The Movo UM700 Desktop Studio Microphone is an affordable mic aimed at podcasters and videographers doing voiceovers or to-camera pieces. At around $100, I found it delivers excellent bang for the buck to videographers.
My primary need for a USB mic is for video narration, but I found it also performed really well for other scenarios – even if it didn’t quite live up to all of its promises …
A slider is a handy tool for videographers that allows them to get smooth sideways footage while also emulating a dolly in allowing for forward and backward motion too. The Slypod Pro takes this a step further than most, adding in vertical motion also.
But it also has a completely different form factor to a conventional slider. Rather than a sled on rails, the Slypod looks exactly like a high-end monopod.
My first Videography Diary piece explained how I chose the BlackMagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (BMPCC from now on). This piece talks you through my BMPCC 4K Rig.
If you’re not familiar with videography rigs, it’s basically a system to give you everything you need to shoot effectively and efficiently in one solid unit so you can just pick it up, mount it on a tripod or other stabilizer, and start shooting.
This piece provides a video walkthrough, with links to all of the components I use…
My videography diary is a series recounting my experiences as a newbie videographer, after many years of still photography. In it, I’ll cover the kit I use, as well as the lessons I’ve learned that may prove useful to others who are also making a move into video.
For someone who loves the latest and greatest technology, I made kind of an odd decision when it came to my choice of camera …
Sony has announced its latest noise-canceling true wireless in-ear headphones, WF-1000XM3.
Sony had earlier established its noise-canceling tech as at least the rival of Bose, with some considering it superior – so bringing that same feature to the true wireless in-ear market could prove interesting competition for Apple’s AirPods …
If you have been considering a Spotify Premium account, the company is upping the ante with a new offer. Just under a year ago, it offered a deal to bundle in a basic Hulu plan for $12.99/month – a $5/month saving – but it’s now going one better and making Hulu completely free …
Behind the Screens is a weekly 9to5Toys series that takes you through our writers’ setups, be it mobile, desktop, gaming or home theater. Next up is Ben Lovejoy, EU editor at 9to5Mac, with his mobile gear.
I wrote a previous Behind the Screens piece on my home office setup, so this time I’m sharing my mobile gear.
Some sites call this ‘What’s in my bag?’ – but in my case it would be bags plural. I’m a self-confessed bagaholic, and what I carry in them tends to break down into three categories …
Let’s start with travel, which covers all the tech I ever carry, and then briefly list the subsets of gear I carry in the latter cases …
If you’re looking for the largest possible ultra-wide monitor suitable for use with a Mac, the new Dell UltraSharp 49 could be just the thing.
The monitor measures a massive 49 inches diagonally, with a resolution to match. The dual QHD monitor offers a resolution of 5120×1440, the equivalent of two 27-inch Apple Thunderbolt Displays side-by-side …
I’m a big fan of our Neato Botvac D7 Connected robot vacuum cleaner. At 8.40am each weekday, it vacuums the entire apartment automatically, and does a great job of it. But it still needs to be manually emptied every couple of days, something iRobot has solved with its latest Roomba model …
Ring, the company named after its video doorbell system (review), first announced a home security system back in October.
However, sales were quickly halted by a lawsuit from ADT …
Six months ago, Amazon launched a new Amazon Key service to allow its delivery staff to unlock your front door and leave packages inside your home while you’re out. It’s today following that up with a variation that will allow access to the trunk of your parked car …
Spotify and Hulu teamed up last year to offer a discounted bundle to students, and they have now done it again for the rest of us – though with some caveats …
Behind the Screens is a weekly 9to5Toys series that takes you through our writers’ setups, be it mobile, desktop, gaming or home theater. Next up is Ben Lovejoy, EU editor at 9to5Mac.
As someone whose tastes run to minimalism, I wanted the neatest, least-cluttered desk I could achieve – consistent with the tech needed for my work.
If you love technology but hate clutter, wires are your constant foe! I tried various cable-management approaches before finally deciding the only way to do it properly was with a bespoke desk.
