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    April 15, 2016
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    December 7, 2023
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    June 19, 2020
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    November 8, 2020
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DonnieZ's Reviews
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Designed for Mac and optimized to work with Apple devices right out of the box, the Crucial X9 Pro for Mac helps you supercharge your creativity. With space to store thousands of photos, files, and videos and the speed to edit and retouch your portfolio quickly, the Crucial X9 Pro for Mac provides support for even taxing workloads along with durability and style in the studio, in the field, or wherever you roam.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Amazing performance in a tiny package!
on December 7, 2023
Posted by: DonnieZ
There's no other way to put it - this Crucial X9 Pro 2TB External SSD is an fantastic piece of technology. I've had the pleasure of using this drive for a couple of weeks now, and it's one of those pieces of technology that just works, and you don't have to think about it.
When I first got the package, I thought I had been shipped the wrong product; it was that small. The box contains the drive, a small instruction pamphlet, and a USB-C to USB-C cable. Installation is effortless – plug in the USB-C cable to the drive and a free port on your Mac. I am using this with my M1 Mac Studio to supplement the internal SSD storage, so I chose one of the Thunderbolt ports on the rear, but I tested it with the front ports, and the speed was the same. One huge bonus – no power cable is needed.
MacOS immediately recognizes the drive, and you’re off and running. There are a few URLs on the drive, including a free 1-month trial of Adobe Creative Cloud All-Apps, icons, some transfer software, etc.
I am replacing an external spinning hard drive with all of my movies, music, digital photos, and larger documents. I had both mounted and started a large file copy to move the data between the two drives. The copy was definitely limited by the speed of the USB 3.0 external spinning hard disk, and I did have the copy fail about a third of the way through, but I tried the copy again, and it resumed from that point. I returned to my office maybe 30 minutes later, and the copy had finished. I could disconnect the old hard disk from my Mac and lean entirely on this external SSD. Bootups and searches are faster, as it’s not looking at the spinning disk for anything. Copying large files is pretty much instant – you don’t notice it happening for the most part, as I did with the old external HDD.
I ran some benchmarks on this drive, and it clocks in around 900MB/sec – which for everyday workflows is as fast as you could possibly ever need. Anything faster would likely be unnoticeable. The disk utility I use to test with states that you could stream (read and write) 12K/24FPS video to this drive – which is beyond what I’ll ever do.
This drive is everything you could possibly want for day-to-day computing, including backups, photo editing, and watching your local media. I’d buy this again in a heartbeat.
I would recommend this to a friend!
User submitted photo
User submitted photo
User submitted photo
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
 
Philips Facial Hair Remover 5000 Series gently removes the finest hairs on your face with the hypoallergenic head. The built-in mirror and full circle LED light help you miss no hair. The perfect partner for smooth skin on the go.
 
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Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
Won't replace waxing, but great for touch ups!
on November 16, 2023
Posted by: DonnieZ
The Phillips Series 5000 Facial Hair Remover is a handy tool to have around for those unsightly hairs that pop up.
It is small and very lightweight, perfect to carry around if you have a more oversized purse or definitely for travel. It has a light that comes on during operation to illuminate the target area.
This unit was ready to go out of the box - all I had to do was put the battery in, and it was ready for action. The operation is simple: turn it on and start attacking hairs.
As far as hair removal goes, it works okay. Longer hairs took a few passes to remove; however, shorter hairs came off in one or two passes. Hair removal is entirely painless, a huge plus compared to epilation, IPL, or waxing! When using this in a brightly lit bathroom mirror, the light wasn't adequate.
For me, hair grew back fairly quickly - though everyone's experiences will be different when dealing with personal grooming. I will definitely keep this around as a maintenance tool and something to take on trips; however, based on performance, I will still stick to waxing for regular removal and use this in between waxings for touch-ups.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
 
