Batlacit's stats
- Review count228
- Helpfulness votes918
- First reviewFebruary 13, 2016
- Last reviewJune 23, 2025
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4.5
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- Answer count55
- Helpfulness votes100
- First answerSeptember 21, 2016
- Last answerJanuary 21, 2022
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- Best answers11
Record audio using your smartphone with this Samson Satellite USB/iOS broadcast microphone. Two 16mm condenser capsules capture clear, accurate audio, and the three pickup patterns let you record detailed audio in a variety of situations. This Samson Satellite USB/iOS broadcast microphone offers easy portability and includes USB and Lightning cables for connecting to a range of devices.
Customer Rating
4
Surprisingly good little mic & editing suite
on January 17, 2020
Posted by: Batlacit
from Madison, WI
I find myself fairly impressed with the Satellite as a portable broadcast/recording solution. It's the first condenser mic I've seen that's got decent support for mobile phones, crystal clear recording quality, and a highly attractive yet compact package that you won't mind showing up on camera.
The mic has support for most of the features you'd expect, and you can tell a lot of thought went into the design. The mute button is touch sensitive, ensuring that you don't have to worry about the mic picking up mechanical button presses. The built in stand folds up into the sides to expose a threaded socket on the bottom for use with a standard mic stand. Cables are provided for both USB and lightning connections. And the whole thing feels very solidly put together. And best of all, the mic comes with a free copy of Motu Performer Lite, a surprisingly full featured music production suite.
While I do occasional recording work, I'll freely admit that I don't have a ton of experience actually setting up and tuning in the gear. I found the mic and the software to be fairly painless to get going, albeit it took some experimentation to get the mic's sensitivity right.
While I do occasional recording work, I'll freely admit that I don't have a ton of experience actually setting up and tuning in the gear. I found the mic and the software to be fairly painless to get going, albeit it took some experimentation to get the mic's sensitivity right.
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Introducing the BISSELL® air220 Air Purifier. This machine packs powerful indoor air purifying power into a simplistic and sleek machine, bringing form and function together in your home. The unique design is apparent in the air220's clean lines and smooth edges. Underneath the sleek design you'll find three layers of filtration, including an activated carbon filter and a HEPA + pre-filter that captures hair, dust, pollen, dander, home and pet odors, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This air purifier is a powerful machine you'd expect from BISSELL, a trusted homecare brand. The air220 has a soft-touch dial that lets you control both fan speed and power. It has a discrete cord wrap on the back panel and filters that can be accessed from the front panel, so you can keep it against a wall in your home. The air220 is tested to the AHAM standard to have a Smoke CADR of 172 for rooms up to 266 sq. ft., making it great for bedrooms, living areas, basements, and dining rooms.. You’ve trusted BISSELL to clean and care for the floors and surfaces in your home. Now, let us clean your air! Plus, every purchase of this product helps save pets. BISSELL® proudly supports BISSELL Pet Foundation® and its mission to help save homeless pets. When you buy a BISSELL product, you help save pets, too. We’re proud to design products that help make pet messes, odors and pet homelessness disappear.
Customer Rating
5
A purifier I don't mind having in the living room
on December 18, 2019
Posted by: Batlacit
from Madison, WI
As someone with a dust allergy, I’ve had a lot of different air purifiers over my life. This has taught me that finding one that does the required job isn’t particularly hard – but finding one that does so without you being painfully aware of its presence gets a bit more tricky. Bissel hasn’t completely solved this issue, but they’ve come closer than most of the ones I’ve used over the years. The air220 is sleek, stylish, and most importantly a lot more quiet than the other options I’ve tried that offer this level of filtration. And that goes a long way towards endearing itself to me.
Given that the package is basically just a fan pointed at some filters, it shouldn’t be a surprise that setup is very straightforward. Just about the only trick to it is making sure you open the thing up to strip off the bags they ship the filters in before turning it on. Once you’ve done that, just about everything else can be automated. A light provides a real-time assessment of the quality of the air being passed through the filter (going from blue to red) and fan speeds can be automatically controlled by the quality sensor to make sure it never makes itself too conspicuous. This is a feature I’ve seen in a few different air purifiers, but the air220 is the first one I’ve tried that actually seems to work reliably. You can still manually control the fan speed if you want, but so far I’ve found it to be responsive enough to sudden spikes in irritants like smoke coming from the kitchen or letting air in by opening up the patio door to keep me from needing it. The unit also gets points for the addition of a light sensor to let the thing know when you’ve turned down the lights to go to bed or watch a movie, at which point the fan controller will disable all the lights and spin down the fan as low as it can to prevent it from disturbing your sleep if it’s located in a bedroom. As far as I’m concerned, this feature alone makes it worth the premium you pay for it.
