled with edible flowers onto creamy white chocolate.

Like so many things in Copenhagen, it simply has to be photographed, and, thankfully, it's utterly, lip-lickingly delicious as well.

FIVE MORE THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN COPENHAGEN

TORVEHALLERNE

This trendy covered market near Norreport Station attracts a diverse crowd, with more than 60 stands selling oodles of fresh produce and cosmopolitan cuisine from Italy, Japan, Spain and Scandinavia.

FURNITURE STORES

Sofas and armchairs, mirrors and lampshades, Copenhagen's furniture stores stock gorgeously-crafted products from Denmark and the world. Paustian House, a large harbourside showroom designed by Jorn Utzon in collaboration with his sons, Jan and Kim, is a joy to browse.

BAGSVAERD CHURCH

Completed in 1973, the same year the Sydney Opera House was opened, Jorn Utzon's modernist Lutheran house of worship has a dreamy white interior and is worth the 12-kilometre trip to the city's northern suburbs.

NORDIC NOIR

Take a Nordic noir-themed walking tour and discover the atmospheric filming locations of The Killing and The Bridge, the hit television series shot in Copenhagen.

FREDERIKSBERG GARDENS

This delightful urban park is a peaceful expanse of lakes, lawns and woodlands, also home to a royal palace, Chinese pavilion and Copenhagen Zoo.

TRIP NOTES

Steve McKenna was a guest of Collette.

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traveller.com.au/denmarkvisitcopenhagen.com

visitcopenhagen.com

STAY

Admiral Hotel is housed in a converted 18th century granary by the harbour. Rooms from 850DKK. See admiralhotel.dk/en

from traveller.com.au

[gta-5-cheats]

Asus ZenBook Pro UX580 and UX480 First Impressions

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Asus ZenBook Pro UX580 and UX480 First Impressions

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Not content with one surprise launch at its Computex 2018 ROG event, Asus on Tuesday whipped out a second show-stopper at its main press conference. This is a company that has taken great pleasure in surprising people with products that are imaginative and often defy categorisation, and no effort seems to have been spared this year. We now have the new ZenBook Pro UX580 and 480 with their attention-grabbing ScreenPad trackpads, in addition to yesterday’s unveiling of the ROG Phone.

At first glance, the new ZenBook Pro models might seem like perfectly ordinary upgrades to last year’s models. They’re slim, have the latest hardware from Intel, and have a few nice touches such as narrow screen borders and high-speed Thunderbolt 3 ports. However, there’s a new feature that no one else has implemented before, and it’s sure to surprise many people. Whether anyone actually needs such a feature is another matter entirely.

The ScreenPad is a 5.5-inch full-HD IPS touchscreen in place of the usual trackpad. It works as a trackpad for Windows 10, and if it’s set to Traditonal Trackpad mode, you wouldn’t know the difference at all. That all changes when you hit F6 on the keyboard, which lets you cycle between all available options. You can use it as a secondary monitor in Extension Display mode (sic), and Windows treats it just like any external display, except that it’s positioned below the main one instead of to either side. Alternatively, you can run mini apps on it in ScreenPad mode, very much like the desktop gadgets that were once popular with Windows.

  You can set the ScreenPad to act as a standard trackpad but still display a photo of your choice – just right-click on an image file in Windows Explorer and select Set as ScreenPad Background. Asus is promoting various app integrations and browser extensions – for example, you can already control YouTube video playback or manipulate objects in some Microsoft Office programs. An SDK will soon be released, so anyone can develop apps for the ScreenPad, and they’ll be distributed through the Windows Store or Asus’ own Giftbox store that’s preloaded on all its laptops.

We were able to spend some time with the new ZenBook Pro models in Taipei prior to its official unveiling, and while we’re impressed with the concept overall, we encountered some curious behaviour. Some of this could be attributed to immature software, but we’re also left with bigger questions about the overall usability of such a device.

