Nest Cam review: The next level in home security?

Wi-Fi based home security camera options are everywhere at the moment, with the Google-owned Nest Cam not the first product with its foot in the door, so to speak. We’ve already seen Withings Home, Netatmo Welcome and Panasonic Nubo to name but a few.

Nest Cam records high-definition footage and, for a monthly/annual fee, can store 10 days of capture in the cloud. It’s possible to view what the camera sees in real-time from wherever you are via its mobile app (assuming a connection) for peace of mind, while notifications can alert you to any movement and sound action.

So far, so similar: that’s what other home security cameras offer too. Where Nest Cam tries to standout is with its communication tie-in with the wider Nest ecosystem, such as the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest Protect smoke alarm (if, of course, you own such products). As of March 2016 the Thermostat can be made aware of your whereabouts by tracking your smartphone location, which can trigger the way Nest Cam works based on whether you’re home or away. This fixes one of the bigger issues we had with Nest Cam when first reviewed.

So has Nest now got the edge when it comes to home security, or is it just a big name with little extra to truly offer beyond its competition?

Nest Cam review: Design

Home security cameras range from abysmally unattractive to borderline pretty; no company seems to have quite cracked it yet. Nest Cam tries to stand out with its dark colour and teardrop-esque shape design but, actually, we think it looks rather average. It’s an industrial look, not a patch on the good-looking silver-edged Nest Learning Thermostat.

In the box Nest Cam comes with a screw-in stand and accompanying base, which can be adhered to the wall if desired. The stand can tilt up and down by 90-degrees each way, while the camera can freely rotate through 360-degrees to compensate for horizontal and vertical positioning as necessary. No vertical videos to be found here.

The 130-degree angle of view from the lens is ultra wide-angle, meaning even smaller rooms will fit into its all-seeing eye field of view. There’s a mic to listen for sound alerts (which are off by default) and a speaker on the rear which can be used to speak through if you want to shout at the dog for biting the sofa or, who knows, prank your house guest.

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Nest Cam review: Setup

It’s supposed to take a single minute to setup Nest Cam, but it doesn’t. Not that it takes so long that you’ll be in tears or pulling out your hair, but there are a few steps that need to be taken to get everything sussed out.

First, plug the mini USB into the camera so it switches on. We wish this port and cable was hidden out of view as the white cable provided looks eye-catching, and not in a good way. The cable can’t be hidden within the stand stem either.

Next, download the Nest app on your smart device. As Learning Thermostat users we already have this, so it was just a case of adding a new product. On the back of the Cam is a QR code which can be scanned using your app-loaded device’s camera for a supposed quick setup through an associated Wi-Fi network. Setup failed via the app three times in succession for us, though, so we reverted to the browser-based setup on a laptop instead, which worked fine. But all that added to the setup time.

Once successful a new circle icon (complete with the name you’ve give it – ours is “Office”) will appear within the app, so it’s possible to toggle between Nest products as applicable. It’s a simple yet elegant solution.

Nest Cam review: Quality and notifications

Nest Cam captures footage up to Full HD (1920 x 1080 resolution) so there’s ample detail, with the ability to temporarily enhance (which is just digital zoom) into areas of the image as desired. Nigh Vision is automatic (or can be manually toggled on or off) delivering an impressively clear greyscale image.

That’s one of the big sells for Nest Cam: the quality of its footage is really good. So whether you’re sharing a funny clip of your pet going bananas, or catch a break-in, there’s sufficient detail whatever the brightness conditions.

Within the full frame if anything moves then Nest will send out a notification alert via the smartphone app (it’s not possible to receive email alerts). This is Nest at its simplest, but there are additional ways to detail notifications, including the option to add drawn-on and named Zones (it’s only possible to create these polygonal sections from a browser on a computer, though, not within the app). It’s then possible to toggle these Zones on and off for notifications, but Nest will always record when it sees motion, it’s whether or not you’ve told the system to notify or not.

There’s a 2-second lag between live events and when you’ll see the image if you’re watching live via the app or a browser, while automated recorded sections of footage can be opened and viewed as you please – although the inability to scroll through long clips from the History section with ease is frustrating and not very “Nest” in an app that ought to be more refined. Opening a clip directly from a notification pulls it up fullscreen with enough on-screen controls to scrub through a clip, but this doesn’t translate to older historical clips for some reason.

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Nest Cam review: The Nest big thing?

It’s possible to schedule when Nest Cam is on and off, in a similar way to the Nest Learning Thermostat. It’s even possible to have the Nest Cam come on when the thermostat knows when you’re away, putting itself into Away mode.

