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Bluetooth

The Trackr Bravo Review

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

The Trackr Bravo is a small watch battery sized Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) device that promises to help you locate your lost or misplaced items. The device costs about $US29 each and you attach it to your keys, put it in a bag, wallet or anything else you may want to locate (think pet collar). 


You can use the Trackr apps to locate the item on a map and make it ring (if you are within Bluetooth range). You can also press the tiny button on the Trackr and make the app ring (even if the phone is set to silent) to locate it. 

The final trick the Trackr Bravo can perform is initiating a separation alarm (if you enable it). As an example, you can set the separation alarm to on when in a restaurant so if you walk away without your keys, it will ring. 

The last promise Trackr makes is that if you do lose an item and it comes within range of any other user with the Trackr app open (even in the background), you get a location ping for your lost device. 

Its main competitor is the Tile and I'll also draw some comparisons. 

 

Let's get physical

I bought a 3 pack from Best Buy Canada for $50 (was on special - regular price was $79). It is a small plastic disc that measures 1.2 inches in diameter and is 0.2 inches thick. It weighs a mere 0.3 ounces. 

It is smaller and lighter than the Tile. 

The Trackr Bravo has a small ring on top to attach it to a keyring and comes with round double sided tape if you want to attach it to something like a bicycle or other belonging. 

There is a Trackr logo on one side (in the middle) and a small pairing / alert button under it.
I paired it with my trusty iPhone 6s Plus using the Trackr apps and it took all of 30 seconds. 
The device is expected to run for one year on the included CR1616 battery (which is user replaceable). Unfortunately my 6 Trackr Bravos came with dead batteries. I sent a support request via email (following the directions on their site) and never received a reply.

 

3 weeks after sending my first support request (and sent another one 2 weeks ago) The Trackr support has never responded.

This is my first big issue. I sent them a tweet and 2 emails. Nothing. So I bought replacement batteries from Amazon which cost me $20 (for 10 batteries). This was my first annoyance. We are not over 1.5 months since I made my support requests providing proof of purchase and I have not received a response.

The apps did not warn me that the batteries were low (even though it does provide battery level in the device settings tab). I was able to paid my devices but they soon stopped responding. This is problematic if you batteries are low when you misplace or lose your item.

Tile does not allow you to replace the batteries but does warn you when the batteries are running low.

Because the Trackr has a user replaceable battery, it is not waterproof. My 3 pack included a plastic sleeve to make it more water resistant but this is a cheap flimsy plastic and my wife's Trackr fell out somewhere (before I had a chance to replace its battery) and we couldn't find it. How ironic. We lost the Trackr which is supposed to help us find lost items.

Usability

The separation alert (if enabled) does warn you if one of the paired items goes missing. I had a trackr in my wallet and enabled separation alert. When I purposely left the wallet with a friend and walked away in a restaurant, the alarm on my phone rang. The opposite also worked. I took my wallet and left my phone, my wallet started ringing. 

Here is my second problem with The Trackr Bravo : The alarm is very weak

There is an alarm and it does work but you may have trouble hearing it in a noisy restaurant. You can also set a custom alert tone using any MP3 on your device.

The Tile has a much louder alarm that makes locating lost items easier.

If you press the black pairing button the Trackr, it will sound the alarm on your phone (to help you locate it) and you can ring the trackr token from your phone's Trackr App. 

As a test, a colleague hid my keys somewhere in the office (which is large enough to be out of bluetooth range). As soon as I opened the app, it showed me the last location if key the Trackr token was in but showed it greyed out (aka out of range). The bottom of the map screen shows the Bluetooth strength which is used to indicate how close or far the token is from the phone.

The Tile and Trackr are about the same here but the Tile has a more granular strength meter which is more useful. 

As I walked around the office (and got closer to my token) the app started to show I was getting closer and switched the dull grey location to a green one. I then force the alarm (using the app) and I heard it sound but it was so low I had trouble identifying the location.

The Trackr says the alarm is 85db but it sounds much more muted to me. The Tile has a 90 db alarm but the sound is sharper and easier to identify. 

I know the trackr website says a community of trackr users will help me find my lost items but I couldn't figure out how this works. A tweet requesting clarification just said "It works automatically". What does that mean? How? How do I ask the network of user to "search" for my lost item. Not much information is provided and Twitter support was less than useful. Again an email to support requesting help for this feature went unanswered. Surprise... Surprise...

Conclusion

Having used it for close to 1.5 months and having shared it with family, what do I think? It is worth the investment? The idea is good and I love the fact the battery is user replaceable but it had a tone of shortcomings. 

My biggest complaint is the lack of response from support. Why did I have to buy replacement batteries for something I just picked up? Why is documentation so scarce and features like the global lost and found not clear?

