explore42's stats
- Review count141
- Helpfulness votes560
- First reviewFebruary 26, 2016
- Last reviewMay 7, 2024
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- Average rating4.3
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- Answer count24
- Helpfulness votes236
- First answerFebruary 26, 2016
- Last answerDecember 23, 2021
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Follow a natural sleep routine with this Philips SmartSleep sleep and wake-up light. Its sunset and sunrise simulations prepare your body to sleep and rise on time, and its RelaxBreathe feature calms you into peaceful slumber. This Philips SmartSleep sleep and wake-up light plays your music, an FM station or built-in nature sounds for a gentle wake-up routine.
Customer Rating
4
Light Therapy Gets the Nod
on August 15, 2020
Posted by: explore42
from Cincinnati Ohio
My primary interest in the Philips Smart Sleep and Wake Up light was two fold. First off I wanted something that would help wake me more naturally in the winter months. I hate dealing with an alarm clock on the dark winter mornings during the work week. Secondly I wanted something that would soothe the kids to sleep. This Sleep and Wake Up Light does a fairly good job at meeting both my objectives.
The design of the light is quite unique, its round with an offset hole in the middle and looks kind of modern. The base takes up a fair amount of space, its 8.8 x 8.6 x 4.7 and it needs to be close to the bed so that you can get the most benefit from it. The light functions as an alarm clock so towards the bottom of the light you can see the current time and the time set for any alarms. The brightness of the built in clock can be adjusted to keep it very dim which is wonderful. Right below the time there is a home key icon used for set up. The set up isn’t that difficult but because the icons are not common I recommend using the user manual which is provided to help navigate the settings until you are familiar with them. The set up is done by touching icons displayed below the current time. From the home menu you can set the alarm, the light intensity, audio choices and sleep therapy functions. On the top of the lamp there is a night light / snooze button. The night light illuminates the light with a low level redish orange glow.
Wake Up Functions: To set up the alarm you set the time to wake up, the final brightness of the light, how long it takes to get to full brilliance and the audio if you want sounds to join the light. If you choose to include audio to help wake you up can you use the built-in FM radio and its 5 preset radio buttons or you can choose from the seven included back ground sounds, five of which are nature sounds like birds chirping. The speaker quality is what you would expect on a typical alarm clock, its not great but not terrible either. The nature sounds at a lower to mid volume are pleasant but at higher volumes they start to become annoying. I have found waking up to slowly increasing light with the sounds of birds chirping to be a far more pleasant way to start the day.
Sleep Functions: There are two different programs built in to help you sleep. One called the sunset mimics the sun going down. You set the light’s brilliance and the time of how long it takes for the light to slowly go out. You can also add audio in the form of a light rain or ocean waves. Personally I think they should have included more choices because falling asleep can be more problematic. The second program is a guided breathing program. In this program you select whether you want sound or light to guide you along with the number of breaths per minute and how long you want the program to last. The sound guide uses the ocean waves but I found this more difficult to use than the light. The light guide uses the lamp to provide a red light that slowly increases and decreases in intensity. This was very easy to follow, inhale as it got brighter, exhale as it dimmed. I found both programs were helpful, the sunset program worked better for the kids while the adults liked the guided breathing better.
Things to Consider: The wake up light does a wonderful job of waking you and anyone else in the room up. If everyone isn’t getting up at the same time this could be an issue. My wife and I have different breathing rates so using the guided breathing program can be a little less successful for one or the other. The unit has power failure protection which means nothing is lost if you unplug it. This was a plus for me because I could use the sunset program to put the kids asleep and then unplug the light and move it into my bedroom to use the guided breathing and wake up light in the morning. There is no blue tooth or wireless connectivity so there are no apps for this model nor can you stream music to it. The light never gets hot and is always cool to touch.
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Enjoy crisp, powerful sound while gaming with these JLab Play wireless earbuds. The rechargeable lithium-polymer battery delivers more than 11 hours of use on a single charge, and an in-line gaming microphone captures your voice clearly for smooth communication with teammates. These JLab Play wireless earbuds have a magnetic design to prevent falling off your neck while not in use.
Posted by: explore42
from Cincinnati Ohio
These JLab Gaming Earphones are a nice option for someone who is looking for an affordable gaming earphone that has low latency. If you have younger gamers or students like I do then these are a good option because they can’t lose one of the earbuds, they are simple to set up, the battery life is quite long, they are comfortable to use and overall they provide acceptable gaming audio. Also the earbuds are magnetic so when you unplug them from your ears they fall on your chest and magnetically connect together. No more searching in the dark for a lost earbuds!
The earphones come equipped with a nice carrying bag along with a usb charging cable and more importantly a micro usb to 3.5mm cable that allows you to turn these into cabled earphones for anyone who wants no latency while gaming or cannot connect via Bluetooth like a Switch. This means you can direct connect the earphones to your xbox controller or game console. The audio quality on most games seem to be up to par with other earbuds that I have used. I did notice that these have a tad more bass than some although the bass seems to be more muffled at higher volumes. From the engine revs and squealing tires to the shot reports and explosions the sound quality seemed reasonably tight even when overlaid with voices and game narration. There is a built-in equalizer that has an option for games or music but I would recommend using the equalizer in the source player if you are looking to improve the audio quality.
