Arjay67's stats
- Review count41
- Helpfulness votes675
- First reviewJanuary 14, 2012
- Last reviewApril 8, 2018
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating3.4
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- Answer count6
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- First answerJuly 2, 2014
- Last answerApril 8, 2018
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Arlo Pro 2 keeps an eye on your home while you're away, in brilliant 1080p HD quality. Put the 100% wire-free, weather-resistant camera anywhere, indoors or out. Then, power it with the included rechargeable battery or plugged it in (when indoors) to access activity zones and 24/7 Continuous Video Recording upgrades. Use 2-way audio or remotely sound a 100+ device siren while catching every moment with night vision and advanced motion detection. You'll even get motion and sound-activated alerts and 7 days of free cloud video recordings. Arlo Pro 2 works with Amazon Alexa to make your smart home security even more simple and effective.
Customer Rating
4
One of the better home systems available
on November 16, 2017
Posted by: Arjay67
from Kankakee, IL
When I received this wireless camera system and began unboxing, my initial impression was good. Attractive styling and the base unit was a bit smaller than I expected based on the photos I had seen. It can be placed just about anywhere with it’s small footprint and contemporary styling. After unpacking all parts I feel a second AC adapter or charging block would be a welcome addition. More about that later.
Both batteries ship fully charged so you can plug in the base station, run through the setup and begin using the system in about 15-30 minutes. The Arlo app, downloadable from the AppStore is well designed and makes setup quick and easy. This was a pleasant surprise due to my less than exemplary experience with previous router setup apps from Netgear.
There are four aspects that I feel warrant significant improvement:
First is the Web interface. Overall, the interface is well laid out and easy to navigate. The features available on the free plan are sufficient for just about everyones needs. But the Achilles heel is that fact that they are still using flash to display the videos. FLASH IS DEAD folks! Even Adobe says so. I don’t typically have it installed since it has a long history of issues with stability and security. Ironic for a security camera interface?!?! Fortunately, I am able to fire up Chrome and use the site. But this is a serious negative in my book.
Second, the alert siren is only on the base. Sure, if you want to be alerted to an intruder detected where one of the cameras are placed this will do the job. But other systems have the ability to alarm at the camera site. I feel that this would be a better way of attempting to scare off would-be criminals from the premises.
Third, as with other systems that I have tried, the app on iOS will drain your battery very quickly. There must be a way to refine the code so that it’s not so power hungry. This is the downfall of other wireless cam systems that I have tried so the Arlo is not unusual in this regard, but it is irritating. I don’t see why I can stream HD videos on my phone for hours, but can only stream on these cams for minutes.
Fourth and finally, the seals on the charge ports of the cameras do not fit well. They are flimsy and on one camera will not stay in at all. This likely won’t have too much affect on my usage as they will be mounted under the eve of my home and not directly exposed to the rain/snow but if your installation is different you will want to consider this in your selection.
Now for all the things that I like:
Video quality is far better than other cams I have tried. There is much less of the fisheye effect and video is sharp and smooth. The motion detection works very well and is not an add on service as with their competitors. Their low light performance is above average, but you must consider your installation. In night mode, if you are trying to use it through a window, you will get a bright reflection in your image from the infrared lighting that is projected by the camera. But this is the nature of the beast, not a flaw with the camera design at all. Just consider your placement and plan before you buy. For monitoring indoor rooms or outside of your home at night, it would be a challenge to find a better cam system.
The mounts are simple and easy to install. They use a magnetic ball joint connection with the camera which should allow you all the range of aiming that you need. The magnets are quite strong and I’m not at all worried about the wind ripping them off; and I live in a part of Illinois where we routinely experience 40-60 mph sustained winds. I’m in the Mt. Washington of Illinois! But with any cam that uses a magnetic mount, you have to consider carefully the placement. You not only need to choose a location that will give you a clear view of the area you wish to monitor; but you have to consider access to the cams. You have to balance your ease of access when you have to retrieve the cams to swap or charge the batteries, while still having them located out of easy reach for thieves. In my situation one will be mounted outside of a second story bedroom window. I can reach out and grab the cam easily, but it’s high enough off the ground that no one else has access without an extension ladder. But for the front of the house I will have to mount it over the garage which will required ME getting on a ladder. With an expected battery life of around 6 months this isn’t a huge deal and I may choose to just run power to the zone and keep the cam powered with electric. (which means that I’ll have to buy a second charger to charge the other cam)
Barring my aversion to Flash, the web interface is so very good. You are able to adjust all of the settings just as you can with the app, view your library of events, view live streams from the cams and take snapshots. Any of the videos or stills can then be easily downloaded as mp4’s for video and jpg’s for stills. Good to see them using industry standards for compatibility. You can setup the cams to record with motion detection and more precisely with “activity zones” which I found to be much better than other systems. They will detect motion just about anywhere in the frame including the far edges. Alternately, you can set them to record at specific times. Oddly though, you must use the app and not the web interface to set recording based on geofencing. But even with this restriction, it’s a neat feature to have.
