TechEnthusiast's stats
- Review count180
- Helpfulness votes838
- First reviewAugust 16, 2014
- Last reviewApril 27, 2024
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4.1
Reviews comments
- Review comment count0
- Helpfulness votes0
- First review commentNone
- Last review commentNone
- Featured review comments0
Questions
- Question count0
- Helpfulness votes0
- First questionNone
- Last questionNone
- Featured questions0
- Answer count13
- Helpfulness votes17
- First answerAugust 25, 2016
- Last answerJanuary 22, 2022
- Featured answers0
- Best answers2
Meet Pixel 8. The helpful phone engineered by Google, with an amazing camera, powerful security, and an all-day battery. [1] With Google AI, you can do more, even faster – like fix photos, screen calls, and get answers. [2] And Pixel 8 has personal safety features for added peace of mind. [3]
Customer Rating
5
Another great phone from Google.
on October 18, 2023
Posted by: TechEnthusiast
The Google Pixel 8 is another great phone from Google.
This isn’t my first Pixel phone, and it certainly won’t be my last.
This isn’t my first Pixel phone, and it certainly won’t be my last.
Pros:
Build quality is great.
The user experience is awesome.
The phone is full of great features like wireless charging and an in-screen fingerprint reader.
Lots of power and built-in storage
Works seamlessly on Mint Mobile
Build quality is great.
The user experience is awesome.
The phone is full of great features like wireless charging and an in-screen fingerprint reader.
Lots of power and built-in storage
Works seamlessly on Mint Mobile
Cons:
It doesn’t come with a charger (just a cable)
The phone feels a little thick
Battery life is “meh”
It doesn’t come with a charger (just a cable)
The phone feels a little thick
Battery life is “meh”
Setting up this phone was a breeze. I managed to migrate all of my apps, wallpapers, contacts, and settings from my old Pixel phone to this one. The only hiccup I experienced was with my SIM card. The bracket for the Sim was rather tight. And the way it’s positioned, you have to press down firmly on the gold contacts of the SIM to get it to sit properly (a techy “no no” - you’re never supposed to touch the gold contacts on any RAM sticks, hard drives, or other electronic devices). Still, my SIM seems to function just fine after installation.
Call quality is great. Both sides of the conversation were crystal clear. Speaker quality in general is pretty good. Listening to music on this phone is a joy.
The phone handles casual gaming without any issues, and my handful of productivity apps work just fine on it. The phone feels quick and responsive no matter what the workload.
Battery life wasn’t terrific. I was shocked to burn through 50% of my battery during setup. Since then it hasn’t discharged nearly as quickly, but it’s not terrific in terms of battery life. You’ll definitely be charging this phone nightly.
Camera quality is superb. I really love the rear camera on this phone. The front facing camera isn’t quite as good, but it’s certainly not bad.
Screen quality is good, but I did notice that the phone seems a little quirky when registering some gestures. This is particularly true of gestures at the bottom of the screen (swiping up to switch apps or go home takes a couple tries), and the side-to-side gestures are perhaps a mite too sensitive (accidentally swiping back to the previous page in the browser). I didn’t have these issues with my previous phone.
I like this phone a lot, and I strongly recommend it for anyone looking for a solid, stock android experience.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Know the real you with the Venu 3 smartwatch, the ultimate on-wrist coach designed to support your goals — whatever they may be. Featuring a bright, colorful display and up to 14 days of battery life, this GPS smartwatch is purpose-built with advanced health and fitness features to help you better understand your body. Body Battery energy monitoring helps you keep your energy levels in check with personalized insights based on sleep, naps, stress, workouts and more. Improve the quality of your sleep with personalized sleep coaching and nap detection plus even more details such as HRV status (data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked). During the day, switch up your activities with animated workouts and more than 30 built-in sports apps — including for active wheelchair users — plus advanced training features to keep you going strong. With its built-in speaker and microphone, the Venu 3 smartwatch makes it easy to make and take calls right from your wrist when paired to your smartphone — and even reply to texts by using your phone’s voice assistant. Plus, enjoy connectivity features such as music storage, Garmin Pay contactless payments (with a supported country and payment network) and more.
Customer Rating
3
Nice build and screen but unreliable
on September 22, 2023
Posted by: TechEnthusiast
I have mixed feelings over this watch.
