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Fender Player Series Jaguar guitar review


REVIEW – Fender’s new Player Series Jaguar guitar is begging to be picked up and played.

What is it?

The Jaguar body style is a classic offset-body design that moves some of the mass towards the tail resulting in a very comfortable playing position. Clearly a descendent of the legendary Jazzmaster, the Jaguar has as impressive artist roster including Bob Dylan, Joe Pass, Johnny Marr, John Frusciante, Kurt Cobain and Thurston Moore. The new Player Series takes the heritage of the Fender brand, the authentic Fender sound, and adds accessibility and playability for this generation. In our house, there’s a bit of a role reversal as I’m into punk/metal/alternative and he regularly schools me in music that was clearly influenced or was created by musicians of my dad’s era. Funnily enough, the last guitar I purchased for myself (’95?) was a Fender Jag-Stang, a hybrid of Jaguar and Mustang bodies, so I was excited to see what’s new in a 2018 Jaguar.

Hardware specs

Body – Material / Shape / Finish / Color:
Alder / Jaguar® / Gloss polyester / Tidepool
Neck – Material / Shape / Finish:
Maple / Modern C / Satin urethane on back of neck
Fingerboard – Material / Scale / Fret count / Radius:
Pau Ferro / 24″ / 22 / 9.5″
Nut – Material / Width
Synthetic bone / 1.65″
Position inlays –
White dots
Electronics –
Bridge pickup – Player Series Alnico 3 Jaguar Humbucking
Neck pickup – Player Series Alnico 2 Jaguar Single-Coil
Controls – Master Volume, Master Tone
Pickup Switching – 3-Position blade: 1) Bridge pickup, 2) Bridge and neck pickups, 3) Neck pickup
Coil Switch – Slide switch to coil split humbucker
Hardware –
Bridge – 6-Saddle vintage-style adjustable with “floating” tremolo tailpiece
Tuning machines – Standard cast/sealed
Neck plate – 4-Bolt “F” stamped
Control knobs – Skirted amp knobs
Pickguard – 3-Ply black/white/black
Switch tip – Barrel style
Strings –
Fender® USA, NPS, (.009-.042 Gauges)

What’s in the box?

  • Fender Player Jaguar Guitar
  • Tremolo arm
  • Allen keys
  • Assorted hangtags and a sticker

A quick public service announcement. Most guitars in the sub-$1000 range ship in a box well padded, but without a case. If you’re purchasing a guitar online without playing it first, make sure you carefully inspect the guitar upon receipt and notify the shipper right away if there’s any damage… And then get a good case or gig bag to keep it safe!

Design and features

It would be hard to write a review about a Fender Jaguar and not to mention the body shape, so I’m going to start there. A lot of guitar bodies are symmetrical or have a lone cutaway below the neck for easier high fret access. The offset body style of the Jaguar accomplishes the same thing in regards to the high frets, but visually shifts some of the body mass as well.

The back of the neck is a modern “C” shape which is very hand friendly. The fingerboard has 9.5″ radius which is flatter than their 7.25″ radius which is a more vintage shape down to about a 1/3 of the guitars they make. The shape and radius they’ve chosen make this guitar very playable. The classic oversized headstock balances the body perfectly.

Another very visual aspect of the Jaguar is the floating tremolo which allows you to modulate all six strings at once for some very cool effects. The tremolo arm pushes into place and stays where you leave it; a great improvement over the older style that required screwing the arm into place or using an Allen key to lock it down.

The humbucking bridge and single coil neck pickup give you a wide variety of tone to play with and the 3-position slider makes it really easy to switch between them or run them both. There’s also a slide switch up high above the neck pickup. This effectively lets you split the bridge humbucker if you want to get more of a single coil sound out of it.

Setup

The Jaguar effectively comes ready to use out of the box. A quick look-over confirmed everything was adjusted well with action set neutrally without any fret buzz. All that was left was to remove the plastic film from the pickguard, a bit of string stretching and a final tune. Ready to roll.