The integration of smartphone GPS tracking for Auto-Away/Home also activates a privacy mode: the Cam symbol in the app now reads “OFF” if it knows you’re at home and want some privacy, rather than always (creepily) being recorded. You can deactivate this privacy mode as you please, but we’ve found it works just fine – typically if our heating is on then we’re at home and, therefore, the Cam is now off.

Nest Cam is also said to automatically record if the Nest Protect smoke alarm triggers, although that may not be of use if placement of the two devices are in different rooms (and we don’t have that product connected to verify this).

According to Nest, from its own in-app setup notes, there’s also advanced motion sensing which, to quote, “looks for faces while filtering out light, shadows, leaves and trees”. That didn’t work for us: it’s still never identified a face that we’re aware of, while changes in light from passing cloud cover have caused repeat alerts while away on holiday (causing frantic, “what the heck is going on in the office?” moments, only to see nothing but the sun lighting up a patch of wall).

With devices such as Netatmo Welcome offering users face registration so they can be recognised and alerts dished out accordingly, Nest isn’t necessarily the most advanced home security cam out there. Furthermore the one main issue we’ve had is outages. These may be network related, or may be overheating related (it runs fairly hot), but if the Cam is offline for a long time it can completely switch itself off and not be remotely accessed. A full-on unplug from the wall to reset it is typically required to solve this.

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Nest Cam review: Cloud cost implication

Like so many home security cameras, Nest Cam is only really useful if you subscribe in order to store 10 consecutive days of capture in the cloud. There’s a free 90-day trial with each purchase, so you’ll get almost three months of use.

When that trial time is up, it’s still possible to plug into the live view of the camera, but clips aren’t going to be stored in the cloud. And with no on-board microSD storage option, those hoping to use Nest Cam as a simple pet monitor, for example, are going to be disappointed. Although we’ve often called out with other products how on-board recording would be as good as useless if someone broke in, spotted the camera and took it with them.

Nest Cam costs £159 in the UK, so it’s relatively competitive in the wider order of things. The cloud storage, called Nest Aware, is priced at £8/month of £80/year, so that ongoing cost is the thing to really consider.

Verdict

As home security cameras go it’s a familiar tale: Nest Cam has got all the necessary notifications and back-up cloud storage options for a decent core experience, one with great quality Full HD video capture and Night Vision options.

There’s a lot to be said for expectation though. And with Nest being, well, Nest, we anticipated it was going to be a five-star home security camera. But it’d be a stretch to call it the out-and-out best option going, given the advances other manufacturers have made in facial recognition and related notifications and, in our review situation, recurring outages.

It has advanced over time, though, and its real sell is now the ability to communicate better with the wider Nest ecosystem, such as Nest Thermostat, which can even utilise positional data based on smartphone activation (of you and up to 10 family members with separate accounts) to determine whether it’s on or off or set to private mode. 

Overall Nest Cam lays down a solid product; it stands out for the way it looks (whether you’re a fan or not) and will only continue to get better over time as the wider Nest ecosystem evolves. 

Forget Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, wire-free Sulon Q VR doesn’t need a high-end PC

When we met Oculus’ vice president of mobile Max Cohen in January, he explained that wireless virtual reality headsets of the calibre of the Oculus Rift are a long way away.

It will be 15 years before we get something approaching the Star Trek holodeck, he told us.

“It’s currently not possible to get the Rift experience with a wireless head-mounted display,” Cohen said.

However, new company on the block, Sulon, aims to prove him wrong. Its Sulon Q virtual reality headset is indeed “tether-free” and, unlike mobile solutions such as the Samsung Gear VR, it is powerful enough to run “console-quality graphics” and powerful applications.

That’s because, like the Microsoft HoloLens augmented reality headset, the Sulon Q features the PC and processing inside the device. That enables it to be a “wear-and-play” unit, which can be taken wherever you go and does not need to be connected to a separate computer.

The Sulon Q is powered by AMD and was therefore unveiled on stage during an AMD event at GDC in San Francisco.

READ: Best VR headsets to buy in 2016, whatever your budget

It will run using the AMD FX-8800P processor, with Radeon R7 Graphics which utilise AMD’s Graphics Core Next architecture. The processor runs four cores, while the GPU has eight. This means it is capable of running DirectX 12 and Vulkan graphics APIs, so is capable of high-performance visuals.

Inside, the screen is a 2560 x 1440 OLED display, 1280 x 1440 for each eye. Audio is supplied through built-in earbuds with 3D spatial audio processing. There are also noise-cancelling embedded microphones for voice communication. And lenses on the front of the headset mean it can be used with augmented reality applications, such as HoloLens, as well as VR.