As a fitness tracker, it’s (seemingly) very feature rich.
As a smartwatch, it’s very feature poor.
As a smartwatch, it’s very feature poor.
Physically, the watch is well-constructed, has a nice large display, a vibrant screen, easily accessible buttons, and a responsive touch-screen.
It has a heart rate sensor, tracks steps (kinda . . . more on that later), tracks sleep, monitors calories burned, allows you to receive text messages and notifications, allows you to make and receive calls (kinda - initiating a call from my watch just dialed my phone when I tried it), and monitors stress.
The watch uses two apps to function: Garmin Connect and Garmin Connect IQ.
Garmin Connect gives you access to all of the various metrics that the watch is collecting. Garmin Connect IQ gives you access to the “apps” that the watch can run as well as giving you the ability to customize your own watch faces (to a point).
The watch’s apps are limited to a few music streaming services, some additional watch faces, some GPS / navigation apps, and a few other fitness oriented odds and ends. Almost everything costs extra. Even the ones that are seemingly free (i.e. Spotify) require a premium subscription to use. There are seemingly no games, no news apps, no social media apps, no video streaming services . . . the store feels rather barren.
Modifying your own watch face is cool, but it has some strange limitations within the app. First, the design area is smaller than the watch face. You can line everything up perfectly, but when you send it to your watch, it’s scaled slightly differently. Next, when changing the color of the time, it only changes the digits to the right of the colon. Font options are also extremely limited, and they don’t allow you to rescale elements like the time. Finally, it can take multiple attempts to send the custom watch face over. It seems to hang at the upload, and the watch face won’t show up until maybe ten minutes later.
As far as usage goes . . .
I lift three days a week and do light cardio five. I train to run/walk 5Ks a couple times a year. Up until now, I’ve been using a fairly feature-rich/budget fitness tracker, and I aim for around 12,000 steps a day just for health and fitness. I also monitor my heartbeat fairly religiously during cardio workouts to make sure that I’m staying within my target range.
I found that this watch’s pedometer utterly failed to register steps below a certain speed. I’d be jogging on the treadmill, and everything would register just fine, but as soon as the treadmill hit the last segment of the final cooldown (1.6 mph), the tracker wouldn’t register any steps whatsoever. I may as well have been standing still. This is reflected in my daily steps as well. It is barely recording anything. This is disastrous from my point of view and has me seriously considering switching back to my old tracker.
The watch comes with an “app” for strength training that basically counts reps for you and monitors your heart rate at the same time (a bit strange as I don’t normally associate strength training with heart rate monitoring - that’s more of a cardio thing). I found this to be fairly useless, and it utterly fails to capture reps on things like leg presses.
From a hardware standpoint, this is a very nice watch . . . but I can’t recommend it.
It’s not very good as a smart watch, and (for me at least) it’s failing at its primary function as a fitness tracker since it can’t even properly record steps.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Share this review:
+8points
8of 8voted this as helpful.
Defy Boring with Pebble Mouse 2 M350s wireless mouse made with recycled plastic. Its minimalist round shape and compact mouse design make it as iconic as you and super portable. Hop across 3 devices with the Easy-Switch button on the Bluetooth mouse. With Logi Options+ app, you can assign shortcuts to the mouse’s middle button for your favorite apps, like WhatsApp or Spotify. Work, browse, and chat with Silent Touch Technology that removes 90% of click noise. Pebble Mouse 2 M350s Bluetooth mouse comes with a 24-month battery and auto-sleep power-saving mode, to keep you going for longer, worry-free.
Customer Rating
5
Truly a great mouse. It's an absolute workhorse.
on September 10, 2023
Posted by: TechEnthusiast
The Pebble Mouse is a versatile Bluetooth mouse that can easily be used for a variety of different use cases.
The mouse is very sleek and modern looking. It has a very symmetrical design that allows it to be easily used by both left-handed and right-handed individuals. Sure, it sacrifices some ergonomic comfort for this, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it’s uncomfortable to use.
There is a button on the bottom of the mouse that allows you to switch between using it on 3 different devices with just a click. I have it paired to my smart TV, my laptop, and my steam deck; and I find it quite easily to switch back and forth as needed.
