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Wraith's Reviews
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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.
 
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Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
Nice Laptop at a Nice Price!
on June 17, 2019
Posted by: Wraith
from Rochester Hills, MI
I kind of wondered where this Nitro 5 fit in for the gaming world and my conclusion after using it for about two weeks now is that it is an OK gaming laptop if you don't expect too much from it but it is an excellent laptop if you want a laptop to use as your main home computer. I say that because, Acer has done a nice job toning down the gamer vibe of this computer and has given it good enough specs that right out of the box give it the OOMPH to handle day-to-day tasks without even breaking a sweat. Now that may not sound like such a great deal if you are investing in a serious gamer laptop but at this price, it is cheaper than a few of those new 'Power Chromebooks', which for me, the Nitro is replacing.
Last year, I went semi-retired and didn't need a beast of a computer any more to do work at home so I purchased one of those new Chromebooks with an i5 processor and the nicer build quality. It was just fine for a while but I quickly learned that even with the upgraded processor it just couldn't handle some of the most basic day-to-day stuff without slowing down or firing up its fans like a turbojet.
Performance:
Enter the Nitro 5. With the 9th Gen quad core i5, the GTX 1050 card, and the base 8gb of RAM, if found that this computer chews up day-to-day tasks without breaking a sweat or firing up its fans. Plus the extra screen real-estate and the nicer LCD panel made it much easier on my rapidly declining eyesight. The Nitro 5 didn't start getting under stress until I threw Battletech at it with graphics set to ultra, and even then it was still pretty quiet with not a lot of heat coming off of it. The game that really got it blasting though is Atom RPG, which is a recent 3D game very similar to Fallout 1/2 but with more advanced graphics. Now I don't know if the team that put that game didn't optimize the graphics or what but it stresses the Nitro and the GTX card WAY more than Battletech even though that game is much more visually complex. NVIDIA even have a custom driver for both games and it didn't seem to make a difference. I don't plan on playing a lot of games on this so it really isn't an issue for me, I just wanted to stress-test it to find out where its limits were.
Upgradeability:
The only issue I have run into is in upgrading the Nitro 5. Even though it has decent specs for the price, I wanted to throw in an SSD for a little bit more storage and to bump the RAM to 16GB. The previous models of the Nitro 5 series had nice small panels that you could remove that gave you quick access to both the hard drive bay and the RAM with just the removal of a single screw each. On this model that has been done away with. While Acer gives you the SATA cable in the box to install an SSD, they tell you to bring it along to have it upgraded by an approved Acer Service Center! I shouldn't have to take in a laptop like this to a service center to upgrade it. I tried to contact Acer support and despite waiting for about two hours total for a person to chat with (over the course of three sessions that always seemed to drop me after waiting over half and hour each time), I decided just to bust into the case myself. It was straightforward to unscrew eleven small screws on the bottom which thankfully are all the same so it was easy just to pile them up. After that was done, I popped the bottom off and found that in the process it is virtually impossible to do so without breaking off some little slivers of plastic which are not noticeable from the outside of the case and don't impact the ability of the case to close but which I think are a 'tell' for the service center to determine if the case has been opened and probably voiding the warranty. It was super easy to drop in the SSD and a second stick of RAM and button the Nitro 5 back up nice and tight. After firing up the laptop, the extra RAM was instantly visible and I was able to format the new drive without any problem. With this upgrade, which cost me about $80 at Best Buy, I'm able to even run that Atom RPG for quite a while without the fan firing up because of the extra overhead.
Battery:
The Nitro 5 comes with a four-cell battery and is supposedly rated at a max run time of 8.5 hours, which I have been able to get just using it for those day-to-day tasks like surfing, Word, and such. When I was running the games on it, I got about 3.5 hours of playtime before it hit 19% and went into its powersave mode. That being said, the included 135 watt power brick brings the battery back up to 100% from 19% in a little over an hour. I'm not too worried about battery life myself since I don't plan on taking this off of my desk other than to move to other parts of the house where I will have easy access to a plug anyway. Nice to know that I can get several hours of use out of it while mobile though.
Conclusion:
Like I wrote at the beginning of this review, the Nitro 5 is kind of in some weird in-between position when it comes to laptops, not a beast of a gaming rig nor is it a very portable day-to-day laptop. That being said, if you want something with more power than an ultrabook or a Chromebook and don't care that you won't be running the latest AAA games at full resolution, the Nitro 5 fits in that relatively narrow window pretty well. It also does it at a really good price considering. I'm very pleased with my Nitro 5 and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone with similar needs.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
+5points
5of 5voted this as helpful.
 
