Year: 2022

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PreSonus ATOM SQ Review

Introduction

PreSonus has released the ATOM SQ a TR-808 styled groove box/MIDI controller, to accompany their 1st gen Atom Drum Machine. Here we take a look at the former to see if it’s a worthy addition to the line up and how it compares to the latter. Let’s get it!

The ATOM SQ has a more robust, durable build than it’s predecessor – not that the original Atom was a slouch at all. The body is firm and solid with no creaks or pops when you flex anywhere on the frame, the buttons are tight and the knobs are stiff. No wobbly or flimsy parts, PreSonus has done the Atom SQ justice – when picking up the device, placing it on your set up table and powering up the device it gives the impression it means business.

There are 32 velocity and pressure sensitive pads that are laid out like Roland’s TR-808 grooveboxes, yet the ATOM SQ goes a step further by incorporating an assignable multifunction touch strip. There are also two Octave buttons to the left of the pads. Transport controls occupy the left side of the controller’s panel, below eight assignable bank buttons.

The LCD screen is a crisp, Context-sensitive display, which gives visual info on parameter information,note repeat, swing, and much more.

ATOM SQ is tailor-made for PreSonus’ stellar DAW Studio One 5, offering tight integration and no mouse navigation of all parts of the interface, – including instruments and effects.

The Presonus Treatment

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The ATOM SQ + Revelator Mic + Studio One 5 = All you really need

PreSonus also made sure the ATOM SQ has Ableton Live integration built-in, for control that’s just as extensive as it is with Studio One.

Conclusion

PreSonus ATOM SQ and Cubasis 3 on the Pixel 6

ATOM SQ is a shockingly impressive MIDI controller, that works with Studio One the way a standalone device does. Besides typing in the name of your song or session for the first time, you can create compositions with the SQ and Studio One (Ableton Live also) without touching your computer. And it works nearly as good out the box with apps like Cubasis and FL Studio Mobile on Android and iPhone/iPad. If you’re looking for a MIDI controller/ groove box styled instrument for more expressive control over the virtual instruments in your music production software – few are as versatile and fully featured as the ATOM SQ.

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FL Studio Mobile 4 Review

On its 4th version, FL Studio Mobile 4 has finally come into it’s own from under it’s desktop sibling. The linear-timeline based mobile-first DAW is not a stripped down version of FL Studio, but an companion app that stands on its own very well.

User Interface

Whereas the x86-based FL Studio for Mac and PC can be very overwhelming by it’s multi-windowed, complex user interface – FL Studio Mobile is 100% scalable, with flat vector-friendly graphics opposed to the desktops bitmapped GUI. This makes for a very modern, if simplistic look and feel – similar to Ableton Live.

The GUI contains control aspects that slide out from the bottom (Drum Pads or Keyboard), right (selected instrument or effect) and left (Track Controls) edges of the screen. It’s a well arranged interface, with enough depth to satisfy the most demanding audio professional.

Drum Pads
Keyboard
Mixer View
Timeline View

Instruments and Effects

Many of the desktop VSTs and effects from Image-Line’s collection is present. DirectWave – allows you to use presets saved from the desktops version; Slicer, is a stripped-down version of sample chopping Slicex; Transient Bass, along with GMS (Groove Machine) are two of the newer synths included. SuperSaw and Minisynth are the two exclusives to FL Mobile, with the legendary pattern based Drum Track – (which FL Studio is popular for) rounding out the Instruments.

The list of Effects included are more extensive, with more than 20 effects included. The options are broad, ranging from the essentials like reverb, delay, EQ and compressors – to more advanced and creative ones like Autoduck, Spacer and Auto-Pitch.

Standout features

FL Studio Mobile’s standout features include a full automation for any parameters on a track’s timeline, instrument or effect. On iOS, you can use Audio Units and IAA-compatible apps within the DAW.

Importing samples from my Sound Library from pCloud

Perhaps the most useful, is the ability to import your own sounds and samples from outside the program. This allows for more advanced beatmakers, producers and musicians the ability to create a more custom sound of their own. Connect to external storage, or even import sounds uploaded to, Google Drive or OneDrive.

