TextExpander 5 Updated to Fix Crashing on OS X El Capitan and Other Bugs
Smile Software has released TextExpander 5.1.2 with a fix for OS X El Capitan-related crashing on launch and other minor bug fixes and improvements. The update is free for all users running TextExpander 5 or later.
TextExpander is a popular typing utility for Mac that can expand custom keystroke shortcuts into frequently-used text and pictures. The tool can insert text ranging from email signatures to paragraphs, automatically fix typos, autocomplete forms and more.
What’s new in 5.1.2:
Addresses El Capitan related crash on launch
Other minor fixes and improvements What’s New in Version 5:
Suggests snippets from phrases you habitually type
Reminds you of missed opportunities to use your abbreviations
Customize snippet file location
Sync via iCloud Drive or any sync folder
Simplified expansion of lengthy fill-ins and scripts
Search and expand snippets, abbreviations, and suggestions inline as you type
Preview expanded snippet
Refreshed statistics display
Supports JavaScript snippets that also operate on iOS
Updated for Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite (required)
TextExpander 5 is $44.95 with a free trial available, or $19.95 for users upgrading from a previous version.
Moto X Style / Pure Edition vs Nexus 6
Motorola fans with a desire for as big a screen as possible were given a great option in the Nexus 6 last year. While the phone wasn’t part of the Moto X family, the device featured a lot of Motorola’s typical design flair and, considering how stock Moto’s software generally is, even the software experience was relatively similar. This year, Motorola has released yet another big screen device, this time branding it as the Moto X Pure Edition in the states, and as the Moto X Style elsewhere.
From screen size to even the general aesthetic, the Nexus 6 and Moto X Pure have a number of things in common, though there are certainly plenty of differences a well. So how do these two big smartphones compare? That is what we find out, in this comprehensive look at the Moto X Style / Pure Edition vs Nexus 6!
Design
It’s not surprising that the Moto X Pure Edition and the Nexus 6 both share the same design language, given that both smartphones are manufactured by the same OEM. Both feature the same metal frame that wraps around the sides, the same curves along the corners and the back, as well as the identical placement as far as the button layout, ports, and front-facing speakers are concerned.
The signature Motorola dimple on the back is a differentiating aspect however, with the one on the Nexus 6 more reminiscent of the original Moto X from 2013, while the latest Motorola flagship takes on a new look, with the dimple housed in a metallic strip along with the camera.
The Moto X Pure Edition is also the smaller of the two smartphones, not only courtesy of its slightly smaller display, but also because of the fact that it features thinner bezels along the sides of the display. The Nexus 6 does manage to be slightly thinner, when comparing the two at their thickest points. All said and done, neither smartphone is small by any stretch of the imagination, but the Moto X Pure Edition is definitely the more manageable device, and doesn’t have the same unwieldy feel as the Nexus 6, as far as one-handed usability is concerned.
The biggest difference in design comes when taking a look at the variety and availability of color and other customization options. While the Nexus 6 can be found in a standard white or blue, users get to take advantage of Motorola’s Moto Maker with the Moto X Pure Edition, allowing for choices in colors, accent colors, and back cover materials, along with the ability to add engravings and messages, for an ever more personalized experience.
Display
On the display front, you get a 5.96-inch AMOLED display with the Nexus 6, while the Moto X Pure Edition features a slightly smaller 5.7-inch screen, with Motorola also making the switch to a TFT LCD panel this year. Both boast the same 2560 x 1440 resolution, resulting in pixel densities of 493 ppi and 520 ppi for the Nexus 6 and Moto X Pure Edition, respectively.
Both displays are absolutely gorgeous in their own right, especially with the Quad HD resolution, but if you are someone who is looking for those deep blacks and more vibrant colors that pop, that is something you will get only with the Nexus 6. On the other hand, the Moto X Pure Edition display allows for some great looking colors as well, but with an LCD panel, features like Moto Display unfortunately don’t look as sleek anymore, especially in darker environments, where the entire backlight lighting up is a lot more noticeable. Obviously, the Nexus 6 also has the leg up as far as screen real estate is concerned, but the new Motorola flagship does win out when it comes to overall brightness and outdoor visibility.
