3Tcubed's stats
- Review count168
- Helpfulness votes1,527
- First reviewJanuary 3, 2014
- Last reviewMay 14, 2024
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4.3
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- Helpfulness votes0
- First review commentNone
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- Answer count72
- Helpfulness votes45
- First answerJanuary 10, 2015
- Last answerJanuary 12, 2022
- Featured answers0
- Best answers11
Pair your morning jog with these Jaybird RUN wireless earbuds, and enjoy your music each step of the way. Bluetooth compatibility with multiple devices lets you share your playlist without the tangle of wires. These Jaybird RUN wireless earbuds are sweatproof and dirtproof to handle the worst of your workout.
Customer Rating
4
Very, Very Nice
on October 16, 2017
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from Phoenix.AZ
I have to start by saying I did not expect to really like these headphones, I typically don't like in the ear buds. Previously I never thought they were comfortable. And I've kept trying them (Apple, Klipsch, Sennheiser, Bose, LT and Sony to just to name a few) looking for the right combination of comfort, sound quality and usability (they need to have a mic sport so I can use them with a cell phone). Call me insane for doing the same thing over and over expecting different results, well it was over and over with different products; very few of them I actually bothered to return. Most were in the $100-250 range.
Full disclosure, the first pair of Jaybirds I acquired had a problem, the right earphone worked fine but the left one dropped in and out (lost all volume) over and over certainly not to be expected. I contacted their customer service, promptly got a real person late Friday afternoon, they had me quickly try a few things, concurred there was a defect, the sent me a return label right then, and they told me they'd try to expedite a replacement. About a week later they arrived, and the new set immediately worked without issue. Yea, but they handled the situation as well as possible and are to be commended.
The earbuds paired easily with my iPhone, they show up as Jaybird RUN listed twice, as soon as you connect one the other connects at the same time - easy. Tried the same from my notebook, no problems.
The earbuds come with 5 different silicon ear tips to customize the fit; they also come with 3 different silicon "fingers" which help hold the earbud in the ear, even when exercising - yes they really stay in place. At first I thought the default eartip was fine, but after using them for about 3hrs I decided to investigate other fits. I ended up preferring a less solid fit, a smaller size with thin flaps at the side, once in place they offered me a much better bass response and I found them surprisingly comfortable for longer listening periods.
Now battery life, on a single charge I found that I'd get a little more than 3 hours before a pleasant voice told me I was at 20% battery life, which was about right, as just after 4 hrs listening the same little voice told me I was low on battery life. Great, it was lunch time, I returned the earbuds the their charging case (a black pill shaped case a little smaller than 2 ping pong balls (but heavier)); the case connects via a micro USB to USB connector (9" cable) (Glad to see Std Connectors) for charging. But the case also contains back up batteries to fully charge the earbuds (once) without additional power. The ear buds charged to 100% in under 20 minutes (little voice told me they were fully charged when they again pair with my iPhone.) 2 Led's on the exterior of the case flash to indicate the changing status of the earbuds, and another shows the status of the cases built in battery - simple, easy to figure out - blinking = charging, steady = done.
Finally, how do they sound - GREAT; a very nice soundfield, with really nice tight highs a smooth mid range, outstanding vocals and pretty good bass. The bass is not going to blow you away, but it matches nicely with the timbre of the earbuds. As I said earlier getting the right fit will effect how they sound; getting a tight enough fit improves the base greatly. And yes they weigh a little bit, but they stay in place in your ear, with no cords or anything else hanging down out of your ear. You can quickly shake you head from side to side, jump up and down and they stay place. Even when exercising in a tread mill or elliptical they felt good, even when sweating significantly they stayed put and did not move around my ear.
The last thing I tried was the earbuds as speaker phone with my I phone. Here I had some difficulties, the volume level when using the phone was MUCH lower than when listening to music, I had to increase the volume quite a bit to hear the call; in addition the volume from the mic did not pick up my voice as well as hoped, I was testing an an area with some constant background noise (fans) and the people I tried talking with had a hard time hearing me, when I move into my "phone booth" (a quieter room) there was less of a problem, but callers still thought I did not sound as full/rich as I did directly on my phone. In talking to several other they described my voice over the earbuds as "tinny" and missing "depth". Although not unusable, it was disappointing, being told I did not sound like myself. Well there goes one star. Other than that I was very impressed with these earbuds, for music and "running around" they work great, better, more comfortable than anything else I've tried. To use on the phone they don't currently quite cut it.
I almost forgot, there is an "app for them" the best feature allows your to change the tone of the earbuds via a 5 band parametric equalizer; they offer several presets, but I made a custom setting I liked much better. There custom equalizer has the sophistication that I've seen when customizing high end hearing aids, quite cool. The app also allows you to share play list info (Spotify), to find your earbuds and see the battery status. It's well done and I can see it getting better.... a nice 'surprise' bonus.
My Best Buy number: 0010016244
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+19points
31of 43voted this as helpful.
Protect your iPhone's data with this 64GB iXpand charger and backup base. It charges your iPhone quickly with 15W of power, and it backs up photos and videos as it charges to ensure precious memories are always safe. This iXpand charger and backup base also backs up your stored contacts, so you can restore them when needed.
