#that being that I only have wireless adapters rather than a link cable and the wireless adapters don't fit with the Analogue Pocket ofc

[thisurlwasnttakenbutnowitis]

It's so bizarre that across every handheld system that Nintendo has ever produced from the original gray brick Game Boy all the way up to the present day with the Switch OLED, literally the only one that didn't have a headphone jack was the GBA SP. Why did they leave it out of that one and only that one specifically.

It's doubly annoying because the SP is otherwise the definitive Game Boy - it's the only device that can play original GB and GBC carts that also has a rechargeable battery and a backlit screen (aside from third-party hardware like the Analogue Pocket), so the omission of such a basic feature that literally everything else has is mind-boggling lmao

#I'm just mad cause I got a GBA flashcart recently and I've been playing it on my childhood SP and that's been annoying me lmao #been considering getting an Analogue Pocket to get a more premium experience overall #and it would be nice to have a second GBA so I could trade Pokemon between games #but there's an additional problem there #that being that I only have wireless adapters rather than a link cable and the wireless adapters don't fit with the Analogue Pocket ofc #so I'd also have to shell out for a link cable for that to work

[tooconnoisseurexpert]

Keyboard and mouse basics

Keyboard and mouse basics

This article is about the introduction of the keyboard mouse PC item.

Using a keyboard

Whenever you use a desktop computer or laptop, you’ll probably use a computer keyboard. The most common kind is called a ‘QWERTY’ keyboard. QWERTY describes the top row of letters on the keyboard.

What a keyboard looks like

A keyboard is for putting information including letters, words and numbers into your computer. You press the individual buttons on the keyboard when you type.

The number keys across the top of the keyboard are also found on the right of the keyboard.

The letter keys are in the centre of the keyboard.

The symbol keys to the right of the letters include symbols such as the question mark and full stop.

The keys that surround the letters, numbers and symbol keys on the left, right and bottom of the keyboard help you to choose where and how you type.

There are several types of keyboards, such as gaming mechanical keyboard, keyboard and so on.

Using the keys

When you open a document or click in a box to type, you will see a vertical flashing line. This is the cursor, it shows you where you are about to start typing on a page or screen.

Pressing the 'shift' key allows you to type capital letters and the symbols at the top of the keys.

The 'shift' keys are on the left and right of the keyboard, with the arrow pointing upwards.

For capital letters, hold down the 'shift' key and hold and type the letter.

For symbols at the top of a number key, press down the symbol key and then type the symbol. You can use the 'shift' key to type any symbol at the top of a key.

The 'caps lock' key allows you to write in capital letters. To turn it on, press it once and type. To turn it off, press it again.

Putting in spaces, moving your cursor and deleting text

The 'space bar' puts a space between words. Press it once to put in a space.

The 'tab' key puts a bigger space between words. Press it once to put in a space.

The 'enter' key moves your cursor down a line.

The 'arrow' keys allow you to move your cursor in all directions on the page or screen - up, down, left and right.

To delete your typing you need to put your cursor to the right of a word. Press the 'backspace' button to delete your word. The cursor will move to the left and delete as it goes.

Using a mouse

There are lots of different styles of computer mouse, but most have a left and a right button.

To hold your mouse, rest your hand over it and put your index finger on the left button and your thumb resting on the side. The cable needs to be pointing towards the computer. The mouse needs to always be in contact with a mouse mat, desk or hard surface.

You use your mouse to move the cursor around the screen. The cursor changes, depending on what you are doing on the computer. As an arrow you use it for moving and selecting things, as a hand for clicking on links when you are on the internet and it becomes an hourglass when you are waiting for the computer to do something.

Single clicking

You single click with the left mouse button to select things. Just quickly left click and then let go of the button.

Double clicking

You double click with the left mouse button to open things, such as a folder. You need to double click quickly, think about the ‘knock, knock’ you do on a door.

Drag and drop

Drag and drop is when you move something from one place to another.

First select the item with the left mouse button and keep the button pressed down. Then move the mouse and the item on screen will move with the cursor. When you have the cursor and item in the position you want, release the left mouse button.

The item will now be dropped to where the cursor is positioned on the screen.

You use drag and drop to move things around your computer, such as files between folders.

Right button

If you ever accidently click the right mouse button, a list of computer commands will appear. To remove the list just move the mouse and single click the left button.

Laptop trackpad or touchpad

Laptops can have a built in mouse within the keyboard. This is operated by finger touch. This specialised surface is used instead of a mouse and needs only very short finger movements to move the cursor across the display screen.

Improve your computer skills

Why not develop your computer skills - there are courses for beginners and beyond. These range from free online learning through to training, which can lead to qualifications.

While the gaming keyboard mouse industry has almost completed its quest for true gaming perfection, many of today’s gamers still find themselves asking that age-old question – should I choose a wired or wireless gaming mouse?

It’s a question that has plagued many over the last couple of decades, with consumers struggling to decide whether or not the benefits of wireless technology actually outweigh the reduction in gaming performance they sadly lose.

That being said, thanks to huge leaps forward in technology, the gap between wired vs wireless gaming mice has now become much less apparent. Today’s mice come equipped with new technologies that offer Lightspeed connectivity and an almost unlimited amount of battery life – making wireless gaming mice more popular than ever before. Furthermore, wireless mice now bring fantastic gaming performance to the table that really does give their wired alternatives a run for their money.

With the current batch of high-performance gaming mice giving consumers the ultimate headache when deciding which one to choose, we thought we’d whip this article together explaining the differences between wired and wireless gaming mice. We’ll be looking at the main specifications that affect gaming performance, the main differences between the two technologies, and whether or not you should choose wired or wireless for your next gaming mouse purchase.

So, with that in mind, let’s waste no further time and dive straight into it

THE BEST WIRED OR WIRELESS GAMING HEADSETS TO BUY

If you’re shopping for a gaming headset, you have a lot of options. While there are some great ones out there, it’s easy to pay too much, to accidentally purchase a headset that doesn’t work with your desired console or platform, or to get one that’s just uncomfortable. Knowing a thing or two about headphones might aid in your search, but gaming headsets have only gotten more complicated to shop for — especially the wireless ones.

For instance, wireless headsets made for Xbox operate without a dongle via Microsoft’s proprietary wireless protocol. They’ll only work on Xbox consoles or a PC that has one of Microsoft’s Xbox Wireless Adapters plugged in, in most cases. Conversely, if you get a multiplatform wireless headset that includes a 2.4GHz wireless dongle, it’ll likely work on the likes of the PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch (when plugged into the console’s TV dock), and PC — but not Xbox. It’s best to buy the headset that mentions support for your preferred platform(s) explicitly, or else there’s a good chance you’ll run into some compatibility issues. Of course, you can eliminate most of the guesswork by buying a wired gaming headset instead.

This guide focuses on newer options that you’re more likely to encounter at stores as opposed to older models that, while possibly still being worthy of your money, are often tougher to find affordably and easily online. Also, just to mention it at the top, I have a large-ish head and that factor obviously played a major role in how I judge the comfort of these headsets.

You’ll find a few categories below, including the best multiplatform wireless headsets that are compatible with PC, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch via its dock, the best Xbox wireless gaming headsets, the best PlayStation wireless gaming headsets, and the best wired gaming headsets that support the widest variety of platforms, from console controllers to phones, tablets, and VR headsets that feature a 3.5mm headphone jack.

If you have ever found yourself searching for a new pair of headsets, you have encountered the overwhelming variety of choice that you are nowadays faced with. Over-the-ear, on-the-ear, noise-cancelling, wireless, wired… the market seems to be oversaturated with terms, that needs further clarification.

So, how to choose the best headset?

To start with, there is no such thing as the best headset. Rather, it all depends on your usage and needs. How much time you spend on the phone, what kind of job you do, whether you work in an open office or what type of phone you’re using – all of these factors will influence your choice.

But let’s take one step at a time and focus on how to choose between wired and wireless headsets in the first place. For that purpose, we will need to look at different work styles, as they play a key role in your choice between wired and wireless headsets.

If you spend most of your time at your desk, you are probably what is generally defined as desk worker. You are often on calls with customers, colleagues or other stakeholders. You probably use desk phones most, but Microsoft Teams or Skype for Business are also part of your daily routine. For you, clear audio has the utmost importance – there is no place for questions like “What? Could you repeat, please?”. Perceiving the slightest change in the tone of voice of your caller can make a great difference in your job. You don’t want to worry about your equipment – it should work easily and instantly, allowing you to simply focus on the call and the customer.

If you find this description to be an accurate representation of your workstyle and needs, you will then be satisfied with wired headset.

Wired headsets often offer a higher definition audio quality than wireless headsets, while also minimizing the risk of interferences that can happen with wireless signals. This guarantees perfectly clear audio. At the same time, being plug-and-play, wired headsets can be put in use in no time – avoiding wasting precious seconds in setting up and connecting your device.

But what if you would consider yourself a road warrior instead? You spend most of your time on-the-go – in your car, on public transport – running around to different meetings in the city. Being able to make use of the time you have in between meetings is of extreme importance to you. That is why you need a device that enables you to easily take calls from both, your PC and mobile, in the office and on-the-road. You need to be able to move quickly between working situations, while still hearing and being heard clearly.

Or maybe you’re a corridor worker. You spend most of your time working in the office, both at your desk and in meetings. You walk a lot around the office building, and you need a device that allows you to talk while freely roaming office corridors.

In both cases, a wireless headset would be more suitable for you.

Office headset give you the freedom to move as you like, walking or even running around without the risk of getting tangled in any cords – and still being able to hear and be heard perfectly. And with most devices nowadays being Bluetooth-enabled, you will be able to easily connect your wireless headset to both, your mobile and PC.

[bestwirelessheadsets-blog1]

Riotoro Aviator Classic Gaming Headset Review: Tried as well as True Design

OUR VERDICT

The Riotoro Aviator Classic is most definitely comfy, and when it involves video gaming, the audio supplies a punch. We have worries regarding the best wireless headsets construct of high quality and long life.

FOR

Well-cushioned

Excellent audio isolation

Powerful bass

Does not compromise mid clearness

AGAINST

Loosened mic connection

Underwhelming finish

Audio does not have a richness

Can't shut off the digital border

A flash of bright red accent coloring. A vague throwback tribal design logo design. A COMPUTER outer birthing a remarkable similarity to one more item on the market. I predict a Riotoro.

The U.S.-based novice to COMPUTER gaming kit is making a huge press to broaden its variety lately, going deeper right into the COMPUTER situations and power supplies it went into the marketplace with yet additionally breaking out into pc gaming key-boards and video gaming mice, like the Riotoro Nadex. Yet can the firm make one of the best pc gaming headsets?

Stepping once again into the great unknown is the Riotoro Aviator Classic the company's very first COMPUTER pc gaming headset (also deals with PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch as well as mobile). Looks a little bit familiar though, does not it? There's more than a whiff of the very popular HyperX Cloud collection to it, which includes the popular HyperX Cloud Alpha.

Can we really anticipate similar levels of comfort as well as efficiency from the Aviator Classic? At $80 since writing, it's somewhat cheaper than the HyperX Cloud Alpha, which is usually concerning $100, yet significantly more than Corsair's excellent spending plan array HS50 and HS35 stereo cans. What do you obtain for the investment? Virtual 7.1 surround, a detachable mic, and the choice of USB or 3.5 mm input. While the headset nails the convenience classification, it has space to grow in others.

Riotoro Aviator Classic Specifications

Motorist Type50mm

ImpedanceNot divulged

Regularity Response20 - 20,000 Hz

Microphone TypeDetachable, noise-canceling

Connectivity3.5 mm or USB Type-A

Cable7.2 foot/ 2.2 m braided wire as well as a USB adapter

Weight12.8 ounces/ 40g

LightingNone

Software program?

Style as well as Comfort

Allow's begin with comfort. Equally, as they show up, these are extremely well-padded and comfy canisters. The Aviator Classic's earcups use as thick a layer of memory foam extra padding as we've ever before seen on a headset as well as are ended up in leatherette. The contact pad product has a significant effect on the total noise of a headset, and I prefer leatherette for its great noise seclusion. Certain, textile cloth pads would supply greater breathability, but I'll take that compromise in favor of a secured limited chamber around my ears that allow those regularities to bounce around magnificently.

The Aviator Classic felt slightly larger on my head than the 11.9-ounce Cloud Alpha, which isn't especially light-weight itself. Fortunately, the quantity of support on the Aviator Classic's headband kept the pain at bay. It additionally helped that the headband is wide and also good, dispersing the weight over a bigger location, while the horizontal clamping force of the aluminum band attached the ear cups to my head firmly, yet happily. The elongated cups verified outstanding at audio isolation as well as exterior noise termination too.

The develop top quality and finish is where the Aviator Classic appears. The headband is adaptable and also worryingly lightweight; it definitely would not survive being mistakenly rested on. The steel joints, on the other hand, are a bit noisier than is the standard, and also the black surface looks rather fundamental, doing not have any of the cleanings you would certainly commonly see on in a similar way valued-- as well as even more affordable-- headsets. The earcups' matte finish likewise looks a little low-cost. Basically, after rolling these around in your hands for some time, you would certainly feel like these are spending plan containers.

A gold-banded 3.5 mm port connects to a red, knotted wire. I actually like the cord, regardless of my normal aversion to intense colors in gaming peripherals. That red cable then connects to either a longer USB cable with an inline control or a black splitter cord with 3.5 mm sound as well as a mic in links. Both mics, as well as quantity mute switches, get on the USB inline, yet they don't brighten when toggled, so it can sometimes be tricky to find out whether your mic's really broadcasting or otherwise. A little light right here would certainly have been handy to fix this.

Furthermore, the volume up and down switches only reduce or enhance volume by increments of two in Windows. The function's supposed to make it so it doesn't call for a lot of presses to make substantial quantity adjustments, but I found it to a tiny nuisance.

