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BenQ EL2870U 28″ 4K eye-care monitor review

REVIEW – Back in May I reviewed BenQ’s PD2710QC DesignView 27-inch Designer Monitor and have been using it ever since because I like the built-in USB-C dock and the excellent picture quality. But, it’s not 4K so I kept wondering what a 4K monitor would be like to use. I don’t have to wonder any longer because BenQ asked if I would like to review their EL2870U 28″ 4K eye-care monitor and I said yes. Let’s check it out.

What is it?

The BenQ EL2870U 28″ 4K eye-care monitor is marketed as a gaming monitor that offers special eye care features like low blue light, flicker-free, and auto brightness features. I explained to BenQ that I’m not a gamer and that they might not want me to review this particular monitor, but they said that it was fine and that there would be no problem reviewing this monitor for my normal everyday tasks. Well, alrighty then…

Hardware specs

Screen Size: 27.9
Resolution (max.): 3840×2160
Panel Type: TN
Backlight Technology: LED backlight
Brightness: 300
Native Contrast(typ.): 1000:1
Viewing Angle (L/R;U/D) (CR>=10): 170/160
Response Time: 1ms (GtG)
Refresh Rate: 60Hz
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Display Colors: 1.07 billion colors
Audio: Built-in Speaker
VESA Wall Mount: Yes
Gaming: FreeSync
Connectivity: HDMI (v2.0)x2, DisplayPort (v1.4)x1
Dimensions (HxWxD mm): 657.9×476.27×194.6
Net Weight (kg): 5.7
Tilt (down/up): -5˚ – 15˚

What’s in the box?

Monitor
Monitor stand
HDMI cable
Power cable
Quick start guide
CD of video drivers

Design and features

This monitor has a 28-inch glare-free matte display with a black plastic housing that has wider bezels compared to a lot of other monitors on the market and much wider bezels than the BenQ PD2710QC DesignView 27-inch monitor that I’ve been using.

There’s a Benq logo in the center of the bottom bezel and below the logo is a light sensor which is used for the eye care feature. On the right lower corner, there’s a button that you can use to toggle the HDR and Brightness Intelligence+ features. More about those features later.

Along the bottom right side of the monitor are five small buttons that are used to navigate through the on-screen menus and another larger button that toggles power. You can also see the grill for the built-in 2-watt speakers.

On the back of the monitor is a standard Vesa pattern so that you can mount the monitor to a wall mount or a dedicated monitor stand.

There is a mount point for the included table stand and a connection panel which has the power port, 2 HDMI 2.0 ports, a DVI 1.4 port, and a headphone jack. Unfortunately, there aren’t any built-in USB ports.

The table stand is two pieces that slide together to form a wide T shaped stand.

A tool-free screw tightens down to secure the two parts of the stand.

Then the top part of the stand slides into the bottom of the monitor where there’s another screw that secures the stand to the monitor. This screw requires a Philips screwdriver to tighten it down.

Here’s the BenQ EL2870U 28″ 4K eye-care monitor ready for service. Big thumbs up for the fact that the monitor has a built-in power supply, so it doesn’t come with a giant power brick.

One thing I noticed right away is a lack of a height adjustment feature with this monitor. The monitor pivots forwards and backward to adjust the viewing angle, but you can’t raise or lower the screen which I think is an unfortunate oversight.

I performed my testing of this monitor with my 12-inch MacBook using a USB-C to HDMI adapter and the included HDMI cable that is included with the monitor. I was immediately struck by the additional screen real estate, crisp text, and vibrant colors.

I used the monitor while doing all of my normal everyday activities working in the Chrome browser and Adobe Photoshop. I also used it to watch full-screen 4K video streamed from YouTube and other video streamed from Netflix and Hulu. The picture on this monitor is very nice but I noticed what I thought was sluggish performance with my 12-inch MacBook while connected to this monitor. It’s something I don’t notice when I’m using the other BenQ monitor and I later figured out that it was just that the display has more resolution, so it takes longer to move the mouse cursor around the screen. 😉 At least that’s what I think was the issue and after increasing the mouse cursor movement speed, I’ve not noticed any more issues with my MacBook feeling sluggish.

Text on this monitor is noticeably sharper than with non-4K monitors. Even when the text is white on black, it still looks great and it feels like I take a big step backward when I switch to back to another monitor.

This monitor looks best when viewed straight on, but if you view it at an off angle, the screen takes on a yellowish tint, at least to my eyes.

The BenQ EL2870U offers some features that minimize eye strain and irritation during long sessions of use. The Brightness Intelligence Plus (B.I.+) feature automatically adjusts the brightness and color temperature according to on-screen content, ambient light conditions, and color temperature in your surroundings. When you toggle this feature on by pressing the button in the lower right corner, it will adjust the display settings, with soothing warm white for comfort and cool white for productivity.

The HDR/B.I.+ button switches between 4 levels of HDR and B.I.+ modes to balance maximum contrast and vibrancy of the display. I tested all 4 settings and did notice a boost in color vibrancy contrast with the HDR emulation turned on.

But what does a gamer think about this monitor?

