#until then we have our headphones but we need. 2 pairs. to cycle through day to day lest we Die.

[the-furies]

lost one of our wireless earbuds im gonna go fall into an abyss 👍👍👍👍

[masqueradingwriter]

Querencia [ Part 1 ]

🌸 Pairing: Jungkook x reader (Y/N) ※ Yoongi x reader (Y/N)

🌸 Warnings: none

🌸 Author’s Note: in honor of the 1,000+ followers my blog just hit, here’s the first part of the story behind Jungkook and Y/N. I hope you’ll enjoy this! 😊 Thank you for the constant support and love you’ve been giving me so far. You’re all very much appreciated, my cherry blossoms. ♥️

“You pick the weirdest friends to hang out with, y/n.”

Often times I’d wonder what I did in the previous life to deserve this kind of treatment from him. Out of all the people in the world, why was I stuck with a kid who clearly loves to torture me and bring out the worst of me?

I might as well be masochistic; seeing as how despite the constant word abuse we’d throw at one another, I’m still staying. Anyone else would probably drop them in a heartbeat and would question their morality.

“Glad to know you finally saw the light, Kook. It must be one hell of a revelation for you.” I sarcastically retorted back.

Jungkook decided that my face would go well with a pillow as he literally pushed me down on the sofa. I twisted my head to the side just so I could get the good amount of air to breathe in and tried hitting him back by kicking him in the stomach. Unfortunately, he was faster and used one arm to pin my legs down and his other to hold my arms in place.

“Rude. Was that really necessary?” I scoffed at him.

“You were about to kick me, this is self-defense. You’re the rude one.”

“You attacked first, I’m the one who did self-defense!” I said as I pushed his arms away from me.

“Please tell me you guys aren’t resorting to a physical fight again?”

Namjoon entered the vicinity of their living room with his headphones around his neck, a sandwich in one hand, and a Ryan plushie on the other. He stared at us with a look that clearly said he was ready to call 911 if need be. Jin was following behind him with a couple of sugar cubes in his hand for his gliders. He gave us a warning look before retreating to his room.

“Don’t worry hyung, we’re not gonna start another fight like that.” Jungkook waved him off.

“Yup, it was one time. And besides, Kook just insulted you by calling you all weird so I was just here about to defend everyone’s honor.” I said while raising my arms in a surrender motion.

“Thanks for defending our honor but please try not to spill any blood while you’re at it. That’s the 3rd sofa we had to replace.”

“And I’ll gladly pay for it again if need be.”

Namjoon sighed as I gave him a 2 finger salute.

“You guys are the strangest pair I’ve ever encountered.”

“See Kook, you’re categorized under that. Why so defensive?”

Jungkook glared and slightly shoved me to the side. Namjoon turned around to retreat to his room until he stopped and turned back to face me.

“By the way, Yoongi hyung said he’s looking for you.”

“Ohh okay. Thanks Joonie!”

As he disappeared from the living room, I heard a small sigh from Jungkook. I looked at him with a confused face.

“You okay there? I just heard you sigh.” I asked.

“Me? Sigh? You’re hearing things again, y/n. You should have your ears checked.” He teased.

“My hearing is fine, thank you very much. I can practically hear Tae screaming at his computer all the way here.”

“He’s playing Overwatch without me? Damn it, why does he keep doing this?!” He muttered to himself.

While he started talking to himself about deciding what to do as revenge on Tae, I felt my phone vibrate from the pocket of my hoodie. I quickly swiped it open and see that it was a message from Yoongi oppa.

‘If I leave now, I’ll have enough time to grab some dinner and get to BigHit before anything else closes.’ I thought to myself. I got up, stretched my limbs a little, and picked up my backpack from the floor. Jungkook looked at me, puzzled.

“Where are you going?”

“BigHit. Yoongi oppa asked me if I could stop by in his studio. Might as well go now.” I said as I put on my coat by their doorway.

He got up from the sofa with crossed arms and a frown on his face.

“Really? You have to go now? But you just got here.”

“I was here the whole day with you, Kook. Yoongi oppa’s waiting for me while he’s working so I have to at least show-up and be there.”

“You’ve been hanging out with him a lot lately...And calling him oppa? How close are you guys? You weren’t like this to him before.”

“You do realize all of you are my oppas, right? I just prefer to give you all nicknames. And besides, we all know how much you loathe being called oppa. We had to replace sofa number 2 when you threw a fit, remember?”

“...That was still your fault.”

“They’re the friends that I picked to hang out with that you call weird, Kook. Why do you care so much about how I spend my free time? I don’t bother you guys when you have your free days unless you ask me to come along...”

“I don’t really care what you do in your free time. I just think it would be reasonable if hyung could just ask another day, not today. But whatever. Fine, just go.”

I felt a slight sting in my heart but I ignored it as usual. He’ll always do this; suddenly giving me a cold response and a matching neutral, poker face. All emotions wiped away from his face like a blank slate, and yet his actions say otherwise. It was a cycle that I find myself normalizing in: a threat here, a tease there, a lovely banter, and then his sudden switch.

I’d reason with myself saying that he didn’t mean to say that. But my mind would play tricks again and say, what if he did mean it? What if he really didn’t care what you do when you’re not around? Does he even genuinely care what happens to you?

Shaking my head, I unlocked their door and stepped outside.

“Don’t stay up too late again, okay Kook? Could you let Joonie, Jinnie, and Tae that I left already?”

“Yeah. Sure. Take care.”

Another cold, neutral answer. And like the masochistic person that I’ve started to believe that I am, I shrugged it off and gave him a small smile.

It was already Autumn in Seoul; with the cold air blowing in softly through the lush nature surrounding the city. The walk to BigHit was a short one but it did help clear my head from the waves of emotional switches that I had to deal with Jungkook.

Our friendship has been like that of siblings: always fighting but always making up in the end. Only this time, it seemed like the fighting started manifesting into something that’s really personal to him. I don’t know what happened to have triggered that, but one thing I know is that it seems like he’s not particularly keen on me whenever I’m with Yoongi oppa. To which I really don’t understand. They are members; practically brothers in arms. They’re my friends too. I’m bound to have days where I don’t hang out with him and just be in the presence of his other members; whether alone or not.

It’s hurting me to think that someday, he might actually say something that will hurt everyone.

I stopped in my tracks to see a chicken restaurant still open. Knowing the amount of work Yoongi oppa puts in his producing and writing, he must’ve forgotten to eat dinner again. I bought 2 boxes of chicken, some rice, side dishes, and drinks. He really needs to take better care of himself.

A few clicks and beeps later, Yoongi oppa opened the door and I almost let out a laugh. His hair was disheveled probably from the multiple times he ran his fingers through it, his jacket was off his shoulder on one side, and he looked really done with the world.

“You could’ve just rung the doorbell, you know, I was expecting you.” He said as he grabbed the bag of food and led me inside.

He shut the door and I took my place on his studio sofa; folding my legs under me and instantly cuddling under the blanket he placed out whenever I would come over.

“I know, but you sometimes put the volume up high on your headphones so you wouldn’t even hear it ring in the first place.”

“True. You got me food?” He questioned while going through the bag.

“Yeah. You tend to forget to eat too.”

“What would I do without you?”

“I know right? You’ll probably wander through the days not knowing it was the next month already.” I joked.

He set the food and drinks out on a foldable table in front of me; pulling his chair as well to sit across me.

“So, any reason why you asked me to stay for a while?” I asked; placing my chin under the palm of my hand.

He was quiet the whole time; taking a few bites here and there. He’d offer me some pieces of chicken wedged in between his chopsticks and I’ll just eat it up. There must be a lot in his mind seeing as he was frowning a bit and he didn’t tell me what’s up right away.

“Oppa? Are you okay?” I slowly asked.

He was about to take another bite but instead sighed and placed his chopsticks down. He crossed his arms and gave a small shrug; staring into my eyes.

“Do you think Jungkook is suspecting anything between the two of us?”

My heart dropped.

[ Masterlist ]  [ Part 1 ] ↭ [ Part 2 ] 

[naturalremediesandproducts]

Best Bluetooth Headphones for Bike Riding

Would you like cycling but love music far more and require the proper pair of buds which will help you to keep both going at the very same time? Effectively, in case you are searching for best headset for cycling, then you are at the appropriate spot though you have to take into account that in case you choose an incorrect headset it may harm you in the end just like the expansion audio isolation and enhanced technological advances in headset it is able to be very risky on the street. Which means you want an earphone which will keep everything in check and it is an all rounder, that is exactly why considering all of the elements together with the budget the list of best headsets for cycling is right here.

AfterShokz Trek Air Cycling Headphones

Winner of the Innovation Award at the 2018 Running Show, the Trekz Air wireless headphones from the AfterShokz brand use bone conduction, or osteophony, to direct sound directly into the inner ear. Unlike conventional earphones, which are placed in the ear canal, the device has two transducers, which, once placed on the cheekbone, vibrate to transmit sound to the user without taking up the ear. This is a rather promising technology for sportsmen and urban people, which ensures music listening without cutting off the outside world. When riding a bike, scooter or on foot, conventional earphones tend to completely isolate you from surrounding noise, which can be dangerous when facing motorists. Thanks to the Open Fit technology developed by the brand, the music in the headphones does not overwhelm the surrounding noise, allowing you to remain attentive to what's around you. While the headphones will not thrill demanding music lovers, they may be of interest to people with certain hearing disorders, as the osteophonia reaches the cochlea without passing through the eardrum. AfterSchokz also promises a much less aggressive listening experience, even for longer periods of time. This is partly true, since without damaging the eardrum, listening at too high a volume can also damage the cochlea. Even in bone conduction, it is therefore necessary to limit the volume and listening time.

Anker Soundbuds Curve Bluetooth Headphones

Anker SoundBuds Curve Bluetooth headphones are aesthetically sober. They have a design suitable for sports use. There are thick, flexible ear hooks for stability and they are IPX5 certified. This means that they are protected against water jets from all directions. But they cannot be fully immersed in water, they are not waterproof. The earphones are well made and inexpensive for this quality, they are robust enough to withstand shocks and falls. However, the remote control and the cable that connects the SoundBuds Curve could be better made. The cable is relatively thin, so be careful not to hang it up on anything. The Anker SoundBuds Curve are closed type headphones. Don't expect anything extraordinary from the sound side. The bass is deep and powerful, the midrange is clear and neutral, and the treble balances slightly with other frequencies. But the bass is too powerful, it stifles the other frequencies. This affects vocals and some instruments. Earphones are perfect for listening to music that emphasizes low sounds. You will enjoy your electro, hip-hop, rap music. The advantage of this kind of sound rendering is that they cover outside noise and motivate you when you do your sport. The Anker SoundBuds Curve are not high-end headphones, but they do their job very well. They are lightweight and easily portable. IPX5 certified (protected against water jets from all directions). Once in place in your ear canals they are comfortable and the ear hooks / stabilizers provide a good fit. If you're looking for affordable Bluetooth headsets for your sport the SoundBuds Curve will satisfy you.

Bose SoundSport Headphones

For a first in the world of wireless sports headphones, Bose brings us a complete, high-performance product direct from Bose. Difficult to find better currently on the market, even if, as is often the case with the brand, you'll have to break your piggy bank to afford them. The audio quality is very good for dedicated sports headphones! The bass is well present and will allow you to enjoy your best Daft Punk during your cycling sessions! These headphones don't completely cut you off from the outside world and therefore let ambient noise pass through. It is a plus for outdoor practice to hear vehicles during your cycling. Versatile, complete and delivering quality sound, the SoundSport will delight stakhanovists in training that follows long hours of effort. They then have a product optimized to our practice. The SoundSport wireless is available in 2 versions: Standard and Pulse (heart rate sensor). Please note that you have a 30-day money back guarantee when you purchase from Bose, so you can take the time to make your choice!

Aukey Latitude Headphones

This small nomadic object will be able to accompany you everywhere because its lightness will surprise you. It will no longer be a question of you doing sports with long strings that hang down and get caught in your dumbbells, for example. The same applies when you go out for a biking session. You will no longer have unsightly cords that hinder your stride. Then, another positive point is none other than magnetism. Indeed, these earpieces are magnetic. Therefore, when you decide not to listen to your music anymore, you don't need to put your earphones away to avoid losing them or having them slip down your neck. Let's come to the 3 types of earplugs and hooks of these Aukey Latitude's. The earplugs and hooks that are offered to you are of totally different sizes. So you can adjust them all according to the size of your ears to find the one that fits you best. Once you've found the right size, you'll be surprised at how well the earphones fit. They fit snugly and blend discreetly into the quartilage of your ears. The earcups are very comfortable and ultra lightweight (13 grams). You hardly feel them when you exercise. Regarding the features of the Aukey Latitude, as mentioned, the in-ear earphones are equipped with Bluetooth 4.1 (for aptX compatible devices). Pairing them with your smartphone couldn't be easier. Just press and hold the middle button until it flashes blue and then red. A small beep will warn you that the earphones are on. Switch on the Bluetooth of your smartphone, connect to the earphones and that's it. It's very easy to use. You won't need much high-tech knowledge to use this product. Now let's move on to the main thing: sound quality. The Aukey earphones delivers a rich, three-EQ quality sound. There's good bass that's immersive when you're outdoors. When the bass is turned up to maximum, it's more than enough for our hearing. There is also good treble. However, we could note the presence of a slight murmur in the background. Beware, it does not hinder and is really tiny. For a standard use, it does not disturb the user during his listening. Aukey is still distinguished by its offer of three types of earplugs and hooks. You will have no difficulty in finding a hook that will perfectly fit your morphology. Finally, we would like to underline the simplicity of use of these ear plugs which are water resistant. You will still notice a light, undisturbed breath and a partial noise insulation when there is a lot of wind. But this is a detail. All in all, for headphones at less than 30 dollars, we are faced with an astonishing quality.

Senso ActivBuds S-250 Bluetooth Earphones

The SENSO ActivBuds wireless earphones are equipped with thick, flexible ear hooks, with printed "L" and "R" letters to help you place them the right way round. Once placed around your ears, the hooks are not disturbing. To make insertion into your ear canals easier, the earmolds are angled. They do not penetrate deeply into your ears, you can wear the earphones for several hours at a time, there is no discomfort. To find the right fit, you will have to try the 3 pairs of silicone ear tips, there are 3 sizes available (S/ M/L). For us the pair of pre-installed tips fit our morphology very well, but this will not be the case for all users. The SENSO ActivBuds offer a stable fit thanks to the ear hooks. They won't fall out of your ears, even when you're doing intense sports activities. The earphones are IPX7 certified, which means they will not be damaged by rain or sweat. But beware they are not waterproof, you can't submerge them completely in water. The SENSO ActivBuds are closed type headphones. The bass is deep and powerful, they are too pronounced as they stifle the other frequencies. The midrange is unclear, it is really obvious in the voices and the treble lacks detail. At the same time we can't expect anything extraordinary given the selling price of the headphones. It is rare, even unlikely to find an accurate and balanced sound reproduction on low-end sports earphones. The SENSO ActivBuds S-250 are not equipped with an ANC (Active Noise Reduction) system, so they passively block ambient noise. It's the fit in your ear canals that makes the difference. For us the insulation was not optimal. If you use the earphones in a noisy place, you will have to increase the volume to try to cover the surrounding noise. Even if you push the volume up you won't disturb the people around you, because there is not much sound leakage. This is the advantage of a closed design.

Jaybird X3 Wireless Headphones

Even if they are not the most discreet intra-sports they are still comfortable to wear. The manufacturer has integrated numerous ear tips (silicone and foam tips of different sizes) and stabilizers (3 sizes S/M/L) so that the Jaybird X3 can adapt properly to the morphology of your ears. You will need to take a few moments to try the accessories and find the right combo. Keep in mind that ear tips and stabilizers play an important role in comfort, fit, isolation and sound. So it is important to take your time in choosing them. Whether you wear the earphones the conventional way or upside down, the cable comes to the back of your head. The cable clamp and clip provided in the packaging will be useful to avoid movement and contact. The Jaybird X3 is easy to use and Bluetooth pairing with your compatible devices is fast. If you've used this type of headset before, you won't get lost. Either way, audio and voice prompts are there to guide you. The remote control placed on the flat cable has 3 buttons, the Freedom earphones are equipped with the same remote control. It offers the usual controls: play/pause, increase/decrease volume, pick up/unhook your phone calls, activate voice control and navigation between audio tracks. The buttons are responsive and well-spaced, so you'll have no trouble distinguishing them by touch. The Jaybird X3 has very good sound quality. The X3 is the third generation and you can immediately feel that there has been some work done on the previous models. A really clear sound with good bass as well. I listened to a little bit of everything to get a clear idea and I was totally won over by the sound quality and finish. Honestly for sports earphones, I really don't have any comments to make on this point. Moreover, the JayBird My Sound application allows you to fine-tune the sound of the headphones so that they adapt to what you're listening to. The Comply insulating foam ear tips also provide near-perfect isolation from outside noise. This greatly enhances the listening experience because no other noise interferes with the music you're listening to. But be careful during runs, being too isolated from the outside world can be dangerous, especially if you're cycling in the city. Personally, I preferred to use silicone tips that isolate a little less during my runs in order to stay a minimum attention to what is happening around me.

