It's smaller than a normal USB stick and barely weighs anything. Shove the USB-C protrusion into your Android phone, launch the app, and... nope - that's it! Pretty much instantly plug and play.

There's also a reasonably long USB-C extension cable, so you can poke the camera in small places without needing to get your phone up close to something hot. But, if you do want to get close, the magnetic cover acts as a macro lens. Perfect for seeing which capacitor on your motherboard is about to blow!

Image Quality

The IR lens is only 256x192. It doesn't sound like a lot, but that's quite high spec for these sort of consumer devices. Everything is upscaled - and there's an overlay to show you the temperatures. Here's my face - what a cold nose!

There's no IR EXIF, sadly, but you do get GPS.

Video

The video is upscaled to 1080x1440 - which allows for the information overlay to be a sensible size. Frame rate is about 11fps - but we're not going for cinematic quality here! Codec is h264 but fairly uncompressed.

There doesn't seem to be a way to get rid of the InfiRay watermark - but perhaps it is burried in the app settings somewhere?

App

The Android app is spartan, but functional. You can fiddle around with the camera's colour pallets, play with some image and video quality settings, and record video.

It's also possible to show your phone's camera simultaneously with the thermal image - so you can get an idea of what you're seeing.

Linux Nerds

The camera shows up as 0bda:5830 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. USB Camera and is automatically recognised as a USB camera.

The only issue is with the way it presents itself. Opening up Google Meet shows the image split like this:

No idea what's going on there! But it should be easy enough to stream from the camera and post-process it.

Price

Now, here's the rub. What with the global chip shortages and the need for IR sensors in military equipment, the price of these devices is unfairly high.

The price on Amazon is around £220 - use the code terence12 to get a discount. That's a chunk of change! But these cameras are useful if you want to check for leaks, or dodgy insulation, or whether your computer is overheating.

You can also buy from the official website.

I've reviewed several IR cameras. The P2 Pro is a great gadget. It's small, the app doesn't suck, and it seems pretty accurate.

It's a bargain if a group of you are buying it for a hack-lab.

I needed to download a Windows Virtual Machine in order to upgrade the firmware on a device (long story). The official Windows 10 VM is 20GB

TWENTY GIGA-FUCKING-BYTES!!!

It downloaded reasonably quickly - yay fibre! But I had to wait almost as long to unzip the bloody thing. Whereupon, I discovered that zipping the file - and it was only one single file in there - saved a whole 200MB. Yup, a 1% saving.

As it happens, I downloaded the wrong VM. So I downloaded the right one. A similar size, although this had couple of files in it - but the ZIP didn't save much space.

At which point, my laptop - not unreasonably - threw a wobbly because I'd suddenly consumed 80GB of space!

I'm sure you're about to tell me that there's an esoteric Linux command that will automagically extract a file, delete the original archive, and repartition my SSD for optimal layout - but that's not the point.

Every web server can - and should - gzip files on transmission. Manually zipping a single file on your server doesn't save any download time. It doesn't save any bandwidth.

Perhaps it makes sense to bundle a few related files together - but if it is a single large file, a .zip just wastes the time and disk space of anyone who downloads it.

This doesn't need an unboxing video, or any complicated set-up tips. It's an inert black box, with a red orb nestled in it.

Made in Germany by Perixx, it's a heavy unit - no danger of it slipping around your desk. The ball is light enough to control with your fingertips. But there's no inertia on it - you can't whizz your way around the screen. The layout is good. Pretty easy to click with your thumb and drag with your fingers. Takes a little getting used to.

And, yes, it looks like HAL from 2001. If you don't like that, you can buy replacement balls in a variety of colours

Good

• Clickable scrollwheel! Dead easy to scroll with this, and having a 3rd mouse button is always handy.
• Mouse buttons are large and make a satisfying clunk when used.
• Long USB cable.
• Detachable wrist rest. I've kept it on. It's a good cushion at just the right height.
• Plug and Play. No drivers required on Mac or Linux.
• It looks gorgeous!

