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  • Review count
    210
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  • First review
    November 5, 2010
  • Last review
    July 2, 2024
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  • First review comment
    October 14, 2011
  • Last review comment
    June 28, 2012
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  • Answer count
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  • First answer
    April 25, 2013
  • Last answer
    February 17, 2021
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psyclopps's Reviews
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Enjoy your favorite music through these Sony Sports wireless noise-cancelling headphones. The in-ear design ensures a snug fit, so you can jog or walk without missing a beat, and the wireless format eliminates the need for cumbersome cords. The Ambient Sound Mode on these Sony Sports wireless noise-cancelling headphones keeps you alert to your environment.
 
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Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
Very good but not great
on May 28, 2018
Posted by: psyclopps
from Everett, WA
I really want to love these, but it was hard to say that they were the best. They have lots of great perks but also a lot holding them back.
The box will contain some warranty information, large and small ear hooks (they are almost the same size) and a total of four different size ear buds. The device itself is a cable, two ear pieces and a control on the left side. I like that there is no excess cord and it is just long enough to reach around your head with a little slack to spare. All the controls are on the remote on the left side. The earbuds look pretty cool when wearing them and the curvy design kind of blends into your ears in my opinion. NFC pairing is present to make your Bluetooth pairing experience much easier.
The controls are pretty useful once you get the hang of them but I felt they were somewhat poorly designed. The buttons are a small volume rocket on the top of the flat side with a play/pause button at the bottom. The side has a tiny button for ANC settings (on, off and ambient) and the middle has a power button. It just feels strange using these buttons on the side and takes some thinking/getting used to. There are not buttons on the earbuds which is fine but they would probably be a better place for volume controls. There are two things on each headset that look like buttons but if you touch them while music is playing you will hear static, this is where a lot of the tech for the ANC is housed. The ANC itself does a pretty good job and it is very subtle but works well with drowning out gym noise. Ambient mode works very well actually as I have tried headphones that do this but the outside sound is usually artificial sounding and overpowering, this one makes it sound very natural. One large problem I had with the remote location is that it drags on the left side of the headphones resulting it in getting caught when I turned my head or extra weight on one side affecting the fit of the earbuds.
Speaking of the earbuds, this is where it will either shine or go poorly for you. When I found a good combination of sizes to fit my ears, it sounded extremely good. There is lots of Sony’s bass in these and it does a great job with the other ranges of audio. Connections were maintained with my phone via the AAC Bluetooth codec which I feel sounds much better than SBC. There is no APTX, APTX HD or LDAC compression here though. But… when I turned my head I consistently had a hard time maintaining a seal on my left ear resulting in audio that just was annoying since I have to push it back in my ear each time. Most of the time it wouldn’t be an issue but it would occur often enough I was annoyed by it. Some uses will not have this issue I am sure since it is all dependent on ear design but I have seen many other companies do better with the fit aspect. Battery life was pretty good with close to the advertised 6 hours which was enough time for a few gym visits. These are very water resistant as well with all ports covered nicely so sweat and rain will be zero issue for most people.
So, if I could break it down, 5 stars for appearance, sound quality and ease of use. For fit and practicality, I would give it somewhere between 3 stars for me so I will give the total score of a 4 for these. I like them but don’t love them as much as I had hoped. If they fit your ears right I think most people would rate it a 4 or a 5
My Best Buy number: 0962208100
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+22points
31of 40voted this as helpful.
 
Count on crystal-clear voice communication with these Jabra Elite wireless neckband headphones. Three-microphone call technology and professional-grade active noise cancellation block ambient sounds, and they come with different-sized EarGels for a customizable fit. These Jabra Elite wireless neckband headphones support Amazon Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant for voice-activated control.
 
