EOZ AIR Truely Wireless earphones review

REVIEW – I’m not a big fan of earbuds, I prefer over the ear headphones. But, with Truly Wireless earbuds being all the rage these days I decided to give them another shot. I received a pair of EOZ AIR Truly Wireless earphones to review. Let’s see if they can change the way I feel about earbuds.

What is it?

The EOZ AIR earphones are Truely Wireless earphones that feature an around-the-ear design, auto-pairing Bluetooth 5, and up to 90 hours of playtime. 

Hardware specs

  • Materials: Nano-coated ABS, Aluminum
  • Microphone: Two beam forming microphones with intelligent ambient noise reduction 
  • Speakers: Electro-dynamic, 8mm diameter graphene-coated driver
  • Frequency: 20 – 20,000 Hz
  • Battery: Earphones: 2x 50 mAh – 6 Hours of Playtime –  Charging case:  2200 mAh – 90 hours of Playtime 
  • Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
  • Charging type: USB Type-C
  • Charging time: 80 – 90 minutes
  • Sweat & water resistant: IPX5 Rating

What’s in the box?

  • EOZ AIR earphones
  • Charging case
  • 3 pair of silicon ear tips & 2 pair of memory foam ear tips
  • USB-C charging cable
  • Vegan leather secure leash
  • Membership card
  • User manual

Design and features

Everything about the EOZ AIR earphones screams modern elegance. From the packaging to the earphones and charging case. You really feel like you’re getting something special from the moment you open the box.

The earphones feature a nano-coated ABS housing and glossy-black PVDed aluminum secure-fit tubes (the things that keep them from falling off your ears).

I chose to review the all-black version, but they’re also available in black & silver, black & gold, white & rose gold, and black & green.

The earphones don’t have any physical buttons which adds to their sleek look. All basic control functions are performed using the Touch Control Pad or TCP located on the outside of either bud. Functions are as follows:

  • Play/pause: Single tap on either bud.
  • Next song: Two taps on the right bud.
  • Previous song: Two taps on the left bud.
  • Answer call / End call: Single tap on either bud.
  • Reject call: A 2-second-long-press on either bud.
  • Siri / Google assistant: Three taps on either bud.

I found the TCP responsive and easy to use once I got used to it.

Small indicator lights on both buds show charging status, white = charging and no light/blue = fully charged.

Both buds have beam-forming microphones with intelligent ambient noise reduction used for phone calls and Siri / Google Assistant.

The charging case is all black, and the top has a brushed metal look with the EOZ logo embossed on it.

Inside the case, there are four LED battery level indicators that light up when the case is opened. Each LED represents the cases built-in battery level by 25% increments.

When fully charged the case provides 18 additional recharge cycles or 90 hours of additional playtime, and it charges using USB-C.

Pairing / Charging

The first time you take the buds out of the charging case, they automatically power on and go into pairing mode. Go to the Bluetooth settings on your device and select “EOZ AIR” to pair them. Each subsequent time you take them out of the case, they’ll power on and connect to the last paired device. When you place the buds into the case, they automatically shut off and start to charge. 

You can manually turn them on and off with a single press on either bud for 3 seconds.

If you want you can even pair and use just the right earbud on its own.

The earphones take 80-90 minutes to fully charge and have an impressive 5.5 hours of playback time out of the case.

Fit and feel

The thing that initially attracted me to these earphones was their around-the-ear design. I can’t use typical earbuds because for some reason they just fall out of my ears. I was a little concerned that the aluminum secure fit tubes that keep the buds on your ears would be uncomfortable, they weren’t. I could hardly feel them on the backs of my ears. The best part was that they kept the buds securely on my ears, even while working out at the gym. They stayed in place during all my exercises, never feeling in danger of falling out.

As far as in-ear fit goes EOZ provides several options here. I chose to go with the larger of the two sizes of memory foam ear tips (there are also 3 sizes of silicon ear tips). I found them to be a perfect fit and they were very comfortable. The memory foam created a good seal, keeping out an ample amount of ambient noise even when the music was off.

Once inside your ears, the buds have a low profile, so they don’t stick out like some of the other earbuds I’ve seen.

The EOZ AIR’s are the most comfortable earbuds I’ve ever worn. But, keep in mind ears are as unique as fingerprints so your experience with fit and feel may be different.

Sound quality

The sound quality of these earphones isn’t going to blow you away. However, the sound is well balanced with just enough bass. So if you like a ton of bass, these aren’t for you.

The EOZ also paired flawlessly with my Apple TV, and the sound quality was very good without any lip sync issues.

Overall the listening experience was pleasant and as good as I’ve gotten from a pair of earbuds.

Call feature

I rarely use the call feature on headphones or earbuds, but the call quality on the EOZ AIR was good. Voices on both ends were very clear and audible, I’m assuming this had something to do with the intelligent ambient noise reduction and the dual beamforming microphones.

What I like

  • Easy to use touch controls
  • Around-the-ear design
  • Extremely comfortable
  • Quality balanced sound
  • 5.5 hours playtime with an additional 90 hours from the charging case

What needs to be improved

  • No on-board volume controls

Final thoughts

Just when I thought I was done with earbuds, the EOZ AIR Truly Wireless earphones pulled me back in.

Price: $109
Where to buy: EOZ website and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by EOZ.