Bad

• Sssslllloooowwww! On MacOS I bumped the mouse speed up to the maximum. It still felt slow.
• The trackball can be slightly stiff to begin with. But I reckon it will loosen with time.
• I'd really like to be able to push the ball in to click. I realise why this would be impractical - but I keep doing it instinctively.

These are all pretty meagre complaints.

Linux

It just worked. Top speed was much faster than on the Mac.

It shows up as 062a:7269 MosArt Semiconductor Corp. They're just a generic chip manufacturer. The product listing doesn't give much more information. But, c'mon, it's a trackball. You're not getting a firmware update for it!

Buy it

This trackball costs £25 on Amazon. Seems pretty reasonable to me!

Terence Eden is on Mastodon

@edent

#LazyWeb can anyone find me some Bluetooth headphones which recharge via USB-C.

All the C ones I've found are wired.

---

Anker, through its sub-brand SoundCore - have released the "Life Q10" headphones. They're usually about £45 - but Amazon had an instant coupon which took them down to £33. Bargain!

They're exactly what I want in over-ear headphones. They're large enough for my flappy ears, USB-C charging, and an optional aux port. They fold down for storage. And they're cheap!

What you get

A bog standard USB-A to USB-C cable, about 60cm long. A 100cm long phono cable. And a brief manual. There's no carrying case.

What works

Everything! Pared instantly with my Android phone. Clear crisp music. The "Bass Up" function is terrifyingly thumpy. The volume goes loud without too much distortion. Even at a quiet volume, things are legible.

Bluetooth controls are instant to respond - play, pause, track skip, and volume. I don't use a voice assistant - but it apparently supports that. USB-C charging is stupidly fast. Promising 5 hours listening for 5 minutes of charging. The manual indicates that it will fully charge in 2 hours - giving you a ridiculous 60 hours of listening.

The battery came partly charged, and a few minutes of power gave it a substantial boost according to the Bluetooth battery monitor. I've not managed to listen to 60 minutes of music on it, but a good couple of hours of podcasts has only dropped the battery a few percentage points.

Call audio quality was fine. Even on an HD voice call, you're still limited to a fairly low bandwidth connection.

The cans are tight enough not to let out too much sound, but loose enough to be comfortable on a long conference call. There's no noise-cancellation, but outside noises don't intrude once the volume is up.

They play a daft little tune when you turn them on or off. It also speaks the battery level which is useful.

If you plug in the 3.5mm aux cable, you can use them as passive headphones. You don't need to power them on. In fact, the power button is disabled while the cable is plugged in.

But, it's not all sunshine and roses. For under £50 you can't expect miracles.

Bugs

Here's a list of the minor annoyances I've found.

Press the bass-boost button once, and a posh English voice says "Bass up". But press it again and a tinny American voice says "Normal". Indicates a lack of testing and quality assurance.

There's a slight background hiss. You'll only notice it when the music has stopped. It doesn't interfere with your listening - and is no worse than other devices.

Can't play while charging. This was a weird one, they charge quickly enough for it not to be a major concern.

Doesn't do USB Audio. The C port is just for charging. To be fair, it doesn’t claim otherwise.

The box says "High-Res Audio" - that's, politely, an exaggeration. It supports the AAC codec. There's no aptX or lossless codecs. It's better than the bare minimum SBC, but that's about it. Listen to the music, not the headphones right?

Firmware upgrades

Rather prominently, the Amazon listing says "This product is not currently compatible with iPhone 11 series, but is being upgraded."

lsusb doesn't show anything. I would have expected something to show up for firmware updates. Sadly, the SoundCore website lists no firmware updates for anything.

Which leads us on to the last problem: the Q10 doesn't exist.

There's nothing on the SoundCore pages about it. Nothing on Anker. The headphones physically exist - but they seem completely unsupported by the manufacturer. That's not a huge problem, I guess. But a bit odd.

Verdict

I bought these because they were the only reasonably priced headphones to support USB-C charging. Now my phone, eReader, games console, and laptop all take the same charger.

