TYLT ENERGI Charging Station review: Clean up your cords with style
These days, it’s typical that a household has a slew of mobile devices. So we can easily get to the point where power outlets get hogged and charging cables run amok. This is when it becomes smart to get a charging station.
Fortunately, one of our favorite brands, TYLT, has just dropped one into its lineup. Let’s see if the ENERGI Charging Station continues TYLT’s solid quality, and if it’s the solution to your mess of cords.
Design
If you’ve had the pleasure to use a TYLT device before, you’ll know that the manufacturer builds accessories with a mix of effortless design and high quality. The ENERGI Charging Station is no exception.
TYLT’s use of a sturdy matte plastic persists. Not that you’ll be carrying around a charging station, but for what it’s worth, the material’s smooth finish feels great to the touch. The unit’s white base is wrapped with a blue/grey layer. It looks nice, but more importantly, this design gives the user slots in which to route the cables.
The charging station provides a total of five USB power outlets. One of those has a neat feature – a removable battery pack (3,200 mAh) to take with you on-the-go.
This was a considerate addition and gives the charging station more value. It’s easy to use; just press the button to the right of the battery to eject it. It will charge when installed, and four LED indicators tell you how much charge it has.
The back of the charging station just has the power socket.
It of course draws power from a wall outlet. The benefit of a device like this is that you’ll only utilize a single outlet to power five devices.
Underneath, there are two rubber linings to keep the unit from sliding around.
Functionality
There isn’t a whole lot to say about a charger. It either works or it doesn’t. However, nowadays, there is a particular with mobile devices to comes into question – Quick/Fast Charging. Many of us are now used to our battery percentages climbing up quickly, and it’s annoying when we have to go back to yesteryear’s charging rates.
The ENERGI Charging Station doesn’t have the 3A output to achieve faster charging, but it meets us in the middle. The ports output a max of 2.4A (with the exception of the 1A removable power bank), which is at least faster than the original charging rate. Additionally, it uses a SmartDetect technology that automatically determines the max power that the device(s) can handle. So at least it’s efficient.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a quality charging station, then look no further. As always, TYLT does great job bringing ease and quality to yet another accessory offering. We’ll only say, if you’re in a low-battery bind, you’ll still want to keep that stock Quick/Fast charger handy.
The ENERGI Charging Station retails for $79, so it’s not the cheapest option on the block either.
4moms mamaRoo review – CNET
The Good The core idea of the 4moms MamaRoo is clever and solidly implemented. Being able to rock your baby to sleep hands-free can offer serious relief to new parents.
The Bad Most of the extra features are disappointingly low quality: the poor speakers, the plain mobile, and the completely useless ambient sounds.
The Bottom Line The MamaRoo is admittedly pricey, and it won’t be for every baby or parent. But for a parent that could use an extra set of arms, or any kid who can only sleep while being held, this 4moms device could make all the difference
In the weeks before the birth of our first child, my wife and I emptied our bank accounts buying every baby accessory we could imagine using even once or twice. After our son was born, we spent hours repackaging and returning a lot of them, because we found out the kid had his own preferences. He hated the first bassinet we bought for him, but loved the swaddling cloths. He hates to be cold, but he likes baths. And during this process, figuring out which devices to invest in took some experimentation.
At $270 (about £186 or AU$361), the 4moms MamaRoo is an expensive experiment — especially for new parents being bombarded with medical bills and nighttime diaper runs — but it’s one that could pay off. Essentially, the device is a Bluetooth-connected chair that, according the advertisements, “moves like you do.” 4moms attempted to replicate the range of movement patterns and speed that parents use to rock their children to sleep. Whether it calms your child will depend on his or her particular preferences, this base mechanic works really well.
The MamaRoo isn’t a perfect product. It has major technical shortcomings –particularly with its basic mobile app and terrible speakers. Even in light of these issues, I like the MamaRoo. Unless you’ve got $270 lying around, though, you should wait to buy it until you’re sure it’s what your baby needs.
An editor and his baby test out a smart infant…
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What does it do right?
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My son Idris came into the CNET Smart Home to test out the MamaRoo.
