Night Sight is available now for Pixel phones and I love it

NEWS – Just in case you didn’t already know, the Night Sight feature on the Google Camera app is now available for Pixel phones. This feature allows you to take better photos under dark lighting conditions. I have been eagerly awaiting this feature since it was announced in October. I’m an amateur photographer and anything that easily improves the quality of my photos, especially those that I take for the Gadgeteer, is VERY welcomed. If you’re curious about how it works, I’ll just point you to Google’s Research Blog, for a detailed explanation.

After updating your app, if the lighting conditions are low enough, a “Try Night Sight” button pops up. Tapping on it enables the feature and you are ready to go. After tapping on the shutter button, be sure to hold your camera steady until the software completes the task of taking the photo.

If “Try Night Sight” doesn’t come up automatically and you want to try it, you can also find the Night Sight mode located in the “More” section of the app.

I tried it out and am truly impressed. The following are a couple of my pics.

The above photo was taken in a VERY dark closet of our house. 

Night Sight dramatically improved the closet photo. 

The above photo was taken in a dimly lit room.

It’s not quite as dramatic as the first set of photos, but the improvement is readily observed.

What do you think of the Night Sight mode? Leave a comment and let me know!

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Night Sight is available now for Pixel phones and I love it originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 18, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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Monowear Apple watch bands, TicPods Free earbuds, Kensington Expert Mouse, and more – Weekly roundup

NEWS – Another week has come and gone which means it’s time to make sure that you didn’t miss any news or reviews for your favorite gadget topics. Here’s a list of everything we posted in the last seven days. Enjoy!

ARTICLES

REVIEWS

NEWS

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Monowear Apple watch bands, TicPods Free earbuds, Kensington Expert Mouse, and more – Weekly roundup originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 17, 2018 at 4:02 pm.

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Fossil’s new Sport Smartwatch is colorful and packed with features

NEWS – Fossil’s smartwatches have come a long way since Judie and I posted our joint review of their Palm and Pocket PC wrist PDAs over 16 years ago! Those bulky monochrome monstrosities are nothing like the smartwatches of today and are definitely not like Fossil’s latest Sport Smartwatch which runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 platform and the newly redesigned Wear OS by Google. The new watch features:

  • Nylon case, aluminum topring and pushers
  • 41 mm, 43 mm case size
  • Stunning touchscreen digital display
  • 24+ hours battery life (based on usage) + 2 additional days in battery saver watch mode
  • Interchangeable straps and bracelets (18mm / 22mm)
  • Qualcomm® Snapdragon Wear™ 3100 Platform
  • Sensors: Heart Rate, NFC, GPS, Altimeter, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Ambient Light, Microphone
  • Powered with Wear OS by Google and compatible with iOS 9.3+ and Android™ 4.4+ (excluding Go edition)
  • Connect via Bluetooth® technology
  • Wireless syncing + magnetic charging

Designed to keep you on track with your health and other activities, the Sport smartwatch will sprint through the whole day without needing a recharge and when it does need to be juiced back up, you won’t be waiting around because the rapid charging feature allows the smartwatch to be almost completely charged within an hour,

The Fossil Sport Smartwatch retails for $255 and is available for purchase on www.fossil.com, Target, and other retailers.

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Fossil’s new Sport Smartwatch is colorful and packed with features originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 17, 2018 at 12:00 pm.

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PURP screen protector, PIXL magnetic building blocks, ONDU III pinhole cameras, and more – Notable crowdfunding campaigns

NEWS – This week we are bringing you information about six different crowdfunding campaigns that are currently running on Kickstarter that will be of interest to camera buffs, EDC fans, and more.

PURP NanoTech TGlass Blue Light Screen Protector

What is it?

PURP is a screen protector for iPhone 7, iPhone 7Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8Plus and iPhone X, iPhone XS iPhone XR and iPhone XSMax that blocks harmful blue light.

Why is it cool?

A screen protector that protects your phone’s screen and blocks blue light is cool because blue light is bad for your eyes. too much exposure may increase the risk of macular degeneration because blue light from devices like your phone penetrates all the way to the retina (the inner lining of the back of the eye) where it can damage light-sensitive cells in the retina.

What to consider before pledging

Right now, PURP is only going to be made for iPhones. If you have an Android device you are out of luck. Also, they won’t be shipping until next May. I have a feeling other blue light blocking screen protectors will be on the market well before PURP begins shipping their rewards. In fact, I reviewed such a screen protector that is available now. The ZAGG Invisibleshield+ with Vision Guard filters out blue light too.

Where can I find more info?

