Gioteck TX70 Review Wired Gaming Headphones With Wireless Dongle
Thursday, June 24, 2021
Gioteck TX70 Review Wired Gaming Headphones With Wireless Dongle
Thursday, June 24, 2021
Gioteck TX70 Review Wired Gaming Headphones With Wireless Dongle
Thursday, June 24, 2021
Roccat Pyro Review Mechanical RGB Keyboard With TTC Red Linear Switches
Tuesday, June 22, 2021
Along with short travel, the Pyro keyboard has a low actuation force (45G), which provides less fatigue and faster reaction times when playing games (e.g. first person shooters). The standard actuation travel for most keyboards is typically 4mm, while some keyboards are equipped with extremely short travel (e.g 0.4mm)
Just like the Vulcan TKL Pro, the Roccat Pyro mechanical keyboard has a ridged volume knob on the top right corner of the keyboard, although Pyro's volume control knob is made of plastic and uses a rotary encoder with infinite travel in both directions.
Unlike a regular volume potentiometer with stops, you can rotate Pyro's volume control knob clockwise or anticlockwise without stopping. The volume knob makes a subtle ratchet sound when rotating and doesn't integrate a centre push button.
The words "Roccat Pyro" are etched on the brushed aluminium metal top plate, just above the directional arrow keys. Unlike the mentioned Vulcan TKL Pro, which is a tenkeyless keyboard, the Roccat Pyro is a full size keyboard with 105 keys, including five media keys, game mode key and a standard bottom row with standard keys (seven keys plus the space bar).
You can easily replace the Roccat Pyro stock keycaps (single shot ABS) with after market ones such as PBT double shot keycaps. The bottom row of all keyboards isn't always standard. Some bottom row keyboards have different key sizes, which makes it difficult (if not impossible) to find suitable third party keycaps.
The Roccat Pyro mechanical keyboard comes with the same clip-on plastic palm rest you get with the Roccat Magma keyboard, which is non-padded and made of plastic with a smooth textured ridged finish on top. While it doesn't have any cushioning, the palm rest allows the wrists to rest at a comfortable angle. The palm rest also does a good job at keeping the wrists naturally straight, which prevents putting pressure on the narrow passageway in the wrist (carpal tunnel).
Both the keyboard and detachable palm rest have anti-skid rubber feet. The palm rest weighs 165 grams and measures 7.5cm wide and 1.5cm high. The Pyro keyboard weighs 956 grams (including the cable) and measures 45cm long and 15cm wide. The height of the keyboard is 3.5cm high from the base of the keyboard to the highest point of the keyboard, which is the top row of keys. The bottom row of keys has a 3cm elevation. The flip-up feet provides an extra 1cm of height.
The 1.8 meter long USB-A cable is located in the centre of the keyboard and, it's non detachable and made of a semi rigid rubber sheath. The bottom edge of the Pyro keyboard is wider than on most full size keyboards, making the Pyro keybed look more spacious. The switches have a tall transparent housing with vibrant leds, which brightly lights up the key legends, while creating a cool halo effect around the keycaps. The "open plan" design of the keybed also makes it easier when dusting off the keyboard.
The Roccat Pyro mechanical keyboard comes with the same clip-on plastic palm rest you get with the Roccat Magma keyboard, which is non-padded and made of plastic with a smooth textured ridged finish on top. While it doesn't have any cushioning, the palm rest allows the wrists to rest at a comfortable angle. The palm rest also does a good job at keeping the wrists naturally straight, which prevents putting pressure on the narrow passageway in the wrist (carpal tunnel).
Both the keyboard and detachable palm rest have anti-skid rubber feet. The palm rest weighs 165 grams and measures 7.5cm wide and 1.5cm high. The Pyro keyboard weighs 956 grams (including the cable) and measures 45cm long and 15cm wide. The height of the keyboard is 3.5cm high from the base of the keyboard to the highest point of the keyboard, which is the top row of keys. The bottom row of keys has a 3cm elevation. The flip-up feet provides an extra 1cm of height.
The 1.8 meter long USB-A cable is located in the centre of the keyboard and, it's non detachable and made of a semi rigid rubber sheath. The bottom edge of the Pyro keyboard is wider than on most full size keyboards, making the Pyro keybed look more spacious. The switches have a tall transparent housing with vibrant leds, which brightly lights up the key legends, while creating a cool halo effect around the keycaps. The "open plan" design of the keybed also makes it easier when dusting off the keyboard.
