Gadgets

An often small mechanical or electronic device with a practical use but often thought of as a novelty.

The Specs That Matter [and the Specs That Don’t

It usually goes like this: An ad in the paper (or online) catches your eye. It lists a few product specs and claims some special features, but that’s about it. Still, the price seems okay. May as well pull out the wallet now, right? Wrong!Don’t get suckered by an array of twinkling numbers into buying gear you don’t need. To prevent that from happening, you need to arm yourself with more than just marketing material from competing vendors. That’s where we can help.

Before you plunk down a credit card to buy anything, ask yourself what you need your new gear to do. Put together a list of the tasks that you have in store for it. For example, do you need high-powered hardware, or are you paying extra for bragging rights? Are all of the features on a particular gadget critical, or can you do everything you want with a lower-priced model that can fulfill the primary wishes on your list.

Mobile Computing

A closer look at a laptop PC ad.

A closer look at a laptop PC ad.

Whether you are looking for a lightweight device to handle low-demand Web browsing and document writing or a Death Star-size desktop replacement, the perfect notebook for you is out there somewhere. But try to get what you want at the outset: Laptops are trickier than desktop PCs to upgrade.

Battery life: Notebook battery life continues to improve–especially in the ultraportable category–but the times that vendors quote tend to be inflated by being measured under optimum conditions, with the power-draining wireless receivers turned off and often with the extended-life battery (which usually costs extra). In PC World Test Center tests, laptops equipped with a T7200 Core 2 Duo processor had battery lives ranging from a little under 2 hours to as long as 5. The results depend on which of a multitude of components are sucking power under the hood. Check the fine print to learn whether the notebook was tested with the standard battery.

CPU: Vendors slap an Intel (or AMD) logo on a laptop, cite a speed, and leave it at that. Rarely do they acknowledge that laptops with low-end CPUs can barely get out of first gear running Vista. Beware of processors that run at less than 2 GHz. Intel Centrino 2-powered laptops have roared through our WorldBench 6 performance tests. But don’t expect Centrino performance out of Intel’s Atom processor, a hamster-wheel CPU designed to run sub-$500 mini-notebooks.

GPU: Most laptops rely on basic integrated graphics chips. That’s not an ideal component for playing recent 3D games (including social network games like Second Life) or running high-end graphics programs. To handle those capabilities, look for a laptop with a discrete nVidia or ATI graphics chip. But the extra graphics power comes with a catch: Laptops with discrete chips tend to be larger and heavier, as evidenced by some of the mammoth gaming notebooks on the market.

RAM: Even though a laptop’s RAM is relatively easy to upgrade, you should still buy as much memory as you can at the outset. Most laptops have two RAM slots, and it’s not uncommon for a machine configured with 2GB of memory to have a 1GB module in each available slot. But if you start with this configuration, upgrading to 4GB of RAM later on means paying for two completely new RAM sticks. By opting for a generous quantity of RAM from the get-go, you won’t need to spend money down the line on upgrading your sticks.

Weight: Ads often omit “little” things from the laptop’s declared weight–like the battery and power supply, which you’ll likely carry with you when you go mobile. Before you buy, ask what the total weight of the product is with these critical accessories included. Better yet, go into a store and do a few power-lifting reps with the machine in its road configuration.

Screen: Though it certainly is important, screen size tells you nothing about how well you will be able to read text. Ask about the laptop’s native resolution–and see it for yourself. And while you’re at it, test the screen coating, too. The very thing that makes images pop on the show floor can make it unusable in broad daylight. Some laptop screens bounce reflections like a mirror, which can make them very difficult to use outdoors. LED-backlit screens provide greater brightness, though they do jack up the price.

Digital Photography

A closer look at a digital camera ad.

A closer look at a digital camera ad.

If taking the highest-quality photos you possibly can is all that you care about, you should opt for a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera. But when you carry an item around all day, you soon realize the value of light weight and compact size. Here’s what to look for in a DSLR or a point-and-shoot.

