Monday, December 29, 2014

CCS Tek - Misfit Flash Unboxing and First Look

Misfit flash

The misfit flash is the lower end model of the misfit series but its not lesser in any way but its construction.
The misfit shine is made out of aluminum, where the flash is made of plastic

I was looking for a fitness wearable so when I saw this for a good price, I picked one up and thought I'd review it

The flash is very easy to use. Simply push down on the face and it lights up. First it will show you the clock, then your fitness progress. The clock is interesting. first it lights up the 4 time points (12, 3, 6, 9). then it glows bright which hour it is. then it flashes the minute number. For displaying the progress, it fills up dots around the ring of the face. You can also reverse it so it shows progress then clock in the app.

The app really is where most of the functionality comes from.
In there you can track your activity, calories burned and how much progress you have on your goals for fitness.
It also tracks your sleep - the misfit tracks your motion and heartbeat in conjunction with time and tracks your deep sleep and regular sleep, and then also compares that to your set goal of how much sleep you want

In the app you can set your goals: points for fitness, hours for sleep, and desired weight. Change which device syncs with your app and change settings in your device

It even has a social aspect where you can share your progress and see how other misfit users are doing (anonymous) or your friends on FB, Twitter, linkedin or contacts


Conclusions - the flash is a basic but functional fitness tracker.. with a watch face kind of thrown in there. Its light weight, easy to use, nice to track, and cheap.
But its not quiet as function rich as things like the jawbone, etc. Overall good device for the price.

Monday, December 22, 2014

Tek News Show Notes (12/22) - The Interview Banned, Instagram followers lost and other news



Tek News - 12/22

Sony update news


http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/19/north-korea-hack-the-interview-must-watch/
http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/19/president-obama-the-interview-mistake/
Executives chose to not release the film
But they did make it so everyone wants to watch it. It will be torrented a lot
I think this was a mistake - giving into cyber terrorism.
And even the president said not releasing it was a mistake


Instagram followers cut
http://hothardware.com/news/instagram-deletes-millions-of-fake-accounts-celebs-see-their-followers-plummet
http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/19/instagram-purges-spam/
Digital fame is fickle
Many celebs losts hundreds of thousands of followers (most all fake accounts) as Instagram went through and purged thousands of fake or inactive accounts.


Minecraft inventor outbid Jz

http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/18/minecraft-success-helps-its-creator-buy-a-70-million-mansion/
Minecraft inventor Notch outbid a house for 70 million dollars that Jay-Z and Beyonce were trying to buy. This house was the most expensive one for sale in beverley hills and its quite amazing.


Prime Now
http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/18/amazon-prime-now/
Amazon is launching a new shipment service (only in Brooklyn currently but more soon). For 7.99 you can have select things shipped to you in only an hour, or in two hours for free if you have a prime membership. this is in competition to Google’s Shopping Express.

Monday, December 15, 2014

CCS Tek (12/15) - Holiday Buying Guide 2014

Holiday Buying Guide


Laptops
Hp stream 11 & 13
The 1TB online storage and 1 year of Office 365 makes it more than worth it
Macbook Air - 11 & 13”

Phones
iPhone 6
Samsung Galaxy 5
HTC M8
Moterola Moto X

Tablets
Samsung Galaxy Tab
The Nvidia Shield tablet
The iPad Air 2 or Mini 2

Other Cheap gifts
portable battery charger
Amazon Fire TV Stick or Chromecast
Bluetooth Speakers
An external harddrive - 500GB or 1TB
A Misfit Flash or other Fashion Wearable

Other gift ideas

Monday, December 1, 2014

CCS Tek - Show notes (12/1/14) - w/ YoungFreeRoyal

Saving money on Tech Gifts - Collaboration with Shadoe from Young Free Royal


1 - Buy Online. Amazon/Newegg often have better prices, and sometimes even free shipping. Brick and mortar are only for getting hands on or if you need it RIGHT NOW

2 - buy last years model. Your purchase doesn't have to be brand new. Unless you REALLY need that new feature for work or something important, last years model will probably suffice. And most likely, it is at least a couple hundred dollars cheaper. And sometimes retailers or manufactures will bundle in extra accessories just to sell it so thats even more value for your dollar


3 - Trade in your old Tech. If you aren't using your old technology, you should trade it in at your favorite electronics store. Most stores offer a gift card towards buying something new, or at the very least, you know you are doing good by keeping those things out of the dump and either into the hands of someone who needs it, or being recycled properly.


4 - Sign up for store rewards. If you are already buying something from the store, why not get rewarded from shopping there? Most stores, either brick-and-mortar and online, having some sort of rewards program. For example, BestBuy and Target have cards that give you points for spending money for money off of your next purchase. So instead of blowing it off, look into it, so you can get rewarded for buying stuff you are already going to be getting. 


For more tech gift saving ideas, checking out this article: Shopping Tips

If you would like to see more of Shadoe and her cool videos, you can find her on her channel: YoungFreeRoyal

Thanks for watching and see you next week!