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$1 Custom Poster Hangers: Here's How I Made My Own
$1 Custom Poster Hangers: Here's How I Made My Own
This story is part of Home Tips, CNET's collection of practical advice for getting the most out of your home, inside and out.
Hanging large posters or big art prints can be tricky, and buying a huge frame or wide hanging rods big enough to support the paper can get expensive quickly. Sure, you could just tape your prints to the wall, but that would give them a look more like something you'd find in a student dorm than your lovely home. But I found I was able to make my own poster hanging rods out of reclaimed wood that were easy to make, looked beautiful and only cost me $1.
The rods attach to your poster across the top and bottom: The top strip provides a way to hang it off your wall, while the bottom acts as a weight to keep the poster taut against the wall. I recently ordered a print measuring 47x71 inches, but I'd need to get custom-made rods that would cost around $80 if I wanted to hang it, so I was very happy to find a home-made solution that saved me a lot of cash and made use of otherwise scrap materials.
Here's how I did it. For more home decor tips, check out the best place to mount your TV, and the best Urban Outfitters home decor deals available now.
Read more: Best Smart Home Products for 2022 That Aren't Made by Amazon or Google
The wood batons I got were cheap, but were dirty and scuffed.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Step 1: I measured my print's top edge. If you're hanging it in portrait orientation, it'll be the shorter measurement. If you're hanging in landscape, you'll want the longer measurement. I wanted the rods to extend slightly beyond the print, so I added about 2 inches to each side.
Step 2: I visited a local reclaimed wood supplier. If you can upcycle and reuse otherwise wasted wood, that's always preferable to using virgin timber, but you may not have a recycled wood shop near you. (Google will help you there.) I found a couple of pieces of timber that didn't match, but that wasn't a problem, and I had the wood shop cut them to size. It cost me 78 pence here in the UK, which works out to almost exactly $1 USD. I can't argue with the value.
Some time with an orbital hand sander and they looked good as new.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Step 3: Being reclaimed from an old bit of furniture, I think, the wood was a bit splintery and rough with visible pen and printing marks. I used an orbital hand sander and gave both pieces a thorough sanding until they looked and felt great.
Step 4: I used Danish wood oil on an old rag (formerly an old T-shirt) and worked the oil into the wood, which gave it a darker tone. This is just an aesthetic choice that you don't need to follow if you prefer the wood's natural look.
Once oiled and dried, I screwed in picture hooks in order to attach the cord for hanging the frame.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Step 5: I screwed in two picture hooks into the piece that would form the top bar and tied cord between the two. I used enough cord to loop it back over itself three times, making it stronger overall when hung. While once or twice would probably have been enough, I was concerned that the print's weight, plus the wood at the bottom might be too much of a strain.
Step 6: Attaching the poster print to the hanging rods was the most difficult part. Premade rods often come as two pieces for the top and two for the bottom. Each pair usually snaps together using magnets, trapping the print and holding it in place. I couldn't get enough thin wood for this, so I instead opted for one larger, solid piece at either end that I would attach to the poster using small nails and glue.
I first attached the print to the rods using small nails. It made it easier to get the print into position and keep it taught all the way along.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
The downside is that you can't simply swap the print out by undoing the magnets when you want a refresh. Removing the print using my solution would involve tearing the top and bottom off. On the upside, this is a very cost-effective solution if you know you want this print hanging for a long time. If that's the case, using such a permanent fixing approach will be fine.
I squeezed in some glue into the gaps between the nails to add extra strength.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
The poster should be attached to the backs of the rods, with enough overlap left over so you can put the poster in place. When your print is lined up with the rod, use small nails (or a sturdy staple gun) to affix the print in place, working your way along its length to ensure it remains taut and in line. Then, with a thin-ended tube of glue, insert glue into the gaps between the nails or staples and pile some weights (I used some books and a PlayStation4 that happened to be nearby) until the glue dries.
And I weighted the rods down with books and a PS4 until the glue had dried.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Step 7: Hang your mounted print from the cord you attached onto any regular picture hook or nail in your wall. Ensure that the hook or nail is able to take the weight of your new mounted print, particularly if it's been hammered into older drywall.