Enjoy the vibrant sound of vinyl records with the Victrola Hi-Res Onyx turntable. Go wireless with the best-in-class aptX Adaptive Bluetooth connectivity or wired with switchable preamp standard RCA outs (RCA cables included), allowing you to listen to your favorite records with stunning clarity. The sleek aesthetic, simple setup, and quality construction result from a purpose-built design focused on the listener experience. The Hi-Res Onyx includes an Audio Technica AT -VM95E cartridge, metal components, and an aluminum tonearm featuring a custom-designed, removable headshell. With the Victrola Hi-Res Onyx, you can effortlessly lower the tonearm and enjoy listening to your records with exceptional quality; Connect wirelessly to any Bluetooth oraptX enabled speakers ,headphones, or wired to your favorite amplifier or powered speakers.
 
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Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
Great option to enter the world of vinyl!
on November 15, 2023
Posted by: DonnieZ
Listening to music is typically something we do passively - in the car, while working, or maybe while exercising. Listening to music on vinyl is truly a listening experience, at least for me. There's something about the physical medium, watching it spin on the turntable and hearing all of the details and potential imperfections in a record that lends to a more active listening experience. I was delighted to select the Victrola Onyx Hi-Res turntable for these reasons.
Immediately, I noticed the heft of the box - this is much heavier than I expected for a turntable. The package includes the turntable itself, dust cover, cartridge, 45 adapter, platter, slipmat, a small datasheet, power cable, and a grounded line-out cable. One nice feature of this turntable is the built-in phono preamp - so if your receiver doesn't have a set of phono inputs, or if you want to go from the turntable into another source - for example, into your computer to do digital transfers - you can enable the built-in preamp and get line level outputs. You can also disable the built-in preamp and use your own if you have a higher-end preamp.
The setup wasn't as easy as I had anticipated. Since this unit is belt-driven, I was looking for a belt. I tore the packaging apart, thinking I may have missed it. I looked at the included datasheet with a link to the Victrola website for a proper instruction manual. Googling the model number of the turntable brought me to an excellent setup video from Victrola that showed the belt was already attached to the platter, affixed to a small piece of ribbon that you can use to pull the belt around the motor spindle. Once I figured this out, the rest of the setup was a breeze, and I was ready to go in minutes. Installation of the slipmat, cartridge, and counterweight was very intuitive - but check the included datasheet to ensure you have the counterweight appropriately installed on the rear of the tonearm.
I paired this with my Airpods Max for the initial listening experience. Pairing with a Bluetooth audio device is interesting - there's no screen or other interaction than the solo button on the front of the turntable. Press the button once to put it in pairing mode, and it seems that the turntable simply finds the nearest Bluetooth audio device in pairing mode and connects to that. Pairing was complete within a few seconds, and I was ready to listen.
The first album I grabbed was an old copy of Jimmy Buffett's Havana Daydreamin. This record is in average shape - played, not scratched, and has a few fingerprints around the edges. As soon as the needle hit the outer groove, the sound started coming through on the Airpods Max, and I was in heaven. The audio quality was great - and hearing those occasional clicks and pops from dust and static on the album took me back to my early childhood listening to records with adults. The sound quality via Bluetooth was excellent, but I would have liked a bit more volume - the Airpods with the volume turned all the way up provided a comfortable listening level. Still, a bit more would be nice when you really wanted to immerse yourself in the sound.
I tried a second record, and this time, I grabbed something brand new, never played - Garth Brooks's The Chase. I'm reasonably sure this album doesn't have any special mastering; it's not 180G vinyl, it's a solid everyday printing - and it sounded fantastic. Vinyl really brings out the detail in music in a very hard-to-describe way - but it's beautiful. Minor bumps to the surface the turntable was sitting on did not cause any skipping that I could notice. The speed of play is very consistent, and I did not detect any warble.
I've been playing more and more albums with this turntable, and its sound quality is excellent. It also looks great in your audio stack. The included dust cover is unique - it's not the typical "plastic box top" that folds down over the unit. It's an entirely removable piece of plastic that covers the tonearm while simultaneously sitting on the platter/slipmat—an interesting design, yet fully functional.
This unit isn't perfect, though. The placement of the tonearm lifter switch is right next to the tonearm. I have larger fingers, and I found myself often moving the tonearm halfway through the record when attempting to lower the tonearm using the switch. Moving the switch over an inch would have made a world of difference here. Also, a bit of automatic action would have been nice - lowering the tonearm automatically on the start of the record, or at least semi-automatic, where the tonearm returns to the home position when it reaches the center of the record. When the tonearm has reached the end of the record, the turntable simply shuts off, and the stylus remains engaged with the record. Another quirk is when using Bluetooth as the audio destination, and you can hear when the sound level gets low enough between tracks that the sound turns off altogether.
I also would have liked to have seen a direct drive option for a slightly higher price - belts tend to stretch over time and affect the sound quality as the turntable speed isn't consistent. Belts also break, putting you out of service.
Overall, this turntable brings some modern features like a sleek design and Bluetooth streaming to a purist feature set as far as turntables go. This turntable is an excellent choice if you want to enter the world of vinyl but don't have a big audio stack to pair it with - the addition of Bluetooth streaming significantly lowers the bar of entry.
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
The Roomba j9+ robot vacuum delivers 100% stronger suction* and adjustable cleaning power to lift even trapped pet hair from carpets. Equipped with the most thoughtful, pet-friendly features, this smart vacuum has dual rubber brushes to sweep up dust after the dog park, the know-how to steer around pet toys and food bowls, and our P.O.O.P. guarantee** to avoid accidental pet messes or you get a replacement. Dirt Detective, powered by iRobot OS, keeps track of cleaning settings and frequency to auto-customize where and how it cleans so your home is always at its freshest. Go ahead and love your pet–your Roomba robot will handle their mess. *Compared to Roomba i Series robots **See iRobot website for details
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Set it and forget it for clean floors!
on November 11, 2023
Posted by: DonnieZ
I have had the pleasure of using the Roomba j9+ Self-Emptying Robot for a few cycles now, and this is one of the best investments you can make in your home if you want to save time and have clean floors.
 
