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ClearStream FLEX Wireless HD Antenna review

What is it?

The ClearStream FLEX Wireless HD Antenna is a unique cable-cutting solution in that it allows you to receive HD channels over-the-air (OTA) and then broadcast those channels over your WiFi network to be accessible for your other devices. Does it work? Let’s find out.

Hardware specs

Antenna range: 40 Miles
Antenna beam angle: 470 to 700MHz: 70º (horizontal plane) – wide reception pattern
Antenna gain: UHF-3.6 dBi | VHF-2.1 dBi
Antenna dimensions: 12 x 16 x 1/4” (antenna only)
Antenna weight: 6 oz
WiFi range: 20 feet
Requirements: a Wifi network, a compatible smartphone, tablet or streaming media player and the Clearstream TV app (free)
Compatibility: Android 4.2 or above, iOS 8.4 or above, tvOS 10.2 or above, Roku v7.50 b4099 or above, and Amazon Fire devices from 2013 or newer.

What’s in the box?

  • ClearStream FLEX TV Antenna with Sure Grip
  • ClearStream TV WiFi Tuner Adapter
  • 12 ft. High-Performance Coaxial Cable
  • Power Adapter with 4 ft. Cord
  • Step-by-Step Instructions

Design and features

The design is really an exercise in blending in. The antenna is thin and rectangular with one side black and the other white. You can choose whichever side you’d prefer to see and it is paintable so you can really make it blend in. The rest of the elements are meant to not be noticed. The WiFi Tuner Adapter is minimally sized. The power cables can be tucked behind shelves and the coax painted if necessary or replaced with white coax if you have some on hand.

The part of the system you’ll interact with most is the mobile app or a on a streaming device like a Roku, so let’s dive into the setup.

Setup

Let’s set it up. Start by placing the antenna in the best possible location within 20 feet of your wifi router. I was lucky to have a window right next to mine facing the city. You’ll likely end up experimenting with placement so use some painters tape to hang it for now.

Antennas Direct has an app (and website) called Antenna Point which will help you with placement if you’re unsure. Antenna Point confirmed that I was within about 10º of optimum placement, so I went ahead and used the included clear double-sided tape to secure the antenna to the window. Here’s a screenshot of their app at work.

Next, connect the power adapter to an outlet and to your WiFi Tuner Adapter, then connect one end of the coaxial cable to your antenna and the other end to the tuner adapter. The light on the WiFi unit will blink blue and red during startup and then change to a green. That’s your signal to set up WiFi.

Download the ClearStream TV app on your phone or tablet and launch it. It will walk you through the setup which includes connecting to the WiFi broadcast by the Tuner where you can then enter your information to have it connect to your network. When complete, the tuner reboots and you’ll scan for channels. This step is as easy as hitting the scan button and then waiting for the process to finish which is between 15 and 30 minutes.

Performance

The setup was pretty smooth, so I was very interested to see what the rest of the experience had to offer on different devices.

The first thing I discovered is that the setup is only complete for the device I used in the first step. Both Roku and an iPad obviously required downloading their app but also needed to repeat the scan for channels step. Fortunately, that’s only a couple of clicks and another 15-30 minutes one time per device. They also mention that Roku is currently not able to do that initial setup of the WiFi unit, so that should be done with a mobile device.

On iPhone/iPad

Launch the Clearstream app and you’re presented with four options. Live TV, Recordings, Guide, and Settings. The next few images will bounce back and forth between iPhone and iPad depending on where I took screenshots.

Live TV presents you with a list of channels which in my case are 2-1 (KTVU-HD), 2-2 (LATV) etc. as you can see in the screenshot.

On initial load, that’s all you’ll see, but after a bit, the program information starts to fill in.

Choose a station and after a few seconds of buffering, the program starts to stream in a small section above the channels. Rotating the device to landscape automatically takes the program full screen. With one tap you have access to play/pause, FF/RW in about 10sec increments and a record button.

You also have a settings icon in the upper right which provides screen ratios, closed captioning and video quality settings which get applied across all channels.

Tapping the record button starts a recording as you might expect and you’ll see some small text next to the button with recording time remaining. Tapping again stops the recording. You’ll find anything you’ve recorded in the Recordings option from the main screen.

The Guide is surprisingly good although it takes a fair amount of time to update with information as it seems to do so in batches of a few channels at a time instead of grabbing the next two hours for all channels first which is what you’re more likely to want to see. The only other quirk is that once you find what you want to watch, you’ll need to note the channel and bounce back to Live TV in order to launch that channel.

