And in 2026, with Qi2 bringing MagSafe-style charging to Android, these aren’t just for iPhone anymore, they’re becoming universal.

Here are the 5 most popular magnetic power banks right now, based on what’s trending, tested, and actually worth carrying.

1. Anker MagGo Power Bank (10K) — The One Everyone Recommends

If you’ve read any “best power bank” list lately, this is at the top—and for good reason.

10,000mAh (actually useful capacity) Qi2-certified 15W magnetic charging Smart display + strong magnets

It’s widely considered the best overall magnetic power bank right now 

Why people love it:

It hits the sweet spot—powerful, still portable, and just works without quirks.

2. Anker MagGo Power Bank Slim (10K) — Power Without the Bulk

This is the version you buy if you hate thick battery packs.

Slimmer profile than most 10K banks Still gives nearly 2 full charges 15W wireless + 30W wired

Why it’s hot:

People want power, but not a brick stuck to their phone. This solves that.

3. Baseus PicoGo Qi2 Magnetic Power Bank — The Compact Favorite

This one is everywhere right now, especially for everyday carry.

5,000mAh (perfect for top-ups) Built-in kickstand Ultra-compact design

Why it’s popular:

It’s small enough to leave on your phone all day without noticing.

This fits the new trend: top off your battery, don’t fully recharge it

4. Baseus Nomos 45W Qi2 Magnetic Power Bank — The Power User Pick

If you want something more serious:

10,000mAh Built-in cable (huge bonus) Up to 45W wired output

Why it stands out:

This is one of the few that can charge more than just your phone—think tablets or even light laptops.

5. Anker MagGo Power Bank (10K, Apple Watch Edition) — The Ecosystem Play

This one’s niche—but blowing up for Apple users.

Charges phone + Apple Watch Built-in cable All-in-one travel solution

Why it’s trending:

People are tired of carrying multiple chargers. This replaces all of them.

What’s Driving the Trend

Magnetic power banks aren’t new—but they’ve hit a tipping point.

Qi2 standard = better alignment + faster charging Slimmer designs = actually pocketable Multi-function = fewer accessories overall

Wireless charging used to be a gimmick. Now it’s finally practical—no cables needed, just snap and go 

What Most People Should Actually Buy

Let’s keep it real:

Everyday users: get a 5K slim pack (like Baseus PicoGo) Heavy users: go 10K (Anker MagGo) Travel / tech-heavy: get one with cables + multi-device support

What to Watch Out For

Not all magnetic power banks are equal.

Common issues:

Fake “MagSafe” with weak magnets Slow 7.5W charging instead of true Qi2 Overheating on cheap models

If it’s not Qi2-certified in 2026, skip it.

Final Thought

Magnetic power banks are one of the few accessories that actually change how you use your phone.

No cables. No planning. No “I’ll charge later.”

Just snap it on and keep going.

What are you using right now—still cables, or have you switched to magnetic?

This monstrous slab of “innovation” unfolds into a 10-inch screen. It allows you to finally use three different portrait-sized apps simultaneously. This is a feature literally no one asked for, but it justifies the new titanium hinge.

This is Samsung’s three-hinge Hail Mary. They want to prove they’re still the “leader” after Huawei already launched one of these last year. The true threat, Apple, arrives in 2026. Apple might make the whole foldable genre popular enough to actually matter. Of course the Apple version will be magical.

But don’t worry about this ultra-premium, ultra-thin folding device shattering. They’re kindly offering a one-time 50% discount on screen repairs. You are paying extra for a phone that can break in a more complicated way. This is just the price of being an early adopter.

Here are the specifications for the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold, based on the press release:

Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold Specifications

Display

• Main Screen (Unfolded):
  • 10.0-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X
  • Resolution: 2160 x 1584, 269 ppi
  • Peak Brightness: 1600 nits
  • Refresh Rate: 120 Hz adaptive (1~120 Hz)
• Cover Screen (Folded):
  • 6.5-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X (21:9 aspect ratio)
  • Resolution: 2520 x 1080, 422 ppi
  • Peak Brightness: 2600 nits
  • Refresh Rate: 120 Hz adaptive (1~120 Hz)

Processor & Performance

• Processor: Customized Snapdragon® 8 Elite Mobile Platform for Galaxy
• Platform Features: Integrated Galaxy AI (including Photo Assist, Generative Edit, Sketch to Image, Browsing Assist, and Gemini Live enhanced with multimodal AI)
• Productivity: First mobile phone to have standalone Samsung DeX available (access up to four workspaces, each running five apps simultaneously).

Camera

• Rear Camera (Triple Array):
  • Wide-Angle: 200 MP Quad Pixel AF, OIS, F1.7
  • Ultra-Wide: 12 MP Dual Pixel AF, F2.2 (120˚ FOV)
  • Telephoto: 10 MP PDAF, OIS, F2.4, 3x Optical Zoom (up to 30x Digital Zoom with AI Super Resolution)
• Front Camera (Cover Screen):
  • 10 MP Selfie Camera, F2.2

Durability & Design

• Hinge: Refined Armor FlexHinge with a dual-rail structure and two differently sized hinges.
• Materials: Titanium hinge housing, Advanced Armor Aluminum frame, ceramic-glass fiber-reinforced polymer back panel.
• Thinness (Unfolded): Measures just 3.9 mm at its thinnest point (4.2 mm at the center screen).

Battery & Charging

• Battery Capacity: 5,600 mAh three-cell battery system (the largest battery Samsung has ever had in a foldable phone).
• Charging: 45W super-fast charging.

Dimensions & Weight

• Weight: 309 g
• Folded (H x W x D): 159.2 x 75.0 x 12.9 mm
• Unfolded (H x W x D): 159.2 x 214.1 x 3.9 mm (thinnest point)

Mobile devices are nearly ubiquitous. This reflects a dramatic transformation from the early 2000s. During that time, cellphone ownership was just over half of adults. Illustrating how deeply embedded mobile technology has become in everyday life.

Who Has a Smartphone and Who Does Not?

Smartphone ownership is widespread across demographic groups but the adoption rate is not uniform.

• Among younger adults (ages 18–29), virtually all own smartphones (about 97%).
• Ownership remains high, yet modestly lower, in older age groups (for adults 65 and older it is around 78%).
• By income: those in households with lower income (less than US$30,000 annually) are less likely to own a smartphone (82%). This is compared with higher-income households.
• Educational attainment and community type (urban, suburban, rural) also show variation. Even in the lower-adoption brackets, a majority still own smartphones.

