CraigB's stats
- Review count172
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- First reviewDecember 4, 2012
- Last reviewApril 21, 2024
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- Average rating4.2
- Review comment count7
- Helpfulness votes6
- First review commentNovember 29, 2013
- Last review commentJanuary 31, 2017
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- Answer count43
- Helpfulness votes53
- First answerMarch 24, 2015
- Last answerNovember 6, 2021
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We spend 90% of our time indoors where the air is often 2 to 5 times worse than the air outside. Continuous monitoring of indoor air quality is key for minimizing negative health effects, preventing illness and increasing productivity, energy and good health. Airthings, air quality specialists and experts in radon, created the Airthings Wave Plus as the first smart air quality monitor with radon detection. Wave Plus has since won multiple awards for consumer electronics and innovation and was among the 2019 TIME Magazine inventions of the year. It is the perfect solution for homeowners to gain full visibility into six indoor air factors; radon, carbon dioxide (CO2), airborne chemicals (TVOCs), humidity, temperature and air pressure. Airthings Wave Plus includes a free app to connect to your smartphone (iOS/Android) via Bluetooth and an online dashboard with advanced analytics. Battery operated allowing you to install anywhere, with 16 months battery life. Please allow for a 7-Day settling period for the sensors to adjust to their new environment. By monitoring daily and continuously, you can avoid radon side effects, get the best indoor humidity level, low voc levels and low carbon dioxide levels. Made to the best indoor air quality standards, Airthings Wave Plus is essential in every home.
Customer Rating
3
Nice idea but needs refinement
on November 3, 2022
Posted by: CraigB
Pros
Battery power allows multiple mounting options
Looks like a smoke detector and blends in
Also measures Radon to overall air quality measurements
Battery power allows multiple mounting options
Looks like a smoke detector and blends in
Also measures Radon to overall air quality measurements
Cons
Alerts are slow to pop up on phone
Alerts are not consistent
Often doesn’t tell you when conditions improve
Only alerts your phone if it is nearby
Questionable accuracy of measurements
App only shows 48 hour average and not live stats
Alerts are slow to pop up on phone
Alerts are not consistent
Often doesn’t tell you when conditions improve
Only alerts your phone if it is nearby
Questionable accuracy of measurements
App only shows 48 hour average and not live stats
Design
The design is understated looking much like a smoke detector. A backplate is mounted to the wall with one screw and the Wave Plus attaches to the baseplate via magnets. There is a hidden led ring in the center of the Wave Plus that is used to indicate air quality.
The design is understated looking much like a smoke detector. A backplate is mounted to the wall with one screw and the Wave Plus attaches to the baseplate via magnets. There is a hidden led ring in the center of the Wave Plus that is used to indicate air quality.
Setup and Performance
Setup is straightforward. You just install the app on your phone and then pull the battery tab. Within seconds it shows up in the app ready to pair with your account The instructions tell you that some sensors take up to 7 days to calibrate and Radon takes 30 days. Once the initial calibration is done you are sent an email saying the Wave Plus is ready to monitor your air quality. You can pair multiple devices with your app if you wish to have units in multiple rooms. Connection is via Bluetooth LE which requires your phone to be nearby unless you opt to purchase the hub. Adding the Airthings hub connects your Wave Plus to Wi-Fi and allows remote continuous monitoring of air conditions.
Setup is straightforward. You just install the app on your phone and then pull the battery tab. Within seconds it shows up in the app ready to pair with your account The instructions tell you that some sensors take up to 7 days to calibrate and Radon takes 30 days. Once the initial calibration is done you are sent an email saying the Wave Plus is ready to monitor your air quality. You can pair multiple devices with your app if you wish to have units in multiple rooms. Connection is via Bluetooth LE which requires your phone to be nearby unless you opt to purchase the hub. Adding the Airthings hub connects your Wave Plus to Wi-Fi and allows remote continuous monitoring of air conditions.
To check air quality, you can wave your hand in front of the Wave Plus. The LED ring in the middle lights up with the corresponding color matching the air quality with green being good, yellow being acceptable, and red being poor. Any specifics of what is wrong with the air quality is indicated in the app.
According to the instructions your phone should be alerted to changes in air quality so long as you are in Bluetooth range. In practice, the Wave Plus only alerted for high CO2 twice over 7 days. For comparison, the actual CO2 was highly elevated each day due to the house being tightly sealed. Opening the windows to air out the house would lower CO2 but the Airthings Plus largely remained silent until you opened the app. Further verification showed the Airthings app had the proper permissions to notify but unfortunately in all but two cases failed to notify. In the cases where it did notify, the alert was much later then when elevated CO2 levels were measured. In one case the CO2 levels were measured at over 1700ppm but the Wave Plus didn’t alert for nearly and hour and by that time levels were up to near 2000ppm. This should be a matter of a software fix, but at the time of writing alerts are unreliable. You can check the current air quality any time via the app or waving your hand in from the device, but this takes away the convenience and security of having the Wave Plus alert you automatically. Strangely, if you look at the specific air quality measurement, such as CO2, the panel that shows the level only show the 48-hour average and not the current level.
Another point of concern is the accuracy of measurements. Generally, the measurements for temperature and humidity were close to measurements from other devices or at least close enough to not cause concern. One metric never matched readings from other devices and that was air pressure. Some of our family experience low pressure induced headaches. When we see the pressure drop below 1015 they take preventative action with medicine to delay the progression of the headache to prevent it from becoming a migraine. During the past 7 days, the Wave Plus has never measured the pressure above 999 when the official measurement from local weather stations reports showed no lower than 1009. This could potentially be explained if the windows were closed but during this time the windows were open so pressure inside the house would be the same as outside. On average, the Wave Plus has reported barometric pressure 20mbars lower than actual with a low of 988mbar with the actual lowest being 1009. Not would this indicate a severe storm entering our area, but pressure so low would have caused our more sensitive family members to be bed ridden with severe migraines.
Final Thoughts
While the concept of the Wave Plus is nice, at the time of writing this review it feels unfinished. Considering the importance of monitoring air quality and not relying on people to check for themselves, including the hub in the kit or integrating Wi-Fi would have made more sense. Even without this, if the app and Bluetooth were reliable this could be overlooked. Hopefully Airthings will continue to refine the software to improve accuracy of measurements and reliability of alerts. However, as it stands neither of these are the case making it hard to recommend the Airthings Wave Plus in its current state.
While the concept of the Wave Plus is nice, at the time of writing this review it feels unfinished. Considering the importance of monitoring air quality and not relying on people to check for themselves, including the hub in the kit or integrating Wi-Fi would have made more sense. Even without this, if the app and Bluetooth were reliable this could be overlooked. Hopefully Airthings will continue to refine the software to improve accuracy of measurements and reliability of alerts. However, as it stands neither of these are the case making it hard to recommend the Airthings Wave Plus in its current state.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Tailor your heat for smooth, shiny results and less damage. Introducing the first-of-its-kind professional flat iron that delivers styling personalization like never before. Smooth ID uses advanced T3 Heat ID Technology to reimagine your styling experience. A smart-touch interface and 9 heat settings automatically adjust to your unique profile, based on hair texture, length and color treatments. Eliminate the guesswork with personalized heat that delivers smooth, shiny results. Engineered with T3 Rapid HeatIQ Technology, Smooth ID ensures advanced heat precision for frizz-free, one-pass results. CeraGloss ceramic plates smooth the hair cuticle and lock in shine, while an ion generator infuses millions of frizz-smoothing negative ions. Use the Refresh Mode for second-day retouches with less heat exposure to help protect your hair. Designed with ThermaTouch insulation technology for superior grip comfort so you can style with confidence.
Customer Rating
5
Takes the guesswork out of flat ironing
on October 19, 2022
Posted by: CraigB
Pros
Solid feel
Nice weight
Balanced weight
Smooth hinge
Touch controls stay out of the way
Easy to use in both hands
Heats up fast
Touch up mode reduces heat stress
Audible confirmation when ready
Heat stays isolated to plates
Ceramic plates are smooth
Keeps static low
Adds gloss to hair
Swivel cord
Cons
Sounds don’t match quality
Learning curve for controls
Design and Features
The T3 Smooth ID has a very sleek design with hidden touch controls and a rose gold finish. There are touch controls for hair thickness, length, and if you have had color treatment. Under the surface are also lights to indicate the current heat level. The weight is lighter than some but overall feels well built. The oversized plates have a smooth ceramic finish, and the cord is a good length and attaches with a swivel, so you don’t have to worry about cord tangles. A small but nice touch is the cord has an included strap to keep the cord coiled when stored.
Solid feel
Nice weight
Balanced weight
Smooth hinge
Touch controls stay out of the way
Easy to use in both hands
Heats up fast
Touch up mode reduces heat stress
Audible confirmation when ready
Heat stays isolated to plates
Ceramic plates are smooth
Keeps static low
Adds gloss to hair
Swivel cord
Cons
Sounds don’t match quality
Learning curve for controls
Design and Features
The T3 Smooth ID has a very sleek design with hidden touch controls and a rose gold finish. There are touch controls for hair thickness, length, and if you have had color treatment. Under the surface are also lights to indicate the current heat level. The weight is lighter than some but overall feels well built. The oversized plates have a smooth ceramic finish, and the cord is a good length and attaches with a swivel, so you don’t have to worry about cord tangles. A small but nice touch is the cord has an included strap to keep the cord coiled when stored.
Usage and Performance
While the touch controls make for a sleek appearance, they initially add some complexity. During the first attempt to use it the controls were accidentally set to the wrong hair profile and locked in. This brings to light a good and bad feature of the T3 Smooth ID. It is designed to be mostly used by one person so if you have family members who wish to borrow it the experience isn’t quite as nice. They have the option to reset the hair profile when they want to use it or set it to manual mode. To make changes you also must get in the habit of unlocking the controls first. Until you get the hang of it you might occasionally get frustrated thinking the controls are frozen. Overall, its not a huge deal but still worth mentioning.
While the touch controls make for a sleek appearance, they initially add some complexity. During the first attempt to use it the controls were accidentally set to the wrong hair profile and locked in. This brings to light a good and bad feature of the T3 Smooth ID. It is designed to be mostly used by one person so if you have family members who wish to borrow it the experience isn’t quite as nice. They have the option to reset the hair profile when they want to use it or set it to manual mode. To make changes you also must get in the habit of unlocking the controls first. Until you get the hang of it you might occasionally get frustrated thinking the controls are frozen. Overall, its not a huge deal but still worth mentioning.
When you first start using it you use the quick start reference to determine which of the three levels of hair thickness you have. Then you choose one of the three lengths of hair you have. Finally, you choose if you have color treatment in your hair. After setting these three options the flat iron sets itself to the correct settings based on your hair. The touch controls afterwards are locked except power and changing to refresh mode, so you don’t have to worry about accidentally changing settings. The iron makes sounds to let you know things like if it is starting up, heating up, or ready to use. They are helpful but specific sounds feel a bit childish as if they are from a sci-fi movie. While not a huge deal it does take away from the overall elegant experience just a bit. The refresh option is helpful to protect your hair if you flat iron frequently. If you just washed your hair you use regular mode and if you just need a next day touch up, you change it to refresh. Refresh allows you to touch up using less heat to reduce the chances of damage.
Speaking of heat, the T3 Smooth ID seems to be able to get a lot hotter than most flat irons. The medium setting felt close to the high setting on previous flat irons. This is where the heat isolation is very appreciated. Although it doesn’t say anything about it, somehow the Smooth ID isolates the heat to the heat plates very well. Even areas right up near the hot plates were not hot. Of course, you could feel the heat from the plates, but the body didn’t feel hot when grabbing it. This really helped with getting a good grip and control it with less worry of an accidental burn. At least for shoulder length hair this was true. Combine that with the hinge that moves very smoothly and the touch controls not getting in the way, and you had far more options of how to grip the body. The design makes it equally comfortable to use right or left-handed. It feels balanced in the hand instead of heavier on the ends with the plates. The cord also swivels so if you change grips or hands you don’t have to worry about tangling the cord. Overall, it made use more convenient with less fidgeting trying to figure out how to move the cord and grip the iron.
In use hair slide through the plates smoothing without sticking or binding. In most cases a single pass was enough. The anti-static feature kept the frizz down as much as possible considering both family members need a trim to remove dead ends. The result was nice and smooth with a slight gloss added to the hair. The heat stayed consistent throughout, making ironing easy and predictable. It also helped speed things up compared to the normal routine. You could just turn it on. Continue to get ready for the day and listen for the ready tone. No checking to see if it was heated up. One quick pass and you are done.
Final Thoughts
At first the T3 Smooth ID might seem like a regular flat iron dressed up, but it is more than that. While it might look nice, the features do make it easier and faster to flat iron your hair while protecting it from damage. You just have to get the hang of the controls, but it is worth taking the guesswork out of the process. If you flat iron your hair regularly and want to get quick, consistent results with less fuss the T3 Smooth ID is worth serious consideration.
At first the T3 Smooth ID might seem like a regular flat iron dressed up, but it is more than that. While it might look nice, the features do make it easier and faster to flat iron your hair while protecting it from damage. You just have to get the hang of the controls, but it is worth taking the guesswork out of the process. If you flat iron your hair regularly and want to get quick, consistent results with less fuss the T3 Smooth ID is worth serious consideration.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Packed with the options that creators, vloggers and streamers want, the Z30 sports a flip-out touchscreen to keep you in front of the camera. Featuring 4K video that will help you stand out, fast, reliable autofocus, crystal clear audio, creative in-camera filters and convenient controls—all in a compact, lightweight package that will inspire your best work yet.
Posted by: CraigB
Pros
Has tally light
Lens stores compact
Light for feature set
Has camera control app
Designed to work as a webcam
Good grip for secure hold
Has photo and video modes
Easy to use by just leaving on auto
Allows you to learn features on your time
Screen flips to show from front
Allows saving custom profiles
Has both touch and conventional controls
Creates shallow depth of field naturally
Low light photos are very low in noise
Large selection of lenses with adapters
Integrated stereo mics with noise reduction
Can record video for over 2 hours
Has tally light
Lens stores compact
Light for feature set
Has camera control app
Designed to work as a webcam
Good grip for secure hold
Has photo and video modes
Easy to use by just leaving on auto
Allows you to learn features on your time
Screen flips to show from front
Allows saving custom profiles
Has both touch and conventional controls
Creates shallow depth of field naturally
Low light photos are very low in noise
Large selection of lenses with adapters
Integrated stereo mics with noise reduction
Can record video for over 2 hours
Cons
Short battery life
No headphone audio jack
Limited number of native lenses
No viewfinder for conventional shooting
Autofocus noises sometimes recorded video
Can only record around 30 minutes of 4K before thermal shutdown
Short battery life
No headphone audio jack
Limited number of native lenses
No viewfinder for conventional shooting
Autofocus noises sometimes recorded video
Can only record around 30 minutes of 4K before thermal shutdown
Design and Features
The Z30 is Nikon’s latest offering targeting vloggers looking to transition to the next step beyond smartphone and webcam video. For starters, there is no viewfinder. This task is handled by the integrated touchscreen. The touchscreen can be viewed from the back of the camera or flipped around and viewed from the front. It can also be flipped to face the camera to store the screen and protect it from damage. With the touchscreen, you have the option to control and configure the camera via touch or conventional buttons. While most buttons are like other cameras there are some notable differences. Since the Z30 was intended to be both a still and video camera it has two separate “shutter” buttons. The main one up front on the top of the grip is set by default to take still photos and them behind that is a smaller button which activates video. Just above the screen is a toggle switch that changes the camera from photo to video mode. This changes the presets for what is displayed on screen and how buttons operate, including the mode dial up top. The mode dial has the standard options such as Auto, Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, and Manual modes but then adds three more options labeled U1, U2, and U3 which store your own custom settings. On top are stereo mics which offer some built in wind cancellation. A windsock is available as an option to further reduce wind noise.
