Samsung Galaxy Note 8 - Deals with T-Mobile, AT&T, and Costco

Good morning Social Media!
Are you still thinking about the newly released Samsung phones? Feeling like you would like a larger smartphone with a stylus and an edge-to-edge screen? Okay, the Note 8 may fit your needs, but what about your budget...? Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Colors: Midnight Black or Orchid Gray Memory: 64 GB (expandable to another 256 GB)
Option 1 - Full Retail Price $930.00 via https://my.t-mobile.com/purchase/productdetails Option 2 - Monthly Payments of $30.00/month for 24 months with $210.00 down via https://my.t-mobile.com/purchase/productdetails Over 24 months you’ll pay $720 in the monthly payments + $210 down = $930.00 total Option 3 – Visit Costco, same deal, alas you get the following benefits from being an exclusive Costco Member… FREE Accessory Bonus Pack FREE $25 Costco Cash Card FREE Shipping Dedicated Help & Support http://membershipwireless.com/53194/galaxy-note8-orchid-gray-64gb/activationtype/new Now, if you’re with AT&T they have some cool deals via Costco.com $200+DirecTV BOGO - GS8 + Note8 - IN WAREHOUSE ONLY. Buy a GS8 and a Note8 (one must be a new line of service) and receive $750 back via AT&T billing credit and a $200 Costco cash card. $200+DirecTV BOGO - GS8 + Note8 - IN WAREHOUSE ONLY. Buy a GS8 and a Note8 (one must be a new line of service) and receive $750 back via AT&T billing credit and a $200 Costco cash card. $200+DirecTV BOGO - GS8 Plus + Note8 - IN WAREHOUSE ONLY. Buy a GS8 Plus and a Note8 (one must be a new line of service) and receive $750 back via AT&T billing credit and a $200 Costco cash card. DirecTV BOGO - GS8 Plus + Note8 - IN WAREHOUSE ONLY. Buy a GS8 Plus and a Note8 (one must be a new line of service) and receive $750 back via AT&T billing credit and a $200 Costco cash card. If you have any questions, comments, or locate betters deals at Sams Club or via online, please let us know and comment.

Lytro camera - a new view on photography

Years ago camera technology changed when the average consumer was able to purchase a digital camera, and no longer was required to purchase film later paying to have it developed. The digital camera changed photography drastically in the late 1990's. I remember clearly back in 1999 when a neighbor of mine permitted me to use her digital - wow! Then, as she requested, after snapping some pictures outside of trees, flowers, and other objects in nature we connected the camera to her workstation, and minutes later the photos appeared on the screen - amazing!

1999 came and went quickly followed by the dreaded year 2000 and the rollover of Y2K (nothing really happened no laptops to my knowledge blew up). In that year of Y2K recovery I received my first digital camera. It was around 0.3 megapixel; however, it was in color! I was unable to preview the camera for it is a very, extremely simplistic digital (for fun read about the first digital photography back in 1975).Okay, skip forward twelves years to 2012. Are you amazed on the quality of megapixels offered in the photography world...? If not, you should be stupefied with jaw-dropping jealously! 

2012 - Cannon, Pentax, Fuji, Nikon, Sony, they are selling expensive Digital SLR Cameras with wide angle, zoom lens, external flash attachments, and even remote controls. I don't disagree with the price; although, it quickly becomes out of hand when you purchase accessories and the extra lens. Nevertheless, with practice, much coaching, a class or two, and post five-thousand "test" pictures you'd be amazed how great these D-SLR photographs turn out! But, what about the focus? What about the depth of the picture?

2011 - Lytro

Directly from their website, Lytro - a new camera. A new way to take and experience pictures. The feature of variable depth of field and refocusing were amazing photographic experience. The photographs snapped gave the ability to change the focal point. Many pictures were ruined simply because the camera moved at the wrong moment or the subject moved, was too far away, or there were objects in the way. The Lytro technology changes all of this. After using the camera the 30-day trial period I returned it. For me, the camera was more of a gimmick and could not justify the  $299.00 price tag. It was great fun to use the camera, very easy, battery life was great and then the sharing came into play. The audience I shared with had a difficult time editing the pictures and it initially slow to change the focus. Here are some details on their wiki - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lytro

2012 - the iPhone camerasAfter purchasing the Apple iPhone 3G back in 2009 it was an addiction I knew so little about. 50,000 photographs later the models keep coming. In 2012 it was the iPhone 5. The software continued to change as did camera hardware. Apple kept adding more, and more, and more functionality tempting you to upgrade each year. Well, not every year did I succumb to their tricky advertising, okay, most years I did.

