We’ve all grown accustomed to the idea of simplifying everyday tasks and duties through the use of electronic apps, and in the last few years finance has become a significant category in this regard. Many may have thought of the idea of using a smartphone to conduct financial dealings as unsafe or insecure just a few years ago. However, now it’s become a popular idea to manages finances via mobile devices through better security on our phones and incredibly high-quality, high-security apps available. The most widely known apps in the finance genre tend to be those geared toward banking (such as the newly updated Wells Fargo app) and those used for quick mobile payments and cash exchanges (such as Venmo). However, according to companies like SoFi, another category within the finance genre has also become quite impressive on the app front in recent years: investing.
You may think of investing as a concept demanding one’s full attention for extended periods of time, and indeed for those working full time in stock markets that’s essentially the case. But for those simply looking to manage their investment portfolios and make occasional purchases and sales of stock or material, a mobile app can be wonderfully convenient. If this is something that interests you, there are a few different investment apps in particular worth looking into to simplify your personal finance practices, while you can also learn what is investment planning and choose the best for you.
The first app I’d point out to any mobile user with an interest in personal finance and investing opportunity is financial-tracking app Personal Capital Finance. This type of app is nothing new, because there are literally dozens of tools out there for keeping tabs on what you spend and what you have in your accounts. However, few (if any) combine this information with investment portfolios as effectively as Personal Capital Finance. This app essentially maps out your entire financial life, combining account information and expense tracking with complete layouts of your investments and their performances. For those interested in managing finances on the go, it’s a great tool simply for keeping everything organized and in perspective. You may also want to try a great software like FinLync for you other financial management needs.
Beyond basic financial management and tracking, it’s also fun—particularly for mobile users—to find interesting and simple ways to invest. For that reason, the mobile app designed by the gold pricing, reference, and investment site BullionVault is another fun choice for investors. The purchase of gold bullion is viewed by many as something of a simple investment in that it can be done at independent websites rather than through the complex measures involved in setting up stock portfolios. That all makes it fairly simple to adapt the process to a mobile tool. The BullionVault app shows users up-to-date prices on gold and allows the full purchasing, selling, and storage options offered on the accompanying website. This gives you a manageable, quick-hitting means of controlling one particularly unique and popular type of investment. One of the best other investments that we have found are gold coins as they nearly always do very well so click here to buy gold Britannia coins as they are among the best.
Finally, for those looking to manage stock portfolios from mobile devices while cutting the scope of the process, investing app Motif is unique and, really, pretty awesome. Mentioned by Daily Finance as one of the best five mobile tools for investing, the app essentially allows you to approach investment with a themed bundle. The app offers packages like “Housing Recovery” or “Biotech Breakthroughs,” each consisting of several stocks and allows you to invest in the entire bundle with ease. The app itself is free, though I should note $250 minimum is required to get your actual investments started. Still, it’s a wonderfully easy mobile finance tool and a helpful app for beginner investors looking to experiment and learn.
Finance, and specifically investing, remains an ever-expanding and improving app category. But if you’re just looking to get started with managing your money and investment opportunities from your mobile devices, these are a few suggestions that can get you off to a good start. Just be sure to check the services the Atlantic Union Bank has to offer, which can help you protect your investment.
HP has announced a refresh to their popular 11-inch Chromebook and the introduction of their first Android-powered notebook, the HP SlateBook 14.
The new HP Chromebook remains sized at 11.6-inches swapping the generous 176° viewing angles afforded by the IPS display of the previous model for a standard backlit LCD. Some slight hardware changes include a Samsung Exynos 5 dual-core ARM processor clocked at 1.7 GHz with 2GB RAM and a 16GB eMMC flash drive for storage. All sitting in a new, smaller, chassis used by its larger 14-inch Chromebook. There should also be a marginal improvement to the battery, up by about half an hour.
It’s hardly going to stop the presses however, it might be enough for the popularity to continue especially with the stylish design.
HP also announced the SlateBook. This is one of two Android based notebooks to be released this year, the second being the Arcbook by Archos. This device is powered by a Nvidia Tegra 4 quad-core processor, features 1GB RAM and a 16GB eMMC drive for storage. This combines a 14-inch touchscreen with a traditional notebook form factor in addition to running Android 4.3.
The Slatebook will arrive in with a black shading with a hint of yellow. Other colours are sure to follow as we have heard tell of a pink one in the wild.