Chris Monroe/CNET
The 4moms MamaRoo is basically an adjustable seat that can rock your baby in various patterns at a few speed levels. The seat can sit up for babies getting a handle on balancing, and it can lie back for newborns. The seat itself is made of a soft multi-plush material that is gentle on the skin (though a slightly less expensive model just has a rough nylon material that you’ll have to line with your own blanket), and it’s machine washable.
Setting up the MamaRoo is a breeze. The instructions are clear, the pieces fit together simply, and connecting it to your phone with Bluetooth will take a minute at most. I had my MamaRoo up and running in less than 10 minutes.
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On the app, you can control the speed and pattern of MamaRoo’s movement. You can also control the ambient sounds and volume, but to connect your phone’s music to the device, you must plug it in with an auxiliary cord.
Chris Monroe/CNET
MamaRoo also features a hanging mobile, speakers, and sound effects to calm the baby. You can control the volume, select the sound effects, adjust the movement speed, and choose the movement pattern, all from an app. It’s like you get an extra pair of arms to rock your baby, and it’s mostly hands-free for you.
LG Action Camera Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
With its new LTE Action Camera, LG hopes to one-up GoPro and its other action camera ilk. How? This little device has LTE, a waterproof body (you won’t need to use extra housing), and you can broadcast directly to YouTube Live.
Built-in LTE is important because it lets you leave the camera streaming under its own 4G power, while you can use your phone to do something else. If you wanted to stream to YouTube Live without an independent LTE connection (as other action cameras use), you’d have to tether the action camera to the phone, much more rapidly draining your battery and slowing processing power while you broadcast live.
(P.S. LG is pretty much alone in offering an LTE-enabled action/lifestyle camera. Samsung tried it out with its connected Galaxy camera, which flopped. Samsung’s second attempt was Wi-Fi-only.)
I went hands-on with the palmable action camera at LG’s headquarters in Seoul, Korea, where I met with the company as part of a 19-day tech trip around Asia.
Check out the LG LTE Action Camera…in action…
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The device is coated in rubber, which makes it easy to hold and operate. There are two buttons, which are straightforward, one to record and one to broadcast to YouTube Live. Alternatively, you can manage the whole business of taking photos and recording video through a mobile app.
The camera and app were dead-simple to use, but the conference room where I saw the device wasn’t the kind of interesting setting where you’d usually use an action camera, so we’ll need to wait to get a review unit to see how it stacks up against rivals like GoPro.
LG’s new LTE-enabled action camera tethers to your phone to preview what you’re shooting — or broadcasting live.
Jessica Dolcourt/CNET
Again, since there’s no built-in screen, you’ll need to connect to a phone or tablet to see what you’re shooting — that wasn’t terrifically convenient.
At the bottom of the camera, a flip-open panel reveals an SD card card where you can stores your photos and videos.
LG says you can record and store over four hours of video and broadcast up to two hours of video at 1080p HD quality over 4G.
You’ll have three options for recording resolution and frame rate:
- HD: 1,280×720 (60 fps)
- Full HD: 1,920×1,080 (120 fps)
- 4K: 2,560×1,440 (30 fps)
LG didn’t have pricing or availability details for me, but will officially announce its GoPro rival soon — and hopefully answer those burning questions about when and where it’ll be available, and for how much.
4moms Infant Tub review – CNET
The Good The 4moms Infant Tub boasts simple and effective smarts, clever design and an affordable price.
The Bad This Infant Tub, like most others, is bulky and won’t fit all sinks. Plus, there’s room for more features.
The Bottom Line Compared to other infant tubs, the 4moms offering is a solid buy for new parents.
Visit manufacturer site for details.
If you’ve had a baby, one of the gifts you probably got at the shower was an infant tub. They’re bulky, usually colorful, plastic bins that might feature netting to cradle the baby, or a foam pad to keep them from slipping around. And if you’ve tried to use one of these before, you probably know it doesn’t make baby baths much easier. Once you’re a few weeks into parenting, with sleep running low and stress running high, you’re probably as likely to just use the sink as a bathtub as you are to pull out one of these tubs.
