#also i got one of those things to transfer sd files to my phone so it’s digital camera pics forever now | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ludoxi-blog · 5 years

Text

Best digital photo frame 2018: Show off your favourite photos

The biggest complaint some people have about digital photos is that you never get to see them. Some make it to a photo printer, others to a sharing site or social media feed, but many end up sitting on a cloud storage service or a hard drive, unappreciated and never seen. Where the old prints might have ended up in albums or sitting in a frame on the mantelpiece, their digital successors never get their time in the spotlight. Digital photo frames have fallen out of popularity, but they’re actually a great way to bring your shots out of storage and into the home. What’s more, the best models are a vast improvement on the dull, awkward to use early frames of a decade ago, with brighter screens, smarter power-saving features, better interfaces and even – in some cases – Wi-Fi and cloud connectivity, so that you can publish photos direct from a PC or smartphone to your frame. Go on, get your stills back on the mantelpiece where they belong! How to buy the right digital photo frame for you What about the new smart displays?

Amazon, Google and Lenovo are all promoting new smart displays that play music, control smart home appliances and answer questions, much like their smart speaker cousins. The difference is that these displays can show you answers, web pages and videos – and also double up as a digital photo frame. Amazon’s Echo Show devices can play a photo slideshow from the Amazon Photos cloud photo-storage service, while Google’s Home Hub can play photos direct from Google Photos, which is where your shots tend to end up automatically if you use an Android phone. For this reason, they make excellent digital photo frames, although you’ll pay a fair bit more for them than for a stand-alone frame.

How much do you want to spend? And how big a frame do you want?

Choosing a digital photo frame is fairly easy; work out your budget then decide what size you need and whether you’re willing to pay for extra features or WiFi connectivity. What’s more, the best frames tend to come in a range of sizes, usually starting in the 7in to 8in range and moving up to 10in and beyond, with some models going as big as 18in. Whether you’re looking for something to place on a shelf or something to hang on the wall, you’ll have a few options. Just be aware that not all frames have a traditional 4:3 aspect ratio, with some smaller frames opting for a 16:9 or 16:10 aspect ratio which is great for landscape shots, but not necessarily so good for portraits.

Will my photos look good on any digital photo frame?

Beyond size, you also need to think about screen technology and resolution. Some models use the kind of Twisted Nematic LCD screen technology found in budget tablets, laptops and monitors, often resulting in low levels of brightness and contrast and narrow viewing angles; not ideal for something you’ll rarely look at precisely head-on. Others have moved to IPS technology, giving you much wider viewing angles and a brighter, more colourful image. More saturated colours isn’t necessarily a good thing – some frames exhibit the kind of brash, unnatural colour balance you’d normally find on a bargain-basement telly – but ideally you want something with a little punch.

As far as resolution goes, expect some mild disappointment. Digital photo frames lag behind tablets and smartphones when it comes to pixel density, and 1,024 x 600 and 1,024 x 768 screens are the norm even on larger models. Luckily, this doesn’t matter so much when you’re usually looking at a 7-inch to 10-inch display from several metres away.

How do you get your photos onto it?

This is the next big differentiator. Some have internal memory, and you transfer photos over a USB connection. Most now have an SD or micro SD card slot and read photos directly from the card. Others have a USB port for plugging in a USB memory key. However, a growing number now have built-in Wi-Fi, connecting to your home network or a cloud-based service, where you work through a Web-based interface to upload files. The great thing about this is that you can transfer files from your PC or your smartphone, not to mention popular picture-sharing or social networking services. You can even send photos to your frame while you’re away on your holidays. These models are even adding social features, enabling you to send photos through to friends or relatives while you’re travelling or just making the most of life.

Is there anything else you should look out for?

Many frames have additional features, including clocks, calendars and video and audio playback. Most recent models also have motion-sensing and other power-saving features, so that the frame isn’t using energy when there’s nobody to see it. It’s hard to find a frame without slideshow features, and the more flexible these are the better. A clear user-interface is clearly helpful here, making it easy to get photos on the device, add them to playlists and control how they look.

How much do I need to spend?

Frames start at under £40 with the larger 15in and cloud-enabled models reaching price points between £150 and £200. Inevitably you’ll pay for sheer size and extra features, but you can get a great frame for well under £100 as long as you’re prepared to compromise on one of those two.

The best digital photo frames to buy from £50

1. Apeman 8-Inch Digital Photo Frame

Price when reviewed: £50

If you’ve got reasonable expectations and a £50 budget, you won’t get much better than this Apeman-branded 8-inch frame. The 1024 x 768 resolution is perfectly adequate at the size and colours are surprisingly clean and bright, making your pics look good even from an angle. What’s more, it has slideshow, photo, full-screen clock and calendar functions, it will play high definition videos and you can keep the time and date showing unobtrusively in the corner.

The design is more functional than fancy, with a single screw-in leg that keeps the frame propped up, but there are no garish logos, the controls are kept simple and the software is basic yet easy to use. You can’t expect wireless connectivity at this price, but with an SD card slot, USB and mini USB ports, you won’t have any problems getting photos on it, though the mini USB seems rather dated. The only other real annoyance is the lack of auto-rotation; you’re better off rotating any shots taken in portrait mode yourself before transferring them to your card or USB memory stick. Still, with a bundled remote and wall-mounting options, this is otherwise a fine entry-level frame.

2. Nixplay Advance 10-inch: The best 10in digital photo frame for around £100

Price when reviewed: £110

The Nixplay Advance range goes all the way from 8 to 18.5 inches, but the 10-inch version is particularly brilliant value, giving you a 10-inch, 4:3 ratio IPS display with a 1024 x 768 resolution. It’s a simple, well-built frame, standing on a bulging section at the rear where the power, USB and SD card sockets sit, along with a headphone/audio line out. The latter might be useful because the Advance’s party piece is 720p MPEG-4 video playback, complete with tinny sound from the built-in speakers, and you can cleverly mix video and stills within the same photo slideshow. While it hasn’t got the wireless connectivity or cloud capabilities of Nixplay’s pricier Seed series, the clean interface makes it easy to set-up slideshows once you’ve transferred your shots to the bundled 8GB USB thumb drive. There’s even a nice clock and calendar function if you’d like both overlaid. Most importantly, the Advance makes your photos look good, with natural colours, impressive depth of tone and cool transitions. If you’re just after a great way to present your favourite shots, this is the frame to buy.

3. Nixplay Seed 10: The best all-round digital photo frame

Price when reviewed: £170

Like its stablemate, the Advance, the Nixplay Seed does a fantastic job of showing off your photos, with better clarity than you’d expect from a 1,024 x 768 screen, and superb, lifelike colours. The IPS display has wide viewing angles, and there’s a depth of tone here you won’t find in many other digital frames. The Seed goes further, however, thanks to its superb Wi-Fi and cloud connected features. You can transfer photos wirelessly and set-up playlists, drag and drop shots from Google Photos, Instagram and Flickr or even send photos to your frame straight from an iOS or Android smartphone app. Beyond this, Nixplay offers basic photo-sharing and social messaging features, so that you can share photos instantly with Nixplay-owning friends or family. And while Pix-Star’s frame works with awider range of cloud photo services, Nixplay has the cleaner, more intuitive UI, making it easier to use these functions and customise slideshow timings and transitions. Throw in a great design, with a thick USB cable that functions as a stand, plus a choice of colours, and the Seed is the photo frame to beat.

4. Nixplay Iris: The best traditional-style digital frame

Price when reviewed: £170

If you want a showcase for your digital photos but prefer the look of a more traditional frame, the Nixplay Iris has you covered. Available in bronze, silver and copper finishes it looks like an old-school frame from the front but has the innards of the Nixplay Seed, giving you the same impressive image quality and natural colours, plus identical wireless features for transferring photos. You can still sync the frame with your social media and cloud accounts to make sure you have your latest shots on full display, and Nixplay even throws in 10GB of cloud storage space for you to use. Meanwhile, the sound sensor turns the frame off when nobody’s in the room. Otherwise, those with Alexa devices can turn it on and off with voice. You’re paying 10 to 12-inch prices for a small-ish 8-inch screen, but this is the best high-tech frame that doesn’t look high-tech.

Amazingly, you can get a smart display that does more for less than you’ll pay for many frames. Google’s Home Hub has a 7-inch 1,024 x 600 screen with rich and accurate colours and a superb automatic brightness control that makes your shots look like prints in a normal frame. It works in tandem with Google’s existing Photos app and storage service, and because it’s smart you can just ask to see photos from your recent holiday in Cornwall or your trip to Scotland, and the Home Hub will find them and put them on show.

What’s more, you get YouTube Video playback, Google Music and Spotify music and all the benefits of the Google Assistant, answering questions, telling you the temperature and letting you know what you’ve got scheduled for the day.

1 note · View note

apocvlypsed · 6 years

Text

( snoop dogg vc ) greetings loved ones, let’s take a journey!

it’s linc comin’ atchu with my third, the one & only, the precious, the marshmellow cute fellow, casey bouchard ! below you shall find a brief backstory, an array of headcanons, & some general suggestions for all ur plotting needs .

tyler young — oh, have you met casey bouchard? he is a nineteen year old cis male that is feeling apprehensive about the planet’s imminent doom. a film student, this virgo is known around town as the raconteur, because he is introspective & altruistic, as well as escapist & frangible. hopefully, case will survive.

overview/backstory blurb thing :

he’s the son of hawley’s mayor, it’s casual?? he’s v supportive of both his mothers, but like... also really doesn’t enjoy small town living? he’s a city boi so... having his mother literally up and move them to this middle-of-nowhere place in pennsylvania for love... he supported it out of necessity but? would much rather be back in nyc with his boyz?

ya boy’s originally from brooklyn, nyc born and raised! his father was kinda... never in the picture? ( translation: as soon as raising an infant got difficult, he peaced tf out and refuses to pay child support. mainly bc like... he disappeared. yup. nice guy. ) anyway! in response to this, his mother joined an online support group for single mothers -- just a chatroom where they could all kind of talk and relate to one another about the aches & pains of raising children on their own? well. on this forum, sharon friedman happened to receive a direct message from anna bouchard, and so it all began...

after years of talking with anna on the phone and over skype, casey was finally like, “ma, you gotta just meet her.” so when he was 15, he practically forced his mom to rent a car and they made a road trip out to hawley, pa to meet this woman that had so clearly captured his mother’s heart. he was like: yes ok, good !! good! because casey believes in love and fate and red strings. what he wasn’t really counting on was... staying... in hawley... sharon couldn’t bring herself to leave hawley after their visit. casey couldn’t bring himself to deny his mother a chance at love and happiness after being so alone. who was he to say no to that? so he wasn’t the asshole he could have been -- he could have thrown a fit about their home, his school, his bae, his life back in nyc. but instead, he suggested that they move there, filled out the transfer papers for hawley high himself. and so he entered a new world as a sophomore, completely and utterly overwhelmed by the newfound quiet, slowness. he dealt. joined the photography club, became chief photographer and editor for the yearbook. to everyone else, he was thriving. and like... yes ok, maybe he was, but there was this part of him that still... longed for new york. the place that held his heart.

