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Review: Roku Premiere

Posted in Products with tags on November 12, 2019 by itnerd

Roku has a streaming device that is feature packed and affordable which is perfect for upgrading a non “smart” TV with streaming functionality. It’s the Roku Premiere.

Roku Premiere Box With Product

 

Here’s what you get in the box:

  • The Roku Premiere with 4K HDR streaming & 802.11b/g/n single-band WiFi
  • Roku remote
  • A kind of short HDMI cable

Under the hood, you get a quad-core processor and comes in a low-profile form factor that allows you to stick it under a TV to save space (adhesive included). In short, it’s a powerful package that takes up very little space.

Now you are likely asking how powerful is it? Well despite the fact that didn’t have much of an issue streaming 4K video in a bedroom located a room away from my router. There was no buffering or anything of the sort that I noted during my testing. Thus unless you have a large home where a Roku Streaming Stick + may be a better fit due to the fact that it has 802.11ac WiFi built in, the Roku Premiere will work just fine. In terms of picture quality, that’s going to depend on the TV that you have. Mine supports 4K HDR so video looked stunning. Speaking of video, Roku as usual has a massive catalog of streaming services including Apple TV+ and live TV which will keep you streaming for hours.

Gripes? Admittedly these are first world problems. But besides the rather short HDMI cable which could make positioning it a challenge, the remote control is one of Roku’s line of sight remote controls without voice control functionality. If you want that functionality, you need to download their app to your smartphone which isn’t the biggest deal in the world. Another gripe is that no Roku device supports AirPlay 2 functionality which is weird given that Apple TV+ is available on the platform. And that casting from Windows 10 devices and the like is supported. But none of those gripes should deter you from buying the Roku Premiere if you want to get 4K HDR streaming at a great price.

Speaking of that price, the Roku Premiere goes for $49.99 CDN which is a very low barrier to get into the streaming game. Given what is on offer here, the Roku Premiere is very much worth a look if you want to add streaming functionality to your TV.

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Review: Tile Slim

Posted in Products with tags on November 11, 2019 by itnerd

The people at Tile have been busy coming out with a bunch of new Tile products. Two of them in new form factors. The first of these new form factors is the Tile Slim:

IMG_1383.JPG

This is a credit card sized (though it is thicker than a credit card) Tile tracker that has the following going for it:

  • Waterproof
  • 200 ft range
  • Louder ring
  • Built-in 3-year battery that isn’t replaceable

The fact that this battery isn’t replaceable unlike many other Tile products may deter some. But the fact that it lasts 3 years can likely offset that. In terms of the 200 foot range, I was able to test this inside a storage locker facilely where I could find the Tile Slim anywhere on the same floor of the facility which is at least 100 feet in length. It will however not work between floors which makes sense seeing as this is a Bluetooth device and Bluetooth doesn’t work well or at all through floors. The ringtone is definitely loud as I could hear it down the hall with was in the storage facility that was testing in. This is why this Tile will be my choice for being in my luggage when I travel.

Downsides? The battery lasts three years and isn’t user replaceable. That basically makes this a subscription service as opposed to be something that you can use long term. The flip side to that is the fact that when your Tile does run out of juice, they do have a program called reTile that allows you to replace your Tile at a discount of up to 50%. The new Tile will come with a prepaid envelope so that you can send back the old one to recycle. But that’s only true for those in the US. For those anywhere else on Earth, you can drop off your old Tile at your local e-recycling center.

The Tile Slim goes for $29.99 USD for each one. It’s a bit expensive given that you can’t seem to get multi packs to save some cash. But if you’re like me and you need a tile that fits into a location where space is a premium and it has to be loud, then this may make it worth it for you. 

 

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The IT Nerd Holiday Gift Guide For 2019

Posted in Products on November 5, 2019 by itnerd

Last Updated: 12/18/2019 – Scroll to the bottom for the latest suggestions and deals

The holidays are just around the corner and I have a short list of suggestions of a high tech nature that should help you on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or on December 24th. If you think that there’s something else that should be on the list, drop me a note and let me know.

Roku Premiere-$49.99

The new Roku Premiere is a simple way to start streaming in HD, 4K Ultra HD or 4K HDR. It features a powerful quad-core processor and comes in a low-profile form factor. In the box a Premium High Speed HDMI cable is included plus remote control with popular streaming channel shortcut buttons and a power cord.

