The ECOXGEAR EcoSlate Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker might be my favorite beach accessory

My family is basically a school of fish. Since living near the beach many moons ago, it always seems that we end up at the Outer Banks on vacation or we’re hitting up one of the many lakes around where we currently live. For a while now, I’ve been trying to merge my love of the beach and the water with my love of music. If you’re around me for any period of time you’ll know that I constantly have tunes on.

Sure, there are plenty of speakers out there with water resistance or that claim they’re safe to take to the beach, but they all looked kind of shitty or very expensive. So, when I was offered the ECOXGEAR EcoSlate, I jumped at the chance. The spec sheet indicates that it marries Ingress Protection (IP68), a long-lasting battery, and a flashlight. And one look at the thing tells you it isn’t going to be a cheaply made speaker you’ll get rid of or throw in the drawer after a few uses.

Physical Construction

I have no other words for this thing besides “badass.”

Alright, a one-word review is pretty boring, so I’ll go a little more in-depth. The most obvious thing to me when I look at it is the gigantic grill on the front. In my highly (not) scientific drop test, it stood up well to a drop from about three feet onto the corner of my wooden desk. I feel like this is a “worst of” scenario for everyday use. Anything more than that would fall outside of a normal scenario and you’re on your own at that point.

The huge bumpers on the corners offer pretty awesome drop protection that make the speaker bounce around a bit like a football when it hits the floor. If you ever do drop this thing around your feet, try to jump back because it’s going to hurt if it lands on the top of your foot. I know from experience. The weight isn’t overwhelming but I could tell when I added it to our already-full pack of supplies for the beach.

Buttons along with lights for power, blutooth connection, and battery level

The huge, rubber, backlit buttons on the top are a little oversized, but I really appreciated them when I was trying to operate the speaker at the beach. With the sun in your eyes and wet, pruney hands, it’s nice to have big defined buttons to press. You’ll get buttons for power, Bluetooth connection, EcoConnect, volume up and down, track selection, play/pause, and flashlight. The buttons have a bit of push-back in them so they take a little force to actually press down but provide a satisfying click when you bottom out.

The right side and bottom of the device have a hole for you to screw in the included carabiner. Unfortunately, mine broke after the first use. I’m willing to chalk this one up to bad luck because the carabiner and cord connecting it seemed like decent quality, but it’s certainly something to watch out for if you pick one of these speakers up.

The back of the speaker hides a locking compartment that houses a USB port to charge your other devices, a microUSB port for recharging the speaker, an aux-in port for plugging in your phone so you don’t have to use Bluetooth, and an on/off master switch. This compartment MUST be secured if the device gets wet or it will get ruined. It holds tight once it’s secured so you won’t need to worry about it coming undone by itself, but you’ll have to remember to secure it after you recharge the battery.

On the inside, the speaker houses a battery that ECOXGEAR claims (pretty accurately) provides 15 hours of music playback. We listened to the speaker at mainly mid to low volumes as the speaker is pretty powerful and got anywhere between 13 and 14 hours on a full charge.

Sound

I am in no way an audiophile and that’s important to keep in mind when I talk about the sound coming out of the ECOXGEAR EcoSlate. I love music and I normally have it on at any given time, but I don’t live my life trying to get the purest sound possible.

That being said, I wasn’t blown away by the EcoSlate. Yes, it does put out thunderously loud audio for the size of the body. The two 10W speakers and 2 passive woofers do very well in keeping entire rooms full of music, but I always feel like the soul in the music is just lacking.

Most of the times, it doesn’t matter that much. I keep going back to the example of being at the beach, but I think it’s a perfect example here. When you’re chilling in your chair with a beer, munching on some snacks and enjoying the view, do you need the best sounding speaker ever? I certainly don’t. I just need something that sounds “good” and the EcoSlate does the job.

Could the bass be beefier? Sure. Could the the mids be a little better defined? Absolutely. Could the highs be a little less sharp? Yep. But, overall listening does remain pleasant. You can kick on anything from Fall Out Boy to Blake Shelton, to No Doubt and enjoy your music just fine. I might stick clear of the pop princesses that hit the high notes often, but that’s really the only complaint I have.