I have been a Roomba user for a few years now, and I had the opportunity to upgrade my robot vacuum, and I'm glad I did. The Roomba j9+ brings all the best features you can ask for and packs them in one unit.
 
The j9+ took about 10 minutes to set up, including unboxing. I already had the iRobot app, and adding another robot was easy. After I added the robot, it wanted to perform a mapping run. The mapping run took maybe 45 minutes - I didn't pay attention too closely, but the app notified me that the mapping run was complete, and I could define and name the rooms in my home.
 
How you define rooms takes a bit of getting used to - you define a room border, and then you have to move the map to put the border line where you want it. Once I quickly caught on to this mechanic, I laid out my floor plan in minutes.
 
After laying out a floor plan, you can start or schedule a job. When scheduling a job, you can select which rooms to clean - and in which order. I only realized this once I started my scheduled job, and the robot started going to my kitchen instead of starting near the base, as I had been accustomed to with my old robot.  This is great in that you can schedule rooms to be cleaned to work around your schedule - i.e., we can be finishing up a meal while the robot is cleaning another area of the home rather than having the robot come in and clean while you're eating dinner, etc...
 
As to how the robot cleans the floor, I have absolutely no complaints. Being a mapping robot, it cleans in straight lines, and the edge brushes do a great job of sweeping debris just outside the range of the vacuum rollers into the path of the rollers to be vacuumed up. The carpets look refreshed when done; there are nice lines in the carpet showing where the robot has run. Transitions from carpet to hard flooring are no challenge, and the robot is small enough to get under some of our larger furniture pieces.
 
Battery life is excellent for us. We have 3,000 square feet - spread between two floors, so I'll split the difference and say we have 1,500 square feet on the first floor where this robot runs. It usually cleans the entire first floor on one charge, not having to return to the base to charge and resume a job.
 
