Apple iPhone 4G Metal Black Middle Cover Case Housing Bezel Frame Panel with Side Button (Wireless Phone Accessory) newly tagged "iphone"

via iphone: Newly tagged products at Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Apple-iPhone-Middle-Housing-Button/dp/B005Q63S1G/ref=tag_rsn_rs_edpp_url?ie=UTF8&creative=381421&tag=mathesblog-20

GoPro HERO3+: Black Edition

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Be aware when purchasing that there are some aspects to the new "improved" lens that may not be for everyone. This week it has been fairly well documented (and confirmed by GoPro) that while the new lens produces much sharper images under 4', they are blurrier at distances greater than 4'. It does NOT focus at infinity. For reasons not fully explained, they moved the focal point of the lens in close and sacrificed distance clarity.



Update at bottom.



You will get great shots under 4' and soft focus beyond that. Depending on what you want it for, this camera may not be for you and the regular H3 might be a better bet. Since this is an effect of the lens it applies to both stills and video. On the other hand, it's still a decent small action camera, and if you take a lot of video in motion you may not notice this at all. For YouTube uploads and streaming it may not matter, I haven't tested this myself. If you want better clarity in your images the 3B is a good choice. I personally will play with it this week before deciding if I should return it. (Update: it's going back.)



It boggles the mind that they have produced a camera that claims to have a better lens and ignored the fact that it is in fact worse for 90% of what you'll be filming. Great clarity on your handlebars but not so good on the scenery.



Edit: other pluses- the color is much better with the 3+ than the 3. Low light shooting is also better, although sometimes lens flare from lights is a little worse, sometimes better. No more chromatic aberration (yellow/purple fringing). Just do some reading before buying this, they made some trade-offs in the new lens.



Updated 10/17:



Well after comparing the two (3+B and 3B) this week, there are some more problems that have had me downgrade this to a 3 star. For one, the right and left sides of the images on the 3+ are smeared. I mean really distorted, and I'm not using SuperView. Additionally the contrast seems to be set too high, causing some loss of detail in the shadows and blowing out whites a bit. This at least is changeable with a firmware update if they choose to do so. The blurry edges put me over the edge and I'm returning it. It's too bad, it's almost a great camera, with some nice improvements, but the lens is a definite problem, and not necessarily an improvement... certainly not 33% sharper.



via Amazon Best Seller V2 copy copy http://www.amazon.com/GoPro-CHDHX-302-HERO3-Black-Edition/dp/B00F3F0GLU/ref=pd_zg_rss_ts_p_photo_4

Pix-Star PXT510WR02 10.4 Inch FotoConnect XD Digital Picture Frame with Wi-Fi, Email, UPnP-Black

CUSTOMER REVIEW



This photo frame lives up to its billing. We bought this photo frame for my Mom, who is very non-technical (does not "do the Internet thing"). We have a large family and I really wanted a way for my brothers and sisters to share photos with her. Initial setup was intuitive and easy, using the included remote control, and took less than 5 minutes. Unlike the Kodak WIFI photo frame, which I also own, NO software is installed on your computer - it's all online, and free. It took maybe another 5 minutes to navigate the website and register the frame. Within 15 minutes of opening the box I was sending photos from my phone (which is not a smartphone).



Here's how their website works: Each Photo Frame has its own unique serial number. You create an email address, type in the serial number, and after about 30 seconds or so you'll see the photo frame has displayed that email address at the bottom of the screen. Now just share that email address to family and friends and - voila! - they can use Gmail, Yahoo mail, smart phones, or dumb phones to email pictures instantly to the frame. So far (one week), the website and downloads have worked with no glitches. The website online FAQs and learning videos, however, are pretty poor.



You can also link to lots external photo-sharing services and Facebook photos, but that takes a bit more tech savvy and work. Oh: and if people get out of control, you can either whitelist or blacklist email senders. I can go online anytime and see all the pics on the frame, delete any or all pics, or directly download new ones. My Mom can do the same with her remote control. Just today I went online and saw my brother copied 5 pictures to the Frame via his USB stick.



