As more and more devices around us smarten up, we're led to believe everything will eventually become voice activated... not just the speaker playing our music, but our phones and even appliances like TV's and fridges.
It's a good theory - but if you've ever had a conversation with your telly when someone else is in the room, you can start to feel pretty self-conscious pretty quickly.
For me, the good old, trusty keyboard is still the most efficient way to get a lot of information into my machines as fast and as accurately as possible.
How about a good new keyboard?...
The Craft wireless keyboard from Logitech is so much more than just another bluetooth input device; it's a powerful tool that I'm finding thoroughly indispensable the more I use it.
The most unique and obvious feature of the Craft keyboard is its "Crown" - the programmable controller on the top left corner. This works in a similar fashion to the Microsoft Surface Dial, a standalone device ideal for scrolling, zooming or panning functions. The crown on the Craft works the same way. It can be turned, pressed or turned and pressed simultaneously - each of these three actions able to be programmed to perform separate tasks.
Not only that, but those tasks can be different tasks for different programs; you might want to play/pause by pushing the crown in your audio editor, but in your browser, it might be more useful to push it to swap between tabs.
These kind of shortcuts are usually only accessible through a complicated combination of multiple key presses. Now that's totally simplified and you don't have remember the shortcuts because the Craft keyboard remembers them for you.
This is all easily configured with Logitech's Option's app, which downloads automatically when you pair the keyboard with your computer. It's a very clear, user-friendly app and while the options are almost limitless, they're all very easy to access and set up. There are even pre-programmed profiles available for most Microsoft Office and Adobe Editing apps, to save you the trouble of creating profiles yourself.
Personally, I've found the crown fantastic for zooming in and out in my audio editor as usually I'm restricted to repeated presses of the up and down keys - twisting the crown left and right is much more intuitive.
The top row of function and shortcut keys can all be reassigned to your favourite jobs as well. This really is a keyboard you can set up just the way you want.
The Craft charges via a USB Type-C cable - so you can probably use the same one you use to charge your phone (don't worry, there's also one in the box) I've been absolutely blown away how long a full charge lasts. I've been using the Craft several hours a day for more than a week now and still no flashing warning light from the battery indicator. This is despite the fact it's a fully back-lit keyboard that lights up before you even touch it - somehow it knows when you're fingers are close enough to type, it's that smart.
Another standout is the Craft's versatility. It can be connected via bluetooth or USB wireless dongle to PC or Mac, Windows, iOS or Android devices. Better still, the craft can be paired with three different devices at once - for example you can swap between your desktop and your phone with a single push of a button.
This is the first keyboard I've used that gives you on-screen notifications when you do things like activate the Caps Lock or use one of the shortcut keys. For the most part this is quite helpful, although there are times I wish I could deactivate this function as these pop-ups can obscure part of the screen I want to use.
Perhaps the Craft's greatest strength of all is also its biggest weakness... and that's literally its strength! The Craft is solidly built. In fact, so solidly built, it's quite heavy. It's also definitely full-sized with dedicated cursor keys and a separate number pad. Yes, it's fairly slim, but that crown on the top left corner sticks up about the same thickness of the keyboard itself. So although it's wireless, I'm not really convinced how portable the Craft is. In saying that, I can slide it end-on into the front pocket of my laptop bag which is great, because I definitely prefer using the Craft to the squashed up little keyboard on my notebook. Who cares if I look like a dork with a full-sized keyboard sticking out of the top of my bag? The Craft keys aren't mechanical, but like everything else about the design they feel extremely durable and they're both hollowed out and matte-finished for maximum finger comfort and accuracy.
At $369.90, you're paying an absolute premium for a mere keyboard... but there's nothing "mere" about this keyboard. It's feature-packed, precision engineered and solid as a rock. If you're a premium user, you won't regret paying that premium price.
Click here for more information and pricing on the Logitech Craft wireless keyboard.
There's a big difference between installing a surveillance camera inside and putting one up outside.