Sulon claims that it is lightweight – essential for an “all-in-one” VR headset and it is planned for launch in late spring. Pricing details are yet to be revealed.

Lyft has a new carpooling service for the Bay Area

If you’re in the Bay Area, you can add Lyft’s upcoming carpooling service to the list of ridesharing options you can use to get around. The company has joined forces with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and SF Bay’s 511 Rideshare program to launch a new carpooling service separate from its other products. Based on the info available on its website, it’ll work just like any other similar offering: simply tell the app your route, and it will match you with people going the same way. You save money, and so will they.

Lyft is asking for people’s routes on the website to determine the most popular ones, which it plans to launch first. You also automatically sign up to get notified when the service is live if you share yours. That’s about all we know for now, though. The company promises to reveal more details in the coming weeks, hopefully including how it differs from its Line carpooling option.

Source: Lyft

‘Cyborg heart patch’ combines electronics and living tissue

One of the latest inventions out of Tel Aviv University can patch up broken hearts. We’re talking about the real organs here, especially those damaged by myocardial infarction or heart attack. A team from the Israeli university created a “cyborg heart patch” that combines both living tissue and electronic components to replace the damaged parts of the organ. “It’s very science fiction, but it’s already here,” says one of its creators, Prof. Tal Dvir. “[W]e expect it to move cardiac research forward in a big way.” The patch can contract and expand like real heart tissue can, but it can do much, much more than that.

The electronic components allow doctors to remotely monitor their patients’ condition from afar. A physician could log into a computer and see if the implant is working as intended. If he senses that something’s amiss, he could release drugs to, say, regulate inflammation or fix the lack of oxygen. That sounds dangerous to us, since computers can be hacked. But the researchers are aiming to develop the patch further so it can regulate itself with no human intervention.

Dvir warns that the “practical realization of the technology may take some time.” For now, those suffering from cardiovascular diseases will have to rely on current treatment methods. The team is still in the midst of refining their cyborg heart patch. Plus, they’re looking at how to create bionic brain and spinal cord tissues using what they’ve learned so far to treat neurological conditions.

Source: Tel Aviv University, Nature

Samsung’s Entrim 4D headphones will let you experience virtual reality in a whole new way

At SXSW, Samsung’s C-Lab — the secret projects division within Samsung that develops new products and technologies — has announced the Entrim 4D headphones, a VR accessory that delivers electric signals to your inner ear, giving you a sensation of motion.

Entrim 4D uses a combination of Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation and algorithms to deliver synchronized “electric messages to a nerve in the ear” in tune with the corresponding movements on-screen. Samsung describes the technology thusly:

Electrical signals—like the ones used to help restore balance in stroke patients—are delivered via headphones equipped with electrodes that correspond with movement data input by engineers. Users thus feel as if they are a part of the on-screen action, and can also sense direction and speed of movement.

And, when paired with the team’s Drone FPV, which utilizes data from the drone’s motion sensors, they can even feel like they are flying.

Steve Jung, the creative leader of the project, said that in addition to enabling “whole body” VR, the goal with Entrim 4D is to eliminate motion sickness by simulating movement to the visuals experienced from a VR headset. For now, the technology is still in developmental stages, with no word on when we’ll see a consumer-ready variant.

Source: Samsung

HTC One M8 Eye picks up Marshmallow update in India

The HTC One M8 Eye is making the long-awaited switch from Android 5.0.2 to Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow in India. The first stage of the process involves downloading a 119.7MB interim update, after which you’ll be able to install the 1.07GB Marshmallow update.

Following the update, the phone’s software version is incremented to 5.07.720.1, with Sense remaining at 7.0. Alongside all the new features in Marshmallow, the update includes the February security patch. If you’re rocking the One M8 Eye in India, head to Settings -> About -> Software updates on your phone to manually download the update.

Thanks Devavrat Pohnerkar!

LG officially unveils budget-centric K5 and K8

LG unveiled the K10 and K7 earlier this year, adding the entry-level K4 to the lineup. The manufacturer is now expanding the K series with the launch of two additional models, the K5 and K8. The K series is LG’s play at increasing market share in the entry-level segment, with the phones targeted primarily in emerging markets.

The K8 leaked on LG’s Hungarian website last month, giving us an early look at the hardware on offer. The phone offers a 5-inch 720p display, 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6735 SoC, 1.5GB of RAM (1GB in Latin American markets), microSD slot, 8GB or 32GB internal storage based on the region, 8MP camera at the back, 5MP front shooter, LTE, Bluetooth 4.2, and a 2125mAh battery.