Performance

There’s a bit of a role reversal as I’m into punk/metal/alternative and he regularly schools me in music that was clearly influenced or was created by musicians of my dad’s era. Funnily enough, the last guitar I purchased for myself (’95?) was a Fender Jag-Stang, a hybrid of Jaguar and Mustang bodies, so I was excited to see what a 2018 Jaguar would be.

My son has been playing jazz guitar for a good number of years now. His guitars have all been arch-tops and semi-hollow designs which lend themselves well to his music. He’d been eyeing a Telecaster recently and when the opportunity came up to review a Fender and to select between a Stratocaster, Telecaster and a Jaguar, I was a little surprised that it was the Jaguar he was drawn to. A buddy he plays in a band with gave him a bit of grief when he found out he passed up a Tele “Ugh, I hate that guitar. It’s so hipster”. On seeing the Jaguar in person a week or so later; “I completely change my mind, that is sick!”

Let’s jump into some videos so you can listen to how the Jaguar plays. The audio on these is recorded through the Roland Go-Mixer directly to an iPhone 8 with no effects. This first video is of some quick scales and arpeggios.

Here’s the tonal difference between the neck pickup, neck/bridge combined and the bridge pickup positions using the 3-position switch and ‘Black Dog’ by Led Zeppelin.

Having a little fun with ‘Back & Forth’ by Foo Fighters

And now for something a bit funkier

Here’s the tremolo in action and some of the sustain abilities of the Jaguar

What I like

  • Playability – Stays in tune even with tremolo
  • Comfort – Neck and fingerboard shape is friendly
  • Build quality – Solid feel, nothing feels wimpy or fragile
  • Color and finish – The tidepool is beautiful

What needs to be improved

  • Rear strap mount angle – If you push the body of the guitar left too far it can work itself right out of your strap.

Final thoughts

Guitars are personal. From body shape to neck feel to color to materials and sound, there’s someone out there for everyone. Fender’s Jaguar was instantly comfortable to play for both my son and myself. It’s not a light guitar, but with the right strap, long stretches of playing time should not be an issue. The tremolo is easy to use and just as easy to avoid if it’s not your thing. Overall this is a great guitar from a heritage brand, at a great price. If the way it looks piques your interest, please go play one and see for yourself.

Price: $675
Where to buy: Fender
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Fender

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Fender Player Series Jaguar guitar review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 9, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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Abode DIY Home Security System review

REVIEW – The Abode DIY Home Security System is an Internet-enabled, simple system of sensors, alarms, and cameras to help secure your home. It’s very easy to set up and maintain and there are a number of affordable add-on modules and services. At $229.99 for the basic system and no monthly contract needed, it’s a terrific bargain for those looking to add some security to their home or apartment.

What is it?

The Abode Home Security System is a modular alarm system that connects to your modem or router and, with the help of a mobile app, helps keep tabs on the security of your home. The Basic Abode System comes with a Remote KeyFob, a Mini Door/Window Sensor, and a Motion Sensor. You can add as many cameras, sensors, and alarms as you like because of the modular design and easy setup process.

For such an affordable system, the Abode offers some high-end options such as battery backup, cellular connected monitoring, and online cloud storage.

There are three no-contract options for professional monitoring plans; free, $10 monthly, and $30 monthly. There’s even an option for on-demand monitoring for vacations or times when you’re away from home and want to have some extra peace of mind. The monthly plans are able to be paid annually for significant savings.

What’s in the box?

  • 1 Abode Gateway
  • 1 Mini Door/Window Sensor
  • 1 Remote KeyFob
  • 1 Motion Sensor

Setup

The Abode Gateway is the brains, and mouth, of the whole Abode Security System. It runs the entire system and contains a 93db built-in siren to alert you of activity on your network.

On the back of the Gateway, there is an Ethernet port, a USB port, a battery backup switch, a SIM card slot, and a power connection. The battery switch enables the internal Gateway battery backup which can power the unit in case of a power outage. The SIM card allows for an emergency cellular connection for the paid monitoring plans.

