Tag Archives: review

Posted on by

Our Initial Impressions of Aftershokz Titanium Bluetooth Headphones

We ran into Aftershokz at CES 2015 and 2016. This year they sent us a sample to review after the show. aftershocks 3 colors

We have had them for a day or so and are impressed. They sound good for playing music, listening to movies. I also tried them to talk on with my smart phone and they work rather well. To check out their website and products out go to–> AFTERSHOKZ

According to Aftershokz:
THE AFTERSHOKZ WAY

Bone conduction is a natural part of the hearing process—sound travels through our eardrums and bones simultaneously. We’ve taken the concept to the next level through development of a suite of proprietary audio technologies and design patents. The result: headphones that deliver unrivaled situational awareness and comfort.

HOW THEY WORK

Transducers guide mini vibrations through the cheekbones to the inner ears, delivering sound without plugging or covering them

Bone_conduction_copy_large

They come in 3 colors, we received the black or dark gray ones and are impressed by their style, design and the quality seems nice.

aftershoks logo

They seem to be rather innovative and interesting and are great for talking on the phone while driving which is safer than holding the phone, during sports like running and biking. Aftershokz headphones are sturdy and sweat resistant as well.

We would definitely recommend them to people that do outdoor activities or for conversations on your smartphone or for use at the gymnasium.

Here is an interesting graphic showing the internal design of the awesome Aftershokz headphones:
a1 Feature_2_7aeaa891-b346-49a9-87f8-aeb126042767

About Aftershokz:

AfterShokz brings patented bone conduction technology, initially developed for military special operations and law enforcement by Voxtech in 2001, to sport, mobile and Bluetooth® headphones designed and priced for everyday use. Through a suite of proprietary audio technologies and the only completely open ear design, AfterShokz headphones deliver premium stereo sound and a promise of safety and comfort that is second to none. Since its inception in 2011, the company has been committed to innovating unconventionally and making situational awareness a priority. Learn more about how the brand inspires users to #beopen and #hearitall at aftershokz.com.

zzz black_27dafb53-f21e-4f45-aa07-c68e71f39baa_large

Posted on by

Our Review of Toughtested’s USB Cable and Charger!

tough logo

We recently ran into the folks at Tough Tested, a Mizco company, at CES 2016. They sent us 2 products to test, and are sending us some Bluetooth headphones soon as well. We recently received a rugged usb cable and a usb wall charger for usb devices.

Not only are the products nice, I really like their rugged packaging as well. The cable for usb is strong, and flexible and seems well made and rugged. It is a nice product.

tough cable boxtough cabletough charger

The wall charger is also solid, rubberized and seems to be well made. We were impressed by both. In my perception, anyone that needs rugged accessories, speakers and headphones ought to heavily consider Toughtested’s products. We had also tried a set of their wired in ear headphones too last year, and they are also very nice. They sound good and stay in the ears very well. One can also use them with their built in Microphone to talk to people and do conference calls as well. If you need nice, rugged devices or know someone that works in construction, the military, Law enforcement or a Fire Department, I would recommend Toughtested’s products. We love them and would love to test more devices.

 

For more information go to Toughtested’s website or Amazon.toughtested headphones

Posted on by

Solidoodle Press-Preview !!

We were given a Solidoodle Press to test and review and use to help autism too for a bit.

sdoodle press review

So far we are impressed by the design and its’ compact size.

We like that it is a fully enclosed device.

According to Solidoodle:

The Solidoodle Press is a one-touch 3D printer designed to fit in your home. A consumer machine with no manual calibration required to get started. Just take it out of the box and start printing with our new SoliPrint software.

Product Comparison: Not sure what to buy? Check out our comparison chart to see which printer is right for you.

Filament: The Solidoodle Press has a proprietary spool. While you can use other filament, we recommend Solidoodle filament for your printer.

Warranty: All printers come with a limited warranty.

SoliCare: Extend your warranty coverage with SoliCare! For coverage above and beyond our standard warranty, SoliCare covers any defects or malfunctions in your new Solidoodle Press printer shipped within the United States for one year after it ships to you, whether due to manufacturing, shipping, normal wear and tear, or accident.

International Shipping: For international orders, customs fees, import taxes and VAT may apply and are not included in the shipping costs charged by Solidoodle. Please note that we cannot estimate your country’s import taxes at this time. For an estimate we suggest using this Duty Calculator.

We have been able to print some small objects with the printer and are working on a review of it.

We appreciate receiving the printer and look forward to future testing and reviewing of it.

