Smartwatches

There are several different smartwatch designs already on the market, but the number keeps on growing. Products like the Apple Watch and the Samsung Gear are some of the most discussed, even though Apple’s device has not yet been released. These devices connect to your smartphone to automate some processes that would otherwise require getting your handset out of your pocket.

Although they have made it more convenient to receive and respond to updates, these devices cannot fully replace the smartphone. As a result, their small screens and limited functionality may make them popular for novelty alone. The idea of transferring some tasks from a phone to a watch seems more practical, but it will likely fail to keep up with the comprehensiveness provided by the device in your pocket.

Smartrings and Wristbands

These devices are flooding the market of wearables and getting less costly in the process. The Fitbit One and Nike Fuelband, for instance, are small, lightweight, and comfortable for any user to wear. They’ll likely grow trendier as developers add more functionality.

The great thing about smartrings and wristbands like the Fitbit One and Fuelband is that they incorporate tasks found in standalone pedometer and GPS devices. Having a single device that integrates these functionalities into a single, lightweight wrist piece will likely live up to the hype in the athletic community come 2015.

Smartglasses

Advanced headsets like Google Glass also enable users to see updates without having to take out their devices. While the idea of receiving live location updates, e-mails, and other info right in front of your eyes seems appealing, security concerns have precluded many people from confidently using them. Privacy issues have plagued these devices, not to mention the rather awkward aesthetic, which hasn’t gone over well in the mainstream market.

Google Glass may have begun to work around these problems, but buyers probably won’t come around to devices that obstruct their view of the world in front of them. Glass fails to offer this visual comfort, making it another over-hyped device.

Which wearable devices do you think will become a trend in 2015?

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Bluetooth Car Kits

One of the simplest ways to turn your phone into a hands-free device is to install a Bluetooth car kit, which typically plugs into the vehicle’s DC outlet. Since it’s voice activated, you can simply talk to text, dial, or look up navigation, all with one easy-to-use device. Expect to pay anywhere from $50 to $100—a small price for safety.

Key2SafeDriving

Similar to other safe-driving tools, Key2SafeDriving disables your phone when you’re on the road. It differs, however, in the sense that it’s a standalone device, which is more difficult to tamper with than an app. The Key2SafeDriving add-on (which plugs into your car’s OBD-II port) stores text messages and calls until you arrive at your destination, and can even email you a report when it’s been disabled. This makes it a great device for multi-driver cars.

Vlingo (Free, Android, iOS, and Windows)

If you live in a state where hands-free phone use is permitted, an app like Vlingo can help you keep your eyes on the road. When activated, Vlingo verbally announces incoming calls and can even read your text messages so you don’t need to look at your phone. You can also use it to find directions, ask questions, and update social media without your hands ever leaving the steering wheel.

Canary (Free, Android and iOS)

If your teen is taking the car for the night, make sure he or she doesn’t leave without Canary installed and linked to your phone. This app not only disables your teen’s phone when the car is in motion, but it can also record driving behaviors, like if he or she attempts to send a text message or goes over the speed limit. As the linked parent, you will receive updates on your phone.

DriveOFF (Free, Android and iOS)

DriveOFF is a simple app that uses your phone’s accelerometer to disable your phone while you’re driving. It will turn off all calls and messages and simply display a boring background of your choice. You’ll earn points for distraction-free driving, too, so there’s an added incentive to keep your phone out of sight and out of mind.

Armed with the right apps and tech, your phone can actually become a force for good when it comes to safe driving. Do you have a different safe-driving tool you prefer to use?

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Nest currently has two flagship devices: the Nest Thermostat and the Nest Protect smoke detector. Apple, on the other hand, has created HomeKit to act as a hub for all smart appliances within the home, allowing owners to monitor and control them right from their iPhone.

Nest versus HomeKit—Which Is Better?

