It was three years ago that OPPO entered the smartwatch category.

Now the mobile tech company has released an extraordinary feat with their Watch X.

1.43 inch in size the bright, vivid and fully responsive AMOLED screen simply pops with information on your health, your fitness and of course the time of day.

The OPPO Watch X is a supreme wearable but without that elitist price tag.

The strap is a very comfy silicone, although from pictures it almost looks leather.

There’s two tactile buttons to the right of the watch bezel and this will get you into the apps screen as well as fitness programs. To get to your settings and notifications and to customize the screen it’s a series of swipes on the watch face. you can also get a quick view on your health and fitness stats this way as well.

About to take a hearty walk, run a marathon, cycle long distance or take a dip, the OPPO Watch X is ready to join you and is dust resistant,  water resistant to 50m and built for rough and tough regimes.

Built on Google’s WearOS the OPPO Watch X does need OPPOs ‘O Health’ app to fully function.  Trying to connect up with the Wear OS app just doesn’t work.

If you’re using an Android phone the sync up is straightforward.  iOS is of course a little more tricky with varying compromises, but you can connect.

The OPPO Watch X syncs via Bluetooth and while definitely customizable, you can swap out your watch face, add new ones, install apps and set notifications.

The OPPO Watch X has 2GB RAM and 32GB of storage. Plenty of space to add in apps and stream Spotify from.

From sleeping through heart health, general fitness and more, you can set goals on the O Health app which will sync to your Watch X. Feeling stressed, check your status from your wrist.  The best feature of all is the battery life.

OPPO state you can get up to 4 days from a single charge, or 12 days on power saving mode with its 500mAh battery.

On first run I was able to get 2 days max. But on the second full charge it was around 5 days. The length of charge and life in the watch will always depend on your physical movements, amount of calls or other hands free activities you do, brightness settings and other bits during normal or heavy use. A quick 10-15 minute charge will net you around 24 hours use. This is actually very true.

Comparing the OPPO Watch X to their previous model a few years ago, it’s clear to see that OPPO have done a lot of R & D since then.  It’s important to note here that the OPPO Watch X is not LTE. You won’t need a plan, but this also means that the wearable is fully reliant on your phone.

The OPPO Watch X I’ve found to be the most reliable, longest lasting smartwatch I have used in the past couple of years.

Priced to be affordable to all,  the OPPO Watch X puts the power of wearable smarts, fitness coaching, health monitoring and hands free convenience on the wrists of everyone while looking elite at the same time.

The post OPPO Watch X Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Alexa goes Pop!

Right on the doorstep of Xmas 2023 Amazon has released a bite-sized Alexa pod for your home – their Alexa Echo Pop.

Small but mighty on audio, the near to all-speaker smart device comes with Amazon’s AI assistant Alexa built-in, ready to help out with every question you ask, ready to entertain, inform and even sing original songs.

If you’ve already adopted Alexa in to your household you’ll already be familiar with the setup.

But if not, getting your first Alexa device up and running is real easy.

You will need the Amazon Alexa app (Android and iOS).

Once installed you’ll need to get the Alexa Pop sync’d to your app by adding a new device.

Your smartphone or tablet must be connected to your home’s WiFi.

After a few prompts and letting the Alexa app know exactly where in the home it is in, you’re set.

Alexa allows you to integrate your fav music streaming service (Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music and more), stream podcasts, get news and traffic updates and you can get Alexa to learn skills, routines as well as control most other smart devices you have in your home.

The Alexa Echo Pop is mains powered and has three tactile buttons on top for volume and mute. The light bar at the top is that of a notifier that Alexa is listening, connected to WiFi or has a message or update for you.

If you have more than one Alexa in your home, you can group them together for room to room audio playback.

The Amazon Alexa Echo Pop would suit a bedroom, study, gaming room or similar. However given the max volume that the Echo Pop is capable of you could place in a larger lounge and have wall-to-wall audio.

