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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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 … [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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]