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TheHodster
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- Review count138
- Helpfulness votes148
- First reviewOctober 19, 2012
- Last reviewMay 3, 2024
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4.8
- Review comment count4
- Helpfulness votes6
- First review commentAugust 8, 2016
- Last review commentSeptember 21, 2016
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Elevate movie nights with this 46-inch VIZIO home theater sound system. Dolby Atmos is integrated to bring films and TV shows to life, and the wireless subwoofer boosts low tones to produce a fuller sound. Chromecast is built into this VIZIO home theater sound system for streaming your favorite songs.
Posted by: TheHodster
from Leland, NC
The Vizio 46” 5.1.4 Home Theater Sound System is a high quality sound system featuring Dolby Atmos which also includes Chrome fast and Google Assistant support. The system consists of a sound bar with two side speakers, two rear speakers, and a large wireless subwoofer. The Dolby Atmos effect is achieved by upward firing speakers in each of the front and rear speakers. In order to take advantage of Dolby Atmos, you will want a TV with an HDMI ARC connection, a room with a flat ceiling approximately 8 ft high, a device capable of playing Dolby Atmos such as an Xbox One or Fire TV, and, of course, source material from Amazon, Netflix, or a Blu Ray disc.
I tested the system with both non Atmos and Atmos material. Non Atmos material sounded very good, but Atmos is where this system shines. Sounds like a helicopter come from the appropriate direction thus giving a sense of realism not possible with other systems. Dolby Atmos material is currently somewhat scarce but is getting more available every day. I was able to watch Jack Ryan from Amazon, several movies from Netflix, and the John Wick blu ray. All performed as they should and produced a greater sense of realism.
In summary, if you are looking for a high end system with a great subwoofer, Dolby Atmos, and the other features such as Chromecast and Google Assistant, I would recommend the Vizio system. Just make sure that you have the appropriate equipment and area for setup and are willing to wait as more source material becomes available.
I tested the system with both non Atmos and Atmos material. Non Atmos material sounded very good, but Atmos is where this system shines. Sounds like a helicopter come from the appropriate direction thus giving a sense of realism not possible with other systems. Dolby Atmos material is currently somewhat scarce but is getting more available every day. I was able to watch Jack Ryan from Amazon, several movies from Netflix, and the John Wick blu ray. All performed as they should and produced a greater sense of realism.
In summary, if you are looking for a high end system with a great subwoofer, Dolby Atmos, and the other features such as Chromecast and Google Assistant, I would recommend the Vizio system. Just make sure that you have the appropriate equipment and area for setup and are willing to wait as more source material becomes available.
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Get work done with this Dell Inspiron Chromebook laptop. The 14-inch Ultra HD touch screen supports EMR pens, and the Intel Core i3 processor powers system tasks smoothly with the 4GB of RAM. The 128GB of eMMC storage lets you store documents and media files on this Dell Inspiron Chromebook laptop.
Posted by: TheHodster
from Leland, NC
To put this in perspective, I am a longtime PC user. I have mostly used Windows but I am also familiar with MacOS. On the tablet side, I have used both IOS and Android. I have also dabbled some with Chromebooks but that was before they began merging Android apps with the Chrome operating system.
This Dell has a bright 14 inch touch display and runs the latest version of the Chrome operating system. It has an i3 processor, 4GB ram, a 128GB ssd, a lighted keyboard, an included pen, and excellent battery life. In light use, I was able to get approximately two days of use between charges. Because it uses the latest version of Chrome, it is able to access the Google Play Store and utilize the Android apps. I found this very useful since almost all of the apps that I was used to running on my Android tablet worked well on the Chromebook. The combination of the these apps and a full desktop web browser with access to Google Docs and other Google goodies makes this a very powerful and easy to use computer for most of my needs. The included pen was also very useful for annotations on web pages, etc.
In summary, if you do not need to run Windows I would highly recommend this Chromebook. It is very fast, easy to use, has with long battery life, and meets most people's computer needs.
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For families and small businesses who want classic Office apps and email installed on one Windows 10 PC or Mac for use at home or work. Classic 2019 versions of Office apps including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Plus, OneNote for Windows 10.
Posted by: TheHodster
from Leland, NC
Microsoft Office Home and Business 2019 is the gold standard of office suites. This version consists of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote for Windows 10 and is for one PC or one Mac. Unlike the 365 version, there is no limit on the time of usage.
I’ve used several alternative office suites over the past few years. While some of them were good, there always seemed to be a formatting or convertibility issue that would come up which is eliminated using Microsoft Office.
