Withings ScanWatch Nova – where elegance and health tracking meet. Running review. by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

XTAR is a company that deals in USB rechargeable batteries among other things. In this case they asked if I was interested in reviewing their 4150mwh AA batteries and giving them a review. I agreed, but as these reviews take time, this is a running review of how they work for me.

TL;DR – running review last update August 5, 2024

In the past I had three USB rechargeable brands in a row that were, to put it nicely, not what was advertised. Each was filled to the brim with 5 star reviews talking about how much people were going to save but never any follow ups other than that they stopped working a couple of months in.

But, I tried USB rechargeable back in the early days, and also some relatively early consumer rechargeables, and my experiences were the same – worked for a couple of months and then I had spent $20 before they broke to replace $5 worth of standard batteries.

My experience with one USB rechargable battery manufacturer also showed me that attempting to get any after sale service (for 4 out of 8 batteries) was not worth it.

XTAR contacted me and asked if I wanted to try their 4150mwh USB rechargeable batteries and I figured why not? I’d love to see if rechargeable batteries have reached a point where they actually will pay for themselves, power my devices properly, and last as long as a normal.

What was in the box (August 5, 2024)

I received one XTAR Wall Adapter which is a Qualcomm 3.0 USB wall charger, 4xAA batteries and a charging dock for them.

While I don’t think you require the USB wall adapter, you do apparently require a USB output higher than my standing desk was providing and unfortunately I don’t have the specs on it handy at the moment. Batteries appeared to be charging and then the unit would shut off. Plugged it into the charger they sent and it seemed fine.

I believe the batteries were sent in a nearly charged state as charging did not take long. Only thing to really note here is that the indicators for charging (red) or charged (green) are difficult to discern at an angle.

Now to put them in things and see how they work…

On of my biggest gripes with rechargeables is that the ones I’ve had last about a week and are dead, so here goes… 2 in my utility flashlight, 2 in a kid’s toy. Flashlight light appears as bright as using my Amazon Basics AA batteries.

Availability

They can be found on Amazon for about $30, or roughly the cost of 68 AA Amazon Basics batteries. This means they need to survive 17 full cycles to break even.

Trying AA rechargeable batteries again (XTAR running review) by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

Looking for a new Xbox controller? Nacon would like to present you the Revolution X Unlimited for Xbox and PC!

The post Revolution X Unlimited: Nacon’s Premium Xbox Controller with a Twist appeared first on TheXboxHub.

In the market for a new controller? PowerA have today announced their new OVERPOWERED Series controllers for PC and Cloud Gaming. They look pretty damn neat too. 

The post PowerA Delivers Pro-Level Performance with New OVERPOWERED Controllers appeared first on TheXboxHub.

Turtle Beach refresh their brilliant Stealth 700 Headset, announced alongside some charging options and Nintendo Switch gear. 

The post Turtle Beach: Level Up Your Gaming Experience with These New Products appeared first on TheXboxHub.

Creators behind some of the largest digital file campaigns on Kickstarter are preparing for their most ambitious project to date – a physical Modular Display System.

Crate3D, a design company known for its 3D printable products, has announced its upcoming Kickstarter campaign for the JudoGrid Modular Display System. Originally based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Crate3D relocated to a new office on Broadway in New York City after a series of successful Kickstarter campaigns. Now, settled in their new space, they are ready to launch their largest project yet.

The JudoGrid Modular Display System is designed to offer a customizable solution for displaying action figures, tabletop minifigures, and other collectibles. Its modular design allows users to create display cases of any size, expanding both horizontally and vertically to accommodate various shapes and sizes of collectibles.

This new venture builds on the success of the Omni 1, a 3D printable product that raised over $450,000 on Kickstarter in 2023 with 6,437 backers. Following this success, Crate3D received numerous requests for a physical version of their display system. In response, they assembled the JudoGrid team, which has spent the past year and a half developing and testing this new system. The result is a minimalist design with a variety of accessories to enhance functionality and versatility.

“Our digital file campaigns were much easier as the cost was just labor and testing. We now have molds, mass production, international shipping and a ton of bigger obstacles. A lot is riding on the success of this campaign,” said Austen Hartley, CEO of Crate3D.

Crate3D is in the process of finalizing patents, working with suppliers, receiving samples, and preparing marketing materials in anticipation of the campaign’s launch on September 10th, 2024. Drawing on their crowdfunding experience, they are optimistic about a successful launch and eager to deliver these display cases to collectors around the world.

When it comes to the Mixx StreamBuds Sports Charge 2, it all comes down to a matter of budget; a capable set of earbuds.

The post Mixx StreamBuds Sports Charge 2 Earbuds Review appeared first on TheXboxHub.

Cloud backup services are amazing, especially because they are extremely convenient, but also offer a lot of storage for a fair price. But if you're looking to get your stuff backed up to physical media, then an SSD is the way to go. Not only are you getting a light and portable solution, SSD drives are also pretty durable as well. Now, there are a lot of different options when it comes to SSDs, but we think Samsung offers some of the best you can buy in 2024.

Our power needs have changed a lot over the years. When I got Motorola's Turbo Charge on my Nexus 6, it felt like I'd unlocked a superpower with how fast it charged. But that was only 15W, the same wattage my S24 Ultra can wirelessly charge. Meanwhile, phones like the OnePlus 12 can charge as fast as 80W. Throw in laptops that suck back more than 100W, and it's plain to see that we demand a lot more from power banks than we used to. Sharge has recently launched the Shargeek 170, a fun and stylish power bank that can output up to 170W. Is this the ultimate power bank?

XTAR is a company that deals in USB rechargeable batteries among other things. In this case they asked if I was interested in reviewing their 4150mwh AA batteries and giving them a review. I agreed, but as these reviews take time, this is a running review of how they work for me.

TL;DR – running review last update August 5, 2024

In the past I had three USB rechargeable brands in a row that were, to put it nicely, not what was advertised. Each was filled to the brim with 5 star reviews talking about how much people were going to save but never any follow ups other than that they stopped working a couple of months in.

But, I tried USB rechargeable back in the early days, and also some relatively early consumer rechargeables, and my experiences were the same – worked for a couple of months and then I had spent $20 before they broke to replace $5 worth of standard batteries.

My experience with one USB rechargable battery manufacturer also showed me that attempting to get any after sale service (for 4 out of 8 batteries) was not worth it.

XTAR contacted me and asked if I wanted to try their 4150mwh USB rechargeable batteries and I figured why not? I’d love to see if rechargeable batteries have reached a point where they actually will pay for themselves, power my devices properly, and last as long as a normal.

What was in the box (August 5, 2024)

I received one XTAR Wall Adapter which is a Qualcomm 3.0 USB wall charger, 4xAA batteries and a charging dock for them.

While I don’t think you require the USB wall adapter, you do apparently require a USB output higher than my standing desk was providing and unfortunately I don’t have the specs on it handy at the moment. Batteries appeared to be charging and then the unit would shut off. Plugged it into the charger they sent and it seemed fine.

I believe the batteries were sent in a nearly charged state as charging did not take long. Only thing to really note here is that the indicators for charging (red) or charged (green) are difficult to discern at an angle.

Now to put them in things and see how they work…

On of my biggest gripes with rechargeables is that the ones I’ve had last about a week and are dead, so here goes… 2 in my utility flashlight, 2 in a kid’s toy. Flashlight light appears as bright as using my Amazon Basics AA batteries.

Availability

They can be found on Amazon for about $30, or roughly the cost of 68 AA Amazon Basics batteries. This means they need to survive 17 full cycles to break even.

Trying AA rechargeable batteries again (XTAR running review) by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

The Invoxia GPS Tracker pro is a small rechargeable tracker that works up to three months between charges over cell towers to pinpoint an item’s location. In the event of loss or theft of a vehicle that is being tracked they’ve included a scannable data sheet that an authority can scan and have details of the vehicle currently being tracked.

The connection to the cellular network is a subscription, so there is an ongoing cost but unlike a Bluetooth tracker this will work and report in whether there are iPhones or Androids nearby. The location update frequency can be cranked up to every 30 seconds in the event the object being tracked is actively moving, or the GPS can phone in any time it detects it’s being moved and you’ll have a device that lasts several months on a charge.

Alternately you can simply attach it to a USB in your trunk, or off of your motorcycle battery (some equipment required) and never think about power again.

While there is an around $9 a month charge for the LTE connectivity, the question becomes how much is what you’re tracking worth? Bluetooth trackers work on the kindness of nearby phone strangers, and simply getting a stolen vehicle off the beaten path can defeat them. With an LTE tracker you have to go a bit further and locate an area with no cell towers, or have a quite detectable and illegal cell phone jammer.

The base GPS Tracker Pro is $99 and the monthly service is $8.95 a month or $6.25 a month prepaid/long term (according to Amazon product description)

There’s a proximity radar in the app for when you’re in Bluetooth range to make the unit beep and find it so if you’re close it can get you closer.

You can configure alerts for movement, which I believe would be extremely useful if you’ve got this in a motorcycle and are not on said motorcycle. I will never forget informing a new rider that if you park a bike outside overnight the bike faeries come and escort the bike away. The only issue with the Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro is it’s large enough to be easily spotted in a bike’s trunk.

Nitpicking the Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro

The first thing that comes to mind with this is the theft report form – this is something that’s mailed to a police officer most likely and allows the officer to see via QR code where the tracker is currently reporting it is. Most notably missing useful information here is vehicle identification number, color, perhaps a picture of the vehicle, and contact information beyond name and email.

Thieves swap plates, but they’re probably not going to paint the vehicle and disguise the VIN

It’s a good start, but they need to talk to a police officer or someone who’s ever had their vehicle stolen.

The next thing in a similar vein is that the tracker is portable and you can swap it between vehicles or maybe just throw it in a bag for travel. I’d assume the ability to switch what you’re reporting stolen on the fly might be useful.

Next – it’s 2024, use USB-C already… the Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro has a Micro-USB connection. Come on man. A whole continent told Apple to get with the program due to cable waste already. No more Micro-USB.

There is no option to update more frequently when plugged in. This makes tracking a delivery driver less useful as they may make a stop, deliver an item, and be off before the tracker updates. If you’re paying the cell company charge for service, might as well utilize it when the device has an external power source.

