CraigB's stats
- Review count175
- Helpfulness votes2,726
- First reviewFebruary 11, 2013
- Last reviewJune 12, 2024
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4.2
- Review comment count7
- Helpfulness votes6
- First review commentNovember 29, 2013
- Last review commentJanuary 31, 2017
- Featured review comments0
Questions
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- First questionNone
- Last questionNone
- Featured questions0
- Answer count43
- Helpfulness votes53
- First answerMarch 24, 2015
- Last answerNovember 6, 2021
- Featured answers0
- Best answers7
Surface Duo adapts to you. Two ultra-thin, high-resolution touchscreens unfold to open new possibilities on a mobile device. Designed to help you be productive, Surface Duo features multiple modes, the best of Microsoft 365 mobile experiences, every Android™ app in the Google Play store, and new dual-screen enhanced apps.* Now you can view two apps at once or span one across both screens, drag and drop between screens, and make phone calls. Say goodbye to constant app switching. ¹Requires the Your Phone app, a Windows 10 PC with the latest Windows updates, and download of the Windows 10 app from the Windows store. ²Excluding Surface Duo Bumper. ³Local Video Playback: Testing conducted by Microsoft in July 2020 using preproduction Surface Duo units and software. Testing consisted of full battery discharge during local video playback on a single screen. Video playback consisted of a repeated 30-minute .mp4 file in 1080p at 24 fps. All settings were default except: LTE and Wi-Fi were both associated with a network with ‘ask to join’ disabled and Adaptive Brightness was disabled, screen was set to 100 nits. Battery life varies significantly with network and feature configuration, signal strength, settings, usage, and other factors. Battery has limited recharge cycles and cannot be replaced. ⁴Standby Time: Testing conducted by Microsoft in July 2020 in an AT&T Validated Lab using preproduction Surface Duo units and software. Testing conducted in accordance with AT&T requirements and test specifications. All settings were default, and network settings were: connected to LTE, and Wi-Fi was enabled but not connected. Battery life varies significantly with network and feature configuration, signal strength, settings, usage and other factors. ⁵Talk Time: Testing conducted by Microsoft in July 2020 in an AT&T Validated Lab using preproduction Surface Duo units and software. All settings were default, and network settings were: connected to LTE, and Wi-Fi was enabled but not connected. ⁶Specified minimum dual battery capacity is 3462mAh. ⁷Network availability and coverage vary by carrier. See your carrier for details. ⁸Use of eSIM requires a wireless service plan (which may include restrictions on switching service providers and roaming, even after contract expiration). Not all carriers support eSIM. AT&T locked devices will not support eSIM. Use of eSIM in Surface Duo may be disabled when purchased from some carriers. See your carrier for details. ⁹System software uses significant storage space. Available storage is subject to change based on system software updates and apps usage. 1 GB = 1 billion bytes. Some apps and features may require a wireless plan, additional subscriptions, or fees. ¹¹Video playback formats will require 3rd party apps from the Google Play Store; fees may apply. ¹²Microsoft’s Limited Warranty is in addition to your consumer law rights.
Customer Rating
4
Good first-generation needing software update
on September 17, 2020
Posted by: CraigB
from Texas
Pros
Thin and elegant look
Seems impossibly thin
Hinge is excellent
Hinge stays where you put it
360 hinge rotation means it can still work like a regular phone
Aspect ratio is good for web browsing
More screen real estate
Color calibration looks very good
Screen gets very bright
Battery life is good considering thinness
Excellent fingerprint sensor
Split screen allows new workflows
Makes a great standing light
Adds new functionality for apps that support it
Doesn’t require app support to work
The sound it makes when closing gives a sense of quality
Microsoft has committed to 3 years of monthly updates
Works with Surface Pen
Thin and elegant look
Seems impossibly thin
Hinge is excellent
Hinge stays where you put it
360 hinge rotation means it can still work like a regular phone
Aspect ratio is good for web browsing
More screen real estate
Color calibration looks very good
Screen gets very bright
Battery life is good considering thinness
Excellent fingerprint sensor
Split screen allows new workflows
Makes a great standing light
Adds new functionality for apps that support it
Doesn’t require app support to work
The sound it makes when closing gives a sense of quality
Microsoft has committed to 3 years of monthly updates
Works with Surface Pen
Cons
Software still buggy
Antennas seem weak
Buttons are too sensitive
Camera performance is lackluster
Top and bottom bezels are massive
Only one basic speaker
Protective cases will be limited with the 360 degree hinge
Hard to hold for smaller hands
Oleophobic screen coating doesn’t work well
Quick launching camera via power button requires logging in
Switching between selfie and regular photo is cumbersome
Screen seems to have more than usual glare
No NFC
No wireless charging
Software still buggy
Antennas seem weak
Buttons are too sensitive
Camera performance is lackluster
Top and bottom bezels are massive
Only one basic speaker
Protective cases will be limited with the 360 degree hinge
Hard to hold for smaller hands
Oleophobic screen coating doesn’t work well
Quick launching camera via power button requires logging in
Switching between selfie and regular photo is cumbersome
Screen seems to have more than usual glare
No NFC
No wireless charging
It’s nice to see the smartphone industry having new and interesting options again. In this case, the Surface Duo chooses an arguably safer route of two separate screens versus a folding screen with the belief that multitasking is more useful than just a larger screen. When reading this review, please keep in mind that it is being rated based on a new category of devices, not directly to other smartphones. Comparing it standard phones is not a completely fair comparison because it is doing new things completely unlike traditional smartphones. In fact, Microsoft never even calls it a phone. It’s a new category of device that can function as a phone.
Design
The first thing that strikes you when opening the box is how thin this device is. Videos on the internet already show you this but seeing it in person helps you realize this even more. When opened, one side is barely thicker than just the metal portion of a USB-C plug. The design is an aluminum frame with gorilla glass 5 on the screen sides and back sides. This not only helps make the device reasonably rigid for its thinness, but also makes it look more premium with the chrome windows logo beneath the glass. It has a volume up and down rocker, power button, and a fingerprint sensor all on the same side. The hinge side is curved polished metal. Its operation has a slight resistance that allows it to maintain whatever position it is placed while still moving smoothly. The other sides are all squared off edges. The smooth side feels so nice in the hand it makes you wish Microsoft would allow more curves in their design language. Curves on all sides would mean no matter the way it was held it would never dig into your hand. For an experiment, you can hold the spine of the Duo in your palm and feel how the slight radius feels comfortable. Switch to the other side and you will feel it dig into your hand.
The first thing that strikes you when opening the box is how thin this device is. Videos on the internet already show you this but seeing it in person helps you realize this even more. When opened, one side is barely thicker than just the metal portion of a USB-C plug. The design is an aluminum frame with gorilla glass 5 on the screen sides and back sides. This not only helps make the device reasonably rigid for its thinness, but also makes it look more premium with the chrome windows logo beneath the glass. It has a volume up and down rocker, power button, and a fingerprint sensor all on the same side. The hinge side is curved polished metal. Its operation has a slight resistance that allows it to maintain whatever position it is placed while still moving smoothly. The other sides are all squared off edges. The smooth side feels so nice in the hand it makes you wish Microsoft would allow more curves in their design language. Curves on all sides would mean no matter the way it was held it would never dig into your hand. For an experiment, you can hold the spine of the Duo in your palm and feel how the slight radius feels comfortable. Switch to the other side and you will feel it dig into your hand.
New use cases
It would be hard to describe every way you can use the Surface Duo as this new form factor adds quite a bit of functionality, but there a few standout cases with some not already shown in promotional videos.
It would be hard to describe every way you can use the Surface Duo as this new form factor adds quite a bit of functionality, but there a few standout cases with some not already shown in promotional videos.
First, as a phone you have two options. You can leave it closed and flip the hinge 360 degrees when answering. This might be slightly safer but doesn’t allow one handed operation. The other is just leaving it unfolded in your pocket. All the glass is the same so leaving the screens on the outside is not any more dangerous than on any other slab phone. In the end, cellphone usage is probably its weakest usage but it is still very much usable.
Texting on the other hand is good but could be great if they could work out the software kinks. If you use the messaging app full screen then the keyboard becomes a full size keyboard on the bottom and your message thread show up on the top, much like the slider phones in the early days that were made for heavy texting use.
Browsing the web is another surprisingly pleasing thing to do. It might be hard to imagine how browsing the web on a regular smartphone isn’t good until you use a screen in the Duo’s form factor. You get more text on the screen while keeping it larger. Images don’t have to be stacked in a column and can be side to side more like on desktop without looking tiny.
Browsing the web is another surprisingly pleasing thing to do. It might be hard to imagine how browsing the web on a regular smartphone isn’t good until you use a screen in the Duo’s form factor. You get more text on the screen while keeping it larger. Images don’t have to be stacked in a column and can be side to side more like on desktop without looking tiny.
Dual screen mode is a no brainer. Just choose your two apps and put one on each screen. This doesn’t require special apps support and works just fine. The question is how often is spanning both screens usable. Some apps don’t really benefit from the full screen experience, such as YouTube. It just distracts as it often puts a vertical line right in the middle of the person’s face. Apps like Google News work well full screen if you rotate the phone 180 degrees. The app doesn’t understand the second screen, but you can scroll through far more articles and when reading an article, you can see more of it. The hinge doesn’t detract from the experience much either since it just blends in as a horizontal line between text. What is surprising is the gap is so close, that if Microsoft was able to shave maybe 2-3mm off the width of the spine, this format might even be usable in full, dual screen in most cases.
One interesting way of using the Duo hasn’t seemed to be mentioned by anyone so far is my favorite and the most unique. It makes a great flashlight stand. Any smartphone today has a flashlight option but since the Duo has two screens, you can prop up that light however you wish to help you out. No need to awkwardly prop it up against something and have it fall down. Just position the hinge in the best position and either stand it up or lay it down and you have the perfect work light. This sounds like a joke but this has already proven itself on several occasions to be very handy.
Of course, there could be many more use cases if apps add support and that’s a big “if”. It would be amazing to see games become aware of the dual screen and use the bottom screen for controls or inventory selection. One accidental case that was already uncovered was battleship. Some versions accidentally span the gap perfectly, so your ships are on the bottom screen and the enemies are on top. It would be great to see if this happens, but the Duo and other split screen phones would have to get some real traction for this to happen.
