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- First reviewJune 1, 2014
- Last reviewApril 20, 2024
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- First answerFebruary 28, 2015
- Last answerNovember 21, 2021
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Meet the world’s only high-speed smart toaster. Say goodbye to slow toast, burnt toast, dry toast, uneven toast, toast that gets stuck and toast you have to toast again. The Revolutionary InstaGLO heating system reaches full glow in two seconds, with no preheating. Faster toasting delivers tastier results – crunchy outside, flavorful and moist inside. The smart touchscreen gives you control over your perfect toastyness level so your bread, bagel, English muffin, frozen waffle or toaster pastry comes out just the way you want it. Includes new mode for our Panini Press accessory. Make melty sandwiches and quesadillas faster and easier than ever before. (Panini Press accessory sold separately). Let’s toast!
Posted by: pillboy
from Eden Prairie, MN
Three hundred dollars for a toaster…hmmmmmm. For years, no, decades, I have longed for a toaster that will brown bread and Eggos (I’m a simple man) evenly and to the same degree on both sides without my having to flip over the item. I had HIGH hopes for this toaster.
I have to admit, this is the first toaster where I have sat down and read the instruction manual that came with it. The Quick Start Guide tells you everything you really need to know and there is probably only one thing unintuitive that you need to know to use the Revolution Cooking R180 High-Speed Smart Toaster. That one thing is the sequence of touches that need to be made for the toaster to activate the “Start” button.
Some initial observations are that the toaster’s cord is flat and quite stiff which complicates cord management a bit since a toaster is usually left on the kitchen counter to be used every day and the cord is readily visible. To the design team - a round cord that is more flexible would be appreciated, maybe even where you could store the excess on the bottom of the toaster. Also a 90-degree plug would make for a neater appearance on a kitchen counter - in my instance the toaster sits on a 12 inch wide section of counter and has to be backed up against the electrical receptacle when not in use. The instructions state there is a clear protective covering on the touchscreen that is to be removed, but I could not find an edge to easily peel it up - adding a nice big tab to it would make it easier to remove. I still haven’t been able to get it off - but maybe my sample didn’t even have one to begin with, I can’t tell. This toaster is roughly the same size as what I have been using and is noticeably heavier, but that shouldn’t really be a concern. The touchscreen is approximately 3” by 6” and easy to use. It responds well and fairly quickly to commands. However I did find that I had to make a fairly decisive stab at the screen with my finger to “wake” it up from the resting clock screen sometimes. It would have been nice if the date was a little larger on the clock screen so you could read it from across the room. If you don’t have either the digital or analog clock showing at rest, the display shows a Revolution Cooking logo. The toaster does not have Wi-Fi built in which at this price point surprises me as so many things have this capability and who knows, once it gets in wide release and the company receives more feedback they may want to change some of the programming algorithms. The overall design of the R180 is modern and stylish and will go well with any kitchen decor. I had one guest over in the week since I received the toaster and she did notice and comment on the analog clock appearing on the toaster.
My testing was done with a quality white bread (to easier see the browning) that is available in the Midwest, national-brand frozen waffles, a national-brand frozen pastry, and a regional refrigerator case bagel brand.
The toaster has programs for “bread”, “waffle”, “English muffin”, “bagel”, and “pastry” (these appear as little pictures of the products on the touchscreen). There are also additional settings for “fresh”, “frozen”, and “reheat” - the reheat setting appears to just run the heating elements for 15 seconds to put a little warmth back into the food rather than browning it any further. And then there are seven levels of “toasting”. The little pictures actually change appearance when you choose a toasting level and they are pretty accurate when compared to what you will see come out of the toaster - at least with bread. When in use, the screen displays “Heating”, “Browning”, and “Crisping” functions during some of the cycles. I could discern no visual difference in the intensity of the heating elements, but that doesn’t mean that they weren’t varying their heat output, I just couldn’t tell. The elements going on and off did not seem to coincide with any of the on-screen messages, but this comes into play when obtaining the same level of browning to both sides of toast. I also noticed that when a product is lowered into the toaster, that the grates that move in from either side will usually center the product between the heating elements, but for some products such as bagels, they position it off center and farther away from the center heating elements so that the cut face isn’t as prone to burn. There is more going on in this toaster than what meets the eye.
For the bread, I made toast using each of the seven darkness settings starting with room temperature bread and letting the toaster cool down in between uses. I made one piece of toast at a time using the same slot on the toaster. I then took a group photo of all seven slices, first showing the side facing the center heating element and then I flipped them over showing the side that faced the outer heating element. At all seven settings, the side of the bread facing the center heating element was slightly darker than the side facing the outside heating element, even though the center heating elements of the toaster turn off at least 15 seconds before the outer elements do. I then made a slice of toast with my old toaster and compared it to the closest result from the Revolution. The R180 was much more consistent at browning the toast evenly on both sides than my old toaster, so it appears turning off the inner heating elements does indeed accomplish what is intended of this feature. I timed each of the seven settings from the moment I pressed the start button until the bread was fully raised by the automatic mechanism. The times ranged from 1 minute and 20 seconds for the “1” setting, to 2 minutes and 32 seconds for the “7” setting. I also timed my old toaster. The Revolution was indeed faster, but not by a whole lot. At setting “4” it took 1 minute and 45 seconds to make toast and a comparable browning using my old toaster took 1 minute and 58 seconds from the time I pushed down the manual lever until the toast popped up. I’m not so sure I would consider this slightly faster performance (11% faster) to be significant in anyone’s morning routine. Both slots of the toaster were consistent with each other for the amount of browning of the bread. Running the toaster in quick succession with no downtime between heatings resulted in shorter and shorter run times which implies that the programming is more than a simple timer and takes into account the body of the appliance heating up and resulting in it needing less time to toast bread to the same darkness. On the sixth cycle, the toaster stopped much short of the previous time and the display showed “recalibrating” and the touchscreen would not respond. The User Manual makes no mention of this situation, but things started working normally after the toaster cooled down for a bit. The bread was very consistently browned during these rapid-fire toasting cycles. The time for these cycles while getting shorter were not consistent in length which surprised me. If the heating cycle was based solely on time, it should have had the same toasting time with each use, so maybe there is some other factor at play. The prompts for emptying the crumb tray appear to be related to the number of cycles rather than a sensor that detects debris on the tray as it prompted for emptying in the middle of my running multiple cycles with no food items in the toaster.
The browning and heating of the Revolution R180 proved to be superior to my traditional-style, less sophisticated toaster, but do these improvements make any difference in the enjoyment of the food? I found the toast it produced from fresh, room-temperature bread to be noticeably dry and crunchier compared to that made in the old toaster which was slightly crunchy on the outside and tender in the middle. The round, frozen waffles were overly browned in the center and slightly soggy around their perimeter on some settings - but this might be due to the “cupping” of the frozen product as it came out of the package. Again, I preferred the texture of what came out of my old toaster. Even after multiple tries with the frozen waffles, I was not able to replicate the combination of brownness, texture, and mouth-feel to what my old toaster produced. Bagels did work quite nicely. You insert the bagel half with the cut side facing the inside heating element which heats during the whole cycle. The outside element runs for only the first part of the heating cycle to put some warmth into the opposite side of the bagel without browning that side. I had mixed results with the frozen pastry. I usually make these by running them through two cycles in my old toaster at a lower darkness setting so that the gooey interior of the pastry gets warmed sufficiently without overly browning the flaky outside of the product. I had trouble obtaining the same result with the Revolution toaster when having it run a particular algorithm for just one cycle. Some of these observations are entirely subjective and of personal preference. I only mention it so that a new purchaser is aware that results might not be to their usual expectations and that they will likely have to run some trials to find what works best for the particular food product they use and having it made to their liking.
I’m having a hard time deciding on a star rating for this appliance. Yes, it does what a toaster is supposed to do, it heats and browns food, the minimum you would expect any toaster to do. It does so in style and with the novel feature of a touchscreen AND most importantly, it is superiorly capable of browning both sides of bread more consistently than traditional toasters, and it has a clock - now up to four stars. It does cost $300 and that puts it way out of reach of many shoppers, so that keeps it at four stars. As much as I would like to give it five stars, the high price prevents me from doing so.
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I would recommend this to a friend!
