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Xbox One - The Next Big Thing?
Curtis Taylor
Posted on May 21, 2013What is the Xbox One?
Well the Xbox launch event has come and gone. We here at RepairLabs got to admit, we were pleasantly surprised. For the past month, everybody has been throwing around rumors and speculation, and frankly, I’ve been a bit underwhelmed by the whole process. As much as I love my Xbox 360, my PlayStation 3 has received quite a bit more playtime. Not only because it has a Blu-Ray drive and a lot more quality exclusive titles, but also because it supports 7.1 HD Audio and is free to use online, plus we won't even get into the Red Ring of Death.
When the Xbox launch started up, and Microsoft came out instantly talking about, and showcasing the console, I became extremely interested. First thing’s first, the name of the new Xbox is the Xbox One... I find it a bit confusing and even contradicting. It is, after all, the third Xbox console, but I understand what they’re going for – one console to rule them all! Anyways, from a design perspective, the new console is really going for that HTPC look, which I really dig. Nice clean lines and the look of a glossy and matte black body. Now if it’s made from aluminum, or some form of light metal, I will be completely sold on the design.
With no word on pricing or release date, (Coming Later This Year) the specs are really the biggest thing we have to go off of. Looking at them, I can tell that Microsoft wants to compete with Sony, and the pieces are in place to do so – I’m just not sure if going with DDR3 memory was the best course of action. If you recall, I did a piece awhile back on the differences between GDD3 and GDDR5, and why it’s a worthy investment for console developers.
What it may lack in processing bandwidth via the memory, it will more than make up for with its eight-core CPU – twice as many as what’s in the PlayStation 4. The inclusion of a Blu-Ray Drive, HDMI Out AND In, as well voice and gesture controls made possible by the brand-new Kinect Sensor, and USB 3.0, 4K Video, and Cloud-Based support, Microsoft is really building the Xbox One with the future in mind. At this time, there aren’t many games or tech that can fully utilize eight-cores or 4K video, but when they become industry standards somewhere down the road, the Xbox One will be ready to go, instead of falling behind the times like the Xbox 360 with its measly 512mb of RAM.
Xbox One Specifications
- 8 GB of RAM DDR3
- 8 Core CPU
- Blu Ray Drive
- HDMI In/Out
- Voice and Gesture Controls
- Kinect Included
- 500GB HDD
- Cloud Based For Saves And Media
- USB 3.0 Support
- 4k Video Support
- 7.1 Audio Support
Xbox One and the Kinect
Sadly the event lacked much in the way of gameplay for upcoming titles. It did, however give us a rather in-depth look at the new Kinect, and I have to say that I was thoroughly impressed, and that’s hard to do!
Now I have a Kinect at home – and like most of you, I never use it. With the new Kinect offering up a sensor that completely blows its predecessor away in every way imaginable, I cannot wait to get my hands on it. Sure, I’ll probably tear it apart and see what makes it tick, but I’m sure before I do that, I’ll yell at my TV and flail my arms like a dummy for a while first.
Seriously, the hand gestures, voice control, responsiveness, and intuitiveness of the entire system makes me excited! I think the redesign of the controller is cool, but the new functionality of the Kinect will make the controller unnecessary when utilizing the system outside of gaming. I only hope that the Kinect sensor doesn’t need to dial itself back in often like the previous iteration does to be at its best.
If you’re like me though, the power and functionality of the system are great, but I want to know what games are going to be like on the system, I want to see Fable 4 and Halo 5 (yeah, right) in action on this baby, but alas we’re going to have to wait until E3 to get a glimpse of some in-game footage. The only true action we got was the Call of Duty: Ghosts world-first footage, which looked brilliant, but doesn’t have the same effect as seeing an Xbox-Exclusive title on the system.
Image courtesy of Wired.com
What did you think of the event? Did Microsoft hit all of the necessary highs and avoid the lows? Personally, I think the only way the event could’ve been better was if there was some Fable 4 footage shown. A few things that I think would've been nice to get more info on is if it'll be able to play used games, and if it requires being online all the time. The announcement by The Verge that it will not be backwards compatible is sad news though. Other than that, they gave us the console, controller, specs, and announced some exciting things like 15 exclusive titles in the works, with eight being entirely new franchises!
The future is looking awfully bright for game consoles, and I can't help but feel that the Xbox One may be leading the pack when it's all said and done. Sony impressed me a few months back, but Microsoft and the Xbox One just took it to a whole new level, especially with their willingness to run through the demonstrations two or three times, showing that it's fully functional, which is key to their entire design.