These disparities remind us that while mobile technology is widespread, access is not perfectly equal. Socioeconomic factors continue to influence the degree to which individuals participate in the mobile digital world.

The Rise of “Smartphone-Only” Users

An increasingly important and sometimes overlooked segment of Americans relies solely on their smartphone for internet access. Pew calls these “smartphone-only” users: people who own a smartphone but do not have a home broadband subscription. As of the 2025 survey, 16% of U.S. adults fall into this category.

This share has risen substantially over the past decade, roughly doubling since 2013 (when only 8% were smartphone-only users).

Smartphone dependence is more common among lower-income households. It is also prevalent among adults with less formal education. This highlights that for many Americans, smartphones remain not just a convenience, but the primary gateway to the internet.

What This Means: Connectivity, Inequality and Digital Life

The data from Pew’s 2025 “Mobile Fact Sheet” paints a picture of a society where mobile technology is nearly universal. It also shows a society where access and dependency vary with income, education, age, and other social factors.

• Widespread connectivity: Almost all adults own a cellphone. Most own smartphones. Mobile devices have become the default way many Americans communicate. They access information and engage with the digital world this way.
• Digital inequality persists: Even though smartphone adoption is high, differences by income, age, and education affect internet access. Access to other forms of reliable, high-speed internet, such as home broadband, is unevenly distributed. This can influence everything from job opportunities to educational resources to civic participation.
• Mobile-only reality for many: For the 16% who depend solely on smartphones for internet access, mobile connectivity is not optional. It is essential. That has implications for how services, content, and support are delivered, especially for lower-income and less-privileged communities.
• Generational shift: Younger adults experience the internet very differently than older generations. Younger people are adopting smartphones at a higher rate. As a result, digital habits, expectations, and dependencies are likely to shape how future society accesses information. They will also influence how society communicates and participates online.

Looking Ahead

As mobile adoption stabilizes at very high levels, future policy and social efforts may need to shift focus. Efforts could concentrate on closing the gaps in broadband access. They should also focus on improving affordability and ensuring equitable digital inclusion. For example, expanding affordable home-broadband options could help reduce the reliance on smartphones alone. Supporting community-based internet initiatives could also assist in lessening this reliance. This would address limitations like limited data, smaller screens, or more expensive mobile plans.

Mobile devices continue to shape how people socialize, work, learn, and access services. Stakeholders from educators to policymakers to businesses must recognize the diversity of access and dependency across different demographic groups. A “one-size-fits-all” digital strategy may leave behind the very people who rely the most on mobile-only access.

Why It Matters

The nearly universal adoption of mobile devices in the United States is more than a technological milestone. Pew Research has documented this extensively. It shows how deeply digital life is integrated into daily living. We connect with friends and family, get news, apply for jobs, access services, and participate in civic life.

The persistent divides in broadband access suggest inequality. The growth of smartphone-only users highlights that having a device doesn’t always provide equal opportunity. It also doesn’t always ensure quality of access. In that sense, the smartphone revolution is still unfolding. This is not just in terms of gadgets. It also unfolds in terms of social equity, access, and inclusion.

“Born out of a collaboration between ISSEY MIYAKE and Apple, iPhone Pocket features a singular 3D-knitted construction designed to fit any iPhone”

It fits any iPhone, comes in pretty colors, and according to Apple’s design VP, it “celebrates craftsmanship, simplicity, and delight.” Translation: it’s a cute pouch.

The real shocker? The price. The short sock is $149.95, and the long sock is $229.95. The iPhone Pocket, apparently inspired by “a piece of cloth,” which is corporate-speak for “we know this is expensive, please don’t ask questions.”

Online reactions range from “Apple fans will buy anything if it has a logo” to “Why does this look like Borat’s mankini?” (Spoiler: it really does.)

Some tech folks tried to be serious, calling it an “insanely expensive sock” while noting that Apple is slowly turning the iPhone into a wearable. First armbands, now couture phone scarves. What’s next — iPhone pants?

I’m willing to bet you don’t belive me either right? Here is the link to purchase your own iPhone Pocket Sock from Apple on thier website:

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/11/introducing-iphone-pocket-a-beautiful-way-to-wear-and-carry-iphone/

Today we mark a milestone: the mobile operating system Windows Phone celebrates its 15th anniversary. While the exact date may vary depending on how you define its beginnings, it’s been about a decade and a half since Microsoft formally launched the Windows Phone platform ushering in an era of bold ambitions, distinct user interface design, and ultimately a story of both innovation and cautionary lessons.

The Beginning

Microsoft introduced Windows Phone 7 on February 15, 2010 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.  Commercially it launched later that year: November 8, 2010 in the U.S. marked when the first wave of handsets arrived. 

The platform was built to be a fresh start: instead of simply iterating on the older Windows Mobile line, Microsoft reimagined the mobile OS experience with a new “Metro” design language, live tiles, and a modern consumer-oriented UI. 

What Made Windows Phone Unique

Live tiles & dynamic interface: Unlike traditional icon grids, Windows Phone’s start screen gave what looked like widgets that changed in real time. This visual style set it apart. Design focus: Microsoft emphasized typography, bold colours and simplicity in a marketplace dominated by iOS and Android.  Tied to Microsoft services: The platform aligned tightly with Microsoft’s ecosystem Exchange, Office, OneDrive (SkyDrive at the time) showing how the company imagined phones as part of a larger productivity stack. New hardware partnerships: Devices launched from manufacturers such as HTC, Samsung, LG, Dell and later Nokia, giving Microsoft a broader hardware footprint. 

Highs and the Rise

During its life cycle, Windows Phone achieved some notable moments. For example:

The partnership with Nokia was a big deal: Nokia adopted Windows Phone as its primary smartphone platform around 2011, creating the Lumia line.  The model Lumia 520 (running Windows Phone 8) became one of the best-selling Windows-based devices, showing that Windows Phone could make inroads especially in budget/entry categories.  Technically the shift from Windows Phone 7 (CE‐kernel based) to Windows Phone 8 (NT‐kernel) gave the platform more modern underpinnings. 

