How to Change Your Password in Windows 10

Even if you don't have a treasure map located in your files, your Windows password is still very important. If you suspect someone has your password, you've been re-using passwords and decide to be safer, or simply feel like changing it, Windows 10 gives you three different options to go about changing your password.

You can always choose a regular new password--we recommend using a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. Usually it's best if these passwords are at least eight characters long. Although we advise you to use an alphanumeric password format because it's safer, you can also change your password into a pin or picture that lets you sign in to your Microsoft account quicker.

Also, literally keep your eye out for Windows Hello, which allows you to sign in to your account through iris, face, or fingerprint detection. New PCs will ship later this year with this new technology. Don't wait until then to change your password if you need to!

To Change / Set a Password

1. Click the Start button at the bottom left of your screen.

2. Click Settings from the list to the left.

3. Select Accounts.

4. Select Sign-in options from the menu.

5. Click on Change under Change your account password.

6. In order to change your password, you have to sign in with your current Microsoft account password. Enter your password in the box. Click Sign in.

7. Microsoft will send you a new code to change your password through the phone number that is associated with your account. Enter the last four digits of your phone number to verify it is the correct number. Press Enter.

8. You will receive a code on your phone. Enter the code.

9. A new page will direct you to enter your old password and then type in a new password. Reenter the new password. Press Enter.

If you see this message than you successfully changed your password!

Change Your Password to a PIN

1. Follow steps 1-4 under To Change Your Current Password above.

2. Within Sign-in options, click on Add under PIN.

3. In order to change your password, you have to sign in with your current Microsoft account password. Enter your password in the box. Click Sign in.

4. Enter a new pin in the first box and reenter it in the second one. Click OK. You can now use this pin to sign into your Microsoft account.

Change Your Password to a Picture Password

1. Follow the steps 1-4 under Change Your Current Password above.

2. Within Sign-in options, click on Add under Picture Password.

3. Enter your Microsoft account password to verify it's your account. Click OK.

4. Click on Choose Picture. Choose a photo from your files.

5. Click on Use this picture if you like it or click on Choose new picture if you don't. You can drag your photo to position it however you want.

6. You will have to set up three gestures that will become part of your picture password. With your cursor, draw lines or circles that coordinate with your photo. I traced three spikes in the crown of this statue of liberty I saw on the streets of New York.

If you see this message then you successfully created your picture password! This photo will show up when you sign into your Microsoft account. Simply retrace your gestures and you'll be signed in.

>>> Update to get some of new free games and watch some of video game reviews 

India and Russia sign agreements across multiple sectors

India and Russia on Saturday signed 16 agreements across multiple sectors following delegation-level talks co-chairedd by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin here. “New horizons in the #IndiaRussia partnership. PM & Prez Putin witness exchange of 16 agreements and 3 announcements across fields,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted following the 17th annual bilateral summit between the two countries.

Among the agreements signed were procurement of the S-400 air defence system and construction of 1135 series of frigates in India. Another agreement was signed to set up a joint venture to manufacture helicopters. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed for setting up an investment fund of $1 billion. Agreements were also signed for developing smart cities in Andhra Pradesh and Haryana, and for developing transport logistics systems for such cities.

Another important agreement was signed for the joint study of a gas pipeline to India from Russia. According to separate agreement, a Russian consortium comprising energy giant Rosneft Oil Company, commodities trader Trafigura and private investment group United Capital Partners agreed to purchase 98 percent of Essar Oil for $10.9 billion. Rosneft also signed an agreement with ONGC Videsh for education and training in the oil and gas sector.

Both sides agreed to extend cooperation in railways development and to increase the speed of trains between Nagpur and Secunderabad. An MoU was signed between India’s ISRO and the Russian state space agency on collaboration in space technology. An agreement was signed on cooperation on international information security.

Another MoU was signed for expansion of bilateral trade and economic cooperation between India and Russia. A road map for celebrating 70 years of India-Russia diplomatic ties was also announced. Another announcement pertained to cooperation between the two countries on international issues.

IANS

Reviews About Business Laptop: HP EliteBook Folio G1

The Pros

Great keyboard; Superthin and light; Durable design; Accurate face login; Colorful 4K screen option; Solid performance

The Cons

Below-average battery life; No full-size USB port

Verdict

The groundbreakingly-thin EliteBook Folio G1 provides a first-class design, comfortable keyboard and more ports than the MacBook.

In the race to make the thinnest laptop on the block, manufacturers often sacrifice usability, slapping on uncomfortable keyboards, eschewing key ports or providing mediocre performance. Though it's even slimmer than the MacBook (12-inch), HP's EliteBook Folio G1 ($999 to start, $1,429 as reviewed) is a productivity powerhouse, complete with a sharp 12.5-inch screen, a sleek but durable design that survives serious drops and one of the best keyboards I've used on a laptop. With strong speakers, fanless cooling and an infrared camera for face logins, the EliteBook Folio G1 gets almost everything right, but its battery life could be better.

Design

With its wisp-thin, matte-silver aluminum chassis, the EliteBook Folio G1 is a very attractive laptop that happens to look a lot like the 12-inch MacBook. However, a shiny silver hinge and HP logo help distinguish it from Apple's lightweight laptop. The Folio retains the same aesthetic on the inside, but with a shiny black bezel that's thin on the sides, but leaves room up top for a webcam.

At 11.5 x 8.23 x 0.47 inches, the EliteBook Folio G1 is even thinner than the MacBook, but it's also taller and wider (11.04 x 7.74 x 0.14-0.52 inches). The Dell Latitude13 7370(12 x 8.3 x 0.56 inches), the 14-inch-screened Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (13.11 x 9.02 x 0.65 inches) and the Razer Blade Stealth (12.6 x 8.1 x 0.52 inches) are also thicker.

At 2.14 pounds, HP's laptop is just a little heavier than the 2.04-pound MacBook, but much lighter than the Latitude 13, Carbon and Stealth. With a touch screen, the Folio gets 0.02 inches thicker and .22 pounds heavier.

