LeEco’s first phone for the US nails the basics but fails on software
LeEco is a name you’ve probably never heard of, but the Chinese electronics company has been popping up everywhere over the past year. It’s well-known in China for its TVs and phones, and also has subsidiaries in the music, film and even bicycle-making businesses. Like many other Chinese phone makers before it, LeEco is eyeing the US market, with its first offering being the Le Pro3. This $400 Android phone covers the basics, delivering excellent hardware, respectable performance and all-day battery life, though it misses the mark with its heavily skinned software.
Hardware
For a phone that costs just $400, the Le Pro3 is seriously well-constructed. Everyone I’ve shown the device to has been instantly impressed by how premium it feels. It’s just dense enough to feel expensive, but not so much that it’s heavy. Still, LeEco won’t score points for creativity here. This phone’s rectangular silhouette and slightly curved rear is reminiscent of other Android phones like the HTC 10, OnePlus 3 and Huawei Mate 9. Its brushed metal back has a glossy coating, and is home to both a fingerprint sensor and a slightly protruding camera. My review unit is silver, though an equally attractive gold version is also available.
There aren’t any physical buttons on the Pro3’s front (the volume rocker and power button are on the right edge); instead, capacitive navigation keys sit below the screen. These light up when touched, but otherwise disappear into the background, making them hard for new users to find. Over time, though, I remembered where they were and found myself poking at them instinctively, without having to look.
LeEco made some odd choices with the Pro3’s design that have proved unpopular on other phones. It has left out a headphone jack and a microSD card slot for expandable storage, so you’re stuck with the 64GB of onboard space (and 5TB of cloud storage through LeCloud, which is nice). For audio, you’ll have to use the USB-C port at the bottom of the phone, and plug in either the USB-C headphones or USB-C-to-3.5mm adapter that are included. What was LeEco thinking? Surely it can’t believe it has as much cachet as say Apple, which itself has caught flack for doing away with such a common port.
Oh, and if you were thinking that the reason for removing this jack was to enable water resistance, you’d be mistaken — the Pro3 will not survive dips. According to LeEco, removing the headphone jack is feasible now because USB-C tech, together with a customized chip on its earphones, have improved audio quality “to such an extent that we believe now is the perfect time to make the shift.” It cited its sales numbers in China and India as an indication that “users are adopting well to USB-C based audio,” and said it is the first company in the world to remove the port. Still, you’ll be frustrated when you lose your included earphones or adapter and can’t find a compatible set at a moment’s notice.
Display and sound
I was initially quite taken with the Le Pro3’s nearly bezel-less, 5.5-inch full HD LCD display. Icons and text scattered across a starry wallpaper looked crisp, and pictures were vibrant. But when I watched an episode of Friends on Netflix, I noticed that image quality was a bit flat compared to what I’m used to on Apple and Samsung devices. In short, this screen lacks the deep blacks and punchy, saturated colors of its AMOLED counterparts.
Still, it’s bright with generous viewing angles, so I’m not really complaining. Plus, you can choose from one of four color profiles (LeEco, Vivid, Natural and Soft), although I found all of them fall short of AMOLED screens.
Complementing the screens are two powerful bottom-mounted speakers that pump out decent audio. It is typically loud enough to hear from a room away, but music tracks, including my current favorite, Starboy by The Weeknd, tend to get slightly tinny at top volume.
Software
Like most other Chinese phones in the US, the Le Pro3 runs a modified version of the latest available version of Android (in this case, 6.0.1 Marshmallow). The company calls its skin “Ecosystem User Interface,” or EUI (those familiar with obscure details like interface names will catch that this is similar to Huawei’s EMUI). But the differences LeEco made are more noticeable than on other manufacturers’ skins, to the point where I had to unlearn some old habits.
