Digital Lifestyle Curators
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.
Check out Samsung’s Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360
Lenovo’s IdeaPad Duet 5i is the 1st Windows 11 tablet of 2022
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 is the world’s first laptop powered by the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 compute platform, 5G, and 28 hours of battery life.
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 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.
Pricing
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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 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.
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!
Lenovo is adding the ThinkBook to its ever-expanding lineup of laptop models, alongside the ThinkPad. The latest is the upgraded ThinkBook 16p Gen2 – a powerful business-oriented laptop equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics.
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| Processor | AMD Ryzen™ 7 5800H Processor (3.20 GHz, up to 4.40 GHz Max Boost, 8 Cores, 16 Threads, 16 MB Cache |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Pro |
| Display | 16.0″ WQXGA (2560 x 1600) IPS, anti-glare with Dolby Vision™, 400 nits |
| Memory | 16 GB DDR4 3200MHz |
| Battery | Up to 6.9 hours 71Wh (MM2018) Rapid Charge technology |
| Storage | Up to 1 TB PCIe SSD |
| Graphics | NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 6GB VRAM Laptop GPU with Max-Q, listed boost clock 1282MHz, maximum graphics power 75W, NVIDIA Max-Q Technologies: Dynamic Boost 2.0, Resizable BAR support Security |
| Security | Firmware-based Trusted Platform Module (fTPM) Touch fingerprint reader integrated with power button Webcam privacy shutter Windows Hello (with optional IR camera) SecureBIO |
| Audio | 2 x 2W speakers Audio EFX by Harman Dual-array microphones |
| Connectivity | 802.11AX (2 x 2) Bluetooth® 5.2 |
| Camera | 720p HD & IR camera with webcam privacy shutter |
| Ports | 2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 SD card reader Headphone / mic combo Power-in |
| PreInstalled Software | Lenovo Vantage McAfee® LiveSafe™ trial Microsoft Office Trial |
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One of the more low-key studio secrets, REAPER is a bare-bones DAW with so many hidden abilities it’s considered a swiss-army-knife of audio production software. It’s unassuming, bland UI may appear off-putting – but don’t judge a DAW by its color.
For those not familiar, REAPER is an acronym for Rapid Environment for Audio Production, Engineering, and Recording. And it’s one of those no-frills programs where Cuckos the company behind it doesn’t try to spellbind you with sound libraries and plug-ins hidden behind souped-up marketing talk.
Nonetheless, Reaper is a complete digital audio workstation – offering audio and MIDI recording, editing, processing, mixing, and mastering. It’s used in commercial and home studios, broadcast, location recording, education, science and research, sound design, game development, etc.
While the company behind REAPER may not be prone to partnerships with other brands to bundle instruments, effects, or sound content – the DAW is compatible with all third-party plug-ins and formats.
Internally, REAPER only has three instruments available. The first and most extensive is SamplOmatic 5000, which handles samples. The second is ReaSynth – which can handle sound fonts. That’s it. If you want to use REAPER for music production/sound design – you’d want to invest in a third-party instrument and effects collection.
On the plus side, REAPER is budget-friendly – offering a simple licensing structure where you can purchase the program for $60 discounted license or $225 commercial license for companies. The only requirements there are to qualify for the discounted license is being an educational or non-profit organization, or an individual using REAPER only for your personal use. The $225 commercial license is for individuals and businesses using REAPER commercially and earning more than $20,000 annually.
Another plus is that REAPER is one of the few DAWs that are not only available for macOS and Windows – but Linux as well. We tested REAPER on a System76 laptop running PopOS, and it runs as smoothly as it does on Macs and Windows devices. The thing about companies like Cuckos building their DAW to be compatible with Linux, it truly opens the possibilities for recording studios to embrace open source – as DAW and music production programs is underdeveloped on Linux.
One thing that I consider an advantage of REAPER is the way it handles audio files. It has an Acid-engine like algorithm where audio files becomes elastic under the tempo of a project. You can set a project to the tempo of an imported audio file, if the BPM is embedded into the metadata of the file.
There is also an extensive Project Rendering Window where Metadata can be added to an export of a project and embedded into the file – including Album Art.
A few other features are the ability to use audio and MIDI within the same track. Also the ability to route audio and MIDI to any other track, allowing for some truly creative results. It also comes with a nice theme engine, and users can even customize REAPER to their own satisfaction.
To some things up, the closest thing that comes to mind when using REAPER – is Sony’s ACID Pro DAW. The ability to handle audio files and create loops. But the way REAPER does things is a lot more agile, flexible and powerful than the latter. It’s very stable as well, having not crashed once during our review process. While REAPER might not be the best out-of-the-box solution for an EDM or Hip-Hop producer who needs a plethora of tools in their arsenal. But for bands who want multitrack recording multiple real world instruments simultaneously, harmonizing choirs or vocal groups – you may find yourself at home.
With smart speakers and Smart displays set to join Smart TVs, smart doorbells, smart thermometers, and smart light bulbs in the quest to make your residence a smart home; Lenovo’s released the Smart Clock 2 as a control center for those who desire to bring it all together with the Google Home app.
An significant upgrade from the first iteration, the Lenovo Smart Clock 2 is an unassuming yet convenient addition to a smart home.
The Smart Clock 2 comes with a wireless charging dock, for a overnight charge, or a quick top-up before you head out to start your day. It has a 3.97 inch IPS display, with an 400*800 resolution. The clock has an gray, thick-fabric interwoven around the body, and a night light around the base. Two buttons at the top for Volume (- +), and there is also a dedicated button on the back to enable/disable the built-in microphone. The charging dock has an USB port to charge your smartphone/watch, etc.
