Mynt – Smart Tracker and Bluetooth Remote Control

June 12, 2018 by Leave a Comment

 

What is it?

Mynt is a compact (2.5cm wide) Bluetooth device that can be used as a smart tracker for objects, or when paired with a smartphone, used for a variety of remote control actions.

How can it help me?

A Mynt Bluetooth device can be attached to your keys, wallet, purse or bag. You can download a free app to your Smartphone and connect it to your Mynt device(s) to turn it into a smart tracker.

When you activate the device within the app, your Mynt chirps so that you can find it.

A Mynt device has a range of around 150 ft. If you lose an item outside this range, the Mynt app shows you the GPS coordinates of the place the device was seen. So if you leave your rucksack in the pub, Mynt will tell you this.

If you report an item lost within the Mynt app, then the Mynt community springs into action. Each smartphone with Mynt installed can detect a Mynt smart tracker device nearby. So the more Mynt users using the app, the more Mynt smart tracker devices will be detected by the network.

[tweet_box design=”default”]Mynt is a smart tracker that will help you find lost objects like keys, wallet or Smartphone[/tweet_box]

You can also use the Mynt device to find your Smartphone. Each Mynt device has a button that, when pressed, can help you find your paired Smartphone.

You can also programme your Mynt device to remote control your Smartphone. You can use Mynt as:-

  • a presentation pointer, advancing slides in Powerpoint
  • activate your camera shutter to take a remote control picture
  • control your music player

… and lots of other actions that are supported by a Bluetooth remote control.

The battery life of a Mynt device is 6-months, and unlike many trackers, the battery is replaceable.

How much does it cost?

A Mynt device costs £18.99 from Amazon UK, and $19.99 from Mynt in the USA.

How can I get it?

Buy a Mynt device from Amazon UK or Mynt USA, and then download the Mynt app for iOS devices, Android devices or Apple Mac OS X.

You can also follow Mynt creators @Slightech on Twitter or visit the Slightech Facebook page.

MYNT Tracker is available on Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/MYNT-Smart-Finder-Remote-Control/dp/B01N09XZ1X.

This was a guest post from Richard Tubb and posted with permission.

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Six Upgrades You Might Need Right Now

May 23, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Technology advances as fast as bullet trains.  You purchase a new device today, only to give a celebratory welcome to another gadget in a span of months.

From gaming consoles, signal boosters, wallpaper TVs, to talking laptop assistants, you just might feel the need to equip almost any gadget or techno toy in your backpack. This list narrows down just the must-haves to help you alleviate the electronic clutter, not to mention money flusher items.


Phone and computer storage

Cellphones have an of average 128 to 126 MB for memory and 128 for RAM, while computers are equipped with 160GB of hard drive and 1 GB of RAM. According to Lifehacker, almost forty-five percent of users responded to requiring more than 1 TB for their data. Not ready to let go of those Euro trip photos yet? Definitely you can’t bring yourself to uninstall the latest apps for service or gaming. Maybe it’s to upgrade that memory pack.

Wireless charging pad

Resembling an intelligent saucer, a wireless charging pad is a sleek, convenient powerhouse for the Android and iPhone. It comes with a micro USB, USB adapter and wall charger with every purchased item. Take it anywhere— soft, light and easy at optimal charging speed, it even prevents your phone from slipping while on charge.

Smartphone case

Take a good look at your phone. Do you have a long-standing casing for its preventive wear and tear? Plain plastic is just no good nowadays, especially not for the environment. The best phone cases are leather and more recently, plasma and composite. Durable iPhone cases have especially well-designed armor for their phones to withstand hard falls and accidental slips.

Signal booster

Face it, the internet while fast is not flawless just yet. Dropped calls and disconnected data in poor signal coverage areas are untimely for important calls and meeting when making business transactions. Great how the presence of signal boosters provide a fast-track for these hiccup situations. Wilson cell phone booster is recommended by contented mobile users. Time to get a pick-me-up for up to a couple thousand square feet.

 

3-in-1 USB port

Especially useful if you own a couple of devices that don’t have similar cable heads, a 3-in-1 USB port works well to charge a tablet, laptop, phone or other devices on anywhere with an outlet. This technology has an internal circuit that prevents overheating and overcharging. Most ports are lightweight, and they  sync and charge quickly.