Performance
Under the hood, both smartphones are packing Qualcomm processing packages, with the quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, clocked at 2.7 GHz, and backed by the Adreno 420 GPU and 3 GB of RAM in the case of the Nexus 6, and the hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, clocked at 1.8 GHz, and backed by the Adreno 418 GPU and also 3 GB of RAM, as far as the Moto X Pure Edition is concerned.
The Snapdragon 805 may be the older of the two, but it certainly isn’t showing its age yet, and is still a very capable processor, helped along by the stock iteration of Android it runs. The performance of the Moto X Pure Edition is fantastic as well, and it is extremely fast and fluid while running everyday tasks. Multi-tasking is a breeze with both smartphones, and neither have any issues with gaming either, made even more enjoyable with the large display real estate and high resolution that both feature. As far as day to day performance is concerned, you will be hard pressed to notice any real difference between these two devices.
With regards to benchmark test scores, with Geekbench, you are looking at a single core score of 1072 and multi-core score of 3425 on the Nexus 6, which is lower than the 1257 and 3572 that the Moto X Pure Edition manages. The newer processing package does mean that the Moto X Pure Edition has the edge in this regard, but the difference isn’t significant, and as mentioned, you’re not going to see or feel a huge disparity when it comes to real world usage.
Hardware
As far as on-board storage is concerned, the Nexus 6 brought with it a pleasant change, with the base storage option going up to 32 GB, with a 64 GB version also available for the power users out there. Like previous Nexus smartphones however, there is no expandable storage to be had. Lack of expandable storage was also true with past generations of the Moto X, but that is no longer the case with the Moto X Pure Edition. Expandable storage via microSD card is now available to further enhance storage by up to 128 GB, in addition to the on-board storage of either 16, 32, or 64GB that the Moto X Pure Edition features.
Where these two devices are complete winners is when it comes to speaker quality, with both the Nexus 6 and the Moto X Pure Edition featuring dual front-facing speakers, which allows for fantastic audio quality when listening to music, watching videos, or playing games. It has to be said though that the speakers of the Moto X Pure Edition sound just a touch louder, along with a little more low end punch, and you also have the option of tweaking the audio settings with the external speakers when using headphones, something which isn’t available with the Nexus 6.
There isn’t a lot of difference when it comes to battery capacities either, with the Nexus 6 packing a slightly larger 3,220 mAh battery, compared to the 3,000 mAh unit of the Moto X Pure Edition. In my experience, both smartphones are perfectly capable of comfortably lasting through a full day of usage, if not more, which is all you can really expect from most current generation smartphones. Both also boast fast-charging capabilities, so it doesn’t take long to get either back up to a hundred percent. The Nexus 6 does also comes with wireless charging as well, something that Motorola continues to keep leaving out with their flagship line.
Camera
Motorola’s biggest weakness with their smartphones historically has always been the camera, which has coincidentally also been a concern that has plagued the Google flagship series. The Nexus 6 broke that mold, and so did the Moto X Pure Edition, with both featuring some drastic improvements to rear and front cameras, and in the case of the Moto X device, Motorola also went as far as to add a front-facing flash, to help avoid any dimly-lit selfies.
Nexus 6 camera samples
With the Moto X Pure Edition, you get a 21 MP primary camera with phase detection autofocus and a dual tone LED flash, while on the Nexus 6, there is a 13 MP rear shooter with optical image stabilization, and a LED ring flash. As far as the megapixels go, the Moto X Pure Edition obviously allows for more zooming and cropping, but as we all know, just the numbers doesn’t allow for the declaration of a clear winner.
Moto X Pure Edition camera samples
When it comes to overall image quality, and if you are just sharing these images on social media, you aren’t going to notice too much of a difference between the two, with both cameras being capable of taking some great looking images with tack sharp focus. Most people will probably find the images taken with the Moto X Pure Edition to be more pleasing however, with their higher contrast and slightly more saturated colors, while the images taken with the Nexus 6 camera are much flatter, but more natural looking. Both perform decently in poorly-lit environments as well, and while the Nexus 6 does tend to hunt for focus quite a bit, the resulting images are typically much cleaner, brighter, and with better white balance, when compared to the Moto X Pure Edition.
