Wilson X Connected Football review – CNET
The Good The Wilson X football can track throw speed, distance, spin rate and spiral efficiency. It has long battery life, doesn’t have to be charged and can sync wirelessly with Android and iOS.
The Bad Expensive. Included arm sleeve doesn’t fit larger phones like the iPhone 6S or 7 Plus.
The Bottom Line Wilson’s smart football is a good buy for anyone who wants to see throwing stats and have some fun, but it’s double the price of a normal football.
Visit manufacturer site for details.
For the past few weeks I’ve been testing a new kind of football that can measure metrics like throw speed, distance, spin rate and spiral efficiency. It can even detect whether my buddy catches it or not.
The Wilson X Connected Football is like no other football you’ve seen before. This $200 smart football can connect with your smartphone and show throwing stats in real time. There are even a bunch of minigames you can play.
While it costs $100 more than Wilson’s premium NFL ball (a normal football), the Connected Football could make playing catch with friends and family more exciting than ever, if you care about how you throw. It could also, perhaps, be a useful tool for young quarterbacks who want to improve their game.
This smart football has a built-in stat tracker
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How it works
What makes the the Connected Football special are the built-in accelerometers and Bluetooth sensors. These allow the ball to measure various throwing metrics and send the data to your smartphone. Aside from those sensors, though, this is an ordinary football, and it’s the same weight and size as balls used in the NFL.
Unlike some other smart sports gear we’ve seen, this football never has to be charged. The sensors inside are in a constant sleep mode, and must be woken up each time before you use the ball. You do this by holding the ball vertically for 2 seconds and then turning it 180 degrees. This sleep default helps preserve battery life, which will last for more than 200,000 throws or up to 500 hours of connected usage.
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Of course, when the battery finally does run out, you will be left with a normal, non-smart football. Footballs don’t last forever, anyway.
The ball also comes with a wrist sleeve for your smartphone, which gives you quick and easy access to plays and stats midgame. It made me feel like a real quarterback, a little bit. Alas, it only comes in one size and doesn’t fit bigger phones like the iPhone 6S Plus or Nexus 6P.
It’s like a video game
The Wilson X football app (Android, iOS) is where all the magic happens. It’s what allows the ball to transform into a video game. Here you can view stats, and see how you match up to others on the global leaderboards. There’s also an avatar that you can customize with your favorite NFL team (I chose the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets, naturally). The app is easy to use and I liked how it used colorful graphics for breaking down each stat.
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
There are five game modes to choose from: QB warm up, precision, elimination, game day and final drive. The warm-up and precision modes both measure throw velocity, distance, spin rate and spiral efficiency, but the precision mode will also calculate a WX rating, which is Wilson’s version of ESPN’s QBR score to measure total quarterback performance. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson posted a WX rating of 1,553.5 (out of 1,600) when testing the ball. I barely broke 500.
BLU Pure XR Review
Over the past couple of years there has been a surge of emerging tech companies creating mid to high-end devices, at a lower price than ever before. The competition in the market has resulted in more options and price points for purchase, and nowhere is the competition more evident than at the affordable flagship price point of $299-$399.
- BLU Pure XR announced, near-flagship specs for $299
- BLU Pure XL review
American phone-maker BLU isn’t new to this market, having previously launched the BLU Pure XL at this price point, but what of its latest affordable flagship? The BLU Pure XR looks appealing on paper but has BLU delivered? Join us as we find out in this, our BLU Pure XR review.
Buy the BLU Pure XR now
Design:
In the Pure XR, BLU has done a great job of designing and building a product that is affordable but still looks and feels premium. The BLU Pure XR’s housing is a solid piece of 7000 series aluminum, with chamfered edges and a matte finish. Along the back border of the device you will find the antenna band that’s used for wireless connectivity and unlike other devices, it blends in really well.
Moving to the front of the device you will find a 5.5” display wrapped in Corning Gorilla Glass 3 with a slight curve around the edges. Also, on the face of the phone you can see the speaker grill along the top between the front facing camera and proximity sensors.
Beneath the display is the home button that doubles as a fingerprint scanner and is flanked by the back and multi-tasking capacitive touch buttons. On the bottom of the handset, you’ll find the USB Type-C port, headphone jack, single speaker grill and microphone.
Moving around the rest of the phone and on the left of the BLU Pure XR, you have the SIM and microSD card tray that can be ejected with the included tool. On the right is a volume rocker as well as the power button and BLU’s choice of having the chamfered buttons rest in a recessed trench definitely adds to the allure of the phone.
On the back, the BLU Pure XR sports a 16MP camera and single LED flash in the top left corner, as well as BLU logo in the middle of the phone. The rest of the design is clean and serves to show off the aluminium finish, which looks and feels great in the hand. Despite the slim 7mm profile, there’s no camera bump which means the device won’t rock when placed flat on its back on a table, a condition other phones do find themselves afflicted with.
Like other phones of this size, the BLU Pure XR can be difficult to use one-handed but BLU have reduced the overall footprint as much as possible. In particular, the slim design coupled with a large display (and a wholesome profile at 75mm wide and 154mm tall) make the Pure XR an excellent device for media consumption and two-handed use.
Of course, BLU isn’t the only phone maker in this market and the Pure XR design seems to be on par with the likes of OnePlus 3 and ZTE Axon 7. It’s not the most inspiring but it’s definitely stylish for the price tag and when you use this phone, you get the feeling that it was worth the money you paid for it.
Display:
As a media consumption device, the BLU Pure XR definitely delivers on the display front, with the 5.5-inch Super AMOLED HD display offering 1080p resolution, which results in a pixel density of 401 pixels per inch. The display may not quite be on par with Quad HD panel – although this is IPS and the handset costs more – but it’s more than acceptable for the Pure XR.
As we’ve seen from other Super AMOLED panels, the display offers good color reproduction and great viewing angles. When watching movies or reading text, the screen offers vibrant colors, deep inky blacks and a surprisingly high max brightness, which means it’s comfortable to use, even in direct sunlight. Overall, the screen is definitely pleasant to use and on par with anything else available at this price point.
Performance:
In the past, BLU has traditionally been one of the few OEMs to bring MediaTek powered smartphones to the US, even though almost all companies opted to use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipset. The BLU Pure XR is no different, arriving with MediaTek’s Helio P10 processor in tow backed by 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and a Mali-T860MP2 GPU.