Customer Rating
2
Wish it did more
on October 7, 2017
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from Phoenix.AZ
You really need to have a special need to love the iXpand Base (64gb), its expensive and has a pretty limited set of features, and it does not come with a lightning cord. First it about the size of a large rubber and metal coaster, it does a good job of supporting a iPhone (I tried a 6S and 8+) both were comfortably supported, and when in position you could still use the phone. After loading the iXpand Base app, once you connect the phone, the app will scan your phone for Photos, Videos and Contacts and back them up to to a SD card with in the iXpand Base (the card is removable, so you could replace/upgrade the card to increase the storage capacity. And it does the backup reasonably well and pretty fast, as it only copies changes since the last time the phone was connected.
I did encounter some minor issues where the software backed up some of the same files twice, and a number of times when I connected it I was told the SDcard was not present or that a back up failed, disconnecting, the phone, restarting their software and reconnecting the phone generally solved this problem.
So if you don't want to back up your Photos, Videos and Contacts to a computer this is a nice solution (my 90yr old mother would have liked it, she hated computers but appreciated her iPhone).
But my biggest issue, besides, it not working completely reliably, is its limited functionality. I'd be l lost, if I lost, all the notes and documents from my phone. I can understand, it not backing up music files, from a copy protection standpoint, but not copying notes & documents would be show stopper for me. I keep a number of files on my phone that I regularly update and then sync to my desktop and share with others. If I lost these files, I'd be disappointed (to say the least). My sister is a chef, she keeps all of her recipes as notes & documents - I'm pretty sure shed feel the same way.
The included charger is 15w 3A; it's pretty quick, but I have faster chargers. I would have preferred than SanDisk include a short lightning cable. They require that you use your own cable you have to insert the USB connector into the center of the iXpand Base and wrap the cord around the unit where the rubber "skirt" holds the wound cable neatly under the lip, I'm not sure this is a great idea for the cable, I'd have preferred the base have a (removable) 6" to 12" cable, maybe one that included a indicator showing when charging is completed (picky, yes, but this thing is expensive; I'd I like a way to know it's done without a message to my phone saying it's done; just another ding and a message to find).
My Best Buy number: 0010016244
Mobile Submission: False
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
Go for a spin with this Sphero Ultimate Lightning McQueen car. It has expressive LCD eyes and a hi-fi speaker to embody the spirit of the Cars character, and its dedicated app lets you control it from your mobile device. This Sphero Ultimate Lightning McQueen car provides over 2 hours of play on a full charge.
Customer Rating
4
So Cool
on October 2, 2017
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from Phoenix.AZ
First ignoring cost, this thing is so awesome, it responds to touch, it seems to have a real personality and it moves so realistically. Behind the windshield is a color LCD screen which bring the "Eyes" of the car alive, moving with the spoken word, and boy does is speak (with Owen Wilson's voice, and quite loudly if you want it to) the front bumper is a soft rubber with an animated mouth that moves (mouth opens/closes w/animation) with the spoken words.
The packaging of Lightning McQueen goes above and beyond excellent, a beautiful box secures Lightning by the wheels, a drawer beneath contains a small booklet and charger. The heavy box is printed with metallic ink, boldly advertising Disney PIXAR Cars 3 - Lightning McQueen. The car is controlled by an Andriod or Apple App which must be downloaded to your device - but we all have one or more so it can easily be updated to add/correct features. After down loading the app it instruct you to Update the Car, and it must be connected to it's AC adapter to do the update, which took about 2 minutes. But now I know my car is up to date and I have the latest app 3 minutes after unboxing - everything should be this easy - a good experience to get started.
Now ready to get started, Lightning McQueen starts to chirp, wanting to get moving,you touch the car and it's body moves and reacts to your touch, you lift it up and it recants with another naturally spoken word choice. I don't want to spoil the fun by telling you the car says but it kind of errie - you will think the car is paying attention to you.
Now using the app controls take some getting used to, the most important step that the written instructions gloss over, is the positioning button, you must push this "button" while standing directly behind the car pointing forward, fail to do this befor your start each time, and the car's controls will seem backwards or out of wack; do it right and the controls work reasonably well (you can also change to a RC control (up/down left/right set to sticks - this did not seem quite as natural as the joy stick), Still it takes a pretty fair amount of time to get the car to move exactly as you desire, after 1/2hr I still felt like an amateur, it really took 3-4 hrs usage before I could negotiate movements reliably. I'm sure a "kid" would pick it faster than I did, but a kid would not be concerned about crashing a $300 'toy' car (more like a little robot), so maybe I error-ed through caution. But with time by confidence grew, I was ready to try some driving challenges, that are part of the app, after a dozen or so attempts I was competitive on the challenges, and more impressed with, my friend, the chatty car.
A few not so positive points, they (Sphero.com) claims you can operate the car from 30 meters (100ft); not in my experience, I got an out of range message, several times, and started "walking off" the lost at distance - and it was consistently about 20 long steps, which I'd call it 60 ft. Once understood it was still reasonable to have a lot of fun.