The biggest challenge is that while this is a touchscreen, you cannot directly manipulate Windows programs that you drag onto it, because it’s still working as a trackpad for both displays. You have to essentially use it like a trackpad and slide a finger around to position a cursor over screen elements, rather than tapping them directly, and the cursor might have to be dragged down from the main screen. It’s counterintuitive now that we’re all used to smartphones. It can be disconcerting when one program is on the ScreenPad but you’re tapping and swiping over it to control the cursor on the main laptop screen.

Secondly, there’s the way that Windows handles multiple monitors. If you want a video playing on the ScreenPad, you have to drag its window down, and then make it play fullscreen. You’ll also have to deal with very tiny Windows UI elements, and the gap between the two screens, which means that window controls could be hidden. Dragging vertically in one swipe is also a challenge, because the trackpad is wide, not tall. We once saw Windows scaling on the main screen go haywire when switching out of Extension Display mode. It would perhaps have been simpler for people if video could be cast to the ScreenPad rather than implementing it as a second monitor.

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When running ScreenPad apps, you can manipulate them directly, like on a smartphone. This means that trackpad functionality is disabled, and you have to remember that. If you need to multitask, you’ll have to tap around to quit the app in order to liberate the trackpad. We tried playing some music using a ScreenPad app and found that it kept on playing with no way to control it when the app was closed. When we switched to a different mode, it took way too long to switch back in order to just pause the music.

  Clearly, as dazzling as the ScreenPad might look at first, there are teething troubles on the conceptual level. Asus cleverly says that it is “raising the bar”, but while Apple’s Touch Bar has relatively less functionality, it’s much more tightly focused and there’s way less potential for frustration and confusion.

All that aside, there are things to address on the hardware and design fronts. The ZenBook Pro UX580 and UX480 aren’t just two different size options; they have completely different designs. Both are available in the same Deep Dive Blue colour with Rose Gold trim, and just like last year, we would really like to have a neutral colour option. The 14-inch UX480 has en “ergolift hinge” which inclines the lower half slightly when opened, while the 15-inch UX580 is a simple clamshell. The larger model gets up to a six-core Intel Core i9 CPU, and a super-accurate Pantone-validated 4K screen, while the smaller one tops out with a Core i7 and full-HD screen.

The bigger model also has two Thunderbolt 3 ports to let you connect up to three external monitors (plus the ScreenPad makes for five in total!) while you only get 10Gbps USB 3.1 Type-C with the smaller one. However, in an interesting twist, the UX480 has an infrared camera for Windows Hello authentication, but the more premium UX580 only has a fingerprint sensor.

Performance-wise, the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti on the UX580 and GTX 1050 Max-Q on the UX480 might be slightly disappointing, but these are ultra-slim models and weigh only 1.8kg and 1.6kg respectively. Common features include up to 16GB of RAM, up to 1TB of PCIe SSD storage, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, and Bluetooth 5.0.

Asus knows that it will grab headlines and eyeballs with the ScreenPad, but we fear that real-world use will prove to be a bit complicated. A secondary Users will especially struggle with when to use it like a touchscreen as opposed to a trackpad. A lot will also depend on software makers, and wide support is not guaranteed, considering that this isn’t an industry standard. We’ll have much more detail when we get to use and live with the new ZenBook Pro models over a longer period of time. If and when Asus launches them in India, we’ll have a full, detailed review.

Disclosure: Asus sponsored Gadgets 360 correspondent’s flights and hotel for the launch event in Taipei.

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[juliandmouton30]

"We need architects to work on ordinary briefs, for ordinary people"

The UK may be full of talented architects and designers, says Finn Williams, but not enough of them are working on the mundane buildings of our everyday environment.

The UK is home to the world's leading architects and designers. It has one of the largest design sectors in the world and boasts an architecture sector worth over £4 billion a year, plus London is "the world's global capital for creative design and construction skills".

