Tag Archives: review

Product review: Wunder360 C1 camera for 360-degree travel photography

2018-08-27

Wunder360 C1 is a 360-degree camera that can record video and photographs that show everything around the camera (up and down, right and left, front and back). It is an entry-level, budget-friendly camera aimed at people who just want to snap images, perhaps apply a special effect to the image and share it. How does the Wunder360 deal with travel photography? Here is our review.

In our case, the primary application for a 360-degree camera was travel photography. Especially, taking images in spaces like a room in a castle, filming road trips, recording city or village life, recording events that are difficult to capture with one camera (e.g. Tour of France bicycle race or a parade). Now that we have tried the Wunder360 C1 camera in all these situations, we can analyse the results.

Capturing a space like a room

The camera is good at recording a space around it, especially if there is enough light in the room or in the space. We tested this in a castle, and it is fascinating how much information it is possible to discover when viewing the 360-degree photos or videos afterwards. Also, a section of, for instance, a park with plenty of objects can be easily captured. A tripod is required for the camera.

Filming road trips

We installed the camera on a tripod that was standing on the dashboard. We wanted to take advantage of the image stabilization and camera direction features. The result: not worth it. The stabilization was not good enough for us and directing the camera doesn’t work well when the camera itself is moving with the car.

Recording city or village life

Excellent results. The idea was to leave the camera in a central place, like on a statue, in a large tree or on a bench, and let it film life on the street or on a square. The camera is so small that only few, if any, passing by pedestrian noticed it (we were hiding behind the statue so that we could see the camera).

We also tried walking with the camera, letting it record crowds on a busy street and people in cafes, but it didn’t produce good video in this situation. The image stabilization can’t correct movement caused by walking.

Capturing the motion of an event

Events, like parades, races (bicycle races, motor races, triathlon), and others have a lot of movement as many things are happening at the same time. A 360-degree camera can capture everything, and the Wunder360 has a feature that lets you direct the camera where you want after recording the video. This was exactly what we wanted, and this was exactly what we got. Good results, although the video quality after exporting the material to MP4 is not very good. Also audio sounds strange. The camera was standing still on a tripod in our tests at the Tour of France.

The street price of the Wunder360 C1 varies between 150-190 euros/dollars. It is available at online stores, and also at the vendor’s homepage.

In addition to the camera, you must have a smartphone or tablet that is new and powerful enough so that it can work with those 360 videos.

These are the steps for working with the Wunder360 videos

The way a 360-degree camera works is different from ordinary cameras, and naturally, the resulting images are different from images or videos taken on an ordinary camera. These are the key steps for recording a video on the Wunder360 and sharing it on social media channels.

1. Specify a Wi-Fi name for the Wunder360.
2. Choose the recording mode in Wunder360. We used high-resolution 30fps mode.
3. Download the Wunder app on your smartphone or tablet.
4. Record videos and photos in Wunder360.
5. Connect your smartphone or tablet to the Wunder360 via Wi-Fi.
6. You should see a list of photos and videos on your mobile app that are stored on the camera.
7. You can view the images and download them to your mobile device. All photos and videos are 360-degree images.
8. Downloaded videos can be edited (e.g. camera direction) in the mobile device app and exported as ordinary MP4 files (that can be further edited in a PC video editing software). Exported files are not 360-degree videos, but only show the areas you selected in the camera direction feature.

Conclusion: take it or leave it?

For our travel photography needs, the Wunder360 C1 has just enough functionality so that we will carry it along on our trips. The small and low-cost camera has a specific role in our camera bag.

This is our first 360-degree camera, and it was a surprise how different its usage and output were compared to an ordinary camera. Fortunately, we had a specific need for it, and knew what we were going to do with it. That’s the key for anyone planning to buy one: it is essential to consider the applications for the 360-degree camera and then verify it has those features.

Tour de France road cycling race passes through the village of Bossost in Pyrenees mountains.

