09 May
Blog

Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus Review: Complacent in a Sea of Innovations

"Live breakdowns and a few missing functions make this doorbell a dubious choice."

  • A variety of motion controls

  • Pre-roll preview function

  • Compatible with Alexa and Ring devices

  • easy installation

  • Doesn't recognize boxes

  • Glitchy live view

  • Distorted video

We already love ringtones. With the ring app, you can see who is at your door, wherever you are, and even talk to visitors in real time. We love Ring so much that Ring Video Doorbell 2 and Ring Video Doorbell Pro made our list of the best video doorbells for 2020. Now the company has launched the next model in its line, the Ring video doorbell 3 Plus ($ 229.99). Will we love it as much? That's how it went.

Doorbell Plus 3 is ringinginstallation

Setting up the doorbell is fairly easy since the doorbell app guides you by connecting the doorbell to your Wi-Fi network. It is even helpful to set up security and usage settings. The installation kit also includes everything you need, including a drill, in case you need to drill new holes for the mounting bracket.

As soon as this is complete, you can connect your new doorbell to other Ring products such as the Ring Solar Floodlight, Solar Path Lights, the various intelligent light bulbs from Ring or Solar Step Lights. With this connection to other devices, you can set up tasks. For example, you can set up a task to automatically turn on your smart lights during the night when the doorbell detects motion.

Ring video doorbell 3 plus cover platesAlina Bradford / Digital Trends

If you have color preferences, the 3 Plus comes with two different front panels: you can choose between silver and black to better match your home. Replacing is as easy as snapping a case onto your phone.

I recommend combining bell 3 with the bell signal. It will work without it, but if someone comes to your door and you don't have your phone nearby, you probably won't hear the doorbell ringing. It is not very loud. I could barely hear it and was only a few yards from the front door. The carillon sounds in your house.

Outstanding functions

The bell 3 has so many functions that it looks almost overwhelming. Fortunately, the app is intuitive and it's easy to set everything up.

One feature that I like is the pre-roll option. This allows the camera to record a four-second preview video to see exactly what triggered a motion alarm. The footage is shot in black and white to conserve the battery. In the event of a possible break-in or tampering with the package, this additional four seconds can help law enforcement. Unfortunately, pre-roll does not work with the night vision of the camera. That means you won't get this nifty feature at night.

I was disappointed that there was no box detection technology.

The motion detection is fully customizable. You can adjust the area of ​​the motion detector, for example, by specifying how many feet from your door it detects motion. If your home is near a sidewalk or street, you will not be notified by the doorbell every time something goes past your home. If you want to take a nap, you can turn off motion alerts for 30 minutes to four hours. You can even adjust the sensitivity of the motion detector to reduce warnings.

Ring video doorbell 3 plus app

There are options to change what the doorbell also recognizes. You can choose whether the doorbell detects some kind of movement or just people. I was disappointed that there was no box detection technology like the Nest Hello doorbell. I get a lot of packages and want to know when a package is on my porch. For some reason, this doorbell does not contain the box identification A.I. Feature. It has the same field of view as the nest at 160 degrees, so it's a shame it doesn't support this feature.

In addition to these options, you can also customize various modes that can be set up with specific behaviors when you are at home or on the go. In home mode, for example, you can set the doorbell so that no movement is detected and deactivate the live view function.

Do you want to stay up to date? The Ring app sends you real-time crime and security alerts reported by your neighbors or local law enforcement agencies. The app shows you current activities on a map of your neighborhood, weekly safety reports and more. I think it's a very useful feature. For example, a neighbor was shot down the street by her boyfriend. I could see the location of the incident on the map. The app also reports information about missing children near you so you can keep an eye out for them.

Ring neighborhood warnings

Works with Alexa

Although the app works great, you can connect other smart devices outside of the ring ecosystem to your doorbell using the Alexa app. You can also control the doorbell with voice commands. For example, you can say commands like this:

  • "Alexa, speak to the front door."
  • "Alexa, turn off the motion sensor on the front door. "
  • "Alexa, set the motion sensitivity on the front door to low."

If you have an Alexa-compatible smart display like the Amazon Echo Show, you can see who is at the door on the screen. You can also speak to them for even more flexibility when using the 3 Plus.

Video and audio

The Bell 3 Plus has 1080p HD video, which means that the quality has not changed since the Bell 2. Still, the video was nice and clear, but there was a problem.

Things are just a little rounded.

There's fishbowl-like distortion for everything you see through the camera. However, this doesn't seem to affect how visible a person is in the video, regardless of where they stand on the porch. Things are just a little rounded. I'm a little disappointed because other video doorbells like the Arlo video doorbell have figured out how to get great video quality without the fishbowl look.

Ring video doorbell 3 plus live videoAlina Bradford / Digital Trends

The live video can also be faulty and it can take a minute for a connection to the app to be established. This can be annoying when trying to speak to someone at your door. You can go before you get the app up and running. Shutting down and restarting the app fixed the problem, but it was an annoyance. It's hard to say what is the culprit behind the problem, as the 3 Plus has both 2.4 and 5 GHz dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity.

While the 3 Plus is doing a great night video, I wish it had a built-in floodlight like the August Doorbell Cam Pro. There are dozens of situations where a little more light on your porch can be useful. August also records color night videos, and the Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus only records in black and white.

You need a cloud service plan to save your videos. With Ring Protect, you can review and share videos and photos for up to 60 days. It costs $ 3 a month per device or $ 100 a year for your entire household. This price is comparable to other video doorbell video storage plans like Nest Aware, but Ring Protect gives you a lot more storage days. August, on the other hand, offers its customers its video memory for free.

The audio quality when you talk to someone through the app is very good. The 3 Plus has noise cancellation technology that makes voices stand out from all the noises in your house, which is very helpful.

privacy

Ring has been in the news many times for privacy concerns related to their cameras. However, the Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus has some features that can help you calm down. For example, there is a two-step confirmation to access the app or your account online and protect your personal information. You can also turn off the microphone to prevent it from hearing things you don't want to hear. If certain parts of your garden are not to be recorded, e.g. For example, your pool or your children's play area, you can set up privacy zones that limit the visibility or recording of the camera. In the video you can see a black box in which the data protection area has been set up in the app.

Our opinion

Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus is a decent intelligent doorbell. It has a lot of great features, but it's not the best option we've come across. The video specs could have been updated to keep up with the competition, and I don't like the live video glitches. However, there are many great features that allow you to customize how the doorbell detects things around your door. Finally, I really appreciate how easy it is to integrate into a larger smart home ecosystem to work with other smart products that are compatible with Alexa and Ring. When it comes to price, the Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus is $ 300 compared to other major providers in the high-end video doorbell market.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes. The Arlo video doorbell ($ 149) is cheaper and offers many great options, including Alexa integration. The August Doorbell Cam Pro ($ 171) is also cheaper and has a fantastic lighting feature.

How long it will take?

The whole doorbell is made of plastic. The thinness of the cover plate affects me. I'm not sure if it will withstand rigorous use, but a one-year limited warranty is given. In the unfortunate event that it is stolen, Ring will replace it free of charge.

Should I buy it?

If you already have a lot of ring products in your house, I would absolutely say so. The best thing about the Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus is how it interacts with other Ring products and the great Ring app features like crime warnings. If you are not a ring fan, I would choose a different video doorbell.

Editor's recommendations




09 May
Blog

Roborock S6 MaxV Review: This Robotic Vacuum Has Eyes

Roborock S6 MaxV lifestyle

Roborock S6 MaxV Review: It can find and avoid your socks

"It's not perfect, but the Roborock S6 MaxV can detect and avoid clutter when cleaning."

