The DJI Neo is a tiny 4K camera drone which can take off and land from the palm of your hand. It has a number of autonomous flight modes, with intelligent subject tracking that can easily create so-called Smart Snaps. For example use the Mode button to choose Follow, then press and hold the same button with the drone on your outstretched arm and the drone will lock onto your … [Read more...]
Olight Perun 3 Head Lamp Review
The Olight Perun 3, now with 3000 lumens of output and an additional red light, is an upgrade to the popular and versatile Perun 2 released well over 3 years ago. It’s a very useful worklight with its right angle head, pocket clip and magnetic base. But it’s also supplied with a headband which makes it a compelling head torch too. I’ll run through its features and … [Read more...]
Mammotion Luba 2 Review | Best Robot Lawn Mower?
Mammotion’s Luba 2 is a feature rich wire free robot lawnmower, with centimetre accurate enhanced GPS; smart obstacle avoidance with ultrasonic radar, a 3D vision camera and a physical bumper; advanced off-road capabilities; 400mm cutting width with 8 blades on 2 spinning plates and efficient mowing route algorithms that can even print artwork and text right onto your … [Read more...]
Bluetti AC200PL 2400W 2304Wh Review | Most Powerful Power Station with 1200W Solar | Upgraded AC200L
The Bluetti AC200PL has 4 2400W AC outlets, super fast 2400W mains charging, up to 1200W solar charging and a massive 2304Wh long lasting LFP or LiFePO4 battery. It’s the most capable power station I’ve looked at so far. It’d be perfect for home backup, an RV or campervan or even a complete off-grid setup. I’ll run through its capabilities and thoroughly test all its claims … [Read more...]
Hoto Electric Precision Screwdriver Pro Kit Review vs iFixit | Gadget of the Week EP03
The Hoto Precision Screwdriver Kit Pro is an electric screwdriver and repair kit for electronic devices like laptops and mobile phones but I’ve also used it for 3D printers and general repairs around the house. Basically anything with small screws and bolts including glasses, watches and childrens’ toys. Overview In the box you get the screwdriver in a clamshell … [Read more...]
Hohem iSteady M6 Smartphone Gimbal Review | The Good and Bad
The Hohem iSteady M6 is a 3-axis smartphone gimbal with a 360° infinite horizontal pan axis, an OLED display and up to 18 hours of battery life. It has a magnetic reversible AI sensor for app-independant face tracking that doubles as a RGB fill light. I’ll provide an overview of the gimbal before going through 7 things I love about this gimbal, and 5 things I’m not so … [Read more...]
The Best Portable Tyre Inflator from only $10? Find the Perfect Emergency Pump for a Bicycle or Car
I’m testing 8 portable electric tyre inflators that will quickly and easily pump up your car, motorbike and bicycle tyres. They mostly have digital pressure gauge displays, so they’re not only useful for roadside emergencies, they’re also convenient for keeping your tyres at the correct pressure. Overview Budget Aliexpress Tyre Inflator Let’s start with the cheapest … [Read more...]
Olight Prowess Review | The Perfect Camping Torch? | 5000 Lumens, Lantern Mode
The Olight Prowess is an interesting new torch from Olight. It has a massive 5000 lumen floody main output, but what makes it stand out is its 800 lumen secondary lamp. This ring light sits underneath its relatively large head and has a soft white light. A sort of lantern mode, which could be perfect for camping. I’ll run through its features and thoroughly test all its … [Read more...]
Sharge Shargeek 140 100W Compact Portable Charger | MacBook Pro Power Bank? | Gadget of the Week EP02
[Currently this is only available on Kickstarter with $20 off: https://sharge-1.kckb.me/fef79082. It should be on Amazon soon]. The Sharge Shargeek 140 can fast charge almost every gadget you own including a lot of the latest laptops, and it looks impressive with its transparent design and a colour smart display. I’ll test it to its limits to see if it can meet its marketing … [Read more...]
Mellif Milwaukee, Dewalt, Makita Air Duster / Compact Blower Review | Gadget of the Week EP01
The Mellif portable battery operated air duster is an alternative to using expensive compressed air cans, a compressor air blower or a mains air duster. I’ll see how the Mellif compares to all these other options. Compressed air has limitless uses, from blowing out dust from your keyboard or the inside of your computer, to cleaning stray dust from intricate components like a … [Read more...]
Insta360 Ace Pro Review After 3 Months | A Compelling GoPro Alternative
The Insta360 Ace Pro is a wide-angle action camera with a large 1/1.3” sensor for improved low light performance, up to 8K video resolution, a 2.4” flip screen and some really quite impressive AI features. I’ve been using the Ace Pro almost non-stop for 3 months now and have recorded hours of footage. I'm going to cover 5 things I like about this camera and 5 things I’m not … [Read more...]
Olight Javelot Torch Review | A Compact Thrower (Long Range Beam) | 1350 Lumens, 730 Metre
The Olight Javelot is a relatively compact 1350 lumen torch with an impressive 730 metre focused beam, magnetic charging and both a side and programmable tail switch for everyday and tactical use. I’ll run through all its features and thoroughly test all its claims to find out if it’s the right torch for you. Overview The Javelot comes with a hard nylon reinforced … [Read more...]
Creality Ferret Pro Review | Entry Level 3D Scanner | Is it any good?
The Creality Ferret Pro is a 3D scanner that can convert real world objects into 3D models that you can 3D print, use in gaming and virtual environments or reverse engineer to create custom parts. They did cost thousands of pounds but prices have dropped considerably. This scanner can create detailed models with original colour information, both wired to your computer but … [Read more...]
xTool S1 Review – best laser I’ve tested so far | Fully enclosed, 40W
The xTool S1 40W is the most impressive and safest laser I’ve reviewed so far. It can cut wood up to 20mm thick and engrave at 36,000mm/minute or 600mm/s. And the laser module can move up and down on a motorised z-axis, which combined with its built-in touch probe provides auto-focus and a few other clever tricks. Its integrated enclosure can only operate with the lid closed … [Read more...]
22 Last Minute Gift Ideas for Anyone! | From $10 to $500
I’ve pored over all the tech and gadgets I’ve had my hands on in 2023 and have come up with a list of some of my favourites. I have something for every budget, from £10 to £500. Whether it’s a gift for someone else or yourself, hopefully this list might help. So in ascending order of price, let’s get started! I’ve reviewed plenty of torches, but the Olight i3E is a great … [Read more...]
Bluetti AC70 Review 1000W Portable Power Station | Best Budget Option?
The Bluetti AC70 (UK, US) is a well priced, well spec’d portable power station. It has two 1000W AC outlets, super fast 950W mains charging, 500W solar charging when mains isn’t available and a 768Wh long lasting LiFePO4 battery. This might just be the perfect power station for a lot of people. I’ll run through its capabilities and thoroughly test all its claims to help you … [Read more...]
Olight Warrior X 4 Review, an Almost Perfect Pocket Torch | 2600 Lumens, 630m Range, USB-C Charging
Spring sale up to 40% off (until 31st March 2024)! Use my code MAR6 to get an additional £5 off – on top of sale prices! The Olight Warrior X 4 is marketed as a tactical torch, but it has far wider appeal. Its powerful 2600 lumen beam is nothing special, but its impressive range of 630 metres, with just the right amount of spill - the slightly dimmer light around the central … [Read more...]
Olight Baton 4 Premium Review | Tiny 1300 Lumen EDC Torch with Charging Case
Christmas sale up to 40% off! Use my code DEC12 to get an additional £5 off - on top of sale prices! The Baton 3 came out joint top with the Fenix E18R V2 in my best pocket torch for every day carry (EDC) roundup. The Baton 4 torch is a relatively minor upgrade but the new optional charging case has some great new features which makes this one of my favourite all round … [Read more...]
Insta360 GO 3 Tiny Action Camera Review after 4 Months | 5 Pros, 5 Cons
(Since I reviewed this camera, it also now comes in Midnight Black which would be my choice - it looks very nice! The Insta360 GO 3 is the successor to one of my favourite action cameras, the tiny, thumb sized 26g GO 2. It has improved image quality, longer battery life and most noticeably it now comes with the Action Pod - a camera dock with a super-responsive flip screen … [Read more...]
AlgoLaser Delta 22W Laser Engraver Cutter Review | Touch Screen, Smart Air Assist
(6th December 2023: use the code Xmas150 to get $150 off this laser until 31st December 2023. My readers also get a free material pack.) The AlgoLaser Delta is a 22W laser cutter and engraver with a built-in touch screen, WiFi, smart air assist pump and speeds of up to 30,000mm/min making it the fastest laser I’ve tested so far. I’ll run through its features and … [Read more...]
Olight Arkfield Pro review – laser, UV and 1300 lumen white light in one slim EDC torch
Overview The Olight Arkfield Pro is a rather unique torch. The first thing you notice is its mostly flat design. But it also has three emitters: a 1300 lumens white LED, a green laser pointer and a UV LED. Olight do have non-pro versions of this torch, but you’ll need to choose between either the green laser or UV LED together with the white light. The Pro gives you all … [Read more...]
Creality K1 Max Detailed Review | Big, Fast, AI | The Perfect 3D Printer?
The Creality K1 Max is one of a new breed of fully enclosed, super fast 3D printers. It comes pretty much ready assembled and requires almost no setup. It has WiFi, Ethernet and a webcam built in which makes starting and monitoring prints extremely easy. It uses its webcam and a LIDAR sensor for a number of AI features intended to improve print quality and reduce failed … [Read more...]
EcoFlow Glacier Detailed Review | Portable Battery Fridge Freezer Ice Maker | 12V, AC, DC
The EcoFlow Glacier is a 38L portable dual zone fridge freezer with a built-in ice cube maker that can make ice cubes in just 12 minutes. It can run entirely off a 298Wh Li-ion battery, solar panels, a 12 or 24V car outlet or mains. The removable battery can also be used standalone as a compact battery pack with 100W USB-C charging. The Glacier can be controlled and monitored … [Read more...]
Olight Seeker 4 Pro Review | The Perfect Torch?
The Olight Seeker 4 Pro torch has a massive 4600 lumen output torch, yet it’s still small enough to comfortably fit in your jacket pocket. It’s an update to the very popular Seeker 3 Pro, with a little extra brightness and a new USB-C charging option. I’ve done a roundup of pocket torches and and I’ve also done a roundup of keychain torches which introduces any … [Read more...]