Alexa is my fav AI Assistant… try asking Google Assistant or Siri to yodel.

Built with a sense of humour but always good to go with serious stuff to, Alexa is the ultimate in-home and on the go AI.

Amazon’s Echo Pop is priced just right at under $50 for a festive gift for yourself or someone that could do with a bit of Alexa in their life. And comes in a few colour variations too.

The post Amazon Alexa Echo Pop appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Signify has released details on a new range of Philips Hue smart lighting products and app features, from unique design options to complement home décor and create the perfect ambiance, to more immersive entertainment experiences for gaming and music.

New launches include a striking range of contemporary style, a new gradient lightstrip specifically designed for PC monitors to bring the ultimate light experience to PC gaming and a new Mimic presence automation to the Hue app for more peace of mind when you’re away. To further enhance immersive lighting in terms of gaming and enjoying music, Philips Hue has teamed up with exciting new partners, ensuring an even more seamless experience.

The new Philips Hue Play gradient lightstrip for PC brings the ultimate light experience to PC gaming.

Gradient-enabled lightstrips produce multiple colours of light at the same time, creating a seamless gradient of rich, high-quality light. The colours flow naturally into one another to create a truly captivating effect.

The Play gradient lightstrip for PC flashes, dances, dims, and brightens right along with the on- screen action, creating an immersive gaming experience. The Play gradient lightstrip attaches to the back of your monitor with the included mounts and creates a halo effect when the monitor is placed close to a wall, thanks to the 45 degree sleeve design. The lightstrip’s flexibility means it can be added to straight or curved monitors and comes in three different sizes to equip your battle stations, a 24 / 27-inch lightstrip and a 32 / 34-inch lightstrip for single-monitor setups, and a longer strip designed for a three-monitor setup using 24 / 27-inch screens.

To support your immersive gaming experience, Philips Hue and CORSAIR have teamed up to give you the ultimate gaming setup and bring your gaming to life with light. You can use CORSAIR iCUE to set scenes on Philips Hue lights in your room or gaming space, synchronising with your CORSAIR RGB gaming peripherals to create the perfect gaming atmosphere.

To keep your immersive entertainment setup simple and user-friendly whether gaming or simply watching the TV, the current sync box mobile app will be merged with the Hue app in Q4 2022. The merge of the Philips Hue sync app into the main Hue app means users can start and complete their full entertainment flow, all in one place. The Hue app is the new home for creating entertainment areas, setting up the sync box, controlling the sync box, or enabling features such as voice and IR control for the sync box. The sync mobile app – the separate app that controls the sync box – will be phased out from app stores.

Philips Hue is making syncing lights with music available on even more devices. Now you can immerse yourself in music by syncing your Philips Hue smart lights with your favourite songs on any Samsung Galaxy smartphone with Philips Hue + SmartThings music sync. If you use a Galaxy phone or tablet, use the Music Sync feature in Samsung’s SmartThings app to connect your smart lights. When you update the SmartThings app, SmartThings will enable Hue sync, an easy way to sync your lights and music from most streaming services on your mobile device. Planned for Q4 2022.

The new Philips Hue Mimic presence automation in the Hue app makes it appear like someone’s always home. It’s designed to safeguard your home with light and help give you peace of mind when you’re away. This specialised automation turns your lights on and off automatically at times when you usually use them, and in the Rooms you select. You can select which lights you want to automate, and choose whether to have the lights turn on or off continuously during the daytime or only when it’s dark outside. Available early September 2022.

“At Philips Hue, we believe the continued integration of smart lighting and home entertainment is increasingly relevant to our users, whether they’re gaming, watching TV, or listening to music. With our new products and app features, we continue to offer a more immersive and user-friendly entertainment experience. We also recognise that our users are design-conscious and so we strive to bring them new, exciting, and elegant lighting products that complement their home and give the opportunity to personalise the ambiance,” said Jasper Vervoort, Business Leader Philips Hue at Signify.