The Xbox One is set to launch sometime later this year.
This post was posted in Tech, Geek, What We Do
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Are Traditional Phone Batteries Still Viable?
Posted on April 23, 2013Phone Batteries... Is It Time For Change?
Tell me if you’ve ever been in this situation. You’re at work, right in the middle of a business call and bam your phone dies. Has this ever happened to you? Well, even if it hasn’t, it’s happening to plenty of people around the globe on a daily basis.
As I’m sure you are well aware, there have been quite a few solid guides and how-to videos made over the past couple years that go into the general questions as to why your phone is always dead, and things you can do to help prevent the battery from draining so quickly. (Close some apps people) That’s all fine and dandy, and most definitely not the reason we are here today.
Today RepairLabs is going to present the technical reasoning behind your phone always being dead. We’re going to cover the different types of batteries on the market today and how they compare, then we’ll have a throw down between three of the hottest phones on the market, with each one having a specific role to play in the testing of the batteries held within. Last but not least we’ll talk about the future of batteries; what’s out there, what’s the next logical step, things of that nature.
Strap yourselves in, because you’re about to get a crash course in phone batteries!
Lithium What?
Most of you probably don’t know what type of battery is in your phone. Perhaps you know the mAh of it, (that’s milliamps per hour) but don’t actually know what type of battery you have. Don’t worry; it’s not relevant knowledge to a large percentage of people. But for those of you who have wondered into my little slice of Tech paradise, you’re about to get the deluxe package when it comes to batteries.
What types of batteries are prevalent on the market today?
There are truly only two options when it comes to batteries in your phone today. Lithium-Ion and Lithium-Polymer.
Lithium-Ion: Li-Ion batteries are the most commonly found type of battery in phones today. They’re older technology than Li-Po batteries, but have also proven themselves to be reliable. Though they may be phased out eventually -- the fact that we’re able to stretch them up to 3,500mAh at this point in time, while still being slim enough to fit in a phone gives credence to the fact that Li-Ion isn’t going down without a fight.
Li-Ion offers the most convenient product to cell phone manufacturers, with its average 5-10% self-[i]discharge rate a month, and components that are environmentally safe. It also doesn’t hurt that they are readily available, and lighter than equivalent batteries.
If these batteries are so great, then why is my phone always dead is what most of you are probably thinking. This is because there are some caveats to Li-Ion batteries, mainly being that the [ii]cell capacity diminishes with use, causing the battery to hold less and less of a charge. This is made even worse when you factor in high [iii]charge levels and elevated temperatures, both of which cause hastened degradation of the battery.
They are also flammable, which is most definitely a con for any product that you hold near your face.
http://repairlabs.com
Key Interior Difference Between Li-Ion & Li-Po - “The primary difference is that the lithium-salt electrolyte is not held in an organic solvent but in a solid polymer composite such as polyethylene or polyacrylonitrile” Wikipedia - Lithium-Polymer Batteries
Lithium-Polymer: Li-Po is the younger, more advanced brother to Li-Ion batteries. In theory they are nearly identical in design, as can be seen in the diagram above, but there are some key differences between the two.
For starters, the Li-Po offers a more predictable self-discharge rate, which also happens to be lower than that offered on the Li-Ion batteries in general, clocking in at 5% a month. They also are more adaptable than Li-Ion, offering up the ability to use them in a wide variety of packing and shapes. And I can’t forget to mention that they are more reliable and rugged than the Li-Ion they hope to fully phase-out.
The downside to the Li-Po is that it holds less of a charge than that offered on your standard Li-Ion battery. This reason alone is why they haven’t fully phased out the Li-Ion. Though the technology used is newer and more advanced, it just doesn’t offer the power necessary to reliably power these crazy big devices hitting the market today in its current form.
One of the biggest backers of Li-Po batteries is Apple, including the Li-Po in each iPhone dating back to the iPhone 4. Though the mAh (1440mAh on the iPhone 5) numbers are far below that of the competition, we still see the power necessary to competently power the device for a full day of usage. That may lead you to believe that the battery is indeed in a position to compete with the Li-Ion, but the numbers can be misleading. Though the specs on the iPhone 5 are similar to that of the competition – the biggest deciding factor in battery drain is pixel density and resolution. The pixel density and resolution on the iPhone clock in at 640x1136, giving us a pixel density of 326ppi across its 4” screen. This here is a huge difference from what you get from the Android offerings, which come in at 1280x720 or 1920x1080, stretched across 4.7”+ displays.