Performance
If you know of the Surface Duo, you already know it uses and older processor. In practice, this doesn’t seem to equate to any noticeable performance impact. On the other hand, the requirement of adding a separate 5G chip and the larger battery which is required for anyone using newer SOCs would have had a negative impact on the size. At this point, 5G won’t be significant for a few years and hopefully by that time the 5G modem could be included in the SOC and battery life wouldn’t be affected so heavily. As it stands now, sticking with a slightly older process has actually been good because even though the battery is very small by modern standards, the battery life is actually comparatively good. The only real question is the performance impact of having only 6gb of RAM. Other manufacturers have shown careful optimization can make it unnoticeable but only time will tell.
If you know of the Surface Duo, you already know it uses and older processor. In practice, this doesn’t seem to equate to any noticeable performance impact. On the other hand, the requirement of adding a separate 5G chip and the larger battery which is required for anyone using newer SOCs would have had a negative impact on the size. At this point, 5G won’t be significant for a few years and hopefully by that time the 5G modem could be included in the SOC and battery life wouldn’t be affected so heavily. As it stands now, sticking with a slightly older process has actually been good because even though the battery is very small by modern standards, the battery life is actually comparatively good. The only real question is the performance impact of having only 6gb of RAM. Other manufacturers have shown careful optimization can make it unnoticeable but only time will tell.
Stability and concerns
The following observations are after the latest update. First of all, the Duo currently experiences random temporary freezes. You just have to wait for a few seconds before things work again. Next would be the gesture bar and navigation. Some of the issues are related to understanding the new way gestures work but other times it is an actual problem. For example, the gesture bar randomly disappears leaving you with no way to do anything. Other times it stays on the side even when you rotate. Other times when you open an app in full screen and click on the link the entire app will rotate 180 degrees from where you were for no reason and won’t rotate back. Often the notification shade will retract back up immediately after you pull it down causing a tug of war. Another would be quick launching the camera via a double tap on the power button. If you click on the camera icon on the screen you can jump straight to the camera but the “quick” method of double clicking the power button requires you to log in. Until this is fixed quick shots will be harder than they already are with this format. Most gripes are software related and could be fixed via a future update. Microsoft has committed to 3 years of monthly updates so hopefully these glitches are just the result of a premature launch.
The following observations are after the latest update. First of all, the Duo currently experiences random temporary freezes. You just have to wait for a few seconds before things work again. Next would be the gesture bar and navigation. Some of the issues are related to understanding the new way gestures work but other times it is an actual problem. For example, the gesture bar randomly disappears leaving you with no way to do anything. Other times it stays on the side even when you rotate. Other times when you open an app in full screen and click on the link the entire app will rotate 180 degrees from where you were for no reason and won’t rotate back. Often the notification shade will retract back up immediately after you pull it down causing a tug of war. Another would be quick launching the camera via a double tap on the power button. If you click on the camera icon on the screen you can jump straight to the camera but the “quick” method of double clicking the power button requires you to log in. Until this is fixed quick shots will be harder than they already are with this format. Most gripes are software related and could be fixed via a future update. Microsoft has committed to 3 years of monthly updates so hopefully these glitches are just the result of a premature launch.
This leaves us with the hardware issues. First, the power and volume buttons are just too sensitive allowing accidental activation. Next is the vibration motor. It’s not the worst but sometimes you can hear it vibrate inside the case. The single speaker is inadequate. Finally, there is the camera. Taking photos in lower light take several seconds only to come up with a grainy or blown out photo. Daytime shots lack detail and skin tones look pale. Others have shown with good AI, great pictures can come from a basic camera. Hopefully Microsoft could work some magic and improve the AI on this camera.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Surface Duo is a solid reentry into the mobile space. Considering it is a first-generation device for a new category, overall quality is very good. If you are an early adopter who likes to work with new and innovative technology, the Surface Duo could suite you. For others, unless you are just itching for something completely new and, you likely be best served waiting for the next generation Duo. Microsoft has a track record of making impactful improvements in the second and third generation hardware after hearing from their customers.
Overall, the Surface Duo is a solid reentry into the mobile space. Considering it is a first-generation device for a new category, overall quality is very good. If you are an early adopter who likes to work with new and innovative technology, the Surface Duo could suite you. For others, unless you are just itching for something completely new and, you likely be best served waiting for the next generation Duo. Microsoft has a track record of making impactful improvements in the second and third generation hardware after hearing from their customers.
This product was received free of charge from the invitation-only Best Buy insider program in exchange for my honest review.
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Samsung 870 QVO 2TB Internal 2.5” SATA III Solid State Drive for Laptops and Desktops Single Unit version
Posted by: CraigB
from Texas
Pros
Fast
Cheap
Includes cloning tools
RAPID Mode increases performance substantially
Magician software includes a lot of features
Fast
Cheap
Includes cloning tools
RAPID Mode increases performance substantially
Magician software includes a lot of features
Cons
Doesn’t include any adapter for cloning
Doesn’t include screws if adding a new drive
Not user friendly for first time installers
Doesn’t include any adapter for cloning
Doesn’t include screws if adding a new drive
Not user friendly for first time installers
It is becoming harder every day to justify buying a traditional hard drive. With drives such as the 870 EVO topping out at 8GB the argument of low capacity is no longer a barrier for most. SSDs also take up less space, are lighter, are faster, use less power, aren’t bothered by bumps, don’t make noise, and generate far less heat.
Initial Impressions and Installation
If you have already used Samsung SSD’s before things won’t look much different. It’s just a deceivingly light metal 2.5” drive and a pamphlet in the box. No cables, adapters, screws, or software included in the box. The instructions do point you to Samsung’s website for their Data Migration Wizard and Samsung Magician. If this is your first time installing a hard drive, be sure to do some research first on how to install. This is even more important if this is to be your OS drive. The reason is, even though it’s a retail kit, there is no adapter included for cloning or any screws for that matter. It does include Samsung’s own cloning software that you must download from their website. None of this is a big deal for an experienced system builder but might a little confusing for first timers. If you have a spare bay to install it, the process is overall pretty straightforward. Just install the drive and the Data Migration Assistant will, in most cases, recognize which drive is the old. You select the new drive and click one button.
If you have already used Samsung SSD’s before things won’t look much different. It’s just a deceivingly light metal 2.5” drive and a pamphlet in the box. No cables, adapters, screws, or software included in the box. The instructions do point you to Samsung’s website for their Data Migration Wizard and Samsung Magician. If this is your first time installing a hard drive, be sure to do some research first on how to install. This is even more important if this is to be your OS drive. The reason is, even though it’s a retail kit, there is no adapter included for cloning or any screws for that matter. It does include Samsung’s own cloning software that you must download from their website. None of this is a big deal for an experienced system builder but might a little confusing for first timers. If you have a spare bay to install it, the process is overall pretty straightforward. Just install the drive and the Data Migration Assistant will, in most cases, recognize which drive is the old. You select the new drive and click one button.
Usage and Performance
For Samsung fans, the drive performs just as you would expect. In testing and usage the speed was very consistent. Without RAPID Mode disabled, sequential reads consistently stayed above 500MB/s with 4KB speeds being a more modest 33 to 35MB/s. Writes clocked in at 480MB/s or greater with 4KB write speeds hovering around 75MB/s. CrystalDiskMark turned in a 550MB/s read and 520MB/s write coming much closer to the stated 560 Mb/s read and 530 MB/s write.
For Samsung fans, the drive performs just as you would expect. In testing and usage the speed was very consistent. Without RAPID Mode disabled, sequential reads consistently stayed above 500MB/s with 4KB speeds being a more modest 33 to 35MB/s. Writes clocked in at 480MB/s or greater with 4KB write speeds hovering around 75MB/s. CrystalDiskMark turned in a 550MB/s read and 520MB/s write coming much closer to the stated 560 Mb/s read and 530 MB/s write.
Samsung Magician offers a lot of extra features compared to other SSD makers, including integrated performance testing, diagnostics, encryption, and secure erase but the most useful utility for daily use is RAPID Mode. When turned on, Magician uses a portion of your RAM as a cache which in testing consistently returned speed results over 2000MB/s. Of course you can do the same thing with any third party caching system to boost performance and Windows already does this to some extend but what is nice is how Samsung includes it right within their software and doesn’t require any more than turning it on. Keep it on makes a noticeable difference during times, such as starting the computer, or repetitive tasks and overall makes the drive feel a lot faster than competitors that don’t offer such a feature out of the box.
Samsung claims the TBW rating has been doubled compared to the 860 QVO series. Looking back at old articles, the 1TB 860 QVO was rated at 360TBW. According to Samsung’s website, the 870 QVO maintains the exact same 360TBW how they can claim it has been doubled is unclear. Similarly, both the old and the new drive have the same 3-year warranty. That said, overall SSD reliability seems to be better than that of a traditional hard drive and Samsung has a reputation of making reliable SSDs. There is no reason to believe the 870 QVO would be any different.
Final thoughts
It’s really hard to squeeze any more performance out of the SATA III interface, which is why the 870 QVO performance is nearly indistinguishable from the previous generation. What is nice to see is Samsung increasing storage capacity over the previous generation offering up to double the maximum storage of the 860 series. It seems thedays of traditional hard drives is rapidly coming to an end. If you are need of a SATA hard drive or a high capacity affordable SSD, the 870 QVO could server you well and likely for a very long time.
It’s really hard to squeeze any more performance out of the SATA III interface, which is why the 870 QVO performance is nearly indistinguishable from the previous generation. What is nice to see is Samsung increasing storage capacity over the previous generation offering up to double the maximum storage of the 860 series. It seems thedays of traditional hard drives is rapidly coming to an end. If you are need of a SATA hard drive or a high capacity affordable SSD, the 870 QVO could server you well and likely for a very long time.
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All the power you expect, without the cord. Go where ambition takes you with the cordless hand blender from KitchenAid. Designed with a powerful rechargeable lithium ion battery, the new cordless hand blender delivers optimal runtime and performance, so you can cook wherever, whatever, and however you choose. Blends 25 bowls of soup on a full charge.