My key aim was to have visible wires be as few and as short as possible. The idea was to have wires disappear immediately out of sight beneath the desk …
Attaching Tile trackers to your valuables is one way to help you find them if they are misplaced, but it’s a slightly clunky way of doing it. That’s all set to change, though, as the company partners with a number of brands to build its Bluetooth tracking technology into their products.
One of the first partnerships announced is with Bose, whose 2018 SoundSport Wireless and QuietControl 30 headphones will come with Tile on board from late spring …
If you like the idea of growing your own food but know nothing about gardening, a new startup thinks it has just the thing you need.
Grow Duo calls itself the world’s first intelligent planter. The companion app shows you how to plant your seeds, the planter takes care of the watering and the app lets you know when it needs your help – either for pruning, or for harvesting your crop …
Apple has long recognized the importance of the student market, using education discounts to try to pull them into the company’s ecosystem with hardware purchases, and adding a student discount for Apple Music last year.
Apple knows that if you bring people on board as students, they have huge potential lifetime value once they leave college. Amazon Music Unlimited seems now to be realizing the same thing, with a student deal that matches the Apple one – and going even further for Prime Student members …
Transcend, which has long offered Mac owners the chance to upgrade their SSDs to higher-capacity ones, has announced a new range of drives that support PCIe Gen 3.0. These cards, which use the latest 3D NAND flash chips, offer read/write speeds of up to 950MB/s.
The new JetDrive 820 drives are available in capacities of up to 960GB, and are compatible with a wide range of Macs …
I always loved the design of the old ‘cheese-grater‘ Mac Pro, and computer storage company Akitio has used it as the inspiration for its new Thunderbolt 3 drive enclosure.
The company says that the Akitio Thunder3 Quad X was designed for use with the MacBook Pro. The previous version – which had a more generic design – did not support Macs …
Virgin Mobile really loves iPhone users … After going iPhone-only back in June, and offering a really sweet deal to those buying a new phone, it has now extended the offer to existing iPhone owners switching to the carrier.
The carrier says that any iPhone owner who ports their number to Virgin will be able to get the same ‘all you can eat’ $1 deal for a full 12 months …
The Tile Bluetooth tracker has long been a handy wait to keep track of things like wallet and keys. Over on 9to5Mac, we first tried the original version back in 2013, and a slimmer version last year. The company has now launched two new models, with greater range and new looks …
Ring has announced a new external security camera designed to provide a neater and cheaper alternative to the Floodlight Camera it first announced back in January and launched later in the year.
Along with more compact lighting, the Spotlight Cam is available in three versions depending on how you want it to be powered: wired, battery and solar …
Virgin Mobile USA has announced that it is going iPhone-only from June 27.
There’s iPhone. And then there’s everything else. At Virgin Mobile, we’re teaming with Apple to offer you nothing but the world’s most popular phone. Because life in the Inner Circle is about living big, expanding your horizons and pursuing your passions. And it starts with an iPhone you’ll adore.
The carrier seems extremely keen to get your business, offering a year’s ‘unlimited’ talk, text and data for a single payment of just one dollar …
If you’re looking for an external SSD for use with your 12-inch MacBook, 2016 MacBook Pro or Chromebook, Western Digital’s My Passport SSD looks like it could be ideal for the job. With a USB-C connection as standard (and a USB-A adapter in the box), it will be available in a choice of three capacities …
You know what it’s like, you’ve bought your iPhone 7 or 7 Plus but you’re left with the unsatisfactory feeling that you just haven’t spent enough money. Louis Vuitton has the perfect solution to this problem with a new range of iPhone cases ranging in price from $1,180 to $5,500 …
Much as I adore my B&W P5 headphones (recently upgraded to the wireless model), I must admit that even I would think twice about buying the company’s latest top-end model: the P9 Signature. These over-ear wired headphones cost a cool $900, but they do come with one extra: register them on B&W’s website and the company will send you a Lightning upgrade early next year.
Apple is celebrating ten years of iTunes Movies by making bundles of ten available for just $10. The bundles encompass titles from five major studios across Comedy, Drama and Action Adventure genres.
At effectively $1/ea, a lot of these top tier moves from major US studios are no-brainer purchases, if only to have something to watch on airplanes or for the kids. Head below for a breakdown of all the deals:
