Modern Co.: April 2015

Nintendo has announced that they are partnering with another company to bring us mobile games. Obviously they aren't going to port some of their classics such as Super Smash Bros. but they will make new games that will advertise the Wii U. I like what what they are doing but not why.

Recent rumors claim that google wants to start their own MVNO. Most likely this will only support Android devices although it is unclear if only Nexus devices or all android devices will be supported. I know that google will make very competitive prices however some people will shy away in fear of google recording conversations and storing them along with other information about you.
What do you think about a Google MVNO?

An MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) is a company that rents airwaves from the main cell phone carriers (Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T) Doing so allows for a large range of plans not available on the big cell providers. This results in cheaper plans, Just search MVNO on Bing and you will find hundreds of companies with competitive prices. There are disadvantages such as needing an unlocked phone for most.

Android gaming has evolved over the years, today one could easily but themselves an Android TV and play games on it, this got me thinking about a homemade "console."

To build this:

Banana Pro (pictured) ~$60
32 gb micro sd card (I am not sure if the banana pro supports sd or micro sd, however the micro sd comes with an adapter) ~$20
Android 4.4 image $0.00
PS3 wired controller ~$20

Overall price ~$100

I don't recommend doing this if you want to game but if you have money to spend and like tinkering with computers this will be sufficient.

Case pros:

Extreme protection
Customization

Skin pros:

Cheap
Non-intrusive
Customization

Most Android phones today have micro sd expansion. However if you have a phone without this and are running out of room you should consider getting a USB-OTG converter (pictured) most phones with android 4.x and android 5.x supprot it although you should still google your phone name and "Otg support." This converts the micro-usb charging port to a full usb port. You can use wired game controllers, Mice, Usb sticks, and even keyboards.

Last year I purchased an Amazon Fire HD 6 on black friday. Of course the blog was not up at the time so my review is very late. Anyway here are some cons of the tablet:

Thick
Small Screen (6" is small for a tablet)
No Micro-SD expansion
No Google Play Store
Non-Removable battery
Awkward button placement

Here are some pros of the tablet:

Cheap
Small Screen (portable)
Supports OTG-usb
Works well with most apps in Amazon Appstore

Throughout the extensive amount of time I have had with the tablet I rarely experienced crashes of apps. I think of it as the iPod Touch 6 (running android). I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get into the android world without paying $200+. If you already have a smartphone there is no use in getting this.

Comment Below with what you think about this post.

We want your feedback! We are nearing twenty posts and we only have 1 comment (not including our comments) It is great that we have at least one like on every post but we would appreciate to hear your thoughts about us by either sending us an email ( modernconsortium@outlook.com ) or commenting on any post. We want to know if we should continue writing article or not. Thank You!

It is no secret that there may not be another generation of game consoles. Reasons include:

Sony might fail and go Bankrupt
Microsoft will probably turn the XBox into a movie streaming device instead of keeping it as a game console.

Nintendo may be the only console company left, if they don't go bankrupt.

But without consoles where is the future of gaming? While consoles die off PC's will continue to reign superior. So In the end PC gamers will win. Sort of.

Part 2 coming soon. Comment with what you think.

Geometry Dash $1.99 (Android, Windows Phone, iOS) PC $3.99
This is my review of Geometry Dash. Once you download Geometry Dash you will be instantly absorbed into the addicting "Just one more try" of the whole game. The levels are very hard and it's almost impossible to beat a level on the first try. You will find yourself trying hundreds of times to memorize the layout of a level with the hope of somehow completing it. If you have a couple of days to waste on playing this game you should download the free version which has about half the levels as the full version does. However if you have several years to spare you should download the full version. The full version also comes with the Level Editor which allows players to create and share custom levels. Overall this is a great app with good music and visuals.
Comment Below on what you think about this review. Next Review: Leo's Fortune

This is this weeks budget PC Instruction. Week 1.

