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Hi everyone!
In the next couple of days two lucky Mobile Insiders will be receiving their new handsets and the review will begin.
Watch this space for imminent un-boxing and excitement.
Please post below if you'd like the reviewers to keep anything particular in mind when they're writing about their first impressions of the phones.
You can read more on the handsets here: S6 and S6 edge.
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It would be great if the reviewers could talk about Touch Wiz and the new material design. Whether the device is sluggish because of the skin, what applications have been removed/added.
Also, specifically for the edge, I'd love to hear the reviewer's opinion on the extra features offered on the device, the overall functionality of these extra features, what can be improved etc!
I'm really keen to see the camera quality - would love to see some day/night snaps from our new insiders
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Can you please update on pros and cons (features and uses) of the "edge" on the S6 Edge
I have a great idea on the review if one more handset can be organised. Happy to return it back if needed. Would like to trial this new way of interacting with anyone who has any questions on the S6 Edge and future products
Here's a warning to anyone even considering the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, forget it.
We got one on launch day, so we've had it for coming up a week. We decided this would be ideal for my wife and run parralel to my Note 4 Edge, even though considerably more expensive.
The battery is to say the least woeful compared to the note and her previous S4.
We are in the city and we struggle to achieve 4G service the note kills it and so did her S4 on 3G. 3G on this is so sol.
You're paying a premium for the edge effects on the screen but you are getting a couple of features, but don't ecpect Note Edge features or performance. Because of the edge on each side of the phone it makes trying to thumb text a terrible act. The two edges and the gkass back of the phone make it as slippery as a wet fish. There's no positive grip areas anywhere on the phone.
Buyer beware.
Hi everyone.
Your Mobile Insiders this round are:
I'm sure they'll start posting soon.
I can't wait to see the unboxing.
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The phone arrived in a nice plain box that is very compact in size, in fact is barely larger than the size of the phone itself. Upon opening the box the first thing that struck me is how clean and understated the front of the phone looks.
Digging further into the box reveals some standard array of accessaries, including the wall charger, sync/charging cable, and here is a rarity in recent times: A set of headphones!
Well done Telstra and Samsung, I appluad you on giving the customers what they paid for - considering the price of this handset if purchased outright.
Turning the phone on for the first time the set-up process begins. Here is a tip: if you have another android device with NFC(does NOT have to be running lollipop) you can transfer majority of your data across to your new Galaxy S6 by tapping the two phones together, and just like that voila, my phone was ready to go with all the apps emails and contacts from the old phone. Very convenient,
I'd like to show you what the screen looks like, but my older phone's camera just cannot pick up how good the SuperAMOLED 2560x1440 screen looks, it is an absolute wonder how beautiful the colours are, and how sharp text look. Trust me, you need to go to your local Telstra store and see it in person, it is THAT good.
Another feature of the S6 is its finger print scanner, which lives in the home button. It works much better than the one inside my friend's S5, because the old one requires a swipe to read the fingerprint whereas the new one is like TouchID, you just place your finger on it and the phone magically unlocks. It is very reliable, works for me over 95% of the time, very impressed.
This concludes my first impression of the Galaxy S6, detailed analysis will be coming over the next few days with more on the camera, battery, performance, network speeds and software experience, oh and call quality - it is a phone after all! If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask, either here or over on twitter tw@billchen0014.
Again thanks Telstra for the opportunity to review this amazing device!
Bill C.
Couple of questions/requests
It would be awesome if you could do a review comparing the fingerprint scanner on the G6 to the iPhone 6!
Also interested to know whether the packaging for the G6 is environmentally friendly? I know that HTC designs great packages that are biodegradable so I always like seeing whether other companies do the same thing!
I don't have an iPhone 6 or even a 5S, but for me, a fingerprint scanner either works, or doesn't. The one on the S5 from last year didn't because it was too slow and the ratio between successful unlocks and unsuccessful is low enough that many considered to be unreliable for such a frequent task. From what I have experienced on the S6, it just works. I have no complaints there. And based on what I have seen, yes the box is eco-friendly though I have no experience in that area whatsoever so I will let the box itself do the talking.
Kudos for replying so promptly! It might be worth sourcing a friend who has an iPhone or going into a Telstra Store to check out touch ID. From my experience (I currently own a 6), touch ID works fairly well as long as your hands aren't dirty or sweaty! Would be interesting to see whether this is the case with the G6
So nice to open up this thread this morning and see the lovely unboxing photos. Can't wait to hear how you go this week.
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Hey guys,
Anjo Here, I just got the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge now and I'll be posting my unboxing and initial review soon.
I'll surely get to your questions regarding the phone too!
Hey Anjo, love that photo. Looking forward to reading your initial thoughts.
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Hey @AnjoMiranda and @bill0014, how are the handsets going?
I'd really like to know how fast the phones are - how are they when you use your favourite apps?
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The Galaxy S6 is a beautiful phone even without the curves of the S6 Edge. The Gorilla glass fronts and backs are cool to the touch as glass should be, and gives you the feeling that the phone is a carefully crafted piece of jewellery - it feels expensive, and rightly so. The aluminuim rim around the phone is flat on the sides giving the user a grip to hold onto the phone, though the glass back is slippery and personally I would recommend a case if you're clumsy - after all glass is prone to shattering no matter how good the strengthening process maybe (and no, I have no intentions to do a drop test anytime soon )
All the hardware buttons are clicky and gives a solid feedback when pressed, so you can be certain when you press it, always a sign of good build quality. The softkeys (Multitasking and back) lights up when touched, a tad too bright for use in the dark as their brightness icannot be changed, they won't blind you but I wish they can change in brightness along with the screen which by the way is both the brightest and dimmest I have ever seen on a phone - great for use both outdoors and bed time reading.
The colour I was given was Black Sapphire which changes colour depending on the angle you look at it: if a light source reflects off it, its a subtle dark navy colour, otherwise it's mostly black and very business-like and reserved. I am a big fan of this design.
Here is something that I am pleasantly surprised by, the glass on the front of the phone is ever so slightly curved, giving it a pebble sort of feel when you slide your finger from the edge to open side menus. It feels very smooth and not jarring like on the M8, however the effect is just not as significant as the S6 Edge.
The loud speaker on the buttom is loud and clear (maybe not to the same level as Boomsound from the M8 but more than usable), however, becareful not to cover it up - it fades to almost nothing if you cover it with your fingers.
In conclusion, if you have ever decided against buying a Galaxy device before because it just doesn't feel "premium" enough (plastic-y/flimsy), this Galaxy is completely different. It feels high-end, it feels good in the hand, and dare I say it, it feels like an Apple product. That is one of the highest praise a phone can get as far as many are concerned, well done Samsung. Well done.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Hey guys, Anjo here.Your #MobileInsider for the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge.
Today, I am bringing you my unboxing photos and Initial Impressions of the gorgeous Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge.
The S6 Edge and the regular S6 comes in 32/64/128 GB configuration with choices of Pearl White or Black Sapphire colours. I've heard that more colours will be available in Australia soon. The one I got is the 32GB Pearl White version from Telstra. One advantage of getting the white one is it hides fingerprints, especially on the back, really well.
The S6 Edge features killer innards! It is powered by Samsung's own octa-core Exynos 7420 1.5GHz CPU which devours the also powerful Snapdragon 810 found on the HTC One M9 in benchmarks. Multitasking wouldn't be a problem as well as Samsung paired the powerful CPU with 3GB of super-speedy LPDDR4 RAM. Remember when your computer had 2GB of RAM?
One thing that keep people excited is the camera. It's all about the camera in this Instagram era (My IG: @anjomiranda). Sadly, the usual drawback on Android phones is the terrible camera hardware and software manufacturers include on their phones. For me personally, as an avid photo enthusiast, camera quality is a major consideration when I look to buying a new phone. Luckily, Samsung had improved its camera experience and based on what I've been seeing in recent reviews, the photo quality coming out of the S6's even trumps the quality of the iPhone 6 Plus' aka The King of Smartphone Cameras! So this is one area where I'm really excited about.
I'll definitely be posting camera samples in the coming days in varying environments and light situations.
The phone supports the new 4GX network so you'll be assured that you get more speed and coverage from your area.
The phone came in a very simple off white and white packaging, a nice clean change from the faux wooden packaging you get with the previous Galaxy phones and tablets. You will also notice the fresh fonts they used on the Galaxy branding. I like it better -- Simple, modern and clean. The box did have the Carbon Trust logo and printed with soy ink mark, so to answer the ecofriendliness, I believe it is!
Upon opening the box, the first thing you see is the striking design of the Galaxy S6 Edge. It really looks beautiful in person! Of course, the main differentiation from the regular S6 is its dual edge design that has the front glass tapering down to both sides of the screen. The phone felt very premium upon holding it as it features Gorilla Glass 4 on both the front and the back, which definitely adds more durability. It is encased with an aluminium frame on the side.
Again, Samsung took a different approach to the design this time around and went in for more premium materials rather than the plastic feel that most people complained about on the previous iteration.
Along with the phone, the box came in with the usual accessories: a flat-cable stereo headset, which looks quite similar to the Apple earpods, a microUSB charging cable, a SIM eject tool and a power adapter. A quick startup guide, which no one ever reads, and a warranty information card is also included. Oh, the S6 Edge uses a nano sim if you're wondering.
Starting up the phone prompted me with the usual Language preference, Google login and WiFi network selection. Since the phone runs on Lollipop, it will you to import setting from an older phone easily, using Tap & Go, utilising NFC technology.
Another restore option is Samsung's very own Smart Switch, which "lets you transfer Music, Clips, Photos, Contacts, Messages and more from your old compatible smartphone to your new compatible Samsung device." You can even transfer content from your iPhone, with some limitations. I haven't tried this, as I want to set new phones as new devices.
Fingerprint Scanner
During the initial setup, the phone also allows you to add a fingerprint with the revamped fingerprint scanner on the home button. This security feature can be used with web sign in, payment options like PayPal and work with third party apps like LastPass. The setup and how the fingerprint scanning works similarly with that of the iPhone 6. No more of that silly sliding of fingers on the S5!
It was a hit and miss for me unlocking the phone with the fingerprint scanner but I've managed to learn how to use it properly by making sure you have most of your finger covering the home button. It does say that though during screen unlocking. I have tried adding several fingerprint profile of the same thumb just to be sure it's easy for me to unlock the phone depending on the position of my thumb. I've done this on my iPhone 6 Plus as well and I think it helps.
Initial impressions
The phone is really beautiful. It will probably be the most beautifully designed phone for this year. This is a phone that will catch everyone's eye in the public. It is just unusual to see a curved phone in public so prepare to get noticed when you're holding this phone out there. In terms of handling the phone, I personally had no problems with it. The aluminium frame may come a little bit sharp, especially where the glass and the frame meet but not so much that it is uncomfortable. It really feels very premium.
