Share 3Tcubed's profile
 
Facebook Twitter
 
 
3Tcubed
 
 
 
3Tcubed's stats
 
  • Review count
    215
  • Helpfulness votes
    1,598
  • First review
    January 3, 2014
  • Last review
    July 10, 2025
  • Featured reviews
    0
  • Average rating
    4.4
 
Reviews comments
  • Review comment count
    0
  • Helpfulness votes
    0
  • First review comment
    None
  • Last review comment
    None
  • Featured review comments
    0
 
Questions
  • Question count
    0
  • Helpfulness votes
    0
  • First question
    None
  • Last question
    None
  • Featured questions
    0
 
  • Answer count
    72
  • Helpfulness votes
    46
  • First answer
    January 10, 2015
  • Last answer
    January 12, 2022
  • Featured answers
    0
  • Best answers
    12
 
 
3Tcubed's Reviews
<< 1 ... 17 18 19 20 21 22 >>
 
Experience unreal picture quality with this 27-inch HP 27Q display. The modern, tilted design gives you the best angle to experience its lifelike colors and ultrarealistic Quad HD resolution, and an anti-glare panel lets you work or watch anywhere you want. This HP 27Q display's 2 ms refresh time provides crisp, latency-free media, ideal for multi-monitor setups.
 
  • Top 50 contributor
  • Tech Insider Network
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Very Nice Monitor
on August 21, 2018
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from Phoenix.AZ
I've had a HP 27er monitor for more than two years, it's been awsome I do software development and when I travel by car I take this with as a second monitor. I just added another 27" UHD monitor to my desktop setup, and found that I needed to zoom in 150-175%, so I'm really using it more like a QHD anyhow; so I paid more to get a higher resolution I'm not really using it.
That's where the HP 27q comes, it's 2560x1440 (vs 3860x2160 - but you can't use the full resolution un-zoomed as the font is way to small (for me to read comfortable; windows includes zooming to solve this problem, but not all apps support it uniformly). I can use the 27q at full resolution and still read it clearly. So for me a full UHD seems like over kill, especially when compared to the native sharpness of the 27q. It's a bit brighter than my HP 27er, it has more control settings, including blue light reducer (w/4 settings) which is a step up. The screen also offers some tilt control and is more anti-glare. I brought it to get more screen real-estate for a reasonable price. It has 3 inputs (DVI, HDMI & Display port).
I tried HDMI and Display port and could not tell them apart (which is good). HP has 2 versions of the 27q; if your an avid gamer you might want to spend 10% more and get the freesync version (AMD grapics card), otherwise the non-freesync version does a very decent job with it's 2ms display timing (that what it said on the box but not in the BB specs [5ms]).
The viewing angles are excellent, the back of the monitor does have a VESA mounting adapter, the screen can't weigth more than 6lbs on it's own, it's very narrow monitor make is ideal to pair with a nother monitor to it right or left.
All and all I'm very impressed, by the clean output, display speed and overall resolution, I did not know that a non-IPS monitor had this quality of output - I'm happy
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
User submitted photo
+7points
10of 13voted this as helpful.
 
Enhance your multimedia experience with this 15.6-inch Dell G7 gaming laptop. Its VR-ready NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics board provides seamless, stunning images on the Full HD display, and its hexa-core Intel Core i7 processor and 8GB of RAM handle extended multitasking. Run applications efficiently with the 256B solid-state drive of this Dell G7 gaming laptop.
 
