“One of the most important features of owning a Tile Item Finder is that you have access to the largest lost and found community in the world — approximately 4.5 million users!”

And decide cereal is the best option at this point.

Too many of my nights look like this. And too many of my mornings are spent looking for my keys and questioning my sanity after finding them in the fridge.

Tile, the world’s most popular item finder, is not only helping users like myself recover their misplaced keys, but it is also letting you do it in style. The sleek and fashionable Tile Sport and Style means that your item finder blends in with whatever you are looking to do.

Couple that with twice the Bluetooth range and double the volume over the previous model, as well as an IP68 waterproof rating and a $35 dollar price point, and I’m placing my order right now.

I am all about more style and less bulk, and Tile has come a long way since its first item finder. I do like that they have always put a lot of emphasis on functionality and features, but those early models were too clunky for my taste. Fortunately, the Sport and Style have overcome the bulky/tasteless factor without sacrificing any of the functionality from the previous Tile gens.

One of the most important features of owning a Tile Item Finder is that you have access to the largest lost and found community in the world — approximately 4.5 million users! Other Tile users can help you relocate your lost keys/phone/wallet just by walking within range of your Tile.

Say you leave your phone at your local coffee watering hole (again), and you only remember when trying to put some music on in the car on your way to work. Someone in the Tile community will, hopefully, walk by your phone that day, allowing Tile to update your dropped devices last known location.

That benevolent Tile user never sees your lost device; the updated location data is sent through the Tile network to your smartphone only. Check out this video to see you could use the Tile, and how Tile is used by its community, below. You can find out more about the new generation of sleek-looking Tiles by visiting the official website.

The post Sporty, Stylish Peace of Mind: The Tile Item Finder appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

While touring Norway as a BMX rider sponsored by GoPro, Didrik was approached by the FlowMotion team to test out a new GoPro stabilizing mount that could be mounted to helmets and bikes as well as hand-held using an extendable pole. Like any proof of concept, the first iteration was less than beautiful. “This thing weighed at least half a kilo,” recalled Didrik, “there was a huge plate and wires were hanging off of it!”

By the second iteration of what would eventually become the FlowMotion ONE, Didrik quickly realized that Lars Flesland and Eirik Dyrseth, were on to a device that could revolutionize videography in the extreme sports industry. He quickly joined the team as their CMO and official spokesperson.

From the beginning, Didrik and the FlowMotion team wanted to “make everything from scratch and control everything in house”, so no royalties or fees for usage rights. Even though Lars, Eirik, and Didrik could have hit the easy button and payed to use a patented 3-dimensional stabilizing formula, they decided to build their own (AKA hire someone “who was way smarter than us!” -Didrik)

“The device runs via two sensors, an accelerometer and a gyroscope,” Didrik explained to me in layman’s terms. “Those two sensors gather data at 1000 times per second, which is enough to know how the GoPro is moving in all three dimensions in real-time.” With that much data, you can tell the small motors in the FlowMotion ONE how to move to correct for shaking, jostling, and general instabilities.

As the FlowMotion team refined the stabilizer, they realized they needed to make a hard pivot to reinvent their product for the cellphone industry. “We developed a GoPro Stabilizer for a long time, then we realized there is so much more you can do with your smartphone,” said Didrik. “Not only did we expand our market, but now users don’t have to move to different devices to shoot, edit, and share their video content.”

Focusing on cellphone videography meant the team could now add Bluetooth technology to the stabilizer as well as a compatible smartphone app. “Customers can give us direct feedback via the app… it’s a great way for us to stay connected with our customer base.” FlowMotion is one of the first accessories I’ve seen to fully utilize the capabilities of a smartphone through user feedback; offering tutorials and tips as users access new features as well as monitoring user behavior and updating the app accordingly.

By the time the stabilizer and app were in their final iterations, the FlowMotion team put their product in front of consumers for the first time with one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns ever. “We were something like 4400% over our expected goal of $30,000,” said Didrik, “… and right now we are focusing on shipping out to our Kickstarter backers; they are our core focus right now.”

Didrik and the FlowMotion team have no plans of cashing out after their September launch. “The future of making videos is not going to look the way it does now; its shifting from professional cameras to the phone and we have some really cool visions of how we can solve the problem of making video in the future.” Didrik couldn’t give away any more than that, saying that “its all under the radar right now,” and the team is completely focused on the launch of the FlowMotion ONE.

For more on FlowMotion, or to preorder your own FlowMotion ONE, visit Flowmotion.co.

The post Revolutionize the Way You Tell Your Story With FlowMotion ONE appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

This weekend’s trip to Montauk, Long Island, included kayaking, drinking beer on the beach, paddle boarding, and drinking rum on the beach; not necessarily in that order. Since I started paddleboarding last season, I’ve been looking for a way to carry a beer and some snacks on my long sea ventures, you know.. to rehydrate. Tipsy Elves helped me yet again by providing me with a Fourth of July Friendly Fanny Pack.

The attached beer coozi and spacious pack was just the low profile item I wanted for my ocean outings. However, I recommend keeping any and all snacks in some tightly sealed plastic bags. I could tell you that paddle splashes lead to soggy snacks, but thats not true. I fell in. Gracefully, of course.

The Sea Stallion shorts were vibrant and comfortable even through multiple trips in and out of the ocean. The large size fit snugly on my 6’ frame with a little extra room to spare around the middle. The best part, the trunks allowed me to easily get a little color back into my pasty legs after a long winter of indoor/office hibernation.

