Visit Us @ Tech-scales.com For The Latest And Best In Electronics.

Visit us @ tech-scales.com for the latest and best in electronics.

Asexual smartphone wallpaper. Will fit about any smartphone, perfectly fits iPhone 5/5s

Fun story, using this wallpaper on my phone is how I realized a friend (Now significant other) was also asexual :D

The Koss PortaPros: One Month Later

About a month ago, I ordered the Koss PortaPro headphones from Amazon. With $50, I wondered if I could buy anything that could sound substantially better than my Beats Solo HDs. After looking at reviews on CNET, PC Magazine, and the like, I decided to go with the Koss. The PortaPros in particular are known for their audiophile status in headphone circles because of their 80s design. According to Koss, not even the design has changed, which I don’t mind. They’re a rather unique looking pair, and no one is going to confuse them for anything else.

I can say for certain that they sound as well as every review says they are. The PortaPros do not have as much bass as the Solos, but to me, that’s a plus because it’s not masking the lows, the mids, or highs. I’ve listened to Beethoven’s Symphony 9 with both these and the Beats. There really is a difference, and I know now what CNET meant by the Beats’ “muddy sound.”

I don’t claim to be an expert. CNET’s review about the PortaPro’s sound quality is much better than my own analysis, and yet, how comfortable have they been in the month that I’ve had them? It’s takes a little time since the headphones adjust via a fully exposed collapsible steel band. They’re designed so that they fit exactly against the head.

The PortaPros can be adjusted the most spacious setting, which prevents them from collapsing before the user puts them from their head. I found this useful for placing them around the neck when I wasn’t listening to music because the metal band does bite into the neck if it’s not fit properly. However, I don’t find this cumbersome at all.

I’d recommend to not place the earpads directly on the ears when wearing these. Doing so will not affect the sound quality at all, and depending on the individual, this adjustment is anywhere from a millimeter to a centimeter or so. Sometimes, the earpads press too hard on the ear because of the pressure the metal band exerts, but this can be alleviated by the method above or by the comfortZone setting just below the band.

One month later, I can say that I definitely recommend these. They have a learning curve, but it should only take a day or two to get accustomed to its design. The biggest knock on the Koss PortaPros is not sound quality (not by a long shot) but comfort due to its design. Even so, I’d fine the comfort to be better than my $200 Beats Solo HDs. My rating for that is a 3 out of 5, and my overall rating is a 4.25. If you don’t mind the learning curve and the open design, buy these. You won’t regret it - especially since it has a lifetime warranty.

Rating Breakdown:

Sound: 5/5

Design: 4/5

Comfort: 3/5

Customer Service: 5/5

Overall: 4.25/5

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techscales-blog

7 years ago

Part Of The Reason I Maintain An Extensive Library Of Video Game Magazines Is To Get As Complete A History

Part of the reason I maintain an extensive library of video game magazines is to get as complete a history as I can on any given subject. I don’t like loose ends! So when I was recently asked to talk on camera about how the American video game enthusiast media of 1995 felt about Nintendo’s RPG masterpiece, EarthBound, I was happy to be able to pull out what I believe to be every review written. And here they all are, lovingly scanned and restored by me! In order:

Electronic Gaming Monthly (July, 1995) Nintendo Power (June, 1995) Game Players (July, 1995) VideoGames (July, 1995) GameFan (”Viewpoint” capsule reviews) (August, 1995) GameFan (full review) (August, 1995) GamePro (July, 1995)

Next Generation and Electronic Games did not review the game. Game Informer appears to have not, but I don’t have the June or September issues, so I can’t say that with 100% certainty (also, if you have Game Informer issues from 1995-1999, we should talk). It’s worth noting that Nintendo Power also had a ten-page extended feature that I did not include, as it’s an overview with no criticism as opposed to a review (heck, even the “review” included here barely qualifies)

The biggest takeaway I get, slapping all these magazines on my desk and reading them back-to-back, is just how completely offended the critics were by the game’s art direction. The “infantile graphics” made VIdeoGames’ Geoff Higgins “want to gag,” apparently. EGM’s John Gurka “laughed out loud” when he first saw the game, while GameFan capsule reviewer Skid’s initial impression was “no way! These graphics are just to [sic] fruity.” Not one reviewer seemed to like the art direction, though some - particularly at GameFan - were able to power through it and enjoy the game underneath.

It’s tempting to look back and roll your eyes at how these critics just didn’t understand, man, just as it’s tempting to look at Nintendo’s “This Game Stinks” marketing campaign as coming from a marketing department that also didn’t understand, man, but I think they both tell us very clearly why this game didn’t catch on: this was a very difficult game to sell in 1995.

Sure, we all basically agree that the game is gorgeous now, but try to put yourself in the mindset of a video game critic in June of 1995, when the game debuted. RPGs were only just catching on in the U.S., ushering in what many felt was the start of “mature” games no longer being exclusively for those rich kids who had computers. Square’s Chrono Trigger was also coming out around the same time, so the sudden switch from the anime-inspired Square house style that most associated with the genre to a look that evoked childlike wonder must have been jarring.

And let’s not forget the rest of the video game industry at the time. Sega’s Saturn and Sony’s PlayStation were already out in Japan (and the former would see a surprise U.S. debut right about when these reviews were written), so for most cutting-edge game enthusiasts, it was starting to look like 2D graphics were a thing of the past. Even Nintendo was starting to leave 2D graphics behind: at that year’s Winter Consumer Electronics Show in January, when EarthBound was quietly shown for the first time, Nintendo’s main focus was on the 3D capabilities of its Super FX chip for the Super Nintendo. Literature from the time shows that its three spotlight games that show all had polygonal 3D graphics: StarFox 2, Comanche, and FX Fighter (literally none of these games actually managed to ship, but that’s another story).

And in the middle of all of this forward-thinking excitement, we’ve got this strange, backward-looking, reflective, beautiful game vying for attention. I can’t imagine a scenario where the game could have been a hit in this environment.

[Aggregating EarthBound’s contemporary review scores gives a figure of about 72%. If this was on Metacritic, that number would be in a yellow box.]

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techscales-blog

7 years ago

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7 years ago

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If you are buying headphones/speakers, test them with Bohemian Rhapsody. It has the complete set of highs and lows in instruments and vocals.

Tokyo olympic medals to be made from recycled electronics

In a bid to promote sustainability and cut down on costs for the olympic games, the Tokyo 2020 medals will be made out of recycled metals taken from mobile phones and other electronic devices.

The agenda for Tokyo 2020, which is described as a strategic roadmap for the event, specifically calls for the inclusion of sustainability in every aspect of the games. The project’s goal is to collect around eight tonnes of metal, which will be recycled down to about two tonnes – enough to produce 5,000 medals for the games, according to the committee.

Beginning in April, people in Japan will be able to find collection boxes in more than 2,400 mobile phone stores, as well as in public offices across Japan.

New study shows Android smartphones are more reliable than iPhones

According to research by Blancco Technology Group, Android devices are more reliable than iPhone handsets.

The defining factor is the devices’ failure rate — a broad term defined for the study as whenever a smartphone doesn’t work as it’s supposed to, whether it be camera issues or battery malfunctions.

As reported by BGR, the overall failure rate is higher in iPhones (62%) than in competing Android devices (47%). Of all iPhone devices, the iPhone 6 fared the worst. Read more (3/9/17 3:55 PM)

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