If you own an Apple iPhone there are many extra options tucked away in the main settings app. It is worth ploughing through all the menus to see what else you can change / improve.
One of my favourite options to turn on is having the rear camera flash for incoming notifications and when the phone rings.
To do this open the main settings app, general, accessibility and scroll down and toggle on “LED Flash for Alerts”. A word of warning, in a dark room, the flash is rather powerful. However, I quite like having this on when I am listening to music as it means I won’t miss any new notifications as they arrive.
One of the best features of iOS is Reachability. It is a feature that I use multiple times a day on my iPhone 6S Plus, but it is just as useful on the smaller iPhone 6S.
It also has surprised me how many people who own an iPhone don’t know about this feature, and in some cases some thought there iPhone was faulty.
So what is Reachability. Simply it is an quick an easy method to lower the screen down 50%. Take the above screen shot. You might have wondered why you kept getting a black background on the top half of your iPhone? Well, if so, this is what you did. By double tapping the home screen button, not pressing, just double tapping, the screen will drop down 50%. This makes reaching the furthest corners of a screen a breeze. You can even now swipe down the notification centre, from the half way point.
Rather neat isn’t! But it doesn’t stop there. After dropping the screen and tapping on a folder, you can double tap the home button again to make the folder apps easier to reach as shown above. In fact, you could be in safari and want to type a URL. Double tap the home button when in safari to lower the screen.
To exit, double tap again, or press the home button once.
Welcome to my review of the iBasso D-Zero MK2 Portable DAC and Headphone Amplifier.
The Key Specifications
– Power Source：Built-in 4.2V Li-polymer battery
– Frequency Response: 17Hz~20 KHz +/- 1.0dB (DAC) 17Hz~100 KHz +/- 1.0dB (AMP)
– Signal to Noise Ratio：108dB (DAC line out), 102dB (Amp)
– Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.002%@1kHz/0dB (DAC line out), 0.003%@1kHz/-10dBV (AMP)
– Output Power：Up to 120mW+120mW into 16Ω
– Output Impedance: <0.5ohm
– Gain: +3dB/ +9dB (AMP)
– Battery Life: 120 Hours (AMP) 10 hours (DAC/AMP)
– Battery Charge Time: 5 Hours
– External Power supply: 5V DC
– Recommended Headphone Impedance: 8~300Ω
– Case dimension: 2.17W x 3.98L x 0.44H (inch)
– 55W x 101L x 11H (mm)
– Weight: 95g or 3.35oz
– Certificates: FCC, CE, RoHS
The Hardware
The iBasso D-Zero MK2 is made from an anodised aluminium housing. The front of the device features a headphone jack, aux jack, power switch with white LED and a volume controller. On the back there’s a USB output for charging the D-Zero and for connecting it to a computer, a gain switch and a USB charge switch. There’s also two LEDs a red one to indicate charging which also blinks to let you know when to charge it and an orange one to indicate USB connection. The unit features a built in battery that provides up to 120 hours play time when working as an AMP and 10 hours when used as a DAC. The D-Zero can be used with Windows PCs MAC computers OTG audio signal from an Android 4.1 or above device and the digital signal from iPhone/iPad with camera kit. The VIA Vinyl Envy USB 2.0 audio controller takes a digital signal up to 24Bit/96kHz. The DAC chipset used in the D-Zero is a Dual setup of Wolfson WM8740 DAC Chips. The OPAMP+BUF design ensures high current output allowing you to use the D-Zero with high impedence headphones.
The build quality is not as precision made as I would have expected. If you look at the mini USB socket it doesn’t quite line up exactly with the hole cut out in the aluminium body. Also why mini USB? Surely micro USB should have been used. Next the power switch looks like a flimsy toggle. Overall, it just feels as if the component was finished by hand. That aside I do actually like the industrial look. It’s also a great compact size with flat sides for each mounting to a phone to DAP. iBasso do supply a large range of accessories with the D-Zero MK2 as shown in the photos.
The Audio Quality and Sound Experience
Thankfully, the iBasso D-Zero MK2 sounds rather good. The Woolfson WM8740 DAC Chips have a lovely warmth to them. The D-Zero MK2 adds more bass punch to the music, with warm mids and a clearer treble. This DAC/AMP combo is musical and provides a more dynamic feel to the music. I tried several headphones and even though iBasso say this will power 300 ohm headphones, I would stick to around a max of 150 ohms to get the most out of this little black box of tricks. My Audio Technica ATH-M50x in particular paired really well with this AMP/DAC. Listening to some classical music the iBasso scaled up as the drama escalated and thumped out some very deep bass only when it was present and very quickly. What I have also found is that the iBasso sounds better after its had a 10-15 minute warm up. As a comparison I have the Fiio Q1 as well. The iBasso sounds much better than the Q1 but then it costs nearly twice as much.
Conclusion
Priced at just under £100, the iBasso D-Zero MK2 is a great little performer with a tendency to add some warmth and impact to the music. The extra power from the amp also helps the headphones deliver a more dynamic performance. I just wish it used a micro USB connector instead of mini USB.