  • Efficient cleaning

  • Strong suction power

  • Long battery life

  • Accurate map layouts

  • Has trouble recognizing some obstacles

  • It is expensive

Robotic vacuum cleaners save time, which we could all use. In the world of robot vacuum cleaners, innovations have become more and more convenient, including bots that empty their trash bins themselves and two-in-one models that wipe. Despite all these advances, some lack the intelligence to intelligently avoid clutter in the home.

The Roborock S6 MaxV hopes to change this with a pair of cameras equipped with reactive AI obstacle detection and a Qualcomm chip. Can it actually dodge and weave? Or is it still getting upside down in trouble?

Avoid hit-or-miss obstacles

When I gave the Roborock S6 MaxV a whirl for the first time, I was curious whether it could intelligently bypass or clean obstacles.

It definitely looks like this. First, there is a raised window on top that stores the bot's lidar navigation system, which is used to map rooms. From there it goes on to the vacuum floor, while two cameras in the front take pictures at 30 frames per second (FPS) to avoid obstacles.

I usually spend some time pre-cleaning before cleaning – lifting dog bowls off the floor, putting clothes away, and making sure the charging wires on all my devices are tucked away properly. However, the new Roborock wants to eliminate this process.

John Velasco / Digital Trends

I was glad that I managed to clean a small box that I left in the middle of the floor. In another case, it crept slowly to a sneaker and then sucked around it.

To really test his ability, I left a few whoppers on the floor to simulate what could happen if your pet left a surprise on the floor. The first two piles were cleaned perfectly around them, but not the third – it was run over instead. So it could avoid your four-legged friend's accidents … or not.

Robotic vacuum cleaners also have problems in closed, confined spaces. They often pinch themselves in a position that they cannot leave. With a Qualcomm APQ8053 processor that works behind the scenes in conjunction with its stereo cameras, I was hoping that the Roborock S6 MaxV would avoid such complications.

I was disappointed to see that it got stuck in the small crack under my entertainment center and forced me to get in to save the day. I was even more annoyed that it was having trouble recognizing the beveled edge of my side table – so it kept dancing back and forth as it moved along that beveled edge. This is actually not uncommon since all of these vacuum cleaners have difficulty cleaning these oddly shaped devices.

I was disappointed that it got stuck in the little crack under my entertainment center.

Overall, object detection appears to be a hit or miss. The Roborock S6 MaxV didn't seem smart enough to work without supervision. However, future firmware updates that optimize learning skills may make it smarter. Other robotic vacuum cleaners don't have this luxury, including more expensive bots like the iRobot Roomba S9 Plus and the Neato D7. You will just run over everything on your way.

An efficient cleaner

Thanks to its lidar navigation system, the Roborock S6 MaxV is an efficient cleaner. Seriously, it doesn't waste time. It tends to follow an S-pattern when cleaning open spaces and go through for quick and efficient coverage. That's the beauty of the technology used by some other vacuum cleaners worth over $ 500, like the Eufy RoboVac L70 and the Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo 930. It is practically a matter of course that these vacuum cleaners perform well thanks to the integrated lidar navigation.

Corners are also not suitable because the single rubber brush sweeps up dirt in the direction of the underside brush. It's worth noting that unlike the bristle brush used by most vacuum cleaners, it's rubber, so it lasts longer. In addition to the exceptional cleaning capabilities, the model's 2500 Pascal (Pa) suction power is the strongest in Roborock's product line. It collects almost everything on its way.

Carpets are firmly cleaned thanks to the strong suction power, but long strands of hair can sometimes clump together and get tangled in the roller. Fortunately, it can be easily removed as there is a cleaning tool to remove these tangles.

John Velasco / Digital Trends

In addition to vacuuming, you can also wipe with the S6 MaxV by attaching the supplied pad and filling the removable water tank on the back of the robot. The best thing about it is that it saves time having to do separate cleansing, so you vacuum and wipe at the same time. As dirt collects through the front, these vacuumed surfaces are wiped off during movement. The wiping performance is no different from other vacuum cleaners I have tested. Water splashes from below and is then evenly distributed by the pad on the floor as the robot moves forward.

The Roborock S6 MaxV is an efficient cleaner.

I am impressed with how well it is able to clean rooms. In places where there may be more dirt, such as near the litter box, a second pass is required to completely cover the area, but that's all.

Because of its efficiency, it is able to clean my entire apartment without needing to charge it – it has been cleaned with a lot of battery for 50 minutes without interruption / the battery life is also better than many of its competitors – it is designed for 180 minutes would be more than enough to vacuum and wipe my place twice. For comparison: The iRobot Roomba i7 has a maximum runtime of 75 minutes.

App that rocks

The Roborock app offers a wealth of useful tools and insights into cleaning the Bot Vac. I am particularly amused by the card they created for my apartment. It intelligently recognizes spaces on its own. I can clean a specific room by selecting it on the map.

It also shows what objects it comes across when cleaning. Do you remember the "shit" it could see? Well, it is clearly visible where it was found on the map. Small details like this make the app better than others I've tested. It doesn't happen often that an app helps me track down a missing pair of socks.

The app provides insight into maintenance and how many hours are left before the filter, side brush and main brush need to be replaced or cleaned.

While the Roborock S6 MaxV can clean independently, I can take full control of the robot vacuum cleaner manually using the screen control with the app. It's like operating a remote-controlled toy. Useful? Maybe not, but it's definitely fun.

It's like operating a remote-controlled toy.

If the app is not your thing, there is always voice control. It supports Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. I can order him to start cleaning – or return to his charging station.

Our opinion

There is still work to be done before I can trust this robot vacuum to be cleaned by itself without me having to oversee it. On a positive note, it's a two-in-one bot that can suck and wipe – something that works very well. It's expensive at $ 749, but it's better than another robot with a camera, the $ 1,150 Deebot Ecovacs 960.

Are there any better alternatives?

Yes, but you won't find many that include object detection cameras. The Deebot Ecovacs 960 is a similar option, but more expensive.

Roborocks S5 is a combined vacuum and wiping robot that costs less than $ 500. It's worth a look if you don't (or don't want) high-end room allocation and object detection features.

How long it will take?

There's a lot of technology in this, so it wouldn't be a surprise if people were worried about longevity. As long as proper maintenance is carried out, e.g. For example, removing tangled cables from the brushes and removing the various sensors, the Roborock S6 MaxV should work in perfect condition. In the event of a manufacturer defect, there is a 1-year limited warranty on parts and labor.

Should I buy it?

Yes, if only because it is much cheaper than its closest rival.

Editor's recommendations




09 May
Blog

Clean & Clear Lemon Gel Facial Cleanser with Vitamin C Review

Price $ 5.99

My experience

Lemon is one of the most important ingredients for the production of detergents in the old days. It looks like Clean and Clear used the same age-old concept and brought back the goodness of the lemon in their latest facial detergent.

This new facial detergent with lemon extract and vitamin C is the reason why I wanted to try it. When someone like me, who has spent all his childhood admiring my grandmother's beautiful DIY facial cleanser with lemon, sees a product that contains lemon as the main ingredient that you know the purchase is emotional.

I've been using it for over a week now and I can tell you that this lemon gel wash really cuts through the oil and your skin feels clean and soft. Also, removing oil and makeup made my skin look refreshed and clean (I always use a makeup removal wipe to remove the makeup first). It didn't dry out my skin like some oil-removing facial cleansers. I can still see some of my little angry spots around my jaw even after using this for two weeks, but I don't expect this facial wash to do anything about my acne. I am very happy that Clean & Clear did not advertise it as an acne facial detergent. I mostly use this face wash in the morning and my Clarins face wash at night. I'm still not sure if there is such a thing as a perfect face wash. Detergents and moisturizers should be purchased depending on your skin texture, location, lifestyle, and weather.

