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How to Install Kodi on Linux

When it comes to media streaming, there’s no better player than Kodi. It can stream everything from your boxset collection to live TV – a far cry from its humble beginnings on the original Xbox. As it’s cross-platform, you’ll have no problem installing it on your Linux PC. Some Linux repositories already include Kodi as part of their software packages but not all. Here’s how to install Kodi on some of the most popular Linux distros. Ubuntu and Installing Kodi Recent versions of Ubuntu have included Kodi as part of Ubuntu’s default software repositories. This means you can install it straight from the terminal without… Read more

MECO Power Spin Scrubber review

REVIEW – Cleaning the bathtub has quickly become one of my least favorite chores as I’ve gotten older and my back has gotten more stubborn. Anything I can add to the process to ease the strain on my back and legs is welcome, so the Meco Cordless Power Scrubber is a welcome addition to the household cleaning regimen.

What is it?

It is a cordless electric power scrubber with three removable heads for a variety of cleaning functions.

What’s in the box?

  • Handheld Scrubber
  • Three removable heads: Flat, Rounded and Pointed Corner Brushes
  • Power cord
  • Warranty Card
  • User Manual
  • Adhesive clip for hanging from wall, with clip to attach to handheld unit

Design and features

The power scrubber has a simple design, with an on/off style power button on the handle. The different heads pop off and on with minimal exertion. The unit does come with an optional clip and adhesive mount if you want to attach to/hang from a wall or cabinet. When powered on, there is one speed.

Setup

Simply charge the unit and then attach the desired scrubber head.

  • Rounded Brush: Suggested for Sinks and Tubs
  • Flat Brush: Suggested for Tile
  • Pointed Corner: Suggested for window sills

Performance

We used the power scrubber to extensively clean our tub and shower after letting it get a bit dirtier than usual for the purpose of the test. Here are some before pictures:

For the tub, we used the rounded brush, for the grout seams and corners we used the pointed corner brush and then for the walls we used the flat brush. With our dark tile, you couldn’t really see the difference with the flat brush, but we could tell a difference for sure. Along with the power scrubber we used water and a tub cleaning foam product. Here are the after photos:

The actual scrubbing was pretty easy, just turn the unit on and it starts spinning at 350 rpm. Occasionally, the head would sort of grip a section of the tub and shoot off to the side if you didn’t keep the right pressure or have it at the right angle. It was easy to stop the unit and swap heads as we went along. The only real issue we had was the inability to adjust the speed of the unit, it is limited to a simple ON or OFF setting. It has a nice long handle, so we were able to clean all areas of the tub without having to stoop low or bend over completely at the waist.

What I like

  • Long handle takes pressure off the back and knees
  • Easy changing of cleaning heads
  • Powerful cleaning, it did a great job and make the cleaning process much faster, didn’t have to go back over areas with a magic eraser to get completely clean, as was our previous method
  • Fast charging and ability to hang from the wall
  • Light weight and comfortable on the hands/arms.

What needs to be improved

  • Storage – it comes with no where to put the heads when not in use.
  • One Speed – Would be very nice to have a low, medium and high setting to control the speed

Final thoughts

The Meco Power Scrubber was a great find, it is a powerful cleaning tool that takes a huge physical load off of cleaning difficult areas. Additionally, the different heads allow you the ability to customize your cleaning. I would highly recommend for anyone to add this device to their cleaning tools, as it will probably eliminate a few already in use. The storage issue can but mitigated by possibly buying a plastic storage bin of some sorts, or keeping the cardboard box (though this may not hold up over time). The speed controls would be my biggest suggestion for improving this unit to give the user some options especially if you have any areas, for instance, with weak grout that may get damaged at 350 rpm.

Price: $43.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by MECO.

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MECO Power Spin Scrubber review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 23, 2019 at 11:00 am.

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Electric Blackhead Extractor is gross but handy

NEWS – Where was this when I was a teenager? Actually- I still need this now!

Maswater’s electric blackhead extractor is essentially a safe way to clear your facial pores by removing gunky blackheads through the power of suction. Even those without prominent blackheads can benefit from the use of this product; however, because it also increases blood circulation, tightens up loose skin, reduces wrinkles, shrinks pores, and makes your skin smoother.

The electric blackhead extractor comes with 5 different changeable tips or “probes” that all aid in achieving different effects.

  • The oval mouth probe is to be used on the lips, corners of eyes, nose, or neck. It smoothes out fine lines and reduces wrinkles.
  • The small probe is to be used in all the same places, and it’s main purpose is to remove blackheads.
  • The big probe should be used around the eyes, and specializes in skin tightening.
  • The large round hole head (biggest) should NOT be used around the eyes, mouth, or neck and it increases sweat gland secretion which eliminates bodily toxins.
  • The cold ball probe can be used anywhere on the face, and should probably be used last. It relieves swelling and fatigue feelings and acts as a facial lifter.

This tool works on all skin types, and offers 5 progressive intensity levels of sucking. Those of us with sensitive skin should start on level one, and holding this product in the same spot for more than 3 seconds can cause bruising or redness. Total usage shouldn’t be over 5 minutes, and it should only be used once or twice a week. Slight redness or bruising is normal after the first couple uses.

For best results, remove makeup and open up your pores using a hot washcloth on your face before use. Apply a face-mask after to shrink your pores back down.

It takes about 1.5 hours to fully charge via USB, and the charge lasts about 3 continuous hours. It’s small enough for travel, so you can even take it on the go!

This product ships at about 4 ounces. It’s about 7.5 inches long and 2 inches wide.

