Home 2019

How to Make Your Gmail Work and Look Like Google Inbox

On April 2, 2019, Google ceased support of Inbox for Gmail. If you don’t know what it is, Google developed it as an experimental Gmail with some great features. It acted as a testing ground to see what people wanted from their email clients. Inbox worked well, offering people a new way to interact with Gmail and get some new features put into the main Gmail client. Inbox worked so well, in fact, that a lot of features (but not all) were eventually put into Gmail, after which the appeal of Inbox for Gmail waned for Google. In September 2018 Google announced they were shutting… Read more

How to Stream from Android to Airplay

Sometimes you’ll find yourself watching or listening to something on your phone and want to move it to your TV. Yes, you can go to your TV and load it there, but that feels like a waste of time. If you have an Android phone and a Google Chromecast, it’s easy to “cast” from your phone to the TV. If you’re trying to go from an Android phone to an Apple TV though, it’s trickier. That’s because Apple uses its own method, AirPlay. What Is AirPlay? AirPlay is a protocol that lets you wirelessly stream audio and video between your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV,… Read more

Origem HS-3 HDR Bluetooth Smart earphones review

REVIEW – The world of Bluetooth headphones/headsets/earphones is wide and varied, and grows every day.  Every shape and size conceivable is out there, to fit every lifestyle and circumstance.  I myself own just about every kind you can imagine… wireless earbuds, wired earbuds, over the ears, in the ears, around the back of the head, waterproof, not waterproof, and on and on.  Just about every pair I have ever owned has something that I like and something that I don’t like.  Enter the $99 Origem HS-3 HDR Bluetooth Smart earphones, fresh off a Kickstarter campaign.  It has some nice features that are worth considering, and 1 feature that is a game changer.  Let’s find out what it is!

What is it?

Bluetooth earphones that provide an over-the-ear fit, 6 hours of playtime, IPX5 waterproof ability, and built-in voice control.

What’s in the box?

  • A padded zipper case to hold everything.
  • A Micro-USB cable for charging
  • Extra sets of earbuds to fit any size ear
  • The Origem HS-3 HDR Bluetooth earphones

Here are the specs from the manufacturer:

  • They are rated “IPX5 waterproof”, for intense exercise and bad weather, but can’t be submerged in water.
  • They have built-in fast charging and can be charged in 30 minutes to provide 6 hours of listening time.
  • They come with multiple sized earbuds to fit most ears.
  • Each ear piece has hinged earhooks to provide a secure fit.
  • It comes with Bluetooth 5.0
  • HDR (high dynamic range) algorithm detects the sound pressure of the listening environment and volume of the sound to dynamically adjust loudness for all different frequency levels.
  • Built-in voice recognition provides no-hands control of the music and voice calls.
  • In-line controls provide physical touch controls.

Design and features

As mentioned in the specs above, there are some features that you might come to expect from a $99 headset.  IPX5 will allow you to have a heavy workout, in the rain, and keep on ticking.  6 hours of playtime, coupled with a 30 minute charge time, will keep you happy almost all day.  Multiple sized earbuds will mean every sized ear should be happy.  And an in-line physical button control is what most Bluetooth earphones have these days.

But now for the big differences.  The design of a hinged hook that goes over the top of your ear and rests snuggly behind it means that these earphones will never fall out, no matter what you are doing.  I have always hated those earbuds that you have to basically suction into your ears to keep them from falling out.  They always fall out.  But the Origem HS-3s will not.  No amount of running, rolling, jumping, shaking, etc, is going to dislodge these.  And honestly, after a short time you forget you have them on.  As you can see by the pictures, the wire that goes behind your ear has a cushioned covering on it to make for an even more comfortable fit.  Unfortunately, one of my earphones lost that cushioned covering at some point, and I never noticed it.  I still have no idea what happened because they are either on my ears or in the zippered case.  But anyway, even without the cushioned covering for my left earphone, I still think they are comfortable.

The second feature worth mentioning is the HDR sound.  I have come to expect crappy/so-so sound from most earphones/earbuds.  But I do think that the HDR feature actually works.  The sound I get through these earphones is very full.  I can hear very good highs and mid-tones.  You won’t get a very deep, rich, bass sound, but it isn’t bad at all.  I would call the sound just ‘very full’.  I can say that apart from my collection of more expensive headphones that have big cushions that completely cover my ears, these are the best earphones that I own, hands down.

Finally, the feature that is a game changer, in my opinion, is the built-in voice control, which is a feature I don’t have on any other headset/earphones that I own.  When a phone call is coming in you can simply say “Answer call” or “Reject call” and your phone responds accordingly.  When music is playing you can simply say “Play music” or “Pause Music” or “Next song” or “Previous song”, without ever touching the in-line physical controls.  You can even say “Hello VoiceQ” and your phone’s assistant (Google or Siri) will come to attention and provide you all the voice control features that those services provide.  And it works flawlessly every time I use it.

