January 2018 – Page 7

ONOTONE Concrete and Bamboo iPhone X Case review

For as long as I have owned a smart phone, I have used cases to protect them. The fact that we have gotten used to carrying around a tiny computer in our pocket that can cost over $1000 is a little mind boggling when you step back and think about it. Now the thing that I find funny is how we all want a thinner lighter device and are totally wowed when we get the newest phone but instantly put it in a case lest we scratch the anodized aluminum or glass back of the phone and therefore never enjoy the aesthetics of the back half of the phone or truly appreciate the full design considerations of our new $1000 pocket computer. This is not a criticism of phone cases. Like I said, I ALWAYS use them, its just an observation on human behavior that I have always found interesting. I see people nearly every day carrying the latest smartphone with no case and 9 times out of 10 the shattered screens that I see are on phones with no case around it. All this makes for a pretty good set of reasons to protect your phone. The fact that most of us entomb our phones so we don’t damage them leads to the desire to make your chosen case a personal statement of your own style or something that will be as or more eye catching than a naked iPhone. Enter the concrete and bamboo cases from ONOTONE.

What is it?

ONOTONE has created cases for your iPhone X, 7, 7 plus, 8 and 8 plus that have lightweight concrete, bamboo and cork (the cork is not being reviewed in this post) back plates and offer a truly unique and protective solution for your phone while almost guarantying that you will get comments or questions on them. These are the most unique phone cases I have owned and the feel of them is a tactile treat. Just to note, I am testing these cases on my iPhone X.

Hardware Specs

ONOTONE doesn’t give the weights of these cases on the website and I do not have a scale to do this for our readers but the cases are extremely lightweight and have the fit of other similar minimalist iPhone cases you might have used before. The inside of the case is a rubberized coating over a plastic shell. The concrete and bamboo is a layer that is attached to the case itself and covers the entire back of the case/phone. The cutouts for the volume and lock buttons, speakers, lightning cable and silent switch are all perfectly placed for maximum functionality of your phone.

What’s in the box?

Well this section is pretty simple. In the box you will receive a case that fits your model of iPhone (X, 8, 8 plus, 7, 7 plus) with your chosen back plate material (concrete or bamboo).

Design and features

The part of this case that touches your phone isn’t anything you haven’t seen before. It is a standard hard plastic case with a rubberized coating to protect the phone with cutouts where needed. The back of the case is what makes these stand out. Lets talk about the concrete one first. At first I thought that the concrete case was going to be some kind of plastic or fake concrete. Nope! It is extremely lightweight, real deal concrete. I am assuming that the concrete has a high porosity allowing for a lot of air to be caught in it while it cures to allow for such a light sheet of cement. It has a rough feel to it and you can easily see the grains, bubbles and color variations in the grain that are unmistakably the traits of real concrete. The concrete face seems to have been smoothed over a bit leaving some texture so you know that part of your iPhone case is made out of rock but smooth enough that I don’t really worry that it will scratch anything. It does not feel like fine grit sandpaper at all. It has a very pleasant feel to it and is definitely the most unique phone case I have owned.

Next is the bamboo case. the interior and cutouts are identical to the concrete so I wont repeat myself. As you can probably guess the bamboo case is extremely lightweight too. The grains of the wood are visible from a distance and brings a nice feeling of the outdoors to your smartphone. The finish of the wood is silky smooth with absolutely no texture to it. It is as enjoyable to handle and touch as the concrete one. Honestly, I am so happy to have both because I like them so much I wouldn’t be able to choose between them now that I have handled them both.

The materials used in these two cases are pretty far apart with what they represent or where they come from. On one end you have the concrete, which is an industrial, urban looking case and on the other end you have bamboo, which immediately makes me think of the outdoors and open spaces. If you are looking for a recommendation on which of the two I would choose I would have a hard time picking but if pressed, I would have to go with the concrete. It is just so unique, deceptively lightweight and I think it will build a nice patina with use as it changes with oils from your hands and the environment, given the porous nature of the material. I am in love with both though. I am guessing most people interested in this review who would buy just one will have a strong referenced one way or the other. I can say that If you buy one of these, you will be pleased with it.