Posted by: CraigB
from Texas
Pros
Easy to use
Dishwasher safe detachable blades
Charger port requires blade removal for safety
Light
Balanced weight
Powerful
Variable speed
Sturdy container for food prep
Quiet
Fast charge time
Long battery life
Second safety button to reduce accidental activations
Easy to use
Dishwasher safe detachable blades
Charger port requires blade removal for safety
Light
Balanced weight
Powerful
Variable speed
Sturdy container for food prep
Quiet
Fast charge time
Long battery life
Second safety button to reduce accidental activations
Cons
Guard falls off easily
Very tall
Small batches can be messy
Difficult to maintain precise speed with variable control
Guard falls off easily
Very tall
Small batches can be messy
Difficult to maintain precise speed with variable control
Design and Features
The blade handle has a two-button system where the button that rests in your palm serves as a safety button to prevent accidental activation and the button for your fingertips controls the variable speed. On top is a charge and battery level indicator light. The bottom half which contains the blades, is made mostly of metal with a small section of plastic where it connects to the main body. The blade section detaches and is dishwasher safe. Included in the box is a blade guard you can attach to the bottom to help prevent damage to more sensitive pots and pans. A sturdy mixing cup, which includes a lid, is the only other accessory in the box.
The blade handle has a two-button system where the button that rests in your palm serves as a safety button to prevent accidental activation and the button for your fingertips controls the variable speed. On top is a charge and battery level indicator light. The bottom half which contains the blades, is made mostly of metal with a small section of plastic where it connects to the main body. The blade section detaches and is dishwasher safe. Included in the box is a blade guard you can attach to the bottom to help prevent damage to more sensitive pots and pans. A sturdy mixing cup, which includes a lid, is the only other accessory in the box.
Performance and Usage
The variable speed is easy to operate but precise control is challenging as there is no digital readout or dial to maintain consistent speed. In most cases you only need small bursts of blending, so this issue is only minor. The middle section of the motor body has a narrow section for your hand which helps give you a secure grip on the blender. The motor is so quiet that you would think this blender isn’t up to the task. It’s great to not have to worry about a cord getting in the way but sacrificing power would be a deal breaker. Fortunately, the motor never had an issue with anything it was tasked to blend. Quite the contrary. Even when used to blend thicker items the motor didn’t seem to change sound or speed and made the task easy. In fact, often blending was much shorter than expected of whatever was thrown at them. This can sometimes be a delicate balance for tasks such as homemade milkshakes as it can blend the ice cream so fast that you must stop and mix the remainder of the ingredients manually or risk a runny milkshake. If you are trying to blend small amounts, such as when you are making a small batch of blueberry jam, the blender can throw the ingredients everywhere, so you want to plan accordingly with a suitable container. A slight downside for the advantage of having a blender that is up to the task. If there was any part that was a disappointment, it would be the plastic guard used to protect your more sensitive pots and pans from scratches. It holds on with so little force that more sticky items, such as potatoes, will pull the guard off as you attempt to make mashed potatoes.
The variable speed is easy to operate but precise control is challenging as there is no digital readout or dial to maintain consistent speed. In most cases you only need small bursts of blending, so this issue is only minor. The middle section of the motor body has a narrow section for your hand which helps give you a secure grip on the blender. The motor is so quiet that you would think this blender isn’t up to the task. It’s great to not have to worry about a cord getting in the way but sacrificing power would be a deal breaker. Fortunately, the motor never had an issue with anything it was tasked to blend. Quite the contrary. Even when used to blend thicker items the motor didn’t seem to change sound or speed and made the task easy. In fact, often blending was much shorter than expected of whatever was thrown at them. This can sometimes be a delicate balance for tasks such as homemade milkshakes as it can blend the ice cream so fast that you must stop and mix the remainder of the ingredients manually or risk a runny milkshake. If you are trying to blend small amounts, such as when you are making a small batch of blueberry jam, the blender can throw the ingredients everywhere, so you want to plan accordingly with a suitable container. A slight downside for the advantage of having a blender that is up to the task. If there was any part that was a disappointment, it would be the plastic guard used to protect your more sensitive pots and pans from scratches. It holds on with so little force that more sticky items, such as potatoes, will pull the guard off as you attempt to make mashed potatoes.
Maintenance is simple. Cleaning only requires twisting the bottom half of the blender off and tossing it in the dishwasher. The battery seems to last a long time and charging is easy. A simple but helpful safety feature is that the charging port requires you remove the blades the same as if you are cleaning. Just leave it to charge and when the light on the top of the handle turns green you are ready.
Final Thoughts
If you have thought a hand blender would be good addition to your kitchen tools, you might look to go the extra step and get a cordless one. The convenience of not worrying about snagging a cord spoils you to never want to go back. To that end, the KitchenAid Cordless Hand Blender fist the bill with little compromises.
If you have thought a hand blender would be good addition to your kitchen tools, you might look to go the extra step and get a cordless one. The convenience of not worrying about snagging a cord spoils you to never want to go back. To that end, the KitchenAid Cordless Hand Blender fist the bill with little compromises.
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Protect and compliment your tablet with this Logitech Combo Touch for iPad Air. The full-size keyboard features backlit keys that enable you to type in dark environments, while the precision trackpad improves productivity with multi-finger gesture control. This Logitech Combo Touch for iPad Air has a built-in kickstand that provides a preferred viewing angle, and a pen holder to secure your crayon or Apple pencil.
Customer Rating
4
Nearly perfect with only minor issues
on July 3, 2020
Posted by: CraigB
from Texas
Pros
Comfortable to use
Case finish is attractive, durable, assists grip, and resists stains
Keys are responsive with good travel
Keys feel well spaced
Keys have an adjustable backlight
Keyboard doesn’t have batteries that require charging
Touchpad movements are precise
Touchpad uses inertia
Keyboard is very sturdy with no flex
Case is very thick with good protection
Stylus holder has just the right amount of friction for secure storage
All ports, including charging port, have large opens to accommodate accessories
Kickstand feels very sturdy and stays at the angle you put it at
Comfortable to use
Case finish is attractive, durable, assists grip, and resists stains
Keys are responsive with good travel
Keys feel well spaced
Keys have an adjustable backlight
Keyboard doesn’t have batteries that require charging
Touchpad movements are precise
Touchpad uses inertia
Keyboard is very sturdy with no flex
Case is very thick with good protection
Stylus holder has just the right amount of friction for secure storage
All ports, including charging port, have large opens to accommodate accessories
Kickstand feels very sturdy and stays at the angle you put it at
Cons
Tablet use requires taking the keyboard off
Magnets are too weak to hold hold heavy keyboard on reliably
Power and volume buttons are too low profile and require too much force
Keyboard cover is difficult to open with no notch or other tab to grab
Kickstand bottom is sharp and can be uncomfortable on legs
Kickstand extends beyond case making tablet use less comfortable
Front and back cover profiles don’t match
Keyboard connection is finicky and sometimes loses connection
Tablet use requires taking the keyboard off
Magnets are too weak to hold hold heavy keyboard on reliably
Power and volume buttons are too low profile and require too much force
Keyboard cover is difficult to open with no notch or other tab to grab
Kickstand bottom is sharp and can be uncomfortable on legs
Kickstand extends beyond case making tablet use less comfortable
Front and back cover profiles don’t match
Keyboard connection is finicky and sometimes loses connection
Out of the box, the Logitech Combo Touch Keyboard Case feels premium. The case has a substantial amount of weight, likely because of the kickstand design which stays where you put it. The keyboard cover is equally as sturdy with little flex. The texture looks like canvas and gives the more sophisticated look to the overall design. The stylus holder has more of a soft touch rubberized finish. The power and volume keys are low profile bumps in the case versus cutouts. There are cutouts for the speakers and the charge port, which is large enough to accommodate most their party cables
.
Usage
The overall design attempts to allow both tablet format and computer use and this does require some compromises. In table use, you can’t just fold the keyboard cover to the back. You must remove it. Once removed, the left side leaves and open cavity where the protruding sharp edge of the kickstand digs into your hand slightly. It’s still usable. But, you might find yourself shifting the way you hold it periodically to give your palm of your hand a break. Also, in tablet mode the overall bulk of the case becomes apparent as it doesn’t feel much lighter with the keyboard off. At first glance, you might feel the stylus holder is an afterthought but it works surprisingly well. The slightly rubberized finished and overall size provide just enough friction to give you confidence. It will hold the Pencil securely while still allowing it to be removed without much effort.
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Usage
The overall design attempts to allow both tablet format and computer use and this does require some compromises. In table use, you can’t just fold the keyboard cover to the back. You must remove it. Once removed, the left side leaves and open cavity where the protruding sharp edge of the kickstand digs into your hand slightly. It’s still usable. But, you might find yourself shifting the way you hold it periodically to give your palm of your hand a break. Also, in tablet mode the overall bulk of the case becomes apparent as it doesn’t feel much lighter with the keyboard off. At first glance, you might feel the stylus holder is an afterthought but it works surprisingly well. The slightly rubberized finished and overall size provide just enough friction to give you confidence. It will hold the Pencil securely while still allowing it to be removed without much effort.
If you want to use it as a laptop, you will find the compromise is first in the overall length but the harsh edge of the kickstand. Although it holds position very well, the sharp edge over time can dig into your thighs. The overall length and top heavy design means laptop usage works best if you are laying slightly back. This both allows the space but improves stability and reduces the overall pressure the kickstand exerts. So, usage on laying back on the couch isn’t too bad, but sitting up in a chair isn’t as great. The place where the overall package shines the most is sitting at a desk. The kickstand can be adjusted to the perfect angle for you with no discomfort while remaining stable and the keyboard case has a solid base to allow confident typing. You can also adjust the tablet and keyboard backlight straight from the keyboard to suite your needs. There is a slight learning curve but the touchpad supports all the gesture navigation features of iOS.
Performance
Of course, trying to be jack of all trades means there will be compromises. But, the big question is do they improve the overall functionality in a meaningful way. The answer to this question is a yes. The kickstand mechanism works very well and stays where you put it without requiring much effort. The keyboard allows much faster typing on par with an ultra book with a good quality keyboard. And finally the touchpad has a precision and movement that feels, for lack of a better term, very Apple. If you have used other Apple products, the overall feel of the touchpad should be very familiar.