For forty-odd quid, these are stunning. Great sound quality, comfortable, long lasting. Only marred by weird support decisions by Anker / SoundCore.

Buy the Q10 now on Amazon UK.

Read about how she got into tech.

1. Reduced chance of having an affair while away on business
   • ⚤ Hetrosexuals only!
2. Won't accidentally mistake a CEO for a cocktail waitress
   • 💁🍸 embarrassing!
3. Excellent networking opportunities in the long queue for the men's toilets 🚽🚹
   • ⚣ Possible risk of inadvertent homosexuality!
4. Impossible to sexually harass people who aren't there
   • 📵 Still possible via social media though! 🤳
5. Getting blind drunk and pissing in a public fountain is unlikely to upset anyone of a delicate constitution
   • Watch out for lady-policemen! 👮‍♀️
6. No distracting breasts. Dudes never say "My eyes are up here!"
   • Pectoral muscles should be admired, obviously! 🏋️‍♂️
7. "Guys" is a perfectly acceptable term for a group of people.
   • Goes double if any of them are actually named "Guy"! 🤼‍♂️
8. The strippers you oggle at a supplier's exhibition booth don't have an intimidating amount of technical knowledge
   • Do double check they're not spies though! 👯‍♀️🕵️
9. All the t-shirt shwag will be properly sized for your manly body
   • Although you won't be able to bring one home for the missus! 👕
10. Chaps are just better!
    • ♂️♂️♂️

Look, do I need to spell out that this is satire? Well, it would be, if it weren't so terrifyingly real.

Morten Rand-Hendriksen is elsewhere

@mor10

Replying to @mor10"I always get drunk people hitting on me at after parties. It's incredibly uncomfortable. I'm there to network, not hook up."

---

Sarah

@fevered

Replying to @mor10@mor10 Yeah I can say this is a thing I expect now, which is sad! It sucks to go to tech conferences as a lady knowing someone, somewhere is going to hit on me. I'm just here for the technical information, dude.

---

Kay L. Kirkpatrick

@kay314159

This. I’ve been mistaken for a waitress at a conference. (In which I gave a plenary talk.) x.com/laura_boykin/s…

---

Faintdreams

@faintdreams

One of the few upsides of being a woman at a Tech conference is that during breaks there is never a queue for the toilets..

---

Phoenix Perry

@phoenixperry

Hey guy friends, I just want to say that if you came onto a woman at a conference and it was not welcome, you owe her an apology. I have so many bad memories of this happening to me again and again in my 30's that now I'm in my 40's I still hold a grudge. I hope you all grew up.

---

manwhohasitall

@manwhohasitall

"I'm not hung up on being called a 'firewoman' because I know it covers both women and men." Sam, male firewoman #FirefightingSexism

---

MotherOfAdults🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🦄🐴

@poorponyowner

Replying to @manwhohasitall@manwhohasitall @caitlinmoran My mum was once described as a "lady policeman". And my ex, a charge nurse was once described as a "make sister" 😂😂😂

---

To men who splain me on how „guys” is gender neutral while purchasing a ticket to my conference—I will gladly void your ticket. Bye. Fantastic Ms Fox

Charlotte Jee

@charlottejee

@i4_1 The number of times I've been to a tech conference and found I'm the only woman there who isn't a 'booth babe' is truly depressing

---

ashe dryden

@ashedryden

I've decided I'm not taking shirts from conferences anymore unless they're women's fit. This "unisex" crap is terrible if you have boobs.

---

A tiny, hand held drone, with blinkenlights, and SELFIE MODE! The 720p camera can record video as it flies, or turn around and snap a photo of you. It also has a range of SnapChat-style filters. Not bad for something costing £40.

The motors and propellers fold away into the body of the drone - making it less prone to damage in transit.

Black Box

It all comes wrapped up in a portable padded box.

Bundled in with the drone, you get:

• Wii style remote - with joystick and motion detection.
• USB cable (proprietary, unfortunately).
• Repair kit - screwdriver, four replacement propellers, and some foam pads.
• Instruction manual - for once, this is well translated and comprehensive.

