Winning In Your Wallet

I, like many others, pre-ordered a Coin card when it first came on the scene back in November of 2013. I was intrigued by the technology behind it, excited by the idea of only carrying one credit card since it can store up to 8 credit, debit, loyalty and gift cards, and overall really curious. I referred it to a bunch of friends, and even got my initial costs down using their referral program. I've done the backer program before and have understood that while some products take longer than expected to come to market, like the Equiso Android Smart TV stick, which took about 6 months longer than initial projections, some other products, like the Ringbow, don't make it to market at all.

And this is a risk you take as an early adopter.

So that is where I stand right now with Coin. Since I wasn't one of the lucky ones (15,000 ones to be exact) to be a Coin Beta tester, I fully believe that I will receive one eventually. The latest blog post on their website from December 9th, 2014, says that they are now expecting to ship to the general population in Spring of 2015.

But the questions I ask myself now is do I really want it? Will I really use it? Is it really better than any of the other options that are coming to the surface now? As many of you know, I'm an Android guy, though not and iPhone Hater, there are already a number of options to pay for things directly from my phone using NFC technology, such as Soft Card (the artist formerly known as ISIS, and changed appropriately) and Google Wallet. I've had both installed for quite some time and haven't really used it. The reason for that is mostly because of a lack of available merchants and POS (Point-of-Sale) devices available that accept the technology. This will most likely change in the near future since Apple introduced Apply Pay with the latest iteration of iPhone in iPhone 6 and 6+. The benefits of a real physical card is the ability, or expected ability to use at an ATM or pay at every merchant using a standard credit card reader, and not have to rely on NFC.

Now there are direct competitors with Coin just to heat up the marketplace. Plastc surfaced in October of 2014 and now another popped up last month called Swyp. Plastc can hold up to 20 cards (who uses 20 cards that doesn't have a huge credit problem??), though it has a hefty price tag of $155, Swyp can hold up to 25 cards but is more affordable at an introductory pre-order price of $49. Plastc uses an e-ink display has has chip and PIN technology for more security. Swyp is made of metal, feels more durable and also has Chip and PIN.

There are definitely pluses and minuses to each type so if you haven't jumped on board the Coin yet, maybe hold out to see which one works the best in the real world.

I'll post back once (if) I get my Coin.

- Yak

Why I'm Not Switching to the Note 4

It has been a little over a year since I received my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 on Black Friday 2013, and I've loved everything about it. The phone is light, easy to manipulate and comfortable in the hand. And that all is with a bulky, yet very helpful case, made by Spigen.

The large display is bright, sharp, clear and great for videos, which was one of the main reasons that I wanted a larger phone. I have been stopped multiple times and asked what phone I have, as people have seen me watching videos and movies on this great display, so I'm not the only one who feels this way.

I like the Multi Window, though I wish I'd use it more. If only there was a way to get the keyboard to float on top and not completely block your bottom screen so you text and tweet at the same time. You really can if you make the windows really small, but it is not really functional if you wanted to watch a video and text at the same time. I haven't really found a way to make that all happen at once, so suggestions are more than welcome in the comments below.

The battery life is great. It can last a full day, even with videos, games and social apps constantly on. If I anticipate a very heavy usage day, like a car trip, plane ride or one where I know I won't have access to a charger, I'll bring along one of these spare batteries that I like to keep handy, but it is extremely rare that I've had to switch to a spare. The battery itself gets a full charge in a few hours, so no complaints there.

Remember those old Palm Pilots with a stylus and graffiti pad? All Note phones have been built with a stylus since the inception of the original Note, and the Note 3 style comes with an action click, but more on that in a minute. Not only can you write anywhere on the screen with the action memo or screen write capture, but I recently found out that you can use graffiti typing instead of Google Keyboard tapping or Swype (factory installed!). I take a lot of notes on my phone, so the stylus is great for that as well with the Action Memo.

This isn't really meant to be a post about the Note 3, but more about why I don't need the Note 4. I have seen it first-hand, and while there are many differences and enhancements, I haven't found anything really lacking on my Note 3. The phone hasn't lagged, I haven't run out of space from the 32GB that are factory installed and overall a great phone. One of the best things that I've seen on any phone so far is the ability to hide all of the bloatware that both Verizon and Samsung load up on the phone, so I don't even know it is there anymore.

After having a phone with such a large display, the only thing I would even consider upgrading to is the Note 4, but I'm not due for an upgrade now anyways, so I have no reason to think about it. And with my long list of past devices, I'm usually itching for a new one after 6 months, let alone a whole year, and yet I don't feel the need for an upgrade. Those who follow this blog know my feelings for Apple Devices, as I'm Not a Hater so the iPhone 6 Plus holds no appeal to me. It looks pretty, but that's about all it is good for to me.

