CraigB's stats
- Review count173
- Helpfulness votes2,724
- First reviewFebruary 11, 2013
- Last reviewMay 26, 2024
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4.2
- Review comment count7
- Helpfulness votes6
- First review commentNovember 29, 2013
- Last review commentJanuary 31, 2017
- Featured review comments0
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- Answer count43
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- First answerMarch 24, 2015
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Only at Best BuyMonitor the exterior of your home with this Lorex active deterrence DVR security system. An eight-channel 4K Ultra HD DVR records and plays back crisp, high-quality video, while the remote-triggered siren and bright LED light work to scare off intruders. With color night vision, the cameras included with this Lorex active deterrence DVR security system provide a clear look at your property even in low lighting conditions.
Customer Rating
3
Cheap 4K DVR, but only for the tech savvy
on August 8, 2018
Posted by: CraigB
from Texas
Pros
Good resolution once adjusted
Local Recording works without internet
Remote viewing responds quickly with good internet speeds
No batteries to change
Complete package includes everything needed.
Expandable to 8 cameras
Also works with IP Cameras
Doesn’t require manual port forwarding
License plates easily readable during the day
Good resolution once adjusted
Local Recording works without internet
Remote viewing responds quickly with good internet speeds
No batteries to change
Complete package includes everything needed.
Expandable to 8 cameras
Also works with IP Cameras
Doesn’t require manual port forwarding
License plates easily readable during the day
Cons
Quality reduced with H.264+ compression instead of H.265+
Considered 2K by industry standards since that is the highest 15FPS setting
A software bug is preventing any resolutions to go above 7FPS
Siamese wires are very small
Smart Search only works when directly connected to DVR
No IFTTT, Smart Home, or Geofencing support
Recording doesn’t come set to properly utilize cameras
Camera housings are plastic
Color night vision doesn’t stay on even in bright light
Administration layout and wording is poor
IR light creates hot spot at night
No desktop app or program
No cloud AI features available (Cloud Backup, Daily Recap, etc.)
Motion alerts do not allow polygon zones
Motion alerts weigh close bug the same as distant person or car
Camera lens can sometimes cause reflection in video
IR light causes license plate lights to be unreadable at night
Configuring alert zones on phone is hard as you cannot zoom in
Remote connection via Lorex servers has already been proven unsecure
Limited 6-digit pin/password is unsecure
4K sensor limited by Lack of WDR or HDR
No support for modern browsers, must use Internet Explorer (A fix is in the works)
Phone app is dated and not user friendly
Quality reduced with H.264+ compression instead of H.265+
Considered 2K by industry standards since that is the highest 15FPS setting
A software bug is preventing any resolutions to go above 7FPS
Siamese wires are very small
Smart Search only works when directly connected to DVR
No IFTTT, Smart Home, or Geofencing support
Recording doesn’t come set to properly utilize cameras
Camera housings are plastic
Color night vision doesn’t stay on even in bright light
Administration layout and wording is poor
IR light creates hot spot at night
No desktop app or program
No cloud AI features available (Cloud Backup, Daily Recap, etc.)
Motion alerts do not allow polygon zones
Motion alerts weigh close bug the same as distant person or car
Camera lens can sometimes cause reflection in video
IR light causes license plate lights to be unreadable at night
Configuring alert zones on phone is hard as you cannot zoom in
Remote connection via Lorex servers has already been proven unsecure
Limited 6-digit pin/password is unsecure
4K sensor limited by Lack of WDR or HDR
No support for modern browsers, must use Internet Explorer (A fix is in the works)
Phone app is dated and not user friendly
To start, if you aren’t the hands-on technical type, you are best suited going to a simpler system.
The 4K Active Deterrence system uses a local recorder with its own hard drive to store videos. Cameras are hardwired so this isn’t your typical afternoon project. It does yield results in clarity. The system is designed to run with little upkeep, so some extra work upfront yields some benefits. The cameras are connected via the older style Siamese cable, although they are thin wires instead of coax, so some careful handling is required. Since the signal is analog, routing is key to a good signal. The system uses a Lorex proprietary technology called MPX so if you want to reuse your cameras with another DVR it must be another Lorex. However; the DVR is compatible with multiple protocols, including even IP cameras.
Even though the DVR has good flexibility in usage, some specs leave a bit to be desired. The industry standard is for rating a system based on what resolution it can provide at 15 frames per second. The cameras are rated at 8MP 4K with 15FPS but unfortunately the DVR caps out at 7FPS. The highest resolution the supported at 15FPS is 2K, so by standards the package is essentially 2K. Oddly, even though the system touts 4K, the DVR was not configured from the factory to record video from the 4K. Neither the quick start guide nor manual, not included, warn you of this. To maximize video quality, you must set the system up to record in Super H.264H, Resolution at 2840x2160, 7fps, with the image quality on 6, and bit rate of 12288Kbps to fully utilize the cameras. To view in max quality mobile, you need to change your apps to use the Main Stream instead of the Sub Stream.
Even if you do decide to set the recorder up to record in 4K the use of H.264+ compression reduces the quality. The issue is H.264 compression was designed to support high definition and not ultra-high definition. The combination of slower frame rates on the DVR and lower quality compression hurts the overall recorded video quality. When set correctly, it is still definitely high quality, but unfortunately the compression causes artifacts and a slight blur that take away some from the actual resolution of the cameras. Compression is good and is needed. Without compression the same system would require a lot more storage and processing power. The issue is that there is a newer standard that would better suite the cameras that is not being utilized. The H.264 compression is also evident in recordings where surfaces tend to periodically “pulsate” as the compression refreshes still objects and slight light changes certain objects to look like a cloud keeps passing over them at regularly cycles. This isn’t unique to Lorex but rather a side effect of the compression technique.
Although the cameras do have good resolution, that doesn’t mean they are without faults. First, the housing is made of plastic. This means after just a few years the housing will be broken down by the elements and weakened. Installing under a roof and out of sun will help longevity but these are certainly not built to last. They certainly aren’t vandal proof either. The cameras do include a sun shade, but it is not adjustable and appears to be mostly cosmetic.
During the day, faces and license plates are distinguishable at about 55 feet if they aren’t moving fast. The make, model, and color of a car is recognizable at approximately 300 feet.
Even though the camera only has on IR LED it is a bright one. In fact, it is so bright it causes license plates to appear as a glowing rectangle at night. This means they are completely unreadable at night. Although better than most, the IR produces a marked center hot spot. Without HDR or WDR this means objects in the hot spot appear washed out and outside the hotspot have far less detail. Because this IR is so bright without the sensor having the complimentary dynamic range this means you also must be careful of even the slightly reflecting surface near the camera. If mounted under a soffit, the surface of the soffit can cause a reflection even out of frame which causes a haze on the image. Depending on conditions, the lens of the camera also might cause reflections leading to random artifacts in the picture.
The deterrent LED is a nice touch. It is very noticeable from a distance to let others no they are being monitored, but it feels Lorex missed an opportunity. The cameras are supposed to have color night vision. If the LED had been made bright enough it could have been used to facilitate color identification of subjects even as ambient light becomes too low. As it stands, the color night vision seems to not work as intended on these units. There is no spec listing how dark vision works but most marketed as color night vision or ultra low lux operate in color to 0.01 or 0.03 lux. Without a proper meter it is hard to judge the exact cutoff for color night vision but in testing, the color night vision didn’t work until the scene was literally no longer night. In testing, 120 watts of light in a 20x10 foot area was not enough to trigger color night vision. In fact, color did not turn on until the equivalent of 600 watts of light was applied. It seems the cameras are too quick to jump to IR night vision as the sensor can show color in very dark conditions. In changing from the 600 watts of lighting and dropping down to the equivalent of 20 watts of light, the cameras were able to show color with good detail an acceptable noise before the IR based night vision kicked in. It would be nice if Lorex would issue a firmware update or allow an adjustment to the threshold, so the cameras weren’t so aggressive switching to black and white IR mode and the CNV could be properly utilized.
Each camera has a manual alarm that sounds for about 30 seconds based when activated. The volume ramps up slowly and is quite loud. Motion is detected based on frame comparison and not passive infrared so thorough testing and adjusting of motion sensitivity to prevent frequent false alerts. Even with thorough testing, frequent insects flying can cause excessive false triggers. There is no artificial intelligence to discern a close flying bug from a distant person. Reducing sensitivity to prevent false triggers from close flying bugs causes it to miss distant people. Of course, increasing the sensitivity will catch the distant person but will excessive false alerts. The only way to prevent this is making sure placement is away from an area where flying bugs frequent.
There are interface oddities such as calling post recording as delayed recording. You are offered to give the channel names descriptors, such as front door, but the interface simply uses the channel number anyway. The manual defines settings such as Chroma as “This is how you adjust Chroma” and has a camera feature called EQ with no description of what it does. The apps for iOS and Android are just as unpolished with confusing scheduling options with no descriptions to technical terms. Tapping a notification brings you to the live video instead of the video of the event. Remote access is handled through Lorex cloud, but the system is tied to your serial number and a max six-character password which has already proven easy to hack. In short, it has a learning curve to its operation
In the end, the system still performs the primary job of recording 4K video reliably but devoid of polish regular consumers expect. Specs wise, it checks a lot of boxes that tech savvy consumers will like. Lorex could improve this with future firmware updates which could really improve the appeal to a larger market. It would be nice if Lorex could update it to support H.265+ and Lorex’s cloud AI features like rapid recap. If you, or someone you know, are comfortable getting hands on and technical, can accept some quirks, want to get a system with high quality video, and don’t want to spend a few thousand on a high-end professional NVR then Lorex 4K Active Deterrence DVR system could work good for you.
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Step up your game with this 15.6-inch Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop. The high-performance AMD Radeon RX 560X graphics card provides powerful gaming performance and detailed graphics that look great on the Full HD display. This Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop features an AMD Ryzen 5 processor for a smooth and responsive user experience.
Customer Rating
5
Cool running entry level gaming laptop
on July 27, 2018
Posted by: CraigB
from Texas
Pros
Brighter keyboard backlight
Screen is very bright for most situations
Screen has decent color accuracy for the price point
Good screen viewing angles for the price
Fan sound doesn’t distract even on high
Responsive keyboard
Keyboard has good travel
Responsive trackpad
Includes number pad
WASD keys are brighter for easier identification
Good sound on solid surfaces
Expansion bay for traditional hard drive with included screws
8GB memory is good enough for most situations
Additional memory slot for upgrade
Primary drive is an SSD
Includes USB 3.0 and USB-C Port
Full sized HDMI port
Includes gigabit ethernet port
Subtle look allows for use at work and play
Includes carrying sleeve
Runs very cool even at load
Brighter keyboard backlight
Screen is very bright for most situations
Screen has decent color accuracy for the price point
Good screen viewing angles for the price
Fan sound doesn’t distract even on high
Responsive keyboard
Keyboard has good travel
Responsive trackpad
Includes number pad
WASD keys are brighter for easier identification
Good sound on solid surfaces
Expansion bay for traditional hard drive with included screws
8GB memory is good enough for most situations
Additional memory slot for upgrade
Primary drive is an SSD
Includes USB 3.0 and USB-C Port
Full sized HDMI port
Includes gigabit ethernet port
Subtle look allows for use at work and play
Includes carrying sleeve
Runs very cool even at load
Cons
Keyboard feels slightly “mushy”
Red letters on keys make keys hard to see without backlight
Keyboard is cramped on the right side
SSD isn’t very fast at approximately 225MBps
Marginal battery life when not gaming
Charging port feels fragile
Carry sleeve has no place for charger
Power button is too close to number pad
Screen a little dim for brighter areas
Speakers fire downward meaning they get muffled and low when not on a hard surface
3D Mark reports system below minimum spec for Vive or Oculus
3D Mark could only muster 12FPS
Keyboard feels slightly “mushy”
Red letters on keys make keys hard to see without backlight
Keyboard is cramped on the right side
SSD isn’t very fast at approximately 225MBps
Marginal battery life when not gaming
Charging port feels fragile
Carry sleeve has no place for charger
Power button is too close to number pad
Screen a little dim for brighter areas
Speakers fire downward meaning they get muffled and low when not on a hard surface
3D Mark reports system below minimum spec for Vive or Oculus
3D Mark could only muster 12FPS
PC Gaming might not get the media attention it once did with high power consoles now available, but that doesn’t mean PC gaming is dead. If it has done anything, it has evolved. Although extremely expensive gaming rigs are still available, the real expansion has been on more affordable gaming rigs. With fast processors now less battery hungry and more affordable, mobile gaming is now within reach of more casual gamers.
The Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R5GT is Acer’s Ryzen 5 offering for 2018 in this popular category. The Nitro 5 series laptops are more affordable gaming laptops with reasonable specs and an accompanying reasonable price tags, albeit with hard to remember names for each. Specs for the AN515-42-R5GT include an AMD Ryzen 5 2500U processor, 8GB of memory, a 256GB M.2 SSD, dedicated Radeon RS 560X GPU, and an IPS screen to boot. The top shell is faux carbon fiber with a textured finish and the palm rest is a smooth finish faux carbon fiber. There are a few, conservative red accents throughout the laptop but overall the look is very subtle for a gaming laptop. If you keep the bright red keyboard backlight off, this could be used in a professional environment without getting any weird looks.
As an entry level gaming laptop, compromises must be made. The challenge is making the right compromises. On the Nitro 5, each component is configured with a lower, mid-range part that is properly sized to not create a bottleneck in any one area. A refreshing change is seeing an included SSD in the mix, albeit a slower one that tops out at about 225MBps. The included 8GB of memory includes an extra slot to allow expansion to dual channel for some added future upgrades. If you need to include some extra storage down the road there is extra hard drive bay that is accessible. Even the screws are included. This is nice as it allows the system to be a little more future proof without breaking the bank. Of course, the display panel is not the highest end, but it is quite good with reasonable color accuracy and good viewing angles. Brightness is good, but gaming outdoors would be near impossible. The speakers are similarly good, but not stellar. The speakers mainly fire downward, so the choice of surface greatly affects sound output and quality. Place it on a hard surface and you have ample volume with acceptable range. Place it on a soft surface and muffled sounds should be expected. Considering the air intake for cooling is also on the bottom, a hard surface is the safer bet for longevity.
If there were any real compromise with the system, it would have to be the battery. During light duty use, such as browsing the web and watching videos, expect about 4 hours of battery life with 20% screen brightness. This is surprising considering the Ryzen 5 runs ice cold compared to other gaming laptops. It never showed signs of thermal throttling. During stress testing, temps refused to go much higher than 110 degrees Fahrenheit. No part of the laptop seemed to get very warm and the air was just slightly warm from the cooling fans. If it ever did get hot the cooling fans should be able to do the job. On high with CoolBoost turned on they put out a large volume of air with nothing more than the sound of air rushing. With no sign of high power consumption since it runs so cool, the only assumption could be the included battery is very low capacity. Either way, don’t expect to get a full day out of this battery. When gaming, battery life isn’t much of a concern since most will keep it plugged in for maximum performance but having such short battery life for casual use in 2018 is a bit surprising.