The screen is gorgeous, even better with my iPhone 6 Plus. This is to be expected as it comes with a Super AMOLED screen with a 577 ppi, vs the iPhone 6 Plus' 401 ppi, so expect a vivid and pixel-packed clear screen. On the early days of SAMOLED screens, the colours will be just over the top and the whites will tend to lean on the bluer tone, but they hit it perfectly this time around.
Gliding your fingers on the curved edges of the screen just feels… sexy. It's a different feeling! Test it out in the store if you have time and you'll know what I'm saying. Aesthetics aside, I haven't really used much of the Edge capabilities the phone offers so I'll probably review that on the coming days.
The whole UI is much more simplified TouchWiz which is a breath of fresh air. The animations and overall design are very clean and fluid. Samsung definitely listened to its customers, as most people hated on the heavy unnecessary bloatware found on previous Galaxy phones.
The phone is blazing fast and I haven't experienced any heating issues, crashes or lags as of yet.
The phone signal reception is fine. I live in the South East Melbourne suburbs and I get full bar of 2G/3G signal and 2 bars 4G. I will test it out in more locations in the next few days.
Initial Complaints
The phone is not perfect. One of the few cons I have early on in this review is the location of the volume buttons. I have regular-sized hands and it is impossible for me to adjust the volume without readjusting the position of my hands. They are placed just too high for me in a regular one-handed use.
Also an early con for me is the lack of expandable storage. I assumed they eliminated this option for speed but flexibility is one thing that I love in an Android phone. With the 32GB variant, only about 23GB is available for personal storage. I take a lot of photos and videos and download a lot of podcasts and for the price that is almost comparable to the iPhone 6 Plus, I kind of wished it had that expandability. The HTC One M9 still kept its microSD slot by the way.
One last initial con for me is the speaker placement. The speaker is loud and clear, but not as loud and crisp sounding as even last year's HTC One M8 and the Z3. I personally think front-facing speakers are the future! The speaker is located on the right bottom part of the phone and it can easily be blocked with the palm or the fingers depending on the orientation. And once it's blocked, you can barely hear anything!
So that's about it with my initial review. I will be talking about the camera and the Edge functionailities on my next post. And also, will answer more of your questions! Stay tuned.
"Gliding your fingers on the curved edges of the screen just feels… sexy. It's a different feeling! Test it out in the store if you have time and you'll know what I'm saying. Aesthetics aside, I haven't really used much of the Edge capabilities the phone offers so I'll probably review that on the coming days."
Oooh err!
I'm really looking forward to some info on the edge's capabilities vs the tactile experience of it.
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I really enjoyed reading this! And the photos you provided are so pretty!
I really like your Instagram, btw!
I'll be very interested to hear your camera review! From other reviewers I know, it's fairly amazing! I completely agree with you when you said that buying this phone would make you stand out. I think I am drawn to the Edge's design because it's more risky compared other mobile manufacturers. Remember the good old days, prior to the first iPhone, when every phone had its own personality, its own quirks? I love the fact that the Edge gives me the same sort of excitement about mobile design as the Motorola Razr back in the day!!
Great initial review! Can't wait to read more!
@FelicityCull I'll definitely tackle on the functionalities of the Edge's screen on my next post. I wanted to focus on the feel of the phone on the initial review as many would be curious how different it would feel
@ccarolynwestt Thank you so much! I'm really glad you like my photos on Instagram
That's very true! This is indeed a head-turner! And I can't wait for Samsung or third-party apps to add more functionalities that came with its unique design!
How is the Samsung version of Lollipop? I've had issues with previous models of Samsung because the UI was too highly customised.
Is there anything in the UI that you really really like that you haven't seen on other phones? Is there anything in the UI that you really really hate?
The Galaxy S line has always had good cameras, but all seemed to live under the shadow of the Colossus - the iPhone, despite having obvious advantages in terms of specifications. On the S6 Samsung went with the same Sony IMX240 sensor as found on the Note 4, but not without some improvements, most notably the aperture increased from f/2.2 to f/1.9 (smaller is better as it lets more light in). For those impatient, my conclusion is this: overall quality of the S6's camera is as good as Android phones get, a camera that gives the iPhone 6 Plus a run for its money.
Here are the details.
Let me address the elephant in the room, yes there is a noticeable camera hump but that is totally worth it. The protruding camera doesn't affect the phone's balance on a table under normal use, though what prolonged exposure to the table surface will do to the camera lens is still unknown. The rear sensor is 16MP with a resolution of 2988 x 5312, which is double the iPhone's puny 8MP sensor, and smashes the UltraPixel camera from the M8 into the middle of last week (actually more like middle of last year). The larger aperture allows the phone to collect more light, thus compensating for a relatively small pixel size of 1.1 microns, compared to the iPhone's 1.5µm and M8's 2µm, boosting its low light performance. Another notable feature of the S6 is its OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation) which is a motor inside the camera module that cancels out the shaky-ness of the user's hands while taking a photo, it allow the aperture to stay open longer in darker situations, directly improving the end result. Now enough specs you say, get to the sample shots!
First I would like to compare the S6 against the M8 as it was my old phone, and the differences are HUGE. Take a look at the following picture:
First of all, exposure. The day quite sunny for Melbourne, and to challenge the cameras I decided to take photos of these newly built houses, as the sun was almost directly behind them. The M8 had poor dynamic range and entire photo looks washed out as it overexposed the scene, whereas the S6 picked a much better exposure and was able to capture detail both in the darker foreground and the clouds in the sky. Very impressive for a mobile camera. The colours look more saturated on the S6 and more natural on the M8, though I personally, like many casual photographers, prefer the more saturated look as it bring more drama into the scene. Zooming in is when the S6 superiority really shows. The M8 struggled to capture stripes of wood above the car as the gaps in between the planks are very blurry and almost indistinguishable, whereas the S6 quite easily captured that part of the scene with much more detail. The headlights and the badge on the car are also reflective of the S6's superior resolution. In broad daylight, I have no doubt that the S6 has one of, if not the best camera on a smartphone.
Turn the lights down, and the S6 still performs.
This is in a dark-ish room and the difference between the M8 and the S6 is surprising. The brighter photo is actually from the S6 (it may look like the lamp was on, but trust me it wasn't). I know the M8 is supposed to be good at low light photography but in this case, the S6's shot is far better in terms of brightness and colour reproduction. The white balance was not too cool like the M8's and I think it is almost spot on. Digital noise is introduced into the photograph unavoidably but seems to be well controlled by the software algorithm. With the inclusion of the wide f1.9 aperture and OIS the S6 can still make decent photos even when the lights are off.
The camera UI is much cleaner in this iteration of Touchwiz, all the commonly used controls are easily accessible – Timer, HDR, Flash etc. Different modes can be accessed from the Mode button on the bottom right corner, though I suspect that you won't be needing this very often, as the Auto mode does very well in most scenes.
More modes can be downloaded from the Samsung App store via the download button, modes like beauty face.
In conclusion, the S6's camera can capture amazing photos with saturated colours and plentiful detail in the daylight, while still keeping up in less well lit scenarios. This is the camera to beat in 2015. More sample shots comparing the M8 and S6 can be found in full resolution here: http://bit.ly/1HqyK3E Software Experience will be my next post, Anjo, i am leaving the front facing camera to you as both phones are identical in the camera area, and you're way nicer looking than I will ever be!
YES! I AM SO PSYCHED FOR THIS CAMERA. As a photographer, the amount of quality you got out of that zoom on a camera phone is just...ugh yes! In fact, I don't think I could get that level of detail out of my iPhone 6! I also had an M8 last year and although I managed to get some wicked shots out of it, but the photos required a lot more processing than shooting with my iPhone.
I'm curious, did you take these shots using HDR because if not, I'm really impressed with the G6's ability to capture the shadows without overblowing the highlights! It would also be cool to hear your thoughts on pro mode, if you're game! Great review of the camera!
Also, the link to your other photos doesn't appear to be working :'(
I changed the link, should be working now. The pro mode was somewhat of a disappointment as it didn't offer me all the controls I wanted to see, particularly shutter speed, as was available on the M8. But then again, at no point did I ever want to adjust any of the settings manually - the auto mode adjusts all the parameters just as i would in pro mode for the best result, and I think if you really want to get the ISO down manually to get less noise at night and compensate by decreasing the shutter speed etc you'd be better off getting a dedicated camera anyway. As far as I remember HDR was OFF not in AUTO as was on the M8 to make it fair, though I suspect HDR would've improved M8's result more than the S6's. More S6 specific shots will be upload in full resolution in the shared folder as well as the thread here albeit at a lower quality (upload limit).
@bill0014 wrote:
Anjo, i am leaving the front facing camera to you as both phones are identical in the camera area, and you're way nicer looking than I will ever be!
LOL! I might use a model for the front camera review then! I wasn't keen displaying my own face here haha! Nice indepth review! I will post some shots from the S6 Edge soon.
I am going to share most photos in AUTO mode. Although I love the pro controls included in the camera software, most people wouldn't bother tinkering those settings I reckon.
I love how Samsung simplified the UI on the camera software. Just showing how they listened again to the consumers as this was one of the many complaints on their previous software.
Yes, I agree that the shutter speed would be a nice addition to pro mode although it's great that you can adjust focus manually. At the moment, I can only do this on my iPhone by using an app such as VSCOcam and I just think something like pro mode should be available on all devices without downloading a third party application. Of course getting a dedicated camera is always more preferable, especially in low light and tricky lighting because the quality will be greater. But, as they say, the best camera is the one that you have in your pocket and well, I can't fit a Canon 5D Mk III in my pocket.
That's a really good point @ccarolynwestt - the best camera *is* the one in your pocket.
@AnjoMiranda and @bill0014, I have to say, I'm really loving the photos you're both taking with these handsets. It's making me itch for a phone upgrade!
I was wondering;
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Hi @FelicityCull. Thank you! It's definitely a worthy upgrade!
I have tried playing Asphalt 8, which is a pretty graphics and processor heavy game and the S6 Edge ran it flawlessly. The animations were smooth, the screen was vivid and gorgeuos, and the sound was great. No lags at all.
My usual apps like Pocket Casts, Instagram, Facebook, VSCO Cam and Snapseed ran with no issues and crashes.
Phone quality is what you would expect from Samsung, especially with a premium phone. Audio quality from both sides were loud and clear. Both models of the S6 feature an active noise-cancellation mic located on the top part of the phone that should eliminate background noises while on a call, which worked really well on my case.
Update: Compared the S6 Edge and the iPhone 6 Plus in a viber call (I did outgoing videocalls for both), the video call quality wasn't that good on the S6 Edge. On loudspeaker mode, the S6 Edge's speakers were significantly softer than that of the iP6+ and the person I was talking too can barely hear me as well. All volume settings were on max and both phones connected to same wifi network.
I believe any phone when using the camera will get warm. The S6 Edge did get warm but not hot and uncomfortable to hold.
Performance and UI
If there had been one thing that kept me from recommending older Samsung phones is the software, Touchwiz is known in the industry as the most heavy "android skin" that manufactures put on top of stock Android. It was sluggish, cartoon-y, packed full with unnecessary and hard to use gimmicks, making the experience of using the phone a chore. NOT THIS TIME. The new Touchwiz, much like the hardware, is representative of a new era for Samsung. It is sleek, fast, and perhaps most noticeably unobtrusive, gone were those annoying tutorials that pops up every time you go into a Samsung app, teaching you tricks that you would never use outside of the pub showing off to your mates. The new UI is much easier for a new user to grasp, so even an iPhone veteran can get comfortable using this phone in minutes. The new icons are still a bit cartoon-y for me compared to the material design guidelines introduced in Android 5.0 Lollipop, however, once you go into the apps themselves the UI is much cleaner and flatter, and each app has a distinctive "theme colour", much like another Android skin, *cough HTC Sense *cough.