Of course, trying to be jack of all trades means there will be compromises. But, the big question is do they improve the overall functionality in a meaningful way. The answer to this question is a yes. The kickstand mechanism works very well and stays where you put it without requiring much effort. The keyboard allows much faster typing on par with an ultra book with a good quality keyboard. And finally the touchpad has a precision and movement that feels, for lack of a better term, very Apple. If you have used other Apple products, the overall feel of the touchpad should be very familiar.
As for protecting your tablet, of course it won’t provide liquid protection but the thickness and rigidness of the panels gives the impression it will protect you from most drops. The weak magnets might be the one area of concern but when all are used when it is closed it feels like it will keep the cover on in all but the most extreme drops.
Final Thoughts
If this fits your iPad and you have been looking for an affordable way to increase your productivity, this combo case is definitely worth a look. Logitech has a long history of making quality products and the overall feel and usage of this case gives you the feeling it will last for quite some time. At the risk of sounding cliché, it really does make it feel more like a computer. If Apple could ease up on some of the mobile design restrictions this could potentially negate the need for a regular computer. For now, this just reduced the need.
If this fits your iPad and you have been looking for an affordable way to increase your productivity, this combo case is definitely worth a look. Logitech has a long history of making quality products and the overall feel and usage of this case gives you the feeling it will last for quite some time. At the risk of sounding cliché, it really does make it feel more like a computer. If Apple could ease up on some of the mobile design restrictions this could potentially negate the need for a regular computer. For now, this just reduced the need.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Soothe sore muscles with this Theragun Prime massage device. The brushless motor features QuietForce technology for low sound, while Bluetooth connectivity syncs with your portable device for convenient control and guidance via the Therabody app. This Theragun Prime massager delivers up to 30 lbs. of force to effectively warm up muscles and release tightness.
Posted by: CraigB
from Texas
Pros
Powerful and near impossible to stall
Longer stroke distance than others
Quiet Motor
Includes travel bag
Includes the 4 most used tips
Convenient method of changing tips
Polished app with routines
Apple Health integration
Multiple power levels
Allows firmware updates to improve/fix
Pressure coaching via app
Powerful and near impossible to stall
Longer stroke distance than others
Quiet Motor
Includes travel bag
Includes the 4 most used tips
Convenient method of changing tips
Polished app with routines
Apple Health integration
Multiple power levels
Allows firmware updates to improve/fix
Pressure coaching via app
Cons
Sometimes rattles
Grease from shaft can get on clothes
Shut off a few times unexpectedly
Coach does not pause when changing body locations
Sometimes rattles
Grease from shaft can get on clothes
Shut off a few times unexpectedly
Coach does not pause when changing body locations
Design
The design is still the similar triangle shape that Theragun has used in the past. One could be forgiven for thinking it is not new. The handles are made of a rubberized finish that aides with grip allowing 3 different positions to hold the device to try to get to where you need. Included are 4 tips which are quick and easy to swap out. Depending on the usage, some tips are made of a foam rubber where others are firmer to get deeper to those hard to reach muscles, like the cone. On the top are three buttons which control power on, percussion on, power up, and power down. The power levels are indicated by 5 led bars and the battery life is indicated by 3 round leds. Included is Bluetooth connectivity to allow the Prime to work with the included app. All accessories can comfortably fit in the included travel pouch which keeps the whole package very light and compact.
The design is still the similar triangle shape that Theragun has used in the past. One could be forgiven for thinking it is not new. The handles are made of a rubberized finish that aides with grip allowing 3 different positions to hold the device to try to get to where you need. Included are 4 tips which are quick and easy to swap out. Depending on the usage, some tips are made of a foam rubber where others are firmer to get deeper to those hard to reach muscles, like the cone. On the top are three buttons which control power on, percussion on, power up, and power down. The power levels are indicated by 5 led bars and the battery life is indicated by 3 round leds. Included is Bluetooth connectivity to allow the Prime to work with the included app. All accessories can comfortably fit in the included travel pouch which keeps the whole package very light and compact.
Usage
You might be wondering why a percussive massaging device needs an app. The answer seems to be to help guide those with less experience than a physical therapist on how to properly use the device. It can integrate with Apple Health and suggest treatments based on your activities as well as record your treatments back into Apple Health. The app is well polished and offers you different options for the type of pain you are having or what activity you are needing to recovery from, such as jogging. The app will prompt you to turn on the Theragun. After this, there is a brief pause where it shows you were to place it and in which direction to move it. If you look quickly enough it also shows you which tip to use and which grip to hold with. This is a great start, particularly for those less experienced, but it would be better if the app started with a full screen showing the location on your body and movement so you could see it better as well as a graphic of the particular tip to use as well as the best grip to hold with. Then once you tap ok it should proceed with treatment. It would also be helpful if in between changing positions or sides it paused, prompted you where to go next, and then let you choose the next position. Instead it just rushes though the different positions. Initially the only prompt you received was the phone, which you are likely not holding, would vibrate but recently a firmware upgrade added a studder vibration when it is time to move. This is a great first step but unless you a professional, who would not need the app in the first place, and automatic pause to read the screen would be helpful. It’s still a nice touch but you can tell Theragun was originally targeted at professionals. Hopefully with time they will refine the process for the less initiated. It would also be nice to see all the extra treatments on their YouTube channel added to the app as well. The app doesn’t seem to have a coach for certain hip issues but their YouTube channel as a tutorial specifically covering it.
You might be wondering why a percussive massaging device needs an app. The answer seems to be to help guide those with less experience than a physical therapist on how to properly use the device. It can integrate with Apple Health and suggest treatments based on your activities as well as record your treatments back into Apple Health. The app is well polished and offers you different options for the type of pain you are having or what activity you are needing to recovery from, such as jogging. The app will prompt you to turn on the Theragun. After this, there is a brief pause where it shows you were to place it and in which direction to move it. If you look quickly enough it also shows you which tip to use and which grip to hold with. This is a great start, particularly for those less experienced, but it would be better if the app started with a full screen showing the location on your body and movement so you could see it better as well as a graphic of the particular tip to use as well as the best grip to hold with. Then once you tap ok it should proceed with treatment. It would also be helpful if in between changing positions or sides it paused, prompted you where to go next, and then let you choose the next position. Instead it just rushes though the different positions. Initially the only prompt you received was the phone, which you are likely not holding, would vibrate but recently a firmware upgrade added a studder vibration when it is time to move. This is a great first step but unless you a professional, who would not need the app in the first place, and automatic pause to read the screen would be helpful. It’s still a nice touch but you can tell Theragun was originally targeted at professionals. Hopefully with time they will refine the process for the less initiated. It would also be nice to see all the extra treatments on their YouTube channel added to the app as well. The app doesn’t seem to have a coach for certain hip issues but their YouTube channel as a tutorial specifically covering it.
The underdog in this is having Bluetooth connections allows firmware updates. It sounds unneeded but the additional of the studder vibration for changes has already show shut a feature is helpful in adding value. Another nice feature for those less experience is the pressure indicator. While using the app, it will show dark gray with too little pressure, blue with ideal pressure, and red with excessive pressure. This comes in hand because the included graph is hard to reach at times because the power of the percussion causes your eyes to vibrate as well. An improvement could be made here as well because with excessive pressure it shuts off immediately instead of giving maybe a vibration warning which would allow to adjust and continue instead of thinking the unit died and having to unpause the app. This issue has cropped up on occasion and the device will shut off in the middle of treatment when switching between areas without being triggered by the excessive force shutdown. It has been with a fully charged battery. It hasn’t happened enough times to warrant concern although it is still worth mentioning.
Performance
One thing Theragun seems to have plenty of is power. Just one power level bar showing and you can get deep into the muscle but if bump the power bar to light up all 5 leds you have enough power and speed to rattle your eyes and teeth. Although not officially recommended for this purpose, the power is even enough that during a back massage it can effectively help you clear out chest congestion as your entire body cavity feels the effects. This force might also means as you treat one area, the pressure helps you realize you had another trouble spot that needs attention. The stall force is well above what most people need. If you use the app it will turn the unit off, but you operate it directly you can push it into your leg with likely more force than is healthy without any signs of stalling.
One thing Theragun seems to have plenty of is power. Just one power level bar showing and you can get deep into the muscle but if bump the power bar to light up all 5 leds you have enough power and speed to rattle your eyes and teeth. Although not officially recommended for this purpose, the power is even enough that during a back massage it can effectively help you clear out chest congestion as your entire body cavity feels the effects. This force might also means as you treat one area, the pressure helps you realize you had another trouble spot that needs attention. The stall force is well above what most people need. If you use the app it will turn the unit off, but you operate it directly you can push it into your leg with likely more force than is healthy without any signs of stalling.
A surprise change from older Theragun devices is the noise level. You can still hear it, but instead of sounding like a power tool it’s more of a low hum. In fact, the motor noise is less noticeable than the rattle that happens if you put the device in certain positions on your body. It’s not apparent if the rattle sound is normal, maybe because the changeable tips, or a defect in this unit but it has an occasional plastic rattle when used on certain parts of the body. The operation of the motor feels very solid so even if it is a defect it isn’t one that would cause problems with operation. That said, at the loudest you can still comfortably carry on a conversation.
Final Thoughts
Besides what seem like minor issues making a professional grade device more available to the average fitness enthusiast, the Theragun Prime seems well suited for active types whose regular job doesn’t isn’t in fitness. If you either have a lifetime of ailments hindering your performance or are a younger athlete needing to keep inflammation under control the Theragun Prime can really help. It is good recovery tool for those who have want some of the functionality of the professionals in a simpler, more affordable package. If Theragun continues to refine the software and firmware, the Theragun Prime could prove to be even more of a value.
Besides what seem like minor issues making a professional grade device more available to the average fitness enthusiast, the Theragun Prime seems well suited for active types whose regular job doesn’t isn’t in fitness. If you either have a lifetime of ailments hindering your performance or are a younger athlete needing to keep inflammation under control the Theragun Prime can really help. It is good recovery tool for those who have want some of the functionality of the professionals in a simpler, more affordable package. If Theragun continues to refine the software and firmware, the Theragun Prime could prove to be even more of a value.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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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.