Roku Streaming Stick + – $89.99

Powerful and portable, the Roku Streaming Stick gives the gift of entertainment on-the-go all in a powerful stick. With thousands of channels there will be something to watch for any student whether it’s Sports, Movies & TV shows or News. Choose your favorite program with the included point-anywhere remote, or just use the Roku app on your smartphone to control the action. Check out the review here.

Roku Express – $44.99

The new Roku Express is five times more powerful than its predecessor and offers easy HD streaming at an affordable price. A great gift for anyone, the Express comes with a remote control that makes finding something to watch a snap. With over 150,000 movies and TV shows available (including tons of free content), you’ll be sure to find something that the student in your life likes. Check out the review here.

TCL 4K Ultra HD Smart LED Television, 65″ – $900

TCL’s 6-Series combines stunning 4K HDR picture performance and the award-winning Roku TV smart platform in a bold, brushed metal design for a superior TV experience. Dolby Vision delivers greater brightness and contrast, as well as a fuller palette of rich colors. TCL’s Contrast Control Zone technology individually optimizes the image across up to 120 zones to yield striking contrast between light and dark areas. The 6-Series models’ iPQ Engine provides precise colour replication while HDR Pro Gamma significantly improves HDR performance in any setting. Check out the review of the 43″ version of this TV here.

Hisense R6107 Series 55″ 4K UHD Roku TV with Wi-Fi – $700

The Hisense R6107 Series 55” UHD Roku TV is an easy, convenient way to stream what you love. Watch just about anything whenever you want from free channels, paid subscriptions, or rent or buy — all on demand.

Safe by HUB6– $299

Everyone needs security. But home security systems charge ridiculous monthly fees for services that provide questionable protection. Safe by Hub6 uses the security system hardware you already have and frees you from long-term contracts or monthly fees. It redirects any alerts triggered by your system to your phone, friend, or HUB6’s Professional Monitoring when you need a back-up.

Science Jr STEM Kit

The new Science Jr STEM kits from LittlePassports.com is a different sort of gift. They’re stimulating, educational, entertaining subscription kits encouraging kids to love science, tech, engineering and math. Subscriptions start at $18.95 a month.

Roomba s9+

The Roomba s9+ with Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal offers customers the deepest clean yet through a combination of design enhancements, advanced 3D sensors and a powerful new cleaning system.

  • Hugs edges and gets into corners with new PerfectEdge Technology that finds dirt where it hides.
  • Offers the most powerful cleaning throughout the entire home with 40X the suction over previous generation Roomba vacuums.
  • Features an Anti-Allergen System that traps and locks dirt, debris and allergens from escaping from the robot or its Clean Base, preventing the release of dirty air back into the home.

 Pricing Details:

    • Roomba s9+ with Clean Base™ Automatic Dirt Disposal – $1,649.99 CAD
    • Roomba s9 – $1,299.99 CAD
    • Clean Base™ Automatic Dirt Disposal sold separately – $499.99 CAD

Braava jet m6 – $699.99

Ideal for multiple rooms and large spaces, the Braava jet m6 helps tackle all of life’s messes on hard floors. Simply attach a mopping or sweeping pad and the robot automatically takes it from there to give you fresh, clean floors.

  • Uses iAdapt 3.0 Navigation with vSLAM technology and Imprint Smart Mapping to get to know the home’s floor plan, giving users total control to choose which rooms are cleaned and when.
  • Features Maximized-Edge design to help the robot get into corners and along edges.
  • Tackles sticky messes, grime and kitchen grease with Wet Mopping mode; and captures dirt, dust and pet hair using electrostatic force in the Dry Sweeping mode.
  • Imprint™ Link Technology enables cleaning automation between the Roomba i, s, and 900 Series Robot Vacuums with the Braava jet m Series Robot Mop. Imprint™ Link Cleaning is a feature that lets your Braava jet m Series Robot Mop to begin mopping after your Robot Vacuum has completed vacuuming.

Roomba i7+

The Roomba i7+ Robot Vacuum with Clean Base™ Automatic Dirt Disposal takes convenience to a new level – automatically emptying into an AllergenLock™ bag that holds 60 days of debris and traps 99% of pollen, mold and dust mites – so you can forget about vacuuming for months at a time.

