Reviews – Page 118

Cuisinart 30″ Electric Smoker review

REVIEW – I used to have an offset barrel smoker, and I just couldn’t get the hang of it. Managing the fuel was a pain, and temperature control was difficult. The Cuisinart 30″ Electric Smoker offers an experience for those who are new to the meat smoking game, or those (like me) who just want an easy plug-and-play solution. How did it do in my tests? Let’s cook!

What is it?

It’s a vertical smoker that uses an electric heating element. It also works nicely as an outdoor oven.

Hardware specs

22″ wide by 19″ deep by 37.5″ tall
51.5 pounds
584 square inches of cooking space
1500 watt heating element with a heat range from 100 to 400 degrees

What’s in the box?

The package contains the smoker, 3 cooking racks, a water pan, a drip pan, a wood chip box, and the power unit. Some assembly is required.

Design and features

The Cuisinart 30″ Electric Smoker utilizes a simple, no-fuss design that can not both smoke meats & vegetables and do double-duty as an outdoor oven. After several cooking sessions during my test, I can attest to the convenience and ease-of-use. Let’s explore the details.

Setup

Before we start, know that the Cuisinart 30″ Electric Smoker is a big beastie. Cuisinart claims to use some lightweight materials in the construction, but it still weighs about 50 pounds. You may want to recruit a friend to help with assembly if you’re not accustomed to maneuvering big items by yourself.

Cracking the box reveals all of the components needed for assembly. I had read some reviews that indicated problems with damage during shipping, but my box came in perfect shape, with everything well-packed:

There are a handful of parts that you need to install that take just a few minutes with a screwdriver. The door and heating element are already set up. You’ll attach the legs, the side handles, and the thermometer. Once that’s done, she’s all ready to go. Here are some shots of the finished assembly. Note that this will be the first and last time you’ll see this unit in shiny, pristine condition:

Before we start, it’s important to note that Cuisinart recommends that you season the unit before first cooking. You’ll want to give the interior (except the burner coil) a wipe down with oil, or a coating of cooking spray. You’ll then close the unit and crank the heat up to 275 degrees, and let it run for about three hours. That seasons the interior and burns off any oils or dust that could have accumulated in the manufacturing/shipping process.

Key features & design details

The Cuisinart 30″ Electric Smoker feels like a solid build for the price point. The walls of the unit are insulated and about 3/4″ thick, and all the hardware looks pretty durable. It’s nice and stable when set up, which is critical for safety.

The heating element is an electric element at the base of the box. Immediately above that burner is the rack for the wood chips and water pan, followed by three cooking racks spaced 5″ apart. You’ve got 10″ of space above the top rack for large hunks of protein (like a turkey), but you can certainly adjust or remove the middle rack if you were going big (like a couple of pork shoulders). Options for hooks at the top could be nice for hanging ribs, but I wouldn’t expect that in a basic unit like this.

Here’s a closeup of the lower pan rig. The pan on the left is for water, which is essential for long slow cooking. The pan on the right is for your wood chips, and sits *just* above the burner to get those chips roasting. It’s also got a lid, which can be used to control the flow of smoke. Both the pans are stainless steel, and look like they will Stan up to long-term use.

Speaking of smoke… see that tiny little port up in the corner? That’s your smoke exhaust. The unit is well-sealed, so this little port allows you to concentrate the smoke in the firebox. We’ll talk more about that in a minute.

Exterior hardware is all good. It’s got a nice burly grab handle for opening the unit, and the lock uses a clever reverse-pivot system that unlocks and opens (or closes) in one motion. This is very handy for keeping your fingers from getting singed when the unit heats up:

Side handles allow you to lift & move the unit about. They’re just fine given the weight of the smoker. It is 50 pounds, so keep that in mind if you have back issues. Wheels might be more convenient, but I’ll trade them for the stability the solid legs offer.

There’s a drip tray that slides under the unit in premade slots. It’s also a solid piece of metal, which I think will last a long time.

And last but not least, the power element and control. This plugs into the unit, allowing you to store it (and the chord) elsewhere. I like that quite a bit. You’ll set the coil to heat with a dial. That light-up arrow to the left is the measuring point. The light will be on when the burner is in operation.

How do you control the temperature, you ask? Well…

Performance

Let’s start by talking about temperature control. You’ll start by adjusting the burner to get the hot box to the desired temperature. Close the unit, fire up the burners, and let it run for 10 minutes or so (without opening the box!) to get it to temperature. Check the built-in thermometer to see where the heat is sitting, and adjust until you get it where you want it:

For my first cook, I was doing barbecue chicken rubbed with my own dry rub (salt, brown sugar, paprika, and spices). I set the internal temperature at 250 degrees, expecting a 2-3 hour roast time. Mesquite smoke was the wood chip choice, soaked in water for 30 minutes and drained prior to roasting. I also threw in a pan of salt to smoke while I was at it. Here’s all the product going in:

And here’s the cook at about the two hour mark:

I flipped the chicken at the 75 minute mark, and added another handful of chips to the smoker box. It does take a while to get the wood chips burning at low temperatures, so that extra round of wood chips was important to getting the smoke flavor. It also seems that the hotbox might run a bit hotter than the thermometer indicates, as I was done the whole cook in just over two hours. The finished results were amazing, however. Good smoke flavor, and a nice even cook. Check out the crust on these samples:

For my next cook I was going for a longer, slower cook time to smoke some fresh sausage. I set the hotbox to 225 degrees, and tested dry apple wood chips to see what the difference would be. I also added some chicken breasts done up with a dry cajun rub at the halfway point. Here’s a shot at the 90 minute point of cooking. Note that the sausage is just starting to brown up here:

At three hours of cooking all told, we’ve got nicely done sausage and chicken breasts. The smoke flavor was much less apparent in the final product, however. I suspect that the lower cooking temp has something to do with this. In future tests, I’ll probably start the unit at higher temperature for the first thirty minutes to get the smoke going, then dial it back for low & slow cooking. I’ll also test out some alternatives like smaller wood chips to see if that makes a difference.