Customer Rating
4
Solid build needing software update
on April 8, 2020
Posted by: CraigB
from Texas
Pros
Solid metal build, except camera housing
Bright floodlights provide very even lighting
Multiple options for lighting
Lights can be controlled separate from camera
Camera works in both color and night vision
Camera can be forced to stay in color mode if desired
Multiple security profiles including GeoFencing
Very simple setup
Lights are dimmable
No subscription fees
Wide 140-degree field of view
Good color contrast and sharpness
2-way talk is very clear when it works
Decent Wi-Fi range
Quick app launch
Support for Alexa and Google Assistant
No dependence on internet to record
Solid metal build, except camera housing
Bright floodlights provide very even lighting
Multiple options for lighting
Lights can be controlled separate from camera
Camera works in both color and night vision
Camera can be forced to stay in color mode if desired
Multiple security profiles including GeoFencing
Very simple setup
Lights are dimmable
No subscription fees
Wide 140-degree field of view
Good color contrast and sharpness
2-way talk is very clear when it works
Decent Wi-Fi range
Quick app launch
Support for Alexa and Google Assistant
No dependence on internet to record
Cons
Limited smart home integrations
1080P for such a wide field of view reduces clarity
Heavy compression further reduces overall clarity
Dynamic range not very good
Heavy motion blur and ghosting in dark lighting
Motion sensor can’t distinguish between tree moving and person
Motion detection range only approximately 25 feet
Can’t record distant motion due to dependence on sensor first
No option for person detection
No option for RTSP stream or other continuous recording
Doesn’t support base station recording yet
IR lights are placed too close to camera attracting bugs to block view
Flood lights only have 2 axis of motion limiting proper adjustment of shield
Limited smart home integrations
1080P for such a wide field of view reduces clarity
Heavy compression further reduces overall clarity
Dynamic range not very good
Heavy motion blur and ghosting in dark lighting
Motion sensor can’t distinguish between tree moving and person
Motion detection range only approximately 25 feet
Can’t record distant motion due to dependence on sensor first
No option for person detection
No option for RTSP stream or other continuous recording
Doesn’t support base station recording yet
IR lights are placed too close to camera attracting bugs to block view
Flood lights only have 2 axis of motion limiting proper adjustment of shield
Design
The main body and lights are made of metal. The camera housing is plastic with four IR LEDs on the sides of the camera lens. The camera and motion detection module are adjusted via a keyed ball and socket joint. The flood lights have 2 axis adjustment with wingnuts. Recordings and motion processing is all done locally and internet is only used for remote access to settings and recordings. This means reliable recording is not dependent on a consistent internet connection.
The main body and lights are made of metal. The camera housing is plastic with four IR LEDs on the sides of the camera lens. The camera and motion detection module are adjusted via a keyed ball and socket joint. The flood lights have 2 axis adjustment with wingnuts. Recordings and motion processing is all done locally and internet is only used for remote access to settings and recordings. This means reliable recording is not dependent on a consistent internet connection.
Setup
The floodlight comes prewired with a plug for initial setup close to your Wi-Fi. Installation is easiest if you are replacing an existing flood or spotlight and already have a box. Only 3 wires are needed to install. The camera’s slotted ball makes adjustment straightforward. However, the 2-axis adjustment on the flood lights is less than ideal. The tops of the flood lights have a rain hood that needs to be on the top of the light to function properly. The issue is you can only move the light in two directions. This means that at some angles the hood is tilted instead of at the top. The lights and the camera can be configured to operate independently. You have adjustments for lighting for motion, manual, and scheduled. With dimming options this means you can set the lights to a dim setting on a schedule and have them change to full brightness with motion. The camera can be configured with up to 4 rectangular shaped motion activity zones. The motion sensitivity is adjusted via a slider. There are options for different security modes that allow you to change options quickly. You can also define your own security profiles or use the Geofencing option. Reports say that Eufy will add the functionality to save recordings to a base station used by their other cameras in the future. Unfortunately, there are no reports of adding RTSP stream support like their other cameras have. The closest option to continuous recording is you can change the retrigger period to 0 seconds which allows multiple back to back recordings of motion.
The floodlight comes prewired with a plug for initial setup close to your Wi-Fi. Installation is easiest if you are replacing an existing flood or spotlight and already have a box. Only 3 wires are needed to install. The camera’s slotted ball makes adjustment straightforward. However, the 2-axis adjustment on the flood lights is less than ideal. The tops of the flood lights have a rain hood that needs to be on the top of the light to function properly. The issue is you can only move the light in two directions. This means that at some angles the hood is tilted instead of at the top. The lights and the camera can be configured to operate independently. You have adjustments for lighting for motion, manual, and scheduled. With dimming options this means you can set the lights to a dim setting on a schedule and have them change to full brightness with motion. The camera can be configured with up to 4 rectangular shaped motion activity zones. The motion sensitivity is adjusted via a slider. There are options for different security modes that allow you to change options quickly. You can also define your own security profiles or use the Geofencing option. Reports say that Eufy will add the functionality to save recordings to a base station used by their other cameras in the future. Unfortunately, there are no reports of adding RTSP stream support like their other cameras have. The closest option to continuous recording is you can change the retrigger period to 0 seconds which allows multiple back to back recordings of motion.
Performance
The video has a 3 second pre buffer so in most cases, even with fast motion, you still get the recording. The speed of notifications to a mobile device are very quick if your phone has good internet. The app opens quickly to a preview as well. The video a very wide 140 degrees meaning you could put one in your front or back yard and capture nearly the entire yard. The video looks very clear on a smartphone. Unfortunately, you will find how limiting the 1080p video and heavy compression is when recording a wide field of view if you zoom in. If you try to zoom in on an area in a recording you will quickly find the image becomes pixelated and unusable. Furthermore, the compression causes the picture to look as though it is shifting around in such a way that, from experience, may cause some courts to consider the video as modified and invalid. A better option would be at least 2K recording with larger storage and lighter compression. Overall contrast is good, but the dynamic range isn’t very poor. This means evenly lit spaces will look good but daytime videos won’t do well in shaded areas. The shadows will be dark enough to allow someone hide from view and recording. Night videos are well exposed with the IR lights with even lighting across the entire video with no significant hot spot. The only issue with this is the IR emitters are so close to the camera that bugs will hang around the camera lens and block the view. Professional security cameras leave a suitable gap to prevent such issues. Night videos with the flood light are good from a distance but if you get too close the dynamic range issues comes up again causing over exposure and subjects become washed out and unidentifiable. The best way around this would be set the brightness of the floodlights to a dimmer setting so you can get proper exposure close-up. This would sacrifice overall range but allow clear video up close. On max brightness, the floodlights are bright enough to illuminate an area of 75x75ft.
The video has a 3 second pre buffer so in most cases, even with fast motion, you still get the recording. The speed of notifications to a mobile device are very quick if your phone has good internet. The app opens quickly to a preview as well. The video a very wide 140 degrees meaning you could put one in your front or back yard and capture nearly the entire yard. The video looks very clear on a smartphone. Unfortunately, you will find how limiting the 1080p video and heavy compression is when recording a wide field of view if you zoom in. If you try to zoom in on an area in a recording you will quickly find the image becomes pixelated and unusable. Furthermore, the compression causes the picture to look as though it is shifting around in such a way that, from experience, may cause some courts to consider the video as modified and invalid. A better option would be at least 2K recording with larger storage and lighter compression. Overall contrast is good, but the dynamic range isn’t very poor. This means evenly lit spaces will look good but daytime videos won’t do well in shaded areas. The shadows will be dark enough to allow someone hide from view and recording. Night videos are well exposed with the IR lights with even lighting across the entire video with no significant hot spot. The only issue with this is the IR emitters are so close to the camera that bugs will hang around the camera lens and block the view. Professional security cameras leave a suitable gap to prevent such issues. Night videos with the flood light are good from a distance but if you get too close the dynamic range issues comes up again causing over exposure and subjects become washed out and unidentifiable. The best way around this would be set the brightness of the floodlights to a dimmer setting so you can get proper exposure close-up. This would sacrifice overall range but allow clear video up close. On max brightness, the floodlights are bright enough to illuminate an area of 75x75ft.
Although not specified, motion detection seems to have two parts. The motion sensor is used to trigger a recording but will only do so if the motion is within the defined activity zone. This is counter intuitive as one would expect an activity zone be used to define if activity is seen in this zone you should record it, but only if another sensor saw it first. You can define up to 4 rectangular shaped zones. The industry standard is now the more flexible polygon motion zones. Depending on the motion sensor to trigger recordings first for a camera with such a wide view seems strange. The camera can see so much but only record if what is happening is within approximately 25 feet. Furthermore, it seems easily fooled by inanimate objects causing false triggers. It would be nice if Eufy was able to, via an update, add the intelligence to allow recording based on motion in the defined activity zone combined with basic AI to only alert if the motion is human. Of course, this would depend on the processing power, but their battery powered cameras can do this.
Overall, the Eufy Floodlight Camera is a solidly built product. Except for relatively low-resolution camera for the viewing angle, the other issues are either small or could potentially be improved via future software updates. Feature wise it lags beyond the industry but what makes it unique is the focus on privacy and storing your data locally and note requiring another monthly subscription. Eufy has been aggressively updating the software for its product line over the years and there is no reason to expect them to not do the same with the Floodlight Camera. If privacy is your first concern over having every fancy, cloud connected feature then the Eufy Floodlight Camera could be a good fit for you.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Get a handle on every battle with this DARK CORE RGB PRO SE Bluetooth gaming mouse. The contoured design and interchangeable side grips let you play in comfort, while programmable buttons and a customizable optical sensor give you complete control. This DARK CORE RGB PRO SE Bluetooth optical gaming mouse offers up to 24 hours of battery life and Qi wireless charging for intense gaming sessions.