The newvHP Chromebook 11 has an expected release date of July in the US with a price tag of $279.99 (or $249.99, depending on which press release you read). The Android-based HP SlateBook 14 launches on July 20 with a absurd starting price of $399.99 for 16GB, going up to $429.99 (32GB) and $459.99 (64GB).
Headphones are one of the best things to come out of our technological innovation. What other device allows you to drown out your noisy neighbour but still listen to that new song in perfect clarity. That said, the market is inundated with headphones and it’s tough to differentiate between a good headphone and good marketing.
Here’s a guide to get you started:
(Un)necessary accessories
One of the more popular accessories for headphones is the anti-tangle feature. The premise is, because we’re so impatient that we can’t spend the 15 seconds it takes to untangle the wires on a headphone, we need a feature that minimises the tangling. If you’ve found a pair of headphones you like, and it just so happens it has an anti-tangle feature, so be it. Just don’t centre your buying process around this one feature.
However, a pair of headphones with Bluetooth is a different story because you can then listen on your headphones completely wirelessly (although most come with a wire just in case). Better still, it doesn’t substantially degrade the music quality, which makes the feature well worthwhile.
Another feature that is recommended is a built in mic. If you’ve ever been on a jog or a bike and received a call, this feature is a life saver. Also, many of the headphones with microphones also have a volume and pause control built in, another added bonus.
Being practical
Of course, one of the main activities people like to do with music in the background is exercise. A lot of people exercise to music, be it dancing, aerobics, some high-intensity cycling (euphemistically called ‘spinning’ to make it sound less gruelling!) or even a gentle (or not so gentle) jog. You might want to consider splash-proof headphones designed for those who are working up a sweat to music. Some JVC HA-EBX5 headphones might just do the trick while you strive to shape up indoors or outdoors.
Worlds of sound for less
Unless you’re an audiophile or have a job where only the crispest, clearest sound quality is acceptable, you don’t need to spend a lot of money on a headphone. For an in ear headphone, the Sol Republic Jax are a great choice. They deliver pulse pounding bass with barely any distortion, all without overpowering the midrange and treble frequencies. As a bonus, they come with a microphone and volume control.
For an over the ear headphone, Griffin Woodtones are a great buy. They’re comfortable, stylish, and have a balanced, well rounded sound. They even use a real wood finish to round out the look.
Headphone highs
Here’s where to choices get tricky. The best sounding headphones can cost thousands of euros, with bells and whistles that any audiophile can appreciate. If money is no object, then you might be interested in a set of Grado PS1000s. This headphone makes listeners feel as if they’re in the room with the band. The sound comes in crisp and clear. Cymbals sizzle and the texture of the bass comes in like never before.
As you can see you can get great sounding headphones for any price. Whether you’re looking for a replacement for those white iPod headphones, or want to transform your listening experience, there’s something out there for you.
Today Asus announced the Transformer Book V, which is a tablet/phone/laptop hybrid device. Along with the all-in-one combination of these physical devices, it even includes the ability to dual-boot between Windows and Android on the tablet and laptop portions of the device.
Here’s what the Transformer Book V consists of:
- A 12.5-inch tablet screen dock
- Combining the phone with the tablet dock makes it a tablet
- Combining the phone & tablet with the keyboard dock transforms it into a laptop
- While in tablet or laptop mode it can switch between Windows and Android (although the phone is Android only)
- The phone section contains an Intel Moorefield chip
- The keyboard dock section contains an Intel Core CPU
- 2GB of RAM in the phone/tablet
- 4GB of RAM on Laptop
- The phone and tablet use 64GB of storage and the laptop has 128GB of storage
The only other specs/hardware revealed was the following:
- 1 x DisplayPort 1.2 (4K at 60Hz)
- 1 x Mini DisplayPort 1.2 (4K at 60Hz)
- 1 x HDMI 2.0 (4K at 60Hz) / MHL 3.0 (4K at 30Hz)
- 1 x HDMI 1.4 (4K at 30Hz)
- 4 x USB 3.0 ports
Also today Asus launched new and updated hardware devices. On top of the big announcement earlier of the Transformer Book V, Asus also unveiled the Fonepad 8 and a new MeMo Pad 7 & 8. Here are the details,
MeMo Pad 7 –
- 7-inch Display
- 64-bit Android device – Intels quad-core Atom Z3745 chipset (clocked up to 1.86GHz)
- 5 megapixel rear camera
- 2 megapixel front camera – also includes a high definition resolution 1280 x 800
MeMo Pad 8 –
- 8-Inch Display – “Full HD resolution
- Intel Atom Z3580 quad-core chipset clocked up to 2.3GHz
- Billed as the worlds lightest 8-inch Android tablet at just 299 grams
- Also only 7.45mm thin
- 802.11ac WiFi and an LTE modem
Fonepad 8 –
Really a phablet/giant phone
- 8-inch display with 1280 x 800 resolution
- Intels 64-bit Atom Z3560 quad-core processor at 1.8GHz
- Dual front-facing speakers
- Android-based ZenUI is on-board with a new flat design and over 1,000″ software improvements
According to the latest intel, Google is working to bring Google Now voice search functionality to all of of our devices, and they plan on making it completely hands-free. The source of this intel further shared that Google has an internal codename for the functionality. They are calling it KITT after the talking car in the 1980’s TV series.