Although it suited my purposes for paddleboarding, I wouldn’t normally combine these two items together in the same outfit. The Tipsy Elves team has a lot going for them: vibrant designs, solid apparel lines, and holiday friendly accessories. But the majority of these items are meant to be your single pop-piece. Combining different designs will leave your eyes accosted and your swagger taters . Unless you have a reason, like a handy coozi fanny pack combo for paddleboarding, I wouldn’t recommend a non-matching combo.

As I sit here drinking a beer and watching the sun go down, my weekend in Montauk is coming to a close. The Tipsy Elves gear made a tangible improvement to my varied outdoor activites. They provided me with trunks I can wear with confidence and a patriotic fanny pack that I look forward to utilizing during the July 4th celebrations in Phildaelphia.

The post Tipsy Elves in Montauk, Long Island appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

Before the internet, information flowed slowly from one place to another, either by verbal or written communications. Governments and businesses alike used the slow movement of information to their advantage through exaggerations and false reporting. Many of those false reports still affect us today, like the sugar industries scientific diversion to fats as the sole cause of America’s diabetic woes.

What I am trying to do is paint a picture for you, the reader, as to why cryptocurrency and its successors need to exist. I will try to break the subject down into digestible bites, but if you ever get lost in the weeds refer to the source list at the bottom of this article.

What is Cryptocurrency?

At the start of the internet in the 1990’s, people from all over the world tried to start a digital cash system. We aren’t talking about Venmo or Paypal, where the cash amount is based off of government issued currency in your bank account. I mean a completely decentralized non-government issued currency where the value was based off of what you valued the currency at.

However, none succeeded. Each attempt failed until Satoshi Nakamoto accidentally developed Bitcoin in late October of 2008. Bitcoin was/is “revolutionary in that it is completely decentralized, with no server or central authority.” – Satoshi Nakamoto 1/9/2009

Satoshi solved the main problem of double spending, where one user spends the same currency twice, by making every Bitcoin user a bookkeeper. Every single peer on the currency network needs absolute consensus about every transaction that has taken place. Once a transaction is announced and processed, it is added to an immutable Blockchain, otherwise known as the global ledger.

So where does the “Crypto” come in to play? Your personal bitcoin funds as well as the blockchain are protected by heavy cryptographic functions. In English, that means that your hard-earned cash is locked away by a lock with an almost infinite number of mathematical keyholes and only unlocked by a specific key in a specific hole.

To post a transaction to the blockchain, you need a bitcoin miner. Satoshi saw that one larger controlling group might try to post false transactions through thousands of fake peers and steal from fellow bitcoiners. To prevent such theft, he made sure that some kind of work had to be done in order to post to the blockchain. Miners have to individually or collectively solve the SHA 256 Hash algorithm, a cryptographic function developed by the NSA, to post to the blockchain.

To give you some awe-inspiring perspective about this algorithm, it takes a group of letters, words, or sentences of virtually any length and digests them down to a select number of symbols and characters called a hash. Adding one period at the end of two identical sentences can change the hash output by up to 50%!

Now that your understanding is pretty much equal to mine, lets jump into the meat and potatoes of this article. Ethereum.

The Evolution of Bitcoin

If we think of blockchain technology as the internet, then bitcoin and cryptocurrency is like email; it is one important use-case for the internet, but by no means is it the only one.

Ethereum’s founding purpose is to give developers a platform to build decentralized applications using blockchain technology. It still functions as a distributed public blockchain network similar to bitcoin, however, it is meant to run decentralized applications called smart contracts.

Before Ethereum, if you wanted to build your own unauthorized and decentralized application you would have had to create your own blockchain from scratch; not to mention build the actual application on top of it.

Now Ethereum offers a blockchain platform to build applications and programs on top of, allowing developers to create decentralized programs faster.

The Ethereum platform runs on a very similar currency as Bitcoin. The cryptocurrency, called ether, is used to buy and sell decentralized services on the Ethereum network. To give some perspective, the current market cap for Ethereum is approximately $8 billion USD.

Where Ethereum Intersects with You

To say that our current political climate is unstable is an understatement. Corporations have more sway over the government than the populace and the popular vote seems to matter less each year.

Imagine a healthcare, insurance, or banking system that was truly controlled and funded by its constituents. I’m not saying that this would solve all our problems, but it would help citizens take back industries where founding regulations change from president to president.

Ethereum has this capability. Where Bitcoin is limited to currency, Ethereum is not. Corporate giants like Microsoft, JP Morgan, and Intel are starting to take notice of the possibilities of Ethereum thanks to the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance.

Next Steps

I am going to dig deep into how to get involved in Ethereum so that I can bring it to the F24 audience. From blockchain development on the Ethereum platform to trading Ether on a Cryptocurrency exchange, I want to give you the full-circle view of Ethereum and my prediction for its future. Keep an eye out for part two. 