Once you connect the Gateway via ethernet cable to your modem or router and give it access to your network, it can interface with the Abode app and website. The Gateway itself doesn’t use your Wifi network, it communicates with the Abode devices via encrypted long-range 433MHz, ZigBee or Z-Wave wireless protocols.

Abode makes a number of useful modules such as glass break/vibration sensors, temperature and light sensors, smoke alarm monitors, and water leak sensors. The modules are all powered by small long-life batteries.

The Abode system can interface with a number of third-party cameras and smart home systems such as Alexa, Google Home, and Nest. Abode is also compatible with an impressive number of Z-Wave and ZigBee devices such as garage door openers, fire alarms, and smoke detectors. Utilizing IFTTT can expand Abode’s versatility even more.

Once the Gateway is wired to your network, the rest of the setup happens via the Abode app. The Abode app walks you through the whole setup process and then allows you to add in individual modules as well. The app is available for Android and Apple iOS.

In addition to the Mini Door Sensor, Remote KeyFob, and Motion Sensor included with the Basic Kit, I added a second Mini Door Sensor and a Wireless Keypad.

All of the sensors I installed had options to mount them with screws or double-sided tape. I opted for installing the modules with the double-sided tape because I wasn’t sure what locations would work best and I wanted the ability to change the module locations.

The included Motion Sensor utilizes passive infrared detection and can detect motion in most rooms up to 39 feet in a 110° field of view. It can be mounted flat on a wall or in a corner.

The Mini Door Sensors are able to be used on windows as well. Both sides of the sensor contain a magnet and when the magnetic field is broken because of too much distance, the sensor triggers the Gateway.

The Remote KeyFob looks just like a car alarm fob and acts much the same. There are buttons on the fob for arming, disarming, and setting the system to Home mode. There’s also a fourth button earmarked for future development such as a panic button.

Mounting the modules was very easy once I found the optimum spots for them. The Keypad was easiest, I placed it by the main entrance to the house. The Keypad and web app allow you to assign different PIN codes for different members of your household. This helps keep track of who did what at what time. Of course, this only works if nobody knows the PIN of anyone else.

With the Keypad, KeyFob, and Abode app, you’re able to set your system to Away, Home, or Standby. Away arms all sensors, indoor and out, and is used when you’re leaving your property. Home arms all external sensors and is used when you’re home and still want to be secure. Standby disables all security sensors; sensors like fire alarms and water detectors still stay active in this mode.

There’s also a great option for adding a Duress PIN code if you’re using one of the paid monitoring options. Entering the Duress PIN on the keypad will automatically alert the monitoring center. This is useful in a situation where someone is forcing you to disarm the system via the Keypad.

The Mini Door Sensors were a little more difficult to mount only because of the different types of door frames in our older house.

After some trial and error, I was able to find configurations that worked perfectly to trigger the sensors when the doors opened and closed.

Having the option to mount the motion sensor flat in the center of a wall or tucked into a high corner is great and adds flexibility to where you can place the useful sensor.

Performance

From the second the Abode System was set up it has run flawlessly. The instructions are easy to understand for old and young alike and everyone in our family has quickly taken to making sure the system is set to Away when we leave, Standby during the day, and Home at night.

Using the Abode website I was able to configure all sorts of alerts and notifications to keep me informed about the activity on the system. If you opt for one of the paid tier monitoring plans, the customization goes even deeper.

Given the success of our testing, we’re already planning on adding a number of other useful Abode modules to our system.

What I like

  • Super easy setup
  • Very reliable
  • Easy for all family members to understand
  • No required monitoring contracts
  • Modular design
  • A large number of compatible smart home products
  • Great customer support
  • Not reliant on WiFi

What needs to be improved

  • It would be great if the Basic System came with a few Door/Window Sensors
  • The website can be a little difficult to navigate if you’re just looking for basic explanations of how the system works

Final thoughts

I love the Abode DIY Home Security System and I’ve recommended it to a number of friends and family members. The price is right, the functionality is outstanding, and the performance is flawless. But, the best part about this system is that it can be as simple or advanced as you like because it’s completely modular.