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Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
Well rounded for every use
on May 23, 2018
Posted by: psyclopps
from Everett, WA
So far, I am finding these headphones to be very well rounded and are turning into an awesome daily driver with very few faults I can find. The box and items inside seem well designed with a nice appearance of quality and not a whole lot inside. The headphones are nicely presented upon opening and you will also find a small manual, additional headphone ear buds and hooks, a nice cloth carrying pouch and a USB cable.
The unit was smaller than I expected having tried multiple behind the neck headphones over the years. The ear bud portion feels rather well built. The cables feel strong and hold their shape pretty well. I believe this is by design to best keep the microphones on the right side close to your mouth for phone calls. The base neck portion is sturdy and very slim. They have a great grippy silicon texture to them so they will not slip very easily around your neck with normal wear. The design is not flashy at all and I would describe it as more functional, they are not bad looking by any means though.
Pairing is straight forward like any Bluetooth earbuds and works best with the Jabra + software if you want to fine tune the EQ and update the firmware. It is not needed but nice to have.
Audio quality is very good. I tested them walking outside, doing office work, at the gym and going to bed. One battery charge lasted me the whole day with LOTS of listening. Walking out side I used the ANC feature and it did a very good job of blocking most of the static from the road while letting it just enough important audio like cars and cross walk signs. I took a few calls and it was very clear on my end with the caller saying the same. Office work was music with the pass through feature engaged. It does a very good job of allowing all ambient sound in while not overpowering the music. It does sound a little amplified though and can be annoying over extended periods. So when no one was around I turned it off and just concentrated on my music and podcasts. My gym usage was surprisingly good. I usually get lots of interference at the gym with Bluetooth headphones but had no issues with this headset. The music came in loud and clear with good quality. The ANC was perfect for the gym as it eliminated all the background music, conversations and most of the sounds of the weights. The water resistance is IP54 rated so it should do a decent job protecting against sweat and rain but I wouldn’t try to get it more wet than that. This might have become my favorite gym headphones partly because of the audio quality / ANC and partly because it stays in position on my neck perfectly due to the grippy texture. Bed time music was a good experience since I could just concentrate on music so lets talk about audio quality.
If you are used to any high quality wired headsets, you will instantly notice the music is a little more muddy due to the use of SBC profile. The website and box didn’t describe what Bluetooth profiles were supported and only say Bluetooth 5.0. I checked developer options on my phone and it wouldn’t change from SBC mode so it appears there is no APTX or LDAC (high quality) profiles present. That being the case, the music did sound very good overall but I think you will need to adjust it with the EQ in the app to get a good setting you like. I was curious about the Bluetooth 5.0 as it is supposed to make larger range connections with your phone possible but I didn’t see much improvement from the normal 30 or so feet over Bluetooth we have become used to over the years. Bluetooth 5.0 is also supposed to make file transfers and battery life better which were both hard to test since my phone I tested it with supports 5.0 and I didn’t have another phone to test it with a different version. From my experience though, the firmware updates transferred relatively quickly and battery life was exceptional as it lasted me pretty much the entire day. You battery life will go down with ANC enabled.
I give this headset a 4 out of 5 as it is very high quality and is well worth a purchase. I only took a star away for little details I would like to have seen, mainly support for APTX, high water resistance rating and something other than micro-USB for charging. Those are little gripes so if that doesn’t bother you, you will probably enjoy these very much.
My Best Buy number: 0962208100
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
+5points
7of 9voted this as helpful.
 
Enjoy an authentic sound with these Sony 1AM2 headphones. Their 40mm HD drivers provide clear, precise sound across all frequencies, and their separate left and right channels reduce crosstalk for balanced audio. These Sony 1AM2 headphones are lightweight, with pressure-relieving cushioned earpads for comfortable all-day wear.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Best headphones ever
on May 19, 2018
Posted by: psyclopps
from Everett, WA
I’m gonna knock out the bad stuff first. These headphones are not Bluetooth, they are not noise cancelling, the box feels a little cheap and they are not water resistant. Ok, now that that is out of the way I can talk nothing but praise for these amazing headphones.
My first thing I have to say, go out and buy these. These are probably the best sounding headphones I have ever put on my ears. I have used a lot of high end wireless headphones over the years but I always fall back to wired for listening to high quality music. My library consists of a lot of music from HD Tracks and 7Digital so I had a lot of 24 bit audio ranging from 44khz to 192khz used in my testing. My equipment used ranged from my PC which had on board audio (with support for HD 24bit 96khz) and on my phone which has a quad DAC on it.
Unboxing was pretty basic but not bad. The outer packaging looks nice but feels rather cheap and tears apart pretty easily. You then find a nice box inside of the cheap layer that folds open with heavy duty cardboard. The headphones are resting inside on a pillow of cloth and soft materials. You will find a warranty booklet, a carrying case and the cable inside. I first did my testing on my phone since it has support for HD Audio and a quad DAC to power these babies. I loaded it with HD Audio tracks from Kacey Musgraves, Khalid, the Hamilton Soundtrack and Daft Punk to get a decent range of audio. My mind was instantly blown with each sample. I think the biggest improvement from my old set of cans is the ability to easily separate the harmonics. I am used to those types of audio blending together nicely, but these Sony headphones make each part of the track stand out distinctly with no loss of quality allowing them to blend together just like a live performance. I felt most of the audio had a flat feel to it with no portion of the audio feeling overpowered. The bass was loud but clear and a little more punchy than normal but not to the point where it overwhelms, the highs are crisp and stand out distinctly. The mids are extremely clear. I felt no need to mess with the EQ on my device as everything just feels like it sounds like it was originally intended. These headphones made me want to listen to all my favorite albums all over again to see what tiny parts of the audio I have been missing out on over the years. Supposedly they support 3hz to 100khz so your pets might like it since I am pretty sure no human can hear sounds in those ranges.
As for the hardware itself, my first impression was surprise on how light they are. There is a lot of plastic, memory foam and leather all over these but I feel it works pretty well. I am used to high quality headphones trying to integrate lots of metal for a more premium feel and heft, but it is kind of relieving having a high quality pair so light you barely notice them when you wear them. The plastic is obvious, but it does not feel cheap by any means. The foam on the ear cups is stunning. Most of us have felt memory foam before but this is some of the softest memory foam I have ever felt. It is like a soft pillow on your ears. I have been listening to them for about 5 hours today along (I should really take them off) and I feel zero discomfort or overabundance of heat. Though these have no ANC, they block a lot of the outside sound out due to their design.
The design itself is rather pleasing with a lower profile on your head (I can’t stand cans that stuck out and make my head look even bigger than it is). The cord is detachable from the headphones and sticks out of the back of the left side creating a nice streamlined look. If the cord matters to you it fells high quality with a durable rubber coating. There is an inline remote on it with a single button for pausing/skipping and a microphone to take calls on. There is also a cable with a four band connector used for their Walkman lineup, I did not get a chance to test as I do not have one of their newer HD Walkmans.
Again, this is the best set of headphones I have ever heard, it is very hard to find a fault with them if you are in the market for a wired set of high quality headphones
My Best Buy number: 0962208100
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
3of 4voted this as helpful.
 