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+48points
57of 66voted this as helpful.
Keep a visual record of your visitors with this eufy Security wireless video doorbell. Advanced WDR and distortion correction technologies help ensure your 2K video recordings come out clearly, and a 180-day battery life provides long-lasting performance. This weatherproof eufy Security video doorbell offers military-grade AES-256 data encryption to protect your footage during transition and storage.
Posted by: pillboy
from Eden Prairie, MN
The eufy Video Doorbell 2K (Battery Powered) Set comes to you as a base station and the doorbell/camera as the two major components — assorted fasteners and cords are also included. The one major thing missing (at least it was “major” for me), is a “mounting wedge” to aid in mating the doorbell to the siding on the house. At this time (May 2020) eufy doesn’t offer one as an accessory as some competing doorbells do, but I found what I needed on that well-known online auction site. With all of the many variations on siding styles it can be hard for a manufacturer to supply the all the parts that any and every customer might need. Resourceful do-it-yourselfers should have no issues, but some other buyers might need to hire a “handyman” to do the installation of the exterior doorbell.
We have a “security system” in the house from a well known company (begins with “H”) and the phone app that they supply has been nothing but problematic, glitchy and generally “sucky” since day-one. The app that eufy has developed for this video doorbell and security system has been nothing short of wonderful. Being in my early sixties, I am no techie nerd, but I am not a complete newbie either when it comes to this stuff. The team working on this product has their act together and made this thing work correctly before pushing it out the door prematurely. There are quite a number of settings for both the doorbell and the base station to allow you to tailor the devices to your needs and the particular situation they will be used in — I am still experimenting with these variables. The video from the doorbell’s camera is clear, nicely color-balanced and very “usable” even on the smallish screen of my iPhone 8. The video doesn’t stutter or freeze, the saved “events” are organized logically and they are easy and quick to retrieve. The night vision of the camera is exceptional. Both my wife and I set up an account with eufy and this way we both get notifications on our phones. There is also a eufy Security app in the Mac App Store which I installed on my MacBook. This app is not at all like the mobile app, and it has more to do with managing and storing downloaded video clips from the base station. There is no “live view” from the camera that I can find nor are you able to answer the door if someone rings the bell. It would be nice if this app had the same functionality as the phone app so I could monitor things while I am using the computer without having to have my phone nearby.
Anker Innovations is the parent company and I’m sure many people are familiar with Anker’s computer and phone accessories. We have had their products in our house for many years and I have never had an issue with any of them. The eufy line of products consists of many security related items such as external cameras, and door and motion sensors, and allows a user to expand this basic security set into a really complete system. After researching it, I was surprised to learn just how extensive the eufy product line is. The best part of this system is that the base station contains 16GB of local, self-contained storage and there is no ongoing monthly fee to pay to access your video clips that are saved.
This Battery-Powered version of eufy’s video doorbell claims up to 180 days between charges of the built-in battery. I hooked mine up to my existing doorbell wiring mainly for aesthetics since there were holes in my permanent siding from the old doorbell and a wire sticking out. The availability of having a wireless system will undoubtedly be useful and desirable to some customers where running wiring would be impossible or expensive. This also allows the doorbell to activate my existing chime. The base station has a built-in electronic chime, so you could position it elsewhere in the house in an area where you might not hear the main chime.
This doorbell also features two-way audio so you can acknowledge someone at your door whether you are at home or not. Both my wife and I found the volume out at the doorbell a little weak even when the volume is set to maximum. I wear hearing aids, but she still has really good hearing and she said it is a little soft. The volume is sufficient in a quiet suburban setting, but I suspect it might not be loud enough in a busy city location.
This system also interfaces with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, neither of which I can comment on as we don’t use them. A downside for some people is the inability to integrate with an IFTTT system — I don’t need this feature but when discussing the eufy system with a friend he pointed this out as a downside for himself.
The packaging states that the doorbell is IP65 Weatherproof and can work in temperature extremes from -4°F to 122°F. I live in Minnesota, so we’ll see how this functions next winter when we see some temperatures in the teens below zero. I’m not sure if this specification is related to the electronics working in these temps or if it is related only to the batteries — being I have the doorbell hardwired it might be a moot point. The doorbell is designed to be water resistant so it can be mounted in locations that are unprotected from the rain.
I experienced no issues during set-up of the system, app installation, or connectivity of the devices. The hardware all has a real quality feel to it. The doorbell itself has a nice heft to it which can cause an orientation issue when attached to vinyl siding which is rather flimsy by design. If there is any “slop” in the siding, hanging this somewhat heavy device on it might cause it to lean forward at the top and it could be enough to affect the field of view that the camera sees.
I am new to the home video surveillance game and am somewhat uneducated when it comes to feature sets of all of the competing systems that are on the market. I have been interested in getting one of these devices for some time now, but was put off by the need to subscribe to a service. The eufy Security system has done away with this requirement and that alone was enough to entice me to install this system. Anyone with similar feelings should not be disappointed by this system based on my admittedly limited experience so far, but poorly designed products, either hardware or software, usually manifest their shortcomings almost immediately, and I have found none with this product. Based on what I have experienced so far, I have no reservations about recommending the eufy Security system to anyone looking to dip their toes into this type of technology.
For those of you still reading this far, I want to mention a few issues I had when it came to installing the doorbell on my 35 year old house with typical vinyl siding — those of you without vinyl siding can stop at this point. This doorbell is HUGE compared to the traditional doorbell your house probably currently has mounted by your front door. For me, this caused a few issues with my vinyl siding. The sheathing under my siding is what is generically called “structural fiberboard” and is basically ground up wood fiber with wax and resin to hold it together — it is not as structurally sound as plywood or oriented strand board sheathing and does not hold fasteners well, but is a widely used product. This means that the screws used to hold the doorbell onto the wall have very little to grip onto — really just the thin vinyl of the siding — and it would take very little to rip the doorbell away from my siding. The mounting bracket that the doorbell snaps into is about 5 inches tall…and my siding is 4-inch lap siding. This means that the doorbell bracket extends onto two “laps” of the siding. Which means the doorbell can’t really be mounted plumb without some sort of spacer between the doorbell bracket and the siding — this is usually referred to as a “mounting wedge” and one side of it is contoured to match the profile of the house siding. Other video doorbell manufacturers offer a mounting wedge as an optional accessory. I could not find this available from eufy, but did find a entrepreneur making them with a 3D printer specifically for the eufy battery-powered doorbell and designed to fit 4-inch lap vinyl siding — this source does offer mounting wedges for other styles of siding. One thing that did go my way was that I had to use the wire extensions that eufy provides in this kit and the mounting wedge has a cavity in the middle of it which provided space for the excess wire and the wire nuts to reside in once everything is assembled and mounted. If you have a plumb, smooth, area made of real wood or cement board, and it is where your current doorbell is mounted, life will be much easier when mounting any video doorbell. My main concern with the installation is that my permanent siding is already 25 years old and will easily last another 25 years, and like virtually every electronic product out there, video doorbells are a device I do not expect to last 20 years. My intent when mounting it was to minimize the additional holes I put into my siding and to also have the ability to revert back to a traditional doorbell in the future and have it cover any holes in the siding — simply for aesthetics. My doorbell was located about six inches from my door frame and vinyl siding usually terminates into a “J-channel” where the siding abuts doors and windows. There is slop built into vinyl siding parts to allow for expansion and contraction of the siding with temperature changes. I had to slip in a couple small clear plastic shims where the siding by the doorbell met with the J-channel. This was needed to keep the doorbell somewhat plumb because its weight would make the siding sag and the doorbell droop forward affecting the camera’s field of view. For me, mounting the doorbell in a way that pleased me and allowed for intended functionality took way more time than all of the other parts of setting this system up.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+7points
11of 15voted this as helpful.
Catch memorable moments in 4K quality with this Canon M6 EOS Mark II camera kit. Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functionality enable easy sharing of your 32.5MP photos, while the 14 fps burst mode and AF/AE tracking keep up with the demands of high-speed shooting. This Canon EOS M6 Mark II camera kit includes a 15-45mm lens for stunning close-ups..