The 64-bit Helio P10 features four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.9GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.0GHz, arranged in a big.LITTLE formation. The clock speeds of the Helio P10 do seem lower than other chipsets but nonetheless, in actual performance, there’s very little lag. During general use and when gaming, there were no noticeable performance issues to note.
How does it stack up in the benchmarks however? Well the results are definitely less than impressive, as an AnTuTu score of 50789 is considerably lower than the Snapdragon-backed OnePlus 3, which scores 140288 but it is on par with other Helio P10 devices, which average a score of around 51000.
Moving onto GeekBench 3 and the BLU Pure XR scores 839 in the single-core test and 3290 in the multi-core test, which is definitely not the best score but more than acceptable. By way of comparison, last year’s Snapdragon 808-backed Nexus 5X achieves a multi-core score of 3538 while the Moto G4 Plus – which costs $249 and is powered by a Snapdragon 617 processor – scores 3150.
Overall, there’s no noticeable lag or lack of fluidity when using the phone for general purpose and when gaming there weren’t any glaring issues that compromised the experience. Game load times were a bit longer than we’d have liked, but when the game gets going there aren’t any noticeable issues. The performance scores might not be the highest but the actual experience is smooth and polished.
Hardware:
On the hardware front, the BLU Pure XR comes with 64GB of internal storage and offers micro SD expansion up to an additional 64GB. The storage is certainly higher than more smartphones and the expansion means there should be enough storage for most users, although power users who need over 128GB of storage might want to look elsewhere.
Along the bottom the Pure XR does feature a single speaker, which produces loud audio while preserving clarity without distortion. The only downside to the speaker is its placement, as when holding in your hand, it was surprisingly easy to cover the speaker which results in muffled sounds. Of course, front facing stereo speakers would have solved this problem but you can’t have everything so if you plan on watching videos, we would recommend getting a stand or using headphones.
The BLU Pure XR is powered by a 3,00mAh battery, which provides good battery life. During our testing, the battery delivered around 4 hours of screen on time and we were comfortably able to get a full day of usage out of single charge. For reference, this includes streaming on YouTube, playing games, general communicating and web browsing. For the times when it is running low, the included quick charger makes it quick and simple to get fully charged up again.
Camera:
One of the most important parts of a smartphone is the camera and the BLU Pure XR seems to tick this box with a 16MP sensor of f/1.8 aperture, phase detection and laser autofocus and a single LED flash. There’s not a lot of other noteworthy camera features but on paper, the camera should be good enough to get the job done.
Like most smartphones, the Pure XR can take really sharp images in perfect conditions but it’s rare to actually be shooting in ideal conditions so you need a smartphone that can adapt and still capture an excellent picture. Sadly, this isn’t the case with the BLU Pure XR, which does seem to struggle when conditions aren’t ideal.
One of the issues is with HDR as using the feature outdoors results in highlights that were often over exposed and blown out, while in low light, using HDR results in discoloration in the shadows and an increase in overall noise. A key use-case for HDR is to prevent blow outs within photos but the Pure XR definitely fails to deliver and we wouldn’t recommend using the feature unless absolutely necessary.
In low light, pictures don’t seem to offer as much detail as with other phones and while there’s both phase detection and laser autofocus on the Pure XR, they don’t appear to be too effective at preventing noise. Furthermore, in general use, we found that the Pure XR doesn’t focus properly when manually setting the focus in the viewfinder: the handset doesn’t seem to respond to the selected focal point and resulting images are focused on the centre of the frame, with the edges blurred out.
BLU Pure XR Review Camera samples
On the video front, the BLU Pure XR is capable of shooting Full HD 1080p video at 30 frames per second and like photos, the results can vary significantly. For instance, the Pure XR can take decent video in good lighting (just like the camera) but when transitioning from dark to highlighted areas, the camera noticeably shifts ISO, adjusts exposure and isn’t able to handle any lens flare caused by direct sunlight. The lack of any form of stabilisation also shows as video footage can be shaky and generally, we wouldn’t recommend relying on the Pure XR camera for videos or photos.
Software:
Out of the box, the BLU Pure XR runs the Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS with BLU’s own custom skin on top and given BLU’s track record, we’re not holding out for an upgrade to Android 7.0 Nougat any time soon.
The interface does move away from conventional Android by omitting the app drawer and moving system toggles to a swipe up from the bottom, in a similar way to iOS 10 on the iPhone 7. If you’re accustomed to the traditional Android experience, you’ll find this takes some getting used to but I did find that the it feels more intuitive to have the toggles at the bottom rather than the top, especially as it helps with overall one-handed experience.
One of the selling points of the BLU Pure XR is that it comes with a pressure sensitive offering called 3D Touch, which is similar to the Force Touch feature on the Apple iPhone. Essentially, the screen can register the amount of pressure you apply which gives you additional functionality like being able to preview content, jump straight to taking a selfie and compose a text message when applying additional pressure to the home screen. It works surprisingly well and seems to be on par, at least performance wise, with the feature found on Apple’s flagships.
The Pure XR also comes with a variety of smart gestures including being able to double tap the phone to wake it, raising the phone to your ear to answer a call and flipping the phone over to silence an alarm. These features aren’t new but work well enough and help to make the experience a little better. Overall there’s not a lot of bloatware – which definitely aids the slick performance – and while the skin will definitely require acclimatising to, it’s not the most gharish out there. If you’re willing to get used to the different experience, it definitely gets the job done and you can always install an Android launcher for an alternative experience.
Specifications:
| Display | 5.5inch Super AMOLED curved display 1080p resolution, 401 ppi Corning Gorilla Glass, 3D Touch sensitive panel |
| Processor | 1.9GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio P10 Mali-T860MP2 GPU |
| RAM | 4GB |
| Storage | 64GB expandable via microSD up to 64 GB (uses second SIM slot) |
| Camera | 16 MP rear camera, f/1.8 aperture, PDAF, Laser Autofocus, LED flash 8 MP front-facing camera |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n Bluetooth 4.0, A2DP GPS + GLONASS USB Type-C Dual SIM Card |
| Battery | 3,000 mAh Quick Charging |
| Software | Android 6.0 Marshmallow |
| Dimensions | 154.3 x 74.9 x 7 mm 147.2 grams |
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Final thoughts
When considering a phone, price is often one of the biggest factors and the BLU Pure XR comes in at only $300 giving wallet-conscious customers a great offering. However, the poor camera and the questionable future upgrade plans might mean handsets such as the LG Nexus 5X and OnePlus 3 could be great alternatives if these are important concerns to you.
