I have been thinking about reviewing products using YouTube as well as having written content. But I wanted to gauge your views on whether you feel this will be useful or not?
Category Archives: Reviews
Netatmo Urban Weather Station and Princetown Yearly Weather Stats
Back in October 2013 I got the Netatmo Urban Weather Station. It is not the most advanced weather station kit available, but then neither is it the most expensive. It connects to the internet and has apps for the MAC, Android, iOS, Windows Phone and a web app for use with most web browsers.
Using the web browser, I called up the yearly actual weather readings for the outdoor temperature and pressure readings for Princetown, Dartmoor, Devon. It is quite evident that the overall temperatures are dropping as we approach winter.
Sphero Ball – first impressions – review
Yesterday, I received the Sphero ball. It was on a lightning deal on Amazon and consequently had a decent discount. Subsequently, I realised why it was on offer, as Sphero 2 is available. The second version is capable of travelling at 7 feet per second, and across all terrains – water, concrete and more.
I had no expectations of this robotic ball. In the box you get activity cards, the ball, QI charger and a number of different plug adapters. There is also a quick start guide. You are requested to go to the Google Play or Apple App Store to download the official app, which is also a universal iOS app so looks great on the iPad. You pair the ball via Bluetooth after a 3 hour charge. Each ball has a different Bluetooth code. Anyway, I will cover off more about the sphero games and other stuff it does and just cover off what I have observed and achieved.
First of all, you don’t unlock all the functions of the ball. So the initial speed is capped until you pass the first level of training. Further down the line you learn about the boost mode and more. The training levels are not difficult to learn.
So first up this ball on a kitchen tiled floor had no issues turning at high speed, curving and more. I could change the colour of the ball on the fly. I can make it dance and more. I have also tried it on carpet with equal success. So how do 3 dogs versus the Sphero turn out. Hilarious. The ball was chasing the 3 dogs, involved in standoffs, violent dancing on the spot if they tried to hold it which let it get released out of their grips. For 20 mins it was great fun for all.
Are there any negatives ? Yes. When you first use the ball you calibrate it with the blue tail light adjusted to face you. If the ball got stuck or was held down by one of my dogs it would become decalibrated. It is easy to recalibrate on the fly but I did find this a nuisance.
I have still to explore all the training levels, find all the functions and use all the Sphero games of which there are around 20. Half of these are free, the others £0.69 that I have seen so far. I honestly thought that this would be a five minute wonder. Not so sure now. It really is fun to use. More soon.
You decide – which camera took which photo – iPhone 5S vs Moto G
2 different phones and 2 extremes of pricing. I was recommended to try “A Better Camera” app on android by Mike Paterson who commented yesterday on the home screens post, so as the app was on offer I gave it ago using the Moto G vs the iPhone 5S.
Now, before anyone says the Moto G is nowhere as good as a camera as that found on the iPhone 5S, it’s not but with the right app and if necessary some post processing anything is nearly possible. However, to be fair, the below shots are unedited. So, is the top shot the iPhone 5S or Moto G?
Happy commenting :). I will reveal answer after 6pm UK time.
Answer – top is Moto G and bottom iPhone 5S.
All the Reviews in 2013
Below are all the reviews written in 2013. I hope to have a few more in the next few months. The links also pick up any other posts written after the reviews were published as well.
Logitech UE 6000 Noise Cancellation Headphones review
Moga Ace Power iOS 7 Game Controller review
Netatmo Urban Weather Station Review
Audio Technica ATH-AD900x Headphone review
Olloclip 3 in 1 Lens review for iPhone 5
Motorola Moto G – 16gb sim free on sale for just over £118 – info
Argos have a special 4 day sale.
And they have reduced the Moto G to just a few pence over £118. And that is for the 16gb version!
Seems a good deal.
Christmas and New Year Schedule on GavinsGadgets
In one word “Open”.
So if there is any news worth commenting on then I will publish it.
