Gadgets
Mlais M7 review – Bang for the buck incarnate
You don’t have to look very far to see that there is still a bit of a stigma towards a lot of Chinese products, but especially electronics. The country that produces most of the items we all use every day has a pretty bad reputation for making certain things that are considered “subpar” by most of the western world. While this may be the case in some situations, it’s actually far from being the truth when it comes to modern electronics and the Mlais M7 smartphone is a prime example of a Chinese product that’s just as good as some of its other counterparts from around the world.
But first of all, who is Mlais? To make a long story short, this is a relatively young Chinese company that’s trying to make a name for itself in the industry, which isn’t necessarily an easy thing to do when your country is home to loads of other business that are trying to do the same thing. Still, this particular company is on the right track here and the Mlais M7 is pretty good proof of that. Now, this smartphone isn’t necessarily perfect, but at only $190 you’ll be hard pressed to find a phablet that offers a better bang for the buck.
On the outside the Mlais M7 doesn’t look particularly flashy, however, it’s likely to catch the attention of other people regardless thanks to its huge 5.5-inch display. If you’re like me, you’ll struggle a bit with phablets like this at first, but you’ll actually only need a couple of days of playing around to get accustomed to its size. On the bright side, everything looks better on a big screen like this and you won’t have to worry too much about accidentally damaging it because the screen is protected by highly resistant glass that can withstand scratches, fingerprints and impact damage. The device is capable of taking a decent amount of punishment if necessary, but as always, it’s wise to be careful with your smartphone just to be on the safe side.
But coming back to the design, the Mlais M7 sports an overall simple look, with the back panel being the only part that stands out a bit. Upon first checking out the back of the phone you’ll immediately notice one of the phone’s main features, the fingerprint scanner. Generally speaking, fingerprint scanners are not all that reliable just yet and this is no exception. That’s not to say that it doesn’t work as intended because it does. However, there are moments when the sensor doesn’t recognize your fingerprint, which is definitely a problem when you’re trying to unlock your smartphone in a hurry.
Luckily the Mlais M7 features a few other ways of locking and unlocking your phone, so you can use your fingerprint only if you really want to. Having said that, the scanner is definitely a nice feature to have and it’s actually pretty surprising to see it considering that sensors like these are usually reserved for the more expensive handsets. In any case, here’s hoping that a future software update will improve the fingerprint scanner because in its current state it’s unlikely to become the preferred method of unlocking the Mlais M7 for most people.
With that out of the way, let’s talk about hardware and performance. Here I just want to start off by saying that the Mlais M7 can handle pretty much anything you can throw out at it. If you want to use this phone for work-related purposes you can rest assured knowing that it’s very fast at opening virtually any web page or app, including those that require a constant internet connection. Additionally, you can run any mobile game out there without any stuttering, frame rate drops, or any other such issues. Now, I’m not much into mobile gaming myself, but I did try a handful of demanding games (including Mortal Kombat X) and I didn’t encounter any problems whatsoever when playing them. I will definitely recommend the Mlais M7 to anyone with a passion for mobile games because apart from the fact that you can play anything without any problems, the 5.5-inch HD display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution makes everything look that much better. That said, a few hours of intensive gaming will drain a lot of your battery so make sure to keep that in mind.
The battery pack comes in at 2,600 mAh so it’s what most would consider average for a smartphone of this type. If you’re not doing anything too intensive, the battery on the Mlais M7 will easily last for more than a day before you need to reach for the charger. There’s also an intelligent battery saving mode that’s pretty self-explanatory and seems to work pretty well from my experience. As mentioned, pushing the phone to its limits will indeed drain the battery quickly and that’s a bit of a problem since the recharge time is not exactly fast. However, the recharge time also depends on what kind of USB cable you’re using. While testing with an old cable I found that it can take as much as four hours to get a full charge, but upon using the one included in the box the time was reduced to just about two hours. Going from 0 to full in two hours is not bad at all in my book, but make sure you’re not using a very old USB cable like I first did because that little detail matters more than some may think.
It’s also worth pointing out that the Mlais M7 comes equipped with a very powerful processor that definitely gives the battery a run for its money, namely, a 64-bit MTK6752 octa-core CPU clocked at 1.7 GHz, complete with 3 GB of RAM. Moving on to storage, you get the standard 16GB straight out of the box with the possibility of further expanding the internal memory by up to 64GB via microSD card. As a side note, Mlais isn’t including a microSD card in the box, but then again, few companies ever do. If you don’t already have such a card don’t worry because you can get them from all over the place for just 20 bucks or even less.