Step into virtual reality with this Oculus Rift S PC-powered headset. The advanced optics produce a sharp display with bright, vivid colors, and Oculus Insight tracking removes the need for external sensors to convert movements into virtual reality. This Oculus Rift S PC-powered headset has a fit wheel that secures the headset with a quick twist.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Awesome Upgrade From A GO! Ton Of Fun.
on June 10, 2019
Posted by: Wraith
from Rochester Hills, MI
I purchased an Oculus Go last year as my first foray into the VR world, and I thought it was an incredibly cool (if limited experience). Battery life stunk, and the single controller made it difficult to do much other than watch VR things rather than play them. Still, I was hooked and I was very excited when Oculus announced the Rift S and the Quest headsets. I thought about just doing the direct upgrade to the Quest headset since they had upped the specs on virtually everything and it now had the dual controllers, but I was still worried about the battery life. Also, I'm a huge fan of Elite: Dangerous and I have been wanting to try my hand at both it and some other flight simulators in VR and for that I would need the Rift S.
First things first. Setting up the Rift S was super easy. I plugged the cables into the my video card (an RTX 2080) and a spare USB port. BTW, you need a Display Port connection for this to work, not HDMI, and from what I have read online, you can't use an adapter either. Shortly after downloading the Oculus software to my computer and logging in to my Oculus account (which I already had from the Go), I was up and running. A little robot that looked like a shorter, hovering version of the robot from Short Circuit (or maybe Wall-E) was showing me how to do everything in a rather trashed up trailer stuffed with tech gear. The tutorial was almost enough fun to keep me busy for hours. Tossing around paper airplanes and launching rockets was a lot more fun than I would have thought. It was just so cool to be able to 'grab' things with the controllers and toss things and have it seem relatively 'real'.
Once I was done with that tutorial, I headed off to my virtual mountain retreat to set up my space and to customize my avatar. With that complete, I went into the system and tried out a bunch of the options. I was surprised to see that NONE of the apps/games/videos that I had downloaded for free or purchased were available to me on the Rift. I know it is a different system but I would have thought that the Rift would be able to handle anything from the Go. I was also dismayed to find that Vader: Immortal is exclusive to the Quest for at least a little while. I understand that they are hoping that this will drive the adoption of their most easy to use system, but I was really looking forward to standing in Vader's presence in that game.
I decided to fire up DCS World which is an awesome combat flight simulator and which I configured for VR already. Upon trying to run it in Steam, I found out that I had to activate support for outside apps through the options in the Oculus software. It was a simple toggle of a button and as soon as I did so, the cockpit of my aircraft popped into place. MIND BLOWN! I had my flight stick set up but what I found was that my 'hands' were floating in front of me and I was able to grab the stick and throttle and control them directly. Very cool! Once I was airborne, it was incredible to be able to look around and see everything around me. That being said, it was a bit disorienting. It didn't make me sick or anything but my eyes and inner ear were screaming different things to my brain. It was far more disorienting than things like the roller-coaster game on the Go. Eventually though, I got used to it and I had a blast screaming past the control tower on a low level pass. Just needed a guy to spill coffee on himself up there and everything would have been complete!
All the flight sim stuff was done sitting and so I wanted to try out setting up my virtual play space and do some real work in VR. Everyone has been saying that Beat Saber was the game to play and they are right. Not only is it incredibly fun but it is also a heck of a workout. My wife said I looked like a dork flailing about but I don't care, it was fun, and I can't see myself and neither will anyone else.
I have only one complaint as of this moment with the Rift S. The benefit of the Go and the Quest is that there are no cables (though from what I understand, the Quest is a bit heavier than the Rift S). The Rift S is tethered to your computer and while the cable is quite long, it still seems to pull your head down and to the left a bit. I personally would rather have the cord and the support for more advanced programs but they really need to come out with some kind of cable harness that you could clip to your belt or something that can give you enough slack to look around but have most of the pull of the cable supported by your waist and not your head.
I have also heard that previous Rift owners were griping that the screen inside isn't as nice as the one that was put into the Quest and not having used a Quest, I can't compare the two, but I can say that the Rift S blows the Go out of the water in quality. I don't notice any 'screen-door' effect like I did with the Go and the image is incredibly smooth. I was a bit worried about going from a high end gaming monitor down to the Oculus resolution but I was grinning so much from the immersion of it all that I don't really miss the pixels.
Another complaint I have read about was about the sound that comes from the built in speakers. Now I didn't get this until after Oculus had already produced a patch for this and the software updated itself prior to me even putting on the headset for the first time, so I can't speak to how bad it was or how much of an improvement the patch made, but I can say that I'm pretty happy with the sound as it is. That being said, I am going to be plugging in some earbuds just so my wife doesn't have to hear everything in my games but if you want to just stick with the included speakers, I don't think you will be too disappointing in the quality.
I can't wait to try out Elite: Dangerous and download a few more games from the Oculus store and Steam. I see myself wasting a lot of time playing on this thing in the very near future. If you have a current Rift, I don't know if the upgrade is worth it since I can't compare the two, but if you don't currently have a system or have been using a smartphone based system or the Go, you owe it to yourself to give this a shot. If you want ease of portability/use and want to have it available to show off to friends, go with the Quest. If you have a nice enough gaming rig to run it and want to play some higher end games, go for the Rift S. I am having an absolute blast and can't wait to see what developers come up with as the install base for VR gets even bigger.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
 
Transfer large files and output Ultra HD video with this Belkin Thunderbolt 3 cable. The maximum transfer speed of 40Gbps rapidly transmits data, while 100W of power delivery let you charge most compatible laptops. This 2.62-foot Belkin Thunderbolt 3 cable offers plug-and-play functionality for simple use, and the ability to daisy-chain up to six devices provides easy workspace customization.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Pricey But Worth It For All That It Does!
on June 9, 2019
Posted by: Wraith
from Rochester Hills, MI
Like many of you reading this review, cables and proprietary I/O ports are the bane of your existence. I for one have been overjoyed at the move to the USB-C form and format. It is getting easier by the day to just bring a single charger and single cable for all of my devices. As soon as the iPhone goes to USB-C, I will be free!
The Belkin Thunderbolt 3 Gen 2 cable is awesome for all of the things that it can do for you. Is it pricey? Yeah, but so are a lot of dedicated cables that only do one thing (audio, video, data). Remember when you used to buy gold plated HDMI cables that would live behind your TV forever for like $60 bucks each, knowing that in your heart-of-hearts that digital signal is either there or it's not and all the hype was pretty much just that? Yeah, good times.
This cable can pretty much do anything for you from transmitting a 5K video signal (which I tried with my RTX2080 to my gaming monitor and it worked beautifully), to transferring a ton data quickly as I just did pulling data from my desktop to my new laptop, and it can even deliver up to 100W of power, which I used from my 65W USB-C power brick to my iPad Pro and it charged super fast!
This is not a cable you necessarily plug in and forget. This is a cable for a road-warrior who wants to limit the amount of junk and cables they have to take on said road. The approx. 2.5 foot length is great for close in work for peripherals and when you will be plugged in right next to the display or projector. With a couple of USB-C to whatever adapters you might need (which hopefully will also go away), you are ready for anything.
As for build quality, this thing is SOLID. Thick cabling, pliable covering, and solid connectors will make sure this thing lasts. I also love that it is marked with a simple Thunderbolt lightning symbol and a '3' to know that this is a 'full-service' cable. The problem with the proliferation of USB-C is that not all cables are equal even if they have the same plug. All Thunderbolt 3 cables are USB-C but not all USB-C cables are Thunderbolt. It will be nice when that all gets sorted out.
All in all, if you have the need for a go-to cable for most of your modern device data and power needs, this is the cable for you. It is pricey but it takes the place of a bunch of different cables that all together, would probably cost you more.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
 
