I’m sure you have heard of smart assistants. In the last few months many speakers with smart assistants have been released, AKA Smart Speakers. The Amazon Echo has been a pioneer in this category with the Amazon Echo, which some of you know better as Amazon Alexa. Since the release of the Echo, Amazon has expanded to add more smart speakers to the collection. There’s the Echo Dot, which is a hockey puck version of the Echo, and the Echo Show, which is the Echo with a screen. I had the chance to spend a few weeks with the Echo Show.
Amazon Echo Show Design
The Amazon Echo Show is a smart speaker with a 7 inch screen. As expected, the Echo Show has the Amazon smart assistant, Alexa. It also has a 5 megapixel camera right above the screen. The Echo Show doesn’t slack on speakers. It has two 2-inch speakers , powered by Dolby. On the top border of the Echo Show, you have the mute, volume down, and volume up buttons. These buttons are surrounded by 8 microphones to hear your commands from anywhere in the room. The design is just weird. But it makes sense for the two speakers on the bottom.
Experience
The setup is pretty easy. As with other Echo products, you have to connect to your wifi and to your Amazon account. Of course you have to have the Amazon Echo app to enable skills and log-in to the accounts.
Echo Show Features
For me, I wasn’t using the screen daily but it is nice to have. Mostly for things like full weather forecasts and recipes. If you want to see what your shopping list and to-do list (it does help sometimes), it’s a good use for that as well. I am working on Alexa routines with some new smarthome things. I will update as I go along. Since the holidays are coming up, I figured there are a few ways to use the Echo Show to help prepare.
Shopping
Shopping can get really hectic around the holidays. Using the Echo Show to create lists and add to them as needed is helpful. If you have Amazon Prime, you can also get deals with Alexa. I got a few last year with the regular Echo,now with the screen my shopping may go overboard. Maybe not a good idea for me, after all.
Communication
I created a Google Voice account just so I can use with Alexa. While I don’t use it that often yet, because I am not home. I have used it to call my phone and do some real hands-free talking. You can have it call someone saved to your contact’s list by saying “Hey Alexa, Call Joanna” or by asking it to dial a number by saying “OK Alexa, dial 212-555-5555“. I’m still more of a texter, but it’s cool to have a sort-of “home phone again”.
Camera
I don’t make much use of the camera, not because I don’t want to because others don’t use it enough yet. They prefer other sources for video calling.
Even though the Echo Show has a touch screen, Amazon really prefers you ask Alexa to show you things. For example “Alexa, show me the recipe for chicken parmesan”. You can also ask it to show you lyrics to a song.
In the time I have been testing the device, YouTube has come in and out of use. It was blocked for a bit. So now you can watch YouTube on it, but it looks more like the YouTube webpage as opposed to the YouTube app. It’s great if you have a favorite chef on YouTube whose recipes you like to follow.
Overall
I have to admit that I have gotten used to smart assistants and I enjoy the comfort of just speaking and I recommend the Echo Show to those more into the smart home. If you have multiple cameras, it makes sense. Also, if you do more than just listen to podcasts and music, you will enjoy the Echo Show. Since the price point is not too much higher than original Echo Show, I would suggest making the leap at having the screen and camera. Learn more HERE.
Amazon Echo Show
Amazon Echo Show Review – Settings
Amazon Echo Show Review – Buttons
Amazon Echo Show Review – Side View
Amazon Echo Show Review – YouTube
Amazon Echo Show Review – YouTube
Amazon Echo Show
Amazon Echo Show Review
Amazon Echo Show Review – Analie Cruz
Amazon Echo Show Review – Analie Cruz
THIS REVIEW IS MADE POSSIBLE BY MY AFFILIATION WITH TECHWELIKE. YOU WILL SEE MANY OF MY REVIEWS THERE AS WELL.
I’ve seen and tested many speakers throughout the years. As the popularity of the bluetooth speaker has grown, so has the number of companies that want to offer their consumers a speaker. The latest Bluetooth speaker, I’ve tried is the Fender Monterey.
