Friday, 6 November 2020

Huawei Matebook 14 2020 Review - AMD Ryzen 7 Beast!

Huawei Matebook 14 2020 - official link

The Huawei Matebook 14 2020 model is a compact powerhouse pc with some awesome features. Just to be clear when I say powerhouse what I mean is you can use this laptop for Photo & heavy Video editing & for some serious gaming. With that said before we get onto what I consider the most exciting features of the Matebook 14... let's take a closer look at the design.

matebook 14 bezels.jpg

Let's start with the chassis which is made from an Aluminium alloy. The top and bottom covers are also metal and the sides are some form of reinforced plastic. All of which are finished in Huawei space grey color. At its thickest point it 15.9.mm thin. I am big a fan of the CNC milled chamfered edges around the trackpad and power button. It certainly adds a bit of prestige to the Matebook 14. 

The power button is a 2 in 1 as it is also a biometric fingerprint reader. The trackpad also has double functionality, as just beneath its surface is a Huawei Share tag. With Huawei Share being an exclusive feature for HMS devices. More on that later. The Matebook 14 has a chicklet keyboard with backlighting. They have a good amount of travel & a nice tactile feel and sound.

Now check this out, the pop-up camera. I love this feature. I am one of those people who cover the cameras on my computers... And that's why I love this... the camera is 720p HD quality. This camera is specifically for video chat.... and Huawei has built 4 microphones into Matebook 14 to make sure you get the best possible audio when on those live calls. On the topic of Audio, there are dual 2-watt speakers built into the base of the laptop for audio playback. For movies, I'd suggest pairing the Matebook 14 up with some Huawei Freebuds Pro. 

Now let's address what's staring us right in the face. The 3 by 2 2K Full view IPS display. Thanks to the camera module being hidden in the Keyboard. Huawei has been able to keep the bezels minimal. The 3:2 screen format is nice. Especially when it comes to editing photos and videos, it's always a luxury to have more screen real estate. The resolution of the display is 2160x1440 and 185ppi which makes everything displayed on it nice & detailed 

& The fact that it can reproduce 100% is the sRGB colour space is big deal too. Again this comes in handy with graphic design and editing. The display also has a very respectable 15000:1 contrast ratio and 300nitts of peak brightness. So viewing the Matebook 14’s screen in bright conditions shouldn't be a problem for most people. So that's pretty much all the external hardware. Now let's take a look at all the inputs and then we'll get into the internal hardware details.

matebook 14 hdmi ports.jpg

So we have two USB 3.2 ports and a single USB C port which is a hybrid input/charging port. The notebook also has a analog headphone jack which can also be used as an external mic input. So when it comes to ram and rom. There are a few configurations of the Matebook out there...but this one I have here has 256GB SSD storage & 16GB DDR4 ram.

There are versions of the Huawei Matebook 14 with the AMD Ryzen 5...but this one has the flagship AMD Ryzen 7. Which is the equivalent of an Intel i7. Although AMD says it's better than the comparable i7 when it comes to graphics performance and also multithread performance. So like I said before this is a powerhouse.. and it is a beast when it comes to gaming and demanding software. 

So the graphical firepower is certainly up to scratch but all of this is pointless without a solid battery performance. And Huawei does not disappoint here. I sides the Matebooks Aluminium alloy frame is a 56Wh lithium-polymer battery. Which can deliver up to 10hrs of continuous video playback.  Now, here's what I consider to be the most awesome features on the Huawei Matebook 14.

matbook 14 huawei share.jpg

So when you have a Laptop that can handle heavy-duty tasks, you need a heavy-duty cooling system. Of course, this is tricky to do in a compact form factor. But Huawei has done something special here with its dual shark fin heat dissipation system. So thanks to Huawei's expertise in mobile tech the motherboard has been manufactured using a 7nm process... which helps when it comes to thermal efficiency.. but they have also added 6 sensors inside the laptop to monitor temperature and adjust the cooling system dynamically & those dual fans have unique s-shaped blades that help achieve 38% better airflow than a traditional laptop fan. Also, Huawei has managed to make these fans incredibly silent...so in my opinion dual shark fin fans...awesome feature.

Now, this is big deal and a truly awesome Huawei ecosystem feature. If you own a Huawei smartphone you make use of Huawei share. You can simply drop your phone onto the trackpad and it will automatically connect to the Matebook. From there you can control your phone on your desktop. You can drag and drop files, you can share your clipboard. Essentially making the collaboration between phone and laptop way more seamless. One useful feature is when using the matebook if your phone is connected you can use the quick menu to toggle on the mobile hotspot on your phone.

