Articles about Review

Many people do not have the luxury of having a dedicated work space in their homes. Because of this, you will often see people working in coffee shops with their laptops. I am one of these people, but I have a major issue -- I hate notebook trackpads! I can get by with them, but they are not my favorite. Because of this, I choose to use a mobile mouse.

Unfortunately, many of these mice are full of compromises, so I am constantly looking for something better. Today, I am looking at the Logitech MX Anywhere 2 -- one of the most promising mobile mice I've seen in some time. Will I finally find my dream mouse?

Continue reading →

Reviewing most any MacBook Pro is a pointless exercise, because this year's model isn't much different from the previous—or the one before. That's why I typically buy refurbished rather than new. But I broke with that practice last month, after a sudden electrical calamity laid my wife's laptop to rest. Fried and died it is. With Apple releasing new versions of iOS and OS X and launching a streaming music service, a summer sojourn seemed opportune.

I considered going Windows 10, which arrives later this month. But most of my BetaNews colleagues are headed that way, so I set out down the Apple reviews track. Again, I probably wouldn't have done so if not for my wife's computer catastrophe. I lent her my Chromebook Pixel LS and purchased a new MBP. She will never give up the Google laptop, BTW.

Continue reading →

Samsung is the undisputed king of Android smartphones. Other than Apple, no company commands the audiences of the Galaxy handset maker. Quite frankly, Samsung deserves its attention, as it makes really great smartphones that consumers love -- a simple recipe for success.

This year, however, the company took some arguable missteps, by removing both the removable batteries and expandable memory found on its previous flagships. As an Android purist, I was initially upset with this. Luckily, Samsung was correct to remove these features, since the cloud and USB battery packs are better options. In this case, less is more, as it forces the user to think differently -- a very Apple-esque approach. Amazingly, using Apple's design philosophy, Samsung's device outdoes the iPhone.

Continue reading →

Bluetooth speakers usually need some sort of distinctive feature to help them to stand out from the crowd. In the case of the LuguLake that distinctiveness is in the way it looks.

The first thing that strikes you is the funky design, it's about the size of a tennis ball, or an apple if you prefer, with a shiny black finish and a sort of suspended saucer over the speaker cone itself. On the top of this is a touch pad that acts as a volume control as well as allowing you to pause and skip tracks, and answer calls so you can use it as a speakerphone.

Continue reading →

USB hubs are commonplace and, let's be honest, not especially exciting pieces of kit. Inateck’s HB4009 is a three-port USB 3.0 hub, but it also has an extra trick up its sleeve. It has a Magic Port, allowing you to link two systems together for file transfers or establish a client/host link using the USB On-The-Go (OTG) standard.

This makes it a versatile little device as you can link Windows, Mac OS and Android devices to their own kind or to each other. You can also attach another USB device like a flash drive or camera to a system, such as a tablet, that might not otherwise have a suitable port.

Continue reading →

We review -- and get asked to review -- a lot of Bluetooth speakers. While the ones we look at might be from different makers, and of varying quality, they all share one thing in common. They’re small, and portable. Not so the Sond Audio Active Bookshelf Speakers.

The twin speakers are large, and designed to sit in the one place. This could be a bookshelf, provided you have one that’s deep enough to accommodate them, or the floor. If you enjoy listening to music, and the sound quality delivered by portable speakers doesn’t cut it for you, then the 180w these speakers offer could well be what you’re looking for.

Continue reading →

Most of today's gadgets seem to use USB for charging their batteries so you inevitably end up with a whole stack of cables and the mains power adapters to go with them.

If you're looking to simplify things the Smart Charger 8000 from Swiss company ARCTIC may be the solution. It's a little box with five USB ports that allows you to charge a number of devices at the same time. It intelligently detects the devices connected to it in order to provide the best charging speed for each one.

Continue reading →

Nitro Pro has been the budget alternative to Adobe’s expensive Acrobat PDF conversion and editing tool for a number of years now.

It’s been 18 months since Nitro Pro 9.0 was released, which added a smattering of minor new tools and refinements, and version 10 continues in the same vein, unveiling a handful of new tools, some useful improvements and the promise of better performance -- up to 40% faster in fact.