Unlock new potential for your wireless headphones with this Airfly headphone accessory. It plugs into any conventional headphone jack to enhance your listening experience and can pair with in-flight entertainment systems for added convenience. This Airfly headphone accessory has an eight-hour battery life and recharges through USB, so it's easy to take anywhere.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Works Just As Advertised. Quick & Easy To Use.
on May 7, 2019
Posted by: Wraith
from Rochester Hills, MI
The best review I can leave for a product is that it works just as intended with no hang ups. The AirFly is just such a product. I intended to use it on my flight out to see my parents, because while my noise cancelling headphones have a cord for just such a purpose, I hate having to disconnect or have the other person do acrobatics to get over the cord if they have to go to the bathroom. The problem I ran into though was that neither of my two flights had in-seat entertainment screens! Both served up in-flight entertainment through a personal device. As an aside, I love how the airlines try to sell this as a benefit for us, when really it is more of a benefit for them.
I did find my perfect use for it though by accident (even though I later saw that it was a highlighted use on their site), the gym. I can't tell you how many times I've had my wired headphones yanked out of my ears by either my arm or falling behind on the treadmill. Now I don't have to worry about that.
It was super easy to pair up with my headphones, I held down the button on the AirFly until it turned on and flashed and then put my headphones in pairing mode. It took less than 5 seconds for them to link and I was ready to go.
The second way I found to use it was at my parent's house watching TV. My mom likes that place like a museum, quiet and clean. I wanted to watch a show but she was reading so I plugged the AirPlay into her TV and synced up my larger Sony headphones and watched away.
The sound and connection were both great, though I found it was better to turn up the volume on the headphone rather than the device (elliptical machine or TV). The battery on the AirFly lasted through three hour long sessions at the gym and a couple hours of TV so I would say 12 South's claim of 8 hours of battery life is probably correct.
So while I'm assuming the AirFly will work just as well on an airplane, I never got to use it for that purpose, but I did find the other uses were just as helpful if not more. I don't fly that often but I do go to the gym more often and there are always times where it will be nice to plug this into the TV while the wife is working or trying to sleep.
All-in-all I'm pretty happy with the AirFly. Small, easy to use, and relatively inexpensive for all of its potential uses. Might be a little much if you are only going to use it a couple of times a year, but I'll be using this at least a couple of times a week so I consider it a deal.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
+4points
4of 4voted this as helpful.
 
Enjoy music in an exciting way with this portable Sony Bluetooth speaker. The wireless feature offers hands-free usage and the EXTRA BASS gives sound a boost due to the passive radiator, which enhances low-end tones. This Sony Bluetooth speaker is waterproof and dustproof, allowing you to take it to the pool or the beach.
 
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Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
Good For A Private Picnic Or Beach Day
on April 14, 2019
Posted by: Wraith
from Rochester Hills, MI
I'm going to make this review short and sweet. As long as you know what you are getting with this speaker and it fits your needs, you will be very happy with it. If you are thinking that this small little speaker is good for a party, then you will be disappointed (unless that party is for you and your cats, then you will be fine, well... maybe not fine).
First off, I was actually surprised at just how small the XB12 actually is. When the box came from Best Buy, it was a decent sized box, but when I opened it all there was was a boat-load of packing paper and then I finally found the speaker. The box was overkill but my cat thanks Best Buy for the nice box! Despite its size, the XB12 sounds very nice. I ran it through my test playlist and every song sounded good despite being a mono speaker and not having much bass (even with the Extra Bass, this thing will not be shaking any windows).
If what you are looking for is a nice little speaker to have with you at the beach (for which it is perfect since it is IP67 rated and can withstand a lot of water and sand), or better yet, a small picnic in a quiet park, you will be happy with the XB12. Another great use might be to have at your desk at work or in a home office. This is not a speaker you can really crank up, it starts getting fuzzy at about 50% power, but for just some nice ambient music that you don't need (or want) blasting, it is great. If you just want music for you in a louder environment, go with headphones, but if you want to share that music or can't have headphones in (such as an office), this speaker will do the trick.
Set-up was quick and easy with my iPhone, though I was surprised that it did not show up in my Sony Music Center app. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles that my XB31 has but I thought that was what you would use to link two of these together for stereo sound (which you can do easily it is just done with a button press on the sides of both XB12s).
Battery life seems to be very good as well. Sony says 16 hours and without even charging it up straight out of the box, I have already gotten a little over 8 hours out of it.
I think I'm going to use the XB12 on my desk at work. We always have music going but it is usually through someone's cruddy computer speakers, and I think that the XB12 would make a nice upgrade.
Again, as long as you know what you are getting and that meets your needs, you will be happy. If you need something with a bit more OOMPH, go with something higher up the SRS-XB chain of speakers. Sony has you covered and I can vouch for those ones as being REALLY GREAT for parties.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
+11points
11of 11voted this as helpful.
 
