Batlacit's stats
- Review count192
- Helpfulness votes907
- First reviewFebruary 13, 2016
- Last reviewMay 16, 2024
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4.4
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- Answer count55
- Helpfulness votes96
- First answerSeptember 21, 2016
- Last answerJanuary 21, 2022
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Brew delicious coffee your way with this single-serve Ninja Coffee Bar system. It uses any ground coffee while bringing out the best flavor with advanced thermal flavor extraction technology. This versatile Ninja Coffee Bar system has a built-in frother that lets you brew, froth and drink out of one mug.
Customer Rating
4
What do you know, it works!
on September 28, 2016
Posted by: Batlacit
from Madison, WI
Okay, so first a disclaimer. I received this product for review purposes.
Which is probably a good thing, because when I first saw what it was, I really wasn't convinced that it was anything other than a coffee maker with a gimmick. There are just so many products these days that claim to vastly improve your food through some kind of culinary magic that, in the end, doesn't produce a perceptible difference.
But in this case, the gimmick (namely precise temperature control on the water) really does seem to have a noticeable impact on the coffee produced Not only that, it can be used to make a ton of coffeehouse style beverages that really do taste just as good as anything produced by a barista. What's more, I found that it actually requires less coffee to achieve the same relative strength, so there are some actual cost savings here that I never anticipated.
I also have to say I'm very pleased with the design ethic behind it. These days, single serve coffee makers all tend to rely on the k-cup, a horrifying invention from an ecological standpoint as it's managed to balloon our already absurd amount of plastic waste. This one, however, has none of it. The thing comes with a very nice and easily cleaned permanent filter, but if that's not to your taste it can be swapped out for another one or a paper filter.
As for ease of use, it supports a wide variety of containers, and really is just a question of pushing the right buttons to get it to work. All the parts are well labeled and straightforward. The integrated frother takes a little practice to learn how to avoid splattering liquid with it, but after a couple of accidents I learned it well enough.
That said, there are some downsides to this thing. The first is that this is definitely one of the bigger single-serving coffee makers I've seen. I don't really see any way around that, but the fact that they did their best doesn't change the fact that it takes up a lot more space than I expected on my counter. So if counter space is at a premium, you may need to take that into account.
The second has to do with one of the bigger features advertised for it - the ability to produce coffee house drinks. Sufficed to say, it provides the necessary parts (namely the concentrated coffee) but not much beyond that. The recipe book included has some great ones, but nothing about the device makes it any easier to actually prepare the drink. If that's what you're looking at this for, expect to have to practice a bit.
Which is probably a good thing, because when I first saw what it was, I really wasn't convinced that it was anything other than a coffee maker with a gimmick. There are just so many products these days that claim to vastly improve your food through some kind of culinary magic that, in the end, doesn't produce a perceptible difference.
But in this case, the gimmick (namely precise temperature control on the water) really does seem to have a noticeable impact on the coffee produced Not only that, it can be used to make a ton of coffeehouse style beverages that really do taste just as good as anything produced by a barista. What's more, I found that it actually requires less coffee to achieve the same relative strength, so there are some actual cost savings here that I never anticipated.
I also have to say I'm very pleased with the design ethic behind it. These days, single serve coffee makers all tend to rely on the k-cup, a horrifying invention from an ecological standpoint as it's managed to balloon our already absurd amount of plastic waste. This one, however, has none of it. The thing comes with a very nice and easily cleaned permanent filter, but if that's not to your taste it can be swapped out for another one or a paper filter.
As for ease of use, it supports a wide variety of containers, and really is just a question of pushing the right buttons to get it to work. All the parts are well labeled and straightforward. The integrated frother takes a little practice to learn how to avoid splattering liquid with it, but after a couple of accidents I learned it well enough.
That said, there are some downsides to this thing. The first is that this is definitely one of the bigger single-serving coffee makers I've seen. I don't really see any way around that, but the fact that they did their best doesn't change the fact that it takes up a lot more space than I expected on my counter. So if counter space is at a premium, you may need to take that into account.