Putting the Phone Batteries to the Test
Now that you’ve heard about the types of batteries we utilize on a daily basis, let’s get into something a bit more useful to those of you who are visual learners. Below you will find a video that I put together showcasing three of the most popular phones on the market; the Verizon exclusive Droid DNA, the iPhone 5, and the Samsung Galaxy Note 2.
Each phone is popular for different reasons, and each one has its faults. One thing that sets them all apart though is the battery within. For the Droid DNA you have a 2020mAh Li-Ion battery, while the iPhone 5 has the previously mentioned 1440mAh Li-Po battery. Bringing up the rear of the pack is the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 with its massive 3100mAh Li-Ion battery.
As you can tell, the Note 2’s battery is loaded with power, but is running on the older Li-Ion technology. Will this make a difference when going head-to-head with the iPhone 5’s newer but smaller 1440mAh Li-Po battery? Spec-wise the Droid DNA is the one most set up to fail, and that’s thanks to the design choices made by HTC. They took a beautiful 5” 1080p display, with a quad-core processor and 2 GB’s of RAM and stuck it in into a casing that houses a measly 2020mAh Li-Ion battery. Why HTC wouldn’t spend the extra $$ needed to go with either a 2020mAh Li-Po or a more powerful Li-Ion, I don’t know.
Droid DNA
- 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.0 inches (~441 ppi pixel density)
- Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait
- 2 GB RAM
- Adreno 320 GPU
- Lithium-Ion 2020mAh Battery
iPhone 5
- 640 x 1136 pixels, 4.0 inches (~326 ppi pixel density)
- Dual-core 1.2 GHz
- 1 GB RAM
- PowerVR SGX 543MP3 (triple-core graphics)
- Lithium-Polymer 1440mAh Battery
Samsung Galaxy Note 2
- 720 x 1280 pixels, 5.5 inches (~267 ppi pixel density)
- Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A9
- 2 GB RAM
- Mali-400MP GPU
- Lithium-Ion 3100mAh Battery
Without further ado, let’s get to the video showcasing each phone running the RepairLabs video on loop until they die a horrible death.. You know, by running out of battery life. The test is to simulate a full-day of usage in the span of a few minutes once sped up. Obviously to record actually utilizing the phone all day would be unfeasible, so I went with the next best thing. Will the small Li-Po be able to keep pace with the big and bigger dogs?
Let’s find out!
The results are exactly what I predicted they would be. Coming in at four hours, the Droid DNA finally saw itself to the afterlife. An hour later and we see the iPhone 5 finally crash out. In a position to either succeed, or crash and burn, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 was most definitely the phone hardest to predict. With that huge battery, I expected it to last the longest, but you also have to factor in the lighting needed to properly light such a large display. In the end, it didn’t matter, with the Note 2 going for a whole nine hours! Surprisingly if you watch the screens once the warning battery indicator pops up, we see that both the iPhone 5 and Droid DNA last roughly one hour before completely shutting down, while the Galaxy Note 2 goes for an additional two hours after we get the low battery warning screen.
The test proved exactly what it is I was trying to show you guys. Even though the Li-Ion is older tech, size does indeed still matter when it comes to phone batteries, but only to a certain extent. The Li-Po showed that even though it was almost 600mAh weaker than the Li-Ion in the Droid DNA, it could outpace it. You can’t do a direct apples-to-apples comparison due to the massive screen differences, but you still get the idea here.
Another thing to keep in mind is that these phones last four, five, and nine hours respectively – but if you used the phones daily for another year and ran this test again, you would be lucky to get even 75% of the performance you got from them when they were brand new, luckily if your battery ever gets to the point where it doesn't hold enough of a charge to get you through the day, we here at RepairLabs can swap the crummy old battery out for a shiny new battery.
The diagram above showcases how the ions inside your battery slowly but surely lose their ability to hold a quality charge. This is why with all phone batteries, they eventually need replaced. The constant charging, discharging, and usage are what cause the breakdown inside the phone. At this point, there is no way to get around this with liquid-based batteries in the state they’re currently in.
What Does The Future Hold?
Alright so now that you’re a bit more comfortable with where we sit right now when it comes to batteries, let’s move into where we’re headed.
Li-Ion and Li-Po can only carry us so far. Eventually here soon we’re going to have to mix up what it is that we use, then we’ll have to either advance the technologies that we use, or start utilizing something completely new.