Customer Rating
3
Nice mouse needing refinement
on January 28, 2020
Posted by: CraigB
from Texas
Pros
Smooth and precise tracking
Comfortable
Qi charging capable
Physical, fast wireless, and Bluetooth connections
Braided USB-C for charging/data cable
Includes separate sniper mode
Interchangeable side grip
On board memory for storing up to 3 profiles
Lighting profile can be used to indicate system temps
Micro switches have a solid feel
Mouse has storage for USB dongle
Smooth and precise tracking
Comfortable
Qi charging capable
Physical, fast wireless, and Bluetooth connections
Braided USB-C for charging/data cable
Includes separate sniper mode
Interchangeable side grip
On board memory for storing up to 3 profiles
Lighting profile can be used to indicate system temps
Micro switches have a solid feel
Mouse has storage for USB dongle
Cons
iCue software is not very intuitive
Saving profiles didn’t seem to save them to the mouse
Doesn’t support light linking
Hard to distinguish individual buttons
Placement of sensitivity buttons leads to accidental clicks
No OSD for mode changes
Battery level only shown as tray icon
Battery level only has low, medium, and high
iCue doesn’t prompt for automatic download
No automatic game profiles
iCue software is not very intuitive
Saving profiles didn’t seem to save them to the mouse
Doesn’t support light linking
Hard to distinguish individual buttons
Placement of sensitivity buttons leads to accidental clicks
No OSD for mode changes
Battery level only shown as tray icon
Battery level only has low, medium, and high
iCue doesn’t prompt for automatic download
No automatic game profiles
Design
The Dark Core RBG Pro SE is latest generation of Corsair’s highest end wireless gaming mice. The latest iteration includes Qi wireless gaming that is compatible with any Qi charger, but more importantly their companion gaming mousepad. The specs state 128 grams but this one came in at 140-142 grams depending on side grip. The charging/data cable now uses USB-C instead of Micro-USB. The side grip is interchangeable between sleek and offering a finger rest. Underneath the side grip is a storage bay for the high-speed wireless USB dongle. Operation is through hardwired USB-C cable, High speed Slipstream wireless, or Bluetooth. On the underside of the mouse is a mode switch where you can choose off, Bluetooth, or high-speed wireless operation with hardwired mode switching automatically when plugged in. This is nice because you can then use the same mouse for regular work without a dongle and then switch to high speed on your gaming system. The profile is a medium height arch which decent compromise to allow the most popular grips with good comfort. The finger rest is particularly helpful if you use a claw grip. The back half of the mouse has a soft, textured surface to improve comfort and grip. In front of the thumb rest are three LED lights that indicate DPI mode and two configurable buttons. On the left click mouse button there are also two more configurable buttons.
The Dark Core RBG Pro SE is latest generation of Corsair’s highest end wireless gaming mice. The latest iteration includes Qi wireless gaming that is compatible with any Qi charger, but more importantly their companion gaming mousepad. The specs state 128 grams but this one came in at 140-142 grams depending on side grip. The charging/data cable now uses USB-C instead of Micro-USB. The side grip is interchangeable between sleek and offering a finger rest. Underneath the side grip is a storage bay for the high-speed wireless USB dongle. Operation is through hardwired USB-C cable, High speed Slipstream wireless, or Bluetooth. On the underside of the mouse is a mode switch where you can choose off, Bluetooth, or high-speed wireless operation with hardwired mode switching automatically when plugged in. This is nice because you can then use the same mouse for regular work without a dongle and then switch to high speed on your gaming system. The profile is a medium height arch which decent compromise to allow the most popular grips with good comfort. The finger rest is particularly helpful if you use a claw grip. The back half of the mouse has a soft, textured surface to improve comfort and grip. In front of the thumb rest are three LED lights that indicate DPI mode and two configurable buttons. On the left click mouse button there are also two more configurable buttons.
Usage and Performance
The instructions say to plug it in hardwired first for initial configuration. But, out of the box it works if you just plug in the USB dongle. That said, unlike other brands, it doesn’t prompt to download their custom iCue software. This is good in the fact that you can get straight to using it. The bad is if you didn’t read the instructions or already know, all the advanced settings and profile setup is done through iCue. It would have been nice if, like other mice, on initial install on a new system it prompted you to install the configuration software. It’s not a deal breaker but just not as refined as one would think for what should be a high-end device. That said, without configuration the profile button switches between a couple of lighting profiles and the buttons on the side of the left mouse click button still work to change DPI mode. Operation is smooth and precise with no perceptible lag. A quick flick to the side to shoot and the mouse stops where you stop without overshooting. The slight texture also means if you tend to lift while moving you should have a good amount of grip to do so confidently. The main issue is the button profiles don’t make it easy to determine which button you are touching which leads to more accidental button presses. The DPI mode is a perfect example of this.
The instructions say to plug it in hardwired first for initial configuration. But, out of the box it works if you just plug in the USB dongle. That said, unlike other brands, it doesn’t prompt to download their custom iCue software. This is good in the fact that you can get straight to using it. The bad is if you didn’t read the instructions or already know, all the advanced settings and profile setup is done through iCue. It would have been nice if, like other mice, on initial install on a new system it prompted you to install the configuration software. It’s not a deal breaker but just not as refined as one would think for what should be a high-end device. That said, without configuration the profile button switches between a couple of lighting profiles and the buttons on the side of the left mouse click button still work to change DPI mode. Operation is smooth and precise with no perceptible lag. A quick flick to the side to shoot and the mouse stops where you stop without overshooting. The slight texture also means if you tend to lift while moving you should have a good amount of grip to do so confidently. The main issue is the button profiles don’t make it easy to determine which button you are touching which leads to more accidental button presses. The DPI mode is a perfect example of this.
To get really get to the capabilities of this mouse you need to install the iCue software. When you launch it after installing it looks slick, but unfortunately it seems looks came first. All the functions are there, but it seems they didn’t take a lot of time thinking of how to organize things and make the software simple to use. You can create macros but there is no obvious way to assign them after creation. After digging, you might find the menu has an option to go to support and you can browse their support website. There is a macro section but then part the instructions says macros aren’t supported without a keyboard which is strange if true because why would the mouse options have macro setup. Furthermore, when trying to map a macro to a mouse button it never seemed to work. In short, if macro activation is supported via the mouse setup of such functions is far from intuitive. Furthermore, there isn’t any sort of indication or default OSD that indicates mode changes or Macro activations.
Another oddity is that there is a sniper mode in the DPI settings. This seems great because you can put very low DPI to allow precise aiming while sniping. What is strange is the DPI mode switch buttons don’t toggle through sniping mode. There also isn’t a pre-configured button for it. With further digging in the help you will find that sniper mode requires to map it to a button. That just seems a bit strange to go so far as to create the option for a DPI profile built in but not have at least a default mapping. It also further gives the feeling that the hardware is good, but the software just feels unfinished.
Finally, when it comes to storing profiles, just when you think you have them stored on the mouse you might find yourself out of luck again. According to the specs, the mouse can store up to 3 profiles that don’t require iCue. It could be the confusion with the software but in use once the profiles were “saved” and the mouse was moved to a new computer it was like starting all over again. At least the positive part of this is the default profile isn’t horrible, but the process just doesn’t feel intuitive. On research, it seems others have had similar issues with older versions asking on different sites. Seasoned users have either pointed them to Youtube videos or other forums so it would seem this confusion isn’t isolated. Apparently, there is also an option to auto switch light and mouse profiles automatically when launching a game but this goes back to needing to do more research. Other gaming mice offer to automatically install the companion software and even auto search for games and even offer default game profiles and well as allow you to download and share from others. Corsair might have allowed loading shared profiles, but they don’t make it straightforward to find if they do.
Final Thoughts
The Corsair Dark Core RBG SE has a name to match its design, complicated. On the hardware front, it’s a solid mouse besides the button profile issue. It’s hard to comment on individual grip styles, weights, and button activations but the mouse feels well built. If you are a PC gamer and have tweaked every aspect of your system from voltages to clocks speeds until just shy of the point of failure or thermal overload, programming the Dark Core is just another thing to figure out. The big question is if the hardware draws you enough to warrant figuring out the configuration when more intuitive options exist.
The Corsair Dark Core RBG SE has a name to match its design, complicated. On the hardware front, it’s a solid mouse besides the button profile issue. It’s hard to comment on individual grip styles, weights, and button activations but the mouse feels well built. If you are a PC gamer and have tweaked every aspect of your system from voltages to clocks speeds until just shy of the point of failure or thermal overload, programming the Dark Core is just another thing to figure out. The big question is if the hardware draws you enough to warrant figuring out the configuration when more intuitive options exist.
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I would recommend this to a friend!
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The BISSELL® air320 Air Purifier is part of the BISSELL lineup of premium lifestyle air purifiers that join form and function in your home. The air320 is designed with clean lines, smooth edges, modern legs, a discreet cord wrap, and a fabric filter that fit into the design of almost any home. Beneath the unique design is a powerful machine you'd expect from BISSELL - a trusted brand in homecare. The washable fabric pre-filter on the front of the machine is part of this air purifier's 3 stage filtration. This filtration system also includes a pleated high efficiency filter to capture hair, dust, pollen, and dander and an activated carbon filter to capture home odors, pet odors, and volatile organic compounds. The air320 is controlled by a soft-touch dial that allows users to adjust the fan speed. The air320 can accommodate large rooms like bedrooms, living area, basements, and dining rooms. It is tested to the AHAM standard to have a Smoke CADR of 199 for rooms up to 308 sq. ft., making it great for bedrooms, living areas, basements, and dining rooms. You’ve trusted BISSELL to clean and care for the floors and surfaces in your home. Now, let us clean your air! Plus, every purchase of this product helps save pets! BISSELL® proudly supports BISSELL Pet Foundation® and its mission to help save homeless pets. When you buy a BISSELL product, you help save pets, too. We’re proud to design products that help make pet messes, odors and pet homelessness disappear.
Customer Rating
4
Attractive and simple to use
on December 20, 2019
Posted by: CraigB
from Texas
Pros
Looks more like a piece of furniture
Quiet most of the time
Automatic mode adjusts speed based on need
Automatic night mode turns off lights in the dark
No back intake means you can put it flush against a wall
Looks more like a piece of furniture
Quiet most of the time
Automatic mode adjusts speed based on need
Automatic night mode turns off lights in the dark
No back intake means you can put it flush against a wall
Cons
Very loud on high
Only measures PM2.5
No timer
Very loud on high
Only measures PM2.5
No timer
Design
The Bissell Air320 departs from most purifiers that tend to look very functional and don’t really blend into your décor or others that mimic the style of a fan. Instead, the Air320 looks more like a piece of furniture with design cues from furniture of the 1960-1970s. The legs are rounded with a faux wood finish to continue the furniture theme. A single dial with a button in the center controls everything with an oversized dot matrix display hidden in the plastic on the front that indicates the PM2.5 levels. Also included is a hidden color changing light the creates a glow directly under the display with the color indicating the general air quality going from green to red. The fan has 5 speeds as well as an auto mode. Included is a PM2.5 sensor which can measure fine particles but there is no mention of a PM10 sensor to measure dust, mold, and pollen. Air is pulled into the mesh fabric on the front and filtered air exits from the top. This design means you can put the unit flush against a wall without impeding operation. It also has a cord organizer built into the back to keep things tidy. The overall build feels sturdy.