Not only does an outside camera need to be weather-proof, it needs to be people-proof. No point having a camera that can be yanked off the wall or ceiling or even just unplugged.
But that kind of industrial-grade surveillance doesn't come cheap... does it?
The D-Link DCS-4633EV has an appropriate nickname; Vigilance. It gives it an air of solid dependability and from what I've seen, it more than lives up to that name.
Not only does it carry an IP66 weatherproof rating, it also has an IK10 vandal-proof rating. The cool thing about that is I didn't even know there was a rating for how vandal-proof something is. Now I know, I won't settle for anything less than IK10. The DCS-4633EV is certainly one tough little puppy. The viewing dome is thick and strong but crystal clear and the whole unit feels extremely robust, despite its compact form factor.
Not only is this camera hard to smash, it'd be fairly tricky for your casual crim to break into it. Everything is locked up tight (including any screws used to mount the camera) with four of those fiddly star-shaped screws you need a special tool to undo. (Luckily, there's one included in the box)
It really is quite weather-tight to boot. Not that I've tested it in hurricane conditions or anything, but all the connections are weather-proof and there's even a soft rubber seal around the lens that presses tight against the viewing dome as an extra protective measure against any moisture or condensation.
Installation is the tricky bit here. Although the DCS-4633EV is being marketed as an affordable option for private homes or small businesses, that doesn't necessarily mean you'll be able to put it up yourself. For starters, this is not a WiFi capable camera so you'll need access to an ethernet connection at your installation point. Also, although the camera is Power Over Ethernet (PoE) enabled, it doesn't necessarily mean your data cable is - so you may need to add a 12-volt power source into the equation. (If you don't think you have one of these - check again. Many modems and routers run on 12-volt transformers, so if you have an old one you're no longer using, you might be in luck)
It goes without saying this means one if not two holes in the ceiling or wall you're fixing the camera to - and that's not the end of it. You'll need to use that special tool I mentioned earlier to remove the cover so you can access the mounting holes, insert your SD card (for local recording) and set the lens at your preferred angle.
Remember, although the DCS-4633EV provides a clear and detailed 3MP HD image night and day, this camera doesn't pan and tilt, it's fixed in place. Except... maybe it does.
There's also a setup DVD in the box which is something of a rarity these days. Most computery things provide a link or QR code for any accompanying software - but for this camera, D-Link provides more than just a driver, you get a whole surveillance interface.
After following the setup wizard on a computer connected to the same network as the camera, you can then go ahead and install the D-Link software, which is so customisable, it's kind of overwhelming. You can add any number of cameras, adjusting every setting imaginable - from brightness and resolution to creating unique recording schedules and motion detection zones. What I really liked is even with a fixed-lens camera like the DCS-4633EV, the D-Link control-room interface lets you zoom in and pan in any direction digitally, making full use of the 105 degree field of view - plenty of angle for most rooms or medium-sized outdoor spaces.
The software has a slightly chunky, turn-of-the-century look about it and it's got way too many options to be described as user-friendly, but once you've set up everything the way you want, it's a very powerful tool indeed. It looks a bit like every security guard's surveillance room you've ever seen in a movie.
Alternatively, you can log into the camera using it's IP address from any web browser - but that interface isn't nearly as fun.
There's no doubt the DCS-4633EV is a quality product capable of taking a few knocks. $399.99 is pretty good buying for this kind of technology, especially taking into account the powerful software bundled with it - although you may need to track down someone good with a drill to help with the installation.
Click here for more information and pricing on the D-Link DCS-4633EV surveillance camera.
Just so there's no misunderstanding, I'm a cat person.
It's a matter of basic intelligence.
Cats can look after themselves. Dogs can't.
Cats keep themselves clean. Dogs don't.
Cats can't be trained. Dogs can.
Well... as it turns out, some cats can't be trained - even when it's in their best interests.
Microchip activated pet doors have been around for a while, but now Sure Petcare have merged theirs with the internet, with the Sure Cat Door Connect.
