Technology is advancing in every industry and cigarette’s are no exception. Fortunately, the latest advances in e-cigarette technology are aimed at creating a safer alternative to the typical tobacco smoke.

The average analog cigarette contains more than 600 ingredients and jumps to over 4,000 chemicals when burned. The e-liquid or e-juice for a personal vaporizer contains only 4 ingredients: nicotine, flavoring, USP grade propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine. Also, vapes do not contain tar, carbon monoxide, carcinogens or the other 50 known poisons and chemicals that are known to cause cancer and present in an analog cigarette.

Initially e-cigarettes (or vapes) started as small units that mimicked the size, look and feel of a traditional cigarette. The battery life limitations and minimal throat hit of nicotine left room for improvement though.

The latest vapes have larger batteries for all day use, can hold more than a days worth of e-liquid and deliver a strong throat hit that satisfies most, if not all, smokers.

At E-Geniuses’ our Noble Cause is to ‘Advance Society Through Technology’. We believe that the use of a vape instead of an analog cigarette is a prime example of this and we’ve seen the benefits firsthand. We’re proud to offer these items in our store.

In November of 2012 we opened as the first vape shop in Burbank carrying authentic Joyetech batteries, vape starter kits, vape accessories and e-liquid. We’ve recently expanded the vape area next door as a dedicated entity, Caught the Vapors, which houses a vapor shop for all of the local Burbank vapers.

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Caught the Vapors – Vape Shop Burbank

At eGeniuses, our noble cause is to “Advance Society Through Technology.” That’s why we are happy to welcome Caught the Vapors to our Burbank shop. Caught the Vapors sells electronic cigarettes, or e-cigs/vapes, for people looking for alternatives to smoking regular cigarettes. Portable vapes expel water vapor as opposed to smoke.

If you know someone who smokes and is looking to quit, have them come by and visit our shop to see what Caught the Vapors has to offer. As of now, they are currently the only Burbank Vape Shop in the area.

You can also call them at (800) 391-9211.

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Christmas is a few days away and if you’re on the hunt for tech gifts, you know that some gifts just seem impossible to find. On the other hand, if you were lucky enough to shop early and have your tech gifts ready but want to make sure they’re received well, we’re here to help.

Although we don’t carry stock on hand, we can help you locate and purchase hard-to-find tablets such as the Apple iPad Mini or Google Nexus 7. We can also recommend and help you find other gift items such as laptops, computers, printers and more.

Before you wrap and stow away all your items safely under the tree, let us setup and configure the devices for your loved ones so that they’re ready to use right out of the box and can be enjoyed on Christmas day. We can perform a setup on gifts such as tablets, computers and laptops. For other items such as printers or scanners, you can schedule a technician to come by and set it up after the holidays.

For any of these services and more just contact the office at (877) 694-3648 or use the contact form on the ‘Contact‘ page.

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We’ve recently had an increase in calls from clients in regards to their Yahoo! email accounts being hacked. Unfortunately, this is not a new problem and is a common occurrence with certain email providers such as Yahoo, Hotmail and AOL. Luckily, there are a few solutions and tips to avoid situations like this in the future.

How did this happen?

First things first, let’s go over the ways that your Yahoo, Hotmail or other email account was breached. This can include numerous methods but the most common are being victim to a phishing website, virus and/or malware on your computer or a security breach on the end of the email provider. Yahoo, for instance, was in the news this past July for a data breach of approximately 400,000 accounts.

My account’s been compromised, now what?

The first thing you need to do if your email account is hacked is to change your password immediately. If the hacker has locked you out, follow the password recovery steps to set a new password. Next, run your anti-virus and anti-malware scans on your computer. If you’re not comfortable doing this on your own, feel free to call a technician at E-Geniuses for assistance. You’ll also want to change the password to all other online accounts such as your bank or credit cards if they share the same information.

Prevention

Keeping your computer virus/malware free and being aware of phishing websites, emails and other tactics are two important keys to preventing a hacked account. Also, ensure that you have a strong account password that is unique to your email account. Switching to a more secure email client, such as Google’s Gmail, is an additional way to secure your email account.

Need more assistance?

If you’re interested in switching your email account from Yahoo, Hotmail or AOL to Gmail and have a few questions or concerns, we can help. We can also maintain the security of your computer with our computer Monthly Maintenance Plans.

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There is a new tablet in the game, equipped with an all new operating system. The Microsoft Surface tablet is now available for pre-order at surface.com. The 10.6 inch tablet is available with a tablet specific version of Windows 8, the Windows RT operating system. Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT Preview, which includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote is included with the Surface.

Surface Tablet Specifications

The Surface tablet is a dark titanium color with external volume and power buttons. At 1.5 pounds it has one full size USB 2.0 port, a micro SDXC card slot, headset jack and HD video out port. The 10.6 inch display has a 1366 by 768 resolution with 5-point multi-touch. The Surface is running on an Nvidia Tegra 3 CPU estimated at 1.5GHz with 2GB of RAM.