Price: $229.00
Where to buy: Abode and Amazon.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Abode.

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Abode DIY Home Security System review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 9, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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VIZIO M-Series (M65-F0) 4K HDR Smart TV review

REVIEW – I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a couch potato and next to my smartphone and MacBook, my wall-mounted TV is my most used “gadget”. Jeanne and I enjoy keeping up with our favorite TV shows and every weekend it’s our habit to make popcorn and watch several movies. Since we spend a lot of time in front of a TV, we both appreciate picture quality and special features that make TV time as enjoyable as possible. Today I want to share my review of the VIZIO M65-F0 4K HDR Smart TV which was provided by VIZIO for free in exchange for posting this review. Let’s get started.

What is it?

The VIZIO M65-F0 4K HDR Smart TV is a 65 inch TV that has smart features like a built-in Chromecast and various streaming apps like Netflix, Hulu, and more.

What’s in the box

VIZIO M65-F0 4K HDR Smart TV
Set of feet for table mounting the TV
Power cable
Remote control

Hardware specs

Class Size: 65″
Screen Size (Diag.): 64.50″ / 1638.30 mm
Panel Type: VA
Smart Platform: VIZIO SmartCast™ with Chromecast built-in
High Dynamic Range: Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG
Resolution: Ultra HD – 3840 x 2160
UHD Upscale Engine: Spacial Scaling Engine™
Display Processor: V8 Octa-Core Processor
Backlight Type: Full Array LED
Local Dimming Zones: 40
Clear Action™: 360
Effective Refresh Rate: 120Hz
Active Pixel Tuning™: Yes
Dynamic Contrast Ratio: 20M:1
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Viewable Angle (H/V): 178° /178°
Number of Colors: 1.07Billion
Built-in Wi-Fi: 802.11ac Dual Band
UHD Codec Support: VP9 and HEVC (H.265)
HDMI Ports: 4 (1 side / 3 bottom)
Component: 1 (side/shared with Composite)
Ethernet: 1 (bottom)
USB Ports: 1 (side)
TV Tuner: Yes
ARC: Yes
Speakers/Power Output: 15W x 2
Analog Audio Out: 1 (bottom)
Digital Audio Out (SPDIF): 1 (bottom)

Design and features

When it comes to the way the VIZIO M65-F0 looks, it is pretty much perfect in my opinion because it’s all screen. No gaudy chrome accents or huge bezels, just a big gorgeous display with thin bezels that you barely notice and a tiny status LED in the lower left corner.

I said that the VIZIO has thin bezels and I meant it. The sides and top bezels are only about a 1/8 of an inch wide and the bottom bezel with the VIZIO logo in the bottom right corner is only about half an inch wide. This TV has the thinnest bezels I’ve ever seen. They are almost non-existent.

The back of the Vizio M65-F0 TV has a black plastic panel with the AV inputs arranged in a recessed L shaped layout on the left bottom edge and a physical power button and volume buttons on the same side.

The side of the input panel has a USB port, component connections, and an HDMI port.

The bottom part of the input panel has 3 more HDMI ports (one with ARC), an optical audio out, audio out Left & Right, and an Ethernet port. But don’t worry, the set also has built-in WiFi so there’s no need to hardwire it into your network. The VIZIO M65-F0 also has a coax connector for an antenna and it has a built-in tuner. So you can cut the cord, hook up an OTA antenna and enjoy free content.

On the right side of the TV is the power port.

The port is recessed which is helpful if you plan to mount your TV on a wall like I do.

The VIZIO comes with a set of legs/feet if you want to use it on a table, but I don’t have a separate cabinet or entertainment system. I mount my TVs on the wall to get that home theater look and feel.

Installation

I was pretty excited when I first saw the back of the VIZIO with the VESA mount screws. Yes, I know that this it’s not unusual for TVs to have a VESA mount on the back. But upon first glance, I thought the screws in the back of the TV were the mounting screws.