The Challenges & Ultimate End

Even with these strengths, Windows Phone stumbled in several key areas:

App ecosystem: Despite its design and potential, the app selection lagged behind Android and iOS. Many developers opted to prioritise the dominant platforms first. A recurring narrative.  Late momentum: By the time Windows Phone proper launched, iOS and Android were well-established. Gaining meaningful market share proved hard. Hardware/partner fragmentation & transition issues: Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia’s devices and services unit complicated things, while the shift to Windows 10 Mobile further muddied the brand.  Support and ecosystem wind-down: In October 2017, Microsoft announced no new features or hardware would be developed for the platform effectively signalling the end of the mainstream push. 

Why It Matters after 15 Years On

Even though Windows Phone is no longer a major player in the smartphone OS market, its legacy is meaningful. Here’s why:

Design influence: The emphasis on clean typography, minimal chrome and live content (tiles) influenced how UI for mobile and beyond evolved. Lessons in platform building: The story of Windows Phone is also a roadmap of what happens when an ecosystem (apps, partners, developers) fails to come together, even when the product has strong ideas.

Microsoft’s pivot: The platform’s fate sharpened Microsoft’s strategic shift: rather than build a full mobile OS to compete for dominance, the company moved to embrace cross-platform strategies (bringing Office, Teams, Edge, etc to Android & iOS). Nostalgia factor: For many tech enthusiasts and mobile historians, Windows Phone stands as a “what might have been” moment a credible third option that didn’t quite make it.

A Look Back at What Went Right … and What Didn’t

What went right: Fresh UX ideas, strong hardware partners (especially in the Lumia era), deep integration with productivity services.

What went wrong: Insufficient developer support, late arrival in a saturated market, brand/marketing confusion, hardware momentum never eclipsed the incumbents.

Final Thoughts

On this 15th anniversary of Windows Phone, we’re reminded of the boldness of trying something different in mobile and the crushing difficulty of doing it successfully. Microsoft’s attempt deserves credit for shaking up the mobile UI paradigm, and the journey offers rich lessons for anyone interested in platform warfares, ecosystem dynamics, and tech strategy.

If we reflect on the smartphone landscape now, Windows Phone may seem like a footnote. But for those of us who remember pinning a live tile, flipping through People Hub, or snapping a Lumia photo in hopes of “what’s next” it remains a distinct chapter in mobile history.

Here’s to Windows Phone: the tiling smartphone that dared to be different.

Apple plans to release the hearing aid feature to users in 100 countries. The new AirPods Pro 2 features will allow users to:

• Take a five-minute hearing test and determine hearing loss.
• Adjust sound balance, amplification, and tone in response to the results on the AirPods Pro 2.
• Chart levels of hearing impairment over time.

Apple will also release a separate Hearing Protection feature for the AirPods Pro 2 to ensure users aren’t overexposed to ululation, but promises concerts won’t be completely ruined because the settings will keep the music “sounding natural and vibrant.”

Apple plans to release the Hearing Protection feature in fall 2024 and will work with AirPods Pro 2 with the latest firmware when paired with a compatible iPhone, iPad, or Mac running the latest operating system. The feature will be available in the U.S. and Canada.

So to make sure you don’t run out and buy the Airpods Pro 2 in eager anticipation of listing to your wife remind you of all the tasks you have not completed yet in amazing audio quality, you WILL need to have an iPhone, iPad or Mac running IOS 18 for the Hearing Protection feature to work. They WILL not work stand alone.

Hearing Protection feature is expected to be available in fall 2024 and will work with AirPods Pro 2 with the latest firmware when paired with a compatible iPhone, iPad, or Mac running the latest operating system. The feature will be available in the U.S. and Canada.

But recently the old girl has been showing her age. I’d say about 84 in computer years (1/12). This Intel processor just missed the cut for a Windows 11 upgrade. And that hard drive – I knew it couldn’t last much longer. Sure, I could replace the drive for $50 and spend several days setting everything up again, but I’d still have an old, slower, non-upgradable machine with other components near their end-of-life. The boiling point came last week when Microsoft pushed out their monthly update on July 9th. My supercharged office machine (more on that later) completed the update in three minutes. When I got home that afternoon, I knew old Betsy would be wanting to update as well. So, I clicked ok and waited… and waited… and waited. A full 45 minutes before the welcome screen was displayed… for a simple security update. Then another 15 minutes with the disk running at 100%, preventing me from opening anything until it was done with whatever it was doing – something that’s been happening every time I needed to reboot. It was time for a change

I upgraded my office desktop to an ASUS ProArt PD500 i7 – 11th Gen last January. It’s got 32GB of RAM and an NVIDIA video card that can handle up to four monitors (I only have room for two). A high-performance gaming computer made to look like an office machine, though it does have some cool lighting on the front display. It’s been a dream using it the past eighteen months. Incredibly fast and powerful. I knew that nothing else would suffice for my home replacement.

PC prices have been all over the place the past six years with COVID creating a huge demand and then due to over-production, prices dropping down below pre-COVID, then back up when things were again in short supply. My office machine was $1,300 last year, and a recent check revealed the current price for the same model had jumped to $2,000. Yikes! ASUS now makes several variations of the ProArt, each with minor differences that impact the price. After some searching, I found a ProArt i7 – 13th Gen machine with a NVIDIA GeForce 4060 video card w/8GB of memory, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD (Solid-State Drive) for $1,500. Sold. From 4 cores to 16 in a snap. Oh, and a three-year warranty. Thank you ASUS. The day it arrived, I added a nearly-new 1TB Seagate hard drive for 2TB of storage total. Now I have an internal backup drive to compliment my external backup drive, along with OneDrive, Dropbox and Google Drive in the Cloud. You can never have too many backups.

The price of a ProArt will scare some, but considering a seven-year life expectancy for a machine you’ll likely use every day, that’s 59 cents per day for more power than you’ll ever need to handle anything you throw at it. Performance to the max. It’s more funner. What can you get for 59 cents these days? For me, peace of mind. I’m a 66% guy. Like a car’s speedometer that goes up to 140mph. You may never push it beyond 90, though it’s nice to know there’s more juice under the hood… or in the box for that special occasion. Scotty, we need more power! If you’re a power user, or you like mixing some gaming with work, or you’re simply tired of waiting… and waiting check out the ASUS ProArt series of workstations. It won’t disappoint. Of that, I’m certain. Oh, I did check my lottery tickets before ordering. That ProArt i9 with 64GB of RAM for $3,300 looked awful tempting.

Happy computing.

