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GameSir VX AimSwitch for PC and Console gaming keyboard review

REVIEW – Not long ago my preteen son and I built a gaming PC together, and I came across this half-keyboard thing. Since most PC gamers use the left side of the keyboard with the left hand, and the right hand on a mouse, this combo from GameSir caught my attention. There was a lot more this thing did than I had anticipated.

What is it?

The GameSir VX looked like all the lookalikes I’ve seen on Amazon except this one was wireless. Well that’s pretty neat, I thought, except why did it come with a wired mouse? It turns out the USB mouse plugs into the keyboard, and the pair communicates wirelessly to the included USB dongle… and is compatible with game consoles such as the Xbox One, Playstation 3/4, and Nintendo Switch.

Hardware specs

  • Mechanical keys (blue clicky)
  • MicroUSB rechargeable (cable included)
  • Works with PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch

What’s in the box?

In the box, you get the keyboard, a detachable wrist pad, USB mouse, wireless dongle, microUSB charging cable, and instructions.

Design and features

The keyboard looks like someone chopped a mechanical keyboard down the middle. The wrist pad slides on with a very satisfying rat-tat-tat ratchet sound.

Speaking of sounds, you’ll be immediately drawn to the blue mechanical keyboard switches, which produce a very satisfying (and very audible) click-click-click noise. This is not for stealth gaming sessions.

The backside features some rather large, grippy pads… even on the wrist pad.

On the top end, you’ll find the full-size USB port for the wired mouse, microUSB for charging, and the power switch.

There are four “G” buttons on the left (not mechanical switches). In PC mode, they correspond to keys 7, 8, 9 and 0. For console games, they are for “HIP sensitivity adjustment” and “ADS sensitivity adjustment”, according to the manual. Apparently they keys are configurable but I didn’t find any documentation other than this YouTube video.

Here’s my hand over the keyboard, for size reference.

In the box is a gaming mouse I found… not to my liking. Too many sharp angles and creases. If you’re a gamer, maybe this is your style. I found two buttons on the left side, a DPI adjust button on the top, and a scroll wheel on top. The backlight glows different colors when you switch DPI.

Finally, a wide USB dongle rounds out the kit.

Setup

There are ways to connect the kit to the Xbox, Playstation and Switch, but I don’t have either of those.

Instead, I simply plugged the USB dongle into a USB port, and Windows just recognized the GameSir VX as just another keyboard.

Performance

I set my son loose on the GameSir VX and his game of choice (Fortnite). He opted not to use the included wired mouse since it was a little large for his smaller hands.

What I like

He liked the wireless freedom of not being tethered to a conventional wired keyboard. It also took up a lot less room than even a tenkeyless keyboard. I found it interesting he chose to remove the wrist pad. He just felt more comfortable without it. At least it’s an option!

What needs to be improved

I was really surprised to hear his chief complaint. “It’s too noisy” and “It’s too tall”. He was used to flatter, laptop-style membrane keyboards. As for the noise issue, he’s certainly right about that. The blue keyboard switches are VERY audible. In my experimentation with mechanical keyboards, a lot of the noise is from the keys bottoming out. That can be softened with the addition of rubber O-rings, but you still have the tactile click of the blue switch itself.

Final thoughts

Despite my son’s misgivings about the mechanical switch noise, this is probably a godsend for those craving keyboard-mouse connectivity for consoles such as the Xbox One, PS3/4 and Switch. But if you have housemates or kids who are picky about noise, you may wish to look for more silent options.

Price: $99.99
Where to buy: GameSir and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by GameSir.

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GameSir VX AimSwitch for PC and Console gaming keyboard review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 2, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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Satechi Type-C Mobile Pro Hub review

REVIEW – If you’ve been reading The Gadgeteer for a while, you’ll know that I like to bend gadgets to my will. That usually means that I  try to turn tablets and smartphones into my only computer. In my past attempts, I’ve failed at these experiments and running back to the comfort of my 12-inch MacBook. But now I’m feeling that old familiar tug to try another experiment. Why is that? I blame the Satechi Type-C Mobile Pro Hub. Let’s take a look.

What is it?