I started to give kudos to VIZIO because I thought that they were nice enough to include screws for wall mounting. That’s until I removed them and realized they were just useless short place holder screws. Bummer! I was lucky that the screws in my previous TV were the same size/length needed for the Vizio but why can’t TV makers include the screws? I doubt that it would add more than a $1 to the price.

Here we see the M65-F0 mounted on the wall and ready for movie night!

Setting up the VIZIO M65-F0

It took only a few minutes to set up the VIZIO once it was mounted on my wall and connected to my Onkyo TX-SR608 AV receiver via an HDMI cable connected to the HDMI/ARC port on the back of the Vizio and a DirecTV receiver connected to the Onkyo.

The included remote has a good layout and includes dedicated buttons to launch the SmartCast menu and for the built-in SmartCast apps for VUDU, Netflix, Amazon, XUMO, Crackle, and iHeart Radio.

One cool thing about the VIZIO is that you can control it using your voice control from Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa-enabled devices. I don’t currently have an Amazon Echo or a Google Home to test it but according to what I’ve read you can use your voice to power the set on or off, adjust volume, and other basic commands. I can see this as a useful feature if you are a true couch potato and are eating in front of the TV and don’t want to use your greasy fingers to change the volume using the remote when you can just use your voice.

During setup, you’re prompted connect the TV to your wireless network so it can install any needed firmware updates. From there you can explore the menus that will let you customize the settings which you will definitely want to do because the default picture color settings out of the box didn’t impress me.

The M65-F0 has 6 picture modes to choose from: Standard, Calibrated, Calibrated Dark, Vivid, Game, and Computer. All of the modes except for Vivid looked washed and blah to me while the Vivid mode made people’s faces look too red or orange. I was a little worried by this during the beginning stages of my testing, but after some tweaks to the color settings, I got everything dialed in and looking great to my eyes. The TV has 6 custom memories to use for your own adjustments and you can save them with your own custom name like “Julie’s Daytime Settings; etc…”.

Blacks and whites on this set are deeper with more levels and the whites are brighter than my previous TVs which is a good thing but sometimes the whites are almost too bright which is where the Calibrated Dark mode is useful. Especially if you like to watch TV in the dark.

I do most of my TV watching through DirecTV, which isn’t exactly a great source of UHD programming to highlight the strengths of this set.

That said, DirecTV HD content looks sharp and the colors are vibrant. The M65-F0 has pretty good viewing angles too. You’re going to want to be directly in front of the screen for optimal sharpness and color, but off angle isn’t too bad.

If you’re a cord cutter, you’ll love the VIZIO M65-F0’s SmartCast features. You might remember that I reviewed the Vizio M50-D1 back in 2016. That set came with a 6-inch Android tablet that could be used as the TV remote and a SmartCast app device. This 2018 VIZIO set doesn’t come with a tablet, but you don’t need one because it has the apps right on the TV or you can use your smartphone with the SmartCast app.

The SmartCast apps on the TV allow you to connect to your Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, VUDU, YouTube, and other streaming services including VIZIO’s own WatchFree free content app that makes cord cutting a breeze. But the built-in apps don’t include some big names like HBO, DirecTV Now, ESPN, etc and from what I can tell, there’s no way to add them at this time. But, firmware updates might change that at some point. But it’s not a big deal since you can use the SmartCast app on your phone or tablet with any Chromecast-enabled app like HBO Go, DirecTV Now, and many more.

VIZIO’s SmartCast app is cool because it offers a bunch of apps all in one place, provides content recommendations and will let you search across apps so that you don’t have to search from them individually. But you can still go to other apps like Netflix, or HBO Go, or Vudu directly to find content.

One of my favorite features of this VIZIO TV is the built-in Chromecast which allows me to unplug the 2nd generation Chromecast that has been hanging off my AV receiver for the past year.

I love Chromecast and do a lot of content casting mainly from the Netflix app from my Pixel 2 XL. Using the VIZIO’s built-in Chromecast works exactly like the regular Chromecast I was using, so there was no learning curve. It just works. Actually, it works BETTER than the Chromecast that I was using before because the VIZIO’s built-in Chromecast is like a Chromecast Ultra which can stream UHD with HDR content from apps that support it.