Whatgear reviews youtube channel

source https://www.whatgear.net/technology/huawei-matebook-14-2020-review

Monday, 26 October 2020

Easy Smart Home Setup! Hey! I'm Home Review

Hey! - official website

There are so many smart home products out there. It's an exciting time because there are so many options to choose from. There's just one problem… with so many smart options, comes many smart apps. 

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Wouldn't it be great if you could get all your smart home products all in one place, which all work on one app? Well, that's what www.HeyImHome.co.uk is all about. You should take a look. Hey! Have a wide range of smart products. Everything from light bulbs, security motion sensors to video doorbells & surveillance solutions. 

When it comes to selecting products Hey! Have made it super easy. As soon as you land on the  www.HeyImHome.co.uk you can select 'make my home smart'. You're then presented with a really intuitive questionnaire.

By answering all the questions Hey! will map out exactly what you need to turn your home into a fully-fledged smart home. It's an awesome way to figure out what is possible when it comes to smart tech. What makes things even better is the next day delivery. 

Easy Smart Home Setup 1

When it comes to setting up the devices. The app walks you through step by step. If your thinking it 'sounds complicated' trust me it isn't. If you can screw in a light bulb. You can set up Hey! Smart Home tech. It is easy.

From end to end Hey! Have done an amazing job of making the experience seamless. The quality of the products is very good. Everything is packaged nicely & they've paid a great amount of attention to detail.

Once you've got it all set up & running It's very easy to use. You can control everything remotely from your phone. You can even set up scheduling for home automation. You can even link it to Alexa or Google Assistant. There are so many cool options within the app to play with. I highly recommend the smart LED light strip. I set it up behind my TV. It’s incredibly powerful & you can adjust the brightness and colours within the Hey! app. It just adds such a nice ambient soft light which really accentuates the screen. I love it!

hey smart light strip

Check out the whatgear review video to find out what it looks like.



source https://www.whatgear.net/technology/hey-im-home-review

Sunday, 18 October 2020

Xiaomi Mi 10t Pro - 5G speed, Pro Camera, Amazing Price!

Xiaomi Mi10t Pro - Official Live Launch

The Xiaomi Mi10T pro is a brand new device from Xiaomi but it's very different from the Mi10 from earlier this year...I think is the android you've been looking for...The Mi 10T pro doesn't carry a flagship price tag but it does have a lot of premium features & it's also constructed from premium materials.

It has Front and back gorilla glass 5 , A full metal body, dual speakers, The Qualcomm 2020 flagship chip the SD865 (which is 5G), a massive 5000mAh battery. Also an insane 108mp primary camera in a triple camera array, and a flat display that is a 1080p 6.57" IPS panel... But check this out... it supports a 144HZ refresh rate... That is going to make this screen smoother than a one-liner from Bond himself.

Seriously now this refresh rate is a big deal especially when it comes to gaming. We've only really seen 144hz on dedicated gaming phones before...so it's a real killer feature here on the Mi10 T pro.

Xiaomi has taken this refresh rate a step further with the Mi10T pros ability to adapt its refresh rate on the fly...I can even slow it right down to 30HZ to save battery....and with its MEMC feature, it can add frames into low frame rate content making lower-quality footage appear to be smoother. This might be one of the best IPS panels I've ever seen on a phone. Contrast is good, brightness & Xiaomi gives you the tools to fine-tune the colours to your taste.

When it comes to watching YT videos & gaming the Stereo speakers come into play and very good when it comes to clarity and loudness. Now let's talk cameras...you guys know I like my smartphone cameras & Mi10T pro doesn't disappoint. The primary camera is very prominently mounted on the back like the all-seeing eye of Mordor... There is also a wide and a macro. The 108mp Samsung sensor is something special. When you snap regular photos the camera software will use pixel binning combining 4 pixels into 1. Which quite honestly delivers amazing quality photos...

There are a ton of camera features here that you can play around with. Stuff like astrophotography, water painting, and 8K video recording...that's right I said it...8k video recording. Let me know if you want to see how this phone matches up to another device...13mp ultra shooter is a nice to have feature. And the results are, and finally, the 5mp macro delivers very impressive results. You can shoot as close as 2cm away for those incredibly fine details.

