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SANSI 30W LED Security Motion Sensor Outdoor Light review

We’re in the middle of remodeling the exterior of our house. It had wood painted wood siding and it’s currently (I can hear the contractors hammering right now…) getting vinyl siding. As luck would have it, a few weeks ago SANSI contacting me to ask if I might like to review their 30W LED Security Motion Sensor Outdoor Light (model C2440-FW). Since we’ve been actively replacing all the indoor incandescent lights with LED lights, I was happy to start the process outdoors as well. Let’s see how the update turned out.

What is it?

The SANSI 30W LED Security Motion Sensor Outdoor Light is a bright light that is designed to be installed outdoors and automatically turns on the light when motion is detected.

What’s in the box?

SANSI LED Security Light
Bar shaped mounting plate with 3 screws
Waterproof gasket
3 Wire connectors
Mounting bolt
Rubber screw plug

This outdoor security light looks similar to other motion activated security lights that I have on the outside of my house.

The SANSI has a swivel motion sensor in the center with two banks of lights on either side.

Where this security light differs from my others, is that the lights have LEDs instead of expensive halogen bulbs that can be a hassle to replace.

Each bank of lights has 4 LEDs arranged in a line. SANSI sells a different version of this light that has the lights in a 2×2 configuration instead of a 1×4 configuration like you see above.

The light has 3 wires coming out of the base, and there are two switches and a light sensor on the bottom of the motion sensor.

The switches can be configured to set how long the lights will stay on (1, 5, or 10 minutes) and the motion detection range.

Most people will want to use this as a motion activated light, but you can set it to manual mode which only works at night and can cause the light to be on for up to 6 hours at a time. When I asked for more details about this mode, here’s what the SANSI rep told me:

Manual Mode (Working Mode) Which is similar to dusk to dawn mode, because the default mode of this product is the Motion Sensor Mode. If you need the Manual Mode, you may have to set it up to Manual Mode every time you need.
Set-up: Flip the light switch off for one second then back on to toggle between AUTO and MANUAL mode.
Function: Under Manual Mode, the light could be on at night for 6 hours.

*Note: Manual mode only works at night and with the ON-TIME switch in the 1, 5, or 10 minutes position.

Installation

I was going to install the SANSI light myself so I could write about any issues that came up while doing so. But the contractors saw the box and did the install before I even realized it. The included instructions are pretty straight forward and with only 3 wires it is probably hard to screw up the install, so let’s just say it was really easy especially if you’re replacing an existing light. Just know that the SANSI light has to be connected to a 120V power source.

This is what the SANSI 30W LED Security Motion Sensor Outdoor Light looks like when it’s installed.

You can adjust the angle of the motion detector as well as the lights.

Although the image above doesn’t really give a good indication of how bright the SANSI security light is, let me tell you, it’s a very bright flood light! It’s much brighter than the light I previously had in the same spot. The LEDs are equivalent to 250W incandescent light. I have noticed that the SANSI LEDs have a colder look instead of the warmer yellow light of my other security lights. The specs say that the SANSI LEDs are 5000K Daylight. All I know is that they are bright.

They’ve been installed for about a week and are working as expected. I have them set to come on when motion is detected and stay on for 1 minute. The motion sensor is triggered when I walk under the light and when I pull out of the garage every morning when it’s still dark outside. The sensor has a range of 180 degrees and max 50 feet. I have it set for my short driveway and it’s been working great.

Final thoughts

If you want to update your outdoor lighting to LED lights that are as bright (or brighter) than incandescents, but use less electricity, SANSI’s 30W LED Security Motion Sensor Outdoor Light is a good choice.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by SANSI. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order.

 

Product Information

Price: $59.99
Manufacturer: SANSI
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • Very bright
  • Easy 3 wire install
  • LED bulbs should last for many years
  • Motion settings for time and range
Cons:
  • None

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SANSI 30W LED Security Motion Sensor Outdoor Light review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 17, 2017 at 12:15 pm.

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ThinkSound ts03+mic headphone review

You Gadgeteers all remember wired earbuds, right? What am I saying – everyone gets a pair of these with their phone, even if it’s an iPhone 7 with no headphone jack! The quality of those bundled earbuds, however, can vary widely. ThinkSound has been doing a lot of work on improving the sound of headphones and earbuds by incorporating wood enclosures into them, like fine speaker cabinets of old. Their latest creation is the ts03 + mic, which brings light weight and crisp bass together for your music and phone talking. Guess who got a pair to test. Yep. This guy!

