I've been reviewing phones and other devices for a while now. Size-wise, the trend is usually bigger. Recently, I tried the biggest smartphone I've come across to date...
And I bet you didn't even know BMW makes smart phones! They call this one the i3 and yes, I realise it LOOKS like a car but it's really just another device. Just as well, because I don't know anything about cars.
Like many new BMW's, the i3 comes complete with its own sim card, so the car itself is permanently connected to the Vodafone network. This doesn't necessarily mean you'll be browsing the net from your steering wheel... But only because BMW's browser software is terrible.
That's about the only thing wrong with the i3 though. This was one device I desperately didn't want to return and not just because I could drive it to work and back.
The main advantage of the 3G connectivity is you can stay in contact with the car wherever you're using the BMW iRemote app on your phone. This app will tell you the charge status of the i3's battery, whether the doors are locked and you can turn on the air conditioning while you're on your way back to the car so it's ready to go as soon as you hop in.
If you want to be really silly, you can surprise passersby by turning the headlights on and honking the horn from your phone too... Not that I'd ever do anything like that. (Well maybe one time, just to try it)
BMW's ConnectedDrive concept means the service department can keep an eye on your vehicle too, notifying you when it's time for any maintenance instead of the other way around. There's even a 24/7 concierge service to help you with all those essential motoring questions like, "Will I need my umbrella when I get to the game?" or, "Where's the nearest tapas bar?"
Admittedly I only called the concierge once. By mistake. I'm not flash enough to require service at that level. Pretty cool though.
Like I say, I'm no automotive guru, but there are a few other gadgets worth pointing out.
As you may have realised by now, the i3 is electric powered with a backup petrol motor BMW calls a "Range Extender." I can't tell you much about the range Extender because I never managed to run the battery down, even though I live more than 30kms from work. The electric drive was quiet, smooth and surprisingly peppy, although admittedly I have been told I drive like a Nana. Repeatedly. (No offense, Nanas)
With an electric range of about 125kms on a full charge, it's easy to worry you're going to run out of juice somewhere inconvenient. Apparently this paranoia is known as "range anxiety." But it turns out any range anxiety I was suffering from was completely unfounded; like other smart devices, I just got into the habit of plugging it in whenever I wasn't using it. After all, it's not like I was trying to get to Queenstown for a skiing weekend; my longest trip was driving Monster Number 2 to her soccer game in Ellerslie. I got there and back no worries, thanks also to a very user friendly GPS shown on one of the i3's two large flat screen displays.
When I say large flat screens, I don't mean 52 inch plasmas, but they're definitely big enough and clear enough in all conditions, and pretty customisable too.
The cruise control also really blew me away. You set your desired speed just like any other car, but utilising the front collision detector, the i3 automatically maintains a safe following distance. This means the car will slow you down if someone changes into your lane in front of you, then speed you up again when the way is clear. I actually drove from Silverdale to Ellerslie (approximately 40kms) without setting foot on either the accelerator or the brake. That's about half a step away from driverless driving - all I had to do was steer.
Of course, you don't even have to steer when it comes to parallel parking now; like a lot of new cars the i3 will do this for you. Not that I can't do my own parallel parks... I mean, I'm a grown man. What idiot can't park his own car after 25 years driving experience? Right? Right?...
Anyway, if the worst happens and you somehow manage to crash the i3, the car will call the emergency services for you, letting them know where you are and that you've done something stupid.
All in all, this car is a nerd-mobile of pocket protector proportions and it probably looks it. But hey, nerds are hip these days, right? It certainly turned heads wherever I went and I received nothing but compliments from the passengers queuing up to experience a quiet ride. The really cool thing about the i3 is it's good fun; if you're into gadgets like me, you may as well drive something that's jam packed with them.
Oh... And yes, there is a dock for your phone.
Click here for more on the BMW i3
I’ve never been a tablet kind of a guy.
There are two reasons why; I have a natural aversion to anything Apple (ie: the iPad) and I’ve never really found a tablet that was anywhere near as functional as a laptop.