At the moment, it is hard to say which of the two giants is winning, but Apple seems to have the upper hand when it comes to onboarding developers. The HomeKit API allows any app to control any piece of hardware. This is good news for hardware manufacturers, since they will no longer have to worry about the software side of the smart home and its devices. It also frees up developers to focus on what they do best.

Nest is making strides, however, by developing a range of smart-home devices that users will be able to monitor and control from their smartphones. When asked why Google is joining the hardware business with Nest, Google’s chairman, Eric Schmidt said, “We actually are already in the hardware business, in the sense that we have a [phone handset] business called Motorola—that’s doing well with a lot of interesting phones—and we have a whole Nexus product line [of smartphones and tablets]. The Nest is a natural evolution of those kinds of devices, and I think you should imagine that the Google technology applied to the things that Nest do will be infinitely more intelligent, and infinitely more usable. We’re making an important bet and I’m very excited about it.”

The Nest versus HomeKit debate becomes even more interesting when you consider the current market. Nest devices are already in one percent of homes in the U.S., and Apple’s iOS 8, which comes with HomeKit, is already installed on 46 percent of all eligible devices, according to recent statistics.

Between Nest and HomeKit, which of the two do you feel is likely to do a better job of connecting you at home?

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However, reviews of the Samsung Gear Fit have not been positive. The Verge says, “The perfect fitness tracker and smartwatch combination is a great dream to have, but in the case of the Gear Fit, it’s still but a dream.” Their final score for the device was just above average.

It’s true that the step counter and heart rate monitor can be inaccurate with unforgivable frequency. The display window is also a bit cramped, so it can be a chore to view long messages, notifications, and e-mails in horizontal or vertical modes. Still, a choice system update could at least address the data collection inaccuracies.

With those hurdles aside, here are the five best features of the new Samsung Galaxy Gear Fit.

1. Awesome Display

The Samsung Gear Fit uses a Super AMOLED that is nothing short of stunning, the first curved screen of its kind. The color saturation, sharpness, and clarity are fantastic—a vast improvement over the original Gear. The Gear Fit screen specifications tally in at 1.84 inches with a resolution of 432 x 128 pixels.

2. Superior Design and Form Factor

The original Galaxy Gear devices were an appealing first attempt for the company’s wearable smart devices, but users were unimpressed by their overly bulky look and the visually jarring protruding camera lens. The Gear Fit is a different animal, with a slimmer, curvier face that better blends into the wristband. Finally, the clasp has been simplified for easier fastening to one’s wrist.

3. Comfort

The Gear Fit weighs in at a mere 27 grams. This, coupled with a reduced watch face size, makes it immensely more comfortable than the original Gear. It’s easy for users to forget they are wearing the Gear Fit; such is not the case with the hefty Gear. Additionally, one need not worry about accidentally pressing the power button, which was an annoyance on the original.

4. Remote Control

The original Gear also featured remote functions for media playback and viewing notifications as a sort of conduit, bridging the gap between you and your phone. While this is not new for the Fit, it is super handy and fun. It’s a liberating feature, especially for those of us using the stylish but bloated Samsung Galaxy Note 3. While located within Bluetooth range, wearers can use the Galaxy Fit to remotely control media apps like Pandora or view e-mails, texts, and other notifications that are received on your Samsung smartphone.

5. Enhanced Motion Sensing

The Gear Fit also wakes up slightly quicker than the original Galaxy Gear. You still have to fully raise your arm with the classic “I’m checking my watch” motion, but the motion sense recognition is noticeably improved.

An incredible amount time was spent improving all that Samsung’s original Galaxy Gear had to offer. The Gear Fit is a better device hands down. It has its shortcomings, so fitness-minded users may want to hold off until the heart rate and step counter issues are ironed out. However, the Galaxy Gear Fit is a fun, stylish device that can strategically unshackle users from their heftier Samsung smartphones.

If you have a Galaxy Gear Fit, how is it working for you? Have you made use of the fitness functionality yet?

