Lost and Found! (A TrackR Bravo Review)

Where are my keys?!?!? Can you ring my phone? Did I leave my bag at your place? Just some of the phrases of modern life. What if your phone could help you find all these little things that you frequently misplace?

Enter TrackR Bravo.

The TrackR Bravo is like those little tracing bugs shown in most spy movies. It's about the size of a quarter and runs off Bluetooth. The tag uses Bluetooth LE 4.0 which supposedly has a 100ft range but realistically I'd give it the regular 30ft range. TrackR is meant to find things that are just lying around but can't be found. Like keys that have fallen between couch cushions or the remote that's under a desk.

Now for the real-world evaluation: The tags work. For the most part, I'd say accuracy is down to a building/house level. So if you think you left your bag at a friend's house, TrackR will probably show the locator pin on your friend's house, but not the exact room you left it in. When you get to your friend's house and the app can actually connect to the tag (a meter will show that it's connected) you can trigger the tag to 'chirp' so you can locate it. The 'chirp' is very weak. It's not a loud alarm in any way. You could probably use it inside a library and not really disturb anyone.

The tags are not meant to be a primary device to remember where everything is, but more like an assistant that can kinda-sorta remember where you left your item last. TrackR gives a general map location of where it last logged your tags. Sometimes, it doesn't log tags for a few hours, but for the most part, it keeps a decent log of where my items are. As far as TrackR says, their app can keep track of up to 10 tags.

The app works like a relay beacon, relaying information for ALL TrackR tags that it can detect. No one else can see your tags, but everyone with the app helps your app locate your tags. So the more people use the app (they don't need to have a tag, just install the app) the easier it will be to find your items.

Battery life is about 5-6 months, and that shortens to about 3-4 months during winter when the tag is exposed to colder temperatures. TrackR Bravo uses CR2016 coin batteries. Cheap enough to get from TrackR directly with their battery program or in bulk.

The tags are NOT environmentally sealed so do not get them wet, or leave them outdoors. TrackR does sell a silicone sleeve to help protect against rain but it doesn't make the tags waterproof.

Are they worth it? At the single-piece retail price of $30, I would hesitantly say yes, but it is on the pricey side. But they do have frequent discounts for several tags that can bring the price down to makes it a lot easier to justify the shortcomings of the product. The more people use the app, the better the product performs. Use one on your pet's collar for a cheap locator tag. Place one on your car keys. Hide one inside your car and have a cheap lo-jack or parking reminder. Place one inside your luggage and you'll be able to tell when it's about to come out of the carousel. And if you're on a smaller plane, you can even tell if your luggage is in the cargo hold. At about $12 per tag at their Buy 4 Get 6 Free promo, it's well worth it and a neat gift to give friends.

Sony SmartWatch Update

Sony's SmartWatch just got an update! The latest update cleans up the UI and adds new clocks to choose from!

I think this is long overdue. I use my SmartWatch quite often, and I prefer the look of an analog watch. The old clock stayed on, and drained the watch battery in less than a day. The battery-efficient digital watch would extend the battery life to 3-4 days, but I wasn't fond of the style.

The new clocks offer a good compromise, and my current setting is the Motion clock which turns the watch on when you flip it towards you, and shuts it off just a few seconds after.

Update it through Sony's SmartWatch app on your Android phone.

The Language of Today

This should be standard in all schools. Around the World.

Robot Wars for Kids! (Start 'Em Young)

I Wanted a Phone to Match my Macbook Pro, So I Got A Sony.

Let me begin by saying, this was a reluctant upgrade. I liked my Xperia ray, it was no speedy performer even back then, but I could tolerate the so-so performance given the size advantage and design of the phone. But with ICS installed, and all the new apps coming in, the 1GHz CPU and 512MB RAM started feeling very sluggish. (For those that don't really run multiple background apps 24/7, and hate the larger phones, the ray is still a decent phone) I needed something current.. but small..er than the 4.5"-5" phablets that are slowly becoming the norm.

My daily machine is a 13" Macbook Pro. I love the simplicity of the design, and the feel of the aluminum shell. So naturally, I wanted a phone that matched this design ethos. Which drew me to my last phone, the Xperia ray, which had an aluminum frame and was decent performing Android. Now, the Xperia P matches my Macbook Pro perfectly, but how does it perform?

