Bill Loguidice's Blog, page 108
March 20, 2016
Review: Safeplus S107G 3 Channel Infrared Remote Control Helicopter (includes video)
Considering the incredible low price, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this is just a cheap, junky toy. Fortunately, that’s not the case. The Safeplus S107G 3 Channel Infrared Remote Control Helicopter has excellent packaging, build quality, and feature-set.
The packaging.
As with any toy these days, prepare to be driven mad freeing it from its packaging.
Instead of using radio frequency (RF) technology, the Safeplus S107G relies on an infrared receiver (IR) and transmitter to control its functions. This means you need general line of sight with the helicopter’s receiver. Interestingly, this doesn’t mean that you can’t control more than one helicopter. There are actually two selectable frequencies (A and B) to control up to two different helicopters at the same time (with different remotes, obviously). This is good, because the aforementioned low price means buying more than one is definitely practical.
What you get.
The helicopter itself is quite small (measuring 220mm x 38mm x 98mm) and suitable for indoor use. Its built-in gyro helps to keep flight more stable.
A closer look, including at the charging cable built into the remote controller.
With the Safeplus S107G, you get the helicopter itself, its transmitter, an extra rear propeller, and a USB cable. The required six AA batteries for the remote control transmitter are not included.
Charging over USB.
The Safeplus S107G helicopter’s 3.7V 150mAh li-poly battery can be charged either directly over USB using the included cable or via a cable built into a compartment on the transmitter. For every roughly 30 minute charge, expect around 10 minutes of flight time, give or take.
Once charged, to take flight, power on the remote controller, then power on the helicopter. Give the helicopter enough speed to achieve lift-off, then fly. Simple. As you can see in the video (aka, Operation Fascinate Cat – Scare Baby), in only my third attempt, I was able to achieve stable flight. This is a fantastic toy with a fantastic price of entry.
Thanks to Safeplus for the review unit.
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March 16, 2016
First Impressions: Midway Arcade for Lego Dimensions (23 classic arcade games)
I posted some photos to Instagram late last night related to my set up and play of the Midway Arcade Lego Dimensions Level Pack and realized that a lot of you may not know exactly what that game is. I aim to rectify that in this blog post (including the Instagram photos), along with providing some impressions of my limited exposure to it (it just came out yesterday).
The Spy Hunter car for Midway Arcade Lego Dimensions is really neat. http://amzn.to/253fO6x
A photo posted by Bill Loguidice (@bill_loguidice) on Mar 15, 2016 at 7:34pm PDT
First off, there’s a core game called Lego Dimensions, which is available for Nintendo Wii U, Sony PlayStation 3 adn 4, and Microsoft Xbox 360 and One, the latter of which is the version I happen to own. Lego Dimensions is a combination of collectible toys and videogame play similar to Skylanders and Disney Infinity that allows you to play in various mixed worlds with characters from every type of universe, e.g., DC Comics, Lord of the Rings, Ghostbusters, The Simpsons, etc. There are Fun Packs that you buy and build that give you new characters and/or vehicles to play in-game and that help you pass certain areas that other characters can’t. There are also Level Packs you can buy that not only work like Fun Packs, but also give you new in-game levels/worlds to interact with.
How the Defender cabinet looks for Midway Arcade Lego Dimensions. http://amzn.to/253fO6x
A photo posted by Bill Loguidice (@bill_loguidice) on Mar 15, 2016 at 7:47pm PDT
This Midway Arcade is a Level Pack. You first build the figure, Gamer Kid, then you enter the Midway game world. You then build the car from the arcade game, Spy Hunter. After advancing a bit more in the level, you build the last toy, a funky Defender arcade machine, which also acts like a car.
Anyway, the really interesting part about Midway Arcade is that it allows play of 23 different arcade games, each one wonderfully emulated. Unfortunately, because this is Lego Dimensions, it’s a lot of work to track down and find each of the arcade games to build. In other words, you don’t have access to all 23 from the start. In fact, in my play session last night, I was only able to unlock Spy Hunter and Gauntlet.
