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BLUETTI to launch ultra-portable power station EB3A with 268Wh capacity and 600W Inverter

AndroidGuys
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BLUETTI first announced the EB3A solar generator at CES 2022. And finally, it will officially hit the shelf in the US on June 14, 10 PM EDT. 

Product Overview

  1. As lightweight as 10 pounds, the BLUETTI EB3A is easy to carry and travel-friendly.
  2. The EB3A enhances the BLUETTI power station line with more refinement and feature enhancements, making it a reliable power source for mobile use in RV and camping to keep essential devices powered along the road.
  3. The EB3A is an affordable unit that delivers an impressive 268Wh capacity and 600W pure sine-wave inverter output.
  4. EB3A can charge at up to 268W rate in standard mode, and 430W in Turbo charging mode.
  5. EB3A uses only the safest, most stable, and most prolonged lifespan LiFeP04 battery technology. 
  6. To optimize portability, AC charging is via a single industry-standard AC cable – no power brick required.
  7. With innovative Turbo charge mode, EB3A can be recharged from 0% to 80% in just 30 minutes at up to 430W charge rate.
  8. Monitor and control at the fingertips with BLUETTI APP (via Bluetooth). Moreover, you can enjoy the latest firmware by OTA update over Wi-Fi directly. 

How to Charge The BLUETTI EB3A

Always stay powered and be ready to go. Multiple charging methods are available to meet all your needs in different scenarios. Flexible to recharge the EB3A via AC charging cable, solar, car, or generator–that is, via DC solar and AC sources simultaneously. That is particularly important for those on the go or living in remote locations, or experiencing limited access to charge the power station.

As the pioneer in technology innovation in the portable power station industry, BLUETTI rolls out three AC Charging modes for the EB3A. For example, charging under the silent mode where the fan will not operate allows you to sleep with comfort and peace.

  • Turbo up to 430W
  • Standard up to 268W
  • Silent up to 100W

Charging time (for reference ONLY)

  • 200W MPPT solar charge: ≈2.5 hours
  • AC Charging: ≈1.3 hours (In Turbo Mode)/ ≈1.5 hours (In Standard Mode)
  • 12V/24V Car charge (100W): ≈3.2 hours
  • AC charging cable and Solar (430W total): ≈1.1 hours
  • AC charging cable and T200 adapter (430W total): ≈1.1 hours

All The Output Ports You Will Need

Charge up to 9 devices at once. The EB3A power station has two AC outlets that can put out 600W. And two regular USB-A ports and one 100W USB-C port, which allows a MacBook to charge at full speed.

EB3A can accommodate almost all electronic devices for outdoor travel, emergency, disasters, and other scenarios. Whether charging your smartphone, laptop, digital camera, or other devices, with the BLUETTI EB3A, you get it done quickly, efficiently, and with optimal convenience.

LiFePO4 – Longer Battery Life Span

BLUETTI adopted the LiFePO4 battery cell for long-term durability and ensured 2,500+ charging cycles to 80% of its original capacity. 

Compared to the lithium-ion battery that most power stations and battery banks use right now, the LiFePO4 battery type can charge faster, last longer, and offers optimal safety.

Innovation Brings Convenience

Thanks to the BLUETTI APP control, you can operate and monitor the EB3A on your phone anytime and even update the hardware worldwide.

BLUETTI EB3A features a brand new LCD screen to display the important info like remaining capacity percentage, recharge time, and input/output power more clearly and intuitively. 

Secure Operation

Security is the priority to consider from hardware selection to the software design. The built-in Battery Management System (BMS) improves battery utilization. It extends battery service life through short circuit protection, over-current protection, over-voltage protection, overload protection, overheating protection, and other functions.

Powerlifting Mode and UPS Bypass Mode

Under powerlifting mode, the EB3A can power up to 1200W resistive devices such as hairdryers, vacuum cleaners, kettles, and resistive heaters.

UPS bypass mode allows the AC power to directly support the loads on AC output ports and charge the EB3A. So you get some UPS-type power pass-through and continuous-power features as an extra offering.