Jabra Elite Active 65t Earbuds

These are completely wire-free headphones, also known as True Wireless or Wirefree. It's one more step in the quest for freedom and comfort. This is the second pair of this type that I am testing after the Apple AirPods that I still use every day and which are my favorite pair because they are so light and comfortable. The second particularly important aspect is that they are in-ear headphones. Some people love them, others a little less. For me, it all depends on how you want to use the earphones. This type of design has several advantages, but also some disadvantages that I will address in this test. The Jabra Elite Active 65t are IP56 certified, so they are protected against perspiration and dust*. The advertised battery life is 5 hours on a single charge and an additional 10 hours with the compact charging case provided. This means that you can normally use it from morning to night without any worries. The earphones are compatible with the Bluetooth 5.0 standard, which is excellent news for the product's lifespan. You instantly notice a lot of work on the audio. They are composed of 4 loudspeakers that will take care of the audio transcription. With impressive quality, there is a perfect balance between treble, midrange and bass, resulting in an incredibly clear sound without saturation that extends to maximum volume. They impose a high listening quality, no matter what kind of music you're listening to. The Elite Active 65t gives us the ability to discern the different instruments used in a song, while clearly transcribing the voices. The basses are well adjusted, but can be accentuated with the equalizer. At the treble and midrange level, nothing to say either, we will find a real balancing work. Jabra's Elite Active 65t has all the characteristics of a quality product. They offer advanced comfort, even during sports sessions, where they remain immobile and securely attached. Active noise reduction will create a real silence around you, cancelling out most wind noise, creating a perfect calm when the music is playing. In terms of audio, you are faced with a very worked out and clear sound, with neither bass nor treble, and which correctly emphasizes the midrange. They have the advantage of not adapting to a particular type of music (more focused on bass for example), but offer an equalizer allowing you to focus on what you prefer. These headphones come with a 1-year warranty, as well as a 2-year warranty against dust and water-related malfunction. It is important that you use the application so that they have information about the malfunction. However, it should light up as soon as the earphones are connected, so if you have the application, you don't have to worry.

Urbanears Stadion Earphones

Once in hand, you quickly realize how light the whole thing is (18 grams on the scale). You won't have any trouble forgetting them when they are in place. The piece of plastic pressed against your skull will not bounce during the effort and you will not be bothered by the cables either. In fact, when you handle the Urbanears Stadion earphones, you're quite fascinated by these famous spiral cables. They attract attention, but it's also a very interesting design. The cables allow to adapt to all morphologies. They relax according to the size of the user's head. Stretch cables also have a reflective part. You'll be more easily visible when you do sports at night. At the end of the cables there is a rubber element that is placed around your ears. This element allows the earphones to remain stable while you are playing sports. The rubber element is quite flexible, so it will also adapt to most body shapes. The headphones are satisfactory in terms of construction and comfort, but what about sound performance? First of all, the Stadion have a semi-open design. When listening, outside noise is audible. So you remain aware of your surroundings at all times. People or cars won't surprise you when you run. This keeps you safe. As the ear tips do not go deep into your ears, the sound is impacted. The isolation is reduced compared to in-ear earphones, but you get a shallower and more powerful bass. The low end of the spectrum lacks fullness, so lovers of deep bass will not be satisfied. But the sound reproduction is still correct, the mid and high frequencies are clear and precise. The pleasant sound is powerful enough to motivate you during your sports training. Urbanears Stadion earphones do not suffer too much from distortion when you push the volume up. Still, pay attention to your eardrums. Listening at high volume is negative for your ears in the long run. The built-in microphone for hands-free calls is not of very good quality. This is often the case with Bluetooth headsets. It will be necessary to privilege quiet places to answer your calls. You will be entitled to 7 hours of maximum autonomy with this model. You can know the battery level by holding the "+" and "-" buttons for 2 seconds. The LED inside the plastic hoop flashes red when the battery drops below 40%. It lacks precision, but the manufacturer has made an effort on this side. The battery is recharged via the micro USB port inside the plastic hoop. The first pair of sports headphones designed by Urbanears is a success. The manufacturer has even shown ingenuity in terms of construction (extendable cable). The Urbanears Stadion have an atypical design, they are comfortable, stable and durable enough (7 hours of autonomy). They will satisfy all sports users who want to be aware of the outdoor environment during their training sessions. Image: Ben Kerckx from Pixabay Read the full article

[sonyacsmakerspaceblog-blog]

What is Wearable Technology?

1. Wearable tech, from what I understand, is a new field of technology focused on bringing technology to the fashion industry in order to make our clothes more functional. Wearable technology can improve many fields including health and fitness, communication and fashion among other things. To be honest, I personally haven’t noticed a ton of applications to wearable tech in society, but there are devices like apple watches, fitbits, and heart monitors that are used commonly for health and fitness. In the 2000s, I grew up listening to music on my iPod shuffle. In a way, this simple music device that clips to your clothes could be referred to as wearable tech that allows people to exercise without having to hold a bulky device. Nearly 20 years later, we’ve come really far in our understanding of technology, yet we’re just scratching the surface of what is possible with wearable technology. Another prominent example I can think of from more recent years are the Google glasses available for people to buy, but I don’t think our culture has caught onto the idea of using these spy-like glasses in everyday life. I’ve never met anyone who owns a pair of Google or Snapchat glasses just because many people don’t see the point in spending money on tech you can access for free on your phone. With that being said, if wearable tech can become more accessible to people from various socioeconomic backgrounds, then it may gain popularity within the next few decades.

2. What surprised me with the video and the article was how much more prevalent and accessible wearable tech is compared to what I originally thought. Now that I think about it, there are many products that can subtly enhance awareness and communication like a Blutooth earpiece/headband. Many people are sewing LEDs into clothes for fashion statements (DIY fashion), but I still think we are not going to see LED neckties or GPS jackets come into the mainstream until our clothes come with the desired hardware sewn into the clothes on the rack. Another thing to consider about DIY wearable tech (or just wearable technology in general) is the privilege factor that goes along with it. People who don’t have the time, money, or resources to make/ buy wearable technology will be unable to incorporate wearable tech into their everyday lives. Another potential issue with wearable tech could be the privacy aspect of the technology. For example, while the GPS jacket is useful, it would also theoretically be tracking your location at every point of the day which could raise issues of safety and security. Many people are still weary of their privacy or lack thereof in our modern society, so wearable tech could really be pushing against peoples’ values of privacy. Therefore, my view of wearable tech being at the fringes of fashion, primarily used in million dollar fashion show dresses, DIY outfits for people privileged enough to spend time putting LEDs in their clothes,  or for health/fitness purposes for the daily user still stands. The only way wearable tech will become common is if it is already stitched into the clothes we buy and if the prices become reasonable for people with different socioeconomic backgrounds to buy wearable technology.

3. In my amazon search, the MUSE: The Brain Sensing Headband, the Bose Frames Audio Sunglasses, Black, and the  Bluetooth Headphones Stereo Necklace Wireless Headphones seemed like the three most interesting products to me. First and foremost, the brain sensing headband sells for 150$ and it is supposed to make meditation easy. it provides EEG real-time feedback about your brain activity so you can take out the guessing work of whether you are truly reaching your full meditation potential or not. As a Buddhist practitioner who mediates relatively frequently, I will admit that it’s hard to know sometimes whether I’m getting fully into my practice. At the same time, I know that if I’m concerned about such things while meditating then I know my mind is distracted in worrying about the correct practice method and not focused on the practice itself. If anything, I feel like a device like this would only distract my meditation more since I would be wondering if it’s working or what my brain activity looks like in the middle of my practice. Therefore, I don’t think I could personally use this product, but perhaps someone who’s just getting into meditation would benefit from it more. The second product is basically a pair of normal looking sunglasses with open ear audio which allows you to listen to music while staying aware of your surroundings. I could see this being particularly useful when longboarding/ biking around cities. In Japan, it’s technically illegal to listen to music through earbuds or headphones while biking, so this would be a great alternative to trying to hide the earbuds your listening to music on. I would definitely consider investing in this project since I longboard/bike a lot. The last product is a pendant necklace with a cross that’s also earbuds that’s also a speaker? I’m confused deeply by this product and what it’s trying to go for but at $39.99, apparently the necklace itself is very beautiful, but the microphone/speaker doesn’t work in some cases and the bluetooth headphones are nothing to write home about. For this reason, I wouldn’t invest $40 dollars into this product when I can buy a nicer necklace or set of earbuds for about $20 dollars. Here’s a picture from the website of the Bluetooth speaker/headphones/necklace just for your reference (where the earbuds are I have no idea):

4. In this article, I was surprised by how many fitness rings/ smart jewelry products there are. Contrary to the sketchy necklace I mentioned in the last paragraph, there are a lot of legitimate products like the Motiv Ring which measures heart rate and sleep patterns, or Ringly which alerts users when hey have meetings or phone calls with a flashing LED light. The second thing that surprised me was the intersection between neuroscience and technology when creating user-friendly products like the Google eyeglasses. Because technology is usually seen as the antithesis of human interaction, we don’t typically associate the two disciplines with one another, but it turns out that developers need to take into account the way user process their information in order to make an effective product. The last thing I found interesting was the idea of using wearables in specific contexts rather than for general use. Google was able to learn that people are not yet interested in general use wearable glasses from their UX launch failure. They were able to recognize the booming market for selling the glasses as an enterprise product for various fields of work, which was ultimately the better application for their technology.

5. The three products I’ve seen are: the Cycling tech because my partner is a serious cyclist and he shows me all of his cool biking gadgets all the time, Oculus Phase 2 on gaming channels (Youtube), and Apple watches which have only gained more and more popularity.

[perfectnewgadgets]

You probably don’t need a 4,000-word review to tell you that the Galaxy S9+ is a good phone. Now that everyone’s got all of the Note 7 jokes mostly out of their system, we can mostly agree that Samsung makes good phones. The S8 was great, and the S9 builds on that success in a number of ways.

The new phone is mostly an evolution of its predecessor. There was no great back-to-the-drawing-board moment in its creation. This is not Samsung’s answer to the iPhone X (and really, the Note line already fills that role in a number of ways). It’s true the company may be a victim of its own hype.

The “Phone Reimagined” signs that greeted us ahead of launch in Barcelona were suitably hyperbolic, but for better or worse, that’s the hype cycle we’re living in these days. Samsung claimed to have reinvented the phone this time last year when it showed off the S8’s Infinity Display.

The fact of the matter is that the S9 finds the electronics giant mostly refining things on its flagship. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the phone’s design language. I have the S8+ and S9+ sitting side by side on my desk as I write this, and I’d defy you to tell me which is which without turning over the phones. If you squint, you can see that the bezels are a fraction of a millimeter smaller on the new phone.

Flip them over and you get a better idea of what you’re working with. There are two camera lenses now, aligned in a vertical configuration — and the fingerprint reader has moved down below. The company is continuing to tweak its imaging system and responding to user feedback over little complaints from the last gen. People kept putting their finger on the camera as they fumbled to wake up their phone, so Samsung fixed it.

In spite of what Samsung may tell you, the S9 isn’t a reimagining of anything. It’s a refinement of the leading Android handset. There’s not enough here to compel most S8 owners to upgrade, but if you’re due for a refresh, Samsung’s handset is still the one to beat.

Beyond Infinity

If I was a lazier writer, I’d recommend you read the design section of my S8 review so we could all just skip ahead to the new bits. Still, I’ll try to keep this bit pretty short, because we’ve got a lot of camera to talk about in the paragraphs ahead. The long and short of it is that before the iPhone X, there was the Infinity Display.

It didn’t quite do away with the bezel as we know it, but the design, combined with Samsung’s longtime love of curved glass, brought us right up to the edge. Samsung openly mocked the iPhone X’s notch once again at last week’s unveil. It wasn’t subtle, but then, Samsung rarely is. Apple may have had the last week at MWC when practically every other company happily embraced a notch-filled future.

Until phone companies come up with a better solution to the phone and front-facing camera conundrum (I keep saying “ban selfies,” but no one ever listens to me), it’s either going to be a notch or bezel. Samsung’s dug its heels into the latter, shaving an almost imperceptible amount off its predecessor’s. Perhaps it’s the ultimate sign post of the state of the mobile industry that the world’s largest companies are battling over that reaming few millimeters.

Samsung’s other big Apple mocking moment was a jab at the headphone jack. The iPhone ditched it and never looked back. Perhaps it’s stubbornness that’s kept it on Samsung’s flagships, as many other companies have gone Apple’s route. When I spoke to ZTE ahead of MWC, a rep for the company admitted that the end of the jack is all but an inevitability at this point. But honestly, can you blame Samsung for holding on? After several generations of openly mocking Apple, giving in would be a bit embarrassing.

Of course, that kind of about-face shouldn’t get in the way of moving forward. Remember when Steve Jobs said “no one is going to buy a big phone?” Or heck, when Google made fun of the end of the headphone jack a generation before dropping it? But carrying the S9+ around for the past week reminds me that I still miss the option.

I bought a cheap pair of wired headphones for the plane ride home. There’s still something to be said for the simple plug and play capability there. Bluetooth headphones have come a long way in the past couple of years, but dealing with battery issues and the uncertainty of pairing is still a headache. Sometimes you just want to plug in a pair of wired headphones and be done with it.

The back of the phone is glass once again. Because that’s all the rage, and also, it’s a lot easier on wireless charging. Samsung gave us a black one to go with our S8+ plus. The new purple is pretty eye-catching, but beggars can’t be choosers, I guess. And besides, even with Gorilla Glass, I’m going to strongly advice that you think about picking up a case for that $720/$840 phone.

That said, Samsung has made some improvements to the phone’s overall durability. This isn’t the CAT phone, sure, but every little bit helps. The company has reportedly swapped the old aluminum for a stronger variety and made the phone sightly thicker and heavier in the process. But honestly, as with the bezels, you’re really not going to notice the difference.

Camera-ready

[Left: Galaxy S9+, Right: iPhone 8 Plus]

The nice thing about getting the review unit in Barcelona is that I was going to be taking a lot of pictures anyway. The downside is that I became that annoying American tourist who takes smartphone shots of all his meals. I know, I know. But it was for work, I swear.

The reimagined part of the whole “camera, reimagined” bit is improved low-light shooting — a topic that has quickly become the next big battlefield for smartphone makers. And good for them, really. The inability to take half-decent photos in less than ideal settings is a big sticking point for a lot of these companies. Honestly, what percentage of smartphone shots do you take in perfect lighting? A huge percentage of these are snapped in places like bars and restaurants.

For this latest trick, the company actually borrowed from, of all places, its latest flip phone. But since the W2018 is like $2,000 and only available in Asia, you’re going to have to settle for the company’s new variable aperture on the S9. The dual aperture flips between  f/1.5 / f/2.4 — what that means, in the simplest terms, is that it’s able to let more light into the lens in a dark setting. The aperture physically opens up to accomplish this. In fact, if you take a close look at the camera, you can see that change take place.

Shortly after Samsung announced the technology, Sony made mention that it was working a new super-low-light technology. Of course, it will be a while before that comes to the company’s phones — and even longer until it arrives on phones people actually buy. Meantime, the S9 represents a solid upgrade from a phone industry that’s largely neglected low-light shooting.

We happened to have an iPhone 8 Plus and Pixel 2 at our disposal and did some low-light shooting in bars around Barcelona last week (again, research). The Samsung S9+’s results are impressive. It’s not quite night and day — but it’s close. The S9 lets in considerably more light and is capable of taking decent pictures in settings that utterly stumped the competition.

Scrolling back through the photos taken last week it’s hard to tell which were snapped in a dim bar — though, in some cases, the white balance does seem a bit off. Even so, the improved camera goes a long a way toward reducing the noise you get in the same setting on most phones. If this means fewer people will be firing up their camera flash in bars, I think we all can agree that this is a win-win.

The other big physical improvement on the camera side was borrowed from another one of Samsung’s phones: the Note 8. One of the key differences between the S9 and S9+ that justifies that $140 price gulf is the inclusion of a second telephoto lens in addition to the standard wide-angle. As with that handset, zoom in enough and it switches over to the second lens.

The difference between digital and optical zoom is huge, and this will go a long way toward improving the quality on those tight shots. That’s probably not enough to warrant the upgrade to the S9+ alone, but it goes a long way toward giving the Galaxy one of the best imaging experiences in all of smartphones. There’s a reason the handset just topped DxOMark’s camera ratings.

Is creepy an emotion?

The camera’s most practical improvements are on the hardware side. But the software upgrades bring a lot more proverbial flash. Take AR Emojis. Given how much the S9 looks like its predecessor, it’s easy to see why the company has leaned so heavily on the new feature in its messaging. That said, I’m not entirely sure that’s the best idea. AR Emojis are creepy. I said it before, and I’ll say it again. It’s the first thing I thought when I saw them, and after spending a week with the phone, my opinions haven’t changed.

Samsung got knocked a bit here for cribbing the feature from Apple. The Animoji comparisons were inevitable. And, indeed, all phone makers “borrow” from one another. Welcome to consumer electronics. Of course, Samsung’s put its own unique spin on the feature, and therein lies the creepiness. Take a selfie, and the company builds a customized emoji, using 100 facial data points.

From there, you customize the hair, clothing and add glasses if you wear them. The selections are still pretty limited on that front, but I’d expect Samsung will add more as it goes along. Once you’re all good and saved, the system automically generates nearly 20 animated GIFs representing various Anime-style emotional states, intended to be shared over social media. I don’t see myself ever using them un-ironically, but then I’ve come to accept when I’m not the target demographic for a thing.

It’s kind of like Nintendo’s Mii — if they suddenly decided to be less cute and set up shop smack in the middle of the uncanny valley. It’s an admirable idea, using the company’s camera technology to create something more customized than the 16 Apple currently offers. But for one thing, the scans don’t offer enough distinction from person to person. And for another, I’m not sure machines can be relied upon to combine real-world 3D imagery and cartoons into something not creepy. Listen, we’ve all seen Blade Runner here. Robots are creepy.

There are other default emojis — a rabbit, a cat and a weird box-headed monster thingy. None match Apple’s offerings for general adorableness, but I wouldn’t worry too much for Samsung. The company scored a major coup by striking a deal with Disney, in spite of the company’s longtime alliance (and board member swapping) with Apple.