In summary, if you produce or handle a wide variety of documents, Microsoft Office is the best way to eliminate problems and ensure compatibility. It provides more features than other suites and is well integrated with Windows 10.
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Stay connected with this Fossil Gen 4 Explorist HR smartwatch. It has a heart rate monitor, daily activity tracker and built-in GPS to help you keep track of your fitness activities and goals. This Fossil Gen 4 Explorist HR smartwatch syncs with both Android and Apple phones for easy access to notifications and emails.
Posted by: TheHodster
from Leland, NC
The Fossil age 4 Explorist HR is a smart watch based on Google Wear OS 2.1. It has an attractive smoked colored band and a battery that will last for approximately 1 day depending on usage.
I won’t detail the functionality of the Wear operating system. Suffice it to say that it is the latest version of the operating system that provides the ability to read your agenda, read and respond to messages, read gmail, etc. and Google Fit. The watch also includes built in GPS but no speaker.
The watch is like most current smart watches and requires a phone to be nearby to complete most tasks. To achieve this, you download an app from either Googles Play Store or Apples App Store. For me, the Play Store app worked well. The app from Apples App Store however had problems and would not always work. The most useful feature was the ability to respond to messages by voice without removing the phone from your pocket.
If you are looking for a smartwatch that is attractive and runs Google Wear, I recommend the Fossil with the understanding that it does not integrate well with the iPhone and its one day battery limitation.
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Velop is a flexible Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi system of modular nodes that work together to provide a flawless signal for any home. Now with new plug-in nodes that fit all wall sockets, you'll be assured coverage in traditionally underused areas, and the sleek design only uses a single outlet. Velop works with any Internet Service Provider (ISP), making customization simple, and with Tri-Band performance and Intelligent Mesh™ technology, you'll always be on the fast path to the Internet.
Customer Rating
5
Great System for Large House with Streaming
on November 8, 2018
Posted by: TheHodster
from Leland, NC
The Velop WHW0203 is a 3 unit mesh system consisting of a powerful tri-band main unit and 2, dual-band plug in units. The main unit has 2 Ethernet connection, the plug in units have none. The system is designed to cover a large home.
To me, the potential advantages of a mesh system are the ease of setup, greater coverage, higher throughput (since it is not halfed by a repeater) and the ease of use since you are not jumping from one SSID to another as you move throughout the house.
The system was extremely easy to setup. All you have to do is plug in the main unit and download the Linksys app. From that point, setup is straightforward as you follow the instructions in the app. Setup of the plug in units was the same.
I have a 4000 square foot house and a 400/400mbps internet connection. Coverage was great throughout the entire house with an approximately 400mbps reading near the router and a reading of approximately 360mbps 25 feet away using the speedtest in the Linksys app.
We stream all of our TV either through Directv Now or our local channel through our Tablo device. The WHW0203 handled this streaming through 4 TVs simultaneously with no problems.
I recommend the WHW0203 for anyone with large home who desires an easy to setup system and who streams large amounts of video throughout the house. For those who already have a Linksys mesh system, the plug in units can also be used to extend an existing system.
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Grab a Crayon and make your mark! Logitech Crayon is a pixel-precise digital pencil for all iPads (2018 releases and later) that helps unleash your creativity and productivity in hundreds of Apple Pencil supported apps. Crayon uses Apple Pencil technology including Scribble for a seamless writing experience that's as natural as pencil and paper. Need a thicker or thinner line? Just tilt. Logitech Crayon is built tough with 4 ft drop protection, a unique roll-proof shape, and up to 7.5 hours of active writing time. Palm rejection technology allows you to rest your hand right on the screen while you write.
Posted by: TheHodster
from Leland, NC
The Crayon Digital Pencil is a lower cost alternative to the Apple Pencil. It is thicker and more rugged feeling than the Apple Pencil and I found it to be more comfortable. The Crayon also does not need to be paired like the Apple Pencil. Just turn it on and it is ready to use.
The Crayon functions similar to the Apple Pencil except it is not pressure sensitive. Thus, it is good for highlighting, annotation, etc. but is not as good as the Apple Pencil for artistic endeavors. The other limitation is that the Crayon only works with the 6th Generation IPad and not the IPad Pros.
In summary, I would recommend the Crayon to anyone who has a 6th Generation IPad who primarily wants to highlight and annotate documents. The more rugged feel of the Crayon also possibly makes it suitable for younger users.