  • Using Imprint™ Smart Mapping, the Roomba i7+ robot vacuum remembers multiple floor plans and room names so users can customize cleaning jobs, and direct the robot to clean specific rooms by voice, when paired with Alexa enabled devices or the Google Assistant, or via the iRobot HOME App.
  • With Imprint™ Link Technology, the Roomba i7+ can coordinate vacuuming and mopping jobs with its mopping robot sibling, the Braava jet m6, for an extra level of clean.

Pricing Details:

    • Roomba i7+ with Clean Base™ Automatic Dirt Disposal – $1,349.99 CAD
    • Roomba i7 – $999.99 CAD
    • Clean Base™ Automatic Dirt Disposal sold separately – $399.99 CAD

Roomba e5 – $499.99

The Roomba e5 robot vacuum features a premium 3-Stage Cleaning System that uses Dual Multi-Surface Rubber Brushes, Power-Lifting suction and a high-efficiency filter to help thoroughly clean every day.

  • The Edge-Sweeping Brush concentrates on edges and corners as intelligent navigation and Dirt Detect™️ technologies help the robot get around furniture and focus on areas that need it most.
  • The washable dust bin design allows users to simply rinse away dirt and debris left behind.
  • The iRobot HOME App allows users to control and schedule cleanings, monitor cleaning activity, view cleaning history, and directly access customer support. The app also updates the robot with the latest software, so it’s always up-to-date with the latest features.
  • All Wi-Fi connected Roomba robot vacuums are compatible with Alexa enabled devices and the Google Assistant.

Merkury Innovations Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulbs Color + White – 2 Pack – $34.98

Customizable colour and white light that can be controlled from your smartphone. Great replacement for your regular 75W bulbs throughout your home as they can switch between white or thousands of vibrant colours.

Google Nest Hub – $169

A hands-free assistant that can play videos, music, control compatible devices throughout the house, and keep your calendar organized – all while doubling as a digital photo frame.

Nintendo Switch – $399.96

Get the gaming system that lets you play the games you want, wherever you are, however you like.

Nintendo Switch Lite – $259.96

A new version of the Nintendo Switch system that’s optimized for personal, handheld play. Nintendo Switch Lite is a small and light Nintendo Switch system at a great price. With a built-in +Control Pad, and a sleek, unibody design, Nintendo Switch Lite is great for on-the-go gaming.

Roomba 690 Wi-Fi Connected Vacuuming Robot – $379.98

Connect to clean from anywhere with the Roomba® 690 robot vacuum. The patented 3-Stage Cleaning System is specially engineered to loosen, lift, and suction everything from small particles to large debris from carpets and hard floors. Dirt Detect™ sensors alert the Roomba robot vacuum to clean more thoroughly on concentrated areas of dirt.

SONOS

Sonos Move – $499

Sonos’ first-ever Bluetooth enabled speaker, perfect for the holiday travelers that are always on-the-go. I took a first look at it here.

Sonos One – $249

This is the Sonos brand’s small but mighty speaker for streaming all your favorite audio content.

Sonos Beam – $499

A soundbar that will make your movie nights more epic, and your Yule Log sound the best it ever has.

SYMFONISK speakers – $149 to $249

A multi-functional line of speakers created in partnership with IKEA to make you rethink how you can decorate with sound.

TELUS is offering Certified Pre-owned phones at a discounted rate while quantities last on telus.com/cpo. For example, customers can purchase phones that are just like new for up to $360 off the in-market price. Certified Pre-owned phones have been refurbished, tested and inspected, and are backed by a one-year warranty from TELUS.

Nikon

Nikon Z 50 Mirrorless Camera – Starting from $1,169.95

Available this November, Nikon’s newest mirrorless camera is perfect for travellers and content creators who want to capture high-quality video and photos that stand out in the feeds of their friends and followers. The Z 50 puts the large Z lens mount into a lightweight and ergonomic body. 4K video, 120p slow-motion and in-camera video trimming make it the ideal camera for creative storytellers. It’s the latest camera in Nikon’s Z series, a camera system built for the future with a new generation of lenses and the ability to use Nikon DSLR lenses with an optional adaptor.