External connections include an HMDI port, USB-C port, and Mic port. The mic port can be used to add a shotgun mic for further noise cancellation but unfortunately there is no headphone jack to monitor the audio. The USB-C port is used for charging but also has video capability. The battery bay also houses the SD card slot and has a special access door to install a dummy battery while keeping the main door closed. This is handy if you choose the route of connecting via HDMI and a capture card as you don’t have to have the battery door hanging open.
The Z30 is Nikon’s latest offering targeting vloggers looking to transition to the next step beyond smartphone and webcam video. For starters, there is no viewfinder. This task is handled by the integrated touchscreen. The touchscreen can be viewed from the back of the camera or flipped around and viewed from the front. It can also be flipped to face the camera to store the screen and protect it from damage. With the touchscreen, you have the option to control and configure the camera via touch or conventional buttons. While most buttons are like other cameras there are some notable differences. Since the Z30 was intended to be both a still and video camera it has two separate “shutter” buttons. The main one up front on the top of the grip is set by default to take still photos and them behind that is a smaller button which activates video. Just above the screen is a toggle switch that changes the camera from photo to video mode. This changes the presets for what is displayed on screen and how buttons operate, including the mode dial up top. The mode dial has the standard options such as Auto, Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, and Manual modes but then adds three more options labeled U1, U2, and U3 which store your own custom settings. On top are stereo mics which offer some built in wind cancellation. A windsock is available as an option to further reduce wind noise.
External connections include an HMDI port, USB-C port, and Mic port. The mic port can be used to add a shotgun mic for further noise cancellation but unfortunately there is no headphone jack to monitor the audio. The USB-C port is used for charging but also has video capability. The battery bay also houses the SD card slot and has a special access door to install a dummy battery while keeping the main door closed. This is handy if you choose the route of connecting via HDMI and a capture card as you don’t have to have the battery door hanging open.
Usage and Performance
Nikon seems to have put a fair bit of effort into making the Z30 a bridge device for those who want to upgrade from phone or webcam video to something more but aren’t ready for the complexities of higher end DSLRs. The removal of the viewfinder and addition of the touchscreen allows those more comfortable with touchscreens to feel at home. Auto modes are quite good to get started. You won’t utilize the camera to the fullest, but over time you can learn how to adjust more settings and further dial in the camera to your preferences. To help you learn the functions the Z30 has built in explanations for different features. There is a button to the right of the screen with a question mark. You can press that to get an explanation of what a particular setting changes.
Nikon seems to have put a fair bit of effort into making the Z30 a bridge device for those who want to upgrade from phone or webcam video to something more but aren’t ready for the complexities of higher end DSLRs. The removal of the viewfinder and addition of the touchscreen allows those more comfortable with touchscreens to feel at home. Auto modes are quite good to get started. You won’t utilize the camera to the fullest, but over time you can learn how to adjust more settings and further dial in the camera to your preferences. To help you learn the functions the Z30 has built in explanations for different features. There is a button to the right of the screen with a question mark. You can press that to get an explanation of what a particular setting changes.
If you want to use the Z30 as a streaming camera you have a simple option that doesn’t even require extra hardware like a capture card. You just install Nikon Webcam utility and plug the camera in via USB-C. You just need to change USB-C power delivery option and that’s it. The camera will show us just like any other webcam. If you want more control, you can get a dummy battery and use the HDMI port and connect it to a capture card. The HDMI output is clean so no worries about camera settings overlaying on your video. By default, the focus mode is auto area people. The camera determines the area that it thinks you want in focus and looks for people in that area to focus on. This is helpful but it does mean if you want to show something you must block your face or change the focus mode to something other than people. It would have been nice to see Nikon offer a mode where it focusses on people unless something is in the foreground and then focuses on that.
Beyond streaming, the Z30 is a capable shooter with the included kit lens. The lens collapses into a storage position making the overall package smaller and easier to carry. The included lens does best for macro, portraits, and vlogging. If you are vlogging solo and have shorter arms you may find the included lens harder to get that super blurry backgrounds without your face filling the whole frame. In any other situation it’s very easy to get the natural bokeh. If you can’t afford a shotgun mic the integrated stereo mics do a respectable job of picking up speech. There is a software-based wind noise filter which does a decent job until you can afford to upgrade or if you need to stay more low profile. If you want to see your audio levels, you will want to turn off self-portrait mode as the audio levels will go away the moment you flip the screen around with the mode enabled.
Autofocus eye tracking comes in handy for both photos and videos. From a distance it will focus on what it recognizes as a person or animal, depending on what you set. As the person or animal gets close enough it will put a box over the eye it has found. You can also choose which eye to track for focus. If you move out of the frame for a second and come back it will find the same eye and lock the focus again. Video resolution maxes out at 4K 30 fps which at first might seem like nothing big but unlike smartphone video which looks good but has contrast and sharpness set very high to hide the limitations the Z30 doesn’t need to do this. The large sensor on Z30 means you get a naturally sharp image and accurate colors that is hard to describe but easy to see next to smartphone photos or videos. Where this really comes in handy is in low light. Pictures and videos stay naturally sharp and clear with very little noise even in low light. Combine this with a blurry background that isn’t generated by software but naturally by the lens and you get video and pictures that look more professional.
One small caveat is cameras at this level still can’t handle recording 4K video for long periods without overheating. If you have a way to provide power, the Z30 can record video for over 2 hours at 1080P. Switch that to 4K and the camera will start to thermal shutdown somewhere just past 30 minutes depending on conditions. In most cases 30 minutes should be enough but it is worth noting. If you are using the Z30 as a streaming camera there is no specific time limit. With no recording being done on camera it stays much cooler and should run for hours on a stream assuming you have no other heat issues near it. However, there have been some reports of thermal shutdown when streaming via USB-C so for extended streams it might still need the traditional dummy battery and capture card. If you do longer streams and are concerned it might be good to wait for the community to do more testing.
Final Thoughts
There is so much more that could be covered about the Z30. Minor quirks notwithstanding, Nikon has created a very capable camera for streamers looking to up the quality of their content without jumping into the high-end equipment. If you are a vlogger, streamer, photographer, or even hobbyist looking for a way to start working their way into DSLR cameras the Nikon Z30 is a solid contender. The combination of features to help you transition to professional equipment and versatility, the Z30 is a compelling bridge camera to start you on your way to better photo and videography.
There is so much more that could be covered about the Z30. Minor quirks notwithstanding, Nikon has created a very capable camera for streamers looking to up the quality of their content without jumping into the high-end equipment. If you are a vlogger, streamer, photographer, or even hobbyist looking for a way to start working their way into DSLR cameras the Nikon Z30 is a solid contender. The combination of features to help you transition to professional equipment and versatility, the Z30 is a compelling bridge camera to start you on your way to better photo and videography.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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With Shark FlexStyle, you can easily transform between a powerful, fast, hair dryer, and an ultra-versatile multi-styler with no-heat-damage. One twist is all it takes to flex from one to the other. Attach different stylers and unlock the ability to curl, volumize, smooth, and dry—the choice is yours. Lightweight & powerful, FlexStyle is the answer to fast, easy styling.
Posted by: CraigB
Pros
Quiet
Versatile
Easy to hold
Easy to use
Heats up fast
Lighter than most
Length allows easy reach
Attachments click in easily and solid
Quiet
Versatile
Easy to hold
Easy to use
Heats up fast
Lighter than most
Length allows easy reach
Attachments click in easily and solid
Cons
Setting curls requires turning on and off
Buttons difficult to find by touch
No storage for attachments
Awkward power brick in middle of cord
Setting curls requires turning on and off
Buttons difficult to find by touch
No storage for attachments
Awkward power brick in middle of cord
Design and Features
The Shark FlexStyle has a unique look compared to other hair dryers and curling irons. The body is thinner than a normal hairdryer but thicker and longer than a curling iron with what would be best described as a rose gold finish. The overall thickness is ideal for most to hold it comfortably. It feels well-built but light enough for extended use. The air intake is at the bottom of the handle. All attachments, including the curling iron, use hot air. At the bottom of the handle is the power switch and a speed and heat button. There are three speed settings and three heat settings. The speed setting is indicated by three blue lights and the heat by three red lights. Halfway up the handle is a cool boost button. There is a sliding button used to unlock the swivel which allows you to change it from hairdryer mode to the other functions. There is also a slider button to release attachments just below where you install the different attachments. The cord is plenty long for most people and is smaller at the end then most allowing it to plug into tighter spaces. This seems to have been achieved by putting the power brick in the middle of the cord. Thankfully the power cord swivels at the base of the handle so you shouldn’t need to worry about the cord getting twisted. There is no carrying case or bag included to take care of all the attachments.
The Shark FlexStyle has a unique look compared to other hair dryers and curling irons. The body is thinner than a normal hairdryer but thicker and longer than a curling iron with what would be best described as a rose gold finish. The overall thickness is ideal for most to hold it comfortably. It feels well-built but light enough for extended use. The air intake is at the bottom of the handle. All attachments, including the curling iron, use hot air. At the bottom of the handle is the power switch and a speed and heat button. There are three speed settings and three heat settings. The speed setting is indicated by three blue lights and the heat by three red lights. Halfway up the handle is a cool boost button. There is a sliding button used to unlock the swivel which allows you to change it from hairdryer mode to the other functions. There is also a slider button to release attachments just below where you install the different attachments. The cord is plenty long for most people and is smaller at the end then most allowing it to plug into tighter spaces. This seems to have been achieved by putting the power brick in the middle of the cord. Thankfully the power cord swivels at the base of the handle so you shouldn’t need to worry about the cord getting twisted. There is no carrying case or bag included to take care of all the attachments.
Usage and Performance
Using it as a hairdryer is straightforward. Just unlock and rotate the end to hairdryer mode. It locks into place automatically. When you first slide on the power switch it defaults to cold but one press of the heat setting, and you will discover what is likely the fastest time you have ever experienced for a hairdryer to heat up. The process feels nearly instant. The amount of airflow and heat the FlexStyle can provide seems unexpected considering its size. The noise is also noticeably less than most hairdryers which comes in handy when other members of the family have different schedules. With just one door closed and a room away others didn’t even realize it was running. It didn’t make any other unpleasant motor sounds and mainly sounded like air rushing. It’s nice to have a smaller power plug, but for some the power brick might take a bit of getting used to. Depending on your countertop you might have an issue where the power brick slides off the counter tugging the drying unexpectedly while you are using it. It is a bit of a tradeoff but if this minor annoyance means the plug works in more places, then it seems worthwhile.
Using it as a hairdryer is straightforward. Just unlock and rotate the end to hairdryer mode. It locks into place automatically. When you first slide on the power switch it defaults to cold but one press of the heat setting, and you will discover what is likely the fastest time you have ever experienced for a hairdryer to heat up. The process feels nearly instant. The amount of airflow and heat the FlexStyle can provide seems unexpected considering its size. The noise is also noticeably less than most hairdryers which comes in handy when other members of the family have different schedules. With just one door closed and a room away others didn’t even realize it was running. It didn’t make any other unpleasant motor sounds and mainly sounded like air rushing. It’s nice to have a smaller power plug, but for some the power brick might take a bit of getting used to. Depending on your countertop you might have an issue where the power brick slides off the counter tugging the drying unexpectedly while you are using it. It is a bit of a tradeoff but if this minor annoyance means the plug works in more places, then it seems worthwhile.
The hairdryer function is nice, but the attachments are where things get more interesting. First, they install easily with a distinct click to let you know they are locked. Once they are locked, they won’t come off unless you hold the unlock button while pulling. No need to worry about attachments falling off during use. Using the paddle brush attachment cut a lot of time out of normal process of blowing dry and flat ironing with a similar look and slightly more body. The process also left the hair looking healthy using just blow dry spray.
While the family doesn’t usually do curls the auto-wrap curlers seemed worth trying. They are labeled left and right but you can reverse them depending on if you want your hair to curl in or out such if you are wanting to do a curly blowout. The process is easy and slightly entertaining as your hair moves on its own. You take a section of hair and place the auto-wrap curler in the middle of the section of hair. The airflow pulls the hair around the curler without any twisting. Once the end is wrapped you move the curler closer to your head for it to wrap the rest while still not needing to twist. The extra length of the FlexStyle comes in handy here as well because you can keep your hand lower while holding it giving your arm a bit of a break. It also makes reaching the back a bit easier. Once the hair is fully wrapped you hold it for 10 seconds, then hold the cool boost button for 10 seconds to set the curl. After this you turn off the dryer and pull the curler portion down and out, so you don’t move the curl. While simple, it would have been great to see Shark add an automatic set button that does this process for you. One thing that is a bit awkward about the process is having to cross your other hand over to press and hold the cool button. The cool button is hard to find by touch. This is similar with turning it off but slightly easier as the power button is a little easier to feel. One thing that takes some adjustment is how the auto-wrap system blows out heat as it curls. The curler creates a hot spiral of air. Once you have it fully wrapped it sits next to your scalp for 10 seconds blasting you with extremely hot air. It’s still safer than bumping your skin with a regular curling iron but it’s worth noting you could still burn yourself. Another lesson you might learn the hard way is to be patient and let the attachments cool down before removing. You might be forgiven for thinking it is just plastic and it doesn’t get that hot. However, there is a fair bit of metal inside and out on the attachments, and they get very hot very quick.
Final Thoughts
The Shark FlexStyle at first glance seems a bit unusual but does a good job of combining several tools into one and possibly improving on some. If you are in the market for a compact multipurpose hair styling tool whether it is for travel or just at home the Shark FlexStyle is worth a look.
The Shark FlexStyle at first glance seems a bit unusual but does a good job of combining several tools into one and possibly improving on some. If you are in the market for a compact multipurpose hair styling tool whether it is for travel or just at home the Shark FlexStyle is worth a look.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Introducing Logitech MX Master 3S for Mac – an iconic mouse remastered for Mac. Now with Quiet Clicks and 8K DPI any-surface tracking for more feel and performance in your Mac computer set-up. Get creative with a complimentary 1-month Creative Cloud subscription with your purchase of MX Master 3S for Mac, and create, make, and do like never before.
Customer Rating
5
The Mouse for Productivity
on September 24, 2022
Posted by: CraigB
Pros
Scrolls smooth
Solid build
Near silent clicks
Works on iPads
MagSpeed scroll wheel feels solid
Fits larger hands nicely
Cable is USB-C on both ends
Can switch between 3 connection profiles
8000DPI sensor easily supports high resolution screens
Button profiles configurable per application
Flow software allows use on multiple systems at one time
Scrolls smooth
Solid build
Near silent clicks
Works on iPads
MagSpeed scroll wheel feels solid
Fits larger hands nicely
Cable is USB-C on both ends
Can switch between 3 connection profiles
8000DPI sensor easily supports high resolution screens
Button profiles configurable per application
Flow software allows use on multiple systems at one time
Cons
No left-handed version
No pinky rest
Gesture button hard to find quickly
Mouse sometimes jumps around
Flow option still needs refinement
No left-handed version
No pinky rest
Gesture button hard to find quickly
Mouse sometimes jumps around
Flow option still needs refinement
Design and Features
The Logitech MX Master 3S is the updated version of the Master 3. Overall, the design has changed little from the previous generation with the new focus being on silent operation. The light gray accent colors have been darkened in what looks to be an attempt to match Space Gray. It is still the same larger, more sculpted mouse designed for right-handed users. The sensor resolution has been increased from 4000dpi to 8000dpi to accommodate higher resolution screens. The Logitech Bolt receiver included in previous models is absent, presumably since this edition is targeted at Mac and iOS users which most likely don’t have a USB-A port on their computer. That said, it still works with the Bolt Receiver. This does not seem to be much of a problem as the Master 3S supports 3 independent connection profiles and includes a cable that is USB-C on both ends.
