Home 2018 June

Julie’s gadget diary – My MacBook has to go to the hospital

ARTICLE – Sadly, my 12-inch MacBook is sick and needs surgery. It’s suffering from a debilitating SKD (Stuck Key Disease). Yes, it’s one of the 1000’s, maybe millions of Apple MacBooks with the newer generation keyboards that are obviously flawed due to their thinner mechanisms that are susceptible to breakage.

I’ve been dealing with a sticky spacebar for many months, but recently my delete key started exhibiting the same behavior. It’s annoying when you’re a fast touch typist like myself and have to stop in mid-sentence to back up (when the delete key works) to add a space between words.

Our own Dave Rees had his own 12-inch MacBook keyboard replaced a couple months ago. His was under AppleCare though. I bought my MacBook as a refurb and didn’t buy the AC. A repair without AC was priced around $600 and I didn’t want to shell out that kind of money to fix a 2016 MacBook who’s battery capacity is starting to show signs of aging.

I decided that I could live with my come and go sticky spacebar issues until I decided that it was time to upgrade to a new laptop. But then the delete key problems started and I feared I would need to upgrade sooner rather than later. But then, Apple caved in to the pressure of a class action lawsuit last week and owned up to the problem and began offering free keyboard repairs and refunds to people who had paid to have theirs fixed. Lucky me!

Since the closest Apple store is about 70 miles away, I’m taking my MacBook to an authorized repair store in Bloomington, IN tomorrow and will leave it there for the week and return the following Saturday to pick it up. That means I’ll be without a laptop for Gadgeteer writing for the next 7 days. How will I survive? I plan to use my HUAWEI MediaPad M5 Android tablet for casual tasks like checking my email, approving site comments, and reading my news feeds. But for real work, I’ve busted out my 3-year-old Dell XPS 13.

I rarely use this laptop, so I took it with me to work today to install all the updates (there was at least a dozen!) so it would be ready to go tomorrow once I turned my MacBook over to the doctors at the MacExperience store.

I used it a little bit today and was surprised by how nice the keyboard felt compared to what I’ve been living with lately. Even the trackpad which gave me troubles back when I was first reviewing this laptop felt fine to me.

Of course, this is a Windows 10 laptop and even though I use a Windows 8 laptop all day long at my day job, I have been firmly planted in the macOS camp when it comes to my Gadgeteer/home use computing. So I think this will be a fun trial by fire experiment for the next 7 days and it might even make me seriously consider switching back to a Windows laptop when it comes time for me to buy my next computer.

I’ll be sure to let you all know how things are going in a few days. And please send get well thoughts to my MacBook 🙂

The post Julie’s gadget diary – My MacBook has to go to the hospital appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

Filed in categories: Articles

Tagged: ,

Julie’s gadget diary – My MacBook has to go to the hospital originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 29, 2018 at 5:25 pm.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Reach out and touch something with the Shifu Orboot AR globe

Here’s a fabulous way to use augmented reality (AR) – on a globe! The Shifu Orboot is an educational 10″ globe for kids ages 4-10 that uses the Orboot app (iOS, Android, Kindle) to provide an AR interactive experience. The app provides information on cultures, monuments, inventions, animals, maps and weather for various countries. This globe does NOT have borders or names on it; these are available through the app. The Orboot is compatible with iPad 3 & above, iPad mini 2 & above, iPhone 6 & above; Kindle 8 and above; Android 3GB RAM and above. The Shifu Orboot is available from Amazon for $49.99. This sounds like an awesome gift idea for kids’ birthdays or Christmas!

Watch it in action:

The post Reach out and touch something with the Shifu Orboot AR globe appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged:

Reach out and touch something with the Shifu Orboot AR globe originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 29, 2018 at 12:00 pm.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Optoma BE Free5 wireless earbuds review

As I continue on my quest to find the “perfect” wireless earbuds for “me”, I jump at every opportunity to review whatever earbuds come my way. The Optoma BE Free5 earbuds seem interesting, so with much anticipation, here we go:

What is it?

The Optoma BE Free5 wireless earbuds are a pair of Bluetooth wireless earbuds that can be used for both listening to music and receiving and making phone calls.

What’s in the box

 


1 x BE Free5 Wireless Earbuds
1 x Charging Case
3 x Pairs Ear Wings in three sizes
3 x Pairs Ear Tips in three sizes
1 x Micro USB Cable
1 x Instruction Booklet

Design and features

The Optoma BE Free5 wireless earbuds are designed with grapheme audio drivers with AAC Bluetooth codec support for both Apple and Android Oreo. They feature mic noise canceling, a charging case that can charge the earbuds 4 times on one charge for close to 16 hours of listening time, an IPX5 rating for water resistance, and on and off and touch controls for phone and music functions, and for Siri and Google Assistant. They also include 3 sizes of Ear Wings and Ear Tips for the perfect fit and comfort, and they remain in your ears while exercising and moving around during normal daily activities.