After installing the Logi Options software, you can customize the middle button for a variety of different effects. If you’re heavily into social media, then you can program it to pull up an emoji menu. If you’re heavily into productivity, then you can program it to pull up task view to easily switch between applications. It really is quite versatile. You can even program some custom commands for individual applications (handy for things like video editing, photo editing, or gaming).
The mouse also supports Logitech’s “flow” software. This allows you to use the mouse on two computers simultaneously, and you can copy and paste files between them seamlessly.
I really have no complaints whatsoever about this mouse. It works great for all of my needs.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Pair the power of your next-gen system with the performance of a next-gen wireless pro controller. Officially licensed by PlayStation, the Razer Wolverine V2 Pro is armed with Razer HyperSpeed Wireless and a full set of competitive features to deliver high-performance, low-latency gaming on PS5 consoles and PC.
Customer Rating
3
Well built but quirky controller.
on August 11, 2023
Posted by: TechEnthusiast
The Razer Wolverine V2 is a somewhat quirky controller.
I primarily intended on using this controller with my Steam Deck dock, but I wanted something that could easily be plugged into my Windows gaming laptop as well. Bluetooth controllers are fussy about switching devices, so I thought something with a physical dongle would be ideal.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t completely the case.
My Steam Deck recognized the controller right away, worked beautifully for one night, and then stopped working thereafter. Multiple reboots failed to resolve the issue. The Deck was registering the controller as a “Generic XBox Controller,” but it wouldn’t accept any inputs. I switched to using it with my Windows laptop at this point, and I had somewhat better luck.
The controller was recognized, and worked well, but I couldn’t figure out how to program the back buttons or extra shoulder buttons in Steam. I suspect that this is more of an issue with Steam than the controller though.
On a lark, I tried plugging the dongle into my Steam Deck again after using it for a few days with my laptop, and it was immediately recognized as a Razer Wolverine V2 (and all of my inputs started working again). I’m not sure how long it will continue working this time, but I’m optimistic that it might be fixed for good. I’m thinking that this was maybe a driver issue on the Steam Deck’s part, but I’m not certain.
The controller itself has a nice heft to it and feels solidly built. There are physical switches on the back that allow you to toggle between wired and wireless modes and PC or Playstation modes.
The back buttons are near the center of the back panel and are difficult to reach. I have small/medium hands, and my fingertips can’t reach the buttons without uncomfortably stretching. Because of this, I can’t see myself using these buttons on a regular basis.
I like that the buttons are setup in the Playstation style. I enjoy playing Playstation games on my laptop, but finding PC compatible controllers with the Playstation layout is hard, and getting a Dualshock to work with Windows is tricky. I also like that they staggered the stick layout in the XBox style. This feels more natural to me.
I have mixed feelings about this controller. On the one hand, it feels very premium and solidly built. But on the other, it’s somewhat difficult and uncomfortable to use.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Share this review:
+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
When you brandish this Predator Helios Neo gaming laptop, you’re holding the key to unlocking your ambitions – your curiosities – and endless possibilities. Suit up, strap in – and let Helios Neo pave the way. Equipped with superior cooling technology and a trove of performance like NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 laptop graphics and the latest 13th Gen Intel Core i7 processor with new performance hybrid architecture– this gaming laptop will be your guide to gaming bliss. With the 16" 2560 x 1600 IPS panel, 165Hz Refresh, NVIDIA Advanced Optimus, NVIDIA G-SYNC technology and 3ms Overdrive response time you can say farewell to blur and hello clear, crisp, high-octane gameplay.
Customer Rating
4
Solid performance but lacks premium features
on July 24, 2023
Posted by: TechEnthusiast
The Acer Predator Helios Neo is a solid device with lots of power, but it lacks some premium features.
First, this laptop has a ton of ports.
I count 3 USB-A ports, a micro-SD card reader, a headphone jack, an Ethernet port, 2 USB-C ports, and a full-size HDMI port. My only complaint about the ports is that the HDMI ports and USB-C ports are awkwardly placed on the back of the device.
This laptop does not support Windows Hello sign-in options. You won't be able to use your facial recognition or your fingerprint to login. These are premium features that I've gotten accustomed to on my previous devices, and I'm feeling their absence here.
The keyboard lighting is broken up into 4 zones and has a handful of options in terms of behaviors. It's comfortable enough to type on, but I wasn't terribly impressed by it.
