LG Tone Platinum SE Review: Wrecking Pixel Buds and AirPods (HBS-1120)

LG Tone Platinum SE Review! LG is refreshing their Platinum line, adding some cool tech tricks like Google Assistant and Google Translate support. When compared against Pixel Buds and AirPods, we’ve got a solid daily driver audio competitor.

However, things get a bit sticky when we examine the relationship between hardware and software. When balanced against a premium price tag, do the Tone Platinum SE have the goods to part you from your cash? Let’s take a listen! Continue reading “LG Tone Platinum SE Review: Wrecking Pixel Buds and AirPods (HBS-1120)”

OnePlus 6 Review: A punch above the price tag!

It’s really incredible how much gadget you get for half the price of an iPhone X. Smack dab in the middle of the smartphone market, OnePlus has carved out a tremendous niche. A fan favorite for screamer performance, but can a stripped hotrod still appeal opposite the current trends, fads, and feature creep?

OP6 Audio Review
OP6 Camera Review
Continue reading “OnePlus 6 Review: A punch above the price tag!”

The Master List of SomeGadgetGuy Smartphone Camera Reviews

One of the biggest issues when looking at smartphone camera performance is consistency. If you can’t compare similar samples from different devices, taken under similar conditions, then it’s difficult for consumers to gauge performance outside of a “take my word for it” attitude from the reviewer.

Real world conditions, consistent locations and subjects, mostly handheld, here’s the master list of camera reviews I’ve produced. If you want to see how a Note 8 stacks up against a Note 4, here’s where you can find those reviews for staging your own comparisons. Enjoy!

Continue reading “The Master List of SomeGadgetGuy Smartphone Camera Reviews”

The Master List of SomeGadgetGuy Smartphone Audio Reviews

All too often, reviewers gloss over audio. It’s easy to take for granted. Does a phone have a headphone jack? What kind of speakers does it have? Play 10 seconds of a sample. That’s all you need to know, right?

But if you like your ears, you know audio is more nuanced than that. Comparing speakers in a controlled and consistent fashion requires patience. Listening to headphone output, sharing a subjective opinion is valuable, but that should also be backed up by measurements.

It’s OK to share some opinions, but you should be able to also back those opinions up with some facts. That’s an area where many tech reviewers get audio wrong.

Years of reviews, testing under consistent conditions. Let’s take a listen and see what phones really deliver the ear candy! Listen healthier! Listen happier!

Shoot, Edit, Render, Upload 4K Video from a Phone! #CES2018 Vlog Recap!

Yes you can produce all of your video coverage directly from your phone! Using only an LG V30 to shoot, edit, render and upload 4K video, here’s my recap on making a rig for a phone, how the phone handled editing, and what were some of my surprises in living the #MOJO lifestyle. Mobile Journalism just might be the way of the future…

Vlog 4 https://youtu.be/1bt_4967JNI
Vlog 3 https://youtu.be/ll3rTJBuUzA
Vlog 2 https://youtu.be/_wvgNOIJHbY
Vlog 1 https://youtu.be/cjM02ZMtvBU
CES Preview https://youtu.be/Nddq6mz2zR0
Continue reading “Shoot, Edit, Render, Upload 4K Video from a Phone! #CES2018 Vlog Recap!”

Net Neutrality Harms are NOT Hypothetical: An open letter to Left, Right, and Center (and most other news shows)

This is a copy of a comment I sent to the producers of Left, Right, and Center. LRC is a weekly radio show/podcast from KCRW, featuring liberal and conservative pundits calmly and rationally discussing the top news stories of the week. This was originally submitted as a public comment on the LRC website, but was blocked with no reason stated. I am re-publishing this here as a resource for folks who want more information, and a fast cheat sheet, of real harm caused by eliminating Title II regulation of the Internet. The list at the end of this post links to events where carriers and ISPs have abused their power prior to enacting Net Neutrality.

***Update 12-19-2017 – My comment was finally reinstated. This post still stands as a starter collection of links for people tired of the “Where were the harms” arguments from conservatives.

Dear LRC,

I’m a huge fan. I’ve been a listener for years, and greatly appreciate the tone of your show. Tackling divisive political topics, in an even-handed fashion, is not easy. I believe your show succeeds in this mission more than most. However, when your show falls short, I also believe it’s the duty of your listeners to let you know.

Listening to the episode Is Alabama the beginning of a ‘blue wave’ of wins?, I was thrilled that you would be talking about the recent FCC vote repealing Title II regulation of the internet. There’s been a lot of vitriol and hot headedness surrounding this topic. Your program was high on my list for outlets bringing a more level-headed approach to this conversation. Unfortunately, all we received was a rushed chat, repeating fallacy and appealing to emotion.

Continue reading “Net Neutrality Harms are NOT Hypothetical: An open letter to Left, Right, and Center (and most other news shows)”

Leave the Laptop at Home? Tech Travel Tips!

Do you leave your laptop at home when traveling? It’s getting more difficult to keep up with gadget restrictions around the world, but we still need to get work done while on the go. Here are some ideas to consider when trying to be productive from our phones and tablets.

More Tech Travel Tips!

Pick a Good Travel Battery!
Charge Your Phone Overseas!
The Best Bag For Your Trip!
Continue reading “Leave the Laptop at Home? Tech Travel Tips!”

Vid.Me closes its doors – Is there a future for monetizing user generated video?

Competition makes all markets better. Unfortunately for internet based content creators, there haven’t been many competitive options for distribution. YouTube represents the vast majority of internet traffic for user generated video.

There are other sites to host video, but investing time in a platform is a dicey proposition if that site doesn’t stick around. Outside of YouTube, creators also might lack options for monetization.

I’ve been through numerous solutions to try and find other outlets for publishing. Mevio, Blip, and now Vid.me. Vid.me subscribers received an email yesterday alerting us that the service will be closing its doors on December 15th. Continue reading “Vid.Me closes its doors – Is there a future for monetizing user generated video?”