Controlling the Smart Clock 2 is done in the Google Home app, and once it’s set up all actions can be executed with voice command and the Google Assistant.
Routines, are a powerful addition to a home, should you decide that you want to integrate lights, thermostats, and cameras – you can control it all from the Smart Clock. We won’t go into too much detail on how this works here, as we’ve covered it extensively in our review of the Smart Clock Essential.
The Lenovo Smart Clock 2, like the Original – and even the Smart Clock Essential – has changed my perception of the usefulness of smart devices in the IoT (Internet of Things) market. It’s useful for many of the trivial things we do daily, and one-way technology could help increase our downtime away from our smartphone screens. It’s a smart clock with a full color IPS display, audio loud enough for music streaming and clear and crisp enough for audiobooks and podcasts. It’s also armed with Google Assistant, making a random internet search or smart home automation a question or command away. The Lenovo Smart Clock 2 is one of – if not the best Smart Clock available today.
The Pixel 6 represents the beginning of a new horizon for the Android ecosystem. Up until now, Google allowed smartphone manufacturers the freedom to create their own flavor of the OS since it came to market.
All that has changed with the Pixel 6, which touts Google’s very own 1st gen Tensor SoC chip – and their Machine Learning and AI computational prowess. Let’s take closer look into 3 reasons why I feel the Pixel 6 is the beginning of the end of the iPhone and Galaxies Duopoly is the US.
That tradition still continues until today, with Google taking a open-source approach to licensing Android, they have always tried to present a streamlined option in their Pixel brand of smartphones. Although limitations on in-house engineering and a dependence on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors held them back from competing toe-to-toe with Apple’s iPhone and their in-house A-series mobile processors
1. Really Smart Phone Features
There are features exclusive to the Pixel 6 that are actually quite useful. Direct My Call, detects when you are calling a toll-free number where Google Assistant takes over the call and transcribes the words of an automated system in a messaging interface and allowing you to take over the call once a live agent is on the phone. A similar feature, Call Screen – gives you the option to let Assistant screen calls from numbers that aren’t saved in your contacts.
Pixel 6’s Call Screen
It hasn’t been announced if these features will eventually be on other Android smartphones through Google Assistant, but there is a big possibility once newer exclusives are added to the Pixel through feature drops.
2. Enhanced Google App Ecosystem
Google Assistant, Chrome, Drive, Duo,l Gmail, Keep Notes, Maps, Recorder, Search, YouTube… the list goes on. As Google continues to optimize apps in the Pixel ecosystem with Tensor-powered ML and AI abilities, these features are almost certain to be added to apps that are available on other Android devices – and maybe even the iPhone.
Some Pixel-Exclusive features like the Magic Eraser in Google Photos have been proven to work in other Android devices when sideloaded, meaning that it’s possible if Google decides to flip the switch on universal Android availability.
3. Longer Android Update Support
The typical update schedule for Android smartphones varies, depending on the tier of the device and the manufacturing OEM. Samsung and OnePlus are two of the quicker companies to update their devices when a new version of Android is available. Other companies, not so much. As the owners of Android, no other company matches Google’s update schedule for the Pixel. Google has the opportunity to match Apple’s 5 year minimum iPhone support commitment – now that the Pixel 6 has it’s own in-house SoC. This should cause a trickle effect, prompting the other OEMs to step their update game up, starting with collectively pressuring Qualcomm to support their Snapdragon processors longer.
These are just 3 reasons why the Pixel 6 will change the Android ecosystem for the better. Feel free to leave your comments and let me know what do you think?
Withings have finally received FDA clearance to release their hybrid fitness wearable – the Scanwatch, in the U.S. While this wearable isn’t exactly new, features like EKG, 24hr heart rate tracking, and 30-day battery life, make it one of the most advanced watches on the market. Here we take a deep dive to see if the Scanwatch is worth your time and money.
If the photos don’t show the premium finish of this hybrid watch, rest assured the quality is upper echelon. Withings Scanwatch is made of Stainless Steel including the back where the sensors are housed – with Sapphire glass covering the watch face, which comes with a black or white dial. Our review unit, which was provided by Withings – had the white dial.
● Clinically validated detection of atrial fibrillation by ECG
● Heart Rate scan every 10 minutes using a PPG sensor
● Clinically validated SpO2
● Automatic activity tracking (walking, running, swimming, distance, and calories burned)
● Training mode with up to 30 activities (measurement of distance, pace, and altitude)
● Fitness level assessment with VO2 Max
● Sleep monitoring (length, quality, sleep phases)
● Smart smartphone notifications
● Altimeter records floors traveled
● Water-resistant up to 5 ATM
● Up to 30 days battery life
The Scanwatch has a circular OLED screen right below the 12, that shows the time, BPM, steps, distance walked by the mile, floors, EKG, sp02, Workout and Breathe for wellness, providing details which you can view with a press and twist of the watches’ crown. While those quick views contain a ton of info, it’s the Withings Health Mate app that gives you detailed stats on your fitness.
The Health Mate app goes a long way in adding smart health tracking and wellness features to the Scanwatch, complementing its hybrid nature by handling the heavy lifting most other watches handle on the device – at the expense of battery life. Not to mention its awesome UI and deep integration with other platforms like Apple Health, Google Fit, and Samsung Health.
Touting all the fitness tracking features the latest smartwatches on the market have to offer – without the intrusive, geek-Esque appeal – the Scanwatch is easily one of the best fitness wearables on the market. It has impressive 30-day battery life (I got two weeks before the watch drained the battery to 60%), the high-end build of a Swiss timepiece, and enough sensors to stay in the cutting-edge for the next few years. The Scanwatch is the watch for those who like the classic look, but want all the latest health perks a fitness tracker has to offer.