About to play Spy Hunter on Midway Arcade Lego Dimensions. http://amzn.to/253fO6x
A photo posted by Bill Loguidice (@bill_loguidice) on Mar 15, 2016 at 7:50pm PDT
Spy Hunter is actually one of the best home implementations I’ve played, because the weapons and and weapon truck that usually light up around the arcade display light up around the faux bezel here as well. Along with intelligently assigned hot keys, it works really well.
While I love the emulations and thoughtful extra features, I’m not so in love with the effort required to find all of the games. Apparently, not all of the games are even found in the Midway level, but in levels in other worlds. With enough work, the 23 games you’ll unlock are:
720
Badlands
Blasteroids
Championship Sprint
Cyberball
Defender
Defender II
Gauntlet
Gauntlet II
Klax
Joust
Joust 2
Marble Madness
Paperboy
Rampage
Road Blasters
Robotron: 2084
Spy Hunter
Super Sprint
Timber
Toobin’
Vindicators
Xybots
A photo posted by Bill Loguidice (@bill_loguidice) on Mar 15, 2016 at 8:14pm PDT
If you’re a fan of classic games and already own Lego Dimensions, this is a no-brainer. However, if you don’t already own Lego Dimensions, you may want to wait for what will hopefully eventually be a stand-alone version of this game pack that doesn’t require that you explore another game before you can play one of the 23 arcade classics.
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March 14, 2016
Review: Higo Heat Sealed LED Slap Armband
If you’re out and about outdoors at night, then you no doubt know how important it is to be highly visible. Thanks to LED technology, new products are continually being released for safe night-time fun, be it going for a run, walking your dog, or any other number of activities. One such product is the Higo Heat Sealed LED Slap Armband.
Box front.
Box side.
What you get.
The Higo Heat Sealed LED Slap Armband is water resistant and glows brightly for nearly its entire length. You can also press its button a second time to create a flashing light effect. Although I’m reviewing the Red–Design III model, which looks a bit like it came off of Spider-Man‘s suit, there are actually 11 other fashionable designs to choose from.
Pull the tab, press the button, and slap it on.
The light is nice and even.
In the package you get the slap band itself, which already has the required CR2032 battery pre-installed. You also get a second replacement battery. Obviously, this is a great value.
Near my wrist.
On my wife’s upper arm.
Placing the band on your arm is easy, with it automatically closing in on itself so it’s secure. I weight train, so my upper arm is probably a bit larger than what this is intended for, so the band didn’t fit there. It was the same deal with my forearms, so it didn’t fit all the way on either of them either. However, as you can see in the photos, it did fit just fine closer to my wrist. As you can also see in the photos, it had no problems fitting on my wife’s upper arm.
Thanks to Dongguan Beisen Outdoor Sports Articles Co., Ltd., for the review unit.
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March 10, 2016
Quick thoughts on sales trends for Nintendo 3DS, Sony PlayStation Vita, and the Nintendo NX
Prior to the early 2011 release of the Nintendo 3DS, I predicted that I thought it would sell well, but, thanks to a variety of factors, wouldn’t sell anywhere near to the heights reached by its record-setting predecessor, the DS. The main factor of course in not being able to reach those heights of its predecessor was simple, and that was the rise of tablets, and in particular, smartphones, products that were mostly non-existent during the DS’s prime years.
Nintendo DSi
According to Nintendo of Japan’s own data, as of December 31, 2015, the Nintendo DS series, now discontinued of course, had sold over 154.01 million units. From that same data, the 3DS series, which is in its inevitable declining years (and the sales trends clearly indicate that), has sold 57.9 million units.