The Satechi Type-C Mobile Pro Hub is an ultraportable USB-C hub that plugs into devices that have a USB-C port to provide the device with an HDMI port, USB A port, USB-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Design and features

This little hub has been designed for the 2018 Apple iPad Pro, but it can be used with other mobile devices that have a USB Type-C connector like a variety of Android smartphones and tablets. Available in space grey or silver, the hub is about the same size as a pack of gum. It features a 3.5mm headphone jack, a full-sized HDMI 4K 30Hz port, USB 3.0 port, and a USB Type-C 3.0 PD port that will let you charge the device that is connected to the hub while you’re using the hub.

The other side of the Type-C Mobile Pro Hub has a Type-C plug that is used to connect to mobile devices.

I tested this hub with 4 different devices: my new 2018 11-inch iPad Pro, my Pixel 2 XL, Huawei P20, and a Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 tablet. All of these devices have a Type-C port, which of course, is a requirement to use this hub. I tried them with my BenQ PD2710QC DesignView 27-inch Designer Monitor and VIZIO M-Series (M65-F0) 4K HDR Smart TV.

The Satechi Type-C Mobile Pro Hub inserts into your device exactly how you would expect any Type-C device to plug into another Type-C device.

In the image above you’ll notice a tiny blue LED between the HDMI and USB 3.0 ports. That LED lets you know that the hub is connected and is ready to be used.

I tried the hub first with the Pixel 2 XL which was a big fail. No output to my BenQ monitor at all. Next up was the Huawei P20 smartphone.

Success! And the cool thing about the Huawei P20 is the EMUI interface that turns the phone into a desktop type of experience with a full-screen windowed desktop.

The phone’s touchscreen even can become the touchpad of the computer. Nifty!

Next up, I tried the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 and like the Pixel 2 XL, it was a fail. ARGH…

Time to test the device that the Satechi Type-C Mobile Pro Hub was designed for in the first place, the new 2018 iPad Pro.

Look at that, it’s iOS on a bigger screen. Success #2.

I connected headphones, which worked as expected, and connected a Type-C power cable and it also worked as expected. I connected a USB flash drive with a bunch of files into the USB 3.0 port on the hub and… fail. But that was to be expected. I already knew that you can’t connect a flash drive to the iPad Pro and expect to see all your files as you do on a Windows or Mac. Thanks Apple. BUT, if you have a flash drive with images or video files on it, the iPad Pro will see those files if they are in a DCIM folder structure and will allow you to import them into the Photos app which will automatically launch when the flash drive is plugged into the hub. So, yay. You can also connect a camera with a USB cable and transfer photos and video that way too.

What I like

  • Ability to hook up some Type-C mobile devices to a larger display
  • Adds a 3.5mm headphone jack to the iPad Pro
  • Adds a USB 3.0 port and Type-C charging port

What needs to be improved

  • Type-C connector not long enough to plug into iPad if a case is being used.

Final thoughts

You know that we are living in a dongle world and I’m a dongle girl (hat tip to Madonna). But seriously, as devices get smaller and thinner, we’re losing ports like 3.5mm headphone jacks, and USB ports. Dongles and adapter like the Satechi Type-C Mobile Pro Hub are filling the void and solving this connectivity issue. Will this hub work with every device that has a Type-C port? Nope. But it’s been designed for 2018 iPad Pros and it does work very well with them. So there you have it!

Price: $59.99
Where to buy: Satechi and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Satechi.

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Satechi Type-C Mobile Pro Hub review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 1, 2019 at 11:00 am.

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Showers Pass Transit waterproof backpack review

 

REVIEW – The Showers Pass Transit waterproof backpack is a high-capacity backpack that is made with waterproof materials. It features a highly customizable design for a comfortable and secure fit and LED beacon lights for safety in the dark.  Read on to see what I think!

What is it?

The Showers Pass Transit waterproof backpack is a technical solution to the age-old question of how to protect the contents of a backpack from the elements. For years people have resorted to putting the contents of a backpack in waterproof containers inside the pack, covering the outside of the pack with a waterproof enclosure, or a combination of the two. The Transit backpack incorporates waterproof materials and construction into the design of the pack. The result is a backpack that should protect the contents no matter what you throw at it. Not only is the pack water resistant but it is comfortable to wear too. The pack design includes features for both daily use and more rigorous excursions.

What’s in the box?