During my testing of this TV, I’ve used it to watch content from DirecTV, BluRay DVDs, Netflix, Hulu, and VUDU through the built-in SmartCast apps and from my phone. The UHD content looks fantastic to my eyes even though my Onkyo AV receiver is around 8 years old and doesn’t support 4K or UHD. It does have a passthrough feature which is what I used.

I do plan to upgrade my AV receiver in the next couple of weeks and will update this review if I notice any big changes to the picture quality. I am looking forward to updating the receiver because the VIZIO was unable to use HDMI CEC feature to automatically power on/off the AV receiver and switch inputs as needed for audio. So until I update, I’m back to using 2 remotes. One for the TV/DirecTV and one for the AV receiver. This is a little annoying but it’s obviously not a deal breaker because this TV is a nice improvement over the one I was using.

What I like

  • Gorgeous picture
  • Almost no bezels
  • Built-in Chromcast
  • Built-in tuner
  • Voice controllable via Alexia or Google assistant

What needs to be improved

  • Screws included in the VESA mounts are useless
  • HDMI CEC wouldn’t work with my Onkyo AV receiver

Final thoughts

If you’re shopping for a new 4K UHD TV, the VIZIO M-Series (M65-F0) 4K HDR Smart TV will not disappoint with its rich blacks, bright whites, vibrant color, and sharp picture. It’s enjoyable to watch all my favorite shows and movies on this set and it’s earned a well-deserved place on my wall.

Price: $999.99
Where to buy: Best Buy, Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by VIZIO.

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VIZIO M-Series (M65-F0) 4K HDR Smart TV review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 8, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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Thinkware F70 dash cam review

REVIEW – I will admit this guilty pleasure up front: every now and then I watch dash cam videos from around the world. These videos make people look like the worst drivers in the world. I also know that the good ole’ USofA has its share of people who should not be on the road (don’t get me started on drivers staring at their phone while driving). When I was offered the Thinkware F70 dash cam to test, I was intrigued. I’ve never used a dash cam before, but I thought that in the event of an accident, a dash cam could help prove my innocence—or guilt. What I discovered was that dash cams are cool, but have an issue I naively did not ever consider.

What is it?

The Thinkware F70 is an entry-level front facing dash cam. A dash cam records what you see as you drive. If you are involved in an accident or are witness to one, it will be recorded—as long as it happens in front of you. A separate rear camera is necessary for seeing behind you. The F70 attaches to the windshield via a mounting base and is powered by a 12V (I still call it the cigarette lighter) port.

As an entry level cam, the F70 does not come with GPS (optional if you want it), Wifi or other higher-end features. However, it does have 1080P HD video, 140° Wide Angle, Thermal Protection and incident detection.

Hardware specs

  • Camera: Sony Exmor CMOS 2.12M
  • Resolution: 1080p Full HD (1920 x 1080)
  • Capacity: Micro SD Card 8GB(class 10), 16GB/32GB/64GB(UHS-I)
  • Recording Modes: Continuous Recording, Incident Recording, Manual Recording, Audio Recording, Parking Surveillance Recording
  • Sensor: 3-Axis Accelerometer G-Sensor (3D, ±3G)
  • GPS: External GPS Antenna (Optional)
  • Power: Input Power: DC 12/24V
  • ETC: Operation Status LED

Design and features

The F70 is a small cam. I’m surprised that it records the image quality it does. When looking at recorded material, I did have trouble reading some license plates on moving cars, but I could clearly make out plates when stopped at red lights. One reason for this is the 140° viewing angle. While it gives you a commanding view of the road, it also makes items appear smaller, so details can get lost. At least the 1080P recording quality helps. 

 

The cam base mounts in the upper-center of the windshield using a strong adhesive. Once it’s attached, the cam easily slides on and off the base. One major (for me) issue is that the F70 dash cam is not wireless. Call me slow, but that never occurred to me. I have since found out that most—if not all—dash cams are wired because of thermal issues. The heat that can build up in a closed car can harm batteries, so wired it is. 