This facial detergent has a nice lemon scent and won't let you smell of lemons, I assure you

Who will like it

  1. Beauties of oily skin
  2. Those looking for an affordable face wash.

Who can avoid it?

  1. Those who don't like products with parabens.
  2. The one with very dry skin
  3. Those who think this is an acne clearing facial wash.

Final judgment:

The scent is nice. The foam is gentle. After cleaning, my skin doesn't stay dry and I think it will be a nice summer skin care product!

BnB rating: 4/5

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09 May
Blog

New Year, New You: 6 Tips to Better Skin in 2019 with Non-Toxic Products

As soon as 2018 started, it seems to have ended …

And with the end of one year, another begins. No better time to start over and make changes in your life!

For most people (80% indeed!), The resolutions passed in the new year already fail in the second week of February.

Regardless of your resolutions for the coming year, we have one that you can easily stick to …

How about if you start the new year with a new, non-toxic you?

One of the simplest changes you can make in the coming weeks that will benefit not only your skin but also your overall health is what you keep in your skin care arsenal.

In this article, you will find 6 simple switches to help you reach the skin of your dreams in 2019.

Getting clean with mud: Osmia Black Clay Facial Soap

Don't worry, we don't think you should run outside and literally grab a handful of mud! This black clay facial soap contains black Australian clay and Dead Sea mud to balance and firm the skin and make it cleaner than ever. Trust us!

If you cleanse your skin with a detergent that goes deeper than your old one, you can expect clearer and happier skin in 2019!

Finally, try a vitamin C serum: 100% pure vitamin C serum

If you haven't tried vitamin C serum yet, make 2019 your year for it!

Nothing brightens the skin like it does, but the benefits of vitamin C don't stop there. This beauty vitamin helps to reduce inflammation (bye problem skin!) And to increase collagen production for a firmer, plumper and more youthful skin.

Go deeper with the peeling: Eminence Yam and Pumpkin Peel

Are you afraid to try microdermabrasion or a chemical peel?

We don't blame you, but why not go deep with a scrub formulated with all natural enzymes made from creamy yam and pumpkin?

This brightening peeling helps to fade hyperpigmentation, reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and make the skin glowing and radiant. It is also a great natural way to treat blackheads.

Treat your skin once a week: May Lindstrom be the problem solver

If you haven't shown your skin the love it deserved in 2018, apply it in 2019 by treating it with a weekly face mask like this antioxidant-rich beauty that treats all of your skin care problems!

Add a toner to your routine: Rose Hibiscus Hydrating Toning Mist

Toners don't get enough credit, but if you really want to take your current skin regime to the next level, we recommend adding one to your routine!

This beautiful rose toner offers a tremendous breakthrough in hydration and is so much more than just a beautiful pink shade! (although we love the color of this!)

Try a multi-purpose product: Ursa Major 4-in-One Face Tonic

Skeptical? Do not be so!

As long as you buy the right products like this great toner from Ursa Major, you can't go wrong! This cleans, exfoliates and hydrates everything in one!

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09 May
Blog

Huawei P40 Pro Review: The Best Camera on a Phone

huawei p40 pro review back jacket

"The Huawei P40 Pro has the best camera in the industry, but many will find it quite difficult to get the apps they need."

  • Outstanding design and comfort

  • Raised OLED screen with a refresh rate of 90 Hz

  • Brilliant, versatile camera

  • Long battery life

  • No Google services or apps

  • Audio is not great

There is a risk in everything. From mountaineering over the road to buying a used car, some decisions can go either way, good or bad. It often pays to take the risk and we are better people for it.

This is an analogy that fits the Huawei P40 Pro. If you buy it, you'll need to disconnect from Google and try something else.

I spent several weeks with the Huawei P40 Pro. The following happened when I took the risk.

design

This phone is beautiful. After juggling the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus, the OnePlus 8 Pro and various other modern smartphones over the past few weeks, the Huawei P40 Pro stands above everyone in terms of perfect design, clear identity and sensible design decisions.

The best thing is the choice of matt, matt glass on the back. Yes, the OnePlus 8 has something like the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro, but they don't look as fabulous as the P40 Pro.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

My favorite section? The way the Huawei logo is reflected deep in the glass. The curved sides of the body catch the light, and the matte silver paint shown here changes between blue, gray, white, and silver.

The elegance is affected by the bumpiness of the monster camera, which gives the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra a run for its money when it comes to how big it is. Calls. It sticks out a few millimeters and although the lenses and sensors are neatly arranged, it distracts attention from the simple beauty of the frosted glass.

It is one of the most convenient phones I have ever held. It's not sharp on the sides and all corners are rounded to make sure they don't dig into your palm. The real triumph, however, is the rounded glass at the bottom of the screen. Swipe-based gesture control means you always swipe up from the bottom of the phone. This is a tactile nightmare if there is a bezel, comb, or sharp edge there. The P40 Pro has nothing but a cascading piece of glass that smoothes the progress of your finger on the screen.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

This makes the P40 Pro really feel different from any other Android smartphone you can buy today. Only the Apple iPhone 11 Pro can keep up with the ergonomics of the P40 Pro.

It is less positive to note that the P40 Pro – admittedly due to the camera sensors and the battery capacity – is chunky with a thickness of 9 mm and a considerable 209 grams. Though strong, it's well balanced and many other big phones this year are even heavier. For comparison, the Galaxy S20 Ultra weighs 222 grams and is 8.8 mm thick, while the iPhone 11 Pro Max is 226 grams and 8 mm thick.

Yes, the P40 Pro is a bit slippery at the edges. Apart from that, the P40 Pro is professionally designed, has real stylistic flair and manages to obscure part of its weight.

Display quality, security

There is a 6.58-inch OLED screen on the front of the P40 Pro. It has a resolution of 2640 x 1200 pixels and a refresh rate of 90 Hz. There is a built-in fingerprint sensor and a face release. There is a very narrow border around the display and a slight curvature on the sides. The selfie camera with two lenses is punched on the top left of the screen and may be three times the size of a standard pinhole camera with a lens. This means that valuable space on the screen for notification icons is eliminated and is always recognizable when watching videos.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

How is the video YouTube looks great, although I had to look through the Firefox browser (no Google Apps, do you remember?). It still supports 2160p video with no problems, but features like double tap to advance 10 seconds don't work.

Amazon Prime videos, like Netflix, can be viewed via the browser with a resolution of up to 4K. However, the user interface is not as intuitive as a native app. Everyone looks great, and the screen of the P40 Pro can match the details and balance of the iPhone 11 Pro, while the Galaxy S20 Plus lives up to that of the Galaxy S20 Plus. It is wonderful.

Unfortunately, the great viewing experience is diminished by the sound. I found the same problem with the Huawei Mate Xs, a device that's even more video-focused than the P40 Pro. There's a single main speaker on the bottom of the phone that's fairly thin and uninspiring. This is not supported by the fact that the sound to the right of the phone is biased. When the screen looks as good as it does, the overwhelming audio is even more noticeable, especially if the competing Oppo Find X2 Pro manages to do both aspects just right.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

The fingerprint sensor is located high up on the screen and makes it easier to find when holding the phone with one hand, although it wasn't quite as reliable as some others I've used, including the physical button on the Apple iPhone SE. The face unlock is excellent and usually still hits me for the fingerprint sensor. I also like the way the screen stays active when you look at it.