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In enhancement, the digital 7.1 surround if you opt for a 3.5 mm link to your PC you shed out on the inline controls.

All in all, despite a few strange kinks, we're actually impressed by the comfort of this layout. As well as most importantly, it tees the Aviator Classic up for some great noise.

Audio Performance

Noise as well as comfort don't exist in separate vacuum cleaners. Perfectly the vehicle driver's tuned, nonetheless expertly the EQ formed, the factor of call around the ears often verifies the determining aspect in headphones. You'll lose the tightness and also strike of your bass and finish up with a murky noise if sound leakages out around the rim of the earcup. And that's the advantage of a design like the Aviator Classic. The foam pillows sit tight and also unbelievably snug without being awkward around the ears, developing a sealed chamber. Aviation-style earphone designs like that of Riotoro's cans are exceptional at this precise accomplishment, and if you map the line of inspiration back much sufficient, you end up back at the original QPad QH90s, which HyperX acquired the layout license to and ultimately constructed its Cloudline. As a matter of fact, the QPad looked at flight headsets, which pilots use in loud cockpits to communicate important information with ATC as well as the trip team, for its initial style.

You can see the connection. By shutting out exterior sound, aviation-style headphones submerse you in the sound you want to listen to, and what's more, they afford the regularities that construct those seems the space to resonate without running away. These Riotoro cans are as efficient this as any headset we've evaluated.

The headset is billed as offering virtual 7.1 surround noise. There's no toggle for the attribute, neither in software nor on the headset itself. Therefore, we can only reason that virtual border sound is constantly on when you're making use of the Aviator Classic.

During the screening, the low-end was available in strongly as well as specified, offering area for the mids to voice unimpeded. The highs come through fairly clearly too, as well as although the emphasis in the EQ curve is most definitely on producing that magnificent bass feedback, it's a clear adequate soundscape that you can play CS: GO, Apex Legends, or PUBG without the requirement to boost the audio of steps via software.

Compared to the slightly more expensive HyperX Cloud Alpha and also the HyperX Cloud II, the Aviator's audit result does not appear as abundant. It's refined, however there's a minor con to the whole sound that's specifically recognizable when paying attention to the music you're familiar with. It's similar audio to applying a software application EQ account-- outstanding in the beginning, however a touch excitable once your ears bed in as well as get utilized to it.

The accompanying software is very restricted and does not appear to offer any type of means of toggling the virtual 7.1 surrounds on or off, which's likely the culprit of that man-made ring to the noise. It would have been excellent to consist of an alternative to turn this off in order to tighten up the noise as well as eliminate that reverberant quality you usually get with digital surround formulas.

Inevitably, we're entrusted to a headset that sounds actually punchy in games however lacks just a little refinement to be taken into consideration for every little thing else.

The Aviator Classic's microphone sounded functional enough, however, it never appeared securely fastened when I attached it. There was worryingly little resistance when detaching it too, which opens the door to the possibility of knocking it loosened mid-game as well as going radio-quiet.

Software application

Riotoro gives its very own application for managing the Aviator Classic's settings, and also it's no looker. An extremely basic UI evocative the Windows XP glory days provides manual volume adjustment, private quantity adjustment on both right as well as left sides, a mic mute button, and gain a degree.

You additionally obtain a handful of presets, particularly Hi-fi, Movie, Music, and also Manual. These seem to change the EQ profile, however they're quite refined in their variant from each other.

Profits

We're not sure just how much rough and tumble it can take, however Riotoro's launching best wireless headsets likewise gets the feeling and also seem ideal out of the package.

Taking its hints from aviation-style headsets developed to block out external sound, the Aviator Classic uses generous padding to secure your ears in tight and after that pump some powerful, bass-heavy audio into them. We have worries regarding the loose mic link in our review example and worry that it'll endure some wear and tear after months of daily usage. As well as we likewise wish there was an option to turn off digital surround sound.

For alternatives, the HyperX Cloud Alpha isn't much more and is our most advised headset. as well as the Corsair HS60 Pro Surround shows solid develop top quality.

#wireless headsets #wireless headphones #best wireless headsets #best wireless headphones #headphone #headset #music #audio #entertainment

[karingottschalk]

Given the trials and tribulations of living in lockdown for the past few months I have not been as following the release of Canon’s EOS R5 and EOS R6 mirrorless hybrid cameras as closely as I should have. Apologies, so here is a catch-up.

Canon EOS R5 flagship mirrorless hybrid stills and video digital camera with Canon RF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM zoom lens. Image courtesy of Canon via B&H.

That suddenly changed when I came across a rather shocking Instagram post by camera accessories company Tilta featuring its Tiltaing Cooling Camera Cage for Canon R5, featuring its Canon EOS R5 Cooling Kit, a fan-driven and heavily-finned device designed, apparently, to rapidly reduce the camera’s temperature to one that makes it a little more usable.

Camera accessories maker SmallRig also appears to be working on a solution for the Canon EOS R5 and R6 cameras’ overheating problems, a Cool Cage for R5, and the company may take a different approach to that of Tilta.

Time will tell just as it will as to the actual usability of the R5 and R6 for their designed purposes.

Canon EOS R5

Images courtesy of Canon via B&H.

Canon EOS R5 flagship mirrorless digital camera with Canon RF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM zoom lens.

Canon EOS R5 flagship mirrorless digital camera with Canon RF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM zoom lens.

Canon EOS R5 flagship mirrorless digital camera.

Canon EOS R5 flagship mirrorless digital camera.

Canon EOS R5 flagship mirrorless digital camera.

Canon WFT-R10A Wireless File Transmitter for Canon EOS R5 mirrorless hybrid camera.

Canon BG-R10 Battery Grip for Canon EOS R5 and R6 mirrorless hybrid cameras.

Canon EOS R5 flagship mirrorless digital camera with Canon RF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM zoom lens, full kit.

Canon describes the R6 as having “… four times the detail of 4K” making it “the world’s first interchangeable lens digital camera with 8K movies” and the specs for the R5 and R6 certainly look impressive.

But, given the comments I have been reading from credible, professional reviewers like Philip Bloom, Gerald Undone, Andrew Reid and Matthew Allard, the R5 and possibly the R6 appear to be failures that may lead to class actions lawsuits against Canon given the R5 at least does not live up to its marketing claims.

Canon EOS R6

Images courtesy of Canon via B&H.

Canon EOS R6 mirrorless digital camera with Canon RF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM zoom lens.

Canon EOS R6 mirrorless digital camera with Canon RF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM zoom lens, full kit.

Might Canon fanboys be better off with the R6 just as a stills photography camera given it is slightly cheaper than the R5?

Tilta Tiltaing Cooling Kit for Canon EOS R5

Images courtesy of Tilta.

Tilta Tiltaing Cooling Camera Cage for Canon R5 mirrorless hybrid digital camera.

Tilta Tiltaing Cooling Camera Cage for Canon R5 mirrorless hybrid digital camera.

Tilta Tiltaing Cooling Camera Cage for Canon R5 mirrorless hybrid digital camera, cooling module details.

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You know what the most annoying thing about the Canon R5 is? It’s that if it didn’t have these ridiculous issues it would be such an amazing camera. This is the first camera I have used in memory that punishes you for using it. Shoot stills then down goes your ability to shoot video in all but the basic line skipped normal speed mode. It is capable of utterly stunning images but there is absolutely no way this could ever be used as a hybrid camera, which it is marketed as, unless you are willing to live with the basic video mode. After shooting about 15 minutes of 8k (just basic IPB mode not raw) today spread out over an hour and then leaving camera off for 90 minutes I was never able to get the 8K option back, nor the 4K 120p, not the 4K HQ and not even line skipped 4K 50p! Basically if you want to use the good video modes use them first, don’t think shooting line skipped means you can use them later. Everything you do reduces the amount of time you can use those modes I mentioned above. The only time you can get the max amount is when you first turn on the camera. Please don’t tell me to use an external recorder. They should be used to bring new features to your camera not because your camera won’t let you record internally anymore as you’ve “shot too much”! I love the form factor of the small body especially for handheld. An external recorder would kill this. I love the stills, I love the video quality in the 8K and HQ mode. I love the animal video autofocus BUT I loathe being unable to use my camera as I want to most of the time. Please don’t accuse me of bias. I have none. I love Canon and have a lot of history with them. I spent £4200 on a camera I cannot use most of the time and that’s ludicrous! I truly hope they find a way to fix this debacle.

A post shared by Philip Bloom (@philipbloom) on Aug 9, 2020 at 1:53pm PDT

In his Facebook post on the EOS R5, Philip Bloom adds:

Please don’t accuse me of bias. I have none. I love Canon and have a lot of history with them. I spent £4200 on a camera I cannot use most of the time and that’s ludicrous! I truly hope they find a way to fix this debacle.

You either love it or hate it. Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM zoom lens, prone to the all-too-common aperture control ribbon cable failure.

Unlike Mr Bloom, I do not love Canon and nor do I have a lot of history with the brand’s products.

My first Canon camera was the once revolutionary but crippled EOS 5D Mark II which was only available when I bought it in a kit with the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM zoom lens.

From the start there was problem with the 5D Mark II, its erase button remaining pushed in after first attempt at using the camera so it went straight back to Canon Australia and eventually returned with the button repaired under warranty.

Then, just after the warranty for camera and lens expired, the 24-105mm kit zoom lens failed spectacularly and I have not been able to have it restored to working order.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II with Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM kit zoom lens.

Despite urgings by my BFF to get rid of my 5D Mark II, I have kept it despite not having a working Canon EF lens for it, instead occasionally using it with a couple of adapted M42 manual focus lenses via a Gobe M42 to EF adapter.

My beloved late uncle Brian Bell aka Sir Brian Ernest Bell CSM, KBE, CStJ, of the Sir Brian Bell Foundation and the Brian Bell Group of Companies, paid for my Canon EOS 5D Mark II and its Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM zoom lens, and I simply cannot let them go given I barely knew him and yet he proved to be so kind to me and understanding of my situation in his final years alive.

Uncle Brian gave me the 5D Mark II and lens as a gift in order to help me start a new life in photography and video after too many years away from them due to often insurmountable health issues.

At the time I knew nothing about the mirrorless hybrid revolution that was going on at Panasonic and to a lesser degree at Olympus so did not, to my regret, immediately buy into those two company’s Micro Four Thirds system that offered so much more than Canon in terms of affordability and video production capabilities.

Despite my misgivings about Canon’s clear lack of adequate quality control, thus quickly coming to rely instead on Fujifilm, Olympus and Panasonic cameras and lenses, I continued to hope that Canon might eventually see the light and provide the necessary alternative to the smaller sensor-based systems.

So, what a disappointment Canon’s attempt at matching if not surpassing Panasonic’s S-Series cameras has turned out to be but I should not be surprised given what my BFF has told me about Canon’s research and development efforts before and during the time she worked there in an engineering role.

For fifteen years, apparently, Canon’s Australian R&D division was at the cutting edge of global camera, lens, printing and other technologies and creativity and innovation were anything but dirty words.

Canon had bought an independent Sydney-based R&D company then turned it into the major part of its worldwide product and technology development effort, replete with top engineers, mathematicians, physicists and other scientists and technologists.

Then the suits and the marketing types began taking it all for granted, replacing all this talent with the cult of process engineering, resulting in employees voluntarily departing or being fired en masse to the point where Canon’s R&D division no longer existed.

The scientists and technologists with the genius to solve problems like those apparent in the Canon EOS R5 and R6 were no longer there and, with the company now in the hands of marketing men, this mess is the result.

The chickens that became so apparent in the long years my BFF worked there have finally come to roost, with a vengeance.

The “cripple hammer” described so often by my BFF and increasing numbers of professional customers has found its mark on the cameras that were supposed to establish Canon in the mirrorless era.

Finally, in his latest article at time of writing on the R5, Andrew Reid of EOSHD states that:

If it is proven that Canon purposefully hobbled the camera, or artificially restricted recording times in firmware, with heat as an excuse, in all the highest quality video modes on the EOS R5 they advertised as key headline grabbing features, I will never buy another Canon camera again for as long as I live and I think the full force of consumer law should be brought to bear.

Links

Canon Australia – EOS R5, Game On – I would normally default to the Canon USA product pages but have been getting “THE SITE IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE.” messages on that website.

Canon Australia – EOS R6

Canon Global – EOS 5D Mark II

DPReview – Canon issues ‘media alert’ clarifying overheating concerns of its EOS R5, R6 cameras

DPReview – Canon R5 / R6 overheat claims tested: Stills shooting, setup quickly cut into promised capture times [UPDATED]

DPReview – Cinema5D’s real-world experience raises concerns about EOS R6 overheating

EOSHD – Andrew Reid has written several articles about aspects of the overheating problem with the Canon EOS R5.

Facebook – Philip Bloom – “This is the first camera I have used in memory that punishes you for using it. Shoot stills then down goes your ability to shoot video in all but the basic line skipped normal speed 4K mode.”

