Phiaton BT 100 NC Bluetooth Headphones – Great sound, style, and comfort marred by unreliable Bluetooth (Review)

I must confess that prior to this review, Phiaton was not a brand I was familiar with. When these headphones arrived in the mail, I was totally oblivious as to what to expect from them. Let me tell you: I was pleasantly surprised…at first.

What’s In The Box?

The packaging for the BT 100 NC’s was some of the nicest I’ve seen for any product; especially for a pair headphones. The box felt sturdy, strong, was visually appealing, and wasn’t overly difficult to open. I like the contrasting elements Phiaton used with an all-white outer packaging against a black and silver inner packaging. I was also very impressed at how well the headphones and accessories were packaged in the box.

Packaging

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Front of box

Back of box

Left side of box

Right side of box

Inner packaging

Bottom of inner packaging

Inner packaging interior

In the box you get:

• Instruction manual
• Warranty info
• Additional ear pads of varying sizes
• Additional brackets for holding the wiring to the neckband
• 3.5mm to micro USB cord – this can be used if the BT 100’s battery has died or if you are using them with a device that does not have Bluetooth or NFC
• USB to micro USB cable

You basically get everything you need in the box. However, I would like to have seen Phiaton include an AC adapter of some sort, so that you could charge the BT 100s using a wall outlet.

Design

The Phiaton BT 100s are drop dead sexy. The white with red accents looks phenomenal. The red accents that surround the Phone and Play/Pause function keys are a cherry apple color that complements the shiny white plastic, quite well. The plastic build feels sturdy and of premium quality. Nothing about these headphones feels cheap. They feel solid enough to survive mild to moderate abuse without needing to worry.

On the left side of the BT 100s you have your volume switch, Phone function key (which also doubles as the power button), and an NFC toggle switch. On the right side, you have a Play/Pause function key.

I liked the placement of the function keys and volume rocker. They were very convenient and easy to access. The function keys did feel a bit stiff and had very little play to them, so it was hard to know whether or not you were actually pressing them.

One thing about the BT 100’s that really bugged me was the absence of a retraction mechanism for the ear buds. Phiaton, instead of including a retraction mechanism, opted to include two silos (one on each side) to place the ear buds inside of (partially). The problem is that they don’t fit securely. Instead of the earbuds themselves being a bit over sized to get a secure fit in the silo, you instead have a small peg that is supposed to fit in the hole in the ear pad to secure them. This solution was a glaring design oversight on Phiaton’s part. The peg not only does not secure the earbuds properly, but it is also an utter pain trying to get it into the hole in the ear pads. Consequently, the earbuds frequently fell out of the silos with very little external influence.

Earbud silo

Function

Overall, the Phiaton BT 100s were easy to use. It was not straightforward, out of the box, how to pair them with a device or even turn them on, but once I read the instructions, the process was pretty simple. To turn them on, you hold down the Phone function key until you see the indicator light turn on. To pair them with a device, you hold down the Play/Pause function key until you feel the headphones vibrate and the indicator light begins to flash red and blue in an alternating pattern. The instructions tell you to hold down the Play/Pause button for 2.5 seconds to put the headphones in pairing mode. I had to hold the button down for 3-4 seconds.

The BT 100’s are rated for approximately 7.5 – 12 hours of use while listening to music. This rating is pretty accurate with my experience. I found the charge time to be roughly three hours from dead to fully charged.

Call quality with the BT 100s was okay, not spectacular. The calls themselves sounded good in the earbuds, but the BT 100’s microphone makes your voice sound a bit muffled to the person on the other end of the line. I did like that the BT 100s have a vibration feature that activates when you receive a phone call. I also liked that I could answer and end calls with the Phone function key.

I ran into some issues with the Bluetooth. Specifically, the BT 100’s had a problem with keeping a stable pairing with my devices. I used them on a BLU VIVO XL, and also on an iPhone 6 Plus. The sound from music and video would quite frequently cut in and out while connected to my VIVO XL. It was almost like listening to a skipping CD. This phenomenon occurred far less frequently with my iPhone, but it still occurred nonetheless. I tried to give the BT 100s the benefit of the doubt and blame my BLU phone, but when the issue occurrs on the iPhone as well, I have to draw the conclusion that the issue lies with the headphones themselves and not my devices.