Hear lifelike sound details in your Xbox One games with this Turtle Beach Elite gaming combo. The Elite Pro 2 headset has 50mm custom-tuned Nanoclear drivers for an immersive experience and Aerofit ear cushions for ergonomic comfort. Customize your headset’s sonic performance via the SuperAmp controller of this Turtle Beach Elite gaming combo.
 
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Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
Most Comfortable 'Phones Ever But Sound Not For Me
on March 29, 2019
Posted by: Wraith
from Rochester Hills, MI
I have owned Turtle Beach headphones since I upgraded to my Xbox 360 back in the day and have always loved them. I've had three sets since then, both wired and wireless, and only one of them ever broke (and that was a Battlefield rage throw so was my fault), So while in the past they may have felt a bit plastic-y, they held together well. These Elite Pro 2 headphones though, feel like a tank compared to the older models. Despite being more robust, they are easily the most comfortable headphones I have ever owned (and that is including some of my really high end audiophile headphones). I just wish the sound signature matched the comfort quality.
Comfort:
The padding for both the earcups and the headband are great. I don't have much hair on the top of my head any longer and a long play/listening session usually starts hurting there first, not these. I made it all the way from the Bubble to the center of the galaxy in Elite: Dangerous and never once wanted to take them off. They didn't get hot either which is surprising considering how sealing they are. Maybe they are filled with unicorn underfurs or something. I don't know, but they are crazy comfortable.
Sound:
This is where the Elite Pro 2s really let me down. Now despite being an audiophile, I have a realistic expectation of what gaming headphones should sound like. Also, I realize that sound quality is highly subjective and what one person loves, another finds to be horrible. I unfortunately fall into the later group. As I've gotten older, my gaming style has changed somewhat and instead of Battlefield and COD, I'm more of an Elite: Dangerous / No Man's Sky / Minecraft kind of player now. I play to relax, not get fired up.
Most likely, the sound signature that Turtle Beach has adopted for these headphones, are tuned for games like Destiny or Anthem and the like, and since I'm just playing quietly, they sound very boom-y and echo-y to my ears. I've played with the presets and the equalizer in the app (more on that later), but haven't found a sound I can live with unfortunately. I also used the headphones off of the amp to see if that's what is introducing the boom-y-ness or if it is the design of the headphone itself and I think it is a little of both but probably a little more the fault of the headphones themselves. That is really disappointing to me, since if it was the amp, I would just chuck it and keep using the headphones because they are so comfortable. The headphones seal so well with the soft cushions and the closed back of the shell just make these things a bit to bass heavy and echo-y for me. They probably make explosions and gunfire sound super visceral but I'm just not that gamer anymore.
Set-Up & App:
Set-up was easy as pie. Took the amp and the headphones out of the box plugged the amp into the Xbox with the USB cord and then the headphones into the amp. A quick switch of the sound settings and I was good to go even without the phone app. One thing I appreciate about the amp is that it is not some light plastic thing but actually has some heft to it and it stays in place nicely.
I downloaded the app to my iPhone, and connected the phone to the amp via bluetooth, which was simple and just like hooking up any other pair of BT headphones recently. The app gives you options for turning on the super-human hearing feature and for playing with the bass/mid/treble mix. I tried a bunch of different options for the equalizer; everything from a flat response to bass/treble high to mid high and everything in between. The only sound feature that did anything that I liked was that super-human hearing setting, which seems to draw out certain frequencies that actually made things sound a little more 'realistic'. Still didn't make up for the rest of the sound signature though.
I'm also disappointed in the fact that I have to use a Bluetooth connected app to make changes. I would prefer sound signatures and the equalizer and the chat/game blend to be physical buttons on the amp and not an app on my phone. It makes it much easier to adjust on the fly, though it does make the amp compact. I know that it says that you can use this Bluetooth connectivity to also take calls and such while gaming, but that is the last thing I want to do while playing a game, and isn't the big joke nowadays that no one actually uses their phone to talk but just to text or post via social media?
Speaking of social media, if you are a game streamer, there are some features of the amp that make it easier for you link your sound to the streaming platform and a few extra tweaks in profile 3 on the app. I don't do or watch streaming so I didn't pay too much attention to those features but I did notice them there.
Conclusion:
For me personally, these headphones are probably only 3-stars and that is only because of the sound signature. Most other gamers are going to think these are a solid five-stars since they are geared more for mainstream gamers and not old dudes like me (and I'm not THAT old). I compromised and went with a four-star rating, because there is a lot to love about these headphones, especially the comfort aspect. If they were to come out with an open backed version that was not so bass heavy, and instead were a bit more neutral, I would snatch them up in a heartbeat and probably even wear them to listen to my music as well.
If you are in the current mainstream gamer category or are buying for one, you/they will LOVE these headphones. If you are a gamer heading out to pasture like me, you might think differently. You owe it to yourself to give these Elite Pro 2s a try though, because they are probably the best gaming headphones out right now, certainly the most comfortable.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
+4points
4of 4voted this as helpful.
 