The pulldown notification bar is cleaned up as well, quick toggles can be customised with the "Edit" button and up to ten can be placed on the top of the status bar.
The launcher is minimalist like the rest of the UI, which I like, however, one crucial feature is missing: sorting apps in alphabetical order, which hopefully will be (re)introduced as an OS update later down the track. Homescreens can be customised with widgets, icons short cuts etc and one new option is added: homescreen grid, which gives the user the choice between 4x4, 4x5 or 5x5 grid for the homescreen, allowing for more space or bigger icons.
My favourite feature of the Touchwiz skin has always been the multitasking capabilities, which is further refined in this iteration of Touchwiz to be the most intuitive and fluid version yet.
You can enter the split screen mode by either long pressing the multitasking button or click on the split screen icon in the recent apps page, and then choose the apps you want side by side, very useful when you need to jot down some information from one app to another. Once you're in the split screen mode, you can tap on the white circle between the two apps and five options will appear.
You can switch the position of the two apps, drag and drop content from one to another, minimise an app, make it full screen or close it. Minimising is not the same as closing the app however, minimising gives the app a floating icon which you can click on and it opens up a smaller version of that app, so you have one on top of another. You can drag the app around and place it wherever you like, sort of like the Facebook chatheads. These floating apps can also be created by dragging in from either the top left or the top right corner and you can open up to five at a time. Very nice especially for Youtubing while Facebooking (seriously, are these even real verbs?).
Performance and Battery
There is no noticeable performance degradation while using these features, probably because of the Exynos 7420 octa-core processor inside the S6, the most powerful mobile processor according to benchmarks. Compared to the Snapdragon 801 in the HTC One M8, it scores much higher, however in daily use this performance increase is not obvious, though it is more future proof. All the new 3d games run very smoothly and I have no problems with the performance of the phone. Battery life on the other hand is more of a mixed bag. At the end of the day after 1hr20min of screen on time the phone had 50% battery left, which is acceptable however not exceptional. Under heavy use the phone's battery does drop very quickly, and the most screen on time I had was roughly 3hr10min, with some light gaming and camera usage. I think most users can go through a day without reaching for a charger, though the power users among us might have to plug in before the day ends. But not for long. The phone charges amazingly quickly using the quick charger included in the box, it can go from 0-100% in under 90 mins and from 0-20 under 15 minutes, much faster than any other phone I can recall (The M8 takes 2hr and 15 minutes). The S6 also has wireless charging built-in, which makes charging effortless at a desk or on a bed side table, though at the cost of speed.
Overall, the S6 is one of the beefiest Android phones out there, with the help of the slimmed down interface and 3GB of ram, it is the fastest and the smoothest Android phone Samsung has ever made. Though battery life is not amazing, the wireless charging and short top-up times more than makes up for it.
Camera on the S6 Edge
The camera is one of the best thing about the S6 series. Samsung have really improved the whole camera experience starting with their Alpha series and the Note 4. The photos captured by the S6 Edge surely did not disappoint. Colours were true although a bit boosted in terms of colour, which many would prefer. Details are crisp and the depth of field is really nice. Dynamic range has also improved from the S5.
The front cam has been improved as well. I like the wide angle lens used on the front cam and the panaroma feature for easier groupfies. The quality is still below what the iPhone 6 Plus offers though. You lose a lot of detail and the image appears blotchy, with blurred patches on the skin. But during this photo I took of my action figure, the details and dynamic range on the S6 Edge looked really good on the S6 Edge.
The camera interface also has been simplified which was great. No more endless menus of options like in the previous Galaxy phones!
There's also a beautify mode where you can smoothen your skin some more.
Front camera sample, taken on the same spot. Notice the wide angle lens used on the S6 Edge.
iPhone 6 Plus
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Rear photo samples: (Photos taken in Auto mode and Auto HDR mode with default settings)
Dimly lit room with flash off:
With flash on
The Edge
The big selling point of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is, well, its edge. The front glass panel of the device tapers down on both sides giving it that unique look and a very different feeling of holding the device. Let's see if paying the premium is all worth it.
The curved display is not merely for form, but Samsung added some unique functionalities to its latest flagship phone to make the most out of this stand out feature.
1. People Edge
This feature lets you pick five of your contacts and add them as shortcuts that you can swipe from your homescreen and lockscreen for quick access. They will appear as circular shortcuts, wherein you can assign a particular colour to represent each. Tapping a face will give you the option to give them a call, send them an sms or an email.
This is probably, from what I found, the most useful feature of the edge. One that I would actually be using often.
2. Edge Lighting
After assigning colours for the 5 favourite contacts you've picked, getting a call from them would initiate a really groovy glow on the active edge based on your assigned colours. That is, if you leave your phone face-down! I mean, who would actually leave their phone face down? I'm not gonna risk scratching my screen for this. A really cool one, but not very practical.
3. Information Stream
The information stream feature allows you to view notifications on the edge from a screen-off state. You can activate the stream by rubbing back and forth on the active edge (just like a magic lamp). You can select which type of information you want to appear. You can also install additional feeds from the Galaxy Apps store.
Among the options are the usual notifications (Briefing feed), like missed calls and texts. You can also choose which apps from the applications installed you want to appear on this feed. There's also the Yahoo news, Yahoo sports, Yahoo finance and Twitter trends feed. You also have the option to show the current weather.
4. Night Clock
This feature shows a clock on the Edge screen while the main screen is turned off. Only the clock will be lit up while the rest of the screen is kept black. This is one advantage of the AMOLED screen as it would only use power to light the pixels that are not black. You can select the time the clock would appear and which time it will be disabled automatically.
I have read from other S6 Edge users that while the night clock is on, other parts of the screen is dimly lit. My unit from Telstra didn't have this issue.
5. Edge Screen Position
You have the option to select which side of the screen you want to utilise for the different edge functionalities.
The wide angle lens on the front-facing camera is awesome! I've noticed, during the few minutes I played with the phone in the store, that the default ratio for images from the G6 is 16:9. I also couldn't find anywhere to change the ratio to 6x4. I did find other ratios though! Obviously I only had a look for a few moments so I was wondering whether those who are testing the device found something different on the stock camera app?
I think the edge features are good, but there's always room for improvement. It would be awesome if we could have our most used apps instead of our favourite friends, for example! Or both! I think the edge lighting is probably going to be used more by people who have some sort of screen protector (interested to hear whether they actually exist for the edge) or a case.
@polarwarp no worries! Glad to be of help.
@ccarolynwestt Luckily, there's an app for that! It's called App Bar and it works with any Android phone https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=infamous.apps.appsbarfree
Here are the available photo sizes for the rear camera on the Edge, should be the same on the regular S6:
@AnjoMiranda Ooh, thank you for sharing!!
Hey team - question here from Twitter:
@AnjoMiranda and @bill0014 - how does it go with night time photography?
Need help? Check out our Community Wiki or Support Portal || Looking for a new mobile? Order online today || Don't forget to tag answers as Accepted Solutions and give a Like to the member(s) who helped you out.
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Low light performance of the S6 has been quite good, though obviously more noisy than the ones in daylight, it is among the best in smartphones, especially in the Android camp.
The above shot was taken at sunset (duh!) and with Auto HDR ON. The Tree leaves contrasts against the background nicely and there is plenty of detail in the darker areas of the image as well. There is a little bit of digital noise in the sky but it seems welll controlled, so it shouldn't hurt the overall quality too much.
This photo is more interesting (to analyse), the centre of the image is very crisp and clear, plenty of detail on the tree trunk, though as you look up, the edges are noticably more blurry - this is a common problem with OIS (Optical Image Stablisation) equipped cameras, as you will notice that on a photo like this. Otherwse it is a decent photo for the social networks with accurate colours and good contrast.
This is a challenging photo to take, the signs and interiors of the shops are bright while the car reapirs shop is dark, and the S6 (Auto HDR) handled the exposure very well, making it a bright picture with lots of details, though some of the colour renditions is slightly on the warm side due to HDR, if you look at the pizza hut sign it is not as red as my eyes could see. You you can disable auto HDR, though I don't think you should as it does NOT affect the speed of the camera.
As bright as the photos look I can guarantee you that all the above are taken in less than ideal lighting environments, and if you really want to take it to the extremes then good luck, but in normal usage, the low light performance is more than acceptable for a smartphone.
Thanks for that Bill! Nice photos and analysis. @bill0014
I'll upload more photos over the weekend in different lighting conditions
Will do a summary of my experience as well after exclusively using the S6 Edge for a week as my daily driver.
Hey insiders,
Great job so far and I'm loving the photos!
Just wondering, for the benefit of those who are reading this and thinking about getting the phone on a plan, which plan would you reccomend given the data etc that you've been going through using the phones?
You can view the plans here : tel.st/samsungs6
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HI @katroberts
It really depends on the usage of the customers.
For me personally, I would go for the M plan as my average monthly use of data is 1.5GB, and to have that extra 1GB is awesome. I upload a lot of photos and videos on Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat so this is the sweet spot for me. Plus, it's only $4 extra a month from the S Plan where you only get 1GB of data.
With the different models of the phone though, keep in mind that these particular phones (S6 and S6E) do not have expandable memory. With the 32GB as a base model, it should be sufficient for casual users.
For people who love their media, I'd go for the 64GB or even the 128GB. I love keeping my podcasts and music on my phone. I take a ton of photos (and you would with the amazing camera on this) and sometimes I would want to game a little during long commutes. I also personally do not want to worry about going out on a trip for example and thinking of what photos or videos to delete to free up space.
The operating system already consumes about 10GB of the memory, so it's important to take note of that as well.
With direct debit there's no need to give paying your bill another thought.
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text:
Rihanna Surpasses Justin Bieber's YouTube Record
Move over, Justin! There's a new leader on YouTube and her name is Rihanna! The 'Diamonds' songstress has surpassed the Biebs as the most viewed artist on the video website. Go girl!
According to Billboard, RiRi has a combined 3.7 billion views on the 77 videos on her VEVO account, which is 2 million more than Justin Bieber. We must also note that Rihanna hit this mark with two less videos up than Bieber. In regards to subscribers, RiRi also wears the crown, with 8.7 million people following her on YouTube, while Bieber only has 4.9 million subscribers.
We would imagine Beliebers will not take this lightly though. All Justin has to do to win back his title is tweet out a rallying cry and all his Beliebers will do everything within their power to win back his crown. We have a feeling that his 40+ million fans will watch his videos until their eyes bleed just so their idol can hold yet another record. You can't criticize them for being devoted, but are they more devoted than Rihanna's Navy? We guess we'll find out in the coming weeks!