Through the years, I’ve been first in line each time a new digital note-taking device with pen input came onto the market. And each time I bought that cutting-edge technology, I was soon disappointed by its inability to perform as advertised. I stopped trying a decade ago – not because I lost interest, but because my need for taking notes had diminished. I kind of felt let down, never having achieved the objective.

Recently, notes have again become an important part of my daily routine. I was dismayed to find that things really hadn’t changed much. Of course, there are tablets, and my Surface Go does a great job taking digital notes. But it’s like using a 20-ton dump truck to deliver pizzas. Lots of extra energy being expended for simply jotting something down, that I’ll mostly be deleting within an hour or two. And let’s not even get into all those interfering updates and notifications that come out of nowhere, and the frustration of auto-off. I don’t need a journal. I need digital scrap paper.

The two leading products on the market today for taking digital notes are the Amazon Scribe and the reMarkable. They’re both very nice devices… and expensive – in the $300-$400 range to start, for a digital notepad! Of course, you can read eBooks with them and do stuff on the Internet, and so on, and so on, and so on…. Oh, and they’re way too big for taking short, simple notes. There’s that 20-ton dump truck again.

I decided to take things down several levels and go back to basics. Boogie Boards have been around for a while, but I’ve only recently taken an interest in them. They’re cheap, they’re the right size for replacing a basic notepad, they never need recharging, and they don’t do anything except display what you write with the supplied stylus (or your fingernail). Perfect. They come in a variety of sizes and there’s a whole line of kid-friendly devices for drawing and learning. I settled on a 5×7 Versa Pad for the apartment (you can stick it on the fridge with the installed magnet) and the 5.5×7.5 Blackboard for the office and my bag (you can never have too many Boogie Boards), which has the added capability of changing backgrounds to suit your needs (I made a couple of my own). The Blackboard can be matched with an optional portfolio to keep things neat and prevent damage. It also has a lock slide to prevent accidental erasures. You can get an optional digital pen that will transcribe your hand-written notes directly to your phone through an app connected via Bluetooth, but most all of my notes are temporary – needed for an hour or two and then discarded. If there’s something important on my Blackboard, I can take a photo with my phone and it will get saved to the app for future reference. That’s good enough. I’ll be helping to save a tree each time I tap the erase button.

With the holidays coming, Boogie Boards are something you may want to take a look at. It’s low-tech for sure, though it simply does what it’s designed to do. No firmware updates, no recharging, no batteries (the Blackboard has a small lithium cell for their Exact Erase feature), ALWAYS on and ready when you need it to be ready. Awesome.

I picked up a string of 25 of those retro LED C9 look-a-like lights and a cool LED Santa face that blinks on and off. This new stuff, along with Dominick still will only draw about 30-40 watts, though hopefully enough to keep the Duracell running. If not, I can wrap 500-600 mini-lights around those vertical railings. Look out Clark Griswold. Whatever it takes. Looking at the photos, I think I’m in line for Best Decorated Balcony at Solara this season. What do you think?

Dominick has stood on a Farmland Dairy milk crate the past two seasons – on the safe side of the railing. Though, that made it a bit hard to see him. I started thinking about building a wooden ledge to cantilever him off the edge of the balcony, and then I said, heck with that; let’s do it. Over the side, he went. Two of his hoofs sit on the narrow 3″ ledge. I used zip ties at four points to hold him securely against the rail. Even with a heavy wind he should be ok. It’s hard to tell in the photos, but he looks really good. I added a comparison photo to see before and after.

Nothing like some decorations to get into that holiday spirit. Peace.

While searching for the DeWalt-compatible Keurig coffee maker I bought last month, I ran across this bad boy – a DeWalt Car Jump Starter. It also includes a digital compressor, work light, and USB ports that would keep my phone charged for a week. My battery was getting a bit old, and I really don’t like getting stuck – being in a helpless state, depending on others. I do have AAA, but it’s “always” good to have a Plan B, or Plan A in this case.

I couldn’t justify the $149 though, so I put it on hold. I earn a bunch of points with my BP Credit Card, and when I checked I discovered I was eligible for $125 in Amazon Gift Cards. Sold. I ordered the Jump Starter on September 18th, and it arrived on September 19th. The instructions suggested it be charged for 40 hours out of the box to properly condition the battery. At 8:00 a.m. this morning, September 21st, it had been on charge for 38 hours – close enough. I brought it down to the car as I was leaving for the office, tucking it into its new home behind the back seat.

I put my key in the ignition and when I turned it, I got that agonizing sound – something like a bunch of bees off in the distance. Brrrrrrrrr. I had instrument lights, but not enough juice to turn over the engine. As I read the instructions for this new toy “before” it arrived, I knew what to do. I popped the hood, connected the cables, turned the switch and my tiny four-cylinder engine turned right over. They say you need to recharge it after each use, but with my little engine, I’m sure I can get a few starts. At least that’s what other Amazon reviewers have reported.

Fortunately, Interstate Battery is in our commercial office complex, about a football field away from our back door. I drove straight there and sure enough, the battery was bad. It was a 39-month battery and I was at about 45 months. Oh well. More Irony. I was at my Chevrolet dealer yesterday to get an oil change and tire rotation. This morning’s event was not unexpected. Let me explain. Four years ago I had my car serviced at the same dealer – where I purchased my Trax in 2016. They pulled it out of the service area and parked it in the tunnel between the service bays and the showroom. I noticed the headlights were on. They put the headlight switch in manually to check lights as part of their 99-point check. It took another 15 minutes to process the paperwork before I got out of the car. When I tried to start it, the battery was dead. They had to come out with one of these Jump Starters to get the car started (that’s the first time I saw one of these toys), so they could drive it back into the service bay to sell me a “new” 39-month battery. Oh well. The original battery had already surpassed its life. I guess all of this was just a coincidence. Right.

This is a good tool to have in the back of your car. Especially helpful for those college kids far away from home. The DeWalt uses a dry-cell battery, so it needs to be topped off about once a month to ensure it will always be ready. Other manufacturers make lithium models that hold their charge much longer, though they don’t include all the features on the DeWalt. The air compressor works off the device battery, so you don’t need to plug it into power to inflate anything. The USB ports are good for camping, the beach… or hurricanes. Now that I have a new battery, I probably won’t need to use it for a while unless I encounter some electrical malfunction. Though, it will come in handy for helping out a friend. I don’t like asking for help, but I’m always the first in line to offer it. Plan to invest $125 to $150. It makes a great gift.