The LG K5 is the entry-level offering, featuring a 5-inch FWVGA display, 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6735 SoC, 1GB of RAM, 8GB internal memory, microSD slot, 5MP camera at the back, 2MP front camera, and a 1900mAh battery. The handset shares similar hardware as the K4, with the difference being the larger 5-inch screen.

A major plus point for the K8 is that it offers Marshmallow out of the box, whereas the K5 is running Android 5.1 Lollipop.

Both models will be available in three color variants — gold, white and indigo for the K8 and gold, white and titan for the K5. LG mentions that the K8 will be available in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, CIS and Latin America, with the K5 targeting Europe, CIS and Latin America. Pricing information will be revealed once the phones make their debut later this week.

LG EXPANDS ITS MID-RANGE K SERIES WITH TWO NEW MODELS

With Great Looks and Great Performance, K8 and K5 Give Value-Conscious Customers More Reasons to Choose LG

SEOUL, Mar. 15, 2016 ― Following the rollout of the K10, K7 and K4 earlier this year, LG Electronics (LG) announced that two new members of its K Series lineup, K8 and K5, will be introduced in key markets this week. The K8 will be available to consumers in regions including Asia, Africa, the Middle East, CIS and Latin America. The K5 will target customers in Europe, CIS and Latin America (model name Q6 in Mexico).

Revealed publicly for the first time at CES 2016, the K Series delivers a feature-rich UX and an advanced camera without the premium price. Its brilliant finish was influenced by the glossy pebble design language of previous K Series devices which imparts a luxuriousness and modern look to the collection.

The K8 is most notable for its premium design highlighted by smooth, curved edges as a result of its 2.5D Arc Glass while its woven back cover offers a comfortable and secure grip. Users can enjoy clear, crisp images on the HD-quality display and take incredible selfies with the 5MP front camera and popular options such as Gesture Interval Shot and Flash for Selfie.

To offer a superb viewing experience, the K5 sports a best-in-class 5-inch display matched to a sleek, metallic body. The 2MP camera on the front with Gesture Shot makes taking selfies even more fun and with three different colors to choose from — Gold, Silver and Titan — the K5 is sure to stand out in its category of mostly black and grey competitors.

“We are aware of the diverse needs and wants of our customers around the world and our goal is to deliver the best products to meet their expectations,” said Juno Cho, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “The K8 and K5 will be fantastic choices for anyone who is seeking a smartphone with great looks, great looks, at a great price.”

K8 Key Specifications:

• Display: 5.0-inch HD In-cell Touch
• Chipset: 1.3GHz Quad-Core
• Camera: Rear 8MP / Front 5MP
• Memory: 1.5GB (EU, NA) / 1GB (LATAM) / microSD
• Battery: 2,125mAh (removable)
• Operating System: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
• Size: 144.6 x 71.5 x 8.7mm
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g, n / Bluetooth 4.2 / NFC / USB 2.0
• Colors: Gold / Indigo / White

K5 Key Specifications:

• Display: 5.0-inch FWVGA
• Chipset: 1.3GHz Quad-Core
• Camera: Rear 5MP / Front 2MP
• Memory: 1GB RAM / 8GB ROM / microSD
• Battery: 1,900mAh (removable)
• Operating System: Android 5.1 Lollipop
• Size: 141.5 x 71.6 x 8.9mm
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g, n / Bluetooth 4.1 / USB 2.0
• Colors: Gold / Silver / Titan

Google’s next campus looks like a campsite from the future

Google’s grand designs for a new complex have been upgraded since we saw them last. Its still-in-planning campus (right next to the Googleplex), has benefitted from new renders, revealed in part of the company’s planning application to local officials. It’s less transparent and, well, dome-y than last year’s designs. If you enjoy 40MB pdfs filled with planning detail, you can dive in right here. Meanwhile, we’ve collected the renders right here:

It’s an intentionally flat structure, as Google attempts to blend the campus into the all the nature that surrounds it. This means tent-shaped roofs that slope down from each level. The complex will total roughly 600,000 square feet, which includes 45,000 square feet of interior landscaping, keeping plenty of green inside complex. And if the renders are to be believed, there will be space to rollerblade.

Via: BizJournal

Sony PlayStation Vue is finally now available across the US

Sony announced that its PlayStation Vue internet TV service has gone nationwide in the states.

The Netflix-like service launched over a year ago and has been available in select US cities, bringing live, local broadcasts from CBS, ABC, FOX, and NBC (as well as live cable, on-demand movie, and sports) to New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, and Miami. But there is a caveat to the service now expanding across the US: it’s cut live network programming in the 203 added markets.