The Logitech MX Master 3S is the updated version of the Master 3. Overall, the design has changed little from the previous generation with the new focus being on silent operation. The light gray accent colors have been darkened in what looks to be an attempt to match Space Gray. It is still the same larger, more sculpted mouse designed for right-handed users. The sensor resolution has been increased from 4000dpi to 8000dpi to accommodate higher resolution screens. The Logitech Bolt receiver included in previous models is absent, presumably since this edition is targeted at Mac and iOS users which most likely don’t have a USB-A port on their computer. That said, it still works with the Bolt Receiver. This does not seem to be much of a problem as the Master 3S supports 3 independent connection profiles and includes a cable that is USB-C on both ends.
Setup and Performance
While the master 3S can work right away once connected via cable or wirelessly, you need to install the software to take advantage of all the features. If you have used Logitech Options in the past, you will be instructed to upgrade to Logitech Options +. With the same name it would be logical to assume it replaces the original Options software but at this time it does not. After installing Options + I could see my Craft Keyboard, but the software said it wasn’t supported yet. What was strange was the Master 3S did not show up at all even though it was paired and working. However, the standard Logitech Options could see the Master 3S but said it was unsupported and to use Options +. It took several attempts at pairing and two restarts before Options + could not only see the Master 3S but configure it. After the Master 3S was finally visible in Options + the settings were straightforward to configure. It shows a picture of the mouse and a name of each button that is clickable for configuration.
While the master 3S can work right away once connected via cable or wirelessly, you need to install the software to take advantage of all the features. If you have used Logitech Options in the past, you will be instructed to upgrade to Logitech Options +. With the same name it would be logical to assume it replaces the original Options software but at this time it does not. After installing Options + I could see my Craft Keyboard, but the software said it wasn’t supported yet. What was strange was the Master 3S did not show up at all even though it was paired and working. However, the standard Logitech Options could see the Master 3S but said it was unsupported and to use Options +. It took several attempts at pairing and two restarts before Options + could not only see the Master 3S but configure it. After the Master 3S was finally visible in Options + the settings were straightforward to configure. It shows a picture of the mouse and a name of each button that is clickable for configuration.
For productivity work you can configure custom profiles for installed software to change the behavior of the different buttons depending on which application you are currently in. For instance, you could set the side scroll wheel to zoom in Safari but to scroll sideways when in Excel to further extend the versatility of the buttons.
While the new sensor is capable of 8000dpi the default resolution is much lower and thankfully more manageable. Setting the resolution to the 8000 max on a 4K 32inch monitor resulted in an unusably fast speed. The max usable speed on this monitor was about 4000 so it seems like there is plenty of headroom for those with 5K and 8K monitors. If you think this high DPI setting would mean it could serve double duty for work and gaming, you will likely be disappointed. While the resolution is high, polling rate is low. The Master 3S was targeted, for the most part, solely at productivity power users. Some occasional strange behavior was observed where the mouse pointer would jump suddenly, usually near the end of moving the cursor. The behavior was like when you are trying to use a mouse on a less than ideal surface and it has trouble tracking. Changing surfaces had no effect. Testing for wireless dropout also yielded no improvements. The only thing that seemed to lesson this was turning the dpi setting down further. The final cause of this is uncertain. Hopefully it is just a matter of a driver or firmware update. That said, keeping the dpi setting on the lower side makes it only a minor issue.
The sculpted design has a thumb rest so you can glide across surfaces without dragging your thumb. However, depending on the size of your hand and your grip you may find yourself dragging the top of your pinky on a regular basis. The thumb rest also has a gesture button preconfigured to use Mac gestures. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it helps stop you from constantly reaching for the trackpad to do things like access Mission Control. The button feeling is a little soft and the nub to locate the button is a bit small creating a steeper learning curve. The MagSpeed wheel works very well. At slower speeds it has a subtle but recognizable click feel to the wheel allowing you to move in discrete steps. Spin the wheel fast enough and it switches to smoothly glide. The point this switch happens is configurable. You can also switch it to continuous smooth scrolling with a button directly behind the wheel. If you have used previous Logitech mice with smooth scrolling, you have likely encountered where the scrolling will go backwards as the wheel slows down. Thankfully the Master 3S doesn’t seem to exhibit this behavior. If you are the type of person who prefers to work with quiet keyboards and mice during productivity work, the new quiet buttons are a nice touch. While they don’t have the strong tactile feel of louder clicky mouse buttons you can still feel a distinct activation point but near silent. The best way to describe it is like the feeling of newer silent mechanical keyboards. The activation is more distinct than cheap silent mice, but more subdued than more gaming-oriented mice. It really helps those who tend to get more distracted by the clicking sounds when trying to work.
The Master 3S can work on iPads as well but the effect goes even further. With Apple Universal Control you can just set your iPad next to your Mac and the Master 3S seamlessly moves over and controls the iPad. The process works smooth and seamlessly. The Master 3S for Mac might sound like it only works on Apple devices but at its heart it is still the same mouse as the original Master 3. The drivers for Windows indicated that it is for Mac, but ones paired Options + allows you to configure it in Windows the same way. Options + goes a step further to offer what is called Flow. This allows you to use the Master 3S between multiple computers without the need to switch Bluetooth connection profiles. The mouse just needs to be previously paired with the system, Options + installed on each, and each computer is on the same network. The idea is much like Universal Control. It does allow you to switch between multiple Macs or Windows computers without the need to touch any buttons, but currently it has one main quirk. In the software you choose how the computers are sitting related to one another so that you can just move the mouse to that side of the screen, and it should switch to the next system. The issue is currently it usually stays on the side of the first computer for a while before switching. Sometimes flicking the mouse several times to the edge of the screen works but it still needs some fine tuning to be seamless. This is a software issue that hopefully Logitech will fine tune with future updates.
Final Thoughts
The Logitech MX Master 3S for Mac is more evolutionary than revolutionary, but that isn’t a bad thing considering how well liked the original version was. While there are some minor software refinements that need to be added the overall design feels well-built and the Mac specific changes, such as the cord with USB-C on both ends are a welcomed change. If you are in the market for a wireless productivity mouse for MacOS or even for Windows and particularly prefer quiet peripherals, the Logitech MX Master 3S should be on your short list of options.
The Logitech MX Master 3S for Mac is more evolutionary than revolutionary, but that isn’t a bad thing considering how well liked the original version was. While there are some minor software refinements that need to be added the overall design feels well-built and the Mac specific changes, such as the cord with USB-C on both ends are a welcomed change. If you are in the market for a wireless productivity mouse for MacOS or even for Windows and particularly prefer quiet peripherals, the Logitech MX Master 3S should be on your short list of options.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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The Frigidaire 12,000 BTU 3-in-1 Portable Air Conditioner keeps your home cool and comfortable when and where you need it. Enjoy more cooling flexibility with two different fan speeds plus dehumidifying Dry Mode to keep your room cool and comfortable while also removing excess moisture from the air. Plus, cool your room anywhere, anytime from your smart device with the Frigidaire app.
Posted by: CraigB
Pros
Easy to roll around
Quick setup with single hose
Can work as a dehumidifier
Also filters air
Easy to roll around
Quick setup with single hose
Can work as a dehumidifier
Also filters air
Cons
Single hose design less efficient
Filter says for allergens but isn’t rated
Hose adds a lot of heat back in room
Short power cord limits placement
Clips that hold hose in too weak
Not very portable as window adapter must be cut to window
Rated for 550sqft room but cannot cool it
Cloud error messages when trying to register
App was a bit finicky requiring logging in multiple times
Wi-Fi had issues connecting to dedicated IOT Wi-Fi
Window adapter requires screwing into window
Single hose design less efficient
Filter says for allergens but isn’t rated
Hose adds a lot of heat back in room
Short power cord limits placement
Clips that hold hose in too weak
Not very portable as window adapter must be cut to window
Rated for 550sqft room but cannot cool it
Cloud error messages when trying to register
App was a bit finicky requiring logging in multiple times
Wi-Fi had issues connecting to dedicated IOT Wi-Fi
Window adapter requires screwing into window
Design and Features
The overall look is very clean and minimal. While still noticeable as a large appliance in a room, it wouldn’t be an eyesore. The main part that would be noticeable would be the large plastic hose you have to route to a window. It can be easily moved around on the wheels included on the bottom. It does have handles to lift but at around 70 pounds it isn’t an easy task. The exhaust hose installs via a twist lock on the back of the unit, but the window side attaches via two tabs. The window adapter slides to fit the size of the opening and may require some trimming to fit. Included is foam tape to help seal the opening.
The overall look is very clean and minimal. While still noticeable as a large appliance in a room, it wouldn’t be an eyesore. The main part that would be noticeable would be the large plastic hose you have to route to a window. It can be easily moved around on the wheels included on the bottom. It does have handles to lift but at around 70 pounds it isn’t an easy task. The exhaust hose installs via a twist lock on the back of the unit, but the window side attaches via two tabs. The window adapter slides to fit the size of the opening and may require some trimming to fit. Included is foam tape to help seal the opening.
Setup and Performance
Setup was mostly straightforward but could be improved with larger graphics in the book to show the correct orientation of the window adapter. Thankfully, Frigidaire has a YouTube video that helps explain things better. With the help of the video installation was easy. The window adapter had to have parts trimmed to the size of the opening which limits further “portable” use of the unit unless your other locations are of a similar size. The instructions also state that you should screw the adapter kit to your window, although it stayed stable without it. The power cord is short limiting placement. You also need to keep it a minimum distance from walls and other furniture which further limits placement. During setup, only one window in the room would work requiring rearrangement. Another issue with setup is that while the twist lock connecting the hose to the main body holds secure, the tabs holding it to the window adapter are not very effective. Any movement of the hose or the AC unit would cause the hose to pop out of the window adapter. Another thing to keep in mind is that while the exhaust hose has a grating to keep out animals, it doesn’t deter bugs such as flies, mosquitos, and wasps. It’s unlikely they would enter the unit while running, but if you intend to leave it off for a little while you are better off disconnecting it and removing the window adapter.
Trying to get the air conditioner setup and available via the app was finicky. During initial registration things went smoothly, but then trying to log into via the app would give a cloud error saying the username was invalid. The only way around the issue was to use a different email address. After working past this issue was setting up Wi-Fi on the unit. The method used is a bit dated where you must manually join the Wi-Fi on the unit to configure. After this you can configure it to connect to the Wi-Fi of your choice. The unit refused to connect to the Wi-Fi after multiple attempts giving only a generic error. This Wi-Fi was setup as the most compatible to make connecting to appliances easy. The best guess is the problem was it couldn’t handle the space in the Wi-Fi name as it would connect without problem to a similar Wi-Fi setup that had no spaces. Once it is connected to the app you can create schedules for cooling, drying, or just running the fan. If you don’t care to connect it to the internet, the only thing you lose is scheduling.
Setup was mostly straightforward but could be improved with larger graphics in the book to show the correct orientation of the window adapter. Thankfully, Frigidaire has a YouTube video that helps explain things better. With the help of the video installation was easy. The window adapter had to have parts trimmed to the size of the opening which limits further “portable” use of the unit unless your other locations are of a similar size. The instructions also state that you should screw the adapter kit to your window, although it stayed stable without it. The power cord is short limiting placement. You also need to keep it a minimum distance from walls and other furniture which further limits placement. During setup, only one window in the room would work requiring rearrangement. Another issue with setup is that while the twist lock connecting the hose to the main body holds secure, the tabs holding it to the window adapter are not very effective. Any movement of the hose or the AC unit would cause the hose to pop out of the window adapter. Another thing to keep in mind is that while the exhaust hose has a grating to keep out animals, it doesn’t deter bugs such as flies, mosquitos, and wasps. It’s unlikely they would enter the unit while running, but if you intend to leave it off for a little while you are better off disconnecting it and removing the window adapter.
Trying to get the air conditioner setup and available via the app was finicky. During initial registration things went smoothly, but then trying to log into via the app would give a cloud error saying the username was invalid. The only way around the issue was to use a different email address. After working past this issue was setting up Wi-Fi on the unit. The method used is a bit dated where you must manually join the Wi-Fi on the unit to configure. After this you can configure it to connect to the Wi-Fi of your choice. The unit refused to connect to the Wi-Fi after multiple attempts giving only a generic error. This Wi-Fi was setup as the most compatible to make connecting to appliances easy. The best guess is the problem was it couldn’t handle the space in the Wi-Fi name as it would connect without problem to a similar Wi-Fi setup that had no spaces. Once it is connected to the app you can create schedules for cooling, drying, or just running the fan. If you don’t care to connect it to the internet, the only thing you lose is scheduling.
Any single hose portable AC unit comes with some expected loss in efficiency as some of the air cooled is used to send the hot air out the exhaust, which is why this 12,000btu unit is rated at 8,000btu. The strange thing is that an 8,000btu air conditioner is rated for a 250-400sqft room while this unit is rated for 450-550sqft. In usage, it seems the more conservative number of 250-400 is more accurate. While using it in a 450sqft fully insulated garage, this AC unit could only bring the overall temperature down by 2 degrees running for 6 hours. For reference, the entire garage space, including the door, is insulated with blown insulation with an R rating exceeding that of a standard home. Also, the 2 degree drop in temp was observed at the same time the outside temperatures had dropped. The room would feel slightly cooler, but only in front of the unit. For reference, opening the door to the main part of the house could yield similar cooling in less than an hour without requiring pulling outside air in. One thing that might help is insulating the exhaust hose. While you can feel the cool air coming out of the front of the unit, the back around the hose adds nearly as much heat right back into the room with the hose being noticeably hot to the touch. Further checks show the exhaust hose at about 116F.
While there are certainly some limitations, this style cooler has some advantages. For example, if you can’t put a window AC unit outside for either noise pollution or just general space this 3-in-1 can be useful. It also hasn’t been any louder on the inside so far than normal window AC units. It also works with vertical windows. For some, the flexibility to use it as a dehumidifier can also come in handy. Some areas can have moderate temperatures, but the high humidity makes things feel uncomfortable even with AC. To use it as a dehumidifier you don’t use the exhaust hose, but you do need to connect a standard style garden hose for drainage. It also can serve as an air filter and ionizer, but this feature seems more limited. While it does have a filter, there are no standardized ratings listed to show if it helps with things like allergies. It would be best to assume the filter is most helpful for basic filtering of a room.
Final Thoughts
While it seems Frigidaire exaggerated on how large of a room it can handle it still functions nicely as a portable AC unit. If you are in the unique situation where the pros of a single hose portable air conditioner outweigh the cons, the Frigidaire 3-in-1 air conditioner could be a good match for you. Just follow the standard rating system of how large of space an 8,000btu air conditioner can handle and you should be happy and get the bonus of AC with extra functionality.
While it seems Frigidaire exaggerated on how large of a room it can handle it still functions nicely as a portable AC unit. If you are in the unique situation where the pros of a single hose portable air conditioner outweigh the cons, the Frigidaire 3-in-1 air conditioner could be a good match for you. Just follow the standard rating system of how large of space an 8,000btu air conditioner can handle and you should be happy and get the bonus of AC with extra functionality.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Valuable Gen4 performance is here. Introducing the Crucial P3 Plus Gen4 NVMe SSD, delivering impressive speed with sequential reads/writes up to 5000/4200MB/s1 while providing data protection for optimal security. Engineered by Micron with the latest Gen4 NVMe technology, the Crucial P3 Plus comes in generous capacities2 and offers flexible backward compatibility for most Gen3 systems.
Posted by: CraigB
Slim and fast
Pros
Single sided chips work well for laptops
Fast for a budget SSD
Could work as a gaming SSD for many laptops
Exceeded rated speeds in tests
5-year warranty
440 Terabyte write endurance
Single sided chips work well for laptops
Fast for a budget SSD
Could work as a gaming SSD for many laptops
Exceeded rated speeds in tests
5-year warranty
440 Terabyte write endurance
Cons
Runs near max temperature easily which may void warranty
No thermal protection listed
Runs near max temperature easily which may void warranty
No thermal protection listed
Design and Features
The Crucial P3 Plus is a more budget oriented SSD targeted at those looking for PCI-E Gen 4 performance without breaking the bank. The design uses single sided chips making it very thin meaning it should easily fit in even the thinnest laptops. Out of the box you get the SSD and a retaining screw. You can download Storage Executive Software and Acronis TrueImage from their website for management and cloning of the SSD. Storage Executive allows checking the SMART status of the drive, current temperature, tools to check the health of the drive and wipe it, and Crucial’s Momentum Cache utility. Momentum Cache helps further increase the performance of the drive by utilizing system memory, but it isn’t recommended on systems that aren’t connected to a battery as an abrupt power failure can cause data loss.