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

Here are the specifications from their website:
• Microphone + call/music control for mobile communication
• Compatible with iOS and Android devices
• Wooden housing for crisp, accurate music reproduction
• 20 Hz – 20 kHz frequency response
• 99 ±3 dB @ 1KHz 1mW sensitivity
• 16 ohm impedance
• 45˚ angled gold plated plug for increased clarity & durability
• Acoustically enhanced 8mm driver
• 10g Ultra-lightweight design
• Kevlar-reinforced, tangle-resistant 4 foot long cable
• Passive Noise Isolation minimizes ambient sounds
• Sweat-resistant design, perfect for the gym
• Four flexible silicon ear inserts for a secure fit (s/m/l/xl)
• Cord clip, cotton carrying pouch & hard case
• One (1) year limited warranty

The earbuds arrived in ThinkSound’s new “package-free” packaging: It’s all packed into a tin box with clear labels that can be used to protect the ts03s in your bag or pocket. If you don’t need that much protection, there’s also a light cotton drawstring bag. I really like it, but I’m curious to see how this packaging design fits into brick and mortar stores. It’s one thing for a $1 box of mints, but for a $200 set of earbuds, that’s another story.

The angled plug is a nice touch, sticking out at 45° from the line of the jack. This gives a bit of strain relief. There are three feet of cord from the plug to the branded metal divider, and 15” of cord for each earbud from the divider. With lead-in cords this long, it’s easy to route them behind your head, in case they would be in the way during exercise. There was a little ambient noise from touching or rubbing on the cable while wearing them, but not enough to be distracting. If you’re doing highly active exercises, it may get in the way, but for biking, walking, or running, it shouldn’t be an issue, once you turn on a little music. I found I could listen at about half volume on my iPhone 6s Plus for most music. Depending on mike placement and the audio engineering, many podcasts were listenable at this level as well.

The fit of the ts03’s is adjustable with 4 sizes of tips. The collar of silicon stands out from the central core, to isolate the speaker into the center of your ear canal. I was pleased with the sound space this provides. I listened through the ts03’s for several hours via Spotify, including tunes from The Rescues, Joshua Radin, Van Morrison, Train, and Jeff Buckley. The acoustic pieces were like you were sitting in the front row of a live set. I tend to listen for little things, like turning on guitar pickups, turning pages of music, and the like. The scrape of a pick against the wrapping of a string, or an overdubbed vocal line. These buds let you dig into the picky little bits like that if you want to. Or you can just enjoy the feeling of being there. I never had the feeling that the earbuds were going to fall out. Once I started listening, everything else outside of the sound fell away.

I have really gotten used to wireless earbuds, but every now and again, usually when I’m reviewing a pair of wired earbuds, I’ll remember how quick and easy it is to plug in a cable and immediately have the sound in my ear. There’s no worry about video lag-time, where you hear the sound a split-second before you see what caused it. There are no batteries that may fail halfway through a listening session. (This is my current pet peeve for wireless earbuds!) The mic is right there on the cord by my jaw, rather than up on an earpiece, so if I want to have a quick aside with someone, or sneeze before I can get to the mute or whatever, I can grab the mic and block out my caller. Plus, wired headphones are never paired to another device that you have to go hunt down in another room or in your backpack, unpair, and re-pair to your current device. They just jack in and are playing, and that can be a good thing.

At $199.99, these are not throw-away units, by a long shot. They give you a truly deep experience of listening. If you want to hear the quality of what you’re listening to, the ts03s are going to deliver it. Yes, they are still earbuds, but they give an incredible amount of sound to you through that form.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by ThinkSound. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order.

 

Product Information

Price: $199.99 on think sound website, $119.99 on Amazon
Manufacturer: ThinkSound
Retailer: Amazon
Requirements:
  • AUX/phone sound source
Pros:
  • Quality cables (wiring) and connectors
  • Great sound and isolation
  • Warm, low tech outer look belies high tech insides
  • Waste-free packaging
Cons:
  • none, really

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ThinkSound ts03+mic headphone review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 17, 2017 at 9:11 am.

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Alto iPhone 7 Plus Metro leather case review

When I think high-end luxury leather phone cases, a couple brands come to mind like Vaja and Orbino. So how is that I’ve never heard of or seen the leather cases from Alto? If you’ve never seen them either, let me introduce you to what might be your next favorite iPhone 7 Plus case.