Cordless cleaning made easier. The Dyson V11 Animal cordless vacuum intelligently optimizes suction and run time to deep clean everywhere.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Could Replace Big Vacuum For Most Homes
on March 26, 2019
Posted by: Wraith
from Rochester Hills, MI
When I heard that Dyson was going to stop developing their standard plug in / stand-up vacuums, I scoffed at the idea that they would ever get a cordless vacuum to work 1/2 as well as a Dyson Ball and they would have to pry my Ball - Animal 2 from my cold, dead hands! (I even bought some spare parts for it just in case they stopped production as well as development!) Having used the V11 Animal for a little over a week now, I think I might actually give up my Dyson Ball pretty willingly; the V11 is that good.
I am a neat freak and I have cleaning devices all over the house (vacuums, steam mops, etc). I have been a Dyson fan since my first Dyson stand-up sucked up a full canister of junk from what I thought was a completely clean floor. I purchased one of the first cordless vacs when they came out, and while I was impressed at the power of it at the time, I never considered it a primary vacuum. I replaced my old cordless stick vac a few years ago with the V6 Absolute and while it was a dramatic improvement on my original stick vacuum, it still was in no way a threat to my stand up Dyson. I primarily used my V6 on the tile floors in my house (about half of my flooring in a 3000 sq/ft house) and some of the smaller rugs.
I have two rooms downstairs with carpet, the library and my office, and there is probably about 400 sq/ft of vacuum area when you account for the furniture. For giggles, I thought I would try out the V11 and its new high torgue cleaner head (which seems to me like a bulked up version of the one from my V6). Having charged it all night to ensure a full battery, I gave it a go. The V11 stunned me with the power it had and how easy and fast it was to vacuum those spaces. I didn't have to switch plugs (because those two rooms are on different sides of the house), I didn't have to deal with the cord, and on its normal 'Auto' mode, it made the nice vacuum lines on the floor that I'm always looking for and it filled the bin with a remarkable amount of junk. I decided to keep going and do the remainder of the floors downstairs which are mostly tile with a few rugs and the the new cleaning head and Auto mode did a great job adjusting the suction and power depending on the floor type. I was also pleasantly surprised that the V11 is actually quieter than my V6, but that is mostly because I had to operate the V6 on turbo mode to get it to clean the way I wanted.
The only drawback I found from this test was that the bin was completely full by the time I finished the floors downstairs, I'm attaching a picture of the bin from after the two carpeted rooms and the tile floors filled it the rest of the way. It was easy to empty though with a satisfying 'shotgun pump' action. This is far nicer and secure than the canister dump on the V6, though you do have to detach the tube or attachment from the front to make it work which you didn't have to do on the older models.
I then went on to do the upstairs, which is mostly carpet, and it was again super easy since I didn't have to switch plugs multiple times but I did have to empty the bin twice (each time involving a trip downstairs to the garbage). It did a great job and I was extremely impressed. If Dyson could only find a way to have this amount of suction with a larger bin, this thing would be a no-brainer. I will say though that while the entire device is not nearly as heavy as my Dyson Ball, the fact that all the weight is mostly in your hand vs. on the floor takes a bit getting used to. It's more of a balance thing than a weight issue, at least for me.
Another feature that I really like is the equipment caddy that now attaches to the extension tube when you are floor cleaning. Rather than stuffing the crevice tool and the combination tool heads in my pockets, they are both right there in easy reach and I can have the compact motorized head with me in my pocket. The caddy is super solid and doesn't slip or rotate around the tube (picture below).
All-in-all, I am extremely impressed with the power and flexibility of the V11. I'm still on the fence on whether or not to get rid of my Dyson Ball vacuum but I'm thinking it is probably going to go. In the past Dyson has said that their V-Series of cordless vacuums could replace your corded ones, but now I actually believe them.
Oh, I almost forgot, battery life! By the end of my vacuuming of the entire house using only Auto mode, I still had one segment of the battery indicator left (out of three). I have no idea what percentage of capacity it actually has left but it is good to know I can do the entire house in Auto mode with a complete charge. I guess with the upgraded model it actually give you a digital readout of the battery power on the back of the device but I didn't really need that feature.
I would not hesitate to recommend the Dyson V11 Animal for anyone with a house smaller than mine, especially if they have the same makeup of carpet vs. tile/hardwood/linoleum. If you have all carpet of a larger house than me, then it is a real toss-up. The V11 will have all the power you need suction wise but perhaps not battery wise. Also, the repeated trips to empty the bin may offset the usefulness of the cordless feature.
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I would recommend this to a friend!
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+27points
35of 43voted this as helpful.
 
Listen to music the smart way with this black Acton II Voice speaker. It has three Class D amplifiers for high-quality sound and multi-room capabilities so you can listen wherever you are in your house. The built-in Amazon Alexa of this compact Acton II Voice speaker lets you control your playlist with your voice.
 