The Crucial P3 Plus is a more budget oriented SSD targeted at those looking for PCI-E Gen 4 performance without breaking the bank. The design uses single sided chips making it very thin meaning it should easily fit in even the thinnest laptops. Out of the box you get the SSD and a retaining screw. You can download Storage Executive Software and Acronis TrueImage from their website for management and cloning of the SSD. Storage Executive allows checking the SMART status of the drive, current temperature, tools to check the health of the drive and wipe it, and Crucial’s Momentum Cache utility. Momentum Cache helps further increase the performance of the drive by utilizing system memory, but it isn’t recommended on systems that aren’t connected to a battery as an abrupt power failure can cause data loss.
Performance
Performance has been very good and slightly exceeded the rated specs. Tests were run with Momentum Cache turned off. On the first run, CrystalDiskMark returned a read speed of 5000.08MB/s with a rated speed of 5000MB/s. Write speeds came in at 4367.62MB/s with a rated speed of 4200MB/s. Subsequent test came back with similar results showing consistency in speed. Setting CrystalDiskMark to NVME mode returned similar results except one test in which write speeds dropped to just over 3300MB/s. This only happened during one run and did not occur again. There was no other software writing to disk, so the only assumption is a background process skewed the results.
Performance has been very good and slightly exceeded the rated specs. Tests were run with Momentum Cache turned off. On the first run, CrystalDiskMark returned a read speed of 5000.08MB/s with a rated speed of 5000MB/s. Write speeds came in at 4367.62MB/s with a rated speed of 4200MB/s. Subsequent test came back with similar results showing consistency in speed. Setting CrystalDiskMark to NVME mode returned similar results except one test in which write speeds dropped to just over 3300MB/s. This only happened during one run and did not occur again. There was no other software writing to disk, so the only assumption is a background process skewed the results.
While performance seems to be consistent, one point of concern is thermal management. Crucial doesn’t list specs for the maximum temperature of the P3 Plus but rather just that in general their NVMEs can handle up to 158F. Anything exceeding these temperatures could be grounds to void the warranty. While it’s big brother the P5 Plus lists thermal protection, no mention of thermal protection is listed for the P3 Plus. During testing, the P3 Plus routinely would get very close to Crucial’s stated maximum temperature of 158F. While Storage Executive never reported a temperature of over 150F, thermal imaging indicated a maximum temperature of 156F and an average of 154F under peak load. No determination could be made if some sort of management was keeping temps from going any higher as speeds stayed high. Regardless of this fact, even though this SSD is slim enough to fit in nearly any laptop it would be a good idea to consider how it shed heat in tighter systems which can’t fit a heatsink.
This might not be an issue because it seems most slimmer systems, including gaming systems, use PCI-E Gen 3 which should mean the drive would never be fully stressed in those cases. This leads to another use as a budget gaming SSD. Most smaller gaming laptops have PCI-E Gen 3, which the P3 Plus should easily be able to saturate. This could allow for more storage of games for less money.
Final Thoughts
While the P3 Plus isn’t the fastest drive available, its fast for most people. Even more important is it’s consistent. If you are in the market for a budget SSD, even for gaming, the P3 Plus is worth a look. Just be sure to check your thermals to be safe.
While the P3 Plus isn’t the fastest drive available, its fast for most people. Even more important is it’s consistent. If you are in the market for a budget SSD, even for gaming, the P3 Plus is worth a look. Just be sure to check your thermals to be safe.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Roborock - S7MaxV Ultra Wi-Fi Connected Robot Vacuum and Sonic Mop with Empty Wash Fill Dock - black
The Roborock S7 MaxV is a robot vacuum that has been created to make cleaning your floor completely automatic. It is a robot vacuum and mop combo that you can genuinely set and forget for weeks at a time. Its ReactiveAI 2.0 obstacle avoidance system with enhanced hazard recognition keeps it away from hazards, so you don’t have to clear the floor before it runs. 5100 Pa of suction power deeply cleans dust on wood floors and carpets. The unique VibraRise mopping system scrubs your floor at up to 3000 scrubs per minute to eliminate dried-on stains. It can also lift up when carpet is detected, so you can mop floors and vacuum carpets in one run. To top it off, the Empty Wash Fill Dock is self-emptying and holds up to 7-weeks of debris, refills the water tank, and washes the mop, ready for another run so you don't have to lift a finger!
Customer Rating
5
Almost perfect automated cleaning
on August 3, 2022
Posted by: CraigB
Pros
Mapping is quick and precise
Doesn’t hit furniture and walls
Recognizes most obstacles and avoids them
Able to traverse higher room thresholds
Low profile gets under most furniture
Very little hair tangling
Can vacuum and mop all at once
Relatively quiet
Speaks out when it has a problem
Camera doubles as a security camera
Dock empties and cleans automatically
Local AI processing
Can still do main functions without WIFI
Mapping is quick and precise
Doesn’t hit furniture and walls
Recognizes most obstacles and avoids them
Able to traverse higher room thresholds
Low profile gets under most furniture
Very little hair tangling
Can vacuum and mop all at once
Relatively quiet
Speaks out when it has a problem
Camera doubles as a security camera
Dock empties and cleans automatically
Local AI processing
Can still do main functions without WIFI
Cons
Dock is very large
Camera can be a privacy concern for some
Doesn’t have a way to save spot cleaning zones
Doesn’t support room cleaning order yet
Still sometimes gets tangled on cords
LIDAR thinks furniture skirts are walls
Dock is very large
Camera can be a privacy concern for some
Doesn’t have a way to save spot cleaning zones
Doesn’t support room cleaning order yet
Still sometimes gets tangled on cords
LIDAR thinks furniture skirts are walls
Design and Features
The basic design is a standard disc shaped robotic vacuum with the cleaning roller in the middle between the wheels. This makes the cleaning path smaller than the D shaped robotic vacuums and leaves a much larger gap on side which the spinning side brush attempts to handle. The mopping pad is on the back section and is the entire width of the vacuum allowing it to mop large sections without a problem. The top hinges open allowing access to the dust bin while the water tank is accessible from the back. The top has the LIDAR scanner which maps the room approximately 4 inches off the ground while the front has the structured light scanner, camera, and LED light to allow the camera to see in the dark and still perform AI detection. The cleaning base is very large but not as tall as others. You will need to find a large space in your house to place it, but thankfully it only needs about a foot and a half of clearance on the sides to work. In testing it worked fine in a space of 32 inches wide by 20 inches deep even though that is far less than the recommendation. There are separate tanks for dirty water, clean water, and the vacuum bag. While the vacuum section is not removable, the two water tanks are making it easy to bring to a sink for emptying and refilling.
The basic design is a standard disc shaped robotic vacuum with the cleaning roller in the middle between the wheels. This makes the cleaning path smaller than the D shaped robotic vacuums and leaves a much larger gap on side which the spinning side brush attempts to handle. The mopping pad is on the back section and is the entire width of the vacuum allowing it to mop large sections without a problem. The top hinges open allowing access to the dust bin while the water tank is accessible from the back. The top has the LIDAR scanner which maps the room approximately 4 inches off the ground while the front has the structured light scanner, camera, and LED light to allow the camera to see in the dark and still perform AI detection. The cleaning base is very large but not as tall as others. You will need to find a large space in your house to place it, but thankfully it only needs about a foot and a half of clearance on the sides to work. In testing it worked fine in a space of 32 inches wide by 20 inches deep even though that is far less than the recommendation. There are separate tanks for dirty water, clean water, and the vacuum bag. While the vacuum section is not removable, the two water tanks are making it easy to bring to a sink for emptying and refilling.
Setup and Performance
Setup is straightforward. You just create your account via the app and connect the robot to your Wi-Fi. It will prompt to update if needed and then you can have it perform a mapping run. It takes about 45 minutes to map the entire house and then you can name your rooms. It does detect floor types, but you can also define them yourself in the app. It will automatically suggest room dividers, but they are adjustable. You can define no go zones, zones for only mopping, and zones for only vacuuming. You can also place furniture in the rooms to help better visualize the layout. Zones can be defined for cleaning but each time you browse to the zones section it automatically adds a new one. You also can’t tell it to vacuum a zone by voice or via schedule. Zone cleaning can only be done manually. Hopefully they will update to allow zone cleaning on schedule so you can have small, high traffic areas cleaned more frequently without cleaning a whole room. You can clean the whole house or a specific room by voice. Scheduling can clean the whole house or several rooms. The latest update says the option to choose room cleaning order has been added by so far it is not visible in the app. The floor plan can be viewed in 2D with each room being a different color, as a grayscale 3D map, or in what is called matrix which is like an AR version that only works on newer iPhones with a Lidar scanner. While 3D and Matrix are nice and help you better visualize what the vacuum sees, the most useful is the standard 2D map.
Setup is straightforward. You just create your account via the app and connect the robot to your Wi-Fi. It will prompt to update if needed and then you can have it perform a mapping run. It takes about 45 minutes to map the entire house and then you can name your rooms. It does detect floor types, but you can also define them yourself in the app. It will automatically suggest room dividers, but they are adjustable. You can define no go zones, zones for only mopping, and zones for only vacuuming. You can also place furniture in the rooms to help better visualize the layout. Zones can be defined for cleaning but each time you browse to the zones section it automatically adds a new one. You also can’t tell it to vacuum a zone by voice or via schedule. Zone cleaning can only be done manually. Hopefully they will update to allow zone cleaning on schedule so you can have small, high traffic areas cleaned more frequently without cleaning a whole room. You can clean the whole house or a specific room by voice. Scheduling can clean the whole house or several rooms. The latest update says the option to choose room cleaning order has been added by so far it is not visible in the app. The floor plan can be viewed in 2D with each room being a different color, as a grayscale 3D map, or in what is called matrix which is like an AR version that only works on newer iPhones with a Lidar scanner. While 3D and Matrix are nice and help you better visualize what the vacuum sees, the most useful is the standard 2D map.
Cleaning starts with the vacuuming announcing what is going to do. It will announce “starting selective cleaning” or “starting room cleaning” followed by “going to wash the mop” each time before it starts to work. It can be helpful to hear as you can verify what it is going to do. While there isn’t a specific setting to turn this off you can turn the volume down if you have a consistent fixed schedule. Strangely while the voice feedback for what it is doing is specific, problems are sometimes spoken as error codes. For example, when there is a problem with the dirty water bin or the clean water bin it has just said error code 39 instead of, please refill water or please empty dirty water. It would be nice to see Roborock further refine these error messages to be more descriptive in the future.
Cleaning has been very good, but the full effect takes several runs. You can start by setting the vacuum to maximum suction and the mop to intense cleaning as well as set it to do 4 passes to speed up the process. After a few runs all but the most stubborn stains are cleaned off hard floors. On low and medium ply carpets it does a good job cleaning but doesn’t clean deep enough to create distinct cleaning lines. Also, because of the inset roller, the carpet isn’t cleaned as thoroughly up to about 3 inches from the wall so for those with pets you might need to occasionally do a manual touch up vacuuming against the walls. While the documentation says it can switch between mopping and vacuuming only on low pile carpet, it has done well on medium pile carpet and barely adds any moisture to it. When verified with an infrared camera the mop does touch medium pile carpet when lifted, but the amount of moisture it adds is already evaporated by the time it is starting the next row. The bonus of running a vacuum and mopping run in one is that on hard floors it vacuums up debris and them immediately mops leaving no chance for new grime to collect before mopping. This reduces the likelihood of leftover dirt and loose material from scratching the floor during mopping. The result is a clean, grit free floor with little to no streaks.
One area that could be improved is, somewhat oddly, sensors. No sensors are included for dirt, full bin, or empty water tank. It would be nice to see future versions include a dirt sensor to know if more cleaning is needed in a certain area as well as a dust bin full sensor or water tank empty sensor. As it stands now, the S7 empties the dust bin and refills the water on a set schedule instead of as needed. It would also be nice to see an update to the charging logic to shorten cleaning times. In use, it cleans all but two rooms of the house on one charge. Then it returns to the dock to charge for several hours until the battery is fully charged only to clean for 20 minutes. Instead, since it knows how many square feet are left it would be great if it could charge enough to clean that remaining area and then finish the job.
Surprisingly even though Roborock makes no claims of handling hair without tangling it has done an excellent job of keeping the roller clean with two dogs and two long hair family members. The only area that does collect hair is on the main shaft of the roller but so far it hasn’t caused damage to the roller whereas this has happened on vacuums made specifically to handle hair. Noise has been good with guest stating the vacuum is quieter than they would have thought, possibly this is because it doesn’t speed up the vacuum until it is on carpet which tends to muffle the sound more. You could watch a show or hold a conversation in the same room with it albeit at increased volume. It does also list a quiet setting, but no one could notice a significant difference in volume between modes.
Probably the most important question for the S7 MaxV is how good the new AI is. The short answer is, nearly flawless. The LIDAR navigation means it knows exactly how close to get to furniture without touching or bumping, with the minor caveat being that bed or couch skirts are seen as walls. Combine that with the structured light camera, visual camera, and LED light and the AI recognizes most things even in the dark correctly and avoids as needed. You can also set it to save pictures of obstacles in the onboard storage so that you could inspect them later to see if it correctly identified them as well as instruct it to not classify an object as an obstacle in the future. Most of the time this works very well. If you are concerned about privacy, the AI doesn’t seem to send anything to the cloud as it worked just as well without an internet connection. You just can’t control it via your phone or voice assistant without internet. It was able to identify couches correctly as well as shoes and power strips. It even saw the dogs walking around and would pause so as not to get in the way. If the dog moved fast enough it would continue, otherwise it would check back later to see if the area is clear to clean. The one area that could still use improvement is recognizing cords lying flat on the floor or pieces of paper. On more than one occasion it would fail to recognize a charging cord and would snag on it and drag it around the room. It also sometimes sucks up small pieces of paper which have become lodged in the rollers. Still much better than average but still has room for further improvement. The camera can also be used for remote viewing if you like. By default, this feature is disabled and can only be enabled locally by holding down the buttons on the vacuum. After enabled it can be used remotely without pressing the buttons again. Audio and video quality is good, but reliability is hit or miss even when at home or on a good internet connection.
The base has been excellent at both emptying the dust bin and cleaning the mop. It empties the dust bin through the roller. This seems have the benefit of cleaning the roller. After over a week of daily cleaning the mopping pad is also fairy clean with minimal stains, however the water used to clean the mop sits in the base and develops a smell. Cleaning the mop cleaning area helped.
Final Thoughts
The S7 MaxV Ultra is the closest yet to fully automated floor cleaning. It only needs very occasional attention with some periodic maintenance. If you have been wanting a robotic floor cleaner that takes most of the work off your hands without much fuss, the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra is hard to beat right now.
The S7 MaxV Ultra is the closest yet to fully automated floor cleaning. It only needs very occasional attention with some periodic maintenance. If you have been wanting a robotic floor cleaner that takes most of the work off your hands without much fuss, the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra is hard to beat right now.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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The mini-sized, mega-capable DJI Mini 3 Pro is just as powerful as it is portable. Weighing less than 249 g and with upgraded safety features, it's not only regulation-friendly, it's also the safest in its series. With a 1/1.3-inch sensor and top-tier features, it redefines what it means to fly Mini.