As you probably already noticed the selfie camera is hidden in the top left corner which many consider being the most unobtrusive locations for a camera cut out. The selfie camera is certainly no slouch either at 20mp. The results are really impressive... It does a really good job of making me look good...and you really can't ask for more from a selfie camera.

I know it's common sense but you do know smartphones won't work unless you've got power, and Xiaomi has that sorted with a 5000 mAh battery that can go from 0 to 100% in 59mins with the 33watt charger in the box. When it comes to storage & ram there are a couple of options 128GB or 256GB UFC 3.1 and xxx ram. Unfortunately, there's no expandable memory so choose wisely.

Another nice feature here is the incredibly fast and accurate side fingerprint reader...which is also the Mi10T pro power button...you can even set the fingerprint reader to only pick up when the fully clicked down...which is a great feature if a ghost touches become a problem for you.

On the software side of things. The Mi10T pro out of the box will be running on Miui 12 which brings back the beloved app drawer...there's also a cool swipe down feature which I like... Swipe down on the right side for settings, swipe down on left for the notifications pane. This Xiaomi Mi10t pro is so stacked full of awesome features. To find out more watch the WhatGear Xiaomi Mi10t pro review here - video



source https://www.whatgear.net/technology/xiaomi-mi-10t-pro-review

Thursday, 27 August 2020

Huawei Sound X Unboxing - Feel the POWER!

Check out the WhatGear unboxing video of the new Huawei Sound X. This wireless speaker has been Co-engineered by Devialet the creators of the Devialet phantom & phantom reactor. There is some really ground breaking audio tech inside this thing, including a unique push push driver setup & Devialet’s patented SAM (speaker active matching) tech.


Learn More about Devialet Audio Tech

Check the price : https://amzn.to/2GJ9kG2 This is a GROUND breaking bit of kit from a french company. Engineered to perfection. This really takes wireless sp...So have you been looking for an in depth Phantom Reactor review with sound test? then you've found it. The version of Devialet Phantom in the is the Reactor ...DEVIALET ON AMAZON : http://amzn.to/2IzQhf9 So If your a Sky Q user you can pick up a £799 Devialet Speaker for as cheap as £249. The question is it really w...

MORE HUAWEI VIDEOS

Using the Huawei P40 Pro without the Google Play Store & Google Services is now easier than ever before. Huawei have made downloading & installing apps easy ...The new Huawei GT2e watch review is here! If you are wondering what is new about this one & what is the difference between this and the original Huawei GT2 s...This Huawei GT2e features video is a follow up to my previous video Huawei GT2e vs GT2. In this video I answer all the questions you had about apps, watch st...

source https://www.whatgear.net/technology/huawei-sound-x

Friday, 10 July 2020

Sony Xperia 1 II - I bought one...but was it worth it?

The time has come... It's the Sony Xperia 1 II Unboxing. I just bought one & it cost me £1,100 here in the uk. There's two questions for you. What videos do want me to make for you? and do you think it was worth it? Check out this Xperia 1 mark 2 first impressions video and let me know

Sony Xperia1II [EU] price / Xperia 1 II [US] price

Whatgear youtube channel

Sony Xperia 1 Pro - The only Sony Xperia you can’t buy

Sony Xperia 1 ii fans here is an update for you guys. Some information has leaked confirming the camera spec & the expected release date of the #Sony #Xperia...

Sony Xperia 5 II - Here is what we could expect

Word has been leaked on the Xperia 5 Mark II & it rumours of the release date has surfaced. In this video we take a look at the leaks and run through the spe...

WhatGear Sony Xperia Playlist

This is a collection of 30 of the most recent WhatGear reviews Sony Xperia videos on YouTube. If you enjoy them don’t forget to subscribe.



source https://www.whatgear.net/technology//sony-xperia-1-ii-i-bought-onebut-was-it-worth-it

Monday, 6 July 2020

Sennheiser HD 450BT Review & Unboxing | Affordable wireless noise cancelling

This Sennheiser HD 450BT Review includes an unboxing & my first impressions of the design, sound quality & active noise cancelling feature. At the moment these headphones are priced at £145 on amazon, making them one of the most affordable, good quality active noise cancelling headphones out there.