Bluetti AC180 Review | Best 1800W Power Station Solar Generator? | + Bluetti 350W PV350 Solar Panel
The Bluetti AC180 (UK, US) has two 1800W AC outlets, super fast 1440W mains charging and a 1152Wh long lasting LiFePO4 battery. This is a mid-sized power station - probably the best size of unit for a lot of people if you have the funds - it’s powerful enough to run almost anything and still fairly portable. I’ll compare it to my current favourite option in this category - the … [Read more...]
Olight Baton 3 Pro Max EDC Torch Review | 2500 lumens, Magnesium | The Good & Not So Good!
The Olight Baton 3 Pro Max is a compact EDC or Every Day Carry torch made of a lightweight magnesium alloy with a 2500 lumen turbo mode. More importantly for most people, Olight claims it can maintain its 800 lumen high mode for up to four hours thanks to its larger 5000mAh 21700 Lithium-ion battery. I’ll test its lumen and runtime claims and run through all its features. I’ll … [Read more...]
xTool D1 Pro 40W Laser Engraver Review | What can it do? | + Air Assist & Enclosure
Black Friday Sale now on with some decent discounts! If you purchase directly from xTool using the links at the bottom of this page, you can save an extra 10% using my code: TechMan and it helps support my YouTube channel and website - thank you! The xTool D1 Pro 40W is the most powerful laser I’ve tested by some margin. It can supposedly cut up to 20mm softwood and 18mm … [Read more...]
Shokz OpenFit Open-Ear True Wireless Earbuds Review | My new favourite running earbuds!
The Shokz OpenFit are open-ear true wireless earbuds from the company that are best known for their bone conduction headphones. Bone conduction headphones, like their OpenRun Pro, send vibrations through your cheekbones just in front of your ears. They sound pretty good, but most in-ear headphones will sound better. OpenFit don’t use bone conduction technology. They use … [Read more...]
Bluetti EB70 1000W Portable Power Station + PV200 Solar Panel Review
The Bluetti EB70 portable power station has two 1000W AC outlets, two 100W USB power delivery outputs and a long lasting 716Wh LFP or LiFePO4 battery. These power stations are perfect for power cuts, camping, travel and festivals and around the house and out and about to charge all your tech. And the EB70 can charge at up to 200W off solar panels when mains isn’t … [Read more...]
EcoFlow Blade Robotic Lawn Mower & Sweeper Review
The EcoFlow Blade is a robot lawn mower and lawn sweeper brimming with technology. It has a camera and LIDAR sensor to detect obstacles, centimetre accurate enhanced GPS for defining lawn borders without wires and omnidirectional wheels for precise manoeuvring. It uses AI to plan straight line mowing routes, rather than the typical robot mower zigzag pattern. Together with its … [Read more...]
Olight Seeker 4 Mini review | Dual 1200 lumen white light & UV mode
Overview The Olight Seeker 4 Mini is a fairly compact torch with a 1200 lumen standard white light for general use and rather unusually a UV light with specific uses that I’ll come back to. I’ve done a roundup of pocket torches and and I’ve also done a roundup of keychain torches which introduces any technical terms I use - so please do check these articles (and videos) … [Read more...]
Insta360 Flow Smartphone Gimbal Review | Everything you need to know
The Insta360 Flow is a 3-axis smartphone gimbal for smooth stabilised footage. And it has advanced AI tracking rivalling many high end cameras that can lock onto both faces and objects. It has a built-in extension arm and tripod and it’s just about compact enough to fit into your jacket pocket. Insta360 are best known for their 360 degree cameras like their Insta360 X3, but … [Read more...]
Creality Halot One Plus 3D Resin Printer Review | 4K detail, WiFi built in
The Creality Halot One Plus is a 4K resin 3D printer with a 5” colour touch screen, built in WiFi for remote print monitoring and a decent sized print volume. Resin printers excel at printing incredibly detailed 3D models. Even tiny prints smaller than your thumb nail look very impressive - something almost impossible with filament based 3D printers. If you’re new to this … [Read more...]
Bluetti EB3A portable power station review | LiFePO4 268Wh, 600W AC | PV68 solar panel
The Bluetti EB3A is a compact portable power station with a 600W AC outlet, fast mains charging, 100W USB power delivery output and a 268Wh long lasting LiFePO4 or LFP battery. It has an app to control and monitor it via Bluetooth and it’s reasonably priced, especially if you pick it up when it’s discounted. At the time of writing it’s just £269 but check the links at the … [Read more...]
Anker PowerHouse 767 in-depth review | 2300W AC, 2048 Wh LFP, 2200W charging
The Anker PowerHouse 767 has 3 2300W AC outlets, super fast 2200W mains charging, three 100W USB power delivery outputs and a 2048Wh long lasting LiFePO4 battery expandable to 4096Wh with an additional battery. There’s an app to control it remotely and it has some clever carry options. You can check its current price and any offers at the bottom of this article. These … [Read more...]
Best headlamp? | 16 tested – budget, running & overall top picks
A headlamp (or head torch in the UK) is arguably the most useful torch you can own. They’re useful for camping, fishing, walking and running but they’re also great for working on the bike or car and general DIY tasks, especially in winter with the shorter days. I’ve hand picked 16 head torches from all the big brands. I have budget torches starting at under £20 to more … [Read more...]
EcoFlow River 2 Max review | Best 500W portable power station?
The EcoFlow River 2 Max has 500W AC outlets, super fast 660W mains charging, two-way 100W USB power delivery output and charging input, and a 512 Wh long lasting LiFePO4 or LFP battery. It has a very useful app to control and monitor it remotely and it’s lightweight, especially considering its LFP battery. It’s pretty good value too, comparable to similar units - you can check … [Read more...]
10 Best Pocket Flashlights for EDC (Everyday carry) | Olight vs Thrunite vs Fenix vs Nitecore vs Acebeam vs Sofirn vs Wurkkos vs Skilhunt
In this article I want to help you find the perfect flashlight for everyday carry (EDC). That something that ideally fits in your trouser pocket but sometimes jacket pocket - something you can take with you everywhere. I’ll be calling them torches though, because that's what we call them here in the UK. It needs to be compact, lightweight and powerful and all my top ten … [Read more...]
7 Best Keychain Flashlights for EDC (Everyday Carry)
In this multi-part round up of flashlights or torches as we call them here in the UK, I’ll help you find the perfect every day carry or EDC torch. From the smallest micro EDC or keychain torch up to torches that will still fit in the palm of your hand and in your jeans or jacket pocket. I have torches from well known and not so well known brands, from £5 or $5 all the way … [Read more...]
Insta360 X3 360° action camera review | Who is it for?
[Latest update (v1.0.60, 2023-04-20) adds webcam support and more] The X3 is the latest 360° action camera from Insta360. These cameras capture everything around you in every direction and can provide quite unique third person views. The intention is you’ll use Insta360’s free software to reframe this 360° spherical video into a standard flat video that is simpler to view … [Read more...]
LG XBOOM 360 XO3 Light Speaker review | Perfect home speaker?
The LG XBOOM 360 XO3 Bluetooth speaker has 360° omnidirectional sound, an attractive design and intriguing ambient lighting modes. I’ll run through all its features and discuss its sound quality. In the accompanying video you’ll be able to hear for yourselves how it sounds. Overview Inside the box you get the XBOOM 360 XO3 speaker itself, a USB-C charging … [Read more...]
EcoFlow Delta 2 detailed review | Best all-round portable power station?
The EcoFlow Delta 2 has four 1800W AC outlets, super fast 1200W mains charging, two 100W USB power delivery outputs, and a 1024 Wh long lasting LiFePO4 battery that is expandable up to 3040 Wh. It has a very useful app to control it remotely and is surprisingly portable considering its spec - I can carry it with one hand. It’s pretty good value too compared to similar units - … [Read more...]
Creality Sonic Pad in-depth review | Faster, easier 3D printing?
[Latest update: 21/03/2023 - V1.0.6.46.25] The Creality Sonic Pad is a 7” colour tablet that connects to your 3D printer with a USB cable. It takes over control of your printer and makes it faster and easier to use. It’s based on Klipper which is a powerful open source 3D printing firmware. Klipper has advanced features that can significantly speed up printing, and … [Read more...]
Ortur Laser Master 3 detailed review | Powerful, fast engraver & cutter
The Ortur Laser Master 3 laser cutter and engraver has a 10W diode laser that Ortur claims can engrave at speeds of up to an impressive 20,000 mm/min and cut wood up to 19mm thick. It has WiFi built in and an accompanying very capable smartphone app that can create custom projects and send them directly to the engraver wirelessly. I’ll run through all its features and fully … [Read more...]
Anker Soundcore Motion Boom Plus review | Perfect university speaker?
The Anker Soundcore Motion Boom Plus is a loud 80W portable speaker, with up to 20 hours of battery life and an IP67 dustproof and waterproof rating. It could be the perfect speaker for outdoor use like camping, or to take off to university. Its price varies so please check the links below this article for accurate pricing, but currently it’s around £150 or … [Read more...]
Dyson V12 Detect Slim review | Best all round cordless vacuum in 2022? | In-depth testing
The Dyson V12 Detect Slim Absolute cordless vacuum cleaner might just persuade you to ditch your corded model. It has up to 60 minute of run time in Eco mode, adaptive suction power based on a piezo sensor that counts and displays a graph of what’s been sucked up on the colour LCD display and a generous assortment of accessories including a super efficient motorised head with a … [Read more...]
LG TONE Free T90Q vs LG TONE Free Fit TF8Q | Detailed review | Sound, ANC, mic tests
LG’s TONE Free T90 wireless earbuds have Dolby Atmos sound with head tracking. And their exercise focused TONE Free Fit TF8 have a silicone fin for a more secure fit and an IP67 waterproof rating, both useful features for workouts. Both these new earbuds have upgraded active noise cancellation, long battery life, a UVnano charging cradle that cleans your earbuds whilst … [Read more...]
Insta360 Link 4K webcam review | 3-axis gimbal | AI tracking
The Insta360 Link 4K webcam has a 3 axis gimbal that can intelligently track a subject as they move around the room. It has a larger than average ½” sensor which should improve its low light performance, and it has phase detection autofocus for fast and responsive focusing. Together with a range of clever modes like DeskView, WhiteBoard mode and portrait mode where it flips … [Read more...]
Laser cutters | An introducton with the TwoTrees TS2 10W diode laser
Laser cutters use a focused high powered laser beam to cut or engrave a variety of materials including wood, metal, stone, glass, acrylic, leather, cloth, cardboard and paper. Over the last few years they have come down in price considerably and you can now pick one up for less than £300 or $300. They’re pretty easy to get started with and they have plenty of uses from … [Read more...]