Customer Rating
5
One Of If Not The Best
on December 25, 2019
Posted by: pillboy
from Eden Prairie, MN
As much as I love this little camera, if you are looking for a simple point-and-shoot that requires a minimum amount of effort, look elsewhere. However, if you are serious about getting into photography as a hobby and are tired of the picture quality of your smartphone, read on, as this is a perfect kit for you or a wonderful gift for someone with similar aspirations.
This Canon M6 Mark II is an amazing little “jewel” to hold and explore. It contains a “Creative Filter” mode that smartphone users have come to enjoy and expect. I too have used my iPhone for many photo needs, but I am quite often put off by the wide-angle cartoonish distortion, noisy low-light graininess of the images, and digital-only zoom capability. Anyone who cares at all about the photographic history of their life owes it to themselves to invest in a real camera and spend the time needed to properly operate it and reap the full benefit of its capabilities. While the paper “Getting Started” guide that is packed with this camera contains 29 pages in English, the digital manual, online at Canon’s web site is 606 pages long, chock full of information on what this little powerhouse of a camera can do.
If you are contemplating a purchase at this price point, you are either an enthusiast that might have a bit of an investment in photo equipment and will probably buy based on the brand of that equipment so that you can utilize lenses you already own or you are ready to jump in head first and will choose what best fits your perceived needs. If you are one of the latter, you will not be disappointed in this Canon. It takes first rate still pictures at 32 megapixels thus allowing you the luxury of cropping and still being able to enlarge the image and having a shot you can be proud to share and display. Combine that with 4K video capability…4K…at home…boggles my mind…and you have what you need to become your own director. Throw this up on a 4K capable television and all I can say is stunning…absolutely stunning. What this does compared to tech I grew up with and grew old with is simply amazing. Still photos taken at 14 frames-per-second! No more “missed” shots, or imperfect timing. The 4K video is at 30 frames-per-second and full High-Def at 60 fps! There is supposed to be an upcoming firmware update to allow 24 fps for videophiles that prefer that frame-rate which is the same as the motion picture industry uses. That makes for video that we are already accustomed to viewing as the eye can perceive the subtle difference in appearance between 24 and 30 frames-per-second.
I’m going to touch on a few of the many positives of this Canon first. The LCD screen on the back of the camera is a touchscreen which, if you have ever slogged through menus using a directional pad (cross keys) and the “Set” button, is a godsend. The screen on the M6 Mark II is so easy to use that it is just as responsive as that on any smartphone I have ever used. Now combine that with the fact that the screen tilts to give you flexibility in how and where you hold the camera to frame a shot - down low or up high over a crowd. The screen even folds up over the camera body 180 degrees so that you can see it from the front of the camera for taking selfies! This camera has the right amount of “hard button” controls, dials and switches and buttons, to make using it a real pleasure. It can be a little intimidating at first, but the more you use it, the more intuitive it becomes. Your fingers fall right into place to make using the controls simply by feel, become second nature in just a short time. And even more goodness is the ability to custom program just about all of the buttons and dials to the functions you desire and use frequently. This kind of custom tailoring makes using the camera so mush easier as you can “build” it to your liking. For those with some idea about basic camera functions, the M6 has two shutters, an electronic shutter that is typically found on mirrorless cameras and a mechanical shutter which is usually found on single-lens reflex cameras. Both types of shutters have their own pros and cons, which is too involved to discuss here, but it is advantageous to have both types of shutters. The electronic shutter can shoot form 1/16000th of a second to 30 seconds and the mechanical shutter from 1/4000th of a second to 30 seconds. An ISO range of 100 to 25600 gives you the ability to shoot in low light conditions without using a flash. These specs are just amazing. The body and electronic view finder (EVF) hardware are made in Japan and the lens in this kit was manufactured in Taiwan. To take nothing away from the lens (although it appears to be mostly plastic/composite construction, thus lightness), the quality of the feel and appearance of the body are about as close to excellence as you can get in my opinion and are so pleasant to hold and manipulate - I just love the feel of well made hardware.
There is a single slot for an SD memory card and it is located under the same door on the bottom plate as the battery. Pro-grade cameras usually have two memory card slots, but I doubt even the serious amateurs will miss the second slot. The user manual states that there is no size limit to the memory cards the camera can support. The camera supports the newest UHS-II cards (Ultra High Speed), but I was able to record 4K video with an UHS-I card with no issues. The manual states to use UHS-II memory cards when you plan to shoot RAW format images in burst mode (these are large files that have to be saved very quickly). To watch playback on your big-screen TV, you will need to purchase a cable that is HDMI Type-A on one end (the TV end) and HDMI Type-D (the camera end). These are available for a reasonable price from the aftermarket. There are eight Canon EF-M lenses available that range from 11mm focal length to 200mm - in 35mm camera-speak that is from 18mm (wide angle) to 320mm (telephoto), where 50mm is a “normal” lens…it sees the scene the way the human eye sees it. If you have never had a camera system with interchangeable lens capability, you will be amazed at the wide scope of functionality it affords you, especially over using your smartphone. The variety of OEM lenses are prime (single, fixed focal length), zoom (multiple magnifications from wide angle to telephoto), and even a macro lens for extreme close-ups. After buying full-frame lenses for my DSLR, it is a treat to look at the reasonable prices for these M-Series lenses. This 15-45mm lens that comes in the kit has a sliding button on the barrel of the lens that needs to be used while slightly rotating the lens to enable the use of it. While I had never seen this before and found it a little cumbersome at first, I quickly became accustomed to it. Not all of the Canon lenses incorporate this feature, however.
Now for the things I was slightly less than enthused about. The electronic view finder is basically a tiny LCD screen that you put your eye up to rather than looking at the large LCD screen on the back of the camera at arm’s length. This mainly helps you to compose shots when you are in bright sunlight that washes out the big LCD screen and also lets you concentrate on composition with less distractions. On the M6 Mark II this little view finder is an extra piece of hardware that attaches to the camera on the hot shoe accessory attachment point. This means two things, you have another piece of equipment to carry around in case you need it and it uses up the hot shoe spot meaning you cannot simultaneously use an accessory flash or other hot shoe-mounted item like an external microphone for video recording. It also makes the camera look less sleek in appearance, but at the same time it keeps the body dimensions at an absolute minimum. This EVF also has some excessive color saturation and the scenes you are looking at are more vivid than they naturally appear to be - probably a minor issue at worst. And speaking of using a flash, the camera has a built-in pop-up flash. However this flash does not automatically deploy from the its hiding spot when needed like on some other cameras, but you have to push a mechanical switch on the side of the camera for it to extend. I guess the nice thing about that is that you don’t have the flash inadvertently firing for a scene where you want just ambient lighting. This is different than what I am used to, so it might not be a negative for some people. The flash can also be manually pushed up with a finger on your left hand to make the light bounce off the ceiling for softer lighting with less harsh shadows, a handy feature. The battery gauge on the display is a simple three segment icon that looks like a little AA battery. I would have hoped for a digital battery-percentage remaining like I am used to seeing on my cell phone so that it might give me a more realistic expectation of existing battery life. Battery life is not as good as some other cameras, but this is going to be strictly a function of physical size of the battery and how much the user utilizes the main LCD screen.
If I was shopping for an advanced-amateur camera today, I would have to give serious consideration to choosing the Canon M6 Mark II over my digital single-lens reflex, thus saving myself a bunch of cash and making it so much easier to take the whole system with me when traveling or going out in the field on a shoot for fun. This Canon is currently one of the most advanced and feature-filled mirrorless cameras on the market and one that will provide the average user with plenty to grow into as their skills develop. Your future self will thank you for the fantastic photographic memories that this camera will provide in the years to come. Don’t waste any more special moments and events using only a smartphone to record them.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+4points
5of 6voted this as helpful.
Keep your computers, phones, and tablets in peak performance with this AVG software. AVG TuneUp will help you free up precious disk space, remove unnecessary junk files, and get your devices running smoother and faster than before.
Customer Rating
5
Seamless and Intuitive
on December 7, 2019
Posted by: pillboy
from Eden Prairie, MN
I have used a few software products over the years that purported to improve performance of a computer by “cleaning up” junk files and freeing up space by ridding the machine of files not needed, such as duplicates and temporaries. Some of these programs were free, some were obtained through purchasing the product as a CD-ROM and the most recent ones were a subscription downloaded from the company’s web site and usable for a specific length of time. The AVG TuneUp Premium product is the latter, a one-year subscription that can be installed on up to five different pieces of hardware. We are currently using it on an Apple MacBook Pro and a couple other laptops, both running Windows 10.