Availability & Date

BLUETTI will launch the EB3A on their official website https://www.bluettipower.com/ on June 14 and initiate shipments as quickly as one week. Wait no further. Join the BLUETTI Official Facebook Group, subscribe to the BLUETTI newsletter for the latest product information and even be eligible for the early bird price (23% off). 

About BLUETTI 

Now BLUETTI has made its presence in 70+ countries and is trusted by millions of users across the globe. We strive to develop more innovative products to optimize the way people access sustainable energy and ensure a constant power supply for home and outdoor without leaving any footprints on the environment. Said James Ray, Marketing Director of BLUETTI. 

With over 10 years of experience in the energy storage industry, BLUETTI is committed to building the world’s best power stations for van dwellers, explorers, and off-grid life. For more information, please visit https://www.bluettipower.com/. 

Trifo Lucy Robot Vacuum review

Greg Baker
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Security is becoming a more and more prevalent issue and being able to monitor your home is the only way to have peace of mind while away. Instead of buying a security system, Trifo allows you to use their AI home robot vacuum, Lucy, to monitor your house while you are away.

From testing this robot, it is clear that this device is built to be a security tool as well as a cleaning tool for your home.

User Experience

I must say that based on the way this vacuum looks, and bhow it is boxed, it has a very modern and sleek feel. The setup process is quite easy if you have your own Wi-Fi and do not rely on a host. The camera on the robot makes the setup easier as well since the robot can directly scan a QR code displayed on your phone.

Once set up you can control just about everything through the app. This vacuum offers the most user control I have ever seen; it even gives you the option to directly control it like an RC car. Furthermore, you can lower the suction power of the robot if wanted.

The first time the robot runs it makes an accurate map of the home and from this you can section off different areas for cleaning. The auto-created map accurately splits up your house into its rooms, so you can select individual rooms as well. The app also makes it so that you can block off areas of the house by expanding red squares over the areas you want to avoid on the map.

Cleaning Capabilities

The vacuum works well on tile and hard services and picks up all dust, hair, and dirt. It does a good job at cleaning shallow carpets, but for deep shag carpets it has trouble picking up dirt deep within the carpet. In its defense, I’ve found that most vacuums struggle with this.

In terms of area rugs, in my experience, this vacuum was unable to get up onto my lighter area rugs that move easily. However, if the area rug is stationed in place, the vacuum can clean it.

The mopping feature of this robot works well for dirt that isn’t just sitting on the surface but which may be really shoved into the floor. In terms of obstacles while vacuuming, this robot can use its camera and sensors very well to avoid anything that could be in its path. It does not get right up against walls and objects though; the closest it gets is about an inch away. The dust bin located under the plastic flap on top of the vacuum is bigger than I have seen before and it does not get full often.

House Monitoring

Although the camera on this vacuum is incorporated in the setup and how it can sense objects, its main purpose is for security. At all times in the app, you are able to see the view from the robot’s camera, and with the ability to control the robot you can view anywhere you decide to drive it.

There is also a feature that detects motion within the house and anytime the camera senses motion it will give you a notification on your phone and record the segment for your viewing. The sensor is even able to catch and record movements in the dark! The robot does allow this feature to be used at the viewer’s discretion as this can be turned off in the app. 

Battery Life

I live in a smaller house and because of that Trifo Lucy is able to clean my home without having to charge itself. For testing purposes, I did measure the battery life by forcing it to continuously clean and it was able to vacuum for about an hour and 50 minutes before needing to be charged.

If it needs to be charged mid-clean, the vacuum takes itself back to its conveniently small dock, charges itself, and then finishes the cleaning.

Conclusion

What really sets this robot vacuum apart form others is its ability to not only vacuum and mop, but also to monitor your home.

With impressive features such as it 1080p HD camera and super sensing abilities that allow it to detect more than the average robot, this robot is really able to differentiate itself. To purchase this vacuum, you can use the Amazon trackable link https://amzn.to/3jZBSNg and for 5% off use the coupon code 4QR6VPZP (valid until May 31st).

