Posted in Products with tags Asus on March 31, 2014 by itnerd
Asus wants a piece of the tablet action that seems to be owned by Apple and Samsung at the moment. Their weapon of choice? The VivoTab Note 8.
First of all, let me hit the specs:
Pressure-sensitive Wacom stylus
Quad-core Intel Atom processor
1280 x 800-pixel IPS display
2GB of system memory
ASUS SonicMaster Audio
32GB of internal storage
WiFi
Bluetooth
A microSD slot that supports up to 64GB capacity cards
A 5-MP rear camera and front HD webcam
Windows 8.1
Microsoft Office
Two things that you’ll note right away are that it has a stylus that’s made by Wacom. That’s important because Wacom are the best at making styluses and related accessories for artists and anyone who needs to use a pen on a computer in a serious way. In this implementation, the stylus supports up to 1,000 levels of pressure making it function and feel more like a real pen. That way you can use it for taking notes, or for drawing pictures if you have that talent. In short, it feels like a real pen. Combine this with apps such as Evernote or OneNote and Windows 8.1′s handwriting-recognition keyboard, you have a note-taking tablet with plenty of potential. The second thing that you’ll notice is that it comes with a full version of Windows 8.1 (which means that you can run any application you want on it) and a proper home button on the left side. The combination makes this tablet a lot easier to use. The inclusion of Microsoft Office means that you can use this tablet right out of the box for home or business purposes. It also comes with Netflix and Kindle apps pre-installed.
Given that the tablet is 8″ in size, that makes it easy to hold. Speaking of holding it the rubberized back makes it easy to grip and it will keep scratches to a minimum. The only negative is an exposed SD card slot. It has no protective cover or tab which means that if you put it into your bag, there is a slight risk that you might break something. Plus dust and crud can get into it. I found the IPS display to be very bright and sharp. I was able to use it comfortably in any lighting conditions. It also has clear and crisp colors as well. This competes well with the top tablets out there. So does the sound quality which is right off the top shelf. If you want great audio in a tablet, the VivoTab Note 8 is the tablet for you.
One thing I really like is that it comes with a standard micro-USB cable to charge the battery. This means that this tablet will charge off a standard cell phone charger. That cuts down on the cables that you need to carry. Related to charging the VivoTab Note 8 is the battery life. Despite running a full version of Windows 8.1, when the device went to sleep it only drained 6% overnight. That means you could go a few days between charges as I did with only moderate usage of the tablet. Nice! When it comes to performance, the VivoTab Note 8 felt snappy regardless of what I was doing.
My verdict? The VivoTab Note 8 is a viable player in the tablet market that should get the attention of Samsung and Apple. Granted, it will largely appeal to Windows fans. But it’s easily the best Windows tablet out there and is good enough that it should earn looks from people who are looking at of the the two tablet leaders. You should drop by your local Microsoft Store and have a look at it. I think you might take one home.
Posted in Products with tags Asus on March 27, 2014 by itnerd
Many people own a laptop computer and a tablet. Thus they have to make a decision whether they should carry one or the other, or perhaps both. Asus says that you shouldn’t have to do that and as a result, they came up with the Transformer Book TX300. It’s a 13.3″ notebook that can be “transformed” into a tablet that runs Windows 8. Now I when I took it out of the box, I thought I saw resemblance with another laptop that’s very popular right now. Let me show you:
On the right is my MacBook Pro. On the left is the Asus Transformer Book. Clearly we know where where Asus got their inspiration from. But perhaps Apple could take some inspiration from Asus:
Unlike the current MacBooks, it has built in Gigabit Ethernet. Apple might want to get a Transformer Book and figure out how they can provide Ethernet without users needing an Ethernet to Thunderbolt dongle. In terms of connections, it comes with two USB3 ports, a DisplayPort connector, and an SD Card reader.
When you use it as a tablet, you get a stereo headset jack, micro HDMI output, and a micro SD card slot. In both cases you charge the battery using a magnetic power adapter that is similar to Apple’s MagSafe power adapter, only bigger. If you’ve seen a Surface Pro power adapter, it’s roughly that size. I will note that it seems out of place as the actual connector is large given the overall size of the Transformer Book. Finally you also get Bluetooth and WiFi in case Ethernet isn’t available. Since the screen is 13.3″, it’s bigger than most tablets out there. The screen resolution is 1920×1080 and it’s sharp and bright due to the fact that it’s an IPS display. Though in tablet mode, or anytime you leverage the touchscreen features, it does attract fingerprints. Despite being bigger than most tablets out there, it’s easy to hold. The total package is thin, but it’s not exactly light at 4.2 pounds. Still it is easy to carry around either in laptop mode or in tablet mode. To go from laptop mode to tablet mode, simply slide a latch on the hinge to detach the screen from the keyboard. It click back into place when you want use it as a laptop. Though the hinge where you connect the screen does look kind of flimsy to me. Plus lining up the screen and hinge is kind of tricky, even with an alignment guide on the hinge. Once you get the hang of it, reattaching and detaching the screen is no problem.