Sound

The sound quality of the BT 100s is a mixed bag. The most accurate word I can use to describe it, is balanced. The mids and highs were right where they needed to be, and I really appreciate that there is no “tinniness” to the highs. The bass is nothing to write home about but it blends in well with the rest of the spectrum. The problem is this: when I compare these $100 Phiatons to a $30 pair of Syllable G600 headphones, the difference is night and day. The Syllables sound deep and immersive, while the Phiatons sound like a cheap pair of Walmart headphones, in comparison. For $100, the Phiatons need to create an experience that makes me feel like I am physically in the concert hall if I close my eyes while listening to music.

Conclusion

This is tough for me. I like the Phiaton BT 100s. If it were not for the Bluetooth issue that I ran into, as well as the price, I would give you a thumbs up and purchase recommendation without hesitation. They feel good, they sound good, and the features are great… but the Bluetooth is hit or miss and the sound quality is not immersive enough for something that costs $100. I would definitely approach these with caution.

The Phiaton BT 100 NC Bluetooth headphones are available at Amazon.com for $98.99

Phiaton’s official website

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Billboard mimics human sweat to entrap Zika-carrying mosquitoes

A couple of ad agencies in Brazil installed two special billboards in Rio de Janeiro, which don’t endorse any kind of good or service. Instead, these billboards were designed to lure and kill Zika-carrying mosquitoes. They attract any Aedes aegypti up to 2.5 miles away by emitting a solution containing lactic acid and carbon dioxide that mimic human sweat and breath, respectively. Once the mosquitoes flock to the billboards, they get sucked inside the glass panel, where they’re trapped until they die.

The agencies, Posterscope and NBS, released the installation’s technical blueprint online and are encouraging other companies and cities to build their own. It costs around $192 to make one of these billboards. Dr. Chris Jackson, a pest control expert from the University of Southampton, told the BBC that anything that can reduce the prevalence of Zika-carrying mosquitoes is a good thing. The Zika virus continues to threaten the health of pregnant women and their babies in Brazil, after all — the CDC even confirmed that it causes severe birth defects, including microcephaly. He warns, however, that these types of installations might be more suitable for low-density locations. “[O]therwise,” he said, “you’re pulling in hungry mosquitoes and providing them with exposed human flesh.”

Via: The Verge, Motherboard, BBC

Source: The Mosquito Killer Billboard

Snapchat’s ‘face-swap’ now taps into your existing photos

Snapchat has scrapped its pay-to-replay feature, meaning repeat views of temporary videos and photos is now a free, one-time-only deal. Far, far more importantly, you can now swap your face with with any visage that Snapchat auto-detects on your photo roll: no more attempting to awkwardly position your buddy in a photo, or point your phone at a laptop or magazine. Sure you can still do that, but why would you? The results are equal parts stupid and magical. Game changer.

Snapchat’s face detection is good but not perfect, often spotting faces inside sauce bottles, advertising signs and even its own icons, but then that’s also hilarious, so I don’t mind. The update is out on iOS now, while Google Play appears to rolling out the update gradually. Take a look for yourself here — and keep it tasteful.

Engadget is (naturally) on Snapchat. Follow us at gadgetsnaps.

Source: SnapChat (iTunes)

Drones will help scientists find the best plant for biofuel

A group of researchers plan to find the best type of sorghum (a genus in the grass family) for biofuel production with the help of aerial and ground drones. They’re planning to deploy a 25-pound autonomous helicopter with visible imaging, thermal infrared and LIDAR laser equipment to gather data on a 10-acre plot. The unmanned vehicle can fly over their crops once every two weeks for 20 minutes to take images and measurements, which will show researchers the sorghum variety that’s been thriving the most. They’re also sending out two sensor-laden land drones to take measurements at ground level.

Sorghum is one of the best alternatives to corn when it comes to biofuel production. It might even be better, since it can survive drought and other less-than-ideal conditions. Problem is, scientists still don’t know which variety (because there are numerous) yields the most biofuel feedstock. The Department of Energy earmarked $30 million last year to fund several teams that can help it develop and find the best variety using robots. This particular team says drones will enable them to gather intel on their crops’ conditions much faster than humans can. If other scientists around the globe adopt their methods, they can also speed up the data-gathering process for their research studies.