Source List:

https://blockgeeks.com/guides/what-is-cryptocurrency/

https://blockgeeks.com/guides/what-is-ethereum/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SHA-2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptographic_hash_function

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/14/ether-ethereum-cryptocurrency-hits-all-time-high-and-2-billion-market-cap-bitcoin.html

https://medium.com/citizen-crypto/investing-in-ethereum-what-can-you-handle-for-30x-returns-192f4043c492

https://poloniex.com/exchange#btc_eth

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/26/bitcoin-price-sec-winklevoss-etf-review.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmOzih6I1zs&spfreload=1

The post Unauthorized and Decentralized: Cryptocurrency and the Future of Business appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

With more of the population living in urban rented apartments, not too many of us have room for unsightly black fragile rectangles. My apartment in downtown Philadelphia doesn’t have space for a monster stationary entertainment system, which is fine by me since projectors are the way of the future.

My projection system required a slightly higher investment in both time and money, but allowed me to create an unbelievable entertainment experience without sacrificing any of my limited square footage. When my Elite Screens 84” drop down screen rolls up at the touch of a button, I have full access to my balcony. When it rolls down, I can sit back and enjoy a 1080p 84” image and full 5.1 surround sound.

Televisions are great if you’re looking for a quick set up and a potentially cheaper system. But if you’re already investing in high fidelity audio equipment, I strongly recommend looking into purchasing a projector. The technology has advanced to the point where a mid-range projector between $500 to $1000 can produce theater quality images and play 3D movies, all while fan noise is virtually non-existent.

I went with the BenQ HT2050, a 1080p DLP projector that MSRPs at $799. My previous projector was a noisy beast in its “economy” mode, but this projector is like its sleek unobtrusive older brother. This baby purrs like a kitten and produces crisp and clear images without even exerting itself.

If you’re thinking to yourself, “I don’t have space for a projector… I can barely fit my TV in my room!” I encourage you to look into an ultra-short throw projector like the BenQ HT2150ST. Not only can this produce a 100” diagonal HD image from five feet away, it also has an approximate 16ms input lag, for all the gamers looking to upgrade their experience. To give some perspective, 40ms input lag is acceptable for most gamers, so 16ms is an indistinguishable time delta between button mash and fatality.

Potential Downsides

I’m going to be honest, there are some projector downsides, like ambient light control and lamp replacement costs, but even the negatives are small compared to the epic size of your new-found home theater

Ambient light can cause your image to look dull or washed out, so look for a wall or room where outside light can be controlled with blinds, curtains, or shutters. However, from my personal experience with the BenQ HT2050, I can easily overpower the ambient light that comes in through my blinds on a bright day. At night, I set the brightness in the 30% range, while during the day I have it somewhere in the 60s.

Speaking of brightness, projector bulbs do run out eventually, and can cost upwards of $300 to replace. However, most projectors now last thousands of hours running in a normal viewing mode and thousands more running in a lower energy economy mode. The HT2050 has a lamp life of approximately 3500 hours, meaning I could watch/play three hours of TV, movies, and games every day for over three years before my bulb would burn out!

A word of advice…

Plan everything out in advance. This may sound trivial, but I have spent hours upon hours making sure the various systems all fit together properly — and I still managed to screw it up in a few places.

Most notably, I didn’t take into account that my projector includes an automatic upward angle of 30 degrees. So, after I drilled into the wall, attached a shelf, and threaded the wires, I was overjoyed to find that it illuminated the ceiling instead of the empty projection screen directly in front of it. My temporary solution is to rest it upside down on the same shelf, and prop it up with random folded papers until my ceiling mount arrives.

If you’re contemplating building your own theater system, or just want to compare projector stats, I recommend using the distance calculator by projector central as well as perusing the reviews and ratings they provide. These guys know their stuff, and their distance calculator can help you decide which projector will fit your room/apartment and screen size.

In case you’re interested, my current setup includes:

• BenQ HT2050 DLP Projector
• Elite Screens Saker 84” Electric Drop Down Screen
• Onkyo 5.1 Surround Sound with A/V Receiver
• 200ft of audio wire

The post Projectors vs. Televisions: The Future of the Modern Home appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

“Whether I’m playing Super Smash Bros (N64 of course) or watching a movie in my room, projectors have always been the superior television option in my opinion.”

While in college, I bought a projector and have never looked back. Whether I’m playing Super Smash Bros (N64 of course) or watching a movie in my room, projectors have always been the superior television option in my opinion.

Which brings us to now. I live on the third floor of a house in Philadelphia with a bedroom, bath, and study to myself. Working full-time at Car-Tel Communications means I can finally afford to attempt a true home theater system rather than the hodgepodge Craigslist setup I used previously. Only one problem, the study is 10ft x 20ft and I can’t use the longer side since I want to keep my desk and easel up there. So I need to figure out how to wire a 5.1 channel speaker system to a projector that throws to fill a 84″ drop down screen in under 10 feet. And I need to fill the space with furniture, that too.

Furniture and speakers came first. I was tempted to order the projector and screen, but thought it better to be comfortable and screen-less than cross legged on my wood floor. I ordered a loveseat and a rug and was gifted a glass coffee table from my roommate’s grandmother (RIP Barbara). So with the room accessories taken care of I was able to focus on my master tech plans.

Being fully immersed in sound is important to me. Whatever I am doing, I want to have sound directed at me from all corners of the room. That means that a simple sound bar or 2.1 stereo system (where the .1 stands for the sub woofer, which I did not know until fairly deep into my speaker research) just won’t do. I needed a 5.1 system that I could mount and wire myself but didn’t take my budget and Judo-Chop it in the neck.

