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
Experience enhanced precision and comfort with this Logitech wireless gaming mouse. The optical sensor delivers pinpoint accuracy for an enhanced gaming experience, while the wireless design offers strong freedom of movement. This Logitech wireless gaming mouse features 11 programmable buttons for creating macros and performing a wide range of custom functions.
Customer Rating
5
I think this one's Batman.
on July 24, 2019
Posted by: Batlacit
from Madison, WI
There are basically two schools of thought when it comes to gaming mice. One favors stripped down minimalism focusing on low weight and simple designs that are likely to pass muster at an e-sports tournament. The other, which is the one I prefer, is that one should stick a button on every possible surface of the mouse that makes sense, then add two more for good measure.
The G903 might be the first mouse I've used that actually caters to both of those positions at the same time. And if that isn't enough to get your attention, the rest of the features absolutely will.
First up, I'd like to talk about build quality. This is an astonishingly sturdy mouse given the fact that they've gone to extraordinary lengths to make it weigh about as much as a pair of tissues and half the buttons are only being held on by tiny magnets. The case is a sturdy plastic with a light non-rubberized finish, and potential weak spots (such as the the point where the main buttons join the rest of the body) have been reinforced with exposed gussets to provide strength without adding weight. The buttons themselves are mechanical and feature metal springs to provide an appropriate level of tension, giving it a very pleasant feel that's substantially more "solid" than what you get from even other high end mice. The scroll wheel is primarily metal with a standard rubber tread strip in the middle. They've even reinforced the micro-USB charging/data cable to pretty much rule out the possibility of you ruining the port on the mouse by typical rough handling. I foresee no problems tossing this in your bag and bringing it with you on the road. They even included a rigid carrying case for the small accessories you're more likely to lose, like the removable button covers.
Speaking of, the customization options you get with this mouse is another major selling point. The mouse has an ambidextrous design, with a total of 4 removable thumb buttons (2 on each side.) Everything's held on by magnets, making it very easy to swap out the buttons based on what you need. Since I'm of the opinion that you can always use more buttons I immediately replaced the button cover on the right hand side with two more buttons to give myself some pinkie switches. It was a little awkward at first, given that the mouse tapers a little sharply at the front and my hands are on the larger side, but once I'd trained myself to stop hitting them by accident and set them up as copy/paste buttons via Logitech's G-Hub application I was quite pleased by them. This program also lets you fine-tune the lighting effects and the Hero sensor, which by default will top out at a very twitchy 6,400 DPI rather than its full 16,000. This is, in my opinion, a good thing. At full sensitivity even the tiniest mouse movement will send the cursor across a standard 1080p display. Also worth pointing out is that unlike a lot of wireless gaming mice, all these customization options can be set over a wireless connection rather than requiring you to plug it into your USB port for the more advanced programming. There's also an included 10g weight you can install in the back of the mouse if you prefer something just a little heavier, in the same socket that allows you to install the powerplay wireless charging puck that lets you charge the mouse off of a powerplay enabled mouse pad while you use it. Pretty much the only thing you can't add on here is a thumb or finger rest.
Finally, i want to talk about what it's like using the mouse for tasks that aren't gaming (since for most people that will sadly represent the bulk of what it gets used for.) And I have to say it's pretty good for that too. The wireless connection is rock solid, and is indeed so close to wired performance that you're unlikely to notice the difference. They've included one of Logitech's excellent hybrid scroll wheels that can switch between ratcheting and smooth action (and if you've never tried one of these before, trust me, they're amazing) and it's very easy to change the DPI to something more conducive to productivity without needing to go into the app. The only real concession they've made is that unlike most Logitech mice that use the hybrid scroll wheel design, the switch between the ratchet and smooth modes has to be done manually rather than automatically in what I'm pretty sure was done to keep weight down. And I did find myself missing a thumb rest, and I've gotten very used to canted mice that are a bit easier on your wrist, so it's probably not what I'd recommend for someone who's looking exclusively for a productivity device unless you're working in a field such as design work where you really need the high quality sensor and adjustable DPI. But it's certainly a better experience than most devices out there, and is definitely one of the only mice of this quality that can be easily and seamlessly adapted for left hand use.
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Experience an immersive acoustic performance with these Sony XB Extra Bass wireless headphones. The noise-isolating fit mutes ambient noises, while the lithium-ion battery offers up to 30 hours of playtime, keeping you entertained during long-distance travels. These Sony XB Extra Bass wireless headphones have a touch sensor for convenient control.
Customer Rating
4
Great sound and features, just a few rough edges
on July 21, 2019
Posted by: Batlacit
from Madison, WI
The WH-XB900N is a very good set of headphones.
This really shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Sony has a proven track record when it comes to the quality of their A/V gear, and this is certainly not going to be the device that breaks the trend. So instead of talking too much about the sound, I'm going to focus on the rest of the features of these headphones which are sadly something of a mixed bag.