Anker 757 PowerHouse 1500W portable power station review | 1229Wh long-life LiFePO4 | Fully tested
The Anker PowerHouse 757 portable power station comes from a brand synonymous with portable charging solutions. It has nearly every feature you might want including two 1500W AC outlets, a 1229Wh long lasting LiFePO4 battery, super quick 1000W mains charging and both 100W and 60W USB power delivery. These power stations are perfect for power cuts, camping, travel and … [Read more...]
Ruko F11 GIM2 4K drone with 3km range | Full review
The Ruko F11 GIM2 drone has a 4K camera with 2-axis gimbal stabilisation and electronic image stabilisation, up to 3km of range, brushless motors, automated flight modes and it comes with a controller, 2 batteries for up to a total of 56 minutes of flight time and a hard case. I’ll see how easy it is to get started, and I’ll test out all its features to help you decide if … [Read more...]
Creality Ender 3 S1 Pro review | The most capable 3D printer I’ve reviewed so far …
The Creality Ender 3 S1 Pro should be the most capable printer I’ve looked at so far. As well as your standard PLA and PETG it can print engineering grade materials like Nylon and Polycarbonate and it comes with many features that make it easy to use including a spring steel removable print surface, an all metal direct drive extruder, automatic bed levelling, a touch screen and … [Read more...]
Mingda Magician X review | The perfect beginner 3D printer?
The Mingda Magician X is a 3D printer specifically targeted at new users. There’s very little assembly and it has automatic bed levelling, a direct drive extruder and a colour touch screen. I’ll put it through its paces printing a range of models in a variety of filaments - not just PLA - to try and help you decide if this printer is right for you. If you’re new to … [Read more...]
Bluetti AC200P review | 2000W portable power station, 2000Wh LiFePO4 battery | 700W solar charging
The AC200P from Bluetti, or PowerOak in the UK is the most powerful portable power station I’ve tested so far. It has a massive 2000Wh Lithium Iron Phosphate battery and a 2000W AC inverter that can power large power hungry devices like heaters, coffee machines, mitre saws and even an electric lawn mower. Or it can power smaller items for hours on end. These power stations … [Read more...]
Insta360 ONE RS review | vs GoPro Hero 10 | Action cam + 360 cam 2-in-1 | Test footage, mic tests | Detailed review
The Insta360 ONE RS is a modular action camera that lets you quickly swap between a standard wide angle lens and a 360 degree lens. It comes in a compact package with a very capable accompanying smartphone app that makes it easy to edit your footage - particularly important if you capture with the 360 lens. This upgraded model from Insta360 has a faster processor and a new … [Read more...]
FLSUN Super Racer Review | Fast Delta 3D printer | Fully tested
The Flsun Super Racer is capable of printing up to three times faster than your conventional 3D printer. And it has auto-bed levelling, a 3.5” touch screen and a large print volume. I’ll find out how easy it is to set up and use, and I’ll put their claims to the test to see just how fast it can print a variety of materials, and how these faster speeds affect print … [Read more...]
Allpowers 500W portable power station review | inc 100W solar panel | vs Jackery, Bluetti, EcoFlow
The Allpowers 500W power station has a big 606Wh battery but it is one of the lightest and most compact units I’ve tested in this category. And it has a couple of features that make it stand out amongst similar offerings from other companies. I’ll also be looking at the accompanying Allpowers 100W solar panel that turns the unit into a portable solar generator. These … [Read more...]
Shokz OpenRun Pro review | Best running & cycling headphones? | vs OpenRun, OpenMove, Aeropex
The OpenRun Pro sit at the top of the Shokz range of open ear headphones. They have improved sound quality, faster charging and there’s a new app to control them. Just to avoid any confusion Shockz changed their name from Aftershokz just recently. These bone conduction headphones leave your ears open delivering sound through your cheekbones to your inner ear, so you can … [Read more...]
How to transfer videos from iPhone to external SSD, PC or Mac | Inc ProRes | 4 methods compared
[Update 14th September 2022. The latest iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro still use a Lightning port with USB 2 speeds. So everything in this article still applies. Hopefully next year's iPhone will switch to USB-C and faster transfer speeds!] In this video I’ll show two methods to get large video clips or any file off your iPhone 13 Pro, as quickly and conveniently as possible. … [Read more...]
WLToys 124017 RC car review | Best entry level brushless RC car? | Unboxing, speed tests, upgrades
The Wltoys 124017 radio controlled 4WD car, comes already fitted with a brushless motor and promises speeds of up to an impressive 75kmph or 47mph. For around $145 or £110 you’re getting a hobby grade 1/12th scale buggy with a metal chassis, replaceable parts and upgradeable electronics and that price includes a very basic LiPo charger and 2 LiPo batteries - which … [Read more...]
EcoFlow River Max review | vs Jackery Explorer 500, Bluetti AC50S | Ecoflow 160W Solar Panel
The EcoFlow River Max might be the most impressive portable power station I’ve looked at so far. It has two 600W AC outlets, 100W USB power delivery and a 576Wh battery that can fast charge to 80% in around an hour - around 4 times faster than any other power station I’ve tested. And there’s an accompanying smartphone app to monitor and control the unit remotely. It even has a … [Read more...]
Elegoo Mars 2 Pro review | Resin 3D printing introduction
The Elegoo Mars 2 Pro is a compact 3D resin printer that produces incredibly detailed 3D prints that almost look injection moulded. And despite its impressive build quality it is reasonably priced at around £250 or $250. It almost magically turns liquid resin into 3D models using UV light. But I’ll try and demystify the process with an introduction to resin printing. Then … [Read more...]
Tronxy XY-3 SE 3-in-1 3D printer review. Dual colour 3D printing & laser engraving
The XY-3 SE is a new 3D filament printer from Tronxy. You can get it as a stand alone 3D printer but more interestingly it's also available as a 3-in-1 printer with an additional laser engraving and dual extruder head. And the price with these additional heads is quite appealing - currently around £350 or $459. The printer has automatic bed levelling, a colour touch screen, … [Read more...]
Lenovo Legion 5 review 2021 | Best value gaming laptop? | Detailed review, performance, upgrades
Lenovo’s Legion 5 gaming notebooks start from around £800 or $800 with an entry level spec and come in both 15.6” and 17” versions. The model I’m looking at here in Phantom Blue, has a 8 core AMD Ryzen 5800H CPU, an NVidia RTX 3070 graphics card, a 512GB NVMe SSD, 16GB of RAM and a full HD 15.6” IPS screen. Check the link down below for the current price. It’s a very … [Read more...]
Anycubic Vyper review | Perfect beginner 3D printer? | Unboxing, setup, auto-levelling, test prints
The Vyper is a new 3D printer from Anycubic that promises to be the perfect beginner printer. It requires very basic assembly and has true automatic bed levelling to ensure prints stick to the bed. This is often the biggest cause of frustration for beginners. And it comes with a few other features that make it easier to use, including a removable magnetic build plate - my … [Read more...]
Jackery Explorer 500, Bluetti AC50S review | Best 500Wh power station? | SolarSaga 100, Bluetti SP120 solar panels
The Jackery Explorer 500 and the Bluetti AC50S (or PowerOak AC50S in the UK) are two similarly priced portable power stations, with massive 500Wh batteries and AC outlets that you can plug in anything from your smartphone to a laptop charger, to a power tool and much more. They’re perfect for camping, travel, festivals, emergency use and pretty useful around the house too, when … [Read more...]
Coros Apex Pro review | Ultimate running watch? | Use with Stryd & Coros POD
*[Update 17th August 2021: with the release of the new Vertix 2 which has base maps, Coros promised base maps will also come to the Apex Pro too by the end of 2021: https://youtu.be/kkLVj1e9LoY] The Coros Apex Pro is a multisport watch with up to 30 days battery life in regular mode or 100 hours with GPS. It has a durable sapphire touch screen with a titanium frame, an … [Read more...]
Canon G650/G620 MegaTank photo printer review | Very low costs prints | Quality, speed, features
The Canon G650 in the UK, or G620 in the US, is Canon’s first foray into a photo printer with 6 colours including the photo-specific red and grey, that runs of very economical refillable tanks of ink. A 6x4” print will cost just over 2p or 2.5c in ink - around a 1/10th of the cost compared to typical even larger capacity ink cartridges. This G600 series model is an all in … [Read more...]
Insta360 webcam mode with One R or One X2 | vs GoPro, Logitech, Mirrorless, MacBook | Complete guide
I’ve looked at using a GoPro as a webcam in a couple of recent videos, but if you have a Insta360 One R or One X2 they can also be used as pretty handy webcams, and with a couple of additional features GoPro’s don’t have. I’ll discuss how to set up the webcam mode which works on a PC or Mac, and I’ll compare the quality to the GoPro Hero 9, the popular Logitech C920, a … [Read more...]
LG UltraWide 35WN73A Monitor Review | 35″ 100hz 21:9 QHD HDR USB-C Freesync | Best budget ultrawide?
The LG 35WN73A or 35WN75C in the US is a curved 35” ultra-wide quad HD monitor with HDR, a 100Hz refresh rate, Freesync and USB Type-C connectivity that supports both display and power. Its large screen and 3440 x 1440 pixel resolution should make it perfect for productivity and its decent refresh rate, Freesync support and HDR capabilities could make it a good option … [Read more...]
Soundcore Motion Boom review | inc Sound test vs JBL Xtreme 3, Soundcore Motion+, W-King D8, Minirig 3
The Anker Soundcore Motion Boom is a 30W portable speaker with enough volume for use outdoors, up to 24 hours of battery life and an IPX7 waterproof rating. It costs around $90 or £90 - a third of the price of the JBL Xtreme 3 I’ll be comparing it to in a sound test, together with several other speakers. How does it sound and does it have all the features you … [Read more...]
Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 240 review
The Jackery Explorer 240 is a portable charger for all your tech, with a whopping 240Wh battery and an AC outlet that you can plug in anything from your laptop charger to a 42” TV - I even tried running an Xbox Series X console. I’ll discuss all its features before testing exactly what it’s capable of and whether it’s worth its fairly substantial asking price. … [Read more...]
Insta360 GO 2 review | vs GoPro Hero 9 | Test footage | Mic tests
The Insta360 GO 2 is a 27 gram action camera smaller than my thumb but can still record up to 2.5K and with impressive image stabilisation. It’s waterproof, has a replaceable lens cover and charges in what looks like a large AirPods Pro case that can also control the camera remotely. Despite the company’s name this camera does not shoot 360 degree footage - it has a single … [Read more...]