Facebook – Sir Brian Bell Foundation – They called him Mr. B

Gerald Undone – Canon R5 & R6 Review: GOOD Cameras. TERRIBLE Marketing. – video

News Shooter – Canon EOS R5 & R6 Recall Rumors are not true

News Shooter – Canon EOS R5- Things you need to know if you are recording video

News Shooter – Canon issues statement regarding EOS R5 & R6 Overheating During Video Recording

SmallRig – Cool Cage for R5

Tilta – Tiltaing Camera Cage for Canon R5

Canon’s Chickens Come Home To Roost With Crippled Canon EOS R5 Flagship 8K 35mm Sensor-Equipped Mirrorless Stills & Video Hybrid Camera Given the trials and tribulations of living in lockdown for the past few months I have not been as following the 

#Canon crippled #Canon EOS R5 #Canon EOS R6 #cripple hammer #crippled #hybrid #major fail #mirrorless #moviemaking #photography #stills #video

[thatguysamaniac-blog]

It feels like it's been a lifetime folks, and in the games industry it is, but Pokémon Sword & Pokémon Shield have been out for just under four months and it's time for us to put this review out there. In case you've missed the last ten years of TGAM, we're big pokémon fans so on the one hand we're heavily invested in this ship. On the other hand we're in the guts of this series so we're bringing our big guns to bear in this review. Fuck All That Bullshit It might be poison in the lucky charms or Minamata disease but these games have been particularly surrounded by an especially stinky wall of bullshit this time by the loose collection of flotsam and jetsam that's the pokémon community online and the solids floating on the top of the septic tank that's the wider gaming community online. The recent announcement of the expansion, an astonishing helping of STFU to entitled fans, which by any normal standard would silence would-be whingers has only stirred the steaming pot more. These days it's near impossible to measure a game by it's own merit and not with the bullshit from the 'community' seeping in under the door but we're going to do our best. It's worth our time to point out too that pokémon games are one of those series that it's impossible to 'review' on it's own terms. We're 24 years and hundreds of games into this series now. Is this an accessible game for first time pokémon players? We've got no idea. We couldn't tell you. Almost every part of this game is an evolution or reworking of a previous system and we can't unremember it all to give you that fresh impression.  Pokémon Sword & Pokémon Shield Is Good Games There we go, we're going to say it up front. It's good fucking food bruv. As seasoned gamers and long-term series fans it's a good pokémon game. I think both of us have ended up running up hours into this game in that sort of painful middle age "I don't have time to play games, oh I've run up 200 hours in this game already" kind of way. There's also been a non-stop roll-out of 'new stuff' which inevitably means a review of the game as it was at launch is a significantly different prospect to the game as it is now, especially with the rotating event type stuff, the run-up to the expansion and Pokémon Home's launch. Obviously, we can't retrospectively pretend this stuff doesn't exist so consider this a review of the game ~six months in.  Good stuff. There are some welcome quality of life improving changes to the fundamental ways that pokémon functions, it's a gorgeous looking game especially on the big screen, there are some bangin' tunes and the Wild Area and Raids is a refreshing addition to the formula and folds in longevity in a way that doesn't wear as thin as SOS battles did in Pokémon Sun, Pokémon Moon and the sequels. We've also seen a thick and fast stream of games as a service type content updates already from a steady stream of mystery gifts, dynamax raid events, battle seasons, online competitions and most recently some micro content linked to the expansions coming out. Remember, we're less than four months in. Less Good Stuff. There's something staid about the box system that now sticks out more than ever given the ease of accessing it that these games give you, the loss of the GTS (Global Trade System) system but specifically remote trading of specific pokémon seems like a backwards step and this is the least stable pokémon game there has ever been when connected online.  What's The Story, Braviary? Let's start with the story. If you've even a passing interest in this series of games you'll know that, with rare deviation, the beats of a pokémon game are thus: wake up on your 10th birthday, get given a pokémon by a pokémon professor, meet your rival then journey from gym to gym earning badges to earn the right to challenge the champion to become a pokémon master. Inevitably, it ends with a rookie prepubescent trainer who hadn't even owned a pokémon just tens of hours previously standing over the ashes of the combined strength of an entire region's pokémon trainers, an evil organisation or two and a few characters supposedly 'the most powerful trainer ever known'. Power fantasy? I have no idea what you mean. The credits roll and then the 'story' part is more or less over leading to what players call endgame.  The story in this game is more or less the same. They've slightly tweaked the formula in that a whole army of trainers start together until the top few remain. Gym battles are now staged in stadiums filled with cheering fans (and a way better-than-it-should-be gym battle tune) and the final challenge is a tournament, with what feels like an endless series of interludes, before getting to THE final battle rather than fighting an elite group of trainers.  Whilst on your journey to become the best there's a plot to discover the dark mystery behind the MacGuffin requiring some MacGuffins to unleash the MacGuffins to save the MacGuffins. In line with other mainline series games, there's also a short post-credits sequence of events to go through before considering the linear content of the game consumed. Consumed that it is until the two new regions coming with the expansion.  AAAaaand it's fine as stories in these games go. Plenty of characters to draw porn of but it won't have you in floods of tears with drama or rolling around on the floor with laughter. If you really gun it not stopping to smell the roses, expand your pokédex, raid in the wild area I reckon you can hit the end credits in probably less than ten hours as early forum posts were complaining about. Quality of Life Improvements We've said it before but it's worth re-iterating because the Internet has a famously short memory. A comparative history of the pokémon games make for an interesting way to unpick the design process of these games. Through close study you see how systems have been developed, experimented with and inevitably improved. You can trace the lineage of almost every core system in pokémon games and with rare exception, what we have today is worse than previous games. For example, what started as trading and battling over a Gameboy Cable, then GBA Wireless adapter became, via some weird detours like the PC client Dream World, became a constant ticker tape presence in X and Y and then in Sun and Moon with social stuff through Festival Plaza. Today, elements of all those systems have made their way to the Y-Comm system. More on that later. It's these constant tweaks and improvements which make going back just a few games tough in a "I can't believe we put up with that bullshit" kind of way. Pokémon Sword & Pokémon Shield brings a plethora of quality of life improvements from previous generations. Here are some of the major ones. Vitamins- Finally! Finally! They've removed the cap for vitamins. In previous games, there was a limit of ten vitamins per stat that you could give a pokémon increasing the ev points by ten meaning that unless you were going for a really weird spread you'd need both vitamins and an element of training (or remote training which appears in this game as seminars). You'll still need a pen and paper to make sure you get those spreads exactly but with enough money or BP going from no effort values to a fully EV'd pokémon has become somewhat trivial. That being said, you still can't see the bloody numbers (see below). Using Multiple Items- A trivial change but you can now use multiple items such as rare candies, exp candies, vitamins and EV erasing berries. Previously you'd have to use them one by one. So if you had a level 1 pokémon and 99 rare candies you'd have to give them one by one. You can now do it en masse and the system will cap item usage so if you're looking to berry erase a stat, the maximum value of berries to erase that stat will be the default if you tap down. Tiny change, a world of difference and yes, we're aware that we've been conditioned to see these micro changes as a positive thing where they should have been that way all along. Box System- Following Let's Go's approach to party and pokémon management, you can now access the box system almost anywhere in the game meaning you can switch out your party, equip items, shift eggs around without having to visit a PC at a Pokémon Centre. This is one of the biggest changes for day to day life improvement, however, as we mentioned above we're reaching the design limit with the box system I feel. One the one hand it's great to eliminate the fussy work of heading back to a Pokémon Centre to make changes to the six pokémon on hand or deposit eggs, swap items etc. In the Victory Lap revisiting of older games to make sure that everything had been cleared out to Home, begrudgingly swinging by Pokémon Centres every ten minutes became one of those features we couldn't believe we'd tolerated for so long. However, one the other hand 'box fussing' is something you do AN AWFUL LOT in this game. There's something clunky and fiddly about it that just perpetually, breaks, the, flow, of, the, game. We can't quite think of a better way of doing it but being freed from visiting PCs has really highlighted how staid party management really is. Naming, Shaming and Move Relearning- In previous games, you could change pokémon's nicknames as long as it was one you'd caught in the game and 'relearn' moves which the pokémon learns through evolution but had forgotten by visiting specific characters and in the case of move relearning, handing over an item per move change. THANKFULLY, move relearning can now be done for free at every Pokémon Centre and at the same place you can even change the name of (most) pokémon acquired from other games, albeit just once. We're glad for the chance to finally change the names of some of those pokémon we picked up in trades called BigBallMan, Pickle Rick etc. Pokédex- The pokédex is one of those standard features in every game that is tweaked from game to game and some of those tweaks have been for the better, some for the worse. Overall, it's fine here although a lot of the searching and filtering tools available in previous games have been removed (interestingly, the Pokémon HOME 'dex' in the app has a fuller complement, the one on the Switch's Pokémon HOME kinda sucks). It does introduce a neat little feature whilst filling out the dex for the first time and alerting you to the location of pokémon not yet caught which are available in the game with the current dynamic weather system in the Wild Area. Unfortunately, this feature sort of becomes moot once you've caught them all. Again, thankfully, the pokédex has a persistent memory meaning you'll land back on the entry you were previously on after you close it. The Battle Tower Is Within Reach Of Mere Mortals- For the completionists among you, beating the Battle Tower (and it's various iterations) is one of the toughest challenges in the mainline pokémon games. In recent games to beat the battle tower, you'd need to beat twenty battles of single battle for example, to unlock super single battle. To beat that you'd need to win 100 wins without losing a single round against increasingly difficult opponents. Lose battle 7, 10 or 98 and it's back to battle 1 all over again. We're ashamed to admit that we've never '100%' any pokémon game if you add beating the Battle Tower as a requirement for completion. A number of the previous games rewarded this feat with updating the trainer card and commemorative ribbons for the pokémon used to beat the final battle, a badge of honour for the games' most difficult challenge. Here, it's much much easier. There's a single and double battle challenge that works on a rank system which is far less brutal. Get to Master Ball rank and keep battling until the champion pops up again, beat them for ribbons for your pokémon. The true battling accomplishment in this game has been shifted to online battles, the Master Rank ribbon is awarded for beating another player in the Master tier in ranked battles which is no easy feat. Double Day Care- Double day care is back which means you can have two sets of bonking 'mon on the go at all times. Much appreciated for the background breeding programmes although having to physically fly to each to pick up eggs is a chore. You'll Never Need For Money and EXP Again- In previous games, moving from one game to the newest one meant leaving behind a mountain of items, berries, rare candies and a huge pile of money. Fortunately, the sting is taken out of earning money and experience here. There's a tonne of high priced items laying about in the Wild Area that reappear every day, raiding throws experience candy and sellable items at you and after beating the game, pokémon in the Wild Area appear at level 60 meaning you can rapidly rake in that exp. Compared to previous games, this game is very generous with the handouts but it's still easy to get back to nothing by buying vitamins or if you're one of those people, buying every item of clothing in the game. It's much appreciated particularly the exp side of things as it all but trivialises levelling up EV and IV trained pokémon, if you can get over the hoarding mentality that is. Is it too much quality of life? Arguably the lack of the long-winded effort and RNG breeding somewhat cheapens the game. Where you could spend days on breeding, training, and levelling, its now almost automatic, by next gen we will just have rental pokémon at lvl 100 with all moves available to them. Don't get me wrong I welcome not having to grind it out again, especially since I need to revise all my mons. But making it this easy is detracting something, removing the mojo... Yes I hated levelling up in earlier games for instance having tail whip as a move, but there were a few tough decisions to be made to prevent you dying as you went on your adventure finding yourself finding yourself using your last potion, fraught with the crippling fear of wondering when you last saved was. The game could be considered too easy, and in essence a frail kinder egg toy version of what it once was, but now backed with pay as you go add-ons and expansion packs to keep the ADHD generation excited for a hot minute. What's New? So far, so Stockholm syndrome, here's a breakdown about some of the things which are new to pokémon games in Pokémon Sword & Pokémon Shield. League Cards- They've been working up to something like this in previous games but league cards are probably the best we've had it to show off character customisation. From the Pokémon Centre PC you can pick a background, cover, effects and pose your avatar which along with your key game stats gets printed off as your league card. You can then share this with other players and opt to share and receive when interacting with other players through battling and trading. Some backgrounds and effects are unlocked through various gameplay challenges and most players seem to put at least a little bit of effort into these glorified showing off stamps. PokeJobs- As with a plethora of games nowadays, pokémon has an idle mode, a stepchild of the Poke-Pelago, allowing you to send 'mon away to improve EV stats or get XP/money. A welcome addition for background training, or batch training of a Super Soldier army but ultimately useless unless you are really strapped for cash. Camping- Camping is this game's Pokémon Amie, it gives you a space to 'play' with your party pokémon, boosting their friendliness and exp. You can also barely interact with other players when camping in the Wild Area and connected online but interaction is limited and it can be difficult to work with the other player when cooking, another feature of camping. Using berries and food ingredients found and bought up to four players can make a curry the effects of which vary depending on the combination of ingredients and how well a curry making minigame is executed. Infamously, there is a Currydex and 151 of the fuckers to make including curries only possible to make with version exclusive ingredients and incredibly rare ingredients randomly sold by two merchants in the wild area (my kingdom for 7 eggs!). The pay off for cooking 'em all are nowhere near worth the grind, various different shaped balls to throw at your pokémon when playing in the camp and gold cutlery for getting them all. I won't lie, I'm usually a sucker for these interaction modes but the interactibility here is limited. Just throw in a proper photo mode already. Mints- Bit by bit, we're almost getting all the tools we ideally need to tweak pokémon caught, hatched or traded so that you can work with 'less than perfect' to bring them up to almost perfect. In previous games we got hyper training and ability capsules allowing the artificial manipulation of individual values and abilities respectively. This game introduces mints, which are scarce enough to require some grinding in the battle tower or pure luck, which allow you to artificially change the nature of a pokémon. Nature effects underlying strengths and weaknesses in stats so being able to change them artificially is a god-send for those random shiny encounters and difficult to breed pokémon which are otherwise perfect. Our only hope is that a nature changed with mints is a truly permanent change and won't vanish in future games, okay we admit it, we're still butthurt about the leaf crown. The Wild Area- One of the most significant areas which is different to all other pokémon games is the Wild Area, a huge area that takes up the middle of the map. Superficially, it is similar to the normal routes in pokémon games, just on the large size. It's divided up into different biomes, with lakes, ponds, pools, desert, forest, a spooky area and a few islets and patches of long grass and fishing spots throughout. This fairly open area works differently in that when connected online you'll sort of see other connected players dashing about (but it seems impossible to 'meet up' with players you know are connected). There are wandering pokémon in the long grass, hidden pokémon in the long grass that rustle with an exclamation mark when you're nearby as well as fixed spawned pokémon which change with the weather system which changes over every 24 hours and occasionally on special days the weather is the same across the map. There are berry trees to harvest daily and a smattering of shiny 'hidden items' to pick up which also refresh. Spread across the Wild Area are over a hundred raid dens too (see below). We stalled our story progress for tens of hours just exploring this area, filling the dex, collecting items and raiding and it's where you'll likely spend most of end game. It's big and diverse enough that you'll end up fast travelling from one side to the other and soon you build up a robust mental map of where the dens, fixed spawns and items show up. Dynamax Raids - Recent games have brought a gimmick to battling to shake up the meta game, however, it appears these are being treated as ephemeral mechanics rather than permanent additions to the fundamentals of pokémon. X and Y introduced mega evolution and the Sun and Moon series brought Z-crystals and moves to the table. Both are, for the time being, gone here and dynamaxing, max raiding and gigantamax pokémon are this game's gimmick. Dynamaxing is a mechanic where in set circumstances, at raid dens in the Wild Area, in gym battles through the story and in PvP battles one of your pokémon grows to a huge size for three turns. Their hit points are doubled and their moves are changed into powerful attacks, with added effects sort of like Z-moves. A limited number of pokémon also have gigantamax forms which means that when they dynamax, they change appearance and have access to a pokémon specific G-Max move. This major new mechanic is at the heart of 'raiding' in the Wild Area at raid dens. Raid dens look like little rock donuts which have a beam of light reaching into the sky if there's a pokémon to fight, the beam appears different if there's a rare spawn which may have a hidden ability or a gigantamax pokémon inside. These dens seem to pop up randomly but you can also farm specific dens with a wishing piece item. Up to four players team up to fight a dynamaxed or rarer, gigantamaxed pokémon, empty spots or offline play are filled with some infamously not great NPCs. The player team loses if ten turns pass or if four of their pokémon are KO'd before then. Only one of the four players can dynamax and this is managed by dynamax energy. The host of the raid can dynamax straight away but if they don't their dynamax energy depletes and other players in order get the opportunity to dynamax. Successfully beating the opponent pokémon who will have layers of shielding depending on their star rating, will reward the team with items and, aside from special event raids, the opportunity to catch the pokémon in the den. Depending on their star rating and the colour of the beam they'll have a higher chance of having perfect IV stats as well as their hidden ability. Dynamaxing works slightly different in the battle tower and in PvP and has shaken up the competitive meta game considerably, there's no dynamax energy meter instead each player has the opportunity to dynamax one of their pokémon during the fight. Dynamaxed pokémon become immune to some attack effects and their hold items work differently. In this player's opinion, dynamax, max raiding and gigantamax is a great addition to the game for a number of reasons. It finally gives players a reason and method to play together online beyond battling against each other, trading or 'poking each other' (see online efforts of previous games) and it adds an element of strategy when teaming up to take on raids. Aside from events like the movie-tie in Mewtwo raids, most, if you've made a sensible pokémon selection are achievable, plus players have a shot at catching version exclusives by teaming up with a host from a different game. Catch rates for defeated pokémon are tweaked somewhat so you still get that feeling of waiting for the poké ball to pop when fighting a rarer spawned pokémon in someone else's raid. As mentioned above, from the first few official regional and international events, dynamaxing is almost the perfect counter to the ingrained problem of priority moves and switching dominating the 'professional' meta game. It also makes matches a tad more watchable in my opinion. Will dynamax eventually be rotated out a la mega evolution and Z-crystals? It's difficult to believe they will be for what they currently bring to the game in terms of strategy and the sort-of online play that pokémon has always struggled to capitalise on. Y-Comm- The evolution of what used to be 'all that menu bullshit on the bottom screen', the Y-Comm is the rolling notification system when connected online the descendent of the C-gear and X/Y's online 'O Power' and scroll of online player screens. Through the Y-Comm players can find other players to battle, trade with or share a league card as well as advertise and sign up to raids. It doesn't work especially smoothly. It's obvious that compromises have been made to try to speed up the task of connecting online, finding other players and linking up with them as well as somehow presenting players with a manageable flow of notifications. Notifications aren't strictly live as we imagine it would be a never ending scroll of notifications but far too often you're too late to join raids and disconnects are a frequent occurrence too. It doesn't help either that trying to hook up with players who have already launched a raid or cancel a trade delivers what feels like an error message rather than a 'you were too late message'. Annoyingly, the Y-Comm tab is ever present on the screen in the Wild Area ruining screenshots of those beautiful vistas. Brilliant Aura- Over the years we've had tens of different systems for special pokémon in the wild from rustling grass, the DexNav, horde battles and SOS battles. Sword and shield introduces brilliant aura pokémon reminiscent of Let's Go's supersized and tiny sized pokémon. These pokémon randomly spawn but are more likely to pop up depending on how many pokémon of that species you've battled and caught. They have a higher chance of having perfect IVs in three or four(?) or their stats as well as having an egg move which takes the sting a little bit our of breeding for egg moves, at least initially. What's Lost and Lacking? It's not all positive additions to the game, some things have been stripped back for unknown reasons and there are some systems which remain nigglesome.  GTS- The GTS or the Global Trade System is the system which players used to be able to use to trade pokémon with other players online remotely. You have a spare Torchic, you want a Bellsprout, either stick the Torchic on the GTS with a Bellsprout ask and wait until someone trades with you or hop onto the GTS to see which Bellsprout are on offer and whether you can complete the trade. By Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, unless you were looking for those really rare or event only pokémon, you were almost guaranteed to get what you were after on the deposit side. On the ask side, players are fucking ridiculous but occasionally you could find what you needed. The GTS has been dropped from Sword and Shield, most likely because it's a key feature of Pokémon HOME, premium payed up players can deposit up to three pokémon at a time. But it does mean that there's no sensible way to trade pokémon in Sword and Shield with random other players. You can link up with players on the Y-Comm but it's impossible to communicate with them what you want and what they need. With friend codes you can connect to targeted players which has made some of the dex filling possible but the lack of a GTS in HOME is really felt. A shame. Berries?- Like other features in this list, we've seen a number of approaches to how berries are handled in the game. From naturally replenishing over time trees, to planting, watering and fertilising mechanics, to Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon's pokémon pelago berry growing island. The USUM solution worked the best out of all of these systems, removing the fussy requirement of waiting for days on end or losing berry strains by forgetting to harvest. In Sword and Shield, in addition to being rewards from raid battles, berries grow in the Wild Area and are collected via a 'tree rustling' minigame. Rustle the tree too many times and a wild pokémon will attack, leaving pesky wild pokémon to take some or all of the berries you rustled up. Point being, aside from putting effort into grinding berry trees continuously, it's very difficult to gather a specific berry that you need and sadly impossible to reproduce rarer berries that you have in your inventory. We've got into the habit of doing a daily circuit to generally up the stock but there are a few berries which remain scarce, which has an impact on battle usage, there are certain combos needed for cooking up high quality curries and of course, berry erasing EV points. We had a better system in USUM, it seems unfortunate to take a step back. Let Us See The Numbers I've whinged extensively about this before but I still have a complaint about the underlying numbers in pokémon. Despite being given tools to change natures, individual values, help with investing effort values and erasing them, you still can't see the specific numbers you've invested in any particular pokémon. Individual values are viewable on a spectrum of categories (it's easy to just aim for best) and EV points are only viewable on a hexagonal graph. We still need to refer to resources on the web worked out by the wider pokémon community in order to get this stuff straight and for nuanced builds which aren't just a straight dump of EVs into one or two stats you still need pen and paper to make sure you've not mucked up by a point or two here and there. Yes, we're far from the days when the IV checker man would give you vague hints about how good an individual pokémon's stats were but just give us the tools to do this with precision and perhaps give all players a chance at understanding the mechanics behind it all without doing a deep dive on external websites. So there we have it, the review that serves nobody. Fans will already have the game (remember the boycott? anyone?) and I'm not sure the above will convince anyone who doesn't already speak pokémon but that's our review. SORT OUT THIS WEAK ENDING DO NOT LET IT GO OUT LIKE THIS.