Nintendo Game Boy Advance
For comparison, the Game Boy series (includes Game Boy Color) sold 118.69 million units, and the Game Boy Advance series sold 81.51 million units. So yes, the 3DS is definitely a success, but, when all is said and done, it’s going to be the worst selling Nintendo handheld series ever. That can be attributed mostly to the changing competitive climate. And again, those previous platforms never had to compete with anything like tablets or smartphones.
Sony PSP 3000
Interestingly, if you predict what the 3DS series will ultimately sell once Nintendo finally pulls the plug, say some time in 2017 or even 2018 (a nice 6+ year run), its roughly 70 million units sold won’t even reach the sales of Sony’s PSP series, which hit roughly 85 million units when all was said and done. That of course was seen as a relative failure against the DS, falling short by roughly 70 million units (or a whole 3DS series), but it was nevertheless Nintendo’s only significant challenge to its 25+ year gaming handheld dominance before the rise of tablets and smartphones started to chip away from a completely different angle.
Sony PlayStation Vita
Sony’s Vita won’t even sell half as many 3DS’s when all is said and done, maybe at best just a quarter as many. The Vita series is presently around 13 million unit sold, and it will definitely settle well under 20 by the time it’s discontinued, and will probably even struggle to hit 15 million units sold. It’s a shame too, because like the 3DS, the Vita is also a really fantastic system, but, like with the sales ceiling hit by the 3DS, none of that matters when your competition includes a powerful touchscreen device that most men, women, and children have easy access to and that gets replaced regularly (on average, at least every two years) with something newer and “better.”
Nintendo Wii U
Naturally, the inevitable decline of 3DS sales and the never-there sales of the Wii U (which will be lucky to outsell the Vita when it’s eventually discontinued, likely some time in 2017) make the NX’s role in changing Nintendo’s momentum particularly critical. That’s also why it’s important to note even classically stubborn Nintendo’s forays into others areas, like Amiibos and mobile. That trend will only accelerate if the NX platform doesn’t properly resonate. As always, it’s going to be fascinating to keep an eye on it all.
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March 8, 2016
Review: Stuhrling Original Men’s 803.03 Monaco Analog Watch
As a fan of Stuhrling watches, I was excited to try the Stuhrling Original Men’s 803.03 Monaco Analog Watch. It retains the powerful, manly design elements from the company’s other watches I’ve tried, but changes up some of those other paradigms by taking inspiration from the type of style you’d find in the 1940s through 1960s. It even utilizes a classic font, which, pardon the pun, enhances its timeless look.
The storage box.
The box and outer sleeve.
The stainless steel, round case with chunky buttons is set off against a simple brown leather strap. Rose-tone dials with chronograph (an independent sweep second hand) and date window round out the look. As expected for a battery powered watch of this quality, it’s water resistant up to 165 feet, although you’ll want to take care with exposing the leather strap to too much water.
You get the watch, documentation, and a cleaning cloth.
The front of the watch.
The back of the watch.
A size comparison with the 42mm Apple Watch.
If you want a high quality watch that makes a true fashion statement, then it’s hard to go wrong with the Monaco 803.3. If you like the design but would prefer this in a different color scheme, three other options are available in this model at different price points, which you can see under “Customers Also Shopped For” in the middle of the Amazon page. Whichever variation you choose, this is a design that is sure to impress.
Wearing the watch.
Another angle.
The strap when wearing it.
Thanks to Sturhling Original for the review unit.
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Review: Stuhrling Original Men’s 657.01 Delphi Automatic Dual Display Watch
If you’re in the market for a men’s statement watch, the Stuhrling Original Men’s 657.01 Delphi Automatic Dual Display Watch delivers. The Delphi 657.01 is oversized and thick, yet still elegant in design. The transparent face on the silver-toned, stainless steel round case lets you see the watch’s inner workings, which are set off by rich accents (two other tone and color options are available in this model at different price points, which you can see under “Customers Also Shopped For” in the middle of the Amazon page). A similarly transparent rear lets you see how the watch functions from that angle, which is naturally only when it’s taken off your wrist.
