Smoke from the Camp Fire raging in Butte County, California—which has killed 23 people since it began early on Thursday—made its way into the Sacramento Kings’ arena ahead of the team’s game against the Lakers on Saturday night. The game was not delayed, but smoke was visible above the court before tip-off, and it…
Xiaomi has worked their way to be the 4th largest smartphone manufacturer in the world, and their mid-range smartphones continue to straddle the comfortable level between price and performance. While the Redmi Note 5 is not the newest device on the block in this category, it has aged well over the past half year. Here is a review of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 for those who would like a highly functional smartphone without having to take out a second mortgage on their home.
My usage pattern
The Redmi Note 5 screams value for money right from the moment you open the box. There are no headphones included, but it does feature a transparent case and a two-pin charger with a microUSB cable. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor, the Redmi Note 5 is no slouch when it comes to performance, and any smartphone that is capable of handling PUBG Mobile without running into lag or a stuttering frame rate is certainly decent enough to be your daily driver.
I would like to provide the right frame of reference concerning my use of the Redmi Note 5 so that readers will have a better idea of what to expect should they decide to pick up the device. As my daily driver, the Redmi Note 5 will provide me with tunes from Spotify for an average of 3 hours each day, not to mention an average of 3 hours’ of screen time. I have Bluetooth turned on to connect to my smartwatch, while Wi-Fi is never turned off so that I can seamlessly drift between my mobile data and home Wi-Fi network. Both SIM card slots are taken up as I sport two numbers, and I also turn on mobile hotspot capability for up to 30 minutes daily.
Design
What is there that can be said about the Redmi Note 5’s design? The updated visual details bring the handset up to par with what a modern day smartphone should look like, where the 18:9 display makes an attempt at a minimal bezel look, pulling it off decently. However, the top and bottom bezels are still fat when compared to the flagship devices that are in the market, but that is to be expected.
I like the feel of the metal chassis that exudes a breath of style and elegance, but the major downside would be the slippery feel even though my palms barely sweat at all. I would strongly advise purchasing a third party protective case in order to enjoy a more secure grip each time you use the smartphone. Despite packing in a beefy 4,000mAh battery, the Redmi Note 5 remains surprisingly light and slim, which is a good thing.
At the back lies a fingerprint sensor that is easy to access with one’s index finger, and it performs with relative accuracy that makes it far more convenient than typing a passcode or forming a pattern to unlock the device. The 3.5mm audio port and microUSB port are located at the bottom of the device, which is a far better design idea than its predecessor (Redmi Note 4) which places the 3.5mm audio port above while the microUSB port is at the bottom, especially when you are charging the handset while listening to your favorite tunes.
It would be nice to see the Redmi Note 5 migrate to USB Type-C though since it would help elevate the device to a more premium standing in terms of perception.
User Experience
Xiaomi’s handsets run on MIUI, which is skinned on top of Google’s Android mobile operating system. With MIUI 9.5 arriving right out of the box, you would do well to perform a system update and enjoy all that MIUI 10 has to offer. It does not feel bloated, and the Snapdragon 636 processor is more than capable of handling all swipes and interactions without any kind of slowdown. If you are a first time owner of a Xiaomi device, the learning curve is not steep at all and extremely easy to pick up.
My eyes did not find any issue with the 5.99-inch 18:9 Full HD+ display that delivered an acceptable degree of brightness for its price point, while colors remain vibrant. This makes the Redmi Note 5 above average in its visual department, be it for gaming or watching movies.
I also find the built-in 4,000mAh battery to be extremely useful since I no longer have to charge the handset halfway through the day. In fact, with my described usage pattern, I am able to push it all the way to one and a half day’s use with reserves to spare before plugging in the charger. The Redmi Note 5 also supports Quick Charge 2.0, but you will need to purchase a separate charger that caters to that feature.
Arriving in two flavors of 3GB RAM and 32GB of internal memory and 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal memory, you might want to settle for the latter as the lack of a dedicated microSD memory card slot might mean making a sacrifice of one SIM card slot just to fit in your microSD memory card. Again, a lot of it depends on your usage pattern, so do think things through carefully before making a purchase.
Camera
There are dual rear cameras in the Redmi Note 5, comprising of a 12MP f/1.9 primary shooter and a 5MP f/2.0 sensor. The latter will help capture depth information so that better looking portrait shots can be taken. The 12MP sensor itself is impressive as it boasts of a large 1.4μm pixel size, enabling it to absorb even more light to deliver above average shots in low light conditions. However, there is no optical stabilization for a handset at this price point, which would mean grainy and blurred shots are part of the deal under less-than-ideal situations.
