We’re highlighting some of our product deals on Amazon this week and we wouldn’t want you to miss out. Save a few bucks and use it on that morning latte instead! We are absolutely obsessed with this product (if you haven’t noticed on our social media). But there are definitely a few reasons for that. If you have an old sound system and you’re not quite ready to spend too much replacing your sound system, or even your car, this is the perfect option. And just like a cassette tape, it sounds like a cassette tape but has an added bluetooth function to it to play your favorite songs. Pair up your device and start singing away! Universal Foldable Laptop Stand Ergonomic friendly products is something I always vouch for and for so many good reasons. That extra tool can really change the way you feel throughout the day. Whether you’re working from home or a straight 9-to-5 grind, investing in a laptop stand or standing desk can make all the difference. We love this foldable laptop stand for a couple of different reasons. It’s portable so you can take it from work to home, and easily set it up at your own convenience. With its sleek and simple design, it doesn’t go noticed and can fit into almost any environment. It never hurts to stay organized and to store your cherished equipment (in this case, headphones) properly. Not only are you storing it safely and properly, but displaying your headphones adds that extra punch to your room or office. With its aluminum finish, our headphone stand will go with any room and is perfect for your bluetooth or wired headphones. from Aluratek Blog https://aluratek.com/blog/snag-this-amazon-deal/ from https://aluratek.tumblr.com/post/173366330393
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We all spend time making sure to shred our important paper documents, but what do you do with your ewaste and old electronics? How much thought do you put into your old cell phones from 5, 10, even 15 years ago sitting in that junk drawer? image: asg.uark.edu It turns out that old electronics are vulnerable to being hacked. Even if you’ve cleared off the data. Old passwords, your social security number and other personal information are vulnerable to being stolen from an old device. It is important to properly dispose of your ewaste, if you don’t you could have a massive headache on your horizon. Here are 3 ways you can get rid of your ewaste:
The easiest way to ensure that your hard drive is completely wiped of your personal information is to destroy the hard drive. Destroying the hard drive ensures that no data can be retrieved from your device. There are a ton of services available where you can bring them your ewaste and they will crush and recycle the old metal and plastic.
A lot of times electronics companies have buyback programs where they will buy their products back, replace the hard drive, and sometimes even give you money for your old device. Best buy has a great program where you can bring in your old products. 3. Donate your products to a charity There are a ton of charities that will take back your old devices, refurbish them and sell them. They even provide jobs for people to help do the refurbishing. There are a ton of local charities that do this kind of work. Recycling for Charities is the one i’ve heard of. You can do a search to see if it’s in your area. The main takeaway is to make sure you’re aware of your old devices and to make sure you’re taking care of the information on your phone. You can also google ways to wipe the hard drive, but as I mentioned above, the safest bet is to take is to make sure it is destroyed or completely wiped of the information. from Aluratek Blog https://aluratek.com/blog/ewaste-how-to-save-your-identity/ from https://aluratek.tumblr.com/post/173358833368 Out are the days of spending a couple hundred dollars for photo editing apps, in are the days of scouting for the best free photo editing apps. Not only are these apps quick and easy to use, but they’re very comparable to expensive editing apps you can find on the market. Here is a quick rundown of some of our favorite apps. Adobe Lightroom (Phone) A recent discover we just made, Lightroom for our phone stands as one of our top picks. If you’ve used it on the computer before, it makes for a great photo indexing tool and has a lot of capabilities to batch edit photos. But it is pricier for the computer, and thankfully, the phone version is perfect if you just want to edit a few photos here and there. What makes this editing tool stand apart from the rest definitely has to be the color mixer - which many apps don’t boast. From changing the hues, luminance, and saturation of individual colors, this is a key tool for me when looking for a good editing tool. VSCO Cam VSCO is a personal fan favorite, with a huge community behind this app (type in #vsco and you’ll see for yourself). It holds basic editing tools that are perfect for everyone, but this app definitely emulates a more trendy and hip tribe. With its preset filters, it’s a go-to tool when I want to make my feed look like I just stepped out of the 90’s. It’s clean and simple interface makes it easy to navigate around, and it’s free filters are perfect enough for what I need. SnapSeed A popular app and one of the most downloadable apps is SnapSeed. With it’s easy to use interface, it has gained a lot of traction for those looking to start learning how to edit. On the flip side, it has some advanced functions like a healing brush tool or a brush tool to specifically edit certain parts of a picture. You can also copy your photo edits and replicate it if you want to keep editing! from Aluratek Blog https://aluratek.com/blog/best-free-photo-editing-apps-you-need/ from https://aluratek.tumblr.com/post/173133218243 Battery life is a big topic in the electronics world these days. Without a battery, your electronic devices become a big hunk of metal junk. Apple has been in the spotlight recently after they openly admitted they slow down batteries after a certain time frame. Even without interference, all devices have a finite amount of full charges, after which it starts to lose its full power. The correct way to charge your devices is simpler than you think. In order to preserve your device’s battery life, you need to adopt good charging habits and take care of your batteries’ storage. Here’s some tips on the correct way to charge your devices:The Story Behind Lithium-ion BatteriesThe reason lithium batteries lose their juice after a certain amount of time really has to do with their makeup. As explained by Popular Science: “When the battery is charging, positively-charged lithium ions move from one electrode, called the cathode, to the other, known as the anode, through an electrolyte solution in the battery cell. That causes electrons to concentrate on the anode, at the negative side. When the battery is discharged, the reverse happens. As for those electrons, they move through circuits that are external to the battery, providing juice.” Those electrons, are what is powering your smartphone, power station, Qi charger, tablet etc. Even with the technological advances with these batteries, all lithium batteries have a limited life time. The amount of charges varies between products. For example, an Apple iPhone holds about 500 recharges per phone. If you charge your phone every night, that’s 365 charges per year and that’s if you only charge one a day. Charging and RechargingSo the question remains, how do you make your lithium-ion batteries last as long as possible? A common misconception is that you need to charge and discharge your device right out of the packaging, but this isn’t true. What matters most is how you charge your device after using it. Shallow charges are better than full charges. Over time they put less stress on the battery. When the battery is discharging, you should let is go below 50% before charging back up again. You should also avoid pushing the battery all the way to 100%. If you do push your battery up to 100%, DO NOT leave it plugged in. This will cause your battery to age faster and lose their power over time. Doing my research I was surprised to find that while every once in a while, you should do a full battery discharge, you should NOT do this regularly. On average, you should concentrate on keeping your battery above 20%. Storage and CareOne thing lithium-ion batteries do not like is extreme temperatures. You should avoid leaving your phone in the hot sun or in a super cold environment. Leaving your devices in an extreme environment does not do the lithium-ion battery any favors. You should also make sure to use the charger that comes with your device. I know the Apple chargers suck, but the chargers that are optimized for the specific device work best with the batteries. You should also switch off your device once you are done using it. Takeways:1. On average, don’t let your charge go below 20% 2. Shallow charges are better than full charges 3. Don’t OVER charge, or push your charging device to 100% 4. Goldilocks method: don’t leave your device in too hot or too cold of environment. Just right. 5. Use the charging cable that came with your device 6. Turn off your device once you are done charging Follow these tips and you have the best chance of extending the battery life on all of your devices. Preserving your battery can save you a lot of time and money in the long run. from Aluratek Blog https://aluratek.com/blog/the-correct-way-to-charge-your-devices/ from https://aluratek.tumblr.com/post/173004531448 Out with the old, in with the new. Smartphones don’t have the longest lifespan - with users averaging about 2 years for each new phone. And after spending over hundreds of dollars, if not thousands on a new phone (cough, iPhone X), we know it’s not the easiest to let go of. Here are some tips on how to make the most out of your old smartphone. Alarm Clock This one’s a given (hopefully). Double up your phone as am alarm clock and set it on your bedside stand. Leave it there while you use your regular phone in bed, and never bother with having to remember to set up your alarm again. Digital Photo Frame Okay, even though we have our own digital photo frames available, this makes for a quick and easy digital photo frame setup if you don’t mind the small display. We suggest buying a small gear to prop up your phone and downloading a slideshow app. This is a quick and easy solution for showcasing your memories - especially if you’re looking to show off to your friends and family your recent vacation at the next party. In-Car GPS Don’t you hate placing your phone in and out of your car mount every time you need to navigate somewhere? Use your phone as a GPS and download offline GPS apps. But of course, make sure you do this in areas you trust before leaving it there permanently as it may be more prone to break-ins. Kid-friendly tools Dedicate your phone to all things kid-friendly with apps that will help them learn and have fun. There are plenty of interactive and educational apps to help your kids exercise their brains in engaging ways. But of course, wi-fi access might be required for some of these apps. Camera or Video Recorder Don’t waste too much memory on your main phone on your kid’s soccer game or recital, that’s what your old phone is for. We take so many photos on our normal phone, that it’s kind of nice to have a second source to take photos. We find that bringing these to concerts or the beach are practical ways to use secondary phones, especially if you don’t want sand getting all over your main one! Baby Monitor Baby monitors can be super spendy, that’s why using your phone for this will save you plenty! With helpful apps to monitor your baby while you’re in another room, this is a cheap alternative to buying one. However, there are a lot of concerns about security issues since it does use a Wi-Fi network and will be on live stream. from Aluratek Blog https://aluratek.com/blog/ways-to-use-your-old-smartphone/ from https://aluratek.tumblr.com/post/172873024373 Taking the perfect family photo doesn’t have to be a hassle or expensive. You can take a professional grade photo yourself, even with your iphone! 