What I like (and don't) about my new iPhone 5

I've had my new iPhone for a whole 48 hours, so I believe I'm qualified to give it the Gizmo Editor's report card. Here are five things I like about the iPhone 5 and a couple of things that aren't so swell:

Pros:

1. Size and weight. This is by far the lightest and thinnest phone I have ever owned. I sometimes I have to search my pockets to find it.

2. Battery life. Despite it's trim profile, it seems to last much longer than my previous Android phones.

3. Panoramic photos. This is going to be fun.

4. Podcast app. I know, this arrived with the iOS6 upgrade and it's now on older iPhones. But it's new to me.

5. Screen size, I guess. But coming from a Droid Bionic, the longer screen is underwhelming. Words With Friends looks scrunched.

Cons:

1. The Lightning connector. I don't begrudge Apple's switch to a small plug. I know it was overdue. But really, $30 for an adapter? I'll wait until the knock-offs turn up on eBay.

2. Apple Maps. The home-built version that replaced Google Maps is buggy and out of date and Apple expects us to fix it.

3. Passbook. It doesn't have Starbucks or any of my other favorite vendors. And it's not NFC, the mobile payment technology that the rest of the world uses. Bucking the accepted standard is what got Sony in trouble.

By: Ric Manning On 9/27/2012

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Handheld scanner captures text and images

A couple of years ago I was in a library doing research on my family history when I ran across a book containing a photo of my great-great-grandfather. With some difficulty, I was able to make a photocopy of the image, but a digital scan would have much better.

It's too bad I didn't get my hands on the new IRIScan Book 2 until a few weeks ago. It would have been the perfect tool for that situation.

The IRIScan Book 2 is a portable scanner that works like a magic wand when you pass it across a page of text or images. With one pass, you can capture text, photos, charts and drawings. The scanner is powered by a pair of AA batteries and it saves the scanned material as JPEG images on a microSD memory card.

The scanner is designed to work with pages that are a 8.5 inches wide. It requires a steady hand to get a clean image, but it was far more forgiving that I expected. If you move too fast, a red light appears telling you to start over. Buttons on the scanner let you choose between color and black-and-white images and higher or lower resolution.

Once you’ve finished scanning pages, you can download the captured images to a computer or tablet using a memory card reader or with a USB cable. Software that comes with the scanner lets you convert scans into editable text or import them into PDF, Word or Excel files.

The IRIScan Book 2 costs about $100. For $20 more, you can get the executive version that has a rechargeable battery and Bluetooth for making wireless transfers to a computer, tablet or smartphone.

By: Ric Manning On 9/24/2012

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Case makers swarm to the iPhone 5

Griffin Survivor

Ballistic Hard Core

Hitcase Pro

It's only been a few days since details about the new iPhone 5 were released but iPhone case makers are already churning out new designs for Apple's longer and slimmer device.

Griffin Technology, which makes some of the most rugged phone cases on the market, has announced a new line-up of cases that included a new version of The Survivor, a case that is designed to meet or exceed US Department of Defense standards.

The Survivor is built on a shatter-resistant polycarbonate frame and clad in rugged, shock-absorbing silicone. The case is designed to protect the phone against dirt, sand, rain, shock and vibration. Griffin said the new version of the Survivor will cost $49 and be available in a variety of colors. No specific release date was announced.

Griffin also announced several new fashion cases. One group has jungle-inspired patterns, others are sculpted out of soft silicone to look like elephants, monkeys and other zoo animals. Both will cost about $25.

Another heavy-duty case from the iPhone 5 is the Hard Core case from Ballistic. It has a built-in screen protector, impact resistant polycarbonate shell and an optional outer silicone layer. It also has a a kickstand media viewing and a holster with rotating belt clip. The Hard Core costs about $60. It and other Ballistic cases can be pre-ordered now.

Hitcase announced two new waterproof cases for the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4 and 4S. The cases use patent-pending design called ShockSeal that protects the phone while allowing use of the touch screen, buttons and headphone jack.

X-Doria Shield

The cases include the Railslide Mount System that lets you mount the phone on bicycle handlebars to serve and a point-of-view camera. Hitcase also offers a free Vidometer app to record your speed and altitude.

The Hitcase costs about $90. Hitcase Pro, which includes a removable wide-angle lens, costs about $130. Versions for the iPhone 5 will be available in mid-December.

A new hard-shell case from X-Doria called the Shield features a front polycarbonate screen protector that provides a styrong layer of protection while still letting you type and control the screen. The Shield costs about $40 and is available now.

X-Doria also announced another new case called the Venue that has offers a colorful soft rubber case that covers volume and lock buttons. It costs about $35.

By: Ric Manning On 9/17/2012

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Getting light where you need it

The latest ebook readers from Amazon and Barnes & Noble include built-in lights for reading in a dark environment. If your reader goes dark when the lights are out, the Beam N Read can shed a little light on the situation.

