The MINIX NEO SSD storgae hub with adapter is a first that combines both for those who are not custom to using such,typically we get adapters that have all the ports we need bit none have storage built in but this one changes this and it is certainly welcome and not expensive either with the configurations at hand, You can decide between a 120GB version and a 240GB version only loosing out on 50 MBs of read and right speed on the cheaper 120 GB model.
These are also not a cheap build by any means they look good and have an LED on the top to let you know you are connected, Advertised as an addition to your MAC BOOK these will also work on Windows laptops with a USB-C connection however you can pick up pass through adapters if your laptop has no USB-C as one of mine does not and I have tested on both and they work just fine.
Underneath there is 4 rubber stoppers to keep it form moving not that it will go far with the built in cable provided which is just the right length too. These are ideal for travelling or on the go people who upload or move content around they are very light and the look more premuim than cheap too.
The transfer speed is noticeable and they also work with mobile phones with USB-C ports which most have today which is another bonus for storage or file transfer on the move. Overall this is an ideal product to have in your bag if you want extra connectivity and storage options on the go and looking premium too.
More information about the brand new MINIX NEO Storage and the complete MINIX portfolio is available at http://minix.com.hk/.
This is my first projector however I have seen and used many in stores or through friends and so on and I will say it now,this is my new favorite toy at the moment and how versatile and portable this is just ads to the fun.
I will be investing in such too as I plan to ditch the TV as it is just a centerpiece in the sitting room taking up space when with the right conditions you can just use your laptop or any other device you can connect to use this cool gadget.
Its small portable, light and comes with a carry case and has HDMI support, USB and micro-sd so you have all the ports you need to get going with such a set up and as most of us have laptops and phones today we can use those to project your TV viewing on the wall with ease.
The device is also easy to use and get going as you will see in the full video review below. On the rear is where all your ports are and on the top is where the controls are which is complemented with a remote control and on one side we have the focus wheel so its plug and play with no messing around in short which is how it should be.
The QUMI Z1 also has a nice textured surrounding which reminds me of the Amazon Echo devices but it is subtle and blends in anywhere in the home no matter where you want to place it, I have used in several spaces in the house to get an idea of use cases and it can be used almost anywhere and you can show off your images ,documents ,videos or whatever it is to a larger audience or keep it simple and small for personal use.
Superb image
The Qumi Z1 Series can light up any social gathering thanks to it being able to project an image of up to 100” from any mobile device. Its advanced multi-media player and ability to display virtually any content makes the Qumi Z1H a true extension to a mobile device. Users can display their favourite apps or stream online content directly via a WiFi connection to the Qumi Z1H, or preload content to the on-board storage, or directly mirror their content from USB-C for certain compatible Android phones, via a cable. It is equally easy to connect the Qumi Z1V to USB or HDMI sources to really get the party started.
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Massive sound
The Qumi Z1 Series is set to impress those who consider a smart phone’s screen too small and its volume too quiet for true entertainment satisfaction. The combination of image quality and the built-in 2x5W stereo sound performances adds to its talents as a true entertainer offering both perfect picture quality with an audio ambiance that will impress users wherever it accompanies them; to a friend’s, at parties, in a hotel room, or even at an outside movie-night, under the stars.You can see a speaker test here in the review too as a standalone speaker and being used as a projector.
The Alcatel 3 2019 is here and another unusual naming scheme some might say but Nokia and HMD Global win that award for the Nokia x .1.2 which is confusing and very questionable but Alcatel are not the first to go with this naming scheme, (2016/2017 for example) Samsung did it for a while too but it gets confusing when you’ve several device’s starting at you in as store, with naming game over lets look at the phone.
Off the bat and when turned on it does have a premium look to it and kind of reminds me of the iPhone XR with the front panel and it does look good and vibrant and given it is not the brightest screen it does the job and depending whats on show it turns out well which is all we need. It is a decent panel for the money.