Image courtesy of Shawn Sanders

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Smaller than an original iPod with the ability to hold 80 minutes of music on a standard MiniDisc, more than the standard cassette would allow (23 minutes per side), the MiniDisc player was compact enough to beat out the Discman portable CD player but had the cool factor that far outpaced the Walkman. It should have been the ultimate portable music device.

Quick trivia break: which was the first MiniDisc to be released in the US by a recording studio? Find the answer at the bottom.

So what happened? The big benefit the MiniDisc had over CDs was that it was re-recordable, like a cassette, but could be scanned like a CD. As CD-Rs became more affordable, and prices for MiniDisc players and media stayed high, technology buffs started to move over toward CDs even more heavily, leaving the MiniDisc as a legend in Japan, but few other places. At the same time, record companies weren’t producing albums on the MiniDisc at nearly the same rate they were for cassettes and CDs, because the customers just weren’t there. The combination of those factors led to the downfall of the MiniDisc.

Unbelievably, Sony continued to sell MiniDisc players until March 2013! You’d have to be incredibly devoted to MiniDiscs to be buying those players last year…probably the same people who still insist on buying cars with eight-track players.

So for this week’s Technology Throwback Thursday, let’s celebrate the coolest musical innovation that never took off. The MiniDisc player may well be the Betamax to CDs and MP3 players, but at least they got their moment in the sun. A very, very brief moment…mostly in Japan.

And Mariah Carey’s MTV Unplugged was the first MiniDisc to be released in the US by a recording studio on December 7, 1992.

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The “iPad Laptop” story

Propagated by the likes of Asus and Microsoft, the concept of tablet/PC hybrids is patently un-Apple. Tim Cook voiced his aversion to the convertible category during his October 2013 Apple Keynote when he stated that Apple’s competitors “are confused…trying to make PCs into tablets and tablets into PCs.” Despite Cook’s naysaying, the clicking of a traditional keyboard is much more satisfying than the weak haptic feedback of a virtual one. Brydge’s relative success indicates that the market might agree.

Although it’s a couple years old, the Brydge+ is worth a second look. In March, the superior iPad 4 was resurrected to replace the incumbent iPad 2 as Apple’s mid-range tablet offering, meaning more people may be buying new, Brydge+ compatible iPads in need of accessories. Additionally, Brydge recently dropped keyboard prices by over 20%. The price drop may herald the coming of an iPad Air-compatible Brydge keyboard but, in the meantime, the folks at Brydge sent the Gazelle Lab an example from the current Brydge iteration for review, an aluminum Brydge+® iPad® Laptop + Built-in Stereo Speakers. Three models of Brydge+ are currently available: the Brydge+ with Speakers ($150) which is highlighted in this review, Brydge+ Speakerless ($140), and a less expensive Brydge+ Polycarbonite ($100).

The box

• Brydge+ Keyboard with Built-in Stereo Speakers
• Shims for iPad 2 and iPads 3 & 4
• Cover stickers (if matching is your thing)
• MicroUSB Charging Cable
• Paperwork: Manual and Shim Compatibility Warning Message

The look, the feel

Brydge went to great lengths to Apple-ize their keyboard, even mimicking minute details like the hallmark, “Designed by Brydge in California Assembled in China” on the bottom of the device. The overall result is a product that impresses at a distance, but falls short of Apple’s unparalleled build quality upon closer examination. The Brydge+ is made of anodized “aerospace grade” aluminum that does a fine job of matching the shade of the iPad’s housing; however, it’s not brushed like that of the iPad and lacks the iPad’s silkiness. The seam running around the underside of the keyboard is noticeably wider at the corners than along the edges—a machining flaw that would be insignificant if Brydge hadn’t invited comparisons to Apple manufacturing. Four rubber feet underneath the Brydge+ prevent slipping and two identical rubber bumpers suspend the screen safely above the keyboard, but I’m led to question the durability of the feet by the fact that spares are sold in a “Rescue Pack” on the Brydge site.

