Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Monoprice MHD Action Cam Review: Not Bad for $100

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5988435/monoprice-mhd-action-cam-review-not-bad-for-100

Test Notes

  • We dropped and kicked around the cam a bunch to test durability. It occasionally decided to not respond to the record button afterwords, but it always recovered and seemed fine overall.
  • The MHD's photos are of better quality than the video, but are only 5 megapixels.
  • Battery life is better than other higher-end action cams, at around 3 hours of use.
  • The lens is dual-axis, meaning if you mount the MHD upside down, the image will flip itself so it is right side up when you look at it later.
  • The rear cap can be an utter pain in the ass to put back on.
  • Audio is never great on action-cams, but the MHD's audio is just bad. You can hear it compared to the GoPro's audio in our test video.

Should You Buy It?

If you have a desperate need to throw down right now for a basic, no frills camera, we have no qualms with recommending the Monoprice MHD. Go for it. But tread lightly. If you take longevity and versatility into account, it might be worth saving up for a GoPro Hero3—the White edition is only $199.

Monoprice MHD Action Cam Review: Not Bad for $100Monoprice MHD Action Cam Review: Not Bad for $100


Monoprice MHD Action Cam
• Lens Field of View: 120 degrees
• Water Proof: up to 10 meters
• Video: 1920 x 1080 / 1280 x 720 @ 30p
• Photo: 5 megapixels
• Price: $99


Gizmodoscope! Move your mouse around the top photo to move the One. Magic!

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Wacom Cintiq 13HD graphics display hands-on (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/19/wacom-cintiq-13hd-hands-on/

Wacom Cintiq 13HD graphics display handson video

Here's the thing with Wacom's latest Cintiqs: the bigger the display, the more straightforward the buying decision tends to be. The Cintiq 22HD and 24HD dominate at the professional high-end, but, as you get smaller and cheaper, more options come into play -- whether they're non-display tablets like the Intuos5 or complete PCs like Microsoft's Surface Pro (software issues aside). However, if you're looking for full-fledged Cintiq qualities in a smaller package, then this morning's announcement of the $1,000 Cintiq 13HD probably caught your interest. No, it's not the rumored standalone tablet, but our first impression is that it's a lightweight and handy option for serious work. Read on for more.

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Dragon Mobile Assistant Offers Completely Hands-Free Texting, Shares Your Location with Loved Ones

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5991258/dragon-mobile-assistant-offers-completely-hands+free-texting-shares-your-location-with-loved-ones

Android: We've discussed how useful Dragon Mobile Assistant, (the spiritual successor to Vlingo, our favorite virtual assistant for Android), is as a hands-free mobile assistant. Now the app has updated to include truly hands-free SMS, and location sharing that will tell someone you're waiting for or traveling to exactly where you are and when you'll likely arrive.

Dragon Mobile Assistant is already a great tool for managing your calendar, placing calls, sending text messages, and staying organized on the go with little fuss. The latest update adds on many of those features. For example, the new hands-free SMS features let you start, dictate, and send SMS messages without touching the phone once, even to send the message out. Plus, when a response comes in, Dragon will read it aloud, giving you the option to reply right then, completely by voice.

The location sharing feature is the other major feature in the new version of the app. You can say aloud, "Tell [X person] where I am," and that person will get a text message with a link to your current position on a Google Map. If the other person is also using Dragon, you can ask your phone "Where's [X person]?" and Dragon will query their device, and if the other person approves, show you exactly where they are so you can meet up with them.

The app has a few other new bells and whistles as well, like the option to automatically dial in to any conference call or scheduled phone call on your Google Calendar, and even more supported voice commands. Check it out at Google Play below.

Dragon Mobile Assistant (Free) | Google Play via Android Police

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Report: Google to Unify Chat as a New Service Called Babble

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5991263/report-google-to-unify-chat-as-a-new-service-called-babble

Report: Google to Unify Chat as a New Service Called BabbleGoogle Talk is great: lightweight and fast. But then, Google's also got G+ messenger, Hangout, and even Drive Chat. There are currently so many options across its different platforms that it can get confusing—but Google Babble is apparently set to end that, with one unified, cross-platform chat solution, which will span Android, iOS, BlackBerry, and the cloud.

According to multiple sources talking to Geek, Google's building a whole new service, fresh from the ground up, to unify messaging across Google's various platforms, as well as the likes of iOS and BlackBerry too.

Babble will apparently work in a similar, melded fashion to the best of Google's current chat implementations. You'll be able to dump images in there, fire-up video chat Hangout-style, and chat in a threaded, conversation-organised style.

There's no timescale attached to the report, although Geek says that we'll see more come Google I/O this year. We just hope that it'll blend the best of both worlds when it comes to apps on the mobile side. [Geek]


Report: Google to Unify Chat as a New Service Called BabbleOur newest offspring Gizmodo UK is gobbling up the news in a different timezone, so check them out if you need another Giz fix.

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Just Re-Stack and Twist This Lamp When You Get Bored of Its Design

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5991135/just-re+stack-and-twist-this-lamp-when-you-get-bored-of-its-design

Just Re-Stack and Twist This Lamp When You Get Bored of Its DesignSimply re-organizing a room is the easiest—and cheapest—way to give it a fresh look. And the same applies to this Babele layered wooden lamp created by a studio calling themselves Manifattura Italiana Design, or MID for short.

Like a glowing version of the Tower of Hanoi puzzle, the central support of the Babele lamp lights up and is visible through a gap on all of the stacking pieces that define the lamp's shape. When assembled 'properly' it looks like a traditional lamp complete with a shade, but you're welcome to easily re-stack the layers however you want if a more abstract look is what you're after. The only real puzzle here is how to get your hands on one since there's no indication MID is putting the lamp into production.

Just Re-Stack and Twist This Lamp When You Get Bored of Its Design

[MID via Design Milk]

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