One significant feature this robot brings is obstacle avoidance - the robot uses the camera and other technologies to attempt to avoid obstacles on the floor. This may not seem like a huge deal, but it is a game changer. I used to do an entire floor cleanup before the Roomba ran, but with the advanced obstacle avoidance - the robot will move around most obstacles on my floor. This is great if my son's toys are left on the floor - the robot will maneuver around the toys rather than trying to climb over and get stuck, requiring human intervention. The obstacle avoidance isn't perfect, though, as it didn't detect my son's train tracks on the ground - but they're about the same color as the carpet and only a centimeter or so high.
 
The best feature of this robot is the self-emptying bin. When the cleaning job is done, the robot docks and empties the contents of the internal container into a much larger bin in the base. This allows you to let the vacuum run with much less human intervention. I can go from emptying the robot three times a week to servicing the bag in the base once a month.
 
Job stacking is a bonus feature that some users will be able to take advantage of. I now have a job that vacuums the kitchen and then runs our Braava jet in the kitchen. After cooking dinner, we can run this job and always have clean kitchen floors. We frequently leverage this using the iRobot Alexa skill - so all we have to do is ask, and our fleet of robots cleans our kitchen floors.
 
If there is one downside to this robot, it is a bit loud if it's running near me. If it's running in a different room, the noise level is usually acceptable.
 
Overall, this robot will be a fantastic addition to any home. Maintaining clean floors saves an immense amount of time, and my floors always look presentable.
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Look, sound, and meet better with Brio 100—a simple and affordable webcam that lets you show your best self in video calls. Full HD 1080p resolution and auto-light balance bring clarity and brightness to your calls, so you look your best. Sound better with a built-in microphone, and get total privacy with an integrated shutter.
 
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Customer Rating
2 out of 5
2
OK performer, tight focal length....
on October 8, 2023
Posted by: DonnieZ
I selected this webcam to replace the existing webcam I was using with my Mac Studio as that was a few years old and I'm on Zoom meetings for a good part of the day, every work day.
When it arrived, I was amazed that they managed to get the webcam into that small of a package - the packaging is excellent and looks to be 100% recyclable cardboard, and there's not mouch of it at all.
As webcams go, it's about as basic as it gets - built in mic, USB-A connector, and an adjustable stand. Also a nice inclusion is a manual, external shutter to physically cover the lens when you need to ensure video privacy.
As the performance of the camera goes, the picture itself is OK. Perfroms well in my slighly dim office. Colors seem to lean a bit to the red side of the scale.
Unfortunately, this camera has a flaw that renders it essentially unusable for me - the focal length on the lens. When I moved to this camera, on every Zoom call I joined, my colleagues immediately commented on how zoomed in I was. I have the camera mounted on top of my monitor that is slightly longer than an arm's length away when I'm sitting at my desk - I am unable to get an image that doesn't chop off either the top of my head or show only a view of my face and just the tops of my shoulders. It seems un-naturally zoomed in comparted to most other fixed focal length webcams that I use on other devices currently or in the past. When I toggle back and forth between this camera and my previous camera, the difference in focal length is plainly evident.
On my Mac, I was not able to get the latest versino of the Logi Options software to detect this camera as a device that could be configured.
If you're looking for a camera with a tight crop, I would recommend you take a look at this model. Unfortunately the focal length was a show stopper for me so I'll be either sticking with my old camera or looking for a new replacement.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
+4points
4of 4voted this as helpful.
 
The Epic Wireless Bluetooth Mouse gives you the ultimate pro-level performance whether you’re crunching the numbers, creating brilliant designs, or owning the competition. Serious functionality and a sleek design make it an epic addition to any WFH setup. Save your custom button functions.
 