Positives

The back plates are made from real concrete and bamboo, not plastic posing as something its not. Very reasonable pricing for the material you are getting and the quality of the product. Both the concrete and bamboo models have a striking appearance and a fantastic feeling in your hand that is sure to get some second looks and comments from others.

Negatives

I don’t know how the concrete version would stand up to a drop onto a hard surface. A thin layer of low density concrete seems like it would break but I will not be testing this out. The purpose of a minimalist case is to offer a low cost protective layer to prevent damage from regular wear and tear. With the reasonable price tag of $29.95 for the concrete model, even if it broke while protecting my phone, I wouldn’t be terribly disappointed and would invest in another. Other than that I don’t have anything bad to say about these cases. I have really enjoyed them.

Final Thoughts

Remember these are minimalist cases so please don’t expect to be able to drive over your phone with this case on it and it survive. It’s worth mentioning that this is not a LifeProof case but it doesn’t want or claim to be. Minimalist cases are for the little bumps and drops that happen in daily life and make it easier to hold your phone without it slipping from your grip and they are a balance between keeping a sleek and low profile phone wile offering some protection to your investment. The first day that I was testing these products I used both cases and went into my daily meetings and received questions and comments on both cases within minutes or sometimes seconds of putting my phone on the table. I now find myself putting my phone with the back side up just to see if people will notice them (I know, that’s a little weird and a very “look at me” strategy but I like sharing these with people and seeing their amazement when the feel the material, especially on the concrete one).

I have owned dozens of cases for my iPhones over the years and have rarely had a bad experience. I stick to quality products and have not been let down. I have seen other cases that offer no protection and are essentially a way to get a brand logo or a design onto your phone as their primary function. There’s nothing wrong with that if that’s what you want but if I am going to cover up the beautiful design of my latest and greatest iPhone, it will be to protect it and hopefully add a little style to it in the process. Bottom line is the cases I have reviewed here are lightweight, offer sufficient protection for my phone in the minimalist case market but offer two very unique and high quality feeling options that best fit your style or personality.

I know this has been a long review for a couple of very reasonably priced phone cases but I am truly impressed and hope that our readers will give these a shot. I don’t think you will regret it. For the great design and the use of very unique and attractive materials and the value compared with minimalist cases that offer similar function I give this these the highest rating of 5 stars. I am very impressed!

Price: $29.95 for the concrete case and $22.95 for the bamboo case. These prices are the same for all the iPhone models they offer cases for (X, 8, 8 plus, 7, 7 plus). They also offer a cork iPhone case for $22.05 but I didn’t receive that to review but it is yet another option for a unique look to add to your phone.

Where to buy: ONOTONE.

The samples for this review were provided by ONOTONE.

Experience life in 3D with the Owl Sterescopic viewer

You’ve probably seen someone in an old movie looking at photo cards using a device that looks like funny binoculars mounted on a wooden handle. That device is a stereoscopic viewer, and they allow you to see 2D photographs in apparent 3D. They were quite popular around the turn of the previous century, with many photo cards created covering a huge variety of subjects. Brian May, Queen’s guitarist, started collecting stereoscopic cards when he was a child, and his fascination with 3D photography followed him into adulthood. He even used a 3D camera to document the history of Queen from the Freddie Mercury days through the current time with Adam Lambert.

May decided to make reproductions of some of his collection of vintage photo cards available to the public, but he knew people would need a viewer to appreciate them. He created the Owl, a stereoscopic viewer that folds flat for storage. He also offers sets of stereoscopic photo cards, and he has written a few books with compilations of the vintage photo cards printed right in the books. The Owl viewer works with both the individual cards and with the photos printed in the books.

I first learned of these viewers when I heard about May’s book collecting some of the 3D photos he took of Queen, called Queen in 3D. I received the Queen book for Christmas, and the included Owl viewer works wonderfully well to transform those printed images into a 3D look at Queen. (I still miss Freddie!)