In both cases, the smoker did a great job of maintaining a consistent temperature despite some cold, windy, and wet December days. Even if I wasn’t smoking my meats, I believe that the Cuisinart 30″ Electric Smoker is ideal for use as an outdoor oven given the consistency in heat control. I’d happily roast vegetables or just about anything else in this unit while hosting a deck party.

If there’s a downside to the design, it’s in cleanliness. There’s no mechanism in the design to collect drippings and/or fat runoff, so most of that stuff just splatters and collects wherever it falls. Check out the bottom of the unit after two cooking sessions:

With no system for collecting runoff, the drip pan underneath really doesn’t do much good. It does catch some drippings, but only once it gets past the water tray and smoker box. I’ve noticed that grease and oils collect all around the base, and even run down the legs. I’ll probably buy a pad to put under the smoker to avoid a greasy deck, and play around with some different tin foil options to solve the drip problem. Either way, cleaning will be a challenge in the long run.

So… would I recommend the Cuisinart 30″ Electric Smoker? It depends on what you’re looking for. Compared to my old barrel smoker, it’s far easier to use and manage. I do smoke meats on my trusty Weber charcoal kettle grill as well. And there are more expensive dedicated smokers out there that include more well-rounded designs, digital temperature management, and bonus items like feeder chutes for your wood chips or pellets. But if you’re new to smoking meats and/or want something a bit simpler to use that also offers some additional versatility, the Cuisinart offers a great option at a sub $200 price point. It also adds some great convenience for those with limited space who want to do outdoor cooking, but don’t want to have a propane tank or bags of charcoal lying around (you can buy a small bag of wood chips at most hardware stores). I’ll be putting this baby to good use over the next year, and I’ll keep you updated on my discoveries.

What I like

Easy to operate
Consistent heat control
Well built for a smoker at this price point

What needs to be improved

Smoker box not as effective at lower temperatures
A bit messy, and difficult to clean

Final thoughts

Smoking meats can be intimidating for those that are new to the process. The Cuisinart 30″ Electric Smoker offers a great & easy-to-use option for those that want to try smoking, but don’t want to invest in a more expensive piece of equipment. The additional versatility as an outdoor oven is an extra bonus. It’s also great for those that want an outdoor cooking solution but have limited space to work with or can’t have propane or charcoal grills (like apartment balconies). And at a price point under $200, I think it’s a good buy for the quality.

Price: $149.99
Where to buy: Available at multiple retailers. Visit the Cuisinart product page for a full list of buying options..
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Cuisinart.

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Tagged: Cooking, Food, Grilling, Home and Kitchen

Cuisinart 30″ Electric Smoker review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 23, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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Nimble 8-day fast portable charger review

REVIEW – The market for portable charges has come a long way. I remember when the best portable charger you could get would only charge your cellphone about half way. But hey, at least you had that! I have owned just about every configuration you could think of when it comes to size, capacity, number of ports, wireless vs wired, all forms of USB, etc. So it has to be hard to come up with something that makes you different, right? Until now. Maybe. Some guys at Mophie, one of the leaders in this space, decided to leave and start their own company and do things that no one else was doing. So let’s see if the $69.95 Nimble charger has enough to break into this crowded market.

What is it?

Nimble has multiple portable chargers in different configurations, from 10,000 mAh to 26,000. This one is their 20,000 mAh portable charger that allows you to charge any USB device using 2 standard USB ports (1 being a Quick Charge port) and 1 USB-C port.

Hardware specs:

Dimensions: 2.5″ x 7″ x 1″
Weight: 16.5 oz / 1.03 lbs
Capacity: 20,000 mAh (3.6V, 72Wh)
Input: USB-C: PD 3.0 (5V,2.5A / 9V,2.0A)
Output: USB-C: PD 3.0 (5V,3A / 9V,2.0A/ 12V,1.5A) USB-A 1: (5V,2.4A / 9V,2.0A / 12V,1.5A) USB-A 2: (5V,2.4A Max)
Compatible with: iPhone 6, iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone X, iPhone Xs/Xs Max/XR, Samsung Galaxy Note8/Note 9, Samsung Galaxy S7/S8/S9, Google Pixel, Other Android Smartphones, iPad, Other Tablets, Fitness Trackers, & USB-Powered Devices

What’s in the box?

The Nimble 20,000 mAh portable charger, a magnetic cable holder and strap that attaches to the bottom of the battery, a 1 ft USB-A to USB-C cable, and a small product manual. Also included in the box is a plastic sleeve that enables you to mail back for recycling any old tech products that fit in the bag.