2016 - the iPhone 7 Plus released
October, 2016 passed far too slowly as I patiently awaited the shipment of the iPhone 7 Plus. I took far to long for they were on back order. Today as I finish this article, August 30, 2017, nearly a year passed by and yes, I still port the same smartphone, the exact same one. No major software or hardware issues warranted a return or exchange for the first time in years. Even better, I've kept it leaving in a shock-proof case to avoid breakage. Apple has made far too much money off me in replacing cracked screens. The addition to taking pictures has transformed into a healthy hobby of photography. With the

iPhone Timeline

2007 iPhone

2008 iPhone 3G  

Original iPhone and the iPhone 3G on the right

2009 iPhone 3GS 

2010 iPhone 4

2011 - iPhone 4S

2012 - iPhone 5

2013 - iPhone 5S

2013 - a variant of the iPhone 5 was the iPhone 5C

2014 - iPhone 6

2014 - iPhone 6 Plus

2015 - iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6S Plus, and yes, they looked very much like the six series with upgraded screens, hardware, and more awesome software.

2016 - iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus - new camera lens!

* photo courtesy of the Apple.com website - https://www.apple.com/iphone-7/

Yeah, the iPhone 7 Plus has been my overall favorite for the camera lenses. It snaps amazing pictures with both light, depth, clarity, color, and a crispness many love. The screen is large, and this is the biggest smartphone I have ever owned. At times I have missed the size of the iPhone 5 and iPhone 6, alas, it is worth the trouble of caring a large phone to capture the great photographs. Here's a Google album of a few of my favorite photographs captured over the past 10 months: https://goo.gl/photos/Dz3yRRPzNA4L3gX38

2017 - iPhone 8 - we'll know more on September 12, 2017

Apple Watch Sleep and Battery Life Review after Three Weeks

Dear Social Media,

Good morning! The age-old question, and quite a popular one these days, how did you sleep last night? What about five months ago, how were you sleeping during those spring months compared with the hot, summer days of August, 2017? Perhaps you don't care, alas, you are reading this article so my hope is you are curious. There are free apps and lost-cost devices to help both you and me monitor, track, and dissect our hours of rest. Out of the 107 methods, which of the following is best?

Method 1 - paper
When you awake in the morning rack your sleep brain and jot down the exact minute you fell asleep based upon some timer or the last time your fuzzy eye sight caught a glimpse of the clock on your nightstand. Night after night you can run some reports and see how those years of high-school math come in handy.

Method 2 - download the Misfit app and sleep with your phone next to you all night. This is free app and provides good feedback. It also works with the built-in accelerometer included with every iPhone since model 5

Method 3 - purchase a fitness tracker ranging in price

Method 4 - choose Garmin - their line of trackers, watches, and smartwatches has just about the right watch for any person. I chose the Garmin vivoactive, originally launched back in 2015. It was on-sale for $99.00

Pros
1. you type in a set sleep range and Garmin automatically tracks your sleep start and stop time very accurately

2. there are reports and graphs online and within the app

3. nap mode - you can quickly turn on "Sleep Mode" for naps 

Cons

1. there is a cost to purchase the tracker/smartwatch and the software is free

2. All of the Garmin devices I have used and tested did not auto-detect naps over 20 minutes

Method 5 - choose Apple - if you have an iPhone 5 or greater the synchronization and seamless communication among the two devices is amazing! I tried the Apple Watch series 1 when it released back in 2015 and it was an okay experience. I decided a few weeks ago to give it another go and tried the original Apple Watch. Removed the lame battery life it has been more fun then one year ago. Unsure why? There is a free app to download to our iPhone and installs on the watch itself called Sleep++ #sleep++. There are a few great flaws though:
1. you have to remember to turn it on and then off again (same issue as the Fitbit one and many other trackers back in 2013)
2. if you forget to initiate the app you cannot manually add the sleep or nap data for it was not turned on and doesn't run in the background
3. even when you do remember to start and stop the Sleep++ it doesn't always collect data and an error message displays asking to restart the Watch before the app can function aright - bummer and lame if you're sleepy

4. lack of reports

Here are some screenshots for you to compare and gather your own opinions. 