Or to put it another way, I’ve never found using a laptop to be cumbersome enough to resort to the accessibility and portability of a tablet.
Then I met the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2.
The problem with this device is I struggled to find a problem with it. I hate that.
The Tab S2 claims to be, “The Slimmest, Lightest AMOLED Tablet in the World.” Annoyingly, it is indeed noticeably slim and light. In fact, the Tab S2 is so skinny, I grew very nervous about dropping it every time I carried it anywhere, convinced it would shatter into a million pieces if it hit the ground. That was one test I wasn’t game enough to try.
Too often in the past I’ve found devices like this to behave just like giant smartphones, which always left me wondering why you’d bother when you could do most of the same stuff on your handset. While the Tab S2 uses Android’s Lollipop 5.02, which is essentially the same OS as any new Android phone, I was pleased to discover how well it performed as a landscape based device, auto rotating most apps by default, and more importantly, displaying the launch screen in landscape mode if that’s your preference too. That is definitely my preference and it’s a constant frustration of mine when I can’t get phones to do it.
Another feature that sets this tablet apart from Samsung’s smaller screened devices is the stock email format, featuring a split screen with the list of emails down one side and a preview of the highlighted message on the other. Phablets like the Note 4 show emails this way too, but Samsung seems reluctant to allow this function on anything smaller.
The Tab S2 includes Microsoft’s suite of Office apps by default and these now function just as the usual desktop versions do. Very impressive. So impressive I’m writing this review using Word on the Tab S2. Unfortunately, Samsung’s on-screen keyboard still leaves a little to be desired as it’s very labour intensive to have to swap between character screens and symbol screens all the time. I imagine if you’re serious about making the most of the Office apps available you’ll be better off pairing a bluetooth keyboard.
The battery life is impressive. I’d like to tell you exactly how impressive, but the truth is I never really managed to run it flat. I’ve grown so used to how disappointing most devices are when it comes to battery life, these days I automatically put everything on to charge whenever I can. Turns out the Tab S2 rivals devices like the iPad easily; day-long usage not even a challenge on a full charge. The downside is the length of time it takes to reach that full charge, but well worth the wait, knowing the battery will easily last the distance.
Perhaps the most notable feature of all is what I didn’t notice. No lag, no glitches, no crashes… the usability of this device is so smooth, it really is a pleasure. Browsing is fast and seamless and so is switching between multiple open apps. As with most Samsung devices, you can do the split-screen view thing with 2 apps at once, although I’m beginning to wonder what the point is when there are only limited apps with this functionality. For example, I don’t understand why I can’t split-screen this Word document when I can display a Chrome page and my email at the same time, it’s weird. That being said, the Tab S2 makes swapping between apps so effortless, it really doesn’t matter.
Without a doubt, this device is the closest thing to a “real” computer I’ve ever come across. I may have even tried a game or two (okay, mostly Minion Rush) and again, the Tab S2 provided the smoothest gaming experience I’ve encountered for a long time.
The screen is bright, sharp and clear and unlike some other devices Samsung has released lately, there’s still a slot for a microSD card, so you can expand the 32gb internal memory out to 128gb if you need to. You may not need to though, as the connectivity and streaming ability is, I’m going to say it again, smooth.
That’s my final word on the Galaxy Tab S2; smooth, smooth, smooth. All mobile devices should be this easy to use and this problem free.
Click here for more information on the Galaxy Tab S2
I've said it before but I'll say it again, I hate exercise, but I'm happy to do it as long as I don't notice I'm doing it.
When it comes to tracking my weight and diet, doubly so.
If there was a way to weigh in, without having to think about it, that would seriously work for me.
Turns out, there is a way. And it's awesome.
A few weeks back I reviewed the fitbit ChargeHR activity tracker and was pretty impressed with the results and the way the data magically appeared on my fitbit account without me having to do much at all.
I mean, obviously I had to do something. You can't meet your daily step goal without actually taking some steps. But of course, the cool thing was fitbit tracked it all for me, even integrating seamlessly with my preferred running app, Endomondo.