Camera performance

The outstanding function of the P40 Pro is the camera. The P30 Pro's camera is difficult to track, but the P40 Pro is definitely up to the task. A 50-megapixel 1 / 1.28-inch sensor is the headline grabber, followed by a 40-megapixel ultra-wide angle sensor and a 12-megapixel telephoto camera. Finally, there is a 3D depth sensor. The telephoto camera enables a 5x optical zoom and a 10x hybrid zoom as well as a 50x digital zoom.

Extras include image stabilization controlled by optical and artificial intelligence, 4K video at 60 fps and the improved XD Fusion image signal processor from Huawei. Huawei also worked again with Leica to produce the camera on the P40 Pro.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

The P40 Pro has a powerful zoom function. All others simply follow Huawei here, up to a maximum of 50x digital zoom. The app prompts you to use the 5x and 10x zooms, and there isn't a big difference in quality between the shots you take with both. This is proof of the excellent A.I. and camera tuning.

In reality, this means that you can safely use 5x and 10x zoom without questioning whether the results are reasonable. Huawei A.I. then miracle works with 50x zoom. No, you don't want to share the photos taken at this magnification level very often, but it is impossible to deny how good they are compared to the catastrophic photos that were taken a few years ago with even moderate zooms. The stabilization at long zoom is excellent and holds the subject with little movement on the screen in the viewfinder.

I am also impressed by the bokeh of the P40 Pro – both the artificial bokeh mode in aperture or portrait mode and the natural bokeh generated by the large sensor. Edge detection is great in artificial modes. In normal mode, you can also get close to small objects like flowers and achieve a strong natural bokeh effect. I am also glad that there is a standalone monochrome mode that gives your photos the atmospheric Leica look.

What about night mode? It has been a mainstay of Huawei cameras for several years and not the mainstay for night shots here because the standard camera is incredibly good in and of itself. You have to experiment with the camera, as night mode sometimes provides a brighter and more detailed picture. However, if you often leave it in normal mode, you'll get amazingly good pictures in low light.

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All of this happens before you start looking at the video, where you can not only take wide-angle and zoom shots, but also 4K resolution at 60 fps and slow motion at 7,860 fps. The stabilization is excellent, the colors are vivid and an extensive video editing mode is integrated in the standard gallery app.

Does the P40 Pro camera have anything bad? Shots with different lenses look different. Exposure, color balance, and atmosphere vary in a scene depending on whether you take the photo with the wide-angle or standard lens. However, this does not only apply to the Huawei phone, as this is the case with all smartphones with multiple lenses.

It is difficult for me to complain about something else, since most people do not notice tiny inconsistencies in dynamics and colors. It's the new smartphone camera to beat.

software

You want the camera, don't you? Of course you do. But to get it, you have to make some compromises.

No Google Mobile Services (GMS) are installed on the Huawei P40 Pro. This means that neither Google Play nor Google Pay, Google Maps or other apps or services supported by Google are used. Instead, the phone uses Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) and the Huawei App Gallery App Store, which are all based on Android 10 and have Huawei's own EMUI 10.1 user interface.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

If you've used the Mate 30 Pro, the P30 Pro, or previous phones like the P20 Pro, the software is a familiar area. With Huawei, you can either hide apps in an app drawer or spread them across multiple home screens. There's a great dark mode and plenty of great Huawei apps instead of the Google apps. For example, Huawei's email client and calendar are excellent, as is Huawei Health's fitness tracking app.

Using the P40 Pro is very fluid, quick and easy. Huawei has refined EMUI so much that it comes close enough to the standard Android that it doesn't require much learning for newbies, but it's still quite obvious that Huawei overall has its own design experience. I haven't encountered any of the annoyances I found on the Huawei Mate Xs and found the P40 Pro's software to be polished and reliable.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

However, the app gallery does not meet all of my app requirements and possibly not all of yours. I've explained in detail what was missing and why it affected me when using the Mate Xs, and the situation with the P40 Pro is essentially the same.

There is good news. Maps is now officially available in the app gallery and is an excellent alternative to Google Maps, even if you cannot simply import all saved places from the Google app. The navigation is effective, although I haven't been able to test it much due to movement restrictions. The swipe-in ​​newsfeed on the start screen contains links that not only lead to websites behind a paywall, but also significantly increase their usefulness.

By using the Phone Clone app, the Amazon App Store, and some APK files to install most of my required apps, the P40 Pro can be fully used for users who are not deep in the Google ecosystem. But that's still the problem.

I can't easily access my files in Google Drive, so importing / saving WhatsApp and Line conversations is not possible. I can't use Google Pay, my Google Smart Home devices can't be controlled by an app, and my YouTube Premium subscription is less fun when I'm forced to use the browser to access the website. Using the browser as a replacement for apps is generally not the best experience, but you'll need to get used to it with the P40 Pro.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

I doubt some of the decisions that Huawei's app ecosystem has made. When I open the app store I am often greeted by an ad that cannot be skipped for a few seconds, which I think is unacceptable. Opening the music or video app leads me directly to the new Huawei content stores and pushes me into the payment areas instead of immediately to my own saved files. Huawei is still learning and finding its feet, but these actions won't help many make the transition to the App Gallery and HMS easier.

There is another issue with the random installation of apps outside of the app gallery, with notifications. For example, Twitter and Instagram are installed through the Amazon App Store, and the arrival of notifications is incomplete. Then there is an update of apps that does not happen automatically if they come from multiple sources and I have security concerns when installing apps from unofficial sources. All of this makes using the phone more time consuming and cumbersome than many prefer.

Bottom line? If you use Google’s services on a daily basis or rely on certain apps that are not available through the app gallery, you will encounter some problems when switching to the P40 Pro. If Google is not essential for your mobile life and your apps are available in the Huawei App Store, life with the P40 Pro is easier. Huawei is confident that the app gallery will improve in the future, but we can only assess today's app situation.

The software, more precisely the app store and the availability of apps, is the risk when buying and using the Huawei P40 Pro every day.

Performance and battery life

Huawei's own Kirin 990 processor, an octa-core chip based on the ARM Cortex A76 architecture with a separate Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for artificial intelligence tasks, is in the P40 Pro. It also has a built-in 5G modem instead of a separate modem for improved reception and efficiency. Due to movement restrictions, I was unable to test the 5G connection on the P40 Pro, but found it excellent on the Mate Xs. It has 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage space.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

Depending on your taste, there is a healthy selection of games in the app gallery. Asphalt 9 is available and is rendered flawlessly in high quality display and performance mode. Games can also be downloaded from the Amazon App Store. Although those that I tried out were played perfectly, I found that the selfie camera with two lenses disturbed the user interface by hiding the buttons on the screen. Benchmark tests downloaded as APK files gave the following results:

3DMark Sling Shot Extreme: 5,303 (volcano)

Geekbench 5: 755 single core / 2,993 multi core

These values ​​are far below the Oppo Find X2 Pro, which contains a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, and cannot keep up with the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus with Exynos 990 drive. Since the apps had to be installed outside of an official store, there might have been compatibility issues affecting the results as there was no sign of slowness during my time on the phone.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends.com

The battery life is great, just like you'd expect from a Huawei P-series device, and the 4,200 mAh cell easily lasts two days. It has both a quick wired charge that took an hour and 10 minutes to get the battery from 5% to full and a quick wireless charge.

Price, guarantee and availability

The Huawei P40 Pro is now available in the UK via Huawei's own website and the Carphone Warehouse. However, it was not officially released in the United States, but could be obtained as an import. It costs £ 900, which is about $ 1,120. Huawei grants a two-year warranty against manufacturing defects on its phones in the UK.

