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Mavin Air-X TWS earbuds review

REVIEW – It took me a couple of years to find a pair of Bluetooth earbuds that I wanted to wear for more than a few minutes at a time. Why? Because most of the ones I’ve tried over the years either fall out of my ears or have an uncomfortable fit. Then I finally found my current favorites (check my favorite gear page to find out which ones they are) and haven’t been motivated to try any new ones until the offer to review Mavin Air-X TWS earbuds presented itself so let’s check them out and see if they will become my new favorites.

What is it?

The Mavin Air-X TWS earbuds are earbuds that store in a small charging case. What is TWS? It stands for Truly Wireless Stereo and it allows both earbuds to be paired individually to the host device like your phone, tablet, or laptop. It allows you to use either earbud on its own in mono or both in stereo.

Hardware specs

Qualcomm TrueWireless Stereos Plus+ support by QCC3026
Connection: Bluetooth 5.0,
Profile: A2DP / AVRCP / HFP / HSP
Codec: apt-X / AAC / SBC
Frequency Range: 20Hz to 20kHz
Speaker Driver: 6φ / 16 ohm / Extra Bass
Microphone: MEMS microphones with advanced noise cancellation
Play Time: up to 10 hours
Play Time with Charging Case: up to 50 hours
IPX5 water splash resistance
Charging Time: 2 hours

What’s in the box?

  • Mavin Air-X TWS earbuds
  • Charging case
  • 3 ear tips
  • 2 sports stabilizers
  • micro USB cable
  • Quick guide

Design and features

The Mavin Air-X earbuds are available in 5 colors including the pink version that you see here. They store in a small plastic case that doubles as the charger.

Pressing the button on the left side of the case will cause the battery status LED to blink in red 1-5 times to give you an idea of the battery capacity. Pressing the same button when the lid is open will put the earbuds in pairing mode.

The opposite side of the case has a micro USB connection to charge the case’s internal batteries. I wish that Mavin would have used USB-C instead of micro USB here.

The charging case lid opens and closes easily and the earbuds themselves are easy to insert and remove from the case.

Each earbud has a button on the outer surface that you’ll use to play and pause the audio content that you’re listening too. You can also use the buttons to raise and lower volume, switch between music tracks, answer and end calls, and even talk to a personal assistant like Siri or Google. But how do you do all that with just two buttons? That’s where you’ll have to remember that the left button does something different from the right button and a single click does something different than a double click, or a click and hold.

The earbuds have 3 contacts on the side. One contact is a magnet that keeps the earbud from falling out of the charging case. The other 2 contacts charge the earbuds. You’ll also notice what looks square hole and a long slot on each earbud. The hole is a microphone and the slot is actually a status LED.

Fit and comfort

The main problems that I have with most earbuds that I review have to do with the fit and comfort. They either fall out of my ears or they fit too well so that they start feeling uncomfortable within minutes of putting them in my ears.

I’m happy to say that I didn’t have this problem with the Mavin Air-X TWS earbuds. They fit well and don’t cause any discomfort. I found the fit to be snug but not too snug. Having said that, I wouldn’t want to run with the Mavin earbuds when only using eartips.

Adding the stabilizer covers make the earbuds fit even more secure so that they won’t fall out if you’re running, jumping, or doing other activities. And bonus, the earbuds fit in the charging case with the stabilizers in place.

Sound quality

I tested the Mavin Air-X earbuds with my Pixel 2 XL, with my 12 MacBook, and with a Dell laptop at my day job. I tested by using Amazon Prime streaming music, Spotify, YouTube, and Netflix. Most of the time small wireless earbuds like the Air-X buds don’t blow me away when it comes to bass but the Mavin’s impressed me with the bass and fullness of the music. They sounded good with all types of music that I tried and I enjoyed using them.

I was also happy that I could use the earbuds while watching streaming video on YouTube and Netflix. The audio and video synced very well with no noticeable delay which is awesome because my current favorites have a slight audio/video syncing delay problem.

 

I also like that you can listen to either earbud as both are paired to the device. I like to just put the left bud in my ear while I’m at work so that I can hear and talk to people when they come up to my desk without needing to take the earbuds out of my ears.

So far after a couple weeks testing these earbuds I’ve not had any issues with dropped connections either between each earbud or with the paired device.

Call audio quality

There weren’t any issues using the Air-X buds for phone calls other than the usual voice in your head kind of sound that you experience when using in-ear earbuds while talking. The opposite side of the calls said I sounded fine but the could tell that I was using a Bluetooth headset.