On top of keeping it completely hands-free, they are supposedly even making it eye-free as well. The ultimate goal is to give users access to Google Now functionality without ever even needing to physically look at or interact with the device. The KITT capabilities will be completely voice driven.Of course, limited versions of this can already be seen in use right now with the Moto X and the Nexus 5. This report indicates Google wants to make it an Android feature for any brand or model device in the future. This could even lead to a convergence of Google’s driverless cars with Android products.
Despite the limited versions of this functionality already showing up in current devices, Google is supposedly a long way from making it viable. There are tow main hurdles they must overcome. One is figuring out a logistical way for users to be able to discern between voice search results without physically looking. The other is that it currently requires the device to be plugged in and charging because of the tremendous drain on battery.
In-car technology has been improving greatly in recent years. In fact, it seems that the motoring industry cannot get enough of new technology and innovations. The amazing thing here is that this applies to almost every segment in the automotive industry.
At a time where innovative in-car technology is one of the major deciding factors of most consumers, many car manufacturers find it important to either have events or attend events to showcase their latest offerings: in 2014, Las Vegas was the popular venue for the reveal of several latest innovations.
Before we take a look at some of those innovations, a common-sense reminder – no matter how advanced technology becomes, there is no substitute for driver ability and being totally confident and knowledgeable regarding the rules of the road. Top Tests is a great website for reviewing and refreshing driver know-how.
Performance Data Recorder
Set to be available for Chevrolet Corvette next year, this in-car technology has been gaining a lot of buzz already. Think of having a GoPro and telemetry device together in your vehicle. This is how the performance data recorder is reported to work. A camera is mounted on the headliner trim while the telemetry hardware will measure and record everything in the SD card, allowing you to simply upload and edit the raw data when you get home.
Bluetooth Audio
Think of smart television and how you use your smartphone to play YouTube clips on it. With this Bluetooth audio, users can now set a playlist and play it through the car’s speakers without having to use bothersome and unsightly cables or transfer the playlists to another device. This simple-sounding device has proven to be useful and hassle free during testing and could be a game changer. Pay attention music lovers everywhere!
Smartphone App Integration
This is another in-car technology that focuses on how to use your smartphone for various activities in the car. This allows smartphones to directly connect to the vehicle’s infotainment system, which usually features Pandora Internet radio and others. Once synced up, you or your passengers can simply access the controls directly from the mobile device, eliminating the need to lean over to reach the controls and opening up control to everyone in the car. Older cars don’t have this so selling it to Car’s Cash For Junk Clunkers at 1481 Cota Ave, Long Beach, CA 90813 (562) 553-9372 to get cash for cars is a good idea to have money to buy a newer one.
NVidia Customisable Digital Cockpit
How would you feel if you could customise not just the exterior look of your vehicle but the digital cockpit as well? It sounds pretty amazing and we are guessing this is something to look forward to. The NVidia customisable digital cockpit will let drivers choose their preferred colour, texture, and instrument panel configurations.
Solar Concept
This is a new feature that will be offered by no other than Ford C-Max Energi. With this, the vehicle’s battery can recharge itself using the rooftop solar panels making it even more practical than it already is.
These are just some of the latest advancements in in-car technology. This selection will definitely get you excited since these features are not just for show and style but for practical uses to benefit the driver experience too. If you also want your car to always look good you may try How to remove oxidation and see the benefits of doing so.