The app (currently) offers 4 race tracks, one strait and a pit stop game which is much more entertaining than I though it would be, it was a real challenge to improve, but doable. The app allow you collect "trophies" , and race against others (this I could not test with only one expensive car). This bring me to my biggest complaint or really a is it worth it issue. This "toy" is quite a remarkable piece of technology, more robot than racing car, I don't think I'd trust it to a 5yr old, but I know a lot of 5-8 yr olds that would be truly amazed by my talking car, but the car is very fast, and a full speed, as the car warned me more than once, "that's going to leave a mark" and "maybe that will buff out" solid objects/walls will (probably) damage the car, I did not want to risk that. And that's where I have a hard time with the $300 price tag, at $100 or so I'l not worry about a kid playing with it, but for over $200 it's a struggle for me - but it's a lot of fun, unlike any toy Iv'e ever had - and it's faster then most dogs - so when you can drive well enough you can certainly have fun with your pets, as is quick and the cool lights on the car will capture their attention. So many ways to have fun with my my talking car....
My Best Buy number: 0010016244
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+1point
2of 3voted this as helpful.
Enjoy lag-free gaming with this Linksys dual-band Wi-Fi router. Its Killer prioritization engine works with Killer-enabled computers to minimize peak ping by up to 77 percent, and the 1.8GHz CPU delivers super-fast speeds with wired and wireless connections. This Linksys dual-band Wi-Fi router has a custom-built user interface that lets you manage your gaming network performance.
Customer Rating
2
Underperforms
on September 27, 2017
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from Phoenix.AZ
First impression, the WRT32x is packaged beautifully and safely in the box that contained it. Ssecond I was very happy to see that the antennas are removable, this would allow an antenna with a higher DB gain to be used; I've always thought this was a good idea. Installation is straight forward, they include a wizard for those not familiar with router setup that holds your hand through the initial set up, it worked well, You are given an option to set up the 2,4 and 5Ghz networks with the same or different names, they claim that if one name is used the best possible band will be utilized (I could not prove this, but seem like a good concept, other recent Linksys routers have also had this option). So after unpackaging and using the wizards's set up, I dug deeper into the 'manual' setup options and was pleased to see all of the more complex options covers. But in the list of connected devices there was no MAC address, I though I'd missed something, this is generally exposed, and many with lots of devices use this unique Id to manage those devices. I called Linksys support, and got a human promptly, they were very knowledgable about the product, but confirmed that the MAC address of connected devices is not displayed; I suggested it should be, they said they would pass it on to the development dept, Oh well, I see that as something missing, in my getting more connected home I have 60+ devices on my primary network (40+ are iOT things). One thing I did like about the user interface was it was very easy to change the prioritization of devices, rather than setting a value you put things in to the high, medium or low priority group, and you can quickly visualize what things are where. Well on to some testing...
To begin with I have 3 dual band or tri-band (2.4 & 5Ghz) AC3200-AC6600 Routers Installed for testing or in use in my home office, I rarely use them all at once but I have them configured so I could do so (DHCP addresses in different range, networks on different channels (where I can)) so when I got the new LinkSys WRT32X I though tit would be interesting to how it fared against the much more expensive 3 node Linksys Velop Router (AC 6600 600+2000+2000+2000), the Linksys Max Steam AE9300 (AC4000 750+1625+1625) and NETGEAR Nighthawk X6 R8000 (AC3200 (600+1300+1300). As I see it the Velop is by far the most expensive the others being all about the same price.
So for a hardwired baseline I ran speedtest.net against each directly connected to my Cable Modem (Arris CM 8200 with Cox Ultimate (300mb/30mb)) here is what I found
....................................Direct Connect..... 5G WiFi....... 5G WiFi
......................................Up/Down........... i7 PC 10'...... iPhone 8+ 10'
Nighthawk X6 _______226.1/30.7____ 116.5/29.4___ 112.2/30.5
MaxStream ________ 230.3/30.9_____122.2/30.5 ___130.0/30.6
WRT32X___________229/9/30.9____ 114.4/27.8 ___122.9/30.0
Velop*3____________233.3/31.0____ 118.8/30.0___ 125.9/30.5
....................................Direct Connect..... 5G WiFi....... 5G WiFi
......................................Up/Down........... i7 PC 10'...... iPhone 8+ 10'
Nighthawk X6 _______226.1/30.7____ 116.5/29.4___ 112.2/30.5
MaxStream ________ 230.3/30.9_____122.2/30.5 ___130.0/30.6
WRT32X___________229/9/30.9____ 114.4/27.8 ___122.9/30.0
Velop*3____________233.3/31.0____ 118.8/30.0___ 125.9/30.5
All the results were pretty close together, with no clear winners or losers, I ran multiple tests and took averages.. But the real test is at a distance more than 10', here the results are vastly different. As I found that the WifI tests on my iPhone were similar and it was easy to move around (duh) and to change networks I used it to test from about 50' away, I only tested AC5G as it's clearly the fastest choice.
.............................5G WiFi
..........................iPhone 8+ 50'
Nighthawk X6 ___33.5/30.0
MaxStream _____24.5/6.3
WRT32X ________9.8/18.6
Velop*3 ________44.0/30.9 <- hard to get dist equal w/3 nodes
(4 sets of test's taking the average of the BEST 3)
..........................iPhone 8+ 50'
Nighthawk X6 ___33.5/30.0
MaxStream _____24.5/6.3
WRT32X ________9.8/18.6
Velop*3 ________44.0/30.9 <- hard to get dist equal w/3 nodes
(4 sets of test's taking the average of the BEST 3)
The only router that had any significant competing load was NightHawk X6, and because Velop "talks" between nodes I have no way to know what's going where, I tried to have my distance about the same distance to the closest node, but no doubt all three nodes could have seen/been working with my iphone.