A quick scroll through Dezeen offers visual confirmation of all this. But look out the window – our everyday environment appears very different. What we visualise, design and consume on our screens is increasingly distant from the reality of what's outside the front door. London may have the greatest concentration of architectural practices of any city in the world, but does it have the greatest concentration of good buildings?

Step outside the highest value areas in the capital, or across the country, and the answer is usually written several storeys tall in pastel-coloured render, rainscreen cladding panels, and hit-and-miss window patterns. It is evident in the lack of care for ordinary places; the playgrounds picked from catalogues, schools patched together with Portakabins, and stations surrounded by "value-engineered" palisade fencing.

Our public realm, public buildings and public infrastructure are more real and more important indicators of the health of the country's design industry than the latest shop interiors

Our public realm, public buildings and public infrastructure are more real and more important indicators of the health of the country's design industry than the latest shop interiors. Nowhere is this more critical than our attitude to the design of public housing. The Grenfell Tower fire is tragic proof that we have got the balance wrong – and an urgent challenge to architects and designers to question who we're really designing for.

To paraphrase Bruce Mau, how has the world of design become so disconnected from the design of the world?

Firstly, for the vast majority of the built environment, architects simply aren't involved. According to the RIBA, only six per cent of new homes in the UK are designed by architects. That means, last year, over 200,000 homes were built in England without the input of an architect. Meanwhile hundreds of practices compete to design a single museum.

Of course, just because a building has been designed by an architect doesn't necessarily mean it's better. But even where architects are involved, their role is increasingly subservient to other consultants, project managers, planning consultants, quantity surveyors and marketing advisors.

The marginalisation of the profession is epitomised by what Terry Farrell calls the paradox of the Maggie's Centre. Each Maggie's Centre is beautifully designed by a celebrated architect, to a generous budget. But they "invariably sit next to sometimes woeful mega-hospitals", claims Farrell. "These mega-hospitals, like many other everyday places including high streets and social housing estates, are often devoid of good design thinking, as well as ongoing investment in maintenance and stewardship," he says.

Architecture is a profession that is fuelled by inequality, or that even exacerbates it

The design media propagates this problem by turning its back on mainstream projects like mega-hospitals, and instead training its cameras on the one-off exceptions. For every exquisitely detailed residential project that was showcased on Dezeen in 2016, there were 262 new homes that were never published. Architects may only design six per cent of all homes, but Dezeen only shows the top 0.4 per cent.

Getting in that top fraction of coverage has become more of a preoccupation for some than getting things built. As Dezeen founder Marcus Fairs himself recognises, many designers and architects today are little more than content providers for the media.

Where architects do build, they find themselves serving an increasingly narrow public. Developers understand that employing high-quality architects is essential to be able to justify charging high prices for Grade A workspace or super-prime property. So the more celebrated the practice, the more likely it is they will be producing architecture that is a luxury not everyone can afford. Today architecture is a profession that is fuelled by inequality, or that even exacerbates it.

It wasn't always the case. Kooperativa Förbundets Arkitektkontor (The Co-Operative Architecture Office) was founded in 1925 to design "new norms for the whole of Swedish society". By the 1930s it was the largest architectural office in Sweden, attracting brilliant young architects to work anonymously on the most mundane types of buildings; supermarkets, factories, and social housing. Their focus on making good design affordable for ordinary people was taken up and exported by organisations like IKEA.

In the UK, the Design Research Unit was founded in the 1940s on a similar set of principles: that design should be co-operative, and it should be for everyone. The Design Research Unit brought together architecture, graphics, and industrial design to "recondition and redesign public utility services". Associates including Frederick Gibberd, Jock Kinneir, and Richard and Su Rogers designed everything from pub signage, to ferry liner interiors, to the British Rail identity.