Enjoy high-quality graphics and fast performance with this Dell Alienware Aurora desktop. Its 16GB of Intel Optane memory is expandable to 64GB, providing plenty of room for future expansion, and the 1TB hard drive delivers ample file storage space. This Dell Alienware Aurora desktop has an NVIDIA GeForce 1070 graphics card for smooth rendering of 3D images.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Amazing well rounded gaming PC
on April 21, 2018
Posted by: psyclopps
from Everett, WA
This computer is a dream come true. It is not 100% perfect but is extremely well rounded and great for expansion.
I received it in the mail in a sturdy package. The packaging is fairly basic with just a white Alienware box inside, the computer, a keyboard, a mouse and some quick start documentation. There is not much else inside.
The setup was easy. Connect power, connect the monitor, key board, mouse and press the cool alien shaped power button. The first start is rather slow, and the computer is sluggish at first as it installs all the updates. After this is all good to go your computer will quickly get extremely fast with the introduction of Optaine memory in conjunction with the hard drive. You really will notice near SSD speeds on most operations once you have opened up various programs and rebooted the computer a few times. It is like an extremely high-speed cache that is non-volatile, so it never has to reload. There is not much bloatware installed, just some Alienware software and your usual Microsoft apps.
After toying around with it I tossed an extra SSD drive in it, there is room for two SSD drives but no room for a traditional 3.5-inch hard drive as the only slot for that is occupied by the C: drive. Every component is modular so replacing anything is extremely easy. There are tons of USB ports on the back and top including a USB-C connector. Out of curiosity I wanted to see how it would handle a 2nd Nvidia 1070 card. I tossed it in there, there is a perfect amount of space but the power supply will not handle this setup. The primary video card has a 8pin power connector, the 2nd video card only has a 6 pin so you will need to upgrade the power supply should you want two 8 pin connectors. If you are running video cards that need 6 pin you will have no issue.
The build quality is top notch. All layouts internally and all external surfaces feel as if there is a lot of thought put into it. The computer runs rather cool and I could not get the GPU temperature to go above 75 degrees C, my old computer would routinely go up to 83 C so I am very impressed by the great airflow. The cables are all neatly arranged inside and do not restrict airflow.
The m.2 slots are occupied with a Wi-Fi card and the Intel Optane memory. I was skeptical of this new storage at first but the more I used the computer, the faster it got, and it really feels like there is a 1tb SSD installed now. Just remember if you wanted to install a M.2 hard drive you would have to remove the optane storage.
The i7 8700 processor is a beast and it is awesome watching a program like BOINC running 12 threats at the same time. It looks like it is water cooled and will run nice on anything you throw at it. The memory is occupied by a total of 16GB DDR4 sticks (2 8gb slots) so you will have two more slots available for expansion.
Games run smooth as butter. I spent a good amount of time playing Overwatch, Xcom 2, Forza Horizon 3 and Call of Duty WWII at 1080P and it never ever dropped below 60fps. Most games would run in the 100fps range when vsync was turned off.
The lighting effects are a nice touch but nothing required. The software is easy to use with lots of preset profiles but you can choose any combination of colors on the side panels and the Alienware logo you wish. My kid is obsessed with a yellow/blue/red layout. There is killer networking software installed as well if you have a router that supports it.
Most people will probably upgrade their mouse and hard drive but just for your info the included base keyboard is pretty good quality with great travel and a nice clicky mechanical feel. The mouse is standard fare and will do the job.
The compute screams of quality and value at the same time. It is almost perfect out of the box and there is plenty of expansion ability. If I would change anything whatsoever I would toss a little more storage in the (easy upgrade if you clone a new drive and replace it, just disable optane before and reenable after) and I would have included a slightly more powerful power supply for dual video purposes. Every other detail is outstanding. Go buy this computer!
My Best Buy number: 0962208100
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+3points
3of 3voted this as helpful.
 
