Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Upcoming Coverage | The Witcher 3, Destiny HOW Expansion and Farming Simulator 15???

Today, May 19th, marks a pretty busy day.  We here at Mashbuttons have our work cut out for us, so lets get down to brass tacks, as they say.

First up, we just received our review codes for The Witcher 3, one of our most anticipated games of the last few years (saw it at E3 almost exactly 3 years ago and knew it was going to be something to behold), The Destiny: House of Wolves Expansion, and Farming Simulator 15.

Yes - Quite the spread.  Super-huge-massive new Open-World to explore.  Ready to dive back into the world of Destiny, and then satisfy a craving we didn't even know we had.  Keeping in mind we're a smaller shop, it may take us some time to get full reviews out, but we'll be sure to post some impressions along the way.

In the meantime, here's the launch trailers for each:

You can purchase these all on Amazon.com

The Witcher

Destiny: House of Wolves

And finally Farming Simulator 15

Sunday, May 17, 2015

The Future of Personal Communications: A Holistic Approach to Keeping up With Consumer Demand

This next piece is brought to me from Gene Aikens, founder and CEO of Franklin, TN-based The Power Company.

In today's digital personal communications age, the average person goes through 35GB of data each day, from storing music, photos and movies to uploading sales presentations. As products like Apple's iPhone and Google's Android have caused mass mobile appeal, there will be a big need for new technologies that not only allow these personal "pocket" computers to help us effectively manage our daily lives, but provide ample security and storage. 

And contrary to what legions of cloud providers state, the cloud is not the universal solution for digital communications storage.

Some of these new technologies could completely revolutionize our mobile society, and feed consumers’ appetite for quick and easy on-the-go communications, storage and access. In order to seamlessly integrate and connect all of these mobile devices, consumers will need a universal flash drive, for example, to share files between different operating systems without connecting to a cloud-based system. With all the problems consumers have experienced with the cloud and browser-based storage, we need devices that makes technology users feel more secure by not utilizing an Internet connection.

Mobile phones should have been our personal computers two years ago. As an industry we need to envision the future digital landscape and come up with novel technologies that allow consumers to access what they want when they want it.
Take the Flex-Card, for example. Most consumers and corporations use flash drives/USB to hold sensitive information. The problem is we automatically attribute a flash drive/USB to a computer or the need for a computer to access those files. But, now with a smart phone in our pocket, we can use a mobile USB, whether you’re a DJ who wants to hold all of your 20,000 songs to play directly off his iPhone, a salesman who wants to back up all his presentations, or parents who want to store all their kids’ movies to save space on their iPad.
As we move toward mobile devices becoming comprehensive personal computers, it will be crucial to solve the current glitches associated with transferring data, such as contacts, from one device to the other. A year from now, all major apps will also need offline storage as a space saver on mobile devices.
On the business side of mobile communications, it will also become more and more important to have a device that can store and push out content quickly, efficiently and securely, as companies vie for consumer attention and traction.
While the industry has been pushing to make the mobile phone a personal computer in your pocket, we are not quite there yet. From popular mobile music apps like Musixmatch to hot, wearable electronics like the Apple Watch, the market has had a plethora of new product launches, but not enough communication technologies to make these devices work in harmony. The leaders in this digital race will be the ones who develop a holistic approach to digital communications, and truly empower, engage and satisfy the digital consumer.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Griffin Technology provides MashButtons with their iPhone 6 lineup

We have a case showcase here at Mashbuttons and this load of iPhone 6 cases has come to use from Griffin. Four cases were provided to us, each unique and providing different features to the high priced mobile device. The Survivor Core is a case that protects the device from small drops, The Reveal case which is slim and shows off the phone's stunning good looks while providing extra protection to the edges, Identity is a case the is minimal while still providing protection without extra bulk, and lastly we have the Survivor Slim which is a dual layer case built to meet MIL-STD 801G standards for drop protection. Now it is time to see how the cases stack up.I have arranged my impressions on level of protection in which each of the cases provides, with that being said, I will begin with the Reveal. I like the case how basic and how slim it is and yet strong enough to withstand a three-foot drop. The Reveal also does just that, reveals the iPhone 6's sleek new design through a clear hard shell, while a black bumper surrounds the sides. While I am more of a fan of the harder materials as they are easy to clean, with the Reveal, Griffin decided to go with rubber feel that is tough to keep clean in a dusty environments.Next up, we have the Identity, which is another pretty basic case with a twist. This is a dual layer case, which includes a bumper and a back plate, topped with being built to withstand up to a four-foot drop. The twist is that the case is designed to support Griffin's numerous back plates, which vary in design and functionality. Much like the name implies the varying back plates allow for changing a phone's identity. The dual material case feels a lot more solid than the Reveal, but the clear back plate is just as easy to scratch over time. Now for the more durable of the cases, the Survivor Series, and I will begin with the Survivor Core. This case is rather basic, similar to the Reveal but its build design makes the phone easier to hold and providing greater drop protection at up to 6.6 feet or 2 meters. This increased protection comes from the shatter resistance polycarbonate back and TPE rubber surrounds the phone with raised corners to help absorb the impact when dropped. This is a minimalist case for the clumsy and is great because the Core still provides a slim design to go with the peace of mind when the inevitable hits and the iPhone plummets to the ground.Finally and my favorite of the bundle is the Survivor Slim, and like the Core, it also provides drop protection up to 6.6 feet, but this bad boy was built to exceed MIL-STD 801G by making a dual layer case. While adding more protection, the case is remarkably slim, and as you can tell from the pictures Griffin opted to make the case wider as opposed to the common thicker cases and this was much preferred. To also help with the grip, a silicon jacket is used to wrap around the hard polycarbonate shell. While there was added bulk to my pocket, the slim design felt natural and not too bulky, but the biggest plus side, was that the case was more comfortable to hold during extended use while reading or playing games. 

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Juno releases the HUE Pro, a power bank with function and class

We have another power bank review and this time around come courtesy of Juno Power. We have reviewed a number of power banks, both big and small, and the HUE Pro is a little bit different, in that it comes packing a whopping 10000 mAh of juice, a flashy body, and bright LED light. The juice box also includes two USB charging ports for multiple device charging. Now that I have been using this beast for my phone, tablet, PS4 controllers, camera, and more, let's see how it does.Out of the box, I loved the build of the HUE Pro, with its palm sized stature to the metallic design. While it does pack a hefty punch it does not take up much space in my laptop bag. The added light is not the gimmick I was expecting and have seen on similar power bank, but is surprisingly bright by way of its high-powered LED and optic lens. The only issue I encountered in my use with the portable battery back was that the screen that covered the digital display kept lifting from the device, which could have been quite possible from the heat here, but a dab of super glue made sure it now stays put. Juno Power's HUE Pro is a great power bank the offer the same as others out there, it just does it better. The aluminum body matches well with my MacBook Pro and iPhone and can also charge my tablet or camera at the same time, so this bank never leaves my commuter bag. The digital screen, up there with the light, is a feature that helps make sure you always have a charge, displays the remaining percentage of juice to show a more accurate reading over the overused four to five bars/lights. The HUE Pro is available now in four colors for the price of $59.99.