The alarm is low and the location information is often too wishy washy to be useful. They have a home pluggable device called the Atlas which is supposed to help you locate the tokens with more accuracy but I couldn't get my hands on one to test it.

 If you check out the Amazon reviews from verified buyers, you will see that many echo the same complaints I had. Poor battery life. Poor support. Low alarm. Slow reconnect when you do get close to the token. So my conclusion is to pass on The Trackr Bravo. Maybe the next iteration will be good enough to justify the $US29 price tag but this version certainly isn't.

Review of JLAB Epic 2 bluetooth sport headphones

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

Introduction

We are a couple of weeks away (probably) from the announcement of the next iPhone and rumors are swirling about the headphone jack being ejected. This means you will have to buy Lightning port headphones or Bluetooth (my vote is Bluetooth for everyday use). Who wants wired headphones that get tangled and caught on things?

What attracted me to the JLAB Epic 2 was the promise of 12 hour battery life and a secure fit. Until this review, the most secure fitting headphones I have ever tried are the Jaybird ones (Sprint and X2).

Sound Signature

The JLab Epic 2 in an in-ear style exercise Bluetooth headphone and the sound signature is clearly aligned with that target market. The sound is tuned to enhance bass (not as much as Monster or Beats headphones) to keep you pumped during your exercise session. If you are looking for a more neutral / balanced sound then this is not for you.

Design

The Epic 2 can be stealth (black version) or very flashy (blue/grey or teal). I opted for the blue/grey. 

You expect sports headphones to be able to handle a much higher level of abuse and the JLAB Epic 2 doesn't disappoint. The product is certified IPX5 which means you can rinse it off after a workout and it can handle sweat and light rain. Just make sure you leave it out to dry otherwise you will shorten the devices useful life.

IPX5 means it can handle water being sprayed on the product from any direction. It does not mean you can wash it with a pressure washer (won't protect from strong jets of water) and you can't dunk it (it is water resistant not water proof). No other major brand can come close to the protection offered by JLAB (not even the venerable Jaybird which labels its products only as sweat resistant).

The material directly around the headphone (aka the part that goes behind your ear) is more rigid which means it will hold a hook shape and stay in place. Couple this with 8 different types of eartips in different shapes & sizes and you are sure to get a very secure fit. 

The JLAB Epic 2 has a small control box that houses the battery, a flap covered USB charging port, a microphone and the usual buttons. Pressing the up/down arrow adjusts the volume. Pressing and holding them skip's or rewinds the song. Pressing and holding the middle multi function button turns the device on/off. Pressing and releasing the middle multi function button pauses the music. 

The antenna

JLAB has spend a lit of marketing space promoting their "RADICAL SKIP-FREE SOUND WITH BEACON™ SIGNAL TECHNOLOGY". I compared reception (or lack thereof) to different Bluetooth headphones from Jaybird, Monoprice, MPOW, Motorola and Beats. I tested it by holding the phone in different places:

  • In my left/right hands
  • In my left/right/back pants pockets
  • In my dress shirt pocket
  • In my shoulder laptop bag

Each test was performed with an iPhones 6s Plus and a Motorola Moto G (Android). I walked outside at least 5 minutes with each pair of headphones in each location. Does the JLAB Beacon signal technology make a difference? Not really. It worked perfectly where the others worked perfectly and it skipped where other products also skipped. 

JLab’s Beacon Signal Technology failed to impress me during my tests.

Performance

I tested the audio quality with on device AAC high powered bass heavy songs and with FitRadio steamed mixes. The first thing I noticed was that the JLAB Epic 2 can get very loud, and that's a good thing. Even with a high bass songs (AAC & streamed) at maximum volume, I didn't notice any distortion. Testing music at more reasonable levels, the bass still stays strong. 

Using the song Africa by Toto (don't judge my music selection), you can hearthe bass enhanced tuning of the Epic 2 (compared to the other Bluetooth headphones). The only other pair with more extreme bass was the Beats (which has a sound signature I dislike).

Using opera, you can again hear how much it emphasizes the bass. This gave me an idea. I love listening to talk radio, podcasts and audiobooks. I realized the enhanced bass also enhances male voices, which made listening to these types of content very enjoyable. 

At no point during my testing did the music sound muddy, garbled or sub-par.

The Jaybird Sprint, Jaybird X2, MPow and Monoprice bluetooth headphones deliver a more neutral sound signature. 

Comparing the Jlab Epic to the Jlab Epic 2

If you already own the JLAB Epic, what does v2 bring to the table? It brings improved water resistance (IPX4 to IPX5). The circuit board in the control unit is now coated to protect the headphoneseven if moisture enters from the USB charging port through the flap. 