Durability

HP built the EliteBook Folio G1 to take quite a licking. The company said its notebook survived being dropped 26 times, at different angles, from 30 inches onto a hard surface.

The Folio also passed MIL-STD 810G durability tests for dust, vibration, shocks and high altitudes. However, unlike on many other business laptops, the keyboard is not spill-resistant.

Security and Facial Login

The HP EliteBook Folio has a number of security features that will please corporate IT managers and users alike. Like the majority of business laptops, the HP's laptop comes standard with TPM encryption and, with its optional Core m7 CPU, offers Intel vPro remote management.

Unlike its competitors, the Folio has an infrared webcam that you can use with Windows 10's Hello biometric login; it even works in the dark. After setting up Hello, the camera did a great job of recognizing my face quickly and accurately, even when I was sitting in bed at night with all the lights off. However, if you wear glasses, it's important to let Hello capture your image both with and without them on.

The EliteBook Folio comes preloaded with HP Client Security, a very robust suite of tools that includes a password manager, drive encryption software and HP Spare Key, which allows you to log in even if you forget your password (and don't have Hello). You can also designate Bluetooth devices such as your phone as a token that unlocks your computer.

The Folio also has HP's Sure Start with Dynamic Protection, which guards the BIOS -- the software that allows your computer to boot in the first place -- by keeping a separate "clean" copy of it available. If a virus or hacker installs a corrupt BIOS, Sure Start immediately replaces it with the previous version.

Display

We tested configurations of the EliteBook Folio G1 with 1080p nontouch and 4K touch displays. Both panels offered detailed images, but colors were much more vibrant on the 4K panel. When I watched a 1080p trailer for Captain America: Civil War, the orange in an explosion and the red behind the Marvel logo really popped. Even the slider bar in Windows 10's media player stood out, with an electric blue that reminded me of Tron.

On the 1920 x 1080 screen, the shades were noticeably darker and more muted. Fine details, such as the lines in Steve Rogers' forehead and the battle scars on Iron Man's mask, were prominent on both displays, though even sharper on the 3840 x 2160 panel.

According to our colorimeter, the 4K panel can reproduce an impressive 161 percent of the sRGB color gamut, which is a lot more than the ultraportable category average (88 percent) and the vibrant displays on the Latitude 13 (117 percent), ThinkPad X1 Carbon (103 percent) and MacBook (107 percent). However, the EliteBook Folio's 1080p screen is a lot less colorful, reproducing only 72 percent of the gamut.

The Folio's 4K screen is also a lot brighter than its 1080p sibling, measuring 377 nits on our light meter, compared to 288 nits for the 1920 x 1080 panel. The ultraportable category average (305 nits) is much lower than the 4K panel, as are the MacBook (327), Latitude 7370 with 4K display (307) and ThinkPad X1 Carbon with 2K display (257). The Razer Blade Stealth was even brighter at 402 nits.

The EliteBook Folio G1 packs in one of the most comfortable and responsive laptop keyboards I've ever tested.

In real-world use, both EliteBook Folio displays were more than luminous enough for regular use, however. Colors stayed true at up to 45 degrees to the left and right, but their very glossy surfaces showed reflections at wider viewing angles.

Audio

The EliteBook Folio G1's bottom-mounted Bang & Olufsen speakers provided accurate audio that was more than loud enough to fill the first floor of my house. When I listened to hard rock songs like the Styx's "Renegade" and Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water," the music and vocals were rich, but guitars and other high pitches distorted at maximum volume.

The included Bang & Olufsen software provides an audio-enhancement mode, which was enabled by default and made the output sound hollow when I turned it off. The app also allows you to adjust the equalizer with presets for different genres of music such as rock and jazz.

Keyboard and Touchpad

Despite its thin chassis, the EliteBook Folio G1 packs in one of the most comfortable and responsive ultraportable laptop keyboards I've ever tested.

According to our measurements, the keys have only 1.05 mm of travel, which is twice as deep as the 12-inch MacBook's keys (0.5 mm) but far less than a typical laptop, which has 1.5 to 2 mm of vertical space beneath the keys. However, the keys offer such snappy feedback that I never "bottomed out," or hit the base with a lot of force. The keyboard even sounded good, providing a pleasant clack of audible feedback as I typed.

No wonder I achieved a rate of 104 words per minute with less than 1 percent error rate -- one of my best scores ever -- on the 10fastfingers.com typing test.

The keyboard comes with a backilght that was more than bright enough at both its low and high settings. However, unlike on many other business laptops, the EliteBook Folio G1's keyboard is not spill-resistant.

While many buttonless pads suffer from jumpiness, the Folio G1's 3.6 x 2.3-inch pad was as accurate as a high-res optical mouse. During my testing, I highlighted text in documents, clicked 8GB of icons and navigated around Windows 10 with great precision. Multitouch gestures such as two-finger scroll, three-finger swipe and pinch-to-zoom worked flawlessly.

Ports and Docking Options

The Folio doesn't have many ports, but it does support the latest connectivity standards and offers more options than the MacBook.

In addition to a single 3.5-mm audio jack, the laptop has two USB Type-C / Thunderbolt ports that it can use for charging, connecting to multiple monitors or transferring data at blistering USB 3.1 speeds (up to 10 Gbps). That's twice as many ports as the MacBook and enough to easily charge your laptop and connect to something else at the same time.

However, users who need to pop in a random flash drive or attach a mouse will need to get a dongle such as HP's $29 USB-C to USB 3 adapter or $49 USB-C to HDMI adapter. Dell's Latitude 7370 is a bit thicker, but makes room for a full-size USB port, micro HDMI and an SD card reader, while the 14-inch ThinkPad X1 Carbon has a full suite of ports.

We tested a third-party charger, the Innergie PowerGear USB-C 45, with the Folio and it worked well. HP sells the $210 Elite Thunderbolt 3 65W dock, which juices the laptop while providing four USB 3.0 ports, Ethernet, VGA and DisplayPort outputs.

Webcam

The Folio's 720p webcam captured decent, but unimpressive, photos that are about on par with those from most other business laptops.