Along with the Star Wars AR it brought to the Pixel 2, Disney seems to be trying hard not to play favorites. That will ultimately mean great things for AR Emoji adoption, assuming, of course, that they’re implemented in a less creepy way than its current offering. I’ve got faith in Disney’s tight grip on intellectual property — they’ll likely look good, which will ultimately mean users will continue to engage with the tech after the purchase of the phone.

There’s no date on arrival, but the offering will include Mickey and Minnie, along with some Pixar names. The Incredibles flashed on the screen — no surprise, given that a sequel is due out in July. It’s a nice marketing play for Disney, leveraging the flagship from the world’s largest phone maker.

Hopefully the company won’t regret it too much when online videos with the company’s iconic mouse saying truly filthy things surface on social media immediately after launch. I’m not saying I’m looking forward to it, I’m just saying that I’ve learned to expect the absolute worst from my fellow humans.

Taking it slow

Sony took another not so subtle dig at its press conference, noting that it had Super Slow Motion on its phones a year before Samsung. But again, the key differentiator here is the fact that people actually, you know, buy Samsung phones. As such, this is the first time a lot of people are going to get their hands on the technology.

During a briefing, Samsung compared the tech to The Matrix’s “bullet time.” This is not that, of course. For one thing, it’s just the one camera. But it is, in fact, very neat. Honestly, it’s the most fun I had testing the phone out over the past week. Like any good new camera toy, it makes you hyper aware of your surroundings as you look for little things in life that might look cool, slowed down.

The new tech is a pretty radical update over Samsung’s earlier slow motion, bumping it from 240 to 960 frames per second. That’s 32 times slower than regular footage and four times slower than standard slow motion. You’ll invariably find yourself shooting all sorts of weird mundanity you wouldn’t think to video in a million years at regular speed: water pouring into a glass, pigeons on the street. It’s a good way to instantly look like a weirdo to strangers, but screw ’em, it’s for science.

By default, the feature sports a small square in the middle that automatically fires up Super Slow Motion when it detects action. Results will vary in that bit, depending on a number of factors, including how far away the action is. It’s nice to have the setting to fall back on, so you can keep the phone steady with two hands, but more often than not, I found myself just doing it manually.

Once shot, the phone packages the video nicely, creating three separate looping GIFs and adding royalty free music to the main video. Honestly, though, they all end up looking super moody and I just want to add that “Mad World” cover from Donnie Dark to really complete the package.

The fact that light flickers at certain frequency only adds to the effect. Shooting in Heathrow proved next to impossible under the oppressive airport lights. Low light, on the other hand, was a non-starter. The feature requires a lot of light to work properly, so don’t expect to go shooting any Super Slow Motion in restaurants or bars.

A few other features are worth calling out here. Food Mode offers some nice beauty shots of your lunch. I’m generally happy how these turned out, though some of my co-workers found them to be a bit oversaturated. Auto-focus speed has improved, as promised, and stickers are a fun augmented reality addition to the offering.

Hi Bixby

Samsung’s been on something of an AI shopping spree over the past couple of years. Even so, the company’s smart assistant has had a tough time playing catch up to Alexa, Siri and the rest. Even so, Bixby stumbled pretty hard out of the gate. Samsung needed to deliver a compelling reason to choose its offering over Android’s default, Google Assistant. Instead, Bixby was half-baked when it arrived on the S8.

The company’s made some key in-roads since then, including, most notably, the eventual arrival of voice functionality. Certainly Bixby has some grand ambitions, fueled by acquisitions like Viv. But that kind of thing doesn’t amount to a whole lot if your assistant isn’t suited to day-to-day activities.

On that front, Bixby’s still got a lot of growing to do. We sat in a circle at our Airbnb in Barcelona, asking a spate of questions to Bixby, Siri, Assistant and Cortana (TechCrunch knows how to party), and Bixby had trouble competing. In general, those other assistants are better suited to answer simple questions.

I also found myself flipping Bixby’s voice recognition to its highest sensitivity. As the company notes, the more sensitive you make it, the more likely it is to get triggered accidentally, but I found that was the best way to ensure a response.

Of course, Bixby’s much more tightly integrated into the daily Galaxy experience. A right swipe on the home page will bring up the Bixby landing page, which aggregates all sorts of content from the phone, including social media messages, health stats and local offerings from Maps. Of course, this also can be accessed via the devoted Bixby button, which is back for some reason.

The stream’s not particularly useful in and of itself. It’s really not too dissimilar from any number of content aggregation streams countless manufacturers have built into Android in an attempt to differentiate themselves from the competition. It is, however, a handy way of keeping track all of the various third-party apps you’ve integrated into the service. Also, Samsung has thankfully finally unified all of its myriad smart home offerings into a single, easy to use Smart Things app, similar to Apple’s Home offering.

Where the assistant does manage to stand out from the competition (save, in some cases, for Google) is with Bixby Vision. The feature isn’t really fully integrated into Bixby — in fact, it seems more like a branding opportunity than anything for the company. But name aside, it’s a really cool feature with a broad range of applications.

Text was the one I was most looking forward to, wandering the streets of Catalonia. When it’s working perfectly, the phone harnesses Google’s smarts to create an augmented reality translation that lays over real-world text. Really, really neat. The system works with 54 input languages and 150 output.

Live translation is spotty. It understandably takes a bit of time, as it has to send and receive information from the cloud. The text overlays also look a bit like a ransom note, but beggars can’t be choosers for a feature like this. I found the feature to be more miss than hit in augmented reality mode, so ultimately I ended up using the phone to convert signage into text and translate it that way. It’s a longer route, but ultimately a lot more helpful.

The Not Hot Dog-esque Food feature is impressive, as well, identifying food stuffs and giving you a rough approximation that you can add to the Samsung Health app. Like translation, it’s similar to something Google offers up in Lens. There’s also a Makeup feature that overlays eye shadows and lipsticks from companies like Sephora to see what you look like in a new shade.

Both are extremely impressive showcases for technology, but ultimately feel more novel than useful.

Screen time

The S9’s display is the same resolution as its predecessor — a Quad HD 2,960 x 1,440. That works out to 570 PPI on the 5.8-inch S9 and 529 PPI on the 6.2-inch S9+. Attempting to top that resolution is a fool’s errand, but the company that also supplies displays to its chief competition happily made some tweaks to the screen’s color accuracy. The OLED recently took DisplayMate’s top honors, and rightfully so. It’s lovely.

The speakers have been souped up, as well — a welcome addition, given that the feature so often gets short shrift from phone makers. The volume gets much louder, and when you flip the phone into landscape mode, the earpiece doubles as a stereo speaker. Of course, the same disclaimer that you get on all phone speakers is needed here: It’s fine for watching YouTube videos, but you’re going to want some headphones if you plan to listen for any extended period of time.

Thankfully, Samsung’s acquisition of Harman means the phone ships with a pair of AKG earbuds with silicone tips that are way, way more comfortable than Apple’s default pair. And yes, no adapter required.

The phone includes all of its predecessor’s various biometric unlocking options, but adds Intelligent Scan to the mix. The feature combines iris and face scanning into one, defaulting to the best option based on light level. It starts with your face and moves to the eyeballs if the lighting sucks.

It works a lot better than relying on iris alone, but as has been noted, it’s not secure enough to tie to things like mobile payment. And if you’re really concerned with the potential for other people to get into your phone, I’d recommend other methods.

Here in the States, you’ll be getting the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 — a feature that’s likely behind the company’s decision to announce the phone at Mobile World Congress last week, in order to stay ahead of the competition. Both models ship with 64GB of storage, augmentable via a microSD chip (up to a whopping 400GB). The S9 sports 4GB of RAM and the S9+ bumps that up by 2GB, which should be more than enough power for most users.

Samsung continues to be cautious on the battery front after flying too close to the sun, once upon a time. The S9 sports a 3,000mAh unit, while the S9+’s is 3,500. Not the largest around, but I was able to effectively get nearly two days of use on a single charge for the S9+.

Re-imagineering

As ever, Samsung’s additions are some combination of genuinely useful and some “why not” features. The S9’s got enough small but meaningful tweaks to keep the device at the top of the Android heap, and perhaps best of all, Samsung’s managed to price it at $720/$840 — not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, but considerably less expensive than the iPhone X’s $1,000 price tag.

Bixby still needs a lot of love and those AR Emojis are, to borrow a phrase from my people in Northern California, “hella creepy.” But all of those new software additions are nothing if not ambitious and point to a company trying out some genuinely interesting stuff in spaces like augmented reality. They’re not all hits, but they’re never not interesting.

As far as upgrading from the S8 — unless you’ve found yourself in some sort of Brewster’s Millions-style scenario where you suddenly have to part with a lot of cash with comedic consequences, I’m going to say hold off on that one. For everyone else ready to upgrade to a shiny new Android handset, however, the S9 maintains Samsung’s spot at the top of the heap.

First published on Source

Samsung Galaxy S9+ review – TechCrunch You probably don’t need a 4,000-word review to tell you that the Galaxy S9+ is a good phone.

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Helmet: Best bike helmet 2018 (Buying Guide)

Regular bicycle helmets in this day and age? No, thank you. Smart bike helmets have been with us for several years, but you'll be happy to hear that the evolution these intelligent gears had are definitely a must-try! If it's been a few years or months since you checked out bike helmets, then it's time to check them out again.

Let's take a trip and see the 5 best smart helmets out on the market today.

1.  Coros LINX Smart Cycling Helmet w/ Bone Conducting Audio

The first on our list is the Coros LINX Smart Cycling Helmet w/ Bone Conducting Audio. The Best cycling helmet for bikers out there.

While we see bikers in their headset, this practice is not very advisable to do because bikers need to be attentive with their environment. Thus Coros invented an alternative to earbuds with the use of bone-conduction technology. Coros LINX Smart Cycling Helmet uses the technology to let you listen to music or GPS turn-by-turn cues. This helmet also has a built-in speaker that will help you use your phone or talk to others more safely.

The technology that Coros put in this helmet is the best for bikers comparing to an old-fashioned headset. It is easy and only takes a few minutes to get it set up. If you want to take advantage of the G-sensor SOS alert, you can sync the helmet to a free app. Syncing the helmet to the app will automatically send a signal to a specific contact when the sensor indicates that you may have been in an accident.

The built-in battery and bone-conduction technology could be an added weight, but it is not noticeable or annoying, the helmet is still pretty much very lightweight.

2.  Livall MT1

Next, we have Livall MT1. A helmet armed with unique accessories that will make your biking experience smarter and free from harm.

It is equipped with a Nano Cadence Sensor and a Bling Jet Bluetooth Remote control. This Nano Cadence Sensor can easily be connected to the bike's pedals and linked via Bluetooth to the connected phone app. The app can record speed, distance travelled, calories burned, RPMs and so much more.

Actions are operated by the Bluetooth remote control which you can directly attach to the handlebar. The remote has to be connected to your helmet and phone to allow you to take photos, short videos, change music channels, turn indicator, and even operate walkie-talkie. Answering your phone does not have to be troublesome as the helmet has a windproof mic with sound wave control, it is a guarantee that the person on the other line will hear you.

Of course, there is a safety feature included, and this helmet will not let you be in the dark. The MT1 top light will shine luminously to make you stand out. Tail lights will allow you to signal others of directions. in case of emergency, the light will also shine to warn those nearby.

3.  Lumos Kickstart

Next on our top 5 list is the Lumos Kickstart. Like every helmet, Lumos aims to give you a safe ride through its best feature, the bright lights turn signals. The left and right signals can be activated through a wireless remote which is usually placed in the handlebar. As such, since it engages driving-like experience, the remote has only two buttons, the left and the right. This smart helmet has 38 red LED signals at the back, 10 white LEDs in the front and 11 orange led signals in each turn.

Lumos Smart Helmet is convenient and user-friendly. The unit comes with an accelerometer which senses if you are braking or slowing down. By then, the warning lights automatically turn on. Its automatic light capability will turn solid red, giving you no hard time to warn other cars a heads up.

This heavy-duty designed bike helmet can be adjusted to fit in with the user. It comfortably serves head sizes from 55-61cm. Moreover, this high-quality bike helmet has a rechargeable battery which obtains a full charge in just 2 hours. The flashing mode can be used for 6 hours straight and 3 hours for the solid color mode.

Lumos kickstart proves its durability through its weatherproof capability in which it can stand rain or shine. Convenience-wise, the user can monitor the battery level through a smart app.

4.  KSCAT Adult Bluetooth Smart Helmet.

Fourth on the list is KSCAT Adult Bluetooth Smart Helmet. It is the best performing helmet for cyclists. This multi-function helmet works in surprising ways! It is the first bone conduction Bluetooth helmet ensuring your safety while bike riding. With its Bluetooth headphones with built-in noise cancelling mic, you can listen to music or entertain phone calls without getting distracted.

The Bluetooth can cover a range from 10m/33 ft and is capable of sustaining 6-8 hours of talking and music time. To activate Bluetooth pairing, just press and hold the multifunction button for 6 seconds until the blue and red LED indicator blinks. Search for T01 to pair, and you are all set and good to go. Moreover, it can be recharged for a maximum of 2 hours, fully charged through a micro USB.

This Road Cycling Mountain helmet has 24 ventilation holes and weighs 400g. It has built-in wind protection goggle for the user’s convenience. However, this is an optional feature of this smart helmet. You can just simply turn off the switch if you wish not to use it.

KSCAT Smart Bone conduction helmet is the perfect suit for cyclists who love playing music while riding. This cyclist’s helmet is available in 3 colors, blue, red, and yellow.

5.  Airwheel C5 Intelligent Helmet

Conveniently resting on the number 5 spot is the Airwheel C5 Intelligent Helmet which looks like a cross between a skateboarding helmet and a cycling helmet. The unique and stylish design is just the tip of the iceberg because this helmet offers a lot of useful features.

The integrated HD 2K Resolution GoPro front camera has 150° wide-angle lens which captures explicit photos and videos of your fun adventures. Just press the buttons on the helmet’s side to operate the camera. It’s 2000mAh battery allows you to record up to 3 hours while the 128GB internal memory stores your precious memories. The Wi-Fi will enable you to connect a smartphone to access and transmit the files.

This smart helmet makes listening to music or answering phone calls comfortable while on the go via Bluetooth. The microphone filters outside noises and guarantee safes riding experience.

The Airwheel C5 Intelligent Helmet is made of premium EPS material which protects the head from any kind of impact. Aside from its toughness, this adjustable helmet provides the maximum ventilating system which significantly improves the flow of air through its deep ventilation slots, front air intake design, streamlined vents on the top and vertical exhaust hole on the tail.

With all these amazing features, you would be wondering this helmet weighs a lot. Our answer is no. It only weighs 440 grams or about 0.97 pounds which is more or less, the weight of your favorite leisure cap.

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You most likely don’t want a four,000-word review to let you know that the Galaxy S9+ is a superb telephone. Now that everybody’s were given all the Note 7 jokes most commonly out in their machine, we will most commonly agree that Samsung makes excellent telephones. The S8 was once nice, and the S9 builds on that good fortune in plenty of tactics.

The new telephone is most commonly an evolution of its predecessor. There was once no nice back-to-the-drawing-board second in its introduction. This isn’t Samsung’s resolution to the iPhone X (and in reality, the Note line already fills that position in plenty of tactics). It’s true the corporate could also be a sufferer of its personal hype.

The “Phone Reimagined” indicators that greeted us forward of release in Barcelona had been suitably hyperbolic, however for higher or worse, that’s the hype cycle we’re dwelling in at the moment. Samsung claimed to have reinvented the telephone this time final yr when it confirmed off the S8’s Infinity Display.

The truth of the topic is that the S9 unearths the electronics massive most commonly refining issues on its flagship. Nowhere is that this extra obvious than within the telephone’s design language. I’ve the S8+ and S9+ sitting aspect through aspect on my table as I write this, and I’d defy you to inform me which is which with out turning over the telephones. If you squint, you’ll be able to see that the bezels are a fragment of a millimeter smaller at the new telephone.

Flip them over and also you get a greater thought of what you’re running with. There are two digicam lenses now, aligned in a vertical configuration — and the fingerprint reader has moved down beneath. The corporate is constant to tweak its imaging machine and responding to person comments over little lawsuits from the final gen. People stored hanging their finger at the digicam as they fumbled to get up their telephone, so Samsung fastened it.

In spite of what Samsung would possibly let you know, the S9 isn’t a reimagining of the rest. It’s a refinement of the main Android handset. There’s now not sufficient right here to compel maximum S8 house owners to improve, however should you’re due for a refresh, Samsung’s handset remains to be the only to overcome.

Beyond Infinity

If I used to be a lazier creator, I’d suggest you learn the design segment of my S8 review so lets all simply skip forward to the brand new bits. Still, I’ll attempt to stay this bit beautiful brief, as a result of we’ve were given a large number of digicam to speak about within the paragraphs forward. The lengthy and in need of it’s that earlier than the iPhone X, there was once the Infinity Display.

It didn’t slightly get rid of the bezel as we comprehend it, however the design, blended with Samsung’s longtime love of curved glass, introduced us proper as much as the threshold. Samsung overtly mocked the iPhone X’s notch as soon as once more finally week’s unveil. It wasn’t delicate, however then, Samsung hardly is. Apple will have had the final week at MWC when nearly each and every different corporate thankfully embraced a notch-filled long term.

Until telephone firms get a hold of a greater approach to the telephone and front-facing digicam conundrum (I stay announcing “ban selfies,” however no person ever listens to me), it’s both going to be a notch or bezel. Samsung’s dug its heels into the latter, shaving a virtually imperceptible quantity off its predecessor’s. Perhaps it’s without equal signal submit of the state of the cellular trade that the sector’s biggest firms are combating over that reaming few millimeters.