Instead of swiping down from the top of the screen to find settings shortcuts such as display brightness and WiFi connectivity, you’ll have to tap the All Apps button instead. Here, the top two thirds of the display are dominated by a panel of options, as well as stuff like flashlight and Do Not Disturb mode. This section’s layout looks kind of like the Control Center on an iPhone, except that you can swipe horizontally to see more options in the top row of shortcut symbols.
Not only does this large block reduce the amount of space available to show all your open apps, which are laid out side by side in the bottom third, but it’s also an unnecessary change. The space left behind by what would ordinarily be a quick settings panel in the notifications drawer is delegated to a Notifications Management page, which lets you decide precisely what apps from which you want to allow or block alerts.
Another difference between EUI and stock Android is the page of curated content you’ll find when you swipe all the way to the left. It’s called LeView, and is quite similar to HTC’s Blinkfeed and OnePlus’ Shelf, putting a slew of what it calls “entertainment” that it thinks you’ll like in one easily accessed place. The material here is generally videos pulled from YouTube and LeEco’s own library, and I found most of these pretty obscure and irrelevant to my tastes. I’m not entirely sure why the system thought “Juicy Lucy Meatballs” and “Mega Gummy Bear” were good suggestions for me, considering I never looked up food or candy while reviewing the phone.
Through its subsidiaries, LeEco has a hand in the music and film industries, making it a content company in addition to a device maker. Perhaps because of this, the Pro3 offers multiple ways to access new, relatively unknown multimedia. In addition to LeView, you’ll also find the Live app, which lets you watch movies such as Hostel and House of the Rising Sun, as well as TV shows like The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and Soul Mates. Most of the available titles are pretty obscure, though; you won’t find the latest movies or most popular programs here. Bummer.
Cameras
The Le Pro3 is also a letdown when it comes to imaging performance: Its 16-megapixel rear camera is hit or miss. In bright daylight, it takes crisp, stunning pictures, and I was happy to show off the gorgeous landscapes I shot with it. But in low light, my sample shots turned out muddy and dark, while my colleagues’ faces looked splotchy in a dimly lit bar. Turning on the flash helped reclaim the lost detail, and because the flash’s light is a slightly warm, orangey tone, skin tones look particularly rich — not overexposed and blue, like what you tend to see with cooler bulbs.
It’s mostly a same story with the 8-megapixel camera up front, which captures sharp, vibrant selfies in bright light, but yields muted colors in poorly lit environments. Too bad there isn’t a flash here to save your nighttime portraits.
You can play around with the camera app’s various modes to try and improve your shots, but they’re a bit hard to find. Four main options are available right below the viewfinder — Video, Photo, Pano and Slo-mo. Other tools, like Night mode or HDR, are somewhat hidden. You need to tap the gear icon on the top right of the app, which displays two different panels — a grid to tweak things like ISO, white balance, shutter sound and timer, and a row of five additional settings below it. That second section is where you’ll find HDR, Night, Beauty and Square modes, and it’s easy to miss because the eye goes straight to the first set of options.
Performance and battery life
The Pro3’s cameras may be disappointing, but its performance exceeded my expectations. Thanks to its 2.35GHz quad-core Snapdragon 821 chip and 4GB of RAM, the Pro3 was generally responsive as I jumped from open app to open app without delay. The phone also kept up with my somewhat maniacal scrolling up and down on Engadget’s home page in Chrome, pausing occasionally to load images and GIFs. However, there were some small hiccups. The Live app crashed on me the first time I tried to launch it, although that hasn’t happened since.
Alcatel Idol 4S
Google Pixel
AndEBench Pro
13,354
13,841
9,742
14,941
Vellamo 3.0
6,559
5,202
4,831
5,343
3DMark IS Unlimited
31,753
30,058
18,051
28,645
GFXBench 3.0 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (fps)
30
48
15
46
CF-Bench
42,572
41,653
75,760
30,997
The Pro3’s benchmark results generally paint a similar picture. It beat other phones in its class like the OnePlus 3 and the Alcatel Idol 4S on most performance tests. It’s worth noting, too, that these devices offer older, slower processors for the same price as the Le Pro3.