The second has to do with one of the bigger features advertised for it - the ability to produce coffee house drinks. Sufficed to say, it provides the necessary parts (namely the concentrated coffee) but not much beyond that. The recipe book included has some great ones, but nothing about the device makes it any easier to actually prepare the drink. If that's what you're looking at this for, expect to have to practice a bit.
All in all though, I'm very happy with this thing, lost counter space notwithstanding. The size and skill requirement for doing anything more complex than basic coffee does mean it's probably best suited for serious coffee drinkers, but as someone who prefers tea (which this can also brew) I'm still quite pleased having it in my kitchen.
My Best Buy number: 2187428738
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Your household wants to play, stream and work online all at once. With this Linksys router, you can do it all without buffering or other interruptions. Use the Smart Wi-Fi app to get started, control, and monitor your home network from anywhere.
Customer Rating
5
Impressive speeds at a reasonable price point
on February 13, 2016
Posted by: Batlacit
from Madison, WI
I'd previously used a Linksys router that I'd been very happy with right up until it died of overheating. It was a very good router for everything I needed, but had a very poor design as far as heat dispersal went. It left me a little cautious with the brand ever since, so I was not expecting to be quite so impressed with this one!
First up, as you might imagine the first thing I was watching for with this thing was heat. I'm pleased to say that they obviously learned their lesson - the heat dispersal is vastly improved, and it's never gotten much more beyond "mildly warm" to the touch. The new case might not look as sleek as the previous designs, but it's far better in terms of performance.
The downside though is that this also means it's substantially larger. This occupies about twice the footprint of my old Linksys, and about 50% more than the router that replaced it. I'm more than willing to put up with that for something that gives me a substantial performance boost without making it prone to suicide, but it is something you might want to consider if desk space is at a premium for you.
Speaking of performance, WOW, the new AC standard is a step up in regards to speeds! Advertised rates go up to 1.3 gbps, but that's really just a measurement of burst speeds. In real world conditions you generally don't get anything near advertised rates, so once I'd set it up and made sure it was running cool I went and started running some benchmarks to see what I actually was getting. And it's very good indeed! On the 5ghz band I was easily maintaining speeds of about 900mbps. These routers really are to the point where they're comparable to a wired connection in terms of speed, and so far my attempts to get it to choke as far as reliability have been thwarted every time. The connection is fast and stable.
Going a little deeper, the router maintains networks on both 2.4 and 5 ghz bands. I'm liking this feature more than I thought, as it lets me separate out my devices into the networks best suited for them to make sure that routing speeds aren't negatively affected by a few older devices. This is made very easy through the highly customizable and very accessible router interface, which lets you be as technical or simple as your skill level requires. Some of my favorite features here include a prioritization system which lets rank the three most important devices on your network in terms of bandwidth priority, which is great if you've got a network under heavy load from a dozen bandwidth hungry devices but really just want to watch Netflix, and the very clever feature which gives you a dimmer switch for the onboard lights for the router, even letting you turn them off entirely! Were I still living in a place where my router was located in my bedroom this might have almost been a deciding factor alone in choosing this router.
The MuMIMO feature, of course, is a big selling point. I'm sorry to say I can't quite say for sure if it's all that it's made out to be based solely on my tests. Things were improved, yes, but not so much so that I can rule out the possibility that I'm just seeing the results of the higher bandwidth capacity. I give this feature a cautious thumbs up for now. It's probably not going to blow your mind on its own, but it certainly won't make your performance worse with multiple devices.
First up, as you might imagine the first thing I was watching for with this thing was heat. I'm pleased to say that they obviously learned their lesson - the heat dispersal is vastly improved, and it's never gotten much more beyond "mildly warm" to the touch. The new case might not look as sleek as the previous designs, but it's far better in terms of performance.
The downside though is that this also means it's substantially larger. This occupies about twice the footprint of my old Linksys, and about 50% more than the router that replaced it. I'm more than willing to put up with that for something that gives me a substantial performance boost without making it prone to suicide, but it is something you might want to consider if desk space is at a premium for you.
