AliExpress is doling out up to a considerably 50 percent off on a wide range of tools and accessories as part of its latest promotion.

Dubbed as ‘Automotive Essentials Sale,’ the promo features various items that have been separated into Car Electronics, Car Decorations, Motorcycle Accessories & Parts, Other Vehicle Parts, and Tools & Maintenance categories.

More importantly, all products featured on the promotion page will be up for grabs carrying unbeatable prices.

We’ll be taking a gander at the discount available on the YI compact dash camera, which is included under ‘The Bestsellers’ section of the promo.

YI Compact Dash Camera

Touted as a highly reliable, yet an easy-to-use dash camera, the YI Compact is loaded with essential functions that make your drive safe.

The dash camera is capable of recording fast-moving scenes and efficiently capturing intense movements. Moreover, it provides emergency recordings as well.

The YI Compact dash camera adopts a highly efficient H.264 video encoding for crystal clear images in high resolution while making more room for footages by optimizing the storage space.

The system empowers the camera to save footages automatically in the case that there’s a collision. These footages can come in handy for insurance disputes and other purposes.

Owing to several reasons like poor lighting, intrusive headlights or driver fatigue, accidents are more likely to take place at night.

This makes night vision one of the most important indicators of a dash camera’s performance.

Keeping in line with that, the YI Compact is equipped with an all-glass high-resolution lens, an F2.0 large aperture and a high sensitivity image sensor that warrants enhanced night vision.

While there’s no dearth of top-branded dash cameras in the market today, they aren’t necessarily easy on the pocketbook.

The YI Compact, on the other hand, has gone up for sale carrying a lowered price tag of just $35.99 on AliExpress. This is a 55 percent drop in the feature-laden dash camera’s original asking price.

You can follow this link to take full advantage of this discount before the promotion sale comes to an end.

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Last year, YI started selling its action cameras unofficially through Amazon last year. Now, YI Action Camera and YI 4K Action Camera are now available for purchase in India exclusively on Flipkart starting on December 17th.

The YI Action Camera comes with a 16-megapixel Sony IMX206 lens with a 1/2.3″ sensor, f/2.8 aperture, and 155-degree wide viewing angle. It supports Full HD recording at 60 frames per seconds and 720p recording at 120fps. 

It is powered by Ambarella A9SE SoC with support for H.264 codec. There’s also a built-in microphone Dual-channel, 96KHz sampling, and 92dBA SNR. For storing data, there’s a microSD card slot and connectivity options on the device include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz + 5GHz) and Bluetooth v4. As for the battery, it supports a battery life of 95 minutes.

The YI 4K Action Camera features a 12-megapixel Sony IMX377 lens with a 1/2.3″ sensor, 7P lens, f/2.8 aperture, and 155-degree wide viewing angle. Unlike the Action Camera, the 4K Action camera comes with a 2.19-inch display with 160-degree wide-angle viewing, 16:9 aspect ratio, and 330PPI pixel density.

Under the hood, the device is powered by Ambarella A9SE chipset with support for H.264 codec. It also supports 4K video recording at 30fps, 1080p recording at 120fps and 720p recording at 240 fps. It has BCM4330 for Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz + 5GHz) and Bluetooth 4.0.

It also comes with dual microphones and 6-axis gyroscope for EIS. As for the battery, it has 1,400mAh battery which provides up to 2 hours of recording.

Read More: Huawei launches a Portable photo printer, smart scale (WiFi version), handheld gimbal & Smart IP camera

As for the pricing, in India, the YI Action Camera and YI 4K Action Camera are priced at Rs. 4999 (approximately $71) and Rs. 9999 (approximately $141) respectively.

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When VR started to gain popularity, content creation was one of the important topics that cropped up. To solve that, we saw a number of manufacturers release 360° cameras for both professionals and the average consumer to create 360° VR content.

Our views where cut in half when YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, announced VR180 – a 3D video format that captures 180° instead of 360°at Vidcon 2017. VR180 does make sense as it tends to only focus on what your can see if you are actually at the place the content was captured. The experience is still immersive when viewed in a headset but without the experience of turning your head around to see what is behind you.

