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Koh Rong has been pretty much untouched and unknown to most tourists until very recently.
Getting to this beautiful island in Cambodia is no easy feat. There are very few flights that go to Sihanoukville, the jump-off point for the speed boats that will take you to the island itself.
The cheapest and fastest option that I found is to fly to Phnom Penh from Bangkok, and take the bus to Sihanoukville from there that lasts four to six hours depending on traffic. The return ticket for a speed boat to Koh Rong costs around US$ 25, depending on which beach you choose to stay at.
Koh Rong is a pretty big island so there’s something meant for all kinds of travelers — families, couples, friends, and backpackers. Our beach of choice is the quiet one, Coconut Beach, but whichever part of the island you choose, the beach looks pretty much the same.
You’ll get the same clear blue water…
And fine white sand…
That’s perfect for walking barefoot!
Did I say the water is so clear? This is the stuff made for Instagram!
Whether you’re there for three days, one week, or even longer, there’s plenty to do at the island including snorkeling and kayaking.
You can also rent a scooter to go to other beaches although only the locals and very few tourists choose this option to get around. There are very few developments on the island for now — no paved roads, airports, or big buildings yet.
Pretty impressive stabilization on the Samsung #GalaxyA8Plus (2018). Shot while on a scooter driving through the rocky dirt roads of Koh Rong 🛵 pic.twitter.com/MQ2l0ZZeXK
— Chay Lázaro (@chaylazaro) January 30, 2018
Accommodations consist mostly of nipa bungalows and tents owned by foreigners who moved to Cambodia.
Closest to Coconut Beach is Long Set Beach. It’s bigger and has fewer tourists when we visited but accommodations and food are also a little bit more expensive.
Pura Vita is one of the resorts at Long Set Beach that also has a restaurant at the beachfront.
My favorite thing, whether I’m on vacation or just in the office working, is food. I have been to Cambodia before so I’m a little more familiar with Khmer cuisine now. Beef lok lak with rice and a glorious runny fried egg is my favorite.
Here it’s served with fries and the traditional Kampot pepper dip. Another thing to try is Cambodia’s national dish, fish amok.
As any beach destination, fresh fruits are a great afternoon snack to get a little refreshed and a dose of energy.
Khmer dishes are also highly influenced by Lao, Vietnamese, and Thai cuisines, so don’t be surprised if you find beef lab and spring rolls on the menu.
There are already plans of developing beaches of Koh Rong into luxury resorts, so traveling there will be much easier as the demand goes higher.
So if you’re the type who likes a little adventure and just chilling at the beach without the luxuries of modern life, put Koh Rong on your list of places to visit in 2018 before the big corporations take over the island.
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It’s spring 2023 and vivo is back with the V series. The vivo V27 comes with a new feature called Aura Light Portrait System, which takes its main camera to another level. Like its predecessor it’s got a color-changing back, making it a fashionable choice for different users.
Stylish color-changing design
We have the V27 in Emerald Green, which starts off with a lighter tint that looks like jade. When exposed to UV light, it changes into a darker shade of green. This is achieved thanks to the Emerald Glass processing technique. The phone also comes in Magic Blue, Flowing Gold, and Noble Black.
Chay is wearing light colors so the Emerald Green model matches her outfit better. It makes a nice, subtle pop of color, and goes with her pastel-y mint green purse and boots.
It’s also worth pointing out the 3D curved screen and this curved back on the V27 make it feel extremely thin and light.
Studio lights in your pocket
As mentioned earlier, the vivo V27 features the Aura Light Portrait System for great portraits even in low light. It’s a combination of the IMX677V sensor, which Sony designed with vivo specifically for this phone, algorithm optimizations, and the Aura Light. Its outer ring is matte and sandblasted, softening the light coming out of it.
The Aura Light, combined with the large sensor, and algorithm optimizations work together to take great portraits even in low light.
Lunch and coffee
The day before was a very long day so we figured we should get food and coffee. We found this dimly lit restaurant in Soho called Cafe Select. I think it’s a German restaurant because we had some schnitzel and there’s German decor everywhere.