OnePlus took the lead on ANDEbench, but lost to LeEco in every other round, including the graphics test 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited. In that, the Le Pro 3 trashed even top-tier devices like the HTC 10, Galaxy S7 and Google Pixel. The latter uses the same Snapdragon 821 chipset as the Le Pro3, and delivered stronger results in overall performance.
The Pro3’s large 4,070mAh battery squeezed out an impressive ten hours and 44 minutes on Engadget’s rundown test, which involves looping a high-definition video at 50 percent brightness. That’s longer than the Idol 4S and OnePlus 3 lasted in the same test. Plus, it retains its power when idle. Indeed, I was impressed to find that after a couple days of languishing in my purse, the Le Pro3 was still alive.
Since the Le Pro3 supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, it’s supposed to charge 38 percent more efficiently than Quick Charge 2.0, which got most phones to 50 percent in 30 minutes. In general, plugging the phone in for 15 minutes got me to about 30 percent power, which, considering the size of the battery, is pretty decent.
The competition
The Le Pro3 goes up against the OnePlus 3, the Alcatel Idol 4S and the ZTE Axon 7, all of which cost about $400. They all have pleasing designs too, though none of them feel as expensive as the Le Pro3.
Android purists may want to stick with the OnePlus 3 or the Idol 4S, both of which run skinned versions of Android, but mostly stick to Google’s basic navigational features. Fans of virtual reality in particular should consider the Alcatel phone, which comes with its own headset and immersive VR content. The Axon 7 is also a good VR choice, as ZTE promises it will eventually be compatible with Google’s Daydream VR platform. It also has a sharper quad HD screen, to boot.
If you need a phone that can handle your intense multitasking, the OnePlus 3 is a slightly better option than the Pro3, beating it in most performance tests. But the Pro3 is no slouch either, coming in faster than the Alcatel and ZTE options.
Finally, if you can’t live without your favorite wired headphones, you’re better off with any of the other three, all of which sport traditional headphone jacks.
Wrap-up
The Le Pro3 feels like it cost hundreds more than its $400 asking price, and it performs well for the money too. However, as LeEco’s first offering in the US, the Le Pro3 gets some important things wrong. Users here aren’t likely to unlearn old habits for a phone that’s not much better than similarly priced handsets, so the different software and missing headphone jack are missteps that will cost LeEco customers. I also wish the camera performed better in low light. In spite of all this, the Le Pro3 is a capable phone that punches above its weight, at least as far as design and performance go.
Mini unveils its first hybrid vehicle
Tiny-carmaker Mini unveiled it’s hybrid all-wheel-drive Countryman S E at the LA Auto Show today. What’s intriguing is that while it’s an AWD vehicle, the front wheels are powered by the gas engine while the rear are connected to an electric motor.
Those two powertrains pump out a combined 221 horsepower. The twin-turbo internal combustion engine puts out 134 horsepower while the rear motor outputs 87. Like most hybrids, the vehicle offers multiple modes based on range and motoring style. Mini calls these eDrive modes. They are pure electric mode, electric with the gas engine kicking in at high speeds and during hard acceleration, and a gas engine only mode that keeps the battery topped off.
The new Countryman E’s electric system is based on the platform used by parent company BMW’s all electric eDrive system that powers the i3 and i8 vehicles. That pedigree will extend to an all-electric Mini that will launch in urban areas in 2019 according to Peter Schwarzenbauer, member of the BMW board of management. But beyond it’s greener drivetrain, it’s still a Countryman.
Like its gas-powered sibling introduced last night, the new Countryman S E is eight inches longer and one inch wider than the current vehicle. That translates to more cargo space for what Mini insists will be “awesome beach barbeques.” The hybrid also comes standard with a 6.5-inch display for navigation and media playback, a panorama sunroof, keyless entry laser headlights and fog lights.