The download was obtained using a product key and after creating a user account on AVG’s web site. The one issue I had with installation was on the MacBook. When I opened the installation file that downloaded, it wanted to take me to the Mac App Store rather than AVG’s web site for the download. I had to do a bit of fiddling to overcome this, but it didn’t take long. Installation on the Windows machines went smooth.
The AVG TuneUp application was formerly called AVG Performance PRO. This is the first experience I have had with an AVG product although I have been aware of the company’s presence in the marketplace for quite awhile and from what I can tell they are a respected provider of a variety of software utilities.
I have seen reviews from professionals for software such as this and they have all sorts of statistics about how performance was enhanced on a variety of machines and to what extent. As an “Everyday Joe” when it comes to stuff like this, I don’t have the expertise to put together a technically designed test like they do. I also don’t possess the tools to measure the minute differences in speed on the computer when doing local tasks such as spreadsheet calculations or other parameters that utilize the local resources on the individual machine where it is not interacting over the internet.
About all I can comment on is installation of the software and the user interface and how efficiently the program goes about the tasks I have asked it to perform. Besides finding the app relatively easy to install, getting it set up and working took a minimal amount of time and I did not have to utilize any internet searches or any of AVG’s support to be able to use TuneUp.
The user interface is extremely easy to use and navigate and the software will not delete anything from your computer without first asking for your authorization to do so. Things are designed so as to not be intimidating for the non-technical user. I felt at ease and “in control” of what was being executed by the TuneUp software. The design of the product was more Apple-like in execution than Windows-like and that can only be a good thing in my mind since even after decades of use, the Windows-based experience can still cause angst for me. Scans happened in a matter of seconds and minutes and were of such short duration that I was never tempted to walk away from the machine even with the initial scan which usually takes longer than subsequent ones.
AVG TuneUp will help you keep your computer clean and running smooth and do it so effortlessly and seamlessly that you will hardly be inconvenienced when using it. I’m not sure what more we can ask of a workhorse, utilitarian piece of software that really should be a part of our day-to-day computer experience.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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-4points
0of 4voted this as helpful.
Get rid of pet hair and paw dirt with this powerful Bissell ICONPet cordless vacuum. A 21.6V LiIon battery delivers 30 minutes of runtime, and a tangle-free brush roll and motorized turbo brush make cleaning a breeze. This Bissell ICONPet cordless vacuum comes with a wall mount holder for simple storage and easy access.
Posted by: pillboy
from Eden Prairie, MN
Having experience with a competitor’s product with an MSRP almost twice the price of this Bissell makes it hard for me to not make the inevitable comparisons between the two, so I’ll try my best to give an unbiased assessment.
The Bissell ICONpet cordless stick vacuum (model 2288X) is nicely made with a quality look and feel to it, especially at its price point. I find it interesting that a lot of manufacturers show their cleaning tool hanging out in the open in their advertising literature intending to showcase their cutting-edge, contemporary design. I’m sorry, but I am not having anyone’s stick vac hanging out in plain sight in my kitchen…maybe the mud room by the garage, but not where guests will see it and supposably ooh and ahh over it. They do get dirty, dusty and scratched with use and never look as good as when they first come out of the box.
The handle on the motor unit of this vacuum has a soft-touch rubber covering on part of the handle which is welcomed as it improves your grip on the unit, but I found the shape of the handle, its relation to the motor unit and how my hand ends up gripping it to be problematic for me. It caused me more discomfort the longer I used it, and I would suggest trying out a display unit in the store if you can to see how it feels to you. Also compare it to differing designs from other manufacturers you might be considering. I think for me the issue is that the motor is below the handle and the weight of it causes my hand to slide on the handle to an area and angle that are uncomfortable for me. Other manufacturers place the motor above the handle which results in a better grip, at least for me (a male that takes a size medium glove).
Since my main use for a vacuum is to pick up as much dirt and dust as possible, my inclination is to use it on its most powerful setting, which also results in the shortest run time. This most powerful setting is what the vacuum defaults to each time you turn it on. You should be able to vacuum 3 to 4 average-sized, carpeted rooms in this length of time even on the high setting. While using the large powerhead on frieze carpet, the ICONpet ran non-stop for me for a full 17 minutes on a full charge. While there is no digital countdown timer to let you know how much battery life remains, there is a three-segment, illuminated battery indicator. Fully charged, it starts off with three segments and when you get close to the end of the charge, the one remaining segment will start flashing to indicate the battery is almost depleted. The manual states it takes about 4 hours to charge completely, but it appeared charging was complete in three hours and ten minutes on my sample. The manual also states that when charging is complete the three-segment battery indicator will be completely lit up solid and not flashing. While this is true, the indicator remains lit up solid for just under ten minutes. Then this battery light flashes once for one second out of every minute. So, if you see the three segments on solid and not flashing, the battery is fully charged, or if you don’t see any segments lit up at all and the charger is connected, the battery is fully charged - you would have to wait for some part of a minute to go by to see the one-second blink of the light. Besides the battery charge indicator (that is illuminated when you are using the vacuum) there are three sets of two lights that indicate what power level you are operating the vacuum at, high, medium or low. These same lights also illuminate in a specific way to show various error codes which are listed in the owners manual.
There are three buttons to control the vacuum - one is the power on/off, then there is the button to select one of three power modes, and lastly there is the release button for the Dirt Tank. These buttons are the same color as the handle they are mounted on (all are black plastic) and the markings are almost non-existent for as visible as they are - they are not illuminated either. This is probably intended to make the vacuum appear sleek, but makes it a little harder for people with less than perfect visual acuity to readily see the buttons and their function markings.
The Dirt Tank (Bissell’s name, capital letters included) has to be removed completely from the motor unit to be emptied and then has to be pulled apart into two separate pieces to discard the debris. Emptying the Dirt Tank is a bit more cumbersome than I would like and is probably the biggest negative this Bissell possesses. There are also two filter mediums that require periodic attention, a motor pre-filter and a motor post-filter. The pre-filter is to be rinsed with water and the instructions suggest to do this after each use. The post-filter is a replaceable, pleated-paper filter that should not be rinsed according to the paper manual that came with the vacuum. The first manual I downloaded from Bissell’s web site states this filter CAN be rinsed with water. It appears a change was made somewhere along the line as a few days later I looked at the online manual and it was changed to match the paper manual. But looking at the instructional video on Bissell’s web site, it states that this filter CAN be rinsed with water as long as it is dried thoroughly before reassembly. The vacuum does not have an indicator to let you know that either filter needs attention.
There are two features of the ICONpet vacuum that I really found useful and enjoyed their incorporation into the design. One is a power switch that does NOT have to be held for the entire time the motor is running. At times I prefer to not have the motor start and stop repeatedly as I reposition my hands on it or move an item in the room. This repeated stop and start is amplified with a powerhead on the unit where you have to wait for it to power up and start spinning again once it stops. The second feature is that two of the included attachments for the ICONpet have built-in LED lighting to help you see what you are doing. The main floor cleaning powerhead has seven LEDs that do a wonderful job of illuminating the floor and I find this most helpful for finding errant items on the floor that you may not want to vacuum up and dispose of, such the back for an earring or something similar. The smaller motorized head which I found is most useful for cleaning furniture does not have any lighting on it. The short crevice tool with integrated (non-powered) brush does have a one-LED light at its tip. My other cordless stick vac does not have any lighting at all and I really miss that when I go back to it.
There is a wall-mount hanger to store the vacuum with three tools, one attached to the vacuum and ports for two other tools on the wall mount, which is the total number of tools it comes with. You do not have to use the wall storage hanger if you don’t want to as the charging cord can be attached without using the wall mount. When the rechargeable battery will no longer hold a usable charge at some point in the future, the owners manual shows you how to remove the battery to properly dispose of it, but it also states “disconnecting the battery will destroy the appliance”. I’m not sure why it couldn’t be designed to have the battery replaced so you could continue to use the vacuum rather than throwing it away, but maybe it has something to do with a limited life expectancy of other parts of the vacuum that make battery replacement questionable.
