Author: Dave

The light switch of the future…
The “start up” smart tech company, Brilliant, has emerged out of nowhere and is revolutionizing the home light switch as we know it.

The game changer

In 2017, Brilliant brought their prototype “smart control panel” into production and into our homes. This new revolutionary control panel was quickly recognized as an innovative way to fully integrate all of your home tech. In a sense giving your home a brain. By using the digital touch screen or simple verbal commands, this switch can control your homes lights, air conditioning, intercom system, video surveillance, music and much more.

Brilliant’s Bright Future

Brilliant’s new smart switch made a lot of buzz at the 2018 tech convention CES in Las Vegas. Right from the get go, you see Brilliant has an eye for what the consumer and home owner wants. By adding the ability to access Alexa, Sonos speaker, Nest thermostat, and even take photos, this control panel immediately stands out amongst it’s competitors. Wink and Belkin did beat Brilliant to the home control panels market, but Brilliant has quickly jumped ahead of the with its many features such as a built in camera and even the ability to make video calls. But these additional features do come at a cost. The Wink Relay control panel can be purchased off amazon for $90 per panel, while Brilliant is selling their basic for $200. Their four switch panel is priced at $399.99. Brilliant has offered a $50 discount for pre-ordering their panels directly from their website, by they are expected to be the full $200 once it hits store shelves later in February 2018.

The good
- Fully integrates all of your home’s smart technology into one sleek panel.
- Its many features gives you the ability personalize each room with separate lighting, entertainment, and ambiance.
- With full control of all utilities so handy, you can expect monthly electric bills to be lower when used properly.
The not so good
- With all new technology, there is an expected period of trial and error. It will take some time for Brilliant to work all the kinks out.
- For your entire home to be connected you will need a panel in every room. At up to $400.00 per panel, this can get costly. Granted, once everything in connected, it’s pretty amazing.
My thoughts

Brilliant is clearly onto something big here. It may have initial hiccups like any new production, but once they oil this machine they created, I see it in every single home.
January 22, 2018
HP Sprocket 2-in-1 Review
Immediate Thoughts:
- Lightweight and sleek
- Sub-par camera resolution
- Fun, but costly
What I learned from my life and experiences is that time is precious. Capturing moments of days soon past is what keeps our existence real and tangible. What better way to say “I was here”, but by holding a paper image in your hands as proof. This is what the HP Sprocket 2-in-1 camera/printer offers.

The gist

Released in 2016 by HP, the Sprocket 2-in-1 camera/printer appears to be in response to Fujifilms Instaxx Polaroid camera, which immediately gained attention in 2012 for reviving the once obsolete Polaroid technology. HP decided to take from Fujifilms inspiration and see what they can contribute to the idea. HP was able to create a sharp and attractive camera/printer combo (appx. 4 inches x 3 inches) with a few bright color options which I will admit catch the eye. HP also “upped the ante” and added Bluetooth technology to the Sprocket 2-in-1 which allows users to take photos from there smartphone and instantly print pictures from the Sprocket. This was actually a very smart idea from HP since the Sprockets camera resolution and pixel quality is unfortunately…abysmal. At a starting price point of $159.00 u.s., you would expect the Sprocket would have more than a 5 pixel lens (especially this day and age). But because Hewlett-Packard decided to try and save on some costs, the photos appear as if they were taken from my old Motorola Razor…

But should we buy it?

Despite the setbacks, the Sprocket has kind of a fun and wacky “carnival photo-booth” feel to it. A number people had seen me using in action over New Year’s Eve festivities and wanted jump in the photos. It was definitely a conversation starter and sending a stranger off with a memento is very endearing. But I digress back to some stats…The Sprocket is able to quickly print out the 3-inch x 2-inch photos in less than a minute, and the refillable ZINK paper has an adhesive backside which allows you to stick the photos just about anywhere, which is kinda great! The printer can fit 10 ZINK pieces of paper in the Sprocket at a time, and the paper can be purchased in bundles for either a 20-sheet package ($9.99) or a 50-pack ($24.99). So the simple math breaks down to just about 50 cents per photo. Seems kinda costly. Especially since the seafood joint around the corner from my house has “25 cent Oysters and Pints” on Thursday nights (#Ballinonabudget).