All of the control functions are handled via the surface of the earbuds.
When you first use the earbuds, you press the right earbud surface and hold it down until it flashes red and blue, and this puts it into pairing mode.

Once paired, the next time you use the earbuds, you power on the earbuds by pressing the right earbud for 2 seconds. It then engages the Bluetooth connection, and it is confirmed by voice command. Pressing either earbud for 2 seconds turns them on individually as well, and pressing either one for 4 seconds turns them both off. They can also be turned off by placing them in the charging case. When placed in the charging case, the LEDs on each earbud light up orange when charging. On the outside on the front of the case, there are 2 LEDs. The one on the left Lights up orange when the case is less than 25% charged and white when it is greater than 25% charged. The LED on the right lights up orange when the case is charging and white when it is fully charged.




When in playing mode, touching and holding the left earbud for 2 seconds lowers the volume, and touching and holding the right earbud for 2 seconds raises the volume. Pressing either the left or right earbud once controls play and pause. Pressing the left earbud twice, forwards to the next track and pressing the right earbud once answers and hangs up calls. Pressing the right earbud twice activates the mic for Siri and Google Assistant, and once the mic is active, pressing the right earbud once will mute the mic. If that all sounds confusing, it is, and it takes some time to remember the controls and to get used to them.


At the back of the charging case, there is a micro USB port for charging the internal battery of the case.

Performance

These earbuds perform quite well in most categories. The sound is very good and clear, and the Lows, Mids and Highs all sound present and bright. However, I did encounter a few issues that knock the performance rating down a bit:

1: While on phone calls, I could hear the person on the other side of the call quite clearly, by everyone I tested with said that I sounded as if I had my hand over my mouth and that they could tell that I was using a device.

2: While not very frequent, the earbuds either both lost the Bluetooth connection, or sometimes one side would drop out and then come back while the music continued to play in the other ear.

3: Several times, when I placed the earbuds in the case and assumed as per how most wireless earbuds work, that they disconnected from the phone, they did not. I would miss calls and then after checking to see why I did not hear the phone, I would discover that the Bluetooth was still connected and I would have to go into the phone settings and disconnect. The other way to avoid this is to power off the earbuds before placing them in the charging case.

4: Since there are no individual buttons for functions, touching anywhere on the surface of the earbuds, activates some function. This is a bit annoying for me when placing them in my ears or adjusting them, since touching them on the surface is the only comfortable way of handling them.


What I like

I like how nicely these earbuds fit in my ears, and that that stay put even during rigorous activities. I also really like the style, the sound, and the range of the volume. I like that they would last quite a long time on each charge, and I like the convenience of access to Siri which worked quite well on my iPhone.

What can be improved

  • The Bluetooth connectivity
  • The phone call clarity for both parties on the call.

Final thoughts

The Optoma BE Free5 wireless earbuds are quite promising, and with a few adjustments could be one of the better earbuds that I have tested. I know that each person is different and that the things that I find as both positive and negative may not be the same for others. I do like how they sound, and I love that they are completely wireless and fit my ears nicely, with the included options for comfort. I will continue to use them and likely submit an update in the weeks or months to come. Regardless, for $99 they are a decent deal, and in my opinion, buyers should give them a try.

Price: $99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Optoma.

The post Optoma BE Free5 wireless earbuds review appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged:

Optoma BE Free5 wireless earbuds review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 29, 2018 at 11:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Wearable LED flashlight from SwivelClip keeps your hands free

You probably have a variety of flashlights already, but you may find you need to add this little wearable flashlight from SwivelClip to your collection.  This flashlight is small enough (4″ x 1.5″ x 0.5″) to fit in the palm of your hand; at 1.3 ounces, you can keep it in your pocket without even noticing it’s there.  The Rechargeable LED Light Clip has a strong, built-in magnet for attaching to any metal surface and a clip for hands-free attachment to hats, clothing, or bags.

The rechargeable lithium ion battery charges with the included cable.  Each charge gives you 7-9 hours of light in flashing, targeted, or lantern mode.  The lighted head can be angled to direct the light where you need it.  The polycarbonate and silicone body makes the flashlight weather-resistant.

The SwivelClip Rechargeable LED Light Clip is $19.95 at The Grommet.

