The world of art and design has undergone a transformative revolution. Gone are the days of traditional paper and pencil; instead, creative professionals now rely on cutting-edge technology to bring their visions to life. Enter the pen tablet – a sleek and innovative device that bridges the gap between hand-drawn artistry and digital precision. This advanced tool offers an array of benefits that make it an essential addition to any artist’s toolkit, from its unparalleled sensitivity and precision to its seamless integration with industry-standard software.

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or an aspiring artist looking to explore new horizons, a pen tablet is sure to enhance your artistic capabilities in ways you never thought possible. There are many types of digital drawing tablets and UGEE has a great one for students and professionals alike.

About UGEE S1060 Drawing Tablet

UGEE, a digital hardware developer based in China, began its work in 1998. The S-Series Digital Drawing Tablets are a new line of products from UGEE that help users bring their imaging action to life. The tablets come in two different sizes — 6.3-inch or 10-inch — and several color ways. They are designed to be small, lightweight, and portable. In addition to the sizes and colors, the digital tablets come in wired or wireless versions.

Main Features

• Dimensions: 320.71 x 225.73 x 12.1 mm
• Active Area: 10＂x 6.27＂
• Shortcut Keys: 12
• Color: Very Peri, Living Coral, Carbon Black
• Stylus: Battery-free
• Pressure Levels: 8192
• Tilt: ±60°
• Resolution: 5080 LPI
• Report Rate: ≥ 220 RPS
• Reading Height: ≥ 10 mm
• Ports Included: USB-C
• Power Input: DC 5V⎓1A
• Compatibility: Windows 7/8/10/11, Mac OS X 10.10 (or later), Android 6.0 (or later), Chrome OS 88 (or later), Linux
• Wireless Technology: 2.4GHz
• Battery Capacity: 1000mAh/3.7V
• Continuous Operation Time: ≥ 10 h
• Pacakage Includes: Digital Drawing Tablet, Battery-free Stylus, 10 x Replacement Nibs, 1 x Pen-Clipper, USB-A to USB-C cable (L-shaped), USB to USB-C adapter, USB to Micro USB Adapter, Quick Guide, and Warranty Card

Pricing & Availability

The UGEE S1060 Drawing Tablet has a list price of $59 (wired) and $79 (wireless) from shop.ugee.com. It is currently being offered for $39 for the wired version and $59 for the wireless version. It is also available on Amazon.

User Experience

While there are two versions of the S Series Digital Drawing Tablets, I had the opportunity to use the 10-inch version. The S1060 tablet came in a simple retail-style box. The front of the box has an image of the product on the front, but it doesn’t match the color of the product inside. For example, the box showed the Carbon Black tablet, but I received the Very Peri color. This is a minor issue to report, but still something to note. The tablet and its accessories were all wrapped in plastic and secured in the box.

Getting started wasn’t difficult. UGEE makes it pretty easy by providing a download link for the driver/application and by only requiring on cable connection to your computer. I was impressed to find that USB-C and MicroUSB adapters were included with the accessories and that within a few minutes of unboxing the device, I was using it. The application that is provided by UGEE allows users to customize the buttons on the tablet and change things like sensitivity and other preferences.

I completed testing of the tablet using my MacBook Air. Aside from granting permissions, I did not have any connection issues or compatibility problems to overcome. I used the tablet in three different creative apps — Lightroom, Figma, and Affinity Photo. In Lightroom, I completed some photo touch up work. The pen/tablet were very responsive and when I made contact with the tablet, that translated to an action on the screen immediately. In Lightroom, I was able to navigate easily using the pen and it was much easier to do the touch-up work I needed to.

I didn’t have any issues using it in Figma, but I did find that it was easier to complete basic tasks in Figma using my mouse/keyboard. It’s possible that with time, I might have the same efficiency with the pen/tablet as I do with the keyboard/mouse. Finally, with Affinity Photo, I opened a blank canvas and wrote some text and drew a few pictures. I found that since the pen was so responsive on the tablet surface, it was easy to complete my drawing and writing tasks.

Given the price point of this digital drawing tablet, I thought the UGEE S1060 tablet was an exceptional design tool to add to my workspace.

Pros

1. The web address for latest drivers is included on the plastic wrap of the tablet.
2. Lots of extra pen tips included.
3. USB-A connectors provided for easy use with multiple systems.
4. USB-C cable has a right angle connector for a clean cable management option.
5. Application allows user to customize use of the tablet easily.
6. Pen/Tablet are responsive and it’s possible to get precise work done with it.

Cons

1. The image on the box doesn’t reflect the product color inside the box.
2. Protective film on tablet doesn’t have an easy way to start the removal.
3. Application is required for tablet use — even on a macOS computer.

Conclusion

The UGEE S1060 Drawing Tablet offers a fantastic drawing experience for both beginners and professional artists alike. Its large writing surface and responsive pen make it a versatile and powerful tool for creating digital artwork. The tablet’s sleek design, lightweight construction, and compatibility with various operating systems also make it highly convenient to use. Additionally, the tablet comes with a battery-free stylus that provides a natural drawing experience without any lag or interruptions. Overall, the UGEE S1060 Drawing Tablet is an excellent choice for anyone looking to enhance their artistic capabilities in the digital realm.

For more information, visit ugee.com, Facebook, or Twitter.

AMR5 Mini PC provides high-performance computing in a small, lightweight form factor.

I’m typically a Mac user but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy using a PC every now and then. It is, in fact, a good practice for me to have a PC on-hand for work. My issue is that I don’t like a lot of desk space being used up. I live in my workspace and hate to see it cluttered. That’s when I looked at Mini PCs as an option. The AMR5-AMD Ryzen 5 5600U from Ace Magician ended up being a great option for an alternate workstation for me.

About AMR5 Mini PC

The AMR5 is a multifunctional PC marketed towards gaming. It has three operation modes — silent, auto, and performance — that can easily be enabled by its mechanical knob. The PC is powered by AMD Ryzen 5 5600U with Radeon Graphics (2.3Ghz). It has 16GB of RAM and comes with Windows 11 Pro pre-installed.

The computer is compact and thanks to its magnetic case, the internal parts can be accessed for maintenance purposes. The Mini PC has an advanced cooling module that provides efficient heat dissipation, which is backed up with a high-speed cooling fan. In addition to it unique form, the AMR5 PC also has three different RGB lighting effects that can enhance your workspace or gaming experience.

SPECS

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 5600U with Radeon Graphics // 2.3 GHz (Max Boost Clock can up to 4.2GHz)
• Installed RAM: 16.0 GB (15.4 GB Usable)
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• System Type: 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
• Windows 11 Pro
• Version: 22H2
• 6 Cores, 12 Threads, 16 MB Cache
• 10 x I/O Ports
  • 3.5mm audio port
  • USB-A 3.0 x 4 → Data port: 5Gbps
  • USB-C x 1 → Data port: 10Gbps+, Display port: 4K 60Hz
  • DisplayPort x 1 → 4K 60Hz
  • HDMI 2.0 x 1 → 4K 60Hz
  • Gigabit Ethernet → 1Gbps
• WiFi 6
• Bluetooth 5.2
• Weight: 3.27 pounds
• Dimensions:‎ 5.23 x 2.83 x 6.15 inches

MODES

• Silent mode → power is reduced 10-15W and the fan sound as low as 38db. Ideal for quiet streaming or light work.
• Auto mode → suitable for medium work or entertainment projects, the mini pc power is setting as 15-20W, improve your work efficiency
• Performance mode → Use up to 20-25W to glide thru the toughest and most intense game graphics and upgrade your gaming experience

Pricing & Availability

The list price for the AMR5 AMD Ryzen 5 5600U is $509.99 from acemagicians.com and $499.99 on Amazon. At the time of publishing, this Mini PC is being offered at 14% off on Amazon. Users can also get this model of Mini PC with 32GB of RAM for around $579.

User Experience

The AMR5 Mini PC ships in a really nice retail box and comes with an HDMI cable, power adapter, and a user manual. Getting started with it is super easy. I already had an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse set-up with my existing workstation so I just connected the AMR5 to those devices. After I powered the PC on, I went through the standard Windows set-up process. Right away, I noticed how peppy the unit was. It was incredibly responsive to any commands and within just a few minutes, the AMR5 was up and running.

I was shocked at exactly how small the PC was when I removed it from the box. I have it sitting next to an 11-inch MacBook Air that is stored in a vertical laptop stand. It looks enormous next to the Mini PC. It’s very lightweight and it fits perfectly into a little space I have beneath one of my shelf speakers. I love that some of the ports are accessible on the front panel of the PC, while the others are tucked behind it.

One of the more unique physical features of the AMR5 is the Mode Knob. While you have the option of setting the Silent, Auto, or Performance modes in the system settings of the computer, ACE Magician makes it really easy to switch between modes with this knob. I used it a few times while testing and was impressed with how seamless the experience seemed to be.

Performance

The specs of the AMR5 Mini PC suggest that it’s a good mid-range PC. With 16GB of built-in RAM, it’s equipped to handle most applications but with only 512GB of solid state storage, it’s a little limited to be a true gaming PC. Most modern games take up a lot of hard drive space. With that in mind, I feel that this computer could be for games or for productivity, but not for both. I ran several benchmarking tests including Cinebench, Novabench, and Geekbench to determine what kind of performance someone could expect from this unit. The screenshots are included below.

Pros & Cons

After using the AMR5 Mini PC for some time I identified some pros and cons that might help others decide if they want to add this computer to their workstation. In addition to the list below, I read that other users had really good luck when contacting support for issues they had. I also read that some units have WiFi problems after a short period of use.

Pros

• Very responsive
• Worked well with external devices
• Ran smoothly with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Chrome, and Microsoft Office
• Never had any issues with the PC running slow
• RGB lighting effects are a nice decorative touch
• Super compact and quiet

Cons

• The fans can be loud if running on Performance Mode
• Shouldn’t be marketed as a ‘gaming PC’; works for gaming, but more multipurpose

Conclusion

The ACE Magician AMR5 Mini PC is an impressive piece of hardware that offers a great combination of power and portability. Despite its small size, it has all the features you would expect from a full-sized desktop system. It is lightweight, energy efficient, and can be used for many purposes.

For more information, visit acemagicians.com, Facebook, and Instagram.

Coding Critters allows you to enjoy some much needed Screen-Free Family Time.

As a parent, birthdays and holiday shopping often represent a new level of struggle.  I do not feel that monetary gifts satisfy the spirit of giving and would prefer to find a thoughtful/memorable gift, despite the requests of my older children.  My wife and I are tired of junk, doodads, odds-and-ends, and things that simply take up space. 

Honestly, my kids would rather become iPad Zombies and vegetate in front of their tablets/smartphones.  Our goal is to inspire and encourage creativity and provide activities that stimulate their curiosity.  We have found various STEM-based coding options for them, and they seem to enjoy returning to the action.  Consider picking up a Learning Resources Coding Critter as you finalize your holiday shopping this season.   

The Coding Critters MagiCoders Skye the Unicorn arrived in a vibrant, fun, 10 inches wide by 5 inches thick by 9 inches tall retail package.  The cover provided the “Learning Resources” logo along the top left and information about the 22 piece setup and the 100% Screen-Free nature of the device.