After my first hurricane in Florida, the one thing I missed more than anything was a simple cup of coffee. My neighbor and I tried with his small generator, though it didn’t work out all that well. Since then, I’ve been searching for a solution. Last year, when I lost power for most of the day, I was back searching after power was restored. How I wished DeWalt would add a coffee maker to their catalog of nearly fifty tools and accessories, They make radios, refrigerators, most everything. Why not a coffee maker? Up until a few months ago, the only real option was a Makita K-Cup machine that works with their tool batteries. Machine – $169. Batteries – $89 and up. One or two cups per battery. A huge investment with batteries I won’t use for anything else.

When this most recent hurricane came knocking, I started searching again. I found a rechargeable espresso machine that could make 3 or 4 small cups of espresso on a charge using Nespresso capsules. Not much help. Then I found this. Mellif is a company that makes a variety of accessories for cordless power tool battery systems. They have a half-dozen for the DeWalt line, including a Keurig Coffee Maker. It was first offered in May of this year. Perfect timing. Awesome!!!!!

I ordered it Monday for a Wednesday delivery, knowing if this hurricane changed course, I’d probably be without my beloved coffee… again. But all we got was drizzle today, and mail delivery. The machine works fine, though the instructions suck. I’ll make that known in my product review. It comes with an eight-page manual, mostly covering safety information – with three “blank” pages in the back. Plenty of space for basic operational instructions and troubleshooting tips. Like, why is the light flashing red? Fortunately, after reading reviews and some other details on the Amazon page, I was able to figure things out before putting it back in the box for return.

It brews a six-ounce tasty cup of steaming hot coffee per cycle. I put a Dunkin Dark Roast to the test, and I wasn’t disappointed. Running the second brew with the same K-Cup was weak, though that’s because the first couple ounces out of a Keurig pod are like intense espresso – very strong. The rest is just light brown hot water. It comes with a filter cup, so you can add your own ground coffee. It’s easy to set up and use the machine, once you know its quirks. You MUST wait at least five minutes between brews, or that damn button will flash red indicating that it’s overheated. Start over. So, drink your 6oz. of Java slowly. A brew cycle takes four minutes from start to finish. It does eat the battery, which I expected. That’s no surprise. Generating heat uses a lot of energy. I got two brews from my 4.0Ah battery and likely would have gotten three. I tried one of my small 2.0Ah batteries and got a full brew with the battery gauge going from 3 to 1 bar. Likely not enough juice for two brews. With my 11 batteries, I estimate about 18 potential brew cycles. Way more than enough for a one or two-day power outage. At $69 I’m satisfied. Another problem was solved.

If you have DeWalt tools, this is a great accessory for power outages, camping, pond hockey, or traveling anywhere without the benefit of electricity or Starbucks. It even includes a carry bag.

Real coffee drinkers take it “straight up” without any sweeteners or creamers to camouflage the good, or bad, taste. After some thought, I discovered by simply giving your newly brewed cup a quick stir with a spoon mixes the brew together resulting in a satisfying drink from start to finish. The first couple ounces on both a Nespresso and Keurig machine brew the strongest coffee – at the bottom of the cup. Make sure to lick that wonderfully thick crema off the spoon though. Wouldn’t want to waste any of that.

If you enjoy an amazing cup of coffee or expresso and haven’t picked up a Nespresso yet, treat yourself and do it today. There’s nothing like it. Whether it’s the weekend coffee or a quick double espresso to pick me up after a hard day’s work, the machine is always standing by. Twenty seconds to warm up and nothing to clean up. I recommend the Odacio and, of course, the Chocolate Fudge for dessert. Enjoy.

I have been wearing the Microsoft Band 2 since its release. I wore out my first Band 2 and had to replace it with a purchase from Amazon as Microsoft had already discontinued production. Something they have a tendency to do with all good things they conceive. The battery was beginning to fail in this second Band 2, so it was time to find an alternative. I really liked the form factor of the Band 2 and it did everything I needed a Smart Band to do. But the thin line Fitbit bands had one flaw that I couldn’t work through. The band is worn on the top of your wrist, so all the text reads across the short dimension, which is kind of silly for reading texts and emails. The Band 2 is worn on the underside of the wrist and text is displayed across the long dimension.  So it was on to a larger watch face. I settled on the Fitbit Iconic. It’s a stylish futuristic design that will look good with the black stainless steel watch band I’m waiting for. At 62, I’m not s a sports geek, so this devices will primarily be used to track my heartrate, sleep pattern, calorie burn, steps walked and provide notifications for texts and emails so I don’t need to keep turning on my phone. The Fitbit works with Windows, as well as IOS and Android, meeting my requirements.

I figured I would configure this thing using the Fitbit app on my desktop as it would be easier to enter stuff. But after it spent two minutes trying to find the Iconic via Bluetooth  I gave up and went to my Windows Phone. The charge cable is magnetic and connects to the back of the face of the watch, so you can’t really move it around while charging as it sticks straight up. It had a 50% charge out of the box, and they recommended leaving it on charge during the setup process, so I couldn’t touch it for almost three hours (more on that to follow).

First the Windows Phone couldn’t connect via Bluetooth, then it could. Then it couldn’t connect via Wi-Fi, then it could, then it couldn’t again. I got to the firmware update which took nearly 30 minutes. Then I went in and started configuring. Set up my debit card for NFC payments and Windows Phone said it didn’t complete the setup, but it did. It went on from there; trying to set a location for Weather seeing a blank white screen on Windows Phone. Same for selecting News sources. I should note that pretty much everything is setup from the Fitbit phone or PC app and then syncs back to the watch.

I finally realized that the problem was the Windows Phone app. Almost a year ago I purchased an ASUS ZenFone 3 so I could tinker with Android apps. Recently, I had reluctantly been thinking of switching from my Lumia 950 to the ZenPhone, as Microsoft has all but told their loyal followers they have zero plans for mobile computing. Hell, even Bill Gates is using an Android. Figured I didn’t have anything to lose so I deleted the Fitbit app from my Windows Phone, reset the Iconic and started over again with the Android. Had to repeat most the steps, and the firmware update took nearly 40 minutes, but no errors. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connected. My debit card synced without having to re-enter everything. So, it took about 3 hours to get to a point at which I could put the watch on my wrist. Hey, at least the battery was charged.

