Nuheara IQbuds intelligent truly wireless earbuds review

For the past couple of years, a few Gadgeteer reviewers have been on a search for truly wireless earbuds that are worth the hype. Up until now, many of these buds have had to make serious compromises for one reason or another. Now we have the Nuheara IQbuds intelligent truly wireless earbuds. The name may be a mouthful, but Nuheara has managed to raise the bar for wireless earbuds. Yes, some compromises were still made, but nothing major. And as a result, the IQbuds just might be the wireless buds to own.

Let’s start with the basics: Nuheara is an Australian company who makes audio wearables (their term). They developed the IQbuds to help people listen to music, podcasts, phone calls or whatever and still be aware of their surroundings. But they didn’t stop there. Using their free smartphone app along with built-in active noise canceling (ANC), the IQbuds allow you to literally dial in—or out—the world around you. More on that later.

The IQbuds are “truly wireless”, meaning there are no wires either to the smartphone or to each other unlike many other wireless earphones. There are separate left (L) and right (R) buds and they are controlled either in the free (iOS or Android) app or on the buds. Part of the IQbuds intelligence comes from touching, pressing or tapping the bud itself. Not only that, but these gestures can be personalized by the user within the app.

The left IQbud can be used without the right one, but the reverse will not work. Included with the IQbuds is a case that will charge them about three times over. Since the IQbuds get about 5 hours with Bluetooth streaming, that means 15 hours total before the case itself needs recharging. Note that if you just use the hearing processing without Bluetooth streaming, usage time between charges almost doubles.

Speaking of Bluetooth, pairing is relatively easy. Once you find the correct ear tip size, insert the IQbuds into each ear; then touch the left bud and hold until you hear the word “Pairing” in your ear. Keep in mind that the iQ app also needs to be paired—I’m not sure how or why it’s important, but the app is necessary to use the hearing settings.

I’ve noticed that when connected, the IQbuds can be interrupted by other Bluetooth devices. Case in point: I was using the buds while getting my car serviced. Every time the mechanic turned the key, my Ford Sync system would connect and that would break the connection to my iPhone. The Bluetooth settings also showed that The IQbuds and my car were all connected at the same time. The bad news is that this can happen at all. The good news is that my car was at least 100 feet away, so the range of the IQbuds is great!

There is another issue that I’ve yet to figure out. More often than I like, a high pitched squeal emits from the IQbuds—like feedback noise. Nuheara has addressed the cause and issued a fix, but despite doing what they suggest, the noise keeps happening sporadically—except when they are in my ear. Hopefully in the future, a firmware update will take care of this issue.

The IQbuds are both water and sweat proof, so they’re good for exercising providing they stay in your ear. If you exercise, you should make sure the fit is snug (if you can) before committing. For most people, a proper fit is not a problem.

Comfort for me is an issue with the IQbuds. While they aren’t uncomfortable, I can use them for up to two hours and then some ear pain creeps in. YMMV.

A surprising aspect of the IQbuds is its call quality. Of all the wireless earphones I’ve used, the IQbuds are the best. Everyone I talked to had no idea I was not using my phone. Plus, I could hear my own voice when talking. I have never understood why other earphones don’t allow the user to hear themselves while talking. This is a first for me with earphones—and a pleasant surprise.


The IQbuds app allows various settings to be customized as well as presets for different situations. Personal profiles can be set up but unfortunately not named and saved for later.

One of the main advantages of the IQbuds is that they not only block as much or as little outside noise as you choose, they also can help hearing in noisy environments. For instance, I don’t have trouble hearing someone talking to me in a noisy environment such as a restaurant, but I have trouble understanding them. I can’t seem to separate what is being said from the background din. The IQbuds help by using speech amplification. This cool trick can separate speech from background noise and then amplify it so it’s easier to decipher. It’s not a flawless application—voices can sound a bit mechanical, but speech is understandable!

Nuheara has presets for different situations that help determine how best to hear what you need to hear and disregard the rest: Workout, Street, Home, Office, Restaurant (my favorite), Driving and Plane. Once a choice is made, the settings can be customized further in the SINC (Super Intelligent Noise Control) and World EQ sections in the app. These settings let you determine how much of the world you want to let in.

Now, this is pretty cool: One (I think) of the unintended consequence of using one of these presets is listening to movies on my iPhone using Bluetooth. I swear that I could hear surround sound. I have no idea if it’s real or not, but when watching a movie, I could hear sounds coming from specific places around my head. This is known as soundstage and I have never heard it this realistic before in any headphones, regardless of price. It was downright eerie. Keep in mind that this is not a promoted function and it may not even be a real one, but it may end up being my favorite use of the IQbuds!