Design and function

One of the big things that the guys at Nimble want to accomplish is to be a different kind of Tech Company. You can read much more about this on their website where they have posted some great video clips explaining their mission and goal with Nimble. To sum it up, (and I can’t really do it justice, so please visit www.nimble.com to hear what they have to say) they want to reduce the massive volume of e-waste in the world by designing a product and packaging that is made with things like 100% recycled aluminum, 100% recycled scrap paper, corn, sugarcane, mica, and they use no inks or dyes of any kind. So when it arrived at my house the box and packaging were decidedly non-descript and there was very little air in the box. They only ship directly to the consumer and avoid retail so they don’t need fancy packaging that uses materials that aren’t biodegradable or recyclable. They believe in those things so much that they even include a plastic sleeve in the box so that you can return for free an old tech product for recycling instead of dumping it in a landfill.

That is one of the ‘big rocks’ that Nimble wants to focus on. They believe that having this mission will not only be better for our planet but also attract consumers who will buy into their mission and use their products. I think they have something there, and I am willing to bet that others will think so too. But aside from their mission, which is a noble one, does the product also set itself apart from others in the market?

My answer is… yes and no.

First, let me talk about what is good about Nimble. The design and build feels premium to me. It feels solid and the speckled soft-touch outer shell is really nice. All the ports are on one end, as they should be. (I hate those chargers that try to get fancy and put a port on the side). There is a button to turn it on next to 6 indicator lights. The first light is green during normal speed charging and orange during fast charging, which is also as it should be. It has pass-through charging which is better than some chargers that don’t allow that.

The 20,000 mAh capacity means that for me I get about 5 charges on my cellphone (Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+) so it lasts for a long time before I have to charge it. The Quick Charge feature works with my Samsung which has Quick Charge, and it performs just as good as some of my other Quick Charge portable chargers, so no complaints there. The USB-C port in the middle of the 2 standard USB ports is used as an output to USB-C compatible devices, and doubles as the input for charging the Nimble. I can charge multiple devices at once, which is good because I constantly need to charge something.

And now let me share what I don’t like about the Nimble. I don’t care for the magnetic cable attachment and strap that attaches to the bottom of the Nimble. It is pitched as the way you keep the 1-foot USB-C cable with the battery. But the magnet isn’t strong enough to really do any good. I have yet to put the Nimble and magnetic attachment into a bag without the cable attachment falling off. (see pic below) Honestly, it is pretty much useless. Including a nice bag made of the same wonderful materials they use with their products would have been a better idea. I also am disappointed that the Nimble comes with a measly 1-foot USB-C cable. You can’t do much with a 1-foot cable. You can’t even really use your phone when charging it with this cable because it is so short. Even a 1.5 ft cable would have been better than this one. And it doesn’t come with a power brick either. The largest Nimble battery comes with a power brick, but this model did not, so I have to use other power bricks that I have. For a price of $69 I would expect a power brick.

Finally, I don’t have a deep knowledge of the trials and tribulations of the USB charging standards, but there are some things that I do know. In plain language, the Nimble’s 18W maximum output for USB-C PD (power delivery) doesn’t measure up to other USB-C PD batteries in the amount of juice it can output. The USB-C PD standard is going to become more prevalent over time I believe, as more and more devices come with USB-C interfaces. And when you look at similar products out there, the 18W maximum output for the Nimble’s USB-C PD port just isn’t that impressive. It should easily be at least 30W to compete in this space. So to keep it real, what does that mean in plain language? Well, if you are only going to use the Nimble with your cellphone and a few other small gadgets, you’ll be fine. This 18W maximum output for the USB-C port is all you need. But if you decide to use a laptop, for example, that has a USB-C power cord like some of the Macs out there, you won’t be happy. The USB-C port simply isn’t strong enough to pump out power to those type of larger devices.

What I like

Premium build and feel
20,000 mAh capacity is great for many days of use
Their corporate philosophy and vision for reducing e-waste is enviable and worth considering

What needs to be improved

18W USB-C PD output isn’t as robust as some competing products.
The magnetic strap holder is basically useless
No power brick
1-foot USB-C cable is frustratingly short

Final thoughts

I am a firm believer that you can’t have too many portable chargers. I have one everywhere. The Nimble products are well designed, and their corporate philosophy of product and package design that is environmentally sustainable should be adopted by the entire tech industry in my opinion. There are a few annoyances like the 1-ft cable, no power brick, and the magnetic cable holder that could be fixed by Nimble if they wanted to fix them. And the limiting 18W maximum output for the USB-C port won’t be useful to everyone. But I believe that the Nimble is useful to most folks. At least for now. I imagine that Nimble has already heard from consumers about this issue and will fix it in upcoming iterations of their products. But for now, the Nimble is worth considering if you are in the market for a portable charger.

Price: $69.95 (use GADGET20 to receive 20% off sitewide)
Where to buy: at Nimble.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Nimble.

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Tagged: Batteries and Chargers

Nimble 8-day fast portable charger review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 23, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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Aukey Aura Lamp review

REVIEW – The Aukey Aura Lamp isn’t your average everyday table lamp. It has a modern design and multi-colored LED lights, all controlled by a remote. I received one recently to review. Let’s see just how different this lamp really is.

What is it?

The Aukey Aura Lamp is a dimmable LED table lamp with a remote control that has 6 lighting modes, 4 lighting speeds, and a lighting memory function.

What’s in the box?

Aura Lamp
Remote Control
AC Adapter
User Manual
Warranty Card

Design and features

The Aukey Aura Lamp has a modern ring-shaped design with a small footprint (13.9 x 12.6 x 4.72 in), the perfect size for an end table, desktop, or nightstand, and its white color makes it suitable for almost any home interior.

The base and outer-ring of the lamp are made from aluminum alloy, and it’s very well constructed.

The inner-ring is plastic and contains 72 LED lights. According to the specs the LED’s have a lifespan of 35,000 hours.

