The Smartphone Telephoto Binoculars are 10x42mm binoculars that come with a universal clamp that holds a smartphone’s camera against one of the eye pieces so it can capture clear images or video from far away.
When I first saw this product, I couldn’t figure out how you used it. A closer look helped me understand that the adapter only covers one eye piece of the binoculars. The other eye piece is still available for you to look through to sight your subject.
The Smartphone Telephoto Binoculars are priced at $199.95. You can find out more about them and order from Hammacher Schlemmer.
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The Smartphone Telephoto Binoculars are 10x42mm binoculars that come with a universal clamp that holds a smartphone’s camera against one of the eye pieces so it can capture clear images or video from far away.
When I first saw this product, I couldn’t figure out how you used it. A closer look helped me understand that the adapter only covers one eye piece of the binoculars. The other eye piece is still available for you to look through to sight your subject.
The Smartphone Telephoto Binoculars are priced at $199.95. You can find out more about them and order from Hammacher Schlemmer.
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Having a good file backup process sounds is obviously something everyone should have. But more often than not, people only find out how important backups are at the very moment they lose everything. Don’t be one of those people. I’m actually looking at myself in the mirror when I’m saying that because I’ve gotten out of the habit of backing up my own files. That’s why I find the Apollo Cloud 2 Duo personal storage device from Promise Technology interesting.
The Apollo Cloud 2 Duo isn’t what you might guess. It’s not a device that copies your files to the cloud. It does use a cloud, but not one on the internet. It creates a local personal cloud on its 8TB drive that can be accessed from anywhere, all without monthly or yearly fees.
Some features of this device include:
Apollo Cloud Mirroring – Syncs all your data to another Apollo device in a different location anywhere in the world via the Internet. This allows you to keep multiple copies for maximum security.
Set up members who can save items on the cloud device, and share their files with others via time limited links.
Quick Camera Roll Backup – Instantly frees up space on your phone with the swipe of a finger and auto-sync your photos so you won’t run out of space on your phone.
Location Based & Facial Recognition Photo Albums – The Apollo Cloud app helps catalog your photos by geotagging them and saving them into albums by location. It is also able to identify people in the images and creates albums for each person.
Apollo Cloud 2 Duo is available now for $449 and is compatible with iOS, MacOS, Android, and Windows. For more info visit www.promise.com.
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Ready to part with some money? Check out this week’s collection of 5 crowdfunding projects that I think look interesting and worthy of your pledges.
ROBOT RISE! Card Game
What is it?
ROBOT RISE! is a 2-4 player card game that has been created by a fellow gadget loving friend of mine Craig Froehle and his family who live in Cincinnati Ohio.
Why do I like it?
I like the ROBOT RISE! card game because robots! First of all, you can play this game with as few as 2 players and a time investment of only 15-30 minutes. The idea is that you are a mad scientist and your goal is to destroy the lairs of the other mad scientists (other players in the game) by building robots.
Besides the fact that I know Craig and want to see him succeed with this campaign, I think the game sounds like a lot of fun.
Where can I find more info?
With 9 days left in the campaign, the ROBOT RISE! campaign is close to reaching their funding goal of $7,500. You can pre-order the ROBOT RISE! game starting at $19. After the ROBOT RISE! campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in February 2018. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.
SYWOS One exercise device
What is it?
SYWOS One is a portable workout device that trains opposing muscles in one cycle.
Why do I like it?
I like the SYWOS One because it’s portable, takes up very little storage space, and it can cut your workout time by working two muscle groups because there is resistance in both directions of the movement. It’s not just good for arms, but you can use it to build up strength in your chest, shoulders, legs, and back too.
Where can I find more info?
With 31 days left in the campaign, the SYWOS One campaign has already reached their funding goal of $29,520. You can pre-order the SYWOS One game starting at $117. After the SYWOS One campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in October 2017. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.
What is it?
Eco Scoop is an individually packaged folding spoon designed and invented by a guy who worked for Sir James Dyson for 10 years.
Why do I like it?
Eco Scoop is an easy to carry spoon for on the go eating. When you’re done with it, you can throw it on the compost heap where it will biodegrade in just 4 weeks compared to the 500 years that a typical styrene spoon takes because the Eco Scoop is made of a wood based biopolymer.
Where can I find more info?
With 25 days left in the campaign, the Eco Scoop campaign still has a lot of work to do before reaching their funding goal of $28,350. You can pre-order a pack of 10 Eco Scoops starting at $5. After the Eco Scoop campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in December 2017. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.
Specdrums: Music at Your Fingertips
What is it?
Specdrums are rings that turn colors into sounds when you tap them.
Why do I like it?
I like Specdrums because you can use them to turn any color into any sound which allows you to easily create your own “instruments” in seconds.
Where can I find more info?
With 23 days left in the campaign, the Specdrums campaign has already blown past their funding goal of $15,000. You can pre-order a Specdrum ring starting at $34. After the Specdrums campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in January 2018. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.
Spinbox – A DIY Portable Turntable Kit
What is it?
Spinbox is a kit with all the parts necessary (including a speaker) to build a turntable in as little as 30 minutes.
Why do I like it?
I like the Spinbox because it’s a building kit and I’ve always enjoyed building things. Especially things that you can actually use after you’re done building them. This kit doesn’t even require soldering.
Where can I find more info?
With 9 days left in the campaign, the Spinbox campaign has already surpassed their funding goal of $30,000 many times over. You can pre-order a Spinbox starting at $99. After the Spinbox campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in November 2017. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.
