Showing posts with label Product Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Product Review. Show all posts
Monday, November 9, 2015
Product Review | BooksTo.Me
Remember the days when we shot photos with film, went down to a local drugstore to get them developed and then put them in albums for all to see? For the majority of us, those days are gone. Our photos live online and that's about it. There is a way to get your Instagram photos in hardcover books and receive them automatically on a monthly or quarterly basis...with BooksTo.Me. BooksTo.Me is a family-run business based in Colorado and they very generously offered me a two-month subscription to try out their service.
Sign up and choose your plan - monthly ($24) or once every three months ($44). That's it. BooksTo.Me does the rest. All of your Instagram images are then compiled into an 8" x 8" hardbound book and shipped to your door free of charge (currently shipping to USA only). It comes with a front cover jacket displaying the dates and some of your most-liked images.
What if you don't want ALL of your Instagram images in an upcoming book? That's easy too - just hashtag #noBTM and they will be excluded.
Quality
The books are printed on Neenah Classic Crest Smooth Digital 100# paper which is Carbon Neutral Plus and Green-e certified. The weight of the paper is suitable for this type of book and colors look true to the original images.
Since there is no limit to the number of images in your book, some images will be resized smaller so they can all fit in a standard volume.
Pros:
It's EASY and automatic. Most of us are busy and don't have time to select and layout images.
The quality is excellent. I've had photo books printed from other services and this paper is far superior to others I've ordered. The jacket is a nice addition to the book and clearly displays the date which is also printed on the first page of the book.
BooksTo.Me is a great way to build up a library of favorite images from your Instagram gallery (remember you can hashtag #noBTM to exclude images).
It's FAST! Your book arrives within 7-10 days of your subscription date. It is shipped securely in a cardboard mailer for extra protection.
-resized.jpg "© BooksTo.Me")
Cons:
I made the mistake of adding the #noBTM hashtag from Instagram online! Through the Instagram app, after you add the same hashtag to a number of images, you get blocked for a while (Instagram thinks you're a spammer). So, I thought I would be clever and add the hashtags online. Apparently they didn't "stick" and so my first volume included a lot of images that I didn't want. This is NOT BooksTo.Me's fault - but my advice would be to double-check to make sure the images you want to exclude are properly tagged!
When I received my second book I noticed that the dates overlapped - The first was January 26-February 25 and the second was February 23-March 25. Sure enough this meant I had some images that were in both books - a total of 12. If I were a paid subscriber, I'm sure BooksTo.Me would replace this book for me since it wasn't due to any error of mine, but apparently something went wrong on their end and that needs addressing.
Since it's all automatic, you don't have any input on the layout or size of the images. I'm kind of particular and I would prefer to design my own book so I could group certain images together and choose which are displayed at a larger size.
Add to Flipboard Magazine.
Friday, November 6, 2015
Square Jellyfish Smartphone Tripod Mount, Jelly Legs, Micro Ball Head and Flashlight Remote
Today I had an opportunity to "test drive" my latest iPhone accessories courtesy of Square Jellyfish who supplied me with some of their best-selling products:
Spring Tripod Mount & Jelly Legs with Micro Ball Head (Set Retail $29.99)
The Spring Tripod Mount is pretty straightforward. You simply spread the brackets and insert your phone in place. It doesn't obstruct the view on your screen and can accommodate smartphones up to 3 5/8 inches wide. The Tripod Mount connects to the Jelly Legs Micro Tripod. The phone can be rotated in a horizontal or vertical position. For added flexibility you can insert the Micro Ball Head between the Tripod Mount and Jelly legs. The Micro ball head allows for slight angling of the phone. (You could also connect the mount to any standard tripod with a universal screw mount.)
I wanted to try the tripod in combination with the remote. First thing you will need to do is pair the remote with your device. Out of the package it is ready to pair with an iOS device. Directions are included in the enclosed manual for use with an Android by changing the position of a small switch located under the battery.
To pair, first wake up your phone and go to Settings. CAUTION: There is a warning NEVER to wake-up your device using the remote. Make sure Bluetooth is ON. Press the lower part of the oblong button on the Jelly Remote for about five seconds. A red light will flash which indicates it's ready to pair with your device. On your device, look for SJF-G14BR2 and Connect. Once connected, you're ready to shoot. There is no on or off button for the remote. It will automatically go to sleep after five minutes.
To take a photo, simply open your camera app and then press the Camera button on your Jelly Remote. The remote will work with any camera app that allows the volume Up and Down buttons to be used as a camera trigger. I quickly checked through some of the apps on my iPhone and found the following were all supported:
Camera Awesome
ProCamera 7
Hipstamatic
PureShot
Taru Camera
ProCam2
Camera+
SimplyB&W
Hueless
HDR Fusion
A-HDR
Long Expo Photo
The image below was taken outside using using the remote while I held the iPhone. I always seem to get a bit of camera shake when taking photos so I thought this would help.
I tested to see if the remote would really fire at 33 feet as claimed and was able to get a shot from 35 feet away. I'm not sure when I'll be taking a photo from that distance but it's nice to know the remote was reliable within that range. I also think this will come in handy for street photography I could hold my iPhone at the hip and use the remote to take the photos.
In addition to the remote function, there is also a flashlight which can be turned on with the black and white jellyfish button. This can be used to light your subject in lower light conditions. It is a yellow LED light so it did add a slightly yellow tint to the photo as shown below. The remote can be kept in a pocket, purse or even attached to your keychain.
Due to the fact that the legs on the mini tripod are short (for purposes of being compact and portable), you can't tilt the iPhone down more than about 15 or 20 degrees or the weight of the iPhone will tip the tripod over. There is a Jelly Long Legs available with longer legs that might solve this problem, but I didn't sample this product. For most purposes however the degree of tilt should be sufficient.
Pros
Portable, Easy to Use, Bluetooth range reliable to 35 feet, Lightweight, Keychain Attachment, Flashlight Included, Pivoting Ballhead, One-Year Limited Warranty.
Cons
The mini tripod cannot support tilt of device greater than about 15-20 degrees. Compared to similar remotes on Amazon the Square Jellyfish Flashlight Remote is quite a bit more expensive, however none of the others I viewed included a flashlight.
Overall
It's a KEEPER! I will be using the remote and tripod so it will be a definite welcomed addition to my iPhone accessory bag.
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