*Steve Makris is a technology expert who does a weekly Tech Talk segment during Edmonton’s Sunday Morning News. You can watch his segment above.
For my final Global TV Sunday Morning News Gift Guide, I offer a last-minute blend of current and new technology that is worth checking out. We also have our last giveaways, so make sure to catch my Tech Talk segment on Global Edmonton’s Sunday Morning News to find out how to enter.
GIVEAWAYS
- The Acer Aspire V3 V11 Touch laptop, $369 with Windows 8.1, features a quiet-running fanless design, large touchpad and 11.6-inch brilliant anti-glare touchscreen. It has three USB ports, one SD card reader, one Ethernet port and one HDMI out for your TV. A generous 4 GB RAM and 500GB drive make this a do-it-all portable computer with up to seven hours of battery life. Acer.ca
- The Kobo WiFi Aura H20, $169.99, is an all-weather eReader with enough internal memory to carry 3,000 books. The 6.8–inch antiglare 265 dpi screen features adjustable ComfortLight backlight technology for reading in brighter places. Kobo.com
- Samsung’s flagship Quad HD Super AMOLED 5.7-inch screen Galaxy Note 4, $800, and the new Gear S smart watch, $399. This note-taking phablet features a 120-degree selfie sweep camera and more. Hand write holiday greetings on photos or read full websites on one screen simultaneously in dual screen mode. The high resolution Gear S smart watch starts as an extension of your smart phone for accessing weather, news, messages, emails, alerts and S Voice commands. It has industry-first mobile cell voice and data 3G connectivity (you need an optional SIM card) that lets you make calls and send texts without your smartphone nearby. You can forward calls from your Samsung phone to the Gear S. Its curved design fits all wrists and it is packed with multi-sensors, GPS and numerous fitness apps. The clip-on charger has a built-in backup battery booster doubling its 11-hour talk time and 300 hours standby. Samsung.ca
SMARTWATCHES
Smartwatches are here to stay. I found that glancing at new messages, sports scores and more on my wrist was much more convenient than picking up a phone. Imagine having such a smart watch in long meetings!
Apple will join the fray when it releases its smartwatch next spring. The Apple Watch will only work with newer iPhones and will cost more than the current crop of watches for Android phones.
These Android-based watches use Android Wear and work with any brand with similar functionalities. They feature “OK, Google” voice commands to dictate responses, check weather, news, appointments or run fitness programs like Step Count and Heart Rate. Some will even play a smaller collection of on-board music via wireless Bluetooth headphones. They come in different styles, from LG’s G Watch W100, $125 online, to Motorola’s new Moto 360, $280, with a striking circular design. It has more text display space and built-in heart rate monitor. I like its simple inductive charge base that also acts as a night stand.
Samsung has had several generations of smartwatches, some based on its own energy-saving Tizen OS with noticeably fewer apps than Android Wear, but longer running times. Its newer Tizen based models like the Gear 2 Neo, $270 has a sharper screen and runs up to four days on one charge. Generally, the newer and pricier the model, the better it is. In this category, wait longer and save.
The just-released Samsung Gear S, $399, is the first smartwatch with network connectivity using its own SIM card so it doesn’t have to be as dependent on your nearby smartphone. You can make calls and send/receive texts away from your smart phone, and even forward calls to it. Its very sharp 2-inch curved Super AMOLED with 360X480 pixel screen is surprisingly easy to type text and dial numbers on. Warning: you will be noticed wearing the Gear S but it still manages to fit under my sleeve.
GREAT CAMERAS
Better smartphone cameras have replaced pocket digital cameras. Camera makers are now focusing on much higher quality cameras for enthusiasts. The best are not cheap, but you get what you pay for. Better built, professional quality, even beyond 35 mm film cameras and new digital tricks.