  • Top 50 contributor
  • Tech Insider Network
Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
A good value, that can be improved upon
on July 1, 2018
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from Phoenix.AZ
Some things good, others not quite up to snuff. I have Dell's previous Inspiron 15 7000 this is it's successor; got to say dell got some things right and others not quite right.
Let's start with memory, this unit ships with 8gb, or RAM, but it's 2x4GB sticks, if youe going to stick with 8GB this is best, but if your going upgrade to 16, a 8GB would be preferable (what the previous 7000 series shipped with), now it's faster, but the maching could use up to 32GB, and for a machine with a 6 core processor and 6GB of video memory, it would help substancially with the multi-tesking.
The keyboard, in my opinion is a huge upgade, it's much firmer, the key travel is longer and the spacing of the keys is slightly further apart. The width of is a little greater, and the back-lighting of the keys is done better; the previous version looks/felt like crumbs could get under the keys, not so with the G7.
The track pad is a nice size, that is well positioned, its supports windows 10 gestures; like the previous version it's a little in the clicky side, where using the lowwer buttons requires a real click, some might like this others not, but is a common Dell feature, I've grown to like. The G7 adds backlighting around the track pad which is nice.
The speakers/audio is probably a step down from the previous version which had small sub woofer, which is lacking in the G7, but overall the sound was pretty good; outputing to a set of JBL BT speakers was exceptional, as was streaming to Google devices. Which brings us to the exptional WiFi in the G7, putting the G7 next to my Inspiron 7000, was suprizing; I have 500mb service, and a great WiFi network (3 separate 5G routers); from 30' away the G7 achieved almost 400mb/s whic is the fastest I'd see on my network for a non-wired device (Inspiron 7000 clocked in at 320mb/s). The wired Killer Ethernet connected to the Router hit 450mb/s, peaking close my rated speed of 500. So the networking on the G7 is most excellent.
The display has a nice matt finish IPS screen, it's of angle viewing is superb, the matt finish is a welcome change over the previous hightly reflective screen, much easier to work on, especially with bright lights or sunlight. This really makes the G7 a much better desktop replacement than it's predecesor. The bezel is a little wider, which I think improves the visibility.
The G7 has all the latest IO ports It has three USB-A 3.1 ports and one USB-C 3.1 (with Thunderbolt [improved]) a HDMI 2.0 port and a 3.5mm Headphone/Microphone jack with a full-size SD card slot and gigabit ethernet port (RJ45). All ports are located on the sides as cooling fans blow out the back. I find all of this good.
The G7 came with Toshiba KSG60ZM 256GB NVMe SSD, which I was underwelmed by. There are much faster m.2 drives available, I found this to be a big disapointment. It does support both an m.2 SSD (SATA or PCIe NVMe), and a standard SATA 2.5” drive which can be easily added. A single screw holds on the entire back of the case, removing it and peeling off the back allows easy access to the HD bay and memory. This great feature of the G7, ease of access. Well I had a new 1TB SSD I was dying to try, I dropped it in, and, even thought it used the SATA interface, it was more then twice as fast as the installed Toshiba drive. One other great function include din the G7 is the ability to RAID the m.2 drive and the SATA drive via the Intel Rapid Storage Technology controller, this is a great feature, you should investigate further (not room here).
The i7-8750H CPU is the real bright spot in the G7, I'm a software devloper and do a lot of parallel tasking development, the more cores the less sluggish a PC will seem. Windows (and othe modern OS's) have been changed over the years to be much more modular (so have many modern applications) this modularity excels with more cores/threads; at this price and configuration having a total of 12 threads, this laptop can do real multitasking very smoothly (if you have sufficent memory). This combined with Nvidia GTX 1060 MaxQ w/6GB memory allows modern games to reall run nicely on a notebook. I tried several eSports games all were very smooth, no jitter hitting over 60fps. But the cooling fans of the notebook kicked in blowing more hot air out of the back of the notebook, this is not suprising, and noise from the fans is noticable, but failrly well behaved. Make sure you don't block the rear vents. I also did some photo editing and video processing which very fast and efficient (additional memory would have helped a lot here).
As I said in the begining, there is a lot to like, but a few, primarly fixable (at additional cost) issues. If you look at G7 as it needs to be upgraded to reach it's full potential, then I might recommend it. It's a top notch notebook, great screen, great graphics, nice keyboard/trackpad, that needs more memory to achieve its full potential. It's a cinch to add a top of the line SATA SSD with 1 to 4 TB storage. My biggest issue is the Toshiba m.2; the G7 deserves better and for a nominal cost Dell could have/should have provided it. Upgrading the m.2 drive requires a lot of effort to keep the installed OS, still the i7-8750H is a great advance and ultimate advantage.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
+3points
5of 7voted this as helpful.
 
Tune out the world with these Sony headphones. Their Wireless Noise Cancellation feature minimizes ambient noise, so you can fully enjoy your content, and the integrated microphone allows you take calls and use your smartphone's voice assistant. These Sony headphones have a swivel design that makes them easy to store in tight spaces.
 
  • Top 50 contributor
  • My Best Buy® Elite Member
  • Tech Insider Network
Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
Really nice BT Headphones
on April 10, 2018
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from Phoenix.AZ
I currently have 6 sets of BT headphones, and these are easily my favorite in terms of sound quality; 'nuf said they win! Well the funny thing about headphones is they also have to be comfortable, and these are, at least for an album or so, But I find after an hour or so I start to fatugue, as the weight of the head phones becomes more noticable. I also find that due to their closed design they may my head/ears sweat a bit. If I remove them for a few minutes and come back it's not so bad, but I can't sit down at my desk and use them continiously all morning, and that's what I'd like to do. I find using them on the phone to be convenient, although I feel like I'm talking in a tunnel, but the party I'm talking to says I sound very good and clear, could just be the echo canceling, confusing my head.... In any case I relly like the way they sound, nice full base, and relatively bright highs. A nice balance, I've used them with a iPhone and a computers BT output and they sound pretty good, but when wired to a DAC they shine. It really highlights the difference between BT streaming and a direct connection. With the wired connection the bass and mid-range sound stage is much wider and the highs really shine. Until I connected these headphones directly to my DAC I did not realize how good they were. But for me, they are still a bit on the heavy side. and since my iPhone does not headphone connection, when I travel I have to use bluetooth.
So, I've deducted a star due to their weight, not due the the quality of the output, or the battery life, which I've not completely drained, and used them for over 10 hrs. These are really nice headphones, I really like they way they sound. A few years ago there was nothing like these (that's why I have 6 sets of BT headphones, they do keep getting better), and with battery life of over 10 hrs (Sony claims 35hrs, which is quite remarkable, considering none of my other pairs can get 8hrs, w/o charging) things do keep improving.
My Best Buy number: 001001624
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
User submitted photo
0points
1of 2voted this as helpful.
 