How does it perform? The one that I got my hands on had an i7 processor in it with 4GB of RAM and two storage devices. In tablet mode, you get a single 128GB SSD. But in notebook mode you also get a 500 GB hard drive. You also get Windows 8 as part of the package. I’m not fond of Windows 8, but it’s more than usable thanks to the touchscreen and the big touch pad. Though I didn’t run any benchmarks on it, my seat of the pants feel was that it was reasonably quick. Anything that I tried on the Transformer Book wasn’t a problem whether it was a video on YouTube, or Microsoft Word. Another thing that got my attention was the sound. Asus put a Bang & Olufsen ICEpower audio system with four speakers and MaxxAudio technology on the software side into the Transformer Book. It works as the audio doesn’t disappoint. On the video side, you get two cameras. A 5MP / 1080p rear camera and a front-facing HD webcam. That will make Skype sessions very cool. In terms of battery life, my tests got an average of 4.5 hours. Asus claims 5 hours and I usually tend to take vendors battery life estimates with a grain of salt as they usually have no real world relevance. Thus it was a good surprise that my tests were close to what Asus says I should get.
So what’s my verdict? If you’re looking for a Windows 8 tablet and a Windows 8 notebook and you want a small package, check out the Transformer Book from Asus. Even if you mostly use it as a notebook, I think you’d find it useful as you can “transform” it into a tablet when you need to. That way you can have just one device for all your needs. That’s a value proposition that’s hard to beat.
Posted in Products with tags AVG on March 26, 2014 by itnerd
AVG has been around the antivirus game for a very long time. So when they quietly released a Mac focused antivirus product, it got my attention. I just had to try it.
Installation was simple. A few clicks, enter your password, done. It doesn’t get any simpler. Once you install it I recommend that you scan your Mac. It will take a while, but it will make sure that you’re threat free. Now once you know that you’re threat free, AVG Antivirus For Mac will work in the background to make sure you stay threat free. Now if you’re suspicious about something, you can open up AVG Antivirus For Mac from the menu bar and drop the suspect item onto it to get an instant answer as to how safe it is or isn’t. All the controls are simple. Perhaps a bit too simple. There’s not a whole lot of options here other than on and off for the real time scanning and drag and drop scanning. More advanced users may be disappointed, though I will not that it doesn’t make the product any less effective. Another thing to note is that it apparently does updates in the background, but you cannot force it to update on demand. The most that you get in terms of knowing that are up to date is a notification saying that “protection is up to date.” In terms of speed, the first scan is slow. But first scans of your entire computer regardless of antivirus product or platform are always slow. I did note that in everyday use with the real time scanning enabled, I noted that my Mac was a touch faster when compared with having another antivirus application installed. That’s a good thing as an antivirus application that slows down your computer is a #fail. The most important thing is how it protects your computer. Using the European Institute for Computer Anti-Virus Research (EICAR) test file, I found that AVG Antivirus For Mac instantly blocked it. That’s good as if it will stop the test file instantly, it will stop any other threat that could harm you.
Would I recommend it? Yes I would for users who need a simple but effective antivirus product for their Mac at home. Check out AVG Antivirus For Mac if you need to put an antivirus product on your Mac. Which you should if you want to be safe.
I recently renewed my Canadian passport. The good news that they had a 10 year renewal option which gives me one less thing to think about. At least for the next decade. The bad news is that is came with an RFID chip in it. Seeing as there have been cases where these types of passports have been easily cloned from a distance, I figured that I shouldn’t take any chances. Thus I went to ThinkGeek and got myself an RFID Blocking Passport Billfold. It is made of leather, but it has a lining that keeps people from using RFID scanners to steal your personal info. Besides having a section with clear plastic to hold your passport, it has for slots for other ID such as a drivers license or insurance card, as well as a pocket for money. It fits nicely into any of my suit jacket pockets and I don’t really notice it. Plus it’s easy to remove anything that I need to use. Most importantly, it looks and feels like a quality product. But the real question is does it prevent your RFID enabled passport from being read? The answer is yes. I put my passport in it and I used a RFID reader to try and read it. It was unable to, thus this works as advertised.
These days, you don’t have to be Edward Snowden to worry about your personal info being stolen. This should be a concern for everyone as RFID is a pervasive technology. Thus in my mind, if you take your privacy seriously, you should take a look at ThinkGeek’s RFID Blocking Passport Billfold. It works and at $17.99 USD, it’s a great deal.