Lastly , the ability to purchase the complete Preset and Sample Libraries for each of the virtual instruments is possible – from the built-in store – giving access to many exclusive sounds from desktop counterparts of the built-in instruments.

FL Studio Sound Shop

Conclusion

FL Studio is a very powerful DAW, bringing advanced desktop level music production abilities to smartphones and tablets. There are few music making apps that can match the capabilities of this program, and those who are FL Studio users on desktop platforms looking for way to make music on the go will be doing themselves a disservice to overlook this app.

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IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon 14 (AMD) Review: Durable Elegance

Introduction

ThinkPad, ThinkBook, IdeaPad… Lenovo has a product naming pattern going on here if you’ve noticed. Today we’re looking at a first here at Labfreq – the Slim 7 Carbon – our IdeaPad debut.

Specs

The Slim 7 Carbon is a 14-inch laptop rocking the signature, sleek “IdeaPad” design language with aspirations for ThinkPad X1 Carbon-level durability. Upon opening the lid of the device, the vibrant display with punchy hues and deep blacks immediately stood out from the usual cooler matte look/feel seen on most laptops. It helped that it’s Touchscreen, the glossy screen giving the colors an almost polished feel.

SpecsIdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon 14
ProcessorAMD Ryzen™ 7 5800U Processor (1.90 GHz, up to 4.40 GHz Max Boost, 8 Cores, 16 Threads, 16 MB Cache
Operating SystemWindows 11
GraphicsNVIDIA® GeForce® MX450 2GB
Display14.0″ 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED, glossy, touchscreen with Dolby Vision™, True Black, HDR, 400 nits, 16:10 aspect ratio, 100% DCI-P3, 90Hz, TÜV LBL Eyesafe® + Eye Comfort
Memory16 GB LPDDR4X dual channel
Storage1 TB M.2 PCIe SSD
Audio4 x speakers with Dolby Atmos® Speaker System
Smart amp
Digital signal processing (DSP)
CameraIR + time of flight (TOF) camera
Connectivity802.11AX (2 x 2)
Bluetooth® 5.1
PortsUSB-C 3.2 Gen 1
2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (DisplayPort™ 1.4 + PD 3.0)
Headphone / mic combo

Special Features

One of the more unique additions is the Lenovo AI Chip, making features like Smart Rapid Start for fast, hands-free login, Smart Adaptive Sensors for automatic display tuning, and Smart Presence Detection that automatically wakes up or locks the PC possible.

The 14-inch, QHD+ OLED display with 90Hz refresh rate has a 16:10 aspect ratio, offering more screen space for productivity boosts. It also features Dolby Vision™ HDR, color accuracy with 100% DCI-P3, and deep blacks from VESA®DisplayHDR 500 True Black (whew!)

There’s also Dolby Audio, which adds the ability to listen to and create Spatial Audio experiences. Preloaded software was minimal, with Alexa, Dolby Vision, Lenovo Vantage, McAfee, and Office 365 pre installed.

Conclusion

The IdeaPad Slim 7 Carbon is a very capable ultrabook, packing an AMD Ryzen 6000 SoC, with a Nvidia graphics card – AAA gaming is possible with this laptop. The 16:10 display ratio leaves headroom for fitting more info on the screen. For anyone looking for an AMD-powered laptop with decent gaming specs, the Slim 7 Carbon just might me the perfect fit.

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Top 5 Cloud Storage Providers of 2022

Cloud Storage has evolved from a niche perk to an essential contingency, particularly with companies making the move to more hybrid/remote workflows. Some cloud storage providers are more popular than others, due to the fact they are integrated into popular ecosystems (think Android, ChromeOS, iOS/MacOS, Windows.) But does the market share of these services reflect the fact that they are truly the best on the market, or is it bulit-in convenience? Here we explore the most popular (and powerful) Cloud Storage service providers and their feature set – to see which offers the best bang per buck. in Alphabetical Order):

Google Drive

One of the more popular products on this list, Drive is possibly the most used – being integrated in Google’s ecosystem. It comes with 15GB of free storage, linked to your Gmail account. This space is shared between your emails in Gmail,pics and vids in Google Photos, along with whatever you saved in Drive. Though its widespread use is mostly due to it being an extension of the Internal storage on Android and Chromebook devices, many companies and individuals have raised concerns around privacy. The storage capacity can be upgraded through paid subscription tiers, ranging from 100GB for $1.99/month to $49.99 for 10TB/month.