You can purchase the Owl viewers at May’s London Stereoscopic Company LTD online store. The store also offers several photo card sets and books covering topics like Diableries – Stereoscopic Adventures In Hell, Crinoline: Fashion’s Most Magnificent Disaster, and the Queen book, of course. You can also find the Queen book at Amazon.

Nokia is removing a function from their Body Cardio scales by mandatory software update

Owners of the Nokia Body Cardio scale (formerly called the Withings Body Cardio when reviewed by Julie) may have received an email that warned them that Nokia will be removing the Pulse Wave Velocity function from all Body Cardio scales in a mandatory update.

The Pulse Wave Velocity function set the Body Cardio apart from other smart scales that calculated your BMI and measured a few other parameters as they weighed you. The PWV measurement was, in effect, a measure of how fast your blood moved through your blood vessels, which in turn was a measure of the health of the vessels. This measurement was based on previous studies, and when it was added to the Body Cardio scale, it apparently wasn’t a test that was regulated by the FDA. Now, Nokia says of the scales: “We are now learning its capabilities in the area of measurement of pulse wave velocity may require a different level of regulatory approval. In light of this, the decision was made to turn off the pulse wave velocity feature.” This removal was not prompted by the FDA; Nokia voluntarily removed the function to prevent possible future problems.

This update is mandatory and will be applied January 24, 2018; there is no way to opt out. No other functions of the Body Cardio scale will be affected by this update. For the time being, Nokia has announced they have suspended shipments of the Body Cardio scale; in a few months, they will resume shipping the scale without the PWV function.

To compensate their customers, Nokia is offering two options. You may elect a $30 credit for a future purchase of a Nokia health product at the Nokia store, or you may choose to return your Body Cardio scale for a full refund. If you refuse both of these options, you will not be allowed to change your mind in the future.

Read more about Nokia’s decision and learn how to ask for your compensation at the Nokia website.

Add a faucet to your laundry room when you buy a new clothes washer

Having a sink in your laundry room would be ideal because it would allow you to start pre-treating stains before laundering without having to then carry soaking wet fabric through the house to the washing machine. In many space-conscious homes these days, there’s hardly room for a washer and dryer, forget about having room for a laundry sink, too. The 4.8cu. ft. HE Top Load Washer with Built-in Water Faucet from Whirlpool has a faucet built in, so you don’t need a separate sink.

You can easily pre-wash a piece of laundry using a stream of water from the faucet inside the machine’s stainless drum. The machine has lots of other features, too. It has a dispensing system that can hold a supply of detergent, bleach, and fabric softener and dispense the right amount for your selected load. It has auto load-size sensing, to select the right amount of water, and intuitive touch controls to make selecting from the 27 selectable wash cycles, 4 soil levels, and 5 wash/rinse temperatures easy. MSRP is $899.00 for the 4.8 cu.ft HE Top Load Washer with Built-In Water Faucet and Intuitive Touch Controls. Learn more about the features of this clothes washer and locate a vendor in your area at Whirlpool’s website.

Life without Windows, transitioning to iOS only

So, it finally happened. It’s not like I didn’t want to transition, but am I ready. What happened you may ask? My Windows computer crashed after a long hard fought life. To be honest, I was expecting it to happen, the signs were there, really. I woke up every day to a warning message saying my system was destined for imminent disk failure, I was just hoping that I would have a little more time. As a result, I’ve had to push forward with my plans to transition to an all iOS setup.

I have been prepping myself for this transition ever since I purchased my first iPad, but iOS and the iPads themselves just could not handle all that I wanted to do on them. You may ask yourself what has changed besides my loss of a Windows computer. Two things mainly.

First the hardware, Apple has released the iPad Pro (I have the 10.5-inch second-generation version). Having a device that can handle the workload of a laptop or desktop system is important. I will admit that my iPad can never fully replace the functionality of a desktop or laptop, but it should be close enough to allow me to function without one.