The form, the function

The Brydge+ uses friction to physicallyconnect to the iPad and Bluetooth® to pair wirelessly. Two rubber shims stick into each hinge and cradle the tablet snugly in place. Each Brydge comes with two sets of shims for the two supported form factors, aswell as a warning against using incompatible shims. Once I connected my test iPad—an iPad 2—to the Brydge+, I gave it a few good shakes and dangled it upside down. The keyboard stayed securely in place. When attached to a Brydge keyboard, the iPad can be tilted nearly 180°, offering plenty of viewing options. The snugness of the connection and the wide range of viewing angles allowed the iPad to reach its true potential as Netflix-in-bed delivery method.

Except for a cramped left shift key, the keyboard itself is comfortably laid out. I was able to type within a few words of my average laptop words-per-minute after a few minutes familiarizing myself with the Brydge+. The keys did feel stiffer than I would like and I noticed occasional letter-dropping when I didn’t apply a significant amount of pressure when typing.

Brydge touts the built-in speakers as “a huge improvement over the limited iPad speaker,” but it’s difficult not to feel that the speakers were added as a mere margin-boosting upsell feature. The current $10 price difference between the speaker and speakerless models indicates either a lack of demand for the speaker-toting version or very inexpensive speaker components, or both. The Brydge+ speakers were marginally louder than the iPad’s, but also treble-heavy and grating.

The Competition

There is a slew of other iPad keyboards available. The Clamcase Pro provides a similar laptop-like experience and also prescribes to a machined aluminum aesthetic. Unlike Brydge, the Clamcase protects the iPad housing with an outer shell, but such protection does come with additional bulk. At 1.7 pounds, the Clamcase is about six ounces heavier than the Brydge+. Other popular cases, Zagg’s Zaggfolio and Logitech’s Ultrathin Keyboard Cover are thinner, lighter keyboard options; however, they each have only one viewing angle and both look very much like a third party accessories.

The Final Word

All told, the Brydge+ is not spectacular. Brydge takes cues from Apple’s aesthetic, ease of use, and, unfortunately, over-pricing. The result is a tolerable, if expensive, product that doesn’t quite live up to Apple standards. If Apple wanted into the convertible game (yet) and created an iPad keyboard dock of its own, I’d guess that the Brydge would turn into something like a high quality knockoff. That said, if you’re shopping for a keyboard, it’s lighter than the Clamcase, and offers more viewing angles than other competitors.

Despite its shortcomings, if mobile applications cover your productivity needs, the Brydge+ just might be the pieces of hardware you need to wean you off a traditional computer and de-clutter your desk. Joined to an iPad, Brydge+ does resemble a full-fledged MacBook Air. In fact, while reviewing the Brydge, someone approached me to ask “What is that crazy*** laptop?”

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Gorilla glass is the current standard for high-end smartphones

Since its introduction, Apple has used Gorilla Glass in its iPhone. Gorilla Glass is a type of toughened glass developed by Corning Inc. that’s damage resistant and used in millions of mobile devices sold throughout the world. Corning has developed three different generations of Gorilla Glass, with each being more resistant to cracking, more scratch resistant and thinner than the previous generation.

Gorilla Glass is manufactured through a process that chemically hardens the glass, making it more resistant to compressive force. As a result, it’s less likely to scratch or fracture in an impact than traditional glass while also maintaining the thin profile necessary to fit into modern mobile devices.

Sapphire glass may become the new feature

Sapphire Glass hasn’t been as widely used in mobile device screens as Gorilla Glass but has been used in watches for some time. Apple is also already using it in its latest iPhones as a cover for the camera lens and for the TouchID sensor on the iPhone 5S.