If you've ever had an issue with a strange cat sneaking into your house to nick food, mess up the place or just cause general mayhem, you've probably considered a microchip powered door. This is a simple but foolproof way of making sure only your cats can come in or out as the door will only recognise their unique chips.
Of course, this means your cat or cats have to be chipped in the first place, which might be something you want to do anyway as once they're registered on a national database, they can be identified if they become lost. Chipping your cat doesn't have to be super expensive, but you'll need to shop around as I found the cost varied dramatically from vet to vet.
Alternatively, for $25 you can buy a pair of RFID Collar Tags - assuming you've ever been able to persuade your cat to wear a collar. Good luck with that.
Next step?
Installation. This is pretty straight-forward if you're replacing an existing cat door and Sure Petcare has some great how-to videos on its website. However, if you're planning on installing your Sure Cat Door Connect into a wall or god help you, double-glazing, be prepared for a shock. Obviously, depending on the wall, you'll probably need to organise a specialist installer. I had the worst case scenario; who knew you can't just cut a hole in a double-glazed window? Turns out, you have to get an entirely new pane made to order. We're talking several hundred dollars-worth before you even buy the door itself. Ouch. This thing better work.
Once you actually have a hole, the attaching-the-door-to-it bit is very simple. Sure Petcare offers a variety of mounting adapters to suit both wall or glass situations and thankfully, these are not expensive at all.
Then comes the really fun part; registering your cat with the door. Technically, the process couldn't be easier - a simple push of a button, then put your cat through the door. Done. I have two cats. One likes me. The other... it's kind of a state of war. Luckily, getting their head against the door is enough to do the business. Unluckily, even though the evil cat has used cat doors before, she has decided she prefers not to use this one.
Obviously there's a mechanical element to how the Sure Cat Door Connect works, with a small plastic lock lowering itself out of the way the instant the door recognises a registered cat. Unfortunately this makes a distinct clicking sound and it seems to be this noise that puts evil cat off. She'll walk right up to the door, but the second she hears that click, she's goneburger. Meanwhile, good cat comes and goes as he pleases. A lot. Almost to spite her. Suck on that, evil cat.
Anyway, assuming your cat is not evil, the door itself works like any other; you can set it to let your cats in, out, both or neither. But here comes the smart part - add the Sure Petcare Hub and you control all those things with your phone. From anywhere.
And that's just the beginning.
With the Sure Petcare App, you can create individual profiles for each of your pets, including using their cutest photo for their profile pic. (Or maybe an image of a demon for an evil cat?) Then you can choose to keep each individual pet in or out, or you can even set a curfew for them if you don't want them out roaming at certain times. The great thing about this IoT connectedness, is if you're away and someone else is only stopping by every now an then to feed your cats, you can still tell if they're coming or going, from anywhere in the world.
What's more, if anything changes while your away - perhaps your cat has started bringing in "wildlife" and your mother-in-law would rather not clean that up, you can change the settings on the door to let the offending pet out, but not in. Simple, but genius.
The only real limitation is the Hub has to connect directly to your router via ethernet cable, which does restrict its placement. Sure Petcare recommends having it reasonably close to the door for optimum reception, but mine's in the next room and I've had no connection problems whatsoever.
I did struggle to set up the Hub initially though - and I consider myself (perhaps wrongly) to be reasonably tech savvy. The app provides very clear, step-by-step instructions on how to do this but try as I might, I couldn't get it to work. (Bearing in mind the door still works without being connected to the Hub, you just can't use the app with it)
In desperation, I contacted the Sure Petcare support team. Within 24 hours they'd reset my Hub remotely and it worked straight away. I love good service like that.
Including the Sure Petcare Hub, the Cat Door Connect is $325 which might seem a lot for a pet door - but if you've ever come home to the smell of a rogue tomcat spraying all over your house, you'll know it's an investment worth considering.
The only feature missing is the ability to turn all the features off. I can't help wondering if I could just unlock the door completely for a few days, maybe evil cat would start using it (without the clicking) then I could switch everything back on once her entries and exits had become habit. Weirdly, Sure Petcare have assumed there are no evil cats and this just isn't an option.