Speaking of performance, WOW, the new AC standard is a step up in regards to speeds! Advertised rates go up to 1.3 gbps, but that's really just a measurement of burst speeds. In real world conditions you generally don't get anything near advertised rates, so once I'd set it up and made sure it was running cool I went and started running some benchmarks to see what I actually was getting. And it's very good indeed! On the 5ghz band I was easily maintaining speeds of about 900mbps. These routers really are to the point where they're comparable to a wired connection in terms of speed, and so far my attempts to get it to choke as far as reliability have been thwarted every time. The connection is fast and stable.
Going a little deeper, the router maintains networks on both 2.4 and 5 ghz bands. I'm liking this feature more than I thought, as it lets me separate out my devices into the networks best suited for them to make sure that routing speeds aren't negatively affected by a few older devices. This is made very easy through the highly customizable and very accessible router interface, which lets you be as technical or simple as your skill level requires. Some of my favorite features here include a prioritization system which lets rank the three most important devices on your network in terms of bandwidth priority, which is great if you've got a network under heavy load from a dozen bandwidth hungry devices but really just want to watch Netflix, and the very clever feature which gives you a dimmer switch for the onboard lights for the router, even letting you turn them off entirely! Were I still living in a place where my router was located in my bedroom this might have almost been a deciding factor alone in choosing this router.
The MuMIMO feature, of course, is a big selling point. I'm sorry to say I can't quite say for sure if it's all that it's made out to be based solely on my tests. Things were improved, yes, but not so much so that I can rule out the possibility that I'm just seeing the results of the higher bandwidth capacity. I give this feature a cautious thumbs up for now. It's probably not going to blow your mind on its own, but it certainly won't make your performance worse with multiple devices.
There are really only a few nitpicks I can offer. While the case design is improved, there's still some niggling issues I noticed. First is the antennas. Like the rest of the router they're big, solid, and serviceable. But maybe a little too solid. There are pivot points allowing you to adjust the angle of the antennas for the best reception - but the resistance on them is pretty high. Higher, in fact, than the resistance of the screw holding them in their socket. The right antenna kept popping off on me when I was trying to make adjustments.
Second is that all of the link lights and status indicators are on the rear panel of the router, making them pretty much impossible to see. I understand this was probably to cut down on light pollution, but if you're already adding a dimmer switch, why not put them somewhere where they'll be visible without having to lift up the router?
And finally, there is the size issue. I don't think I've seen much in the way of small AC routers, and I think this is going to cause a lot of people some annoyance as we've all gotten used to being able to hide these things out of the way. There's really no hiding this thing. It's about the size of a lower end commercial grade access point. The performance you get in terms of speed over 802.11N is probably worth it in my view, but if you're looking for something you can hide behind a houseplant and don't have a lot of in-network traffic, you might want to stick with the N standard for now and wait for the AC tech to get a bit more mature.
Second is that all of the link lights and status indicators are on the rear panel of the router, making them pretty much impossible to see. I understand this was probably to cut down on light pollution, but if you're already adding a dimmer switch, why not put them somewhere where they'll be visible without having to lift up the router?
And finally, there is the size issue. I don't think I've seen much in the way of small AC routers, and I think this is going to cause a lot of people some annoyance as we've all gotten used to being able to hide these things out of the way. There's really no hiding this thing. It's about the size of a lower end commercial grade access point. The performance you get in terms of speed over 802.11N is probably worth it in my view, but if you're looking for something you can hide behind a houseplant and don't have a lot of in-network traffic, you might want to stick with the N standard for now and wait for the AC tech to get a bit more mature.
My Best Buy number: 2187428738
What's great about it: Accessible but still customizable, Great speeds, great range, decent price, light controls, USB 3.0 port
What's not so great: Larger than most routers, Antenna attachment points are too stiff,
I would recommend this to a friend!
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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.
Is the headset stereo or is it 2D only?
It's strictly 2D. The screens don't actually take up all that much of your field of vision, so it's more like having a very big monitor floating in front of your face than actually being inside the drone.