The first thing you'll notice on taking these out of the box is how few controls there are compared to your typical high end wireless headphones. Sony has usually eschewed the somewhat confusing combination of button taps or gestures that other headphone manufacturers have gone with to try and get a more clean look, opting instead for an array of buttons, sliders, and dials that can easily be operated by touch. These headphones have done away with all that in favor of a touch/gesture sensitive casing on the earcup that lets you tap (or in some cases just wave) past certain spots on the case to control things.
This is a feature that I really, really want to love, but in practice I find I'm missing the reliable physical controls. It works great for broad gestures, such as holding one hand up to the side of the headphones to engage an audio pass-through mode to let you hear someone talking to you (a brilliant bit of UX, by the way, as that's a natural motion to use when you're going to be shifting the headphones off your ear anyway.) But even after a couple weeks trying to train myself on how to use the volume and playback controls, I'm still finding that my results are mixed at the best of times. As a result I've been mostly relying on device controls or using the google assistant to adjust volume for me. It still works, but it does feel like a slight step backwards.
Speaking of device controls, the app that allows you to make fine adjustments to the audio and features of the headphones is another area where the unit gets high marks. Out of the box the headphones definitely favor the deeper tones (they are sold for that, after all) so it's nice to be able to fine tune the audio if you want just a little less extra in your bass. Setup was pretty much as painless as it gets on Android - and I'd assume the iOS experience is equally good. All you really need to do is tap the NFC active area to your phone and follow the prompts. The Google assistant features started working immediately and automatically. It still requires you to be tethered to a phone to really get any use out of it (which is the norm for these devices) but as anyone who's come to rely on these features can tell you you can really never have enough enabled devices.
Another thing I'd like to highlight is that Sony has finally decided to start equipping their top of the lines headphones with USB-C ports instead of micro-USB. Unfortunately as far as I can tell it's only used for charging rather than audio input, which would be nice for instances where you've been caught with a dead battery and don't have the option of going with the standard headphone jack. Still, it's one less cable I need to bring along with me while travelling.
As for comfort, I'd rate that as good but not quite perfect. There's a lot of very generous padding in this thing which makes it pretty comfortable to wear, but also does tend to trap heat. I'd definitely recommend it primarily for those who have the benefit of air conditioning, as it can be quite brutal out in the sun. And the noise cancellation does an exceptionally good job of filtering out mechanical background noises, so you won't even have to hear the AC blasting away.
Overall, despite some persistent issues that kept me from giving this a full five star rating, I like these headphones quite a lot. The advanced noise cancellation and pass through features make them an ideal choice for frequent travellers or someone who regularly works in an environment where they have to put up with a lot of fan noise. But they might not be the best pick for regular workout gear.
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Keep your carpets in pristine condition with this HOOVER ONEPWR Spotless GO cordless carpet cleaner. The lightweight design simplifies cleaning on stairs and upholstery, while the 4-inch scrubbing tool removes stubborn stains. This HOOVER ONEPWR Spotless Go cordless carpet cleaner comes with a 2.0 Ah rechargeable battery for prolonged cord-free usage.
Customer Rating
4
A must have for housebreaking
on July 8, 2019
Posted by: Batlacit
from Madison, WI
Right off the bat, I do have to call the product out for one thing. If you look at the pictures Hoover has posted online and placed on the box, you will see quite a lot of smiling people cleaning up after suitably chagrined looking dogs.
After spending about two weeks putting this thing through its paces with the "help" of my dachshund, I can say that there was very little of either going on whenever I took this out. But my carpets do look considerably better than they would have otherwise.
Operation of the cleaner is very simple. You fill up the cleaning reservoir, plug in the battery pack, and press start. From then on just about everything is done with the cleaning head, which combines a sprayer, brush, and vacuum in a single unit. There's not too much complexity going on there - the brushes aren't motorized, the vacuum doesn't have an abundance of power or any special tricks to coax liquid out of the carpet, and the sprayer distributes the cleaning fluid in a broad fan roughly the same width as the brush head. But for the most part that's all you need. A few minutes of scrubbing and about a dozen passes with the vacuum won't be enough to completely eliminate any stains left in a light colored carpet, but it does eliminate most of the odor and reduces the coloration down to an acceptable level. The stains will still show up under a blacklight, but they're a lot dimmer than what's left after using my previous go-to of conventional cleaners and paper towels. The machine did a little less well on some of the older stains that had been set in the carpet from previous incidents. I suspect this is mostly the result of the specific cleaning formula that comes with it, which Hoover strongly recommends be the only thing you use with it. It's pretty decent at picking up fresh stains and was able to pick up at least a little of the older stuff, but the improvements were nowhere near as dramatic.
It receives full marks for cleanup though. The holding tank is a bit on the large size but still small enough to fit in a bathroom sink, and features a straightforward design with very few places for crud to get caught inside. Rinsing it out after each use is pretty much all you need to get the job done - and flushing out the brush and hose is almost as effortless.