subset: commoncrawl


text: A few short weeks ago when the iPad was first announced, I was not among the throng of excited Apple groupies who had already made up their minds before Steve Jobs took one step onto the podium that I would be buying this device no matter what it did. I've never quite understood the mentality of if it has XYZ sticker, I simply must have it, and that extends to the iWhatever-the-Hell-They-Come-Up-with-Next. I was a late adopter to the iPod, simply because I never wanted to spend


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Celebrating over 13 years of keeping children active in London - currently teaching over 15,000 children each week!!!
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We also give back to the community that we work in. Non Stop Giving operates across all areas of the business with all staff giving up time and energy to volunteer or to raise funds for schools, for local and national charities. You can read more about these activities in the box immediately to the right.
Thank you for visiting our website. If you cannot find the information that you need, do not hesitate to get in touch with us.
As a business serving a local community we aim to participate & give back to that community through partnerships, volunteering and charity fundraising. This year our charity is Arcobaleno Cancer Trust. Read More
Non Stop Action are FSB Worldpay UK Business Awards London Regional Finalist – Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2014! For more info about this and what our customers think of us.........Read More


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University of Tennessee student denies taking alcohol enema
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The University of Tennessee student cited in police reports as experiencing alcohol poisoning from a wine enema claims the report is false and he is prepared to take legal action.
Alexander Broughton's attorney, Daniel McGehee, announced the potential action at a news conference Tuesday.
The Knoxville News Sentinel reports McGehee said the witness interviewed by police at the emergency room has denied telling officers Broughton was sickened by an alcohol enema.
McGehee also said the UT Police report on the incident was released in violation of federal medical privacy laws.
In a written statement, Broughton said news media reports have implied that he is gay, which he said he is not. He also said that as a Christian he would never desecrate his body with an alcohol enema.