Still, what's the point of all this exercise I'm trying so hard to pretend isn't happening to me? Being fit is nice, I suppose - especially the feeling good part of it. What would be even better would be to feel... what's the word?... "attractive"? That involves dropping a few kilos and then annoyingly, keeping them off.
Turns out, the most effective way to do that seems to be eating less and exercising more. I know, boring, yet true.
The fitbit app/dashboard does a pretty good job of making you feel guilty about everything you eat, and I've been able to find most of the stuff I bung in my gob in their online database when I log my meals. You can even look things up by their barcodes, although annoyingly some sandwiches don't always come with a barcode.
This part of the process is still pretty tedious and I look forward to a time when you can just take a photo of your plate and the app will work out the calories from the picture.
Which brings me to the other part of the equation; tracking my weight. That used to be equally tedious - I'd often forget what I'd weighed in at between the time I got off the scales and the time I could be bothered picking up my phone. This of course allowed for a certain "margin of error" when it came to noting any improvement or deterioration, once the real figure had been adjusted by a time delay and wishful thinking.
Well the fitbit Aira takes all that guesswork (lying) away.
These scales look just like any other set of electronic scales... actually, quite a bit cooler than most, especially in black. They run on 4 perfectly ordinary AA batteries. There's a little bit of setting up to do to connect them to your WiFi network, but not much really. All you'll need is another device that's already connected to that network; like a phone or a laptop and your fitbit account.
The rest happens automatically. The fitbit Aria somehow knows it's you every time you step on it, it weighs you and measures your BMI too. You can tell the scales have detected the right person because they flash your initials up on the screen before sending all that information back to your fitbit account via your WiFi router.
So simple, yet so clever. You can register up to 8 different users so the whole family can send their weight through the cybersphere to their fitbit accounts. Apparently the Aria differentiates between users by their previously recorded weights (if there are 2 people who are close in weight, you have the option of scrolling between the users with a quick tap on the scales).
I'm not sure what happens if you manage a REALLY dramatic weight-loss between weigh-ins. Would the Aria still recognise you? Of course, the reason I don't know this is sadly I've never experienced a dramatic weight-loss between weigh-ins.
Much to the Domestic Manager's relief, you don't even have to be a registered user to use the fitbit Aria; you can just step on the scales and be weighed as a guest. I think she's worried about her weight being stolen out of the cloud and used for nefarious purposes, but I've been feeding my details into my fitbit account for ages and haven't experienced any Jennifer Lawrence-style leaking of my personal bits to date. In saying that, the Aria can actually Tweet my results if I want it to. I'm not sure WHY I'd want it to though, and I'm pretty certain the rest of Twitter isn't that interested either. There really IS some information the rest of the world doesn't need to know.
Of course, the real question is, has the fitbit Aria helped me lose weight?
Answer; hey, it's only a set of scales.
But at least I feel luxuriously lazy using them.
Click here for more information on the fitbit Aria
When it comes to gadgets, I don't know too many people who are more likely to give one a go than me. I'm talking a proper go too, not just taking it out of the box, having a bit of a look at it, reading the specs, turning it on and turning it off again.
Whatever it is, if it's new, I want to have a try. I just hate to feel like I'm missing out on new tech.
But I've got to admit, I've been wearing the Huawei Talkband B2 for a few weeks now and I'm still not really sure what it is...
One thing I do know, is the Talkband B2 is about the best looking whatever-it-is I've ever seen. Available in white or black TPU bands with silver faces or in a brown leather band with a gold face, the Talkband B2 is a much classier effort than the somewhat plasticky first generation.
Essentially, it's an activity tracker, not a smart watch. At least, I think that's what it is.
Like a fitbit or Jawbone device, it counts steps and monitors sleep, its elegant screen showing the time, steps taken, calories burned and time spent asleep.
But unlike those devices, the Talkband B2 is also a bluetooth earpiece that pops out of the wristband so you can take and make calls.
Yes, you read that right. And no, I have no idea why.
All I can say is it does all those things extremely well and looks awesome while it's doing them.