And finally – for a brief time on the Invoxia website, this page in particular, there existed an article that I am told was for the wrong device. They have since removed this at my noticing, but it indicated you could send a help cry by pressing a button. Unfortunately the button is only for resetting the device, but it does seem that the software could be easily modified to report to the app when the tracker had rebooted as a backup emergency button.

Wrap-up

While I have done some nitpicking, overall this works well for a movable rechargeable tracker that stands alone. The app needs a little work, but it’s quite close to being everything I think it needs to be and I suspect they will keep working on it as long as people keep purchasing their products.

The Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro is available on Invoxia’s website and Amazon. The Amazon link is a tagged link, should you not want us to make a commission on sales just go to Amazon and search for it yourself.

GPS Tracker Pro

The Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro is a LTE-enabled tracker that does not rely on a network of strangers to locate your tracker, just a cell signal.

Product Brand: Invoxia

Product Currency: USD

Product Price: 69.95

Product In-Stock: InStock

Editor's Rating:
4

Pros

• LTE based
• In emergency mode can report location at 30 second intervals
• Rechargeable

Cons

• Cell service required
• Software needs some work

Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro – a small lightweight tracker that doesn’t rely on a network of strangers by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

Smart tags have always been popular, but that popularity has exploded since Apple released the AirTag in 2021. Since then, a plethora of new options have hit the market. Google unveiled and is rolling out its Find My Device network, which is making agonizingly slow progress outside the USA. Tile is still as viable as before, offering trackers in all shapes and sizes, and Samsung has the SmartTag. The original came out a few months before the Apple AirTag, but it was flawed. Can the SmartTag 2 deliver what the first should have?

Once you’ve set up your new iPhone, it’s time to make the most of it with the best iPhone accessories. It’s exciting to choose a new case or wireless charger, and personalize your smartphone with a cute PopSocket to really show off your style. There are probably a bunch of iPhone accessories you didn’t even know you needed, like a kickstand so you can watch YouTube or TikTok videos while getting ready in the morning, or an AirTag so you can use your new iPhone 15 Pro Max to keep track of all your belongings. With an extensive range of iPhone accessories to choose from, we’ve whittled down the best accessories that are worth investing in. If you’re not quite done accessorizing your Apple devices, you can also check out our recommendations for the best Apple Watch accessories.

Best iPhone accessories

The Invoxia GPS Tracker pro is a small rechargeable tracker that works up to three months between charges over cell towers to pinpoint an item’s location. In the event of loss or theft of a vehicle that is being tracked they’ve included a scannable data sheet that an authority can scan and have details of the vehicle currently being tracked.

The connection to the cellular network is a subscription, so there is an ongoing cost but unlike a Bluetooth tracker this will work and report in whether there are iPhones or Androids nearby. The location update frequency can be cranked up to every 30 seconds in the event the object being tracked is actively moving, or the GPS can phone in any time it detects it’s being moved and you’ll have a device that lasts several months on a charge.

Alternately you can simply attach it to a USB in your trunk, or off of your motorcycle battery (some equipment required) and never think about power again.

While there is an around $9 a month charge for the LTE connectivity, the question becomes how much is what you’re tracking worth? Bluetooth trackers work on the kindness of nearby phone strangers, and simply getting a stolen vehicle off the beaten path can defeat them. With an LTE tracker you have to go a bit further and locate an area with no cell towers, or have a quite detectable and illegal cell phone jammer.

The base GPS Tracker Pro is $99 and the monthly service is $8.95 a month or $6.25 a month prepaid/long term (according to Amazon product description)

There’s a proximity radar in the app for when you’re in Bluetooth range to make the unit beep and find it so if you’re close it can get you closer.

You can configure alerts for movement, which I believe would be extremely useful if you’ve got this in a motorcycle and are not on said motorcycle. I will never forget informing a new rider that if you park a bike outside overnight the bike faeries come and escort the bike away. The only issue with the Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro is it’s large enough to be easily spotted in a bike’s trunk.

Nitpicking the Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro

The first thing that comes to mind with this is the theft report form – this is something that’s mailed to a police officer most likely and allows the officer to see via QR code where the tracker is currently reporting it is. Most notably missing useful information here is vehicle identification number, color, perhaps a picture of the vehicle, and contact information beyond name and email.

Thieves swap plates, but they’re probably not going to paint the vehicle and disguise the VIN

It’s a good start, but they need to talk to a police officer or someone who’s ever had their vehicle stolen.

The next thing in a similar vein is that the tracker is portable and you can swap it between vehicles or maybe just throw it in a bag for travel. I’d assume the ability to switch what you’re reporting stolen on the fly might be useful.

Next – it’s 2024, use USB-C already… the Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro has a Micro-USB connection. Come on man. A whole continent told Apple to get with the program due to cable waste already. No more Micro-USB.

There is no option to update more frequently when plugged in. This makes tracking a delivery driver less useful as they may make a stop, deliver an item, and be off before the tracker updates. If you’re paying the cell company charge for service, might as well utilize it when the device has an external power source.

And finally – for a brief time on the Invoxia website, this page in particular, there existed an article that I am told was for the wrong device. They have since removed this at my noticing, but it indicated you could send a help cry by pressing a button. Unfortunately the button is only for resetting the device, but it does seem that the software could be easily modified to report to the app when the tracker had rebooted as a backup emergency button.

Wrap-up

While I have done some nitpicking, overall this works well for a movable rechargeable tracker that stands alone. The app needs a little work, but it’s quite close to being everything I think it needs to be and I suspect they will keep working on it as long as people keep purchasing their products.

The Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro is available on Invoxia’s website and Amazon. The Amazon link is a tagged link, should you not want us to make a commission on sales just go to Amazon and search for it yourself.

GPS Tracker Pro

The Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro is a LTE-enabled tracker that does not rely on a network of strangers to locate your tracker, just a cell signal.

Product Brand: Invoxia

Product Currency: USD

Product Price: 69.95

Product In-Stock: InStock

Editor's Rating:
4

Pros

• LTE based
• In emergency mode can report location at 30 second intervals
• Rechargeable

Cons

• Cell service required
• Software needs some work

Invoxia GPS Tracker Pro – a small lightweight tracker that doesn’t rely on a network of strangers by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

The OnePlus Open has quickly become a favorite in the foldable phone market, impressing users with its sleek design, powerful performance, and innovative software features. However, choosing the right screen protector for a foldable phone is inherently more complex than for a standard smartphone.

Google's 2023 midrange smartphone, the Pixel 7a, is a tempting choice for those chasing after the Pixel experience without breaking the bank. Boasting specs that come close to its flagship sibling, the Pixel 7, the 7a rightfully earns its place among the best budget Android phones you can get your hands on. But let's get real no matter how pocket-friendly this phone or its price tag might be, it still needs protection.

I’ve had the pleasure of playing with the 4K Argus 4 Pro color night vision camera for a few weeks at this point and it is hands down the best night vision I have ever seen, but besides that it’s everything I’ve wanted in a solar/battery camera for years.

Traditionally Wi-Fi/battery cameras I’ve so far tried, you’re tied into either a cloud service or local recording only. The Argus 4 Pro lets you use a NAS, SD card, FTP, and an Reolink Home Hub. I’ve currently got mine recording to SD and an FTP.

The unit connects via Wi-Fi 6 and can be powered by a solar panel and the battery or via USB-C power. I was using the solar panel until last week and it had no issues keeping the unit at 100% ever time I checked.

It’s got 180 degree video from two cameras stitched together extremely well (until your face is right on the camera and then you’ll see in video 3) and it just seems to work.

I should probably preface the videos below with there is no spotlight. That’s over light saturated front and center tree, two areas of light on the ground from other sources, but it’s dark when viewed.

I am re-mounting the camera in the front of my house as soon as I can figure out where to place the solar panel to try and catch some of the neighborhood weirdness, and I am taking requests for challenges against this camera which I will post here.

My Argus 4 Pro survived two rather major storms / getting blown off the shelter where I had placed it (without using mounting hardware) and a bird deciding it was a fine couch.

I’m not sure if the distance relays from the videos very well, but the house on the right in the middle of it is where my Wi-Fi is located and the Reolink Argus 4 Pro never seemed to have any issues being near the back of the yard.

Night coloring of faces is not perfect, but it’s so much better than any IR camera I’ve seen. And the ability to see people and things in other people’s yards without a spotlight being turned on is insane (also a reason I don’t have a lot of video to share, I need to point it elsewhere.)

There’s a launch day special going on at the moment where the camera and setup I received is $179 USD, which appears $20 off. My email says the base price is $239 so not entirely sure what’s going on there but it’s worth it at either price. The price is going to be whatever the link says.

You can grab the Reolink Argus 4 Pro at Reolink, Amazon, and wherever fine solar/battery color 4K night vision cameras are sold.

I didn’t catch anything interesting on video during testing, wish I could have caught a deer, burglar, or some such. I will be doing more testing with this as the camera is getting put into permanent rotation if it can handle the rigors of constantly being triggered out front.

Cut and paste Reolink 4 Pro press release follows

Reolink Announces Argus 4 Pro 

World’s 1st Day & Night Color Vision Home Security Camera

Reolink Argus 4 Pro sets a new standard in the industry with 180-degree blindspot-free images and all-day color vision in 4K UHD resolution.

Wilmington, Del., June 10th, 2024 –  Reolink, a renowned home security solution provider, is proud to unveil its newest addition to the Argus camera lineup: Argus 4 Pro. Engineered with proprietary cutting-edge technology and user-centric features, the Argus 4 Pro redefines home and business surveillance with its unmatched combination of 4K UHD 180° blindspot-free view and all-day color vision. The new Argus 4 Pro gives users extra peace of mind with a single wide panoramic view in vivid color that they can access remotely to keep an eye on their properties anytime, anywhere. 

The Argus 4 Pro sets a new standard with its dual 4mm lenses, achieving an expansive 180° ultra-wide-angle view in 4K UHD resolution. This Reolink innovation surpasses the industry norm by concentrating pixels more densely, ensuring the finest image clarity. Argus 4 Pro seamlessly integrates dual lenses to not only deliver a blindspot-free view but also to enhance detailed image capture, overcoming significant image distortion challenges associated with Dual-Image Stitching Technology. The advanced algorithms developed for the Argus 4 Pro minimize distortion and cover every possible unseen area, ensuring a seamless and clear panoramic view.