Nuheara touts the IQbuds high fidelity audio. Well, that’s accurate—and also not. True, the audio quality is quite good, especially when you consider all of the audio tinkering that’s going on. The main problem I have is that all the offered tips are too small for me to get decent bass. The old saying is true: No seal = no bass. I had to resort to using some ear tips from another earphone. This swap restored the bass to an acceptable level, but I then had to remove them so they would fit into the charging case. Chances are you won’t have an ear tip fitting problem, but it’s something to consider if you have a history of other earphones not fitting properly.

Positives

  • Sound better than many wireless ear buds
  • Help make speech more intelligible
  • Can adjust how much background noise is heard
  • Many ear tips to choose from

Negatives

  • Expensive
  • Can be painful to wear after a few hours
  • Can emit high pitched feedback sound (but not while wearing)

Final thoughts

Once the proper tips were used, music sounded rich and full with detail coming through. However, the audio doesn’t compare to dedicated, wired earphones—nor is it expected to. Audio quality is an important factor, but it’s not the reason to buy the IQbuds. That decision is solidly based on the hearing improvements the IQbuds offer in addition to the adjustable augmented audio. When you factor in those useful enhancements, a purchase decision can be simple.

Price: $299.00
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Nuheara.

This LED bulb simulates a flame to turn any light fixture into a gaslight fixture

The SIXDEFLY LED bulb screws into any E26 fixture (this is the normal size used in most US fixtures), and it uses 4W of electricity to produce 300 lumens of 1900-2200K light.  The bulb has three modes:  standard, flame, and breathing.  Apparently, you switch the light switch on/off to switch between the three modes.  For best results, you should use the bulb in a lamp with a frosted shade, a lantern, or a salt lamp.  The SIXDEFLY Flame bulbs are available from Amazon; they are $18.50 (with free Prime shipping) for one or $56.99 for a set of three.

IQAir Atem personal air purifier review

I suffer from seasonal allergies and live in an area where avoiding the trees and grasses that are the catalyst for my symptoms is impossible.  The dry air in Colorado also makes for a very dusty indoor environment so between the great outdoors and the dusty indoors, my stuffiness and irritated eyes are on round the clock.

The purifiers I have owned in the past have been bulky and loud and didn’t offer many choices in fan speed.  Many on the market are either on or off and others offer 3 different speeds, all noisy.  I honestly just thought that’s the way it was.  Admittedly I didn’t spend a lot of time researching and testing different air purifiers because my ignorance of these products was pretty robust as it turns out.  I haven’t bought an air purifier in the last 5 or so years but the last one I bought was a little unit that was about the size of a clock radio and sat on my nightstand.  I was truly amazed by the amount of noise something so small could generate, hence I no longer use that product.

The Atem from IQAir has been a wonderful addition to my life and I have really been enjoying all of the customization and technology that is packed into this beautiful product.  Set up was simple.  The unboxing and set up time took about a minute.  You only have to attach the power cable to the base then attach the base to the purifier then plug it in.  There are no buttons or switches on the Atem.  The power and fan speed are controlled by simply touching the Atem logo in the middle of the purifier.  You can cycle between low, medium, high and off.  Each setting is paired with a light under the air output vent.  Red is off, and the blue light extends as you go from low to medium to high (see pictures later in this review).

My absolute favorite part of this product is the Bluetooth pairing to my smartphone.  The IQAir Atem app allows for full customization of the device and also can be a remote control for it if you like.  When I was first exploring the device I had not downloaded the app yet and thought that while very sleek and attractive, it was just another regular purifier with nothing other than the cool look to distinguish it.  How wrong I was.  After downloading the app and easily pairing it with the purifier using the code on the Atem, it took a few minutes to update the firmware.  After that was done, my app was showing me what was going on with the purifier and in the surrounding environment and allowed me to control the unit from my phone.  Once paired the app will show you the current status of the fan, ambient temperature and humidity and the remaining filter life.  That really impressed me! Here is a screenshot of my phone while using the app.  To adjust the fan speed between your presets or to turn it off using the app, just touch the screen where it says “low”.