We would love to test and review other 3d printers and drones as well. In terms of the design of the printer, it is very appealing to look at and would fit in well in ones home or office.

There are several options as far as the software, you can use Soliprint, Solidoodle’s proprietary software, Mattercontrol from Matterhackers, Simplify 3d or Repetier with a slicer like sl3cr.

 

Posted on by

The Yezz Monaco 47 Windows Smartphone

We recently had the opportunity to review the Yezz Monaco 47.

If you like Windows phones then you will really like this phone.

See more info at YEZZ!

yez mon 47 pcit 1

Overall we liked it a great deal.

On the plus side it offers:

–> A nice quality camera for videos and photos
–> A nice design, it feels good in the hand
–> It is very light weight, almost surprisingly light
–> It comes with several backs and acccessories
–> It performed well as a business phone

yezz 2

yezz 3

On the downside:

–>It could use a longer battery life, it is not bad, but could be better
–>It could be faster
–>The sound level over speakerphone and blue tooth though decent,could be a bit louder.

Here are the detailed specifications:

Height: 5.35
Width: 2.65
Depth: 0.28
Weight: 4.23
Network: GSM Quad Band 850/900/1800/1900
2G Networks: Dual SIM Quad Band 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
3G Networks: HSPA Connection – 850/1900 MHz Bands
Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi / Hotspot / Wi-Fi Direct
Headphone: Jack stereo
Connectivity: EDGE/GPRS/3G Connection
SIM Card: Dual SIM (Mini SIM)
Screen Size: 720 x 1280 pixels, 4.7 inches
Memory Card Slot: microSD, up to 128 GB
Internal Memory: 8 GB, 1 GB RAM
Camera: 13 MP Primary Camera/5 MP Front Camera
Bluetooth: v4.0, A2DP
Extra Features: panorama
Battery: Li-Ion 1550 mAh battery
Stand-by battery time: Up to 480 h (2G) / Up to 350 h (3G)
Talk time battery time: Up to 16 h (2G) / Up to 7 h 30 min (3G)
USB: Yes, microUSB
Radio: FM Radio
Games: Yes
Flashlight: Yes
Video: Yes
Music/Video player: Yes
Java: No
Analog TV: No
Multimedia Player: Yes
Organizer: Yes
Calendar: Yes
3.5 mm jack: Yes
GPS: Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS
Predictive Text Input: Yes
Sound Recorder: Yes
Calculator: Yes
Stopwatch: Yes
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1
Sensors: Accelerometer, proximity, compass
MP4/WMV/H.264 player: Yes
MP3/WAV/eAAC+ player: Yes
Google Search, Maps, Gmail: Yes
YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa: Yes
Voice memo/dial: Yes

I have been using it as a daily driver for several weeks and it has performed well.

I was able to do all of my work related things with the phone with few complaints and it has performed solidly overall.

I have used other Windows phones and I would rank it up there with the best of them.

I would definitely recommend the device to anyone who needs a Windows smart phone with a nice design and style.

I appreciated the opportunity to test and review this nice device and overall I liked it.

In comparison to the Lumia devices, this one definitely held its’ own.

yezz 2

I would definitely consider YEZZ and its’ devices for future phone needs.

I found a nice unboxing video on Youtube with regards to the Monaco 47–>

Watch this video on YouTube.

Posted on by

Our summary of Woosh Cleaner!

Whoosh! Tech Tag

We have run into Woosh! at a bunch of events over the years. We spoke with the Woosh! folks recently at CES 2015, and they sent us a sample to evaluate. We were impressed, it worked well, did some nice cleaning for a variety of our devices!

We have used it off and on for a few years as well. It is a cleaner, that helps to prevent fingerprints and it cleans devices as well.

I use it for cleaning tablets, phones, eye glasses and lcd displays.

According to Woosh!

What is WHOOSH! Screen Shine? WHOOSH!® Screen Shine® is the next generation screen cleaner that not only cleans screens but makes them shine like new and provides a resistance to fingerprints. In fact, WHOOSH! Screen Shine is the ONLY screen and device cleaner that is guaranteed safe for all screens, 100% non-toxic, and fingerprint resistant. WHOOSH! is perfect for multi-touch and regular monitors, mobile devices, and consumer electronics including Apple Retina® displays, TFT, Glass, LCD, Plasma, OLED, UltraHD, CRT, Eink, and Ultra HD screens. TV’s, etc.