Philips Hue Play gradient lightstrip for PC will be available from November 2022.

The post Philips Hue Lights Up PC Gaming appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Particula LTD, smart connected toy specialists and creators of GoCube, are launching their next innovative product, GoDice.

GoDice are a set of smart connected dice that bring the best dice games of all times to the 21st century, with a slick design, premium quality, and a whole new magical playing experience. It brings friends and family (of all ages) to play together, bridging generations, turning screen time into quality time.

The GoDice connect seamlessly to a companion App which features a lobby of fun games for everyone. There are games for family and friends, games for kids, educational games, party games and so much more!

“It’s like the Kindle of Board Games” says Udi Dor, Particula’s CEO, “You can download new board games, new content, fun educational activities with a click of a button. The digital screen becomes a cool innovative board game, with sounds, animations and effects that brings new life, new excitement, and fun techy experience to classic games as well as to new ones.”

The first list of games include: Yatzy, Farkle, Backgammon, Pig, Unlucky Sevens and more. Some of the games include STEAM learning through play, such as maths (for different levels and ages) and trivia games that introduce various subjects through play patterns. Consumers can also expect new games and content to be released periodically as Particula partners with well known games publishers.

For the D&D and RPG players, GoDice also proposes a unique set of D&D shells. These are a set of premium quality polyhedral shapes (e.g., D20), that can be assembled on top of the connected dice, turning the smart standard (d6) dice into the world’s first set of connected D&D dice.

With TPG tools in the GoDice app, as well as API to connect it with existing virtual D&D platforms.

Each dice is equipped with 3D sensors, wireless connectivity, a colourful light system and instant (ten seconds) charging solution that enables two hours of gameplay! The set of dice are stored in a beautiful transparent case that doubles as a charger. The entire product is slick and compact, which makes it also great for travels, carrying a whole bank of games and family activities for all ages in your pocket.

GoDice comes with a set of six dice, carrying case, a charger and a set of accessories.

The post GoDice – classic dice games get new ‘phygital’ life appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Kick it and get yourself moving around the streets in Segway’s newest bad boy on the block, the Segway Ninebot F Series Kick Scooter.

We received the Segway Ninebot F20A which is a budgetly priced full adult size electric scooter that has pretty much all of the bells and whistles of the more pricier models with a super bright white LED headlight and rear red tail light.

A small dashboard gives you the info you need as you glide through the mean streets. Your current speed, charge status and bluetooth connectivity.

The F20A will get you a maximum distance of 20kms going at a max speed of 25kms.

To set up the Segway Ninebot F20A Kick Scooter you’ll first need to pair it with your smartphone after a wee bit of putting together.

The free Segway app (for iOS and Android) will detail your past adventures, how many KMs you’ve traveled and to a point you can work out whether the Segway Ninebot F20A Kick Scooter will last the distance on remaining battery before you leave.

It’s via the app that you can also lock the Scooter. Handy if you’re riding down to the convenience store. Leave it outside for a couple of minutes locked and no one else can take it for a joyride.

Charging time for the non-removable battery is long. Three and a half hours if totally flat. For me using the F20A the battery seemed to drain real quick, the maximum distance I was able to travel on a single full charge though was 22kms on Sport Mode. 2kms over it’s maximum.

You can eek out more lifespan of the battery on Eco mode. There is in fact three speed / power settings, Eco Mode which extends your distance to a further 15km/h while running at a lower speed. Flick this setting on if you’re caught short.

Normal Mode is a balance between speed and battery life. Suitable for daily travel and finally Sport Mode is full tit and will drain the battery quicker.

There is also a built in safety feature.

The Segway Ninebot F20A Kick Scooter will only run via the toggle switch accelerator on the right side of the handle bar if the scooter can sense your weight is standing two feet on it and your balanced.