Reolink’s industry-leading ColorX technology ensures the camera catches the light as much as possible. In low light conditions, the Argus 4 Pro can shoot full-color images with no need for infrared lights or spotlights, delivering nighttime images bright and vivid as the daytime ones. The Argus 4 Pro transcends the limitations of traditional IR night cameras and results in saving 2W/h power consumption when the camera is in night vision mode. The embedded Reolink ColorX technology contributes to a 30% more battery life comparing with other IR 4K UHD resolution cameras at a night condition*. 

The Argus 4 Pro sets the pace with its incorporation of Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 technology, marking it as the first-ever battery-powered home security camera with the most smooth 4K streaming experience. This innovation leaps forward in wireless connection, ensuring that even amidst numerous devices, the camera data transfers with lightning speed, enabling real-time previews and swift recording downloads that are both smooth and highly detailed.

Privacy is paramount at Reolink, with robust security measures in place to safeguard users’ personal data. Reolink’s commitment to privacy means providing end-to-end encryption, customizable privacy settings, and diverse data storage options—all without any subscription fees. 

Key Features:

• 4K UHD 180° blindspot-free View
• All-day Color Vision
• 30% More Battery Life
• Wi-Fi 6 Ready, Smooth 4K Streaming
• Easy Installation Everywhere
• Enhanced Smart Detection with Accurate Alerts
• Diverse Local Storage (with support of 128GB SD card and Reolink Home Hub)
• Remote Access Anytime Anywhere
•  24-Hour Battery in Just 10 Mins of Charge

“The Argus 4 Pro represents the next evolution in smart home security,” said  Fabrice Klohoun, Marketing Manager at Reolink. “With its advanced features and robust privacy protections, it offers unmatched surveillance experience and peace of mind to our customers.”

It is now available for purchase on Reolink.com and Amazon. To learn more about the Reolink Argus 4 Pro and Reolink’s full range of smart home security solutions and services, visit Reolink.com.

 *Testing in specific lab conditions.

About Reolink

Reolink offers smart security solutions for homes and businesses, aiming for a seamless security experience with its wide range of products. Serving millions globally, it provides video surveillance and protection, standing out for its commitment to security technology innovation. Learn more about Reolink’s offerings at Reolink.com.

The Argus 4 Pro color night vision camera is here and it’s just great by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

So… there’s a camera you might want to look at if you’re in the market for an outdoor camera in the next few weeks and that’s the Reolink Argus 4.

It will be launching on the 10th of June, 2024, and is a 4K battery/solar powered 180 degree camera that claims color vision at night.

You can preorder it now and get $50 off when you reserve it, or wait until the 10th when I am allowed to say more.

You might gather I’ve had a chance to play with one of these and can’t speak about it. Gather your questions and if for some reason I was not able to speak about it, I would probably be able to speak about it once the 10th has passed. That is if I weren’t allowed to speak about it.

Pre-orders can be placed here.

Reolink Argus 4 Pro – color vision at night (preorders) by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

Android Auto is one of those things that just works and really makes the car ride home that much better. Not only can you transform any compatible head unit into something completely modern with access to a variety of different apps, you're also going to get a safer ride thanks to the wealth of technology built into the experience.

Gaming on the go in 2024 can take a myriad of forms. Whether you want to play PC games without a desktop computer, relive emulated GBA games, or play Nintendo exclusives, you can buy a handheld console built for that purpose. But these devices are rarely cheap, and it's reasonable to question why you should pay hundreds of dollars for a console when your phone has access to a staggering array of games via the Play Store and apps like Xbox Game Pass.

I’ve had the pleasure of playing with the 4K Argus 4 Pro color night vision camera for a few weeks at this point and it is hands down the best night vision I have ever seen, but besides that it’s everything I’ve wanted in a solar/battery camera for years.

Traditionally Wi-Fi/battery cameras I’ve so far tried, you’re tied into either a cloud service or local recording only. The Argus 4 Pro lets you use a NAS, SD card, FTP, and an Reolink Home Hub. I’ve currently got mine recording to SD and an FTP.

The unit connects via Wi-Fi 6 and can be powered by a solar panel and the battery or via USB-C power. I was using the solar panel until last week and it had no issues keeping the unit at 100% ever time I checked.

It’s got 180 degree video from two cameras stitched together extremely well (until your face is right on the camera and then you’ll see in video 3) and it just seems to work.

I should probably preface the videos below with there is no spotlight. That’s over light saturated front and center tree, two areas of light on the ground from other sources, but it’s dark when viewed.

I am re-mounting the camera in the front of my house as soon as I can figure out where to place the solar panel to try and catch some of the neighborhood weirdness, and I am taking requests for challenges against this camera which I will post here.

My Argus 4 Pro survived two rather major storms / getting blown off the shelter where I had placed it (without using mounting hardware) and a bird deciding it was a fine couch.

I’m not sure if the distance relays from the videos very well, but the house on the right in the middle of it is where my Wi-Fi is located and the Reolink Argus 4 Pro never seemed to have any issues being near the back of the yard.

Night coloring of faces is not perfect, but it’s so much better than any IR camera I’ve seen. And the ability to see people and things in other people’s yards without a spotlight being turned on is insane (also a reason I don’t have a lot of video to share, I need to point it elsewhere.)

There’s a launch day special going on at the moment where the camera and setup I received is $179 USD, which appears $20 off. My email says the base price is $239 so not entirely sure what’s going on there but it’s worth it at either price. The price is going to be whatever the link says.

You can grab the Reolink Argus 4 Pro at Reolink, Amazon, and wherever fine solar/battery color 4K night vision cameras are sold.

I didn’t catch anything interesting on video during testing, wish I could have caught a deer, burglar, or some such. I will be doing more testing with this as the camera is getting put into permanent rotation if it can handle the rigors of constantly being triggered out front.

Cut and paste Reolink 4 Pro press release follows

Reolink Announces Argus 4 Pro 

World’s 1st Day & Night Color Vision Home Security Camera

Reolink Argus 4 Pro sets a new standard in the industry with 180-degree blindspot-free images and all-day color vision in 4K UHD resolution.

Wilmington, Del., June 10th, 2024 –  Reolink, a renowned home security solution provider, is proud to unveil its newest addition to the Argus camera lineup: Argus 4 Pro. Engineered with proprietary cutting-edge technology and user-centric features, the Argus 4 Pro redefines home and business surveillance with its unmatched combination of 4K UHD 180° blindspot-free view and all-day color vision. The new Argus 4 Pro gives users extra peace of mind with a single wide panoramic view in vivid color that they can access remotely to keep an eye on their properties anytime, anywhere. 

The Argus 4 Pro sets a new standard with its dual 4mm lenses, achieving an expansive 180° ultra-wide-angle view in 4K UHD resolution. This Reolink innovation surpasses the industry norm by concentrating pixels more densely, ensuring the finest image clarity. Argus 4 Pro seamlessly integrates dual lenses to not only deliver a blindspot-free view but also to enhance detailed image capture, overcoming significant image distortion challenges associated with Dual-Image Stitching Technology. The advanced algorithms developed for the Argus 4 Pro minimize distortion and cover every possible unseen area, ensuring a seamless and clear panoramic view.

Reolink’s industry-leading ColorX technology ensures the camera catches the light as much as possible. In low light conditions, the Argus 4 Pro can shoot full-color images with no need for infrared lights or spotlights, delivering nighttime images bright and vivid as the daytime ones. The Argus 4 Pro transcends the limitations of traditional IR night cameras and results in saving 2W/h power consumption when the camera is in night vision mode. The embedded Reolink ColorX technology contributes to a 30% more battery life comparing with other IR 4K UHD resolution cameras at a night condition*. 

The Argus 4 Pro sets the pace with its incorporation of Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 technology, marking it as the first-ever battery-powered home security camera with the most smooth 4K streaming experience. This innovation leaps forward in wireless connection, ensuring that even amidst numerous devices, the camera data transfers with lightning speed, enabling real-time previews and swift recording downloads that are both smooth and highly detailed.

Privacy is paramount at Reolink, with robust security measures in place to safeguard users’ personal data. Reolink’s commitment to privacy means providing end-to-end encryption, customizable privacy settings, and diverse data storage options—all without any subscription fees. 

Key Features:

• 4K UHD 180° blindspot-free View
• All-day Color Vision
• 30% More Battery Life
• Wi-Fi 6 Ready, Smooth 4K Streaming
• Easy Installation Everywhere
• Enhanced Smart Detection with Accurate Alerts
• Diverse Local Storage (with support of 128GB SD card and Reolink Home Hub)
• Remote Access Anytime Anywhere
•  24-Hour Battery in Just 10 Mins of Charge

“The Argus 4 Pro represents the next evolution in smart home security,” said  Fabrice Klohoun, Marketing Manager at Reolink. “With its advanced features and robust privacy protections, it offers unmatched surveillance experience and peace of mind to our customers.”

It is now available for purchase on Reolink.com and Amazon. To learn more about the Reolink Argus 4 Pro and Reolink’s full range of smart home security solutions and services, visit Reolink.com.

 *Testing in specific lab conditions.

About Reolink

Reolink offers smart security solutions for homes and businesses, aiming for a seamless security experience with its wide range of products. Serving millions globally, it provides video surveillance and protection, standing out for its commitment to security technology innovation. Learn more about Reolink’s offerings at Reolink.com.

The Argus 4 Pro color night vision camera is here and it’s just great by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

So… there’s a camera you might want to look at if you’re in the market for an outdoor camera in the next few weeks and that’s the Reolink Argus 4.

It will be launching on the 10th of June, 2024, and is a 4K battery/solar powered 180 degree camera that claims color vision at night.

You can preorder it now and get $50 off when you reserve it, or wait until the 10th when I am allowed to say more.

You might gather I’ve had a chance to play with one of these and can’t speak about it. Gather your questions and if for some reason I was not able to speak about it, I would probably be able to speak about it once the 10th has passed. That is if I weren’t allowed to speak about it.

Pre-orders can be placed here.

Reolink Argus 4 Pro – color vision at night (preorders) by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

The Thinkware U3000 Dash Cam was delivered to me in October 2023 and has been in use for far too long without a review. Sorry about that Thinkware, some health things came up. The unit I was given is powered by an OBDII connector (or or alternate 12v power adapter,) and adds features my other dash cams didn’t have such as a parking mode that will trigger and record events when your car gets bumped, or someone walks in front of the camera.