Customer Rating
5
Compact and loaded with features
on July 13, 2022
Posted by: CraigB
Pros
Feature packed for a weight of 249 grams
Easy to fly
Includes obstacle sensors
Powerful
Very quiet and attracts less attention
Small enough to not get attention
RC remote avoids interruptions of using phone
Includes some built in storage
RC remote doesn’t overheat like phone when used
RC remote usually feels snappy
10-bit color
D-Cinelike recording option
ND Filter options already available
Props and drone never in shot
Feature packed for a weight of 249 grams
Easy to fly
Includes obstacle sensors
Powerful
Very quiet and attracts less attention
Small enough to not get attention
RC remote avoids interruptions of using phone
Includes some built in storage
RC remote doesn’t overheat like phone when used
RC remote usually feels snappy
10-bit color
D-Cinelike recording option
ND Filter options already available
Props and drone never in shot
Cons
Still can’t fit side obstacle sensors
Obstacle sensors don’t work during sunset/sunrise
No cooling fan to save weight
RC screen hard to see in sunlight
Thumb sticks easy to lose
Purchasing Care Refresh is awkward if note purchased immediately
Still can’t fit side obstacle sensors
Obstacle sensors don’t work during sunset/sunrise
No cooling fan to save weight
RC screen hard to see in sunlight
Thumb sticks easy to lose
Purchasing Care Refresh is awkward if note purchased immediately
Design and Setup
It’s a big claim for DJI to add the Pro a drone in their mini series. As others have said, it seems DJI intends for the Mini 3 Pro to be targeted between the Mini 2 and the Air 2S instead of replacing the Mini 2. It’s almost like they put the Mini 2 on a diet, cutting out a portion of the top above the gimbal, slimming up the body, and removing the landing feet on the prop arms in favor of tiny nubs on the bottom of the body. Regardless of the reason, they packed more features with no apparent sacrifice. If only they could have found some way to squeeze inside obstacle sensors while keeping the weight sub 250 grams but it’s hard to imagine accomplishing this without a new battery as that feels like the bulk of the weight.
It’s a big claim for DJI to add the Pro a drone in their mini series. As others have said, it seems DJI intends for the Mini 3 Pro to be targeted between the Mini 2 and the Air 2S instead of replacing the Mini 2. It’s almost like they put the Mini 2 on a diet, cutting out a portion of the top above the gimbal, slimming up the body, and removing the landing feet on the prop arms in favor of tiny nubs on the bottom of the body. Regardless of the reason, they packed more features with no apparent sacrifice. If only they could have found some way to squeeze inside obstacle sensors while keeping the weight sub 250 grams but it’s hard to imagine accomplishing this without a new battery as that feels like the bulk of the weight.
Out of the box, most of your time will be spent waiting to charge before flying. It charges via USB-C cable for box the drone and the RC Controller. Everything else is ready to go except registration, and firmware updates if you want to wait. The nice part of the new RC Controller is you get a complete remote with a reasonably bright screen and no worries of being interrupted by notifications or calls. Both the drone and controller have a micro-SD card slot for storage but it’s nice that DJI decided to include gigabyte of onboard storage in case you just wanted to take a few quick pictures or brief video.
Performance and Usage
The only prep that needs to be done to start flying is turn the remote and drone on, unfold the prop arms, and install the thumb sticks if you wish. You must exercise caution when installing the thumb sticks because the holders on the back of the remote stick and it’s not hard to lose them as they pop out. That said, the controller works nicely without them to the point where it would be nice if DJI offered D-pad style buttons that you can just if you wish. Either that or at least allow the thumb sticks to fold down so you don’t risk dropping them. A nice touch on the body of the drone is deploying the prop arms. Unlike older models, there is no specific order to fold or unfold them. They move in different directions so as not to interfere with each other. It’s a subtle but nice touch. The gimble cover works well enough and is easy to get off but a bit awkward to put back on.
The only prep that needs to be done to start flying is turn the remote and drone on, unfold the prop arms, and install the thumb sticks if you wish. You must exercise caution when installing the thumb sticks because the holders on the back of the remote stick and it’s not hard to lose them as they pop out. That said, the controller works nicely without them to the point where it would be nice if DJI offered D-pad style buttons that you can just if you wish. Either that or at least allow the thumb sticks to fold down so you don’t risk dropping them. A nice touch on the body of the drone is deploying the prop arms. Unlike older models, there is no specific order to fold or unfold them. They move in different directions so as not to interfere with each other. It’s a subtle but nice touch. The gimble cover works well enough and is easy to get off but a bit awkward to put back on.
If you are the type to carry your drone around turned on and ready for the perfect time to launch, you are going to need to adjust your habits. Because of the weight savings the only cooling of the drone is done during flight. This means if you leave it on for more than about 5 minutes it goes into thermal shutdown. It doesn’t even require you to move in flight for the cooling to work. Surprisingly, the Mini 3 gets enough cooling while hovering to not trigger a thermal shutdown in 105-degree weather. Thankfully it doesn’t take that long to boot up, so a workaround is to leave it off but leave the RC on. The controller takes quite some time to boot but doesn’t have the cooling problems. By having the controller booted you can just start up the drone and be ready to launch in about a minute. With the right clothing you can even have the Mini 3 in one pocket and the controller in another so you can focus on choosing your location.
This leads into another nice feature of the size of the Mini 3. It is small enough to not attract much attention. This is even more so with how quiet it is. If you have it hovering in place even 40 feet in the air it is barely audible. The only time you really hear it is if you move aggressively or it is fighting wind. Speaking about fighting the wind, this little drone does a surprisingly good job handling the wind. This all comes in handy for those times where need to get the shot without being disruptive. Of course, if needed you can stay farther away and crop in, but you are going to lose some fidelity.
Allowing the gimbal to tilt up allows for new filming options but DJI made a subtle but welcomed change to the design. The forward and rear collision sensors are in pods on either side of the gimbal. When you tilt the gimbal up the notch between the pods are not visible, but neither are the props. Between the cutout above the gimbal and the new prop arms being longer even if you fly full speed forward with the gimbal tiled full vertical and you don’t see the drone or props in the shot.
While it’s great to not have to use your phone and worry about the screen dimming from overheating, the RC controller doesn’t have the brightness to overpower direct sunlight. On full brightness you can see enough to change settings and frame your shot but flying via the remote screen could be challenging in bright sunlight. For reference, it’s like how bright smartphones used to be a few years ago before they started having brightness levels over 1000nits. It’s still very workable but just may occasionally require shading the screen to see better. The remote feels high quality and the video stayed clear without any dropouts or delays. In fact, unless you fly behind a structure or in metal you would likely lose site of the Mini 3 before the RC controllers loses signal. In all but a few rare cases the remote has been snappy. The few times it seems to lag could have also been explained by not doing the gesture correctly. Also, if you are flying under Part 107, the RC controller has the option to log and upload your flights.
There are too many features and options to possibly cover and DJI has been aggressively updating both the drone and RC controller since launch making covering everything near impossible. We can just touch on the core features of ActiveTrack and obstacle avoidance. ActiveTrack so far has been the favorite and makes if feel like you have pet following you. In good lighting it follows you reliably and avoids obstacles smoothy with some caveats. It requires good lighting to work and quick direction changes might temporarily confuse it, but it tries to find you again. Low lighting is also where see the lighting limitation in obstacle avoidance as well. It works perfectly in good lighting most cases but when lighting changes quickly or you get near something small such as very small tree branches it begins to struggle. The good thing is both the limitations of ActiveTrack and obstacle avoidance are very consistent in where they start to have issues allowing you to quickly learn in what situations they work best and plan ahead.
Final Thoughts
While the Mini 3 Pro has the word Pro in its name, it feels like the primary customer this was made for is smaller content creators who are still learning their craft. Someone who needs something more than a Mini 2 but isn’t quite ready for an Air 2S or Mavic or even a Pro who wants to have something more portable for quick shots or even vertical shots for social media without the need for cropping. While there is a learning curve to master all the features and options to take full advantage of its capabilities, DJI has done a nice job keeping things easy enough to start learning without feeling overwhelmed. You can take photos and videos in full auto and get respectable results. As you master your skills and level up to shooting raw photos and D-Cinelike videos you can learn how to grade them the way you want in post. Not only is it easy to fly, if you leave it in cinema or standard mode it is very hard to crash. You can also go a step further and pay for their Care Refresh insurance for an extra piece of mind. However, it is best to decide if you want to do this before activating the drone because if you active it and skip by the prompt to purchase Care Refresh, the process to purchase later gets more complicated.
While the Mini 3 Pro has the word Pro in its name, it feels like the primary customer this was made for is smaller content creators who are still learning their craft. Someone who needs something more than a Mini 2 but isn’t quite ready for an Air 2S or Mavic or even a Pro who wants to have something more portable for quick shots or even vertical shots for social media without the need for cropping. While there is a learning curve to master all the features and options to take full advantage of its capabilities, DJI has done a nice job keeping things easy enough to start learning without feeling overwhelmed. You can take photos and videos in full auto and get respectable results. As you master your skills and level up to shooting raw photos and D-Cinelike videos you can learn how to grade them the way you want in post. Not only is it easy to fly, if you leave it in cinema or standard mode it is very hard to crash. You can also go a step further and pay for their Care Refresh insurance for an extra piece of mind. However, it is best to decide if you want to do this before activating the drone because if you active it and skip by the prompt to purchase Care Refresh, the process to purchase later gets more complicated.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Esports has a new apex predator. As successor to the award-winning Razer Viper Ultimate, our latest evolution is nearly 22% lighter and armed with all-round upgrades for enhanced performance. With one of the lightest wireless gaming mice ever, there’s now nothing holding you back.
Posted by: CraigB
Pros
Feels impossibly light
Textured finished improves grip
Included grip pads can be added without much weight
Solid feel of scroll wheel
Includes ultralight cord
USB-C
Buttons have a distinct activation point
Feels impossibly light
Textured finished improves grip
Included grip pads can be added without much weight
Solid feel of scroll wheel
Includes ultralight cord
USB-C
Buttons have a distinct activation point
Cons
Included cord is only USB-A
Install keeps nagging to install extra software
No easy way to display battery level
DPI settings don’t overlay game when changed
DPI button on bottom of mouse
Included cord is only USB-A
Install keeps nagging to install extra software
No easy way to display battery level
DPI settings don’t overlay game when changed
DPI button on bottom of mouse
Design and Setup
The Razer Viper Pro V2, while not having the exact same name, seems to be the next evolution to the Viper Ultimate mouse. The dock is gone, the weight is down, but battery life is up. The design is also targeted at right-handed gamers as there are only side buttons on the left. The switches have been updated to improve tactile response, the glide pads have been redesigned and the size increased. It can be used wireless or wired with the included Speedflex cable. While the mouse is USB-C, the cable is only USB-C on the mouse side. The computer side unfortunately still uses standard USB-A. It would have been nice if Razer fully switched to USB-C and instead provided an adapter if need USB-A. The Viper V2 Pro feels impossibly light. Everyone who picked it up though it was fake it felt so light. It reminds you of how store display mice are so light because they are empty, except this is a working mouse that even has a battery. While it feels light, it doesn’t feel flimsy. The shell feels strong and has a slightly rough texture. You can install optional stick on textured pads but the surface is plenty grippy on its own.
Setup is straightforward, but it does nag you. The moment you either plug in the mouse or dongle the system starts downloading drivers. During the install process, you have the option to install other options beyond Synapse, such as Chroma or Cortex. This is where Razer keeps pushing their extra software. The installer offers you the option to install Cortex and provide an explanation of what it does when you selecting items to install. If you don’t select Cortex, it then brings up a full page description of why you should install it. If you still decide not to install it, then it just keeps putting it as an optional item to install when checking for updates. After that, when you start Synapse it prompts for an account but offers to use it as guest. This would be good but then shortly afterword they provide an add trying to get you to sign up for an account. The marketing goes further afterwards because every time you restart your computer, Razer Synapse pops up a screen to show you it’s starting. While it isn’t much of a surprise for Razer to do this, it would be nice if they toned things down. The Viper Pro V2 focuses on minimalism and gaming first, so it would be great if Razer did the same with the software. Beyond setup, options are simplified down to the most essential. You can remap the mouse buttons, change sensor and polling speed, set up your HyperShift button, and calibrate your mouse surface.
Usage and Performance
The Viper V2 Pro is effortless to make rapid movements. Precise flick shots are effortless and precise. You can flick your wrist and barely notice any more weight than your own hand. The larger glide pads also help with no problems with tilting or digging into the mousepad even during quick moves. While the glide pads help the mouse slide easily, the textured surface allows for a solid grip of the mouse. If you prefer even more grip, you can install the included stickers that add more texture to the sides and left and right mouse buttons. That said, while there is enough texture to support a claw grip you might find your hand getting tired if you prefer palm support as the design is very low profile. Overall, tracking is precise with no noticeable issues even proving to be accurate on random surfaces. There is also a surface calibration option but there never seemed to be a need to run it.
While previous generations received complaints of mushiness, these buttons felt very distinct requiring medium pressure to activate. Activation is distinct and you can both hear and feel it. It’s worth noting that there no ramp up or down in pressure on activation if you prefer that extra feedback. Regardless of whether you game wired or wireless, there is no discernable difference in response time between the two. While there is no difference in response, there is a difference in feel. Even though the Speedflex cable is extremely light and glides nicely over most surfaces, you can still feel the weight difference. The good thing is unless you just wanted to use it wired, battery life is long enough where should wear out before the battery does. In approximately two hours of playing random games battery level dropped less than 5%. This might be why Razer decided to not include any sort of battery level indicator easily accessible. With a single LED, the mouse itself has no way to show battery level and the Synapse software doesn’t have an option to show battery level in the tray. The only place it seems to show battery percentage is if you open Synapse.
If there any complaints about the design, it would be how you change sensitivity. The choice to pair the sensitivity selection button with the power button on bottom seems a bit odd. Button allows mapping to a single sensitivity and doesn’t seem to allow cycling through options, so mapping doesn’t seem to be a good workaround. Sometimes switching DPI rate mid game is handy for more purposes than sniping. Maybe this is because Razer doesn’t see this as something gamers do because changing DPI settings mid game provides no feedback. You can change it via the bottom button and it does work, but there is not status update showing the currently sensitivity that overlays the game like some older designs. Overall, this is a bit of an edge use case and not a dealbreaker, but still worth noting.
Final Thoughts
Ultralight gaming mice at first thought don’t seem to make a difference, but if you have never tried one you don’t know what you are missing. Particularly if you play fast paced games, such as FPS, it almost feels like a requirement once you try it. The Ultralight gaming options have really been evolving the past few years and the Razer Viper V2 Pro feels like a worthy upgrade. If you have a previous generation Razer Ultralight, or are in the market for an Ultralight, the Viper V2 Pro is worth a serious look as long as you can ignore some of the branding push.
The Razer Viper Pro V2, while not having the exact same name, seems to be the next evolution to the Viper Ultimate mouse. The dock is gone, the weight is down, but battery life is up. The design is also targeted at right-handed gamers as there are only side buttons on the left. The switches have been updated to improve tactile response, the glide pads have been redesigned and the size increased. It can be used wireless or wired with the included Speedflex cable. While the mouse is USB-C, the cable is only USB-C on the mouse side. The computer side unfortunately still uses standard USB-A. It would have been nice if Razer fully switched to USB-C and instead provided an adapter if need USB-A. The Viper V2 Pro feels impossibly light. Everyone who picked it up though it was fake it felt so light. It reminds you of how store display mice are so light because they are empty, except this is a working mouse that even has a battery. While it feels light, it doesn’t feel flimsy. The shell feels strong and has a slightly rough texture. You can install optional stick on textured pads but the surface is plenty grippy on its own.