Continue reading →

A few weeks ago my one-and-a-half-year-old Nexus 5 started to misbehave. Its power button wasn't holding up well, forcing the phone to switch off a dozen times, while also making it a chore to turn the phone back on again. I realized the phone was on its last leg. I also have an iPhone 5s, but I mostly use it to listen to podcasts, take phone calls, and take photos. Suffice to say I'm an Android guy. With OnePlus announcing its plan to release the successor of its One flagship in Q3 later this year, and LG reportedly working on the successor to Nexus 5, I decided to purchase a cheap phone running Google’s software to keep my boat floating until these much-anticipated smartphones begin to trickle up on the market. This led me to purchase the recently launched $200 Mi 4i smartphone from Chinese conglomerate Xiaomi. After using it for a couple of weeks, I don't think I want to upgrade to a new phone this year.

The smartphone market has seen many new forces arrive in the last couple of years. These new players have changed the landscape entirely, pushing new phones with top-notch capabilities at an increasingly competitive price point. We now have plenty of options in both the low and mid-tier categories. The dirt-cheap $100 Moto E is a decent entry-level smartphone, and the $180 Moto G entices users looking for a more efficient phone. The Lenovo A7000 offers 4G LTE capability for less than $150, and $100 Android One smartphones from Micromax, Karbonn Mobiles, and Lava offer the up-to-date software and reasonably good specs. But I wanted a phone that offers a high-end processor and top-of-the-line hardware modules; Xiaomi was offering me just that.

Continue reading →

There are lots of nice cases available for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. I prefer Apple's Leather Case as it looks great, feels fantastic, fits the device as it's supposed to and, last but not least, offers some much-needed grip. It is a bit expensive but, in my opinion, it is worth it.

However, Apple's Leather Case, much like other iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus cases, needs to be handled with a bit of care, to avoid scratching and damaging the material. Accessory maker Innerexile claims that it has developed a self-healing case for the latest iPhones, which can "[heal] itself from light scratches". Offered the opportunity to try out the premium-looking Glacier (there is also a similar Hydra model), I quickly started to put these claims to the test.

Continue reading →

Bluetooth speakers are a dime a dozen nowadays. For such a speaker to stand out, it has to have something to differentiate it from competitors. While exceptional sound quality is always the goal, it is sadly not enough anymore.

The onanoff SoundCover for iPad Air piqued my interest because it offered a unique design. Quite frankly, the concept was so odd, that I didn't even understand it at first. As you can see in the below unboxing video, I assumed that it would prop up the iPad Air with a Surface-like stand, while sending the sound through the rear. This is not the case.

Continue reading →

What do you do with the SATA hard drive you took out of that old machine you threw away a couple of years ago? One answer is that you get hold of an external enclosure and use it as an archive or for making backups.

Inateck's latest external enclosures allow you to do just that for both 3.5- and 2.5-inch drives. Let's take the larger one first, the FE3001 is USB 3.0 for fast transfers and the case is made of sturdy aluminum with a smart, grained finish. There's an external power supply, USB cable and everything else you need -- screws, rubber pads and even a small screwdriver -- is included in the box.

Continue reading →

As a self-confessed gadget fan, I have to admit, I’ve been excited about the Apple Watch ever since the hype started.

I’m no Apple Addict (only started using an iPhone 18 months ago, have never purchased music from iTunes and I don’t own a Mac) however I ordered the Apple Watch two minutes after the advance ordering opened... And now it has arrived -- so the question is, does it live up to my expectations?

Continue reading →

Home security is getting ever smarter, and Piper.nv (the more expensive night vision version of Piper) is an excellent example of this. It’s a smart camera that you access and control via your smartphone (iOS or Android). It displays 180-degree 1080p HD live video, and automatically switches to night vision when the room gets dark.

There’s much more to Piper than just a camera though. It comes packed with features to ensure your home stays safe when you’re asleep or away, and it’s very easy to set up and use.

Continue reading →

Lenovo's Yoga line of laptops has been a favorite of mine. In addition to Microsoft's Surface line, Yoga has proven to be a great way to experience Windows on a 2-in-1 with very little compromise. While I was a fan of the 13 inch Yoga variants, I found them a bit too large for my liking. Believe it or not, I prefer 11.6 inch laptops as I am always on the move; I'll turn anything into a work space as long as there is Wi-Fi (shout-out to Starbucks).

When I got the opportunity to review the all-new Lenovo Yoga 3 11, I was elated. Not only does the size and Yoga flexibility meet my needs, but Lenovo quality is something I am fond of too. Historically, I have found the manufacturer's hardware to be well-built and reliable. Will the Lenovo Yoga 3 11 match my high expectations?

Continue reading →