Posted in Products with tags Mazda on March 21, 2014 by itnerd
The Mazda6 that I’m driving this week is filled with all sorts of technology that is in a car that’s under $35,000. That makes it very accessible to the majority of car buyers.
Let’s start with actually driving the car. The GT trim level with the technology package gives you a proximity key with push button start. Thus all you have to do is press a button on the driver’s door handle. Press it and the car will unlock. Get in, hit the start/stop button and drive away. When you’ve reached your destination, press the start/stop button to turn off the car. Then get out of the car and press the button to lock the car. You never need to pull out the key fob to do any of this. But the key fob does have the ability to unlock the doors and pop the trunk, plus it has the ever useful panic button. As an added bonus, it has a backup key inside the key fob should you need it.
Now onto the safety features. This Mazda6 comes with a long list of safety features:
Mazda Radar Cruise Control: A radar sensor behind the front grille allows the car to monitor what the vehicle in front if it is doing, and adjust it’s speed accordingly. It works and works very well. I consider this to be a safety feature as it lessens the burden being on long drives.
Lane Departure Warning System: If you cross over into another lane, this system will buzz you on either the right or the left side. The buzz really gets your attention I must say.
Blind Spot Monitoring: This system keeps an eye out for cars in your blind spots so that you don’t hit them when changing lanes. It works well as the area of detection was large enough to keep me safe, but not so large that it created false positives.
Rear Cross Traffic Alert: If you back out of a parking space in a busy shopping mall and you have limited visibility to your left and right, you’ll love this system as you will be warned of any cars that cross into your path.
Adaptive Front Lighting System and High Beam Control: I wrote about this previously and I have to admit that on some of the back roads that I drive at night, this feature comes in handy. I was always able to see what was in front of me clearly. I should also note that this trim level comes with Bi-Xenon HID headlights with LED daytime running lights that look cool. The lighting can be set to automatic so that you never have to worry about turning the lights on and off. I found that the levels where the lights might turn on to be better than most cars that I’ve driven as on a dark overcast day, the lights would come on in the Mazda6. That’s something that would not happen in a lot of cars in similar systems.
Forward Obstruction Warning: This system detects objects in front of you and if it thinks you might hit it, the system warns you so that you can take evasive action.
Smart City Brake Support: Let’s say that you hear the warning from the Forward Obstruction Warning system and you do not react in time. This Mazda6 is capable of coming to a stop at low speeds, or slowing down to make the impact less severe. You can get more details on this system here.
You get anti-lock brakes, traction control, stability control, and electronic brake force distribution
Finally, you get dual front air bags, dual front side air bags and dual side air curtains
Now let’s move on to the infotainment system. The Mazda6 GT with the technology package has a 5.8″ touchscreen that allows you to control the radio (AM/FM and Sirrus), Bluetooth, USB, and Pandora. The latter requires you to have the Pandora app on your smartphone to make this feature work. Though at the moment, Pandora is only available in U.S., Australia and New Zealand. If that changes, the Mazda6 is ready to go.
If the touchscreen doesn’t do it for you, Mazda also has the HMI (Human-Machine Interface) Commander Switch behind the shift lever. It’s a knob with redundant buttons around the sides that is quick to adapt to and use. You can use rotary, push and tilt operations to do what you need to do. Now if that doesn’t do it for you, there’s also voice commands that work very well. Tip: there are several tutorials that will help you not only use the system, but pair your phone via Bluetooth. Spend some time listening to them to get the most out of the system.
I plugged my iPhone 5 into the USB port and all my tunes and playlists were accessible. Though I did have to wait about four or five minutes for the contents of my iPhone 5 to be accessible. But beyond that, everything worked perfectly. No matter what song I tossed at it, be it MP3 or AAC, it worked. Since we’re talking about music, this Mazda6 has an 11 speaker sound system. I have to admit that regardless where I was in the Mazda6, the sound was excellent as the highs and lows were perfect and the audio was well balanced. Phone calls were clear on both ends of the conversation as well. For those of you who still use CDs, there’s a CD drive as well which is located just above the touchscreen.
When it comes to navigation, the system is powered by Tom Tom. Some things I really liked about this system:
It always asked me if I wanted to use toll roads and high occupancy lanes when coming up with routes. That’s a very nice feature as you don’t have to fish into the options to turn off or on the ability to avoid toll roads. It also offered to avoid roads that were closed. That was hit and miss. It correctly avoided some roads that were indeed closed. But it failed to identify other roads that have been closed for months. I am guessing that either the maps needed updating or whatever source it was pulling this info from wasn’t accurate.