As readers of Pocketables might recall I recently had some health issues, so the first interesting test the U3000 got was being installed and running for almost two months off my car battery without my car being started. It was still running fine when I started being able to drive again and I had no warnings or any indications that the battery was low at two months. I had expected that I would be jumping the car, but yeah, worked fine. This may be because the unit is timed to turn off after a couple of days however, just discovered that option after I wrote this.

The U3000 records up to 4K on a front camera, and at 2K on a rear camera (I did not get the version with the rear camera,) and records to a sufficiently fast SD card. From there video can be exported to an app, or you can pop the SD card out and read it on a computer.

The unit has pretty decent night vision, claims to have red light camera, tailgating, and lane departure warnings. However living in a state with only one county with red light cameras, and only having the front camera, I’m not sure how that works. My vehicle also has lane departure warnings so I have never enabled that.

I suspect the red light camera alert is one of the internet based features rather than a hardware feature, and that will require you to connect to your hotspot on your phone or vehicle, or just drive very very close to your house. There are a host of Thinkware Connected features, but on this unit you’ll be required to supply nonstop Wi-Fi for this unit at least.

I’ve found that I don’t miss the screens my other cameras had, I barely used them anyway but I do miss the rear camera just for completeness and wish I’d gotten that, but I get and review what I get and review.

Ooh, one neat thing it appears you can watch from a remote location if the unit is connected to the internet. I don’t have the ability to safely do this but could be neat if you’re managing a fleet or want to know how your kid is driving.

U3000 nitpicking

As with all dashcam apps I’ve reviewed, I really don’t like it. At least not the Android implementation. It’s not terrible, but there are things about it that really are annoying and incomplete feeling.

We’ll start with the videos. You want a video off the the camera you transfer it to your phone. Once it’s on your phone it’s in the app’s private data and if you want to do anything with it, such as upload it to YouTube to send to the police you have to open the app and move it to an album. Once it’s in an album Android can manage and do whatever you want with it.

I however see no practical use to hide the videos from the rest of the Android system. There should at least be an option for where to place them because if you download the videos, get out of your car and walk over to an officer, to get the video you need to launch the app and it needs to connect to the dashcam… if it can’t it will just hold you hostage until it times out attempting to connect which appears to be about 30-45 seconds. At that point you can now go into the app and view videos from there, choose to export them to an album, from a file viewer toss them to YouTube, and then send the officer a link as there seems to be no share option in the app. Far too complex a process after you’ve just witnessed an accident.

While the resolution is indeed 4K, in lower light some artifacting is a bit over the top when people are speeding past you as shown below.

In both of the above the overall picture looks fine, but you’re more than assured that while it’s 4K you’re not going to be getting that without artifacting and image loss. Pretty much standard on devices that aren’t taking 500+MB a minute for video recording, but a pain if you want to pick out a license plate. I really wish there were an “I want to record this at 2 gigabytes per minute” option so I could slap in a 128GB and have 60 minutes of video I could count the speckled berry bird crap on car windows at 500 feet, but no. This is the case for everything I’ve reviewed as a note.

Night video is pretty good, unfortunately all my night video has slid off of the card and I’ll have to record some more at some point.

My kids have complained repeatedly about their desire to turn the notification off about how many events have happened since the car was shut off as it annoys them. I don’t see an option to change that, but also it is not much of an annoyance to me.

During the 7 months I’ve been reviewing this (once again, sorry on that delay Thinkware, got a freaking tumor to blame,) really not a whole lot has happened. I’ve recorded a couple of crashes, used the video to report some people who need a talking to, and handed over the video once to police. Everything was recorded well enough to see what happened, although you might not be able to tell who was looking where.

It’s a really neat dashcam, and I never thought I would dig a device without a screen as much, but I do really appreciate it just being out of the way and recording. I never notice this while driving. I never am distracted by a light flashing on and off, and I am never worried that it looks like I have something worth breaking into my car to steal because it doesn’t look like much more than a dashcam.

I also wish there were some voice option where I could trigger it to mark something as important so I can go back and find it later. I’ve taken to just giving the camera a whack which will mark that video as an incident/potential crash.

And finally – I don’t know how to stress how much I absolutely hate glued on product. I just went through this with my last dash cam and although I didn’t have any of the issues with this one I had with that, it very much limits one moving the unit around if you’re not happy with placement or switching vehicles. While I’ve got it mounted in the center, I’d love to move it to the passenger side just to get it completely out of my line of sight. Ah well.

Instruction manual is also only online and can be found here.

Overall

While I only had the front camera kit, you can grab the full kit at Amazon and add features such as a rear camera, tailgater alarms, and added ability to capture a more complete scenario when someone speeds by you and then immediately wipes out. You can also grab it from a non-tagged link on the Thinkware Store.

Thinkware U3000 Dash Cam six and a half months review by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

Technology’s relentless march towards miniaturization has shrunk computers into pocket-sized powerhouses. This trend extends to wearables. Take the Apple Watch, for example. Despite its impressive ...

The post Can A Smart Ring Replace Your Smartwatch? appeared first on Gizchina.com.

Have a portable Anker charger gathering dust in your drawer? It might be time to dig it out and check the model number. The company ...

The post Anker recalls a popular power bank for potential fire risk appeared first on Gizchina.com.

Sometimes it can be difficult to manage the cable clutter that accumulates in your home or office, especially with the amount of devices that sometimes one has to balance during everyday life. But if you have a charging station with just the right variety of ports and power, chances are, the clutter chaos can be a lot easier to manage.

The Thinkware U3000 Dash Cam was delivered to me in October 2023 and has been in use for far too long without a review. Sorry about that Thinkware, some health things came up. The unit I was given is powered by an OBDII connector (or or alternate 12v power adapter,) and adds features my other dash cams didn’t have such as a parking mode that will trigger and record events when your car gets bumped, or someone walks in front of the camera.

As readers of Pocketables might recall I recently had some health issues, so the first interesting test the U3000 got was being installed and running for almost two months off my car battery without my car being started. It was still running fine when I started being able to drive again and I had no warnings or any indications that the battery was low at two months. I had expected that I would be jumping the car, but yeah, worked fine. This may be because the unit is timed to turn off after a couple of days however, just discovered that option after I wrote this.

The U3000 records up to 4K on a front camera, and at 2K on a rear camera (I did not get the version with the rear camera,) and records to a sufficiently fast SD card. From there video can be exported to an app, or you can pop the SD card out and read it on a computer.

The unit has pretty decent night vision, claims to have red light camera, tailgating, and lane departure warnings. However living in a state with only one county with red light cameras, and only having the front camera, I’m not sure how that works. My vehicle also has lane departure warnings so I have never enabled that.

I suspect the red light camera alert is one of the internet based features rather than a hardware feature, and that will require you to connect to your hotspot on your phone or vehicle, or just drive very very close to your house. There are a host of Thinkware Connected features, but on this unit you’ll be required to supply nonstop Wi-Fi for this unit at least.

I’ve found that I don’t miss the screens my other cameras had, I barely used them anyway but I do miss the rear camera just for completeness and wish I’d gotten that, but I get and review what I get and review.

Ooh, one neat thing it appears you can watch from a remote location if the unit is connected to the internet. I don’t have the ability to safely do this but could be neat if you’re managing a fleet or want to know how your kid is driving.

U3000 nitpicking

As with all dashcam apps I’ve reviewed, I really don’t like it. At least not the Android implementation. It’s not terrible, but there are things about it that really are annoying and incomplete feeling.

We’ll start with the videos. You want a video off the the camera you transfer it to your phone. Once it’s on your phone it’s in the app’s private data and if you want to do anything with it, such as upload it to YouTube to send to the police you have to open the app and move it to an album. Once it’s in an album Android can manage and do whatever you want with it.

I however see no practical use to hide the videos from the rest of the Android system. There should at least be an option for where to place them because if you download the videos, get out of your car and walk over to an officer, to get the video you need to launch the app and it needs to connect to the dashcam… if it can’t it will just hold you hostage until it times out attempting to connect which appears to be about 30-45 seconds. At that point you can now go into the app and view videos from there, choose to export them to an album, from a file viewer toss them to YouTube, and then send the officer a link as there seems to be no share option in the app. Far too complex a process after you’ve just witnessed an accident.

While the resolution is indeed 4K, in lower light some artifacting is a bit over the top when people are speeding past you as shown below.

In both of the above the overall picture looks fine, but you’re more than assured that while it’s 4K you’re not going to be getting that without artifacting and image loss. Pretty much standard on devices that aren’t taking 500+MB a minute for video recording, but a pain if you want to pick out a license plate. I really wish there were an “I want to record this at 2 gigabytes per minute” option so I could slap in a 128GB and have 60 minutes of video I could count the speckled berry bird crap on car windows at 500 feet, but no. This is the case for everything I’ve reviewed as a note.

Night video is pretty good, unfortunately all my night video has slid off of the card and I’ll have to record some more at some point.

My kids have complained repeatedly about their desire to turn the notification off about how many events have happened since the car was shut off as it annoys them. I don’t see an option to change that, but also it is not much of an annoyance to me.

During the 7 months I’ve been reviewing this (once again, sorry on that delay Thinkware, got a freaking tumor to blame,) really not a whole lot has happened. I’ve recorded a couple of crashes, used the video to report some people who need a talking to, and handed over the video once to police. Everything was recorded well enough to see what happened, although you might not be able to tell who was looking where.

It’s a really neat dashcam, and I never thought I would dig a device without a screen as much, but I do really appreciate it just being out of the way and recording. I never notice this while driving. I never am distracted by a light flashing on and off, and I am never worried that it looks like I have something worth breaking into my car to steal because it doesn’t look like much more than a dashcam.

I also wish there were some voice option where I could trigger it to mark something as important so I can go back and find it later. I’ve taken to just giving the camera a whack which will mark that video as an incident/potential crash.

And finally – I don’t know how to stress how much I absolutely hate glued on product. I just went through this with my last dash cam and although I didn’t have any of the issues with this one I had with that, it very much limits one moving the unit around if you’re not happy with placement or switching vehicles. While I’ve got it mounted in the center, I’d love to move it to the passenger side just to get it completely out of my line of sight. Ah well.