- BLU Pure XR announced, near-flagship specs for $299
- BLU Pure XL review
All in all, this phone definitely delivers a great experience that is reliable and slick and considering the price, it’s definitely a worthy contender if you’re shopping on a budget. What do you think of the BLU Pure XR and would you buy one? If not, what would you buy instead? Let us know your views in the comments below!
Buy the BLU Pure XR now
GoPro’s Hero5 Black and Session bring overdue improvements
Recently, GoPro unveiled an entirely new product lineup. Not just the new Hero5 Black ($399) and Hero5 Session ($299), but also the Karma drone, a surprise handheld gimbal — known as the Karma Grip — and a brand new cloud service called GoPro Plus. While it’s going to be another week or so before we can get our hands on the Karma drone, I had a chance to spend some time with the new flagship Hero5 Black and its sidekick, the Hero5 Session. Both come with some exciting, long awaited new features, which I’ll lay out in detail below. With many of the upgrades addressing common pain points, it’s clear that this year, GoPro was mainly focused on polishing the user experience.
Until the Hero5, pretty much every new GoPro camera was defined by an increase in resolution. The first Hero HD was 1080p, the Hero2 added bumped photos from 5 to 11 megapixels, and so on until the Hero4, which ushered in 4K at 30 frames per second. The Hero5 Session gets an upgrade this time around, also joining the 30fps/4K club (the original Session maxed at 1440p). But with the Hero5 you won’t see any upgrades of that sort.
In particular, there’s no 4K/60fps shooting mode, as some might have hoped for. In fact, the Hero5 Black’s sensor is the same one found in the Hero4 Black. That’s not a bad thing, per se — you can still record in 4K, with additional options for 2.7K/60fps, 1080p at up to 120fps, and super slow-mo 720p at 240fps (plus all the quirky formats like 1440 that GoPro users will be familiar with).
That doesn’t mean there isn’t anything new here. In fact, the Hero5 and Hero5 Session come with a bevy of updates that make the cameras much more useful. Many of the new features come to both the Session and the Hero5 Black, though the flagship Hero5 gets a few extra tricks to keep its position at the top.
New for Hero5 Black
Waterproof design
Perhaps the most obvious change with the Hero5 Black is that it’s waterproof without a housing (the original Session and therefore new Hero5 Session already were). This means you won’t need a separate case to protect it. The upsides are obvious: Though the naked camera is a smidge bigger than the Hero4 Black (a millimeter or so each side), it’s considerably smaller than the Hero4 encased in its housing (which is how you most often see it). The result is that the Hero5 Black is much more pocket friendly, and you won’t need to pry open the case just to charge it or access the memory card.
The native waterproofing “only” works to a depth of 33 feet/10 meters, but that should be good enough for the vast majority of people. If you like, you can still buy a case for added protection up to 196 feet/60 meters. I took the Hero5 Black for several prolonged dips in the Mediterranean, and it’s much nicer to swim with the smaller camera. The rear LCD (also new) was still usable, though at times it took a few attempts to get my taps to register — something most phone owners can relate to.
Another added benefit is that without a case, the camera’s microphones record better audio both in the water or on land. The classic “rattle” you hear on GoPro many water-based videos isn’t yet a thing of the past, but the setup here is much less distracting.
There is a downside to the new design, however: The Hero5 won’t fit many accessories such as drone/handheld stabilizers that were specifically designed for the Hero3 and 4. Ditto for any accessory that uses the rear connector, since the Hero5 no longer has one (now everything goes through either the USB-C or HDMI ports on the side). I tried jury-rigging the Hero5 into a Feiyu-Tech handheld stabilizer (pro-tip: use a hairband to hold it in place) and it worked pretty well. It’s not ideal, but it might ease the transition for those with a sizable GoPro accessory kit.
The benefits of not needing a case will likely outweigh the downsides for most people — though of course if you’re invested in certain accessories, you’ll need to consider if the Hero5’s other new features are enough to sweeten the deal.
GPS
Rugged cameras and GPS go together like jam and peanut butter. Not if you owned a GoPro, though. This seemingly obvious feature has been conspicuously absent from the Hero lineup — until now. GoPro’s still not going all in, though. While the Hero5 Black does have a GPS sensor, it doesn’t do much right now other than tag your videos and photos with the location where you shot them. If you were hoping for Garmin-style data overlays showing your speed, height, location, et cetera, you’ll have to wait a bit longer. Those feature are coming, at least: GoPro recently scooped up Dashware, a company dedicated to exactly that kind of thing, so it’s only a matter of updating the software, a GoPro rep told me. Besides, and GoPro’s not shy about adding features after the fact.
Touchscreen and user interface
The Hero4 Silver was the first GoPro with a touchscreen. That single feature made it our top pick for most people, besting the screen-less (but more advanced) Hero4 Black. This time around there is no Hero5 Silver; GoPro just added a touchscreen to the Black and made the Hero5 Session the step-down model. The Hero5’s display is slightly larger than that the one on the Hero4 Silver, thanks in part to the removal of the bus port on the back. As I found too, it’s clearly visible even in direct sunlight.
Perhaps the bigger story, though, is the user interface, which feels more more simple compared to the Hero4. Access different menus (e.g., gallery, settings, camera modes) by swiping from one of the four of the edges, where’ll you then find related submenus. You might encounter a small learning curve if you’re familiar with the old UI, but I find it’s faster and easier to use once you get the hang of it.
Some of the submenus require you to scroll or swipe through options, much like on your phone. At times, the menu wasn’t always as responsive as I’d hoped, often switching back to the previous selection or registering a swipe as a tap and choosing a menu option by mistake. This didn’t happen every time — it seemed to occur more in humid weather or when my hands were wet — but it was very annoying when it did happen. When it works, though, navigating options and viewing menus is an improved experience. It’s also great that the flagship camera now has the touchscreen it deserves (remember, the Hero4 Black didn’t have one, but the Silver version did).