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Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
A feature-rich mouse at a very fair price
on October 8, 2023
Posted by: DonnieZ
I was very excited to receive The JLab Epic Mouse. I've been looking for a replacement mouse for the Magic Mouse I've been using with my Macs since I've been an all Mac household.
Out of the box, the mouse looks very similar to most feature rich mice on the market today. It's black, it's got a nice grip that fits the hand naturally, and it has a variety of buttons. This mouse also brings some great features like USB-C charging.
My inital impression of the mouse was good. The mouse had about half charge out of the box, and it was easy to pair via Bluetooth with the Mac Stuido - I was up and going in seconds.
The mouse itself has very good responsiveness and a button that you can press to adjust the resolution of the mouse in DPI. You can also adjust this using the JLab Work app. Charging the mouse is simple, and you can still use the mouse while charging - though you won't need to charge it that often as it seems to sip battery. I havent yet gotten it to die completely.
I was prepared to give this mouse a poor review - as when I initially connected the mouse to the Mac Studio via Bluetooth, every few minutes for 20 seconds or so, the mouse would simply stop responding - but other bluetooth devices connected to the Mac Studio continued to work fine. The problem got even worse after upgrading to MacOS Sonoma. I cannot recommend using this mouse with Bluetooth on a Mac Studio - the experience was practically unusable. Then, I decided to try the included 2.4GHz dongle that is in a small compartment on the bottom of the mouse - and the experience so far has been perfect since switching to the dongle.
The Bluetooth issues I had with the Mac, and the fact that you can't use the customization software without using the 2.4Ghz dongle is kind of disappointing. Also, the fact that I must consume a USB port to use this without issues on my Mac Studio is also disheartening. I also find it a bit confusing that the included USB receiver is USB-A, but the charging is USB-C. Everything these days is moving to USB-C, so it would have made sense to include a USB-C receiver. Also, the small OLED screen seems a bit overkill - in day to day use I never actually look at it.
Overall, this is a solid option for a feature rich mouse I suspect I'd be able to 5 star this if not for the Bluetooth and the fact that I have to use the receiver and consume a USB Port. Like most JLab products, you get a quality product at a very fair price.
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Meet the Ninja Sizzle, the compact cooking system that high-heat grills and griddles your favorite meals right from your countertop. Reaching temps up to 500°F, achieve the perfect char-grilled marks with direct, edge-to-edge even heat. Satisfy any meal craving using the interchangeable grill and griddle plates, from fluffy pancakes to tender chicken breasts that the whole family will enjoy.
 
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Customer Rating
3 out of 5
3
Overall, a nice addition to your kitchen
on September 19, 2023
Posted by: DonnieZ
The Ninja Sizzle smokeless indoor griddle is an excellent addition to your kitchen - especially if you want to consolidate multiple countertop appliances.
I needed a new griddle/grill as our old one broke after ten years, and the Ninja's features looked like a great replacement. I like that it offers interchangeable griddle and grill plates, and each griddle/grill plate has a built in grease collection that doesn't leak out on the counter when in use.
Putting this grill/griddle to the test was a delicious endeavor. The first thing I noticed about this griddle when setting it up is that the grill/griddle plates are not as heavy as I expected - I suspect they are coated aluminum. The surface is perfectly smooth, and as mentioned before, it has a nice, deep grease collection tray built in. It doesn't hold a lot of grease but holds enough for most cooks on an appliance like this. If you did have to empty the grease tray mid-cook, it would be difficult as you must take the whole cooking plate off the heating unit, which will be REALLY hot.
The other thing I noticed is that the temperature dial is nowhere representative of the actual temperature of the grill/griddle surface. I had the griddle set at 350ish, and the temperature of the griddle top varied from around 480 at the lowest to over 500 in some spots. I noticed that the griddle's surface was always much hotter than the knob stated when measured with an infrared surface temperature thermometer.
As I mentioned, the cooking surface is very smooth - when I added oil to the griddle surface, it all pooled in one spot and did not spread around evenly and flow onto the surface, which made cooking pancakes a challenge - in locations where the oil pooled, I got a nice, crunchy texture. The pancakes had a flatter-softer texture in spots where the oil did not pool.
I also tried cooking smash burgers on the griddle - This worked just OK - I think the cold meat lowered the temperature of the griddle surface a bit. The burgers steamed initially rather than getting that pleasant Maillard reaction when you drop the burger balls onto a hot, heavy surface like rolled steel or cast iron that can retain the heat a bit better.
Closing the lid while cooking smash burgers did save a giant mess on the counter - and did keep a bit of the odor in. The other side of this coin is that I had to spend a bit of time cleaning the inside and outside of the closable lid from the grease that cooked out of the food, which isn't the most convenient task. However, the bottom of the griddle did not make the granite countertop hot like my old griddle- making me feel much better about cooking on the countertop.
Lastly, I didn't realize how small the cooking surface is. I could comfortably cook three burger patties or three pancakes comprised of slightly over 1/4 cup of batter. I could probably squeeze four of each on the griddle top, but it would be very crowded.
Overall, if you can live with a smaller cooking surface and have a way to monitor temperatures to ensure you're not cooking too hot - this is an excellent addition to your arsenal of kitchen gadgets. It's much easier than cooking on my larger outdoor grills and griddles - perfect for time-crunched nights or when it's just too cold to cook outside.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
User submitted photo
User submitted photo
+7points
8of 9voted this as helpful.
 