The entire keyboard has a red backlight with the WASD keys having bolder lettering and larger light ring. It is a chicklet style keyboard that makes very little sound decent travel and a soft feel. This is helpful when you are in a quiet meeting, but it does lend to make presses feel less precise than compared to Cherry MX or other mechanical switches. It might take some adjustment but if you can get over the feeling, the responsiveness and accuracy is quite good. Spacing is also very good allowing you to quickly find the precise key you want with good separation between keys. This does not carry over to the number pad on the right. The arrow keys, function keys, and number keys are cramped which can cause issues with missed weapons selection. Besides the arrow keys being hard to access quickly, the power button is cramped into the number pad. This could lead to unintentional shutdowns as you try to hit a number. If you use these keys a lot in gaming, a full size USB keyboard should be in order. If you mainly keep to the main part of the keyboard, you should be fine. The trackpad is very responsive with good palm rejection but the same soft feeling when you click the left or right mouse buttons. Considering most gamers use a traditional mouse anyway, this shouldn’t be a big deal. With two standard USB ports, a USB 3.0 port, and a USB-C port you shouldn’t have any problem connection peripherals. You can even take a step further and use the included full-sized HDMI port to connect to a TV for big screen gaming.
Of course, the big question everyone wants to know is how well does it perform? The answer to that question is pretty good actually. Being honest, one shouldn’t look at a laptop in this price range to play any recent title maxed out, but with a little tweaking it does well. That said, if you are up for some old titles like Borderlands 2 or COD have fun maxing out every setting you can. On 3D mark, it scored a 1913. There won’t be any playing Oculus on this rig. However; if you are looking at an Oculus then your budget is already much higher. With no other process applications running, NitroSense on max with CoolBoost enabled, 3d Mark turned in 12FPS with a maximum CPU temperature of 134 degrees Fahrenheit and GPU temperature of 129 degrees. Without using benchmark software that is behind a paywall it is hard to confirm, but in basic tests the included Radeon RX650X is performing slightly better than a GTX1050. Combine that with the fact that during multiple passes the thermals stayed well in the green and you have a nice budget gaming system. Even more impressive is how quickly the temps would drop after the load was removed. You shouldn’t have any worries of thermal throttling or premature failure due to repeated heat stress. A nice side effect is that since it runs so cool you can use it safely on your lap without the worry of getting burned while squeezing every bit of performance out of the system.
Overall, the Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R5GT is a solid offering in the entry gaming laptop segment as well a good laptop overall. Based on the design, it seems like Acer is targeting budget minded gamers who need a multipurpose computer, such as a college student. With a well-rounded specs, for a good price, future upgrade options, and only minor compromises the Acer Nitro 5 is a very compelling budget gaming laptop.
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I would recommend this to a friend!
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Enjoy clean floors at all times with this Neato Botvac robot vacuum. Wi-Fi connectivity puts you in control of the device's cleaning schedule, and its D-shaped design lets it clean in corners and next to walls and baseboards. This Neato Botvac robot vacuum's advanced brush system keep floors clear of dirt, fur and allergens.
Customer Rating
5
The best robotic vacuum you can buy
on July 13, 2018
Posted by: CraigB
from Texas
Pros
Laser mapping is far more accurate than camera mapping
Unlimited No-Go zones via app without buying tape or towers
Report shows where it has vacuumed each time
Vacuums in consistent straight lines
With gentle navigation it keeps an even distance from everything without missing
Parts that wear and need replacement are easily accessible
Waste bin is comparatively large
Can be picked up and if put back near where it was can continue without getting lost
Never seems to get lost
Works reliably even in the dark
Works fast without repeatedly cleaning the same areas
Alexa voice control
Can raise back end to try to get unstuck
Easily traverses even higher pile carpets and area rugs
Straight path for debris means no odd spaces to clean out internally
Offers two different brushes depending on priorities
Laser mapping is far more accurate than camera mapping
Unlimited No-Go zones via app without buying tape or towers
Report shows where it has vacuumed each time
Vacuums in consistent straight lines
With gentle navigation it keeps an even distance from everything without missing
Parts that wear and need replacement are easily accessible
Waste bin is comparatively large
Can be picked up and if put back near where it was can continue without getting lost
Never seems to get lost
Works reliably even in the dark
Works fast without repeatedly cleaning the same areas
Alexa voice control
Can raise back end to try to get unstuck
Easily traverses even higher pile carpets and area rugs
Straight path for debris means no odd spaces to clean out internally
Offers two different brushes depending on priorities
Cons
No-Go lines only work with app
Sometimes tries to repeatedly climb items like speaker stands
No real quiet mode
Brush doesn’t seem to do a deep cleaning
Communicates through tones you must memorize instead of voice
Errors for clogs are vague
No dust sensor
No full bin sensor
Spot clean is not configurable
No option to clean just one room
No-Go lines only work with app
Sometimes tries to repeatedly climb items like speaker stands
No real quiet mode
Brush doesn’t seem to do a deep cleaning
Communicates through tones you must memorize instead of voice
Errors for clogs are vague
No dust sensor
No full bin sensor
Spot clean is not configurable
No option to clean just one room
Although robotic vacuums are nothing new, having one that vacuums reliably has been a problem. Neato, more than any other brand, seems to be the company that seems to have finally solved the issue.
The D7 is the top of the line robotic vacuum in the series from Neato. All their vacuums offer similar features with laser mapping and interchangeable parts but what sets the D7 apart is what are called virtual No-Go lines. As the D7 vacuums a room, it starts by vacuuming the perimeter and finding the walls. When it gets to a certain point in the room it will stop and rotate the use the laser to map everything out. What is great about this is as it goes around the perimeter it picks up all the debris near the baseboards and then quickly vacuums the interior. It systematically vacuums room by room, using narrow passages to define what is a room. Unlike other vacuums, this technique means it reliably vacuums every accessible area every time and doesn’t get stuck in a loop vacuuming the same spot over and over. Not only that, but if it must navigate around an object it still has no problem vacuuming straight lines. This is a refreshing change from other brands that often seem to be obsessed with cleaning the same room or vacuuming random diagonal lines after avoiding a piece of furniture.
As part of the mapping technology are what are called virtual No-Go lines. After the D7 has had a chance to vacuum your entire house at least once it will present a very detailed map of your house, including square footage, and allow you to define what are called No-Go zones. To create these zones, you just draw a line with your finger to block off an area. Once saved, the D7 will avoid vacuuming those areas. No need for barrier tape or towers. The system works very reliably and about the only downside is that it only works when you start cleaning via the app. For now, if you initiate vacuuming via Alexa the No-Go lines aren’t used. If for some reason you need to create barriers outside the app, the D7 does come with conventional roll of magnetic strip.
The included manual is lean on details of maintenance, but information is readily available on the internet. Once you see how to do it, the process is actually very simple with no tools required, except the included cleaning brush. If you unsure of maintenance intervals, a handy guide is inside the waste bin compartment. The air filter, combo brush, and spin brush are quick an easy to change. If you have pets with a large amount of hair, it would be best to run the vacuum more frequently. For the first week as it vacuums you may find it gets clogged with pet hair in the intake tube to the waste bin. Thankfully with a straight vacuum path through the D7, cleanup is very easy. After you establish a schedule for vacuuming and the D7 catches up you might be able to have it clean the entire house while only emptying the waste bin at the end.
As mentioned before, the D7 is excellent at vacuuming straight lines in carpet to give a freshly vacuumed look. If you prefer more distinct carpet lines, a different brush bar is available as well at the expense of being less versatile on varied surfaces. If you have a deep pile carpet, the D7 refreshingly is excellent at traversing very tall thresholds. It had no trouble climbing up the edge of a deep pile carpet. However; if you have a deep shag carpet you might find the smaller brush bar might not clean as deep as you want. That said, for deep shag carpets your best bet might be a traditional upright vacuum. The D7 has a quiet and turbo mode. The quiet mode is certainly quieter but not to the point you could comfortably watch TV with it running in the same room. The suction overall is very good. Regardless, robotic vacuums shine when they can vacuum regularly. Although the suction has improved, they just can’t compete with an upright on a single pass. By scheduling it to vacuuming regularly, the vacuum gradually makes progress and will keep with a clean floor that stays looking clean all the time.
Long ago, higher end robotic vacuums evolved to stop wandering aimlessly around the room to vacuum and learned to vacuum in systematic straight lines. Up until recently what had not been fixed was how they would slam into your furniture and rub up against walls as they finally learned to vacuum straight. Refreshingly, the D7 is smart enough to avoid hitting things constantly. On the default settings it will still occasionally rub walls, but a nice feature is hidden in the cleaning settings that can fix even that. It’s called Extra Care Navigation. When enabled, it will keep about a ¼ inch gap from objects and let the spin brush pick up in that area. This allows the D7 to gingerly avoid touching any of your furniture while cleaning thoroughly. It also helps prevent it from going under certain chairs and tables that would tend to cause it to get trapped. It might mean an occasional light, manual touchup is needed but the tradeoff is well worth it. Even with this extra care navigation and ability to climb higher rugs there is still one weak area of the D7. Because it can climb high ledges you might find it will dutifully try to clean the bases of certain items such as speaker stands or floor lamps. As it climbs up the base it will get stuck. A neat feature is as it gets stuck it can extend the wheels and try to back off the obstruction. In the case of these bases though, it just returns right back for another pass. A simple addition of a No-Go line fixes this making it only a minor inconvenience but one to know nonetheless.
Another area that has cause problems in the past is how previous robotic vacuums handled getting stuck or even lost. With how advanced the D7’s mapping technology is, getting lost is a thing of the past. Even if it gets stuck or clogged you can lift it up, fix the problem, and set it back within two feet of where it was, and it is able to continue and even find its way back home. In fact, in nearly two weeks of daily vacuuming the D7 is the first vacuum to never have an issue finding it’s way back to the charging base. One oddity of the D7 is when you decide to stop a cleaning session. Regardless of if you press stop or pause, it will not return home. If it is in the middle of the cleaning cycle it isn’t a big deal. You just press dock and it cancels the cleaning. Where is can be a bit odd is if, say for instance, you are watching a movie and it starts the cleaning process. You must wait a few minutes into the cleaning for it to recognize where it is at, so it can find the base and allow the dock button to activate. You could press stop and just put it back to the base yourself but oddly it seems to get stuck on the dock if manually placed there. As with all oddities of the D7, this is very minor and has an easy workaround.
Overall, the Neato D7 is arguably the best robotic vacuum on the market even if just for the excellent laser mapping technology. It still has room for improvement but, unlike other brands, the flaws are so small that the Neato vacuums really do end up saving you time since they don’t require constant human intervention. Once your routine is set up, the only human intervention required is to empty the dust bin and replace some parts every few months. If you are in the market for a robotic vacuum, it’s hard to go wrong with the Neato D7.
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I would recommend this to a friend!
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Connect your home theater components to this Yamaha 7.2-channel AV-receiver to create a central operational hub. Two HDMI outputs let you connect a television and projector simultaneously, and support for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and AirPlay provides handy streaming options. Dolby Digital audio technologies deliver crisp, clear sound for a true home theater experience. With 4K Ultra HD HDMI support, this Yamaha 7.2-channel AV-receiver brings bold color and rich visuals to your screen.
Customer Rating
5
Solid, well rounded receiver
on July 11, 2018
Posted by: CraigB
from Texas
Pros
Very good sound quality
Programmable scenes
Includes WiFi with large antennas
Alexa control
Bright front display is easy to read
HDMI eARC via future firmware update
Dolby Atmos
4K Ultra HD with HDR10 capability
Multiple streaming options including Bluetooth, WiFi, AirPlay
Setup Available through AV Setup Guide app
Can be remotely controlled via app
Can be paired with wireless surround speakers
Dual HDMI Outputs
Supports Multi-Room Audio
Cons
5 HDMI is less than the standard
Remote control not backlit
Remote control buttons are so flat they are hard to distinguish
Weak IR sensor
Remote is very long
Dated interface for playing streaming music and no screen saver
Documentation in box is slim and doesn’t mention AV Setup Guide app
No Google Home Functionality listed
No Google Play Music functionality or Chromecast
Spotify seems to require a premium subscription
Very good sound quality
Programmable scenes
Includes WiFi with large antennas
Alexa control
Bright front display is easy to read
HDMI eARC via future firmware update
Dolby Atmos
4K Ultra HD with HDR10 capability
Multiple streaming options including Bluetooth, WiFi, AirPlay
Setup Available through AV Setup Guide app
Can be remotely controlled via app
Can be paired with wireless surround speakers
Dual HDMI Outputs
Supports Multi-Room Audio
Cons
5 HDMI is less than the standard
Remote control not backlit
Remote control buttons are so flat they are hard to distinguish
Weak IR sensor
Remote is very long
Dated interface for playing streaming music and no screen saver
Documentation in box is slim and doesn’t mention AV Setup Guide app
No Google Home Functionality listed
No Google Play Music functionality or Chromecast
Spotify seems to require a premium subscription
Unless you are an audiophile, reading spec sheets for different receivers can be a very confusing list of undecipherable names. From Dolby Atmos, which might sound more familiar, to CinemaDSP 3D. Overall, most modern receivers cover all the main features needed for good sound for most, so it comes down to if you like the brand and what standout features matter most to you.
To start, the Yamaha RX-V685 is a mid-range receiver with plenty of power to handle most home theater speakers. With Dolby Atmos capability, it can support the latest high-end surround sound systems with the extra speakers that make things sound more realistic like in the movies. Although getting a home theater system to operate best is hard for most receivers, Yamaha has taken steps to make the process easier for those who wish to try. First, it might not be prominently displayed but there is a companion setup app, called AV Setup Guide, which makes wiring and setup far easier. First, the app asks which receiver you have and then it guides you through how to hook up the wires. Next it asks questions of how you want it set up. After you answer the questions, it sends the configuration to the receiver for you. Seasoned audiophiles will likely skip this step and dig straight into the on-screen menus, but this option is great for others with less experience as the back of the unit is loaded with different connectors. Yamaha should have really featured this more prominently because it is a standout feature of the unit. To help make your sound closer to that of a theater, a microphone is included to calibrate your speakers to your room and exact setup. Just plug it into the front and a feature called YPAO Sound Optimization is started. Just follow the on-screen steps and when you are done your system is optimized. Combined with the app, it helps take a lot of the technical work out of making your speakers sound as good as possible. Even without calibration, the RX-V685 stands out as having a very smooth, pleasant sound. It’s hard to describe but certain sounds, such as bass, just seem to thump and rumble more fluidly and with less harshness than most receivers.
Regardless of what equipment you have, chances are the RX-V685 can accommodate. Included are 5 HDMI inputs and 2 HMDI outputs. Why 2 HDMI outputs? Because it gives you the option to display the picture on a second screen, such as a projector or TV on your back patio. HDMI ARC is supported and if you don’t know what this means and have a new TV you should look it up or get help. HDMI ARC reduces wiring, improves sound quality in some cases, makes controlling your setup far easier. It even will support the new version called eARC in a future update. If you have a new 4K TV with the HDR10 you are still covered so those super vivid colors in newer videos will pass through without any loss of quality. If you have a record player, there is even a connection for those need a phono input.