Check out the unboxing below for more and a walk-through of the UI and phone itself so you wont have too.
The build quality is cheap lets be honest but it does look good on the rear with a two tone colour and I like this but it is prone to scratching easy and you should get a case, It will be hard to find a case for this in stores but Amazon sell them and one should have come in the box even it was just a clear case to keep you protected from the get go.
We have bio-metrics on a cheap phone here and the fingerprint scanner is quite quick considering and their native face unlock (face key) is not shabby either but there is arguments on security levels here which is for you to decide but your device is secure.
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Dual camera set up is quite good but only in the right setup. Sometimes the phone took overexposed and blown out images but overall you cant complain for the price it will take decent shots in the end under the right conditions but low light is not great and can be expected even from more expensive phones but the image and video samples below will speak for themselves taken in low light,day time and same for video and their slow motion is quite good too.
This device is not for power users but vastly improved on last years spec sheet with the 3GB RAM on board is is fine for everyday tasks like social media web browsing and emails but for heavy duty tasks it will slow down as I tried it in that capacity for two days and at times it struggled but this phone is not for that purpose but I had to try it anyway just to see but one thing for sure is as mentioned much improved over last years model.
Battery life (3500mAh) is One day for me but take into account i would be very active with social media and web browsing and so on more so than the average person so I would see 1.5 days for most and 2 days at a push this would depend on the person. For me this device is a teens phone or first or second or even upgrading form last years device and it would be a worthy upgrade if in that context.
Media consumption is fine here too as I said the screen is vibrant and near edge to edge and enjoyable and the speaker is decent enough but not the loudest in the world, again factor in just like my headphones I like things loud..
Would I recommend this phone well yes but there is much competition here from other players at the entry level tier such as Nokia and Motorola and some of their older models can be picked up for 60 euro but they a year old yet worthy devices still in some departments especially the build quality but a case on this phone would protect the casing on this as it will get marked easily and give the phone some more support but it certainly stands out with the two tone back cover which appeals to some as this is a new trend whilst the rest still often come with a one color finish that looks boring. It is a nice phone to use for people that just want a phone to do something simple and I would use it as a spare phone or use it a reviewed as a personal phone for just social media etc. I carry two phones all the time and switch off the powerhouse at weekends to stay away from it all.
AUKEY is a brand you might not be familiar with here but today we check out their new true wireless earbuds better known as the EP-T16S which come in a nice presentation kept simple and so is everything else about them.
Small and sleek are the earbuds and so is the charge case that is the smallest one to date in my collection that gives you an extra 8-9 hours of charge on top of the 3 hours on the buds themselves fully charged and these times are on par with their claim which is good.
You get extra tips in the box along with your micro usb charge cable so you are good to go straight away as they came with a 75% charge when I got them but charged them up fully before I got testing.
They are on the smaller size compared to other earbuds out there and ideal for anyone and fit quite well and they do take some external noise out of the equation when you have then tucked into your ear they go in a bit deeper than some which gives you that extra isolation which is great however there is no wings here but they stay secure for me and did not fall out though i was expecting them to on some light running so I was happy with that aspect.
The touch controls are simple to use,Once you take them from the case they are in auto pair mode and will start to look for devices to connect to and the process was a one time set up,sometimes that is not the case with connectivity issues and one side connecting to another all was good here and immediate.
The controls are easy to get the hang of given they are on the smaller size you will navigate easily after using for a little while.
Play and pause is tap either side
Volume up you long touch the right and volume down the left
Skip tracks is a double tap on the right and reverse the left.
Voice assistants is a triple tap on either side, Calls is one tap to answer or hang up and you will hear your phones ringtone through the earbuds.
Wear detection, Music stops when you remove an earbud.
No lag latency.
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Sound would be the next obvious question, There is no app which is a let down but overall the music experince is quite good and well balanced to the average ear, As one who has tried and tested countless true wireless they offer good volume highs,lows and mids with a little bass but this is where an app always saves the day but you can use a third party app to modify the sounds to fit your liking, Calls are crisp and clear which is how I would describe music too and the experience overall is good and not a cheap sound which is what you would expect from a pair of true wireless at this pricepoint.