Our opinion

The Huawei P40 Pro has fantastic hardware and a dreamy camera with a long-lasting battery so you can get the most out of both. You have to compromise on software that is not in the Google Play Store through no fault of Huawei. This means that you may need to find new work and communication methods to enjoy the P40 Pro.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes. Let's start with Huawei's own alternative, the P40 Pro Plus, which will come on the market sometime in June or shortly after. The camera promises to be even better because it has a state-of-the-art 10x optical zoom. So if you want to use life without Google, it might be worth waiting for the best model of the P40 family to do so.

If you spend $ 1,000 to $ 1,100, you should go for the Apple iPhone 11 Pro at £ 1,000 or £ 1,000, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus at £ 1,200 or £ 1,000, the Oppo Find X2 Pro at £ 1,300 or £ 1,100 or so $ 900 or £ 800 OnePlus 8 Pro. All of these phones have great cameras and impressive screens, as well as better access to all the apps they want.

You can even turn the clock back and find Huawei's flagship for 2019, the P30 Pro, which is still outstanding today, costs less, and has Google Mobile Services installed on it.

How long it will take?

The P40 Pro is IP68 waterproof, but is not particularly durable because it is made of glass. A case is recommended to keep it safe. The hardware itself will be fresh in the coming years and there will certainly be no shortage of skills. Interestingly enough, there is a big chance that the App Gallery – the biggest disadvantage of the P40 Pro today – will get better over time and offer more apps that we want.

Should you buy one?

No, I say that with a heavy heart, because the Huawei P40 Pro has a lot to offer. However, access to apps is currently too limited for the majority of people.

Editor's recommendations




08 May
Blog

Keeping Skin Younger For Longer

When it comes to your skin, it's the largest organ in your body and probably the most susceptible to wear and tear as it has to fight the external elements every day. Some people are naturally blessed with good skin due to their genetics, while others are more prone to breakouts, acne and other skin care problems. So what can we do to keep our skin looking younger for longer? With many beauty products and processes that the world promises us, it is difficult to know which is the real business. Here are some ways that can help you maintain that youthful glow into your later years or even rewind the clock.

Image source

Hydration is the key

When we think of water, it has a fairly simple taste, maybe a little boring. However, water is synonymous with moisture, and that's all for our skin. The body needs a lot of moisture to keep our skin elastic and shiny. Your skin cells are made of water. So they don't work optimally without water. A lack of water means that your skin is drier, scaly and more prone to wrinkles. Water can help prevent skin conditions from flaring up or persisting, and we lose large amounts of water every day. We have to put it back in our body somehow. Drinking water – around 1.5 liters per day – helps to maintain the right amount of moisture for your body. Drink more when you have exercised.

You may also want to add a particularly moisturizing moisturizer to your skin care routine and try to avoid the things that can dry you out, such as: B. drinking alcohol.

The art of sleeping

Sleeping is a nice thing. It is an opportunity for our body to recover and repair to function optimally for the next day. Without sleep we endanger our body and therefore our skin also suffers. Think swollen and dark under the eyes and more breakouts on the skin. When you hit the hay, you want to make sure that you sleep on a silk pillow and / or wear a silk eye mask. Silk is a gentle material on the skin and therefore does not damage the surface of the skin.

Silk also keeps you cooler at night, which means you sweat less. Sweat causes our breakouts by clogging the pores. No sweating means no stains! It can also avoid other skin problems like creepy skin that are explained here https://www.siobeauty.com/blogs/news/crepey-skin, which can be most common in older women.

Image source

Protect your skin all year round

If you don't have a skin care routine, it's time to get one. Skin care is important for all ages, and you should use the right care to protect your skin from damage. No matter what the weather, you should always apply sunscreen under your makeup or as part of your morning skin care routine before going out. UV rays can be harmful to the skin and cause sun damage. Even when the sun is not shining, these rays can penetrate through the clouds and into your skin. It is therefore a good idea to lather up a good layer of SPF 15-20 every day.

Have a skin care routine that works for you and not because you've heard about the latest skin care trend that consists of 1,439 different products that you need to use every morning. You will only get bored or demotivated to continue the routine. The main ones are an oil cleaner that removes dirt and makeup, a moisturizer, and an exfoliating element like a face scrub or mask that you can do every few days.

Acids are also great at home if you want to add an additional product to your routine. Retinoids have anti-aging and anti-acne properties that have made them so popular among men and women around the world.

Eat and drink well

Unfortunately, it is as good as the Chinese take-away food, and it will likely not benefit your skin or body if you eat it too often. Healthy eating is all about moderation. It is important to know when you are eating too much and to be aware that you are bringing the right amount of healthy food to less healthy food. Avoid coffee and opt for a fruit tea like peppermint or green tea. If removing coffee as a whole is too difficult, limit your coffee consumption and replace the others with fruit tea.

Fruits and vegetables are goodies and do not rot your teeth like sweets. Find fruits or vegetables you like to eat. There are so many out there that there will be one or two you can learn to love! Try to go for five days, which is very little if you think about spreading them out throughout the day.

Try to find foods that benefit the skin's appearance. Fatty fish and avocados are just a few examples.

Remove bad habits

Bad habits can often affect the skin, such as B. Smoking and heavy drinking. Try to replace the habit that harms your skin with something that will hopefully make you stop it altogether. Or when it comes to something like alcohol, make sure to replace your liquids with plenty of moisture the next day.

Picking in places or biting nails is also a common bad habit and it is often a trigger or boredom or stress that causes you to pick in one place or bite a nail. Find out where these triggers come from so you can get to the bottom of the problem.

Exercise frequently

It's not something many of us like to do, and it gets harder as you get older. However, frequent training can dramatically improve the appearance of your skin. Training can pump blood around your veins, flush your skin, and prevent the dermis and outer part of the epidermis from thickening. Exercise is known to reduce stress and flush out toxins, two things that are responsible for affecting the skin. Train in your own way and do sports or exercises that you enjoy doing. Stretch a lot before and after so that the muscles are properly cared for.

Image source

Make makeup easy

Applying makeup daily will somehow aggravate the skin, and this can often include breakouts and inflammation of the skin. With some many cosmetic products, you can opt for an easier makeup routine from time to time. BB and CC creams are good and do not suffocate the pores like a full-surface primer. Tinted moisturizers are also a good alternative to foundation. Use fixative sprays all day to give your skin a little moisture and gradually apply the makeup.

Get a facial

With so many wonderful clinics and beauty salons at your disposal, there are so many options available for different facials that can help the struggle to restore youthful radiance. Here are a few examples:

  • Lymphatic Massage Facial – If your body has trouble removing the lymph, it leads to water retention and swelling. The stimulation of the lymph glands by massage helps to relieve tension and reduce swelling.
  • Vampire facial treatment – made famous by Kim Kardashian, the vampire facial treatment is not for the faint of heart. It is a non-surgical alternative to a face lift. The skin is rejuvenated and wrinkles are reduced by injecting a gel-like substance, which is partly produced from the patient's blood.
  • Facial Microdermabrasion – Another non-surgical option, microdermabrasion, uses tiny grains to polish the old layers of skin. It's not as aggressive as dermabrasion, where tiny skin needles break apart old skin cells.
  • Gold Facial – For a fancy facial, you may like a little gold. Gold in combination with the Gamma PGA compound improves the overall complexion.
  • Enzyme Facial – These facials are popular with acne sufferers and help eliminate breakouts while cleaning the skin. They cleanse the skin thoroughly with fruit enzymes, paired with wonderful antioxidants and moisturizers.

Cut out the negatives

Many things can contribute to the aging of our skin, but nothing withers more than stress and the rides of life. Therefore, it is important to cut out any negative things in your life that cause you pain, stress, or sadness. Sometimes they are inevitable, but mostly they can be removed by yourself. So cut out the negativity and only bring positivity into your life. No job is worth the stress that affects your health, and life is too short to sweat the little things.