At the event, it was revealed that Google was working with LG, Lenovo, and Yi to release VR180 cameras that would sell for more or less the same price as a regular point and shoot. Two of the first VR180 cameras –  the Lenovo Mirage Camera and Yi Horizon were announced at CES 2018 yesterday.

Lenovo Mirage Camera & Yi Horizon

The Lenovo Mirage Daydream and the Yi Horizon share the same basic design – cuboid-shaped body and dual front facing 13MP fish-eye lenses. They can record 4K 3D videos, take 3D VR photos, and also be used for 3D VR live streaming. Both cameras also have Wi-Fi and can save your content to Google photos. However, there are a few differences between them.

The Lenovo Mirage Camera comes in white. It has a capture button at the top, ports on the left side and a threaded hole for tripods at the bottom. It will sell for $229 when it launches in the second quarter.

READ MORE: Oculus Go To Launch in China As Mi VR Standalone

The Yi Horizon on the other hand comes in black. Unlike the Mirage Camera, it has a display which lifts up to face the direction of the lenses. There is a HDMI port and USB port on the left and a memory card slot on the right. There is no info on the price but it is expected to go on sale in Q2 2018 too.

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Tech giant Google is set to launch a new VR format dubbed VR180 which would offer more limited cinematic VR output. The tech giant hopes the new format would be readily accessible as regular YouTube videos that it hopes will be almost as accessible as regular YouTube videos. The new VR180 project is the product of a collaboration between YouTube, a subsidiary of Google and Google’s Daydream VR division.

VR180 will also include the production of a new line of compatible cameras by Yi, Lenovo, and LG as well as other partners who meet the VR180 certification standards. The VR180 won’t stretch up to those produced by 360-degree cameras. They’ll be immersive when the user is facing forward but won’t off rear views if the user decides to glance behind. The videos can also be viewed as traditional flat videos outside virtual reality but can also be watched in 3D VR via the YouTube app with a Google Cardboard, Daydream, or PlayStation VR headset.

Video creators will also be able to shoot videos using any camera with a VR180 certification with the trio of Yi, Lenovo and LG emerging as pioneers that are working in collaboration with Google’s Daydream team for now. The first set of products are expected to be launched this winter and would likely carry almost the same price tag as the regular point-and-shoot camera. We still don’t know what the cameras will look like but a Line drawing of Lenovo’s own design was spotted recently. It appears to have two wide-angle lenses that can shoot stereoscopic video, and it’s just a simple design, a far cry from the expensive alien orbs that are often seen in VR film shoots.

Read Also: Samsung Working On New Gear VR With 2000ppi

The cameras may not be available to by sometime soon but Google is giving creators the opportunity to loan one from one of its YouTube Spaces, located in nine major cities worldwide. YouTube video creators will also be able to shoot just like they do with any other camera and in the near future the videos can be edited using Adobe Premiere Pro and other standard software.

In case you are wondering the benefits VR180 offer over 360-degree videos, there are a few big advantages. One of them is that it doesn’t need the same time-consuming (and often expensive) stitching as videos made with, say, Google’s 360-degree Jump system. Creators can easily put a person behind the camera without them appearing in the shot whereas 360-degree camera bares all with nothing hidden. Filmmakers often literally hide behind objects during a scene when shooting using panoramic cameras but that won’t be the case anymore. Another thing is that the file sizes would be reduced drastically so viewers will stream the videos faster and with less annoying buffering gaps while streaming.

(source)

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Yi technology has now become popular when it comes to powerful budget action cameras and not quite long, the company started to venture into the high-end segment with the launch of the Yi M1 Mirrorless camera. The company also ventured into drones recently with the unveiling of the Yi Erida drone which was unveiled at CES 2017. Yi is now set to launch a new camera which is likely the Yi 360 VR camera.

The upcoming product will be launched on June 1 and from all indications, it is a panoramic camera. A similar product which we believe is the same with this one is listed on Yi technology website for pre-order so, from there we can get an idea that the camera is the Yi 360 VR camera.