Another HUGE plus with the Arlo system over competitors, is that in the “free” account you can store up to SEVEN days of events without incurring additional charges.
If you are familiar with Amazon Alexa, IFTTT, SmartThings then you will be happy to know that this systems supports their use as well. But not even a mention of HomeKit. I hope that this will be an addition through an update in the future.
The two-way audio is remarkably average. But you shouldn’t expect high fidelity from a speaker that small. It’s good enough for you to notify someone in the cams range and understand their response.
The base station also provides a feature that most others don’t. USB ports for connecting external storage devices. You can connect a flash drive or hard drive to provide local storage of events so you wouldn’t even need to use the cloud based storage if you didn’t want to. But if you’re buying a system like this, one of the outstanding features is the remote access and storage.
There are also a line of compatible accessories that are offered for the Arlo system. Several different types of mounts, solar chargers, spare batteries, charging stations (which I think should be included also—hint: netgear) and black or cams skins for making the cams less obvious.
Summary:
It is my opinion that the Arlo Pro 2 is one of the best, if not THE best, wireless home security camera systems available. I have tried a couple others but this one is definitely a keeper. Excellent video quality, low light quality, motion triggered events and user interface bring it out on top. With a few refinements they could easily change my review to a 5 star across the board! The price is a little higher than competitors, but the difference in performance and included storage helps to justify the cost and increase the overall value.
My Best Buy number: 2381904496
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Enjoy up to 10 hours of wireless audio with these Sony noise-canceling headphones. They produce rich sound by playing at audio frequencies of 3-40,000Hz and have a closed-back design that blocks outside noise for a better listening experience. These Sony noise-canceling headphones sit comfortably behind the neck and work with or without the 1m wire.
Customer Rating
4
Very good, on the high end for price
on October 27, 2017
Posted by: Arjay67
from Kankakee, IL
20171027-BBTIN review of Sony WX-1000 headphones
On opening the packing I found the headphones/earbuds on top. Under the top layer, I found the multiple sizes and types of earbud caps. Also in the box was an image based instruction manual which is a bit misleading. From the manual it appeared that the estimated full-charge time is around 0.3 hours; when in fact is more like 3 hours. There is also a USB to micro charging cable but no actual charger included. Seems like a silly place to save production costs on $300 headphones.
There are three sizes of two different materials, silicone and foam. Between these you should be able to get a good fit. The pair that shipped on the the earbuds seemed to fit my ear canals fairly well, but I did opt for a slightly smaller size for the best fit.
So I needed to charge them up to give them a good listen. When I removed the cover on the micro-USB charging port it felt a little weak. I don’t think that this particular piece will see much longevity, but otherwise solid connector.
After charging was complete I first attempted to pair by Bluetooth alone instead of using the app. Since this should be a basic functionality it should be rather simple. It did take three tries but once connected, it was solid. On future uses they paired immediately with minimal delay. Once of the best features is that when you are pairing or switching modes, there are audible prompts played through the headphones. This type of response is very reassuring to know that you are in the correct mode.
Next, I connected with the Sony Connect app. It will assist in establishing the Bluetooth connection and give you various options. Such as noise cancelling modes, adjusting the surround sound trim, etc.
Sound quality is above average when compared to other BT headphones that I’ve tried. But they don’t quite measure up to the quality of a pair of corded headphones that I own. But when you need other features such as noise cancelling, the difference fades.
The noise cancelling works very well. I tried this in a variety of environments and each time I experienced a noticeable reduction in ambient sounds. You can also control how much or how little ambient sound is passed along. This can be important in situations where safety is concerned and you need to hear some of the sounds around you.
Battery life is impressive. It’s rated at 10+ hours and I got around 12. I don’t listen at high volumes and that would explain it.
In summary, these are very good earbuds. Above average sound quality, very good fitting options, noise cancelling and a well designed companion app. While the app does add a lot, it’s not at all required for most operation.
My Best Buy number: 2381904496
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Take this 11.6-inch Acer Chromebook anywhere you need to go thanks to its compact size and light weight. With its Intel Celeron N3060 dual core processor, you can enjoy fast Internet browsing and computing. The high visibility of the HD touch screen display with LED backlighting lets you use this Acer Chromebook in almost any lighting conditions.