Wunder360 key specifications

2 lenses. Stitching In-Camera Real-time (when you view a video or photo, it is already one 360-degree image)
Focal length/aperture f=0.94 F2.4
Sensor Type CMOS
Photo resolution 4096 x 2048
Video resolution 3040×1520 at 30fps, or 2176×1088 at 60fps
Camera settings exposure and white balance
Status display 32 x 64 pixels (for battery, Wi-Fi, recording mode info)
Free application for Apple iOS and Android devices (required for viewing, editing, and sharing images)
Livestream to Facebook and YouTube
Important features in the app: image stabilization and ability to direct the camera movement before exporting the video to MP4.
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz/5GHz
Micro USB 2.0 port
Tripod mount at the bottom
Microphone
MicroSD memory card slot
Battery 1000mAh
Weight 95g
Dimensions 109.3 x 45 x 35 mm

A toolkit for writers for better manuscripts using an open review

2018-05-07

Experienced authors want the best editors and reviewers to work on their manuscripts. The work of these professionals is valuable for improving the content. How does an independent author who may work alone, and doesn’t have a big budget get help like established authors? An author has created an online feedback toolkit that he already has used for his own book.

Matthew J. Salganik, a professor of sociology at Princeton University, started writing a book Bit by Bit: Social Research in the Digital Age when he realized he should actually do what he was writing about. The book is about new possibilities the digital world opens for researchers.

He created a web site where he posted his manuscript that he was working on for anyone to see. Not only that, he also integrated a tool, hypothes.is, that allowed anyone to annotate his manuscript. All visitors could see both the manuscript and the annotations.

When Salganik believed he had enough public feedback and closed the comments, he had received 495 annotations from 31 people. That’s pretty good, and probably means that he has spread the word to his contacts that they should visit his review site and contribute their feedback.

Salganik regards the annotations extremely helpful that allowed him to improve his manuscript. The author sees the annotations as complementary elements to his work, which is different to results of an average peer review. He says the feedback was focused on helping him write the book that he wanted to write, and didn’t lead to major changes. The annotations were often focused on improving specific sentences.

In addition to the feedback itself, Salganik’s web site collected statistics that reveal interesting things about the process.

Most feedback was given by a handful of reviewers. Although the author managed to get comments from a good number of people, most of them left a comment only.
The reviewers were most active early in the process, right after the author opened the manuscript for review.
The review process motivated the author to carry on writing the book.
The author could collect an email address list of people who visited the review site.
After the review was closed, the author realized he should have integrated an automatic page visit analysis to the system. He would have been able to get statistics on the sections that were the most and least read.

Salganik has published the toolkit he used for his review process as an open source software package at Open Review Toolkit. Technical skills are required to setup a working online review system for a manuscript.

Other systems, often based on Wiki software have also been used for developing a manuscript in public, and accepting feedback during the process. Not all people find Wiki-based systems user-friendly, so perhaps a dedicated toolkit for reviews can help authors.

The best Android tablets 2017 under 500 for reading and for other tasks

2017-12-18

Tablets are versatile multipurpose computers that are used for many tasks, including reading, writing, watching videos, playing games, social media, listening to music and audiobooks. If you are primarily interested in tablets because you want to read ebooks, we have a few tips for choosing between an ereader and a tablet. If you are intend to read and do other tasks on a tablet, read on, because here are the best tablets that were priced under 500 dollars/euros in 2017.

Techradar reviewed tens of tablets during 2017, and based on those reports, the best tablets were chosen. The round-up features tablets that are running on Android software only, not Apple iPad models.

The common sizes for tablets are 7, 8 and 10 inches. We believe that the smallest category, 7-inch tablets, will have problems in competition against large smartphones. The following list of best tablets identifies only one 7-inch model, the Amazon Fire, which is priced so low that it can compete against any product. Low price has also made it suitable for children.

For adults, who read and do other tasks on a tablet, 10 inches is a good size. Web pages and books are easy to read (even PDF-documents), videos look fabulous on a good screen, and even occasional writing on a tablet is possible with a wireless Bluetooth keyboard.

Here are the best tablets 2017 by Techradar.

1. Samsung Galaxy Tab S3
Screen size: 9.7 inches, resolution: 2048 x 1536, price just under 500 euros/dollars.
Sharp screen, included stylus for handwriting and drawing on the screen, and an optional keyboard/case.

2. Asus ZenPad 3S 10
Screen size: 9.7 inches, resolution: 2048 x 1536, price level around 300 dollars/euros.
Gorgeous screen, fast performance, some issues with quality.

3. Google Pixel C
Screen size: 10.2 inches, resolution: 2560 x 1800, price level 300 dollars/euros.
Excellent screen, and very favorably reviewed tablet, but not for those who only want the latest.