Step 8: Stand back and enjoy your lovely, massive print.
For more Home Tips, check out the best place to put your houseplants, and how to unclog a toilet without a plunger.
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Review: iPhone 12 Pro Max deserves a spot in your pocket -- if you can get it to fit
Review: iPhone 12 Pro Max deserves a spot in your pocket -- if you can get it to fit
The iPhone 12 Pro Max ($1,199 at Amazon) follows in the footsteps of the 7 Plus and gets camera upgrades that none of the other iPhone 12 models have. At its core the iPhone 12 Pro Max, like all the phones in the iPhone 12 family (the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Mini), has a bunch of things going for it like a new flat-sided design reminiscent of the iPhone 5 and iPad Pro. It has support for 5G, an OLED screen with support for HDR, a ceramic shield covering, an A14 Bionic processor, support for MagSafe wireless charging and it can be submerged to a depth of 6 meters (just under 20 feet) for up to 30 minutes. If you want a deeper assessment of any of these features, take a look at my iPhone 12 and 12 Pro review.
But at a starting price of $1,099 (£1,099, AU$1,849), or a hundred dollars more than the iPhone 12 Pro, this is the question: Are camera upgrades on the 12 Pro Max worth the extra money? The short answer is yes, but not just because of the camera.
If you want the largest screen on any iPhone ever made, the 12 Pro Max is worth the price. If you value having the longest battery life on any iPhone 12, the 12 Pro Max seems like an obvious choice. And yes, if you want to get every last drop of image quality out of your photos and videos, then the iPhone 12 Pro Max is definitely worth it and has earned CNET's Editors' Choice.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max has a gigantic screen
Despite being only 2 grams heavier than last year's 11 Pro Max, the iPhone 12 Pro Max feels even more solid and well-built. The flat edges, the matte-etched glass back and stainless steel sides are another level of premium fit and finish. The review unit I tested was gold, and the polished sides looked like C-3PO on his best day. But make no mistake, this is a big phone. If you dropped it on someone there's a chance they'd sustain a serious injury.
Defining all this premium bigness is a 6.7-inch OLED screen, which is larger than the 6.5-inch one found on the 11 Pro Max and XS Max ($427 at eBay). The new screen makes the 12 Pro Max a sliver taller and, along with those flat edges, gives the behemoth iPhone a tight robust look.
On the back of this chonky phone is a camera bump that's thicker than an SD card. When the 12 Pro Max is on its back, there's a noticeable gap between the phone and the surface it's on. I realize most people are going to put a case on it, which will level things out.
The 12 Pro Max has the longest telephoto lens found on any iPhone
When Apple announced the iPhone 12 lineup there was a little confusion about which phones had which camera. But here's how it all breaks down. All four phones have the same ultrawide angle and selfie cameras. All four phones have a faster f1.6 aperture lens on the main wide angle camera. That said, the wide-angle camera on the 12 Pro Max is different, which I'll get to in a moment. The 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max also have a lidar sensor, which helps with autofocus in low-light for photos, video and slow motion as well as AR apps. Last, both the 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max have a third rear camera with a telephoto lens, but the lens on the 12 Pro Max is longer than the one on the 12 Pro.
At a 65-millimeter equivalent, the new telephoto lens on the 12 Pro Max has a 2.5x optical zoom. Compare that to the 52-millimeter equivalent telephoto lens on the 12 Pro, which has a 2x optical zoom. And that 0.5x extra goes a long way. It's definitely nowhere close to the 5x optical zoom on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, but I was glad to have a little more reach on the iPhone.
On the back of the 12 Pro is a new wide angle camera, a longer telephoto camera, an ultrawide-angle wide and a lidar sensor.
Patrick Holland/CNET
Taking photos where there isn't a lot of light is a weakness of any camera. And the smaller the camera (like the ones on a phone) the more this weakness is amplified. The cameras on the iPhone 12 Pro Max seem built around the singular goal of taking outstanding photos and videos in medium and low-light situations.