Megapixels: The most hyped and misunderstood camera spec is the megapixel count. The pitch you’ll get is that more megapixels equals better photos–but 5 megapixels is enough to create a sharp 11-by-14-inch print. A higher megapixel number does come in handy if you need to crop and zoom in on a section of a photo; but unless you’re planning to print movie-size posters, a 14.5-megapixel camera is overkill.

Optical zoom: Ignore vendors’ specs for digital zoom and focus instead on the optical zoom. Digital zoom crops the image you see in your viewfinder and expands it to full-frame, reducing the quality of the resulting image. Optical zoom uses the lens to magnify the subject, resulting in a crystal-clear shot. But the higher the optical zoom, the more important optical image stabilization becomes; if you zoom in tight, very slight movement will blur your shot. Most point-and-shoots have optical zooms of 3X or 4X. For anything higher than that, you’ll need optical image stabilization.

Manual focus: Manual focus is a great option for a point-and-shoot camera to offer, and all DSLRs have it. Very-low-end cameras frequently omit manual focusing or permit only stepped focusing, forcing you to choose from preset distances or scene modes. These days, more digital SLR cameras are offering point-and-shoot-like features, such as autofocus and scene modes to lure casual users. Casual photographers who are looking for more functionality may be better off opting for an upper-end point-and-shoot with a high optical zoom and a host of manual settings than splurging on a DSLR.

Exposure settings: Many digital cameras offer aperture- and shutter-priority modes, which let you fine-tune the exposure settings for certain situations. Look for a camera with high shutter speeds if you plan on capturing fast-moving action, such as cars racing by or athletes running. Try to find a camera with a low aperture, such as f2.8, if you want to take shots in dark environments without using a flash.

Viewfinders: A big, beautiful display is handy, but it’s also a huge energy drain. Ask if you can adjust the screen’s brightness, and whether you can toggle it off. Old school or not, having an optical viewfinder as well as an LCD can be a tremendous advantage when you’re trying to prolong a camera’s battery life.

Optical image stabilization: With image stabilization, as with zoom, optical wins out over digital big time. Because it physically shifts the image sensor to counteract movement, optical image stabilization does a much better job of capturing a clear shot. Digital stabilization simply adjusts the image’s pixels or the camera’s shutter speed in an effort to create a less-blurry shot. In any case, a tripod can save the day.

 Mobile phone screen resolution

What is Mobile phone screen resolution? To explain what mobile phone screen resolution is, we will start first by knowing exactly how a picture is formed on a mobile phone screen. The screen of a mobile phone is made up of thousands of tiny dots known as Pixels as shown in the picture here.

A pixel is the short form of ‘Picture Element’. A Pixel on a mobile phone screen is the smallest element which goes to make the picture. Pixels appear as small squares as shown in the picture here. The more the number of pixels to make a mobile phone picture or wording, the sharper it becomes and makes the smartphone screen more easily readable.

Mobile phone screen size in pixels

The size of a mobile phone screen is either given as an inch measurement or as a pixel measurement. The inch measurement is the diagonal screen size as explained on our page about phone screen size.

Mobile phone screen size in pixels is known as the ‘Resolution” and is the pixel measurement of a phone screen. So Resolution of a phone screen is a measure of so many pixels from left to right and from bottom to top of the phone screen. The left to right is the ‘x’ axis and bottom to top is the ‘y’ axis. Let us say a smartphone screen size in pixels is 720 pixels from left to right and 1080 pixels from bottom to top, then we say the pixel resolution of this smartphone is 720×1080 pixels. It is common practice to write the left to right ‘x’ axis figure first.

Most common smartphone screen resolutions, mobile phone screen sizes in pixels

The most common smartphone screen resolution are usually according to the following standards. For smartphones when it is held upright, the X-axis or the horizontal measurement is usually smaller than the vertical Y-axis or the height of the screen. Thus in the following, the ‘X’ and ‘Y’ axis are based on computer screen measurements where the width is more than the height, like when a smartphone being held horizontally.

Thus for an HD smartphone held horizontally the resolution is 1920×1080 (the X-axis is wider when the phone is held horizontally) and when held vertically the resolution will be 1080×1920.