http://www.thatguys.co.uk/2020/03/the-big-one-pokemon-sword-pokemon.html

[componentplanet]

Review: Google Stadia Might Be the Future of Gaming, but We’re Not There Yet

One company or another has been trying to sell consumers on cloud gaming for the last few years, but no one has made it stick. Not only do you need the clout to get game publishers on board, but you also need the network infrastructure to make the experience reliable for people all over the world. Google might have all the pieces in place to make Stadia work, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should start buying your games on Stadia right now. You need a lot of bandwidth for the best Stadia experience, and hardware support will be skimpy at launch. Stadia has potential, but that’s what we’ve been saying about game streaming for nigh on a decade at this point. 

Getting Started

Eventually, Stadia will work on a variety of devices including most smartphones and Chromecasts. However, the launch support is limited to just Google’s Pixel phones, Chrome browsers, and the Chromecast Ultra — specifically, the Chromecast Ultra that comes with Stadia. Google won’t roll out the Stadia update to other Chromecast units until a later date. Additional phone support is also coming on some vague future date. 

You need the Stadia app on your phone to get started, even if you don’t plan to play games on the phone. From there, you configure the controller, which connects directly to the internet rather than going through your streaming device. You can also “pair” the controller with the Chromecast Ultra so it can launch Stadia with a button press. This is a clunky experience, though. It took me about five tries to get the devices linked. You should be able to link a controller simply by inputting a series of button presses shown on your Chromecast’s ambient screen. 

Stadia is tied to your Google account, and you can’t move your library to another login. So, make sure you choose your preferred account before you purchase anything. Google has connected Stadia to the same back-end as Google Play, so you earn Play Points when you buy games. Once you’re set up and buy some games (Destiny 2 and Samurai Showdown come with the Founder’s bundle), you can launch them from the mobile app or the TV by selecting a screen. Your controller should automatically connect to the service over Wi-Fi, so you don’t need to fumble with Bluetooth or additional wireless dongles. 

Playing Games

I’ve tried most of the major game streaming services that have popped up over the years, and Stadia is the first one that sufficiently replicates a local gaming experience. Destiny 2 runs smoothly at 4k60 on Stadia with HDR enabled, which is truly impressive — my gaming desktop PC would probably struggle to do that. It’s easy to forget the game is being rendered on a distant server and streamed to your screen. I haven’t noticed any lag at all. 

There are a few clear advantages to having games render in the cloud. For example, Stadia keeps your game instances running for several minutes after you close the app. So, you can start a game on your TV or phone, and then switch seamlessly to the other and continue playing where you left off. The games are, of course, vastly more advanced than anything you could play on a low-power device like a phone or Chromebook, and the experience is almost identical to what you’d get on a powerful gaming PC. 

You need a USB-C cable to play Stadia games on a phone right now, which is very silly.

In its prettiest form, Stadia will absolutely devour your bandwidth. Google recommends 35Mbps down for 4k60 HDR gameplay, and that’s very close to what I’m seeing on my end. If you’ve got a monthly data cap, Stadia could blow right through it. After all, you are streaming 4K video every second you spend in a game even if it’s paused, but you can turn down the quality in the Stadia settings. 

Mortal Kombat 11 on Stadia.

The Stadia controller is easily the equal of the Xbox One or PS4 versions. The thumbsticks have good resistance and smoothness, and the buttons are tactile but not too loud. I also enjoy the convenient screen capture button next to the main button cluster. I personally prefer the staggered thumbstick layout of the Xbox controller, but PS4 gamers will adapt to the symmetrical sticks on the Stadia controller easily. One strange foible: the controller doesn’t work wirelessly with a phone yet. You have to plug in a USB-C cable. 

Is Stadia Right for You?

If you’re reading this, the odds are you won’t want Stadia — at least not yet. The selection of games is limited, and the prices are usually higher than what you’d get buying from Steam or Amazon. It also requires a fast internet connection. The highest-quality streaming requires a Stadia Pro subscription, as well. 

Stadia performed extremely well for me during testing. The experience I’ve had with Stadia might not match what everyone gets after launch — there were very few people on the servers during the review period, so performance might degrade when the floodgates open. That said, Google is one of the few companies with the infrastructure to support thousands of cloud gaming connections. 

Kine is a quirky puzzle game available on Stadia at launch.

If Stadia can avoid growing pains as more players come online, I can safely say it will provide the best cloud gaming experience available. Once additional device support rolls out, Stadia could be an ideal way to play your games wherever you happen to be. Playing Mortal Kombat 11 on your phone is pretty undeniably cool. I could see Stadia being great for frequent travelers and those who don’t want to deal with maintaining a gaming PC. However, it won’t make you want to dump your console or gaming PC if you’ve already invested in the hardware.

Now read:

Stadia Developers Reveal Missing Launch Features in Reddit AMA

Google: Stadia Isn’t ‘Netflix for Games’

How Google’s Stadia Game Streaming Service Can Succeed

from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/302239-review-google-stadia from Blogger http://componentplanet.blogspot.com/2019/11/review-google-stadia-might-be-future-of.html

#Review: Google Stadia Might Be the Future of Gaming #but We’re Not There Yet

[lockwisetips]

Relay by Republic Wireless Kids’ Phone Review

Fun, easy to use

No contracts

Cellular starts at $9.99/mo.

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The Bottom Line: The Relay is a Simple and Affordable Cell Phone Alternative

Being able to reach my child when I need to is huge for my peace of mind. Relay makes that peace of mind affordable and without additional unhealthy technology baggage.

The GPS tracking still leaves a lot to be desired, and there are certainly aspects to communicating with the Relay that are a little clunky. But based on what I’ve seen so far, I’m confident that Relay is listening to its customers and will continue to improve its service.

I have two girls who are always on the go, but still years away from being responsible enough for their own cell phones. The Relay is going to be my go-to option for bridging the gap.