The importance of Tech Hygiene

• Maintaining personal cleanliness doesn’t end with washing our hands anymore. It should extend to our screens & devices as we touch them all day long – We take them to bed, touch them right after we eat, and some people even use them in the bathroom. Research shows that 82% of mobile phones have some form of bacterial contamination. (Source: London School of Hygiene & Topical Medicine, University of London)

• WHOOSH! removes dirt, dust, grime, makeup and skin oils while leaving a nano-thin, invisible coating that resists fingerprints and dirt buildup. Safe for You and Your Family

• WHOOSH! ingredients are reviewed and certified non-toxic by NSF International so there are no harmful residues transferred to your fingers to worry about.

• WHOOSH! is alcohol and ammonia free. It does not contain acids, chlorine, solvents, petroleum distillates, phosphates, or VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds).

• WHOOSH! is also anti-static, and haze and streak free. • WHOOSH! is made with biodegradable surfactants. GUARANTEED – Safe for your Screens

• GUARANTEED Safe for your Screen – Won’t damage, etch or chemically harm ANY of your screens or OEM coatings. • The only screen cleaner that will stand behind the product with a “Safe for your Screen” guarantee.

• Should a screen get damaged using our product, we will repair the screen or replace the device at no cost. Great for Gamers • Allows gamers’ fingers to breeze across the screen faster and with less friction

So if you want to try some for your self there are a few varieties:

Product SKUs WHOOSH! Screen Shine is available in a variety of sizes and ships with a 6”x6” anti-microbial screen cleaning microfiber cloth:

• Pocket (.3 fluid ounces)

• On-the-Go (1 fluid ounce)

• Duo+ (one 3.4 fluid ounce bottle and one .3 fluid ounce bottle)

Retailers WHOOSH! Screen Shine is available online at http://www.whooshscreenshine.com and Amazon.com, and is also currently available at select retail stores including Fry’s Electronics and Restoration

SURE,
IT’S A LITTLE GROSS,
BUT HERE’S
THE GOOD NEWS…

We perform ATP tests
on phones and screens
regularly and the findings,
well, they’re gross

WHOOSH! quickly
and easily cleans
the grossness away,
leaving a fingerprint
resistant shine.
Use it every day

We like it, and it is a great product!

Posted on by

Manfrotto Fluid video aluminum monopod

We recently had the opportunity to review Manfrotto’s Fluid video aluminum monopod. To put it mildy, we were very impressed.

Fluid video aluminum monopod with plateIt was really easy to use and quite portable as well.

If I could afford one, I would buy one now and use it all of the time.

According to Manfrotto:

DESCRIPTION

The 562B-1 is a compact and high 4-section aluminium fluid monopod equipped with a 357PLV sliding camera plate adapter to adjust the camera’s center of balance. This fluid monopod is ideal for camcorders up to 17.6lb (8kg).

I really like the little feet on the bottom. I have used other monopod’s in the past, but this is the king or monopods, larger, more stable and it is easy to use. I am tall, over 6 feet, so I appreciate a monopod that extends long enough for me to use.

I tested the monopod with a Nikon J1, and it worked perfectly for all of the photo’s I had the chance to take with it. I also used it at CES 2015, and received all kinds of positive comments about the “cool monopod” according to other news folks and bloggers that I ran into at the event.

I also took it hiking and due to its durability it was effective as a walking stick as well on the trail too. I feel that anyone who is into outdoor adventuring, hunting, motorcycling or out door activities would love the Manfrotto  Fluid video aluminum monopod. I was really impressed with its design, durability and utility.

It combined a high level of utility with superb aesthetics and function.

That said, the panning action is smooth, and because it happens at the base, with practice, you have better control over the stability of the monopod while panning since both hands can create that movement, and you’re not having to use one hand to simply keep the monopod still while you pan with the other. You can, and should, use your whole body to make the pan. Tilt control is very nice as well and just as good as say a 701

The ‘bridging’ head is a great hybrid system, allowing quick release that us videographers are used to, plus the ability to click it back in place with quick fore and aft positioning.

The ball at the bottom is nice and stiff enough to let the monopod stand in place without holding on to it (but don’t walk too far away from it with your camera on it 🙂

For more information go to http://www.manfrotto.us/fluid-video-aluminum-monopod-with-plate

I wholeheartedly recommend Manfrotto for your tripod and lighting needs and am a huge fan.

