How to Turn Your Phone Into a Dash Cam

There are all kinds of reasons why you might want to set up a dash cam (like AUKEY DASH CAM ) in your car: Everything from settling insurance claims to capturing footage of passing meteorites. And if you’re taking your smartphone along for the ride anyway, then you may as well get it to take over dash cam duties too.
Assuming you’ve got your hands on a suitable phone, your next port of call should be a mount to keep it in place while you’re motoring around—you might already have one if you use your handset as a sat nav. Obviously it needs to be one that leaves the rear camera free.
Thanks to the heavy lifting required to keep your camera on and recording all the time, it’s a good idea to get a mount that charges your phone too or pick up a separate cable to do the same job. With your kit in place you’re ready to find a dash cam app for your handset

There are quite a few apps out there ready to meet your dash cam needs. The selection is more limited on iOS, where Car Camera and CamOnRoad seem to be the best of the bunch. The latter is free and the former has a Lite versionavailable if you want to test it out before you buy.


CamOnRoad is also available on Android, along with DailyRoads Voyager, AutoGuard Dash Cam and CaroO, the last of which can also monitor your car’s vital statistics at the same time. All of these are free (or have free versions) so you can see which one suits your device best.

You should double-check the laws of your own land as well before you get started: Here we’ve tested CamOnRoad and DailyRoads Voyager, as they can work in the background behind a sat nav app (or any other app)—in the UK it’s currently illegal to drive a car with a live camera feed in your field of vision.

It’s important to familiarize yourself with the various controls and options of your chosen app before you hit the road, as you don’t want to be fiddling around with buttons and sliders on the Interstate. Start the record process and you’re ready to get out on the road.
Most apps let you set a specific amount of storage space and the recorded video then loops around using that block of memory—it means you’ll have to remember to stop recording if you want to keep something. DailyRoads Voyager has a specific Retain button for saving recent footage, which stays visible on top of whatever app you have open (like Google Maps).

CamOnRoad offers up some useful augmented reality features too: You can see various points of interest as you drive around, such as nearby gas stations and even speed cameras. Speed, distance and time are all recorded, and there’s an optional cloud storage service for your clips.

Of the two apps we tried, CamOnRoad offered the most appealing interface and more features, but DailyRoads Voyager offered simpler operation and better integration with other apps, so it’s worth testing out a couple of different ones to see which gives you the features you need.

Anker Astro E1 5,200mAh Portable Charger

It’s quite similar to Anker’s PowerCore 5000, but its size and design are just a bit different. Known to be candy bar sized, the power bank does very well at being one the best small power banks on the market because of its short length and skinny width. As a result, it can fit into a pocket and easily be held in your hand.

Then there’s the charging, and it can Output 5V/2.0A charging speed to your devices. This amount of Amperage is enough to charge many smartphones at their max speed. The input speed at 1 Amp is to be expected since it’s quite a small charger. The power capacity does a great job at keeping a great conversions rate, so you can very well charge your smartphone up to 2 times. Some may even do 3 times.

The design is one the best aspects since it begins charging automatically and turns off when nothing is connected to the power bank ( for example: SUNJACK HEAT BANK ) However, these kind of features are prevalent within many of Anker’s portable chargers, which is a great thing to see.
Specs of the Anker Astro E1 5200mAh: 

Capacity: Advertised: 5,200mAh Real Capacity: 5,000mAh
Output: 5V/2.0A
Input: 5V/1.0A
LED Power Indicators: Four-LED Power Indicators
Size: 3.8 × 1.7 × 0.9 inches
Weight: 4.16 ounces
Comes with Micro-USB Cable

ALEKO AR1450 Slide Gate Opener Review

There is a world of difference between residential grade electronic door/gate openers and commercial grade electronic door/gate openers, and it’s of the utmost importance that you choose the right set up for your specific needs.


Thankfully, when you decide to go with a top quality solution like the ALEKO AR1450, you’re going to be able to enjoy a tremendously high level of performance without breaking your bank account – even if you have to move and maneuver gates that are up to 55 feet long and weigh up to 1600 pounds.

What makes the ALEKO Company so special?


For almost 10 years now, the ALEKO Company (based out of Seattle, Washington) has been responsible for game changing electronic and automatic gate/door opening solutions, many of them designed and engineered right here in the good old United States of America.


These solutions are produced at incredibly low prices while still leveraging advanced technology, offering customers a unique blend of performance and pricing that they won’t find anywhere else.
What makes the ALEKO AR1450 so special?


Well, when compared to the rest of the electronic gate/door competition (for that price range), there’s really nothing else quite like the ALEKO AR1450.

Not because there aren’t other top-of-the-line electronic gate opening solutions, but because there are very few that offer such buttery smooth and easy opening and closing on gates that are oversized.


When you use this technology, you’ll be able to safely and smoothly opened and close gates that are up to 55 feet long and weigh up to 1600 pounds, and incredible capacity in this industry.


Combine that with standout safety features and benefits, and you’re talking about something really special here.