After hours of research and way too many amazon reviews, I went with the Onkyo HT-S3700, a 5.1 home theater speaker and receiver all in one as well as two 100ft rolls of 14-gauge speaker wire from MediaBridge.

In this instance and with the help of Captain Hindsight, buying 14-gauge speaker wire was downright stupid. I had to trim the copper wires down to fit it into the L-R ports in the receiver! Which is extremely counterproductive when you buy the 14-gauge wire because it’s thicker (and thicker wire transmits signal better). So anyway, just buy the 16-18 gauge stuff; it’s half the price and easier to work with. Also, if you’re wiring along the baseboards of your room like I did, then do yourself a favor and double-down on how much wire you buy. Just for a small 10×10 space I used roughly 150ft of speaker wire! And when you run out mid-way to the receiver splicing two different speaker wire rolls together is a headache.

Once wired, the speakers and receiver worked flawlessly. With Bluetooth connectivity, 5 HDMI inputs, and even an L-R-Video input for my beloved Nintendo, I could not have asked for anything more. Receivers like the one that comes with this 6-piece speaker set can cost anywhere from $150-$300 dollars by themselves; which is why I am so impressed with the pricing for the Onkyo HT-S3700. I was disappointed, however, to find that Bluetooth connections only transmit 2.1 sound (stereo) rather than full surround sound (5.1), but that is no fault of the Onkyo system.

Next up is the projector and drop-down screen, which had to wait due to financial constraints (AKA they cost a little more than I was expecting.)

The post Creating a Home Theater in Tight Spaces: Part One appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

[vrview img=”http://www.factorytwofour.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/SAM_100_0029.jpg” width=”100%” ]

Meant to be paired with a Samsung Galaxy S6 or higher as well as the Samsung Gear VR, the Gear 360 is the link between viewing and creating virtual reality content. The Gear 360 is competitively priced at $210 and supports 360-degree image quality up to 7776 x 3888 (approximately 30 Megapixels), however, 360 video quality drops to 3840 x 1920 at 30 frames-per-second.

The connected Gear 360 app on my Samsung Galaxy S6 makes shooting 360 content a breeze. After I Bluetooth connect from my S6, I get a live view of what my gear 360 is seeing and I can capture images remotely without having to run away while a timer ticks to zero. The camera includes time lapse and video looping modes as well as regular photo and video.

When I first began using the Gear 360, I quickly realized that my basic camera tripod was not suited for 360 degree shots. Although the Gear 360 is built to screw into any ¼ inch tripod head, the size of most heads means that the bottom of my 360 image is blocked by an awkwardly stitched plastic mass. I ended up going with the SmaTree SmaPole (don’t know about the name), an extendable monopod with an attachable three leg base. Its only downside is it looks terribly creepy when set up in the middle of a trail, looking as if it might scurry toward you at any moment!

My favorite aspect of this little camera is the life it brings to my pictures and videos, as well as native support on Facebook. I went for a quick hike in Valley Green, a small reserve outside of Philadelphia, and captured some great shots of rocky paths, graffiti-ed bridges, and my old friend William Penn.

[vrview img=”http://www.factorytwofour.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/SAM_100_0023.jpg” width=”100%” ]

When I post these photos to Facebook, I feel like friends and family can experience what it was like to be there in the woods with me. As VR headsets become more and more mainstream, I believe that demand for 360 photo and video content will skyrocket. I’m predicting a future of full length 360 movies available for rent similar to your traditional On-Demand rental system.

I’m jumping into the VR game while the water is warm. What about you?

The post Samsung Gear 360: A Virtual Content Creation Essential appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

Useful, versatile, and already 400% funded, I knew I found a device worth getting to know (on Kickstarter here). In short, the Senstone converts spoken notes to text with a single click, allowing users to sort and prioritize notes solely through their voice. I quickly reached out to the Senstone team and connected with Markiyan Matsehk, co-founder and head of product marketing and development.

Entrepreneur and political activist, Markiyan is an ideal representation of an individual living the original lifestyle. He and Nazar Fedorchuk co-founded the Senstone in the summer of 2014 and began initial prototyping shortly after. In Markiyan’s words, “I continually forgot small but important things…by the time I sifted through messages and notifications on my phone, I had already forgotten what I wanted to write down. Senstone solves that problem with a single touch.”

In classic entrepreneurial fashion, Markiyan found a daily pain and crafted an opportunity. Coming from a wearables and IOT background, Markiyan and Nazar started with the design of the Senstone, knowing that they needed to differentiate their product from an already flooded IOT watch and bracelet market.

“We wanted the least amount of distractions and friction, while maintaining flexibility and diversity,” explained Markiyan. The Senstone allows for its users to wear it in three different styles; as a pendant, a clip, or a watch. Its minimalistic design easily incorporates with any style, both professional and social.

Markiyan’s favorite use for his Senstone is to take notes while listening to audiobooks in the car. “I always wanted to write down powerful quotes from my favorite authors while driving, but using my phone was so dangerous. With Senstone, I just pause my book, tap my Senstone to start recording, and tap again to finish. That’s it.”

With a customer base ranging from politicians to un-employed entrepreneurs, the Senstone is versatile in more than just its design. Outside of their average customer, the Senstone’s significance for disabled individuals cannot be overstated. With one click, those with mental and physical disabilities can record and organize short notes or long sentences without large clunky equipment.