The storage box.
The box and outer sleeve.
As the “Automatic” in the name suggests, this watch features a mainspring that is wound automatically from the natural motion of your arm. If worn daily, this means your watch will never need winding or any other energy source. Of course, you can also manually wind the spring. Water resistance up to 165 feet means you never have to take the watch off, although you might want to take care with the 24mm wide alligator-embossed black leather strap with buckle clasp.
You get the watch, documentation, and a cleaning cloth.
Top view.
Rear view.
Size comparison with a 42mm Apple Watch.
A large crown lets you set either of the dual time faces, one on the main part of the watch and the other in a smaller, secondary window. Elegant sun and moon icons indicate AM or PM, respectively. As you can see from the photos, the silver, blue, and gold coloring as seen through the Krysterna Crystal dial window and set against the black band make for a striking appearance. This is the type of watch you’ll be proud to own.
Being worn.
Another angle.
Thanks to Sturhling Original for the review unit.
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Quick thoughts on the present and future of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Mixed Reality
Some individuals, pundits, and other factions within our videogame, computer, and technology community seem to want to liken the latest explosion in Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR) consumer technology to 3D technology that was in seemingly every new television of recent vintage as the next big thing, until suddenly it wasn’t just a few short years back, or to the promise of The Lawnmower Man-esque experience of 1990s technology that came up far short in terms of immersion and practicality. In other words, VR, AR, and MR are just the latest poster children for technological fads, less the personal computer revolution of the late 1970s and more the failed personal robotics movement of the early- to mid-1980s.
The Lawnmower Man (1992)
While I agree that this is still early days for the latest attempts at this type of technology, I do believe we’ve crossed the necessary technological and business-case thresholds for this to have real staying power rather than simply arriving with a hype-filled bang and leaving with a disastrous whimper. In other words, in 10 years, rather than looking back on this time of Google Cardboard, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Microsoft Hololens, Sony PlayStation VR, et al., as end points, we will instead liken this to the heady days of the release of the 1977 personal computing trinity of the Apple II, TRS-80, and Commodore PET. And like that time, competition will be fierce, mistakes will be made, initial prices will be high, etc., but soon enough it will all shake out to become a legitimate industry, well within reach of the average consumer, with an ever growing list of use cases, many of which we can’t even imagine right now.
Time will tell on all of this, of course, and I could be dead wrong, but I suspect I’ll be posting again in 10 years about how this was indeed the starting point for finally realizing the promise of decades of science fiction fantasizing and earlier, not-quite-there technology and consumer interest. It should be a fun decade to come.
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March 7, 2016
Review: AMOSTING Nintendo Wii to HDMI Converter
The AMOSTING Wii2HDMI is a clever, small, and inexpensive dongle that plugs into the back of a standard Nintendo Wii console and lets it work over HDMI. One end of the dongle plugs into the AV Multi Out Connector on your Wii and the other end accepts a standard HDMI cable (not included). Next to the dongle‘s HDMI port is a 3.5mm stereo audio jack, which allows you, if you so choose, to pipe the audio to a separate sound system, or even headphones.
The packaging.
All Wii display modes, including NTSC 480i and 480p, and PAL 576i, are supported, and upscale accordingly. If you wish, you can also use this adapter with a DVI monitor by using a standard HDMI-to-DVI cable and the 3.5mm stereo audio jack for sound.
The dongle and manual.
Another angle.
It’s important to keep in mind that this product does not support Nintendo’s Wii Mini console, which is no surprise considering that more than just its video output is gimped. If for some reason you’re stuck with a Wii Mini, considering getting an inexpensive used original Wii, which also has GameCube compatibility and whose mode also works great over HDMI with this dongle.
All hooked up.