Go from hundreds of mystery folders to a visual view of your photos automatically sorted by date, subject, people, and places. See your best photos auto-curated based on quality, faces, subjects, and more. Make your photos look amazing with automated photo editing options, and create and share printed artwork, new dynamic slideshows, photo collages, and gifts for friends and family.
 
  • Top 50 contributor
  • My Best Buy® Elite Member
  • Tech Insider Network
Customer Rating
3 out of 5
3
Not quite ready
on December 30, 2017
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from Phoenix.AZ
I've used Photoshop elements and another photo processing package for years. Some times one outshine the other on the different versions of windows. Well, I find that, the current release of Photoshop has some issues with Windows 10, with and without a touch screen. I've had several images files (jpeg) which just won't load, but windows displays then and my other package is fine with them. But my biggest complaint about the current package is that as I move sliders to make changes to the image, I don't see changes until I release the slider (with mouse and touchscreen), this is most annoying. I looked back at an older verion of PSE I had on a Win 7 machine and it did not work this way. I keep hoping that the "next" update (and I've seen several) will fix this but no luck.
Now some of thre new features are very interesting, editing of raw images is now supported, and has been improved with several updates. The open a closed eye works pretty well (if the eye is small enought; don't bother trying with a portrait, you'll clearly see the stiching). The facial recognition feaure takes forever to run, The ever growing list of photo fix options work very well, I'm especially happy with scratch removal on scanned images. I had thousands of scanned images and this single feature was most improved and welcome (compared to previous versions).
The current release of Photoshop Elements, works, but not quite as desired (expected). With 10,000+ of images, I'd hoped to use facial recognition to organize what I had, but it's way too slow (on fast i7, Nvidia, 16GB memory, SSD disks). I will say they have improved the programs load time significantly.
My Best Buy number: 0010016244
Mobile Submission: False
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Completely customize your Wi-Fi Smart Color Thermostat to match your lifestyle and decor. The ENERGY STAR® certified smart thermostat lets you choose the temperature, schedule, display color and the devices you use to control it all.
 
  • Top 50 contributor
  • Tech Insider Network
Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
Great thermostat! Love the screen
on December 30, 2017
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from Phoenix.AZ
To begin with this thermostat requires a C-wire (Common - normally blue). Check your existing wiring and make sure you have 5 or more wires. If you do not you will need to run an additional from your unit to the thermostat, this could be quite expensive. If you have a "C" wire installation is very easy, it took me less than 5 minutes. I suggest you take a picture of the back of your old unit so you can refer to the previous wiring when you start moving wires to the Honewell.
In automatic mode the thermostat will automatically switch from cooling to heating based on your min/max setting. I've always wondered why "old" thermostats could not do this automatically - well this smart thermostat can in automatic mode (it can also force you to do it manually in manual mode; althought I don't know why you want this). The (iOS) app worked flawlessly, all the basic information in the palm of your hand, from anywhere in the world. You can view your current settings and temperature and change them easily. The most time consuming part of the setup is on Honeywell's website. Registration requires a lot of information, It would be nice if were wers quick and easy but they require a lot of info, which I think should be optional.
One area which I hope Honneywell improves upon is is it's historical reporting. The is not much of it, I'd like to see daily, and monthly graphs, and be able to easily compare month to month usage and runtime data. Since I've had the unit I've notice improvements in their app and web site, so it's a possibility; they have the data.
Now much to my suprise the feature I thought little about when I got the unit is the ability to change the screen color. Most smart thermostats on the market have either a black or light color background that cannot be changed. This unit lets you select a color to match your decor. I love this feature, at times it matches my walls, at christmas I had it red or green - cool.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Replace the keyboard of your Microsoft Surface Pro 7, 6, 5 or 4 with this silver Brydge keyboard. It conveniently lets you open the screen at your preferred viewing angle without a kickstand, and its backlit keys increase visibility in low light working environments. This Brydge keyboard is lightweight, so it doesn't add extra bulk to your device.
 