3 years, 2 months ago
by
Batlacit
Bose Sport Open Earbuds are true wireless earbuds like you’ve never seen or heard before. What makes them truly unique is that they are the first workout headphones of their kind that combine exclusive Bose OpenAudio technology with an innovative open-ear headphone design to produce high-quality sound without covering your ears. This allows you to hear your music and the world around you for an unbelievable, full-sensory experience. The city. The surf. Your running buddy. Hear it all and your music at the same time with these entirely new, entirely open sport earbuds. Sound is what motivates, and Bose Sport Open Earbuds deliver. The exclusive Bose OpenAudio technology produces clear, consistent sound that’s more authentic and comfortable than bone conduction. In addition, acoustic spillage is minimal thanks to speaker placement that’s closer to the ear. A comfortable and secure fit is crucial when exercising. These sport earbuds were rigorously designed and tested to gently rest on your ears while staying put no matter how intense your workout. Bose Sport Open Earbuds also offer up to eight hours of play time (with daily charging), an advanced mic system for crystal-clear calls, and IPX4 sweat and weather resistance. Now you can combine the environment that invigorates you with the content that motivates you.
can one earbud be used at a time to either take/talk on phonecalls?
Yes, this works fine. Though weirdly audio quality seems much better when you use both.
3 years, 4 months ago
by
Batlacit
Upgrade your entertainment setup with the Core Innovations 150” Home Theater Projector - White (CPJ600WHBY). With an adjustable screen size between 32”-150”, this projector is perfect for solo gaming marathons or an immersive movie night experience with the entire family. Stream videos, view photos or play your favorite games by linking your preferred device to this projector via numerous versatile connections, including HDMI, VGA, USB, Micro SD and AV.
Looking for dig projector for art projects. Is this good for photos off phone
I think that'll mostly depend on the art project. It can show photos, but the resolution is low enough that you're not going to get a ton of fine detail with them. It also needs to be pointed pretty much straight at the projection surface, as the keystone correction screws up the focus pretty badly.
3 years, 5 months ago
by
Batlacit
Upgrade your entertainment setup with the Core Innovations 150” Home Theater Projector - White (CPJ600WHBY). With an adjustable screen size between 32”-150”, this projector is perfect for solo gaming marathons or an immersive movie night experience with the entire family. Stream videos, view photos or play your favorite games by linking your preferred device to this projector via numerous versatile connections, including HDMI, VGA, USB, Micro SD and AV.
Does this projector come with the cords needed to connect to a laptop or do I need to purchase it separately,
It does not - you'll need to provide your own cables. And batteries, if you want to use the remote.
3 years, 5 months ago
by
Batlacit
Supreme stereo sound, impressive comfort and extended cross-platform compatibility – that's the ROCCAT® Elo X Stereo Wired Cross-Platform Gaming Headset for PC, Xbox, PlayStation®, Nintendo Switch & Mobile. Experience a weightless, dynamic fit thanks to a self-adjusting metal headband, superior memory foam ear cushions and ProSpecs™ Glasses Relief System for glasses wearers. Precision-tuned 50mm drivers produce crisp highs to thundering lows to help you seek out opponents with pitch-perfect stereo sound while a detachable noise-cancelling microphone featuring TruSpeak™ technology ensures your commands are heard perfectly with crystal-clear voice communication. Finally, the 3.5mm jack lets players go from PC to game console to mobile devices with ease.
Does it work for a Nintendo switch?
Yep, it'll work with anything with a 3.5mm headphone jack. The headset has a 3-pole combined headphone/mic plug attached to it and comes with a y-splitter that'll separate it out into discrete 2-pole connectors for the mic and headphones.
3 years, 6 months ago
by
Batlacit
Calls. Conferences. ON-the-GO. Air never looked so epic. Offering the ultimate true-wireless experience for any professional or audiophile, JLab Epic Air Sport ANC offers customized sound and active noise canceling plus industry-leading 48+ hours playtime. Transition from music to calls, work to home effortlessly with features like wear-detect, movie mode, wireless charging and more.
