3Tcubed's stats
- Review count215
- Helpfulness votes1,598
- First reviewJanuary 3, 2014
- Last reviewJuly 10, 2025
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- Average rating4.4
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- Answer count72
- Helpfulness votes46
- First answerJanuary 10, 2015
- Last answerJanuary 12, 2022
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Experience an immersive acoustic performance with these Sony XB Extra Bass wireless headphones. The noise-isolating fit mutes ambient noises, while the lithium-ion battery offers up to 30 hours of playtime, keeping you entertained during long-distance travels. These Sony XB Extra Bass wireless headphones have a touch sensor for convenient control.
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from PHOENIX
About 15 months ago I reviewed the Sony CH700N headphones and said it sounded better than 6 other BT headphones I had, but they were not comfortable for more than an album or so. Needless to say I've kept looking, and with 2 more set earbuds and 2 more over the ear headphones to consider I now have the Sony XB900Ns. They weigh about the same as the CH700's but have a completely different foam configuration. They have deeper, softer foam around the ears, they are deep enough that my ears don't touch the inner drivers, which is what I think caused the discomfort with the CH700s. The are much more comfortable and do a better job of noise canceling. I've found them much more comfortable than the CH700's, the foam at the top is a little thicker and they don't squeeze quite as tightly. In addition; changing volume or music is accomplished with a simple swipe to the right headphone, and if you cover your right ear (headphone) with you hand it mutes the music and enables the ambient mode so you can clearly here the environment around your. I really missed this in the CH700's, several other headphones I've acquired recently have this feature in one fashion or another. It's truly worth having if your going to wear headphones around others.
Using these headphone on the telephone is somewhat better than the tunnel sound I found on the CH700s, the echo cancelation seems to works better, I believe the CH700s prevented me from hearing myself talk and these XB900s allow my voice to be heard as I talk. This is another big improvement.
Now how do they sound. I tried to compare the two headphones (which BT I can't pair simultaneously (nor can I wear). There is no question that the VB900Ns are louder (more efficient: specs say by 4dB). The the bass is undeniably more pronounced, maybe deeper. They remind me more of the sound profile you expect from 'Beats' headphones, but at the same time these Sony XB900N's mids and highs are a bit brighter and louder than that of the CH700's. I'd expected to compare the same volume level on my phone, but to make them equivalent the XB900N's needed to be one notch lower. I think that the XB900's do a much better job of noise cancelation; I tried listening to both with my television on, and the external noise bleed with the CH700's was noticeable, where it was (nearly) non-existent on the XB900s. But I was doing this to also test the XB900's ambient listening environment, where you turn off noise cancelation and "bring in" the external noises. This allows you to hear what's going on around you. I could clearly hear the television and my music, by placing my hand over the right headphone it muted the music and I could only hear the television (clearly; the headphone mic was picking up the external sounds and playing them through the headphones). As I said this is a great feature.
Now to some music from Boston and Pink Floyd; The transition from "Foreplay to Long Time", has some great surround stereo separation, softly swirling from ear to ear. The XB900s were clearly deeper but also more airy, both had a great complex midrange, but the overall balance of the lower lows and higher highs on the XB900s was captivating. As "Smokin's" bass built the XB900 certainly get your attention, maybe a little overwhelming, but it was not uncomfortable. Here the CH700's were not as captivating, lacking the thump of the XB900s. Listening to the Immersion Edition of TDSOTM, the voice in my head in "Speak to Me (Live)" were surreal with the subtle background noises. But here again the XB900s soundstage was more fulfilling. The girls in "The Great gig in the Sky" sounded ethereal. I enjoyed the comfort and sound of the XB900's more. That being said, the deep bass of Money seemed over the top. But after spending some time with Sony's HeadPhones App I found that via the 'Equailzer' I could either use their Bright mode or create my own custom mode, taking down the bass a notch and kicking up the highs, to give me a better balance. The app also has a surround mode (VPT) that can put you in an Arena (to much reverb), a Club (kind of bassy), Outdoor Stage or in a Concert Hall (my preference for live music). You can't get to these features from the headphone directly (that I could find). You need to access them from the phones 'Headphones App' which is fine, as it's probably not going to be changed that often. So, I'd say the Extra Bass from the XB900s can be a bit over the top, but you can modify their sound curve from the Headphones app to you liking.
One other touted feature is Google and Alexa integration. If this is enabled it disables the Noise Cancelation/Ambient button's operation and that button then functions to interface with Alexa or Google (they should have added a dedicated button). Having both Google and Alexa I tried Google first, but the first instruction I tried (skip to next song) was not supported. It could handle volume up and volume down thought. Also when issuing voice commands, my other Google devices could hear my commands and they "won" over the headphones. Maybe my understanding of how this integration is supposed to work is misunderstood.... but it's not explained anywhere in the "manual" or via the online Headphone app. At best I'd say this is a work in progress.
I also listened with the wired connection and as expected the overall sound stage is much wider and brightness of the headphones really shined. Until I connected these headphones directly to my DAC I really didn't know how good how good the XB900s were (with bass tuned down via equalizer). I'd really like to see a headphone that can connect direct via Google play (Wi-Fi) some day.