 

Noise-canceling headphones

Noise-canceling headphones are state-of-the-art mechanisms designed to diminish unwanted sounds from a semi-noisy to louder environment. Unique from standard headphones, these ensure maximum ear cushion, longer battery life, and are Bluetooth capable. Sennheiser and Bose are well-praised brands. The best kinds ensure less audio infiltration.

 

Conclusion

With the constant introductions of newly-invented contraptions in this tech-ruled world, consumers can often feel pressured to stay in tune with the latest models.

In order to separate the essentials from the lesser necessity, best to ask yourself if you really need this gadget or if it’s just a feast on the eyes. Always have a thorough review of the specifications prior to buying any device or you may end up regretting spending your hard earned money. Still, technology is a fantastic aid to our modern day and age. Until the next release of your favorite gadget then.

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New Video Series Reveals Details about Toy-Con Garage Mode for Nintendo Labo #Nintendo #VideoGames

March 15, 2018 by Leave a Comment

In the first video of a short series, Nintendo revealed new details about Toy-Con Garage mode, an inventive feature included with the software in each Nintendo Labo kit for the Nintendo Switch system (sold separately). Toy-Con Garage introduces basic principles of technology in a fun way, allowing Nintendo Labo users to combine various inputs and outputs to invent new ways to play.

Between now and the launch of Nintendo Labo on April 20, Nintendo will release videos showing off more information about different Toy-Con Garage features and tips.

To view the first video in the series and learn more about Toy-Con Garage, visit https://labo.nintendo.com/invent/. Highlights from the video include the following:

  • Users can discover creative ways to play with their Toy-Con projects, such as steering the RC Car with the Fishing Rod or using the Motorbike as an instrument. It’s even possible for users to invent their own Toy-Con creations using common materials from around their house!
  • To make all of this possible, Toy-Con Garage mode includes different input and output selections, called “nodes.” Input nodes include actions such as button presses or motions, while output nodes include reactions such as sound effects or vibrations.
  • The input nodes vary slightly for the software in each Nintendo Labo kit*, encouraging users to experiment with different conditional statements (i.e., if you do this, then that happens) and create new experiences.

Stay tuned for more exciting Nintendo Labo updates at https://labo.nintendo.com/.

*Toy-Con Garage mode in the Variety Kit includes input nodes for Toy-Con Fishing Rod, Toy-Con House, Toy-Con RC Car, Toy-Con Piano and Toy-Con Motorbike. Toy-Con Garage mode in the Robot Kit includes input nodes for Toy-Con Robot.

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The Car Game for Which You’ve Been Waiting

February 8, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Finding a challenging and fun car game for free online is like finding a needle in a haystack. If you’re a gamer, you know that little to no free online games offer entertaining and challenging gameplay worth your time. You might give them a try every once in a while, but you’re usually disappointed with the turnout and just end up going back to the more complex games you purchased. Now, there’s a car game for free online that won’t be a waste of your time. This game is challenging and fun. In this article, we’ll tell you all about the game, what we think about it, and if it’s worth your time.

What’s it like?

This game is rather similar to the car games you’d find in an arcade, both in display and in function. The point of the game is to drift as long as possible without crashing. The longer you hold a drift, the more points you accrue. However, the second you hit the guard rail or anything else, all those points get erased and you’re left with nothing. It doesn’t erase points that have already been transferred over to your score, just the points that were accrued by the specific drift that ended in a crash. The more points and coins you accrue, the more things you can buy to customize your car. It’s important to note that this is not a racing game; the goal is to drift as many times as possible before the timer runs out without crashing.

There are a lot of options

In addition to having multiple tracks for you to master, they also have a number of options for you to customize your car to be exactly the way you want it. At the start of the game, you have to go with the basic options because you haven’t earned any coins yet. However, once you’ve earned coins, you can start purchasing new colors for your car, new tires, and more. Most things run around 250 coins to purchase. The only downside to this is that you can’t save the purchases you make, as it’s a free online game. While some gamers might enjoy this fact, it can be a deal breaker for others and is worth noting. Overall, the many options in this game keep it from going stale prematurely and keep you having fun.

Is it worth your time?

As far as free online games go, this one is exceptional. This game on Poki offers some interesting game play, decent graphics, and feels like the car games you’d play in an arcade; it’s pretty unique amongst car games. It offers a fun alternative to the standard, and frankly overdone, car games you’ve played forever and of which you are probably sick and tired. If you have some time you want to fill with a fun game that you don’t want to pay for, this game is for you. You won’t have to put up with other players racing when all you really want to do is go fast and drift. This game is free, easy to play, and easy to find; there’s no downside. It’s definitely worth your time to give it a try; we’re sure you won’t be disappointed. You’ll be hooked in no time.