The Power of Love

The big issue with drones is how power hungry they are. This is one is no different. There are no LEDs on the battery, so it is impossible to tell when it has fully charged. The flight time is about 5 minutes. Not bad for a small drone - but you'll probably want to get a couple of spare batteries.

One cool thing - there's a charging LED in the USB end of the cable:

A few other power niggles:

• Uses a non-standard USB cable. If you lose it, you'll need to find another one with a barrel connector.
• The remote uses AA batteries. Might have been helpful if it was also rechargeable. But it isn't a big deal

Control

The controller remote looks - and functions - like a Nintendo Wii remote. It has motion controllers built in to it - so you can fly the drone by moving your hand.

The joystick can also be used to control it. The four buttons are unlabelled, and activate various functions. You'll want to keep the manual close at hand while you learn what they do.

App

sigh The Android app isn't great. That's similar to most drones on the market. It is poorly translated and tricky to use.

For forty-quid I don't expect a perfect app, but this is barely capable. The reviews make very clear that it doesn't work for a lot of people.

It didn't work for me. I tried a couple of Android phones and tablets, but I couldn't get it to connect. That meant I wasn't able to use the camera, or test the other features.

Flight Tests

Like all drones, it takes practice to fly. The motion controller makes things fairly easy - once you've worked out how to make it take off!

Verdict

It is ridiculous how cheap these drones are now. You get around 5 - 7 minutes flight time and then need a recharge, that's a little disappointing. The app is woeful - which is a real shame. I was looking forward to taking selfies and seeing where it was flying.

The physical remote is great for controlling the drone's flight. It responds really quickly to the accelerometer and is easy to learn.

Buy it

You can buy this drone - and many, many variants - direct from RC Moment

Discount! Readers of this blog get a US$10 discount with coupon code GOOL.

This an excellent bit of kit. Easy to use, impressive results, and an app which works pretty well.

A single click button to take photos and videos, recording audio in surround sound, and perfect for uploading to Facebook or YouTube.

Unlike most of the kit I review, I paid for this myself. I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone who wants to get started in spherical photography.

You can find the tech specs yourself - I'm going to show you a few of the photos and then tell you why you shouldn't buy it.

Sample Shots

This is what a "raw" equirectangular image looks like. Click for MASSIVE. If you zoom in, you can tell exactly where the stitching is. It's pretty good - but not seamless.

Design Flaws

The camera is not perfect, I'll start by talking about the things which show this is a V1 product.

Charging Flap

On the base of the unit is a flap - it covers the USB charging port and the microSD slot. With the flap open, you can't use the tripod. 

Or, to put it a different way, you have to take off the tripod every time you want to charge it.

USB Connection

I like the fact it uses the newer USB-C standard. But it appears that the camera can only be charged over USB, you can't transfer files from it. When plugged into a computer, it doesn't show as a USB drive. The only way to get photos and videos off is over WiFi using the app. WiFi transfers pretty quickly, but you end up going camera to phone to laptop if you want to edit anything.

No Live Streaming

The camera streams video direct to the handset over WiFi, but there's no way to put that on YouTube or Facebook directly.

There are some hacky workarounds

No Built-in GPS

Photos do have GPS EXIF - but the location is that of your phone. That's fine if you're holding both, but if you put the camera somewhere then get out of shot, the location will represent your position, not the camera's. 

Password Protection and WiFi Connectivity

When you first connect to the camera, it prompts you to change the default WiFi password. A brilliant idea! 

But it doesn't actually work. I repeatedly tried changing the password, to no effect. 

WiFi can be a little hard to manage. Your phone connects to the camera - but some phones will complain that there is no Internet connection, and will disconnect. It sometimes takes some manual clicking around the options to get connected. 

Even then, the connection can be spotty. Move too far away and the live video feed from the camera stops. The camera still took photos and videos, but the preview stopped. The range seemed to be about 5 metres.

Verdict

I'm being overly harsh on such a cheap product. For quick snaps or full videos, it's incredibly good.