There are two types of people in the world, those who are happy to talk on a bluetooth earpiece and those (probably the vast majority) who think that's about the geekiest thing you could ever do. At least this strange device from Huawei means you're not walking around with the earpiece in the whole time - it's secured to your wrist looking like a pretty cool watch. Then, when your phone rings, your Talkband B2 vibrates and you just pop it out and bung it in your ear to take the call. While I felt like a nerd doing it, I can't complain about the sound quality, it was excellent.
The Talkband B2 will pair with most modern Android and IOS phones, although unsurprisingly I found it connected with a Huawei handset a little more seamlessly than a Samsung one; it's quite bossy with the bluetooth connectivity and kept wanting access to the Samsung's contacts list whenever it reconnected which was a bit annoying considering I'd already granted that permission every single time. I didn't have any issues like that when pairing it with a Huawei P8.
Apart from the activity tracking, (it seems to do a good job of recognising if I'm running or just walking) you can also set silent alarms using the accompanying app. The Huawei Wear app is very straight-forward, in fact, perhaps too stripped down compared to other fitness apps available, only really recording your steps and sleep. There's no facility to track meals or to manually add other exercise, although if you have an UP account (for use with Jawbone trackers) you can sync the information you collect from your Talkband B2 there.
In my opinion, the Talkband B2 is such a good-looking thing, it's worth wearing just as a watch if nothing else, although there are a few downsides.
While the curved, reflective screen is super styley, it's almost impossible to read in bright sunshine, especially if you're wearing sunglasses, so if you're planning on keeping an eye on your step count while out for a run, you might be a bit frustrated. The screen does provide a couple of funky graphics for your enjoyment though; if you reach your daily step goal, you get a very life-affirming little fireworks display while the whole device vibrates in celebration. If, however, you've just been lazing around on the couch too long, a little stick-man appears to vibrate your wrist and remind you to get up and do something. Sounds silly, but it's kind of fun.
I have to say, it feels a little strange wearing the Talkband B2 to bed. The TPU strap is certainly comfortable enough, but the whole device sticks up a bit higher than a normal watch which makes you feel like you might cause some collateral damage in the middle of the night.
But did I mention how good looking it is? Whatever it is...
For about the same price, there are other activity trackers on the market with heart-rate monitors, which may be something Huawei needs to consider next time round, but you can't take or make phone calls with those other devices.
So I guess that's what it is; an activity tracker you can make calls with. Is there a market for it? I don't know. But it's a lot better looking than most other wearables I've tried.
Click here for more details on the Huawei Talkband B2
It's not easy to compare one laptop with another, you just expect them to work and it's very difficult to test reliability over time without time.
The same could be said about tablets. Once you get past processing power and operating systems, what could really be the difference?
But what if you had one device that did both jobs?
The Yoga 3 Pro is Lenovo's new flagship device, and it's their big push to wake the New Zealand market up to the fact Lenovo is the world's biggest computer manufacturer.
At first glance, it appears to be a super-skinny laptop, but the unique feature of the Yoga 3 Pro is its bendy-ness. In fact, you can use it 4 different ways; Laptop, Stand, Tent or Tablet. Personally, I'm a laptop guy but I know plenty of people who are into tablets and I'm well aware there are other 2-in-1 devices out there.
I don't know about you, but until I tried the Yoga 3 Pro, I had no idea what Stand mode or Tent mode were, or why you would want them. However, once I started "Yoga-ing" it didn't take me long to find out.
I'm not going to spend time comparing the guts of this laptop with other machines, whether it's faster, the graphics are better, or if it has more or less memory. As I pointed out at the top, a new computer should work. Full-stop.
I will say the Yoga 3 Pro starts up very quickly, much more like a tablet than a laptop and then the Windows 8.1 OS is what it is. I'm assuming by now, most PC users like me just pretend they use the ever-limited tile mode, but usually jump straight back into the more traditional Windows desktop at the earliest opportunity. It'll be interesting to see whether Microsoft has managed to reconcile this dual-personality aspect of its OS once Windows 10 is released in a few weeks time. That's not really anything to do with Lenovo's Yoga Pro 3 of course... except... well, this thing is so damn versatile I actually found myself switching between desktop and tile modes more than I usually would.
