Sony SmartWatch Review

An area which interests me greatly is wearable technology. It’s no secret to those that know me that I am an absolute sucker for these sorts of accessories. On a recent visit to Hong Kong I picked up one such item – the Sony SmartWatch. Having used the SmartWatch now for almost two weeks it is now time to review my newest gadget.

The Sony SmartWatch is a device which connects to your Android phone via Bluetooth. It does this via a free app downloadable from the Play Store – Smart Connect. Once you install and pair the watch you can download a series of other apps which enable it to ‘talk’ to your phone applications such as Messages, Email, Music Player, Weather etc. The process is a little tedious as you must do it one at a time. It would have been better if Sony bundled all these applications into a single app then the user could enable/disable the ones they which wish to use (or not use). There are some third party applications on the Play Store also for the watch such as a Calculator. The watch also gets the time and date from the phone so if you go into a different timezone with your phone and it updates it will update on the watch also.

The Smart Connect application on the phone allows the user customise where each app on the watch is located and also set up the applications (e.g. location for the weather app, facebook/twitter sign in). Not all devices are supported so if you’re unsure if your phone is, check the compatibility list on the Sony website. It seems HTCs in particular don’t play nice.

Sony SmartWatch

Navigation on the phone is simple enough. You can double tap the screen to turn it on or press the button on the side. Then tap on the application you want to use. To go back to the previous screen use the pinch gesture usually associated with zooming out. I find there is a little bit of lag going back as you can see refresh icons for a split second upon doing so. Swiping down brings the widget view and down is the watch’s “app drawer”. Occasionally I find the touch panel to be unresponsive so you have to give it a firmer tap compared to one required on say a phone or tablet.

The one particular feature I love this device for is being able to reject or silence a call from the watch. It works like a charm and saves me taking out the phone from my pocket in meetings. There is no speaker on the device however it vibrates so you can always feel when a call or message is received. In a noisy environment this is great as you can always feel when a call comes in when you might otherwise not hear the phone ring. Unfortunately you cannot talk into the watch like it were a phone, so this might crush your dream of becoming more like James Bond by using this gadget.

For a Bluetooth connected device I was surprised to see it did not drain too much battery on my phone (Samsung Galaxy S3). The watch itself runs down in a few days so keeping the special charging cable handy is a must. It does not use a standard micro usb cable. I’d also like to point out that the charging unit is really sensitive. It may just be my particular watch, but I find the connection very temperamental and often have to use an elastic band to keep the contacts in the right position otherwise it will not charge.

Externally the Sony SmartWatch is 36mm x 36mm and 8mm thick and it clips on to the rubber watch band (not unlike what people were doing with those iPod nanos). The SmartWatch comes with a black band but you can buy different colours. I find the band to be cheap looking but it is comfortable enough to wear. In direct sunlight there is no chance of being able to see whats on the screen without shielding it from the light with your other hand.

The Sony SmartWatch is a great idea however the build quality dampens the experience. I will continue using it as my everyday watch but hopefully now with more reports of flexible displays a superior smart watch won’t be too far away.

Retro Gaming on Android

 
Inspired by this video on Android Gaming by Armando Ferreira, I set about turning my Nexus 7 into a totally awesome Nintendo gaming device. Something which would surely make all my iPhone and iPad using friends jealous

As described in the video, you will need to download and install emulator apps for the consoles which you would like to run, and also the games (called roms).

To install these apps you will need to allow your phone or tablet be able to install applications not from the Google Play store. On the Nexus 7 this is located in Settings -> Security, and checking the box next to “Unknown sources”.

Next is emulator installation. During my childhood I was brought up on Nintendo consoles. SNES being my first console, then later Nintendo 64, and for portable gaming it was Gameboy. Wouldn’t it be marvelous to relive the classics on a fancy Android tablet some 17 years later? Hell yes! Of course other console emulators are available such as PS1 and Sega however for this article I’ve decided to stick with Nintendo.

Super Nintendo

For SNES gaming I found SNesoid to be the best emulator. Simply download and open this apk file from your device to install.

Nintendo 64

Likewise N64oid is a great emulator for Nintendo 64 and made by the same developer as SNesoid.

Gameboy Advance

Finally GameBoid is the emulator I have used for GBA. You will also need a GBA BIOS to use this app so download one here, then extract and put on your device and direct GameBoid to the downloaded .bin file.