Traffic was always accounted for and it would re-route me if it could find a faster route.
The audio directions are clear and the screen offers guidance as to what lane you should be in.
Maps can be updated via a SD Card
Now the touchscreen also doubles as the screen for the backup camera. It was easy to manoeuvre into a space as its field of vision was very good. Though I will note that the actual camera is exposed to the elements. Thus I have to wonder what the video quality would be like if the Mazda6 gets really dirty. Another observation, like most of these backup cameras, it will warn you when you get too close to an object. But from what I can tell, you have to get pretty close before the warnings start. Now one could argue that this could be a good thing as you won’t tune out the warning. But it may be handy to have more of a warning further out from the object.
Complaints? I don’t have any. But I will point out that some people may initially be turned off by the 5.8″ screen given that there are cars with 7″ and 8″ screens out there. I was at first. But I have to say that it doesn’t affect the ability to use the infotainment system and it fits in well with the design of the dash. Thus if you think this might be a deal breaker for you, try it at your local Mazda dealer. I think you’ll change your mind.
The Mazda6 has safety technology that you typically don’t see in a sub $35,000 car, such as the ability to stop itself if you do not do so quickly enough. In fact, nothing it competes against has a feature like this. Thus the Mazda6 has to be considered to be at the top of the mid-sized car pack when it comes to safety. As for the infotainment system, it’s works quite well and I think you’ll love it. Especially the 11 speakers that this trim level gets. On the technology front, I have to give the Mazda6 an “A”.
The final part of this review will tie up some loose ends and I’ll give you my final verdict. Watch for it on Monday.
Posted in Products with tags Mazda on March 20, 2014 by itnerd
The interior of the Mazda6 is a great place to spend some time in. Let me show you why I say that:
Let’s start with the center console. It’s got dual zone climate controls that sit below a touch screen 5.8″ in size along with a slot for CDs. The size of the touch screen fits in with the rest of the dash from an aesthetics perspective. However, I think that some will feel that the screen should be bigger given that many cars come with 7″ and 8″ touch screens these days. You’ll also note that it has a space beneath the climate controls to store small items in.
You also get this control knob called the HMI (Human-Machine Interface) Commander Switch. It doesn’t take long to get used to it and it is handy for controlling the radio, navigation system or even the phone.
Behind the HMI (Human-Machine Interface) Commander Switch is this panel that hides….
….a pair of cupholders that are great for Venti sized coffees from Starbucks.
There’s a storage area behind the cupholders that also doubles as an armrest (which is adjustable by the way). If you look closer…
….You’ll a 12V port, a USB port, and a 1/8″ jack. Bonus points to Mazda for having flaps that cover them so that they don’t get filled with dirt.
Moving to the gauge cluster, it’s of the analog variety and I found it to be readable in most lighting conditions. One thing to note is that the pod on the right can be customized with all sorts of info such as average fuel economy, distance to empty, and so on.
The steering wheel is wrapped in leather and is the right size for those who are “spirited” drivers. Though my wife did mention that it was a bit thick for her small hands. There are controls on the steering wheel to handle everything from audio to cruise control.
This is a picture of one of the paddle shifters that’s behind the steering wheel. Bonus points to Mazda for having them, and for making them work regardless of the position of the shift lever.
Window and side mirror controls along with door lock and unlock buttons are on the drivers door.
And just in front of that is a cubby for change, along with buttons to defeat a variety of electronic overseers should the need arise.
The front passengers get lit vanity mirrors.
Plus you get a place to put your sunglasses.
You get leather front seats with bolstering and they can be power adjusted in eight ways. I should note that the passenger seat can be power adjusted in four ways and both seats are heated. I found them to be comfortable and it didn’t take me long to get a decent driving position.
The back seats will hold two people. Three if you’re all friendly. But if you only need to carry two passengers back there, there is a armrest that flips down that has a couple of cupholders in them. The seats will flip down in a 60/40 split as well for extra long cargo. One thing to note, there is a lot of room back here. If you want a car to carry passengers in comfort, this is it.
You get a good sized moonroof. One thing that I will note, it did cut into my headroom a tiny bit until I found a seating position that made that a non-issue.
One thing that is a welcome feature are puddle lights in the doors.
The trunk is HUGE, and bonus points to Mazda for two things. One the rubber cover for the floor of the trunk and the other for the shrouds that cover the hinges so they don’t crush whatever is underneath them. However, it could use a handle to keep your hands clean when you close the trunk.