Do be aware that there is some lag when booting up the camera app, although it seems to happen randomly. Still, this is an irritating quirk that I hope Xiaomi will be able to weed out with a future software update, as some moments are lost within seconds. Apart from that, there is also a noticeable shutter delay in between shots at times, especially when I tried to capture images under low-light conditions.
In terms of picture quality under adequate lighting, the Redmi Note 5 performs admirably for a device in its class. There is also a 13MP selfie camera in front, and while both the front and rear cameras are able to capture portrait shots with the bokeh effect around the subject, the dual rear cameras do it better due to the secondary lens.
Conclusion
If you want an everyday workhorse smartphone that gets the job done quietly and without having to pull attention to yourself, the Redmi Note 5 is certainly worth exploring. However, those who always want to be on the cutting edge of technology would do well to give this a pass and aim higher up the smartphone food chain.
[ Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 review copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
The backward compatibility program for the Xbox One enables developers to bring their old titles to the current-gen console. Final Fantasy fans will be interested in knowing that the Final Fantasy 13 trilogy has picked up backward compatibility support for the Xbox One. Microsoft and Square Enix have confirmed that the three games will be making their way to the Xbox One.
The list of backward compatible titles has steadily grown over the past couple of years. There are now more than 500 Xbox 360 games that can be played on the Xbox One. 25 of those titles have been enhanced for the Xbox One X. Not only that, even 32 games released for the original Xbox are backward compatible with the current-gen console.
Final Fantasy 13, Final Fantasy 13-2, and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 will be playable on the Xbox One starting November 13th. The trilogy was first released for the Xbox 360 between 2009 and 2013. It has received enhancements for the Xbox One X as well.
These aren’t the only Final Fantasy titles to get backward compatibility. Others include Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy 9, Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age and more which Square Enix confirmed for Xbox One in September and will be released for the console over the next year.
Final Fantasy 13 Trilogy Picks Up Backward Compatibility For Xbox One , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Ed Razek said he didn’t think transgender models should walk in the brand’s fashion show.
The Ukrainian radical feminist activist group FEMEN claims responsibility for the stunt.
Welcome to TechCrunch’s 2018 Holiday Gift Guide! Need more gift ideas? Check out our Gift Guide Hub.
The holiday season is here again, touting all sorts of kids’ toys that pledge to pack ‘STEM smarts’ in the box, not just the usual battery-based fun.
Educational playthings are nothing new, of course. But, in recent years, long time toymakers and a flurry of new market entrants have piggybacked on the popularity of smartphones and apps, building connected toys for even very young kids that seek to tap into a wider ‘learn to code’ movement which itself feeds off worries about the future employability of those lacking techie skills.
Whether the lofty educational claims being made for some of these STEM gizmos stands the test of time remains to be seen. Much of this sums to clever branding. Though there’s no doubt a lot of care and attention has gone into building this category out, you’ll also find equally eye-catching price-tags.
Whatever STEM toy you buy there’s a high chance it won’t survive the fickle attention spans of kids at rest and play. (Even as your children’s appetite to be schooled while having fun might dash your ‘engineer in training’ expectations.) Tearing impressionable eyeballs away from YouTube or mobile games might be your main parental challenge — and whether kids really need to start ‘learning to code’ aged just 4 or 5 seems questionable.
Buyers with high ‘outcome’ hopes for STEM toys should certainly go in with their eyes, rather than their wallets, wide open. The ‘STEM premium’ can be steep indeed, even as the capabilities and educational potential of the playthings themselves varies considerably.
At the cheaper end of the price spectrum, a ‘developmental toy’ might not really be so very different from a more basic or traditional building block type toy used in concert with a kid’s own imagination, for example.
While, at the premium end, there are a few devices in the market that are essentially fully fledged computers — but with a child-friendly layer applied to hand-hold and gamify STEM learning. An alternative investment in your child’s future might be to commit to advancing their learning opportunities yourself, using whatever computing devices you already have at home. (There are plenty of standalone apps offering guided coding lessons, for example. And tons and tons of open source resources.)
For a little DIY STEM learning inspiration read this wonderful childhood memoir by TechCrunch’s very own John Biggs — a self-confessed STEM toy sceptic.
It’s also worth noting that some startups in this still youthful category have already pivoted more toward selling wares direct to schools — aiming to plug learning gadgets into formal curricula, rather than risking the toys falling out of favor at home. Which does lend weight to the idea that standalone ‘play to learn’ toys don’t necessarily live up to the hype. And are getting tossed under the sofa after a few days’ use.