I’m will be adding my final thoughts on the Motorola Moto G £99 wonder phone.
Depending on when my Sphero arrives I will get my first impressions up.
And if the two Motorola Shells arrive for the Moto G I will get some impressions and photos uploaded.
For now enjoy the festive season if you can!
Motorola Moto G – review part 4 – Moto apps and battery
In this part of the Moto G review I am going to look at some of the apps Moto include. The Moto G is predominantly stock android but it does have a few tweaks.
First before I chat about the apps, the Moto G has managed 3 full days on one battery charge. Incredible.
The Moto G has a FM radio which does require your headphones to be plugged in.
It scans and then allows you to select favourites. In the settings I found options for changing the radio frequency banding dependent on which part of the world you were located.
Moto Care in another included app.
This just gives you the option of quickly getting support and help for your phone.
Next and most useful is Moto Assist.
When in sleeping mode you can change the settings to allow for your favourites to still ring or if somebody tries several times to contact you. The app also starts producing suggestions and tips and how better to manage your phone as you use it. Eg setting brightness into auto mode. The suggestions aren’t mind blowing but for somebody who knows nothing about the phone and android the app is brilliant.
Moto also include their own photo editor but you are best using Google’s own one as it’s much better.
This week I have been left really impressed by the Moto G. It’s a very competent device that happens to be cheap. The camera is only average. It’s not the worst I have seen, and neither is it the best.
I will draw up my final thoughts after using it for another week or so.
But in the meantime please ask below in the comments if you have any questions.
Motorola Moto G – review part 3 – accessories
The Motorola G isn’t just a boring slab of black. It also can be customisable with Moto Shells. These come in 3 types. A replacement back cover shell (white version shown above), flip shell (shown below) to protect the front screen and grip shells.
The grip shell is a replacement back cover, chunkier and more grippy. All of the shell types come in a variety of colours too.
You can also get power packs for the Moto G http://www.motorola.com/us/accessories-batteries-chargers/Power-Pack-Slim-series/universal-power-packs-slim-series.html in two different capacities.
If you recall on my first impressions, the Moto G does not come with any headphones. http://www.motorola.com/us/accessories-headphones-speakers/SOL-REPUBLIC-JAX-In-Ear-Headphones/sol-jax-in-ear-headphones.html However, you can buy Sol Republic Jax in-ear headphones that match all the colours of the official Moto G shells.
With the additional cost of the shells and headphones you can easily add another £40 to the overall cost.
Next time I will take a look at all the other non Google features included with this phone.
Motorola Moto G – receiving Android Kit Kat – full details
If you have the Moto G, Motorola is pushing the Android KitKat update.
Android 4.4, KitKat: Android 4.4.2, KitKat, is the latest release of the Android platform.
KitKat includes graphical enhancements e.g. new style status and navigation bars, a new full-screen mode, colour emoji support, improved closed captioning support, stronger security, smarter power use, and more tools and capabilities for better app development.
Phone dialer: Improved the phone app with the ability to look up contacts directly from the dial pad, see and tap frequent contacts, and search your corporate directory easily.
Camera – Focus and exposure: Enhanced the “touch to focus” option with a new circular, on screen control that can be dragged by your finger around the viewfinder to adjust a photo’s focus and exposure.
Gallery – Photo editing: Added new photo editing options to the Gallery app including new filter effects, draw on your photos, advanced cropping, and adjustments to color, exposure, contrast and more.
Printing documents and pictures: Added support for printing photos, Google Docs, GMail messages, and other content via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and hosted services like Google Cloud Print and HP ePrinters.
Hangouts – SMS/MMS support: Incorporated a new version of Google Hangouts that supports integrated SMS/MMS messaging. Hangouts can be set as the default SMS app under Settings > Wireless > Default SMS app.
Accessory: support Added support for Square credit card reader.
The update is for both the U.S. and global versions of the Moto G. I haven’t received it yet for my Moto G. If you have a Moto G, have you received the update yet?
Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 