Conclusion

200 lumen flashlight

Overall, I really like the ECOXGEAR EcoSlate. The speaker produces good enough sound and has really cool features like speaker pairing, an IP68 rating, and a flashlight. Right now the speaker sits at about $150 and that’s a perfect price for what it is. When you compare it to high-end speakers like the UE Megaboom that retails for $299, you can pick up two of these and pair them together for a really kickass experience for the price of one Megaboom.

Other reviews have pointed out that 100-foot range is a bit of a best case scenario for this speaker and they’re right. There’s a real problem here if you lose line of sight. During my test, I’ve been able to break up the signal while placing a child’s book between the phone (Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus) and the speaker. If I were walking into other rooms where walls separated us, I could understand, but I think there’s a weakness with speaker there.

Interference issues aside, the EcoSlate combines a lot of features into one package. You’d be hard pressed to find another speaker in the $150 range that has waterproofing, a rugged construction, a 10+ hour battery, the ability to charge a secondary device and a flashlight. When you take everything into consideration, I think the EcoSlate is one of the best options on the market and will certainly be making the return trip to the beach with me and my family.

If you’re interested in picking up the ECOXGEAR EcoSlate, you can grab one at Amazon, Costco, Home Depot, and ECOXGEAR’s site.

PhoneRescue lets you easily recover your lost Android data (Review)

Overview:

Have you ever deleted a photo or a file from your phone only to realize a couple seconds later that you made a terrible mistake? I for one, found myself in this very situation multiple times, inadvertently wiping out stuff because I was distracted and not fully paying attention.

Luckily, there’s a tool we can employ to bring our lost files back to us. It’s called PhoneRescue and is free to download on your Mac or Windows computer.

Getting Started:

For starters, let me note one thing. You won’t be downloading PhoneRescue from the Google Play Store, nor will you be installing it manually on your Android handset. Instead, you’ll need to visit PhoneRescue’s official web page and download the (free) Windows or Mac version.

That’s right, you’ll first need to get PhoneRescue on your computer.

There are a few steps you need to follow before actually getting to the recovery part. For starters, the app will serve up a list of “Quick Tips” or instructions which ideally need to be taken into consideration before you start the process of recovery.

You’ll be asked to do things like “Turn your device to Airplane Mode” or “Prohibit using Contacts, Messages, Calendar and other apps.”

Next, you’ll have to connect your phone via a USB cable to your computer. But not just any phone. For the time being, PhoneRescue supports devices from manufacturers like Samsung, Sony, HTC, Google, and Huawei. Support for Motorola, LG, and OnePlus is said to be coming soon.

PhoneRescue says its customized technologies based on each specific phone or tablet model can deliver a high data recovery success rate and speed.

After connecting the phone, you need to enable USB Debugging on your respective device. I was working with a Samsung phone which has Developer mode enabled already, so it only took a few taps to turn USB Debugging on.

The following step is to choose which Scan you wish to perform. You’re given a choice between a Deep Scan and a Quick Scan. Note that if you opt for the former, you’ll need to have a rooted device.

I didn’t have mine rooted, but luckily PhoneRescue offers a built-in tool which does all the heavy work on your behalf. So it wasn’t long before my device got rooting privileges and I was able to proceed to the Deep Scan part of our story.

But PhoneRescue can perform a Quick Scan even though the Android device might not be rooted.

Once you choose what kind of scan you want to perform, PhoneRescue asks you to select the types of files you want to recover including Contacts, Call Logs, Photos, Music, Videos, Apps, Document, Messages, WhatsApp, etc. Click Next and wait a few minutes to see what PhoneRescue comes up with.

Well, does it work?

You’re probably wondering, does PhoneRescue do a good job at recovering lost/deleted data? Well, the answer is yes, sort of.

The app recovered a lot, but a lot of my data! The problem is that some of it wasn’t actually deleted and still exists on my phone. At other times, PhoneRescue jumbled up information.