There’s rubber padding on the bottom that keeps the lamp from sliding around and provides scratch protection.

Power is provided by an AC adapter.

Remote

The included candy bar style remote control allows you to change the lamps modes, brightness, lighting effect speed, and colors. You can also use the remote to save up to 16 lighting presets. Once you save a preset, you can quickly access it using the memory button on the remote.

The remote takes a little getting used to because it has a lot of features. But once you use it a few times, it’s not an issue. And its size should make it a little harder for you to lose between your couch cushions.

One thing I didn’t like was the fact that the buttons aren’t backlit which makes it difficult to use in a dark or dimly lit room.

Note: If you’re giving this as a gift the 2-AAA batteries required for the remote are NOT INCLUDED.

Performance

The lamp is easy to use and has a lot of different functions. You can choose from 6 different lighting modes: static, stack, pulse, chase, three-color chase, and three-color rotate.

When you first plug the lamp in it automatically powers on to the warm white setting, after that it will default to the mode it was in when last powered off.

You can dim the lights when the lamp is in static light mode, there are four different levels of brightness to choose from. If you have children this feature makes it an excellent night light.

The Auto function allows you to choose from warm white light or rainbow swirl with the press of a single button.

Below is a picture of each static color, a total of 7 in all.

The lamp doesn’t get overly bright, so don’t expect it to light up an entire room. But the different colors and animations make it a great mood light. Perfect whether you’re just relaxing, watching tv, or having a party. It would also make a nice accent light for your holiday get-togethers.

To give you a better idea of how the different color animations work I posted a short video of below.

What I like

Modern style
Easy to use
Good build quality
Mood lighting
Lots of different colors and animations to choose from

What needs to be improved

AAA batteries for the remote not included

Final thoughts

Overall, I like the Aukey Aura Lamp for what it is. If you’re looking for a modern lamp with lots of colors and cool animations, then this lamp certainly delivers.

Price: $49.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Aukey.

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Aukey Aura Lamp review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 22, 2018 at 11:30 am.

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UE Megaboom 3 Bluetooth speaker review

REVIEW – The new Ultimate Ears (UE) Megaboom 3 was introduced a few months ago and since I have really enjoyed using the Megaboom, I wanted to give the Megaboom 3 a try. Were there any improvements? Well, I think they did a great job in redesigning the Megaboom 3. It’s much more attractive than my previous one and also has wonderful audio quality. It also has the ability to be charged by the Power Up Charging Dock which makes charging much easier (the dock is sold separately). When testing the playing time of the speaker on low volume, I got a whopping 49 hours! Higher volume levels would decrease the playing time, which the User Guide states is about 20 hours. However, I did find some drawbacks to the speaker, or rather, with the app. Several of the app features had problems. Sometimes they worked and sometimes they didn’t. In addition, the speaker no longer has an AUX audio port or calling features.

What is it?

The Megaboom 3 is the second version of the original Megaboom. It is a tough durable cylindrical portable Bluetooth speaker that provides 360-degree sound and is IP67 rated which means it can be immersed in 1 meter or 3.3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes.

Hardware specs

AUDIO
Maximum Sound Level: 90dBA
Frequency Range: 60Hz – 20kHz
Drivers: Two 50mm (2 in), 4-ohm full range drivers and two 55mm x 86mm passive radiators

WIRELESS CAPABILITIES
Pair up to 8 Bluetooth enabled source devices
Connect up to two source devices at the same time
Mobile range of play is up to 45m (150 ft)

POWER
Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery for up to 20 hours of battery life* between Micro USB charges.

COMPATIBILITY
For Audio Playback: Smartphones, tablets and other devices that support Bluetooth and Bluetooth® Smart wireless audio profile [Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP)]

DIMENSIONS
Diameter: 87 mm (3 3/8”)
Height: 225 mm (8 7/8”)
Weight: 925 g (~2 lbs.)

WATER AND DUSTPROOF RATING
IP67 – This means it can survive immersion in 1 meter or 3.3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes

CUSTOMIZABLE EQ
Select the best Sound for different occasions with 4 different presets and a customized tuner

WARRANTY
2-year limited hardware warranty

What’s in the box?

Megaboom 3 speaker
Micro-USB cable
AC adapter
Let’s Get Started Guide
Important Information documentation: Safety, Compliance, and Warranty information
A tiny note that states that the charging cable is not waterproof: “If the speaker has been exposed to chlorine or salt water, rinse with fresh water and air dry completely before charging”

Power Up Charging Dock
Charging D-ring (for Blast and Megablast speakers only)
Getting Started Guides (Blast, Megablast, Boom 3, and Megaboom 3)
Important Information documentation: Safety, Compliance, and Warranty information
NOTE: The charging dock does NOT come with micro-USB cable or AC adapter

Design and features

The UE Megaboom 3 (the red speaker in the above photo) received a design update from its predecessor the Megaboom (the blue speaker in the above photo). It no longer has a wide strip of silicone down the front of the speaker where the volume controls are. The top and bottom of the Megaboom 3 speaker are flat instead of concave and the mesh fabric covering the majority of the speaker is finer than that of the Megaboom. I love the red color. It has a sheen to it. The UE website calls it a two-tone “light-shifting fabric”. I think that the Megaboom 3 is a MUCH more attractive speaker than the Megaboom. Even with the differences, a couple of things remained the same. The top and bottom of the speaker still have a silicone covering and it still has the large silicone “+” (Volume Up) and “-” (Volume Down) buttons on the front. Also new to the speaker is a thin 2 cm strip of silicone running from top to bottom located on the back of the speaker. Attached at the top of the silicone strip is a tough thick nylon “Hang loop”.