You will find an Ages 4+ STEM logo along the top right, a choking hazard warning for kids under 3 toward the bottom left, and a small picture of a coding spellbook along the bottom right of the panel.  The main showcase was the colorful, playful image of Skye the Unicorn, the magic coding wand, and accessories.  Personally, the cover panel was rather eye-catching and did a great job at capturing the interest of my children.  

The right side panel provided the same topper icons as the cover while adding a pleasant paragraph about the company, and a clear image of the magic wand “learn coding with a fun magic wand.”  The left side panel listed the same topper icons as the cover/right panel but provided two add-on pictures. The purple picture detailed the spell casting and the “Magical Merry-Go-Round!,” while the lower blue picture showed the rainbow horn “twinkle.” The rear panel, like the front panel, provided the Stem logo along the top right of the panel. 

The Coding Critters product name was provided along the top left of the panel, while the remainder of the panel was devoted to information about the product, and a colorful image of Skye and her accessories. The blue-colored top panel provided the same topper icons, the Coding Critters product name, and a nice oblique image of the unicorn and magic wand.  The bottom panel provided product information in French and Spanish.  Like the cover panel, the accessory panels successfully utilized color and imagery to draw in the consumer.

I cut the tape along the top of the box, lifted the lid, and removed the three product accessory bags and the 5 7/8 inches wide by 8 5/8 inches tall by 4 3/8 inches thick tan cardboard box.  The smallest bag had a variety of cardboard program cards (3 5/16 inches wide by 3 1/4 inches tall purple-colored cupcake, 4 3/4 inches wide by 3 9/16 inches tall smiling star with rainbow, two green-colored left turn ovals, two blue-colored right turn ovals, two yellow-colored backward motion cards, and six orange-colored forward motion cards). 

Each of the oval-shaped cards measured 1 3/4 inches wide by 1 13/16 inches tall.  The medium-sized bag contained a purple 3 1/2 inches diameter plastic ball, a yellow/purple/blue teeter-totter catapult (deconstructed), a blue 1 1/8 inches long star, a yellow 1 1/8 inches long star, a purple 1 1/8 inches long star, two small translucent-blue cloud stands, two large translucent-blue cloud stands, and a 0.91-ounce unicorn panda figure. 

The largest bag contained a 9 3/4 inches wide by 6 inches tall purple plastic rainbow, a sticker sheet, Coding Spell Book, and instruction manual.  I applied the stickers to the purple rainbow, added the two large cloud stands to the base, added the cupcake and rainbow star cards to the smaller bases, and turned to the cardboard box.  Within the box, you will find the 2.85-ounce blue/purple magic coding wand and the 5.53-ounce purple/gold Sky the Unicorn character. 

Before starting with the coding device, you will need to insert three AAA batteries into the unicorn and two AAA batteries into the wand (batteries not included).  You will need to locate the battery compartments on the unicorn’s abdomen, remove the Phillips screw, insert the batteries, then reinstall the battery door. I loved that the unicorn had a nylon battery removal cord and included useful battery orientation diagrams. 

The wand had five buttons in a D-pad style arrangement (forward, turn left, back, turn right, central go, and a lower star-shaped spell button).  The multilingual instruction manual provided a useful quick-start guide.  To start, the manual recommended sliding the power toggle to the “on” position along the underside of the Skye Unicorn and on the back of the wand.  Next, place the unicorn onto a hard, smooth surface. 

We then followed the initial instructions provided by the instruction manual.  My three and six-year-old daughters took turns pressing the forward button twice, followed by the central go button.  They loved the chime/jingle of the unicorn/wand and had quite a bit of fun making the unicorn move forward, then backward, and then into a combination of circles.  For reference, a forward or backward command will allow the unicorn to move approximately four inches toward the programmed direction. 

Each of the turn commands will rotate Skye 90 degrees.  I found the movements to be quite reliable but the grooves in my hardwood floor did cause a bit of friction and angle change, thus resulting in a slightly varied experience.  However, despite the minor variations, we found that we were nearly able to return the unicorn to its starting position. 

Once the kids were content with basic commands, running the unicorn under the rainbow tunnel, completing the recommended (longer) program (forward, forward, right, right, forward), and several variations of made-up mayhem (up to 40 commands), we turned to the included Coding Critters Spell Book. I loved the rhyming meter, the cartoon pictures, and the step-by-step coding process.  Beyond simple press and control, the book allowed for some reading and thought. 

The first spell (back, forward, back forward) will help Skye follow her ball, and then the second left, right, left-right, will help her to eat her treat.  The following panel provided a Guard Unicorn Spell to patrol the room, and another for a dance party (back, back, forward, forward). Interestingly, my children absolutely loved the Mood Horn Spell (back, back, back, back). 

When you wave your hand in front of Skye, the nose sensor will activate and the unicorn horn will illuminate a color based on Skye’s mood (grumpy green, surprised yellow, excited orange, angry red, tried blue, silly white).  There were spells for a Happy Birthday song (forward, back, right, left) and other singing activities.  Lastly, you can use the included catapult to launch the stars and then code Skye to try to navigate to the fallen stars.  The commands were easy to learn and proved to be a fun experience for my twelve and ten-year-old sons as well. 

If you are looking for hours of screen-free STEM-based entertainment, the Coding Critters Skye the Unicorn will not disappoint.  Even before I had the contents removed, my three and six-year-old daughters begged me to play with them.  Despite the 4+ warning, I suspect children aged 2-4 could use the device if the stars were removed (smaller choking hazards). 

This may be the perfect gift for your 4 to 8-year-old child/grandchild this Christmas.  If the unicorn theme does not resonate with your child, consider picking up the Ranger & Zip Dog theme, the Blazer the Dragon theme, the Dino Bundle, the Bunny Bundle, or a variety of other animal-themed coding options.

Learn more about the Coding Critter Interactive Toys
Learn more about Skye the Unicorn.

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Eye-catching design with stunning precision makes editing wirelessly enjoyable

Years ago, I started diving into my photography on a professional level. I started taking paying jobs and before I knew it, I was shooting my first wedding. I knew at that point that I needed to work with professional-level software and hardware tools to get the best possible results for my clients. After sifting through hundreds of photos from that first wedding I decided I needed to integrate a pen tablet into my workstation. I’ve been a Wacom fan for a long time so naturally, I turned to them first. I used them for many years and eventually, I got the Intuos Pro and for a while, I was happy with it…until I wasn’t. 

Just a few months ago, when Apple macOS received the Big Sur (macOS 11) update, my Wacom tablet started malfunctioning and causing Lightroom to crash. After completing hours of troubleshooting steps, I determined it was time for a new pen tablet. Wacom wasn’t doing anything to support the connectivity issues or making efforts to update their software to make the tablet compatible with the latest version of macOS. Since the communication between my Wacom pen tablet and my MacBook Pro was so bad, I decided it was time to move on and fortunately, Xencelabs, a company that is made up of a group of creative professionals, stepped onto the scene with their Pen Tablet Medium. 

Xencelabs specializes in the graphic tablet market and their team strives to develop tools “where details make the difference.” As it turns out, Xencelabs is made up of several former Wacom employees and from where I sit, they hit the ball out of the park with the Pen Tablet Medium. When I started working with it, I didn’t think I would be looking at a Wacom replacement. I thought I would end up discussing how the product fell short of the ‘market standard’ for pen tablets. I was pleasantly surprised to learn – very quickly, I might add – that I was not correct in my assumptions of the Xencelabs tablet. The small company made up of ex-Wacom engineers and designers created a pen tablet – and it’s a freaking winner.

DETAILS

The Pen Tablet Medium (PTM) is a professional digital design tablet with an active area of 10.33” x 5.8”. It has a true 16:9 aspect ratio and matches industry-standard displays. The PTM comes with two pens – the 3-button pen and a thin one. Both pens are battery-free and come with 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity, tilt recognition, eraser ends, and virtually no lag. The tablet has quick-access buttons on the top of it that allow users to reach the settings without digging into the software dashboard. 

The tablet is only 8mm – quite a bit thinner than other industry-standard pen tablets – and it has eco-friendly packaging. The PTM can be connected using a USB-C cable or through a wireless dongle. The tablet is compatible with several operating systems including Windows 7 or later, macOS X 10.12 or later, and Linux. The PTM has an optional Quick Keys remote accessory that gives the user five sets of eight keys. They are all programable and customizable by application. The remote also features an OLED display.   

UNBOXING – USER EXPERIENCE

There are two configurations of the Pen Tablet Medium – a standard kit and the bundle. I happen to have the bundle. So, unboxing the set was pretty exciting for me. The tablet feels solid and I really haven’t had any cause for concern that it won’t hold up over time and prolonged use. One of the things that I really like about the bundle that I think some people might overlook is the sleeve. I like this because it gives you a safe place to store the tablet when you’re traveling or even when you just want to set it in a drawer. The nice thing about this pouch is that even though the pens have their own case, there is a separate pouch for accessories so the entire set-up can be stored together. To me, this is the ultimate editing travel solution.  

Set-up of the tablet was super easy. The software installation and set-up process is usually the bane of my pen tablet existence. I absolutely hate it when you have to download a bundle of applications and you have to go through numerous steps in order to get the tablet connected. Thankfully, Xencelabs knew my pain and they provide one application dashboard to download for management of the tablet and pen settings. Once that’s downloaded, you simply plug the cable or dongle into your computer and the tablet is automatically recognized. This feature is probably the one I was most excited about. I HATE cables and there are some tablets that claim to be ‘wireless’ but you ultimately have to use a cable in order to get a solid connection. I’ve had zero problems with connectivity with the PTM. It’s been a godsend for me. 

The tablet surface is smooth but has the right amount of ‘bite’. It feels like a natural drawing surface and the active area is marked with lighted corners. Users have the option to change the color of these corners using the dashboard. The colors can be customized to match up with the application you are using so that you know by looking at the tablet which controls are currently active. The bottom of the tablet does taper off slightly so that users can comfortably rest their hands on the tablet. 

The Quick Keys Remote is sold separately from the tablet, but it is included with the bundle if you choose to go with that set. This remote takes express keys off of the tablet itself and moves them into this wireless device. Again, this remote is 100% customizable and is meant to pull shortcuts onto this button-driven device. The remote has 8 shortcut buttons, a multi-function adjustment dial with a lighted ring, and an OLED display that calls out the function of each button. The lighted ring around the dial is customized to match the four different settings that the dial can cycle through. The remote can also be programmed according to the app that is active.

The pens have been very responsive. I know that two different pens are included for the digital artists, but I’ve mostly used the 3-button pen for my photo editing needs. I’ve used the pen tablet with two primary applications – Photoshop and Lightroom. Usually, I will start my photo editing in Lightroom, and depending on the needs of the photo, I might do additional finishing touches in Photoshop. The pen has made the fine detail work I need to do on photos super easy. I’ve included a few photos that I edited while using the PTM. I have also included some descriptions of the work I did on each along with the photos. 