Customer Rating
3
Good Chromebook with a few weaknesses
on October 17, 2017
Posted by: Arjay67
from Kankakee, IL
As I unboxed the Chromebook, I found the packing was sufficient yet more "green" than years previous. Not a lot of foam or wasteful materials used. It's good to see that most manufacturers are following this trend. Styling is very nice and modern. Fit and finish are excellent.
So the first thing I did was charge it up. It took just a couple of hours with the included charger with USB-C connector. All hail USB-C!
Once I got the blue light (charged) I opened the lid and pressed the power button. Within just a few seconds I was greeted with the setup routine. This is mostly simple, provided you already have a Google account. But if you don't, you can easily get one during the setup process.
Now on to the particulars. It has a large, bright clear screen. Most things are easy to make out and if you need a little help, adjusting the resolution or text size can easily be done with a couple of keyboard shortcuts.
It is a touch screen which is usually quite responsive. The only issues I've had with recognition of touch is when you're near the edge. If you have Chrome maximized, it can be tricky to close a tab.
But it's the texture that I really take issue with. I have become so accustomed to the touch screens on my iPad, iPhone, Windows Phone, HP laptop, etc that this just doesn't quite feel right. On all my other devices, they feel very silky. Your fingers easily glide over the screen. But on the Chromebook it feels slightly tacky and in some cases almost gritty.
The keyboard is another less than stellar aspect. The key travel is very short, even for a laptop, and they do not have a solid feel as experienced on many other laptops. I'm concerned about the longevity of the keys. Since I use an external keyboard when writing lengthy documents this may not be much to worry about.
On a related note, the touchpad is good. Responsive to all gestures and taps. But when you are making a mechanical click on it, there's a weak feeling to the structure. Also, with a touchpad this big under the keyboard, it is so easy to suffer unintentional cursor movement and clicks. A great revision would include a way to easily disable and enable the touchpad.
As far as speed, this Chromebook is no slouch at all. Boot time is barely noticeable. Apps launch quickly and I never spent any time waiting for any task to finish.
The speakers are touted as being a strong point. But in my usage, they are tinny and anemic. They produce about the same sound quality as a tablet, but louder.
When attempting to connect to my Bluetooth speaker I was unsuccessful. After trying multiple attempts, it only ever resulted in errors:
Authentication timeout while connecting to.....
Authentication cancelled while connecting to....
Failed to connect to......
Authentication cancelled while connecting to....
Failed to connect to......
Connecting wired external keyboards and mice are easy and reliable. Just plug and play....that's it.
WiFi specs are confusing on the BestBuy website. In one area it references 802.11ac, but in the "specs" area it only lists 802.11 a/b/g/n. But this in one area where you do not notice one or the other. Everything on WiFi was fast and responsive.
The webcam is grainy, lots of noise and weak on color. The stock app will allow you to take photos, but no means of capturing video without a 3rd party app. In these times, video really is expected to be a given.
It does seem to work well with Google apps like Sheets, Slides, Docs, gMail, etc. And even though Chrome is "not fully supported" by iCloud, I was able to use all the web based apps just fine. But it appears that Google has dropped support for the “Ok Google” assistant. Even though all the settings are there and you can configure it, you will not get a response.
Battery life is impressive. It’s rated at 10 hours between charges and you should easily see that. Turn down the screen brightness and you’ll likely see even greater.
In summary, this is a nice Chromebook. Bright, beautiful screen; plenty of power and most operations were smooth. If you can live in the cloud with the options available there, then it may be a good choice. If you just need web browsing, Google mail and calendar and the web-based apps, then this is a good choice for you. But if you're looking for connectivity with BT devices and good sound quality, look elsewhere.
My Best Buy number: 2381904496
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Take control of your food prep with this Ninja food processor. Its two interchangeable attachments accomplish a wide range of kitchen tasks, including chopping nuts, slicing vegetables and pureeing fruit, and its auto spiralizer lets you make versatile vegetable noodles. This Ninja food processor has a drizzle hole lid for conveniently adding oils and other liquids.
Customer Rating
4
Great little processor that shreds too!
on October 17, 2017
Posted by: Arjay67
from Kankakee, IL
I decided to try out this product because I already have a large food processor of a different brand. It works well, but I wanted a smaller model for those smaller jobs that wouldn’t be a pain to clean. After my experience with two previous Shark/Ninja products I chose this. I really like my Shark Vacuum and my Ninja blender will leave my hands after I draw my last breath.