Only at Best BuyPull in HDTV signals from local stations up to 60 miles away with this Mohu Beam antenna. It's 23 inches long and looks like a sound bar to blend with your home entertainment equipment, and you can mounts it on the wall. This Mohu Beam antenna includes a signal amplifier for clear digital reception.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Near perfect antenna
on April 14, 2018
Posted by: psyclopps
from Everett, WA
This thing works as advertised. The installation is easy as can be and I got a better signal than any other comparable antenna I have tried in the past. The packaging is pretty small, about the size of a sound bar. Once opened you will see some instructions, the antenna bar, coax cables, the coax amplifier and mounting hardware (mostly just screws).
The device itself looks pretty good overall. It appears modern, sturdy and is something I wouldn’t mind having on display. This is usually a problem for TV antennas as they either look cheap and flimsy or are bulky and need to be hidden. This antenna is designed to be mounted above or below your tv similar to a wall mounted sound bar. As my TV is wall mounted and the sound bar is also wall mounted I was concerned it would be too much clutter on the wall but it actually looks quite nice below the sound bar, it is partially hidden behind my entertainment stand anyways so it is pretty out of the way but I wouldn’t be ashamed of letting it be seen.
Installation is a breeze, just for testing I initially tried it out before mounting it. Plug in the coax cable to the device then hook it up to the amplifier which feeds to the tv and the USB port for power. Upon TV setup, it initially recognized 10 TV channels, that is the most for me compared to antennas I have used in the past. I usually get 4-6 channels that have a mix of good and bad quality. All 10 channels got a great signal an it wasn’t even properly mounted/oriented yet!
Installation to the wall was even easier than the sound bar, it is very light so you don’t need to worry too much about securing it too much but you will be fine with a few screws and brackets that are included.
To summarize, it is a great looking antenna that gives great performance and will likely give you a few channels over the air you might not have had previously. A great tool for cord cutters who want to reclaim some local channels. If I could make any changes it would be to make the device have a slightly smaller footprint but that is minor overall. This is probably the best OTA antenna out there currently.
My Best Buy number: 0962208100
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
 