The Yi 360 VR camera comes with dual lenses that are adjacent to each other with each having a 220-degree wide angle FOV. The cameras each have a 12MP SonyIMX377 sensor and f/2.0 aperture. The Yi Panoramic camera is Google Street View ready and has WiFi connectivity. There is also a 1400mAH battery and a microphone which means you can Livestream videos with the camera. It also comes with a USB Type-C port, microSD slot as well as Bluetooth 4.2.

Read More: YI 4K+ Action Camera Unveiled at CES 2017: 4K @ 60 fps Video Recording

The product will be officially announced on June 1 while booking will start on June 11. The camera comes in white and black colors and it carries a price tag of 2499 Yuan (~$364). Meanwhile, the Yi technology’s website puts it up on pre-order for $399 for those in the U.S.

The post New Yi Camera Coming On June 1, Likely a Panoramic VR Camera appeared first on Gizmochina.

Chinese camera maker YI only has a few products to its name, the YI 4K Action Camera, YI 4K Action Camera 2 and a few more, but the company has garnered an enviable reputation for quality. Its cameras are even touted as the Go Pro killer and the company became solid that it didn’t need the Xiaomi brand attached to its name any more. Right now, the company has added another feather to its record, as it announced the YI 4K+ Action Camera today at CES 2017.

The YI 4K+ Action camera is reputed as the world’s first camera capable of capturing 4K video at 60 frames per second and it is said to be double of what the action-packed Go Pro Hero 5 Black is capable of shooting. That is not only where the YI Action cam comes first, but also in the aspect of the processor it packs. The YI 4K+ Action Camera is also the first to feature an Ambarella H2 System-on-Chip processor which offers a maximum bit rate of 120Mbps.

Read Also: YI 4k Action Camera Review – The GoPro Killer for Half the Price

The Action camera is also touted to feature electronic image stabilization (EIS), live streaming capability, well filtered audio output in outdoors and also support for Virtual Reality (VR). The Smart camera also come with USB 3.0 and USB Type-C interface and other features.

It’s amazing that despite the well-packed features, the YI 4K+ Action Camera and the previous gen 4K Action camera all have the same size and design. The company left off short of announcing the price of the Action cam and availability details. But as usual, it should be available in China sometime soon.

The post YI 4K+ Action Camera Unveiled at CES 2017: 4K @ 60 fps Video Recording appeared first on Gizmochina.

Last year Yi Technology released their first iteration of affordable yet great action camera. This year, the company released a vastly upgraded model and it is one of the best action cameras I’ve tested. We have used this camera for 2 months already. The Yi Technology 4k action camera costs $250, which is half the price of the GoPro Hero 4 and here is our full review.

Thanks to Yi Technology official for sending YI 4k action camera for a review.

YI 4k Action Camera VIDEO REVIEW:

YI 4k Action Camera Review: UNBOXING

As usual, let’s start by unboxing and see what you get with the camera. The contents of the box include a camera itself, some instruction manuals and USB charging cable.

Yi Technology sent me a waterproof case too, which allows you to use the camera under water up 132 feet or around 40m. The case is very sturdy and well-made. It is also dust-proof, weather-proof, drop and press resistant. Also, it uses a glass with a very good light transmittance.

I’ve used the case for quite a while and so far it has been excellent, there is no water condensation inside of it and the opening latch has been working fine.

YI 4k Action Camera Review: DESIGN AND FEATURES

Firstly, the second generation YI camera changed a lot and it improved in each and every way.

One of the key additions is the 4k video recording, which is thanks to a 12MP Sony IMX377 sensor and the newest Ambarella A9SE75 image processor. The camera has f/2.8 aperture and wide 160° lens.

Next to the camera we have the LED, which lights up in different colours to indicate the juice left in the battery. The camera is made of plastic and the device does not feel very expensive but it does not feel cheap either.

We have a power on/off button, which also acts as a record button, two microphones and the speaker grill on the top.

The camera can be charged via the micro USB charging port, which is covered by a flap.

On the bottom, we have a tripod mount screw. Also, we have a removable 1400mAh battery and the microSD card slot. Keep in mind that you would need to purchase a high-speed microSD card separately for a smooth 4k video recording.

Overall, the camera is tiny, compact, well-built and lightweight.