According to Schwarzenbauer the Countryman model accounts for 25 percent of all Minis sold, so it’s not that big of a surprise that the automaker choose it to be its first hybrid. The automaker says that the car will travel nearly 25 miles in pure electric mode. Unfortunately, there’s no word on what Mini expects the MPGe to be, when it’ll be launched or pricing. Although there is talk that the MPGe will be announced in December and the car might be on sale in the US in March 2017.
Source: Mini
NOAA: US snow cover hits an ‘all-time low’ for November
Researchers just supplied more evidence that climate change-related temperature increases are having a material effect on the planet. America’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that snow cover in the lower 48 states is the lowest ever recorded for mid-November. As you can see in the map below, there’s very little snow on the ground in the country — you’d likely have to climb a mountain to see it. For contrast, the average snow cover between 1981 and 2010 reached as far south as New Mexico.
This doesn’t rule out the possibility of a surprise snow dump, of course. However, it’s not a great sign given a recent history of increasingly warmer winters. And it’s not exactly heartening when the next White House administration isn’t very receptive to climate science. Let’s just hope this isn’t a trend that continues for much longer.
Source: NOAA
Tesla cars will get even quicker through a software update
Tesla isn’t done wringing every last drop of performance out of its electric cars, apparently. Elon Musk has revealed that a December software update will improve the off-the-line acceleration of both the Model S and Model X in their ultimate P100D trim levels when using their “Easter egg” (read: Ludicrous) modes. In both cases, it should shave a tenth of a second off both their 0-60MPH and quarter mile times. That doesn’t sound like much, but it’s a big deal for EVs that are already competitive with the quickest cars on the planet. The 2.4-second 0-60 time for the Model S could make Bugatti Chiron drivers nervous, and a 2.8-second launch for the Model X would put the Bentley Bentayga to shame.
Of course, enthusiasts will tell you that these times don’t tell the whole story. Gas-powered supercars may be slower to start, but tend to catch up and sometimes pull ahead when given enough roadway. You wouldn’t want to bet your Tesla on a drag race. Still, the upgrade is a testament to one of the less heralded advantages of electric vehicles — you can get free performance upgrades without having to lift a finger.
Looks like the Model S P100D Easter egg will allow it to do 0 to 60 mph in 2.4 sec and a 10.6 sec 1/4 mile via software update next month
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 16, 2016
Model X numbers should also improve by 0.1 sec on 0 to 60 and 1/4 mile
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 16, 2016
Source: Elon Musk (Twitter 1), (2)
Apple Releases Safari Technology Preview 18 With Bug Fixes and Feature Tweaks
Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced in March of 2016. Apple designed the Safari Technology Preview to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.
Safari Technology Preview release 18 includes bug fixes and updates for Input Events, Javascript, Shadow DOM, Web Inspector, CSS, Rendering, Printing, Web APIs, HTTP Authentication, and more.
The Safari Technology Preview update is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store to anyone who has downloaded the browser. Full release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website.
Apple’s goal with Safari Technology Preview is to receive feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. Safari Technology Preview can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.
Tag: Safari Technology Preview
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USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 Display Buyer’s Guide for New MacBook Pro
Apple’s new MacBook Pro models feature between two and four Thunderbolt 3 ports that carry power, USB, DisplayPort, HDMI, and VGA over a single cable, creating one standard for connecting most accessories and peripherals. Thunderbolt 3 uses the same connector type as USB-C, also called Type-C, meaning the new MacBook Pros are compatible with a growing lineup of USB-C external displays.
USB-C displays can display up to 4K video, transfer data, and charge the new MacBook Pro at up to 60W over a single cable connected between the display and notebook. LG’s new UltraFine 5K display, meanwhile, uses Thunderbolt 3 to display 5K video and fully charge the new MacBook Pro at up to 85W. The 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar can drive dual 5K displays, while the 13-inch model can drive one 5K display.