Ah well, she's only drawn blood a few times. I'm sure we'll get there in the end.
Click here for more information and pricing for the Sure Cat Door Connect.
Do it.
Do it now.
Don't wait another second.
If your PC or laptop is still running on a hard drive instead of an SSD, stop what you're doing right now, go and get the latest SSD from Crucial and swap them out.
Immediately.
Well... as soon as you've read this review anyway...
The BX500 is the lightest SSD I've come across, weighing virtually nothing. If you're replacing a steel encased HDD in your laptop, you've just lightened your load.
But let's back things up a bit - maybe you're not a geek like me and you don't understand the difference between an HDD and an SSD. In fact, maybe you don't know what either of them are. That's okay - you just need to know SSD is better and you need to find out if you have an HDD, because if you do, you need to replace it. Don't argue. Just do it.
The last "D" stands for Drive - as in where your computer stores all its stuff. Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) are an actual disc that spins around super fast. The computer reads the information on that disc, or adds to it, as quickly as it can. Late model, super-duper HDDs can read and write very quickly indeed, but nowhere near as fast as an SSD.
SSD stands for Solid-State Drive, which is just a nerdy way of saying it's all circuit boards and microchips and no moving parts at all. This means almost instant access to all the storage space at once - so an SSD like the Crucial BX500 can read and write at least 300% faster than even the fastest HDD.
Sounds cool right? But what does it really mean in practical terms?
Swapping your HDD for an SDD will speed up your computer more than any other improvement you might make, simple as that.
Boot times, loading times, even download speeds and file transfers all improve when you have storage space your computer can access faster.
And that's not the only benefit.
A spinning hard drive makes a lot of noise. SSDs don't.
A spinning hard drive gets really hot. SSDs don't.
A spinning hard drive needs more power to keep spinning. An SSD isn't spinning anything, so its electrical footprint is dramatically smaller.
Oh... and moving parts wear out and break. The BX500 comes with a three year warranty. Case closed.
Okay, so how do you actually do it? If everything I've just told you is news to you, chances are the thought of taking a screwdriver to your computer gives you chills. Take a breath and watch this 30 second video. It really is that easy. Crucial provides a link that walks you through the process step by step.
Even I (and I really am a geek) was a bit reluctant to swap out the main storage drive in my PC. My big issue was I had too much stuff. I was trying to replace a 1TB hard drive with the 480GB BX500 (the largest capacity available).
Thankfully, I already have a separate 4TB hard drive installed for extra storage. I use a great utility called TreeSize Free to show me what's taking up all the space on my computer. Usually, by moving all your photos, videos and music to another drive, you'll be amazed how much space you've freed up.
In my case, I have a 14 year-old gamer in the equation - so it was her game folders hogging most of that 1TB drive. Once I transferred those to my secondary HDD, I was more than ready to follow the instructions Crucial provided with the free cloning software. I'm begging you here; this is not a complicated process at all - just time consuming.
If, like me, you've got several hundred megabytes of stuff to move, you'll need to set aside a whole morning or afternoon or evening for the process, but its so worth it.
The instant boost in my PC's speed is a revelation and I'm kicking myself for not doing this months ago.
If you've ever sat at your computer chanting, "Come on! Come on!" while waiting for it to boot up, surely $150 and a few hours of your time isn't too much to spend to solve that once and for all.
Do it. Do it now. You won't regret it.
The BX500 SSD will make your computer run faster. It's that simple.
Click here for more information on the Crucial BX500 SSD.
As I always do at the beginning of any camera review, I'm obliged to point out I know nothing about photography. I do know quite a bit about phones though and these days some cameras on some phones are pretty impressive.
So a camera that doesn't have a phone attached to it has got to be good to get my attention.
The Fujifilm XF10 looks really cool. Or at least, I thought so. Turns out, I don't know what I'm talking about - or at least that's what my 14 year-old in-house photography expert advises me.