I was able to send the video to Apple TV easily using the mirror function, but the app does not have a built-in cast function for either Apple or Chromecast.

On Roku

Much the same here, but it obviously feels much more like cable when full screen on your TV and a remote in your hand. There are only three options on the main screen as interestingly, recording is not an option on Roku.

All the settings are done from this menu so the watching experience is really just channel switching and enjoying the picture. The Guide seems to start fresh every session which each channel listing displaying “No information” at first, and if you’re searching towards the end of your channels it might be a while before it updates.

The Live TV screen here is pretty sparse as it does not pull the program information like on iOS. Beyond that, the quirks are about the same.

Overall

The picture is great on all devices, especially if you bump up the resolution to High Definition Plus. The only reason to knock it down would be if your bandwidth is limited. You’re still going to have some channels that stutter, but the majority of the 60 that came in for me were as clear as what I get with DirecTV.

Small catches

The system only supports a single device at a time. I first noticed this waiting to see how long it would take for the program information to fill in on my iPad while I had Roku running. Clicking on the Guide prompted the below message.

A similar message pops up if you click on Live TV giving you the option to choose “use” which boots the other device off so you can watch.

Recordings are not shared across devices as they are stored locally on the device where your recorded the program.

What I like

  • A minimal amount of hardware
  • Relatively easy set up
  • Great picture
  • Channel guide
  • Support for different devices

What needs to be improved

  • Support for simultaneous devices
  • A way to share channel scans across devices
  • Chromecast support

Final thoughts

If you’re looking for a way to cut the cord on cable or satellite, this is an option worth considering. The cost is pretty low and a one time fee instead of a recurring monthly charge which seems to be increasingly rare. You’ll need internet and a strong WiFi network with good speed. Lastly, you’ll need to be okay with only being able to watch on one device at a time. This last point is the hardest to overcome if you’ve got a family or roommates, but then again maybe the only time you’d be streaming live TV is for group events like sports so maybe it’s less of a blocker? Head on over to Antennas Direct for additional details.

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

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ClearStream FLEX Wireless HD Antenna review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 24, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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HP df1050tw Wi-Fi Photo Frame review


Digital photo frames have come a long way since they were first introduced shortly after LCD’s in the late 1990’s. The HP df1050tw Wi-Fi Photo Frame is no exception as it almost feels like a modern tablet.

What is it?

The HP df1050tw Wi-Fi Photo Frame, as its name implies, is a photo frame. However, it has a few features that make it more than just a photo frame. This HP photo frame features a touchscreen, WiFi, mobile app ability, calendar, clock and the ability to play music.

Hardware specs

Display Size 10.1 inch TFT LDC Screen
Screen Resolution 1280 x 800px
Aspect Ratio 16:10
Internal Memory 8GB
Storage Media SD (SDHC) Card up to 32GB (Class 10), USB Memory Stick
Touchscreen Yes
Speakers 2x 2W
Sensors Light
Photo Format JPG, BMP, PNG
Music Format MP3
Power AC 110~240V 50/60Hz, DC 5V/2A
Color Black, Rose Gold, White

What’s in the box?

  • HP df1050tw Wi-Fi Photo Frame
  • Power Cord
  • Quick start instruction sheet



Design and features

The HP Photo Frame is designed to sit on a flat surface, unlike some photo frames that can be hung on a wall. The initial setup included selecting the language and connecting to my WiFi. After displaying instructions on where to get the mobile app, the device detected that a firmware update was available, and was able to download that and update it without connecting the device to a computer as some devices do.



Connecting a mobile device is as easy as downloading the app, signing up for an account, and entering the device ID, or scanning the QR code on the tablet screen.

The display of photos on the screen is really nice. The colors are vibrant and the brightness is adequate. You can manually browse photos in the internal memory where the cloud photos are, or the SD card.

The photo frame and app work pretty much as designed, and for the most part they are probably adequate for most people. However, I found several things that I did not like.

The mobile app is quite basic, and poorly written. There are numerous instances of poor English and misspellings. For example, “Account” is spelled “Accout” in several places. When registering a login for the app you’re prompted to enter “Account, Password, and Nickname” – “Accout” is an obvious misspelling of “Account”, but if you leave it empty and try to create an account you’re prompted with “Username can’t be empty” – so it’s really your username. However, on the login screen of the app, it shows Username and Password. There is no password length enforcement for security either. Account and Username are used interchangeably in various messages.

