Review-Sanyo Zio

Sanyo is a smaller maker of phones that has been struggling to produce substantial sales, so it may have made it's last phone, and since I was able to get one, I thought I should review it. I've had one for two years, and here's my full report: The Sanyo Zio's first impression is good because it's it's free with a 2 year contract, so it won't break the bank, but it still has the cool of being unique. When I first got it, I was genuinely impressed by the styling, it was sleek and well designed. It had some good curves and the rounded edges make it easy to hold. The last thing is the light up touch buttons which is very cool.

As far as processing power, you get a a lot. It may not be very quick, but everything from the Android market should work on this phone, so getting apps isn't an issue. The other cool feature is that it automatically switches fromn 3G (yes, it's only 3G) to wifi and vice versa based on availability. It has limited customization, five screens for apps and shortcuts. The major part of customizing is the Sprint iD which unlocks tons of apps and wallpapers, although it is a bit difficult to use. It is a strong phone, so it can withstand water (within reason), droppings, and pretty much anything else (better with a case).

The minor bugs include when there are notifications of sprint app deals, but it will always lead to the home screen, so that gets annoying, the other major thing which seems to be a problem with many phones is that if you get an email notifications it will appear as both a Gmail app and email app notification for the same emails, although that can be fixed. The finall minor issue I encountered was the lower volume button getting increasing the dificult to

Some tips: get a screen protector because the screen by itself is fragile. A case is not necessary  although you couldn't find one anyway. It would also be good to not mess with the extremities, because they will fall off. So, the Sanyo Zio is overall a solid phone that proves that there still is a place for smaller phone makers in today's market.     

Nokia Lumia-A step too far in the other direction

The Nokia Lumia is often quoted as the best phone currently on the market, and yet, it's sales don't match that sentiment. The problem may be that the Lumia is too much of a good thing. When many things are invented, the purpose is to make life easier, however there are minor mostly sentimental drawbacks. Like how some people are against electronic books because they don't have the real feel of a physical book. Even though they are usually cheaper and easier to transport. It may be that the Lumia is too far in the direction of being too convenient.

Back in the days of when people waited for letters to communicate, there was a sense of suspense and waiting. However that sense of waiting is largely gone now as we can pretty much get at the things we want as soon as we want to. However, with something like the Lumia, which would completely eliminate the feeling of waiting save purchases that get shipped or need to be saved up for. With things like notifications and emails all right there, it saves the minor wait of looking up the notifications that you have. However, now with the Nokia, everything is right there, so there's no wait. Plus it tells you what they are as well.

The massive amount of customization options would also be intimidating to buyers. The whole phone can practically be changed, so some might find that too much. However it does make sense that this phone is so critically aclaimed, because it does technically make life easier, so it it technically the best phone because of that. Matched with connecting to Xbox and the amazing styling, and you've got a pretty good phone.

To Frack or Not to Frack

One of the biggest environmental issues facing our generation today is the question of whether hydrolic fracturing should continue to be allowed, or if it should be outlawed. Primarily in the American Northeast, where the natural gas reserves have been described as the Saudi Arabia of natural gas. There is a lot of fight for both sides and reasons for both the be instated or kept.

On the pros side, it does provide a huge monetary boost for those who have drilling done on their land. Often there is a lease involved based on amount of acres, and the amount ranges usually from $1,000-$2000 dollars, plus 12.5% of the company's profits. Some are even lucky enough to become millionaires from this. So, there is a benefit for the average citizen. It means also that natural gas is used more instead of gasoline which is more environmentally friendly. It also generates millions of jobs and profits for the gas companies.

On the con side, there have been reports of the drilling affecting the water, with the effects even making the water flammable in some rare situations. While the gas companies refuse to admit that there are negative effects that even result from drilling, there are many sources that say the opposite, and not much proof of the contrary. It also, just by nature, is dangerous because it involves contaminated water, pulling out radioactive materials from the ground, and explosive gases like methane (watch video attached to picture for more).

In conclusion  there are many studies that go for both sides, but many of them were sponsored by highly partial parties like the drilling companies, or anti-drilling organizations. When an impartial study comes out, it could change my decision, however, just for the safety of people, fracking shouldn't be allowed. It's also because it would give less power to gs companies, so that also helps.

3D Printing-Part 2

(Chuck Hull, 3D printer inventor)

(Continuation of Part 1) Continuing the vein of products that can be produced from a 3D printer is lab, spec material. This is just another revolutionary part about the 3D printer, it speeds up experiments, thus speeding up new research. Speeding up research has immense potential, but on top of that just having that lowers the cost of research, because it eliminates many of the shipping costs that would otherwise come in the way. Not only in the research field of science, but in the medical field as well. Jaw implants were recently produced and thus making it possible for places like emergency rooms to provide a more comprehensible immediate care program.

And on the entertainment side of the 3D printer, parents or children can print toys on demand. pretty cool for families who spend thousands of dollars a year on toys. Also, for those old fashioned photo booths that are becoming.... well old fashioned, the 3D printer has a remedy. You can create 3D images of yourself as an attraction.

Finally to wrap up the issue of manufacturing, my suggestion for what companies can do is produce printer templates, but with specialties, like if toy companies produced chips that would have toy templates that people could use to create their favorite toys. And same with other companies. It was probably true that when factories were created, people said that it would kill manufacturing, but now, we take the next step and give manufacturing power back to the individual.

3D Printing Revisit-Part 1

In October, I did an article on possibly the most promising new invention since the personal computer. Now, since the technology has been explored in more depth, there are new things that are being created with a 3D printer, and thus new debate. The first is shoes. Shoes are a big part of society for many people and make up a colossal part of the clothing industry. But consider if it could be made at home. Brand new sneakers just like the most expensive one on the shelves. Or custom ones, and start a line out of the basement. Not only that, but it can produce lighter, racing shoes for events like the Olympics  That changes a lot. But the flip side, as is often the general discussion about the fact that a home factory will basically put many companies out of business. This has its ups and downs, because it dramatically lowers the cost of living for everyone, and that is immensely beneficial. On the flip side though, it kills some manufacturers, for example, shoe manufacturers. However, with the amount of 3D printers people would buy, the jobs could just show up in selling the printers!

The 3D printed handgun is a big issue. Considering recent events, it's already been proven that gun control is an issue, but being able to produce one's own guns is a bit scary, and it has managed to be made in the past. But there could be some kind of mandatory parental controls that the manufacturer could install to protect against gun creation. And regardless, it would require gunpowder and bullets to become deadly, so people in theory could not get access to a deadly gun unless they were supposed to. To be continued...