Home Reviews

Pad & Quill Journal Notebook and Deluxe Leather Journal Cover review

No matter how many times I’ve tried to switch to digital task and journaling apps, I always end up missing using my favorite pen and notebook. There’s just something so personal about putting pen to paper and a notebook full of doodles, taped in ticket stubs, photos, and memories means more to me than any app on my phone ever could. For that reason, I enjoy trying new notebooks and covers that protect them. So let’s check out one of each from Pad & Quill.

What is it?

I guess that should say what are they instead of what is it because I’ll be telling you about two separate products being offered by Pad & Quill. There’s the Journal Notebook which is available in two sizes, and the Deluxe Leather Journal Cover also available two sizes and two colors. I was sent the medium size version of each one.

My package arrived wrapped in brown kraft paper with a wax seal which felt very Harry Potter-esque to me.

Inside the package was the A5 sized leather cover in Whiskey brown with an A5 sized notebook inside. Remember, that each of these items is a separate purchase and that a notebook is not included with the purchase of a leather cover.

The leather cover is made of full-grain leather sewed with a tan colored parachute grade thread. The only branding on the cover is the Pad & Quill logo which is stamped on the back cover.

The notebook cover has wide flaps inside to hold the notebook in place and the left side has two card slots sized to hold standard sized credit cards or business cards in the vertical orientation.

As you can see from the image above, the interior of the cover is not lined. The raw side of the leather is visible. The nap is smooth and does not shed or leave crumbs when you insert and remove a notebook.

The Pad & Quill Journal Notebook comes in 8.3in x 5.6in x 0.5in (A5) and 5.3in x 3.7in x 0.5in sizes. I was sent the A5 size.

The notebook has a dark grey linen cover, an expandable pocket, 192 pages of 100 GSM acid-free off-white recycled paper, and is available with either plain or dot graph pages.

The notebook has a 2-page table of contents and all the pages are numbered which is a must-have feature when I’m shopping for a new notebook.

The pages are smooth and easy to write on. I’m not a fountain pen user, but regular ink did not bleed through the pages.

Another nice touch is that the Pad & Quill Journal Notebook has two bookmarks. There’s an orange one and a white one. Even the ends of the bookmarks are sealed so they won’t unravel. Also, you’ll notice that the notebook can lay flat because it uses a Smyth-swen binding which means that you can open it to your desired page and it will stay that way.

It’s easy to insert the notebook into the Deluxe Leather Journal Cover. All you do is slide the front and back covers of the notebook into the cover’s sleeves on either side.

A nice wide black elastic band secures the cover closed.

Check out the French seams along the edges of the Pad & Quill Deluxe Leather Journal Cover. I even discovered that I can clip my pen to the elastic band and it will hold it in place between the covers which is a nice touch. Everything about this cover is first class including the 25-year guarantee on the leather.

What I like

  • Notebook cover is attractive and well made
  • Journal has numbered pages and a binding that lays flat
  • Standard sized cover can be used with other notebooks

What needs to be improved

  • Nothing

Final thoughts

If you share my love of notebooks and pens and have been shopping for a new notebook and cover to protect it. Do yourself a favor and stop by Pad & Quill’s site so you can read more about their new journals and journal covers. They are well made, attractive, and nicely priced.

Price: Journals are $18.66 for the Medium A5 size and $15.26 for the small size, Delux Leather cover is $59.46 and $42.46.
Where to buy: Pad & Quill
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Pad & Quill.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: ,

Pad & Quill Journal Notebook and Deluxe Leather Journal Cover review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 22, 2018 at 11:10 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

ThiEYE T5 Edge Action Camera review


REVIEW – These days, I frequently say that action cameras are “a dime a dozen”, so I was quite intrigued to review the ThiEYE T5 Edge camera which looks promising enough to seriously challenge the GoPro. Let’s see how it went.

What is it?

This is a GoPro type 4K action camera that takes both video and photos using its 170-degree lens to provide high-resolution wide-angle footage.

What’s in the box

1 x ThiEYE T5 Edge Action Camera
1 x Waterproof Housing
1 x Additional Skeleton Backdoor
1 x Remote Control
1 x 360 Degree Rotating Release Buckle
! x 360 Degree Vertical Release Buckle
1 x Flat Adhesive Mount
1 x Curved Adhesive Mount
2 x Adhesive Stickers
2 x Anti-fog Inserts
1 x Battery
1 x Micro USB Cable
1 x Microfiber Cloth
1 x Cloth Bag
1 x Instruction Manual

Design and features

Manufacturer’s Specifications:


On the front of the camera, there is the 170-degree lens, the Power/Mode selection button, and 2 LEDs that light up blue to indicate recording status and Wi-Fi on/off status. On the back of the camera is the screen display that measures 1″ x 1.75″. The two LEDs on the bottom left of the back of the camera are the recording indicator and charging indicator. They light up blue when active.