Wireless surround speakers and multi-room audio can be added using the Yamaha MusicCast speakers. You can cut down the clutter of speaker wires for your home theater and add whole home audio. Just be aware this functionality only works with Yamaha MusicCast speakers.
Control is available multiple ways with the regularly being via an included remote control. The remote is entirely sealed on the front so there no problems with dust, food crumbs, and liquids messing up the buttons. The downside is the buttons are very flat and hard to distinguish in the dark. No backlight is included either so use in the dark might prove challenging. All is not lost though as there is an available companion app which is even easier to use in most cases. If that is still too inconvenient, you can even use the include scenes capability and set it up for control via it’s available Alexa skill. Then you can use your voice to turn the volume up or down and even change scenes. If you are a fan of Google Home, for now, capability is not available.
Overall, the entire review could be spent just naming all this unit is capable of, all the connections it has, and all the streaming services it has. The category is well defined so the same could be said of nearly any other receiver at this price point. Besides some standout features, such as guided setup through an app and smooth sound, the best way to determine if this receiver is right for you is to ask what is not included. The closest items to shortcomings would be very small. This unit doesn’t include Chromecast or Google Music support. There are simple workarounds for this, such as installing a Chromecast dongle, but if you are looking for those features integrated you will have to look elsewhere. Spotify functionality doesn’t work with the free version. If you need an AC passthrough to control a subwoofer, you won’t find it on this one.
To be quite honest, there is little fault to find on the RX-V685. At best, the shortcomings are small for an otherwise solid receiver. When using the companion apps, setup and operation is as easy as it gets for all the features. If you are in the market for a reliable receiver, from a reputable brand, that is easy to set up, and is easy to use then the Yamaha RX-V685 just might be the perfect receiver for you.
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I would recommend this to a friend!
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Return to simplicity with this Lenovo all-in-one desktop computer. It has an Intel Core i7 processor that blazes through various tasks, and there's 1TB of storage within its slim 23.8-inch screen, so you don't need a tower. With 8GB of RAM, this Lenovo all-in-one desktop handles multiple applications like a charm.
Customer Rating
4
Nearly perfect Windows All-in-One
on June 24, 2018
Posted by: CraigB
from Texas
Pros
Sleek, Compact Design
Anti-glare screen
Fast Processor Core i7 Processor
Touchscreen
Good color accuracy
Good Contrast
Quiet
Can connect to an external monitor
Can serve as a monitor
Very little software bloat installed
Windows Hello Login support works fast
Memory and hard drive can be upgraded
SD Card slot on the bottom of the monitor
Integrated speaker is very clear for speech
Keyboard and mouse feel solid with good response
Sleek, Compact Design
Anti-glare screen
Fast Processor Core i7 Processor
Touchscreen
Good color accuracy
Good Contrast
Quiet
Can connect to an external monitor
Can serve as a monitor
Very little software bloat installed
Windows Hello Login support works fast
Memory and hard drive can be upgraded
SD Card slot on the bottom of the monitor
Integrated speaker is very clear for speech
Keyboard and mouse feel solid with good response
Cons
Includes only traditional hard drive which bottlenecks performance
Only single channel memory support
Integrated speaker is lackluster for music
Keyboard layout is unnecessarily cramped
Keyboard/mouse dongle should have been integrated
Instructions are very limited
McAfee trial instead of full version or nothing
No hardware diagnostics
No system restore option for hardware failure
Includes only traditional hard drive which bottlenecks performance
Only single channel memory support
Integrated speaker is lackluster for music
Keyboard layout is unnecessarily cramped
Keyboard/mouse dongle should have been integrated
Instructions are very limited
McAfee trial instead of full version or nothing
No hardware diagnostics
No system restore option for hardware failure
In recent years there has been a race to make computers smaller and more versatile. They have transformed into 2-in-1 systems, small puck style mini systems, and All-in-Ones. There have been high quality mid-range offerings for 2-in-1 systems and puck systems, but All-in-Ones have been mostly left to budget, low end systems with poor screens and mediocre specs or extremely expensive, ultra-premium offerings. The Lenovo 730S, seems to target that mid-range sector for people who don’t want the absolute cheapest computer available but don’t want to shell out several months salary for an overpowered, high end system.
Out of the box, the 730S is refreshingly basic. You have the main body of the All-in-One, a base, keyboard, mouse, power adapter, batteries, and a small pamphlet. The only thing to assemble is screwing on the base using the built-in wingnut. Plugging in power is similarly straightforward. The only thing that might cause temporary confusion is if you are not paying close attention when installing the mouse batteries, you might miss the wireless dongle on the back of the battery door. Forget to take this out of the mouse battery compartment and plug it into the back of the system and you will be left wondering why your new system doesn’t seem to want to work with its keyboard and mouse. As most people skip any manuals or quick start guides, even more so on an All-in-One, a simple peel off label stating the dongle must be installed would go a long way. Even better would be if the dongle is either integrated or the keyboard and mouse were Bluetooth so you don’t immediately utilize a USB port out of the box.
The outside is kept clean as there are no screen adjustments. The power button is on the back, right and the ports are all clustered right behind the center of the screen near the stand. At the bottom center of the screen lies an SD card slot and a camera slider. Although not immediately apparent, the slider changes the camera from RGB mode, to Infrared, to privacy. Infrared allows the camera to see you even in the dark to log in as it uses two infrared lights to illuminate your face. For those concerned with privacy, you can slide the level to the far left and the camera is hidden behind the bezel. No need to trust privacy via software when the camera literally cannot see you. Again, in the interest of simplicity this is not prominently displayed. But for some, this alone might be a reason to choose the 730S.
Once assembled setup, use is very clean and simple. The base is devoid of any distractions as a simple round weighted disk. The stand includes a single plastic loop for cords to be routed. Adjustments are again, very basic and simple with only tilt available. As the wizards walk you through the initial software setup you will notice one feature that turns out to be extremely helpful day to day, Windows Hello support. After the built-in cameras have learned your face, you can simple sit in front of your computer and tap a key or click the mouse and the system recognizes you and logs you in automatically. It works very fast and reliably. It makes the traditional method of logging into a computer feel dated and laborious. Once you are fully set up you will find bloatware almost nonexistent. A Lenovo support app is included but the only bloatware included is McAfee antivirus trail and 2 games which are quick to uninstall.
Getting to day to day use, the included wireless keyboard and mouse feel better than average. Although not sculped, the mouse feels comfortable enough for long term use with accurate tracking. The keyboard is thin but feels solid. The keys feel as though they have a scissor action and provide medium travel with a satisfying amount of feedback and a good response rate. For most people, the keyboard will work well but there is one caveat. Even though there is no reason to limit space, the keyboard is laid out in a somewhat cramped fashion much like a small laptop. The function key crowds the control key on the bottom left, and the arrow keys crowd into the bottom right control key. Backspaces is small to make room to crowd in a home button. It has a separate number pad but for some reason Lenovo chose to make the whole setup crowded. If you have large fingers or poor dexterity, this might be reason to swap out. If Lenovo had just made the keyboard about 1 to 1 ½ inches wider to space things out wider, this could potentially be one of the best included keyboards. A backlight option would also have been a great addition.
The screen, although small by modern standards, looks very good. At first glance one might be concerned about the lack of hardware adjustments to the screen. Just by visual inspection, without testing tools, it appears Lenovo calibrated the screen at the factory. The screen has a matt finish, meaning glare is near nonexistent. Colors are still nicely saturated and accurate without being punchy. Full HD seems appropriate for the screen size as pixels are near impossible to see at normal working distance. There is an option for automatic brightness which does very well. Overall, it looks like Lenovo took care to make sure the screen could work for professional use with little fuss. Again, this is without any professional test tools, but it is very rare for a screen out of the box to appear to be good as is. It is even a multitouch screen if you prefer to be hands on.
Sound is, no surprise, limited. Logos are on the box, the screen, and even in the software about having Dolby Premier Sound. But, you can only do so much with the tiny speakers built in. Speech is well balanced with good highs and mids but anything with music will immediately show the weakness of these tiny speakers. That said, there is a hint of involvement with Dolby as the speakers do sound rather nice. That said, if you want more range you are best served using the headphone jack on the bottom of the screen or maybe even a USB sound card.
On the technical side, installed is a Kaby Lake Core i7-8550u mobile chip. For most use cases, this is more than enough power to perform the task. The downside is Lenovo didn’t balance the configuration with matching parts. The 8GB of memory is acceptable as in most use cases. If you wish to upgrade in the future you can, but unfortunately there is only one memory slot. This means you must ditch your old memory for the new and you can’t take advantage of dual channel speed. The hard drive is the real bottleneck on this system. With a 1TB traditional hard drive you get plenty of storage, but the drive is so slow it can’t properly feed the Core i7. This means your shiny new system with a powerful processor will be sitting and waiting for the traditional 5,400rpm hard drive, using technology that is over 40 years old, to catch up. This is a miss on this part and seems like a poor way to save on costs. Of course, a 1TB SSD would cause costs to skyrocket but the lack of an Optane drive to boost performance or even a hybrid drive with such a powerful hard drive seems odd. The hard drive can be swapped out later with something better and there is an M.2 slot hidden inside. Unfortunately, there is no documentation to be found that says if that M.2 slot could handle Optane memory at this point. Hopefully Lenovo will release documentation later to make upgrades less of a guess. The slot is labeled as M.2 SSD with an M key. There are two standoffs labeled as HS1 and HS2. Without measuring the best guess is the lengths are 2242 and 2280 but it would be best to measure before ordering. Running HWInfo it shows only 2 PCIe X 1 lanes, so it might only support a traditional SSD, which aren’t common in M.2 M key configurations. To make matters potentially worse, if this is true, the most you could potentially get would be about 500MBps to feed that Core i7 so it could still bottleneck. Graphics are provided by the standard included Intel UDH Graphics 620. They get the job done just fine but you won’t be doing any serious gaming on this system. This shouldn’t come as a surprise as Lenovo never marketed it for gaming. That distinction is left for their Legion series.
Overall, the Lenovo AIO 730S feels well thought out with mainly minor complaints. Design fit and finish, and day to day use should leave most people happy. It doesn’t excel in any one category but is instead well rounded. As it stands the 730S is a solid 4.5 out of 5. If the shortcomings were addressed, it could be easily rated a 5 out of 5. That said, it should work well for most people and will give you the sense that you are getting your money’s worth. About the only people this would not be a good fit for would be gamers or those doing 4K video editing. For everyone else, the Lenovo AIO 730S should at least warrant consideration.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Clean your home with voice command or app-based programs by using this Samsung robot vacuum. Its digital camera and nine sensors let it find its way around, avoiding obstacles and mapping the most efficient path through your home. Wi-Fi connects this powerful Samsung robot vacuum to your smart home systems.
Customer Rating
3
Decent vacuum needing firmware update
on June 11, 2018
Posted by: CraigB
from Texas
Pros
Powerful suction
Edge Cleaner
Washable air filter
Avoids furniture very well
Alexa Integration
SmartThings Integration
Home Map View
90 Minute runtime
Cleaning brush works on carpet and hard surfaces
Charge and continue cleaning function
Seems to have a dust sensor
Cleans carpet very well when not clogged
Powerful suction
Edge Cleaner
Washable air filter
Avoids furniture very well
Alexa Integration
SmartThings Integration
Home Map View
90 Minute runtime
Cleaning brush works on carpet and hard surfaces
Charge and continue cleaning function
Seems to have a dust sensor
Cleans carpet very well when not clogged
Cons
Often gets lost
Edge cleaner often cleans corners and rarely cleans edges
Rarely cleans entire house
Often has difficulty cleaning in straight lines
Leaves 4 inch gap away from walls when cleaning to try to avoid them
Home Map View cannot be zoomed or adjusted
Suction tube often gets clogged
Bearing on brush bar often gets clogged with debris and is hard to access
Bearings on brush bar gets loud after a short time causing squeaking
Brush bar has difficulty picking up hair on hard surfaces
Instructions are out of date and say to use Samsung Connect instead of SmartThings app
Magnet barrier strip doesn’t stay stuck
Magnet barrier strip doesn’t blend in well with any décor
No sensor for clogs or waste bin full
Often gets lost
Edge cleaner often cleans corners and rarely cleans edges
Rarely cleans entire house
Often has difficulty cleaning in straight lines
Leaves 4 inch gap away from walls when cleaning to try to avoid them
Home Map View cannot be zoomed or adjusted
Suction tube often gets clogged
Bearing on brush bar often gets clogged with debris and is hard to access
Bearings on brush bar gets loud after a short time causing squeaking
Brush bar has difficulty picking up hair on hard surfaces
Instructions are out of date and say to use Samsung Connect instead of SmartThings app
Magnet barrier strip doesn’t stay stuck
Magnet barrier strip doesn’t blend in well with any décor
No sensor for clogs or waste bin full
The Samsung PowerBot R7065 is one of the latest generations in the series of PowerBots by Samsung. Each series adds some extra features and improvements in the attempt to replace or largely negate the need for a traditional vacuum. Largely similar to the previous generation, the R7065 adds extra suction power and a home map for 2018.
In the box you will find the PowerBot, charging base, remote control, and barrier strip. Initial setup is not as intuitive as it first seems. Installing the charging base is straight forward but installing the barrier strip proves to be a little more difficult. The magnet strip is rolled up and doesn’t sit very flat on the floor. For those conscientious of style, the barrier strip is also unlikely to blend well with any décor. Software setup can be a bit confusing as the instructions say to use the Samsung Connect app, which is now renamed SmartThings. The name change without the instruction update adds confusion but so does the fact that Samsung also offers two SmartThings apps. If you are family with SmartThings or electronics it might not be hard to bridge the gap, but others might find it confusing that the instructions reference things that no longer exist. Further adding to the confusion is the fact that the box says there is a visual mapping element but nowhere in the instructions or app does it say anything about it.
On previous generations of PowerBots, the installation process would inform you of software updates and allow you to update your PowerBot and make it smarter. With the R7065 there is no indication if updates are supported or happen but there has been no indication of improvements in the firmware. It may still have this feature, but the system no longer provides any feedback.
The R7065 finally fixes a nagging cleaning problem found in previous generations in that it no longer rams into dark furniture or rubs against walls continuously. Unfortunately, it achieves this by avoiding some obstacles completely. Along most walls it insists on maintaining at least a 4-inch gap meaning many floorboards will remain dirty. When it does clean against walls it often does so in a series of odd U-shaped paths. An edge cleaning function is included where an extra bar comes out and sweeps debris close to the wall back to be sucked up. Strangely, this function never seems to activate against any walls but rather runs on outside corners and doorway transitions between carpet and hard surfaces. Inside corners and floorboards, where such a function would be useful, are left untouched. For those with pets this presents a problem because that is exactly where a lot of pet hair collects. That said, the R7065 seems to have change something in the brush bar design as a good portion of pet hair remains on hard surfaces. Even though there is no indication of a dust sensor, sometimes it will reverse and run over larger clumps of hair sometimes but often this means only a little more hair is picked up.