It’s hard to believe there is a fine line between phablets, phones and tablets now, the Samsung Galaxy Mega didn’t quite hit the tablet size however it was much to be to be considered a phone, the term phablet had to be used. Now the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Mega 7.0 is coming, it’s tablet sized and phone oriented. Too big to be a phone and even to big to fall into phablet. The first images have appeared online this Samsung Galaxy Mega follow-up (SM-T2558 and SM-T2556) is said to feature a whopping 7-inch 720p display.
The Mega has never measured up to the specs seen in the Note or Galaxy S range. However, there have been an abundance of Samsung 7″ tablets over the year, is the Mega simply falling into one. Specs for the Mega 7.0 include a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1.5GB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage. It would seem the Mega is a quad core variant of the Tab3 with an additional holes for phone calls.
Let’s be honest, phone and tablet cases are not the most exciting things (unless you’re the one making them!) and there are hundreds of manufacturers out there, each with a variety of designs. So it’s not often that we review cases and covers, it’s too subjective and there’s too many.
However, now and then we do make exceptions and here in the video below you’ll see the Kujali iPad Mini case. Not only is it an extremely well made case/cover, constructed from black leather, red suede and shock absorbant inner polyeurathane and silicone glove. It’s multimode with a wrist strap to boot.
But that’s not the only reason that this case got out attention. No. For every case that you buy from Kujali, they will donate a malaria net to a child in Africa. So buying one could literally save a life!
Check it out…
You’re a style conscious passionate guy or gal who cares about what they buy. Someone like you needs a cover to match!
Well thank your lucky stars for the KUJALI Classic, a smart mini iPad cover that oozes class and sophistication. Inspired from Africa its lined with a super soft red suede interior, contrasting with a sleek black leather outer to make you stand out from the crowd.
Style, protection and function is what this little wonder is all about. With its fantastic shock absorbent silicone skin and PU shell protection, you will be relaxed when out and about with your beloved iPad mini, happily knowing that all four corners are completely covered in case of that accidental bump or drop. With integrated volume controls and dust plugs the silicone skin keeps your ipad mini scratch free and looking as good as new for years to come.
Pull together the front and back leather covers with the exterior strap closure and slide your hand into the soft suede integrated handstrap to comfortably hold your mini in one hand. Perfect for presenting at work or jumping back into your favourite book.
And when ready to unwind after a hard days work, pop open your KUJALI Classic to kick back your iPad mini into one of the indentations to give you the perfect angle for watching a film. When you’re done, the embedded magnets in the front cover will put your iPad mini to sleep and the integrated strap closure keeps it safely shut, ready for another exciting adventure tomorrow.
To top it off, for every protective iPad Mini cover you purchase KUJALI gives a mosquito net or life saving treatment to protect a child in Africa from malaria. Style never felt so good!
Back in November of last year we reviewed the previous Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10, that had a 1280 x 800 pixel display but Lenovo have built upon that earlier model and have come up with the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 HD+. This new version has a better than HD display with 1920 x 1200 pixels.
Otherwise the design of this Yoga 10 is much the same as the other model. Both are still on sale and both are available with or without 3G capapbility. £299 for WiFi model, £329 for 3G model, it’s currently on sale from Lenovo.com and, from the first week of June, from Amazon, Currys/PC World and John Lewis.
Innovative Multimode Design
Yoga Tablet 10 HD+’s pioneering design places a battery cylinder and kickstand on the side of the device, shifting the center of gravity and opening up multiple usage modes: Hold, Tilt, and Stand. In Hold mode, the weight of the device falls into your palm rather than your fingers, making it more comfortable for reading and browsing. Lay it down into Tilt mode and you have a perfect viewing angle for typing or gaming. Flick the kickstand and rest it upright in Stand mode to comfortably watch videos, listen to music, or video-chat.
Powerful Processing
Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 400 1.6GHz processor combined with 2GB RAM gives the Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ an incredible combination of high performance and power efficiency. Switch seamlessly between your favorite apps and enjoy amazing visuals whether you’re surfing online, streaming movies or playing the latest 3D games.
Epic Battery Life
Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ keeps going over the long haul with its off-the-charts battery life. Its triple-cell battery lasts up to 18 hours so you can go all day — and into the night — without recharging. The secret: Yoga Tablet’s unique, cylinder-shaped side chamber allows more room for battery storage — and more time between charges.
Ultra Sharp Visuals
The Yoga Tablet 10 HD+’s 10.1″ 20/20 Vision Full HD (1920 x 1200 resolution) display delivers sharper, more detailed images and high definition video with a 178° wide viewing angle. Plus, adaptive display technology auto-adjusts screen brightness and colors to match where you are, making reading more comfortable.