The first example is a portrait of my grandmother. I took this picture in my studio and wanted to show her passion for life. I did some light touchups of her skin to remove a few blemishes and to add some coloring/makeup effects to her face. Using the 3-button pen with the PTM, I was able to smooth out a few of the more pronounced wrinkles on her face and do the fine coloring around her eyes and lips. Using a mouse or touchpad would have made these edits nearly impossible to complete since I was working with such a small space. I didn’t want to smooth out her entire face so I was moving in between the spaces of her natural skin texture. The pen tablet made this photo possible. 

The second image is another portrait – this time a friend of mine was the model. We took this photo just as warmer weather was causing flowers to start blooming. I had her lay down in a field and stood over her to capture this moment. In this case, she had applied her own makeup before the shoot and her skin is much younger than my grandmother’s. She did have a few small blemishes that I removed, but I primarily used the PTM to apply lighting effects. I focused the center of the effect on her face and I also enhanced the color of her hair so that it ended up being a bit darker. Again, I was working on some pretty tricky space since her hair was spilling into the greenery around her head. 

The third example I was able to capture since I was in the right place at the right time. I caught this eagle staring at me and snapped the photo. I didn’t do a whole lot of touch-up work on this one since I didn’t want to alter the original image too much, but I did apply some slight lighting effects to the bird’s eyes. All this did was enhance their color and brighten the tone a little bit. The pen made this a super easy adjustment and a change that would have taken me 5 minutes or so using a mouse only took a few seconds thanks to the 3-button pen.

Finally, we come to our neighborhood duck. This little lady was moseying through our yard and I was able to catch her attention for one moment so that I could capture her. The background was blurred out thanks to the lens I used, but I did clean up her eyes with the PTM and touched up her beak a bit. I applied an overall lighting effect to soften the entire photo and focused a highlight on her face. Some additional photo examples are included below – all were edited using the Pen Tablet Medium.

Using the PTM to complete the specific edits I’ve called out in the photo notes above made my workflow run smoothly and efficiently. I’ve never had a pen tablet work as well as the Xencelabs has worked for me. I was concerned about using another pen tablet after the issues I had with the Wacom Intuos Pro, but I’m glad I reconsidered and installed the Pen Tablet Medium into my workstation.

CONCLUSION

I have a few companies that I become super fans of but I believe Xencelabs deserves to be one of these companies. Not only did they produce a stunning product but it’s very functional and in my humble opinion blows my Wacom and XP-Pen tablets out of the water. I’m a big fan of the Pen Tablet Medium and would recommend it to anyone who wanted to upgrade their equipment. It’s incredibly affordable ($280 for the standard and $360 for the bundle at the time of publishing) and very easy to use. I can also confirm that the PTM works well with the newest M1 computers from Apple. I started using the PTM with a 2018 MacBook Pro and moved it over to a 2020 M1 Mac Mini and I’ve had no problems with it on the new system. I’m incredibly impressed with this product and can’t wait to see what else Xencelabs comes up with.

For more details, visit Xencelabs, Facebook, and Twitter.

When selecting the proper gaming mouse, one typically trials several varieties before selecting “the one.”  When a split-second, fraction-of-a-second difference means the difference between a “W” or an “L,” it makes sense that a proper mouse is a key piece of needed tech.  Interestingly, some have different brands of mouse for different games.  Several of the best-in-show have lightweight frames with rubberized coatings/grips, proper/ergonomic button placement, adjustable button mapping features with software interfaces, and side toggles, to name just a few.  From DPI, to optical vs. laser vs. manual, palm grip vs. claw grip vs. fingertip grip, interface wireless vs. wired, to weight, one must consider several factors before picking up a mouse.  Unfortunately, some of those features are not readily apparent in the packaging or included marketing materials.  Thus, trial and error and word-of-mouth reviews can help a gamer out.

When I received the GAmE Gaming Mouse, I was truly excited to test it out, The product arrived in a 3 3/8 inches wide by 5 7/16 inches tall by 1 13/16 inches thick retail package.  The main cover provided the “GAME” name along the top left, beautifully using the white background color as a negative space font.  The company emphasized the “G A E” letters over the “m” and created a neat Asian-themed flare.  The same red colored overlay was found along the bottom section of the cover panel.  Within the section, you will find the generic “GAMING MOUSE” name and “ERGONOMIC DESIGN COMFORTABLE FELL.”  Unfortunately, the designers did not run a spell check before printing, as the section was supposed to read “COMFORTABLE FEEL” and not “FELL.”  Despite the mistake, the cover’s main focal point was the 3 1/2 inches tall by 2 1/2 inches wide black mouse with its hexagonal multi-colored surface. The red-colored top panel displayed the same GAmE icon as the top left of the cover panel. The right side panel listed five mouse features (Ergonomic Design, One-Click Desktop, Optical Tracking, Multiple DPI Adjustable, Comfort Wheel). In contrast, the bottom and left side panels provided the same information as the bottom panel of the cover. Unfortunately, each of the panels propagated the same “FELL” mistake as the cover. I was not able to find company information, addresses, emails, phone numbers, etc. anywhere on the packaging.

The rear panel was broken up into two sections.  The upper side view showed a black mouse with multicolored, illuminated hexagons upon a table, while the lower half provided information about the mouse.  I had to remove a rather large UPC sticker placed over the lower section to see the information.  Besides providing duplicate icons to the right-side panel, the company provided system requirements (Windows 10 or higher, Windows 8, Mac OS 10.10 or higher, Chrome OS.  I liked the color, the mouse design/image, and the red on white color scheme.  The right panel provided a good degree of background for the mouse, but they did not need to repeat this same information in several places.  It was unfortunate that the typographical error was missed in several places, but it did not detract from the overall experience.  To summarize the packaging experience, I would give them an 8/10. 

To access the product, I lifted the red-colored top panel of the box.  I removed the 21 1/2 inches long USB-A to dual micro-USB cable and set it aside. Beneath the cable, I found a plastic-wrapped light grey/dark grey-colored mouse.  Interestingly, the grey on grey color scheme was more attractive than the image used on the cover/back panel.  The GAmE mouse that I received provided a larger shock-and-awe than an unmemorable black mouse.  Beneath the mouse, you will find a small 0.1-ounce, 1 1/4 inches long by 9/16 inches wide USB-A female to USB-C adaptor.  I was rather impressed that this was included within the packaging as they could have done okay with the still ubiquitous USB-A charging capabilities. However, it was convenient to use my MacBook Pro or USB-C charging brick to charge my new mouse, without having to bring along a USB-A charger. Lastly, the company included a ten-panel instruction manual within the box.  The XB01 User manual was written in Chinese Characters with English sub-descriptors. The title panel showed the mouse and the XBO1 name.  The second panel demonstrated the mouse and provided a labeled diagram of the top/bottom of the mouse (left/right-click, wheel, back key/forward key along right thumb, windows/Mac desktop key, a DPI key, a USB-micro charging port between the left/right buttons, light on/off switch, receive slot and LED mouse switch).  

The user-manual recommended charging the mouse only via a computer output port.  Despite the quality of the device, the English translations proved to be a bit rough.  Personally, I wish that they would have used a native English speaker to fix their translations.  To summarize, the mouse will take roughly two hours to charge, and the LED lights will show blue during the charging phase and will extinguish when complete.  The mouse is equipped with auto-sleep technology, but you should still turn it off to conserve power.  Panels 4-6 had no English translations, and I could not determine what information was provided.  Panel seven showed the receiver slot, the nano USB input, and how to plug the USB-A receiver into the computer.  At that moment, I realized why they had to include the USB-C adaptor.  Because modern MacBook Pro devices have no USB-A input ports, the GAmE mouse would not be useful to most people without hubs.  Thus, they likely included it for the receiver rather than for charging.  Returning to the manual, to use the wireless feature, plug in the receiver, power-on the mouse with the toggle located on the bottom of the mouse, then enjoy the mouse features.  

The 3.3-ounce light-grey/dark-grey X801 mouse was listed as a “Wireless Charging Mouse.” As noted above, I wish that a native English speaker would have translated this passage.  At first read, I assumed that the mouse was capable of charging wirelessly.  However, after testing the mouse and reviewing the instruction manual, the mouse does not require any extra batteries, is USB-micro chargeable, and can communicate wirelessly with the nano receiver without wires.  Thus, it is a wireless mouse, but it is not a Wireless Charging Mouse. Although this may be splitting some semantic hairs, the meaning is quite different. To charge the mouse, I plugged the USB-A cable into the USB-C adaptor and then the USB-C adaptor into one of the ports on my MacBook Pro. The USB-C adaptor did not work, did not fit snugly within the Thunderbolt 3 port on my MacBook Pro, and could not get the mouse to charge.  I plugged the USB-A cable into a standard USB-A outlet, and the device charged fully in about 1.5 hours.  I returned to my MacBook, tried another Thunderbolt port with the Nano receiver plugged into the USB-C adaptor, and the mouse did not work.  I navigated to System Preferences, then Mouse, and found that no mouse was detected.  I plugged in a Kensington Hub, used the USB-A nano receiver, and used the mouse in that manner.  However, I was unable to detect the “mouse” with the MacBook Pro.  The computer registered the device as a Bluetooth Keyboard and requested that I use the Keyboard Setup Assistant.  Frustrated, I grabbed my wife’s Toshiba laptop to finish the testing process.

I was displeased that the mouse promised Mac OS support but was not MaC friendly.  I have used several wireless mouse options that claimed the same but outside of the native Apple products, few have lived up to their promise.  When it comes to a PC, one has numerous options for a wireless gaming mouse.  This mouse proved to be on the generic end of the spectrum.  I loved the look, the grey/grey color scheme, the quality/sensitivity of the rolling wheel, the DPI button, and the LED modes.  I loved that you could toggle the power button between power-on and illuminated-on modes.  If you desire the LED-illuminated mode, toggle the switch down and press the LED Mode button until you find the one you like.  There were several options to choose amongst.  Some of these were richer purple/pink, fading in and out, lighter/darker blues, etc.  The light grey/dark grey scheme helped the lights/colors to pop visually. The ergonomic hand-shaped molding, the quiet buttons, and the thumb forward/back buttons were some of the mouse’s most useful features.

When I plugged the USB-A Nano Receiver into our laptop’s USB port, the PC recognized it immediately and initialized the driver setup.  I was able to press the Windows Key  (Win+D) to return to my desktop, and I was able to press the DPI button to increase the rolling/mouse cursor movement speed. The forward/back buttons worked great for webpage tracking.  Additionally, they were well placed for easy access with my thumb.   The scroll wheel was well placed, sensitive, and had a nice click-feel when rolling and pressing downward.  Unfortunately, the scroll wheel lacked a side-to-side button feature that is common in many gaming mice. When I pressed the DPI button, I directly visualized the increased tracking/cursor speed (800/1200/1600).  Interestingly, the computer failed to notify me that any changes had occurred.  I would have loved a mode select announcement or preset feature.  Instead, if your hand presses the button, you will have to press it again several times to return to the setting of choice.  When I navigated to settings, I found that I could adjust the preference for left vs. right, the cursor size, and a few other minor features. I could not adjust the button configuration, however. Beyond the inability to adjust the brightness of the RGB LED, the mouse was likely not customizable enough for a true “gamer.” 

