Computers and gadgets – Sasha Says…

Brain Wave, Computers and gadgets, Shopping and Merchandise

Android versus Smart TV: Pick one!

July 21, 2022 No Comments

There is an on-going battle amongst fans of android and smart TV on which one is the best. I am also wondering which one is the best for our family. Our current TV, an old traditional one, has retired so a new one is about to come join our family very soon. It is imperative that I find out which one is better to make an informed decision before I go buy one.

Smart TV

A Smart TV is any television that can connect to the internet. It is very user-friendly as it comes with pre-installed apps like Netflix, Youtube, and even Facebook so there are no more complicated set-up needed. It is basically plug and play when you buy it.

The thing with Smart TV is that when you want to connect to other apps, you might not be able to. This television is not upgradable so new apps coming out won’t play in it. If you truly want to access new apps, a new Smart TV might be needed. Will you buy a new one just because you can’t access one app or two?

Android TV

The Android TV is basically a smart TV, one that can also connect to the internet and comes with pre-installed apps when you purchase one. But with an Android TV, Google Play Store gives this television a big edge compared to the Smart TV. Just like with Android smart phones, additional apps can easily be downloaded and upgraded. A vast array of apps from the play store can be installed and easily accessed on the TV remote control. It is just like a smart phone actually. And there’s the Google Assistant, too, and the Android box.

The only disadvantage of this type of television is that if the buyer is not tech-savvy and not too familiar with Android, installation and set-up might appear complicated and confusing.

Well, there you go. Basically, if you know Android, then the latter one is for you. If you want something very simple and with no complicated upgrading or installation, the former one is best.

As for me and my family, our pick is the Android TV. Adults in the family are familiar with Android as we all have that type of smart phones. And good thing we have a go-to repair man. The benefits of hiring a same-day appliance repair expert is something that all of us need to know. It comes handy especially if you have people relying on specific appliances at home. In our family, aside from TV, two of my sisters rely on the oven for their side hustle.

So, what’s your pick?

Brain Wave, Computers and gadgets, Entrepreneurship & Business Talks

How to Take Your Own Photos to Promote Your Business

May 16, 2022 No Comments

You need photos of your products if you want to sell them online. Sometimes you might be given good images to use if you’re purchasing your products from elsewhere. But there are often times when you need your own photography to promote not just the products you’re selling but also your brand. One option is to pay for a professional product photoshoot but that can get expensive. Although it’s more time-consuming, you also have the possibility of taking and editing your own photos. If you’ve never done that before, you’re going to need to pick up a few tips to help you.

Learn to Use Your Camera

The first thing you’ll need to learn to do is use your camera. It doesn’t really matter what the camera is. It doesn’t have to be fancy and could just be the camera on your phone, but it’s wise to make sure it can take decent photos before you commit to using it. Whichever camera you’re using, you have to know how to put it to use so that you can take the best photos. You need to learn what the different settings mean and how changing them will affect what your final photos look like.

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Pick Up Some Composition Tips

As well as knowing how to operate your camera, you should also know how to use it to get photos with good composition. Part of this is about the angle of your camera and factors such as the perspective and zoom. But you also have to consider what you choose to put in the frame and how it relates to everything around it. Of course, you might be taking different types of photos. Straightforward product photos that you want to use without backgrounds will be different to photos of your products being used or displayed in a more artistic way.

Know How to Use Editing Software

After you’ve taken your photos, your job isn’t finished. You also need to know how to edit them to get the best from them. This will likely involve using software such as PhotoShop or something similar. It doesn’t necessarily take long to pick up some useful skills, but it’s worth spending some time experimenting. You should also know how to troubleshoot some common problems. This article tells you how to tackle a frequent Photoshop problem that you might come across. It could prevent you from opening the program if you don’t know how to fix it.

Use Your Photos in the Right Way

Another important thing to keep in mind is how you’re going to use your product photos. Once you have some professional-quality photos to use, you have to think about the best ways to make use of them on your site. This might mean learning a few more skills in graphic design so you can use your photos to create banners or other images that make your online store look good.

You don’t have to hire a photographer if you want photos of your products. You could do it yourself if you’re willing to learn.

Brain Wave, Computers and gadgets, Family and Home living

Entertaining the kids during this pandemic.