in his junior year of high school, anna announced her campaign for mayor !! so naturally, casey was RIGHT THERE supporting the love of his mother’s life. printing flyers, handing out cute buttons and cupcakes at school. bc he loves his mother and his mother loves anna, so it just... made sense. but he... at this point he really missed the city; he was looking at nyu and columbia as options for post-secondary school. that is, until anna won the election and moved on from board of education to freakin’ mayor !

but what no one told him was how being the mayor’s son would affect him. when anna and his mother married, he kindly chose to keep his mother’s surname, friedman. but with a mayor in the family? it would seem suspicious to have a child with a mismatched surname. anna’s pr people basically coerced him into taking on her surname, bouchard. and y’know, it was the right thing to do. but it felt a lot like a sell-out.

being the mayor’s son also meant being in photos instead of taking them. which was..... not his forte? still isn’t. he’ll go through it for his mom, but casey thrives behind the scenes. he enjoys letting other people shine, paying witness to that.

he’s a film student now! studying in hawley because.... he couldn’t bring himself to abandon his mother, or to even approach her with pamphlets of city schools. she was so happy here, and he knew that giving her a reason to think he wasn’t... it would make her feel guilty. so ( another sell-out! ) he agreed to go to community college here. in his free time, he makes short films much like what mikey murphy makes on youtube . they’re never longer than 10 minutes -- they don’t have to be. they’re poignant. true. he’s got a way with the camera, a way with voiceovers and words and angles. all the fluff and frills aren’t necessary.

alright so... here’s the kicker. casey is a truthful person. he wears his heart on his sleeve. but lately he’s been made aware of some... i n f o r m a t i o n ... that could ruin the entire town and their relationship to their mayor, and his family. here’s the rundown:

he’s not a snoop. nope. but being the son of the mayor’s wife the mayor’s son involves helping out every so often. fielding, phone calls, organizing files, pr meetings... deleting emails.

so he stumbled upon an email thread detailing arrangements and transfers of large funds. for a bunker. for food. blankets. supplies. underground. using taxpayer money.

in a panic, he forwarded the emails to his personal email before deleting them off of anna’s computer.

why did he save them? why... why does he need them? because... they’re safe with him? or maybe they’re collateral? not that he.... he doesn’t need collateral, right? because the bunker helps him. ensures his survival, too. but here he is... carrying around this lethal information, not knowing what to do about it. wanting to tell those he’s close to, but he can’t because his mother loves anna and if he hurts anna, he hurts her, and himself. it’s... a predicament.

an array of headcanons! :

raisinets are casey’s weakness. if you wanna win him over, grab him a box. he will fall in love.

demisexual as fuck !!! not the hookup type, but... let’s just say, it has happened before. takes a lot of alcohol. but he’s been there.

he adores old films. he SPRINTS to the little local theater when they have special features of anything vintage and cheesy. or even films like “back to the future” or “breakfast at tiffany’s”. he buys like 12 boxes of candy every time because he’s hella indecisive, swears he’ll decide when he sits down and then just... makes no decision and eats all of them. he unironically replaces his soda straw with a twizzler because.... it just Makes Sense, ok?

he’s got this wide-eyed attitude about the world. no way, you found half-priced avocados at rite aid? just... genuinely in this world because he adores it. the little things give him this breathless sense of joy. “i found a penny in the parking lot today!” he’ll chirp with pride to a room full of other film students that don’t give a shit. because... the unexpected tiny treasures are what make hawley worth staying. if he didn’t have those, he would have run back to nyc years ago.

casey wants so badly to believe there’s something greater about life. that it’s not some fragile wilting leaf to be tossed to the wind. he wants to fight for something and his way of doing that is easy smiles and a soft gaze.

he smells like cinnamon spice, vanilla, with subtle hints of amber, musk, and cedar. just like... how you might imagine a cool autumn day, with a gentle breeze. that’s really his disposition, too. that soft gust of wind that caresses your skin, ruffles your hair, makes you close your eyes and breathe in deeper.

he has a brooklyn accent and idk that’s just really important to me.

“one day” by kodaline is a Mood.

his personality/presence is a lot like “my favourite story” by jack in water? just... so lovely and quiet and soft.

he listens to vinyl bc his moms got him a player for hanukkah one year (lol they’re kinda in a great financial situation now that anna’s providing). so he’ll just lie down and stare at the ceiling and listen to the temptations and the beatles and belle & sebastien, lightly tapping his toes together, circling his feet. the simple things.

he gets quiet when he gets angry. as in, if you yell at him, he will lower his voice to a whisper so you have no choice but to lower yours and listen. he learned that from his mother and the countless arguments she got in with their landlord in brooklyn. it’s kind of a power move.

really allergic to cats and dogs! he gets the sniffles! but does he still always say hi and seek them out?? yes!!

he kind of... he kind of wants to make a film to put in the time capsule. he’s working on it, slowly. a film of hawley. of life before the asteroid. he’s absolutely the type to break out his camera or phone and film his friends without asking. highly sentimental. all the zooms, all the laughs and smiles and eye rolls before they inevitably cover the lens with their hands. he finds beauty in everything. or, rather, everything has the capacity to be beautiful, with some investment in time/angles. he films all those tiny moments, those pointless little dinner dates or hikes in the woods because... if he films his friends, if he films these moments... then they’ll never really die. they’ll exist on an sd card, or icloud, or... somewhere. and then his friends won’t die. his family won’t die. they’ll be there, immortalized on film. so film is... his craft. his passion. but also his way of avoiding the future, evading the bleak limitations of human existence. it’s his way of grappling with the asteroid, denying that big rock any of its power. because casey... he’s got a camera and he’s got time, and no boulder careening toward the planet can rip that away from him. ( it’s flawed logic. he knows. but it’s something. )

connection ideas :

step-brother/sister: they’re anna (the mayor)’s biological child. and i will probably send a wc in for this eventually, but basically they’re the second half of the reason why anna and sharon even met. i imagine things are kinda... interesting... between them and casey? being thrust into a new family, and now a family in the limelight... it’s complicated. they’re probably like, 20-24, a bit older.

friends: people from high school, people from college, etc. casey loves them dearly.

art squad: alright he... just really needs people to cry over great films with, honestly.

love interest: uhm he is so gentle and just... think about the gentle hand touches and linking of pinkies as they stand in the snack line at the theater and just... making fools of themselves ice skating & doing dumb shit? pls?

someone he wrongfully trusted: aight... this is some angst, y’all. someone who literally crushed him, or... spread a rumor, or something. just completely violated his trust. because casey does not know how to deal with that shit. he’s the type to smile sadly and talk to them, ignoring how his eyes are misting over a bit. “hey, how are you? oh yeah, i’m... good. good, really. you mentioned a while ago you were gonna be doing ___, how’s that?” and he’ll... keep himself in that conversation for as long as they’ll talk. because like... if he angles his perspective just right, he can almost blur out the tension and pretend it’s back to how things used to be.

brotp: okay i need it. taking polaroids and penning dates on them, getting giggly drunk on champagne and watching cheesy rom-coms. just... being dorks. pls & thanks

pictures of you: hear me out. someone who’s been in the background of his life. appears in photos for the hs yearbook, maybe shows up in his films he shoots around town. they’ve never really spoken but casey wants to. it’s just... the whole... introductions thing. “hey, you’re in a lot of my art! accidentally! what’s up?” doesn’t really fly.

people from nyc: idk if your muse was ever in nyc for an extended period of time let’s just.. let’s discuss ;)

neighbor(s): so since the bouchards are quite well off, casey’s got his own ~ luxury apartment ~ to himself, oo la la. but i imagine it’s part of a larger apartment complex, etc.

grocery store buds: “hello, how are you, wanna try to find ripe avocados with me?” becomes a saturday routine. they wait for their deli meat together too. so cute. #truelove. ya never know.

exes: i imagine casey wouldn’t have many of these, since he does have this really romanticized idea of love and carries with him high, virgo standards. but... these would’ve been special connections. and he probably mourns them a lot.

literally anything ever i love plots and we know this

#hawley:intro #҉ we'll find all our lost time ! casey.#҉ greetings & salutations ! intro.

7 notes · View notes

123designsrq · 5 years

Text

I nonetheless stay with a 16gb cellphone. It isn’t not possible, however it’s hard. The international isn’t moving closer to adapting to low storage, it’s increasing it. So what do you do while you run low on storage? Delete pics and apps? NO! Back the whole thing to the cloud? You ought to, but you’d want steady get right of entry to to it to retrieve records. What else can you do? Transfer it for your laptop thru cable? Sure, but who’s got the time for that. You could maybe use an OTG pen-drive… but no longer many people have those. With Type-C USB ports becoming more and more famous, there’s one greater solution. The Hyperdrive Type-C connection kit. It without difficulty suits on your pocket, and expands your cellphone’s opportunities. Plug it in, and also you’ve got a normal USB port, and two card-readers for SD and MicroSD cards. You can now literally plug any USB drive into your smartphone and either transfer information to it, or retrieve information from it. Or you could use the SD card reader to pull photographs off your DSLR. What’s higher is that the Hyperdrive’s Type-C works with laptops too. With most new laptops having a Type-C port for fast transfers and faster charging, the Hyperdrive plugs into your pc too, no longer simply increasing the wide variety of ports on it, but even allowing you to easily switch statistics between your computer and phone. Without a cable! best external hard drive for android phones, external hard disk for mobile phone, how to connect 2tb hard drive to android, how to connect internal hard disk to mobile, external hard drive for android tablet, how to transfer files from android to external hard drive without computer, format external hard drive for android, smartphone external storage

So what's the best portable drive you can buy?