How inflation is having an impact on families paying their bills

AndroidGuys
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  • Sky-high inflation, a volatile economy, and a growing divide between wages, cost of living, education, and healthcare, makes affording and paying bills tougher on consumers.
  • Tech companies are innovating to centralize cash flow management and bill pay.  
  • TifiPay is resetting expectations with its easy to use app that facilitates monthly bill pay in one convenient place, providing users insights that may save them money in the long run. 

Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic impact of inflation and the growing divide between wages and expenses is being felt across the country, and around the world. 

Food. Gas. Housing. The costs of living have been going up since inflation hit 6.8 percent in 2021 — the highest rate in nineteen years. Families are feeling the pinch and tightening their belts by scaling back on purchasing items. Some are even going into debt.

With higher inflation comes higher interest rates, affecting monthly spending, budgets and bill paying. For accounts with variable interest rates, this means that expenses will change often, making it confusing, tedious and difficult to keep up with paying bills and managing cash flow.

Solutions for Smoother Bill Pay and Cash Management

Americans are drowning in debt. As of Dec 2021, the average American is carrying $92,727 in debt. The pandemic has only made it harder to keep up. We as Americans need a solution to lessen the hassle and inconvenience of paying bills in an ever-destabilized economy. 

TifiPay, is an app that revolutionizes bill paying. Set to launch in Q3 2022, this app empowers the user to receive, pay and manage their bills in one place. It also sends the user notifications when bills are due and facilitates a ‘one click’ pay option. Users can use multiple bank accounts and even schedule a future payment to align with cash flow (when they get paid) and view which bills are due in coming days to help plan payments for better cash management. 

“Our recent survey found that the main reasons people struggle with bill payments is not necessarily based on affordability, rather people feel that their bills are disorganized and unconsolidated, making it a nightmare to pay on time, often resulting in late fees. TiFiPay’s mission is to improve people’s financial lives by making bill paying easier and to bring joy and a sense of accomplishment to paying bills,” said Christine Loredo, President and COO of TifiPay.

Leveraging technology to deliver insights to consumers finances  

To facilitate bill paying and provide users with a much needed confidence to take control of their monthly finances and budgeting, bill pay apps, such as TiFiPay, come with the added advantage of transaction history, which shows historical analysis and insights on spending. This enables TiFiPay users to have a central location of all their financial information and activity – a plus for those who are not necessarily great bookkeepers. 

Image: TifiPay

Keep All Your Golden Eggs In One Basket

Consumers typically have a ‘system’ of paying their monthly bills – some bills are paid by a check, others are paid online. But keeping track of payments, due dates, and website log-in details has proven to be quite daunting for many.

“Providing historical analysis and valuable insight into where a user is spending money often translates to better budgeting in the long term. Providing consumers with a full picture of their bills (from due dates, to what was paid when) empowers consumers to take control of their household cash flow.” concluded, Loredo. With wages not yet parallel to rising inflation, this is exactly the right time for an app that provides the whole picture, possibly saving users money in the long run.    

A Final Thought

It’s certainly time for Americans to tighten their belts as inflation is expected to increase in 2022. But it’s also time to take control of your finances and use tech solutions that will help alleviate the time-consuming headache and confusion of paying bills every month. TifiPay and similar solutions will certainly be a part of the ‘new normal’.

Logitech Lift Vertical Ergonomic Mouse review

Connor Fricke
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Logitech has recently unveiled its new product, the Lift Vertical Ergonomic Mouse. It features Bluetooth connectivity between up to three devices at once, a 57-degree vertical design to increase comfort for those with small to medium-sized hands, and four different customizable buttons. All this, plus a DPI button with ultra-quiet clicks and a smooth, silent scroll wheel.

The Lift is truly designed with productivity and comfortability in mind. The mouse is offered on the Logitech website in both right and left-hand format as well as three colorways: graphite, off-white, and rose.

The mouse comes out of the box ready to pair with your devices through low-power Bluetooth connection or through the provided Logitech Bolt USB receiver in case you don’t have a PC or laptop with integrated Bluetooth.

Ergonomics

At first glance, the Lift is definitely an odd looking computer mouse. It has a unique lifted angle to adjust your hand to a more natural position and is very clearly meant to be form fitting, allowing your thumb to wrap around the mouse to reach two of the four customizable and silent buttons where it can rest.