The earphone base is well designed and wraps comfortably around the neck. Because of the wrap design the controls hang down below the earphones and are easy to find and use. On the right side below the earphones there is a sliding mute switch as well as a small control pad with an up button, a center button and a down button. These buttons have raised textures and are easy to locate and use. There are led indicators on the control pad to show pairing and charging functions. On the left side there is a built-in microphone which helps counterbalance the base. I have had no issues with Bluetooth drop outs or static when using these earphones with games, laptops or my phone. I have never run the battery down completely but I can get a full day out of a single charge. All considering I think these JLab gaming earphones provide a decent performance at an attractive price.
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Clean your teeth thoroughly with this Violet Ametrine Oral-B iO Series electric toothbrush. AI tracking technology provides guidelines to optimize brushing, while a premium travel case and replacement brush heads offer portability and lasting use. This Oral-B iO Series electric toothbrush features an interactive color display and six smart modes for personalized use.
Customer Rating
5
Interactive Toothbrush = Less Active Dentist
on July 28, 2020
Posted by: explore42
from Cincinnati Ohio
If you are a fan of Oral B’s electronic toothbrushes then this one will surprise you. This iO style toothbrush is totally different than the Genius, Smart and Pro series brushes. The head of this toothbrush does not rotate like past versions but rather vibrates in place. It still has the rounded brush head but the entire base of the brush and toothbrush mount have been changed so that only the newer style heads will work. If this is your first Oral B toothbrush then this is not a problem but if you are upgrading to an iO toothbrush be aware of the brush incompatibility. The other downside of the new iO brush heads is that they are nearly twice as expensive as the existing Oral B brush heads.
The iO toothbrush looks and feels solid, I believe the brush feels like an improvement over the older style. Its slightly shorter and thinner so its easy to handle and use. This model has a very nice graphical display that helps you interface with the toothbrush. I had to laugh because the first step in using your tooth brush is selecting a language! Using the two buttons on the brush you are able to select the six different modes; daily clean, whiting, gum care, intense, sensitive and super sensitive. The display will also give you “coaching” feedback on your cleaning. You can use the buttons to go into the set up mode to manage the blue tooth connectivity, change the color of the light ring and to do a factory reset. All of these options are very easy to navigate and very intuitive once you see them.
There are some things that I really like about this tooth brush itself. The brush has the Oral B timer built in so every 30 seconds the brush vibrates to let you know its time to switch to a different quadrant of your mouth. The color ring on the brush changes color to let you know when are putting the correct amount of pressure on the tooth. Too little its white, too much its red, just right it’s the color you selected in the set up. So the color ring provides great live feedback as you brush your teeth. Because the brush is lighter and not as bulky it feels more manageable. The high speed vibration vs the rotating head seems to feel more controllable when brushing as well. The charging station has also changed from the other models. The charging station is a small oval pad that uses magnets to keep the toothbrush upright while charging. I do have some concerns with this because the brush is standing on a flat surface with just magnets holding it. This is not a cheap tooth brush and if someone hits it accidentally there is nothing holding it to the base. On the plus side this brush seems to charge faster and hold a charge better than previous versions of Oral B toothbrushes.
If you download the Oral B app you can link your toothbrush to your phone. The app provides real time feedback when you are brushing your teeth. The app displays rows of teeth that change color as you brush them. If you brush them long enough they turn bright white. The app has coaching, dental challenges, brushing history and head replacement notification built in. The app is easy to use and combining the apps cleaning display showing the teeth turning white as you brush them along with the light ring on the brush making sure you are supplying the correct pressure on the tooth you feel confident that you have cleaned your teeth thoroughly.
The System 8 iO brush comes complete with 3 brush heads and a nice travel case. Best of all it comes in very cool violet color which is much better than the standard black or white versions.
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Nugget Ice. Pellet ice. Drive-in ice. Whatever you call it, you know it's "the good ice." Now that chewable ice is available from the convenience of your countertop with the Opal 2.0 Ice Maker. It is capable of producing up to 38 lbs. of ice in 24 hours and stores up to 3 lbs. of ice at one time. The Opal 2.0 Ice Maker has WiFi connection capability and comes with the side tank attachment for 3x more ice production.
Customer Rating
5
GE’s Opal 2.0 is a Real Gem
on July 16, 2020
Posted by: explore42
from Cincinnati Ohio
If you love ice especially chewable ice this is the ice maker you will want. I love icy drinks but the crushed ice out of my refrigerator is more like chunks than crushed. The ice out of this ice maker are those wonderful little nuggets that not only are smooth in your mouth but also easy to chew on. You can fill your glass entirely with these ice nuggets because the nuggets are small and a glass full of ice makes your drinks that much better.
Set Up - Picking up this ice maker is an arm full. It’s well constructed so lifting it into place can be a chore. The unit is big enough to hold about 3 lbs of ice so it takes up some space on the counter. It is purposely designed to fit on a countertop, at 16 ½ inches tall, 17 ¼ inches deep and almost 13 ½ inches wide. It fits perfectly under my cabinets and due to the depth with the drip tray it almost reaches the edge of the countertop in the front. The unit is self-contained which means you add the water either to the unit directly or to the side water tank which is much like the water tanks on most coffee makers. Because the unit is self-contained you don’t need to hire a plumber or worry about having it installed near a water line which was a major plus for me. The side tank can sit on either side of the unit and attaches via a mounting bracket which is connected to the ice maker. To fill up the tank you remove it from the side mount, unscrew the plug on the bottom and fill it up. Once its full you screw the bottom plug back on and place it back into the side base. The one complaint I have with the side tank is that you physically have to unscrew the bottom cap to add water. The bottom cap sits in the water basin which I don’t think is a good design. It would have been better to have a trap door lid on the top of the tank to add water so you aren’t touching areas where the water flows. The unit does need to be cleaned occasionally so you will need to be able to run the ice makers drain lines over to a pan/bucket or sink. I decided it was easier to drop the drain lines into a pan/bucket when I clean it versus having it installed near my sink. The entire cleaning process is straight forward and the unit has a cleaning cycle built in. One other thing to consider when installing this ice maker is that it is not the quietest appliance due to the motor running during the ice making phase.