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5 out of 5
5
OUTSTANDING Speaker For Smaller Rooms!
on March 18, 2019
Posted by: Wraith
from Rochester Hills, MI
I have owned a Marshall Stanmore since it first hit the shelves and I am still getting compliments on it to this day and it fills our living room / kitchen (open concept home) with awesome sound. Now that I am semi-retired (ugh, don't know if that is a good thing or not yet), I have more time to catch up with the stack of books I have been meaning to read but I need music in my library. I HAVE to have music when I read, been that way since high school (I could just run the music through my head and what I was reading at the time would come back to me).
I initially thought about switching out the Acton II for the Stanmore because it has all the latest bells and whistles but after doing some A-B testing of the two, the Acton II can't fill our living room / kitchen area with nearly enough sound as the Stanmore. That isn't necessarily surprising since the Acton II is much smaller, but audio engineers have done some pretty impressive things with speakers and headphones these days.
With that being said, the Acton II is PHENOMENAL in my library, which is a much smaller room with lower ceilings. Setting it up so that the rear of the speaker faces a corner (like you do with a subwoofer in an entertainment system) really brings out an impressive amount of bass from this thing. I know that saying it is in my library probably brings up thoughts of classical music but really I'm reading to 70's & 80's rock.
When I get sick of my own playlists from my phone I can switch to Amazon Music via Alexa to play whatever I'm in the mood for at that time. The only knock I can really give to the Acton II is that the microphone isn't nearly as good at picking up my requests as those in some of the dedicated Alexa items. Sometimes it states that it 'seems like I'm whispering but it thinks I asked for....', and it is usually correct but it is a bit of a delay that can be annoying at times. Trust me, I am not whispering, but perhaps it's placement in relation to my recliner isn't the best so it may not be all the speaker's fault.
I know they bill this as a multi-room system, but since I only have one of these and my Stanmore doesn't have that functionality, I can't really speak to that functionality. Hmmmm.... maybe I need to convince the wife to let me upgrade that to a Stanmore II!
All-in-all I'm very happy with the Acton II and would recommend it without reservation for those who want a stylish and great-sounding speaker for an office, bedroom, library or any smaller contained room. If they need something for a larger or more open space, I would definitely say they should stick to the Marshall family of speakers (because they are all awesome looking and sound great), but go for something with a bit more power.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+3points
3of 3voted this as helpful.
 
Play to your full potential with this HP OMEN Obelisk desktop. Fluid gaming is ensured with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20 series graphics and an Intel Core i7 processor, running on Windows 10 Home. Make a statement with customizable RGB lighting and a transparent side panel, and perform easy toolless upgrades in adherence to micro-ATX standards with this HP OMEN Obelisk desktop.
 
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5 out of 5
5
Classy Chassis & Mind-Boggling Graphics!
on December 12, 2018
Posted by: Wraith
from Rochester Hills, MI
I'm going to keep this relatively short and sweet (for me at least). If you are in the market for a top-of-the-line gaming rig, look no further than the Omen Obelisk. If you want one that doesn't look like a neon factory threw up on what a 10-year old thinks is a 'rad' sci-fi design, then the Omen Obelisk is your breath of fresh air.
Let me break it down:
Design: Beautiful and understated. Can you dial in a bunch of different colors for the logo and the interior lighting, yes, but it looks absolutely gorgeous with the standard sinister red. I mean c'mon, dark black and a red glow, this thing is Darth Vader in a box! Yes Please! And like Vader the Obelisk slays in other ways as well...
Graphics: OMG! I didn't really want to get Battlefield V because I really don't dig their move to the battle-royale style multiplayer but since it is the only game out there to really test out the ray-tracing of the GeForce 2080 in the Obelisk (and I found it on sale), I had to test it out. First things first though, make sure you get all the updates for the RTX 2080 and Battlefield first before playing it. I tried it before the latest patch came out and man did the frame rates take a hit with ray-tracing on! It was unbelievable with it off with the rates going over 100FPS but with it on I was seeing like 25FPS at times! With the new patch, it is rare that I have seen it go below 65FPS (BTW I'm running this rig on a Dell 24" G-Sync monitor at its native 2K resolution).
That being said, I ended up turning ray-tracing off. Does ray-tracing make everything super-realistic, yes, but I'd rather have the processing overhead than flamethrower reflections in water.
Included Peripherals: You aren't getting an awesome quality gaming keyboard or mouse with this thing but I have to say, it is one of the better keyboard (pack-ins) I've used. I actually took it to work because it is better than the piece of junk we have for our intern computer. The mouse is meh, but it does its thing (I had already given the interns a better mouse so this one just went back in the box).
Upgradeability: HP did a great job on making the Obelisk easy to get in to and to upgrade. A single button press and the glass panel pops open and you have access to a neatly laid-out motherboard and bay configuration. I really appreciate that there isn't anything critical stuck behind the graphics card like on my last rig. You had to do a moderate amount of work to get it out just to get access to the SATA-III ports to plug in an additional hard drive.
You have an open slot for an extra stick of RAM (a matching module is running about $125 online), and you have a single extra 3.5" bay and SATA-III plug. That being said, I'm not in any hurry to do an upgrade at this time. I ran BF5 just fine on the 16GB of RAM that was installed as base. The first upgrade I will probably make is to throw another SSD into the open bay but for right now it's nice just to know that it will be like a 5 minute job to do it.
Software: A bit of bloatware but the HP tuning and management software is some of the most simple and easy to use that I have seen on a gaming system. Everything is straight-forward and obvious and it all runs without a hiccup, which I can't say about some other manufacturers. Slight rant though in case HP reads this: can you please not put silly little 'FarmVille' type games on this computer? I think it's pretty obvious that by getting the Obelisk I'm looking for something a bit more than photorealistic cows! *End Rant*
OK, so maybe that went a bit longer than I had intended but it's hard not to gush about the Obelisk (and it was still shorter than many of my other reviews). If you are looking for a powerful pre-built gaming rig, you can't go wrong with the Obelisk. If you want one that is sexy as all get out while also slaying your games, then there is really no other choice. Either way, the Omen Obelisk is an outstanding rig, that you should not hesitate to purchase.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
+6points
7of 8voted this as helpful.
 
Protect your files from the elements with this G-DRIVE mobile solid-state drive. Its 500GB of storage space lets you travel with essential documents, and its 560MB/sec. transfer speed ensures quick access to your media library. This G-DRIVE mobile solid-state drive is resistant to water and dust, making it suitable to take outdoors.
 