Samsung’s different large Apple mocking second was once a jab on the headphone jack. The iPhone ditched it and not appeared again. Perhaps it’s stubbornness that’s stored it on Samsung’s flagships, as many different firms have long gone Apple’s course. When I spoke to ZTE forward of MWC, a rep for the corporate admitted that the top of the jack is all however an inevitability at this level. But truthfully, are you able to blame Samsung for containing on? After a number of generations of overtly mocking Apple, giving in can be slightly embarrassing.

Of path, that more or less about-face shouldn’t get in the way in which of transferring ahead. Remember when Steve Jobs mentioned “no one is going to buy a big phone?” Or heck, when Google made amusing of the top of the headphone jack a era earlier than shedding it? But sporting the S9+ round for the previous week strikes a chord in my memory that I nonetheless pass over the choice.

I purchased an affordable pair of stressed out headphones for the airplane experience house. There’s nonetheless one thing to be mentioned for the easy plug and play capacity there. Bluetooth headphones have come some distance up to now couple of years, however coping with battery problems and the uncertainty of pairing remains to be a headache. Sometimes you simply wish to plug in a couple of stressed out headphones and be carried out with it.

The again of the telephone is glass as soon as once more. Because that’s all of the rage, and in addition, it’s so much more straightforward on wi-fi charging. Samsung gave us a black one to move with our S8+ plus. The new pink is beautiful attention-grabbing, however beggars can’t be choosers, I assume. And but even so, even with Gorilla Glass, I’m going to strongly recommendation that you simply consider choosing up a case for that $720/$840 telephone.

That mentioned, Samsung has made some enhancements to the telephone’s general sturdiness. This isn’t the CAT telephone, certain, however each and every little bit is helping. The corporate has reportedly swapped the previous aluminum for a more potent selection and made the telephone sightly thicker and heavier within the procedure. But truthfully, as with the bezels, you’re in reality now not going to note the variation.

Camera-ready

[Left: Galaxy S9+, Right: iPhone 8 Plus]

The great factor about getting the review unit in Barcelona is that I used to be going to be taking a large number of photos anyway. The problem is that I turned into that anxious American vacationer who takes smartphone pictures of all his foods. I do know, I do know. But it was once for paintings, I swear.

The reimagined a part of the entire “camera, reimagined” bit is stepped forward low-light capturing — a subject that has temporarily transform the following large battlefield for smartphone makers. And excellent for them, in reality. The lack of ability to take half-decent pictures in not up to supreme settings is a huge sticking level for a large number of those firms. Honestly, what share of smartphone pictures do you’re taking in best lighting fixtures? An enormous share of those are snapped in puts like bars and eating places.

For this newest trick, the corporate if truth be told borrowed from, of all puts, its newest turn telephone. But for the reason that W2018 is like $2,000 and best to be had in Asia, you’re going to must accept the corporate’s new variable aperture at the S9. The twin aperture flips between  f/1.five / f/2.four — what that suggests, in the most simple phrases, is that it’s ready to let extra mild into the lens in a depressing environment. The aperture bodily opens as much as accomplish this. In truth, if you’re taking an in depth take a look at the digicam, you’ll be able to see that fluctuate happen.

Shortly after Samsung introduced the era, Sony made point out that it was once running a brand new super-low-light era. Of path, it’ll be some time earlier than that involves the corporate’s telephones — or even longer till it arrives on telephones other people if truth be told purchase. Meantime, the S9 represents a forged improve from a telephone trade that’s in large part overlooked low-light capturing.

We came about to have an iPhone Eight Plus and Pixel 2 at our disposal and did some low-light capturing in bars round Barcelona final week (once more, analysis). The Samsung S9+’s effects are spectacular. It’s now not slightly night time and day — however it’s shut. The S9 shall we in significantly extra mild and is in a position to taking first rate photos in settings that completely stumped the contest.

Scrolling again throughout the pictures taken final week it’s arduous to inform that have been snapped in a dim bar — even though, in some circumstances, the white stability does appear slightly off. Even so, the enhanced digicam is going a protracted some way towards decreasing the noise you get in the similar environment on maximum telephones. If this implies fewer other people will probably be firing up their digicam flash in bars, I believe all of us can agree that this can be a win-win.

The different large bodily growth at the digicam aspect was once borrowed from some other considered one of Samsung’s telephones: the Note Eight. One of the important thing variations between the S9 and S9+ that justifies that $140 worth gulf is the inclusion of a 2nd telephoto lens along with the usual wide-angle. As with that handset, zoom in sufficient and it switches over to the second one lens.

The distinction between virtual and optical zoom is very large, and this may pass some distance towards bettering the standard on the ones tight pictures. That’s most likely now not sufficient to warrant the improve to the S9+ by myself, however it is going some distance towards giving the Galaxy one of the most perfect imaging studies in all of smartphones. There’s a reason why the handset simply crowned DxOMark’s digicam rankings.

Is creepy an emotion?

The digicam’s maximum sensible enhancements are at the aspect. But the device upgrades deliver much more proverbial flash. Take AR Emojis. Given how a lot the S9 looks as if its predecessor, it’s simple to look why the corporate has leaned so closely at the new characteristic in its messaging. That mentioned, I’m now not fully certain that’s the most productive thought. AR Emojis are creepy. I mentioned it earlier than, and I’ll say it once more. It’s the very first thing I assumed once I noticed them, and after spending per week with the telephone, my reviews haven’t modified.

Samsung were given knocked slightly right here for cribbing the characteristic from Apple. The Animoji comparisons had been inevitable. And, certainly, all telephone makers “borrow” from one some other. Welcome to client electronics. Of path, Samsung’s put its personal distinctive spin at the characteristic, and therein lies the creepiness. Take a selfie, and the corporate builds a custom designed emoji, the use of 100 facial knowledge issues.

From there, you customise the hair, clothes and upload glasses should you put on them. The picks are nonetheless beautiful restricted on that entrance, however I’d be expecting Samsung will upload extra because it is going alongside. Once you’re all excellent and stored, the machine automically generates just about 20 animated GIFs representing more than a few Anime-style emotional states, supposed to be shared over social media. I don’t see myself ever the use of them un-ironically, however then I’ve come to just accept once I’m now not the objective demographic for a factor.

It’s more or less like Nintendo’s Mii — in the event that they unexpectedly made up our minds to be much less lovely and arrange store smack in the course of the uncanny valley. It’s an admirable thought, the use of the corporate’s digicam era to create one thing extra custom designed than the 16 Apple recently provides. But for something, the scans don’t be offering sufficient difference from individual to individual. And for some other, I’m now not certain machines can also be relied upon to mix real-world 3-D imagery and cartoons into one thing now not creepy. Listen, we’ve all noticed Blade Runner right here. Robots are creepy.

There are different default emojis — a rabbit, a cat and a peculiar box-headed monster thingy. None fit Apple’s choices for basic adorableness, however I wouldn’t fear an excessive amount of for Samsung. The corporate scored a big coup through putting a care for Disney, regardless of the corporate’s longtime alliance (and board member swapping) with Apple.

Along with the Star Wars AR it dropped at the Pixel 2, Disney appears to be attempting arduous to not play favorites. That will in the long run imply good stuff for AR Emoji adoption, assuming, in fact, that they’re carried out in a much less creepy method than its present providing. I’ve were given religion in Disney’s tight grip on highbrow assets — they’ll most likely glance excellent, which is able to in the long run imply customers will proceed to interact with the tech after the acquisition of the telephone.

There’s no date on arrival, however the providing will come with Mickey and Minnie, at the side of some Pixar names. The Incredibles flashed at the display screen — no wonder, for the reason that a sequel is due out in July. It’s a pleasant advertising play for Disney, leveraging the flagship from the sector’s biggest telephone maker.

Hopefully the corporate received’t remorseful about it an excessive amount of when on-line movies with the corporate’s iconic mouse announcing really filthy issues floor on social media straight away after release. I’m now not announcing I’m taking a look ahead to it, I’m simply announcing that I’ve discovered to be expecting absolutely the worst from my fellow people.

Taking it sluggish

Sony took some other now not so delicate dig at its press convention, noting that it had Super Slow Motion on its telephones a yr earlier than Samsung. But once more, the important thing differentiator here’s the truth that other people if truth be told, you realize, purchase Samsung telephones. As such, that is the primary time a large number of persons are going to get their fingers at the era.

During a briefing, Samsung in comparison the tech to The Matrix’s “bullet time.” This isn’t that, in fact. For something, it’s simply the only digicam. But it’s, actually, very neat. Honestly, it’s essentially the most amusing I had trying out the telephone out during the last week. Like any excellent new digicam toy, it makes you hyper conscious about your atmosphere as you search for little issues in lifestyles that may glance cool, bogged down.

The new tech is a sexy radical replace over Samsung’s previous sluggish movement, bumping it from 240 to 960 frames according to 2nd. That’s 32 occasions slower than common photos and 4 occasions slower than usual sluggish movement. You’ll invariably to find your self capturing all forms of bizarre mundanity you wouldn’t assume to video in 1,000,000 years at common pace: water pouring into a tumbler, pigeons in the street. It’s a great way to straight away appear to be a weirdo to strangers, however screw ’em, it’s for science.

By default, the characteristic sports activities a small sq. within the heart that robotically fires up Super Slow Motion when it detects motion. Results will range in that bit, relying on plenty of components, together with how a long way away the motion is. It’s great to have the environment to fall again on, so you’ll be able to stay the telephone secure with two fingers, however extra regularly than now not, I discovered myself simply doing it manually.

Once shot, the telephone applications the video well, growing 3 separate looping GIFs and including royalty unfastened track to the primary video. Honestly, even though, all of them finally end up taking a look large moody and I simply wish to upload that “Mad World” duvet from Donnie Dark to in reality entire the package deal.

The indisputable fact that mild sparkles at positive frequency best provides to the impact. Shooting in Heathrow proved subsequent to not possible below the oppressive airport lighting. Low mild, alternatively, was once a non-starter. The characteristic calls for a large number of mild to paintings correctly, so don’t be expecting to move capturing any Super Slow Motion in eating places or bars.

A couple of different options are value calling out right here. Food Mode provides some great good looks pictures of your lunch. I’m in most cases glad how those grew to become out, even though a few of my co-workers discovered them to be slightly oversaturated. Auto-focus pace has stepped forward, as promised, and stickers are a amusing augmented fact addition to the providing.

Hi Bixby

Samsung’s been on one thing of an AI buying groceries spree during the last couple of years. Even so, the corporate’s good assistant has had a difficult time taking part in catch as much as Alexa, Siri and the remainder. Even so, Bixby stumbled beautiful arduous out of the gate. Samsung had to ship a compelling reason why to select its providing over Android’s default, Google Assistant. Instead, Bixby was once half-baked when it arrived at the S8.

The corporate’s made some key in-roads since then, together with, maximum significantly, the eventual arrival of voice capability. Certainly Bixby has some grand ambitions, fueled through acquisitions like Viv. But that more or less factor doesn’t quantity to an entire lot in case your assistant isn’t fitted to daily actions.

On that entrance, Bixby’s nonetheless were given a large number of rising to do. We sat in a circle at our Airbnb in Barcelona, asking a spate of inquiries to Bixby, Siri, Assistant and Cortana (TechCrunch is aware of celebration), and Bixby had hassle competing. In basic, the ones different assistants are higher suited to reply to easy questions.

I additionally discovered myself flipping Bixby’s voice reputation to its very best sensitivity. As the corporate notes, the extra delicate you’re making it, the much more likely it’s to get precipitated by chance, however I discovered that was once one of the simplest ways to make sure a reaction.

Of path, Bixby’s a lot more tightly built-in into the day-to-day Galaxy revel in. A proper swipe at the house web page will deliver up the Bixby touchdown web page, which aggregates all forms of content material from the telephone, together with social media messages, well being stats and native choices from Maps. Of path, this additionally can also be accessed by the use of the trustworthy Bixby button, which is again for some reason why.

The circulation’s now not in particular helpful in and of itself. It’s in reality now not too dissimilar from any selection of content material aggregation streams numerous producers have constructed into Android in an try to differentiate themselves from the contest. It is, then again, a to hand method of holding monitor all the more than a few third-party apps you’ve built-in into the carrier. Also, Samsung has fortunately after all unified all of its myriad good house choices right into a unmarried, simple to make use of Smart Things app, very similar to Apple’s Home providing.

Where the assistant does arrange to stand proud of the contest (save, in some circumstances, for Google) is with Bixby Vision. The characteristic isn’t in reality totally built-in into Bixby — actually, it sort of feels extra like a branding alternative than the rest for the corporate. But title apart, it’s a in reality cool characteristic with a wide vary of packages.

Text was once the only I used to be maximum taking a look ahead to, wandering the streets of Catalonia. When it’s running completely, the telephone harnesses Google’s smarts to create an augmented fact translation that lays over real-world textual content. Really, in reality neat. The machine works with 54 enter languages and 150 output.

Live translation is spotty. It understandably takes slightly of time, because it has to ship and obtain knowledge from the cloud. The textual content overlays additionally glance slightly like a ransom notice, however beggars can’t be choosers for a characteristic like this. I discovered the characteristic to be extra pass over than hit in augmented fact mode, so in the long run I stopped up the use of the telephone to transform signage into textual content and translate it that method. It’s an extended course, however in the long run much more useful.

The Not Hot Dog-esque Food characteristic is spectacular, as neatly, figuring out meals stuffs and providing you with a coarse approximation that you’ll be able to upload to the Samsung Health app. Like translation, it’s very similar to one thing Google provides up in Lens. There’s additionally a Makeup characteristic that overlays eye shadows and lipsticks from firms like Sephora to look what you seem like in a brand new colour.

Both are extraordinarily spectacular showcases for era, however in the long run really feel extra novel than helpful.

Screen time

The S9’s show is similar answer as its predecessor — a Quad HD 2,960 x 1,440. That works out to 570 PPI at the five.Eight-inch S9 and 529 PPI at the 6.2-inch S9+. Attempting to most sensible that answer is a idiot’s errand, however the corporate that still provides shows to its leader festival thankfully made some tweaks to the display screen’s colour accuracy. The OLED lately took DisplayMate’s most sensible honors, and rightfully so. It’s beautiful.

The audio system had been souped up, as neatly — a welcome boost, for the reason that the characteristic so regularly will get brief shrift from telephone makers. The quantity will get a lot louder, and whilst you turn the telephone into panorama mode, the earpiece doubles as a stereo speaker. Of path, the similar disclaimer that you simply get on all telephone audio system is wanted right here: It’s high-quality for gazing YouTube movies, however you’re going to wish some headphones should you plan to pay attention for any prolonged time period.

Thankfully, Samsung’s acquisition of Harman manner the telephone ships with a couple of AKG earbuds with silicone pointers which can be method, far more comfy than Apple’s default pair. And sure, no adapter required.

The telephone contains all of its predecessor’s more than a few biometric unlocking choices, however provides Intelligent Scan to the combination. The characteristic combines iris and face scanning into one, defaulting to the most suitable option according to mild degree. It begins together with your face and strikes to the eyeballs if the lighting fixtures sucks.

It works significantly better than depending on iris by myself, however as has been famous, it’s now not protected sufficient to tie to such things as cellular cost. And should you’re in reality fascinated with the opportunity of people to get into your telephone, I’d suggest different strategies.

Here within the States, you’ll be getting the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 — a characteristic that’s most likely in the back of the corporate’s choice to announce the telephone at Mobile World Congress final week, with the intention to keep forward of the contest. Both fashions send with 64GB of garage, augmentable by the use of a microSD chip (as much as a whopping 400GB). The S9 sports activities 4GB of RAM and the S9+ bumps that up through 2GB, which must be greater than sufficient energy for many customers.

Samsung is still wary at the battery entrance after flying too as regards to the solar, as soon as upon a time. The S9 sports activities a three,000mAh unit, whilst the S9+’s is three,500. Not the most important round, however I used to be ready to successfully get just about two days of use on a unmarried fee for the S9+.

Re-imagineering

As ever, Samsung’s additions are some mixture of in fact helpful and a few “why not” options. The S9’s were given sufficient small however significant tweaks to stay the instrument on the most sensible of the Android heap, and in all probability perfect of all, Samsung’s controlled to worth it at $720/$840 — now not reasonable through any stretch of the creativeness, however significantly more economical than the iPhone X’s $1,000 price ticket.

Bixby nonetheless wishes a large number of love and the ones AR Emojis are, to borrow a word from my other people in Northern California, “hella creepy.” But all of the ones new device additions are not anything if now not formidable and level to an organization testing some in fact fascinating stuff in areas like augmented fact. They’re now not all hits, however they’re by no means now not fascinating.

As a long way as upgrading from the S8 — until you’ve discovered your self in some type of Brewster’s Millions-style state of affairs the place you unexpectedly must phase with a large number of money with comedic penalties, I’m going to mention grasp off on that one. For everybody else waiting to improve to a glittery new Android handset, then again, the S9 maintains Samsung’s spot on the most sensible of the heap.

Samsung Galaxy S9+ review – TechCrunch

You most likely don’t want a four,000-word review to let you know that the Galaxy S9+ is a superb telephone.

Samsung Galaxy S9+ review – TechCrunch

You most likely don’t want a four,000-word review to let you know that the Galaxy S9+ is a superb telephone.

Samsung Galaxy S9+ review – TechCrunch You most likely don’t want a four,000-word review to let you know that the Galaxy S9+ is a superb telephone.