Taking an entire garage with you may be less vital than it as soon as was, but there's nevertheless masses of use instances where it is wished. There are numerous options available which include traditional tough disk in addition to strong-state drives (SSDs). Here we assessment and rank the first-rate ones. Most portable USB drives are powered by means of the connected laptop, so you can use them on the move without the want to plug into the mains or use batteries. Some may even connect your telephone or tablet and will let you extend garage that way, or will let you switch or open files. Capacity Even within the smallest portable drives you’ll in all likelihood find are 128GB in length, that's enough to area hundreds of CD albums in lossless FLAC layout, or maybe extra in decrease exceptional MP3 or AAC formats. Off-loading your song series alone from a pc to a transportable power can be a godsend in freeing treasured space if your computer has restricted garage. Another popular utility of transportable storage is for preserving important backups of your data hung on a PC or laptop. You may be capable of keep a really perfect a twin of your whole laptop’s inner power, on standby and equipped within the occasion that the laptop is lost or its force should malfunction. Alternatively, you may pick out simply to returned up the maximum critical files and documents out of your consumer libraries, consisting of text documents, snap shots, movies, music and saved e-mail. Some portable drives include software which can assist automate this technique, retaining your preferred directories in sync each time you plug within the power or by using a every day time table. Performance Now that USB 2.Zero has been banished from all self-respecting storage, we discover USB three as the standard for connection, letting those portable drives carry out as quickly because the little disks inside will permit. This means that after transferring your music or video collection to or out of your PC, you can anticipate round 100MB/s study velocity (and generally the same for writing, due to the fact unlike flash storage generation the examine and write speeds have a tendency to be greater symmetrical). Compare this with the older drives the use of USB 2.Zero, which would restrict speeds to around 35MB/s, or simplest one-0.33 the rate. So in actual phrases, your 100GB of media documents might take near an hour to switch with USB 2.0, or beneath 20 minutes the use of USB three.0. If you’re likely to be storing or backing up many small documents, be conscious that common performance will plummet in view that tough disks generally tend to choke on smaller documents. So while big documents may zip throughout at 100MB/s, the smallest will probably journey at much less than 1MB/s, or one hundredth that velocity. USB 3 is perplexing, as USB three.0 became retrospectively renamed to USB three.1 Gen 1. There’s additionally a newer version, USB three.1 Gen 2. This doubles the capacity throughput from Gen 1’s 5Gb/s to 10Gb/s. In megabytes according to 2nd, those equate to 625 and 1250 respectively. Pretty rapid, then. In fact, the quickest SSDs pinnacle out at round 550MB/s and this speed is highly depending on the tool you’re connecting it to. Protection A rugged outdoors could be on hand in case you want the liberty of being capable of throw around the unplugged force with less worry that it's going to harm the unit; and greater importantly lose your facts. Look out for shock-resistance rankings which includes the United States military MIL-STD-810F 516.Five (Transit Drop Test). This means that it need to face up to being dropped 26 times onto a hard ground, once directly to each face, facet and nook, from a peak of one.22m. Flash storage - more usually called SSDs - can continue to exist extra brutal remedy, and some portable drives are even waterproof. If you had been to accidentally drop a portable SSD drive in water, then so long as the port covers are firmly closed, it's going to work high-quality to use it after it's been absolutely dried. Some drives have an IP water-resistant score like phones. Reliability It’s hard to say definitively which manufacturer makes the maximum dependable tough drives. While there’s a large difference among the generation used in traditional tough drives and SSDs, each have a restrained lifespan, and that is why warranties are fantastically brief - usually or 3 years. What’s vital is which you have a well-notion-out backup process and you don’t rely on any unmarried drive to keep valuable documents. Ideally you must have 3 copies: one on a PC or cellphone / pill, one on a backup power and one in the cloud. Value For many customers, a portable storage drive can be an unavoidable commodity, and price could be the deciding element. Often an older power can be inexpensive way to a drop in rate so you might get a good deal, however ensure you are now not missing out on new tech you would gain from. Security The larger the power, the greater you could keep - and the greater you stand to lose in the occasion of dropping the power or having it stolen. This is where it pays to fasten down that force. There are two methods to make sure the information is unreadable by using other customers. You can scramble the contents thru hardware encryption. Or you can use a software utility to encrypt either components or all of the drive.

Best portable difficult drives & SSDs

1. Adata SD600Q Rating: 4.8 MSRP: From $39.99 It would possibly forego the modern-day USB-C general for connectivity however the Adata SD600Q is a fantastic force for every body searching out a portable SSD and does not have a hugely annoying set of obligations for it. The SD600Q presents a amazing mixture of things together with the robust and compact design, at the side of lower priced prices for decent capacities - if you do not need extra than 1TB. It's also quick sufficient to duplicate documents while not having to anticipate ages and you may also make use of Adata's free software program if you want. 2. Samsung Portable SSD T5 Rating: 4.8 MSRP: $129.99 (250GB), $189.99 (500GB), $379.99 (1TB), $749.99 (2TB) The T5 isn’t cheap, however it offers on the important overall performance that a portable SSDs are offered to make certain. Using one with a pc that has a tough drive is largely useless, as the total velocity benefits can handiest be done if used in aggregate with an inner SSD. 3. G-Technology G-Drive Mobile Rating: 4.6 MSRP: $179.95 It won't be the most inexpensive option but if you're seeking out a portable SSD it is long lasting then the G-Drive Mobile is the way forward with it is IP67 and casing you may pressure over. Performance is likewise very good so there is little to dislike here, simplest simply the tiny cables supplied within the field. 4. Transcend ESD400K Rating: 4.4 MSRP: $94.99 The Transcend ESD400K is a very mild, portable and blisteringly fast portable SSD power. At handiest 56g, the transportable force is easy to hold around and competes with some of the very fine transportable drives in the marketplace. Read our Transcend ESD400K evaluate. 5. SanDisk Extreme 500 Portable SSD SanDisk Extreme 500 Portable SSD Rating: 4.3 MSRP: $92.99 For those who need high-pace transportable storage, the Extreme 500 is a stable preference. Capacities enlarge to 480GB which have to be satisfactory for most people. If you need greater, appearance no in addition than the Samsung T3. 6. WD My Passport 4TB Rating: 4.2 MSRP: $114.99 As a excessive-potential portable power, the WD My Passport 4TB (2016) gives cloud services, hardware encryption and has first rate performance for a HDD. 7. Toshiba Canvio Connect II Rating: 4.3 MSRP: $104.99 Aside from pace, the Toshiba Canvio Connect II is a high-quality all-round bundle. It offers acres of space in your backups and media library, it’s reasonably-priced and it comes bundled with virtually beneficial software program. 8. Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim 2TB Rating: 4.5 MSRP: $89.99 The Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim isn't always a pinnacle performer, however with its 2TB garage and outstanding slim layout, the Seagate transportable power is extraordinary for backing up files. Read our Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim 2TB assessment. 9. Freecom mHDD Slim 1TB Rating: 4.3 MSRP: $85.99 Despite having an high priced price per GB, the Freecom mHDD Slim 1TB is a fashionable, nicely-made transportable hard pressure. Read our Freecom mHDD Slim 1TB evaluation. 10. Freecom Tablet Mini SSD Rating: 4.2 MSRP: $83.99 If you’re specifically after a portable power that may connect to your phone or tablet to offer more garage or act as a backup for its pix and motion pictures, the Freecom is a decent choice. It isn’t fashionable neither is it the cheapest, however it plays nicely and is convenient thanks to the constructed in USB cables. Read the full article

#bestexternalharddriveforandroidphones #externalharddiskformobilephone #externalharddriveforandroidtablet #formatexternalharddriveforandroid #howtoconnect2tbharddrivetoandroid #howtoconnectinternalharddisktomobile #howtotransferfilesfromandroidtoexternalharddrivewithoutcomputer #smartphoneexternalstorage

0 notes

mekhigreene · 4 years

Text

What’s On My Desk + Give Away

This is something that I’ve wanted to share for a while and I thought now would be a great time to do it. I find desk setups to be very fascinating and I’m always curious to see why people use the technology they use.

Each person’s desk is unique and specially catered to their needs, style, occupation and so on. I figured why not share what I use.

Also if you read the title of this post you’ll know I’m doing a giveaway. I’ll be giving away a new Logitech G703 gaming mouse.

If you’re interested in how you can enter the giveaway check out the end of this post.

Anyway, enough rambling, let me walk you through what’s on my desk.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus S (GTX 1070)

For the past few years, I’ve cycled through several computers because I couldn’t find the right solution for my needs. Towards the end of 2019, I bought the Asus Rog Zephyrus S and it’s been my main computing device since.

It’s the powerhouse of my setup and it gives me power and portability in a very sleek frame. The Zephrus S is a laptop I can travel with and when I return home, I’m able to connect it to my monitor for a better viewing experience.

I use it for school/work, producing my podcast, light gaming, and even occasional video editing.

LG – 27UL600-W 27″ LED 4K Monitor

I decided to go with this monitor because I intended to use it for photo and video editing. To be completely honest I haven’t edited many videos in recent months but I still get some use out of this monitor.

The size of the screen is just the right size and it fits fairly well on my Ikea Linnmon tabletop. I’m also a huge fan of the color, although it’s silver/white and everything else on my desk is black.

At times I wish I had more screen real estate but for now, this monitor gets the job done. Let’s just hope I eventually start editing more videos…

Anne Pro 2 (Keyboard)

The Anne Pro 2 is a keyboard that I had my eye on for a long time and I recently got my hands on it. My desk is on the smaller side so moving to a 60% keyboard is life-changing because of the compact size.

The version I have is the black with gateron brown switches (For my keyboard enthusiasts). I appreciate having a wireless keyboard and it’s nice to have RGB lighting.

So far I’m loving this board and the goal is to eventually customize it with custom keycaps. That’s a project for another day though.

Logitech G703 Gaming Mouse

This mouse has been nothing but amazing and I’ve had it for a few years now. I never quite understood people who buy a mouse for gaming and a separate mouse for work.

For me, this mouse does it all. It’s super light, fits my hand like a glove, it has programmable keys, and I could go on.

My point is this mouse has been my go-to and I’ll most likely hold onto it until it stops working.

Satechi Leather Mousepad

There is nothing I hate more in this world than a mousepad that frays. That’s an exaggeration but it seriously annoys me.

I thought the best solution to this problem would be to get a mousepad that isn’t made out of a cloth material, so I settled on this Satetchi pad. There isn’t much to say about this thing outside of the fact that it functions as advertised.

Anker Wireless Charger

Keeping a wireless charging pad on my desk has been way more convenient than I initially imagined. It allows me to keep my phone close to me and check it frequently without the hassle of having to plug and unplug.

Anker makes reliable charging products and this pad was very affordable so if you’re thinking about buying one I can recommend this. Wireless charging isn’t a necessity, but it definitely is nice to have.

HooToo USB C Hub, 8-in-1 USB C Adapter

I originally bought this USB C adapter with the intention of pairing it with a MacBook pro that I had at the time. Since then I’ve sold the MacBook but the laptop I currently use has two USB C ports so this adapter is still useful.

Right now I use the adapter to house the USB dongle for my mouse, my external hard drive, and keyboard. When I need to transfer files via SD card I use the SD card reader too.

This adapter has its drawbacks and one of them being its limitation to support 4k at 60HZ. It irritates me slightly because I can’t directly connect my monitor to the adapter but I’ve gotten over it.

Western Digital 2TB Hard Drive

Once again there isn’t a whole lot I can say about this item. It’s 2 terabytes and it holds some of my larger files.

I haven’t had any issues with it but eventually, It would be cool to upgrade to an SSD.

Ikea Linnmon Tabletop

My desk is pretty bare and simple! It’s the popular Linnmon tabletop with Advil legs.

I think it looks great and it’s relatively inexpensive on top of that. I want to buy 1 set of Alex drawers to increase my storage but that’s something I’ve been putting off for months now.

Ikea Signum Rack

This is a cable management rack meant to help clean up stray and wild cables. I’ve experimented with using other options but this one works with so little thought.

And that’s what’s on my desk! What do you think of my setup? Do you think there are better solutions?

Now…

Let’s talk about the giveaway!

To enter all you need to do is retweet my original tweet and click here to enter.

I’ll be contacting the winner through email. I’ll also be tagging the winner on Twitter so make sure you’re following me!

The winner will be announced next Wednesday after 1 PM EST so be on the lookout.

Starting now I’ll be doing 1 give away a month centered around what content I publish. To stay up to date with my post and those giveaways, join my weekly review.

This is essentially a weekly email where I’ll share whatever post I published that week and I’ll share any interesting insights I’ve come across. The emails won’t be long or spammy and you can always unsubscribe at any time!

Thanks for reading this week’s post! Be sure to let me know what’s on your desk by tweeting at me @greenemekhi.

Links to everything I mentioned can be found by clicking on the heading of each item!

(Some of the above links are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, my page will receive some kickback if you click through and make a purchase)

The post What’s On My Desk + Give Away appeared first on Mekhi Greene.