The LG gram Z90RT series is the perfect laptop for productivity on the go, thanks to its astoundingly thin and lightweight design. Weighing just over 2 lbs at a mere .43” inches thick, it’s our lightest and thinnest LG gram yet. The brilliant 15.6” OLED anti-glare screen delivers impressive details and stunning deep black levels. So whether you want to work, play, stream or anything in between, LG gram with OLED screen will let you get more done in more places.
 
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Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
Ultra thin portable powerhouse of computing
on July 24, 2023
Posted by: DonnieZ
I'll open with - I love this laptop. I have a couple of wish list items, but this is the ultimate portable computer for non-gamers.
The LG Gram 15 made me realize how much I appreciate an ultra-slim, ultra-light device. I've carried a top-of-the-line 16" ARM-based laptop for the last year or two - but going to the LG Gram was a nice change of pace. When it comes time to refresh my device, I tend to alternate between "I need a mega powerhouse with huge battery life" and "I'm tired of lugging around a huge device, and I want something lightweight," and the LG delivers in the latter case.
The LG Gram has a mobile I7 processor, which packs enough punch to perform all of my day-to-day tasks - Word/Excel/Outlook, as well as some light coding and network management functions without slowing down. I have a habit of having tons of windows open, so 16G of RAM was a selling point for me - it seems that sometimes when you go ultra-portable, you sacrifice one of the big three specs (CPU/RAM/Storage), but not here. 1TB of storage is likely more than I'll ever need on a device of this size - as I'm leaning more on OneDrive these days to keep everything in sync between all of my devices.
Battery life is good overall, but still impressive for a device of this size and weight – 2 pounds, 2.7 ounces by my scale. As expected, the more windows you have open and the more intensive tasks you perform, the harder it is on the battery – however, there are times I can almost watch the battery meter go down if I have a lot going on. The device doesn't get exceptionally hot, which I tend to notice a lot, and it is very refreshing. However, the quiet but present fan does turn on when doing specific tasks - which is a good sign that whatever you are doing will be hard on the battery.
Operation of the trackpad is easy and unremarkable - which is good because I don't notice myself complaining about button placement or sensitivity when moving my wrist or the bottom of my hand across it. The keyboard has a nice tactile feel for one of its size, but I find that the placement is very far to the left, and when I use natural hand placement, I'm always off by one row of letters. This is something that I'm getting used to, but not something that is a deal breaker. Including a number pad on a device of this size is fantastic - I use this all the time!
The screen is bright and represents colors reasonably well, and gives you those inky blacks that OLED displays are known for; however, at the price point, I would have liked to have seen something higher than 1920x1080 resolution- QHD or even 4K would make this screen perfect. For business applications, it does work fine; however, that extra real estate would be welcome when working with spreadsheets. On the rare occasion I do have time to play a game, I installed Minecraft on this device, and it played exceptionally well - no lag and no streaking from the display - though playing this did chew through the battery pretty quickly.
I did notice the internal camera captures an image that is dark/underexposed when on Zoom/Teams calls.
As for I/O, the three USB-C ports work well - as I've seen this move coming and moved almost all of my accessories to USB-C. This also makes charging a snap, as it's one less charger brick I have to bring along with me - I can plug it into my USB-C charger that is part of my everyday travel kit - as well as get a battery boost on the plane from my USB-C battery pack that is also part of my kit. The included USB-C network adaptor works fine, and I was able to speed test around 950Mbps using it; no complaints here.
One thing I loathe about Windows machines is the amount of vendor bloat that comes along. LG includes a suite of applications, including an updater for drivers/firmware, a user manual, and some software called Glance that is supposed to improve the usability of the keyboard and mouse. I typically brush these aside or uninstall them. Often enough, I'm being prompted for some update, whether it be something for the system or an update to the update software itself.
Overall, this is a fantastic device, and if someone asked me which Windows laptop to consider for either the mobile professional or the student, this would be at the top of my list. I'd probably buy next year's model if it came with a higher res screen, making this a five-star device in my book.
I would recommend this to a friend!
-1point
0of 1voted this as helpful.
 
