Just a heads up on 2 accessory reviews coming soon.
The Shoulderpod S1 – http://www.shoulderpod.com/ – smartphone rig
And
The LG G Watch – http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/index.html#main
If you have any questions you would like answering in these reviews please let me know.
The Playbulb is available from Clove Technology and costs £49.99 inclusive of VAT.
The specifications of the Playbulb are –
-Voltage : 100-240V / 50-60Hz
-Power : 14Wrms (max) LED + audio
-Fits : E26 / E27 screw base light sockets
-LED power : 3W
-Speaker power : 3W RMS
-Frequency Response : 135Hz to 15KHz
-Bluetooth® version : 4.0 and Bluetooth® Smart, A2DP
-Wireless range : 10m (33ft)
-Available grill colors : white / silver
-Available LED Colors : Warm White, Cool White
-Apps : Additional functions such as LED control, EQ selection, operating -Modes etc. provided by PLAYBULBTM Apps available on iTunes and Playstore
-Apps Supported Devices : iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S, iPod (5th generation), iPad (4th generation), iPad Air, iPad mini, Android Devices with Android 4.3 and above
So to start off, screw bulb in to a light fitting. I used my clamp on fitting which gives versatility in placement. Next turn on your Bluetooth settings on pair the device. You should see it connected as a headset. See below.
Next open up the app, and you will be faced with the screen shot above. Tap, Playbulb and move into the next screen.
On this page you can use the slider to adjust the light strength, you shake to turn on or off, access music on the phone and tap in the settings.
Just how bright is full brightness. See photo below.
It’s really bright, but a quick adjustment on the slider and you can lower the light right down as far as you want until it’s off. Below a slightly lowered light setting.
But then the app allows even more controls of the Playbulb from wake up, energy saver, night and sleep modes. The modes are self explanatory really, but as an example you get be woken up with the Playbulb turning the light on and playing some music.
So I guess the one unanswered question. How loud does it play. And what is the quality like? It goes surprisingly louder than I expected with a particularly clear sound. Bass was a little light but I can stress enough it is totally freaky when somebody realises the sound is coming from the light bulb!
I love my gadgets, and I really like the Playbulb. One concern I had is at £50 the LED lights had better last a long time. I was dutifully informed the lights are meant to last 10 years, and the speaker will continue to function after the LED lights have failed.
Available from Clove Technology.
iPhones have Touch ID and it works brilliantly and with little drama. Samsung introduced a finger print scanner with the S5, but it is not even close to the ease of iOS. It is cumbersome and can take several attempts to get it to work.
So, in a few months time, iOS 8 will be made public, and one of the new APIs is around the Touch ID.
A third-party app called 1Password is a digital vault for storing all of your web logins and sensitive data.
1Password for iOS 8 is already in beta, and has taken advantage of Touch ID and the ability to directly integrate with Safari. The result is a frictionless experience using Touch ID to authenticate without entering your password.
This way of working is classic genius and simplicity.
Aside from sharing the S5 name and general aspect, the Galaxy S5 mini has little in common with the S5 flagship?
The Mini has a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED HD display with 720 x 1280 resolution, a quad-core 1.4GHz processor, 1.5GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD up to 64 GB), 8MP main camera, 2.1MP webcam, 2,100mAh battery, and Android 4.4 KitKat, a heart-rate monitor and fingerprint scanner and other sensors.
The 1.4GHz processor will certainly slow it down at times, so contract price will be what drives this phone.
Just a few shots from yesterday. One is a macro, the others of my labradors, Fury and Tiggy, both girls. I have 3 in total, but George was resting from his earlier walk.
If you want to see the full resolution of these shots and more photos from yesterday, head over to my flickr account , http://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100
The international Galaxy Note 3 (SM-9005) is receiving an update (OTA) which provides version 2.0 of KNOX, Kids Mode and Download Booster.
The update is live right now in the UK and should hit other countries in the coming week. It’s 185MB and the build number is N9005XXUFNF4.
If you want to try and force the update, go to Settings, General, About phone, Software updates menu on your Note 3.
Apple has released iOS 7.1.2. The update improves iBeacon connectivity and stability, other bug fixes and security updates including a data transfer bug fix, and a fixed issue with data protection class of Mail attachments.
iOS 7.1.2 is available over-the-air or through iTunes. Before you update, it is a good idea to charge you device to at least 50% and have it plugged in before carrying out update.
I must admit I haven’t updated my iPad yet. I finally have sorted the battery life and don’t want to do anything to jeopardise this. So far I have had 10 hours usage and the battery is at 46%.
Clove Technology are selling the MiPow Playbulb – details here http://www.clove.co.uk/mipow-playbulb-smart-bluetooth-led-speaker-light
I am currently testing this, so before I publish my current thoughts and review, please let me know if you have any questions you would like answering.
Starting July 1, European international roaming costs will drop more than 50% based on rates from last summer. Data is getting the biggest cut by 55.5%, from 45 cents per MB to 20 cents per MB. A text message will cost 6 cents instead of 8, while for receiving a call you’ll pay 5 cents per minute instead of 7, last year. Making a call will set you back 19 cents per minute, instead of 24 previously.
For more information click here.
At Google I/O, Google announced there was 5,000 new APIs.
Thankfully, one of those was the camera API. This will mean a more pure performance with better synchronization between the physical camera and the software.
New devices will be able to capture better images as well as 30 FPS videos at full resolution. The Nexus 5 on Android L, can capture at 30 FPS, 8 megapixel video, which is a big improvement over what it could do on previous versions of Android.
Not only will there be deep down software improvements, but new options, for burst mode, HDR+, and fine tuned controls ( like ISO sensitivity and exposure time) that will be added to Android’s camera interface.
With these improvements in the code, we might finally see android smartphones take on the like of the Nokia Lumia and iPhone when it comes to taking good quality photos.
Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 