#Productivity #Lifestyle design #technology

0 notes

seekapk-blog · 5 years

Text

clean master apk old version

CleanMaster is one of the most touristy junk-cleaning and group optimization tools for Humanoid, featuring everything from ethnical media app notification try to a devoted WhatsApp scrubber. Despite 43 1000000 reviews on the Google Act Store-most of which are positive- the jury is really much out on whether optimization apps equal CleanMaster cater or scathe grouping show. Though cleanup tools can take up valued expanse, they can also pipage fire living and keep system performance. To see if CleanMaster is beneficial, I dug finished its comprehensive set of features to discover the abolitionist behindhand the hype.

CleanMaster does hold an antivirus tool which can be launched by clicking on the antivirus secure on the bag protect. The syllabus runs a "Safety Scanning" service in fewer than ten seconds. Tho' I was healthy to see what the interpret was doing ("checking for leering apps" and "checking for vulnerabilities" flashed on my covert), I didn't get any gentle of report on which directories and apps had been investigated. I was also unable to move the typewrite of icon.

The antivirus impressed a less much clean master apk old version with its reminders virtually required updates. The update cardinal can be set to daily, every terzetto life, or every fivesome days, and the programme displays the variant the app is currently using.

So how strong is the antivirus section? Without some in the way of logs, it's knotty to know. Notwithstanding, CleanMaster has previously conventional the prestigious Foremost Android Antivirus Product makings. I installed the "Try Virus" usage from Itus Floating Warrantee, which installs the EICAR try virus. CleanMaster flagged the endeavor doctor of malware within seconds, though it didn't warn roughly whatsoever things I had designedly installed by facultative region sources in the assets settings. Tho' this isn't what galore cognition users would promote, it automatically scans new installed apps and is excitable to fall any latent sources of danger.

CleanMaster is overmuch solon than retributory an antivirus tool, notwithstanding. In fact, most of its functionalities lag under the "system optimization" line. Here are both of its standout features.

Dispose File Laborer Streamlines Group

CleanMaster's fling file tradesman is fashioned to disembarrass up as some expanse on your manoeuvre as is harmless. The puppet needs permission to message and remove system files, but CleanMaster does an exceptionally thorough job at judgment files and folders that can be deleted. On my basic run, the program identified 3.45 GB of files that it cerebration I could lively without-potentially an enormous plow capacity protection.

Thankfully, dissimilar the antivirus papers, the toss line storekeeper provides good portion as to what files it has flagged for separation. Within the system store collection, for occurrence, I was competent to scope the available stock situation by each installed app and still chose to just them one by one. This provides high plasticity for users who may be obsessed with removing copernican settings aggregation, specified as WhatsApp plan files.

In acquisition to cache fling, CleanMaster also does an fantabulous job at sleuthing and removing matter discard files. These are settings and plan files that previously installed programs paw behind yet after uninstalling them. I do a lot of app investigation on my primary Humanoid device so wasn't openmouthed to see that a signaling of these-including 360 Security-had liberal files in their island.

The age of the junk files were what it called "superannuated APK files." Golem Code Kits (APKs) are victimised to distribute and put Android programs, like .exe installers in Windows. Spell APKs prevarication around a record system could be informal collection installers that the mortal forgot to censor, in my occurrence these were files that my duplicate and restore app had deliberately created. Thankfully, I detected this in indication and chose not to censor them.

In acquisition to the underlying junk files detector, there's a coercive scrap scanner which promises to decrease smooth statesman files for separation. This requires sanctioning access for CleanMaster, but didn't add any case to the toss scanning transform. Using the almighty scanner it plant an more 500MB of files for remotion. This included the scheme memories of few apps I use for instrumentality and telephony management. I appreciated the fact that it was fermentable to stop into apiece information and add it to an "treat list" so that it would not be separate if I hit the "spick junk" switch.

Phone Boost Attempts to Amend Operating Verbalise

In constituent to removing files that are no individual required, CleanMaster provides users with the alternative to increment the prevailing operative verbalise of the sound by coming extra processes functioning in the noise.

Smartphone users are wonted to clicking through more apps but ofttimes forget to secretive them when painted. The termination can be a double signaling of processes flying in the environment and dramatically gradual downfield manoeuvre show.

I was amazed to learn that I was jetting 36 apps during the investigation process-only a cipher of them was open to me by using the employment selector element button on my handset. Among those taking up substantive amounts of storage were the instrumentation app I hadn't utilised since the forenoon, Google Maps, and a ascertain of safe end-to-end communicating tools, including Signal and Biocoded, which poorness to be constantly lengthways to incur calls.

The method attempted to automatically uncheck those applications that it mentation shouldn't be unscheduled out of the vista. Time it did attain some surgical guesses (including deselecting the Twilit cheerless swooning separate which needs to run continuously), it got others horribly wicked. Among those the grouping craved to automatically shut were my pain bag prove app, Pushbullet, AirDroid, a treble SIM controller agency, the bailiwick tools, and FolderSync Pro-a agency I use for automatically syncing anesthetic fol

The ending of forcing all these apps out of the prospect could change been pretty calamitous-important file transfer would not hit condemned put, my air conditioner would not bonk inverted on, calls could have been missed, and I would not get conventional any PushBullet notifications which I oft publicize from my desktop. If you're leaving to use a dispose tradesman, manually inspect all planned changes and don't withdraw basal files or surrounding required information processes.

CPU Refrigerator Prevents Overheating

Ownership too more apps or ground processes gaping can put a filiation on a smartphone's CPU and prove in overheating. This, in channelize, can significantly shorten the lifespan of the CPU, abase lithium-ion batteries, and-in extremity cases-render the gimmick inoperable.

Automaton contains few built-in features to forestall this, including throttling wager voltage and resources if it detects the CPU is overheating, but CleanMaster makes the growth author straight for the human. A visible thermometer icon displays whether the CPU temperature is within regular limits(in which mortal the thermometer is set against a sky noise) or overheating (in which casing it's set against red and notifications are triggered).

Though the property is visceral and nicely organized, I couldn't see a difference between the app's proposed cool-down strategy (move strike locomotion apps) and what the method advisable to do in the sound supercharge schedule. Presumption the fact that the phone help agency also outputs the CPU temperature, I run to imagine that there is enormous intersection between these two features.

Alarum Anomalous RAM Employment

Granting reach opens up one solon improvement tool: detecting kinky RAM activity. This watercraft triggers when an app is using writer than a foreordained tier of RAM, which would largo downcast resources and could be indicatory of malware. This warning didn't trigger during my judgment, but if it totality as stated, it could be a respectable show dose and a way to abstain viruses.

WhatsApp Cleaner Frees Interval Without Erasing Individual Memories

Over one cardinal grouping use WhatsApp every day and CleanMaster deemed it honoured of its own lucre secondary within the app. The WhatsApp laborer flags accumulation in the WhatsApp retention according to filetype. I was fit to analyse images, video messages (which were occupying 340MB of interval), and strain messages and regularize inspect the files within apiece category. I rewarding that the WhatsApp Labourer slave provided such a realize analysis before deleting things that strength be special.

Another Utilities

CleanMaster also includes an SD roster detector. These game can be live with viruses or rootkits from screen devices, so it's superior that CleanMaster included a sacred means for this.

A communication security ride protects user isolation by hiding the table of messages from messaging force notifications, such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. This is a overnice lineament but duplicates a lot of functionality pioneer in the render asking direction tools.

The CM AppLock tool scans your systems for apps that you requisite to secure with a PIN code or unlock itinerary. This can be utilized in wheel with your device's primary guard settings or independently of it. Either way, it provides users with the reassurance that level if they departure their locked manoeuvre exposed, faultfinding programs containing potentially sore aggregation can solace be locked downed.

0 notes

readersforum · 5 years

Text

How I podcast

New Post has been published on http://www.readersforum.tk/how-i-podcast/

How I podcast

I’ve been podcasting in various forms for about a dozen years now. Sometimes it has been within the corporate confines of the various publications I’ve worked for and sometimes it has just been for myself. That’s the beauty of podcasting — there’s no overhead.

It can be recorded on a terrible Skype line or meticulously crafted by an army of producers. You can do it for five listeners or five million. Do a five-episode miniseries or suddenly look at the calendar one day and realize you’ve been putting up an episode a week for five years.

My current podcast, RiYL, falls into the latter category. Episode 322 just posted this weekend. That’s a lifetime in podcast years, and I’m not exaggerating when I say there’s no way the show would have lasted this long had I not assembled the proper gear.

It’s true that doing the show has been an ongoing process of refining my setup, both in terms of recording hardware and the software workflow, but the core components have been in place for a while. A number of my more successful friends have invested thousands to build home studios that sound as professional as any NPR affiliate.

For me, however, the key has always been mobility. I’ve fine-tuned a podcasting rig that sounds good, but is small enough to slip into a laptop sleeve. Leave no trace, as the saying goes.

Always keep a podcasting rig you can fit in a laptop sleeve. pic.twitter.com/BAwbHAuzKG

— Brian Heater (@bheater) January 25, 2019

The motivation dates back to the show’s humble beginnings (though, for the record, the first few episodes were done over Skype as I was still figuring things out). I realized pretty early on that getting touring artists and musicians to come to my place in Queens (with a few exceptions) was going to be a non-starter.

Piecing together a lightweight rig has given me the flexibility to meet people where they are, be it a hotel room, bar or their PR rep’s conference room. And now that I travel pretty regularly for work, it means I can easily slip the setup into a carry-on, so I can meet guests in their hometowns.

Here’s a photo of upcoming guest Hannibal Buress, recorded in my hotel room in Lagos, Nigeria. My setup is placed gingerly atop my overturned suitcase on a coffee table. He’s clearly impressed.

The other thing the setup has helped me realize is that people’s expectations for professionalism has shifted considerably in recent decades. My rig is small and simple, but various guests have commented over the years that they’re impressed. The last person who interviewed them had them speak into their iPhone.

At the very least, this is certainly better than that.

It’s not the end-all, be-all, by any stretch of the imagination. This is just what has worked for me. Over the years, I’ve had plenty of people — guests and otherwise — ask me what I use. Also, in the wake of last week’s Spotify acquisition of Anchor and Gimlet, podcasts are, once again, the hot newness. So now seemed like as good a time as any to get this all down on paper.

TASCAM DR-40 4-Track Portable Digital Recorder ($170): This was my first acquisition and the one piece of hardware I’ve held onto through the duration of the show (though for the record, I’ve purchased it twice after an unfortunate incident with a lost backpack).

Zoom and Roland also make solid multi-track recorders that will probably be interchangeable for most. The key is finding a system you like that sports dual XLR mic inputs that you can monitor on the fly. They pretty much all have built-in mics, but you’re not going to want to rely on room mics for a podcast. It sounds like crap and it’s a nightmare to edit if you’ve got more than one speaker.

Recording works like a charm. The system records each mic to a left and right channel, which it saves as a WAV file on an SD card. Just make sure the mics are placed at a sufficient distance, so you don’t pick up too much cross talk.

Of course, here you’re limited to two mics. That’s been an issue at points when entire bands have wanted to join in on the fun. The aforementioned companies do make recorders with more inputs. Those are generally larger and a lot pricier, though.

Honorable mention here goes to the Rodecaster. The board is really great at what it does. We recorded an episode of TechCrunch Original Content on the thing, with it doing guest duties and producing in real time. The recent addition of multi-track recording makes this thing an absolute killer.

