• New York,  Technology

    Gear S3 Frontier Review: Stylish, yet useful.

    The world of Smart Watches has opened a pandora’s box for many watch makers. From home name brands such as Swatch and Nixxon coming into the fray to compete for the best smart watch, it can be a bit daunting to find the right one. However, Samsung has been one of the earlier pioneers of smart watch technology. A lot of their earlier smart watches have been hit or miss, but this year, they kept traditional watch design with extraordinary processing speeds to give us the Gear S3 Frontier and Classic.

    From the start, the Gear S3 Frontier and Classic look very different. The Frontier has a rugged looking design, while as the Classic is just that; classic and safe. The buttons on the side of the Classic and Frontier are different, as the Classic protrudes and has knobs like your typical watch.

    Design
    The Gear S3 is quintessential for any Samsung or Android user who wants to have a powerful watch that does more then your standard watch. It comes built in with a .22m band, that can easily be customizable. I personally have a few myself, and its great to be able to quickly snap on various, depending on the occasion. The watchband is sturdy and has that rugged frontier idea, but the texture is hidden by the color of the band. When it comes to wearing it around daily, I often forget that I have it on my hand. It is very comfortable to wear and it doesn’t bother me in the slightest.


    Another great design feature is the moveable bezel. With it, you can receive calls just by turning the bezel left or right. It also feels reminiscent of the classic G-Shock watches. The Gear S3 can also be operated with touch, but I found myself enjoying to rotate the bezel, rather then using my fingers to click on the menu items.

    Texting is also surprisingly easy on the Gear S3. You can use the Voice Feature or you can reply to your texts via your fingers. Its not hard at all, although it does take a few tries to get it right.

    Texting is simple with this.

    Since the Gear S3 is part of the Samsung Ecosystem, you can expect a lot of the great features you would get from Samsung onto the watch. Samsung Smart Watches have been notorious for over promising applications that will be useful for your Gear S3. It’s native apps are great. If you’re into health and keeping up with your heart rate, Samsung has utilize its own native app, S-Health to give you on the go health updates. It is keen, especially with one of the top selling points is a built in GPS. (If you are looking for something smaller, the Gear Fit 2 offers the same thing for the sportier types.)

    However, when it comes to the Sleep Monitor on the Gear S3, I find it lacking. While the Gear Fit2 accurately tracked my sleep well, I feel that this doesn’t track it. On average, I sleep between 6 – 8hrs, but certain nights, it will only record 2 – 5 hours of sleep. I tried to tinker with the sleep monitor to no avail. But when it does work, it accurately tracks motionless sleep and it can easily be recorded onto your phone.

    Having a Smart Watch is all about the extension of your phone. But the Gear S3 does a lot more, and with its design, its certain to be a welcoming addition to anyone who wants to keep themselves connected without pulling out your phone.

     

  • New York

    Wonderfully Creative Children’s Books – Look no Further for Kids’ Holiday Gifts!

    I am absolutely in love with a collection of children’s books by Home Grown Books. I just got “An Alphabet in Bloom,” and I have to say, it’s exceptionally beautiful and creative – I’ve never seen anything like it.

    It’s a wordless picture book that has the potential to capture the minds of kids in all age groups. (I even caught myself flipping through the pages in awe). Each page contains colorful artwork by Nathalie Trovato, and captures the essence of the alphabet in a very creative way. The first page is dedicated to nature images that begin with the letter “A,” and it’s up to the child to point out and take note of each item on the page and the letter it begins with. The letter is not visually displayed on each page; therefore, the child is pushed to learn the alphabet on his or her own with the help of eye-catching imagery. I can’t say enough good things about this collection of books.

    My daughter is 10 months old, and although she isn’t at the alphabet-learning stage, she gravitates to the colorful pages. I look forward to teaching her the alphabet with the help of this book in the near future.

    I highly recommend these books as upcoming holiday and birthday gifts. The gift of learning is the best gift, in my opinion.

    Alphabet in Bloom retails for $17.95
    Visit their website to purchase: homegrownbooksnyc.com

  • Australia

    This Christmas, look like an Aussie

    As the rest of the world is frantically trying to warm itself up this cold December, in Australia it’s party season again: it’s summer. As if it’s not enough that they have warm weather all year long, they get to party on the beach for Christmas and New Year too. Funny Christmas carols, Santa Claus in speedos, and reindeers replaced by kangaroos are just the tip of the iceberg called “Winter holidays in Australia”. Aussies are laid back and extravagant at the same time, and if you’re looking to get some of that Australian vibe, we offer a few easy style tips.

    Add a bit more print

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    Monochromatic clothes are always elegant and stylish, but you have the entire year to look like that. Why not experiment a bit and choose to wear a piece that has a vivid graphic print this Christmas? And we’re not talking about reindeer-and-Christmas-tree print sweaters, everyone already wears those. A geometric design on yoga leggings, or something that yells ‘summer’ all over the place, like a palm tree button-down shirt, or a grey sweater with a bright pineapple printed on the front will bring the summer air into the room even if it’s snowing outside and you’re drinking a cup of tea by the fire. A simple bandana with bananas or a scarf with cherries are also great choices if you want to keep it simpler.

    Splatter glitter everywhere

    Don’t be afraid to add a bit more glitter to your everyday look. After all, it’s Christmas, and everywhere you look there are sparkly decorations and sequins. Glitter on the eyes is incredibly popular, and you can experiment as much as you like: put it directly underneath your eyebrows, on your upper lids or under your lower lashes. Anything is allowed, but do try to choose only one of the three, or it’ll be too much. Silver or gold glitter can be worn with pretty much anything, but you can also choose a particular color if you would like to make your eyes pop, or pair it with another part of your outfit.

    Dress the dress down

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    This is the time of Christmas parties in the office or at your friends’ place, and it’s the perfect excuse to wear something elegant. If you’re trying to look up to Aussie girls, however, you can try dressing those elegant pieces down a bit, by wearing them with something casual. For example, your little black dress will look equally good paired with a plain denim shirt and a messy bun, regardless if it’s custom-made or a Gucci, and even an elegant Adrianna Papell dresses with sequins will look plainer when worn with flats and a huge bag. Play with textures and layers, wear silk with leather and denim with velvet, put on sneakers instead of high heels and keep your hair in a messy bun, and you will look like a real Aussie girl.

    Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

    Just because you’re not sweating like in the summer does not mean that you can’t dehydrate in this cold weather. Aussie girls sip water all day long because they know how important it is for their skin. The freezing weather outside and the central heating turned up to the max can dry your skin in the blink of an eye, leaving you with flaky skin and chapped lips. Drink plenty of water, but don’t forget to apply moisturizer to your face and hand cream to your hands before you leave the warmth of your home.

    It doesn’t matter what time of the year it is, Australians like to keep their outfits casual, but every winter they allow themselves to be eccentric and experiment with different styles. Instead of trying to ‘steal the look’ from the Parisians, choose to be an Aussie this Christmas and rock that ‘high class and yet laid back’ look like a pro. Don’t get too carried away though, and make sure you’re warm before you leave your home.