4. Samsung Galaxy Tab S2
Screen size: 9.7 inches, resolution: 2048 x 1536, price level 400.
Thin and light, bright and high-resolution AMOLED screen.

5. Huawei MediaPad M3 8.0
Screen size: 8.4 inches, resolution: 2560 x 1600, price level 220 dollars/euros.
A slightly more compact tablet in 8.4 inches size with a high-resolution display and aluminum shell.

6. Lenovo Tab 4 10 Plus
Screen size: 10.1 inches, resolution: 1920 x 1200, price level 250.
A tablet designed for all-round use at home with nice screen and competitive price point.

7. Amazon Fire HD 8 (2017)
Screen size: 8 inches, resolution: 1280 x 800, price just under 100 dollars, but Amazon occasionally runs campaigns with heavily discounted price.
A branded eight-inch tablet with necessary features and specifications under 100 dollars is a good deal. The only thing is that the tablet relies on Amazon services, and you can’t install Android apps from the Google Play Store, but from the limited selection of Amazon app store.

8. Amazon Fire HD 10
Screen size: 10.1-inch, resolution: 1280 x 800, price level 150-190 dollars.
A branded 10-inch tablet from a trusted vendor for 150 dollars is a good deal, although the screen resolution doesn’t quite match today’s standards. Buyers should be aware of the reliance on Amazon services.

9. Amazon Fire 7 (2017)
Screen size: 7-inch, resolution: 1024 x 600, price level 50 dollars.
You can’t expect too much from a 50-dollar tablet, but Amazon delivers a working product that is fine, for instance, for children.

Which tablet is the best for reading ebooks?

Specifications don’t tell everything, so having an opportunity to feel the weight and the size of a tablet in hand, and view its screen can make a difference. Both the Asus ZenPad 3S 10 and the Lenovo Tab 4 10 Plus come with beautiful (9.7 and 10.1-inch) screens and are priced competitively. If a smaller tablet feels better in hand, the 8.4-inch Huawei is a solid choice.

For those, who are already deeply tied into the Amazon Kindle ebook system or to another Amazon digital content service, the Fire tablet can be the right one – if they are comfortable with the limitations, like the smaller number of apps available than for normal Android tablets.

Publishing year 2017 in review: trends, analysis, developments

2017-12-16

It is not business as usual in the world of digital media. Ebooks and other digital media content products are still taking their first steps in the global and local markets. Many things in book business and digital technology changed in 2017 and will change in the coming years. It is only 10 years since the launch of Amazon Kindle, but 500 years from Gutenberg’s invention.

Book as a concept has proven it has its place – independent of the format. Year 2017 didn’t challenge that, although new ways of enjoying a book became more popular. The following key development points in publishing are reviewed primarily from the digital side of book publishing.

Ebook markets continue to grow

One publishing industry expert claims that the ebook market is shrinking, whereas another expert says it is growing. Both experts can be right when they only look at their own data sources. Big US publishers have lost ebook market share to small publishers and self-publishers. No one knows the actual sales numbers of indie publishers and self-publishers, but one can always estimate, and it looks like a large, growing market that is eating market share from big publishers.

Data collected from other than English-language markets indicate a healthy and innovative digital market development, for instance, in Continental Europe, Spanish-language markets and China. Even France is accepting ebooks and ereaders.

Audiobook is the fastest growing format

Book lovers in English-speaking markets are familiar with Audible audiobooks, but in many others parts of the world, Swedish startup Storytel is the reason for rapid growth of audiobooks. Storytel has been so successful that it has acquired traditional books publishers in order to secure rights for as many books as possible.

A key development that will have an effect on audiobook market is computer applications that can read aloud texts. They may be individual applications running on a tablet or smartphone, or voice assistants, like Alexa or Siri. The technology is pretty good already, and as it develops, it may lower product prices.

Attempts to automate writing may be more common than we are aware of

For years, we have heard of projects that have tried to automate the reporting of sports results and simple news reports. Meanwhile, the development of artificial intelligence (AI) software has reached a level where it can be applied to simple writing tasks. The Washington Post is already using a robot writer, and clever programmers have created an algorithm that can imitate Harry Potter fiction.