While I thought the champagne gold body with matching brown hand-grip gave the XF10 a hipster-ish, retro style, Miss 14 assures me I should have gone with good old black on black. Always a classic. Just as well the XF10 offers both choices.
Charger, lens cap and matching leather wrist-strap are included in the box, but it's not what's included but what's left out that immediately gave me cause for concern.
Most notably, the lens. It's hard to avoid comparing the XF10 with the next model up the line, the X-T100. The most obvious difference between the two is the X-T100 is compatible with Fujifilm's entire range of X-Mount lenses - giving you the option to upgrade and customise as required. The XF10 has just one permanent 24.2MP Fujinon lens. This means extremely limited zoom options - just three jerky steps on still image mode, with no zoom ability for burst shots or movies whatsoever. On the plus side, the lens has a much wider sensor than you'll find on a phone camera, which is supposed to provide greater detail and more light, especially for indoor shots. We'll talk about this more later.
Another obvious omission on the XF10 is the viewfinder - there isn't one so you're limited to what you see on the 3-inch LCD screen - this means holding the camera away from your face which makes you feel a little bit disconnected from what you're shooting.
The screen is a touch screen and while the Fujifilm website claims this means you can, "operate the camera just like a smartphone," you can't. Yes you can pinch and zoom pictures you've already taken, but in terms of accessing options and controls with my fat fingers on such a small display, it's pretty hit and miss. And don't get me started on focus controls... because I'm going to talk about that in it's own paragraph shortly. Also, unlike the tilt and hinge function of the screen on the X-T100, the screen here is fixed so taking selfies is complete guesswork.
Then there are the physical controls themselves. Instead of an up/down/left/right four button configuration, the XF10 has a single little joystick. That sounds like an elegant idea in theory, but in practice it's so very tiny I struggled to operate it, often making the opposite menu choice to the one I wanted because I just couldn't make it work in the right direction. It also took me ages to figure out how to change from still mode to burst shot or movie mode. That's because the same button is the delete button when you're reviewing your shots. Pushing "DELETE" to shoot a video doesn't make much sense to me.
Not that I would choose the XF10 to shoot video. While the images are clear and the colours are good. the frame rate produces a stuttering, stilted result and as I've already mentioned, there's no zoom function.
The other problem is getting the XF10 to focus on the right thing. As I've mentioned, even when pointing to the preferred subject on the touch screen, often the camera would forget it by the time I actually took the shot. I tried a lot of different settings, with various degrees of manual control, but could only nail the focus issue about fifty percent of the time - and the problem is much worse when videoing. The camera doesn't seem to track moving subjects at all, often changing focus to something far less interesting in the foreground.
This all sounds very negative which is a bit misleading because the good shots are really good. The most consistently successful pictures were close-ups. This is where the wide APS-C sized sensor goes to work providing nice blurred background effects for portraits and food shots. I also found Advanced SR Auto mode did a great job of recognising what kind of shot I was taking - night, portrait, macro, moving object - quite clever, but not fast enough. I found I had to anticipate my shots by a second or so in order to capture the image I really wanted - a bit tricky.
I was very satisfied with the detail, sharpness and colour though - colours especially seem very true-to-life, not over saturated or crazy bright. The built-in flash is adequate, but obviously struggles over longer distances and unsurprisingly, there's no capacity to attach an external flash of any kind. Luckily, the lens really is wide enough to let in enough light for reasonable indoor shooting - however, I have used high-end smartphones that do a better job of this.
Here are some examples to illustrate some of the points I've mentioned...
Unfortunately, one thing the XF10 does have in common with some of its higher spec relations is terrible connectivity. Take my advice, don't even bother downloading the app because trying to navigate the camera via bluetooth on your phone is painful and I often found everything simply dropped out altogether. Save yourself the trouble and just stick the memory card straight into your computer.
As I said before, I've certainly used phone cameras that take better photos than the XF10, although probably only at the higher end of the price range. What those phones can never offer is Fujifilm's fantastic range of simulated film settings. These really do set all their cameras apart from the rest.