Features:

  • File storage, sharing, and access from any device
  • File streaming directly from the cloud to Mac or PC
  • Offline access to files
  • Shared team drives
  • Google search technology for files
  • Cloud-native collaboration apps (Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides)
  • Collaborate on Microsoft Office files without converting file formats
  • Supports over 100 file types
  • Integrates with dozens of tools and apps like Adobe, DocuSign, Salesforce, Slack, and more
  • Desktop app and mobile app
  • Access from Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android devices
  • 128-bit SSL encryption

Get Google Drive

Dropbox

Dropbox is the oldest product on this list, and the one that inspired companies like Apple, Google and Microsoft to get into the Cloud Storage game. It’s collaborative and file sharing features make it a popular, near-standard in the workplace and it edges out cloud services lied to big Tech ecosystems with top-tier encryption.

Dropbox uses stronger encryption to keep stored files safe with Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 256-bit encryption — the same encryption standard used to protect top-secret data. (Google Drive only uses 128-bit encryption for example)

Dropbox has three subscription tiers: Standard, Advanced, and Professional – which prices range from $12.50/month to $20/month for the Advanced.

Features:

  • Cloud file storage and backup
  • File sharing and large file transfer
  • File recovery and version history
  • Document collaboration and editing through Dropbox Paper
  • Syncing across devices
  • Password sync and storage
  • Desktop app and mobile app
  • HelloSign eSignatures
  • Integrates with tools like Zoom, Canva, Slack, and more
  • Access from Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android devices
  • 256-bit AES and SSL/TLS encryption
  • Priority email support

Get Dropbox

iCloud

Apple’s cloud service isn’t as available on third-party platforms as much as the others – pretty much Apple devices and the Web. It allows users to store data such as documents, photos and music on remote servers for download to iOS, macOS or Windows devices. It also enables to share and send data to other users. It is also helpful to manage Apple devices if it is lost or stolen. It was launched in 2011. While it offers some of the lowest fees in this list, the price to value ratio is lower than the others – due to being more or less unavailable outside of Apple’s walled garden of products

Features:

  • -Seamless Integration with Apple devices
  • 5 GB free storage space
  • Low cost fees for additional storage
  • Up to 600GB monthly bandwidth/traffic limit

Get iCloud

OneDrive

OneDrive is Microsoft’s cloud storage service, and its tight integration with Windows assures it has a massive user base. It gives the convenience to users for storing files, personal data and for sharing files. It offers 5 GB free storage space. It was launched by Microsoft in 2007. It is mostly used by professional workers to store the data related to work which might need more security.

Features:

  • -Seamless Integration with Windows devices
  • 5 GB free storage space
  • Remote Uploading
  • File Versioning
  • Upload files up to 100GB in size

Get OneDrive

pCloud

The most secure cloud storage provider on the list, pCloud is a relative newcomer that has apps for every major platform, including Linux. It offers up to 10GB of free storage, and is also the only provider on this list that offers a lifetime subscription for a one-time purchase.

Features:

  • Up to 10 GB of free storage
  • Ability to sync from popular online services
  • Unlimited transfer speeds -Custom Branding Links
  • Embedded Music player (Sorting by artist, album; Shuffle; playback);
  • -Share link customization (expiration, password protection, upload/ download privileges);
  • Rewind to older file versions;
  • Easy to use
  • Unlimited file sizes
  • Client-side, zero-knowledge encryption
  • Innovative lifetime plans
  • US & EU Servers
  • Desktop folder backup included

Get pCloud

Conclusion

While all of the products on this list are reliable and robust, Dropbox and pCloud offers the more agile and cross-platform services – while Apple, Google, and Microsoft’s cloud storage are mainly extensions of the Internal storage on their own branded devices. Google Drive and Onedrive is a bit more open and available on other platforms than iCloud, but those are still edged out by Dropbox. pCloud takes the crown, edging out Dropbox by a slight margin with features like Branded Link Sharing, 30day file revisions, Client-side zero encryption, and the ability to buy a lifetime membership, which makes it the only Cloud service provider to allow you to buy Cloud storage outright.