Advance image capture modes
Just weeks before the Hero5 launch, GoPro updated the Hero4’s firmware adding manual white balance, ISO and shutter settings. The humble action camera might be about living in the moment, but plenty of photographers like to get their hands dirty with manual controls. The Hero5 comes with the same manual exposure controls plus — drumroll, please — support for RAW image files. This is great news for those who want to develop their own digital images. It’s also an advanced feature that will keep GoPro in favor with professionals.
The slider above shows an automatically generated image by the camera (left) and a self-developed one from a RAW file (right). You can make similar corrections in using a photo editor, but the RAW file means you can develop several different versions while keeping the original source info intact.
Unlike some formats, the RAW files on the GoPro won’t eat into your memory card. In fact, often the “.GPR” file (compatible with Adobe Light Room and Camera Raw) is smaller in size compared to the accompanying .JPG (about 3.6MB compared to an average of 4.3MB for a 12-megapixel shot).
If, on the other hand, you do want a little help with your exposure, the Hero5 Black comes with a so-called WDR mode. It’s similar to the HDR function found on many other cameras, just with GoPro calling it “wide” dynamic range, instead of high. If you’re taking photos looking into the sun, or where there’s a great variation of light levels, WDR mode can help you get a more balanced exposure.
In my experience, WDR mode has a modest effect, usually adding some brightness to shaded areas in the foreground, or around the area of focus. Usually this is a welcome change, but depending on the general exposure and light conditions, it can emphasize parts of the image that are grainy or not in focus. In the example below the WDR image is on the right. As you move the slider, you can see that the bushes in the center looks more fuzzy, while the grass beneath and in front appears sharper.
Given the flexibility of RAW files, this might be a better option for those with time to edit after the fact, but WDR is a handy option if you’re in a hurry. Keep in mind, though, that you can only use one mode at a time, so if your memory card and schedule allow, go with RAW.
Battery
Not so much of a new feature, but the battery inside the Hero5 Black is different than the one used in the Hero4 and Hero3. This too is bad news if you’ve built up a collection, as the ability to interchange them was always something of a bonus, especially given how easy it is to burn through one. Worse, GoPro tells me that the batteries in the Hero5 have a chip on them that only allows official cells to work. Of course, the company line is that this ensures the best user experience with only approved batteries working, but that pretty much wipes out the cottage industry of third-party (and usually cheaper) batteries that many people like to stock up on.
As for battery life, in my tests it managed just over two hours of constant recording at 1080p/30fps without GPS or any of the other energy-draining modes. Incidentally, this is almost exactly the amount of time it’ll take to fill up a 32GB SD card. The Hero5 Session faired worse, clocking in between an hour and a half and an hour and 45 minutes.
New for both cameras
Unsurprisingly, the pricier Hero5 Black got the lion’s share of new tricks, but there are some decent upgrades that apply to both cameras, including some features GoPro users have been demanding. The addition of these to the cheaper Hero5 Session make the smaller camera a tempting proposition. If you can live without the LCD and some of the advanced image modes, but still want 4K (and the features below), the $300 Hero5 Session is definitely worth considering.
Voice control
“GoPro start recording.” Expect to hear that a lot this winter on the slopes. Both new cameras respond to a slew of voice commands that let you start and stop recording, take photo bursts, set a highlight tag, shoot pictures, change modes and switch the camera off. This is great for when you have the camera mounted just out of reach (selfies!), or when pressing the button would ruin the moment like jumping off a cliff (or small diving board, in my case).
Voice commands are available in seven languages: English (US and UK), French, Italian, German, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese. It works well — once you stop being self-conscious about speaking to your camera. Often I found myself using voice commands even when I didn’t strictly need to; it was easier to say “GoPro take photo” than navigate the menus, change modes and press the shutter. Be warned that if there’s a lot of wind or background noise, the camera often won’t hear you and you’ll miss your shot. Or, at the very least, you’ll feel a bit silly having to say the command again.
There’s also a secondary benefit/downside, which will depend on whether you have idiot friends or multiple GoPros: The Hero5 literally responds to anyone’s voice. So, on the plus side, if you have a few cameras rigged up, you can easily trigger them all at once. On the down side, so can anyone else within speaking range. Pranksters can easily say “GoPro, stop recording” to ruin your moment, or of course by accident. To counter this, GoPro says future versions will learn your voice similar to Siri, but for now it’s open season. The cameras come with a list of commands, but there are a few easter eggs not included on the list that are actually genuinely useful (hint: they are mostly things people say after landing a trick or doing something exciting).
Stabilization
This is another biggie: Both Hero5 cameras finally have built-in stabilization. There are some caveats, though. It’s not full optical image stabilization (OIS) like what Sony’s Action Cam has. Instead it’s electronic stabilization (EIS), which means the camera is using software to stabilize the image. Typically, OIS is the preferred method, as this steadies the image when it enters the camera. EIS trims a little bit of the image around the edges, and uses that as a buffer to digitally create a sense of stability.
The good news is that it works well. In early side-by-side testing, while walking with two cameras side by side (one with EIS, one without), the resulting image is clearly less jittery and prone to any sort of “jelly” effect — a common occurrence in video shot with a handheld grip. As we noted in our initial hands-on, there is some noticeable distortion around the edge of the image, as the center point tends to remain fixed while the software adjusts the rest on the fly. Side note: When activated, this feature will eat into your battery life.
The addition of EIS is going to be well received, but stabilization is actually a huge part of Karma too. That drone features its own mechanical stabilizer, which GoPro designed to be removable so it can be converted into a handheld gimbal as well. In fact, stabilization is so vital to the Hero5 with Karma, that we plan to give this feature a much more through test in our Karma review. For now, though, suffice to say that the in-camera EIS will smooth out your basic footage, with the trade-off being a dent in battery life and some light distortion at the edges.
A video posted by James Trew (@thatstrew) on Oct 4, 2016 at 7:57am PDT
Linear mode
GoPro is pretty much synonymous with the fish-eye lens at this point. It works well for a lot of action sports, but for casual videos it can be a distraction. As GoPro cameras find their way into the pockets of those just looking for a versatile, rugged shooter, the constant fish-eye has become a bugbear for many. You could always remove it via desktop software, or reduce it on the camera by shooting in a medium field of view, but both of those options felt like a compromise. Now, there’s Linear mode.