Source: MIT Technology Review

Report: iTunes Movies and iBooks Stores in China Ordered Closed by Chinese State Agency

Last week, the iTunes Movies and iBooks stores mysteriously went down in China. A new New York Times report says the stores were forced down by the Chinese State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.

Initially, Apple apparently had the government’s approval to introduce the services. But then a regulator, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, asserted its authority and demanded the closings, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

An Apple spokeswoman said the company “hoped to make books and movies available again to our customers in China as soon as possible.” The store closures come six months after they were launched alongside Apple Music in the country.

Compared to other tech companies, Apple has had success in launching new ventures in the China. Most recently, Apple launched Apple Pay in the country in partnership with UnionPay, China’s state-run interbank network.

After the shutdown of the two stores, China’s President Xi Jinping conducted a meeting on China’s restrictive internet policies with Alibaba’s Jack Ma, Huawei’s Ren Zhengfei and other tech leaders in the country, according to The NYT. Daniel H. Rosen, a founding partner at Rhodium Group, a firm that specializes in the Chinese economy, tells The New York Times that China has an interest in promoting Chinese tech companies while attempting to reduce the impact of foreign tech giants like Apple in the country.

Apple is one of eight companies that China has targeted for being “too deeply established in the country’s core industries” according to The New York Times. Other companies on China’s list include IBM, Qualcomm and Microsoft. Earlier today it was reported that local Chinese handset makers like Huawei faced inventory losses and squeezed market share following the launch of the iPhone SE.

Apple has worked to grow its business in China, now its second biggest market, spending several years in negotiations with China Mobile, the country’s largest carrier, to bring the iPhone to its 700 million customers. The two agreed to a deal in 2013. Tim Cook has also made several visits to the country, with Apple also planning to expand its retail efforts.

Last November, when asked whether Apple had run into censorship problems in China, Eddy Cue said that the company had a “great working relationship” with China and that the launch of Apple Music and the iTunes Movies and iBooks stores showed that Apple knew how to work in the country.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

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Everything you need to know about HBO Now – CNET

In case you haven’t heard, a little show called “Game of Thrones” is about to kick off a new season this weekend, along with “Silicon Valley” and “Veep.”

Just one problem: Only HBO subscribers can enjoy them. So that means you have to call your cable company and add the network to your TV package, right?

Wrong! You can enjoy on-demand HBO thanks to HBO Now, an a la carte service that’s available on a month-to-month basis. Translation: Come for the new seasons, pull the plug when they’re done; save up for next April. Here’s everything you need to know.

How much is HBO Now?

The service costs $14.99 per month, with no contracts or signup or termination fees. It’s purely pay-as-you-go.

How do I sign up for HBO Now?

Curiously, HBO doesn’t currently allow new users to register via a computer — at least not in the traditional way. Instead, you need to install the app on select Amazon, Apple or Android devices and then sign up via that app. You can also add the HBO Now channel to your Roku device or purchase a subscription through Optimum or Verizon.

If this is your first time signing up, you can get a 30-day trial — though you’ll automatically get billed for the following month if you don’t cancel within 29 days. If you were a subscriber already, you can easily restart your subscription via the same device you used originally.

How can I watch HBO Now?

As you may recall, HBO Now was an iOS-only service when it first debuted. Now, however, you can watch it on just about every modern device, including, but not limited to:

• Android phones, tablets
• Amazon Fire tablets (third-gen and new)
• Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick
• Apple TV
• iOS phones and tablets
• Roku boxes and sticks
• Select Samsung Smart TVs
• Xbox 360 and Xbox One
• Your computer

So whether you’re at home or on the go, you should be able to watch HBO Now.

Can I use my HBO Now subscription on multiple devices?

Yep. According to HBO, your subscription “applies to your entire household.” There is a limit on how many simultaneous streams, but the service’s support pages don’t specify the number.

In theory, you should have no trouble watching HBO Now on multiple devices simultaneously.

Can I share my HBO Now subscription with friends and family?

See that word up above: “household”? That’s how HBO defines the parameters of a subscription, which would seem to limit it to everyone under a single roof.

Of course, as you may recall, Andy Samberg famously (and hilariously) shared his HBO Now username and password at last year’s Emmy awards — and lots and lots of people used it successfully (for a little while, at least).

So this is probably one of those don’t-ask-don’t-tell kind of situations. As long as you don’t share your account with millions of TV viewers, HBO probably won’t frown if you share it with, say, the kids away at college or your cash-strapped favorite uncle.