As far as filter maintenance goes, the air220 is fairly typical in that regard. All the filters are accessible by a large removable panel at the front which also serves as the primary intake. The perforations in the front panel can easily trap a lot of dust so it’s not quite as simple as just wiping the front clean, but a couple minutes with a hose or in the shower will do the job. The only real trick to it is making sure you lay it down on its back before trying to remove the filters to make sure you don’t end up dumping all the stuff you’ve been trying to get out of the air into your face. The filters themselves seem to be of fairly good quality, and with some regular cleaning can probably have their lives extended a bit (though obviously if you’re exceptionally sensitive to air quality you’ll probably just want to follow the suggested replacement cycle.
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The Philips Hue HDMI Sync box adds premium surround lighting to your home theater by syncing your Hue smart lights with movies, music and video games. Watch, listen and play with more wonder and excitement as your lights dance, flash, dim and brighten with your screen. Requires Hue color capable lights and a Hue Bridge (sold separately).
Customer Rating
4
Just fun!
on December 4, 2019
Posted by: Batlacit
from Madison, WI
Hue products arguably aren’t the most practical or cost effective smart lighting system out there. But they are unquestionably one of the most fun. And products like the Sync Box exemplify why that is.
The sync box does an admirable job of reproducing the kind of localized context based mood lighting that’s been available on some Philips TVs for a few years now with just about any screen imaginable, and is compatible with both standard hue bulbs and dedicated light strips and bars that can be mounted directly to a TV or entertainment center for a more discrete installation. Setup just takes a few minutes, and once everything’s plugged in and programmed in the app there’s very little you need to do past that. Once it’s running the effect is surprisingly neat. I can’t say it’ll revolutionize your viewing experience, but it’s pretty cool seeing the lighting in the room react to match what’s happening on the screen and can make action scenes and colorful animation pop that much more.
The design is a definite highlight as well. Aesthetically it’s a basic curved black box just a bit larger than your typical streaming device. But it becomes very clear that the engineers who assembled this thing put a lot of thought into the overall user experience. To begin with, it eschews the standard power adapter for a brick that can power two additional Hue lights/strips in addition to the sync box, meaning you can power your entire TV lighting setup from just a single outlet. Admittedly I'd have rather they not gone with the wall-wart design for this, as it's big enough to be difficult to fit onto most surge protectors, but it still beats having to find three outlets. It’s also got an option I’ve never seen before to detect the power state of your TV by running a USB cable to one of the ports found on most modern Smart TVs, a slightly more reliable means of detecting when the thing’s been turned on than the HDMI-CEC connection it uses by default. And the 4 port HDMI switch works brilliantly, handling automatic signal detection and device switching almost flawlessly.
That said, there are still some rough edges here. To begin with, it does struggle with detecting the signal from streaming devices that are basically always on, such as a Roku. I’ve found I often have to manually power on the sync box as a result. It also lacks a dedicated remote control, and your options for controlling it via the Sync app are a bit on the sparse side. Speaking of, I’m also not the biggest fan of their decision to split the Sync Box app into its own program rather than just integrating it directly into the main Hue app so you aren’t having to constantly switch between them. It’s also currently lacking in any sort of integration with Google Home or Alexa – which could arguably help make up for some of the other shortcomings. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that these features are something that might one day find their way into a software update – but for now it does feel every now and then like I’m working with a beta version of the final product.
Overall, while the Sync box doesn’t really do anything that I’d consider essential (or especially useful,) I’d still recommend it as a fun toy to get a bit more use out of your Hue White and Color bulbs while adding a bit of extra flair to your next movie night.
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Up your game with this Corsair RGB wireless gaming keyboard. Six programmable macro keys let you easily rebind important functions or create powerful hotkeys to help you win in the heat of battle. SLIPSTREAM WIRELESS, Bluetooth or wired USB connectivity let you choose how to reduce lag and overcome your opponents with this Corsair RGB wireless gaming keyboard.
Customer Rating
4
Just wish it were mechanical...
on November 15, 2019
Posted by: Batlacit
from Madison, WI
It's tough finding a decent wireless keyboard to use for gaming - particularly if you don't want one of the smaller tenkeyless designs. And I've never really been able to figure out why. Modern transmitter designs have reduced latency down to levels that are comparable with wired devices. Batteries have gotten very big and very cheap. And micro controllers are good enough to handle any internal logic required for macros or key re-mappings.