Updating Preexisting Liquid-Batteries
This is where some of the brightest minds in the field are hard at work. Some of the most feasible ideas that have been floated around include enhancing preexisting batteries with silicone nanoparticles as well as using new types of conversion alloys – both of which could dramatically improve the viability of Li-Ion and Li-Po batteries.
There have even been recent developments regarding Lithium-Ion batteries by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. These new batteries have the power density to charge your phone 1000x faster than standard batteries, the only issue is that what the battery offers in power density, it lacks in energy density, so until they make more progress on these inventive new Lithium-Ion batteries, I will have to hold them off the list of the most promising – for now.
Even if we extend the life of current batteries another four or five years, we’re eventually going to need new types of batteries to further the advancement of smartphones. When it comes to future options, there are two that truly stick out in mind as being extremely strong options; Lithium Sulfide based batteries and Solid-State batteries. There are some less exciting options like Lithium-Air and Lithium-Imide batteries, but until there is better information on them, I don’t feel them relevant enough to be included in this section.
Future Options For Batteries
Lithium-Sulfide is one of the many options that have presented itself as a solid alternative to the Li-Ion and Li-Po batteries we use now. Li-S not only offers a higher energy density than Li-Ion, but also has reduced production costs due to using sulfur.
Though Li-S batteries are a definite option that we could explore sometime in the near future, like say 2014, there isn’t enough data on the capabilities of Li-S to think that it is the logical next step in batteries. As it stands right now, the engineers who are working on this are still dealing with the fact that sulfur on its own isn’t conductive, which is a massive issue in a product that relies 100% on conductivity!
Solid-State Batteries are definitely the brightest option when it comes to future batteries. Instead of being liquid-based like the batteries on the market these days, Solid-State batteries offer us batteries that are solid inside, much like what you would find inside a solid-state drive for the PC.
Though engineers would love to have these solid-state batteries in our phones right now due to their greatly increased life cycle over legacy batteries, plus they also happen to be safer with a better energy density to that of other options. The reason that we don’t have these already is because of the massive cost of production, with the price soaring up to as high as a $1,500 for a single phone battery.
Engineers are also still trying to work out a solution to their sensitivity to low temperatures. Recently I spoke with Professor Kevin S. Jones from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Florida, about this very subject; this is what he had to say.
”I do believe solid-state batteries have tremendous potential but there are significant research challenges that need to be addressed. Because you replace the liquid electrolyte with a solid that is much thinner you can achieve a significant weight saving, as well as being much safer. However it remains a challenge to develop an inexpensive manufacturing method that overcomes the challenges of joining solid layers together. In addition, there is a new class of materials called conversion alloys that are being explored for liquid batteries. These materials have the potential to significantly increase the capacity of liquid batteries. Research is necessary to prove if these materials will work with solid state batteries. So the potential is there to revolutionize the cell phone battery, but we have work to do before it becomes a reality.”
Professor Jones statement holds true to what I’ve been saying all along. There is still potential for liquid-based batteries, but the future is moving more and more towards solid-state batteries. For those of you who have not read his excellent piece on the state of solid-state batteries, I highly recommend it.
The End to a Long Journey
What a ride. We’ve laughed, we’ve cried. Had epiphanies, revelations and probably even a few eye-opening moments.. Ok, perhaps we didn’t quite cover that wide of a spectrum, but we did take a long look at where we’re at with batteries and where we hope to be as soon as possible.
The Li-Ion and Li-Po batteries we use today still prove to be viable options for the time being, but as was made apparent in the time lapse, the more powerful the phone, the less amount of time you will have to enjoy it without a charger. Sure, you can carry around a charger with you, have one at your desk, house, and in your car, but that’s not the point. Phones are portable devices – attaching cables to them defeats the entire purpose of a portable phone.
Though the near future is a bit cloudy on what we’ll do next, with there being a few interesting options floating around. None of them are ready for primetime, that much is apparent, but possibly by mid-2014 we can begin phasing out the old and start ushering in the new.
The future begins to look much brighter 2014+ thanks to the advancements we’ll be making in solid-state technology. As soon as it becomes viable from a price-standpoint, I have no doubt all of the major phone manufacturer’s will begin to use them in their newest devices. (Can anyone say iPhone 9?)
As it stands right now, the degradation rate on batteries is sitting at a manageable but unacceptable one to two years. (If you’re really lucky) With newer and better technologies, hopefully we can extrapolate that number into the double digits, making the need to buy new phone batteries or even phones less of necessity and more of a commodity.