Both cameras are also capable of video recording in 4K, but again, the Nexus 6 suffers from the same hunting for focus problem when recording video, and for some reason, the footage isn’t quite as smooth or stable as what you get with the Moto X Pure Edition, even though the Nexus 6 is the one with optical image stabilization.
Software
The real advantage of owning a Nexus smartphone, and one of the key aspects of the program itself, is with regards to software, with the updates coming directly from Google. This means that not only do you get updates quickly, but the software experience itself is as pure as it gets. A lot of Nexus 6 owners will have already received, or will be getting very soon, the official update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow, which introduces a lot of nice improvements, like Google Now on Tap, and Doze, that will bring enhancements to the battery life. In the case of this comparison however, the Nexus 6 is still running Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.
See also: A tour of Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Motorola has historically not been all that far behind with regards to quick software updates however, and in some cases, the company even managed to get updates out to their devices before other Nexus devices. If you are looking for a device that will feature speedy updates, the Moto X Pure Edition is probably one of the best options out there, though obviously the Nexus will still be the absolute best choice.
The Moto X Pure Edition also features a very clean software experience which is as close to stock Android as it gets, but with a few very useful additions baked in, that actually make the experience even better than what you would get with a Nexus device. To name a few, some of these enhancements are Moto Voice, that lets you call upon the device at any time, Moto Actions, that include gestures such as twisting your wrist to quickly open the camera application, or the ability to wake up the display and see any notifications by simply waving your hand over the phone. While some of these features may seem trivial or gimmicky at first, it does make switching to another device that don’t have these quite difficult, once you get used to them.
Specs comparison
| Moto X Style / Pure Edition | Nexus 6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 5.7-inch TFT LCD display Quad HD resolution, 520 ppi |
5.96 AMOLED display Quad HD resolution, 493 ppi |
| Processor | 1.8 GHz hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 Adreno 418 GPU |
2.7 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 Adreno 420 GPU |
| RAM | 3 GB | 3 GB |
| Storage | 16/32/64 GB expandable via microSD up to 128 GB |
32/64 GB no expansion |
| Camera | 21 MP rear camera with phase detection autofocus, dual tone LED flash 5 MP front-facing camera |
13 MP rear camera with OIS and dual ring flash 2 MP front-facing camera |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 4.1 GPS + GLONASS NFC microUSB 2.0 |
a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 4.1 GPS + GLONASS NFC microUSB 2.0 |
| Software | Android 5.1.1 Lollipop | Android 5.1.1 Lollipop |
| Battery | 3,000 mAh | 3,220 mAh |
| Dimensions | 153.9 x 76.2 x 11.1 mm 179 grams |
159.3 x 83 x 10.1 mm 184 grams |
Gallery
Pricing and final thoughts
The launch of the Nexus 6 was not without controversy, given the fact that at the time of its release, it was the most expensive Nexus smartphone to be made available, with a price point starting at $650, but the still impressive device can now be picked up for $350 for the 32 GB version (or even as low as $300 on sale), and $400 if you are looking for 64 GB of storage. The Moto X Pure Edition is also quite the bargain, especially for a phone that’s only about a month old at this point. Starting at $400, you can get yourself a 16 GB device with a standard color back, and the price point goes up from there, depending on your storage needs and material choices.
So there you have it for this in-depth look at the Moto X Pure Edition vs Nexus 6! If you want the purest Android experience possible, the guarantee of quick updates, and a large canvas on which to play on, then the Nexus 6 continues to be a great choice, especially given the price drop associated with the launch of its successor. On the other hand, the Moto X Pure Edition also promises a similar software experience, with some great enhancements, along with the availability of microSD expansion. The Moto X Pure Edition holds the edge by virtue of being the newer smartphone, but regardless of which way you decide to go, you are going to come out a winner.
How to enable Google Now on Tap and use it!
Google Now on Tap is a new feature in Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The premise of the feature is pretty simple, Google Now will analyze the content on your screen and then turn around and deliver results based on that information. As an example, if someone asks you about a restaurant, Google Now on Tap would pull up a card about that restaurant including directions, the website, the menu (where applicable), and more information. In this quick tutorial, we’re going to show you how to enable it and active it.