I was unsure if the stringer blades would be of use to me or not, but figured what the heck. I’ll give it a try, and if I don’t care for that feature I’ll still have a smaller food processor that would hopefully be easier to manage and clean than my behemoth.
After unboxing (and being raised in a germ-o-phobic German Catholic household) I wanted to give all the parts a good wash before using. This brought about my first disappointment. The cylinder that is used when stringing/shredding veggies has a three lobed guide that runs down into it to stabilize your potatoes, zucchini, cucumbers and the like as you shred. It is non-removable which makes it very difficult to clean. They do include a brush to assist with the job, but I feel strongly that this part should twist off for much easier cleaning.
As a food processor, my first trial was with some fresh roasted pumpkin. The holidays are coming and I like to have a good stash in the freezer for making breads, pies, etc. Due to it size, your average sugar pumpkin will need to be done in 2-3 batches. Totally within my expectations. On the first batch, I think I had it a bit overloaded. The Ninja has plenty of power to puree anything, but if you get too much pumpkin in it you might have a couple of chunks that wind up “floating” on top of the load and have to push them down and restart. After that it was smooth sailing…..and velvety smooth pumpkin puree.
So then I washed up the lower processor portion and got ready to string up some zucchini. You attach the lower bin, slide in the receiving cup, set the blade disc on that and then attach the upper column with its hard to clean lobes. It zipped right through the zucchini creating spaghetti-like strands in an instant. With its capacity, you’ll likely fill the receiving cup after one average sized zucchini and that’s to be expected. I tossed the strands with a little vinegar, sugar and steak spice; then placed in the refrigerator overnight to flavor. The next day I had a delicious and healthy “Spaghetti Salad”. Nom nom nom.
In summary, as a smaller capacity food processor this thing rocks! The Ninja does a very good job at stranding veggies also. And it does both at a reasonable price point. The only real drawback is the clean-ability of the veggie chute. I strongly believe that a twist and lock removable top would be a huge benefit.
My Best Buy number: 2381904496
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Philips Norelco OneBlade Pro hybrid electric trimmer and shaver, QP6520/70 (14 length comb)
Customer Rating
2
Fair, but Philips has one better
on October 17, 2017
Posted by: Arjay67
from Kankakee, IL
In the shipping box Phillips did include a Welcome letter which attempted to realign expectations, likely due to earlier reviews which panned it as a shaver. With these expectations in mind, I gave it a try.
First thing to do was charge it. The trimmer shipped with 0% charge but this was no big deal. To obtain a full charge was less than two hours. But the first surprise was that the “blades” were considered a consumable item. They do wear over time so you will need to buy more. Ah, the Shick marketing model is alive and well!
You can use it with just the bare blade for super close trimming. Notice I did not say shaving? The bare blade gave me results similar to some electric razors that I’ve used in the past; but nothing beats a real wet blade and shaving cream.
When using as a trimmer with the guard attached, the selection of trim lengths is adequate for most needs. For best results you MUST go against the grain. Passing over with the direction of your beard growth, it will not catch most of the hairs and trim little to nothing. But going against the direction of growth with give the intended results albeit with multiple passes. But this is not much different than other trimmers that I’ve used. Probably has more to do with how my facial hair grows, which is very directional.
All things considered, this is an acceptable trimmer. But I was way happier with another Philips/Norelco product that I tried (and reviewed here). If you’re looking for adequate this would be a good buy. But if you want something much better, spend a little more and get the Multigroom Series 7400 Wet/Dry Trimmer and you’ll be much happier.
My Best Buy number: 2381904496
Mobile Submission: False
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Fuse physical and digital worlds with this Merge cube. It's a toy hologram that you can hold in the palm of your hand, and it works with free apps downloaded onto your iOS or Android smart device at the Merge Miniverse site. This Merge cube lets you play your favorite games with virtual reality goggles.
Customer Rating
5
Merge hits it out of the park!
on October 9, 2017
Posted by: Arjay67
from Kankakee, IL
After getting the cube I was hoping it would be more enjoyable than the goggles; and it was!
The Cube is made of a similar foam as the goggles with distinct patterns on all six sides. The related apps view the patterns and then display the images accordingly. The Cube works well with using the goggles or equally as well with just your smartphone or tablet. In fact, I found myself using it more without the goggles since I wasn’t a fan of those to start with.
But it’s the software that makes the cube so much fun. You can use it to view a heart, animals, anatomy, other objects and rotate to view from all angles. There are even a couple cute games that I tried, but stuck with only those that were offered at no cost.