[nuttytriumphenthusiast-blog]

You most likely don’t want a four,000-word review to let you know that the Galaxy S9+ is a superb telephone. Now that everybody’s were given all the Note 7 jokes most commonly out in their machine, we will most commonly agree that Samsung makes excellent telephones. The S8 was once nice, and the S9 builds on that good fortune in plenty of tactics.

The new telephone is most commonly an evolution of its predecessor. There was once no nice back-to-the-drawing-board second in its introduction. This isn’t Samsung’s resolution to the iPhone X (and in reality, the Note line already fills that position in plenty of tactics). It’s true the corporate could also be a sufferer of its personal hype.

The “Phone Reimagined” indicators that greeted us forward of release in Barcelona had been suitably hyperbolic, however for higher or worse, that’s the hype cycle we’re dwelling in at the moment. Samsung claimed to have reinvented the telephone this time final yr when it confirmed off the S8’s Infinity Display.

The truth of the topic is that the S9 unearths the electronics massive most commonly refining issues on its flagship. Nowhere is that this extra obvious than within the telephone’s design language. I’ve the S8+ and S9+ sitting aspect through aspect on my table as I write this, and I’d defy you to inform me which is which with out turning over the telephones. If you squint, you’ll be able to see that the bezels are a fragment of a millimeter smaller at the new telephone.

Flip them over and also you get a greater thought of what you’re running with. There are two digicam lenses now, aligned in a vertical configuration — and the fingerprint reader has moved down beneath. The corporate is constant to tweak its imaging machine and responding to person comments over little lawsuits from the final gen. People stored hanging their finger at the digicam as they fumbled to get up their telephone, so Samsung fastened it.

In spite of what Samsung would possibly let you know, the S9 isn’t a reimagining of the rest. It’s a refinement of the main Android handset. There’s now not sufficient right here to compel maximum S8 house owners to improve, however should you’re due for a refresh, Samsung’s handset remains to be the only to overcome.

Beyond Infinity

If I used to be a lazier creator, I’d suggest you learn the design segment of my S8 review so lets all simply skip forward to the brand new bits. Still, I’ll attempt to stay this bit beautiful brief, as a result of we’ve were given a large number of digicam to speak about within the paragraphs forward. The lengthy and in need of it’s that earlier than the iPhone X, there was once the Infinity Display.

It didn’t slightly get rid of the bezel as we comprehend it, however the design, blended with Samsung’s longtime love of curved glass, introduced us proper as much as the threshold. Samsung overtly mocked the iPhone X’s notch as soon as once more finally week’s unveil. It wasn’t delicate, however then, Samsung hardly is. Apple will have had the final week at MWC when nearly each and every different corporate thankfully embraced a notch-filled long term.

Until telephone firms get a hold of a greater approach to the telephone and front-facing digicam conundrum (I stay announcing “ban selfies,” however no person ever listens to me), it’s both going to be a notch or bezel. Samsung’s dug its heels into the latter, shaving a virtually imperceptible quantity off its predecessor’s. Perhaps it’s without equal signal submit of the state of the cellular trade that the sector’s biggest firms are combating over that reaming few millimeters.

Samsung’s different large Apple mocking second was once a jab on the headphone jack. The iPhone ditched it and not appeared again. Perhaps it’s stubbornness that’s stored it on Samsung’s flagships, as many different firms have long gone Apple’s course. When I spoke to ZTE forward of MWC, a rep for the corporate admitted that the top of the jack is all however an inevitability at this level. But truthfully, are you able to blame Samsung for containing on? After a number of generations of overtly mocking Apple, giving in can be slightly embarrassing.

Of path, that more or less about-face shouldn’t get in the way in which of transferring ahead. Remember when Steve Jobs mentioned “no one is going to buy a big phone?” Or heck, when Google made amusing of the top of the headphone jack a era earlier than shedding it? But sporting the S9+ round for the previous week strikes a chord in my memory that I nonetheless pass over the choice.

I purchased an affordable pair of stressed out headphones for the airplane experience house. There’s nonetheless one thing to be mentioned for the easy plug and play capacity there. Bluetooth headphones have come some distance up to now couple of years, however coping with battery problems and the uncertainty of pairing remains to be a headache. Sometimes you simply wish to plug in a couple of stressed out headphones and be carried out with it.

The again of the telephone is glass as soon as once more. Because that’s all of the rage, and in addition, it’s so much more straightforward on wi-fi charging. Samsung gave us a black one to move with our S8+ plus. The new pink is beautiful attention-grabbing, however beggars can’t be choosers, I assume. And but even so, even with Gorilla Glass, I’m going to strongly recommendation that you simply consider choosing up a case for that $720/$840 telephone.

That mentioned, Samsung has made some enhancements to the telephone’s general sturdiness. This isn’t the CAT telephone, certain, however each and every little bit is helping. The corporate has reportedly swapped the previous aluminum for a more potent selection and made the telephone sightly thicker and heavier within the procedure. But truthfully, as with the bezels, you’re in reality now not going to note the variation.

Camera-ready

[Left: Galaxy S9+, Right: iPhone 8 Plus]

The great factor about getting the review unit in Barcelona is that I used to be going to be taking a large number of photos anyway. The problem is that I turned into that anxious American vacationer who takes smartphone pictures of all his foods. I do know, I do know. But it was once for paintings, I swear.

The reimagined a part of the entire “camera, reimagined” bit is stepped forward low-light capturing — a subject that has temporarily transform the following large battlefield for smartphone makers. And excellent for them, in reality. The lack of ability to take half-decent pictures in not up to supreme settings is a huge sticking level for a large number of those firms. Honestly, what share of smartphone pictures do you’re taking in best lighting fixtures? An enormous share of those are snapped in puts like bars and eating places.

For this newest trick, the corporate if truth be told borrowed from, of all puts, its newest turn telephone. But for the reason that W2018 is like $2,000 and best to be had in Asia, you’re going to must accept the corporate’s new variable aperture at the S9. The twin aperture flips between  f/1.five / f/2.four — what that suggests, in the most simple phrases, is that it’s ready to let extra mild into the lens in a depressing environment. The aperture bodily opens as much as accomplish this. In truth, if you’re taking an in depth take a look at the digicam, you’ll be able to see that fluctuate happen.

Shortly after Samsung introduced the era, Sony made point out that it was once running a brand new super-low-light era. Of path, it’ll be some time earlier than that involves the corporate’s telephones — or even longer till it arrives on telephones other people if truth be told purchase. Meantime, the S9 represents a forged improve from a telephone trade that’s in large part overlooked low-light capturing.

We came about to have an iPhone Eight Plus and Pixel 2 at our disposal and did some low-light capturing in bars round Barcelona final week (once more, analysis). The Samsung S9+’s effects are spectacular. It’s now not slightly night time and day — however it’s shut. The S9 shall we in significantly extra mild and is in a position to taking first rate photos in settings that completely stumped the contest.

Scrolling again throughout the pictures taken final week it’s arduous to inform that have been snapped in a dim bar — even though, in some circumstances, the white stability does appear slightly off. Even so, the enhanced digicam is going a protracted some way towards decreasing the noise you get in the similar environment on maximum telephones. If this implies fewer other people will probably be firing up their digicam flash in bars, I believe all of us can agree that this can be a win-win.

The different large bodily growth at the digicam aspect was once borrowed from some other considered one of Samsung’s telephones: the Note Eight. One of the important thing variations between the S9 and S9+ that justifies that $140 worth gulf is the inclusion of a 2nd telephoto lens along with the usual wide-angle. As with that handset, zoom in sufficient and it switches over to the second one lens.

The distinction between virtual and optical zoom is very large, and this may pass some distance towards bettering the standard on the ones tight pictures. That’s most likely now not sufficient to warrant the improve to the S9+ by myself, however it is going some distance towards giving the Galaxy one of the most perfect imaging studies in all of smartphones. There’s a reason why the handset simply crowned DxOMark’s digicam rankings.

Is creepy an emotion?

The digicam’s maximum sensible enhancements are at the aspect. But the device upgrades deliver much more proverbial flash. Take AR Emojis. Given how a lot the S9 looks as if its predecessor, it’s simple to look why the corporate has leaned so closely at the new characteristic in its messaging. That mentioned, I’m now not fully certain that’s the most productive thought. AR Emojis are creepy. I mentioned it earlier than, and I’ll say it once more. It’s the very first thing I assumed once I noticed them, and after spending per week with the telephone, my reviews haven’t modified.

Samsung were given knocked slightly right here for cribbing the characteristic from Apple. The Animoji comparisons had been inevitable. And, certainly, all telephone makers “borrow” from one some other. Welcome to client electronics. Of path, Samsung’s put its personal distinctive spin at the characteristic, and therein lies the creepiness. Take a selfie, and the corporate builds a custom designed emoji, the use of 100 facial knowledge issues.

From there, you customise the hair, clothes and upload glasses should you put on them. The picks are nonetheless beautiful restricted on that entrance, however I’d be expecting Samsung will upload extra because it is going alongside. Once you’re all excellent and stored, the machine automically generates just about 20 animated GIFs representing more than a few Anime-style emotional states, supposed to be shared over social media. I don’t see myself ever the use of them un-ironically, however then I’ve come to just accept once I’m now not the objective demographic for a factor.

It’s more or less like Nintendo’s Mii — in the event that they unexpectedly made up our minds to be much less lovely and arrange store smack in the course of the uncanny valley. It’s an admirable thought, the use of the corporate’s digicam era to create one thing extra custom designed than the 16 Apple recently provides. But for something, the scans don’t be offering sufficient difference from individual to individual. And for some other, I’m now not certain machines can also be relied upon to mix real-world 3-D imagery and cartoons into one thing now not creepy. Listen, we’ve all noticed Blade Runner right here. Robots are creepy.

There are different default emojis — a rabbit, a cat and a peculiar box-headed monster thingy. None fit Apple’s choices for basic adorableness, however I wouldn’t fear an excessive amount of for Samsung. The corporate scored a big coup through putting a care for Disney, regardless of the corporate’s longtime alliance (and board member swapping) with Apple.

Along with the Star Wars AR it dropped at the Pixel 2, Disney appears to be attempting arduous to not play favorites. That will in the long run imply good stuff for AR Emoji adoption, assuming, in fact, that they’re carried out in a much less creepy method than its present providing. I’ve were given religion in Disney’s tight grip on highbrow assets — they’ll most likely glance excellent, which is able to in the long run imply customers will proceed to interact with the tech after the acquisition of the telephone.

There’s no date on arrival, however the providing will come with Mickey and Minnie, at the side of some Pixar names. The Incredibles flashed at the display screen — no wonder, for the reason that a sequel is due out in July. It’s a pleasant advertising play for Disney, leveraging the flagship from the sector’s biggest telephone maker.

Hopefully the corporate received’t remorseful about it an excessive amount of when on-line movies with the corporate’s iconic mouse announcing really filthy issues floor on social media straight away after release. I’m now not announcing I’m taking a look ahead to it, I’m simply announcing that I’ve discovered to be expecting absolutely the worst from my fellow people.

Taking it sluggish

Sony took some other now not so delicate dig at its press convention, noting that it had Super Slow Motion on its telephones a yr earlier than Samsung. But once more, the important thing differentiator here’s the truth that other people if truth be told, you realize, purchase Samsung telephones. As such, that is the primary time a large number of persons are going to get their fingers at the era.

During a briefing, Samsung in comparison the tech to The Matrix’s “bullet time.” This isn’t that, in fact. For something, it’s simply the only digicam. But it’s, actually, very neat. Honestly, it’s essentially the most amusing I had trying out the telephone out during the last week. Like any excellent new digicam toy, it makes you hyper conscious about your atmosphere as you search for little issues in lifestyles that may glance cool, bogged down.

The new tech is a sexy radical replace over Samsung’s previous sluggish movement, bumping it from 240 to 960 frames according to 2nd. That’s 32 occasions slower than common photos and 4 occasions slower than usual sluggish movement. You’ll invariably to find your self capturing all forms of bizarre mundanity you wouldn’t assume to video in 1,000,000 years at common pace: water pouring into a tumbler, pigeons in the street. It’s a great way to straight away appear to be a weirdo to strangers, however screw ’em, it’s for science.

By default, the characteristic sports activities a small sq. within the heart that robotically fires up Super Slow Motion when it detects motion. Results will range in that bit, relying on plenty of components, together with how a long way away the motion is. It’s great to have the environment to fall again on, so you’ll be able to stay the telephone secure with two fingers, however extra regularly than now not, I discovered myself simply doing it manually.

Once shot, the telephone applications the video well, growing 3 separate looping GIFs and including royalty unfastened track to the primary video. Honestly, even though, all of them finally end up taking a look large moody and I simply wish to upload that “Mad World” duvet from Donnie Dark to in reality entire the package deal.

The indisputable fact that mild sparkles at positive frequency best provides to the impact. Shooting in Heathrow proved subsequent to not possible below the oppressive airport lighting. Low mild, alternatively, was once a non-starter. The characteristic calls for a large number of mild to paintings correctly, so don’t be expecting to move capturing any Super Slow Motion in eating places or bars.

A couple of different options are value calling out right here. Food Mode provides some great good looks pictures of your lunch. I’m in most cases glad how those grew to become out, even though a few of my co-workers discovered them to be slightly oversaturated. Auto-focus pace has stepped forward, as promised, and stickers are a amusing augmented fact addition to the providing.

Hi Bixby

Samsung’s been on one thing of an AI buying groceries spree during the last couple of years. Even so, the corporate’s good assistant has had a difficult time taking part in catch as much as Alexa, Siri and the remainder. Even so, Bixby stumbled beautiful arduous out of the gate. Samsung had to ship a compelling reason why to select its providing over Android’s default, Google Assistant. Instead, Bixby was once half-baked when it arrived at the S8.

The corporate’s made some key in-roads since then, together with, maximum significantly, the eventual arrival of voice capability. Certainly Bixby has some grand ambitions, fueled through acquisitions like Viv. But that more or less factor doesn’t quantity to an entire lot in case your assistant isn’t fitted to daily actions.

On that entrance, Bixby’s nonetheless were given a large number of rising to do. We sat in a circle at our Airbnb in Barcelona, asking a spate of inquiries to Bixby, Siri, Assistant and Cortana (TechCrunch is aware of celebration), and Bixby had hassle competing. In basic, the ones different assistants are higher suited to reply to easy questions.

I additionally discovered myself flipping Bixby’s voice reputation to its very best sensitivity. As the corporate notes, the extra delicate you’re making it, the much more likely it’s to get precipitated by chance, however I discovered that was once one of the simplest ways to make sure a reaction.

Of path, Bixby’s a lot more tightly built-in into the day-to-day Galaxy revel in. A proper swipe at the house web page will deliver up the Bixby touchdown web page, which aggregates all forms of content material from the telephone, together with social media messages, well being stats and native choices from Maps. Of path, this additionally can also be accessed by the use of the trustworthy Bixby button, which is again for some reason why.

The circulation’s now not in particular helpful in and of itself. It’s in reality now not too dissimilar from any selection of content material aggregation streams numerous producers have constructed into Android in an try to differentiate themselves from the contest. It is, then again, a to hand method of holding monitor all the more than a few third-party apps you’ve built-in into the carrier. Also, Samsung has fortunately after all unified all of its myriad good house choices right into a unmarried, simple to make use of Smart Things app, very similar to Apple’s Home providing.

Where the assistant does arrange to stand proud of the contest (save, in some circumstances, for Google) is with Bixby Vision. The characteristic isn’t in reality totally built-in into Bixby — actually, it sort of feels extra like a branding alternative than the rest for the corporate. But title apart, it’s a in reality cool characteristic with a wide vary of packages.

Text was once the only I used to be maximum taking a look ahead to, wandering the streets of Catalonia. When it’s running completely, the telephone harnesses Google’s smarts to create an augmented fact translation that lays over real-world textual content. Really, in reality neat. The machine works with 54 enter languages and 150 output.

Live translation is spotty. It understandably takes slightly of time, because it has to ship and obtain knowledge from the cloud. The textual content overlays additionally glance slightly like a ransom notice, however beggars can’t be choosers for a characteristic like this. I discovered the characteristic to be extra pass over than hit in augmented fact mode, so in the long run I stopped up the use of the telephone to transform signage into textual content and translate it that method. It’s an extended course, however in the long run much more useful.

The Not Hot Dog-esque Food characteristic is spectacular, as neatly, figuring out meals stuffs and providing you with a coarse approximation that you’ll be able to upload to the Samsung Health app. Like translation, it’s very similar to one thing Google provides up in Lens. There’s additionally a Makeup characteristic that overlays eye shadows and lipsticks from firms like Sephora to look what you seem like in a brand new colour.

Both are extraordinarily spectacular showcases for era, however in the long run really feel extra novel than helpful.

Screen time

The S9’s show is similar answer as its predecessor — a Quad HD 2,960 x 1,440. That works out to 570 PPI at the five.Eight-inch S9 and 529 PPI at the 6.2-inch S9+. Attempting to most sensible that answer is a idiot’s errand, however the corporate that still provides shows to its leader festival thankfully made some tweaks to the display screen’s colour accuracy. The OLED lately took DisplayMate’s most sensible honors, and rightfully so. It’s beautiful.

The audio system had been souped up, as neatly — a welcome boost, for the reason that the characteristic so regularly will get brief shrift from telephone makers. The quantity will get a lot louder, and whilst you turn the telephone into panorama mode, the earpiece doubles as a stereo speaker. Of path, the similar disclaimer that you simply get on all telephone audio system is wanted right here: It’s high-quality for gazing YouTube movies, however you’re going to wish some headphones should you plan to pay attention for any prolonged time period.