Can I save HBO Now shows for offline viewing?

Wow, now you’re really trying to get me in trouble. Because although Amazon lets Prime subscribers download select TV shows and movies for offline viewing, HBO Now does not.

However, where there’s a third party, there’s a way: PlayOn Plus (formerly PlayLater) can record streams from just about any service, from Netflix to Hulu to — you guessed it — HBO Now.

But, wait, is that legal? Technically, using software like PlayOn violates the terms of at least some services (notably Netflix and Hulu). But this is one big gray area, made even grayer by the fact that PlayOn has been around for years. That wouldn’t be the case if its users were routinely getting in trouble or the software was on the wrong side of any laws.

So, again, I’m not endorsing this product, merely letting you know it exists.

Happy viewing!

7 hidden tips for iOS Notes – CNET

If you use the Notes app on your iPhone only to type quick notes to yourself, then you aren’t using all the features that the app offers. Here are seven tips to help you get more out of iOS Notes.

Sync your Notes

With iCloud, you can sync your notes between iOS devices and your Mac. On iOS, head to Settings > iCloud and tap the toggle switch to turn on iCloud for Notes. On OS X, head to System Preferences > iCloud and check the box for Notes.

To sync Notes, you need to be using iOS 9 and OS X 10.11 El Capitan. You will also need to make sure you are using the same iCloud account on each device.

Secure your Notes

The ability to password protect notes arrived with iOS 9.3, but the button to keep away prying eyes is somewhat hidden. To protect a note with a password, open a note and tap the share button in the upper-right corner. On the share menu you’ll see a Lock Note button. The first time you lock a note, you’ll need to enter a password, which will be used to unlock all of your notes.

A password-protected note can be either locked or unlocked. Tap the lock icon next to the share button to lock or unlock a note.

Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET

You can also lock all of your password-protected notes by tapping the Lock Now button at the bottom of your screen when viewing the list of all of your notes. But if you lock your notes this way, they will all be unlocked when you unlock any note.

Sketch your Notes

If you have an idea that is better sketched than typed, Notes has drawing tool. To access it, open a note and tap the “+” button above the keyboard to access the app’s formatting tools. Tap the squiggly line and you’ll have three pens, an eraser and a color picker with which to draw, doodle and sketch. There is also a ruler to help you draw straight lines. You can drag the rule with one finger to move it around and use two fingers to change its angle.

You can have more than one sketch in a single note. Just swipe left with two fingers to begin a new sketch on a new page, and then you can swipe with two fingers to browse your various sketches.

Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET

There is a hidden tool with the eraser: tap and hold on the eraser to access an Erase All button if you want to start a sketch again with a clean slate.

The sketching feature is available on the iPhone 5 and later, the iPad Pro, the fourth-generation iPad, all iPad Air models, the iPad Mini 2 and later, and the sixth-generation iPod touch. And iPad Pro users can use the Apple Pencil for greater sketching control and results.

Speak your Notes

Too tied up to type a quick note? You can ask Siri to take a note for you. Just ask Siri to “add a note” or “take a note” and Siri will then ask you to tell her what you want it to say before creating a note.

Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET

Nest your Notes

If you have become an iOS Notes power user, then you may bemoan the iOS app’s inability to nest folders. Creating a folder hierarchy can certainly help bring organization to your notes, but if you use the Notes app only on your iPhone or iPad, then your folder hierarchy is flatter than Kansas.

If you sync your notes with the Notes app on your Mac, however, you can nest folders till your heart’s content. Just drag a folder on top of another folder to nest it. You’ll see a little triangle to expand and collapse any folder that contains nested folders. And this folder hierarchy you created in OS X is carried over to the Notes app in iOS.

Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET

Although nested folders appear on iOS, you can’t move or otherwise rearrange them without heading back to your Mac. There are no 3D Touch gestures to move folders, for example. In fact, the only edit tools at your disposal with Notes on iOS is renaming and deleting folder.

If nesting is your jam, you can go pretty deep into nesting levels on your Mac. I created eight levels of hierarchy before giving up with the belief that this degree of folding nesting is more than sufficient for all notetakers.