The app is decent - not always a given with hardware. Plenty of options to fiddle with and relatively quick to use.

For around £150 it is excellent. Hold it high above your head and create some gorgeous images.

You can buy the LG 360 from Amazon UK

It costs £8 plus postage direct from Itead.

This is similar to an Infrared device I reviewed a few years ago.

It's a cute little box, small and light enough to hide away anywhere. Even under use, it doesn't get hot.

Note - it only connects to 2.4GHz WiFi. That's standard for these cheap gadgets.

Powered by the ubiquitous micro-USB, it comes with a short cable, but no plug socket. I assume you have plenty at home.

Blinken lights! Little status LEDs so you know what's going on.

Software

You need to use the eWeLink app. Like lots of smarthome apps from China, it isn't the prettiest - but it works. The translations on the app and the user guide would benefit from a more professional approach, but it is adequate.

The app is quick to respond - but I found that it would occasionally log me out, and I'd have to re-enter my password to continue.

It also supports Amazon Alexa! Incredible for a device this cheap. As I mentioned in my previous review, setting up the eWeLink Alexa skill is a bit cumbersome - but it works!

Buttons!

You also get a keyfob with four buttons on it.

It is an RF remote which you can pair with the box. Kinda neat if you don't want to unlock your phone to activate something.

Usage

It works - but there's a catch - how many 433MHz devices do you have? I had to dig out some old demo kit in order to play with this gadget. If you've got compatible devices, this is a useful gizmo - but most modern devices have WiFi built in, so it may be worth upgrading older devices if you can.

If you have devices which need 433MHz controls, this is a ridiculously cheap way to add them to your home network. The Alexa control is the icing on the cake.

Teardown

It isn't a review if you don't get to see the guts :-)

The retail model I've got has populated debug headers and an internal on/off switch.

Nice and neat design. I'm told that it should be fairly easy to flash and dump the firmware. For those who care about such things, the main chip is the ESP8285.

Get It

• You can find out more information on Sonoff's website
• Full specification - including schematic - is on the Itead Wiki
• Finally, you can buy it for £8 (US$10) from Itead directly

You can also view the unboxing on YouTube

This is a card-holder with space for 6 cards - wrapped up in a protective bundle, secured with strong magnets.

Let's get the price out of the way first, this wallet costs £80. That's not Gucci levels of extravagance, but it is more expensive than any wallet I've had so far. What makes it so pricey? It is build out of woven carbon fibre - that makes it lightweight and incredibly strong.

Gorgeous

The woven fibre design is sleek and subtle. It feels great in the hand, just the right amount of texture. The case catches the light and makes for a pleasant change from dull leather.

The edges are ridged - which helps it feel secure in your hand. This isn't as slippery as it looks.

As you can see in the video, the action of the mechanism is superb. It takes a little effort to open but snap when it does is perfect. Those strong magnets keep everything in place, with no worries that the cards will fall out.

Strong

I haven't tested the device to destruction, but there's no flex when pressure is applied to it. It won't crush, deform, bend, or break.

It appears to be fairly scratch resistant as well. It spent a day in my pocket with a couple of keys and some coins. This is what it looked like afterwards:

Unblemished!

Modular

It's about the same size as a pack of cards. But you can change that! The individual card holders are secured by some reasonably strong magnets.

The price for extra inserts is US$30 each - again, a bit pricey - but they're durable and double sided. Two cards fit in every one.

Personally, I've removed one of the inserts from mine so I can have an ultra-slim card holder.

Shielded

Tap-to-pay cards are a great convenience, but they're fairly easy for a fraudster to read them. The PITAKA is RFID shielded. With my test equipment I can usually read an Oyster Card through a leather wallet - once it was in this case it became invisible to my scans.

Disadvantages

It's not all good though. This is a card only wallet. There's no space for notes, coins, or pictures of your sweetheart. I'm (mostly) cashless now - but it may not be suitable for everyone. Extra layers are available which can hold paper money and coins - but they're a further expense.