Finding car games for free online that you can actually enjoy might as well be impossible. Or, at least, that’s the way it used to be. Now, this challenging and entertaining car game available on Poki fits the bill. This game is easy to find and play, offers some challenging game play, and is completely free. You have nothing to lose with trying this great game out. The cars in this game handle quite similar to those you’d find at an arcade. It also has decent graphics and entertaining overall game play; it’s sure to keep you playing and having fun.

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Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless Earbud Headphones #ad @bestbuy @Sennheiserusa #MOMENTUMTrueWireless

January 31, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Disclaimer- The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

wireless earbuds

Looking for awesome new wireless headphones? Look no further.  Best Buy now has Sennheiser’s flagship MOMENTUM range of headphones, which continues to break new ground through an outstanding fusion of advanced technology, uncompromised sound performance and the highest quality materials. Now, they have the peerless MOMENTUM ethos to a breakthrough new product – the MOMENTUM True Wireless. The premium Bluetooth earbuds set new standards for audio quality, comfort and craftsmanship.

Check out John’s first solo video review, done on the Sennheiser headphones.

Some additional Product Specs:
• Listening clarity that’s like ’being there’ thanks to Sennheiser’s category-leading wireless sound technology.
• Hassle-free connection via Bluetooth 5.0 and low latency for perfect audio and video sync.
• Fingertip control of calls, music, and voice assistant through touchpads on each earbud with one tap access to Google Assistant or Siri.
• Smart Pause – so your music pauses the second you remove an earbud.
• Two-Mic Beam technology for High-quality voice pick-up even in noisy conditions.
• Slim, lightweight design with ear tips in 4 sizes for all day comfort.
• Internal equalizer on the app lets you personalize your audio.
• Up to 4 hours of listening per charge with 2 additional charges from the case.
• Stay aware of your surrounding sounds with Transparent Hearing.
• Durable splash resistant (IPX 4) materials go as hard as you do.
water resistant headphones
If you, like Pinocchio, don’t want strings to hold you down, and are not a fan of wired headphones, check these out. Get yours here, and let us know what you think.
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The Newest Version of a Fun Game

January 16, 2018 by Leave a Comment

The day we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived: the release of the next Duck Life game. If you haven’t played any of the previous three games of the Duck Life series, you’re seriously missing out, but this article is for the rest of us that have been waiting on this new release. Like the other Duck Life games, the newest installment certainly doesn’t disappoint. Despite the simplicity of this game, it’s incredibly entertaining. They’ve managed to uphold the integrity of the game on the whole without diminishing any part of what already made it great. The Duck Life series is truly unique and entertaining.

It’s simple, but not too simple

One of the best features of Duck Life 4 is that it is incredibly simple to figure out how to play. Usually, that sentence would be a red flag to avid gamers, but not in this scenario. Duck Life 4 is designed to be both simple and challenging, so it can be enjoyed by players of all ages while not being too simple or easy for the more avid players. The basic gameplay is beyond simple to figure out and they walk you through it thoroughly.

It’s much more fun than you’d expect

Duck Life 4 isn’t trying to hide the fact that it’s a simple game; that’s part of what makes it unique. While being simple, this game is highly entertaining. It’s also got quite a bit of details put in by the creators that truly show their care in its creation. This game offers an intricate storyline, fun gameplay, and is, on the whole, highly entertaining. Despite first impressions, this game definitely holds up as fun and entertaining. They truly managed to hold onto what made the original Duck Life fun and unique originally.

It offers more of a challenge

Like all of the Duck Life games, this game offers a bit of a challenge and tons of entertainment. The Duck Life version 4 game certainly doesn’t disappoint. They offer new challenges to allow you to earn money and more options for training. You’ll find yourself hooked on buying and creatively personalizing more and more ducks, training them to be the best so you can win the tournaments. You’ll love winning tournaments and unlocking the next level of training so your ducks can be the best around. This game definitely offers a unique challenge to its players, presented in a fun and hilarious storyline.