A picture of my face taken under our office's fluorescent lights was detailed but splotchy, with plenty of visual noise and a slight blue tint. However, as stated above, the camera did an impressive job of recognizing my face as a login, using Windows Hello.

Performance

With its Intel Core m7-6Y75 CPU, 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD, our review configuration of the EliteBook Folio G1 was more than powerful enough to handle everything I threw at it, from intense multitasking to serious productivity work. Even with over a dozen Chrome tabs open and a video playing in another window, the laptop showed no signs of lag as I typed a Google doc and switched between tabs.

The EliteBook Folio G1 scored a strong 6,706 on Geekbench 3, a synthetic benchmark that measures overall performance. That's far better than the ultraportable category average (5,034), the Core m5-6Y57 Dell Latitude 7370 (4,095) and the Core m5-powered MacBook (5,906). The Core i5-6300-powered ThinkPad X1 Carbon (6,828) and Core i7-6500U-enabled Razer Blade Stealth (6,893) did just a little better.

It took the EliteBook Folio just 4 minutes and 21 seconds to complete our spreadsheet macro test, which matches 20,000 names with their addresses in OpenOffice calc. That's about 75 percent faster than the category average (7:20) and miles ahead of the Latitude 13 7370 (6:56). However, the MacBook was over a minute quicker (3:11).

The Folio G1's 256GB M.2 SATA SSD took a speedy 31 seconds to copy 4.97GB of mixed-media files. That's a rate of 162.2 MBps, slightly ahead of the category average (147.1 MBps), but well behind the MacBook (355.9 MBps) and the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (419 MBps), which was configured with a blazing-fast NVMe-PCIe SSD.

With its Intel HD 515 graphics processor, the EliteBook Folio G1 is good enough for watching movies, editing photos and minor video crunching, but not for gaming or CAD work. The laptop scored a respectable mark of 65,639 on 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited, a synthetic test that measures graphics prowess. That's far ahead of the category average (46,247) and the Latitude 7370 (42,323), but slightly worse than the X1 Carbon (67,488) and Blade Stealth (67,757).

Battery Life

Though the EliteBook Folio G1 is light enough to take anywhere, you won't want to stray too far from an outlet, particularly if you get the version with the 4K screen. With the 1920 x 1080, nontouch display, HP's laptop lasted a decent 7 hours and 2 minutes on the Laptop Mag Battery Test, which involves continuous surfing over Wi-Fi. That number shrank to just 4 hours and 35 minutes on the model with the 4K display.

Both times fall far short of the category average (8:05), the MacBook (9:38) and the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (9:06 with 1080p screen, 7:57 with 2K display). The Latitude 13 7370 was noticeably stronger, enduring for 7:53 with its 1080p panel and 6:21 with its 4K display.

Heat

HP uses a low-power Core M processor in the EliteBook Folio so that it doesn't need a fan, which would make the device larger and add some noise. Fortunately, the outside of the laptop stays cool to the touch, even without a mechanism to blow the hot air out.

After streaming a video for 15 minutes, the touchpad measured a cool 76 degrees; the keyboard clocked in at a chilly 79.5 degrees; and the bottom surface stayed at a modest 90 degrees Fahrenheit, well below our 95-degree comfort threshold. By contrast, the bottoms on the MacBook and Dell Latitude clocked in at 100 and 102 degrees, respectively.

Software and Warranty

HP Preloads the EliteBook Folio G1 with a couple of useful utilities and a minimal amount of bloat. HP SoftPaq Download Manager helps you get the latest drivers and software for the laptop. HP ePrint + JetAdvantage allows you to send documents to printers over the internet. HP Touchpoint Manager allows IT departments to remotely manage their PCs, provided that they've signed up for the monthly service. The most useful of the preloads, HP Client Security, provides a password manager, drive encryption and the ability to set your phone as a login token.

Like most Windows 10 laptops, the Folio also comes with Flipboard, Candy Crush Soda Saga and a link to the Photoshop Express shopping page in the Windows Store.

HP backs the EliteBook Folio G1 with a standard one-year warranty on parts and labor. See how HP fared in our tech-support showdown and brand ratings.

Configuration Options

The EliteBook Folio starts at $999. For that price, you get the 1080p, nontouch display, a Core m5-6Y54 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. On HP.com, you can configure a Folio to order, choosing between Core m5 and m7 CPUs, different SSD capacities and several screen options, including 1080p nontouch, 1080p touch and 4K touch panels. You can also choose an NVMe-PCIe SSD, which should be three times faster than the regular SATA units. Unfortunately, you cannot configure it with more or less than 8GB of RAM.

Our $1,429 review configuration had a Core m7-6Y75 CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and Windows 10 Pro. We also tested the same configuration with a 4K display that took the price up to $1,619. If you care about battery life, you should stick with the 1080p display.

Bottom Line

The EliteBook Folio G1 is an ideal size for productivity users on the go, providing enough room for a full-size keyboard and a screen that can show plenty of content without making you squint. With strong performance, a colorful display, a world-class typing experience, accurate face logins and a drop-friendly design, HP's laptop also ticks off most of the boxes we'd put on a checklist for making the ultimate ultrabook.

However, the EliteBook Folio G1 falls short in the very important area of battery life, making it far less portable than its size suggests. While the 1080p version of the Folio gets a serviceable 7 hours, the 4K model's stamina is so poor that it's hard to recommend. The laptop's lack of a standard USB port might also be a deal breaker for some users.

If you're looking for a superthin laptop with longer battery life, consider the MacBook or the larger, 14-inch ThinkPad X1 Carbon, which also has a lot more ports. However, if you want the ultimate in superslim business productivity and can make a few compromises, the EliteBook Folio G1 is for you.

>>> Check out to get list of new games coming out and upcoming video games

LeEco Super3 X55 smart TV review: It’s the best in its range, but where is the content?

LeEco is giving everything that it’s got to pull consumers. Solid hardware, free content subscriptions and most of all, low pricing are some of the reasons why the company is said to be booming.

