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Apple AirPods review

When I first saw the Apple AirPods announced during the iPhone 7 launch event, I thought they looked awesome but vowed to never buy them. Why? I thought they were overpriced for just a wireless version of Apple’s headphones.

Now I own them. Let me explain. I recently talked to someone that had a pair and they were telling me how great they were for talking on the phone. I have been using my Bluetooth earpiece quite a bit lately, and I’ve been growing increasingly annoyed at how it fits in my ear, and how non-portable it is because of its construction.

Then along came a $35 rewards certificate for a local box store which took the edge off of the price tag, and pushed me into the “I’ll give them a try” category. Several weeks of waiting for them to be in stock only re-enforced my suspicions that these just might be a good thing.

What is it?

Apple’s AirPods are more than just headphones – they’re more than just wireless headphones. As the Apple tagline says, they’re “Wireless. Effortless. Magical.”. I’ve often criticized Apple for putting form over function, but they have really hit the mark with the AirPods. From the moment you open the box, quality is what you feel, see and hear.

What’s in the box?

Consistency is one thing Apple does well, and if you’ve ever unboxed an Apple product, the AirPods will bring you no surprises. When you open the box you’ll find the typical packet of product papers and quick setup instructions, charging case, AirPods, and a lightning charging cable – no extra fluff.

Design and features

This is where the AirPods excel. Setup is as simple as holding the charging case near your unlocked phone and opening the case. Your phone or device (iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models with iOS 10 or later) will simply display a message asking if you want to connect, tap connect and you’re done. That’s it.

The AirPods are always connected, and automatically turn on and off via optical sensors and a motion accelerometer. A double-tap on the AirPod will invoke Siri or answer a call. There are also other options in the settings for configuring what the double-tap does such as Siri, next track, previous track, Play/Pause, and off. The left and right AirPod can be configured separately.

The AirPods feature 5 hours of battery life on one charge, and with the charging case you’ll have 24-hour battery life. Just 15 minutes in the charging case will give your AirPods 3 hours of listening time.

What I like

My previous Bluetooth earpiece took around 5 seconds or longer to power on and switch the audio from the phone to the earpiece, during which I would miss much of the audio from the call. With the AirPods, I simply put it in my ear and the audio instantly transfers to the AirPod, and I don’t miss anything the caller is saying.

Just like Apple says, they’re effortless. The compact charging case, with its smooth rounded edges fits nicely in my pocket, protects the AirPods when I’m not using them, and provides plenty of charge for the entire day.

I drove around the other day listening to the radio while running map directions on my phone. I was able to hear the directions without having to mute the car radio. I often run around with my phone in my cargo pants pocket, and with the AirPod in my ear, I can hear incoming calls and texts that I would normally miss in loud environments.

What needs to be improved

There’s really only one thing that I think could improve the AirPods and that’s more gesture control. A programmable triple-tap gesture would be handy for launching the music app or the phone app. Being really picky and having large fingers, I would say that they could be a little bit easier to remove from the charging case.

Final thoughts

I’m really impressed that Apple has been able to put such great features and electronics in such a small product. I’m not an audiophile, so I can’t comment on how good the audio is compared to other really good headphones. I can say that I like the audio from these, it’s definitely better than the wired headphones that come with the iPhone.

Price: $159.00
Where to buy: Apple Store
Source: The AirPods for this review were purchased with our own funds.

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Apple AirPods review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 1, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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The Canon EOS M50 – finally a camera that may fill a critical void in their lineup!

Whenever I go on a photography shoot, I always feel uneasy only having one camera with me. While it makes a lot of sense to have a backup camera, it is also very important to have a camera that is lighter, smaller, very capable in features, and otherwise not lagging very far behind my larger professional series DSLR. As a Canon fan, I have looked at their line of cameras to find one that would closely meet my requirements, but so far, they have fallen short in several ways.

This past week, Canon announced the EOS M50 Mirrorless Digital Camera and I immediately got excited. The M50 prominently features a new Raw format, a new DIGIC 8 processor which is a first for Canon, an OLED electronic viewfinder, a shooting rate of 10 fps and yes!!, 4K video.

Canon has chosen to use a 24.1MP APS-C CMOS sensor and they have included the options for Wi-Fi with NFC and Bluetooth. They also feature Dual Pixel CMOS Autofocus and 5-axis image stabilization, but it seems that the Dual Pixel Autofocus is not available when shooting 4K video. (I will confirm this when I get one in my hands!). The inclusion of their eTTL flash system makes it easy to swap my flash from my professional EOS DSLR and the M50, and just keep going.