Hair seems to be one of the hardest things for this little guy to handle whether the hair comes from pets or long-haired family members. Even if it does pick up all the hair the brush bar gets loaded up easily compared to previous models. To make matters worse, on one side is a bearing with a little rubber bushing and hair seems to love to get stuck inside that bearing and it is near impossible to get it all out. Frequent cleanings with a thin object, such as a knife, is required to keep the bearing from seizing. Even with frequent cleanings, this eventually leads to a squeaking sound during vacuuming which sometimes sounds horrible. If the hair does manage to get past all this, the next hurdle in the tube leading from the brushes to the bin. For some reason debris often gets stuck in there or the opening to the dust bin causing a clog. With no clog sensor or waste bin full sensor this PowerBot will happily continue vacuuming without picking anything up. It’s a shame too because the suction, when working, is very good and it can clean carpet or dust on hard surfaces very well. A decent compromise would be to be able to stop the PowerBot when you see this happen, pick it up, and clear any debris, and resume the cleaning. Unfortunately, this is also not possible because the moment you pick this little guy up it will become permanently lost and never find it’s way home. Overall, this may not matter much since it often gets lost regardless. This could be fixed in a firmware update, but if history is any indication, it will not.
On previous generations, PowerBots would clean until the battery was depleted, return to charge, and then continue to clean. The R7065 does boast an improved 90-minute max runtime so on some houses it could potentially clean everything in one charge. On larger houses, an extra charge and cleaning can be required but it often fails to do so. Again, this is something that could be fixed with a firmware update but for some reason the R7065 regularly decides to clean only part of the house each time. The promotional materials would have you believe it cleans the whole house during each cleaning, but in practice it seems to choose a portion each time and clean just that. Eventually it seems to cover it all but only after several days of cleanings. You can verify by looking at the cleaning map, which is buried in the cleaning history. Unfortunately, the cleaning map isn’t generated each time. The map also isn’t zoomable or editable for future use, so it is far less useful.
Alexa integration returns for 2018, but with a caveat. The 2017 model would allow you name your vacuum however you wanted. If you named your PowerBot Rosey, you could just say, “Alexa, turn on Rosey.” The PowerBot would then begin cleaning. For the 2018 model of the R7065 the instructions don’t tell you this, but you must first enable a new Alexa skill, with again a very similar name to the old skill. For some reason Samsung didn’t just update the old skill but instead created a brand-new skill with a near identical name. Then, regardless of what your name your PowerBot you must use the command, “Alexa, tell Samsung to turn on the robot vacuum.” Not only does this mean naming our PowerBot is useless but the command has become more complicated and easier to forget. It’s just disappointing to see the regression.
Alexa integration returns for 2018, but with a caveat. The 2017 model would allow you name your vacuum however you wanted. If you named your PowerBot Rosey, you could just say, “Alexa, turn on Rosey.” The PowerBot would then begin cleaning. For the 2018 model of the R7065 the instructions don’t tell you this, but you must first enable a new Alexa skill, with again a very similar name to the old skill. For some reason Samsung didn’t just update the old skill but instead created a brand-new skill with a near identical name. Then, regardless of what your name your PowerBot you must use the command, “Alexa, tell Samsung to turn on the robot vacuum.” Not only does this mean naming our PowerBot is useless but the command has become more complicated and easier to forget. It’s just disappointing to see the regression.
If you have read this far will see a pattern of features on this vacuum that are often counterbalanced by a con. If Samsung wants to be aggressive in the smart home market they really need to work on coordination, consistency, and ease of use. Some careful though and a firmware update could solve most of the issues with this robot vacuum. It would be great if they did because this vacuum does have a lot of potential. The primary hardware gripe is some improvement needs to be done on the brush bar and the path to the dust bin.
This begs the question, who is the PowerBot R7065 for? First, if you have SmartThings and want a robot vacuum then this is probably your best option. If you want a robot vacuum for more frequent cleanups of dust and trash no your floor and don’t want furniture touched, this could suite the bill. If you have a family with pets or family members with long hair, this could still work if you keep an eye on clogs and run it more frequently to prevent larger debris that creates clogs. The R7065, when not encountering large amounts of debris can clean quite effectively. If you are willing to just regularly take a quick peek on how it is doing, it can still make a good daily smart vacuum. If Samsung commits to software improvements and a slight hardware tweak, this could make a great vacuum.
This begs the question, who is the PowerBot R7065 for? First, if you have SmartThings and want a robot vacuum then this is probably your best option. If you want a robot vacuum for more frequent cleanups of dust and trash no your floor and don’t want furniture touched, this could suite the bill. If you have a family with pets or family members with long hair, this could still work if you keep an eye on clogs and run it more frequently to prevent larger debris that creates clogs. The R7065, when not encountering large amounts of debris can clean quite effectively. If you are willing to just regularly take a quick peek on how it is doing, it can still make a good daily smart vacuum. If Samsung commits to software improvements and a slight hardware tweak, this could make a great vacuum.
My Best Buy number: 2528554201
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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See the whole picture with this Rylo 360 video camera. This compact device extends your perspective by capturing 360 degrees of 5.8K video, perfect for panorama shots and immersive video. This Rylo 360 video camera provides intuitive editing tools through the Rylo iOS app to help you turn your footage into a masterpiece.
Customer Rating
4
Well-built camera, amazing stabilization
on June 1, 2018
Posted by: CraigB
from Texas
Pros
Solid metal construction
Removable battery
Includes MicroSD card to get your started
Convenient editing on smartphone
App is very stable and reliable
Mountable to tripod or other accessories
Wireless controls for iPhone and soon for Android
Extremely good video stabilization
Replaceable batteries
Company is aggressively updating app and camera firmware
Transferring video by direct connection is fast
Frontback creates videos with two perspectives
6K panoramic shots
3D positional audio
180 degree shots now an option
Solid metal construction
Removable battery
Includes MicroSD card to get your started
Convenient editing on smartphone
App is very stable and reliable
Mountable to tripod or other accessories
Wireless controls for iPhone and soon for Android
Extremely good video stabilization
Replaceable batteries
Company is aggressively updating app and camera firmware
Transferring video by direct connection is fast
Frontback creates videos with two perspectives
6K panoramic shots
3D positional audio
180 degree shots now an option
Cons
Stitching needs work for surfaces that are not clouds
Exposure leans towards lighter elements leaving dark parts very dark
App changes perspective at random
“Follow This” option often loses track even if a face stays in view
“Look Here” doesn’t have an option to pan smoothly, just a quick frame jump
“Look Here” set points cannot be deleted
No way to just erase all set points if you want to start over
Camera gets very hot during longer recordings
No separate charger for replaceable batteries
No way to protect microphones from wind noise
No desktop app
Editing videos on smartphone is sometimes challenging due to small size
Videos and pictures are very dim before import making it hard to see and choose
No way to define panning causing it to cause odd spinning at times when changing view
Separate iPhone and Android versions instead of just including the extra cable in one box
Mount is only on case and not on device
Stitching needs work for surfaces that are not clouds
Exposure leans towards lighter elements leaving dark parts very dark
App changes perspective at random
“Follow This” option often loses track even if a face stays in view
“Look Here” doesn’t have an option to pan smoothly, just a quick frame jump
“Look Here” set points cannot be deleted
No way to just erase all set points if you want to start over
Camera gets very hot during longer recordings
No separate charger for replaceable batteries
No way to protect microphones from wind noise
No desktop app
Editing videos on smartphone is sometimes challenging due to small size
Videos and pictures are very dim before import making it hard to see and choose
No way to define panning causing it to cause odd spinning at times when changing view
Separate iPhone and Android versions instead of just including the extra cable in one box
Mount is only on case and not on device
At first glance, 360-degree cameras might seem a fad or a useless technology. How many people would want to take a video or picture of everything? Surprisingly when you look further, there are more cases than one would think. The big appeal of 360-degree cameras is for the active types but there are even other cases where their use is extremely helpful one might not think of. For one, having stabilization that is rock solid because the process of stabilization means simply shifting the view is a big one. Cinema quality stabilization is actually very easy. The other is never missing a video because you didn’t turn around fast enough.
The field of 360-degree cameras is still relatively new and not understood by everyone but is growing fast. The Rylo 360 is a product from a small company with some unique ideas on the concept. The first unique concept is editing videos or pictures straight from your mobile device. The Rylo 360 comes with options for Android and iOS. Other options typically require a heavy-duty computer and specialized software to even view, let alone edit, the video. Rylo seems to work some magic and make this process quick and relatively easy right off your smartphone. This is great for viewing videos in the field and even completing them. Transfers are done directly via cable and while this might seem bad at first the transfer rates are much better. This mobile based editing system, while great, isn’t without shortfalls. Viewing and editing videos on a small screen can be difficult at times as occasionally touch points are too small to accurately chose one over another in the timeline. Video might seem clear on the small screen and look blurry once shown on a larger screen. Hopefully in the future Rylo will offer a desktop option. Another limitation of this mobile only approach is features first come to iOS and then Android shortly afterwards. Also, some features aren’t possible at the current time with Android. In order to do anything with the video, the entire video has to be imported to your phones local storage. You would think this would give Android phones with an SD card slot an option but not so. Rylo support says that currently Android only allows them to transfer videos to the phone storage. Unfortunately, a lot of these same phones come with low main storage expecting you to use SD cards. If you have Android and want to use Rylo, you should get a phone with a lot of main storage, just like on an iPhone. You can also check the Rylo website to make sure your phone is compatible.
To get the videos to your mobile device requires the correct cable and Rylo offers two similar but slightly different products to suit. The iOS option comes with a lightning cable and Android comes with MicroUSB and USB-C. Although it seems a bit strange to separate the two as two products instead of just adding the one extra cable to the main box and having one product they at least serve both platforms. If you switch platforms in the future, the corresponding cable is also available for purchase.
Although Rylo has no direct camera mount or water resistance, the metal main body feels very sturdy. It feels like it could take a beating if needed. Lenses are not replaceable, so this could be a weak point to watch for. The camera mount comes in on the case and there is no direct mount. A slightly odd and unique design choice is the threaded portion is at the bottom of the handle and not the bottom off the body or case body. This setup might seem a bit strange, but in use it seems to work fine. There is also an option for a waterproof case for those underwater shots. So far, wind noise hasn’t been an issue but if it does there is currently no solution to correct this. The microphones are very close to the lenses, so it’s hard to imagine how they could be kept out of view. The gap between the two lenses is rather large but overall the stitching of the images is good. Stitching of clouds is excellent but certain things like faces can randomly be stitched poorly. This isn’t unique to Rylo and only happens at the stitch point so the effect on the overall finished product is minor. Future software updates could also help to improve this.
Another place where Rylo stands out is video stabilization. Stabilization is nothing new, but the quality of stabilization is nearly on par with movies. The combination of camera and software does an amazing job of making moving video look like it was shot off a stabilized crane. With the app, you can choose to have the view switch to a focal point or follow an object of your choice. When it works right, the view smoothly pans to the new focal point or follows the chosen subject beautifully. However; the process isn’t always smooth and could use some improvement. Sometimes you can tap on a point and choose to look, and the view will switch on the video in a crazy manner by bobbing or spinning around with no way to stop it and other times it just snaps to the new location as if you spliced several videos together. The follow this option is a little quirky as well. Sometimes it follows a subject perfectly even as they move away. Other times it will lose tracking while the subject is right in front of you sitting still. Both these issues are software related and can be fixed in time. When the system works, it works amazingly. When it doesn’t work, it can be a bit frustrating as there doesn’t seem to be a way to just reset a video and start over. In fact, there is a way to delete “follow this” choices but there doesn’t seem to be a way to delete look here choices. Whether a long press or short press is used on the look here point, no option comes up to remove it. Even just a remove all settings from video would be appreciated.
Video and picture output is very good, particularly if you switch from normal to high on quality of the recordings. Dynamic range isn’t the greatest with metering preferring lighter areas and leaving the darks very dark. You can adjust highlights and shadows afterwards via the phone but if you have extreme differences in lights and shadows the cameras just don’t have the range to really keep enough detail. It really feels the primary focus was outdoor daytime shots and it does very good in those scenarios. Nighttime shots are lackluster so if that is your focus you may want to look elsewhere. The camera does get very warm during extended recordings but doesn’t seem to have a problem with this. Included is a 16GB MicroSD card to get you started and a single removable battery. Currently while the battery is removable the only way to charge it is in the camera. The storage and battery should work for most use cases just fine and chance are good your phone will be the limiting factor before the camera until on phone storage increases. Thankfully with swappable batteries and SD cards you still have options for the future.
If you have read this far you will notice that most of the shortcomings are software related and can be fixed with future updates. The good thing and the real standout about Rylo is this new startup company is hungry for success and has rapidly evolving the process. In a short time, there have been two updates to the app and camera and another is right around the corner adding wireless controls to Android. Several complaints about Rylo early in 2018 have already been addressed as well. Some of it’s closest competitors have more experience in the market and come with their own list of shortcomings and they seem content to leave them or slowly fix them. It is highly likely that many of the quirks or complaints about the camera will be addressed in short order which can’t be said of all companies that produce such products. If it were possible the Rylo 360 would be rated 4.5 out of 5. If the software were more refined it would be a 5 out of 5.
The big question is who is the Rylo 360 for? The real sweet spot seems to be outdoor active and prosumers who want to really have fun getting action shots and videos and be able to see how things come out without the need to lug around a laptop. The stabilization is just crazy good and the Rylo team is rapidly pushing refinement. Any gripes will more than likely be fixed instead of like some big companies where quirks persist even between product generations. Until then, the little quirks can still be overlooked to just have the opportunity to work with something new and refreshingly easy to work with.
My Best Buy number: 2528554201
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+13points
16of 19voted this as helpful.
Enjoy a morning beverage with this Breville drip coffee maker. It has six modes for achieving the taste you prefer, and it includes flat bottom and cone filter baskets for making small or large batches. This Breville drip coffee maker has cold brew and iced coffee settings for preparing refreshing beverages from the brewed extract.