It has only been a year or so since the company entered the Indian market and in a short while from smartphones, it has started selling its LED TV range. While Xiaomi is still struggling to bring its popular Mi TV to India, LeEco is already one step ahead.

So is the new 55-inch 4K TV priced at Rs 60,000 from LeEco worth the money? Let’s find out.

Build and Design: 8/10

The company has done quite well in terms of design as the TV has striking looks, especially the unique yoga stand at the bottom. The bezel and the frame holding the panel is very minimal, something which you usually see on high-end LG or Samsung LED TVs. It feels quite solid and honestly it took some effort for me to move the whole unit all by myself.

The stand is of course optional since a lot of people prefer mounting the TV on a wall. Nonetheless it is an excellent addition and gives the TV a premium look. While the stand and the main frame of the panel offer a brushed aluminum finish, the back is all plastic.

The panel itself is quite thin which sounds good, but it probably left no choice for the company but to mount the speakers on the bottom, which I personally didn’t like. More on audio later.

The ports are placed at the back and on the right side. There is an extra USB port on the top for the webcam (sold separately) but it can be used for any other operation as well.

Display: 7/10

The company hasn’t confirmed what display panel it uses, but it looks pretty good. Colours look great although the black levels are not as good as a Samsung or an LG. Brightness is also somewhat low but compared to any TV in this price range, it is justified.

It’s quite commendable as to how LeEco has managed to squeeze in a 4K panel at this price range. However, there is a catch. The TV mostly runs on 1080p, so when you are scrolling through the UI and menu, it isn’t UHD resolution. The actual resolution kicks in only when you play or stream a 4K video. On paper anyway. While I could play back 4K video via USB, there are currently no apps that support 4K on this TV. Le Vidi, LeEco’s own video streaming app is expected to get the capability “soon.”

I like the fact that I’m getting a 4K-capable TV at this price, but when my only real source of 4K content is so restricted, one has to wonder why it’s there in the first place. Hopefully, the fix is just a software update away.

Another issue with the panel is the refresh rate. The TV has the capability to push 4K content at 30Hz, which is a bummer and will be a serious detriment to gaming at that resolution.

Only 1080p videos were available on YouTube

Audio: 7/10

The company spoke about how the TV offers great sound thanks to Dolby Audio at the time of launch. However, the claims were a bit misleading. The X55 features two 10W speakers which sound good on paper, but the audio is quite flat; there’s almost zero bass or depth.

Having said that, the speakers are loud and can easily be used in large rooms without compromising on the volume. I suggest you use external speakers or a good home theater audio system to get a better experience.

UI: 7.5/10

Since it’s a smart TV, it runs on Android 5.0.1 Lollipop with the company’s eUI layer on top. The interface is nice and peppy looking. The transitions and animations are smooth and everything seems to works great. This is probably one of the best things about the TV, it is responsive and fast, thanks to the quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM.

Now there are a bunch of LED TVs in India that run on Android, some run on a full fledged version of Android, making it feel like a large tablet. On the other hand, Sony is the only brand in India that offers Google’s own Android TV platform. The good thing about these is the access to the Google Play Store. The UI on the LeEco TV lacks Google services, which means limited app support. This was quite disappointing considering the hardware capability of the TV.

There is an LeTV app store onboard, but the number of apps is quite limited. Apart from YouTube I couldn’t find any useful video streaming app, not even Netflix.

Features: 8.5/10

The company has really packed the X55 to its limits. The TV runs on a Cortex A17 quad-core processor with a quad-core Mali-T760 MP4 GPU for support. There is 8GB of internal storage and 2GB of RAM. In the connectivity department you get a variety of ports including 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, 3x HDMI 2.0 ports, an SD Card slot, a Component Input (YPbPr), AV input, VGA input, PC Audio Line-in, RF input, Ethernet 10/100M, Audio out (earphone & coaxial combined), SPDIF(Optical) Audio Output, Bluetooth as well as Wi-Fi 2.4GHz and 5GHz support.

System info app Aida64 shows the screen resolution as 1080p

Free services

For those who don’t know, LeEco is originally a content company. Sure it sells phones and TVs now, but it started off as one of China’s biggest content providers. Even their business model revolves around content. When the company entered India it provided free content, including streaming and live content, on its smartphones. The same content package is made available on the new Super3 TV range.

Sadly the content is disappointing. There are a handful of live TV channels that can be streamed via Le Live, but require a fast connection. Even so, the channels itself are in SD resolution. Then there is Le Vidi that offers a large library of movies courtesy Eros Now. If you are a Bollywood buff you’ll love the library. However, there is no Hollywood content here. I was expecting a lot of 4K content, but I didn’t find a single movie.

If you are selling a 4K television with a promise of large content subscription package to set yourself apart, then you need good content which includes 4K movies. But it seems LeEco was in a hurry to launch the TV and didn’t focus on what the actual package consists of. Probably the only attractive offering here is the 4-year warranty on the panel, and the two-year warranty on the entire TV set.

Conclusion

As a stand alone UHD TV, the LeEco Super3 X55 is a marvel. I mean, who sells a quality 4K TV at Rs 60,000, right? The panel is not a benchmark setter, but at this price point it is probably the best that you can get. What really impressed me was the build quality and how fast the interface works. Of course there aren’t a lot of apps, but it can be worked on. The biggest disappointment was the content as the company was quite vocal about providing the best package available on the market. LeEco really needs to pull up its socks and improve on its content if it really wants to sell its TV range by riding on the content horse.

>>>> Check out to get list of new games coming out and upcoming video games 

Reviews the Camera: PAPAGO! GoSafe 272 Dashcam GS272-US

By Olin Coles

Manufacturer: PAPAGO, Inc.

Product Name: GoSafe 272 Dashcam

Part Number: GS272-US

UPC: 840494172728

Price As Tested: $159.99 (Amazon | B&H Photo)

Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Papago.