Now that you have the emulators installed its time to get games for them to run. I usually find the games by searching “game name rom” in Google but also check sites such as www.coolrom.com
I’m not going to get into the legalities of having such roms but apparently if you own the actual game it’s allowed.

I would create a folder called Roms on your Android device and in this folder have sub folders for each console to store the roms. In this case a SNES, N64 and a GBA folder. Once you’ve downloaded the Rom extract it and put in it’s appropriate folder. When you open up an emulator it will ask you which Rom you would like to play and you simply have to direct it to the right one.

Using the on screen virtual keyboard is OK I guess, but for the serious android gamer you’re going to want to use an external controller such as Phonejoy or attaching a PS3 controller etc. I use a Wiimote (which now has a new lease on life since previously collecting dust with the Wii console). Here is the method to connect the Wiimote:

Step one is to download a pairing app called Wiimote Controller (available in the Play Store).

Next turn on Bluetooth on your Android device and put the Wiimote into pairing mode by pressing 1 & 2 together (the leds will flash).

With the Wiimote in pairing mode open Wiimote Controller app and Press “1. Init and connect”. If the controller is found it will connect and say Done. The next thing you have to do is press “2. Select WiiControllerIME” to change to input method to the remote.

Now before you exit the Wiimote Controller app (I’m sure you’re very excited to start gaming with the Wiimote), press the Option button (looks like three vertical dots) and press Preferences. Tick the button that says “Switch after disconnect”. This will then automatically switch to your previous keyboard when you disconnect the Wiimote. It will save you some fiddling after you have finished your gaming session.

If you have trouble pairing the Wiimote check out the video on this site for Wiimote Controller - http://android.ccpcreations.com/wiicontroller

Once successfully paired you will have to enable the bluetooth device in the emulator and map the keys.

Do this by launching one of the emulators and clicking the Options button. Under Settings go into Other Settings. Tick the “Use input method” check box to enable use bluetooth gamepads.

Make sure Use Input Method is checked

Now go back and then into Input Settings. Turn off Virtual keypad and then click Key mappings. From here you can change the mappings by selecting a key then pressing the corresponding button on the Wiimote.

Key Mapping a Wiimote

That’s it! You’re ready to game. Back out into the game and confirm the keys are mapped correctly. They might require a bit more tweaking depending on the game but other than that enjoy retro gaming on Android!

Professor doesn’t know if I’m a boy or a girl :S

An annoyance I found was when playing with the Wiimote, the Android screen would still auto lock after a few minutes. To get around this I added a toggle button to keep the screen always on (and flick it off when I’m finished gaming). This can be accomplished with a widget such as Widgetsoid and setting a toggle to “Always on”.

To complete the ultimate Android retro gaming experience I thought it would be awesome to hook my Nexus 7 up to a television and play the games on a big screen. Unfortunately I haven’t yet found a way to do this. Apparently the HDMI adaptor for connecting will not work as their is no MHL support. If anyone has found a way to connect their Nexus 7 to a TV and screen mirror please share via the comments below or email me using the form on the contact page.

Samsung Galaxy S III Review

Having used a Samsung Galaxy S II for around 10 months it was refreshing to upgrade to Samsung’s latest and greatest, the Galaxy S III. The first difference I noticed was how massive the screen was in comparison to the S2 and also how sharp the resolution is. My main problem with the SII was battery life. Halfway through the day it would be less than 20% so I would need to charge or rotate a second battery. Now with the S3, with the same amount of usage, I can easily get 14 hours of battery life. On this alone it was worth upgrading.

Samsung Galaxy S III – My bat phone

This variant of the Galaxy S III has 16GB internal storage (also comes in 32 and 64GB), but with a slot for an external micro sd card, I added another 16GB. Plenty of space for some music, videos and other files. When the phone was announced I was surprised to see it only came with 1GB of RAM. This is the same amount as the S2. Unlike the S2 however, the S3 has a much better processor – the Exynos 1.4 GHz Cortex-A9 processor. Equipped with this beast it feels very fast and responsive. It will be interesting to see how much faster it can operate with Jelly Bean when it is available.

As noted earlier the screen is absolutely stunning. It’s a 4.8 inch Super AMOLED 720 x 1280 pixel screen and is perfect for watching videos or looking at photos. Although it’s quite large it still fits comfortably in pocket or hand. Any larger and we move into phablet territory.