Support your dynamic workteam with this high-speed, multi-feature printer, ideal for up to 10 users. Super fast and super easy with advanced features, including fax, for small teams. Scan both sides with a single pass. Dual-sided scanning allows your users to get more done in less time.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
The Perfect MFP for your home or small office
on July 5, 2023
Posted by: DonnieZ
I've had the pleasure of using the HP LaserJet Pro 4301fdw for the past few weeks and so far the experience has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Once configured, this unit does what you expect and does well.
My wife and I both work from home and needed to upgrade our printer - and this unit had all the features we were looking for - color laser printing, duplex/two-sided printing, and scanning with an ADF. It also supports Apple AirPrint for printing from our iPads or iPhones.
From out of the box to printing, my first page took less than 10 minutes. Setup on the high-res color display on the unit is a breeze - you are guided through every step of the process - most of the setup is getting connected to your Wi-Fi network if you choose to go wireless like I did. The toner cartridges are pre-installed. All you have to do is add paper and connect the device to your computer.
Adding the printer was a breeze once the device was connected to Wi-Fi. Since it supports AirPrint/Bonjour - all our Macs found this printer and added the driver in less than a minute. We get rich information about supply level and print status without having to do any manual setup. It's all handled automatically.
The print quality is top-notch - and fast. Colors are vibrant when printing out photos, which look great when presenting materials to clients. I did a quick test with a copy of a magazine cover from our 8-year-old MFP and again on this one, and the difference is immediately noticeable - the color reproduction is incredibly accurate for a color laser printer. I used to run into issues printing complex PDF documents with our old printer, where the printer would error out. With the LaserJet 4301, I have yet to find a PDF this printer will not print, and it prints them out quickly.
Scan to email works great - I was able to set it up to use my Gmail as the source address / SMTP server by setting up an app password, which is the method to use when your Gmail account has MFA enabled.
One caveat to remember with any printer, especially color laser printers, is the operating cost. This is a costly device to use on a per-page basis.
You have two options to manage consumables (toner cartridges) - buy new ones from the store when they are empty or subscribe to HP Instant Ink.
If you decide to go it on your own, the toner cartridges last between 1,800 (color) and 2,000 pages (standard capacity black). At current prices at the rated page counts, you end up paying between 21-23 cents per page you print! In past experiences, I usually get a bit more printing than the rated page count, but it all depends on what you print and how much toner gets used on the page.
HP Instant Ink can be a better deal if you print a lot. The base package offered to me was $24.99/month for 200 pages per month, with the ability to roll over 800 pages. If you print out all 200 pages per month, the price per page drops to 12.5 cents and drops even further the more pages you buy - down to .04 cents per page at 3,000 pages per month.
You will have to decide which way to manage consumables works best for you - but this is something to keep in mind.
The bottom line is that this device works and is easy to use - I can print from all my devices, and nothing gets in the way. Historically, printers have always been a thorn in my side, and this device excels in ease of usability.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