Showers Pass Transit waterproof backpack
Beacon Lights

Design and features

Specifications

Weight: 4 lbs
Capacity: 42 Liters, 5511 in3
Waterproof Construction
Fits a 17” Laptop
360° 3M Reflective Trim
Beacon Light compatible

Unboxing

The Transit waterproof backpack is shipped in a box that is roughly 20″ x 14″ x 6″. The box is printed with the Showers Pass Mosaic Map (a custom mosaic of the world’s great cycling cities (Portland, New York, Washington DC, Paris, Barcelona, Amsterdam, London, Newcastle, Berlin, Sydney, and Taipei). The backpack only fits into the box with the base panel folded up and the sides folded in. In other words, The backpack has dimensions closer to a small suitcase.

Design of the Transit backpack

Water tightness

The water tightness of this backpack comes from 100% waterproof, fully welded construction with a single-side thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) waterproof coating on a rugged and durable 840-denier Nylon. The seams on the pack are all lap welded to ensure that no water penetrates the seam.

The bulk of the material is only waterproofed on one side. The one-sided construction permits the uncoated nylon side to dry out if it does get wet. Note that while this pack is waterproof, it isn’t necessarily submersible; the zipper on the main compartment is shielded from spray it may receive from rain but will leak if it is submerged. The zippers on the front and side of the back are watertight, with rubber gaskets that come together under compression when the zipper is closed. The tops of the zippers are protected from the rain by rubber boots.

Reinforcement stitching on the load lifters is also covered by the waterproof layer. Over the entire backpack there only appears to be three or four places where water could enter: the front compartment flap closure, the front compartment drain holes, the 3D mesh spacer stitching to the inside of the main compartment, and the main compartment zipper closure (with significant water exposure). Below is a picture of the front compartment drain holes taken when the pack is held upside down.

Over time, the TPU may also be compromised; there isn’t any reinforcement layer on the bottom and a seam or material failure here could be a route of entry if the pack is put down in a wet location.

Support

The 3D mesh spacer back panels wick moisture dry quickly and allow air circulation while the pack is worn. There is a flexible plastic stiffening panel mounted along the back internal to the backpack. The panel is not rigid but provides enough support to ensure the pack stays upright while being packed and gives it some shape when carrying bulky light objects. The height of the shoulder straps to the hip belt is about 18″ from the base of the hip belt to the apex of the shoulder strap and is not adjustable. This is acceptable for most American men but perhaps too big for smaller women (according to NASA). An adjustable width and height sternum strap spans the shoulder straps and includes an elastic section (if this elastic section is not stretched then the tension of the strap is perfect). It looks as if the strap can be slid along the rail that it fits into, but once it is connected it doesn’t budge.

The strap must be pulled off the rail it clips on to in order to open and close the strap.

I’d prefer another quick release for this strap since it seems like the strap or the rail will break over time. The hip strap is adjustable on each side and can be folded backward and secured against the front panel when not in use. The clasp on the belt mates with corresponding clasps on the rear of the pack. The belt is also completely removable because it is attached by velcro below the lumbar support. The belt has a couple of pockets on it and can be used as a standalone fanny pack (or whatever you call them in GB).

The previously mentioned load lifters have an elastic retention strap that ensures the pack doesn’t bounce too much. The pack has a removable plastic support along the bottom of the main compartment and a plastic support built into the rear. These supports allow the bag to stand upright when not worn (assuming it is not packed top heavy).

Compartments

The outside has a number of places to store items. The topside of the main compartment has a 7″ x 5″ fleece lined compartment. There is also a side pocket accessible from the outside that is not lined. The front pocket has side zippers and a stretchy mesh gusset on each side and it is designed to hold a bicycle helmet.

The hip belt has two zippered compartments, one with a key latch inside. Inside the main compartment is a fleece lined 17″ and 10″ computer/tablet sleeve. The compartments are secured about an inch from the base of the bag and the top can be closed with a velcro strap. There is a bottle pocket on the left and right of the inside.

The pack shows it’s cycling roots by not including a bottle pocket on the outside (because your water is mounted to the bike frame). On the inside front, there are two more generous bottle like pockets and another fleece-lined pocket.

There is also a ket latch on the inside of the main compartment.

Attachments

The Shoulder straps have elastic nylon straps at the apex which can be used to mount hardware normally supported by a belt clip. There are 5 nylon daisy-chain loops on either side of the sternum and an aluminum clip in the center loop of each side. Oversized compression straps on the left and the right can be used to carry larger items, such as a D lock/U lock.