Nikon COOLPIX P1000 Camera – $1,399.95

The super telephoto COOLPIX P1000 is for people who want one camera that shoots anything they can see, with easy-to-use controls. The 125x optical zoom lens can capture details on the moon’s surface and far-off buildings, but can also pull back for portraits and even macro shots of flowers and insects. The large built-in lens is a testament to the power of optics – no phone has this range or zooming power.

Dell Canada Black Friday Deals

Dell Canada is rolling out its lowest prices of the year starting now so shoppers can get a jump start on crossing names off their gift list with early access to Doorbusters and Black Friday deals.

Below are our top picks and details on all upcoming offers:

What you need to know about Dell’s Upcoming Black Friday Sale:

  • Doorbuster, Black Friday and Pre-Black Friday offers on must-have Dell and Alienware PCs, monitors, electronics and more available now!
  • Shop all Black Friday offers for the top PCs and tech gifts for this holiday season and beyond
  • Subscribe to the Dell newsletter for easy access to all the upcoming Black Friday deals

Doorbusters Stating on November 28 (9:00 AM onwards):

  • Dell G5 Gaming Desktop $1399.99 (Save $739)

o   9th Gen /i7 / 256GB/ SSD 6GB/NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660

  • XPS 15 $1849.99 (Save $500)

o   9th / i7-9750H / NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650

  • New Alienware m17 Gaming Laptop $2499.99 (Save $600)

o   9th Gen /i7-9750H/ NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2060/ 512GB SSD

  • XPS 13 $1679.99 (Save $320)

o   8th Gen/ i7-8565U /256GB Solid State Drive

  • New Inspiron 15 3000 Laptop $779.99 (Save $209)

o   10th Gen/ i7-1065G7/256GB SSD

Grovemade Black Friday And Cyber Monday Deals

Grovemade from Portland produces design-driven, minimalist goods for the home and office. Here’s some great deals that Grovemade is offering this holiday season:

Black Friday – November 29- December 1
The following products will be 20% OFF:  

  • Apple Watch Band Bundles
  • Watch 02 in Walnut
  • Watch 02 in Maple
  • Watch 01 (all styles)
  • Minimalist Wallet in Black / Tan
  • Minimalist Wallet in Black/ Black
  • Minimalist Knife in Black
  • Minimalist Knife in Brass
  • Keyring in Brass
  • Keyring in Black
  • Belt Kit

Cyber Monday: December 2 – December 3
The following products will be 20% OFF:  

  • Planters (both sizes)
  • Desk Pad (all sizes)
  • Monitor Stand
  • Lamp
  • Dish
  • Pen Cup
  • Coaster in Wood and Felt
  • Wireless Charging Pad in Dark
  • Wireless Charging Pad in Light
  • Wallhook
  • Catchall
  • Measure Collection Set in Black

 

BREAKING: iRobot just announced some deals on their cleaning robots:

  • Roomba 614 – $20 off regular price beginning November 22
  • Roomba e5 – $100 off regular price beginning November 22
  • Braava jet 240 – $30 off regular price beginning November 22
  • Braava jet 380t – $50 off regular price beginning November 22
  • Roomba 675 – $70 off regular price beginning November 22

 

BREAKING: With Black Friday coming, Roku is lowering the price on a couple of their best players for a limited time. Starting Wednesday shoppers will save $5 on the new Roku Premiere and it will be available to consumers for $44.99. In addition to that, the Roku Streaming Stick+ will have $10 discount and retail for $59.99.

BREAKING: iRobot just announced more deals:

  • Roomba 960 – $250 off regular price beginning November 29
  • Braava jet m6 – $100 off regular price beginning November 29

Don’t forget to bookmark this page as I will be adding to it with more gift ideas. And I’ll be announcing updates over on Twitter.

BREAKING: Sonos’ Cyber Monday deal allows you to save $60 on One (Cyber Monday price: $189, regularly $249), $60 on One SL (Cyber Monday price: $169, regularly $229), and $100 on Play:5 (Cyber Monday price: $499, regularly $599).

Cyber Monday will also be the final day for customers to get rare savings on Sonos Home Theater products as part of their extended Black Friday deals:

  • Save $180 on Sub, Playbar, and Playbase (BF price: $719, regularly $899)
  • Save $160 on Amp (BF price: $639, regularly $799)
  • Save $100 on Beam (BF price: $399, regularly $499)

After Cyber Monday, audio lovers can still shop on Sonos.com and save $50 on the One and One SL through Jan. 5.