One way Apple has addressed this is to give the main wide-angle camera on the 12 Pro Max a larger sensor. Combined with an f1.6 lens, the new sensor gets an 87% improvement in low-light capability, according to Apple. On paper that's impressive. To help things further, the 12 Pro Max has sensor-based optical image stabilization instead of the lens-based OIS found on the 12, 12 Mini and 12 Pro. By stabilizing the sensor, Apple claims you gain the equivalent of a stop of light, which again, on paper is impressive.
For the most part, all these claims seem true. The Pro Max takes great photos in low light, but when compared to photos from the regular 12 Pro, the differences don't jump out at you right away. And that's less of a strike against the 12 Pro Max, and more of an indication of how good the cameras are on the iPhone 12 Pro. We'll be going much more in-depth on photos and videos from both phones in an upcoming camera comparison.
This is a Night Mode photo from the 12 Pro Max.
Patrick Holland/CNET
The 2.5x optical zoom creates great natural-looking background blur here in this photo of an LED lamp.
Patrick Holland/CNET
These next three photos were each taken with one of the rear cameras on the 12 Pro Max. This was taken with the main wide-angle camera.
Patrick Holland/CNET
Here is a shot taken with the 2.5x optical zoom on the 12 Pro Max's telephoto camera. It's impressive how it handles the backlight of the sun.
Patrick Holland/CNET
And here is the same scene taken with the ultrawide-angle camera. Look at the drama the perspective adds.
Patrick Holland/CNET
Night Mode is now on the wide, ultra-wide and front-facing camera. This is a Night Mode selfie.
Patrick Holland/CNET
This was taken with the phone's main wide angle camera.
Patrick Holland/CNET
Here are the same lights again at 2.5x.
Patrick Holland/CNET
Here is another Night Mode shot taken with the 12 Pro Max.
Patrick Holland/CNET
This was taken indoors with mixed lighting on the main camera. The white balance looks a bit off.
Patrick Holland/CNET
This photo of a building at sunset was taken at 5x digital zoom.
Patrick Holland/CNET
There is a lot happening here. I used the 2.5x optical zoom to take a backlit photo of this cactus. I like the way the light made the needles look. And the natural bokeh is creamy and soft.
Patrick Holland/CNET
These trees backlit by the sun really show the chops of the 12 Pro Max's new wide-angle camera. It was able to capture the highlights on the trees without blowing them out to white. And there is minimal noise in the shadows.
Patrick Holland/CNET
If you're on the fence between the 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max cameras, ask yourself if the additional size and heft of the Max is worth the benefits you gain in photography? For most people, they're probably not and that's largely because the 12 Pro also has a great all-around camera system. But for people like me, who want the best image quality out of a photo or video taken on a phone, then the 12 Pro Max is worth having in your pocket… if it fits.
One feature I'm excited about is Apple's new ProRAW photo file, which provides the flexibility of a raw photo file but with the smarts of computational photography. Sadly, this feature doesn't come out until later this year.
MagSafe, iOS 14 and the Apple Pencil
Like the rest of the iPhone 12 family, the 12 Pro Max can take advantage of Apple's MagSafe charging and accessories. Thanks to magnets and NFC, the phone can get the most efficient wireless charge when attached to a MagSafe charger. When the phone and charger connect, there is a satisfying slap.
Apple also makes the MagSafe Duo Charger, which can charge a phone and an Apple Watch at the same time. It costs $129, and folds up into a handy travel size. And yes, that seems expensive for a charger even though it was cool to use. The Apple Watch charging portion can be angled up.
But why stop at cases and chargers? What if you could connect an Apple Pencil to an iPhone 12 Pro Max? Technically, thanks to those magnets, you can. But sticking it to the back of the phone is about as much use as you'll get from it since the 12 Pro Max, like all iPhones, doesn't support the Apple Pencil. If there was ever an iPhone to use an Apple Pencil on, it's this one.