What’s different about this version of Duck Life

This version offers the same great gameplay that the other versions offered, but with slight changes in the mechanics. As we said before, you now have to train one skill at a time and win tournaments to unlock the next step in training. You can also now have more than one duck at a time and use them all in the tournament. They also added some new challenges allowing you to earn money and making the game more interesting. The additions to the game’s challenging aspects truly makes it entertaining and enjoyable without sacrificing what made the series great originally.

The fourth version of this great game has finally released and fans are ecstatic. This game offers fun gameplay, challenging and entertaining new additions, and of course, one adjustment we weren’t too thrilled about, but warmed up to in the end. On the whole, we rate Duck Life 4 as one of the best additions to a series we’ve seen from free online games in a while. They’ve managed to improve on the initial game without being a disgrace to the series on the whole. It’s every bit as unique as the original game and is sure to spark joy in the hearts of Duck Life fans. Likewise, if you haven’t played a game in this series before, you’re in for a treat. You won’t be disappointed by the challenging, entertaining, and quite fun gameplay of Duck Life

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Emoji Trends Show Strong Growth Patterns

December 14, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Are Emojis the #1 Communication Tool for Everyone?

It’s hard to imagine a world without emojis. These little icons are fast gaining traction as the preferred communication tool across all demographics. PCs, smartphones, and tablets would be better served by replacing alphanumeric keys on their keyboards with emoticons and emojis. The widespread popularity of emojis is evident in the number of retailers, restaurants and online platforms that are now incorporating emojis onto their platforms. Several notable cultural changes have taken place in recent years, including emoji-style order systems by pizza giant Domino’s, or the emoji-style logo that IHOP adopted.

The emoji culture is alive and well, as evidenced by the recent slew of emoji animation being adopted in Hollywood. Consider the latest Adam Sandler movie Pixels which was bordering on the emoji theme, as aliens attempted to attack Earth with video games invasions. Emoji purists will argue that the biggest Hollywood blockbuster is ‘The Emoji Movie’ which debuted in 2017.

This comedy-adventure has a run time of 1 hour 26 minutes, and it details the story of an Emoji named Gene who wants to be a normal emoji without having multiple expressions. While critics have slammed The Emoji Movie as one of the worst-ever Hollywood movies, kids certainly found it entertaining enough, and it is driving the cultural zeitgeist of emojidom.  These emojis allow for greater levels of engagement and far more effective messaging than simple words or number systems.

Whether you like them or loathe them, emojis are here to stay. These little images perfectly capture sentiment and transmit feelings and opinions at the click of a button. Many online review companies now provide emojis over numerical rating systems to gain an accurate reading on a company’s products or services. Digital advertisements are typically rated with emojis, and they have proven to be a highly useful form of transmitting emotionally-based feedback for people.

The Top 5 Most Popular Emojis on Twitter

Such is the rollicking popularity of emojis that an emojitracker monitors all emoji activity on Twitter. The top-ranked emoji of all is the laughing face with tears of joy. Its unified ID is 1F602, and the shorthand representation of it is: joy: It currently enjoys a popularity ranking of #1 on Twitter. Far behind, but in position #2 on Twitter is the heavy black heart, with a unified ID of 2764, and a shorthand representation of: heart: At position #3 on Twitter is the smiling face with heart-shaped eyes emoji. It has a unified ID of 1F60D, and a shorthand representation of: heart_eyes: At position #4 is the black heart suit, with a unified ID of 2665, and a shorthand representation of: hearts: And to round out the top 5 emojis is the loudly crying face. This emoji has a unified ID of 1F62D, and a shorthand of: if sob:.

Rising Popularity of Emojis in Gaming

Emojis enjoy widespread popularity in gaming circles. A quick search reveals scores of emoji fun games such as mood spinners, emoji slots, Barbie DIY Emoji Style, Valentine Emoji card games, Disney Emoji BLITZ! and many others. A popular slot game that is now available to fans is Emoji Planet. This slot machine game is powered by NetEnt, and features 5 spinning reels and 6 rows of fun. There are Cluster Pays™ mechanics involved, and players will go on a wild ride through an emoji paradise, known as Emoji Planet.

You can win up to 1 million coins, and there are plenty of added extras in this game. There are 10 bet levels (1 through 10), and coin values start from as little as 0.01 through 1.00. The game features cascading blocks which fall away to reveal new emoji symbols which you will use to complete winning combinations. These include rocket ships, bombs, slices of pizza, poop, tears of joy, hearts, lips, aliens and other cute little emoticons. Players are tasked with collecting as many useful emojis as possible to activate the 5 Emoji Features. These include The Two Hearts Feature, the Rocket Feature, the Kiss Mark Feature, the Pizza Feature, and the Bomb Feature.