That being said I experimented with the Prioritization of several devices (computers, phones, tablets, VOIP) and when raised to a higher priority my ping speed was generally decreased, but the average network speed did not change so that it made a measurable difference.
I have to say I expected better results, finding the download speed was 1/2 of the upload, and below 10mb was much less than I expected. I ran the test multiple times with pretty consistent results. And at this point I can't say that I'd recommend this router if it's expected to cover a large area. I have planned on doing some load testing, but given what I found at 50' it is not likely to look any better. I don't know if there might be future firmware which improves things, but right now I'd say there are better choices (I do like the Velop, but it does over simplify much of the setup, not exposing some of the features I'd like to see/know about). I will look for future firmware changes, and (try to) update this review if I find that anything has changed.
My Best Buy number: 0010016244
Mobile Submission: False
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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-1point
2of 5voted this as helpful.
Sanitize your home with this slim BISSELL PowerFresh steam mop. Its on-demand trigger dispenses a burst of controlled steam as the mophead and microfiber cloths remove dirt and germs from floors. This BISSELL PowerFresh steam mop has an extension wand and onboard tool kit, so you can deep clean your whole house.
Customer Rating
4
Pretty Effective
on September 25, 2017
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from Phoenix.AZ
I have a lot of saltillo tile in my house as well as the new "wood look" tile planking. Keeping my saltillo tile and grout clean has always been a ....pick a nice word.... chore. Especially the grout, my house is now nearly 25 yrs old, originally the saltillo time was quite nice , but over time it become scuffed and dirty. I was hoping Bissell Slim Steam Mop would "solve' my problems. Well I found it to be an improvement over my vacuum and occasional wet mop, but the scrubby steam head did not remove the scuff markes as I'f hoped. BUT this steam mop is a 3 in 1 device, it also includes several special cleaning tips, that you can use with the hand held canister (easily disconnect the mop wand), using a 1" round stiff brush on the hand held allowed me pretty easily remove the scuff marks the mop itself did not remove. Yea it was more work to go back to each mark and scrub it with the little steam brush, it worked asn was far easier than getting out cleanser for each spot (which is what I would have done with out the Bissell). I've attach 2 images showing a before and after "spot" I cleaned
On to my "wood look" tile floors, where a few noticeable spots came right off with the Slim Steam Mop, here I was much more impressed, with the reduced effort in cleaning. The mop slid much more easily, on the saltillo tile with the 1" grout joints the Slim Steam Mop took some effort to move, on the "wood look" tile floors it moved much more easily, and did an excellent job,
I also carefully used the light steam setting on my solid wood floors (not recommended in the manual) in my kitchen, where you could see some spots, and the light steam cleaning remove them easily, I did not let the steam stay in any one place too long, and I used a minimal about of pressure on the mop, and spots be gone (my wife really did not want me to try this) but happily it works very well.
I said this was a 3 in 1 device, the third use as clothes steamer (to remove wrinkles), the Bissell Slim Steam Mop, includes an attachment to used the hand held unit as an clothes steamer. I briefly tried it on a starched white dress shirt I had in my closet, which had wrinkled sleeves, and the Bissell did a great job of releasing the wrinkles, I used the steam attachment as a little (plastic) iron and the shirt looked great.
If I'd bought this just for my saltillo tile floors, I'd have given it 2 or 3 stars, but because it is really multi functional, and did a great job on everything else I gave it 4 stars.So depending on how/where you use it you can expect your mileage to vary, you can see where I found it most effective.
My Best Buy number: 0010016244
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+3points
3of 3voted this as helpful.
Strengthen your phone’s 4G reception while you’re on the road with the weboost Drive Sleek cradle signal booster. Its powerful outside antenna detects an accessible 4G/LTE or 3G signal and transmits it to the booster unit for enhanced data reception. This versatile weboost Drive Sleek cradle signal booster is compatible with all US and Canadian network providers.
Customer Rating
4
Got a Measurable Boost
on September 16, 2017
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from Phoenix.AZ
After installation which takes some time and planning (I spent about 30 minutes in the Phoenix Summer heat doing the installation). If done in the order instructed, lay out the cables starting with the antenna on the roof, as it will determine where the "booster block" must be installed. From there run the power to your 12V cigarette outlet; and then mount the phone with the provided vent clip and run wire from the phone holder back to the "booster block". Make sure the white led on the top of the phone holder comes on, I had to fiddle with the cigarette outlet connector to get a good connection, in some cars you might need the car to be running, in other you'll have power all the time. Once you see the white led is illuminated on the cell phone holder you know you have the booster installed and operational. The top of the cell phone holder pulls up to accommodate various sizes of phones.
First I just looked at the cell phone bars my phone which went from 3 to (sometimes 4) out of 5 in my neighborhood. But I live in an area surrounded by hills/mountains, so there are places where I expect to drop calls. I'll get to that after some more testing
With the help of gadgetguy11, I placed my iPhone 6 in Field Test Mode to check out the signal in actual dB numbers, not just in the number of bars, which are not a dependable indicator.
Here is how to place an iPhone in Field Test Mode: Dial *3001#12345#* then press Call. On the upper left hand part of the screen you'll see the dB reading.
With boost OFF, my iPhone read -102dB (see photo of phone in cradle without the white LED, meaning the Booster is OFF).
With boost ON, my iPhone read -86dB.
So how much is 16dB of signal increase (102dB - 86dB)?