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EOZ AIR Truely Wireless earphones review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 17, 2019 at 10:00 am.

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KontrolFreek FPS Freek Battle Royale Performance Thumbsticks review

REVIEW – Online gaming is a red-hot commodity, especially with the emergence of the popular “battle royale” last-man-standing genre of shooters. KontrolFreek is here to boost your killstreak with their FPS Freek Battle Royale performance thumbsticks. How do they stack up? Read on to find out!

What is it?

KontrolFreek’s FPS Freek Battle Royale Nightfall Thumbsticks (whew) are small, rubber grips that attach to the top of your Playstation or Xbox controller’s analog sticks, extending the height of them by nearly double. They are meant to offer more range of motion and better shooting accuracy for “battle royale” type games like Fortnite, Apex Legends and PUBG.

The FPS Freek Battle Royale thumbsticks double the height of the PS4 controller joysticks.

What’s in the box?

  • One pair of thumbsticks

Hardware specs

  • 11.7mm height
  • convex rubber tops
  • laser-etched design for comfort and grip

Design and features

I’ve been playing video games since the old Atari days, and they’ve sure come a long way since Pac-Man and Pole Position. The latest trend is the “battle royale” genre of last-man-standing shooters. It seems as though nearly every major publisher is hopping on this multiplayer online bandwagon.

The rubber caps are rather comfortable, and if you look closely, they’re tiny compasses.

For a skilled player, battle royale matches can last up to 25 minutes, requiring stamina and accurate, high-sensitivity controls. That’s precisely the type of action that the FPS Freek Battle Royale thumbsticks were designed for.

Basically, these thumbsticks, which are the tallest offered by KontrolFreek, attach to the existing analog joysticks, acting as extension caps. They offer extended height and grip, allowing for better control and comfort in extended play sessions.

They have a very basic construction. Easy to place and remove.

In many modern first person shooters, you can set the controller sensitivity to very high levels, allowing your character to turn and look around the screen very quickly. This is useful for fast aiming and split-second decisions, but it makes fine aiming at long and middle distance targets relatively difficult. With the thumbsticks installed, the range of motion is increased due to the extra leverage.

The extra height allows for better leverage and fine-tuned accuracy.

I found it much easier for accurate aiming at faraway targets, whether looking down the sights of an assault rifle or through a sniper scope.

And while I don’t find the Playstation controller uncomfortable, I very much like the position of my thumbs on these thumbstick extensions. It feels more natural to me, for some reason. It felt stranger going back to the default height than it did when I had first installed the extensions.

I also liked the added texture of the thumbsticks vs. the roughened rubber feel of the regular Playstation controller. If you look close, the design is actually little compasses. Cute.

I’ve got to admit, being 39 and not having loads of time to practice, I’m not sure if these thumbsticks actually did very much for my bottom line, so to speak. No Victory Royales or Apex Champion screens for me, today. But I definitely liked how the FPS Freek thumbsticks felt, and my accuracy was much better. I’d say that alone is worth the investment.

After several hours, my thumbs felt just fine.

Speaking of which, the price is about the only thing I could knock… $15 for a couple plastic and rubber caps is about $5 more than I’d expect. Very minor quibble.

I think I’ll keep the FPS Freek thumbsticks installed, and I’ll keep practicing. And with luck, perhaps someday I’ll not be such an embarrassment to my squad!

What I like

  • much more comfortable to play for extended time
  • easier for fine controls on high sensitivity settings

What needs to be improved

  • maybe a bit overpriced, for what they are

Final thoughts

After an initial brief adjustment period, I very much enjoyed the improved control these thumbsticks offered. They felt more natural than the default controller thumbsticks and boosted accuracy as promised. I would consider them a worthy investment.

Price: $14.99
Where to buy: You can pick up a pair of KontrolFreek thumb sticks in various heights for specific types of games on their website and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by KontrolFreek.

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KontrolFreek FPS Freek Battle Royale Performance Thumbsticks review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 17, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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Logitech’s new Harmony Express Ultimate remote trades everything for voice control

It’s been over 6 years since we reviewed a Logitech Harmony Ultimate Remote. I remember always wanting one of their remotes because they just looked cool with their big display, eleventy billion buttons, and all the features. But when I reviewed one, I found it to be a little complicated to set up and I didn’t use all those features.

These days I try to live by a KISS mentality. That’s Keep It Simple Stupid for those of you that haven’t heard that term before. Features are nice, buttons are great, and displays are flashy, but if all I want to do is turn on my TV and watch the latest episode of Grey’s Anatomy while sitting on the couch with a bowl of popcorn, I want to keep it simple and the new Logitech Harmony Express might be my next favorite remote because I can boss it around with my voice.

The Logitech Harmony Express universal remote control has Alexa built in so all you have to do is say “turn on the TV”, “go to DVR”, “go to channel “, “go to Netflix app”, and other simple commands. Oh, and since it’s got Alexa, I can also tell it to dim the lights, turn up the thermostat, and tell me the name of the actress who plays Meredith Grey on the show.

The remote features backlit buttons, 1 month battery life per charge and is priced at $249.99. Head over to logitech.com and Amazon for all the details.

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Logitech’s new Harmony Express Ultimate remote trades everything for voice control originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 17, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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