Home 2018 August

Aermoo B3 Bluetooth earbuds review

REVIEW – As I continue to get opportunities to test and review more earbuds, it feels like the battle is heating up and each new addition to the race is getting closer to claiming the title of “Best earbuds for Julian”. These earbuds are the next contenders. Let’s see how they stack up.

What is it?

The Aermoo B3 earbuds are a pair of Bluetooth wireless earbuds for listening to music and other audio from any audio device with Bluetooth capability. They also handle phone call functions.

What’s in the box


1 x Pair of Aermoo B3 earbuds
1 x Charging Case
2 x Pairs of Wing Tips
3 x Pairs of Ear Tips
1 x USB Micro USB Cable
1 x Instruction Booklet

Design and features

The Aermoo B3 earbuds are nicely and safely packaged. When you remove them from the box and you charge them, they are ready to go. The Wing Tips and Ear Tips that came pre-installed fit me perfectly. The instruction manual is small but provides all of the details that you need.

When you open the charging case you will notice a unique feature, one that I have never come across before. This case has 4 charging level LEDs that light up blue, and above the LEDs, there is an on/off button that controls the charging of the earbuds when they are placed in the case. This is unlike most other earbuds that automatically charge once they are placed in the case. When the on/off button is depressed, it allows the case to charge the earbuds. Since I very rarely read instructions, I ended up with “dead” earbuds before I figured that it was not just a press of the button, but rather I had to use the tip of my finger to really push the button down until it stayed in and then it was in the on position.

On the back of the charging case, there is the micro USB charging port. The case itself is a bit smaller than most I have come across measuring just 2.5″ x 1″ x 1″.

Performance

Specifications:

Bluetooth version: 5.0
Waterproof rating: IPX7
Headset Battery: 45mAH
Charging Case Battery: 460mAH
Charging Case Charging Time: approx. 2hrs
Music Playing Time: approx. 2.5hrs
Talk Time: approx. 3hrs
Standby Time: 100hrs

Using the earbuds: (MFB = Multifunction Button)
To answer a call: Short press of MFB on either earbud.
To hang up: Long press MFB on either earbud.
To reject a call: Press and hold MFB on right earbud.
Voice dial: Double-click MFB on left earbud.

To play/pause music:
In standby mode: Short press MFB on either earbud; double-click MFB on right earbud to pause.
Switch song forward/Backward: Long Press MFB for 2 seconds on right earbud for forward and 2 seconds on left earbud for backward

When you first take them out of the charging case, you press the multifunction button (MFB) on each earbud for 2 seconds and they turn on, their LEDs flash red/blue, they immediately go into pairing mode and show up in your phone’s Bluetooth connection choices. Pairing is simple and quick. The earbuds automatically connect to each other and the process like with all other functions is confirmed by voice command. The LEDs then flash blue as a confirmation of connectivity and status. Placing them back in the charging case disconnects them from the Bluetooth connection. The next time you remove them from the charging case, they automatically connect to your phone without the need to power them on or to pair them. I did notice that it the power button in the case is in the off position, the earbuds do not automatically disconnect from the Bluetooth connection.

These earbuds perform very well. The sound is very good and clear, and the Lows, Mids, and Highs are all present and well balanced. The maximum volume has a limiter so that you are never in danger of turning the volume up too high and damaging your hearing. They are very pleasing to listen to. I experienced very few Bluetooth disconnections and when I did, it was always within those geographical high interference areas that I mention in all of my earbud reviews.

I was quite surprised at how well these worked for phone conversations for me given my history of having issues with the other party hearing me with almost every earbud I have tested. It is also great that these earbuds allow phone use with either earbud.

The Aermoo B3 earbuds fit my ears snugly and stay in place quite well. I did not ever feel like they would fall out. However, they are a bit big and are not as comfortable as some others. If not seated just right, they can be a bit uncomfortable. The picture below provides an example of the size.

What I like

  • The build quality of the earbuds and the case, and the feel of the case. (It feels like soft velvet)
  • The overall quality of the audio presentation
  • The ability to use either earbud for phone calls
  • The stability of the Bluetooth connection

What can be improved

  • The size of the earbud so that it will fit better
  • The function of the on/off button in the case so that it engages and disengages with less effort and provides a confirmation of function. (Maybe a click?)