It has eight channels, including multiple mic inputs, triggerable sound pads and the ability to beam someone in via phone. If I was setting up a home studio on the cheap, I would shell out for one of these, no questions asked. That said, it’s just way too large for my current needs.

Weymic New Wm57 ($10): Okay, true story. Right after I bought the TASCAM, I invested in a pair of super-cheap mics. They sounded… OK, but the presentation was lacking. One afternoon, I went to Reggie Watts’ Brooklyn apartment to record an episode. I handed him a mic. He looked it over, moved it around in his hand a bit, then slyly unplugged it and reached into a drawer behind him, grabbed a mic and popped it on.

The guy knows from microphones.

My takeaway here is that presentation is important. Looks matter, as does weight. A microphone should have some heft to it. People’s expectations have lowered with regards to what an audio setup looks like, but you need good mics if pros are going to take you seriously.

I’ve since been through various mics, and lately I’ve settled on these things. For the record, they’re a wholesale knock-off of the Shure SM57 Cardioid Dynamic Microphone — the go-to microphone for podcasters. The SM57 is the thing I assume Marc Maron and Terry Gross would talk about if they had to share an Uber Pool to Silver Lake.

The Weymic looks nearly identical and sounds great for one-tenth the price. Don’t ask me how. And hey, I’m not exactly swimming in Casper ad revenue here. Also do yourself a favor and invest in a couple of foam windscreens to cut down on sibilance. You can get a bunch in a pack for cheap.

Universal Adjustable Desk Microphone Stand Portable Foldable Tripod (Two for $15): I’m embarrassed to admit how long it took me to add these to the repertoire. Guests jostle mics a lot during long interviews, and that stuff picks up. I’ve also had a number of older guests on the show, and asking them to hold a microphone for 45 minutes to an hour is just cruel.

These, picked up from Amazon, are super-cheap and fold up into nothing, making them perfect for my laptop-sleeve constraints. The only issues are: 1) They’re not great for super-tall guests. I recently had a member of the band Health on the show and ended up sticking the stand precariously atop a pile of several books; and 2) The screws loosen themselves like crazy for some reason, so I just purchased a pair of keychain screw drivers to keep them in check.

I pair all of that with a couple of six-foot XLR mic cables ($7 a piece for Amazon basics) and some velcro ties. Those fit nicely in the outside pocket of the laptop sleeve, along with backup batteries.

Audacity/Garage Band: Sometimes you just stick with the workflow you’ve got. I should probably upgrade to Adobe Audition (maybe this article will be what motivates me) one of these days, but I’ve been using Audacity for like 10 years at this point. It’s simple and it works fine for chopping up a show. That’s my biggest complaint with a number of the free apps like Anchor — they mostly suck when it comes to editing a show.

And editing is important. It’s true that another one of the wonderful things about podcasts is they can be as long or as short as you want, but everything can benefit from a little tightening up. I also spend a lot of time adjusting levels (often on the subway ride home). And make sure to record a little room tone to get rid of ambient noise in post.

After the show is edited, I export it as a single track and import it into my show template in Garage Band. That’s where I add the music beds, outros and the like.

Podbean: A couple of friends are launching a podcast soon. They asked me who I use for hosting. Podbean is something I found early on. I’m not sure I’d recommend the service, but I’m 300+ episodes deep at this point. There are a lot of options out there, so shop around a bit. Anchor is compelling for novices, including its built-in ad-servicing (though I’m a little wary of how the Spotify acquisition will play out) and a lot of my friends swear by Libsyn for more popular shows. Heck, even SoundCloud has a decent option.

Everyone has an embedded player and the means with which to syndicate to iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, et al.

I’ve found Podbean to be a bit clunky and the service has experienced a handful of outages. That said, recent additions have streamlined the program, and they’ve added some pretty decent analytics to the backend, so it’s definitely headed in the right direction. Once uploaded, I embed that into a Tumblr post.

This week on RiYL, a frank discussion with @michaelfranti about the power of human connections and optimism in a difficult world. https://t.co/Q8Y6joNlCy #riylcast pic.twitter.com/PoVseiihWf

— Brian Heater (@bheater) February 11, 2019

Headliner: I’ve tried a number of speech visualizers for promoting the show. I found Anchor’s clunky. Wavve’s was decent, but they start charging you after your first 30-second clip. I only just started using Headliner this week, and it’s terrific. Easy to use, highly customizable and, best of all, free.

The transcriptions are okay for a free service (you’re going to have to clean them up) and the online editing tools are great. I think I’m sticking with this one for a while.

Additional shout-outs to Google Drive. The first thing I do after transferring files from my desktop is back them up here. It’s the one place where I’ve got all my files and has helped quite a bit with scheduling episodes.

YouTube is another recent experiment for me. I’ve been syndicating the show to all of the usual places, as mentioned above, but it recently occurred to me that people use the video platform to listen to audio programs. I asked a bunch of folks on Facebook and found it to be surprisingly popular. This will become increasingly important as more people purchase screen-sporting assistants like Google Home Hub and the Amazon Show. It’s a new thing for me and I’ve only got a handful of subscribers at the moment, but I’ll let you know how that goes.

I do still find myself recording remotely from time to time. Auto podcaster extraordinaire Kirsten recently introduced me to Zencastr, which is great for this purpose, recording each caller remotely and backing up those files to a server. If I’m using Skype, I go with the old standby, Ecamm’s Call Recorder, to record locally.

I’ve also become attached to Blue’s Raspberry USB mic for this purpose. It’s adorable and tiny, so you can stash it in a backpack for travel. It’s not the best-sounding mic, but it’s good for its size and it sounds a hell of a lot better than the company’s Yeti Nano. Rode’s got a company of models with optional windscreens I’ve been meaning to check out as well, but I’ve heard good things.

If you’re hip to any new tools you think I should check out, hit me up on Twitter at @bheater. I’m always looking for ways to step up my game.

0 notes

toomanysinks · 5 years

Text

How I podcast

For me, however, the key has always been mobility. I’ve fine-tuned a podcasting rig that sounds good, but is small enough to slip into a laptop sleeve. Leave no trace, as the saying goes.

Always keep a podcasting rig you can fit in a laptop sleeve. pic.twitter.com/BAwbHAuzKG

— Brian Heater (@bheater) January 25, 2019

Here’s a photo of upcoming guest Hannibal Buress, recorded in my hotel room in Lagos, Nigeria. My setup is placed gingerly atop my overturned suitcase on a coffee table. He’s clearly impressed.

At the very least, this is certainly better than that.

The guy knows from microphones.

After the show is edited, I export it as a single track and import it into my show template in Garage Band. That’s where I add the music beds, outros and the like.

Everyone has an embedded player and the means with which to syndicate to iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, et al.

This week on RiYL, a frank discussion with @michaelfranti about the power of human connections and optimism in a difficult world. https://t.co/Q8Y6joNlCy #riylcast pic.twitter.com/PoVseiihWf

— Brian Heater (@bheater) February 11, 2019

The transcriptions are okay for a free service (you’re going to have to clean them up) and the online editing tools are great. I think I’m sticking with this one for a while.

If you’re hip to any new tools you think I should check out, hit me up on Twitter at @bheater. I’m always looking for ways to step up my game.

source https://techcrunch.com/2019/02/12/how-i-podcast/

0 notes

fmservers · 5 years

Text

How I podcast

For me, however, the key has always been mobility. I’ve fine-tuned a podcasting rig that sounds good, but is small enough to slip into a laptop sleeve. Leave no trace, as the saying goes.

Always keep a podcasting rig you can fit in a laptop sleeve. pic.twitter.com/BAwbHAuzKG

— Brian Heater (@bheater) January 25, 2019

Here’s a photo of upcoming guest Hannibal Buress, recorded in my hotel room in Lagos, Nigeria. My setup is placed gingerly atop my overturned suitcase on a coffee table. He’s clearly impressed.

At the very least, this is certainly better than that.

The guy knows from microphones.

After the show is edited, I export it as a single track and import it into my show template in Garage Band. That’s where I add the music beds, outros and the like.

Everyone has an embedded player and the means with which to syndicate to iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, et al.

This week on RiYL, a frank discussion with @michaelfranti about the power of human connections and optimism in a difficult world. https://t.co/Q8Y6joNlCy #riylcast pic.twitter.com/PoVseiihWf

— Brian Heater (@bheater) February 11, 2019

The transcriptions are okay for a free service (you’re going to have to clean them up) and the online editing tools are great. I think I’m sticking with this one for a while.

If you’re hip to any new tools you think I should check out, hit me up on Twitter at @bheater. I’m always looking for ways to step up my game.

Via Brian Heater https://techcrunch.com

#TechCrunch

0 notes

lorrainecparker · 6 years

Text

Hands on with the Sony RX0

Last month at Sony Pictures Studios on Stage 23, I was given a few hours to play around with the recently released Sony RX0, priced at $700. There were two pre-lit scenes available to film and photograph, along with a person-sized circular podium to highlight the slow-mo capabilities of the RX0 by spinning it around the podium as quickly as possible on a sort of selfie stick. The footage was reminiscent of the comedian intros from Ari Shaffir’s This is Not Happening.

The first thing I did was pull out my Sony X3000 Action Cam and compare sizes. The RX0 is more GoPro-like in size and shape than its Action Cam brother, but constructed out of aircraft-grade aluminium instead of plastic. The front of the camera is optical glass instead of something like Gorilla Glass, meaning that while the camera body can take a 10ft fall just fine, the glass will absolutely shatter. While Sony has made it easy to replace via removal of the 4 front screws, replacement glass will run you an eye-popping $100 each. I can see people finding similar-thickness plastic sheets and cutting them down to size rather than replacing the front.

I was personally relieved to find the bottom of the camera has a standard ¼” screw hole, just like the X3000, which allows for mounting on standard camera mounts, mono or tripods, cinearms, etc. I hate the GoPro’s proprietary mount, but that’s just me. The camera is also waterproof down to 33ft/10m.

The immediate comparisons with Sony’s Action Cam line kind of ends there. As Sony themselves have stated, this is not an advancement of that line. Instead, it’s more or less a miniaturization of the CyberShot series, specifically the RX100V. This camera shares its 1” sensor, menu design, and many of the same features with that product.

In that vein, this is not a “set it and forget it” style camera as the body size would suggest. You’re going to need to adjust your settings as you would with any camera for the best results in any given shooting situation. While rather tiny, the menu is extensive enough to offer full control of your image without taking up 18 pages. The button layout is intuitive with a standard complement of up/down, left/right, select, and menu buttons. The only thing that wasn’t obvious was the fact that you have to hit “left” when outside the menu to change shooting modes. Here I was hitting “right” over and over, thinking either direction would offer that functionality. After talking to some of the other people at the event, I discovered that was a common hiccup.

Like many cameras, the RX0 comes with auto modes for photo and video, but just like those cameras, the results can be hit or miss. Due to the 24mm equivalent f/4 lens, in a dark situation you’re either boosting ISO or lowering shutter speed. From my experience neither offered an ideal result. However, when shooting the pre-lit scenes, the photos looked great with the video just looking above-average. By comparison, the X3000 & RX100V have f/2.8 & f/1.8-2.8 aperture lenses respectively.