How to activate Google Now on Tap
Enabling Google Now on tap is actually very easy, even if it’s not entirely obvious. The steps are as follows:
- You’ll need to have the Google app downloaded and you’ll need to actually have Google Now set up. If you don’t have this done already, simply open the Google app and give it the good old “Yes, I’m in!” and you’ll have Google Now enabled.
- Open up Google Now.
- Open the app menu either by sliding from the left side of the screen or by pressing the three-line menu button in the top left corner.
- Enter Settings.
- You’ll want to navigate to the Voice part of the Settings menu.
- There you’ll see a Now on Tap option with a check box. Check the box. You’ll get a confirmation box that pops up asking if you’re sure. Tell it that you are.
- Done! Google Now on Tap is now enabled on your device.
From this point forward, you should be able to use Google Now on Tap. Please note that only devices running Android 6.0 Marshmallow can access this feature. If you’re running anything prior to Marshmallow, you won’t be able to use this at all.
See also: How to toggle battery percentage and Quick Settings in Android 6.0
How to use Google Now on Tap
This part is really easy. Engaging with Google Now on Tap requires very little effort at all. Here are the steps:
- Get the information you want Google Now on Tap to analyze on your device. This can be an email, a text message, or pretty much whatever you want.
- Press and hold the Home button.
- After a few moments, Google Now on Tap will pop up with information about the subject matter if it can find any.
Google Now on Tap is an amazing feature and we’ve not doubt a lot of people will find it handy. It’s still early stages so there are some issues here and there but we imagine that these will get ironed out as time goes. For now, it’s fun to use and handy. If you want to learn more, our quick look video is above or you can read about it here.
Samsung’s begun work on Android 6.0 for many of its flagship devices
Android Marshmallow is making its way to Nexus handsets, and it leaves many wondering when Android 6.0 will hit their devices. There’s a lot of factors that go into preparing a new Android version for phones like the LG G4, Galaxy S6, and so on, thus the long wait for the latest flavor of Android. However, SamMobile, with the help of some inside sources, was able to get their hands on a list of devices that are expected to receive Marshmallow.
Among that list is most of Samsung’s flagship releases in the past year. You can expect to see Android 6.0 on the Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy S6 Edge+, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S5, and much more. There’s no telling when users can expect to see the latest flavor of Android arrive, unfortunately.
Other company’s have already detailed their plans for Android 6.0, but some have given some rather disappointing news regarding the update as well.
For the full, preliminary list, hit the source link below. And remember to check back often, as SamMobile says they’ll be updating it with more devices as information comes in.
source: SamMobile
Come comment on this article: Samsung’s begun work on Android 6.0 for many of its flagship devices
How to install the Marshmallow OTA on your Nexus device
Android 6.0 Marshmallow is finally here, and it’s brought with it dozens of cool features! Google is rolling out the over-the-air (OTA) update right now, but chances are you don’t want to endure the wait that could be several weeks to get the latest version of Android on your Nexus device.
Good news, folks! We’re going to show you how to download and install the OTA update. If you want to install via the factory images, we’ll have a complete guide on that up very soon.
Setting things up
In pushing the OTA update to your Nexus device, you shouldn’t lose any data in the process; however, the improbable is not impossible.
Next, you’re going to need ADB and Fastboot downloaded and installed on your computer. If you’re a Windows user, all you need to download is Minimal ADB and Fastboot. If you’re running Linux or Mac, you’ll need to grab them from the Android SDK itself. We’ve got steps outlined for both processes below.
Installing Minimal ADB and Fastboot:
- Download Minimal ADB and Fastboot from the XDA Developer Forums
- Open the downloaded file
- When prompted, install to C:android-sdkplatform-tools
It’s a quick and simple process. If you didn’t install to the recommended directory, just be sure to remember the location you saved the files in.
Downloading the Android SDK:
- You’ll need to download the Android SDK Tools from Google. The Android Developers website primarily advertises the Android Studio package, but you can just get the Android SDK Tools at the bottom of the page for your desired operating system.
- Follow the wizard and install to C:android-sdk
- Launch the SDK Manager
- Unselect all packages except for Android SDK Platform-tools and Google USB driver
- Install your packages.
You’re good to go! Now we just need the OTA zip file for your specific Nexus device.