The Relay kids GPS device in action

How the Relay Stacks Up

I have four kids. Once my two teens got involved in after-school activities, I bit the bullet and bought them phones to keep up with them.

But along with those phones came the necessary evils of text messages, access to mindless games,YouTube, and the never-ending pleas for social media accounts. Needless to say, I’m anxious about opening a similar can of worms for my younger two.

The Relay is a cell phone alternative that both parents and kids can appreciate.

It uses a combination of cellular networks and Wi-Fi calling, so it works everywhere, just like a cell phone. No internet access means it’s safer than a phone, and the Relay is simple enough that even my 6-year-old can use it.

There’s also no fragile screen, so it’s practical for active younger kids.

Still, with all the simplicity of the Relay, our testing showed that it’s vulnerable to connectivity issues and the occasional technical hiccup. The GPS isn’t perfect, and accessing its fun features can be challenging at times.

Still, if I had to choose between a smartphone and the Relay for my kids, the Relay would win hands down.

Pros

Affordable

Simple and fun to use

Screen-free

One year warranty

No contracts

Cons

GPS delay

No carrying case included

Setup difficulties

Relay Pricing and Specifications

Price Monthly Cellular Fee Technical Requirements Warranty

Relay Kid's Phone Alternative $42.49 $9.99 Wi-Fi connection, smartphone 1-year limited warranty Visit Relay

{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Table", "about": "" }

Price and Contract

The Relay costs about $50.

Plans are as simple as the Relay device itself: no contracts, and only one basic plan option of $10 a month for Republic Wireless cell service.

Relay also offers a one-year warranty against defects, and a SIM card is included with the phone.

My only complaint with the Relay “package” is that unlike other GPS wearables for kids, accessories like a protective case, carabiner clip, or lanyard have to be purchased separately (around $15 on Amazon). My girls’ clothes rarely have pockets, so this was a drawback for me.

Relay plugged in and charging

Tech and Equipment

When I unboxed the Relay, I was impressed by the device’s smooth, sturdy shell. It might be designed for kids, but it definitely feels like a high-end electronic device.

At about only 2.5 inches square, I liked that it’s small enough to fit in a pocket (even if my girls don’t have any).

It’s available in five different colors and it comes with fun decals your kids can use to personalize it. It also has a headphone jack to keep conversations more private, or for listening to music.

The battery life was dependent on how much we used the device. It would stay charged for only about ten hours when we were using it frequently, but a brief charge got it up and running again quickly.

The magnetic charging dock for the Relay made it easy for my kids to plug it in to charge, and it reached full charge in under three hours. There’s a glowing circle around the center button that changes color based on what you’re doing with your Relay.

The Relay setup didn’t go as smoothly as I’d hoped. When I clicked companion app’s help link, I was met with the message, “Typically replies in a few hours.” Rather than a quick power cycle resolved the problem.

What’s in the Relay box: The Relay device, charging cable, instructions, and stickers

Relay Device

Kids can press and hold the large button on the Relay device to talk to their parent’s phone using the Relay app. The device also has a power button, volume button, and headphone jack.

  Relay Charging Cord

The USB charging cord comes with an adapter plug and a magnetic port to make it easier for kids to connect it to the Relay device correctly.

Features and Usability

The Relay and its app both work just like walkie-talkies, but it took some practice to master the buttons. The speaker phone audio is slightly garbled, which is a drawback because, let’s face it—kids can be hard to understand anyway. With walkie-talkie style communication you also have to be careful to not talk while the other person is talking.

On my app I’d get an alert to let me know someone else was talking, and the Relay would turn red and say, “Another member of the group is talking.”

Communicating with the Relay worked well for us about 90% of the time, but there were a few times when it just failed to connect. When that happened, I would get a noise on my phone that sounded like I’d just gotten a question wrong on a game show. It didn’t happen often, and it usually just took another try or two to connect, but it did make me anxious to not be able to reach my child.

The small control buttons on the Relay’s side

The Relay Mobile App

The Relay app for my phone was intuitive and easy to use.

The app lets you check the battery status of the Relay, use GPS tracking to locate the device, and add and manage the private channels your child has access to.

Overall, the app tended to lag behind the device itself, especially when it came to updating the Relay’s battery status and GPS location, but refreshing the app typically fixed the problem. For real-time location tracking, you’re better off just sending a Relay message to your kid asking them where they are.

Screenless Design Pros & Cons 

I thought the Relay might being boring compared to a phone, but it has some fun features that help in that department. In addition to the Relay (talk) channel, the device also has other channels you can add like you would add apps to a phone, like Daily Joke, Echo, Music, and Translate.

Pressing the power button switches the Relay to another channel. If your child switches out of the Relay channel to a different channel, when you try to talk to them, the device will automatically switch back over to the talk channel so your message will come through.

The Music channel was another hit with my girls, but you have to use the included USB cord and download your own music files. Kids can switch songs and put music in shuffle mode by pressing the large button on the Relay in different patterns.

My girls' favorite channel

My girls' favorite channel was Daily Joke, with truly cheesy jokes like "What does an eagle like to write with? A bald point pen."

Relay Alerts and Notifications

Messages won’t come through automatically unless you have your Relay app open. Your child has to press and hold the volume button to send a push notification to your phone that lets you know they’re trying to reach you.

This is a nice feature that Relay only recently added, but the volume button on the Relay is tiny and hard hold. My girls did it, but it definitely took some effort, and often they’d forget to do it before they started talking.

When that happened, I’d just get a push notification on my phone that they were talking and I should open the Relay app.

During the few weeks we tested it, I noticed that Relay was constantly adding new information and updates, including added functionality to the Relay and additional Relay channels. Soon there will be an SOS alert feature, geofencing, and the ability to leave voice mail messages.

It’s clear that this is a company that’s making updates to better meet its customers’ needs.

Pros

Helpful push notifications

Frequent new features

Cons

Tiny volume button

How We Evaluated the Relay

During our testing period, we used the Relay like we would use a regular cell phone. We communicated while the girls were at friends’ homes, at the park, and at home with a babysitter while I was out. It got dropped and splashed and temporarily misplaced, but it held up well to everything our family threw at it. Our methodology has more info about how we review products like the Relay.

Related Articles

2019 Best Wearable GPS Trackers for Kids Buyers Guide

Smart Baby Gadgets for New Parents

The post Relay by Republic Wireless Kids’ Phone Review appeared first on SafeWise.

Article source here: Relay by Republic Wireless Kids’ Phone Review

[andylocksmithtipsntricks]

Relay by Republic Wireless Kids’ Phone Review

Fun, easy to use

No contracts

Cellular starts at $9.99/mo.

Visit Relay

Read review

The Bottom Line: The Relay is a Simple and Affordable Cell Phone Alternative

Being able to reach my child when I need to is huge for my peace of mind. Relay makes that peace of mind affordable and without additional unhealthy technology baggage.

The GPS tracking still leaves a lot to be desired, and there are certainly aspects to communicating with the Relay that are a little clunky. But based on what I’ve seen so far, I’m confident that Relay is listening to its customers and will continue to improve its service.

I have two girls who are always on the go, but still years away from being responsible enough for their own cell phones. The Relay is going to be my go-to option for bridging the gap.

The Relay kids GPS device in action

How the Relay Stacks Up

I have four kids. Once my two teens got involved in after-school activities, I bit the bullet and bought them phones to keep up with them.

But along with those phones came the necessary evils of text messages, access to mindless games,YouTube, and the never-ending pleas for social media accounts. Needless to say, I’m anxious about opening a similar can of worms for my younger two.

The Relay is a cell phone alternative that both parents and kids can appreciate.

It uses a combination of cellular networks and Wi-Fi calling, so it works everywhere, just like a cell phone. No internet access means it’s safer than a phone, and the Relay is simple enough that even my 6-year-old can use it.

There’s also no fragile screen, so it’s practical for active younger kids.

Still, with all the simplicity of the Relay, our testing showed that it’s vulnerable to connectivity issues and the occasional technical hiccup. The GPS isn’t perfect, and accessing its fun features can be challenging at times.

Still, if I had to choose between a smartphone and the Relay for my kids, the Relay would win hands down.

Pros

Affordable

Simple and fun to use

Screen-free

One year warranty

No contracts

Cons

GPS delay

No carrying case included

Setup difficulties

Relay Pricing and Specifications

Price Monthly Cellular Fee Technical Requirements Warranty

Relay Kid's Phone Alternative $42.49 $9.99 Wi-Fi connection, smartphone 1-year limited warranty Visit Relay

{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Table", "about": "" }

Price and Contract

The Relay costs about $50.

Plans are as simple as the Relay device itself: no contracts, and only one basic plan option of $10 a month for Republic Wireless cell service.

Relay also offers a one-year warranty against defects, and a SIM card is included with the phone.

My only complaint with the Relay “package” is that unlike other GPS wearables for kids, accessories like a protective case, carabiner clip, or lanyard have to be purchased separately (around $15 on Amazon). My girls’ clothes rarely have pockets, so this was a drawback for me.

Relay plugged in and charging

Tech and Equipment

When I unboxed the Relay, I was impressed by the device’s smooth, sturdy shell. It might be designed for kids, but it definitely feels like a high-end electronic device.

At about only 2.5 inches square, I liked that it’s small enough to fit in a pocket (even if my girls don’t have any).

It’s available in five different colors and it comes with fun decals your kids can use to personalize it. It also has a headphone jack to keep conversations more private, or for listening to music.

The battery life was dependent on how much we used the device. It would stay charged for only about ten hours when we were using it frequently, but a brief charge got it up and running again quickly.

The magnetic charging dock for the Relay made it easy for my kids to plug it in to charge, and it reached full charge in under three hours. There’s a glowing circle around the center button that changes color based on what you’re doing with your Relay.

The Relay setup didn’t go as smoothly as I’d hoped. When I clicked companion app’s help link, I was met with the message, “Typically replies in a few hours.” Rather than a quick power cycle resolved the problem.

What’s in the Relay box: The Relay device, charging cable, instructions, and stickers

Relay Device

Kids can press and hold the large button on the Relay device to talk to their parent’s phone using the Relay app. The device also has a power button, volume button, and headphone jack.

  Relay Charging Cord

The USB charging cord comes with an adapter plug and a magnetic port to make it easier for kids to connect it to the Relay device correctly.

Features and Usability

The Relay and its app both work just like walkie-talkies, but it took some practice to master the buttons. The speaker phone audio is slightly garbled, which is a drawback because, let’s face it—kids can be hard to understand anyway. With walkie-talkie style communication you also have to be careful to not talk while the other person is talking.

On my app I’d get an alert to let me know someone else was talking, and the Relay would turn red and say, “Another member of the group is talking.”

Communicating with the Relay worked well for us about 90% of the time, but there were a few times when it just failed to connect. When that happened, I would get a noise on my phone that sounded like I’d just gotten a question wrong on a game show. It didn’t happen often, and it usually just took another try or two to connect, but it did make me anxious to not be able to reach my child.

The small control buttons on the Relay’s side

The Relay Mobile App

The Relay app for my phone was intuitive and easy to use.

The app lets you check the battery status of the Relay, use GPS tracking to locate the device, and add and manage the private channels your child has access to.

Overall, the app tended to lag behind the device itself, especially when it came to updating the Relay’s battery status and GPS location, but refreshing the app typically fixed the problem. For real-time location tracking, you’re better off just sending a Relay message to your kid asking them where they are.

Screenless Design Pros & Cons 

I thought the Relay might being boring compared to a phone, but it has some fun features that help in that department. In addition to the Relay (talk) channel, the device also has other channels you can add like you would add apps to a phone, like Daily Joke, Echo, Music, and Translate.

Pressing the power button switches the Relay to another channel. If your child switches out of the Relay channel to a different channel, when you try to talk to them, the device will automatically switch back over to the talk channel so your message will come through.

The Music channel was another hit with my girls, but you have to use the included USB cord and download your own music files. Kids can switch songs and put music in shuffle mode by pressing the large button on the Relay in different patterns.

My girls' favorite channel

My girls' favorite channel was Daily Joke, with truly cheesy jokes like "What does an eagle like to write with? A bald point pen."

Relay Alerts and Notifications

Messages won’t come through automatically unless you have your Relay app open. Your child has to press and hold the volume button to send a push notification to your phone that lets you know they’re trying to reach you.

This is a nice feature that Relay only recently added, but the volume button on the Relay is tiny and hard hold. My girls did it, but it definitely took some effort, and often they’d forget to do it before they started talking.

When that happened, I’d just get a push notification on my phone that they were talking and I should open the Relay app.

During the few weeks we tested it, I noticed that Relay was constantly adding new information and updates, including added functionality to the Relay and additional Relay channels. Soon there will be an SOS alert feature, geofencing, and the ability to leave voice mail messages.

It’s clear that this is a company that’s making updates to better meet its customers’ needs.

Pros

Helpful push notifications

Frequent new features

Cons

Tiny volume button

How We Evaluated the Relay

During our testing period, we used the Relay like we would use a regular cell phone. We communicated while the girls were at friends’ homes, at the park, and at home with a babysitter while I was out. It got dropped and splashed and temporarily misplaced, but it held up well to everything our family threw at it. Our methodology has more info about how we review products like the Relay.

Related Articles

2019 Best Wearable GPS Trackers for Kids Buyers Guide

Smart Baby Gadgets for New Parents

The post Relay by Republic Wireless Kids’ Phone Review appeared first on SafeWise.

Article source here: Relay by Republic Wireless Kids’ Phone Review

[eraifttt2]

Relay by Republic Wireless Kids’ Phone Review

Fun, easy to use

No contracts

Cellular starts at $9.99/mo.

Visit Relay

Read review

The Bottom Line: The Relay is a Simple and Affordable Cell Phone Alternative

Being able to reach my child when I need to is huge for my peace of mind. Relay makes that peace of mind affordable and without additional unhealthy technology baggage.