The number pad is finicky. It wasn't until I'd updated the computer a few times that it consistently worked after each reboot without hitting the number lock key.
The keyboard deck itself is plastic, but it feels pretty solid. I didn't experience much in the way of keyboard flex.
I was disappointed by the speakers. They didn't get terribly loud, and they felt rather "anemic" for lack of a better term.
The laptop is fairly chunky, and the power brick is enormous. I was surprised by just how heavy this laptop was.
As a whole, the laptop doesn't have much of a "gamer aesthetic." Aside from some angular lines along the rear of the laptop, and the multi-color keyboard backlighting, there isn't much to call this out as a gaming laptop. If you're looking for something more "subdued," then this would probably be the laptop for you.
In terms of power, this laptop didn't have any issues tackling anything that I threw at it.
All of my games booted up quickly and ran just fine. The 1TB hard drive is more than adequate for me to fit a good assortment of games on.
All of my games booted up quickly and ran just fine. The 1TB hard drive is more than adequate for me to fit a good assortment of games on.
The laptop did come with some bloatware that I had to clear off. I would recommend keeping the "Predator Sense" app though as it allows you to control the keyboard backlighting as well as some other behaviors.
This is a very capable laptop. It's not terribly showy, but it has more than enough power to get the job done.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share this review:
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
Control your home theater system with this TERK rechargeable universal remote. Support for up to eight devices allows flexible use, and the rechargeable battery lasts up to 6 months on a single charge. The dedicated keys provide quick access to popular streaming apps like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ and YouTube. This TERK rechargeable universal remote features a fully-backlit keypad for easy operation in the dark.
Customer Rating
2
Didn't pair properly with any of my devices.
on July 12, 2023
Posted by: TechEnthusiast
I wanted to like this remote, but it didn't really meet my needs.
I have a rather complex home theater setup with a TV, a Google Chromecast with Google TV, a couple video game consoles, a soundbar, a Blu-Ray player, and a loose HDMI cable that I use to hookup my computer.
My TV only has 3 HDMI ports, but I'm fortunate in that my soundbar also works as a hub and adds an additional three ports.
I'm constantly juggling remotes, and I liked the idea of having a single remote to control everything.
Unfortunately, this remote failed to meet my needs.
After charging overnight, I started by trying to pair this with my Sharp TV. I followed the manual code process and tried each of the 10 codes listed for Sharp TVs (two were for Sharp TVs with ROKU, but I tried them anyway).
None of them worked.
I then tried the automatic pairing option. This worked immediately . . . kinda sorta?
After pairing the remote to my TV, I was able to turn the TV on and off and control the volume.
After pairing the remote to my TV, I was able to turn the TV on and off and control the volume.
That's it . . .. Nothing else worked properly.
Strangely, the up arrow opens my TV's VUDO app, and the down arrow opens the TV's built-in YouTube app. None of the other buttons did anything at all, and I was unable to use the remote to exit the apps once it opened them. I also couldn't access the input menu to switch to my various HDMI devices.
I had to go back to my original remote to try and setup my other devices.
Despite advertising that it controls streaming devices, and despite claiming that it is "for all major brands," this remote apparently does not work with the Chromecast with Google TV. The Chromecast comes with a Bluetooth remote. The TERK universal remote is apparently strictly IR. and does not have any Bluetooth functionality whatsoever.
The back of the box does reference the Google Chromecast and mentions that the remote can control it via HDMI CEC. The code sheet just contains a note saying to consult your TVs manufacturer for instructions on setting up CEC.
I was unable to get this to work. I currently use HDMI CEC with my stock Chromecast remote to control my TV using the Chromecast remote's IR emitter. I found no directions on making the reverse happen (controlling the Chromecast via the TV's remote).
The TERK remote also doesn't appear to contain a microphone for voice commands.
The TERK remote did successfully connect to my Sony soundbar, but it lacks the second set of volume buttons for controlling my subwoofer. The volume buttons only appear to control the soundbar itself.
At this point, I didn't even bother trying to connect it to my video game consoles or Blu-Ray player.
Despite its claims to be backlit, at no point did any of my keys light up except for the power button. The red LED on that button appears to work just fine, but that's it.