Garmin Sleep Data

Apple app - Sleep++

Misfit App

Apple Battery Life - is there enough battery for the average life of an iPhone consumer...?
FRIDAY, 9:38 8/25/2017
08:12, 10% battery life on the Apple Watch
09:36, 2% battery life
09:36, plugged into the wall socket using the Apple OEM AC to USB charger (same as the iPhone) and left the Watch in power reserve mode while charging.
09:40, the Apple Watch automatically took itself out of the Power-Reserve mode and turned itself back on, what? It is also impossible to turn off the Watch while charging for this feature is disabled. 
* power reserve mode is also disabled while charging
09:40

09:43 - Watch reads 1,384 steps while the Apple Health app read 1,478 steps
10:35 - placed the Watch into Airplane Mode and now the battery = 60%
11:48 - 100% battery

22:00 - 9% battery after 30 min of GPS and normal use

Test 3,329 - Monday, 8:47 8/28/2017
Apple Watch Usage updates
08:47 - battery at 59%
Usage - 1 Hour, 43 minutes
Standby 13 Hours, 29 minutes (most of that time was in Airplane or Theatre modes)
Keeping the Watch in Airplane Mode all night while I slept and I used the "Sleep++" to monitor my sleep. Using less notifications is not too bad at all and there are many watch features to use even when the iPhone is not consistently connected.

12:00 - 11% battery, turned back on the Theater Mode (this mode turns off sounds and disabled the screen display for notifications and wrist movement).
13:00 - 8% 
14:37 - 2% yeah, when the Watch battery drops below 10% you may only have less than an hour of tracking left. I was about to turn off Airplane mode and sync and then it turn off. Plugged in the Watch and only Power-Reserve mode is available for when the device gets critically low it need to charge for a bit before the OS is available. If you recall, your iPhone and many other smart devices follow the same process.
Usage 3 Hours, 34 Minutes
Standby 19 Hours, 20 Minutes

Yeah, not the best smartwatch for daily use when it cannot last a full 24 hours when switching among, Sleep, Theater, and Airplane Modes. Granted, this is the original Apple Watch released back in 2015. The Watch 1 - had a new processor, faster, and battery upgrades. With the release of Watch 2 (series 2), they added waterproof resistance for swimming, a faster processor, and longer battery life still. I'll be returning the this device to my friend for enough data has been collected. And now the question - would I recommend the Apple Watch series 1 or 2 to a friend, coworker, or family member? Nope, the battery life is far too short to spend $250.00 for a refurbished model. I already charge my smartphone once a day. Perhaps, on September 12 Apple will announce major charging technological advances and the Watch 3 may last four days as the newly debuted Fitbit Ionic. Time and more testing will the tests of time...

Thank you for reading my blog and feel free to add comments if you have any questions. And may tonight's rest be better than two nights ago...


Sincerely,
Orange Runner

Enjoy the Walk and Love the Run

Good afternoon! 

Are you a walker or a runner? There are only two categories for my mind to digest and accept. One either is a walker or a runner in life. Not everyone is able to run and many despise the sport and would only run if a bear were chasing them as a mid-afternoon snack! Yep, and then there is my type, the runner classification and the above-average male addicted to the endorphines released during a 13.1 mile run. For me, the running speed begins at 6 MPH and stops at 18 MPH. Anytime you finish a mile in single digits, 00:09:59, yes, that was a run. Now, if you just ran up a mountain or a really steep hill with your heart rate jumping up to 190 beats per minute (BPM), okay, a 00:15:00 mile pace still felt like running for both mind and body. 

Jogging
Walking is walking and running is running quickly. The in-between is jogging and or speed walking. I have done both and prefer either a brisk walk/hike or full out speed. The idea of 'jogging' does not and never has appealed to me. After my hips and knees are replaced with a Kevlar material and the pain grows too intense I shall retreat to the swimming pools and cycling. 

Walking
When my running partners have busy lives I gladly walk the trails of Utah in order to absorb mother nature in her finest moments. A nice stroll along the mountain trails, a passeggiata nearby the Provo River does wonders for the soul and brain. 

Running Through Life
Why walk when you can run? My motto is simply, "ran farther to move further in life." This allows me to apply running to nearly every aspect of life:
1. Family
2. Community
3. Church
4. Personal 
5. Corporate Realm

I discovered and strive to learn more from mistakes, and far too often fall backward making the same error. Alas, if I keep on running success does trickle here and there a little. I find when I stop running, well, not good at all. For if one has the awesome ability to run through and around obstacles and is lazy deciding to walk. Yeah, not good at all! Muscles have great memories and if you have the running talent and deny it by walking and resting on laurels I feel this is a great mistake. Your mind and body may forget what running sensations bring, the hidden blessing, and how many people can be helped with your talents and honed, exposed, augmented, and shared with others. 

May the trails great you with a smile, the sun warm your skin, and may the wind blow through your hair as you run, walk, and then run a little more through life...

Sincerely,
Orange Rabbit Runner

Hiking to Kings Peak, Utah - 13,528 Feet of Awesomeness

Just 3 more miles, right...?