The GPS tracking still leaves a lot to be desired, and there are certainly aspects to communicating with the Relay that are a little clunky. But based on what I’ve seen so far, I’m confident that Relay is listening to its customers and will continue to improve its service.

I have two girls who are always on the go, but still years away from being responsible enough for their own cell phones. The Relay is going to be my go-to option for bridging the gap.

The Relay kids GPS device in action

How the Relay Stacks Up

I have four kids. Once my two teens got involved in after-school activities, I bit the bullet and bought them phones to keep up with them.

But along with those phones came the necessary evils of text messages, access to mindless games,YouTube, and the never-ending pleas for social media accounts. Needless to say, I’m anxious about opening a similar can of worms for my younger two.

The Relay is a cell phone alternative that both parents and kids can appreciate.

It uses a combination of cellular networks and Wi-Fi calling, so it works everywhere, just like a cell phone. No internet access means it’s safer than a phone, and the Relay is simple enough that even my 6-year-old can use it.

There’s also no fragile screen, so it’s practical for active younger kids.

Still, with all the simplicity of the Relay, our testing showed that it’s vulnerable to connectivity issues and the occasional technical hiccup. The GPS isn’t perfect, and accessing its fun features can be challenging at times.

Still, if I had to choose between a smartphone and the Relay for my kids, the Relay would win hands down.

Pros

Affordable

Simple and fun to use

Screen-free

One year warranty

No contracts

Cons

GPS delay

No carrying case included

Setup difficulties

Relay Pricing and Specifications

Price Monthly Cellular Fee Technical Requirements Warranty

Relay Kid's Phone Alternative $42.49 $9.99 Wi-Fi connection, smartphone 1-year limited warranty Visit Relay

{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Table", "about": "" }

Price and Contract

The Relay costs about $50.

Plans are as simple as the Relay device itself: no contracts, and only one basic plan option of $10 a month for Republic Wireless cell service.

Relay also offers a one-year warranty against defects, and a SIM card is included with the phone.

My only complaint with the Relay “package” is that unlike other GPS wearables for kids, accessories like a protective case, carabiner clip, or lanyard have to be purchased separately (around $15 on Amazon). My girls’ clothes rarely have pockets, so this was a drawback for me.

Relay plugged in and charging

Tech and Equipment

When I unboxed the Relay, I was impressed by the device’s smooth, sturdy shell. It might be designed for kids, but it definitely feels like a high-end electronic device.

At about only 2.5 inches square, I liked that it’s small enough to fit in a pocket (even if my girls don’t have any).

It’s available in five different colors and it comes with fun decals your kids can use to personalize it. It also has a headphone jack to keep conversations more private, or for listening to music.

The battery life was dependent on how much we used the device. It would stay charged for only about ten hours when we were using it frequently, but a brief charge got it up and running again quickly.

The magnetic charging dock for the Relay made it easy for my kids to plug it in to charge, and it reached full charge in under three hours. There’s a glowing circle around the center button that changes color based on what you’re doing with your Relay.

The Relay setup didn’t go as smoothly as I’d hoped. When I clicked companion app’s help link, I was met with the message, “Typically replies in a few hours.” Rather than a quick power cycle resolved the problem.

What’s in the Relay box: The Relay device, charging cable, instructions, and stickers

Relay Device

Kids can press and hold the large button on the Relay device to talk to their parent’s phone using the Relay app. The device also has a power button, volume button, and headphone jack.

  Relay Charging Cord

The USB charging cord comes with an adapter plug and a magnetic port to make it easier for kids to connect it to the Relay device correctly.

Features and Usability

The Relay and its app both work just like walkie-talkies, but it took some practice to master the buttons. The speaker phone audio is slightly garbled, which is a drawback because, let’s face it—kids can be hard to understand anyway. With walkie-talkie style communication you also have to be careful to not talk while the other person is talking.

On my app I’d get an alert to let me know someone else was talking, and the Relay would turn red and say, “Another member of the group is talking.”

Communicating with the Relay worked well for us about 90% of the time, but there were a few times when it just failed to connect. When that happened, I would get a noise on my phone that sounded like I’d just gotten a question wrong on a game show. It didn’t happen often, and it usually just took another try or two to connect, but it did make me anxious to not be able to reach my child.

The small control buttons on the Relay’s side

The Relay Mobile App

The Relay app for my phone was intuitive and easy to use.

The app lets you check the battery status of the Relay, use GPS tracking to locate the device, and add and manage the private channels your child has access to.

Overall, the app tended to lag behind the device itself, especially when it came to updating the Relay’s battery status and GPS location, but refreshing the app typically fixed the problem. For real-time location tracking, you’re better off just sending a Relay message to your kid asking them where they are.

Screenless Design Pros & Cons 

I thought the Relay might being boring compared to a phone, but it has some fun features that help in that department. In addition to the Relay (talk) channel, the device also has other channels you can add like you would add apps to a phone, like Daily Joke, Echo, Music, and Translate.

Pressing the power button switches the Relay to another channel. If your child switches out of the Relay channel to a different channel, when you try to talk to them, the device will automatically switch back over to the talk channel so your message will come through.

The Music channel was another hit with my girls, but you have to use the included USB cord and download your own music files. Kids can switch songs and put music in shuffle mode by pressing the large button on the Relay in different patterns.

My girls' favorite channel

My girls' favorite channel was Daily Joke, with truly cheesy jokes like "What does an eagle like to write with? A bald point pen."

Relay Alerts and Notifications

Messages won’t come through automatically unless you have your Relay app open. Your child has to press and hold the volume button to send a push notification to your phone that lets you know they’re trying to reach you.

This is a nice feature that Relay only recently added, but the volume button on the Relay is tiny and hard hold. My girls did it, but it definitely took some effort, and often they’d forget to do it before they started talking.

When that happened, I’d just get a push notification on my phone that they were talking and I should open the Relay app.

During the few weeks we tested it, I noticed that Relay was constantly adding new information and updates, including added functionality to the Relay and additional Relay channels. Soon there will be an SOS alert feature, geofencing, and the ability to leave voice mail messages.

It’s clear that this is a company that’s making updates to better meet its customers’ needs.

Pros

Helpful push notifications

Frequent new features

Cons

Tiny volume button

How We Evaluated the Relay

During our testing period, we used the Relay like we would use a regular cell phone. We communicated while the girls were at friends’ homes, at the park, and at home with a babysitter while I was out. It got dropped and splashed and temporarily misplaced, but it held up well to everything our family threw at it. Our methodology has more info about how we review products like the Relay.

Related Articles

2019 Best Wearable GPS Trackers for Kids Buyers Guide

Smart Baby Gadgets for New Parents

The post Relay by Republic Wireless Kids’ Phone Review appeared first on SafeWise.

Aricle source here: Relay by Republic Wireless Kids’ Phone Review

#Blog – SafeWise

[ntrending]

Your Wi-Fi and your smart home don't get along. Now what?

New Post has been published on https://nexcraft.co/your-wi-fi-and-your-smart-home-dont-get-along-now-what/

Your Wi-Fi and your smart home don't get along. Now what?

It’s not you, it’s your Wi-Fi router (maybe). (Web Hosting via Unsplash/)

Having a smart home hasn’t been quite what The Jetsons promised me it would be. In between all the futuristic voice commands and smart automation, there’s a lot of fussing with devices that just won’t cooperate, which can be a real buzzkill.

The internet is littered with forum threads diagnosing issues like this, from Sonos speakers having problems with mesh networks to Nest devices hopping offline at random. Our editor-in-chief even bought some LIFX light bulbs that turned on and off in the middle of the night, thanks to communication issues between his Nest’s Home/Away feature and (maybe) his Eero Wi-Fi network. Most annoyingly, it seems everyone has a different solution to their problem, meaning there’s no simple one-size-fits-all fix. Also, there is no definitive list of products that generally don’t play nicely together, since many folks might run the same combination of stuff without any issues.

Still, there are some common threads at play, so if you run into problems with your supposedly-futuristic smart home crapping out, here are some things we recommend trying before you give up and return everything in a fit of rage.

Move the device (or your router)

Let’s start with the most common (and obvious) tech trouble: Wi-Fi signal. If your home’s Wi-Fi is already spotty, you’re not exactly setting yourself up for success by adding a bunch of smart devices. Try moving the device in question—whether it’s a Sonos speaker, smart plug, or other accessory—closer to your Wi-Fi router. If you find it’s more reliable the closer it gets, you know signal strength may be to blame, and you’ll need to extend your Wi-Fi with better equipment. If you use a Wi-Fi extender or mesh system, you’ll get better results if you wire them together with Ethernet, rather than repeating the Wi-Fi signal

If you’re lucky, you may even be able to get better signal throughout your home just by moving the router. If it’s all the way off to one side of the house, for example, moving it to a more central location will provide a more consistent signal. I’ve even heard that if a device is too close to your Wi-Fi router, moving it away from the router can help. I haven’t seen this myself, but if nothing else works, there’s no harm in trying.

Of course, not all smart devices use Wi-Fi. Some use open protocols like Zigbee or Z-Wave, while others (like Insteon) use their own communication technologies. Philips Hue, for example, contains a hub that wires directly into your router and communicates wirelessly with its bulbs using a Zigbee mesh. If a bulb is too far away from the hub—or from another Hue bulb—it may be finicky, or unable to turn on at all. In this case, you’ll either want to move the hub, or add more bulbs near the problem area.

Similarly, when my Insteon ceiling fans were acting unreliably, it was because they were too far away from the next link in the chain, making it difficult to communicate with the controller hub on the other side of the house. I added an Insteon smart plug between them as an “extender” of sorts, so the signal could make shorter, more reliable “hops” back to its home base.

Wire devices to your router when possible

Just start plugging away. (Lorenzo Cafaro via Pixabay/)

Wired connections will always be stronger and more reliable than wireless ones. Even if you have a seemingly good Wi-Fi signal somewhere, you might get better results if a device is wired up with Ethernet.

Sonos, for example, uses Wi-Fi to connect each speaker to your home network. If you plug just one speaker into your router with an Ethernet cable, though, that speaker will create its own separate wireless network and run your speakers off that instead, so they aren’t competing for bandwidth. If you can’t plug one of your speakers into the router, the standalone Sonos Boost performs the same function.

In addition, I’ve found that some smart home hubs—like the Philips Hue Bridge—perform better when plugged directly into the router, rather than being plugged into an Ethernet switch. If you have a complicated setup of network gear—say, a router from your internet service provider, a switch, and a few mesh extenders or powerline adapters—you may get better results from certain network devices than others.

Isolate the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi band

Many modern routers are “dual band,” using both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies to improve speed and cut down on interference. To this day, some routers require you to have two separate networks as a result (e.g. Smith_House_2GHz and Smith_House_5GHz), which is clunky and inefficient. But now there are also alternatives that allow you to use the same network name for both frequencies, and your laptop, phone, and other devices will intelligently choose the best frequency they can.

But believe it or not, many smart home devices are not that smart. Some may have trouble choosing the correct band, or—shockingly—some may only be compatible with the old 2.4Ghz frequency. This can cause all kinds of connection problems during the initial setup—the device is looking for a 2.4GHz network, but the app wants to hand off the 5GHz version your phone is connected to, causing the whole thing to fail. Yes, this is a hilariously stupid problem, but I’ve seen it happen.

There are a few potential solutions here. If you can log into your router’s settings and temporarily disable the 5GHz band, you might be able to get the app to connect your new device to the correct network. If that isn’t an option—as is the case on many modern routers and mesh systems—you might try using an old 2.4GHz-only phone or tablet to perform the initial setup. (The iPhone 4S was the last single-band iPhone, while a lot of old Android tablets were single-band as well.) If all else fails, you could add a second 2.4GHz-only router for those devices. But if you ask me, at that point, I’d just return my smart home product and buy something that works properly.

Other options

I’ve successfully used the above solutions quite a few times, though they aren’t the only ways to solve your wireless woes. In my research, I’ve stumbled upon many other “quick fixes,” which may or may not work for you, but are worth a shot. These include:

“Reboot” your router, hub, or device.** Yep, the ol’ “turn it off and on again” trick works just as well for smart home gadgets as it does for Wi-Fi routers. Unplug it, wait 10 seconds, and plug it back in to see if your problems go away.

Put your router into “bridge mode.” If you’re using an ISP-supplied modem/router combination in conjunction with a mesh system, you might be running two wireless networks that are interfering with one another. Enter the administrative settings for your ISP-supplied router and enable the bridge mode setting—if you can find one—then let the mesh system create the network to avoid doubling up. If your ISP-supplied router doesn’t offer this feature, you may have to put the mesh system in bridge mode from its app instead.

Repair the mesh. If the devices in question use the Z-Wave protocol (search for your device’s name and model to find out if this is the case), you might be able to solve your problems by repairing the Z-Wave mesh in your hub’s app. (Or, in the case of the current Samsung SmartThings app, by contacting customer support.)

Use modern Wi-Fi encryption schemes. If you’re still using a Wi-Fi network with an outdated WEP or WPA password, you’ll want to upgrade it to WPA2 encryption to ensure the best security and compatibility with recent devices.

Do a factory reset. It isn’t fun, but if your device used to work reliably, you may just need to go back to a blank slate. Open the smart home app in question, reset the device to its factory settings, and try setting it up from scratch.

With any luck, one of these tweaks will solve your problem, and you’ll get that 21st century home you’ve always wanted. If not, it may be time to swap out your router, mesh system, or smart home device for something else entirely—or go back to flipping light switches the old fashioned way until someone else figures all of this stuff out.