Sapphire Glass is manufactured differently than Gorilla Glass. Instead of a chemical process hardening the glass, sapphire crystals are grown in furnaces in blocks, then cut with a diamond saw or laser to specification for the product. While this makes sapphire glass extremely scratch resistant and harder than Gorilla Glass, it’s much more expensive to produce with some reports of it being up to 10 times more expensive. Sapphire glass is also heavier than Gorilla Glass, which may mean the next iPhone is likely to weigh more.

So which is better? That’s tough to say, but we see our fair share of broken phones at Gazelle. If Apple releases a phone with sapphire glass later this year, we’ll see how many come in with a broken screen compared to Gorilla Glass models and report back.

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The Wireless Options

Apple TV

The most expensive of the options, but it does provide a clean, easy, seamless connection between your iOS device and TV, assuming that you meet the basic criteria of being able to connect everything. Like the other wireless options, Apple TV provides some great apps for watching movies or playing music on your TV even without connecting another device, with Hulu, Netflix, HBO GO, YouTube, and iTunes all coming pre-installed.

The two biggest drawbacks of Apple TV are the pricetag ($99) and the limits Apple imposes, only allowing you to access certain applications. However, as long as your Apple TV is connected to a wireless network, anything you can watch on your iPhone or iPad you can also mirror on your TV.

Apple TV connects to any TV with a component or HDMI input, and utilizes your wireless or wired network to access its content. Though subscriptions are necessary for Netflix, Hulu, HBO GO, and a bunch of the other premium apps, you can stream videos, photos, or music to your Apple TV directly from your iPad or iPhone as long as they are on the same network.

While both of the other wireless options can fulfill a lot of the same capabilities, Apple TV was built to connect with other Apple devices, making it much easier to simply click a button on your iPad or iPhone screen and send your content to your TV. By owning the ecosystem, Apple has made it just about as easy as possible.

Chromecast

The least expensive choice outlined here, but still a great offering in a much smaller device than the Apple TV–which is already relatively minuscule. Your TV needs to have an available HDMI port and the device needs to connect to WiFi, but it looks like the Google entry to the competition is a strong potential replacement for the Apple TV. The Google Chromecast is only about as big as a thumbdrive and plugs right into your TV, making installation a breeze.

While the upside of having a $35 pricetag is huge, the streaming capabilities from your iOS device aren’t quite as streamless and easy as with the Apple TV. While Google claims that content can be sent “from your smartphone, tablet or laptop to your TV with the press of a button,” reviews so far are mixed on how well that capability actually works. It’s safe to say that while Google may try to emulate Apple’s functionality here, it will never quite be as easy to stream from your iPhone or iPad to the Chromecast.

Roku Streaming Stick

The jury is still out on the Roku Streaming Stick, as it is expected to be released in April 2014, but there are a few things we do know. First, the price is between Apple TV and Chromecast, with a MSRP of $50. It will be about the size of the Chromecast with the same general set-up in terms of plugging into your TV’s HDMI port, but it should offer an impressive suite of apps. Like each of the other options, you’re best off with a wireless connection, and you can control the device with your smartphone or tablet.

Here’s where things get tricky: like the Chromecast, the Roku Streaming Stick, claims that it will “send your videos, photos and music stored locally on your smartphone to your TV screen with the Roku app,” but–like the Chromecast–one should question whether streaming will be a smooth and seamless as it is with Apple TV.

The Bottom Line

While we wait for the Roku Streaming Stick to be released, there are a few areas to consider when comparing the Chromecast and Apple TV. An obvious one is price, with Apple TV ($99) nearly triple the cost of Chromecast ($35). However, it is much easier to quickly and easily stream content–be it music or movies–to your TV from an iPhone or iPad using Apple TV, since all of those products were developed to work in harmony. But if you want to pay less, get similar functionality, and not be restrained by the limits Apple puts on its apps, then Chromecast looks like a fine choice until the Roku Streaming Stick is released.