For example, it recovered a few text messages (in Romanian) that were sent by my network operator a few months back. The problem was that one of my former collaborators who is based in Australia and can’t speak a word of Romanian was listed as the sender of the messages. While this wasn’t a huge problem for me, such mix-ups have the potential to make it harder for users to quickly find the piece of information they are seeking.

Nevertheless, the app did a good job at recovering some deleted pictures from a birthday party I attended back in February and I’m thankful for that at least.

Another great feature is that the app lets you recover data directly to your Android device, so you won’t have to copy it manually from your computer to your phone, although that’s an option too. However, you’ll need to be rooted for the feature to be available. I also have to praise the app for its clean-looking, intuitive user-interface which makes it extremely easy to work with.

As I mentioned above, PhoneRescue is free to download and install, but you won’t be able to use it indefinitely. In order to do so, you’ll have to acquire a Personal License. For $49.99 you can get the software licensed for 1 computer, use it as long as you want, as well as receive lifetime free support and free updates.

A family plan is also available for $69.99 which includes 5 computer licenses and also a business plan for $199 with 10+ computer licenses.

Conclusion:

PhoneRescue proved itself to be a very good tool, albeit being riddled with some minor faults (at least the Samsung version). The program is easy to setup and use and even does the rooting for you.

Furthermore, if you ever get confused there’s a truckload of tips and guides on how to best use the app waiting for you on the developer’s website. So if you too have lost some files or photos recently, you can go ahead and give PhoneRescue a try.

U.S. lifts its laptop ban on Emirates and Turkish Airlines inbound flights

Why it matters to you

The laptop ban is still in place for six airlines, but if you’re flying Emirates or Turkish Airlines, there’s good news for your carry-on.

Those flying from Dubai or Istanbul to the United States will no longer need to check their laptops and tablets in their luggage. On Wednesday, Emirates and Turkish Airlines confirmed that the U.S. ban on electronics bigger than a smartphone in carry-on bags was lifted. The so-called laptop ban was initially implemented in March as the Department of Homeland Security expressed concerns over the possibility that these devices could be used to bring explosives aboard planes.

A total of 10 cities in eight countries were included in the initial ban: Amman, Jordan; Cairo, Egypt; Istanbul, Turkey; Jidda and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia; Kuwait City, Kuwait; Casablanca, Morocco; Doha, Qatar; and Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

Now, however, a growing number of cities are being exempted from the ban. “Emirates has been working hard in coordination with various aviation stakeholders and the local authorities to implement heightened security measures and protocols that meet the requirements of the Department of Homeland Security’s new security guidelines for all U.S. bound flights,” the Dubai-based airline said in a statement.

Turkish Airlines, on the other hand, announced the change via a tweet, noting, “Dear Passengers, #WelcomeOnBoard to our U.S.-bound flight. Please fasten your seatbelts and enjoy your own electronic devices.”

However, there is another electronics ban for flights from Turkey to the United Kingdom that remains in place.

This is not the first time the ban has been slightly amended. Last week, the DHS lifted the ban for Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways. Six airlines remain affected by the ban, as do seven airports located in the Middle East and North Africa. Some of these folks have noted that moves are being made to implement additional DHS security measures that would allow the ban to be lifted. Saudia, for example, Saudi Arabia’s national airline, said on Tuesday that it is attempting to meet the DHS standards by July 19.

“We’re not in a position to confirm so far in advance,” a DHS spokesman said on Tuesday. “Saudi Arabian Airlines is still operating under the [portable electronic device] restriction.”

So if you’re planning on doing any overseas travel, be sure to check the travel restrictions in place before packing your electronic devices.

New report explores the good, the bad, and the ugly about sex robots

Why it matters to you

Sex robots may soon become commonplace but experts say we should be cautious about the consequences.