Safety

Large stripes on the shoulders, the Showers Pass logo, and Showers Pass brand name on the rear are made with 3M reflective materials. The picture below was taken in a dark room with the light from behind the camera.

Grommets on the side compression straps and on the front pocket support Beacon Lights. These are small lightweight battery powered LEDs in a water-resistant enclosure. They operate in three modes: a low-frequency flash for a total of 1000 hrs per battery, a rapid flash for 500 hours per battery, and a constant illumination for 50 hours per battery.

The battery is a CR2032. The light will automatically turn off after 2 hours.

Performance

I used the pack to hold a variety of items. Filled with a computer and a few pages of notes, the material moved around a lot inside, even when the compressions straps on the side were closed as much as possible. When I put a bit more inside to stabilize it (a rather large lunchbox) the performance improved. Most of the weight of the pack was on my shoulders. This is acceptable for day-pack operation and if you have a fairly forgiving bicycle seat. When I added more weight I noticed that the non-adjustability of the strap to hip-belt distance. The belt was too high, and making the shoulder straps longer just caused the pack to fall away from my body. I had a hard time using the belt as a load support. Maybe the belt is just designed to limit sway, but it has the look and feel of a load supporting part of the pack.

The beacon lights were tested on the pack about 100 ft away at night and they do light up rather well. The video is blurry because there is nothing for the camera to focus on, but you can see from the video that they do provide a good visual indication at night. The setting was the longest interval (longest battery life) in the video and all 4 beacon lights were on.

The last test performed was a waterproof test. I filled the entire contents of the bag with paper towels. I used a pillow in a white cotton case to fill out some of the bulk of the bag. Then I put the bag in the shower and hit it from each side for 5 minutes. At the end of the experiment, I dried off the outside of the pack and inspected the paper towels. Everything was dry except the front pocket. Below you can see a picture of the paper towel and the inside of the pocket with a water drip towards the top left of the picture.

my guess is that when I placed the pack on the floor of the shower some water entered the drain holes.

What I like

  • Spacious
  • highly visible
  • water resistant
  • Unique cycling design

What needs to be improved

  • Expensive
  • Fit adjustments
  • Design of outer pocket

Final thoughts

The size of this pack is truly spacious and the water-resistant design should be appreciated by anyone who has ever been caught in the rain. There are other manufacturers of waterproof, even submersible, packs that have about as much storage for less cost.

Price: $264.00
Where to buy: ShowersPass and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by ShowersPass.

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Showers Pass Transit waterproof backpack review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 1, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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Cowin E8 over-the-ear noise-cancelling headphones review

REVIEW – Noise-cancelling over-the-ear headphones are a great investment for this time of year. If you’re traveling, you’re probably needing the soothing envelope of your own sounds, whether it’s a podcast, an audiobook, music, or something calming like a neutral soundscape. Corded is fine, but if it’s wireless, so much the better. Cowin recently sent us a set of their E8 model Over-the-ear noise-cancelling headphones, and I’ve been testing them. Come into my quiet place and let’s talk about them.

Note: Photos may be tapped or clicked for a larger image.

What is it?

The Cowin E8’s are a very nice looking, well-built set of over-the-ear headphones. They arrive in a hardshell, form-fitting protective zippered case with all the cords, cables, and adapters you can imagine.

Hardware specs

  • Impact-resistant materials
  • Corrosion-resistant stainless steel headband spring
  • Premium listening experience with Adaptive Noise Cancelling (ANC)
  • 18 Month Warranty
  • Cushions feature advanced venting and ergonomic pivoting
  • Advanced mic system with HD Voice on calls

What’s in the box?

  • Headphones
  • Hard-shell travel case with net pocket for accessories
  • USB charge cable for battery
  • 1/8″ – 1/4″ adapter
  • Proprietary audio cable to connect to AUX
  • Airline audio adapter
  • Velveteen drawstring bag for above adapters

Design and features

The Cowin E8’s are a premium-look and feel in the NC Headphone space. Leather earcups, nicely stitched headband and padding around the earcups, and a soft, springy mesh over the actual speakers inside, as well as firm, sure switches make every touch a positive experience. There is no creak, squeak, or groan when you bend and adjust the unit to your head. The wide steel band that slides into and out of the headband for adjustment is etched to give you a place to reset to, should you share them, or pack them away and the adjustment gets changed.