The shell is extremely tough, that also makes it completely rigid. It won't deform to fit in your pockets. It is a hard surface and, if you fall on it, you'll feel it. It only weighs 80 grammes - so it isn't excessively noticeable.

The magic magnets which keep everything together will wipe your cards' magstrips. Thankfully most cards today use Chip & Pin - or are contactless - but you'll need to find somewhere else for your older cards.

Onto that shielding. The last RFID blocking wallet I purchased had a special pouch which wasn't shielded. Handy for Oyster Cards. With the PITAKA, it is all or nothing. Handy if you're paranoid.

Finally, you will need to take a bit of time to learn how to use this wallet. Opening one-handed is pretty easy to get used to - but you'll need to memorise where your cards are. On any other wallet, I open it then pick out the card I want. With this one, I have to remember which insert I want before I open it.

With all that said, it is a cracking bit of kit. It looks cool, feels brilliant, and is pretty damned secure. The cost is high, but you get a lot of high tech kit for the price.

Learn more

You can read more about the wallet on PITAKA's blog

• International readers can buy the wallet direct from PITAKA.
• UK readers can buy the wallet on Amazon UK
• PITAKA also have a range of ultra-tough phone cases available on Amazon.

You see, being a heterosexual male, I'm biologically predisposed to be sexually stimulated by images and videos of women in various states of undress. When I'm sexually stimulated my penis has this tendency to experience a rush of blood, which makes the spongy tissues expand until the whole organ is fairly rigid. I have to say, it's awfully nice. Yes, it's nice to have an erection.

That's why, I assume, your demo videos are filled with nubile young women, your booth-babes are busty, and your hackathons come with beer dispensing wenches as a "perk".

An honest question - next time I'm confronted with one of your sexist selling attempts, do you want me to fling down my tousers and start beating one off?

No? But, you keep trying to give me an erection - I thought my priapic member was what you wanted. Why else treat women as mere sex objects?

If you're one of the tech companies who are trying to co-opt my schlong, I want you to take a long hard look at what you're trying to do.

When I'm at a technology show like MWC, or researching which API to use, I'm in "work mode". Having an erection is an unnecessary distraction. It doesn't make me feel professional. If nothing else, it's hard to think with eight-times the normal amount of blood swilling round my phallus.

I want to work - I don't want to be arroused. And - let's face it - if I did want to be aroused, they have porn on the Internet now! I can go off to Alta Vista, type in "boobies" and get me some high-quality, women demeaning, surround sound erotica. I don't need to glimpse half a centimetre of your model's left buttock - I can see all of a lady's naked behind without your glowing logo superimposed over it.

And stop demeaning me! Just because I'm a geek- it doesn't mean I'm a long haired, spotty nerd, who spends every hour coding and is thus unlikely to meet a girl - let alone woo her.

As it happens, I am that long haired, spotty nerd and I've been happily married for nearly five years.

I know... I know... It's "ironic". You just love women! It's all just "banter". We're all friends. It's just, you know, a bit of a laugh.

Guess what? It's really difficult to tell the difference between an ironic erection and the real deal.

Oh, and while we're at it, stop being so hetero-normative. There are plenty of gay geeks. Now, I may not know an awful lot about what turns on homosexual men - but I've got a sneaking suspicious it isn't silicone enhanced breasts, high heels, and a bikini. I suppose what I'm saying is - if you have to resort to sex to sell your stuff - throw some beefcake in there for the guys and girls who like that sort of thing too. In fact, if you're a male CEO - how about we see you strut your stuff covered with baby-oil and dressed simply in a diamanté thong? After all, it's not demeaning, is it?

That's not really the corporate image you want, I suppose.

If your product can't stand proud independently - don't get my cock to do the heavy lifting for you.

File Sizes

The glasses, it turns out, record in 1.1GB chunks. If you really want to know the details, the videos are

1,231,771,216 bytes
1,233,678,696 bytes

Each file is 30 minutes and 1 second long. Annoyingly, there is a gap between the videos of roughly 10 seconds.