JLab also says the antenna is greatly improved but in my tests, I didn't notice it. 

The button arrangement is a little different (not good or bad just different).

The cable (connecting both ear buds) is coated in a matte feeling material JLAB says will minimize tangling and less rubbing sounds when you are working out. I can confirm that these statements are accurate. 

Jlab now includes 2 more tips in the original kit which could help if you had issues in the past. My ears are "normal" sized and I have never bought a pair of headphones that didn't fit.

The flaws

All Bluetooth headphones suffer from the fact that they add one more device you have to remember to charge. If you are forgetful, maybe opt for something with wires instead. JLab's EPIC 2 regularly delivered close to 12 hours of use per charge, which means it is much less likely to die during a workout [than most of its competitors] (Beats got less than 6 hours; Jaybird X2 got about 8 hours, MPow got less than 3).   

If you have large outer ears and deep ear canals, getting a tight fit might be difficult with the wrap behind ear design, but for most "normal" people, this isn't an issue. 

And that's it. I really had to think hard in order to find some flaws. This thing is well designed. 

Summary

Pro

  • Light set of Bluetooth headphones that regularly get 11+ hours of play time per charge
  • Water resistant design (aka rinsable to get the funk out) 
  • Good audio volume with enhanced bass response
  • Works with iPhone and Adnroid devices

Con

  • Even for Bluetooth headphones, the sound quality could be improved (particularly clarity and mids/highs).

Conclusion

Jlab has produced something very impressive with the Epic 2. They are priced much more competitively than other high end sport headphones and the waterproofing/battery life is excellent. 

I just can't recommend these headphones enough. I love them and they have become my daily use headphones while commuting.

 

Satechi magical bluetooth buttons

technologyEdward Kiledjian

Consumers demand ease of use, power and immediate gratification. Sure the smartphone has simplified our lives but we demand that it become even easier. Satechi believes it has the answer with its Bluetooth Button Series.

The Bluetooth Button Series is a set of 3 small circular aluminium bodied buttons that pair to your smart device via bluetooth and trigger a particular built in function (SIRI, Camera shutter, etc). They work with IOS (iphone, Ipad mini, iPad Air) and Android devices.

Each button retails for about $US25 on Amazon (link). 

Attach the media control button to your steering wheel (using the included attachment accessory) and never fumble to switch a song again.

You can use the shutter release button to snap a group picture without having to set a timer and run back. There are lots of create ways to use these little buttons. 

WayTools TextBlade may be the ultimate portable keyboard

technologyEdward Kiledjian

Truth is typing on a slab of glass just isn't efficient. Even with the larger iPhone 6 plus, iPad mini or Ipad Air 2, typing is acceptable at fast. Typing on glass is much slower than typing on a traditional keyboard (because of the tactile response which means you don't have to look at the keyboard). 

Over the last 20 years, I have tried hundreds of portable keyboard and only a small handful have actually been "good" or usable in the field. Now a company called WayTools is launching a brand new ultra compact portable bluetooth keyboard called the TextBlade. [Since it is bluetooth, it works with all modern smartphones and tablets including iPhone, iPad, Samsung, HTC, Nexus and more).

Announced at CES, it is a 3 piece keyboard that magnetically attaches to itself. It charges using any USB port and the company claims you get 1 month of autonomy with a 1 hour charge. 

The company describes the TextBlade as:

TextBlade is brimming with advanced technology, including the World’s first physical MultiTouch Keys, ultra low energy Bluetooth Smart, and the first MultiLayer Keys, bringing symbols and editing to home row ... all engineered into the most compact touch-type machine ever produced.
— WayTools

WayTools TextBlade uses the same QWERTY layout we all know and love but adds smart functions like copy/paste, easy letter, word or sentence selection, etc.

I can't judge it until I test one for a couple of weeks but I am very much interested and intrigued. If this works as advertised, it may turn out to be a huge win for the company and mobile productivity nuts.  

 

Smart earbuds for music and exercise tracking

technologyEdward Kiledjian
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A Kickstarter project called ,The Dash, is offering the superhero of bluetooth earphones. The two small buds are packed with sensors such as an accelerometer, thermometer, capacitive touch, bone mic, Infrared LED and optical sensor and more.

All of this so you can listen to music (from a phone or from the onboard 4GB of storage) and track your exercise (speed, pace, distance, heart rate, oxygen saturation, etc.

It naturally blocks ambient sound (noise isolation) but can let through some sounds so you don't get hit by a car.

the product page spends a lot of time describing these interesting earphones that can be had for a mere $199 investment.

Kickstarter (link)