It is my opinion that in-vehicle cameras have become a necessity for modern drivers. The streets are a dangerous place for motorists, with heavy traffic congestion and driver distractions adding risk to everything from long trips to short commutes. Defensive driving will help prevent some accidents, but every moment after getting into the vehicle is wrought with random chance and uncertainty. It’s never been a question of if you’ll someday be involved in an traffic accident or the victim or violent road rage, it’s a question of when.

You can never know when someone might run a red light as you enter the intersection, or suffer a tire failure that sends them out of control. Insurance companies tend to penalize all drivers involved, simply because they lack solid evidence to prove innocence or guilt. Now you can capture that proof on video whenever someone is behind the wheel, and let the camera serve as your witness should any incident ever occur. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the PAPAGO! GoSafe 272 Dashcam.

The PAPAGO! GoSafe 272 dashboard camera features a glass lens with high dynamic range (HDR) image sensor technology that records wide-angle 1080p video at 30 frames per second. The GoSafe 272 ultra-slim lightweight vehicle recorder utilizes a large f/2.4 lens aperture paired to an 2-Megapixel 1/3″ CMOS image sensor identical to Apple’s iPhone 5S that captures the sharpest photo details.

The PAPAGO! GoSafe 272 Dashcam captures crisp and clear 1920x1080p video that helps drivers protect themselves with reliable evidence in the case of an unforeseen accident.

GS272-US Specifications:

LCD Display: 2.4″ LCD color screen

Image Sensor: 2MP 1/3″ CMOS Sensor

Main Chip: 2014 New Altek wafers

Camera Lens: 140° wide viewing angle

Lens structure: Full HD Illumination Sensor, glass lens

G-Sensor: Triaxial 8G

Video Format: 1080p 30 FPS, 720p 60 FPS, 720p 30 FPS, H264 .avi file format

Storage Memory: Class 10 MicroSDHC card (8GB Min-32GB Max)

HDMI Port: HDMI 1.3 1080p output

USB Port: USB 2.0

LED Instruction Light: Red and green indicator light

Internal Battery: Li-Polymer 420 mAh

Power Supply: 12-24V DC input, 5V/1A output

Power Consumption: 4.75V~5.25V / 1A

Operating Temperature: 14°~149°F/ -10°~65°C

Storage Temperature: -4°~158°F

Dimension: 2.1″ x 3.2″ x 0.5″

Weight: 60 grams, 0.14 LBS

PAPAGO! GoSafe 272 Dashcam Features

The PAPAGO! GoSafe 272 is a 1080p dashcam video recorder kit that contains the following items: vehicle recorder, window suction mount, 12V DC car adapter to mini-USB “B” cable, a warranty card, and the user guide. Available online, the PAPAGO! GoSafe 272 currently sells online for $159.99 (Amazon | B&H Photo).

Convenience is a key feature behind the PAPAGO! GoSafe 272. The dashcam acts intuitively on your behalf, without requiring user interaction, automatically turning the camera on and recording as soon as power is provided from the vehicle at startup. An integrated 3-axis (tri-axial) G-sensor in GoSafe 272 automatically triggers the device to record an “emergency event” whenever movement crosses the sensitivity threshold, creating an audio/video file that cannot be overwritten unless you specifically delete it. Once the vehicle engine shuts down the device continues recording for a set duration configured in the settings, then automatically saves the file and turns off the camera.

Powered by an internal Li-Polymer 420mAh battery, the PAPAGO! GoSafe 272 maintains a full charge with the supplied 12V DC car adapter to mini-USB cable that plugs at the bottom of the camera. This same mini-USB port enables computer connections to the DVR, allowing for transfer of recorded AVI files. Alternatively, a mini-C HDMI output is available to play back audio/video footage or still photos directly to any HDMI display.

The GoSafe 272 camera body measures 3.2″ W x 2.1″ H x 0.5″ D. At the heart of the kit is an 2.0 Megapixel camera with a large 1/3″ CMOS image sensor using high dynamic range for low-light recording. The video recorder is capable of 1080p full high-definition 1920×1080 resolution at 30 fps, or 720p HD 1280×720 resolution at 60 fps – both using the H.264 CODEC.

A distortion-corrected 140° wide-angle fixed focus (f/2.4) lens captures a large horizontal field of view, Nearly capturing the entire windshield view. The GoSafe 272 works well in all light conditions: bright daylight and nighttime driving. High Dynamic Range (HDR) enables video capture to remain crisp and clear in situations with high contrast.

Along the right side of the camera (as you view the LCD) you’ll find the power button. Menu option buttons positioned beside the LCD screen offer simple UP/DOWN/OK user interface control. Most menu options are straight-forward and require no explanation. During recording operation you can also make adjustments on the fly, including resolution and frame rate settings.

The LCD screen features a large viewing angle, so the driver can easily observe playback without changing position. Recordings can be viewed in real-time, or in playback mode on the 2.4″ color LCD screen. Menu options allow you to change the Panel Off setting to remain on continually, on for 15-seconds or 1-minute, or always off.

An integrated microphone at the back (LCD) side of the device picks-up nearby sounds, such as driver/passenger voices or those coming to aid victims of an accident. Audio is recorded alongside video, giving a complete account of details – including conversations or distractions.

At the bottom of the camera body is a Micro SD memory card slot. Not included with the vehicle recorder kit, GoSafe 272 requires a Micro SD card to save recorded video and photo files. For best results, I recommend using a Class-10/UHS1 speed Micro SDHC memory card for capturing high definition video files. The PAPAGO! GoSafe 272 dashcam will still operate without a micro SD card installed, allowing for ‘offline’ settings configuration.

The PAPAGO! GoSafe 272 vehicle recorder offers a mounting point at the top of the unit, so it can be positioned to hang down from the top the windshield. On most cars, the suction unit fits neatly behind the rear-view mirror, positioning the camera behind or beside the mirror.

PAPAGO! includes a suction-activated glass mount for attaching GoSafe 272 to the windshield. The suction mount is extremely strong even before activating the lever, so combine this with the ultra-light weight of the camera there should be no fear that the unit might fall off while driving (the same cannot be said for very heavy dashcam units). Some experimentation will be necessary for tinted or coated windows.