Thankfully, Samsung’s acquisition of Harman manner the telephone ships with a couple of AKG earbuds with silicone pointers which can be method, far more comfy than Apple’s default pair. And sure, no adapter required.

The telephone contains all of its predecessor’s more than a few biometric unlocking choices, however provides Intelligent Scan to the combination. The characteristic combines iris and face scanning into one, defaulting to the most suitable option according to mild degree. It begins together with your face and strikes to the eyeballs if the lighting fixtures sucks.

It works significantly better than depending on iris by myself, however as has been famous, it’s now not protected sufficient to tie to such things as cellular cost. And should you’re in reality fascinated with the opportunity of people to get into your telephone, I’d suggest different strategies.

Here within the States, you’ll be getting the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 — a characteristic that’s most likely in the back of the corporate’s choice to announce the telephone at Mobile World Congress final week, with the intention to keep forward of the contest. Both fashions send with 64GB of garage, augmentable by the use of a microSD chip (as much as a whopping 400GB). The S9 sports activities 4GB of RAM and the S9+ bumps that up through 2GB, which must be greater than sufficient energy for many customers.

Samsung is still wary at the battery entrance after flying too as regards to the solar, as soon as upon a time. The S9 sports activities a three,000mAh unit, whilst the S9+’s is three,500. Not the most important round, however I used to be ready to successfully get just about two days of use on a unmarried fee for the S9+.

Re-imagineering

As ever, Samsung’s additions are some mixture of in fact helpful and a few “why not” options. The S9’s were given sufficient small however significant tweaks to stay the instrument on the most sensible of the Android heap, and in all probability perfect of all, Samsung’s controlled to worth it at $720/$840 — now not reasonable through any stretch of the creativeness, however significantly more economical than the iPhone X’s $1,000 price ticket.

Bixby nonetheless wishes a large number of love and the ones AR Emojis are, to borrow a word from my other people in Northern California, “hella creepy.” But all of the ones new device additions are not anything if now not formidable and level to an organization testing some in fact fascinating stuff in areas like augmented fact. They’re now not all hits, however they’re by no means now not fascinating.

As a long way as upgrading from the S8 — until you’ve discovered your self in some type of Brewster’s Millions-style state of affairs the place you unexpectedly must phase with a large number of money with comedic penalties, I’m going to mention grasp off on that one. For everybody else waiting to improve to a glittery new Android handset, then again, the S9 maintains Samsung’s spot on the most sensible of the heap.

Samsung Galaxy S9+ review – TechCrunch

You most likely don’t want a four,000-word review to let you know that the Galaxy S9+ is a superb telephone.

Samsung Galaxy S9+ review – TechCrunch You most likely don’t want a four,000-word review to let you know that the Galaxy S9+ is a superb telephone.

[saltysuittaco-blog]

You most likely don’t want a four,000-word review to let you know that the Galaxy S9+ is a superb telephone. Now that everybody’s were given all the Note 7 jokes most commonly out in their machine, we will most commonly agree that Samsung makes excellent telephones. The S8 was once nice, and the S9 builds on that good fortune in plenty of tactics.

The new telephone is most commonly an evolution of its predecessor. There was once no nice back-to-the-drawing-board second in its introduction. This isn’t Samsung’s resolution to the iPhone X (and in reality, the Note line already fills that position in plenty of tactics). It’s true the corporate could also be a sufferer of its personal hype.

The “Phone Reimagined” indicators that greeted us forward of release in Barcelona had been suitably hyperbolic, however for higher or worse, that’s the hype cycle we’re dwelling in at the moment. Samsung claimed to have reinvented the telephone this time final yr when it confirmed off the S8’s Infinity Display.

The truth of the topic is that the S9 unearths the electronics massive most commonly refining issues on its flagship. Nowhere is that this extra obvious than within the telephone’s design language. I’ve the S8+ and S9+ sitting aspect through aspect on my table as I write this, and I’d defy you to inform me which is which with out turning over the telephones. If you squint, you’ll be able to see that the bezels are a fragment of a millimeter smaller at the new telephone.

Flip them over and also you get a greater thought of what you’re running with. There are two digicam lenses now, aligned in a vertical configuration — and the fingerprint reader has moved down beneath. The corporate is constant to tweak its imaging machine and responding to person comments over little lawsuits from the final gen. People stored hanging their finger at the digicam as they fumbled to get up their telephone, so Samsung fastened it.

In spite of what Samsung would possibly let you know, the S9 isn’t a reimagining of the rest. It’s a refinement of the main Android handset. There’s now not sufficient right here to compel maximum S8 house owners to improve, however should you’re due for a refresh, Samsung’s handset remains to be the only to overcome.

Beyond Infinity

If I used to be a lazier creator, I’d suggest you learn the design segment of my S8 review so lets all simply skip forward to the brand new bits. Still, I’ll attempt to stay this bit beautiful brief, as a result of we’ve were given a large number of digicam to speak about within the paragraphs forward. The lengthy and in need of it’s that earlier than the iPhone X, there was once the Infinity Display.

It didn’t slightly get rid of the bezel as we comprehend it, however the design, blended with Samsung’s longtime love of curved glass, introduced us proper as much as the threshold. Samsung overtly mocked the iPhone X’s notch as soon as once more finally week’s unveil. It wasn’t delicate, however then, Samsung hardly is. Apple will have had the final week at MWC when nearly each and every different corporate thankfully embraced a notch-filled long term.

Until telephone firms get a hold of a greater approach to the telephone and front-facing digicam conundrum (I stay announcing “ban selfies,” however no person ever listens to me), it’s both going to be a notch or bezel. Samsung’s dug its heels into the latter, shaving a virtually imperceptible quantity off its predecessor’s. Perhaps it’s without equal signal submit of the state of the cellular trade that the sector’s biggest firms are combating over that reaming few millimeters.

Samsung’s different large Apple mocking second was once a jab on the headphone jack. The iPhone ditched it and not appeared again. Perhaps it’s stubbornness that’s stored it on Samsung’s flagships, as many different firms have long gone Apple’s course. When I spoke to ZTE forward of MWC, a rep for the corporate admitted that the top of the jack is all however an inevitability at this level. But truthfully, are you able to blame Samsung for containing on? After a number of generations of overtly mocking Apple, giving in can be slightly embarrassing.

Of path, that more or less about-face shouldn’t get in the way in which of transferring ahead. Remember when Steve Jobs mentioned “no one is going to buy a big phone?” Or heck, when Google made amusing of the top of the headphone jack a era earlier than shedding it? But sporting the S9+ round for the previous week strikes a chord in my memory that I nonetheless pass over the choice.

I purchased an affordable pair of stressed out headphones for the airplane experience house. There’s nonetheless one thing to be mentioned for the easy plug and play capacity there. Bluetooth headphones have come some distance up to now couple of years, however coping with battery problems and the uncertainty of pairing remains to be a headache. Sometimes you simply wish to plug in a couple of stressed out headphones and be carried out with it.

The again of the telephone is glass as soon as once more. Because that’s all of the rage, and in addition, it’s so much more straightforward on wi-fi charging. Samsung gave us a black one to move with our S8+ plus. The new pink is beautiful attention-grabbing, however beggars can’t be choosers, I assume. And but even so, even with Gorilla Glass, I’m going to strongly recommendation that you simply consider choosing up a case for that $720/$840 telephone.

That mentioned, Samsung has made some enhancements to the telephone’s general sturdiness. This isn’t the CAT telephone, certain, however each and every little bit is helping. The corporate has reportedly swapped the previous aluminum for a more potent selection and made the telephone sightly thicker and heavier within the procedure. But truthfully, as with the bezels, you’re in reality now not going to note the variation.

Camera-ready

[Left: Galaxy S9+, Right: iPhone 8 Plus]

The great factor about getting the review unit in Barcelona is that I used to be going to be taking a large number of photos anyway. The problem is that I turned into that anxious American vacationer who takes smartphone pictures of all his foods. I do know, I do know. But it was once for paintings, I swear.

The reimagined a part of the entire “camera, reimagined” bit is stepped forward low-light capturing — a subject that has temporarily transform the following large battlefield for smartphone makers. And excellent for them, in reality. The lack of ability to take half-decent pictures in not up to supreme settings is a huge sticking level for a large number of those firms. Honestly, what share of smartphone pictures do you’re taking in best lighting fixtures? An enormous share of those are snapped in puts like bars and eating places.

For this newest trick, the corporate if truth be told borrowed from, of all puts, its newest turn telephone. But for the reason that W2018 is like $2,000 and best to be had in Asia, you’re going to must accept the corporate’s new variable aperture at the S9. The twin aperture flips between  f/1.five / f/2.four — what that suggests, in the most simple phrases, is that it’s ready to let extra mild into the lens in a depressing environment. The aperture bodily opens as much as accomplish this. In truth, if you’re taking an in depth take a look at the digicam, you’ll be able to see that fluctuate happen.

Shortly after Samsung introduced the era, Sony made point out that it was once running a brand new super-low-light era. Of path, it’ll be some time earlier than that involves the corporate’s telephones — or even longer till it arrives on telephones other people if truth be told purchase. Meantime, the S9 represents a forged improve from a telephone trade that’s in large part overlooked low-light capturing.

We came about to have an iPhone Eight Plus and Pixel 2 at our disposal and did some low-light capturing in bars round Barcelona final week (once more, analysis). The Samsung S9+’s effects are spectacular. It’s now not slightly night time and day — however it’s shut. The S9 shall we in significantly extra mild and is in a position to taking first rate photos in settings that completely stumped the contest.

Scrolling again throughout the pictures taken final week it’s arduous to inform that have been snapped in a dim bar — even though, in some circumstances, the white stability does appear slightly off. Even so, the enhanced digicam is going a protracted some way towards decreasing the noise you get in the similar environment on maximum telephones. If this implies fewer other people will probably be firing up their digicam flash in bars, I believe all of us can agree that this can be a win-win.

The different large bodily growth at the digicam aspect was once borrowed from some other considered one of Samsung’s telephones: the Note Eight. One of the important thing variations between the S9 and S9+ that justifies that $140 worth gulf is the inclusion of a 2nd telephoto lens along with the usual wide-angle. As with that handset, zoom in sufficient and it switches over to the second one lens.

The distinction between virtual and optical zoom is very large, and this may pass some distance towards bettering the standard on the ones tight pictures. That’s most likely now not sufficient to warrant the improve to the S9+ by myself, however it is going some distance towards giving the Galaxy one of the most perfect imaging studies in all of smartphones. There’s a reason why the handset simply crowned DxOMark’s digicam rankings.

Is creepy an emotion?

The digicam’s maximum sensible enhancements are at the aspect. But the device upgrades deliver much more proverbial flash. Take AR Emojis. Given how a lot the S9 looks as if its predecessor, it’s simple to look why the corporate has leaned so closely at the new characteristic in its messaging. That mentioned, I’m now not fully certain that’s the most productive thought. AR Emojis are creepy. I mentioned it earlier than, and I’ll say it once more. It’s the very first thing I assumed once I noticed them, and after spending per week with the telephone, my reviews haven’t modified.

Samsung were given knocked slightly right here for cribbing the characteristic from Apple. The Animoji comparisons had been inevitable. And, certainly, all telephone makers “borrow” from one some other. Welcome to client electronics. Of path, Samsung’s put its personal distinctive spin at the characteristic, and therein lies the creepiness. Take a selfie, and the corporate builds a custom designed emoji, the use of 100 facial knowledge issues.

From there, you customise the hair, clothes and upload glasses should you put on them. The picks are nonetheless beautiful restricted on that entrance, however I’d be expecting Samsung will upload extra because it is going alongside. Once you’re all excellent and stored, the machine automically generates just about 20 animated GIFs representing more than a few Anime-style emotional states, supposed to be shared over social media. I don’t see myself ever the use of them un-ironically, however then I’ve come to just accept once I’m now not the objective demographic for a factor.

It’s more or less like Nintendo’s Mii — in the event that they unexpectedly made up our minds to be much less lovely and arrange store smack in the course of the uncanny valley. It’s an admirable thought, the use of the corporate’s digicam era to create one thing extra custom designed than the 16 Apple recently provides. But for something, the scans don’t be offering sufficient difference from individual to individual. And for some other, I’m now not certain machines can also be relied upon to mix real-world 3-D imagery and cartoons into one thing now not creepy. Listen, we’ve all noticed Blade Runner right here. Robots are creepy.

There are different default emojis — a rabbit, a cat and a peculiar box-headed monster thingy. None fit Apple’s choices for basic adorableness, however I wouldn’t fear an excessive amount of for Samsung. The corporate scored a big coup through putting a care for Disney, regardless of the corporate’s longtime alliance (and board member swapping) with Apple.

Along with the Star Wars AR it dropped at the Pixel 2, Disney appears to be attempting arduous to not play favorites. That will in the long run imply good stuff for AR Emoji adoption, assuming, in fact, that they’re carried out in a much less creepy method than its present providing. I’ve were given religion in Disney’s tight grip on highbrow assets — they’ll most likely glance excellent, which is able to in the long run imply customers will proceed to interact with the tech after the acquisition of the telephone.

There’s no date on arrival, however the providing will come with Mickey and Minnie, at the side of some Pixar names. The Incredibles flashed at the display screen — no wonder, for the reason that a sequel is due out in July. It’s a pleasant advertising play for Disney, leveraging the flagship from the sector’s biggest telephone maker.

Hopefully the corporate received’t remorseful about it an excessive amount of when on-line movies with the corporate’s iconic mouse announcing really filthy issues floor on social media straight away after release. I’m now not announcing I’m taking a look ahead to it, I’m simply announcing that I’ve discovered to be expecting absolutely the worst from my fellow people.

Taking it sluggish

Sony took some other now not so delicate dig at its press convention, noting that it had Super Slow Motion on its telephones a yr earlier than Samsung. But once more, the important thing differentiator here’s the truth that other people if truth be told, you realize, purchase Samsung telephones. As such, that is the primary time a large number of persons are going to get their fingers at the era.

During a briefing, Samsung in comparison the tech to The Matrix’s “bullet time.” This isn’t that, in fact. For something, it’s simply the only digicam. But it’s, actually, very neat. Honestly, it’s essentially the most amusing I had trying out the telephone out during the last week. Like any excellent new digicam toy, it makes you hyper conscious about your atmosphere as you search for little issues in lifestyles that may glance cool, bogged down.

The new tech is a sexy radical replace over Samsung’s previous sluggish movement, bumping it from 240 to 960 frames according to 2nd. That’s 32 occasions slower than common photos and 4 occasions slower than usual sluggish movement. You’ll invariably to find your self capturing all forms of bizarre mundanity you wouldn’t assume to video in 1,000,000 years at common pace: water pouring into a tumbler, pigeons in the street. It’s a great way to straight away appear to be a weirdo to strangers, however screw ’em, it’s for science.

By default, the characteristic sports activities a small sq. within the heart that robotically fires up Super Slow Motion when it detects motion. Results will range in that bit, relying on plenty of components, together with how a long way away the motion is. It’s great to have the environment to fall again on, so you’ll be able to stay the telephone secure with two fingers, however extra regularly than now not, I discovered myself simply doing it manually.

Once shot, the telephone applications the video well, growing 3 separate looping GIFs and including royalty unfastened track to the primary video. Honestly, even though, all of them finally end up taking a look large moody and I simply wish to upload that “Mad World” duvet from Donnie Dark to in reality entire the package deal.

The indisputable fact that mild sparkles at positive frequency best provides to the impact. Shooting in Heathrow proved subsequent to not possible below the oppressive airport lighting. Low mild, alternatively, was once a non-starter. The characteristic calls for a large number of mild to paintings correctly, so don’t be expecting to move capturing any Super Slow Motion in eating places or bars.

A couple of different options are value calling out right here. Food Mode provides some great good looks pictures of your lunch. I’m in most cases glad how those grew to become out, even though a few of my co-workers discovered them to be slightly oversaturated. Auto-focus pace has stepped forward, as promised, and stickers are a amusing augmented fact addition to the providing.

Hi Bixby

Samsung’s been on one thing of an AI buying groceries spree during the last couple of years. Even so, the corporate’s good assistant has had a difficult time taking part in catch as much as Alexa, Siri and the remainder. Even so, Bixby stumbled beautiful arduous out of the gate. Samsung had to ship a compelling reason why to select its providing over Android’s default, Google Assistant. Instead, Bixby was once half-baked when it arrived at the S8.

The corporate’s made some key in-roads since then, together with, maximum significantly, the eventual arrival of voice capability. Certainly Bixby has some grand ambitions, fueled through acquisitions like Viv. But that more or less factor doesn’t quantity to an entire lot in case your assistant isn’t fitted to daily actions.

On that entrance, Bixby’s nonetheless were given a large number of rising to do. We sat in a circle at our Airbnb in Barcelona, asking a spate of inquiries to Bixby, Siri, Assistant and Cortana (TechCrunch is aware of celebration), and Bixby had hassle competing. In basic, the ones different assistants are higher suited to reply to easy questions.

I additionally discovered myself flipping Bixby’s voice reputation to its very best sensitivity. As the corporate notes, the extra delicate you’re making it, the much more likely it’s to get precipitated by chance, however I discovered that was once one of the simplest ways to make sure a reaction.

Of path, Bixby’s a lot more tightly built-in into the day-to-day Galaxy revel in. A proper swipe at the house web page will deliver up the Bixby touchdown web page, which aggregates all forms of content material from the telephone, together with social media messages, well being stats and native choices from Maps. Of path, this additionally can also be accessed by the use of the trustworthy Bixby button, which is again for some reason why.