The Surface is available with both 32GB and 64GB capacities and WiFi connectivity.  As far as imaging goes, both the rear and front facing camera are 720p HD LifeCams. There are are two microphones and stereo speakers. It also comes equipped with Bluetooth 4.0, an ambient light sensor, an accelerometer, gyroscope and compass.

Keyboard Covers

The two covers available for the Surface combine protection and function with the integrated keyboard and trackpad. The Touch Cover, the lighter and spill resistant cover, is available in five different colors for $119.99. The Type Cover, a keyboard that mimics a true desktop keyboard with its mechanical keys, is available in black for $129.99.

Availability

Devices will begin shipping on October 26th and be available in most Microsoft stores and holiday pop-up locations. The 32GB model is available for $499 while the 64GB size is $699.

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Apple is reporting record breaking numbers for the pre-orders of its latest phone, the iPhone 5. They announced today that they received 2 million pre-orders, doubling the 1 million pre-orders for the iPhone 4s last year and triple the numbers of the iPhone 4.

Well, is an upgrade to the iPhone 5 worth it? The answer all depends on your situation and what type of phone you’ll be switching from. For instance, any current iPhone 4 user and below (3GS, 3, etc) can easily justify the upgrade. The differences in their current phone and the iPhone 5 are distinguishable enough to see, feel and experience a difference. Also, if you currently are in the market for your first smartphone, the iPhone 5 (or iPhone 4s) would be a great choice depending on your budget.

Current Android smartphone users may have a harder time with their decision. Moving from the Google/Android eco system to iOS and the App Store may be a bit tougher. If you rely heavily on Google services and apps such as Google Voice or Gmail, the transition will be a little bumpy as those Google apps will no longer be native to your phone. Although the iPhone has most (if not all) Google apps available, the interface and functionality are sometimes hindered and updates are slower to reach the iPhone. Additionally, all previous app or game purchases for your Android phone will not transfer over to your new iPhone and will have to be repurchased. These are just a few of the things an Android user should think about when making the switch to an iPhone.

What’s New in the iPhone 5

The iPhone 5 has refreshed both the hardware and software from the previous iPhone 4s and comes equipped with Apple’s latest operating system iOS6.

Hardware

It is being touted as the thinnest and lightest iPhone ever, completely redesigned to feature a new larger 4-inch Retina display with a 1136-by-640 resolution. Unlike the iPhone 4/4s, the back plate is now made of mostly aluminum with glass plates only along the top and bottom. It is available in both black and white.

Faster Processer, Wireless Connection and Battery Life

The iPhone 5 introduces a new A6 chip that completes processes and tasks nearly twice as fast as the previous A5 chip. Speed boosts are significant and most noticeable in launching apps, web pages and downloading email attachments. Graphics processing has also improved and games will be smoother and have better gameplay.

For the first time, Apple has incorporated high speed network technologies from cellular carriers. iPhone 5 supports more networks and includes LTE, HSPA, HSPA+, and DC-HSDPA. Dual-band 802.11n wireless connectivity is also included and allows your iPhone 5 to experience speeds up to 150 Mbps.

With smart integration between iOS 6 and the new A6 processor, Apple has custom designed it to be power efficient. Estimates include up to 8 hours of browsing on a cellular connection, up to 8 hours of talk time, and up to 10 hours of video playback time.

Maps

Apple has developed their own map application and have included the long overdue and very requested turn-by-turn navigation. Map elements are vector based, which means graphics and text are incredibly sharp, even when you zoom in.  Maps also gives you real-time traffic information and reroutes you to avoid delays. They’ve also included a new FlyOver feature and 3D mapping that allows you to see a more realistic view while looking at the map.

Improvements to Siri

With iOS 6, Siri has been updated to understand more prompts, questions and give improved answers. The most highlighted features of this updated version of Siri are sports scores and stats, restaurant information (with Yelp integration), movies information and automated Facebook posting and tweeting for you.

Improved Camera Features

The improvements for the camera include 40 percent faster photo capture, better low-light performance, and improved noise reduction. The back camera has been upgraded to 1080p HD video with enhanced video stabilization and face detection. You can even take still photos as you record, so you can capture small moments while shooting a big one.

A new feature that is now built into the camera is the ability to take panoramic photos up to 240 degrees. The ending photo results in one seamless, high-resolution panorama up to 28 megapixels.

FaceTime video calls are now available over a cellular connection (previously only available over WiFi). You can also use the front facing camera to record 720p HD video.

Apple has introduced their best phone yet. A worthy upgrade for those using any iPhone 4 or below or those wanting to get their hands on the latest and greatest from Apple. If you’re eligible for an upgrade, it may be worth taking a look.