Enter 4moms, the maker of MamaRoo, with a $50 (£35 or AU$68) smart Infant Tub. This device is as bulky as competitors, and it costs about twice as much, but it benefits from really clever design and simple but well implemented smarts.
This smart infant tub keeps your kid comfy…
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How it works
First, you start the faucet over the thermometer.
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Tyler Lizenby/CNET
Once the screen turns green, indicating a comfortable temperature for your child, you can plug the bottom of the first pool. This will redirect the water into the tub where your baby sits.
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Tyler Lizenby/CNET
Finally, with your baby secure on the foam pad that keeps them from slipping, you can use the included cup to pour water over any body parts that need cleaning and aren’t submerged.
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Tyler Lizenby/CNET
I like the basic design of the Infant Tub — it keeps your baby in place pretty well, and it keeps the water at the perfect temperature, taking that extra concern off your mind while you try to hold a wiggling baby. The screen and temperature sensing are also helpful. For the future, though, including some sort of tool to clean harder-to-access places like clenched fists could help the $50 price tag feel like a better deal. And reducing its size would make storage much easier.
Although some of its shortcomings mean the 4moms Infant Tub isn’t quite a must-buy product yet, for anyone who needs assistance washing their baby, the 4moms Infant Tub is a solid investment.
Netflix’s ‘Voltron’ assembles in its second trailer
Netflix’s upcoming Voltron: Legendary Defender is looking a whole lot more palatable than previously imagined. DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming Netflix reboot of the classic series is taking a lot of cues from familiar faces (and voices) as the first trailer makes its way to audiences today.
The series comes to Netflix on June 10 with an hour-long premiere episode and ten additional 22-minute episodes from executive producer Joaquim Dos Santos and co-executive Lauren Montgomery. Dos Santos was in part responsible for the smash hit The Legend of Korra, and it’s easy to see where this modern vision of Voltron found so much of its influences. It’s colorful, loud, and frenetic, as the trailer shows off, but also personal and silly, true in many ways to the original Voltron’s mission.
The trailer is our first glimpse of characters Princess Allura, Coran, Shiro, Hunk, Lance, Pidge and Keith. There are some familiar voices in the crowd as well, like Adventure Time’s Jeremy Shada and Flight of the Conchords’ Rhys Darby.
“We wanted to make it closer to what we remember the show being versus what it actually ends up being when you go back and watch it,” Montgomery explained of the series.
It’s easy to get excited about the series with this new information, voice cast, and a glimpse at what’s to come, especially when you consider how Dos Santos himself describes the new vision of Voltron.
“Our teens are reacting to the insane idea [that] there’s a giant intergalactic war going on, and now they’re going to pilot five lions that become a larger robot, and one lion will wear another as a … well, as a boot …” A boot, indeed.
You can check out Voltron: Legendary Defender next month in its entirety when it hits Netflix.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
‘Android VR’ headset will reportedly be revealed next week at Google I/O
A new report claims Google will reveal a standalone “Android VR” headset sometime next week as part of its Google I/O developer conference.
The claims come from veteran tech journalist Peter Rojas on his Twitter feed
Android VR will definitely be announced next week, and from what I’ve heard will be less powerful than the Vive or Rift.
— Peter Rojas (@peterrojas) May 11, 2016
@kesslerio I don’t have more specifics, but multiple sources have told me that it offers better experience than Gear VR.
— Peter Rojas (@peterrojas) May 11, 2016
Rojas did not offer any further details on “Android VR”, such as price tag or a release date. Android Central will be on hand at Google I/O to get all the news from the developer conference next week.
Canadians deserve better than the Huawei GR5
Why would anyone buy this phone, exactly?
Canadians attuned to the idiosyncrasies of the mobile space are well accustomed to Android devices that, while close, don’t quite align with their international, or even U.S., counterparts.
One such product is the newly-released Huawei GR5, a mid-range Android device available starting this week from Rogers for $0 on a 2-year contract and $375 outright.
As far as free phones go, on paper the GR5 sounds like a satisfying prospect: big, bright 5.5-inch Full HD display; 3,000mAh battery; rear fingerprint scanner; metal body. But it’s when you dig into the core of the product that you begin to see where things went rotten. And rotten is certainly an apt adjective for this product.