Mujjo who make cool tech and travel accessories like these touchscreen gloves that I recently reviewed. If you’re in the market for their gear, use this coupon code until the 16th of December on mujjo.com for 15% off: #qualitygifts

BREAKING: Amp up your New Year’s Eve bash or bring brilliant sound to your chilly Netflix marathons with Sonos’ Boxing Week deals available from December 24th – January 5th at Sonos.com and retailers nationwide.

  • Save $150 on Sub, Playbar, and Playbase (Boxing Week price: $749, regularly $899)
  • Save $120 on Amp (Boxing Week price: $679, regularly $799)
  • Save $70 on Beam (Boxing Week price: $429, regularly $499)

And if you need last minute gifts or want to pack your NYE party with powerful sound, Sonos is offering free overnight shipping (using the code SHIPFAST) for any orders placed from December 16-18 to make sure your gifts will be under the tree by December 25.

 

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Review: TP-Link AX6000 WiFi Router

Posted in Products with tags on October 22, 2019 by itnerd

I’m just going to get to the point. If you want consistent speed and a router that is future proof, you need to get the TP-Link AX6000 WiFi Router. Period. End of story.

Actually, you’re looking for more than that statement as to why you should spring just under $400 USD for a router. I can help you with that. Let me show you the router:

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So I will admit that this looks like one of those gaming routers from companies like Asus. But the antennas are foldable, and the lighting isn’t over the top. Here’s where things get interesting:

AX6000-5

As you can see here you get a USB-A and a USB-C port for printers and storage devices. But more importantly it has 8 Ethernet ports and 1 2.5 GB Ethernet port. The latter is more important as ISPs are going above the Gigabit mark when it comes to the service that they provide, and your router has to be able to keep up with that. But don’t ignore the fact that it has 8 Ethernet ports as link aggregation is on board for those who have devices like NAS devices with multiple Ethernet ports where you can bond those ports together to get extra speed. 

Other features include:

  • 802.11ax (also known as Wi-Fi 6)
  • Dual band wireless. It has 1148 Mbps on 2.4GHz (802.11ax) + 4804 Mbps on 5GHz (802.11ax)
  • 1.8GHz 64-bit Quad-Core CPU
  • Antivirus provided by Trend Micro
  • A Quality of Service feature that lets you prioritise traffic by type, such as streaming or gaming.
  • Parental controls which are easy to set up and use.

Setting this router up was absurdly easy. I went the route of using the web page and had it set up on my Gigabit Internet connection in five minutes. But you can also use the TP-Link Tether App to do the same thing.

But let’s get down to brass tacks. What is the performance like? Let’s start with speed. I will simply let this picture speak for itself:

Screen Shot 2019-10-21 at 5.40.54 PM

Now this test was done over WiFi a few feet from the router. It’s also is the fastest speed that I have recorded in all the years that I have been testing routers. I’ll also point out that I was using an 802.11ac MacBook Pro to do this testing. Which means that this router if you use an 802.11ax device you might get even better performance. Another thing to point out is that unlike most routers where the speed that I get during my testing is all over the place, I was consistently getting speeds above 800 Mbps. That was impressive. So is the fact that this router was fast all over my sub 1000 ft condo where range is sometimes an issue with routers that I test.

Now, who should buy this router? I see several use cases:

  • If you want to future proof yourself, buy this router.
  • If you want performance in terms of speed and range, buy this router.
  • If you have a ton of devices on Ethernet that you want to connect to your router, buy this router.

The fact is that I am going to have a tough time giving this router back to TP-Link as I was very impressed with it. And I believe that you will be impressed with it as well. Sure it’s not cheap, but it’s very much worth it given the performance and versatility that you get.