The PURP campaign ends on 12/08/18 and they have already met their funding goal of $5,317. You can pre-order a PURP screen protector starting at $21. After the PURP campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in May 2019. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

SoundWave

What is it?

SoundWave is a Bluetooth speaker with a built-in light that makes it look like a candle.

Why is it cool?

The built-in light looks like a “candle” that flickers to the beat of the music that you’re playing and the speaker has a 25hr battery life. It also has a microSD card slot that you can use to plug in a whole library of tunes.

What to consider before pledging

Rewards aren’t scheduled to ship until July of next year. That’s a long wait time.

Where can I find more info?

The SoundWave campaign ends on 11/23/18 and they have already met their funding goal of $12,789. You can pre-order a SoundWave starting at $127. After the SoundWave campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in July 2019. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

PIXL: A Magnetic Building System

What is it?

PIXLs are teeny tiny multi-colored building blocks that have rare-earth magnets in them that can be used to make 2D and 3D creations.

Why is it cool?

Ummm… magnets! Need I say more?! I didn’t think so.

Where can I find more info?

The PIXL campaign ends on 12/14/18 and they have already met their funding goal of $15,000. You can pre-order a PIXL starting at $16. After the PIXL campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in February 2019. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

ONDU III- Pinhole Cameras

What is it?

ONDU III is a camera that has no lens, no mirror, no batteries, and don’t need to be focused. They are pin-hole cameras that use 120 or 135 rolls of film (remember what that is?) to create old-school images.

Why is it cool?

The ONDU III is cool because… well, look at it. Any photography enthusiast would love to have one of these cameras as a gift. You can even use filters with them because they have a special magnetic mount.

Where can I find more info?

The ONDU campaign ends on 11/28/18 and they have already met their funding goal of $20,000. You can pre-order an ONDU starting at $89. After the ONDU campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in May 2019. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

Morph Bottle

What is it?

The Morph Bottle is an insulated water bottle that has a built-in storage compartment in the bottom. The bottle can hold 15-20 ounces of liquid depending on how full you fill the storage compartment.

Why is it cool?

The think the Morph Bottle is cool because it’s an all in one water bottle and gear holder. You can put your keys, a protein bar, etc., in the bottom of the bottle and still use the bottle to hold water or another beverage. The EDC compartment collapses to allow the storage of my liquid if you don’t carry as much in the storage compartment. It’s a pretty genius idea.

Where can I find more info?

The Morph Bottle campaign ends on 12/23/18 and they are still working towards their funding goal of $30,000. You can pre-order a Morph Bottle starting at $37. After the Morph Bottle campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in May 2019. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

LUNA Tiny Titanium Flashlight

What is it?

LUNA is an ultra mini flashlight made of Titanium.

Why is it cool?

The think the LUNA flashlight is cool mainly due to the size and material it’s made of. But it’s good to know that it’s been designed to be waterproof and highly durable.

What to consider before pledging

It is powered by hearing aid batteries and there’s no info on the run time yet.

Where can I find more info?

The LUNA campaign ends on 12/08/18 and they have already reached their funding goal of $999. You can pre-order a LUNA starting at $20. After the LUNA campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in March 2019. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

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PURP screen protector, PIXL magnetic building blocks, ONDU III pinhole cameras, and more – Notable crowdfunding campaigns originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 17, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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Act quickly and you can get the Fingbox for $69

NEWS – I reviewed the Fingbox in December 2017 here on the Gadgeteer. It is a small hockey puck-sized device that you connect to your router (it is NOT a firewall). It helps you to keep an inventory of the devices on your home WiFi network and will detect when a new device connects to your network. The Fing app then allows you to block the new device manually or automatically thus protecting your network from nearby intruders. It also allows you to detect all the new or anonymized devices that are within range of your network (Fings calls this feature the Digital Fence). In addition, it detects your home’s WiFi hotspots, detects bandwidth hogs, and allows you to schedule or manually pause internet access to your network devices. The app has been updated several times since 2017 and is now much more user-friendly.

Some commented to my review that the Fingbox was interesting but a little too pricey ($129 at that time). However, now it is available for $69 on Fing’s websitebe sure to use code: VIPBLACKFRIDAY (not the advertised BLACKFRIDAY code which makes the Fingbox $74). I received an email that says the sale is good until the end of the day November 17, 2018. If you miss this sale you could try the code BLACKFRIDAY to try to get it for $74. Additionally, it looks like standard shipping is free! It’s a great device and I recommend it especially if you don’t have a newer router that provides a lot of the features this device provides.

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Act quickly and you can get the Fingbox for $69 originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 16, 2018 at 5:36 pm.

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