The interesting and innovative Mocaheart Device by Mocacare!

We recently received a Mocaheart from Mocacare.

It is  an all-in-one smart heart tracker
that measures heart rate, blood oxygen,
and blood flow with a quick scan of your thumbs.

About Mocacare:

Here at MOCACARE, we’re driven by a vision to combine health, technology, design, and comfort. Our goal is simple – to make caring for health an easy, intuitive, and reliable experience.

Established in 2013, MOCACARE is headquartered in Palo Alto, California and has an engineering center in Taipei, Taiwan. With our international team of scientists, engineers, designers, physicians, and business leaders from Stanford University, California College of the Arts, and UCSF, we’re empowering people to care for their health every day.

MOCAheart was born from an urging need. We noticed that beyond finding an easier way to take care of their health, our loved ones also wanted a better way to care for each other. Using personal life experiences, human-centered design principles, and the latest heart health technology, we’ve created a health companion that enhances the connection between you, your health, and your loved ones.

Our impressions:

Overview:

There a variety of heart monitoring applications available for Android and IOS.

We found the Mocaheart device to be above the crowd in it’s ease of use, the quality of and utility of the application.

It worked well, and was easy to use.

Setup: 

The device was really easy to set up on the Iphone and from my understanding it is just as easy on Android devices.

The Mocaheart came with the batteries installed that were needed to operate it. To get it ready all one has to do is turn it on, pair to you devices bluetooth, and download the free application. It worked right out of the box the first time and every time We used it.

Why Use it!

According to the news and television and various other news media as well as my doctor, the threat of heart disease is on the rise world wide.

It is wise to keep track of your own health, especially heart health. The Mocaheart allows you to monitor and gauge your level of heart health on a regular basis.

With the Apple Iphone the Mocaheart device integrates with the health application present in IOS, as well as being able to be used with its own application.

The application as seen above is clear and easy to read, and understand. It allows you to use the Mocaheart and know your level of heart health, though it is recommended to see your doctor on a regular basis as well.

 

We were rather impressed by the device, its’ design, and its’ operation, ease of use and the application as well.

If you would like to get one of these cool wee devices you can check one out on Amazon!

In the Media

“The Future just happened” – Boehringer Ingelheim
For a product that started on Kickstarter

We would definitely recommend the Mocaheart for anyone that wants to track their heart health, in a nice easy, portable device!

Here is a nice overview video from youtube:

BandLab Adds Android Pro Mix Editor, Web MIDI Editing and New iOS and Android Explore Features

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 11, 2016—BandLab, the first free, cloud-based platform (iOS, Android and Web) where musicians can capture ideas and create new songs in collaboration with musicians and music fans everywhere, today announced the launch of its Pro Mix Editor for Android. In the coming weeks, BandLab will release other new features, including a more helpful way to discover categories of music on iOS and Android, and a new Web MIDI Editor. All these updates will be available by downloading and signing up for BandLab (for free) on iOS, Android and Web.

ANDROID PRO MIX EDITOR

When Android users click the Pro Mode button on their BandLab recording screen, a 12-track Mix Editor now opens. Android users can now further explore their creativity by importing audio and adding vocals, instruments and ambient sounds to take their music to the next level—wherever they are. Having 12 tracks also makes it easier for other BandLab users around the world to add their own ideas to tracks and collaborate on songs.

THE NEW EXPLORE ON ANDROID AND iOS

There are also changes to the way Android and iOS users can explore and get inspiration from BandLab. User content is now sorted by categories, making it even easier for musicians and fans to find the kind of music they like, as well as new collaboration opportunities with other artists.

WEB MIDI EDITOR

BandLab’s new MIDI Editor turns every note played into a square on a musical grid. These squares can then be placed correctly on the timeline—either manually or using BandLab’s automated quantization tool. The notes can also be deleted, moved, stretched or have their velocity increased or decreased to change their sound. Once the notes are in place, users can also change them to a different MIDI sound bank (like changing a piano part to drums or guitar), providing even greater musical possibilities.

The BandLab MIDI editor will automatically detect when a MIDI device like a keyboard or a pad controller is connected. Users can also play the onboard instruments to create MIDI music directly from the desktop.

“These are all major updates for BandLab, and we’re very excited to be releasing them all in the same month,” said Meng Ru Kuok, BandLab’s CEO and Co-founder. “Together, the Android Pro Mix Editor and the web-based MIDI Editor (in addition to our existing cloud storage) make BandLab the first truly cross-platform, multi-track DAW. So now musicians can express their creativity and collaborate on songs—wherever they are. While the new Explore page on iOS and Android will make it even easier for musicians to find the music they love, the inspiration they’re looking for and new opportunities to collaborate.”