After you load an app from the AppStore, you enter the verification code that comes with the Cube and you’re on your way. With settings to switch easily between goggle mode and smartphone only mode the operation is dead simple. I had lots of fun exploring, but with a cost. Grabbing the realtime images and then calculating the geometry of the images IS resource intensive. You’ll see battery life take a serious hit, but it’s worth it. After all, I do have a high speed charger at the ready. :)
All in all, this is a worthy purchase. I was seriously unimpressed with the goggles, but Merge really hit it out of the park with the Cube. One bit of advise though, make sure you have decent lighting in the room where you’re using it. If it gets too dim the software will loose the ability to accurately determine the grid patterns. But this is more common sense really.
This one’s a keeper for sure!
My Best Buy number: 2381904496
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Be transported into another world with the Merge VR Goggles. Compatible with Android and iOS devices, Merge VR Goggles provide an immersive virtual reality experience powered by your smartphone.Explore virtual worlds with these Merge VR goggles. The input system lets you perform simultaneous action, such as running and jumping, and the soft foam construction keep you comfortable. These Merge VR goggles take you to new worlds via hundreds of apps with VR START, and they’re compatible with newer Android and iPhone devices for versatility.
Customer Rating
2
There are better options at better prices
on October 8, 2017
Posted by: Arjay67
from Kankakee, IL
Merge VR Goggles
I didn’t know quite what to expect from VR goggles. This was my first experience so I wondered if the experience would live up to the hype.
Upon unpacking, I found the Merge Goggles (MG) to be mostly a soft foam-based creation. This is good as they are quite comfortable and you don’t have to worry about anyone getting knocked out from an inadvertent bump to the head with these.
They have a slot near the front where you install your smartphone. For my use I pushed in my iPhone 6 and it was held securely by friction alone. I felt safe in using the device without the potential for damage to my phone. There’s also a triangular pop out to allow open access to the camera if you want to use it with AR apps and accessories like the Merge Cube.
Apps vary greatly in their function and presentation. The 3rd party app that I first tried (recommended by the Merge website) was Ascape. They have a good library of media, some free and some paid. But it’s not suited well for the MG. It displays full-screen and the lenses cannot be adjusted to get a good image. For their stuff you’re better off just viewing it on your smartphone or tablet. (it which it works very well)
Then I tried a couple apps that I found on the AppStore from Merge. These worked great with the MG lenses, but to achieve this the images are displayed as two smaller images on your smartphone screen and the lenses then magnify them. This causes them to be less than full view and very pixelated.
The apps must be computationally intensive as they burn through your battery very quickly. You’ll see a drop of nearly 2% per minute of use and make your iPhone get rather warm.
There is also the Merge Start portal, which is basically useless. Navigation and searching are difficult and when you attempt to use one of the apps, you get a persistent spinner and the app NEVER loads. Just sucks more of your battery away.
Summary: Simple foam-based construction, seems a bit pricey. Works well with stock apps, but 3rd party or web based…..forgeddaboutit!
My Best Buy number: 2381904496
Mobile Submission: False
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Upgrade your business presentations with this Epson projector. It has built-in speakers for clear audio, and the lamp can run for up to 10,000 hours in economic mode. This Epson projector casts images as small as 33.1 inches and as large as 320 inches and works with several video inputs.
Customer Rating
4
Impressive Projector (for the right setting)
on September 28, 2017
Posted by: Arjay67
from Kankakee, IL
After using projectors at work for many years, I decided to try out a projector at home. Since I run a sideline business in addition to my 9-to-5’er, occasionally I need to have a meeting at home and would prefer to present from my desktop in the office than on my TV by way of Airplay. So I decided to give the Epson VS355 a try.
Setup was simple. Epson includes a CD with an “installer” which installs little more than a link to their website. If you want to use one of the utility software available, those must be downloaded from their website. No other documentation was included so the CD is of little value.
The menus are easy to navigate and buttons clearly labeled. There are adjustments for height, focus, zoom and keystone as most projectors have. But the Epson stands above in providing an adjustment for angle. In case your setup should cause you to have to project the image at a less than head on alignment, you can compensate for the angle of projection. Similar to keystone adjustment but on the X axis.
I was able to test the projector on both a Windows 7 PC and an iMac. Both produced very good results with their own little respective quirks.
I first connected to a Win7 PC by way of VGA. The image is crisp and clear (after adjusting the focus) and super bright. I wasn’t really sure how 3300 lumens would translate into actual brightness in my setting, but I was impressed just how bright this thing is! Whites are so white, colors are vivid and no amount of ambient light was able to distract from what I was projecting. One negative artifact that I noticed is that if you use a dark grey desktop background, you might notice a slight pulsing top to bottom.