CPU: AMD A4-6300 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A68HM-H Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory

HDD: Seagate Pipeline HD 320GB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive

GPU (optional): Sapphire Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card

Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (Pictured)

PSU: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply

Total Price:$322.86

Comment Below on what you think. (Note: I did not build this, this is just a guide. All deals can be found here.

This is Part 2, be sure to read Part 1.

Yesterday I posted an article about how the internet can be shared across multiple devices. These are my thoughts on the app FireChat (iOS and Android). This app was made by the same developers as Open Garden. However this app is more focused on sending messages over Bluetooth than sharing the internet. Firechat links all the devices that have the app together so if I am not in range of Device A but I am in range of Device B and Device B is in Range of Device A I could send a message to Device A because of Device B. This is known as Mesh Networking. Anyway this would be great in a city where everyone has the app. Already Hong Kong protestors use this app in case the internet gets shutdown.

Comment below on what you think of this post.

Recently I stumbled upon an app called Open Garden. Basically it enables the use of internet over Bluetooth if both devices have the app. Now this is Android exclusive but the developers want to bring it to iOS. Anyway why is this a good idea? Because if everyone gets this app than there will be no need for cell service. Everyone will experience higher speeds because you could connect several devices together to be using several different internet providers at the same time! I certainly think that this is a great idea and I hope it catches on and moves to different platforms.
Comment below with what you think. Part 2 is coming tomorrow.

Terraria:$4.99

Available in iOS($6.49), Android, and Windows Phone. There are more costly versions on PC, PS3, PS4, XBox One, XBox 360, and PS Vita. Comment below if I missed anything.

Terraria is somewhat similar to minecraft. However Terraria is 2-dimensional and more focused on magical items and weapons than being realistic. It's very hard to complete on your own and you're sure to go to the wiki more than once. I really enjoy it. I have been playing it for a couple months now. Beware how much time you will spend on this app. If you aren't sure about the $5 pricetag download the free version and try it out see if you like it. (you can't save worlds on the free version) Another option on Terraria is Multiplayer which allows up to 4 players to join on a world (if they are connected to the same wifi network) However I am not entirely sure if multiplayer between windows phones and android or iOS works. I have tried Android and iOS multiplayer and it works flawlessly (most of the time). There have been a few crashes but that might just be my device. I would definitely try it out.

Comment below on what you think about this review. Next app review: Geometry Dash

Tutorial on "How to get non Amazon-Appstore Apps on Amazon Devices"

Allow installation of non-appstore apps in settings
Go to browser and install 1 mobile app market.
Install your apps!

Comment below on what you think of this tutorial.

This is my 10th post! Modern Consortium was founded Yesterday and as of now the most views on a single post is 8, the least is 4. On average we have six views per post. Shoutout to whoever is on android please comment below and tell us who you are, as we have 9 views from android and since this post has not yet been published 9 articles. Anyway we have an average of 1.2 likes on each post and the majority of people are on windows and are using google chrome. Yet we still do not have any comments. I really want to hear from you guys about your opinions on this blog!

It's been several months since I limited my use of google as a search engine. Most people would say that I am crazy, however I have amassed a sum of nearly $15 using Bing Rewards.

If you consider the fact that most people earn a sum of $0.00 for using google, Bing Rewards is a good deal. Here is how it works:
Desktop: 15 credits a day, 1 credit per 2 searches.
Mobile: 10 credits a day, 1 credit per 2 searches.
Also you get 1 or 2 other offers at 1 credit each, once a week there is a "Trivia Challenge" worth 3 credits.
You won't get rich overnight using this but you can get some giftcards to Amazon and the much despised Gamestop. Someday we'll make an article on why people hate Gamestop.
Comment below on what you think of ModernConsortium and this blog post!

Recently I deleted the extension AdBlock from my browser. You may be asking "Why would he do such a thing?" but I have my reasons:
Although this blog does not yet qualify for Google Adsense the biggest motivation for making any articles on this blog is that not only are the small amount of people that follow it informed but also that we earn money. But one of the only ways to earn money on a blog is through Ads. If you were to block these ads where would the motivation come from? I would rather suffer a few distracting ads every now and then, than have the websites I enjoy stop making content or start charging a fee for going on their website!
Start the movement now and disable adblock!