I'm very disappointed by this remote, and I don't recommend it.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Are you ready to feel the rush of extreme performance? The Crucial T700 PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD offers speeds of up to 12,400MB/s sequential reads and up to 11,800MB/s sequential writes (up to 1,500K IOPS random reads/writes) for faster gaming, video editing, 3D rendering and heavy workload applications. Built with Micron 232-layer TLC NAND and featuring a premium aluminum and nickel-plated copper heatsink that dissipates heat without noisy fans or liquid cooling, the Crucial T700 Gen5 SSD is optimized for performance, takes full advantage of Microsoft DirectStorage, and is backward compatible with Gen3 and Gen4 motherboards. A non-heatsink SKU is also available for use with an integrated motherboard heatsink. With SSD speeds nearly 2x faster than Gen4 in your PC, you’ll never look back from the Crucial T700!
Customer Rating
3
A good product, but physically too big.
on July 3, 2023
Posted by: TechEnthusiast
For an NVME drive, this thing is HUGE.
The heatsink is enormous. Don't even think about using this in a laptop. This is for newer desktops only.
Even though I was installing it in a newer desktop, the size of the heatsink posed a bit of a problem for me. I keep a small NVME enclosure around for hard drive upgrades. I typically put my new drive in the enclosure and run a hard drive cloning program to clone my current boot drive to the new drive (I then disconnect everything and swap out the new drive for the old drive).
I wasn't able to do that this go around. With the heatsink, the drive is physically too big for my external enclosure (easily 4x too tall).
It should be noted that the heatsink is preinstalled on the drive. And while there are exposed screws, it does not remove easily. I also strongly recommend against removing it.
First, the screws have a weird head. I don't know the technical name or size, but they required the "really tiny, six pointed star shaped bit" from my electronics repair kit.
Second, the NVME stick has some type of blue thermal compound applied to the top and bottom of it. It was very dry, a little rubbery, and started flaking off as soon as I removed the heatsink.
Ultimately, removing the heatsink and trying to use my external enclosure was a very bad idea. Within ten minutes of cloning my hard drive, this drive ended up overheating and disconnected itself from my computer (while annoying at the time, I am pleased that the drive has this safety feature).
I had a little bit of better luck removing the outer casing from my enclosure and running a fan directly over the drive, but it still ended up overheating before it could complete the clone (and this is despite copying files at a very brisk pace).
Reassembling the heatsink went okay, but I won't be able to ever remove it again. The heads of the screws are soft and stripped very easily.
If you're looking to install this drive in a fresh build (and you don't need to worry about cloning an existing drive), then I think this would be an incredible option for you. Immediately installing this directly onto a motherboard should allow you to avoid the headaches that I experienced. The drive is very fast and has a lot of capacity.
Unfortunately, this product is just too new and too unique to easily work with existing peripherals. Once this starts to go mainstream, and this large of a drive starts to become standard, then I'm sure that this will get easier.
If, like me, you want to migrate an existing setup to this drive; then you might want to wait a little bit before picking this up.
In the meantime, I'm going to have to backup my important files, plug this directly into my motherboard, and do a fresh install of Windows and all of my various programs onto the drive. It's more work than I would like, but the increase in speed and capacity is worth it.
Share this review:
+4points
5of 6voted this as helpful.
The new PowerCurve24 makes work-from-anywhere easy. Four USB-A ports and four surge-protected, patented, rotating AC outlets make everywhere you work more productive. A premium, double-woven, nylon-jacketed 5’ cord puts power right where you need it.
Customer Rating
4
Nice Power strip - Not quite what I was expecting
on June 24, 2023
Posted by: TechEnthusiast
This is a very nicely made power strip. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, but it's serving my needs well.
I had thought that this was one of those flexible power strips that "curve" into different shapes to fit in awkward spaces. This isn't the case though. While the individual outlets can rotate to better accommodate larger plugs, the strip itself is a single, rigid piece.
The strip is very nicely made and quite sturdy. The cable that connects to the wall is quite thick and covered in a durable, braided material. It has 4 USB charging ports, and it comes with an instruction sheet that references how to get the maximum voltage out of them. They share a circuit, so plugging in multiple devices at once could potentially reduce their shared ability to charge.
The ability to rotate the outlets has come in handy as I have a couple devices with long, rectangular plugs. Being able to rotate the outlets allows me to plug these devices in at a 90 degree angle to maximize the use of space.