The Xperia XZ2 Compact is designed to be the ultimate entertainment device. Whether you're recording breathtaking videos in 4K HDR, or watching films in HDR, the Xperia XZ2 Compact delivers big screen entertainment in the palm of your hand.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Best phone yet!
on April 13, 2018
Posted by: psyclopps
from Everett, WA
I have finally found a near perfect phone. I am one of those people who upgrades to the latest phone whatever it is at the time. I am often happy with the new phone for a little while but there is always that itch that the next phone will be better. After using the XZ2 for a few days, I feel like there is nothing wrong with this phone and I can find no faults that make me look at other phones. I had to look hard for any issues and luckily any that I found I truly don’t care about.
Starting with the unboxing, the packaging is basic compared to those of other phones. The box is simple with the Xperia logo on it (shiny). Upon opening you see the device which instantly strikes you as very small. Under that there are the Quick Charge 3.0 charger, cable, documentation, headphones, USB-C to headphone dongle, and some extra ear buds to find your fit. I was surprised to see there was no SIM insertion tool. Upon inspection I saw the SIM tray can be removed without the tool and you can quickly swap SIM’s or memory cards. You might see this as a curse or a blessing but I had zero qualms with this.
Upon inspection of the device, it felt right. What I mean is phones these days are huge. My previous phone was a 6” screen device and I was a little concerned with a compact phone. Well, I can finally do anything on this phone with one hand and has amazing ergonomics. Sony put a lot of effort into making sure the device fits well in your hand as you can reach any part of the screen with your thumb and the curved back side will fit in your palm just right in a way that reduces slipping, a problem which plagues most phones these days in my opinion. The materials are high quality. Even though the back side is a polycarbonate it feels very tough and looks amazing with a translucent appearance. The fingerprint reader, lens and sensors are all laid out in a way that makes sense. The buttons on the right side contain volume at the top, power in the middle and, thanks heavens, a CAMERA BUTTON at the bottom! I don’t know why all phones don't come with a dedicated camera button as it makes life so much easier. It not only launches the camera app but it also is a two stage button so a half press will focus, a full press will take a photo just like a real camera.
I quickly booted it up and installed my apps after. The Snapdragon 845 processor is a beast! You can easily install gigabytes of apps while using the phone and see zero stutter. I have not seen a single instance of lag on this device yet. Games will run buttery smooth and everything loads with extreme speed.
The interface has a Sony skin on it but is mostly stock. It uses most of the Google apps for everyday applications such as calendar, messages and so on but there are a few duplicates such as the Sony photo app which is kind of silly since Google includes Photos app as well. It is annoying but I felt bloatware was minimal on this device. The only thing I ended up disabling was the PlayStation app (Xbox guy here) and the AVG antivirus app since I use a different brand.
The phone unlocks very quickly with the back mounted fingerprint sensor. Thank goodness Sony finally included a fingerprint sensor as this has been missing from previous models. This was important enough that I figured it deserved its own paragraph! It is easy to find and far enough away from the camera that you do not risk getting fingerprints on it. Being a smaller phone you will need to bend your finger a bit to reach it though as it is mounted in the middle below the natural resting spot of your index finger.
Audio is great, the twin speakers are very loud and clear. I noticed very minor distortion at max volume with certain podcasts, but I did not hear any issues in music. The headphones are curiously not USB-C type but traditional 3.5mm type which you can use with the included USB-C dongle. Once I found the right fit with the earbuds, they sounded great. Not the most amazing pair but pretty darn good for free headphones with punchy bass and a crisp sound.
The display is great! It is IPS so the blacks will not be as dark as a OLED but in actual use I could barely tell any difference! The resolution is more than enough for a 5” screen at 1080x2160 and HDR content looks great. One sacrifice you might make with a smaller screen like this is the keyboard can feel a little cramped. The device ships with SwiftKey but a switch to Gboard fixed that issue for me.
I would not rate the camera as the best in the market but it is extremely good, accurate and will give you detailed photos. They were a little noisy in low light but only when I zoomed in to full size. As stated earlier, the camera button makes things work so well. Video recording supports 4k WITH HDR! One of the only phones that can do this right now I believe. You can also take some very quick 1080 extreme slow mo clips if you want to be creative. I tossed a few sample shots of random household objects in low light so you can see. The 5mp front camera is a little lacking but it isn’t bad. It lacks detail but colors look good and is more than sufficient for a phone. If selfies are your thing you might be put off by this as there are better phones for selfies (Sony ones included).
I have not tested the water/dust resistance but it does have a resistance rating that should keep you safe. I am also not going to test the scratch resistance but I have confidence in the Gorilla Glass 5 it uses.
Last thing I want to touch on is battery life. Being a smaller phone you will have a smaller battery. I believe it is 2870 mAh and after a few days of use I got home with about 20% battery life. That is not bad for me as I am a heavy user who listens to podcasts and music all day, reads the news, uses GPS a few times a day and plays a few games / YouTube videos during lunch. The battery charges extremely fast with the QC 3.0 charger and I was able to get it up to 75% after getting home while cooking dinner. There is no wireless charging so I recommend you have a charger in your bag if you expect extended times of heavy use and travel.
This is probably the phone that is closest to perfect thus far. My only fixes if I could make it any better would be add wireless charging and upgrade the front camera slightly. Other than that I love this thing and Sony has earned my confidence in their phone brand once again!
My Best Buy number: 0962208100
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Meet the secure, tamper-proof smart lock from Nest and Yale. It’s keyless, so you can lock and unlock the door from anywhere with the Nest app.[1] Give people you trust a passcode instead of a key, and get alerts when they come and go. And lock the door with a tap. If you forget, the Nest x Yale Lock even reminds you.
 
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Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
A amazing home security device
on March 24, 2018
Posted by: psyclopps
from Everett, WA
The Nest x Yale smart lock is exactly what I have been waiting and looking for. I have been in the market for one of these devices for a while now and of all the ones I have seen for sale in places like Home Depot, there was always something holding me back from making the purchase. Usually issues were quality, ease of use, appearance and so on. Well… if you have been in that situation as well, this is probably the lock for you.
The box comes with a lot of hardware inside. There is the outer lock, the inner lock and mounting plate, a good bit of screws, instructions (with drilling template if needed), strike plates and the inner lock. Having never changed a lock before it seemed like a bit much but the instructions were pretty straightforward and there are some great tutorials on Youtube and on the Nest website.
I hit a few snags upon installation but nothing that was the fault of the Nest x Yale lock. My first snag was the old lock I had had a round bolt with no strike plate so I had to chisel out a groove for the strike plate to fit into in my door. Second hiccup was that the old lock installation did not have a good fit with the new deadbolt / frame strike plate. Over the years my door has started hanging at a tiny angle as the house settled so this tiny misalignment caused the bolt to not align properly. Again, not an issue with the lock but it was a learning experience for me with the installation. My fix was to use the old strike plate instead of the included one as the size is slightly different and it worked on the old one.
I would imagine a good chunk of houses might have a few snags as well so if any of it seems too daunting don’t forget that Nest always offers Nest Pro Installation with local vendors if you want to pay a little extra.
Once I got it installed and aligned my next snag was figuring out how to get it working with the Nest app. I will save you some time. There is a Nest Connect hub you can pair with the app first. The website says you have to be connected to Nest Connect or to Nest Secure in your app before you can use the lock. Once you pair the Nest connect, scan the QR code on the lock itself (in the battery compartment). It then works flawlessly.
Here is how it works… When you leave the house, touch the “Yale” button and it locks the door with a nice tune that plays. When you get home you can open your door via the app or you can put in your personal pin on the door. Each user of the house can get a personal PIN number to make things easier to remember for everyone. If you have a guest in the house, you can give them a pin as well so they do not know yours and so you can cancel it once they leave. The lock offers a privacy mode so no one can get in unless they use the app, kind of cool.
It looks cool on the door but I will have to repaint my door as it has a different shape compared to the old round lock I used to have, a minor inconvenience but one more thing to do.
This thing has a easy to use user interface, looks great, has wonderful app support through Nest and is very reliable. I am curious how long the four AA batteries will last but if it is like other Nest devices I should get a warning when they are low. A great purchase overall.
My Best Buy number: 0962208100
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
User submitted photo
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+51points
60of 69voted this as helpful.
 