Instruction manual is also only online and can be found here.

Overall

While I only had the front camera kit, you can grab the full kit at Amazon and add features such as a rear camera, tailgater alarms, and added ability to capture a more complete scenario when someone speeds by you and then immediately wipes out. You can also grab it from a non-tagged link on the Thinkware Store.

Thinkware U3000 Dash Cam six and a half months review by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

Thought I’d lay down what happened with two of my fiber modems this past year. They were the old style that looked like these BGW210s, although I can’t say for sure if that was what they were as both were removed by AT&T.

The first was at my house, and the issue was it straight up refused to factory reset and was being a butthole. Yes, that’s the correct terminology, being a butthole. I’ve been in IT since the 90’s and that’s right there in the manual. Butthole. “Do not subscribe to the equipment’s butthole.” It refused to play nice on Wi-Fi (acted slower than Glitch getting the second episode of the Amazing Digital Circus out,) and would slow down to a crawl for no apparent reason.

We managed to troubleshoot it on the phone to somewhat working level, but it was being really funky when attempting to do anything with the Wi-Fi (like being so slow you couldn’t load the admin page,) so it got swapped out for a beige abomination which has so far given me no trouble.

The second, which was also a black tower from 2018 if I remember correctly, started figuring out when I would leave my workplace and slow to a crawl. This was after the Nashville Electric Service had power off to our building for several hours and nobody informed me because they didn’t want to bother me post hospital. As such rather than me dancing around and shutting things off like a graceful little IT fairy, power was yoinked from the AT&T equipment (they said no UPSes. Not me,) and my guess is this is when the black fiber modem at work was injured.

It came back as something different, darkly disturbed and exceedingly annoying. Every day around 5:20am and 2:40pm the unit would slow down. Nothing too epic at first but connections would drop, lookups would fail, if you could connect to a speed test you were getting great results but quite often you would connect and be informed by the webpage you just loaded that there was no internet connection. I was usually driving to get my kid when the slew of calls would come in. “The fiber calls for you Paul… it beckons” and I’d have to pick my kid up and by the time I got back to work it was completely fine again.

The AT&T app said it was broken, but not much more beyond that. A tech was dispatched, we discussed what I was seeing, he said the old black thing was old and to swap it out with the new 1990’s beige thing, which looks exactly like the one I’ve got at my house. Swap completed I once again proceeded without any issues.

So if you’ve got an old black fiber wireless gateway from many a moon ago… I think it’s their dying time. They were released in 2016, have lived a long life, it’s time to put them out to pasture if things are getting strange and you have stripped away all other possibilities…

Sorry Ol’ Yeller… that’s what I named mine due to the yellow cable…

<bang>

Why… why are you getting back up? <bang>

No… this can’t be! <bang>

Stop! <bang> <bang> <bang> <bang> <bang> <click> ayeeeeiiii!

Had two issues with old AT&T fiber modems this year by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

If you’re still mixing your older Apple devices with the rest of the electronics world then you’ll find you need a USB-C to Lightning cable soon enough. Fortunately, Anker’s already affordable PowerLine III Flow is on sale right now at Best Buy, with a 40% clearance discount dropping it to just $17.99.

Anker 6ft PowerLine III Flow USB-C to Lightning Cable for $17.99 ($12 off)

Realme Buds Air6 are joining the company’s growing portfolio of accessories. The wireless earbuds have launched in China and are currently available at CNY 269, ...

The post Realme Buds Air6 Launch As Affordable Wireless Earbuds With Large Driver and Strong ANC appeared first on Gizchina.com.

Ive always been addicted to mechanical keyboards. There is something about a solid feeling deck that helps manifest the words onto the page, but Ive never felt the need to tinker with them. Whatever I received out of the box, I lived with, even if it meant settling for options or switches I wasnt in love with - until now.

The Tile Pro and the Chipolo One are two of the most popular smart tags that are platform-agnostic, which means they are compatible with Android and iOS devices. The two can achieve this by relying on their own tag networks to locate your belongings rather than leveraging Apples Find My or Googles Find My Device networks. You will find a lot of other similarities between the two smart trackers. However, which of the two is most beneficial? Lets find out.

The Galaxy S24 series is doing well for Samsung, and that's no surprise. While each model is an iterative upgrade over the S23 series from last year, all three phones in the series are excellent. They weren't created equal, though. The S24 Ultra switched to Gorilla Armor for its display, eliminating 75% of reflections compared to the Victus 2 used by the S24 and S24+. The anti-reflective glass is one of our favorite parts of the S24 Ultra, and you can replicate most of that experience on the S24 and S24+ for just $30.

Google TV offers the best possible Android-based TV experience, and it is mostly available on Smart TVs or TV boxes. Well, Homatics Pocket TV wants to bring a ...

The post Homatics Pocket TV brings Google TV on RayNeo XR Glasses appeared first on Gizchina.com.

The Thinkware U3000 Dash Cam was delivered to me in October 2023 and has been in use for far too long without a review. Sorry about that Thinkware, some health things came up. The unit I was given is powered by an OBDII connector (or or alternate 12v power adapter,) and adds features my other dash cams didn’t have such as a parking mode that will trigger and record events when your car gets bumped, or someone walks in front of the camera.

As readers of Pocketables might recall I recently had some health issues, so the first interesting test the U3000 got was being installed and running for almost two months off my car battery without my car being started. It was still running fine when I started being able to drive again and I had no warnings or any indications that the battery was low at two months. I had expected that I would be jumping the car, but yeah, worked fine. This may be because the unit is timed to turn off after a couple of days however, just discovered that option after I wrote this.

The U3000 records up to 4K on a front camera, and at 2K on a rear camera (I did not get the version with the rear camera,) and records to a sufficiently fast SD card. From there video can be exported to an app, or you can pop the SD card out and read it on a computer.

The unit has pretty decent night vision, claims to have red light camera, tailgating, and lane departure warnings. However living in a state with only one county with red light cameras, and only having the front camera, I’m not sure how that works. My vehicle also has lane departure warnings so I have never enabled that.

I suspect the red light camera alert is one of the internet based features rather than a hardware feature, and that will require you to connect to your hotspot on your phone or vehicle, or just drive very very close to your house. There are a host of Thinkware Connected features, but on this unit you’ll be required to supply nonstop Wi-Fi for this unit at least.

I’ve found that I don’t miss the screens my other cameras had, I barely used them anyway but I do miss the rear camera just for completeness and wish I’d gotten that, but I get and review what I get and review.

Ooh, one neat thing it appears you can watch from a remote location if the unit is connected to the internet. I don’t have the ability to safely do this but could be neat if you’re managing a fleet or want to know how your kid is driving.

U3000 nitpicking

As with all dashcam apps I’ve reviewed, I really don’t like it. At least not the Android implementation. It’s not terrible, but there are things about it that really are annoying and incomplete feeling.

We’ll start with the videos. You want a video off the the camera you transfer it to your phone. Once it’s on your phone it’s in the app’s private data and if you want to do anything with it, such as upload it to YouTube to send to the police you have to open the app and move it to an album. Once it’s in an album Android can manage and do whatever you want with it.

I however see no practical use to hide the videos from the rest of the Android system. There should at least be an option for where to place them because if you download the videos, get out of your car and walk over to an officer, to get the video you need to launch the app and it needs to connect to the dashcam… if it can’t it will just hold you hostage until it times out attempting to connect which appears to be about 30-45 seconds. At that point you can now go into the app and view videos from there, choose to export them to an album, from a file viewer toss them to YouTube, and then send the officer a link as there seems to be no share option in the app. Far too complex a process after you’ve just witnessed an accident.

While the resolution is indeed 4K, in lower light some artifacting is a bit over the top when people are speeding past you as shown below.

In both of the above the overall picture looks fine, but you’re more than assured that while it’s 4K you’re not going to be getting that without artifacting and image loss. Pretty much standard on devices that aren’t taking 500+MB a minute for video recording, but a pain if you want to pick out a license plate. I really wish there were an “I want to record this at 2 gigabytes per minute” option so I could slap in a 128GB and have 60 minutes of video I could count the speckled berry bird crap on car windows at 500 feet, but no. This is the case for everything I’ve reviewed as a note.

Night video is pretty good, unfortunately all my night video has slid off of the card and I’ll have to record some more at some point.

My kids have complained repeatedly about their desire to turn the notification off about how many events have happened since the car was shut off as it annoys them. I don’t see an option to change that, but also it is not much of an annoyance to me.

During the 7 months I’ve been reviewing this (once again, sorry on that delay Thinkware, got a freaking tumor to blame,) really not a whole lot has happened. I’ve recorded a couple of crashes, used the video to report some people who need a talking to, and handed over the video once to police. Everything was recorded well enough to see what happened, although you might not be able to tell who was looking where.

It’s a really neat dashcam, and I never thought I would dig a device without a screen as much, but I do really appreciate it just being out of the way and recording. I never notice this while driving. I never am distracted by a light flashing on and off, and I am never worried that it looks like I have something worth breaking into my car to steal because it doesn’t look like much more than a dashcam.

I also wish there were some voice option where I could trigger it to mark something as important so I can go back and find it later. I’ve taken to just giving the camera a whack which will mark that video as an incident/potential crash.

And finally – I don’t know how to stress how much I absolutely hate glued on product. I just went through this with my last dash cam and although I didn’t have any of the issues with this one I had with that, it very much limits one moving the unit around if you’re not happy with placement or switching vehicles. While I’ve got it mounted in the center, I’d love to move it to the passenger side just to get it completely out of my line of sight. Ah well.

Instruction manual is also only online and can be found here.

Overall

While I only had the front camera kit, you can grab the full kit at Amazon and add features such as a rear camera, tailgater alarms, and added ability to capture a more complete scenario when someone speeds by you and then immediately wipes out. You can also grab it from a non-tagged link on the Thinkware Store.

Thinkware U3000 Dash Cam six and a half months review by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

Thought I’d lay down what happened with two of my fiber modems this past year. They were the old style that looked like these BGW210s, although I can’t say for sure if that was what they were as both were removed by AT&T.

The first was at my house, and the issue was it straight up refused to factory reset and was being a butthole. Yes, that’s the correct terminology, being a butthole. I’ve been in IT since the 90’s and that’s right there in the manual. Butthole. “Do not subscribe to the equipment’s butthole.” It refused to play nice on Wi-Fi (acted slower than Glitch getting the second episode of the Amazing Digital Circus out,) and would slow down to a crawl for no apparent reason.