The Wired Option

If you don’t have a wireless network or would rather use a physical connection, then there are options available online to project your iPhone or iPad onto your TV using an HDMI cable and an adapter. It will likely cost you more than a Chromecast to purchase both the HDMI cable and the adapter, but there are always cheap (if unreliable) options out there. For example, you can find a digital AV adapter on Amazon that will attach to your Lightning port on your iPhone 5, 5S, or 5C, or your iPad Mini, Mini Retina, 4, or Air. You will also need an HDMI cable to attach that adapter to your TV, but those can be found online for a few dollars easily.

With the wired option, you can mirror your device onto your TV, but you will miss out on some of the other functionality the wireless options provide, like the applications that come pre-installed. Still, for the low-tech who want a simple solution, this fits the bill.

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1. Conserve What You Have Left

There are a few great features that help your iPhone provide a ton of great value for you, but suck your battery dry at an accelerated rate. Here are a few features you can turn off or adjust to save what little battery life you have left:

• Turn Off Your Wi-Fi – Your Wi-Fi connection is great for downloading content at high speeds, but it’s one more way your phone drains your battery. To turn off your Wi-Fi, go into Settings, click on the Wi-Fi line, and then press the button next to Wi-Fi. The color behind the button should change from green to white.
• Turn Off Your Bluetooth – Bluetooth enables you to connect your phone to other technology, like speakers or your car, but at a time like this you’d probably rather have your phone running than playing tunes on your Jawbone. The option to turn off Bluetooth is also in the settings app–click on Bluetooth (just below Wi-Fi), then click the button on the Bluetooth line–which should turn from green to white. This does mean that your phone will not connect with your car or other devices while turned off, but it will save your iPhone battery.
• Dim Your Screen – That bright display may help you read this story more easily, but it’s sapping minutes out of your battery! You can still see your phone even on its dimmest setting, so try turning down the brightness. The easiest way to access your screen’s brightness–and a quick option to turn Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on and off as well–is by swiping up from the bottom of the screen when on the home screen. In the second section down, there is a horizontal line with a dot on it, and a sun on either side of the line–one big, the other small. Move the dot all the way to the left, and you should see the screen get a bit dimmer. Just press the home button to dismiss this screen.
• Disable Location Services – One of the cool features of the iPhone is that it knows where you are at all times, making it much easier to plot directions from your current location or tag a Facebook post. But constantly updating your location places a burden on your battery too, so turning off that feature can help you keep you phone on longer. To turn off location services, go to Settings, then scroll down to Privacy. Click on the Location Services line, and then press the green button in the upper right-hand corner. This means that your phone will no longer know where you are, but you can turn it back on if you need that information for some reason.

2. Make Your Battery Bigger

OK, so we can’t actually make your battery bigger, but there are some phone cases out there that will essentially do just that. Mophie, for one, makes a few cases for each generation of iPhone that charge with your phone overnight and provide a few more hours of battery life when your phone is running low. The downside is that these cases make your phone a bit bulkier, depending on which version of the case you get, and they aren’t too hard to break. The case itself protects your phone reasonably well from damage, but the charging capabilities break relatively easily if dropped excessively.

For the iPhone 5 and 5S, the cases come in three models: Juice Pack Helium, Air, and Plus, providing 80%, 100%, and 120% of your battery charge, respectively. The case goes on just like any other case, but also plugs into the charging port on your phone. Instead of using your normal cord to charge at night, use the Mophie cord, which charges both the case and your phone. Then, if during the day your iPhone battery starts to creep too low, just flip the switch on the back and the case starts charging your phone!

3. Have a Spare Battery Handy

There are tons of products out there of varying sizes, styles, and costs that hold an extra charge for your battery just in case. The quality of these products differs, so it may make sense to do some research before purchasing, but it’s pretty easy to find relatively cheap external chargers that work well enough to get by. The biggest downsides to using these devices is remembering to keep them charged and having them around when you need them. It doesn’t do much good to have an extra battery if it doesn’t have any power or is at home when you’re on the go.

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