Customer Rating
5
Quality build you would expect from Breville
on May 9, 2018
Posted by: CraigB
from Texas
Pros
Automatic settings for Fast, Gold, and Strong, My Brew, Over Ice, and Cold Brew
My Brew allows custom Bloom Time, Brew Speed, and Brew Temperature
SCA Gold Certified
Stainless steel construction
Water pump allows precise control of brew speed
Water pump creates quieter brewing when on a solid surface
Therm-coil allows precise control of water temp
Full stainless-steel water path means no plastic taste or leaks with age
Large basket includes gold toned filter
Brews up to 60 ounces
Carafe is well insulated keeping coffee warm for at least 3 ½ hours
Carafe pours easily
Hardness adjustment calibrates brewing to your local water hardness
Suggested scoops listed on side of water reservoir
Coffee flavor is smooth and balanced
Pour over kit available with specialized showerhead
Easy cleanup as basket and holder are fully removable
Automatic settings for Fast, Gold, and Strong, My Brew, Over Ice, and Cold Brew
My Brew allows custom Bloom Time, Brew Speed, and Brew Temperature
SCA Gold Certified
Stainless steel construction
Water pump allows precise control of brew speed
Water pump creates quieter brewing when on a solid surface
Therm-coil allows precise control of water temp
Full stainless-steel water path means no plastic taste or leaks with age
Large basket includes gold toned filter
Brews up to 60 ounces
Carafe is well insulated keeping coffee warm for at least 3 ½ hours
Carafe pours easily
Hardness adjustment calibrates brewing to your local water hardness
Suggested scoops listed on side of water reservoir
Coffee flavor is smooth and balanced
Pour over kit available with specialized showerhead
Easy cleanup as basket and holder are fully removable
Cons
Changing water hardness requires factory reset
No instructions are provided on checking water hardness after using original strip
Carafe weight makes determining how much coffee is left difficult
Paper filters for large basket are not normally in stores
Water pump can be loud depending on surface due to vibrations
Water reservoir is fixed making cleaning harder
Water reservoir always retains about 3 tablespoons of water
No water carafe included with fixed reservoir
Strong isn’t very strong
Can be complicated if not using automatic settings
Pour over kit not included
Silver plastic base seems out of place with the rest being stainless steel
Large size limits placement
Dial presses are sometimes registered incorrectly
Start button requires more pressure to register than expected
Changing water hardness requires factory reset
No instructions are provided on checking water hardness after using original strip
Carafe weight makes determining how much coffee is left difficult
Paper filters for large basket are not normally in stores
Water pump can be loud depending on surface due to vibrations
Water reservoir is fixed making cleaning harder
Water reservoir always retains about 3 tablespoons of water
No water carafe included with fixed reservoir
Strong isn’t very strong
Can be complicated if not using automatic settings
Pour over kit not included
Silver plastic base seems out of place with the rest being stainless steel
Large size limits placement
Dial presses are sometimes registered incorrectly
Start button requires more pressure to register than expected
Coffee drinkers come in two main categories. Casual coffee drinkers usually drink nearly anything. Coffee connoisseurs understand the meaning of things like flavor profile, bloom time, brew time, brew temp, and steep time. Although the Breville Precision Brewer can accommodate casual coffee fans, its feature set and price are most certainly targeted at connoisseurs. In fact, for connoisseurs the price tag might be considered low.
The first thing you will notice with this brewer is the size and weight. With a stainless-steel body, heavy stainless-steel carafe, and 60 ounces of brewing capacity it can limit placement. Included is a large gold toned filter basket and holder, cone style paper filter holder, and coffee scoop. An optional pour over kit is sold separately. A small oddity is with all the stainless steel the plastic is used sparingly and in appropriate places, like the top of the carafe or the water reservoir. No attempt is made to hide the fact that those areas are plastic. The colors are either gray or clear except on the base of the coffee pot. It’s hard to understand the need to have the base of the coffee pot plastic but it is made of a plastic which is colored as to try to blend it in with the stainless-steel body. It is in no way a deal breaker but just feels like an oddity in the overall thoughtful design. The front is very simply designed with a single dial, two buttons, and a blue backlight screen. If you have a Breville toaster oven you will know the design well. All options are adjusted via the dial and options on the screen. The large button starts the brew and the small button is to turn on a scheduled brew.
What sets this brewer apart is the use of stainless steel water lines instead of plastic inside, themo-coil heater, and water pump. This should, in theory, mean the coffee will have a smoother flavor as you don’t have much plastic imparting flavors, you can get a consistent water temperature for improved flavor extraction, and consistent water flow with a pump controlling things. Of the three, the water pump is the most noticeable. Where regular brewers use water temperature to move the water, the Breville makes a humming sound as the pump pushes water through. On a solid surface the pump is quieter than the sound of a traditional coffee pot. If your surface is unstable or hollow, you will feel a vibration or even hear a lot more sound. On a granite countertop the sound is much quieter. In fact, it is so quiet that if don’t hear the release of steam at the end of the brew you may not know your coffee is done if it wasn’t for the loud end of cycle tone. If you don’t like the volume of the end of cycle tone you can set it on low or off.
At first glance the options can seem daunting. With two types of baskets and multiple brews you might feel inclined to look back at the manual when making your first few pots until you realize everything is printed on the water reservoir or in the menu options. Need to know how many scoops to use for 40 ounces of coffee? Just look on the side of the reservoir at the 40-ounce mark and the number of cups is also the number of recommended scoops. Need to know which filter setup to use? The water reservoir clearly says the max number of cups you can brew before you need to use the basket style filter. How do you choose between fast, gold, or strong? Well the options are in order of strength. For casual drinkers this will be about all you would care to know if you use the Precision Brewer. Just put the prescribed scoops in to match the water and press start.
For coffee connoisseurs, you have plenty of options. First, it should be said that the SCA certification applies to using the cone filter basket which can brew up to 40 ounces. On first startup, you will be asked to test the water hardness using a supplied test strip. Once you enter this setting in the brewer all future brews will be adjusted automatically based on that setting. If you prefer to use extra grounds you will find both filter baskets plenty large enough accommodate. Bloom time can be set from 0-5 minute in one second intervals. Brew temp can be set from 176 to 208 degrees and flow rate options are fast and slow. Taste is very subjective but overall the Precision Brewer produced a smooth flavor whether set on gold or strong. Strong isn’t extremely strong even with a dark roast but is still markedly stronger than gold. Even with canned, pre-ground, Arabica beans the flavor was satisfying without a bitter or sour flavor using automatic settings. The gold toned filter surprisingly does a good job of keeping that last sip of your coffee from having a powdery texture unlike most metal filters. If you prefer paper filters over metal mesh and want to fill your carafe, your options for filters are more limited. Paper filters in grocery stores are typically for the smaller 8-12 cup coffee maker styles. To find the larger paper filters, you will have to check a warehouse store or restaurant supply store. The cone filter basket uses the standard size are easy to find nearly everywhere.
If you are the type that prefers a pour over the Precision Brewer can accommodate. The only catch is it requires a kit sold separately which has a different shower head, filter basket, and cup stand. At the time of writing this, the kit was also expensive but if you really must have a pour over you aren’t left out.
Coffee makers that include an iced coffee options are becoming very commonplace. The brewer adjusts the brew cycle to compensate for the extra water provided by the ice. The instructions recommend that for maximum flavor you can also make coffee ice cubes to cool the iced coffee. What is less common are coffeemakers that include a cold brew option. The Precision Brewer has special valve control at the bottom of the filter basket that allows control of the steeping process. This allows the brewer to have a cold brew option where instead of using heat, it uses time to extract the flavor from the grounds.
The least favorite part of coffee is the cleanup. Fortunately, the Precision Brewer has a relatively simple cleanup process. The filter basket is completely removable and if you use a paper filter the process is even easier. If you use the mesh filter cleanup is still relatively easy as the filter is strong enough to keep shape while being cleaned. The carafe has a large opening that makes using a cleaning brush simple but most of the time a quick rinse under the sink is more than enough. The stainless steel can get water spots, but a quick wipe usually takes care of that. The showerhead is removeable and made of silicon. Just unscrew it and squeeze it a few times to break up any calcium and then wash it with soap and water. The only areas that might present a problem are the water reservoir and the carafe lid. The water reservoir is non-removable and always keeps about 3 tablespoons of water at the bottom, so mold could be an issue with infrequent use. It is a little strange that at this price point a carafe is not included to fill up the reservoir if the reservoir isn’t removable. The lid of the carafe is designed in such a way to keep heat in but cannot be disassembled to clean out buildup. Fortunately, the opening is large enough where buildup shouldn’t affect performance much. A descaling option is included, and the brewer will let you know when it is time. It takes 15 minutes to descale.
Overall, the Breville Precision Brewer is a well designed and built much like their other products. If you want one just to match your toaster oven you find the experience overall very similar, even down to the way the buttons, dials, and menu options look and feel. You can keep things simple or change them how you like. If you want a quality brewer, the Precision Brewer should be on your list of brewers to consider.
My Best Buy number: 2528554201
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+44points
46of 48voted this as helpful.
Only at Best BuyEnter the RPG arena with this Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop. It has 1TB of storage, and its NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card loads dynamic in-game visuals and Full HD movies smoothly. The quad-core Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB of DDR4 RAM let this Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop perform efficiently.
Customer Rating
4
Decent gaming laptop for those on a tight budget
on May 3, 2018
Posted by: CraigB
from Texas
Pros
Screen has good viewing angles for the price point
Screen brightness is good for indoor use
Color reproduction is good for the price point
Keyboard response rate is accurate and fast
Backlit keyboard
Trackpad is excellent
Build feels sturdy
Fans are inaudible during normal use
Fans only make air rushing sound during max. No bearing whine
Bloatware installed in minimal
Dual video cards mean battery saving Intel card used when not gaming
Upgradable RAM and Hard drive
M.2 slot also available
Plenty of ports including USB 3 and USB C
Decent battery life of about 5 to 5 ½ hours during moderate use
Configurable fan controller
Speakers have a good sound quality and are reasonably loud on hard surfaces
Can play older games with all settings maxed out
Screen has good viewing angles for the price point
Screen brightness is good for indoor use
Color reproduction is good for the price point
Keyboard response rate is accurate and fast
Backlit keyboard
Trackpad is excellent
Build feels sturdy
Fans are inaudible during normal use
Fans only make air rushing sound during max. No bearing whine
Bloatware installed in minimal
Dual video cards mean battery saving Intel card used when not gaming
Upgradable RAM and Hard drive
M.2 slot also available
Plenty of ports including USB 3 and USB C
Decent battery life of about 5 to 5 ½ hours during moderate use
Configurable fan controller
Speakers have a good sound quality and are reasonably loud on hard surfaces
Can play older games with all settings maxed out
Cons
Screen Max brightness too low for brighter rooms
Chicklet style keyboard feels mushy
Red letters on keys make keys hard to see without backlight
Keyboard layout cramped on the right side
Fans are unable to keep processor cool enough to prevent thermal throttling
M.2 slot located under main case meaning installing could void warranty
M.2 slot doesn’t appear to support NVME according to HWInfo64
Speakers fire downward meaning they get muffled and low when not on a hard surface
Only includes a 5400rpm hard drive which bottlenecks the system. HDD usage often 100%
3D Mark reports system below minimum spec for Vive or Oculus
3D Mark benchmark could only muster 11FPS
Screen Max brightness too low for brighter rooms
Chicklet style keyboard feels mushy
Red letters on keys make keys hard to see without backlight
Keyboard layout cramped on the right side
Fans are unable to keep processor cool enough to prevent thermal throttling
M.2 slot located under main case meaning installing could void warranty
M.2 slot doesn’t appear to support NVME according to HWInfo64
Speakers fire downward meaning they get muffled and low when not on a hard surface
Only includes a 5400rpm hard drive which bottlenecks the system. HDD usage often 100%
3D Mark reports system below minimum spec for Vive or Oculus
3D Mark benchmark could only muster 11FPS
The Acer Nitro 5 is the budget-oriented series of gaming laptops from Acer. Depending on your budget, you can purchase one with an included SSD, Upgraded Memory, and a Core i7. The AN515-53-52 is the most affordable in the range. Included is a 15.6-inch IPS screen, Core i5 Coffee Lake processor, 1TB 5400rpm hard drive, 8GB of RAM, and a GeForce 1050. All include plenty of ports from USB 2, USB 3, USB C, HDMI, and a stereo jack.
If this is your first look into a gaming laptop be prepared. After seeing all these ultra-thin and light laptops you will find the focus on gaming laptops is on performance before size. You can only squeeze so much power into the ultra-thin chassis. That said, the Nitro 5 isn’t overly heavy or large. At first glance, it is roughly the size and weight of traditional laptops of just a few years ago meaning it is still plenty portable. The top case is a dark grey/light black faux brushed metal panel which looks surprisingly understated compared to other gaming laptops. The logo is a standard Acer logo and the only hint this might be a different laptop is the strip of red on the hinge. Even once open the palm rest is a satin black finish, which attracts fingerprints, with black keys with red letters. The WASD keys and trackpad have a bolder outline of red. The backlight covers all the red accents except strangely the trackpad. The only options are on and off. Without the backlight on you could bring this to work and it would be unlikely anyone would realize it’s a gaming laptop. Overall it is a nice touch for those who want a system that can pull double duty.
This double duty continues onto the design of the keys of the keyboard. They are chicklet style keyboard that makes very little sound. This is helpful when you are in a quiet meeting but it does lend to a soft feel compared to Cherry MX or other mechanical switches. It might take some adjustment but if you can get over the feeling, the responsiveness and accuracy is quite good. Spacing is also very good allowing you to quickly find the precise key you want with good separation between keys. This does not carry over to the number pad on the right. The function keys at the top and the number pad keys are both very cramped. If you are playing games that make heavy use of the function keys or arrow keys, you might find a challenge to quickly choose the one you want. If you are one of those rare people who can game with a trackpad you will find yourself both happy and a little frustrated. The trackpad has the precision and responsiveness of a precision touchpad but unfortunately if you try to use that in combination with the WASD keys you will find they are nearly stack one on top of the other. Since most people use a separate mouse for gaming and typically for other uses the touchpad is best in the center this shouldn’t affect most and for other cases it works very well. Palm rejection could use a little refinement but is still very good.
Since this is a budget gaming laptop the big question is where is the big sacrifice? If you are looking at this system you already know the performance of the Geforce 1050. Older games are playable with all settings maxed out, but newer titles will likely take some tweaking to make them playable. The other slowdown comes in the form of the 5400 traditional hard drive and only 8GB memory. The good news is that both are upgradable via access panels on the bottom of the chassis. If you really want to risk voiding your warranty, there is also an M.2 slot underneath the bottom panel but unfortunately according to HWInfo64 there are no spare PCIExpress lanes available means an NVME SSD shouldn’t be compatible, but you can still use a SATA based SSD without a problem if you are up to the surgery. The system is compatible with Intel Optane RST but unfortunately since the wrong parts were used you can’t take advantage to speed up the slow hard drive on the cheap. With this slow hard drive you will find that system startup and of course games loads are slow. You will also find that with the 8GB of ram the hard drive gets easily get maxed out causing some frustrating lags. Yes, this can be fixed with upgrades later but be prepared for the occasional lag. Once things are loaded in memory usage is quick in most cases.
During testing with 3D bench the surprise was that the gaming bottleneck wasn’t the slow hard drive or limited RAM but it was actually the GeForce 1050. Processor based tests faired decent but during stress testing of the GPU the system was only to pull off 11FPS. This doesn’t mean the processor can’t potentially slow you down. During stress testing, even with fans configure to Max speed and even with CoolBoost enabled the Core i5 was able to get up as high as 197 degrees. According to the specs on the processor, the max temp is 200 degrees, so it came extremely close to thermal throttling even with all cooling settings used. The GPU ran cooler, but oddly the GPU the temps kept dropping off the monitor. The good thing is you want to run the fans at max speed to allow max cooling the sound should not bother you. The fans are most certainly audible but only as an air rushing sound. No bearing whine or other unpleasant sounds could be heard. This is quite impressive since some other high-end systems introduce a high-pitched bearing whine at full speed.