The Galaxy S 3 has an 8MP rear camera capable of recording in 1080p. I was contemplating buying a digital camera before getting this phone but decided there isn’t a need as the camera on the S III can take superb shots. There is also a 1.9MP front facing camera which is great for Skyping and video calls.

It’s really a lot of little things that make using this phone a joy. The built in alarm tones are so peaceful, the virtual water ripples on the lock screen aesthetically pleasing, the way you can hold the phone to your ear whilst in a Text message and it will automatically call the person, the quick share button for easy sending a photo, true video multitasking, 0 camera shutter lag, these are the 1 percent difference-makers which set it apart from the other smartphones on the market.

There are a few new features on this phone which I do not use though. This includes S-Voice and the Eye detection that puts the phone to sleep when you look away from it. I find them a bit gimmicky and prefer Google’s own voice software, such as the one found in Google Now. Unfortunately Google Now is only available in Jelly Bean so we will have to wait for an upgrade to become available on the S III as it runs Android 4.0.x – Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box.

For anyone with a Galaxy S2, unless you have battery issues like I had, or can get the S3 at a reasonably good price, then it probably isn’t worth upgrading. Those with an original Galaxy or an iPhone won’t be disappointed at all upgrading to a Samsung Galaxy S III. In my opinion, at the time of writing, the Galaxy S III the best smartphone available.

Buy Samsung Galaxy S III on Amazon

Google Nexus 7 Review

2012 was always going to be the year of the tablet. As soon as the Nexus 7 and a slew of other Android tablets were announced earlier this year I knew I was going to buy something in the months that followed. My big dilemma was whether to hold out for the Asus Transformer Prime Infinity or buy the new Nexus 7 which was a fraction of the cost. It was a recent trip to the local JB Hi Fi store where I had my first demo of the Nexus 7 that I decided it was the tablet device for me. In particular, it was the snappiness of the new operating system, Jelly Bean, how comfortable it felt to hold, and the ultra affordable price tag of ~$300.

Hardware, design and features

The Nexus 7 comes in 8GB and 16GB models. I got the 16GB version as my primary use for it would be to watch videos, movies, play a few games and read ebooks (although ebooks wouldn’t take up much space). There is no way to increase the capacity of the device which is a shame since I have a 16GB microsd card which will now have to find another home, such as in my Galaxy phone.

Powered by a Tegra 3 quad core CPU, with an extra dedicated core for battery management, nothing feels laggy or slow on this device. I put this down to a combination of the powerful hardware and the new Android operating system.

Connectivity wise the Nexus 7 can only connect to the internet using Wifi. Although it doesn’t have 3g or 4g I have found I am nearly always in a Wifi area anyway. Also, when I’m out, tethering with my phone works equally well. The device is also equipped with Bluetooth and NFC. There are no other ports besides a micro-usb port used for charging (or connecting a USB device if you have an OTG cable) and a headphone jack. On the right side is the usual power button and volume rocker.

Made primarily of plastic and gorilla glass, the Nexus 7 might look cheap however it is very nice to hold and doesn’t at all feel like a lesser quality product. Weighing in at 340 grams it’s light and ultra portable. It is still too large to carry in a pocket though, so when a smartcase comes out it will be next on the purchase list. This one has caught my eye  - Poetic Slimline Portfolio Case for Google Nexus 7

Display and camera

Sporting a 7″ 1200×800 HD backlit IPS display, the Nexus 7 tablet is crystal (but not retina) clear. The colours are very vibrant and the brightness range has lots of depth. I turned my brightness down to just above the minimum to conserve battery life and even at this level it still looks fine.

There is no back camera on board but it is not missed. On the front is a 1.2mp camera which is great for Skype and google+ hangouts. I would have liked a better quality camera but for me it’s not really a big deal as I don’t use the feature that much. In fact there is no camera app. The functionality is there and can be enabled by installing this app – Camera Launcher for Nexus 7

Software

Firstly I have to say how refreshing it is to have a pure Google operating system installed. Being used to a Galaxy S2 smartphone it is really nice to now use a device that doesn’t come preinstalled with manufacturer crapware apps and widgets. Secondly, Jelly Bean is amazing. Project butter has made app transitions so smooth and the experience feels very fast, fluid and responsive. I think this alone was what made me decide to buy the unit in the first place.