Acer Nitro 5 review 2021 | Fast budget gaming laptop | Gaming & performance benchmarks | Webcam, microphone and speaker tests
Acer’s Nitro 5 is a gaming notebook with an attractive price. The appeal of these laptops is their higher end spec also make them a great option for photo and video editing on the move or just a fast everyday computer. It’s still not cheap at around £800 or $800, but you can pay a lot more for a laptop far less capable. This model comes with a 144Hz 15.6” Full HD IPS screen, … [Read more...]
Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro Review | ANC & excellent call quality | Inc sound, ANC, mic tests
The Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pros are an upgrade to last year’s Liberty Air 2s, most notably now with Active Noise Cancellation. They retail at around £130 or $130 which isn’t cheap but is more affordable than many earbuds sharing their range of features. I’ve been testing them over the last month or so, comparing them mainly to Apple AirPods Pros, LG’s FN7s and the non Pro … [Read more...]
LG TONE Free FN7 Noise Cancelling Earbuds Review | vs Apple AirPods Pro. Sound, ANC and call quality mic tests
LG’s Tone Free FN7s are the latest wireless earbuds in the Tone Free range. I looked at the cheaper FN6s in the summer. The FN7s most notably add Active Noise Cancellation, but also have improved sound, better phone call quality and longer battery life. They look very similar to Apple’s AirPods Pros and share most of their features too. But they should be a fair bit cheaper … [Read more...]
Use any GoPro as a webcam | GoPro webcam mode vs cheap capture card vs wireless | Free to $10
GoPros with their compact design and wide angle lenses, have the potential to make handy webcams for Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Skype. But only the latest models actually have a dedicated webcam mode. Before this feature was released a few months ago, I wrote an article with an accompanying video about a free way to use your GoPro as a wireless webcam - but it only worked with … [Read more...]
Anker Soundcore Life Q30 review | Best ANC headphones under $100? | vs Tribit QuietPlus and TaoTronics TT-BH046
Anker’s Soundcore Life Q30 are an upgrade to their hugely popular Life Q20. They have multi-mode active noise cancellation, a very welcome transparency mode, up to 60 hours of battery life, NFC pairing, a compact foldable design and are configurable via an accompanying app. I’ll briefly run through their features before discussing how they sound and just how effective their … [Read more...]
LG XBOOM Go PL5 review | vs LG PL5, PL7, PK5, Anker Soundcore Boost, & JBL Flip 4
The LG XBOOM Go PL5 sits in the middle of the new range of speakers from LG. It’s a substantial step up both in size and sound from the PL2 I looked at previously, but still compact and a fair bit smaller than the largest PL7 I’ll be looking at separately. All three speakers share the same design and they all have their audio tuned by Meridian like their predecessors, the PK … [Read more...]
Aftershokz Openmove review | Best value bone conduction headphones? | vs Aeropex, Titanium, AirPods Pros
The Aftershokz Openmove is the latest offering from the bone conduction headphone specialist. Bone conduction headphones leave your ears open, delivering sound through your cheekbones, so you can still hear what’s going on around you. They’re perfect for running, cycling and jobs around the house. The main disadvantage has always been sound quality, although their top-end … [Read more...]
Tribit StormBox Micro review. Is this the best budget mini speaker?| vs UE Wonderboom 2, LG PL2, Anker Soundcore 2 & Tribit Maxsound Plus
The Tribit Stormbox Micro is a true mini portable Bluetooth speaker with the footprint of a drink’s coaster. It’s waterproof, supports stereo pairing and has a handy rubber strap that provides flexible mounting options. I’ll be running through all its features before comparing how it sounds to other popular compact speakers: the UE Wonderboom 2, the Anker Soundcore 2 and the … [Read more...]
Creality Ender 3 review | Best budget 3D printer in 2020? | + Introduction to 3D printing
The budget Ender 3 from Creality costs as little as £150 or $150, making it one of the cheapest 3D printers available. But it can produce prints that look like they’ve come off a printer at least four times its price. I’ll start with a brief introduction to 3D printing, explaining how it works, how much consumables cost and what it can be used for. I’ll then provide … [Read more...]
LG TONE Free FN6 True Wireless Earbuds Review | vs Apple AirPods Pros, Anker SoundCore Liberty 2 Pros
LG’s TONE Free FN4 and FN6 earbuds look very similar to Apple’s AirPods Pros, have an ambient sound mode, automatic ear detection and wireless charging. Their sound is tuned by Meridian and they can be configured with an accompanying app. The more expensive FN6 version I’m looking at, also come with a so-called UVnano wireless charging cradle that supposedly sanitises your … [Read more...]
LG XBOOM Go PL2 review | vs Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2, LG PK3, Anker Soundcore 2, Tronsmart T6 Mini
The LG XBOOM Go PL2 is the smallest and least expensive offering in LG’s latest trio of speakers. I’ll be looking at its larger PL5 and PL7 siblings separately. All three speakers share the same design and they all have their audio tuned by Meridian like their predecessors, the PK series I looked at last year. This is one of the smallest speakers I’ve tested, but still … [Read more...]
Power bank with AC outlet review | Updated RAVPower PD Pioneer 20000mAh 80W Power House (RP-PB054)
The RavPower 80W AC portable charger isn’t your standard USB power pack. As well as the usual USB charging ports, it also has a standard plug socket. This AC outlet is designed for charging your laptop, but so long as you stay within its limits it has lots of other uses too. This versatility comes at a price - it costs around £80 or $80. After discussing its features, I’ll … [Read more...]
HP Pavilion 15 review | The perfect student or all-round laptop?
The HP Pavilion 15 is a 15.6” laptop with a full HD IPS touch screen, 512GB fast SSD, Ryzen 5-3500U processor and 8GB of RAM. There are other models in the range, but this one offers a good balance between performance and price. It’s currently around £550 or $600, but prices vary. It’s not the flashiest laptop. It’s predominantly plastic, there’s no 360 degree hinge and … [Read more...]
Soundcore Liberty Air 2 review | vs Airpods Pro, Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro, Soundpeats TrueFree+ | inc mic tests
The Soundcore Liberty Air 2’s are an upgrade to last year’s version with a more premium feel; promising a longer 28 hours of battery life, improved phone call quality, aptX support, easier pairing and wireless charging. And they now integrate with the accompanying Soundcore configuration app that lets you test your hearing to create a personalised EQ profile. They … [Read more...]
Use your GoPro Hero 7, 8 or 9 as a webcam for free in Zoom & OBS wirelessly | No capture card needed
[I've just published a more general guide to using any GoPro as webcam, which might be a useful accompaniment to this article: Use any GoPro as a webcam | GoPro webcam mode vs cheap capture card vs wireless | Free to $10] The GoPro Hero 7 Black, Hero 8 and Hero 9 support live streaming directly from the camera, but frustratingly don’t have any native support to use them as a … [Read more...]
Apeman Trawo A100 action camera review | 4K 50 fps | vs GoPro
The Apeman A100 or Trawo action camera is an affordable well featured action camera recently upgraded to support 4K 50 fps resolution. It has electronic image stabilization, WiFi control and comes with a generous bunch of accessories. It costs under £100 or $100, about a third of the latest GoPro. But is it any good, and how does it compare to the latest GoPro Hero 8 … [Read more...]
Use your phone as a webcam in Zoom (or anything else) on a PC
Your phone most likely has a camera far more capable than even an expensive webcam. With the help of an app you can turn your phone into a webcam that you can use with Zoom or any other app for that matter; and even use it for live streams with software like OBS. You could just use your mobile device itself for a Zoom call, but especially for longer calls, being able to … [Read more...]
Anker Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro review
The Soundcore Liberty 2 Pros from Anker are true wireless earbuds with probably the best sound I’ve heard from earbuds under $150 or £150. Their accompanying app has a feature to test your hearing for a personalised EQ profile, and also lets you configure the earbuds’ controls to your preference. And they have USB-C fast charging and wireless charging, up to 32 hours … [Read more...]
Tribit QuietPlus Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) wireless headphones review
The Tribit QuietPlus noise cancelling headphones are a third of the cost of similarly spec'd headphones from big brands like Bose and Sony. They have a compact foldable design, up to 30 hours of battery life and support the higher quality aptX and AAC codecs. I’ll briefly run through their features before discussing how they sound and just how effective their active … [Read more...]
Amazfit GTS vs Huawei Watch GT | Best budget smartwatch for you?
The Amazfit GTS and Huawei GT are similarly priced smart watches costing around £100 or under $150. They both share a comprehensive list of features including AMOLED screens, built in heart rate monitoring and multi sport activity tracking with built in GPS. Their price and 14-day battery life makes them a very tempting proposition compared to comparable options from bigger … [Read more...]
SoundPEATS TrueAir review | Real Apple AirPods budget alternative?
I’ve reviewed a couple of sets of earbuds from SoundPeats and been quite impressed. Their new TrueAir earbuds look remarkably similar to Apple’s AirPods, but they aren’t an exact clone like some more dubious brands you’ll find online. They’re a lot cheaper than AirPods - check the description down below for the current price. But they have a few features even Apple’s latest … [Read more...]
W-King D8 Bluetooth speaker review vs JBL Xtreme 2 & LG PK7. How does it sound for $200 less?
The W-King D8 Bluetooth speaker has a massive 50W of output, up to 24 hours of battery life, can charge your gadgets with its built-in 8000mAh battery, and has an IPX5 water resistance rating. It can even be stereo paired wirelessly with a second identical speaker. At around $75 or £70, it’s less than a third of the price of the comparable JBL Xtreme 2. I’ll be … [Read more...]
Best budget Bluetooth keyboard for iPad? | Arteck HB220B review | Most useful iPad accessory for under £15 or $20?
Adding a keyboard to your tablet can transform it from a device that’s great for consuming content to a genuinely useful extremely lightweight and portable laptop replacement for content creation, which comes on instantly, is super fast and lasts for ages. If you own a more recent iPad you can add one of Apple’s smart keyboards, but they start at £159 or $159. The Arteck … [Read more...]
Lenovo Chromebook C340 2 in 1 review | Best budget Chromebook? | Inc 4 min quick guide to Chrome OS!
The Lenovo C340 Chromebook is a 2 in 1 laptop with a 11.6” IPS 1366 x 768 touch screen display, up to 10 hours of battery life, a good selection of ports and with a stylish design incorporating a metal finished lid. This specific model comes with an Intel Celeron N4000 processor, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. It’s not the cheapest Chromebook you can buy, but at … [Read more...]
Tronsmart Element T2 Plus review | vs Anker Soundcore 2 | Anker Soundcore Boost | Tronsmart Element Force
The Tronsmart Element T2 Plus is a compact portable speaker with an IPX7 waterproof rating, up to 24 hours of battery life, independent lossless playback via a MicroSD slot and supports wireless stereo pairing with another identical speaker. It’s reasonably priced at around $35 or £30 but often on offer so check for the latest pricing in the description below. I’ll … [Read more...]