If the wireless is turned off on the frame and you try to add the device via the app, the device list in the app displays “Req..erify” which is probably short for “Require Reverify” based on the poor English in the app.

Choosing the Forgot password option in the app presents you with a screen titled “Change Password”, and fields named “Please enter the device code”, “Please enter a new password”, and “Username”. This is a completely non-standard way of handling a forgotten password.

After you have selected photos on your phone and sent them to the device, there’s no indication of which photos you have already uploaded. If you select a duplicate photo you’ll have two of the same image on the device. There’s also no way of undoing a transfer so if you send the wrong photo to the device, it can only be removed from the photo frame using the photo frame user interface.

On the photo frame itself, there is an option for a screensaver, where you can set hours for it to display a clock at night for example. However, when the screensaver turns off at the end of the set period of time, there’s no way to make it automatically display the photos on an SD card, only the internal memory.

There is also a calendar option, which I thought was a really nice feature. Built-in stereo speakers and a music player provide for playing MP3 files.

The photo frame also has an alarm feature, which took me a little while to find the settings for. You have to tap the clock on the menu screen to access the alarms. After which you can set up multiple alarm times, alarm ringtones, and which days to repeat the alarm. There 7 ringtones for the alarm, but two of them sound identical.

What I like

  • Responsive and nice looking touchscreen
  • Additional features such as alarm and clock

What needs to be improved

  • Mobile device app needs much work
  • Advertises 8GB internal storage, but only 5.6GB is free to use for photos
  • In settings, if the current time is between the times set for the Night mode, you can’t change the screensaver type
  • No wall mount

Final thoughts

The mobile app needs much more work to make this photo frame a family and friends device. There needs to be a way to manage photos remotely from the app. I had thought about putting one of these at my mom’s house so I just load my most recent photos automatically to the frame but without the ability to remotely remove photos that option is not realistic.

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

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HP df1050tw Wi-Fi Photo Frame review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 23, 2018 at 2:05 pm.

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Leacarve Leather Briefcase Review

The nature of my business requires me to carry things with me every day.  Laptops, papers, writing instruments, folders, cables, portable batteries, and on and on.  So having a bag that is utilitarian is important.  And it wouldn’t hurt to have a bag that looks good too.  I have always been partial to leather bags because of the look, feel, and aroma.  So when I saw the Leacarve leather briefcase I was excited to try it out.  Would it fit the bill in my daily life?  Let’s find out.

Bag Specifications

  • Material: Genuine High Quality Leather
  • Compartments: 3  Large Compartments
  • Pockets: 2 Pen Pocket, 1 Card Holder, 1 Wallet Section
  • Laptop Size: Perfect for 15.6″ or Smaller Size Laptop
  • Lock: Exclusive Swiss Lock
  • Straps: Detachable And Adjustable Shoulder Strap
  • Handle: Sturdy Top Handle
  • Closure: Zipper Closure
  • Space: Broad space inside to keep notebooks, magazines and A4 Files
  • Size: 16.5″ L x 11.8″ H x 5.6″ W

Design and function

With the Leacarve leather briefcase, I have found my daily-carry bag.  No matter where I am going, or what I am wearing, the bag looks great.  The function is exceptional.  With 3 large compartments I can load it up with lots of items and segregate them as needed.  Each compartment expands to enable you to store a bunch of stuff, or collapse them to make the bag appear slender if you aren’t carrying alot.

There are regular and zippered pockets inside that can hold the little things that you don’t want scattered everywhere, like USB drives, post-it pads, keys, paperclips, pens, and so forth.  I hate it when those things roll around the bottom of the bag and make it a hassle to fish them out.  So keeping everything secure is always a plus.

The center compartment is where your laptop goes, with a vertical padded divider with a Velcro closure.  The bottom of the bag doesn’t have a padded layer, so I wouldn’t just drop the laptop in there and let it hit the bottom of the bag, so be careful about that.  The center compartment also has the ability to use a small padlock to secure the 2 zippers when you zip that compartment closed.  That won’t prevent someone from just walking off with the bag, but it would be at least a simple deterrent to someone grabbing your laptop and walking off.