The headphones take 7+hrs to fully charge, but are rated to play for 30hrs (plenty). The headphones are still a little heavy (8.96oz), but the improved foam helps a lot. They are a nice step up, in both sound and functionality from the Sony CH700's, and still a reasonable price. I'm impressed, looking forward to trying them on a long air flight. Sony XB900Ns: my new favorite.
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+76points
152of 228voted this as helpful.
Enjoy flawless printing without the hassle of cartridges with this Epson EcoTank all-in-one printer. The front-facing ink tanks support easy monitoring, while Wi-Fi compatibility allows printing directly from a smartphone or tablet. This Epson EcoTank all-in-one printer features refill tanks that print up to 6,000 pages in color, making it ideal for your busy office.Prints up to 15 ISO ppm*, up to 8 ISO ppm* in color.
Customer Rating
5
Finally an Economical Inkjet printer
on June 23, 2019
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from PHOENIX
First I hate buying ink cartridges, but love the convenience of printing pictures and color images (and copies). It's always been a catch-22, until now (almost). First it takes about an hour to get the Epson 3710 set up. Time to load the ink into the ecotanks, time for the printer to initiaize, then to connect to your home network, and time to install Windows/iOS software. My box did not contain an installation disk, only instructions on where to download the software from (this is actually preferable to me as I know I'm loading the latest software). With a fast connection the download took less than a minute. But I'm getting ahead of myself, as the last part of the setup is the software installation.
So you when you unpackage the printer, there are a bunch pieces of blue strapping tape that keep all the parts in place during shipping. Find them all and remove them (2 hidden under scanner).
Then you load the 4 ink bottles (keep in mind once the ink is loaded the printer should not be tipped (keep it level)); all are keyed so they must be put into the right tanks, note there will be a little ink left in each bottle, re-cap set them aside, well get back to them later. Then you plug the printer in and power it up. The printer will ask you to confirm you loaded the ink, then the on screen (2.5" color lcd) you start the initialization process, which takes about 10 minutes. During this time the printer sucks some ink from the large tanks into it's internal reservoirs, does a lot of repositioning. You can now load some paper. At the end of the process it will ask you to print a series of alignment pages (5). On each of these pages you will be asked which of several images is better (closest to perfect alignment). Choose the appropriate image number and move thought each of the alignment tests (these can be re-done from the maintenance menu).
Once aligned you will be asked how you want to connect your printer to your PC/network. For most you will use wi-fi to connect to you internal network (you can also connect to a PC via USB, Ethernet to your network or use wi-fi direct to the printer). I used wi-fi to my home network; the printer can only see 802.11bgn networks (so no 5g n or ac). It will show you the networks you can connect to and then allow you to specify the networks password via the input screen and selecting from the displayed characters (clumsy but it works). I believe it also support WPS (where you push a button on your router to add a product), but I did not try this.
Now the printers ready to use, you just need to install software on the device(s) you want to use it from. I started with a windows 10 install based on software found at: epson.com/support/et3710
The download was very straight forward. Before running the software install make sure that your computer is on the same wi-fi network you selected for the printer. Now proceed with the install, which will install drivers and Epson application software, the software should automatically find your printer (it did for me). At the end it will ask you to print a test page, if all went well it will emerge from the printer a few seconds later (it did for me). Setup also lets you set up the printer as cloud device (giving it a email address you can send to it to print) and for MS "One Drive" printing as well as setup for iOS/Android devices. I setup my iPhone to print from Epson's app found in the app store. Again an easy operation.
The download was very straight forward. Before running the software install make sure that your computer is on the same wi-fi network you selected for the printer. Now proceed with the install, which will install drivers and Epson application software, the software should automatically find your printer (it did for me). At the end it will ask you to print a test page, if all went well it will emerge from the printer a few seconds later (it did for me). Setup also lets you set up the printer as cloud device (giving it a email address you can send to it to print) and for MS "One Drive" printing as well as setup for iOS/Android devices. I setup my iPhone to print from Epson's app found in the app store. Again an easy operation.
So, so far, so good. My test pages all came out properly from my various devices. At this point I recommend adding the leftover ink from each of the ink bottles to the printer, there is not much, but the will nearly fill the reservoirs, the bottles can then be discarded (note the ink refill size is 502 (your likely to need more in a couple of years). I did a number of tests with color copies, I found on the default density setting of 0 for copies were a tad light, but changing the default to +1 the results were very good. All text that I printed was excellent.
I then loaded some 4x6 HQ Canon photo paper and send the printer my first photo. It was pretty good, but not exactly true colors, the darkest areas were not a inky black, more of a very dark gray. The yellow and blues were pretty true, but the deep dark reds, here a tad light, more dark pink than dark red. Flesh colors were pretty good, acceptable. I guess it probably fine for 90% of the print's I make (no worse than I what I expect from Walgreens/CVS digital prints), but for real HQ prints I'm going to keep my canon 6 cartridge printer. Maybe with more use the quality will improve/change (I only tested 3 prints I send directly) one that I scanned had the same not quite deep red issue, and you could see it did not have the full resolution of the original. I've attached a series of color copies showing density-1,0,+1 & the original, here again you can see the red heart is a bit pink, but all else (especially the last +1) looks great. I also have a Laser printer that I use for text output, I compared the laser output (600dpi) to the mono output from this printer, and this EcoTank 3710 was just as crisp, and the gray scale output just as good as what the laser produced. The laser was much faster, and holds 500 pages vs 150 in this EcoTank 3710 printer.