One thing that has come under criticism is that the home screen is fixed in portrait view. I’ve found that besides watching videos I keep the Nexus in portrait most of the time anyway. Don’t fret though if you do want to change the orientation to landscape then there is an app for that – Ultimate Rotation Control

The other new feature present in Jelly Bean is Google Now. This is a card themed assistant which will answer your queries and show upcoming items in card form. So far mine has only popped up with the weather and upcoming calendar events. Here is a list of commands you can use with Google now - Android 4.1: How Many Voice Actions Have You Tried?

Battery

The battery life on the Nexus 7 is very solid. I haven’t kept it on watching a video to see how long exactly it lasts but with my moderate use and turning airplane mode on when I’m not using it for long periods of time (such as overnight) I can get around 2-3 days out of it.

Conclusion

I think I made the right choice in choosing the Nexus 7 over some of the other 10 inch tablets I had my eye on buying. It is extremely comfortable to hold and a pleasure to use while relaxing on a couch, in bed or while travelling. Sure, it has a few shortcomings such as lack of expandable memory, however for the price it is well worth it. You even get $25 credit to use in the Google play store when you buy the device.

Nexus 7 on Amazon

Android Data Transfer – Without the Wires

One of the many limitations of an i-device is their reliance on iTunes. Unless you’re jailbroken you cannot simply connect it to a computer and drag and drop files across. Ringtone creation either meant buying a ringtone or chopping and converting a file in iTunes. What a breathe of fresh air it was when I exchanged my iPhone for a Samsung Galaxy S2 some 8 months ago. I feel like I have control over my mobile again.

The most common way to connect an Android device to a computer is via USB. Once you activate “USB mode” on the device and then connect the cable you’ll be able to access its files via an Explorer window (or Finder on a Mac). Sometimes it’s not possible to have the right USB cable, so I found two other ways which use Wi-Fi rather than a cable as the transfer method.

ES File Explorer is the best file browser I have used for Android. It allows operations such as multi-select, Copy, Cut and Paste on files and directories on your device or SD Card. Apart from your device, you can use ES File Explorer to explore other computers on the local network, servers via FTP, other devices via Bluetooth, and access your cloud storage (Skydrive, Dropbox, Box and Sugarsync supported).

ES File Explorer Interface

The other app I came across is AirDroid. Once the app is launched it will allow access to the device via a web browser from a computer on the same network. From here you can drag and drop files, retrieve your call logs, and even send SMS messages among other things. It took only a minute to upload an entire album from my computer to the phone using the upload feature. I don’t see myself using anything else to transfer files to and from my computer but this great app.

AirDroid Web Interface

Both AirDroid and ES File Explorer are free in the Google Play store. I highly recommend them to anyone using an Android device.

The Cloud Wars

A couple of years ago I reviewed some online backup solutions. The main contenders were Dropbox, iDisk and DriveHQ. Fast forward two years and Google Drive, Apple iCloud, Microsoft Skydrive, Box and Dropbox are battling to provide your online storage.

I have used all 5 services (free accounts) and have detailed the unique features, pricing and sharing capabilities of each here in helping you decide which product would be best for you. In most cases a combination of two or more services is the best option.

Google Drive

This year Google launched their long awaited cloud storage service, Drive. Their online office suite Google Docs is now part of Google Drive and with desktop clients available for Windows, Mac and Linux (soon) it has become a serious player in the cloud storage game. An Android app is also available with an iOS app coming soon.

Google Drive offers users 5GB of online space for free. Currently it is priced at $2.49/month for 25GB, $4.99/month for 100GB … and all the way up to 16TB for $799.99/month. I wonder how many accounts have 16TB :O

Sharing documents and folders is easy with Drive. Simply select the document and click the share button to allow access to another with an email address. You can even see changes as they happen if two or more people are working on the same document. Collaborators can add comments and there is version tracking so you can go back up to 30 days if you need to see a prior revision.

I rate Google Drive as a solid and flexible solution for cloud storage and online document editing. It is not limited to traditional document file types and provides real time changes to be seen by people working on the same document.