We managed to troubleshoot it on the phone to somewhat working level, but it was being really funky when attempting to do anything with the Wi-Fi (like being so slow you couldn’t load the admin page,) so it got swapped out for a beige abomination which has so far given me no trouble.

The second, which was also a black tower from 2018 if I remember correctly, started figuring out when I would leave my workplace and slow to a crawl. This was after the Nashville Electric Service had power off to our building for several hours and nobody informed me because they didn’t want to bother me post hospital. As such rather than me dancing around and shutting things off like a graceful little IT fairy, power was yoinked from the AT&T equipment (they said no UPSes. Not me,) and my guess is this is when the black fiber modem at work was injured.

It came back as something different, darkly disturbed and exceedingly annoying. Every day around 5:20am and 2:40pm the unit would slow down. Nothing too epic at first but connections would drop, lookups would fail, if you could connect to a speed test you were getting great results but quite often you would connect and be informed by the webpage you just loaded that there was no internet connection. I was usually driving to get my kid when the slew of calls would come in. “The fiber calls for you Paul… it beckons” and I’d have to pick my kid up and by the time I got back to work it was completely fine again.

The AT&T app said it was broken, but not much more beyond that. A tech was dispatched, we discussed what I was seeing, he said the old black thing was old and to swap it out with the new 1990’s beige thing, which looks exactly like the one I’ve got at my house. Swap completed I once again proceeded without any issues.

So if you’ve got an old black fiber wireless gateway from many a moon ago… I think it’s their dying time. They were released in 2016, have lived a long life, it’s time to put them out to pasture if things are getting strange and you have stripped away all other possibilities…

Sorry Ol’ Yeller… that’s what I named mine due to the yellow cable…

<bang>

Why… why are you getting back up? <bang>

No… this can’t be! <bang>

Stop! <bang> <bang> <bang> <bang> <bang> <click> ayeeeeiiii!

Had two issues with old AT&T fiber modems this year by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

This will be a running review of the NARWAL Freo X Plus until it’s complete at which point this line won’t be here. I will update it as anything new occurs.

TL;DR – running review, good hardware, software needs work.

The NARWAL Freo X Plus is a sub $400 vacuum with a lift/drag mop and a 7-week onboard storage dust bin that can be either reused or tossed (separate bins included) and on paper it’s on par with my current favorite vacuum minus Google Home/Assistant support and a vibrating mop. This hasn’t replaced Rhonda, people who managed to turn these reviews around in under a month of use concern me for their attention to detail as I’m planning to run this like I run a long haired dog grooming shop.

The Freo X Plus features a tangle-free brush, 7800Pa suction, Tri-laser navigation and obstacle avoidance, LiDAR SLAM 4.0, and claims it will not be bumping into things. It also does mopping and vacuuming in one pass with a slightly retractable mop.

Narwal Freo X Plus specs

NARWAL Freo X Plus unboxing and initial impressions

Due to a microphone issue the unboxing video I shot is going to be edited to be a silent film reminiscent of the 1920s inspired by the film Hundreds of Beavers and will be coming later. This was like every puck vacuum I’ve ever opened with the exception of the two disposable dust bins they include. The disposable bin’s bag, and the bags that surround items to protect them are the same thickness and I almost ripped through one as I thought it was stuck on a filter. Don’t rip anything. It’s not required.

There’s a nice thick manual you’ll never use, and pulling off the foam protector and two taped on shipping tabs you’re ready to go. My Freo X Pro was not initially. I could not get it to power on until after I plugged it into the dock. This may be in the instruction manual. I will look and edit this if it is, but it is something to note that I needed to put it on a charger the first time.

Registration requires an email address and that appeared to be it. A code is emailed, it shows up a minute or two later, enter that and you’re ready to go. The software warned me it only worked in 2.4ghz mode, but worked fine on my AP that handles both.

I was informed my firmware needed updated and then informed that the update failed almost instantly. A few attempts get it to download and update, but the app never registered that the vacuum had updated and I eventually exited the app and came back in.

I chose a room at my work that in theory was vacuumed recently but people keep going in there to scream (no, I really have no idea why.) Figured it would be a good first test. as the room looked fairly clean with one little piece of paper no bigger than a pinky fingernail sitting near a corner.

Now, the software looks a whole lot like the software I’ve used on Roborock so there’s a chance I just blew through something important but after a nice and short room mapping session I thought I was ready to go. I chose vacuum and mop, as I expected that maybe it would pick up the plastic chair protectors on the floor as a mopable surface, and said go.

The very first thing the NARWAL Freo X Plus did was make a quick hard turn, grab the power cord, and proceed to spend about a minute and a half fighting, knocking the base around, and completely destroying the setup. It finally escaped and I repositioned the station directly underneath the power outlet and hung the cable up carefully so it could not do that again.

I wandered out, came back a few minutes later and it had docked and I got that the cleaning was complete. The little piece of paper was still where it laid.

I started the unit up again to clean, it came out about two feet, turned, went to the wall, turned, came back, turned and went to the docking station telling me it was done. I tried pressing the button up top, same results. I told it to mop only. Same results. Told it to vacuum only. Same results.

I decided to delete the map and try again. After my second quick mapping, on the first run I decided to stay for the entire thing. It drove to three locations in the room, turned around at each, and went directly back to the base unit.

I went to edit the map and evidently everything it had mapped was listed as don’t vacuum/mop. Changing this to ignore resulted in the vacuum actually working although it does concern me why it would discover and then default to don’t clean here.

I ran the unit again, the piece of paper on the ground was removed, and things looked pretty good. It vacuumed up a fair amount of dirt, about what I would expect our cleaner’s vacuum to have left. It also vacuumed up a spider that is alive and I can now never touch the thing again.

I decided to run the unit again and choose extreme power… whoo hoo. a while later (24 minutes if I remember correctly,) I got the notification that it was done and successful. I opened the app and noticed the puck indicating the vacuum was not at the base station. I went into the office and yeah, it stopped. No reason given. No error message saying something prevented it from returning to the dock. Just stopped. Appears to have done a good job, but it stopped. Worked once, then done. Screw it boss I’m taking a nap right here.

I have attempted to wipe and restart and there is no evident option to do this from the software.

Evidently I chose vacuum and mop assuming it would not mop my carpet. With however my map is set up however that was not the case. Maybe the carpet sensors are not detecting my carpet as carpet. I have now manually set it to carpet.

Thus far

Keeping in mind this review isn’t done

• Software needs some work
• Vacuum is fairly quiet compared to other less powerful vacuums
• Doesn’t detect plastic floor coverings as a different surface – no mopping for them
• Obstacle avoidance doesn’t appear to avoid low hanging wires
• You have to remove the entire top to access dust and water containers. Attempting to access water container knocks it out of the charging dock.
• Chairs, tables, etc do not appear to be recognized. They are avoided but this makes defining no go zones a bit difficult.
• 3D view doesn’t show cleaning progress, no detected furniture or obstacles listed (maybe after more than 5 runs?)
• No hair tangled on brush, but too early to go “whoo hoo!”
• No recall / return to home from the app? (button works)

Wrapping up for the moment

I can not manufacture time and enough dirt and hair to complete the testing this needs at this point but at the moment I speculate that a software and firmware update are going to make this an extremely good little vacuum, but at the moment due to the experience the NARWAL Freo X Plus is a bit frustrating and I consider just ok. We’ll see tomorrow when I throw it in a room it needs to mop and vacuum.

Early May

The Freo X is slightly better than any other vacuum I’ve encountered at being able to pull USB cables out of it while it’s running, but unfortunately it still will run over easy to spot obstacles which considering it doesn’t have a camera I guess is to be expected.

I notice it occasionally bumps into what I’d call the chair leg category. It’s great at avoiding chair feet, but if you have a thin vertical thing it will often whack into it. It seems to do very good at not whacking into walls, desks, desk chairs, but put a cast iron patio chair there and it can’t see the legs.

There doesn’t appear to be a consistent option for “just figure out and clean this room.” Most vacuums I’ve run across have a smart clean, but this when I pressed the power in another room worked once and then demanded it be returned to the base. Nothing would get it to try and work in another room.

The vacuum so far (11 runs two rooms) appears to work well. It does corners better than anything I’ve noticed, picks up dirt a stand up vacuum missed. It’s better than anything I’ve reviewed in the price range by far, but not as good as some of the higher priced units I’ve run across.

Needs a major software update on Android and a re-working of how things are done… since it appears to be the same software others are using, copy their workflow. Just clean the room you’re in if I press the power button. Gimme a “map new room” option without having to go through multiple menus.

I point out the flaws because it could be the best and so far a software update I think could make it the best and on par with robot vacs twice the price.

Where’s the NARWAL Freo X Plus available?

You can grab a NARWAL Freo X Plus on Narwal’s website or on Amazon.

NARWAL Freo X Plus running review by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

Robosen Robotics Teams Up with Hasbro to Debut the World’s First Auto-Converting Decepticon – Megatron!

By Combining Robosen’s Industry Leading Robotic Expertise and Proprietary Servo Motor Technology, Along with One of the Most Beloved Franchises, Megatron Ushers in Next-Gen Robotics Which Will Provide Fans Hours of Endless Entertainment in an Immersive App & Voiced Activated Experience

(Los Angeles, CA and Shenzhen, China)—April 25, 2024—Robosen Robotics Innovation, Inc – a leading innovator in the field of consumer entertainment robotics, today announced during a Hasbro Pulse Fan Stream, the World’s First Auto-Converting Decepticon leader – Megatron! Joining the growing line of TRANSFORMERS robots created by Robosen and licensed by leading toy and game company Hasbro, the Flagship Megatron enters the battle against the Autobots with Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Grimlock already available and on the market for order. The Flagship Megatron, first Decepticon collectible in the range, is now available for pre-order at Robosen.com and will retail on pre-sale for $899 USD for a 30-day window before moving to its standard price of $1,199.