What is it?

The Alto iPhone 7 Plus Metro leather case is a thin but protective snap-on cover for the back of your iPhone 7 or 7 Plus.


The Metro case that was sent to me is made of Italian full grain black and caramel stained leather that covers the outside of a hard case that has a black micro fiber lining on the interior. Other color combos of this case are also available.

The back of the case might look like it’s two toned with the brown and black, but the look hides a card slot that can hold 1-2 plastic credit cards or a couple folded bills.


An iPhone 7 Plus snaps into the case with little effort and can be removed with slightly more effort.

The sides of the Metro case are raised slightly higher than the top of the iPhone to protect the display if you lay it upside down.

The left side of the case has an open cutout for unrestricted access to the mute switch and volume buttons.

The opposite side of the case has an open cut out for the power button.

The top edge of the case (not pictured) is completely covered, while the bottom edge is open to reveal the speakers and lightning port.

If you flip the case over, you’ll see a large opening for the camera and LED flash.

The card slot on the back of the case is ideal if you want to leave your wallet at home and just carry your driver’s license and a credit card. The card slot is a snug fit so you don’t have to worry about your cards accidentally slipping out if you hold the phone upside down.

Everything about the Metro case is perfect, from the design and materials to the craftsmanship. I have zero complaints.

If you prefer a phone holder case instead of a case that snaps on the back of the phone, Alto has that covered to.

Their zippered wallet case is equally nice and can hold the phone, credit cards, cash, and more.

Final thoughts

If you’ve been searching for a quality iPhone 7 Plus case that looks great, doesn’t add too much bulk, but allows you to ditch your wallet, then you need to check out the Metro leather iPhone case from Alto. It’s my new favorite case.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Alto. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order.

 

Product Information

Price: $72.00
Manufacturer: Alto
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • Great craftsmanship
  • Doesn't add much bulk
  • Built in card slot
Cons:
  • None

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Alto iPhone 7 Plus Metro leather case review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 16, 2017 at 1:54 pm.

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Mpow Bluetooth Selfie Stick review

“Selfie Sticks” were all the rage a few years back. And although the craze has dwindled a bit, they are still in use and can definitely still be useful, especially in certain situations. Our family had tried a selfie stick a few years back, but we were very unimpressed with it—it had a cable that connected to the phone to control the phone’s shutter, which was a bit cumbersome, and its quality was low for the cost. When Julie provided the chance to try out the MPow Bluetooth Selfie Stick, its Bluetooth connectivity and some of its other features looked appealing. Let’s check it out! Gadget on!

Options

The Mpow Bluetooth Selfie Stick is available in the following colors.  Note that the pricing on Amazon fluctuates a bit, so the prices listed below are as of the writing of this review:

  • Rose Pink (reviewed here) – $22.49
  • Gold – $21.94

Specs

Below are listed the technical specs of the MPow Bluetooth Selfie Stick:

  • Built-in Bluetooth remote shutter control
  • 270-degree pivoting adjustable head
  • 360-degree fill light with 3 levels
  • Mirror
  • 1500 mAh battery for 72 hours of fill light time, 30 hours of Bluetooth time or 3 years standby with full charging time of 2.5 hours
  • Weight 181 grams
  • Telescoping length is 7.3 inches at shortest position and 34.3 inches at longest position
  • Holder accommodates phones 1.8-3.3 inches wide 

Packaging

The MPow Bluetooth Selfie Stick arrived in some fairly standard packaging, which consisted of a white cardboard box with a few photographs showing the product.  Inside, the Selfie Stick was inside its storage pouch, which was enclosed in a bubble-wrap bag for protection.

 

Contents

  • Mpow Bluetooth Selfie Stick
  • Drawstring carrying bag
  • USB to micro USB charging cable
  • Lanyard
  • Instruction sheet

Features & Functions

Let’s dive in, starting with the included drawstring pouch, which the Selfie Stick had been placed in for shipping.  The pouch is made of a quality mate al, and feels like it may be fairly water-resistant.  The pouch will accommodate the Selfie Stick itself, with room to spare for the USB charging cable.

After removing the Selfie Stick from its pouch, the first thing I notice about it was that it certainly appeared to be feature-rich.  In fact, I was a bit intimidated by it at first.  How the heck was I going to figure out how to use this thing?  The reality is that it is a fairly easy-to-use device, which you will see below.