Make your smart home digitally secure with this Bitdefender BOX 2 cybersecurity hub. It protects your connected home and your family from hackers and privacy intruders. You get complete, multilayered cybersecurity for an unlimited number of internet-connected devices. Bitdefender BOX 2 is 100 percent compatible with your home network and lets you control all your connected devices from a single app.
 
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Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
A nice layer of security
on March 4, 2018
Posted by: psyclopps
from Everett, WA
I received this in the mail and instantly tore open the packaging to install it. I initially did not feel this product was not too necessary for most homes so long as you use antivirus on your devices and practice safe browsing habits but I figured there are a lot of smart devices in my home that do not get protection or routine security updates… so it couldn't hurt.
Upon unboxing the device appeared much smaller than I expected! It looks nice in any room and just makes things look extra high tech wherever you put it. The box has a start up guide, the unit, a CAT6 cable and the AC adaptor.
Setup was a bit of a headache for me. I was planning on installing it with my existing router. I use FiOS so there is no modem box, just the ethernet going straight to my router. To set it up you must download the Bitdefender connect app, plug it in, connect to it on your phone via wifi directly, log in, set up your router in bridge mode, let it configure and gtg! Well, it wasn’t so painless for me.
I was able to follow up to setting up the router… this was no problem from the side of bitdefender but my router I use did not support bridge mode! I was amazed by this seeing as how it is a high end router. I switched to my backup router which did indeed support bridge mode. I set it up but had to start over. The reason is that the bitdefender box uses a IP address starting with 172 when most home routers use a IP address starting with 192. Well I did not set up a static IP address in my router so I was unable to further configure it unless I put the IP range and Subnet mask to match. A rookie mistake yes but I am sure lots of consumers that prefer to not mess with such settings might have a hard time. Anyways, I did a factory reset on the Bitdefender Box 2 and my router to start over and after the reset, the Bitdefender Box 2 did not seem to allow me to enter any kind of setup. Turns out the solution was to erase the app from my phone and reinstall since logging in and out had no effect.
Ok… so after getting it properly set up after a few hours… it worked just fine! I did not see any real noticeable performance hit. I pay for 150 mbps down and 150 mbps up. It was a tiny bit slower in my downlink but my uplink was pretty much on spot. My ping was a ms or two higher but again, nothing I would notice.
It is hard to review how effective it is since unless something happens you probably won’t know, but… I visited a few sites that are meant to test your antivirus solutions and the results seemed good. First, the device gives you unlimited access to Bitdefender on your computer so the software was first to warn me of the sites to which I continued on. The Bitdefender Box 2 then blocked the website and gave me a message. I checked the app on my phone which told me I had had 6 malware attempts blocked so that was nice!
The app also gives you an overview of how secure your network is. If there is a pc, tablet of phone that has bitdefender software available that is not installed it will offer to help you get it on your device (again, unlimited downloads for a year!). I think I will keep it as part of my networks as it adds piece of mind and does not affect performance to any noticeable effect. Plus… it looks cool! My only reason I deducted starts was for the painful setup process. Otherwise it is a great product!
My Best Buy number: 0962208100
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+2points
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Garmin Speak™ Plus with Amazon Alexa is what you love about Amazon Alexa, now in your vehicle. Use voice control for hands-free access to music, news, navigation and more. Plus, a built-in dash cam gives you forward collision and lane departure warnings.
 