Microsoft Skydrive

Skydrive has been around since 2007 (known then as Windows Live Folders). In 2011 it was overhauled to be HTML5 compatible and now allows users to create word, powerpoint and excel documents from within a browser. It can also be synchronized with the 2010 Office software, allowing users to change a document at the same time.

Skydrive offers users 7GB of online space for free. If you had an account prior to April 20th 2012 you were offered a free upgrade to 25GB. If 5GB is not enough the pricing as it stands now for Skydrive is 20GB for $10/year, 50GB for $25/year and 100GB for $50/year.

There is currently an iOS and a Windows Phone app but no official Android app. Desktop programs are available for Windows and Mac operating systems. Sharing is can be done from the web browser and across social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Apple iCloud

iCloud consists of a few more features than file syncing. In addition, you will have access to Photo Stream, iTunes in the Cloud, Calendar, Contacts and Email and Find My iPhone/Friends.

This article will mainly focus on the file sharing side – Documents in the Cloud. Once you have Pages, Numbers or Keynote on your iOS 5.0 device or Mac you will be able to save your iWork, MS Office, and PDF documents to iCloud. As far as I know these are the only types of documents that can be saved to iCloud and this I feel puts Documents in the Cloud at a massive disadvantage compared to the competition. Sharing is limited to sending via email.

Every account comes with 5GB worth of storage for free. If you need more online storage from Apple it will cost (at time of writing) $20/year for 10GB, $40/year for 20GB and $100/year for 50GB. It is a lot pricier than the rest however the extra storage may be useful for backing up an entire mobile device or for storing photos in Photo Stream.

iCloud desktop programs are available for OS X 10.7 + and Windows Vista +. Personally I don’t like the fact Apple has now forced users to upgrade from Snow Leopard if they want to use iCloud on their Mac desktop.

Box

Box is another solution, which behaves much like DropBox. I signed up for Box a while back when I came across an article saying they were giving away 50GB free storage if you downloaded their app for iOS. Their free account now will provide you with 5GB of online storage.

One thing you cannot do with a free account is download multiple files. This was enough for me to stop using Box. Looking past that, Box can integrate with Microsoft 2010’s Office Suite, Google Apps, and a few other CRM software packages out there. It also has an app for Android and iOS and programs for Windows and Mac (Premium account required).

A lot of Box’s functionality is reserved for premium accounts. Currently a premium account costs $15/user/month and that will get you 1000GB of web storage and access to those documents offline on a computer.

Dropbox

Last but not least I am going to mention Dropbox again. Like two years ago I thought the way Dropbox seamlessly integrates with any computer or mobile device is perfect. Sharing a document or folder could not be easier and now you can even right click a file and get a public link to share it with another person.

I find being able to share files via Dropbox the easiest way to get them from my mobile to a computer and vice versa. The free account will give you 2GB of storage but referring friends and allowing automatic camera uploads can increase this up to 16GB. Paid accounts can get you 50GB for $9.99/month and 100GB for $19.99/month with referrals getting you 1GB per referral (500mb for free account).

I currently use all these services except Box and iCloud. I think for a business Box would be a good solution, however since there is no standalone desktop program and there are limitations on multiple file downloads for free accounts I have steered clear.

Out of all the services mentioned I think Dropbox is still the best despite not having as much free storage as Drive or Skydrive. By inviting a few friends you both can receive boosts to the data storage and I find their file synchronization flawless across all devices and computers I have used it on. I would use this in combination with Google Drive for times when collaboration on a document is needed.

Roboto font on Samsung Galaxy S II Android 2.3

 
One of the best things about using an Android phone is the amount of customisation that can be done on it. As we wait patiently for the Ice Cream Sandwich update to be rolled out  some users may want to use the Ice Cream Sandwich default font, Roboto, on their Gingerbread device.

This quick little tip will allow Galaxy S II users to change the default system font to Roboto without rooting their phone.

First, using your phone’s browser, head over to xda developers and download paul diddy’s flipfonts - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=894397

Extract the fonts to a folder on your phone.

Use a file manager and navigate to where you extracted the files. I recommend an app such as ES File Explorer to use as a file manager.

Click on the package ending with Roboto.apk and then click Install

To activate the font go to Settings -> Display -> Screen display -> Font style and then click Roboto.

Roboto font on Samsung Galaxy S II Android 2.3

Now your system font should be changed to Roboto. I have done this successfully on my Samsung Galaxy S II running 2.3.5. It’s a good idea to back up your phone’s contents before doing this in case things turn pear shaped.