As you may have guessed, Linear mode removes the curved effect of the fish-eye lens, resulting in nice, straight lines — whether it’s the horizon, or a lamp post — just as nature intended. Again, it works well. So well, in fact, that it’s tempting to keep it on. But be warned: It’s another feature that’ll tax your battery. It will also slightly crop your image as the “straightened” version will inevitably be longer. Below is another slider with a regular shot and the same picture with Linear mode applied. This is especially pertinent to Karma, as aerial videos are plagued by curved horizons with a fish-eye lens. Not a problem anymore.
Apps and GoPro Plus
GoPro has made a lot of progress with the apps that you use in tandem with your camera, particularly on mobile. The main app for your phone has been rebranded Captur, and although its functionality mostly remains the same, the pairing process with the camera has been greatly improved. I used to generally avoid using the GoPro app unless I really needed to, because it always seemed to not connect properly or forget my camera completely. (I do change phones more than most, to be fair.) The setup process was also laborious, involving connecting to the camera’s WiFi hotspot, doing a little dance and hoping you remembered your password. Not anymore. Just switch the camera on, the app will find it, and basically that’s it. Much, much improved.
This brings me to GoPro Plus, a $5-per-month cloud service that will store 35 hours of video, 62,500 photos or some combination thereof. Again, this is an area where we’re likely to go into more detail when we review Karma, but I was able to try it and get a sense for how it works. The premise is simple: Come back from your day outdoors, plug your GoPro in to charge and it’ll automatically upload your videos and photos to the cloud. These files will then be available in the Captur mobile app or the Quik desktop app where you can use them to create edited videos.
The idea is that editing will be even more convenient. And it does, but my personal workflow is already built around handling memory cards and offline files. So now I find I’m manually importing for the most part, with Plus serving as a handy backup. As with all cloud services, the bottleneck is with the uploading and the downloading on the other end. GoPro tells me that eventually cloud videos will be directly editable from the Quik mobile app (currently only offline videos are available). Once this is the case, Plus will be much more useful.
Cloud services have great potential, but there’s also a downside: the monthly cost. Five dollars isn’t a huge amount, and you get access to a large library of free-to-use music in addition to your storage space. But with Google and others offering a basic service for free, Plus will mostly appeal to hardcore GoPro users — in the beginning, anyway. Not least because it’ll also get you a 20 percent discount on accessories, so it could pay for itself if you’re the spendy type.
If you’re not ready for the cloud just yet, GoPro also introduced a mobile accessory called the “Quik Key,” which is essentially an iOS- or Android-compatible microSD card reader on a key fob that costs $20 for Android phones, or $30 for iOS. Place your memory card in the fob and stick it into your phone, and it’ll open the Quik app automatically, making file transfers incredibly fast and efficient. This is basically GoPro’s mission: to get you making mini movies as easily as possible, and Plus, Quik Key and the Quik app are all designed with this goal in mind. My favorite combination is Quik Key and the mobile app. The first mini edit I made with this combination was simple and suprisingly fun. It makes you want to do more, and the best part is there’s no need to sit hunched over a computer.
Wrap-up
GoPro made its name by making tough, little cameras. Over time, those cameras got more and more capable, but in the race for more features, some of the fundamentals seemed overlooked. With Hero5 Black and Hero5 Session, GoPro has made a big push to rectify these neglected areas. Some of the new features are still under-exploited (GPS, Plus etc.), but for the first time in a while, GoPro looks like it has a clear vision.
The cameras are much simpler to use. Heck, more fun to use too — and getting video and photos out of them is easier than ever. There are still a few areas for improvement, though. I’ll never stop wanting more battery life from a GoPro, and I’d love optical image stabilization, as well as some general image improvements. But all in all, this is a strong response from GoPro to a turbulent 18 months.
Photos by Edgar Alvarez.
Huawei Honor 8 review – CNET
Liquid. That’s the best way we can describe the smooth, sensuous lines of Huawei’s new Honor 8 phone, which the company unveiled at a press event in San Francisco tonight in dark blue, black and white shades.
Honor is the Chinese company’s sub-brand, one that tends to — but doesn’t necessarily always — sell phones at lower prices than other Huawei lines. (One good example: the Honor 5X came in cheaper than the similar Huawei-branded GX8 at launch.)
The Honor 8, whose glossy, reflective coating channels Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and S7 phone design, is essentially a rebranded Huawei P9, a phone released last spring with two rear cameras. While the Honor 8 shares the dual camera and some unique gestures you can initiate with your knuckles, it does’t have the same Leica branding that the P9 does.
Huawei’s Honor 8 has liquid-smooth looks
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We’ll soon take the two 12-megapixel rear shooters on a head-to-head bout with the P9 to see just how the Huawei camera compares to P9’s lofted lenses.
Where and when to get it
The Honor 8’s glossy finish attracts the light, and also icky fingerprints.
Josh Miller/CNET
As of now now, the Honor 8 has been announced for China, the US and Europe.
In the US, you can pick up the 32GB variant for $400 and the 64GB version for $450. Pre-orders run from August 17 through September 3 and you get a $50 gift card for your efforts. You can pick up the phone at HiHonor.com, Amazon, Best Buy, B&H and Newegg. If you want that bright blue color, though — and it’s a nice one — you’ll have to get it from Best Buy for the first two months. After that, it’s fair game.
Only the 32GB version is available in the UK, where it costs £370 direct from Huawei, or from Amazon, where it’s bundled with a free Amazon Fire TV Stick worth £30. If you want to buy it as part of a phone contract, Three has the exclusive.
Prices are yet to be announced for Australia, but the US prices convert to roughly AU$525 and AU$590.
Glossy, pocket-friendly design
We can tell you that the 5.2-inch Honor 8 is comfortable to hold and pockets well, although its shiny surface smudged up fast. While we do like the size, the 1,920×1,080-pixel resolution is bright and detailed but not as sharp as the 2,560×1,440-pixel screens found in top Samsung, LG and Motorola phones. However, that matters less if you aren’t using a phone for VR, and resolution also matches up with our favorite midprice phone of the year, the OnePlus 3.