The overall feel while using it is a bit more like that of a joystick, which is a weird adjustment to make from a regular old mouse but it did indeed feel much more natural after just a few minutes with it.

The ‘Zen’ Surface is a textured rubber material that adds to the aesthetics and grip of the mouse. I do have relatively small hands so the Lift’s size was of no issue to me, but I can definitely see where larger hands would get in the way, as you might find yourself unable to fit all of your hand onto the mouse.

I think this is one of the main focuses of the design here, so anyone with larger hands should definitely heed Logitech’s warning when considering making the purchase. While it won’t be impossible to use, I can’t imagine it would be a significant improvement over the regular computer mouse.

If that’s not an issue for you, then the Lift may be a great option for anyone who spends long hours in front of a screen each week. If you’re like me, you probably struggle consistently with the discomfort of having to rest the inside of your forearm on the sharp edge of a desk. With the Lift, your forearm will rest in a more natural rotated state so that this discomfort is hopefully eliminated.

Battery and Connectivity

The Lift is of course a Bluetooth mouse, so you won’t have to deal with pesky wires limiting your range and cluttering up your desk space. While this is a great feature for most people, it’s important to remember some of the drawbacks. First off, usually you have to ensure that your connected device is actually Bluetooth compatible.

Fortunately, anyone with an available USB port on their computer will not have to fret over this, thanks to Logitech’s USB receiver that can be found within the battery compartment on the underside of the mouse. However, if you want to take advantage of the Easy Pairing feature that allows you to connect with more than one device, your second and third device will need built-in Bluetooth. 

This brings us to another drawback of a Bluetooth mouse: batteries. With no wire connecting you to your computer, you will have to take into account the likelihood of your mouse dying on you.

The Logitech Lift is powered by a single, non-rechargeable AA battery that Logitech rates at two years of life. Thanks to its low-power Bluetooth connection which, in my opinion is way more than what might be necessary for just about anyone, running out of juice is definitely not a daily concern.

 A third drawback that comes with these wireless computer mice is the connection itself. As anyone would expect, a wired connection is going to be much faster and more stable than wireless, so if you require a reliably snappy response from your mouse, the Lift may not fit your style.

Your input to the mouse won’t result in an instantaneous reaction from your laptop or PC, but for most realms outside of gaming, it’s not a noticeable issue. I did find that there was some rare erratic movement when using the wireless mouse that wasn’t present with my wired mouse, but in general I didn’t have any concerns about losing the connection completely. The interference or whatever may have been the cause was cleared up after just a few seconds.

In regards to Easy Pairing I find that this is a super cool feature that anyone who works with multiple devices can take advantage of. With the press of a single button on the bottom of the mouse you can operate up to three different devices at a time. The switch is easy and instantaneous, but I wish that the button would be in a more accessible location so that I don’t have to flip my mouse upside down every time I want to switch from my PC to a laptop. 

Aesthetics and Silence

If the look matters as much as the feel for your desk space, then Logitech has something for you. While the mouse definitely looks unique and a bit weird at first, I think it can look good in any desk environment. It has a relatively tall and bulky profile that sets it apart from other computer mice.

The Zen surface looks and feels very premium and I appreciate not having a cable running across my desk to my mouse. For the right-handed option you can find the Lift in graphite, off-white, or the rose colorway to match the theme of your workspace. It’s not the best looking mouse I’ve seen, but it definitely can fit into your space and even add a unique touch. 

As far as any potential noise, it is extremely silent and just as Logitech advertises. The buttons all have a tactile feel and produce almost no audible clicking sound so if your partner or coworker is tired of hearing you clicking away all day at your monitor, then you are definitely looking in the right place. The scroll wheel is also ultra-smooth and ultra-silent, and has a feature called SmartWheel that allows you to scroll through a few lines or many pages at a time.

Overall

If you’re trying to improve your comfort and productivity at home or in the office, the Logitech Lift is a worthy investment. It’s got some super neat features that allow you to quickly shift between tasks and its design is easy to adapt to.

With a smooth and comfortable surface and form-fitting shape, those with medium-sized or smaller hands won’t have to worry about getting cramps or marks from resting a forearm on the edge of a desk.