#Sennheiser HD 450BT [EU] price : Sennheiser #HD450bt [US] price

🧨💥 SUBSCRIBE TO WHATGEAR! SUPPORT AN UNDERDOG UK TECH YOUTUBER 💥 🧨



source https://www.whatgear.net/technology//sennheiser-hd-450bt-review-amp-unboxing-affordable-wireless-noise-cancelling

Sunday, 28 June 2020

Realme X3 Super Zoom | Moon Camera Test

Ok let's see what the Realme X3 super zoom camera can really do... I used a tripod for this one and zoomed in at the moon. You gotta check this one out.

#Realme #X3superzoom [EU] price / Realme X3 Super zoom [US] price

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MORE REALME X3 SUPER ZOOM VIDEOS

The Realme X3 Superzoom has just been announced. Check out this unboxing and zoom camera test. Stay tuned to the channel for some #RealmeX3superzoom camera comparisons. Let me know in the comments what videos you'd like to see.


It's another shootout! This time it's Realme X3 superzoom vs Poco F2 pro vs Realme X50 pro camera comparison. All three devices come in at amazing prices & have some amazing camera firepower. Watch this one, the results might surprise you.


This speed test the Realme X3 Superzoom vs Poco F2 Pro vs Realme X50 Pro is sponsored by Raid Shadow Legends install Raid for Free and claim lots of free stuff ✅ IOS: https://clcr.me/ivmQSi ✅ ANDROID: https://clcr.me/9L2NSJ ✅ PC: https://clcr.me/jPlgYW and get a special starter pack 💥Available only for the next 30 days All of these smartphones have flagship specs at affordable prices. Which one will win in this speed test comparison? We shall see.



source https://www.whatgear.net/technology//realme-x3-super-zoom-moon-camera-test

Thursday, 7 May 2020

Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4 - Now is the time to get one!

The Xiaomi Smart Band 4 is an awesome budget fitness tracker. Right now it's on sale for an amazing price. In this unboxing & quick review video you'll find out what makes this fitness band so awesome. If you are getting some extra workouts in due to the lockdown, then why not keep track of your progress with one of these.

#Xiaomi #Smartband4 [EU] price | Xiaomi Smart Band 4 [US] price

🧨💥 SUBSCRIBE TO WHATGEAR! SUPPORT AN UNDERDOG UK TECH YOUTUBER 💥 🧨




source https://www.whatgear.net/technology/xiaomi-smart-band-4-review

Saturday, 18 April 2020

Sony Xperia Mark II - The Compact is back?

Word has been leaked via the underworld grapevine that later this year we will see the Sony Xperia 5 ii. The prediction right now is that the release date will be in Q3 of this year. Most likely around the time that the Berlin IFA would take place... but something tells me the IFA is not going to happen this year. Either way, the announcement should be in September.

So at first Sony brought back the jack on the Xperia 1ii and now... which I was happy to see & now Sony are bringing back the compact. So the rumours suggest that this phone could be ad small as 5.6 inches on the diagonal, but its more likely to be 5.8". Either way, you slice it the Sony Xperia 5ii will be a compact phone.

Sony Xperia will likely stick with the 21:9 aspect ratio which means this thing is going to be very thin at Approximately 65mm if we scale down the dimensions of the Xperia 1ii. Some say just like a Hershey bar... but in my opinion, this could be a very good thing when it comes to one-handed use and overall more grip-able. When it comes to the resolution quite honestly a FHD+ would be quite satisfactory on such a small display. Which of course will support Sonys creator mode colours. I just hope Sony splash out a little cash and try and make it 120Hz OLED panel. If you haven't used one yet, it does make a difference. Let me know in the comments. Would you like to see a 120Hz display?

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Now the fact that the Xperia 5ii will be more compact than the Xperia 1ii will result in a slightly smaller battery. But with it needing to power a smaller display combined with Sony's battery care features the battery life should be pretty good. I would expect it to be around 3400mAh. But here are some areas that Sony won't need to compromise. The dual front speakers, the headphone jack, the side-mounted fingerprint reader, Gorilla Glass 6 front and back. the selfy camera, the triple camera array, which means we should get the new night mode and the Sony A9 feature 20fps burst shooting with full AF/AE tracking. Basically, it's going to be maybe the only compact flagship on the market.

Inside the Xperia 5ii will be 4 to 6gb of ram & of course the immense firepower of the Qualcomm 865 5G soc. In fact, if they go with the 5.6" screen size. This form factor would make the Xperia 5ii the smallest 5G device on the planet. So while the phone will support 5G in Sub 6 waves it's unlikely it will the fastest form of 5G millimeter wave. As with such a compact device, it's unlikely there will be room inside the chassis for the additional millimeter-wave antennas this year. If your looking for that the Xperia Pro 5G is what you need to know about.