TicWatch Pro 4G review | The fastest Wear OS smartwatch? | Test heart rate & GPS running & cycling
TicWatch offer a range of smart watches using Google’s Wear OS - basically Android for smart watches. But they all work with both Android and Apple smartphones. The TicWatch Pro 4G is the priciest model in the range with a seemingly modest update on last year’s Ticwatch Pro. It’s a feature rich smartwatch, still based on the older Snapdragon 2100 but now with 1GB of RAM, … [Read more...]
Aftershokz Aeropex review | Best bone conduction headphones? | vs Titanium, AirPods Pro | Run, Cycle
Bone conduction headphones sit on your cheek bones just in front of your ears, sending vibrations and therefore sound straight to your inner ear. The main idea being that your ears are completely open to still hear what’s going on around you. So they should be a safe option for running and cycling and there’s a few other advantages too. Aftershokz are the main name in bone … [Read more...]
LG XBOOM Go PK5 review | vs PK3, PK7, Anker Motion+, JBL Flip 4 & 2 PK5s in wireless stereo mode
The LG PK5 sits in the middle of the XBOOM Go trio both in size and price. I’ve reviewed both the compact PK3 and the bigger PK7 just recently. But I was interested to see whether this might be the Goldilocks of the range! It combines most of the features of its two siblings. It has 20W of output with lossless aptX HD support, up to 18 hours of battery life, an IPX5 water … [Read more...]
Amazfit GTS review. Worth it over Amazfit Bip? In-depth | Test heart rate & GPS running & cycling
The Amazfit GTS smart watch has a high resolution AMOLED always-on display, heart rate and sleep monitoring, and built in GPS tracking with 12 activity types. All contained in a thin 50m waterproof aluminium body with up to 14 days of battery life. For around £110 or $140 it sounds good value. But it’s considerably more expensive than the still popular Amazfit Bip I … [Read more...]
GoPro Hero 8 vs Hero 5. 10 reasons to upgrade & 1 reason not to!
The Hero 8 Black is the latest offering from GoPro. It’s a fairly modest upgrade over last year’s Hero 7 with improved image stabilisation, convenient video presets and a new frameless mounting system. But in reality, most of us aren’t upgrading their action cameras every year so I’m interested to find out how it compares to the now three year old GoPro Hero 5. There’s a new … [Read more...]
AirPods Pro vs budget earbuds costing 1/10 of the price!
Apple’s new AirPods Pro cost almost ten times the price of many budget true wireless earbuds I’ve reviewed recently. Can they get even close to justifying this massive price differential? Apple’s new AirPods Pro cost almost ten times the price of many budget true wireless earbuds I’ve reviewed recently. Can they get even close to justifying this massive price … [Read more...]
LG XBOOM Go PK3 review | Best budget Bluetooth speaker in 2019? | vs JBL Flip 4, Soundcore Boost, Tribit MaxSound Plus & Tronsmart Force
LG’s PK3 XBOOM Go is the smallest of the XBOOM Go trio; the largest PK7 I reviewed just recently. For all three speakers, LG has partnered with Meridian - an British audio specialist manufacturer to try and deliver the best sound possible. It’s missing a few features of its larger siblings, namely party mode where you can link multiple speakers; and their various lighting … [Read more...]
ZeroLemon 135W Extreme Charge Station review | Fast charge 6 devices at once inc a MacBook Pro, iPad Pro and an Apple Watch. And your AirPods, Galaxy Buds or smartphone wirelessly at the same time …
The 135W Extreme Charge Station from ZeroLemon, a fairly established charger brand, promises to charge up to 6 power hungry devices simultaneously, including a high end USB-C laptop like a 15” MacBook Pro. It is mainly geared towards Apple users, but only the magnetic Apple Watch charger is specifically for Apple devices. The wireless charging pad, 2 USB-C and 2 USB-A charging … [Read more...]
New Stryd foot pod running power meter with wind measurement review | Long term Stryd update
Stryd is a tiny footpod with an array of sensors that you attach to the laces of one of your running shoes. These sensors process almost every aspect of your foot’s motion and send various measurements to your running watch. The most significant metric is so-called running power. This one number aims to quantify exactly how hard you’re running. Independent of whether you’re … [Read more...]
Tronsmart Force 40W review | Bluetooth speaker | vs JBL Flip 4, Soundcore Boost, Tribit MaxSound Plus
The Tronsmart Element Force is a well featured 40W compact ruggedised and waterproof portable Bluetooth speaker. It has three EQ modes including one for enhanced bass, a wireless stereo mode for pairing to another speaker, the latest USB-C charging and Bluetooth 5.0 - with NFC one-touch pairing, 15 hours of battery life and you can even play music off a microSD card. At … [Read more...]
Umidigi A5 Pro review | Ultra wide triple camera for less than $100?
The Umidigi A5 Pro costs less than £100 or $100 but has an ultra-wide triple camera system, a 6.3” edge-to-edge full HD screen, an 8-core processor, Android 9.0 and a claimed two days of battery life. It almost sounds too good to be true? Let’s take a closer look. Overview The phone comes smartly packaged considering its budget price. Inside the box you get a branded … [Read more...]
Tribit MaxSound Plus Bluetooth speaker review | Half the price of JBL Flip 4 | How does it compare?
The Tribit MaxSound Plus is a compact portable Bluetooth speaker, with an IPX7 waterproof rating and 20 hours of battery life. It has a dedicated button to boost bass, something small speakers like this struggle with. Its price seems to fluctuate but currently it’s around £40 or $55, but check down below for the latest prices. I’ll be comparing it against two comparably … [Read more...]
Tronsmart Spunky Pro Wireless Earbuds Review | Wireless Charging | $30
The Tronsmart Spunky Pro wireless earbuds appear to have almost every feature you could ask for. Wireless and USB-C charging, touch controls, IPX5 sweat resistance, and the latest Bluetooth 5.0. All for a budget price of around £30 or $30. I put them through their paces to see how they sounded, comparing them against other budget earbuds from Soundpeats; and the Creative … [Read more...]
Earfun Wave Review | Sub $50 Bluetooth headphones | Sound test vs Mpow H10, Taotronics BH046
The Earfun Waves are a budget set of over-ear wireless headphones costing less than £35 or $50, supporting the latest Bluetooth 5.0 standard and with an impressive 40 hours of claimed battery life. If you don’t need active noise cancellation but just good sound quality and battery life, without spending too much, are these worth considering? How do they sound compared to … [Read more...]
LG XBOOM Go PK7 review | Bluetooth speaker | inc Sound test vs Sonos One & Motion+
The LG PK7W XBOOM Go Bluetooth speaker is a fair bit larger than your typical portable speaker, but has 40W of output with aptX and aptX HD support, up to 22 hours of battery life, an IPX5 weather resistance rating and integrated lighting. LG have partnered with Meridian Audio, a British company with over 60 years of experience in HiFi audio, to attempt to deliver the best … [Read more...]
Ikea Sonos Symfonisk review | Wireless speaker lamp | Sound test | Setup including smart lighting
The Ikea Symfonisk table lamp has a WiFi speaker built in that fully integrates into the multi-room Sonos wireless HiFi system, Airplay 2 for direct WiFi streaming from Apple devices, and it’s a lamp. It costs £150 or $179, so more pricey than the bookshelf speaker that I reviewed recently that is part of the same Symfonisk range. But it’s still competitively priced compared … [Read more...]
PaperLike 2 matte screen protector review for the iPad | vs PaperLike 1
[Update 13th January 2020 - see the end of the article for further screen protectors I've tested] I use my Apple Pencil mainly for writing notes on my iPad, but despite several attempts, I find writing on the bare glass screen unnatural. If you feel the same way, pretty much any matte screen protector will improve the experience. I released a video a few months ago … [Read more...]
Ikea Symfonisk wireless bookshelf speaker review. Sonos on a budget?
Ikea’s Symfonisk wireless bookshelf speaker fully integrates into the Sonos wireless HiFi system, has AirPlay 2 for direct WiFi streaming from Apple devices, and has some Ikea design flourishes that might just be genuinely useful. But the best thing is it costs just a smidge under £100 or $100. Is this the perfect entry into the world of multi-room speakers. And what about … [Read more...]
Mpow H10 Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) wireless headphones review | vs H5 | vs TaoTronics BH046
Mpow’s H10 Bluetooth headphones have hybrid active noise cancellation, up to 30 hours of battery life and a foldable design. They’re about the cheapest headphones I can find with this supposedly more effective noise reduction, at around £50 or $65. But how do they compare to other budget noise cancelling headphones I’ve reviewed recently, namely the cheaper Mpow H5s and the … [Read more...]
Anker Soundcore Motion+ review | Best Bluetooth speaker under $100? | vs Soundcore Boost & JBL Flip 4
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ sits towards the top of Anker’s range of portable Bluetooth speakers. It boasts a whopping 30W output via its 4 drivers and central passive radiator. It has an IPX7 fully waterproof design, customizable EQ via its own app, up to 12 hours of battery life, aptX support, USB-C charging and supports wireless stereo pairing. At £100 or $100 it’s no … [Read more...]
Lenovo Yoga 530 | Flex 14 2-in-1 review | Is this the perfect budget student laptop?
The Lenovo Yoga 530 or Flex 14 in the US is a 2 in 1 laptop spilling with features starting at around £400 or $400. There are a number of models in the range, but I’m looking at the entry level configuration with a Pentium Gold processor and a standard, 1366x768 so-called HD screen, rather than the Full HD screen of its more expensive counterparts. Even this base model has a … [Read more...]
Creative Outlier Air review | True wireless earbuds | 10 hour battery life!
The Creative Outlier Air true wireless earbuds seem to have it all. A massive 10 hour battery life, an IPX5 water resistance rating, volume controls, aptX codec support and even the latest USB-C charging. At £75 or $80 they are roughly half the price of Apple’s AirPods and a good deal cheaper than Galaxy Buds that they are more closely related to. I was very excited to put … [Read more...]
SoundPeats TrueCapsule True Wireless | Best budget TWS earbuds so far!
The TrueCapsule true wireless earbuds from SoundPeats have touch controls, IPX5 water resistance and support Bluetooth 5.0. They have the same stem based design as the Anker Liberty Airs I reviewed recently, and Apple’s AirPods for that matter. Rather than the in-ear design of the SoundPeats TrueFree+’s I also took a look at a few weeks ago, or the Galaxy Buds. I was quite … [Read more...]