One additional helpful feature that is accessed from the configuration menus is the test pattern. This projects a grid with a circle that helps you to adjust the trims to get the truest image possible, free of warping or distortion.
Just for laughs I also tried projecting on my kitchen wall. The wall is painted with a darker shade of green. The wall was being blasted with so many Photons that it overpowered the paint color. In areas of white there remained only a very slight greenish tint. But in other color areas it was difficult to notice much difference.
Then, just as a test, I decided to play a DVD. The folks at BestBuy warned me when I ordered this unit that it was not at all designed or intended to be a home cinema type of projector. I accepted this as it is not my intended use. But I just had to try. Considering that the max resolution is 1280 x 800 you cannot have any delusions of a 4K experience. But it did a beautiful job displaying a DVD at 720p. Again, you should not purchase this if you want a home theater projector. But it can do a decent job in a pinch.
The three software utilities that I found on the website are: iProjection - allows multiple PC’s to connect wirelessly with the projector (Win/Mac); Project Management Utility - allows remote configuration (Win only); and the USB Utility - allows you to connect by USB instead of VGA or HDMI (Win/Mac).
On the Win7 PC I attempted to use the audio inputs by way of a 3.5mm to RCA cable. I couldn’t seem to get the audio to actually play. But I generally tend to use much better speakers for any presentation so this isn’t much of an issue. I do know that the audio is working and will cover that in the iMac portion.
So I shut the PC and VS355 down so that I could disconnect and move it to the office for a trial with my Mac. When I shutdown the projector, there was no cooling off period where it would run the fan for seconds or minutes to cool it down as with other projectors that I have used. I’m not sure if it’s necessary or not, but it is a slight concern around bulb life.
I connected it with a Thunderbolt to VGA adapter. My mac immediate noticed the different display attached and YUCK! It tried to match the resolution. After a little fiddling, and telling the Mac not to mirror but to treat it as a separate display and space, all was well. Again I experienced bright, clear images with no flicker or noise. Since it was so super bright, I switched it to “Economy” mode. This dimmed the image noticeably, yet was still plenty bright for my use in my office. It also dropped the fan noise to about half what it was before. The economy mode will increase the bulb life dramatically, and unless you enjoy staring at the sun you will be pleased with its output.
This brings up another important note. Fan noise is considerable when in full blast mode, but economy mode makes it much less noticeable. Again, this is intended for business presentations and NOT home theater.
So then I just had to try the USB connection as I would prefer to connect it that way leaving my Thunderbolt ports free for drives and other displays. I loaded the utility, connected a USB A-B cable (not included) and the projector sensed the different input and automatically switched. Again, the image displayed was bright and clear with a couple of caveats. On my iMac, the USB connection will only allow you to mirror the primary display. You cannot set it up as a second workspace. Which for most, will be totally acceptable. The other negative aspect is that if you need to play a video as part of your presentation, the USB interface doesn’t have the bandwidth available to be as good as the VGA connection. The video will be a lower frame rate and a bit choppy, yet still acceptable. On the plus side, the audio on the USB connection works flawlessly. Better than you would expect from a 2” 1W speaker.
Summary: The VS355 from Epson is a fantastic projector for SOHO or regular office environments. It’s bright and clear image will be admired by most. The controls are simple and useful. It’s definitely a keeper!
My Best Buy number: 2381904496
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Get the housecleaning done with this bag-free Shark Navigator upright vacuum. Its Never Loses Suction technology leaves no dirt behind, and its swivel steering movement lets you maneuver around irregular corners easily. The motorized brush roll of this Shark Navigator upright vacuum works with or without power to suit both carpeted and bare floors.
Customer Rating
5
Great Vacuum — A bit pricey
on September 21, 2017
Posted by: Arjay67
from Kankakee, IL
I was raised in an “Upright” vacuum home. That’s what I used growing up and what I was most comfortable with. But when I married, my husband had an old Sears canister vacuum that he refused to part with. So for the last 21 years we’ve been using that and I’ve always missed an upright.
So I decided to give the Shark Navigator Swivel NV26 a try. I was mostly impressed with this vacuum. From a performance standpoint, it seems to pull up every bit as much or more than our current bagger. It’s light enough to easily carry between floors of our home which is critical in a townhouse. An added benefit is that most of the accessory tools have a place right on the vacuum. Accessories included are a crevice tool, dusting brush and small, vacuum driven beater bar for steps and tight places. Only the small beater bar does not have a place right on the vacuum. But for me, it’s a rarely used accessory so I’ll just store it in the cupboard where I will store the vacuum.