Starting with the major typographical errors found throughout the packaging and continuing to the failed USB-C adaptor, the device could benefit from an upgrade/redesign. The imagery on the packaging showed a black mouse with colorful LED. The product that I received was not the same color scheme as the one that was advertised. A quick search of the Amazon page showed that there were white/black options but the packaging did not tell the user which version they would get. I do not think that they should claim that this works with Mac. Rather, they should claim it should work with most USB-A-based computer systems.  Additionally, the lack of a side-click scrolling wheel, customizable button combinations, adjustable weighting options, or several other perks makes this mouse less of a gaming mouse than a wireless mouse.  Aware of the language translational differences, I was not happy with the Wireless Charging Mouse wording.  Honestly, I imagine that some users would feel that the inability to charge this mouse wirelessly verged on false advertising practices.  Whereas this mouse could be used to play games, I would not call it a gaming mouse because it lacks several features that many gamers want. Despite a similar appearance to the Model O gaming mouse, I still found that I preferred my inexpensive Razer DeathAdder Elite as my preferred go-to-mouse.  In fact, the Satechi Edge Wireless Gaming Mouse at $9.99 may also edge out the GAmE mouse. 

I would have loved some additional information, a more useful user manual, or a website to evaluate. Alas, none of these were available. If interested in reading more about the product, check out the Amazon Page.

A true pre-built system designed for gamers by gamers.

Since I was a young kid, I’ve always enjoyed the world of video games. Our family had one of the PC systems that connected to the television that we all enjoyed and we slowly evolved to the world of console gaming. My brother has a background in information technology maintenance and he’s always liked to build things. So, it’s no surprise that he joined the PC gaming world and worked to build his own custom systems. As for me, I’ve always stuck to the console games, but  can’t deny that I’ve felt like I was missing out when groups of friends would get together for LAN parties and all I had was my basic Dell PC tower or my Apple laptops that, at the time, were not suitable for desktop gaming. Fortunately, times have changed and some companies are designing standalone PCs for the purpose of gaming. One such machine is the Corsair One a100 Compact Gaming PC.

DETAILS

The Corsair One a100 is designed to bring console-like gaming to the PC world. The PC is powered by an AMD Ryzen 3000 series CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics, and other award-winning components by Corsair. The computer is encased inside a small form factor that is quiet and takes up far less desktop space than standard PCs. When you consider the PC’s size, it’s right in between a console (6 liters) and a Tower PC (35+ liters). The Corsair One is only about 12 liters in size by volume. 

When you take a look at the processing power inside, you will find: 

• Up to 16 cores of processing power with the AMD Zen 2 architecture. This offers single-threaded and multi-threaded performance. 
• Full-sized desktop GPU with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX. With this GPU, users will experience lifelike graphics and smooth frame rates that are powered by CUDA and real-time ray tracing technology. 
• Support for up to 32GB of memory. The system is loaded with Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 RAM. 
• Up to 2TB of SSD storage with lightning-fast M.2 NVMe SSD. 
• Powered by 600 watts 80 PLUS Gold certified power supply.
• Featured convection cooled system that is a proprietary closed-loop CPU/GPU liquid cooling system, supported by a virtually frictionless magnetic levitation ML SERIES fan.
• Front and read I/O panels provide a total of 16 connectors.
• Support for up to four (4) 4K HDR displays.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The Corsair One comes in a black reinforced retail box that mimics the shape of the unit. One of the first things I noticed when taking it out of the box was its weight. The case is metal and because it’s a compact pre-built system, there are a lot of elements packed into the computer’s form. According to its specs, the unit weighs a little over 16 pounds. One of the reasons this sticks out to me is because you really have to be cautious about where you install it. It’s a hard case with a lot of weight behind it. It could easily scratch up a desktop if said desktop is made with a softer material. The look of the machine is very modern. Its sleek black case is accented by RGB running lights on the front and the line in/out and microphone ports on the back are lined with RGB LEDs, too. 

There are many, many ports that are available on the unit. For convenience-sake, an HDMI port, 2 USB ports, and a headphone jack are located on the front of the unit. The back includes a USB-C port, 7 USB ports, 1 Ethernet port, 3 DisplayPorts, 1 line in, 1 line out, and 1 microphone input port. There are also two antennae attachments with the label “Wi-Fi 6” printed below it. The power cable plugs directly into the computer (no brick included – just the cord) and a power switch is located next to it. That power switch must be turned on in order to power the unit on from the power button on the front. For testing purposes, I plugged an HDMI cable into the front port to connect to my monitor and then a USB mechanical gaming keyboard into the front port as well. 

BASIC COMPUTING TASKS

Even though this computer is designed to have more power specifically for gaming purposes, I did test it out with some basic computing tasks. It seems to blow away basic tasks like web browsing, email composing and reading, and typing. To monitor the CPU’s performance, I pinned the performance tab of the game XBOX Game Bar onto the desktop. This allows me to monitor the CPU, GPU, VRAM, RAM, and FPS readings while I completed various tasks. While I was watching 4K streaming video on YouTube, the average rating was between 2-3% with occasional bounces into the 6% range. I completed an online typing test and found that the connection between the keyboard and PC was solid. The site I used is somewhat resource intensive because of its embedded ads. So, when I first visited the site, the performance meter bounced to 17%, but after that it settled in around 4%. Even when sites or tasks would seem to register a higher performance rating than the baseline 2%, the computer never seemed to slow down. 

GAMING EXPERIENCE

While testing the Corsair One, I obviously played a few games. I chose to play through a few levels of City Island 5 – a sim-style game (rated E), Overkill 3 – a basic shooter game (rated T), and Gears of War 4 – an advanced shooter-style game (rated M).  Each game played smoothly and I didn’t experience any lag. The two more basic gaming experiences – City Island 5 and Overkill 3 – weren’t as resource intensive as Gear of War 4. Overkill 3 only used 7% CPU/20% GPU processing power at its peak. City Island 5 was a little graphic-heavy so it was almost constantly using around 30% GPU power, but only around 4-5% CPU power. Gears of War registered 50% GPU when it was simply resting on the start screen. The CPU rating rose up to 10% when the game actually started. The video interstitials were what ended up taking up the most computing power, but even those didn’t seem to fully test the Corsair One’s power to its fullest. 

CPU/GPU & OVERALL PERFORMANCE

To test the overall performance of the PC, I completed some additional benchmark tests including Geekbench, Novabench, and CrystalDiskMark. 

GEEKBENCH 5 

Geekbench is a cross-platform benchmark tool that measures a system’s performance against workloads that simulate real-world experiences. The results are divided into a single-core and multi-core performance experience. Systems are given a score based on how well they performed during the Geekbench tests.The Corsair One received a score of 1271 (single-core)/11945 (multi-core). The AMD Ryzen 9 3950X processor has an average benchmark score of 1293/14105. The Corsair’s score was just about in-line with the single-core score, but was a way off from the multi-core score. 

NOVABENCH RESULTS

The next benchmarking test I did was using Novabench. The program is similar to Geekbench in that it tests the performance of the computer components and assigns scores based on the results of the tests. According to Novabench, the Corsair One had an overall score of 5336. One of the interesting features of Novabench is the fact that you can compare your results to different levels of systems. The table below shows how the Corsair One compares to other systems based on Novabench’s test results. 

HARD DRIVE SPEED

Finally, I ran CrystalDiskMark to test the performance of the SSD inside the Corsair One. The program works by reading and writing through the filesystem in a volume-dependant way. The results of the CrystalDiskMark test are shown in the image below. M.2 NVMe SSDs can reach speeds up to 32Gbps. 

CONCLUSION

The Corsair One is a beast of a compact gaming PC. The only real issue with this machine is its price. The system that I have been testing – as specked above – retails for $3,999.99 (currently on sale for $3,699.99) at the time this review is being written. From what I can tell, it’s worth it based on the power it has demonstrated with the tasks I have thrown at it. It’s a very unique system that works very well. 

For more information, visit corsair.com, Facebook and Twitter.

The Botley 2.0 STEM coding robot encourages creative thinking through a programable remote. Rated for kids ages 5+.

If your family is anything like mine, we struggle with limiting screen time.  With children aged 11, 8, 5, 19mo, there are days that we have to try to reanimate our iPad Zombies.  Luckily, new pieces of tech come along that make this process a little easier. The Botley 2.0 Coding Robot arrived in an 8 inches long by 6 inches wide by 6 inches tall retail package.  I found my eyes drawn to the large cute blue robot on the cover, but my wife immediately noticed the green semicircle along the bottom right with “100% screen-free” emblazoned onto the cover.   We loved the blue-colored Botley 2.0 rolling robot and his orange/silver eyes.  They did a good job with the blue on blue color scheme by adding a rim of white surrounding the robot.  Along the top left of the panel you will see the Learning Resources logo and along the top right you will see a STEM logo and a logo for ages 5+. The top panel provided essentially the same material as the cover panel but provided additional screen-free information.  The left and right side panels provided the same header information but added additional images and text to add to the experience.  The product is ready to use out of the box and should have children playing/coding within minutes.  I really appreciated the right side panel and the “about us” section.

Turning to the back panel, I was excited to find a pictorial representation of the Botley 2.0, the orange/blue face, the blue/orange arms, the coding cards and a text description below.  As my 5-year old daughter is getting ready for Kindergarten, this was a fun experience for her to sound out some of the words present on the box.  Beneath the content description, the company provided four circular pictures: 1. 100% Screen-free remote programmer. 2. 150 Coding steps in six directions. 3. Night vision with light-up eyes.  4. Advanced obstacle detection.  Lastly, the bottom panel provided the product contents in Spanish, French, and German. Opening the lid, we removed the clear plastic blister pack housing the remote control and Botley 2.0 robot.  Beneath the robot/controller, we found a thin plastic bag with numerous instruction cards, a pair of orange arms, a pair of blue arms, a blue face cover for the Botley robot (orange face came preinstalled), and a Botley 2.0 the coding robot Activity Guide.  The bottom half of the box was filled with a hollow cardboard wrap.  It appears that the box size was made larger to accommodate the graphics on the packaging.  Before opening the blister pack with robot/controller, we excitedly turned to the multi-lingual Activity Guide for instructions.  The cover of the manual displayed the friendly robot and controller.  The device was intended for children over the age of five, specifically for grades Kindergarten and up.  The first seven pages of the manual were geared toward the English language.  The second section was written in Spanish, the third was written in French, and the final section was written in German.  

The hardest part of the review was keeping the pieces out of my children’s hands while learning about their new toy.  I had to reign in their enthusiasm a little until we learned more about how to code the robot, how to clear the coding, and how the functions worked.  The first page of the manual provided a salutation from the company and thanked the user for their purchase.  Beneath this section, you will find the packaging contents, a detailed diagram of the Botley 2.0 robot, and instruction manual.  The robot will require three AAA batteries and the controller will require two AAA batteries, which were not included. The 10.89-ounce blue and orange robot had the face of Wall-E, or for those a little older you may remember “Batteries Not Included” and Johnny Five from “Short Circuit.”  My son Daniel removed the battery panel on the back of the controller, installed two AAA batteries, and then reinstalled the battery panel.  Concurrently, my son Samuel completed the battery installation on the Botley 2.0 Robot.  