The Beam N Read is a battery-powered light that hangs around your neck. It shines light where you need it, on a book, ebook reader, map or keyboard. It's also good for close handwork, like knitting.

The basic version uses three LED bulbs and lasts for more than 100 hours. A Deluxe version has six bulbs and a clip-on magnifier. It also has a pair of color filters that can be used when you want to maintain night vision.

I found the Beam N Read to be a useful device when I'm outside doing night photography and I keep it handy for times when storms knock out the power to our house.

The basic Beam N Read costs about $20 at amazon.com, the six-bulb version about $30.

By: Ric Manning On 9/12/2012

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A look inside the high-tech home of 2016

Mosaiqq CEO Anders Nancke-Krogh demonstrates
his company's video panel in the kitchen
of CEDIA's Future Technology Pavilion

As I remember it, the Home of the Future at the 1964 World's Fair had a fast-cooking oven, a shiny refrigerator and interior design by Star Trek. The future home I saw earlier this month was a lot more interesting - and more likely to become a reality.This home knew your favorite music and TV shows, responded to voice commands, and tracked both the food in the refrigerator and grandma's medication.

The home was part of the Future Tech pavilion at the CEDIA Expo, the annual trade show for home theater and home control technology. Its builders drew on products that are currently available or about to emerge from company labs to design a home as it might function in the very near future of 2016.

The heartbeat of the house was a computer system that knows who lives in the house and what their routines and preferences are. "The house in intuitive," said Dave Pedigo, CEDIA's senior director of technology. "It understands what the occupants are like."

An example is the home gym. When one of the residents walks in the room for a morning workout, the home network personalizes the lighting, the treadmill and the TV for that particular person. It might queue up a Jillian Michaels video for Mom or turn on a news channel for Dad. Sensors in the entertainment room will make similar adjustments the video and audio systems, depending on who is sitting in the primary control spot.

 

Home sensors included an array of microphones tuned to respond to voice commands. Residents could adjust lighting, temperature levels or music simply by asking. Other sensors were built into a bedroom designed to demonstrate tools for assisting someone in the later stages of life. When they get out of bed late at night, the movement triggers a sensor that turns on the room light at a low level. If the person doesn't return to bed in, say, a half an hour the system can send an alert to a caregiver.

The bedroom also was equipped with a programmable lock to prevent wandering and a medicine storage box can be wired to log an entry each time that it's opened. The wireless sensors connect to a touch-screen computer from GrandCare Systems that can be set up to monitor wellness data and provide communication links to family and friends.

The focal point of the home's kitchen was a touchscreen video panel embedded into the backsplash of the kitchen counter. Built by Mosaiqq and 3M, the video screen delivered news and entertainment plus recipes with video instructions.

Pedigo said most of the products in the demonstration home are currently available through home technology installers.

By: Ric Manning On 9/10/2012

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Samsung's new Galaxy S III is Android's best

It took me a couple of weeks to get my hands on Samsung's new Galaxy S III, but now I see what all the buzz is about. This has to be the best smartphone yet to come out of the Android camp - and there have been some good ones.

After exploring the S III for a few days, I can understand why Apple unleashed a horde of lawyers to go after Samsung. The phone may have a few features that look like they were borrowed from the iPhone, but it also has plenty of innovations that can stand on its own.

The phone impresses you right from the power button when the big, bright screen flashes to life. It uses AMOLED display technology on a screen that is almost a full inch wider than the iPhone. Images look as good as any high-definition TV and for games, videos, photos and even text, bigger is almost always better.

The TV commercials for the S III show two people transferring photos by touching two phones back to back. That's a cool idea, even if you never get to use it. It breaks new ground in the effort to make sharing and communicating easier.

The phone can also start a call just by raising it to your ear. It has Samsung's own voice-response technology. And it has NFC (near-field communication), a feature that lets you making payments directly from your phone. NFC is catching on in Europe and it could explode in the U.S. if a company like Starbucks or McDonald's starts using it. 

That kind of cutting-edge technology matched with the sleek look and feel of the Galaxy's sleek and slender design should will keep this phone nipping at Apple's heels, even after the iPhone 5 arrives.

The Galaxy S III costs about $200 with a contract from Verizon Wireless, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint or U.S. Cellular.

By: Ric Manning On 9/04/2012

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New pedometers get you up and going

Striiv pedometer.

Check the drawers and closets at your house. You’ll probably find a pedometer tucked away along with the good intentions that arrived with it. 


Two new high-tech pedometers, the Fitbit and the Striiv, have ways to get you off the sofa and out the door on a regular daily program of light exercise. 

For starters, they both interact directly with your computer, eliminating the annoying bookkeeping chores if you want to compare one day's performance to the next and chart your progress.

Fitbit pedometer.

In addition, they each cost about $100, so you'll be making a financial investment that you won't want to waste.

Read more about both pedometers in my column at MyWell-Being.com.




 

By: Ric Manning On 9/01/2012

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