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Google announced their Nexus 7 tablet a few weeks ago and we’ve been trying to get our hands on one ever since. We were finally able to pick one up at a nearby Staples after calling around for a couple weeks. The Nexus 7 clearly blows away it’s similarly priced competitors (NOOK Tablet and Kindle Fire) so we’ll compare it to the top tablet in the game, the iPad. We’ve decided that Angela, a certified Apple fangirl and daily iPad, iPhone, iMac user will be the one to test it out.

Hardware

The Nexus 7 feels perfectly sized in your hands. The perforated and smooth rubber-like back give you a great grip on the device. The build quality feels above average and feels quite sturdy as though it’s meant to be taken around town daily. The smaller size, in comparison to the iPad, makes handheld typing a lot easier as well. The display is a bright, crisp and clear 7 inch LCD at 1280×800 pixels with capacitive and multitouch capabilities. The front-facing camera is nothing special, just a 1.2 megapixel that’s adequate for video chats. In my tests, recording video from the camera and uploading it to YouTube results in a 480p video. The speakers on the Nexus 7 are adequate for its size. It’s not overly loud but typical of what you would expect for it’s size.

Operating System – Jellybean (4.1)

Inside, the Nexus 7 is running on a 1.3 GHz Tegra 3 processor and 1GB of RAM. The unit we are testing out is the 8 GB model but a 16 GB is also available. The only complaint I have so far is that there is no expandable micro SD slot. I suspect that this is Google’s way of pushing us more toward their cloud apps such as Google Drive and Google Music. This doesn’t bother me too much as I utilize a lot of Google products and my 16GB+ of music is already on Google Music so it appeared immediately in my library after I synced up my account.

Speaking of syncing, as a heavy Google apps user (Gmail, Drive, Music, Google+, Chrome, etc) I really appreciate that after simply signing into my Gmail account during setup, all of my contacts, music and much more quickly materialized. I didn’t have to connect it to a computer at any point to setup or sync. The ease of use and seamlessness for all Google apps on the Nexus 7 was a breathe of fresh air in comparison to the clunky Google apps experience on my iOS devices.

One of my favorite things that Android has are its widgets. Customizing my homescreens with app icons placed anywhere combined with resizable widgets for my most used apps was fantastic. This is by no means exclusive to the Nexus 7, this is a feature that Android has always had. The iPad, on the other hand, does not give you any of these options.

Android has made impressive improvements with the new Jelly Bean operating system. With its improved notifications, a smoother interface (Project Butter), Google Now, voice search and offline voice typing, the Nexus 7 is quickly closing the gap between iOS and Android.

Conclusion

As it stands now, the Nexus 7 is the best Android tablet on the market. After my experience with it this week, I’d have to also say that it is also the best tablet for its size and price. The Nexus 7 performs just as well as the iPad, with a more compact form factor and consistent improvements, for less than half of the price. If you’re in the market for a compact tablet in the $200 range, I’d suggest you start calling around for your Nexus 7.

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One of the products Google announced today at their Google I/O conference was the Nexus Q, advertised as the first social streaming media player.

Nexus Q enables streaming media from the cloud such as your Google Play Music, movies and TV shows from Google Play and YouTube videos using your Android phone or tablet to navigate to your television and speaker system.

In our opinion, the most notable feature of the Nexus Q is the playlist feature. This allows any of your guests on your Wi-Fi network with an Android phone or tablet to act as a DJ and add their own songs and videos to the list. The Nexus Q also houses an “audiophile-grade” amplifier built in so that you can plug in your speakers directly. The volume is controlled by turning the top of the Nexus Q or through an Android phone or tablet.

As far as looks go, the Nexus Q has an attractively simple sphere design that comes in black. It also has 32 LEDs with various effects that shift and change in color depending on the music that’s currently playing.

The Nexus Q is available for pre-order today for $299 with estimated shipping dates of 2-3 weeks.

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Today Google announced the Nexus 7, their 7-inch tablet equipped with the latest Android operating system, Jelly Bean (4.1).

This tablet comes with impressive specifications that are typically found on higher-end devices:

• 1.2GHz NVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad-core processor
• 1GB of RAM
• 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera
• NFC chip
• 1280 x 800 screen resolution
• IPS-based LCD screen
• Bluetooth and 802.11b/g/n
• Estimated 8 hours of battery life
• $25 Google Play credit plus bundled media content

As far as pricing goes, an 8GB model is available for $199 and the 16GB model is $249. Considering the fantastic hardware specs and Jelly Bean Android OS shipping on the device, these are very fair prices and are poised to shake up the tablet market. Comparably priced tablets such as the NOOK Color and Amazon Kindle Fire will probably be forced to cut their prices or improve their own tablets to keep up.

The Nexus 7 is available for pre-order today with estimated shipping dates of 2-3 weeks.

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