The BandLab Android Pro Mix Editor officially launches worldwide today, with the MIDI Editor and the new Explore feature for iOS and Android coming soon. Musicians, bands and fans can sign up for FREE at bandlab.com or download the FREE BandLab mobile app from iTunes or Google Play.

Pro_ME_nexus

iOS - Discover Musicians_1

About BandLab
BandLab is a new cloud platform (iOS, Android mobile apps and Web) where musicians can capture their ideas and create and produce new songs with unprecedented levels of collaboration with other musicians and even fans anywhere in the world. Musicians and bands can sign up for FREE at bandlab.com or download the FREE BandLab mobile app from iTunes or Google Play.

Huawei Ascend Mate 2 not one of the big guys, but a big phone hits the US Market.

We recently had the opportunity to test and review the incredible Huawei Asendmate 2.

Huawei has been trying to gain a foot hold in the US market and now with this phone and the direct to consumer sales approach they may have a chance.

I had the opportunity to test it for about 6 weeks as my daily driver. I was impressed with the phone overall.

I liked:

–>The battery life was excellent

–>The screen quality was really decent

–>The design was quite nice.

What could be better:

–>The launcher needs and app drawer, I resolved the issue by using go launcher’s launcher instead.

—>The sound quality was decent but could have been better.

An image of the phone

It reminds of the Samsung Galaxy Mega, however the Ascendmate 2 uses a 1.8ghz quad core, and it has an impressive 4000 mah battery and 2gb of video ram.

It seems now a days, very-large phones have become so everpreset that giant phones are becoming common place. Personally I like them and this phone very much and part of the reason why is the size. The Ascend Mate 2 is over 6″ in seems, but it seems thin and comfortable in my hands. I am 6 foot 2″ tall and like the large design. To put that in perspective, the Ascend Mate 2 is both taller and wider than even a Galaxy Note 3 or 4.

It seems Huawei wanted to make a big impression here in the the US market. Since I am nearly 46 years old and I have less than average vision, so the larger screen size is quite nice. I liked that I can read Kindle Books on it without squinting and watching video on it as well as web browsing is great as well.

Huawei Ascend Mate 2 4G

More speed, more performance

4G LTE forlightning-fast downloads

Imagine the possibilities of a smartphone that opens the door to ultra-fast 4G LTE, giving you the chance to experience even more. Stream your favorite movies or shows without interruption, connect and chat with your family and friends via seamless video streaming, load web pages without waiting and enjoy a world where everything you do with your smartphone is faster, smoother, and better.

 

I had no issues with the phone and its’ performance using wifi and on AT&T and Crickets Networks.  I was very impressed with it. I was sad to have to send the demo phone back to Huawei. I really  liked it a great deal.

The Mate2 4G’s range of image enhancement technologies and advanced HD 13 megapixel rear camera means you can take amazing photos with every shot. Capture the moments that mean the most to you and enjoy extraordinary detail and life-like color with every single frame. All you need to do is point and tap, your Mate2 4G will take care of the rest.

I liked the camera and found it’s quality to be darn decent, and no worse than other phones that I had tested in the past like the Samsung Galaxy note too, and the HTC M7. It does not quite match up to all of the competition but is  quote decent.
The stock launcher is the emotion UI that like the Miui launcher that is prevalent in Asia lacks the app drawer commonly seen in phones in North America, though it was not hard to get used to it, I wound up using the Go Launcher instead off and on. It does have a more Iphone like feel than the typical android phone.
The demo phone that I was testing but from what I have heard and seen it ought to support Kitkat and Lollypop at some point soon.  When that happens the already decent phone could even better.
Here is an image from Huawei’s site showing the easy mode that the phone offers. It would be great for basic users or young folks.
The phone has a nice glove mode for people who live in cold climates and need use it with gloves on and it also has a nice one handed mode for those folks who want to use the phone with one hand. I found that both these modes were well implemented.
If you are interested in the phone it can be obtained here :

http://www.amazon.com/Huawei-Ascend-Mate2-Smart-Phone/dp/B00JPIAGW0

It does have cool windows on windows mode a sort of floating windows or widget over window feature that is kind of like the calculator in Mac OS:

In summary I was really impressed by the phone and would recommend it to anyone who needs a larger phone or a more affordable alternative to Samsung’s Note phones. The Samsung Galaxy Notes are smaller but have more features however for the money the Huawei Ascendmate 2 is a great phone for a super price.It is unmatched for what it brings to the table for the money.