In short, this isn't going to replace a full carpet cleaner. But if you've got something like it on hand when the accidents do occur, you'll likely find you'll be needing one a lot less often.
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Multitask comfortably using this HP Pavilion 32-inch monitor. The QHD resolution provides immersive visuals for gaming and a spacious work space. Enjoy consistent clarity and color from multiple positions thanks to the 178-degree viewing angle. This HP Pavilion 32-inch monitor features an anti-glare panel for better visibility in bright conditions, while the Low Blue Light mode reduces eyestrain.
Customer Rating
3
Might be just a smidge too big...
on June 21, 2019
Posted by: Batlacit
from Madison, WI
As LCDs have gotten cheaper, monitors have gotten bigger. This is a trend that I have never really had much reason to complain about. but some have begun to ask as the distinction between a moderately sized TV and a desktop monitor gets ever blurrier if there might be a point where monitors just get TOO big.
As much as I hate to admit it... I think we might be starting to bump up against that point.
To be clear, this monitor doesn't look bad by any means. The QHD resolution is a noticeable improvement over 1080p, and honestly doesn't seem like that much of a step down from full UHD/4K. But when you're sitting two feet away from a 32 inch display it's very hard not to see some of the pixelation. There's some distinct blur going on at the edges of text, and while it's nothing you can't get used to I kind of feel that if the monitor were just a couple of inches shorter along the diagonal it would be able to do a much better job at hiding its sins.
As far as gaming, it's a bit of a mix. The screen easily takes up most of your field of view, which is nice, and as relatively few GPUs can reliably drive 4K resolutions on the latest titles I'd say the lower resolution is fine. And the fact that you can get it up to a 75hz refresh rate is definitely a major plus, as most monitors this size (and at this price point) will top out at 60. But you'll notice pretty quickly that the monitor isn't particularly bright, and as such tends to skew towards warmer, more muted tones rather than the vibrant colors you could get with a dedicated gaming monitor. Activating the Freesync profile gets you about the most vibrant colors you can manage with this thing, and it still looks like there's some blue-light filtering being applied.
It's pretty fantastic for productivity though. This isn't a monitor that's likely to produce an abundance of eye strain, and the matte finish means there's next to no glare to deal with in brighter rooms. And with this much screen real estate to play with, multitasking is not a problem. It's definitely not going to replace an ultrawide or dual monitor setup, but if you don't have the necessary footprint for that this is a great alternative. I also have to praise the fact that it's one of the few monitors I've seen to ship with the option to connect to displayport over USB-C, making this a great option if you've got a more recent laptop you want to use with it.
Overall my impressions were that this is a good monitor, but outside of its size it does very little to stand apart from the other options out there. Unless you're expecting it to take the place of a much more expensive gaming monitor with a high refresh rate and outrageously expanded color gamut I don't think there's much that would make you dissatisfied with having it on your desk - but it's definitely a unit that'll feel most at home in an office.
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Enjoy hot meals and snacks with this 1.2-cu. ft. Panasonic 1200W microwave. The 11 power levels provide optimal heating for various dishes and include a keep warm function, maintaining cooked food at an ideal serving temperature. This Panasonic 1200W microwave has a coffee/milk preset for quick preparation of hot beverages.
Customer Rating
4
A very good microwave
on June 19, 2019
Posted by: Batlacit
from Madison, WI
Let's face it: microwaves have been around long enough that reviews of them can be kind of boring. They all do basically the same things in basically the same ways, and truly new approaches to building them are few and far between. This particular one features a few unusual elements, but by and large doesn't go too crazy trying to buck the trend.
All the basic features you get with the unit are well implemented and probably very familiar. You've got a variety of sensor cook options, a rotating platter, and presets for commonly heated items like meat, dairy, and fish. It's also got a milk button to be used for preparing hot drinks, which I have to say is nice to have but hardly warrants rushing out to immediately buy it.
The key feature that's intended to help this stand out from the pack is Panasonic's Inverter technology - which basically means they use a variable output power supply to feed the cyclotron that converts electricity into microwaves rather than a fixed feed one. This means it can exercise a much finer degree of control over how it cooks your food, resulting in more even heating and better defrosting.
Having spent about a week trying it out, my conclusion is that it's certainly a feature that's nice to have but hardly revolutionary. It is definitely better at defrosting things than my previous microwave, and doesn't singe the edges of thinner foods nearly as much. It also does a really good job heating microwave dinners - not only did they heat evenly, they heated up faster. The results were definitely a bit inconsistent though, as when I tried making bacon using the times that I'd always used for my previous (less powerful) microwave it came out distinctly undercooked and needed to go back in for a second round before it crisped up. So be warned that some experimentation may be necessary to work out the best way to use it.