Setup is straightforward, but it does nag you. The moment you either plug in the mouse or dongle the system starts downloading drivers. During the install process, you have the option to install other options beyond Synapse, such as Chroma or Cortex. This is where Razer keeps pushing their extra software. The installer offers you the option to install Cortex and provide an explanation of what it does when you selecting items to install. If you don’t select Cortex, it then brings up a full page description of why you should install it. If you still decide not to install it, then it just keeps putting it as an optional item to install when checking for updates. After that, when you start Synapse it prompts for an account but offers to use it as guest. This would be good but then shortly afterword they provide an add trying to get you to sign up for an account. The marketing goes further afterwards because every time you restart your computer, Razer Synapse pops up a screen to show you it’s starting. While it isn’t much of a surprise for Razer to do this, it would be nice if they toned things down. The Viper Pro V2 focuses on minimalism and gaming first, so it would be great if Razer did the same with the software. Beyond setup, options are simplified down to the most essential. You can remap the mouse buttons, change sensor and polling speed, set up your HyperShift button, and calibrate your mouse surface.
Usage and Performance
The Viper V2 Pro is effortless to make rapid movements. Precise flick shots are effortless and precise. You can flick your wrist and barely notice any more weight than your own hand. The larger glide pads also help with no problems with tilting or digging into the mousepad even during quick moves. While the glide pads help the mouse slide easily, the textured surface allows for a solid grip of the mouse. If you prefer even more grip, you can install the included stickers that add more texture to the sides and left and right mouse buttons. That said, while there is enough texture to support a claw grip you might find your hand getting tired if you prefer palm support as the design is very low profile. Overall, tracking is precise with no noticeable issues even proving to be accurate on random surfaces. There is also a surface calibration option but there never seemed to be a need to run it.
While previous generations received complaints of mushiness, these buttons felt very distinct requiring medium pressure to activate. Activation is distinct and you can both hear and feel it. It’s worth noting that there no ramp up or down in pressure on activation if you prefer that extra feedback. Regardless of whether you game wired or wireless, there is no discernable difference in response time between the two. While there is no difference in response, there is a difference in feel. Even though the Speedflex cable is extremely light and glides nicely over most surfaces, you can still feel the weight difference. The good thing is unless you just wanted to use it wired, battery life is long enough where should wear out before the battery does. In approximately two hours of playing random games battery level dropped less than 5%. This might be why Razer decided to not include any sort of battery level indicator easily accessible. With a single LED, the mouse itself has no way to show battery level and the Synapse software doesn’t have an option to show battery level in the tray. The only place it seems to show battery percentage is if you open Synapse.
If there any complaints about the design, it would be how you change sensitivity. The choice to pair the sensitivity selection button with the power button on bottom seems a bit odd. Button allows mapping to a single sensitivity and doesn’t seem to allow cycling through options, so mapping doesn’t seem to be a good workaround. Sometimes switching DPI rate mid game is handy for more purposes than sniping. Maybe this is because Razer doesn’t see this as something gamers do because changing DPI settings mid game provides no feedback. You can change it via the bottom button and it does work, but there is not status update showing the currently sensitivity that overlays the game like some older designs. Overall, this is a bit of an edge use case and not a dealbreaker, but still worth noting.
Final Thoughts
Ultralight gaming mice at first thought don’t seem to make a difference, but if you have never tried one you don’t know what you are missing. Particularly if you play fast paced games, such as FPS, it almost feels like a requirement once you try it. The Ultralight gaming options have really been evolving the past few years and the Razer Viper V2 Pro feels like a worthy upgrade. If you have a previous generation Razer Ultralight, or are in the market for an Ultralight, the Viper V2 Pro is worth a serious look as long as you can ignore some of the branding push.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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CraigB's Review Comments
Watch your favorite movies, TV shows and sporting events in crisp 1080p resolution with this Samsung UN65FH6001FXZA HDTV, which features Clear Motion Rate 240 to preserve picture detail during fast-action sequences.
Overall5 out of 5
5 out of 5This is an awesome TV for the cost
By Korom
from Raleigh, NC
First, this is a fantastic monitor. If you have a receiver for your HDMI switching and watch TV with the sound through that receiver then this is the PERFECT TV for you. I use it with my Denon e300 receiver, all my HDMI inputs go into the receiver with one HDMI cable going to the TV. Minimal fuss and muss. The picture quality is truly incredible for a LCD TV, the blacks are very very good, almost as good as my Panasonic Plasma but its understandable that its not that good as LCD cannot show true black like a plasma can. I checked 3 bars for the sound quality but honestly I never used the internal speakers. I gave this 5 stars and would have given it 6 stars if I could have (on a 5 star scale) because the picture quality is just that good.
Bottom line: Fantastic TV for the price.
CraigB
Texas
An LED TV is a type of LCD TV
November 29, 2013
Folks. For those of you telling this reviewer that he is talking about the wrong TV because he calls it an LCD, it is an LCD. LED TV's are still LCD TV's. The difference is the backlight behind the LCD is LED's instead of CCFL(fluorescent). Both still have and LCD screen that you actually look at up front.
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Microsoft Band 2 (Large): Keep track of your health and fitness goals throughout the day by monitoring your heart rate, steps taken, calories burned, sleep quality, hours slept and other helpful metrics. Just pair with your Windows Phone, Apple® iOS or Android device via Bluetooth to receive alerts at a glance.Discover how the technology of Microsoft Band 2 can assist you in a healthy, productive lifestyle. Learn more ›
Overall5 out of 5
5 out of 5Best fitness tracker for the money
By CraigB
from Texas
When choosing high end fitness bands, my choices went back and forth between the Microsoft Band 2 and the Fitbit Surge. Fitbit has been in the business for fitness wearables for longer but I chose the Band 2 for what I felt was better value for my money. I purchased during a $50 off sale making it even more attractive and $50 less than the Surge. My main phone for this review is a Lumia 1520 with Windows 10 Mobile. I assume others will write reviews of the phone for other platforms and that is where this review starts. This fitness wearable is by far the most compatible. It supports iOS, Android, and Windows Phone/Mobile. Fitbit does as well but support for Windows Mobile is more limited. Comparing it to the Surge, it has more customizability, color screen, and a partially metal build. It feels more premium than the Surge. The metal does have 2 downsides. The first is that the finish used shows scratches extremely easily. See included picture. The second is that sweat and soap cause a foul smell very quickly requiring regular cleaning.
The Band 2 can be worn in two positions. The first is with the screen facing outwards like a watch. I tried this but it felt uncomfortable and viewing the screen was awkward particularly considering the screen doesn’t have a vertical view. This leads me to my preferred position which is with the screen facing inwards. It is much more natural to view and operate. It also feels more comfortable and is in fact the recommended way to wear the device. If there was any concern it is that wearing it inward the screen is always contacting surfaces when you lay your arms down. It uses gorilla glass but it still concerns me that I might scratch the screen. Every fitness wearable wasn’t completely comfortable to wear for one reason or another but this one starts to feel about like a watch after an adjustment period. Before you get the size right you might put it a place that binds you wrist or hits a nerve. I also learned it can get the heart rate just fine without tightening it down so far you hit nerves. Just like a watch it will take some fiddling to find your perfect tightness. Fortunately, the latching mechanism feels strong and has more adjustments than a tradition watch as well giving you more flexibility. Just make sure you use the sizing guide on the size of the box to choose the correct size. It shows wrists sizes with the wrist sideways.
Now the big question is how it works for tracking vitals. I haven’t worked with VO2 Max so I can’t comment on that but after getting the fit correct, the heart rate seems pretty close. Checking manual it was usually within about 10BPM or less from actual. Tracking steps seems a little different. It is difficult to verify but it seems to be a little high on the number of steps sometimes compared to my old hip worn pedometer. It just seems like I can reach 5,000 steps fairly easily. I am not a runner so I have not tested the GPS but I have read that some units have come from the factory with a bad GPS. What’s really nice is with all the vitals it gathers, more than just heart rate, it should be a fairly accurate color estimate. It has guided workouts you can add but I used the generic color tracking and added my own workout types to track. You can add things like HIT and weight training for your own purposes but it uses all the sensors to estimate the color burn instead of estimating based on the workout type. I feel this is more accurate but cannot verify. When you start workout mode, by default the screen stays on showing your workout time and heart rate. I suspect it is not as accurate as a chest band but it seems pretty good. After your workout is done you can see the entire workout on your phone or the website with your heart rate the entire time and your max marked. If there was any gripe it would be that you can’t have it vibrate when you hit your target or max heart rate. That would have been a great feature but, who knows. Maybe they will add it in the future. You can even use the website to compare your vitals to others in your height, weight, and age category. It’s all anonymous and very informative.
When not working out it still tracks your heart rate all the time but the other useful time to check is when you are sleeping. It can detect your sleep but if it gets it wrong you can only delete the time, not edit. You are better off starting your sleep tracking yourself. While sleeping, it will monitor you and in when you wake up you can see what your resting heart rate was overnight to get an even better picture of your health. It also has a smart alarm you can activate. If you want to wake up at a set time, just set the alarm and it will vibrate to wake you up. What I really like is if you activate the smart alarm and set it for 7:30am it will wake you up somewhere between 7:00am and 8:00am when you are most awake. That means you don’t wake up to an alarm feeling like you haven’t rested. You can even set the strength of the vibration.
Since this is a little bit of a smart watch you can add some apps. Since the phone doesn’t have any memory though, expect to only have them work when around your phone. It can control music on your phone and even use voice recognition with Cortana. I am running a prerelease build of the phone software so on occasion the connection dropped but it wasn’t hard to get back. I have found the notifications actually quite nice. I can leave the phone in one place in the house and still get notifications and respond to basic texts. I can also connect my phone to the stereo and change tracks and turn the volume up or down. It’s a standard feature for a smart watch but this is a fitness wearable and much cheaper than a smart watch. There are even some extra apps you can add and some third part utilizes to customize it further but if you want a smart watch more you might want to go that route. If you want a smart fitness tracker, this thing is hard to beat.
Pros
Solid (premium) build quality. It often gets looks and people asking what it is
Tracks more vitals than any other fitness wearable
Comfortable after figuring out your preferred fitment
Bright, sharp screen with auto brightness
Smart Alarm
Customizable workouts
Workout coaches
Customizable with smart watch type features
Solid latching mechanism
Good battery life for its functionality (2 days with no GPS and auto on screen)
Fast charge time (30 minutes to 80%)
Gorilla glass screen
Works on iOS, Android, Windows Mobile, and Web. The web is the most feature rich
Integrates with Health Vault
Constant heart rate
Portal to compare health
Rich sleep stats including restful sleep, times awake, resting heartrate, and recovery
Solid (premium) build quality. It often gets looks and people asking what it is
Tracks more vitals than any other fitness wearable
Comfortable after figuring out your preferred fitment
Bright, sharp screen with auto brightness
Smart Alarm
Customizable workouts
Workout coaches
Customizable with smart watch type features
Solid latching mechanism
Good battery life for its functionality (2 days with no GPS and auto on screen)
Fast charge time (30 minutes to 80%)
Gorilla glass screen
Works on iOS, Android, Windows Mobile, and Web. The web is the most feature rich
Integrates with Health Vault
Constant heart rate
Portal to compare health
Rich sleep stats including restful sleep, times awake, resting heartrate, and recovery
Cons
Cannot change band because electronics are built in
Metal area is a trap for sweat and soap requiring regular cleaning to prevent odor
Cannot change screen orientation
Awkward wearing screen outward
Metal finish is easy to scratch
No build in memory to bring music and store GPS while leaving phone behind for a time
Water resistant instead of waterproof
Possible to scratch screen with it facing downward
Sync is a bit slow
Cannot change band because electronics are built in
Metal area is a trap for sweat and soap requiring regular cleaning to prevent odor
Cannot change screen orientation
Awkward wearing screen outward
Metal finish is easy to scratch
No build in memory to bring music and store GPS while leaving phone behind for a time
Water resistant instead of waterproof
Possible to scratch screen with it facing downward
Sync is a bit slow
CraigB
Texas
Additional Findings
January 9, 2016
I just wanted to add an extra observations to my original review.
For those of you who want to view the display outside in sunlight, it doesn't seem to get that bright. For me that is not a big deal because outside exercises are typically the type where I don't use real time tracking but if you are the type who needs to read the display in direct sunlight, you might find it difficult. I will be checking further and report back if I find anything because indoors it is so bright that I wonder if I have done something wrong in the setup. Even with this finding I still feel it is the best for the money.
Also, if you happen to swap between phones or get a new phone you will have to factor reset the band. I periodically switch phones and discovered this. The system is designed to easily replace your band while using the same phone but if you move the band to any phone, even one that was restored from a backup of your original you will have to factory reset the band and set it back up. Not a huge deal because little is actually stored on the phone.
One other huge bonus for Windows Phone/Mobile users. If for some reason you either forget or choose not to wear your band and have a Lumia that is capable you can use it to augment your Band. Sometimes for different reasons I don't want to wear my band and only need to track steps. If I just keep my Lumia 950 in my pocket, it will track my steps and add them to what the band couldn't track. That particular feature is one I really love. The only caveat to that is while it updates the steps on the app and portal, the extra steps from your phone don't get transferred back to your band. This means if you took 2,000 steps with your band and phone and an additional 5,000 with only your Lumia the app will report 7,000 steps total which is correct but your band will continue to report 2,000 steps. Minor quibble though for a great additional feature for Windows Phone fans.
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ecobee ecobee3 Programmable Touch-Screen Wi-Fi Thermostat: Maintain a comfortable home with this programmable thermostat, which is Apple® HomeKit-enabled, so you can control the temperature remotely using your compatible device. Home IQ helps you conserve energy.
Overall
1 out of 5
1 out of 5cant set custom temps..sensors are glitchy
By annaj
i was trying to get this thermostat to set 4 or 5 different temps automaticly per day. an ecobee tech couldnt help me get this done on my web portal account . the sensors dont read the occupancy after being in the room for hours like being in a bedroom all night when u wake up the sensor will read unoccupied or sitting in the living room all day the same thing will happen after a few hours. a regular programable thermostat would have been a better choice.
CraigB
Texas
Did you try IFTTT
February 7, 2016
I was just wondering if you have looked into IFTTT to set those custom automatic temps. I haven't tried your exact scenario but the Ecobee3 can be connected to an IFTTT account to extend it's functionality.
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Your household wants to play, stream and work online all at once. With this Linksys router, you can do it all without buffering or other interruptions. Use the Smart Wi-Fi app to get started, control, and monitor your home network from anywhere.
Overall5 out of 5
5 out of 5Solid router with good range and speed
By CraigB
from Texas
I am posting this review after about a week of use. If I find anything more significant after posting I will add it as a reply to my original post. Be sure to check there for additions.
I needed to upgrade my WiFi because the internet service in my area was about to be upgraded to exceed the capacity of my current wireless N solution. This router seems as if it was marketed towards moderate power users as well as people with less technical skills who need an upgrade. Packaging is minimal the same as most routers today. It comes with a CD for documentation but it is not used for setup. This is a good thing because as an AC router most people upgrading to this would have newer devices, few of which have an optical drive.
I needed to upgrade my WiFi because the internet service in my area was about to be upgraded to exceed the capacity of my current wireless N solution. This router seems as if it was marketed towards moderate power users as well as people with less technical skills who need an upgrade. Packaging is minimal the same as most routers today. It comes with a CD for documentation but it is not used for setup. This is a good thing because as an AC router most people upgrading to this would have newer devices, few of which have an optical drive.
For the non-technical
This is not very hard to set up. You plug power into the only spot it fits. There are three antennas that screw into very noticeable spots on the back. And the internet plug is clearly labeled. The instructions tell you what to do in a few steps to get the device to take care of the rest. It also has the wireless already set up if you are afraid to do it and even comes with a sticker with the information so you will know what the password is to get on the WiFi. It already has a guest WiFi too but there is a separate login so someone can’t just borrow your internet without you giving them the password. If you feel more comfortable there are apps for iPhones and Android phones to control the device. Speed and range are very good but if you can it is always recommended to install it as close to the center of your house and avoid metal. The router can pretty much take care of itself after that and it shouldn’t require any further work.