So there you have it, the secret of youthful skin. Unfortunately, there is no permanent solution to preserve your youth. We all grow old at some point and unfortunately our skin. However, if you do some of these steps, you can keep what you have as long as you are still able.

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08 May
Blog

Acer Swift 3 (2020) Review: Eight-Core Ryzen Laptop For $650

acer swift 3 2020 review ryzen

"The Acer Swift 3 with Ryzen 4000 is the most powerful budget notebook to date."

  • Solid build quality

  • Top performance

  • Great value for money

  • Comfortable keyboard

  • Mediocre touchpad

  • Weak display, narrow color gamut

Cheap laptops are not nice. However, if they are just as powerful as more expensive laptops, the lack of subtleties can be forgiven.

But what if a cheap laptop was more powerful than these expensive laptops? How much more powerful

That describes the Acer Swift 3 for $ 650. He is one of the first to use the new Ryzen 4000 processors, which offer eight cores and eight threads. Intel eight-core laptops typically cost over $ 2,000. Will the Swift 3 introduce a new era of performance for affordable laptops?

performance

The key figure is the level of awareness of the 3rd generation AMD Ryzen 7 processors. This is what sets it apart from the standard Intel tariff. Eight cores across the board are no joke – that's twice as much as a competing 10th generation Intel chip. You'll need to switch to an Intel Core i9 laptop like the Dell XPS 15 to get eight cores that aren't used in such small laptops.

This is a small laptop. It has a 14-inch screen, weighs just 2.65 pounds, and is 0.63 inches thick – not much bigger than the new 13-inch MacBook Pro. And yet it has the same core count as a 16-inch MacBook Pro for $ 2,799.

Why is the core count so important? Four more cores should theoretically turn this otherwise modest piece of magnesium into something far stronger. More cores mean better performance on key tasks where most inexpensive laptops aren't particularly good. Applications in the Adobe Suite are a good example. They often use as many processor cores as they are fed.

I tested this with handbrake video encoding. The Acer Swift 3 completed transcoding a 4K movie trailer in just 2.5 minutes. This is 50% faster than the Intel version of the same laptop. That's what you get with four additional cores. It's even 21% faster than the XPS 13, a laptop that I praised for how hard it squeezes its quad-core processor.

That doesn't mean it can compete with other 8-core laptops. The Core i9 in the 16-inch MacBook Pro encoded the video 24% faster than the Swift 3. The Ryzen 7 4900H in the ROG Zephyrus G14 was 33% faster.

There are two reasons. The first is that the Acer Swift 3 uses the Ryzen 7 4700U, which is only a 15-watt part. Lower thermal design performance means less scope for performance. That alone explains why a slightly larger laptop with a 35-watt processor like the Asus Zephyrus G14 performs better. The Ryzen 7 4700U also does not have simultaneous multithreading. Most 8-core competitors have this, which means that their 8 processor cores act as 16 virtual cores.

I haven't tested the Ryzen 7 4800U with its 16 threads yet, but this isn't an option with the Swift 3. Instead, Acer sells a model with the Ryzen 5 4500U with six cores for $ 20 less. Although it has 8 GB of RAM to match the Ryzen 7 model, it only has 256 GB of SSD storage compared to the 512 GB in my test device. Therefore, the $ 20 upgrade is worthwhile.

Acer's built-in Radeon graphics are powerful compared to Intel's Iris graphics. I played Rocket League in 1080p with the quality settings (the middle settings of the game) at almost 60 frames per second. They are a big improvement over the built-in graphics of the past few years, but they don't turn the Swift 3 into a gaming laptop.

Display, keyboard and touchpad

A $ 650 laptop has to compromise somewhere – there's no getting around it. The biggest compromise of the Acer Swift 3 is the display.

It's a 14-inch 1080p screen that's disappointing in every way. The color gamut is limited to only 64% of the sRGB color gamut, and the colors are inaccurate. It does not completely ruin the experience of moving, nor does it hinder the completion of the work. It becomes a problem when you work with colors, be it photography, video editing, or graphic design.

What good is fast video editing if you can't trust the colors on your screen? For this reason, the Swift 3 is not ideal for photography or videography. These apps may run, but if you need to connect an external monitor for accurate colors.

The screen is also dark. The maximum brightness is only 233 nits. Even many inexpensive laptops have screens with more than 300 nits. This is a problem when using the laptop in a bright environment.

The other big compromise is appearance. The Acer Swift 3 is not ugly, but it has all the obvious problems with inexpensive laptops. The lower bezel is chunky and covers the screen with textured black plastic. The lid and keyboard deck have the wrong aluminum look and the case is covered with stickers, the removal of which is not fun. Even the backlight under the keyboard is a bit off. The white light is pretty bright, but there is no light under the space bar, which is a little strange.

Then there's the touchpad, which was my biggest hurdle when I tried to use the Swift 3 as my daily driver. It is made of plastic, does not run very smoothly and has a loud click mechanism. It's what I'm used to from a touchpad on a laptop under $ 800.

However, it is slightly larger than some other inexpensive laptops and supports Windows Precision gestures. It doesn't focus on the laptop either, which takes some getting used to.

Switching to the keyboard is one of the most enjoyable aspects of Swift 3. There's a lot to travel around without the keys feeling mushy. The buttons have a nice bottom-out action and the layout feels pleasant. The fingerprint scanner is located on the right under the arrow keys, but there is no Windows Hello IR camera.

Battery life, connections and bloatware

Battery life is another area where affordable laptops often suffer. The Acer Swift 3 is not particularly good in this area. It takes just under eight hours of easy use, but in my daily routine it took less than six hours. You can get more with more expensive laptops like the Dell XPS 13 or even the ZenBook 13 UX333.

However, the performance is good enough for a laptop of this price. In fact, the Ryzen 7 model outlasts the Intel version by 45 minutes.

Port selection is another disadvantage of cheaper laptops. There is a lot of variety here, but the ports are not the most modern. You get a single HDMI port, two USB-A ports and a single USB-C port. Unfortunately, it is still powered by a proprietary barrel connector because the USB-C connector does not support power throughput. A version of the Intel 3-based Swift 3 offers Thunderbolt 3 support, although it only costs $ 700.

Bloatware is finally available. It is in effect as if to remind you how much you have received. Removal is not difficult, but it's a bit irritating between Norton, ExpressVPN, Farm Heroes Saga, GoTrust ID, and Acer's proprietary apps.

Our opinion

Eight cores in a $ 650 laptop seem too good to be true. It is not. The Acer Swift 3 is by far the most powerful, affordable notebook ever and beats Intel laptops that are twice as expensive. The display quality is the main weakness, but I was surprised at how much value Acer could put in this affordable 14-inch laptop.

Are there alternatives?

The Acer Swift 3 is one of the first to support AMD's new Ryzen 4000 processors, but it won't be the last. From ThinkPads to gaming laptops, everything is equipped with these eight-core chips, although the Swift 3 is the cheapest model that has been announced so far.

Other laptops in this price range are the Dell Inspiron 14 5000 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 14-inch, but none have the performance that the Swift 3 Ryzen Edition offers. A good alternative is the Dell G3, which offers a better graphics card for games and can configure up to six cores. However, it is a much chunkier laptop and has a far worse battery life.

After all, Chromebooks offer good value in this price range. They're not as powerful and can't run the same applications, but an option like the Pixelbook Go starts at $ 649, has a far better screen, and incredible battery life.

How long it will take?

The Acer Swift 3 is a fairly robust laptop with current components. It should take four to five years before it shows its age. However, Acer's limited one-year warranty doesn't help you much in this regard.

Should you buy it

Yes. The Acer Swift 3 dominates the competition when it comes to absolute performance.