The K57 is an attempt to remedy this - and it is so very, very close to being the perfect wireless gaming keyboard. But unfortunately it fails on one simple criteria: it's a conventional membrane design rather than a full mechanical design.
Don't get me wrong, it's an extremely good membrane board. Key response is crisp and you don't get the mushy feel that a lot of cheaper boards have. But it really can't compare with the tactile feel or overall responsiveness you get with proper mechanical switches.
If you can do without though, I suspect you'll be very happy with this unit. it has dedicated macro and multimedia keys, rather than relying on keyboard shortcuts. Despite being made of plastic it has little to no deck flex. The fast RF receiver has absolutely no perceptible latency or problems with rollover. It supports pairing with a total of 3 devices (1 RF, 2 Bluetooth). And, if you'd rather stick with wired, you can plug in a Micro USB cable and have no worries about your gameplay being cut short by low battery or latency. This also unlocks a much wider array of lighting effects, controllable through Corsair's iCue software.
So, for me at least, the quest for the perfect wireless gaming keyboard continues. But until someone produces one - I'm more than happy sticking with this!
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Enjoy an immersive audio experience while gaming with this carbon CORSAIR VOID RGB ELITE wireless headset. The custom-tuned 50mm high-density neodymium drivers offer crisp, powerful sound, while the breathable microfiber mesh and soft memory foam earpads add comfort to all-day gaming. This CORSAIR VOID RGB ELITE wireless headset has an omnidirectional microphone for clear communication, and the on-ear controls help you adjust sound settings easily.
Customer Rating
5
Wired quality without the fuss
on November 15, 2019
Posted by: Batlacit
from Madison, WI
Corsair's got a reputation for quality hardware - and it shows in his headset.
One of the first things you'll notice on unpacking the Void is its significant heft. While most gaming headsets can boast about the build quality, the Void features a lot of metal parts and some very dense plastic that feels like it can stand up to a a lot of punishment. The RGB elements are fairly understated, with a single light on the mic that doubles as a mute indicator and a lighted logo on each side. The padding is thick and quite comfortable without being too hot. If there's one downside to the way it's built though, it's that it lacks a certain degree of flexibility. It sits on your head rather than wrapping around it, making it a bit easier to accidentally knock it off.
Audio is crisp, clear, and plenty loud. It's got a bit less bass than some headphones out of the box, but if you do prefer more low tones then it's not that hard to pump them up with an equalizer. Mic performance is very good with or without the included baffle, and I noticed no perceptible lag from the wireless transmitter. All in all, it's one of the better gaming headsets available at this price point.
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The entire Meta Portal family is video calling designed to bring people closer. Simple to set up and fun to use, Portal is a smart video calling device for a closer connection to friends and family—wherever they are. Whether you’re having meaningful conversations or getting help with a recipe, it’s easy to make smart video calls to anyone via Messenger, Whatsapp, Zoom and more–even if they don’t have a Portal. And once you’ve connected, Smart Camera pans and zooms to keep you in frame so you can move and talk naturally, while Smart Sound minimizes background noise and enhances your voice. Working from home becomes easier as you free up your laptop with a dedicated calling screen for conference calls and screen sharing via Microsoft Teams, Webex, Zoom and Workplace. An expanding AR library lets you blur backgrounds or add effects to liven up calls, while StoryTime uses AR, animation and music to let you tell immersive bedtime stories to loved ones anywhere in the world. And when your calling is done, Portal’s picture perfect frame will display your favorite photos from Instagram, Facebook or uploaded from your phone via the Portal app. With Alexa Built-in, you can control your smart home and connected devices with the sound of your voice. Explore with Portal’s browser and, with additional account activations, enjoy music with Pandora and Spotify or content via Facebook Watch and more—all with room-filling sound. Portal’s simple privacy settings mean you can easily disable the camera and microphone, or block the lens with the camera cover. All Messenger and WhatsApp calls are encrypted.
Customer Rating
4
Video calls, simplified
on November 8, 2019
Posted by: Batlacit
from Madison, WI
Even though the ability to do video teleconferencing is baked into just about everything with enough space to mount a webcam these days, there are surprisingly few devices that are explicitly designed for video calls on the consumer market. Of those that do exist, Facebook’s portal devices are arguably the most feature rich and refined options out there. The second generation Portal does an admirable job of continuing in this tradition while also offering a much more compact and unobtrusive design that’ll look more at home in your living room than their predecessors, and for the most part does a pretty good job.