Patrick Holland/CNET
I wished Apple took more advantage of the 12 Pro Max's 6.7-inch screen. iPadOS optimizes iOS for the larger screens of the iPad ($182 at Amazon) lineup. What about an "iOS Max" that would allow me to use iPad software features such as Split View on the 12 Pro Max? Or support the use of an Apple Pencil? An iOS that took full advantage of the Max's size would be another benefit to set it apart from the other iPhones Apple sells. And, seriously, a MagSafe Apple Pencil would be a killer accessory.
The 12 Pro Max has big battery energy
The sleeper feature on the 12 Pro Max is its large battery. Apple doesn't say how big the battery is, but during the week I had the phone, it made it through a day and a half without a problem. Over the weekend, it made it all the way through Friday, and by Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. it still had 40% left.
I ran a battery test where the phone plays a looped video in airplane mode. Apple's website says that the 12 Pro Max should last 20 hours doing this. In my test, it lasted 19 hours, 52 minutes. So basically as expected. We'll be running more battery tests over the coming weeks, so bookmark this review for updates.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max is powered by the A14 Bionic chip. And it's peppy and fast. The A14 chip is as much about giving you great performance now as it is about giving you great performance through years of iOS updates. In benchmark tests for performance the 12 Pro Max was on par with (not surprisingly) the iPhone 12, 12 Mini and 12 Pro. All of the new iPhones hold the distinction of having the most powerful processors in the phones we've tested.
iPhone 12 specs compared to iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max
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Apple Music free trial period drops to one month
Apple Music free trial period drops to one month
Apple has reduced the free trial period for Apple Music for new subscribers from three months to one month. The change, spotted earlier by MacRumors, applies to all tiers of Apple's streaming music service, according to the Apple Music website.
Apple Music has offered a three-month free trial to new subscribers since its launch in 2015. Prices for Apple Music, which start at $5 a month for the Voice plan and go up to $15 a month for a family plan, remain the same.
It's still possible for new subscribers to get six months of Apple Music at no additional cost with the purchase of some AirPod, Beats and HomePod devices.
As people have shifted to streaming music services, Apple Music and Spotify raced each other to dominate subscription music. Spotify remains the biggest streaming service by both listeners and subscribers, but Apple Music has benefited from the popularity of the iPhone and other devices to recruit new subscribers.
Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Oppo R7 review: Oppo's R7 charms with a sleek metal build, but the price isn't right
Oppo R7 review: Oppo's R7 charms with a sleek metal build, but the price isn't right
Oppo's R7 -- the successor to the superslim Oppo R5 -- is a beautiful phone. It's kept the R5's metal look, but it's larger, slightly thicker and feels a lot more polished. And where the R5 had performance issues, the R7 runs smooth as butter. The camera app launches quickly too, resolving one of the biggest problems with its predecessor.
However, the price of the R7 will be a sticking point. It retails on the Chinese manufacturer's online store for $400/AU$449 (this converts to about £260), which is expensive for a phone with midrange specs. If you're willing to spend slightly more, flagship phones such as ZTE's Axon Pro are available, while cheaper phones such as the One Plus 2 or the Xiaomi Mi Note offer similar designs.
Design and build
5-inch display with 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution
5.6 by 2.8 by 0.2 inches (143 by 71 by 6.3mm)
5.2 ounces (147 grams)
Comes in gold or silver
The Oppo R7 is a looker. While the phone bears a passing resemblance to Samsung's new Galaxy range, Oppo has made the R7 its own. The metal band around the sides accents the look, and it's just wide enough to contain the audio jack and Micro-USB ports. That said, unlike phones with a smoother edge, it isn't comfortable to grip. The slightly annoying feeling of a metal edge digging into your palm doesn't make for the most pleasant of holds.
The R7's 5-inch AMOLED display has a full-HD 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution. The rear is an aluminum-magnesium alloy, and the metal gives it a smooth, luxurious feel. The 13-megapixel camera is located at the top left.
The Oppo R7 sports a magnesium-aluminum rear.Aloysius Low/CNET
Oppo typically features physical touch-sensitive menu keys, and the R7 is no different. The power button is found on the left side and the volume rockers are on the right. If you're worried the buttons are too small for its 6.3mm frame, fret not -- you'll have no issues here. In fact, I quite like the clickiness of the keys. That said, the power button placement can be a bit annoying as you'll sometimes hit it when picking up the phone or taking pictures in landscape mode.