Continuing with the fan noise, the speakers are respectably loud on hard surfaces. Since they are downward firing any use on other surfaces will muffle the sound and make them far less useful. Combine that with the fan noise and a good set of gaming headphones are in order. Regardless, gaming headphones are the better way because of the distinct advantage of immersion and sound placement. The build in speakers seem more designed for casual use rather than gaming which is understandable for any portable gaming rig and more so in a budget one.
Battery life is always a sore point for gaming systems and the Nitro 5 is somewhere in the middle of the pack on this. Integrated Intel graphics mean that during light usage the GeForce goes to sleep and the system sips power but considering all that is crammed into the system you can get at best 5 to 5 ½ hours of light to moderate use. Gaming on battery power is expectedly much shorter and variable depending on the game.
The big question is if the AN515-53-52 is right for you. Gaming laptops push the edge of what can be done, and budget gaming laptops have a harder time since they must decide what to compromise to keep the price down. Although the Nitro 5 most certainly has compromises, it seems Acer did a good job of choose what to compromise to keep the price in check and made an overall good system with some upgrade options. If the Core i5 and GeForce 1050 do not meet your initial requirements, you are best off looking towards the higher end Nitro 5 from the start as those two components are not upgradeable. If you don’t need the most powerful gaming laptop available and just would like some modest upgrades while saving money this one could be for you.
My Best Buy number: 2528554201
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+11points
19of 27voted this as helpful.
The only purifying fan to clean a whole room properly*. We design our purifying fans to go beyond test chamber conditions and focus on real home conditions – this is more than just having an efficient filter.*Dyson engineers and research concluded that to clean an entire room properly, you need to sense pollution events automatically; capture ultrafine pollutants; and project cleaner air around the room using Air Multiplier technology. Only the Dyson purifying fan is designed and tested to do all of this.**Dyson technology helps create a cleaner, healthier home - Our vacuums and purifiers are scientifically proven to capture particles as small as allergens and bacteria.
Customer Rating
5
Thoughtfully designed unique air purifier
on April 20, 2018
Posted by: CraigB
from Texas
Pros
Quiet even on high for an air purifier
Compact design is easy to accommodate in any room
Airflow can be directed to cool or only purify
Integrated smartphone controls and reporting
Night mode limits noise output and dims screen
Measures air quality to help you find out what is affecting you
Automatic mode allows it to turn on and clean air as needed
Integrates with Alexa
Attractive design
Moves a lot of air on high
Quiet even on high for an air purifier
Compact design is easy to accommodate in any room
Airflow can be directed to cool or only purify
Integrated smartphone controls and reporting
Night mode limits noise output and dims screen
Measures air quality to help you find out what is affecting you
Automatic mode allows it to turn on and clean air as needed
Integrates with Alexa
Attractive design
Moves a lot of air on high
Cons
No listing of how big of a room is supported
Slight motor whine on high
Says not to carry by loop even though that is the most logical method
Fan keeps saying it has updated firmware and yet app says it needs a firmware update
No listing of how big of a room is supported
Slight motor whine on high
Says not to carry by loop even though that is the most logical method
Fan keeps saying it has updated firmware and yet app says it needs a firmware update
If you suffer from allergies you are probably accustomed to having a big box in your room making a loud air sound as you sleep at night. You hope it makes a difference but aren’t quite sure since it doesn’t tell you anything. You don’t leave it on all the time because you don’t want to hear it running. Well the Dyson Pure Cool Tower, as with most Dyson products, does things a little different.
To start, most air purifiers are boxes that sit on the floor. The pure cool tower looks and acts just like a tower fan, except in Dyson style. If you want to use it as a purifier you can change it to direct air to the back. Direct air to the front it becomes a purifier and fan. A nice side benefit of the purifier always being part of this combined with the unique design means air is always passed through a filter first. This should mean no more figuring out a way to clean dust off the blades on a regular tower fan. On high, the purifier is louder than a traditional tower fan with a slight motor whine sound. A night mode option does limit the speed to a max of 4 instead of 10 meaning it is silent while you sleep. To be fair, it is more appropriate to compare it to a purifier and in that case, it is far quieter. Although more subjective, the design is much more attractive than a traditional purifier so leaving it in a room doesn’t create the eyesore most do.
The design also means you likely won’t feel compelled to put it up the moment allergy season is over. This is helpful because with an automatic mode the purifier measures contaminants in the room and automatically cleans the air as needed. The side effect is that the continuous on demand cleaning means dusting should be needed less since there is less in the air. It also means if you leave it out on automatic, you shouldn’t get caught when allergens change during a lazy spell and you aren’t checking allergy reports only to wake up with a stuffed nose. Another benefit of the automatic features is the filter monitor. Even if you ignore the display directly on the tower, the app will tell you when your filter life is getting low. This really helps to spoil you with less to think about. Just put it on auto and it will tell you when it needs help. Adding even more to the convenience factor is the ability to control it with Alexa. If using the remote or app are too much work, just tell Alexa to do it for you.
If you are the type who wants to get more hands on it of course has a manual mode. More importantly, you can get reports on levels of different contaminants including PM 2.5, PM 10, VOC and NO2. The display on the tower allows you to display the temperature, humidity, or the contaminant level of your choice. The app can show you them all in a single glace to allow you to examine every aspect of the air quality of your room. Strangely, if you want to dig into the specific graphs of contaminants the app warns the purifier needs a firmware upgrade. No matter how many times it says firmware upgrade complete, the graphs do not show. Hopefully this is just a sign of an upcoming feature and not a bug. Overall, this shortcoming doesn’t affect the functionality unless you just must see the contaminant levels from hours ago. It is very easy to see the sensors at work. Just mow your lawn and come in and out a few times during the process. You will not only see the numbers jump on the display, you will hear the fan speed up to clear the air. Once things have settle the purifier will slow back down and turn off as needed.
Regardless of if you are the hands off or hands on type of person, the Pure Cool Tower can help you keep your allergies in check. If you like Dyson products, you know and accept their products aren’t the cheapest. Typically, their higher price comes with a lot of added value and the same is true of the Pure Cool Tower. There are no major downsides. In fact, the only real gripe is if you want to move it you aren’t supposed to use the most logical built in carrying handle. Even though the loop looks like a perfect carrying handle, the instructions say not to do so or you may damage the unit.
If you are the market for an air purifier and want something you can just leave out all the time to take care of things for you without fuss, then the Dyson Pure Cool Tower is a good fit. It makes taking care of allergies easier and more informative while keeping your room quiet.
My Best Buy number: 2528554201
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+39points
41of 43voted this as helpful.
CraigB's Review Comments
Watch your favorite movies, TV shows and sporting events in crisp 1080p resolution with this Samsung UN65FH6001FXZA HDTV, which features Clear Motion Rate 240 to preserve picture detail during fast-action sequences.
Overall5 out of 5
5 out of 5This is an awesome TV for the cost
By Korom
from Raleigh, NC
First, this is a fantastic monitor. If you have a receiver for your HDMI switching and watch TV with the sound through that receiver then this is the PERFECT TV for you. I use it with my Denon e300 receiver, all my HDMI inputs go into the receiver with one HDMI cable going to the TV. Minimal fuss and muss. The picture quality is truly incredible for a LCD TV, the blacks are very very good, almost as good as my Panasonic Plasma but its understandable that its not that good as LCD cannot show true black like a plasma can. I checked 3 bars for the sound quality but honestly I never used the internal speakers. I gave this 5 stars and would have given it 6 stars if I could have (on a 5 star scale) because the picture quality is just that good.
Bottom line: Fantastic TV for the price.
CraigB
Texas
An LED TV is a type of LCD TV
November 29, 2013
Folks. For those of you telling this reviewer that he is talking about the wrong TV because he calls it an LCD, it is an LCD. LED TV's are still LCD TV's. The difference is the backlight behind the LCD is LED's instead of CCFL(fluorescent). Both still have and LCD screen that you actually look at up front.
+2points
2of 2voted this comment as helpful.
Microsoft Band 2 (Large): Keep track of your health and fitness goals throughout the day by monitoring your heart rate, steps taken, calories burned, sleep quality, hours slept and other helpful metrics. Just pair with your Windows Phone, Apple® iOS or Android device via Bluetooth to receive alerts at a glance.Discover how the technology of Microsoft Band 2 can assist you in a healthy, productive lifestyle. Learn more ›
Overall5 out of 5
5 out of 5Best fitness tracker for the money
By CraigB
from Texas
When choosing high end fitness bands, my choices went back and forth between the Microsoft Band 2 and the Fitbit Surge. Fitbit has been in the business for fitness wearables for longer but I chose the Band 2 for what I felt was better value for my money. I purchased during a $50 off sale making it even more attractive and $50 less than the Surge. My main phone for this review is a Lumia 1520 with Windows 10 Mobile. I assume others will write reviews of the phone for other platforms and that is where this review starts. This fitness wearable is by far the most compatible. It supports iOS, Android, and Windows Phone/Mobile. Fitbit does as well but support for Windows Mobile is more limited. Comparing it to the Surge, it has more customizability, color screen, and a partially metal build. It feels more premium than the Surge. The metal does have 2 downsides. The first is that the finish used shows scratches extremely easily. See included picture. The second is that sweat and soap cause a foul smell very quickly requiring regular cleaning.
The Band 2 can be worn in two positions. The first is with the screen facing outwards like a watch. I tried this but it felt uncomfortable and viewing the screen was awkward particularly considering the screen doesn’t have a vertical view. This leads me to my preferred position which is with the screen facing inwards. It is much more natural to view and operate. It also feels more comfortable and is in fact the recommended way to wear the device. If there was any concern it is that wearing it inward the screen is always contacting surfaces when you lay your arms down. It uses gorilla glass but it still concerns me that I might scratch the screen. Every fitness wearable wasn’t completely comfortable to wear for one reason or another but this one starts to feel about like a watch after an adjustment period. Before you get the size right you might put it a place that binds you wrist or hits a nerve. I also learned it can get the heart rate just fine without tightening it down so far you hit nerves. Just like a watch it will take some fiddling to find your perfect tightness. Fortunately, the latching mechanism feels strong and has more adjustments than a tradition watch as well giving you more flexibility. Just make sure you use the sizing guide on the size of the box to choose the correct size. It shows wrists sizes with the wrist sideways.
Now the big question is how it works for tracking vitals. I haven’t worked with VO2 Max so I can’t comment on that but after getting the fit correct, the heart rate seems pretty close. Checking manual it was usually within about 10BPM or less from actual. Tracking steps seems a little different. It is difficult to verify but it seems to be a little high on the number of steps sometimes compared to my old hip worn pedometer. It just seems like I can reach 5,000 steps fairly easily. I am not a runner so I have not tested the GPS but I have read that some units have come from the factory with a bad GPS. What’s really nice is with all the vitals it gathers, more than just heart rate, it should be a fairly accurate color estimate. It has guided workouts you can add but I used the generic color tracking and added my own workout types to track. You can add things like HIT and weight training for your own purposes but it uses all the sensors to estimate the color burn instead of estimating based on the workout type. I feel this is more accurate but cannot verify. When you start workout mode, by default the screen stays on showing your workout time and heart rate. I suspect it is not as accurate as a chest band but it seems pretty good. After your workout is done you can see the entire workout on your phone or the website with your heart rate the entire time and your max marked. If there was any gripe it would be that you can’t have it vibrate when you hit your target or max heart rate. That would have been a great feature but, who knows. Maybe they will add it in the future. You can even use the website to compare your vitals to others in your height, weight, and age category. It’s all anonymous and very informative.
When not working out it still tracks your heart rate all the time but the other useful time to check is when you are sleeping. It can detect your sleep but if it gets it wrong you can only delete the time, not edit. You are better off starting your sleep tracking yourself. While sleeping, it will monitor you and in when you wake up you can see what your resting heart rate was overnight to get an even better picture of your health. It also has a smart alarm you can activate. If you want to wake up at a set time, just set the alarm and it will vibrate to wake you up. What I really like is if you activate the smart alarm and set it for 7:30am it will wake you up somewhere between 7:00am and 8:00am when you are most awake. That means you don’t wake up to an alarm feeling like you haven’t rested. You can even set the strength of the vibration.
Since this is a little bit of a smart watch you can add some apps. Since the phone doesn’t have any memory though, expect to only have them work when around your phone. It can control music on your phone and even use voice recognition with Cortana. I am running a prerelease build of the phone software so on occasion the connection dropped but it wasn’t hard to get back. I have found the notifications actually quite nice. I can leave the phone in one place in the house and still get notifications and respond to basic texts. I can also connect my phone to the stereo and change tracks and turn the volume up or down. It’s a standard feature for a smart watch but this is a fitness wearable and much cheaper than a smart watch. There are even some extra apps you can add and some third part utilizes to customize it further but if you want a smart watch more you might want to go that route. If you want a smart fitness tracker, this thing is hard to beat.
Pros
Solid (premium) build quality. It often gets looks and people asking what it is
Tracks more vitals than any other fitness wearable
Comfortable after figuring out your preferred fitment
Bright, sharp screen with auto brightness
Smart Alarm
Customizable workouts
Workout coaches
Customizable with smart watch type features
Solid latching mechanism
Good battery life for its functionality (2 days with no GPS and auto on screen)
Fast charge time (30 minutes to 80%)
Gorilla glass screen
Works on iOS, Android, Windows Mobile, and Web. The web is the most feature rich
Integrates with Health Vault
Constant heart rate
Portal to compare health
Rich sleep stats including restful sleep, times awake, resting heartrate, and recovery
Solid (premium) build quality. It often gets looks and people asking what it is
Tracks more vitals than any other fitness wearable
Comfortable after figuring out your preferred fitment
Bright, sharp screen with auto brightness
Smart Alarm
Customizable workouts
Workout coaches
Customizable with smart watch type features
Solid latching mechanism
Good battery life for its functionality (2 days with no GPS and auto on screen)
Fast charge time (30 minutes to 80%)
Gorilla glass screen
Works on iOS, Android, Windows Mobile, and Web. The web is the most feature rich
Integrates with Health Vault
Constant heart rate
Portal to compare health
Rich sleep stats including restful sleep, times awake, resting heartrate, and recovery
Cons
Cannot change band because electronics are built in
Metal area is a trap for sweat and soap requiring regular cleaning to prevent odor
Cannot change screen orientation
Awkward wearing screen outward
Metal finish is easy to scratch
No build in memory to bring music and store GPS while leaving phone behind for a time
Water resistant instead of waterproof
Possible to scratch screen with it facing downward
Sync is a bit slow
Cannot change band because electronics are built in
Metal area is a trap for sweat and soap requiring regular cleaning to prevent odor
Cannot change screen orientation
Awkward wearing screen outward
Metal finish is easy to scratch
No build in memory to bring music and store GPS while leaving phone behind for a time
Water resistant instead of waterproof
Possible to scratch screen with it facing downward
Sync is a bit slow
CraigB
Texas
Additional Findings
January 9, 2016
I just wanted to add an extra observations to my original review.
For those of you who want to view the display outside in sunlight, it doesn't seem to get that bright. For me that is not a big deal because outside exercises are typically the type where I don't use real time tracking but if you are the type who needs to read the display in direct sunlight, you might find it difficult. I will be checking further and report back if I find anything because indoors it is so bright that I wonder if I have done something wrong in the setup. Even with this finding I still feel it is the best for the money.