The good, the bad, the bottom line

The positives I take from the Sprocket 2-in-1 is that it’s a sharp looking, pocket-sized Polaroid camera that has the ability to both create a lot of temporary fun and permanent reflections. The drawbacks are the lacking camera lens quality, and the costs of the camera itself and the paper refills. I just didn’t feel it was worth it. Bottom line is this revisiting of the Polaroid camera still needs some tinkering after all this time. Once we can get a high quality camera lens along with larger photos, I would probably be back on board…Until then I’ll probably just rely on watching Rescue Rangers to get my nostalgia fix.
January 20, 2018
HTC Vive? Sure, if You’ve Got The PC for it…
The Good
- Stunning visuals
- very responsive and interactive gaming world
- lasting fun and very immersive experience
The Bad
- A powerful gaming is needed to enjoy the full experience
- Using the Vive can take some getting used to, mind your surroundings
- Costly gaming product
The conclusion

I found the HTC Vive to be solidly built and well made. HTC has created a very immersive and responsive world that keeps you entertained and surprised for hours. You will need a powerful computer and a fair amount of space to fully enjoy the Vive. In terms of cost, considering a price drop from $599.00, it is certainly worth purchasing.

The Gist.

As long as you have a powerful PC to push the Vive, it’s pretty incredible. The system pushes a lot of pixels to the small monitors, and you need a pretty fancy graphics card and processor to match up. The required PC components is partly due to the HTC Vive, providing just about a 180 degree field of virtual vision, and it’s stunning features that come with it. The price is a little steep relative to most gaming gear at $599.00, but it’s pretty cutting edge. As time passes the price will come down. It’s an early adopter product at this point but I have to say that as far as early adopter gear goes, it’s been surprisingly robust. For how new the product is it’s surprisingly smooth and a polished. The responsiveness of turning your head and immediately having the environment respond is impressive. I didn’t notice any real lag when playing with it. The unit is reasonably light, but does get little warm after extended use. SteamVR makes using and purchasing VR games a quick and easy process. Steam also offers a large variety of VR games for how new this system is.

Final thoughts

HTC Vive is a truly great system and HTC obviously put a lot of work into this product. The wiring, controls, and overall setup is a bit cumbersome, but that is expected with any new technology at this level. I’m sure as time passes, the controls will be simpler, sleeker, and everything will be wireless. But for now, if you’re into gaming, the Vive is definitely worth a try!
January 19, 2018
Phillips Hue is Lighting up Our Homes.
The Good
- Smart bulb with LED color changing technology
- 16 Million different color variations
- Easy set-up and user friendly app
The Bad
- $199.99 for a pack of four light bulbs can be costly
- The bulbs are known to make a somewhat loud humming noise
- the larger bulbs may not fit in some enclosed light fixtures
The Conclusion

These are excellent quality bulbs aside from being significantly less bright than their incandescent counterparts, but are still bright enough to light up a room. Of course, being as expensive as they are, it’s hard to stomach using more than one in a room. There’s no voice or motion control, no built-in automated control other than alarms, and no physical remotes or switches available. Without any of this, these are extremely limited in their capabilities. and therefore hard to recommend at this price. If all you need is basic colored lighting, that’s the way to go. But Phillips has the ability to do something great here and it’s off to a good start so far. If you’re into the mood lighting and need the color varieties, then this is the option for you.

Smart Bulbs.

Originally launched in 2012, the Phillips Hue lighting system has made progress and suffered setbacks. with a very impressive lighting system many are hooked. The basic light kit that comes with four light bulbs and a control bridge. It is incredibly simple to set up. Connect the bridge to your Wi-fi and swap out the new bulbs and you’re up and running. The range of colors you can get is amazing, and the ability to set timers from your iPhone is a nice touch. Set them to gradually turn on in the morning with an alarm clock, turn off when you leave for work, and on again in the evenings. With a set up like this, you don’t really have to worry about turning the lights on and off, except at bed time. By adding these lights into your lifestyle, you might be able to sleep better, relax more, and even save on the electricity bill. But a big downside to the system is the price. at $199.00 for the starter pack, it seems pricey for four light bulbs. Maybe once Phillips get down the road a bit, the prices will drop. I hope…

Final Thoughts

The highly controllable lighting system works well and is easy to set up. Being able to easily program your lights to come on, go off, or brighten and fade is just wonderful. Having control of the color of light can so drastically affect the mood in a room or an entire home. A highlight is the fade function. It really seems to slowly lull you into a peaceful state, ready to go to sleep. The cons for now are it’s still pricey and the Hue application for your phone or tablet is basic. Additionally when you are away from home, the app is even more limited. If Phillips plans to address these issues in the near future, you can see a lot more of these popping up in homes.
January 17, 2018