The customizable buttons are durable and silent to limit noise output and reduce distractions in whatever environment you may find yourself. The Bluetooth connection may not be as fast as a wired connection, but Logitech has done a great job of limiting the drawbacks such as battery consumption while maintaining unique aesthetics and the added benefit of cutting that cable. All of this comes from a well-known, trustworthy brand and at a completely respectable price.

Top tips to secure your website from possible hacks

AndroidGuys
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If you have a business you should have a website that allows you to connect with your audience and keep them updated and informed about your products and services. Websites today have become much more than just online portals because they offer an online experience to your audience and customers. Hence, you need to focus on how you can make your website engaging and responsive. However, on the other hand, you must also focus on how you can safeguard your website from potential hacks that can sneak into your business system and try to copy or steal your precious business information and customer data as well. 

Here are the top tips to secure your website from possible hacks.

Use the Right Platform

While there are many systems and platforms that you can use to build your website you need to focus on the ones that have the best security options. This would offer you the right start that you need to safeguard your business and personal information from hackers. If you are using website builders you need to look for the most secure website builder that you can find. Similarly, you must also focus on the purpose of your website because you can look for various platforms that are designed for blogs and e-commerce stores. 

Use SSL Certification

Even if you are not asking for the personal information of your users you would still want to make use of the SSL certification on your website that would use an encrypted SSL protocol to transfer user information from your website to the database. This ensures that the information is not read in the transit and certain protocols are being implemented to keep the data from being hacked. Using the right HTTPS protocol would ensure that you can protect data from hackers.

Tighten Up Access Control

The easiest way for a hacker to get into your website system is through a username and password that are predictable and easy to guess. Hence, you need to enforce user names and passwords that are not easy to guess. Similarly, you can reduce the number of login attempts made by the users in a certain period. When you tighten up the access control of your website you ensure that hackers have a tough time breaking into your website. 

Keep Your Platform Software Updated

Even when you are using platforms like WordPress you want to ensure that you secure your WordPress website by keeping your version updated because you want to have the best and latest features that can offer you the highest level of protection. On the other hand, if you have firewalls and other third-party security systems you would want to update those as well to ensure that your website is secured against the latest malware and spyware threats. 

Avoid File Upload Options

If you are allowing your users to upload files to your website system some hackers will likely infiltrate the system using a malware or spyware file. This can make things hard for you to safeguard your website. Hence, you should avoid allowing users to upload files. This way you can ensure that no files are being uploaded to your system and you can keep track of the existing files that you have on your website system. 

Use Web Security Tools

Today, you can find many additional tools that you can add to your website that would analyze and monitor the health of your website. This would ensure that you can keep track of all the files on your website and that there is no spyware, malware and viruses on your website system. With this, you can have a peace of mind and focus on handling your website efficiently. 

Gunnar Optiks offers a full suite of blue light protection glasses

Scott Webster
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We spend a large segment of our day looking at screens. Be it a computer monitor, laptop, phone, tablet, TV, or even a Peloton bike, there are a lot of displays pushing blue light at our eyes.

Whether you realize it or not, these screens can do a real number on you. Sure, there’s the obvious stuff like eye strain, but there’s also headaches, dry eyes, inability to fall asleep easily, and general exhaustion.

How does one combat the ever-present threat? If you haven’t checked out a pair of blue light glasses, the time is now. One brand you may want to consider in this space is GUNNAR Optiks.

We were provided a couple of pairs of blue light filtering glasses from the GUNNAR team, one being the Pendleton and the other being the Lightning Bolt. That is to say the former is a pair of more traditional glasses while the latter are geared toward gaming. Both run about $80 a pair.

We found both pairs to be comfortable to wear, study, and solidly built. The two had Amber tint which is somewhere in the middle of what’s available for protection against blue light.

The glasses come with a protective carrying case and a microfiber cleaning cloth; they are backed by a 12-month warranty.

The Pendleton have a flexible hinge that allows for comfort at the temples while the Lightning Bolt have a unique shape to the arm that alleviates pressure.