This is an initial review for those looking at a decent mid-level upgrade. That being said, I'm saddened to see the lack of high performance smartphones with smaller screens. A 4" screen seems to be the smallest you can go on a mid-level model right now, and anything smaller is considered "entry-level" and usually lacks a lot of current day tech (NFC, HDMI, etc). The Xperia P falls in the mid-level category, with a price to match. (Should be approx US$350 unlocked from official Sony stores) Had Sony made a newer equivalent of the ray with more RAM and a better CPU, but the same size and design cues, that actually would've been my preferred choice. But alas, the market demands larger screens, and larger phones. So here we go...

First the run down. The specs are decent, but not jaw-dropping. There are many phones out there that out-class the P with brute-force. But if there's anything I've learned over the years, specs don't always matter.

The specs most people want to know are:

1 GHz Dual-Core CPU

1 GB RAM

16 GB Built-in memory

No SD Card Slot

Built-in 1350mAh Battery

4" qHD display (960 x 540) w/ Sony's "White Magic" technology

Micro HDMI port

8 MP AF Camera w/ 1080p HD recording

The Design: The aluminum unibody is just beautiful. Bolted to the internal frame of the phone, it feels solid, and smooth to the touch. The sides of the phone are graced with the speaker, power, volume and camera keys on one side, and the Micro USB, Micro HDMI, and SIM card slot on the other. The back has the camera and LED flash, while the top has the standard 3.5mm headphone jack. On the lower part, is Sony's love-it-or-hate-it (I love it) transparent light band which houses the 3 Android keys (Back, Home, Menu) and connects to the antenna section at the bottom (yes folks, there's something in that lower part not just an aesthetic piece) The front is jet black for all models (black, silver, red) with the antenna section retaining the unit color (this is a painted plastic cap) below the touch-sensitive function buttons.

The Screen: A 4" LCD powered by Sony's "White Magic" technology and Mobile Bravia Engine. The idea behind Sony's White Magic is that the screen contains an extra white pixel that boosts over-all brightness when needed like under direct sunlight, or offers power-savings by being able to lower backlight brightness without making the screen too dim. In practice, it works quite well! The auto-brightness is probably the best I've seen with extremely quick adjustments and very gradual changes, it allowed me to get rid of the auto screen dimming app I had in my ray.

The Camera: Sony's Exmor R sensor, and an aperture of f2.4 seem to be pretty standard across Sony's line. The Xperia P comes with an 8 megapixel version and is nicely recessed within the rear aluminum shell. This gives excellent low-light shots and very quick standby-to-shot time. Sony calls is Quick Launch where the phone goes to a special Camera-only mode when you hold down the shutter key when in stand-by mode. This is pretty handy coming from a phone that didn't have a dedicated shutter key. The whole screen-on-swipe-to-enable-camera was just too slow. There are 2 modes it can function in, one opens the camera app, while the other opens the camera, focuses, then takes a shot as quickly as possible. The latter mode isn't very good and more often takes blurry shots... use the first one to launch the app, then take the picture after.

The Audio: First the good news. The Xperia P comes with Sony's Official Walkman app. This has much better controls than previous Xperia models. Clear Bass, 5 band EQ, and Surround modes are all present and are quite decent in their features. The interface is clean and intuitive, and overall user experience is very pleasant. Now the bad news, internal speaker is quite weak. Weaker than the ray, which was in turn, weaker than the X10 Mini Pro. XLoud, a feature that enhances the external speaker's loudness works, but it makes the speaker louder but a metallic. Unlike the Xperia ray, I recommend leaving XLoud off for the Xperia P. The only good thing about the design of the external speaker is that it's on the side of the phone (instead of at the back like most Sony models). Some people find this weird, but it makes more sense since placing the phone face up usually blocks the external speaker. Having it on the side minimizes chances of it being blocked by a desk, or seat cushion. In real-World use, I have an easier time hearing the P over the ray due to this design call.