Sex robots may usher in a sexual revolution with both good and bad consequences for society, experts say. On the one hand, they may be used in care homes to keep the elderly company or to bridge the gap in long distance relationships — on the other, they may encourage unhealthy sexual relationships and lead to the further objectification of women. To mitigate these risks, the authors of a new report by the Foundation for Responsible Robots (FRR) call for a ban on certain sex robots and caution with others.

“There are absolutely some benefits to the technology but, like everything else, there is a balance,” Aimee van Wynsberghe, assistant professor in ethics and technology at the Technical University of Delft and FRR co-director, said in a statement. “You have to strike a balance between lack of regulation — so we have all different uses and personifications of children and women as sexual objects — or you have overregulation and you stifle the technology. You have to find the way to balance so you really can harness the good.”

Sex robots are still a niche market, more familiar from shows like Westworld and Humans than in real life, but there are a few companies already manufacturing love-making machines that sell for between $5,000 and $15,000.

As these robots become more commonplace, van Wynsberghe and Noel Sharkey, professor of robotics and artificial intelligence at the University of Sheffield and FRR co-founder, warn that they could change the conception of sex within society, for better or worse.

“I can tell you that robots are certainly coming,” Sharkey said at a press event in London, according to The Telegraph. “The concern is that this is going on [and] nobody is talking about it.”

Some of the use cases for sex robots considered in the report include their use in brothels, as sexual companions for the lonely, and as therapy for rapists or pedophiles. Each of these cases is controversial.

The report quotes Patrick Lin, professor and robot ethicist at California Polytechnic, as saying, “Treating pedophiles with robot sex-children is both a dubious and repulsive idea … Imagine treating racism by letting a bigot abuse a brown robot. Would that work? Probably not.”

Sex robot advocates will meet later this year in London for the third Love and Sex With Robots conference, where no doubt many of these topics will be discussed.

The FRR has released its report on its website and welcomes comments from readers.

VRcade Arena promises 8-person, ‘warehouse-scale’ multiplayer

Why it matters to you

What’s better than donning a headset and playing games in virtual reality? Sharing that virtual world with up to seven of your pals.

Consumer virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive are great, but most owners simply don’t have the space to host experiences that can be enjoyed with friends. To fill that void, Seattle-based VR arcade specialist VRstudios has announced a new system dubbed the VRcade Arena.

VRcade Arena is described as a “warehouse-scale” platform that will allow businesses to offer multiplayer VR experiences to the public. The hardware streamlines the entire process of setting up the correct environment for players, even down to software integration of first- and third-party equipment, according to a report from Road to VR.

Most of the first wave of VR arcades simply use consumer headsets that are configured and networked by technically minded staff. VRcade Arena looks set to simplify the process somewhat, which should make it easier for businesses like amusement parks, casinos, and movie theaters to get in on the VR boom.

The platform supports multiplayer for up to eight players, making full use of the proprietary wireless headsets developed by VRstudios. Additional peripherals like motion controllers and mock pistols are also wireless, allowing users to take on a wide range of different experiences without having their movements constricted.

The current list of games supported by VRcade Arena includes Time Zombies, Barking Irons, PlanktOs: Crystal Guardians, and VRcade Drone Storm. The platform ships with various pieces of software designed to make the most of such a large-scale multiplayer set-up.

Over the past few years, we’ve started to see more and more facilities offer up all the necessary hardware and peripherals to give visitors a full VR experience. Last year, The Void delivered a Ghostbusters-themed experience in New York City where players could throw on a proton pack and go on the hunt for some restless spirits.

This kind of VR content can be amazing — but it’s typically bespoke, since most games designed for consumer headsets are designed for a single player. To make VRcade Arena a success, VRstudios needs to provide both a functional hardware set-up and enticing software that makes the most of its unique capabilities, and that’s no small feat.

Now up for sale on eBay, Loretta Lynn’s Eagle tour bus carried host of famous acts

Why it matters to you

Want a piece of country music history? Loretta Lynn’s Eagle tour bus is currently up for sale on eBay.