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Lenovo’s announces Windows 11-powered IdeaPad Duet 5i tablet

IdeaPad Duet 5i arrives to challenge the Surface and iPad head-on

Expanding on the success and popularity of their Duet line of tablets for ChromeOS, Lenovo is expanding the design to the IdeaPad series to create a classy and stylish Windows 11 tablet.

The IdeaPad 5i speaks the same design ethos as the Chromebook Duet, which we reviewed last year.

IdeaPad Duet 5i comes equipped with a 12-inch, 2.5K IPS touchscreen display in taller 16:10 format, bundled with a Bluetooth keyboard, optional Active Pen 3, with up to 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processors. Check out Lenovo to learn more.

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Samsung announces the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360

“360 degrees of thin and stylish 2-in-1 creativity”

Hot On the heels of the release of their Galaxy S22 smartphone line-up, Samsung announced the laptop counterpart at this year’s Mobile World Congress.

The Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 is the MacBook Pro contender of 2022, being configurable with up to 16GB RAM + 1TB SSD, a Intel® Core™ i7-1160G7 Processor, and S Pen, with up to a 15.6 Super AMOLED touchscreen Display.

It also has tons of software features, like “Galaxy Continuity” and blockchain-powered Private Share. You can even pre-order to receive $50 Samsung Credit, if you do so before it’s March 18th release date. Check out Samsung for more details.

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MWC 2022 Highlights

This year’s MWC (Mobile World Congress) has been dominated by computer OEMs . What is usually a tech conference for mobile devices (smartphones,etc.) has become a highly anticipated showcase for upcoming laptops and tablets.

Below are all the links to our articles associated with product announcements at this year’s Mobile World Congress.

Lenovo’s new ThinkPad Laptops

Check out Samsung’s Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360

Lenovo’s IdeaPad Duet 5i is the 1st Windows 11 tablet of 2022

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Lenovo announces 2022 ThinkPad lineup

Lenovo is a regarded as a highly innovative brand who’s products have received high ratings in our product review database. Keeping their upcoming products on our radar, we’ve compiled all the info of interest to our readers on their upcoming ThinkPad lineup: the ThinkPad T Series, ThinkPad P Series, and the 1st Gen ThinkPad x13s.

ThinkPad x13s

ThinkPad X13s is the world’s first laptop powered by the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 compute platform, 5G, and 28 hours of battery life.

 

 ThinkPad X1 Xtreme

ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 5, powered by up to the latest 12th Gen Intel Core i9 H-Series processors and available with the latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX Laptop GPUs, up to 64GB DDR5 memory, and optional dual Solid-State Drives (SSD) supporting up to a massive 8TB.

ThinkPad T Series (T14,T14s,T16)

ThinkPad T14

ThinkPad T series updated with 16:10 aspect ratio displays with low blue light technology with FHD camera options Available with either the latest 12th Gen Intel Core or the latest AMD Ryzen PRO 6000 Series processors.

ThinkPad T14s

Pricing

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Top 5 Apps for Online Banking in 2022 (USA)

Similar to the transportation, communication and media industries that have been usurped by catalytic innovations in tech – Banking firms seem to be on the cusp of some huge transformations.

That being said, the world of financial transactions and digital banking is already changing. There are newer platforms dominating the current landscape, leaving older banking institutions who couldn’t make the digital pivot quick enough to complete with more agile, modern banking apps – in the dust.

We’ve tested, reviewed, and compiled a collection of the best banking apps available today. Read below and find out which banks we think land in our top 6.

Best of Old Guard

5. Capital One – One of the OGs that’s been around for decades, Capital One has made the transition to online banking the rather smoothly. Online Banking is one of the stronger sides of the Cap app, and it also lets you to keep track of your credit score with its Creditwise platform.

4. Chase Bank – There’s a Chase in every neighborhood, with over 4,700 branches and 16,000 free ATMS around the world. If you are deeply vested in Chase’s platform – you are in good company. Although using one of the higher ranked digital platforms as a transaction buffer would be a smart practice.