text:
Whacha looking for ?
You Are Not Alone!The most widely open email subject line of all time; You are not alone. Wonder why? Probably because we don't want to be. The question is: What do we do about it? Let's talk!
Tag Archives: marraige
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-09-11
Through the power of love barriers can be broken… via @brenthunter. I like the way you tweet. # We need to make an effort to develop our inner values, irrespective of whether we are religious or not. via @DalaiLama # … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged advice, dateing, dates, love, marraige, men, relationships, sex, women Leave a comment


text: by jacksonpe When you have played a 4 string bass guitar before, you may love playing a 5 strings. The 5 string variety is gaining in popularity by the day as bass players tend to be demanding a wider variety of sound with out move up and down the fretboard. Five […] 5 String Bass Guitars25 Mar, 2015 in Bass tagged Academy Award for Best Sound Editing / Alex Webster / Astronomical unit / bass / Bass guitar / Fender Stratocaster / guitar / guitars / Han Solo / Light-emitting diode / Millennium Falcon / star wars / string by Manuel Marino


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Due to the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its impact on business operations, Penske is temporarily delaying our hiring for most positions within our organization. We expect to have positions like this available in the future and are looking to identify talent for those roles today. Our recruiting team is actively reviewing and engaging with qualified candidates for phone screenings at this time. Please do apply if you are interested.Gopenske.com
Position Summary:
Penske is widely known for its success on the racetrack, but did you know we employ thousands of truck drivers? Join our team of professional truck drivers at Penske Logistics and you'll drive like a champion hauling freight for some of the world's best brands in retail, food, beverage, grocery, food service, automotive, manufacturing, electronics, appliances, healthcare, and packaging industries. We manage freight for companies like Ford, GM, BMW, Detroit Diesel, Goodyear, Cardinal Health, Whirlpool, and Wawa. Our professional truck drivers ensure products are delivered safely, efficiently and on-time.
Why Penske? Home daily for most positions. Excellent pay and benefits. Superior trucks and 24/7 roadside support. Dedicated accounts. Great supervisors. Paid time off. 401K. Cash balance pension plan. Training. Tuition Reimbursement. Unlimited career potential.
Route/Activity - Truck drivers are responsible for delivering product to customers. This account uses U-boats/pallets (6 wheeled carts can get up 1000lbs.) Candidate must be able to physically push & pull/deliver carts in excess of 1000 lbs.
Shift - Sunday through Thursday or Monday through Friday. Overnight position. 8-10 hour shifts or longer if the needs of the business dictate.
Equipment - 2020 Freightliner Cascadias and 48 foot dry van with tuck away lift gate. 40 foot dry vans with tuck away lift gate.
Compensation - $26.00 per hour.
-Loading, unloading, or assisting in loading and unloading truck.
-Safe and responsible operation of assigned equipment.
-Ensuring compliance with applicable federal and/or state laws, regulations, and/or agency rules, standards and guidelines.
-Report vehicle defects, accidents, traffic violations, or damage before and after route.
-Primary interface with the customer at point of delivery.
Job Qualifications:
-At least 23 years of age
-CDL Class A license required
-2 years of verifiable tractor-trailer driving experience in the last 5 years
-3 years DMV/MVR record with two or fewer moving violations/accidents
-Reliable and customer oriented
-Safety oriented
-Regular, predictable, full attendance is an essential function of the job
-Willingness to travel as necessary, work the required schedule, work at the specific location required, complete Penske employment application, submit to a background investigation (to include past employment, education, and criminal history) and drug screening required.
Physical Requirements:
-The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an associate to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
-The associate must be able to see and hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.
-While performing the duties of this job, the associate will be required to move frequently, stand, walk, and sit. The associate is frequently required to use hands to touch, handle, and feel, and to reach with hands and arms. The associate must be able to regularly lift and/or move up to 50lbs/23kg and occasionally lift and/or move up to 100lbs/45kg.
-The associate must be able to legally operate a motor vehicle and safely and frequently enter/exit the vehicle as well as the rear cargo area.
Penske is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
About Penske Logistics
Penske Logistics is a wholly owned subsidiary of Penske Truck Leasing. With operations in North America, South America, Europe and Asia, Penske Logistics provides supply chain management and logistics services to leading companies around the world. Penske Logistics delivers value through its design, planning and execution in transportation, warehousing and freight management. Visit www.PenskeLogistics.com to learn more.


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Davis rests sore elbow, homers off bench
MILWAUKEE -- Khris Davis wasn't in the Brewers' starting lineup Wednesday night, but he entered the game in the seventh inning and hit a ninth-inning home run, showing no ill effects from the left elbow pain that had sidelined him Tuesday.
Davis said he woke up with some nerve-related pain Tuesday after sleeping in a weird position. Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said he was holding Davis out an extra day as a precaution, a decision that was made easier after his replacement, Gerardo Parra, had a big night in the series opener.
But Roenicke pinch-hit Davis for Parra against left-hander Jeremy Affeldt in the midst of a seventh-inning Brewers rally. Davis hit a long flyout to right field in that at-bat before leading off the ninth with a homer to left field off Santiago Casilla, his 18th of the season.
The elbow issue is the latest in a series of minor aches and pains for Davis. In an early July series against Toronto, he tweaked a muscle near his left shoulder on a head-first slide into second base. He also exited a game last Friday in St. Louis with left calf tightness.
Though several Brewers are dealing with similar issues, Davis said he doesn't feel the grind of his first full Major League season is taking an unusual toll on him.
"I've done a pretty good job keeping up with my body, taking light pain, staying in the weight room," Davis said. "It's a long season, definitely. You can't feel good 100 percent of the time."


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How obsessed are you with Facebook? If you feel the need to check up on your news feed or update your profile once you're already in bed, then I've got the bed for you.
The Facebook bed is shaped just like the Facebook "f" logo lying on its side, with the sleeping area on the stem, and a cute little work area where you can get online in the curve at the top of the letter. This way you can slip up top to send a quick update without even leaving the bed.
I expect designer Tomislav Zvonarić had his tongue planted firmly in his cheek when he made this, but I know more than a few people for whom it would be eminently practical.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
I wonder what happens if somebody pokes you?
For the latest tech stories, follow us on Twitter at @dvice
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Dewhurst is tough guy, tough conservative, in Senate race
AUSTIN — Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, the wealthy businessman whose demeanor usually tends toward the genteel, is taking off the gloves as he fights Ted Cruz's efforts to paint him as a moderate, conciliatory, timid, milquetoast (shall we continue?) politician.
"I'm a veteran. I served abroad in the CIA. ... You don't think I'm a fighter? Everybody else is in diapers compared to me," Dewhurst said on Matt Patrick's Houston radio show last week. "I have fought for my country. I'll continue to fight for my country. And there is no one in this race that is as conservative."
As for Cruz's efforts to convince people that Dewhurst once supported a state income tax: "The only thing I've ever said is that we'll see a state income tax over my dead, cold political body."
Dewhurst's defense came a bit at the expense of Gov. Rick Perry — whom, he notes, no one calls moderate. "Don't you realize that I have the same record as Rick Perry? I made his record," Dewhurst said. "In other words, he signed what I passed, and of course the speaker (passed) too, but he signed what I passed."
Dewhurst seemed to take pride in the fact that a GOP redistricting push in 2003 prompted Democratic senators to flee to Albuquerque, N.M., saying, "I try and be a very, very nice guy — but let me tell you, I have had to shut down the Democrats in our Texas Senate."
Dewhurst has been sharp before, and occasionally peeved — who can forget him comparing former House Speaker Tom Craddick's negotiating tactics to those of an "Iranian cab driver"? — but his campaign demeanor may puzzle supporters who've seen him as not only a conservative but a pragmatist looking for solutions as leader of a chamber in which Democrats have a voice.
Some think the campaign persona won't serve him well as he tries to avoid a runoff in the race for a U.S. Senate seat in which Cruz, a national tea party favorite, is his closest competitor but former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert presents a less combative alternative.
"Leppert being there provides a ready vehicle for people who like the old David Dewhurst but don't like the campaign David Dewhurst," said Mark Jones, political science professor at Rice University.
Vote for me, or ...
Finding the right campaign message is key — and no one knows it better than Rob Johnson, who managed Dewhurst's 2002 campaign, Perry's 2010 gubernatorial re-election and Perry's presidential run. Johnson, who now heads a pro-Dewhurst super PAC, got some early experience in messaging while at Southern Methodist University, when he ran a winning race for 1996 student body president with this slogan: "Vote for Rob — or he'll lose."
Did he ever consider adjusting this slogan for Perry or Dewhurst? Um, no, he said: "These are proven conservatives with proven records. We were able to run on their records."
Dewhurst's résumé gap
As my colleague Gary Scharrer reported on our Texas Politics blog, Dewhurst's résumé omits his job as human resources coordinator with Democratic Gov. Dolph Briscoe in the mid-1970s. Dewhurst worked for Briscoe for less than a year, said a former staffer, so the decision was made to omit the job when putting together his résumé for his 1998 run for land commissioner. Read more — including Dewhurst's reaction when a Democratic former lawmaker asked him about the matter — on our blog.
Twitter: @pfikac