All the surfaces that you touch are soft. Plus the fit and finish is approaching levels that I usually see with luxury car companies. Everything that the driver could possibly need falls easily to hand. In short, everything interior wise is well thought through. In fact, I would say that the Mazda6 for the most part fit me rather than I being forced to adapt to it. If you want a car that feels like it was made for you, the Mazda6 is your car.
In part four of this review, I will cover the technology in the car. And there’s a lot of it to cover. Stay tuned!
Posted in Products with tags Mazda on March 19, 2014 by itnerd
What you’re looking at is the Mazda 2.5L SkyActiv engine. It’s a 4 cylinder engine that puts out 184 horsepower and 185 pound feet of torque and this the only engine option that’s available for the Mazda6. I’ll stop right here and address the elephant in the room. It’s not a V6 in a market where the so called market leaders have V6 engines available. So this has to mean that the performance of this car has to lacking. Right?
Wrong.
That’s because SkyActiv is not one technology. It’s a suite of technologies that encompasses the engine, transmission, and body to give you plenty of Mazda’s trademark “Zoom Zoom” while saving you gas. If you want to go into finer details, check out my in depth look at SkyActiv technology here. But let me cut to the chase. In the Mazda6, it works exceptionally well to motivate the front wheels. The engine never, ever felt weak. If I wanted to pass by a transport truck, no problem. If I wanted to merge onto the highway in rush hour traffic, no problem. If I needed to zip around a slow moving car, no problem. Any time I needed engine power, it was there and always on tap. That’s because the 185 pound feet of torque show up for work at a low 3250 RPM. In other words, exactly where you need it and as a result the Mazda6 feels like a car with much more under the hood. The six speed automatic transmission also helps this by shifting in a smooth manner and being in the right gear regardless of my driving style. I should also mention that you get a sport mode that really allows you to take full advantage of what this engine can do. If that’s not enough, you also get paddle shifters that work regardless of where the shift lever is. In other words, you can be in “D” and if you want to hold a gear through a corner, simply tap the shift lever of your choice and Bob’s your uncle. But if you want a number to associate with my seat of the pants feelings, I used an app called Dynolicious and a flat road outside of Toronto to record a 0 – 60 time of 7.5 seconds. And that’s with snow tires on the car. That’s not slow.
But the accolades from yours truly don’t end there. This car handles exceptionally well. And when I say that, I am comparing to luxury cars costing tens of thousands more. The weight of the steering is perfect, and there’s a great amount of feel and precision that I typically don’t find in a mid-sized car that’s at this price point. Not only that the suspension is absolutely perfect. It feels firm but isn’t punishing and it lets the right amount of road feel through to the steering wheel. The last time I drove something that felt this good, it was from Bavaria.
Take it from me, you’ll test drive the Mazda6 and you’ll be thinking “This is a sub $35,000 car? It feels like it’s worth $60,000 or more.”
Now because I’ve got a Mazda6 with the technology package, I get one extra item. I get Mazda’s i-Eloop regenerative braking system that helps you to save gas by capturing and storing energy that is normally lost during braking in a capacitor. Then it takes that energy and uses it to run the electronics in the car so the engine doesn’t have to. The finer details on i-Eloop can be found here. But I am sure that it along with the SkyActiv technology in the car is allowing me to do 9.8 L/100 KMs in mixed highway and city driving, most of which is during rush hour. One thing to note is that unlike regenerative braking systems found in hybrid cars where the brake pedal feels disconnected from the brakes, the Mazda6 has perfect brake feel as I can modulate the brakes and get the feedback I need from them. In fact, if I didn’t check the spec sheet, I would never know that a regenerative braking system was in the car.
There’s nothing that makes it way into the cabin in terms of sound with the exception of some of the exhaust note if you put your foot into it and perhaps a tiny bit of wind noise if the wind is blowing hard in the right direction for it to become a factor. That’s another thing that I wasn’t expecting from a sub $35,000 mid-sized car. Visibility is also good from the drivers seat as there was nothing that impaired my vision in any direction.
So, the bottom line is this. This car drives way above it’s weight class. I am extremely impressed by the Mazda6 thus far. And that continues with the interior, which I will cover tomorrow.
Posted in Products with tags Mazda on March 18, 2014 by itnerd
This week I’m stepping into a 2014 Mazda6 which is Mazda’s entry into the mid-sized car segment. Now, the mid-sized segment is usually owned by either the Honda Accord or Toyota Camry and anyone else that tries to play in that segment usually ends up being an also ran. But rather than save my verdict until part 5 of this review, I’ll say this right up front. The Mazda6 needs to be on your shopping list as they have a winner on their hands that can compete with Accord and Camry. And I don’t mean that they have a winner from a metaphorical perspective. The Mazda6 is The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) winner for the best family car over $30K. And if that’s not enough, the Mazda6 also took the award for Canadian car of the year. That’s just for starters. The Mazda6 has won a total of 170 awards worldwide. Not to mention that the IIHS considers the Mazda6 to be a top safety pick.