From a design perspective they’ve pretty much nailed it. When you’re not using it for video chats, the Portal looks like a very nice digital picture frame. It pulls directly from your Facebook account, cycling through photos ever few minutes and occasionally offering an update on the weather or suggestions about things you can do with it. Once you activate it via a voice command or tap the screen the pictures are replaced by a minimalist but highly functional interface for calling your contacts in Facebook’s Messenger or WhatsApp platforms. Video calls themselves are a little less “magical” than the ads suggest, with the camera sometimes making unneeded adjustments to zoom or positioning because it thinks it’s spotted a new face or the lighting just changed, but it’s nonetheless highly capable and features much better audio than you could expect to get with a cell phone. The AR features it offers, while not quite on par with the ones available on platforms like Snapchat, all work well and will delight any young children on the other side of the chat. Overall the user experience is polished enough that you won’t mind spending an hour or two on a single call, which speaks to the level of polish and attention to detail that’s been given to the device and its software. I’m also pleased to note that there is a physical button allowing you to shutter the camera and shut off the mic pickup – pretty much necessary in my opinion given Facebook’s somewhat spotty record regarding consumer data collection.
That said, I do find there are a few things that keep me from giving it full marks. To start, the design of the unit pretty much requires that it be set up on a desk or table, as the power cable (strangely referred to as a “charging cable” in the documentation despite the fact that the Portal doesn’t have an internal battery) doubles as a kickstand. I don’t have a ton of spare desk space, so both the 10” unit I received (which I’d definitely recommend for the addition of a USB-C port allowing you some additional connectivity options) ended up taking up more of it than I’d like. Given the choice I’d much rather mount it on the wall or to the back of my desk’s hutch, but I don’t see any way to achieve that with this sort of design. There were also several cases where I found myself thinking that it really would be nice if there were some kind of internal battery that would let me take it into a neighboring room to show my nephew something or let someone else say hello without needing to go through the whole process of booting it up and restarting the video call. And, of course, there is the Facebook issue. Facebook has insisted on numerous occasions that they aren’t watching the data from Portal calls, nor are they identifying specific users to gather metadata. And they have done an admirable job in making their privacy notices highly visible and clear enough for a layman to understand them. But I can’t say I don’t feel a little uneasy at times given their record, and I probably wouldn’t recommend this unit if not for the inclusion of the privacy controls for the camera and mic on that basis alone.
Despite those issues, I do think the Portal has a lot more to recommend it than not for a lot of people. Particularly for customers who aren’t necessarily the most tech savvy, such as grandparents or their young grandchildren. The overall simplicity and comfort of the UX on this thing is refined enough that they’ll likely find it considerably less intimidating than the alternatives available, and it’s pretty enough to fit into anyone’s décor. Overall, an excellent improvement over an already solid product.
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Philips Pasta and Noodle Maker Plus - HR2375/06
Customer Rating
5
Great pasta with no fuss
on October 15, 2019
Posted by: Batlacit
from Madison, WI
Making pasta isn't one of those things that's particularly hard, but it can definitely be time consuming and will generally leave your kitchen coated in a thin layer of flour by the time you're done. The Philips Avance pasta maker seeks to address both of those with one mostly automated device - and I have to say it does a pretty good job of it.
The description really is accurate with this one - you really do just fill the hopper with flour, push a button, then slowly pour in some liquid and let the machine do its thing. The pasta maker takes about ten minutes total to complete its task, and about five minutes to clean up after. And the pasta it creates is absolutely delicious. I've tried it now with both recipes made specifically for the machine (a book containing a few dozen different pasta types is included in the box) and with recipes I got off the internet, and both worked great.
That said, if you do decide that a pasta making robot is something you need in your life, there are a few things you should definitely be aware of. First: this thing is pretty big and just slightly on the heavy side. Add in a plate to catch the pasta as its produced, and you may find there's not much counter space left for other prep work. Second, you really do need to be careful when pouring the liquid if you're using the included measuring cup. The broad lip doesn't do the best job at directing and containing the liquid as you pour it, making it very easy to spill if you don't control the rate properly. Third, if you don't already own a kitchen scale it's probably a good idea to get one. Just about every pasta recipe you'll find measures out the ingredients by weight rather than volume, and conversions get very tricky if you don't know exactly how fine the flour used was ground. The included measuring cup is an okay work around, but it's still a work around.
Oh, and I'd definitely recommend using one of the recipes based on semolina flour rather than all purpose for your first batch. Trust me, you'll be much happier with the results.