The Interface: Sony's UX Homescreen has matured over the years. It's a lot smoother and has better integration with Android 4.0. Timescape however, no longer has SMS and Calls as options. Perhaps users only used Timescape for social networks. Not a deal-breaker. The weather app is quite strange, there are several major cities and capitals missing. Although the timezones are complete, people unfamiliar with one city, aren't presented with alternates within the same time zone. My personal picks for a homescreen is Apex. Others use Nova, or Launcher Pro. But certain Sony widgets only work with Sony's UX. The Timescape, Walkman, Calendar and weather widgets are only available in the default homescreen. Top Contacts is usable with other launchers. Out of the box, Sony's launcher is very nice. For those looking for more control and customization options, there are tons of other options available in Google Play.

The Initial Verdict: A big step forward from the Xperia ray. The dual core CPU and 1GB RAM make a huge performance difference. For those that may complain about the lack of an SD card slot, take note, SD cards are a lot slower than the built in memory. App performance is very good as is HD video recording, multi-tasking, and video playback. The White Magic screen performs as advertised (there is a slight yellow tinge but this is only apparent in an A-B comparison and is negligible). Battery life is almost 2x that of my Xperia ray despite the smaller battery capacity which makes me believe that the screen is delivering the power savings it has promised as well. A competent mid-level phone with an excellent screen and beautiful aluminum unibody design. A phone that gives you tech that you can actually use on a daily basis, nothing more.

For the curious, my next entries will deal with the nitty gritty details: NFC, camera tests, video playback, and HDMI output.

App Of The Day - Glympse

"WRU?"

"How do I get there?"

"Am I going the right way?"

"Where are we all meeting?"

Sound familiar? Usual messages we send or receive when meeting up with colleagues, friends, or family (or clingy girlfriends/spouses? hahahaha). But sometimes, it's not very safe or convenient to text or message a location. And some tracking services aren't very good, don't offer a lot of privacy, and worst of all require the creation of an account and everyone you want to give your location to, to sign up as well. So why bother with GPS tracking apps?

Well, there are some very valid reasons to allow certain people to track you. Safety, navigation, travel logs just to name a few. But you don't want to leave this open to the public, nor do you want certain people to track you anytime THEY want. Give them a glimpse of where you are, using Glympse!

This is an app designed to give your GPS location and movement to a specific person (or persons) for a specific amount of time.

In use, it's quite practical for out of town trips, and safety.

I'm part of a car club, and we frequently go on out of town trips. Meet up points are useful but sometimes, others may be late or just choose to follow. What happens if someone doesn't know the way? Sending a Glympse to that person allows the app to create a route to your location. No need to input a destination, just click on the link and a route to that person is calculated automatically.

Alternately, it will allow that person to send you their location, so you can track their movements and verify that they are going in the right direction or are on the right track. "Am I going the right way? Or did I already pass it?"

It's also quite useful for travel safety. Specially in unfamiliar areas, you may want to send a Glympse to a friend or relative so they will know exactly where you are should you need help or if it's critical for people to find you. Like if you're on a long road trip, and your car breaks down or need to be fetched, having sent a link to someone before you head out will make it easier for help to find you.

It's quite an efficient app as well, people you send your location to do not need to have the app, just an email address and web browser. If they have the app, it just allows more options, but isn't critical to receive your location. It doesn't drain your battery much, nor does it chew up that much data so don't worry so much about long trips.

Give it a try! Available for Android, iOS, WP7 or BB!

**Disclaimer, this blog does not take ANY responsibility for the impact this app will have on your relationships! Hahahaha! Use at your own risk!**

Keep the Gloves On!

Sony Xperia Sola users will get a cool new "Glove Mode" with their upcoming ICS update! Considering I tested out the REALLY EXPENSIVE Ralph Lauren Touch gloves which sucked... this is gonna be a welcome feature this coming winter!

iPhone 5 Phever

Now that Apple has announced the iPhone 5, I think the official keynote & presentation was kinda blah. I think this is how Apple should've launched the iPhone 5. Hehehehehe! ENJOY!

Google Doodle: Star Trek 46th Anniversary

Check out Google's highly interactive Start Trek Doodle!

Click here for all of Google's previous Doodles.