Finally in summary, this printer is a great buy, especially if you consider total cost to output the first 5000 pages/prints. I don't expect to get 200 pages out of my canon cartridges, so every 200 (color) pages cost nearly $60, using their larger cartridges its more like 400 pages for $85. I've bought new printers to avoid replacing cartridges (and with each generation they are a different cartridge #s) where the cost of the new printer (with included ink) was about the same as a full set of new cartridges. I now plan to stop doing this. I'm accustomed to duplex printing, and would not buy another printer without it. This printer is no speed demon when dealing with duplex printing, but it's fine for small jobs. I do wish it could handle 2 paper sizes without needing to change the paper. I'd like to keep letter, and 4x6 print paper in the printer, I don't think any of the ecoTank series of printers support this (yet). Yet, I highly recommend this printer, unless you're expecting HQ photos, in which case I don't think you'll be satisfied. But for any plain paper printing this is a great buy.
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+91points
95of 99voted this as helpful.
Listen to music all day with the JLab JBuds Air Executive true wireless earbuds. Three EQ settings let you customize sound easily, and soft Cloud Foam eartips keep you comfortable while listening. Plus dual mics offer clear phones calls. Powerful batteries and the included charging case let these JLab JBuds Air Executive true wireless earbuds deliver up to 30 total hours of massive sound.
Customer Rating
4
A great find for the Price
on June 22, 2019
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from PHOENIX
I keep trying to find the perfect travel headphones and or earbuds, I've kind of drawn may max line at $400, and not found anything "worthy" under $100 until now. I first tried the Jlab Flex Sport headphones about 9mo ago; and quite frankly they suprised me with what they brought for the money. So when I discovered they JLab had a new ear bud for about $70 I thought I should give them a try. My current earbud favorite is the Jaybird Run, which I've had for nearly 2 years (and travel with all the time).
First some obvious differences the "Run's" case can be charged for 12h and the buds for 6h; these Jlab Jbud AirExecutives case can be charged for 20h and the buds for 6h. Both of their cases contain batteries to charge them on the go, but the JLabs Jbuds recharge much faster (80% in about 15m, half the time the Jaybirds take.
The JLab Jbud AirExectives come with 4 in ear tips, small, medium and large, and a memory foam which is about the same size as the medium tip. I did the goldilocks test, and found the medium was best for me; and I then compared the silicon medium tip to the foam tip I was immediately impressed how much more outside sound the foam tip kept out and how much deeper the bass was. The JLab Jbud Air Executives have 2 microphones on them one to listen to external sounds the other to listen for your voice (cell phone calls). The latter is on a tip that extends down the bottom of the earbuds. This extension does allow for your voice to be picked up from both earbuds in what they call C2 calling, it works quite well, as I took several calls and those that I talked to said I could be heard quite clearly, possibly better than I could hear them (I had to turn the volume way up on incoming calls, but thats just a few taps on the right earbud).
Speaking of taps, you change the volume up by taping on the right earbud once, and down by tapping on the left earbud once. tapping the left earbud twice bring up siri (something I did several times accidentally). And tapping the left three times cycles through 3 eq settings (I found their custom signature mode the best for general listening). Triple tapping the right earbud turns on and off there "be aware" mode which sends external sounds through the earbuds.
A couple things about this "be aware" feature, it's a great idea. But the Jlab Jbuds should tell you with a voice prompt what mode is enabled (like it does for EQ mode), and it should also tell you this when you turn them on initially. I really liked this functionality in their FlexSport, and I'd say it worked better in the flex sport than it does with the Air Executives. When enabling "be aware" you can hear external noises and voices through the earbuds; and yes I could but the volume level of the external sounds was not nearly as pronounced as I found them to be with the flex sports. Like I say this is a great feature, to me it was not implemented as well in the the Air Executives. Still It's nice that it is there.
Now how did they sound with Music. Comparing the $70 JLab Jbuds AirExecutives to the $170 Jaybird Runs is not exactly fair, but that what I did. I listened to some AC/DC, Boston and Pink Floydo on both. And both handled highs extremely well with a very nice resolution, I couldn't decide which I prefered. But with the foam tips I prefered the bass of the JLab Jbud AirExecutive, but the mids of the Jaybird Run's seemed to float, and have more punch then that of the Jlab Jbud. The JayBirds seemed to have a better, wider, mor open sound stage.
But I could move much further away from my iPhone with the JLab Jbud and keep a solid stereo signal, than I could with the JayBird (possibly due to newer BT 5.0 technology). Also pairing of the JLab Jbuds AirExecutives was much easier/more consistent than with the Jaybirds (something I greatly appreciated). So the Jlab Jbud's were more reliable to use with my iPhone.
So for the money they are a great find; their sound is very good and they are reliable, and easy to travel with, the stated 20h play time is also great for the price. The "cloud" foam tips work really well. I'm sure I'll trave with these then next time I get on a plane.
A couple of things they (all earbud manufacturers) should consider, include the operating instruction on the inside or back of the case. Yes, after a while you figure it out, but if you use many different headphones/earbuds this would really help.
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+24points
36of 48voted this as helpful.