On background
The Huawei GR5 is actually the Honor 5X renamed for the Canadian market. Honor, Huawei’s budget-friendly brand proliferating throughout the U.S. and Europe, was developed, as many brands are, to distance itself from any preconceptions associated with its parent company.
The “Huawei” brand, especially in the U.S., drudges up associations — unproven, to clarify — of collusion with the Chinese government and the surreptitious installation of spyware and malware. Since 2012, the company has been effectively banned from selling network equipment to U.S.-based carriers, and has no plans to pursue a large scale handset strategy under its own name.
In Canada, things are very different. Huawei does sell network equipment to our carriers, and its brand, growing in strength, is positively associated in almost every respect. It has built an enormous R&D centre in Ottawa, the nation’s capital, and every May, under the name Seeds for the Future, sends 20 Canadian university students on a two-week “cultural and work experience trip.”
Oh, and it also sells handsets.
No Hono(u)r
Huawei doesn’t sell its high-end P or Mate series products in Canada, at least not through carrier channels. In fact, outside the Nexus 6P, which is packaged as a Google product, the GR5 is the company’s most powerful device on store shelves. But it is not a good representative of the brand at all.
More: Read our full Honor 5X review
Not only is the GR5 a watered-down version of the Honor 5X, which a reduction in RAM (in some models) from 3GB to 2GB, it actually ships — in May, 2016 — with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. Alone that isn’t cause for concern, but the GR5’s EMUI 3.1 is, for lack of a better word, ugly; what we’ve seen on the Huawei P9, which ships with Android 6.0 and EMUI 4.1, is much more encouraging.
I’m not just talking to the hardcore Android users when I say that shipping a device with year-old software is bad for everyone. It’s bad for the OEM, which has already overcome many of its most persistent software issues in newer versions; it’s bad for the carrier, which has to support this aging OS, and convince customers to buy it; and it’s especially bad for those customers, many of whom may balk at this poor Android experience and reconsider their next purchase.
From my time with EMUI 3.1, I found the interface clumsy and finicky, pocked with numerous spelling mistakes peppered throughout the confusing system of non-standard Android menus. While the lack of an app drawer is not alone worth complaining about, Huawei’s default launcher performs poorly, and the built-in apps are badly-designed. Worse, the notification shade modifies Android’s standard colour scheme, so apps like Google’s own Gmail render black text on a purple background.
A hardware dilemma
On the surface, the Huawei GR5 looks nice enough. Its metal body, while thin and too flexible, is handsomely finished, and the company did a respectable job matching the silver plastic insets that hide the antennas. Holding the phone, though, exposes a wispy lightness, the result of a company skimping on housing materials.
Inside, the Snapdragon 616 processor is only minutely different to the Snapdragon 615 that we found wanting in performance even a year ago; today, such a chip is outright slow. Most OEMs have moved on to the similarly-priced but more-capable Snapdragon 617, or even the 650, but since this is a variant of a phone released in October 2015, such things are to be expected.
Also of concern is the 2GB of RAM, a cost-saving measure that may not impact performance at first, but over time will take its toll.
I’ll defer to my colleague, Andrew Martonik, on the GR5’s 13MP + 5MP rear/front camera combination, who, in his review, found them competent if unremarkable:
The typical snapshot in average-or-better lighting turned out better than I could’ve expected, and for the other situations you can’t be too disappointed considering the price point. The front-facing camera was also surprisingly good on the Honor 5X, taking relatively sharp shots from the 5MP sensor even in indoor lighting.
The upside
There are better free phones at Rogers, like the LG G4, Moto X Play — and even the LG G3. If paying nothing upfront for a phone is the only goal, consider a phone from an OEM with a better track record of issuing updates, and less of a penchant for modifying the heck out of Android.
If the GR5 is the phone for you, you can overcome all of its issues, and you’re willing to buy it outright, I have good news: Newegg Canada sells the actual Honor 5X for $249.99 — and it’s much more likely to receive an upgrade to Marshmallow before the Rogers-sold variant.