Immersive Audio
Unlike most tablets, the Yoga Tablet 10 HD+’s speakers face front — toward you — rather than to the side our out the bottom. Combine that with Dolby® audio enhancement and you have a rich, immersive sound experience that’s perfect for watching videos or listening to music.
Optional Wireless Keyboard
Turn your Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ into a productivity machine with the optional Accutype keyboard, a stylish Bluetooth accessory that also serves as a cover for your device.
Front and Rear Cameras
The 8.0M rear and 1.6M front cameras let you take high-definition pictures and enjoy crisp, clear video chats.
Complete Connectivity Options
Optional 3G, integrated Bluetooth, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and GPS that even works offline keep you connected and make navigation easy.
Lenovo DOit Apps
Do more with your Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ with premium Lenovo Applications like SHAREit, which lets you share files quickly without network charges or a WiFi connection and SYNCit, which backs up and restores your contacts and SMS messages.
Micro SD storage
Expand the native 16GB or 32GB of eMMC storage with up to 64GB of micro-SD card storage support — perfect for transferring photos or storing large files like movies.
Lenovo Yoga Table 10 HD+ Specification |
|
|---|---|
| Processor |
Qualcomm® SnapdragonTM 400 quad core 1.6GHz MSM8228(3G) / APQ8028(Wi-Fi)
|
| Operating System |
Android OS, v4.3 Jelly Bean (Free upgrade to Android KitKat 4.4, shortly)
|
| Sound |
2x Front-facing speakers / Dolby® Audio / 3.5mm Jack
|
| Memory |
|
| Battery |
|
| Dimensions (W x T x H) |
(261mm) x (9.1mm – 3.0mm) x (180mm)
|
| Weight |
|
| Integrated Cameras |
|
| Display |
|
| Color |
Silver
|
| SIM |
Single, micro-SIM (3G model only)
|
| Sensors |
|
| Connectivity/Radios |
|
ZOTAC International, a global innovator and manufacturer of graphics cards, mainboards and mini-PCs, today unleashes the singlen most powerful graphics card ever made for gaming and professional computing – the ZOTAC GeForce GTX TITAN Z.
By combining the power of two flagship NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics processor onto a single graphics card, the ZOTAC GeForce GTX TITAN Z delivers the absolute best experience for high-quality 4K gaming and immense compute power for full-precision workloads.
“The ZOTAC GeForce GTX TITAN Z enables the most demanding users to have the power of a supercomputer in a single graphics card. A ZOTAC GeForce GTX TITAN Z will handle everything extreme enthusiasts can possibly use it for, including stunning 4K gaming and computing complex mathematical calculations,” said Carsten Berger, Each NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics processor in the ZOTAC GeForce GTX TITAN Z packs 2,880 processing cores for a combined total of 5,760 cores. The dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics processors are paired with 6GB of GDDR5 video memory per GPU, or 12GB combined, to ensure smooth 4K gaming and plenty of headroom for NVIDIA Surround technology lets gamers embrace triple monitor gaming for a massive field of vision for unmatched immersion. Single-display gamers with NVIDIA G-SYNC ready displays can take advantage of the game-changing technology for unprecedented fluidity and smoothness.
General details
- New ZOTAC GeForce GTX TITAN Z graphics card
- Dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX GPUs (GK110)
- Engine clock: 705 MHz (base)
- 876 MHz (boost)
- 5,760 processor cores (2,880 per GPU)
- 12GB GDDR5 memory (6GB per GPU)
- Memory clock: 7000 MHz
- 768-bit memory interface (384-bit per GPU)
- PCI Express 3.0 interface
- NVIDIA GPU Boost 2.0 technology
- NVIDIA Surround capable
- NVIDIA FXAA & TXAA technology
- NVIDIA Adaptive Vertical Sync
- NVIDIA SLI read
- NVIDIA SHIELD gaming portable ready
- NVIDIA NVENC video transcoding acceleration capable
- DirectX 12 technology
- OpenGL 4.4 compatible
- Blu-ray 3D ready
- Loss-less audio bitstream capable
- ZOTAC Boost Premium software bundle
- Nero Kwikmedia
- XBMC
- UNIGINE Heaven DX11 Benchmark
- ZOTAC Splinter Cell Compilation game voucher (select SKUs)
- Splinter Cell Double Agent
- Splinter Cell Conviction
- Splinter Cell Blacklist
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