Got my hands on another glove that was specifically built for using touchscreen devices: the
North Face Etip Glove
. I had high hopes for these gloves as my previous endeavor into this realm, the
Burton Touchscreen Liner was rather disappointing.
The verdict? These gloves are much better than those Burton ones but still leave much to be desired. The touchscreen pads work quite well; this time the downfall lies with the fact that the gloves don’t keep your hands warm (a glove’s primary function). Even in temperatures close to the freezing mark, I found my hands cold.
- the palm and other fingers should have “stickier” padding;
- the touchscreen element should wrap around the index finger and thumb so that you can use the sides of these digits;
- the glove should expand to the size of the users hand to ensure a tighter fit.
Rather than buying a baby monitor, I decided to set up a webcam instead. So I picked up an inexpensive one from www.newegg.ca, the Trendnet TV-IP121WN Internet Camera. The advantages are three-fold:
- There are numerous apps (some free) that view the camera from an array of different platforms (iOS, Android, PC). On the iPad at home I use SecurView and I can even look in when I’m out and about using my Google Nexus 4 using TinyCam Monitor Free.
- Once I no longer need a baby monitor, it easily becomes a home security camera.
- It’s a cheaper than most baby monitors.
The picture quality is not bad either and it’s a Day/Night cam so it works even when the room is dark.
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More info on the TRENDnet TV-IP121WN 640 x 480 MAX Resolution RJ45 SecurView Wireless N Day/Night Internet Camera:
- Very easy to set up. If you know how to set up a router, you can set this camera up pretty easily. Once it’s on your wireless network you can view the video on any number of devices.
- It has other functionality such as motion-detection capture, it can even email you (I haven’t yet tested this).
- Cons: The main complaint with the camera, which I knew about prior to purchasing, is that the colour is a little off. For some reason the video comes out with slight pinkish hues.
After mulling it over for a few months, I decided it was time I got a new phone (a Google Nexus 4). I’d been using a Blackberry for a while now and although things started out rosy, it was time to move on to a better smartphone.
I knew that once off Blackberry, I would need more data than I was getting with my current plan. (Blackberry uses
push technology which is typically more efficient data use vs
polling.)
While researching wireless plans, my coworker recommended I check out Wind Mobile. They had a plan that was unlimited everything and a promotion if you brought your own phone. Being that a Nexus 4 is sold by Google unlocked, it seemed like a good way to get a new phone and tie it to a plan that wouldn’t punish me for using too much data.
After talking to Telus customer service a couple of times about my plans, they couldn’t negotiate my existing plan into anything resembling the neighbourhood (cost and features) of Wind. So I decided it was time to leave even though I was still on contract. Because of the price difference in my plan, I save almost 40% on my bill per month. This pays for me breaking my Telus contract after 5 months. It pays for my new phone in two years. Plus Wind requires no commitment (and I have an unlocked phone) so I can keep shopping for better plans if something comes up.
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So how is Wind?
Because I live in Toronto, my
Wind network coverage is pretty good. The only problem I experienced was when I went up to Collingwood to snowboard. Couldn’t get a signal on the hill at Alpine Ski Club.
Further re: unlocked phones
I will realize the biggest benefit to having an unlocked phone when I travel. When I visit the states or go back to the Philippines, I can buy a local prepaid SIM, pop it into my phone and enjoy calls/text/data without worrying about a huge roaming bill.
Since I typically write about some product about a month or two after I acquire it, I don’t often comment about durability or ownership over an extended period of time; that is what I’d like to do with this post. Here are a couple of products I’ve written about in the past and some quick comments about how I feel about them now.
Still my favourite computer I’ve owned. Quick boot-up, still a good battery life, great at everything I want it to do from surfing to watching media to editing video to typing out documents. Hard to imagine I ever buy another PC on the Windows platform. Very happy I splurged on the anti-glare screen.
Within the first year I owned these headphones I had to submit a warranty claim because sound stopped coming out of one ear. The wire is not as durable as advertised, a rip appeared in the rubber near the joint where the one wire diverges into two.