Some of the many exciting aspects of the game include the Cluster Pays™. Plus, Cluster Pays rewards you when part of the cluster is vertically or horizontally adjacent to an identical symbol. 5+ identical symbols will result in wins. The Emoji star is the Wild symbol and it substitutes for all other symbols to form winning combinations. The Pizza Feature is activated when a 3 x 3 grid of pizzas form on the reels. The Bomb Feature is activated when 8 random symbols form on the reels, and the Kiss Mark Feature forms with 3 sticky wild symbols. These are but a few of the many exciting emojis that await you in Emoji Planet Video Slot™.

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New Video Games and Apps for Kids- and the kid in all of us

November 15, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Got gamers? Us too. These are a few of the titles that have our kids (OK, and maybe us as well) occupied during rainy days and cold nights.

Lightseekers from TOMY is an app that you can play with by using just the app, or by connecting toys or trading cards with it.  Using “Connected Play” , a “proprietary technology platform that integrates video games and smart action figures” with Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Artificial Intelligence with trading cards and figures and more into the app experience. Use the figure as a controller to the game, which is a fun and pretty unique experience. I’ve not done that before, and it was pretty neat.
No portal needed in which to put the toys, you just need the app and your tablet and that is that. They interact with each other and the app via bluetooth. The interactive trading cards brings features into play and into (virtual) reality as you use them as well.  The game gets better as you use it, based on feedback, reviews, gameplay, and more.  Starter packs available for about $40 at stores like Toys R Us.

For the fans of the Nintendo 3DS, there is Metroid Samus Returns. Bounty hunter Samus Aran is back to finally rid the planet of the menace that is known as Metroid. A “part two” (if you will) of the 1991 Game Boy classic game, Samus Returns has new moves, upgraded weaponry, and of course foes that just won’t quit. It’s a great game for fans as well as those who have never played before.  The game is $40 and for the 3DS family only.  There are amiibo for the game as well, Samus Aran as well as Metroid. The 2 pack is about $30.

The LEGO NINJAGO Movie has been widely anticipated, fans have been eagerly awaiting it’s arrival. As eagerly awaited has been the The LEGO NINJAGO Movie Video Game, which is based on the brick flick.  Fans will have tons of fun battling enemies as they take on the persona of their favorite Ninjago heroes- like Kai, Cole, Zane, or Master Wu – as they fight to defend their homes from Lord Garmadon and the evil Shark Army.  Available for about $40 and for many gaming platforms.

For fans of LEGO, you will want the newest LEGO Dimensions. Already in Wave 9, some of the latest buildable interactive toys are the Beetlejuice Fun Pack, Team and Fun Packs based on the popular TV shows Teen Titans Go! and The Powerpuff Girls.  These are toys you place on a portal and then they appear into the game you are playing- but unlike other similar figures, in true LEGO form, you have to build these. According to my  little gaming expert, the packs themselves give you the most “DLC”, or basically downloadable content given to you per set then some other games. There are also so many licenses you can choose from, which means there are a bunch of universes and characters to choose from, making game play that much more interesting.

In the fun and exciting Nintendo game “Monster Hunters”, you take on the role of explorer, warrior, and zoologist as you traverse the world around you.  While you travel, you will hunt and care for eggs, which you will hatch, as well as bond with a variety of monsters you meet along the way. The scenery is quite varied, from a desert to the tundra, make your way along, battling and finding quests as you go, befriending monsters with different skill sets and even customizing your own unique monster. Use these monsters as a team that will have powerful attacks and combinations. Compatible amiibo figures also available for an additional price. $40 at most retail outlets.

Mario and Luigi are back once more to battle familiar bad guys to save BeanBean Kingdom, rescue the Princess, and even Bowser in the new Mario and Luigi SuperStar Saga & Bowser’s Minions. Yes, that’s quite the mouthful of a title, but the game is still super fun. The storyline takes place in one of Mario and Luigi’s more classic adventures- but as you play, you find out some details of what really happened and some details you might not have known.  New attacks, familiar friends and foes, and fun puzzle solving are what this game is all about. Great for fans and newbie alike, this is a great game for all abilities and ages. Compatible amiibo available for additional price, the game is available for $40 at most retailers and online.

 

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