Some unboxing images. The Iconic comes with both a large and small wrist band (the large band is installed from the factory) along with a short USB charging cable (additional cables are available from Fitbit for $19.95).

Home screen: You can select from a long list of watch faces. Many are cluttered with all kinds of health stats. This one is simple, like me. The watch responds pretty well to twisting my wrist, or you can press any button to wake it up.You can also wake the screen with a double tap. It wakes up automatically when there is an alert. I set it for 20 seconds, the max on time. The clock faces are accessible from the Fitbit app. You can only load one clock face in the watch memory at a time, and it takes about a minute to transfer.

A typical app screen which you get to by swiping left. You can drag and drop the icons onto different screens. I have 11 installed, 9 presets and 2 custom, so three screens. There are a handful of other apps, but mostly related to music (like Pandora) or workouts. Plus of course, Starbucks.

A swipe up from the home screen opens stats. Steps, miles, steps climbed, calories burned, resting and current heart rate, etc.  You keep swiping up, or swipe left for sub-lists.

Swiping down from the home screen takes you to notifications. You can also access notifications by pressing and holding the up button (upper right button). Text messaging works fine. Oh, I should mention that once the Fitbit had installed properly using the Android, I powered off both phones, swapped out the SIM and turned it all back on. Android picked up my ATT network instantly. Farewell to Windows Phone, but I’ll save that story for another article. This was a text I sent from my Windows Phone using TextNow to my Android. The Iconic vibrates to notify, but it doesn’t feel quite as strong as the Microsoft Band vibration. Maybe because I’m wearing it on the top of my wrist vs. the underside.

If you tap the message you can delete or reply. There are five pre-defined messages but you can change them to whatever you want from the Fitbit phone app.  As other Iconic reviewers noted, it can take 3-5 seconds for a text to appear or a reply to go back through. But that’s not so terrible. This is only available on Android V7.0 or higher.

And of course mail. You can’t control which accounts send notifications. All you can do is toggle Outlook mail on or off. You can also turn on notifications for every app on your phone from the Fitbit app.

Weather is weather. You can add multiple cities via the Fitbit app. Swiping to the left will bring up your other cities.

As you keep swiping up you get the extended forecast by hour and a 3 day extended forecast. Lots of information.

The News app will give you top 10 headlines. It includes Buzzfeed, CNN, The New York Times, Fox, and a couple others. So, fair and balanced. If you tap a headline you will get most of the first paragraph of the story. It appears that you phone must be awake for the News app to refresh with new data.

You can also make NFC payments with the Iconic. Hold the left button down till the icon pops up. Tap the display, enter your four digit pin, turn the face of the watch near the reader and you’re done. The Fitbit app shows a summary of your purchases. Finally, you can load a bunch of music onto the smartwatch memory eliminating the need to carry your smartphone, and playback with Bluetooth headphones. Or use the Pandora or Deezer apps for your musical pleasure. You will find other standard things for a fitness tracker including a stopwatch, timer, exercise routines, etc. Some reviewers have been critical of this smartwatch comparing it to Apple Watch. Truth is, this device is in no way trying to become a mini computer on your wrist. It’s a fitness tracker with a good bunch of extra bells and whistles. No, you can’t send emails or texts from this watch, but do you really want to? I don’t This devices fits my lifestyle perfectly. Everything I need.

Aside from the painful and very slow setup process, everything else seems to be working fine. The Fitbit Iconic will last 3-5 days on a charge, which takes about 2 hours from a low battery signal. After 24 hours off charge (I kept it on while sleeping) I am down to 80%. That’s with quite a bit of tinkering and showing off today, along with about 40 notifications… a typical day. If you are searching for a good looking smart watch and don’t want to be tied to the Apple ecosystem, you may want to give the Iconic look.

For a very long time FLV was the format of choice for streaming online videos, and although it is gradually being supplanted by HTML5 formats – it is still widely used across the internet. Unfortunately while streaming FLV videos is generally not a problem, some devices and platforms may have issues playing FLV video files directly and may require special players or additional codecs to be downloaded.

Rather than having to worry about that you could convert your FLV videos to MP4 instead – which is a much more universal format. Although you may not have converted video formats in the past, with the help of Movavi Video Converter you’ll find that it is easy to convert FLV to MP4.

How to Convert FLV Videos to MP4

If you haven’t already downloaded and installed Movavi Video Converter, you should do so now. It shouldn’t take very long, and all you need to do is follow the instructions in the simple step-by-step wizard to install it.

Once installed, you can launch Movavi Video Converter and add the FLV video that you want to convert to it. It is up to you whether you’d like to drag and drop the file into the main working area as indicated on the interface, or click on the ‘Add Media’ button in the upper left corner then select ‘Add Video’.

Next you should set Movavi Video Converter so that it converts the FLV video that you added to MP4. To do that you need to first open up the ‘Video’ tab in the bottom section of the interface and select the ‘MP4’ category. In that category you’ll see several presets and you can choose whichever one you want based on the resolution that you prefer.

Instead of selecting to convert your video to MP4 however, you could convert it to the best format and video settings for the device that you intend to use. If that’s what you want, open the ‘Devices’ tab instead, select the device model you’re using, and Movavi Video Converter will handle the rest.

Regardless of the option that you chose, you should be ready to convert your video – but before you do you could click on the ‘folder’ icon beside the ‘Save to’ field to set the destination folder. When you’re ready, click ‘Convert’ and Movavi Video Converter will start to convert your FLV video from FLV to MP4.

Overall it shouldn’t take long for the video to be converted, as Movavi Video Converter uses its very own ‘SuperSpeed’ technology to speed the process up. In most cases the time it will take to convert a video is roughly the same as it would take to copy and paste it to a different destination.

Aside from converting videos it is worth noting that Movavi Video Converter can convert audio and images as well. If you want you could even cross-convert your media files, and extract audio tracks from videos, create animated GIFs, or grab screenshots. It has other tools as well that you can use to compress video file sizes, resize their frame, or edit videos to enhance their quality, add captions, trim out unwanted parts, and more.

As you can see there are lots of ways in which Movavi Video Converter could be a useful tool, but initially you may want to try using it to convert one of your own videos. Once you do that you’ll be able to ensure your videos are compatible with any device or platform, and could even optimize them so that they are displayed properly and don’t take up too much space.

Why didn’t Samsung figure out this issue with the battery before launching the device?