Speaking of brightness, you can adjust the brightness directly from the keyboard but nothing else. That means, you have to download Roccat Swarm software, which supports Windows 7, 8 and 10, in order to re-assign keys, create profiles (up to 5) and play around with the RGB lighting. The Pyro keyboard offers a wide range of lighting options, including various color effects, as well as the ability to customize each and every individual key with the color you want (e.g. color changing and solid color). When changing and saving settings, they do not get saved onto the keyboard; hence you have to keep the Swarm software running.
If you're really into your RGBs though, the Magma keyboard is the better choice because of its translucent top plate and configurable backlighting with five independent RGB zones. The Roccat Pyro also features the "Easy-Shift" button duplicator, which basically works like the Shift key, allowing certain keys to perform a second function.
If you're really into your RGBs though, the Magma keyboard is the better choice because of its translucent top plate and configurable backlighting with five independent RGB zones. The Roccat Pyro also features the "Easy-Shift" button duplicator, which basically works like the Shift key, allowing certain keys to perform a second function.
There are a total of 36 dual function Easy-shift keys, which include keycaps 1 to 5, function keys (F1 to F12), arrow keys, QWERT keys, ASDFG keys and ZXCVB keys. From the Swarm software, you can also create keystroke sequences similar to macros.
The bottom panel of the Pyro keyboard is made of shiny plastic with a ridged finish. There are two standard flip-up raiser feet for raising the front of the keyboard. The front and bottom of the raiser feet are rubberized to prevent skidding. You can buy the Roccat Pyro from amazon.
The bottom panel of the Pyro keyboard is made of shiny plastic with a ridged finish. There are two standard flip-up raiser feet for raising the front of the keyboard. The front and bottom of the raiser feet are rubberized to prevent skidding. You can buy the Roccat Pyro from amazon.
Edifier D12 Review Self Contained Single Bookshelf Speaker
Friday, June 18, 2021
Designed as a midrange alternative to satellite speakers and floorstanding speakers, bookshelf speakers offer a good compromise between size and power. Bookshelf speakers usually come as a twin set of two large units, which can take up a decent amount of space. The Edifier D12 (pictured) solves this problem by self containing two bookshelf speakers into one single unit.
Being a single unit, the Edifier D12 takes up less space than the R1010BT bookshelf speakers. Not only is the Edifier D12 smaller and more compact, it is also more powerful than the 24W RMS R1010BT bookshelf speakers. The D12 speaker unit is capable of up to 70 Watts RMS of continuous power, which is distributed between two 19mm silk dome tweeters (for the treble) and 4-inch mid bass driver (for bass and vocals). Each tweeter is capable of 15 Watts RMS, while each mid bass driver can handle up to 20 Watts RMS.
The Edifier D12 drivers are housed inside a wooden enclosure, which has a leather like finish on top and bottom and natural wood finish exposed on the sides. On the back of the D12 unit, you find a non-detachable power lead (1.2 meters long), a plastic switch power button and connectivity ports (RCA, line out and aux in).
On the front of the unit, you find the silk dome tweeters, two vent ports and the mid bass drivers, which are basically rubber cone woofers. The mid bass drivers are powerful and can handle sub-60Hz frequencies. The bass is clean, although it starts to muddle down to about 90Hz. If you want ground pounding and cleaner bass at lower frequencies, you need to connect a subwoofer like the T5 subwoofer into the D12 speaker, which you can thanks to the line out connection on the back of the D12 speaker.
The Edifier D12 speaker weighs 4.3 kg and measures 35cm long, 20cm deep and 15cm high; hence it's a very compact audio system, way more compact than traditional bookshelf speakers. Twin set bookshelf speakers do have an advantage though, and that is the stereo separation, which is naturally wider and more defined than with a self-contained speaker unit such as the Edifier D12.
Another plus for the Edifier D12 speaker system, it's onboard tone control equalizer (EQ), which consists of three knobs: a bass dial, treble dial and volume dial. The bass and treble dB value ranges from -6dB (-1, -2,-3,-4, -5, -6) to +6dB (+1, +2,+3,+4, +5, +6) so, you can make a total of 12 tone adjustments. The bass/treble tone controls effectively let you control the frequency response of the D12 speaker, which is 54Hz (bass) and 20KHz (treble).