My calculations from earlier were incorrect - an 8GB card is enough to hold just shy of 4 hours of video.

Compressing

I'm hosting the video on archive.org. One of their services is to re-encode the video into a web-friendly format. What's quite stunning (to me) is the inefficiency of the MJPEG codec which the glasses use.

The change in quality is negligible - as you can see from the demo.

I wonder how much more expensive the glasses would be if they recorded in an efficient format like Ogg Video? Obviously, there would be battery life considerations - but being able to record 10 times as much video on a single memory card is a big gain.

Another demo

This is using flash, however, Archive.org also offer HTML5 video which I'll be moving to after #NaBloPoMo has finished.

I wondered if anyone was selling them second-hand on eBay. They weren't. But there were a whole load of clones. "Spy Sunglasses DVR" and the like. Some were technically very impressive - bluetooth, mp3 players, fm radios - all built in.

I went for the cheapest pair I could find. 1280x960 video resolution (actually 640x480 - more on that later), no built in memory, and shipped from Hong Kong.

Total cost? £16.50. A damned site cheaper than the Immortal glasses - but would they be any good? After two weeks on a slow boat from the East, they finally arrived...

So, how well do they work?

Test Videos

Sunshine Test

Walking down Brick Lane in the dark

The video glasses I purchased said that they recorded at 1280x960 - in fact, they're only half that at 640x480. The seller has agreed a partial refund. I'm not convinced that the 1280 version would be any more than interpolated upwards.

Test Pictures

The resolution of the pics is 3264*2448. Click the pictures for full size.

The Specs (geddit?)

• Weight: 52g
• Battery:5V DC 450mAh
• Recharging Time: 3-6 hours
• Continuous working Time: 2-3 hours
• Picture Resolution: The rather odd 3264*2448.
• Video details (based on usage, not manufacturer's details)
• Video 640*480
• Audio is driven by a mono microphone on the left side.
• Mplayer says: VIDEO: [MJPG] 640x480 24bpp 29.710 fps 5479.8 kbps (668.9 kbyte/s)
• Mplayer says: AUDIO: 24000 Hz, 1 ch, u8, 192.0 kbit/100.00%

Once plugged in to USB, the camera just shows up as a USB mass storage drive. No software needed. Works perfectly on Linux.

lsusb produced

05e1:0b02 Syntek Semiconductor Co., Ltd

The Down Side

Look, it's a piece of sweatshop produced plastic. Don't expect the world, ok? That said, there are a few minor niggles.

• Mini USB rather than Micro USB. All of my gadgets use the new standard - I have plenty of mini cables, but it's a pain that this doesn't support the new standard.
• Limited to 8GB MicroSD card. To be fair, that's ~2 hours of recording time - which is what the battery is rated at.
• The lenses of the sunglasses seem to be smoked glass and don't offer any real UV protection.
• The lenses are meant to be removable (I've got a clear pair of lenses coming) but I can't find any way to remove them.
• Glasses are lightweight but feel quite fragile.
• Glasses are a little tight for my big head.
• The mono microphone picks up what the wearer is saying reasonably well - but other sounds can be quite muffled. I think this is because the mic is pointing downwards.

All that said, I'm reasonably impressed with them.

Setting The Time

One of the problems with buying cheap tat from China is that the instructions are... obtuse.  As you can see in the above videos and pictures, I managed to screw up the time initially.

To set the time correctly, create a file called "time.txt" in the root directory. Open it up in your favourite text editor and type the time using this format.

2010.11.05 13.45.30 Y

That's "YYYY.MM.DD HH.MM.SS" The "Y" at the end tells the camera to place a timestamp on every video and picture. If you don't want a timestamp, write it as

2010.11.05 13.45.30 N

Once the file is saved and the camera turned on, the time will be set and the file automatically deleted.

Comparisons

Comparing the video to the hyper-expensive Looxcie

And the Immortal

I think this generic set holds up very well.

Conclusion

Under twenty quid? Bargain! It certainly falls in to the "good enough" category.