-The Fujifilm X100T, $1399.95 with fixed f2 35mm equiv. lens has retro design, feel and functionality and is the purist’s ultimate digital camera. Its three most important engraved metal dials and rings: shutter, aperture, and exposure compensation work like a film camera. The unique, beyond sharp, viewfinder is optical and digital and works independently or with the rear 3” finder. It has a silent mechanical and digital shutter, is very unobtrusive to use, has excellent face mode and fast auto focus. You can grow into the many menu settings, but suffice to say, the X100T in auto mode simply gets the picture right the first time, even with flash fill. It has WiFi for sharing pictures with smart phones. The optional screw-on wide angle (28mm equiv. f2) and tele (50mm equiv.) are remarkably sharp edge-to-edge. The X100T deserves the attention it gets in public. Fujifilm.ca
-Olympus has led the way with best value in smart digital quality cameras. Their entire interchangeable mirrorless line is based on the four-thirds picture sensor, also adopted by Panasonic. Slightly smaller than the “C”-size sensor of the Samsung N, Fujifilm X, Sony NEX and Canon Rebel cameras, Olympus packs a lot of features in this camera genre. The popular touchscreen E-PL5, $499, with kit lens produces comparable quality photos to competitors with a rich array of two-tiered priced lenses for consumers and pros. The new similarly sized 16 megapixel E-PL7, $599, is better suited for smartphone WiFi connectivity using the Olympus OI.Share app for controlling camera functions and sharing pictures. The rear touch screen finder flips upwards for low angle shots and a unique downwards 180 degrees for easy selfies. Both cameras are so small, they come with a clip-on flash. Olympuscanada.com
BEST HEADPHONES
Most headphones are cheap to affordable but sadly below par. My favourites cost more but deliver. They will also save your precious hearing as their noise cancellation keeps your playing volume down.
– The around-the-ear high-tech Plantronics Bluetooth wireless, noise cancelling BackBeat Pro, $250, pauses music when you take them off and resumes when you put them back on. An adjustable side ring allows you to hear music clearly but also pick up surrounding noise like a door bell or phone. On airplanes, it cancels noise better than most brands. The battery charge lasts long but you can still hear music without power, minus the digital functions. The streaming Bluetooth 4 Class 1 capable music is as good as WiFi streaming, and good to 100 meters if your music device has the same capability. The status alerts for battery, volume limit and more come in 14 languages. Plantronics.com
-For portability and best of class noise cancellation, the in-ear Bose QC20, $329 (for Android, Windows and BlackBerry inline mic) and QC $329i (iPhone inline mic and remote) are simply unmatched. Unlike all other in-ear tight-fitting noise suppression models, the more comfortable QC20 uses the same noise frequency cancellation technology as its around-the-ear QC 10 and on-ear QC 15 siblings. One quick- USB charge easily lasts a trip to the Far East with several connections. Bose.ca
-Medium-priced but with big sound, the corded Bose SoundTrue on ear or around ear $149.99, deliver and can be worn comfortably for hours. They include a nice case.
OVER THE TOP FOR SPORTS ENTHUSIASTS
Extreme gear tech that monitors your sport? Check these out at Sport Chek:
-For the skier who has everything, the Oakley AirWave 1.5 goggle, $649.99 features a heads-up display integrating WiFi, GP, MFi Bluetooth with additional motion sensors for a totally new ski experience. Think of them as Google Glass in a ski goggle. A small corner display shows your speed, tracks your buddy (he needs another $649.99 pair) plays music, phones, navigates, measures vertical feet, jump analytics, current altitude, distance skied and trip review. You can easily switch between specialized lenses too. It includes a pocket Bluetooth remote for changing views and switching programs. Is this distracted skiing?
-For smaller budgets, check out the newest Oakley Flight Deck Prizm goggle, $230. Its lens technology enhances contrast and visibility for seeing contours and snow texture in different conditions. The goggle is built solid with quality material maximizing wear and comfort. Oakley.com
-The FWD Powershot $119.99 fits in most composite hockey sticks and uses Bluetooth for Android and iPhones apps to record the angle and speed of your shot.
-Analytical soccer players will love the Adidas miCoach Smart Ball, $219, with an integrated sensor inside the size 5 regulation ball which detects speed, spin, strike and flight path data, instantly relaying kick data to the miCoach app on Apple devices running iOS 7 or higher via Bluetooth 4.0. The companion app interprets and displays near real-time feedback on forces subjected on the ball and includes video tips. The quality thermal bonded 32-panel ball with integrated sensor package lasts about 2000 kicks per charge.
HELP!