At the base of the 2 cm silicone strip is a micro-USB port that has a silicone cover to protect the port from water and the elements. Ha! No more having to charge the speaker on its side (the original Megaboom had its micro-USB port located on the bottom of the speaker). Also, notice the tiny circle just below the micro-USB port. That’s the LED charging status light. It’s a white light that flashes slowly when charging and stops flashing and remains on when fully charged. The top of the speaker has the following buttons (starting from the top): the Bluetooth Pairing button (the tiny circle), a new button called the Magic Button (the large center circle), and the Power On/Off button (the button that looks like a dash) each of which illuminates when activated. The bottom of the speaker has the charging dock contact located in the center. There is no longer a metal D-ring on the bottom of the speaker like that on the Megaboom. I also received the Power Up Charging Dock to review which is normally sold separately. The dock is a 90 mm rigid white plastic disk that is 12 mm high (without the pins). The back of the dock contains the micro-USB port. The dock does not come with a micro-USB cable or AC adapter, thus you must use the micro-USB cable and power adapter that comes with your Megaboom 3 (Blast, Megablast, or Boom 3) to plug into the dock. The front of the dock contains an LED status light. The light flashes slowly when the speaker is sitting on the dock charging. According to the documentation, the light stops flashing and remains on when the speaker is fully charged. The top of the dock contains three charging pins located in the center. The bottom of the charging dock contains a circular rubber pad that prevents the dock from scratching any furniture that it is sitting on.

Setup

Bluetooth Pairing: To pair your Megaboom speaker with your mobile device (Android and iOS), you need to make sure that you turn on device’s Bluetooth. If your speaker is new, then when it is powered on, it will already be in pairing mode. However, if you want to pair it to another device, then power up the speaker and put it in pairing mode by pressing and holding the Bluetooth button for about three seconds until you hear a series of Bongo drum beats. The Bluetooth button will blink rapidly when the speaker is in pairing mode. Finally, in your device’s Bluetooth settings, tap on the “Megaboom 3” in the list of discovered devices.

The Megaboom 3 does not have NFC pairing capabilities like its predecessor.

The speaker will remember up to eight devices and when powered on, it will connect the last device it was connected to.

Performance

Ultimate Ears Boom and Megaboom app: Once you’ve paired your speaker to your mobile device, you’ll then install the Ultimate Ears Boom and Megaboom app. This new app now allows you to control all of your Boom and Megaboom speakers whereas, in the past, the Boom and Megaboom speakers each had their own app. I already had the Megaboom app installed on my Pixel 2 XL phone, but I was instructed to download the new app. After downloading and opening the new app, it instructed me to uninstall my old Megaboom app (shown in the left screenshot above). It is not necessary to install the app to use the speaker, but it does provide you with additional functionality.

If you have multiple UE Boom or Megaboom speakers, you can choose which one you want to control with the app by tapping on the down arrow located at the upper left of the app home screen as shown in the left screenshot above. Doing this brings up another app screen that lists all of your UE Boom and Megaboom speakers (right screenshot above). Tap on the one you want, and you’ll be able to use the app to control the speaker. Then, if you want to control any of your other speakers, just go back to the list to tap on another.

App speaker buttons: Remote power on/volume down and up/equalizer: On the app’s home screen you’ll see buttons for power, volume down and up, and an equalizer button. I could power on my Megaboom 3 speaker remotely by tapping on the app’s Power button. This sometimes worked and sometimes didn’t. And as long as the speaker was powered on, I could read the amount of battery charge left, adjust the speaker’s volume, and adjust the equalizer (EQ) settings.

You may choose to use the app’s EQ presets (“The Standard”, “Cramped Spaces”, “Voices”, “Bass Jump”) or customize your own. While you can hear the differences among the presets, there were no substantial differences. Of the four factory presets, I tended to prefer “Bass Jump” and “Cramped Spaces”. I wanted to try to create my own to see if I could do better (I wanted to increase the strength of the bass). It turns out that my custom EQ did not substantially differ from the others either. There’s no real bass boost when using the EQ settings like “Bass Jump” or my own “Custom” EQ settings – just a dampening of the other frequencies (non-audiophile opinion).

PartyUp feature: Just as you were able to connect the Megaboom to other UE speakers, so you can with the Megaboom 3. To connect the Megaboom 3 speaker to other UE speakers (Boom, Boom 2, Boom 3, Megaboom, Megaboom 3), you’ll need to use the “PartyUp” feature in the most up-to-date Ultimate Ears app. Additionally, all speakers must be using the latest firmware which can be updated in the app. To start the PartyUp process, you tap on the center tab located at the bottom of the app (the double speaker icon).

On the next app screen (as shown in the screenshot above), you’ll see at the bottom of the screen in an area called the “Drawer”, “1 Speakers Found”. In the Drawer, there is a black outlined speaker with a question mark in it as well as the speaker that the app discovered which was my blue Megaboom (the app sometimes discovered my blue Megaboom even though it was powered off, other times it did not). To view a tutorial on how to “PartyUp” your speakers, you can tap on the black outlined speaker with a question mark.

The tutorial steps you through the process of connecting your speakers. This involves dragging and dropping the speaker(s) located in the Drawer onto your currently connected speaker. Your friends can bring their UE Boom and Megaboom speakers and connect them to yours (up to 150 speakers). And to disconnect them, you just drag a speaker back down to the Drawer or just turn the speaker off.