Quickly trim videos using QuickTime

As far as media players go I have never rated QuickTime at all. It only supports a handful of file types and it’s not as fast to open like similar programs such as VLC and MPlayerX. In fact, if iTunes didn’t require it, then QuickTime would have no business at all being installed on my computer.

Fortunately it was, and it helped me out when I needed to extract a certain part of a video file for a client. I have outlined the process for doing this below and it really could not have been simpler -

The hardest part of the process would be having QuickTime open the file. Especially if it was in mkv or avi format. If the file isn’t compatible you will need to use a program like Handbrake to convert the file to MP4.

Once QuickTime is playing the file you can click on Edit, then Trim.. to start the trimming process.

Step 1: Click on Edit, then Trim

This lets you drag the yellow lines and select what part of the video you want to extract and save separately. When you’re happy with the selection click the Trim button in the lower right. It’s worth noting that this method QuickTime uses isn’t very precise. It can sometimes be difficult to get the exact part at start or stop. This problem can be overcome by trimming the finished product again or by using some AppleScript.

Step 2: Find part to extract, then click Trim

Next click File and then Export for Web. This option allows you to save a few versions of the file for different qualities and size. It is useful if you want to email a smalled sized video but upload a higher quality video to YouTube.

Step 3: Click File, then Export for Web...

Give the Trimmed version a name and click Export to have the video saved in the Where: location.

Step 4: Give the trimmed version a file name

And we’re done. If you’re in need of a way to extract part of a video and don’t want to use any other 3rd party software then QuickTime might be the tool for you. If you’re considering using it to play video file I’d recommend giving VLC (windows/mac/linux) or MPlayerX (os x) a shot instead.

Harry Potter The Exhibition 2012

My Tech on Things isn’t just about gadgets, gaming and operating systems. Well it was, until now. I’ve thought it a good idea to broaden the horizon a little and review an exhibition I went to see recently. If you haven’t guessed by the title it’s the Harry Potter Exhibition which is on display at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia (until 18th March 2012).

If you’re a big fan of the films you might want to check out this collection of props. Sessions sell out very fast so if you’re thinking of going it would be a good idea to book ahead online. Photographs were not allowed to be taken inside the event however I managed to snap a pic of Ron’s flying car (in the second movie) whilst waiting in line to enter.

The layout of the exhibition was as follows – First we were taken inside a room with a woman and the sorting hat. She proceeded to put the talking hat on a child’s head and it would call out which house they wanted to be put in. Unfortunately no child wanted to be put in Slytherin, instead all wanted Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. We then proceeded into a more open room where we could look at the different items at our own pace.

Some of the cool props on display that spring to mind include the giant chess pieces, Hagrid’s costume (he’s really freaking huge), the Horcruxes, various wizard’s wands and the hippogriff.

It took my girlfriend and I about an hour to see everything inside. Our favourite item of the collection was Snape’s potion book from when he was a student. It contains Snape’s handwritten notes over the text and is really quite detailed! We thought there would be more to see and were a little disappointed there weren’t any scale models of Hogwarts Castle.

Another thing I thought let the exhibition down was the lack of quality in the gift shop. The scarves were made of really thin material and, like the ties, did not actually have a house logo on them. Priced at around $30 I thought I could definitely find something better on eBay. And sure enough - http://goo.gl/fV64J

It was an ok way to spend part of an afternoon however given the opportunity again I probably wouldn’t see this exhibition. There wasn’t really enough to do and the headache getting through the over crowded gift shop at the end didn’t seem worth it.

Harry Potter: Complete Collection on Amazon

OSX 10.7 – All My Files … are killing my computer

One of the new features in OS X Lion is “All My Files” which shows you a list of your most recently opened files in Finder. I didn’t really see the point but kept it there in Finder as it didn’t seem to hurt. That was until updating to 10.7.2…

Post update my computer would slow down to a crawl and Finder would crash frequently. After changing what is shown in Finder on startup from “All my Files” to my Home folder (or I guess any other folder) everything has returned to normal. To do this open Finder (if possible) and click Finder -> Preferences. In the General tab locate “New Finder windows show:” and change to another folder.

Change the "New Finder windows show:"

I hope this helps anyone with the same problem.