Standard mobile phone screen resolutions

These are the Standard mobile Phone Resolutions:

VGA (640×480)

VGA stands for Video Graphics Array (VGA) and has become the universal basic standard for measurement of Screen Resolutions. VGA resolution is 640pixels on X-axis and 480 pixels on Y-axis or 640×480. This was the resolution of the first Computer screen for the IBM PS/2 computer in 1987.

QVGA (320×240)

QVGA stands for Quarter Video Graphics Array. The actual screen width and height are half the VGA screen size, but when multiplied the value of the QVGA becomes quarter of the number of total pixels in a VGA screen. That is why it is called Quarter Video Graphics Array or QVGA

WQVGA (xxx×240)

WQVGA is short form of ‘Wide QVGA’ and is any display resolution having the same height of 240 pixels as QVGA, but the X-axis width is wider, for example 360×240 (3:2 aspect ratio), or 427×2400 (almost 16:9 aspect ratio)

HVGA (480×320)

HVGA Stands for Half VGA or 480×320 pixels. The half value is in the number of pixels and not the physical size of the screen. VGA screen with 640×480 pixels has307,200 pixels and HVGAwith 480×320 pixels has exactly half the quantity of 153,600 pixels

WVGA (xxx×480)

WVGA stands for Wide VGA where the height is the same as VGA at 480 pixels but the width is wider, for example 720×480 (3:2 aspect ratio), or 854×480 (almost 16:9 aspect ratio)

FWVGA (854×480)FWVGA stands for Full Wide Video Graphics Array and is a display resolution of 854×480 pixels which is about an aspect ratio of 16:9.

SVGA (800×600)

SVGA stands for ‘Super Video Graphics Array’ also called Ultra Video Graphics Array or Ultra VGA or UVGA is mostly used in computer screen standards.

Quarter HD or qHD (960×540)

QHD stands for Quarter HD where the sides are half the HD measurements of 1920×1080, that is 960×540 pixels.

XGA (1024×768)

XGA, is the short form of ‘Extended Graphics Array’ with a display size of 1024×768 pixels and was an IBM display standard of 1990.

WXGA (1366×768)

WXGA is ‘Wide Extended Graphics Array’ is a modification of XGA with wider screen for example 1366×768 which has an aspect ratio of 16:9.

HD Phone Screen Resolutions

The following are the different types of High Density HD resolutions that are now becoming common in high end smart phones.

Full HD (1920×1080 pixels)

HD stands for High Definition with a resolution of 1920×1080 and in the wide angle ratio of 16:9.

Hd ready (720×1280)

HD ready is an older standard of High Density screens.

Quad HD (1440×2560)

Quad HD has four times the total number of pixels than ‘HD Ready'(720×1280). The sides are double, but when you multiply the two side pixel counts you get 4 times the number of pixels.

Ultra HD 4K (3840×2160 pixels)

Ultra HD stands for Ultra High Definition with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. Since 3840 pixels horizontally is almost 4000 pixels, it has been named a 4K resolution where ‘K’ represents 1000. The aspect ratio is 16:9. 4K phones have not yet hit the market, but expect them soon.

Best screen resolution for Phones

The best screen resolution for phone is when the relation between phone screen size and resolution gives a pixel density of about 300 pixels per inch or 300 PPi. Even though the more the value of the PPi the clearer and sharper the phone screen becomes, there is an upper limit for PPi above which the human eye cannot distinguish higher PPis.

Sometimes mobile smartphone resolutions are given as the X and Y axis values like 1500×800 pixels. Without knowing the screen size we cannot have a relation between screen size and resolution to calculate the pixel density or the Pixels Per inch PPi. It is the density of the pixels in a smart phone screen that determines the sharpness and quality of the picture. The same number of pixels in a smaller screen gives much sharper pictures. Thus the highest phone resolution pixel numbers alone does not give you an idea of how good the mobile phone display is, you also need to know the screen size.

The human eye cannot distinguish the difference in PPi when the figure reaches a saturation point of about 300 PPi. So having a PPi of much more than 300ppi will not make the screen that much clearer but there is a penalty for having high PPi, there will be faster battery drain of the phone because more power is required to light up more pixels.