Google announces the second class of Launchpad Accelerator startups
Google has announced the companies that will be a part of the second class of startups in its Launchpad Accelerator program. The 24 startups are based out of Brazil, India, Indonesia, and Mexico, and as part of the program each company will receive mentorship and resources to help successfully scale the mobile apps that they’re working on.
From the Google Developer blog:
Class 2 kicks off June 13. The startups will descend on Google HQ for an intensive 2 week bootcamp. Under the tutelage of Google product teams and mentors from the global Launchpad network, they will receive intensive, targeted mentoring, equity-free funding, and more benefits during the 6-month program.
These are the companies included in the second Launchpad Accelerator class:
- BankFacil
- Emprego Ligado
- AppProva
- GetNinjas
- Edools
- Love Mondays
- HijUp
- Talenta
- Jarvis Store
- Ruangguru
- IDNtimes
- Codapay
- Taskbob
- Programming Hub
- ShareChat
- RedCarpet
- PlaySimple Games
- MagicPin
- Aliada
- SaferTaxi
- Conekta
- Konfio
- Kichink
- Miroculus
The Launchpad Accelerator program, unlike other accelerators, is focused on providing mentoring to startups in developing countries, giving them the skills and seed funding necessary to finish building out their apps.
Disguise your Amazon Echo with a case or skin – CNET
Taylor Martin/CNET
Amazon’s original connected speaker, the Echo, has become the smart home accessory to have.
It has an ever growing list of third-party devices and services that it can interact with or control; it’s pretty reliable and relatively natural to talk to; and when paired with IFTTT or Yonomi, it often removes the need for a smart hub and makes the simple commands or controls that much easier.
That said, it only comes in one style — a matte-black finish which may not match the style of your home. Maybe you have stainless appliances in your kitchen or the large black speaker throws off the balance of your entertainment system. If so, you’re not out of luck. There is a quick and affordable way to truly customize the appearance of your Amazon Echo.
Amazon Echo skins
With smartphones, if you don’t like the stock appearance of your phone, you can purchase a skin for your device for under $20. The same goes for the Echo, but the selection of skins is still a bit paltry.
One seller offers a selection of eight different skin colors to choose from, each priced at $8.99 (£6.22 GBP or AU$12.21, converted): silver (pictured), red, carbon fiber black, carbon fiber white, denim, gold, slate and wood. Another seller offers R2-D2 or TARDIS skins.
Taylor Martin/CNET
I have to say, the silver, which looks has a faux-brushed stainless appearance, actually classes the Echo up quite a bit.
The installation of the skin is surprisingly very easy. Lining it up to be perfectly straight will take a few tries, but I had no trouble with fully applying the skin, removing it to adjust the alignment and reapplying. Frustrating as it may be, it didn’t seem to affect the adhesive in any way.
Without a doubt, the seams are the worst part of these skins. It’s virtually impossible to align them perfectly. But, assuming you install the three pieces properly, you will only see the seam on the volume ring. The others will be hidden from view.
Other options
For whatever reason, there are also a few cases available for the Echo. A case seems better suited for the Amazon Tap, as most people won’t be lugging their Echo around with them. But if you want a more premium appearance for your Echo, a thick leather travel case may be the way to go.
Or if you want something a bit more decorative, there is at least one enclosure for the Echo that closely resembles a candle holder and will blend your speaker into your white desk or kitchen.
Either way, the options for styling — or disguising — your Amazon Echo are only growing.
AT&T HTC One M8 and One M9 Marshmallow updates will begin rolling out on May 12
AT&T is finally going to begin pushing Marshmallow to both the HTC One M8 and HTC One M9 on May 12. This comes after some long delays in getting the update finalized, but either way it is great to see it will be hitting phones shortly. Mo Versi, the VP of Product Management at HTC, made the announcement on Twitter.
HTC One (M8 & M9) AT&T owners! Thank you for your patience. Marshmallow OS is approved, OTA to start tomorrow!!
— Mo Versi (@moversi) May 11, 2016
If you own either of these phones on AT&T, be sure to keep an eye out tomorrow for the update. Odds are it won’t hit every single phone tomorrow, so you may need to wait an extra day or two before you see the update on your phone. Be sure to let us know once you start receiving the notifications to update!
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