Final thoughts

As I spend more time testing and reviewing earbuds, I have come to realize that there is not necessarily a confirmed and measurable relationship between price and quality of sound and performance. The Aermoo B3 earbuds are relatively inexpensive but are a really great bang for the buck. I honestly was not expecting them to perform as well as they did, and for a price that is well short of even $100, they can challenge some of the much higher priced earbuds that I have tested. While they are not perfect, they are quite worthy. I always mention that fit and sound are individually subjective dynamics, and I am always careful not to provide any universal recommendations. Having made that declaration, I must give kudos to Aermoo for these earbuds.

Price: $69.99
Where to buy: The Aermoo website and Amazon.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Aermoo.

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Aermoo B3 Bluetooth earbuds review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 13, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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The elevated Booster Bath makes washing your dog less backbreaking

NEWS – Our dog, Teddy, is only about 14″ tall at the shoulders.  Washing him in our walk-in shower is murder on the back.  If we had the elevated Booster Bath, he’d be about 30″ off the floor, so we wouldn’t need to crouch in the floor to wash him.

The Booster Bath is an elevated tub with a collar and 3-point harness system to keep Fido in place while he’s getting a bath.  A rubberized and textured non-skid mat keeps your dog from slipping and falling.

The tub is open in the back, so an optional set of steps can be added to help get bigger dogs into the tub without lifting them.

The tub can be used indoors or outdoors.  When using outside, you can attach the fan sprayer to a garden hose, and used water will drain away through the flexible 5′ drainage hose.  When using indoors, you can attach the fan sprayer to a showerhead by using an optional water diverter; using the drainage hose indoors will keep the water from splashing all over you as it drains away in the shower stall or bathtub.

The Booster Bath is available in three sizes, medium ($129), large ($149), and extra large ($199), to fit most dogs.  Red, teal, and lilac are the available tub colors.  Purchase a Booster Bath at Chewy.com, Amazon.com, or any of the other retailers recommended by Booster Bath.

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The elevated Booster Bath makes washing your dog less backbreaking originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 13, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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Minger Govee Wireless Thermometer/Hygrometer Review

REVIEW – Are you one of those folks who think it’s too cold at work? I’m the opposite! I always think it’s too dang hot. Our office building HVAC system seems a little funny to me sometimes, so I thought something like the Govee wireless thermometer/hygrometer that logs data might come in useful.

What is it?

The Govee is a battery-powered device that displays temperature and relative humidity on an LCD screen. The party trick is the ability to record up to 32,000 data points view the records over your smartphone via bluetooth.

Hardware specs

  • Temperature Accuracy: -20°C to 60°C (-68°F – 140°F)
  • Humidity Range: 0 – 99%
  • Humidity Accuracy: ±3%
  • Dimensions: 40mm x 40mm x 16.5mm / 1.57″ x 1.57″ x 0.65″
  • Weight: 40g / 1.4oz
  • Battery: AAA (included)
  • Battery Life: Typ. over 1 year (more in normal conditions, less in extreme cold)
  • Sampling Interval: Every 2s
  • On-board Data Storage: 20 days
  • In-App Data Storage: 2 years
  • Compatibility: iPhone, Android

What’s in the box?

You get the Govee device, a mount with peel-off adhesive, and documentation. AAA batteries included!

Design and features

There’s not a whole lot with the device itself. There’s only one button on the front to switch between Celsius and Fahrenheit.

Don’t forget to pull the little plastic tab from the included batteries!

The device itself fits in the palm of your hand, with an easy to understand LCD display with a battery icon on top.

Setup

I downloaded the iOS app “Govee Home”, shown below. It’s free.

For some reason, you have to sign up with an email and password. I don’t know why and I’m not too crazy about this.

Performance

Once your smartphone is paired with your Govee, you can make changes to your settings. Note the temperature alarm slide on the left. I set the upper range to 80F to see what would happen. More on that later.

On the right is a snapshot of the data over a brief period. You can slide the records left and right in time.


Once the data is uploaded to your phone, you get the grammatically questionable “Complete to upload the data”. (Attention programmers: “Data upload complete” is shorter and better.)

I let the Govee sit in my office for a week to get a sense of what was going on with the temperatures. See the red peaks on late Saturday and Sunday? Those are times when the recorded temperature exceeded the limits I set at 80F. It appears that over the weekend, the air conditioning (what little there is) is shut off to save energy.