Realize immersive room-filling sound from your TV with this LG 3.1-channel high-resolution audio soundbar. DTS technology creates a thrilling surround sound experience, while high-resolution audio support ensures a stunning reproduction of sound and music. This LG 3.1-channel high-resolution audio soundbar features optical, USB, HDMI and Bluetooth for convenient connections to all compatible equipment and TVs.
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from PHOENIX
First I have 4 Surround System setups in my house; 2 with sound bars, 2 full Dolby 5.1 & 5.2 setups (all much more costly than the LG SL6Y setup). I using this LG SL6Y with 55" Sony (9 series) in my secondary viewing area, I had been using a ZVOX, but for movies it's output was insufficient, for news and sports it was fine, just not "good enough" for 4K surround movies. I was torn between the cost of this unit and spending 3 times as much for a full Dolby Atmos setup. My wife "helped" me make the decision (for now) not wanting any more exposed speakers on the rear wall. So the LG seemed like a good compromise,it offered both HDMI (ARC) and Optical hookups. I tried both and really could not tell the difference, the television offers fixed and variable outputs to both the optical and the HDMI output, so I can still control the volume from my primary remote (something I was not sure I would get). The instructions I received with the unit, were incomplete, the latest user and owner manuals were available online.
Getting the sub to pair with the sound bar was just a matter of powering on the Sub then the soundbar, and a green light (on the back of the sub) blinked a couple of times and then stayed on steady, indicating it was connected. When the sound bar is powered on, on the front, there is 5 character LED display, barely mentioned in the manual. Here you can see the connection information as well as the operating (surround) mode.
I first watched/listened the end of a baseball game, I prefered the Standard mode over the Bass Blast and the DTS Virtual. The LG's subwoofer was reasonable improvement over the ZVOX I had been using,and the dialog was much better than the TV's speakers (not surprising no flat panels are very good).
I then watched 2 DTS Movies, and the DTS Virtual Surround really works; not as well as my $10K Home theater set-up but for a smaller listen area it is quite suitable, I was pleasantly surprised. The LG SL6Y could more than fill the 16x24 room with full dynamic sound. The bass is not chest thumping still noticeable. It nicely paired with the volume of the sound bar. I tried placing the subwoofer in the front of the room (close to sound bar), on the right and left side of the room and in a corner. In the corner the bass was more pronounced, "thumpier", I prefered this placement, I'd expected to prefer it in front of me, but that not what I ended up liking the most. Having it wireless and it automatically re-pairing with the sound bar made experimenting with it so easy (convenient). I tried it further away, but that failed the most, it needs to be close to the listening area, but not necessarily pointed at the listeners.
I'm so happy with this setup, I'll probably break down and get a set of the SPL8-S speakers, and try hiding them out of sight (see if the wife notices). For the money this is a nice setup, especially if your budget or space constrained. It's a big improvement over all the 2.1 SB's I considered, and it can be expanded, whether that's worth it is the subject of a later review. The SL6Y is worth it im my opinion.
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+35points
43of 51voted this as helpful.
Enjoy flavorful lattes, macchiatos and cappuccinos with this Ninja specialty coffee maker. Six brew sizes offer full coffee shop function and versatility, while the dishwasher-safe parts are easy to clean. This Ninja specialty coffee maker features a fold-away frother that turns milk into a silky-smooth froth, and the gold-tone permanent filter withstands daily use.
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from PHOENIX
I'm a coffee connoisseur, I've been ordering Coffee from Boca Java and getting specialty coffees from Starbucks for years (whole bean). I've been using a Cuisinart craftless (Coffee on demand) brewer for nearly 20 yrs (on 4th unit), Always been happy with quality brew and that it keeps coffee away from air and hot for hours.
Upon unpacking the Ninja I was impress with quality of the unit, it looks very nice and does not take up and unreasonable amount of counter space, just slightly larger than my Cuisinart, with so many more functions. So the Ninja says you should 2 run water through it twice before use (this takes just over 4 min per pot, make sure to completely fill (but not overfill reservoir) otherwise it will tell you you need to "Add Wtr". Learned something about the unit already. Now with that done I found the smart scoop a large and small size, probably 1tbsp and 2tbsp. The Ninja craft is 50oz my Cuisinart makes 60oz (10 vs 12 cups), I generally use about 6-8tbsp in my Cuisinart for 12 cups (~2.5 oz) so I use one less tbsp in the Ninja vs the Cuisinart. The Ninja has 2 brew strengths (Classic and Rich + Over Ice), I decided to start with Classic, and off we went. Both units finished within 5 minutes. The brewed temperature of the Ninja was clearly hotter than the Cuisinart. My instant read thermometer had the Ninja at 194 degrees and the Cuisinart coffee at 185. I let both sit a couple of minutes, as I don't drink my coffee that hot. The comparison... The Ninja was slightly bitter compared to the Cuisinart coffee, I'd say from brewing too hot. It was acceptable, I've had worse, but my first impression didn't impress. I looked through the manual to see if there was any way to change the brew temperature, and it said it was all automatic to yield the perfect brew. I did note there was a means to calibrate it for high altitudes (where water boils at a lower temperature (I'm in Phoenix at about 1600ft, I'd not expect much difference, but worth a try) - press and hold the Classic and Over Ice Button at the same time and the timer will say CAL. Much to my suprise it stopped after about 1 minute, probably only 12 oz of water used. So I repeated my test (after offering my wife and daughter coffee from both test brews - and there was a consensus the Ninja was slightly bitter, but maybe fuller also.) I brewed another Ninja pot it's initial temp was 191 degrees, so the calibration did do something. I let is cool a bit and it was improved, not as bitter, very close to the Cuisinart taste (which is good).