There are brass feet on the bottom that enable the bag to stand on its own, and brass fittings all around from the zippers to the loops that connect the shoulder strap.  The handle on the top of the bag snaps close and it is soft and supple so it’s a joy to carry.  The outside zippered pocket is also very handy for storing the things you might need when traveling and don’t want to have buried in the bag.  Things like your wallet, passport, boarding pass, and so forth.

Finally, there is a wide leather strap that is attached to one side of the bag and folds over the top of the bag to connect to the lock that sits just above the zippered pocket.  It’s a Swiss combination lock that has 2 small wheels with numbers on them that rotate.  You can close the lock without having the numbers set to your combination but you can’t open it without having the numbers set properly.  Again, this won’t prevent someone from walking off with the bag, but it does provide at least a simple level of protection from someone rummaging through the bag without your approval.  I will also mention that the numbers are so small that I couldn’t see them without my reading glasses.  The hazards of getting old I suppose.

What I like

  • The quality of the leather and workmanship is top notch.
  • The seams appear to be quality and I imagine this bag lasting for years.
  • The insides of the compartments are lined
  • The zippers are sturdy and glide smoothly

What needs to be improved

  • I wish there was padding under the laptop compartment to cushion it in the bag.
  • The Swiss lock numbers can be difficult to see for those of us who normally need reading glasses

Final thoughts

This leather briefcase by Leacarve is the briefcase that I have been looking for.  It is big enough to carry everything I need, yet can be small enough to not be bulky.  It has a multitude of pockets and compartments to handle all my needs, and I can secure the compartments if I want.  The brass feet on the bottom allow the bag to stand on its own, the handle and shoulder strap enable multiple ways to carry the bag, and it smells divine.  This bag has the quality and design of a much more expensive bag, so $149 is a great deal.  I highly recommend it.

Price: $149.00
Where to buy:  Leacarve
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Leacarve

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Leacarve Leather Briefcase Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 23, 2018 at 9:30 am.

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Wofalo Wireless Charger Power Bank Review

I have owned an endless stream of power banks over the years, from the very first models to the latest and greatest out right now.  I have seen just about every configuration of shapes and sizes, number of ports, capacities, wireless and wired, and everything in between.  I even had one that looked like Ironman.  (Yeah, you can find that one here.)  I think I finally found one that everyone in my family can use regardless of gadget type.  We have both Android and iPhone devices in my house, as well as wireless and non-wireless charging configurations.  Enter the Wofalo Wireless Charger Power Bank.

What is it?

A 10,000 mAh portable power bank that enables up to 3 devices at once to be charged (2 wired and 1 wireless).

Hardware Specs:

  1. Dimensions – 3 in X 6.2 in X .55 in
  2. Weight – 9.5 oz
  3. Qi Charger – Charging up to 1A for Qi-enable devices. Compatible devices include: iPhone X/8/8 Plus.  Samsung Galaxy Note5/S6/S6 Edge/S6 Edge+/S7/S7Edge/S8/S9/S9 Plus, Google Nexus 6, and other Qi-enabled devices
  4. Support Charge Up to 3 Devices Simultaneously – A built-in micro-USB cable, standard USB port, and Qi charger provides 2 wired and 1 wireless charging at the same time.
  5. 10,000 mAh High Capacity
  6. Quality & Satisfaction Guarantee – Certified Qi, FCC, CE and ROHS for quality and safety. Over-current protection, Over-temperature protection and over-voltage protection.

What’s in the box?

  • Wofalo wireless charger power bank
  • 1 Micro USB Charging Cable
  • 2 Lighting Adapters
  • 1 User Manual

Design and features

For a price of $29.99 the Wofalo Wireless Power Bank packs some great features.  For starters, I can use the wireless charging with my Galaxy S6 Edge+ or I can pull out the built-in micro-USB cable.  There is also a full-sized USB port hidden behind the built-in micro USB cable (pictures below).  The 10,000 mAh lithium polymer battery can fully charge my phone between 2 to 3 times, and the thin metal-look design actually makes it look at first glance like a smartphone.

The most unique feature of the power bank that I have never seen before is the lightning adapter for iPhones that is hidden behind the built-in micro-USB cable.  It is sitting inside a small pocket so it always goes with the power bank wherever you go.  That’s a pretty neat way to have a power bank that can be used with any device or phone you have.

Now let’s talk about the charging speed.  The wireless charging feature performs at the same wireless charging rate of all the wireless chargers I have right now, which is a little slower than a wired charge.  The built-in micro-USB cable charges just as fast as my other fast-charging power banks and even my fast-charging cable that came with my phone.  I am very happy with the performance.