This is likely the last Blackberry I will buy. I’ve had phone envy since purchasing an iPhone 4s for my wife last year. While I still like the keyboard, the device’s shortcomings are most evident in:
- Lack of app support
- Poor quality camera (the delay makes it difficult to take pictures that aren’t blurry unless you own a blackberry yourself and are used to it)
- OS seems to hang intermittently when context-switching. This is a deal-breaker for users who are heavy multi-taskers
The main reason for moving away from Blackberry once I get my next upgrade is that I have no faith in Research In Motion’s development team. Lack of leadership combined with laying off a lot of your R&D personnel generally means you will have buggy products.
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Addendum commentary:
Recently I explored upgrading to an iPhone 5 or the Samsung Galaxy S3 but didn’t feel either offered enough value to jump to without a full phone upgrade credit from my provider (Telus). The maps issue I find disconcerting on iOS while the Android phone just didn’t inspire me to part with my money. Anyway the longer you wait for technology the more you get. It’s rather amazing to me how the smartphone market has evolved into such a state where people treat these expensive, sophisticated devices as so disposable.
I needed a new vehicle to deliver audio from various music players to my brain after I lost my Skullcandy earbuds; decided to take it to the next level since I wasn’t fully happy with them anyway. Like most headphones, the wire eventually weakens on the connection so over time you lose hearing in one and then both ears. These were already replaced once through their great warranty but I was reluctant to go through the process again; it was a sign. Plus I had a gift card that was collecting dust so I decided to check out these Dr. Dre headphones that seem to be increasing in popularity. I would gladly rock the bigger, badder over-ear models but I was going for small, light and easy to put away.
These are definitely next-level headphones. Whether you’re listening to classical or rock or hip-hop you can hear everything on the track very crisply. The bass is nice and deep; it will move you. The microphone is quite good, I used it with Dragon Dictation to record this blog post.
The on-cord remote for controlling volume and playback is pretty solid albeit biased to Apple products; it easily controls my iPod nano, my iPad and even my MacBook. It works splendidly answering calls and controlling music play on iPhone (4). I say biased because it doesn’t control my BlackBerry Torch very well (known issue). In fact I can’t even use it as just a normal headset for talking on the phone, there seems to be some incompatibility (works with my wife’s Blackberry Curve 8900 though). Monster and Research In Motion better work this out because it’s ridiculous for this not to work. On Android (Motorola Xoom) the remote is only good for starting and stopping playback, all three buttons do the same thing.
It comes with all of these accessories that you see in the picture. There are earbud attachments of different sizes as well as this adjustable over-ear wire which is handy if you want to be active while using them. The case is very durable although bigger than I want it to be; I suppose they need to be big enough to house the entire unit.
All in all it is a solid product. My research indicates the squarish, rubber-like wire (patent pending) is more durable than regular headphone wires. They are expensive headphones, hopefully the cost is mitigated by them lasting a long time.
Often I’ll consult my cousin John on matters related to technology and I credit him with getting me to use the Dragon-Dictation/Evernote-Apps-Super-Ultra-Combo-Special (for iPad). That is: the practice of using the Dragon Dictation App, dictating my ideas and lists into it and uploading them into my Evernote.
I was already a big fan of using voice recording and making lists (before these Apps) because essentially you’re taking a snapshot of your brain at that moment. In this day and age of information bombardment it is increasingly difficult remembering every important little detail of our chaotic lives. Taking a recording of your thoughts, saving them and making them searchable (equally as important) seems like a good idea to me. You will forget things; computers will not (unless they crash hard of course).
I had heard of Dragon Dictation before (I’ve used it for PC) but it wasn’t as good at voice recognition as it is now. I find for best results to talk into it slower than your normal conversation speed. My other cousin Issa commented when we were testing it: “it could as side effect teach you to be more articulate in conversation.”
It’s really a very good app if you don’t want to use your hands for typing. I already use a computer likely much more than the average person but I also make microscopic art and play sports. My hands need every break they can get.
I imagine it would be a very useful app for people who have vision or motor skill handicaps.
Anyway give it a try and share your feedback. I wrote this post using Dragon Dictation. John responds to emails without typing.
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