Regardless of what type of vacuum you buy, if you want one that works really well it has to have a cord. On my old canister there is a retracting wheel inside that will coil up the cord internally. This is what I will miss most. But even though the Shark doesn’t have such a thing, the cord winding posts are easily accessible—though sometimes you need to hold the tube to the side. One smart part of the design is that when you have the cord on the posts, both will pivot inward allowing you to slip the cord right off without having to unwrap the entire length.
Assembly was relatively simple. Snap the head onto the body, push a couple of hoses into place and then slip in the handle which requires fastening with a long bolt. No worries, just a simple flathead screwdriver is needed and you’re done.
Operation is dead simple. There’s a 3 position switch to accommodate different floor types. Position 0, off; position 1 runs the suction motor only for cleaning small rugs and hard surfaces; and position 2 turns on the beater bar for carpet agitation. To release the handle from the upright locked position, you step on the power head and pull up and back. Rather than an actual release switch type of mechanism it appears to be more of a friction fit. So I’m skeptical of how this part will hold up over time. The width of the power head is a fair bit narrower than any of my previous uprights or canister vacuums. So you need to make a few more passes per room to get full coverage. But I’m sure this was a design choice to make it lighter and easier to navigate.
Emptying is another simple operation. It’s not exactly intuitive, but once you read the instructions you see how easy it really is. (yes, I had to read the directions)
So in my first few uses I’m mostly impressed. Very good operation, good accessory assortment, much lighter than most uprights, easy cleaning/emptying and a little quieter than some others. I feel the price is a little higher than need be, but I’m very happy with this selection.
My Best Buy number: 2381904496
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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3of 4voted this as helpful.
Take your productivity to a new level with this Dell XPS tower PC. The Intel i7-7700 processor and 16MB of RAM provide lots of power, while the easy-open chassis and expansion slots are ready for future upgrades. This Dell XPS tower PC has nine USB slots, including seven USB 3.1 ports, and a 1TB hard drive for ample file storage.
Customer Rating
4
If you MUST use Windows, you MUST have this PC
on August 22, 2017
Posted by: Arjay67
from Kankakee, IL
I received this PC because my employer is stuck in the dark ages and does not yet support Mac’s. So I needed a WinPC for my home office. This machine had the specs, but does it really have the punch? After some testing I came to the realization that if you must have Windows, then you also must have this PC or one very similar.
From initial setup, it will take at least 15 minutes before you are able to actually be logged in and use the machine at all. It will take a little longer if you don’t already have a Outlook/Hotmail account as MicroSoft makes it nearly impossible to use a Win10 machine without it.
Initial browsing of supplied software from MS and/or Dell shows much of the typical crapware/bloatware in addition to an attempted hijacking from McAfee AV. Dell also loads on their mostly useless “support” software, that does little more than eat up clock cycles. Dell also bundles the Cyber suite for creating and ripping DVD’s. I found the software to be buggy with horrible video quality on playback. So if these features are important to you, you’ll either be buying additional software or buying a Mac.
Want Office apps? Hey, they’re preinstalled also. Go ahead and use them for one week and then be locked out. You’ll then be strong-armed into a subscription service from MS. So why are the base apps not included with Windows? Apple gives those to you along with other necessary software for managing music, videos, photos, etc. Yeah, LibreOffice here I come!
Of course Windoze is never stable or secure out of the box. So when prompted I let the Win10 updates roll. Here’s another 25-45 minutes of your life wasted.
It was very good to see that this machine includes all of the now standard connectivity options: Ethernet; 802.11ac WiFi; Bluetooth 4.0; USB 2.0 and 3.1; HDMI; DisplayPort and even a USB-C connection. Another plus for me was that is has a DVD drive. Not nearly as necessary as years past, but it’s still nice to have to read those old archives or occasionally watch a movie. It’s a slim drive similar to those used in laptops and has a flimsy feel…so use caution when loading discs as it feels like it could snap off easily.
Another drawback with the “preinstalled” apps are the games. They are from less than reputable companies that actually are downloading in the background after initial setup. This makes the Win10 update process take far longer than it needs to as they are consuming the download bandwidth.
Next, I wanted to connect to my Bluetooth speaker. Trying to pair took SIX attempts before Windows would finally recognize the unit. This process occurred the first time with another WinPC, a Mac, iPhone, iPad, Nokia Windows Phone and any other device I tried. Not sure if the issues were hardware, driver or Windows but there is an issue that needs to be resolved.