June 1, 2021 No Comments

gaming This pandemic has brought out the creative and skillful in us. Can you imagine a time in our lives when majority of the adults are working from home and the young ones attending their classes online? To be honest, I am still reeling from the changes that this virus has brought in our lives.

In our home alone, two kids are attending their classes online. Both classes are in the morning. My younger sister teaches her pre-school classes online as well. And then two of us accountants are also working from home. Can you imagine the chaos when we are all using the internet and then the speed suddenly fluctuates? You can only imagine the noise when the lot at home shouts for the internet connection to be checked and restored. At night, when everyone is relaxing already, the television is on, most are on social media through their mobile phones, the kids are playing video games… that’s when it hits you. This pandemic has given us a chance to spend more time together and it is one of the positive things that we should be grateful for.

So, anyway, I am sure the adults in your home are struggling to entertain the kids so cabin fever won’t set in. I will share two ways that we skillfully thought of in order for the kids, and the kids at heart, to have fun while stuck at home to avoid exposure to the virus.

Bond over online games. Friendly competition is the name of the game, my friends! I have a seven-year-old nephew who is very competitive and would really learn ways on how to defeat everyone who plays against him. He knows some of the newest video games these days but I thought how much fun would it be to teach him some of the classic games from my generation. Pac-man, Galaga, Super Mario, Street Fighter… Just some of the games that I got hooked on when I was younger. I am grateful for smart television these days, you can easily play online games while lounging on the sofa in the family room. That’s what my nephew and I have been doing the past several months.

We discovered online Neon Invaders, Pac Rat Game, and Super Tetris! Ah, Tetris. My nephew was hooked the first time he played this! We would spend hours beating each others’ high scores. My heart skips a beat whenever I see my nephew enjoying a game from my youth.

I believe most of us older ones know how to play Tetris. You just have to use arrow keys in order for the pieces to fit in and create a straight line. Fit until you find yourself racing against time. It’s so simple that you won’t feel pressure while playing. You can easily play again and again. Trust me, you’d think it was a no-brainer game, not as much fun as other games out there, but you will be surprised at how much time you will spend lining up those falling bricks.

Get those thousand pieces puzzles. And slowly fit the pieces to complete it. Believe me, the kids will go crazy finding every piece that matches the ones that are already sitting in their places. Ah, the hours you will spend just doing it…

Need more skillful ways to entertain the kids?

Brain Wave, Computers and gadgets, Internet-Web Devt, Money matters

Vlogging: Can you really earn from it?

February 28, 2021 No Comments

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A couple has been on the hunt for furniture toronto for a few days now. Not for a brand new home or renovation. Not to give as a welcome home gift or for a newly-wed couple starting to build their forever home. The furniture will become the backdrop for their videos. The couple is into video blogging or, simply called, vlogging.

Vlogging has become such a trend nowadays that even ordinary individuals have their own YouTube channels you can subscribe to. Do you know why? The money to be earned in a video viewed by the millions. It is rumored that a YouTube video viewed at least five hundred million times will earn you a whopping one million US dollars!!! Not too sure about the accuracy of that article I read but if it is true, then you cannot really blame the hundreds of ordinary individuals who would do anything just to get their videos to go viral online.

But, can you really earn from vlogging?

Apparently, yes. You need to reach a certain number of viewers in order for your uploaded YouTube vlog to start getting advertisements. Those ads will pay you depending on the popularity of your channel. I believe celebrities command a higher rate for their vlogs especially as their videos generate millions of views in a span of weeks.

Very recently, an unknown man uploaded a vlog of his. He was spaced out in the video, looking somewhere in front of him, eyes wide open and unblinking. The caption of the video was this… wait and see if the man will blink his eyes. It was a two-minute video with nothing but the wide-eyed man spaced out. It went viral! The video was viewed millions of times by netizens who got curious if something would happen in between 1 second and two minutes. Nothing happened. I was also duped by that video but can you imagine the amount of money the vlogger earned just by that simple vlog of his?

In reality, vlogging was coined to connote a new performance art or music released by an artist. It was used in a different manner, with everyone who has a video camera and some confidence to record themselves, would create a video to be uploaded in YouTube, Facebook, Instagram or even their own blog sites. In all honesty, had I know that vlogging will generate a big chunk of income, I would have joined the bandwagon a long time ago.