Should a writer be worried? No. Someone must produce the source material for writing robots and review their output, among other things.

Ereaders are still here and still wanted by avid readers

I am the first one to admit that I expected tablets and large screen smartphones (phablets) to replace ereaders as ebook reading devices, but it hasn’t happened. In some markets, like the US and the UK, people who want an ereader already have one or two, and the market is saturated. In many other large markets, such as Germany, France, Spain and China, the market for ereaders is growing because the market for ebooks is still growing.

A key development during 2017 was the emergence of large screen ereaders. Devices from 7 to 13 inches are now available. Some of these have a stylus for making it easy to jot down notes on documents and books. A development path from one purpose device (reading ebooks) to a device that is designed for working with documents maybe going on.

Reading has moved to mobile devices

An ereader and a tablet is a mobile device, but the big hype of recent years has been reading on smartphone screens. Wattpad, a reading and writing community of young generations, says about 90% of its users read on mobile devices.

Digital reading is most popular from 5-inch smartphone screens to 10 tablet screens. It means that fixed layout ebooks still face challenges that reflowing ebooks can manage.

EPUB3 didn’t take off (and probably won’t next year, either)

Two ebook formats dominate the digital book markets: Amazon’s proprietary Kindle format and the industry standard EPUB. The advanced, multimedia-enabled EPUB3 ebook format was announced years ago, but is hasn’t made a commercial breakthrough. In February 2017, the organization behind EPUB, IDPF (International Digital Publishing Forum), was merged into the W3C (the organization that sets the standards for the World Wide Web). New working groups, committees and strategies have been formed, and the result is that a high level agreement for the next standard EPUB4 is in the works. EPUB4 is defined as a subset of Portal Web Publication that merges HTML and EPUB.

The euphoria of self-publishing is settling down

In large English-language markets, a small number of self-publishers have made it big. Their books have been produced into successful Hollywood movies and publishers are competing for their next manuscripts. The laws of economics haven’t changed, however, as indie authors are discovering that it is just as difficult to write a bestseller as it was before. Interest in self-publishing may be settling down in the US, but in many other large markets, such as Spanish-speaking countries, Continental Europe or in China, self-publishing is only beginning to take off.

Newspapers and magazines that have reinvented themselves are making it

Attempts to turn a newspaper or magazine web site visitors into subscribers who pay for the digital content on a web site have largely failed. Only a few strongest brands have become successful when they have started to charge readers for digital content. Newspapers and magazines, like The New York Times and The Economist deliver so much value to readers that visitors are willing to pay for news stories, and especially, long reports, analysis and background stories of major events. Some other publications have discovered their own strategies for thriving in the digital era while maintaining their valuable printed heritage.

These two ereaders are the best – which one to choose?

2017-11-22

Two most acclaimed ereader devices at the moment are the Kobo Aura One and the Kindle Oasis 7-inch model. Both are larger than an ordinary 6-inch ereader and both have practically every feature required in a reading device – they are even waterproof. If you are planning to get the best ereader available at the moment, which one to choose? Here is our guide.

The Kindle Oasis 7-inch model (also known as the Oasis 2) and the Kobo Aura One have many similarities, but also some crucial differences. Let’s take a look at the features and then, view a video that shows how the devices feel and behave when used for reading ebooks.

The Aura One comes with a 7.8 inch E ink screen and the Oasis 2 with a 7-inch screen. This is a major difference in real life, even though on paper it doesn’t seem a big deal. Both screens are very sharp: 300 pixels per inch (PPI). Screens also have a front light for reading in poorly lit nooks.

The Kobo Aura One price starts from $229. The Kindle Oasis starts at $249.

Both devices are waterproof, which makes them also sand and dust proof.

The weight of the devices is similar, the larger Aura One weighs only 36 grams more than the Kindle. The Kindle Oasis 2 measurements are 159 x 141 x 3.4-8.3 mm and the Aura One is 195 x 138 x 6.9 mm.

The design of the Kindle Oasis is unique, but you can hold it in right or left hand, and it has dedicated hardware keys for turning pages. The Aura One doesn’t have dedicated buttons, but its design is easier to approve.

The Aura One has plenty of fonts to choose from and it is possible to adjust the fonts and the page layout. The Kindle doesn’t provide as many choices.