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Reston In his founding principles for Reston, Robert Simon mentioned the need for public art several times. The Initiative for Public Art-Reston presented a history of public art in Reston Saturday, Sept. 15, celebrating several major art projects that form the core of Reston.
"I always said the definition of community is the interaction of people," said Simon. "And the art built here is designed to foster that interaction, in public places."
Director Rebekah Wingert-Jabi, a Reston native, created a short documentary about the development of public art in Reston.
"I grew up in Reston, and in no small part due to public art, I spent a lot of time at Lake Anne," she said. "The boats, the fountain, the underpass. These things were not only fun to be around, they were an inspiration."
The fountain at the center of Lake Anne was one of the first examples, as well as the interactive concrete pieces surrounding the plaza. They were created by Gonzalo Fonseca, a sculptor and James Rossant, an architect.
"Reston was the first instance of my father breaking into his own idiom," said Caio Fonseca, son of Gonzalo, who died in 1997. "He used to always say that work involved serious play."
The concept of serious play inspired the sculptures at Lake Anne, ones that could be climbed in, on and over by anyone walking along the plaza. They also created oversized replicas of real life items for the businesses, such as a barber pole, or the common items that line the outside of the pharmacy, which still exist today.
"We didn't really think of it as art when we were designing the plaza, just as shapes and designs that went together and complemented each other," said Bill Conklin, an architect who helped design the plaza. "It was all about fitting the big parts, the buildings, in with the little parts, the 'art,' and fitting them together."
While Lake Anne was the first village center in Reston, the others didn't quite follow suit in the design department, much to Simon's chagrin.
"Lake Anne Plaza was supposed to be the first of the village centers, but it was the last. The other ones are just shopping centers of one sort or another," he said. "Spectrum is supposed to come down and will be rebuilt, so when something that big can be destroyed and rebuilt, there's no reason that the village centers can't be rebuilt."
The film also examined the history of the Mercury Fountain at Reston Town Center, which was built by Brazilian sculptor Saint Clair Cemin. Cemin called building the fountain one of his greatest adventures.
"I made a model and brought it to Italy to be constructed. The bowl is one piece and the spiral is two, and it was assembled onsite," he said. "I chose Mercury because it is the god of commerce and communications, and I made him stand on the fountain a little off balance, because I think we're all always trying to find a balance."
IPAR is hosting the latest exhibit at the Reston Museum, entitled "Reston: The Art of Community." It includes the film, as well as chronological pieces describing the history of public art in Reston. It will
be at the museum through Nov. 11.


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5 Smart Money Tips to Save When Renting a Car
If you dread renting a car because you feel it's impossible to get a good deal, don't fret. There are ways to get better prices on car rentals and ways to save money on the costs associated with renting a car.
Continue Reading Below
Shop around. It may sound obvious, but car rental companies' rates can vary widely for the same car category, depending on when and where you book. Check several different locations in the area where you need the car and several car rental companies.
If you are flying to your location, keep in mind some airports charge additional taxes for on-site car rental agencies, so you may find a better deal in a neighboring town.
Travel websites that aggregate results for numerous car rental companies may be a useful tool to help you shop around. In addition, see if you qualify for additional discounts or special rates through organizations such as AAA or AARP.
Get the cheapest car that meets your needs. A car rental company will automatically upgrade customers to the next size class of car if it runs out of cars in the category you book, so you may find yourself in a larger car than you originally booked at no extra charge. It's also relatively common to find free upgrade coupons online or by joining the car rental agency's mailing list or frequent customer program. Using these strategies will allow you to drive a larger, more expensive rental car at a lower cost.
Choose extra insurance carefully. It's standard practice for car rental companies to offer customers their added car insurance, but it may or may not be necessary, depending on your auto insurance coverage. Read "Buy car rental coverage in auto insurance?" for an overview of whether you need coverage, then check with your car insurance agent about what your car insurance policy covers for car rentals to see if it's necessary to take the rental car company's insurance.
Fill up wisely. If you forget to return your rental car with the same amount of fuel that was in the tank when you picked it up, the car rental agency will probably add an exorbitant per-gallon cost for replenishing the gas. Make sure you fill the tank to the noted level before you return it. You also can use a gas app, such as GasBuddy, Cost2Drive or the Yellow Pages gas function to check for gas prices in the area where you are traveling. It's difficult to determine a good-price estimate in an unfamiliar town.
Don't be late. Pay attention to the time you agreed to return your rental car on your contract, and take care not to arrive late. Companies usually charge penalties for returning car rentals late. They're counting on your arrival to prep the car and rent it to the next person. If you do end up running late, even just a bit, call the rental agency and make sure they make a note on your account. While you'll still pay for the extra time you had the car, you will most likely be able to avoid any penalties.
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Welcome to The Lab!
The Most Unique Gym Around and the Best Trainers in Town!
Welcome to St. Louis' hottest new gym! The Lab is not your ordinary fitness club. It is a one stop sports performance and preventative health center. Staffed with Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists, Registered Dietitians and Massage Therapists; The Lab Gym team has been hand picked to help our clients achieve their goals, both physically and mentally. At The Lab you are GUARANTEED to reach your health and performance goals. Whether your are an athlete, a diabetic, or have other health risks, we have a competent educated staff to get you on the right plan for success. With 24 hr access and a limited membership base you will not have to wait in the line or have an excuse to not achieve your goals.


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Posts tagged with 'Andy Gouldson'
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- Sachin I agree with janie. Low density suburbia is not sustainable. COVID-19 is affecting our cities but lets not forget that we only have one planet.
Diana Kocher
Really interesting article, especially because it such a relevant topic to everyone..or at least should be. I also found this article talking about...
Closing Sub-Saharan Africa's Electricity Access Gap: Why Cities Must Be Part of the Solution · one week ago
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can i have some background information about the author
Study: Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo lost USD 43 billion from traffic congestion in 2013 · one week ago
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Left-facing cream leather sectional sofa. Inspired by innovation, produced with quality in mind, the Jenny premium sectional sleeper sofa takes on the challenge of providing simple yet aesthetically pleasing design, & integrating a well crafted durable sleeper solution. Crafted out of premium beige leather all around, this premium sectional opens to display spacious bed. The chaise also opens to provide adequate storage. Available in Left Hand Facing & Right Hand Facing rotation in Beige leather.
Model: Jenny LF
SKU: 18222Measurements:
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For stock information please call/email or use check stock feature in a shopping cart since stock changes every day.
J&M is one of the new players on modern furniture market in NY-NJ area. They offer absolutely breathtaking bedroom sets with unique features like all-high-gloss finish or leather headboards. Stylish and long-lasting modern furniture.


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Small question:
If a context is current, my reading of the spec is that it's resources should not be immediately released until after a eglMakeCurrent().
Termination marks all EGL-specific resources associated with the specified display
for deletion. If contexts or surfaces created with respect to dpy are current (see
section 3.7.3) to any thread, then they are not actually released while they remain
current. Such contexts and surfaces will be destroyed, and all future references to
them will become invalid, as soon as any otherwise valid eglMakeCurrent call is
made from the thread they are bound to.
But doesn't terminating the display, invalidate the parameters needed by the eglMakeCurrent(display, read, write, context) call? I.e. the function must return an EGL_NOT_INITIALIZED error? Or should eglMakeCurrent(display, NULL, NULL, NULL); work even if the display has been terminated. I feel like I'm missing something obvious.
It would make most sense to me if eglTerminate(display) did an implicit eglMakeCurrent(display, 0,0,0);, otherwise I fear memory leaks are unvoidable.


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Beautiful boutonnieres and corsages that are perfect for any special occasion!!
Find the perfect size for your event.
If you do not see the boutonniere or corsage of your dreams, you can custom design the perfect match for your special day.
Change colors, change ribbons, add bling, we can help you create the most amazing design just for you.
We can custom design to match any David's Bridal colors.