The Bissell Air320 departs from most purifiers that tend to look very functional and don’t really blend into your décor or others that mimic the style of a fan. Instead, the Air320 looks more like a piece of furniture with design cues from furniture of the 1960-1970s. The legs are rounded with a faux wood finish to continue the furniture theme. A single dial with a button in the center controls everything with an oversized dot matrix display hidden in the plastic on the front that indicates the PM2.5 levels. Also included is a hidden color changing light the creates a glow directly under the display with the color indicating the general air quality going from green to red. The fan has 5 speeds as well as an auto mode. Included is a PM2.5 sensor which can measure fine particles but there is no mention of a PM10 sensor to measure dust, mold, and pollen. Air is pulled into the mesh fabric on the front and filtered air exits from the top. This design means you can put the unit flush against a wall without impeding operation. It also has a cord organizer built into the back to keep things tidy. The overall build feels sturdy.
Performance and Operation
Overall operation is very simple. There are no smartphone controls or WiFi to set up. Just press the button in the middle to turn in on and then turn the dial to set the fan speed. Nothing else is needed. On low, the unit is barely audible and can be easily drowned out by regular noises in a room. On high, you will likely hear if even over a very loud TV. Thankfully you only hear the sound of air rushing, but it is still noticeable. If you keep it on one speed you could probably just tune it out after time but on auto the change can be quite abrupt. If it is anywhere near where you are cooking and is set to auto, you will know withing a few minutes if any smoke, fumes, or anything else is floating in your room as it goes into turbo for a few minutes to clean things up. Even in a 30x22 room it only takes between 15-30 minutes to get levels under control once no more pollutants are added. At that point, the pollution levels drop low enough for the automatic mode to drop the speed down to more tolerable levels. There is a bit of a tradeoff in moving so much air in a short time but it seems quite effective in taking care of even large rooms. In most cases, the filter can keep the room clean enough that running on full speed is rare. The only downside is the effectiveness of auto mode for allergies is questionable because it sets filter speed based on measurements. If you are expecting this to automatically sense dust, mold, and pollen it would seem unlikely as it doesn’t measure that particle size. Unfortunately, other measurement tools have not shown that not enough of the pollen has been making its way into the house lately to do a proper test even though several trees are pollinating currently. That said, if your only hang-up is a PM10 for other allergens you can always run it on manual since the filter media itself is capable of handling it. The main question is how effective auto mode actually is.
The digital readout and color light to indicate air quality are straightforward and make it easy to tell the overall air quality even from across the room without adding too much information. A thoughtful touch is when the room goes dark it turns off all lighting and displays. This is helpful for bedtime, but it would also be helpful to include a timer function to allow scheduled mode changes. It’s hard to justify running a purifier when you away from the house all day. Remembering to turn it off an on again will likely lead to someone forgetting. It would also be nice to have a way to set it to force a lower maximum speed at bedtime. Most people would likely be willing to wait a little longer to get fully cleaned air at bedtime if it meant not listening to a jet engine in their room for up 15-30 minutes or longer depending on there is more being added to the room. Although its nice to make things as simple as possible, these additional features would make it more likely to be used regularly as well as make it more effective.
Overall operation is very simple. There are no smartphone controls or WiFi to set up. Just press the button in the middle to turn in on and then turn the dial to set the fan speed. Nothing else is needed. On low, the unit is barely audible and can be easily drowned out by regular noises in a room. On high, you will likely hear if even over a very loud TV. Thankfully you only hear the sound of air rushing, but it is still noticeable. If you keep it on one speed you could probably just tune it out after time but on auto the change can be quite abrupt. If it is anywhere near where you are cooking and is set to auto, you will know withing a few minutes if any smoke, fumes, or anything else is floating in your room as it goes into turbo for a few minutes to clean things up. Even in a 30x22 room it only takes between 15-30 minutes to get levels under control once no more pollutants are added. At that point, the pollution levels drop low enough for the automatic mode to drop the speed down to more tolerable levels. There is a bit of a tradeoff in moving so much air in a short time but it seems quite effective in taking care of even large rooms. In most cases, the filter can keep the room clean enough that running on full speed is rare. The only downside is the effectiveness of auto mode for allergies is questionable because it sets filter speed based on measurements. If you are expecting this to automatically sense dust, mold, and pollen it would seem unlikely as it doesn’t measure that particle size. Unfortunately, other measurement tools have not shown that not enough of the pollen has been making its way into the house lately to do a proper test even though several trees are pollinating currently. That said, if your only hang-up is a PM10 for other allergens you can always run it on manual since the filter media itself is capable of handling it. The main question is how effective auto mode actually is.
The digital readout and color light to indicate air quality are straightforward and make it easy to tell the overall air quality even from across the room without adding too much information. A thoughtful touch is when the room goes dark it turns off all lighting and displays. This is helpful for bedtime, but it would also be helpful to include a timer function to allow scheduled mode changes. It’s hard to justify running a purifier when you away from the house all day. Remembering to turn it off an on again will likely lead to someone forgetting. It would also be nice to have a way to set it to force a lower maximum speed at bedtime. Most people would likely be willing to wait a little longer to get fully cleaned air at bedtime if it meant not listening to a jet engine in their room for up 15-30 minutes or longer depending on there is more being added to the room. Although its nice to make things as simple as possible, these additional features would make it more likely to be used regularly as well as make it more effective.
Final Thoughts
The Bissell Air320 is an attractive and simply designed purifier with just enough to help without causing confusion for those less technically inclined. No need to expect calls from the grandparents asking how to use it. The main question is if it is overly simplistic for your purposes. If you mainly need a purifier that can move a lot of air and clean a larger space, the Air320 could potentially fit the bill.
The Bissell Air320 is an attractive and simply designed purifier with just enough to help without causing confusion for those less technically inclined. No need to expect calls from the grandparents asking how to use it. The main question is if it is overly simplistic for your purposes. If you mainly need a purifier that can move a lot of air and clean a larger space, the Air320 could potentially fit the bill.
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Build your muscles anywhere at any time with this lightweight Gorilla Bow travel resistance trainer. The compact, lightweight design ensures easy portability, and compatibility with a huge range of exercises helps tone muscle groups across your body. This Gorilla Bow travel trainer includes free video tutorials to get you started.
Customer Rating
4
Resistance bands like free weights
on November 20, 2019
Posted by: CraigB
from Texas
Pros
Bow is made of thick metal
Finish feels durable
Bow can be broken down into 3 parts
Doesn’t require connecting to a door
Feels more like free weights
Allows more traditional movements like free weights
Allows a lot more weight than traditional bands
Bow is made of thick metal
Finish feels durable
Bow can be broken down into 3 parts
Doesn’t require connecting to a door
Feels more like free weights
Allows more traditional movements like free weights
Allows a lot more weight than traditional bands
Cons
Can be heavy for some
Still large when broken down
Travel bag not included even though it’s a travel kit
Instructional videos are separated and mostly repetitive intro
Instructional videos often have poor audio quality
Include bands only go up to 110 pounds
Can be heavy for some
Still large when broken down
Travel bag not included even though it’s a travel kit
Instructional videos are separated and mostly repetitive intro
Instructional videos often have poor audio quality
Include bands only go up to 110 pounds
Design
The bow is made of heavy gauge aluminum and feels very sturdy. Two buttons used to lock the ends of the bow in place. When the ends are locked in the, the bow feels like it is a single piece. Unlike cheaper products, this feels like it was built to last. One thing to keep in mind is if you want to take a flight with the bow and put it in your check-in baggage. Expect to dedicate nearly 6 pounds of your luggage weight to the bow. Included are four bands with max out at 110 pounds total. If you typically exercise with more weight, your going to need to purchase additional bands. Although this model is called the travel bow, a carrying case is not included but is available for purchase. For exercises where you need wrap the bands around your body, a sleeve is included so you don’t have to worry about pinching yourself. The sleeve can also be used to protect the bands when you stand on them.
The bow is made of heavy gauge aluminum and feels very sturdy. Two buttons used to lock the ends of the bow in place. When the ends are locked in the, the bow feels like it is a single piece. Unlike cheaper products, this feels like it was built to last. One thing to keep in mind is if you want to take a flight with the bow and put it in your check-in baggage. Expect to dedicate nearly 6 pounds of your luggage weight to the bow. Included are four bands with max out at 110 pounds total. If you typically exercise with more weight, your going to need to purchase additional bands. Although this model is called the travel bow, a carrying case is not included but is available for purchase. For exercises where you need wrap the bands around your body, a sleeve is included so you don’t have to worry about pinching yourself. The sleeve can also be used to protect the bands when you stand on them.
Usage
If you have exercised with free weights before, the bow design can be a bonus as it is far more straightforward on how free weight movements translate to bands. An example is you can duplicate a bench press by putting the bands behind your back and pushing away from your body with the bow. Much simpler than a band setup that mounts to a door. It also feels much more natural and closer to free weights, including requiring you to pay attention to form and left/right balance. Although the progressive nature of the bands has a different feel, it’s still nice to have a relatively compact package mimic free weights much closer. The resistance ramp-up seems much quicker than traditional bands, possibly because they are shorter, leading to a more natural feel.
If you have exercised with free weights before, the bow design can be a bonus as it is far more straightforward on how free weight movements translate to bands. An example is you can duplicate a bench press by putting the bands behind your back and pushing away from your body with the bow. Much simpler than a band setup that mounts to a door. It also feels much more natural and closer to free weights, including requiring you to pay attention to form and left/right balance. Although the progressive nature of the bands has a different feel, it’s still nice to have a relatively compact package mimic free weights much closer. The resistance ramp-up seems much quicker than traditional bands, possibly because they are shorter, leading to a more natural feel.