Edifier offer many types of speakers to suit all peoples needs and suit all environments at home or even an office space not only that they look good with a premium finish and will last and most importantly deliver on the sound experience.
The latest on offer is the R2000BD Classic multimedia speakers and I have tested these out in several situations and the sound that is delivered is top class and something I expect from Edifier been a long time user and tester of their products.
The R2000DB are built to last and look good keeping things simple too for the user with minimal controls on the rear and the option to change the tune via remote. One speaker is a satellite whilst the other houses all the I/Os and it is a simple set up.
With the R2000DB you can connect up to two devices which is great and will suit most people you can use your mobile phones bluetooth, then you have the other options at hand such as Optical which I highly suggest as this allows audio from all devices connected to your TV pass through so if you move from your games console to TV or Netflix for example you are still connected and no fuss and the same great sound is delivered.
Click to enlarge images…
Design here is robust and lasting and the looks is good with a great finish and will suit any home or office they can be placed more or less anywhere but these are bookshelf speakers bit can be placed either side of your TV or bookshelf setup it all depends on your personal needs however they are versatile and can be moved once you are near a power socket or again you could use an extension.
The sound is second to none with music,tv,gaming or streaming and you have the options to adjust bass,treble and volume on the rear of the speaker or use the remote to adjust to your needs,these will rattle your floorboards at max volume but I did not notice any distortion maxed out but they will vibrate any surface they are on.
One thing to note is they are not as light as other speakers on offer and might be cumbersome for a few folk but it is a caveat I can forgive over how they deliver elsewhere. Probably their best to date from the range I have tested.
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BLUETOOTH CONNECTION – Pair your phone, tablet or computer for a true hassle free wireless experience, perfect for any iOS, Android, MacOS or Windows device.
OPTICAL INPUT – Enjoy lossless digital connection from your TV, TV Box, DVD/blu-ray player, receiver, HTPC, computer or gaming consoles such as Xbox and Playstation.
2 x AUX INPUT – Convenient connection to any device that has a 3.5mm headphone output or dual RCA output.
REMOTE CONTROL – switch input sources, control volume and choose digital sound processing (DSP) modes at your figure tips.
I am not one to use a mouse much (until now) as I have already got a logitech wireless keyboard which does a great job as it is but I have tried several mice over the last year and this one has got my attention really quickly because of how it can make you more productive and what it has to offered compared to many standard mice out there most of us are custom to using on a daily basis.
The fact alone here which is beneficial for multiscreen/laptop set ups is you can use the mouse across 3 of them (Logitech flow) and drag and drop items from one set up to another which is really handy and an excellent feature not seen on many other offerings out there. Setting up the mouse is simple and you get a dongle in the box and connectivity is instant you can of course use your pc/laptops own bluetooth connection but the dongle just works much better and faster you will need to install additional software and have bluetooth connectivity to use the feature mentioned above which will be no problem on any of today’s laptops with bluetooth a standard.
The design is ergonomic and fits perfectly in your hand with a built in gesture button on the thumb with all the buttons at your ease and you can also assign shortcuts to the buttons if you desire you have software to look upon to see what options are available I got one update during my testing period.
On the top is a typical set up with a mouse wheel you can use for infinite scrolling which is handy and you have the left and right buttons which are sensitive and light to touch and work very well and clicky. The mouse wheel on top can be used in two modes as mentioned above or a ratchet action and can be easily changed with the small square (mode) button beneath the wheel.
On the side of the mouse you have another scroll wheel and this also can come in handy for the likes of spreadsheets etc and this one is more stiff than the main wheel which will give you good control of scrolling sideways. I am by no means a mouse expert but this works well. Behind the side scroll wheel you have two elongated buttons which actually allow you to go back on a web page and go back forward again which is very handy.