We also specifically asked for the corner booth to test out the V27’s low light capabilities. Despite the lack of light sources, it’s impressive that the V27 managed to produce an accurate cutout of me even when I kept moving with the Bokeh Portrait video mode on.
There’s no natural light in this restaurant so it’s also the perfect place to take portraits and test out the Aura Light Portrait System. It’s like a portable ring light that you can use to take clearer portraits. Take a look at some examples.
On video mode, you can also use LUTs. We had fun using the Nostalgia filter to film a short video in the restaurant, which perfectly matches the vintage vibe of its interiors.
High definition selfies
The vivo V27 would not be a V-series smartphone if it didn’t have an amazing selfie camera. On the V27, we got a 50MP HD selfie camera with autofocus.
It’s worth noting that the phone feels so light in the hand. It’s so easy to take one-handed selfies. I also love how subtle the color change is on the Emerald Green model.
The V27 offers three levels of selfie filters that help hide blemishes and enhance your features — None, Natural, and Classic.
The 50MP front camera means clear selfie details. Most other smartphones have inferior selfie cameras compared to its rear counterparts, but not the V27. As you can see in the example below, zooming in on my eyes show that you can clearly see the strands of my eyebrows.
Walking the High Line & shopping
To test its video stabilization and macro camera, we continued to walk the High Line. Both features produced very impressive results.
Another feature we tried is MicroMovie. It’s perfect for creators like me. It comes with a whole bunch of templates that you can use for TikTok or Instagram Reels. I filmed a daily vlog with it and had so much fun.
While we were shopping, I noticed too that the V27 changed colors after being indoors for a bit. It turned into a beautiful white marble-like finish that fades into mint green at the bottom.
After the sun has set, it’s time to take more low-light portraits and OOTD. Our friends Alex and Leslie even joined us for a quick photo shoot. New York City comes to life at night, and with a 1/1.56-inch sensor and Super Night Mode, the vivo V27 can easily capture the hustle and bustle of the city streets.
More than just a camera smartphone
The vivo V27 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7200 and comes with either an 8GB or 12GB of RAM.
With Extended RAM the phone borrows memory from your internal storage and gives you an additional 8GB RAM. This way you get either 16GB or 20GB available RAM.
Vivo says this will help when you’re playing memory intensive games or if you like keeping plenty of apps open in the background.
The phone is packed with a 4600mAh battery and supports up to 66W FlashCharge. It comes bundled with an 80W charger.
In our GadgetMatch Charge Test we got to 50% in 19 minutes. A full charge took 57 minutes.
I’ve always been a fan of vivo’s V Series. We’ve done plenty of videos on it in the past and this one is another excellent phone.
It offers users a top notch smartphone experience for less. I enjoyed using all its camera features and I think creators on a budget will too.
I also love this cool color changing Emerald Green model. This phone is definitely the prettiest vivo phone I’ve reviewed lately.
Watch our 24 Hours video with the vivo V27: https://youtu.be/nJ18OMK43yE
24 Hours Series
Google Pixel 7 Pro Unboxing and First 24 Hours
Plus a photowalk using its great set of cameras
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The new Google Pixel 7 Pro has just been released to the public!
Aside from our previous first look video, Michael Josh also did a quick unboxing and hands-on.
Plus, he took it to the streets to test out its battery prowess as well as the power of its three cameras — including the new Super-Res Zoom feature.
Can’t wait to see what the Pixel 7 Pro has to offer?
Here’s our quick unboxing, hands-on, and first 24 hours with the Pixel 7 Pro.
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September 11 marks a historical day not just for New Yorkers, but for (almost) everyone in this world.
With a memory that lives forever in our heads, Michael Josh has tried commemorating it.
He went to the pier along Brooklyn Bridge to recreate a shot he wanted to do for so long.
But instead of the best-in-class iPhone, he instead used the 6.1-inch iPhone 14.
Can’t wait to see how the shot turned out? Or just curious how the iPhone 14’s gonna last throughout the day?
Head over now to our iPhone 14 First 24 Hours video to feed your curiosities.
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