This is not very hard to set up. You plug power into the only spot it fits. There are three antennas that screw into very noticeable spots on the back. And the internet plug is clearly labeled. The instructions tell you what to do in a few steps to get the device to take care of the rest. It also has the wireless already set up if you are afraid to do it and even comes with a sticker with the information so you will know what the password is to get on the WiFi. It already has a guest WiFi too but there is a separate login so someone can’t just borrow your internet without you giving them the password. If you feel more comfortable there are apps for iPhones and Android phones to control the device. Speed and range are very good but if you can it is always recommended to install it as close to the center of your house and avoid metal. The router can pretty much take care of itself after that and it shouldn’t require any further work.
For the technical people
If you are looking for a device with tons of granular settings, this might not be the device. Of course the power users I am referring to would probably be better suited sticking with the WRT series. I doubt this device will ever see an aftermarket firmware. It attempts to have a clean interface but that means it will feel slower than a power user router for some settings changes as transitions and animations run their course. Setting changes that require a reboot happen nearly as fast as the fastest routers out there. Although the stock firmware attempts to look fancy and simple it still has a decent amount of settings for all but the most extreme power users. The antennas use a standard connection so if you wanted to upgrade to larger ones later that is possible. Hardwired speed has been very good. I’m just a casual gamer but this hasn’t slowed me down at all and I cannot tell the different hardwired from my old gaming router. Wireless speed is actually very good as well although I was never able to achieve the 1300Mbps link speed advertised even right next to the unit. I maxed out at 900Mbps and it is possible that is related to my AC devices. My old router would drop down to the 39Mpbs on the opposite side of my house whereas this one can maintain at least 177Mpbs and often more.
If you are looking for a device with tons of granular settings, this might not be the device. Of course the power users I am referring to would probably be better suited sticking with the WRT series. I doubt this device will ever see an aftermarket firmware. It attempts to have a clean interface but that means it will feel slower than a power user router for some settings changes as transitions and animations run their course. Setting changes that require a reboot happen nearly as fast as the fastest routers out there. Although the stock firmware attempts to look fancy and simple it still has a decent amount of settings for all but the most extreme power users. The antennas use a standard connection so if you wanted to upgrade to larger ones later that is possible. Hardwired speed has been very good. I’m just a casual gamer but this hasn’t slowed me down at all and I cannot tell the different hardwired from my old gaming router. Wireless speed is actually very good as well although I was never able to achieve the 1300Mbps link speed advertised even right next to the unit. I maxed out at 900Mbps and it is possible that is related to my AC devices. My old router would drop down to the 39Mpbs on the opposite side of my house whereas this one can maintain at least 177Mpbs and often more.
So far during my ownership the stability of this device has reminded me of the old Linksys routers how even the cheap ones never locked up. I’m hoping it stays this way. If you want to change settings, you can do so the standard way most technical people do via the IP address or it has a built in URL. Thankfully it doesn’t require some odd application for initial setup. Unlike standard routers, this one is cloud connected when you choose so meaning remote access is passed via the cloud. It does support some dynamic DNS options but they seem more to push you towards connection via their cloud. Fortunately, this is optional except if you want to take advantage of the built in USB ports and access files remotely. I don’t have a spare drive to test right now so unfortunately I could not test the NAS performance. It does have a very basic QoS which allows you to set up to 3 services or devices as high priority but that’s pretty much it. It has some newer options but then oddly has more old services, such as Real Player and Rhapsody.
Pros
Large, replaceable antennas
Great Range
Reliable
Gigabit Ports
Fast Processor
Status lights can be turned off
Decent amount of features for all but the heavy power users
Doesn’t require a special application for setup or CD
Has USB ports for attaching a hard drive
Offers automatic firmware upgrades to keep security up. Good for keeping non power users safe (Can be turned off)
Documentation is thorough if you need help. You just click help on the top bar
Major changes that require a restart are almost unnoticeable to users as it restarts fast
Has WiFi secured by default and requires a password to be configured during setup. This is good if you are buying one for family and just want it secure without needing to help them. It even has a handy sticker with device specific WiFi passwords so someone can’t just look up a default WiFi password for the unit and borrow internet.
Large, replaceable antennas
Great Range
Reliable
Gigabit Ports
Fast Processor
Status lights can be turned off
Decent amount of features for all but the heavy power users
Doesn’t require a special application for setup or CD
Has USB ports for attaching a hard drive
Offers automatic firmware upgrades to keep security up. Good for keeping non power users safe (Can be turned off)
Documentation is thorough if you need help. You just click help on the top bar
Major changes that require a restart are almost unnoticeable to users as it restarts fast
Has WiFi secured by default and requires a password to be configured during setup. This is good if you are buying one for family and just want it secure without needing to help them. It even has a handy sticker with device specific WiFi passwords so someone can’t just look up a default WiFi password for the unit and borrow internet.
Cons
Interface tries too hard to be attractive slowing it down with animations
Only supports 2 Dynamic DNS providers.
QoS settings seem to cater to power users but offer little customization
QoS rule changes require moving service or devices boxes around and the interface jumps quickly between sections. This often causes you to accidentally move something you didn’t intend to.
Included “Apps” are of limited usefulness and only work on iOS and Android which leaves out anything Windows (No Windows 10 Universal Apps) and no Mac. No configuring your router with touch, like via a Surface, using a Windows App.
Interface tries too hard to be attractive slowing it down with animations
Only supports 2 Dynamic DNS providers.
QoS settings seem to cater to power users but offer little customization
QoS rule changes require moving service or devices boxes around and the interface jumps quickly between sections. This often causes you to accidentally move something you didn’t intend to.
Included “Apps” are of limited usefulness and only work on iOS and Android which leaves out anything Windows (No Windows 10 Universal Apps) and no Mac. No configuring your router with touch, like via a Surface, using a Windows App.
Final Notes
Higher end units near this price point I have owned have had large aluminum heatsinks to dissipate heat. This one has one very small heatsink. I suspect heat stress will be higher on this unit and might be why this case has such a large open cavity you can easily see straight through the vent holes. I suspect longevity will be lower but only time will tell. So the unit has not felt very warm so fingers crossed.
Higher end units near this price point I have owned have had large aluminum heatsinks to dissipate heat. This one has one very small heatsink. I suspect heat stress will be higher on this unit and might be why this case has such a large open cavity you can easily see straight through the vent holes. I suspect longevity will be lower but only time will tell. So the unit has not felt very warm so fingers crossed.
CraigB
Texas
Longer term observations
February 22, 2016
Adding to my original review I have found some new observations to add to this router. I switched to using it as an access point, which takes a little digging, and found out that once you do so you lose a lot of features that should still work but are removed. For example, as an access point you get no guest networks. You can only have 1 2.5GHz WiFi and 1 5GHz. All features such as WMM and QoS are completely gone. Remote administration is turned off. I have also experienced an odd condition where my Xbox One cannot connect using the exact same key as my old router that my Xbox was connected to. I have also experienced 1 lockup where the unit just completely stopped responding and had to be power cycled. Over all it's still a good router but it feels like it could use a little more firmware refinement.
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Microsoft Band 2 (Large): Keep track of your health and fitness goals throughout the day by monitoring your heart rate, steps taken, calories burned, sleep quality, hours slept and other helpful metrics. Just pair with your Windows Phone, Apple® iOS or Android device via Bluetooth to receive alerts at a glance.Discover how the technology of Microsoft Band 2 can assist you in a healthy, productive lifestyle. Learn more ›
Overall5 out of 5
5 out of 5Best fitness tracker for the money
By CraigB
from Texas
When choosing high end fitness bands, my choices went back and forth between the Microsoft Band 2 and the Fitbit Surge. Fitbit has been in the business for fitness wearables for longer but I chose the Band 2 for what I felt was better value for my money. I purchased during a $50 off sale making it even more attractive and $50 less than the Surge. My main phone for this review is a Lumia 1520 with Windows 10 Mobile. I assume others will write reviews of the phone for other platforms and that is where this review starts. This fitness wearable is by far the most compatible. It supports iOS, Android, and Windows Phone/Mobile. Fitbit does as well but support for Windows Mobile is more limited. Comparing it to the Surge, it has more customizability, color screen, and a partially metal build. It feels more premium than the Surge. The metal does have 2 downsides. The first is that the finish used shows scratches extremely easily. See included picture. The second is that sweat and soap cause a foul smell very quickly requiring regular cleaning.
The Band 2 can be worn in two positions. The first is with the screen facing outwards like a watch. I tried this but it felt uncomfortable and viewing the screen was awkward particularly considering the screen doesn’t have a vertical view. This leads me to my preferred position which is with the screen facing inwards. It is much more natural to view and operate. It also feels more comfortable and is in fact the recommended way to wear the device. If there was any concern it is that wearing it inward the screen is always contacting surfaces when you lay your arms down. It uses gorilla glass but it still concerns me that I might scratch the screen. Every fitness wearable wasn’t completely comfortable to wear for one reason or another but this one starts to feel about like a watch after an adjustment period. Before you get the size right you might put it a place that binds you wrist or hits a nerve. I also learned it can get the heart rate just fine without tightening it down so far you hit nerves. Just like a watch it will take some fiddling to find your perfect tightness. Fortunately, the latching mechanism feels strong and has more adjustments than a tradition watch as well giving you more flexibility. Just make sure you use the sizing guide on the size of the box to choose the correct size. It shows wrists sizes with the wrist sideways.
Now the big question is how it works for tracking vitals. I haven’t worked with VO2 Max so I can’t comment on that but after getting the fit correct, the heart rate seems pretty close. Checking manual it was usually within about 10BPM or less from actual. Tracking steps seems a little different. It is difficult to verify but it seems to be a little high on the number of steps sometimes compared to my old hip worn pedometer. It just seems like I can reach 5,000 steps fairly easily. I am not a runner so I have not tested the GPS but I have read that some units have come from the factory with a bad GPS. What’s really nice is with all the vitals it gathers, more than just heart rate, it should be a fairly accurate color estimate. It has guided workouts you can add but I used the generic color tracking and added my own workout types to track. You can add things like HIT and weight training for your own purposes but it uses all the sensors to estimate the color burn instead of estimating based on the workout type. I feel this is more accurate but cannot verify. When you start workout mode, by default the screen stays on showing your workout time and heart rate. I suspect it is not as accurate as a chest band but it seems pretty good. After your workout is done you can see the entire workout on your phone or the website with your heart rate the entire time and your max marked. If there was any gripe it would be that you can’t have it vibrate when you hit your target or max heart rate. That would have been a great feature but, who knows. Maybe they will add it in the future. You can even use the website to compare your vitals to others in your height, weight, and age category. It’s all anonymous and very informative.
When not working out it still tracks your heart rate all the time but the other useful time to check is when you are sleeping. It can detect your sleep but if it gets it wrong you can only delete the time, not edit. You are better off starting your sleep tracking yourself. While sleeping, it will monitor you and in when you wake up you can see what your resting heart rate was overnight to get an even better picture of your health. It also has a smart alarm you can activate. If you want to wake up at a set time, just set the alarm and it will vibrate to wake you up. What I really like is if you activate the smart alarm and set it for 7:30am it will wake you up somewhere between 7:00am and 8:00am when you are most awake. That means you don’t wake up to an alarm feeling like you haven’t rested. You can even set the strength of the vibration.
Since this is a little bit of a smart watch you can add some apps. Since the phone doesn’t have any memory though, expect to only have them work when around your phone. It can control music on your phone and even use voice recognition with Cortana. I am running a prerelease build of the phone software so on occasion the connection dropped but it wasn’t hard to get back. I have found the notifications actually quite nice. I can leave the phone in one place in the house and still get notifications and respond to basic texts. I can also connect my phone to the stereo and change tracks and turn the volume up or down. It’s a standard feature for a smart watch but this is a fitness wearable and much cheaper than a smart watch. There are even some extra apps you can add and some third part utilizes to customize it further but if you want a smart watch more you might want to go that route. If you want a smart fitness tracker, this thing is hard to beat.
Pros
Solid (premium) build quality. It often gets looks and people asking what it is
Tracks more vitals than any other fitness wearable
Comfortable after figuring out your preferred fitment
Bright, sharp screen with auto brightness
Smart Alarm
Customizable workouts
Workout coaches
Customizable with smart watch type features
Solid latching mechanism
Good battery life for its functionality (2 days with no GPS and auto on screen)
Fast charge time (30 minutes to 80%)
Gorilla glass screen
Works on iOS, Android, Windows Mobile, and Web. The web is the most feature rich
Integrates with Health Vault
Constant heart rate
Portal to compare health
Rich sleep stats including restful sleep, times awake, resting heartrate, and recovery
Solid (premium) build quality. It often gets looks and people asking what it is
Tracks more vitals than any other fitness wearable
Comfortable after figuring out your preferred fitment
Bright, sharp screen with auto brightness
Smart Alarm
Customizable workouts
Workout coaches
Customizable with smart watch type features
Solid latching mechanism
Good battery life for its functionality (2 days with no GPS and auto on screen)
Fast charge time (30 minutes to 80%)
Gorilla glass screen
Works on iOS, Android, Windows Mobile, and Web. The web is the most feature rich
Integrates with Health Vault
Constant heart rate
Portal to compare health
Rich sleep stats including restful sleep, times awake, resting heartrate, and recovery
Cons
Cannot change band because electronics are built in
Metal area is a trap for sweat and soap requiring regular cleaning to prevent odor
Cannot change screen orientation
Awkward wearing screen outward
Metal finish is easy to scratch
No build in memory to bring music and store GPS while leaving phone behind for a time
Water resistant instead of waterproof
Possible to scratch screen with it facing downward
Sync is a bit slow
Cannot change band because electronics are built in
Metal area is a trap for sweat and soap requiring regular cleaning to prevent odor
Cannot change screen orientation
Awkward wearing screen outward
Metal finish is easy to scratch
No build in memory to bring music and store GPS while leaving phone behind for a time
Water resistant instead of waterproof
Possible to scratch screen with it facing downward
Sync is a bit slow
CraigB
Texas
Band split after serveral months
May 23, 2016
As others who have discovered after owning the Band 2 for a while, the band itself tends to split. Even if you are gentle the rubberized material just doesn't seem to hold up. The good news in my case is I leave reasonably close to a Microsoft Store. I brought it to them and as always they took great care of me. The assistant store manager was the one who assisted me and he said that Microsoft is aware of the problem and is already working to fix the issue. I had the same problem with the first generation Type Cover for the Surface. Back then they took care of me and ultimately Microsoft corrected the issue. It's unfortunate this kind of thing gets through but at least it doesn't seem to be a hassle to get it resolved.
0points
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Enjoy powerful performance with this compact HP Pavilion Wave computer. The Intel i3 processor provides fast data handling, while the 1TB hard drive lets you store plenty of files. This HP Pavilion Wave computer has 8GB of RAM to run the latest applications and four USB ports for connecting multiple accessories.
Overall3 out of 5
3 out of 5Still can't get the speaker/microphone to work.
By Murphdad013
from New York , ny
The HP help line is terrible and Best Buy was no help at all. In fact I spoke directly ....finally...with someone at HP who said that my Paviliion Wave needed an external microphone headset for montonaccess Cortona. WRONG!!!!
CraigB
Texas
It has a built in microphone
January 16, 2017
I own this unit and it has a built in microphone. I use it for Cortana regularly. Sounds like the support person got it wrong.
0points
0of 0voted this comment as helpful.
Arlo Pro takes the worrying out of life with the 100% Wire-Free indoor/outdoor home monitoring system. Arlo Pro includes rechargeable batteries, motion and sound-activated alerts, 2-way audio, a 100+ decibel siren, and 7 days of free cloud HD video recordings. Arlo covers every angle to help keep you safe and protected.