[i] Discharge Rate – The rate, usually expressed in amperes or time, at which electrical current is taken from the battery.
[ii] Cell Capacity – The maximum total electrical charge, expressed in ampere-hours, which a battery can deliver to a load under a specific set of conditions...
[iii] Charge Levels – The percentage of power in phone batteries at any one point in time.
This post was posted in Tech, Geek, What We Do, iPhone and was tagged with Li-Po, Solid-State Batteries, Li-Air, Li-S, Li-Ion, Testing Phone Batteries, Phone Batteries, Droid DNA, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, iPhone 5
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What the $%&!!! Is GDDR5 for PlayStation 4?
Posted on March 1, 2013
Check of the difference between the two renderings. Notice how much more detail the GDDR5 provides. Original image from http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/300/images/222280/title/300-movie-publicity-still-photo
As we RepairLabs geeks were snooping around and stalking the PlayStation website, we stumbled on a rather interesting tidbit of information, which may have massive consequences for the newest version of the PlayStation, the PS4. Among many upgrades and changes since the release of the PS3, we noticed the addition of “GDDR5 8GB” in the Memory Specs.
What is GDDR5?
GDDR stands for Graphics Double Data Rate, a type of high performance graphics card memory. This has 32 times the amount of GDDR (graphics capacity) as the PS3, which weighs in with 256 MB GDDR3. GDDR5 performs at 8-bit wide data buffer that will allow for 20% more processing capabilities compared to GDDR3.
So? Let’s put this in perspective:
Alienware Aurora is considered one of the best computers on the market right now for gaming; many designate it as the industry standard for computing--and it only has 4GB of GDDR5. The PlayStation 4 will have double that amount. This means that the PlayStation will be able to process double the memory as the current top-notch gaming computer on the market.
GDDR5 will be able to process such graphics like no other RAM out on the market today. If you haven’t seen the image on the PS4 of the blue balls dropping in check it out here, at 10 seconds in, to get an idea of the massive processing capacity required to animate each ball individually. Most power does come from the onboard GPU made by AMD. The GPU makes the balls, and the RAM (or GDDR5) makes them move. So let’s put that in perspective: if one of those balls is 1MB then that means the PS4 at the same time can process 8000 Blue balls at the same time. Insane. Take a sec and think about that. In the “World of Mario” we were used to having only 1 or 2 flame balls at a time shooting at us.
And the GDDR5 8GB is advanced. Like years ahead of its time. (Remember, the PS3 has stayed relevant and useful for 8 years now. That’s millennia in tech years.) It is safe to say that you won’t be able to go to Best Buy and buy a computer with that amount of memory for a couple of years. The reason for this is because there is no need for that amount of memory--unless you’re gonna have some crazy processes to perform, such as the games that will be released in a few years. The PS3 has been around since 2006—and that console provided around 8 to 9 years of solid performance. This newest version has to be similarly 8-9 years advanced to provide an equivalent experience.
So, what GDDR5 means to the 3D world?
GDDR5 will enhance 3D appearance on games, and will enable even more complex functionalities to evolve as graphics evolve. The 3D experience right now with PS3 is very minimal and doesn’t look 3D, like movies and other 3D interfaces out there. But now with the 8GB of GDDR5 Ps4 will have much better details, allowing for a terrific 3D experience unlike anything else yet to be seen. No games on the market right now can even come close to touching the memory capabilities of GDDR5.
All of this indicates that we are in for gaming and technological advances beyond our wildest dreams. Anything a graphic artist can imagine can be rendered digitally, and beautifully, at a level of detail never previously imagined. The GDDR5 is just one aspect of the new PlayStation gaming console, but it could be the game changer.
by Curtis Taylor, Tech Expert, Freelance Writer.
This post was posted in Tech, Geek, What We Do and was tagged with Capacity Processor, Gaming, Game, PS3, PlayStation, Graphics, RAM, Memory, PS4, GDDR5
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The Best Tech Gifts for Cyber Monday 2012
Posted on November 23, 2012The Top Tech Gifts for Every Type
There are great tech gifts out there for every type of person you can imagine. Here at RepairLabs.com, we thought we’d make out a list of our favorites for your approval just in time for Cyber Monday. If you're sick of the same old gift ideas, you've come to the right place. Everybody knows an iPad mini or a Nexus 7 tablet would be an awesome gift. But sometimes that's just not the right gift, the perfect gift, the magical rainbow unicorn of gifts. Actually a tablet is a pretty personal choice. Instead give them a tech gift that they're certain to love, no matter what type of person they are. Here's where you can get your creative juices revving: you’ll find gifts from $8.00 - $800, and something that certain to tickle the techie fancy of someone you love. We’re sure you’ll find an idea that you love.