Operation – Once you have flushed the system and added water you just power it on and it starts making ice in about 30 minutes. There are three touch buttons on the front for the Power, Light and Cleaning cycle as well as an Add Water indicator light. The ice bin is a pull-out see-through drawer that drops slightly when fully extended to give you plenty of opening to scoop ice. The see-through feature allows you to quickly see how much ice has been made. The side tank is big enough to hold enough water to make a day or two’s worth of ice for my family. Because the side tank is also see-through its easy to assess when its time to add water and if you forget the light comes on the front of the unit to remind you. For those that really want to stay connected there is an app that you can download on your phone that will provide you with the ice maker’s status as well. One thing to note, as the ice sits in the bin unused some of it will melt which will then drip into the water bin to be refrozen into new ice nuggets. The reason I mention this is because its not like your freezer’s ice maker which fills the bin and then stops making ice until some is removed. In this ice maker unused ice begins to melt which triggers the unit to run to make new ice out of the melted ice so it’s a continuous process if you leave the unit on all day long. This continuous process keeps the bin full of fresh ice but it may also add some unexpected noises when the motor is running.
Final Thoughts - So far this ice maker has operated flawlessly. The ice is near perfect and everyone loves the nuggets versus the cubes or crushed ice out of the freezer.
Set Up - Picking up this ice maker is an arm full. It’s well constructed so lifting it into place can be a chore. The unit is big enough to hold about 3 lbs of ice so it takes up some space on the counter. It is purposely designed to fit on a countertop, at 16 ½ inches tall, 17 ¼ inches deep and almost 13 ½ inches wide. It fits perfectly under my cabinets and due to the depth with the drip tray it almost reaches the edge of the countertop in the front. The unit is self-contained which means you add the water either to the unit directly or to the side water tank which is much like the water tanks on most coffee makers. Because the unit is self-contained you don’t need to hire a plumber or worry about having it installed near a water line which was a major plus for me. The side tank can sit on either side of the unit and attaches via a mounting bracket which is connected to the ice maker. To fill up the tank you remove it from the side mount, unscrew the plug on the bottom and fill it up. Once its full you screw the bottom plug back on and place it back into the side base. The one complaint I have with the side tank is that you physically have to unscrew the bottom cap to add water. The bottom cap sits in the water basin which I don’t think is a good design. It would have been better to have a trap door lid on the top of the tank to add water so you aren’t touching areas where the water flows. The unit does need to be cleaned occasionally so you will need to be able to run the ice makers drain lines over to a pan/bucket or sink. I decided it was easier to drop the drain lines into a pan/bucket when I clean it versus having it installed near my sink. The entire cleaning process is straight forward and the unit has a cleaning cycle built in. One other thing to consider when installing this ice maker is that it is not the quietest appliance due to the motor running during the ice making phase.
Operation – Once you have flushed the system and added water you just power it on and it starts making ice in about 30 minutes. There are three touch buttons on the front for the Power, Light and Cleaning cycle as well as an Add Water indicator light. The ice bin is a pull-out see-through drawer that drops slightly when fully extended to give you plenty of opening to scoop ice. The see-through feature allows you to quickly see how much ice has been made. The side tank is big enough to hold enough water to make a day or two’s worth of ice for my family. Because the side tank is also see-through its easy to assess when its time to add water and if you forget the light comes on the front of the unit to remind you. For those that really want to stay connected there is an app that you can download on your phone that will provide you with the ice maker’s status as well. One thing to note, as the ice sits in the bin unused some of it will melt which will then drip into the water bin to be refrozen into new ice nuggets. The reason I mention this is because its not like your freezer’s ice maker which fills the bin and then stops making ice until some is removed. In this ice maker unused ice begins to melt which triggers the unit to run to make new ice out of the melted ice so it’s a continuous process if you leave the unit on all day long. This continuous process keeps the bin full of fresh ice but it may also add some unexpected noises when the motor is running.
Final Thoughts - So far this ice maker has operated flawlessly. The ice is near perfect and everyone loves the nuggets versus the cubes or crushed ice out of the freezer.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Capture sweeping views of your surroundings when driving with this Rexing V3 dashcam. The Full HD front and rear cameras feature Wide Dynamic Range technology for optimal performance in low-light situations, while a built-in GPS logger tracks important metrics in case of a driving incident. This Rexing V3 dashcam uses a temperature-resistant supercapacitor for added reliability.