What I like

  • Great audio quality including bass
  • No audio/video syncing issues
  • Comfortable fit

What needs to be improved

  • Charge via USB-C instead of micro USB
  • I’d prefer touch control to the physical buttons

Final thoughts

I thought I found my favorite earbuds late last year and was content to stick with them because they fit so well and sounded good. I wasn’t really that excited to review the Mavin Air-X earbuds. But when I actually tried them I was glad I did because they sound great and they don’t have any audio/video syncing issues like the others. I still prefer my current favorites to the Mavin’s for the touch controls vs. physical buttons, but the Mavin Air-X TWS earbuds are a very strong runner up.

Price: $139.00
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Mavin.

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Mavin Air-X TWS earbuds review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 13, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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Mous Limitless 2 smartphone case review

REVIEW – Like a lot of technology that I own, phones are always something I am looking to protect and keep like new.  I am sure that I like a lot of people out there are always on the lookout for a phone case that is lightweight, barely noticeable on the phone and gives good protection.  I recently received the Mous Limitless 2 Phone Case to review.  Let’s check it out and see how it meets my criteria for a good phone case.

What’s in the box?

The box itself is a fully recyclable cardboard box.  It has a nice pull tab made of cloth that you simply pull once you cut the adhesive tape keeping the box closed.  Pulling on that tab reveals the case itself.  I received the Aramid Carbon Fiber version for my Samsung Galaxy S9.    Inside the box they had the following items:

  • The case itself
  • A disclaimer card – It is rather funny saying you should use the included screen protector in addition to the case.  They mentioned the case does not make your phone indestructible although it has been tested by dropping phones from ridiculous heights.  It tells you essentially to stay away from the crane and do not test it out yourself.
  • Screen protector box

Inside the screen protector box:

  • two screen protectors  – made of triple layered PET, TPU and Silicon
  • Instruction card
  • Wet wipe
  • Sticker to pick off dust
  • scraper card
  • micro fiber cloth

Design and Features

They offer these Limitless 2 cases in the aforementioned carbon fiber, walnut, bamboo, shell and leather.  The cases are crafted with the actual real materials.  They have pictures on their website showing a walnut case that had been hit hard with something like a hammer and you can see splinters of wood.  They offer them for the S9 and S9 Note, S8 and S8 Note and iPhones from the XR down through the iPhone 6.  They are advertised as wireless charging compatible and I confirmed it worked with my Samsung charger and the charging pad in my Toyota Tacoma.

This is an extremely durable case.  I have a picture above showing it next to a phone case I had purchased off Amazon last year.  It does not have a velvet type lining inside.  It has what it calls ‘Airoshock’  Protection.  It supposedly dampens the impact of drops while providing extra grip to the phone.  It is extremely dense and very rigid and tight fitting to the phone.  It was definitely harder to install on my phone than my previous case.  I had to press down hard to get that last corner on.  Once on, taking it off is pretty difficult.  They even have a video on their website showing how to take the case off.  You basically push first through the camera hole in the back of the phone while holding on to the case.  The case is definitely too stiff to just bend a corner down as I did with my old case.  You will also notice that the case gives full coverage across the bottom of the phone, unlike my old case.

 

The next few pictures show the bottom and the top of the case.   The bottom as I stated before is definitely more protective.  It has precise cutouts for the various holes and ports on the phone.  The top has the one cutout for the microphone.

The picture above shows how the volume and Bixby buttons look.  They are not solid and have a small gap at both the top and the bottom of the button.  It makes the buttons feel natural, clicky and responsive to the touch.  They do not make pushing the buttons any harder at all.

The next two pictures above show the phone in the case.  It is extremely tight fitting as they suggested.  It is a very firm case and has a nice solid grip to it without being tacky feeling.  It is definitely a better grip than the slippery phone itself.  The carbon fiber is matte and not shiny at all.  Fingerprints are not visible on this case which I really love.  My old case would show fingerprints over time.  When placing the phone face down on a table the case is what is resting on the table and not the screen.  The top and bottom parts of the case extend slightly beyond the screen.

This is a shot of the bottom of the case with the phone inside.  Everything lines up nicely exactly as it should.

What I like

This is a very well made case.  Compared to my old case, if I were to drop my phone on the sides or back I really don’t think any damage will come to the phone at all.  There is a video on the Mous website showing how the inside material of the case absorbs impacts by dropping heavy ball bearings on the material.  A lot of cases are often poorly aligned with the ports and this case is spot on.  There are no issues with using the buttons.  The biggest plus for me is that it now slips easily into my back pocket where the old case was too grippy and would often stick on the way into my pocket.  I also like that they give you two screen protectors.  I have stopped using screen protectors since I received the Galaxy S9.  That curved screen makes it too difficult to put a protector on without bubbles or cracking.  I did not even attempt to install the screen protectors.

What can be improved

My biggest complaint is the price.  For the S9 the price of the case is $49.99.  The price drops $10 for the S8.  The iPhone cases range from $44.99 to $39.99.  That is kind of crazy since the XS Max is much bigger than the S9.