In the next section, I discuss my test results with the PAPAGO! GoSafe 272 dashcam.

Testing and Results

Upon consideration of purchasing this vehicle recorder, the very first thing you’ll want to ensure is that you’ve got a class-6 (or faster) Micro SDHC memory card available for storage of multimedia recordings. Since 32GB is the specified maximum capacity supported, I recommend a fast (UHS1/C10 speed) Micro SDHC memory card like the Transend TS32GUSDU1E or SanDisk SDSDQU-032G-AFFP-A, both of which include adapter cards.

All testing was conducted using the PAPAGO! GoSafe 272 dashboard camera suction-mounted beside the rearview mirror inside a sports sedan, with a 32GB UHS1 (Class-10) speed Micro SDHC memory card installed.

PAPAGO! Proprietary Features

As we’ve seen with other PAPAGO! dashcams, the GoSafe 272 delivers several value-added features not available from the competition. Some of the proprietary functionality includes a fatigued driver alarm, speed limit sign alert, headlight reminder, traffic movement indicator.

When the Driver Fatigued Alarm is configured, the PAPAGO! GoSafe 272 will sound a 30/60/120-minute reminder alarm at designated intervals on long trips so rest breaks may be taken. Stop and Go is a feature that alerts a potentially distracted driver that the vehicle in front of them is moving if you’ve been at a stop for at least ten seconds. When configured ‘on’, the Remind Light feature will alert the driver when darkness could require headlights. Although a more robust feature on other models, the GoSafe 272 will display a symbol whenever a speed limit sign is observed.

Snellen Video Camera Tests:

The Snellen chart is a common eyesight test used to determine level of visual acuity. Benchmark Reviews has adapted the Snellen chart for the purpose of testing video camera clarity. This is important for reading a vehicle’s licence plate number and identifying text.

Standard license plates measures 6″ tall by 12″ wide, with 3″ block letters and numbers. Our test was conducted two car lengths away from the chart, which we’ve determined to be the edge distance away for all cameras to accurately display standard size license plate text.

Snellen Chart

Optimistic that these dash cams would clearly display plate text beyond two car lengths, our adapted Snellen chart skips the first line that would have displayed a 3″ letter simulating full-size license plates and begins with 1/2 size (1.5″) letters (“F” and “P”). Unfortunately, we later discovered that none of the cameras would read beyond 1/3 size (1″) text.

PAPAGO! GoSafe 272 Results:

First up was the PAPAGO! GoSafe 272 deshcam, featuring a 2.0 megapixel camera resolution and 140-degree wide angle lens. The unit features a 1/3“ CMOS image ensor that yields 17.30 mm2 surface area identical to Apple’s iPhone 5S. This dashcam offered the largest field of view, but sacrificed fine detail quality as result. The wide angle lens undoubtedly helps the camera ‘see’ more, which can be helpful for catching events that aren’t directly front and center of the camera lens.

A standard 3″ license plate number could be read from two car lengths away, but at four car lengths away the 1/2 size (1.5″) text was very difficult to read (100% is actual size). Enhancing the image to 200% did not yield significant improvement. Depth is the inherent sacrifice any wide-angle lens will make, at the benefit of larger field of view.

Genius DVR-FHD568 Results:

The Genius DVR-FHD568 was next, which utilizes a 2.0 megapixel camera resolution and 140-degree wide angle lens. The unit features a 1/2.7“ CMOS image sensor that yields 21.70 mm2 surface area. This dashcam offered a huge field of view, but sacrificed fine detail quality as result. The wide angle lens undoubtedly helps the camera ‘see’ more, which can be helpful for catching events that aren’t directly front and center of the camera lens. Additionally, the large image sensor allows more light to reach the surface to aid in low-light recording.

A standard 3″ license plate number could be read from two car lengths away, but at four car lengths away the 1/2 size (1.5″) text was very difficult to read (100% is actual size). Enhancing the image to 200% did not yield significant improvement. Depth is the inherent sacrifice any wide-angle lens will make, at the benefit of larger field of view.

Genius DVR-FHD568 Dashcam Snellen Chart Test

Papago! P3 Results:

Next up was the Papago! P3 dash cam, which we reviewed back in March (2014). This camera features an Aptina 3.5 megapixel camera resolution and 130-degree wide angle lens. The unit features a 1/3″ CMOS image sensor that yields 17.30 mm2 surface area. Like DVR-FHD568, this camera has a large field of view and captures a large picture. Although the angle is 10° less than FHD568, the fine details are similarly lost.

Standard 3″ license plate numbers could be read from two car lengths away, but at four car lengths away the 1/2 size (1.5″) text was quite difficult to read, matching FHD568. Enhancing the image to 200% did not yield any improvement. Also note that the Papago! P3 dashcam suffered from poor color replication, producing a green hue to the picture.

Papago P3 Dashcam Snellen Chart Test

Genius DVR-FHD590 Results:

Finally, we tested the Genius DVR-FHD590, which was first reviewed back in May 2013. This dashcam features a 5-megapixel camera resolution and 128-degree wide-angle fixed focus lens (f/2.4, f=3.0mm). The unit features a 1/3.2″ CMOS image sensor that yields 15.50 mm2 surface area identical to the Apple iPhone 5. According to the specifications, FHD590 captures 12° less field of view than FHD568, also 2° less than the P3. However, according to our results it appears that FHD590 has a much smaller field of view that offers greater fine detail quality.

Both 3″ standard license plate numbers at two car lengths away and 1/2 size (1.5″) numbers four car lengths could be read, which makes this higher-priced dashcam move valuable for those looking to capture this information. While difficult to read, 1/3 size (1″) license plate numbers could still be identified. Zoomed in 200% did improve the picture, but only enough to confirm previous results. This camera favors details over field of view and light sensitivity.

