Home Trip Report

World Maker Faire New York 2017

This past weekend I attended the 8th Annual World Maker Faire New York held at the New York Hall Of Science. Started in 2006 by the publisher of Make: magazine and sponsored heavily by Barnes & Noble, Maker Faires are “family-friendly festivals of invention, creativity, and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement.” Everything a gadget lover could ever desire is represented in some form at a Maker Faire.

I spent two whole days touring the exhibitions and still feel like I might’ve missed out on some cool stuff.

Mainstays of the Maker Movement, like microelectronics, 3D printing, drones, and robotics are always represented well at these events. Several big names like Dremel, Mimaki, and Otterbox often display and demo prototypes of up-and-coming tech that they’re working on. It’s a great chance to get hands-on with the next level of DIY gear.

3D printers abound at Maker Faire, there’s a whole section devoted solely to vendors selling the biggest, smallest, fastest and cheapest 3D printers on the market. In addition, plenty of booths and exhibits showcase every type of 3D printing accessory and artwork.

Kids are definitely the target audience for a good part of the exhibits and the DIY spirit is strong. Little Makers were able to craft everything from a cardboard pinball set to their own soap to PVC marshmallow guns. All types of kits and workshops were being offered and enjoyed throughout the weekend.

With a strong emphasis on STEM learning, even the toys and fun workshops were geared toward teaching the participants critical thinking and the basics of science and mathematical theory

Art and music are also a big focus of Maker Faire. There are roaming street bands and tech-inspired performers making music nonstop.

The art on display tends toward the big and impressive sort. Where else can you see a fire-breathing dragon/bus as well as a robotic dinosaur being controlled by a hacked Nintendo Power Glove?

Competitions at Maker Fair are a great diversion after spending the day deciding which of the hundreds of vendors you’ll be giving your money to.

The Power Racing Series, known as “the only sub-$500 electric vehicle racing series that features grown-ups driving kids cars,” is great fun and offers a lot of thrills and spills.

Drone Racing, featuring competitors from the Aerial Sports League, is a fan favorite as well. With races running all weekend long, there was always something cool happening by the race area.

This year drone racing was even more exciting because fans were able to “ride-along” during races by donning FPV goggles that tapped into racers’ feeds.

And no Maker Faire would be complete without some Coke and Mentos shenanigans. The crowds lined up each day for the soda fountain fun.

If you like technology, are a nerd at heart, or just like arts and crafts, there’s something for you at a Maker Faire, be sure to check one out. To find a Maker Faire near you visit Make: magazine or the Maker Faire website here.

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World Maker Faire New York 2017 originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 26, 2017 at 8:00 am.

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OtterBox: 10 years of iPhone Protection

2017 marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple iPhone, and OtterBox, a company I thought only made dry boxes, has been making cases for every single model since the original game-changing phone ever since.  To mark the milestone, OtterBox hosted an event in San Francisco, CA.

“Pass it On” refers to an iPhone that OtterBox sent to seven cities around the world to highlight the wide variety of cases they make to suit nearly every style you can think of.

The autographed phone itself that traveled the world was on display.

The entire product line was out on display, including a rather curious, squat-looking one.  The black and yellow one in the middle is a case for the very first iPhone, next to a case for the newest iPhone X. As of this writing, the iPhone X has not been released for sale yet. However, OtterBox had this rugged full-size sample on display.  Note the vertically-oriented lens cutout.

Did you know that Lifeproof is also under the OtterBox family?  I didn’t know!

Here’s another iPhone X prototype. Unlike most Lifeproof cases I’m familiar with, this one doesn’t have a front cover, so it’s mostly “splash resistant”.  However, the newest iPhones already have a degree of water resistance, but this case has a black rubbery seal around the opening to keep some moisture out.

Not to be outdone by the likes of Yeti and other premium coolers, OtterBox also had one of their Venture coolers on display.  This one is the Venture 25, which has a 25 quart capacity.  Also available in 45 and 65 quart.  The Venture features latches that can be operated with one hand quite easily, plus modular accessories such as dividers, cutting boards, and external attachments. The Venture coolers are actually made in Detroit. Yes, I was surprised, too.  That tiny gap in the rubber seal is designed to allow pressure equalization to avoid situations where you can’t open the lid after a change in altitude. With two-inch thick refrigerator-grade insulating foam that will keep ice for 14 days, I can attest that this thing feels built to last. And if you’re wondering, it is certified bear-resistant, and prices start at $249.99.

I was sent home with this Pursuit-series iPhone case for my model 7 Plus.  The Pursuit is one of OtterBox’s slimmest yet rugged case.

The case comes in two halves.  The front half has no cover, but it keeps the screen inset so the screen doesn’t lay flat.  An OtterBox tech on site suggested assembling the case with the phone face down into the “front” part of the case first. I noticed a foam ring around the camera cut out. Nice touch. See where the speaker cutouts are? Those audio “holes” actually have a membrane to resist liquids.

That tiny hole on the bottom can accommodate a lanyard (not included)

It’s a little hard to see, but the sleep toggle switch above the volume is actually a rotary cam switch.

The back of this particular color combo is actually a deep blue.