Mpow H5 Noise Cancelling Headphones Review | Upgraded 2019 | Budget Wireless Bluetooth Headphones
The Mpow H5 over ear Bluetooth headphones are about the cheapest noise cancelling headphones you can get at just over £40 or $40 . They have a built in microphone, up to 30 hours of battery life, and a compact foldable design. I’m testing their latest iteration, but what are they like and how do they compare to the Taotronics BH046s I recently reviewed? Getting … [Read more...]
Akaso EK7000 4K Action Camera Review | Budget GoPro? | Sample Footage | Compared to GoPro Hero 5 Black
The Akaso EK7000 is a budget action camera that costs around £50 or $60. It comes with a mountain of accessories including a waterproof housing and a remote, has built in WiFi so can be controlled via an app on your smartphone, and supports resolutions up to a theoretical 4k. But is it any good, and how does it compare to a GoPro, even one a couple of generations … [Read more...]
Budget Noise Cancelling TaoTronics TT-BH046 ANC Bluetooth Headphones | 2019 Version
TaoTronic’s BH046 headphones are their latest over ear Bluetooth headphones with new improved hybrid active noise cancelling. They have 30 hours of battery life, support fast charging, and have a built in mic for hands free calls. They’re around a fifth of the price of equivalent models from Bose and Sony at around £60 or $80. But are they any good? Getting … [Read more...]
Anker SoundCore Boost review | Best budget portable Bluetooth speaker? | vs JBL Flip 4 | SoundCore 2
The Soundcore Boost is a portable Bluetooth speaker from Anker, costing around £50 or $60. It sits towards the higher end of Anker’s current range of portable speakers. It has up to 12 hours of battery life, an IPX5 water resistance rating, a USB charging port and features Anker’s BassUP technology which is meant to enhance bass at lower volumes. I’ll be comparing it against … [Read more...]
Anker Soundcore Liberty Air vs Soundpeats TrueFree+ | Best True Wireless Earbuds | $30 vs $80! 2019
In this article I’m comparing some budget true wireless earbuds from Soundpeats against some very popular true wireless earbuds from Anker, that cost over twice as much. The Soundpeats TrueFree+ cost around £30 or $30 and the Anker Soundcore Liberty Airs cost around £80 or $80, but can be found cheaper on Amazon from time to time. I got them for £60. You can find links in … [Read more...]
Anker Soundcore Liberty Air review | Best true wireless earbuds under $100 in 2019?
Today I’m taking a look as some true wireless earbuds from Anker that aim to compete with Apple’s Airpods, but at half the price. The Anker Soundcore Liberty Air earphones at around £80 or $80 have many similarities to Apple’s Airpods but with an arguably more secure in-ear design, and an IPX5 water resistance rating. Anker are a brand best known for power banks and … [Read more...]
Budget true wireless earbuds $30/£30 | SoundPEATS TrueFree+ review
The Soundpeats TrueFree+ earbuds, are relatively inexpensive wireless earbuds costing around £30 or $30 (check the link for current pricing). They have TWS or True Wireless Sound, so there’s no cable connecting them. They come with their own enclosed charging case, use Bluetooth 5.0 for supposed better range and sound quality, and they support stereo phone calls. They are an … [Read more...]
Teckin budget smart light setup and review | With Alexa and Google Home
Today I’m taking a look at some LED RGB smart light bulbs from Amazon, that can be controlled via an app or more usefully with you voice together with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and even via a workaround with Apple’s Siri. So you can say, “Alexa, turn on the lights”. And you can control the brightness level and the colour too, all with basic voice commands. They connect … [Read more...]
Review: Teckin Smart Plugs. Budget smart home with Amazon Alexa & Google Home support.
Today I’m looking at some inexpensive smart plugs from Amazon, that enable you to use voice commands via Amazon Alexa or Google Home to control whatever’s plugged into them. So if I have a lamp plugged in, I can say “Alexa, turn on the lamp”. You can plug pretty much whatever you like into them. As well as lamps, I’ve got heaters, dehumidifiers and fans plugged into … [Read more...]
Review: SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive. Increase your iPad and iPhone storage
The SanDisk iXpand USB drive is a simple device that lets you transfer files easily between any iPhone or iPad with a Lightning connector and your computer. It has a standard USB connector on one end, and a Lightning connector on the other end that is sprung back on itself, resting in a lip on the body of the drive. It works with an app on iOS that lets you copy files … [Read more...]
Review: RAVPower FileHub (newest model). Inexpensive wireless storage for your tablet or smartphone
The RAVPower FileHub is a clever gadget that has two main uses. It can be used as a wireless hard drive for your smartphone or tablet, or it can backup your camera’s SD cards when you’re on the move. With storage on smartphones and tablets always at a premium, especially with Apple devices which have no expansion options, this former use is of particular interest to … [Read more...]
Free unlimited storage for your iPad or iPhone, using your Mac or PC
Limited storage on iPads and iPhones has always made purchasing a device with enough capacity a difficult decision. Apple charges a lot of money to jump up to their larger capacities, as much as £1 or $1 per GB for example to increase the basic iPad’s rather paltry 32GB to 128GB. And you don’t always know exactly how much capacity you will need. Apple still don’t let you … [Read more...]
PaperLike matte screen protector review for the iPad. Versus a cheap alternative from Amazon. Make your iPad feel like paper.
[Update 13th January 2020 - see the end of the article for further screen protectors I've tested] The iPad is great for consuming content. Browsing the web, watching YouTube videos, reading magazines and books. But if you have a more recent iPad that supports the Apple Pencil, it can do a lot more and it’s transformed how I use it. I’ll cover how I use the Apple Pencil with … [Read more...]
BenQ treVolo S electrostatic Bluetooth speaker review. Portable, HiFi quality?
In this review, I’m taking a look at a portable Bluetooth speaker from BenQ, a name better known for monitors and projectors. Bluetooth speakers are a two a penny but this one is quite intriguing. BenQ market the Trevolo S as the “smallest Bluetooth electrostatic speaker”. Electrostatic speakers are usually the reserve of high end, expensive audio systems but this speaker … [Read more...]
New Apple iPad Air and iPad Mini (2019). Now 5 iPads – which one is right one for you?
Apple just announced two new iPads: a new iPad Mini starting at £399 or $399 and a new iPad Air starting at £479 or $499. The new iPad Mini updates the iPad Mini 4 model that is 3 and a half years old, and was very much in need of a refresh. The previous iPad Air 2 came out 4 and half years ago, and in my mind was replaced by the Pro range of iPads. This new model now … [Read more...]
Stryd running power meter review. Turning my Apple Watch into the ultimate running watch.
Stryd is a wearable running gadget that clips onto the shoe laces of one of your running shoes and measures your running power, as well as a number of other metrics. The data is all fed in real time to your running watch or in my case Apple Watch. Typically runners measure their effort by feel, heart rate, or more commonly by pace from their running watch. You might try … [Read more...]
BenQ EW3270U monitor review. Is this the best value 32″, 4K, HDR monitor?
https://youtu.be/OV7lknCpj9E The BenQ EW3270U monitor has a huge 32" wide gamut, 4K screen. It has HDR support for gaming and streaming with High Dynamic Range, and has some interesting features for reducing eye strain. It's not cheap at around £450 or $600, but if you want all these headline features, it's currently one of the least expensive options. But is it any good? Why … [Read more...]
Anker SoundCore 2 Bluetooth speaker review. Is this the best budget portable speaker?
https://youtu.be/Z2sAZce46_8 Anker are a popular brand that appear to be sold exclusively through Amazon. They are particularly well known for their power banks, chargers and cables. But they also sell some very good value portable Bluetooth speakers. One of their most popular models is the , a compact Bluetooth speaker, with 24 hours of claimed battery life and an IPX5 … [Read more...]
LG 29WK600 21:9 ultrawide HDR monitor review. Best budget option?
https://youtu.be/OHIypw7XvTc There are two versions of this new ultrawide monitor from LG, the 29WK500 and the 29WK600 that I'm reviewing here. They are both 29" IPS displays with a resolution of 2560 by 1080 pixels. They both come with 2 HDMI ports but the 600 variant adds a DisplayPort. And also has HDR10 support, for gaming and streaming with High Dynamic Range or HDR. Why … [Read more...]
Amazfit Bip smart watch review. What do you get for £50 or $70? Quite a lot in fact …
The Amazfit Bip smart watch has a built in optical heart rate monitor and GPS receiver, a gorilla glass touch display and up to 45 days of battery life and it costs from only £45 or $65, depending on where you buy it from. But is it any good? https://youtu.be/mRVbHeSGjmU First impressions It's hard to know what to expect from a smart watch at this price, but first … [Read more...]
How to use Google Lens to identify anything. And without a Pixel phone …
https://youtu.be/e_2kNYjMqpk Google recently announced that even users without their premium Pixel phones could try Google Lens, that lets you learn more about real life objects. It's able to recognise landmarks, flowers, animals and food and can grab text from business cards or anything else for that matter. With the latest version of Google Photos, you can tap on a photo … [Read more...]
The iPhone X review. The best iPhone yet, but is it worth £1000?
https://youtu.be/YDlreZmGvCA I've had the latest iPhone from Apple for almost 3 months now, so plenty of time to determine whether its worth its £1000 or $1000 price tag, to me at least. The iPhone X has a new 5.8" HDR OLED screen, face recognition, is waterproof to IP67, has a wide angle and short telephoto lens both with image stabilisation, supports wireless charging and … [Read more...]
Could this be the best budget drone? Hubsan H507A X4 Star Pro review.
https://youtu.be/kMJ5RfYtdyY Drones from big names like DJI start from around £450, or $450 for the Spark. This is a lot of money for something you may not end up using very much. At the other end of the market there are plenty of cheap drones which tend to be lacking a lot of the features that make the more expensive drones so tempting. The Hubsan X507A drone is around £70 … [Read more...]
How to fast charge your new iPhone wirelessly or with a cable
https://youtu.be/2cJF6Ju3g5g The iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X all support fast charging both via a cable and wirelessly, which theoretically makes it possible to bring your empty phone up to 50% charge in as little as 30 minutes. This sounds great, but working out how to achieve the fastest charging is not as straightforward as you'd think. In the box with all these phones, you … [Read more...]
How to back up your iPhone photos and videos (with the new HEIF and HEVC file formats), and make more room on your device
iPhone (and iPad) storage is expensive. For example, Apple charge £150 to jump from a 64GB iPhone 8, 8 Plus or X, to the next model up with 256GB of storage. Uploading your files to the Cloud, not only keeps them safe, but it also allows you free up space on your phone. It also has the added bonus of making them very easy to share. There are a number of services that will … [Read more...]