Customer Rating
4
Great Dash Cam not so great Mount
on June 27, 2020
Posted by: explore42
from Cincinnati Ohio
This dash cam on paper is near perfection. In reality though there are a few issues I had below that you may have to overcome. The front camera itself is feature rich and offers various video resolutions up to UHD. Due to processing power if you want to use both the front and rear facing cameras the highest resolution is FHD by 30 fps which still looks great and is perfectly acceptable. It includes all the typical high end extras like the driver assisted lane departure and crash warnings, photo mode, crash detection and logging the video with the gps coordinates and speed. It also has great night vision because it uses infrared sensors on the cabin camera. The display is a 2.7 in display which is big enough to make it usable but not so large that it becomes distracting. When setting up the display you can chose between the two cameras as well as a picture-in-picture which shows you both cameras at once. I found this was very helpful in setting up the camera. The display also gives you the status of most of the camera features so you can quickly verify that everything is working in a single glance. There are five buttons on the camera, Power, menu, up and down and enter/ok. The button operation is fairly intuitive and setting the various options like camera resolution is a simple task. I have used multiple dash cams in the past and setting this one up was fairly easy. The phone app uses wireless connectivity and was relatively easy to use. It is not the most feature rich app but it allows you to do the important things like accessing your photos and videos. One gripe I have is that there is not a simple way to take a quick photo which other dash cameras have. To take a photo you have to stop the recording and switch to the photo mode and then you can push the ok button to take a photo. This is too time consuming when you just want to snap a quick photo of something going on in front of you.
Installing the dash cam presented some issues. Rexing gives you everything you can think of to install this Dashcam. There is a nice long power cord, stick-on wire restraints, a tool to help you hide the cabling in the car’s trim and even a second windshield mount. The windshield mount provided is a simple plastic mount that attaches to the glass using double sided tape. The issue is that the mount has no tilt left or right adjustment so if you don’t get it perfectly mounted parallel to your car’s hood the video may look angled left or right. You can adjust the front camera up and down slightly within the mount. The second issue is that the interior camera is on the far right hand side of the assembly. In my car when I mounted the dash cam where I had my old one the mirror was directly in the line of the interior camera. To get video of the interior vs just the back of my mirror I had to lower the dashcam which now becomes more noticeable both inside and outside of the car. The second option was to mount the camera farther to the right out of the way of the mirror but this makes reaching the camera from the driver’s seat more difficult. I wish they would have mounted the interior camera dead center below the front camera or on the left side of the assembly because that would have worked out much better. Bottom line, be sure to power up the camera and place it where you think you want it and then select the interior camera view to make sure you are getting the video you expect. Luckily, they supply an extra double sided tape in case you don’t get it perfect the first time.
Installing the dash cam presented some issues. Rexing gives you everything you can think of to install this Dashcam. There is a nice long power cord, stick-on wire restraints, a tool to help you hide the cabling in the car’s trim and even a second windshield mount. The windshield mount provided is a simple plastic mount that attaches to the glass using double sided tape. The issue is that the mount has no tilt left or right adjustment so if you don’t get it perfectly mounted parallel to your car’s hood the video may look angled left or right. You can adjust the front camera up and down slightly within the mount. The second issue is that the interior camera is on the far right hand side of the assembly. In my car when I mounted the dash cam where I had my old one the mirror was directly in the line of the interior camera. To get video of the interior vs just the back of my mirror I had to lower the dashcam which now becomes more noticeable both inside and outside of the car. The second option was to mount the camera farther to the right out of the way of the mirror but this makes reaching the camera from the driver’s seat more difficult. I wish they would have mounted the interior camera dead center below the front camera or on the left side of the assembly because that would have worked out much better. Bottom line, be sure to power up the camera and place it where you think you want it and then select the interior camera view to make sure you are getting the video you expect. Luckily, they supply an extra double sided tape in case you don’t get it perfect the first time.
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Designed to make printing easier for the whole family, the HP ENVY 6055 all-in-one printer lets everyone print, scan, and copy everyday documents, schoolwork, borderless photos and more. This wireless picture printer can order ink for you and deliver it to your door with up to 50% savings on ink using the HP Instant Ink delivery service, so you can print high-quality documents and photos when you need them (subscription required). Set up, and connect the all-in-one printer to your family's mobile devices in a few easy steps for remote scanning and sharing using the HP Smart app. And keep connected, and reduce interruptions with self-healing Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 technology. Prints up to 10 ISO ppm* in black and up to 7 ppm* in color.
Customer Rating
4
Streamlined Wireless Printing
on June 25, 2020
Posted by: explore42
from Cincinnati Ohio
This Hp Envy printer is a good all round printer for someone who needs the occasional print, copy or scan. The HP Smart software makes it easy to print, copy and scan from any wireless device anywhere. The printer can print up to 10 ppm and provides the print quality that I expected from a typical ink jet printer. To install the printer you download the HP app on your phone and it walks you through the setup. The app first finds the printer via Bluetooth and then guides you through adding the printer to your wireless network. The entire process is very simple and straight forward. Once you have the printer on the wireless network other devices can immediately find it. I have the HP Smart software running on all my devices and the software found the new printer once it was added to the network. The software works great on my android phones, my ipads and my windows laptops. This printer does not have a display and instead relies on the HP Smart software to guide you. There are indicator lights and buttons on the printer to help you copy, scan and print if you do not want to use the app. The indicator lights are very intuitive and the lights add to the visual appeal of the printer. The printer has two ink cartridges, a black one and a multi-color one and the paper tray holds 100 pages. Having all three colors in a single cartridge is a negative for anyone who does a lot of color printing because as soon as one color runs dry you have you to replace the cartridge. HP counters this by trying to get you to sign up for a subscription service on the ink but I don’t print enough color prints for this to be a problem. Because this printer is so compact you need to raise the top to load the cartridges versus pulling down the front as on most HP printers. There is no document feeder on this model so each sheet needs to be placed on the glass if you are doing multiple scans or copies however it does offer duplex printing which is nice for those who like double sided printing. The big plus to this printer is the HP Smart software integration. The software has the standard copy, scan and print functions but it also adds some interesting extras like camera scan and smart tasks. These software extras adds value to the printer and makes it much more user friendly. My only complaint with the printer is the multi-color single cartridge and HP’s push on the ink subscription during the set up. Both were more of a nuisance than an issue for my printing needs.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Record and view impressive video with this powerful security system, providing 4K Ultra HD resolution with superior definition and detail. This system also features Smart Motion Detection on all channels, so you only receive notifications that are important to you. Smart search technology allows you to quickly and easily filter motion events, saving time when reviewing footage. With convenient voice control and smart home compatibility, 4K Ultra HD resolution, and Smart Motion Detection, this security system has everything you need to start protecting what's important to you.