Cosmetically, the Frame's not much to look at, with a rather unimpressive black plastic frame. The Kodak frame looks much nicer. But the brightness and contrast, color and viewing angle are all Good, in my opinion. It won't display video. You can also stream internet radio, display the current weather, the current date and time and do other silly things which come under the heading of "Look What I Can Do".



Confession: I am an IT professional, so maybe it was a bit easier for me. BUT: I know well-designed, user-friendly software, and it's part of my job to choose, purchase and deploy software that non-technical people will actually use. The PIX-Star people did a good job with this.



via Amazon Best Seller V2 copy copy http://www.amazon.com/Pix-Star-PXT510WR02-FotoConnect-Digital-UPnP-Black/dp/B0056HNTAU/ref=pd_zg_rss_ts_p_photo_5

GoPro HERO3: White Edition

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Gopro Hero 3 Black: Purchase date: March 7, 2013. This is a long review, but I have addressed some technical issues here that may assist you if you have bought a Gopro Hero 3, or if you plan to. I have put mine through its paces for nearly 2 weeks before posting this.



The first thing you must do is update the firmware manually. After several attempts with the automatic process, my Gopro -and many others I suspect- failed to update, and it was never at all apparent that the process failed. After several days of use, the camera began to malfunction. If you don't get your firmware updated successfully, you are guaranteed to have major problems.

Here is a quick guide on how to manually update your firmware: (If you have a Mac, or are not computer-savvy, check online for more detailed instructions. Lawrence M. Friedman posted a comprehensive how-to on Gethypoxic.)

1. Jot down your serial number (both lines) from inside the battery port. Insert a Class 10 micro SD, battery, and take a picture to ensure your card is good. Ensure WiFi is off, and charge your camera to 2 bars if necessary. (Steps 1-5 on the update instructions at GoPro.com.) At this point, do not connect your Gopro to your PC.

2. Instead, download the update files from Gopro.com onto your PC. To do this, follow the prompts for 'manual update.' Complete the registration fields.

3. Connect the camera to your PC & power up. Open your Gopro drive, then move the update files from your PC onto your Gopro. DO NOT put the files into either folder (DCIM or Misc), just place the files next to those folders (root).

4. Disconnect your GoPro from your PC, then turn it back on. This should initiate the update process.

IMPORTANT: Now pay attention to your Gopro LCD display. During the process, look for the message on your LCD that reads 'updating.' Your front LED light will flash intermittently. You will soon see a progress percentage on your LCD and the blue WiFi light will turn on. Make sure your progress climbs to 100%, then your camera will shut itself off.



If you do not observe your camera behaving as I described, the update did not work and you will have to try again. If the process fails, do not expect to receive an 'Update Failed' message as Gopro claims. The firmware issue is causing huge problems for many users; largely because they believe that they successfully installed the new firmware, but the process actually failed.



After my firmware was updated successfully, I have not experienced any of the major failures that many users have reported. My battery does not drain overnight when turned off as some people have reported. My camera never fails to read its SD card. I started & stopped recording via WiFi repeatedly, and everything worked great. Freezing is the major catastrophic problem common in the negative reviews. I shot video for 45 minutes continuously and never had any lock-up issues during use. I function-tested every option in the menu and never experienced any malfunction, but for one exception.

My camera froze a few times when powering on, requiring a battery rip. I'm not sure what causes this, and it happened only a few times over the past 2 weeks, while I have turned the camera on & off hundreds of times with no issues. Some have theorized that it is related to using the USB charger, or moving files off of the SD card, but I have been unable to determine a common condition that will cause the problem consistently. You can expect to experience this glitch too; it is a very common report on the Gopro forums, and I have friends that have had the same experiences. We are hoping that Gopro will solve this issue with another firmware update. Note: If you are forced to pull the battery, leave it out for at least 60 seconds. Update 7-3-13: After 4 months of heavy use, my Gopro Black is working flawlessly. It has not frozen during use or startup after the latest firmware update (Version 2.39). Some of my friends have experienced occasional freezing, but it's very rare; note: we use our Gopro H3B's on a daily basis.