Getting the OTA Zip file
One quick note: some devices are getting their October security updates. You’ll need to download those before proceeding with Marshmallow. You can follow the same steps in this guide to apply them, you’ll just need go to through this guide twice–one for the security update, and another for marshmallow.
Nexus 5 (hammerhead)
———————————————–
Nexus 7 (2013) WiFi (razor)
Nexus 7 (2013) LTE (razorg)
———————————————–
Nexus 9 WiFi (voltanis)
- From Android 5.1.1 LMY48M to LMY48T Android 5.1.1 – October Security Update
- From Android 5.1.1 October Security Update LMY48T to MRA58K Android 6.0
———————————————–
Nexus 9 LTE (voltanisg)
- From Android 5.1.1 LMY48M to LMY48T Android 5.1.1 – October Security Update
- From Android 5.1.1 October Security Update LMY48T (5.1.1) to MRA58K Android 6.0
———————————————–
Nexus Player (fugu)
———————————————–
Note: We’ll be sure to update this post with the Nexus 6 OTA link when it becomes available.
Preparing to flash
The first step is to go into your device’s Settings menu and enable USB debugging in Developer Options near the bottom of the menu. If you don’t see Developer Options anywhere in your Settings, Google has some documentation on how to make them visible:
To access these settings, open the Developer options in the system Settings. On Android 4.2 and higher, the Developer options screen is hidden by default. To make it visible, go to Settings > About phone and tap Build number seven times. Return to the previous screen to find Developer options at the bottom.
If you went the route of installing Minimal ADB and Fastboot, you’ll need to follow this process:
- Download the official Google USB Driver from the Android Developer website.
- Install the USB Drivers
- Remember the location of the drivers after extracting the .zip file.
Now, we’re ready to plug the device in. Connect it via USB cable, and if this is the first time you’ve connected it to your computer, you might get an RSA prompt on your Nexus device. Just check the “Always allow for this computer” box, select OK, and we’re good to go.
Installing the OTA update
Preliminary instructions for Mac users:
These instructions are intended for Windows users, however, getting them to work on a Mac is very similar. The only real differences is that you’ll need to open Terminal on Mac (as opposed to Command Prompt) and add a “./” in front of the commands you type in Terminal. Additionally, you’ll need to add the platform tools to your $PATH directory on Mac.
The process is simple:
- Open Terminal
- Type sudo nano/etc/paths
- Enter your password
- Type in the path of your platform tools directory
- Hit control-x on your keyboard to quit and Y to save the changes
You should now be able to follow the flashing instructions below without any issues on Mac. Just be sure to remember to add that “./” in front of your Terminal commands.
Flashing instructions:
- With your computer connected to your Nexus device via USB and USB debugging enabled, you’ll need to restart in fastboot mode. You can type “adb reboot bootloader” in Command Prompt without the quotation marks to do this. Alternatively, you can use your device’s hardware commands.
- You should see the fastboot menu. Start should be at the top right of the screen. Just press Volume Up until you see it change to recovery. Then, press the power button to select it.
- An Android with a red exclamation point will appear. Press and hold the power key and then the volume up key to bring the Recovery Menu to the forefront.
- Now, find the apply update from adb option and select it with the Power button.
- Next, go back to your computer, and in Command Prompt (or Terminal) type “adb sideload yourfilenamehere.zip” replacing “yourfilenamehere” with the actual file name. Remember to remove the quotation marks from the command as well.
Congratulations! The update should begin to install, and once it’s done, all you need to do is reboot. Welcome to Marshmallow!
Closing
After all is said and done, Marshmallow should be successfully installed on your device! The update has been a long time coming, and you should see all sorts of cool improvements.
Have you installed Marshmallow? How do you like it? Let us know in the comments below.
Come comment on this article: How to install the Marshmallow OTA on your Nexus device
[TA Deals] Enter the Smart Home Giveaway to win a bundle of Nest devices
Everyone loves going away on vacation, but how often do you lay on the sun-lounger wondering if you remembered to turn the heating down before your left, or even if the building itself is safe? That’s where smart home technology can really come into its own, giving you the ability to check on your house and belongings from just about anywhere in the world. Getting your home kitted out can be expensive, but, luckily for you, Talk Android Deals is giving you the chance to win a bunch of Nest home automation devices in our Smart Home Giveaway. The prize consists of Nest’s Thermostat, Alarm, and Cam devices. Join us after the break for details on how to enter.