Customer Rating
3
Lots of Potential with Lots of Questions
on June 11, 2020
Posted by: explore42
from Cincinnati Ohio
After installing and using this Lorex System I have mixed feelings about it. Overall the system functions as expected using the default values but there is very little information on how to configure the various options and what impact they have on the system. I found when I set the camera recording levels to the “best” quality the mobile app live view would fail with no explanation. The overall solution lacks guidance and information for anything set beyond the default values. The Lorex hardware and software both seem to be quite usable and reliable however the lack of support and guidance in setting up the various options ruins the overall experience for anyone who wants to use the system beyond the default values. Also, the use of bnc cables even with Siamese power taps is still not as convenient or widely usable as Ethernet cables.
What I liked about the system:
- The controller initial set up was straight forward once I got past the monitor resolution issue mentioned below.
- The video images are clear and its easy to zoom in for close ups.
- There are options to enhance your camera image quality like saturation and chroma.
- The Smart Motion Sensing worked well and setting up the motion detection zones was simple. This is one area that Lorex does provide good information.
- The night vision is good but not very colorful under normal night lighting.
- The mobile app was easy to use and the notifications were quick and consistent.
- The system provides great flexibility when you set up notifications and alarms.
- There is a home and away setting as well as an “alarm all/disarm all” type setting.
- Even though the local interface, the web interface and the home app have totally different screens its fairly easy to figure them out. The ability to access the video locally on the controller or remotely using a pc, tablet or phone is plus.
- You can access the controller from a PC using Microsoft’s Edge browser and the controllers IP address.
- The system records a main stream which is 4k but it can only be viewed as 4k video using the controller’s hdmi cable that is attached to a 4k monitor. There is a sub stream which defaults to a 704x480 resolution and is used to stream video to any remote device like a pc, tablet or phone. This helps limit the data requirements on the remote devices.
- The controller initial set up was straight forward once I got past the monitor resolution issue mentioned below.
- The video images are clear and its easy to zoom in for close ups.
- There are options to enhance your camera image quality like saturation and chroma.
- The Smart Motion Sensing worked well and setting up the motion detection zones was simple. This is one area that Lorex does provide good information.
- The night vision is good but not very colorful under normal night lighting.
- The mobile app was easy to use and the notifications were quick and consistent.
- The system provides great flexibility when you set up notifications and alarms.
- There is a home and away setting as well as an “alarm all/disarm all” type setting.
- Even though the local interface, the web interface and the home app have totally different screens its fairly easy to figure them out. The ability to access the video locally on the controller or remotely using a pc, tablet or phone is plus.
- You can access the controller from a PC using Microsoft’s Edge browser and the controllers IP address.
- The system records a main stream which is 4k but it can only be viewed as 4k video using the controller’s hdmi cable that is attached to a 4k monitor. There is a sub stream which defaults to a 704x480 resolution and is used to stream video to any remote device like a pc, tablet or phone. This helps limit the data requirements on the remote devices.
What I don’t like about the system:
- No auto sense for the display monitor settings, this was problematic for me during the initial set up because my 1080p monitor did not work. I had to use a 4k tv to set the system up initially.
- The wired mouse is cheap and limits the distance you can sit from the controller. The system does not support a wireless mouse.
- The current software only supports 7fps in any resolution. I tried various combinations and could not get a higher resolution even though the camera supports 15fps.
- There are a lot of options when it comes to setting up your cameras and Lorex provides very little information on what the optimal settings are. I don’t think the typical home customer is going to know the benefits of using CBR vs VBR or what their bit rate should be for a given resolution!
- There are no help screens or on-line explanations for most of the options. There is a manual but it explains the “what” an option is vs the why an option should be selected and no-where is the impact on the controller or hard drive explained for any of the options. This is very important because when I selected certain options my live video feeds would stop working with no explanation as to why. Luckily if you run everything in default it works consistently.
- The use of BNC connectors and analog cameras are outdated in the digital world. The cables provided were in-wall certified but are not supposed to be exposed to the weather which can make installing outside cameras more difficult.
- The camera mounts are plastic and the screws to adjust the camera’s angle felt cheap and were difficult to torque due to their quality.
- The camera deterrent light is not bright enough to be much of a deterrence.
- On the front of the controller there is an alarm button with no visible labeling. It looks like an on/off switch at first glance.
- No auto sense for the display monitor settings, this was problematic for me during the initial set up because my 1080p monitor did not work. I had to use a 4k tv to set the system up initially.
- The wired mouse is cheap and limits the distance you can sit from the controller. The system does not support a wireless mouse.
- The current software only supports 7fps in any resolution. I tried various combinations and could not get a higher resolution even though the camera supports 15fps.
- There are a lot of options when it comes to setting up your cameras and Lorex provides very little information on what the optimal settings are. I don’t think the typical home customer is going to know the benefits of using CBR vs VBR or what their bit rate should be for a given resolution!