If you're going to buy a Hero 3, update the firmware manually right out of the box. After that, if you have freezing issues, a defective battery, or buttons that do not work as they should, just take it back to the store for an exchange or refund. Best Buy gives you 15 days. I can't imagine dealing with any customer service trying to fix a lemon. I don't get why anyone even tries. That being said, my remaining criticisms are relatively petty, and are being made against a functional Hero 3 Black. The bottom line is that I love this camera so far. It earns 4 stars.



Be prepared for a fast-draining battery. The 45-minute video I mentioned earlier took my battery from 100% to no bars. However, after the 45-min recording, I was able to shoot an additional 28 minutes on fumes (with no bars showing on my battery gauge) before it died. This battery test was made on the 1080/60 setting, without WiFi or Protune in use.

You will likely need a backup battery plan, such as spares with a wall charger. There is a great kit on Amazon for $29 made by Wasabi, Wasabi Power Battery (2-Pack) and Charger for GoPro HD HERO3 and GoPro AHDBT-201, AHDBT-301 or the Gopro battery Bacpac (which I have never tried). Note: You can swap batteries and your settings will not return to factory defaults. I left my battery out for 5 minutes and it still retained my settings. This is a huge positive for Gopro since I routinely swap out batteries. It would be a real pain to reset my resolution & preferences every time, not to mention the date/clock. I use my Gopro for skydiving, which means my videos are short, and I am never far from an A/C outlet. The battery life on the Hero 3 could pose a challenge for those who venture into the wilderness...or the water. Something to think about. I used a Hero 2 for a year, and the difference in the battery life is noticeable. Note: It took 140 minutes to charge my battery from totally drained to 100%. From the point of no bars to 100%, it took 100 minutes to fully charge. These tests were done with the included USB cable connected to a PC.



My other minor complaints include the lack of a printed manual. I downloaded it from online, then printed the PDF, so I have a 66-page 8.5x11" book. A pocket-sized manual that I can fit in my camera case should be standard issue with a $400 package. This is not too big of a deal because once you learn the system, there are only 6 to 8 pages from the manual that are actually useful.



The panel that covers the charging port is not tethered, so I already know that this little door (14 x 21mm) will eventually get lost. Another issue is that the unit gets hot while recording; but as long as it doesn't do any damage or cause a breakdown, I guess that's just the way it is. A Gopro will not allow itself to overheat; it will shut down automatically if it gets too hot.



When you open up your DCIM folder after recording, you may notice several blank-icon files (type LRV & THM) scattered among your video/picture files. Some computer people call these "mouse droppings." The LRV files can be changed to MP4 and are functional as a mini clip. This is useful for efficient editing projects on slower computers. After setting up your edit, you then replace the LRV with your original HD file. The THM files can be changed to JPG and serve as thumbnails to your photographs. But I just delete all the droppings. I don't fully understand how to exploit them, and they only show up once in a while.



The greatest improvement over the Hero 2 is the new video options available. The 1080p/60fps is my favorite setting. This feature alone is the reason I bought the H3B. The Hero 2 would only shoot 30FPS on 1080. And to my delight, once I selected 1080/60 on my H3B, I found that I can then adjust the FOV within that setting. On the hero 2, your FOV options were very limited depending on your resolution setting. The H3B gives incredible freedom to customize the look of your recordings. Note: The recording versatility on the Black edition is better than on the White or Silver models. The premium price is not just for the remote.



The 4k cinema mode is essentially useless to me. It offers a maximum frame rate of 15 FPS, which resembles a slideshow. The 2.7k offers 30 FPS, and renders incredibly impressive resolution, but you'll be lucky if your computer can play it smoothly. After seeing the excellent results of the 1080p/60FPS videos, I doubt I will ever change that setting except to do super slow-motion, for which I would use 120FPS-- which is only available on 720p resolution. Apparently, there is a plan from GoPro for an upcoming software update that will expand the FOV options on the 720/120FPS mode. Right now it's Wide only. UPDATE 5-7-13: The new firmware update gives more FOV options.



