Home 2018 October

Cuisinart combines a toaster oven and an air fryer into one appliance

NEWS – Actually, those countertop air fryers are basically little convection ovens, because they just use moving, heated air to dry “fry” your food. They aren’t sized nor shaped to be useful for cooking many other items, though.  And granted, any convection oven could actually do the same job as a countertop air fryer, but not everyone has a convection oven in their stove.  If you are in the market for an air fryer or a toaster oven, why not get one appliance that can do both?  The Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven is a full-sized toaster oven that can handle seven tasks.

The oven has heating elements on top and bottom for quick, even heating.  The thermostat adjusts from “warm” to 450°.  With this oven, you can:  air-fry, convection bake, convection broil, bake, broil, warm, toast.  This 1800W oven has a 0.6 cubic-foot interior;  it stands 15.5″ x 16″ x 14″ tall and weighs 21 pounds.  It has an interior light to help you monitor cooking progress.  It comes with an oven rack, baking pan, air-fryer basket, and a crumb tray.  The exterior is brushed stainless steel;  the interior is non-stick for easy cleaning.

The size of the oven accommodates 6 slices of bread for toasting, 3 pounds of chicken wings for air frying, a 12-inch pizza for baking, or a 4 pound chicken for roasting.  A 60-minute timer automatically shuts off cooking, and the toaster function’s light/medium/dark selector also has automatic shutoff.

The Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven (Model # TOA-60) is available at Williams-Sonoma (online only) for $199.95 with free “fast shipping”.  I’ve also seen it at Bed Bath and Beyond and at Amazon with Prime shipping for the same price.

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Cuisinart combines a toaster oven and an air fryer into one appliance originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 15, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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Zanco Tiny T1 phone review

REVIEW – Are you tired of carrying around a smartphone that can double as a piece of workout equipment because it’s so large and heavy? Then you need to take a look at the Zanco Tiny T1 phone. And when I say it’s tiny, I’m not kidding. Just ask G.I. Joe.

What is it?

The Zanco Tiny T1 phone is an insanely small phone that looks like a toy but it’s a real working phone that will work with your existing GSM SIM card for carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile. Sorry, Verizon and Sprint customers, you’ll not be able to use this phone.

What’s in the box?

Zanco Tiny T1 phone
Silicone cover
micro USB charging cable
Reset tool
Neck lanyard
User manual

Hardware specs

Frequency – GSM850 / GSM900 / DCS1800 / PCS1900
2G
Nano SIM
Memory – Flash -32RAM +32ROM
Display – OLED
Bluetooth
Phonebook memory – 300
Memory for SMS – 50
Battery – 200 mAh
Size – 46.7mm x 21mm x 12mm
Weight – 13 grams

Design and features

You really can’t believe how small the Zanco is until you hold one in your hand. It will fit in any pocket you have, including that little watch pocket in your jeans.

For another size reference, here’s the phone next to an SD card.

The phone has a shiny black plastic shell with a small backlit white on black OLED display and a full number pad below it along with call answer and end buttons, a four-way navigation button in the center, and two other menu buttons on either side. The design is a throwback to the candy bar style phones from years ago.

On the back of the phone, you’ll find the speaker at the top and a microphone at the bottom.

On the bottom edge of the Tiny T1 is a micro USB port that is used to charge the phone.

On the right side is a flexible cover that protects the nano SIM card slot.

I tested the phone with the T-mobile SIM card that I use in my Pixel 2 XL and the card fit perfectly with a satisfying spring loaded click.

Did the Zanco Tiny T1 phone survive my 21-year-old Gadgeteer squeeze test? Surprisingly yes it did. Although it was tough to actually squeeze something so tiny. Even though this phone looks like a toy, it isn’t going to break if you breathe on it. I bet it wouldn’t break even if it was thrown across the room. I’m not going to test that theory though.

Using the Zanco to make and receive calls

The user interface is as basic as it gets. There’s a signal strength meter in the upper left corner and a battery status icon in the right corner with one and a half lines for other info below that.

The Tiny T1 doesn’t have iOS or Android, so you can’t just say Hey Google or Hey Siri, call Jeanne at work and have it call the desired number. It does have a phonebook but good luck trying to add new numbers or access numbers that you’ve added using the tiny keys on this phone. Yes, it’s doable, but just barely.

Once you do end up calling out or receiving a call, the call quality is ok. Just don’t accidentally swallow it while you’re talking to someone 😉

And remember, this phone only uses 2G GSM, so you’ll need coverage in your area. It should also go without saying that you won’t be running Fortnite on this phone or accessing the internet with it.

Using the Zanco to make and receive SMS messages



If making a call with this little guy is tough, reading and sending SMS messages will make your eyes cross when reading them from the itty bitty display. The messages display in a ticker tape vertical scroll when you first receive them and that might make you antsy if you’re like me and want to quickly read the message. But replying using the tiny keyboard is brutally painful in a “oh my goodness these keys are tiny” kind of way. You’ll have to go back to the days of pressing a number key several times to get the right letter to build words. But again, it’s doable – if you want to do it.

