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Google Home Max Review: a powerful yet disappointing connected speaker

Apple’s only connected speaker is the HomePod (which makes up for Siri’s shortcomings with its excellent acoustic quality). Google, on the other hand, offers several such products geared to “Home” use, with names like Mini and Max. The largest of these products, the Google Home Max, is the one we will be discussing here.

Retailing for around 399$, this connected speaker was engineered to satisfy even the most demanding listeners. In other words… to make you forget about the mediocre acoustic performance of the Google Home (which retails for much less: 129 dollars). A world leader in wireless technology, Google is now seeking to validate its wireless connected speaker. And, after having spent a few weeks testing the Home Max, we have to say that it still has a lot of room left for improvement.

Google Home Max

The Home Max isn’t very elegant but it does have some great features

A connected speaker designed to fit in with a person’s interior decor should, above all, be aesthetically appealing. However, it would be fair to say that the Google Home Max is somewhat lacking in this respect. Very massive, the Google Home’s big brother is not very elegant: it resembles a large gray or black brick (your two color options) that sticks out when it is placed on top of a piece of furniture. At least the Home Max has very good finish quality (there’s nothing protruding from the speaker’s case); also noteworthy is its ability to be placed vertically in the manner of a bookshelf speaker. Google also supplies a small, magnetic silicone support to prevent the speaker from being in direct contact with the surface it is sitting on.

Google Home MaxWe did like this speaker’s front panel: it is covered with thin fabric that is translucent enough to allow the speaker’s four luminous indicators to show through when using the Google Assistant. Of course, the direction of these indicators will depend on the speaker’s orientation. At the top of the speaker (or on its side if it is being used vertically), can be found a tactile surface (distinguishable by its darker color) which will allow you to increase/decrease the speaker’s volume or pause audio playback. These controls work very well and can be used if you prefer not to make use of the speaker’s voice commands.

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Acer Predator X34P Review: luxury beast with minor weaknesses

Acer Predator X34P

The Acer Predator X34P is unbelievable. 120 Hertz, 1440p resolution, 34-inch, 21:9 curved display and NVIDIA G-Sync. It has almost everything today’s gamer wants, but of course at a price which would shock many. With our test you can find out whether it is really worth 900 dollars.

Pro

  • Sleek 120 Hz panel
  • NVIDIA G-Sync
  • 21:9 format
Con
  • “mellow” frame
  • No HDR
  • 5ms response time

The Acer Predator X34P really does want to be a predator. At such a high price, it should at least be able to make coffee. To cut a long story short, the Acer Predator X34P is a stylish monitor which does everything right. Unfortunately, though, there are more problems in the B note, which costs it the title of the perfect gaming monitor. Let’s begin as we always do by looking at the specs.

Delivery and assembly

A 34-inch 21:9 monitor does not come in a small box. At least you can still carry it by yourself. In the box you can find, next to the Acer Predator X34P, the HDMI cable, display port and the power cable with a German and British plug layout. You also get a remote control and metal plate, which you need to hang it on the wall. Not necessarily a lot, but it is enough.

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Cheap Gaming Monitor 2018 Recommendation (144 Hz, Low input Lag, 4K)

Arguably the most important peripheral, a good monitor is supposed to provide a good immersive experience for gaming and productivity. There are myriads of factor to be considered here, first and foremost being the resolution and the color reproduction. Next and equally important factor, especially for gamers, is the refresh rate of the monitor and the availability of FreeSync or G-sync for smoother gaming experience. The unknown factors are of course backlight bleed and dead pixels, especially, if you are going for esoteric Korean panels which have flooded the market these days.

Our review however is concerned with the most well-established manufacturers with relatively uniform production quality and better customer support. If you want to take the risk, go ahead and experiment with a Korean panel.

Your personal workload is also an important factor in deciding the kind of panel you may want to use. Want higher response time and really low latency for your fast-paced Counter-Strike then you may want a TN panel. Most people prefer using an IPS panel, because of better viewing angle and higher color saturation. This is good for content creators and people who watch movies with their friends and family using their monitor.

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Best Laptop under 600 Dollars 2018

Are you looking for the best possible laptop but do not want to spend too much? It’s difficult trying to find good gaming or office laptop within a budget when you have to do all the research by yourself. Luckily, you have come to the right place if you want guidance and reviews of the best gaming laptops under 600 dollars.

In this article, we will guide you about things you should be looking for in a budget laptop before buying it. We will also share with you our list of Best laptops under $600 that we feel are the best in this budget.

Buying a laptop within $600 means that you will have to make some compromises. When you are trying to find a budget laptop, you won’t be getting the latest tech and the highest possible storage at once.

For example, there would be one laptop with an excellent display, but on closer inspection, you will find that the computer has a processor that is two generations behind the latest generation of processors. Alternatively, Probably, you will find a laptop that has specs that are far beyond what you were expecting but lacks a graphics card.

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Nvidia GT 1030 vs AMD RX 550: What’s the difference? Which is better?

Competitive PC video gaming no longer requires a very expensive hardware configuration. Both Nvidia and AMD are now offering graphics cards retailing for under 100€ which are powerful enough for gaming in 1080p.

Beginning with its GT 1030, Nvidia has been more focused on improving the efficiency of its graphics cards than their raw performance characteristics. AMD has also adopted a similar strategy for the design of its two newest graphics cards – the RX 550 and the RX 560 (which belongs to a slightly higher product line). But what can these graphics cards be used for? In addition to being well-suited to building small media-center computers (that can be placed under a TV), these graphics cards are also ideal for entering the world of competitive PC gaming without having to spend hundreds of euros on hardware.