The robot measured 3 3/8 inches long by 5 7/16 inches wide by 2 5/8 inches tall.  The front of the robot had two large eyes with 5/8 inches diameter pupils and 1 1/2 inches diameter silver irises (color part of the eye).  Each of the 2 1/2 inches diameter wheels were coated with grey rubber material with a circuit board texture/appearance.  We were a little uncertain if we had all of the product pieces when we did not find the orange face inside of the packaging.  When my five-year-old daughter noted that the face was already on the robot, we all had a little chuckle.  The body of the robot was dark blue, while the hubs of the wheels were a lighter blue color.  Just beneath the eyes, you will find two 1/2 inches diameter arm ports. Lastly, along the top of the robot, you will find a light sensor with a plastic sliding cover, the black-colored IR remote receiver, and a 3/4 inches diameter grey-colored stop button.  

The remote measured 3 7/8 inches wide by 2 5/8 inches tall by 1 1/8 inches thick.  The central blue-colored remote matched the robot and the lighter blue edges matched the hubs of the wheels.  Starting from the top, you will find the large light blue transmit button.  Beneath the transmit button, you will find a 3×2 array of buttons. The top row had buttons to code the following: 1. Turn left 45 degrees (L45). 2. Forward (F). 3. Turn Right 45 degrees (R45).  The bottom row had buttons coding for the following:  1. Turn Left (L). 2. Back (B). 3. Turn Right (R).  Along the right side of the remote, you will find a light button, sound button, and clear button.  Along the left side of the remote you will find a loop button, and object detection button.  I slid the power button of the robot into the “code” position and the robot came to life; the robots eyes illuminated and it greeted us with a robotic “hi.”  To test out the features, my eleven-year-old son pressed the forward button and then the transmit button.  We found that the robot moved forward approximately 8 inches.  We pressed forward again, pressed transmit again, and found that the previous code was still present.  Now, the robot went forward another sixteen inches.  We placed him back on the starting position and then read the getting started section of the manual.  Pressing the clear button was not enough to eliminate the code.  Instead, you will need to press and hold the button.  This was actually an ingenious feature as my kids likely pressed the erase button a dozen times while trying to press the turn right button.  Thus, they did not erase all of their code. 

The manual was well laid out and did a great job detailing the bonus features and the secret codes, which proved to be hilarious to my children.  The manual will detail how to clear/delete the steps and then walks you through some simple coding.  The first step was to press forward and transmit, as we tried initially.  The robot will light up and make noises to alert the user that the code was received.  The second program instructed the user to enter forward, forward, right, right, forward, transmit.  With the basics down, the instruction manual provided instructions for the loop feature and object detection modes.   As an example of the object detection, you can press F, F, F, Object Detection, R, F, L, then Transmit.  This sequence will start once Botley 2.0 runs into an object.  Holding the light button, the robot will play a short melody and allow you to enter a color show.  In that mode, the robot’s eyes illuminated with the color that we coded.  Once the basics were learned, the fun truly began.  The device has a  “Botley Says” mode as well. To enter the mode, press F, R, B, L, and then transmit.  You will have to press the correct color on the remote and then transmit to let Botley know that you were paying attention.  Complete 15 steps and you can win that match.  We started to play this, but my children found the secret codes. 

Once they realized they could make Botley 2.0 perform tricks like a train, shark, construction crew, police, dinosaur, ghost, kiss, old lighthouse, rabbit, yikes, greetings, whee!, Botley is dizzy, it was difficult to get them back to solving the missions that I created for them.  Using the lids to our pots/pans, I created several obstacle courses that they had to navigate.  They used the programming cards to remember the actions and had a few turns to get the robot to perform a set of activities. My five-year-old daughter absolutely loved the ghost mode, as it wheeled around making ghost noises.  All of them got a kick out of the kiss mode.  The other special moves provided variable excitement for them. The last mode that we played with was the line follow mode.  Setting the robot to line mode, it will follow a sharpie line on white paper, which was an interesting add-on.  

In conclusion, my children absolutely loved the Botley 2.0 STEM programming robot.  We created obstacles to overcome, we played with the line mode, and used the secret codes.  Despite all of the exciting features, I could not believe that this product was available for only $65.  I initially thought that the 5+ age range and semi-juvenile robotic features would be a turn-off for my eleven-year-old, but I could not have been more wrong.  He wanted to create challenges for himself and his siblings, and he showed pride when he got flashy with spins.  The device proved to be rugged enough to survive an attack by my 19-month-old, yet entertaining enough to keep the focus of my 5, 8, and 11-year-old children.  If you are looking for an inexpensive family fun activity, look to the Learning Resources Botley 2.0.  You will not regret the purchase. 

Learn more about Botley 2.0.
Follow Learning Resources on Facebook and Instagram.

Realize what it means to be an Apple fan.

It’s no secret that I’m an Apple fanboy through and through. I have been ever since the early 2000s. I remember when I made the switch over to Apple products. I was in the middle of producing a series of videos with a group of friends and I turned to a local video editing expert about the best way to finish the videos. He suggested that using Final Cut Pro was the best nonlinear video option available (at the time) and that was only available on Apple computers. I was finally able to invest in my first Apple computer — a white macbook — and I’ve been a loyal Apple user ever since. 

Once I became a fan of the products, I started becoming more and more ingrained in the Apple culture and what it truly meant to be a fan. Apple fans are a community. When we see each other in public we greet each other as if we’ve always known one another and Apple is the tie that binds us together. It’s this bond that Leander Kahney and David Pierini capture in their upcoming release, The Cult of Mac, 2nd edition from publisher No Starch Press.

This book is an update to the previous release by Kahney from 2006. Since that time, a lot has happened in Apple culture including the release of the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and of course, the death of Apple founder, Steve Jobs. All of these events are explored in a whimsical look at Apple brand loyalty throughout the pages of The Cult of Mac, 2nd edition. For me, this book does things ‘right.’ I feel like the essence of the bound pages captures the feeling of how Apple fans feel about Apple products. Steve Jobs was famous for caring about the look of the parts the public didn’t see as much as the parts they do see. Kahney and Pierini obviously thought that the ‘feel’ of the book and its presentation meant just as much as the written stories that are printed on the pages. 

A picture of fandom

The Cult of Mac, 2nd Edition is designed to open and close like a laptop. The cover of the book has “The Cult of Mac” arranged within the shape of an apple. The cover is gray to mimic the white/gray Apple logo. The inside cover is solid black and the dust cover has a summary of the book, but it’s made to look like an open window on a Mac laptop. The opposite page has a MacBook Pro’s keyboard and trackpad. So when you look at the book opening, it quite literally looks like a laptop. The end of the book has a power switch slider that mimics what you find on an iPhone or iPad. It reads, “close cover to power off.” 

The first written pages contain the Introduction which not only defines ‘the cult of mac’ as a concept but also poses the question, “Is there still a cult of mac?” That question is answered at the conclusion of the page by saying, “Even though the Apple brand has become universal, a distinct Apple subculture endures: it has evolved to embrace all the diverse and creative ways in which devotees express their love, as you’ll see in this book.” I found that comment/phrase comforting. Apple is still the tie that binds us together even though there are millions of additional users (thanks to products like the iPhone and iPad) that might just be enjoying the amazing products and not really ‘joining’ the culture. 

Cult of Mac 2.0

This 2nd edition volume seeks to pick up where the first book left off. There are several themes that are revisited and for me it was nostalgic. I loved being reminded of the stories that have become synonymous with Apple fandom. There is a huge section of the book that shows off iPhoneography (photography captured with an iPhone) and describes how the camera on an iPhone has changed people’s traditional views on digital cameras and film making. There is an entire subheading in the book called “TV Station Ditches Traditional Equipment for iPhones.” This segment describes several instances where TV stations began using iPhones for their broadcast programming. This really spoke to me because in 2016 when I attended my first CES, I organized a video rig that consisted of an iPhone, Beast Grip, iRig Lightning microphone, and an LED light. While walking around the show floor capturing interviews, we were stopped by national news outlets wondering what it was we were using to shoot video. When I revealed that it was an iPhone, people were amazed. 

One small thing

I love how big of a focus there is in showcasing the iPhone photos. I did, however, notice that some of the pages (not all, just some) seem to be misprinted. The photos are cut off and continue from page-to-page in a manner that doesn’t seem planned. After reaching out to the publisher, I found out the following about those ‘run-on’ pages.

“For the section on iPhone photography, I took inspiration from the camera app, at least the version that was being used at the time I was designing it. I wanted the photo to feel like you’re scrolling through a continuous roll of photos, hence them peeking around pages.”

CONCLUSION

When I visited CES for the first time, I had the opportunity to meet Leander Kahney. He was genuinely a nice guy and even though I’m sure he won’t remember that brief flicker of a moment, it made an impression on me. For me, that was my first real experience at a major tech show and I got a kick out of meeting people I have been following in the tech scene over the years. That’s a big reason why I didn’t think twice about checking out The Cult of Mac, 2nd edition.

Reading this book has really sparked my love for Apple and the tech community again. It’s a real reminder of why I started MacSources as a source for real technology news and reviews and not just a replay of rumors. I’m grateful to Apple computers giving me the ability to express my creative side and make a living doing so. My first MacBook allowed me to shift my focus from coding websites to design and ultimately, being able to hone my skills as a writer. 

Over the past year, I think I had started to forget what made me want to do what I do. It’s the people in this very tight-knit tech community that push the boundaries. They are ones who see an old way of doing something and find a better way. The creative ones that make amazing digital art that inspires. I never got to read Leander’s first Cult of Mac book but if it was anything like this one I could only imagine the joy I would get from reading it.

This really is a great book full of stories I remember and a few that I was reading for the first time. To me, these stories are the reason I got into what I do now and these are the people I enjoyed being around the most over the years. This is a great book and a wonderful gift for any Apple fanboy or fangirl.

For more details, visit Cult of Mac, Facebook, and Twitter.

A fun option for notetaking.

Recently, I spent some extended time with my niece. She was asking me for help with her writing homework. I realized that it wasn’t anything like when I was growing up. Students no longer get the fun writing prompts where you trace the shapes of the letters adding a little bit more each time until you have it perfected. There are no funny pictures of a dinosaur next to the letter D. This saddened me a little bit. The kids get laptops at an early age, but nothing to make learning fun. I had just recently received some drawing tablets that I was just for leaving notes on my refrigerator to let my wife know that I drank all of the milk. I decided to make this fun for my nice and use the tablets for her studies.

The first one that I tried was Newyes Electronic Memo Pad. The Memo Pad boasts a 10-inch screen that is plenty big for any age group to utilize. The overall profile is very slim and actually slimmer than a newer iPhone.  This is nice but it doesn’t make the Memo Pad very rugged. The plastic case around the screen is the most sturdy piece. The LCD display is just in the frame with no backing plate, which made me feel like I was going to break it daily.