LG launched its UltraFine 4K and 5K displays in partnership with Apple, which exited the standalone display business after discontinuing its Thunderbolt Display earlier this year. The first USB-C displays from other manufacturers were released just this year, so the current selection remains limited. MacRumors has rounded up most of the options available from LG, ASUS, Acer, and Lenovo below.
LG 27UD88
Display size: 27-inch
Display resolution: Ultra HD (3,840×2,160 pixels)
Display technology: IPS LED
Aspect ratio: 16:9
Refresh rate: 60Hz
Color gamut: sRGB (over 99%)
Brightness: 350 cd/m2
Ports: 1 input USB-C, 2 USB 3.0, 2 HDMI 2.0, 1 DisplayPort 1.2
Cables included: USB-C to USB-C, USB-C to USB, HDMI, DisplayPort
Power delivery to MacBook Pro: Up to 60W
Price: $699 at B&H Photo Video or $740 on Amazon
LG 38UC99
Display size: 37.5-inch curved
Display resolution: Wide QHD+ (3,840×1,600 pixels)
Display technology: IPS LED
Aspect ratio: 21:9 (ultrawide)
Refresh rate: 60Hz
Color gamut: sRGB (over 99%)
Brightness: 300 cd/m2
Ports: 1 input USB-C, 2 USB 3.0, 2 HDMI 2.0, 1 DisplayPort 1.2
Cables included: USB-C to USB-C, USB-C to USB, HDMI, DisplayPort
Power delivery to MacBook Pro: Up to 60W
Price: $1,499 at B&H Photo Video or $1,699 on Amazon
LG UltraFine 5K
Display size: 27-inch
Display resolution: 5K (5,120×2,880 pixels)
Display technology: IPS LED
Aspect ratio: 16:9
Refresh rate: 60Hz
Color gamut: DCI-P3 wide color gamut
Brightness: 500 cd/m2
Ports: 1 Thunderbolt 3 and 3 USB 3.1 Type-C
Cables included: Thunderbolt 3
Power delivery to MacBook Pro: Up to 85W
Price: $974 from Apple until December 31, 2016. $1,299.95 after. Available December.
LG UltraFine 4K
Display size: 21.5-inch
Display resolution: 4K (4,096×2,304 pixels)
Display technology: IPS LED
Aspect ratio: 16:9
Refresh rate: 60Hz
Color gamut: DCI-P3 wide color gamut
Brightness: 500 cd/m2
Ports: 1 input USB-C, 3 USB 2.0 Type-C
Cables included: USB-C to USB-C
Power delivery to MacBook Pro: Up to 60W
Price: $524 from Apple until December 31, 2016. $699.95 after.
Lenovo ThinkVision X1
Display size: 27-inch
Display resolution: Ultra HD (3,840×2,160 pixels)
Display technology: IPS LED
Aspect ratio: 16:9
Refresh rate: 60Hz
Color gamut: sRGB (100%)
Brightness: 300 cd/m2
Ports: 1 input USB-C, 1 HDMI 2.0, 1 DisplayPort 1.2
Cables included: Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort, HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C to USB-C, USB-C to USB
Power delivery to MacBook Pro: Up to 60W
Price: $639 from Lenovo or $760 on Amazon
ASUS MB169C+
Display size: 15.6-inch
Display resolution: 1080p (1,920×1,080 pixels)
Display technology: IPS
Aspect ratio: 16:9
Refresh rate: 60Hz
Color gamut: Unknown
Brightness: 220 cd/m2
Ports: 1 input USB-C
Cables included: Unknown
Power delivery to MacBook Pro: None
Price: From $157.84 on Amazon
Acer H277HU
Display size: 27-inch
Display resolution: 1440p (2,560×1,440 pixels)
Display technology: IPS LED
Aspect ratio: 16:9
Refresh rate: 60Hz
Color gamut: sRGB (100%)
Brightness: 350 cd/m2
Ports: 1 input USB-C, 2 USB 3.0, 1 HDMI 2.0, 1 DisplayPort, 1 DVI
Cables included: USB-C to USB-C and others
Power delivery to MacBook Pro: Up to 60W
Price: $458.99 on Amazon
Which to Buy
The best option is LG’s UltraFine 5K display. The display’s Thunderbolt 3 port enables pass-through charging to the new MacBook Pro at up to a full 85W. It is also the brightest display at 500 cd/m2 and it has a wide DCI-P3 color gamut that shows more vibrant colors compared to the traditional sRGB standard. The 27-inch display has a built-in camera, microphone, stereo speakers, and three USB-C ports at 5 Gbps speeds. Apple’s sale price of $974 is expensive overall but reasonable for 5K displays.