Even though BenQ said they didn’t care that I wasn’t a gamer, I decided to find out what a gamer thought about this monitor since that’s the segment of buyers that it’s being marketed for. I let Vincent, a friend from work borrow the monitor for a few days so he could share his thoughts with how the BenQ performed with some of his favorite games.

Here are some of his thoughts after testing the monitor with Assassin’s Creed Odyessy and Prey connected to his custom built i7 8700k (6 core)(12 core hyper-threading) PC with an NVidia GTX 1080 video card.

BenQ says that this monitor works best games that have dark scenes like Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, Anthem and so on. Vincent commented that he didn’t like the way the BenQ handled shadows (dark scenes) because it actually made them too bright. For example, the image above is from Assassin’s Creed Odyessy and the character’s shoulder on the left side of the screen looks grey when it should be much darker or almost black. Vinnie said that he could see how the brighter image feature would be good for multiplayer games so you could see bad guys creeping up on you from the shadows, but he wasn’t a fan of the feature.



He also mentioned that the Freesync feature of this monitor is only useful if you have an AMD video card. He uses an NVidia card, so he wasn’t able to test this feature which claims to fix choppy gameplay and broken frames. That said, he thought the refresh rate of the monitor was good.

The BenQ monitor uses a TN panel which doesn’t have burn-in issues like monitors that use IPS panels and he didn’t notice any light bleed as he has noticed with multiple ASUS monitors that he’s owned.

Like me, he wasn’t a fan of the monitor’s thick bezels but said he would definitely consider this monitor as a budget monitor for gamers who also have an AMD video card.

What I like

  • Crisp, vibrant image
  • Blue light blocking features
  • HDR features (if your video card supports them)
  • Power supply is internal, so there’s no ugly power brick
  • 3-year warranty

What needs to be improved

  • No vertical adjustment, can’t move the monitor up or down
  • Off angle viewing not the best
  • No built-in USB ports

Final thoughts

The BenQ EL2870U 28″ 4K eye-care monitor is a good option for a 4K monitor for everyday computer work and for gamers who have an AMD video card and want to take advantage of the FreeSync features. I loved the sharp text and vibrant colors of this monitor and also liked the crazy amount of customization that is possible if you want to tweak the settings in the onboard menus. But even if you aren’t a settings tweaker, right out of the box, this monitor looks good with everything I threw at it and for gamers, it provides a fast response for fast motion games. I’ll be switching to this monitor full time but I’m going to miss the built-in USB-C hub of the PD2710QC, at least until they offer a 4K version of it.

Price: $499.00
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by BenQ.

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BenQ EL2870U 28″ 4K eye-care monitor review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 9, 2018 at 10:02 am.

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Pitbull Gold Shaver review


REVIEW – Many years ago, I experienced frequent issues with my scalp that were caused by the stiff texture of my hair and the direction of growth, which resulted in severe in-grown hairs. After many attempts to resolve the issue, including via professional medical personnel, it was obvious that the only trouble-free solution was to “rock” a bald head. Over the years, I have tried several electronic multi-blade shavers but have always returned to my trusty Gillette Fusion battery-powered razor, including the previous iterations of the current model, to obtain the smoothest shave. The Pitbull Gold shaver seeks to change my opinion about electronic multi-blade shavers. Let’s see!!

What is it?

The Pitbull Gold Shaver is a powered wet/dry skull shaver, that utilizes 5 articulating rotary blades that allow for an effective contouring of your scalp to produce the best possible shaving experience. The body of the shaver is designed to fit easily in your hand and to allow you the option of multiple ways to hold it for the best comfort.

What’s in the box


It is important to note that Pitbull included the accessories that made this the Pitbull Platinum package.
1 x Pitbull Gold Shaver (Platinum Package)
1 x Blade Cover
1 x Blade Brush
1 x Rinse Stand
1 x Instruction Manual
1 x Power Cable and Adapter
1 x Felt Accessory Pouch
1 x Carrying/Storage Case

Design and features

Pitbull has 3 shaver packages of this type of Skull Shaver. They are the Silver, the Gold, and the Platinum packages. The following is the comparison chart:

The shaver has a nice weight and feel to it, and does not feel fragile or cheaply built. It also feels like the right size that allows you to balance it well when using. The top handle is designed to fit the contour of your fingers should you choose to hold it in that position (See pictures later in the review). On the front short side of the shaver, there is the Pitbull logo.


On the opposite short side of the shaver, there is the power jack.


On the top of the shaver, there is the power button and the battery charge LED indicator.


There are 5 rotary blades on the bottom of the shaver that is on a contoured base and with the built-in flexibility it helps to match the shape of your scalp.


Also included with the shaver is a rinse cup that you fill with water and place the shaver in periodically to rinse the blades during the shaving session.