Editor's recommendations




08 May
Blog

How Eminence Came To Vancouver, Canada

Eminence Organics has come a long way from our humble beginnings in Hungary. Since 1958, our mission to naturally improve your well-being through exceptional products and service has led us from the Hungarian countryside to Vancouver, Canada and beyond. Today we have roots in Hungary on the Eminence Certified Organic Farm, a growing team at our headquarters in Vancouver and thousands of spa partners who lead our result-oriented organic products worldwide. Here's a quick look at our incredible journey.

From Hungary with love

Eminence Organic Skin Care started years ago with the organic ingredients and natural skin care techniques that have been used by the Koronczay family for generations. However, the defining experience that led Boldijarre and Attila Koronczay Entry into the skin care industry was unlikely. At the age of four, Boldijarre was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of leukemia and was given a 0.1% chance of survival. His mother and grandmother turned to organic Nutrition to heal his body. Incredibly, Boldijarre recovered completely and since then the brothers' goal has been to improve people's wellbeing through organic nutrition and skin care.

Boldijarre and Attila Koronczay

Moving to Vancouver, Canada

Years after his recovery, Boldijarre followed in the Koronczay family's footsteps and became a trained beautician with a passion for natural and organic ingredients. With the aim of offering organic skin care products worldwide, he and Attila targeted Vancouver, Canada in 1996. Boldijarre says: “We chose Vancouver in particular because the city offers a healthy lifestyle and is one of the greenest cities in North America. We also looked for a place that has a mild climate all year round due to natural and heat sensitive products. "

Initially, the Koronczay brothers worked in minimum wages and renovated apartments for rent. Attila recalls: “We dealt with years of rejection while the market was not ready to understand the benefits of organic. Even the spa industry wasn't interested in organic products … My brother and I shared a sofa bed for almost a decade. But we shared the same dream and commitment to our ideas and to each other.”

A global brand

It took nine years for Eminence Organics to launch in North America. The company started small when Boldijarre worked in a local spa and shared the skin care line with his private customers. His Hungarian-style organic facials and massage techniques quickly spread and he soon had a long waiting list. With a background in engineering and logistics, Attila oversaw business operations and brought Eminence Organics products from Hungary to North America.

Today Boldijarre is an icon of the spa industry with an unprecedented reputation as a master cosmetician who develops skin care products that have attracted A-list customers, including Katherine Heigl, Laura Dern and Kristen Bell. Attila continues to manage the company's day-to-day operations and oversee agricultural production, product development and manufacturing in Hungary.

Attila continues to manage the company's day-to-day operations and oversee agricultural production, product development and manufacturing in Hungary.

Our headquarters are in Vancouver, but we are closely connected to our Hungarian roots. At Eminence we often get the question: "Is Eminence really made in Hungary?". All of our products are formulated in Hungary, where most are also made and then hand-cast to Canada. Although a large number of our natural, organic and Biodynamic® ingredients are sourced worldwide, the majority are still grown in Hungary.

Eminence Certified Organic Farm in Hungary

Ingredients for success

We at Eminence Organics are incredibly proud of how far we've come. The secret to success? Boldijarre tells Dermascope: “Success works all the time and makes it easy. Only through decades of hard work, late nights, victims, hard battles, and hundreds of miles spent on the streets each year has Eminence become the global brand it is today. "

Watch this video to see some of the milestones that marked our journey:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aq2Rhfi8RA [/ embed]

How long have you been a fan of Eminence Organics? We would love to hear how you were introduced to our skin care! Let us know your story in the comments below or join the conversation on social media.

Note: This post was originally published in July 2018 and has been updated for accuracy and completeness. .

08 May
Blog

How to Plan a Romantic Couples Massage

Is there anything better than a massage? Get a massage with your partner. Whether you're on a honeymoon, celebrating an anniversary, or just want to have a good time, the couple massage is an excellent way to relax and be together. However, a couple massage is more than just an appointment. Here are some tips on how to plan the best possible experience.

Plan your whole day around your appointment

Sure, your massage may only last an hour or two, but the effects last much, much longer. If you want to plan something after your massage, that's fine, but make sure it's something relaxing. After all, you feel incredibly relaxed after your massage. You may even feel a little sleepy. Save all your exciting activities either before your massage or for another day.

Eat light ahead of time

You don't want to lie on your stomach for a long time when it's full. The food before the massage is perfectly fine, it is even recommended. However, skip the heavy meals. Instead, opt for a lighter fare and eat about an hour or two before your appointment. At the same time, you don't want to reserve dinner right after your appointment. This way, you don't have to hurry up, which completely nullifies the relaxation you've just done.

Turn off the tech

How can you possibly relax when you're stuck to your smart devices all the time? The answer is: you can't. Turn off your phones, or at least to vibrate them, and leave them where you can't reach them. This prevents unnecessary distractions and allows you to relax completely. The rest of the world will be waiting for you right there when you are done.

Use the extras

There are a number of day spas that offer saunas, fitness centers and other amenities that are part of your reservation. Arrive early or plan to stay a little later to take full advantage of these extras. An example of this is the upscale Viva Day Spa in Austin, which offers couple massages with an additional sauna session with cool peppermint towels and a treatment with hot herbal steam towels. Even if your day spa does not offer these amenities, you should arrive at least 15 to 20 minutes earlier. This helps prevent you and your massage therapists from rushing around.

Consider some add-ons to your massage

When planning your couple's massage, you don't just have to plan a massage. Check out the little add-ons your spa has to offer. Perhaps your partner could use a little aromatherapy if they have had a lot of stress at work lately. Or if it's a bit cool outside, consider adding extra warmth to you both with hot stones.

Neither of you need the same exact treatment

Both of you will seek personal advice from your massage therapist. This way, you can both get the best massage that suits your specific needs. You don't need the same type of massage. While you may benefit from a relaxing Swedish massage, your partner can get more out of the appointment with a deep massage. You may need to focus more on your shoulders while your partner needs to focus more on your lower back. If you personalize your massages, you can be sure that you both have the best possible time.

Protect the alcohol

You may be offered a bottle of champagne or a flute of champagne during your massage. While a small amount is fine, watch your recording both before and after your appointment. Drinking before the massage can affect your experience. If you want to have a drink afterwards, pay attention to your intake as it hits you faster because your circulatory system works faster. It is also important that you drink plenty of water.

With a little planning, you and your partner can enjoy an incredible, romantic couple massage that you both enjoy very much. After all, you both deserve to have a good time, no matter what the occasion.

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08 May
Blog

DJI Mavic Air 2 Review: Better, Smarter, and Stronger

"Whether you are traveling for the first time or as a casual pilot, the DJI Mavic Air 2 rules the sky."

  • Detailed and crisp 4K 60 FPS footage

  • Excellent dynamic range with HDR recording

  • Easy to control

  • Long lasting battery life

  • Obstacle avoidance

  • The camera cannot deal with poor lighting conditions

DJI's dominance in the consumer drone market is relentless. It wasn't until last autumn that the company delighted everyone with its lightest and smallest drone, the Mavic Mini. However, to reach this size, the company had to remove some features that made it attractive for first-time buyers, but not for serious enthusiasts.

Enter the Mavic Air 2, successor to Mavic Air from 2018 and a far more legitimate competitor in the prosumer market. Given its outstanding features like 4K recording at 60 frames per second (FPS), the high-resolution 48-megapixel snapshot mode and a flight time of 34 minutes, you would think that this would cost as much as the Mavic Pro 2, but it does not, and that's what sets it apart.