The post Wearable LED flashlight from SwivelClip keeps your hands free appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged:

Wearable LED flashlight from SwivelClip keeps your hands free originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 29, 2018 at 10:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

AirTame HDMI display enabler review

Given that we’re all probably carrying around more video and photo data than graced the entire planet 20 years ago, I’m sure we’ve all been somewhere and wanted to show a group of more than 2 people a great shot. Perhaps you’ve wanted to actually present to a group, and you only had a phone with a pdf and a TV, and no cable to connect them. The folks at AirTame have seen your plight and have concocted a solution, in the form of an HDMI dongle that needs no setup other than with your phone or another device. It fits in the space of your earbuds, but it has a lot more hidden superpowers than this….

Note: Photos may be tapped or clicked for a larger image.

What is it?

The AirTame is a black dongle 3”x1.5”x.5” with an HDMI plug on one end. It looks like an HDMI thumb drive. On one of the sides, there is a microUSB port for power, and opposite the plug, there is a small button to power it on. When it’s connected and powered on, your device’s images show up on your HDMI display. Once it’s on your wireless or Ethernet network, however, it is also available to be seen by full computers (Mac, Windows, Linux) or ChromeOS. These devices can share full screen live screens.

What’s in the box?

AirTame device
USB-A< ->microUSB power cable (1m)
USB power brick with plugs for US, UK, and EU (US only is shown above.)
7.5” HDMI extension cable

Design and features

The AirTame is easy to set up, easy to carry along, and easy to use. I’ll cover the setup below. Once it’s set up, there’s little to do. As long as you are connected to the same network, you can send PDF and JPG files to any HDMI source from your iOS or Android device, using their app. If the files are on your device, you give the AirTame app permission to read them, and you’re off to the races. If you want to store them in a DropBox account, the design is there to allow you to access that account. (During testing, I ran into a snag with changes that are happening with the DropBox app, but I feel sure this will be worked through in due course. The solution is to open the PDF in your device’s PDF reader, and “Open In” AirTame. This will copy the document to the Files section of the AirTame app, where it can be accessed and displayed.)
For computers and ChromeBooks, the dongle is much more powerful. You can do full-screen sharing. You can use the app to find any AirTame on your network, and send your video to it. This is fantastic for tech support, training, or viewing remote computers (servers, network monitors, etc.).

Setup

Setup is simple. Connect to an HDMI port on your display of choice and connect the AirTame to power using a microUSB cable. These things can be problematic, however, due to the placement of the display, or other cables that are already in place. There is an extension cord in case the HDMI of your display won’t allow the wide and long AirTame to attach directly. In many conference rooms and boardrooms, you may need to invest in a gender changer, since the only option available may be an HDMI plug, rather than a port. Other than private displays, I can’t remember the last time I had access to the port itself.
AirTame’s idea, however, is to have organizations put one of these devices on every HDMI screen in an organization. The pricing model changes rapidly from 1-3 to 4-9 and more than 10. Being able to remotely log in to any display in your company or campus and show your screen can make for quick resolution of issues where groups need to be shown something. (Audio can be turned on or off.)

Performance

I found the performance to be acceptable. Since video files are not supported with iOS/Android devices, the display rate isn’t going to be a problem. Bringing up a multi-page PDF document allows a PowerPoint / Keynote-like screen on your device where you see the current and next thumbnails, rather than the full screen being the current image. If you export your slide deck to PDF, you’ll only lose the animations and sound/video links, but those have lost favor of late. (Clicking the green button in the multi-page PDF document below leads to a screen-by-screen slide deck presentation.)


For computers, there is a bit of a lag over Wifi. (The company offers ethernet adapters that will allow direct connection to a router, which will speed up screen motion and video display. I was not sent this to test.) It’s not really that bad unless you’re trying to show video or any other high-frame-rate media.

What I Like

  • Very easy setup and installation
  • Fast, clear display
  • Supports virtually all platforms

What needs to be improved

  • Device gets hot after 30 minutes or so
  • Limited file formats supported on iOS/Android
  • Would benefit from a battery that lasted 15-20 minutes for traveling users

Final thoughts

Presenting to a large screen seems to be the modern curse, and I see no end to it in our current businesses. Presenting from something other than a full computer, however, is quite nice, and this device covers the basics of getting an image before a group with little to no roadblocks. If you need sound, animations, active video display (for training or visualization of content), this device paired with any modern computer will most likely fill the bill. If you can be happy with images and PDFs from your handheld, this is a worthy consideration.

Price: $299.00 (quantity discounts available)
Where to buy: Manufacturer website and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by AirTame.

The post AirTame HDMI display enabler review appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: , , ,

AirTame HDMI display enabler review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 29, 2018 at 9:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.