Last year Xperia 5 launched towards the end of the year and just missed out on Qualcomm's overclocked SD855+ chip. So there might be a small chance they could time it just right and get the SD865+ in the Xperia 5ii... a small chance And if they could get that...that would be awesome. So long story short if they can keep all the flagship specs mentioned this might be the compact king in 2020. With all that said...the word on the street is Sony have two flagship bullets in the chamber for the end of the year... what do you think the 2nd one will be? Xperia 6 maybe?

Now let's talk about the colour variants and finishes. I think Sony gets stuck when it comes to this. So write a comment below and let me know what would be your dream colour & finish is you could choose one. And who knows maybe Sony will read it. I like what Huawei has done with the p40 pro frosted glass. Something like this would be amazing, no fingerprints, it's not slippery... it is so awesome.


Sony Xperia 1 ii fans here is an update for you guys. Some information has leaked confirming the camera spec & the expected release date of the #Sony #Xperia...

source https://www.whatgear.net/technology/xperia-5-mark-2-release-date

Wednesday, 4 March 2020

Sony Walkman NW-A55 - Is it worth owning a Walkman in 2020?

Sony NW-A55 Walkman - Price

So listen here real quick. The Sony Walkman NW-A55 is available in five colours this one here is grey. When it comes to the build quality here it doesn't feel cheap. It's all built upon an aluminium milled frame. With the components inside fitted using a special solder containing real good. Sony says this reduces signal loss. As well as that Sony is using gold plated circuit boards & Sony says this allows for low impedance.

sony gold walkman

"the effective resistance of an electric circuit or component to alternating current, arising from the combined effects of ohmic resistance and reactance" oxford dictionary


The back of the device is made from some form of plastic. Most probably due to letting the Bluetooth frequencies pass through and of course, you've got the near field connection point in the back. When it comes to using the Sony NW-A55 it feels very premium and it just fits so nicely in the palm of your hand. It's not too heavy, not to light. It just feels right.

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The buttons have been upgraded from the Sony NW- A40 series & are now circular. The separation of the buttons and the raised dots make them easy to find even when it's still in your pocket. Here's a cool thing the A55 can do. It can process noise cancellation. However, it will only work with a very specific pair of Sony headphones. The IER-NW500N/NE... in some countries, these are bundled in...unfortunately not here in the UK though. Also, some variants of this walkman do support radio.

When it comes to loading music to the device. The Sony NW-A55 supports pretty much any format you can think of. AAC, DSD, Flac and even MQA.

Of you will need to own the actual files and there are two ways to get them onto the device. You can load them directly onto the Walkman 16GB storage using Sony's proprietary cable, or transfer them onto a micro SD card and simply insert it into the device.

Now on to the operating system. This particular model uses Sony's very own software. Which is designed for just one thing...Music.

It's quite a clean and easy to use interface. Everything is very self-explanatory. You can customize the categories, create playlists. Tracks, when played, will show album art as well as touch screen controls.

A couple of the highlights of the software is the EQ options & the clear audio plus Sony's very own custom sound Signature. Now when it comes to listening to music with the Sony Walkman. The guaranteed way to get the best experience is via a wire. That's not to say you'll be getting an inferior experience with wireless headphones.

This is a Sony and naturally, it does support LDAC and Aptx HD over Bluetooth 4.2. It's a shame it's not 5.0 but hey this thing has been available in Japan for a long time now...so fingers crossed we'll see BT5.0 in the future. With that said BT4.2 is still pretty awesome. The NW-A55 with LDAC is capable of delivering HiRes Audio 24bit 96Khz at 990kbps.

To put that into perspective Deezer or Spotify premium streaming services at best only deliver 16bit audio at a maximum of 320kbps...to put it simply...when streaming music you're probably missing a lot of detail in the music...unless you use tidal or something like that.

Just like Sony's Xperia’s the Sony Walkman A55 does have the DSEE HX engine for upscaling music combine that with the S-Master HX digital amp & you've got a pretty powerful combination.