I was supposed to be able to drag my blue Megaboom located in the Drawer and drop it right next to my red Megaboom 3 to connect them. However, I had frequent trouble connecting my speakers because of the finicky nature of the app (the app features don’t always work). As I stated earlier, there were times when the app didn’t detect any available speakers for the Megaboom 3 to connect to, even though my blue Megaboom had been previously paired to my phone but happened to be turned off. Other times, when trying to connect the speakers, I would tap on the blue Megaboom in the Drawer but couldn’t drag it up to the Megaboom 3. When I finally got them connected, they played identical streams of music. To make them a stereo pair, I tapped on the word “Stereo” above the speakers. Even after successfully making them a stereo pair, there was one time as I was playing music, the blue Megaboom just stopped playing and shut off (the battery was at 90% charge).

I’m not sure if you can make a stereo pair out of a Megaboom 3 and a Boom speaker. I no longer have the Boom 2 speaker to test this. However, I know that in the past I was unable to make such a connection into a stereo pair because each of those speakers has a different sound signature. I suspect that this is still the case.

Block Party feature: Using the app allows up to three people to connect to the speaker simultaneously to share their music (the Megaboom also had this feature). To start a “Block Party”, you’ll need to tap on the tab located on the lower right of the app (the circle inside a square icon). To see a very brief tutorial about how to use the “Block Party” feature, just tap on “Show me how” (as shown in the second screenshot above) which will bring up another app screen (shown in the third screenshot above).

If the app works properly, all I would need to do to start a “Block Party” was to tap on the big “+” sign in the app which brings up another app screen that lists the device your speaker is currently connected to. The next step is to have two of your friends go to their Bluetooth settings and tap on “Megaboom 3” to connect to it. After each person has paired their devices with your speaker, you’ll see in the app that each of their devices shows up in the list indicating that they are ready to play music on the speaker (shown in the last screenshot above). There’s even a setting just under the Block Party user’s list that allows you to change the Block Party DJ by tapping on “New DJ”. The DJ is the person who has the power to play, pause, or adjust the volume of any Block Party user’s music.

Setting up a Block Party sounds easy if the app works correctly. There was one time when I tapped on the big “+” sign to start a Block Party but the other app screen containing the list of Block Party users never popped up. Another time, as the DJ, I tried to tap on the “Play” button next to various Block Party users and it failed to play. And yet another time, when each of the devices was playing, the connection was intermittently dropped thus interrupting the music multiple times.

As I just stated, the Block Party host or “DJ” has the power to adjust the volume or pause or play any user’s music. However, each person can adjust the volume of the speaker as long as that person is actively playing music through it. It is also possible to interrupt each other’s music by any of the users tapping on the play button in their music apps. So “play” nice!!

To remove a Block Party user, you only need to go into the app and tap on the “x” which is located to the right of their device’s name.

NOTE: You cannot use the “PartyUp” feature simultaneously with the “Block Party” feature.

Speaker Settings: You can access the speaker settings by tapping on the gear icon located in the upper right of the app home screen. Here you can change your speaker’s name, change the speaker’s language, turn on or off the speaker tones (those that indicate pairing, power on/off, maximum/minimum volume reached), and set up “One Touch to Your Playlist”.

Alarm: Using the app, you can also set an alarm on the speaker. Under “Alarm Music”, when I selected “Last played”, I could not get the alarm to play Pandora music even if Pandora was still running in the background. I then tried to set the alarm using Amazon Music as the last played music. I also tried using Google Play Music. These didn’t work either. I was hoping the “Last played” setting would work because I keep very little music on my phone and mainly listen to music streaming apps.

However, I was able to get the alarm to play a song stored on my phone. When the alarm went off, the volume started off very quiet and increased slowly to the level that I set in the alarm settings. And if I didn’t turn off the alarm, it played the same song again. If I snoozed the alarm, it went off again in 10 minutes.

PartyUp settings: Also in the Megaboom 3 speaker’s settings, I could change the “PartyUp” settings. Turning on “Sticky PartyUp” “enables your grouped speakers to play together whenever you are ready to party”. It seems that this feature is supposed to allow you to keep connected speakers connected. However, my experience was that when you turn off the speakers and then turn them back on, they were not connected.

And turning on “Public” “allows other people to connect to your speaker with their PartyUp feature”.

Charging Time: I couldn’t find any documentation that states how long it takes to charge the Megaboom 3. The speaker’s Power button’s LED light initially shines a white light when the speaker is on and the battery has enough charge, but when the battery gets low, it shines red and then flashes red when the battery is just about to die.

When charging the speaker by plugging in the micro-USB cable into the micro-USB port on the speaker, I found that I was able to charge the speaker in about 2.5 hours.

However, when charging the speaker using the Power Up Charging Dock, I found that it took about three hours to charge the speaker. Thus the charging dock is great for easy charging but it does seem to take longer to charge the speaker.

To determine the amount of charge on the speaker, you must simultaneously press the big “+” (Volume Up) and “-” (Volume Down) buttons on the speaker and a voice prompt will inform you what the battery level is.

Playing Time: The UE website states that the Megaboom 3 speaker will play music for about 20 hours on one full charge of the battery (depending on how you use the speaker). I was able to play music on the speaker at a low volume level for a whopping 49 hours before the speaker shut off. I used the speaker to provide background music during the day so the playing time seemed to last forever. If you use it at a mid-volume level or higher, you’re likely to get a lot less playing time.