Lastly, you'll find the dual-SIM 4G slots located above the volume keys. The microSD SIM slot also doubles up as a microSD card slot with support for 128GB of external storage.
Touch-sensitive keys take up space at the bottom.Aloysius Low/CNET
Hardware
1.5GHz octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor from Qualcomm
16GB of storage (expandable memory of up to 128GB)
3GB of RAM
2,320mAh embedded battery
The Oppo R7 is a midrange phone, so it's no surprise that the specs aren't as impressive as flagship phones. It's powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor, which, based on previous experience with similar devices, is capable of offering a smooth performance. You'll be able to run games and other resource-intensive apps just fine, but don't expect anything too impressive.
Other specs include 16GB of storage, 3GB of RAM and 13-megapixel rear and 8-megapixel front cameras. While the 2,320mAh battery is small, the phone features fast-charging technology. Oppo claims you can charge to 75 percent in a mere 30 minutes, and in testing it came close -- I was able to hit 72 percent in the stipulated time.
If you need 4G support, there are three different versions of the phone. The international version should work on LTE networks such as Three and EE. In Australia, the R7 is an Optus exclusive if you're buying from a carrier, but the unlocked version from the Oppo website will work on other networks such as Telstra. In the US, it can get 4G on both T-Mobile and AT&T.
The Oppo R7 has a good-looking design and packs midrange hardware.Aloysius Low/CNET
Software and apps
Google Android 4.4.4 KitKat OS
Gesture features that allow quick access to the phone
Customizable themes
While the Oppo R7 runs on the older KitKat version of Android, the phone uses Oppo's Android-based Color OS. So I'm not faulting this phone for running KitKat, since you won't see much stock Android on it.
Oppo's customized launcher comes packed with signature Oppo features including gesture control. For example, you can activate the camera by drawing an O, or you can turn the music on by swiping two fingers downwards while the screen is off. When the screen is on, you can pinch close with multiple fingers to turn on the camera, or slide three fingers up and down to take a screenshot.
The phone has a range of themes and gives you the option to change the visual effect for opening, closing and switching apps. Oppo has also included backup features and an O-Cloud sync for your contacts and messages, though this only seems to be compatible with other Oppo phones. If you're wondering where the app drawer is, it's not there. Like iOS, Color OS puts the apps right on the phone's home screen. That said, features such as control buttons -- to let you change your Wi-Fi and data settings, put the phone into airplane mode and so on -- are handily located on the notification pull-down menu.
On many large screen smartphones, the user interface isn't always optimized for the larger display, and some icons can appear too large and look awkward. It's definitely a pet peeve of mine. The R7's screen, however, isn't big enough that this would be a problem, and the icons appear to fit the screen well.
The Oppo R7 UI doesn't deviate too much from Android, though like many Chinese-based ROMs, there's no app drawer.Screenshot by Aloysius Low/CNETThe pull-down notification menu is similar to that of other Android phones, and you have quick access to control buttons. You can also enable gesture controls that give you quick access to the camera and music playback.Screenshot by Aloysius Low/CNET
Camera and video
13-megapixel (bottom) rear-facing camera
8-megapixel front-facing camera
Full-HD video recording at 30 frames per second (rear)
Auto-focus, LED flash
The R7's camera app has a pretty simple layout. There's a big shutter button at the bottom, and when holding the phone in a landscape position, you can filter your photos by tapping the button at the top-left corner. Doing this will give you access to a bunch of filters and features, such as Ultra HD (which stitches multiple pictures into one for a larger image) and other standard modes such as panorama and HDR. There's a cool GIF animation creator, which lets you shoot a movable image like a video, but without sound. You can also reverse the motion of the capture to spice things up.
If the default modes aren't enough, the R7 also has a camera shop where you can download modules such as Expert mode, which lets you control the camera's shutter, ISO, exposure and focus. Or, if you're feeling up to it, you can shoot raw.
