My Next...

I am a self-professed tech junkie. Like most gadget and technophiles, I am excited about everything that is happening in the tech realm; from mobile and wearables to media consumption, the car and now the home. Similar to my Technoblast series, I will discuss technology and their pros and cons; however, I will temper my admonishment of rival products or services and focus primarily on why I want the particular product or service.

What's Happening...

The current trend at the moment is expanding the functionality of smartphones by turning them into connectivity hubs. Google, Apple, Samsung and others have recognized this and we are beginning to see products on the market. There are two categories that I am particularly excited about. Wearables (smartwatches, fitness bands, Google Glass; etc), and Smart Homes/Appliances. Let's start with Wearables because this has piqued my interest the most.

On My Radar...

Wearables

Moto 360

Moto 360

Though I have not physically seen or touch one... yet, I have to say that this watch really intrigues me. I love the traditional aesthetic with the round watch face and button that resembles a winding knob. I love that the display is edge to edge horizontally and that there are third-party custom displays. Aside from the aforementioned benefits, the fact that there is a version with a metal wristband is what cemented the deal for me. I am eagerly awaiting more info.

Google Glass

The first time I heard about Google Glass, I have been beyond excited. With noted partnerships with Oakley and certification for use with prescription eyeglasses, Google is set to make this device ubiquitous. Once Google truly releases it to the masses, I will part of the many clamoring to get my hands on a pair.

Smart Home

Nest Protect

Google Nest Protect (Black)

I've had my eye on Nest for a few years now. I really like their approach in melding great functionality with an understated design aesthetic. Despite recent issues with push notification with the Nest Protect - which have since been fixed - I still want this device. There are few things that ate more annoying than a smoke/CM detector that continually goes off with no hope of shutting it off short of cutting its wires.

Honeywell Lyric

Honeywell Lyric

Though Nest also makes a smart thermostat, I prefer the Honeywell Lyric because it has more features that are relevant to me.

Philips Hue

Similar to smartwatches and the like, "smart" appliances are going to make their mark in the coming years. Grand others are making great strides in this category. Light bulbs are one item in this category that I'm keeping an eye on. The Philips Hue connect to a Bluetooth receiver that you plug into your wall. The accompanying app can control the brightness and true to its name, you can change the color of the light. As an added bonus they can also be controlled via your Android Wear device.

Gaming

VR Headsets

courtesy of Oculus VR

At the moment I'm torn. There's not too much info out regarding the companies that are in this category. Notable companies are Oculus Rift, Sony, Microsoft, and even Samsung. Given how quickly technology moves, I expect this category develop at a rapid pace. I'll keep my eye on this; in especially intrigued to see how the uptick in interest will impact Google with respect to Google Glass.

Consoles

Nintendo Wii U

courtesy of  Nintendo.com

I can already see the looks on a lot of your faces, but let's keep things in perspective; not all gamers are 14+. I have a 5 yrs old and a 5 month old. They're not going to be playing Halo or GTA anytime soon. That's where Nintendo comes in. Price is not the on only factor that makes Nintendo competitive. Compatibility across platforms, fun family focused games, as well as a dedicated core of fans gives Nintendo an undeniable edge. The ability for someone to play a console game on the portable unit, allowing people to watch TV or even play a game on a different console is extremely valuable.

Android TV

Google has made some great strides with the Android OS. Besides expanding into wearables, the home and auto tech, Google has refined Android's TV functionality. More importantly, your current Android device is 100% compatible. It really is Android on your TV. Basically, they took some of the best features in Chromecast and baked it in. You have access to the Play Store, so all of your games, movies, music and other media content will be at the top of your fingers. The unilateral nature of the Android L release automatically makes your mobile device a second screen. Ostensibly, there will be TVs that will run Android TV, but if you're not an early adopter, you can still get pretty close to the experience with Chromecast.

Again, I am an admitted gadget junkie yet age has benefited me patience. Perhaps better items will come to pass on the interim, but these are currently on my radar. What products are Your Next?

