Geeks Life

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Real quick piece of housekeeping before we get to Spotify! In a few days, I’m hitting my 11th year of doing tech videos online. That’s insane!!! It’s because of that, I can count more than 1 BILLION video views under my belt and over 3500 videos created. In 2017, I want to make Geeks Life AWESOME! As you know, I run two brands. Geeks Life and Live Streaming Pros. I can’t do everything I want by myself. So I’m looking for some additional hosts to join me on the Geeks Life network. If that’s something you’re interested in, email me! [email protected]

Okay, so….

If you use both Spotify and Sonos, your life just got a bit more simple. Once you update Spotify, and connect it to your Sonos account, you’ll see a little button in the bottom right corner.

Click that, then choose the speaker, or group of speakers, to connect to.

It’s super simple, there’s not much to go over in terms of the how.

Though there’s one thing you should know. It sees the speakers from Sonos. That means that if you have a group of speakers set on Sonos, it’ll see that GROUP not the individual speakers.

You can not control which speakers are grouped or the individual volume of each speaker from Spotify. Spotify sees the group as a SINGLE speaker. Where Sonos sees the group PLUS individual speakers.

So there is a bit of limitation, but it’s AWESOME to be able to do this! Here’s my main reason why.

I used to do a lot of discovery in Spotify. Browsing around for new artists and looking for new types of music. It’s so easy in Spotify, and much harder in Sonos.

So now, I look forward to getting BACK to my discovery processes now!

What about you? Are you going to use Spotify to control your Sonos speakers? Let me know in the comments!

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Tech in your mattress? It’s been coming for a while, and it’s continuing to move along with a new smart mattress called the Eight Smart Mattress. Will you be getting one?

Tech is entering every part of our lives in a big way, even helping us get better sleep at night.

There have been tech-filled mattresses for years now, but they’re starting to get interesting.

The Eight has 5 layers. A bunch of high density foam and memory foam and supportive transition foam and even reactive foam.

And then there’s the technology layer. It tracks your sleep trends. Your breathing. Your body temperature. It can tell when you’ve fallen deep and when you’re tossing and turning.

It’ll warm your bed up. And if your partner likes it a different temperature, it can adjust accordingly. Which I freakin’ love! But it is manual - you set the preferred temperature. It doesn’t automatically adjust from what I can tell.

Here’s why that would be important. I, like many other people, tend to feel cold when in bed, but in fact radiate heat. Much to our partner’s discomfort!

I wonder how this mattress would handle that. If I set it to a lower temperature to accommodate for my heat on the outside, would I feel colder? Or would it help balance out? That would be awesome if that’s possible!

It can connect to other smart home products through If this than that.

And it has a smart alarm. It’ll sense where you are in your sleep cycle. When you’re in a light sleep stage, it’ll wake you up. Instead of in full REM when it can be a jarring experience and actually put you in a bad mood!

So… it’s $950. What do you think? Do you want smart tech in your mattress? Leave a comment below!

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Need a coffee maker this holiday, for you or someone else? Here’s the one I suggest! Oh… and a coffee grinder as well!

Last week, I gave you my top 5 gadgets I actually used. I totally forgot about my phone… which like… everyone pointed out. Yes, yes! I use my phone all day every day.

I ALSO forgot the coffee maker and coffee grinder.

I’ll admit, I forgot because I’ve been being lazy and using the other coffee machine with k-cups. But I ran out this weekend and decided to use the actual coffee maker!

I love this Krups Savoy. It’s $79. It’s simple with all the right settings. But for a year it’s produced great coffee! It’s been super reliable!

You can choose between regular or bold. It has the "hey… I’m only making enough coffee for myself" setting. "Keep warm" will keep the coffee warm for up to 4 hours. And best of all, the auto-on feature lets me make the coffee at night and wake up to the perfect smell!

The only thing I wish it had was a water line indicator. Sometimes I forget how many cups of water I just put in so I can match the amount of coffee. If I’m making coffee in the morning, it’s easy to forget quickly… since you know… I haven’t had any coffee yet!

I’m not a creature of habit - I make a different amount on different days, depending on if Phillip the Producer is coming over. He drinks a lot! Of coffee! Well… and beer too. But I was talking about coffee.

The grinder I think I love even more! It’s a burr grinder that has 9 levels of grind - from coarse to fine. Actually they say 45 settings, divided into 9 steps.

The little lip that lets the grinds go into the container actually serves as a perfect scoop sifter to level out the amount of grinds you get.

You do have to clean it out from time to time, but I think that’s true of every grinder. It’s $49.