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Say goodbye to clutter and hello to this multi-functional Toaster Oven Air fryer! Enjoy a variety of delicious dishes with ease and convenience using the Chefman Toast-Air™ Convection Oven + Air Fryer. No more heating up your kitchen with a full-size oven - get the same results as a traditional convection oven with the convenience of countertop cooking for faster and more evenly cooked food. This countertop convection oven is a useful tool in any busy kitchen with variable temperature controls and cooking functions to air fry, bake, broil, convection bake, toast, and warm, as well as a temperature range from 200-450° F to set at the desired temperature. 7 preset options make any kitchen task easy, while the interior cooking light allows you to easily monitor cooking process. The extra-large 25-liter interior (12.5 x 11.75 inches) can fit up to 6 slices of toast and most baking pans. With the highly efficient rapid air technology and high-speed convection system, you can get even, crispy fried texture using little to no oil. The rack positioning is designed for maximum space and even air flow – if using multiple racks, rotate them halfway through for best results. The air fryer function is perfect for cooking once-frozen leftover foods and making them taste fresh again. Feeling some toast? This counter oven features an option to select the desired level of toast, from light to dark. With a 60-minute countdown timer and ready signal bell, you always know when your food is ready; the unit automatically shuts off when the door is opened for added safety. Air fry basket, flat wire rack, broil pan, and crumb tray are easily removable and dishwasher safe for convenience and quick clean up; non-stick interior and stainless-steel exterior wipe down easily. With the cookbook included, it’s even easier to conquer any cooking need with this toaster-oven air fryer and enjoy the benefits!
Customer Rating
4
Great second oven for the kitchen
on October 2, 2019
Posted by: Batlacit
from Madison, WI
In the last few years, "do everything" devices like the instant pot have made some serious inroads into our kitchens. While these are generally designed to completely replace the need for your other appliances, the Chefman Toaster Oven Air Fryer takes a slightly different approach by trying to supplement your primary oven rather than completely replacing it.
When you get right down to it, an air fryer is basically just a convection oven with a metal basket. As such it should not surprise anyone that the Chefman is essentially just a tiny convection oven with a whole lot of knobs and interchangeable parts. Which is actually a pretty handy thing to have when you're preparing complex meals. After using it for about a week I've found that I'm generally reaching for it whenever there's a side that needs to be prepared in the oven, saving me from having to set my oven up in stages. And given the fact that my regular oven is not a convection oven, it's also great for getting small baking tasks (such as cookies) done quickly. And as you'd expect from a toaster oven, it's quite effective at heating up leftovers without leaving them feeling mushy. It hasn't really wowed me with its capabilities, but then I don't feel it really has to. It works well, and that's enough.
That being said, there are a couple things about it that keep me from giving it top marks. To start, all the controls are analog. I can understand this for the temperature controls, as controlling the heat in an oven like this is a little tricky at the best of times, but I'd really prefer the option for more precision on the cook timer. The tool intended to allow you to slide trays in and out also doesn't do the best job of grabbing the included wire rack. But, for the price, I'm more than willing to put up with the inconveniences that come with the design.
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Boost your confidence with this Upright Go 2 posture trainer. Integrated sensors detect when you're slouching to help train your body for better posture in under 14 days. Use the device by itself or sync with the Upright app on Android or iOS. With a portable design, 30-hour battery life and easy-touch adhesive to keep it safely in place, this Upright Go 2 posture trainer is ideal for all-day wear.
Customer Rating
5
Surprisingly polished experience
on September 20, 2019
Posted by: Batlacit
from Madison, WI
Like most sedentary white-collar workers, my posture is abominable. I have back issues, neck issues, and shoulder issues because of it, and yet whenever I set about to try and fix the problem I find it's all too easy to slide (or rather slump) back into old habits.
The Go 2 from Upright seeks to fix this problem in the way that most smart devices do - through buzzing notifications you can't help but take note of. I'll admit, I was on the fence about the concept when I first heard about it. I imagined any number of ways that the little thing could turn out to be inadequate or poorly designed.
It was only after I'd gotten used to using it that I realized the one thing I'd never really expected was for it to be really, really well designed.
The initial startup is pretty simple. Once you've downloaded the app and connected the device, you're asked to create an account and enter a few pertinent details regarding your height, weight, gender, and the sort of issues you're seeking to resolve. Once you've done this, it feeds it into an algorithm and pops out a (supposedly customized) plan for improving your posture. For me, it recommended a 23 day program where each day I'd do a little more training. I'm only four days in at this point, but already my dance instructor roommate has commented on the fact that I do seem to be standing up a bit more straight than usual. We'll have to see if this sticks once the training regimen is over, but I'm hopeful.
