tech reviews and videos
The general catchall category for product reviews. Includes tech reviews and other items.
This little lens kit is well built and image quality is fine – assuming the lenses are dead center on the camera. It’s a bit of a challenge to get them there, and I noticed that on my LG G4 in particular it was a bit difficult to get consistent image quality throughout the frame because the lenses would be bumped and slid around while shooting.
While the Anker SoundSync Drive is on the cheaper end of bluetooth adapters, the audio quality is generally very good, with no noticeable distortion. It makes sacrifices in other areas though, notably the cabling is very thin (see the attached photo for a comparison between a regular USB cable and the Anker cabling) and there’s no way to easily replace it if it breaks.
In a world of shady USB-C connectors, it’s nice to know which cables won’t fry devices. The Blitzwolf cable is fully USB-C spec compliant and is also on Beson Leung‘s recommended cable list (he is a Google engineer that is reviewing 3rd party USB-C cables to inform the public which should be avoided). All of my tests checked out too: the cable successfully negotiates the correct amperage based on the device it is plugged in to and passes CheckR tests. The cable is correctly advertised as a USB 2.0 cable, so it is better for charging than data transfer and it does charge at full speed. Insertion and removal of both ends is smooth but firm and the cable is decent build quality. The red braided length is a good stiffness and the cable ends are a strong aluminium. I would recommend this cable as a spec compliant charging cable that looks quite good.
Overall, I really like these headphones. Even with a few little design quirks, the audio quality is rich and they are quite comfortable. There is a bit of background hiss though, and that is the reason they get a lower rating than other headphones I have tested with similar build, features and audio quality.
Although it is called “EZ-cap” this device is less than easy to use and getting good results is not for the faint at heart (or technologically incapable). It’s very straightforward and simple to use the included software and record from an input device, but the results when using that software have been less than stellar from my testing.
The design of the R2 is really where Vantrue hit home. I particularly like the included power cable that has its own USB port, the suction mount design and the button layout. The video quality is good during the day and great at night. I wish that this camera was a little more covert when installed and that the video quality didn’t have that artifact ‘sparkle’ to it in the higher definition modes, but it’s hard to see the difference in video quality unless it is being directly compared to other cameras. It’s up to you to decide if it’s worth the extra $100 over the G1W series but if build quality is any indication of reliability I feel like the Vantrue will last longer than a g1w.
This keyboard is one of the better feeling (non-mechanical) keyboards I own, with fast and accurate key response. It is similar to a high end laptop keyboard, with a slightly smaller than average key layout and springy feedback. I can type significantly faster with this keyboard then I can with the other wireless keyboards I own due to the response of the keys. Unfortunately the touch pad kind of sucks.
The Gatekeeper is a simple device to lock and unlock a computer based on proximity to the USB receiver. It works well enough.
My DLP Projector did not have enough HDMI ports to support my devices and a switcher was the solution. Now I do not have to constantly unplug and fiddle with wires to get my PC, game system or computer connected to my projector. Switching sources is as easy as pushing a button on the device itself or using the remote.
The Kingyou Bluetooth headphones are a nice package, with good looks and decent audio quality. What I like about this set compared to other Bluetooth headphones I own is that the actual earbud part is normal sized. This means they fit better and are overall more comfortable to wear. It is worth noting that the strange hanging control boxes were a bit odd to get used to at first, but since the weight is evenly distributed between ears I quickly forgot about them.