 

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Review: WPS Office 2020

Posted in Products with tags on October 8, 2019 by itnerd

Something that every computer user needs is an office suite of some sort. For most that means using Microsoft Office. But given that Microsoft is pushing Office 365 aggressively, and also making it increasingly difficult to buy a single purchase copy, many are looking for other options. I recently got the chance to try out one of those options which is WPS Office 2020. It’s available for the following platforms:

And recently they have expanded to the Mac platform. That’s the version that I tested. The user interface is simple to use and resembles Microsoft Office to some extent. If you know how to use Office, you will figure out how to use WPS Office 2020 very quickly. WPS Office 2020 offers a tab-based user interface which can group your documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in a single window. That makes it even easier to use. The performance of the suite is very good on my 2015 MacBook Pro so there’s no issues on that front. Seeing as WPS Office is cross platform, you get the advantage of being able to work on any document on whatever platforms you use. One added bonus is that WPS Office 2020 supports macOS dark mode which is very cool. In terms of compatibility, I found no issues with any file I threw at it. Everything looked and behaved the way it should from that perspective.

So, is WPS Office 2020 perfect? No. The only thing that I can find that is missing is the ability to real-time collaborative editing that you get with some other suites. Is it a deal breaker? No. But it would be nice to have.

WPS Office 2020 is free to download office suite. However, users could also opt for a premium version which will set you back by $29.99 per year. The ad free premium subscription comes with a number of features, including document recovery support, file compressor, 20GB of cloud support and more including OCR functionality on the Windows platform. Given that Microsoft Office is in the triple digits in terms of costs, $29.99 is a small cost to pay for what you get here. If you need an office suite, WPS Office 2020 is a great option to look at.

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Review: Oral-B Genius X 10000 Toothbrush

Posted in Products with tags on September 26, 2019 by itnerd

Yes, I am reviewing an electric toothbrush. In fact, I am one of a handful of journalists to review this particular toothbrush which is the Oral-B Genius X 10000, which means it’s pretty special. And you’ll see in this review why it is special. Let’s start with what comes in the box:

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You get the toothbrush, a bunch of heads, a charging stand, and a travel case so you can ensure that your oral care regime stays on point when you are on the road. One cool thing about the travel case is that it’s designed to charge both your toothbrush and smartphone using only one outlet. But, the The battery on the toothbrush lasts up to 14 days between charges and has 6 modes:

  • Daily Clean
  • Pro Clean
  • Gum Care
  • Sensitive
  • Whitening
  • Tongue Cleaning

I ran it briefly in the daily clean mode. But I ended up parking it in the pro clean mode as I really liked the results that it provided.

The Oral-B Genius X 10000 works with the Oral-B app via Bluetooth connection to help you to brush effectively, track your results, and coach you on brushing better in real time as the toothbrush can figure out where in your mouth the toothbrush is. More on that in a second. Once the toothbrush connects with your phone, you get a screen like this:

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Anything that is in white is an area of your mouth that has been cleaned to the satisfaction of the toothbrush. Anything in blue still needs to be cleaned. And if see any section flashing in red, it means that you are pressing too hard. Which is a problem because it could hurt your gums. Something that gets illustrated when you get the report on how well you did.

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As you can see from this report, I covered 100% of my teeth, but I pressed too hard for 4 seconds. That dropped my brushing score to 80%. Clearly I had to improve. Which I did a few days later:

IMG_1273

 

I can go back and review my results via the app (available for iOS and Android) over days, weeks or months to see how I well I was doing. And the app has a gamification element within it where you can get awards for doing what you should be doing in terms of oral care. For example I got two awards during my test of the toothbrush for brushing and rinsing for seven days straight:

IMG_1277

Now for the most part, the toothbrush was able to figure out where I was brushing. But it did have some problems with my front teeth unless I was holding it in a way that allowed it to figure out where it was. And I did feel that my teeth were far cleaner than they normally would be. This is impressive given that I have used a power toothbrush (an Oral-b one for the record) for years and I thought that was doing a great job in terms of getting my teeth clean. But the real question is if my teeth were actually cleaner? To find out I used the Oral-B Genius X 10000 for a week and then visited my dental hygienist for my quarterly cleaning. And the results were interesting. Other than a piece of popcorn that was stuck in my gums that I missed while flossing, my dental hygienist said she had to do way less work to clean my teeth than normal. She also mentioned that the Genius series of toothbrushes are the “Rolls Royce” of toothbrushes and her patients get great results by using them. Thus I would conclude that the Oral-B Genius X 10000 works extremely well to keep my teeth clean and does so in a manner that takes my oral care to the next level. Thus I can say that it will do the same for you.