When I went into the configuration menu I saw that I had full control of what fan speed was associated with the low, medium and high settings.  Each setting could be programmed with a fan speed between 5-100%.  There is also a “Smart on/off” feature, which when activated will turn off/on your Atem at your customized period of time when your phone leaves or enters the Bluetooth range of the unit.  This is a great way to save power and filter life without even thinking about it.  The unit rotates on the solid metal stand to direct air in any direction you want.  The following screenshots are the options you have to configure the unit to your specific needs.

Currently, I have the Atem on my desk in my office.  It sits right next to my computer monitors so it is relatively close to me when I am working.  I have set my fan speeds at 40, 66 and 100%.  I find myself using the low and medium speeds most of the time.  When I use the 100% speed when my office is warm or I want to move some air, I am amazed by the output of this relatively small device.  When set to the upper limits of the fan speed it is no longer whisper quiet but with the volume of air it is moving, I would never expect it to be.  At the 40-66% range where I have it set nearly all of the time I can barely notice any sound, which is a great improvement over previous purifiers I have owned.

Here are some pictures showing the lighting when the unit is off and on the three preset fan speeds:

Off

Low

Medium

High

With the stand and power cord, the Atem weighs in at 6.26 pounds and is 12.44″ H x 5.51″ W x 11.77″ D.  It is offered in white or black, both come with grey trim.  It uses a HyperHEPA filter and the Atem will notify you when the filter needs to be changed on both the app and with the onboard lights.  They say that the average filter life is approximately 1 year assuming 10 hours/day at the default level 3 fan speed.

Now all of these great features come with a hefty price tag.  At $399, this is pushed into a different league than many of the other small area purifiers that you would find at your big box stores or online.  I truly believe that your money is well spent if you want to clean the air around your office, kitchen or bedroom and want the functionality that is unlocked when you pair this with your smartphone.  If you don’t think the capabilities provided by the smartphone interface are important or necessary then this product may not be for you as that is where much of the value is in my opinion. I didn’t know how much I would use an app to control my air purifier until I received this product though.  Now I don’t even touch the purifier, I just use my phone.

Positives

  • Wide range of customizable settings using the app
  • Extremely quiet when running in the middle and low ranges of air output
  • Can move high volumes of air if you set it to 100%
  • Beautiful sleek design that will look great on a desk, shelf or table
  • Sturdy construction and easy to set up
  • Long filter life; automatic on/off when your phone is in or out of Bluetooth range

Negatives

  • Expensive, but for good reason given the functionality of full customization and ambient conditions via the smartphone app

Final thoughts

I could not be happier with the IQAir Atem Personal Air Purifier.  I love having it in my office where I sit/stand at my desk for most of the day and having a little personal area of clean air has been very nice.  I have not brought this home to sit on my nightstand yet but I plan to do so soon or whenever I am willing to let it go from my office.  I can also see this being a great addition to the kitchen while cooking to keep the air clean and circulating so you aren’t left with the leftover smell of sautéed mushrooms or fried bacon for hours after cooking.  The customizability, style, functionality when used with the app and overall extremely high build quality are the main reasons I will highly recommend this product.

IQAir also offers a wide range of air filtration products to fit nearly any space.  I have been so impressed with this smaller unit that I am looking at larger ones for my home.

Price: $399.00
Where to buy: IQAir and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by IQAir.

The Onyx Boox Max2 Professional eReader is an Android tablet with an e-Ink screen

It’s been a while since I’ve thought about dedicated eBook readers, but the Boox Max2 Professional from Onyx is so much more than a dedicated eBook reader.  The Boox Max2 Professional has a giant 13.3″ eInk Carta flexible screen, WACOM + Finger dual-touch control, 1.6GHz quad-core processor, Android 6.0, HDMI, built-in mic and speakers, WIFI, Bluetooth 4.0, 2G RAM, and 32GB storage.  The eInk screen has 2200 X 1650 pixels, 16-step grayscale, and a 15:1 contrast ratio.  The screen is bi-stable, meaning it doesn’t use power to keep a static image on the screen, which helps it achieve the lowest power-consumption level in the eReader industry.  It’s perfect for reading A4 or US letter-sized documents in their original size.

Using the supplied stylus and the Wacom digitizer, you can draw and write on the screen just as you would write on a paper copy of your PDF.  You can also use your fingers on the screen, just as you would on an ordinary tablet.    Four mechanical buttons allow manual selection for menu, back, previous page, and prior page.