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Bling-bling Scramble
|Bling-bling Scramble
King Courtney telling Claude to go to the waste ground in Aspatria to start the contest against three rivals looking for work with him and his gang.
|King Courtney
|Win a checkpoint race against three other competitors.
|Liberty Campus, Staunton Island, Liberty City
Death of Claude
Arrest of Claude
Death of a competitor
Failure to get more checkpoints than any competitor
|Up to $15,000
|Uzi Rider
|Unlocked by
|Sayonara Salvatore
Bling-bling Scramble is a mission in Grand Theft Auto III given to protagonist Claude by Uptown Yardies leader King Courtney from a pay phone in the Liberty Campus district of Staunton Island, Liberty City.
Note: Once the player has finished the last mission for King Courtney (Kingdom Come), this mission can be repeated and can be accessed from the pay phone, but other missions would not.
Claude answers the pay phone ringing in Liberty Campus. The caller introduces himself as King Courtney, leader of the Uptown Yardies. He wants a good driver for his gang and wants Claude to enter a race that will prove his worthiness.
Claude meets up with three other opponents at the north side of the Liberty Memorial Coliseum. He is in his choice of vehicle, while his opponents are in a Patriot, Cheetah, and Bobcat. The race eventually starts, and Claude drives to different parts of Staunton Island to collect as many checkpoints as he can.
King Courtney: This is King Courtney. My Yardie posse could do with a driver and people are saying you the man. Get to the waste ground opposite the stadium in a car and wait for the other hopefuls. I've got men watching checkpoints all over Staunton. First driver to a checkpoint gets a Grand, then it's on to the next stop. If you get more checkpoints than any other driver, I could have some work for you.
Upon completing the mission, the reward will vary from how many checkpoints were collected. $1,000 is rewarded for every collected checkpoint. As the player needs a minimum of 8 checkpoints to pass the mission, the minimum reward is $8,000 and the maximum would be $15,000 if the player managed to get all of them. The mission Uzi Rider is then unlocked.
- It is best to use an Infernus, Cheetah, or Banshee to complete this mission, as these three cars are fast cars and will allow the player to easily outrun their competetors to get the checkpoints.
Claude approaching a checkpoint outside Liberty Memorial Coliseum.
Video walkthrough
|PC Version - GTASeriesVideos
|iPad 2 Version - GTASeriesVideos


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Guidelines for Writing Web Pages at www.gnu.org
This is a general guide for everyone who wishes to write a web page for
the GNU project web server,
www.gnu.org. There are several
other guides that are important, one of the most important ones is the GNU Website
Guidelines. A
list of other useful resources is also available.
No pages on the GNU project web server should ever make any references to nonfree software or nonfree documentation. This is VERY important.
The boilerplate that is used for all our pages is in http://www.gnu.org/boilerplate.html. A good start when writing a web page is to use that boilerplate and follow the instructions in it. Please delete the unneeded comments as you go. It makes the HTML source file easier for future maintainers to work with.
When writing a page for a certain program, we want to have some basic information on such a page:
- A description on what the program does
- Where to download the program in question
- Where to report bugs
- FAQs and documentation if they are available
- Installation instructions
The description should be long enough so that people can grasp the whole program, but not so long that they get bored by reading it. If a package consists of several smaller programs, it is best to write a general description of what types of programs belong in the package and then write shorter descriptions for each program.
The GNU Project would like to host all web pages about a program, so if the main pages are currently on some other server, please consider moving them to the GNU project web server instead.


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Love Botswana necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 280 diseños de 53 diseñadores freelance.
Love Botswana Outreach Mission
Is a 22 year old NGO founded by Jerry and Jana Lackey, and working in Botswana, Africa. It is a pioneering organization that establishes churches, and runs AIDS prevention programs, an international school, a children's shelter and multiple social care projects.
Vision: Developing Christian leaders for Africa.
Mission Statement: As a ministry our mission shall be to inspire, build, and launch people through faith, integrity, relationships and excellence that will purify, transform and ignite individuals to impact the nations.
Personality: compassionate, faithful, pioneering, innovative and inspiring.
Key demographic is 35-65 affluent with discretionary funds.
Secondary demographic is 20-somethings looking to make a difference. Anyone who is a change agent, willing to do what it takes to make a difference in the lives of others.
We want a unique logo that evokes our personality: compassionate, faithful, pioneering, innovative, inspiring. This is key.
We also want a logo that says "Africa" without maps of Africa. Although we are a faith-based organization we want to stay away from overt Christian symbolism. (Read: no crosses, Bibles or worlds with dove wings.)
We love vintage looking logos, but with clean modern lines. Think Indiana Jones meets Apple Computer. We also love classic safari & travel posters of the 20's and 30's.
Colors should be African: deep reds, browns, oranges, ect...
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


text:
Industrial innovation: Public consultation on demand-side policies to spur European industrial innovations in a global market
Siste nytt
Åpen konsultasjon igangsatt av Kommisjonen 14.6.2012 (frist 6.9.2012)
Nærmere omtale
BAKGRUNN (fra Kommisjonens pressemelding, engelsk utgave)
Public consultation: Boosting the demand for innovative European products and services
The European Commission has launched a public consultation with the aim to gather inputs from stakeholders and citizens on the scope of possible future EU-level actions in demand-side policies for industrial innovation policy.
Consumers and public procurers should not underestimate their power to spur industrial innovations, for example by buying products which consume less energy and/or are friendlier to the environment. The Commission is therefore calling for ideas for potential new policy measures and focus areas for future targeted demand-side innovation actions at EU level, to enable faster uptake of innovations and to create a better environment for creating innovations in order to maintain the value chain and business investments in Europe.
European Commission Vice President Antonio Tajani, Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, said: "Innovation is not only the result of the work of inventors, researchers and engineers. Also demand led innovation can be powerful, thereby helping European industry to become more competitive and to become innovation leader for a series of industrial goods, at the same time addressing societal challenges. We need such ideas to spur growth as this is the only way to get out of the current economic crisis."
As Europe (at EU, Member States and regional levels) now has some initial experience in demand-side policies and the political and economic priorities are clear, the leverage potential of using these policies increases and more sectors could benefit from them. A menu of policy tools is in place but can be further elaborated. There is room and need for tailoring tools and support mechanisms by market sector.
These ideas were reflected in the European Council Conclusions 1-2 March 2012:
"Creating the best possible environment for entrepreneurs to commercialise their ideas and create jobs and putting demand-led innovation as a main driver of Europe's research and development policy"
For example, if coach operators would bundle their orders asking car manufacturers to fit the roof of busses with solar panels, industry could produce such coaches at larger scale and at lower price. These busses would not only help to reduce CO2 emissions, they could even trigger similar demand for vans or passenger cars, thus enabling mass production of innovative cars at larger scale.
There is a vast potential in harnessing the demand-side in innovation policy development to support European industry. In times of crisis we need measures to help turn innovative ideas into new marketable products and services, creating jobs and growth in Europe. The well-functioning of EU internal market for innovations should be ensured.
The public consultation runs until 06/09/2012.
|Annen informasjon


