ICOSA Tech Tease- Samsung Galaxy Note II

As the default tech dude at ICOSA, I knew the best way to drop some real knowledge about tools & toys was to bring in the big gun, Eli Asfaw. Eli has been my go-to gadget geek for about 14 years or so, as his level of expertise in such field far surpasses mine. Eli is now the official 'gadget geek' at ICOSA and my partner in crime in a new short video segment we have coined 'ICOSA Tech Tease'. Each week, Eli and I will be reviewing a tech gadget in our own way. We won't bore you with a spec run-down of every single feature, but we will discuss the best ones and tell you why each tool or toy (in our opinion) is one to empower leaders and/or leadership. Visit the tech section of icosa.co every week to hear Eli's thoughts on a variety of tech gadgets and to read my wrap-up of said video/featured gadget. The first video is directly below. ↓ [youtube width="640" height="360" video_id="iPQ9bCZ29dw"]

The tech tool we feature this week is the Samsung Galaxy Note II. This was our initial choice, because it's Eli's favorite smartphone to date. There is a ridiculous number of sick features on this [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phablet"]phablet[/lightbox] that have never been offered on a smartphone in the U.S.. If you want to check out a full list of specs, you can do so right [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note_ii_n7100-4854.php"]here[/lightbox].  What impresses us the most is the fact that you can simultaneously work on three different things on your screen at one time. If you can imagine, this is huge for the multitasking business leader. Also, at 5.5 inches and with a 720 x 1280 pixels resolution, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 also boasts the biggest screen we have ever seen on a phone. The last feature we love is the S-Pen that comes with it. The S-Pen is slightly larger than with the original Galaxy Note and has flat edges, making it more ergonomic. The sensitivity of the S-Pen and the display on the Note 2 allow for "Air View". This feature enables the user to hover the pen above the screen to perform certain tasks. This is the only phone that allows for desktop-like web surfing in such a way. To learn more about the S-Pen, watch [lightbox type="youtube" title="Title" youtube_id="bisGjDdDKKQ"]this video.[/lightbox]

Eli gives this phone 4.5 icosahedrons out of 5, his highest (and only) rating yet. Leave a comment below with your thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy Note II and/or suggestions of gadgets you think we should feature on ICOSA Tech Tease. Check in with us next week as we'll feature the new Droid DNA.

***Disclaimer: this is both of our first take on camera. We will get better, LOL***

~Follow Blake Rubenstein on Twitter: @BlakeHenry27 & follow Eli Asfaw: @SoDroid

The Flu's for Foos

As I shiver with cold sweats and suffer a nagging cough generally reserved for avid smokers, I reflect on the past. I don't recall my mind and body feeling quite so under-the-weather anytime recently. I have the flu. I never get the flu. [lightbox title="Title" href="http://www.icosa.co/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Screen-Shot-2013-01-10-at-11.27.50-AM.png"]What the heck is going on?[/lightbox] The flu is rampant in the U.S. this year and many are wondering why they got that flu shot that didn't work, that never works, that the nurse in the doctor's office talked them into. Flu shots... I don't do it anymore and haven't since I was a young lad. However, this is the first 'flu season' that I actually came down with the flu, so I thought, hmmm, shoulda got that shot! But should I have?

Since my girlfriend is just as sick as I am and she actually did get the shot, it led me to do a little research. Now we've all heard mixed things about the flu shot and whether it's a good or bad thing. Chances are, you've made up your mind a long time ago and you've stuck with your guns for as long as you can remember. Either way, there are so many factors to a flu vaccine, it's seemingly impossible to be effective. No soy un medico, so you should take it from a more scientific source and read [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howthingswork/a/aa011604a.htm"]this article[/lightbox].

Basically, there are  just too many variables when it comes to flu viruses and their vaccinations. All I really know about the flu is that it better be outta here in time for Saturday's game. [lightbox title="Title" href="http://www.icosa.co/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/shutterstock_PFM.jpg"]PFM[/lightbox] is putting Ray-Ray's career to rest and I WILL NOT miss the game. My conclusion on flu vaccines is that [lightbox title="Title" href="http://www.icosa.co/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/shutterstock_NWO.jpg"]'Corporate America'[/lightbox] tells us we need to get flu shots, so we do. What's behind their agenda? You don't want to know.

Robotic Limbs- WTF?!?!

New Years Day is generally a day reserved for nursing my conscience mind back to normalcy, not advancing it to previously unchartered territory.  But, as I lay on my buddy Dane's couch, post [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://www.grubhub.com/denver/spicy-basil/?showSmallSearchWidget=Y"]Chinese food[/lightbox] coma, I complained about his choice to watch an [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50137987n"]episode[/lightbox] of [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://www.cbsnews.com/60-minutes/"]60 Minutes[/lightbox] he had DVRed earlier in the week.  Since my tush was planted on his sofa, whining was as far as my objection would get.  (These days I watch NFL analysis when I control the remote.)  While the CBS show often surprises me when I'm forced to watch it, it seemed like all the typical boring stories that don't generally provoke much internal dialogue.  Until... BAM, a long segment on something that I literally thought was science-fiction when it first came on: [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/science/jan-june12/roboticarms_05-16.html"]Robotic prosthetics controlled by your brain[/lightbox]. If that doesn't sound like sci-fi to you, you probably have weird dreams that I want to hear about, so comment below.

What exactly are robotic prosthetics that are controlled by your brain?

That's it, precisely what it sounds like. Scientists started experimenting on this with monkeys and with wild success, needed a willing human to take part in the experimentation. The first lady they introduce in the story had [lightbox title="Title" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7tlq7_diGNs/Tl2Lyz0xX7I/AAAAAAAAaR0/o2Y5YFwCwsk/s1600/Gifkings.com-0170.gif"]elective brain surgery[/lightbox] so they could implant the wires and communication devices so she could use her own mind to control a robotic arm. She is paralyzed from the neck down, but when she is connected to the free-standing robotic arm, she simply has to think about moving the limb like it was her own and it does what she thinks. I never conceived anything like this and am still in shock that technology has advanced in such a way. However, it doesn't stop there in sophistication.

The next man in the vignette is not paralyzed, but rather is missing one arm from just above the elbow. The doctors built him a robotic prosthetic that connects via wires to nerves in his arm and doesn't require any brain surgery.  When the arm is connected, he simply feels like his normal arm is still attached.  Somehow they can connect to his nerves in such a way that his brain and body just detect a normal limb. Not only can he control the limb with his thoughts, but he actually gets signals back and therefore can feel and receive [lightbox title="Title" href="http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/mind_blown.gif"]information[/lightbox] from it as well.  That is the most unbelievable part of the story to me.

In conclusion, if scientists can actually enable you to control artificial limbs with your mind and receive sensory information from them in return, why can't I [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://listverse.com/2008/08/02/top-10-quirkiest-early-flying-machines/"]fly[/lightbox] to work yet?

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