Performance

Once fully charged, the Pitbull shaver is primed and ready to go. A simple press of the power button turns it on, and the blue LED battery charge indicator shines brightly and displays the remaining battery capacity. The battery charge is quite long-standing and from my experience, I should be able to complete at least 6 complete shaving sessions without needing to recharge. Keep in mind that from my experience, I consider a session to be at least 15 minutes. I followed the instruction and on the first try, I chose to dry shave. In small circular movements, I began to shave and I continuously checked the progress of the shaving. It is important to note that I shave my head every day, especially because my hair grows back overnight. In the end, I managed to get a reasonably close shave albeit not silky smooth, and it took me about 15 minutes to get to that point. I still had to use the razor to properly shave the areas behind my ears and some other parts of my head. The picture below shows the end result of the Pitbull Shaver test. My complexion makes it difficult to see, but there was still stubble on my head that needed to be removed with my Gillette.


On my next attempt with the Pitbull Shaver, I used shaving foam, and while I found the experience quite pleasing in terms of the scalp massage that it provided, the shaving result was the same, with the need for me to go over my head with a razor to take the experience from a close shave to a silky smooth shave. With both tests, I had to press the shaver quite hard against my skull, but remarkably, this action contributed to the really nice massage benefit as opposed to causing any abrasions or irritation. I did try two gripping methods, but the one shown in the second picture below proved to be most comfortable and effective for me.



The rinse stand worked well to rinse the blades during shaving and as a stand.

What I like

  • The build quality
  • The great scalp massage it provides while shaving
  • The longevity of the battery

What can be improved

  • There is still room to improve to provide as close a shave as a razor.

Final thoughts

In my opinion, the Pitbull Gold Shaver is possibly the best attempt at a Skull Shaver that I have ever tested. While I have to honestly say that the Gillette Fusion Power razor is still the King and on the throne, the Pitbull does provide for a nice shaving experience with the benefit of an enjoyable scalp massage, and with patience and effort it is capable of a relatively close shave. While not as close as the Gillette, the benefit of having a less abrasive shaving experience is subject to individual preference and tolerance. The Pitbull Gold Shaver gets an “A” for effort, but will not overthrow my Gillette Fusion Proglide that still provides the smoothest shave.

Price: $99.99
Where to buy: Skull Shaver Website and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Pitbull.

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Pitbull Gold Shaver review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 9, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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Forget Fruit of the Month Club – here’s a subscription service for pop-culture fans!

NEWS – Fall is here, and it’s time to start dropping hints about the gifts you’d like to receive this holiday season, and this is a great gift idea!  Culture Fly has some subscription boxes that fans of DC comics or shows like Game of Thrones and Supernatural would love.  Culture Fly partners with best-in-class brands to deliver “pop culture experiences” directly to your door. They also work at designing and developing limited-edition collectibles that can never be found in retail.  Each box will be filled with over $100 worth of collectibles like apparel, bags, stationery, housewares, figurines, and other items.

Boxes are offered for Supernatural (Santa, this is my favorite show!), Game of Thrones, World’s Finest (DC collectibles), Jay and Silent Bob, The Nick Box (Nickelodeon), and several others.  Boxes ship quarterly and are $50 per box.  Some subscriptions allow you to pre-pay for a year (4 boxes) at a discounted price per box.

Learn more and get your subscriptions started at the Culture Fly website.

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Forget Fruit of the Month Club – here’s a subscription service for pop-culture fans! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 9, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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Gadgeteer Team EDC 2018 updates – Elizabeth Rodriguez

It’s EDC time again! I tend to swap out a lot of what’s in my bag depending on what I’m doing that week. I commute to New York City from Long Island so I try to keep the backpack lightweight. Lately, I’ve been working on my web developer portfolio, so here’s what I bring:
My favorite bag is still the Incase Reform backpack. I reviewed this bag in 2015 and it’s still going strong! The contents inside are:
  • New 13″ MacBook Pro with touch bar and charger
  • Google Pixel 2 XL smartphone
  • Metallic rainbow business card holder (purchased from Blick Art stores) because hey, you never know who you meet!
  • Audio Technica ATH-SR5BT Bluetooth wireless headphones
  • Logitech MX Anywhere 2S Bluetooth/wireless mouse
  • Archer and Olive “Night Sky” dot grid notebook/bullet journal
  • Tons of pens and pencils that I swap out depending on mood
  • Freepeople studded leather wallet
  • Tortoise & Blonde eyeglasses
  • Inexpensive sunglasses in case the sun pops out
  • My book of the month for my book club. This month we’re reading Crazy Rich Asians
  • Little rubber duckie to help me debug code 🙂

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Gadgeteer Team EDC 2018 updates – Elizabeth Rodriguez originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 8, 2018 at 12:14 pm.

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Free up counter space by storing your Keurig K-Cups on the wall

NEWS – If your kitchen is like mine, counter space is at a premium.  Using this K-Cup storage caddy, you can free up some space on the counter, because you’ll be able to store up to 22 K-Cups on the wall!  You won’t need to drill holes in your backsplash.  Instead, you’ll use the existing outlet cover to anchor the Cafe Wall Caddy.

The Cafe Wall Caddy consists of three parts.  The base unit holds 12 K-Cups.  If you have room, add the two attachments to hold an additional 10 K-Cups.

The Cafe Wall Caddy is available in white for $11.99 from the BeraTekIndustries shop on Etsy.  If you need a color other than white, just ask.

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Free up counter space by storing your Keurig K-Cups on the wall originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 8, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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