As far as the overall user experience goes, both the app and the device receive top marks. The device attaches between your shoulders with an adhesive pad (there's a fairly generous supply of them included with the device.) Once you've put it on, you will be asked to stand up straight and indicate on the app that you're doing so to allow the sensor to figure out what correct posture looks like on you. From there it's surprisingly accurate at figuring out when the top half of your back is straight, though there are definitely still a few unhealthy poses you can do with your lower back that will trick it into thinking you're sitting properly. When I was first trying the device on I figured this would be a weak point of the system, but I'm pleased to say I was completely wrong on that. The adhesives are very effective, easily lasting an entire day and then some without moving. They never irritated my skin, nor is the device itself that uncomfortable. I generally completely forgot about it a few minutes after putting it on. Indeed, that actually got me into trouble a couple of times when I left the house intended to wear it, only to realize that I'd left it on the end table charging! Also, as a side note, the sensor gets bonus points for using USB-C for charging.
From that point, using the device is more or less invisible. The sensor doesn't actually buzz you all that often. It's pretty much always active during the few minutes a day it wants you to train, but after that it'll try to switch to a tracking mode which simply monitors how well you do throughout the day. It will still buzz you if it detects a prolonged period of bad posture, but after a couple days I found those reminders became increasingly rare (another reason for me to suspect it's actually having the intended effect and training me to sit up a little straighter.)
The software allows for a tremendous degree of customization if you find you want something a little different than its recommended training as well. You can change the intensity, duration, and pattern of vibrations, how long it should let you slouch before warning you, and how far off center is acceptable. I found this to be both a blessing and a curse. It's generally always great to have options, but I have to admit it was a little too easy at times to think of rationalizations for turning down the sensitivity a little in the name of comfort. I'm currently still of the opinion that this is a good thing, but we'll have to see how strong I stay once I've graduated to half an hour of training a day.
It's definitely not a miracle fix, and it's no substitute for proper medical care for people with really severe back issues. But for an average keyboard jockey like myself, this is a fantastic gadget that I'd gladly recommend to anyone looking for a reminder to improve their posture.
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Store, share and transport files with the lightweight Western Digital My Passport Portable Hard Drive. The SuperSpeed USB port lets you transfer large files in seconds and 256-bit AES hardware encryption helps keep your files secure. The My Passport provides enough space to store thousands of files and documents. Auto backup capability allows you to select the time and frequency of file transfers.
Customer Rating
4
An effective, if imperfect, backup solution.
on August 18, 2019
Posted by: Batlacit
from Madison, WI
Backing up your computer is a little like brushing your teeth after eating lunch. Everyone knows it’s a good idea. Just about everyone has the means of doing it. And yet it’s just enough of an inconvenience that virtually no one does. The WD Passport series seeks to use a combination of cost-effective hardware and user friendly software to reduce that inconvenience to one that most people will be willing to improve their bad habits, and this one is no exception.
As far as the hardware goes, it’s solid but doesn’t do much to really stand out regarding what you get. Inside the fairly rugged (and heavy) case is a standard 2.5” drive of the same sort you’d find in a laptop plugged into a USB 3.0 interface. I can’t see any evidence of additional shock or vibration protection being used to help combat the problems mechanical drives usually experience when being taken on the go, so a padded carrying case may not be a bad idea if you plan to use it like that. While they get marks for not requiring an external power brick and using a replaceable, non-proprietary cable they lose some ground here for using the Micro B connector to connect the drive rather than the more durable (and ubiquitous) USB-C connection standard. This is particularly annoying for a portable device, as finding one of these cables out in the wild is borderline impossible in most places, so if you lose it your only option will be to substitute a much slower (and less robust) standard micro USB cable in its place. Also, as is typical in these devices, while the interface may be fast the drive it’s connected to is not. Don’t get me wrong, speeds can be pretty good under the right conditions where the drive’s expanded cache can come into play, but at the end of the day you’ve still got a mechanical laptop drive in there. As such it’s probably not a device I’d recommend for uses where a high transfer speed is essential, such as a portable media vault.
Fortunately, the unit fares a LOT better when it comes to software. Preloaded on the drive is a pair of install wrappers for Western Digital’s Discovery dashboard – one for Windows and one for Mac. Running them should, ideally, download the latest version of the utility from the internet and install it on your machine (though in my case I found I needed to go to Western Digital’s support website and download it from there before it would actually work.) This then lets you install 3 basic apps: one for backups, another for security management, and one for maintenance and health monitoring of the drive. The utilities aren’t likely to blow anyone away with their feature set, but they’re very simple to use and offer more than the barebones functionality you’ll get with a lot of manufacturers. Once each of these optional programs have been installed you’ll be walked through setting up the most basic features of each such as establishing a backup schedule, setting a password for the drive’s encryption (which is hardware based so as to remove a potential bottleneck created by software encryption utilities), and renaming the primary volume. There’s also an option for turning off the status LED for the drive – something that more backup devices could stand to implement given that usually the best time to pull a backup is at night when the computer’s not in use. There’s also an option to save backups to a cloud service such a Dropbox so you don’t have to worry about bringing the drive with you everywhere.
