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Test-driving Acompli: Could an email app be reason enough to go back to the iPhone?
Is a particular email experience reason enough to switch smartphones, or even platforms? For me, the answer was yes. I recently retired my iPhone 4s and began using the native Android Gmail app on an HTC One. Why? Here are just two reasons: I can archive or respond to emails from the lock screen (thanks, Jelly Bean), and the One's 4.7-inch display allows for a more encompassing view of my 70-some-odd labels. Needless to say, email is super important to me. So when Acompli launched last week with the tagline "iPhone Email Just Got a Promotion," I decided to wipe the dust off my 4s and take it for a spin.
IRL: Three weeks with Philips' Screeneo projector
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. You'd never mistake me for an A/V geek, since I'm far more interested in what's on TV than how it gets to me. That said, I always felt like I was missing out on being able to try out projectors since they required a complex ceiling mounting process and needed me to know about things like lumen counts, aperture correction and blooming. That's why, when I first clamped eyes on Philips' Screeneo, I thought this was my chance to right that wrong.
IRL: Kogan's Agora HD, a $189 smartphone made obsolete by the Moto G
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. When I first came across Kogan at last year's CES, it was for the launch of the Aussie company's very first Agora smartphone. It was a modestly specced handset with some performance issues, but that was understandable: the going price was just $149, a sign that affordability was considered above all else. Then just nine months later, a follow-up smartphone, the Agora HD, was announced. A new 720p, 5-inch display and quad-core 1.2GHz processor were the headline features, but really there were improvements across the board. It was inevitable the price had to go up, too, but even then $189 felt like a small hop compared with the leap in hardware.
IRL: A rant about Nintendo's Virtual Console service
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. Before you send in your angry emails, comments and tweets that decry me as a hatchet-wielding antichrist, let's begin by saying that I'm not a gamer. I do play games, but I have no specific allegiance to a console or manufacturer -- I simply go where the fun is. My console history, for editorial balance, includes the VIC 20, Commodore 64, NES, Mega Drive (Genesis), PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360 and the Wii. That means that I'm about as much of a dilettante as you can be, and there's no bias or malice in the following. Just disappointment.
IRL: Going skiing with Smith I/O Recon goggles
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. Does a fortnight of snowboarding in the French Alps with an army of family and friends sound like fun? Imagine my nerd squeal when a fellow editor offered to lend me a pair of Smith I/O Recon goggles (featuring heads-up display tech from the company Recon), along with a two action cams, to gadgetize my trip. As I later discovered, GoPro footage isn't nearly as spectacular when you're not permanently backflipping, or hurtling down vertical off-piste. But hey, I managed to salvage a three-minute, personalized fail compilation from the drudgery.
IRL: A closer look at the Moto G
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. I love low-cost smartphones that punch above their weight, like the Lumia 620. They're proof you don't need high-end hardware to get a full smartphone experience. As you might imagine, then, I was eager to try the Moto G. A modern quad-core processor, a 720p screen and an up-to-date version of Android for under $200 off-contract? In theory, that's an astounding bargain. With that in mind, I've been testing a Moto G on Telus' network here in Canada to see whether I could live with it instead of the flagship phones I'm used to.
IRL: Torque Audio t103z headphones
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. Hey, we're not here to judge, OK? We won't say anything about you using Apple's pack-in EarPods and you can keep your thoughts to yourself about us paying $180 for in-ear headphones. Cool? Cool.
IRL: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. Would you believe that as much as we obsess about speeds and feeds, many of we Engadget editors are still making do with ancient products? What if those products were three years old? And what if we told you that by "ancient," we were referring to the original Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1? Yep -- let's just say some of us are a little stubborn when it comes to upgrading.
IRL: Motorola Droid Mini
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. After a quiet first half of the year, Motorola finished off 2013 by releasing a staggering five devices. Three of them were sold under Verizon's exclusive Droid brand, and here's the crazy part: aside from differences in battery life and screen size, they were exactly alike. We reviewed the two higher-end models, known as the Ultra and the Maxx, but we now want to return our attention to the smallest of the three, the Droid Mini. This 4.3-inch device came out a few months ago, but it's aging quite well, having recently received an update to Android 4.4 KitKat. Also, it's now free on-contract, so it's definitely worth a closer look, especially compared to the Galaxy S4 mini which costs $50 with the usual two-year agreement.