  • Top 50 contributor
  • Tech Insider Network
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
It a question of balance
on November 26, 2017
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from Phoenix.AZ
When I first attached the keyboard to Surface 4 my first thoughts were; this looks great, a near perfect color/polish match, and then boy this is heavy. I then pared the keyboard (it's Bluetooth unlike the physical connector on the MS keyboards), it was found and paired easily. The documentation says the BT stream of data is encrypted - a good this is important to me in a open internet area like Starbucks.
Then on to the feel of the keyboard- I love it. The travel is longer then any MS surface kbd (I have had 3 of them) and the backlighting is easy to enable, disable and keep enabled. I've tried to use the surface in my lat with a MD kbd only to have it disconnect and then getting the screen angle just right is next to impossible. But with Brydge 12.3 the screen is held firm but can be adjusted to almost any angle (at 160 degrees is gets tippy) but for what is reasonable the keyboards base and weight if the base work perfectly.
Like I said it felt heavy, but to do it's job it must server a counter weight to the surface, and it does so, striking just the right balance. Like I've said I've tried 3 different MS kbds none have the touch/feel that the Brydge 12.3 does. It is a real improvement if you don't mind the increased weight - a trade-off I'd certainly make. The Brydge 12.3 does, in my mind make the Surface a real Tablet/Desktop replacement. Color me impressed, it does Strike the right balance.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
 
Enjoy all of your favorite shows in Ultra HD with this 55-inch Hisense smart ULED TV. Its built-in apps let you access popular on-demand programs, and its HDR technology brings out the dynamic, stunning quality of 4K content. Link multiple media sources to the four HDMI and three USB ports of this Hisense smart ULED TV.
 
  • Top 50 contributor
  • My Best Buy® Elite Member
  • Tech Insider Network
Customer Rating
5 out of 5
5
Very Impressive
on October 22, 2017
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from Phoenix.AZ
I have two other top of the line LED (not OLED) TV's; of the two (Vizio (P55-D1) I considered the Sony XBR55X900C to be the better of the two. It is extremely thin much like the Hisense 55H9D, both have screens under 1/2" and a total depth about 1.5"; the Vizio is 2.5". Not knowing that much about the Hisense I was skeptical that it would compare well to the Sony or Vizio both of which are more expensive. So I acquired a 4K HDMI pass-though switch, allowing me to send the same 4K signal to 2 TV's at the same time.
I first started a std HD DirecTV football game, I attempted to get to color settings of the two sets comparable. The Hisense allows allows a much more complete set of modifications than the Sony, the Sony has a range of "automatic" settings, the Hisense has more twice the number of options. It alllowed me to "tune In" pretty comparable settings;the Sony seemed to brighten all Greens more then the Hisense and the Hisense always had a slightly "redder" tint, but not unnaturally so. I believe I got the black levels to be equal, Looking a pure white screen the Hisense was slightly yellower then the Sony, but the Sony had a bright white seepage at all 4 corners, where the Hisense was 100% consistent. Both of them displayed close to a perfect inky black, the Sony's corner light bleeds affected the perfect black. But onto live TV.
A side by side comparison of the two showed the Hisense offered a better detail of fast motion, both claimed to offer something like motion flow 240, but the Hisense with full motion clearly showed better resolution of the fine details, the blades of grass were clearer and the lines on the field and numbers on uniforms were SHARPer, where the Sony was "smoother"; both TV's were set to their "Sport" setting. The more I watched for differences, the more the Hisense revealed finer details, a better picture with fast moving action.
On to a UHD 4K movie, both sharing the same signal. Now up WonderWoman. I initially attempted to get the coplers as close to the same, by adjusting the Hisense to match the Sony during the Menu Loop; they were close, the Sony still had brighter Greens and the Hisense a shade more red, but the Blacks and bright areas were nearly identical. Both were very detailed in the picture quality, a credit to what UHD 4K can deliver. After more criticl wating of a few scenes a couple of times, it became clear that the darkest areas on the Hisense had more details hidden in the shadows, and in the fast paced full motion scenes the Hisense captured the edges more crisply, where the Sony was again smoother, the edges not as fine.
I also compared the Sound from the two TVs, which I would normally be using throught a Home Theater system but for this side by side evaluation I was not. The Sony's sound was not as a loud as the Hisense , and the Hisense had better bass as I increased the volume. But neither could fill a big room, not surprising, but the Hisense sound was better then the Sony.
The Sony and the Visio both supported casting and screen sharing the that the Hisense (currently) does not (could be changed via a future firmware update). The Sony's smart TV features are more complete then the Hisense, Sony's "Android" TV has continued to improve over the last 18+ months, not idea what Hisense may do to improve their SmartTV; they do offer a nice, full featured Web Browser, but no where near the number of apps that Sony's supports. I quickly looked at VUDU support on each, both fully supported all formats including UHD, I tested both with a AC wireless connection, both streamed without any problems. The Hisense initial setup was very easy, up and running in < 5m, the easiest set up of any TV I've used.
In conclusion, outside of OLED displays, the Hisense is state of the art. It's thin profile is something I've always admired in a state of the art TV (They could improve their profile if the cord exited on the side or bottom vs the back which adds about 1/2" to the real depth. But when watching this side by side the Sony, it was the pretty clear winner; I asked a few others what picture they preferred and all choose the Hisense. I great "high end" LED TV, that's going to give the establishment a run for their money.
My Best Buy number: 0010016244
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
User submitted photo
User submitted photo
+67points
71of 75voted this as helpful.
 