**** 16 dB is 20 times the power! ****
Now for the test that I expected to fail (or pass if this thing worked) I drove a winding road up and over some hills where I frequently loose call phone service when driving (that i refer to as my local AT&T black hole). A started a call with my with my wife, and began my drive. Around the problem corner, into the valley, and my call remained connected, my bars dropped to 1 and 2 but my conversation continued and then back to 3 bars less than 1000' feet away. I turned around and went back the other direction, starting with 3-4 bars, when the road started to dip (where I expected the dropout) I saw the bars go to 1 then none, but I still had the call...I thought, then it was gone (but I still showed LTE service), on the way back I was driving more slowly. I reconnected from 50' from where the call dropped, all good again 1 to 2 bars thought. I repeated the test, going more slowly the first direction again, no problem. I turned around, repeating the test that failed last time, and this time the call stayed connected.
So in an specific area I knew to be a problem area (probably dropping over 90% of my calls without the booster, I had some success, but still not completely corrected.
The "numbers" told me I had a better signal, I saw an improvement where I'd hoped to. Less than 1/4 mile from where I live I get 5 bar service all the time, but I live against some good size hills in north Phoenix where OTA HD tv service is hit and miss (not saying cell service is the same, but mountains effect both). I just returned from a trip from Las Vegas, on route 60 where cell service is quite poor, I wish I'd had this booster on that trip to see what difference it would have made. Well I'm heading that way in Nov, I'll try to update this review when I've had a change to test it in a wider variety of areas. Now would I recommend it... probably if you think you have a problems, or have a lot of dropped calls from your car. If you don't you probably don't need it. But you could always try it, installation is non-invasive (no tools/holes required), and see if it helps you.
My Best Buy number: 0010016244
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+13points
15of 17voted this as helpful.
Load high-resolution game graphics with this 25-inch Dell Alienware gaming monitor. Its 240Hz refresh rate and 1 ms response time handle high definition game titles smoothly, and its NVIDIA G-Sync technology is compatible with GeForce GTX graphics cards. Customize preset game modes with the easy-to-use dashboard of this Dell Alienware gaming monitor.
Customer Rating
5
Most excellent monitor
on September 12, 2017
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from Phoenix.AZ
The images on this monitor are stunning. It is a full HD 1920x1080 display, that has fantastic viewing angles; from almost any angle I could not see any color blurring or shifting. In the dark I could not see any light leakage, and the brightness (and it is bright) was very consistent.
But this monitor is designed for gaming, with a 1ms response time at 240hz it is 4-8 times faster than your typical display. And it has several built in display modes based on the types of game you are playing (FPS, RPG and RTS) and multiple game settings to store you personal calibration levels (very helpful as some games are very dark and others are normally bright, saving your play modes is quite useful and save a lot of time when moving from game to game..
The monitor has a anti glare (matte) finish, this is one of the first anti glare monitors I've used that has the crispness as a glossy monitor. when using with fast frame rate game like Doom, the images were crisp, and smooth; I tested this monitor with a Dell laptop and with a nvidia 960 display adapter; the GSync mode of this monitor is designed work best with nvidia video adapters like the 960. With Doom I was seeing over 100 FPS with few artifacts. I also tested with Flight Simulator X and was impressed the quality. Now my gaming laptop (Dell INSPIRON 15 7000) is about year old (i7) and the newer 1060 is faster, but the quality of this display compared to my (4k laptop screen) was astonishing, much brighter and MUCH faster, it was a noticeable improvement, especially in the brightness and improved viewing angles.
The monitor and it's stand are quite heavy (well built), the stand allows the monitor to be used in either portrait or landscape mode easily turning it without fear of it falling down. It comes with a Displayport, and USB 3.0 cable, the USB cable brings 3 additional ports (w/power charging) to the monitor (a real convenience on the desktop). The monitor can also be connected via HDMI (1.4) , (for DVD/BR input) I the displayport input must be used with G-Sync.
I really can't see anyone out growing this monitor, it's as fast as you can get with a gorgeous image used with a nvidia g-sync video card, really a great pair, if you can afford the price
My Best Buy number: 0010016244
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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-1point
0of 1voted this as helpful.
Experience your favorite gaming titles with a whole new level of imagery with this Alienware gaming monitor. The wide 25-inch screen shows every bit of the action, and a 1-ms response rate means you never miss a shot. This Alienware gaming monitor features tilt, swivel and height adjustable features for more comfortable play.
Customer Rating
5
Gorgeous, but pricey monitor
on September 12, 2017
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from Phoenix.AZ
The images on this monitor are stunning. It is a full HD 1920x1080 display, that has fantastic viewing angles; from almost any angle I could not see any color blurring or shifting. In the dark I could not see any light leakage, and the brightness (and it is bright) was very consistent.
But this monitor is designed for gaming, with a 1ms response time at 240hz it is 4-8 times faster than your typical display. And it has several built in display modes based on the types of game you are playing (FPS, RPG and RTS) and multiple game settings to store you personal calibration levels (very helpfuls as some games are very dark and others are normally bright, saving your play modes is quite useful and save a lot of time when moving from game to game..