Huawei phones keep a fingerprint sensor on the back. Since this is a smaller device than the much larger Nexus 6P, it’s an easier target for those of us with smaller hands to reach.
Hidden perks: Knuckles and custom launcher
Wild! Drag your knuckle on the screen to launch apps.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Even better, the fingerprint reader includes a “smart button” feature that turns it into a programmable button you can use to launch specific apps. You can map it to launch three different apps when you tap, double-tap or long press the sensor. It’s a really nice perk the Honor 8 has that the brushed-metal P9 did not.
However, this Honor 8 does carry over a previous feature to knuckle down on the screen. Really. Double tap the display with your knuckle to snap a quick screenshot, or double tap it with two knuckles to begin recording the screen. (Knock, knock!)
You can also use your knuckle to draw a “C” to launch the camera app, an “E” for email and “M” for music — though the latter are sometimes more trouble than they’re worth. We’ve seen it previously on the Mate 8 phone, but it’s the first time their knuckle actions will come to the US.
Double the camera lenses, double the fun?
Two lenses working better together could add depth to your photography.
Josh Miller/CNET
Let’s get back to those dual cameras, shall we? One lens is monochrome and the other is RGB. Huawei says the two work together to make photos more vivid and detailed. AKA, you become more of a photo genius and the envy of your peers. Both cameras together can also change the depth of field to give your shots more of the professional look usually associated with DSLR cameras. For a black-and-white effect, you can switch to a monochrome mode.
So far, we know that the Honor 8 uses the same Sony IMX286 sensors as the P9. We’re trying to confirm if the Honor 8 also uses the P9’s lenses.
Meanwhile, an 8-megapixel camera sits on the front with a flash that doubles as a notification light. So far, our test shots looked pretty good — but we’ll be taking many, many more.
Full specs
- 5.2-inch display with a 1,920×1,080-pixel resolution (423ppi)
- Octa-core Huawei-made HiSilicon Kirin 950 processor
- Two 12-megapixel rear cameras with flash
- 8-megapixel front camera with flash
- 32GB of internal storage with 4GB of RAM
- MicroSD card slot up to 256GB of space
- 3,000mAh battery with fast charging
- USB-C charger port
- Android 6.0 with Emotion 4.1 UI
- IR Blaster, NFC, USB-C, 3.5mm headphone jack
Update, August 24: Added UK pricing and availability.
JBL Reflect Aware review – CNET
The Good The JBL Reflect Aware in-ear sports headphones offer a secure, comfortable fit, are sweat-resistant, and have an integrated Lightning connector and reflective cord. They also feature active noise cancellation, and a companion app allows you to adjust ambient noise levels and customize EQ settings.
The Bad Noise canceling isn’t strong enough; Lightning connection draws a small amount of power from your phone and reduces battery life; no adapter included to plug the headphone into a standard headphone jack.
The Bottom Line There’s a lot to like about the JBL Reflect, particularly the fit, but some performance drawbacks hurt its value.
JBL’s Reflect Aware sports earphones are being marketed as noise-canceling, which makes them fairly unique — but on top of that they’re one of the first Lightning headphones. That means they have a Lightning connector on the bottom and plug directly into the Lighting port of iOS devices. So, for iPhone 7 and 7 Plus owners, that means no headphone dongle required.
They cost $200 (£150, $AU300), which is pretty pricey, but they do seem well built, with a sturdy reflective cord and a nicely designed inline remote, and they’re sweat resistant. They fit me really well, too, and have silicone tips and wings that lock the buds securely in place. They reminded me of little Bose’s ear tips, which are really comfortable.
What you get in the box.
Sarah Tew/CNET
On the remote there’s a button for turning the noise canceling on and off. The noise canceling isn’t all that strong, and it’s certainly not as good as the noise cancelling on Bose’s QuietComfort 20 headphones, which cost $250.
The headphones are called the Aware because they have a feature where you can choose to let more ambient sound in, which is good if you’re a runner or biker and want to be able to hear the world around you — traffic in particular. (Note: JBL also makes a USB-C version of these headphones called the Reflect Aware C for USB-C phones such as the Moto Z. Those also cost $200.)
You control the ambient noise setting in the JBL headphone app. That app also allows you to customize the EQ setting, which is important because the headphones’ default setting is considerably bassy and makes them sound a little muddy. I was able to improve the sound by adjusting the EQ to a more balanced setting (in fact, I turned the EQ to “Off”), and felt better about them after that. It still lacks a little clarity and sounds a little processed, but compared to typical sports headphones it sounds good.
Whirlpool WFW92HEFU review – CNET
The Good Whirlpool’s $1,349 WFW92HEFU washing machine has a feature that tumbles your clothes if you forget to take them out of the washer right away, as well as a soap reservoir good for up to a dozen loads of laundry.
The Bad You have to crouch down to read the display options and its various musical tones are a little annoying. The WFW92HEFU isn’t an excellent stain remover, either.
The Bottom Line The Whirlpool WFW92HEFU is a middle-of-the-road washer made more interesting by its tumble feature and soap reservoir. Ultimately, though, the value isn’t there.
You could do a lot worse than the $1,349 Whirlpool WFW92HEFU washing machine, on sale at Home Depot right now for $1,124.10. At the same time, this high-end front-loader doesn’t exactly inspire.
It has a standard-size tub capacity and a predictable design. Its display panel also leaves a lot to be desired — its many musical tones are annoying, the options are difficult to read without hunching over and many of the buttons are on a slight delay. Press an option and expect to wait a beat before it actually responds.
The WFW92HEFU is a decent performer, but it didn’t stand out — especially when you look at Electrolux’s impressive $1,099 EFLS617S. A couple of neat features do help make this Whirlpool washer slightly more interesting. FanFresh will tumble your clothes when you forget to move them to the dryer and the included Load & Go reservoir auto-dispenses detergent for you. Whirlpool’s WFW92HEFU is a reasonable option in this upper price tier– especially if you regularly forget to switch out your laundry — but I’d consider the competition before buying.
Whirlpool’s WFW92HEFU tumbles your clothes…
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High-end-ish
At $1,349, Whirlpool’s WFW92HEFU is a luxury appliance. It isn’t the most expensive front-loader we’ve ever tested — that honor goes to LG’s $1,500 WM5000HVA — but it’s still very pricey.