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Customer Rating
3 out of 5
3
Not for everyone but a useful product
on February 18, 2018
Posted by: psyclopps
from Everett, WA
This product is overall a mixed bag. There were times where I loved it and times where I hated it. Here is my experience.
Upon unboxing, I expected more. This is not bad but I just assumed the product would be larger and have more in the box. This thing is tiny! There is some manuals, the unit, the mounting base and a charger in the box. 8GB of MicroSD memory are preinstalled in the device.
Installing in the car is a mixed bag. Placing it in the upper left part of my windshield it was out of the way but then I had to worry about the cabling. The adaptor has a long cord but it plugs into the right side of the unit. This just doesn't make sense to me as it just seems as if the cord should be on the left side to better aid in cable management. The cable is meant to be routed in the trim of the car and routed to the the charging port. This just felt kind of lazy to me. A better solution would have been allow for charging and put a battery in the unit with at least a few hours of use. There is no battery in the unit and you will have to live with the cable. It mounts to the windshield we an adhesive sticker that really sticks! I honestly have no clue how to get this thing off without a heat gun so make sure you put it in a spot you are happy with. Once you place the adhesive part on the windshield you can detach that part as it connect to the unit itself via a magnet if you switch cars or need to get the SD card out. If you care about how things look in your car you might be annoyed by all of this, others might not.
Setup wasn’t too bad but there are a few issues. You must download the Garmin Speak app and if you want to view camera feed you must download another Garmin app. I was using this with a Apple iPhone X which doesn’t seem to play together too well in my experience. I tied the device to my Amazon account for Alexa integration but skills seemed rather finicky. First, in order to use the app you need to have the Speak app open. I assume that due to Apple’s multitasking management, I had to reopen the app from time to time. I did not have this issue when I tried it on my wife’s Android phone. I was excited to use Alexa to play Spotify and Sirius XM in my car easily without using my phone as I would do at home on my Alexa speaker, but it did not work as easily as I assumed. I had to re-pair Sirius XM to Alexa to get that skill working with the Garmin and it repeatedly told me that Spotify was not supported.
As for normal use and navigation. I found that if you start a navigartion sentence as “Alexa, ask Garmin what time I will reach my destination”, it works just fine. If I just say “Alexa, what time will I reach my destination” it gets confused and looks up flight info that didn’t exist. It makes sense since Garmin is a skill but it is easy to forget. The display is great on the device. It is off in a spot that it doesnt distract you and when you need it it is clear and to the point. The color ring assists in displaying what is happening. Green means I might be getting close to the turn, blue is listening, orange is an alert and so on.
Speaking of alerts, these were interesting. The device features lane departure warnings and collision detection. My car I tested it on initially has this as built in so I was able to compare accuracy. Lane departure wasn’t too bad but it gave me a lot of false alarms when I was in a long turn. I tested it on a empty road and got toward a line which triggered it ok. I think the errors were due to the placement of the device and it is using only one camera to make a decision so there is no depth information. Collision detection was hard to test since I never had any pending accidents but there were a few false alarms from cars slowing down on the highway. It did not trigger an alert in my car and there was no safety issue so maybe it wouldn’t have triggered if I lowered the sensitivity.
As a dash cam it works pretty good! My only gripe is that the app has to connect via wifi. But, if there was an issue you could always just take the device out and pull the file straight off the SD card. It is small and is always recording, including interior audio.
The Garmin is great for entertaining the kid of course too with a simple Alexa fact or joke. I got to test it driving to an island up north and it was a mixed bag. If I was in the city it was great! Navigation worked most of the time with quick redirection if needed (only issue was when I had to restart the speak app). As I got more toward nature the device was essentially useless if there was no cell signal and I had to rely on my car’s GPS.
At the end of the day I do recommend this product if you have a need for it. If your car is fairly modern and you care about the wiring in your car, I would say ignore it. If you have a car that is a little older (with bluetooth), dont have GPS (or old maps) and wants some upgraded safety features, get this! If nothing else it is an awesome dash cam as well! That is why I give it a 3 out of five. There are a lot of bugs but it has a lot of usefulness as well. It was hard to love it but hard to hate it.
My Best Buy number: 0962208100
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
 
Keep your computer and information safe with Malwarebytes software. It provides protection against multiple attack types, including ransomware that hijacks your computer and demands payment and traditional spyware, and offers fast scanning so your device isn't tied up. Malwarebytes software detects fake websites and prevents you from accessing them or downloading infected programs.
 
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Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
Great basic software
on January 16, 2018
Posted by: psyclopps
from Everett, WA
This software package is pretty basic but is easy to use and effective. My first impression is that there are few bells and whistles. Competitors might have additional software features, this is essentially just an antivirus, and malware scanner. There is no firewall, no password tools, no safe web tools, it is bare bones. That is probably its greatest strength though.
What it does, it does very well and with little resources as unobtrusively as possible. My first scan found lots of crypto mining files it tried to quarantine but it was very easy to mark them as safe. I had some initial confusion as my Windows Defender was enabled alongside Malware Bytes. I found a setting in the menu to register the app in Windows Action Center so if you choose you can have Malware Bytes as the primary antivirus or work alongside your existing software. I tested it running alongside Windows Defender and also with McAfee Antivirus and I had no stability issues or conflicts. This software works very well as multi-layer security if needed. You can also run it by itself but since there is no firewall your system will default to Defender Firewall.
It is hard to say anything bad about this software if you are expecting a streamlined antivirus app. That is exactly what it is, if you are looking for lots of extra software features I would look elsewhere. This is now my default app on my laptop since it uses almost no processing power in the background and only takes up 46 MB of RAM keeping a small footprint while providing real time scans still. My old antivirus used a few hundred MB of RAM and constantly used some processor use draining my battery a little quicker. I am overall happy with Malware Bytes.
My Best Buy number: 0962208100
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
 