The power button sits on top of the power strip. This is convenient, and easy to access, but I do worry a little about accidentally pressing it with my foot as it sits under my desk.
This is a nice, aesthetically pleasing power strip. I would definitely recommend it to anyone needing a power strip that can accommodate a wide range of plug types.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share this review:
+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
Turn your content into immersive experiences with enhanced audio features and versatile modes on the new Inspiron 14 2-in-1 laptop.
Customer Rating
5
Feature-rich, and fun to use, laptop from Dell
on June 5, 2023
Posted by: TechEnthusiast
Pros:
Nice screen
Lots of ports
Good size
Very pretty color
Backlit keyboard
2 in 1 hinge
Nice screen
Lots of ports
Good size
Very pretty color
Backlit keyboard
2 in 1 hinge
Cons:
Odd port placement
Full SD slot instead of micro (matter of personal preference)
Dim keyboard backlight
Odd port placement
Full SD slot instead of micro (matter of personal preference)
Dim keyboard backlight
This Dell Inspiron is a great productivity device. It has more than enough power to tackle web surfing, word processing, video calls, and most other tasks that you might want to throw at it.
It has a good assortment of ports with both older USB type-A and newer USB type-C ports. The type C ports are placed a little oddly as they're all on the left side of the device. I would have preferred a more even balance along the left and right sides. This is a minor issue though.
I'm thrilled that this device has an SD slot, but I'm a little dismayed that it's full SD. I'm the type of person to drop in a micro-SD card for extra storage and never remove it. For me, a smaller card with a lower profile is welcome. Other use cases may welcome the presence of a full size slot though.
The screen is just the right size to feel big without feeling too big. Colors are nice and saturated.
The entire device is a pretty blue color. It's vivid enough to be eye-catching without being obnoxious.
The keyboard is backlit (a very welcome addition), but the keyboard backlighting doesn't feel terribly bright at its highest setting. It's perfectly adequate though.
The 2 in 1 hinge feels strong and robust, but it can be a little finicky to get it positioned "just right."
This is a solid laptop for productivity with lots of great features. I strongly recommend it for students and professionals.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share this review:
0points
0of 0voted this as helpful.
Be dialed in—all the time, everywhere and anywhere—with the Acer Chromebook 315. Recognized as the perfect multi-media companion, this special machine is super thin, extra light and delivers unmatched value in today’s fast-paced, technology-driven world. It features an impressive HDR camera, fast wireless connectivity and a long-lasting battery life, so you can run your favorite Google apps or access your photos, videos, music,documents-(Protective sleeve included with purchase)
Customer Rating
4
Solid Chromebook for students
on April 22, 2023
Posted by: TechEnthusiast
Pros:
Large Screen
Touchscreen
Lots of ports
Full-size keyboard
Large Screen
Touchscreen
Lots of ports
Full-size keyboard
Cons:
Lack of micro-SD slot
Limited storage
“Plasticy” build (though it still looks quite nice)
Colors on the screen look a little muted
Lack of micro-SD slot
Limited storage
“Plasticy” build (though it still looks quite nice)
Colors on the screen look a little muted
This Acer Chromebook has a nice large screen, a full-size keyboard (with a number pad), and enough processing power to handle most everyday tasks. It’s perfectly set up for students.
The screen is nice and large. I found that it comfortably held two browser windows side by side. This is very useful for when you have a document in one window and a chat window of some type open at the same time in another window.
The touchscreen is very useful as well and helps for navigating android apps that aren’t fully optimized for Chromebooks.
The color on the screen isn’t the most saturated that I’ve ever seen. This isn’t going to be a great device for watching movies on (adequate, but not great). Still, it’s acceptable enough for typing up documents and spreadsheets.
The keyboard is a good size and quite comfortable to type on.
The port selection is quite generous with both USB type-A and type-C ports. I was disheartened to discover that this Chromebook doesn’t include a micro-SD card. Given the limited storage space, I view this as a major mistake on Acer’s part. The only ways to supplement storage on this device are cloud solutions, flash drives, and external hard drives. I’m not thrilled by this as I prefer to keep a large assortment of offline media files on hand without having things sticking out from all of the ports.