Cell Phone Features and Manufacturers

Choosing a cell phone typically requires a series of tradeoffs in terms of price and features. Before you shop, think about how you plan to use the phone; this will help you decide which features are most important to you.

NUIT neither endorses nor recommends any particular manufacturer.

Types of Phones

• CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) — A network that digitizes communication using a specific frequency; it behaves much like GSM, but the two are not compatible. Before traveling internationally, be sure to find out which is used to make sure your phone will work when you reach your destination.
• GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) — A digital cellular network which behaves much like CDMA, but the two are not compatible. GSM is commonly used in Europe.
• 3G phones — “Third-generation” devices. Third generation technology makes it possible for cell phones to accommodate broadband wireless data in addition to traditional cell phone functionality (e.g. e-mail download and Internet access). There are other Internet technologies that perform similarly but are not called “3G” specifically.

Features

• Accessories — Manufacturers offer a number of accessories that can make phones even more convenient to use, such as hands-free options (headsets, ear buds, bluetooth hands free devices), extra batteries, and portable charging adapters.
• Battery Type — NiMH (nickel-metal hydride) and Li-ion (lithium ion) are the two primary types of mobile phone batteries. Li-ion is longer-lasting and lighter, but more expensive. Phones use more battery life during calls than when they are turned on but not in use.
• Bluetooth — This wireless communications technology links compatible mobile phones, personal computers, PDAs, hands free devices, and other devices across short ranges. To ensure compatability with current devices, look for bluetooth version 2.0.
• Caller ID — A feature that displays the name and/or number of the calling party on the phone’s display when an incoming call is received. Virtually all digital phones have this capability. While typically only the number is received, most phones will display the name, if the number matches an entry in the phone’s built-in phone book.
• Digital Camera — Allows you to take digital photos and transmit the images wirelessly. There is often an additional cost to transmit images. Currently, the image quality is lower than what you might find in a digital camera.
• Display — Prices increase along with display sizes. However, a larger display is a virtual requirement for wireless Internet users. Users requiring extensive wireless Web use should consider a smartphone, a phone/PDA hybrid, which commonly feature keyboards and larger screens. You might prefer a color screen for viewing images or Web-surfing. These cost more, consume more battery life and need more memory.
• GPS — Some select phones offer GPS, or global positioning and navigation functionality. This feature can be especially useful to those who often travel.
• International Support — Travelers may want to investigate a world phone, compatible with the respective frequencies (GSM or CDMA) most commonly used in Europe, Asia, and North America. Users wanting international access will want to make sure to research which networks are used in areas they will be traveling, as GSM and CDMA are not compatible.
• Multimedia — You can download digital ringtones to personalize your phone. Other devices allow you to download and play MP3s, and stream video. If you will be using multimedia functionality, you may want to consider purchasing extra storage space, an external memory card which can be inserted under the phone battery.
• Organizer Applications — Even basic cell phones often have organizer applications, such as calendaring.
• SIM Card — Some carriers provide a SIM card, which stores information such as phone book contacts, that can be transferred from one cell phone to another. If your phone has a SIM card, the phone will not have service unless the card is in place.
• Smartphone (Palm or Pocket PC) — Devices, with computing, Internet, and networking features, are often referred to as smart phones. They combine cell phone and Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) functions, eliminating the need to carry two separate devices, but are larger and more expensive than standard mobile phones.
• Speakerphone — Commuters and drivers who want to keep their hands free can buy phones with built-in speakerphone capability.
• Text Messaging — Text messaging allows short text messages to be received and displayed on the phone.
• Video Recording — In much the same way many phones can take digital photos, many phones also have video recording capabilities.
• Voice Dialing — This feature lets users speak a name to dial a number instead of entering a number manually or choosing it from the phone book. Most phones with this feature limit the number of voice dial entries to a small number.
• Voice Mail — A feature that supports audio messages from callers. Users can leave spoken messages for one another and listen to the messages by executing the appropriate command. This is often a standard feature that comes with a mobile phone service.
• Weight — Mobile phone manufactures consistently streamline their products; however, some phones are heavier and more awkward than others–a possible consideration for travelers. Smartphones, combining PDA and phone features, are slightly heavier than the average mobile phone. And smaller is not always better; for instance, most users would not want to surf the Web on a postage-stamp sized display.