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Acer Nitro 5 Laptop: Lose yourself in the absorbing multimedia experience delivered by this Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop. The Intel Core i5 processor ensures a lag-free performance, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card delivers immersive visuals on the 15.6-inch Full HD display. This Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop has 8GB of RAM for seamless multitasking.
Customer Rating
4
A daily driver that can game
on June 19, 2019
Posted by: Batlacit
from Madison, WI
Gaming laptops are an odd breed. You really can’t beat desktop performance when it comes to gaming, largely thanks to the fact that they have plenty of room for cooling and airflow and don’t need to worry about keeping weight down. When you try to match the performance of a gaming desktop in a portable form factor, it’s inevitable that there are going to be some compromises made. The Acer Nitro 5 chooses to make its cuts in hardware rather than portability. It is not going to set any records for performance. It’s not going to be wowing your friends with the styling or bombastic RGB effects. And it’s not really designed with extensive upgrades in mind. And it is better for it.
In my experience, those who buy gaming laptops (myself included) tend to use them as laptops first, and gaming platforms second. And this is a bit of a problem because by and large most gaming laptops aren’t exceptional laptop laptops. They’re too heavy to carry around with you every day, too big to use in cramped quarters like lecture halls or airline seats, and too power-hungry to rely on battery power out in the field. But in designing the Nitro 5, Acer seems to have set out to build a machine that is first and foremost a portable computer, that just happens to also be a decent gaming machine.
So rather than the latest top of the line GPU that could probably suck a battery dry in half an hour, they equipped it with a rather modest GTX 1050 that only turns on when it detects you’re using a program that needs it. Rather than aggressive, angular styling with plenty of protruding accents that tend to get caught on every carrying case you come across they’ve gone for a more understated look with a few chamfered corners and brushed finish. And they’ve kept the RGB effects to a consistent red backlighting for the keyboard. It’s simple, classy, and light enough to be carried with you everywhere you go without concern. As a daily driver it’s a delight to use. The keyboard is nice and responsive (though there is some flex to contend with – more on that later) and even includes a numeric keypad that doesn’t feel overly cramped, a real achievement in this form factor. The battery can generally be trusted to give you at least 4 hours, and if you’re careful you can stretch that to about 8.5. And it’s surprisingly quiet given how fast the twin cooling fans spin at. Even the webcam is nicer than I expected – albeit in a rather basic way. And the 60hz IPS LCD panel is gorgeous, with near perfect color reproduction and viewing angles that are beyond reproach.
Of course, if you’re looking at this laptop you’re probably curious to know how it does in gaming. And there I have to say it’s also very good, and certainly enough for the kind of games I’d usually be playing on a laptop. When testing it out I used two games selected mostly because they have benchmarking tools built in: Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. With the settings maxed out in Rise I was able to average 40fps in the benchmarks, and do a little better in actual gameplay. To my mind that’s more than enough. It didn’t handle the newer Shadow of the Tomb Raider quite as well, with multiple slow downs and near constant screen tearing, but the game did run and was very playable once the graphics had been throttled back to something more sensible. But if I’m honest, the games I’m most likely to play on the go are simpler games like Rimworld which are more likely to tax the CPU than the GPU, and the 9th generation CPU (which, despite being clocked at 2.4, can regularly boost itself up to 3.98) is easily up to the task. And for those who are curious, it CAN run at least a first generation VR setup, though it wouldn’t be my first choice by any means.
Now that I’ve sung its praises, I have to say that there are a few things I’m less pleased with in the laptop which you might want to consider in deciding if this is the best one for you. The first, and one of the biggest, is the fact that they only included a 256gb SSD for storage. Now, to its credit, it is a NVMe drive from Kingston that can get you a read speed of about 2gbps. But it’s still only 256gb. Given the size of games these days and the fact that Windows can always be counted on to slowly grow over the years, it’s very easy to fill it up. There is a second m.2 slot and room for a conventional 2.5” SATA drive which I plan to use for a larger archive drive at some point in the future. I feel I should also mention the fact that there’s a LOT of bloatware packed into this machine, likely in order to keep the price down. None of it was exceptionally hard to remove but given the limited disk space you’ve got to work with I strongly recommend taking the time to strip it all out to free up a few more gigabytes.
Second is the I/O selection. It’s… okay, but not much more than that. You’ve got the basic 3 USB type A plugs and a USB type C – but they’re only using the first generation USB 3.1 spec as opposed to the much faster second generation standard that’s been available for about five years now. It also would have been very nice to see Thunderbolt 3 support so that one could plug in an external GPU at home to get true desktop performance, particularly given that the underlying architecture of the 1050 is now three years old (though I’ll note the three gigabyte mobile version this laptop uses only came out last year.)
Finally, the overall build quality does leave a bit to be desired. The frame of the computer has a fair amount of flex in it, to the point where using uneven pressure to close the screen can cause some light warping. I suspect that the void left for a 2.5” drive is one of the contributing factors here, and it’s possible that installing a drive in there to stiffen things up would fix the issue. But this is definitely a laptop you want to protect with a well padded or armored carrying case. And though this wasn’t a huge issue for me they did omit some of the traditional “gaming” features you’d expect from a gaming laptop’s keyboard, such as n-key rollover or programmable macro buttons.