I bet that got the attention of some people at Honda and Toyota.
The Mazda6 I have this week is the GT variant with the technology package and it has every option box checked. So as a result I will get to write about a host of technology and comfort options. Now frequent readers of this blog will recall that I wrote about my experience with the Mazda6 GT previously. That one was without the technology package and I only had the car for a few hours. Thus it will be nice to do a more in-depth review and see if the impressions that I had last May are still true today.
I’ll be posting a multi-part review that will cover the following sections:
Engine, transmission, handling, fuel economy, and driving comfort
Interior
Technology in the vehicle
Wrap up
Now the picture above doesn’t really do it justice in terms of how good this looks. It’s long hood and short rear deck really makes the Mazda6 look fast even when it’s standing still. But there’s more to the look than that:
You get great looking 19″ rims with the Mazda6 GT with technology package.
The dual tailpipes let those behind you know you mean business.
And the Mazda6 has Mazda’s groundbreaking Skyactive suite of technologies on board.
So without further ado, let me put the Mazda6 through its paces and find out how much “zoom zoom” this car has.
Posted in Products with tags Belkin on March 4, 2014 by itnerd
As long time readers of this blog will know, I was robbed a few years back. But I had a camera that sent me e-mail alerts when it happened. Thus I was able to call the cops. Though they didn’t get there in time to catch the criminals, the camera gave them something to work with in terms of the images of the scumbags who broke in.
Since then I’ve always been on the look out for a new Internet accessible camera that is easy to set up and use. Previously, I’ve had to go through a fair amount of work to set up a camera, and the ones that I’ve used have worked but they were far from user friendly. Not to mention the fact that I have had to get a static IP address and open port 80 on my router to make the camera accessible to me remotely. If you’re an IT Nerd like me, that may not be a big deal. But the average consumer isn’t going to do that.
This camera is easy to set up as long as you have a smart phone and it is easy to use. Let’s start with the setup:
Plug in the NETCAM HD and flip the switch at the back of the camera to the setup position.
Download and install the NETCAM app for iOS or Android onto your smartphone or tablet.
Go into the WiFi settings on your smartphone or tablet and choose the NETCAM network. Then start the NETCAM app and follow the instructions including creating a unique username and password for reasons that I will explain in a bit.
When prompted, pick the WiFi network that you want to use and enter the password associated with it along with an e-mail address.
Wait as it does its magic.
Flip the switch at the back of the camera to camera mode when you’re told to.
Done. Declare victory and have a beer.
At this point you have a camera that you can access inside and outside your home either on your smartphone or via either the app on your phone or tablet or via the NETCAM web page. Either way, you can use the app or the webpage to view or control multiple NETCAM devices. You don’t have to configure a thing on your router to make this camera accessible from outside your home. The only thing I note is that you may have to try to connect to it a couple of times before you see a picture. Not the biggest deal in the world, but something you should be aware of. In any case, this means that your home network is more secure because you don’t have to open ports to make the camera accessible from outside your network, and a non-technical user can make this work. Another thing to note, the smartphone app as well as the webpage which is a Belkin webpage are secured by the password and username that you entered earlier.
The NETCAM HD does 720P video and my tests indicate it was generally sharp. I say generally because the video quality that you see is adaptive depending on your bandwidth. So you will get better quality if you have a good connection to the Internet and to your phone or tablet. You can alter the settings to set it to the quality levels that you want, but I would not bother. It works best when it’s set to automatic. Another item to mention is that the video is jerky unless you have a lot of upstream bandwidth available to the camera. Unless you need absolutely perfect video, this may not be a factor. The other thing to note is that it has e-mail alerts if it detects motion. Unlike other cameras where you have to define areas where the camera needs to look for motion, the NETCAM HD will simply look for motion in the entire field of vision. The net result is that enabling this feature is as simple as flipping the feature to on using the NETCAM app. Any notifications in terms of motion are sent to e-mail address that you entered during the set up process. But it can be changed later, but only from the NETCAM webpage. The pictures that were e-mailed were very sharp and clear. Though I will note that it takes roughly five minutes from the time that motion is detected to the time you get the e-mail. I’m guessing that it has to do with the fact that the camera has to talk to the Belkin server and the server then has to take a couple of images from the camera and package them up into an e-mail to send to you. The NETCAM HD has night vision capabilities via a ring of IR lights that are around the lens. While the effectiveness of IR is going to vary from room to room, I found it to be very effective in my condo. I should also note that the night vision is set to be automatically turned on and off depending on the light levels. Finally, the camera has built in two way audio. I could use the NETCAM app to turn on the microphone and listen into what is going on at home. I could also turn on the speaker and via my iPhone 5 I could talk via the camera. That might be handy to scare away an intruder or talk to your spouse.