So… if you’re looking for a good coffee gift this holiday, I recommend these!

What coffee maker do you use? Or do you just go to Starbucks? Leave a comment below!

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Okay, I’m about to piss some of you off. Are you ready? Every year I do a gift guide or 15 of ‘em.

It’s kinda been my thing, but I gotta be honest, this year I just couldn’t. Every time I sat down to try, I wanted to gag at the amount of “buy, buy, buy”. Shit you don’t need. But want ‘cause it’s cool. Cause it’s the latest and greatest? Cause it makes you look cool.

I can’t do it this year. I can’t sit here and tell you the stuff you should buy because I only want you to buy what you really NEED!

There are amazing gadgets out there! Technology that really can make a difference in your LIFE! But heck… how many piles do you have of gadgets that didn’t really get used that much before you moved on to the next thing?

David and I are about to go on a complete purge and get rid of everything that doesn’t bring us joy… or has some REASON to be in our lives. All the clutter and junk is driving me crazy!

So, this year, why don’t you try just buying the things that will mean something to you? Regardless of if it’s a good deal or not!

I’ll tell you what tech I have that I LOVE. That makes me happy. That adds value to my life. And I’d like to hear the same from you.

Starting with Sonos. We have a Sonos speaker in every room of our house. Music is constantly filling this house with sounds that make me happy. That move me. That calm me when I’m stressed. Or set the mood when needed. I’d say Sonos is the number one gadget in my life that I couldn’t live without.

Outside of my Macbook, that is! You know how I feel about the new Macs, so I’m still on on that’s considered ancient now!

Tied for third, for me, is Alexa. I love the usefulness, but I really think Google Home will become a more useful device for me as the software develops.

The other part to this tie is my iPad Pro and the Smart keyboard combo. I use it every day during our live streams for Live Streaming Pros. And I often take it on the go to keep being productive even when I have to jump in the car or on a plane! Don’t worry… David’s driving in that whole typing while on the move scenario!

My Acer HDMI monitor is vital to my daily work life. I HAVE to have a second screen!

And then there’s ….

I think that’s it. 5 devices. They’re not the newest and shiniest. But they make a difference in my life. And this is Geeks Life after all.

So… let’s hear your list! What are the things that you can’t live without? And this holiday season… instead of getting caught up in deals and presents and stuff that doesn’t matter… how about we focus on the people around us, making a difference in other’s lives in ways that are much longer lasting than any gadget?

Okay… now you can tell me how pissed off you are about my new take on the holidays… But I do want to hear YOUR list. So leave a comment!

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Reviews are starting to come out for the new Macbook Pro’s with the Touch Bar. Let’s take a look at some pros and cons!

I used to buy every new gadget I could get my hands on. But let me be completely honest here. I don’t anymore. I prefer to spend my money on tech that actually improves my lifestyle… stuff that makes my life better rather than sits on a shelf collecting dust after a month… and help you do the same.

That’s why I haven’t bought the new Macbook Pro with the Touch Bar just yet. Because as awesome as it LOOKS… I’m skeptical. Let me explain.

Yes, the new Macbook Pro is thinner. Faster. Lighter. All around a better computer. Heck...it’s new. It better be!

But when it comes to the touch bar, I was having a real hard time seeing if it would FOR SURE be useful… or just a pretty bar of lights that sits there glowing at me and reminding me daily how much I paid for this thing that I don’t use..

I don’t look at my keypad when I’m typing. I’m looking at the screen. So predictive word suggestions… didn’t really appeal to me because I think I would FORGET to look at them. I don’t use them that often on my phone. Do you?

Shortcuts on the Touch Bar… yeah, that’s closer for me. I dug the idea of it. But then I thought… I’m so used to my keyboard shortcuts. I use them without thinking. But maybe it would help with shortcuts I don’t yet know or have a habit of using yet.

Creative controls. I don’t edit my videos or do Photoshop. Phillip, our editor and producer, uses keyboard shortcuts primarily for editing video, so not sure if he’d find it useful. Paul Dixon, who does all our graphics, says he isn’t sure if he would use it for Photoshop.

And so it’s been going. Around and around in my head. It LOOKS so cool! I WANT to love it. I do love the IDEA of it.

But I just keep thinking… am I going to ACTUALLY use it?

And as I’ve been looking at the reviews, I’m not persuaded. However, Rene Ritchie from iMore has me almost there with his review:

https://youtu.be/YqerYZ3jqbM

He makes it look seamless and natural to use.

So here’s what I’ve decided. I think it’s all about habits.