Overall, I’m very happy with my Nitro 5 as a daily driver. I’d recommend it to gamers who are also college students, travelling professionals, or freelancers looking for a gaming PC that won’t break the bank or your back. If you really are looking for something that’s more focused on cutting edge gaming performance and less on day-to-day work, this might not be the best fit for you.
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The ASTRO A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro TR for PS5, PS4, PC and Mac is the premier audio solution for esports athletes, content creators and streamers. It meets esports athletes’ rigorous standards for audio fidelity, comfort and durability. The MixAmp Pro TR features Dolby Audio processing and enables lag and interference-free delivery of game sound and voice communication. The A40 TR arrives as an open-back headset featuring a swappable precision mic and customizable Speaker Tags.
Customer Rating
4
Great sound, not as great portability.
on June 8, 2019
Posted by: Batlacit
from Madison, WI
It’s rare to find a piece of “gaming” gear that can’t be described as overkill in one way or another. Even by those standards, the Astro A40 and its amp stand out for their excess. The headset is not only built like a tank, but configurable into about four different kinds of tank. The boom mic can be attached on either side or removed altogether if you like. Magnetically attached panels (part of their modkit system) can let you quickly switch between closed or open backed drivers depending on how much noise isolation you need. Even the padding is held on with magnets, allowing it to be quickly popped off should you ever need to clean or replace it. Were that all you got in the package it would easily be enough to make the A40 stand out. But the real star of the show may be the included USB amplifier.
While at first glance the amp doesn’t seem to be anything spectacular, there are a surprising number of features packed into a very small package. While the controls on the device itself are limited, using the optional command center software lets you exercise fine control over the equalizer and mixer settings. You can even save several user profiles to its onboard memory, meaning if you play on more than one computer you don’t need to install multiple copies of the software. It’s also got quite a few features built with professional streamers in mind, including aux inputs and the ability to chain multiple amps together.
When all the pieces are working together, the audio is about as close to flawless as you can get without spending considerably more on studio-grade equipment. That said, that also brings up perhaps the biggest flaw of this setup: its complexity.
When I first tried adjusting the settings in the command center, I somehow managed to set the amp to ignore all the audio from the primary source in favor of the audio from my own mic. I ended up sitting at the menu screen of my game for a good ten minutes while I tinkered with it trying to get the audio back to normal, then ended up just having to reset the whole thing back to the factory defaults and start over. There are also a LOT of small parts and cables that could potentially get lost, and apart from the box they all came in there isn’t any kind of carrying case or storage solution to help you keep track of them. It’s very easy to imagine that some of the less frequently used cables and accessories might get lost in the shuffle if you’re regularly lugging it around to LANs and tournaments. Also annoying is the fact that the headset uses a 4-pole plug which combines the input and output signals into a single connector and as far as I can tell does not have an option to split it into the usual dedicated headphone/mic pair that most computers use, so if you do want to bring these along without their included amp you'll either need to use it with a PS4 or go without the boom mic.
As such, I think I might have to disagree with the description on the box. I don’t think this is the kind of gear you’d want to be regularly bringing with you wherever you go or relying on at a major tournament where you won’t necessarily have the time or tools to troubleshoot things if it doesn’t work immediately. You’d be much better served just setting this up once and leaving it in place, and maybe just bringing the headset with you on occasion.
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You—and your home—deserve the best. With 40X the Power-Lifting Suction*, our most powerful cleaning system, and advanced technologies, the s9+ cleans thoroughly—even into corners and along edges. It empties itself into the Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal that holds months of debris. Its learning never stops, as it offers up personalized cleaning recommendations that work around your life, pollen seasons, and peak pet-shedding times—so that it’s always one step ahead of the mess.
Customer Rating
5
Best Robovac Yet
on May 27, 2019
Posted by: Batlacit
from Madison, WI
It’s been almost 17 years now since the first Roomba was introduced. In some ways they’ve changed quite a lot, but in others things have mostly stayed the same. They still mostly rely on virtual walls to stay out of dangerous areas. They still look like oversized hockey pucks. And you still need to clean the brushes daily if you’ve got pets with long fur unless you feel you’re overburdened with money.
But apparently now that the Roomba is almost old enough to vote, iRobot has decided that the time has come for some changes. The S9+ has abandoned just about all the classic Roomba design cues in the name of producing a robot vacuum that is far more capable than any model I’ve seen in just about every way. And I love every bit of it.