When I caught up with Markiyan for our interview he was just returning from the Wearables Technology Conference in London. As our interview was wrapping up, I asked Markiyan where he thinks the IOT and wearable industry is presently at and where its headed.

“Unfortunately, a lot of wearables and IOT devices are currently stuck in the fitness and nutrition sectors,” commented Markiyan, “but a lot of innovation is coming in the enterprise and medical spaces.” He believes that IOT eyewear in the medical and safety industries will be the next revolution in wearable devices. “No matter what industry you are in, it’s almost always easier to speak than to write and read than to listen,” explained Markiyan. This brought vivid visuals of Heads-Up-Displays (or HUDs) for industrial safety managers and medical technicians, as well as Senstone-like devices for researchers and entrepreneurs looking to audibly take notes.

“Senstone has big plans to be a part of this vision of the future,” says Markiyan, “but right now we are very grounded in the current Senstone. We want to make sure that you are using Senstone every day, getting addicted to taking notes through speech.”

There is still time to become part of the Senstone product launch. You can find them on kickstarter, or feel free to check out their website at senstone.io.

The post F24 Talks With the Co-Founder of Senstone About the Future of IOT appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

The entire controversy surrounds one man, Anthony Levandowski. An upstart in the autonomous vehicle field, Anthony has been dedicated to the autonomous vehicle sector since college and was quickly picked up by Google Maps and subsequently the company’s autonomous vehicle division, Waymo. With venture capital money pouring in from all directions, the autonomous vehicle industry has quickly become a race to mass produce the first fleet of self-driving automobiles. Anthony feared that Google and other larger competitors, like Audi and Ford, were all moving at a snail’s pace due to corporate bureaucracy and fear of governmental or brand backlash from possible self-driving fatalities. With a final goodbye to one of the most sought after employers in the tech space, he moved on to start his own autonomous truck line, Otto.

Here is where things start to smell fishy (or maybe I should say oily). Not six months after Otto’s formation in February of 2016, Uber acquires Otto and creates a $300 million dollar alliance with Volvo to begin development on fully autonomous vehicles. Fast forward six months, and autonomous Ubers are driving around the streets of San Francisco, blowing red-lights and delighting the media with a future full of self-driving terminator-mobiles. Even though advancements like this are great, focusing on safety is key. If accidents were to occur, this could lead to a rise in people seeking an Uber accident attorney, and filing claims against the makers of these autonomous vehicles. This has happened already too as five years ago, an Uber self-driving car struck a woman and killed her, as she walked her bike across the road in Arizona.

Look at the top of the two cars above. Do you notice the upside-down KFC looking bucket on top of each? That is part of a LiDAR system, or Light Detection And Ranging system. It works by shooting out millions of lasers into the world around it, creating a 3D “point map” as those lasers bounce back to an on-board detector. If that isn’t cool enough, the KFC bucket shoots out lasers on a millisecond time scale, tracking the movement of objects and analyzing those objects for potential dangers. “If you want a fully autonomous vehicle, you need LiDAR.” says Glen Devos, CTO at auto industry supplier Delphi.

The LiDAR system on top of the self-driving Uber is startlingly similar to that of Google’s Waymo, and Google noticed. They accuse Levandowski of stealing up to 14,000 technical documents, containing but not limited to, information on their LiDAR system. With LiDAR forming the backbone of the Waymo product as well as Google’s technological advantage, you can see why they are taking the potential theft of their IP very seriously.

However, as an industry comparison, Tesla does not believe the future is LiDAR-or-bust. Elon Musk knows that LiDAR units used for autonomous vehicles are approximately $80,000 a piece, so you can imagine that an entry level LiDAR enabled vehicle will probably go for $100,000 or more. Compare that to the much cheaper radar and visual camera combo currently used in the Tesla Model 3, and you have monetary breathing room for the average consumer.

Even though critics claim that LiDAR is the only way to achieve 100% safety, Tesla is pledges to begin selling fully autonomous vehicles by the end of 2017, following a successful trip of a self-driving Model 3 from LA to NY. Compare that to Google, Uber, and other larger manufacturers’ release dates of somewhere in 2020, and suddenly the LiDAR system and subsequent lawsuit hold a lot less sway over the future of the autonomous vehicle sector.

With that perspective in mind, Google could be attempting to slow down a competitor. Alternatively, Mr. Levandowski could have stolen valuable IP before leaving Google, created his own company from that IP, and was quickly made the head of Uber’s autonomous vehicle section upon acquisition. Due to the billions of future dollars at stake, I don’t predict a settlement coming anytime soon. But then again, maybe this lawsuit will fade into obscurity as fleets of Tesla Model 3s drive sleeping passengers across the US.

The post Google vs. Uber and the State of Autonomous Vehicles appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

After multiple test runs with different VR devices, I can safely break down the VR categories into digestible bites. Let’s dig in.

The Hobbyist

If you’re looking for a simple escape from reality or to kick back in your own virtual home theater, check out the new Google Daydream View. Priced at a very reasonable $49.00, this is a great introductory foray into virtual reality.

Made from breathable fabric, this headset is relatively comfortable to wear and looks the least clunky, but there have been complaints about light leakage through the sides of the device. Attach your 5 inch or 5.5 inch Google Pixel smartphone into the slot on the front of the View and connect to the headset via NFC, or Near Field Connection. Once connected, use the provided remote to navigate through the Android companion app. Download compatible games or search for other apps like Netflix VR and Youtube VR.