Loretta Lynn’s Eagle tour bus is for sale, but the 40-foot vehicle has an even deeper history of transporting award-winning musicians and bands. Grammy Award-winner Vassar Clements, Country Music Hall of Fame singer Faron Young, Loretta Lynn’s guitarist Perley Curtis, and the Badfinger and Sugarland bands all owned or toured in the 1977 Eagle tour bus currently up for auction on eBay. The bus still has “Coal Miner’s Daughter” on the front, but it can be removed.

The bus has one private bedroom and six bunks that can accommodate eight or more people. There’s a bathroom but no shower. There is, however, an empty closet adjacent to the bathroom that was originally intended for a shower, so conversion should be easy.

The bus has new air brakes, a new alternator, two new batteries, a new 14kW generator, and less than 1,000 miles on mostly new tires (two on the rear are retreads). The Detroit 8V71 diesel engine is paired with a five-speed transmission.

The eBay summary chart says the mileage is 200,000, but the owner’s representative says the mileage is actually unknown due to a motor rebuild. The vehicle has always been privately owned and never used commercially, so there are no logs. There are, however, meticulous records of the bus’s restoration and maintenance by the previous owner.

The diesel generator runs off the main fuel tanks to power two large air conditioners. One AC unit is located between the lounge area and the bunks and the second between the bunks and the master bedroom. There are 110V outlets throughout the bus.

Other features include two flatscreen TVs, two DVD players, a music system with surround speakers, a microwave oven, air horns, aluminum wheels, and reverse lights. Interior motor access panels on the floor make it easy to work on the engine. Underneath the coach, there are six large storage bays that go all the way from side to side.

The seller’s representative says the engine is strong and the bus do 78 to 80 mph on the highway if necessary. The rep also said the bus rides and steers very well. This bus was featured in Sugarland’s first music video, although the interior has since been updated.

This is just the latest eBay listing for a vehicle associated with musicians or celebrities. Earlier this year Bruce Springsteen’s yellow Chevrolet convertible was listed. A GTO Robert Downey, Jr. drove in the movie Home for the Holidays was also on eBay.

The current high bid for Loretta Lynn’s tour bus is $29,200. The auction ends at 1:20 p.m. PT on Friday, July 6.

3D-printed robot aims to improve breast cancer diagnosis

Why it matters to you

The Stormram 4 may enable more accurate breast cancer diagnoses and biopsies.

A small, 3D-printed robot developed by researchers at the University of Twente may become a revolutionary new tool in breast cancer diagnoses and biopsies. They’re calling it the Stormram 4 and, although it looks intimidating, it could help save lives.

“The manual MRI-guided breast biopsy procedure is time-consuming and ineffective,” Vincent Groenhuis, one of the researchers who developed the device, told Digital Trends. “It uses a thick needle, extracting large tissue samples, often in multiple attempts, to extract a representative biopsy sample.”

To overcome these problems and get more precise biopsies, Groenhuis, Françoise Siepel, and Stefano Stramigioli from the Robotics and Mechatronics (RAM) lab decided to develop a robotic system. But there was a big problem.

“Current robotic systems cannot be used inside the MRI due to the high magnetic field,” he said, “and therefore we initiated the development of an MRI-compatible robotic system for breast biopsy.”

They found a solution in 3D-printed plastic, which doesn’t affect the MRI scanner’s magnetic field, and went through four iterations of the device before finalizing the current one.

The team faced a series of challenges during the development of the first three Stormrams, not least of which was figuring out how to power the thing, since electric motors also interfere with MRI scanners. In its current form the Stormram 3D-printed robot is driven by air pressure and controlled by an operator outside of the scanner.

The Stromram 4 has a number of advantages to conventional techniques, according to the researchers, beginning with its sub-millimeter precision, which would be impossible for human hands.

“The robotic system can manipulate the needle more precisely toward target coordinates of the lesion inside the body, on the first attempt,” Groenhuis said. “This will improve the accuracy of the biopsy procedure compared to the current manual practice. Secondly, the needle insertion can be performed inside the MRI scanner itself, so that the needle can be followed under nearly real-time imaging guidance. The required time to perform the biopsy is also shorter, allowing more effective use of the MRI scanner facilities.”

