Review: D-Link 936L Wi-Fi Camera

Posted on 6 April 2018 by Stewart Wolpin

There are two distinct reasons why you’d consider buying a Wi-Fi security camera for your home: either to alert you if someone enters your space while you’re away, or to act as sort of a nanny cam to let you watch (or spy) over those still at home when you’re not. Because of the lack of GPS geofencing technology — or a way to automatically switch on sensors to alert you about what’s happening at home when you’re not— lower-priced models such as the D-Link DCS-936L Wi-Fi security cameras ($69.99, discounted from $89.99) are more appropriate for the latter usage case scenario.

Read the rest of this review from GearBrain here.

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Flashback 1948: Ampex Unveils First Magnetic Tape Recorder

Posted on 5 April 2018 by Stewart Wolpin

Our modern AV world arguably all stems from a single product: the Ampex 200A, the first successful commercial magnetic audiotape recorder, which debuted 70 years ago this month.

Read the rest of this post on Sound & Vision here.

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How did Xiaomi make such a great – and cheap – Wi-Fi security camera?

Posted on 26 March 2018 by Stewart Wolpin

Wi-Fi security cameras usually come in two distinct varieties: either expensive ($150-$200) and a full-raft of features and options, or cheap (sub-$100) and – well, you get what you pay for in the end.

With its Mi Home Security Camera, somehow Xiaomi has managed to create not only an excellent high-end Wi-Fi security camera, but one that’s ridiculously cheap – just $40. Not only does the Mi offer usually pricy bells and whistles including 1080p video, night vision up to 33 feet, a wide 130-degree view and two-way microphone/speaker capability, and not only is it relatively easy to set-up and use, but it offers intriguing and handy features I haven’t run across before in my testing.

Read the rest of this review on GearBrain here.

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Party & Sporty: Sony Targets The Young & Active With New Portable Audio

Posted on 20 March 2018 by Stewart Wolpin

Sony officially announced a new splash-proof wireless in-ear bud with both active noise cancelation, along with a new series of behind-the-neck Bluetooth sport earphones and colorful portable Bluetooth/NFC speakers with flashing LED trim, all aimed squarely at the young and active.

Continue reading this post here.

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What Will Be The Legacy of Legacy Formats?

Posted on 12 March 2018 by Stewart Wolpin

Recent reports of the demise of the compact disc feature elegies tinged with funereal nostalgia for what was once a bold, new and literally shiny technology.  Those might as well have been elegies for all physical media including the CD’s video packaged-media analogues: DVD and Blu-ray. Neither of which is quite ready for a final burial but with advancements in streaming services and cloud storage, they now seem anachronistic.

The rise, peak, decline and fall of the CD follows the predictable circle of the physical format’s life, which is generally generational—20-40 years in all, but a few unusual cases.

Continue reading this post here.

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Samsung Bows Smarter, Prettier 2018 QLED TVs

Posted on 7 March 2018 by Stewart Wolpin

Stressing beauty, size and functionality, along with a set of unique intelligence and aesthetic features, Samsung officially unveiled its 2018 QLED and Ultra HD TV lineup at a grandiose CES-style event at the American Stock Exchange building in lower Manhattan.

Continue reading this post here.

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Review: ADT Home Security Starter Kit is a good start – if you add ADT monitoring

Posted on 6 March 2018 by Stewart Wolpin

The purpose of a home security system is to ease concerns about the safety of your castle and the people it houses. With a standard ADT system, the company installs your system – sensors, motion sensors, keypads, etc. – and all you have to do is arm and disarm the system as necessary. You then just live your life with an added bit of confidence that you and yours are protected.

ADT’s Home Security Starter Kit ($399), powered by Samsung’s SmartThings smart home platform, is less extensive and less pricey than an installed system since it is a DIY security system.

Read the rest of this review on GearBrain here.

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Selfie Journals & Viper Drones: Tech Toys Grow Up To Keep Up

Posted on 21 February 2018 by Stewart Wolpin

Welcome to the future, where kids aren’t happy with toys that just … well, sit there. Now playthings must move on the ground and through the air and even speak of their own or user-programmed accord.

This year’s Toy Fair at the New York Javits Center was filled with increasingly sophisticated — and often animated — digital doodads, some of which merely entertain, some that teach children how to survive and even thrive in our increasingly technological world, or some that just scare the cat.

Read the rest of this post here.

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Thinking of Buying an Apple HomePod? Don’t.

Posted on 20 February 2018 by Stewart Wolpin

Consider buying an Apple HomePod more of an investment bet than a practical purchase because, right now, it’s a pretty useless device. Like most gaudy objects, HomePod’s aural and aesthetic beauty blinds you of its practical near-worthlessness in comparison to competitors imbued with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

Read the rest of this review on GearBrain here.

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Toy Fair 2018: ‘Alexa, Play With Me’

Posted on 20 February 2018 by Stewart Wolpin

Like a puppy trailing a child, the toy industry often trails after the consumer electronics industry in integrating advanced technology into playthings. But at this year’s Toy Fair, Amazon Alexa voice-recognition, AR and VR, STEM/STEAM-oriented educational gear, 3D printing and AI/coding were particularly prominent.

Read the rest of this post here.

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