Something like this would cause me to create NEW habits. Moving my fingers in a different way. Looking at different places while working. Programming my brain and hands to work together towards a new goal.

And hey… maybe it’s worth doing that. Maybe I’m just being silly. After all, didn’t the iPhone require new habits?

Though to be fair, that felt so damn natural I didn’t FEEL like I was having to create habits.

I’m definitely going to be trying it out, but not sure about buying it until I do.

So… what do YOU think? Are you excited about it? Skeptical like me? Think I’m being an old fart?

Leave a comment below! I’d like to hear.

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Over the weekend, David and I played a game and I had so much fun I had to share!

Now, this isn’t exactly new, but it’s new to me, so it’s bound to be new to many of you!

Fibbage is a quiz game from Jackbox you play on your TV. But each participant uses their phones to try and stump their opponents.

You can play with two people or up to 8.

Find the game on Xbox One, PS3 or PS4. You can even get it on FireTV, Steam, the Mac App Store, AppleTV, and more. It’s $6.99 or $9.99 depending on where you get it and what version.

Once it’s pulled up on the TV, you connect your devices - a phone, tablet or computer. Anything with a browser.

You’ll get a code. Enter that code and you join the game.

One player chooses a category.

Then a question is asked. Each player gets a chance to write in their own LIE. Choose something you think will stump the other players!

Then all the options are gathered and everyone chooses what they think the TRUTH is.

Points are given or taken away based on whether you guess the TRUTH or another player’s lie. And if another player chooses YOUR lie, you win points of course.

It’s a fun game, and tests your knowledge of the other person! I love the integration of the mobile devices in conjunction with the TV. Really well done.

Lots of laughs and I encourage you to play with your friends!

What games do you play? Leave a comment. I’d love to hear!

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We're all spending so much time in chairs, in front of computers, and our health is taking a hit. Standup desks can help, burt they're still a new concept and most people don't have them. What they do have is a chair!

Donovan Green, personal trainer to Dr. Oz, joined us to talk about his Chair Workouts. They're a set of exercises anyone can do, while sitting in their chair at home or in the office. Donovan showed us several that are great for stretching muscles and lessening stress and tension.

For more from him, check out our interview with him over on Live Streaming Pros, where he shared tips for overcoming the hardships and discouragements that can be a part of life.

As Donovan says, "Movement is the purpose of living! So get up and move!"

You can check him out out on Facebook, and with his book, “No Excuses Fitness“!

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For the past 2 years, I have been in love with my MOTO X Pure Edition, but Motorola, or Lenovo, decided they weren’t going to make them anymore. They decided to go with the MOTO Z, which is modular, and that’s cool and all, but I am not on board... so I decided to move to a new phone... and ended up with the Samsung S7 Edge...

The story of my phones…

Ok, so going back to 2013, I found and fell in love with the Motorola MOTO X. It had features unlike any phone on the market, and was assembled in the US. That is also important to me. At the time, I was an iPhone user. I had tried several of the Samsung devices, including the non-explosive note... sorry Samsung... and I just hated the operating system.

Samsung seems to think I wanted all their crap apps on my phone eating up my already limited storage space. Well, they were wrong. So wrong in fact, that both times I tried to step away from Apple, I came running back like a scared kid watching IT for the first time.

This left a very bad taste in my mouth for Samsung, and made me never want to try them again... until I saw an ad for the S4. That phone made me want it. Bad. So again, I went into the store... AT&T at that time... and I got one.

At first I was ok with it, but after just a week, I was done. So, I went back to my iPhone, and gave the S4 to my son. And of course he loved it, because it was his first brand new phone.

Anyway, fast forward to the day I saw an ad where a guy said to his phone, that was laying on his night stand, Ok MOTO X, set an alarm for 8:00 AM. And the phone did it. Just like that. I had to see this. This is what I needed to take over the world! I mean... sorry... this is what I needed to SAVE the world...

So… once they were available, I ordered one... and I loved it. The axe chop to turn on the light...the shake to wake the camera...auto text when I was in meetings...I mean, this thing turned me into an efficient machine. Even more efficient than HAL5000!

https://youtu.be/ARJ8cAGm6JE?t=59s

In 2015, Motorola, now Lenovo for whatever reason, launched the MOTO X Pure Edition. This was by far one of the coolest looking phones I had ever seen. I just wanted to hold it, and hug it and pet it and name it George... ummmm sorry.

I just loved it. I have had this phone and it has been good to me, but it is starting to die. It is not holding a charge as long as it used to. It’s not waking when I say “Avengers Assemble” as well as it used to, and she is just showing her age... and so, I decided I must move on, so the quest began.