8 tips to taking the perfect family photoPick the best lighting Lighting can make or break your photo shoot. If it’s too bright outside, you run the risk of over-exposing your photos. A great time to take photos is right before dusk. Even on a sunny day, the lighting is soft and has a nice warm tint. Use a tripod The best way to ensure that your photos look professional is to make sure the camera is steady. Tripods are a cheap, easy way to make sure that your photos are clear and have a steady hand. They also help when you want everyone in your photo and don’t have anyone to physically take the picture for you. Stagger the bodies Make sure that no one next to each other is at the same height. Bring bodies forward, and backward, so have some depth in the photo. Having too many people at the same height can make the photo look awkward and staged. Clothing You want to color coordinate, but no look so intentional. Don’t tell everyone to show up wearing khaki pants and a blue shirt. Have a theme, but not necessarily color matching shirts. When in doubt, white and black always looks classy. Capture the personality Have fun taking photos! Show some of your family’s unique personality in your pictures. Bring your dog, play a game at the beach, do something other than just smile. Show some emotions. You’ll like your photos a lot more when they show the real side of your family that shows through photographs. Take a bunch The more photos the better. Don’t go into your photo shoot with a time restraint, you’ll want to get as many pictures as possible so you can have the most to choose from. Editing Software If you really want to get fancy you can edit the exposure, brightness and saturation of your photos with some basic editing. There are tons of free tools online and you can even do this with your iphone. One of my favorites is VSCO.com. In the chance that your photos don’t come out as perfect as you’d hoped, you have a fair amount of flexibility with editing software. Frame your photos When all said and done you need to show off your lovely family photos. The best way to showcase all of your amazing photos is a Digital Photo Frame. You can put your photos on a slideshow and have them playing all at once in your living room. This way, you’re not stuck just printing out one photo. It really gives you some leeway, you don’t have to pick just one photo. You can have 2, 3, 4 or even 15 favorites to show off. Follow these tips and you can take the perfect photo for your christmas card without the hassle or breaking your budget. Taking the perfect family photo doesn’t have to be rocket science. Happy picture taking! from Aluratek Blog https://aluratek.com/blog/taking-the-perfect-family-photo/ from https://aluratek.tumblr.com/post/172805995743 The thought of sitting at an office for over 7 or more hours might sound not very ideal. Even sitting down and scrunching up over our laptops every day without proper equipment can also painful. In addition to being ergonomic friendly, there’s a couple of other reasons laptop stands are much needed - whether you’re in the office or at home. It’s Good For You We’ll admit - we’re guilty. Leaving our laptops on a table and hovering over while online shopping (or, maybe that’s just us). Health experts recommend being at eye level to your laptop and which will help shoulder and neck muscles from tensing up in the long run. Believe us when we say it’s worth it to invest in a simple laptop stand or standing desk to make your posture better. We love this stand for this exact reason. It’ll Keep it Cool Not only are these products great for your posture, but some even have built in fans. When you’re working hours on end on your laptop, it’ll need a cool down. These fans are integrated with these stands are quiet enough to bring anywhere without turning heads. It’s Portable Laptop stands are portable and some are fold-able, making it quick and easy to set up. Whether you’re going to a local coffee shop or in your home office, these portable stands can be perfect for wherever your work calls for. It’s Minimal yet Stylish Who said something that’s good for you had to be plain and boring. Laptop stands come in different colors and styles, from a minimal feel to a more colorful and bold style. We’re loving this red one that’s sleek and stylish, and even comes with a fan. from Aluratek Blog https://aluratek.com/blog/why-you-need-a-laptop-stand/ from https://aluratek.tumblr.com/post/172671573053 Spring break and summer are right around the corner and it’s time to check out camping must haves for 2018. It’s time to break out that old camping checklist and dusty sleeping bags and see what’s needed for your next trip. There are a ton of products out right now that make can make your camping trip a lot more enjoyable. 