Also cool, the gaming glasses come with a free interchangeable headset strap that snaps on at the temple. This way your ears don’t get fatigued, especially if you’re wearing a pair of headphones.

Take a look through the GUNNAR website and you’ll find that not only is there a variety of categories and respective designs but many of them come with options for different colors or lens tint. You should have no issue locating a pair that speak to your style and sensibilities.

And while you can typically opt for the GUNNAR-Focus lens for sharper focus at close range, you can also use your prescription, too. Going that route opens things up quite a bit in the area of lens tints as well as whether you want single focus, progressive, or something for computers.

If you spend more than a few hours per day looking at a computer screen, you owe it to yourself to start protecting your eyes against the harmful effects of blue light. When you’re ready, GUNNAR Optiks has a wide range of options.

Blurams Dome Lite 2: The $50 pan and tilt camera for the masses?

Scott Webster
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Building up a smart home doesn’t have to be an expensive endeavor, even if you’re dealing with security. Indeed, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get started with putting cameras around the house. The Blurams Dome Lite 2 serves as a perfect example of a budget-priced device that works for most homes.

As a successor or refresh to an already-existing experience, the Dome Lite 2 is a tennis ball-sized dome unit of a camera with 2K resolution and a 109-degree viewing angle.

The camera will pan 355 degrees and tilt 95 degrees to provide pretty much a full perspective of a room. There are eight LED lights around the lens which provide up to 22 feet of low-light illumination. Also tucked into the camera are a microphone and speaker as well as a 110db siren.

As for storage options, the Dome Light 2 comes with a few include 24 hour loops recording in the cloud at no cost. Subscribe for $5 a month and you’ll get a 7-day loop; 15-day and 30-day loops are $59 and $139, respectively.

Alternatively, you can also save videos to a microSD card (up to 128GB). The camera will capture 10-second clips each time it recognizes a human, saving it in the cloud.

The Dome Lite 2 has a six-foot cable and can be placed on a tabletop, desk, or even mounted to a wall with the included hardware.

The camera lets users change resolution; adjust it based on how much bandwidth you want to use or the level of image quality you’d like to capture. Moreover, you can toggle it to whether you want it to switch to night vision when it’s dark. For most people the defaults will be perfect.

Other features worth noting including the ability to control the pan and tilt with an in-app virtual joystick, manual capturing of pictures and videos, motion detection, human recognition, and toggling a privacy shield.

If you’ve got a smart digital assistant like Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, you’ll get a little extra capability, too. Similarly, it’s also possible to configure it with IFTTT for some automation.

Learn more about the Blurams Dome Lite 2 at the manufacturer’s website where it’s also available to purchase for about $50. You can also find it at Amazon where it’s currently offered for just $41.

Cleer Alpha ANC Headphones review

Luke Gaul
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When it comes to buying headphones, one principle that I tend to live buy is I’d rather buy a pair once and pay a little more instead of purchasing cheap models time and again.

I’m not an audiophile or someone with extremely discerning tastes, but I know a good pair of headphones when I see them — or hear them. I can appreciate the build quality and audio of a premium brand, but I also like to keep some money in my pocket when I can.

I recently had the chance to test out a pair of wireless headphones from a brand that I wasn’t too familiar with, Cleer Audio. The model I got to review were the Alpha, a pair of over-ear headphones with active noise cancellation.

Priced $220, I feel like these are a perfect happy middle ground. They have a full suite of features and excellent sound, but they come in about 1/3 of the cost that I expected. These are the type of headphones I can picture lasting me a number of years.

Cleer Audio ALPHA

  • Ambient mode
  • Qualcomm cVc 2 mic beamforming for crystal clear voice calls
  • Dirac Virtuo Spatial audio
  • patented 40mm Ironless Drivers
  • 35hr playback on single charge, 10min quick charge for 4 hours
  • Intuitive touch controls

My initial impressions were very favorable, thanks to quick pairing and a full-featured app. I appreciate that I have such levels of control over the audio aspect with options such as manual and preset EQ settings, Active Noise Cancellation, and Ambient Mode.

The headphones are very comfortable to wear, even in longer listening periods. The design is more clean and minimal than others I’ve tested and I like that they feel solid at the hinges and cups.