Interestingly, the video modes use the full 1” sensor whereas the photo modes use a smaller section. I shot the photos shown below in JPEG+RAW but was unable to edit the RAW images in Photoshop when I got home, for whatever reason. After updating to the most recent version, neither Bridge nor Photoshop could read the RX0’s .ARW files, so I’m assuming there’s an update on the horizon. I’m potentially doing something wrong, but I don’t know what that could be. I wasn’t able to convert the ARW file to something more universal like DNG either, using Adobe’s conversion tool.

[unedited jpegs straight out of the RX0] It was at this point that I found myself having trouble pinning down what this camera was for. The X3000 is a great action cam due to its ease of use, wide FOV, BOSS Optical Image Stabilization, and can be trusted to get the shot even in surprisingly dark scenes (even better than the GoPro, which isn’t saying much). The RX100V is a great pocket camera utilizing a tried-and-true sensor pedigree, great functionality, and reasonable size. Imagine buying an RX100 but the screen is 2” and you have to make all your adjustments in menus. A little annoying, right? While you can set custom functions to the buttons easing some of that discomfort, judging focus is near impossible, and so much of the screen is taken up by information readouts that you’re really only able to use it for framing. In essence, the RX0 is either a difficult to use RX100V or an over-complicated X3000 with a nicer sensor. So where does the RX0 succeed? Well, the half-press to focus (a feature on every camera save action cams) was a welcome surprise. While it can only record 1080p internally, it can do so up to an impressive 960fps which is pretty uncommon and oft-asked for feature. If you want 4K (UHD) you can attach it to a recorder via HDMI, but then its form factor becomes sort of a moot point and it can’t do high frame rates at that size anyway. To be fair, I never shoot in 4K so that wouldn’t bother me too much. It also shoots to common MicroSD cards instead of something proprietary, which is a big plus, and does so in standard formats like AVCHD, MP4 and Sony’s own XAVC-S codec. Additionally, it has Slog2, which for professional video is basically a requirement.

Amusingly, among photo profiles like “Vivid” and “Neutral” there’s “Autumn Leaves” which I’ve never seen before and is such a specific thing to program in that I’m not entirely sure who thought we needed that, but there it is.

Just like the X3000, the PlayMemories Mobile app is easy to use and works with little to no fuss. Even with (let’s say) 30 to 50 different RX0s all in play at once in the studio, mine never lost connection. At worst it was a little choppy, which may just be the result of my beta Android firmware. Unlike the X3000, I was unable to transfer video to my phone via the app (photo worked just fine), but I was told that functionality would be available soon. Putting the RX0’s SD card in my X3000, I was able to kick the videos over to my phone without issue. While the UI is a little bland, the PlayMemories app absolutely destroys whatever GoPro is calling its current iteration and all previous versions. It’s actually nice to use, and one of the best things I can say about it is that it just works. That means a lot.

This isn’t a bad camera, just a confusing one. I’ve come to the conclusion that Sony has made this for multi-cam situations and crash cams, as evidenced by the ability to control up to 5 cameras with the app alone and by some of their literature. A multi-camear “bullet time” demonstration was quietly going on at one of the scenes. I’d guess they’re also aiming at the 360 Video market (NOT to be confused with VR because they are not the same thing) as people are using A7s’ and RX100s for this as we speak.

All things considered, if you’re in that sort of crash cam situation or the small form-factor and the ability to adjust settings for specific shooting scenarios is required, this might be a good camera to look at. If you’re in a cinema scenario and have the time to dial in settings, then it would be a decent choice. However, in most situations, it’s really not a replacement for your GoPro. Aside from not being very wide-angle, you can’t strap the RX0 to your Snowboard helmet and just start riding due to all the aforementioned menu-fuddling in the same way you can’t just turn on a FS700 and just start shooting. If you’re thinking this will replace your GoPro, you’re going to have a bad time.

The post Hands on with the Sony RX0 appeared first on ProVideo Coalition.

First Found At: Hands on with the Sony RX0

#viddy find

0 notes

travelure · 6 years

Text

Western Digital (WD) approached me to do a review for their new product – WD My Passport Wireless Pro for Travel Photographers. So I decided to carry it during my recent trip to Kullu for Dussehra and test it out in the field. Here is my review.

WD My Passport Wireless Pro for Travel Photographers

Let me rewind a bit. Before I take you to Kullu, allow me to quickly recap what WD had shared with us about the product during their launch event in Mumbai.

To begin with, it is a wireless storage product (available in 1/2/3/4TB size). But then, it isn’t just any conventional storage product. There is more to it. It has a USB port and an SD Card slot. Through these, you may directly transfer the images from your SD card (or even your CF card using a card reader) to the device, after configuration. Hence, technically, it eliminates the need to carry a laptop for transfers.

Gods’ own get-together at Kullu Dussehra

The device has a streaming capability. So, all the transferred images/videos may be directly streamed to any compatible screening device (monitors/tablets/smartphones/TVs). This is one of the ways you may review what you shot.

Now, streaming needs power. They claim that this device has a heavy-duty battery that has enough juice to allow continual streaming for up to 10 hours (I haven’t tested it, because I don’t do streaming. I shoot only stills. And till I process my stills, they are not for others’ eyes.).

And since it has a heavy-duty battery, it may also be used as a power bank to charge other devices if they run out of juice in the field. For detailed specs, please click HERE.

Naatis being given balloons to release before they start their dance!

Claims vs. Proof

As a travel photographer, I invest a lot in my photo trips. Naturally, I view the product claims with a certain amount of skepticism. And, I look for proof.

WD sent a device to me just before I was to leave for my Kullu trip. Driven by caution, while I carried the device for my trip, I chose to anyway carry my laptop, just in case.

Polka dots in the sky – Kullu Dussehra

After the initial setup, I powered on the device and inserted an SD card in its card slot. The transfer worked like a charm. My SD card (SanDisk Extreme Pro 64GB) had about 6.7GB of images and those got transferred in around 3.5 minutes. Then, I tried the transfer with my CF card through a card reader (SanDisk Extreme Pro 64GB) had around 2.2GB of images and those got transferred in around 90 seconds. Not bad at all!

Pro Tip #1: Data Transfer

Ensure when you transfer that the 4 LED lights (see the red circle in the image below) light up one after the other as transfer progresses. Each light signifies a 25% transfer.

Reviewing your images

As a travel photographer, my next step after transferring files would obviously be reviewing them. This is when I got niggled. According to WD, as an iOS user, I could make use of my existing Adobe Creative Cloud (Adobe CC) subscription and could review my files. All it would mean is wirelessly transferring those images to the cloud (see steps below on how to do this transfer using an iPhone/iPad).

What I had failed to anticipate was that this transfer of raw files would take pretty long if it had to be done wirelessly. And, unless I had shot both, raw and JPGs, reviewing was not really an option while I am on the move in the field.

Many of my professional photographer friends already shoot both, raw + JPGs. For them, it would be easier to review files in the field. But, since I don’t, it would surely entail a workflow alteration for me. So, in Kullu, I had to resort to reviewing the images on my laptop.

Subsequently, upon my return, I tried the review functionality. And voila! I could straightaway see my all my transferred JPGs from a different card on my iPhone instantly (sure, I couldn’t view my raw files till I followed the above-described procedure to transfer my raw files to Adobe CC). So, after all, I actually can go around without my laptop and still review my images while on the field! Have a look at the review screen grabs below:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Pro Tip #2: Data Security

Before you connect to the device with your smartphone/tablet through one of its two radios (the 2.4 GHz one or the 5.0 GHz one), download the ‘My Cloud’ app (available for both – Android as well as iOS devices). Once you are connected, open ‘My Cloud’ and navigate as follows:

Settings>MyPassport>Wi-Fi

Here, while you are connected to the drive’s Wi-Fi through one of its two radios, you could also choose to connect yourself to the external Wi-Fi connection (to share files or to stream stuff).

Once you are in that state (i.e. connected to both – the device Wi-Fi as well as your external Wi-Fi), the entire data in your drive is accessible to anyone who is on the same external Wi-Fi network.

To secure your data from others (so it remains accessible only to you), you need to click on ⓘ in front of you’re your network name (see screenshot below) and then uncheck the ‘Share content’ setting. That will secure your data from the prying eyes of Peeping Toms on your network.

Wireless vs. Connected Drive

As a connected dumb hard drive (when you connect it to your laptop with a USB cable), there is another thing you need to know.

Pro Tip #3: Device Wi-Fi

Once connected to your laptop, its default setting is to turn off the wireless radios (no more Wi-Fi for the device). But there is a drive lock setting that overrides it. Use it so it stays attached to a network (see the screen grab below).

Anything else?

Another thing to remember is that it is a conventional hard drive with a spinning magnetic drive inside. While it is portable, keep it on a stable surface when you are doing data transfer. Additionally, it helped me when my phone ran out of juice and worked well as a power bank.

What’s my take?

It is a helpful device for transferring your images and emptying out your memory cards. But keep an eye out for transfers. Ensure everything has well and truly got transferred (refer Pro Tip #1: Data Transfer). If you do that, it really eliminates the need to carry laptop out to the field.

I need to change my workflow to shoot raw + JPGs. And then, I totally can work in the field without my laptop.

Don’t look at me for streaming. I don’t stream.

Watch out for peeping Toms on your network. Ensure that you’ve followed the Pro Tip #2 (Data Security).

Refer to this post for help. The current WD manuals are kinda technical (though they have promised to edit those to make them ‘just right’ for creative blokes like us).

For the claims made vs. the actual performance, I’d rate this device a 4 on a 5-point scale.

Mandatory Disclaimer:

While I have been remunerated for doing this review, it is, well, truly a review. The views expressed are totally unbiased and uninfluenced. And, the testing has been rigorous.

Too much gear? Want to leave some back home? If yes, then check out: WD My Passport Wireless Pro For Travel Photographers Western Digital (WD) approached me to do a review for their new product – WD My Passport Wireless Pro for Travel Photographers.

#Data Storage on the move #Photo Storage Device #Travel Photographer Storage Device #WD My Passport Wireless Pro #Western Digital #Wireless Hard Drive #Wireless Storage Device

0 notes

josephlrushing · 4 years

Text

Nine Months with Samsung Galaxy Note 10: My 12 Favorite Things

We recently recounted our six-month experiences with the Google Pixel 4/4XL, and if you took even a brief at my sections, you would see that ‘disappointed’ doesn’t begin to describe my take. My problems had very little to do with Android, as I have had another device that more than met my needs over the same period, so I wanted to highlight some of the coolest features of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus (or 10+, I tend to use them interchangeably).

As reviews from release noted, this phone delivers: from gorgeous screen to great speed and multitasking to excellent cameras to massive battery life, the Note 10+ promised a great deal. But so often those early reviews fail to capture the reality of long-term use. Now nine months later, I wanted to step through why I would rate this device as one of the best I have ever owned.

I wrote about the announcement and release of the Note 10 phones, but never got into my impressions. One thing I have always loved about the folks at Gear Diary is that while we all love the cool new toys, there is also the element of ‘let’s wait until it gets boring and see if we STILL like it’! I feel that came through in the Pixel group-review with the excellent variety of opinions, and it is what I am trying to bring to this list of favorite things about the Note 10 Plus. Every day I grab it out of my bag and drop it on my desk and just pick it up for any number of reasons throughout the day, no longer thinking ‘oh this is cool’ – until now. So let’s get right to it.