Gripes? I wouldn’t call this a gripe, but I would call it a feature request. It would be nice if the Oral-B app for iOS integrated itself with Apple Health as the iOS 13 version of the Health app now has a toothbrushing section in the Health app where the Oral-B app could add the data about your toothbrushing to. But to be fair to Oral-B, you can export your brushing results as a PDF from the Oral-B app and send them to your dentist which is similar to what Apple does with ECG results from the Apple Watch.

The Oral-B Genius X 10000 will be available in October and goes for around $299 CDN which is not cheap. But I truly believe that if you want to improve your oral care regime to the point where your dentist will thank you, then this is a good investment as there are worse ways to spend $299 CDN. And if it helps, more than one person can use the Oral-B Genius X 10000 as long as they bring their own phone and brush heads. That’s a winning strategy in my mind.

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Review: Belkin BOOST↑UP Wireless Charging Dock for iPhone + Apple Watch + USB-A port

Posted in Products with tags on September 25, 2019 by itnerd

My wife this summer got a iPhone XR which comes with wireless charging. That to me required a new charger to make her life easier as she was charging her previous iPhone 7 Plus with a Lightning cable. Thus Belkin was kind enough to hook her up with the BOOST↑UP Wireless Charging Dock for iPhone + Apple Watch + USB-A port:

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This is everything that you get in the box. The power adapter is on the larger size. But the plug is at the end. Thus you won’t have a problem plugging it into a power bar. And you can see the charger which has stands for your Apple Watch on the right (which allows your Apple Watch to go into Nightstand Mode), and the stand for your iPhone on the left which supports 7.5w Qi-certified charging. One thing that I like about the Apple Watch end of the charge is that it will work with any band. By that I mean that if you have a traditional leather band, a sport loop, or something in between, you can still charge the watch.

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There’s a A 5-watt USB-A port on the back so you can charge another device. Though I can expect that somebody who reads this review would want USB-C to be here instead. I personally don’t think it’s a deal breaker though.

My wife had the following thoughts on the Belkin BOOST↑UP Wireless Charging Dock for iPhone + Apple Watch + USB-A port:

  • My wife thinks that this charging stand is a game changer as she can just drop her iPhone XR in with the case and it will charge 100% of the time without fail and without thinking about it.
  • The fact that it also puts the Apple watch in Nightstand Mode is also great.
  • As far as she is concerned, it’s a home run for Belkin.

I think that another plus is that it doesn’t take up a whole lot of real estate. If you have a small nightstand, that’s important to take into consideration.

The Belkin BOOST↑UP Wireless Charging Dock for iPhone + Apple Watch + USB-A port has a long name. But it does have a pretty decent price which is $139.99 USD. Consider this a must get if you need a wireless charger for your iPhone and Apple Watch.

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Review: Belkin MIXIT DuraTek Apple Watch Charging Cable

Posted in Products with tags on September 24, 2019 by itnerd

My wife (thanks to yours truly) is an Apple Watch user as I gave her a Series 4 with GPS+LTE for our wedding anniversary. The one thing that she didn’t have was an extra charger for it. So it’s a good thing that Belkin hooked her up with the MIXIT DuraTek Apple Watch Charging Cable:

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Belkin sent her one in pink which she REALLY likes. When she showed it to me, I noticed this right away:

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First, the cable is braided. And it has Aramid fibers which add extra strength and act to protect the wires in the cable. Second, the ends of the cable have molding at the ends. That should ensure that the lifespan of the cable will be long. It’s 1.2M length which should give you the length that you need for any situation.

My wife noted the following:

  • She noted that it doesn’t tangle.
  • It worked everywhere she tried it.
  • It looks really, REALLY good.
  • She liked the length of the cable as it goes across her desk at work which is where this cable lives.

All of this is a win. The only thing that I will note is that charging module that you drop the watch onto is a bit larger than the stock Apple Watch which shouldn’t pose a problem unless you are using it where the size of the charging module matters. An example of this is if you want to put the charger in something like this. The price for the Belkin MIXIT DuraTek Apple Watch Charging Cable is $49.99 USD which is a bit more than any of the Apple Watch charges that Apple offers. But the Belkin MIXIT DuraTek Apple Watch Charging Cable is a much better cable that you should go for if you want a much better quality cable for your Apple Watch charging needs.