Could anything replace the MOTO X Pure Edition?

First, I looked at MOTO’s new option, the Z. I was curious, as it is modular, and that did pique my interest, but after watching several reviews, I decided that it just wasn’t for me. Camera is very important to me, and this one just does not deliver in that area. Motorola really never has.

So, I decided I would look back at the iPhone. The 7 Plus to be exact. This thing looks amazing with it’s dual cameras and cool colors, and with the new iOS 10, so many improvements, that I thought I would be able to make my way back to Apple...

I was also looking at the Samsung Note 7. But, for obvious reasons, I decided not to go with that one, and it’s official... Samsung has dropped that phone from the market... but I knew Samsung does VERY well with the camera. I was and AM a huge fan of the Samsung Galaxy Camera... so it just made sense.

Enter the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

Well, after watching about 50 videos comparing the iPhone with the Samsung S7 Edge, and then finally taking a trip to Willy Wonka's electronic factory... I mean Best Buy... and touching and playing with them and looking at the camera... I found several differences.

https://youtu.be/TIWk13X6uiY

We’re a little obsessed with Adult Coloring Books around here. And I’m a little obsessed with Wonder Woman. So imagine my joy when the two worlds came together. The Wonder Woman Coloring Book has arrived!

First off, let’s talk about what an adult coloring book is for those of you thinking a WHAT?

It’s a big trend lately, and we got sucked in. Big time.

Adult coloring books are just like kid’s coloring books EXCEPT more intricate. More detail. Smaller detail. Some of the pages are pretty damn intense!

They’re used for fun, but also for stress relief. For insomnia. To calm the brain. We live in a 24/7 go-go-go world with massive amounts of stimuli.

David and I will just take a moment away from the computer. Turn on some music and sit down to silently focus on one task. It’s like a form of meditation, actually.

So when I heard that Insight Editions were releasing the Wonder Woman coloring book this week to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Wonder Woman with DC Comics, I said “hell yes” I want that!

The pages are from many of the artists from the history of DC and their unique interpretations of Wonder Woman’s adventures. It’s $11.

They also have a DC Comics book with all the various characters.

And then I started exploring all the comic book coloring books they have on Amazon and had to slowly… step… away… from the computer.

It WILL take you awhile to get through a single book, so keep that in mind when you’re buying.

Product Pics

Wonder Woman on the Geeks Life set

Have you jumped into Adult Coloring books? I’d love to see some of your colorings! Leave a link below!

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I really, really, really don’t want to do this episode! This sucks. Samsung’s new and improved Note 7 with perfect and thoroughly tested batteries turns out to be not so perfect after all. MORE reports of exploding batteries from the REPLACEMENT Note 7s have caused major issues, and have stopped production altogether. The Note 7 is dead. Let’s talk about why it happened - new reports give us more information, and what to do if you have a replacement Note 7.

On Friday’s LIVE show… which by the way, be sure to join us THIS Friday (and every week) at our BRAND NEW time at 1 PM Pacific / 4 PM Eastern geekslife.live for our weekly tech news wrap up show! We love hanging out with you to wrap up the week!

But on last Friday’s show, we talked about the first report of Samsung’s new replacement phones that had expanded and smoked and burned a hole in the carpet of an airplane. No injuries.

I had REALLY been hoping that was a one-off. Over the weekend, the count was already at 5, and earlier this week Samsung decided to halt production of the NEW Note 7s. Then, a day later, they said..

"We recently readjusted the production volume for thorough investigation and quality control, but putting consumer safety as top priority, we have reached a final decision to halt production of Galaxy Note 7s,"

Here’s the thing. Bad batteries happen. To everyone. Remember the exploding iPhones?

It happens. But this situation Samsung has found itself in is bad. They were too slow to respond and the message to original Note 7 owners didn’t get TO them fast enough or loudly enough. There was more that could have been done to quickly get the recall taken care of and they would have had less issues and outcry than they had.

There are preliminary reports that aren’t official yet, but it’s looking like the reason for the issues is that the way it was manufactured, there was pressure placed on plates contained within battery cells. That brought negative and positive poles into contact. The insulation between the two was too thin.

If you have one, an original or a replacement - you NEED to return it. All major US carriers at least will exchange the phone and it won’t matter if you’re past the return date policy.

You won’t be able to get a new Note 7 so maybe you should consider the S7 which doesn’t have this battery problem, and which David is reviewing this week. Be sure to watch that review!

Has this affected you? I’d love to hear your story. Leave a comment! And please share this video with a friend.