This vacuum came with three tool attachments, a wall-mount/charging base, charger with cord, and an extension wand (the “stick” in “stick vac”). There are two round traditional-shaped wheels on the main powerhead that is used for floor cleaning. They have rubber treads to make them suitable for use on hard surface flooring, but there is a specific “hard surface brush roll” that is shown as an optional accessory part that this particular model of vacuum did not come with. The powerhead swivels as you “steer” it around furniture and other obstacles on the floor. It swivels easily but only to about a 45 degree angle in either direction which hampers its maneuverability somewhat during use. Bissell touts the brush roll in this head as “Tangle-Free”, and I must say that after using this vac quite a bit, there was nothing wrapped around the roller like I am used to seeing on other units - and we do have a dog. There is a narrower powered head that the literature alludes to using on stairs in addition to furniture, but I found the softer bristles on its brush roll to be less effective in fluffing up the carpet as compared to the stiffer bristles found on the wide powerhead. Neither of the powerheads have any soft edging attached to them to protect baseboards or furniture when rubbing or bumping against them.
The Bissell ICONpet cordless stick vacuum is a solid performer at its price point with nice build quality and very good performance, however it does have a few deficiencies and compromises. Good products can be had at a variety of price points and this Bissell, while not great, is a good value even with a couple of hiccups in the product’s documentation.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+13points
18of 23voted this as helpful.
With BPM Connect, taking your blood pressure at home has never been so convenient. The device provides medically accurate blood pressure and heart rate measurements with immediate color-coded feedback on the device. BPM Connect synchronizes seamlessly via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to the free Health Mate app, where you can see all your data history and share it with your doctor.
Customer Rating
3
Nice Device with a Caveat
on October 24, 2019
Posted by: pillboy
from Eden Prairie, MN
Both myself and my wife have reasons to have a blood pressure machine in our home and for a few years now we have used one by a well known manufacturer that also makes automated, professional equipment for medical facilities. It satisfied our basic needs well, but I was curious to see how one with an eye towards design and style could compete. This product marketed by Withings looks like something Apple would design, sleek and minimalistic.
The BPM Connect has a very compact design which makes it easy to work with and easy to travel with - there is no main electronic/pump unit connected to an arm cuff with a long hose as the control unit is attached directly to the arm cuff. Rather than having an AC adapter (“wall wart”) or using disposable batteries, it contains a rechargeable battery and a cord to recharge it via a USB port. It does not come with a charging block however, but this really shouldn’t be an issue for most people nowadays. I’m not sure how long the battery will last between charges as I wrote this review before I had to recharge the unit. When I unboxed it, I went to charge it right away as virtually every rechargeable product recommends you do, but the BPM came fully charged and thus ready to use right out of the box. The box states “Rechargeable battery lasts up to 6 months”.
The smartphone app that works with Withings health monitoring devices (they have more than just blood pressure monitors) is called Health Mate and it worked flawlessly on my iPhone and I found it very easy to navigate, view the data collected, and learn the basics of the BPM Connect. The app is nicely designed and intuitive to use. While you could use the BPM Connect without utilizing the smartphone app and it would work just fine, the app really gives you a lot of useful features, such as saving data for multiple users (up to 8 - our old machine had a maximum of 2). You have the option of setting up multiple profiles under one account, or creating multiple accounts (for privacy) and have them all linked to the same blood pressure machine. Both ways have their advantages depending on the needs of the users. To fully understand the operations of the monitor and the app, I had to use the information presented in the app and on the web site - the paper instruction manual by itself does not explain all of the features.
Use of the BPM Connect is very straight forward with easy to understand instructions for basic operation in the paper manual, on the app or on the web site. The unit itself has a dot matrix display that scrolls the text when it is longer than the display. To start taking a blood pressure reading, place the cuff on your arm and press the lone button on the unit. It will turn on and after a few seconds display “BP” indicating it is ready to take a measurement. Press the button again and the pump will start inflating the cuff. When the measurement is completed, the display will show your systolic pressure, your diastolic pressure and then your heart rate. It will cycle through these three values three times then move onto the most recent user’s name. You can cycle through all of the different users including “Guest” by a long press on the button. If the last user was “Guest”, the next time the unit is used it does not default to Guest - it will default to the last user that has a profile. I mention this because if you aren’t paying attention you can erroneously save a guest’s data to a regular user’s profile. When you get to your name, quit pressing the button and the unit will display your name a few times and then a check mark displays to indicate the readings have been saved to your profile. The machine then turns itself off.
The readings we obtained from this monitor were very similar to the readings of our older monitor, so I have every reason to believe the accuracy of this Withings device. Our healthcare provider does not accept data transmitted from this device so I can’t comment on that feature.
The Withings BPM Connect is a nicely designed product, easy to use, and convenient for travelers. It comes with a two year warranty which seems generous until my next point. While my review is accurate in my opinion, and generally positive, there is one glaring issue in my mind. In the paper instruction manual in the “Specifications Technical data” section (on page 19), there is an entry labeled “Product Life”, and that product life is stated to be “3 years”. In my opinion a 3 year life expectancy for a product at this price point is somewhat of a disappointment. But with people replacing their smartphones every couple of years and the overall general advancement of technology, maybe that is the new norm. This device works well, works as intended, and seems to be well constructed. My rating of three stars is based upon the limited life expectancy and the fact that this statement is hidden inside the packaging rather than displayed on the outer box so that a shopper could make their buying decision using this information. I would recommend this device only if I made the person aware of the limited life of the unit.
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No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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102of 127voted this as helpful.
Enjoy crisp, powerful sound and flexible operation with these Master & Dynamic wireless headphones. The ear cushions are padded with memory foam and lambskin, making them comfortable for longer wear. These Master & Dynamic wireless headphones come with a built-in noise-isolation mic and Bluetooth, so making hands-free calls is simple.
Customer Rating
5
German Luxury-Car Quality
on August 4, 2019
Posted by: pillboy
from Eden Prairie, MN
I’ve been aware of Master & Dynamic since they came on the scene back in 2014, but have never had an experience with their product. The history on their web site and in Wikipedia is an interesting read if you are an audiophile or just someone who appreciates finely crafted devices. The build quality and the material selection of the MW65 over-the-ear headphone is truly outstanding especially when compared to other manufacturers that use primarily plastic in their products. These headphones will win you over on looks and feel alone, the design being slightly retro with modern styling cues.
The accessories provided would have been everything you need if there had been a charging block included, but this will probably not be missed by most users. The connectors are all universal (USB-C and 3.5mm mini audio) with no proprietary designs which is how it should be in a product designed for customer satisfaction. Included are a USB-C to USB-A adapter and an airplane audio adapter. The USB-C cable is for charging (hence the adapter to accommodate older equipment that do not have USB-C jacks) and an audio cable is included to connect to non-Bluetooth devices or airplane jacks using the included adapter. The charging cable is about 48 inches long and the audio cable just over 36 inches. Both cables have a woven cloth jacket which allows them to uncoil and remain straight without wanting to curl up on their own like some plastic jacketed cables want to do. A travel bag (with a zippered pocket on the outside) is included that will keep the headphones from being scratched, but it does not provide the serious protection that a hard case would. Included instructions are a printed “quick guide” with a full manual on M&D’s website that can be downloaded. The full manual is 180 pages long, but it is in 18 different languages.
Another area where the MW65 really shines in my opinion is in the design of the controls. Some manufacturers use sliding switches that also have a “push” function which results in one control trying to do too many functions and it is hard to remember what movement does what. They are also prone to inadvertently being actuated when you are blindly feeling for the switch while you are wearing the headset. The design staff at M&D have spread functions across five different buttons, two on the left earcup and three on the right earcup. On the left cup is a small slider switch for on/off/pair and another push switch controlling the Active Noise-Cancelling function. On the right cup are three small push buttons that control volume up, volume down and pause/play. Multi presses and long presses of these three buttons also control skip forward, skip back, answer or end call, and access to voice assistants such as Google Assistant or Siri.
Being these are high-end headphones and most media devices (smartphone, music player, computer, etc) now have various EQ choices, I have little to add about the sound quality other than saying that it was better than I was expecting when connected to my two-channel stereo system (old school, no wireless capability, and no equalization to compensate for deficiencies) via the audio cable which really allowed the MW65 to show its true colors as a serious audiophile headphone.