Design

• Five colours

• aluminium milled frame

• Solder containing gold - reduce signal loss

• gold plated circuit boards - low impedance

• 16GB storage


Usability

• very pocketable

• upgraded buttons. Circular

• easy to use without taking it out of your pocket

• Noise-canceling with IER-NW500N/NE

• BT 4.2

• micro SD

• proprietary cable

• some versions have support radio

• UI is quite clean - 1 job

• EQ settings


Quality

• 24bit 96+ kHz (available MQA with Tidal)

• LDAC 990kbps

- (Deezer premium 16bit/44.1kHz 320kbps)

• Higher than CD quality 3.2x more data

• DSEE HX upscaler

• s-master HX Hi-res audio amplifier

• AptX HD


Awesome

• use as a USB DAC (digital analog converter)

• connect via Bluetooth to enhance with S-Master HX and DSEE upscaling. Great for Vinyl

• 45Hrs battery

• MQA file playback


Advantages over Smartphone

• No distractions

• Battery life

• in some cases the headphone jack

• compact and lightweight

• physical buttons

• No personal data stored if stolen

• Not transmitting any data via the internet

• Going off the grid - disconnect


More Sony WhatGear Reviews

The Sony Xperia Pro 5G is the most powerful #Sony smartphone ever...and we probably won't ever be able to buy it! Here is everything we know so far about Son...

source https://www.whatgear.net/technology/sony-walkman-nw-a55

Monday, 24 February 2020

Sony Xperia 1 Mark 2 - Top 5 Upgrades to be Excited about!


Number 1. Performance upgrades

Of course, as expected we will see the new Snapdragon 865 in the Sony Xperia 1 ii which is 5G by default. Which makes this the Xperia 1 mark 2 the worlds 1st 21:9 in 5G handset. The SD865 is faster in all departments. Notably a 25% uplift to its CPU performance & Inside we will see 8GB Ram and 256GB of storage.

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While this 5G there is also an Xperia 1 mk 2 pro variant which will allow for mmW which won't be coming to the EU just yet...


Number 2. Battery Improvements

So, of course, Sony heard the complaints about the fairly small 3300mAh battery and have now scaled it up to 4000mAh. Which is certainly quite an improvement. And they've also introduced faster charging with 30mins charging the phone to 50% and they've reintroduced QI wireless charging at 15 watts...how about that. Clip


Number 3. Camera Upgrades

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So Sony is not playing the MP number game & is sticking with the triple 12mp layout with an added 3D time of flight sensor. The real core of Sonys upgrades here is the addition of Zeiss lenses and when it comes to taking photos you know what you are expected to do right? Focus.

We should see autofocus and focus tracking performance should be significantly improved. Thanks to the collaboration of Sony's Alpha team. They say the focus tracking covers 70% of the sensor & the Xperia 1 mk2 is has the WORLDS 1ST 20fps AF/AE tracking burst feature. This is something the Alpha team brought over from the Sony Alpha A9 camera.

xperia 1 ii camera.jpg

They've also added in animal eye autofocus. And now Sony will be using a Dual photodiode sensor. 50% higher sensitivity for lower light. Which means better night photography & I'm certainly going to be testing out. Subscribe. There are also improvements to the frame rate options in the cinema pro app and the option to set a custom white balance. One brand new addition also added is the photo pro app that mimics Sony's Alpha camera setting on the Xperia 1 mk2.


Number 4. Display upgrades

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So we still again we will see a 6.5" 4K HDR OLED display. But this time Sony has introduced a new more advanced custom white balanced tuner. So basically you get your screen picture perfect for what you want to use it for. It's a welcomed addition.

But it's also now has a 90Hz refresh rate screen with a new motion blur reduction software. The Xperia 1 was already pretty smooth...Xperia 1 mark 2 is going to be a bit smoother.


5. The Return of the Jack

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So the word on the street about the headphone jack coming back turned out to be true. Which is great news for you audiophiles out there. While LDAC, Aptx HD & Aptx Adaptive are really great codecs, the wire is still the most reliable way to listen to HiRes audio. That’s why I’m happy to see the jack is back. Especially when gaming or watch movies latency issues can ruin the experience, but this won’t be a problem with the Sony Xperia 1 mark 2.


More WhatGear Sony Xperia Videos


















source https://www.whatgear.net/technology//sony-xperia-1-mark-2-top-5-upgrades-to-be-excited-about

Monday, 6 January 2020

Nextbase 422gw Dash Cam Review - QHD, Alexa & Modular Design

nextbase 422gw dash cam - current price

Design

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This years Nextbase 422GW Dash cam has same black & brushed metal finish as last years 412. There’s a nice bit of subtle branding with F1.4 aperture markings around the lens. Nextbase has made a concerted effort to make the overall size of the 422GW Dash cam 35% smaller than its 2018 predecessor. Which is always a good thing.