The second reason is the operating system – iOS 11. Apple has continually improved the iOS software to the point that I feel that I can live without a desktop or laptop.

I am not kidding myself, I know this transition will not be without its trials and tribulations, just trying to figure how to set up my desk to best utilize my new set up is a challenge. Before, when I would work at my desk I would basically have two screens. I had an HP Elite L2201x monitor that was hooked to my Windows machine, a keyboard, and mouse. I also had my iPad, my Apple Magic Keyboard and my iPhone with its Qi charging stand. As far as accessories I have BYBLIGHT and my iClever multi-port USB charger. I did most of my writing on my iPad and used my desktop for reference. I have been a two monitor user for many years now and don’t think I could function well without that kind of setup.

My first inclination was to try to replicate a setup similar to my old one using my iPad Pro and my iPhone 6. I have the Apple Lightning Digital AV Adapter and figured I could use that to run my iPad or iPhone into my HP monitor. In theory, I could do this by buying an adapter that would allow me to run my HDMI cable into the monitors DP (Display Port) port. In reality, this was a no go. My thinking was to use my iPhone similar to my desktop, basically for reference and minor research. Mind you I could go out and buy a bunch of peripherals to make things work, but to be honest I may be a little on the cheap side so I would like to try to use what I have on hand.

I had to move to plan B. This plan consists of me using my original iPad 2 and my iPad Pro. The good thing about this solution is that I have my iPad 2 and it works. The bad thing with the iPad 2 is that it is obsolete and is no longer supported. For now, this will work as I really only use the iPad 2 to browse the internet and to look up reference info while I write. Some alternatives that may exist that I am not ready to explore yet are a newer iPad, a Monitor that accepts HDMI input, or a different tablet device I may have access to. For now, I am not prepared to try any of these alternative solutions, so plan B it is.

Plan C, yes I know I said it would have to wait, but while writing this article I had the good fortune to be the recipient of a 2016 iPad. To be honest, I was happy to receive it, my old iPad 2 was a dog, it would work but it was slow. So, now that my base setup was determined and setup it is time to try to function in this matter.

Switching to this new methodology means I will have to look at software and accessories that will help my set up feel more like a real work environment. The first item that I think I will need is a second Bluetooth keyboard. My main keyboard for my iPad has been my Apple Magic Keyboard, and while I love it, it is pricey and to be honest, lacks a little pizazz. I think I found what I was looking for in an Arteck HB030B keyboard (more on this at a later date) the keyboard is backlit rechargeable and priced at $19.99 from Amazon (it has a high user rating). The next item I decided I need is something for power management. I settled on the iClever multi-port USB charger that I had reviewed in the past. The iClever has 6 USB ports, more than enough to charge my iPads and the accessories I use. As far as other accessories, I will be using a BYBLIGHT as my lighting source (it has various brightness and temperature levels), A Cooler Master stand for my iPad (my iPad lives on my desk), The Apple Smart Cover on my iPad Pro (I carry this one around with me), a set of Supertooth Disco Twin Bluetooth speakers (for true stereo sound), and a Thecus NAS server for backup and storage. I have reviewed most of these items and they are linked if you are interested in reading about them.

Software for this transition may be a different animal for me. For the basics, I am happy to use the Apple suite of products (Number, Pages, and Keynote), but for other things such as video and photo editing, I am still looking for the one. For photo editing, I am using a program called Filterstorm Neue. Knowing that we are trying to standardize some things here at The Gadgeteer I am not sure this program will meet my needs (it may also be a little too sophisticated for my rudimentary skill level). The program lets me crop, resize and touch up photos but I am not sure I am getting full use out of it so I am always open to suggestions. Other useful software apps I have so far, are Grammarly, Google Chrome, and Dropbox.

So, what’s my bottom line here? Seeing as I am just getting started on this journey I cannot say for sure. I do not see myself going back to a desktop or laptop so I am basically in the “damn the torpedos full speed ahead mode”. I do like my setup and I seem to be functioning well with it so we shall see. I am always looking for suggestions and feedback so if you have any drop me a note in the comments section.