Design and Build
One of my favorite things about the Fender Monterey is the design. I have an old Fender Telecaster guitar and Champions Amp. The Monterey fit right in with its similar aesthetic. The look is inspired from their ’68 amplifiers. It gives it a cool vintage look that will draw attention. The vintage look is one known by fans of the Fender brand. This speaker is heavy.
The speaker grille is not flimsy at all. All of the controls are placed on the top panel of the speaker. When looking at the speaker from the front you have the on/off power switch, a blue power indicator light, volume knob, treble knob, bass knob. The witch hat style knobs are awesome. I love the overall look of the speaker. Fender didn’t skip a beat when it came to designing the speaker.
Experience
Sound
With the speaker being so heavy and large, I expected great sound from the Monterey. I used it with both iPhone 7 Plus and Galaxy Note8 (it shouldn’t make much of a difference), to make sure of the quality in bluetooth pairing. Pairing is easy. I love the distinctive alerts the Monterey gives when powering on and pairing. It sounds like guitar riffs. It’s such a nice touch. Gives personality to the speaker.
Fender Monterey Bluetooth Speaker Review – knobs and switch
If there is one thing about the Fender Monterey, is that it is LOUD! The Monterey can certainly pack a punch without losing distortion. For certain songs, you will have to adjust the bass and treble to keep the clear sound, but this speaker delivers.
Features
If you don’t want to go the bluetooth route, there is a 3.5mm jack which allows you to connect a media player or turntable. Some may not like that they can’t tune from an app, while others may love that they can walk up to the speaker and mess with treble and bass as they see fit. The Monterey also includes a microphone which helps with echo cancellation and to make voice calls. While I hardly ever use the mic on bluetooth speakers, it’s a nice feature to have especially at over $300.
As you can see from the spec list below, you can connect turntables via the RCA connectors, which Fender supplies alongside with an audio cable for the 3.5mm input jack. Ther’es no optical output though.
120-watt Bluetooth® speaker
Quad-driver system: two woofers, two tweeters
33-foot+ Bluetooth range; mic with echo cancellation
3.5mm auxiliary input jack
RCA connectors for preamp-equipped turntables
Overall
So who should buy the Fender Monterey Speaker? I’d say someone who enjoys the Fender design and acoustics. At $349.99, you’re at the price point for higher-end bluetooth speakers. You’re paying a bit of a price tag for the Fender brand and quality. The speaker is super loud. If you’re looking for one speaker for a rather small area, the Monterey will most likely get the job done, along with the cool look. You will enjoy the music at whatever volume you listen. A conversation piece for sure!
The Google Home MIni was announced last week along with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. The Google Home Mini is Google’s 2nd smart assistant speaker. The size of a donut, it’s available in 3 different colors, black, grey, and coral.
Google Home Mini – Smart Assistant Speaker
What is the Google Home Mini?
The Google Home MIni is a little speaker with Google Assistant (virtual assistant). Google Assistant allows you to ask questions, set reminders, play music, activate smart-home devices (such as connected light bulbs), and much more. You can use Google Assistant on your phone also. The Home Mini is activated by voice. You can say “Hey, Google” or “Ok, Google” to activate it. The Home Mini is fairly simple. It’s the size the of a donut (Google’s words, not mine). It stays connected via micro-USB. Not sure why they didn’t go the USB-C route. The top of the speaker is fabric, and you can see the four LED lights.
Google Home Mini – Smart Assistant Speaker
The Home Mini is fairly simple. It’s the size the of a donut (Google’s words, not mine). It stays connected via micro-USB. Not sure why they didn’t go the USB-C route. The top of the speaker is fabric, and you can see the four LED lights. Next to the micro-USB port, you have a button the mutes and unmutes the mic. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a 3.5mm jack like the Amazon Echo Dot speaker has.
Setting up and Using the Google Home Mini
Setup is pretty easy on the Home Mini. Just download the Google Home app (available for both iOS and Android) and run through the prompts. You just have to enter your Wifi credentials and that’s pretty much it. You can also enter your credentials to music apps such as Pandora.