Videos

LATEST GADGETS

The EHang 184 is a human-sized drone built by the Chinese UAV company EHang. It is an autonomous drone that will be able to carry a single passenger for 23 minutes at a speed of 60 MPH. The 184 also has gull-wing doors and arms that fold up.

Garmin’s Varia Vision is an augmented reality display that you mount to your sunglasses. And it’s not just about displaying how well you’re doing, it can alert you about traffic and directions. The$400 device could be a dream come true for cyclists when it comes out in Q1 2016.

The Nima from 6 Sensor Labs is a$249 gadget that can test food for gluten in under 2 minutes with antibody-based test and disposable pods. Something like this could change the lives of those with Celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. 6 Sensor Labs took home the $50,000 Hardware Battlefield grand prize.

Lexus had their new hoverboard on display. The car company has said that it uses “magnetic levitation” and “liquid nitrogen cooled superconductors and permanent magnets” to achieve hover flight.

 

PORTABILITY

We love new gadgets and cool devices. Time-saving portable gadgets, labor-saving devices, top gadgets and tools that drastically expand the things we’re capable of, and your knowledge of the world at large – these are the things that built the modern lifestyle we enjoy today!

But here’s the problem with it-

There are so many interesting and useful things you could buy today, that sometimes it’s already exhausting by itself to find the perfect balance between your needs, your wish to save money and having something that will last you a good long while. And that’s why here we have listed some of the latest devices that’s sure to make your life easier.

But here’s the problem with it-

There are so many interesting and useful things you could buy today, that sometimes it’s already exhausting by itself to find the perfect balance between your needs, your wish to save money and having something that will last you a good long while. And that’s why here we have listed some of the latest devices that’s sure to make your life easier.

 Power Ball

The PowerBall is a strange little exercise machine and a must to include in our portable gadgets list. It spins, it blinks, it jerks in your hand in a way that’s almost alive. It’s also something that improves your grip and forearm muscle tone which is fun while freeing you to do something else like watching TV, reading or attending to your children. Actually, for the latter you may have to convince them that they can’t have the Power Ball as you need it for exercise more than they want it as a cool toy.

It works to strengthen your muscles, but it’s not strenuous. The Power Ball is designed for athletes that need their forearms to be strong, yet not grossly muscular to slow them down. Golfers, tennis players, boxers, basketball players – many have proven the Power Ball’s promises. It relieves carpal tunnel syndrome and loosens up the muscles when your wrists feel strained. It’s a handy little thing to have in the home or packed in the bag to quickly burn some calories while you wait.

DropCam Pro

A camera you can control through WiFi or the Internet is the sort of thing that sounds a bit weird until you get used to all the benefits. It’s got two-way audio and night vision. Its camera has 5x zoom and takes 720p video. It has a motion sensor. What does that mean?

It means you can talk to anyone in the room through your phone while you’re away. You can set it to record and upload to the cloud automatically any unlawful activity. You can use it as a baby monitor. You can place it inside for an interactive panoramic view of a home you’re planning to sell. Dropcam Pro empowers people to communicate, whether they’re on the office or on the other size of the planet, without the need for another smart phone or a camera or a computer running Skype.

Solar Charger and Power Bank

The main limitations of having fun outdoors and on vacation is that not all locations provide adequate electric supply. And boy, do we carry a lot of power-hungry devices – tablets, digital cameras, our smartphones, laptops and more. So why not both a solar charger and power bank in one?

The ideal solar charger and power bank is light, shockproof, dustproof, and waterproof. Can’t really predict what will happen on your vacation, right? A charger like the one above can serve you well in an emergency, since it comes with an LED light. Don’t fall for chargers that promise unreasonably large capacities in a small form factor (much greater than 10,000 Ah, for example.) There’s a lot of cheap mislabeled junk on Ebay, so prefer branded products.