An affordable Thunderbolt Display replacement is Acer’s H277HU display. It has the same 27-inch screen size, 1440p resolution, and LED-backlit IPS display technology as the Thunderbolt Display. The display familiarly connects to and charges the MacBook Pro at up to 60W over a single cable. It runs at a full 60Hz refresh rate and has a decent variety of ports: 2 USB 3.0 ports, 1 HDMI 2.0 port, 1 DisplayPort, and 1 DVI port. Amazon’s price of $458.99 is very reasonable.
Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Tags: USB-C, 4K displays, 5k displays, Thunderbolt 3
Buyer’s Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
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Best Gifts For PlayStation 4 Owners
Make someone’s PlayStation 4 experience better.
If you’re shopping for someone who is a huge PlayStation 4 fan and you’re not totally sure what that means, know that you are not alone. Shopping for a gamer isn’t always the easiest thing in the world, especially if they’re the type to go out and buy the latest game the day it is available. If your PlayStation 4 fan has switched to full digital, you may not even be able to see what games they have without tipping them off, so what do you do for gifts?
We’ve got a quick starting guide for you, with a list of things every PlayStation 4 fan would enjoy adding to their gaming setup.
Nyko Modular Charge Station
Charging PlayStation 4 controllers isn’t complicated, but it rarely looks nice. Sony wants you to connect a USB cable to the front of the console and connect your controller, which means loose wires. That’s not a great look, so there’s a lot of third-party charging stations available to clean that mess up a little.
Nyko’s charging station attaches to the top of the PS4 itself, so you’re not taking up a lot of extra space on your entertainment center in order to get your controllers charged when you’re not using them. It also looks better than loose wires, so there’s that.
See at Amazon
PlayStation Gold Wireless Stereo Headset
Every gamer has the perfect set of headphones, but not a lot of them work with the PlayStation quite like the ones made by Sony. These headphones will redirect all the audio from your television wirelessly, making it so you can get the full PS4 experience without disturbing anyone in the house. These headphones also have a microphone, so you can enjoy multiplayer gameplay wire-free as well.
They sound nice, they work well, and the battery will get you several days of gameplay without needing to be recharged. Sony’s headphones are also collapsible and store much easier than most good gaming headphones.
See at Amazon
PlayStation TV
Most people don’t have more than one PlayStation 4, but what if everyone could do so without dropping the cash on an entirely separate console? PlayStation TV offers up a series of basic apps and games for gamers to enjoy, but the real feature is the Remote Play mode that lets you operate your PlayStation 4 across your Wi-Fi network.
This setup will allow you to play even when your primary TV is being occupied, which is a great feature for everyone to enjoy!
See at Amazon
PlayStation VR
Lots of people who play games enjoy feeling immersed in story and graphics, and PlayStation VR is Sony’s effort to take that feeling a step further. It’s a VR headset that lets people enjoy looking around from inside the game, with a whole new set of games to experience. This headset works with Sony’s PlayStation Move controllers, which allows you to reach out with your hands and interact with the VR worlds seen in the headset.