The monitor has a anti glare (matte) finish, this is one of the first anti glare monitors I've used that has the crispness as a glossy monitor. when using with fast frame rate game like Doom, the images were crisp, and smooth; I tested this monitor with a Dell AMD 7+ RX580; the Free Sync mode of this monitor is designed work best with Freesync video adapters like the Rx580. With Doom I was seeing over 150 FPS with no artifacts, I've literally never seen a display that was this fast with this resolution. I also tested with Flight Simulator X and was again blown away with the quality, no matter how quick a move was the display kept up, without any tearing or ghosting (as I've often seen on my "gaming Laptop". This was a whole new experience.
The monitor and it's stand are quite heavy (well built), the stand allows the monitor to be used in either portrait or landscape mode easily turning it without fear of it falling down. It comes with a HDMI, and USB 3.0 cable, the USB cable brings 3 additional ports (w/power charging) to the monitor (a real convenience on the desktop). The monitor can also be connected via display port (it has 2 HDMI in ports, I guess one for DVD/BR input) I believe the HDMI input must be used with Freesync
I really can't see anyone out growing this monitor, it's as fast as they get with a gorgeous image used with a AMD video card supporting Free sync you won't find a better pair.
My Best Buy number: 0010016244
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Conquer virtual enemies with this Dell Inspiron desktop. It has an AMD Radeon graphics card with 8GB of dedicated video memory for fast image rendering, and its powerful AMD Ryzen 7 processor and 16GB of DDR4 RAM run multiple programs, games and browsers simultaneously. This Dell Inspiron desktop has a 1TB hard drive for plenty of long-term game storage.
Customer Rating
4
Beautiful Box
on September 12, 2017
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from Phoenix.AZ
I've built many PC's from scratch, the "modding" of cases etc.; well Dell has done one better, yet not gone too outlandish. The Dell 5675 is built beautifully, and it runs exceptionally quite and fast, but it can still be improved. The case is about 50% open, with several sets of blue LED's to illuminate the interior, shining through the the part of the exterior that is transparent. The LED's can be turned off via Dell's light bar utility, it you want to hide the beauty of the box. The box has 6 USB 3,0 ports (4 back 2 front) & 4 USB 2.0 ports (2 back 2 front) and one USB 3.1 port and SD card reader and headphone jack on the front. The Dell 5675 came with a single 16GB of 288-Pin DDR4 2400MHz (PC4-19200) UDIMM, which is a good thing as upgrading to 32GB only requires the addition of one more stick (had it had 2x8GB both would have to have been discarded to upgrade to max memory as the system only has 2 memory slots), but it's also a bad thing as system can't fully benefit from dual channel memory (which must be used in pairs to get the full speed out of it). It also has the AMD RX580 video card which supports 1 HDMI output and 4 display port output (no in theory you could drive 5 monitors) and the video card has 8GB of dedicated video memory (GDDR5), a very capable modern graphics adapter, about the equivalent of the GTX 1060, but with an extra 2GB memory. A great place to build from. Now for a minus and a plus, the Dell 5675 comes with a 1TB 7200 RPM HDD - obsolete by my standards - but the system does have 2 empty M.2 slots one has a PCIe (NVMe interface), the other a SATA interface. Plus there is space for one 2.5" SSD and a 3.5" drive bay open. So I guess Dell is figuring you can easily clone and upgrade from the HDD to a SSD when your ready, and obviously moving to the M.2 PCIe (NVMe) would provide the best performance (more on that option later). But the real power to this puppy (besides the 460W P/S) is the AMD Ryzen 7 processor which has 8 cores, and should be the equivalent to a current i7 processor.
Once the system was set up, with the HDD, boot time to completed load was 1 min 55 sec (115s). Not impressive but fixable. The system also comes with a 30 day trial of McAfee installed - this I removed before any further testing. The basic system came with a std keyboard and mouse, which I upgraded to a Dell Alien gaming mouse and Alien Keyboard - both are an excellent improvement over the lightweight basic kbd/mouse.
Now for a little gaming at 1080p (with a Dell Alienware AW2518HF monitor), first to check some frame rates on games, first Doom, where the average FPS topped an astonishing 150, beating my wildest expectation. On my "gaming" laptop core i7 950 i'd never seen over 100 - so a great start, very fluid graphics, and NO tearing, what-so-ever on the screen; whether this was RX580 or the 1ms Alienware monitor - color me very impressed. Next on Battlefield 1, again I was blown away by the smoothness and crisp transitions, the quality of the moving output was so much cleaner that I was accustomed to, FPS stayed above 80, and I heard the GPU fans kick into first and second gear. I took a quick look at Flight Simulator X; it was like a new experience. After playing a little longer I did start to notice the fan noise a bit more (both CPU & GPU fans) the longer I played, obviously the inner case heating up a bit. I hooked up a second monitor to double my monitor width (2160x1024) and pushed the graphic even further, and this caused the fans to rev up further where they were noticeable, but I kept looking at the screen quality going wow.
But this far in I have to say this CPU graphic combination is a winner. AMD is back in the game, with the help of DELL and it's fine build quality.
The con's, I think a modern system should come with a SSD, this system can easily be expanded to include one, but in the end I just felt it would cost a star. I did add a 512GB m.2 NVMe SSD (also note: Dell does not include the m.2 mounting screws), cloned the boot drive and the system now boots in just over 20s, it also loads everything much, much faster, it was a little over a $200 addition, but well worth it. The stock kbd/mouse are not worthy of this beautiful box.
So Dell has a pretty great box to start with, but it needs a few additions: get a m.2 SSD, a better kbd/mouse and probably add another stick of memory to get full performance out of dual channel memory.