Now to try single (large 12oz) cup, I used 2 rounded small scoops (probably close to 2 total), I filled the reservoir full, but selected the XL cup size. The brewing started, paused and then resumed, finishing in under 2min. The temperature was 190 at the end of the brew. IT was more full bodied than the full pot, far more coffee flavor, more like the black coffee I get from Starbucks. So this it did very well, in fact excellent, very similar to the single serve k-cup machines. I can see my wife liking this for her Caramel Latte.
My biggest hope was for great Iced Coffee, about all I drink in the summer. I filled the carafe with ice, which seemed strange, but that's what it said to do, put the about 7 small scoops of coffee in, and hit the "Over Ice" button. It again started brewing, but paused longer, as I think the brew temp was lowered then more slowly it entered the pot of ice. It looked very quite dark, and after 10min it was not done, maybe just over 1/2 done. It finished after about 15m. the served ice coffee was cold, but much of the ice was gone. I added more ice to a vente cut and poured my brewed Iced Coffee over it, added a little cream. And not bad but not starbucks, just on the thin side, lacking the rich coffee taste; it was ok. it might save me some afternoon trips to SB, but might not stop me from going in the morning. I tried making a single travel mug with with 5 small scoops, not much difference, still a tad thin. I wish I could instruct the machine to let it brew longer, or use a slightly higher temp, not exactly sure but it's too watery, not the richness I'd hoped for.
This is a nice machine, it does a lot, mostly well. IMHO if it gave the user some more flexibility to better taylor the brew temp/time/strength for all beverages if might be more successful. But many might see this as making it too complicated (my wife would). So it does a good job for coffee and brewed beverages. It's not quite got Ice Coffee nailed yet. I've now tried adding an ounce of cooled specialty coffee to the ice coffee, and that does the trick, I now brew a cup of specialty coffee, put it in the fridge when I make Iced Coffee, then add some to each cup of IC served, it's more work but it get me closer to a great cup of IC from my Ninja (my tip to you).
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0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Secure your smartphone while driving with this iOttie iTap 2 Magnetic air vent mount. The metal plates and protective film support wireless and wired charging, and the twist lock ensures precise installation. Rare-earth magnets on this iOttie iTap 2 Magnetic air vent mount deliver a strong hold for your device, while the rotating ball joint offers customized viewing angles.
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from PHOENIX
My car's center console has 2 cup holders which are not really wide enough to hold my iPhone 8+, there is a place for "change but it's not quite wide enough to fully hold the phone, so if I take a sharp turn the phone can fall to the floor. I saw the iOttie magnetic phone holder and thought it a possible solution. My phone has a simple silicon case on it so "hiding" a thin metal plate on the back of the phone was very easy to do. The plate has a pull off adhesive back to "stick" in one place. I found that I did not need the adhesive back, that the plate stayed in place because this case was quite tight. This I saw as an advantage. The iOttie comes with a large and small plate, it seemed to have plenty of holding power, based on your case you may need the larger pad (good to know it's available (included)).
Mounting the iOttie in the vent was pretty easy, with one catch, if you want to prevent it from moving, it's seems best for it to be mounted on the top or bottom horizontal deflector, now the catch, inside your vent there is a vertical deflector, you want the iOttie to be centered on one of these vertical deflectors. If you don't do this there is some wobble, if you properly "catch" the vertical deflector (hard to see w/o a flashlight (don't forget there is one on your phone)) you can tighten the ring on the back and the iOttie should stay stably secured.
Now you can magnetically secure your phone to the iOttie in your vent. It's easy to have your phone securely held while your driving. unless you phone's in a heavy case, folding case, or case with belt clip, you should have nop problem using the iOttie.
I found the iOttie was a better solution than leaving my phone "loose" on/my center console.
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+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
Enjoy movies and other streaming content with this Sony 4K Blu-ray disc player. Built-in Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity allow for media to be streamed in high quality, while a super quick start mode minimizes fuss during use. This Sony 4K Blu-ray disc player has two HDMI outputs for simultaneous use with multiple screens.
Customer Rating
2
Don't buy for Streaming Services
on May 10, 2019
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from PHOENIX
First I'll start with the Bad/Disapointing/Hard to Explain.
Compared to the previous version of Sony UHD BluRay players this player only supports 3 Streaming Apps, so if you have an online Video Library, forget about accessing it from this player. I contacted Sony, to verify this was not part of a future release, and was told in no uncertain terms apps cannot be added to this player (in the future). So the only apps you get are: Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube (paid). No MoviesAnywhere, Vudu, Hulu, UV (going away anyway).... So if you've been collecting titles, and storing UHD in the cloud you wont be able to access them, even though the previous version of this player UBP-X800 had these capabilities. Be fore warned, there is no info in their manual to identify what apps are available (asked Sony about this; no real answers why).