The Boox Max2 Professional supports the following file types:

  • Text:  PDF, EPUB, TXT, MOBI, CHM, DJVU, HTML, RTF, FB2, DOC, PDB, etc
  • Image: JPG, PNG, BMP, etc
  • Audio: MP3, WAV, etc
  • Other special formats can be supported with third-party applications

With the built-in speakers, you can listen to music, text-to-speech playback of books, or audiobooks.  A built-in mic allows voice recording. The Boox Max2 Professional is equipped with WiFi.  It also has Bluetooth 4.0, which allows you to connect an external keyboard, pedal, or audio device.  The 4100mAH lithium-polymer battery gives you about 4 weeks of stand-by time.

With 32GB of memory, you’ll have room for lots of text files, music files, and eBooks.  Since it’s running Android 6.0, you’ll be able to download apps, too.  And with an HDMI cable, you can even connect the Boox Max2 Professional to a PC and use it as a second monitor!

Onyx will release the Boox Max2 Professional on December 27, 2017.  You can pre-order it now for €671.34 (about $790.00).  You’ll receive a Wacom E/M stylus, USB cable, microHDMI-to-HDMI cable, and a protective cover with your purchase.  It ships worldwide from Germany; shipping to most areas is free.

Mujjo full leather iPhone X case review

Sigh… The tech-realist in me knows how breakable the iPhone X is. But I still prefer using any and all my tech-devices naked. From my iPad Pro to my 12″ MacBook to whatever smartphone I happen to be using, I enjoy using them as their industrial designers intended. In this case, the iPhone X is not only sandwiched in glass, it is extremely slippery as well…a combination that screams BRAKE ME. That said, I continue my search for a case that not only protects my iPhone but is designed in a way that makes me want to keep it on my smartphone. Let’s see if the Mujjo leather iPhone X cases can hold my interest enough to get the job done 😉 .

The case is nicely fitted for the iPhone X, having a very tight fit along the curved edge where the case meets the stainless steel sides and front glass of the smartphone. So much so that once inside the case, it did take a bit of effort to remove the iPhone as I was swapping between cases for this review.

Other than color, the only difference between the two Mujjo cases is the slipper pocket on the back that acts as a built-in minimalistic wallet.

The underlying case is wrapped in Mujjo’s signature premium full-grain leather. Their “in-mold” process enables them to create an extremely slim profile that “accentuates rather than conceals the iPhone X’s beautiful design“. And I have to agree, while they are not as barely-there as the totallee case I reviewed last month, the Mujjo cases are much nicer in quality and craftsmanship while maintaining the shape and form of the iPhone. The case interior is lined with very nice Japanese microfiber, a slim, super-strong, lightweight micro-fabric that provides “a sophisticated, satin-like finish, material that provides luxurious padded comfort for your iPhone X”.

This case snaps onto the smartphone, covering and protecting nearly all of the iPhone’s sides and back. There are push-throughs for all the buttons and a cutout that allows access to the iPhone’s mute switch. The buttons themselves are easily pressed when desired and have a good tactile feel to them.

The right side has a single push-thru for the Siri/Apple Pay/power button.

The base of the case has a single cutout that spans a majority of the base allowing access to the lightning connector and speaker holes.

The case covers the entire top of the iPhone.

As I said, the Mujjo case perfectly wraps around the sides, edges, and top of the X, extending less than 1mm above the screen protector, as seen installed in this pic. This slight lip works well to protect the iPhone X’s (gorgeous) screen.

The iPhone X’s camera bump is slightly recessed providing greater protection. The wallet variant of Mujjo’s leather case can accommodate ID, a credit card or two, and a bit of cash.

The Mujjo cases feel great on the iPhone X, adding grippability and protection without adding much weight or bulk to the sleek and slim device. The premium full-grain leather looks & feels very nice with Mujjo’s promise of its signature vegetable-tanned leather aging with grace, acquiring a beautiful patina with the test of time.

The Mujjo iPhone X cases are available in: black, tan, gray, and olive.

Positives

  • Well fitted for the iPhone X
  • Excellent craftsmanship and materials
  • Gives grippability to iPhone X
  • Reasonably priced

Negatives

  • None

Final thoughts

Overall, I really like the Mujjo iPhone X cases’ craftsmanship, material quality, and simple minimalistic design.  Mujjo’s contemporary, sophisticated yet subdued design is very me and works well in any situation. The cases fit the iPhone X nicely, providing a decent amount of grippability and protection without adding much weight or bulk. So far, the black Mujjo case remains on my iPhone X and most likely will for the foreseeable future.

Price: $45.00 – $50.00
Where to buy: Mujjo
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Mujjo.