The treble, bass and volume knobs are built inside a metal panel that measures 13.5cm long and 5.5cm wide. The knobs are located on the bottom side of the unit and are made of a soft alloy material. The knobs have an inward concave design and measure 1cm high.
As well as controlling the volume, the volume knob is also a push button designed to toggle between wireless and various wired modes. The D12 speaker has an led light on the front of the unit that lights up a different color according to the audio mode. When switching from bluetooth to wired mode, you cannot maintain a bluetooth connection; however, bluetooth re-connects almost instantaneously when turned back on. When switching from wired mode to bluetooth, you don't have to disconnect the audio cable from the speaker in order to activate bluetooth mode, which is convenient. The line out audio port is handy for connecting a pair of headphones or external speakers. If you do connect external speakers into the Edifier D12 they have to be active (powered) speakers such as the R1850DB speakers.
When adjusting volume, the led indicator blinks with each volume step adjustment. The lowest volume step mutes the sound. The volume knob uses a silent rotary encoder type, which spins infinitely just like the scrolling wheel of a mouse. The volume knob has a notched step control, which provides a gradual volume adjustment in small increments. The bass and treble knobs use traditional potentiometers with a silent notched design so, you can set each dB value precisely. In terms of audio dynamics, both bluetooth and wired modes deliver good sound levels, although wired mode produces a noticeably louder volume output. The bluetooth connection is via standard Bluetooth 5.0 (no aptX or AAC support).
The included IR remote weighs 32 grams and comes pre-fitted with a CR2032 coin cell battery. The IR remote is made of plastic and has rubber buttons, which are level against the remote; hence the buttons do not protrude out of the remote. The buttons have a clicky/responsive actuation. The IR remote is no only convenient but also useful because it features two dedicated preset buttons for movie mode and music mode. The remote measures 13.5cm long, 4cm wide and 0.7cm thick. The detachable front cover of the speaker weighs 109 grams and has a plastic construction covered with spandex like fabric material. A hrome trim and plastic Edifier logo are glued on to the front cover.
On the base of the unit, there is four rubber feet, which means the unit is designed to rest horizontally. There aren't any rubber feet on the sides; however, you can rest the D12 speaker vertically on its side just like a book. There are two accessory cables included. An RCA cable (1.3 meters) and a 3.5mm to RCA cable (1.4 meters). Both cables have rubberized plugs and gold-plated jacks. You can buy the Edifier D12 from amazon.
Rinnin Wifi Camera Review Battery Powered
Thursday, June 17, 2021
The Rinnin battery powered security camera is equipped with a rechargeable 10,000mAh (3.7V) battery, which charges via 5V/1A and takes 9 hours to recharge. This means, the camera can be powered standalone, anywhere without running cables or using external storage, thanks to internal storage, which supports up to 128GB capacity via micro SD card. Better still, because the Rinnin camera uses standard voltage (5 volts) and low current (1 amp), you can potentially hook the camera to a 5V USB solar panel or an external powerbank, doubling the battery life in the process. If you plan to use a solar panel or power bank to trickle charge the camera, you will want to punch in the small cut-out on the rubber grommet.
The Rinnin camera housing is made of plastic and has a thick rubber grommet protecting the charging port and buttons. This means, the camera is entirely sealed from the outside (IP65 rating) to prevents dust and water ingress, as well as humidity from damaging the electronics. The camera can be exposed to outdoor rain, as well as indoors in a bathroom (up to 85% relative humidity). The Rinnin camera can operate in extreme cold or hot temperature too between -20C and 50C.
There is a microphone and speaker built-in, as well as two infrared (IR) led lights for capturing video at night. The IR lights have a 10 meter range (32ft) of illumination. The speaker is built-in to the rear of the camera. The microphone and speaker are designed for 2-way communication with someone, as well as for live streaming audio capture. The microphone has a short range pick up and works okay, although it isn't as clear as a doorbell video intercom (check out the microphone test in the video above).
The Rinnin camera is also equipped with motion detection sensing, which can be enabled for day activity, night activity or both. Motion detection can be disabled and you can adjust the sensitivity, depending on your needs. When triggered, you will receive a push notification message on your mobile phone every time the motion detection gets triggered and watch the video on the app.