Since it’s a high-end model, you expect it to get a lot right. Otherwise, you’ve spent a good chunk of your paycheck on something that doesn’t deliver on value, and who wants that? Unfortunately, the WFW92HEFU falls into this camp as far as design and usability goes.
Many washers sound melodic tones when you select cleaning cycles, options and other features. The WFW92HEFU has way too many different tones, taking it from something useful that confirms you’ve successfully selected an option to sensory overload. Fortunately, you can disable the sounds if they annoy you too; just press and hold the Cycle Signal button for 3 seconds.
The washer options, particularly the ones on the right side of the display, are difficult to read when standing. I had to lean down until I was eye-level with the display to see the Wash Temp, Spin, Soil, Pre-soak and other features clearly. Some of the buttons aren’t as responsive as I’d like, either, so expect to wait a moment before they respond.
The WFW92HEFU’s design is also fairly basic for the price. This model has a light gray metallic diamond steel finish, but Whirlpool also offers three other color options for varying prices. The black finish also costs $1,349, the darker gray chrome shadow finish costs $1,299 and the White finish costs $1,199.
Take a peek at the WFW92HEFU’s specs versus comparable front-loaders:
Comparing washing machines
| Whirlpool WFW92HEFU | Electrolux EFLS617S | Whirlpool WFW87HEDW | Samsung WF457ARGSWR |
| $1,349 | $1,099 | $1,199 | $1,499 |
| Diamond steel, black (also for $1,349), chrome shadow (for $1,299), white (for $1,199) | White, titanium (for $1,199) | Chrome shadow, white (for $1,099) | Black stainless, white (for $1,399) |
| 4.5 cubic feet | 4.4 cubic feet | 4.3 cubic feet | 5.0 cubic feet |
| 12 | 9 | 10 | 21 |
| 89 kWh/year | 85 kWh/year | 109 kWh/year | 148 kWh/year |
| 27 x 39.75 x 33.31 inches | 27 x 38 x 31.5 inches | 27 x 38.75 x 33.13 inches | 27 inches x 39 inches x 34 inches |
| 1 year, limited | 1 year, limited | 1 year, limited | 1 year, limited |
| 120V; 60Hz | 120V; 60Hz | 120V; 60Hz | 120V; 60Hz |
| No | No | No | Yes, Android and iPhone |
While this Whirlpool washer has pretty basic specs, it also has a couple of interesting features: FanFresh and Load & Go.
FanFresh is an option you can select on the display that will tumble your clothes for up to 12 hours. I often forget to switch my laundry from the washer to the dryer, so FanFresh would really come in handy.
Load & Go is a reservoir system that comes with the WFW92HEFU. Make sure the removable blue Load & Go insert is installed where you add detergent and simply open the lid on the top and fill it with liquid detergent. This washer relies on sensors designed to auto-distribute the right amount of soap for as many as 12 washes (that’s if you’re washing a standard 8-pound load of laundry).
Load & Go is available on select high-end Whirlpool washers and some other manufacturers offer a similar feature. GE’s $1,200 top-load GTW860SPJMC, for instance, comes with SmartDispense technology, which does roughly the same things as Whirlpool’s Load & Go.
Sony A6500 Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
When Sony debuted the A6300 prosumer mirrorless camera in March, it delivered a much-needed boost to autofocus performance with the company’s Fast Hybrid AF system. But the lack of built-in image stabilization — which most other mirrorless cameras have — earned the company a big, fat demerit. And despite its excellent video cred with 4K and support for professional profiles, it didn’t have the now-essential touchscreen for smooth and easy autofocus.
The A6500 rectifies those mistakes, plus incorporates a new processor, which Sony says provides a much more responsive shooting and playback experience, and a bigger memory buffer to increase the number of shots during continuous shooting.
But the awful battery life? That’s gotten worse, dropping to a rated 310 shots via viewfinder shooting and 350 with the LCD. In the A6300 those are 350 and 400, respectively. Sigh.
You’ll be able to get it in the US starting in November for $1,400 (body) or in Europe in December for 1,700 euros, or 2,800 euros for a kit with the 16-70mm power zoom lens. (The price in euros directly converts to about £1,500 and £2,470. I don’t have information about Australian price or availability — it is on Sony Australia’s site, though. The US price converts directly to about AU$1,850.)
Sony A6500 and RX100 V cameras are mostly…
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The autofocus system itself hasn’t changed, nor has the sensor or image processor or many of the specifications: 11 frame per second burst with autofocus and autoexposure, same sensitivity ranges and same 4K video capabilities. The body is almost unchanged, with the exception of a third programmable function button, and you can now configure a wireless connection via QR code.
But Sony boosts the existing components with more memory and a secondary processor to increase the speed with which the image data moves through the camera and between the memory card and the camera. That provides faster image review — yay! — and the ability to shoot 233 best-quality JPEGs or 107 raw images. (Though the A6300’s 44 and 21 shots, respectively, are just fine.) Attracting action photographers seems to be the big trend in these prosumer mirrorless models, such as the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II announced at Photokina.
As for the image stabilization, the A6500 incorporates five-axis sensor shift, which will work intelligently with optically stabilized lenses for optimal compensation. At its best (which depends on the lens), the system is rated for 5 stops of compensation — just like many other mirrorless five-axis systems.
The touchscreen capability seems to be limited solely to autofocus, and Sony adds the touchpad capability first offered by Olympus — when looking through the viewfinder, you can use the LCD to control the focus point. The touchscreen seems intended primarily for rack focusing (sliding focus from one point to another in video), and the camera now includes the ability to set the autofocus drive speed and sensitivity.
My take
While the battery life still gives one pause, and it’s not fully weather-sealed like some competitors, the A6500 otherwise has all the right updates.
The Fujifilm X-T2 is more expensive, especially since it requires an extra-cost battery grip to achive the same 11 frames per second burst, but it seems better for complex flash photography (a much higher sync speed at 1/250 sec compared with the A6500’s 1/160 sec), has a sensor without a blurring antialiasing filter, weather resistance and possibly a comparable autofocus system. The E-M1 M2 doesn’t have a price or availability date, but it sounds like it has a comparable autofocus system and an 18 fps continuous shooting speed and weather sealing as well. But it uses a smaller Four Thirds sensor.