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5 out of 5
5
Blazing Fast and Solid! Perfect Archive Drive.
on November 29, 2018
Posted by: Wraith
from Rochester Hills, MI
I am a fanatic about backing up my digital files. I have done so since the beginning with tons of floppy drives, moving on to Zip drives, archival DVDs, and as they have been advancing, portable hard drives. I recognized early on that with our increasingly digital world, I needed (as do most people), a way to hold everything 'just in case'. I also witnessed a colleague lose ALL of his Master's degree work, including his thesis, and I've never seen a man so broken before or since. He was wicked smart when it came to math, but stupid when it came to computers.
I have a huge amount of digital files both for my personal items (iTunes music, movies, RAW photo files, important document scans, etc.), as well as for my work files. I'm a teacher and unlike many my age who have two or three (or in one case ten) filing cabinets full of documents and stuff, I have everything digital. I have high-def multimedia files so I don't have to try streaming them over unreliable wi-fi in the school (kids are all using up the bandwidth sharing Instagram pictures of themselves in class, like, we know, you're in class). I recently purchased the SanDisk Extreme Portable drive for use with my work files because it is fast, light, and easy to take around. I got the G-Drive for my home archive. BTW in case you didn't know, SanDisk (whom I've always loved their stuff) and G-Technology (same) are both owned by Western Digital now and these are part of the 'stable' of products.
(Sorry, not sorry, for the detour into the why and what of data management.)
Now as to the G-Drive itself, it is awesome. It is freakishly fast and nice and solid. It comes with all the cords you could need for connecting it to your computer and it does it's job incredibly well. I had kind of hoped that in the pictures I saw online, that the blue you could see between the slats on the drive were indicator lights to show how full the drive was but really you are just looking through the case to see the heatsink around the memory core. Bummer, but it still looks nice.
The one thing I have to say about these new drives and the incredible speed we get now is that you now have the ability to do a final backup in the case of an emergency in little to no time. I used to have a schedule for making quarterly rolling back-ups but I was able to do my most recent backup in a couple of minutes! This gives me the peace of mind to know that if I perhaps missed a backup or know that I had recently added a bunch of files that I would want, that I could get them in record time after popping this thing out of the safe.
One thing you will notice from the other reviews here is that this G-Technology drive is formatted for Macs right out of the box. G-Drives have been a staple in the Mac world for years (they make my Thunderbolt Time Machine drive). It is not very hard to reformat the drive using their software and you can even use it on both a Windows and Mac if you reformat it to the exFAT format. That being said, you do lose quite a bit of speed from this drive by not using it in a native Windows or Mac format (NTFS or APFS/HFS+, respectively). This is my backup drive for my home computer which is an iMac so it is in APFS; the SanDisk is for my work computer which is a Windows 10 Laptop so it is in NTFS. I use USB thumb drives in exFAT format (which IMHO all USB thumb drives should be formatted in), for transferring files between the two if needed.
OK, so this 'review' hopefully was more about convincing you that you need this, but if you are reading this, you probably already know that. I didn't spend much time on the actual drive because it does what it is supposed to incredibly well, period. It does nothing super fancy but I don't need or want that out of an external drive. Like I said earlier, I have always loved G-Technology and SanDisk drives and this drive (and my recent SanDisk purchase) have only reinforced that feeling. If you need a portable external drive, you can not go wrong with this G-Drive.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
+4points
4of 4voted this as helpful.
 
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Wraith's Review Comments
 
Make driving routines more enjoyable with this OverDryve car system. Its voice assistant capabilities let you read and send text messages by command and also play music in your car without taking your hands off the wheel. The built-in dash cam of this OverDryve car system lets you record trips and capture every moment on the road.
 
Overall5 out of 55 out of 5
No-Brainer If You Want A Great All-In-One System
By Wraith
I wondered about creating a GPS system nowadays with so many people having their smartphones with their own GPS functionality or with most cars coming with some kind of infotainment system, but after using the OverDryve 7 for the last two weeks, I think it is a great system and is a no-brainer for anyone looking to add GPS functionality to their car.
First off, my favorite thing about this device is the mounting bracket. I kid you not. One of the things I always hated about car GPS systems was having to lock it in place and reconnect the power and such. In the process of doing that I would invariably mess with my carefully set up positioning and would have to do it all over again. The Overdryve has an awesome bracket that you keep set up in your car and plugged in to everything and the Overdryve unit itself links via magnets and the connections are made through little contacts on the back. Easy-peasy. On top of that, the basestation also has an additional GPS antenna to improve location accuracy. Now I have rarely had problems with previous GPS devices and but the additional antenna could probably help when you are in the 'canyons' of the city, though I haven't gone downtown to try it yet.
The GPS system is great. While my car has one built in, it acts a bit too much like my mother and won't let me input anything if I am not at a complete stop. My wife can't even do it from the passenger seat because if we are moving at all it completely locks out the GPS controls. I understand why, but it would be nice for some kind of override. With the Overdryve, we don't have to worry about that. She just plucks the device from the mount, types in the destination and clicks it back into place. The guidance voice is kind of grating but so is my wife yelling directions at me from her phone!
I played around with the handsfree and entertainment applications and they are fine, but my car handles that pretty seamlessly, so I don't think I will be using that function of the Overdryve. The voice commands are much more responsive than those for my car system so I will give it that. The other thing I don't have to worry about is the backup camera or tire pressure monitor, because my car already has that, but if your car doesn't, this is a really cool feature. While each of those systems is an add-on, they are both only about $150 each and I guarantee I paid more for that functionality from the auto maker.
As for the Overdryve also being an Android tablet, and can be used off the mount like any other tablet, it is true that it can do so, but it is a little bulky for that and it is an Android tablet with all that entails. Sorry, I have an iPad and I can't really see myself ever using this as just a regular tablet, but perhaps if you forgot yours and you have a fussy kid in the back and want to send it to the back seat to quiet them down, this could be a lifesaver.
Now for my few quibbles with the device. I had a little trouble syncing it to my phone for the first few tries but after I did a phone restart I didn't have a problem and it had maintained the sync no problem, so it could have been my phone and not the Overdryve. My only other problem is the name. Seriously, Overdryve?! I realize that Overdrive was probably taken but I kind of feel like some hipster should be on TV telling me how 'swaggy' this thing is. Every time I have had to type Overdryve into this review, I have had to roll my eyes and they are getting tired.
In summary, if you want a great functioning GPS system, and that is all, this is a phenomenal GPS and it costs about the same as other 7-inch GPS systems. If you need the functionality of an infotainment system, and want the ability to add safety features like a back-up camera and tire pressure monitoring, this is a no-brainer because you get all of that for the price of a basic 7" GPS. On top of all that, you get a fully functional Android tablet! I really can't see why anyone would buy any other standalone car GPS system now that this is out. Even if you don't need the other functions, they are nice to have and Rand McNally has created the best GPS device I have ever used, for the same price as other systems. Seriously, this is the unit to get.
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Wraith
Rochester Hills, MI
Dash Cam!
September 25, 2016
I totally forgot about the dash cam function of this. Yet another feature that makes this a no-brainer. I have not had much experience with dash cams but this one works well. Now let's just hope I don't end up on one of those dash cam compilation videos on YouTube!
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Wraith's Answers
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Listen to your playlist in peace with these Sony headphones. They have a 40mm dome driver to deliver the full depth of audio, and the noise cancelling feature minimizes outside disturbances for a better listening experience. These Sony headphones have a battery life of up to 30 hours for extended jam sessions.
 