Still, I wish that some people respect the platform. Not everyone can vlog! And not because you have the equipment, you can now record video after video, then find a way to make it go viral just for you to earn. Vlog if you have something important to say or impart. Vlog if you really think you will entertain someone to lighten their daily load. Vlog if you must but hopefully with the good intention and not only for you to earn from it.

Brain Wave, Computers and gadgets, Internet-Web Devt

Online classes and meetings and IT experts.

February 2, 2021 No Comments

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In this side of the world, there are three big internet companies that compete in providing citizens with the “best” of what they can offer. Their “best” is dependent on specific areas and subscriber usage. Internet provider One can be the best in this part of the city and the worst in another location of the same city. The same with internet provider Two and Three.

Imagine a number of kids in one home taking online classes using one internet connection. Or imagine the same but this time around with a number of adults participating in online meetings using one internet connection.

A lot of bad-tempered kids and adults in a given place!

One solution that I can think of is getting IT support. An IT expert can help find a solution to the problem of multiple users with a single internet connection. If there is an IT expert on standby, downtime can be minimized and a prevention to common troubles in internet usage can be anticipated.

Students in this part of the world learn through online classes. It is almost the same as to the traditional ones except instead of a blackboard, teachers use cameras and online materials to teach. I have been observing my nephew and my younger sister with their online classes. With my nephew who is in first grade, taking his classes online is effective. He is learning a lot from his teachers these days. But with my younger sister, who is already in high school, there are just so many distractions including social media which is open in her cellphone while taking classes.

There are pros and cons. Topmost pro of online classes is, of course, the safety of the students. Safe and sound at home, away from everyone who can pass on the virus to them. The topmost con, well, the stability of the internet connection.

The same goes for online meetings. Based on personal experience, being in the middle of a meeting with the boss and the internet connection going intermittent is not a very nice situation to be in.

So, here is what an IT professional, also a cousin, did to alleviate the internet situation at home.

He bought two wifi routers, one he put on the second floor of the house, another on the ground floor. The first two floors of the house are where we normally do our online work and meetings. He also got a wifi extender for my nephew’s room. He did some tinkering so that our internet connection will be enough even if there are four to six persons using at the same time. And it is working for us just fine.

Get an IT professional to help you sort your internet connection, either for online classes or meetings, or both. You need them to do some tinkering around. You need their expertise. It will help with all the online activities that we are participating in right now.

Unless you want chaos to rule when everyone is online?

Brain Wave, Computers and gadgets, Family and Home living

Home Tech That’ll Keep You Entertained During The Lockdown

May 12, 2020 No Comments

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Even when times are good, we spend a lot of time thinking about our homes. But now that most of us have to spend practically every hour of every day in them, that focus has shifted up a notch. We’re far more obsessed with our interiors in 2020 than ever before.

Hometech has moved on considerably in the last few years. Ten years ago, the concept of a “smart home” wasn’t even on the radar. Now it’s practically a part of the language.

Technology is helping many of us through what is an otherwise challenging time. Think about it: we have all of the entertainment we could ever want on Netflix and Disney. And we can communicate with our friends and family via zoom. We also have all manner of gadgets lying around the home that make being stuck indoors considerably more tolerable.

In this post, we’re going to take a look at the home tech keeping you entertained and comfortable during the lockdown. Enjoy!

Blenders That Vacuum Your Food At The Same Time

Okay, this one might sound a little weird, but don’t knock it until you try it!

When you use a typical blender, the action of the blades impregnates the resulting liquid with air bubbles. These then alter the taste and texture of the food you’re consuming. The effect is usually positive when you’re making, say, a strawberry smoothie. But it can be detrimental if you’re making a savory dish.

Now, though, blender companies have come up with a solution – apply a vacuum. Here, you place the lid firmly on the top of the blender, switch it on, turn on the vacuum setting, and then hit go. The mixer then whips up the mixture and draws out any excess air at the same time, leaving you with pure liquid. It’s almost magical.

Fridges That Order Food For You

No smart home system is complete without a smart fridge. These incredible objects are a massive step up from the refrigerators of old. Not only can you control them remotely, but they can actually make decisions on your behalf, such as ordering food for you.