The Oasis 2 lets you listen to Audible audiobooks via Bluetooth headphones or speakers.

The crucial difference between all Kindle ereaders and all other ereaders (of any brand) is the ebook file formats the devices can open. The Kobo Aura One can open EPUB, EPUB3, PDF, MOBI, TXT, HTML, RTF, CBZ, CBR documents. The Kindle can open AZW3, AZW, KFX, TXT, PDF, MOBI, PRC documents, which means the Kindle Oasis 2 (and all other Kindle) devices are intended for ebooks downloaded from the Kindle Store only. Amazon has a separate file conversion service that can be used to send HTML, DOC, DOCX documents to a Kindle ereader.

Below is a video where The Ebook Reader Blog compares the Kobo Aura One and the Kindle Oasis 7-inch model.

Hardware aside, this is what really matters when choosing an ereader

The key difference between any Kindle device and all other ereader products (be it Kobo, Onyx, Cybook, or another brand) is the commercial system where the device can connect to. What does it mean in practice?

Amazon has created the world’s largest bookstore, but ebooks purchased from the Kindle Store can only be opened in Kindle ereaders, Fire tablets and Kindle reading applications. The Kindle ebook system is a closed system that you can only access with Kindle devices and applications. Kindle ereaders, like the Oasis 2 can not open EPUB ebooks (without troublesome tweaking of ebook files on a PC).

The world outside Amazon uses an ebook standard known as EPUB. It is the file format for ebooks purchased from practically all bookstores, except for Amazon, across the world. If you have a non-Kindle ereader, such as Kobo, you can purchase ebooks from practically all other stores except for the Kindle Store.

My recommendation is: first, carefully choose which commercial ebook system you want use – Amazon Kindle or the rest of the world – and after that, choose the ereader you like the best.

More information on large-screen ereaders and a few tips for deciding on the screen size.

Ebook news digest: blockchain for publishing, pirate site for academics, the fear of second book

2017-08-13

News on ebooks, writing and photography

Jenni L. Walsh’s Three Tips for Book Two
The Debutante Ball

I think many authors are making a big deal out of the difficulty of writing your second book. It can be a little scary, because now you know how much work it requires, but on the other hand, you also know how to do it. My opinion is that the second book is easier than the first. In any case, the article has good tips for overcoming the fear of the second book.

The Internet Made Information Free: Now It Has Come For Academic Research
Forbes

A pirate site for academic literature, Sci-hub, just may be the force of change for the traditional business models in academic publishing.

Traditional or indie? Hybrid author Nick Spalding looks at publishing from both sides
Publishing Talk

A successful author shares a few tips how he made it. Spalding says he never gives away his books for free, which is contrary to the common mantra that authors should give their books away for free in order to sell their other books.

Blockchain and digital publishing – The disruption has begun
Ryan Jorgensen

A view how the blockchain technology used in cryptocurrencies could affect the distribution of digital media products, such as ebooks.

5 Tips for Better Travel Photography
Digital Photography School

When a photographer shares tips for travel photography, the images shared with the article should be really, really good. In this article, they are.

5 Cities Where Remote Work is On the Rise
Workfrom

I would choose number 3 or 4 for my next destination out of these 5 cities, and avoid number 1. Every time I read a story where someone is praising Bali as a paradise, I think he or she has never even visited the island.

The Future of Peer Review
Scientific American

The author of the article suggests a formal process, tools, registers and rewards for ensuring the tradition of peer reviews of scientific and other documents continues.

Free download: Traveling in Scandinavia
Klaava Travel Guide

Tips for understanding Finland, Norway and Sweden, and for planning a trip to this large region in North Europe.

“A thesis is written for examiners, an academic book for scholars in general” – the basics of writing a book from your PhD
LSE Impact Blog

In other words, repurposing content.

The best smartphone for travel photography

2017-05-27

Smartphones, especially high-end models, come with so good cameras that even some professional photographers admit they use camera phones for photography. It is, after all, the one camera that is always with you when traveling, commuting or visiting friends. Different phone manufacturers use different camera components, and most importantly, different software algorithms that create an image from the captured bits of light. So, there are differences, but which smartphone camera is the best?

Android Authority ran a test for high-end smartphones in order to find out the best camera. This time, they did not ask the experts, or measure the various aspects of digital images, but they asked the public. Anyone could vote for the pictures taken on each camera. The pictures can still be viewed on this web page.