Check out our full review for more details, and take a look at our favorite games to go with PSVR as well!
See at Amazon
Best headphones for Daydream View
Headphones make a massive difference in your Daydream View experience.
Few things improve your Daydream View experience quite like a good set of headphones. It’s the difference between having a mediocre VR trip through a game and feeling totally immersed in the world around you. Sometimes that immersion can be a little too real, like when you’re having the daylights scared out of you, but in most situations you need some good headphones to really complete the experience!
Read More at VR Heads!
Securifi’s new Almond 3 router kit tries to add every feature imaginable, and comes close
Sometimes all-in-one is perfect. Other times you need to spread out a bit.
Despite how much work happens inside their soft plastic casings, few people look at routers as computers that can complete multiple tasks. These are boxes you plug in, set up once, and forget about until something goes wrong. It’s nice to know you can do that and have your internet behave itself most of the time, but there are a couple of companies wondering out loud if routers can not only be smarter, but exist in a way that we as users look on them to do more.
One of these companies is Securifi, and for a little while now this team has been working on Almond, a smarter router that also controlled all of your connected home tech. Their latest efforts exist in the new Almond 3, which adds new mesh networking skills and a suite of Almond-branded connected home tech to turn your router into a hub for your whole house.
See at Amazon
Hardware
Like previous versions of Securifi’s hardware, Almond 3 looks like a chunky tablet with a bad screen to bezel ratio. The little touch screen in the middle of this router allows you to access everything you could possibly want to do with this equipment, including launching a built-in browser to check on web settings. It’s not a big enough screen to really enjoy swiping and tapping with your thumbs as you hold the router in your hand, which is why there’s a little stylus baked in to the top of the box. If you’re planning on typing on this thing, you’re going to want the stylus to get you through it.
More: Router vs. Mesh Networking: What’s best for your home Wi-Fi network?
Almond 3 couldn’t be much easier to set up. Connect Ethernet and power, wait a minute while the OS fires up, and you’re ready to input a name and password for your network. Where things get interesting is in deploying multiple Almond units in a mesh network. There’s a lot of flexibility offered here, which is a breath of fresh air compared to a lot of other consumer mesh kits. You can set your mesh up entirely over Ethernet so every access point has the same kind of connection, and if your house isn’t fully wired for that you can set up wireless mesh to extend your network to other parts of the house. The Almost software treats it all the same way, which means adding is simple, regardless of your configuration.
Once you’ve set the network up how you like, you can start adding your connected home tech. Network discovery on Almond detected obvious things like my Hue lights right away, and the connected home kit Securifi sent included several important security tools. Door sensors, connected outlets, and trigger buttons for custom programming are all possible through this setup, but if you already have connected home gear in your house you’ll be able to add some of that as well. Basically anything that uses the Z-Wave mesh protocol can be connected to Almond 3, and the router treats all connected gadgets equally.
Network discovery on Almond detected obvious things like my Hue lights right away
Unfortunately, a simple set up process and feature-filled connected home tools are not the same thing as quality networking equipment. My deployment failed to deliver the same level of performance I usually get with my single Apple AirPort Time Capsule, both in speed delivered over the network and signal strength throughout the house. In almost all of out tests, smartphones and laptops failed to jump from the central router to any of the external mesh routers, which meant quality suffered. When connected directly to the router via Ethernet, my desktop pulled down only 96/80 megabits instead of the 150/150 I usually get from my Verizon FIOS connection. When I asked Securifi about these issues, I was asked to send them logs to help diagnose the issue with a note of assurance that my experience was unusual.
Software
Put simply, every router should be as feature-complete as the Almond 3. From the router itself you can look at what devices are connected and heaps of details about the hardware. You can name each device to make it easier to look for later should something go wrong, and you can set those devices to act as “presence sensors” capable of triggering connected home scenes from within your connected home. I was able to create an IFTTT trigger that added the date and time my daughter connected to WiFi into a spreadsheet, which on its own is kind of awesome.