The wiring is supposed to be tucked under the trim around the windshield, but that didn’t work with my car, so I had to resort to some included adhesive wire clips that hold wires out of the way along the edge of the glass. However, Thinkware only gives you three tabs and I needed about 10-15 tabs—I kid you not. The result is an ugly display of hanging wires—not a good solution. Thinkware offers additional wire clips; five to a pack at 15 bucks/per pack or in my case—$45. That’s almost half the price of the cam! 

Note: Certain car audio shops will perform hardwiring (that will be hidden) for an extra charge. I would only consider that if I had a top-of-the-line dash cam, not an entry-level model. But that’s me.

Once I decided to live with wires hanging down, the F70 dash cam performed flawlessly. In fact, because of its small size and where it was mounted, it became almost invisible—except for the wires. The only reminder I had a dash cam was an audible message I heard when the car was started that told me it was recording. 

Since the F70 plugs into the 12V port, I had to remember to unplug it when I parked the car. Otherwise, it will keep recording even while parked, thus drawing power from the car battery. This could become an issue if the car is parked for a long time. Thinkware does offer an optional external battery that allows 16 hours of parking mode recording.

The F70 has a Front Vehicle Departure Warning.  In case you’re day-dreaming at a red light or looking at your phone (shame) the FVDW warns you that the vehicle in front of you has started to move. This can cut down on those embarrassing honks behind you when the light turns green and you’re still sitting there.

There are three recording modes—Continuous, Manual and Event. Continuous is what it says—it records all the time. Manual only starts when you press the record button. Event is interesting, It has what Thinkware calls Active Impact Monitoring System. It will automatically store video ten seconds prior to and after an event (such as a  collision). I didn’t have to experience Event mode, thank goodness. I decided to set the mode on Continuous and leave it there. 

I muted the audio recording of the car interior. It creeped me out knowing that the F70 was recording private conversations or me (badly) singing along to the music. 

Note that many of the setting changes can only be made through a free Dashcam Viewer app—available for either Mac or Windows. Thinkware calls the app PC viewer, but the app itself is called Dashcam Viewer.

The Dashcam app is a mixed bag. I never could get the video to show up in the app window. Since I have a mac, all I had to do was load the MicroSD card into the included adapter and insert it into the back of my iMac. There is a folder on the card that holds all the videos. 

There are a couple of things to note here: all videos are in 60-second chunks, so a 5-minute trip will be 5 videos. This allows for easy searching and no video is so large that it limits sending or streaming. Also, the provided MicroSD card is only 8GB so it fills up fast. Once the card becomes full, the oldest recording gets overwritten. This allows continuous recording. If you want to save more recordings, just get a MicroSD card with more capacity. The F70 will accept cards up to 128gb.

What I like

The F70 is a simple to use, no nonsense starter dash cam. It’s light, strong, and can be mounted out of the way. If you can tuck the wiring out of the way—great!

What needs to be improved

More adhesive wire clips (at a reasonable price) would be welcome. 

Final Thoughts

I can foresee a future when every car has built-in cams. Until that day, we have dash cams. If you’re undecided about whether you want to live with a dash cam, I recommend trying the Thinkware F70 first. Then, if you decide a cam is right for you, you can always upgrade later to a better model with more features. Thinkware makes many different cams with advanced features like built-in GPS, night vision and more, depending on the budget. 

Price: $109.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Thinkware.

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Thinkware F70 dash cam review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 7, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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Tablo DUAL 64GB OTA DVR review


REVIEW – As I continue to seek out cord cutting options to either lower or completely eliminate my cable TV bill, I readily accepted the opportunity to test and review this device that promises to take me one step closer to my goal.

What is it?

The Tablo DUAL 64GB OTA DVR is a 2 tuner streaming box with DVR capability to record 2 channels simultaneously via a connected OTA antenna.