Also, if you happen to swap between phones or get a new phone you will have to factor reset the band. I periodically switch phones and discovered this. The system is designed to easily replace your band while using the same phone but if you move the band to any phone, even one that was restored from a backup of your original you will have to factory reset the band and set it back up. Not a huge deal because little is actually stored on the phone.
One other huge bonus for Windows Phone/Mobile users. If for some reason you either forget or choose not to wear your band and have a Lumia that is capable you can use it to augment your Band. Sometimes for different reasons I don't want to wear my band and only need to track steps. If I just keep my Lumia 950 in my pocket, it will track my steps and add them to what the band couldn't track. That particular feature is one I really love. The only caveat to that is while it updates the steps on the app and portal, the extra steps from your phone don't get transferred back to your band. This means if you took 2,000 steps with your band and phone and an additional 5,000 with only your Lumia the app will report 7,000 steps total which is correct but your band will continue to report 2,000 steps. Minor quibble though for a great additional feature for Windows Phone fans.
0points
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ecobee ecobee3 Programmable Touch-Screen Wi-Fi Thermostat: Maintain a comfortable home with this programmable thermostat, which is Apple® HomeKit-enabled, so you can control the temperature remotely using your compatible device. Home IQ helps you conserve energy.
Overall
1 out of 5
1 out of 5cant set custom temps..sensors are glitchy
By annaj
i was trying to get this thermostat to set 4 or 5 different temps automaticly per day. an ecobee tech couldnt help me get this done on my web portal account . the sensors dont read the occupancy after being in the room for hours like being in a bedroom all night when u wake up the sensor will read unoccupied or sitting in the living room all day the same thing will happen after a few hours. a regular programable thermostat would have been a better choice.
CraigB
Texas
Did you try IFTTT
February 7, 2016
I was just wondering if you have looked into IFTTT to set those custom automatic temps. I haven't tried your exact scenario but the Ecobee3 can be connected to an IFTTT account to extend it's functionality.
0points
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Your household wants to play, stream and work online all at once. With this Linksys router, you can do it all without buffering or other interruptions. Use the Smart Wi-Fi app to get started, control, and monitor your home network from anywhere.
Overall5 out of 5
5 out of 5Solid router with good range and speed
By CraigB
from Texas
I am posting this review after about a week of use. If I find anything more significant after posting I will add it as a reply to my original post. Be sure to check there for additions.
I needed to upgrade my WiFi because the internet service in my area was about to be upgraded to exceed the capacity of my current wireless N solution. This router seems as if it was marketed towards moderate power users as well as people with less technical skills who need an upgrade. Packaging is minimal the same as most routers today. It comes with a CD for documentation but it is not used for setup. This is a good thing because as an AC router most people upgrading to this would have newer devices, few of which have an optical drive.
I needed to upgrade my WiFi because the internet service in my area was about to be upgraded to exceed the capacity of my current wireless N solution. This router seems as if it was marketed towards moderate power users as well as people with less technical skills who need an upgrade. Packaging is minimal the same as most routers today. It comes with a CD for documentation but it is not used for setup. This is a good thing because as an AC router most people upgrading to this would have newer devices, few of which have an optical drive.
For the non-technical
This is not very hard to set up. You plug power into the only spot it fits. There are three antennas that screw into very noticeable spots on the back. And the internet plug is clearly labeled. The instructions tell you what to do in a few steps to get the device to take care of the rest. It also has the wireless already set up if you are afraid to do it and even comes with a sticker with the information so you will know what the password is to get on the WiFi. It already has a guest WiFi too but there is a separate login so someone can’t just borrow your internet without you giving them the password. If you feel more comfortable there are apps for iPhones and Android phones to control the device. Speed and range are very good but if you can it is always recommended to install it as close to the center of your house and avoid metal. The router can pretty much take care of itself after that and it shouldn’t require any further work.
This is not very hard to set up. You plug power into the only spot it fits. There are three antennas that screw into very noticeable spots on the back. And the internet plug is clearly labeled. The instructions tell you what to do in a few steps to get the device to take care of the rest. It also has the wireless already set up if you are afraid to do it and even comes with a sticker with the information so you will know what the password is to get on the WiFi. It already has a guest WiFi too but there is a separate login so someone can’t just borrow your internet without you giving them the password. If you feel more comfortable there are apps for iPhones and Android phones to control the device. Speed and range are very good but if you can it is always recommended to install it as close to the center of your house and avoid metal. The router can pretty much take care of itself after that and it shouldn’t require any further work.
For the technical people
If you are looking for a device with tons of granular settings, this might not be the device. Of course the power users I am referring to would probably be better suited sticking with the WRT series. I doubt this device will ever see an aftermarket firmware. It attempts to have a clean interface but that means it will feel slower than a power user router for some settings changes as transitions and animations run their course. Setting changes that require a reboot happen nearly as fast as the fastest routers out there. Although the stock firmware attempts to look fancy and simple it still has a decent amount of settings for all but the most extreme power users. The antennas use a standard connection so if you wanted to upgrade to larger ones later that is possible. Hardwired speed has been very good. I’m just a casual gamer but this hasn’t slowed me down at all and I cannot tell the different hardwired from my old gaming router. Wireless speed is actually very good as well although I was never able to achieve the 1300Mbps link speed advertised even right next to the unit. I maxed out at 900Mbps and it is possible that is related to my AC devices. My old router would drop down to the 39Mpbs on the opposite side of my house whereas this one can maintain at least 177Mpbs and often more.
If you are looking for a device with tons of granular settings, this might not be the device. Of course the power users I am referring to would probably be better suited sticking with the WRT series. I doubt this device will ever see an aftermarket firmware. It attempts to have a clean interface but that means it will feel slower than a power user router for some settings changes as transitions and animations run their course. Setting changes that require a reboot happen nearly as fast as the fastest routers out there. Although the stock firmware attempts to look fancy and simple it still has a decent amount of settings for all but the most extreme power users. The antennas use a standard connection so if you wanted to upgrade to larger ones later that is possible. Hardwired speed has been very good. I’m just a casual gamer but this hasn’t slowed me down at all and I cannot tell the different hardwired from my old gaming router. Wireless speed is actually very good as well although I was never able to achieve the 1300Mbps link speed advertised even right next to the unit. I maxed out at 900Mbps and it is possible that is related to my AC devices. My old router would drop down to the 39Mpbs on the opposite side of my house whereas this one can maintain at least 177Mpbs and often more.
So far during my ownership the stability of this device has reminded me of the old Linksys routers how even the cheap ones never locked up. I’m hoping it stays this way. If you want to change settings, you can do so the standard way most technical people do via the IP address or it has a built in URL. Thankfully it doesn’t require some odd application for initial setup. Unlike standard routers, this one is cloud connected when you choose so meaning remote access is passed via the cloud. It does support some dynamic DNS options but they seem more to push you towards connection via their cloud. Fortunately, this is optional except if you want to take advantage of the built in USB ports and access files remotely. I don’t have a spare drive to test right now so unfortunately I could not test the NAS performance. It does have a very basic QoS which allows you to set up to 3 services or devices as high priority but that’s pretty much it. It has some newer options but then oddly has more old services, such as Real Player and Rhapsody.
Pros
Large, replaceable antennas
Great Range
Reliable
Gigabit Ports
Fast Processor
Status lights can be turned off
Decent amount of features for all but the heavy power users
Doesn’t require a special application for setup or CD
Has USB ports for attaching a hard drive
Offers automatic firmware upgrades to keep security up. Good for keeping non power users safe (Can be turned off)
Documentation is thorough if you need help. You just click help on the top bar
Major changes that require a restart are almost unnoticeable to users as it restarts fast
Has WiFi secured by default and requires a password to be configured during setup. This is good if you are buying one for family and just want it secure without needing to help them. It even has a handy sticker with device specific WiFi passwords so someone can’t just look up a default WiFi password for the unit and borrow internet.
Large, replaceable antennas
Great Range
Reliable
Gigabit Ports
Fast Processor
Status lights can be turned off
Decent amount of features for all but the heavy power users
Doesn’t require a special application for setup or CD
Has USB ports for attaching a hard drive
Offers automatic firmware upgrades to keep security up. Good for keeping non power users safe (Can be turned off)
Documentation is thorough if you need help. You just click help on the top bar
Major changes that require a restart are almost unnoticeable to users as it restarts fast
Has WiFi secured by default and requires a password to be configured during setup. This is good if you are buying one for family and just want it secure without needing to help them. It even has a handy sticker with device specific WiFi passwords so someone can’t just look up a default WiFi password for the unit and borrow internet.
Cons
Interface tries too hard to be attractive slowing it down with animations
Only supports 2 Dynamic DNS providers.
QoS settings seem to cater to power users but offer little customization
QoS rule changes require moving service or devices boxes around and the interface jumps quickly between sections. This often causes you to accidentally move something you didn’t intend to.
Included “Apps” are of limited usefulness and only work on iOS and Android which leaves out anything Windows (No Windows 10 Universal Apps) and no Mac. No configuring your router with touch, like via a Surface, using a Windows App.
Interface tries too hard to be attractive slowing it down with animations
Only supports 2 Dynamic DNS providers.
QoS settings seem to cater to power users but offer little customization
QoS rule changes require moving service or devices boxes around and the interface jumps quickly between sections. This often causes you to accidentally move something you didn’t intend to.
Included “Apps” are of limited usefulness and only work on iOS and Android which leaves out anything Windows (No Windows 10 Universal Apps) and no Mac. No configuring your router with touch, like via a Surface, using a Windows App.
Final Notes
Higher end units near this price point I have owned have had large aluminum heatsinks to dissipate heat. This one has one very small heatsink. I suspect heat stress will be higher on this unit and might be why this case has such a large open cavity you can easily see straight through the vent holes. I suspect longevity will be lower but only time will tell. So the unit has not felt very warm so fingers crossed.
Higher end units near this price point I have owned have had large aluminum heatsinks to dissipate heat. This one has one very small heatsink. I suspect heat stress will be higher on this unit and might be why this case has such a large open cavity you can easily see straight through the vent holes. I suspect longevity will be lower but only time will tell. So the unit has not felt very warm so fingers crossed.
CraigB
Texas
Longer term observations
February 22, 2016
Adding to my original review I have found some new observations to add to this router. I switched to using it as an access point, which takes a little digging, and found out that once you do so you lose a lot of features that should still work but are removed. For example, as an access point you get no guest networks. You can only have 1 2.5GHz WiFi and 1 5GHz. All features such as WMM and QoS are completely gone. Remote administration is turned off. I have also experienced an odd condition where my Xbox One cannot connect using the exact same key as my old router that my Xbox was connected to. I have also experienced 1 lockup where the unit just completely stopped responding and had to be power cycled. Over all it's still a good router but it feels like it could use a little more firmware refinement.
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Microsoft Band 2 (Large): Keep track of your health and fitness goals throughout the day by monitoring your heart rate, steps taken, calories burned, sleep quality, hours slept and other helpful metrics. Just pair with your Windows Phone, Apple® iOS or Android device via Bluetooth to receive alerts at a glance.Discover how the technology of Microsoft Band 2 can assist you in a healthy, productive lifestyle. Learn more ›
Overall5 out of 5
5 out of 5Best fitness tracker for the money
By CraigB
from Texas
When choosing high end fitness bands, my choices went back and forth between the Microsoft Band 2 and the Fitbit Surge. Fitbit has been in the business for fitness wearables for longer but I chose the Band 2 for what I felt was better value for my money. I purchased during a $50 off sale making it even more attractive and $50 less than the Surge. My main phone for this review is a Lumia 1520 with Windows 10 Mobile. I assume others will write reviews of the phone for other platforms and that is where this review starts. This fitness wearable is by far the most compatible. It supports iOS, Android, and Windows Phone/Mobile. Fitbit does as well but support for Windows Mobile is more limited. Comparing it to the Surge, it has more customizability, color screen, and a partially metal build. It feels more premium than the Surge. The metal does have 2 downsides. The first is that the finish used shows scratches extremely easily. See included picture. The second is that sweat and soap cause a foul smell very quickly requiring regular cleaning.
The Band 2 can be worn in two positions. The first is with the screen facing outwards like a watch. I tried this but it felt uncomfortable and viewing the screen was awkward particularly considering the screen doesn’t have a vertical view. This leads me to my preferred position which is with the screen facing inwards. It is much more natural to view and operate. It also feels more comfortable and is in fact the recommended way to wear the device. If there was any concern it is that wearing it inward the screen is always contacting surfaces when you lay your arms down. It uses gorilla glass but it still concerns me that I might scratch the screen. Every fitness wearable wasn’t completely comfortable to wear for one reason or another but this one starts to feel about like a watch after an adjustment period. Before you get the size right you might put it a place that binds you wrist or hits a nerve. I also learned it can get the heart rate just fine without tightening it down so far you hit nerves. Just like a watch it will take some fiddling to find your perfect tightness. Fortunately, the latching mechanism feels strong and has more adjustments than a tradition watch as well giving you more flexibility. Just make sure you use the sizing guide on the size of the box to choose the correct size. It shows wrists sizes with the wrist sideways.
Now the big question is how it works for tracking vitals. I haven’t worked with VO2 Max so I can’t comment on that but after getting the fit correct, the heart rate seems pretty close. Checking manual it was usually within about 10BPM or less from actual. Tracking steps seems a little different. It is difficult to verify but it seems to be a little high on the number of steps sometimes compared to my old hip worn pedometer. It just seems like I can reach 5,000 steps fairly easily. I am not a runner so I have not tested the GPS but I have read that some units have come from the factory with a bad GPS. What’s really nice is with all the vitals it gathers, more than just heart rate, it should be a fairly accurate color estimate. It has guided workouts you can add but I used the generic color tracking and added my own workout types to track. You can add things like HIT and weight training for your own purposes but it uses all the sensors to estimate the color burn instead of estimating based on the workout type. I feel this is more accurate but cannot verify. When you start workout mode, by default the screen stays on showing your workout time and heart rate. I suspect it is not as accurate as a chest band but it seems pretty good. After your workout is done you can see the entire workout on your phone or the website with your heart rate the entire time and your max marked. If there was any gripe it would be that you can’t have it vibrate when you hit your target or max heart rate. That would have been a great feature but, who knows. Maybe they will add it in the future. You can even use the website to compare your vitals to others in your height, weight, and age category. It’s all anonymous and very informative.
When not working out it still tracks your heart rate all the time but the other useful time to check is when you are sleeping. It can detect your sleep but if it gets it wrong you can only delete the time, not edit. You are better off starting your sleep tracking yourself. While sleeping, it will monitor you and in when you wake up you can see what your resting heart rate was overnight to get an even better picture of your health. It also has a smart alarm you can activate. If you want to wake up at a set time, just set the alarm and it will vibrate to wake you up. What I really like is if you activate the smart alarm and set it for 7:30am it will wake you up somewhere between 7:00am and 8:00am when you are most awake. That means you don’t wake up to an alarm feeling like you haven’t rested. You can even set the strength of the vibration.