One of the main features called out on the packaging is the ability to interface with Google Assistant. I had never used this service before and when I set up the app on my iPhone, it prompted me to download new firmware for the headphones. The Google Assistant app also shows you certain information about the headphones and allows you to control which apps on your phone can send you spoken notifications through the headphones. For people that prefer to use Siri or other voice assistants, the MW65 has the ability to turn off Google Assistant and change to a different assistant, but I suspect you lose a lot of the information and functionality when using something other than Google Assistant.
For users that are out and about with their headphones, these weigh about 250 grams, or just under 9 ounces. I compared them to two other wireless over-the-ear headphones in the house that are comprised mostly of plastic and vinyl and the Master & Dynamic are only 10 to 15 grams heavier (about 2 or 3 nickels) even though they are made out of premium materials. Bluetooth connectivity remained stable as I walked throughout the house and only started cutting out as I put the maximum number of walls between me and the music source (about six typical residential walls), but it is hard to tell if the reason is the headphones or the media source. The noise cancellation was at least as effective as my other two sets of ANC capable headphones, if not better. These M&D phones have two modes of ANC which is one more than either of the other manufacturers offer.
If the Master & Dynamic MW65 is in your price range when shopping for headphones, you owe it to yourself to give them a “test drive” with your favorite tunes. From my experience they stack up well against what the big players in headphones offer and I can almost guarantee you will not be disappointed.
The accessories provided would have been everything you need if there had been a charging block included, but this will probably not be missed by most users. The connectors are all universal (USB-C and 3.5mm mini audio) with no proprietary designs which is how it should be in a product designed for customer satisfaction. Included are a USB-C to USB-A adapter and an airplane audio adapter. The USB-C cable is for charging (hence the adapter to accommodate older equipment that do not have USB-C jacks) and an audio cable is included to connect to non-Bluetooth devices or airplane jacks using the included adapter. The charging cable is about 48 inches long and the audio cable just over 36 inches. Both cables have a woven cloth jacket which allows them to uncoil and remain straight without wanting to curl up on their own like some plastic jacketed cables want to do. A travel bag (with a zippered pocket on the outside) is included that will keep the headphones from being scratched, but it does not provide the serious protection that a hard case would. Included instructions are a printed “quick guide” with a full manual on M&D’s website that can be downloaded. The full manual is 180 pages long, but it is in 18 different languages.
Another area where the MW65 really shines in my opinion is in the design of the controls. Some manufacturers use sliding switches that also have a “push” function which results in one control trying to do too many functions and it is hard to remember what movement does what. They are also prone to inadvertently being actuated when you are blindly feeling for the switch while you are wearing the headset. The design staff at M&D have spread functions across five different buttons, two on the left earcup and three on the right earcup. On the left cup is a small slider switch for on/off/pair and another push switch controlling the Active Noise-Cancelling function. On the right cup are three small push buttons that control volume up, volume down and pause/play. Multi presses and long presses of these three buttons also control skip forward, skip back, answer or end call, and access to voice assistants such as Google Assistant or Siri.
Being these are high-end headphones and most media devices (smartphone, music player, computer, etc) now have various EQ choices, I have little to add about the sound quality other than saying that it was better than I was expecting when connected to my two-channel stereo system (old school, no wireless capability, and no equalization to compensate for deficiencies) via the audio cable which really allowed the MW65 to show its true colors as a serious audiophile headphone.
One of the main features called out on the packaging is the ability to interface with Google Assistant. I had never used this service before and when I set up the app on my iPhone, it prompted me to download new firmware for the headphones. The Google Assistant app also shows you certain information about the headphones and allows you to control which apps on your phone can send you spoken notifications through the headphones. For people that prefer to use Siri or other voice assistants, the MW65 has the ability to turn off Google Assistant and change to a different assistant, but I suspect you lose a lot of the information and functionality when using something other than Google Assistant.
For users that are out and about with their headphones, these weigh about 250 grams, or just under 9 ounces. I compared them to two other wireless over-the-ear headphones in the house that are comprised mostly of plastic and vinyl and the Master & Dynamic are only 10 to 15 grams heavier (about 2 or 3 nickels) even though they are made out of premium materials. Bluetooth connectivity remained stable as I walked throughout the house and only started cutting out as I put the maximum number of walls between me and the music source (about six typical residential walls), but it is hard to tell if the reason is the headphones or the media source. The noise cancellation was at least as effective as my other two sets of ANC capable headphones, if not better. These M&D phones have two modes of ANC which is one more than either of the other manufacturers offer.
If the Master & Dynamic MW65 is in your price range when shopping for headphones, you owe it to yourself to give them a “test drive” with your favorite tunes. From my experience they stack up well against what the big players in headphones offer and I can almost guarantee you will not be disappointed.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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1of 1voted this as helpful.
View photos, watch videos and get work done on this LG gram 13.5-inch laptop. The Full HD resolution provides stunning visuals, while the IPS panel lets you see contents. This LG gram 13.5-inch laptop has an Intel Core i5 processor for powering through intensive tasks, and the 256GB SSD offers fast load times.
Posted by: pillboy
from Eden Prairie, MN
To quote a John Mellencamp song lyric...”Don’t go making hasty judgments, because sometimes they could be wrong”...was me when I unboxed the LG gram 13Z990 laptop. I thought to myself, good lord, this thing is flimsy and unsubstantial. Off to LG’s web site to educate myself a little bit about what I just opened.
The gram (yes, not capitalized) 13Z990 is billed as an ultra lightweight laptop that passes seven different durability tests and is military-spec rated. Is this a valid claim or advertising hype? I’m not sure as I am unfamiliar with these tests and their standards, but I was impressed after reading about the “carbon nanotube-reinforced magnesium alloy” full metal body which I thought was inexpensive plastic the first time I felt it. The finish of the body is a matte-textured, dark gray color which I assume is bare magnesium alloy. This laptop weighs 2 pounds 2 ounces and is 12 ounces less than the other slim, 13 inch Windows laptop kicking around our house, which I thought was lightweight when compared to the older MacBook Pro we have. This thing is a featherweight! Wow! If I was a student lugging around a backpack with a laptop in it on campus all day, the weight of said laptop would be a prime consideration to me when choosing a machine. Even the power block went on a diet and is light enough to tote around – it has to be a third of the weight of ones we have had in the past.
So far the battery life of this thing is awesome as I have used it for a few hours a day for 4 or 5 days now and just had to recharge it. For those times you need to use the laptop while it recharges, the power block has a very generous cord length of 10 feet (the block being at the mid-point). This should come in handy in public spaces where you can’t always get a seat right next to an AC outlet.
The keyboard is backlit with two selectable illumination settings (besides “off”). I am a little puzzled as to why there isn’t a sensor that can turn the back lighting on and off based on ambient light levels so that battery power can be conserved. The feel of the keys and their spacing is first rate...as good as any laptop keyboard I have ever felt and easily on par with our 2014 MacBook which is before the keyboard fiasco Apple has been dealing with the past few years. The responsiveness of the track pad is equally impressive with no missed inputs unlike some others I have experienced, and multi-finger gestures are supported. The screen does not have a 360 degree hinge where it will fold all the way back over onto the main body for use as a tablet which might be an issue for some users. The high-gloss touchscreen works flawlessly and I experienced no issues whatsoever with it.
The included ports should be enough to satisfy most users as LG includes two USB 3.1, one USB 3.1 Type-C, one HDMI, a Micro-SD card slot, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a DC power jack. A Kensington lock slot is also provided – it appears to accept the T-bar style lock, as I could not find find any documentation regarding this in the LG Easy Guide. And speaking of the Easy Guide, it is the electronic documentation for the computer and is well written, easy to understand and covers all of the pertinent subjects when you have questions regarding the minor nuances of new hardware and manufacturer-specific software (as the Windows 10 experience should be the same everywhere).
The built-in speakers are down-firing and do an adequate job for what is required of them. The gram has a piece of software called DTS Audio that allows you to make a variety of adjustments to the sound, more so with the built-in speakers than with ear buds, headphones or external speakers. It can automatically sense when you connect a device to the audio jack and offers some minor settings for these devices. However when using my planar magnetic headphones to listen to music I found the sound quality to be about the same as with other computers. I found my Bluetooth AirPods easy to connect and the sound quality was excellent when listening to music.