I am not sure why and how Samsung Quality Control missed this issue, if they have one. Why are there so many complaints on the same issue since it’s launch, https://us.community.samsung.com/t5/Gear-360-Questions-Answers/Gear-360-2017-won-t-charge-turn-on/td-p/147169? Can’t they just ship the device with half powered battery instead of empty, like the phones that come with the out of the box power sufficient to turn on and look around. I just can’t understand. This is my 4th Samsung device and except for the 3D TV, every other device from them have some kind of issue always. I am not going to trust their quality anymore. To me their hardware always look like a beta, or half baked release. Yeah, I know it is nearly a year old release. But that means they are expected to fix the issues that initial batch had and subsequent batches shouldn’t have this issue.

I am a staunch fan of Microsoft and use their technologies in every walk of my professional and personal life. After realizing that there is no device coming from Microsoft after Lumia 950 in the near future and learning that Bill Gates switched to Android, I had given a long thought and tried to hold on to the Lumia 950 for a while even Microsoft might not release any new device in near future. But I had to jump ship after a long struggle that is nearly a year of struggle as my device is becoming long in the tooth.

My Daily Driver Needs

Microsoft powered devices are my daily drivers for my daily life even before the advent of Smartphones. I had started in pocket smart device journey with HP Jornado 720 (handheld device) powered with Windows CE and after Microsoft released Pocket PC, I bought the very first Pocket PC HP Jornado 545 and used it as my contacts manager and pocket notebook that includes keeping track of my finances. I switched to Smartphone when HTC released Blue Angel with Pocket PC OS, and then I never looked back. I used almost every primary Windows Mobile device such HTC Diamond, HTC Advantage, HTC TyTn, and HTC TyTn II. I also have used HTC Shift x9501 which was released with Vista and tortured Windows Mobile. I had immense pleasure in using the Windows Mobile and I never looked for other alternatives. I used to be very active on XDA forum and cooked my own ROMs too.

When Microsoft shifted gear to Windows Phone 7 realizing that there is no market for Windows Mobile, I switched to WP7 buying the Samsung Windows Phone 7 on the release day itself (November 8, 2010). Then I realized Samsung WP 7 is not that great and tried HTC Titan and Titan 2. While Titan 2 was great, I really liked the Lumia 900 (Nokia’s WP7 device) and switched to Cyan version of it. Then I upgraded to Lumia 920, 1020 (I still have this and I use it for taking pictures), 1520 and then Lumia 950. While Lumia 950 is great, I found the battery is dying on me for every two hours and also in pocket ghost reboots are annoying. That made me switch to the new one. I checked the Alcatel and HP offerings of Windows 10 Mobile, but I really didn’t like the hardware. Nothing can beat Microsoft hardware, I own and operate Surface Book and Surface Pro 3 and I like them totally. I am happy with this choice even though App ecosystem is limited when compared to Android and iOS. Since I use my device for communications, content consumption, collaboration, Microsoft Office, keep up with personal finances, casual surfing, and photo taking,  and as those are perfectly feasible on my Lumia devices, I found it as a great companion, and never really looked around.

Alternative Choices

I had considered Android before moving to iPhone X. I have had a mixed opinion with iPhone as I have an iPhone 7p, which I use for development. I also have a Samsung S7 Edge for development. While S7 Edge runs with Microsoft Launcher and other Microsoft apps, it failed two times on me. The first time, the device screen died and after back and forth with Samsung support, I got that replaced. This was immediately after it was launched. Then the screen started displaying pink vertical line on the right side, now there is no alternative other than replacing the display or get a new one. I tried an LG G5 as the pink line is becoming annoying for my development and I found to my surprise LG G5 is also not great, as it is going into continuous bootloop and then suffered from backlight bleed and blooming issues and I had no choice other than returning it back. These made me think that the Android devices are nothing but beta hardware. I am not trying to generalize and stereotype, but I strongly felt that they were not good as my daily drivers. I wanted to get Google Pixel 2, but I couldn’t as I found the smoothness of that is not that great as iPhone X.

My New Daily Driver

After a long consideration and searching the App Store on my iPhone 7 Plus, I found there have the Microsoft apps that I use regularly, and interestingly they are stable also. I also found the Google apps also are great on iPhone than Android. And I thought this was great and decided to replace my Lumia 950 with iPhone X as my daily driver. I really never thought that I would be on to iPhone system as a daily driver, but it happened and that was meant to be. I bought iPhone X and started playing with it for the past few days and I found it as a not bad device at all even though there are certain issues that could make it as a pre-release device, I would not call it as beta hardware, but nearly production ready device. I have one great gripe with my choice, which is not on the phone, but with the App or feature. In my Lumia I could call Cortana from in-car dialing by giving a command saying Call Cortana, and then interact with Cortana on road. This comes pretty handy like learning weather ahead, news, traffic conditions, or any other emergency alerts, taking or diverting calls, texting etc., without leaving hands on the steering and eyes from the road. While there is a Cortana App for both Android and iOS, it can’t take calls as it is not integrated with the system and interestingly neither Siri nor Ok Google can’t be invoked by calling them from Car Bluetooth. The other gripe, while Siri is hot, I can say Cortana is more intelligent and useful, but to each their own.

iPhone X turned into another Microsoft powered device

Outlook

I use Windows Mail on my device and Outlook on my computer for email and I found the Outlook app from Microsoft as a pretty stable and I could manage my calendar also easily with it. As I am totally into Outlook for my daily communications, I found the Outlook App as great. The Focused Inbox feature of Outlook helps me to filter out unwanted crap as newsletters or non-essential email. The other advantage is its ability to integrate with cloud storage and the ability to easily load files from the cloud are always my choice and I immediately found it at home.

OneDrive

I take a lot of pictures daily and while I miss my Lumia 950 quality, I found iPhone 7 Plus camera as a good one and the one iPhone X as improved one. I also backup my photos on OneDrive, and I found that I could automatically backup my pictures to OneDrive easily with one setting.

OneNote

I take a lot of notes in my professional life and I use OneNote and as I could continue on my Phone and PC with OneNote, I found it as handy. The 3D touch feature enhances the OneNote.

Edge

While a lot of people use Chrome or Safari on their iPhones, I love using Edge browser and I could use the Continue on PC to continue my surfing after I reach my PC.