Underneath the mouse is a standard affair with the power on/off the lazer only this time you have the option to switch from 1-3 PCs which is where this shines with the ability to connect 3 pcs/laptops and transfer files which is really useful but you must install the software on the other two devices on the same network to get the full functionality this will work with 2 by the way not just 3 computers.
You get 70 days battery life (Claimed by manufacturer but I have not had it that long) from this which is excellent and it is also rechargeable so no batteries required..Another bonus.. Also this will work on almost any surface. No mat required.
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As i said I have only used a few mice over the years but this for me has changed how I work at home already with the ability to customize the buttons and to add any shortcut from your PC then be able to transfer files between two or three it will be the last mouse I need. For 109 euro though some might complain but once you use it and get the hang of it you won’t look back. It is a great productivity tool.
The Edifier R908T might be a few years old and we tested them out to see how they stand the test of time and for the price you pay here you get a great stylish set of multimedia speakers for your office or home set up that deliver on sound and also they are not too cumbersome to place in your home be it on a bookshelf or your personal set up as for example I have one made up in the video below to check out yourself, I tend to change my set up quite often and I also move from upstairs to downstair in the house depending on how busy I am.
These speakers have no bluetooth or remote which some might find annoying but it is no big deal as they are a simple plug and play set up. These can be plugged into your smartphone,pc,laptop or tv if it has the requirements on the rear,some will depending on how old your TV is as some configurations might not allow it.
Using this from my PC and phone the speakers yield great results with sound and also deliver a nice touch of bass and the overall impression is the sound is well balanced and plenty aloud which is how I like it and louder than I expected from this pair. They also look good and they are clean and will blend in anywhere.
Check out the unboxing and sound test below and let us know what you think. For the price you will pay for these they are well worth the spend for a strong good looking and sounding pair of multimedia speakers.
Active bookshelf speaker system with 24W total power output
Calibrated, flared bass reflect port in front of the speaker
Dual RCA inputs for connectivity to multiple audio sources
100% MDF wooden enclosures to minimize acoustic resonance
Edifier never fail to surprise me when it comes to audio and gaming headphones are a hard one to get right for an overall experience in my point of view you see I like to be able to just move from one thing to another be it my console or laptop if the quality is good on both aspects well let me tell this Edifier have got this one right end of story not only from a gaming perspective but listening to music or even watching youtube or netflix these headphones are simply unbelievable and at the price they come in at.
First off the build quality is good albeit plastic is the main material used but its good and will last and when it comes to comfort the headphones have over ear cups which isolate much of the outside world anyway but the soft cups are nice on the skin and the same applies to the soft leatherette headband.
There is no controls on the cups which is great but an inline box if you will that has it all in one place there is also some software you can download which might suit some and handy to have it available at hand should you need it.
The inline control is great and has a trick up its sleeve and I love it.. First we have the power on/off then the volume up/down, then a mute button on top but underneath that the magic red switch brings this headset to life and whatever you might be listening to as it activates the vibrate mode and if I dare say it adds some more bass on max volume.
Playing games on with this on really imersifies the experience and gives clear sound and great dynamic range its really good the same applies to both XBOX and PS4 with great accuracy for noise in all directions, Now being honest I am not much of a gamer but I played for a few hours and this simply enhances the overall experience and the mic is great for playing online or streaming this also applies to laptop gaming the experience is just enhanced and immersive.
Going off topic to what the headphones are designed for you are also in for a treat for listening to music or streaming from your laptop, it gets loud,just how I like it and the software up that volume to just how I like it so if you want loud you get loud much louder than I expected this is what I meant earlier by switching tasks from gaming consoles to laptop and also if you have a smartphone with USB OTG and you have an adapter the same applies here so you could use these as a one stop shop for your audio needs and look good doing it with the LED lights on either side which is a cool effect especially in a dark environment which by the way is not intrusive and just right it would be better if you had the ability to change the one colour you are given but it is what it is and not a dismissal of the product but some would like to be able to customise to a certain level.