The operation was fairly simple. There are only two buttons — one for power and one to erase the content on the screen. The on/off button functions as a lock for the screen to save whatever was drawn or written on the screen last. The included stylus, that has a cloth loop to hold it in place for storage and elastic cable so you don’t lose it, feels like a standard pen or pencil. Writing with the stylus was simple. When using the stylus it didn’t matter whether my niece used more or less pressure, the lines were consistent. While this did make her feel more like a big kid it didn’t perform very well in bright areas or dark areas. On the package it showed the ability to have different colors on the screen there weren’t any included instructions, nor any more buttons beside the two to clear the screen. This was a definite drawback for trying to get my niece into writing. The fun colors would have helped a lot.  The Electronic Memo Pad claims to have the usability of 100,000 pages, I couldn’t possibly try this out anytime soon. The battery compartment is accessible, so changing the small flat better would be a simple task if it ever needs it. 

The second one that I tried seemed more basic. While it till had a 10” it had an even smaller and slimmer profile. The included stylus clicks into the frame for easy storage. The LCD Writing Tablet has the standard lock button to save the image and an erase button to clear the screen, I also has a partial delete button which lightens the image with each click. My niece really liked this for her drawing. Minor victory. The product box states that you can write I. Colorful lines, but with no included instructions and only 3 buttons we sadly weren’t able to use this feature either.  

While this wasn’t a total victory as far as the functionality of the tablets, it did boost her self confidence because she felt like a big kid. I will just stick to using them to leave notes for my wife on the fridge. 

For more information, visit newsyes.com/parterase, newyes.com/10inch, and Facebook.

A stylish mouse for standard use.

For many, many years now I have used a laptop as my main computer. As much as I like having a mobile command center, I do find the trackpad that is standard on these machines to be flawed. I like having control in all types of functions on my computer. That’s why ever since I’ve used a laptop — I’ve also used a mouse. The type of mouse has varied, but I’ve always had one as a primary accessory. Every once in a while, I like to try out new mice to see if a newer one meets my needs better than the other ones I’m using. When Satechi released the M1 Wireless  mouse, I thought it was worth taking a look at.

DETAILS

The Satechi M1 Wireless Mouse connects to computers via Bluetooth 4.0. It is a rechargeable mouse that utilizes USB-C for charging. The mouse has a range of up to 32 feet and is compatible with most modern systems (macOS and Windows OS). The M1 mouse is designed to be ergonomic with a simple curved shape that is ideal for both left and right-hand users. The mouse is available in silver, space grey, gold, and rose gold to complement Apple computer’s color finishes. The M1 mouse also features optical sensors for precise, quick tracking and scrolling for web browsing, working, or data entry. The scroll wheel is constructed with aluminum to match the aluminum finish on the mouse.

Main Details

• Wireless, Bluetooth 4.0 connection
• Fast, precise tracking – up to 1200 DPI
• Rechargeable Type-C port
• Modern, ergonomic design
• Compatible with most Bluetooth-enabled computers, laptops, and tablets

IMPRESSIONS

The M1 Wireless mouse comes in a Satechi branded box with basic details listed on it. The front has a large image of the product printed on the front. When you open the box you will find a USB Type-C to USB Type-A charging cable along with the mouse itself as well as a user manual. A quick start guide is also available for download on Satechi’s website.

When I started testing out the M1 Wireless Mouse, I was already using a compact, wireless mouse — the Logitech MX Anywhere 2S. That mouse features programmable buttons along with the typical left/right buttons and scroll wheel. Needless to say, making the switch between the Logitech mouse and the Satechi one was quite a jump. The Satechi mouse is comfortable to use and I love the look of it. The space gray color option matches my space gray MacBook Pro perfectly and I don’t think I could find a better-looking compliment for my laptop.

Unfortunately, looks aren’t everything. So, how does the M1 Wireless Mouse perform? I would say, it performs above average but isn’t exceptional to me. For starters, it is a standard 2-button mouse (2-button with a third in the scroll wheel). This limits certain functionality that a lot of computer systems have these days. For example, my MacBook Pro has the ability to switch between desktops by swiping across the trackpad with multiple fingers. This gesture can be programmed into the side buttons of the Logitech mouse, but not the M1 mouse because it only features two clickable buttons.

Aside from advanced functionality like the programmable buttons, the M1 mouse tracks easily and the buttons have a nice feel to them. The scroll wheel has a nice, smooth motion that helps with easy navigation of your computer functions.

FINAL THOUGHTS

As a basic mouse, I think the Satechi M1 Wireless Mouse is a nice companion accessory for MacBook users. Not only do their colors match perfectly, but the mouse is also a good replacement option for the Apple Magic Mouse. I don’t believe users who have experience with advanced mice or gaming mice would find the M1 as a suitable replacement for their needs, but for most standard users, it gets the job done.

For more information, visit satechi.net, Facebook, or Twitter.

A decent tablet for beginners – not for productivity.

I love tablet computers. I think they are a great option for working remotely and personal entertainment. My place of work actually just implemented a learning system for our employees that is going to exist almost entirely on tablets. The tablet market has become more and more saturated so it’s harder for consumers to determine which tablet will work best for them. For me, it’s easy to default to Apple products, but I can’t deny that there are a lot of other viable options out there. One such option is the Winnovo VTab 10.1-inch Android tablet.

DETAILS

The Winnovo VTab is a 10.1-inch tablet that is equipped with an IPS screen. It provides a wide visual angle (178 degrees) and 1280 x 800 HD resolution. It has dual front/rear facing cameras for capturing memories or video chats. It’s designed to provide a no-lag performance experience with its 2GB of RAM. The tablet also has a 64-bit quad core CPU for multitasking and fast processing speed. You will enjoy dual-band WiFi that supports both 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency wireless networks. The Winnovo VTab is certified by Google and users will have full access to the Google Play store. The battery provides up to 5 hours of video playback and up to 240 hours of standby time.

SPECS

• Model: Winnovo VTab
• Color: Black
• CPU: MTK8163 Quad-core@1.3GHz, 28nm processing
• Operating System: Google Android 6.0
• Battery: 6000 mAh Lion-Polymer battery
• Display & Screen: 10.1 inch Multi-Touch IPS 1280×800 pixel HD resolution
• RAM: 2GB
• Memory: 16GB, supporting TF / micro SD card expanded up to 64 GB (not included)
• Camera: Front – 2 MP, Rear – 5 MP Auto-Focus
• Dual Band WIFI: 802.11a/ b / g / n, support 2.4GHz and 5GHz
• Bluetooth: BT4.0
• GPS: Yes
• FM Radio: Yes
• 3D G-Sensor: Yes
• Multi-language: English, French, German, Italian Spanish, Greek, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, Turkish, Czech, etc.

Package Includes:

• 1 x Winnovo VTab Tablet Touch 2018 New HD 10.1 inch WiFi Android Quad-core
• 1 x AC adapter EU plug
• 1 x USB cable
• 1 x User Manual

USER EXPERIENCE

My first impression of the Winnovo VTab was generally positive. I love that a case is included with the tablet because sometimes these budget-friendly tablets have ‘cheap’ hardware for the case. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the VTab’s exterior hardware was actually pretty sturdy. It does come with a film on the screen to help prevent scratches. I opted to leave that on even though there were a few air bubbles beneath the surface. I would rather see those unsightly bubbles than have permanent scratches on the surface of the tablet’s screen.

The tablet seems responsive when it comes to touch commands. I didn’t have any issues with it registering my swipes or taps. I did, however, have Google Chrome lock up on me a couple of times when I was trying to view a simple news story. One of my main concerns about this tablet was its battery life. I’ve used tablets like this before where the battery runs out quite quickly. So, I charged the battery from 0% for 2 hours and got the battery up to 62% before using the tablet. After about 20 minutes of moderate use (checking email, reading online articles, no video), the battery had dropped to 53%. At this point, I started watching videos on YouTube and after 10 minutes the battery had lost 10%. With this in mind, I think it’s important to recognize that this tablet is good for basic tasks, but really isn’t designed to be a productivity workhorse.

As an additional test, I downloaded Google Slides to see how a presentation would play on it. I was surprised to find that there was a note on the app in the Google Play store that said, “this app may not be optimized for your device” since it is a Google product and a tablet running Android’s mobile operating system. At this point, I decided to check the version of Android the tablet was running and the tablet showed Android Version 6.0. I also checked for updated via the Wireless Update option and was told that it was running the most current version of Android. According to Wikipedia, there are three newer versions of Android – Nougat, Oreo, and Pie. I suppose it’s possible that this is the most current version for this particular tablet, but I find it odd that I didn’t get an option for updating software with three additional versions out there.

I then downloaded AnTuTu Benchmark to test see where the Winnovo VTab would rate against other Android tablets. The top score was the HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro with a score of 305437 and the Winnovo VTab didn’t even meet the top 50 scores. When I tapped on the DEVICE VERIFICATION option of AnTuTu, I got a note that stated: “Your device is a knockoff”. There is no other information given and no details are offered about what it’s a knockoff of. After running the stress test on the tablet, which took approximately 15 minutes, the battery was drained to 32%.

CONCLUSION

While the Winnovo VTab 10.1-inch Android tablet is a suitable tablet for beginners, I don’t think it’s really a great option for people who want something that can replace a computer. For the price, it’s great for introducing technology to someone who isn’t familiar with it, but it’s really a starter tablet.

For more information, visit winnovo.cc.
Find Winnovo on Facebook and Twitter.

A few months ago I was one of the suckers who saw Apple’s new MacBook Pro release as an awesome upgrade with the 32GB of RAM. What I and so many others didn’t like was that the MBP was still supporting old GPU’s With Apple putting 32GB of RAM in their powerhouse pro laptop no one really expected them to be doing anything else major for a year or so after.

Boy, was everyone wrong on that. Some called it a cash grab by Apple saying that Apple knew that in just three months time they would be releasing a major update to the just-released major update. Now the 2.9 i9 MacBook Pro with 32GB of RAM could be configured with Vega Pro 16 and 20 graphics cards.

To me and others that I have seen talk about this on Twitter, it was a slap in the face. The press release after the iPad Pro announcement had listed that Apple would be dropping the new Vega Cards and it was pretty deep in the release. It was almost as if Apple was trying to hide the news by planting it deep in the press release.

Never the less as I read comments from others in the tech industry about how upset they were about dropping huge chunks of cash on a machine that was going to be basically put out to pasture by Apple three months later I could agree as I felt the same way.

I love Apple and support the company. If it wasn’t for Apple I would not be where I am today. Their computers made it possible for me to be more creative. I have helped defend Apple many times on things I think that other media had blown out of hand, but for me, I could not find a way to feel ok about this.

Even now after my Apple Store swapped out my MacBook Pro that I paid $4100 for to the new MacBook Pro with the Vega Pro 20 card, I can’t help but feel what they did three months ago at the time of writing this was a straight-up cash grab.

Thanks to the Apple Store I call my home away from home, their wonderful team decided to work with me and heard the sound of disappointment in my voice and decided to do everything in their power to make things better.

I called Apple once I saw that the new MacBook Pro with the Vega Pro 20 was only going to cost $350 more and explained to them that if I had known I would have never bought the machine I had three months prior. I explained that I do lots of pro tasks and that the GPU was a super big deal to me. Never did I get loud or rude to anyone as Apple employees have always been super friendly and no one ever needs such tones. I say that part to remind anyone who calls don’t be hateful.