The mounting bracket design has also been improved. When the is mounted it doesn't hang down as far 412 did. Freeing up more important windscreen space. A couple more upgrades to the Nextbase car mount is that it now houses the power port & a powerful magnetic connector for the Dash cam to click on to. This means you can simply pull the Dash cam away from the windscreen mount without having to mess around with cables or even removing the suction mount altogether.

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When it comes to the ports onboard the actual dash cam unit itself. There's a Micro USB B port designed to use when connecting the Dash cam to your PC. With that said it can be used to power the battery up, which I did when I set it up. There is also an additional port placed on the side of the Dash cam for rear camera attachments. That's actually 3 different options of the rear cameras. A cabin camera, a rear window camera & a telephoto camera which mounts on the Dash cam and looks over your shoulder. (That's the one I've been testing) The only other port onboard is a Micro SD card slot.

When it comes to physical buttons. There are just three. One power button. A reset button for wiping the device & one very important button to manually protect recordings. For example, you might want to use this when someone cuts you up in traffic or when you see something funny whilst driving. If you don't use this button, due to the loop recording feature your old footage will be overwritten & I'm told the Nextbase 422GW will do this automatically if you're involved in a collision...As much as I enjoy doing these reviews for you guys. I'm not going to crash my car to test this out.

The most exciting thing about the design of the Nextbase 422GW is its 2.5" IPS HD touch screen display. Which brings me nicely onto the Usability.


Usability

mynextbase app

When it comes to the new Nextbase range. They all support the MyNextbase app. Which is super easy to set up. One tip here...I advise you to download the Alexa app and create an account in advance. There is a new SOS feature present on the 422gw and you will be prompted to set up a 1year free trail. Which I'll get into in the awesome features section later in the video.

The trickiest part by far when it comes to the installation is running the power cable. As standard with the kit is a 12watt cigarette lighter power cable and an interior prying tool. The difficulty may vary depending on the make and model of the car. My best advice is to give it a go yourself. If you make a mess of it. It's around £20 for the direct power cable at Halfords, and you can pay them a couple of quid to fit it professionally for you.

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Once set up and positioned correctly. It's a case of choosing the best video resolution settings for you and you're ready to roll out. Within the onscreen settings, you want to customize the Dash cam a bit more. You adjust the (gyroscope) G sensor which affects the Intelligent parking mode. There's the option to adjust what is shown on top of the footage. For example the time, location and speed you're traveling at. There is also a dual record-setting called auto-sync. Going back to the MyNextbase app now. When driving your footage if you enable the dual record feature the 422gw will be store footage locally on the Micro SD card & also a lower res file will be transferred to your device.

There is also a desktop version of the MyNextbase app available. Which is very useful for stitching your footage together & diving into a bit more depth.


Video Quality Samples


Awesome features

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So one of the most awesome new features is the addition of Alexa's support. Now one thing I need to make very clear is that Alexa requires a connection to your phone and your phone's data to work. Essentially your smartphone does most of the heavy lifting here. With that said the integrated mics on the front of Nextbase 422GW really assist with the Alexa functionality. There are several voice-commands you cam use specific to the Dash cam. Like 'Alexa protect that recording' or 'Alexa brighten the contrast'. There are tons more available...and if you have more Alexa products at home you can talk to your dash cam to control them.

nextbase 422gw parking mode

The new MyNextbase SOS feature is actually a monthly premium service. However Nextbase are nice enough give you it for free for the first year. In event of an accident & you become unconscious the Nextbase 422gw will automatically send your vehicle details & location to emergency services. Within the MyNextbase mobile app you can even enter you medical details for example allergies and blood group to further assist the ambulance service. So that’s pretty awesome.

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Have you ever left your car parked & then returned to it later to find a new dent of scrape? If the answer is yes, the you will love the Nextbase Intelligent parking mode with G Sensor. When you leave your car unattended the Nextbase 422gw will use it’s reserve battery in case of an impact. It will automatically switch one and record the culprit so you have some evidence to use should this happen to you. It really is an awesome feature, and can potentially save you some money & maybe your no claims bonus.

nextbase 422gw dashcam - Learn more

source https://www.whatgear.net/technology//nextbase-422gw-dash-cam-review

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