The Home Mini does a great job of listening across the room. You can also have it stream content to other Chromecast devices around the house. That is pretty cool. You can also get routines done with the Home Mini since it works with IFTTT. I haven’t got the far yet, but at the size and price point, that’s a very dope feature. Until a few days ago, you could also activate the Home Mini by touching the top of the assistant. Google disabled that feature due to some of the speakers bugging out and activating on their own. While the Home Mini speaker is great to listen to a couple of tracks, I wouldn’t use it for a full listening session. You can’t connect it via an audio cable. Womp.
Google Home Mini – Smart Assistant Speaker
While I don’t use it to make phone calls (I hate having calls on speakerphone), you can use the Home Mini to do that. The person I called, heard me fine but sounded like I was far away. The Home Mini doesn’t support G Suite yet, so it will mostly be for personal use when it comes to the calendar appointments.
Google Home Mini – Smart Assistant Speaker
Pricing and Availability
The Home Mini is super affordable at $49. Like I said before it’s available in three colors. You can get it from the Google Store. It’s great if you want to have a small speaker around the house that can help out with information and music playback, you would definitely enjoy the Home Mini. It’s a fun way to control music and get answers to many questions. If you ordered a Pixel 2, you get a Home Mini with it. If you want a more powerful speaker with Google Assistant, you can go with the regular Google Home, which is more than double the price (ranging from $129-$149)
If you have kept up with my reviews throughout the years, you know I am a huge fan of the Samsung Galaxy Note series. I was disappointed last year when the Note 7 was taken off the shelves. Needless to say, I was hype back in August when the Galaxy Note8 announcement came early. After a few weeks of use check out my thoughts on the Note8. As you can see from the specs below, the Note8 checks off all the flagship features on paper. So how does it perform after weeks of everyday use?
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Specs
Display: 6.3” Quad HD Super AMOLED 2560 x 1440 (521ppi) Cameras: Dual 12 Megapixel rear-facing camera (Both with OIS) / 8 megapixel front-facing camera Processor / RAM: Quad 2.3GHz + Quad 1.7Ghz, Octacore application processor/ 6GB RAM Memory: 64GB /128GB / 256GB Internal Memory (with expansion slot) Battery: 3,300 mAh embedded battery / Fast Wireless and Wired Charging / Connectivity : Bluetooth 5.0 / Wi-Fi / NFC / USB-C / Headphone Jack OS: Android Nougat 7.1.1 with Samsung Experience (Formerly TouchWiz) Features: IP68 Rating (water and dust resistant) / Bixby
Design and Build
The Galaxy Note8 stays with the premium build quality. You feel it on the phone for sure. While the phone isn’t super wide. It doesn; ‘t follow the slimmer builds that phones like the Galaxy S8 and LG G6 have followed. in 2017. The corners on the Note8 are more squared off. The phone has a bit more grip this way.
On the right side, you have the power/ standby button. On the left, you have the Bixby button with volume rocker above it. About the 6.3 inch display, you have sensors and the 8-megapixel front-facing camera. The back of the phone has two cameras with the fingerprint sensor right next to it. On the bottom from left to right, you have the headphone jack, USB-C charging port, speaker, and S-Pen.
The glass on the front and back beg for a case, not only to keep your phone from cracking but preventing all of those fingerprints. The Infinity Screen that we met on the Galaxy S8 is here, on the Note8 as well. It’s just so pretty! And no, you won’t find a physical home button here.
Experience
The hype around the Note8 is real. It’s almost as if the Note 7 debacle never happened. The Note 8 was just so promising at launch that many pre-ordered it (I’m sure the discount offered to previous Note7 owners helped).
Going from the Galaxy S8 to the Note 8 wasn’t a huge jump, but I had gotten used to the S8. I do have more trouble reaching the notification bar and the palm rejection when reaching over across to the other side of the screen. You get all the usual things you get with a Samsung flagship. Beautiful screen, lots of features within, and a dope camera. I highlight some of the main features below and how they worked for me.