App of the Day: Philippine Shipping Mobile Apps

If you love to shop online like I do, or just need to send packages to your friends or family in the provinces, package tracking is quite essential. Up until recently in the Philippines, these had to be done on a desktop web browser. Mobile apps are far more convenient to use and usually more reliable.

Thankfully, Air 21 and LBC have free mobile apps that offer live tracking and other shipping tools for your convenience. Containing tools and information such as rate calculators and branch locations, it gives customers easy access to the most useful logistic services.

Both apps are quite easy to use. Simply enter the airway bill number and you get a detailed report of the location of your package. While rate calculators are usually accurate, if you have an odd sized package or a very heavy one, it's still best to give the company a call to get a better estimate on shipping costs.

For int'l packages, FedEx and DHL have their own respective apps as well. UPS only has an app for iOS (Boo!)

Links to download the free apps are here:

Air 21 Android

Air 21 iOS

LBC Android

LBC iOS

**disclaimer: I'm affiliated with Air21 and FedEx Philippines and was asked to review their app and its functions**

PARTY(cle) TIME! (Higgs Boson News)

The scientific community is all excited about the most recent development in the search for the Higgs boson particle.

To celebrate this historic moment, I've collected a few links and videos related to the Higgs-boson particle.

Wikipedia on Higgs boson

Wikipedia on Peter Higgs

BBC News on the Higgs-boson-like particle discovery at LHC

Scientific American on Higgs boson and String Theory

Meanwhile, composer Domenico Vicinanza has written musical scores based on the data graph from CERN to come up with a musical piece on what quarks may sound like.

But not everyone is over-joyed.

Professor Stephen Hawking apparently lost a $100 bet on the discovery of the HBP. Tsk tsk tsk...

And of course, a final word on the Higgs boson from my favorite theoretical physicist, Dr. Sheldon Cooper.

Watch Out! (A Sony SmartWatch Review)

When you just absolutely need to have your Facebook & Twitter feed ASAP and taking out your phone from your pocket wastes too much time... This is the SmartWatch by Sony (Ericsson). SonyEricsson had 3 versions before this one. The first 2 versions were regular analog watches with small displays at the bottom that indicated incoming calls or texts. The 3rd generation, LiveView, had a color display and touch sensitive buttons (not a touchscreen).

The new incarnation is a bit more mature, and packs more features in a tiny display. In it's basic watch mode, it offers 3 time-keeping modes, Default Digital, Always-on Digital, and Always-on Analog. My preferred mode is the analog. I just feel it looks sleeker than the digital counterparts, but that's just me. Although the default version saves a lot of battery life, I'm not too fond of the look. You may download alternate clocks, but none of them replace the built-in ones, so they actually are apps that run parallel to the default clock. Until Sony allows addition clock replacements, I'll stick with their built-in ones for now. Battery life in this mode is approx 1.5 days.

Now onto the apps. Out of the box, nothing comes preinstalled, you have to first pair your phone with the watch. Quite an easy task. Just enter your Bluetooth settings on your Xperia phone, and search for a new device. Turn on the watch and the pairing automatically begins. To activate the watch however, your phone must be online as it will connect with the Google Play servers to update the watch software and search for compatible apps.

There are currently only a few apps out for the SmartWatch but it seems to be growing quite quickly for such a niche device. The essentials are provided for by Sony, mainly: Gmail, Calls, Calendar, Messages, Facebook, Twitter, & Weather. The other apps available are extensions for Google Maps, Universal IMs, Camera apps, and a few GPS ones.

I ended up installing so many apps, that the watch kept buzzing for every single thing I had on my phone. Trimming down to the most frequently needed alerts improves the effectivity of the SmartWatch all together. I've personally got mine down to just calls, SMS, only calendar events with reminders, and only a few people on Facebook. Everything else isn't as time-critical.

So far, I'm finding this little toy to be more useful than I had thought. I had bought it thinking it would just be a fun gimmick, but I'm actually liking the way it functions!

***March 14, 2013 Firmware update adds new clock faces!***

Singapore Electronics Bazaar 2012

Heading to the Singapore Expo Food & Electronics Bazaar.

(Food and gadgets, how can you go wrong!??!?!)

Will be blogging about my findings there... stay tuned!