1. Screen – I have been thrilled about how Samsung has packed larger and more vibrant screens into pretty much the same frame since the Note 8. The Note 9 was great, and yet the Note 10+ is enough of an upgrade that I had no qualms about upgrading just a year later. The 6.8″ OLED panel dominates the entire device in an incredibly efficient way that makes every bit of glass something of value. The screen is very bright and crisp regardless of whether you change settings to maximize performance or battery life or balance both. It is without question the most gorgeous screen I have ever used.

2. Edge Panels – the Edge display seems to be divisive, but among Note fans such as myself, it is adored. The Samsung Edge pioneered using curved glass combined with a touchscreen at the edge of the device to give you a couple of millimeters to add ‘handles’ to pull out feature menus. At first, it was finicky and slow, but now these are fast, flexible, and they allow you to layer multiple feature menus. I have mine set up with three menus – one for quick-access apps, another for system utilities, and the last for a compass and level.

3. Cameras – if you had asked me to name the weak spot of previous Note devices, it would have been the cameras. They have always been good – just never competitive. With the Note 9 we got a good rear camera set, but the front camera was weak and got distorted very easily. Now we have a camera set that is competitive with the best from Apple, Google, and others on both the front and rear. The wide-angle camera will naturally distort the edges of an image unless correction is used – and the correction for wide-angle, portrait mode, and low light situations all work well. And while I wouldn’t say the Note 10 Plus offers the best current smartphone camera, neither did I ever see a reason to use either the Pixel 4 or iPhone 11 Pro instead.

4. DeX / PC Link – for years we had to connect our phones to our computers in order to transfer information such as images or music. Now our phones are so powerful that the screen is the limiting factor. Samsung’s DeX offers a USB-C conduit that runs apps on your phone and uses your computer display to view things. This can allow you to do simple things like typing text messages on your computer keyboard, or get better access to smartphone-only apps. At first, I thought it was a gimmick (especially on the Galaxy Tab 4 and 6), but now it is something I use almost every day!

5. S-Pen – in my opinion, there is no need for the Note without the S-Pen at this point. There are plenty of large screen, large battery phones with expandable storage, and while the Note always gets the latest and greatest new hardware, it is still the S-Pen that sets it apart. Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen the S-Pen go from a simple stylus to a paired controller to an active part of the device. You get sensitive positional recognition, button presses for control, and now air gestures for even more control. And while the utility of each of these features varies, the core stylus functionality has been refined and improved with each iteration and remains a key differentiating factor.

6. Performance – anyone who has ever built their own computer can tell you there is more to performance than just the CPU, and that is certainly true with smartphones as well. Not to keep picking on the Pixel 4, but it uses the same Snapdragon 855 SoC as the Note 10+ and putting them side-by-side you’d think the Pixel used a mid-range 7-series Snapdragon! Samsung has always had great strength in putting together excellent hardware (that used to be hampered with lousy software), and the Note 10+ continues that with stellar performance that blows away the already top-performing Note 9. I am sure the generous 12GB of RAM helps in terms of giving apps and the system extra breathing room, but before that could matter the company would have to get the fundamentals right – and they did. Months later, the Note 10+ still feels just as fresh as when it was brand new.

7. Battery Life – rounding out what I call the ‘Four Horsemen of the Note series’ aside from display, S-pen and performance, we have battery life. The Note 10+ has given me two-day battery life since I got it, which in practice meant that I seldom end the day with less than 50% power remaining. Even on days when I use the Note 10+ constantly from before dawn until late at night, I have never managed to get the phone under 30% battery in a single day.

8. Sound (Dolby Atmos) – paired up with stunning visuals and performance, the Note 10+ has a great audio system whether you are using headphones or listening through the stereo speakers. In the past, I found the Note series to have mediocre sound, but the Note 10+ has both hardware and software that deliver great sound for music, video, and games. The size of the body provides a resonant quality, and while the phone volume is loud it never loses clarity. The Note 10+ includes a Dolby Atmos software sound enhancement system which lets you customize the response. And suddenly the audio in the Note series is at least as good as any other flagship device.

9. Handwriting to Text – one of my all-time favorite gadgets was the Apple Newton MessagePad 2000, and I fell in love with its ability to deal with my sloppy penmanship. It might seem like a small thing, but as someone who uses the S-Pen every day, I love the ability to quickly jot down notes and then choose later if it is something I need to transcribe or just leave it as written text. Once you have transcribed your notes, they are traditional digital text that you can use the same way as any other text on your device.

10. Super-fast 45W charging – I have two wireless chargers – one at home and at work. Each is hooked to a high capacity charger, so I can easily unplug the wireless charger and get the Note 10+ charged up very quickly. Of course, because of the mammoth battery that is something I have only ever done a few times, but it is a great option to have.

11. Size & Weight – to put it into context, the Galaxy Note 10 Plus is roughly the same size as the Google Pixel 4XL in terms of dimensions and weight, but the screen is a half-inch larger on the Note 10+ due to lack of bezels and better space utilization. The Note series is the original ‘phablet’ and as such it is bound to be large, but now we are seeing it offer a huge screen, big battery, lots of cameras and S-Pen … all in a competitively sized package.

12. Expandable Storage – not long ago, SD card support was an iOS vs. Android differentiation. Now many Android phones (such as the Pixel and various Huawei devices) exclude expandable storage support – and while this is less of an issue as we move to more streaming and cloud support, the ability to have files on your SD card for access remains very useful in a number of settings. Since I use my Note 10+ for a variety of work functions, I have appreciated the quick access to encrypted files directly on my phone.

13. Customization – one of the key advantages of Android, in general, is the broad customization available in terms of launchers, defaults, and pretty much everything else. Samsung expands upon this in nearly every way. The notification menu has been tweaked for better quick access control, the S-pen control shortcuts all over the screen, side panels, customization and quick access in settings menus and so many more – whenever I want to do something I fend there are at least two or three ways to do it, each of which is more or less efficient depending on what I am currently doing, and often what you are doing is tunneling into the main settings controls through an app-specific setting. Contrast this with iOS where you need to access every setting through the settings app regardless of your current action.

In terms of negatives, things that typically come up are slower updates, the fingerprint reader, and the lack of a headphone jack. In terms of major OS updates, Samsung has definitely improved, with my Note 10+ getting the update by the end of 2019. But that is still nearly three months after the launch of the Pixel 4, and while Samsung’s own OneUI updates bridged the gap considerably, there is obviously further to go. In terms of the monthly updates, Samsung has been amazing – my Note 10+ has gotten updated before the Pixel 4 at least half the time over recent months (including the May update!), so I have no complaints there.

My fingerprints have always been an ‘easy read’, and I have never struggled with any reader (except the Note 8 where I constantly put my finger on the camera lens!), but I have still been impressed with the Note 10+ in-display reader. At first, it seemed a bit slow, but over the months it has become nearly instantaneous at recognizing me and unlocking the phone. As for the headphone jack, this was the subject of many heated debates when the Note 10+ was announced. On a phone as large as the Note it seems like a headphone jack would fit easily, but given the increase in the battery capacity took additional space, for me it was an easy trade. Then again, given that none of my current phones (Note 10+, Pixel 4, iPhone 11Pro) have headphone jacks, I have already adjusted to using either USB-C/Lightning cabled or Bluetooth earbuds.

I am not typically someone who uses a phone for more than 6 months – I’m more someone who will put a relatively new smartphone into pure ‘backup device’ mode while waiting for the ‘next great thing’ — to have a device still totally captivate me after nine months of daily use is unprecedented. But the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ ticks so many key boxes for me – performance, multitasking, screen, optimized size, S-pen, and so on – that I have never found myself itching for a change. Sure I have used other phones – the Pixel is just inferior in every way so was easily put into ‘for reference use only’ mode; the iPhone fits into my personal life, although it lacks many of the professional tools I rely on every day. But since launch day 2019, the Note 10+ has been in my pocket, on my desk, hooked to my laptop, and otherwise my constant companion.

from Joseph Rushing https://geardiary.com/2020/05/13/nine-months-with-samsung-galaxy-note-10-my-12-favorite-things/

0 notes

podcastcoach · 7 years

Text

Sound Devices MixPre-3 Review

Full show notes can be seen at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/580

Why Keeping It Simple is a Good idea

I do a show every Saturday call Ask the Podcast Coach with Jim Collison from theaverageguy.tv and at one point I decided to connect with Jim over Google hangouts, as well as have a Call In Number for the phone. I had to send a mix to Jim that had myself and the caller (but not Jim) while sending a mix to the caller than had myself and Jim (but not the caller). For those up on the lingo, I had to configure two mix minuses. I needed a mixer with two auxiliary outs. I found the Behringer X1832. It did the job well. I had a ton of extra channels, and effects that I never used.

Then we switched and instead of using a phone (using CallinStudio.com) we went to a chat window to take questions. This was simple and free (using chatwing.com) . So now I have a giant mixer taking up half my desk, and I was looking for an alternative. I have a Yamaha MG102c Mixer (which has been replaced by the MG10XU) that would do the job. For whatever reason, I just didn't like it. It seemed like I had to crank everything up to the max. It still had a clean sound, but it seemed like I really had to push everything. I realize this is stupid (cause you should vote with your ears, not your eyes) but I've been hesitant to go back to it.

The Other Problem with Recording Levels

I use a Zoom H5. A great device with a giant screen. However, due to the way the studio is setup with the majority of the light coming in from Behind the Zoom H5 I cant' really get a clear reading. While there are lights to let me know when things are peaking, I tend to feel those are too sensitive.

Then I heard about the Sound Devices MixPre-3. This might solve all my problems.

Bad Time for a Product Review

I received the Sound Devices MixPre-3 this week. It's horrible timing as I'm getting ready to run off to Podcast Movement, and I'm busy packing, buying Dramamine, recording podcasts and won't have time to do a super deep dive. So here is what I want it to do:

Power my Electrovocie RE320 without a ton of his

I want to do a mix minus for when I do shows with a co-host via skype or Google hangouts

I want to plugin my ipad to play sound effects.

First Impressions Of the Mix Pre-3

WOW IS THIS THING SMALL. I have an iPhone 6s, and it might be an inch wider, but it is the size of an iPhone on steroids. VERY COOL.

At first, I was worried about the touchscreen display. But the display is super clear, and you can adjust the brightness. I had no problems reading it. I was worried about the touchscreen is small. That didn't seem to be an issue (I'm a guitar player with long fingers and not very fat).

I almost didn't need the manual. I plugged in a microphone, hit record and was up and running.

Using it as an Interface - WHY AM I DRUNK?

I went into Hindenburg Journalist and did a recording. it was nice and clear, but I sounded slightly drunk as my voice was lower (as if the sound had been slowed down). I launched Adobe Audition and got the same issue. Hmmm.

As I'm on a PC, I right-clicked on the Speaker in the bottom right-hand corner of my screen and went to the Properties of the Mix Pre-3. I had to set the recording and playback to 2 channel 24 bit, 48K. This solved the issue, and everything sounded fine.

How Do I Setup a Mix Minus?

I was able to set the input of Channel 2 to USB-1, and I could now hear my Skype caller. I was on Channel 3, and life was good. How do I go about making sure that the sound of the caller does not go back to the caller? I look at the output, and all the output routing is for the stereo out mix. Where do I adjust what goes back to the caller? I looked, and looked, and headed to YouTube. They have a video on the Sound Devices website, but they just said, "Set the input and out to the MixPre-3. My thought was, Yeah, but then what.