We certainly don’t suggest there are any shortcuts to turn kids into coders in the gift ideas presented here. It’s through proper guidance — plus the power of their imagination — that the vast majority of children learn. And of course kids are individuals, with their own ideas about what they want to do and become.
The increasingly commercialized rush towards STEM toys, with hundreds of millions of investor dollars being poured into the category, might also be a cause for parental caution. There’s a risk of barriers being thrown up to more freeform learning — if companies start pushing harder to hold onto kids’ attention in a more and more competitive market. Barriers that could end up dampening creative thinking.
At the same time (adult) consumers are becoming concerned about how much time they spend online and on screens. So pushing kids to get plugged in from a very early age might not feel like the right thing to do. Your parental priorities might be more focused on making sure they develop into well rounded human beings — by playing with other kids and/or non-digital toys that help them get to know and understand the world around them, and encourage using more of their own imagination.
But for those fixed on buying into the STEM toy craze this holiday season, we’ve compiled a list of some of the main players, presented in alphabetical order, rounding up a selection of what they’re offering for 2018, hitting a variety of price-points, product types and age ranges, to present a market overview — and with the hope that a well chosen gift might at least spark a few bright ideas…
Product: Metro 328 Starter Pack
Price: $45
Description: Not a typical STEM toy but a starter kit from maker-focused and electronics hobbyist brand Adafruit. The kit is intended to get the user learning about electronics and Arduino microcontrollers to set them on a path to being a maker. Adafruit says the kit is designed for “everyone, even people with little or no electronics and programming experience”. Though parental supervision is a must unless you’re buying for a teenager or mature older child. Computer access is also required for programming the Arduino.
Be sure to check out Adafruit’s Young Engineers Category for a wider range of hardware hacking gift ideas too, from $10 for a Bare Conductive Paint Pen, to $25 for the Drawdio fun pack, to $35 for this Konstruktor DIY Film Camera Kit or $75 for the Snap Circuits Green kit — where budding makers can learn about renewable energy sources by building a range of solar and kinetic energy powered projects. Adafruit also sells a selection of STEM focused children’s books too, such as Python for Kids ($35)
Age: Teenagers, or younger children with parental supervision
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Product: Cozmo
Price: $180
Description: The animation loving Anki team added a learn-to-code layer to their cute, desktop-mapping bot last year — called Cozmo Code Lab, which was delivered via free update — so the cartoonesque, programmable truck is not new on the scene for 2018 but has been gaining fresh powers over the years.
This year the company has turned its attention to adults, launching a new but almost identical-looking assistant-style bot, called Vector, that’s not really aimed at kids. That more pricey ($250) robot is slated to be getting access to its code lab in future, so it should have some DIY programming potential too.
Age: 8+
Product: Kamigami Jurassic World Robot
Price: ~$60
Description: Hobbyist robotics startup Dash Robotics has been collaborating with toymaker Mattel on the Kamigami line of biologically inspired robots for over a year now. The USB-charged bots arrive at kids’ homes in build-it-yourself form before coming to programmable, biomimetic life via the use of a simple, icon-based coding interface in the companion app.
The latest addition to the range is dinosaur bot series Jurassic World, currently comprised of a pair of pretty similar looking raptor dinosaurs, each with light up eyes and appropriate sound effects. Using the app kids can complete challenges to unlock new abilities and sounds. And if you have more than one dinosaur in the same house they can react to each other to make things even more lively.
Age: 8+
Product: Harry Potter Coding Kit
Price: $100
Description: British learn-to-code startup Kano has expanded its line this year with a co-branded, build-it-yourself wand linked to the fictional Harry Potter wizard series. The motion-sensitive e-product features a gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer and Bluetooth wireless so kids can use it to interact with coding content on-screen. The company offers 70-plus challenges for children to play wizard with, using wand gestures to manipulate digital content. Like many STEM toys it requires a tablet or desktop computer to work its digital magic (iOS and Android tablets are supported, as well as desktop PCs including Kano’s Computer Kit Touch, below)
Age: 6+
Product: Computer Kit Touch
Price: $280
Description: The latest version of Kano’s build-it-yourself Pi-powered kids’ computer. This year’s computer kit includes the familiar bright orange physical keyboard but now paired with a touchscreen. Kano reckons touch is a natural aid to the drag-and-drop, block-based learn-to-code systems it’s putting under kids’ fingertips here. Although its KanoOS Pi skin does support text-based coding too, and can run a wide range of other apps and programs — making this STEM device a fully fledged computer in its own right
Age: 6-13
Product: Boost Creative Toolbox
Price: $160
Description: Boost is Lego’s relatively recent foray into offering a simpler robotics and programming system aimed at younger kids vs its more sophisticated and expensive veteran Mindstorms creator platform (for 10+ year olds). The Boost Creative Toolbox is an entry point to Lego + robotics, letting kids build a range of different brick-based bots — all of which can be controlled and programmed via the companion app which offers an icon-based coding system.