In fact, the majority of competitive PC games are very highly optimized and do not require a powerful hardware setup in order to be played. The main consideration with this type of game is ensuring a constant, and sufficiently high frame rate (in order to allow players to follow all of a game’s action without their computer lagging).

Among the most highly competitive PC games are, of course, Overwatch, Starcraft 2, and Heroes of The Storm as well as League of Legends, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Not to mention Hearthstone which can even be played on an iPad.

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What are the best computers and tablets for studying?

PC or tablet? macOS, iOS, Windows or ChromeOS? We will help you make the right choice before it is time to go back to high school or university!

It is almost time to go back to school! That means its time, once again, to stock up on all the supplies you’ll be needing. In 2018, depending on your particular educational institution and level of studies, you may want to replace your notebooks, papers, and pencils with either a PC or a tablet.

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Emulators and ROMs for Playing Best Console Games on Computers

Console Games

Many old-school gamers tend to think that the time where games took our breath away has sunk into oblivion. Such an opinion is quite understandable. If we take a closer look at modern games, we’ll see how alike they are. The latest games are merely improved copies of their predecessors. Modern projects are more sophisticated in terms of graphics, sound, and visual effect, of course. But unfortunately, we cannot help noticing their lack of novelty and that hardcoreness old-school games were famous for. Therefore, currently, so many players choose to download emulators and ROMs to stay those authentic, unique, and thus unforgettable game classic of all time. So, what shall we do satisfy our nostalgic thirst for primordial gaming?

Your Emulator, Sir!

Finding an emulator is not a problem. Search for similar programs in the Internet and you will be provided with thousands of results to your query. There are plenty of reliable, functional, and easy-to-use emulators, such as as Null, Damon PS2 Pro, DeSmuMe, MAME, and many others. Most of the emulators can be downloaded for free. But, if you are planning on getting a super cool program that costs a fortunate, you are free to do so. Still, we would recommend familiarizing yourself with the free trial version prior to purchasing the product.

Console Games

Getting an Emulator and ROMs

So, if you are done with choosing an emulator, visit a trustworthy site offering it and click on the “Download Now” button to get one step closer to your dream.

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Top 10 Torrent Sites of 2018

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Torrent websites are loved by many as they allow you to download large files easily and quickly. You can download video games, movies, software, music albums, eBooks, and more. This is made possible with the help of communication protocols for peer-to-peer file sharing (P2P) such as BitTorrent. It is important to note, downloading torrent files …

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Edward Snowden on Why Privacy is the Most Important Right

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Online privacy has become one of the most popular buzzwords today. It is frequently brought up on the major cybersecurity blogs, social media platforms, and authority websites including Secure Thoughts which is one of the top cybersecurity websites of 2018 that aims to educate the people in the most comprehensive manner possible. However, most experts will agree that the significance of online privacy was essentially highlighted by Edward Snowden who you may know from the iconic movie Snowden which is based on his real life.

Who is Edward Snowden?

Edward Snowden

Image Source

Edward Snowden is a U.S. citizen and a former CIA employee who is considered one of the most prominent whistle-blowers in the history of human rights and online privacy. He shot to fame when he found out that the NSA was conducting an invasive surveillance on the US citizens on a mass scale and decided it was his patriotic duty to inform the people about the same even though he knew it meant destroying his career and inviting stringent legal action. Still, unfazed and unafraid, he leaked critical information about the US intelligence’s phone and Internet surveillance in the interest of the public and left the country to settle in Russia as he knew his actions would make the government go after him.

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Fitbit Versa vs. Charge 2: What’s the difference?

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Fitbit Versa vs. Charge 2With the Versa, Fitbit has brought a new and very interesting fitness tracker to the market. Where the Fitbit Versa at first reminds you of the Ionic or Blaze, the new tracker is at the same price range as the very popular Fitbit Charge 2 and Charge 3.

Thus, we are comparing the Fitbit Versa with the Fitbit Charge 2, as we think it will definitely be very interesting. Even more interestingly as the Charge 2 has been my favourite of the Fitbit family thus far. In this article I compare both devices. The questions that will be answered are:

  • What are the differences?
  • Which device is right for you?
  • Is it worth upgrading from the Charge 2 to the Versa?

After the Versa, the Charge 3 also came to the market, which I have also compared with the Charge 2. If you are interested in seeing this comparison, you can have a look here: Charge 2 vs. Charge 3.

Fitbit Versa vs. Charge 2

We will start the comparison with the differences between the two. You will find an overview of the differences in the comparison table above. Below I go into detail about the differences between the two devices. Here we go, Fitbit Versa vs. Charge 2.

Pulse measurement HR function

Extremely important, though barely noteworthy for Fitbit – pulse measurement. Both the Versa and the Charge 2 have 24/7 pulse measurement. Thus, your heart rate is continuously being measured. Many devices from other manufacturers only measure your pulse on command. For day-to-day use, that is not very helpful.

Fitbit Versa vs. Charge 2Optically they are different. Both work with PurePulse technology and convince. Generally, pulse measurement by Fitbit has proved itself very well in its previous models. That is still the case now. Although the sensor looks different, Fitbit is sticking to its PurePulse technology for both devices. If you would like to find out more about this, you can look at the manufacturer’s website.

Waterproof – go swimming with the Versa

This is something that many as well as me have wanted for a long time. You can go swimming with the Versa! Indeed, you could also do this with the Ionic or the Flex 2, but one model is very expensive and the other does not have pulse measurement.

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