Ultimately, the word I keep coming back to in my head when trying to describe this drive is “effective.” It’s not as rugged or fast as an SSD. It’s not as feature rich or sophisticated as a desktop RAID array or small scale NAS appliance. And it’s not as automatic as a cloud backup service that’s constantly running in the background. But it is inexpensive, easy to use, and big enough to take just about anything you might throw at it. And for most people, that should be enough to meet their needs.
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Explore realistic 3D audio with sound precisely projected from above, in front, behind and to the side of you with the latest acoustic technologies.
I am interested in this product to go with a new Samsung - 50" Class QN90A Neo QLED 4K UHD Smart Tizen TV however the TV is going to be on a swivel bracket from the wall. Is there any way to attached the sound-bar to the bottom of the TV?
Yes. It's got a pretty standard wall mount system, and there are VESA compatible brackets you can get to let you attach it to the TV instead. That said it does need a bit of clearance between the soundbar and the bottom of the TV set to make sure you don't block the upward firing speakers at all and the case is pretty deep compared to most sound bars, so you might want to keep in mind that it's not likely to be a very clean looking setup compared to some other options that are available.
4 years ago
by
Batlacit
Explore realistic 3D audio with sound precisely projected from above, in front, behind and to the side of you with the latest acoustic technologies.
Do you have to use the rear speakers when purchasing this item, and will it effect the system with the rear speakers Not in use
The rear speakers are completely optional. If you don't pair anything with them, it just reports itself as a 3.1.2 channel soundbar.
4 years ago
by
Batlacit
Unleash the power of the Samsung 980 PRO PCIe 4.0 NVMe Gen4 SSD for next-level computing. 980 PRO delivers 2x the data transfer rate of PCIe 3.0, while maintaining compatibility with PCIe 3.0.¹ ¹The NVM Express® design mark is a registered trademark of NVM Express, Inc.* Results are based on a comparison with Samsung PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSDs and SATA SSDs. PS5 compatible with heatsink as recommended by Sony; heatsink sold separately.
How about adding the endurance specification to your descriptions?
Endurance is rated at 1200tbw for the 2tb model, 600 for the 1tb, and 300 for the 500gb. All of them are warrantied for 5 years.
4 years ago
by
Batlacit
Unleash the power of the Samsung 980 PRO PCIe 4.0 NVMe Gen4 SSD for next-level computing. 980 PRO delivers 2x the data transfer rate of PCIe 3.0, while maintaining compatibility with PCIe 3.0.¹ ¹The NVM Express® design mark is a registered trademark of NVM Express, Inc.* Results are based on a comparison with Samsung PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSDs and SATA SSDs. PS5 compatible with heatsink as recommended by Sony; heatsink sold separately.
Has anyone noticed it being hot? Not quite sure if it would be ok for my laptop.
Operating temps never even hit 70°c in the ASUS gaming ultrabook I tried it in, and that's not exactly a cool machine to begin with. I think it'd do fine in most laptops provided they have decent cooling, particularly since there's some onboard thermal management to help keep it from burning itself out.
4 years ago
by
Batlacit
BISSELL SpinWave wet and dry robotic vacuum provides two ways to clean in a single revolutionary robot. The two tank system actively mops or powerfully vacuums with smart, structured cleaning paths. Use it in dry vacuuming mode to collect pet hair, dirt and other debris on carpet, area rugs and hard floors. When used in wet mopping mode, the mop pads and BISSELL cleaning solution work together to scrub floors clean. And, with the Soft Surface Avoidance Sensor, there's no need to worry about the robot going up on area rugs or carpets when in wet mopping mode. Plus, this product doesn't just clean up after pets, it helps save them, too. BISSELL proudly supports BISSELL Pet Foundation and its mission to help save homeless pets. When you buy a BISSELL product, you help save pets, too. We're proud to design products that help make pet messes, odors and pet homelessness disappear.
Hi, does this cleaner spray water and mop the floor?
It's not spraying water so much as it's excreting it, but yes. It's got one of the most effective mopping systems I've tried in a robot.