Magic Button controls: The Megaboom 3 has a new button – the Magic Button. This button can be used to control the music that you are playing from any music provider. You can play/pause (single press of the Magic Button) and skip tracks (double press of the Magic Button). These worked well for me.

The Magic Button can also directly access a playlist – but only from Apple Music (iOS only) and Deezer Premium (Android only). If you happen to use one of these, then you’re in luck (I don’t use either of these). You’ll need to use the app to guide you through the steps to select your playlists. After that is completed, you can play your first playlist by long pressing on the Magic Button for 2-3 seconds or skip to the next one by long pressing the Magic Button for another 2-3 seconds, etc. There is no limit on the number of playlists you can select. You can play/pause your music (single press of the Magic button) or skip tracks (double press the Magic Button) as well. Since I don’t use either of these streaming services, I didn’t test this.

Auto Shutoff: If the Megaboom is powered on and has been idle for 15 minutes, it will automatically shut off.

Bluetooth Connectivity and Range: The specifications for the Megaboom 3 state that the Bluetooth range is 150 feet. I was able to go about 107 feet in line-of-sight of my Pixel 2 XL before the connection started to drop. However, when using an iPhone 7, I was able to reach a distance of over 150 feet in line-of-sight of the iPhone.

Also, when testing connectivity, I found that the speaker maintained Bluetooth connectivity with my Pixel 2 XL and iPhone 7 even through four walls.

Waterproof feature: The Megaboom 3 is IP67 rated and is thus can be immersed in up to one meter of water for up to 30 minutes. I placed the speaker in a Rubbermaid container filled with water for about 30 seconds or so and it continued to play music (this is the same test I did on the blue Megaboom). I also noticed that it floats. NOTE: According to UE, “If the speaker has been exposed to chlorine or salt water, rinse with fresh water and air dry completely before charging”.

Rugged and Durable: According to the UE website, “We put it through more than 25 rigorous durability tests including 1000s of button pushes, tumbles, drop tests and more. You can drop it, kick it, headbang with it, even spill your drink on it, and your MEGABOOM 3 speaker will take it all like a champ.” I have no intention of doing any drop tests, but it sure is nice to know that if I accidentally drop the speaker, it could handle it.

Frequency Range: The specifications indicate that the speaker has a frequency range of 60Hz-20,000Hz. Using a tone generator app on my phone, I found that the bass does indeed go as low as 60Hz. But since I can’t seem to hear any frequencies above 16,000Hz, I leave it to the rest of you to listen for those frequencies.

Audio Quality: The audio quality of the Megaboom 3 is really quite good for a speaker this size. Just like the Megaboom, I thought that all frequencies were clean, clear, and well balanced. Listening to “High Roller” by The Chrystal Method and “Salute” by Little Mix both of which have some really deep bass, I noticed that the Megaboom misses that deep bass, but the songs still sounded pretty good. And because it is Christmas time, I listened to “Greensleeves” by the Vince Guaraldi Trio in which the music is soft and soothing and seemed well balanced. When listening to “Triumph” by Audiomachine, all the instruments/vocals were clear and powerful. I also listened to “Siúil a Rún (Walk my Love)” by Celtic Women/Lisa using the “The Standard” EQ preset which was quite beautiful, highlighting the singer’s lovely voice without dampening the bass of the accompanying music. And “Night Moves” by Bob Segar was also well balanced and enjoyable to listen to.

What’s missing from the Megaboom 3 that the Megaboom had? There are no more gestures (tapping on the speaker to play/pause music), no NFC pairing, no AUX audio port to physically connect a mobile device to play music, and there are no calling features.

What I like

The Megaboom 3 has wonderful audio quality
I love the new design: less silicone on the body of the speaker, finer mesh fabric covering, beautiful color, easier access to micro-USB charging port.
It plays for a long time (~49 hours on low volume)
It’s very rugged
It’s waterproof (IP67 rated) and floats in water
Bluetooth connectivity was maintained through four walls
When the app’s PartyUp feature works, you can connect the speaker with other UE Boom and Megaboom speakers
When the app’s Block Party feature works, three people can connect to one speaker simultaneously to share music
Magic Button allows you to play, pause, and skip tracks (and can launch your playlists if you use Apple Music or Deezer Premium)

What needs to be improved

The app is flakey – multiple features of the app sometimes work and sometimes don’t
The Megaboom 3 is missing calling features
It’s missing an AUX audio port
You can’t use the PartyUp feature and Block Party feature at the same time

Final thoughts

The Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3 is a very nice speaker. The audio quality is wonderful and I truly enjoyed listening to music on it. The audio is crisp and clear when listening to all genres of music. In addition, the Megaboom 3 is so much more attractive than its predecessor. The redesign is excellent – I love the finer mesh fabric around the body of the speaker, the fact that it has less silicone, the flat top and bottom, and the micro-USB charging port on the side of the speaker instead of on the bottom. It’s also very durable and waterproof too. The Ultimate Ears Boom and Megaboom app allows you to connect it to other UE Boom and Megaboom speakers that will play identical streams of music or make them a stereo pair (PartyUp feature). In addition, you and two of your friends can connect to the speaker simultaneously to share music (Block Party feature).

However, the app has some issues. The remote power on feature didn’t always work. Sometimes the PartyUp feature did not find my speakers to connect them. And one time, when they were connected and playing music, one speaker just stopped playing music and turned off. The Block Party feature also had some problems where the connected devices had connectivity issues thus resulting in the music stuttering.