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Review: Belkin ROCKSTAR Headphones with Lightning Connector

Posted in Products with tags on September 23, 2019 by itnerd

A good set of in ear headphones requires three things in my mind:

  • Good fit
  • Comfort
  • Good Audio

Belkin has a set of in ear headphones that they claim that addresses all three of those points. They’re called the ROCKSTAR Headphones. And the ones that we are testing today are the ones with the Lightning connector which is aimed at iPhone users.

 

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The key features include the fact that they are water-resistant and noise-isolating thanks to the fact that they fit in your ears. Other key features include the fact that it comes with three pairs of ear tips that allows you to tailor the fit to your ear. The cables are flat which makes them more durable and less likely to tangle. The ends are also moulded for durability as well.

The question is how well do they work. To get that answer, I turned them over to my wife and let her have at them. Seeing as she does science for a living, she came up with a way to test them that was scientifically valid to a point. She bought a song and used it to test the audio quality. She then compared it to the following headsets:

  • RHA MA450 headsets with the Apple 3.5mm to Lightning dongle

  • Jaybird X4 Wireless headsets

  • Apple EarPods

Her thoughts are:

  • The main selling point of these Belkin ROCKSTAR headphones is that they are going to be more durable. Especially if you have gone through a couple of Apple EarPods. These ROCKSTARS would be a good option once the original headphones wear out. Which they will. This is a win as from a price point as they come in around the same price as the stock apple headphones.
  • When compared to the EarPods that your original iPhone, they are tuned slightly different but comparable across the audio range.
  • Compared to the RHA MA450 with the Apple dongle & Jaybird X4 it doesn’t do quite as well. If you have headphones that more high end, even with the dongle and accounting for degradation audio resolution (due to the digital to analog conversion) or having the audio being pushed over Bluetooth, your higher end headphones will continue to be superior to these ROCKSTARS. But they are also way more money.
  • They don’t tangle in her purse.
  • Phone calls sound good.
  • They do isolate you from the exterior noise. But it’s not totally isolating as you can still hear some exterior sound. That might be a good thing when jogging for example.

So, given that these headphones are $39.99 USD, I would say that this is a win if you don’t want to get the stock Apple EarPods, but don’t want to spend a lot of money on a pair of replacement headphones. If you’re that person, this is a great option.

 

 

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Review: 2019 Mazda CX-5D Signature – Part 5

Posted in Products with tags on September 20, 2019 by itnerd

So I’ve come to the end of my week long review of the Mazda CX-5D Signature. My final fuel economy was 8 L/100KM’s which I got in a mix of city roads and highways, not to mention a lot of rush hour traffic. I am pretty sure that I could have gotten better as I know that the diesel engine is capable of getting better fuel economy. Still it did better than the numbers that Mazda said that I should get. Thus I am not complaining and neither will anyone who buys this vehicle.

The closest competitors to the CX-5D Signature were hard to come by as there aren’t a lot of diesel vehicles left in the Canadian marketplace. But here’s the short list that I came up with:

  • Land Rover Discovery
  • GMC Terrain
  • Chevrolet Equinox

Now one of those vehicles is a luxury vehicle, which may make you think about why I put it on the list. Here’s the thing. With the interior that the CX-5D has, it deserves to be on that list as it is simply a class above the GMC and Chevy. And easily competitive with the Land Rover as long as you don’t go for something uber upscale. Like leather from some sort of sacred cow or something which would cost your right arm. Even if you didn’t you’re going to pay thousands less for the Mazda.

Speaking of dollars and cents, the CX-5D Signature goes for $45,950 before freight and taxes. That’s a $5000 premium over the CX-5 Signature with the 2.5 L turbo engine that I reviewed earlier this year. But you do get 2 years/32000 KM of scheduled maintenance as part of the deal. Plus on top of that you get a $300 CDN accessory credit as well. Both of those will sweeten the pot to make you want to jump to the CX-5D.

For it to be worth it to you, I’d say you’d have to do a lot of highway driving as that’s where this engine shines. Or you have to be someone who has had a diesel in the past and you want something new. If you fit either use case, I would say that you have to run to your Mazda dealer and test drive the CX-5D Signature today.

 

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