Written By Whitson Gordon

#Technology

[droneseco]

EufyCam E: The Wireless Security Camera That Can Last 365 Days Before Needing a Charge

Our verdict of the EufyCam E: Easy-to-use app, reliable motion recording, great image quality, and long battery life make the EufyCam E a good all-in-one wireless security package. But if you need to cover a large area or have signal problems indoors, better look elsewhere.810

Are you looking for an all-in-one wireless security system, cameras with 365-day battery life, great image quality, an easy to use app, Alexa Show / Google Home support, and yet won’t overwhelm your own home Wi-Fi? That’s a long list of requirements! But EufyCam E from Anker might be just what you’re looking for.

Join us as we take a closer look at the EufyCam E 2-camera starter kit–and at the end of this review, we’ve got a complete set to give way to one lucky winner!

What’s In The Box?

Two EufyCam E security cameras

HomeBase, with microSD preinstalled

Two indoor and two outdoor mounts for the cameras

Power adapter with Euro and UK plugs (yours may vary if you buy in the US)

MicroUSB cable which can be used to charge the cameras from either the base station itself or from another generic USB charger

Ethernet cable

Mounting screws and wall plugs

Quick start guide and deterrent warning sticker

The cameras are very compact, at around 3.1 x 3.4 x 2 inches, but heavy (12.8oz)– housing both a large battery and an incredibly powerful magnet for easy mounting. Keep them well away from sensitive electronics like hard drives. The HomeBase is lighter at only 12oz, measuring 5 x 5 x 2.6 inches. On the rear on the HomeBase you’ll find a reset button, DC power in, USD (IQ) quick charging port, Ethernet, and microSD slot. The charging port is for charging the cameras directly from the homepage, without the need of yet another plug socket.

The 2-camera and hub kit costs $399, with additional cameras available for $180 each. What’s the EufyCam E HomeBase for? Rather than operating on your existing Wi-Fi network, the cameras communicate over their own hidden wireless network, which is broadcast from the HomeBase. It’s also where the recordings are stored. That ensures your own network isn’t getting clogged up with video data!

EufyCam E EufyCam E Buy Now On Amazon $399.99

The cameras feature talkback capability, as well as an accelerometer to detect when they’re being tampered with, which can trigger a 100dB alarm. Even if an intruder does manage to steal one of the cameras, the footage will have been saved to the HomeBase, rather than on the camera itself.

Setting up the EufyCam E

Youll need to register an account before you can use the app. There’s no option for unregistered local only access, nor can you quickly make an account via your Facebook or Google login. You’ll need to activate your email address before you can use the app at all.

The EufyCam HomeBase must be plugged into your network at all times

Choose the balance between battery life and recording frequency/length

The HomeBase must be plugged into your home network via Ethernet (a cable is included). This isn’t just for initial setup. The cameras themselves are completely wireless, requiring neither a power cable nor network cable–but the HomeBase needs both power and Ethernet at all times.

Adding the HomeBase and subsequent cameras to the app was easy, though did involve a lot of clicking the Next button.

When setting up a camera, you’ll also choose the operating mode: either optimal battery life (20 seconds recording, less frequent), optimal for recording as much as possible (up to 60 seconds, more frequently), or can customize the setting.

Then you’re all set. It’s easy, but tedious. It would have been nice if the cameras were pre-paired out of the box.

Mounting the EufyCam E

Once you’ve done the initial setup and charging, you can move on to mounting the cameras in their final position.

Two of both the indoor and outdoor mounts are included, with all the screws and wall plugs you could possibly need. The indoor mount requires a single screw, onto which a steel hemisphere is placed. The cameras then magnetically clasp this, allowing for simple repositioning and easy removal.

The outdoor mount is a lot fussier, requiring two screws, as well as a good bit of fiddling to get the various bits together and at the right angle.

If you don’t want to do any screwing to your walls, you can simply place the cameras on a tabletop or shelf–a rubber strip underneath ensures they won’t scratch. Just bear in mind you won’t be able to angle them up or down like this, so try to keep them around eye level.

Wireless Reception And Video Delay

The Eufycam E essentially broadcasts its own private Wi-Fi for the exclusive use of the cameras. This has a couple of inherent limitations.

Even when the EufyCam was placed next to the HomeBase, I found about a second of delay in the video stream. This increases to 5-10 seconds at the furthest reaches of the wireless reception. This made talkback features awkward. This may have been a quirk of my own network setup or non-ideal testing conditions, and your experience may vary, but it sounds logical given there are two routing steps in the chain, both of which introduce a delay.

If you already have a heavily congested list of networks in your vicinity, you’re going to be adding yet another (albeit invisible one). If you only have a single home network and you live in the middle of nowhere as I do, you should have more than enough space on your channels for this to operate without interfering at all with your regular Wi-Fi.

But, if you already have problems with Wi-Fi signal penetration in your house, the EufyCam will fare no better. While there are ways to fix your own Wi-Fi, you’ll be stuck with the relatively low powered hardware of the EufyCam E HomeBase. With part of my home built in 1850, thick stone walls stop Wi-Fi dead in its tracks. I was unable to test the EufyCam E indoors because of this. Even with the EufyCam HomeBase placed centrally, reception to the cameras in any rooms was poor. I’ve dealt with my home Wi-Fi by switching to an Ubiquiti Unifi network, with access points strategically placed on ceilings around the house, wired through PoE cabling in the loft.

Our Wi-Fi Feng Shui should help you learn about optimal placement of the Eufy HomeBase. It doesn’t need to be next to your router, just connected by Ethernet, so you’re free to place it more optimally.

Of course, there are also some benefits to having the EufyCams operate on their own wireless network. Regardless of how many motion events are generated and recordings made, your Wi-Fi won’t clog up with the additional video traffic. The network is isolated, recording video to the microSD card located HomeBase. Should you need to access those recordings, it’s incredibly quick and reliable, as the HomeBase is connected to your home network over Ethernet, so there’s less wireless hopping involved.

I tested the maximum line of sight range of the EufyCams outdoors, and managed approximately 50m with no obstacles in between before reception was lost or delayed so much as to be unusable. Anker has promised a software update to perhaps increase the transmission power of the wireless chip, but realistically without an external antenna or two, this is unlikely to increase significantly. By contrast, my home Wi-Fi from a Unifi Outdoor+ access point can reach the park, about 200m away.

Image Quality and Motion Detection

At just 1080p, the EufyCam E cameras aren’t the highest resolution available. That said, 1080p is a merely a measure of resolution. If not paired with a good lens or good sensor, the resolution is meaningless. EufyCam E offers a good 1080p, with clear details and vibrant colors. Make sure you view the video for a better idea of image quality, but here’s a single screen capture.

At night, the IR LEDs aren’t blindingly bright to cover a massive area, but do manage to capture details close-up.

See the rat?

More importantly, I found the motion detection to be reliable, with no false alarms. My event list was full of only actual events, not moving cloud cover or wind.

Google Home & Alexa Show

With support for both major smart home screens, account linking was simple and the cameras required no further setup. There is a short delay of a few seconds before the camera feed is shown, but it works reliably. Bear in mind that keeping the feed running for extended periods of time will deplete battery life much quicker than normal.

Is The EufyCam E System for You?

EufyCam E EufyCam E Buy Now On Amazon $399.99

At $400 for two cameras, EufyCam is not a budget option, but the quality of image and ease of use of the app speak for themselves. You’ll also save by not needing cloud hosting, and can still access the camera feeds and events reliably from anywhere in the world. Motion recording is reliable, and I found no false alarms during testing. Videos are stored on the HomeBase, so events are easy to view and download. Even with lots of events, you’ll experience no additional load on your Wi-Fi. The cameras are IP65 rated, and work well outdoors as well as in. You can expand the system when you need with additional cameras, as well as a door sensor. The feature missing compared to other leading brands is facial recognition.

However, if you already have Wi-Fi issues around your home, with poor signal penetration due to the structure, or if you’re looking to place cameras at opposite ends of a large building, the EufyCam E is unlikely to work for you. With no external antennas and a somewhat underpowered Wi-Fi chip, you’re better off fixing your own Wi-Fi and buying security cameras that work directly on that. Or even better, wire your home up for PoE networking, and forget wireless entirely.

Enter the Competition!

EufyCam E 2-Camera Starter Set Giveaway

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EufyCam E: The Wireless Security Camera That Can Last 365 Days Before Needing a Charge published first on http://droneseco.tumblr.com/

[pauldeckerus]

MY ANNUAL HOLIDAY GEAR GUIDE IS HERE!

Welcome to my “13th annual Holiday Gear Guide.”

To be listed here, the gifts have to be: (1) products that I use myself, and that I absolutely love, and now can’t live without (well, I could live without them, but I just wouldn’t want to); and (2) if a product makes the guide, it has to be one I’d recommend to a close friend without hesitation, especially if my friend was loose with money.

Also, to make things easy, we added direct links to all the products I picked so you don’t have to wonder if you’re getting the exact right one. (Note: Depending on the product, clicking on the links below will take you to the manufacturer’s website; if the product is available at B&H Photo or Amazon, then clicking on the link will take you to those websites.)

As is my sacred Gonzo tradition for more than a tenth of a century, I’m breaking things into three distinct categories:

Stocking Stuffers: But you can use these as actual holiday gifts if you’re not that crazy about the person.

Great Value Gear: Stuff that’s a really good deal for the money, and even though it’s not a lot of money, they’ll still totally dig it.

Cha-ching: Stuff you buy for the Berkshire CEO or Russian oligarch on your holiday gift list. This is the stuff that makes them burst into spontaneous tears of joy. Well, at least I would.

So, without further ado, I present to you my “13th Annual Gonzo Holiday Gift Guide of Love (of love?).”

STOCKING STUFFERS

  Powerextra Dual Battery Charger for Canon, Nikon, and Sony DSLR Cameras

Erik Kuna turned me on to this puppy, and I have to say it’s awesome and has worked like a charm. It charges two regular-sized Canon, Nikon, or Sony camera batteries simultaneously; it connects to USB; it’s super small (since it charges the batteries upright rather than on their side) so it takes up less room in your camera bag; and it’s very lightweight. And not only that, each charger comes with two Powerextra replacement batteries (for the camera brands listed above and more)! I’ve used these batteries extensively, and I can’t tell one bit of difference between the brand name ones that cost 5x as much. The person you give this to will think you spent a bunch, so extra love points for you.

Price: It’s a ridiculous deal starting at around $27

Canon: $26.99 (link)

Nikon: $31.99 (link)

Sony: $55.99 (link)

  New Think Tank Photo Emergency Rain Covers

These brand-new, very compact, lightweight rain covers are an amazing deal for the money. They fit easily in your camera bag but can be a lifesaver if you get caught out in the elements (or the photographer on your holiday list sometimes wants to shoot in inclement weather). They’ll super dig these new easy-to-use, quick-to-deploy covers from the same people who make the Hydrophobia line of professional-level rain covers.

Price: They come in two sizes

Medium (fits up to a 70–200mm lens): $39.75 (link)

Small (fits up to a 24–70mm lens): $34.75 (link)

  Awesome Custom Business Cards for Photographers from MOO

Okay, there are two ways you can go on this one (gift card or Plan B), but MOO cards are a favorite with photographers around the world, mainly because they’ll let you print a different image on every card (or you can have the same image on all the cards, five images that repeat in a stack of 50—you get the idea). Anyway, if you can get hold of, say, 10 of their images at high-res, you could get them a set of 50 cards with their images on one side (you’d get 10 cards each of each image), and their contact info and stuff on the other side. You’ll be a superstar for getting either the gift card, or being sneaky and doing the work yourself. This is a can’t-miss stocking stuffer.

Price: 50 cards starting at $19.99 (link)

  Rick Sammon’s Wonderful Book, The Route 66 Photo Road Trip: How to Eat, Stay, Play, and Shoot Like a Pro

This isn’t a tutorial book (though Rick does have a few tutorials in there); it’s a really fun road trip book where you can enjoy the images, Rick’s great stories, road trip tips, and the experience of getting your kicks on Route 66. It’s just a really awesome read and would make a wonderful stocking stuffer.

Price: $13.36 at Amazon (link)

  Indigo Marble Protective Camera Wrap

I use one of these when I don’t want to take a camera bag with me, or I want to take a small camera bag just big enough for a lens or two. I fold it around my camera body and put it in my carry-on luggage. It comes in two sizes: 15″ and 19″ (I use the larger one).

Price: Starting at $50.78 (link)

  Spider Camera Holster SpiderPro Hand Strap

I’ve never been a big fan of camera hand straps—until now. The SpiderPro Hand strap has a great design, is very secure, and most importantly—a comfortable feel in your hand. Plus, an extra five points because it just looks cool when you’re holding your camera with it on. The photographer on your list will dig it.

Price: $65 (link)

  Haida 10-Stop Slim PRO II Screw-On MC Neutral Density (ND) 3.0 Filter

I’ve been using Haida’s filter holder system for about two years now, and for the quality and price, I don’t think you can beat ’em, but if you’re an on-the-go travel photographer, you’ll probably find it more convenient to use a simple screw-on ND filter than using their bracket system. For my recent trip to Austria and Germany, I bought this Slim PROII (77mm to fit my lenses), and I was tickled at how well it works. Best thing about the Haida ND filters? They don’t mess with your image’s color. It’s a killer deal for $62.10, well, for the 77mm size. Your price may be lower for smaller-sized lenses, or higher for bigger lenses (but 77mm is probably as big a lens as the photographer on your list will have).

Price: $62.10 for the 77mm (link)

  Platypod Ultra

This is the Platypod Ultra’s second year on the list, and while this thing was blowing up last year, this year it’s vying for the hottest photography accessory on the planet. It’s a tripod replacement (that doesn’t need legs), it’s super-lightweight (3.2 oz.), and fits in your pocket. You screw a small ballhead onto it, and it holds your camera steady as a rock so you can place it where tripods either aren’t allowed (which sadly is pretty much everywhere these days) or where they can’t fit. Everybody wants a Platypod Ultra.