Meanwhile, a bold and powerful welfare state was attracting architects into local government. Council architects' departments were hothouses for new talent and new ideas. The LCC Architects' Department alone incubated the practices of Alison and Peter Smithson, Archigram, Colin St John Wilson, Farrell & Grimshaw, James Stirling and RMJM.

By 1976, 49 per cent of all UK architects worked for the public sector. But from 1979, Margaret Thatcher effectively stifled local government's ability to build, and that expertise began to drain away. Today, the proportion of architects working for the public sector is 0.7 per cent in England, and just 0.2 per cent in London.

The extraordinary wealth of design talent we have is invested in too few projects, and too few places

The poor quality of our everyday environment in the UK isn't due to a lack of good architects and designers (at least until Brexit). But it is perhaps due to a lack of opportunities for them to work on ordinary briefs, for ordinary people. The extraordinary wealth of design talent we have is invested in too few projects, and too few places. How could this expertise be redistributed to the areas where it really matters, where design can have the most effect? How could we tilt the balance of the industry from creating private value for people who are already rich, towards creating public value for the people who need it most?

It was these questions that drove me to launch Public Practice, a new social enterprise that aims to open up an alternative way of working with ordinary places for the public good. We are recruiting a new generation of built environment practitioners – planners, architects, urbanists, and others – for year-long placements within the public sector. These associates will spend 90 per cent of their time on the frontline of local government, working in strategic, place-based roles with cross-cutting agency. The remaining 10 per cent will be dedicated to collective research and development as a cohort, which will be shared across authorities.

The idea of public service reached its lowest ebb under the previous government, who labelled planners "enemies of enterprise". But the tide is starting to turn. Having been presented as part of the problem, local authorities are beginning to be seen as part of the solution to the housing crisis. Even the current prime minister accepts that it is time for "government to get back in the business of building houses".

A growing number of authorities have been battling against the odds to start delivering homes for the first time in decades. Pioneering councils, including Barking and Dagenham, Birmingham, Croydon, Hackney and Harrow, are showing up private developers by building higher quality schemes with higher levels of affordable housing. And now that the caps on council borrowing have finally been lifted, as stated in the Autumn Budget, a new and very different generation of council housing is on the horizon.

I want Public Practice to help increase the public sector's capacity to build. Enterprising authorities can find the funding for new posts – especially after a long overdue uplift in planning fees kicks in within the next few months. But the biggest barrier they face is finding the right people. A shortage of applicants means nine out of 10 councils now plug gaps using agency staff. With its not-for-profit model, Public Practice can offer authorities talented and committed associates at half the cost of private agencies.

The work won't necessarily be glamorous, but it will be influential

For architects, Public Practice offers an opportunity to move earlier upstream, and shape the decisions that shape the city. The work won't necessarily be glamorous, but it will be influential. Instead of designing the right answers to the wrong briefs, they will be defining the briefs themselves. And rather than concentrating on creating exceptions to the norm, they will be working to raise the standards of normality itself.

I think Public Practice can follow in the footsteps of KF Arkitektkontor, DRU and the LCC Architects' Department. But rather than resurrect old models, it can be an experiment in a new form of public planning. One measure of our success might be scrolling through Dezeen in a few years' time, and seeing whether we have had any impact in closing the gap between the design on our screens and the design on our streets. Hopefully, we can show that even everyday places can be extraordinary.

Public Practice is open for applications to the first cohort, starting in April 2018. The deadline for applications is Monday 11 December 2017. Apply via Dezeen Jobs ›

Finn Williams is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Public Practice. He previously worked for the Office for Metropolitan Architecture, Croydon Council and the Greater London Authority, and was co-curator of the British Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale.

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A Guide to the Different Types of Shapewear

Shapewear isn’t something I feature around the blog regularly, but it’s a hugely important area of the lingerie industry – you simply need to consider the phenomenal success story of Spanx, the favourite name within the shapewear world, to know just the number of ladies have a shaping outfit or three within their lingerie drawer. Launched in 2000 from the founder’s home, the company offered $8 million price of product in the newbie alone, an amount that’s now nearer to half a billion. Women, it appears, love shapewear.