The Crayon functions similar to the Apple Pencil except it is not pressure sensitive. Thus, it is good for highlighting, annotation, etc. but is not as good as the Apple Pencil for artistic endeavors. The other limitation is that the Crayon only works with the 6th Generation IPad and not the IPad Pros.
In summary, I would recommend the Crayon to anyone who has a 6th Generation IPad who primarily wants to highlight and annotate documents. The more rugged feel of the Crayon also possibly makes it suitable for younger users.
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Sustain productivity almost anywhere with this 13.9-inch Lenovo Yoga convertible laptop. Its 12GB of RAM and Intel Core i7 processor handle bandwidth-intensive tasks, and it has a built-in pen garage to discreetly secure and charge a compatible stylus. Store and run programs efficiently on the 256GB solid-state drive of this Lenovo Yoga convertible laptop.Learn more.
Posted by: TheHodster
from Leland, NC
The Lenovo c930 is a powerful, well built 2-1 laptop with a unique sound bar that produces high quality audio. The laptop comes with a pen and has two Thunderbolt 3 ports. Other ports are minimal and the user may want to an external usb-c hub for additional ports.
The laptop offers great flexibility since it can be used for productivity and casual use as a 3 pound laptop and also for gaming and virtual reality when connected to an egpu through one of the Thunderbolt 3 connections. I tried the c930 with two egpus, the Aorus GTX Gaming box and the Gigabyte RX580 Gaming Box. Performance of the egpus was excellent on the c930 and I was able to obtain results that were close to 90% of a desktop gpu.
I mentioned that the laptop has a speaker bar. This is a unique feature in a laptop. While listening to Youtube and streaming music, the clarity was much better that other laptops that I have owned.
If you want a very well built, versatile laptop with some unique features, the c930 is an excellent choice.
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Master your domain with this Honeywell smart home security starter kit. Motion sensors facilitate automatic recording when activity is detected at your chosen point of entry, and built-in Amazon Alexa functionality ensures convenient voice controls. This Honeywell smart home security starter kit has 24-hour cloud storage so you can review footage from anywhere.
Posted by: TheHodster
from Leland, NC
The Honeywell Wireless Home Automation Kit is an easy to use, easy to expand home security system. The kit consists of a wireless base station with camera and two sensors. The base station setup was extremely easy and can be performed through the Honeywell Home application in IOS or Android. The unit can also be controlled through Alexa or Google Assistant.
In operation, the system performed well. We live in NC and during the recent hurricane Florence we had to evacuate for over a week. During that period, we were able to monitor our home through the base station camera and the remote application.
The starter kit retails for $449 and does not require a monthly plan. I consider the price a little high for a starter kit. Also, if you want to have additional cameras, you incur a $14.95 per month cost.
In operation, the system performed well. We live in NC and during the recent hurricane Florence we had to evacuate for over a week. During that period, we were able to monitor our home through the base station camera and the remote application.
The starter kit retails for $449 and does not require a monthly plan. I consider the price a little high for a starter kit. Also, if you want to have additional cameras, you incur a $14.95 per month cost.
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Take music wherever you go with this Marshall Kilburn II Bluetooth speaker. It produces clear midrange sound with deep, powerful bass, and it provides 20 hours of playtime on a single charge, so you can listen to playlists all day. This Marshall Kilburn II Bluetooth speaker has a solid metal grille for durability.
Posted by: TheHodster
from Leland, NC
The Kilburn II is a stylish portable speaker that produces high quality sound. The Kilburn II has two inputs, bluetooth and line, and has both bass and treble controls. A bass port on the rear produces high quality lows. A large battery allows approximately 20 battery hours of operation when unplugged.
I tried the Kilburn II with both my IPhone 7 and Galaxy Note 8 in bluetooth and with the line in from the Note 8. Both phone paired easily and produced very good sound and volume. However, when connected to the Note 8 with line in, both the volume and sound were even better. I did not test the battery to its limits, but I used it for over 12 hours without power.
The Kilburn II is ideal for anyone looking for an easy to use, high quality portable speaker with style and excellent battery life.