Dad:
- If the car doesn’t have luggage racks, this is an ingenious solution. Inflatables! Now dad can haul nearly anything up top. Universal roof rack $89.99. Buy it here.
- Help dad relax and perfect his swing with this handy gadget Golf Swing Analysis Tool: $129.99 Buy it here.
Mom
- A gorgeous Kaleidoscope necklace to remind her just how beautiful she makes your world. $ 145
- Towel warmer for her spa day, or to warm the kids’ hats, mittens and gloves: $89.99
Boyfriend:
- Smartphone controlled tankbot for his cubicle; he’ll entertain his office buddies for hours. Buy it here for $24.99
Girlfriend
- USB Swarovski Heart Necklace. $75 She needs to look good, brag about what you got her AND have extra storage at a moment’s notice --or at Gizmodiva $41
Teen
- Girl or guy, they’ll be the coolest teen around if they bring the tunes: portable bluetooth speaker $179.99. Buy it here.
Kid
- Bike wheel lights, graphics synthesizer, generates thousands of changing colors and patterns. Kids will ADORE this gizmo. And extra safety and visibility for parents’ peace of mind. A perfect tech gift! $50
New Parents
- This stroller folds itself. FOLDS ITSELF. It also is lighted and charges your iPhone. Is there a tech gift new parents could love any more? Oragami Stroller http://www.4moms.com/origami $849.99
Baby
- HTML for Babies book. Get ‘em coding early! http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/eacc/#tabs $9.99
Gentleman
- The gentleman must always travel in style. Roll up travel charger $49
Geek
- Get them the ultimate recharge station, the Kaynex Sydnee Smart Charging Station $149. It holds everything.
Potterhead
- Team Edward? Team Jacob. We think not. For only $25, try this fantastic sweatshirt instead.
Hipster
- It’s instant! It’s digital! It’s awwwesome! $159. Your own personal hipster WILL want this instant digital camera.
It Girl
- For the girl who has everything? Give her something no one else has. Custom Cemented iPhone Jewels in Subtle Sparkle. $103 US dollars, but she’s gotta send in her phone across the pond, for this perfect tech gift. http://www.crystalskins.co.uk/atelier.html
Motorhead
- The easy answer when your favorite gearhead and motor-er gets a flat: Slime Safety Spair:$38 this special sealant will get them safely to somewhere they can replace a flat tire, in only 7 minutes!
Caffeine Junkie
- 8 Bit Heat sensitive pixel heart mug. $11.49 http://www.perpetualkid.com/heat-sensitive-pixel-heart-mug.aspx . So flippin’ cute!
Prepper/outdoorsman/Camper:
- Whether he’s getting ready for the zombie apocalypse, or just likes to keep his device with him out in the wild, this kinetic device charger: http://www.npowerpeg.com/ is the perfect find. $199.95
Health Nut :
- They need to blend up their smoothie on the run? This blender actually attaches to the bottle, so they can grab and go. My Blend Bottle Blender. http://www.oster.com/myblend/ $29.99
Foodie
- Save time and energy measuring and weighing with this little doodad. Digital Spoon Measure - the link to buy is at the bottom - $25.85
Pet
- Let your lil sweetie get a cool drink whenever he wants with a Doggie water fountain: $79.50. It senses when your pet comes up to it, so he can always have fresh water. Really great for labs who love to drink from the hose!
Jock
- Jawbone UP activity tracking wristband. Works with your smartphone to track sleep cycles and activity levels and goals 129.99 https://jawbone.com/up
Belieber
- Heart iPhone earbud splitter. Because where there’s one Belieber there is always another. And they need to be able to share the beats too. $18
Designer/Artist
- Wacom Inkling, an actual pen that digitally records her doodling for easy import. Learn about it here http://www.wacom.com/en/creative/products/mobile/inkling buy it here $199
Gamer
- For all of the retro joy of 8bit games! A guaranteed hit. iPhone Joystick $13.49
Mr./Miss OCD
- Neatdesk $349.88 Scans business cards, receipts and full sized sheets of paper, and then instantly organizes them! SWEET.
*All prices are accurate at the time of publishing, but we can’t guarantee that they won’t change. Good Luck, and Happy Shopping for great tech gifts that they will LOVE!
by Curtis Taylor, Tech Expert, Freelance Writer.