What’s in the box


1 x Tablo DUAL 64GB OTA DVR
1 x AC Adapter
1 x Ethernet Cable
1 x Instruction Manual
1 x Registration Information Card

Design and features

The Tablo DUAL 64GB OTA DVR works as a DVR for the entire home and can be connected via either WiFi or Ethernet to stream live over-the-air channels and recorded content via the Tablo app to any compatible connected devices inside your home. If you choose to pay the subscription of $4.99 monthly, or $49.99 yearly or $149 lifetime, you get the added bonus of a 14-day TV guide with thumbnails, out-of-the-home sharing anywhere you have high-speed internet via the Tablo Connect app, and the ability to schedule automatic recordings for entire series.

Here is a chart of Features based on subscription:

On the top front of the Tablo, there is a blue LED that indicates that the power is on.


On the rear of the Tablo from left to right, there is the coaxial antenna jack, a reset button, a USB port, an Ethernet jack and the power port.
Here are some addition specs:
Storage:
64GB onboard storage
Support for up to 8TB USB hard drive

Processing:
512 MB RAM
64 GB Flash

Networking:
100 Mbps Ethernet
802.11n dual band WiFi with MIMO

Dimensions:
Height – 37 mm (1.46″)
Width – 125 mm (4.93″)
Depth – 123 mm (4.84″)

Weight:
210 g (7.4 oz)

Video Format:
H.264 (HLS: HTTP Live Streaming)

Setup and Performance:
Once the Tablo is connected to your network (in my case I connected via an Ethernet cable), and you download the app, connecting is easy. It quickly connects to your network and allows you to create an account and log in. Shortly thereafter, it populates the screen with the thumbnails, and the current TV guide for all of the OTA channels is quickly available. See the App screens in the “App” section right below.

App

Connection screen:

The main screen once connected:

Toolbar: (By selecting the icon in the upper left corner of the Main screen)

Live TV Guide:


Whenever you make a new selection via the Tablo app, it takes a few seconds to populate the screen. However, this device works flawlessly for me, and the ability to record and schedule recordings is great. Many of the channels that I watch and that broadcast my favorite shows are free channels that I receive over-the-air. The ability to add up to an 8TB hard drive and to record and keep my shows with little regard for the usual storage space concerns of the conventional cable box is simply great.

Tablo has just announced a new feature for Tablo OTA DVRs which is the addition of 5.1 Surround Sound. Once your device is updated to the latest Tablo firmware update (version 2.2.22), it will be capable of passing Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound audio through to supported viewing devices. It is important to note that not all streaming devices will initially support this new feature.

To see what streaming devices support this new feature and how to enable it, click here.

What I like

  • The DVR capability from 2 channels simultaneously.
  • The size and weight.
  • The Ethernet\WiFi function that eliminates the need to connect to any TV.
  • The app availability on multiple devices
  • The readily available and organized thumbnails for the guide.
  • The onboard 64GB storage for recorded content and the ability to add up to 8TB.
  • The out-of-home streaming capability (with monthly subscription)

What can be improved

  • The added ability to stream other available content like Netflix, free internet channels, etc. (Even if the DVR capability has to be disabled for the “other” content). In my opinion, the added ability would help to justify the subscription and the cost of the device.
  • The cost of the device.

Final thoughts

As I continue my efforts to find the best devices to replace at least a part of my cable services and eventually completely replace all services, I realize that there is no single solution that can replicate cable TV. However, I have found that utilizing the inputs on your TV with multiple devices is beginning to close the gap. As things stand right now, the Tablo DVR definitely helps because of its OTA channel streaming capability coupled with its DVR functionality. Many of the TV shows that I watch are on the local Prime Time channels, and the Tablo allows me to DVR tons of episodes and shows with no restrictive space limitations. If this device also hosted streaming channels, it would then be miles ahead of any other device in the game, but obviously, there would be the issue of recording and sharing copyrighted content that the networks definitely don’t want us to do. Until a better solution comes along, the Table DVR box definitely adds value. I think that the question for most will be whether the value is worth it based on their individual TV viewing habits and preferences, and the cost of this device.

Price: $175.00
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Tablo.

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Tablo DUAL 64GB OTA DVR review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 6, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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