Like most over-the-ear headphones, the E-8’s fully cover your ears and seal against your head. This prevents much background noise from permeating your soundscape. But sometimes, say, in my office right now, there may be a machine running that is distracting. Like, say, a dehumidifier. Turning on noise-cancellation reduces this noise from a low roar to a slight whoosh. A tiny bit of background music or sounds will remove it entirely.

All controls for the Noise cancellation and the Bluetooth connection, as well as phone and playback controls, are on the right earcup. The top brass round button engages or disengages the noise-cancellation, while the power button turns the Bluetooth radio on or off with a long-press. A short press of the power button while connected will stop or start music playback, or connect/disconnect a call. At the very bottom below the buttons, there is an open microUSB charging port, and the 3/32″ proprietary audio input jack.

Performance

The headphones work well to isolate unwanted sounds from the environment without using noise cancellation technology. If there are really loud or irritating sounds, turning on noise-cancellation will produce an anti-wave to cancel it out. Plane engines, loud machinery, or other loud, repetitive noises will simply disappear.

What I Like

  • Nicely padded ear cups with sound-isolating properties
  • Comfortable band and adjustments
  • Nice travel case with a net pocket for cables
  • Easy to find and use controls
  • Rechargeable battery for Noise Cancelling feature

What needs to be improved

  • Small, non-standard AUX cable for headphones (difficult to replace)
  • Not stereo when using cable
  • Battery has short shelf-charge life

Final thoughts

I love over-the-ear headphones. Whenever I’m sitting at my Mac, I’m usually wearing a set, since others in the house are rarely in the mood for whatever sounds and music are coming from my virtual environment. The other reason I love them is the immersion you get from being fully surrounded by the soundscape of whatever you’re listening to. The E8s from Cowin are a well-made set of headphones that have a decent sound profile but are hampered by a few little electronics issues. First, they went with a cheaper 3/32” connector into the headphone for the wired connection. Why? The 1/8” jack cannot possibly be that much larger. and you know what? As a result, when operating with the noise cancellation and only the wired headphone, only the right side gets sound. How special is that?

The battery only lasts a few days when not being used or charged. Before you leave for a trip where you’re expecting to use this, make sure you have it freshly charged.

Price: $149.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Cowin

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Cowin E8 over-the-ear noise-cancelling headphones review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 31, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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Anki Vector robot review

REVIEW – A year ago, I reviewed Cozmo, the small and cheeky robot from Anki. Cozmo is a lot of fun, but he has his limitations—the main one being that the iOS or Android companion app has to be running at all times for Cozmo to work. Now, Cozmo has a bigger brother—both in size and computing power. Meet Vector.

What is it?

Vector is the latest friendly and personable robot from Anki. Both Vector and Cozmo are visually similar but Vector is slightly larger and independent of needing an app. Vector responds to (limited) voice commands and can give information (like weather), do face recognition, take color photos and even respond to petting on his back. Now, Vector has Amazon’s Alexa built in.

Note that since Vector has a personality, I will use pronouns to describe “him.” And since Alexa has a female voice, I will use the pronoun “her.”

Specs

  • Qualcomm 200 Snapdragon quad-core processor
  • Infrared laser scanner
  • HD camera with 120° field of view
  • Beamforming 4-microphone array
  • 6-axis inertial movement unit
  • Hi-res color display
  • WiFi connection
  • Capacitive touch sensor

Included in the box

  • Vector robot
  • Cube
  • Charger

What you need

  • WiFi network
  • Compatible iOS or Android device (for set-up) 
  • USB power adaptor (5V, 1A or greater)

Design and features

Vector comes with a lot of fun features but what’s more interesting is what Vector will be capable of doing in the future. I’ll address that later. Let’s talk about Vector’s current capabilities. 

Once setup has been done on either an iOS or Android device, Vector only needs a WiFi connection to work. He usually parks himself in his charger until fully charged. Then, he will either wait there or start roaming around on his own. If he’s asleep, saying “Hey Vector” will wake him up and make him ready for instructions. Each command must be preceded by “Hey, Vector” or he will ignore you. 