It is now possible to pre order a gold or platinum plated Samsung Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge. Prices start at £1,700 to £1,900 plus VAT. Prices do include a Gear VR, Wireless Charging plate and a luxury display box. The bonus is all orders come with FREE shipping.
If you truly interested in having a special Samsung Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge then head over to Truly Exquisite .
If you were in any doubt that the camera on the new Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge wasn’t up to scratch, then take a look at this superb camera comparison video showing off the strengths and weaknesses of the respective phones using both photo and video.
During the video, in order to be fairer at times, an iPhone 6S Plus is used, especially for low light shots against the S7.
So take a look at the video below by @SuperSafTV. It is another superb video from SuperSaf, so make sure you check out his other videos too.
Welcome to my review of the Netatmo Welcome Indoor Camera.
The Netatmo Welcome Indoor camera unique selling point is its ability to recognise faces and then send you notifications to your phone.
See video from Netatmo below showing this in action.
The Key Specifications
– Dimensions – 45x45x155mm
– In the Box – 1 x Welcome camera, 1 x USB cable, 1 x power adapter, 1 x 8GB micro SD card
– Build – Single piece of durable aluminium shell, Matte black plastic piece infrared transparent.
– Hardware Requirements – High-speed Internet connection needed, Public hotspots not supported.
– Connectivity Specifications – Ethernet RJ-45 port: 10/100 Mbits, Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4G)
– Camera – Video sensor: 4MP, Resolution: Up to 1920×1080
– Minimum iOS 8 for iPhone / iPad, Android 4.3 minimum
– Browser Support – Webapp available for the two latest versions of: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer
– Monthly Costs – Nil, Free to Use, App available on the App Store / Google Play.Free access to your camera online.
– Data Storage – MicroSD card up to 32GB (8GB class 10 MicroSD card included)
– Faces – Max 16 faces
The Hardware
The Netatmo Welcome camera is a lovely piece of hardware and doesn’t look like a typical camera. This means it gets blended into your environment without people gets paranoid they are being “watched”. In fact, you forget its actually there. On the rear there is an ethernet port, micro SD card slot and micro USB port. The front is minimalistic.
Background Notes for Review
Notes – I originally reviewed this after 3 weeks. Further down is my update after 4 months following a significant firmware update that added lots of new features which are documented along with a tip if you have dogs.
I have been using the Netatmo Welcome for 3 weeks now and overall have been pleased with its operation and results and intend to keep this indefinitely as my home connected security indoor camera. I also have several IP Cameras which were a total nightmare to setup and configure as remote access involved changing my home router configuration. I have now retired these. In terms of other connected devices, I have a Netatmo Urban Weather station which is coming up to 2 years old and a range of lights that are controlled from my iPhone and or Apple Watch. Due to protecting my own privacy, screen shots of the app in operation have been edited to remove views of my home.
The Initial Setup
Netatmo have made the first setup as simply as possible. I setup my Netatmo Welcome camera using my iPhone 6S Plus. I downloaded the Netatmo Welcome app from the Apple App Store and then followed the on screen setup instructions provided by the app. The app asks permissions to share Wi-Fi setup from your iPhone to the Welcome camera and literally within 5 minutes the camera is connected. Points to note. The Welcome camera only operates at 2.4G . Over the next 24 hours a new firmware arrived and got installed on the camera and the app showed me faces and asked me to identify who the respective people were. For each member of your house, a face profile gets created.
The Operation
The concept of the Netatmo Welcome camera is simple. It learns all the faces of people who live in your home/flat and then notifies you when somebody comes home and tells you who they are and also if somebody arrives who is not recognised. When movement is detected, it records a clip onto the micro SD card which can be streamed back on to your phone and or downloaded remotely to your phone as well. When at home you can also play back the recorded video clips.
Other options include a range of privacy and advanced security options. For example if your Netatmo password gets changed, or someone logs into your account you can receive an email. Netatmo will also block your account if there are too many failed attempts occur. In terms of learning faces, you can go into the app settings and speed up the learning process. You can also tell the system when the house is empty and adjust other settings as shown below.
Using the app on your phone is really easy. It shows a live view snapshot when you open the app. You can then hit the play icon to stream live video. Turning your phone landscape provides full screen playback and streaming. Scrolling the screen reveals details of who is at home and or when they were last seen. Scrolling the screen the other way reveals a list of when movement was detected. Tap on one notifications and you can watch or download the recorded movement. Now if your home is broken into and someone steals your camera, you will get a notification that Welcome was switched off. The person cannot access your data and videos without your Netatmo account details. However, this also means if the camera is never recovered, you cannot view the videos stored on the camera either. However, if you sign into My Netatmo on the web you will be able to see a screen shot of each video before it started the recording of the motion.
The video quality is excellent and the camera switches to night mode which provides clear images and video as well.
As I have mentioned I have had the Netatmo Welcome indoor camera for 3 weeks now. In that time, the camera has come offline about 4 times for no apparent reasons and then reconnected a few hours later. I don’t know if its my broadband dropping although that wouldn’t surprise me as the connection does vanish occasionally. I have only had to pull the power cord out and replug back in to restart the camera just once when it became unresponsive. In terms of recognising faces this is now 90% accurate. I have relocated the camera several times to get a better position. To be honest, positioning is crucial. If the camera is recording motion to the micro SD card, it is not possible to see a live view until this has finished.