View all attachments

With its added features, the Notes app has some Evernote-like abilities. And like Evernote, it has a way for you to quickly search through all of the attachments you have saved to the app. From the main view of your notes, tap the button in the lower-left corner that has four small squares to view all of the attachments, Web pages and maps you’ve saved to Notes.

Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET

Add to Notes

From Safari, you can add Web pages to notes. When viewing a Web page in Safari you’d like to save to Notes, tap the share button and then the Add to Notes button. If you don’t see Add to Notes, swipe left until you get to the More button, which you can then tap to add the Add to Notes button to the share menu. You can add a Web page to a new note or an existing note. You can also share a location from Apple Maps to Notes in the same manner.

Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET

Web pages and maps are saved as thumbnails in Notes. Tap a thumbnail to open a page Safari or a location in Apple Maps. You can’t share to Notes from the Google Maps app, but if you open Google Maps in Safari, you can save a location to Notes. Then when you tap the Google Maps thumbnail in Notes, you will open that location not in Safari but the Google Maps app.

Video chat with a Samsung rep to troubleshoot your Galaxy S7 – CNET

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Juan Garzón/CNET

Learning how to use any new device, or troubleshooting an issue on your smartphone can be a frustrating experience. Sure, you can call or text the tech expert in your family and ask for help for the umpteenth time, or if you own a Samsung Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge, you can video chat with Samsung support directly from your device.

Using the Samsung+ app, not only will you be able to see and hear the support representative, but he or she will — with your permission — be able to take control of your device and illustrate how to change your lock screen wallpaper or add an email account to your device.

To get started, download and install the Samsung+ app on your device.

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Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET

Next, open the Samsung+ app and tap on the “+” sign in the lower-right corner. Next, tap on Video Chat from the list of options. Tap on Start Chat to begin the call. As noted in the dialogue, you will not be visible to the person you’re chatting with unless you intentionally turn on your camera during the call.

In order for the person to walk you through troubleshooting an issue or completing a task, you’ll need to grant permission for Samsung Assist to access your device.

When Samsung Assist is running, the words “Samsung Assist Active” will remain displayed in red on the bottom of your screen (see below).

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Jason Cipriani/CNET

In a test call, I asked for help changing my wallpaper. As you can see above, he was able to show me exactly where to go should I want to change the wallpaper again in the future, complete with circling the exact button I need to press.

Xplova X5 Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

The Xplova X5 might have the quirkiest new product name I’ve seen this year. But, it doesn’t help explain what this product is. Owned by PC giant Acer, Xplova is a company that makes GPS-enabled devices for cyclists, and like Garmin and a few other bike-tech leaders, it calls them “cycling computers.”

First seen at Acer’s New York press preview on April 21, the new Xplova X5 combines a GPS unit, a heart rate tracker and a video camera, and the company says this is the first time a product like this has included video recording capabilities.

Sarah Tew/CNET

The boxy device clips onto your bike’s handlebars, giving you a view of the IPX7 water-resistant touchscreen GPS display, which can capture location and performance data. GPS data can also be synced and saved to the Xplova website, and data from friends can be shared to either keep track of their location, or to challenge each other for best times or most difficult ride.

Up close with all the new gear Acer announced…
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But it’s the built-in video camera that makes the X5 stand out. Rather than trying to hit a record button while you’re riding, the unit can be set to automatically record short highlight clips based on user-defined triggers.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Those triggers can include heart rate — so a video recording starts when you hit a peak heart rate — or via GPS, when you pass by a notable landmark or a specific set of coordinates. The short 3-second clips can be compiled into a single video, ready for social media sharing.

There’s no price or availability details on the Xplova X5 yet, but Acer says it should be for sale in the third quarter of 2016.

Four’s a party in Crossy Road’s multiplayer update

Perennial mobile gaming favorite Crossy Road is now a multiplayer affair on Android. Thanks to its latest update, Crossy Road players on Android can take on the endlessly addictive game with up to four people.

Unfortunately, Crossy Road’s multiplayer is strictly local, so you won’t be able to play against others over an online connection. Instead, all players must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

To get started, tap the menu button on the lower right of the main menu screen and select the multiplayer option. From there, you can connect with other players on your local network and start a game. Once the game gets going, you’ll be working to obtain the highest score out of everyone, which is made much harder as you jump and weave around one another.

Interested? Be sure to grab the latest Crossy Road update on Google Play and let us know what you think!