Now, before you object and say “But Steve, my Plantronics headset can do that!”, let me tell you more.  I used to own that Plantronics headset and used it daily before it died.  And yes, I could use hands-free voice controls through it as well, and answer and reject calls as well.  But here is the difference.  My Android phone’s screen has to be on before my phone will respond to direct voice commands to do something.  You know… “Hey Google”.  With the Origem HS-3 my phone can be sitting there with the screen completely off and I can tell the Origem “Hello VoiceQ” and it will awaken my phone so that it is ready to accept whatever voice command I give it. And it is over Bluetooth, which means I don’t have to be sitting right beside my phone to do it either.  I can be across the room.  I am telling you, this is a feature that other headsets are going to want to incorporate into their products because it makes life easier.  I have used it to initiate phone calls, start my music, set calendar items, ask for a ballgame score, ask about the weather, and many more things.

What I like

  • Great comfortable, stay-put, fit
  • Great overall sound quality
  • Amazing voice controls
  • Great price for the value you get

What needs to be improved

  • The zippered pouch is a little too cramped
  • The cushion on the wire that goes behind the ear needs to be more securely fashioned.  It can slide off too easily.

Final thoughts

The price of $99 for these earphones is well worth the price.  My dislikes are petty as well.  I wish the zipper cushioned case was slightly bigger because putting the HS-3s into the case is a bit cramped, and it takes a hot minute to unscramble the wires when you take them out.  I also wish the cushioned covering on the wire behind the ear was a bit tighter, which could have prevented me from letting one of them slip off undetected.  But those are minor squabbles.  I highly recommend these for the person who wants great sounding, great fitting, and highly useful earphones.

Price: $99.00
Where to buy: Origem.com or Amazon.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Origem.

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Origem HS-3 HDR Bluetooth Smart earphones review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 21, 2019 at 2:30 pm.

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How to Easily Convert an Image to Video for Social Media

Video is king of the online world right now, and it is expected to have an even greater share of social media in the future. Search algorithms are giving priority to content that has video, making it imperative to have some on your website as well. If you want to gain attention for what you have to offer on the Internet, then creating videos of your content is essential to your success. But creating video is not always easy and can be time-consuming. There are many different video editors that make these videos. However, some of them are expensive, and some are just too complicated… Read more

KLIP: Titanium Pocket Knife + EDC Suspension Hook review

REVIEW – I have a soft spot for gadgets that are multi-functional.  Any gadget that can perform multiple tasks helps me cut down on the number of EDC items I need to carry.  That’s what piqued my interest about the Dapper Design KLIP.  Let’s have a look!

What is it?

Made from lightweight Titanium, KLIP is a combination knife + pocket clip that is designed to suspend your keys or other items from your pocket while also giving you quick access to a small knife.  In fact, its very name, “KLIP,” is derived from a combination of the words “knife” and “clip.”

What’s in the box?

The KLIP comes in some very classy-looking packaging: a tin with top and bottom halves, and a clear window in the top half that allows the actual product to be seen, at least partially. I always appreciate when companies provide packing like this that.


Inside the package itself are the following items:

  • KLIP
  • Silver twist-lock flexible steel cable ring
  • Black coated twist-lock flexible steel cable ring

Hardware specs

  • Main body: Stonewashed Grade 5 titanium
  • Blade: 440C steel blade
  • Smooth spring-loaded detent ball mechanism (provides satisfying “click” on blade open/close)
  • Adjustable pivot screw
  • Opened length: 85mm / 3.34″
  • Closed length: 60mm / 2.36″
  • Blade length: 27mm / 1.06″
  • Height: 16.25mm / 0.63″
  • Thickness: 8.15mm / 0.32″
  • Weight: 16 grams / 0.56 ounces

Design and features

I love combo items—items that can serve multiple functions.  The KLIP can be your key holder and you can hang them down into your pocket, or from your belt, or even from backpack webbing.  Plus, there’s a little knife hidden in there, in case you need to open a box, etc.  The KLIP is machined from durable, lightweight, stonewashed Grade 5 Titanium and it sports a super-sharp 440C steel blade which locks into position with a “click.”  Its deployment mechanism also features a ball detent and adjustable pivot screw.  KLIP has a lot packed into a small, functional package.

My initial impression of KLIP was that it was small, lightweight, and unobtrusive-looking.  In essence, it’s a relatively minimalistic-looking metal hook with a mechanism at the end.  Its body is made from “Grade 5” Titanium, so it is in fact very lightweight and very durable and should last a long time.  I also think the surface treatment, a light “stonewash” that results in a matte, slightly irregular appearance, is quite attractive.