Anker Astro E1 6700mAh review. Is this the best value portable charger?
https://youtu.be/0Yoh7C1CODk The Anker Astro E1 has a 6700mAh capacity, which is enough for at least one complete charge of any of the latest smartphones. It won't be enough to completely charge a tablet, but could typically provide a 50% charge at least. And unusually for a smaller portable charger, it offers a fast charging current of 2A, comparable to a wall … [Read more...]
GoPro Hero 5 Black Review – the Goldilocks of the GoPro action camera range?
https://youtu.be/JafrgncQOl0 The GoPro Hero 5 Black action camera sits in the middle of GoPro's line up of its popular cameras and has a retail price of around £400 or $400. It's waterproof to 10m without any additional enclosure, comes with a 2" touch screen, records 4k video. It can be controlled with your voice and it's tiny! But who's it meant for and what advantage does … [Read more...]
Amazon’s budget friendly Echo Dot – a review and introduction to Alexa
https://youtu.be/-aY1GqcmPE4 The Echo Dot is Amazon's cheapest smart device featuring the Alexa voice assistant. But what exactly is it? Basically it's a Bluetooth speaker which can respond to voice commands. You can ask it questions, for example: Alexa, what's the weather today; Alexa, what's 100g in ounces: Alexa, who is Winston Churchill. Or you can ask it to set … [Read more...]
Sonos adds Alexa voice support to its entire range of wireless speakers – how to get it working
Sonos has finally enabled voice control across its entire range of wireless speakers using Amazon Alexa. They announced their intention to do this over a year ago, and I wrote an article a couple of months ago with a roundabout way of getting this to work while we were waiting. But now if you have any Sonos speaker, any Alexa device (for example an Echo Dot), and the latest … [Read more...]
Google Gboard – the keyboard app you might not be able to live without
https://youtu.be/i-fLHA_3dqs If there's one app on my iPhone I can't live without, it's Gboard from Google. Gboard provides a new keyboard for your iPhone or iPad that enables typing via gliding your finger across the keyboard rather than tapping. The app has other features built in like searching Google right from the keyboard without switching apps, but it's the Glide … [Read more...]
Apple’s latest iOS 11 for iPhones and iPads – top 5 new features
https://youtu.be/kgFiophu8L4 Apple's latest iOS 11 operating system for iPhones and iPads arrived this week, in time for its new iPhone 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X. But you can also install the update on on your old iPhone 5s or iPad Air, and newer devices. You should be prompted for the upgrade, or you can force it from your Settings | General | Software Update menu. Here are … [Read more...]
Canon TS8050 (TS8020) all-in-one printer review – a great all-rounder?
https://youtu.be/794oLmir_Yg The Canon TS8050 (TS8020 in the US) is one of a relatively new line of Canon all-in-one (print, scan and copy) printers, with a more compact design. The range consists of the TS5050, TS6050, TS8050 and TS9050. The TS9050 has almost the same specifications as the TS8050, but with a wired internet connection (Ethernet) and a slightly larger screen. … [Read more...]
Apple’s next generation phones iPhone X, 8 and 8 Plus – the future is even more choice
Apple released its next generation of iPhones last night, skipping a 7s model, announcing an iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, and introducing a new flagship iPhone X model to mark 10 years since the launch of the original iPhone. The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are available from 22nd September and the iPhone X won't be available until 3rd November, with prices starting at £699 ($699) and £799 … [Read more...]
Strava routes on your Garmin Edge – the easier way …
Up until a few days ago, transferring a route created in Strava to your Garmin Edge cycle computer was a painful task. This was disappointing since Strava is very good for creating interesting routes, exploiting its colossal database of popular segments. Previously you had to export the Strava route as a gpx file, connect your Garmin unit physically to a computer via USB, … [Read more...]
How to control any Sonos speaker using voice (Alexa)
**UPDATE 10/10/17: There is now a native Sonos Alexa skill - take a look at my more recent article.** Sonos announced some time ago a partnership with Amazon to enable Alexa support. This would allow voice control of your Sonos system via an Amazon Echo or Dot. It's almost a year later and there is still no support. But if you're getting tired of waiting, it's possible to … [Read more...]
Best budget travel laptop? Acer Aspire 14″ (E14 E5-475) review.
The Acer Aspire E14 E5-475 laptop is part of Acer's E Series of laptops. Acer describes this range as everyday laptops, and this specific model comes with a 14" HD screen, 8GB RAM, 128GB of fast SSD storage and weighs just over 2kg. Please see our video review below or read on for our written article and verdict. https://youtu.be/Sj8cUXQ4aD0 Features It was difficult to … [Read more...]
How to use your camera to create 360° panoramas for Google Street View using free software, and without a tripod
I'm going to describe from start to finish how to create this interactive 360° spherical image (click and drag around the image - use the scroll wheel to zoom): 360° panoramic photography is a unique way of capturing images that can be interacted with, either via dragging and zooming with your mouse, or with a VR headset. There are three parts to creating an image … [Read more...]
Asus VivoBook Pro N552VX Laptop Review
https://youtu.be/ZNWptEABlX4 (Please take a look at my accompanying video review above) The Asus VivoBook Pro N552VX is a 15.6” high end general purpose laptop with a tempting spec. There are a few variants, but the specific model I'm looking at here comes with an Intel i5 quad core processor, 12GB of DDR4 memory, and a full HD 1920x1080 screen. It has a fast 128GB SSD … [Read more...]
The confusing range of Panasonic mirrorless cameras, and why I chose their Lumix G80/G85
I've owned all sorts of digital cameras over the years, my first decent one being the Olympus C2020z back in 1999. I looked through my Lightroom catalogue out of idle curiosity and counted that since then I've owned 18 cameras, and that's not including smartphones or action cameras! What surprised me, was that I'd still taken more photos with digital SLRs than nearly all the … [Read more...]
Bringing a vintage 25 year Nintendo Game Boy back to life
https://youtu.be/xfXGBvBlcIQ (Please see my video above for a detailed walk through of this repair) Cleaning out the attic I stumbled across my old Nintendo Game Boy with its 4MHz processor and 8kB of RAM - which has to be around 25 years old! I switched it on and amazingly it immediately sprung to life, with the nostalgic sounds of Tetris. The only issue was that the … [Read more...]
Dell Inspiron 24 7000-Series All-in-One Review
https://youtu.be/JAsrXu4aULg (Please see my video above for a short overview). First impressions of the Dell Inspiron 24 7000 are good. The design is fairly understated but stylish. Unlike most All-in-Ones, the components reside in the base of the computer rather than the screen itself. This makes it more practical in use, with all the ports easily accessible. It comes … [Read more...]
The best unlimited magazine service – Readly or Magzter?
[Update: Summer 2020: In Readly, you now get newspapers: The Independent and The Evening Standard at the moment, in the UK at least. I'm hoping more will come. And they now include most of the popular computer magazines too including PC Pro, Computer Shopper and Custom PC. There are also Woodworking magazines including Woodsmith and Popular Woodworking. Overall this makes … [Read more...]
Apple iOS 10’s top five new features
The headline features relating to the Messages and Maps app didn't hold my interest for very long, but there are a few genuinely useful new features in iOS 10. Here are my top 5: No more swipe to unlock Since the very first iPhone, to unlock the phone, we've had to swipe across the screen, and then either tap in a pin or use a fingerprint. This is no longer the case, although … [Read more...]
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1″ 2016 Review
I've added a short video below so you can see the tablet in action. But please read on for further details and conclusions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROnEsaR6JCU The Samsung Galaxy Tab sits in between the budget Tab E and premium Tab S2. There are both 7" and 10.1" versions of the Tab A, with and without 4G. In this article I'm looking at the 2016 10.1" model, … [Read more...]
Turn your ageing laptop into a speedy Chromebook
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeqQxBlnYRQ Please take a look at my detailed video walk through above. A Chromebook is a basic laptop that runs the Google Chrome operating system (Chrome OS) - effectively based around a web browser. Chrome OS relies heavily on a network connection, but has fewer hardware demands than the latest version of Windows. Neverware has … [Read more...]
Ricoh Theta S 360 Degree Camera – Review
https://youtu.be/dJM8RCkrcCE Please take a look at my detailed video review above. The Ricoh Theta S camera can capture complete 360° images and videos via its two fish eye lenses on the front and back of the slimline camera body. I had my first experience with the camera at the Gadget Show in March 2016: At The Gadget Show in Birmingham. Lots of VR headsets, … [Read more...]
Charging on the move – the best power bank? Cygnett Chargeup Digital 10000 versus TP-Link 10400 review
https://youtu.be/0gqUz3MGwmw Power banks or portable chargers can charge up your smartphone or tablet when you're on the move. In fact, they'll charge any device that you usually plug into a USB wall charger, which is probably a good majority of the gadgets you own. Power banks used to come with low capacity batteries and charge very slowly, but things have changed and … [Read more...]
The Gadget Show 2016, Birmingham NEC – what’s hot?
It's always interesting to make my yearly visit to the Gadget Show, a large tech show by British standards, held at the NEC in Birmingham. There weren't many big names there this year: no Microsoft, Sony, Canon or Panasonic to name a few. But the show does provide a useful indication of what's hot, and a nice opportunity to discover interesting new (to me) products. This … [Read more...]
Fenix RC40 2016 6000 lumens torch – review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZVeprBd78s&feature=youtu.be Fenix make some very bright torches, and their latest rechargeable RC40 2016, is their most powerful one to date. It can deliver up to 6000 lumens which is unbelievably bright. To put it in context, a car headlight is around 1000 lumens, and an old 6D Maglite with fresh batteries puts out around 160 … [Read more...]
The gaming console your may already own. Using you PC for gaming. Part 2.
https://youtu.be/qWSusJg0ogg At the end of last year, I wrote an article on how you could turn your desktop computer into a gaming machine that will rival the very latest offering from Sony or Microsoft. So assuming you've read this article and have your memory and video card at the ready let's get started. Firstly, slide off the side of the case, after releasing the … [Read more...]
App of the week – Photoshop Mix
Adobe has released a lot of apps for smartphones and tablets recently, and they're mostly free. Adobe's intention is you purchase an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, so you can continue your creations in their powerful desktop apps. But for the average user, there's a decent amount of power in the free apps themselves, and they are much easier to use. Here I'm taking a … [Read more...]