Posted on by

Our view of the Manfrotto LED Light – Mini-24 Continuous

We recently had the opportunity to test and review Manfrotto’s LED Light – Mini-24 light. I am very impressed by the quality of their products.

manfrml240.1

According to Manfrotto http://www.manfrotto.com/led-light-mini-24-continuous-220lxat1m-ml240
512gbJtl3EL
zz51P-fKySsIL
They say:
DESCRIPTION

The ML240 Mini LED light is small enough to fit in a camera case or small bag, but fully-featured enough for versatile use with compact cameras and smartphones. It can be hand held, mounted on a flash hotshoe or fitted to any number of Manfrotto supports via its standard ¼” thread.

The ML240’s 24 LEDs emit continuous light at a constant temperature of 5600°K (daylight), with an illuminance of 220 LUX at a distance of 1m. Its infinitely variable dimmer allows precise control over light output and exposure. The ML240 is a useful compact light, often less harsh than an on-camera flash for photos of subjects close to the camera and good for very low-light close-up video shots, or for specific, quick off-camera applications like macro photography. When fitted onto a DSLR shoe, a handy 3200K LED lights your camera controls to assist you in low light conditions.

I tried it out in a couple of different environments and as well as subject matter. I used it at an Ice Rink outside to shoot video of people on the ice and for photos as well.

It was quite effective in removing shadows and improving contrast, and making the images look better.

I could see how if one was shooting video they might want 3 of the wee lights one for each side and one on the camera or one directly behind the camera.

I also used one of the Mini 24’s for close up photography of items around the office to see how they worked. I was impressed by the overall quality.

The Manfrotto ML240 Mini-24 LED Panel is a LED light that attaches to your DSLR, Micro Four Thirds, or other compact camera, for shooting video under 5600K daylight. The Mini light features a shoe mount at the bottom for attachment to the hot shoe of your camera, and the shoe mount features a 1/4″ thread underneath it for attachment to various 1/4″ gear, such as articulating arms.
There is also an accessory that one can get to mount the light as well for cameras without a hot shoe to hold the light.See (http://www.manfrotto.us/product/24329.1108711.58969.1108724.0/MTPIXI-B/_/PIXI_Mini_Tripod_Black). The Pixi is a small solution for mounting it.
pixi manfroto

Overall I was impressed by the Mini-24’s size, design, light weight and its’ utility for improving the quality of videos and photographs.
It made the objects being photographed look more natural and reduced shadowing as well.

I was impressed as well by an accessory that I found on the internet that will allow you to use the Manfrotto Mini-24 with a smart phone as well called the Klyp. I did not get to test it, but it seems to allow you to video and take photos from your smart phone with the video light. It would be great to have one of the devices to use with my smart phone for photos. It would be really nice for trade shows to shoot a quick product video as well like at CES 2015.

klyp accessory

My opinion of the Manfrotto Mini-24 Led is quite high. I would definitely recommend it for anyone that needs to shoot video or take photos from a compact system camera or SLR camera or a smart phone and needs a simple but easy to use solution for improving the lighting in the scenes that are being photographed or video’d.

Posted on by

The Nokia 1020 Hands on with the Device!

Summary:

My first impression of the Nokia Lumia 1020 was very positive. I liked how it felt in the hand especially compared to most of the competitive devices which are more flat and square. I liked the rounded corners.

Rounded Corners

Rounded Corners

In addition, I liked the selection of available colors. I was testing the white one, which is quite nice, but personally if I adopted one I would prefer yellow or blue, and the more mat surface.

From my perception and researching it’s sister products on the internet and at–> http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/mobile/phones/all/?catalog_mode=grid&dcmpid=bmc-src-google.Brand I found that it has the same 4,5 inch AMOLED Puremotion HD+ displaythe Lumia 925, and although the body looks a lot like the Nokia Lumia 920, it weighs only 152 grams – despite the big camera sensor attached to it.

I had tested a few other entry level products such as the Nokia 635 and 530 which were decent products for their price point and feature set, but I was really impressed by the Nokia 1020. I have always used mostly Android  devices and have tested  Blackberry and Apple products, but I was  actually surprised at how nice Windows 8.1 was running on this Smartphone.

In regards to its specifications it  is 129 x 71,4 x 10,9 mm and 14,5 mm at the thickest part which would be the lens.  In addition it has a 1,5Ghz dual core processor and 2GB of internal (RAM) memory. Like the Nokia Lumia 920 it has 32GB internal storage and no room for a micro-SD card. The “High Capacity” battery offers 2000 mAh. I feel that the battery life though it could be better, was decent. I was also using a demo phone that had been tested and used by others as well so it could have skewed the results  a bit.