KLIP has a slim profile, as seen in the above pics, which helps it stay small and easily carried.

Further, in the photo above, you can see the hook, which is an open end that is about 4mm wide.  Overall, the hook has a sort of a “goose neck” shape.

One of the aspects that I very much appreciate in product design is logo minimalism.  Dapper Design has done well with this—their simple, overlapping “D” logo is imprinted into the surface of KLIP, in what appears to be a laser-etching process, and if that is the case, then this logo should never wear off.

KLIP is small, as you can see from the photo above, which makes it quite easy to have on hand just about any time, should the need arise for a small knife.

Besides the hook, which forms the main body of KLIP, its other main feature is the small knife concealed in its body, as seen in the images above.

KLIP utilizes a cam-shaped component that secures a spring-actuated ball detent mechanism that helps secure (but not lock)  the blade in both its folded and extended positions.  It essentially provides a  satisfying “click” sound and feel upon blade opening or closing.   Also, note that the blade has a small channel cut into either side the allows the user to get a fingernail into it to help open the blade.

KLIP utilizes a cam-shaped component that secures a spring-actuated ball detent mechanism that helps secure (but not lock)  the blade in both its folded and extended positions.  It essentially provides a  satisfying “click” sound and feel on blade open/close. In the photo above, you can see that there is a small screw with a tiny slot on one side of the cam-shaped component.  What is its purpose?  Read on to find out.

A small, flat head screwdriver (not included with KLIP) will fit into the slot and this allows KLIP’s detent mechanism to be loosened or tightened, which determines the amount of force required to snap the blade into an extended or folded position.  In fact, out the box, this small screw it tightened down such that the blade cannot be opened without the screw being loosened to some degree, which effectively “unlocks” the detent mechanics.

 

In the photo above, you can see the pocket into which KLIP’s blade fits when folded.

 

The blade itself is relatively small—you aren’t going to field dress an antelope with it, but it is a perfect size for cutting open boxes, cutting a loose thread, slicing open an envelope, or any number of light-duty, everyday tasks for which you might need a small knife blade.

The base of the blade is quite thick relative to the tip of the blade, which tapers to a sharp point in two planes, as seen in the views above.  This makes it excellent for piercing into things if necessary, and, though I didn’t have an opportunity to test this, it seems that a tip as pointed and sharp as this would be very useful for digging out splinters.

In the first week along that I carried KLIP as part of my EDC gear, I found myself using it daily.  I used it to cut through the tape on several boxes and also break down several others at work and to open mail envelopes at home.  KLIP’s blade opens easily and snaps in place thanks to the detent mechanism, and it is just the right length to hold for most quick jobs.

The only accessories that were included with KLIP were a pair of twist-lock flexible steel cable rings, one with a black coating, the other uncoated.  While KLIP could certainly be attached to a standard keyring, these cables are a quick and easy way to attach KLIP to a set of keys, as seen above.

I evaluated a few different methods of carrying KLIP.  It excels when it is attached to a set of keys and carried such that it “hangs” inside your pocket, with KLIP hooked over the edge of your pocket and the keys hanging down inside your pocket, as shown in the phots above.

Alternatively, I tried hanging KLIP on the outside of my pocket, see above left, which was not nearly as secure as allowing the keys to hang inside the pocket.  And finally, I also hung KLIP’s hook over my belt, as see in the photo in the above right.  This is slightly more secure than the method shown in the photo in the above left, but still made me a bit nervous that KLIP—and my keys—-were going to get knocked off by something.

One last thought on KLIP: I am very tempted to put it on my keyring with the idea to leave it there indefinitely because it is just that unobtrusive and I think I would find uses for it nearly every day.  The only thing stopping me is that I suspect that KLIP is so unobtrusive that I myself would forget that it is on my keyring, and I’d forget to remove the next time I took an airline flight, and it would be confiscated by TSA.  Which would be a major bummer.

What I like

  • Small, compact, lightweight
  • Looks nice with matte Titanium finish
  • Includes two twist-lock flexible steel cable ring

What needs to be improved

  • The blade does not technically lock in either the extended or folded positions

Final thoughts

I really like KLIP.  Elegantly machined from Titanium alloy and with an attractive style and finish, it is durable, and its design is both aesthetically pleasing as well as useful: it combines a suspension/keychain hook and a small knife, which makes it a perfect item to add to your EDC gear for when you need quick access to a small knife for small tasks.  While KLIP had it’s very successful debut as a crowdfunded Kickstarter campaign (see here for more info), it is now available for pre-order from Dapper Design (see links below).

Price: $49.00
Where to buy:  dapperdesign.com
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Dapper Design.

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KLIP: Titanium Pocket Knife + EDC Suspension Hook review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 21, 2019 at 9:30 am.

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