The 13.3inch screen is part of it - very hi-res and crystal-clear, at 3200 x 1800. This comes at a cost though, some of your old apps may need updating if you want them to display correctly.
The touch-screen abilities of the display worked very well, in fact so well, for the first time I've found myself using a combination of keyboard and screen pushes to operate a device. Touching the screen to place the cursor just seems more interactive than using the touchpad. This is where the lines between laptop and tablet really start to blur.
Now let's say you want to play a game controlled by swiping the screen; no use leaving the device set up as a conventional laptop, it'll eventually just tip over backwards. This is where Stand mode comes in; you simply flip the physical keyboard away underneath and it becomes a very stable support for your next game of Minion Rush... or whatever. Doesn't have to be Minion Rush. I'm just using that as an example. It's not like I'm just sitting here playing Minion Rush for hours on end. Right?
Anyway...
The other thing the Yoga Pro 3 excels at is video. A great screen means a great viewing experience and Stand mode is a good option for this too, although what if you haven't got enough flat space available to accommodate the "stand" (ie, the folded-under keyboard half of the laptop)?
All you really need is the space for the Yoga Pro 3's two skinny edges. Yes, simply fold this thing into a "Tent" and you'll be able to plonk it down just about anywhere, the display automatically flipping the right way up of course.
Whichever of its 4 profiles you decide to use, the Yoga 3 Pro magically figures it out, providing an on-screen keyboard whenever required. You'd be hard-pushed to find another machine on the market as versatile as this.
It's not perfect of course. I wouldn't recommend this device if the majority of your use will be tablet based, as the touch screen is not as responsive as other tablets I have used but the major downfall here is battery life.
The Yoga 3 Pro takes several hours to charge and even at 100 percent is unlikely to last out a working day. Mysteriously, the Lenovo website states you'll get up to 9 hours usage from a full battery, but I never came anywhere near that, experiencing significant drain even when the device was turned off. Of course, this is not unusual - I don't think I've ever come a across a single electronics manufacturer whose battery life claims resembled anything like reality. Whatever happened to under-promising and over delivering?
This battery issue is a shame, because it nullifies the portability of such a slim device if you have to take a charger with you everywhere you go. Other than that, the Yoga 3 Pro has a surprisingly solid feel to it, in spite of its skinniness, probably due in large part to the unique hinge design. No matter which of the 4 profiles I used, the screen stayed firmly in the position I wanted it to.
If I had one other minor niggle, it's the combined mic/headphone port. I get why they have these on something as small as a phone, but it's annoying not to be able to plug in a separate mic and headphones into an actual computer, no matter what size it is.
On the bright side, I found the physical keyboard very user friendly and when I set the facial recognition lock, the on-board webcam knew it was me every time.
Admittedly, you'll be paying a premium for this device, but if the kind of versatility I've described is what you're after, the Yoga 3 Pro may be well worth the investment.
Click here for more on the Lenovo Pro 3
If there's one thing I hate, it's exercise.
Unfortunately, if there are two things I love, they're eating and drinking. Turns out, if I do too much of those second two without enough of the first one, I turn into a big balooba.
Now there seems to be 3 main problems with being a big balooba. 1: It looks gross. 2: Apparently it's very bad for my health. And 3: It FEELS gross.
So my strategy is to do as much exercise as possible, without noticing. At least now I have a device to do the noticing for me...
The fitbit ChargeHR is the first product I've tried from the fitbit range, and it's a pretty comprehensive selection; by my count there are at least 7 different fitbit devices currently on offer to cater for your unique fitness monitoring requirements.
Don't be confused, these are not smart watches. fitbit seems pretty committed to creating a separate place for itself in the wearable market it calls, "Activity Trackers." In saying that, some of these devices do tell time and display notifications, so I'm detecting a slight overlap at the top of their range.