On one of the short sides of the camera, there are 2 buttons to navigate up/down through the settings. On the opposite short side, there are 3 ports that accommodate the micro SD card, the micro USB power/charging cable, and a micro HDMI cable.


At the top of the camera is the Wi-Fi/selection button. At the bottom of the camera, there is a 1/4-20″ mount for tripods, monopods, etc, the battery compartment and battery cover. Inside of the battery compartment, there is the serial number sticker that is needed for firmware updates, but it is somewhat difficult to see the serial number.


Along with the camera, there is a remote control that connects to the camera via Bluetooth. It has 3 buttons on it that control turning its own power on, taking photos remotely and starting and stopping video recording. At the top of the logo on the remote is the microphone that allows you to say voice commands like “Action Start Recording” or “Action Photo”. The remote control is not waterproof.

App

The ThiEYE App and the camera connect via the camera’s built-in Wi-Fi. The app allows you to take pictures and video and change settings. The App’s screen presents the photo/video image from the perspective of the lens of the camera. Here are a few of the app screens:




Performance

Depressing the power button with a long press (4 seconds or more) turns the camera on/off. Once the camera is turned on, it is usually in video mode. Depressing the power button in short bursts switches between camera mode, video mode, and settings mode. On the settings screen, there are 4 choices that allow you to control the settings of the camera.

The two side up/down buttons let you toggle between the 4 choices and the Wi-Fi top button lets you select. The front power button also allows you to exit each settings screen.

The ThiEYE T5 Edge Action Camera works like most other action cameras and it has a lot of settings to control the recording and photo modes. The inclusion of both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to allow remote control from both the included hardware remote control or the app is a great feature, and they both work well most of the time with the exception of the voice control. The instructions indicate that there may be a need to repeat your voice commands that are affected by and respond based on pronunciation. I guess the camera does not like how I speak because thus far I have not been able to get it to work for me. Otherwise, the handheld remote works well. When I tried the camera on my windshield mount as a dash cam, it worked a few times but on a hot day, it froze and could only be reset by removing the battery. I also experienced the “freezing” issue more than once when I was connected to my cell phone via Wi-Fi and I tried to disconnect by powering off the camera when I was done taking photos. When it was connected to the app, it froze on the camera’s W-Fi- screen and could only be reset by removing the battery. I did check their website to make sure that I have the latest firmware.


On another occasion, I decided to take pictures of fruit nicely arranged on a fruit cart. As you can see in the picture below, the camera froze. It was in picture mode and only on for about 10 minutes prior to that moment. I decided not to bother to take the picture since it would have required me to remove the housing and the battery at that moment to restart the camera.


Otherwise, the camera performed well, and the waterproof housing worked. When operating the camera with the waterproof housing installed, the buttons required a bit of extra effort to depress and engage the camera buttons.

Pictures:
(This one on the left was taken on a very stormy and cloudy morning and without in-camera correction. The one on the right was taken in the afternoon with in-camera correction)


(Downtown Brooklyn)


Video:

The quality of the video is good, even on an overcast and foggy day, and the in-camera stabilization and correction work well to produce nice footage.

What I like

  • The waterproof housing remains reliably sealed
  • The 4K footage
  • The remote control via the app and the included remote
  • The numerous customizable settings

What can be improved

  • The buggy software/hardware issue that causes the camera to freeze and stop working in random situations including heat when used as a dash cam
  • The ability to rotate the video in-camera
  • The buttons on the waterproof housing that require more than anticipated normal pressure to engage the buttons on the camera
  • The ability of the voice control to work with various voices and pronunciation

Final thoughts

When I first saw the physical appearance and specifications of the ThiEYE T5 Edge Action Camera, I was very eager to try it. My eagerness was also based on the previous various brands of similar action cameras that I have tested and been quite impressed with. This action camera includes really nice features that are very practical, but the few flaws are too effective to overlook. I missed several opportunities to take photos and videos because of the random freezing of the camera, and the fact that the only way to recover is to remove the housing and remove and replace the battery is simply unacceptable for me. The other issue of repeatedly speaking in a remote to use the voice function and being unsuccessful at it until my jaws were tired, sealed the deal for me. This is a camera with great promise, but unless the flaws can be adequately fixed, I will pass on recommending it.

