Articles about Review

Apple's AirPods have started a conversation around wireless earbuds. Are they worth the premium over a wired pair? Is the sound quality any good? How long do they last without charging? These are the most common questions that consumers have, and it's only natural to be wondering how wireless earbuds perform and whether they are a legitimate alternative to the established wired options.

As someone who has used two excellent pairs of wireless headphones (the Noontech ZORO II and Hammo TV), I find that it's hard to go back to wired pairs. The Syllable D900 mini earbuds are no different, being a good example of a quality wireless pair that won't actually break the bank.

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Wireless headphones are great. There's no question about it. I became a convert after using the Noontec ZORO II last year, which are so good that I haven't touched a wired pair since. But recently I found myself using -- and liking -- another Noontec product more.

It's called Hammo TV and it's pair of wireless headphones designed for the television crowd. But, based on my experience, the Hammo TV is also great if you just want to listen to your favorite tunes on your smartphone or enjoy a movie on your laptop. And, compared to the ZORO II set I reviewed, they have a lower MSRP and are better value too.

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USB Type-C has a number of benefits over older connectors, but the one that might appeal the most to the average Joe is its reversible design. This makes it easy to plug a cable in, as you no longer have to guess which way is up -- unlike, for instance, with microUSB. It's not a game-changing feature -- considering Apple's Lightning offered it years ago first -- but I think it's pretty damn close to it.

The problem is that, in order to enjoy that reversible design, you need devices that support USB Type-C. And, right now, not many of them do. However, there is a way to have your cake and eat it too. WinnerGear's MicFlip 2.0 gives you the best of both worlds: it has reversible microUSB and USB Type-A connectors, which means that you can use it without problems with the vast majority of smartphones and PCs.

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I'm a huge fan of LG's second screen phones, the V10 and V20. These are Android smartphones that are well designed with outside-of-the-box thinking. The company's "G" series of flagships don't conjure the same excitement in my heart. Don't get me wrong, they can be great phones too, but they are sort of, well, boring. The LG G5, in particular, was rather terrible -- a largely panned device. It felt cheap, and provided an underwhelming experience. LG really needs to sell a new model to wash away the bad taste of that device.

I have been testing that new phone, the LG G6, and I can definitely say that it is better than its predecessor. Here's the problem -- LG isn't only competing against its past self, but with other manufacturers, such as Samsung, HTC, and even Apple. There is one question you probably have -- is the LG G6 worth buying over all other flagships, such as the Galaxy S8?

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Inateck has for a long time been producing good quality, reasonably priced sleeves and cases for laptops and tablets. It's now added to its selection with two new offerings.

There's not a great deal to say about the Inateck LC1302, it's a simple neoprene sleeve designed to fit 13-inch laptops and notebooks or larger tablets like the Surface Pro. A wide opening zipper allows for easy access, waterproof material keeps the contents safe from rain and spillages, and three layers of fabric protect from shocks.

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A multiport USB charger is great when you need to charge a couple of smartphones and tablets at the same time. It supports a wide range of devices, cuts down on the number of sockets that you use and is usually small enough so you can take it with you on a trip. Over the years, I've become a bit of a fan.

There are many options to choose from and Tronsmart's W2TF is certainly among the most interesting as it strikes a nice balance between functionality and portability.

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If you are looking for the perfect weather app, let me save you the trouble of reading all those roundups out there: there isn't one. They are all flawed. And it's not necessarily because of their design, functionality or support, but rather what they can -- and do -- often get wrong: the forecast.

The forecast is based on information from a weather station that is usually miles and miles away. And while I have no doubt that you can get accurate predictions for that respective area, it's been my experience that things can be totally different in your area. So, how do you fix that? Enter the personal weather station.

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Around a year ago I took a look at the iClever Tri-folding Backlit Bluetooth Keyboard, having previously examined the iClever Portable Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard. The latest addition to the range follows in the footsteps of its predecessors, but this time boasts a trackpad.