Controls are fairly intuitive and don’t take too long to figure out. You can certainly feel the response and clickiness whether adjusting volume, taking a call, skipping tracks.

I would describe the Cleer Audio ALPHA sound as being robust but not overly heavy on the low end. There’s nothing muddy whatsoever in the experience; all levels are equally represented and appear spaced apart nicely.

Battery life is rated at up to 35 hours which is more than two full weeks of typical listening for me. I only charge them out of habit as I’ve yet to be prompted that the battery level is low. Speaking of which, I like that just ten minutes on the USB Type-C charger is enough to provide four hours of listening.

Other notable features include wear detection for automatic pausing and playback, conversation mode, the ability to pair to multiple audio sources, and support for Qualcomm aptX Adaptive codec.

You can learn more about the ALPHA headphones at Cleer Audio’s website where you can also purchase them in two color options: Midnight Blue and Stone. They’re also available at Amazon where they’re currently listed at just $220.

Tronsmart Onyx Ace Pro wireless earbuds review

Andrew Allen
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Tronsmart has been on a roll recently with new products like the Trip portable speaker. The company is creating a compelling new portfolio for 2022. The latest addition is the Onyx Ace Pro earbuds. We have been testing these for about three weeks and let’s dive into the full review.

Design

Let’s be honest, this design isn’t paving new roads for the industrial finish in the earbuds space. You have a very similar look and feel to many other wireless earbuds. The teardrop earpiece with a stem housing the microphone is pretty much the standard these days.

There’s a dual external microphone on the outside of each earpiece. This allows for great voice input while also blocking out surrounding noise. The stem of both units houses a capacitive area meant for controlling playback and calls.

Internally, the Tronsmart Onyx Ace Pro includes Bluetooth 5.2 and Qualcomm’s aptX codecs for stable connections and better audio. Combine those features with IPX5 water resistance and you should have a pair of earbuds poised for almost any environment.

Sound

Much like others in this earbud styling, the Onyx Ace Pro is good. Not great, but good. The highs and mids come through well and the bass can be underwhelming at times. More muted or natural audio like podcasts perform much better and the sound is very crisp.

The same can be said for phone calls. I’ve had zero issues with the performance of the Onyx Ace Pro earbuds while talking to loved ones or taking the occasional conference call. Both sides of the conversation seemed adequate with no complaints of noise or muffled mic output.

Touch controls

You can’t have a modern wireless earbud without some sort of capacitive control. Tronsmart doesn’t disappoint here with all the common interactions included on the outside areas of the Onyx Ace Pro headphones.

You can tap either earbud twice to start or pause the playback of audio. The same cadence will answer or end phone calls. Tapping the left side once will decrease the volume and the same on the right side will increase the decibels.

Tap and hold for two seconds to cover the majority of the remaining controls. Doing this on the right side moves you forward a track and the left takes you back to the previous item in your playlist. The combination on either earbud will reject an incoming phone call.

Finally, tapping three times quickly activates two more advanced features. The right earpiece will prompt your favorite voice assistant. The left Onyx Ace Pro will enter gaming mode. This allows a much lower latency of playback for those that might need it.

My only drawback with some of the controls is they are just cumbersome. Specifically, the tap and hold to triple-tap options just take way too much effort to really get the timing right. This led to numerous times of struggling to actually get the preferred outcome.

Battery life and charging

Tronsmart rates the total playtime of the Onyx Ace Pro earbuds to be around 27 hours. I found this to be accurate as long as you weren’t pushing them at 100 percent volume all the time. And honestly, you shouldn’t be doing that anyway.

The earbuds themselves get you close to 6.5 hours of playback and the case can charge them around three times total before the entire bundle needs a recharge. The case misses wireless charging capabilities but can recharge in just two hours.

Conclusion

Tronsmart has another competent option in the wireless audio department with the Onyx Ace Pro.  The company has created a budget alternative to the major players in the market that doesn’t skimp on features.

The Onyx Ace Pro is available for $60 full retail, but to mark the launch, Tronsmart has them 55% off at its partner, Aliexpress, storefront. For just $27 you can own the Onyx Ace Pro earbuds in either black or white variants. Hit the link below if interested in these wireless earbuds.