Pair your morning jog with these Jaybird RUN wireless earbuds, and enjoy your music each step of the way. Bluetooth compatibility with multiple devices lets you share your playlist without the tangle of wires. These Jaybird RUN wireless earbuds are sweatproof and dirtproof to handle the worst of your workout.
 
  • Top 50 contributor
  • My Best Buy® Elite Member
  • Tech Insider Network
Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
Very, Very Nice
on October 16, 2017
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from Phoenix.AZ
I have to start by saying I did not expect to really like these headphones, I typically don't like in the ear buds. Previously I never thought they were comfortable. And I've kept trying them (Apple, Klipsch, Sennheiser, Bose, LT and Sony to just to name a few) looking for the right combination of comfort, sound quality and usability (they need to have a mic sport so I can use them with a cell phone). Call me insane for doing the same thing over and over expecting different results, well it was over and over with different products; very few of them I actually bothered to return. Most were in the $100-250 range.
Full disclosure, the first pair of Jaybirds I acquired had a problem, the right earphone worked fine but the left one dropped in and out (lost all volume) over and over certainly not to be expected. I contacted their customer service, promptly got a real person late Friday afternoon, they had me quickly try a few things, concurred there was a defect, the sent me a return label right then, and they told me they'd try to expedite a replacement. About a week later they arrived, and the new set immediately worked without issue. Yea, but they handled the situation as well as possible and are to be commended.
The earbuds paired easily with my iPhone, they show up as Jaybird RUN listed twice, as soon as you connect one the other connects at the same time - easy. Tried the same from my notebook, no problems.
The earbuds come with 5 different silicon ear tips to customize the fit; they also come with 3 different silicon "fingers" which help hold the earbud in the ear, even when exercising - yes they really stay in place. At first I thought the default eartip was fine, but after using them for about 3hrs I decided to investigate other fits. I ended up preferring a less solid fit, a smaller size with thin flaps at the side, once in place they offered me a much better bass response and I found them surprisingly comfortable for longer listening periods.
Now battery life, on a single charge I found that I'd get a little more than 3 hours before a pleasant voice told me I was at 20% battery life, which was about right, as just after 4 hrs listening the same little voice told me I was low on battery life. Great, it was lunch time, I returned the earbuds the their charging case (a black pill shaped case a little smaller than 2 ping pong balls (but heavier)); the case connects via a micro USB to USB connector (9" cable) (Glad to see Std Connectors) for charging. But the case also contains back up batteries to fully charge the earbuds (once) without additional power. The ear buds charged to 100% in under 20 minutes (little voice told me they were fully charged when they again pair with my iPhone.) 2 Led's on the exterior of the case flash to indicate the changing status of the earbuds, and another shows the status of the cases built in battery - simple, easy to figure out - blinking = charging, steady = done.
Finally, how do they sound - GREAT; a very nice soundfield, with really nice tight highs a smooth mid range, outstanding vocals and pretty good bass. The bass is not going to blow you away, but it matches nicely with the timbre of the earbuds. As I said earlier getting the right fit will effect how they sound; getting a tight enough fit improves the base greatly. And yes they weigh a little bit, but they stay in place in your ear, with no cords or anything else hanging down out of your ear. You can quickly shake you head from side to side, jump up and down and they stay place. Even when exercising in a tread mill or elliptical they felt good, even when sweating significantly they stayed put and did not move around my ear.
The last thing I tried was the earbuds as speaker phone with my I phone. Here I had some difficulties, the volume level when using the phone was MUCH lower than when listening to music, I had to increase the volume quite a bit to hear the call; in addition the volume from the mic did not pick up my voice as well as hoped, I was testing an an area with some constant background noise (fans) and the people I tried talking with had a hard time hearing me, when I move into my "phone booth" (a quieter room) there was less of a problem, but callers still thought I did not sound as full/rich as I did directly on my phone. In talking to several other they described my voice over the earbuds as "tinny" and missing "depth". Although not unusable, it was disappointing, being told I did not sound like myself. Well there goes one star. Other than that I was very impressed with these earbuds, for music and "running around" they work great, better, more comfortable than anything else I've tried. To use on the phone they don't currently quite cut it.
I almost forgot, there is an "app for them" the best feature allows your to change the tone of the earbuds via a 5 band parametric equalizer; they offer several presets, but I made a custom setting I liked much better. There custom equalizer has the sophistication that I've seen when customizing high end hearing aids, quite cool. The app also allows you to share play list info (Spotify), to find your earbuds and see the battery status. It's well done and I can see it getting better.... a nice 'surprise' bonus.
My Best Buy number: 0010016244
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
+19points
31of 43voted this as helpful.
 