Price: $129.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by ThiEYE.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged:

ThiEYE T5 Edge Action Camera review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 22, 2018 at 9:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Rowkin Micro Touch wireless Bluetooth earbuds review

REVIEW – Back in January of this year, I reviewed the Rowkin’s Micro Wireless earbuds and liked them quite a bit. So I was happy when Rowkin recently asked if I would be interested in reviewing their latest Micro Touch Bluetooth earbuds. I didn’t hesitate to accept their offer because I thought newer meant that they would be even better than their previous version. Was my assumption correct? Let’s find out.

What is it?

Rowkin Micro Touch wireless Bluetooth 5.0/Bluetooth BLE earbuds are exactly what you would guess that they are. They are earbuds that connect to your mobile device via Bluetooth and don’t have a cable that connects the left earbud to the right earbud.

What’s in the box?

  • A Pair of Bluetooth Earbuds
  • Charging Case
  • USB Charging Cable
  • Ear Tips: Small, Medium, Large

Design and features

Except for a smaller battery charging case, the new Micro Touch earbuds do not look much different than the previous generation of Rowkin’s wireless earbuds. That is until you look closely at the earbuds. Then you notice that the small bullet style earbuds lack the multifunction button on the end of each bud. Instead, all you find is the Rowkin logo and a tiny LED.

The reason why these Bluetooth earbuds don’t have a physical button is that they are controlled by touch. All the features that were accessible by pressing the button on the older earbuds are now accessible by tapping, double tapping, triple tapping, and even touch and holding. But more about that in a minute.

Let’s get back to the battery case. As I mentioned earlier, the battery charging case that is included with the new Rowkin micro touch earbuds is smaller than the previous case. This black plastic case holds the earbuds in place with magnets and has a spring loaded cover.

I like the case except for two things. First, it’s a little difficult to remove the earbuds because only about a quarter inch or so of the earbuds stick out from the slots. If your fingertips are dry, it makes it tough to get a grip on the ends of the earbuds to extract them.

The other issue that I have with the battery charging case is that you can’t see through the lid on the case to see the charging status of the earbuds like you could with the previous case. You have to open the lid to check if the LEDs are pulsing red while charging or have turned off to mean that charging has completed.

Fit, comfort, and sound quality

As far as fit and comfort, the Micro Touch earbuds are no different than previous versions of Rowkin’s earbuds. If you tried them before and they didn’t work/fit in your ears, this new version will not be any different. For me, they fit pretty well except that I am never able to get a good seal on the right earbud due to something weird with the shape of my ear. If you can’t get a good seal then music will not sound as good. This is especially true for music with a lot of bass. Without a good seal in your ears, bass will be sorely lacking.

If you can get past the lack of bass, do they sound ok? Not really. I don’t have the previous version of the Rowkin earbuds to compare with, but from daily testing with Spotify, Google Music, Amazon music, YouTube, and Netflix, I have been disappointed in the sound quality of these earbuds. They just sound blah to me no matter what I listen to.

Don’t touch me there!

And then there are the touch features. That has to be cool right? Wrong. I hate them. Yes, that’s a strong thing to say but that’s how I feel. For one thing, when you have the earbuds in your ears, the touch-enabled surface can be partially blocked by your ear like it is for me (see image above). So, when I try to tap the earbud, I’m only able to tap half of it and the earbuds rarely recognize what I’m trying to do if it’s something other than toggling between play and pause.

Then there’s the fact that you’ll need to remember that some touch commands have to be performed on the left earbud and some on the right earbud. Here are the commands that are supposed to work.

It’s frustrating when you have to pull out your phone to skip to the next song while you’re working out because the touch controls don’t work and you look like a moron tapping your ear over and over again with no results.

What I like

  • Small size
  • Charging case

What needs to be improved

  • Sound quality is mediocre
  • Hard to remove earbuds from charging case
  • Touch controls don’t work very well

Final thoughts

I wondered if I was being overly negative while working on this review but was “happy” to find out that another person shares my feelings. Our own Bill Henderson happened to see the pictures for the review when he was working on one of his own posts and he emailed and asked me if I liked the Rowkin earbuds. I summed up my feelings with three words: they completely suck. Bill had similar feelings. Sorry Rowkin.

Price: $119.99
Where to buy: Rowkin and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Rowkin.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged:

Rowkin Micro Touch wireless Bluetooth earbuds review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 21, 2018 at 11:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Turtle Beach Stealth 300 Headset review

REVIEW – I’ve been an avid gamer since I could pick up an Atari joystick. During the last decade, online gaming has exploded, and with it, the need for gaming headsets built for clear communication and long play sessions. That’s why I was stoked to try out the Stealth 300 Headset from Turtle Beach.

What is it?