Oppo has historically placed a lot of emphasis on its camera features, and the 13-megapixel shooter of the R7 seems to handle itself well. Pictures look vibrant with easily visible fine details and bright colors and hues. It seems to struggle a little in low-light shots, but that's no surprise since it doesn't have optical image stabilization, which would help with the slower shutter speeds needed for low-light pictures. The front camera is pretty decent as well, but it only manages to focus on the center face when taking selfies, so anyone off-center will look a tad blurry.
Overall, I came away impressed with how the pictures turned out. If you want to take good pictures but don't necessarily need something top-of-the-line, the R7's cameras will meet your needs. Check out the sample shots below.
Colors are vibrant in this outdoor test shot (click to enlarge).Aloysius Low/CNETThe phone manages to capture details of the log despite the strong backlit conditions from the setting sun.Aloysius Low/CNETThe R7 picks out the vibrant colors of these flowers.Aloysius Low/CNETThe R7 struggles under warm incandescent indoor lighting, but that's expected.Aloysius Low/CNETWhen there's enough light, the R7's camera handles itself well.Aloysius Low/CNET
Performance
Equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor, the R7 is capable of delivering smooth performance for normal use, and the 3GB RAM gives you the oomph you'll need for multitasking. You won't have to reload apps when switching between them, which is sometimes the case with phones that have less RAM. I found the phone smooth and responsive, and I didn't see any of the lag issues that I encountered in the R5.
Compared with other Snapdragon 615 phones that we've tested, such as the Xiaomi Mi 4i or the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3, the Oppo R7 holds up well and gets similar scores on our testing. This puts its performance squarely in the middle and lower tiers when compared with the flagships.
Benchmark tests comparison
Oppo R78,0026672,638Xiaomi Mi 4i7,7216992,926Alcatel OneTouch Idol 37,588NA2,548OnePlus 222,6451,1424,461ZTE Axon Pro25,7428683,958
3DMark Ice Storm (unlimited)
Geekbench 3 (single-core)
Geekbench 3 (multi-core)
Note: Longer bars indicate better performance
Battery life
With only a 2,320mAh battery, the Oppo R7 falls behind its competition when it comes to staying power. Sure, if you're carrying around the Oppo charger, you don't have to worry too much -- 30 minutes is enough to get you back up to 75 percent. But you'll probably run out of power before the end of the day if you're a heavy user who continuously fiddles with your smartphone.
In our CNET Labs video test, the Oppo R7 lasted just 9 hours and 5 minutes, which isn't very good. In comparison, the Xiaomi Mi 4i chugged along fine for more than 13 hours. But, to be fair, that phone has a larger 3,000mAh battery.
Call quality and data speeds
I had no trouble with the R7's reception or making calls. My calling partner on the other end could hear me, and there was none of the odd static or buzzing usually found on phones with terrible microphones. The speaker quality is also pretty loud for the phone's size, but may be hard to hear while in a crowded public space. The vibration is strong, though, and you'll definitely feel the phone buzzing in your pocket.
I tested the phone's 4G capabilities in Singapore on SingTel's 4G network, and data speeds were on par with other phones in this region. The phone achieved around a 99.44Mbps download speed and a 35.89Mbps upload speed at its highest, though your results will depend on your carrier's network quality.
Screenshot by Aloysius Low/CNET
Conclusion
The Oppo R7 packs midrange performance into beautiful hardware, but the price will hold it back. Xiaomi's Mi 4i comes in at almost half the price of the $400 (US) R7 and offers similar hardware and design, though it comes clad in plastic instead of premium metal.
That said, the R7 does have one advantage over Xiaomi -- it's available in the US, UK and Australia through direct sales from its website, so it's easier to buy globally. But if you're willing to pay a bit more, higher-end flagship phones from competitors such as the Huawei Ascend P7 or the ZTE Axon Pro may be a better deal. For just a little bit more cash, these phones offer much better performance while almost matching the R7's good looks.
If you're willing to pay more, there are other high-end flagship Chinese phones that offer better value.Aloysius Low/CNET