To begin, the new design. The hockey puck look has been completely abandoned for a U-shaped design that more and more devices have been adopting as of late, and I’m very pleased to see it. The circular body design was effective at stopping the Roomba from getting stuck, but you paid for it in terms of coverage. With the brushes placed right between the wheels they could never get any closer than about 2 inches to baseboards, furniture, or doors. Rotating edge brushes set ahead of the wheels attempted to fix this by directing debris towards the center, but as anyone who used Roombas regularly could tell you it was far from a perfect solution. With the S9’s squared off front it can go places an older Roomba never could. They’ve also been able to make the brushes bigger and better protected against the dangers of cat hair wrapping itself around the bearings or cutting through the brushes. I’ve still been clearing them about every other day out of habit, but outside of shedding season I think you could probably let it go for a week and not run into any serious problems. Roombas were already just about the best thing you could imagine when it came to managing pet hair, but I think this is the first one I can believe won’t eventually be killed by it.
Now, generally, you’d expect the addition of corners to mean the Roomba is less maneuverable than its cylindrical brethren. And that might have been the case if not for the improved navigation system, which verges on magical. While it did spend the first couple of days unsuccessfully stumbling around my apartment and getting itself into trouble, at the end of each attempt it presented me with a basic overview of what it had learned about the shape of my home. By the third day this had turned into a rudimentary map – complete with dividing lines indicating where it thought the transitions were between the different rooms. Some manual tweaking was still required to get it right – but I have to say it got a lot closer than I expected it could, even spotting the barely-there transition between my living room and dining room. And all of this was manageable from iRobot’s excellent app for the vacuum, which provides you with all the statistics you could ever need as well as notifications on what the thing is doing, an advanced scheduling feature, and even an option to set how loud the vacuum’s motor is allowed to get and how many passes it should make over a single area. Once the system knows the topography it’s working with there really is no need for virtual walls, and no worries about the tracking grid from your VR setup inadvertently turning the entire living room into a No-Robot zone (as happened with my previous Roomba.) Watching the system gradually learn how not to get stuck was surprisingly entertaining too – though for those of you who are less amused by such things may just want to make use of the training mode which just has the Roomba drive through the house for a few hours without trying to clean anything until it’s got a good sense for the layout.
The final feature is, of course, the fact that this is the second self-cleaning Roomba. When the Roomba returns to the charging base, there’s a port on the underside leading directly to a sealed off compartment within the dust bin that forms a seal with a matching port on the base. Within the base is another, more powerful vacuum that sucks all the dust and debris straight out of the bin and into a small disposable bag that they claim holds about 30 bins worth. I’d say based on my experience after a week of cleaning up after both a cat and a dog that this looks slightly optimistic – but your mileage may vary. And speaking as someone who often would forget to empty the bin for several days, it’s a nice thing to have.
Now, having gushed about just how awesome this thing is, I do have to admit there are a couple of downsides. To start – the machine vision system that the Roomba uses doesn’t work well in the dark. In fact it really doesn’t seem to work at all in the dark. This was a bit disappointing as I generally prefer to let it do its thing in the wee hours of the morning before the sun’s up and the animals are too tired to try riding on it. Of course I probably wouldn’t be doing that with this anyway thanks to the other downside. “Quiet” is not a word I’d use to describe this thing. Even operating in low power mode it would be hard to sleep through a 5AM cleaning cycle, and even if you could learn to live with that the base is even louder sucking all the dirt out once its done. It’s also a pretty talented climber – the first time I tried to run it I missed one of my dog’s chew toys while cleaning the floor. It had absolutely no trouble climbing up over the hard nylon bone and getting it caught within the brushes. No damage was done, but it’s certainly got some blind spots which you’ll want to be aware of if you’ve got pets and/or small children in the house.
Despite these few nitpicks, overall I have to say I’m extremely happy with the performance of the S9+, and look forward to many years of not having to think about cleaning to come.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+21points
35of 49voted this as helpful.
Watch TV with theater-style sound or enjoy high-quality music with this 3.1-channel Definitive Technology soundbar. It's only 1.75 inches thick so it blends discreetly into your home environment, and the 8-inch wireless subwoofer adds tight bass to extend the system's audio frequency range. This Definitive Technology sound bar includes Chromecast for streaming music or video over Wi-Fi.
Customer Rating
5
"Everything about this is just very pleasant."
on May 27, 2019
Posted by: Batlacit
from Madison, WI
The title of this review is a quote from my roommate after the first night living with Definitive's Studio Slim soundbar - and after about a week I've still yet to come up with a better summation. I'll confess, I'm not really what anyone could call an audiophile. I certainly appreciate a good set of speakers, and I can absolutely spot a bad one, but in the past I've always been more than happy to settle for "good enough." Already, I'm starting to worry that this thing has just flat out ruined "good enough" for me.
As the name would suggest the sound bar is indeed quite slim. I'm not sure it's the main thing I'd buy it for, as I've definitely seen high end sound bars that were smaller and easier to hide than this, but it was definitely an improvement from the soundbar it replaced. Furthermore, the brushed metal finish and tasteful geometric styling looks sleek enough that completely hiding it away would be something of a shame. The wireless sub is decidedly more bulky of course, as you really just can't have a small sub that does a decent job, but the tasteful downward-firing design makes it a very unobtrusive addition to the corner of my living room.