Genius DVR-FHD590 Dashcam Snellen Chart Test

Other Dashcam Test Findings:

There are several obvious uses for dashboard camera devices, such as recording traffic events that might defend you in an accident, but there are many others that also serve equally-important purposes. For example, a dashcam could be used as an autonomous co-pilot for monitoring the behavior of inexperienced drivers, or as a co-witness for driving instructors. Commercial drivers, such as those who operate limousines, shuttles, taxi cabs, moving vans, and buses, could benefit from the footage they record… especially in an emergency. While less obvious, the deshboard recorder could also aid drivers who use a company vehicle, or high-risk operators who transport critical cargo.

Each video clip segment (configured in 1-, 3-, or 5-minute segments) is saved to the Micro SD memory card in .AVI container format. 3-Minute clips weigh approximately 200MB each, but if you elect to save in 5-minute intervals the file size increases to 350MB each. On the 32GB memory card used for testing, over 7-hours of recordings at 1080p could be saved before the PAPAGO! GoSafe 272 automatically overwrites older files.

An integrated 3-Axis G-Force sensor in automatically triggers the device to record whenever an event forces it past the menu-selected sensitivity threshold. This creates an audio/video file that cannot be overwritten, unless you specifically delete it from the menu. At the ‘normal’ sensitivity, at least one recording was preserved as an Emergency file due to suddenly stopping.

Dashboard Camera Final Thoughts

Dash cameras are nothing new, but the lens/sensor technology and convenience features help elevate the latest generation of devices to a level beyond previous offerings. There’s no doubt that vehicle recorders will ease fears when dealing with insurance claims or law enforcement, and based on my short time testing the PAPAGO! GoSafe 272, I’m confident vehicle recorders will contribute to numerous online videos that capture road-rage and other driving un-pleasantries.

There have been several close calls recorded, and far too many times where other drivers were captured behaving dangerously to the point of nearly causing an accident. In one incident this year a driver got out of his vehicle to confront another motorist beside me, but when I pointed directly at the dash cam high on my windshield the angry driver returned to his vehicle. It’s possible he changed his mind, but it’s more likely the camera changed it for him.

The only perceivable downside to having a vehicle recorder is the minor obstruction caused by the camera. I was able to alleviate this distraction by hiding it behind the far side of my rear-view mirror, but this still exposes the USB cord that hangs below the camera. The camera’s profile is smaller (shorter) then others we’ve tested, and so is the mounting hardware. The compact size reduces the chance of this dash cam interfering with my vision.

Image Sensors and Resolution

Most consumers are not also camera experts. Manufacturer’s know this, which is why they tout their device’s picture resolution before mentioning the image sensor size. If you’re taking photos with a camera, which typically has a flash or uses staged light sources, then resolution is very important. But if you’re recording video using the available ambient light sources, typically either sunlight in the day or street lights and headlamps at night, then the surface area of the image sensor becomes critical. A larger surface area is typically better.

We tested three different dash cams in this review, and each utilized a different size CMOS image sensor. Making matters worse, each image sensor was classified by a misleading representation of its size. For example, the Genius DVR-FHD568 vehicle recorded featured in this article used a 1/2.7“ CMOS image sensor that yields 21.70 mm2 surface area (the largest offered) but only delivered a 2-megapixel resolution (the smallest offered). The Genius DVR-FHD590, which gave us the best detail quality due to less angle in the lens, featured a 5-megapixel camera resolution (very large) with a 1/3.2″ CMOS image sensor that yields 15.50 mm2 surface area (very small).

In a perfect world, you’d have both: high resolution effective pixel capture for sharp detail clarity, and an image sensor with large surface area to collect light in dim/dark environments.

My Wish List

The latest dashcams begin to approach perfection, but I’m convinced they could all do better (especially if they marketed their resolution and image sensor sizes more clearly – something none of the manufacturers do). After testing the 128° wide-angle Genius DVR-FHD590 back in May 2013, I was convinced that the lens could be wider. Later it would be compared against the Papago! P3 dashcam, which is 400% bigger and heavier, but featured a 130° wide-angle lens that seemed ideal… right up until the point where I needed to read the license plate number on a car only a few lengths away.

If I had the opportunity to design my own dash cam, it would first include on-board memory for internal storage. Memory is cheap these days, and there’s really no excuse for any of these products not to include their own 8GB integrated chip. That being said Micro SD is the format of the day, so large and obsolete SD cards should not be found on any modern camera.

Next on my design checklist would be a high-resolution camera for capturing fine details. Something 8.0-megapixels or better would do nicely for most motorists. We’re trying to read license plates, not the frame surrounding it (although having both would be nice, if not too unreasonable).

Then we’d address the CMOS image sensor, which would need to step up to at least 2/3″ to yield either 58.10 mm2 surface area. Of course, I wouldn’t complain about a or 1″ image sensor offering 116 mm2 surface area and nearly capable of night vision. Still, size is a consideration, and I don’t want a heavy dash camera coming unattached from my windshield while I’m driving.

Lastly, I want only enough battery to finish writing the file if the power source is turned off. I’ve discovered half-hour lengths of video recorded after I exit the vehicle, just because the motion sensor captures somebody walking nearby. The large battery adds to the size, cost, and heat output by the unit.

Features such as GPS are nice, if not trivial. Unless the unit is going to offer voice navigation, nobody is using an LCD display smaller than their phone’s screen to read while they drive. It’s not safe, nor reasonable. Additionally, the device should offer frequent firmware updates. This is important for proper GPS functionality, as maps are constantly being updated as changes occur.

These are not impossible requests, and they’re all using technology already presented in other products. If a smartphone can do this and much more, the next generation of dash cam certainly should be capable of my list.

PAPAGO! GoSafe 272 Conclusion

IMPORTANT: Although the rating and final score mentioned in this conclusion are made to be as objective as possible, please be advised that every author perceives these factors differently at various points in time. While we each do our best to ensure that all aspects of the product are considered, there are often times unforeseen market conditions and manufacturer changes which occur after publication that could render our rating obsolete. Please do not base any purchase solely on our conclusion, as it represents our product rating specifically for the product tested which may differ from future versions. Benchmark Reviews begins our conclusion with a short summary for each of the areas that we rate.