The Nokia 1020 Hands on with the Device!

Summary:

My first impression of the Nokia Lumia 1020 was very positive. I liked how it felt in the hand especially compared to most of the competitive devices which are more flat and square. I liked the rounded corners.

Rounded Corners

Rounded Corners

In addition, I liked the selection of available colors. I was testing the white one, which is quite nice, but personally if I adopted one I would prefer yellow or blue, and the more mat surface.

From my perception and researching it’s sister products on the internet and at–> http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/mobile/phones/all/?catalog_mode=grid&dcmpid=bmc-src-google.Brand I found that it has the same 4,5 inch AMOLED Puremotion HD+ displaythe Lumia 925, and although the body looks a lot like the Nokia Lumia 920, it weighs only 152 grams – despite the big camera sensor attached to it.

I had tested a few other entry level products such as the Nokia 635 and 530 which were decent products for their price point and feature set, but I was really impressed by the Nokia 1020. I have always used mostly Android  devices and have tested  Blackberry and Apple products, but I was  actually surprised at how nice Windows 8.1 was running on this Smartphone.

In regards to its specifications it  is 129 x 71,4 x 10,9 mm and 14,5 mm at the thickest part which would be the lens.  In addition it has a 1,5Ghz dual core processor and 2GB of internal (RAM) memory. Like the Nokia Lumia 920 it has 32GB internal storage and no room for a micro-SD card. The “High Capacity” battery offers 2000 mAh. I feel that the battery life though it could be better, was decent. I was also using a demo phone that had been tested and used by others as well so it could have skewed the results  a bit.

Here are some examples of the variety of colors found in Nokia Devices, the 1o20 is on the far left.

nokia colors

 

I found this interesting and thought provoking graphic on Nokia’s forums with regards to the nokia 1020 that talks about and illustrates the features and capabilities of the device as well(It was illustrated by Jing Zhang a talented illustrator it seems)–>

NokiaLumia1020infographic

According to Nokia here are its specifications:

Specifications

  • Display

    • Display size: 4.5 ”
    • Display technology: ClearBlack, OLED
    • Touch screen technology: Super sensitive touch
  • Photography

    • Main camera sensor: 41 MP, PureView
    • Secondary camera: HD 1.2 MP wide angle
    • Flash type: Xenon flash
  • Power management

    • Maximum talk time (2G): 8.2 h
    • Maximum talk time (3G): 12.5 h
    • Maximum music playback time: 53 h
  • Processor

    • Processor name: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ S4
    • Processor type: Dual-core 1.5 GHz

    In reality I found that the phone was snappy in its performance, though there are devices with faster processors available the Nokia 1020 performed well in my testing of it.

    I found that its business applications were impressive. The email application worked very well, it reminded me of the email application found on the Blackberry z10 and z30. I think that anyone coming from Blackberry would really like the phone a great deal. It also offers windows applications which work well and integrate well from the user experience in Desktop Windows 8.

    I think that the main application screen which has the live tiles is as good as Apples IOS software, I wish it has widgets like Android  but the live tiles seem halfway between Android and IOS in terms of their operations.

    The customization of the devices was quite nice. I really liked how windows 8.1 performed on the phone.

    I think that the second screen which is found by swiping to the left can be improved a bit, it is a column of words, which could be improved by using icons or having 2 or 3 columns which is not a big deal but a personal impression.

    Camera-Photo and video:

    I found that this phone has the best camera that I have seen on a smartphone and for that matter many point and shoot cameras as well.

    As they say a picture is worth a thousand words:

    Here is a sample video I shot on it recently–>

     

    and another at a Breast Cancer Event that Olivia Newton John was Speaking at in Las Vegas at the Linq Observation Wheel–>

    The video quality was quite nice, but what really impressed my was the sound quality.

    Overall I was highly impressed by the Nokia Lumia 1020. I would love to test and review more of their products as they launched into the marketplace.

    The only thing that could be better is the number of applications available from the Application Store as well as the battery life. I can hardly wait for later iterations of Windows Phone to see where they improve it. If the serious  improvement of Windows 8.1 phone versus Windows Phone 7.5 and Windows phone 8 is any indication as it appears to be, then the best is definitely yet to come! We could at some point see an upset in the market versus its competition IOS, Android and Blackberry OS’s.