Compared to the previous version of Sony UHD BluRay players this player only supports 3 Streaming Apps, so if you have an online Video Library, forget about accessing it from this player. I contacted Sony, to verify this was not part of a future release, and was told in no uncertain terms apps cannot be added to this player (in the future). So the only apps you get are: Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube (paid). No MoviesAnywhere, Vudu, Hulu, UV (going away anyway).... So if you've been collecting titles, and storing UHD in the cloud you wont be able to access them, even though the previous version of this player UBP-X800 had these capabilities. Be fore warned, there is no info in their manual to identify what apps are available (asked Sony about this; no real answers why).
So how does it work with UHD 4K discs, most excellent. This is is my second UHD BluRay player, the first with Dolby Vision & Atmos.
Now it hard to tell where HDR comes into play and where Dolby Vision come into play. I watched Jumanji (Welcome to the Jungle) on my old player and with the new Sony UBP-X800M2, and there were some "dark" seans that were much more vibrant/decernable on the M2 player. When lighting was bright things were pretty much equivalent with the M2 player having a bit more pop in the colors, but generally hard to differentiate. In the much darker ending it was much easier to see what was moving in the shadows and the shadows seemed to contain more color detail. To some extent this is hard to explain with words, and I tried photographing both to show the difference, but the camera could not capture the subtle differences. Suffice it to say that HDR10 with Dolby Vision does improve picture quality, offering a more real/lifelike picture. Dolby Atmos certainly has improved audio quality. The sound quality from Jumanji was spectacular.
Now it hard to tell where HDR comes into play and where Dolby Vision come into play. I watched Jumanji (Welcome to the Jungle) on my old player and with the new Sony UBP-X800M2, and there were some "dark" seans that were much more vibrant/decernable on the M2 player. When lighting was bright things were pretty much equivalent with the M2 player having a bit more pop in the colors, but generally hard to differentiate. In the much darker ending it was much easier to see what was moving in the shadows and the shadows seemed to contain more color detail. To some extent this is hard to explain with words, and I tried photographing both to show the difference, but the camera could not capture the subtle differences. Suffice it to say that HDR10 with Dolby Vision does improve picture quality, offering a more real/lifelike picture. Dolby Atmos certainly has improved audio quality. The sound quality from Jumanji was spectacular.
I've been collecting 4K UHD Blu-Ray's for a couple of years now (It's all I buy), I probably have 40+ discs, and their production quality does seem to keep improving (can say the same for all the movies). I've been upgrading many of my DVD's to UHD quality via Vudu. Having several hundred Digital Copies in the cloud, I very disappointed I can't access them with this player. The player has better output than anything else I've used/seen. If you don't store you video collection in the cloud, this may not matter to you. It does to me.
Mobile Submission: False
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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-17points
17of 51voted this as helpful.
Enjoy major networks without paying a monthly fee with this Mohu Arc Pro indoor HDTV antenna. An integrated signal indicator helps you to find the optimal signal location, while the LED lights let you adjust antenna placement in real time for a more stable connection. This Mohu Arc Pro indoor HDTV antenna uses FirstStage amplifier technology which results in less distortion and stunning picture quality.
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from PHOENIX
I live in Phoenix, lots of OTA HD. But I live behind a mountain that blocks southern OTA HD reception. I have a 20' mast with a 120" Antenna on my roof (cost several hundred dollars), it can pull in 60+ stations. So I'm not comparing apples to apples with the MOHU Pro at less than $100.
I first mounted it in my upstairs office, pointing east; I scanned for DT channels, I "acquired" 10 but only 4 were watchable. I then changed to the adjecent wall pointing south; scanned and "acquired" 17 stations 9 were watchable (3 of these were Spanish). It's interesting to note none of the channels overlapped (they were all different). For me most of the channels acquired were SD broadcasts, only 1 (on my first scan) was true HD.
But that being said the content that I acquired proves the Antenna works, and can pull in signals. I know I'm not the perfect test case, due to my "Mountain". I can say that the antenna is highly directional which depending what direction your stations come from may be a good or a bad thing. But they offer no way to mount it that it can easily be moved. If the mount had some sort of sliding device that would allow adjustment it would be a MUCH better product.
I was a little surprised to get any stations at all. When DTV was just getting started I tried 2 different indoor antennas - got nothing That's how I ended up with the big roof antenna. I did try the antenna on a downstairs TV and got no digital channels. So depending on your location this antenna may work out for you, but you might have to move it to get different channels.
But with BB, you can always try to see if it works for you!
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+10points
10of 10voted this as helpful.
Capture and share memories quickly with this Canon IVY Cliq Plus instant camera. The 8MP camera and built-in printer take and print snapshots in 50 seconds or less, while Bluetooth connectivity facilitates sharing your favorite pictures with compatible devices. Use the Mini Print app to edit photographs before printing with this Canon IVY Cliq Plus instant camera.
Customer Rating
4
A modern throwback to Polaroid days
on April 23, 2019
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from PHOENIX
If you have the need for the immediate gratification of a small (wallet size print) this is for you. But the cost of prints is pretty significant ($0.50 each) and the quality is pretty good. But it's kind of like the dancing bear, you don't judge based on the quality of the bears dance, rather your amazed that the bears trying to dance, and is a bear!