Follow me on Google+ (+StarbanksBlogSpot) or Twitter (@EdmundStarbanks) and let me know. #starbanksnext

Edmund's Technoblasts: Edmund's Holiday Gift Guide Part I

Gaming Consoles

photo courtesy of XBox.com

1. XBox One - $499.99 

Despite early backtracking over always on settings, Microsoft has a diamond in the rough with the Xbox One. Noted features as improved Kinect functionality, Blu-Ray (finally!) embedded Skype functionality, cable programming integration and arguably the best online gaming experience makes the XBox One a great buy; don't forget to download the Day 1 patch or you will not get to enjoy your shiny new XBox One.

photo courtesy of us.playstation.com

2. PlayStation 4 - $399.99

Sony has worked hard to not only address the missed moments with the PS3, but to also cast a differentiating shadow on MS’s XBox One. Gamepad touch controls, remote play (You can transfer game play from the PS4 to the PS Vita and even your mobile device), noted PlayStation Exclusives, access to Sony’s vast digital media library, and Blu-Ray make the PS4 a great alternative to the XBox One.

photo courtesy of nintendo.com

3. Nintendo Wii U - $299.99 

It's hard to imagine Nintendo in the catch up role; especially within an industry they are viewed as a pioneer. Yet, unlike the Wii, the Wii U was not as widely or quickly adopted. Despite a 2 year head start, HD graphics, and a redefined gaming experience, the Wii U's sales have been lackluster at best. Given those caveats, Nintendo may David the two Goliaths for a few key reasons. 1. Backward compatibility. Scoff if you like, but games are expensive, so being able to play your previous library on your new console is a benefit. 2. Discontinuing the Wii. This should have been a no brainer to Nintendo, but for whatever reason they allowed the Wii to cannibalize their Wii U sales. This move should rectify that. 3. Price. The Wii U is $200 less than the XBox One and $100 less than the PS4; regardless of what people may think, this will be a big factor in buying decisions this holiday season. 4. Availability. There are 2 consoles launching this holiday season, there will invariably be inventory shortages; either by design or demand. This will be a big opportunity for Nintendo because if you can't get the other two due to a 3-6 wk wait, some people may pick up the Wii U instead.

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Tablets

Full Size - 9.5" and Up

photo courtesy of Apple.com

1. iPad Air - $499 - $929 

Anyone who knows me, is aware of my chagrin towards Apple. My personal feelings aside, hype can only take you so far. Apple's tablet is not the top dog by sheer luck; and if people thought your product was terrible, they would not keep buying it...to some extent. 

Apple's biggest advantage is its app ecosystem and their synchronous approach to software and hardware development. This allows Apple to closely control every aspect of their product. The iPad Air has a 64 bit processor chip, a high resolution screen, dual cameras, and access to one of the best app stores with apps optimized for its form factor. All of this make the iPad Air one the best media consumption devices on the market. The benefit and caveat is that everything is under one umbrella, outside of accessories, there's very little you can do to personalize your iPad; however, when Apple updates their software, every single iPad Air customer gets the update regardless of version of iPad; and most versions with the exception of very early iterations can support iOS 7.

photo courtesy of play.google.com

2. Nexus 10 - $399-$499

Google's Nexus program is the best way to experience Android unfettered. A 10" HD screen, dual cameras, 2GB of RAM, and NFC are some of the features that make the Nexus 10 a great device. The best part of the Nexus' feature set however, has nothing to do with hardware. It's all about services; Google Services. Despite what you might feel about the search giant's reach, they're pretty good at offering up tools and services to meet your wants and needs. All of this is by virtue of Google Now. Compared to other companies; with Google Now, Google has managed to actually turn your mobile device into a personal assistant minus the half baked attempt of giving your mobile device a personality.

photo courtesy of samsung.com

3. Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) - $549-$599

Samsung has managed to become a juggernaut in the Android space. Many a blogger and technophile has opined negatively or positively about Samsung devices overall. Similar to Apple's dominance in the tablet space overall, Samsung wouldn't be top Android dog if the majority of them were subpar. They are proof that UX (user experience) plays just as important a role as hardware design. One of the biggest selling points for the Galaxy Note is its stylus. Samsung's partial ownership of Wacom gives them an advantage over any OEM who wishes to incorporate styli input along with natural handwriting recognition. 