What do the Nest devices actually do?
- The Nest Thermostat allows you to set an automated heating schedule, helping you save money on your energy bill
- The Nest Cam (camera) detects motion, sending an alert to your smartphone if something is detected, and can also stream 1080p HD video right to your phone
- The Nest Alarm features advanced smoke detection technology, and, as you might expect, can be controlled from your handset
That brings us neatly to how you can enter the giveaway, and it really is quite simple.
How you win:
- Submit your email address and click ENTER NOW (Make sure it’s valid as this is where we’ll contact the winner)
- After entering your email address above, share on Twitter for additional entries. The more your friends and followers enter, the more entries you receive. Good luck!
- Be sure to register with a valid email address so we can contact you if you win
- Limit one registration per person – registering more than one email address will result in disqualification from this giveaway
That’s all you have to do to stand a chance to take home the Smart Home Giveaway prize, what are you waiting for? Good Luck!
Come comment on this article: [TA Deals] Enter the Smart Home Giveaway to win a bundle of Nest devices
Google awards the man who owned Google.com for a minute over $10,000
Sammay Ved, the man that recently owned Google.com for a minute, was actually awarded over $10,000. Ved, a former Google employee, was searching Google Domains and came across Google.com, which was available to buy for $12. He was able to complete the checkout, and thus became the man that owned Google.com…at least for a minute.
“The scary part was I had access to the webmaster controls for a minute,” Ved told Business Insider. But, as with anything, all good things come to an end, and Google cancelled the sale. Ved never expected to receive any money, but says Google ended up awarding him “more than $10,000″ as part of its security vulnerabilities program, where Google routinely awards people for finding different hacks, exploits, and vulnerabilities in Google-owned properties.
Ved was never interested in the money, though. He ended up donating it all to The Art of Living India. In doing that, Google actually ended up doubling the amount going to that charity. It’s a neat story, and as part of the hiccup, many people in India will benefit from the Art of Living’s humanitarian outreach.
There’s no telling how Google.com ended up as becoming available to buy, but one thing’s for sure, Google isn’t going to let that happen ever again.
source: Business Insider
Come comment on this article: Google awards the man who owned Google.com for a minute over $10,000
LastPass gets acquired by remote desktop service LogMeIn
The popular password manager LastPass will soon have a new home at LogMeIn, which runs a remote desktop management service, the companies announced today. But don’t fret if you’re an existing LastPass user: LogMeIn says it’ll keep the service and brand alive, while also adding in technology from Meldium, another password service it recently acquired. The news comes amid a busy year for LastPass. Back in June, the company announced that it was hacked, and a few months ago it added free mobile password support. For the most part, the acquisition seems to be about making LogMeIn a more desirable choice for businesses who want to give employees a simple way to secure their many passwords, across a variety of online services.
Via: The Next Web
Source: LogMeIn
I found a secondhand telescope, now what?
It’s amazing what you can find on the streets of San Francisco. No, the actual city streets, not the ’70s cop drama starring Michael Douglas. I recently came across a scavenger’s treasure in the city’s Sunset neighborhood: a fully operational Meade NG-70 Altazimuth Refractor Telescope. It was just sitting there on the curb with a handwritten note simply stating “Free” taped to its barrel. Now, I’ll tell you, I’m not much of an astronomer — inasmuch as I have never used (even touched) a telescope or ever had much interest in learning. The idea of standing around outside in the dark, fiddling with dials always seemed too much hassle to make very distant sparkly objects to appear slightly larger. But what I am also not is a sucker — and a free telescope is a free telescope — so into my car’s trunk it went.
Once I got the rig home, I set about examining my prize. Often in San Francisco, “Free” tags are simply code for “here, you throw this away.” But, shockingly, this telescope had nearly all of its bits and pieces — from the lens cap to the two extra eyepieces, most everything was present, intact and functional. The only things missing were the instructional DVD, the laser rangefinder and, for my part, even a rudimentary understanding of what “Altazimuth Refractor” means. Figuring out how to focus the telescope and smoothly track moving objects was simple enough, so I set about educating myself on the wide world of amateur astronomy. By which I mean I downloaded Google Sky Maps and swiveled about my living room in an office chair for 15 minutes while searching for interesting celestial phenomena.