This is a Bluetooth keyboard that can be configured to connect to up to three devices -- phones, tablets, laptops, and so on. The keys are nearly full-sized (just 9 percent smaller than normal), and the right-hand side of the fold-out unit is occupied by a laptop-style trackpad that allows for easier control of the device you connect to, and eliminates the need to carry a mouse as well.

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If you need a webcam, there is one company that you should look to first -- Logitech. No, they aren't the only maker of these cameras, but the company has a long track record of producing quality offerings. Best of all, Logitech webcams usually work brilliantly regardless of operating system -- Windows, Mac, and Linux-based.

The problem with buying webcams, however, is that they are already integrated into most laptops nowadays, making them seem like an unnecessary purchase. Yeah, I get that -- why buy a webcam when your computer already has one? The answer is simple -- quality. Many computers come with webcams that aren't even 720p. Apple infamously put a 480p webcam on its svelte MacBook... including the refreshed model in 2016! With that said, Logitech has created a webcam with an amazing 4K capability. Called the BRIO 4K Pro Webcam, I have been using it for a few weeks on both Windows 10 and macOS and I am absolutely in love.

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I tend to use my smartphone more than usual when I'm away, so before I go on a trip I make sure to throw an external battery in my bag. That way, if my device is about to run out of juice early I can plug it in and get enough charge to last me through the day.

Because I want to charge my smartphone a couple of times or two smartphones at the same time, I prefer larger external batteries. Askborg's ChargeCube 20,800mAh and 10,400mAh models meet this requirement, featuring two full-sized USB ports and big-enough batteries inside to keep me happy for a few days. I've tested both to see whether they're worth your attention.

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All SSDs are relatively "fast" nowadays, but as time marches on, SATA variants are getting very long in the tooth. Don't get me wrong, if you are still running a mechanical hard drive, moving to an SATA SSD should be a very rewarding upgrade. If your computer is capable of using a PCIe NVMe M.2 variant, however, that is what you should target -- these newer drives are much faster than SATA.

Samsung makes wonderful solid state drives -- some would argue the manufacturer's offerings are best on the market. You know what? I wouldn't disagree. Samsung SSDs are very fast, but more importantly, they are extremely reliable. I have been testing one of the company's latest drives -- the 960 Pro 1TB. This PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD is supposed to be insanely fast, but just how fast is it? I decided to do a quick benchmark review.

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Smartphones have replaced tablets and traditional computers for millions of users as the preferred -- and often only -- way to access the internet.

While the initial waves of devices were nothing more than souped-up feature phones, the past couple of years have seen the arrival of models that are not only far more sophisticated but also significantly more powerful than their predecessors.

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USB flash drives are great for storing personal files on, so you can have easy access to them wherever you go. But what happens if you lose a drive or it gets stolen? All of your personal data could be at risk.

While there are ways to secure the contents of a flash drive using software, you need to remember to do so every time. The datAshur PRO, from iStorage, offers a hardware solution that’s simple to use and will protect your data with military grade XTS-AES 256-bit encryption.

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I am a strong believer in the saying "you get what you pay for." It's been my experience that price is a reflection of quality (design, performance, build quality, customer support, you name it), so when I look at an affordable device I tend to lower my expectations. Case in point, before taking the Chuwi LapBook 14.1 out of the box, I thought it wouldn't be much better than the other Chinese laptop I reviewed, the Jumper Ezbook 2.

Why? Because it promises a lot of things for the money: a 14.1-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1,920 by 1,080, 1.1GHz quad-core Intel "Apollo Lake" Celeron N3450 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, microSD card slot, microHDMI port, two USB ports, a webcam, a 9,000mAh battery, and Windows 10 Home for a retail price of $299.99. And, boy, was I proven wrong. The LapBook 14.1 punches far above its price tag would suggest.

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Is it a lamp? Is it a speaker? Is it a media player? Is it a radio? Actually the DL1101 is all of these things rolled into one. It can connect to a sound source via Bluetooth or play music from a Micro SD card, there's a built-in FM receiver and it lights up, all of this for around $20.

The on-board battery needs to be charged through its USB connection. It can deliver up to eight hours of life on a full charge but this obviously depends on volume levels and how bright you have the light.

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