Purchase the Tronsmart Onyx Ace Pro earbuds

Sivga Robin headphones review

Connor Fricke
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The Robin SV021, from Sivga, is a closed-back, over-ear headphone with high fidelity audio and a simple but elegant design. It has an adjustable headband, a lightweight design, and extremely soft ear pads to deliver long lasting comfort.

In my opinion, the Sivga Robin is a very minimalist pair of headphones with a focus on aesthetics, quality, and simplicity.

It has a long, braided cable that plugs into both sides of the headphones to further balance the weight and I find that the length of the cable is a decent one for most setups that you would see in an office or bedroom setting.

The packaging is simple and pleasing, and Sivga provides you with a hemp carrying bag to protect and store the headphones as well as a 3.5mm to 6.35mm adaptor for additional uses that you might be looking for.

I think one of the cool things about this product is that Sivga doesn’t provide you with a manual for it. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten my hands on a new piece of tech and didn’t receive a manual, but thanks to the minimalistic design of the Sivga wood headphones, you don’t need it.

The headphones don’t have a built-in microphone, so for those on gaming or on Zoom calls, a standalone mic or webcam may be a worthy additional investment if you haven’t got one.

The Sivga Robin SV021s can be found at the Sivga website and on Amazon for $149.00 USD.

Design

At first glance, I was extremely impressed with the finish of the wood and aluminum parts of the headphones. I must say that they are one of the nicest looking headphones that I’ve come across in my expanding experience with the audio industry.

The headphones come in two color choices: brown and a black. I chose the brown option as I felt this would emphasize the actual wooden part of the design, and I definitely think it is the right choice.

The wood has a high gloss protective coating to provide it with durability and shine. The leather earpads and adjustable headband are extremely soft like memory foam and I have found them to be one of my most comfortable pairs of headphones thanks to the lightweight, zero pressure design.

Coming from a Chinese company I often worry about the build quality of the product, but as soon as I pulled them out of the box I knew it was not going to be an issue. Everything about these headphones just feels good in your hands and with a braided cable I think it really shows the extra focus that Sivga put into making these to be a premium pair of headphones.

The leather stitching looks well done and the rotating joints on the SV021s feel smooth and durable. And you don’t get any of that ‘crinkle’ that I find a lot with lower end headphones.

Audio Quality

With so much attention put into the design and build quality, I was a bit concerned that the actual audio quality might be where these were lacking, but I was wrong about that. While ‘Hi-Fi’ is arguably becoming less common and more outdated, I think it’s something that I can genuinely still appreciate, especially on these headphones.

There’s no extra fancy features to these headphones and that is one of the things I like about them. You’ll never have to worry about a poor Bluetooth connection or distorted audio.

Being closed-back, they do provide some decent noise isolation from the outside world if that’s important to you, but they don’t have any sort of active noise-canceling capabilities.

If you just want a pair of headphones that sounds good (and looks even better) then these are sure to suit your needs. They have super clear tones throughout the ranges and I felt like I was hearing things that I hadn’t heard before in some of my favorite songs.

Fair warning, they can get pretty loud as well if you’re the type to appreciate some ear-damaging jam sessions every once in a while but the volume potential will differ between devices, of course. In my opinion, the bass range isn’t super hardcore, but Sivga makes up for it with the general clarity of the audio.

Final Thoughts

The Sivga Robin SV021 is a great pair of headphones for those looking for good design quality, good aesthetics, and good sound.

I do wish that the headphones had a microphone, but I get it. If you aren’t looking for those extra amenities like wireless connection, ANC, playback control buttons, etc., then these headphones are a great option. With premium design, comfort, and simplicity, I can’t complain about what some might perceive as a ‘lack of features’.

The wood/aluminum/leather design is minimalist but unique. For long term listening, the ear pads are super soft and the design is extremely lightweight.

They may lack a bit of richness in the low ranges of sound but the sound is smooth and clear at all pitches. The fact of the Robin SV021 is that Sivga has taken a basic headphone and hammered out the imperfections to give you a premium product at a decent price.

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