Galaxy Note8 Features
Camera Dual Cameras
The Galaxy Note8 is the first Samsung phone to have dual cameras. They both have OIS too which is pretty dope. After testing out the Live Focus feature at the launch event, I really wanted to get my hands on it to see how well Live Focus works in regular settings. It replaced the previous “Selective Focus” which i tried to use every now and then. I love that the “Live Focus” option is right there to toggle on and off and you don’t have to go into camera settings mess with it. My fave part is showing what I think are some awesome shots taken with the phone. Have a look at the slideshow, and I upload some photos to my Instagram and Google+ (I know, I know. I will be on Flickr soon).
Samsung Galaxy Note8 Camera sample – front facing camera
Samsung Galaxy Note8 Camera sample – front facing camera
Samsung Galaxy Note8 Camera sample – front facing camera
Samsung Galaxy Note8 Camera sample
Samsung Galaxy Note8 Camera sample – front facing camera
Samsung Galaxy Note8 Camera sample
Samsung Galaxy Note8 Camera sample – Food Mode shot
Iris Scanner
Iris Scanner works pretty well. I have these large cat-eye glasses and the phone will unlock with them on also, but it won’t unlock if someone borrows my glasses and tries the iris scanner. So far so good. You just have to figure out what angle and distance to hold the phone in order to get the scanner to work quickly. If not, you’ll get a prompt that says “hold phone closer/hold phone farther away”
Fingerprint Scanner
Not my favorite feature on the Note8. Even though the fingerprint scanner is separated from the rear cameras by the flash it is still very difficult to reach if you don’t have large hands. It’s not in a natural “resting” spot for many. I have to adjust my grip to reach. I rely mostly on the Iris Scanner to unlock the Note8.
S-Pen
Oh S-Pen, it has been a while. The precision on the S-Pen gets better and better. From Note 5 to Note8 you won’t see too much of a difference. You can make GIFs and use the pen to send animated texts, also known as “Live Messages” which is pretty sweet. Since the Note 8 is a bit more narrow your “Notes” are longer, and if you need to rest your palm, it will get a bit uncomfy after a while. But with the S-Pen you can do more, such as highlighting text to translate, and take notes while the screen is off (screen-off memos). I have been using Screen off memos more and more.
App Pair
App Pair allows you to pair two apps on the App Edge Menu. Once you click them, those 2 apps open together on the split screen. You will love this feature if you enjoy using the multi-window feature. It’s great due to the 18:9 screen ratio.
Water-Resistance and Endurance
Pretty self-explanatory, but I imagine you will be using this phone a lot and you want it to be able to handle a spill or using it in the rain.
As for endurance, the phone seems pretty durable considering the build. What I mean by that is, the phone has glass front and back. If you drop the Note8 enough times it will crack. I mean, it’s glass. This is the first Note I didn’t put a screen protector on. I do have a case on it since the glass back is so slippery and I am constantly adjusting my grip to reach the notification bar or fingerprint scanner.
Note8 Battery Life
Even though the Note 8’s battery is smaller than the Note 7’s (safety first, right?) it has done well lasting throughout a busy day. Of course, personal use will vary with everyone but I’m surprised at how late in the day I had to recharge the phone. I still don’t charge the phone for more than a few hours and I definitely don’t charge the phone overnight. Using the phone regularly with medium to high brightness (due to very sunny days in New York) the Note 8 survived well beyond my work day.
Overall Thoughts
If the Note 7 left you doubting Samsung, then the Note 8 will definitely restore your faith in the company. The phone is solid but is definitely not for everyone. Many won’t use the Live Focus camera feature or S-Pen features. For the price of nearly $1000 dollars, you want to make sure you will use most of the features. If you weren’t a stylus person, you won’t become one overnight. I even find myself using it less than usual. Relying on voice to text input and smart assistants has helped me get information down. The Note series isn’t that much different than the Galaxy S series anymore. This is where pricing and feel come into play more than usual. But if you’re willing to drop the $900- $1000, you won’t fall short of reasons to enjoy the Note8.