Keep in mind, this headset only works for Google’s Pixel phone lineup and has a limited compatible app library. However, VR is becoming a larger and larger focus for Google, so be on the lookout for massive increase in compatible apps for this device.

The Enthusiast

With a much larger compatible app library and a more secure fit, the Samsung Gear VR is the next step up at a reasonable $99.99.

Working at Car-Tel Communications, an Authorized AT&T Retailer, and owning a Samsung Galaxy S6, the Gear VR is the headset I have the most experience with. Compatible with the Samsung Galaxy lineup starting with the S5 through the S7 Edge, the Gear VR is the most widely applicable virtual reality headset on the market.

The Gear VR fits snugly against any size head, allowing little to no light to leak through the sides. Although it comes with a trackpad and clickable buttons built into the side of the device, any serious mobile gamer should purchase an external Bluetooth controller to get the full experience the Gear VR has to offer.

Connect your compatible Galaxy device via micro USB and clip it to the front of the Gear VR. Once you select your app, whether it be Netflix VR or GunJack, make sure you sit down; I’ve personally seen one or two customers fall over within a few seconds.

The Gamer

For the casual gamer looking for a new challenge, the PS VR was made for you. Unlike the Google Daydream View or the Gear VR, we are now in the tethered virtual reality sector. Video processing has now moved from the headset to a stand-alone computer, or in this case a Playstation 4.

If you don’t already own a PS4, the grand total comes to about $1000 for a 500GB PS4 and the PS VR Launch Bundle, which comes with the headset, VR controllers, the Playstation camera, and the VR Worlds game.

With the higher price-tag comes a much better experience. The total resolution of the PS VR is 1920×1080, or 960×1080 per eye, so right off the bat you are getting a much higher resolution than any virtual reality experience that a cellphone can provide. Playstation also provides more mainstream VR titles like Ace Combat, Batman Arkham VR, Resident Evil 7, and Gran Turismo. These are not simply older games played on a VR headset; all of these games have been optimized for the PS VR system so you can expect seamless integration with the sight, sounds, and controls offered by the PS VR.

The Zealot

For those accustomed to bottles of Mountain Dew, gaming sessions that last till dawn, and “Rigs” that run so hot they need to be water cooled, the Oculus Rift or the HTC Vive are the top of the line Virtual Reality headsets on the market today.

If you are looking to venture into this space, be warned, you need a serious gaming computer to play these games how they were meant to be played. I own an Asus ROG with a 2.6Ghz Core i7, a Nvidia GeForce GTX 965M GPU, and 16.0 GB of RAM and I don’t even meet the lowest benchmark for Steam’s HTC Vive or the Oculus Rift. Before you buy, run a diagnostics check through Steam or download the diagnostics program on Oculus’ website.

If your Rig is up to snuff, then you probably don’t need my two cents, but for those who are thinking about making the $1500 to $2000 investment in a quality gaming computer plus a HTC Vive or Oculus Rift there are a few differences you should know about. Both have 2,160×1200 OLED resolution, 90Hz refresh rate, and 110 degree viewing angle. The main difference comes in the software and sensors. The Vive spouts 37 sensors and a front facing camera providing a Chaperone feature that outlines potential hazards in your physical space within the virtual reality (like the Matrix, but blue!) What the Oculus lacks in sensors it makes up for in games with a 53 and counting VR compatible game library.

Personally, I am waiting for the next generation of virtual reality devices to come out. The available headsets are either too expensive, too clunky, or rely on my phone (which is not quite there in terms of the pixel density for me.) I’m willing to wait and see what comes next, because I have a feeling that the next generation of VR will make us question the nature of our reality.

The post The Do’s and Don’ts of VR: A Virtual Reality Breakdown appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

HabitHub.

Android & iOS

I like to use HabitHub to track all of my goals in one place. Although I have separate apps to help me eat better, learn more, and look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, HabitHub is great to keep all of my aspirations organized in one place. Create separate goals and reminders, grow your chain day by day, and make your goals into habits without breaking a sweat.

MyFitnessPal.

Android & iOS

Probably the best overall fitness app on the market today. Set your weight loss (or gain) goals, where you are now, and how much activity you do each day. Track your calorie intake using a handy barcode scanner or by using the search bar in the diary section of the app. Over time, the app will show you analytics of your progress and make suggestions for improvement.

Fooducate.

Android & iOS

I think most people are becoming more health conscious in terms of what they put into their bodies. Every day we hear how “Organic” or “Farm-to-Table” may contain the exact ingredients we were looking to avoid. With Fooducate, you can learn about what exactly makes your food healthy or unhealthy as well as get an overall “healthiness” grade for individual foods and brands. Track your progress and get a personalized grade based on your eating habits.

Acorns.

Android & iOS

Saving money is one thing, growing your overall wealth with that saved money is an entirely different story. With Acorns, you can stash away a small amount of money and have it automatically invested in ETFs or Exchange Traded Funds. Invest the spare change from every purchase or create a recurring investment each day, week, or month. Every dollar becomes immediately invested in your diversified portfolio through Fractional Shared Ownership of the ETFs. Now saving takes on a whole new meaning.

Udemy.

Android & iOS

I’ve taken a multitude of college courses, but I think the most consistently useful knowledge I’ve learned thus far has come from Udemy. The courses they offer are relevant, informative, and downright cheap. I’ve taken courses on everything from marketing to coding to adobe illustrator and all of them have been great. Take the video lessons at your own speed and stop or pick up whenever you want. Accelerate your new year’s resolutions with this awesome app.