This post was posted in Opinion, Tablets, Gifts, Tech, Blog Candy, Geek, What We Do, iPhone, iPad, Uncategorized and was tagged with every, person, type, gizmos, gadgets, Cyber Monday, gift, tech gifts, guide, Gifts
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The History of Sony's Gaming Console - "Playstation" [Infographic]
Posted on October 18, 2012When most people think about the words "console gaming", one of the things that come into mind is the Sony Playstation. Ever since this platform was introduced back in 1994, the world of home entertainment has never been the same. From friend, families, rivals, to (former) kids fawing over Final Fantasy 7's Tifa Lockheart, many people bonded with their loved ones over this gaming rig.
The Playstation had some remarkable evolution: from it's bulky, rectangular shaped console to the slick and handheld PS Vita. Sony had some ups and downs over every console, but nonetheless the PS still reigned supreme for many years. If you are curious (and I know you are) on how this God-given console evolved, then check out this infographic below:
This post was posted in Opinion, Tablets, Tech, Geek, What We Do, iPhone, iPad
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Geek Fuel: Seriously the biggest “Monster Energy Drink” We’ve EVAR Seen.
Posted on June 29, 2012
because she loves us
The minions here at RepairLabs tinker away all day and night, fixing broken logic boards, rusted and corroded casings, and shattered device screens. With near-magic precision, we manage to bring dead devices back to life, and it takes a special kind of rocket fuel to power a machine this well-oiled and precise. That’s right, kids. We couldn’t do it without Caffeine. And lots and lots of it.
The Caffeine Fairy dropped this Mega 32 ouncer off at our offices this morning. (I would have gotten a photo of her for you, but she’s quick. And jittery.) Just look at how this Monster Energy Drink dwarfs that Sharpie highlighter. How could we fix your iPhones and Blackberry and Samsung Galaxy III without it? It keeps our little fingers flying across the keyboards, and soldering away at minuscule logic boards and computer components. So in the spirit of loving caffeine, we quote the venerable and awesome Mr. Steve Jobs saying:
"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do."
And may we add, they do it on caffeine. And ya gotta be just a little bit crazy to drink a Monster that big.
everybody raise your glass... of Monster
This post was posted in Opinion, Tablets, Tech, Blog Candy, Geek, What We Do, About Us, iPhone, iPad and was tagged with rebels, crazy, quote, repair, energy drink, monster, steve jobs, caffine, caffeine
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Father’s Day Gifts for the Techie Dad
Posted on June 13, 2012What Dad Really Wants This Year on Father's Day
We’ve compiled a list of the Coolest Gifts for Dads this year. We asked all the dads at RepairLabs what’s on their wish list for this Father’s Day, and here are some of the ideas that they gave us.
DIY Gadget Card - Free
Dads love things you made for them. Even if you're 30.
A fantastic tutorial and a really creative idea for a card for dad that you can make yourself, with the kids. Look inside each of the “apps” to find a cute personalized message. From Charlottes Fancy.com
A Gadget Grip Mat - $11
The things he'll stick to this are limited only by his imagination.
Grippy Pad holds all sorts of things in place with an advanced silicone material. (I.e., stolen from aliens.)
BioLite CampStove- $129
Roast marshmallows and charge iPhone.
This little beauty also charges devices. If Dad’s a camper, this will be on his list. (It’s good to keep a phone around even when you’re unplugging-- in case of emergencies.)
Mouse Armrest -$30
Repetitive stress injuries are a real concern!
This is an ergonomic attachment for Dad’s office chair or desk. It will help reduce the possibiltes of bad posture and repetitive stress injuries from using a mouse.
Bear Grylls Ultimate Survival Kit - $52
Dad can keep this in his care. Or his Bug-out Bag.
Camping survival kit. Because Tech Dads can MacGyver anything.
iKoa Phone Case- $179
Beautiful and Functional
This beautiful case also holds Dad’s credit card and ID.
igrill thermometer and app $79
High-Tech Grillin'!
Just insert the probe thermometer of this device into the meat and use your iPhone or iPad to monitor the temp while you’re off relaxing with a beer.
LawnBott Robotic Lawn Mower $1199
We're just waiting for an iPhone app to control it.
It’s not cheap, but if Dad hates mowing, this gift may be worth it.
Laptop Desk - $25
Good for Dad, and the machine.
A Lap desk designed to keep you cool with special insulation that blocks 95% of laptop heat.