It is instead offering “slim” packages, and they’re basically the same packages that original subscribers have been getting, meaning you’ll get live cable channels, on-demand movies, and sports programming (starting at $29.99), but the live broadcasts from CBS, FOX, NBC, and ABC have been axed (hence the $10-cheaper starting price). Check out Pocket-lint’s PlayStation Vue guide for more on pricing and programming.

The new PlayStation Vue is basically a lot like Dish’s Sling TV – only it offers cloud DVR functionality to boot. You can watch it across a range of devices, including PlayStation 4, PS3, Fire TV, and iOS, but it’s currently lacking native Android support. There is Chromecast support, however.

Sony eventually wants to offer nationwide live broadcasts from the big four, but we won’t hold our breath for that considering it took a year for the service to even expand to markets beyond the original seven launch cities.

READ: Sony’s PlayStation Vue online TV service is officially live in the US

What is Sony PlayStation Vue and where is it available?

Sony’s PlayStation Vue streaming TV service has finally expanded past the PlayStation to Amazon Fire TV devices and the Chromecast.

That means you can pick the right plan for you and – without a cable contract – begin getting access to a rich channel offering that comes close to matching what cable and satellite providers currently offer, including live TV and a cloud-based DVR feature, and you won’t need a PlayStation 3 or PlayStation 4 to do so. Unfortunately, the service is still limited to select US cities at the moment.

Here’s everything we know so far about PlayStation Vue…

PlayStation Vue: What is it?

Sony Computer Entertainment America

PlayStation Vue is a new cloud-based TV service from Sony.

It offers live TV, movies and sports – all without a cable or satellite subscription. It is therefore an ideal service for cord-cutters, a growing group of people who prefer to cancel or forgo a cable or satellite subscription in favor of an alternative internet or cloud-based service.

Netflix, for instance, is another alternative service aimed at cord-cutters.

PlayStation Vue: How do you sign up?

You can sign up for PlayStation Vue at http://www.psvue.com/plans.

PlayStation Vue: Where is it available?

In March 2016, Sony announced that its PlayStation Vue internet TV service had gone nationwide in the states.

The Netflix-like service launched over a year ago and has been available in select US cities, bringing live, local broadcasts from CBS, ABC, FOX, and NBC (as well as live cable, on-demand movie, and sports) to New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, and Miami. But there is a caveat to the service now expanding across the US: it’s cut live network programming in the 203 added markets.

PlayStation Vue: How much is it?

Sony Computer Entertainment America

PlayStation Vue offers three subscription tiers in the original 7 launch cities: Access (50+ channels of live TV, movies, and sports) for $49.99 a month, Core (60+ channels along with local sports) for $54.99 a month, and Elite (85+ channels and access to even more content from Epix Hits and Machinima) for $64.99 a month. If you’re unsure about PlayStation Vue, you can also always try it at no cost via the 7-day trial.

Nationwide however it is offering new “slim” packages that cut the live network programming from the big four.

The slim packages include Access Slim (55+ channels, with live cable TV, movies, and sports channels) for $29.99 a month, Core Slim (70+ channels, with all the channels from Access Slim with the addition of national and regional sports networks) for $34.99 a month, and Elite Slim (100+ channels, with all the channels from Core Slim with the addition of more movie and entertainment channels) for $44.99 per month.

PlayStation Vue: Which channels come with each package?

Sony Computer Entertainment America

Go here to explore the channels within each standard package, or go here to see what is included with the nationwide slim packages.

Channel offering for the standard packages vary depending on city. In New York City, for instance, the Elite package comes with:

• CBS, Fox, NBC, AMC, Animal Planet, BET, Boomerang, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CMT, CNBC, CNN, Comedy Central, Cooking Channel, Discovery, DIY, E!, Epix Hits, Esquire, Food Network, Fox News, FX, HGTV, IFC, Machinima, MSNBC, MTV, MTC 2, Nat Geo, Nick Jr, Nickelodeon, NickToons, Own, Oxygen, Spike, Sundance TV, Syfy, TLC, TNT, Travel, Tru, TCM, TV Land, Universal, USA, VH1, VH1 Classic, and more.

Also, Sony recently announced a new deal that would add ESPN, the Disney Channel, ABC, and ABC Family to the service.

PlayStation Vue: How can you watch it?

Sony Computer Entertainment America

Go here to explore the devices supported by PlayStation Vue.

Since launch, you needed a PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 3 gaming console in order to watch PlayStation Vue on your television. However, on 12 November 2015, Sony announced that its streaming TV service is also now available on both the Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV stick, with support coming “soon” for Google’s Chromecast. You can even watch it using an iPhone or iPad.

There is currently no native support for Android.

Want to know more?

Check out Pocket-lint’s PlayStation Vue hub for more details.