Oculus Touch Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
The Oculus Rift debuted back in March without a crucial piece of the puzzle: dedicated motion controllers to let you reach out and grab. Those controllers, called Oculus Touch, were always meant to complete the equation. And now they’ll finally be available December 6 for $199. They’ll be available for preorders October 10.
The Touch comes with a second Oculus camera sensor bar, which is necessary to set up to use the controls. The package also comes with two games: VR Sports and The Unspoken.
Oculus Touch can work in “room scale” VR, which means a walk-around holodeck-like environment like the HTC Vive, but that will involve buying a third camera sensor for $79. Be ready to add one of those to your package if you care for VR walkabouts. Or, if you want to turn around and grab things behind you.
Oculus Touch makes virtual reality better
The Oculus Rift didn’t let you reach out and grab things in VR. These controllers change that.
by Sean Hollister
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What Touch does
The two Touch controllers track motion in space, acting like virtual appendages in VR apps and games. Much like the HTC Vive’s controllers or the PlayStation VR Move wands, they let your hands do things. But they also can work like a standard game controller, too.
They need to be facing one of the sensors to work, so you can’t grab block them with your body, but as long as you’ve got an Oculus sensor on each side they work remarkably well.
Touch feels almost like a standard game controller split in two and turned into gloves. Each part has an analog stick and buttons. But the controllers can also sense finger proximity, letting a user raise and lower fingers and register them in VR. For instance, yes, you can point your finger, or give a thumbs-up.
Oculus has many apps that take advantage of Touch controllers, from virtual western shooters to painting and sculpting software.
The controllers have haptics for vibrating feedback, too.
The Touch can sense finger proximity.
Oculus
Touch requires more room sensors
The Oculus Rift came with a single little sensor-camera that perched on a desk or table to track head movement. But Touch needs another sensor to distinguish your hands from your head. And you’ll need a third sensor if you want to interact with things behind you, or walk around more than a couple of steps in VR. The third sensor is sold separately, for an additional $79.
The HTC Vive does it with only two, and they only need to be plugged into a power outlet. Each Oculus sensor needs to be plugged into a USB port on a PC.
A perfect in-between?
So obviously, these Touch controllers make a lot more sense than a gamepad. Even simply being able to see your hands is a big step forward in immersion, one that makes the virtual worlds feel a lot more real. It wouldn’t be a stretch to think that a lot of future Oculus games will support, maybe even require these controllers. (It doesn’t hurt that the rival PlayStation VR and HTC Vive have motion controllers that let you grab things, too.)
But in the short term, what can you actually expect to reach out and grab in VR? Plenty, it turns out. Check out our impressions of the best Oculus Touch apps and games.
Sony RX100 V Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Lori Grunin/CNET
Like the A6500 announced at the same time, the update to the Sony RX100 IV gets new internals for faster shooting, but the difference between the RX100 IV and RX100 V will be far more noticeable — because the performance bar set by the RX100 IV isn’t very high.
The RX100 V will be available this month for $1,000 — I’d watch for price drops on previous models, because the RX100 IV is currently the same price. It’s slated to ship in Europe in November for 1,200 euros, which directly converts to about £885. While it’s on the Sony Australia site, I can’t find price or availability details; the US price directly converts to about AU$1,320.
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The RX100M5 has the same body, internals and features as its predecessor: same 20.1-megapixel resolution and image processor, same popup viewfinder, same extensive set of 4K video capabilities and high frame rate (HFR) shooting modes.
But the new version of the 1-inch sensor includes phase-detection autofocus pixels, Sony’s Fast Hybrid autofocus system, in addition to the old, slow 25-area contrast autofocus. That should make a huge improvement in action shooting — locking focus and tracking subjects — as we’ve seen from other Sony cameras that have moved to the system. It’s supplemented by new processing hardware and a larger memory buffer, which Sony claims allows it to achieve 24 frames per second for continuous shooting, with autoexposure and autofocus, for 150 shots. That’s pretty impressive. And possibly overkill for most people.
The new silicon also enables Sony to double the maximum length of a high-frame-rate recording to about 7 seconds, for 1080/240p video. There are also some tweaks to settings for existing features.
Along with the camera, Sony announced an underwater housing for the entire RX100 line rated for 40 meters (130 feet). It’s expected to ship in the US in November for $350. (Directly converted, about £200 or AU$330.)
My take
Improved focusing? Count me in. Same goes for the longer HFR recording. How well the autofocus system really keeps up with the 24 fps burst remains to be seen: that includes focusing on what you want rather than what it can, as frequently happens. But if it can keep up at half that speed, it’ll serve most people well. And it will certainly help Sony stand out from the crowd of enthusiast compacts, at least for a while.
Smart Armor Smart Cube Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Startup Smart Armor Tech is bringing the connected lock indoors. Instead of a standard deadbolt, the company has announced what it calls the Smart Cube — a two-piece device that can lock indoor enclosures. Think of it like a retrofit home safe.
You won’t use the Smart Cube on your front door like other smart locks, but the device grants the ability to secure a drawer in your dorm room, a cabinet of cleaning products where your young child likes to explore, or your liquor cabinet. It’s a flexible product, and Indiegogo users — who have contributed over $100,000 to the project so far — seem excited about its potential. But I’m skeptical that those possibilities really merit the expected price tag: $100.
Smart Armor
The Smart Cube basically looks like a bar with threading like a screw. This bar, which is only a few inches long, slides into a second piece — a polycarbonate sheath. Users secure the sheath inside the cabinet or drawer, and attach the bar to the door. When it closes, the Smart Cube locks, securing the enclosure. To open it, you just tap a button in the Smart Armor app.
The mechanism is perhaps a little too simple. If you’re really worried about keeping something out of reach, you probably want to buy a real safe. But its app connection does bring something unique to the table: you will receive alerts if a cabinet is opened or tampered with. This lets the device double as a door/window sensor and lock. The problem is, because it relies on Bluetooth technology, you won’t be able to actually control the Cube while you’re out of range. This limits the benefits of Smart Cube’s connected-ness.
The basic idea for the device isn’t bad, but between a slightly steep price and its Bluetooth limitations, the Smart Cube will have to do a lot to win me over. The Smart Cube is available for preorder on Indiegogo now, with devices planned to ship in early 2017.
AIVAnet 