One last note on the missing m.2 screws, the PCI expansion card slots also do not have screws in them, in a box that says upgrade me the screws should be provided as finding the right size quickly is often challenging.
My Best Buy number: 0010016244
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Experience stunning Ultra HD content with this LG Blu-ray player with multi-HDR compatibility lets you enjoy the full image quality and features of an HDR TV. This LG Blu-ray player has two HDMI outputs to accommodate a HDTV and a cable box. This HDR-compatible, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player offers 4x the resolution of a standard Blu-ray player. The built-in UHD upscaling technology enhances the picture quality from standard Blu-ray discs and DVDs.
Customer Rating
5
Blu-Ray players have come a long way
on August 16, 2017
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from Phoenix.AZ
This is probably my 5th Bluray player, now stepping up to 4k (I have 5 4k TV's). My first observation was how much faster the processing os the disk was; in under 2s thes display was ready to go, compared to early BluRays that too way over 10s to get ready this was a pleasant start. The remote is nearly identical to the remote's LG has been using for years, which it was back lit, but it's not, learned to live with it.
Initially watched the Std version of King Kong (Jack Black and cast) and this player delivered a better, more crisp image, darker blacks, cleaner shadows than my existing DB670, did from the same disk, this player not only handles 4K material well it also improves conventional BluRay disks another plus, I was not sure I'd be able to see. I also think the sound was cleaner, but this is pretty subjective.
Initially watched the Std version of King Kong (Jack Black and cast) and this player delivered a better, more crisp image, darker blacks, cleaner shadows than my existing DB670, did from the same disk, this player not only handles 4K material well it also improves conventional BluRay disks another plus, I was not sure I'd be able to see. I also think the sound was cleaner, but this is pretty subjective.
Then on to The Ultra Disk version of King Kong (Jack Black and new Skull Island). At first it was a little underwhelming, what I'd just seen looked great, I'd maybe expected the 4K version to be so much better (on a 65" Sony X900e), well initially is was just better, but as the action got more intense the quality of fast moving images the picture improved, they we more three dimensional, the shadows had more content to them, the wide angle shots were gorgeous. With really no way to compare side by side images, the original blu ray, seemed flatter, the 4K version was voluptuous (in a good way) just more ripe with detail, Maybe when I eventually get a 4K projector it will be that much better on a 100" or 150" screen (I can certainly see where larger screens would benefit the most. Still the picture was engulfing, with some of the overhead shots feeling like you were there flying along.
The New King Kong Skull Island definitely benefited from improved animation and special effects, but not necessarily a better plot or characters, the Extended Edition of the jack a Black version was my favorite.
I then viewed the 4K version of Ghost in a Shell, again the colors and cinematography were out standing, and with the mvis have many "dark" scenes, this player and it's picture were outstanding. I'm officially a fan of 4K films. When I first thought about paying about ten dollars more per film, (about a 25% increase), I had to think twice; I'd hope this premium drops as the format gains wider acceptance, and as older films are re-released it looks like it will.
Do I like the LG-UP970, heck yes. It improves my existing collection of DVD's and BluRays (over 500), It's faster than previous BluRays, the built in WiFi and LG Smart app's are nice, but nothing new. The quality of the output from 4K disk, is new, and much more rich in color and texture than what was previously available. Put your 4K TV investment to work, give it some quality images in, and I;m sure you'll be please with what you see from the growing list of 4K films out there.
My Best Buy number: 0010016244
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Deliver reliable power to your Google Nest Doorbell with this Wasserstein solar panel. The high-efficiency solar cells provide a stable 4W output to keep the camera charged, and the rotatable mount allows flexible placement for optimal exposure to sunlight. This Wasserstein solar panel comes with a toolkit and a 13-foot cable for effortless installation.
Will this work for the Google - Nest Cam Battery (outdoor)? Or is it strictly for the doorbell?
Connecting virtually with friends and co-workers gets a major upgrade with the monitor’s built-in camera, noise-cancelling microphones and dual 5W speakers. You’ll enjoy amazing video clarity and crystal-clear sound. Versatile USB-C connectivity delivers video, audio and data, and charges your laptop. Plus, with just one cord, you'll have a clutter-free desk space. A super clear 5MP IR pop-up camera features facial recognition through Windows Hello for convenient, instant sign-on to Windows. The best part? The camera stays hidden until you're ready for video chatting or selfies. A height-adjustable stand and a monitor that tilts, swivels and pivots so you look your best and feel your best for all-day conferencing.
Does this computer have a webcam and a USB - C port?
It has a USB-C port for connectivity and a built in USB hub with Power Delivery and a USB-A connector at the bottom of the monitor to connect another USB device or power a small notebook
2 years, 6 months ago
by
3Tcubed
Set your imagination free on the most powerful Surface Laptop, designed to light up the best of Windows 11. Boundary-pushing design lets you flex your creative muscle on the sleek 14.4“⁴ touchscreen, making seamless transitions from laptop to entertainment-ready stage to portable creative canvas, complete with built-in storage and charging for Surface Slim Pen 2* under the keyboard. Enjoy smooth gameplay, and draw, sketch and take notes like you would on paper on the bright, vibrant 120Hz display. Run intensive applications and get things done anywhere with all-day battery life, and get inspired with graphics power that exceeds your expectations. Elevate your entertainment with Quad Omnisonic speakers, featuring large bass and immersive Dolby Atmos. Stay in the flow, be inspired and get closer to what you love.