4 years, 3 months ago
by
Batlacit
BISSELL SpinWave wet and dry robotic vacuum provides two ways to clean in a single revolutionary robot. The two tank system actively mops or powerfully vacuums with smart, structured cleaning paths. Use it in dry vacuuming mode to collect pet hair, dirt and other debris on carpet, area rugs and hard floors. When used in wet mopping mode, the mop pads and BISSELL cleaning solution work together to scrub floors clean. And, with the Soft Surface Avoidance Sensor, there's no need to worry about the robot going up on area rugs or carpets when in wet mopping mode. Plus, this product doesn't just clean up after pets, it helps save them, too. BISSELL proudly supports BISSELL Pet Foundation and its mission to help save homeless pets. When you buy a BISSELL product, you help save pets, too. We're proud to design products that help make pet messes, odors and pet homelessness disappear.
Can you make a map for the robot in the app?
No. The robot really doesn't seem to have any awareness of the geometry of a room, it just follows a set pattern from its starting point until it hits something. It's less random than the old bumper vacuums which means it gets further on a charge, but it's also easier for it to miss spots.
4 years, 3 months ago
by
Batlacit
BISSELL SpinWave wet and dry robotic vacuum provides two ways to clean in a single revolutionary robot. The two tank system actively mops or powerfully vacuums with smart, structured cleaning paths. Use it in dry vacuuming mode to collect pet hair, dirt and other debris on carpet, area rugs and hard floors. When used in wet mopping mode, the mop pads and BISSELL cleaning solution work together to scrub floors clean. And, with the Soft Surface Avoidance Sensor, there's no need to worry about the robot going up on area rugs or carpets when in wet mopping mode. Plus, this product doesn't just clean up after pets, it helps save them, too. BISSELL proudly supports BISSELL Pet Foundation and its mission to help save homeless pets. When you buy a BISSELL product, you help save pets, too. We're proud to design products that help make pet messes, odors and pet homelessness disappear.
Does this Vacuum and mop at the same time? Or first vacuum, then mop?
In mop mode it can do a little vacuuming as the vacuum head still runs and there's a tiny (unfiltered) dustbin to hold any debris it sweeps up, but I'm pretty sure it's not going to do much to trap dust. And it can't do both carpet and hard flooring in one go, you need to swap out a module for the different floor types.
4 years, 3 months ago
by
Batlacit
BISSELL SpinWave wet and dry robotic vacuum provides two ways to clean in a single revolutionary robot. The two tank system actively mops or powerfully vacuums with smart, structured cleaning paths. Use it in dry vacuuming mode to collect pet hair, dirt and other debris on carpet, area rugs and hard floors. When used in wet mopping mode, the mop pads and BISSELL cleaning solution work together to scrub floors clean. And, with the Soft Surface Avoidance Sensor, there's no need to worry about the robot going up on area rugs or carpets when in wet mopping mode. Plus, this product doesn't just clean up after pets, it helps save them, too. BISSELL proudly supports BISSELL Pet Foundation and its mission to help save homeless pets. When you buy a BISSELL product, you help save pets, too. We're proud to design products that help make pet messes, odors and pet homelessness disappear.
I have tile and carpet throughout home. Will it mop tile then switch to vacuum carpet? Or do I have to tell it what to do? .
It can't do both simultaneously. You need to switch modes by swapping out the standard dustbin for a motorized mophead containing a tank for cleaning fluid. In this mode it will not run if it detects that it's on carpeting.
4 years, 3 months ago
by
Batlacit
Fly through the sky in ways that seem impossible. We never lost our passion for flying, and with DJI FPV, those passions have turned imagination into reality. With this immersive and intuitive aerial platform, get ready to go into the beyond. Sleek and aerodynamic, the DJI FPV aircraft delivers powerful propulsion, battery life, and wind resistance, making this system as capable as it is visually stunning.
Will this drone and all it's features work well with my Samsung Galaxy Note 10+?
The DJI Fly app will run fine on a Note 10, but it should be noted that it doesn't actually need to use the phone for nearly as much as some other drones DJI has released. Most of the vital functions are handled in the included FPV goggles.
4 years, 3 months ago
by
Batlacit
Fly through the sky in ways that seem impossible. We never lost our passion for flying, and with DJI FPV, those passions have turned imagination into reality. With this immersive and intuitive aerial platform, get ready to go into the beyond. Sleek and aerodynamic, the DJI FPV aircraft delivers powerful propulsion, battery life, and wind resistance, making this system as capable as it is visually stunning.
Does this fly more combo come with more than 1 battery?
This SKU is not for the fly more combo, and it does not come with extra batteries. The one that's included runs for about 15-20 minutes in N mode, and requires a little less than an hour to charge.
4 years, 3 months ago
by
Batlacit