    Here are some sample  photos as well:

    First a close up of a 20 dollar bill to show its macro abilities and some nice distance shots. As you can see the quality of the images and the color rendition is very nice for a camera or camera phone for the matter.

    WP_20141002_17_49_32_Pro

 

WP_20141001_17_35_15_1_Pro

WP_20141006_10_30_30_Raw

HISY: Bluetooth Camera Shutter Remote (Full)

While at CTIA 2014, I ran into a company with a unique new product for taking group photos and selfies. Here is a nice video that they just released portraying the product. It is definitely worth checking it out.

 


Say hello to the selfie, revolutionized.  HISY is a tiny device that offers so much more than the term we’ve come to know and love.  With HISY, users can snap photos andvideo from up to ninety feet away, eliminating woes like weird selfie arm and the exclusion of people from the shot.  Just set, step away, and click, then admire your killerselfie #hisypix.  HISY—it’s The New Way to Selfie!!

 

  • Compatibility: Apple iOS 7.0 or later of iPhone 4S, 5, 5S, 5C, iPad 3rd & 4th Generation, iPad Mini & iPad Air, iPod, & iPod Touch 5th Generation or later
  • Frequency Range: ISM Band 2.4 GHz
  • Bluetooth Version: BT 4.0 Low Energy
  • Active Range: 30-90ft / 10 to 30m
  • 2+ Year Battery Life: (CR2032 x 1 Cell)
  • Includes headphone jack attachement to carry with you at all times
  • Includes foldable stand

IK Multimedia adds SampleMoog™ Mobile Edition to Sample Tank!

MEDIA ALERT

IK Multimedia adds SampleMoog™ Mobile Edition
and Inter-App Audio in SampleTank
for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch


New version of SampleTank for iOS adds availability of the SampleMoog™
collection of instruments – the most sought after vintage
and modern Moog synthesizers of all time

November 26, 2013 – IK Multimedia, the leader in mobile music-creation apps and accessories for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, is pleased to announce a new version of SampleTank, the premium virtual instrument and sound module for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch that gives mobile musicians access to the SampleMoog™ – Mobile Edition collection of instrument sounds, plus adds Inter-App Audio features allowing SampleTank to run as an instrument app for Inter-App Audio compatible recording apps like GarageBand for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

The SampleMoog™ Mobile Edition for SampleTank mobile is available as an in-app purchase and is derived from the SampleMoog™ standalone app and DAW plug-in for Mac/PC used in studios around the world. These sounds, pads, textures and effects have been heard on countless GRAMMY-winning albums and millions of recordings since the 1970s. SampleMoog™ Mobile Edition features instruments that were painstakingly sampled for precise and faithful sound reproduction of the world’s most popular Moog vintage and modern synthesizers.  These sounds have a texture, warmth, and beauty that is considered “the anthology of Moog synths” and unrivalled in the virtual instrument world.

The SampleMoog™ – Mobile Edition for SampleTank includes over 130 analog synth lead, pad, bass, sequence and effect sounds from classic Moog Music® instruments including the Minimoog® Model D, Memorymoog, Polymoog, Taurus®, Source, Rogue, Prodigy, Vocoder, Minimoog Voyager®, Little Phatty® and Etherwave® Theremin.  These sounds are taken from the desktop version of SampleMoog™, IK Multimedia’s leading Moog® virtual instrument.

SampleTank 1.7 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch is a complete professional quality virtual instrument and sound workstation that allows musicians to use a portable keyboard/MIDI controller like iRig KEYS, or any MIDI keyboard controller with a MIDI interface like iRig MIDI or iRig PRO, to create and perform with studio quality instruments and sounds on the go. Musicians can even add more performance control with iRig BlueBoard, wireless MIDI pedalboard controller. SampleTank is both Inter-App Audio (new in iOS 7) and AudioBus compatible so it can be used as an instrument app with other compatible mobile recording and DAW applications like GarageBand, AmpliTube and VocaLive for creating music on the go, anytime and everywhere. SampleTank is compatible with iPhone 3GS or later, iPod touch 4G or later, and any iPad model.

Pricing & Availability:
SampleTank 1.7 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch is available now as a free update on the App StoreSM (www.itunes.com/appstore). The SampleMoog™ Mobile Edition is available as an in-app purchase for $19.99/€17.99. Additional instrument collections, like the symphonic sounds of Miroslav Philharmonik Mobile Edition, are also available via in-app purchase.

For more information about SampleTank for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, please visit:

www.sampletank.com