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Tablets

Full Size - 7" - 8.9"

photo courtesy of play.google.com

1. Nexus 7 (2013 Edition) - $229-$349

The collaboration of Google and ASUS culminated in the Nexus 7. Perhaps the best small sized tablet on the market today. Android 4.4 (Kit Kat) the way Google intended-pure and simple along with Google Services, multiple profiles, parental controls, NFC, and dual cameras. All of those goodies plus the amazing price make the Nexus 7 both a great starter tablet and supplemental device for anyone in any age group.

photo courtesy of kindle.com

2. Kindle Fire HDX 7" - $229-$424

The fruits of Google's labor are Amazon's bountiful harvest. Amazon's Fire OS is basically highly customize Android skin. Nevertheless, Amazon has followed in Apple's footsteps with respect to hardware and services. Everything is under the Amazon umbrella. Similar to Apple, there are no OEMs. This allows Amazon to let Google do the heavy lifting in OS development, while they do what they're best known for; focused customer services. The Kindle Fire HDX has a high resolution screen and has been optimized for media consumption via the Amazon universe. With the HDX line, Amazon debuted the 'Mayday' button, 24/7 live customer service with remote assistance. Currently, no one offers this on their mobile products, so Amazon is safe in that space...for now. If you don't need any apps for productivity or your tablet to emulate a PC, then the Kindle Fire HDX is for you.

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Ultrabooks/Convertible Notebooks

photo courtesy of surface.com

1. Surface Pro 2 - $899-$1,799
Full disclosure; I own a first generation 128GB Surface Pro. I purchased it after my Galaxy Tab 10.1's screen was shattered. I haven't looked back since. You can read my full review here.

Microsoft is on their second iteration of the Surface line. The improvements made on the second coming are great ones; it shows that Redmond cares about their customers' input and that they are vested in the Surface. Windows 8.1, Improved battery life, a faster processor, and a better variety of accessories were needed and thankfully MS met that need. What separates the Surface Pro from other ultrabooks and convertible PCs is its exemplary pen input interface. The way Microsoft integrated the stylus and its input throughout Office and other core apps is genius. Personally, I feel One Note showcases the power of taking natural handwritten notes. These handwritten notes are searchable, easily converted to text and can be synced with any Office file. Previously on my Android tablet and iPod, I used Springpad and Evernote, but One Note has supplanted them. Above in my list of full screen tablets, I mentioned that the Galaxy Note 10.1 is a great starter tablet or supplemental device for students; the Surface Pro is the best device to replace the laptop any student is considering to purchase. You also can't beat the 200GB of free SkyDrive for two years.

Note: Do yourself a favor and bypass the 64GB version. The Windows 8.1 OS is large and will take up approximately 46% of your storage space.

photo courtesy of dell.com

2. Dell XPS 12 - $999-$1,399
Dell has been a very good OEM for Microsoft. They're usually the first to create products for anything new that Redmond releases from the pipeline. True to form, when Windows 8 hit the scene, Dell responded; one of their responses was the Dell XPS 12. The original XPS debuted prior Microsoft's Surface and it had a distinctive quirky feature; a 180° rotating display. By rotating the display and closing the laptop, it instantly converts from a  clamshell ultrabook to a tablet. This form factor along with the small dimensions of the XPS are perfect for the portability needs of a general college student.

photo courtesy of lenovo.com

3. Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro- $1,099-$1,599
Lenovo's Yoga line is an interesting take on form factors. Unlike the aforementioned Microsoft Surface or Dell XPS, the Yoga's monitor folds back 180°. Due to a quality hinge the Yoga has various ways you can position the monitor; though there are 4 official positions. Windows 8.1, up to 512 GB SSD, up to 8GB of RAM and BT 4.0 make the Yoga 2 Pro a powerhouse.