The post 5 Apps to Help Keep Your New Year’s Resolution appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

“Any frequent traveler knows that finding the perfect sleeping position in a cramped airline seat can be severely limited by your headphones, but sleeping without means listening to the chatter of the over-caffeinated couple next to you.”

At work, I use my Aftershokz Bluez 2S Bone Conducting headphones, which I wrote about previously. On my days off, I love my Monster N-Tunes for high-quality sound as well as my Decibullz for exercising and walking around Philadelphia. As of yet, I have not mastered the art of sleeping comfortably with headphones, but that’s where the SleepPhones by AcousticSheep come in.

I’m a hot sleeper, meaning that my internal furnace sets to high as soon as my head hits the pillow. Any sleep headphones that function as fuzzy earmuffs will have me waking up with sweat in my eyes. The SleepPhones offer a cooler neoprene headband option with Bluetooth functionality and excellent sound quality. The Bluetooth is a key feature here, as I have woken up near strangulation from headphone cords sneaking around my neck as I roll around.

The SleepPhones have a slim flexible battery pack located at the back of the headband. The ultra-thin speakers are tucked into small cloth squares next to your ears. And the best part is everything is removable so that washing is easy and wearing doesn’t become a disgusting necessity.

Just like the AfterShokz, I think the original purpose of these headphones is not exactly the best use of their unique design.

Any frequent traveler knows that finding the perfect sleeping position in a cramped airline seat can be severely limited by your headphones, but sleeping without means listening to the chatter of the caffeinated couple next to you. The SleepPhones by AcousticSheep let you sleep in any position without any annoying pressure-points. Couple it with a nice neck pillow and a plentiful amount of TylenolPM and I might be able to sleep through an entire red eye.

The AcousticSheep website has a promotion running for 25% off any purchase site-wide and free shipping in the US for any order over $50. This promo drops the price of their wireless headphones to $75 + free shipping, which is a great deal for a unique pair of Bluetooth headphones.

The post SleepPhones: Pajamas for Your Ears appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

Let’s step back a few weeks ago to when Richard wrote about his Yogabed. In that article he urged his readership that they owe themselves a good night’s rest, and that the Yogabed could help them get there with its 4-layers of hibernation inducing squishiness. The Brooklyn Bedding mattress takes a different 4-layer approach to sweep you off to dreamland.

While the Yogabed centers around it’s breathable YogaGel, the BB mattress focuses on four layers of foam. The top two layers are all feel, while the bottom two layers focus on support. The very top layer is a quilted breathable cushion to keep you cool and the second layer is two inches of molded talalay latex to provide cloud-like tactility. A base layer of Poly Foam and a two inch Dunlop latex layer on top make for a solid breathable platform

When I unpacked this mattress with the help of my roommate, we could barely get it into place before we both were laying on it and saying “job well done – sleep imminent.” It is that comfortable. Especially coming from the mattress I was sleeping on previously, the lack of indentations and bulging springs means I’m waking up less and sleeping more deeply than ever before. I used to find it easy to get up out of bed in the morning because standing was about as comfortable as laying on my old mattress. Now I have to groggily squish my face into the pillow and languish the coming day before I leave my Brooklyn Bedding mattress.

Before I made the purchase, I was consulted that any mattress that can be squished down, rolled up, and shipped in a 2’x2’x4′ box can’t possibly be any good. My consultants were dead wrong. Don’t think like I did and assume the mattress will be light because its made of foam. The box makes it look unassuming, but it was a two man job to make it up the two flights of stairs to my room. Once rolled out, it looks a little sad until it fully inflates, then you can check out but you can’t ever leave!

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“The Rex can reach approximately 90 decibels at max volume, which is equivalent to standing next to a kitchen blender churning away at some frozen fruit.”

If you’re looking for a speaker with more style than a black cylinder or a water-proof plastic mass, the Boombotix Rex is a great low-cost option. It stands out with its hexagonal design and various outer shells, my personal favorite being the wood grain design.

The Rex can reach approximately 90 decibels at max volume, which is equivalent to standing next to a kitchen blender churning away at some frozen fruit. Coming from a speaker that I can clip to my pocket, I am thoroughly impressed with its range and volume.

The AT&T Authorized Retailer I work for, Car-tel Communications, has been selling these speakers for three months now and they have mostly sat on our shelves with little to no sales traffic. After I tested one of our demo models, I was surprised by the lack of sales, but now I think I know why.

The Boombotix Rex looks unassuming, because it was designed to blend in with the aesthetic of a modern home. In a store like AT&T, where technology products are shouting for your attention, the Boombotix Rex fades to the background and sales consequently dip.

There seems to be an inverse relation between lack of success in the store and product satisfaction in the home, meaning this is the Bluetooth speaker to buy right now.

Lack of in-store sales have driven the price of this speaker to beyond bargain levels. The going price for the Woodgrain speaker is (currently) $15.99 on Amazon, but I am going to purchase the Boombotix Pro+ with the accompanying sub woofer dock for $29.99.

The Pro+ includes a few extra features like 2Gb flash drive, water-proof up to 3ft, and voice control with Siri or Google Voice.

Clip it to your backpack while hiking or sit it on your desk at home, the Boombotix brand is your ultraportable speaker for any occasion.

