Author: Henry R. Lares

Henry Lares is still early into his career as tech reporter but has already had his work published in many major publications including Tech Crunch and the Huffington Post.  In regards to academics, Henry earned an engineering degree from Apex Technical School. Henry has a passion for emerging technology and covers upcoming products and breakthroughs in science and tech.

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MacBook Pro vs. 2-in-1 detachable Surface Book – Best and Long-Lasting Device Comparison

The Surface Book is not a tablet which can turn into a laptop but a laptop that has a detachable keyboard, so it is different from the Surface Pro 4, the tablet which can be connected to a Type Cover. On the other hand, the MacBook Pro is a notebook which has a Retina display, representing the smaller version which was released a few years ago.

Which one do you think it’s better? The MacBook Pro, which comes with a Force Touch trackpad or the more expensive Surface Book, which also supports pen functions?

First, let’s talk about design. The Surface Book comes with a sleek exterior made from a silver magnesium alloy. By using a special hinge, you can attach the removable display to the keyboard. This hinge impresses through flexibility and balance maintenance.

The Macbook Pro looks similar to the previous models in terms of design. The exterior is made from aluminum, its edges are slim and the corners curved. In order to avoid it becoming obsolete or boring, the design should improve a bit.

The MacBook Pro offers 2 USB 3.0 ports, an SD card slot, 2 Thunderbolt 2 ports and an HDMI port, while the Surface Book ships with a MiniDisplay port, 2 USB 3.0 ports, an SD card slot and  Surface Connect port through which it can connect to the optional Surface Dock.

The displays are similar in size, the Pro’s measuring 13.3 inches, while the Surface Book’s has 13.5 inches. When it comes to color representation, Surface Book’s capabilities are better, reproducing 98.5 percent of the sRGB color gamut, as opposed to the Pro’s lower percentage of 91.2.

The Book comes with Intel’s sixth generation i5, while the Macbook uses the fifth generation. Still, on the Geekbench 3 performance test, the Macbook beat Surface, having the score of 7113 as opposed to the Book’s 6814. The battery life is similar, both averaging 12 hours of lifespan.

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Gmail vs. Outlook – Who Wins the Battle Between the Biggest Email Services

Right now, the most widely used email service is probably Gmail. However, because there are only a few of such services in competition, the battle for the top rank is definitely a fierce one. Gmail’s closest contender is Microsoft’s Outlook, which incorporated Hotmail recently, which was one of the most popular email options at its time.

At this time, Gmail and Outlook share over one billion users and both of them provide a way of managing emails that is really similar, although there are some really distinct features, as you can imagine.

Gmail

Google’s email service represents maybe the most user-friendly option which is also easy on your internet connection. Gmail can be accessed even when you don’t have a strong signal, allowing you to log in to your account and read your emails, thanks to its incredible and lightweight minimal design.

Its remarkably useful filtering options will let you view your emails in a bunch of different ways. Your received messages can be automatically sorted, according to their type. You will be able to choose between Primary, Social and Promotions. This automatic sorting saves an incredible amount of time for those that receive hundreds or even thousands of emails.

Outlook

Microsoft’s product is preferred by users who look for organization and familiarity. People who used Outlook for several years find no reason to abandon it and switch to another service. Recently, Outlook changed its appearance too, option for the Blue and White theme with nice clean lines, representing something cleaner and easier on the eyes.

Outlook also features plenty of organizational tools. You have mail, conversations grouping and virtual folders which will allow you to keep a clutter-free inbox. Its flexible search feature will allow you to find whichever email you might want, just by using the subject, recipient or even a word as your search criteria.

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My iPhone Won’t Turn On! What Can You Do?

Obviously, when your iPhone is not booting anymore, you think you might need a new one. That would be the most natural solution, if you have the money, of course. However, anytime when my iPhone won’t turn on, there are some methods I use to fix this issue and regain access to my precious device.

Charge your iPhone

It sounds stupid, I know, but sometimes your iPhone might not be broken but just lacking power, primarily when you haven’t used your device in a while. So, plug your iPhone into a power outlet and leave it connected for at least 15-30 minutes.

If you suspect that your device ran out of battery, but it’s not recharging, then you might have a faulty cable or recharging jack.

Reboot your device

If charging didn’t work, you should restart your iPhone by pressing the Power Button on top of your device.

In case the device was off, it would turn on as usual. However, if that’s not working, then you might face a more serious issue.

Hard Reset

Press the on/off button and Home Button (volume down button for iPhone 7 or newer) simultaneously until the device shows the Apple logo. Once the logo pops up, release the buttons.

That should fix the majority of the problems that prevented your iPhone from not turning on.

Restore the iPhone to Factory Settings

Connect your device to the Lightning/Dock Connector, but not to the PC yet. Press the Home Button or the Volume Down one for iPhone 7 and newer. While holding the button pressed, you should connect your iPhone to the PC with its USB cable.

After iTunes opens, put your device into recovery mode and complete a full restoration to the factory settings.

Put your iPhone in DFU Mode

Plug your iPhone into your computer and press the on/off button for 3 seconds and then release. After that, press the on/off button and Home Button (volume down on iPhone 7) at the same time for about 10 seconds.

If the iPhone’s screen remains black and nothing pops up, then you’re in DFU mode. You can now follow the instructions in the iTunes app that will open up on your PC.

However, if for any reason your iPhone won’t turn on after trying all the before-mentioned methods, this software here might help you debug your Apple device might help you.

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Apple Watch Capable of Streaming Apple Music and Radio by LTE

The Apple Watch is a marvelous device, capable to do a multitude of tasks. There are two missing features that would make it perfect, in my opinion: the ability to use it in order to remotely take pictures and videos with my iPhone, and a better podcast playing integration.

Apple Watch is capable of streaming Apple Music and Radio by using LTE, and it can be paired with Bluetooth speakers and headsets for a high-quality listening experience. These functions come in handy when I want to go jogging or on a quick trip without bringing my iPhone. On a longer trip, a glaring fault comes out, namely the fact that you cannot pair the watch with the car stereo.

Bluetooth audio systems for cars have been incompatible with the Apple Watch since the very first iteration. While it may work on some select systems, most of them will not appear on the pairing screen. You can pair them with your iPhone, iPad and even some versions of the retired iPod series, such as the iPod Nano.

Since the watch sports modest innards, demanding features such as CarPlay are not expected, but basic Bluetooth connectivity should work on all Bluetooth audio devices. Especially if we take into account that most of the Android smartwatches are universally compatible with other Bluetooth devices

Local radio is boring, so I improvised a solution. Using iTunes, I synched some music with my old iPod Nano, which stays in the car and it has me covered. An old iPhone can also be used, but it would be more convenient if the watch could have supported these functions.

While I use a professional camera for taking pictures, and my iPhone for selfies, the ability to take photos is also available on low-end android watches and although the resolution is poor, it may come in handy from time to time.

It remains to be seen if the next Apple Watch generation will solve these problems.

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