The Selfie Stick fit into my hand quite nicely, and overall it is not excessively large to handle and operate.

Additionally, the handgrip has some minor contouring, as see above, to fit your fingers and help prevent you from dropping it during use.The Selife Stick has a polycarbonate plastic body with an appealing metallic appearance.  Despite its impressive feature set, it’s fairly compact.  It folds down to just 7.3 inches in overall length.  It’s a bit large to fit in your pants or shorts pocket (unless you are wearing ones with seriously deep cargo pockets), but will fairly easily fit into most purses or just about any backpack.In the photo above, I’ve started to “unfold” the Selfie Stick into operating position by pivoting the head away from the main body.

The telescoping stainless steel rod, shown above, extends out to over 34 inches, so you can get your whole family (and maybe event some photo-bombers) in the photo.

Another handy feature is a “wing-nut” that can be tightened down to fix the Selfie Stick’s head in place. However, I found that I didn’t have to use this much, since the head would actually stay in place quite well on its own without using this.

This Selfie Stick also includes a small mirror on the “back” side of the clamp mechanism.  This could be used to check your hair or your makeup, or the angle of your shot, before shooting the perfect selfie.

The Selfie Stick has a small, coiled Micro-USB cable attached to its side.  This cable is NOT for charging the device.  Instead, it provides power to the fill light.  In order for the fill light to work, the micro-USB cable must be plugged into the micro-USB port on the side of the bracket that holds the light.  I found this a bit strange; I’m not sure why the power to the Fill Light couldn’t have been directly incorporated into the body of the Selfie Stick.  It means an extra setup step.  Still, it’s not all that difficult to do.
Another interesting feature of the Mpow Bluetooth Selfie Stick is the fill light, which sits atop the clamp mechanism, as seen in the image above.  The Fill Light has a build-in diffuser, to soften the light’s intensity and reduce the “harshness” or glare from it.  The light level can be fine-tuned by rotating its barrel shape from fully open, as seen above…

…to partially closed, as seen above…

…to fully closed, as seen seen above.  The fill light can spin 360 degrees for the ultimate in fine-tuning.

The fill light has three levels that can be used, the brightest of which is shown illuminated above.

Above you can see the clamping mechanism that holds your phone. The clamp consists of two pivoting jaws with soft silicone grips that hold your phone securely.  The jaws can be folded down, as shown above, when not in use.

When in use, the clamp’s jaws are folded outward, as shown above.  The gray silicone grips on the insides of the clamps are visible in the photo above as well.

Above, a closeup of the top clamp jaw’s gray silicone grip.

An iPhone 6 Plus will fit into the clamp mechanism, but it is a tight fit, and I had to pry the jaws apart a bit to get the iPhone to fit, but not excessively so.  However, if this iPhone 6 Plus has been in a case, it would have been questionable whether it would have fit.  Phones smaller than an iPhone 6 Plus should fit with no issues (my daughter used her iPhone 6 with it and the fit was perfect, even with the iPhone 6 in a case).

Above you can see how far apart the clamp mechanism’s jaws will stretch to accommodate a phone.  The clamp is spring-loaded, so it will firmly grip your phone.  It can accommodate phones from 1.8 to 3.3 inches in width.

Above, the Selfie Stick with my wife’s iPhone 6 Plus loaded into its clamp mechanism.  The spring-loaded clamp with its silicone grips helps provide a stable platform for your phone, and I didn’t worry about it accidentally falling out on its own.

The Selfie Stick has two buttons on the handle: Light (top) and Camera (bottom).  To pair the Selfie Stick with your phone, press and hold the Camera button for 3 seconds.

Once in Pairing Mode, a tiny blue LED light begins to blink off and on.

Next, activate Bluetooth on your phone and search for devices (Full Disclosure: I used my wife’s iPhone 6 Plus for this).  In the device list, you should see “ADYSS-A6.”  Select this and Boom!  You’re done.  Once fully paired, the blue LED on the handle will stop blinking and you are cleared to start shooting.  Pics, that is. To turn off the Selfie Stick, press and hold the Camera button again for 3 seconds.
Above, a shot of me pushing the Light button and as you can see, the Fill Light is illuminated atop the phone.

An optional accessory included with the Selfie Stick was a wrist lanyard, as shown above.  In theory, this should be easy to install, but in practice, I found it very difficult—I couldn’t get that thin cord down into the hole and out the other side!  I ended up not using the lanyard, but it would probably be a good idea to use it, especially if you trying to take pics in a crowded area, and so forth.