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In all of my reviews, I try to be as fair as I can. Every product has its good and bad points and I try to point them out. No product—no matter how good it is—is perfect. At first glance, my review of the iseeBell Video Doorbell Security Cam may not seem fair—and maybe it isn’t. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like it. Let me explain.
My intended use for the iseeBell video doorbell was just that—a video doorbell. The setup is advertised as super easy: You remove your original doorbell and then use its existing wiring to connect. All you need are some minor drilling and mounting skills (iseeBell even supplies the proper tools and instructions). But I had forgotten one (not so) minor detail: About 6 years ago, we switched to a wireless battery doorbell. After removing the previous (wired) doorbell, I shoved all the wiring inside the wall and then stuccoed over the hole. It seemed like a smart idea at the time! As a result, I could not use and review the iseeBell as it was intended. However …
Even though I no longer could give the iseeBell a fair review as a video doorbell, they also advertise it as an indoor/outdoor security camera. After considering this, I realized that I still had a great use for it as a security camera. That’s fair, right?
I live on 2 acres in Florida and my large backyard has a separate studio building where I do freelance graphic design and also write about and photograph the products I review. Needless to say, I have some expensive stuff in the studio. Up until now, the studio has never had any security monitoring. We have large and very protective dogs in our house, but I worried about the studio because it’s 100 feet away and out of reach of the dogs. With the iseeBell, I now have a chance to monitor the building 24/7. So how does it work? Let’s see.
When you open the box of the iseeBell, you are presented with a lot of stuff which can seem overwhelming. However, you generally won’t need all of it. iseeBell has done a good job of accounting for different installation setups you may have. The setup & installation guide is straightforward and easy to follow with clear directions and illustrations. Granted, if you have no experience with home repair tools, you may be better off asking for help. The Guide lists everything included in the box and what kind of wifi you need. A 2.4Ghz network is required, but since I have an Apple dual-band router, I was good to go. One caveat is that your wifi router must either be strong enough or physically close enough to the iseeBell to work properly.
As I said earlier, the iseeBell will run on existing doorbell wires (if you have them). The guide uses step-by-step instructions. Yeah, I know, I didn’t actually install it as a doorbell—and that’s the unfair part of this review. But trust me, I’ve installed enough stuff to know that these are easy instructions to follow.
Also included in the box is a separate indoor wireless door chime (must be plugged in), which I haven’t decided if I’m going to use or not. Why? Because the iseeBell comes with a downloadable app (iOS and Android) that works just as well for my use.
The iseeBell unit itself has a 720p HD camera that works well in low light, although the video loses some detail and becomes monochromatic. The camera is wide-angle which captures a great peripheral view. It does distort in a fish-eye effect around the edges, though. Using the app, you can you see what the iseeBell sees. It also records and stores photos and video on your phone and/or in iseeBell’s cloud. This cloud service is an extra cost option—$2/month or $20/year. While that’s not expensive, it’s worth noting. You get a free month trial with purchase. iseeBell claims your photos and videos are protected by bank-grade security. Strangely, you can only purchase the cloud service through the iseeBell app. There is no mention of it on their web site.
The iseeBell easily connects to a home’s existing wifi via the app. There’s also a motion detector that works a little too well. More on that later. The unit is weatherproof, so rain shouldn’t be a concern.
For my use, I mounted the iseeBell just inside the door of my studio a little above eye level. I used some of the supplied screws but did not need the included masonry drill bit as this was an indoor installation. All I had to do was decide where I wanted the camera placed and drill the screws into the wall. iseeBell offers an optional adjustable wall mount that allows the camera to be swiveled at various angles for a better view. I highly recommend this option—it acts as a mounting base and allows you to point the camera practically in any direction.
I ran into two issues with the wiring on the iseeBell. Since I’m using it indoors and not as a doorbell, it needs to be plugged into an outlet for power. I wanted to mount the camera up at ceiling height, but the cord was a few inches too short to do this, so it had to be lower than I preferred.
The white cord was a bit too thick to fit into the slot at the rear of the camera, so I had to strip some of the wiring to expose more of the black and red wiring from inside the cord. It was not easy, but I’ve stripped wiring before, so I knew what I was doing. However, I could picture some people pulling their hair out if they ran into a similar problem as I did. Note that doorbell users won’t have this issue since the iseeBell won’t need the power cord.
Once I got the wiring taken care of, all went well. I opened the iOS app, set up my account and linked the app to the camera via my wifi network. With that done, I could see a live image of myself in the apps video frame. There’s a bit of a lag, but not enough to matter. As I said earlier, The image is wide angle, and since the camera is above eye level, there is little opportunity for a close-up of a face. But the image can easily be zoomed in even while live.
Audio quality was so-so. it was somewhat distorted and difficult to understand when watching the video. There’s also a built-in speaker allowing you to talk to the person/intruder if necessary. The speaker volume was a bit weak and should have been louder.
After setting up the motion detector in the app, I noticed that it works really well … as in really well. Whenever I stretch or get up from my chair I get an audible beep and a motion warning shows up on my iPhone. It’s becoming a bit comical, but at least it works! And since I’m only concerned when there should be no one in the studio, I appreciate its sensitivity. Incidentally, the warnings can be controlled through the iPhone’s Notifications or Android’s Sound and Notification settings.
All in all, I like the iseeBell Video Doorbell Security Cam, even though I’m not using it as it was intended. It does what it’s advertised to do and does it well. I now have added peace-of-mind if anyone should enter my studio (invited or not) and I will instantly know about it.
I’m now wondering if it’s time to get my doorbell rewired?
The iseeBell Video Doorbell Security Cam sells for $149.95 US.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by iseeBell. Please visit www.iseebell.com for more information and Amazon to order.
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