The onboard storage is sufficient but not overly impressive. I was able to install all of my usual apps to this device without issue, and I have a fair amount of space leftover if I need to install a few more later.
The build quality isn’t terrific. The device feels very light, “plasticy,” and hollow. I wasn’t expecting a magnesium alloy shell at this price point, but I did figure that they might reinforce the plastic shell with some heavier metal bits.
In summary, if you're looking for a workhorse Chromebook for home or school; then this would be an excellent choice for you. The limited storage, and lack of a micro-SD slot, are really my only real concerns with this device. If you can work within these constraints, then this would be an excellent device for you.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share this review:
+3points
6of 9voted this as helpful.
TechEnthusiast's Review Comments
TechEnthusiast has not submitted comments on any reviews.
TechEnthusiast's Questions
TechEnthusiast has not submitted any questions.
The Ninja Foodi Dual Heat Air Fry Oven gives you versatility in the kitchen with 11-in-1 functionality from Air Fry and Sear Crisp to Rapid Bake and Toast. With Dual Heat Technology, unlock up to 500°F cyclonic air and a directly heated SearPlate, which allow for fast cooking and restaurant-worthy results. Cook up your favorites and then flip the oven up and away to reclaim your counter space.
What settings do you use to reheat on this? It seems to be missing the reheat and dehydrate functions. Are there manual work arounds for each?
Not all models include the reheat and dehydrate functions (though all models get the same instruction manual which causes some confusion).
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any manual workarounds for this.
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any manual workarounds for this.
2 years, 3 months ago
by
TechEnthusiast
SoloCam L40 2K is a completely standalone security cam that you can access via your app. No need for a Homebase, or wires, as SoloCam is completely wire-free and battery-powered, so you don't have to mess with anything. Every eufy Security product is engineered to ensure your security data is kept private. Have peace of mind that you will have a secure record of everything that happens around your home. Adjust the brightness and color temperature of the spotlight in case you don’t want to wake the neighbors. Takes just minutes to install the mount using a drill and the included pack of screws. No wires or cords needed. Chat to anyone passing by—invited or not—and hear their response up to 8 meters away in real-time via SoloCam L40’s two-way audio. Connect SoloCam L40 to the Google Assistant or Alexa for complete hands-free control of your home security. Designed to protect your home as well as your wallet, SoloCam L40 is a one-time purchase that combines security with convenience. Only receive the alerts which matter. Customize the area in which detection takes place to suit your home.
Up to what distance it will detect Human detection only?
I don't know the "official" answer to this, but I have it aimed down a rather long driveway, and it only detects people about a 1/3 of the way down it. Past that, it doesn't trigger any notifications at all.
If I had to guess, I'd estimate that its range is somewhere around 15-20 feet.
If I had to guess, I'd estimate that its range is somewhere around 15-20 feet.
2 years, 6 months ago
by
TechEnthusiast
Harness your PC's potential with the 980. Whether you need a boost for gaming or a seamless workflow for heavy graphics, the 980 is a smart choice for outstanding SSD performance — and it's all backed by an NVMe* interface and PCIe 3.0 technology.
Is this compatible with Acer nitro 5 gaming laptop?
I have one of the earliest models of the Nitro 5, and it installed in mine just fine. Couple warnings though: If you want to refresh your operating system after installing it (recommended to avoid hardware glitches), you'll need to remove any additional hard drives (otherwise it errors out). Another thing: after refreshing the operating system, it will only recognize the SSD until you install all of the Windows updates. After installing the updates, any secondary drives will show up again.
2 years, 11 months ago
by
TechEnthusiast
Pixel 4a with 5G is the budget-friendly, super fast phone from Google. It has the helpful stuff you need in a phone, with an extra boost of 5G speed.*
Does this model support Dual SIM?
No. Unfortunately, this model only has a single SIM slot.
3 years, 5 months ago
by
TechEnthusiast
Pair Surface Go Type Cover with Surface Go* for a full keyboard experience anywhere. Ultra-compact, yet it includes a complete mechanical keyset, backlit keys, and extra-large trackpad. Plus, three colors are covered in rich Alcantara material¹ for an added touch of luxury and comfort.
What is the power source for the Microsoft Surface Go type cover?