The Mpow Bluetooth Selfie Stick runs on battery power, but not standard AA or AAA cells, it has its own internal, rechargable battery that can be charged using the included USB to micro USB cable, shown above plugged into the side of the Selfie Stick.  The battery powers the Bluetooth connection as well as the Fill Light.

To use the Selfie stick, press the Camera button once to activate the shutter on your phone’s camera.  It’s just that easy.  Above, a pic of me taking a selfie.  I know, mind-blowing, right?
Above, a selfie I took of…well…myself…with the Mpow Bluetooth Selfie Stick.  Of course, using the iPhone’s front-facing camera, the quality of the pic will be a bit lower than if it had been taking with the rear-facing camera, but the Selfie Stick allows easy orientation and quick pic snapping.  Above, another selfie at a bit further range, where I’ve extended the telescoping stick out a bit further.Lastly, I wanted to check out the Fill Light.  Above and below, I took a couple of selfies inside my house, where the lighting was not as good as the outdoor selfies I took above.  The pic above was taken without the Fill Light.  The pic above was taken with the Fill Light at full illumination. It does look a bit brighter, and its built-in diffuser prevented glare, but admittedly indoor photos in lower light with the iPhone’s front-facing camera do look a bit rough.

We took the Mpow Bluetooth Selfie Stick on our most recent family vacation to the East Coast this summer.  It came in handy when we wanted to get some family pics in front of several landmarks and other touristy sites, including the Bunker Hill Monument in Boston (above).  I delegated control of the Selfie Stick to my teenage daughter, who has an iPhone 6, and it worked very well; however, it did drop the Bluetooth connection once unexpectedly, it for some reason it was difficult to get it reconnected, but that was a rare occurrence.  (The above pic was taken from the Statue of Liberty Island; New Jersey can be seen on the left and lower Manhattan, NYC on the right.  Please ignore the dude in the blue shirt—he wouldn’t get out of way.)

Conclusion

I like the Mpow Bluetooth Selfie Stick.  It has a lot of nice features, and it was easy to use.  For starters, it was very easy to Bluetooth pair with my Phone 6 Plus, and easy to use once paired.  The adjustable Fill Light with built-in diffuser feature is handy, but probably most useful for indoor or nighttime outdoor selfies.  Still, it’s a nice feature to have handy.  The 34-inch telescoping shaft extends quite far, which helped with getting lots of peeps into the pics for group selfies.  Additionally, it can be charged with a micro USB cable, which means you don’t have to lug batteries around (but you do have to remember to charge it). Overall, I think the MPow Bluetooth Selfie Stick is a great value for its price.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Mpow. For more info or to order, visit Amazon.

 

Product Information

Price: $21.94 (Gold), $22.49 (Rose Pink)
Manufacturer: Mpow
Retailer: Amazon
Requirements:
  • Fits phones from 1.8 to 3.3 inches wide.
  • Bluetooth connection needed.
Pros:
  • + Easy Bluetooth pairing and use
  • + Compacts down to 7.3 inches for easy storage
  • + Lots of features for the price
  • + USB charing
Cons:
  • – None

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Mpow Bluetooth Selfie Stick review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 16, 2017 at 9:00 am.

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ROVA Flying Selfie drone review

When drones first started becoming popular, they were big bulky quad copters with large GoPro sized cameras and people mostly used them for cool landscape videos. People still use drones to shoot landscape shots, but a newer category of drones has been designed for taking a more personal type of photography – the selfie. Now you don’t need an extra friend to take your picture. Or at least that’s the idea. Let’s see if the ROVA Flying Selfie drone can take a picture and keep on hovering.

What is it?

The ROVA Flying Selfie drone is a small quad copter style drone with a built in 12MP camera. It’s controlled with an iOS or Android device and has been designed to shoot selfies.

Specs

12MP camera, HD video
Up to 64GB micro SD card capability
33ft (10m) max flight height from launch
≤ 98ft (≤ 30m ) Communication Range
Obstacle Avoidance using infrared sensors
Flight Stability and Positioning using barometer, accelerometer, optical flow and gyrometer

What’s in the box?

When you open a new gadget and find that it comes in its own zippered case, you immediately get the impression that this is going to be a great review experience.

