Weekly App Review #3: Food.com for Android

Now that smartphones have been around for a while, and the technology is starting to plateau, it’s interesting to see how people are using them. In my observation (no research to back this up,) smartphones have really become a distraction, time killing, entertainment device, occasionally used for communication. Think about it. When smartphones first came onto the scene, it was all about productivity paired with connectivity. Now, we’re primarily using our phones to browse through Twitter, scroll through Facebook, get sucked into a Reddit rabbit hole, play games, etc. This is something I haven’t paid attention to until I downloaded the Food.com app for Android and realized, “Hey, this magic device along with this app can actually make my life easier.”

Quick Tip: Change Your ‘Home’ or ‘Work’ Location in Google

If you use Google Now, you know that by enabling location services, you can automatically receive updates on weather, traffic and more based off of your home, work and frequently visited locations. But, what happens if you move or get a new job? Google Now won’t be as accurate in its information, continuing to give info based on the old address. Don’t worry – you can easily change your ‘Home’ or ‘Work’ location in Google by following these steps. See below for screenshots.

New Google TV Spot – “Questions”

Last night while indulging in the latest episode of my favorite NBC television series, The Blacklist, a new TV spot from Google aired and caught my eye. The one-minute spot circled around the idea of “A question is the most powerful force in the world.” Overtaking the TV screen, the commercial demonstrates in full animation the search possibilities of the Google App, highlighting such features as song identification, maps integration, audio feedback, speech translation and reminders.

The New ASUS Zenbook ux305: Bang for Your Buck.

With Apple’s new Macbook having been in the hands of some of the industry’s leading reviewers for a couple of weeks, and now that you’ve gotten to hear what they have to say, you may have come to the harsh realization that although thin, light and beautiful, it may not be right for you. Well, chin up, Sunny – You’ve got options. When it comes to laptops, there are plenty of fish in the sea so to speak, and the ASUS Zenbook ux305 is looking quite tasty.

Say Hello To The Apple Watch

With the Apple Watch now arriving to the first set of customers who placed internet pre-orders for home delivery, it’s now the time for first impressions. Tech Crunch details the process of getting the watch set up and paired, talks about the bands they have, and looks into some of the features that were advertised and how the watch delivers on its promises.

Review: Can you actually use the new 12-inch MacBook for work?

Is the new MacBook suitable for work? That’s the questions I’ve been asking since the day it was announced. With only one port (USB-C) to do all your charging, data transferring, etc., a low powered Intel chip, and less space for batteries, will the new MacBook be a good solution for work professionals?

The answer seemed obvious to me, but Zac Hall from 9to5Mac took an in-depth look at what features are, and aren’t acceptable for work use, and which type of professional should stay away from the new beauty altogether.

New 12-inch MacBook with Retina display unboxing, overview, and benchmarks (Video)

You may still be skeptical of the new MacBook, but you have to admit this is one beautiful little machine. In an original post by Mr. Dom Esposito on 9to5Mac, the new 12 inch beauty is unboxed and benchmarked. Maybe your waiting to get your hands on the one you ordered, or still trying to decide if it’s worth the buy – either way, the unboxing is certainly worth taking a look at.

10 Free, but Awesome Android Icon Packs (Part 1)

If you haven’t figured it out by now, I love Android. I don’t hate Apple, but I love Android and though it’s for many reasons, one huge reason is customization. If you get bored of your device (which tends to happen to me) just change it up! Install a new launcher, throw on an icon pack, switch out the font, and bam! You have a new (feeling) device! If you want to get a little more crazy, you have the option to root, and from there, the possibilities are endless. But for now, I just wanted to highlight (in no particular order of rank) some of the icon packs that I’ve run across in a quest to freshen up my device – and by the way, they’re all free! Below are the first five of ten icon packs. I’ll be posting the second half later so the post isn’t so long!

1. Gel

If you’re looking to really stray away from the OEM look, maybe try out an icon pack that offers a super-clean, minimalistic look with solid white icons. I like this one particularly because the opaque background helps the icons stand out on almost all backgrounds.

2. Zolo

Flat is the new black. Flat + circles = “whew, that’s good looking”. The Zolo icon pack will give your device some character with the vivid colors and included 450 “cloud-based” wallpapers!

New Apple Macbook – Worth it?

Anyone who follows tech news knows all about the new Apple MacBook by now, and likely has an opinion about it. Since you know what the new MacBook is all about already, I think it’s important now to take a look at who would potentially benefit from this device. No matter what your opinion is on the new MacBook, Apple is a Trillion dollar company (literally) filled with tons of brilliant minds, and they wouldn’t put out a product if they didn’t think people would be interested in it, and spend money on it. Period.

Battle of the Specs: iPhone 6 vs. Xiaomi Note

Last week, Xiaomi released it’s latest flagship devices, the Note. Given the devices size and Xiamoi’s reputation of perceived Apple design mimicry, the Note is being referred to by many as a rival or competitor to the iPhone 6 Plus. Well, all talking aside, let’s take a look at the specs of both the Xiaomi Note and the iPhone 6 Plus.

On paper, the Xiaomi Note takes the cake when it comes to specs. We all know however, that Apple is infamous for marrying internals with software to create a consistent user experience. It’s worth mentioning that in addition to the Note, Xiaomi also announced the Note Pro. This bad boy is boasting a Snapdragon 810 Processor, 4GB of RAM and a 2K – 1440p display. That’s a whole lot of phone.

Without comparing the two side by side, it’s hard to say which device will lead the way in performance, but as far as design and UI they’re both great devices. The only downside to the Xiaomi, of course, is that unless the place you call home happens to be Asia, you won’t be getting your hands on the device any time soon.

Have something to add? Leave a comment below. Be sure to follow HOOKD.in on Twitter (@HOOKDin) and subscribe to stay up to date!