The WiFi remote is definitely cool and handy. It makes it a snap to control your camera after it's mounted. It is simple to set up and operate. But like the camera, the remote battery drains quickly; and the charging cable is proprietary, so you will have to take it with you to charge the remote during downtime. I also installed the GoPro app on my Android smartphone. This allows you to use your phone as a remote. You can see on your phone what the camera sees, even while it's not recording; lots of fun possibilities there.



The camera is noticeably thinner and lighter than the H2. The buttons are easier to activate; they are larger and more sensitive. It also uses a Micro SD card, not the standard SD used by the Hero 2. Because the height & width are unchanged, the casing doors are interchangeable with the Hero 2, and the LCD Bacpac from my H2 is fully functional on the 3; that made my day!



The firmware situation is unfortunate, and Gopro owes a lot of customers a big apology. I myself grew quite frustrated until I was advised to use the manual process. This review was going to be a 1-star profanity-fest, until I figured out the firmware debacle. If you disregarded all reviews of the Hero 3 in which the user failed to update the firmware, I'm sure the overall feedback would be much more positive. Even after my initial troubles, I am still a fan of Gopro. I can live with the power-up freezing glitch for now. For skydiving and short trips, the Hero 3 Black is a great camera. Blue skies!



via Amazon Best Seller V2 copy copy http://www.amazon.com/GoPro-CHDHE-301-HERO3-White-Edition/dp/B009TCCTSQ/ref=pd_zg_rss_ts_p_photo_5

Lorex BB3521 LorexBaby Care 'n' Share Baby Monitor with Snap, Store and Share (White)

The CARE 'N' SHARE 3.5" LCD Video Monitor is the latest addition to the Lorex Baby family. Fully equipped with a number of easy-to-use bonus features, this is the ideal surveillance system for parents with new bundles of joy. Smart technology that includes Digital Zoom, Crystal Clear Night Vision, and a Built-In Nightlight allows you to quietly keep tabs on your infant from a distance. Our SNAP 'N' SHARE technology and Remote Connectivity Capability welcome grown-ups to capture digital snapshots of their little ones throughout the day or night.

• SNAP 'N' SHARE Technology. With one easy click on your monitor, capture and store digital snapshots of your sweetheart


• Sleep & Soothe Sounds. Five soothing sounds from nature will lull your darling to sleep through a built-in speaker.


• Crystal Clear Night Vision. Reliable black-and-white video coverage monitors your child's every movement overnight.


• Power Save Mode. To save power, turn the video feed off and listen instead to your baby snoozing peacefully.


• Two-Way Talk. Speak directly to your tot or toddler through the monitor's built-in high sensitivity microphone.


• 
  

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program (What's this?) =========UPDATE 5/3/13=========

So we've been using this pretty regularly and I've decided to drop another star from my rating. Why?



The signal strength is proving to be weaker than first reported. We live in an old (read: poorly insulated) house, so signal obstruction should not be a huge issue, but I have found that I cannot even take the monitor out in the front yard (40 feet from the camera, tops) without the signal cutting out. As if the unreliable signal isn't frustrating enough, the device emits a loud and persistent beeping sound when searching for a signal. This includes when the camera itself is turned off. A highly irritating feature.



If they could improve signal reliability in the next go around, I would be more inclined to award a better rating.



=========ORIGINAL REVIEW=========

The last baby monitor we had offered night vision and color images along with monitoring the ambient room temperature.



This thing just blows it out of the water in terms of...everything really.



Zoom: Really? This is just so cool because if you position the camera right and your kid isn't too squirmy, you can focus in to really see if they're awake or asleep by looking at their eyes and chest movements. Yes.