What I like

  • Cute as a button
  • Fun little backup phone when you absolutely only need to be able to make and receive calls and nothing else

What needs to be improved

  • Make it bigger? Nah!

Final thoughts

I had a lot of fun with the Zanco Tiny T1 phone. But the fun wasn’t in using it to make and receive calls and texts. The fun was putting it in my pocket, going up to a friend and asking them to call me and then watching their face when the phone would ring and I would take it out of my pocket to answer it. It always got a laugh and “no way” comments. Most people also wanted to take a picture of it. So the novelty factor of this phone is very high. The fact that it actually works and can be used as a phone is also pretty cool. Would I use this as a backup phone? Nope. But if I want a tool to make people smile, I know just the one to use.

Price: $65.99
Where to buy: eBay
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Zini Mobile Ltd.

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Zanco Tiny T1 phone review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 14, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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Obi Wan, it is a Moon, and also a smart hub with levitating camera

NEWS – Technology startup 1-Ring Inc. has created the smart home hub called Moon. The first thing anyone (who hasn’t been under a rock for 41 years) will notice is that the camera part of the hub looks like the Star Wars Death Star. Then again, the first thing people may notice is that the camera is levitating. Whether you believe Obi wan Kenobi when he says, “That’s no moon…it’s a space station” or Rey when she explains the Force is, “…a power that Jedi have that lets them…make things float” you are right on either count.

The Moon is a space station because it is a fully integrated home automation center. It has an integrated programmable IR Blaster and communicates with all major home automation standards including, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, Z-Wave, and Bluetooth Smart.  Moon integrates seamlessly with Philips Hue, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Homekit and other services in the Internet of Things as well as legacy devices such as TV or stereo systems. Not only does the Moon communicate with existing devices on your home network, but it has its own sensors too. Not only does the Moon have a camera, but it includes integrated sound, temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, and light sensors.

The Moon is part of the Force because the magnets which levitate the camera actually allow the camera to rotate 360 degrees. The camera can be controlled in real time by the mobile app to rotate with a swipe of the finger. The camera can also be programmed to analyze the sound received by high-precision microphones in the base to rotate the camera accordingly.

All smart hub features are easily accessible through the Moon Commander, an intuitive mobile application available for Android, IOS and watch OS platforms.

This is a crowdfunded gadget. The crowdfunding campaign to kick-start the mass production of the working prototype started on October 17, 2017, and collected the goal amount within 24 hours. 1-ring has raised more than half a million dollars being 750% funded. All information about the technical highlights of the product is available at the Moon’s campaign page.

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Obi Wan, it is a Moon, and also a smart hub with levitating camera originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 14, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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HUGOAI WiFi 1080P HD Wireless Home Security Surveillance Camera with Face Detection review


REVIEW – As technology continues to bring us more innovative gadgets, I am always on the lookout for any device that can perform multiple functions and give me more control and features that I want, in the most affordable way. The HUGOAI WiFi 1080P HD Wireless Home Security Surveillance Camera with Face Detection promises to do just that. Make sure you read to the end of this review.

What is it?

The HUGOAI WiFi 1080P HD Wireless Home Security Surveillance Camera with Face Detection is exactly as its name indicates. It is a small lightweight wireless security camera that provides HD video and images and offers several complimentary features.

What’s in the box


1 x HUGOAI Wireless Camera
1 x Micro USB Cable with Wall Adapter
1 x Base Mounting Plate
1 x Instruction Manual
1 x Wall Anchors and Screws

Design and features

Face Detection & Motion Detection – The HUGOAI camera will send you notifications when members of your family get home and alert you if a stranger is in the house. The motion detection technology monitors movements and pushes instant notifications to your smartphone.
HD Video Quality – 1920 x 1080p resolution with high-resolution live streaming and night vision with a range of up to 30 ft.
Two-way Communication – With the built-in speaker, you can remotely talk with anyone in your home in real-time by simply looking at your phone or tablet.
Remote View – This works with both Android & IOS devices, but only works with 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network. It does not support 5 GHz WI-Fi. The camera supports remote access via free-downloaded mobile App anywhere and anytime.
Cloud & Local Storage – The camera supports cloud service. Every video and picture can be stored on the cloud indefinitely. Free lifetime subscription to save 24-hour alert videos to cloud storage without space limitation. There is a fee if you want more than 24 hours stored.


There is also a built-in micro SD card slot for local recording. It supports up to a 128GB micro SD card.

On the front of this black and white camera, there is the lens in the middle, the status LED light above the lens (Flashing blue: Ready for Wifi setup, Steady blue: Camera is connected), and the LDR (Light Dependent Resistor) and microphone below the lens.

On the back of the camera, there is a speaker, the micro USB power port, and a reset button.

When facing the front of the camera, there is a micro SD card slot on the right side of the camera that allows for onboard recording that is triggered by motion.

Performance

This camera works very well and produces very clear video/images. The audible voice commands make the installation process very simple and the warning if/when it loses the wifi signal helps with troubleshooting, albeit that the loss of connectivity is an area for improvement for the camera. The day and night vision are superb.