Finally, on one side of the power bank is the power button, which must be pressed if you want the wireless charger to work.  Using the wired connections of the power bank will turn on the power bank when you plug something up, so you won’t need to press the power button.  On the other side of the power bank are the 4 indicator lights that show you how much juice is left in the power bank, and those lights side right beside the micro-USB port used to charge the power bank.



What I like

  • Beautiful, solid design
  • Wireless & wired charging
  • Good capacity
  • Very pocketable

What needs to be improved

  • Would like a higher capacity
  • Lightening adapter could be easily misplaced

Final thoughts

This may be the perfect combination of what a power bank should have… multiple ways to charge, thin and portable, and a good capacity.  I do wish it had a larger battery capacity but I do realize a larger battery would require a larger design, which would negate the pocketability.  But I can wish, can’t I?  And the lightening adapter could easily be lost if you aren’t careful, which I suppose is why they included an extra one in the box.  Overall, for this price and list of features, I highly recommend the Wofalo Wireless Charger Power Bank.

Price: $29.99
Where to buy:  Amazon or Wofalo
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Wofalo

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Wofalo Wireless Charger Power Bank Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 22, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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Nuheara IQbuds intelligent truly wireless earbuds with BOOST review

Six months ago, I reviewed some wireless earbuds that are one of the more unique available—the Nuheara IQbuds intelligent truly wireless earbuds. With simple smartphone app adjustments, you can control how much outside noise you want to hear—a safer choice when walking on a city street—or how much of the outside world you want to tune out so you can retreat to your happy place. They’re pretty cool! However, these original IQbuds are a “one-hearing-fits-all” earbud. Their effectiveness is independent of how bad—or good—your hearing is. That’s changed with the new IQbuds with BOOST technology featuring Ear ID—software that will test your hearing and automatically adjust the wireless earbuds specifically to your unique hearing profile. It’s nothing short of amazing.

What is it?

The Nuheara IQbuds are truly wireless earbuds that have no wires—they are two completely separate earphones/buds that let you determine how much or how little of the outside world you hear while wearing.

Specs

EARBUDS

  • Dimensions: .8 in x 1 in x .6 in
  • Bluetooth: Bluetooth: 4.2
  • Bluetooth Profiles: A2DP, HFP, HSP, AVRCP, aptX, aptX Low latency
  • Near Field Magnetic induction(NFMI): 10.579MHz
  • Microphone: Digital MEMS (2 per earbud)
  • Speaker: High Fidelity Balanced Armature
  • Battery: 120mAH (per earbud)
  • Discharge Time: 8 hrs audio streaming / 12 hrs hearing processing
  • Weight: .3 oz (per earbud)
  • Ear Tips: 8 pairs silicone reusable, 3 pairs Comply memory foam
  • Recommended operating environment: Storage: temp 68-86° F, Charging: temp <113° F Operation: temp <140° F
  • Water resistance: “Sweat/rain resistant. Internal circuits coated with NanoProof water protection, which is rated at IPX7.”
  • Streaming: Low latency streaming for TV audio

CHARGE CASE

  • Dimensions: 3.8 in x 1.8 in x 1.3 in
  • Charge Capacity: 5v
  • Battery: 1140mAH
  • Weight: 2.5 oz

Design and features

It’s interesting comparing both versions of the IQbuds. The all-black (and more expensive) BOOST version looks more business-like than the original’s fancier black w/bright silver design. Yet, behind that stealthy, black exterior, there is some genius stuff going on.

The IQbuds BOOST have everything the original IQbuds have and more. Nuheara claims that their Ear ID system is a “clinically validated audiometric hearing assessment that calibrates the IQbuds to give you a better hearing experience.” I am not an audiologist, but for this review, I am taking Nuheara at their word. 

Note that in late 2017, the Senate passed a bill allowing people to purchase hearing aids without a doctor’s prescription. The old law required consumers to buy hearing aids only through certified audiologists, which drove up prices. This new law allows products such as the IQbuds with BOOST to be available to everyone with no prescription required.

During the initial BOOST setup, I did the hearing test using Nuheara’s redesigned (and much friendlier looking) free app (iOS and Android). The test was done in a quiet room and took about 15 minutes. As the iPhone’s screenshot of Ear ID chart shows, I have moderate hearing loss, especially in the higher frequencies—no surprise at my age. However, I am surprised that my hearing isn’t as bad as I had originally thought.