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psyclopps's Review Comments
 
SynopsisThe last time the earth was ravaged, animals were saved two by two in a massive ark, peacefully sailing to a new beginning, or so the story goes. This time, we're not so lucky. With a massive asteroid hurtling toward the planet, a select few were chosen to inhabit modern-day arks — pods buried deep within the earth's core. You were chosen. You were buried alive. And you rose from the ground to face your worst nightmare. Hordes of mutants killing without a thought, bandit gangs wreaking havoc throughout the already defunct wasteland, a looming Authority seizing maniacal power and holding secrets — this is what remains of humanity. The world as you know it is gone, but if any world is to stand in its place, there's only one person left who can raise it up from the ashes — you. That is, if you can survive the Rage.Step up to the challenge and climb into the wasteland in the first-person shooter that flings you to the edge of the earth and the brink of extinction. Rage pits you against the odds in a desolate world in which you were selected for survival — just to face death at every turn. To redeem humanity, you must master a massive arsenal of exotic wingsticks, sentry bots, bomb cars and other powerful weapons and fearlessly wage war against the evil forces overtaking your planet. Fire through heart-pounding first-player shooting action, rip through the wasteland in high-octane vehicle chases and turn your car into your most deadly weapon — you have to play dirty if you want to live. Experience the mass decay with every painfully realistic detail with the id Tech 5 engine and Megatexture technology, firing at 60 frames per second to make you feel as if the world has crumbled around you. And when you take the battle online, the devastating action really does stretch around the world. You've survived the apocalypse. Now comes the real battle.
 
Overall1 out of 51 out of 5
Game was not tested properly
By skullboy88 from Los Angeles, CA
First of all the reason for such a low rating is that the game is not playable. Right out the box. Now, I have been building pc's for over 10 years and have sunk hundreds of dollars into my rig to play the most demanding games. And I do. The problem is that ID software sent out a game to the public that is not finished. Google, rage graphics problems and you will find a magnitude of arcticles about poor graphics bad drivers and other issues. AMD and Nvidia have been working for a driver patch but reports from many say they do not work to fix the tearing and poor rendering . People are paying $60.00 for a pc game. Dont you think it should work right away without having to wait for a patch?
Customer Avatar
psyclopps
San Diego, CO
Updates
October 14, 2011
To be fair, a patch has since been release which fixes many of these PC problems including better support for video cards and settings.
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Rock out during your workout with these Sony Balanced Armature Sports XBAS65 earbud headphones that feature water-resistant housing with a waterproof film to stand up to sweat, rain and rinsing. Balanced Armature drivers deliver clear, detailed audio.
 
Overall2 out of 52 out of 5
Horrid Sound
By DELienz from Delaware
I had pair of Sony Headphones that I bought a few years ago for approx. $50 dollars... Sounded Amazing, but I recently ran then over with my car... Anyway bought these assuming the sound would be similar and also compensate for my only complaint with my other heardphones which was falling constantly out of my ear during workouts. Turns out these are more expensive but that sound terrible. Tried changing the setting on my IPOD and there is no overcoming the lack of bass. I am a auidiophile and I do listen to music a lot of double bass and drums so bass is something I must have in a headphone. If that's what you looking for don't buy these. I'm confident cheaper headphones with the same quality sound can be obtained so I would not recommend these to anyone...
Customer Avatar
psyclopps
San Diego, CO
Balanced Armature
June 28, 2012
Balanced Armature headphones are designed to sound like the original recording. Most headphones these days are "dynamic armature" which are designed kind of like a hardware equilizer where bass is usually most important. Any of these balanced armature headphones are aimed specifically at audiophiles as they repoduce very true to original sound with detailed mid ranges and highs.
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Lenovo y500?

Ok so I was really looking forward to buying the lenovo ideapad y500 i5 version for $889.98. It said it was sold out but I wasn't worried, figuring it would be restocked in around a week. However, today I looked and it's been taken off the site. It's a shame because it was an amazing laptop, and I couldn't believe it was taken off. I was also wondering WHY it had been taken off. It seemed to make no sense. I would see if it had bad reviews and problems, but the lenovo had 2 ratings, both 5 star! I was very dissapointed and it looks like I'll have to go to TigerDirect and try to find it. If there's something I might not know, please tell me.
Thanks
Though I could not answer any specifics as the reasoning, I might be able to speculate. I have seen the Y series as very well configured for amazing prices in places. After reading reviews, a common trend mentioned of sub par build quality, most notably the touch pad would sink into the chassis. This would be enough to anger me after purchase. For the price, it might still be well worth it though.
11 years, 2 months ago
by
psyclopps
   San Diego, CA