Protect your iPhone's data with this 64GB iXpand charger and backup base. It charges your iPhone quickly with 15W of power, and it backs up photos and videos as it charges to ensure precious memories are always safe. This iXpand charger and backup base also backs up your stored contacts, so you can restore them when needed.
 
  • Top 50 contributor
  • My Best Buy® Elite Member
  • Tech Insider Network
Customer Rating
2 out of 5
2
Wish it did more
on October 7, 2017
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from Phoenix.AZ
You really need to have a special need to love the iXpand Base (64gb), its expensive and has a pretty limited set of features, and it does not come with a lightning cord. First it about the size of a large rubber and metal coaster, it does a good job of supporting a iPhone (I tried a 6S and 8+) both were comfortably supported, and when in position you could still use the phone. After loading the iXpand Base app, once you connect the phone, the app will scan your phone for Photos, Videos and Contacts and back them up to to a SD card with in the iXpand Base (the card is removable, so you could replace/upgrade the card to increase the storage capacity. And it does the backup reasonably well and pretty fast, as it only copies changes since the last time the phone was connected.
I did encounter some minor issues where the software backed up some of the same files twice, and a number of times when I connected it I was told the SDcard was not present or that a back up failed, disconnecting, the phone, restarting their software and reconnecting the phone generally solved this problem.
So if you don't want to back up your Photos, Videos and Contacts to a computer this is a nice solution (my 90yr old mother would have liked it, she hated computers but appreciated her iPhone).
But my biggest issue, besides, it not working completely reliably, is its limited functionality. I'd be l lost, if I lost, all the notes and documents from my phone. I can understand, it not backing up music files, from a copy protection standpoint, but not copying notes & documents would be show stopper for me. I keep a number of files on my phone that I regularly update and then sync to my desktop and share with others. If I lost these files, I'd be disappointed (to say the least). My sister is a chef, she keeps all of her recipes as notes & documents - I'm pretty sure shed feel the same way.
The included charger is 15w 3A; it's pretty quick, but I have faster chargers. I would have preferred than SanDisk include a short lightning cable. They require that you use your own cable you have to insert the USB connector into the center of the iXpand Base and wrap the cord around the unit where the rubber "skirt" holds the wound cable neatly under the lip, I'm not sure this is a great idea for the cable, I'd have preferred the base have a (removable) 6" to 12" cable, maybe one that included a indicator showing when charging is completed (picky, yes, but this thing is expensive; I'd I like a way to know it's done without a message to my phone saying it's done; just another ding and a message to find).
My Best Buy number: 0010016244
Mobile Submission: False
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
 
Go for a spin with this Sphero Ultimate Lightning McQueen car. It has expressive LCD eyes and a hi-fi speaker to embody the spirit of the Cars character, and its dedicated app lets you control it from your mobile device. This Sphero Ultimate Lightning McQueen car provides over 2 hours of play on a full charge.
 
