Techlicious CE Week Lunch Recap #shoqboxsummer #4KPhoto

I always have a great time at the Techlicious CE Week lunch. This year did not disappoint. Philips and Panasonic were sponsors.

Lindsey from Philips talked about using beach-proof products for the beach, showing off Philips Shoqbox Mini Speaker (BT2200). 

The Philips Shoqbox mini is a highly-portable, rugged, water resistant Bluetooth speaker that can be used at the pool, beach or in the shower. Plus, the sound is strong for the size of the speaker and you can also use it as a speakerphone for work calls at the office, at home or on the road. The retail price was just reduced to a very affordable $49.95. And yes, you can even drop it in water and play your tunes.

If you are looking for products to survive beach and pool use, look for rugged products.

• “Ruggedness” is defined in two ways: Military spec rating, MIL-STD810G and ingress protection ration, IPXX.
• MIL-STD810G tests products against: high temperature, low temperature, rain and immersion, humidity, sand and dust, vibration, shock. Actual requirements vary based on the product’s intended usage.
• MIL-STD810G is usually referenced in relation to dust and shock ratings. It includes ingress protection testing.
• IP ratings are for dust and water resistance and use a two digit code: IPXX
  • First number is dust resistance
  • Second number is water resistance
  • The higher the number, the more it’s protected

Most electronics are at least IP22. An “X” (e.g., IPX6) doesn’t mean it doesn’t offer protection against dust, just that it’s not rated. The minimum beach rating is IP56. The 5 means that the device allows some dust to pass inside. A 6 would be entirely dust-proof. The 6 means that devices are protected if a wave washes over them. Only a 7 or 8 in that second digit position means you can use the product under water. A 7 means you can go snorkeling with it. An 8 means you can take the product further than 1 meter underwater for 30 minutes.

The next sponsor was Panasonic. I’ve used Panasonic products for a long time and have even worked with the company on some reviews – here’s my review of Snow Day Essential from Panasonic and Link2Cell Cordless Phone. Dan Unger of Panasonic showed us the Panasonic Lumix G7 Camera. 

The revolutionary Panasonic LUMIX G7 offers over 24 compact lens options built on the next generation interchangeable lens camera standard (Micro Four Thirds) pioneered by Panasonic. It’s “mirrorless” design enables a lighter, more compact camera body, while also offering cutting-edge video, audio, creative controls, wireless, intelligent-focusing, and exposure technologies not possible with traditional DSLRs. And with our exclusive LUMIX 4K Ultra HD video pause and export as a 4K Photo mode, you’ll never again miss that one shot that perfectly captures a scene.

• The 4K PHOTO function includes three different modes, all leveraging the G7’s 30-frames-per-second video capture rate.
• 4K Burst – Continually captures 8 megapixel photos when the shutter button remains pressed.
• 4K Burst S/S (Start/Stop) – Simply record a 4K video and then Play, Pause and Extract any frame as an 8 megapixel photo. It’s the easiest way ever to capture that perfect photo.
• 4K Pre-Burst – 4K Pre-Burst mode initiates a 4K video sequence one second before and after the shutter button is pressed. This gives you an extra 60 images from which to select and is perfect for those unpredictable, spur-of-the-moment photo ops.

Smartphones are driving the volume of photos being taken. In 2007, Apple introduced the first iPhone. Last year, we were uploading & sharing 1.8B photos per day. By 2017, 78.8% of all photos will be taken with a mobile phone.

Dedicated cameras really shine with superior photo quality. They use optical zoom lenses, which bring far away objects closer. Digital zooms on smartphones offer “pretend” zoom that simply crops an image and loses resolution. Cameras have a faster shot time and faster burst modes to capture movement better.

They offer better image stabilization and far bigger image sensors capture more light. A smartphone’s sensor is 1/2.3” (6×4.5mm) and Panasonic G7 sensor micro is 4/3 (17.3x13mm).

I had the chance to check out the Panasonic G7 Camera a few weeks before this event and was pretty impressed. I have a small point and shoot and end up using my iPhone 6Plus all the time. Upgrading to a better camera is definitely on my wish list!

I received a Philips Shoqbox mini for attending this lunch. All opinions are my own.