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The reliable Brother MFC-L3770CDW delivers full-featured performance, including print, copy, scan and fax for busy home and small offices looking for laser printer performance. The up to 50-sheet automatic document feeder enables multipage single-pass duplex copying and scanning, plus fast print speeds of up to 25 pages per minute². The 30-sheet capacity multipurpose tray is useful for tackling varied printing needs and can handle a variety of paper types and sizes, including card stock, envelopes and more. The 250-sheet capacity adjustable paper tray helps improve efficiency with fewer refills and handles letter- or legal-size paper. Connect with versatile options, including built-in wireless, Ethernet, or USB interfaces. Save time by creating custom shortcuts on the 3.7" color touch screen, which also enables you to directly print from and scan to popular cloud apps, including Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote, OneNote and more³. Offers NFC touch-to-connect printing and scanning¹ plus wireless printing from compatible mobile devices⁴. Brother Genuine high-yield replacement toner cartridges help lower printing costs. Comes with a 1-year limited warranty and free online, call or live chat support for the life of your product.Prints up to 25 ISO ppm*, up to 25 ppm* in color.
Customer Rating
5
High Quality Wireless Multifunctional Printer
on August 17, 2018
Posted by: TheHodster
from Leland, NC
The Brother MFC-L3770CDW is a high-end, wireless, multifunction printer designed to operate in a mixed home or small business environment. The device works with Windows, Mac, and Linux computers as well as IOS and Android portable devices. It includes the following unique features:
- Touch display control panel
- Color duplex printing, scanning, and copying
- NFC printing and scanning
- Fax capabilities
- Access to cloud storage options like Dropbox and Google drive
- Color duplex printing, scanning, and copying
- NFC printing and scanning
- Fax capabilities
- Access to cloud storage options like Dropbox and Google drive
The device was very easy to set up. After unboxing and plugging it in, I went directly to the touch display panel where I entered my information for my wireless network. It quickly connected and from that point I was able to print wirelessly without the installation of any other drivers from my Windows 10 and Mac 10.13 notebooks, my IPhone 7 Plus, my Samsung Galaxy Note 8, and my 2017 IPad. Brother also offers additional drivers and programs on their website, but they were not necessary for the device to work properly.
The printer is rated at approximately 25 pages per minute. Although I did not test the speed, the color printing and scanning seemed very fast and quiet. Print quality was also excellent. The device does NFC print and scanning. Touching the phone to the MFC-L3770CDW opens up the Brother IPrint and Scan application. I tested this with my Note 8 phone and was impressed with the results. I highly recommend the MFC-L3770CDW for anyone looking for a high quality, multifunctional printer that is both economical and easy to use.
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TheHodster's Review Comments
Dell Inspiron Convertible 2-in-1 Laptop: Connect to work or entertainment options with this Dell Inspiron touch screen laptop. The 13.3-inch display is backlit to reduce eye fatigue, and Intel HD graphics let you enjoy viewing videos or participating in casual online games. The Bluetooth 4.2 interface and built-in Wi-Fi on this Dell Inspiron touch screen laptop let you connect to networks and other devices.
Overall5 out of 5
5 out of 5Great MacBook Pro Alternative
By linuxUnbiased1978
DON'T LET NEGATIVE REVIEWS DISCOURAGE YOU, Windows-based PCs are notable for not being as reliable as Macs out-of-the-box, so a simple exchange or Windows customization may be the solution if you feel that you have a faulty product.
Overall, this computer is very fast, with almost identical specs to a MacBook Pro that costs twice as much. The hardware is what really makes this machine stand out from ultrabooks and Macs that cost hundreds of dollars more; the trackpad and the keyboard are outstanding and on par with if not superior to those found on a Macbook. The construction is amazingly sturdy and makes this machine feel indestructible. The hinge for the 2-in-1 feature is also very good, and I feel confident that it can last for many years with the same sturdiness.
Windows 10 looks great and works surprisingly well on this laptop, but I have experienced random audio popping sounds as have other reviewers. Perhaps later driver updates will provide a solution, but such a minor qualm shouldn't deter you from purchasing this machine by any means.
My biggest issue is the battery life, which in real world use lasts anywhere from 4 to 7 hours, which is significantly lower than MacBook Air's dominant 10 to 13 hour battery life.
BOTTOM LINE, software and Windows 10 features are essentially identical to those found on most ultrabooks, and the internals are on par with more expensive models. This is the laptop for you if you need powerful internals and mighty construction, but can deal with lower battery life than other ultrabooks.
Overall, this computer is very fast, with almost identical specs to a MacBook Pro that costs twice as much. The hardware is what really makes this machine stand out from ultrabooks and Macs that cost hundreds of dollars more; the trackpad and the keyboard are outstanding and on par with if not superior to those found on a Macbook. The construction is amazingly sturdy and makes this machine feel indestructible. The hinge for the 2-in-1 feature is also very good, and I feel confident that it can last for many years with the same sturdiness.