Price: $49.99 as reviewed for the Samsung Galaxy S9
Where to buy:  Mous Website
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Mous.

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Mous Limitless 2 smartphone case review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 12, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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Cuisinart Compact Automatic bread maker review

REVIEW – I owned my first and only bread maker about 20-years ago, I loved it, but it got lost somewhere along the way. Since then I’ve told anyone who would listen how much I missed it and that I needed to buy another one, but of course, I never did. So when I received an offer to review the Cuisinart compact automatic bread maker, I couldn’t pass it up. Time to see if the Cuisinart compact bread maker can rekindle my love for making homemade bread.

What is it?

The Cuisinart compact automatic bread maker is a compact automatic vertical bread maker that offers a variety of crust colors and loaf sizes, as well as 12 preprogrammed menu options.

What’s in the box?

  • Bread maker
  • Bread pan
  • Kneading paddle
  • Pan hook
  • Quick reference guide
  • Instruction booklet/recipe booklet

Design and features

The first thing you notice about the bread maker is how light and compact it is. It only weighs 10.75-lbs and has a very small footprint (10.25″ x 13.25″ x 11.25″). The size is perfect for me as I don’t have a whole lot of counter space in my kitchen.

I also liked the look of the bread makers contemporary brushed stainless steel exterior.

On top of the unit, there’s a bread door with a viewing window and a control panel with an LCD display.

The control panel has buttons for programming, crust color, bread size/light, and stop/start. Plus/minus buttons let you adjust the time for the bake only program and delay start timer. 

The easy to read LCD display shows program, crust color, and loaf size selections. You can also view cycle and delay start timing.

Features

Even though the bread machine is compact in size, it doesn’t lack in functionality.

To start with it has 12 different pre-programmed menu options to choose from, all fully automatic.

  1. White
  2. French
  3. Whole Wheat
  4. Ultra-fast
  5. Sweet
  6. Gluten-free
  7. Artisan dough
  8. Dough
  9. Jam
  10. Packaged mix
  11. Cake
  12. Bake only

Other features include your choice of crust color: light, medium, or dark and loaf size: 1-lb., 11/2-lb., or 2-lb. loaf.

A 13-hour delay start timer allows you to program the bread maker up to 13 hours in advance.

The included recipe guide has several foolproof recipes to get you started. Everything from gluten-free and artisan bread options to jam and sauce recipes. I found the recipes to be concise and easy to follow.

Let’s make some bread!

Making bread in this machine couldn’t be easier. All you have to do is add your ingredients, and the bread maker does the rest.

To start out I wanted to make something easy, that didn’t call for a lot of ingredients. I chose to make the French bread recipe from the included booklet.

I added the ingredients to the bread pan and placed it into the unit. I then chose the French program option and my loaf size. I chose to make the 2lb loaf because I wanted to see what this bread machine could really do. Because I was making French bread, I didn’t have the option to choose the crust color.

After selecting my preferences, I pushed the start button and let the machine do its thing. The unit automatically takes care of each step of the process until the loaf is done. An indicator on the LCD display shows the current function: Knead, Rise, Bake, or Keep Warm.

Before the bread begins baking, you have the option to remove the kneading paddle which I did. There’s a signal of 10 short beeps to let you know when it can be removed. If you miss the initial beeps, the display will show “paddle” for one minute.

Being as curious and impatient as I am I really liked having the ability to check in on the bread as it went through the process. The viewing window and built-in light made that very easy.

As the bread was baking, I remembered why I loved making homemade bread so much. The AROMA! The entire house was filled with the wonderful smell of fresh baking bread.

After the bread is done baking the unit beeps 10 times, and the LCD display window will read 00:00. There is a keep warm cycle that will keep your bread warm for 60 minutes. At the end of the keep warm cycle, the unit will emit one long beep and then it will shut off.

When the bread was finished I took the bread pan out of the machine and gripping the bottom turned it over, my finished loaf slid right out. I then placed it on a wire rack to cool. As you can see from the pic below my French bread loaf turned out fantastic.

Time to taste my creation(s)

After cooling and slicing my French bread loaf, it was time to give it a taste. It tasted great! The bread was soft on the inside, and the crust had that perfect French bread crunch. Needless to say, I was pleased with my first loaf of bread from the Cuisinart compact bread maker.

Since then I’ve made two other loaves, jalapeño cheddar, and cinnamon swirl. The jalapeño cheddar recipe called for ingredients to be added during the kneading process. The unit lets you know when it’s time to add them with an audible signal of 4 sets of 5 long beeps. Then you just lift the lid and add your additional ingredients.

Like the French bread loaf, both loaves turned out perfect and tasted wonderful.

I found that the 2-pound loaf was too much for just myself, so when I made the cinnamon swirl bread, I opted for the 1-pound loaf which turned out to be a perfect size (see the pic below).