Bloat

The Mavic Air 2 is slightly larger and heavier than its predecessor (570 grams). This is not a problem at all because the arms can be folded quickly for easy storage – ideal for stowing in a backpack. Sure, the Mavic Mini can be flown without having to register it with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), but the Mavic Air 2 maintains the same portability to make it a weekend street fighter. For comparison: The Mavic Mini measures 160 x 202 x 55 mm unfolded, while the Mavic Air 2 is not much larger with 183 x 253 x 77 mm.

As for looks, I don't mind that it has more to do with the Mavic Pro line – it's still a sleek drone. It has the same hard lines on its chassis, making it look more aggressive than its predecessor. Frankly, given the upgrades under the hood, it's a legitimate change. DJI drones have always set a standard for appearance, and the Mavic Pro maintains that. It looks and feels like a high-end part of the kit.

DJI Mavic Air 2 body close-up

If you are worried that the extra mass will slow down the speed, you shouldn't. The speed is not affected a bit – like its predecessor, it can reach a maximum speed of 42.5 miles per hour. You really get a feel for its speed in sport mode, which has stricter controls that help the Mavic Air 2 achieve a sophisticated acrobatics in the air. The maximum speed is only available in sport mode.

For most pilots, the normal mode with its balance between speed and responsiveness is more than enough, while the tripod mode offers slower and quieter movements.

It's also quieter than other drones I've flown, and its hum is almost quiet when it hovers in the air at about 150 feet. The most impressive thing is that the battery is designed for a flight time of 34 minutes, which is the longest in the Mavic line. Only a few drones for end users ever reach a speed of almost 30 minutes, with the vast majority clocking in the range of 20 to 25 minutes.

There is a lot of muscle power in a compact body.

Beginners will appreciate the intelligent pilot functions of the Mavic Air 2, which protect the drone from collisions and risky situations. The same forward and backward obstacle sensors as in the Mavic Air are also here, although they benefit from the predecessor by additional sensors pointing downwards. All of this helps power the latest DJI obstacle avoidance system.

In my experience, it has prevented the drone that is dead in its tracks from hitting a tree, even if you are still pressing your thumb on the controls. When you spend a huge amount of money on the Mavic Air 2, it's comforting that it's smart enough to avoid these disasters.

So when you look at everything that is on board, it is remarkable that everything is well packed together. It's a lot of muscle in a compact body.

Camera quality

At the center of the Mavic Air 2 is a new 12 megapixel 1/2-inch Quad Bayer CMOS sensor on a 3-axis gimbal. It is a larger sensor than the Mavic Air and Mavic Mini, so the overall performance alone can be improved.

Shutterbugs are particularly pleased with a new high-resolution 48 megapixel mode. Some comparison shots have greater detail and sharpness compared to the 12 megapixel shots, but the dynamic range isn't as good. However, some details in the shadows can be restored using an editor in the post. There's definitely a reason to use high-resolution mode, especially if you want to crop images later. In addition, I found the 12 megapixel snapshots perfect for social media posts.

There are significant improvements everywhere on the video page. It primarily records 4K video at 60 FPS, which even surpasses the 4K recording of the Mavic 2 Pro at 30 FPS. It's also worth noting that in this mode, a bit rate of 120Mbps (with HDR video recording at 100Mbps) is recorded, which gives more space to get details in the shadows and lights in the post. I also prefer the D-Cinelike profile because of its low contrast and unsaturated colors, because I can sort it better in the post according to my wishes.

It is undisputed that 4K 60 FPS and a bit rate of 120 Mbit / s are unique offers in the Mavic series and are also unique for drones in the same price range. Around $ 1,000 drones offer 4K 60FPS, and you'll generally have to run into this higher price range to get a competitive video bitrate.

The Mavic Air 2 also offers HDR video recording, a handy option for those who want to get the best results without having to work on footage later. This is due to the improved dynamic range as the highlights are toned down to prevent the sky from being blown out. Colors also get an increase in saturation to improve the overall picture, but noise is more common in shadows. In ideal conditions, however, it's not as distracting when it's sunny.

DJI Mavic Air 2 close-up of the camera

Other notable improvements over the predecessor are 1080p slow motion with 120 and 240 FPS and an 8K hyperlapse mode, which speeds up the footage in bite-size clips considerably. In addition, you have the cool shooting modes – like rocket, circle, and asteroid – that DJI has perfected to offer professional video to content creators.

The Mavic Air 2 has the tools and features that professionals crave to continue producing high quality content, but is also great for new flyers. The only disadvantage is that the quality decreases significantly in poor lighting conditions. I took it out at dusk with the sun already below the horizon. Even the larger sensor is still not enough to draw more light from the scene, which leads to high noise and loss of detail.

There are differences in performance, for example, that you get from the larger 1-inch sensor of the Mavic Pro 2 compared to this, which is why it is no surprise that performance in poor lighting conditions is not a drastic improvement over its predecessor. I wouldn't expect another drone with a 1/2 inch sensor to perform better.

Fly smarter

It's been a while since I last piloted a drone, but the safety standards introduced with the Mavic Air 2 make flying a breeze. Of course, the obstacle sensors discussed earlier help avoid collisions, but there are some other safety features that calm the mind.

The landing of the Mavic Air 2 is made easier under difficult lighting conditions by an additional light on the bottom of the drone. AirSense technology enables ADS-B signals to be received from other nearby aircraft and displays their locations on the screen. Finally, the updated APAS 3.0 system intelligently enables the Mavic Air 2 to avoid collisions and, in some situations, allows it to determine a path around obstacles. It is not always perfect to make some of these decisions, but I still have to face a serious collision.

DJI Mavic Air 2 controller

The controller supplied with the Mavic Air 2 has been redesigned. This time there is an area that you pull out from above to weigh your smartphone. It can be a little picky, especially if you have a thicker case on your phone. However, I like how the corresponding cable for connecting your smartphone is neatly stowed in the controller. The controller is a bit bulky, but I found it convenient to use.

In one case, the video feed was disconnected from the drone approximately 600 feet from my location during a flight. It was a heartbreaking moment, but I restarted the app, walked a few steps from my location, and the feed was set up again.

The Mavic Air 2 has updated Ocusync 2.0 transmission technology, which is supposed to deliver a reliable video feed at a distance of more than 10 kilometers, but must be line of sight. In my case, a small building may have blocked the connection. Fortunately, I only had to move a little to reconnect.

Our opinion

The DJI Mavic Air 2 is an impressive drone that is fun, easy and safe to fly. Whether you are new to the drone scene or an experienced professional pilot, the Mavic Air 2 offers everything you need. The price of the standard package is $ 799. However, I recommend spending the extra money to pick up the "Fly More Combo" for $ 988 as you get more value. You get a total of three batteries, a set of ND filters, additional propeller blades and a carrying case for the extra money.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes and no. The DJI Mavic Mini is an excellent drone for first and occasional pilots, which is partly due to its small size and lower costs. However, it does not achieve nearly the same range of functions as the Mavic Air 2.

Professionals who value performance should take a look at the Mavic 2 Pro, especially the larger sensor, which is better equipped in low light conditions. However, it is twice as expensive.

As for the rest? The only other drone that comes close to the Mavic Air 2 is the Skydio 2, which has a more sophisticated obstacle avoidance system. However, it costs more, runs shorter on battery life, and doesn't collapse into a more compact size.

How long it will take?

If you take the right flight arrangements, the solid build quality of the Mavic Air 2 will keep it going smoothly for a while. The propeller blades may need to be replaced at some point, but DJI throws an extra set into the box.

Buyers should also consider buying DJI Care Refresh + for $ 135 to protect the drone from water damage, collisions, and other crashes. It is comforting when you fly.

Should you buy it

Yes. This is an excellent drone that combines a lot of functions at a medium price.

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