So you don’t have to fear accidentally bumping the power on while you’re trying to jump on it and having it take off from underneath you.

If you’ve ridden non-electric scooter before and used to manually kick starting to get moving, the Segway Ninebot F20A Kick Scooter is most definitely for you.

You can start your ride from both feet on the scooter, balanced and good to go, or you can kick off manually and within the motion of your manual power, hit the accelerator and boom you’re an electric street racer.

With full sturdy 10 inch puncture resistant rubber tires (included in the box is a spare tire) and a soft dual braking system the Segway Ninebot F20A Kick Scooter tends to be super reliably built with an aluminum frame.

Easily folded up, there’s a secure latch that you unclip and fold the handlebar frame down. Most likely though you’ll probably wheel the scooter about as opposed to carrying it as it does weigh just slightly under 15kgs.

Fold if you’re going to put it in the back of your car.

The Segway Ninebot F20A Kick Scooter is a lot of fun and a mean machine to ride. If you get yourself one of these or any of the new F Series from Segway, remember to ride safely, wear a helmet and be respectful of other cars and pedestrians.

The Segway Ninebot F20A Kick Scooter is cheaper but still has some kick to it.

The post Segway Ninebot F Series Kick Scooter Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

From Kickstarter to reality GoCube takes the 80’s puzzle phenomenon and connects it for a new generation to smart devices.

Produced by Particula Tech, the light-up coloured puzzle box is rechargeable and features via the official app not just the main side colour match task but also a few mini-games, including simpler ones for kids.

The GoCube has a builtin tracker, that sends your twisty turns and frustrated rewinds through to smart device app instantly, or stores your play if you’re offline to sync later.

You’ll get scored on your Rubik-like achievements and (hopefully) feature somewhere on the leaderboard.

In a time where some of us globally are still locked in our homes you can go social and connect up with global GoCuber’s and challenge away.

The GoCube also gives a good workout for your brain which would otherwise be marathoning streamed content.

Take it out, play at home, online or offline, the GoCube is just as addictive as it’s neon decade counterpart, if not more.

GoCube makes the simple challenging.

The post GoCube Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Google have your entire connected smart home security sorted with their Nest range of cameras.

Integrating in to your home’s WiFi and any other Nest devices you may have as well as your smartphone you can keep your property securely under check at all times.

Having recently reviewed the Google Nest Doorbell it’s time to check out the Nest Cam Battery model.

Yep there are two variants of Google’s Nest Cam – one wired and one rechargeable.

The rechargeable Nest Cam can be used for both indoors and outdoors, being able to suffer through extreme weather. Waterproof at IP54 it can handle moderate rain.

Chilly weather? All good there too, tested to survive at -20°C (-4°F). And if the heat is on, it wont break a sweat at 40°C (104°F).

A small amount of DIY is involved if you do place the Nest Cam (Battery) outside.

It has a magnetic base, which you’ll need to screw in, after that you can pop the Nest Cam on and off the super strong magnet.

The camera itself comes in at 2MP with recording at 1080p with HDR @ 30 fps.

A two way intercom enables you to have a convo with whoever maybe lurking about – and that is superior quality. Crispy clear.

Also with this model you’ll get a 130 degree view. Low light and night mode also records in HDR.

Notifications will come in to your smartdevice and any other Nest devices that you may already have when the Nest Cam picks up any human movement already programmed by Google to ignore fur babies loitering about.

Setup is done via the Google Home app on both Android and iOS (Apple). I’ve found Android being the easier option to set up on all Nest devices.

The Nest Cam (Battery) will record and store any movement it detects, but like the prior reviewed Nest Doorbell it suffers from the 3 hours only maximum storage time. This is way too short.

Likely any notification you don’t get to within that timeframe, especially overnight, the video recording is auto deleted. Google do offer a paid subscription which prevents you from missing out on recordings if you can’t get to them in time.