The Turtle Beach Stealth 300 is a wired, amplified stereo gaming headset that provides clear, powerful audio as well as a sensitive, flip-down mic. In addition, the headset pipes in the mic audio, allowing you to hear and adjust the volume of your own voice inside the headset, avoiding talking louder than necessary.

Hardware specs

  • 3.5mm Audio Connection compatible with PS4, PS4 Pro, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch as well as mobile devices
  • 20Hz – 20kHz Speaker Frequency Response
  • 50mm speakers with Neodymium magnets
  • Rechargeable 900mAh Lithium Polymer for up to 40 hours of gaming per charge
  • Flip-up Omni-Directional mic
  • Mesh Fabric Headband Material with Foam Cushioning
  • Over-Ear (Closed), Fabric (Black) Ear Cushion with Memory Foam Cushioning

What’s in the box?

  • Stealth 300 Gaming Headset
  • Micro USB Charging Cable
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Turtle Beach Sticker

Design and Features

The Stealth 300 is the first over the ear headset that I can recall being able to stand wearing for longer than an hour or so. I’ve owned several pairs of standard headphones and have always regretted those purchases, simply because they would end up hurting the top of my head, or press my glasses into my temples. But this headset is a different story.

The earphones fold to the side so it packs a bit flatter in a backpack.

It’s worth noting that this is a wired headset and that the wire is not very long, but that’s really a design feature since most of the situations you’d find yourself using it would be with a wireless PS4 or Xbox controller in your hand. The wire only has to reach down to your lap. It’s also compatible with the Nintendo Switch… I tested out the one game I had that used voice chat – Fortnite – and it worked very well.

Fit

The engineers who designed the fit of these headphones must have had the same issues with over the ear headsets as I had. Too much force on top of the head, causing discomfort rubbing against my hair, too much force against the frames of my glasses, and sweaty ears from ear cushions that seal in heat.

With the Stealth 300, I experienced none of those. I tried them in several-hour gaming sessions and they remained cool, comfortable and nearly weightless. The headband and ear cushions are breathable and wrapped in soft fabric. The ear cushions, in particular, feel like they have a double layer of foam, a softer foam that allows the frames of your glasses to interact with the material, and a layer of firmer memory foam to conform to the contours of your head.

This double layer of foam does allow for some sound leakage, though it’s not as bad as open-ear style headphones. Other people in a quiet room would be able to hear the sounds.

Sound Quality

I thought the sound quality was fairly impressive for the price range of these cans. They’re plenty loud, due to the amplified sound, powered by a rechargeable 900mAh battery. The headphones come with 4 built-in (but not customizable) EQ presets: bass boost, signature sound, bass and treble boost and vocal boost.

The volume control, mic volume, power and EQ settings button.

I personally didn’t hear much of a difference between the 4 settings, some slight changes in the amount of bass and treble, but I may need to test them some more under different non-gaming conditions, like listening to music or a movie.

I did watch one movie wearing the headphones and they sounded great. I think most movies and games are pretty heavy with the bass, anyway, so those big 50mm speakers pushed out some decent sound.

Microphone

A lot of thought was put into the way the microphone works. The flip-down mic is situated on the left ear and is activated once deployed in the down position. The mic turns off once it’s flipped up, in case you need to speak without broadcasting to your teammates.

The mic flips down with a snap. Flipping it back up disables it in case you need to have a quick chat with another human in the room.

One of my favorite features is something they coined as Variable Mic Monitoring. Anyone who has used a gaming headset with a mic attached knows all too well the muffled sound of their own voice shouting over gunfire, music, and explosions. Before you know it, you’re practically screaming at your own team trying to hear yourself over the chaos.

But with the Stealth 300, there is an additional control that adjusts the volume of the mic input being fed into the headphones. So when you talk, you hear your own voice inside the headset, sort of like a musician’s monitor. The omnidirectional mic is strong enough to pick up a nearby conversation and ambient noise, so if someone in the room is trying to get your attention, you’d be able to pick that up in your headphones as well.

What I like

  • very comfortable for extended use, even over glasses
  • audio feedback in the headset from the microphone is awesome
  • sound quality is great

What needs to be improved

  • some light sound leakage through the headphone cushions

Final thoughts

The Stealth 300 is an excellent headset, and without a doubt, the most comfortable I’ve ever come across. This headset can be purchased for Xbox One or PS4 in a color scheme that matches your hardware (Green for Xbox and blue for PS4), however, I believe either color will work with all of the compatible hardware. If you need a good wired headset with an excellent mic and comfort to spare, look no further.