The rep on the phone placed me on hold and contacted my Apple Store. The closest one to me is two hours away so it was going to be a big drive just to walk in and talk with them. Once she got the manager on the phone he explained to me that he understood my dilemma and even though I was outside my 14-day return policy he would help me out. Because I have a business he suggested that he turn me over to the business team as they could get a bit more done and that I would have a direct contact. I spoke with a great gentleman from the business team a few minutes later and he explained to me I had two choices. One we could order the new machine but I would have to pay for it with my credit card and get reimbursed once I returned my current MBP or I could just wait until they got one in the store. Because I could not afford to drop $5000 more on a credit card even with it getting reimbursed six days later I told him I guess I would just have to wait until the store got one in stock.

The problem with this is that the MacBook Pro I was seeking was going to be a specialty order item. Meaning it would never just end up in store. Sometimes Apple will get a semi specked out computers in store in case someone or business needed one right away. But hardly ever did they have one of this caliber in stock.

I thought about that and I guess the employees at my Apple Store did as well. I decided to call back and ask if I was to make the drive to Louisville and bring my MacBook Pro back in advance would I be able to just use the money from it as an Apple store gift card and purchase the machine with the almighty Vega Pro 20. The Apple Store employee from the business department told me that they had thought about that and the manager placed the order for this specific computer for me. He said once it arrived they would call me. I got off the phone with him and not even two minutes later he called me back to let me know that the machine was already in the store. Apple pretty much overnighted the computer. I was jumping with joy while on the phone.

The next day I made the two hour trip to Apple and not only did they replace the computer with what I really wanted but they also helped me with the price by adjusting the total cost. I saved a fist full with this compared to what I would have had to pay if I would have bought it now without all of this happening. It really was an excellent day.

I said this today on Twitter and I will say it here. No other company cares for its customers the way Apple does. Yes products from Apple are expensive, yes they are made well, and yes they are built to last but it’s the customer service from both the phone support to the in-store support you get at the Apple Store that makes Apple a family. You don’t walk inside a JC Penney’s and feel like the person on the other end is going to truly care if you got the wrong size. They aren’t going to go out of their way to do much of anything for you. No other computer manufacturer would even blink twice at you once they saw you were past your 14-day return policy. Heck, I can’t get people at Best Buy to even smile half the time when talking to them. Apple on the other end went above and beyond while losing money to make sure one customer was going to be happy with his purchase. That’s incredible and it’s not a one-time thing. I have seen Apple do some amazing things over the years for customers.

A build your own computer kit is great for all ages.

I’ve always been fascinated with electronics. I loved soldering wires together and when I learned about it, I even liked assembling Ethernet cables. I don’t know what my fascination was with wiring, but it’s always been of interest to me. At one point in time, I even entertained the thought of building my own computer. I had friends who were doing it and it sounded like a lot of fun. I never got very far into that adventure and now it seems overwhelming to me. Fortunately, we are in the age of discovery and STEM projects for elementary students are a ‘real’ thing. Product designers and software companies are making it easier for younger people to learn from the ground up how to code computer programs and even huge companies like Apple provide endless tools for people to learn this new skill. One of my favorite options for learning is brought to you by Kano, an innovative company that seeks to put tools into the hands of people who have the desire to learn. 

DETAILS

The Computer Kit Touch from Kano is designed for kids age 6 and older. With it, you can learn to code with more than 100 challenges, make art, games, and music, and even Hack Minecraft. The kit is complete with an easy to understand, illustrated manual. The internal computer is a Raspberry Pi 3 with a 1.2GHz quad Cortex A53 64-bit processor. It has 1GB of RAM and a 400MHz Videocore IV graphics card. The computer is WiFi compatible and has 3 external USB-A ports for connectivity. The battery is a 3,000 mAh rechargeable battery. It will provide up to 3 hours of constant play and charges using a standard Micro USB cable. The kit comes with a 16GB Micro SD card for storage. While this piece lives on the inside of the tablet case, you could swap it out for a larger capacity card if you wish. The screen is a 10.1” touchscreen with an HD resolution of 1280 x 800. 

USER EXPERIENCE

When I first opened the box, I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into. The kit comes with a very easy to follow user manual. This is probably the most impressive part of the kit to me. The manual walks you through the process step by step and explains everything along the way. For example, the book is illustrated so you know for sure which part you are supposed to be using at every step. The first part you are introduced to is the ‘brain’. Here are the instructions that accompany the image of the processor. 

“This is your computer’s brain. It’s tiny, but powerful. How does your computer think? If you look deep inside, it’s made of billions of electric switches.” 

This is how the entire manual is outlined. All along the way, the book tells you the importance of each piece and how it translates to a finished computer. Another example of this is the introduction of the HDMI cable. 

“Grab the yellow HDMI cable. Inside the cable are thousands of copper fibers twisted into 19 wires! This cable will carry pictures from your computer to your screen. It sends images, video, and more, using binary code.” 

I feel like the explanations are simple enough for beginners to understand easily, but I also feel like it doesn’t ‘dumb’ down the process. After all, the goal of this kit is to be a learning tool for those interested in building and coding computers. 

Another feature about this kit that I really like is that the parts are recognizable. Instead of asking users to pull out a soldering iron and twisting wires together — this is a tricky process and it can easily be screwed up — Kano provides all of the wires for connection in cable form. There are Micro USB cables and HDMI cables that are just plug and play. I would think that kids who are old enough to be using this kit would be able to recognize the different types of cables and in my opinion, things that are familiar are easier to understand. 

Because I had a previous knowledge of technical things, I was able to get this kit put together within about 30 minutes. The assembly wasn’t the difficult thing to me, it was the programming and learning the coding aspect of it. I do have some knowledge of how code is supposed to come together, but remembering what coding sequences do what is a little harder for me. I think this is one part of the process I would love some additional information on — what commands do what. For example, the initial programming set-up you go through tell you to “Follow the white rabbit…” I loved this reference to not only Alice in Wonderland but also the Matrix. So the first command you enter is “cd rabbithole”. While this step gives you your first understanding of how the lines of code will be entered (code + ENTER = initiate action), you don’t get a quick sense of what the code is supposed to do. I did discover that once you get into some of the games – like Snake – you are told what each command does for the system. 

After the initial startup, you can go through the coding lessons in a Story Mode, which is similar to an old 8-bit adventure game, or you can use any one of the multiple apps available. I was actually surprised to find that apps like Wikipedia and Gmail were available on the Kano tablet. There is even a Microsoft Office clone (LibreOffice).  Is the tablet as responsive as something like an iPad? No. But it is surprisingly peppy for what it is. I can see kids really getting into assembling and playing around with this kit. 

I’m not a big fan of the keyboard that came with the tablet. You have to press down fairly hard on the keys in order for them to register on the computer. That said, since what connects the keyboard to the Kano computer is a USB transmitter, I believe that any keyboard with that feature could be used in place of the standard kit keyboard.

CONCLUSION

The Kano Computer Kit Touch is a really intriguing option for teaching kids (and adults) how to build and program a computer. You get to start with it from the ground up and really take ownership of the product that sits before you. It’s a functioning computer/tablet and even though it’s a little bulky, you really get a sense of what it’s like to construct a device like this. I really think this is a great way to teach technology. 

For more information, visit kano.me
Find Kano on Facebook and Twitter.

A fun, creative way to start coding.

For the past two years, we’ve been trying to convince my stepdaughter that she should learn how to code. We’ve been trying to encourage her to use the tools that are out there that make learning coding easy and fun, but she’s not ‘the computer type’ as she likes to say. Even though she’s been hesitant, I’ve been fascinated by learning about these tools because I myself have never completely understood computer coding. I took an HTML course during my undergraduate program (more than 15 years ago) and loved it, but I’ve always been intimidated by actual ‘coding’. So, when I was introduced to Kano and their super easy to use coding platform, I was stoked. I was even more excited when I discovered the Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit; I knew that was for me. 

SPECS

• Coding Wand Board: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer, Rumble pack, RGB LED, Button
• Battery: XXX x 2; 6 hours of continuous play
• Bluetooth Low-energy 4.1+
• Compatible Systems: 
• MAC: Mac OS 10.10 or later, Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or Xeon processor (64-bit intel processor), Models from 2012 or onwards, Mac OS Mojave now supported
• iOS: iPad running iOS 11 or higher, iOS 10 support from mid-October
• Recommended tablets: iPad 5th Generation and later, iPad Mini 2 and later, iPad Air 2 and later, iPad Pro; running iOS 11 and later

I’m a huge Harry Potter fan. I loved the books. I loved the movies. And I love the idea of being able to use this manifestation of a movie prop to learn an intimidating task like coding. The kit includes the wand that you assemble, written instructions, and a free download of the app that you can use with a mobile device or a desktop computer. I chose to use my MacBook Pro. Before I put the wand together, I got the app downloaded and set-up. Then I opened up the box to the wand and put the pieces together. The wand consists of the actual plastic wand piece and the ‘brain’ of the wand, which includes a gyroscope, accelerometer, and a magnetometer. Those sensors detect when you move the wand and complete the code prompts. 

Kano is nice enough to provide AAA batteries along with the wand pieces so that you can get started as quickly as possible once the wand is assembled. The coding portion of the project is done exclusively through the app. Kano makes this very easy to understand because they take you from the very basic steps like placing visual blocks with commands into a sequence to more advanced coding steps like adding specific angle measurements into the code for wand actions. The Harry Potter Kano Kit allows users to learn the coding process through a series of challenges and then you can hone your skills through the ‘play’ area of the app. You can create your own adventures and share them with the Kano community, too. 

I love the flexibility that this system provides for those who are trying to learn how to code. It is a creative option for helping people to learn a skill without making it monotonous. I did find that it takes a while – several challenges – before you really get into the heart of how to code. Since it starts out with sequencing and giving users the ‘feel’ of what coding is all about, you have to realize how that translates to the actual coding later on in the process. I made it through several levels of challenges prior to writing this review and felt that each built on the lesson before it but thought that for more advanced users, it would help to have more explanation of how the basics relate to ‘real’ coding. I know that this particular system is geared toward younger kids, but it would be nice to see an option for more guided lessons for those who want it.

If you are looking to start coding, Kano has some great options for getting started. I really love the Harry Potter wand package and think that it’s the best way to learn the basics because you get to play through the lessons. 

For more information, visit kano.me.
Find Kano on Facebook and Twitter.

A classy, multi-purpose laptop with strong performance.

Getting started with the HP Envy is very straightforward just like other HP laptops. It runs Windows 10 so all the startup functions run in the background while you watch a temperature bar fill the screen. After answering a few preference questions, the computer runs its start-up operations. From start to finish – including updates – the HP Envy took approximately 10 minutes to finalize its startup. After that was completed, I noticed one thing right off the bat – the temperature of the computer. I used an Infrared Thermometer to take the surface temperature of the laptop in a few different places. I got readings between 104 and 107 degrees Fahrenheit. I also used an infrared camera (FLIR One) to take a few shots of the heat signature from the top and bottom of the computer. After taking those readings, I did notice that the heat dissipated quickly. After the initial set-up, I began doing my testing.