Stay tuned for Part II

-Edmund

My Device Graveyard - Part III

Edmund's TechnoBlasts

Blackberry Bold 9000

Below is my original review of the BB 9000. I loved this device. Blackberry was my original smartphone and I was hooked from the first device on. Based on my previous Blackberries, the Bold was a huge improvement. The scroll wheel was replaced by the trackball in a previous model and that carried on to the Bold. The trackball in the Bold was more stable than it's counterpart; making reviewing emails and SMS messages a breeze.

What made the Bold great...

Trackball: Improved over the 8820, which I owned prior to the Bold, the trackball was smooth and responsive. Unlike the 8820, it never stuck and did not need to be replaced. It was that reason that had me purchasing he Bold in the first place.

Blackberry Services:
Nothing beats Blackberry's push services. They are the industry standard. Despite past connection blackouts, their services remain the go to for businesses. It is probably the reason they are still around today given their unfortunate slide in the industry.

The Latest:

Unfortunately, Blackberry is on the market. The obvious choice for a buyout (Microsoft) has already purchased Nokia's hardware and services division. They have also committed to licensing patents from Nokia so a buyout of BB seems unlikely, though they are rumored to be keeping an interested eye on BB. Though I have an Android phone now, this is still a sad moment for me. My first pager was a RIM device. My first smartphone was a RIM device, so to see their demise will be a somber moment for me. Hopefully they transform themselves the way IBM did when they got out of the manufacturing business.

-Edmund

RIM Blackberry Bold 9000

I must say that I did not believe that RIM could top my 8820, but I have been pleasantly surprised. The Blackberry Bold has a lighter feel than it's predecessor, although its specs put it at .07 oz heavier (Click here for full specs:Full Blackberry Bold Specs). The standout on this device, however is its wonderful screen. Bright, amazing colors, video and pictures look amazing! The 2MP camera with its LED flash is functional and will give you very nice pictures for a phone. If you want amazing editorial pictures, buy a camera. Nothing worse than idiots complaining about the picture/video quality of a cell phone. The Bold comes with what has been standard for some time now (3G, World Phone capability, GPS, WiFi, removable storage-unless you have an iPhone-ha!) and RIM's push technology. Improved Office file viewing/editing gives added functionality and versatility. Although no phone/PDA is perfect, the Blackberry bold gets pretty close. Wonderful tools, plus the improvement to the RIM staples, coupled with the vibrant display makes this phone a must have.

My rating: 3.75/5.0

My Device Graveyard - Part II

Edmund's TechnoBlasts

Read Part I

Creative Zen Vision W

I absolutely loved my Creative Zen Vision. It had the best of multiple worlds. A hi-res widescreen for watching video and browsing photos, lots of storage that not only stored all of my media, but also served as a back up hard drive. If I had not lost it at an ASCAP Members' meeting in New York, I'd still have this amazing device today.

What made the Creative Zen Vision W great...

30/60 GB HDD: With a choice of either 30GB or 60GB HDD variants, Creative covered all grounds by giving you enough internal storage for your media and they did all of this plus include an external storage option via Compact Flash. It didn't hurt that Windows recognized the Creative Zen Vision W as an external hard drive; very nice bonus.

Removable Storage: Support for Compact Flash II made it easy for me to transfer my pictures from my Canon Powershot to my Zen without the need for USB while also giving me a valid external storage option.

Large LCD Screen: 4.3" widescreen in 2006 was colossal compared to Apple's iPod Video which had a 2.5" screen. The Zen Vision W's screen was bright, crisp and back-lit.