Custom Housing Color for his iPhone 4S $249
soooo shiny....
Custom iPhone housing color change. Choose Dad’s favorite team’s colors.
We <3 Daddy DIV Photo –Free
You are now dead of the cute.
We think it would be relatively simple to take some posterboard and an iPhone and shoot this picture on a sunny afternoon. If my calculations are correct, the kids need to hold the signs upside down. You stand facing them. Print it on photo stock pop it in a frame for his desk at work ~and best part, it’s Dad’s favorite gift of all. Laurie, the fantastic blogger at Tip Junkie , provided this great picture, but was unable to find the source of this beautiful image.
Hope these ideas get you going to show Dad how great he really is.
Sources and Links
http://charlottesfancy.com/2010/06/14/idad/
http://www.firebox.com/product/5078/Grippy-Pad
http://www.biolitestove.com/campstove/camp-overview/features/
http://www.gerbergear.com/Survival/Gear/Ultimate-Kit_31-000701
http://www.martinandmacarthur.com/mobile-phone-accessories/mobile-phone-accessories/ikoa-phone-case
http://www.lawnbotts.com/lawnbott/LawnBott_LB1200_Spyder_Robotic_Lawn_Mower.
http://www.stacksandstacks.com/computer-lap-desk-lapinator-by-lapinator-inc
http://www.fix-iphones.com/iphone-4s-colored-glass-conversion.html
*Note: prices are valid at the time of publication (6-13-12). Please check links to be sure.
This post was posted in Opinion, Tablets, Gifts, Tech, Geek, How To, What We Do, iPhone, iPad, Uncategorized and was tagged with Accessories, Housing, Color, Car, Grip Pad, Ergonomics, Photos, Camping, Mowing, Cards, Ideas, Techie, Father's Day, Dad, Gifts, Tech, How To, iPhone, iPad
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Blog Candy: Avengers, Logo-fied
Posted on June 8, 2012Avengers as Tech Logos
Avengers Fan Art
Here at RepairLabs, we love the new Avengers Movie, so we thought we’d create a little fan art. You know, merge two things we like: technology and SUPERHEROES! Can you name each logo’s inspiration? Bonus points if you can say why.
S
C
R
O
L
L
DOWN
FOR
THE
ANSWERS
Did you get them all?
Here are the answers.
Stark: Sharp
BlackWidow: Blackberry
Thor: Dell
Captain America : Macintosh
Hulk: HTC
Thanks for playing, kids tune in next time for more good clean fun from the fine folks at the RepairLabs at Fix-iPhones.
This post was posted in Opinion, Tablets, Tech, Blog Candy, Art, Geek, What We Do, iPhone, iPad and was tagged with Logo, Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow, Thor, Stark, Fan art, Tech
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Geek Pride Day Swag: Free Web Badge Graphic
Posted on May 25, 2012
Free Gift from us for Geek Pride Day
Happy Geek Pride day to you all from RepairLabs! Wanna show you’re proud of who you are, even if you weren’t the coolest kid in school? Celebrate with a free button from us for your blog, Facebook page, or Twitter-- feel free to use it for whatever you like, but we’d be much obliged if you linked back to us in a spirit of sharing and Geek solidarity.
Today, we take back the name of geek, and we wear it like a badge. If you’ve ever been stuck home on a Saturday night, ever been teased for playing ‘Magic--The Gathering’, ever watched ‘Firefly’ till your eyes bled, you are one of us. Okay, so we geek out a little bit over logic boards and phone components. Who doesn’t geek out over something?
Because really, what is a Geek? It’s somebody who loves something unabashedly even though he may catch some flack, because, let’s face it, that something is just not cool. And the great thing is, he doesn’t care. His passion makes him resilient to whatever the haters can throw at him. And as the brilliant character, Radio Dj Lester Bangs from ‘Almost Famous’ explains, “The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what we share with someone else when we're uncool.”
Chris @CapSteveRogers gets it:
Geek Wisdom.
Today, Let’s join together under a single rallying cry: They may take our lunch money, but they will NEVER TAKE OUR XBOX!!!!!!!!!!!! So if you love your Star Wars, your caffine, your gadgets, your differential equations, or your Harry Potter more than you love your MeeMaw, and you're not afraid to admit it, this one’s for you. And always remember that one day:
The Geek shall inherit the earth.
This post was posted in Opinion, Tablets, Tech, Geek, What We Do, About Us, iPhone, iPad and was tagged with Graphic, Badge, Swag, Free, Geek Pride Day
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