The ChargeHR is one step down from the smarter, but far bulkier, Surge. The Surge is bigger because it contains GPS technology and has a larger screen to display text notifications. The Surge also features a music controller, one of my favourite features on my smart watch, but probably not absolutely essential when it comes to fitbit's primary focus; tracking your fitness journey.
The pared-down ChargeHR is a much more subtle affair, featuring only the smallest of screens, no wider than the strap itself. To look at the ChargeHR is almost identical to the slightly cheaper Charge, but for an extra $20 you get a heart-rate monitor as well. (I'm guessing that's what the HR stands for, but I'm no branding guru)
I can't think of a single reason why you wouldn't spend the extra $20, unless you simply don't HAVE an extra $20. If that's the case, wait till next payday and spend the extra $20. Heart rate monitors are cool and I struggle to see the point of any kind of fitness tracking without one. If you want to know if you're doing the same thing you did yesterday, but harder, monitoring your heart rate seems to be a pretty good way to go about it.
How accurate these kinds of monitors are is always up for debate. It's a mystery to me how a couple of little lights shining on the back of your wrist are supposed to take your pulse. I compared readings between the ChargeHR, my smart watch and various pieces of gym equipment while doing various pieces of gym and I rarely got anything like the same reading from all 3 devices. It's funny to see me with a smart watch on one wrist and a fitbit on the other though.
However, just because the numbers may not be that precise, doesn't mean they're not useful. The whole point of this kind of fitness tracking is to improve over time - so even if the BPM you've recorded is out, as long as it's out by the same amount tomorrow, you'll still know whether you've improved? Right? Seems like a good theory, anyway.
The real magic behind any fitbit device is the app or (and here's where a fitbit really DOES differ from your average smart watch) the browser-based dashboard. That's right; you don't even need a smart phone to run the ChargeHR, it comes with it's own dongle so you can sync straight to your PC or laptop.
I've used a lot of different fitness apps, but fitbit is one of the most straightforward and helpful. You can customise exactly which aspects of your life you want to track and leave out the ones that are less important to you.
Steps, distance, calories burned - those are pretty popular areas to start with. But if you want to set a weight goal and track your meals, that's easy enough too. I'll talk more about that in couple of weeks when I review the fitbit Aria wifi scales. (Yes, you read that right; WIFI scales!)
All of this stuff syncs back to your fitbit account periodically throughout the day, automatically appearing on your phone app or the dashboard on your computer. Once you've achieved your daily goal (steps, distance, calories burned or stairs climbed) the ChargeHR vibrates the hell out of your wrist to let you know how clever you are.
Those good vibrations can also be set as silent alarms (they will definitely wake you) or even to notify you of an incoming call on your phone. You can scroll through your daily progress on the wee screen, which shows the time too. The display is a pretty low-tech, Space-Invaders style, white-on-black affair, which you can also activate with a slow double-tap. It's basic, but given you're not trying to read emails or texts on it, it's all you need. Because the screen is basic, you'll squeeze at least 4 days battery life out of the ChargeHR without having to plug it in. When you do charge it, it tops up fast - from 0-100 in well under an hour.
Cosmetically, the ChargeHR is neither unattractive or a fashion statement. The band, available in black or purple (grape? aubergine?) is light and comfortable with more of a rubbery than a plastic feel to it. This is important if you're planning to wear it to bed to track your sleeping habits. I'm not sure why people track their sleeping habits, although it's certainly weird to see how often you get up to pee logged on an app.
What I like most about all this is it all happens without me thinking about it. I love not thinking. This is because the ChargeHR is recording everything all the time, and that's the real difference between a fitbit and a smart watch; the device itself is driving the the tracking process, whereas a smart watch is really just a way of interfacing with the phone it's paired to.
So am I fitter? Have I lost weight? Give me a chance, it's only been a few days. What I can tell you is I'm definitely on track.
Reality is such a drag, don't you think?
I'm sure after a hard day's wrestling with sabre-tooth tigers and tracking woolly mammoths, not to mention all that gathering, even the earliest cavemen felt the need to turn off for a while. That'd certainly explain all those paintings on their walls.