The pictures of a camera that received the most votes was the winner. If professional photographers and camera experts had evaluated the sample images and chosen the best camera, the results would have been different. The public and the experts simply look for different things in images.

I remember when Sony was the number one television manufacturer in the era of CRT tubes, and everyone competed against Sony telling how natural the colors on their TV sets were. Many tests were organized where the public could choose the TV set whose colors they liked the best. Usually, the TV set with the brightest colors won. Having the brightest colors doesn’t have anything to do with image quality, but if that is what the public wants, that is what the public will get.

Anyhow, this is a refreshing way to rank cameras. High-end LG and Samsung camera phones have done well in all types of tests, and this test confirms it hasn’t been for nothing. The Apple iPhone didn’t participate in the test because it was meant for Android phones alone.

The results – the best smartphone camera is:

1. The winner was Google Pixel XL
2. Samsung Galaxy S8
3. LG G6
4. Sony Xpera Xzs
5. OnePlus 3T
6. Huawei P10

View the test images and detailed results on the test page.

It would have been wonderful to have Nokia in this camera test as well. Recently, the company has introduced Android phones, and it had the best cameras when it was still the king of mobile phones in the 2000s.

Review: Low-cost, high value 10-inch tablet from Acer

2015-12-08

Many ebook lovers like to read on a 7-inch tablet because the device is compact and light. That is true, but the compact size is not a perfect solution for many other applications. We have always liked the reading experience on a 9.7-inch Apple iPad. Additional reason for using the iPad is that it can be used as a productivity tool as well. Would it be possible to replace the iPad with a low-cost 10-inch tablet that could be used for reading books, following news, watching TV series, for email and for writing? We tested the Acer Iconia One 10 B3-A20 tablet.

The Acer Iconia One 10 B3-A20 tablet has a 10.1 inch display. The screen resolution is 1280 x 800 pixels. The resolution is at the low end in the 10 inch tablet category, but the display is really readable and sharp. We didn’t detect any jaggedness or blurriness with books, videos, photos or news sites. Our benchmark tablet was a retina-display Apple iPad.

The form factor of the Acer B3-A20 tablet resembles a wide-screen tv, as opposed to the iPad’s ordinary 4:3 screen ratio. There are a couple of benefits in the Acer’s wide-screen solution:
1) In landscape mode, all web pages display properly. There is enough width on the screen for the whole page. Some ebook reading apps can display two pages at a time when in landscape mode.
2) In portrait mode, some applications like Twitter work better than in landscape. This is also true for some apps that originally were designed for smartphones, but run nicely on the tablet in portrait mode as well.

We have been using a Bluetooth keyboard with the iPad, and the same hardware keyboard worked with the Acer tablet right away. Bluetooth has to be switched on in Android settings and hardware keyboard with the correct language must be specified and that is it.

The Acer B3-A20 comes with 1GB of RAM memory which is enough, for instance, for running two web browsers, Twitter and a notepad application. The system resources monitoring application has a low threshold for warning of low memory. If you know what you are doing, you may ignore the warnings or you can install an app that helps you closely monitor and clean unnecessary apps. Android Assistant is one such application that lets you clean memory from applications that reserve RAM memory and also clean data and cache files from storage (flash memory).

GPS and memory card slot are normal features on Android tablets and smartphones, but not on all Apple devices. GPS lets you navigate using Google Maps or any other map application you may download from the Play Store. If you take the tablet along on the road, you can also use GPS for recording your travel route.

Acer B3-A20 tablet, microSD memory card slot.

Memory card slot on a tablet is a truly valuable feature. It can be used as storage space for data and for installing applications that take a lot of space. Not all applications can be installed on a memory card, but large apps, like web browsers (e.g. Opera, Firefox) can run from a memory card. Another nice thing is that you can take a memory card from your camera or phone and insert the card into the tablet and view photos on a large screen.

Few people buy a tablet because of its camera. The five megapixel camera on the Acer B3-A20 captures ordinary images, but we don’t believe anyone will be using it as their primary camera.

The performance of the B3-A20 tablet was fine. Videos, photo galleries, large PDF documents, cloud services (like Dropbox), ebooks, maps, writing all work smoothly. We didn’t experience any hick-ups.