Solid state hard drives are now pretty common in laptops and if you have never had one before you are in for a treat. With the gram “off”, I pressed the power button and when the lock screen appeared I placed my finger on the power button again (the fingerprint reader is integrated with the power button) to log in and was at my desktop in about 9 seconds. At first I was disappointed that this computer didn’t use the built-in camera for facial recognition, but once you get your fingerprint(s) entered, this log-in device works flawlessly. Initial set-up with Cortana walking you through the procedure is quick and easy.
For anyone in search of a very lightweight, easy to carry laptop with more than enough computing power for the average user, and with a build quality to survive the use and abuse that an on-the-go piece of hardware will experience, this LG gram deserves to be on everyone’s short list when they go shopping.
Mobile Submission: False
I would recommend this to a friend!
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2of 2voted this as helpful.
Unlock new potential for your wireless headphones with this Airfly headphone accessory. It plugs into any conventional headphone jack to enhance your listening experience and can pair with in-flight entertainment systems for added convenience. This Airfly headphone accessory has an eight-hour battery life and recharges through USB, so it's easy to take anywhere.
Posted by: pillboy
from Eden Prairie, MN
I have amassed a few Bluetooth ear buds, headphones and speakers over the past few years, however I still have some media devices that do not have wireless capability such as a couple iPods, a two-channel stereo system and flat screen televisions. The AirFly is designed to give these source devices the ability to communicate wirelessly for a very reasonable price. It is also designed to provide this same functionality in airplanes (I seldom fly so I can’t really comment on its performance in that environment).
The AirFly device measures about 1.25” by 1.75” by 3/8”. It has one button and two jacks on its exterior. One jack is a micro-USB for charging it and the other is a 3.5mm mini-phone jack to connect it to the media device. It comes with a small cloth carrying bag and two cables, one to charge it from a USB port and the other is a short mini-phone plug to mini-phone plug cable to transfer audio information. The single button is surrounded by a status LED that communicates in two colors, white and amber. A small instruction booklet is also included which does a good job of outlining how to use the AirFly. Everything will fit into the carrying bag (including the instructions) for travel convenience.
I found pairing the device easier to do than with some other Bluetooth devices I have used in the past. Sound quality was not affected by the AirFly. If the source file was high quality, the sound passed to the ear buds / speaker sounded excellent which was my experience when using it with the old iPods. Range was excellent as I could move throughout my house and the signal would very rarely drop, unlike another similar device I own that would drop the signal once I moved about 12 feet away from it. Using the AirFly with a TV was a little different experience. While the audio quality was excellent, the audio lagged behind the video producing a lip sync issue. While noticeable, I could live with the effect if I was captive in an environment needing entertainment like on a plane flight.
The AirFly is a Bluetooth transmitter only, meaning it connects to the source device to send a signal to a wireless headphone or speaker. It cannot be used to turn a wired headphone into a wireless one so it can be used with a Bluetooth source such as a smartphone - it is not a Bluetooth receiver.
The AirFly works as advertised and in my opinion is a great value for the price-point. It is well thought out, easy to use and seems well made.
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I would recommend this to a friend!
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+9points
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Cordless cleaning made easier. The Dyson V11 Torque Drive Cord-free Vacuum intelligently optimizes suction and run time to deep clean everywhere. Real-time reporting on the LCD screen gives you total control of your clean.
Posted by: pillboy
from Eden Prairie, MN
If you admire thoughtful engineering and design, and excellent build quality, look no farther than Dyson. Yes, I know vacuum cleaners are typically not much fun, but if you have to do chores, having a well constructed tool can make the job much more tolerable, and dare I day it, even enjoyable. Being a do-it-yourself homeowner with more than a passing tool fetish, there is nothing more pleasantly surprising than using a well executed device to help me with the mundane tasks of everyday life.
Dyson vacuums have been on my radar for a number of years as it is hard to miss their display in retail stores because of their vibrant colors and the initially unique design (now copied by other manufacturers)…almost futuristic when compared to the other designs of the time. I have had a Dyson Hot + Cool fan heater for a number of years now and I have been very pleased with it, so I was really excited to get the opportunity to review one of their newest vacuum offerings.
The Dyson V11 Torque Drive cordless stick vacuum (there is also a “V11 Animal” version with some differences, and a lower price, but I am referring to the Torque Drive in this review when I mention “V11”) arrived carefully packaged so as to prevent damage to the contents. The fit and finish are first rate. The only real “assembly” required is affixing the wall-mounted charging dock if you choose to use it. You do not have to use it as you can charge the battery without using the charging dock. Putting together the various components to use the vacuum in different configurations is no different from other vacs where the pieces click together, and with the Dyson these parts fit precisely and securely. The red-colored locking tabs are easy to see and operate, and the pieces go together with no slop to make an operating unit that has a definite high-quality feel to it. The hand grip is positioned to give good balance to the motor unit and makes it easy to maneuver without being unwieldy. When vacuuming floors, it is easy to swap the vac from hand to hand while maintaining a finger on the trigger. The charging unit is a “wall wart” style with a six-foot cord. The two electrical prongs are not polarized (one wider than the other) so it does not have to be specifically oriented to be inserted into an outlet.
Dyson’s web site is extremely well done in showing how their products work and has many short videos - you wouldn’t even have to read the hardcopy owners manual that comes with the vacuum. The V11 Torque Drive comes with six different tool heads in addition to the charging dock and two of the tools are motorized. The dock has two locations where tools click into place for storage. This is in addition to a small holder that snaps onto the extension wand and allows for storage of two more tools that travel with you as you move through your home while cleaning. So with the tool that is in place on the vacuum at the moment, that leaves one tool without a “home”. This is no different from most other vacuums that do not provide a complete storage solution for all of the attachments they ship with, but better than most.
The Dyson V11 is such a departure from vacuums I have owned in the past (and a couple I still do), that I would call it revolutionary when it comes to cleaning. This is especially true if all you have ever used are corded vacuums for floors, like me. I have always considered rechargeable, cordless vacuums to only be suitable for small jobs. How wrong I was. Using the V11 with the 10 inch wide Torque Drive motorized head, I was amazed at the maneuverability afforded me with this vacuum, as it is much easier to clean around and especially under things than with my traditionally styled upright. Combine this with not having to manage a cord, find electrical outlets, and a sound level that is substantially lower than a regular corded vacuum and I found this Dyson to be a real pleasure to use. I wear hearing aids and normally take them out when I vacuum. With the V11 I could leave my hearing aids in and didn’t even have to turn them down. I know, a 10 inch wide cleaning path may seem small if you are faced with massive great room, but for apartment or condo dwellers, or people with typical-sized rooms, the cleaning experience is much preferable to traditional, full-sized vacuum cleaners. If you have different levels of a house to clean, the light weight and small size of this Dyson make it so much easier to move from room to room. This is something I know I will appreciate more and more as I get older. And speaking of different levels, the V11 comes with a 5.5 inch wide motorized head that is perfect for cleaning carpet on stairs. This cordless stick-vacuum can easily replace my corded upright (for doing floors), the corded hand-vacuum (for stairway carpet), and the cordless hand-vac (for small messes and tight areas). I was also a doubter when it came to power and “suckabilty” of a stick-vac for carpet, but I was fascinated by watching the debris collect in the see-through dust collection bin - something that was always an unknown with my upright that uses bags. Emptying this collection bin is a mess-free job that would be impossible to be make any easier. That cannot be said of some bagless machines on the market and was the reason I bought a bagged upright a number of years ago. I was able to vacuum the floors in the entire house on two charges of the battery. This is for three levels and about 2400 square feet. Being able to move from carpet to a hard floor and back without making any adjustments to the vacuum was appreciated and unexpected.
There is no need for me to wade through the specs and all of the features for this vacuum as that information is readily available online. If I had to go forward with owning only one vacuum, it is hands down, this V11. The only nits I can pick with this vacuum are that the rechargeable battery is not easily removable like it is with a cordless drill and there are not storage locations for all of the accompanying tools. I suspect the battery is a serviceable item by a Dyson service facility and the whole thing does not get thrown away like with many lesser appliances when the battery finally falters. Being a lithium-ion unit, I do expect a long life from the battery. After my experiences with this vacuum and the Dyson fan heater I also own, I am inclined to believe that I could buy any Dyson product with complete confidence in the product’s design, usability and the claims made for the device.