Groenhuis and his team said the device is in its final stages of design but it will still need a few years of development and trials to receive regulatory approval.

Top 5 cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb suffers major data breach

Why it matters to you

As if you needed yet another reminder — if someone calls you up and asks for your password or other private information, don’t give it to them.

It’s easy to get a bit discouraged lately when it comes to securing our personal data. There are so many different methods being used by cyber criminals to get access to our data that it is tempting to just give up on the notion of keeping our information to ourselves. Cybercriminals use a variety of electronic means to break into systems, whether it is our own PCs or those maintained by the hundreds of companies with which we do business. Sometimes, it is the combination that does the trick — a breach in an individual’s PC serves as a gateway to organizational data and results in our information making its way into the wild. Such seems to be the case in an attack on the Bithumb cryptocurrency exchange.

The news comes via Hot for Security, based on information from some local reports in Seoul, Korea where the attack occurred. Apparently, a Bithumb employee’s PC was compromised and customer information including mobile phone and email addresses were stolen. The breach occurred on June 29 and around 30,000 customers were affected.

While Bithumb asserts that no information was accessed that would provide direct access to customer’s digital currency wallets, the stolen information seems to have been used in “voice phishing” scams targeting individual customers. A number of victims have come forward claiming the loss of significant amounts of money, including one customer who succumbed to a phishing attempt and lost 10 million won (approximately $8,700) in bitcoin.

Bithumb is a significant player in the cryptocurrency market in South Korea, owning approximately 75.7 percent of the volume. It is also one of the five largest bitcoin exchanges in the word, trading over 13,000 bitcoins worth of cryptocurrency trading volume — which make up around 10 percent of the global market.

Initially, Bithumb is offering victims up to 100,000 won, or about $87. Anyone who suffered additional losses will receive more compensation when the total damages have been calculated. It is estimated that Bithumb will pay out as much as 3 billion won in total, or around $2.6 million. The South Korean government is investigating, with a number of agencies participating.

While these kinds of attacks can be discouraging and seem completely out of our control, there are still steps we can take to keep ourselves safe — or at least a little safer. In the case of the Bithumb attack, it was old-school social engineering that was used to break into customer accounts, reinforcing the need to be paranoid when deciding when to give out personal information over the phone. The bottom line remains the same: Never give up your secrets unless you are absolutely certain who you are talking to, and never give anyone your password or other credentials.

These are the best PlayStation VR games!

Your PlayStation VR collection should include these titles!

Sony and their partners did a great job making sure there are plenty of great games for you to play in PlayStation VR on launch day. It doesn’t matter if you’re into shooting, flying, music, adventure, or silly games that involve putting bacon in a blender, there really is something for everyone to enjoy.

That also means it’s not entirely clear which games you should go for first, but we’ve been playing through all of them and have some suggestions for you! If you’re starting a PlayStation VR collection, make sure these games are on your list!

Read more at VR Heads!

Become a Salesforce wizard with this $36 certification bundle

Salesforce is a huge asset for many companies looking to become more efficient, and they are willing to pay experts big bucks to help them out. Wouldn’t it be nice to learn the skills you need now so that when the next big opportunity presents itself you could be in the running? Sounds expensive and time-consuming, right? Well, it doesn’t have to be.

Get certified for just $36 Learn More

Meet the Salesforce Administrator Certification training bundle, a great way for you to learn these new skills and move towards getting certified.

With this bundle you’ll get:

• Access 42 hours of content 24/7
• Configure & manage Sales & Service Cloud
• Gain insight into each of the functional Salesforce user groups
• Implement automation, security, debugging, data validation, & customize apps
• Deploy applications & manage changes on the Force.com platform
• Develop new applications using Salesforce Platform App Builder
• Configure a Salesforce user interface

Save 96% right now! Learn More

Normally, this would all set you back $470, but right now you can pay a fraction of that. For just $36 you can learn these new skills, and gain a new certification. This price won’t last long, so be sure to grab it while you can now!

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