Samsung SmartCam HD Pro Review: A Dropcam Competitor That Works Well, But Lacks Charm

It was inevitable that major OEMs would try to beat startup Dropcam at their own game, by providing inexpensive, HD IP camera for home security enthusiasts, people with babies and folks who just in general like to watch. Samsung has a few entrants in this category, and the SmartCam HD Pro is their most recent offering. The camera is very capable, and will meet the needs of most, but it does so in a barebones way that can be frustrating to set up and that lacks the charm of its upstart competitor.

Basics

• Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity
• SD card storage
• Low latency
• Built-in mic and speaker for two-way talk
• MSRP: $189.99
• Product info page

Pros

• SD card storage with no recurring fees
• Relatively inexpensive

Cons

• No cloud-based recording option (if the camera is stolen, so is your video)

Performance

Once set up, the SmartCam HD behaves exactly like you’d want it to, capturing high-quality HD video with low latency even when used in wireless mode. Its mobile apps offer a lot of handy functions in a clean, easy-to-use interface, letting you capture video or still images, and chat back and forth with anyone on the other end of the camera easily. Motion or audio can be set to trigger notifications on your device, or record clips to an SD card installed onboard in just a few taps.

The “once set up” is crucial, though. I found getting the device ready for action to be quite frustrating, considering that I assumed based on the included instructions there was a way to get it working from a mobile device using no other hardware. If you have a WPS-enabled router, you can, but for my Airport Extreme, it required plugging it in with Ethernet and setting it up that way. I also needed to use the web-based dashboard and install (and authorize) a plugin to get it working, since confusing instructions written in bad English made it incredibly difficult to figure out the password creation requirements on mobile.

Overall, the software and backend aspects of the SmartCam seem hastily ported for an English-speaking market, and it shows. Once you’ve created your account and are online, it’s only a minor annoyance, but I still would’ve liked to see more attention paid to the UI/UX, especially given that with a product like this, that’s going to be the big appeal for a consumer audience vs. more commercial-focused gear.

Dropcam definitely has the advantage on polish and quality of software and hardware experience, but Samsung’s offering does everything you need a home security camera to do. It stores video recordings via a built-in SD card, which saves you the Dropcam subscription fee, but on the other hand it means no offsite storage for your recordings. Which you prefer depends on your needs.

Design

Samsung’s camera is modern-looking, with a circular face dressed in white that’s more likely to blend into white-walled surroundings than the Dropcam competition. But it’s also made of decidedly cheap-feeling plastic, and bordered by a faux-metal band that’s not doing it any favors. But this is not a gadget designed to woo with its looks anyway.

Its size is a little much for its function, given that it might make it easier for thieves to spot, and then steal or disable, but it also means it has room for the onboard storage. The mounting foot and hardware it comes with also makes it easy to use it either standing on a flat surface or attached to a wall and angled where you want it to point, both of which are important in this kind of utilitarian gadget.

Bottom Line

Samsung has delivered a capable piece of kit with the SmartCam HD which works well once you get past the slightly onerous setup process. We already done the research and spend a lot of time for you. Click here to find out where to get the best deal on Samsung SmartCam HD.

Review Google Glass Price, Cost: Google Selling it Once Again

Google once again sell glasses that are connected to the Internet to anyone in the United States as the company fine-tunes the device that has sparked intrigue and hatred of its potential to change the way people interact with technology. The following review of Theepochtimes.com

Google is once again selling its Internet-connected eyewear to anyone in the U.S. as the company fine-tunes a device that has sparked intrigue and disdain for its potential to change the way people interact with technology.

The latest release of Google Glass comes a month after a one-day sale gave U.S. residents their first chance to buy the hottest accessory in geek fashion.

Google Inc. isn’t setting a time limit for people to buy Glass this time, although the company is emphasizing that the product remains in its test, or “Explorer,” phase.

As has been the case since Google began selling Glass to a select group in 2012, the device costs $1,500. It’s only available on Google’s website for now.

Glass, which comes in five different colors, looks like a pair of spectacles except the Explorer edition doesn’t contain any actual glass in the frame. Instead, the device has a thumbnail-sized screen attached above the right eye so a user can check email, see Twitter posts or get directions without having to grope for a phone.

Google is offering an option to add a titanium frame that can be fitted with prescription lenses or sunglasses from Maui Jim or Zeal Optics that can be clipped on. Google isn’t charging extra for the titanium frame or sunglasses.

The resumed sale of Google Glass is the latest indication that the Mountain View, California, company is nearing a mass-market release of the device.

Google is planning to release a more polished version of Glass by the end of this year that may sell for less than the price of the Explorer version. Analysts believe the cost will have to come down dramatically if Glass is to become anything more than a novelty worn by gadget lovers and wealthy consumers trying to impress their friends.

The parts and assembly of Glass cost only $152.47, based on an analysis by the research firm IHS Technology. Most of Glass’ costs stem from the extensive engineering and design that it took to invent the device, IHS said.

Google hasn’t provided a timetable for a mass-market release of Glass. More details could be announced next month at the company’s annual conference for developers in San Francisco.

Besides cost concerns, Glass also may have to overcome complaints about its potential to distract and intrude. Many of the misgivings about Glass center on its ability to take hands-free photos and video through voice-activated commands. The ability to record images so easily — and perhaps secretly — has raised privacy and piracy concerns and has prompted some casinos, theaters and bars to ban the use of Glass on their property. Safety concerns have also been raised about drivers wearing Glass, prodding lawmakers to draw up new rules forbidding use of the device in moving vehicles.

Google and other technology enthusiasts are hailing Glass as a breakthrough that will make it easier for people to access the Internet while on the go and cause fewer disruptions to social discourse because people won’t be fumbling around with their smartphones as frequently. The device is also being touted as a potentially valuable business tool that could help police officers, fire fighters, doctors and reporters do their jobs better.

About 10,000 sets of the Explorer edition were initially sold to computer programmers, contest winners and other invitees. Google hasn’t revealed how many more sets were sold in last month’s one-day sale.

We already done the research and spend a lot of time for you. Click here to find out where to get the best deal on Google Glass Price.

Review Microsoft Surface Pro 3

Microsoft has released the latest gadgets Surface Pro 3 is cool and powerful, following a review of Techcrunch.com

Microsoft’s newest Surface, the Surface Pro 3, is an interesting gadget. Akin to its predecessors, it sits somewhere between a tablet and a laptop. In Microsoft’s estimation, the Pro 3 can replace your laptop while providing the utility of a tablet. It’s a big claim. TechCrunch got its hands on a Pro 3 here in San Francisco, and sat it next to its predecessors and competitors.

The Pro 3 something like a Surface Pro 2′s guts shoved into an outstretched Surface 2. It’s certainly more compelling than the Microsoft devices that came before it. But the chief question is simple: Can it stack up next to and best the Macbook Air in terms of price, and utility? The answer, it turns out, isn’t binary. The Surface Pro 3 offers different use cases. I think that the Macbook Air still offers a better pure-laptop experience, but the Pro 3 allows for other input options that might, in your use, more than compensate for that deficit.

The Surface Pro 3 is the first Surface device that meets Microsoft’s initial vision for the line. Will consumers react well to it? We’ll know soon enough when Microsoft reports new revenue numbers for its nascent OEM business.

We already done the research and spend a lot of time for you. Click here to find out where to get the best deal on Microsoft Surface Pro 3.