Boost components can also be combined with other Lego kits to bring other not-electronic kits to life — such as its Stormbringer Ninjago Dragon kit (sold separately for $40). Ninjago + Boost means = a dragon that can walk and turn its head as if it’s about to breathe fire
Age: 7-12
Product: Avengers Hero Inventor Kit
Price: $150
Description: This Disney co-branded wearable in kit form from the hardware hackers over at littleBits lets superhero-inspired kids snap together all sorts of electronic and plastic bits to make their own gauntlet from the Avengers movie franchise. The gizmo features an LED matrix panel, based on Tony Stark’s palm Repulsor Beam, they can control via companion app. There are 18 in-app activities for them to explore, assuming kids don’t just use amuse themselves acting out their Marvel superhero fantasies
Age: 8+
It’s worth noting that littleBits has lots more to offer — so if bringing yet more Disney-branded merch into your home really isn’t your thing, check out its wide range of DIY electronics kits, which cater to various price points, such as this Crawly Creature Kit ($40) or an Electronic Music Inventor Kit ($100), and much more… No major movie franchises necessary
Product: Codey Rocky
Price: $100
Description: Shenzhen-based STEM kit maker Makeblock crowdfunded this emotive, programmable bot geared towards younger kids on Kickstarter. There’s no assembly required, though the bot itself can transform into a wearable or handheld device for game playing, as Codey (the head) detaches from Rocky (the wheeled body).
Despite the young target age, the toy is packed with sophisticated tech — making use of deep learning algorithms, for example. While the company’s visual programming system, mBlock, also supports Python text coding, and allows kids to code bot movements and visual effects on the display, tapping into the 10 programmable modules on this sensor-heavy bot. Makeblock says kids can program Codey to create dot matrix animations, design games and even build AI and IoT applications, thanks to baked in support for voice, image and even face recognition… The bot has also been designed to be compatible with Lego bricks so kids can design and build physical add-ons too
Age: 6+
Product: Airblock
Price: $100
Description: Another programmable gizmo from Makeblock’s range. Airblock is a modular and programmable drone/hovercraft so this is a STEM device that can fly. Magnetic connectors are used for easy assembly of the soft foam pieces. Several different assembly configurations are possible. The companion app’s block-based coding interface is used for programming and controlling your Airblock creations
Age: 8+
Product: Evo
Price: $100
Description: This programmable robot has a twist as it can be controlled without a child always having to be stuck to a screen. The Evo’s sensing system can detect and respond to marks made by marker pens and stickers in the accompanying Experience Pack — so this is coding via paper plus visual cues.
There is also a digital, block-based coding interface for controlling Evo, called OzoBlockly (based on Google’s Blockly system). This has a five-level coding system to support a range of ages, from pre-readers (using just icon-based blocks), up to a ‘Master mode’ which Ozobot says includes extensive low-level control and advanced programming features
Age: 9+
Product: Modular Laptop
Price: $320 (with a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+), $285 without
Description: This snazzy 14-inch modular laptop, powered by Raspberry Pi, has a special focus on teaching coding and electronics. Slide the laptop’s keyboard forward and it reveals a built in rail for hardware hacking. Guided projects designed for kids include building a music maker and a smart robot. The laptop runs pi-top’s learn-to-code oriented OS — which supports block-based coding programs like Scratch and kid-friendly wares like Minecraft Pi edition, as well as its homebrew CEEDUniverse: A Civilization style game that bakes in visual programming puzzles to teach basic coding concepts. The pi-top also comes with a full software suite of more standard computing apps (including apps from Google and Microsoft). So this is no simple toy. Not a new model for this year — but still a compelling STEM machine
Age: 8+
Product: Starter Kit
Price: $200
Description: Programmable robotics blocks for even very young inventors. The blocks snap together and are color-coded based on function so as to minimize instruction for the target age group. Kids can program their creations to do stuff like drive, play music, detect obstacles and more via a drag-and-drop coding interface in the companion Robo Code app. Another app — Robo Live — lets them control what they’ve built in real time. The physical blocks can also support Lego-based add-ons for more imaginative designs
Age: 5+
Product: Root
Price: $200
Description: A robot that can sense and draw, thanks to a variety of on board sensors, battery-powered kinetic energy and its central feature: A built-in pen holder. Root uses spirographs as the medium for teaching STEM as kids get to code what the bot draws. They can also create musical compositions with a scan and play mode that turns Root into a music maker. The companion app offers three levels of coding interfaces to support different learning abilities and ages. At the top end it supports programming in Swift (with Python and JavaScript slated as coming soon). An optional subscription service offers access to additional learning materials and projects to expand Root’s educational value