Important: Despite the new law, the hearing test in the app does not replace a professional test for people with severe hearing loss. It is designed to help customize the IQbuds for someone who may have trouble distinguishing voices in a crowded place (like me) or suffer from minor hearing loss. 

Inside the app, there are many settings that help fine-tune the IQbuds.  When “World” is turned on, many sounds are accentuated. Move the dial more to understanding speech with less world noise and vocals suddenly sound like they are pushed forward—almost like the person is closer than they really are. In normal conversation, I am constantly asking my wife to repeat herself because I can’t understand what she is saying (I will not make a joke here). These buds really do help with what I hear and more importantly—understand. That’s where the magic lies with the IQbuds BOOST. Comprehension is dramatically improved.

Let me say right now that the hearing test only helps with hearing and understanding the outside world around you. The Ear ID customization has no auditory effect on music or anything else you listen to from a Bluetooth source.  When paired with a smartphone for example, the IQbuds BOOST work like any other earphone—with the exception of dialing in how much of the outside world you let in. If the “World” setting is completely off, the IQbuds active noise canceling isolate quite well. They are great for removing yourself from the noise of commuting, the drone of an airplane engine or even the background din of an office. With “World” on, it’s a whole ‘nother worl … well, you get the picture.

So how do the IQbuds sound when only listening to music? Quite well, actually. The single balanced armature speaker is—ironically—the same speaker design used in hearing aids—as well as many earphones made for music. Frequencies across the range are balanced and warm, meaning bass is slightly boosted. This is a good thing since armature speakers can sound sterile if not tweaked a bit. I have no issues using the IQbuds exclusively for music listening—they work great. Also, the Bluetooth signal is strong. I didn’t experience any dropouts.

The IQbuds with BOOST are touch sensitive to various, customizable commands which is done in the app. I have mine set up so that one tap on the right bud will either let noise in (World on) or block it out (World 0ff). A female voice alerts you what function your tap performed. It can’t get any easier. Settings can be adjusted for various things to happen depending on a single or double tap or even resting the finger on a left or right bud. Apple Siri or Google can also be called upon if desired (I left that setting turned off). There are many different tap choices, depending on which bud you’ve customized. 

In my review of the original IQbuds, I said “Comfort for me is an issue with the IQbuds. While they aren’t uncomfortable, I can use them for up to two hours and then some ear pain creeps in.” That hasn’t changed, even though the IQbuds with BOOST are 1mm smaller in length, but otherwise, identical. There are many sized ear tips supplied—both round and oval shaped. Again, YMMV.

A notable improvement over the original IQbuds is water resistance. The internal circuits have been coated with what’s called NanoProof water protection—and has earned the IQbuds with BOOST an IPX7 rating. This is important, especially for those who exercise and sweat. However, I wouldn’t go swimming with them.

The IQbuds with BOOST have the same hearing presets as the originals: Workout, Street, Home, Office, Restaurant, Driving and Plane. And they can be adjusted within the app.

The case is identical to the original IQbuds. It will charge the buds 2-3 times before needing to be recharged itself. Red and green lights inform you how much charge is left in the case and buds.

What I like

Understanding conversation in any noisy situation can help someone feel less isolated by being able to join in any discussion without asking people to repeat themselves or misinterpreting what’s been said. The IQbuds with BOOST can be a huge aid in helping people gain confidence in social situations—or even just hearing the TV more clearly.

What needs to be improved

Long-term comfort is still an issue (at least for my ears).

Final Thoughts

The IQbuds with BOOST are expensive—but when compared to the price of custom hearing aids, they look like a bargain. Are the BOOST advantages with built-in Ear ID worth the extra $200 over the price of the original IQbuds? That’s a hard question to answer. It’s not like you can test both in your local BestBuy or smartphone store and then decide. You have to rely on the Nuheara website and read many reviews (never base a buying decision on only one review—even this one) to make an informed decision.

If you have minor issues with hearing and clarity, you may be satisfied with the regular IQbuds. However, if hearing and understanding conversation in crowded situations bothers you to distraction, the additional BOOST tech and hearing app should help even more.

Price: $499 US
Where to buy: Nuheara
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Nuheara.

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Nuheara IQbuds intelligent truly wireless earbuds with BOOST review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 22, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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