There’s a misconception that it is only for those who wish to look slimmer. Sure, that’s a vital reason purchase it, and appears is the only factor shapewear brands ever concentrate on within their marketing, but there’s some other reasons to think about shapewear too.

With the increase in form-fitting, ‘bodycon’ fashion has additionally risen an excuse for invisible under garments – a necessity that regular lingerie, with all of its seaming and hardware, just can’t fill. The benefit of shapewear is it goes unseen, smoothing out not only protuberances and bumps but such things as visible knicker-lines and also the ridge of the bra band too. It may also give a sleek, opaque under-layer for sheer clothing, so that as I’ll explain below, certain pieces can combat leg-chafe or perhaps give a comfy option to a bra.

I haven’t incorporated corsets in this list because although they are doing shape your body (and rather a great deal!) they are not the same to other things here. Their construction is completely different (metal bones instead of stretch fabric) as well as their effect differs too merely a corset can puppy nip your waist in by five inches, whereas shapewear is much more about flattening and smoothing than hardcore cinching.

Listed here are the primary kinds of shapewear which exist, and the advantages of each:

Shaping briefs / thongs

Shaping Shorts

Such as the briefs above, these usually have a superior waistline made to shape the stomach, waist and even perhaps the ribcage, but have the additional advantage of slimming your thighs too. Plus, they’ve another advantage – should you suffer leg-chafe in the sunshine, close-fitting shorts such as these can certainly help with this.

Even when you aren’t bothered about shaping your thighs or stopping chafe, shaping shorts can be a wise decision to consider if you are putting on something tight-fitting and wish to not just smooth your stomach but eliminate VPL too, and aren’t keen on thongs.

Shaping bodysuits

A bodysuit combines all the smoothing goodness of shaping bottoms with greater coverage behind, and eliminates the potential of any bumpiness between the foot of your bra and the top brief. If you would like maximum all-over shaping, this is actually the choice for you!

So far as the bust area is worried, you have three options – compression here also, built-in cups, or open-busted that you should put on with your personal bra. The 3rd type is excellent should you put on a tough-to-find bra size, or maybe your outfit includes a low-cut neckline to be able to pair the cupless bodysuit having a plunge bra.

Shaping slips / half-slips

Want something that’s likely to smooth all of you over, although not keen on shorts? A shaping slip dress is an alternative choice to the shortie bodysuits above, still supplying coverage completely lower towards the leg and stopping VPL, but enabling you to visit the toilet without requiring to undress!

Half-slips, or skirts, can also be found if you are only bothered about slimming your tummy and sides, and also put on another bra of the selecting.

Shaping camisoles

When you are only thinking about shapewear for the torso, what about a shaping camisole or tshirt? A few of these will have a similar, effective-stretch fabric in the bust as around the tummy and waistline, and therefore for most people they may be supportive enough to put on with no bra.

But, you may still pop a shaping cami more than a bra if you like, that has the additional advantage of masking visible bra seams for any smoother line under clothing.

Girdles /panty girdles

Last but many certainly most famously are girdles – a waist-cinching, elasticated outfit that covers the stomach and hip bones, ending round the upper leg. An frequently sexier undertake shapewear, many girdles include attached or removable suspender straps, and it is simpler to locate these in prints and fun colours.

Open-bottomed girdles are basically a tall suspender belt, while using suspender grips to anchor the hemline in position therefore it doesn’t roll-up. Should you dislike stockings, or even the suspender grips are likely to cause undesirable bumps beneath your outfit, a panty girdle may go better. A panty girdle could come under the title of the shaping brief, but has a tendency to convey more of the concentrate on flattening the stomach, this type of gemstone of double-layered fabric in front-center.

Do you wear shapewear? What’s your favorite type, and why do you choose to wear it