Here are some examples of the variety of colors found in Nokia Devices, the 1o20 is on the far left.

nokia colors

 

I found this interesting and thought provoking graphic on Nokia’s forums with regards to the nokia 1020 that talks about and illustrates the features and capabilities of the device as well(It was illustrated by Jing Zhang a talented illustrator it seems)–>

NokiaLumia1020infographic

According to Nokia here are its specifications:

Specifications

  • Display

    • Display size: 4.5 ”
    • Display technology: ClearBlack, OLED
    • Touch screen technology: Super sensitive touch

  • Photography

    • Main camera sensor: 41 MP, PureView
    • Secondary camera: HD 1.2 MP wide angle
    • Flash type: Xenon flash

  • Power management

    • Maximum talk time (2G): 8.2 h
    • Maximum talk time (3G): 12.5 h
    • Maximum music playback time: 53 h

  • Processor

    • Processor name: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ S4
    • Processor type: Dual-core 1.5 GHz

    In reality I found that the phone was snappy in its performance, though there are devices with faster processors available the Nokia 1020 performed well in my testing of it.

    I found that its business applications were impressive. The email application worked very well, it reminded me of the email application found on the Blackberry z10 and z30. I think that anyone coming from Blackberry would really like the phone a great deal. It also offers windows applications which work well and integrate well from the user experience in Desktop Windows 8.

    I think that the main application screen which has the live tiles is as good as Apples IOS software, I wish it has widgets like Android  but the live tiles seem halfway between Android and IOS in terms of their operations.

    The customization of the devices was quite nice. I really liked how windows 8.1 performed on the phone.

    I think that the second screen which is found by swiping to the left can be improved a bit, it is a column of words, which could be improved by using icons or having 2 or 3 columns which is not a big deal but a personal impression.

    Camera-Photo and video:

    I found that this phone has the best camera that I have seen on a smartphone and for that matter many point and shoot cameras as well.

    As they say a picture is worth a thousand words:

    Here is a sample video I shot on it recently–>

     

    Watch this video on YouTube.

    and another at a Breast Cancer Event that Olivia Newton John was Speaking at in Las Vegas at the Linq Observation Wheel–>

    Watch this video on YouTube.

    The video quality was quite nice, but what really impressed my was the sound quality.

    Overall I was highly impressed by the Nokia Lumia 1020. I would love to test and review more of their products as they launched into the marketplace.

    The only thing that could be better is the number of applications available from the Application Store as well as the battery life. I can hardly wait for later iterations of Windows Phone to see where they improve it. If the serious  improvement of Windows 8.1 phone versus Windows Phone 7.5 and Windows phone 8 is any indication as it appears to be, then the best is definitely yet to come! We could at some point see an upset in the market versus its competition IOS, Android and Blackberry OS’s.

    Here are some sample  photos as well:

    First a close up of a 20 dollar bill to show its macro abilities and some nice distance shots. As you can see the quality of the images and the color rendition is very nice for a camera or camera phone for the matter.

    WP_20141002_17_49_32_Pro

 

WP_20141001_17_35_15_1_Pro

WP_20141006_10_30_30_Raw

Posted on by

Sharp launches a new 60″ and 70″ 4k tv.

 

Sharp Debuts New Ultra HD TVs

Posted Fri Jun 27, 2014 at 02:30 PM PDT by 

Sharp 4K NewsTwo new 4K models are coming later this year.

At CE week in New York, Sharp demoed its latest 4K display series. The UD27 line will come in 60-inch and 70-inch models and both will feature a resolution of 3840×2160.

“Over the last three years Sharp has led the transformation of the home viewing experience with the introductions of 60″, 70″, 80″ and 90″ class screen sizes and unique picture quality technologies such as Quattron and Q+,” says John Herrington, President, Sharp Electronics Marketing Corporation of America. “Our new Sharp AQUOS 4K Ultra HD LED TV couples the most popular large screen sizes with the finest high resolution picture technology.”

The UD27 displays feature Sharp’s SmartCentral 3.0 Smart TV platform. SPECTROS Rich Color Display technology for a wider color gamut, an AquoDimming option for enhanced contrast, and the company’s Revelation Upscaler. Likewise, the televisions are expected to include THX 4K picture certification. HDMI 2.0 connections are integrated as well and the TVs will support the HEVC (H.265) codec for 4K streaming.

Sharp’s 60-inch LC60UD27U ($2,999) and 70-inch LC70UD27U ($4,499) are expected to start shipping in September.

Source: Sharp via Business Wire

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.