Multi-Codec Audio/Video Playback:  Playback support for video formats such as; AVI, WMV9, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4-SP, MJPEG, DivX4.x/ 5.x, and XviD-SP and audio formats such as; MP3, WMA, WAV, Audible, and Protected WMA made this a perfect 
companion device.

FM Tuner: Any device that came with a built-in radio antenna was a winner with me. Other devices required accessories that basically nullified the portability factor.

What needed improvement...

Menu Navigation: Menu navigation was too involved for my tastes. It took too many clicks to get necessary options. 

Bulk: Granted, at the time, the price point for manageable flash storage would have made this device beyond expensive; however, the size was still pretty big. Compared to the iPod and Creative's other offerings the Zen Vision W was massive and heavy. Considering it's size, it is interesting that I still managed to lose it at an ASCAP Membership Meeting.

Content Partnerships: I know that at the time the Zen Vision W debuted, content providers were not readily entering into agreements unless your name was Apple or Microsoft; however, it would have been nice to have access to content from big players like Universal or Sony.


Consensus:  I honestly loved this device. I used it on a regular basis for watching videos, listening to music, viewing pictures, and most importantly, backing up my files. I was literally walking around with a backup external HDD. Due to technological limitations of the time, the Zen Vision W was enormous and bulky; however a lot of its features made up for it. 

My rating, based on what was available at the time is a 3/5.  The menu navigation had too much drill down and the search functionality could have been better, but all in all, I would still recommend the Creative Zen Vision W now as much as I did when I originally had it.

-ES

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My Device Graveyard - Part I

iRiver iHP-120

   

I am a self professed gadget and tech junkie and similar to my fellow tech/gadget enthusiasts,  I almost always clamor for hot new gadgets when they debut. However, when the first iPod debuted, I was not one of the first people in line anxiously waiting to get my hands on one...due to one reason - price. Don't get me wrong, I desperately wanted an iPod, but unfortunately, I was forced to look for alternatives. After a lot of research, I came upon the iRiver iHP-120. I purchased the iRiver iHP-120 in 2003. At the time of its release it was a powerhouse that offered a viable alternative to Apple's iPod and noted entries from Creative's Zen series.

What made the iRiver great...

Multi-Codec Support: The iHP-120 supported Ogg Vorbis, WAV, ASF, WMA, and of course MP3. Future firmware updates included support for flac files as well.

FM Tuner/Remote: What we take for granted now was not a common feature in MP3 players of old. The remote featured a backlit LCD screen that not only let you adjust playback and volume, it also served as the antennae for the built in FM tuner.

Optical Line in/Line Out: As a producer, this was a big sell for me. I actually connected a Boss drum machine to it and sampled some tracks.

HDD: The fact that I could use this as a hard drive out of the box without any proprietary or third party software. It was truly plug and play.

20GB: This much storage for the price was not the norm when this product was introduced. Having this made it to where I could not only use this as a portable music player, but also as a multimedia external hard drive. Very good bang for your buck.

Built in mic and voice memo recording: They really covered a lot of bases with this device. The inclusion of voice recording was very useful to me as a recording artist. It allowed me to record song concepts and lyrics on the go in one device.

What needed improvement...

No USB charging: It was very annoying that I had to use two separate cords with the iHP-120. One to power/recharge the battery and another to connect to my PC for file transfer and syncing. The technology existed for USB charging, so the choice for different cords was cumbersome at best.

Menu Navigation: The menu navigation definitely needed some improvement. It took too many clicks just to get to a song in some cases.

Conclusion: Despite the lack of USB charging and menu navigation issues, the iHP-120 was a great device that packed a lot of features into a compact and durable form factor. I loved this device so much that I didn't feel the need to upgrade until I caught wind of the Creative Labs Zen Vision-which had a 5 inch screen for watching video. I will cover the Creative Labs Zen Vision in a future post.

My Rating: 4/5

Check out CNET's review of the iRiver iHP-120 here.

Take a look at the manual for the iRiver iHP-120 here.