1. Does leaving the buds in the charging case for long periods of time degrade the battery? 2. Is any operating system specific apps or drivers needed for use? My use case is running it off a Linux laptop without Windows installed
1. Technically, yes, but letting lithium batteries go unused for long periods of time is bad for them in general. Keeping them in the case is on the balance probably better for them than the alternative of letting them sit outside the case since it'll take longer for them to run completely dry, at which point they won't be able to accept a new charge.
2. Some of the proprietary features like the touch controls or EQ settings do require a mobile app to configure, but apart from that you shouldn't have any issues connecting it to your Linux machine as a generic audio device so long as you've kept the Bluetooth stack reasonably up to date.
2. Some of the proprietary features like the touch controls or EQ settings do require a mobile app to configure, but apart from that you shouldn't have any issues connecting it to your Linux machine as a generic audio device so long as you've kept the Bluetooth stack reasonably up to date.
3 years, 7 months ago
by
Batlacit
Refreshed and ready to take its rightful spot atop a new generation of consoles, the Turtle Beach® Stealth™ 600 Gen 2 is the successor to the best-selling wireless gaming headset for PS5™, PS4™ & PS4™ Pro. The Stealth™ 600 Gen 2 wireless gaming headset is enhanced with a host of upgrades, including a larger high-sensitivity flip-to-mute mic that delivers improved chat clarity and now seamlessly integrates into the headset when muted. The headband and hinge design have been reinforced for added long-term durability, and soft, glasses-friendly ear cushions provide plush comfort while refined 50mm speakers produce high-quality, immersive sound and are optimized to unleash the power of Sony 3D Audio on PS5™. A user-friendly audio preset button on the headset allows for easy access to customize audio, and gamers can still count on Turtle Beach’s Superhuman Hearing® for an audio advantage on the battlefield. Finally, connectivity is made easy with the included, mini-USB Transmitter that wirelessly connects from your PlayStation® console to headset.
would a usb type c to 3.5mm audio jack work for the headset so i could make it wired and will the mic still work as well?
No. it looks like the USB port is only wired for charging - audio either goes through the USB dongle or not at all.
3 years, 8 months ago
by
Batlacit
Refreshed and ready to take its rightful spot atop a new generation of consoles, the Turtle Beach® Stealth™ 600 Gen 2 is the successor to the best-selling wireless gaming headset for PS5™, PS4™ & PS4™ Pro. The Stealth™ 600 Gen 2 wireless gaming headset is enhanced with a host of upgrades, including a larger high-sensitivity flip-to-mute mic that delivers improved chat clarity and now seamlessly integrates into the headset when muted. The headband and hinge design have been reinforced for added long-term durability, and soft, glasses-friendly ear cushions provide plush comfort while refined 50mm speakers produce high-quality, immersive sound and are optimized to unleash the power of Sony 3D Audio on PS5™. A user-friendly audio preset button on the headset allows for easy access to customize audio, and gamers can still count on Turtle Beach’s Superhuman Hearing® for an audio advantage on the battlefield. Finally, connectivity is made easy with the included, mini-USB Transmitter that wirelessly connects from your PlayStation® console to headset.
Will this work with a PC?
Yes - though there are a few caveats. It doesn't respect system audio settings, so software volume controls are out and automatic gain control on the mic is hit or miss. But if you're willing to manually set the stuff up the user experience is decent.
3 years, 8 months ago
by
Batlacit
Capture high-quality videos with this Sony Handycam 4K camcorder. The 0.4-inch CMOS sensor delivers high-resolution 4K content with fast intelligent autofocus and enhanced audio, while the SteadyShot image stabilizer boasts clear detailed shots even at full zoom. This Sony Handycam 4K camcorder has a built-in Highlight Movie Maker that lets you create and share videos seamlessly.
Can I use a remote wireless microphone or lavalier microphone with this camera?
Yes - though depending on the exact model of mic it might require you to purchase some accessories that expands its input options. Out of the box it only supports external mics using a standard 3.5mm minijack.
3 years, 9 months ago
by
Batlacit
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).
Will this work with every generation of Hue bulbs?
Provided you've kept up with software updates, this should work with any Hue bulbs you may own.
4 years, 5 months ago
by
Batlacit