Since this is a little bit of a smart watch you can add some apps. Since the phone doesn’t have any memory though, expect to only have them work when around your phone. It can control music on your phone and even use voice recognition with Cortana. I am running a prerelease build of the phone software so on occasion the connection dropped but it wasn’t hard to get back. I have found the notifications actually quite nice. I can leave the phone in one place in the house and still get notifications and respond to basic texts. I can also connect my phone to the stereo and change tracks and turn the volume up or down. It’s a standard feature for a smart watch but this is a fitness wearable and much cheaper than a smart watch. There are even some extra apps you can add and some third part utilizes to customize it further but if you want a smart watch more you might want to go that route. If you want a smart fitness tracker, this thing is hard to beat.
Pros
Solid (premium) build quality. It often gets looks and people asking what it is
Tracks more vitals than any other fitness wearable
Comfortable after figuring out your preferred fitment
Bright, sharp screen with auto brightness
Smart Alarm
Customizable workouts
Workout coaches
Customizable with smart watch type features
Solid latching mechanism
Good battery life for its functionality (2 days with no GPS and auto on screen)
Fast charge time (30 minutes to 80%)
Gorilla glass screen
Works on iOS, Android, Windows Mobile, and Web. The web is the most feature rich
Integrates with Health Vault
Constant heart rate
Portal to compare health
Rich sleep stats including restful sleep, times awake, resting heartrate, and recovery
Solid (premium) build quality. It often gets looks and people asking what it is
Tracks more vitals than any other fitness wearable
Comfortable after figuring out your preferred fitment
Bright, sharp screen with auto brightness
Smart Alarm
Customizable workouts
Workout coaches
Customizable with smart watch type features
Solid latching mechanism
Good battery life for its functionality (2 days with no GPS and auto on screen)
Fast charge time (30 minutes to 80%)
Gorilla glass screen
Works on iOS, Android, Windows Mobile, and Web. The web is the most feature rich
Integrates with Health Vault
Constant heart rate
Portal to compare health
Rich sleep stats including restful sleep, times awake, resting heartrate, and recovery
Cons
Cannot change band because electronics are built in
Metal area is a trap for sweat and soap requiring regular cleaning to prevent odor
Cannot change screen orientation
Awkward wearing screen outward
Metal finish is easy to scratch
No build in memory to bring music and store GPS while leaving phone behind for a time
Water resistant instead of waterproof
Possible to scratch screen with it facing downward
Sync is a bit slow
Cannot change band because electronics are built in
Metal area is a trap for sweat and soap requiring regular cleaning to prevent odor
Cannot change screen orientation
Awkward wearing screen outward
Metal finish is easy to scratch
No build in memory to bring music and store GPS while leaving phone behind for a time
Water resistant instead of waterproof
Possible to scratch screen with it facing downward
Sync is a bit slow
CraigB
Texas
Band split after serveral months
May 23, 2016
As others who have discovered after owning the Band 2 for a while, the band itself tends to split. Even if you are gentle the rubberized material just doesn't seem to hold up. The good news in my case is I leave reasonably close to a Microsoft Store. I brought it to them and as always they took great care of me. The assistant store manager was the one who assisted me and he said that Microsoft is aware of the problem and is already working to fix the issue. I had the same problem with the first generation Type Cover for the Surface. Back then they took care of me and ultimately Microsoft corrected the issue. It's unfortunate this kind of thing gets through but at least it doesn't seem to be a hassle to get it resolved.
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Enjoy powerful performance with this compact HP Pavilion Wave computer. The Intel i3 processor provides fast data handling, while the 1TB hard drive lets you store plenty of files. This HP Pavilion Wave computer has 8GB of RAM to run the latest applications and four USB ports for connecting multiple accessories.
Overall3 out of 5
3 out of 5Still can't get the speaker/microphone to work.
By Murphdad013
from New York , ny
The HP help line is terrible and Best Buy was no help at all. In fact I spoke directly ....finally...with someone at HP who said that my Paviliion Wave needed an external microphone headset for montonaccess Cortona. WRONG!!!!
CraigB
Texas
It has a built in microphone
January 16, 2017
I own this unit and it has a built in microphone. I use it for Cortana regularly. Sounds like the support person got it wrong.
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Arlo Pro takes the worrying out of life with the 100% Wire-Free indoor/outdoor home monitoring system. Arlo Pro includes rechargeable batteries, motion and sound-activated alerts, 2-way audio, a 100+ decibel siren, and 7 days of free cloud HD video recordings. Arlo covers every angle to help keep you safe and protected.
Overall4 out of 5
4 out of 5Good system with lots of potential
By CraigB
from Texas
Pros
Extremely Quick setup (A 2 camera system takes roughly 30 minutes)
Very easy set up. It comes with basic instructions but the app nicely walks you through each step
No need to run wires
Compact
Discreet cameras easily blend in with lighter color homes
Good daytime video quality for the price
Includes microphone and speaker
Flexible mounting options. Included option is easy but other fixed mounts can be used
Large rechargeable batteries
Motion trigger is supposed to get an update to determine if the motion is by a person
All devices get regular security updates. Even the cameras get updated wirelessly. Nice considering cameras are a new target for hackers.
Inanimate objects don’t seem to cause false motion triggers
Standard external hard drive can be used for local storage
Basic plan included for free
Easily expandable
Extremely Quick setup (A 2 camera system takes roughly 30 minutes)
Very easy set up. It comes with basic instructions but the app nicely walks you through each step
No need to run wires
Compact
Discreet cameras easily blend in with lighter color homes
Good daytime video quality for the price
Includes microphone and speaker
Flexible mounting options. Included option is easy but other fixed mounts can be used
Large rechargeable batteries
Motion trigger is supposed to get an update to determine if the motion is by a person
All devices get regular security updates. Even the cameras get updated wirelessly. Nice considering cameras are a new target for hackers.
Inanimate objects don’t seem to cause false motion triggers
Standard external hard drive can be used for local storage
Basic plan included for free
Easily expandable
Cons
Support for Windows is poor for the new touchscreen devices.
No Windows app for Windows 8 and 10 devices of any size.
Video quality, mainly night time, is probably not good enough for legal purposes.
Night video quality makes recognition near impossible past approximately 10 feet
Easy to steal or move regardless of mounting
Camera speaker is not very loud
Provided screws use too fine of a thread and the metal head strips out easy
All videos are public if someone can intercept your emails on the way to your inbox. (Email delivery by design is not encrypted so if someone intercepts your emails on the way they can see any of your videos with audio)
Recording time is fixed so even if motion or sound is still occurring you can miss recording
Web interface has some bugs such as freezing on zoom, Live play button disappears, and touch doesn’t work.
Sound recording doesn’t occur until a few seconds after video recording
At least one camera exhibited a noticeable “ticking clock” sound when recording audio
Connecting them hardwired defeats the weatherproofing
Instructions do not give tutorial about advanced features but rather let you discover them
No organizer for hard drive recordings
Dependent on good upload internet speeds. The more cameras you have, the faster the upload speed you need. This can be a limiting factor for some.
Long lag time to start live viewing even with very fast connection
Support for Windows is poor for the new touchscreen devices.
No Windows app for Windows 8 and 10 devices of any size.
Video quality, mainly night time, is probably not good enough for legal purposes.
Night video quality makes recognition near impossible past approximately 10 feet
Easy to steal or move regardless of mounting
Camera speaker is not very loud
Provided screws use too fine of a thread and the metal head strips out easy
All videos are public if someone can intercept your emails on the way to your inbox. (Email delivery by design is not encrypted so if someone intercepts your emails on the way they can see any of your videos with audio)
Recording time is fixed so even if motion or sound is still occurring you can miss recording
Web interface has some bugs such as freezing on zoom, Live play button disappears, and touch doesn’t work.
Sound recording doesn’t occur until a few seconds after video recording
At least one camera exhibited a noticeable “ticking clock” sound when recording audio
Connecting them hardwired defeats the weatherproofing
Instructions do not give tutorial about advanced features but rather let you discover them
No organizer for hard drive recordings
Dependent on good upload internet speeds. The more cameras you have, the faster the upload speed you need. This can be a limiting factor for some.
Long lag time to start live viewing even with very fast connection
Setup was very easy, particularly for a security camera system. The entire process is achieved by following the steps one by one as the app tells you. Install the app, set up your Arlo account, plug in the base unit to power and internet, sync the cameras, hang the cameras, and you’re done. A two camera system only took approximately 30 minutes. The kit includes metal bases, screws, and wall anchors but the screws are small and easy to strip. The metal bases work with a strong magnet included inside the camera. Although convenient, the metal bases allow someone to easily steal or move these expensive cameras so placement is important. Netgear offers screw in mounts for a more rigid and secure mounting. The entire hardware and software process has had a lot of thought put into making it easy. There are no complicated router changes needed to be made at all or complicated programming. Oddly some features, like changing the recording quality, must be done on a regular computer for which there is no app.
There is one strange feature omission from Netgear. This system has a Pro designation and yet support for regular, more modern computers, is limited. Businesses by and large use Windows computers and the most popular type of Windows computers selling today are Windows 2-in-1 convertibles with touchscreens this trend is forecasted to increase and yet this system is barely even useable by any touchscreen Windows device. This is also odd because what better way to check out a security video than on a large screen. You are forced to use a browser to view videos which the experience varies based on browser. Simple things like moving a slider don’t work because the website doesn’t work with touch. Browser administration has other bugs, such as the Live Video button disappearing. If this was an app you wouldn’t have to worry about how the end user’s choice of browser affects the experience. Not having a Universal Windows app is a missed opportunity. I have seen a large increase in clients that are buying Windows 2-in-1 systems instead of desktops or Android/iOS tablets for their primary system. A Windows Universal app they could support such systems, or any other form factor of Windows for that matter. Imagine if the app was on Xbox One in your living room and you want to check on things outside. Just say “Hey Cortana, open Arlo” and you could see your video feed or videos quickly and easily from the convenience of your couch on a big screen. That would be great. If you have smaller Windows devices, the website is unusable. It tries to get you to use an app that doesn’t exist. Oddly enough if you have a link to a shared video the same website will serve you the video in a mobile optimized format. Smaller Windows devices and Windows Mobile devices are left unsupported. Future updates and app releases could easily alleviate this but for now Windows support is poor.
The base unit comes with a Sync/Siren button, network port, and two USB ports for storage. The siren is loud and sounds like newer smoke alarms. It can be trigger locally, by the app, or via configurable rules such as motion or audio sensing. You can switch the base unit to modes for recording for motion and/or audio, no recording, or armed or disarmed based using Geofencing. You can also define your own custom modes allowing specific cameras and audio for each to be on or off. Due to battery restrictions, there is no continuous recording. Recording time from motion is a default of 5 seconds regardless of if the motion continues. Cameras include built in IR for night vision, motion sensor, microphone, and speaker and are weatherproof assuming the charging plug cover is on. One large difference with the Pro version is the inclusion of large rechargeable batteries which should last quite a long time between charging. When video is recorded, it is uploaded via your internet connection to your account meaning a good upload internet speed is important. Videos are stored in a calendar format and can be viewed, shared, or deleted from the interface.
Overall performance when factoring in the price for features was good. Shuddering and lag was minimal with surprisingly good wireless range. Remote viewing of live video is reasonably quick although it still took several seconds and is highly dependent on your internet upload speed. Audio took about 2 seconds to start every time after a motion trigger recording or manual live viewing and had a slightly audible tick-tock sound. The built-in speaker is barely audible at max volume. As with all security systems, there is a loss of some detail to do recording compression. Daytime recordings show signs of video compression but subjects are still reasonably recognizable at approximately 25 feet. Nighttime viewing brings recognition down to approximately 10-15 feet before subjects hard to recognize. Although not official, friends in law enforcement said it is not good for legal purposes as they must have a definitive, recognizable face to use the video. Motion detection was generally good but people moving fast could often elude the recording. Due to the fixed recording time, the system could also miss recording an event if it ran past the configured time.
A big concern is the video sharing feature. Arlo by default emails you anytime it records. It conveniently sends you a screenshot of what it recorded. However; the email sends a direct link to the video that can be viewed without logging in. This would be even more concerning if you had cameras in your house. By definition, is sent unsecured between providers. Although the industry is trying to improve that, you should always assume your emails have no encryption when sent to you. This means that it is possible and relatively easy for criminals to eavesdrop and see your videos with audio without ever knowing your account info. The good thing is that is easy to remedy turning off the feature that emails you when it records a video. That way the link to the video won’t be sent out on the web unsecured and your videos are still stored in the cloud without being shared openly. Hopefully, Netgear will remedy this in the future.
Overall, it is a nice system for the price point when compared to the competition. Compared to legacy DVR and NVR security camera systems this makes the whole process a lot more accessible for the average consumer. As long as you keep your expectations in line it is a nice system. All security camera systems, particularly ones costing less than $2,500 have limitations.
Overall, it is a nice system for the price point when compared to the competition. Compared to legacy DVR and NVR security camera systems this makes the whole process a lot more accessible for the average consumer. As long as you keep your expectations in line it is a nice system. All security camera systems, particularly ones costing less than $2,500 have limitations.
A standout feature, even comparing to high end systems, is this system will automatically get updates for security. Anyone who watched the news in late 2016 saw that the biggest hack was perpetrated using devices, such as camera systems, that weren’t updated. That is something still lacking in the “professional” security camera world. You also won’t have to hire someone to come pull wiring through your house or small business. Cameras can be placed wherever you can mount a base. If for some reason, such as poor signal, the place doesn’t work they are easy to move. It not be a real high definition security camera system but it also costs nowhere near as much. Just be sure you can accept the Cons before buying. The overall system is well thought out and with continued improvement of the listed cons this could be the best system for nearly any price.
CraigB
Texas
New developments after extended use
January 31, 2017
I have discovered some new elements to the system with more use.
The first is that I did find a way to adjust video quality via the app and not just the website. It turns out the way it is displayed is as one of 3 choices instead of a slider.
Next is that the cameras only work with Netgear's proprietary charger. Even though it uses USB both the manual an other say it only works with the Netgear one.
Finally I discovered that the motion detection does sometimes act strange. I purchase one additional camera and for some reason no matter the sensitivity of the motion it records a motion even every 30 seconds at night. I have observed that it seems to happen more if my neighbor has a light on but even that is not consistent.
+4points
4of 4voted this comment as helpful.
CraigB's Questions
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Can photoshop Elements 2022 edit both video and photos? Thanks,
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Does this unit require water(specific) or cleaner(special brand)? Example: deionized, distilled, tap, boiled, spring. Example: fabuloso, pledge, mop and glow, bleach/water, brand compatible.
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eufy eufyCam 2, 2-Camera Surveillance System: See everything that happens around your home in 1080p HD with this eufy eufyCam 2 kit. Quick and easy to set up, two wireless cameras and a home base provide all that you need to get started, while smart integration ensures you can easily connect to other smart devices. This eufy eufyCam 2 kit provides 365 days of use from a single charge for continuous observation.
How are people posting reviews of these cameras, with photos and everything, when it's not available for pre order? Where are people buying them?
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Hi, I bought this laptop. I don't know how to activate windows 10 included. Thanks
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