We researched, read, visited the National Forest Service office, purchased a fancy map, downloaded apps, and then went with "Plan A" to hike into Dollar Lake, about 8-9 miles from the trail head. Next morning summit (15 miles RT), return to our base camp, 😴 sleep for 9 hours, wake-up, and hike out. Total mileage was planned to be 27.1. Yeah, that didn’t work... Plan B- we started hiking circa 17:30 on Thursday, made six miles until the trail got dark. Made our campsite about 50 ft from the main trail and slept in an ultra tent for about 7 hrs, and hiked 18 miles to the summit & back. We intended to crash at our base camp ⛺️ last night, alas, there were three puddles of water on our tent, water leaked inside and both sleeping bags were soaked 51%. UGH! We broke our awesome camp, and quickly returned to the trail thinking it was 3-4 miles. Nope! It was six clicks back to the trailhead and parking lot. The last two hours of hiking were beyond thought. We skipped stopping for dinner in fear of cramping up our legs. Each hiker group that passed us hiking into Dollar Lake we asked, “How long have you been hiking or how far have you hiked?” The responds were so varied we finally stopped asking. 

Okay, we resumed asking after becoming overly frustrated with the never-ending trail. During the last 1/2 Italian swear words filled my mind. My thoughts gained a delirious taste as I began repeating the phrase, “just 3 more miles, just 3 more miles, just 3 more miles...” we were about 1/4 mile from the parking lot, we could hear the river, and became excited. I questioned my ability to navigate and JP thought we had missed a turn. I reviewed my trail database and recalled the first 5 miles was a straight shot. Yikes! The times was 21:30 and I was the only one with a flash light. JP was too tried to stop moving, take off his 16 lbs pack to retrieve his Petzel headlamp. Ergo, he stayed close behind and I lit the way. Another five minutes passed and not trail end in sight. We heard strange sounds and I thought, crap! We are about to become a bear’s 🐻 midnight snack! We stopped, and shinned the flashlight through the thick 🌲 pine trees. No glowing eyes 👀 appeared. Instead, we viewed a headlight brightness down by the river. Could it be the parking lot and had we passed a side trail or missed signage? Nope! It was the moonlight’s reflection off the river. We pressed forward, no swearwords uttered off the tongue. Another 11 minutes passed and I finally saw the most beautiful sight; a wooded gate and and the U.S. Forest Service trailhead signs. Wahooooooooo! Navigation through the gate was quite difficult for I was carrying my trekking poles, our food bag, and my sleeping pad which fell off at mile four. JP’s car never looked so good. We quickly changed our of clothes. My socks had become one with my skin after 29 miles and 29 hours of usage. Funny and ironic though for there were two more clean pairs in my pack. Yes, I learned much about myself, from JP, and from Mother Nature during our extreme hike. Would ever want to summit Kings Peak again? Ask me again in 2019...

The Ascent

The ascent to the summit - a roughly 1,100 feet and one mile straight up & over boulders. Oh yeah, there is snow melt running under, over, and around eroding and this causing the rocks to shift and you “carefully” traverse with GREAT anticipation...

The Photographs... https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B115VaUrzNPcVq 

Garmin vívoactive fitness tracker or smartwatch...?

Dear Social Media,

Good afternoon! Have you ever stayed up late and night wondering if your fitness device still thinks you are asleep even though your mind is awake and your binge-watching #Netflix movies...? Yeah me too! There are fitness bands and then there are smartwatches of which normally include the ability to track fitness. And yes, then there are the other devices in-between struggling to define themselves as one or the other (i.e. Samsung Gear Fit series, Fitbit Charge 2, Microsoft Band - are those still in stores?).

What is a fitness band?
The ultimate example of a fitness band is a device warn around your left or right wrist silently tracking data, movement, conducting skin analysis, and wanting to tap into your central nervous system by the year 2020.

Garmin vívoactive - smartwatch

Fitbit Flex 2 - their first swimming tracker and fitness band

Jawbone fitness bands

Garmin - How to add a privacy zone

Dear Social Media,

Good morning! Have you ever wondered if you are too connected? Has your sharing been too public and far too transparent these past months? Yeah, me too! Weeks ago Garmin sent out an email about a new feature named, Privacy Zones. You can now add certain zones, addresses, even city boundary to your Garmin profile for added security and privacy when workouts are posted. Let's say for example not everyone knows I work at Simplifile.com located currently...

Simplifile
4844 North 300 West
Suite 202
Provo, Utah 84604

Now, if you log into your Garmin account - https://connect.garmin.com and the go to the Privacy Settings section you can new zones. Here's a screenshot to illustrate this awesome customization:

Ergo, when leave your zone for a run your exact start and finish points are hidden. Well, what is your reason for not leaving the house now? Call a friend, text a sibling, walk over to your neighbor and extend a face-to-face invite, and venture outside to soak in this fabulous spring weather!

Sincerely,
Orange Runner