Age: 4+
Product: Bolt
Price: $150
Description: The app-enabled robot ball maker’s latest STEM gizmo. It’s still a transparent sphere but now has an 8×8 LED matrix lodged inside to expand the programmable elements. This colorful matrix can be programmed to display words, show data in real-time and offer game design opportunities. Bolt also includes an ambient light sensor, and speed and direction sensors, giving it an additional power up over earlier models. The Sphero Edu companion app supports drawing, Scratch-style block-based and JavaScript text programming options to suit different ages
Age: 8+
Product: Range of coding, electronics and craft kits
Price: From ~$30 up to $150
Description: A delightful range of electronic toys and coding kits, hitting various age and price-points, and often making use of traditional craft materials (which of course kids love). Examples include a solar powered moisture sensor kit ($40) to alert when a pot plant needs water; electronic dough ($35); a micro:bot add-on kit ($35) that makes use of the BBC micro:bit device (sold separately); and the creative coder kit ($70), which pairs block-based coding with a wearable that lets kids see their code in action (and reacting to their actions)
Age: 4+, 8+, 11+ depending on kit
Product: JIMU Robot BuilderBots Series: Overdrive Kit
Price: $120
Description: More snap-together, codable robot trucks that kids get to build and control. These can be programmed either via posing and recording, or using Ubtech’s drag-and-drop, block-based Blockly coding program. The Shenzhen-based company, which has been in the STEM game for several years, offers a range of other kits in the same Jimu kit series — such as this similarly priced UnicornBot and its classic MeeBot Kit, which can be expanded via the newer Animal Add-on Kit
Age: 8+
Product: Dot Creativity Kit
Price: $80
Description: San Francisco-based Wonder Workshop offers a kid-friendly blend of controllable robotics and DIY craft-style projects in this entry-level Dot Creativity Kit. Younger kids can play around and personalize the talkative connected device. But the startup sells a trio of chatty robots all aimed at encouraging children to get into coding. Next in line there’s Dash ($150), also for 6+ year olds. Then Cue ($200) for 11+. The startup also has a growing range of accessories to expand the bots’ (programmable) functionality — such as this Sketch Kit ($40) which adds a few arty smarts to Dash or Cue.
With Dot, younger kids play around using a suite of creative apps to control and customize their robot and tap more deeply into its capabilities, with the apps supporting a range of projects and puzzles designed to both entertain them and introduce basic coding concepts.
Age: 6+
Watchmaker Jaquet Droz makes luxury watches that cost more than some San Francisco apartments. Now, however, they’ve decided to go “downmarket” with their Sports Watch chronograph, a handmade watch that is designed for both work and play.
The watch is a standard chronograph with big date, a complication that displays the date as two digits instead of on a rotating dial. The resulting piece looks like a haute couture Speedmaster and should cost around $15,000, an acceptable sum for a manufacture watch with Droz’s provenance given that other Droz watches can run into the $100,000s, a price that might be less appetizing to the illiquid entrepreneur.
More from the release:
True to watchmaking tradition, the hour markers are 18-carat white gold appliques. Wide Roman numerals indicate 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock. At 12 o’clock, Jaquet Droz features a big date, a complication traditional in fine watchmaking but rarely associated with a chronograph. Although more complex to produce than a simple date aperture, the large date offers superior readability. Again, to provide optimal readability, the latest versions of the SW Chrono feature a 45 mm dial, and a rail track over the motion work in fine watchmaking tradition.
The strap is made of “rolled-edge hand-made dark-blue fabric,” a unique addition to the luxury watch world that has thus far used rubber or metal for bands. It is water-resistant to 50 meters, if you think you’re going to get wet with this thing on your wrist, and it should be on sale before the end of the year.
It won’t be long before we see more Apple products available through Amazon. The two companies are said to have come to an agreement that will see Amazon’s selections of Apple devices greatly expand. With the holidays quickly approaching, it makes sense that Amazon and Apple would look to strike this deal, despite the somewhat rocky history the two companies … Continue reading
Xbox One gamers waiting for the long-promised feature of mouse and keyboard support for the console are finally getting good news: after a limited beta test for mouse functionality just two weeks ago, Microsoft has announced that both mouse and keyboard features will be rolling out to everyone next week, with support for this year’s biggest game — Fortnite. At … Continue reading
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