Setup was mostly painless. Three cables was all it took to get everything up and running through my TV's ARC port, which provides volume and power control as well as audio. The most complicated it ever got was in setting up the built-in Chromecast (which is one of the audio-only models, in case you were wondering) through Google's Home app. And given that was mostly just tapping a few buttons to confirm which device you want and where in your home it's located, I'd call that a very good thing. Only partial complaint here is that unlike some sound bars that offer ARC support there is no option for video pass-through, so you are going to be completely giving up one of your TV's HDMI ports if you go this route. For those without a port to spare there's always optical. You might not even end up having to give up volume control, as they've pre-loaded the soundbar with the remote control codes for (according to their manual) "Many of the televisions manufactured in the last 5 years" with the option to download more via online updates. They even included little wired IR blasters you could use to build yourself a functional universal remote system - though I have to admit my experience with those setups in the past doesn't make me eager to go down that route.
Which means the only thing that's left to talk about is the sound.
As I said, I'm not really an audiophile. I don't really know most of the terms they use to analyze sound, I don't have a trained ear to pick out flaws in a speaker, and I can barely articulate why some things work and other things don't. But even I can tell that the sound this thing produces is AMAZING. From music to dialog to action scenes, I could not find anything that this system didn't just flat out excel at. I almost feel bad for not knowing the proper terms for this stuff, because it really does feel like a piece of equipment that deserves much more than than my capitalized superlatives.
And that really does bring me to the one caveat with this thing: it really is built for someone who's extremely demanding about quality. And they've done a good enough job that for most, it's probably massive overkill. As such it's definitely not a thing I'd recommend to just anyone looking to improve on their TV's built in speakers. But for those who do demand flawless performance, I refer you once again to the title of this review. It may not be in your face about it, and it might not offer all of the available bells and whistles you could get with a larger soundbar or a system with a dedicated receiver. But it's simple, straightforward, and very, very pleasant.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+4points
5of 6voted this as helpful.
Security threats are on the rise, and they can target any networked printer. The latest generation of HP OfficeJet printers have best-in-class security built right in. And if things go wrong, they can heal themselves. The productive smart printer that doesn't just print, it produces. Help save time with Smart Tasks shortcuts, get automatic two-sided printing, and Borderless Print. Print and scan from your phone, Save up to 50% on ink with HP Instant Ink.
Customer Rating
5
Smart Printer for a Smart Office
on May 16, 2019
Posted by: Batlacit
from Madison, WI
Let’s be honest: most of us see printers as a necessary evil at the best of times. They’re not only complicated machines that can break in a multitude of different ways, they’re ones that are often essential for us to get our jobs done. Fortunately, manufacturers know this, and have been diligently working to make smarter printers that can automate the more annoying steps associated with getting them to work, while also being easier to maintain. The OfficeJet Pro 8025 is one of the latest offerings from HP seeking to make printing a pain-free process, and while I can’t say that they’ve entirely succeeded the progress they’re making is certainly encouraging.
The first thing I noticed getting the printer out of the box was how nice and clean the lines are. While it is a full multifunction device they’ve opted for a very minimalist control layout with only a single swing-out touchscreen providing controls and no visible lights or status indicators. It’s a welcome change from HP, whose aesthetic has often leaned towards a much busier look with an abundance of complex curves and physical controls. Given that my printer lives in a corner of my living room so that everyone can share it, the fact that it looks nice and doesn’t immediately draw attention to itself is a definite plus. What I like even more is the fact that all the controls and readouts you’d typically expect from a working printer are still there. Status LEDs are set behind the white front paneling of the printer, and are bright enough to shine through the material when they’re on while being completely invisible otherwise. And the touch screen, while small, is extremely accurate when it comes to resolving where you’re tapping it.
Setup was about as painless as it gets these days. Once I had it out of the box and plugged in, instructions appeared to guide me through the initial setup process and get me set up with the mobile app which I used for all the fine detail work, such as joining it to my local network and set up my trial account for the Instant Ink service, which is basically a consumer version of the sort of service contracts you might find in offices where you pay a small monthly fee based on the expected workload for your printer and ink cartridges are sent to you whenever the printer reports that it needs them. From there I was able to print from my cell phone immediately and start setting up the various apps that the printer comes loaded with. Setting it up on a PC was sadly a bit less painless. These days Windows generally tries to automatically install any new printer that appears on a LAN to spare you from having to set it up manually. It tried to do the same here, automatically configuring it to print through HP’s ePrint + JetAdvantage service. The interface worked, and it found the printer, but I couldn’t get it to successfully send a print. Fortunately it was pretty painless to install the printer manually for a direct connection, and once that was done it worked perfectly.