The circulation’s now not in particular helpful in and of itself. It’s in reality now not too dissimilar from any selection of content material aggregation streams numerous producers have constructed into Android in an try to differentiate themselves from the contest. It is, then again, a to hand method of holding monitor all the more than a few third-party apps you’ve built-in into the carrier. Also, Samsung has fortunately after all unified all of its myriad good house choices right into a unmarried, simple to make use of Smart Things app, very similar to Apple’s Home providing.

Where the assistant does arrange to stand proud of the contest (save, in some circumstances, for Google) is with Bixby Vision. The characteristic isn’t in reality totally built-in into Bixby — actually, it sort of feels extra like a branding alternative than the rest for the corporate. But title apart, it’s a in reality cool characteristic with a wide vary of packages.

Text was once the only I used to be maximum taking a look ahead to, wandering the streets of Catalonia. When it’s running completely, the telephone harnesses Google’s smarts to create an augmented fact translation that lays over real-world textual content. Really, in reality neat. The machine works with 54 enter languages and 150 output.

Live translation is spotty. It understandably takes slightly of time, because it has to ship and obtain knowledge from the cloud. The textual content overlays additionally glance slightly like a ransom notice, however beggars can’t be choosers for a characteristic like this. I discovered the characteristic to be extra pass over than hit in augmented fact mode, so in the long run I stopped up the use of the telephone to transform signage into textual content and translate it that method. It’s an extended course, however in the long run much more useful.

The Not Hot Dog-esque Food characteristic is spectacular, as neatly, figuring out meals stuffs and providing you with a coarse approximation that you’ll be able to upload to the Samsung Health app. Like translation, it’s very similar to one thing Google provides up in Lens. There’s additionally a Makeup characteristic that overlays eye shadows and lipsticks from firms like Sephora to look what you seem like in a brand new colour.

Both are extraordinarily spectacular showcases for era, however in the long run really feel extra novel than helpful.

Screen time

The S9’s show is similar answer as its predecessor — a Quad HD 2,960 x 1,440. That works out to 570 PPI at the five.Eight-inch S9 and 529 PPI at the 6.2-inch S9+. Attempting to most sensible that answer is a idiot’s errand, however the corporate that still provides shows to its leader festival thankfully made some tweaks to the display screen’s colour accuracy. The OLED lately took DisplayMate’s most sensible honors, and rightfully so. It’s beautiful.

The audio system had been souped up, as neatly — a welcome boost, for the reason that the characteristic so regularly will get brief shrift from telephone makers. The quantity will get a lot louder, and whilst you turn the telephone into panorama mode, the earpiece doubles as a stereo speaker. Of path, the similar disclaimer that you simply get on all telephone audio system is wanted right here: It’s high-quality for gazing YouTube movies, however you’re going to wish some headphones should you plan to pay attention for any prolonged time period.

Thankfully, Samsung’s acquisition of Harman manner the telephone ships with a couple of AKG earbuds with silicone pointers which can be method, far more comfy than Apple’s default pair. And sure, no adapter required.

The telephone contains all of its predecessor’s more than a few biometric unlocking choices, however provides Intelligent Scan to the combination. The characteristic combines iris and face scanning into one, defaulting to the most suitable option according to mild degree. It begins together with your face and strikes to the eyeballs if the lighting fixtures sucks.

It works significantly better than depending on iris by myself, however as has been famous, it’s now not protected sufficient to tie to such things as cellular cost. And should you’re in reality fascinated with the opportunity of people to get into your telephone, I’d suggest different strategies.

Here within the States, you’ll be getting the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 — a characteristic that’s most likely in the back of the corporate’s choice to announce the telephone at Mobile World Congress final week, with the intention to keep forward of the contest. Both fashions send with 64GB of garage, augmentable by the use of a microSD chip (as much as a whopping 400GB). The S9 sports activities 4GB of RAM and the S9+ bumps that up through 2GB, which must be greater than sufficient energy for many customers.

Samsung is still wary at the battery entrance after flying too as regards to the solar, as soon as upon a time. The S9 sports activities a three,000mAh unit, whilst the S9+’s is three,500. Not the most important round, however I used to be ready to successfully get just about two days of use on a unmarried fee for the S9+.

Re-imagineering

As ever, Samsung’s additions are some mixture of in fact helpful and a few “why not” options. The S9’s were given sufficient small however significant tweaks to stay the instrument on the most sensible of the Android heap, and in all probability perfect of all, Samsung’s controlled to worth it at $720/$840 — now not reasonable through any stretch of the creativeness, however significantly more economical than the iPhone X’s $1,000 price ticket.

Bixby nonetheless wishes a large number of love and the ones AR Emojis are, to borrow a word from my other people in Northern California, “hella creepy.” But all of the ones new device additions are not anything if now not formidable and level to an organization testing some in fact fascinating stuff in areas like augmented fact. They’re now not all hits, however they’re by no means now not fascinating.

As a long way as upgrading from the S8 — until you’ve discovered your self in some type of Brewster’s Millions-style state of affairs the place you unexpectedly must phase with a large number of money with comedic penalties, I’m going to mention grasp off on that one. For everybody else waiting to improve to a glittery new Android handset, then again, the S9 maintains Samsung’s spot on the most sensible of the heap.

Samsung Galaxy S9+ review – TechCrunch You most likely don’t want a four,000-word review to let you know that the Galaxy S9+ is a superb telephone.

[gta-5-cheats]

Samsung Gear Sport Review

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Samsung Gear Sport Review

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The announcement of the Samsung Gear Sport a few months ago came as a bit of a surprise, because it wasn’t exactly the idea of an upgrade for the Gear S3 smartwatch that most people had in their minds. Instead of a full next step à la a Gear S4 – which is now expected alongside the Galaxy S9 launch – Samsung gave us a half step, in the form of the Gear Sport.

This new wearable has a smaller footprint than the Gear S3, whose bulkiness was a major complaint. It’s 4.5mm shorter, 3mm narrower, 1.3mm thinner and 12g lighter (without the strap). Millimetres and grams might not seem like much when talking about most products, but every little bit makes a difference for a thing that you put on your wrist.

The reduction in bulk has been achieved by making the screen 0.1 inch smaller and taking out two Gear S3 features: the LTE option, and Samsung’s MFT technology for Samsung Pay, which emulates the magnetic stripe on your credit and debit cards. The Gear Sport does still have NFC that can be used for Samsung Pay, though PoS that support NFC aren’t as ubiquitous in India as some other regions. Also, despite launching after the Galaxy S8, this new Samsung wearable offers Samsung’s older S Voice feature rather than the new Bixby AI assistant.

Samsung Gear Sport look, feel, and navigation

The circular display on the Gear Sport makes it look like a traditional watch, so it won’t be out of place even at formal events. You might want to separately purchase a metal strap though, as Samsung ships the wearable with a rubber one. A metal strap would mean extra weight, but the rubber strap is in any case so light that the Gear Sport is top-heavy, causing it to roll around on a wrist. Also, if you’re upgrading from a fitness tracker to a smartwatch for the first time, you’ll definitely find the Gear Sport heavy, especially when you take it off.

Navigating the UI is fairly intuitive thanks to the rotating bezel that Samsung came up with, which is easier to use than the crown on most other smartwatches, including Apple Watch. The 1.2-inch Super AMOLED screen has a pixel density of 424ppi and is equipped with Gorilla Glass 3, which mean that it looks great and is protected from scratches.

  You can enable a setting that automatically triggers an action if you hover the bezel cursor over it. That’s a good idea, as it can be a bit tough to select items on such a small screen. Unfortunately, it works only in the main menu and nowhere else. Hopefully, Samsung will expand this functionality to all parts of the UI.

There are two buttons for further interaction with the Gear Sport’s UI: Back and Home. You can wake up the device by pressing either button or by tilting your wrist so that the watch faces you. There is an option to set the watch face to always be on at a lower brightness, giving you an easy way to glance at the time and your activity stats.

Samsung Gear Sport software and apps

The app store for Gear Sport looks better than for the one for Gear Fit products. Accessing and using the store for Gear Sport is a lot easier, and there’s even a welcome level of curation, which helps surface interesting apps and watch faces that you might like.

The biggest problem is that there just aren’t enough worthwhile apps, owing to Samsung sticking with its own Tizen OS. Both Apple’s watchOS and Google’s Android Wear platforms are more popular with developers, owing to their dominance in the smartphone market.

The connection between the Gear Sport and an iPhone 6 was more stable than what we saw with the Gear Fit 2 Pro. Flipping through the UI seems to be snappier as well, and new apps are installed quickly.

The process of installing apps is still annoying though, with multiple dialog boxes that need to be tapped each time, asking whether you want to download directly to the device (the Gear Sport has Wi-Fi), informing you that downloads over 1MB can result in high mobile data charges (even if your phone is connected to Wi-Fi), and then a permissions screen.

The store is also region-locked, which means apps such as Spotify aren’t available for Gear Sport owners in India, unless you’re willing to remove the phone’s SIM card and then connect to a VPN.

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Samsung Gear Sport activity monitoring and GPS Like previous Gear products, the Gear Sport is capable of tracking more than a dozen activities. Those include running, walking, cycling, hiking, swimming, lunges, crunches, squats, star jumps, pilates, and yoga. It also has modes for using a treadmill, exercise bike, rowing machine, or elliptical trainer. The one big addition is swimming, made possible thanks to full waterproofing on the Gear Sport as opposed to just splash-proofing on the older Gear S3. Activities can be tracked automatically and you can also allow the Gear Sport to automatically pull your location if it detects that you’re exercising.

We didn’t face any problems getting a GPS lock with the Gear Sport on an iPhone (unlike our experience with the Gear Fit 2). It regularly found a location fix within 10-15 seconds, though it’s very quick to turn GPS off if you don’t press ‘Start Workout’ in order to save battery power.

Samsung Gear Sport music, notifications, and S Voice The Gear Sport lets you pair Bluetooth headphones with it directly, and you can store music on it, allowing you to leave your phone behind during workouts. There’s a caveat to though: out of the claimed 4GB, 2.5GB is already occupied, so you have just 1.5GB for your own files.

While the Samsung Gear Sport supports all manner of notifications on both Android and iOS, you’ll get much more extensive support with a Samsung phone, including the ability to send canned replies to messages. Other Android devices can only send replies to incoming phone calls.

The Gear Sport has a microphone, and Samsung’s older digital voice assistant, called S Voice. It’s meant to help you take care of small tasks such as opening apps, creating reminders, checking the weather, and getting in touch with your friends. However, we had poor results when we asked it to work with Indian names in an Indian accent. Every time we did, S Voice asked us to repeat ourselves and kept failing until giving up entirely: “An error has occurred. I’m unable to answer your question. Try again later.” This is in addition to other regular failures, which can be so infuriating that it’s better just to navigate the UI on your own.

  Samsung Gear Sport performance

To test the accuracy of the Gear Sport at measuring distance, we used mile markers on a running track as a reference. Surprisingly, it performed worse than the more affordable Gear Fit 2 Pro. With GPS on, it had an average error rate of over 14 percent. With GPS disabled, that went up further to 22 percent. (Runkeeper, using an iPhone’s built-in GPS functionality, showed an average error rate of less than 5 percent.) It’s not clear whether the Gear Sport deliberately underestimates its distance recordings, since the watch’s step counts were always under the real figure as well. By manually calculating the steps we took, we found the Gear Sport always measured 92-96 for every 100 we took.

We also had an unusual problem with our Gear Sport unit during the review period, when it just stopped detecting movement at all. That meant it failed during workouts, and also wouldn’t give us nudges when we were sitting around for too long. Thankfully a reboot solved the issue, but it shouldn’t have happened at all.

In terms of battery life, the Gear Sport lasted one and a half days on average. That’s expected from a premium smartwatch with a Super AMOLED screen. Its 300mAh battery takes nearly two hours to charge, though. The included charger puts out only 0.75A, but using a more powerful third-party charger didn’t affect charging speed at all.

Verdict The Samsung Gear Sport is smaller and more comfortable on the wrist than the Gear S3, but its size and weight are still noticeable if you’re used to simple fitness trackers such as the Fitbit Alta or Charge 2. Of course you get lot more features – a Super AMOLED display, the cool rotating bezel, built-in GPS, and waterproofing – but you can get most of that with the Gear Fit 2 Pro as well, at nearly half the price.

If you’ve always wanted a wearable that looks like a traditional watch, the Gear Sport is a fantastic choice – more so if you use a Samsung Galaxy smartphone. But with the company expected to launch an all-new Gear S4 alongside the Galaxy S9 not long from now, you should wait and see what new features and capabilities it delivers.

Samsung’s choice to go with its own Tizen OS means that the Gear Sport is severely lacking in useful third-party apps. But with Google’s wearables platform not going anywhere either, it’s understandable why Samsung has ditched Android Wear. There are also significant advantages – the rotating bezel works so well because Tizen is designed around it.

For those with an iPhone, an Apple Watch will offer much better connectivity. The Series 3 is more expensive than the Gear Sport, but the Series 2 comes close to Samsung’s price tag of Rs. 22,990.

Pros:

Rotating bezel

Built-in GPS

Super AMOLED screen with always-on mode

Waterproofing

Can track swims

Cons:

Inaccurate fitness tracking

Lack of apps

Region-locked store

Ratings (out of 5)

Design: 4

Tracking: 3

Other features: 5

Value for money: 3

Overall: 3.5

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[chefprefers]

Where there’re flowers, there’re bees

Forward

When I open my eyes on a weekday morning , I'm faced with a decision. I look out towards the window and search for signs of sun light. If the morning sky is clear, then I close my eyes for another ten minutes, If the sound of rain is heard, then I get up and shower. If the day is bright and clear, then I'll prepare to cycle to work and have my shower there. The commute takes about 20 minutes by car or 35 minutes by bike. Fifteen minutes separates the difference, face the traffic and the race for a parking spot or endure the elements of the ride, such as road traffic, pedestrians, hill climbs, pot holes, curbs and the endurance. For two days a week, I’ll take the latter.    Nine years ago, I took up the challenge of riding to work. I'd taken the family to the US for a ten week holiday and when I returned to work, a colleague said to me. "Gee, you have filled out." I'm kind of lucky in a way, where I never really had a problem with weight loss, although with just turning 40, it looks like I need to be careful. I remember my first commute, it was done in two stages, I would ride the 13kms to work, come home on the bus and the next morning be back on the bus then I would ride home again. I laugh at myself now that I even thought of the idea. It doesn't feel that hard anymore.    Cycling in Canberra was starting to be popular and so I invested in a hybrid bike. The shop assistant had sold me on the idea that I could use the bike to ride on the road as well as on dirt trails. Two for one deal, I was up for that. As it turned out, I went through a lot of kilometres on the hybrid, so for the 300 dollars, it paid for itself. Today, I'm riding a proper road bike, carbon fibre, curly bars, street tyres and a Gel seat. There was a noticeable difference between the two bikes, the road bike was a lot lighter and faster. On the hybrid, it was heavier and a lot more work. I was reminded every time when being passed by another road bike how slow I was. Now, I'm only been passed by riders who have logos shirts, tight shorts and about ten kilos lighter.    My commute travels from Duffy in Weston Creek to Civic, the business district of Canberra. Most of the trip is on a proper bike path and only a small section in Duffy travels along the road. Its only recently that I have noticed how fortunate I've been by having such a route. It's a route I would like to share and this is my commute.