Honorable Mention

Bank of America – One of the better retail banks with high-ranked customer support, Bank of America has done a decent job making all of their financial tools accessible from within their mobile app. A decent business banking option as well.

All Digital, No-Fee Banking Apps

3. Cash App

Many people use Cash App to send money to friends and family, and it’s probably the most popular app on this list for that purpose. It’s also the the most used by meta-panhandlers and scammers as well, so tread lightly. A lot of people get got for they’re hard-earned money on this platform – generally older, less tech-savvy people who link an account from one of the brick and mortar traditional banks; only to find out they do not consider such transactions unauthorized.

Outside of that, Cash App is probably to the most used digital platform today for regular consumers. What many don’t know is Cash App also let’s you invest in stocks and cryptocurrency. Pioneer of account handles (like twitter or instagram user names for accounts), and no-fee transfers, Cash App is a decent gateway buffer for transferring money digitally.

2. SoFi – You be earning more money in for time with SoFi Checking and Savings. You’ll earn up to 1.00% APY and pay no account fees. Another interesting thing about SoFi, is you have the ability to invest in public companies, cryptocurrency, and link account a from other banks to manage your entire financial portfolio in one app. Another interesting feature is SoFi powers Samsung Pay, so setting up a Samsung Money checking account automatically sets you up.

Get a $25 bonus when you sign up for SoFi, and an additional $100 bonus when you set up direct deposit.

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1. Chime – Chime is a full-service banking platform with Checking and Savings accounts – along with their Credit Builder platform integrated in one account. Deposit funds with your Chime card fee-free at any CVS or Walgreens, and qualify for up to $200 in overdraft funds with the SpotMe feature when you get direct deposit.

While Chime has no physical branches, 24/7 customer support is available- and they have one of the most flexible transaction reversal programs I’ve ever experienced.

Free cash deposits, robust account linking through Plaid, and a highly effective Credit Building secured card with every account – gets Chime the #1 spot on our best banking apps for 2022 list. Sign up for an account and receive $15 using the link below!

Earn $15 when you sign up for Chime, and $100 when you receive a qualifying direct deposit!

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3 Reasons why the iPhone Mini is better than last years Mini

Many people regard the iPhone as the best smartphone of all time. While many smartphone (Android) users may beg to differ – there’s no denying the iPhone 13 is the best iteration yet. It also has a “mini”, which matches the regular version spec for spec except for it’s size.

Although the iPhone 13 mini is the second gen of it’s kind, there are rumors that it may be the last version of the “smaller option iPhone”. We don’t know how valid those claims are, but if so it’s a darned shame – because we have three valid reasons below why the iPhone 13 mini is the best compact smartphone of all time.

1. Sharper Display

The 13 mini has an 2340×1080 display with pixel resolution at 476 ppi compared to the normal 13’s 460 ppi. So the 5.4 inch display of the 13 mini is a bit sharper than the 6.1 inch screen of its larger sibling. It also has the same OLED Super Retina XDR display that comes in the iPhone 13, Pro, and Pro Max.

The Super Retina XDR display of the iPhone 13 mini has a higher display resolution in the iPhone 13 (regular).

2. Much-Improved, flagship tier battery life

The iPhone 13 mini has 1.5 more hours battery life than the iPhone 12. Yes, you read that right, which definitely amounts to around 3 hours more than the 12 mini. That’s a major year-by-year improvement – while not exactly up to the standard of longer lasting flagships like the iPhone 13 Pro Max or Galaxy S21 Ultra. Nonetheless the 13 mini has more the enough stamina to last a full day.

3. No-compromise flagship features

The iPhone 13 mini isn’t a stripped down version of the regular 13, it matches spec for spec – so it’s essentially the same phone in a smaller package. That means you get the same A15 Bionic processor, same camera tech,etc. with the only compromises being the display and battery size.

The same Ceramic Shield screen, IP68 water resistance, wide and ultra-wide camera lenses, etc. If you’re someone with small hands, or you have big hands but already own an Android phone with a big display (like me) the 13 mini is the perfect compliment. There aren’t many current Android phones with a screen smaller than 6 inches in the same tier as the iPhone 13 mini.

Do you think the iPhone 13 mini is the best one-handed smartphone of all time? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below!

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