It’s not a matter of “if” but “when” your Windows PC or laptop will cry out for help from a virus attack. The FixMeStick, $59.99, available everywhere, is a great stocking stuffer, one you are sure to borrow. It combines security partners Kaspersky Lab, Sophos and VIPRE to find and remove viruses, spyware, trojans, rootkits and more from your PC. Many of these intrusions cannot be removed from a running PC so the USB FixMeStick reboots your PC with its own boot program, allowing access to deeply embedded malware. I have tried it several times and it is amazingly simple, safe and effective. It’s good for three computers and can be used repeatedly on each one for one year. Fixmestick.com
GOPRO SELFIE HEAVEN
The GoPro Hero4 Silver, $449: the tiny action camera delivers for professionals and amateur action photo-videographers with amazing ease and quality. It instils a sense of adventure and need to record fleeting moments of yourself and others. As a professional photographer, I am amazed by how good the quality of video and still pictures is, not to mention its corner-to-corner super wide angle lens. It shoots many video frame rate settings including 4K at 15 fps, 2.7K at 30 fps, 1080p video at 60 fps or quality web 720p at 120 fps and 12 megapixel photos at 30 fps. Smartphones can’t come close to GoPro selfie heaven. It also shares wirelessly with devices. Compared to previous GoPro step-down Silver editions, the GoPro 4 Silver has more features in common, than ever before, with the currently top-of-the-line GoPro 4 Black, $549, making it a good buy. It’s twice as powerful as before, has a touch screen, waterproof housing (good for up to 40 meters), flat and curved adhesive mounts, three way pivot arm and more. It features a handy HiLight Tag for marking special moments to go back to. It works with Android and Apple apps and can do day and night time lapse shoots. There are more than 60 accessory mounts for GoPro, the gift that keeps on giving back with cherished personal slice of life perspectives. Gopro.com
SMART SMARTPHONE DEALS
For folks who can’t afford iPhones or flagship Androids, Motorola offers a selection of mid-level priced smart phones with unique features.
-The Moto G from Rogers, free with a two-year plan, features screen quality and unique add-on features to the otherwise bland Android OS (sorry Google purists) like smart notifications and settings on how folks can contact you. It’s like the phone learns what you want. It has the simplest and fastest rear camera controls using screen wipes and features optional interchangeable Shells2 backs to suit your mood.
-The new Moto X from TELUS, also free with 2-year plan, features even more tricks, like automatically taking “before and after” frames to capture the best photo moment and a smart ring LED flash for shadowless pictures. Motorola.ca
-Want tough? Kyocera’s DuraForce from Bell Mobility, $99 with two-year plan, is a rugged, waterproof, 4G LTE Android smartphone. Impervious to dust, shock, vibration, temperature extremes, blowing rain, low pressure, solar radiation, salt fog, humidity, and water immersion the Military Standard 810G- and IP68-certified DuraForce also works with Bell‘s Push-to-Talk (PTT) service, perfect for job sites or buddy skiing. Kyocera.com
WINDOWS 8.1 WINNERS
There are hundreds of Windows 8.1 computers, laptops and hybrids. Unlike Apple, Windows 8.1 devices come in a wider selection of models and prices.
-If you want the best of everything on a low budget, check out the silent fanless Acer Aspire V3 V11 Touch laptop, $369, with 4GB RAM memory, 500 GB drive and seven hour battery. Acer.ca
-For folks who think a small tablet isn’t good enough for what they need, check out the pocket-sized Dell Venue 8 pro, $300, with 8-inch wide-view IPS HD screen, Micro-SD reader, USB 2.0 and a surprisingly impressive web cam. The optional matching thin wireless K07M Bluetooth keyboard would be a nice stocking stuffer. Dell.ca
-The 10.1–inch Acer Aspire Switch 10, starting at $399, with sharp full HD Gorilla Glass 3 screen, starting at $299, swings and tilts through four modes. It’s a nice travel hybrid laptop.
-MacBook Pro Envy? The Windows 8.1 Dell 15.5-inch XPS 15 with a sharper screen and longer battery life can be had for less than $2,000.
FOR THE AUDIO FAN
If someone on your gift list has everything and loves audio, check out the Sound Blaster E3, $99, a small wireless and wired headphone amplifier on steroids. It makes for better quality audio streaming than traditional Bluetooth from smart phones with amazing sound effects. It’s like putting a powerful PC soundcard between your phone and headphones. Share the sound experience with the built-in dual headphone plugs. Amazon.ca
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