Price: $59; Splurge a little and get them the bundle with the Multi Accessory Kit for $79 (it’s awesome) (link)

GREAT VALUE GEAR

    Think Tank Photo Airport Roller Derby

I love this camera bag on a level that’s, well, unhealthy (let’s just leave it at that). Yes, it holds a ridiculous amount of stuff; there’s a pocket for everything (including your laptop and your iPad); a built-in cable lock so it doesn’t wander off; a tripod holder; and I could go on and on, but what’s ridiculously awesome is simply its four wheels. I can literally roll it through the airport using nothing but my pinky. If I push too hard, it rolls ahead of me. If the photographer on your gift list is tired of dragging a heavy rolling bag behind them, this one will glide right beside them. Get them this one; they’ll be your friend for life.

Price: $399.75 (link)

  B&H Gift Card

This is always the perfect gift because B&H Photo is the greatest camera store in the world, and whatever the photographer on your gift list wants, B&H will have it in stock and ready to ship. They’re the magical unicorn of camera stores. Get your photographer a gift card from here, and they’ll follow you anywhere.

Price: Starting at $25 (link)

  Westcott Rapid Box Switch Octa-L 48″ Softbox (Large)

If your giftee uses both flash and strobes, or they use different brands of strobes, they don’t have to keep switching softboxes every time they change lights. Westcott made a new set of softboxes that let you use the same softbox for flash or strobes, or different brands of strobes, by just changing the adapter at the end of the softbox. It’s really pretty brilliant (can’t believe somebody didn’t think of this before); but what makes this really awesome are the Rapid Boxes themselves. I love, love, love them (they’re so fast and easy to set up—like 60 seconds from start to finish), and I’ve been hooked on them since the first time I used one. This new “Switch” makes ’em that much better, and the price for such a nice big octa is hard to beat.

Price: $289.90 (link)

  Gravity Backdrops

These beautifully hand-painted backdrops are turning the industry on its ear because they’re priced so far below their competitors, and their quality is spot-on. I have four of these now, and I’m using them so often, I don’t want to shoot on anything else. These are giving photographers access to a level of backdrops that were once out of reach for so many people; you can now buy these backdrops at around the same price we used to rent them just for the weekend. They’ll even custom-make whatever you want, without the crazy price. Can’t recommend these enough (and you’ll be a hero to the photographer on your gift list).

Price: Based on size, but figure around $350 or so (link)

  WD 250GB My Passport Wireless SSD External Portable Drive with Built-In Wi-Fi

This one is for backing up your images on the road when you don’t have your laptop with you. You just plug your SD card right into the unit itself (it has its own built-in card reader) and it uploads your images (it does a smart upload, only uploading new photos that aren’t already on the drive). What’s nice is that once your images are on the drive, you can transfer ones you want to edit right to your phone or tablet using its built-in Wi-Fi (you don’t need an internet connection—it makes its own private network). It’s surprisingly easy to use, and a great solution for photographers who want a mobile editing and backup strategy for their DSLR or mirrorless images. I used mine on my last trip, and now it’s part of my workflow.

Price: $191.99 for 250GB (link)

Note: There are 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB options but they’re priced too high—stick with this one.

  A Fine Art or Xpozer Print from Bay Photo

Go with either Bay Photo’s Xpozer system (the same system we use in The Gallery at KelbyOne) or go ahead and get a Fine Art, mounted print. Either way, if you get a gift card for the photographer on your list, make the amount so they can get one of their images printed large, or if you’re giving one of your own prints as a gift, go large—you can’t go wrong. Prints have a real value, well beyond their cost, and the impact they have is remarkable. Want to give somebody a really memorable gift that’s more than just a product? This is it (and you can do it without breaking the bank).

Price:

24×36″ Print with Xpozer System: $99 (link)

24×36″ Fine Art Print w/Gatorfoam: $153.20 (link)

CHA-CHING

  Tamron SP 15–30mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2 Lens

I took this ultra-wide lens with me on my last trip and I was super impressed. It’s a killer lens at a killer price. Sharp, crisp, great Vibration Compensation (VC), and a big improvement over its already popular predecessor. Give this to someone you love (or somebody you want to love).

Price: $1,299

For Canon (link)

For Nikon (link)

  DJI Mavic Air Fly More Combo

It’s so small, so portable, so easy to fly, and takes such great photos and videos. They’ll lose their mind when they unwrap this one. Everybody wants a drone, and this one is probably the best deal, dollar for dollar, feature for feature, and while there are other drone makers out there, everybody wants a DJI. After giving this as a gift, you won’t be able to get rid of them.

Price: $899.99 for the Fly More Combo (it’s what you want to get them); $699.99 for the DJI Mavic Air by itself  (link)

  The weekender Camera Bag from compagnon

This is an absolutely beautifully crafted all-leather camera bag from Germany, and it’s really something to behold. It just screams luxury, and while it’s not inexpensive, it looks like it would cost a lot more than it does. What I love about it is that it’s large enough that you can use it for a weekend trip where your clothes and your camera are in the same bag. Very well designed; it’ll fit in the overhead, and the leather is just so luscious! Give it to somebody you really want to impress. Note: There’s a smaller version called “the little weekender” that’s small and less expensive, too.

Price: $675 (link)

  Canon EOS R Mirrorless Camera Body

I had this camera for a full month, and really put it through its paces—from the American West to Rome to Hawaii to Austria—and I fell in love with it. When I had to return it to Canon, it broke my heart (and now I’m trying to get Canon to sell me that loaner). I don’t know what DSLR your Canon-shooting gift-lister has, but they’ll sure love this one (and there’s a lot to love!).

Price: $2,299 (link)

  TACS Automatic Vintage Lens II Camera-Inspired Watch

This one is a little pricier, but it’s actually a great value for what you’re getting (and for the right person, it will be priceless). This camera-inspired watch is just brilliant. My daughter saw the beautiful wooden box the watch comes in sitting on my desk and couldn’t resist opening it. She saw the watch and said, “Oh my gosh, it looks like a camera.” The beautifully crafted timepiece is more gorgeous in real life than it appears in the pictures, and the back of the watch is almost as stunning as the front. Beautifully designed from top to bottom. It will put the biggest smile on your photographer’s face, and the presentation in the wooden box, coupled with the craftsmanship of the watch itself will make them think you spent a fortune.

Price: $550 (link)

  Profoto B1 X 500 AirTTL Portable Off-Camera Flash

This is the latest version of a strobe that created its own genre of portable studio lights. It’s a battery-powered strobe without the power pack (the battery is built right in to the unit itself). The quality of Profoto lights is legendary, and once I started using Profoto gear, I totally got what all the fuss is about and why all the top pros are using their gear. If you give somebody this gift, they’ll follow you around like a puppy for the rest of your life, so be very choosy to whom you give this.

Price: $2,095 (link)

  STUFF FROM US

My Latest Lightroom Books

I have two different books for two different levels of Lightroom users. If the photographers on your wish list are fairly new to Lightroom and want to learn it from the ground up, then get them my The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic CC Book for Digital Photographers. It’s the bestselling Lightroom book ever. If they’ve been using Lightroom for a while now and they want a reference they can go to quickly to find out how to do whatever it is they’re trying to do right now, then get them my How Do I Do That In Lightroom Classic? book. The first edition was reprinted seven times, and this is the latest edition based on the new version of Lightroom, so they’ll find it really helpful.

Price:

The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic CC Book for Digital Photographers: $33.99 (link)

How Do I Do That In Lightroom Classic?: $13.99 (link)

  Photoshop World Conference 2019 Gift Certificate

Want to blow their minds and give them an experience they’ll be talking about for years? Give the photographer on your gift list a Full Conference Pass to the three-day Photoshop World Conference 2019, early next summer in Orlando, Florida, or late summer in Las Vegas at the Mirage in Las Vegas. Get the pass now and get the Early-Bird special, and they’ll save an extra $100 if they’re a KelbyOne Pro member. You’ll make a true friend for life—maybe longer.

Price: Early-Bird KelbyOne Pro Member: $599 (link)

  A One-Year KelbyOne Pro Membership

You’ve heard again and again (or maybe you’re already a member and you know firsthand) about all the incredible online courses, the magazines, the online community, the Webcasts, and the discounts, and now you can share all that with a photographer you super dig. It’s only $199 for a full year, with full access to everything! They’ll devote the rest of their natural life to letting you know how thoughtful, caring, and generous you were to change their life in such a meaningful way. Okay, that’s perhaps a best-case scenario, but I will tell you that I think they’ll love you (and so will I).

Price: $199 (link)

A One-Year KelbyOne Plus Membership

If they love online training, we have a special membership level that just focuses on the online classes themselves, and it goes for just $9.99 a month. Give ’em a 12-month membership and they’ll love you all year.

Price: $9.99/month (link)

Well, there ya have it folks. Remember, it’s not how many gifts you get. It’s about how many gifts you get me! ;-)

Happy Holidays!

-Scott

The post MY ANNUAL HOLIDAY GEAR GUIDE IS HERE! appeared first on Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider.

from Photography News https://scottkelby.com/my-annual-holiday-gear-guide-is-here/

[rhysandrews]

My Home Studio

I’m excited to present to you my home studio. I consider myself amateur in just about every area of music production, and I always feel guilty if I own something more expensive than I deserve. So not being one to spend more than a few bucks at a time, it has been evolving slowly over many years. It is far from high-tech, but I think it is smart. 

And... here it is!

Furniture & Lighting

Let’s start with the boring stuff.. pictured is a fairly standard, simple desk from Officeworks. I have ‘hacked’ the desk over time by adding the keyboard drawer from Ikea, cable holders behind (again from Ikea), and the shelf/raiser which I got free from work. I’ve also drilled some holes here and there to help with cable management.

The acoustic panels by Vicoustic look great and take away most of the obvious echo in the room. I will need to add bass traps and a rug in future, but for now these help a lot.

The newest addition to the room are some up-lights concealed behind the desk. They’re mostly for mood, but mood is everything when you are trying to write a song in pockets of free time in a busy life.

Other stuff:

Keyboard stand

Guitar wall hooks (pictured below)

Guitar floor stand, so I can quickly put my guitar down while writing

Studio monitor stands

4 cube Ikea unit with pull out boxes for cables/other peripherals.

Green stuff.. green chair, green bin, green desk lamp, green fake plant. I don’t even like green but one thing lead to another and I had to roll with it.

File cabinets

Laptop

The technology starts with my top of the line MacBook Pro 15″. I take my laptop out every day, so it was important for me to be able to connect and disconnect quickly. Short of a proper dock system, I have a nice laptop stand and need only connect the USB 3.0 hub, two monitors (1x HDMI, 1x Mini DP), spare speakers via 3.5mm, and charger which are cable tied in place and ready to plug straight in.

I’m beginning to familiarise myself with Logic on Mac, but for now I still use FL studio songwriting, which requires Windows. So my Mac has Windows installed via bootcamp. Future plan: Allow the windows partition to be booted in a virtual environment for quicker, albeit less powerful access.

Peripherals

The two 27″ AOC monitors + built in screen make a spacious work area for my DAW. It’s a bit hard to use the built in screen at a distance, but it often houses song notes, lyrics, or iTunes while I’m listening to music.

The USB 3.0 hub is hidden underneath the desk shelf/raiser, but is easily accessible. All peripherals connect through a hole in the back, so the cables are well hidden too. Peripherals include...

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Recording Interface - connected to two active Tannoy monitors (and a pair of AKG headphones).

Mouse - I have tried far too many mice, and I am convinced there is only one perfect mouse in existence: The classic Microsoft optical mouse. It uses a wire, but I have routed it underneath the desk so you never see it, and it never needs tugging. The Apple magic mouse is fantastic on the Mac side, but really frustrating on Windows. I will occasionally pull out the magic mouse when using Logic as it scrolls wonderfully. Being wireless, it doesn’t require any fiddly connecting either.

External Hard Drive (2.5″), containing VST plugins (Windows side) and Logic projects (Mac side). This sits in a spot where I can easily grab it if I want to write music on the go. 

M-Audio MIDI Keyboard

Gigabit Ethernet Adapter

M-Audio studio monitors via 3.5mm. These sit under the shelving. My main reason for this is that the Tannoy speakers need to be switched off when restarting, connecting or disconnecting the laptop, else they pop really loudly. So if I’m just listening to something quickly rather than having a longer session I just use these (crappy) speakers using onboard audio. It might seem excessive but it makes a world of difference in terms of how often I am inclined to actually use the studio. Future plan: New monitors to be passive so I just need to switch an amp off and back on when restarting, connecting or disconnecting laptop.

AKG Microphone (apparently an equivalent to the SM58) with desk stand and pop filter, hooked up to the Scarlett interface. Great for drafting vocals.

Misc. charge cables as required.

It’s worth pointing out this little remote. I mentioned above my issue with popping studio monitors. To switch them on/off I’d have to reach around the back of both monitors, making it a frustrating exercise and mental obstacle to actually sit down and make music. So, I purchased a power board that has a remote control. Buttons 1 & 2 are linked to the studio monitors, and 3 & 4 are linked to the two up-lights behind the desk. When it’s time to make music, I just press “ALL ON” :)

NAS / Storage

It’s hard working in a mixed Mac/Windows environment when it comes to files, so I have moved all my stuff to a NAS where it is easily and immediately accessible by both platforms. All my music work is stored on this, and backs up nightly to an external 3.5″ drive which I can grab in the event of an emergency. Future plan: Backup critical stuff to Google Drive (Synology can do this automatically for me!).

Loading projects are noticeably slower, but once they have loaded, there is little to no difference in actually operating the DAW.

Photo libraries were hardest to decide on, as there appears to be no good photo manager anymore, and none that are cross platform. So my photos are just managed using Finder / Windows Explorer and it works great!

And that just about sums it up!

#studio #office #recordingstudio #homestudio