After over 3 years of rigorous R&D, the talented team at Robosen has successfully produced a new, awe-inspiring conversion process with Megatron changing from robot to tank instantly, via app or voice!  Coupled with a comprehensive set of functions, including automatic convertible movements from tank to robot, a new and more fluid bipedal walking algorithm, integration of 112 ultra-bright LEDs, an arsenal of incredible included weapons, and a brilliant silver-metallic finish that embodies the true essence of the ominous leader. The Flagship Megatron is poised to dominate any Autobot that stands in his way at a staggering 21” tall and is equipped with 36 servo motors along with 118 microchips powering it from the inside.

Robosen continues to develop a truly interactive experience for the millions of TRANSFORMERS fans worldwide, with its ever growing cast of TRANSFORMERS robots, which can now stage engaging scenes through Mini-Theater (a feature within the app), bringing these beloved characters to life right before your eyes!  With all this astonishing technology and capabilities built into the Flagship Megatron, Robosen completes the savage leader in the most authentic way possible – building in the treasured talents of Frank Welker, the original voice of the 1984 G1 Megatron himself!  Going into the studio specifically for this launch, Frank Welker recorded over 270+ unique lines and beloved phrases, which allow users to experience Megatron like never before, and in the most genuine way.

“We have been eagerly waiting to launch the most incredible, high-end TRANSFORMERS robot available on the market,” said Hansen Su, Founder and CEO of Robosen. “Our engineers have brought Megatron to life! Through the 50 engaging actions built in – the original voice of Frank Welker – to the most amazing converting process we have been able to achieve. Megatron in either tank or robot mode will bring any fan pure joy when they see it for the first time!  It’s a beautiful product – we can’t wait for customers to get theirs!”

“Released in time for the TRANSFORMERS franchise’s 40th anniversary this year, the Flagship Megatron offers an exciting expansion to our existing line with Robosen as we introduce the first Decepticon to the mix. Now, fans can play out the battle between good and evil with stunning, state-of-the-art bots as we honor the franchise’s legacy and embark on the next four decades of action and adventure,” said Casey Collins, President, Licensed Consumer Products, Hasbro.

All Robosen products and collectibles are meticulously designed and crafted with state-of-the-art, high-grade metal alloy parts, combining a classic industrial design with the most cutting-edge robotic technology, while providing an ultimate entertaining experience filled with programming, and pure fun!

About Robosen

Robosen Robotics Innovation Inc (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd, is a leading innovator in the field of robotics, leading the way in digital drive technology, artificial joint driving algorithms, force feedback technology, artificial intelligence, and programming. For more information, please visit https://www.robosen.com

About Hasbro

Hasbro is a leading toy and game company whose mission is to entertain and connect generations of fans through the wonder of storytelling and exhilaration of play. Hasbro delivers play experiences for fans of all ages around the world, through toys, games, licensed consumer products, digital games and services, location-based entertainment, film, TV, and more. With a portfolio of over 1,800 iconic brands including MAGIC: THE GATHERING, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, Hasbro Gaming, NERF, TRANSFORMERS, PLAY-DOH and PEPPA PIG, as well as premier partner brands, Hasbro brings fans together wherever they are, from tabletop to screen.

Hasbro is guided by our Purpose to create joy and community for all people around the world, one game, one toy, one story at a time. For more than a decade, Hasbro has been consistently recognized for its corporate citizenship, including being named one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by 3BL Media, one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute and one of the 50 Most Community-Minded Companies in the U.S. by the Civic 50. For more information, visit https://corporate.hasbro.com or @Hasbro on LinkedIn.

© 2024 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

About TRANSFORMERS   

The TRANSFORMERS brand is a global powerhouse franchise with millions of fans around the world. Since 1984, the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons has come to life in movies, TV shows, comic books, innovative toys, and digital media, bringing incredible “MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE” experiences to fans of all ages. The brand’s enduring connection is made possible by its rich storytelling and characters: the heroic Autobots who seek to protect all life, and the evil Decepticons who seek to conquer the universe. The TRANSFORMERS brand is a Hasbro franchise.   

Looks like Megatron’s unleashed (just a press release) by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

The Narwal Freo X Plus is a new puck robo vac from Narwal that brings something new to the table: “Guaranteed 0% tangle rate with pet fur and long hair up to 16 inches.”

Right now I am in the process of testing and reviewing the Narwal Freo X Plus. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I don’t have a whole lot of hair or filthy floors to really give it a good short turnaround review (it was received last week). A real review is going to come later when it’s been used and exposed to a real environment. Consider this marketing for the review rather than an endorsement.

If like me most of your interactions with your robot vacuum involve taking a knife and removing hair from a large lump that used to be the brush, you’ll know what a difference this could make.

The Narwal Freo X Plus appears to be a more self-contained version of the Freo X Ultra with a minimalist docking station and slightly less suction, however having not reviewed that one I can’t go line by line comparing them.

7800pa suction tops the charts in terms of tiny but mighty suction, although as we’ve discussed previously that it’s airflow that counts more than suction power. Both really, but we’ll see.

It packs nearly two months of onboard dust and waste storage, a removable disposable storage bag, and claims to be able to avoid bumping into things utilizing multiple LiDAR systems to do so.

Like my beloved Rhonda, it has an intelligent lifting mop that will lift a third of an inch so that it doesn’t drag smelly mop water across your rug.

The software looks cool… at least in the previews. Reminds me a bit of the Xaomi/Roborock software and I wonder if they aren’t the same thing (this is how early I am in testing this).

Anyway, I will have a review when I have it tested. The Narwal Freo X Plus looks like a pet-lover’s dream, but so have many other vacuums I’ve tested before that made this claim. We’ll see how it fairs against two shorthaired cats and three longhaired humans.

There is / was an early bird discount using code NARWALNEW001. I am assuming this was on their website.

The Narwal Freo X Plus should be releasing on Amazon today, and also on Narwal’s website. I’m posting this after the embargo hour and neither link is showing in stock or orderable.

Reviews from Vine (Amazon’s free review program) tend to indicate it’s currently well loved, however these are first week reviews of free product and I highly doubt anyone can give this a thorough review until they’ve lived with it a bit.

Narwal Freo X Plus specs

Anyhow, I expect to have a rundown of how it fares against a whole lot of hair shortly.

Have started the running review of the unit here

Narwal Freo X Plus introduces a tangle free main brush in a small footprint vac by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

The Thinkware U3000 Dash Cam was delivered to me in October 2023 and has been in use for far too long without a review. Sorry about that Thinkware, some health things came up. The unit I was given is powered by an OBDII connector (or or alternate 12v power adapter,) and adds features my other dash cams didn’t have such as a parking mode that will trigger and record events when your car gets bumped, or someone walks in front of the camera.

As readers of Pocketables might recall I recently had some health issues, so the first interesting test the U3000 got was being installed and running for almost two months off my car battery without my car being started. It was still running fine when I started being able to drive again and I had no warnings or any indications that the battery was low at two months. I had expected that I would be jumping the car, but yeah, worked fine. This may be because the unit is timed to turn off after a couple of days however, just discovered that option after I wrote this.

The U3000 records up to 4K on a front camera, and at 2K on a rear camera (I did not get the version with the rear camera,) and records to a sufficiently fast SD card. From there video can be exported to an app, or you can pop the SD card out and read it on a computer.

The unit has pretty decent night vision, claims to have red light camera, tailgating, and lane departure warnings. However living in a state with only one county with red light cameras, and only having the front camera, I’m not sure how that works. My vehicle also has lane departure warnings so I have never enabled that.

I suspect the red light camera alert is one of the internet based features rather than a hardware feature, and that will require you to connect to your hotspot on your phone or vehicle, or just drive very very close to your house. There are a host of Thinkware Connected features, but on this unit you’ll be required to supply nonstop Wi-Fi for this unit at least.

I’ve found that I don’t miss the screens my other cameras had, I barely used them anyway but I do miss the rear camera just for completeness and wish I’d gotten that, but I get and review what I get and review.

Ooh, one neat thing it appears you can watch from a remote location if the unit is connected to the internet. I don’t have the ability to safely do this but could be neat if you’re managing a fleet or want to know how your kid is driving.

U3000 nitpicking

As with all dashcam apps I’ve reviewed, I really don’t like it. At least not the Android implementation. It’s not terrible, but there are things about it that really are annoying and incomplete feeling.

We’ll start with the videos. You want a video off the the camera you transfer it to your phone. Once it’s on your phone it’s in the app’s private data and if you want to do anything with it, such as upload it to YouTube to send to the police you have to open the app and move it to an album. Once it’s in an album Android can manage and do whatever you want with it.

I however see no practical use to hide the videos from the rest of the Android system. There should at least be an option for where to place them because if you download the videos, get out of your car and walk over to an officer, to get the video you need to launch the app and it needs to connect to the dashcam… if it can’t it will just hold you hostage until it times out attempting to connect which appears to be about 30-45 seconds. At that point you can now go into the app and view videos from there, choose to export them to an album, from a file viewer toss them to YouTube, and then send the officer a link as there seems to be no share option in the app. Far too complex a process after you’ve just witnessed an accident.

While the resolution is indeed 4K, in lower light some artifacting is a bit over the top when people are speeding past you as shown below.

In both of the above the overall picture looks fine, but you’re more than assured that while it’s 4K you’re not going to be getting that without artifacting and image loss. Pretty much standard on devices that aren’t taking 500+MB a minute for video recording, but a pain if you want to pick out a license plate. I really wish there were an “I want to record this at 2 gigabytes per minute” option so I could slap in a 128GB and have 60 minutes of video I could count the speckled berry bird crap on car windows at 500 feet, but no. This is the case for everything I’ve reviewed as a note.

Night video is pretty good, unfortunately all my night video has slid off of the card and I’ll have to record some more at some point.

My kids have complained repeatedly about their desire to turn the notification off about how many events have happened since the car was shut off as it annoys them. I don’t see an option to change that, but also it is not much of an annoyance to me.

During the 7 months I’ve been reviewing this (once again, sorry on that delay Thinkware, got a freaking tumor to blame,) really not a whole lot has happened. I’ve recorded a couple of crashes, used the video to report some people who need a talking to, and handed over the video once to police. Everything was recorded well enough to see what happened, although you might not be able to tell who was looking where.

It’s a really neat dashcam, and I never thought I would dig a device without a screen as much, but I do really appreciate it just being out of the way and recording. I never notice this while driving. I never am distracted by a light flashing on and off, and I am never worried that it looks like I have something worth breaking into my car to steal because it doesn’t look like much more than a dashcam.