Get yours on Amazon for $21.97 now, and enjoy free one day shipping through Amazon Prime.

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Electric Blackhead Extractor is gross but handy originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 23, 2019 at 10:00 am.

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HyperX QuadCast USB Gaming microphone review

REVIEW – I record training videos in my day job so it is important that my voice is captured under the best possible conditions.  For a while I used a HyperX gaming headset but I had complaints from my audience that the sound was a little “tinny” and that plosives were a real problem.  I switched to a Blue Yeti mic and while the sound was greatly improved, between the size of the mic and the pop filter I disliked the amount of space the solution consumed on my desk – not to mention how it blocked the bottom of my monitor when in the desk stand.  So when the opportunity came up to review HyperX’s new gaming mic, I jumped at the chance.  Would this be the best of both worlds?  Read on to find out…

What is it?

The HyperX QuadCast is a standalone USB microphone aimed at the gaming community.

What’s in the box?

  • HyperX QuadCast microphone with built in pop filter
  • Shock mount
  • Desk stand
  • Mic mount adapter
  • Micro USB to USB type A cable

Design and Features

The body of the mic is metal which gives it a solid feel and the impression of longevity.  Top to bottom, the mic is about 8.5 inches tall, so it is by far not the shortest mic out there.  With the shock mount, it is 4 inches wide, but that is a tad less wide than competitors so what you lose in height you make up for here.  The top half of the mic glows red when the mic is on and not muted.  Here is the mic connected to my mic arm:

On the bottom of the mic is the gain control – simply rotate to increase/decrease the input volume.

On the back of the mic is the polar pattern selector.  Starting on the left side, you have:

  • Stereo – collects sound from the left and right sides of the mic
  • Omnidirectional – gets sound from every side, so great if you are recording a meeting or other event where you can’t control sound source
  • Cardioid – only from the front of the mic, which is the go-to for streaming and podcasting
  • Bi-directional – front and rear (as opposed to stereo’s right/left), a great choice for interviews

Behind the mic mount is the micro-USB plug and the monitor jack.  While it might seem like an awkward place to put these connections, there is actually plenty of room and will allow you to run the cable attached to the boom arm.  This makes the connections less messy on your desk.

The top of the mic has the mute button.  Simply tap the button to mute/unmute.  When muted, the red glow dims considerably, giving you a visual cue that your sound is off.

The on-paper specs for the QuadCast are similar to the Blue Yeti – sampling at 48 kHz and 16 bit depth, and a response range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz.  Not as good as a studio mic, but more than you need for most purposes.  The sound is warm and seems perfectly matched for voice recording, whether that’s spoken word or singing.  After sampling with this mic and the Yeti I find I prefer the quality the QuadCast produces – it just feels richer and like it has more depth, something my voice could use help with.

The mic is plug and play on Windows – plug it in and the OS finds it.  A few seconds later you are good to go.  No special drivers or other software needed.

A word on the pop filter – it stops a fair amount of plosives (the sound most people make when words start with the letters “B” or “P”) but it is not a match for a real external pop filter.  After a few recordings I added my trusty Knox filter and the quality of recordings improved.  I am willing to concede that it is perhaps the way I speak, but just be aware you may have this issue as well.

And a word on the gain control.  You’d think that you would want to turn the volume up to 100% in Windows and then use the gain control to adjust the actual volume.  You’d think wrong – that produces a “static-y” white noise that sounds horrible.  In testing I found that for solo, cardioid recording I needed to keep Windows and the mic volumes both at about 50% to get the best quality and volume.  Bi-directional, I needed to bump up the mic volume to get a balance between front and back.  Never, though, did I adjust Windows volume beyond 50%.

What I like

  • The sound is warmer and fuller than comparably priced mics
  • Intelligent design – everything you need is easily accessible
  • The polar patterns gives the mic a wide range of applications – it isn’t a “one trick pony”

What needs to be improved

  • The pop filter should be higher-quality
  • You should be able to turn off the red glow – while you would lose the muted visual cue, the glow can be distracting to the eye

Final thoughts

As a first standalone effort, the QuadCast comes off as remarkably polished and ready for (almost) any kind of use.  The sound quality is at least as good and perhaps subjectively better than other mics in the same price range.  While on paper the mic is priced higher than others, by the time you factor in a shock mount and adapter, it might actually be less money.  Because of the red glow I am not sure I would want to use this as a gaming mic, but for podcasts, videos and other uses it seems like a great device.

Price: $139.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by HyperX

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HyperX QuadCast USB Gaming microphone review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 23, 2019 at 9:30 am.

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WaterField’s new Tech Rolltop Backpack expands when you need it to and doesn’t when you don’t

NEWS – The new Tech Rolltop Backpack from WaterField Designs combines good looks with functionality. This backpack is available in two sizes and three colors. It comes in a blue or brown waxed canvas for a casual look or black ballistic nylon for a more professional look.

Besides the expandable main compartment, the Tech Rolltop Backpack offers a lot of extra storage options on the outside of the bag including two large water bottle pockets on the sides, a zippered pocket for chunkier items like power bricks, a magnetic closure pocket for smaller items like your phone, passport, earbuds, etc., and a zippered padded pocket next to your back for your laptop. Inside is another pocket for a larger laptop.

The Tech Rolltop Backpack is priced at $229 for the compact size and $249 for the larger size. They are both available now from sfbags.com

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WaterField’s new Tech Rolltop Backpack expands when you need it to and doesn’t when you don’t originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 23, 2019 at 8:24 am.

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