Overall for the money you shell out on these which will vary by country you are talking approx 60-100 euro you can’t really go wrong, I have tested these both the gaming experience and music experience as some like to save on multiple pairs and like the option to see what is on offer and what is affordable and these are an easy recommendation for the money and up there with headsets double or more the price. Trust me I have tested enough to tell the difference between cheap and cheerful and overpriced junk and a good pair of headphones for you hard earned money and these are just that…
Features..
VIRTUAL SURROUND SOUND – Built-in 7.1 Surround Soundcard lets you pinpoint positions and hear in every direction
VIBRATION SETTING – Feel like you are in the game with the use of the force feed back in the headset
LED LIGHTS – Show off your gaming gear with cool LED lights that are available in either green, red, or blue
USB CONNECTION – Connect to your computer or laptop through USB connection
1-YEAR WARRANTY – Headphones that fail within a year are eligible with a replacement
When it comes to headphones,earphones and True Wireless I sport around 200 pairs combined in my collection but the minority is the office type which I will be expanding on in the coming months and the Logitech Zone Wireless are the latest to drop in and these give you a mix for personal and a work environment use which overall it gets it right as a whole for both use case scenarios.
Presentation is good and kept simple with all the details on the box and images on the underside for connection purposes and what is a real bonus here is you can connect two devices at once which for me is great for working on my laptop and my mobile phone with no hassles and the dongle provided for your laptop is super fast to connect with no worries at all..
UNBOXING THE ZONE WIRELESS
The Logitech offer several important features which many don’t for the office and that is ANC, Wireless connectivity with two device connectivity and an option of Wireless charging which is something you hardly see in a pair office headphones.
Comfort is great as they just sit nicely on the head not clamping it and the adjustments are easy by means sliding the cups up or down either side and they are really light and don’t sweat the ears after long periods of usage. The rubber band on the underside is comfortable too and sit nicely on the head and the band is on the thin side again an office trait but nice and look well.
Controls are also simple and easy to use all on one side too which is how I personally like it, You have the ANC,Power/On/Off Volume up/down play/pause/hang up/reject calls and you can also connect to your voice assistant of choice.. There is also two mics,one each side which is very useful,many headsets just have the one mic. The dual mics give super quality phone calls by the way which is one main function on the headset.
One feature lacking with the controls was the ability to skip tracks which is something to note and might be a problem for some if they want that complete headset but its a caveat I could live with anyway as you can use your phone or laptop to do the same. There is an app which is great to see and something all wireless headphone manufacturers should include going forward for EQ settings and more.
On the app which is on Android and iOS you have EQ settings which have Bass,Treble and MIds and Volume,Voice prompts settings which I suggest you leave on,sidetone setting which allows you hear your own voice which gives you a volume level of choice,this is an excellent feature, You have sleep settings,language settings and a tour option plus support so overall the app is great and helpful and gives you more control over music settings and it is easy to use I will show you this in the video review. The app is clean and has a simple UI with nice graphics and easy on the eyes and no complicated sub menus.
Overall you want to know what the sound is like.. My personal use case is a much the same as anyone who works in an office or at home or open plan space and my usual test run of music gave me good results although in some cases at max volume to sound did get a bit distorted but these are not overly loud headphones which I prefer but just loud enough to satisfy my ear, Mids,highs,lows and Bass where good and the fact you have bass here is great for an office aimed product. Overall music was good and balanced and as I said calls great and crystal clear and the ANC option really gives you your own space without getting distracted by others conversation.. For those using in a personal capacity with YouTube and Netflix for example there is no sync lag.
The benefits here with this headset is great as a whole, You have ANC, Wireless charging, Connect to two devices, Lightweight and comfortable, The only thing for me that might make people look again but they are only small things to note is the colour availability small caveat to a great product overall..