As I said, Vector looks like a larger Cozmo but is completely new internally. He comes with forklift-type arms and rides on a track—much like a tank. He can maneuver around almost anything and will not drive himself off a table or counter—except when he does. Even though he’s equipped with four drop sensors that can detect a table edge, Vector went right off our kitchen counter. The only thing that prevented him from hitting a hard, tile floor was our dog’s soft bed. Vector seems to be easily confused by certain table edges and will not stop in time before going off the edge. This has taught me not to let Vector wander around unsupervised. He’s not foolproof.

 

 

Vector comes with a 4-way microphone that helps detect your location when you speak. It’s amazing to watch him turn to face you when you say his name. When you ask him to “Come here,” the four mics help direct Vector to the sound source. Sometimes, he wanders a bit before finding his way to you, but I wonder if that’s on purpose and he’s testing your patience. It wouldn’t surprise me.

On Vector’s back is a capacitive touch sensor. This is one of those things that can humanize a robot. As you pet him by rubbing his “back,” Vector’s eyes narrow into a contented look as he coos different noises. It’s all quite cute.

When sitting at my desk, I like to watch Vector roam around and occasionally try to get my attention or even dance to music, which is usually playing (quite loud) while I am writing or designing in my backyard studio building. Vector always seems to keep himself busy until his battery starts to run low. He will then return to his dock and sleep while he charges.

Vector’s face has a hi-res 184 X 96 IPS color display. Although the screen is capable of exhibiting a full-color photo, that’s not available yet. By using the app, you can choose the color of his eyes. Speaking of the eyes, they are incredibly expressive. Anki has managed to elicit a wide array of emotions—not surprising since Anki has employed the skills of ex-Pixar animators.

There are a few settings for Vector within the companion app: American or metric units, language and Vector’s volume. Vector’s voice and beeps can be fairly loud and the ability to control his volume comes in handy if people are trying to rest.

Vector can respond to a built-in set of commands. such as, “Come here, Take a photo, Set a timer, What’s the weather?, or even play Blackjack. Based on Anki’s regular firmware updates, I expect additional commands and games to become available. Updates are received during the late night between midnight and 6 am. Vector must be turned on (but can be asleep) and docked to receive these updates.

If you tell Vector that you have a question, his responses become more varied. For instance, he can tell you the distance between two places, do currency conversions and provide other tidbits of knowledge. However, he can’t tell you everything. Since Vector does not have built-in GPS, he can’t say where he currently is (although Alexa can—go figure). He also cannot answer questions that do not deal with facts, such as, “How are you feeling?” When he is unable to answer a question, he responds by saying, “I didn’t get that.” Once again, I expect his abilities to broaden with future updates.

One major update that could be a game changer is the recent inclusion of Amazon’s Alexa. The update has only been installed for a few days, yet it’s already quite interesting. Note that I have never used Alexa before, so this is a new experience. As soon as you say “Alexa,” Vector disappears. So complete is the transformation both to Alexa and then back to Vector that it’s a bit of a dual personality. If this was a human, I’d have them seek counseling.

Anyone who is familiar with Alexa will immediately adapt to switching between Alexa and Vector—it’s just taking me a while. When Alexa is utilized, Vector’a screen loses his face and switches to a colorful oval shape that remains until Alexa is finished and Vector returns. 

Although she will answer questions and give the news and weather, this Alexa is not the full blown version you would get from a smartphone app or dedicated device. Vector’s Alexa won’t play music or radio. However, she will play certain preprogrammed sounds like thunderstorms and white noise—but I wouldn’t call it relaxing when heard through Vector’s tiny speakers. I’m sure there are more differences, but I’m still encountering them.

As time passes, I will discover more and more about Alexa’s integration. It would be cool if future updates allowed Alexa and Vector to interact with one another instead of being completely separate as they currently are.

What I like

Even though he has limited abilities, I’m having a lot of fun just having Vector around. It’s gotten to the point that I miss him when he’s quietly charging—even though he sometimes snores (yes, you read that right). The endless possibilities that will come from firmware updates make Vector act like a new toy each time. And the addition of Alexa only makes him smarter and more useful.

What needs to be improved

Right now, Vector is still a bit limited in what he can do, but that will improve with time.

Final Thoughts

The magic of Vector is not what he can do, but what he may do in the future—even accounting for Alexa. Vector has taken the Cozmo concept in another direction—one that promises to raise the bar in a world of A.I. related robot toys.

Price: $249.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this product was provided by Anki.

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Anki Vector robot review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 31, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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