In all the Google Nest Cam (Battery) is an excellent surveillance camera for your outdoors.

Sure you can opt to use it indoors too, but for that Google has another solution that is cabled… which I’ll also be reviewing soon.

If you’re keen to start out with smart home security a Google Nest Cam (Battery) for your outdoors is ideal. Priced moderately it is cheaper than some competitors offerings and has around the same if not slightly better recording resolution with excellent voice clarity.

The post Google Nest Cam (Battery) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Ding dong, it’s Google!

Having gone from being a search engine giant and smartphone OS developer, for a wee while now Google have also hit the hardware market with their ever growing smart home Nest devices.

They’ve already sorted the Google Smart Assistant in your home, now they are tackling your home security.

The Google Nest Doorbell runs on a rechargeable battery (although you can wire it up and Google do supply the cable for this).

Attention has been taken to the aesthetic of the Nest Doorbell, looking sharp and slinky when mounted and slim, especially when compared to to the likes of Arlo or Ring.

You get a mounting kit in the box, as well as the cable to recharge – so sure there is a bit of DIY but if you’re all good with a screwdriver you’re gonna be okay.

The camera comes in at 1.3MP. It’s not 4K but is HD at 1280 x 960 and gives a 160 degree view of your front or back door area.

There’s also a proximity that you can set so you can receive notifications of someone lurking about before the doorbell is rung.

Being a Nest device it will integrate in to your smart home setup using WiFi. When the doorbell is pressed you will hear a chime via any Nest device you may have in your home.

There is an intercom where you can have a two way convo with the person at the door and Google have implemented further smarts in to the Nest Doorbell so you wont get notifications of animals or similar dancing about your doorway.

It can detect what is human and what is not.

If you have an Android based smartphone set up is real easy via the Google Home app. While also available on iOS (iPhone / iPad) it actually took a few go’s on the Apple Store Google Home app to get the Nest Doorbell to sync.

Day or night the Nest Doorbell will keep an eye out – however, with their free storage for videos captured you only have 3 hours to view and if needed retrieve the recording.

This is not really long enough, especially when competitors offer a much longer timeframe. If your Nest Doorbell picks up and records something overnight – likely by the time you get up in the morning the video is automatically deleted.

Google’s solution for this is a paid subscription to give you a much longer and realistic storage timeframe.

In all the Nest Doorbell performs as expected, video recordings are crisp and clear enough, audio via the intercom is also clear.

You can at anytime remote in to the video and get a live view and of course you’ll get instant notifications on your smartphone (Apple users you’ll need the Google Home app and set up permissions for this).

The Google Nest Doorbell is moderately priced. It’s not cheap, but also not the most expensive out there either.

If you’ve been thinking about beefing up your home security, whether you’re currently staying at home 24/7 in some form of lockdown or not, the Google Nest Doorbell is an excellent starter device.

The post Google Nest Doorbell Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

tado°, the European leader in intelligent home climate management, today launches its innovative Smart AC Control, which connects air conditioners and heat pumps to the home’s Wi-Fi, replacing the infrared remote control.

tado° Smart AC Control replaces your existing remote control and connects to your Wi-Fi, without additional wiring.

Think of it as your personal Climate Assistant that takes care of your comfort at home and helps to reduce your energy bill with the help of intelligent features, which tado° calls ‘Skills’: Geofencing, which senses movement within the homes perimeter to know when someone is home, Open Window Detection and Weather Adaptations.

Heating and cooling accounts for 40% of an average Australian household’s energy use, making it the largest energy user in the average Australian home.

tado° helps you to make a difference. By only cooling your home when you need it, Skills allow you to cut down your energy use and take an invaluable step towards a sustainable future.

With Smart AC, you can control your AC from anywhere with the tado° app on your phone and have a clear overview of your climate history and savings.

The intuitive app enables you to control various functions of your air conditioner more comfortably and efficiently than ever before. You can also use your voice to control your home climate via seamless integrations Amazon Alexa, the Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit.