Inside the case is:

ROVA Flying Selfie drone
2 rechargeable batteries
USB battery charger
micro USB cable

Also included are 4 bumpers, a carabiner for the case, a 16GB micro SD card, and a setup guide.

The ROVA is approximately 8.5 x 8.5 x 1.5 inch black plastic frame with four 3-blade propellers in each corner and a battery holder in the center.

You’ll also notice a red activation button on top as well as a warning sticker that instructs you not to put your fingers inside the frame when the propellers are spinning.

if you flip the ROVA drone over, you will see the 12MP camera with LEDs on either side and you will see the flip up landing gear (feet) in each corner.

The camera is designed to manually pivot to customize the video and image shooting angle.

On the side opposite the camera is the micro USB charging connector and the micro SD card slot.

Before you can fly the ROVA, you have to charge one of the included batteries in the included charger.

The battery easily snaps in the charger which plugs into a USB port on your computer or a USB charging adapter that you plug into an electrical outlet.

It takes about 30 mins to charge the battery which then provides up to 8 minutes of flight time.

The battery plugs into the slot in the center of the drone and as soon as you plug it in, the drone powers up and LEDs on either side of the camera begin to flash.

The ROVA Selfie Drone comes with 4 hard foam bumpers that you can snap over each corner.

Installing the bumpers is not mandatory, but are supposed to provide added protection while you learn to fly the drone. FYI, the drone with the bumpers does not fit in the zippered case.

In addition to charging the battery, you’ll also need to install the ROVA app on your iOS or Android device. I tested the ROVA with my iPhone 7 Plus.

The app has a basic interface as you can see from the image above. I felt like flying the ROVA would be a piece of cake compared to other drones I’ve tried.

When you first launch the app, it looks for the ROVA drone’s built in WiFi network. After you successfully connect to it and enter the password, you press and hold the red button on the ROVA for a few seconds. The button will flash (which is impossible to see in bright sunlight) and after it stops, the drone will beep and you’re ready to fly. Or at least that’s how it’s supposed to work…

Or at least that’s how it’s supposed to work… It took me quite a while to even figure out how to get the drone to spin up. The instructions that come with ROVA are really vague and pretty much useless. But once I figured out the steps to get the propellers to spin up, I thought I was all set.

It took me quite a while to even figure out how to get the drone to spin up. The instructions that come with ROVA are really vague and pretty much useless. But once I figured out the steps to get the propellers to spin up, I thought I was all set for flying and selfie snapping.

Yeah, no… To fly ROVA, you go through the steps I mentioned above and then when the propellers are spinning, you can press the up/down arrow icon in the lower left corner of the app. ROVA will lift off and hover in place until you use the onscreen joysticks to fly it up, down, left, and right.

Once you go through the steps I mentioned above and the propellers are spinning, you can press the up/down arrow icon in the lower left corner of the app. ROVA will lift off and hover in place until you use the onscreen joysticks to fly it up, down, left, and right. That’s what is supposed to happen, but what happened every time I tried it was that the drone would lift off the ground about 3-4 feet, and then on its own, it would start trailing off left or right a few feet and land. At that point, I would try to fly again but the app would freeze. I would have to kill the app, pop out the battery on the drone, pop it back in and try the whole connection sequence again. I did these same steps over and over again over the course of several days with no positive results. I tried using the other battery, making sure the batteries were freshly charged, uninstalled, reinstalled the app on the iPhone, etc. No joy.

In the handful of super short flight sessions that I had, I was able to catch one video that at least shows the image quality.

See it in action (sorta)

It’s a shame this little drone doesn’t work because the image quality is actually pretty decent.

I sent 2 emails to the PR person who sent me the ROVA for review and I have yet to receive a response after days of waiting.

I looked for more info on ROVA’s own website but their FAQ page brings up a 404 page not found message. I also went to the ROVA page on Amazon and read a few reviews there that mentioned some of the same frustrations that I had.

Final thoughts

My final thoughts can be summed up in 3 words: Don’t Buy It.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by ROVA. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order.

 

Product Information

Price: $199.00
Manufacturer: ROVA
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • Comes with a zippered case
  • 16GB micro SD flash card is included
Cons:
  • Won't fly more than 3 – 4 feet above ground if you're lucky enough to get it to fly at all
  • App has to be restarted with each flight
  • Have to put in drone's WiFi password almost every time you use it

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ROVA Flying Selfie drone review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 15, 2017 at 4:21 pm.

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