Office Apps

While I rarely edit Word, Excel or PowerPoint on my phone, I sometimes use them to quickly correct the documents and send them for review as I get involved in designing and architecture. Also, I could open my PowerPoint and fix any issues. As these apps are available on iOS also, I found it close.

Sway

Recently I started using Sway for creating ad-hoc presentations with my photos and it as totally useful.

Azure Management Portal

I do a lot of Azure development in my professional life and this is a pretty handy app and I started loving it.

Office Lens

I use Office Lens a lot to quickly take a picture of a document and convert it into PDF.

Bing

I use and prefer Bing (I already said I am a Microsoft fanboy) and the Bing app is totally awesome and handy.

Cortana

While Cortana integration is seamless in Windows 10 Mobile, and I found the app is limited in feature such as in-car dialing to Cortana, I found this as not a bad one. I could set up reminders using Cortana and I can get that read on my other devices including Harmon Kardon Invoke too.

Skype for Business

We Skype for Business (formerly known as Lync) for our business communications and the app is totally great and its integration with cloud services and Office are great.

Delve

I use Delve app a lot, which comes pretty handy as most of my office emails contain attachments and I can find them easily without searching or scrolling through the email.

Authenticator

I use this app for security and logging into systems securely.

Translator

Microsoft Translator comes pretty handily whenever I start communicating with my friends that live throughout Europe.

Write Ideas

This is a Microsoft Garage app, which I use a lot to convert my speech into text and save it into word documents and edit them.

Teams and Group Me

While I rarely use Group Me, I use Teams a lot to communicate and collaborate with my teams.

Visio Viewer

As an IT architect and engineer, I interact with Visio diagrams regularly and this app is pretty handy and useful.

With these apps and services, I found iPhone X is not bad at all, while it may not be my beloved Windows 10 Mobile, I think I have bought a stable hardware powered by not a bad Operating System with great Microsoft App ecosystem.

If you found a way to get free cable television service, what would you do? Would you use it? Would you feel guilty? Or would you blab about it on social media and ruin it for everyone else? Apparently, most of you would do the most latter. In a

Tom Rutledge, CEO of everyone’s favorite content delivery service, Charter Communications, is claiming that one user credentials for streaming had over 30,000 simultaneous streams. As the cable companies gasp for sweet life while drowning in their own inequities, they are going on a hunt for password sharers. Cable and satellite carriers are claiming that the loss of 3 million customers, just this year, have put them in a position that requires they protect their revenue streams, most specifically in the form of cracking down on pirating and streaming with other user’s credentials. What they won’t be attempting to make their outdated product better and more competitive in the mobile and internet streaming market. Why would they do that when they can simply harass their existing users?

Instead of do something like, I don’t know, offer a product people want to purchase at a price that is determined by market factors, they instead want to do what anti-piracy advocates have always done: Make it much harder for people who actually pay for their service to enjoy it. They seriously think this is the answer to their woes! Anyone remember Sony installing rootkits on people’s computers to fuck with your ability to copy cd’s? This and many other examples of anti-piracy non-sense is the road these hacks are trying to hoe, as if it hasn’t already been paved into a super-highway of complete failure stretching all the way back to Napster.

Cable companies are asking their content providers to ask existing users to log in more frequently, and decrease the number of simultaneous streams that can be used. ESPN already reduced their concurrent streams from 10 down to 5. No one watches ESPN since they decided to get involved in politics instead of sports so, clearly, no one gave a shit. The same exact number of shits anyone is giving about Spectrum, a company that made “a record 535,000,000$” in free cash flow per their 2016 annual report to investors. They desperately need the money. /s

It would be a damn shame if cable companies really did start offering streaming services, paid for by ad revenue. They’d have nothing to bitch about. It’s not like there is any precedent for this sort of service…  How on earth could it be successful?  Combine the absurdity of my line of questioning with the fact that discontinuing the transmission of television through their cable lines, would free up all that bandwidth they’re accusing me and the two other people who use over a terabyte a month of data in my state of using. Stream all your content, not just internet but television, through your lines and cut out broadcast television altogether. People are already not watching your ads because you give them DVRs. The cable companies need to realize that they’re losing money because no one values the product they are selling any longer. Until the figure this out, they will continue to atrophy as they hold onto the one way they know how to make money; Screwing consumers who actually pay for their outmoded service.

Apparently,

Many years ago, rumors of a Microsoft made tablet excited and thrilled the tech world.  The collective baited breath of the technology community was well held, as Microsoft released the standout device nexus that is the Surface line.  A device that could shift quickly and easily through many different usages, and put Macbooks to shame at the same time. Then Microsoft trotted out this piece of shit. I can safely say this because I own, not one, but two of these lame bastards. Their longevity was only matched by their shortsightedness, as it was discontinued in less than 12 months. It definitely was not supposed to be such a disaster as it was wading into very friendly markets.

2012 was a year that was still swimming in netbooks; those sub 300$ Atom processor based bastards whose screen resolution made browsing more than a paragraph of text a legendary task.  The surface was supposed to fix all of that. With the ability to run Office and a legitimate web browser this thing would take the netbook market share and run.  Unfortunately, disjointed marketing campaigns, idiot employees at Best Buy, and a general user-base that would be illegal to execute in most states, ruined any chance the Surface RT had of surviving. Why does Microsoft think this is going to work in 2017?

Just because they have emulation? Emulation works in a pinch, like when you pay over two grand for a laptop and realize you still need it to run windows to get any work done, but it’s not the answer.  Microsoft seems to think that emulating X86 or Win32 programs is the answer to the Surface RT woes. What they distinctly don’t realize is that battery life means nothing to knuckle draggers who don’t realize the technological feat of emulating an X86 on an arm device. What they see is the performance of such a device.  Emulation is usually not the best experience. That’s why the original PS3’s that were released were so sought after. They had an entire PS2 crammed into the system with it. After Sony realized they were losing their ass in hardware costs, they cut that out quickly in the “slim” edition that every console is required by some faustian covenant with shareholders to release two years into its hardware cycle.

These new machines are doomed to failure. Emulation aside, the devices are mostly scheduled to miss the entire holiday season, a time when gathering market share and revenue for device categories should be easier with people buying loads of gifts in an effort to replace all the love they don’t have time to give with stuff.  Trying to build on a new device category after missing the holiday season won’t be easy.  

How do you feel about emulation? Think about giving your kid Chinese knock-offs of all that Avenger crap they’re asking for this year and rethink your answer.