However, at $800+, the XF10 doesn't come close to delivering what the X-T100 offers at just a few hundred dollars more. What's more, these days there are several smartphones around this price with pretty damn good cameras... and you get a phone.
Save yourself some frustration and pay a bit more for the X-T100. Now that's a great camera.
Click here for more information on the Fujifilm XF10
How much is great WiFi worth to you?
Have you ever missed the final over because your stream cut out?
Has the music ever stopped mid-party - just when everyone was up dancing?
Has your teenager ever told you the internet in your house sucks? Incessantly. Like, 450 times every day?
D-Link has a simple, effective solution. But it doesn't come cheap.
The COVR-2202 "Seamless" WiFi system from D-Link is one of the new breed of mesh configurations currently taking over from where the old "add an extender" situations came up short.
Extenders come in all shapes, sizes and capabilities of course - but if you think plugging in something that looks like a night light will get your Netflix working down the other end of the house, you're probably going to be disappointed.
Those wall-plug extenders generally offer limited connection speeds and almost no bandwidth in terms of managing multiple devices at once. What's more, you have to give the extender it's own network name (SSID). This generally leads to frustrating dropouts if you're using the same device in different parts of the house.
What's more, if you're trying to stream to a Chromecast or screen-share with a smart TV, you need to be on the same network - often this will mean having to manually open your WiFi settings on your phone or tablet to switch from your extender back to your router or vice versa.
The mesh system is a vast improvement because it allows multiple WiFi access points all using the same network, so no more cumbersome switching. However, like routers, not all mesh systems are created equal.
What gives the D-Link COVR-2202 a big advantage over many of its competitors (and even it's lower powered relative, the COVR-C1203) is its extra 5GHz band reserved for Smart Backhaul communication between the primary COVR unit and any satellite units. This tri-band configuration combines with D-Link's Smart Steering technology to give every connected device as much bandwidth and speed possible, with very little chance of overlap or interference.
What really sets the COVR-2202 apart is the sheer power of these units. Although you'll need slightly taller shelf space to accommodate the more tower-shaped profile of the devices, it's well worth it because underneath those subtle, attractive covers nestle an impressive six antennae. D-Link claims this kind of power will easily cover up to 560 square metres, which is way bigger than my house - in fact, it's a fair chunk of my whole section.
I've tested it pretty extensively and it lives up to those claims. I set up the two pre-paired COVR-2202 units in diagonally opposite corners of my two-storey house and not only did the connection between them remain rock solid, the internet speeds stayed right up there as well - more than enough for HD streaming or gaming or both, even when connected at the satellite end of things.
In the past, I've found setting up devices like these a confusing trial-and-error process. Swapping between app and browser-based interfaces to get everything connected. D-Link has definitely ironed out all those kinks these days and the latest iteration of the D-Link setup app prompts you with easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions that are foolproof - even for someone as foolish as me.
To be honest, there weren't really very many steps at all, as there was no pairing required between the primary and secondary units - that's taken care of straight out of the box. It was literally just a matter of plugging the main unit into the modem, firing it up and giving your network a name and password.
The LED COVR logo on each unit doubles as a status light, red bad, white good, flashing somewhere in between. Once you've got everything up and humming, the light can easily be turned off via the app.
There's real versatility here too, because each unit has two ethernet ports. This means you can use your new mesh network almost like a WiFi bridge - connecting both your smart TV and a set-top box. Or a PC and a gaming console.
In fact, go crazy - there's plenty of bandwidth to spare.
Speed, power, stability - all packed into two subtle but attractively designed units.
At $549.99, I think the COVR-2202 is a bit expensive - I mean, you could buy ten of those plug-in extenders for that price. Except...
I have to admit, the COVR-2202 works at least ten times better than those little extenders and it's probably slightly easier to set up.
So put a dollar amount on it; your WiFi frustration, how much is it worth to you to kiss it goodbye? Then maybe next time your teen emerges from their room to complain Fortnite won't load, you could suggest they chip in...
Click here for more information and pricing on the D-Link COVR 2202 mesh WiFi system