Here I am peeling back the charging connector.  Note how the audio “holes” tilt forward instead of down.

To read more about OtterBox and their family of products, please visit OtterBox.com.

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OtterBox: 10 years of iPhone Protection originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 22, 2017 at 8:00 am.

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Fiil Product Launch

This past week I attended the Fiil Audio’s U.S. product launch in New York City. Fiil was debuting their signature headphones; the Canviis and Canviis Pro on-ear headphones, the Iicon over-ear headphone, and the Carat in-ear headphone.

The event was held at 1 Hotel near Central Park. Fiil set up a separate listening room where I got a chance to try out each product individually.

Normally, the over-ear headphones would be the flagship of any audio company’s launch, but as it was explained to me, the Canviis and Canviis Pro on-ear headphones were designed and built after the Iicon over-ear headphone, so they are a little more feature packed.

The sound quality of all the Fiil Audio headphones was superb. Highs and lows were perfectly represented and the clarity of sound was impressive.

The build quality of each headphone is also quite well-done. When you put on a pair of the Canviis Pros, they just feel like a high-quality set of headphones. The most innovative feature of both the Canviis and Iicon are the touch controls accessed by moving your finger up, down, left or right on the outside of the right side of the unit. Via touch, you can skip tracks and adjust the playback volume. The feature worked well for me, but some had trouble getting it to activate.

The Canviis and Iicon headphones also fold up to be quite compact. In addition to touch control, there are switches on the Canviis headphones that allow you to access Bluetooth controls and adjust the automatic noise cancellation feature.

The noise cancellation worked very well and the option to allow outside sounds to come in over the music seems like a great idea for times when you need to pay better attention to your surroundings.

The Iicon over-ear headphones have most of the same features of the Canviis, but they are accessed a bit differently.

All of the Fiil Audio headphones can sync with the Fiil Wireless App for Android and Apple devices. With the app, you can control noise cancellation, change EQ settings, and check the battery level.

The app also allows you to control the 3D Sound options that Fiil Audio promotes for the headphone line. With the 3D Sound feature, you can simulate different listening environments. After sampling the options, I found that the sound quality was best with the feature turned off.

I was only able to demo the Fiil Audio headphone line for a short time, but they seem like a great high-end entry into the luxury headphone market.

The Fiil Audio Iicon and Canviis Pro headphones will retail for $349, the Canviis $249 and the Carat will come in at $149.

Visit fiil.com for more info.

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Fiil Product Launch originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 20, 2017 at 4:38 pm.

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PAX East 2017 trip report

This past weekend I attended PAX East 2017 in Boston at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. PAX is a gaming convention held at different venues and times throughout the country. PAX truly is a celebration of all things gaming and loads of fun.

What is PAX?

In 2004, the creators of the webcomic Penny Arcade decided to create a convention exclusively for gaming. That first gathering in Bellevue, Washington had about 4,500 people in attendance and focused on board, tabletop, card, arcade, console and computer gaming culture and community. Each year since its inception the convention has doubled in size and in 2010 the show expanded into Boston for PAX East. The PAX shows in Seattle and Boston now represent the two largest gaming events in North America.

Game creators, computer manufacturers, toy makers, gadget purveyors and the like all gather at PAX to show and promote their latest wares. The booths range from a single table to city-block-long sets complete with light shows and MCs.

Several huge sections of PAX are cordoned off just for networked gaming. There are a number of competitions throughout the weekend and gamers are encouraged to bring their own PCs or use one of the hundreds of high-end units supplied by manufacturers like Intel.

Tabletop gamers are also given their own specific areas on the floor to compete in tournaments or try out some of the many new and up-and-coming games being promoted.

There are demos for everything from VR car-racing rigs to PC cooling systems. New PC games are frequently debuted at PAX and it gives game lovers the chance to try the latest games before they hit the shelves.

Of course, there are gadgets at PAX! For some reason, mechanical keyboards seemed to be VERY popular with the PAX crowd and there were a number of customizable keyboards that had some amazing features as well as very high price tags.

Not to be outdone by the digital game industry, a huge portion of the vendor area was reserved for tabletop gaming paraphernalia. Dice, dice towers, gaming mats, spell books and all sorts of tabletop gaming apparatus were on display.

Several vendors displayed very high-end luxury furniture designed specifically for tabletop gaming. The design, quality, and functionality of some of these tables were amazing. Some of the more intricate designs take as much as a full year to design, customize and build to a customer’s specifications.

Besides the exhibition floor, the convention center’s meeting rooms were jam-packed and scheduled with a number of panels, discussions, and presentations all having to do with gaming culture, personalities, and industry. I attended a fascinating discussion on real scientific theories present in current game titles.

PAX East is great fun for people even mildly interested in gaming. The community, attendees, exhibitors and PAX volunteers are all very enthusiastic, helpful and just nice in general. This was my first time attending a PAX convention, but it won’t be my last. I would love to attend PAX West in Seattle or PAX South in San Antonio and enjoy all those conventions have to offer as well.

Find the news PAX convention at paxsite.com

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PAX East 2017 trip report originally appeared on on March 19, 2017 at 8:36 am.

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