YI 4k Action Camera Review: DISPLAY AND USER INTERFACE

Another key addition is a 2.19” touchscreen display, which is covered with Gorilla Glass and it is the sharpest display on any action camera we’ve ever reviewed. Also, it is visible even under direct sunlight (if you set display brightness to maximum).

Naturally, the display acts as a viewfinder and this is a major improvement over the last generation camera. You can do quite a few things with the display. You can watch the videos you shot or the pictures you took right on the camera. If you swipe from the top, you will access quick settings toggles.

Also, you can select from quite a few shooting modes that include photo, video, time lapse, slow-motion and other modes.A really cool feature is that you can quickly switch from the photo and the last shooting mode by simply swiping from left to right.

As far as the video resolution goes, you can go all the way to the 4k at 30 fps or choose the lowest resolution of 480p at 240fps. There are quite a few resolution/fps combos but I have mostly used 4k at 30fps, 1080p at 60fps and the 720p slow-motion video, where you can set the fps setting to 240.

In addition, there are some manual controls. You can adjust some image settings, turn on/off electronic image stabilization and so on.

One of the notable features is the dual-band Wifi, meaning that you can easily connect the camera to your phone using the YI Action app.

Within the app, you can use your phone as a viewfinder, which only has a little bit of lag, and some other things like switch from one shooting mode to another. Also, you can view photos and videos you shot and download them to your phone. Keep in mind that the camera creates a separate low-resolution video file, so you can easily share it. In addition, you can adjust some camera settings, upgrade the firmware of the device and so on.

YI 4k Action Camera Review: VIDEO QUALITY

See the video review for video/image quality. The camera samples will be uploaded soon (on April 24th)

I shot videos and took pictures that took over 100GB of storage on multiple microSD cards to tell you what I think about the image quality.

First of all, you have to keep in mind that action cameras are not as the good as the flagship smartphones but the Yi 4k camera can produce a very high-quality footage.

The 4k video is fantastic and it is one of the best we’ve seen on any action camera, to be honest. The footage is sharp is crisp, the color reproduction is very accurate and the infinite focus lens make the footage look in-focus and sharp all the time. The only shortcoming is that the 4k video lacks video stabilization.

The 4k time-lapse video is very detailed and sharp-looking too.

1080p video at 30 fps has less detail but does a better job with video stabilization. In addition, you can turn on the EIS in the settings menu to reduce the shakiness even more and it works pretty good.

1080p video at 60fps s great too. It may not look as sharp as the 4k but 60fps mode is the best suited for sports action.

Slow-motion video can be shot at 720p resolution either at 120fps or at 240fps.

When it comes to the low-light video, the quality decreases significantly. There is less detail and much more noise but still, the image quality is pretty good.

The still images look nice too. Again, the images do not look as sharp as the ones taken with the flagship smartphone but when it comes to the action cameras, they are one of the best in class.

YI 4k Action Camera Review: BATTERY LIFE

1400mAh battery performs great. I could get almost 2 hours of usage if I shot mainly 4K videos. If I shot 1080p videos and took pictures with the camera, I could easily get slightly over 2h of the battery life.

YI 4k Action Camera Review: CONCLUSIONS

So, there you have it, the YI action 4k camera. This is a device that challenges the GoPro camera for half the price.In short, we love this camera and we don’t see any major shortcomings.

The device is lightweight, the display is sharp, the UI is fast and easy to use, the Wifi is fast and the camera works fine with the YI Action app. Also, the battery life is great.

The video and image quality are great too. Sure, the camera could be slightly better in low-light situations but this is probably the only shortcoming we can mention.

All in all, YI action 4k camera is a great product. The price point of $250 may sound steep for some but hey, this is the action cam that has a great image quality, good battery life and much more, and it can easily rival the GoPro camera…. for half the price.

The post YI 4k Action Camera Review – The GoPro Killer for Half the Price appeared first on Gizmochina.

If you have the Xiaomi YI camera, you know that it is a great cheap action camera but it has a few flaws – a poor battery life, the lack of  display and it ships without any accessories.

In this review we are going to look at the accessory pack that’s going to supercharge your Xiaomi YI camera on a budget. Find out more in the full review.

Thanks to Gearbest for sending Xiaomi YI camera power user accessories pack for a review. 