Now you can really escape, while sitting in your favourite chair. Over the last year or two, Oculus has been making a lot of noise about the future of Virtual Reality. Now they've teamed up with Samsung and the future has come a whole lot closer.
I first encountered Samsung's Gear VR late last year, when it was released in conjunction with the Galaxy Note 4. At that point, the Note 4 was the only handset the VR headset would work with. I was intrigued with the concept, but not particularly impressed with the limited content available. I flew my own virtual jet-pack around a bit, fun - but the graphics were somewhat rudimentary and the experience seemed far from real.
What a difference 6 months can make.
The latest version of the Samsung Gear VR has been designed for both the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge - surely the 2 coolest phones on the market right now.
This makes the 360 degree possibilities presented by Oculus more accessible than ever before, so I accessed them and almost didn't come back.
This is so much more than 3D, it's the visual equivalent of surround sound. Using the gyroscopic properties of the GS6 handset, the Gear VR tracks exactly where you're looking; up, down, side-to-side - even behind you. I rafted a river, I went on stage with Cirque du Soleil, I even explored some of the most picturesque tourist locations in the world, all from my couch.
Wearing this thing makes you look like a total idiot, but make no mistake, it's really cool. I persuaded several people who have absolutely no interest in this kind of stuff whatsoever, to don the Gear VR and without exception, they all admitted they were impressed by how real the reality was.
Then there were the people who needed no persuasion whatsoever... kids go absolutely nuts over this thing. Monster Number 2 took one look at it and said, "Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" (Yes, that is a direct quote) Cue an endless stream of friends, cousins and random children off the street to give it a go.
I mean, come on - there are shooting games in which you aim just by looking at the thing you want to destroy. Double cool.
It's actually a very well designed piece of kit to boot. Your S6 or S6 Edge simply clips into place at the front of the headset and you're good to go. The adjustable straps are comfortable enough, and while wearing a whole cyber-world on your face takes a bit of getting used to, only a bit.
Just a warning though, you're on a strictly a solo expedition. Without a doubt, this is the most anti-social piece of technology you'll ever own. In fact, pair a set of bluetooth headphones with the S6 and your house could burn down around you without you noticing a thing.
For gaming, there are also bluetooth controllers available, but there's plenty to see and do without shooting things. You can watch a movie in your choice of cinema... or on the moon. (I'm not even kidding) What's more, download a 3D file, and you'll experience it in a much more authentic environment than squashing your movie onto a boring old 3D TV.
But a 2 hour feature movie is probably the very limit of how long you would want to spend inside the Gear VR. 3 reasons for that; the comfort factor, battery life and after 120 minutes, your brain will basically be reduced to cottage cheese.
As comfortable as the Gear VR is to wear, having anything on your face that long can drive you a little crazy. Turns out, projecting 360 degree insanity sucks up a phone's juice pretty fast. But above all else, the effect of being inside this world is so convincing, you need to step out once in a while to remind yourself you're still a human being.
You may have heard about the "screen door effect" you experience when viewing your phone's screen this close up. I found this to be one of those things you notice at first, but soon ignore without even thinking about it. Apart from the battery drain, 360 degree video content also takes up a lot of memory space. You'll need to allow for that and balance it out with any other music, video or pictures you want to keep on your phone.
If you think you're going to be a real Gear VR addict, you may even want to consider the 64gb version of the S6 over the 32gb. Remember, these new Samsungs no longer have slots for extra microSD cards so storage space could become an issue.
This is a fledgling technology, and the supply of content available is admittedly still somewhat limited, but I can't believe how far it's come since that first jet-pack ride over Pixel Town. Whether the novelty would wear off over time is hard to tell (that would take time) but it's certainly one of the craziest pieces of tech I've ever encountered. Is it $300 worth of fun? You know what? It probably is. Whether I'd go out and by a whole new phone just to run it, well that's another story. However, if you're already sporting an S6, S6 Edge or Note 4, surely you must be a little bit curious...