What I like

Simple to set up. Data is easy to interpret on a smartphone.

What needs to be improved

Maybe not for you if you’re paranoid about setting up an email and password for an app. The grammar choices bug me a little.

Final thoughts

Easy, straightforward, and batteries included. I like it!

Price: $42.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Minger.

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Minger Govee Wireless Thermometer/Hygrometer Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 13, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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The Lowepro PhotoStream SP 200 Roller Camera Bag will ride with you on every shoot


NEWS – For the many years that I have been a photographer, I have always struggled with finding the right equipment bag for event photography such as weddings. For quite a while I felt like this was my personal issue, but the more I chatted with fellow photographers, the more I realized that we all seem to be dealing with this type of struggle, and we all have accumulated numerous bags along the way of this relentless and never-ending search.

This summer, I have been using my Lowepro 400AW backpack exclusively, and primarily because I have been shooting outdoors a lot and it functions well when walking around. Also, I have taken a break from or maybe just surrendered to the futility of the search, at least for a bit.

However, just the other day I became excited again when I came across the LowePro PhotoStream SP 200 Roller Bag. After looking at some YouTube videos and seeing the capacity, strength, and all-around versatility, I am thinking that this may just be the version of the LowePro bag I am seeking. It can hold 2 DSLR camera bodies, several lenses depending on the size, a laptop, and it seems to have enough space for all of the necessary accessories. It also works as a carry-on and seems like it can take a beating and still keep your equipment safe.

If you would like to learn more about the LowePro PhotoStream SP 200 Roller Bag, or if you would like to purchase one, you can head over to B&H Photo Video or Amazon and pick one up for $299.95.

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The Lowepro PhotoStream SP 200 Roller Camera Bag will ride with you on every shoot originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 13, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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Julie’s gadget diary – The Samsung Note9 is one step closer to my dream device

ARTICLE – Three days ago Samsung officially rolled out their newest device, the Galaxy Note9 at their Unpacked event in New York City. The Note line of devices has always been the most powerful, feature-rich smartphones of Samsung’s mobile line up and this year’s new Note does not deviate from that tradition.

The Note9 boasts Samsung’s largest capacity battery for a flagship device. At 4,000mAh, the Note9 will have enough juice to power through your day with time to spare.

The 6.4-inch AMOLED display means you won’t be squinting while reading your favorite content and you’ll have lots of room to store files and images because the Note9 is ready for up to 1TB of additional storage when you add a 1TB microSD card. I don’t even have 1TB of space on my laptop! Which brings me closer to my decade’s long dream of having one-device-to-rule-them-all. It’s actually a dream that I’ve had from way back in the Palm Pilot days when I daydreamed about having a handheld device that could plug into a slot in my desk at my day job to do work with a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. And then it could plug in at home into a smaller setup for work (and play) there.

The Samsung Galaxy Note9 is the closest device yet to make that dream a reality. Even the new low power Bluetooth S Pen makes this new device more attractive to me than an iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil just because it’s so much more portable and pocket-friendly.

I keep hoping that the day is coming very soon when I can ditch my MacBook and go all in with either an iPhone or an Android phone and make it my only phone/camera/computer and that time is so close for me right now because of Samsung’s DeX feature. I reviewed their Dex Station last year and found it to be pretty cool, but this year the stand-alone DeX station is not even necessary because all you have to do is use a Type-C HDMI adapter with the phone to plug it into a monitor and you’re all set to use a desktop-like interface from your phone. It remains to be seen if some of the issues that I noticed with last year’s DeX have been fixed with the Note9’s version of DeX, but I’m excited to get my hands on the new Samsung Galaxy Note9 to find out.

The Note9 will come in two new colors: Ocean Blue and Lavender Purple, and will retail for $999.99 for the 128GB option and $1,249.99 for the 512GB option. You can pre-order now and the phone will be available online starting August 24th through Samsung, Amazon, Best Buy, and other retailers.

What do you think? Can you see yourself only using a phone as your main computer? Or maybe you already do this? Let me know as I’m interested in hearing about your workflow.

Pictures courtesy of Helena Stone of Geekspin.

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Julie’s gadget diary – The Samsung Note9 is one step closer to my dream device originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 12, 2018 at 4:26 pm.

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