Xiaomi YI Camera Power User Accessories Pack Review: VIDEO

Xiaomi YI Camera Power User Accessories Pack Review: UNBOXING

This power user accessories pack costs just below $40 and it is a pretty good bang for your buck considering the overall package you are getting.

What you are getting in the packaging includes an external display, a generous 2400mAh external battery, a waterproof casing, some mounting brackets and the micro USB cable.

Xiaomi YI Camera Power User Accessories Pack Review:  CONTENTS and FEATURES

There are lots of action cameras that do not have a display and thus you cannot properly frame the shot. The external display is here to solve the issue and it is very easy to use. All you have to do is just connect it to the back of the camera but before you do that make sure to upgrade the camera’s firmware to the latest version and select the AV output in the YI Camera app.

Once you’ve done that, you are good to go and the display works very well and there is no delay whatsover. Also, there is the display power on/off button to save the battery. My only complaint would be that the display could have a bit higher resolution but it is used only to frame a shot anyway.

Another cool accessory is a generous 2400mAh external battery. If you want to use it, you have to remove the original battery first and install the external one with a simple push.

The original power pack has the capacity of just 1010mAh and thus we have more than twice as much juice in this external battery. With the original battery, I was able to achieve around 1:40h of continuous 1080p video shooting and with this one the battery lasted for around 3,5 hours under the exact same conditions. Of course, you will be able to achieve that if you don’t mind the extra bulk this power bank gives.

Next up is the waterproof case and it easily fits the Xiaomi YI camera. However, if you want to put the camera with either the LCD display or the external battery, you have to replace the door of the waterproof case but the good thing is that it is very easy to do it.

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Mounting the camera inside the waterproof case is easy. The case lock is made of plastic but it does look like it’s going to break any time soon.

The last items that are included are a few mounting brackets and they are pretty much self-explanatory.

Xiaomi YI Camera Power User Accessories Pack Review: CONCLUSIONS

So there you have it, the power user accessories pack for the Xioami YI camera. For under $40 you are getting two essential upgrades – the display and a generous external battery. They are both easy to install and remove it and so far everything works very well.

Also, there is another essential piece – the waterproof housing, which allows you to use the camera underwater. You can do it either without any accessories attached to the camera or with the LCD display,  or with the external battery. I’ve tested it several times underwater already and I have no complaints about it.

All in all, this accessory pack is an ideal upgrade to your Xiaomi YI camera and since everything has worked fine during my testing time, I believe it is worth the price of $40.

Buy Xiaomi YI Camera Power User Accessories Pack

The post Xiaomi YI Camera Power Pack – Supercharge Your Action Camera appeared first on Gizmochina.

It seems that sports/action camera’s department is kind of occupied by the industry leader GoPro, which has been in the business for quite a while. However, the Chinese companies do not stay silent and some of them think that action cameras category is the way to go. One the companies is the Xiaomi’s sub-brand YI, which has something interesting to offer.

In case you want to check out the Xiaomi YI camera in action, we have also made a full video review:

UNBOXING

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Finally, let’s take a look at the main item of the review. This camera has a combo of quite flashy light and dark green colours. There is another version of white colour if you don’t like this one. The first impressions of the device is that it is really compact and very light. It has a size of a box of matches and weighs just 72 g. Moreover, the camera feels sturdy and well built.

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The post Xiaomi YI Action Sports Camera Review appeared first on Gizmochina.

It seems that sports/action camera’s department is kind of occupied by the industry leader GoPro, which has been in the business for quite a while. However, the Chinese companies do not stay silent and some of them think that action cameras category is the way to go. One the companies is the Xiaomi’s sub-brand YI, which has something interesting to offer.

We have just made a full video review of Xiaomi Yi action Camera, where we discuss the design, main features, pros and cons, and more. Make sure you check out the entire video to make sure if Xiaomi Yi sports camera is good or not.

In case you prefer written reviews, the one is coming soon. Anyway, we have covered mostly everything in our video, so it should be enough for you to know ins and outs of the product.

UPDATE: CHECK OUT OUR WRITTEN REVIEW AS WELL.

The post Xiaomi Yi sports Action Camera Review [VIDEO] appeared first on Gizmochina.