- There are no help screens or on-line explanations for most of the options. There is a manual but it explains the “what” an option is vs the why an option should be selected and no-where is the impact on the controller or hard drive explained for any of the options. This is very important because when I selected certain options my live video feeds would stop working with no explanation as to why. Luckily if you run everything in default it works consistently.
- The use of BNC connectors and analog cameras are outdated in the digital world. The cables provided were in-wall certified but are not supposed to be exposed to the weather which can make installing outside cameras more difficult.
- The camera mounts are plastic and the screws to adjust the camera’s angle felt cheap and were difficult to torque due to their quality.
- The camera deterrent light is not bright enough to be much of a deterrence.
- On the front of the controller there is an alarm button with no visible labeling. It looks like an on/off switch at first glance.
Mobile Submission: False
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Improve your listening experience with this Belkin SoundForm Elite Hi-Fi smart speaker. The Push-Push dual woofer design delivers deep, distortion-free bass, and the Speaker Active Matching technology helps maximize sound quality. Google Assistant integration lets you control this Belkin SoundForm Elite Hi-Fi smart speaker and play songs from your library using voice commands.
Customer Rating
4
Quality Sound with a Phone Charger
on May 26, 2020
Posted by: explore42
from Cincinnati Ohio
The Belkin SoundForm Elite Smart Speaker sound quality and phone charger are five stars but the software and set up along with some missing features lower its rating. The speaker acoustic design is from Devialet, a company that produces high quality audio gear and who helped Belkin to develop this speaker. For a speaker that is only 6 ½ inches around and tall it can produce sound quality better than many much larger speakers. It includes a nice quick phone charger cradle in the top of the speaker and supports both Bluetooth 5.0 and Chromecast along with the Google Assistant built in.
What I liked:
- The sound quality is it’s best feature. It has very rich bass and provides clear highs. Because of the design the midrange and highs can be slightly directional so speaker placement is important. The unit has 2 subwoofers and single full range driver built in.
- The way the subwoofers are designed the speaker does not vibrate nor does the phone in the charging cradle shake.
- The top of the speaker is actually a wireless quick charge phone cradle which is quite convenient.
- The speaker has very intuitive color coded LEDs which help with the operation.
- There is a factory reset button which can be easily accessed and used if needed – see below.
- Once configured and working the Google Assistant was very useful.
What I liked:
- The sound quality is it’s best feature. It has very rich bass and provides clear highs. Because of the design the midrange and highs can be slightly directional so speaker placement is important. The unit has 2 subwoofers and single full range driver built in.
- The way the subwoofers are designed the speaker does not vibrate nor does the phone in the charging cradle shake.
- The top of the speaker is actually a wireless quick charge phone cradle which is quite convenient.
- The speaker has very intuitive color coded LEDs which help with the operation.
- There is a factory reset button which can be easily accessed and used if needed – see below.
- Once configured and working the Google Assistant was very useful.
What I’m not thrilled about:
- The top of the speaker has buttons for Blue tooth, volume up and down, play/pause and microphone on/off. The negative here is that the buttons are flush with only light print over the button which makes it difficult to know if you are hitting the button or not.
- The initial set up requires you to use Google Home which fairly common. During my initial set up I had issues with the Google Home app configuring the device. I ended up having to reset the unit back to factory defaults twice before I could get it completely set up. The whole process is not that complicated but obviously something kept going wrong.
- The Blue tooth connectivity worked from the start but I had to go to the web site to find out that you need to hold down the Bluetooth button for 3 seconds to activate it. That information is not included in the documentation that comes with the speaker.
- The Speaker does not support Siri, Alexa, Air Play or Amazon Music as others do in this price range.
- Mono only, no stereo.
- The top of the speaker has buttons for Blue tooth, volume up and down, play/pause and microphone on/off. The negative here is that the buttons are flush with only light print over the button which makes it difficult to know if you are hitting the button or not.
- The initial set up requires you to use Google Home which fairly common. During my initial set up I had issues with the Google Home app configuring the device. I ended up having to reset the unit back to factory defaults twice before I could get it completely set up. The whole process is not that complicated but obviously something kept going wrong.
- The Blue tooth connectivity worked from the start but I had to go to the web site to find out that you need to hold down the Bluetooth button for 3 seconds to activate it. That information is not included in the documentation that comes with the speaker.
- The Speaker does not support Siri, Alexa, Air Play or Amazon Music as others do in this price range.
- Mono only, no stereo.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Drink or serve the wine you want with the Coravin Model Six Wine Preservation System. Featuring a luxurious color palette enhanced by sleek chrome accents, and innovative SmartClamps™, Model Six is a fusion of elegance and technology. Its additional premium accessories offer a complete Coravin experience. Simply insert, tip, and pour as much wine as you and your guests desire—then save the rest of the bottle for weeks, months, or even years! Includes 3 Coravin Pure Capsules, 2 Coravin Screw Caps, and a Carry Case.