Life Begins at 4.0 - Xperia ray Ice Cream Sandwich Update Part 1

A couple of weeks ago, the official Android 4.0 (codename: Ice Cream Sandwich) update for my Xperia ray was released. This was a promise by Sony Ericsson (now Sony Mobile) that all 2011 models (Xperia ray, mini, mini pro, neo, neo v, active, and arc) would all be getting an official ICS update.

How do I update my phone? Don't worry, it's easier than you think. I'm on a Mac, so my screenshots will be showing Sony Bridge for Mac (update your Bridge software, it should already say Sony Bridge, not Sony Ericsson Bridge) For those running Windows, the Companion Software does the same thing, the process is similar, even though the screenshots are different.

First, place your phone in Media Transfer Mode (MTP). You can find this in your phone's SETTINGS Menu under Xperia > Connectivity. Don't worry if you started the update without doing this, your phone will give you the chance to do it later on, this just eliminates the extra step.

Next, plug your phone into your computer using the supplied USB cable. Then start Sony Bridge for Mac (or Sony Mobile PC Companion for PC users)

A pop up screen saying that there is new software available for your phone will appear. Click on Update to start. A webpage will open on Sony Mobile's site stating the new features and other information on upgrading to 4.0, you don't really have to read this and can close it to begin the update.

That's it! Wait for the update to download and install. The whole process should take about 30 min depending on your internet connection.

When the update is done, unplug your phone and turn it on. It will take about a minute for the screen to even come on, this is normal for any major Android software update.

When the screen first turns on, you will see the SONY logo, replacing the Sony Ericsson one on your 2011 phone. Then the boot up. Congratulations! You're now using Android 4.0! In the next entry, a review on the big changes in 4.0

Can't Touch This... Coming Soon - Sony Xperia sola

Touchscreen? That's so last century! Well, almost. Seeing as how touchscreens are now almost standard, and developers are trying to make bets on the next big interface it's only natural to start seeing new ways to interact with your mobile device.

Apple has brought voice command into the spotlight with Siri.

Others are trying for motion based controls.

Sony Ericsson Mobile has introduced a new twist on the touchscreen called "floating touch" (Such a catchy name) in their new Xperia sola.

Adding to the regular gestures of touch screen technology, floating touch introduces a "hover" mode. Much like moving the mouse around before clicking, it allows you to see exactly which link/button/key you're about to press before actually pressing it. Touch is still required to register a click/tap.

Coming soon!

Happy Geeky Valentine's Day Everyone!

Enter the following in Google!

(sqrt(cos(x))*cos(400*x)+sqrt (abs(x))-0.4)*(4-x*x)^0.1

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

The video below, was Google's V-Day Doodle... enjoy!

Online Parenting v1.0

For parents that can't seem to connect to their kids and all this "Facebook/Twitter cr*p"... here's how one parent dealt with his kid. Sit back and enjoy...

Visit Tommy Jordan's Facebook page here. 

Ever need to text someone while swimming? (Liquipel)

Ever jump into a lake or a pool and forget your iPhone was in your pocket?

Ever have your phone fall into a toilet?

Ever think... "gee, I really need to call ________." while you're in the shower?

It's just so frustrating when your gadgets can't handle a little water right?  Well, no more!

Introducing... LIQUIPEL!!!

It's NOT a case.  It's a coating.

Ok, seriously, this has got to be one of the coolest non-gadget, gadget-related products out.  What they do is, they take your existing gadget (currently a limited line-up), place it in a small chamber and coat it with their water-repellant coating. I just wish there was some way to have this done here in the Philippines without going to the US. 

Happy Geeky Halloween!

To all my readers, Happy Halloween!

For those geeky enough to know the reference... 

I'm NOT a zebra! ;)

For those that don't click here.

Thank You! Salamat! Merci Beaucoup! Vielen Dank!

I was very happy when my blog reached it's first 1000 pageviews per month.

I was very happy when it reached it's first 1000 visitors per month.

I'm now happy again to see that number almost double in all aspects since last month! :)

To the 700 new visitors to my blog, and the 200 new regulars...

Salamat!

Thank you!

Merci beaucoup!

Vielen Dank!

बहुत धन्यवाद!

Stort Tack!

Hartelijk dank!