This tiny camera/printer is the dancing bear. Much as we were amazed by the instant prints of Polaroids in the 60's and 70's. This version does not use any smeary chemicals, rather the paper uses tiny crystals that change color when exposed to heat. The camera/printer holds 10 sheets of this special photo paper, which has a peel off adheasive back. Each is 2"x3", and suprisingly not easy to damage.
But this digital camera is unlike most digital cameras you have used (recently), there is no way to review what pictures you've taken on it. It can only store 3 images, unless you add a SD card, in which case the card will store your images. But you really have to look at this camera more as a printer which can take a picture too. The Canon mini print app allows you to print any image on your phone, or to take a new image with your phone, it can also pull images from your FaceBook, Instagram, DropBox, iDrive or Google Photo account. So you can see why the camera is mor of a printer than a Camera.
But I got it to take to a wedding, I thought it would be a lot of fun to collect photos for the bride and groom, and to pass the camera around for guests to take their own selfies.
I also think that my grandson might have some fun taking pictures of his own. The camera has a special led illuminator ring for taking selfies, it should prevent red eye. the back of the camara has some texture on it, the front it very smooth. When printing the led on the top provides some entertainment by cycling throught many colors. It takes about 30s before the picture starts printing and another 20 to complete printing. The app can queue several prints while waiting for previous prints to finish, well thought out. The app also allows you to add borders, edit images, add text and "stamps" to images. It also allows you to save these editied images.
A couple of things I wish they supported, if you plug the camera into your PC with the supplied cable it allows you to charge the camera, but the camera and it's media is not seen by your computer (the documentation says this should work but I could not get it to work, on multiple computers). There is no easy way to tell how much charge the camera has, their is a icon that shows the connection status to your phone, but no charging % charged status information. There is no screw hole to allow you to use the camera with a tripod. The app has a remote camera trigger, I wish it would warn you, your about to take a picture ok? The timer 3/5/10 works much better.
Given the camera weight in at 7oz with paper loaded, its pretty amazing. I'm not sure how often I need a 2"x"3" photo, or how often I'll spend 50c for one, we'll see how much fun it is at a wedding, or other special events. I suspect I'm make a lot of new friends with it, just wish the paper was not so expensive (on price break as you buy more either).
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+4points
5of 6voted this as helpful.
Delight in effortless connectivity for your mobile devices with this Belkin DuraTek Plus Lightning to USB-A cable. A double-braided nylon forms a flexible, durable cable jacket, while the 4-foot length provides convenience when charging. This Belkin DuraTek Plus Lightning to USB-A cable features an aluminum casing that protects the circuit board within the connector.
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from PHOENIX
Ok I've now been using iPhones for 10+yrs; my how time files once your caught in the Apples Eco system. I now own a 256GB iPhone 8+ and have two 9.7" iPads, one that I keep in my camera bag, that I mostly use for photo editing. I must say I like the lightning connector much more then the original 32 pin apple connector. That being said, I have at least 6 Lightning to USB cables I can quickly put my hands on (probably more if I looked). I've never bought a repleacement cable from Apple, as their cables just don't last, they kink up and the wires break loose at the joints. So finding third party cables that are well make, and are available in various lenghts is important to me. It's great that their phones and I pads have battery life over 12h, but they still all need to be charged.
In my car I have Car Play, which requires my phone to be connected/disconnected whenever I get in/out of the car. This where I'll now be using this Belkin DuraTek cable. I've had 2 other cables (one a the original Apple cable and another 1' cable). The Apple cable cracked in the middle and exposed wires in under a year, it might have been kicked or tangled by a passanger, I plead innocent in it's abuse, but it didn't last, and it's damage concerned me. I replace it with a short cable (that would not get tangled) a silicon covered cable, it solved the tangleing problem but made it hard to keep my phone where I wanted it (about 2' from the console plug).
The Belkin DuraTek Plus cable has much stronger anchors at each base/end of the cable and the cable is much thicker (see picture). Instead if a plastic cable cover the Belkin cable has a woven fabric which bends less easily, but slides more smoothly. The difference in cable quality it noticable. And the list price of Belkin's DuraTek Plus matches the Apple's Lightning cable of the same length. With a 5 year warranty, and a convnient cable strap, the decision is easy. On Apple's web site their Apple branded cables get 2 stars.
If you going to spend the money on a good cable, get a great cable from Belkin, it's Apple certified, and it will last. If you have a fast, smart charger (2.1a or 2.5a) it will probably charge you product faster (I could not prove this, but I don't doubt it).
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
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Enjoy your favorite podcasts and music on the go with these Skullcandy Indy Evo true wireless earbuds. The sweat-resistant and water-resistant design is ideal for workouts, while the Tile technology lets you track and find them when lost. These Skullcandy Indy Evo true wireless earbuds offer up to 30 hours of battery life for continuous entertainment.
Does this have USB C charging?
The case has a USB C charging interface, the provided cable is USB-A to USB-C; but it should provide FAST changing if a USB-C charger is used.
5 years ago
by
3Tcubed
Enjoy your favorite podcasts and music on the go with these Skullcandy Indy Evo true wireless earbuds. The sweat-resistant and water-resistant design is ideal for workouts, while the Tile technology lets you track and find them when lost. These Skullcandy Indy Evo true wireless earbuds offer up to 30 hours of battery life for continuous entertainment.
Will these pair with two cell phones at the same time? I have to carry two cell phones, one for work (Android) and one is my personal phone (iPhone). I want these to pair with both so I can receive calls on either phone.
