In this podcast, Jon Westfall and I discuss:
Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.
After Apple’s Vision Pro announcement, I wanted to learn more about AR/VR glasses options. So, I asked my old friend Jared Kuroiwa to join me for this podcast to educate me about the glasses he has bought and tried (so far):
Xreal AIr $379
Rokid Max $439 (was $599)
Jared explains that the Xreal and Rokid use the “birdbath optics”. He has ordered the $109 Xreal Beam for the Xreal Air to add a “spatial display experience”.The Meta Quest 2 and the Xreal Air each required its own prescription lens.
However, the Rokid Max (see photo #2) includes a Diopter Adjustment for each eye to allow individualized adjustment for people who wear prescription glasses. Jared let me try the Rokid Max. If I buy an AR/VR glasses, it is definitely the one I would consider first. Each of these non-Apple glasses are smaller than the Vision Pro. You can see Jared wearing the Rokid max in the second photo here.
Regarding the Vision Pro, Jared noted that:
There is no denying the software will be amazing with the immersive experience. The HUGE improvements over the gear I’ve been using are the cameras/detectors Vision Pro uses for things like eye tracking and hand tracking. Xreal Air and Rokid Max have no cameras, so it can’t capture the real world or detect your hands for control. This means input into the Vision Pro could be completely virtual using eye and hand tracking. That is a game changer. Those cameras/detectors also can change your experience from what is happening in the environment. There’s one scene in Apple’s announcement where the display becomes the passthrough when someone enters the space near you.
We also briefly discussed Meta’s earlier than expected release of its Threads service and app on July 5.
Note that this podcast was recorded outdoors using a pair of ABSGEEGA wireless lav mics recording to a Google Pixel 7a phone. A pair of ducks sat with us through the entire podcast recording session but did not add any commentary. We were also visited by a mongoose several times.
Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.
We’re back after a two-week podcast hiatus. In this podcast Jon Westfall and I discuss:
Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.
In this podcast, Jon Westfall and I discuss:
Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.
My earlier tests of the ABSGEEGA wireless lav mic with Apple iOS/iPadOS devices were somewhat disappointing because the audio recording volume was so low that a lot of audio post-processing was needed to produce usable audio for podcasting. However, to my surprise, audio recording volume was more than acceptable when using an Android smartphone (Google Pixel 7a). This two-part podcast was recorded using the using the same wireless lav mic pair with the Pixel 7a and the Google Recorder app.
The Recorder app was able to use the mic (seeing as a USB audio device) without any configuration. The lav mic base transceiver plugs directly into the Pixel 7a’s USB-C port.
Paul Lawler, a frequent MobileViews podcast guest panelist, met me in a moderately challenging audio situation. In part A of the podcast, we sat about 10 feet from the relatively calm waters of a bay on a breezy day (about 20 MPH winds). There were a few people talking about 40 feet away, a boat passed by during the conversation, and the squeaking of a small floating boat dock about 30 feet away.
In my opinion, Paul’s recording speech sounds better than mine. It may be that he placed his mic in a better position than me. Or, it may simply be the difference in our voice timbre and other properties. In part A, I truncated inter-speech silences and modified treble and bass just a little to reduce the “muddiness” of my speech. In part B, no modifications were made.
In part A, both Paul and I were sitting while recording the mini-podcast. In part B, we recorded for about one minute while walking.
I was pleased to note that there was very little distracting ambient sound. The audio quality is acceptable (though not “really good”) for a podcast and little or no post-processing. I think with better mic placement and a little post-processing, “good” audio quality is possible using this sub-$30 wireless lav mic.
Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.
In this podcast Jon Westfall and I review ChatGPT’s mobile security recommendations. But, before that, they follow-up on a few recent past topics
Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.