Overall
4 out of 5
4 out of 5Good system with lots of potential
By CraigB
from Texas
Pros
Extremely Quick setup (A 2 camera system takes roughly 30 minutes)
Very easy set up. It comes with basic instructions but the app nicely walks you through each step
No need to run wires
Compact
Discreet cameras easily blend in with lighter color homes
Good daytime video quality for the price
Includes microphone and speaker
Flexible mounting options. Included option is easy but other fixed mounts can be used
Large rechargeable batteries
Motion trigger is supposed to get an update to determine if the motion is by a person
All devices get regular security updates. Even the cameras get updated wirelessly. Nice considering cameras are a new target for hackers.
Inanimate objects don’t seem to cause false motion triggers
Standard external hard drive can be used for local storage
Basic plan included for free
Easily expandable
Extremely Quick setup (A 2 camera system takes roughly 30 minutes)
Very easy set up. It comes with basic instructions but the app nicely walks you through each step
No need to run wires
Compact
Discreet cameras easily blend in with lighter color homes
Good daytime video quality for the price
Includes microphone and speaker
Flexible mounting options. Included option is easy but other fixed mounts can be used
Large rechargeable batteries
Motion trigger is supposed to get an update to determine if the motion is by a person
All devices get regular security updates. Even the cameras get updated wirelessly. Nice considering cameras are a new target for hackers.
Inanimate objects don’t seem to cause false motion triggers
Standard external hard drive can be used for local storage
Basic plan included for free
Easily expandable
Cons
Support for Windows is poor for the new touchscreen devices.
No Windows app for Windows 8 and 10 devices of any size.
Video quality, mainly night time, is probably not good enough for legal purposes.
Night video quality makes recognition near impossible past approximately 10 feet
Easy to steal or move regardless of mounting
Camera speaker is not very loud
Provided screws use too fine of a thread and the metal head strips out easy
All videos are public if someone can intercept your emails on the way to your inbox. (Email delivery by design is not encrypted so if someone intercepts your emails on the way they can see any of your videos with audio)
Recording time is fixed so even if motion or sound is still occurring you can miss recording
Web interface has some bugs such as freezing on zoom, Live play button disappears, and touch doesn’t work.
Sound recording doesn’t occur until a few seconds after video recording
At least one camera exhibited a noticeable “ticking clock” sound when recording audio
Connecting them hardwired defeats the weatherproofing
Instructions do not give tutorial about advanced features but rather let you discover them
No organizer for hard drive recordings
Dependent on good upload internet speeds. The more cameras you have, the faster the upload speed you need. This can be a limiting factor for some.
Long lag time to start live viewing even with very fast connection
Support for Windows is poor for the new touchscreen devices.
No Windows app for Windows 8 and 10 devices of any size.
Video quality, mainly night time, is probably not good enough for legal purposes.
Night video quality makes recognition near impossible past approximately 10 feet
Easy to steal or move regardless of mounting
Camera speaker is not very loud
Provided screws use too fine of a thread and the metal head strips out easy
All videos are public if someone can intercept your emails on the way to your inbox. (Email delivery by design is not encrypted so if someone intercepts your emails on the way they can see any of your videos with audio)
Recording time is fixed so even if motion or sound is still occurring you can miss recording
Web interface has some bugs such as freezing on zoom, Live play button disappears, and touch doesn’t work.
Sound recording doesn’t occur until a few seconds after video recording
At least one camera exhibited a noticeable “ticking clock” sound when recording audio
Connecting them hardwired defeats the weatherproofing
Instructions do not give tutorial about advanced features but rather let you discover them
No organizer for hard drive recordings
Dependent on good upload internet speeds. The more cameras you have, the faster the upload speed you need. This can be a limiting factor for some.
Long lag time to start live viewing even with very fast connection
Setup was very easy, particularly for a security camera system. The entire process is achieved by following the steps one by one as the app tells you. Install the app, set up your Arlo account, plug in the base unit to power and internet, sync the cameras, hang the cameras, and you’re done. A two camera system only took approximately 30 minutes. The kit includes metal bases, screws, and wall anchors but the screws are small and easy to strip. The metal bases work with a strong magnet included inside the camera. Although convenient, the metal bases allow someone to easily steal or move these expensive cameras so placement is important. Netgear offers screw in mounts for a more rigid and secure mounting. The entire hardware and software process has had a lot of thought put into making it easy. There are no complicated router changes needed to be made at all or complicated programming. Oddly some features, like changing the recording quality, must be done on a regular computer for which there is no app.
There is one strange feature omission from Netgear. This system has a Pro designation and yet support for regular, more modern computers, is limited. Businesses by and large use Windows computers and the most popular type of Windows computers selling today are Windows 2-in-1 convertibles with touchscreens this trend is forecasted to increase and yet this system is barely even useable by any touchscreen Windows device. This is also odd because what better way to check out a security video than on a large screen. You are forced to use a browser to view videos which the experience varies based on browser. Simple things like moving a slider don’t work because the website doesn’t work with touch. Browser administration has other bugs, such as the Live Video button disappearing. If this was an app you wouldn’t have to worry about how the end user’s choice of browser affects the experience. Not having a Universal Windows app is a missed opportunity. I have seen a large increase in clients that are buying Windows 2-in-1 systems instead of desktops or Android/iOS tablets for their primary system. A Windows Universal app they could support such systems, or any other form factor of Windows for that matter. Imagine if the app was on Xbox One in your living room and you want to check on things outside. Just say “Hey Cortana, open Arlo” and you could see your video feed or videos quickly and easily from the convenience of your couch on a big screen. That would be great. If you have smaller Windows devices, the website is unusable. It tries to get you to use an app that doesn’t exist. Oddly enough if you have a link to a shared video the same website will serve you the video in a mobile optimized format. Smaller Windows devices and Windows Mobile devices are left unsupported. Future updates and app releases could easily alleviate this but for now Windows support is poor.
The base unit comes with a Sync/Siren button, network port, and two USB ports for storage. The siren is loud and sounds like newer smoke alarms. It can be trigger locally, by the app, or via configurable rules such as motion or audio sensing. You can switch the base unit to modes for recording for motion and/or audio, no recording, or armed or disarmed based using Geofencing. You can also define your own custom modes allowing specific cameras and audio for each to be on or off. Due to battery restrictions, there is no continuous recording. Recording time from motion is a default of 5 seconds regardless of if the motion continues. Cameras include built in IR for night vision, motion sensor, microphone, and speaker and are weatherproof assuming the charging plug cover is on. One large difference with the Pro version is the inclusion of large rechargeable batteries which should last quite a long time between charging. When video is recorded, it is uploaded via your internet connection to your account meaning a good upload internet speed is important. Videos are stored in a calendar format and can be viewed, shared, or deleted from the interface.
Overall performance when factoring in the price for features was good. Shuddering and lag was minimal with surprisingly good wireless range. Remote viewing of live video is reasonably quick although it still took several seconds and is highly dependent on your internet upload speed. Audio took about 2 seconds to start every time after a motion trigger recording or manual live viewing and had a slightly audible tick-tock sound. The built-in speaker is barely audible at max volume. As with all security systems, there is a loss of some detail to do recording compression. Daytime recordings show signs of video compression but subjects are still reasonably recognizable at approximately 25 feet. Nighttime viewing brings recognition down to approximately 10-15 feet before subjects hard to recognize. Although not official, friends in law enforcement said it is not good for legal purposes as they must have a definitive, recognizable face to use the video. Motion detection was generally good but people moving fast could often elude the recording. Due to the fixed recording time, the system could also miss recording an event if it ran past the configured time.
A big concern is the video sharing feature. Arlo by default emails you anytime it records. It conveniently sends you a screenshot of what it recorded. However; the email sends a direct link to the video that can be viewed without logging in. This would be even more concerning if you had cameras in your house. By definition, is sent unsecured between providers. Although the industry is trying to improve that, you should always assume your emails have no encryption when sent to you. This means that it is possible and relatively easy for criminals to eavesdrop and see your videos with audio without ever knowing your account info. The good thing is that is easy to remedy turning off the feature that emails you when it records a video. That way the link to the video won’t be sent out on the web unsecured and your videos are still stored in the cloud without being shared openly. Hopefully, Netgear will remedy this in the future.
Overall, it is a nice system for the price point when compared to the competition. Compared to legacy DVR and NVR security camera systems this makes the whole process a lot more accessible for the average consumer. As long as you keep your expectations in line it is a nice system. All security camera systems, particularly ones costing less than $2,500 have limitations.
Overall, it is a nice system for the price point when compared to the competition. Compared to legacy DVR and NVR security camera systems this makes the whole process a lot more accessible for the average consumer. As long as you keep your expectations in line it is a nice system. All security camera systems, particularly ones costing less than $2,500 have limitations.
A standout feature, even comparing to high end systems, is this system will automatically get updates for security. Anyone who watched the news in late 2016 saw that the biggest hack was perpetrated using devices, such as camera systems, that weren’t updated. That is something still lacking in the “professional” security camera world. You also won’t have to hire someone to come pull wiring through your house or small business. Cameras can be placed wherever you can mount a base. If for some reason, such as poor signal, the place doesn’t work they are easy to move. It not be a real high definition security camera system but it also costs nowhere near as much. Just be sure you can accept the Cons before buying. The overall system is well thought out and with continued improvement of the listed cons this could be the best system for nearly any price.
CraigB
Texas
New developments after extended use
January 31, 2017
I have discovered some new elements to the system with more use.
The first is that I did find a way to adjust video quality via the app and not just the website. It turns out the way it is displayed is as one of 3 choices instead of a slider.
Next is that the cameras only work with Netgear's proprietary charger. Even though it uses USB both the manual an other say it only works with the Netgear one.
Finally I discovered that the motion detection does sometimes act strange. I purchase one additional camera and for some reason no matter the sensitivity of the motion it records a motion even every 30 seconds at night. I have observed that it seems to happen more if my neighbor has a light on but even that is not consistent.
+4points
4of 4voted this comment as helpful.
CraigB's Questions
CraigB has not submitted any questions.
Bring out your creativity to share your life stories. Adobe Sensei AI technology* and automated options do the heavy lifting so you can instantly turn photos into art, warp photos to fit any shape, and more. Add moving overlays or 3D camera motion to take your photos to a whole new level, and save them as MP4s for easy sharing on social. Grow your skills with 60 Guided Edits that step you through how to create perfect pet pics; extend, remove, or replace photo backgrounds; and more. Effortlessly organize your photos, and craft personalized creations like dynamic photo and video slideshows with all-new styles and inspirational quote graphics. Transform your favorite photos into gallery-quality wall art, beautiful prints, and unique keepsakes with the built-in prints and gifts service. †And enjoy an updated look that makes the software even easier to use and navigate. *Adobe Sensei is the technology that powers intelligent features across all Adobe products to dramatically improve the design and delivery of digital experiences, using artificial intelligence and machine learning in a common framework.†FUJIFILM Prints & Gifts service is available in the U.S. only.
Can photoshop Elements 2022 edit both video and photos? Thanks,
Photoshop Elements does photos. Premier Elements does videos.
2 years, 5 months ago
by
CraigB
Sit back, relax and let the Samsung Jet Mop automatically clean your floors. Samsung’s Jet Mop automatically cleans all type of floors, like tile, vinyl, laminate or hardwood. This robotic mop features dual spinning fiber pads that easily and quickly remove dust and dirt. Now, you can simply take it easy as the intelligent Jet Mop does the hard work for you.
Does this unit require water(specific) or cleaner(special brand)? Example: deionized, distilled, tap, boiled, spring. Example: fabuloso, pledge, mop and glow, bleach/water, brand compatible.
Unfortunately, the instructions say to use only water and nothing else.
3 years, 5 months ago
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CraigB
Monitor your property and capture 1080p footage with this eufy smart floodlight camera. The super-bright 2500-lumen motion-activated lights provide excellent illumination for nighttime recording. This eufy smart floodlight camera offers the option to livestream HD video from your smartphone, and two-way audio communication lets you interact with visitors from afar.
will it work with homekit
Not at this time but Eufy did add Homekit to their other cameras. Maybe this one will be added later.
4 years ago
by
CraigB
eufy eufyCam 2, 2-Camera Surveillance System: See everything that happens around your home in 1080p HD with this eufy eufyCam 2 kit. Quick and easy to set up, two wireless cameras and a home base provide all that you need to get started, while smart integration ensures you can easily connect to other smart devices. This eufy eufyCam 2 kit provides 365 days of use from a single charge for continuous observation.
How are people posting reviews of these cameras, with photos and everything, when it's not available for pre order? Where are people buying them?
Probably the same way Amazon does. They let some regular people have a chance to try the product a little early and review it. They do that for movies and restaurants all the time to see if any tweaks need to be made before opening things up wide scale.
4 years, 5 months ago
by
CraigB
eufy eufyCam 2, 2-Camera Surveillance System: See everything that happens around your home in 1080p HD with this eufy eufyCam 2 kit. Quick and easy to set up, two wireless cameras and a home base provide all that you need to get started, while smart integration ensures you can easily connect to other smart devices. This eufy eufyCam 2 kit provides 365 days of use from a single charge for continuous observation.
How many cameras can connect to the home base?
I read in one place where it said 20 but the biggest question would be storage until they offer the USB expansion dongle. There is a place in the app help that talks about formatting up to 128GB flash drive so many that is already supported.
4 years, 5 months ago
by
CraigB
Why can't i sort the the home theater projectors by "Native Resolution"
One of the most important features of a home theater projector is its Native Resolution. Please allow us to filter our selection by this very important parameter. Every other retailer's site allows this. It does not give me a warm and fuzzy feeling when you hide important information about a product.
Because in the consumer space, most projector manufacturers no longer release their native resolution. Projector Central is a good site for info but if you are looking for true, native 4K resolution you are looking at likely over $10,000.
4 years, 6 months ago
by
CraigB
Work or play on the go with this Dell G5 15 notebook. The 15.6-inch FHD display delivers a clear crisp picture, while the NVIDIA GTX 1660 Ti graphics card supports most modern games. This Dell G5 15 notebook has a 256GB SSD and 1TB hard drive for ample storage and quick file access, and the Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB of RAM offer quick multitasking.
On the 1660 Ti model, does it ship with a DisplayPort input?
Work or play on the go with this Dell G5 15 notebook. The 15.6-inch FHD display delivers a clear crisp picture, while the NVIDIA GTX 1660 Ti graphics card supports most modern games. This Dell G5 15 notebook has a 256GB SSD and 1TB hard drive for ample storage and quick file access, and the Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB of RAM offer quick multitasking.
Hi, I bought this laptop. I don't know how to activate windows 10 included. Thanks
Make sure all updates are installed first and then run the Windows Activation Troubleshooter under Settings->About. You will see text offering to troubleshoot. Took a slew of updates and three times troubleshooting before it stopped.
4 years, 9 months ago
by
CraigB
Work or play on the go with this Dell G5 15 notebook. The 15.6-inch FHD display delivers a clear crisp picture, while the NVIDIA GTX 1660 Ti graphics card supports most modern games. This Dell G5 15 notebook has a 256GB SSD and 1TB hard drive for ample storage and quick file access, and the Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB of RAM offer quick multitasking.
What is the display refresh rate?
It's 60Hz. It's probably the only negative of this rig. Dell does offer it with a 144Hz screen.
4 years, 9 months ago
by
CraigB
Remove hair without wax or razors using the Lumilisse by Conair hair removal device. Rapid pulses of intense light help prevent hair regrowth, delivering permanent results with consistent use. The FDA-cleared device uses sensors to safely activate. Choose between continuous mode for large areas or manual mode to target specific trouble spots. The Lumilisse by Conair hair removal device includes two attachments to ensure perfectly smooth results all over.
Can this be used on Facial and Neck hair?
There is a special tip for facial hair but you can't use it very well around the chin and jaw line or close to the eyes. It is best to make sure to follow the initial test as for some it can cause a rash or heat burn. My wife has PCOS and tried to use it to treat the facial hairs and it caused a heat burn and very dry scaly skin and she could not continue to use it there.
5 years, 1 month ago
by
CraigB