From a hardware standpoint, the Gorilla Bow is well built. The website also appears well designed. If there is any criticism to levy against the Gorilla Bow, it would be the video tutorials. There are a small number of workouts for beginners on their YouTube channel, but the majority is dedicated to single exercises. This would seem helpful for more experience people just looking for a quick tutorial on form, but the issue is each video spends about three quarters of the time explaining who the person is and what they are going to demonstrate. Instead of forcing experienced people to fast forward through, the videos should either quickly get to the technique or just put all of them in one video. Where the channel really comes up short is workout routines for beginners. Another issue with the videos is often the speech is recorded with the built-in microphone on the camera making them hard to understand. This issue is made worse by the fact that the background music further drowns out what they are trying to say. Thankfully, the instructional booklet on their website has a workout routine for beginners and quick explanation for experienced people.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Gorilla Bow is well built. YouTube video issues aside, the Travel Gorilla bow is a solid product that blends the advantages of two different types of workout equipment into a small package. Whether you are new to exercise or have been using free weights for years, the Gorilla Travel Bow can serve you well.
Overall, the Gorilla Bow is well built. YouTube video issues aside, the Travel Gorilla bow is a solid product that blends the advantages of two different types of workout equipment into a small package. Whether you are new to exercise or have been using free weights for years, the Gorilla Travel Bow can serve you well.
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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.
Customer Rating
5
Smart cameras, without the subscription
on November 13, 2019
Posted by: CraigB
from Texas
Pros
Responsive company very open to feedback
No subscriptions required to enable smart features
Local recording means minimal internet requirements
Planned USB storage expansion option
Planned solar panel early 2020
Planned Geofencing by the end of 2019
Fast app launch time
Quick app notifications
Person and face detection directly on camera
Option to only alert for people while still recording motion
Extremely long battery life
Excellent speaker and microphone quality
Easy setup process
Base station speaks instructions very clearly
Base station is both wired and wireless
RTSP and storage to NAS options
Night vision is easily improved by a small amount of supplemental lighting
Nest home hub integration
Responsive company very open to feedback
No subscriptions required to enable smart features
Local recording means minimal internet requirements
Planned USB storage expansion option
Planned solar panel early 2020
Planned Geofencing by the end of 2019
Fast app launch time
Quick app notifications
Person and face detection directly on camera
Option to only alert for people while still recording motion
Extremely long battery life
Excellent speaker and microphone quality
Easy setup process
Base station speaks instructions very clearly
Base station is both wired and wireless
RTSP and storage to NAS options
Night vision is easily improved by a small amount of supplemental lighting
Nest home hub integration
Cons
Video compression artifacts reduce image quality
Video quality varies based on varying wireless conditions
Initial recording is pixelated
Delay in motion recording means sometimes recordings are missed
Ghosting sometimes occur with night vision
Screw mount feels weak and has no slot to angle camera higher
3-piece screw mount seems overly complicated
Sometimes detection motion detection fails to record people
Night vision isn’t very far without supplemental lighting
Audio recordings affected by small amounts of wind
Video compression artifacts reduce image quality
Video quality varies based on varying wireless conditions
Initial recording is pixelated
Delay in motion recording means sometimes recordings are missed
Ghosting sometimes occur with night vision
Screw mount feels weak and has no slot to angle camera higher
3-piece screw mount seems overly complicated
Sometimes detection motion detection fails to record people
Night vision isn’t very far without supplemental lighting
Audio recordings affected by small amounts of wind
Security cameras for home use have become increasingly popular in the past few years. The first goal was to make them more affordable than the ones used by businesses. They were complicated to install and not user-friendly. Next came wireless and battery power options to make installation simpler and more flexible. They either required strong Wi-Fi everywhere or frequently recharges. Then came smart cameras requiring a subscription to enable full functionality. At each stage in the evolution of home security cameras there seemed to be a big gotcha in the design that, even though you might have bought them, made you wish they would improve the design. The Eufycam 2 is the latest version from Anker that tries to find that perfect balance between price and features that we want.
Design and Features
The cameras are wireless, and the base station also has a Wi-Fi option to allow optimal placement. The batteries claim to have a 1-year battery life, which is noticeable when you feel their weight. In contrast, the base station is barely larger than a large coffee cup. Included is an ethernet jack and a USB port, which Anker says they plan to offer a USB expansion dongle in early 2020. Included are both magnetic bases, better suited to indoor use, and screw in bases, which are ideal for outdoor mounting. The magnetic bases feel sturdy but the screw in bases have a 3-piece design with parts feeling less substantial. Furthermore, adjustment is limited as there is no slot like generic mounts that allow placement up to 90 degrees from the mounting bracket.
The cameras are wireless, and the base station also has a Wi-Fi option to allow optimal placement. The batteries claim to have a 1-year battery life, which is noticeable when you feel their weight. In contrast, the base station is barely larger than a large coffee cup. Included is an ethernet jack and a USB port, which Anker says they plan to offer a USB expansion dongle in early 2020. Included are both magnetic bases, better suited to indoor use, and screw in bases, which are ideal for outdoor mounting. The magnetic bases feel sturdy but the screw in bases have a 3-piece design with parts feeling less substantial. Furthermore, adjustment is limited as there is no slot like generic mounts that allow placement up to 90 degrees from the mounting bracket.
As of November 12, Anker added RTSP functionality and the ability to store clips directly to a NAS. If you have a way to plug the cameras into USB power while keeping them safe from the elements, Anker says they can operate in a continuous recording mode. One would assume this would mean this is using RTSPS or a NAS as continuous recording would quickly fill up the integrated 16GB eMMC. Geofencing and an iPad version of the app are slated for release before the end of 2019. A web management portal is slated for release early January 2020 as well. Furthermore, Anker has stated they plan to develop a solar panel for Eufycam early 2020. Even if nothing else stood out about Eufycam, one thing should. Anker is serious about making Eufycam a strong contender. They are very open to feedback, are accessible and easy to contact, and are rapidly improving the product.
Performance
The range of the cameras will vary wildly based on your local conditions, but with the base station using Wi-Fi, you shouldn’t have any problems installing cameras anywhere in the average sized home. Being wireless and battery powered does come with some caveats. Fast motion can sometimes be missed as the object has left the frame by the time the camera has turned fully on from its lower power mode. This is a tradeoff with battery powered cameras and Anker has worked to try to alleviate that some by start recording as soon as possible, which results in the start of recordings being more block with lighting being less accurate and audio a bit strange. Shortly after leaving low power mode the cameras will settle down and things will clear up. This is not unique to Eufycam.
The range of the cameras will vary wildly based on your local conditions, but with the base station using Wi-Fi, you shouldn’t have any problems installing cameras anywhere in the average sized home. Being wireless and battery powered does come with some caveats. Fast motion can sometimes be missed as the object has left the frame by the time the camera has turned fully on from its lower power mode. This is a tradeoff with battery powered cameras and Anker has worked to try to alleviate that some by start recording as soon as possible, which results in the start of recordings being more block with lighting being less accurate and audio a bit strange. Shortly after leaving low power mode the cameras will settle down and things will clear up. This is not unique to Eufycam.
As part of the tradeoff for wireless convenience, sometimes videos can show some compression artifacts or slight signal issues. Regardless, the system adjusts things to make sure they work reliably even if not always at max quality. The result is a clear picture with good color balance and clarity during the day and respectable night vision for battery powered cameras that can be easily improved with a little bit of lighting. Some occasional ghosting, where people partially disappeared or appeared in parts, occurred when someone quickly moved in sight of the camera and there wasn’t enough light. People are recognizable up to about 60 feet in daylight and around 10-15 feet at night. You can still see them beyond 10-15 feet, but you might not be able to recognize them depending on overall lighting.
The human and face detection really comes in handy for reducing false alerts. You can configure multiple motion detection boxes in the app but without the AI you would still be notified of simple things like swaying branches. By keeping processing local, not only to you improve privacy, but recognition is very fast and doesn’t even need a fast connection. By keeping processing and recording local, you also avoid the problem of cloud cameras that require a fast internet connection. Unlike cloud based smart cameras, detection and classification is near instantaneous. This can come in handy as you won’t have wait for the video to upload and get processed before you get notified a person is in your back yard. The AI will also take a snapshot of the first face it sees but Anker states they are working to optimize this as well. One could hope this means it will eventually take snapshots of everyone recognized.
What is even more surprising is how good the audio quality is for conversations. While breezes can affect the quality of audio recordings easily, conversations are very clear and crisp. Once you get the hang of how to use the app, it is quite easy to hold a conversation with someone standing in front of the camera and for them to clearly understand you. Other wireless cameras have struggled with this. The camera speaker is not only loud enough to conversation but also work as an alarm. You can set the cameras to sound an alarm based on motion or if a camera is moved, such as when someone is tampering with it.
A bonus feature is Alexa and Google Assistance integration. Although support for other smart platforms would be nice, it is still nice to be able to ask Google to show a camera on your Nest Hub or Chromecast device just using your voice. Launch times are noticeably slower than when viewing video via the app. Hopefully this is just a matter of Anker optimizing their software in future releases.
Final Thoughts
Anker might be a relative newcomer to the security camera space but the commitment to constant improvement shows they are serious about getting your business. There are still some slight rough edges in operation and future promises but judging based on their 2 firmware updates and the app updates that have been installed in the 5 days of ownership it seems like Anker will be one of those companies to follow through. If you are looking for the convenience of fully wireless security cameras, don’t like paying subscriptions to keep features working, and don’t like charging cameras frequently, then you should give the Eufycam 2 a serious look. Anker has done a commendable job of minimizing the limitations of the technology to offer a convenient solution.
Anker might be a relative newcomer to the security camera space but the commitment to constant improvement shows they are serious about getting your business. There are still some slight rough edges in operation and future promises but judging based on their 2 firmware updates and the app updates that have been installed in the 5 days of ownership it seems like Anker will be one of those companies to follow through. If you are looking for the convenience of fully wireless security cameras, don’t like paying subscriptions to keep features working, and don’t like charging cameras frequently, then you should give the Eufycam 2 a serious look. Anker has done a commendable job of minimizing the limitations of the technology to offer a convenient solution.
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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.
+2points
2of 2voted this comment as helpful.
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.
0points
0of 0voted this comment as helpful.
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.
0points
0of 0voted this comment as helpful.
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.
0points
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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.
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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.
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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.
Overall4 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
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Hi, I bought this laptop. I don't know how to activate windows 10 included. Thanks
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