App
The following are some of the screens within the app that you encounter during setup:





For the facial recognition feature, you can add the faces to the app of family members and/or people you want the camera to recognize. It allows you to add pictures from an existing album or to take the pictures live with your phone camera and save them to the app. The feature requires pictures from multiple angles to work properly, and for this test, I took the required 5 pictures from the phone camera and saved them to the app.





By default, the app allows the addition of one person for free, then you have to pay $4.99 to add 9 more people offered as a lifelong package purchase.


Once the “family member” picture is saved, whenever that person walks in front of the camera, it sends a notification to your mobile device and you can always click on it to see the video of the person walking in front of the camera.


What I like

  • The clear audio from the cameras including the voice prompts and instructions during setup
  • Video/image quality
  • The magnetic
  • The base that allows mounting of the lightweight camera at any angle
  • The face recognition feature

What can be improved

  • Wireless connectivity. At times the camera loses its wireless connection despite a strong wireless signal, The addition of the 5 GHz capability would help.
  • Privacy, Safety, and Security

Final thoughts

This wireless camera with face recognition does a great job, especially for the relatively affordable cost. It seems to easily recognize my face which is the one I saved in the family member area of the app. The additional $4.99 one time purchase required to add 9 more people is also quite cheap and the fact that the video is clear and the camera is very sensitive to motion and does a great job recognizing faces is fantastic. In addition, I love the mounting options that are available because of the magnetic base and plate. The downside is that if it happens to lose wireless connectivity during the night even for a moment, it announces the loss quite loudly which can be startling. Otherwise, this is a great bang for the buck and with the very responsive app and ability to view remotely, it gets a two thumbs up!! –  BUT WAIT!!! One evening, days after I finished this review, I was sitting in my kitchen working on my laptop at the kitchen table when I received a notification from the camera on my smartphone. I immediately wondered what it could be since no one was near the area of the camera. when I clicked on the notification, it took me to my screen with the videos that the camera records when it detects faces and motion. I noticed that the thumbnails of the recent videos did not look like my room. When I played the videos under the “Stranger reminds” heading, I realized that I was looking at the videos of other people in their house. Somehow I had access to their videos and my next thought was do they have videos of mine. In one of the videos, I can hear and see a person looking at their phone and reading what it said, and I quote ” This device has been bound by another user”, “please untie the device…….(clip ends)”, and the rest is hard to hear. The next video shows her looking into the camera and trying to figure out what is going on. I immediately unplugged the camera, and I will not be using it anymore. This camera started out as a “hero” but is now a complete ZERO!!!

UPDATE: Just when I thought that the worse had occurred with this camera, the next day as I was on my way into work, I got another notification from the app. This was even more startling since I had already disconnected the camera from the night before. When I clicked on the notification, I saw a video of the same house again from during the night which showed a man in his kitchen going into his refrigerator and drinking milk from the container, and then another video of a woman in the same house in the kitchen preparing to leave the house. It seems that somehow I have access to their cloud account. This has always been my fear with cloud storage that has access to cameras in my home. I really wanted to include screenshots and the videos of this most unacceptable violation in this review. However, doing so would add insult to injury considering that the family in the videos has already been unknowingly violated. We live in a world that is now overwhelmingly integrated with technology, and privacy continues to be a very credible concern. While companies continue to offer products that add automation to the processes of our daily lives, the inherent obligation should never allow for a security breach like this. There is no place for this product in today’s world.

Price: $31.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Hugoai.

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HUGOAI WiFi 1080P HD Wireless Home Security Surveillance Camera with Face Detection review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 14, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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Anden’s Valet charges your Apple Watch and organizes your extra bands

NEWS – If you like to change your Apple Watch band to match your outfit or to better suit your activities for the day, you probably don’t keep your extra bands hidden away in a jewelry box or drawer.  If you’d like to keep a few of your favorite bands close at hand for quick changes as you get ready for your day, you’ll be interested in the Valet for Apple Watch from Anden.

The Valet is a flat piece made of wood or Corian.  The front holds the Watch charging puck, and you’ll need to supply your own.  The charging station works with all current versions of the Apple Watch, including the new Series 4.

The back of the Valet has four grooves to hold spare bands.  Anden says they’ve yet to find an official Watch band that won’t fit in the Valet’s grooves.  They don’t mention or show a Watch with a loop band, such as the Milanese metal mesh band, charging on the Valet.  I’d think you’d have to remove the loop band to be able to charge the Watch, as it must lay flat on the Valet.

Anden uses sustainable sources for all their wood; it’s often rescued from larger cabinetry commissions.  Available materials are: solid maple, walnut, cherry wood, and a limited-edition pure white Glacier Corian (the same, high quality, exceptionally strong material they make designer kitchen worktops from).  Anden says that each piece is made when ordered, so it might be possible to accommodate you if you request a particular wood or color of Corian.

The Valet is made in England, but they can ship worldwide.  The Valet in the offered woods is $119 US dollars; the Corian is $171 US.  Order at the Anden website.

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Anden’s Valet charges your Apple Watch and organizes your extra bands originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 14, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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