You can turn off push notifications and adjust the interval from 2 minutes, 3 minutes and 10 minutes. When recording, the word "REC" in red capital fonts appears on the streaming view so, you can tell when recording is taking place. During recording, you cannot toggle from high definition (HD) to standard definition (SD) or viceversa.
There are two metal wall attachments included with the Rinnin camera. One of those wall attachments has a dome shape that is designed to attach to the rear of the camera, allowing you to fix the camera at different angles via magnetic connection.
There are two metal wall attachments included with the Rinnin camera. One of those wall attachments has a dome shape that is designed to attach to the rear of the camera, allowing you to fix the camera at different angles via magnetic connection.
The actual magnet is built-in to the back of the camera, not the attachments, which means you can attach the camera to any metal surface without the attachments. The second wall attachment has a male thread pivot joint designed to screw into the female thread located on base of the camera, which is rubberized. The female thread has standard tripod thread dimensions; hence you can attach the Rinnin camera onto a tripod too.
The ball joint extension (long wall attachment) weighs 61 grams, while the magnetic dome attachment weighs 57 grams. Both attachments are made of metal. The Rinnin camera weighs 306 grams and measures 10cm high, 5.5cm deep and 5.5cm wide (thick). The camera is equipped with a 3 mm lens that supports 1080p resolution natively and 130 degree horizontal field-of-view (FOV).
The ball joint extension (long wall attachment) weighs 61 grams, while the magnetic dome attachment weighs 57 grams. Both attachments are made of metal. The Rinnin camera weighs 306 grams and measures 10cm high, 5.5cm deep and 5.5cm wide (thick). The camera is equipped with a 3 mm lens that supports 1080p resolution natively and 130 degree horizontal field-of-view (FOV).
A lot of smart security cameras tend to have 110 degree field of view; hence the Rinnin provides a wider angle coverage but without being too wide like a super wide angle camera (up to 180 degrees). At 130 degrees, the Rinnin camera provides an adequate coverage without stretching the image too much that it becomes distorted. This is why super wide angle lenses aren't generally used for security cameras because they create a fisheye effect.
The Rinnin camera spec sheet mentions that the camera supports 802.11 b/g/n Wifi, although the Rinnin camera only works via 2.4Ghz Wifi so, it requires having to turn off 5GHz radio from the router. Some Wifi cameras can be connected to a powerline adapter or access point, which is handy if you don't want to use your home router. The Rinnin camera doesn't support connection to a powerline adapter or access point; hence it has to connect to an Internet router.
The Rinnin camera uses a smartphone or tablet as the viewing display so, it requires downloading an app. The mobile app is called CloudEdge and requires an account sign up. The app has almost 5 star rating and over half a million downloads. The app is developed by a third party developer (Mearitek) and is designed for a broad range of Wifi cameras, including Rinnin.
The Rinnin camera spec sheet mentions that the camera supports 802.11 b/g/n Wifi, although the Rinnin camera only works via 2.4Ghz Wifi so, it requires having to turn off 5GHz radio from the router. Some Wifi cameras can be connected to a powerline adapter or access point, which is handy if you don't want to use your home router. The Rinnin camera doesn't support connection to a powerline adapter or access point; hence it has to connect to an Internet router.
The Rinnin camera uses a smartphone or tablet as the viewing display so, it requires downloading an app. The mobile app is called CloudEdge and requires an account sign up. The app has almost 5 star rating and over half a million downloads. The app is developed by a third party developer (Mearitek) and is designed for a broad range of Wifi cameras, including Rinnin.
The CloudEdge app has a user friendly interface and works well with the Rinnin camera. Setup was easy to do following the on-screen and voice prompts. The app setup with the camera can be done two ways via a QR code (quick method) and manually by connecting to camera's hotspot (STRN_####). No glitches were observed, although the CloudEdge app does not allow you to log in multiple devices with one account. That said, you can add multiple cameras to the same account.
Aside from the wall attachments, the Rinnin camera comes with screws and plastic wall plugs. You can buy the Rinnin battery camera from amazon.
Aside from the wall attachments, the Rinnin camera comes with screws and plastic wall plugs. You can buy the Rinnin battery camera from amazon.
Roccat Magma Review RGB Rubber Dome Keyboard With 26-key Rollover
Tuesday, June 15, 2021
Polar Ignite 2 Sports Tracker Review Ignite 1 Comparison
Monday, June 14, 2021