AmazonBasics aluminium 62″ tripod with ball head – review
I've reviewed other items in the AmazonBasics range, and I've found them good value. Their 62" tripod is no exception, and is far better than any other tripod I've used at this price point. The tripod comes in its own padded carry case, and there's room to get it back in again once out. The instructions even explain how to close the tripod for fitting in the bag (the legs … [Read more...]
Kindle Fire Kids Edition review – the perfect tablet for children?
I don't think it's completely clear from Amazon's description, that the Kindle Fire Kids Edition is no different to a standard Kindle Fire (at half the price). What you actually get is a bundle, which still represents good value, and includes the following (prices correct at the time of the post): Kindle Fire 7", without Special Offers (which normally costs … [Read more...]
Garmin vivosmart HR review
https://youtu.be/ZpjGCfcrQ-g *UPDATE 27th January 2016. New firmware update - version 2.60 (in article) to 2.90. Notable additions: added a heart rate graph if you tap the heart rate display (nice); can now select type of activity (running, cardio, other); backlight adjustment. *UPDATE 31st March 2016. New firmware update - version 3.10. Notable additions: screen lock; more … [Read more...]
Apple TV vs Amazon Fire TV vs Roku vs Chromecast vs WD TV – choosing the perfect media streamer
In last weeks post I described how easy it is to setup a home media server to stream your DVD collection to your TV. I briefly discussed media streamers that make this possible, effectively turning your TV into a super smart TV. There is a huge range of these devices and in this article I'll try and help you make the correct choice. What to look for Streaming media … [Read more...]
How to stream your entire DVD collection to your TV
Before the advent of services like Netflix and Amazon Instant Video, I remember when you used to buy DVDs and sit through 5 minutes of warnings about severe fines for playing back on oil rigs and such like. But then you did have all the extras like deleted scenes (that were usually deleted for a reason), and interviews (for the real devotees). Joking aside, I still buy DVDs - … [Read more...]
The gaming console your may already own. Using you PC for gaming. Part 1.
PC gaming has had a massive resurgence in recent years. Mostly because of gaming distribution services like Steam. If you're not aware of Steam, it's a small application you download on your PC or Mac (even Linux), that enables all sorts of games to be purchased and installed very easily. Steam is not the only service that supports this model. There's also Origin and Ubisoft … [Read more...]
Amazon Basics Portable Bluetooth Speaker – Review
The Amazon Basics range of products generally offer very good value so I was keen to try out their portable Bluetooth speaker. You can take a look at my video review before reading the article if you like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waiLnETTcVg Overview Inside the box you get the speaker itself, a micro-USB charging cable and the instruction manual. There's no … [Read more...]
Speed up your ailing iPhone (or iPad) – iTunes not required
I find that with all the iPhones I've owned, within a year, they start lagging more and more noticeably. A complete reset always gets things back in order, and the procedure to do this has become easier year on year. It was the turn of my iPhone 6 Plus last night. The first thing you need to do is a backup, which is easily accomplished using iCloud. The trick is to make sure … [Read more...]
Parrot Cargo Drone – review
The Parrot Cargo MiniDrone is Parrot's second generation MiniDrone after their very successful Rolling Spider MiniDrone. The changes are subtle but overall this new iteration does seem more polished. Again, the build quality is very good and replacement parts are available from Parrot which is very reassuring. The Cargo has eschewed the wheels of the rolling spider for a … [Read more...]
Making a walnut veneered retail slatwall cabinet
I needed a cabinet for the middle of my shop that could provide retail space, but also allow a customer to sit down for an overview of their new laptop for instance. This has been on the to do list for some time now and I had a few sheets of walnut veneered MDF ready and waiting. This will be a brief overview in picture form, but please see the video above for more … [Read more...]
Canton Musicbox XS Portable Bluetooth Speaker – review
Canton are a well regarded German HiFi brand which have achieved a number of awards for their TV sound bases like the DM55. The diminutive Musicbox XS is their first entry into the portable Bluetooth speaker market and has just been released in the UK. I saw the speaker at a trade show in September and was impressed - although it's always difficult to judge in a noisy … [Read more...]
Sonos Playbar versus Canton DM55 Soundbase – review
As TVs get thinner, the laws of physics dictate that sound quality must get worse! There's simply no room for decent speakers. Hence the rise in popularity of sound bars and bases. The difference between them is simply that sound bars usually sit in front of the TV whereas sound bases normally sit underneath the TV. However both have options for positioning them elsewhere. I … [Read more...]
The best duct tape – Duck, Gorilla, 3M or something else?
Is it duct or Duck tape? It is duct tape (Duck is just a brand of the tape) and the one thing it shouldn’t be used for is sealing ducts! Foil tape is much better for that. It is however useful for pretty much anything else, from temporary repairs, hanging your Christmas lights or even making wallets! But I noticed recently just how much it varies in quality and price, so I … [Read more...]
How to use all your loyalty cards with Apple Wallet straight from the lock screen
If you use Apple Pay you'll be familiar with the double tap of the home button from the lock screen, to let you pay for goods under £30 just using your phone. You'll need an iPhone 6 or later for the NFC technology that makes all this possible, to be incorporated. When you double-tap the home button from the lock screen, you're actually accessing Apple Wallet which … [Read more...]
Can the new breed of office inkjet printers replace a laser printer? Canon MAXIFY MB2350 versus HP LaserJet Pro M451DN
I do a fair bit of printing, both at home and at my small business. Ink costs are a huge expense so I have always been tempted to try one of the new breed of home office / small business inkjet printers. In this article I'm pitting Canon's MAXIFY MB2350 (£117) against my HP LaserJet Pro M451dn (400 series) (£217, new version M452dn). This printer from Canon is aimed squarely at … [Read more...]
Give yourself 1000GB storage on your phone using Dropbox and Carousel
The biggest frustration using your smartphone as your camera is the limited storage. Particularly if you have a non-expandable iPhone, which currently starts at a rather paltry 16GB (12GB useable space) for the iPhone 6s! Then you'll have some apps installed - so you might only have 4GB of space for photos and videos. On my iPhone 6 Plus, a typical 30s video clip at 60fps … [Read more...]
App of the week – Readdle’s Scanner Pro. Turn your phone into a portable scanner!
Scanner Pro, Readdle, iOS This is a very handy app for iOS devices, that uses the camera on your smartphone to convert paper documents to PDFs, and then uploads them to Dropbox. It has all sorts of uses but I use it for scanning receipts, business cards, important documents and even the childrens' artwork! To get started, you hover the phone over what you want scanned. This … [Read more...]
Braven 705 portable Bluetooth wireless speaker – review
Video review and overview Braven like to refer to themselves as the GoPro of the portable speaker market and they do make lots of wireless speakers that nearly all have some form of ruggedness. Here I'm looking at the Braven 705 wireless speaker (£89 RRP) which is part of their "design" range (they also do an "outdoor" range), but this speaker is still splash proof to IPX5 and … [Read more...]
Organise your laptop and smartphone repairs, using an old computer tower and some magnets
Having run a computer repair business for 6 years, you get to know the importance of organising all those pesky, minute screws. It’s not too difficult getting most things apart, but if you don’t take care, putting everything back together again can be a challenge. A while back I started using some small rare earth or neodymium magnets and the thin steel sides of our … [Read more...]
App of the week – Pro HDR for iPhone
HDR or High Dynamic Range photography is a way of combing two exposures to create one image with a far greater dynamic range than would otherwise be possible. The resulting photo is intended to represent more accurately what the human eye is capable of seeing. The concept is that one photo is taken under-exposed and another over-exposed. These two photos are stitched … [Read more...]
Aquapac wet and dry 25L backpack review
I was looking for a replacement for my small, 20 year old, Lowe Alpine (15L) rucksack, for commuting to work in the main. Since I live on Dartmoor, rain is a constant so I wanted it weatherproof. Up until now I've used a Camelbak raincover off my Camelbak Mule hydration pack (that I use for mountain biking). But this doesn't stop the rain from providing embarrassing wet patches … [Read more...]
Fix anything with Sugru, the wonder glue?
I stumbled across this mouldable glue that sets to a hard rubber, about 5 years ago at the Gadget Show Live trade day. It's come a long way since then and I've even seen it at our local B&Q. It comes in packs of small 5g sachets and is available it multiple colours which can be mixed to make even more colours should you desire. Once a sachet is opened, it goes off pretty … [Read more...]
Holding out for the best price on Amazon using camelcamelcamel price tracker
This has been around for a while but I mentioned it to a friend recently and they'd never heard of it. The oddly named camecamelcamel website is a price-tracker specifically for Amazon. It records historical pricing on all products listed on Amazon. It can be used in two ways. The first way, is to check before you purchase an item whether you are buying at a good price or … [Read more...]
Lifeproof Nuud waterproof case for iPhone review
I've heard a lot about these Lifeproof cases and often had them recommended to me but this is the first time I've tried one out. I needed something mainly for cycling, that could fit in my back jersey pocket. I've always used Aquapac pouches but since my iPhone 6 Plus is such a big phone, this solution has outgrown the pocket! Lifeproof do two types of waterproof cases: the … [Read more...]
Making a bandsaw box from scraps of wood
I decided to make a bandsaw box for my daughter from scraps of wood leftover from other projects. This is a great little project if you have a bandsaw and something I've never tried before. If you don't own a bandsaw, then I hope you still may find this of interest. The attraction of a bandsaw box is that they can be made any shape or size you want, from scraps of wood. And … [Read more...]
AmazonBasic’s laptop sleeve for MacBook Pro review
Finding a case for your new pride and joy is always a frustrating task. I usually just chuck my MacBook Pro 13" into my rucksack - but after a few years of abuse I thought I'd take a (pretty safe) gamble on the incredibly cheap Apple cases in the AmazonBasics range. I got the AmazonBasics laptop sleeve for my 13" 2011 MacBook Pro. But they do cases in this range for everything … [Read more...]
Soundpeats Qy7 Bluetooth headphones review. Is there a better value pair of wireless headphones?
I was recently after a pair of Bluetooth headphones mainly for cycling. I'm aware this is a controversial practice - but I usually only want to listen to podcasts cycling to work on a cycle path, and generally have just one earbud in my kerbside ear. The main danger is over-eager dogs! I wanted an inexpensive pair of headphones, since there is a strong possibility they'll … [Read more...]
iPhone 6 Plus versus Canon’s G7X. Is the iPhone’s camera all you need?
As a keen photographer I upgraded to the iPhone 6 Plus mainly for the camera. And specifically the Plus for the optical image stabilisation that the standard iPhone 6 doesn't have. This improves its low light performance significantly. And since smartphones generally don't have decent flashes this is even more important. My other camera was Canon's Prosumer 70D. And whilst … [Read more...]
You must be logged in to post a comment.