UPDATE – 4 months later, Netatmo released a major firmware update. This improved its performance and reliability but also added Dropbox support and tags. With Dropbox you can now upload video clips to the cloud instead of using the micro SD card.
Tags are waterproof sensors for doors and windows. Photo above is one of my tags. The Netatmo tags are superb as they detect the motion before the intrusion occurs. That is because they detect vibrations. The Tags’ have an integrated open/closed state sensor, so you can choose to be alerted if you have accidentally left a window or the garage door open. And then you can check directly on your smartphone if all windows are closed.
Tips – I have 3 labradors and the Welcome camera was recognising my dogs faces. So instead of telling the Welcome camera they were not faces, I did the opposite. So now it recognises my 3 labradors and that means I don’t get any false notifications about an unknown face.
The Special Stuff
The Netatmo Welcome camera supports third apps and that extends to IFTTT. This opens up a whole world of different sequences that can be achieved. See screen shot below.
You can also add Welcome tags to the system, sensors for doors and windows. The other aspect I like about the Netatmo Welcome Indoor camera is once bought, there are no other costs. Its free and it has no monthly charges either.
As I mentioned already, Netatmo allow you to sign into to your camera via a web browser which uses their web app. Using a web browser, if you have other Netatmo products, you can access all the different connected devices in one go.
Conclusion
The Netatmo Welcome Indoor camera recommended retail price is £199, although if you click the link below it is available for a lot less. It provides piece of mind with its face recognition and notifications with zero ongoing costs once purchased. Add to the fact it supports third party app integration and it becomes a decent investment. It also doesn’t look like a typical camera so blends into the home environment.
And now after using it for over 4 months the added new features of tags and Dropbox integration really add to its value.
Sometimes you just fancy a quick game to play and one of my favourite casual games to play on iOS is Pako Car Chase Simulator .
There are several reasons why I like this game. Firstly there are no in app purchases which makes a change. And no adverts as well.
Secondly you’re in control of a selection of vehicles in a closed area and have to survive for as long as possible. There are a choice of 15 different locations each of which has its own vehicle, most of which are so different from the previous location. Locations include trailers park, airport, the moon, suburbia and vehicles can be anything from a limo to a camper van.
Online leaderboards for each locations are available as well as many achievements to unlock. If you feel so inclined you can tweet or Facebook your scores.
And when you crash and it’s game over, you can restart the next game instantly. In terms of compatibility Pako is optimised for iPhones from the iPhone 5. It is also a universal app and playable on the new Apple TV!!
In the world of technology, Apple Keynotes are big events watched by millions around the world. It is a time when Apple woo us with new hardware and software with the added incentive that you can order everything you see straight away.
So what are we expecting in a few weeks?
On the hardware front the rumours are suggesting a new iPhone. Actually it will be the shape and size of the original iPhone 5, with the new model likely to be called the iPhone 5se. So Apple will bring back the 4 inch screen iPhone again, but with bumped up internals. Expect to see a faster processor and Apple Pay too.
A new iPad is also expected. The latest rumours suggest that it won’t be called the iPad Air 3. Instead it will be called the iPad Pro 9.7 inch complete with Apple Pencil support and its own smart keyboard. If this rumour is true, I would be very excited to see this iPad, but sadly expect a high price.
Another rumour is regarding the Apple Watch. Some are suggesting this will receive a slight hardware improvement along with new Apple Watch straps. I would be surprised if Apple update the watch internals but you never know they might surprise us all.
In addition, the latest versions of all its iOS and MAC software will receive software updates and some new features.
The above photo taken last night on my iPhone 6S Plus ranks as my favourite photo so far of 2016. If you click on the photo you will be able to see the full size version too. The photo was a cool 73.29 seconds long exposure, using Nightcap Pro app.
The photo is of Sharpitor, Dartmoor. Sharpitor is one of a number of tors that feature on Dartmoor. A tor, which is also known by geomorphologists as either a castle koppie or kopje, is a large, free-standing rock outcrop that rises abruptly from the surrounding smooth and gentle slopes of a rounded hill summit or ridge crest. In the South West of England, the term is commonly also used for the hills themselves – particularly the high points of Dartmoor in Devon and Bodmin Moor in Cornwall.
It just goes to show that when software and hardware work in harmony nearly anything is possible. I really love this photo!
Apple vs FBI – The iPhone unlocking case is gathering pace with a hearing date set for 1st March 2016.
Now for the first time, other tech giants have stepped into the ring to officially say the will be supporting Apple and submitting legal briefs/documents to the courts in support of Apple.
The current companies who will legally be supporting Apple are –
– Microsoft
– Facebook
– Google
– Twitter
And I am sure more will follow. This is such an emotive case and yet at the same time a legal precedent too.
Updated – BlackBerry and Verizon have joined to support Apple.
Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 