The best part is that none of this needs to ever be done from the software on the Almond 3 itself. The Almond app offers nearly every feature you can find on the router itself, and you don’t even need to be connected to the network in order to access the router. From your phone you can monitor what devices are connected to your networks, change the SSIDs and passwords on the fly, set up guest networks, and trigger an away command that restricts network functionality when you aren’t home. It’s a robust system, perfect for houses that have a lot of people going in and out.
Combined with IFTTT integration, there’s a ton of flexibility in creating the exact home experience you want.
For the connected home enthusiast, you also have the ability to create scenes. If you want the lamp in the living room to light up when you get home, or set alarms to go off from the routers, you can do so from the Scenes tab. This tab grows more capable as you add hardware to Almond 3, which in turn helps make this an actual connected home hub for your setup. Combined with IFTTT integration, there’s a ton of flexibility in creating the exact home experience you want.
More of this, please
Despite my issues with performance, I’m a fan of the way Almond 3 functions. I like the idea of a router being the actual hub of the house. Something controlled from your phone that allows you to monitor the network when necessary and make adjustments quickly. All of the quality of service monitoring I appreciate as a more technical user, with a user interface simple enough that everyone in my family can appreciate it if need be. It’s a fantastic way to jump into a new kind of home networking, assuming Securifi can deal with the performance issues I’ve encountered so far.
See at Amazon
Put some magic on your home screen with these Fantastic Beasts and Harry Potter wallpapers
I think we can all use a little magic right now.
Magic brings a gleam to our eyes, a thrill to our hearts, a lightness to our souls. And while I may not have some hand-made robes nor an Ollivander wand, I can always turn back to the books, and the art, and the fan fiction (yes, fan fiction) to bring a glimmer of the wizarding world back into my mundane one. And with these wallpapers, I can bring some of that magic to the closest thing I have to a magic wand: my Android phone.
I remember reading Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them back when it came out 15 years ago– sweet Nimbus, does that make me feel old. Anyhow, this vintage-looking poster makes me want to dig out my old paperback again and brush up on my beasts before I make my way to a screening. Don’t you agree?
Fantastic Beasts Poster by someorangegirl
One thing I do remember of the old paperback was it wasn’t half as exciting as this movie looks. We’ve got magical beasts running amok in Manhattan! We’ve got layers upon layers of secret societies and bureaucracies! We’ve got Eddie Redmayne running around with a wand, a magical case, and a smile that could light all of Broadway! Who’s ready for more wizarding world hijinks?!
Fantastic Beasts MACUSA Poster
The Ministry of Magic didn’t look quite like this in the movies, but I like this version more. There’s a warmth to this place, and look at all the memos literally flying around! Who wouldn’t want to work there? Well, maybe not at the Department of Mysteries, but maybe we could find something with the Aurors, or maybe Mr. Scamander could use some aides after his shenanigans in New York.
Ministry of Magic by Emmanuel-Oquendo
Patronuses are freaking awesome. It’s like a silvery spirit familiar that embodies your style and soul. They drive away Dementors and Lethifolds and can even run errands for you! Well, I’m not sure sending a message via patronus would beat a text message, but it’d look so cool. Patronuses take the form of the animal you most embody or admire. And while there are a lot of cool patronuses in Tribalchick101’s gallery, you can’t beat this silvery spirit-y owl, ready to swoop in for the save!
Owl Patronus by Tribalchick101
Okay, Quidditch is a weird game and I don’t envy the athletes who gear up for league games all over the country, but even I can’t deny the appeal of this wallpaper. Also, now that we can have drones in the palm of our hands, I am quite frankly stunned we haven’t seen snitch drones being sold anywhere yet? I want a self-flying snitch that’ll fly around the house while I try and fail to catch it!
But a Snitch Ain’t One
AIVAnet 