What I like

  • Compact size
  • Easy to use
  • Can make up to a 2lb. Loaf
  • Easy to clean
  • The included recipe booklet

What needs to be improved

  • Nothing

Final thoughts

The Cuisinart compact automatic bread maker is easy to use, doesn’t take up a lot of space, and produces perfectly baked great tasting bread. It does everything larger bread makers do and for a fraction of the price. In my book that makes it a winner. And more importantly, it rekindled my love for making homemade bread.

Price: $99.95
Where to buy: Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Home Depot.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Cuisinart.

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Cuisinart Compact Automatic bread maker review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 11, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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OptinMonster Review: Exploring the New Features of the Leading Optin Form Plugin for WordPress

The release of the OptinMonster email sign-up form plugin was one most developers could only dream of, with nearly every WordPress news-and-review blog publishing glowing coverage of this premium popup lead-generation tool almost as soon as it became available. However, now that OptinMonster has been available for some time, it’s worth taking another look to… View Article

The post OptinMonster Review: Exploring the New Features of the Leading Optin Form Plugin for WordPress appeared first on WinningWP.

CheerGiant alligator watch strap review

REVIEW – I have been a watch guy my entire life, always having some sort of timepiece on my wrist. Even in today’s modern world of smartphones and Dick Tracy watches, I still prefer something classic telling me the time. Over the past decade, I have dipped my toe into the world of horology and luxury watches. As the story goes, I recently purchased a pre-owned Cartier Santos 100 on a crazy bright orange band and wanted/needed to swap the strap out for something a bit more my style (aka subdued). During my searches, I found a leather craftsman based in Taiwan who created me a gorgeous handmade band worthy of a Gadgeteer review.

I know some of you are questioning why I am reviewing something as simple as a watchband. My answer is simple: I consider the pocket/wristwatch to be one of the original gadgets and since we review accessories for tech and gadgety things here @the-gadgeteer all the time, I thought what the heck. Add in the fact that the leather work CheerGiant produces is some of the best I’ve seen, I thought you guys might want to check it out.

What is it?

This CheerGiant alligator watchband is handmade by George Lan specifically for my midsized Santos 100 and sized for my 7 inch wrist. I found the CheerGiant storefront on eBay and with further research discovered George is a well-known craftsman creating fine leather pieces for folks around the world.

Design and features

After much internal debate and string of emails with George, I decided to splurge and have him create my watchband out of alligator leather. This band is the first alligator leather I have ever owned or worn and hope it’s as luxurious to wear as it looks.

I went with a dark chocolate brown and black nylon stitching color scheme which turned out absolutely gorgeous and just as I envisioned. George tailors each band to perfectly fit the watch and person he is creating the strap for.

In my case, the band needed to be 20mm wide and 6mm thick on the sides that attach to the watch and 18mm wide and 1.5mm wide for the clasp. George was excellent to work with throughout the entire process: exact sizing, colors, shipping, and instructions/things to consider during installation.

The inside of the straps are lined with a soft pigskin and embossed/signed with the CheerGiant logo.

The thickness tapers in the middle to accommodate the watch and its associated Cartier clasp mechanism. Overall the band works very well with the watch’s lug spacing, how it wraps around my wrist, and clasp.

The quality of materials and workmanship put into this strap are awesome. Here you can see the old world craftsmanship and gorgeous leather of this band. The leather is perfectly stained and finished. The side edging is sanded and ever so slightly beveled.

The Cartier Santos 100 comes with a very nice clasp that has to be considered when purchasing a watch strap. Each strap has to be created with just the right shape, width, and thickness to use the clasp.

George was spot-on and the bands work very well with the clasp. The clasp takes a tiny bit of force on one side to close but I’m guessing that is more a factor of breaking in the leather than being too thick. During the process, he even took the time to send pictures of the bands and their thicknesses.

What I like

  • Handmade with old world craftsmanship
  • Absolutely gorgeous
  • Excellent material and construction quality
  • Perfectly fitted for my watch & wrist
  • One of a kind

What needs to be improved

  • Expensive

Final thoughts

I have zero buyers regret splurging on this handmade alligator watchband. Like I said, it is just what I had hoped for, exceptionally made, and perfectly fitted for my watch and wrist. CheerGiant creates watchbands for a large range of watches from Rolex to the Apple Watch and everything in-between. George Lan is an excellent leather craftsman, creating me a high quality, handmade band that is one of a kind and much better made than the OEM one that came with the watch for a fraction of the cost. So, if you’re considering upping the game on your timepiece, you should check out his creations on eBay.

Price: $200
Where to buy: Available on the CheerGiant eBay storefront.
Source: The sample of this product was purchased with my own funds directly from CheerGiant via eBay.

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CheerGiant alligator watch strap review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 10, 2019 at 10:00 am.

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