I also attempted to use my go-to utility, Handbrake, to rip a video DVD. I’ve had lots of success in doing this on other WinPC and Macs. But here there were issues. Handbrake took 3 hours to make it through 50% of the second pass and then freeze. After several attempts I gave up and resorted to my Mac.
One other annoying issue was the sleep/wake function. When the PC enters sleep mode, you can usually wake it by pressing a key on the keyboard or mouse. Attempts at doing this resulted in the NumLock light flashing but the PC stayed in sleep mode. Holding it down or multiple presses provide the same result. The only way to wake the PC is to hit the power button on the front. This is definitely an issue that Dell needs to resolve.
Onto the power of the machine itself. With it’s quad-core i7 it certainly has the horsepower necessary for complex tasks and power users. The blending of the Intel Optane SSD/HDD hybrid provides fast boot and program load times. But once again, the achilles heel is Windows. On copying, multiple small file writes will crawl at around 1MB/sec. Larger files do better but Windows is desperately in need of a serious file system upgrade.
Cinemark shows the machine performing at the top of its class. The Intel HD 630, while not exactly high-end, performs very well and will handle 4K video with ease. HD writes will come in around 100 MB/sec which is lackluster, but reads are in the 500MB/sec range. Very good for a hybrid configuration.
Overall, this PC is a really strong contender. It has all of the necessary features and components to handle whatever you might throw at it. The primary issues have to do with Windows and can probably be overcome with future updates and additional software purchases. But if you must use Windows, then you must have this PC.
My Best Buy number: 2381904496
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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-2points
1of 4voted this as helpful.
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Without you knowing it, cybercriminals can infiltrate your Wi-Fi network and steal your identity or invade your privacy by accessing your connected devices. Password protection isn't enough anymore.Engineered with multi-layered security, Norton Core™ intelligently protects your Wi-Fi network and an unlimited number of connected IoT devices such as smart TVs, baby monitors, Wi-Fi thermostats as well as your personal devices like laptops, desktops, smartphones and tablets against malware, spyware, ransomware, viruses and more.
Is Norton Core a good choice to work with Macs?
Yes, my iMac, iPhone, iPad, HomePod all worked beautifully and I saw much faster speeds than with the Time Capsule/AirPort Extreme that I have been using.
6 years ago
by
Arjay67
Store documents and photos digitally with this Brother wireless scanner. Its duplex setting copies both sides of the page in a single pass to save time, and its image optimizing feature improves the quality of the scan. The 2.8-inch touch screen on this Brother wireless scanner lets you configure its settings to your preferences.
Can I duplex into SLMPDF and omit blank pages through the settings menu? How fast is it?
Enjoy up to 10 hours of wireless audio with these Sony noise-canceling headphones. They produce rich sound by playing at audio frequencies of 3-40,000Hz and have a closed-back design that blocks outside noise for a better listening experience. These Sony noise-canceling headphones sit comfortably behind the neck and work with or without the 1m wire.
Do the ear buds retract or adjust in any way
They certainly do! The earbuds are on short cords that attach to the neckband.
6 years, 6 months ago
by
Arjay67
Featuring Internet and multimedia keys, this Logitech K750 920-003677 wireless keyboard makes it quick and easy to access your Mac's frequently used functions. The solar-powered design ensures reliable use in most locations with ample lighting.
USB Only
Does best Buy sell the USB adaptor for this keyboard? I own the keyboard and the USB adaptor broke and has been misplaced...
You will need to contact Logitech directly for this. Good luck as they are very difficult to deal with even if it's still under warranty.
9 years ago
by
Arjay67
Kankakee, IL
iPhone 4s has a 3.5-inch Retina display, an 8MP iSight camera with 1080p HD video recording, a FaceTime camera, and long battery life. And with iOS 7 and iCloud, it does more than ever.
What does contract EXTENSION meam?
The iPhone 4S features a powerful dual-core A5 chip with faster graphics for browsing the Web, switching between apps, gaming and more. The 8.0MP camera boasts advanced optics and shoots 1080p HD video. Ask Siri, a voice-activated intelligent assistant, to make calls, send texts, set reminders and more. Features the iOS 5 operating system with its easy-to-use interface, rock-solid stability and extended battery life. Use with iCloud to store your digital content and wirelessly push it to all your devices. Requires a data plan starting at $20.Early termination fees will be prorated, starting at $325 minus $10 for each full month of service commitment completed.
how much for mints. & contract
How much are minutes and how much would it be to activate the phone
You will need to select a carrier and plan to find that out.
9 years, 10 months ago
by
Arjay67
Kankakee, IL