In terms of mounting the camera, it comes with all the hardware you need so that you can put it on the roof, or anywhere else you want to put it.
Downsides? If I really wanted to nitpick things, I would point out that the camera is driven by Belkin’s cloud service. That leaves you completely dependant on another party to use the camera. Now that’s not a bad thing as it gives you options to store clips on their cloud service if you pay to use it. Plus you can get push notifications to your phone as well. Not to mention the fact that this cloud service helps to make the NETCAM HD easier to use. However, some might argue there might be privacy issues (though there’s a clear privacy policy) and there’s always the risk that the cloud service might go down. Another thing to nitpick is the fact that you can see the camera in the Belkin WeMo app and if you click it, it will start the NETCAM app. However if you do that, it will require you to enter your username and password into the NETCAM app even if you have the app set to login automatically. If you simply go to the NETCAM app, it lets you log in automatically. Weird. Finally, it seems that there is no way to set up this camera from scratch using a computer. So if you don’t have a smartphone or tablet, you are out of luck.
My bottom line? If you want an easy to set up camera for security purposes or just to keep an eye on your cat or dog, you need to look at the Belkin NETCAM HD. It is extremely easy to set up and use and the video quality in both normal and night usage is great. Check it out at your local Belkin retailer or Belkin.com.
A year after I came to this country as a 7 year old from the United Kingdom (which was 1977), I was enthralled by a cartoon series called Battle Of The Planets. It was a English adaptation of a groundbreaking Japanese cartoon series called Science Ninja Team Gatchaman which details the story (At least in the English version. The Japanese version has a slightly different plot line) of five highly trained teenagers backed by state of the art technology fighting against a group of aliens bent on invading and taking over the Earth. One of those pieces of technology that the teenagers had were special watches that they each wore which among other things, allowed them to communicate by voice to each other by speaking into the watch. I had to admit that I found that to be very cool and I often imitated that when I pretended to be one of those teenagers.
Fast forward to 2014.
I have in my possession a Samsung Galaxy Gear that Rogers provided me this week. It a member of a growing subset of technology called a smart watch which is a watch that does more than tell the time. It can have apps, check your e-mail and text messages, or in the case of the Galaxy Gear, allow you to have a phone conversation without having to use your phone to do it. The latter allowed me to live out my childhood fantasies in a way.
Now the Galaxy Gear needs a Samsung phone to work with. Thankfully, Rogers also provided me the Galaxy Note 3 which is a phone I’ve previously reviewed. But that was with another carrier. So I figured that it would be interesting to see what difference changing carriers made. I found that there were two differences. One was minor and one was significant. The minor difference was that Rogers had a number of their apps on this phone including Rogers Anyplace TV, City TV Video, and apps that allows you to check your Rogers account as well download ringtones among other things. The significant difference was the speed on LTE. The Galaxy Note 3 served up an average of 29Mbps downstream and 9.5 Mbps upstream on the Rogers LTE network. While the upstream speed was just short of my previous test of this “phablet” on a different carrier, the downstream speed which is what most people care about was significantly faster. Interesting.
So. Before I even get into the setup of the device, how does it look on your wrist? Let’s start with my wrist:
Okay, it’s big but the Galaxy Gear looks decent on my wrist. Now let’s try my wife. I’ll not that she’s 5′ 6″, 125 pounds soaking wet and slim:
It looks overwhelming on her wrist. If you’re interested in the Galaxy Gear, make sure it looks good before you plunk down your cash. In terms of looks, the Galaxy Gear looks classy as it is made of metal. It doesn’t scream “geeky” at all. The AMOLED touchscreen which is covered in Gorilla Glass which is 1.6″ in size is bright. Though as you will note from the pictures above, it does attract light amounts of smudges. Having said that, it was viewable in any lighting condition I subjected it to. The Galaxy Gear felt comfortable on my wrist and I didn’t really notice it was there. Though your mileage may vary. I should also note that the straps come in different colours to fit your fashion needs, but they do not appear to be able to be swapped by end users.
The Galaxy Gear comes with a micro-USB cord and a special charging cradle. Its the only way to charge the Galaxy Gear and I guess that was done to keep the look of the watch upscale by not having a micro-USB port on it. The top cover of the charging cradle is secured by a latch, so just open it up, rest the watch inside and reattach the cover to start charging it up.