  • Top 50 contributor
  • My Best Buy® Elite Member
  • Tech Insider Network
Customer Rating
4 out of 5
4
So Cool
on October 2, 2017
Posted by: 3Tcubed
from Phoenix.AZ
First ignoring cost, this thing is so awesome, it responds to touch, it seems to have a real personality and it moves so realistically. Behind the windshield is a color LCD screen which bring the "Eyes" of the car alive, moving with the spoken word, and boy does is speak (with Owen Wilson's voice, and quite loudly if you want it to) the front bumper is a soft rubber with an animated mouth that moves (mouth opens/closes w/animation) with the spoken words.
The packaging of Lightning McQueen goes above and beyond excellent, a beautiful box secures Lightning by the wheels, a drawer beneath contains a small booklet and charger. The heavy box is printed with metallic ink, boldly advertising Disney PIXAR Cars 3 - Lightning McQueen. The car is controlled by an Andriod or Apple App which must be downloaded to your device - but we all have one or more so it can easily be updated to add/correct features. After down loading the app it instruct you to Update the Car, and it must be connected to it's AC adapter to do the update, which took about 2 minutes. But now I know my car is up to date and I have the latest app 3 minutes after unboxing - everything should be this easy - a good experience to get started.
Now ready to get started, Lightning McQueen starts to chirp, wanting to get moving,you touch the car and it's body moves and reacts to your touch, you lift it up and it recants with another naturally spoken word choice. I don't want to spoil the fun by telling you the car says but it kind of errie - you will think the car is paying attention to you.
Now using the app controls take some getting used to, the most important step that the written instructions gloss over, is the positioning button, you must push this "button" while standing directly behind the car pointing forward, fail to do this befor your start each time, and the car's controls will seem backwards or out of wack; do it right and the controls work reasonably well (you can also change to a RC control (up/down left/right set to sticks - this did not seem quite as natural as the joy stick), Still it takes a pretty fair amount of time to get the car to move exactly as you desire, after 1/2hr I still felt like an amateur, it really took 3-4 hrs usage before I could negotiate movements reliably. I'm sure a "kid" would pick it faster than I did, but a kid would not be concerned about crashing a $300 'toy' car (more like a little robot), so maybe I error-ed through caution. But with time by confidence grew, I was ready to try some driving challenges, that are part of the app, after a dozen or so attempts I was competitive on the challenges, and more impressed with, my friend, the chatty car.
A few not so positive points, they (Sphero.com) claims you can operate the car from 30 meters (100ft); not in my experience, I got an out of range message, several times, and started "walking off" the lost at distance - and it was consistently about 20 long steps, which I'd call it 60 ft. Once understood it was still reasonable to have a lot of fun.
The app (currently) offers 4 race tracks, one strait and a pit stop game which is much more entertaining than I though it would be, it was a real challenge to improve, but doable. The app allow you collect "trophies" , and race against others (this I could not test with only one expensive car). This bring me to my biggest complaint or really a is it worth it issue. This "toy" is quite a remarkable piece of technology, more robot than racing car, I don't think I'd trust it to a 5yr old, but I know a lot of 5-8 yr olds that would be truly amazed by my talking car, but the car is very fast, and a full speed, as the car warned me more than once, "that's going to leave a mark" and "maybe that will buff out" solid objects/walls will (probably) damage the car, I did not want to risk that. And that's where I have a hard time with the $300 price tag, at $100 or so I'l not worry about a kid playing with it, but for over $200 it's a struggle for me - but it's a lot of fun, unlike any toy Iv'e ever had - and it's faster then most dogs - so when you can drive well enough you can certainly have fun with your pets, as is quick and the cool lights on the car will capture their attention. So many ways to have fun with my my talking car....
My Best Buy number: 0010016244
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
User submitted photo
+1point
2of 3voted this as helpful.
 
<< 1 ... 17 18 19 20 21 22 >>
 
3Tcubed's Review Comments
 
3Tcubed has not submitted comments on any reviews.
 
3Tcubed's Questions
 
3Tcubed has not submitted any questions.
 
3Tcubed's Answers
1 2 3 4 5 ... 8 >>
 
Deliver reliable power to your Google Nest Doorbell with this Wasserstein solar panel. The high-efficiency solar cells provide a stable 4W output to keep the camera charged, and the rotatable mount allows flexible placement for optimal exposure to sunlight. This Wasserstein solar panel comes with a toolkit and a 13-foot cable for effortless installation.
 

Will this work for the Google - Nest Cam Battery (outdoor)? Or is it strictly for the doorbell?

Doorbell only
User submitted photo
3 years, 5 months ago
by
3Tcubed
 
Connecting virtually with friends and co-workers gets a major upgrade with the monitor’s built-in camera, noise-cancelling microphones and dual 5W speakers. You’ll enjoy amazing video clarity and crystal-clear sound. Versatile USB-C connectivity delivers video, audio and data, and charges your laptop. Plus, with just one cord, you'll have a clutter-free desk space. A super clear 5MP IR pop-up camera features facial recognition through Windows Hello for convenient, instant sign-on to Windows. The best part? The camera stays hidden until you're ready for video chatting or selfies. A height-adjustable stand and a monitor that tilts, swivels and pivots so you look your best and feel your best for all-day conferencing.
 

Does this computer have a webcam and a USB - C port?

It has a USB-C port for connectivity and a built in USB hub with Power Delivery and a USB-A connector at the bottom of the monitor to connect another USB device or power a small notebook
3 years, 8 months ago
by
3Tcubed
 
Set your imagination free on the most powerful Surface Laptop, designed to light up the best of Windows 11. Boundary-pushing design lets you flex your creative muscle on the sleek 14.4“⁴ touchscreen, making seamless transitions from laptop to entertainment-ready stage to portable creative canvas, complete with built-in storage and charging for Surface Slim Pen 2* under the keyboard. Enjoy smooth gameplay, and draw, sketch and take notes like you would on paper on the bright, vibrant 120Hz display. Run intensive applications and get things done anywhere with all-day battery life, and get inspired with graphics power that exceeds your expectations. Elevate your entertainment with Quad Omnisonic speakers, featuring large bass and immersive Dolby Atmos. Stay in the flow, be inspired and get closer to what you love.
 

What type m.2 nvme ssd, Gen 3 or Gen 4?

Gen 3 attached is benchmark of 512GB drive
User submitted photo
3 years, 8 months ago
by
3Tcubed
 
The Shark AI Ultra Robot Vacuum combines powerful vacuuming with Matrix Clean Navigation, leaving no spots missed for an ultra whole-home clean. Features include: powerful Shark suction power, Matrix Clean Navigation for a deeper cleaning, HEPA 60-day capacity base for collecting and trapping dust and allergens, and CleanEdge Technology for better edge cleaning.
 