The tablet itself powers the keyboard. The keyboard connects to the Surface Go via tiny pogo pins on the bottom of the tablet. These pins transmit both power and data. Because of this, the keyboard doesn't require any additional power source; and you don't have to play with Bluetooth settings or anything to pair the keyboard to the tablet.
3 years, 9 months ago
by
TechEnthusiast
Your perfect everyday companion. Surface Go 2 is perfect for keeping up and winding down - delivering tablet portability with laptop versatility, long battery life, a stunning touchscreen, and Windows security for the whole family. Browse, shop, and manage email with ease, relax with your favorite TV shows, and much more.
Can this unit be connected to Verizon?
No. This particular version of the Surface Go 2 tablet doesn't have a SIM card slot for LTE connectivity.
3 years, 9 months ago
by
TechEnthusiast
Enjoy hours of reliability and speed with this HP Pavilion desktop. Its AMD Ryzen 5 processor and 12GB of RAM let you accomplish multiple tasks at the same time, and its 1TB hard drive provides plenty of space for file storage. This HP Pavilion desktop comes with a wired keyboard and mouse for interacting with Windows 10 Home.
Does this computer burn CDs.
Yes. This computer has a disc drive for burning CDs and DVDs.
5 years, 9 months ago
by
TechEnthusiast
Garmin Speak™ Plus with Amazon Alexa is what you love about Amazon Alexa, now in your vehicle. Use voice control for hands-free access to music, news, navigation and more. Plus, a built-in dash cam gives you forward collision and lane departure warnings.
How can dash cam footage be accessed? Is there cloud storage for the dashcam footage? If there's cloud storage, how much data/hour would the dashcam footage use? Alternatively, can video quality be adjusted to lower bandwidth usage?
Footage is stored on the micro-SD card inserted in the camera itself.
It can be accessed from the Speak app after you download the VIRB app. Note that while you need the VIRB app to access the footage, you can't view the photos directly from the VIRB app. You instead go back to the Speak app so that it can open the VIRB app and display the photos and videos (I know, it's an incredibly silly process).
If you try to open the VIRB app directly, it will tell you that it can't locate your camera.
It can be accessed from the Speak app after you download the VIRB app. Note that while you need the VIRB app to access the footage, you can't view the photos directly from the VIRB app. You instead go back to the Speak app so that it can open the VIRB app and display the photos and videos (I know, it's an incredibly silly process).
If you try to open the VIRB app directly, it will tell you that it can't locate your camera.
6 years, 2 months ago
by
TechEnthusiast
Only at Best BuyFind your favorite songs with the simple sound of your voice with this Insignia voice-activated wireless speaker. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity let you pair with compatible devices for more enjoyment, and Google Assistant is included to answer questions or search the internet. This Insignia voice-activated wireless speaker features a compact footprint and brilliant display.
Now that Google has released the ability to make calls can this model make calls also?
Not yet. Apparently it can make your phone ring if you misplace it and ask it to call your own phone, but it can't make domestic calls yet. Hopefully they'll add this functionality soon.
6 years, 2 months ago
by
TechEnthusiast
Only at Best Buy Dell Inspiron Convertible 2-in-1 Laptop: Enjoy the convenience of a tablet or the functionality of a computer with this Dell Inspiron Starlord laptop. The 15-inch touch screen makes viewing the small details on websites simple, and the Intel Core processor keeps the computer running commands quickly. This Dell Inspiron Starlord laptop has a backlit keyboard so you can type in the dark.
Just got this. During initial setup it asked to update Windows so I did, and it said something on the laptop wasn't compatible with Windows so it couldn't update. Is that normal for a brand new laptop? Also it gets VERY hot in 10 minutes of just Facebook.
I had the same problem with heat when I first got this laptop. If you go to the Dell support site for this laptop, they have an automated system check and driver update that works wonders. I'll warn you that you will have to hunt a little on the site to find it. I'm afraid that Best Buy won't allow me to send you a link to the page.
After running it, my heat issue was fixed completely; and the laptop runs at a nice ambient temperature now.
I'm not sure why you got an error about something not being compatible with Windows update, but you might want to try running Dell's system check first and then try it again.
After running it, my heat issue was fixed completely; and the laptop runs at a nice ambient temperature now.
I'm not sure why you got an error about something not being compatible with Windows update, but you might want to try running Dell's system check first and then try it again.
6 years, 9 months ago
by
TechEnthusiast