This combination of features makes this camera very appealing as a “go to” backup camera, especially since it weighs less that one pound with the battery and memory card installed.

The M50 is expected to be released in March 2018, and can be pre-ordered as a body only, or with a couple of options for kit lens.

You can head over to B&H Photo Video and pre-order at a starting price of $779.00.

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The Canon EOS M50 – finally a camera that may fill a critical void in their lineup! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 1, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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The Canon EOS M50 – finally a camera that may fill a critical void in their lineup!

Whenever I go on a photography shoot, I always feel uneasy only having one camera with me. While it makes a lot of sense to have a backup camera, it is also very important to have a camera that is lighter, smaller, very capable in features, and otherwise not lagging very far behind my larger professional series DSLR. As a Canon fan, I have looked at their line of cameras to find one that would closely meet my requirements, but so far, they have fallen short in several ways.

This past week, Canon announced the EOS M50 Mirrorless Digital Camera and I immediately got excited. The M50 prominently features a new Raw format, a new DIGIC 8 processor which is a first for Canon, an OLED electronic viewfinder, a shooting rate of 10 fps and yes!!, 4K video.

Canon has chosen to use a 24.1MP APS-C CMOS sensor and they have included the options for Wi-Fi with NFC and Bluetooth. They also feature Dual Pixel CMOS Autofocus and 5-axis image stabilization, but it seems that the Dual Pixel Autofocus is not available when shooting 4K video. (I will confirm this when I get one in my hands!). The inclusion of their eTTL flash system makes it easy to swap my flash from my professional EOS DSLR and the M50, and just keep going.

This combination of features makes this camera very appealing as a “go to” backup camera, especially since it weighs less that one pound with the battery and memory card installed.

The M50 is expected to be released in March 2018, and can be pre-ordered as a body only, or with a couple of options for kit lens.

You can head over to B&H Photo Video and pre-order at a starting price of $779.00.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: ,

The Canon EOS M50 – finally a camera that may fill a critical void in their lineup! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 1, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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Elago’s 3-in-1 charging hub charges your Apple Watch, AirPods, and iPhone

This 3-in-1 charging stand from Elago holds and charges all your Apple devices in one compact space.  The stand is made of silicone for durability; it won’t scratch your expensive devices, either.  You’ll use the charging cables supplied with the Apple devices with the charging stand.

The 3-in-1 stand is compatible with all iPhones from the 5 through the new iPhone X and all three series of the Apple Watch.  It holds the watch horizontally, so you can use the Watch’s nightstand mode.  The Elago stand is available in black, classic white, jean indigo (shown), and dark gray for $24.99.  The Elago 3-in-1 Charging Hub can be purchased at Amazon.

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Elago’s 3-in-1 charging hub charges your Apple Watch, AirPods, and iPhone originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 1, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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Need to watch your mobile data use? Try the Datally Android app by Google

Datally is an app created by Google to help Android users save on mobile data. “It blocks background data and lets you control which apps use data.” It also helps you find WiFi networks nearby and lets you know how other Datally users have rated that WiFi network before you connect.

When you install Datally, you must set up the app. It requires the following permissions:

  • Phone (“Used to help you monitor your phone’s mobile data usage. Datally doesn’t make or receive phone calls on your behalf.”)
  • Location (“Used to show you high-quality WiFi networks nearby.”)
  • SMS (“In select countries, this enables you to check your mobile data balance with your carrier and to get smarter recommendations on how to save mobile data.”)
  • VPN – sets up a local VPN in order to “block unwanted mobile data usage – it doesn’t send any of your traffic through Google’s servers. The Datally VPN is only on your phone and doesn’t redirect your Internet traffic to any other servers or locations.”).
  • Usage access – to see which apps are using data.

It is a very straight-forward app that has the “Data Saver On/Off” sliding toggle prominently displayed on the homepage.

If you would like to manage which apps can use data, you simply need to tap on the “Manage data” button on the homepage and then tap the lock icon next to the apps you wish to change.

To view the WiFi networks near you, you need to tap on the “Find Wi-Fi” button on the homepage of the app. You will then get a list of WiFi networks near you, how far away they are from your location, whether or not a password or web login is required, and thumbs up or down icons indicating user ratings for that network.

Datally will even give you real-time data use information as you use the apps on your phone (displayed as a small bubble in the app you are using – see above screenshot) – that is, as long as you do not have any Accessibility services turned on.

While you do have access to turning off background data use for each app through your device settings under your Data Usage section, Datally makes it a little easier to manage. So, if you have to watch how much data you use, Datally is certainly worth a try! Check it out on Google Play.