Pollution and air quality both inside the home has become a global concern as the health effects of poor air are more widely understood.

Over the summer of 2019 / 2020, Australia was ravaged by bushfire, and the air quality was greatly affected, even inside homes. Poor air quality is particularly an issue for children and people with underlying health conditions, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or cardiovascular disease. The tado° system gives users a better insight into the air quality inside their homes and lives.

In-app features allow users to track if your home and rooms are too humid or too dry and gives users actionable
advice on when to ventilate the home or keep the windows closed.

With an emphasis on promoting a healthy home environment, the system has a fresh and sleek design that features the Air Comfort Skill, which measures air freshness inside your home.

It also provides meaningful tips and advice on how to improve your indoor air quality as healthy air can enhance sleep and productivity, while minimising the risk of catching a cold.

“Our Smart AC Control is designed to enhance your air conditioning and complement your home,” says tado°
Co-founder & CPO Christian Deilmann. “It’s easy to install in just a few minutes, simple to use, and fits any interior with its sleek design. tado° is the perfect addition to keep you cool and comfortable this summer, while saving you energy.

tado° is compatible with ACs / air-to-air heat pumps with an infrared remote control with a display and works
with the Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit.

The system is compatible with most manufacturers including Samsung, Toshiba, Panasonic, Daikin, Honeywell, Pioneer, Mitsubishi Electric, Siemens, Hitachi, Haier, Carrier, General Electric, Fujitsu, Frigidaire, Sanyo, and Whirlpool.

The product is available starting today at from leading retailers across Australia and New Zealand as well as from tado.com.

The post tado० launches Smart AC Control V3+ in ANZ appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Connected cube specialists, Particula Tech, have now released their GoCube, the vintage Rubik’s cube reimagined and redesigned for the 21st century.

GoCube is an app-enabled speed cube that allows ANYONE to learn how to solve the cube.

Thanks to the stats mode, you will improve your game and can climb up the global leaderboard.

You will gain access to mini-games (perfect for younger users), and even battle online with other GoCubers from across the globe.

The redesigned cube is made of the highest quality materials, encompassing light indicators, and a magnetic speed cube mechanism, enabling a whole new fast and smooth playing experience.

It is based on cutting-edge technology, equipped with sensors to track and measure activity (even when disconnected) and internal 3D sensors to track the cube’s position. It consumes low power via its rechargeable battery (60+ hours play time) and connects through Bluetooth 5.0 to the GoCube app.

GoCube has already garnered a lot of positive attention following its successful Kickstarter campaign and receiving hundreds of positive reviews online.

Particula Tech also partnered with Rubik’s, the inventors of the original Rubik’s Cube, and created a smart version of the original Rubik’s cube – the Rubik’s Connected – which is also available in stores now.

The Go Cube and Rubik’s Connected are digitised versions of the classic Rubik’s cube, created in 1980 by Professor Ernő Rubik to teach architectural students.

The Rubik’s cube has evolved into the world’s most successful single toy, perceived globally as an art form and also an iconic symbol of intelligence and problem solving.

When the smart cube is paired to the iOS or Android apps, the Academy app will teach ANYONE to (finally!) solve the Rubik’s Cube in just 7 simple steps, teaching you the algorithms in only one hour, in a new, fun and interactive way.

These two new launches will allow advanced cubers and aspiring (or should we say frustrated) cubers around the country to, at a basic level, learn to solve the Rubik’s cube, all the way through to digital speedcubing with cubers around the world.

It’s a completely new dimension to cube solving and is bound to be a popular Christmas item for young and old.

(NB:The Red Bull Rubik’s CubeWorld Cup featuring GoCube and Rubik’s Connected is taking place digitally through August and September 2021).

The post GoCube – A modern take on the classic Rubik’s Cube appeared first on Shane the Gamer.