Price: $79.95
Where to buy: Turtle Beach and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Turtle Beach.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged:

Turtle Beach Stealth 300 Headset review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 21, 2018 at 9:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

CISNO Electric Portable Espresso Machine review

REVIEW – I have spent most of my life growing up and living in the greater Seattle area and am without a doubt a coffee snob/connoisseur. I detest Starbucks and will go miles out of my way to find espresso that isn’t burnt and bitter. On my travels finding good/tolerable coffee on the fly is sometimes difficult. Yelp helps but depending how far I’m out in the middle of nowhere, often it’s a lost cause. Thankfully, the CISNO electric portable espresso machine is engineered to make coffee where ever, whenever you want/need a worthy cup of joe…

What is it?

The CISNO electric portable espresso machine is a thermos-sized, all-in-one solution for having coffee on the go, at the office, in the car, in the middle of nowhere, etc. This compact, battery operated coffee maker uses Nespresso pods to produce your favorite caffeinated beverage when there is no coffee shop in sight.

Design and features

The CISNO electric portable espresso machine is made from ABS plastic and food grade plastic. The material and build quality is rugged, well engineered, and nicely constructed. It generates 15 bars of pressure and produces 1.35oz of espresso per Nespresso capsule. It is definitely designed to be portable, able to be powered by removable lithium ion battery, AC power adaptor, or 12 volt car charger.

Operations:

Using the CISNO is simple and relatively mess-free, all you need is water (preferably boiling water) and a few Nespresso pods. First, you insert your favorite Nespresso capsule into the base of CISNO and screw on the cap sealing the bottom chamber.

Then you flip the portable espresso machine over and fill the water reservoirs with 50ml of water. As I mentioned, the hotter the water the better. If you use room temperature water the CISNO takes approximately 8 minutes to heat the liquid to 194℉/90℃. The rechargeable lithium-ion battery can do this three times before having to be recharged. If you use boiling water, there is no wait/heating time and the CISNO can produce 80 shots of espresso before needing to be plugged in.

Once sealed, you simply press the power button and the CISNO gets to work. The thermos design also includes a screw on cup that you can (obviously) drink from. The CISNO portable espresso machine can be battery operated or directly plugged into a wall socket or into the 12V power port of your car, boat, etc. Above the power button are three blue LED that let you know the battery level and charging status.

Specifications:

  • Body material: ABS
  • Cup material: Food Grade Plastic
  • Water heating temperature: 194℉/90℃
  • Pouring temperature: 158℉/70℃
  • Optimum pump pressure： 15 bars
  • During infusion pump pressure：12-8 bars
  • Water reservoir capacity： 50ml
  • Espresso shot：1.35oz
  • Lithium battery： 28.86WH
  • Total voltage： 11.1V
  • Capacity of drinking cup： 200ml
  • Effective length of power cable： 1500mm
  • Dimension： 3.2*3.0*9.9 inch(L x W x H)
  • Weight：1.0kg

Package contents:

  • CISNO portable espresso machine
  • Battery Pack
  • 12V Car Charger
  • AC Adaptor

Well…how good is it???

As I mentioned, the CISNO espresso machine uses OriginalLine Nespresso capsules to brew the coffee. The Nespresso capsules are compact, easy to transport, readily available, and non-messy. They also come in a multitude of flavors and strengths…my preference is Roma (strong, full-bodied, smooth, non-nutty). Each capsule produces a 1.35oz shot of espresso. So, I need 2-3 capsules for my americano. I’ve found you can get the Nespresso capsules for about $0.70 each. Thus, each cup of coffee is about 2 bucks, for me at least. That said, even though it is relatively inexpensive to use, this gadget isn’t really about saving money. The CISNO was created to make/have good espresso where and when you might not normally be able to.

While not as high as the typical Nespresso machine, the CISNO produces 15 bars of pump pressure and does a solid job of pulling the flavor and richness of the coffee from the capsules. If you want to use your own grind coffee, a reusable stainless SealPod is required.

What I like

  • Portable all-in-one espresso solution
  • Well made from quality materials
  • Very transportable
  • Uses easy to use/find Originalline Nespresso capsules
  • Makes an excellent cup of coffee/espresso
  • Battery operated but comes with wall and car chargers

What needs to be improved

  • Nothing

Final thoughts

I admit the CISNO electric portable espresso machine is a relatively niche device but for those who need a shot of worthy coffee far off the beaten path, it definitely gets the job done. It’s compact, efficient design is easy to transport with you whether in your backpack, desk drawer, car, saddlebag on your bike tour of Europe, etc. Since you can select your favorite Nespresso capsule to use, odds of making excellent espresso on the fly are very good.

Price: $119.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by CISNO.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: ,

CISNO Electric Portable Espresso Machine review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 20, 2018 at 9:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.