A closer look at the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera
Okay, that's it. You've had enough of highly compressed video codecs that crap out on detailed shots and make decent color grading a pipe dream. Now that Blackmagic's $995 Pocket Cinema Camera (BMPCC) is RAW-ready, isn't it time to make the jump to higher bitrate video? Perhaps. The company's latest pint-sized weapon does produce magnificent images using a downsized version of its first Cinema Camera sensor, yes. But it's not quite as simple as laying down the money and raking in the 12-bit video. There are limitations to the camera itself, plus a steep learning curve and the likely need for further investment that could more than double the price of the camera. As you'll see, whether it's worth that depends completely on your needs and, particularly, your expectations.
IRL: Sony Xperia Z1S
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. CES wrapped just two weeks ago, and already, the gadgets announced there are starting to arrive on our review desk. First up, Sony's Xperia Z1S, a modified version of the waterproof Z1 we tested last year, complete with a 20.7-megapixel camera. Only this time, the phone's being sold exclusively on T-Mobile -- at least here in the US, anyway. So how does it stack up? Our own Joseph Volpe spent a week with one to find out.
IRL: the iPad Air
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. By now, we've written nearly everything there is to say about the iPad Air, but that doesn't mean we can't revisit it here in "IRL." In particular, our own Jon Fingas bought one to see if it was lighter and faster than his third-gen model. Surprise: it is.
IRL: A look back at the original PlayStation Vita
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. For now, the new PlayStation Vita is available in Japan only, which leaves US gamers with a tough predicament: pay through the nose to import it, or settle for the old model. Even our own Mat Smith, who owns the original Vita, is finding it tough to recommend it over the 2013 edition. But oh, how he does miss that OLED screen.
IRL: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the Galaxy Gear
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. Well, this is a fitting idea for an end-of-the-year column: let's revisit one of our favorite gadgets of 2013 (the Galaxy Note 3) along with one of the most disappointing (that'd be the Galaxy Gear). Does Jon like the Note 3 as much as our reviewer James did? And might he be a little more forgiving of the smartwatch?
IRL: 18 holes with the Zepp GolfSense swing analyzer
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. File this under "things we don't normally review at Engadget": a hand-worn sensor that analyzes your golf swing. Truth be told, it's too niche a product, and most of us are too busy playing around on Moto Maker to be bothered with a putting green. That said, we do have at least one golfer on staff: contributing editor Steve Dent. With his $112 gadget in tow, he headed to the nearest course -- and brought his A-game.
IRL: the Samsung Galaxy Round is a curved Note 3 that costs way too much
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. Flat smartphones are so early 2013; concave is the new hotness. At least, that's what Samsung and LG might have you believe: both companies have brought new curved displays to a limited market for an extremely high price. The Samsung Galaxy Round and the LG G Flex probably won't be on most people's wish lists, as each one costs well above $900 in Korea. Still, we have a feeling we'll be seeing plenty more (for a lower price) in the not-too-distant future. If this is indeed a sign of things to come, why shouldn't we want to spend more time with the phone that started the whole craze? Fortunately for us, our friends at Negri Electronics -- an online retailer which sells the Galaxy Round and G Flex -- offered us the chance to use an imported Korean version for a few days. Take a look at the galleries below and read on for some detailed impressions.
IRL: Another look at the LG G2
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. It's been just about 10 months since an LG device has showed up in "IRL." That was back in January, when our Canadian editor Jon Fingas took the Optimus G for a spin on Rogers. Now he's back to test the G2, though he's still waxing a bit sentimental about the ol' G. So how does it stack up? Let's see.
IRL: Fujifilm's XF55-200m zoom lens
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. It was nearly nine months ago that our copy editor Philip Palermo wrote about Fujifilm's X-E1 $799 interchangeable lens camera here in "IRL." Three seasons later, you can bet he's saved up money for at least one new lens. Here's how it's working out.
IRL: Testing the Moto X on Canada's Rogers network
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. After a two-week hiatus, we're back -- and we've got some new banner artwork in tow (don't all thank us at once, now). During that time, too, resident phone collector Jon Fingas has been testing the Moto X on Rogers in Canada. Turns out, he likes it, even if he can't deck it on Moto Maker.
IRL: FIFA 14 for Xbox 360
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. Soccer (excuse us: football) might not be a popular sport on this side of the Atlantic, but at least one Engadget editor is fan enough for all of us. In addition to playing the sport and following the pro leagues, our own Edgar Alvarez has made a point of buying every new edition of FIFA for Xbox 360. Naturally, he's already had a chance to get comfy with the 2014 version -- and critique it too. Read on for a lightning review from someone who knows a little something about the franchise.