The post Boombotix: Meet Your New Go-to Speaker appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

Hopper

The modern gentleman must be well traveled, and Hopper can get you there. This app not only shows you the best days to fly, it will watch prices like a hawk, predict when they will rise or fall, and direct you elsewhere if someone else has a better price. It’s like having your best friend as your travel agent, without any of the guilt of wanting to travel solo. With its recent $16 million in funding, Hopper is here to stay.

iTunes App Store    Google Play Store

SmartNews

You probably already have your news app of choice, but hear me out. SmartNews raised $38 million in its latest Series D round of funding, and not without reason. This news aggregation app offers similar features as other apps, but with an authentic twist. If your work internet is like mine and it doesn’t hold up like Ryan Lochte’s robbery recollection, this app has a feature called “Smartview” where you use a minimal amount of bandwidth to view the text-only version of any article. A great UI combined with no-hassle viewing has won my readership.

iTunes App Store    Google Play Store

Canopy

The modern gentleman is already using Amazon for (almost) all of his internet buying needs, however, sifting through all of the junk can take time that the modern man just doesn’t have. Canopy is a no frills curator for Amazon. Have a spare minute and feel like doing some home/life improvement? Everything on Canopy is hand-picked, reliable, and well designed, while the app itself is clean and simple compared to competitors who try and throw as much junk in your face as possible. For the modern Amazonian, this is a must have.

iTunes App Store    Google Play Store

The post Three Apps for the Modern Man appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

I’ve struggled with this for the past 2 months while trying to make original vlog posts for Car-tel Communications. Any smartphone can take video, and newer models can even support 4K, but universal access to video means creating something that attracts more than 10 views on Youtube requires creativity and a unique style.

What you need is $60, an amazon account, and a safe place for your mailman (or woman) to store your precious cargo. The most important piece of equipment is your tripod, because shaky video is terrible video. Amazon recently started to produce their own line of products under the AmazonBasics tagline, and their tripod is top-notch. For under $25 dollars, this 60” tripod is a steal.

Unfortunately, phones do not screw in to tripod mounts like traditional cameras, so you will need to get an adjustable phone adapter. I picked this one because it was recommended for the AmazonBasics tripod. If you made it this far and are thinking, “this only takes horizontal video, and I want vertical video,” we politely ask you to leave now and pick up a different hobby like bird-watching or knitting.

Next, and probably the most important component to creating your own style, is clip on phone lenses. They used to be gimmicks, but now companies like Samsung are jumping into the mobile lens arena because consumers are buying in droves. I like the MPOW 3-in-1 Lens Kit because it comes with a wide angle, macro, and fisheye lens as well as a microfiber cloth and two clips.

Now that you have spectacular video, you need great audio to match. Without purchasing a boom mic, XLR cables, and a recorder, great audio in the field is hard to come by. However, if you are vlogging or interviewing, a good lapel mic connected to the right android app can get the job done. I went with the Royal Voice Lapel Mic connected to the WavePad android app. Bring a friend, borrow their phone, connect the mic and throw it in your pocket. If you adjust the level inside the app your audio should come through crystal clear.

Now that you have the gear, it’s time to practice. With a great idea and the right lighting, you should become a YouTube sensation in no time. And while you are lounging in your golden vlogging throne, don’t forget F24 helped you get there!

TL;DR

For optimal mobile video, consider a $60 investment in:

1. This 60” Tripod
2. Tripod Phone Adapter
3. MPOW 3-in-1 Lens Kit
4. Royal Voice Lapel Mic and WavePad android app

The post Great Video for Under $60 appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

Both options offer a range of audio quality, but always limit what you can hear of your surroundings. Now this might sound great if you’re sitting next to a baby on an airplane, however, what if you’re biking through a crowded city? Or hiking next to a winding river in beautiful windy canyon? You may end up missing out on calming nature sounds or the honk of a crazed city driver.

Science has come through once again with a new audio option that allows you to listen to your favorite tunes without blocking out the sound around you. They are called Bone conducting headphones. Yes, you read that correctly. Instead of covering up your precious ear-holes, the AfterShokz Bluez 2S use your cheekbones to communicate with your inner-ear bone. By sending the sound vibrations through your cheekbone, you can leave your ears open to your surroundings. The coolest part is that you can plug up your ears and you will actually hear your music better!

You’re probably thinking, “that sounds cool and all, but I bet the sound quality is pretty low.” I was in the same boat, thinking that the quality will get lost when communicating through the density of my skull. So I purchased a Bluez 2S a while back and have found myself coming back to them again and again (to the point of listening to them while writing this.) I was skeptical before, but I am a believer now. The sound quality is great, with high treble coming through spectacularly and low bass less so, but still equivalent to other in-ear headphones in the $99 price range. The volume range is extraordinary, with only the faintest buzzing audible by others at high volume in a quiet room.

I thought I would be using these while I bike around downtown Philadelphia, or at least while working-out. However, their most useful application is in the office. I have two co-workers who enjoy politely playing classic rock at low volume on either side of me. During those not so rare stretches where the office goes completely quiet, I feel like my brain is slowly turning to pudding from front to back. The AfterShokz have solved that problem while simultaneously allowing me to hear when the boss starts making his rounds, giving me enough time to close “non-essential” tabs.

The post AfterShokz Sends Music to Your Jawbone appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.