3 Camping Must Haves for your 2018 Camping TripsLED Light Bar This is my favorite tool right now. It’s like a normal flashlight but like 10x better. First of all its way brighter than a normal flashlight, but the most convenient thing about it is that you can set it down in your tent or on your car and not worry about having to hold it yourself or have someone hold it for you. It lasts up to 12 hours on a full charge so unless you accidentally leave it on all night, you don’t really have to worry about charging it. There are also 3 light modes. Full light, power save and strobe. This is perfect for peace of mind on your camping trips incase of an emergency for a back-up light source. LED Book Mark How many times have you been wanting to read inside your tent at night but struggle to hold your light so you can actually see? I’ve done this so many times. With only 30 minutes needed to charge the bookmark, it lasts up to 10 hours on a full charge. It’s slim and doubles as the perfect device to mark your page. I love to use it during late night reading when the campfire is almost out. Once you start using this item you’ll wonder how you ever got by without it. Even when you’re not camping its a nice accessory for late night reading in your own bed. 4-in-1 Safety Tool This tool is definitely a camping must have. While the other mentioned tools are convenient, this tool offers great protection in an emergency situation. This 4-in-1 tool can be used in a variety of situations. It can be used to cut off a seat belt in the event of an emergency, it can break a window if needed to escape in a fire situation. It duals as a rechargeable flashlight, with multiple lighting modes, AND you can charge any mobile device with it. With the unique design, you can mount the light on your vehicle in the case that you were stranded on the side of the road. The possibilities of this tool are really endless. Everyone needs this in their camping toolkit. You know what they say…if you fail to prepare you prepare to fail. These tools are definitely on your camping must haves list for 2018. You’ll have peace of mind knowing you have the latest tools in your toolkit incase of an emergency. You can find all of these tools here on the Aluratek website. from Aluratek Blog https://aluratek.com/blog/camping-must-haves-for-2018/ from https://aluratek.tumblr.com/post/172571925048 When disaster strikes, the first thing that comes to mind is fear and to run. And although both sound like a terrific idea in the moment, it probably isn’t the best action plan. Disasters can happen anywhere and at any time without a given warning, and the only way help these situations is to be prepared. Here are a few pointers on starting an emergency kit to be ready for any natural disaster. What You’ll Need Having enough supplies for at least two weeks is recommended. Make sure you stock up on all of these essential items because you’ll never know how crowded stores will be once a warning is issued. Food
Cooking Essentials
Light
Shelter
Other Important Considerations
There are a lot of important things to remember, and of course, always keep in mind anyone else in your household and what they might need. This is just a list of basics to have at hand. Be sure to check out more of our emergency prep items you may need on our page to help you get equipped, including our emergency flashlights and LED candles. from Aluratek Blog https://aluratek.com/blog/how-to-prepare-an-emergency-kit/ from https://aluratek.tumblr.com/post/172312650348 Do you remember the compact Audio Cassette Tapes? If you’re a young millennial you’re probably like uh what is that? But if you’re a Gen Xer or Baby Boomer you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you’re a fan of the old school audio cassette tape, the Bluetooth audio cassette receiver is about to be your new favorite thing. Cassette tapes were originally designed for dictation machines but eventually became one of the two most common formats for pre-recorded music. Cassettes remained popular for car audio and telephone answering machines up until the ‘90s, before CD’s were introduced. The Bluetooth Audio Cassette receiver looks the same as the cassette tape, but instead of having one-fixed artist on the audio tape, it can be paired with any of your devices so you can listen to unlimited music through your cassette player. Here are the top 3 reasons the Bluetooth audio cassette tape is perfect gift for the Gen Xer in your life:Nostalgic Chances are your Dad or Grandpa haven’t been able to use the cassette player in their car since the 90s. They just don’t make cassette tapes anymore. If they are they’re listening to tapes they’ve had since the '80s or '90s. The Bluetooth Audio Cassette receiver is the perfect nostalgic gift to bring your Gen Xer back to the good ole days. It’s a great opportunity to bond with your family over some vintage technology from their time. Upgrade Your Tech If your Gen Xer is still using their cassette tapes in their cassette player they are probably not super keen on upgrading to the latest and greatest tech. Purchasing a Bluetooth audio cassette receiver is a prime opportunity to introduce them to the latest technology without scaring them off. It’s something that’s familiar to them without being overwhelmed. Affordability The Bluetooth Audio Cassette brings you unlimited potential to bump the latest hits from any cassette player for less than $30. That’s unreal savings compared to most Bluetooth products. The Bluetooth Audio Cassette is the perfect gift to not only bring your loved one or friend into the new age, but also bond with them at the same time. And to top it all off its a cool vintage product that is truly timeless. from Aluratek Blog https://aluratek.com/blog/bluetooth-audio-cassette-tape-perfect-gift/ from https://aluratek.tumblr.com/post/172141954343 |