Will these head phones need to be connected tot he phone to use the noise cancelling function or can they operate as noise cancelling headphones whithout having to be connected to anything?

They DO NOT need to be connected to a phone for the noise cancelling feature to work. You can just have them on to give yourself some peace and quiet.
7 years ago
by
Wraith
 
Listen to your playlist in peace with these Sony headphones. They have a 40mm dome driver to deliver the full depth of audio, and the noise cancelling feature minimizes outside disturbances for a better listening experience. These Sony headphones have a battery life of up to 30 hours for extended jam sessions.
 

Really wanna buy these headphones, but does the ANC from these (Sony) create an undesirable pressure to the eardrums? Tried the Bose, they hurt my ears after a while...

NO! I'm with you on that. I have always wanted a pair of NC headphones but couldn't stand that pressure after more than 30 minutes. I have listened to these for almost six hours straight and no pressure. It is fabulous!
7 years ago
by
Wraith
 
Create gorgeous hairstyles quickly with this high-velocity Dyson Supersonic hair dryer. The rapid air flow and a temperature gauge that monitors the heat level 20 times per second ensure efficient drying without overheating tresses. The motor of this Dyson Supersonic hair dryer is in the handle for better balance and reduced arm fatigue during use.
 

Hello does the Supetsonic blow dryer sold at Best Buy come with the leather case?

No, that is only for the dryers bought directly from Dyson. I know, stinks. I'm attaching a photo of what is in the box.
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7 years, 11 months ago
by
Wraith
 
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.
 

I have a 1400 sq ft home and an RV parked on the side. My current Router plus an add on won't do it for the RV. Will this cover the home and the RV?

I have a 3200 sq ft home that has walls like a fort and I can get a great signal from all throughout the house and my entire yard (which is admittedly not in proportion with the house). If you put the main base station in your home and the satellite system in the RV, the system will tell you if you have a good signal (which you should), and then you will be bathed in glorious wi-fi.
8 years, 1 month ago
by
Wraith
 
Only at Best BuyTote entertainment options with you via this HP Spectre x360 laptop. The 13.3-inch touch screen lets you navigate tablet-style for casual app gaming, and a flip-and-fold design lets you set this computer on a table to enjoy streamed entertainment while multitasking. This HP Spectre x360 laptop weighs just over 3 lbs. for easy portability.
 

Finally! so glad i seen this before i bought!!! when can i get it? i've asked everywhere.

I have seen it in every Best Buy store I have been in to over that last two weeks (four in total), so check your Best Buy, it is probably there.
8 years, 5 months ago
by
Wraith
 
Only at Best BuyChoose this HP Spectre 13 notebook for its crisp 1080p display and 13.3-inch screen. It comes with a sixth-generation Intel processor and 8GB of onboard RAM for efficient multitasking, and its solid state drive ensure that programs load quickly. The slim design on this HP Spectre 13 notebook provide enhanced versatility.
 

I ordered this laptop from a friend to buy it for me. I live in Europe (Macedonia) so we have 220v electricity + other kind of power plugs. Will it damage the laptop if i use it constantly with an adapter to change the socket to fit our plugs ?

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User submitted photo
You should not have any problems doing this. The power supply clearly states that it can handle all the way up to 240v and convert it to what the computer needs. All you should have to do is get the plug adaptor.
8 years, 5 months ago
by
Wraith
 
Learn more about Magnolia Premium Installation These Sennheiser HD650 stereo headphones provide balanced and transparent sound for audio with minimal distortion. The headphones feature an over-the-ear design with an innovative elliptical shape adapted to the shape of ears.
 

Which headphone amplifiers would you suggest for the HD650 and would a headphone amplifer help add a deeper bass to the sound??

I use mine with a Schiit Magni (and Modi for the DAC), and I have no problems with the bass. If the music is supposed to have bass, you will get it. It won't be thumping bass but there is only a small segment of the music spectrum that really needs that emphasized. Cheap headphones bump up the bass to cover up how bad they are.
10 years, 2 months ago
by
Wraith
   Rochester Hills, MI