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Badger food waste disposers are a reliable and functional choice when afford ability is the prime concern. Badger 5XP features a 3/4 HP heavy-duty quiet Dura-Drive Induction Motor, rugged Galvanized Steel construction for disposer durability, and a space-saving compact design. This InSinkErator garbage disposal has a patented Quick Lock mounting system for easy installation and replacement of garbage disposers. The Quick Lock mount is completely compatible with all InSinkErator models. When it's time to upgrade or replace, simply twist off the old mount and twist on the new one. Includes garbage disposer, flange, stopper, assembly components, Quick Lock components, power cord and user's manual. To top it off, badger 5XP offers a 4-year We Come to You In-Home Service Warranty.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Easy install, top performance
on December 1, 2022
Posted by: DonnieZ
I had the good fortune of being able to replace a critical piece of plumbing before it failed, going right into the holiday hosting season with the InSinkerator Badger 5XP 3/4 HP disposal unit.
A food waste disposal isn't the sexiest of kitchen appliances, but it's one that we lean on quite often. Ours was approaching 16 years old and I didn't want any issues - so I took the opportunity to replace my old 1/3HP unit with this 3/4 HP unit. As disposals go, Insinkerator is the first name I think of and there's a good reason why - they make a quality product and have for years.
Installation of this unit took me about 15 minutes. I do consider myself quite handy, but really I'd rate this project maybe a 2 or 3 on a scale of 1-10 for difficulty in home projects, especially if you had an InSinkerator unit before. Even though my unit was 15+ years old, the mounting system hasn't changed. I was able to disconnect the old unit from electrical, disconnect from plumbing as my old unit was fit with hand tightened PVC fittings, and simply give the old unit a third of a turn on the mounting ring that was in the sink. Installing the new unit was essentially the reverse of the installation process - lift the unit in to place with one hand, use the included manual override tool to twist the mounting collar until it's snug, connect plumbing and electrical, and the insatllation was done. I checked for leaks with a small amount of water running through and all was good.
I have nothing negative to say about this unit. From the moment I turned it on the first time, it has ran flawlessly and has not gotten clogged or required any manual intervention at all. Noise wise, it is indistinguishable from my old 1/3 HP unit. I am careful about what I put down my drain and use the disposal on - if I'm doing something where there's going to be a lot of waste, such as peeling potatoes, I always fill the sink and get the potato skins floating in the water, then pull the drain cover and start the disposal. This ensures there's a sufficient volume of water in the disposal so as not to create something that is going to be too thick and clog up the downstream plumbing.
As disposals go, this is a solid performer and I would highly recommend this unit to anyone looking to replace or install a new disposal in their home.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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The Samsung Jet™ 75 Complete Cordless Stick Vacuum features a lightweight and maneuverable design and a removable battery that can be easily swapped* for extended cleaning time up to 60 minutes. Compatible with Samsung Clean Station™ for mess-free, automatic emptying of the hygienic dust bin. *Second battery sold separately.
 

Is the unit able to stand upright on its own?

It is not. The tools themselves have swivel heads that provide no stability if you aren't holding it. It will sit upright if you wall mount the charger.
3 years, 4 months ago
by
DonnieZ
 
Expand connectivity on your Apple MacBook Pro or Air with this gray HyperDrive DUO seven-in-two USB Type-C hub. Two USB Type-C ports support Power Delivery for charging mobile devices rapidly, while the HDMI output lets you connect a UHD display. This HyperDrive DUO seven-in-two USB Type-C hub has USB Type-A ports and microSD and SD card slots for fast data transfer.
 

Can you use this with an SD card reader?

You can, but it has an SD card as well as a micro SD card reader built in.
3 years, 9 months ago
by
DonnieZ