That said, one of the nicer features of the printer is the fact that by using its built in apps, you don’t even really need a computer. You can connect directly to your google account and print out anything on your Google Drive it can recognize directly from the front panel. The more security conscious among you (as well as anyone with kids) will also be glad to know that they thought to include a PIN requirement to make sure not just anyone can do this. The system works well, and while I can’t say I expect it to be the way I regularly print stuff there are times I expect I’ll be making use of it. And then you’ve got the SmartForms – one of the standout apps for the product. This is one of the cleverer ideas for a printer app that I’ve seen, allowing you to quickly print out a variety of useful forms and templates on demand. There are some obvious ones like a fax cover page or a weekly agenda (linked to a google calendar account) but what I found particularly appealing was the fact that it can quickly spit out graph paper, lined writing paper (in various forms even) and even games like mazes or sudoku grids. As someone who has regularly run out of graph paper in the past, I can definitely see myself using this feature on a regular basis.
There are still a few lingering issues and areas for improvement. There isn’t a native app for OneDrive to start, which is somewhat unfortunate as that’s where I store the work stuff I’d probably want to print without a computer. The interface for the apps isn’t always very clear either. It took me a while trying to print graph paper before I realized that just clicking the “print” button doesn’t do anything until you first tap the preview image it gives you to confirm how many copies you want, and there were definitely a few times in the settings menu where I felt that a slightly larger touch screen might have been nice to have. But overall I’m extremely pleased to have a printer that’ll spit out graph paper on demand and order its own ink for a change!
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+87points
113of 139voted this as helpful.
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Add high-end performance to your everyday life with the Google Pixel XL. A quad-core processor, a 5.5-inch LED screen and 32GB of memory ensure this phone is able to handle daily life, and Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protects the screen. Easy cloud storage ensures you never run out of space on the Google Pixel XL.
Does your Best Buy Pixel phone have the Verizon crapware on it?
There are three verizon apps - but all are fully removable. Once they're gone, it's like they were never there to begin with.
8 years, 8 months ago
by
Batlacit
Add high-end performance to your everyday life with the Google Pixel XL. A quad-core processor, a 5.5-inch LED screen and 32GB of memory ensure this phone is able to handle daily life, and Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protects the screen. Easy cloud storage ensures you never run out of space on the Google Pixel XL.
Does this version of the phone have a locked bootloader?
Yes, the Verizon branded Pixel does come with a locked bootloader. Only ones bought directly from Google don't.
8 years, 8 months ago
by
Batlacit
Add high-end performance to your everyday life with the Google Pixel XL. A quad-core processor, a 5.5-inch LED screen and 32GB of memory ensure this phone is able to handle daily life, and Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protects the screen. Easy cloud storage ensures you never run out of space on the Google Pixel XL.
Is this water resistant?
I'm afraid not. But you may be able to find case options that can at least improve that.
8 years, 8 months ago
by
Batlacit
Orbi Whole Home WiFi System delivers up to 3.0Gbps high-performance WiFi. Sleek, modern design with high-gain internal antennas for up to 5,000 square feet of coverage. FastLane3 Technology creates a dedicated Tri-Band WiFi for seamless 4K streaming and gaming everywhere in your home. Keep a single WiFi name for uninterrupted connections as you move from room-to-room. Circle Smart Parental Controls runs on Orbi Routers for a smart way for families to manage content and time online, on any connected device. Provide internet access to guests without sharing your personal network password. Orbi is ready right out of the box and compatible with your ISP. Just use the Orbi app to get started with better WiFi, everywhere in minutes.
do you have to have an internet service before this will bring in the wi fi
You can use it to set up a local network, but if your goal is to watch netflix or look stuff up on google, yes, you need to have internet service.
8 years, 9 months ago
by
Batlacit
Orbi Whole Home WiFi System delivers up to 3.0Gbps high-performance WiFi. Sleek, modern design with high-gain internal antennas for up to 5,000 square feet of coverage. FastLane3 Technology creates a dedicated Tri-Band WiFi for seamless 4K streaming and gaming everywhere in your home. Keep a single WiFi name for uninterrupted connections as you move from room-to-room. Circle Smart Parental Controls runs on Orbi Routers for a smart way for families to manage content and time online, on any connected device. Provide internet access to guests without sharing your personal network password. Orbi is ready right out of the box and compatible with your ISP. Just use the Orbi app to get started with better WiFi, everywhere in minutes.
Q I am looking for1 Orbi router and 3 Orbi satellites for my big home, since Netgear is not giving the option to buy satellites individually ,will I be able to order two boxes of Orbi and be able to use one of Orbi router as a satellite ,? interchange
From what I can tell, no, you can't get the same seamless integration with two routers in the system. The satellite and router look mostly identical, but there are some differences. You might be able to configure the second one as an access point... but that might defeat the point a bit.
That said, they've stated they are going to release individual satellites eventually.
That said, they've stated they are going to release individual satellites eventually.
8 years, 9 months ago
by
Batlacit