Duffy

There are four season in Canberra, the summers are hot and dry and the snowless winters are wet and cold, Spring and Autumn are moderately warm during the day and cold at night. This allows you to cycle at any time of the year. Although on winter mornings, you need to rug up, the most important bit of clothing you need is mittens. When experiencing my first winter morning, I’d failed to wear gloves and four minutes into my ride, I went searching in my backpack for a pair of socks. I needed something to put on my hands and they provide the perfect protection. Now days, I wear mittens, not gloves because my fingers get cold. The other digits that I find gets cold are my toes. So to alleviate that, I bought shoe socks.    Over the years, I've bought a few bike things. There are things you could buy to make your ride comfortable and you only know what that is until you experience the discomfort. It takes experience to really know, so if you're reading this and thinking that you need all these things, Stop! Because you only appreciate the things from experience.    When I'm finally ready in the morning, I walk out to the back room, grab my 18 speed from the bike rack, check the tyre pressure and grease the chain. If it's winter, I ensure the battery to my bike lights are fully charged for my night trip home. I put my headphones on, start up the daily podcast and the way I go.   From my driveway, I roll down Tantangara Street and turn left at the Duffy Scout Hall. The Scout Hall had been recently build since the previous hall was burned down from the 2003 Canberra Bushfire. Duffy was the hardest hit by the bushfires with over 200 homes destroyed. The scout hall took a long time to rebuild since the decision to rebuild was debated for years. The only thing that is remaining from the destruction was a damaged Ship's mask, which is situated outside the front opening.    Today in October, I'm greeted with Australia's most aggressive bird, the Magpie. This Magpie has only just established itself here in front of the hall. He appears to just squawk and hover, not scratch or peck it's targets. You just have to keep your wits about you when you come into this area.       Just on the my right is the Duffy Community oval. In the centre of the oval is a cricket pitch and the oval is surrounded by raised banks. If you came here for the first time, you would assume that the bank is for people to sit on, but the banks are there to hold in the stormwater. The Duffy Community oval is actually a dam. Duffy is unique, it's uniqueness comes from three things. As mentioned, it was the hardest hit by the 2003 bushfires and Second, its stormwater network uses the streets to move the water. Duffy is situated on the side of Narrabundah hill. All the runoff from the houses are directed to the streets and the road network is arranged so that the water runs into the community oval first and then it's piped under the suburb of Holder to the Weston Creek reservoir. Finally, believe it or not, all the streets in Duffy are named after Australian reservoirs or dams. eg Just west of ACT is Tantangara Dam and Blowering Dam in the Brindbillas.    Most of my downhill ride is so far peddleless although the pestering Magpies still have my attention. Once I get to Blowering Street from connecting path, the magpie has given up. This path takes me past my previous owned house on the right. I look over and I'm reminded of the 16 years of memories. The retaining wall I built, the watering system I installed, the driveway in which my sons played cricket, the front door I painted and the spot on the driveway of where my friend Andrew drove up and said to me "I've lost everything!".    On January 8th 2003, a lightening storm struck and caused fires in the Brindabella. If the bushfires aren't controlled, it was going to cause problems for the neighbouring towns and Canberra. Ten days later, the fire had grown so large from the hot westerly winds that by 2pm on the 18th of January, the fires had reached Eucumbene Drive. The skies had turned black from the smoke and the residence began to panic. I was up at the playground near the shops with my five year old son. The darkness concerned me and so we went into the shop and then a man runs into the shop and warn us that the fire had jumped across Eucumbene Drive into the suburb. That was only three streets away, so we quickly ran home to prepared for the fire attack. I had a friend visiting from Sydney and he helped out. My wife put the kids into the car and drove off to find a safer place. She didn’t get very far, because she was met by a traffic jam on Burrunjuck Crescent. The traffic wasn't moving. Who would have thought at 2:30 pm in the afternoon, being pitch dark and being faced with a traffic jam on quietest road. There were ambers flying everywhere. You could hear the water crane helicopters in the sky hovering over houses in the distance, they were either dumping water or gathering the liquid from the swimming pools. It was confusing to know what was happening. It was not a place to be and my friend and I looked at each other wondering whether staying behind was a good idea. We quickly had our hoses ready waiting for the threat.    The brush fence between my driveway and the neighbours caught on fire from a falling amber. The brush fence didn't take long to burn. Our hoses weren't long enough to reach and then an Angel appear from across the street. A young women with a bucket had the fire out in quick time. I called her an Angel because she came from nowhere and it was the first and the only time I had ever seen her. She was a true hero. As I ride by and look over at where the brush fence once stood, I’m reminded of the moment with Andrew. He was living on Summerset Street closer to the Eucumbene and his story was simple. He was in his backyard with his hose trying to put out the fire near the wooden fence. The water pressure in the suburb had dwindle down to a slow pour and so Andrew had to abandon his efforts and leave. He returned the next day to what he feared the most. I can only imagine what he was feeling, the night before not knowing, not sleeping, worrying about the house, being in this makeshift refuge, a high school in Woden and very anxious. They wouldn't allow residents back into the suburbs until the next day. His first stop was the house, walking around in the rubble seeing what can be retrieved. Not much was left except for his son's kiddy pool in the backyard. He eventually rebuilt a bigger and better house on the same lot, but restarting his life again was his biggest challenge. As I pass my house, I was hunched over expecting another Magpie attack. Last year, I was attacked here at this spot, but it appears, the little critter is somewhere else today. Turning right at Burrunjuck I head down the road and turn left onto Dixon Drive. So far the ride has been downhill and so worth it. I often spot on the sidewalk coming the other way, a familiar old man with a limp. I sometimes see him feeding the Magpies further down in the Holder's wetlands. I wave to him and he waves back. I must stop one day and have a chat. When I pass Waramanga drive on my left, I am reminded of two incidents; First, Waramanga drive was the fire break during the 2003 Canberra bushfires and it saved a lot of lives. Second, the street is straight and ascends up to Eucumbene Drive. This street has a five degrees gradient and I was once asked by a sprinter, do you know of a long straight hill that I can train on? My reply was “Waramanga drive would be the climb”. I have ran up that hill many times and you certainly feel it at the top. The driving commuters will cruise down the road to turn left onto Dixon Drive uninterrupted, although they are bitterly disappointed when they see me on the 18 speed causing them to brake. I ring my bell to remind them that they should stop for bikes.  Fortunately for me this is the last stretch of road, before the start of the bike path. I turn off the road just before the bus shelter.

Molonglo River corridor

The bike path starts at the old Kambah Road. This section of the path was the major road between the Cotter Road and the Long Gully Road in Kambah back in the 1950s. There is still an old bridge you can cross if you ride up to the new suburb of Wright. There is a track junction just before the bridge and so I turn right and head down to the Cotter Road Streeton Drive intersection. With the new Molonglo development, there has been a lot of road changes. There is a 600m section of  the Cotter Road that has been under road construction for nine years. I think they had changed it at least four times and when ever I drove past, you would only see the construction crew on Saturdays. It was the only day of the week where you really needed to slow down for the construction speed signs. Under and over the Weston Creek bridge brought me to the other side of the Cotter Road and peddling towards the North Weston pond. I call this stretch “Weed pond,". People in parked cars would face the West overlooking the pond and it is where they would stoke up and admire the sunset towards Mt Stromlo. You can often smell the scented riding past.

As I start to ascend for the first time near the RSPCA, I can hear the barking. You often see volunteers walking the dogs, I take my hat off to these individuals, I remember when my family discovered “Marley” an Australian silky terrier, in the RSPCA cage, a few years back , a volunteer was sitting in the cage with him and keeping him settled. We took him home, we saved Marley’s life that day. As I go past the RSPCA there is a downhill bit towards Molonglo River, I am confronted with a troop of kangaroos lazing along the hillside. All I’m concerned about is whether they will bounce in my path. They are easy to avoid if you know the speed to peddle. To my right is the Australia Defence College, not much can be said about this place other than it conducts courses intended to prepare field ranking officers (Major / Lieutenant Commander / Squadron Leader) for staff duties and seek out promotions. All I know is that I don’t hear fire arms, a practise that could set off the dogs at the RCPCA. But instead it’s peacefully quiet and I can imagine this area would be perfect for the high ranking officers to enjoy his or her lunch break. Once I pass the college I coast down to the Molonglo River bike path, a stretch of sealed path from Weston Creek to Shrivener Dam. This section is the most peaceful part, but where there’re flowers, there’re bees.

The first time I rode down this path was with my wife and another couple 19 years ago. We were riding single file towards Shrivener dam when my friend’s wife suddenly stops, she jumps off her bike and runs back towards us. Her face looked terrified and she pointed up the pathway and yelled “SNAKE!” It took some time to get her back on the bike again. Actually, I don’t think she ever rode again after that. I didn’t see the snake but I would look out for it next time. That next time is what I encounter every year, at least two or three blown snakes a year, mainly on summer evenings. I look out for them now and try not to run over them. They must come up from the river and lay on the hot summer path to warm up. I’ve noticed that if you make enough noise and slow down, they will sliver off.  Just don’t run over them. The council must have got a few complaints because they mow along the path regularly hoping to expose their position.

Along the path takes you past a junction where there is a low level crossing on your left and the equestrian park on your right. If you cross the river, it takes you to the pine forest on the other side. I had heard that a few MTB volunteers had created single tracks in the pine forest. So one day, I decided to discover the single tracks on my MTB. The single tracks meander through the pine forest and finishes up at the Canberra Zoo on the other side. The track then continues along the Parkway and through a tunnel to the Canberra Arboretum. The Canberra Arboretum was established after the 2003 Canberra bush fires. The burnt out area of the pine forest on the western side of the Parkway had become the focal point for establishing rare forests, mostly threatened and symbolic trees from Australia and around the world. If you were to drive along the parkway, you would see the immature trees in perfect rows To access the arboretum by car, there is a roadway to the top of Dairy Farmers hill which provides a lookout over the western part of Canberra from there you can drive to the facilities such as picnic areas, cafes and conferencing rooms.

If you turned right at the bike path junction, it takes you into an equestrian park. As you ride along, you can see the equestrian jumps all over the land scape.  Those jumps look pretty tricky for a rookie. Not too far along you arrive at the Yarralumla pedestrian bridge. The bridge is constructed with wooden slats and so to improve the surface, the council decided to lay bitumen on the surface. Whoever did that job, should be shot. The bitumen leaked through between the slats and so the surface became uneven and rough. Probably the worst part of the trip.

At this point you meet up with the West basin bike path. The West Basin is part of Lake Burley Griffin which ends at Shrivener dam. Lake Burley Griffin has three basins, East, Central and West basin. Each is separated by two bridges, the Kings Avenue Bridge and the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge. The lake was formed when they built Scrivener dam on the Molonglo River. West basin otherwise known as West Lake is the largest of the three water areas. When I was training for the Canberra Half marathon, many of my runs circumnavigated around West Lake. I’m not sure I could do that anymore.

           As you join the West lake path, you can see some of the National Zoo and Aquarium cages on your left across the river. You often hear lions roar or the spotted Hyena bark. The pathway crosses the dam on the other side of Lady Denham drive. You travel through an underpass and take a sharp turn towards the left. Here’s where you need to be alert with other riders coming the other way. I ring my bell as I enter the underpass to alert others , sometimes I wish they would do the same.            Traveling across the dam is pretty much uneventful when you consider what I have seen so far. When you get to the other side you could cross Lady Denham Drive again and ride towards the Zoo entrance or you could keep following the path around to the right. You need to keep your speed up because the next segment takes you up Snake Rise. I call it “Snake Rise” because of it’s a sharp ascent which meanders up like a snake. At the top, there is a spot where you can rest on a bench looking out towards the lake. On many occasions, I’ve seen people contemplating life on that bench. I must stop one day and do the same.  As you past the bench,  you roll down through the cork plantation. I feel like I’m going through the Batman cave and when you come out the other side you have arrived at Yarramundi reach. Yarramundi reach is a peninsular which was the home of the Lindsay Pryor National Arboretum, unfortunately most of the arboretum was destroyed by the 2003 bushfire. Following the Lake path, there is a slight rise which crosses Barrenjoey Drive and when you arrive at the peak, you are presented with, I believe is a view of tranquillity. If you can imagine an arrangement of flowers, flowers of coloured pedals sprouting out inviting the bees and the additional leafy colouring  filling the gaps. The combination of shapes and colours gives its beauty. During the winter, you can see the early morning dew, a slight fog hovering over the lake, foliage nearly touching the water and the active birdlife on the lake, a true combination of colours.

The reward of sight is then added with a slight downhill. On my left is the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Centre. The cultural centre has an art gallery and a conference centre. For a small period of time before the National Museum was built, it used to hold a large collection of aboriginal artefacts.

The path takes you past a toilet block at this point. I’m not sure what inspired the builder, but the block is created as a log cabin. Just behind the cabin is Acadia peninsular. There is a dirt road out to the peninsular off Lady Denham drive which passes the toilet block. One Sunday afternoon, I was driving along Lady Denham drive when my son needed to go to the toilet. As I parked the car adjacent to the toilet, I noticed an old guy walking out of the toilet as though he had something up his butt and then I noticed another guy coming from behind with a smile. There was something about that smile that made me think that the toilet block was used for more then what appeared. Neither my son nor I went into that toilet that day. Up the path is a junction where you can cross Lady Denham drive via a traffic light to Belconnen. The pathway leads past the Glenlock interchange and up Bindubi Street. I used to ride up there when I worked at Fernhill Park. The path is a gradual incline hill which went on forever, although it was a hell of ride coming the opposite way. Today, I stay on the lake path and ride past Acadia inlet near the rowing area.

When Scriveners dam was finished in September 1963, the lake failed to fill up as expected and since the national rowing championship were scheduled on the lake in late April 1964. The national regatta was threaten to be cancel. It was 15 feet short of a acceptable level.  Although, fortunately two weeks before the regatta, the rain clouds had broken and it continuously poured raising the water to maximum level. This part of Lake Burley Griffin is set out with rowing docks and racks. Here, onlookers sit on the grassy banks and see the head on view of the rowers finishing the course. As always, the anguishes of pedalling up hill is rewarded with a slight downhill. The next part of the path a straight flat section very close to the waters edge and you often see fishermen sitting on the log barriers with rods. I believe if you like Carp, then this is the place for you. Not much else is out there.  

Once you have dodge the casting rods, the path leads you to Black Mountain peninsular. At this point, the path splits off to either ride around or over the peninsular. Going around takes you along the lakes edge where you can enjoy picnics area with playgrounds and grassy areas. My children have enjoyed this area many times. The playgrounds over the years have changed. They original consisted of tree forts and log apparatuses surrounded by a layer of 14mm mulch. Now, the playgrounds have become modern with funky roller seats and swingy things. They are specifically design for safety. Every climbing apparatus would have extra handrails and the ground would be covered in a spongey material. There is no thill in the playgrounds, so my kids stop wanting to come.

The commute option is riding up and over the peninsular, the incline is about 5% gradient and you can normally tell on this rise whether your thighs are conditioned for hills. If you are standing on your peddles to get up this hill, it’s a pretty good indication on whether you ride often. It’s always a good idea to stay in the saddle, because actually you use less effort. The path follows along the lake and goes over the Parkway’s Sullivan Creek bridge. Once I’m over the bridge, I turned off and ride under the bridge and up along the creek towards ANU. ANU is the most confusing place to get around in. Luckily the bike path is straight forward and passes from one side to the other with optional choices of paths. Although if you wanted to drive from one end to the other, you have to know where to go. The roads are not interconnecting other than going through a complicated series of side roads or car parks. I remember years ago when tried to get from one end of ANU to the other and followed a road into a carpark. This carpark had multiple entrances, but they divided the carpark with logs so you couldn’t use it as a through way. I was denied that day by a log. I can only imagine the 1000s of ANU student which tried to do the same was denied by that one single log.  Of course, if you had a four wheel drive, the log was a bump in the road. Now days, they have improved it with a garden bed. Of course, being a university campus, there is gotta be one quirky thing that stands out. That would have to be Ursula Hall Laurus Wing , a university residence which was designed by stacking 108 shipping container to make it look like a apartment block. Each container is an narrow apartment. I remember when they were being building it. They placed a crane in the centre and the crane would lift the containers off the line of trucks and stack them up like a kid with a logo set. It took less then a week to stack, but it took over six months to do the fit out i.e stairways, plumbing, electricity and of course a balcony. After riding through a series of ANU walkways, I eventually exit the campus onto  Childers Street near the statue of the alien. Just between the Street Threatre and the Family Court there is a statue in which I have no idea what it is It looks like a cross between a dog and a standing sheep. This is my lasting thought as I’m shaking my head wording WTF. When I cross the street to my building.

In reflection, I never would have thought that this was a special ride. As I write this non fictional story, I am bewildered on what I have taken for granted. But I suppose you sometimes you need to be a Bee, because they always smell the flowers.

[earbudsshop]

TREBLAB J1 – Elite Sports Bluetooth Earbuds – Hyper-HD Stereo Sound w/Qualcomm aptX, Magnetic...

FAQ: HOW SECURE IS THE FIT? CAN I WORK OUT IN THE GYM OR JOG WITHOUT THESE EARBUDS FALLING OUT OF MY EARS? The Treblab J1 earbuds have a soft rubber finish and ear-fins designed to keep them secure, even when you’re working out hard. For extra security, you can use the cord clip supplied. CAN I PAIR TREBLAB J1 EARBUDS WITH MY TV, IPHONE OR ANDROID DEVICE? Yes. These earbuds can be paired using Bluetooth 4.1 to any Bluetooth-enabled device, including TVs iOS and Android devices. They can even be paired with more than one device at a time. WHAT IS THE BLUETOOTH SIGNAL RANGE FOR THE TREBLAB J1 EARBUDS? Up to 38 feet. These wireless Bluetooth headphones are designed with sports in mind. If you love to hit the gym, run or cycle, you’ll know how music can help you perform better and work harder. The TREBLAB J1 earbuds make it easy. They are sweatproof and waterproof, with IPX-6 technology, so they won’t slip out, however hard you work. They also come with multiple ear-fins for a custom fit. As they use Bluetooth to connect to your smartphone or tablet, there are no wires to get tangled, with no loss in sound quality. They connect in seconds for an unbreakable connection that won’t let you down. You can connect to more than one device at a time, so no need to reconnect if you switch devices. The TREBLAB J1 headphones offer exceptional sound quality too, so you’ll hear your favourite music, and nothing else. You can also use the TREBLAB earbuds to make and take calls, making them ideal for working and driving. Voice prompts and the talk control button make it easy to take a call. You won’t need to worry about these earbuds failing before you get to the end of your run or finish your call: they offer an impressive nine hours of playback time from a single charge. And they’re very easy to store and keep safe when you’re not using them, with magnetic housing to keep them together and a carry case. Start listening. Buy now. MAKE YOUR WORKOUTS FUN AND EASY – TREBLAB J1 are designed to be the best sports earbuds. They are IPX6 sweatproof and water-resistant, perfect if you love to run or cycle outdoors. You also get secure xDrop anti-drop ear fins for a custom fit, so they’ll stay in your ears even through the hardest of workouts. INCREDIBLE SOUND QUALITY – You’ll be shocked by the awesome sound quality! They provide stereo-quality HD sound, with 10mm drivers and aptX technology. You’ll hear clear treble and punchy bass, just as if you were listening to a CD. They also come with cVc 6.0 noise-cancelling technology to block out external noise. PERFECT CONNECTIVITY – The TREBLAB J1 earphones use Bluetooth 4.1 to connect to any smartphone or computer. They connect fast and stay connected, with aptX technology to make sure the music won’t stop until you want it to. Use the built-in microphone to make and take calls, wherever you are, and then switch straight back to the music. AMAZING BATTERY LIFE – These earbuds come with an extra-long battery life, so you don’t need to worry about them running out of power when you’re listening to your favourite track. You’ll get 8 HOURS of play from a 2 hour charge. 100% RISK-FREE PURCHASE – We guarantee you’ll love your new J1 wireless sports earbuds or we’ll refund you any time within 30 DAYS. They also come with a 1 year warranty and our famous A+ customer care.

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