Let’s talk about setting up the Galaxy Gear with the Samsung phone of your choice. The list of phones that supports the Galaxy Gear can be found here. It’s important that you check this list before you buy, otherwise you’ll be buying a very expensive brick. The reason being that it only works with those phones from Samsung.
Now, assuming you have a compatible phone, it’s very easy to set up:
Power up the Galaxy Gear and you’ll be prompted to use NFC.
Make sure that NFC is activated on the Samsung Phone and tap the back of Galaxy Gear to the back of the phone.
Once the two devices recognize each other, the phone downloads the Gear Manager software. The it turns on Bluetooth and auto pairs the Galaxy Gear to the phone. Just make sure you follow the prompts.
Done. Declare victory and have a beer.
Now the whole point of the Gear Manager software is that it acts as interface for your Galaxy Gear and allows you to tweak settings, adjust the order of apps and even download third-party apps that have been specially made for the smaller screen. Speaking of apps, Samsung has a decent roster of apps in a number of categories and the platform is open for third party developers as well. Though the only third party apps that I noted were MyFitnessPal and Runtastic. I used Gear Manager to pick the watch face that I want as well as set the Galaxy Gear to let me know when e-mails and text messages come in. And all of this without having to whip out the Note 3 to check any of this. However, I will note that I cannot respond to e-mail or texts on the Galaxy Gear.
I got used to navigating the Galaxy Gear smart watch quickly. The longer you spend playing with the device the easier it becomes. You can swipe down from the top of the home screen to access the camera, swipe up from the bottom to access the Dialler, and right or left to get to Notifications, S Voice, Voice Memo, Gallery, Media Controller, Pedometer, Settings, Apps, Logs and Contacts. Inside each menu item you can tap on actions to select them, and use the drop-down menu at the top right of certain screens to access further options. Dragging down from the top of the screen returns you to the previous one. Now, all of this is driven from your Samsung smartphone via Bluetooth, so if your phone isn’t within range of the Galaxy Gear, you won’t get any of this info pushed from your phone. Having said that, if you are out of range of your phone, the Galaxy Gear does act as a proper watch as it will display the current time. Some things do stand out:
S Voice which is Samsung’s answer to Apple’s Siri is built in and it can do such things as search online to find answers to your questions, text or call a friend, and add appointments to your calendar.
Its Pedometer app works in conjunction with the S Health app on the Samsung smartphone to count your steps and track your health. It’s handy to for the fitness nut.
It’s handy to dial a number and use the Galaxy Gear to talk to someone. The sound quality is decent, but you will get stares from people as you do this.
The other feature that the Galaxy Gear has going for it is a 1.9 MP camera that does 720P video and a choice of 1392×1392 (1:1) or 1280×960 (4:3) still pics. Now, I will note that it was a bit weird to aim the camera using the touchscreen, and that can make taking pictures interesting at times. More on that in a second. Now to test the still pictures, I set it to 1280×960 and took it along with the Note 3 to the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto to see how it performed. Here’s a few examples of what I was able to do with the camera. Click the pictures to see them in full resolution:
The camera on this Galaxy Gear was never intended to produce top-quality stills and video, although the quality is acceptable. The only place that this camera really let me down is trying to aim it. It’s the odd placement of the camera on the side of your arm is what makes this feature difficult to use. Holding up your arm to take shots is a practice that’s prone to both camera wobble and attracting all sorts of attention from people around you. I got all sorts of stares from people using smartphone to take pictures who were perplexed as to why I was taking photos using a watch. Having said that, I can see how you can use it to sneak a photo or two in places or situations where you aren’t meant to take photos. Or you can use it to take a quick photo without whipping out a phone.
Now when it comes to video, it will do 720P. Now instead of shooting some video at the car show, I decided to go to my usual location of Pearson Airport in Toronto to film a plane landing. Make sure that you set the video to full screen and 720P:
Like the photos, it is a bit blurry, but it works if you need to take a quick video. And I do mean quick as you are limited to 15 seconds of video. Two things to note with both stills and videos. When you take a picture or a video, it automatically uploads to your smartphone.
Now when it comes to battery life, I got an average of a day and a half of solid use. So I can see that you could get at least a couple of days of usage between charges.
So, what’s my verdict? It’s a solid effort from Samsung, but I believe it needs time to grow and mature. But as it does, I think it will be a solid competitor in the growing ranks of smart watches. It’s big challenge will be to fight off competitors like the Pebble smart watch which has the advantage of being both iOS and Android compatible, and the much rumoured and much hyped iWatch from Apple. The Samsung Galaxy Gear goes for $329 at Rogers. If you have a Samsung phone that works with it, and you’re interested in a smart watch, take a good look at the Galaxy Gear.