What’s inside the box?
When you decide to invest in the ALEKO AR 1450, you’re going to be getting your hands on absolutely everything you need to install this system with the only exception being the inclusion of gear racks. These are the only components that are sold separately, though they are very inexpensive.



Standout features of the ALEKO AR 1450


It’s difficult to find one or two standout features when looking at the ALEKO AR 1450 (model number: AR1400), but one of the most impressive details that people are always drawn to would have to be the automatic stop and reverse sensors that increase safety.


If an obstruction is detected at any point in time, the automatic and electronic gates will stop dead in their tracks and reverse so that sticky and potentially dangerous situations are avoided.


Dimensions for the ALEKO AR 1450

Amazingly compact for what it’s capable of, this particular gate opener (for example: MIGHTY MULE 350) is only going to measure 13.4” x 13” x 10”, and weighs just about 20 pounds.

Here’s what customers have to say about the ALEKO AR 1450


You’d have a really difficult time trying to find anyone that wasn’t absolutely overjoyed with the performance of their ALEKO AR 1450. The overwhelming majority of people out there have already written glowingly positive reviews of this technology, and it’s quickly become one of the company’s best sellers.
Final verdict


When everything is said and done, and you need a piece of technology that will efficiently close oversized gates, you’re going to want to get your hands on an ALEKO AR 1450 to get the job done.

Huge sidewalk repair project completed at this public housing complex in south Queens

No one will be tripping on the sidewalks of South Jamaica anytime soon.

Repairs to sidewalks in and around the South Jamaica II Houses were completed last week in a ceremony attended by a bevy of local elected officials and city representatives.

More than 12,000 square feet of sidewalk pathways were redone during the project that began in November. Crews also upgraded pedestrian ramps at three corners and repaired approximately 523 linear feet of curb. The six-week project removed a host of trip hazards that the more than 3,000 residents of the complex faced every day.

State Senators Leroy Comrie and James Sanders joined Councilman Ruben Wills and Assemblywoman Vivian Cook, along with other attendees, in shoveling one final load of top soil into tree pits near the South Jamaica II Houses to mark the project’s completion.

According to the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Queens borough commissioner, Nicole Garcia, the project is part of the city’s renewed commitment to repairing sidewalks citywide. The city more than doubled its annual sidewalk repair Queens budget to $46 million (it had been $20 million), including $3 million in repairs focused on sidewalk repairs at New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) complexes such as the South Jamaica II Houses.

“For DOT, that translated into millions of dollars dedicated to improving the quality of life for New York City residents by providing safer sidewalks,” Garcia said. “We owe nothing less to the thousands of New Yorkers who call the Jamaica Houses home.”

The project was completed by the city’s Department of Design and Construction in conjunction with the DOT and the NYCHA. More than 12,000 miles of sidewalk across the five boroughs fall under the jurisdiction of the DOT.

3 Ways to Improve Reputation of Your Business with Customers

After creating a high-quality product, hiring experienced and professional staff and launching your business, you might think that a great reputation will naturally follow. However, modern day businesses are struggling to build that rapport and trusting connection with the customer. There are number of ways that you can improve the perception of your business though, no matter what your size or budget. Here are the top three to get you started…

1) Invest in a good website

Gone are the days when companies could get away with a single homepage with static content. When a consumer comes across your advertising or hears your name, they will instantly search for you online before making any action to get in touch with you. Your website today is a symbol of you as a company, so if it’s out of date, they’ll think the same about you, your ideas and your products. Seen as well-functioning and bespoke websites can be created even on the smallest budget these days, there really is no excuse for you losing out to the competition.

3 Things to Consider Before Expanding Your Business Abroad

Often when looking to expand your business going international is the best way to do it. Globalization has enabled businesses of all style and size to go after customers they were not able to before. Reaching to new markets and a different selection of customers overseas can be hugely beneficial for your business and literally open up a whole new world of clients. However, it is worth remembering that international expansion does not come without its own risks. There are a few essential things to consider before expanding abroad. Here’s the top three:

1. Language barriers

Language barriers can sometimes be a difficult obstacle when expanding abroad. It’s a good idea to start by expanding to countries in Europe which are usually quite used to doing business with each other and work on the very similar time zones. If you are looking to seriously do business with a certain country it’s advisable to think of hiring a person who speaks that language in order to make communication smoother and iron out any potential difficulties, especially in the beginning stages.

Real Estate Investment: Does It Make Good Business Sense?

There was once a time where everyone was telling you the best thing to invest in is bricks and mortar. Of course, last decade’s economic downturn turned the property market upside down. These days, most nations are still in economic recovery mode.

So, if you wanted to make your money work for you, should you avoid real estate investment? In a word, no. Let me give you some reasons why it makes sense to put your money in property:

Property prices are low

It makes sense to buy properties when their value is low. Unlike other types of investment, real estate is less volatile. Sure, there will be times where there are dips and curves. But, if you invest in property you will do so for the long haul.