Video games have transcended entertainment to become powerful tools for promoting health and wellness. One notable genre in this realm is fitness gaming, exemplified by titles like Hatsune Miku Fit Boxing, which motivates players to engage in physical activity to enhance their fitness levels. Building on this foundation, developers have ventured into women’s health with games designed to raise awareness and empower players to take control of their well-being. Here are 3 video games on women’s health that provide valuable health information and foster a sense of agency to uplift women around the world.
Tampon Run – Menstrual health
Created by Girls Who Code alumnae Andrea Gonzales and Sophie Houser in 2014, Tampon Run is an old-school 8-bit online game where the main character, Luna, lobs tampons to destroy enemies, who will confiscate the tampons if she lets them pass by. Interestingly, the concept of weaponized tampons is based on a real incident that occurred in 2013, where Texas state troopers confiscated tampons as potential projectiles, but not guns, from visitors observing a vote on abortion restrictions at the Texas State Capitol. The goal of Tampon Run is to destigmatize periods and menstrual products, which, up until recently, have not been properly studied to measure their absorbency, which underscores the need to address menstrual health so that women can get better care.
In between tossing tampons, Luna shares empowering messages about how periods are a natural part of women’s lives and should not be a source of shame or embarrassment. The game is available to play on the Tampon Run website and can be downloaded from the Apple App Store for iOS users.
PCOS Vitality – PCOS
Polycystic ovary syndrome is a complex hormonal condition and the leading cause of female infertility that affects approximately 5 to 6 million women in the US, according to the Endocrine Society. Common features of the condition include having irregular menstrual periods, hyperandrogenism, and polycystic ovaries. Additionally, some studies estimate that up to 88% of women with PCOS are overweight or obese. While there are weight loss programs helping women tackle PCOS, focusing on aspects like lifestyle, symptom management, diet, and other tips for how to lose weight with PCOS, the condition itself remains grossly under-researched. For some women, it may take years to confirm that they have PCOS, as there are other disorders that mimic PCOS signs and symptoms that must be excluded.
The lack of research has extended to a lack of awareness among the general population and is what clinicians from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland are trying to address with the 2023 game PCOS Vitality. Essentially a learning tool, the game takes users through a simple obstacle course. As you click toward the finish line, you are asked simple trivia questions about PCOS. The game is free to play on Focus Games’ website.
Bound by Blood – Period poverty
Period poverty refers to the lack of regular access to period products, painkillers, or underwear during a menstrual cycle. In the US, where 16.9 million menstruating women live in poverty, two-thirds cannot afford basic menstrual products. Period poverty has also been associated with mental health issues and urinary tract infections.
Available to play on the itch.io website, Bound by Blood was created by Jessica Gates in 2017 and aims to educate players about the reality of period poverty. Users take the character of Beth, a homeless woman who wakes up in her car and realizes that she’s started her period. Players then make a series of choices to try to stay as hygienic as possible in spite of lacking resources such as menstrual products and clean restrooms. There isn’t really a way to “win” the game, and it is instead a peek into the reality of life where period products are inaccessible and how this affects women’s quality of life.
Through these games, players not only gain valuable insights into various aspects of women’s health but also find themselves actively engaged in their own well-being. As developers continue to explore this emerging field, the potential for video games to serve as educational tools and catalysts for change in healthcare remains promising
PS4 sales in the UK climbed by a shocking 633 percent year-over-year in 2023, so apparently the old system isn’t dead yet. The previous year’s very limited supply of the system is likely a major factor in this figure, since the console’s lifespan was drastically reduced because of chip shortages caused by the pandemic. Still, it’s proof that PlayStation’s original platform has unmet demand.
With the very low prices of PS4 software (both in-store and online at the PS Store), this strategy makes a lot of sense. Plus, it’s future-proof, so there’s no harm in stocking up on PS4s while new-gen pricing is still high, since if you decide to switch to a PS5 in the future, you can transfer all of your purchases across. Not to mention that the majority of new releases still come out on the PS4, with several offering free PS5 upgrades.
While the percentage rise may seem huge, real PS4 sales will probably be much lower. It’s a sign that the gadget, which is now a decade old, isn’t completely dead yet, and we expect it to keep receiving maintenance for a while longer. Of course, this is great news for Sony, because the company would rather have PS4 players playing on its last-gen gadget than none at all, even if it would love to have them upgrade to PS5.
A PS5 firmware update on a cold winter morning is unmatched. The latest PS5 system software update is 23.02–08.40.00 from Sony. Does this one add useful features or just boost system performance?
Though closer to the latter, it’s more than Sony’s favorite patch note. It fixes security issues, improves messages and usability, and boosts system software performance. Official patch notes for this 1.185GB update:
- We updated system software security
- We improved system software stability and performance
- Some screens now have better messages and usability
That’s it. PS5 gets another win to recover from its midweek slump. Do you share our enthusiasm for this firmware update? Comment below. To spice things up, make your comment rhyme.
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