Windows 10 looks great and works surprisingly well on this laptop, but I have experienced random audio popping sounds as have other reviewers. Perhaps later driver updates will provide a solution, but such a minor qualm shouldn't deter you from purchasing this machine by any means.
My biggest issue is the battery life, which in real world use lasts anywhere from 4 to 7 hours, which is significantly lower than MacBook Air's dominant 10 to 13 hour battery life.
BOTTOM LINE, software and Windows 10 features are essentially identical to those found on most ultrabooks, and the internals are on par with more expensive models. This is the laptop for you if you need powerful internals and mighty construction, but can deal with lower battery life than other ultrabooks.
TheHodster
Leland, NC
Hits nail on head
August 8, 2016
Your review hits the nail on the head. A very high quality laptop that would feel premium if it were a little thinner. Only negative I've found is the battery which lasts about 6 hours for me when doing general surfing.
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Experience the versatility of this 14-inch Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga laptop. It converts to a tablet when needed, letting you navigate the touch screen with the included stylus, and the Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM run multiple programs smoothly. This Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga laptop has a 256GB solid-state drive for storage space and fast data retrieval.Easily change between four modes - laptop, stand, tablet, and tent - while your system automatically switches system settings and locks the keyboard in place. The secret: ThinkPad Yoga 14's unique design, improved hinge, and touchscreen display allow the screen to flip around 360 degrees - and even lay it flat - which means you can select the mode you use based on what you choose to do.Starting at a mere 4.2 lbs and 0.8" thin, ThinkPad Yoga 14 is ultraportable - it's perfect for productivity on the go. And with hours of battery life, you can go all day without recharging.
Overall
4 out of 5
4 out of 5Fast but may have issues with win10 anniversary
By TheHodster
from Leland, NC
This laptop is very fast and well built. Initially, I had some trouble installing win10 anniversary when it got stuck on boot screen. I am now running anniversary but the pen does not seem to work or be recognized. Keyboard very nice. Screen a little dull. Battery lasts me about 6 hours. All in all a very nice laptop if I can get the pen working.
TheHodster
Leland, NC
Benchmarks and Dell 13.3 2-1 i5
August 30, 2016
I ran a simple win10 benchmark PC Benchmark on the ThinkPad and the above Dell. Both are nice laptops with the Dell having a USB-c and Windows Hello support. The CPU and disk results are pretty which is to be expected. The Dell ram score is about double the ThinkPad and the ThinkPad gpu score is about triple the Dell. Overall, the ThinkPad "feels" quicker to me.
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Experience the versatility of this 14-inch Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga laptop. It converts to a tablet when needed, letting you navigate the touch screen with the included stylus, and the Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM run multiple programs smoothly. This Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga laptop has a 256GB solid-state drive for storage space and fast data retrieval.Easily change between four modes - laptop, stand, tablet, and tent - while your system automatically switches system settings and locks the keyboard in place. The secret: ThinkPad Yoga 14's unique design, improved hinge, and touchscreen display allow the screen to flip around 360 degrees - and even lay it flat - which means you can select the mode you use based on what you choose to do.Starting at a mere 4.2 lbs and 0.8" thin, ThinkPad Yoga 14 is ultraportable - it's perfect for productivity on the go. And with hours of battery life, you can go all day without recharging.
Overall4 out of 5
4 out of 5Fast but may have issues with win10 anniversary
By TheHodster
from Leland, NC
This laptop is very fast and well built. Initially, I had some trouble installing win10 anniversary when it got stuck on boot screen. I am now running anniversary but the pen does not seem to work or be recognized. Keyboard very nice. Screen a little dull. Battery lasts me about 6 hours. All in all a very nice laptop if I can get the pen working.
TheHodster
Leland, NC
Pen Charging
September 9, 2016
Does the ThinkPad 14 charge the pen when the ThinkPad is on battery? There are quite a few times when the pen is not recognized and I am trying to figure out why.
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Amazon Fire HD 8 Tablet: With a vivid 8" touch screen and access to Amazon Underground, this tablet makes it easy to watch movies, play games or catch up on your reading with personalized recommendations. Cloud storage offers simple access to your content from anywhere.
Overall5 out of 5
5 out of 5Maybe Best Fire Yet for $89
By TheHodster
from Leland, NC
Just picked up from BB a couple of hours ago. Screen in good and tablet seems faster than previous model possibly due to more memory. Battery so far seems very good.
TheHodster
Leland, NC
Battery
September 21, 2016
battery has now lasted over 12 hours with general surfing. Battery claims seem to be accurate.
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