How it works goes something like this: a camera in the fridge detects that you’re running low on milk. It then sends an order to a grocery delivery service telling them what you need. The service then ships you the missing items, completely negating the need for you to do any work yourself.

Yes, granted, the technology still needs a bit of work. But it is an exciting prospect for the future, and ideal during lockdown when you don’t want to go to the store.

Something to be aware of when you add a smart device like this or similar pieces of tech to your home is that it will put more pressure on your broadband. If you don’t want to face a significant slow down, make sure that you explore a new bundle or package available from sites such as www.highspeedoptions.com. After all, a modern home with the latest tech requires modern connections.

Speakers That Play Music Depending On Your Mood

Imagine if you could walk into your home, and speakers would suddenly start playing music to reflect your mood. You wouldn’t have to spend ages fumbling around on for a particular Spotify playlist – it would happen automatically.

Now, you can actually get systems that will do this. Most are voice-activated and will work anywhere in your home via Bluetooth.

Brain Wave, Computers and gadgets

5 Amazing Apps You Need In Your Life

April 29, 2020 No Comments

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Technology has given us so many new and exciting things to take advantage of. Needless to say, when used correctly, it has definitely changed our lives. Mobile technology is perhaps the most critical in this aspect. We’re now in a position where we have mini-computers in our pockets whenever we need them. Cell phone technology is mind-boggling, but you might be surprised by what I deem the most brilliant thing about modern phones.

That’s right, the title gives it away, I’m talking about apps. Apps are so incredible as they provide you with everything you need in the palm of your hand. There’s an app for just about everything and anything. So, on that note, here are some fantastic apps that you need in your life right now:

Netflix
There are lots of great streaming apps out there – some would say too many. You’ve got Hulu, Amazon, Disney Plus, etc. Still, I think Netflix offers the best blend of TV and movies across them all. It has a diverse roster of shows or films for every taste. There are new ones every month, and more classic options are being added as well. It’s always good to get recommendations from your friends for things to watch on Netflix as you discover hidden gems all the time. With a streaming app, you’re armed with entertainment in your pocket wherever you go. Plus, Netflix lets you download some shows and films while you’re at home, so you can steam them without using up mobile data!

Flo
Flo is an absolute life-changer for any woman on her period. Essentially, this app lets you track your period and tells you when it’s due. All you have to do is put in when your period last started, and it will figure things out with strange accuracy. The beauty of Flo is that it helps you prepare for your period and also lets you see when you’re ovulating. Thus, it turns into a fantastic app for people who are trying to have a baby. If you successfully conceive, then you can carry on using the app to track your pregnancy and keep tabs on how your baby is growing. Honestly, it’s the definition of an app you can’t live without.

Houseparty
This is one of those apps that’s risen in popularity thanks to the COVID-19 lockdown measures. In essence, it’s a group video calling app where loads of people can get together to have some fun. The difference between Houseparty and other apps is that it comes with a host of party games built-in. So, you and your friends can all have fun playing games as though you’re at a real house party. It’s excellent to use during these times of social distancing, but equally excellent at any other time. If you and your friends are all bored with nothing to do, then fire up the app and have some fun. Also, it’s amazing if you have family that live far away – this app keeps you connected!

Duolingo
I’m aware there are other language apps available, but Duolingo seems to be the best for beginners. Learning a new language is loads of fun, but it’s often hard to get started. With Duolingo, the lessons are so easy to follow and highly addictive. I like how it gives you a daily streak, and you lose it if you don’t go through at least one lesson a day. This keeps you motivated, as do the endless notifications it sends you to make sure you practice. After using the app for a few months, you’ll see a vast improvement in your base knowledge and vocabulary. Is it the best app if you want to be fluent? Probably not, but it’s an app you need if you’re looking to brush up on some old school knowledge or want to pick up a few key phrases for your next trip.

PS Express
Lastly, you need a good photo editing app, and PS Express is the best of all. This is like a condenses version of Adobe Photoshop for your phone. It’s free to use, there are no intruding adverts, and you can play around with so many editing features. If you want an app that will enhance your phone’s camera, then this is my recommendations. As a bonus, it lets you crop the pictures into the ideal size for social media posts or profile pictures, which is a nice touch.

If you’re looking for some app inspiration, then try these out for size. They’re helpful pretty much every day, and you can get them on both Android and Apple devices.

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