After having swiveled myself dizzy without finding anything worth looking at in my hemisphere, I decided to revise my strategy with a bit of internet research. First things first, I Googled “Altazimuth Refractor.” Turns out altazimuth refers to the telescope’s two-axis mount, which works much like an Etch-A-Sketch with separate knobs controlling horizontal and vertical movement, while refractor refers to the fact that the telescope employs a lens to magnify images instead of two mirrors like a reflecting telescope. I also learned that the individual eyepieces offer varying levels of magnification, which explains why I’d need more than one. Having gotten the hang of my telescope’s basic operation, I began searching out resources for amateur astronomers. And what better resource could there be than NASA itself?
Sky maps of Messier objects [Image credit: Deep Sky Watch]
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration should be the first stop for anyone interested in getting into astronomy. Not only does the site maintain a valuable compendium of online resources for neophyte stargazers, but also the agency itself has partnered with a multitude of nonprofit organizations across the country to help promulgate astronomical societies, like the Night Sky Network. NSN is a community of more than 400 astronomy clubs across the US (like the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers) as well as an astronomy portal operated by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab that seeks to bring “the wonders of the universe to the public.” Users simply input their zip code to find local events, star parties and public viewings at nearby observatories in their area. For folks in the UK, the Society for Popular Astronomy offers a similar service as well as a super-helpful tutorial for setting up and using a telescope for the first time.
Digging around the NASA and SPA sites then led me to a number of private organizations like Sky and Telescope, which features everything from tutorials and weekly sky maps to breaking astronomy news and product reviews. S&T Senior Editor Alan MacRobert’s “How to Start Right in Backyard Astronomy” is from 2006, but I found it extremely helpful. If you’re looking for more extensive sky maps than what S&T offers, head over to Deep-Sky Watch. Its Illustrated Deep-Sky Observing Guide (downloadable PDF) includes more than 7,000 celestial objects that can be seen with 14x magnification as well as more than 600 deeper objects. And to ensure that you can actually see what you’re looking for, the Dark Site Finder map is invaluable.
My favorite and most used site, however, has got to be The Awesome Amateur Astronomer. Universiteit Leiden in the Netherlands created this website as part of the EU’s Universe Awareness program. It’s designed for kids, sure, but it’s actually a really engaging system that teaches the basic theories behind astronomy. Users complete 10 steps with varying tasks — such as visiting a planetarium, learning the parallax method or making an angular measurement — to “finish” the program. Plus, each step includes links to related on- and offline resources. Honestly, this needs to be an app.
With these resources successfully bookmarked for future reference, I’m feeling pretty confident about not only knowing what to look for, but also where to look and how to find it. Over the past couple of nights, I’ve been able to spot features on the moon, spied the top of the illuminated cross on Mt. Davidson from my living room and scanned the heavens for UFOs (no luck yet). I didn’t think I’d be that excited about staring into the night sky when I found the telescope, but now I can’t wait for sundown.
Engadget Live is making one more stop this year: New York City!
We’ve had a lot of fun this year with all our Engadget Live events. In July, we kicked off the tour in Boston, then headed to Los Angeles a few weeks later, and now are gearing up for Austin next week. But, while three’s a crowd, foud is a party! So, we’re super excited to announce that on October 29th, we’ll finish up our Engadget Live tour in our other home city: New York, NY! We’re taking over the Liberty Warehouse in Brooklyn on Thursday, October 29th at 7PM and will bring together gadget lovers (that’s you!) and tech companies for a night you don’t want to miss.
Ford, our grand sponsor of Engadget Live, will let you check out its voice-activated SYNC 3 system and the 2016 Ford Escape. Drizly (the app that lets you get alcohol delivered on the fly) will mix up a free cocktail to the first 250 guests (who are age 21 and older, of course).
We’ll have many more exciting things to announce for Engadget Live New York in the weeks to come. For now though, get your free ticket and get amped up to join us on October 29th. And if you’re interested in sponsoring, email sponsors[at]engadget.com.
AIVAnet 