text:
Press Releases
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CCTV, IP Surveillance, Management Platform
Contact Us
ZJU National Science Park
Contact Person:
Davis Zhang
Recommended for You
Hybrid PC DVR Software working with all Hikvision DVR Cards
Product Category:
IP Surveillance
Digital Video Recording
Capture Cards and Software
Region: China
Updated: 2009/10/23
Key Specifications
***Brief*** - H.264 hardware compression - Max 64 ch of analog/IP cameras - Realtime CIF/2CIF/D1 recording - Mobile live view ***Detailed Introduction*** The LINO-Hybrid PC DVR system is a PC based versatile video management system that enable both analog cameras and IP cameras to work together. It can manage a comprehensive combo of 64 channels simultaneously. With mobile stream server and feature-rich NVR+ Client, customers can reach video surveillance data from any location at any time using a desktop computer, laptop or PDA. ===Supported DVR Cards === Hikvision DS-4000HCI Series DVR Cards Hikvision DS-4000HSI Series DVR Cards Hikvision DS-4000HFI Series DVR Cards Hikvision DS-4000MDI Series DVR Cards Note: All the Hikvision DVR cards can be stackable up to 64 channels in one computer. ===Supported IP Device === Axis IP Cameras and video server Hikvision IP camera, video server and DVR Linovision IP camera and DVR ===Outstanding features === Up to 64 analog/IP channels H.264 hardware compression Pentaplex functions, live, recording, playback, backup & remote access; Realtime CIF/CIF/DCIF/D1 recording; Intuitive GUI Operation Flexible schedule recording Instantly playback Intelligent recordings search Alarm IO integration Support dual-stream compression Mobile live view ===Specification === System Manage up to 64 cameras. Dependable, robust and stable system with fully modulated design. Support multi-stream transmission; Local Stream for high definition central storage Alarm Stream for customized recording quality and frame rate on alarm Network Stream for fluent remote access Mobile Stream for PDA view and non-IE Browser view Complete system and event log database Monitoring Realtime monitoring 1/4/6/9/10/13/16/25/36/48/64-screen view Group cycle view Automatically adapt to any monitor resolutions Built-in PTZ control Drag camera window to re-arrange preview layout Realtime multiple events monitoring and filter Instant response modes, On Monitor, Recording, PTZ Preset Reaction, Audio, SMS, Email, IO Device, snapshot Record Powerful storage strategies, can allocate customized storage space / recording days to any channel (s), and the important cameras can be stored in dedicated disk groups. Advanced disk pre-allocation technologies to improve recording efficiency and reduce disk fragment dramatically. Channels recording at system backend, regardless previewing or not. Multi-zone motion detection recording with pre-event recording (this will help to record the complete motion event) Adjustable alarm recording quality, frame rate and resolution. for example, set CIF 10fps as normal continuous recording, and set 4CIF 25fps as motion detection recording. Flexible recording schedule, Continuous, Continuous + Event + Motion, Continuous + Event, Continuous + Motion, Event, Motion, Manual. Playback Max. 36 channels time-line based synchronous playback. Same playback GUI for local playback, remote playback, and backup file playback. Intelligent search for easy locating of motion events in recorded files. Support frame by frame playback. Multiple backup modes, USB stick, USB HDD, DVD/CD-RW, etc. Remote access Up to 128 channels remote view at the same time from Client application; Up to 36channels synchronous remote playback from multiple servers. Provide live stream view for PDA and smart phone access. Provide motion picture view for most of the mobile phones Access video from IE browser or non-IE browsers, such as, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, etc. ===Supported OS=== Windows 2000/2003, Window XP, Windows Vista
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text:
Chuck Norris Outdoes Jean Claude Van Damme's Epic Split With Airplanes + More
On the Internet, Chuck Norris always wins.
Last month, Jean Claude Van Damme and Volvo teamed up for a memorable ad, one that rocketed around the Web as millions of viewers (64 million, at least so far) saw the Dutch action star perform "the most epic of splits" while balancing himself between two huge trucks driving backwards.
Pretty spectacular, right? Well, that was nothing.
Enter Chuck Norris, who takes things to the next level—literally. Instead of merely riding along the ground, Norris executes his split thousands of feet in the air, between a couple of airplanes (and there's even more, just watch). The narrator reads from 'Hamlet' as the same Enya song from the Van Damme ad plays softly in the background. Once again, we must tip our hat to you, Mr. Norris.
Here's the original Van Damme ad for Volvo:


text:
A clinical trial is a study of a new or different way to treat
cancer. Often medicines or other treatments that are not yet proved to be
effective with a particular cancer are tested. Such treatments might include
hormonal therapy, immunotherapy, chemotherapy, or new surgical
People participating in clinical trials receive all other recommended
treatments for their cancer and are closely monitored.
Participants in trials must meet the specific guidelines that each
clinical trial has in order to be a part of the trial. Sometimes the clinical
trials are conducted at major medical centers. Other times the trial
participant receives treatment by the primary care doctor at home.
For more information, call the National Cancer Institute's Cancer
Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
Last Revised:
October 28, 2011
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine & Michael Seth Rabin, MD - Medical Oncology
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
To learn more visit Healthwise.org
© 1995-2012 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.


text:
11 June 2011 at 1.23pm | Comment on this article
French surrealist Jean Cocteau was an extraordinary and remarkable talent: as writer, filmmaker, artist and bon viveur. He knew all Paris and collaborated with most of the great artists of his day, from Picasso, to Man Ray to Serge Diaghilev. His work has long been a fascination of the choreographer Aletta Collins, an ROH Associate Artist , who has collaborated with director Tom Cairns on a truly Cocteauesque combination of dance and opera – Cocteau Voices (17-25 June).
We went to find Aletta in her studio as she rehearsed her dancers a week before the show. She explained how the new work came about and what it's like working with Scott Walker on a brand new score.
On working with Scott Walker
It's hugely exciting that Scott Walker has created a brand new score for me. I really wanted to be able to combine the very established piece, the Poulenc opera, with a brand new work. It brings Cocteau alive. There are no singers, it's all pre-recorded with an array of disparate instruments and sounds: electronic and orchestral. There's violins, cellos, trumpets, glass harmonica, anvil, bells, tom tom, sax... It's very much its own world: a dark, haunting, often surreal world. The sound surrounds you. It moves around the room.
How to describe it? There are angular parts, more haunting parts. There's a sense of turmoil, of a relationship crashing. It has all the strands and angles and different possibilities of how a relationship can be fixed or mended. Can the relationship be fixed? You'll have to come along and see.
This collaboration was a natural progression. We first worked together when I choreographed two pieces for his Drifting and Tilting show at The Barbican in 2008. We were brought together by the arts commissioner Michael Morris. We started working on this score a year ago. We had a very positive order to our collaboration - initial lengthy conversations, long emails with different ideas. Scott then created an overall shape, which I worked with.
Duet for one voice
The dance piece for the first half of the show, Duet for one voice, is based on a Cocteau monologue, a very short piece written for radio for Cocteau's close friend Jean Marais, the actor. It's called in French 'lit ton journal' ('read your paper'). It parallels La voix humaine: there's a man talking to his lover, wanting to know where she's been, what she's been doing. But this time the separating device between them is a newspaper (not a telephone as in La voix humaine). She sits behind her paper, not answering, as he talks. Cocteau reworked it later for the singer Edith Piaf, but the original was written for a man.
It's not easy to create a 30-minute solo for a male dancer. I wanted to address it slightly differently. I've got a company of six dancers, three men share the male role, and three women share the female role. The different performers almost represent the fractured different sides of these two characters. It's a dialogue that can't happen. Someone wants to initiate a conversation/exchange ideas, but is being frustrated.
La voix humaine
Poulenc's opera 'La voix humaine' was my initial starting point for this double bill. Poulenc wrote it in the 50s, and every word of Jean Cocteau's famous monologue, La voix humaine, is set to the music so exactly. It's about a woman at the end of a relationship. She's on the telephone talking to her departed lover, whom you never hear. You only understand what he says through her replies and questions. The opera is usually done on a big stage with a 54-piece orchestra. I wanted to do it in more intimate space; it's about a private moment.
I've been fascinated with 'La voix humaine' for many years. I created a solo dance piece inspired by it for the ICA some years ago. Tom Cairns saw it and said he'd like to make a film of it, which we did for Channel 4 in 2000. I said then to Tom that it would be fantastic if he could direct the opera, and I could create a new dance piece go with it. That's what we've done for 'Cocteau Voices'.
Interview by Emma Beatty


text:
Editor's note: This article includes language some readers may find offensive.
The man who held three hostages at the Discovery Communications building before he was killed by police Wednesday told NBC News in a brief telephone conversation that he was armed with several bombs he had been working on for as long as a month.
Asked how he had learned to make a bomb, the man said that he knew how to weld and read widely but that he also picked up pointers from the TV show "Mythbusters."
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
The program airs on the Discovery Channel, one of the targets of the man's years-long protest campaign against what he saw as the company's failures to adequately program shows that made clear the threat to the planet from overpopulation and animal extinction. The program's producers could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.
An NBC News producer spoke to Lee for about 10 minutes, until he terminated the call. During the call, NBC News informed Montgomery County authorities of the conversation and held off reporting it until the hostage standoff had been resolved. Police said they shot and killed the man at 4:50 p.m. ET when he pointed a gun at them.
Gunman cites popular environmental novel
In the call, the man identified himself as James J. Lee — the same name given by numerous law enforcement authorities as police negotiated with him Wednesday afternoon at the building in suburban Washington, D.C.
NBC News producers had called the building to check out initial reports of the hostage situation, and suddenly Lee came on the line.
"I have a gun and I have a bomb," he said. "I have several bombs strapped to my body ready to go off. I have a device that if I drop it, it will fuckin' explode." Lee told the NBC producer that he had been working on the explosive devices for "three weeks — around three weeks or a month. I did a lot of research and experiments."
On the call, Lee seemed determined to get his point across, referring to a rambling statement he published on his website excoriating Discovery Communications — which, in addition to the Discovery Channel, operates the TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel and Planet Green networks.
He made several references to the novel "My Ishmael" by environmentalist Daniel Quinn, which tells the tale of conversations between a 12-year-girl and a gorilla named Ishmael, who is seeking to hire a student to help save the world.
Quinn told msnbc.com on Wednesday that he had never been in touch with Lee.
"What his take on the book is, I don't know," Quinn said. "It's hard to imagine how he got from reading this book to his current behavior. It certainly puzzles me."