Customer Rating
5
Nothing to Wine about, its Fantanstic!
on May 23, 2020
Posted by: explore42
from Cincinnati Ohio
If your favorite wine uses a natural cork and you want to enjoy a nice glass of wine without having to worry about opening the entire bottle this is what you need. During the week I often like to have a glass of wine with my dinner but due to schedules and timing its not a consistent occurrence. Using the Coravin I no longer have to worry about opening a bottle or having wine spoil because I didn’t get to finish the bottle in time. The Coravin wine preservation system lets you easily extract wine from the bottle without having to remove the cork. The system uses a small needle to puncture the cork and an Argon gas cartridge helps force the wine through the needle. To pour a glass of wine you slide the assembly over the top of the bottle, press down which drives the needle through the cork, tilt the bottle holding both the bottle and the assembly and then push the Argon gas lever to start your pour. Because the needle is small it does take a little extra time but its not a show stopper. When your pour is complete you pull the assembly upward and it comes out cleanly while the cork reseals itself. The system is well made and solid however due to the way you need to hold the wine bottle and assembly when pouring a glass it can be a little cumbersome until you get used to it. Overall I am very please with the system, its easy to use and performs perfectly every time. The Model 6 comes with three argon cartridges, a really nice storage case to hold the Coravin, and two screw on caps.
Things to consider. Since only natural cork will reseal I recommend cutting the foil to verify the cork prior to using the system. The needle will puncture a synthetic cork and everything will work normally however the synthetic cork will not reseal when the Coravin is removed thus the wine will leak. The Argon cartridges are not cheap. I average about 15 glasses or about 3 bottles worth of pours per cartridge so it does increase your overall wine cost. Lastly, because the needle does puncture the cork there is a risk of knocking some cork into the wine. This is not an issue if you use the Coravin until the bottle is empty because the needle is so thin. However if you decide to uncork a bottle that had been previously punctured by the Coravin you may find small pieces of cork in the wine. I don’t see this often because it also depends on the age and quality of the cork but can be a slight nuisance.
Things to consider. Since only natural cork will reseal I recommend cutting the foil to verify the cork prior to using the system. The needle will puncture a synthetic cork and everything will work normally however the synthetic cork will not reseal when the Coravin is removed thus the wine will leak. The Argon cartridges are not cheap. I average about 15 glasses or about 3 bottles worth of pours per cartridge so it does increase your overall wine cost. Lastly, because the needle does puncture the cork there is a risk of knocking some cork into the wine. This is not an issue if you use the Coravin until the bottle is empty because the needle is so thin. However if you decide to uncork a bottle that had been previously punctured by the Coravin you may find small pieces of cork in the wine. I don’t see this often because it also depends on the age and quality of the cork but can be a slight nuisance.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Get rid of nose, brow and ear hairs with this Philips Norelco nose trimmer. The protective guard system offers comfortable hair removal without pulling and provides a barrier between skin and blades, while the rechargeable LiIon battery supports cordless trimming. This Philips Norelco nose trimmer features an ergonomically designed grip for easy handling. The nose trimmer is fully washable, making it easy to clean by simply running under a warm faucet.
Posted by: explore42
from Cincinnati Ohio
If you are looking for a nose/ear trimmer get this one because its as good as the competition and the eyebrow attachment actually works! I have used several trimmers over the years but this the first one that had attachments that actually worked and were easy to use. The trimmer body is styled and works like most of the typical nose/ear hair trimmers except that the top detaches and you can put on a different cutting attachment for trimming eye brows. I have always tried to do this with a scissors and comb and was a little nervous when I tried the eyebrow attachment for the first time. I first tried the long comb attachment and once I got the hang of it I opted for the shorter comb which did a nice uniform trim. The trimmer itself seems to be well built, its easy to clean and for nose and ear hairs it does as good as others I have bought in this price range.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Upgrade from the last generation with the new ROG Strix G10CE, a Windows 11 gaming desktop that delivers exhilarating gaming experiences powered by an 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11700F processor and NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 graphics.
What size is the power supply?
500 watt Gold Plus. The photo isnt the best but if you look to right you can see the Power Supply and its Gold Plus 500 label.
2 years, 4 months ago
by
explore42
Upgrade from the last generation with the new ROG Strix G10CE, a Windows 11 gaming desktop that delivers exhilarating gaming experiences powered by an 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-11700F processor and NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 graphics.
Is it only one stick of 16gb ram or two sticks of 8gb ram?
Only a Single Module. To use dual channel you will need to get a matching 16gb module or replace the existing module with a new matching pair of ddr4 ram modules. If you look at the photo you can see that its only a single 16 gb module.
2 years, 4 months ago
by
explore42
Soundcore by Anker Mini 3 Pro is a perfect pocket portable bluetooth speaker! Get 360° of ear-dazzling audio squeezed into something smaller than a coffee cup. With a 15-hour battery life on a single charge and IPX7 waterproof, who says beach and pool parties can't get as wild as you want? It's your sound, your rules, so connect the Mini 3 to the Soundcore app to turn it on, off, adjust the volume, change the sound profile, and much more. A USB-C charging port is included for fast-charging with the latest technologies and Bluetooth 5.0 can keep your audio experience crystal clear with a strong connection.
I have the SoundCore Mini 1 and the one thing that I don't like about it is that when in bluetooth mode it turns off automatically after about 10 minutes if no audio is being streamed to it. Has this annoying power-saving feature been fixed with SC Mini 3
In the Soundcore App you can set this timer to up to 60 minutes.
2 years, 11 months ago
by
explore42
Print your memorable photos with this Canon SELPHY Square QX10 compact photo printer. The compact, lightweight design offers easy portability, while the dye-sublimation technology delivers quality quick-drying 2.7 x 2.7-inch prints that last for a long time. This Canon SELPHY Square QX10 compact photo printer has a built-in battery for cordless hassle-free printing.
Do I have to continuously refill the ink cassette or buy new ones like a regular printer?