I also wish there were some voice option where I could trigger it to mark something as important so I can go back and find it later. I’ve taken to just giving the camera a whack which will mark that video as an incident/potential crash.

And finally – I don’t know how to stress how much I absolutely hate glued on product. I just went through this with my last dash cam and although I didn’t have any of the issues with this one I had with that, it very much limits one moving the unit around if you’re not happy with placement or switching vehicles. While I’ve got it mounted in the center, I’d love to move it to the passenger side just to get it completely out of my line of sight. Ah well.

Instruction manual is also only online and can be found here.

Overall

While I only had the front camera kit, you can grab the full kit at Amazon and add features such as a rear camera, tailgater alarms, and added ability to capture a more complete scenario when someone speeds by you and then immediately wipes out. You can also grab it from a non-tagged link on the Thinkware Store.

Thinkware U3000 Dash Cam six and a half months review by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

Thought I’d lay down what happened with two of my fiber modems this past year. They were the old style that looked like these BGW210s, although I can’t say for sure if that was what they were as both were removed by AT&T.

The first was at my house, and the issue was it straight up refused to factory reset and was being a butthole. Yes, that’s the correct terminology, being a butthole. I’ve been in IT since the 90’s and that’s right there in the manual. Butthole. “Do not subscribe to the equipment’s butthole.” It refused to play nice on Wi-Fi (acted slower than Glitch getting the second episode of the Amazing Digital Circus out,) and would slow down to a crawl for no apparent reason.

We managed to troubleshoot it on the phone to somewhat working level, but it was being really funky when attempting to do anything with the Wi-Fi (like being so slow you couldn’t load the admin page,) so it got swapped out for a beige abomination which has so far given me no trouble.

The second, which was also a black tower from 2018 if I remember correctly, started figuring out when I would leave my workplace and slow to a crawl. This was after the Nashville Electric Service had power off to our building for several hours and nobody informed me because they didn’t want to bother me post hospital. As such rather than me dancing around and shutting things off like a graceful little IT fairy, power was yoinked from the AT&T equipment (they said no UPSes. Not me,) and my guess is this is when the black fiber modem at work was injured.

It came back as something different, darkly disturbed and exceedingly annoying. Every day around 5:20am and 2:40pm the unit would slow down. Nothing too epic at first but connections would drop, lookups would fail, if you could connect to a speed test you were getting great results but quite often you would connect and be informed by the webpage you just loaded that there was no internet connection. I was usually driving to get my kid when the slew of calls would come in. “The fiber calls for you Paul… it beckons” and I’d have to pick my kid up and by the time I got back to work it was completely fine again.

The AT&T app said it was broken, but not much more beyond that. A tech was dispatched, we discussed what I was seeing, he said the old black thing was old and to swap it out with the new 1990’s beige thing, which looks exactly like the one I’ve got at my house. Swap completed I once again proceeded without any issues.

So if you’ve got an old black fiber wireless gateway from many a moon ago… I think it’s their dying time. They were released in 2016, have lived a long life, it’s time to put them out to pasture if things are getting strange and you have stripped away all other possibilities…

Sorry Ol’ Yeller… that’s what I named mine due to the yellow cable…

<bang>

Why… why are you getting back up? <bang>

No… this can’t be! <bang>

Stop! <bang> <bang> <bang> <bang> <bang> <click> ayeeeeiiii!

Had two issues with old AT&T fiber modems this year by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

This will be a running review of the NARWAL Freo X Plus until it’s complete at which point this line won’t be here. I will update it as anything new occurs.

TL;DR – running review, good hardware, software needs work.

The NARWAL Freo X Plus is a sub $400 vacuum with a lift/drag mop and a 7-week onboard storage dust bin that can be either reused or tossed (separate bins included) and on paper it’s on par with my current favorite vacuum minus Google Home/Assistant support and a vibrating mop. This hasn’t replaced Rhonda, people who managed to turn these reviews around in under a month of use concern me for their attention to detail as I’m planning to run this like I run a long haired dog grooming shop.

The Freo X Plus features a tangle-free brush, 7800Pa suction, Tri-laser navigation and obstacle avoidance, LiDAR SLAM 4.0, and claims it will not be bumping into things. It also does mopping and vacuuming in one pass with a slightly retractable mop.

Narwal Freo X Plus specs

NARWAL Freo X Plus unboxing and initial impressions

Due to a microphone issue the unboxing video I shot is going to be edited to be a silent film reminiscent of the 1920s inspired by the film Hundreds of Beavers and will be coming later. This was like every puck vacuum I’ve ever opened with the exception of the two disposable dust bins they include. The disposable bin’s bag, and the bags that surround items to protect them are the same thickness and I almost ripped through one as I thought it was stuck on a filter. Don’t rip anything. It’s not required.

There’s a nice thick manual you’ll never use, and pulling off the foam protector and two taped on shipping tabs you’re ready to go. My Freo X Pro was not initially. I could not get it to power on until after I plugged it into the dock. This may be in the instruction manual. I will look and edit this if it is, but it is something to note that I needed to put it on a charger the first time.

Registration requires an email address and that appeared to be it. A code is emailed, it shows up a minute or two later, enter that and you’re ready to go. The software warned me it only worked in 2.4ghz mode, but worked fine on my AP that handles both.

I was informed my firmware needed updated and then informed that the update failed almost instantly. A few attempts get it to download and update, but the app never registered that the vacuum had updated and I eventually exited the app and came back in.

I chose a room at my work that in theory was vacuumed recently but people keep going in there to scream (no, I really have no idea why.) Figured it would be a good first test. as the room looked fairly clean with one little piece of paper no bigger than a pinky fingernail sitting near a corner.

Now, the software looks a whole lot like the software I’ve used on Roborock so there’s a chance I just blew through something important but after a nice and short room mapping session I thought I was ready to go. I chose vacuum and mop, as I expected that maybe it would pick up the plastic chair protectors on the floor as a mopable surface, and said go.

The very first thing the NARWAL Freo X Plus did was make a quick hard turn, grab the power cord, and proceed to spend about a minute and a half fighting, knocking the base around, and completely destroying the setup. It finally escaped and I repositioned the station directly underneath the power outlet and hung the cable up carefully so it could not do that again.

I wandered out, came back a few minutes later and it had docked and I got that the cleaning was complete. The little piece of paper was still where it laid.

I started the unit up again to clean, it came out about two feet, turned, went to the wall, turned, came back, turned and went to the docking station telling me it was done. I tried pressing the button up top, same results. I told it to mop only. Same results. Told it to vacuum only. Same results.

I decided to delete the map and try again. After my second quick mapping, on the first run I decided to stay for the entire thing. It drove to three locations in the room, turned around at each, and went directly back to the base unit.

I went to edit the map and evidently everything it had mapped was listed as don’t vacuum/mop. Changing this to ignore resulted in the vacuum actually working although it does concern me why it would discover and then default to don’t clean here.

I ran the unit again, the piece of paper on the ground was removed, and things looked pretty good. It vacuumed up a fair amount of dirt, about what I would expect our cleaner’s vacuum to have left. It also vacuumed up a spider that is alive and I can now never touch the thing again.

I decided to run the unit again and choose extreme power… whoo hoo. a while later (24 minutes if I remember correctly,) I got the notification that it was done and successful. I opened the app and noticed the puck indicating the vacuum was not at the base station. I went into the office and yeah, it stopped. No reason given. No error message saying something prevented it from returning to the dock. Just stopped. Appears to have done a good job, but it stopped. Worked once, then done. Screw it boss I’m taking a nap right here.

I have attempted to wipe and restart and there is no evident option to do this from the software.

Evidently I chose vacuum and mop assuming it would not mop my carpet. With however my map is set up however that was not the case. Maybe the carpet sensors are not detecting my carpet as carpet. I have now manually set it to carpet.

Thus far

Keeping in mind this review isn’t done

• Software needs some work
• Vacuum is fairly quiet compared to other less powerful vacuums
• Doesn’t detect plastic floor coverings as a different surface – no mopping for them
• Obstacle avoidance doesn’t appear to avoid low hanging wires
• You have to remove the entire top to access dust and water containers. Attempting to access water container knocks it out of the charging dock.
• Chairs, tables, etc do not appear to be recognized. They are avoided but this makes defining no go zones a bit difficult.
• 3D view doesn’t show cleaning progress, no detected furniture or obstacles listed (maybe after more than 5 runs?)
• No hair tangled on brush, but too early to go “whoo hoo!”
• No recall / return to home from the app? (button works)

Wrapping up for the moment

I can not manufacture time and enough dirt and hair to complete the testing this needs at this point but at the moment I speculate that a software and firmware update are going to make this an extremely good little vacuum, but at the moment due to the experience the NARWAL Freo X Plus is a bit frustrating and I consider just ok. We’ll see tomorrow when I throw it in a room it needs to mop and vacuum.

Early May

The Freo X is slightly better than any other vacuum I’ve encountered at being able to pull USB cables out of it while it’s running, but unfortunately it still will run over easy to spot obstacles which considering it doesn’t have a camera I guess is to be expected.

I notice it occasionally bumps into what I’d call the chair leg category. It’s great at avoiding chair feet, but if you have a thin vertical thing it will often whack into it. It seems to do very good at not whacking into walls, desks, desk chairs, but put a cast iron patio chair there and it can’t see the legs.

There doesn’t appear to be a consistent option for “just figure out and clean this room.” Most vacuums I’ve run across have a smart clean, but this when I pressed the power in another room worked once and then demanded it be returned to the base. Nothing would get it to try and work in another room.

The vacuum so far (11 runs two rooms) appears to work well. It does corners better than anything I’ve noticed, picks up dirt a stand up vacuum missed. It’s better than anything I’ve reviewed in the price range by far, but not as good as some of the higher priced units I’ve run across.

Needs a major software update on Android and a re-working of how things are done… since it appears to be the same software others are using, copy their workflow. Just clean the room you’re in if I press the power button. Gimme a “map new room” option without having to go through multiple menus.

I point out the flaws because it could be the best and so far a software update I think could make it the best and on par with robot vacs twice the price.

Where’s the NARWAL Freo X Plus available?

You can grab a NARWAL Freo X Plus on Narwal’s website or on Amazon.

NARWAL Freo X Plus running review by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.