There are also a few other things that may make you hesitate to purchase the Megaboom 3. It no longer supports calling features, it lacks an NFC pairing feature, and it lacks an AUX audio port.

And finally, is the Power Up Charging Dock worth the added expense ($39.99)? Possibly depending on what’s important to you. It certainly makes charging the Megaboom 3 MUCH easier (which I love), but it does seem to charge more slowly than directly plugging a micro-USB cable into the speaker. Another consideration is that it can only be used with Blast, Megablast, Boom 3, and the Megaboom 3 speakers.

Price: $179.99 – $199.99
Where to buy: Amazon or Ultimate Ears
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Ultimate Ears.

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Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Bluetooth speaker

UE Megaboom 3 Bluetooth speaker review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 22, 2018 at 9:30 am.

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Gurunada Mobile USB Car Diffuser review

REVIEW – There’s finally a unique solution to the problems of never finding the right auto air freshener scent and wishing you could use your essential oils in the car. Gurunada has you covered with their Mobile USB Car Diffuser. Read on to see how it works.

What is it?

Gurunada’s mobile ultrasonic diffuser creates vibrations that are carried to the surface where oil is floating. The oil mixed in with water gets broken down and diffused into the air, filling the car with atomized essential oil.

Hardware specs

55ml reservoir
overheating protection
low and high modes
approx. 3-6 hours of mist time
USB cable draws power from car

What’s in the box?

oil diffuser
USB adapter cable
DC car adapter
bonus free essential oil

Design and Features

I feel like before I begin this review, I should mention a couple of things about essential oils and their supposed benefits. From what I understand, there are wildly varying beliefs on the practical use of essential oils, naturally extracted from plants. Each variety of oil, such as lemongrass, peppermint, and lavender, is purportedly useful for very specific things.

Each oil is supposed to be good for a few things, including relaxation and revitalization.

Some believe they’re fine for smelling and relaxing. Others think they can be used to cure major ailments. And while I’m not discounting their purpose, here, I should mention that you should check with your doctor before using them as a substitute for any sort of medical treatment.

One last point, I found it funny that most of the scents that I received with the diffuser mention a calming or relaxing effect, which I’m not sold on being the best use for driving, an activity that requires alertness and quick reflexes.

Setup

Once you’ve got the diffuser in a secure spot, most certainly a cup holder near the power outlet, simply plug it in and fill the reservoir up to the line. Then put a few drops of your favorite essential oils. I’m sure that Gurunada would prefer you use their 100% oils, and they are quite nice, but I imagine you can put in any ones that you happen to have from other sources. You can mix and match to your heart’s content, creating your perfect combination of scents.

Usage

Now you’ve got a little plastic container with water and a little oil floating at the top. You’ve also taken up half of your cup holders. Just saying. To turn on the unit, you simply press the button on the front once for high, twice for low, or a third time to turn it off. When the diffuser is set to high, the light on the button turns on. However, when it’s set to low, the light turns off, making it difficult to tell if the unit is low or off, other than the mist coming out at 20 second intervals.

It’s possible you’ll be carrying this in and out of the car with you if it’s too hot or too cold outside.

The diffuser works by creating ultrasonic vibrations, dispersing the water and oil on the surface and creating a fine mist that blows out the top of the unit like a tiny humidifier. It didn’t take long for the car to fill the with the aroma of bergamot, one of the oils I received to test, and the only oil that promoted alertness. Plus, I love that scent … like a warm mug of Earl Gray.

Everything seemed to work perfectly for a while. Then I noticed the unit shutting off at random times. I discovered that if the water level isn’t high enough, turning around a corner is enough to trigger the auto shut-off. It’s designed to shut down when the water level is low enough, and my turning must have shifted the contents enough to make it think it was running low.

Maintenance began to become a problem as well. I don’t usually take water in the car with me, but once I had this diffuser in place, I needed to remind myself to carry a refillable bottle so that I could keep the water at a level that didn’t trigger a shut-off. And of course, a few more drops of oil are needed whenever you top off the water. So it does need some tending, especially vs. any regular 30-day car freshener.

Also, it is winter in PA right now, which means most nights are now below freezing. And since you’ve basically got a plastic cup of water in your cold car all night, you can bet you’re going to find a bergamot popsicle waiting for you in the morning. Or even at the end of the workday.

The Gurunada website recommends to clean out the unit every few days to avoid buildup of oil. Not a problem if you have to take it with you every time you get out of the car.

Overall, the portable diffuser worked pretty well, provided you keep it properly fed and maintained.

What I like

diffuses a high amount of fragrance mist
compact, portable solution that works well

What needs to be improved

high maintenance vs regular air freshener
easy to trigger shut-off
can’t be left in the car in freezing weather

Final thoughts

For the amount of maintenance and baggage that comes with this mobile diffuser — taking up a coveted cup holder, needing to store oil bottles in my glove box, futzing around with water levels and shut-offs — to me, it’s more trouble than it’s worth. Especially when I can just hang up a Little Tree from my rear view mirror and be done with it.

“Philistine!” cry the proponents of essential oils. I understand that’s not the point of this unit. For what it was made for, a mobile USB-powered solution for diffusing oils in your car, it serves its purpose well, and I know a lot of people would be satisfied with it. Especially at the low asking price.

Price: $19.99
Where to buy: You can pick up the Gurunada Mobile Diffuser directly from their website and Amazon.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Gurunada. You can find out more and check out their full line of essential oils and diffusers on their website.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Car Gear

Gurunada Mobile USB Car Diffuser review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 21, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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