- Yak

The Future Has Arrived - HUVr

A little over 2 years ago, I found an article about the making of the Back to the Future II Hoverboard.I wrote a little bit about it, which you can read here: Great Scott!!. Since that time, the company known as HUVr has done it.  They've created a real life Hoverboard that works.  You can actually watch the video demonstration with real people trying it out, like Tony Hawk, Terrel Owens, just a few weeks ago.

They have indicated on their website, http://huvrtech.com/ that their release to the general population will happen in just 10 months. That means this year, not the originally anticipated and indicated 2015.  I don't believe this is being made by Mattel either. 

So, well done HUVr.  I can't wait to try it out myself, maybe, one day.  I even like the parallax website design, but that's the business side of me talking.

- Yak

Battle of the Smart TV

Infinitec vs Equiso: Battle of the Smart TV

For a while now, I've been looking into getting a home PC.  You can read about another option I looked into, in my post called To PC or Not To PC.  I was looking for something small, compact and one that won't take up too much room.  A nice feature would be to be able to use my existing 47" TV as the monitor.  Well, I found two options new. Infinitec Pocket TV and Equiso Smart TV.

As evident from most of the posts in my blog, especially I'm Not A Hater, I'm an Android guy.  What this device does is it turns your TV into an Android device, and all its glory.  It runs Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, and they both say they will continue to update the operating system as new versions come out, such as Jelly Bean 4.1.  This is the best part for me.  If this is something that I want for my home, I'd want my kids to be able to use it.  Since every device we have right now is Android based, my kids already know how to navigate the different versions, from Gingerbread 2.3 on the cell phones, to Honeycomb 3.0 on my wife's Dell Streak 7 tablet, to Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 on my Motorola Xoom.  As useful as learning a Windows based operating system will be in the long run for my kids, they don't need it now.  They'll start learning computers in school soon enough.  Let them enjoy what they already know at home.

Infinitec Pocket TV

Equiso Smart TV

So, which one should I get? Infinitec or Equiso?  The actual devices are small, about the size of a big USB flash drive. They connect to any TV with an HDMI port, and assuming your TV doesn't have the ability to provide power through that port (MHL for all of you looking for tech specifics), a MicroUSB cable and power adapter are provided.   From a hardware standpoint, they are almost identical, aside from a slightly older processor in the Equiso.  But from the Equiso Kickstarter comments, the older processor will actually be faster and not get as hot. Infinitec has 4GB of internal storage, while the Equiso has 8GB, for storing movies, TV shows, pictures, etc.  Both have WiFi and Bluetooth available.

Infinitec IR Remote & Air Remote

Then we get to the Remote/Keyboard.  The Infinitec gives you two remote options.  The standard IR Remote controls your TV with up/down/side arrows and several of buttons. Not much in terms of interaction,  For an additional cost, you can get the Air Remote.  This gives you a full QWERTY keyboard with a gyroscopic sensor for a full interactive experience, so you can move the remote like you would a Wii or PS3 controller. It is also pretty compact, with small, tightly squeezing the buttons into the space. 

Two Sides of the Equiso Remote

The Equiso ships with one option, a two sided controller, that combines the Infinitec's IR Remote and Air Remote into one. One one side is the arrow keys, home, back and a few other buttons.  Flipping the remote over gives you a fuller, more expanded QWERTY keyboard, that looks easier to hold.  It also has the gyroscopic sensor so acts like a Wii controller as well.  It senses which side is up so you can't hit a key on the bottom side accidentally while holding it. This would definitely be my choice.

Now to the price tags.  Both are Kickstarter projects.  The Infinitec was funded on July 10th, overshooting its pledge goal by more than of $400,000, so they don't need my money.  The $119 pledge option is sold out, but you can still get the Pocket TV and Air Remote for a pledge of $135, and a choice of colors from black, White or red.  I wouldn't recommend anything less, because the smaller pledges come with the IR remote only, which is pretty much useless. Equiso is still short of its goal, with the project looking to be funded by July 28th.  With a pledge of $99, you can get the Smart TV Pro (1GB RAM instead of Original which only has 512MB RAM), with the double sided remote.  If I wanted to spend what I'd have to spend on the Infinitec, I could get TWO of the Equiso's.  

Equiso Smart TV

Either way, Smart TV's are the next wave (Not Google Wave. That was a complete flop, but I digress.) of home entertainment and technology, and this is a much more economical way of getting it, rather than buying a new TV with the Smart technology included.  So this just became an easier choice.  I hope you all agree.  If not, let me know what you think in the comments below.

Personally, I'm going for the Equiso Smart TV.  I'll write a full review once I get my hands on it.  Estimated deliver is October 2012.  I'm not sure I can really wait that long, but I guess I don't have much of a choice now, do I...

- Yak

UPDATE: When I wrote this post at the end of last week, Equiso was still about $15,000 short of its goal.  It has since surpassed the $100K mark, with just over $120K and it is still climbing.  Lets keep it going.