Which console is better in 2015?

XBox pros:
Many exclusives
Great online playability
Windows 10 (not yet available)
Microsoft (good support)

PS4 pros:
Cheaper online play
Smaller consoles
Powerful
Good controller

If I missed anything please comment below

Everyone knows that your products are overpriced. If you could stop copying android it would be greatly appreciated. As a matter of fact I believe that the only way to make apple the king of smartphones is by making the iPhone 6c with two main options: iPhone 6c with iOS $549 and, iPhone 6c with Android $449.
An iPhone with android would bring android fans running to the apple store (maybe). Honestly I personally would love that, still just like any other iPhone I wouldn't buy it. Why? $449 (currently its $549) for 1 gigabyte of ram and a 1.4 ghz processor seems a bit like a ripoff considering the fact that the Amazon Fire HD 6 has better specs and costs $99 (full review coming soon)
Comment below on what you think about this post

For those of you that don't know Swagbucks is a website which allows you to earn virtual money that can be redeemed for giftcards. I have been using it for some time now and I really like it despite the fact that it takes ages to earn enough "swagbucks"

The best method of earning is probably referrals because you earn 10% of the amount that the person you referred earns. However I have been unsuccessful at finding people to follow my referral link. It would be very helpful if you follow that link when signing up. Back to the review: I would rate this site 7.5/10. The idea is good even though at times you feel like you're being scammed "watch 10 videos to earn $0.03!" Nonetheless you should definitely check it out and see if you like it.

I couldn't include an image for this post, sorry.

Currently our blog isn't doing to well. The most pageviews on a single blog is 7. If this number changes I will edit it. But we need your help.
You can help us by

Spread the word! Post on Social media and tell your friends about us.
Disable AdBlock: Currently we don't qualify for AdSense however when we do be ready and help us out.
Swagbucks! Use this link
Bing Rewards: Use this link
Send us an email: ModernConsortium@outlook.com
Comment Below! Tell us what you think about Modern Consortium!

My opinion is that Android is a better Operating system than iOS. Here's why:
More freedom: on android one can easily download a custom ROM and change the UI.
More apps: self explanatory
More phones:You can buy phones anywhere from $50-$22,000
More accessories:Can iPhones support usb-otg? nope.
Accessories part 2:Removable battery and expandable storage.
Standard charging:Micro-usb is standard on phones and accessories.
Comment below if I missed anything.

When it comes to such topics as "Console Gaming vs PC Gaming" generally the argument is fanboys trying to prove their point. Today you will learn the truth: the one that is best depends on your personal needs and preferences.
Consoles pros include:
Easy setup
Can run all the games on its platform
Same hardware as the person your playing against
Somewhat affordable
Comment below if I missed anything
PC pros include:
Easy upgrades
Cheaper games
More Games
Custom hardware
Comment below if I missed anything

Recently I watched a Tek Syndicate video which inspired me to install Linux onto one of my old computers. With a whopping 768 MB of RAM and 2 Intel ® Pentium ® 4 CPU's, Ubuntu 14.04 32-bit runs surprisingly well. The installation process is very simple, however I will not guide you through the steps here as the Ubuntu website has a very detailed guide. It took me ~1 hour from the moment I clicked on the install button on the Ubuntu website to finishing the setup.

I was glad that it came with Firefox unlike the usual Internet Explorer you get with Windows. Ever since I got Linux I have been trying to use it full time, however there were still times that I had to go on my Windows laptop for certain programs. Another thing which I was happy about was that Ubuntu came preloaded with the LibreOffice suite which brought back memories of Microsoft Word 2000. Seriously this looks like Word 2000 with a white theme on it:

I truly believe that Linux is the operating system of the future, already the majority of smartphones run android which is based on Linux. Of course Linux may not suit your needs but I strongly recommend trying Linux out. It's free and is not resource hungry.

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