Yes but with this printer the supplies are sold by Canon as a single item. I've been buying the Canon XS-20L which comes with 20 photo pages and a cassette that will print 20 photos.
3 years, 7 months ago
by
explore42
Follow a natural sleep routine with this Philips SmartSleep sleep and wake-up light. Its sunset and sunrise simulations prepare your body to sleep and rise on time, and its RelaxBreathe feature calms you into peaceful slumber. This Philips SmartSleep sleep and wake-up light plays your music, an FM station or built-in nature sounds for a gentle wake-up routine.
Can you turn the display brightness off? I am very light sensitive and even dim lights can make it difficult for me to fall asleep.
Nugget Ice. Pellet ice. Drive-in ice. Whatever you call it, you know it's "the good ice." Now that chewable ice is available from the convenience of your countertop with the Opal 2.0 Ice Maker. It is capable of producing up to 38 lbs. of ice in 24 hours and stores up to 3 lbs. of ice at one time. The Opal 2.0 Ice Maker has WiFi connection capability and comes with the side tank attachment for 3x more ice production.
I've read numerous disastrous feedback for this unit on Amazon and I'm a bit worried about the number of defective units being sold. Has anyone owned this for more than a year without incident? Has anyone used the Geek Squad extended warranty for repairs?
There are a couple of versions of the Opal out there. I just picked up the Opal 2.0 which is an improved version and seems to work quite well. One way you can differentiate the units is the 2.0 version has touch button sensors on the front for the power, light and cleaning cycle. If you are really concerned you can get the extended warranty through Best buy. Although I have not used the extended warranty on this unit I have used it on my Samsung refrigerator's ice maker and found the service to be quite good.
3 years, 9 months ago
by
explore42
Designed to make printing easier for the whole family, the HP ENVY 6055 all-in-one printer lets everyone print, scan, and copy everyday documents, schoolwork, borderless photos and more. This wireless picture printer can order ink for you and deliver it to your door with up to 50% savings on ink using the HP Instant Ink delivery service, so you can print high-quality documents and photos when you need them (subscription required). Set up, and connect the all-in-one printer to your family's mobile devices in a few easy steps for remote scanning and sharing using the HP Smart app. And keep connected, and reduce interruptions with self-healing Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 technology. Prints up to 10 ISO ppm* in black and up to 7 ppm* in color.
fax capable
Good Question, it does not have fax capabilities built into the printer. You can send a fax if you use HP's cloud services but the printer cannot receive a fax. If faxing is a requirement I would suggest looking at a Desk Jet or Office Jet series all in one.
3 years, 10 months ago
by
explore42
Designed to make printing easier for the whole family, the HP ENVY 6055 all-in-one printer lets everyone print, scan, and copy everyday documents, schoolwork, borderless photos and more. This wireless picture printer can order ink for you and deliver it to your door with up to 50% savings on ink using the HP Instant Ink delivery service, so you can print high-quality documents and photos when you need them (subscription required). Set up, and connect the all-in-one printer to your family's mobile devices in a few easy steps for remote scanning and sharing using the HP Smart app. And keep connected, and reduce interruptions with self-healing Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 technology. Prints up to 10 ISO ppm* in black and up to 7 ppm* in color.
Can use either iPad or iPhone to print from. I do ya have a computer and use both off those a lot. But sometimes I would Have a sibling print for me and I’d like to do it on my own
I use this with my ipad and it works fine. Download the HP Smart app from the Apple store and this app allows you to control the printer. I have HP Smart running on my android phones, my ipads and my windows laptops and they all access the printer wirelessly.
3 years, 10 months ago
by
explore42
Designed to make printing easier for the whole family, the HP ENVY 6055 all-in-one printer lets everyone print, scan, and copy everyday documents, schoolwork, borderless photos and more. This wireless picture printer can order ink for you and deliver it to your door with up to 50% savings on ink using the HP Instant Ink delivery service, so you can print high-quality documents and photos when you need them (subscription required). Set up, and connect the all-in-one printer to your family's mobile devices in a few easy steps for remote scanning and sharing using the HP Smart app. And keep connected, and reduce interruptions with self-healing Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 technology. Prints up to 10 ISO ppm* in black and up to 7 ppm* in color.
does the printer do double siding printing?
The HP Envy 6055 can do double sided printing. It will print the front side of the paper and before the page fully exists the printer it pulls the sheet back into the printer to do the back side. In other words its a 2 step process but it does occur automatically without you doing anything special.
3 years, 10 months ago
by
explore42
Designed to make printing easier for the whole family, the HP ENVY 6055 all-in-one printer lets everyone print, scan, and copy everyday documents, schoolwork, borderless photos and more. This wireless picture printer can order ink for you and deliver it to your door with up to 50% savings on ink using the HP Instant Ink delivery service, so you can print high-quality documents and photos when you need them (subscription required). Set up, and connect the all-in-one printer to your family's mobile devices in a few easy steps for remote scanning and sharing using the HP Smart app. And keep connected, and reduce interruptions with self-healing Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 technology. Prints up to 10 ISO ppm* in black and up to 7 ppm* in color.
Is the printer also a copy machine? Can I place a 12 page document in the feeder and it will make a copy?
The HP Envy 6055 does not have a document loader so it cannot automatically copy a group of documents. It will copy documents but you have to load each one onto the glass manually. If you want this model with the document loader you should be looking at the HP Envy Pro 6455 or one of the HP Office Jets or Desk Jets.
3 years, 10 months ago
by
explore42