WOW Awesome Can you please help me with what is the actual run time. Confuse with below- Up to 120 minutes of runtime for whole-home cleaning. And with Recharge and Resume, the robot will return to the dock, recharge, and can pick up where it left off

It will return to its base any time it needs to be emptied, and then resume where it was (if it need to recharge it will,generally it just continues). Depending on dust/pet hair I found this to be 45m to an hour. I ran it immediatly after it had just run (let it recharge) and it never emptied itself the second pass. I found it can run for 2h, if there is enough work for it to do and what it finds along the way (if it "finishes" and has not collected much dust it will deem itself finished. You need to look at it being a smart vac.
3 years, 9 months ago
by
3Tcubed
 
The Nest Doorbell is the battery-powered video doorbell that works with any home. See what’s happening at your door from anywhere and get intelligent alerts about important activity, like when there’s a person, package, animal, or vehicle.* And because there are no wires, you can install it yourself. Nest Doorbell requires the Google Home app and a Google Account – it’s not compatible with the Nest app or the home.nest.com site.
 

Is it waterproof?

its Weather resistant (IP54), it can get web but not be submerged
3 years, 10 months ago
by
3Tcubed
 
The Nest Doorbell is the battery-powered video doorbell that works with any home. See what’s happening at your door from anywhere and get intelligent alerts about important activity, like when there’s a person, package, animal, or vehicle.* And because there are no wires, you can install it yourself. Nest Doorbell requires the Google Home app and a Google Account – it’s not compatible with the Nest app or the home.nest.com site.
 

are you aware of any of these types of devices that will work without WIFI? i am in an area where WIFI is unavailable and have wanted this type of device but running into a dead end without wifi.. anyone???? not willing to have ADT set up..

No it will not work without a wifi connection (to the internet).
3 years, 10 months ago
by
3Tcubed
 
The Brydge 10.2 MAX+ for iPad (9th, 8th & 7th Gen) combines the functionality of a traditional Brydge keyboard with the protection of OtterBox. Featuring the largest precision trackpad for iPad, the 10.2 MAX+ native multi-touch gestures allow you to get the most of iPadOS, transforming your iPad into the perfect laptop replacement.
 

What is the weight of the Brydge 10.2 Max + Keyboard Case? Does it come in any color besides black?

24 oz; but it's concentrated in keyboard/battery base. In to counterbalance the iPad weight it needs to have some weight.
4 years, 2 months ago
by
3Tcubed
 
This Refurbished MacBook Pro is a Certified Refurbished Macbook. Certified Refurbished Apple MacBook Pro Laptop:Boost productivity with this 13.3-inch Apple MacBook Pro laptop packed with state of the line specifications. It's Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM let you run multiple software programs at the same time seamlessly, and it has a DVD burner for watching your favorite movies using the powerful Intel HD Graphics 4000 card. It's 13.3" LED-Backlit widescreen TFT active-matrix "glossy" display produces a 1280x800 native resolution. This Certified Refurbished Apple MacBook Pro laptop has a 500GB hard drive for secure file storage.
 

Does this unit use onboard video or does it have a graphics video card of some sort ?

It has the Intel Iris Xe video "card", very good for normal use , but not suitable for high end gaming
4 years, 4 months ago
by
3Tcubed
 
The 606 S2 Anniversary Edition combines outstanding power and clarity in a compact form for when space is at a premium, but you need big sound. Continuum mid-bass drive units provide clarity for singers and driving bass lines while Decoupled Double Dome Tweeters create an enveloping sense of space. Featuring upgraded crossovers for even more transparency and a unique trim-ring to celebrate this milestone, the 606 S2 Anniversary Edition is the most sophisticated, affordable bookshelf speaker Bowers & Wilkins has ever made. The 606 S2 Anniversary Edition is the largest bookshelf speaker in the 600 Series Anniversary Edition range of products. Over the last 25 years, the 600 Series has been our most affordable performance range of loudspeakers, and we’re celebrating our love of sound with acoustic improvements to the crossover network for overall greater levels of clarity and smoother high frequencies so you can enjoy a compelling listening experience across the range of products.
 

Where are these speaker’s made?

Designed in England, made in China
4 years, 4 months ago
by
3Tcubed
 
The Brydge 12.3 Pro+ wireless keyboard with touchpad matches the quality and functionality of the Surface Pro 4,5,6, and 7 seamlessly. Designed to meet the standards set by Microsoft, the Brydge 12.3 Pro+ features a precision touchpad, adjustable viewing angles and 3-level backlit keys, bringing a laptop-like experience to your Surface Pro.
 

Does the laptop have a front camera and is it also the laptop with the key board?

This is a Keyboard/Track pad only.

It is intended to be use with a MS Surface Pro (G4-G7); which has a forward facing camera
4 years, 6 months ago
by
3Tcubed