What type m.2 nvme ssd, Gen 3 or Gen 4?
Gen 3 attached is benchmark of 512GB drive
2 years, 6 months ago
by
3Tcubed
The Shark AI Ultra Robot Vacuum combines powerful vacuuming with Matrix Clean Navigation, leaving no spots missed for an ultra whole-home clean. Features include: powerful Shark suction power, Matrix Clean Navigation for a deeper cleaning, HEPA 60-day capacity base for collecting and trapping dust and allergens, and CleanEdge Technology for better edge cleaning.
WOW Awesome Can you please help me with what is the actual run time. Confuse with below- Up to 120 minutes of runtime for whole-home cleaning. And with Recharge and Resume, the robot will return to the dock, recharge, and can pick up where it left off
It will return to its base any time it needs to be emptied, and then resume where it was (if it need to recharge it will,generally it just continues). Depending on dust/pet hair I found this to be 45m to an hour. I ran it immediatly after it had just run (let it recharge) and it never emptied itself the second pass. I found it can run for 2h, if there is enough work for it to do and what it finds along the way (if it "finishes" and has not collected much dust it will deem itself finished. You need to look at it being a smart vac.
2 years, 8 months ago
by
3Tcubed
The Nest Doorbell is the battery-powered video doorbell that works with any home. See what’s happening at your door from anywhere and get intelligent alerts about important activity, like when there’s a person, package, animal, or vehicle.* And because there are no wires, you can install it yourself. Nest Doorbell requires the Google Home app and a Google Account – it’s not compatible with the Nest app or the home.nest.com site.
Is it waterproof?
its Weather resistant (IP54), it can get web but not be submerged
2 years, 8 months ago
by
3Tcubed
The Nest Doorbell is the battery-powered video doorbell that works with any home. See what’s happening at your door from anywhere and get intelligent alerts about important activity, like when there’s a person, package, animal, or vehicle.* And because there are no wires, you can install it yourself. Nest Doorbell requires the Google Home app and a Google Account – it’s not compatible with the Nest app or the home.nest.com site.
are you aware of any of these types of devices that will work without WIFI? i am in an area where WIFI is unavailable and have wanted this type of device but running into a dead end without wifi.. anyone???? not willing to have ADT set up..
No it will not work without a wifi connection (to the internet).
2 years, 8 months ago
by
3Tcubed
The Brydge 10.2 MAX+ for iPad (9th, 8th & 7th Gen) combines the functionality of a traditional Brydge keyboard with the protection of OtterBox. Featuring the largest precision trackpad for iPad, the 10.2 MAX+ native multi-touch gestures allow you to get the most of iPadOS, transforming your iPad into the perfect laptop replacement.
What is the weight of the Brydge 10.2 Max + Keyboard Case? Does it come in any color besides black?
24 oz; but it's concentrated in keyboard/battery base. In to counterbalance the iPad weight it needs to have some weight.
3 years ago
by
3Tcubed
This Refurbished MacBook Pro is a Certified Refurbished Macbook. Certified Refurbished Apple MacBook Pro Laptop:Boost productivity with this 13.3-inch Apple MacBook Pro laptop packed with state of the line specifications. It's Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM let you run multiple software programs at the same time seamlessly, and it has a DVD burner for watching your favorite movies using the powerful Intel HD Graphics 4000 card. It's 13.3" LED-Backlit widescreen TFT active-matrix "glossy" display produces a 1280x800 native resolution. This Certified Refurbished Apple MacBook Pro laptop has a 500GB hard drive for secure file storage.
Does this unit use onboard video or does it have a graphics video card of some sort ?
It has the Intel Iris Xe video "card", very good for normal use , but not suitable for high end gaming
3 years, 2 months ago
by
3Tcubed
The 606 S2 Anniversary Edition combines outstanding power and clarity in a compact form for when space is at a premium, but you need big sound. Continuum mid-bass drive units provide clarity for singers and driving bass lines while Decoupled Double Dome Tweeters create an enveloping sense of space. Featuring upgraded crossovers for even more transparency and a unique trim-ring to celebrate this milestone, the 606 S2 Anniversary Edition is the most sophisticated, affordable bookshelf speaker Bowers & Wilkins has ever made. The 606 S2 Anniversary Edition is the largest bookshelf speaker in the 600 Series Anniversary Edition range of products. Over the last 25 years, the 600 Series has been our most affordable performance range of loudspeakers, and we’re celebrating our love of sound with acoustic improvements to the crossover network for overall greater levels of clarity and smoother high frequencies so you can enjoy a compelling listening experience across the range of products.
Where are these speaker’s made?
The Brydge 12.3 Pro+ wireless keyboard with touchpad matches the quality and functionality of the Surface Pro 4,5,6, and 7 seamlessly. Designed to meet the standards set by Microsoft, the Brydge 12.3 Pro+ features a precision touchpad, adjustable viewing angles and 3-level backlit keys, bringing a laptop-like experience to your Surface Pro.
Does the laptop have a front camera and is it also the laptop with the key board?
This is a Keyboard/Track pad only.
It is intended to be use with a MS Surface Pro (G4-G7); which has a forward facing camera
It is intended to be use with a MS Surface Pro (G4-G7); which has a forward facing camera
3 years, 4 months ago
by
3Tcubed