Sounds: Baby really loves these and they do help her sleep.

Intercom: Our house is pretty small, but it's useful if one of us is in the room checking on the little one and needs something from the other room without having to shout or put baby down.

Night light: Not too bright as to keep our other kid up or light up the room, but it's comforting in a way that's pretty unobtrusive.

Night vision: this is a standard feature on most monitors now. Works fine.



Minor Complaints (star deduction)

Battery life: substantially lower than the 8hrs advertised. We pretty much keep it plugged in at all times when it's in use. Not a big deal really, but I wouldn't go too long between charges.

Temp Sensor: This seems like it would have been easy to make more obvious and we definitely like knowing if the room temp is just right for baby without having to squint to find the number. Even a three color light indicator system could be useful and could have been integrated into this set.

Range: While the mfr claims 450 feet outdoor, the "real" range depends how many walls you are traversing. I took the unit next door to my neighbor's upstairs unit (about 150 feet away) and the signal was spotty at best. Unless you live on a farm, chances are you'll want the true range explained in more meaningful terms. Otherwise, this limitation really would only apply to people who live in large mansions anyway. In which case you've probably got a nanny on standby outside their room anyway.



via Amazon Best Seller V2 copy copy http://www.amazon.com/Lorex-BB3521-LorexBaby-Share-Monitor/dp/B00DDFCF4I/ref=pd_zg_rss_ts_p_photo_2

Nikon COOLPIX S6400 16 MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Zoom and 3-inch LCD (Red)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



The Nikon Coolpix S6400 is very small, measuring 3.8 x 2.4 x 1.1 inches and weighs about 5 ounces. The 12X lens extends from a 35 mm equivalent focal length of 25 mm to 300 mm. The 1/2.3 inch image sensors is typical of digital cameras of this class. Because the sensor's low light performance is proportional to its size (generally, the large the sensor, the better its low light sensitivity), this class of camera performs best where there is ample light.



On the other hand, also because of the small sensor size, it becomes possible to design a zoom lens with greater zoom range without prohibitive physical size or cost. It is amazing that Nikon can squeeze a 12X lens into a case that is just 1.1 inches thick.



The Coolpix S6400 features a touch-sensitive screen that does away with many traditional buttons; only the shutter, movie, play mode, and camera mode buttons are actual physical buttons. A 3-inch screen can be fitted here mainly because of the minimization of real buttons. This also leaves very little space to place your thumb when holding the camera; luckily the camera is very light so it doesn't strain my fingers when taking pictures. I always tie a hand strap between the camera and its case (not included), so that I can hold the case with my left hand while I take picture with my right hand. This is a safety arrangement to make sure that I am less likely to drop my camera to the ground when someone inadvertently bumps into me.



There is another model (S6500) that is identical to the S6400 except that it has an additional Wi-Fi file transfer capability. I bought the S6400 because I don't need this feature and the S6400 has a better bang-for-the-buck.



via Amazon Best Seller V2 copy copy http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-COOLPIX-Digital-Camera-Optical/dp/B00B19JYHO/ref=pd_zg_rss_ts_p_photo_3

Nikon COOLPIX S6400 16 MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Zoom and 3-inch LCD (Silver)

Shoot in style with the slender and portable COOLPIX S6400. From shooting landscapes when travelling to parties with friends, this sleek compact will capture every moment with superb precision and in super high quality. The ultra slim body and touch screen navigation ensures it will slip easily into a pocket, to add a touch of style wherever you go. The COOLPIX S6400 is the perfect compact for the style and technology follower.

• 12x wide-angle to telephoto zoom with Optical Vibration Reduction


• New Smart AF System for optimum focus in every shot


• 16.0-megapixel CMOS sensor for superior low-light performance, fast framing rates, high-definition videos and more


• Full HD (1080p) videos with stereo sound

via Amazon Best Seller V2 copy copy http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-COOLPIX-Digital-Camera-Optical/dp/B00AW2P98E/ref=pd_zg_rss_ts_p_photo_4