We begin our ratings with performance, which pits the PAPAGO! GoSafe 272 against others we’ve tested such as the Genius DVR-FHD568, DVR-FHD590, and Papago! P3 dashcams. All of these are limited to a 32GB memory card, which I believe should be the starting point for storage capacities and not the limit. The menu on GoSafe 272 is incredibly similar to DVR-FHD568, and are both the most straight-forward and refined we’ve seen on any camera yet that does not require a manual to understand the options or their function.

For vehicle recorder cameras, image quality is paramount. On the PAPAGO! GoSafe 272 dashboard camera, a 2.0 megapixel 1/3“CMOS image sensor captures 1080p video at 30 FPS. Other dashcams offer a larger resolutionor use a larger 1/2″ image sensor. The 2-megapixel 17.30 mm2 image sensor produced a picture with fair exposure and decent video quality, but some detail was lost in still frames.

Although everyone has different needs, mine lean towards better detail sharpness. After attempting to read license plate numbers with these 130-140° wide-angle lens cameras, I’m actually most pleased with the results from the 128° lens. Image sensor technology may ultimately improve the situation, but only the 128° lens on FHD590 was able to display readable license plate numbers at reasonable distance. A 120° lens would really help compensate for the low picture resolution and image sensor size.

Appearance is a much more subjective matter, especially since this particular rating doesn’t have any quantitative benchmark scores to fall back on. The PAPAGO! GoSafe 272 offers an elegant glossy black finish that is imperceivable within darkened cabin interiors. This color helps hide the camera from conspicuous view, so to avoid drawing attention to itself. The camera unit measures 3.2″ wide by 2.1″ tall, so it’s easy to find a mounting spot on the windshield.

The GoSafe 272 is built solid, and offers a very durable construction. A reinforced plastic camera housing protects the lends and LCD screen, so the most likely causes for failure would be liquid submersion or electrical damage. This device is designed to endure crash damage and provide video evidence, making it far more durable than other models. The camera will easily survive falls from the windshield or being accidentally dropped.

In terms of functionality the PAPAGO! GoSafe 272 surpasses the others in its price bracket. All special functions on GoSafe 272 worked exactly as advertised. Automatic features intuitively stepped in when needed, such as the Stop and Go alert that warns a potentially distracted driver when the vehicle in front of them is moving. The automatic emergency recording feature that uses the units 3-axis G-Force sensor for collision detection offered peace of mind that you’ll capture the most critical events. If desired, the unit can be detached from the bracket and used as a digital camera to take pictures.

As of January 2015, the PAPAGO! GoSafe 272 Dashcam GS272-US is available online for $159.99 (Amazon | B&H Photo). At this price point there’s plenty of competition, such as the similarly designed Genius DVR-FHD568. GoSafe 272 does not include any onboard memory and requires the purchase of a Micro SDHC memory card. I recommend a fast UHS1/C10 speed product like the Transend TS32GUSDU1E or SanDisk SDSDQU-032G-AFFP-A – which both include USB adapters.

The GoSafe 272 belongs to a growing genre of consumer electronics, and based on my experience with this camera I expect it to do well in the marketplace. This is truly one of the few win-win products I’ve tested in my time, where there’s no downside to having it installed in your vehicle. I plan to continue using the PAPAGO! GoSafe 272 in my vehicle, because it’s been proven so useful with every close call and near hit. This is an outstanding product with many great features, and I highly recommend it to all drivers.

Pros:

+ Outputs H.264 full-HD 1080p quality video

+ Automatic emergency recording for collision detection

+ Motion-detecting IR receiver

+ Small mounting bracket footprint

+ Integrated microphone and speaker

+ Features 3-Axis G-Force sensor

+ Doubles as a 2MP digital camera

+ 420 mAH Li-polymer battery enables recording when car is off

Cons:

– Requires Micro SDHC card (no internal memory)

+ Small 1/3″ CMOS digital image sensor

– 140° wide-angle lens reduces detail quality

Ratings:

Performance: 8.75

Appearance: 9.50

Construction: 9.75

Functionality: 9.00

Value: 7.75

Final Score: 8.95 out of 10.

Quality Recognition: Benchmark Reviews Silver Tachometer Award.

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Take Infomation About Best Laptop Docking Stations

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Using the Plugable USB-C Triple Display Dock (UD-ULTCD) feels a bit like living in the future. It works with all of the newest standards, including USB Type-C for charging and external displays, along with support for a 4K monitor. It's oriented in a vertical position, so you can't keep the dock under your laptop or monitors, but its performance and support for three displays simultaneously makes the Triple Display Dock our top choice.

Best Design - HP Elite Thunderbolt 3 Dock

The HP Elite Thunderbolt 3 Dock is the most handsome dock on the market. Its modern, two-toned color scheme is subtle but eye-catching, while its chassis is small enough to file away under a monitor if you need more room on your desk. The dock’s non-slip bottom will prevent it from sliding around your desk. While it’s limited to just DisplayPort and VGA for video output, the Elite’s support for USB Type-C and Thunderbolt 3 make it fairly future proof. That is, as long as you have a compatible laptop. Though the dock should work with any Thunderbolt 3-enabled computer, we couldn’t use it with a couple of non-HP laptops we tested.

Targus Universal DV1K-4K Docking Station

The one downside to a dock is that it takes up space on your desk, but Targus' DV1K-4K docking station is easy to tuck away. The small, well-built dock is designed to fit under your laptop, sporting a nonslip surface to keep your system from sliding down. The dock is also small enough to fit under your monitors, if you prefer. The DV1K-4K supports one 4K monitor and has a ton of USB 3.0 ports, making it a strong choice for power users.

Dell WD15 Docking Station

Dell's WD15 docking station looks good and performs well once you've figured out its quirks. The station offers a plethora of display options, including VGA, HDMI and Mini DisplayPort, and has a wide variety of other ports. Operating over USB Type-C's new "alternative mode," Dell's dock was a strong performer with no lag, but the DisplayPort couldn't output at the full 4K (while HDMI could) or work when any of the other ports were active.

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