No, they will only pair to one device at a time
5 years ago
by
3Tcubed
Nighthawk AC2600 Smart Wi-Fi Router accelerates your Wi-Fi for Ultra HD 4K streaming to multiple devices. It offers extreme Wi-Fi speed for gaming - up to 2600 Mbps and uninterrupted video streaming with advanced QoS for applications such as YouTube, Netflix and others. High-power amplifiers and external antennas deliver range throughout very large homes. Implicit beamforming improves Wi-Fi speed and range on all mobile devices such as iPhone, iPad, and Android. The Nighthawk app lets you get the most out of your router performance with customized settings.
Is it true there is an annoying blue light that flashes constantly on this unit? Can you turn it off?
If your network is working correctly it should stay a solid light blue. If it bothers you you could put some white tape over the LED, attached you can see the led.
5 years, 7 months ago
by
3Tcubed
Drive safely with this Cobra super HD dash cam. Its 1296p recording resolution captures high-quality video footage in any lighting condition, while the extreme temperature protection is tested to withstand sudden fluctuations. This Cobra super HD dash cam provides iRadar route tracking and live police alerts when connected to the iRadar app, so you never miss a thing.
How long does the cobra dash cam hold the footage does it erase it over how can you look back a week to see the footage
It holds 3,5 or 10 min segments; the number of segments depends on the resolution (1296P or 1080p) and the SD card size (mine came with a 32gb card) which will hold about 90m of 1080P video. I believe you can use cards up to 256Gb.
5 years, 10 months ago
by
3Tcubed
Voice clarity
The main reason for purchasing this sound bar is to hear the dialogue above the background music. Just turning the sound up doesn't do it. Is there a specific button to turn up the voice and not just the whole sound?
No, but I find the DTS Virtual does good job of bringing the voices to the center and balancing the rest of the content on it's own. The standard mode works best with Sports/news and the DTS works much better with movies.
6 years, 1 month ago
by
3Tcubed
Realize immersive room-filling sound from your TV with this LG 3.1-channel high-resolution audio soundbar. DTS technology creates a thrilling surround sound experience, while high-resolution audio support ensures a stunning reproduction of sound and music. This LG 3.1-channel high-resolution audio soundbar features optical, USB, HDMI and Bluetooth for convenient connections to all compatible equipment and TVs.
Page 23 of the manual says you must use a high speed HDMI cable WITH ETHERNET in order for ARC functions to work. Is this true? I don't understand why the Ethernet would be needed.
The "ethernet" part is really a speed qualification (18Gb I think), it is the same speed that necessary to pass DTS/Dolby 7.1 or Atmos surround signals
6 years, 1 month ago
by
3Tcubed
Start using this unlocked Apple iPhone 8 with your choice of carrier right away. Its 64GB of internal memory stores your favorite games, apps, photos and videos, and a fingerprint scanner prevents unauthorized entry. The 4.7-inch retina HD display on this pre-owned Apple iPhone 8 is ideal for video and FaceTime chats.
will this phone work with verizon
It will work with any carrier.
Only of you phone has heavy case/folding case of belt clip will it not work easily
Only of you phone has heavy case/folding case of belt clip will it not work easily
6 years, 1 month ago
by
3Tcubed
Lighten household chores with this SHARK® ION™ vacuum system. The lithium-ion battery supplies a long-lasting charge, and the 0.66-quart dust cup and HEPA filter collect dirt, hair, and dander to prevent allergen buildup. This SHARK® ION™ vacuum system comes with a built-in power vacuum to help with those extra cleaning jobs.
Does this one map a grid to use each time like the robot one? Thanks
No it seems to move around randomly, the softwre doe not currently show you the pattern it has traveled.
6 years, 7 months ago
by
3Tcubed
Make media more fun with this HP Spectre Folio convertible laptop. Three possible screen positions let you watch videos or edit photos in comfort, and its powerful Intel Core i7 processor is ideal for gaming. This HP Spectre Folio convertible laptop has a 256GB M.2 solid-state drive, ensuring speed and ample storage.
How cumbersome is to service this laptop at home..e.g. if needs to be opened, would it be easy to detach from the leather cover? where I am trying to reach is to know the complexity of having this leather cover over benefits.
You can find the HP service manual online. I did and it VERY cumbersome, to get to the internal memory or M.2 SSD you have to use a heat gun to remove the screen (carefully) and again unglue the leather (60-90C heat gun). This is beyond the normal DIY upgrade. I was interested in upgrading the SSD; way to much effort, decided to get a SanDisk extreme 1TB, tested with system and it's still 1/2 the speed of the internal M.2 NVMe drive. Samsung X5 would be faster, but I could not justify the 3x+ cost.
6 years, 7 months ago
by
3Tcubed
Google Home Mini is a smart speaker powered by the Google Assistant, so you can ask it questions and tell it to do things. Just start with "Ok Google" to enjoy your entertainment, get answers from Google, tackle your day, and control your smart home. Google Home Mini works on its own or you can have a few around the house, giving you the power of Google anywhere."
can you connect it to speakers with Bluetooth or with a cord?
Yes,you can use it as a BT speaker, or cast audio to it via casting. You can't wire directly to it.
6 years, 8 months ago
by
3Tcubed