The tablet runs on the latest version of Android (5.1) which is important for application compatibility that you may download in the coming months and years. As such, Android 5.1 doesn’t provide new exciting features if it is compared to Android 4. A dedicated soft key for multitasking and greatly improved alerts at the top bar are the most visible and useful improvements.

Conclusion

The Acer Iconia One 10 B3-A20 tablet fulfilled all our requirements for reading books, for news, for entertainment and for productivity, even for writing.

The tablet feels nice when you hold it (because of the surface on the backside), but it also feels like you want to hold it very carefully so that it doesn’t break. It is not a solid piece of engineering like high-priced tablets that may have metal cases. Another negative feature is the small amount of RAM memory. The built-in system health monitor app regularly warns of low memory.

Nonetheless, the tablet does what it is supposed to do, comes with a decent display, has a good battery life, and has valuable features that, for instance, the Apple iPad doesn’t have (memory card and GPS).

At the moment, when the Acer B3-A20 is priced at 150 dollars/euros, it provides very good value for the money.

Acer Iconia Tab 10 B3-A20 key features and technical specifications

– Screen size 10.1 inches
– Screen type active matrix TFT Color LCD, LED backlight, multi-touch
– Screen resolution 1280 x 800 pixels
– Android 5.1 operating system
– Back camera 5 megapixels, full HD (1080) video capture
– Front camera 2 megapixels, 720 video recording
– GPS
– Processor MediaTek Cortex A53 MT8163, 1.30 GHz, Quad-core
– RAM memory 1 GB
– Built-in flash memory 16 GB
– microSD memory card slot
– Wireless LAN Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n
– USB-port, micro-USB 2.0 type B
– Bluetooth 4.0
– Microphone
– Stereo loudspeakers
– Headphone jack
– Battery Lithium Ion (Li-Ion), capacity 6100 mAh
– Maximum video watching 10 hours per charge
– Dimensions: thickness 0.4″ (9.5 mm) x height 6.6″ (168mm) x width 10.2″ (259mm)
– Weight 1.21 lb / 550 gr.

Acer B3-A20 on the left, Apple iPad on the right.

Review: the best drones for travel video

2015-11-12

Drones are one of the hottest product categories in photography and video recording at the moment. As consumer products, drones are still a new gadget category that is going through an extensive technology development phase. Two major technologies require development: image quality and ease of steering. Are any of the most popular drone brands ready for the big time? Here is a review.

Le Monde picked up four popular consumer drones that are available in the US, Europe and in other regions: 3DR Solo with GoPro camera, DJI Phantom 3 Standard, Parrot Bepop and Xiro Xplorer Vision.

DJI Phantom 3

Le Monde tested the drones for steering, reliability and safety, quality of images, stability of images, automatic flying capabilities, flying indoors, ease of use and price. After tallying up the scores for the tests, the winner drone was DJI. Based on technical features and usability, here are the best drones:

1. DJI Phantom 3 Standard, score 79 (price in Euros 820)
2. 3DR Solo with GoPro camera, 75 (price 2200)
3. Xiro Xplorer Vision, 74 (price 1000)
4. Parrot Bepop, 63 (price 460)

What is the best drone for shooting travel video?

It is not necessarily the same one that won the test because other factors come into play. When we travel, we have to make choices what we can take with us. It doesn’t matter if we fly, travel by train, by car, by motorcycle or by bicycle, the space for clothes, supplies and electronics is always limited.

The size and the shape of the drone is a key factor for determining if it can be taken along for a trip. DJI Phantom, for instance, is relatively large and shaped in a way that makes it very difficult to pack it in a backpack or in any kind of bag. The dimensions of the DJI Phantom are 18 x 13 x 8 inches / 46 x 33 x 20 cm.

Parrot Bepop

Parrot Bepop, on the other hand, is relatively small and it has a low profile which makes it easy to carry along in a bag. Additionally, the drone is designed to be disassembled for transportation. Its dimensions are 28 x 32 x 3.6 cm without the hull and 33 x 38 x 3.6 cm with the hull.

Parrot Bepop can be complemented with an app titled Flight Plan that runs on smartphones and tablets. The application lets you create a route that drone must fly and camera angles that it must use to take still images and shoot video.

View sample videos for each drone and plenty of useful details (in French) at Le Monde.