If you still use your Wii for homebrew gaming, or even just to play regular Wii or GameCube games, you owe it to yourself to get this dongle. Although my video capture card was unable to lock onto the signal so I could show you directly, it definitely allows the popular non-HDMI-based Wii console to easily work at its highest quality output with today’s displays, even if they lack composite or component inputs.
Thanks to AMOSTING for the review unit.
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March 6, 2016
Review: Think in Toys AR Animal Educational Game
Augmented Reality (AR) is a form of Virtual Reality (VR) where physical, real-world environments are supplemented by computer-generated audio-visuals. While AR is often used for entertainment or data intensive productivity applications, it’s also quite useful for education. That’s where something like the Think in Toys AR Animal Educational Game comes in, which uses physical cards and your iOS- or Android-based tablet or smartphone to engage preschool age children and teach them about various land and sea animals, insects, and dinosaurs.
The front of the box.
The back of the box.
The packaging is rather nice, much like a good board game. There’s a slipcover that goes over a plastic tray with five compartments that hold five different sets of cards. You also get a simple instruction manual with a QR code for the app itself and then a QR code good for unlocking the app on up to three devices. After you use the QR code scanning software of your choice on the app QR code, you download and run the AR animal app, which will eventually ask you to use one of your unlock QR codes.
The contents.
Once the app is up and running, you place one of the cards on a flat surface and then interact with the creature on the screen. One finger rotates the creature horizontally, two fingers moves the animal, and moving two fingers out or in makes the animal bigger or smaller, respectively. You can also tap the creature to get it to do different things, like swim or fly. While you’re interacting with the creature, a narrator describes the animal. While the narrators don’t seem to be high level professionals, the information provided about the animal is decent and certainly appropriate for the toddler target audience.
Interacting with the cards.
Interacting with the cards.
This is definitely a fun AR experience, but how much you get out of it will depend upon how much time you spend with your toddler using it. While our 18 month old loves using her iPad and the iPhone, she’s still a bit too young to use this unsupervised. As expected, it’s also tough to get her to keep the cards in one place. Nevertheless, as she gets a bit older, I would expect her patience and focus to improve and to get even more educational value out of this.
Interacting with the cards.
Interacting with the cards.
Interacting with the cards.
Thanks to Think in Toys for the review unit.
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Review: Viboton Mobile Wireless Mini Keyboard Touchpad Combo
Whether you have a home theater PC, Android TV box, or some other device where you would benefit from a compact mini wireless keyboard and touchpad combination, this new offering from Viboton may be just what you need. The Viboton Mobile Wireless Mini Keyboard Touchpad Combo is palm-sized, rechargeable, and multi-function.
The front of the box.
The back of the box.
Instead of relying on the vagaries of Bluetooth, the Viboton Mobile Wireless Mini Keyboard Touchpad Combo comes with a tiny USB receiver that gives a range of about 20 meters or 65 feet. Besides the keyboard and receiver, the package also includes the removable lithium ion battery, short miniUSB charging cable, and a user guide.
What you get.
For testing purposes, I tried the Viboton Mobile Wireless Mini Keyboard Touchpad Combo on a WinBook TW700 7″ Tablet, which runs Windows 8.1, and allows me to use the famously inexpensive tablet as a TV PC. Setup involved nothing more than me plugging the dongle into the USB port and turning the keyboard on. It was immediately recognized and even allowed for control of the tablet’s other functinality, like volume and opening up the Web browser, from the keyboard’s dedicated keys (which also includes, amongst its other features, a multi-language button for English, German, Russian, Hebrew, Spanish, or Arabic).
The battery compartment hides both the battery and USB dongle.
The textured touchpad’s precision was excellent, especially given the small size. While the keys were spaced very close together, overall responsiveness was excellent. If you’re looking for an ultra compact keyboard and touchpad combo that eschews Bluetooth, there’s little not to like about the feature-rich Viboton Mobile Wireless Mini Keyboard Touchpad Combo.
Thanks to Viboton for the review unit.
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