Finally, I saw a video that explained you can't route what is going back to the USB output, and that you don't need to setup a mix minus, as IT JUST DOES IT. Well, that's cool. I'm definitely stopping by their booth at Podcast Movement and asking some questions about this as (and this is important) I'm not sure I'm 100% right on that.

If I wanted to use the Stereo Output jack into another USB device (in my case I use a Griffin imic) than I could get into more advanced setups.

What Would I Fix About it?

The On/Off switch is placed in a not so great spot, but then again because this thing is so tiny, any place you put the switch it's going to be right on top of something.

It seems like having the SD card behind the battery pack is a bad idea. However, when I push a button and turn on file transfer, it was super fast to copy the files from the device to my computer.

I originally was somewhat bummed that it doesn't have a "Marker" feature, but using the wingman app (free) I can lookup and see what time the boo-boo happened and make a mental note. Not as cool as a marker (especially if you wanted to pass your audio to someone else), but it's a hack for the lack of marker.

While I would almost always be using USB to power the unit, I think charging $40 for an AC power adapter (not included) is BS.

If they didn't have the wingman app (which is very cool) trying to rename something would be a joke. I love that I downloaded the app, and it just connected.

So the short answer of what would I change? - Not almost nothing.

What About the Price?

The price for the unit Pre-3 Unit is $699, the Pre-6 is $899, and the price of the adapter (AC) is $40.

Sound Devices MixPre-3 Audio Recorder/Mixer and USB Audio Interface

Sound Devices MixPre-6 Audio Recorder/Mixer and USB Audio Interface

Sound Devices MX-Charge AC Power Supply for MixPre-3 and MixPre-6

Who Should Buy This?

Someone who is going to be traveling alot, and wants to create great audio without having to worry (too much) about breaking the unit.

The person wouldn't use the built-in microphones of a Zoom H5, and will always be traveling with a mic to record, and headphones to listen.

Someone who has a small space, and they don't want their kids messing with a mixer. These units allow you to create presets, so you can fire up the unit press a button and everything is set. Also, it is super easy to plug stuff in.

The person who understands that any tweaking of sound (more bass, treble,) will be done later in post production (where a mixer allows you to add it while you record)

Fun Things To Check Out

Mike Russel's YouTube Channel (AMAZING ADOBE AUDITION TUTORIALS

Answer the Public - Interesting keyword/question tool (don't use the visualization view)

Zoom H6 Course - Want to get the most out of your H6? Check out this course from my friend Daniel J. Lewis

This video show an insane test on which device has the best preamps

Check out this episode!

#podcasting #podcast #coaching #new media

0 notes

bestnewsmag-blog · 7 years

Text

New Post has been published on Bestnewsmag

New Post has been published on https://bestnewsmag.com/how-to-transfer-itunes-music-to-android/

How to transfer iTunes music to Android

When you have simply moved from an iPhone or iPad to and Android cell phone or pill, you may have transferred the tune for your music iTunes music library transfer that

you need to have with your new tool. You could either reproduction the track without delay with a cable or upload songs to Google Play track making them available to circulation to any tool without taking up garage. If you move for the primary technique, the technique is fairly easy due to the fact Android gadgets can be used similarly to a USB stick. You’ll want your smartphone or pill’s USB cable for this. You may also – if you like – set a song as a ringtone on Android. Transfer iTunes tune to Android with a cable First, plug your Android smartphone (or tablet) into your Computer. You can need to tell the telephone to perform in MTP mode for moving files. Every tool is exceptional, however, something needs to pop up whilst it’s miles connected to a Laptop. Android MTP mode Subsequent, open a Document Explorer window (Windows key + E) on your computer and navigate to the track folder to your smartphone or pill. In this example the region is: This Computer > Chris’ G2 > Internal garage > tune. If your cell phone or pill has an SD card and also you need to place the track there, then You could locate it appears as a separate force under ‘This Laptop’. Android music folder Go away this window open prepared to transport your music. Open some other Record Explorer window and find your iTunes tune library. Via default that is observed in: This Laptop > music > iTunes > iTunes Media > tune. Itunes tune folder With the 2 Home, windows open Next to Each different for your computing device definitely drag and drop the music you want to Switch for your Android device. You can pick out unique folders or just flow the whole lot If you have enough free storage space on your tool.

What You Need To Know About The iTunes Gift Card

iTunes

To begin with, while the iTunes present card becomes being designed, it turned into meant to provide humans the present of a track. To get the card you have got to buy it from apple and deliver it to a person that you love. Much like some other card, the cardboard functions a chain of numbers and letters. To redeem it you need to insert the colors to your apple account and buy the product you’re interested in. As referred to, the cardboard was meant that will help you revel in your preferred track however with the approaching of the App store, there are numerous things you may buy from the store. Further to being attentive to tune, you may also watch motion pictures, download apps, video games, films, books, Television collection, and plenty of other matters.

Approaches to getting the card

The apparent manner of getting the card is shopping for it from apple. there are many cards going at exclusive expenses and all you need to do is select the one that you want. you could additionally get the cardboard out of your favorite stores. For example, eBay, PayPal, and other organizations have provided the playing cards earlier than as a manner of appreciating their clients. you may also get the card from taking surveys. Survey groups will ask you to reply some of the questions after that you are given the cardboard that you could use to purchase any of your favorite merchandise.

Guidelines to do not forget while the usage of the gift card

If you are buying the card from apple, make sure that you move for the discounted one. That is to spend less at the same time as shopping for many objects. There are some 1/3 parties with the intention to strive to promote you or supplying you with the cardboard codes. while some of the 1/3 events are reputable, there are others with the intention to provide you with codes so as to harm your device. To keep away from harm to your device you need to be careful whilst interacting with those websites.

If you’re like me, you’re accessible looking for Ways on how to make the maximum of your card. while making the acquisition, usually pass for products with offers. You ought to also be searching for unfastened objects. these can be movies, music, games or whatever else. While you are on the App save, first download the unfastened merchandise.

whilst making the acquisition, constantly read the quality print. You should word that there’s a distinction between an iTunes gift card and an Apple shop gift card. The iTunes present card will help you play songs, films, apps, and different matters but an Apple shop gift card will let you simplest purchase phones, Apple computer systems, and other gadgets out of your ordinary brick and mortar apple shops. Which means that shopping for the wrong card could result in an unsightly enjoy. If buying for a chum, you may ask them what they would like to buy.

You must be aware that a number of the cards include an expiry date. In case you do not exhaust the quantity of credit score in the card earlier than the expiry date, the credit will literary evaporate.

Arts and Entertainment: Music Article Category

music

Ten Classic Albums With Unappealing Titles with the aid of Doug Poe One of the maximum enduring opportunity rock bands is ready to release a new album this year, and a single has already been streaming. The music is referred to as “Looks like Summer season,” but the men in Weezer have not begun to show the name of the drawing close album. Chances are the new file can be released without a identify, just like most of the institution’s LPs. Guitar Accessories through Amanda J Hales What are the necessities whilst you are starting out on the guitar? Do you actually need to shop for the entirety in sight or are only some matters have to haves? Considering Taking up Guitar? via Amanda J Hales There is no set age wherein you need to start to examine the guitar. Young or vintage, the guitar can give you years of satisfaction, in case you are inclined to put inside the paintings. First-rate 16 Songs From Procol Harum with the aid of Doug Poe This time the information virtually become about the band, in contrast to the incorrect information my mom related to me approximately six months in the past. She had called to tell me that some Islamic extremists had adopted the name of One of the bands I used to pay attention to, Procol Harum. Locating that statistics hard to agree with, I without delay scanned the Internet, relieved to find that mom had misheard the news story. Grammys 2017: Reluctant Winners, Unsigned Heroes And Powerful Protests by way of Oludotun Oyebolu Let’s communicate Grammys. One of the most important nights in music, it usually has promised controversies, shock, and a typical excellent time. This year become no exclusive, seeing Adele take domestic all five of the Grammys she became nominated for, including the Fine file for Hiya and Fine Album for 25. Present day Musicians by way of Dawson H Tucker Are there any appropriate Present day musicians left within the international? Is all tune just about shaking butts, taking shots and one night stands? Nicely, the answer is a convincing… track Titles That Use Animal Cliches by using Doug Poe which include “sturdy as an ox” or “busy as a beaver.” After the display I came up with a list of songs with titles based totally on animal cliches, and right here are eleven of the Excellent.

transfer

5 Horses Made Well-known Via song Titles via Doug Poe As a Language Arts teacher for thirty years in addition to a track enthusiast on account that beginning, I have a twofold cause for cheering on one precise horse on this yr’s Kentucky Derby. His call is not only similar to Classic paintings of literature, but it is also the identity of a tune through a veteran indie rock band. While that historical race commences on Saturday, May additionally 6, I can be pulling for Iliad. What Makes a Hip Hop track Hit Worth? And How can you Apply This Concept to your Very own Songs? via Brian Griffith This article discusses what makes a Hip Hop song Hit Worth to the masses and what substances are washed and usually found in catchy Hip Hop songs. some guidelines are given on a way to file a catchy & Hit Worth track in your home recording studio. The term “Hit Worth” in this text method a song that has all of the factors & appeals of charter Hit songs with simplest a sturdy advertising campaign had to go from Hit Worth to Hit song. 5 recommendations for Rappers and Singers Whilst Seeking out and Shopping Instrumentals/Beats Online by using Brian Griffith tips for Rappers and Singers When Seeking out and Buying instrumentals/beats Online. 1. As the track is relative to the flavor and choice of the person listener then we can anticipate which you have determined beats which you as an artist, like in your style or songs. Cellular Apps: Assisting the tune Industry to Discover New Horizons by means of Rob Stephen this article objectives at emphasizing on a capacity of Mobile apps in the stimulating boom of the tune Enterprise. Alike any other Enterprise, the sector of a tune has won momentum with the upsurge of Mobile apps.

0 notes

readersforum · 5 years

Text

How I podcast

New Post has been published on http://www.readersforum.tk/how-i-podcast-2/

How I podcast

For me, however, the key has always been mobility. I’ve fine-tuned a podcasting rig that sounds good, but is small enough to slip into a laptop sleeve. Leave no trace, as the saying goes.

Always keep a podcasting rig you can fit in a laptop sleeve. pic.twitter.com/BAwbHAuzKG

— Brian Heater (@bheater) January 25, 2019

Here’s a photo of upcoming guest Hannibal Buress, recorded in my hotel room in Lagos, Nigeria. My setup is placed gingerly atop my overturned suitcase on a coffee table. He’s clearly impressed.

At the very least, this is certainly better than that.

The guy knows from microphones.

After the show is edited, I export it as a single track and import it into my show template in Garage Band. That’s where I add the music beds, outros and the like.

Everyone has an embedded player and the means with which to syndicate to iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, et al.

This week on RiYL, a frank discussion with @michaelfranti about the power of human connections and optimism in a difficult world. https://t.co/Q8Y6joNlCy #riylcast pic.twitter.com/PoVseiihWf

— Brian Heater (@bheater) February 11, 2019

The transcriptions are okay for a free service (you’re going to have to clean them up) and the online editing tools are great. I think I’m sticking with this one for a while.

If you’re hip to any new tools you think I should check out, hit me up on Twitter at @bheater. I’m always looking for ways to step up my game.

0 notes