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I would recommend this to a friend!
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The A6G series. Proving that good things come in big packages too. Take your pick from 75”, 70”, 65”, 60”, 55”, 50” and 43” screens. For 4K UHD picture quality, in the perfect size for your space. With Android TV, you can discover 700,000+ movies and shows in one place. Ask Google to control your TV with your voice. And cast your photos, videos, and music from devices to your TV easily with Chromecast built-in™. Add to that Dolby Vision HDR and Auto Low Latency Game Mode. Or as we call it, a great looking TV.
Does this tv have a camera built in?
There is no mention of a built-in camera in the use manual.
2 years, 5 months ago
by
pillboy
The A6G series. Proving that good things come in big packages too. Take your pick from 75”, 70”, 65”, 60”, 55”, 50” and 43” screens. For 4K UHD picture quality, in the perfect size for your space. With Android TV, you can discover 700,000+ movies and shows in one place. Ask Google to control your TV with your voice. And cast your photos, videos, and music from devices to your TV easily with Chromecast built-in™. Add to that Dolby Vision HDR and Auto Low Latency Game Mode. Or as we call it, a great looking TV.
It has been answered that this model only has 1 stand position. Why do the first 2 pictures show different stand positions? The front facing shows outer, the back facing shows inner.
There are two positions for the legs. I just attached mine a few days ago.
2 years, 5 months ago
by
pillboy
The A6G series. Proving that good things come in big packages too. Take your pick from 75”, 70”, 65”, 60”, 55”, 50” and 43” screens. For 4K UHD picture quality, in the perfect size for your space. With Android TV, you can discover 700,000+ movies and shows in one place. Ask Google to control your TV with your voice. And cast your photos, videos, and music from devices to your TV easily with Chromecast built-in™. Add to that Dolby Vision HDR and Auto Low Latency Game Mode. Or as we call it, a great looking TV.
does it have a headphone jack for head phones or speakers?
It has a 3.5mm headphone jack on the back of the set.
2 years, 5 months ago
by
pillboy
Better sound begins with better silence. That’s why Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are engineered with the world-class noise cancelling and high-fidelity audio. Microphones inside and outside the earphones sense noise and react instantaneously to cancel the signal. Get rid of disruptions so you can turn up the music on your wireless earbuds and amplify whatever you’re most passionate about — from hiking or circuit training to coding or baking. And when you need to be more aware of your surroundings, minimize noise cancelling with a quick double tap, so you can walk down a busy street or listen for your boarding announcement. StayHear Max tips provide extra comfort and stability for an even better experience. Rule the Quiet with Bose QuietComfort Earbuds and get an exhilarating experience that’s tough to find in any other Bluetooth earbuds. The Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Earbuds are available in Triple Black, Soapstone and limited-edition Sandstone or Stone Blue.
does the charge case support qi wireless charging?
Better sound begins with better silence. That’s why Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are engineered with the world-class noise cancelling and high-fidelity audio. Microphones inside and outside the earphones sense noise and react instantaneously to cancel the signal. Get rid of disruptions so you can turn up the music on your wireless earbuds and amplify whatever you’re most passionate about — from hiking or circuit training to coding or baking. And when you need to be more aware of your surroundings, minimize noise cancelling with a quick double tap, so you can walk down a busy street or listen for your boarding announcement. StayHear Max tips provide extra comfort and stability for an even better experience. Rule the Quiet with Bose QuietComfort Earbuds and get an exhilarating experience that’s tough to find in any other Bluetooth earbuds. The Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Earbuds are available in Triple Black, Soapstone and limited-edition Sandstone or Stone Blue.
Can you go go back on a track, or only skip forward, also can you controls volume headset?
There is only skip forward capability, not back, and there is no volume control on the earbuds either.
3 years, 7 months ago
by
pillboy
Better sound begins with better silence. That’s why Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are engineered with the world-class noise cancelling and high-fidelity audio. Microphones inside and outside the earphones sense noise and react instantaneously to cancel the signal. Get rid of disruptions so you can turn up the music on your wireless earbuds and amplify whatever you’re most passionate about — from hiking or circuit training to coding or baking. And when you need to be more aware of your surroundings, minimize noise cancelling with a quick double tap, so you can walk down a busy street or listen for your boarding announcement. StayHear Max tips provide extra comfort and stability for an even better experience. Rule the Quiet with Bose QuietComfort Earbuds and get an exhilarating experience that’s tough to find in any other Bluetooth earbuds. The Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Earbuds are available in Triple Black, Soapstone and limited-edition Sandstone or Stone Blue.
Will I be able to use only the left ear plug by itself when on a phone call? Or is it only the right ear plug is used when on a phone call?
No. The microphone is in the right earbud. You will hear audio in both earbuds on a phone call, but you cannot use just the left bud for a call.
3 years, 7 months ago
by
pillboy
Better sound begins with better silence. That’s why Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are engineered with the world-class noise cancelling and high-fidelity audio. Microphones inside and outside the earphones sense noise and react instantaneously to cancel the signal. Get rid of disruptions so you can turn up the music on your wireless earbuds and amplify whatever you’re most passionate about — from hiking or circuit training to coding or baking. And when you need to be more aware of your surroundings, minimize noise cancelling with a quick double tap, so you can walk down a busy street or listen for your boarding announcement. StayHear Max tips provide extra comfort and stability for an even better experience. Rule the Quiet with Bose QuietComfort Earbuds and get an exhilarating experience that’s tough to find in any other Bluetooth earbuds. The Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Earbuds are available in Triple Black, Soapstone and limited-edition Sandstone or Stone Blue.
What is the decibel level of these ear plugs
I could not find this specification in the full manual or in the Bose Music app.
3 years, 7 months ago
by
pillboy
Sony's intelligent noise-cancelling headphones with premium sound elevate your listening experience with the ability to personalize and control everything you hear. Get up to 30 hours of battery life with quick charging capabilities, enjoy an enhanced Smart Listening feature set, and carry conversations hands-free with speak-to-chat.
One of my biggest pet peeves with headphones I have had is that I cannot charge them while I am using them. Can these be charged while in use so I don't have to interrupt what I'm listening to?
Considering that the included charging cord is only 8 inches long, I suspect you cannot use them while listening to them. I went and got a longer cord and my suspicions were correct, they will not turn on when plugged into a charger. Ten minutes on a charger gives you five hours of listening time, so I don't think it is too much of an issue for most people.
3 years, 8 months ago
by
pillboy
Add music to your day with these Sony wireless headphones. Their noise cancelling technology uses artificial intelligence to adapt to your environment and reduce background sounds for enjoyable listening. The Quick Charging battery on these over-ear Sony wireless headphones provides up to 35 hours of playback for convenience.
Is the Sony better than the Bose quiet ll When it come s to noised
I have a pair of Bose QuietComfort 25, which is the older, wired version and I found the Sony to be about equivalent to the Bose for their active noise canceling ability. I am very impressed with both manufacturer's product and I think you would be happy with either one.
6 years, 1 month ago
by
pillboy
Bose® QuietComfort® 25 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones: Enjoy crisp, powerful sound — and quiet that lets you hear your music better — with these Bose® QuietComfort® 25 around-the-ear headphones, which monitor the noise around you and cancel it out, helping you focus on what matters.
Need noise canceling for office work.
Will these work for dictation on a standard office computer (Dell) with Windows and other programs? I will work on transcription of voices (no music involved in my job).
I listen to talk radio with these headphones and they work fine for the spoken word. The computer is outputting the audio through a sound card, so the specific programs you are using on the computer are irrelevant when it comes to this. Even when not listening to anything, they will cut ambient noise once you turn them on (the noise cancellation circuitry is powered by one AAA battery that is in one of the ear cups). When doing this you can even unplug the cord from the headset and it will still work. Some people will sense a slight "pressure" in the headphones as they are producing sound waves to cancel out the outside noise. I have felt this, but it is not nearly as annoying as dealing with the outside noise.
8 years, 7 months ago
by
pillboy
Minnesota