DETAILS

The HP Envy x360 is a convertible laptop that can be used as either a laptop or tablet. It has a 360-degree hinge that allows the screen to flip all the way around for easy use as a tablet. It has 8GB of memory and an AMD Ryzen 5 processor to keep the machine running smoothly. The screen is made out of Corning Gorilla Glass that keeps the HP Envy’s screen from getting scratched or dinged. The laptop is built for use with Windows Ink. It only weighs 2.87lbs and measures 0.6″ thin for easy portability.

SPECS

• AMD Quad-Core Ryzen 5 2500U Accelerated Processor
• 128GB PCI-e SSD
• 8192MB on-board DDR4 SDRAM
• No Optical Drive
• Windows 10
• Touchscreen, Multi-touch enabled
• 13.3” Diagonal Full HD IPS LED Display with 1920 x 1080 resolution
• HP IR Camera
• WLAN & Bluetooth
• Bang & Olufsen speakers
• 2 – USB-A ports
• 1 – USB-C port

BASIC COMPUTING SKILLS

One of the main things I use computers (and laptops) for is to type. I do a lot of writing and therefore, how responsive a keyboard is to me and how it feels is very important to my overall experience with a laptop. I enjoy the fact that the screen is touch sensitive. That makes it easy to transition between tablet, phone, and computer. I can’t tell you how many times I have gone to touch a screen on a laptop to only be disappointed that the screen isn’t a touchscreen. Given that comfortable typing is a big feature for me, I usually complete an online typing test to see what my speed is like. I then compare that to my speed on my MacBook Pro. In this instance, typing on the HP Envy was much more efficient than it was on my MBP. I had a speed of 70WPM on the Envy and on the MBP, it was 65WPM. The keyboard is quite responsive and the keys have a softer feel to them. It’s very quiet to type on the Envy and the spacing of the keys is comfortable.

CPU/GPU PERFORMANCE

The HP Envy has been running very smoothly. It’s been very responsive and able to handle the tasks I’ve thrown at it. Given that this computer is mainly built for gaming and application performance, those are the main areas that I was testing when I was using the laptop. To measure the performance of the GPU and CPU, I used two benchmarking tools – Geekbench 4 and NovaBench.

Geekbench 4 Results

The HP Envy 360x ended up with a single-core score of 2264 and a multi-core score of 6698. It also returned an OpenCL score of 31731. According to other Geekbench 4 results, the top scoring machine with an AMD Ryzen 5 processor is 4782/17291. In this regard, the HP Envy is performing below the top performing machine. The OpenCL test looks specifically at how well the GPU performs. The HP Envy has an AMD Radeon Vega 8 integrated graphics chipset with shared video memory. It’s designed to provide solid image quality for Internet usage, movies, basic photo editing, and casual gaming. Looking at other AMD Radeon Vega 8 GPUs that have been tested on Geekbench, the average score is 33515. With that in mind, the HP Envy’s GPU is performing a bit below the average. Click here to view the full results of the CPU test and the OpenCL test online.

NovaBench Results

NovaBench does a similar type of testing on your system but provides you with a different set of scores and analysis. The overall score of the HP Envy was 1090 and had a CPU score of 638 and GPU score of 203. I can’t say which test works better — they are just different.

BATTERY PERFORMANCE

According to the specs from HP, this laptop should work up to 10 hours (depending on the display panel that is installed). During my testing of this laptop, I tried to make note of how long the battery was lasting depending on the task being run at the time. When I first pulled the laptop out of its box, I placed it on charge for a big and then unplugged it as I started working with it. Starting with 81% battery, I noted that after about 3 hours, the battery had drained by 71%. At 10%, the computer gives you a warning about a low battery, so I plugged it into AC power at that point. During those 3 hours, I was running the tests I mentioned above and getting the computer set-up. I also began running Windows system updates. With this timing in mind, I think I can estimate an approximate battery life that will last a little over 4 hours if it’s being vigorously used like I was doing.

HARD DRIVE SPEED

Finally, I wanted to test the hard drive’s speed. This model of the HP Envy comes with 128GB PCIe SSD. According to the stress test I used (32GB), the top read/write speed of this SSD is 513/282 MB/s. This was a little disappointing considering that I did a test on a Razer Blade Stealth a few months ago and its read/write speeds with a 16GB stress test was 3153/1113 MB/s. It, too, had a PCI-e SSD.

ENTERTAINMENT EXPERIENCE

The last two features I looked at with the HP Envy had to deal with how well the computer handled entertainment like streaming video and gaming. Using Netflix, I watched the introduction to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The movie opens with a vibrant color palette, extraordinary special effects mixed with human actors, and an eclectic music soundtrack. This combination of elements makes it an awesome test for both the display and speaker set for the HP Envy. I was very impressed by how good the picture looked on the screen. It was immaculate. The audio was well-amplified and easy to understand so I would rate the speakers at ‘above average’ for a laptop. In addition to the video trial, I also downloaded and played a few rounds of Sonic Dash. The game graphics held up very well and the gameplay was smooth. Since this game is very fast-paced, I would expect that the HP Envy would hold up well with other types of gameplay, too.

CONCLUSION

The HP Envy is a wonderful multi-purpose laptop. It’s above average for a standard performance laptop, but not up to par with ‘gaming’ laptops or custom builds. I would recommend this for users who are looking for one machine to accomplish many different tasks.

For more information, visit hp.com.
Find HP on Facebook and Twitter.

As a parent of three small children, nine and six-year-old sons and three-year-old daughter, I sometimes struggle to find activities that can outcompete YouTube and iPad gaming.  As a Xennial, I was born to a world that my parents knew and grew alongside the technologies that my children now enjoy.  My boys have been involved with cub scouts, little league, and soccer but still lean towards the tech-heavy activities.  If they had the choice, they would neglect the outdoors, books and turn themselves into iPad Zombies.  My wife grew up in the country and wants more for our children than what our current society has to offer.  We want to make well-rounded adults, conversational adults, critical-thinking adults and that is why we offer them a variety of opportunities.  Cub Scouts now have cyber badges, internet safety badges, programming activities, etc. and our schools/education are embracing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).  Bring the STEM into your home with the build-it-yourself Kano Laptop.

The Kano make your own computer kit arrived in a visually appealing 14 1/8 inches wide by 8 inches wide by 4 1/4 inches tall orange retail package.  The cover displayed components of a DIY portable computer, keyboard, tablet-sized screen, USB connections, red power port and a variety of components.  The verbiage, along the bottom, promised simple steps, build-it-yourself, learn to code, Hack Minecraft, 100’s of playful projects, make art, apps, games, and music. Both of the side panels provided details about the software and hardware of the device.  Combine the Raspberry Pi 3, 8 GB microSD card with SD card reader, Battery, Sound sensor, 10.1″ HD screen, colorful HDMI/power/sound cables, installation storybook, 3 USB ports, wireless rechargeable keyboard,  case/stand, DIY speaker and lifetime care into a functional computer.  Once completed, you can utilize the device to access YouTube, Google Maps, Web Browser, Wikipedia, WhatsApp, and hundreds of other apps. The back of the box described the use of the storybook to build the computer, the ability to portably enjoy the device, the ability to make your own apps/games and the ability to utilize a sound sensor to record sounds, music and enhance your experience further.  The artistic designs were fun, cartoony, colorful and child-friendly.  These characteristics were masterfully showcased on an orange background.  Like a traffic cone, the orange coloration demanded attention.  Walking along the tech aisle at Toys-R-Us, I could not help but smile as I saw the device shining like a beacon against the other white boxes.  I had to give kudos to Kano on their packaging.

After you lift the flap of the box, you will see how Kano intelligently utilized the underside to house their storybook instruction manual and sticker page.  To access the main prize, lift away the thin foam black sheet and enjoy the product.  Kano showcased their DIY computer in form-fit black foam.  Along the right, you will find the Raspberry Pi 3 and the Kano USB reader/8GB micro USB card and to the left the clear back of the computer with the orange keyboard.  Setting the computer backing aside, you will find the power button, the cable guide, battery speaker, sound sensor, data block, USB board.  Setting the entire tray aside, you will find the screen/components and the USBA to USB-micro cable.  Once you have learned about the components, you can start to build the computer.  My children did not seem to care about the pieces, but the book and the build process may have been the best 30 minutes of their lives.  My only regret about this step was that it was a one-and-done process. The instruction manual reads like a story and does not use a lot of jargon.  Not only did I have an amazing family activity, my six-year-old and nine-year-old had to read to complete the task.  They took turns reading the pages and adding the component to the computer.  You will see pages like “This is your computer’s brain.  It’s tiny but powerful.”  Then the next page stated “Let’s give your brain new powers. Grap the memory card, and slide out the micro card.”  The steps are basic, but the experience and the DIY, read-and-learn process was priceless. The instruction manual turned the computer into a giant Lego experience, and my children devoured this kit.

Each step of the manual added upon the previous step.  First, we were instructed to add the microSD card to the Raspberry Pi 3.  We then had to add the power button to the pins and the “brain” to the brain block and ultimately the entire device to the screen.  The screen had two circles that accommodated the voids on the brain block.  Sorry to use the lego analogy again, but the instruction manual even noted to “click them tight, like building blocks.”  Add the cable management block, the yellow HDMI cable, the sound DIY speaker, USB Port to the USB hub block and then run the cables through the cable block.  Each piece easily fits into a set location, and my children loved how quickly the process progressed. Add the battery to the correct location, run the USB power cables from the battery to the power button of the Raspberry Pi 3 and the edge of the computer and then install the Bluetooth USB keyboard dongle into the USB hub.  Once complete, connect the clear back panel to the screen and then add the sound sensor into the open USB port on the outside of the computer.  Pages 68-69 of the instruction manual were the best of the pages as my boys were able to “Hold the power button for 3 seconds to…”  You can remove the keyboard from the storage compartment in the back of the computer and “…bring your computer to life.”

This kit provided a plethora of opportunities for my children.  The 9 7/8 inches long by 3 7/8 inches wide QWERTY keyboard was quite narrow for my hands but fit the tiny hands of my children well.  The “F” and “J” keys had the home row localizer ridges, and it was possible to use the function key (to the right of the spacebar) to access the extra keys above the number row.  The functions were intelligently highlighted, with a white bar, along the top of the keys.  You could press fn + P to run code, fn + spacebar to change the mouse speed, fn + o will share creations, and then fn button + number buttons will access commonly used coding symbols.   To the right of the keys, you will find a 1 15/16 inches wide by 3 1/8 inches tall mousepad.  The mousepad was sensitive and exquisitely functional.  The mouse “click” button was intelligently placed to the bottom left of the keyboard.  For your convenience, the screen was functional in upright and lying down positions.  Power the computer on by holding the red power button to the right for three seconds and short press the red power button on the back of the keyboard.  The screen was brilliant, clear and rivaled their iPad Mini 4 screens.  You may chuckle, my children certainly did, but it took more than once for me to remember that the screen was non-capacitive.

You will need to create a log on and add a parental email.  My children created their own marvel-esque name and excitedly started to play the game.  To the left, you will be able to access Story mode, and towards the center, you will find a series of five 3×3 App groupings.  To the right, the Kano staff provided staff pixel image pictures.  For this review, we spent most of our time in the Story mode. You will start out on a beach scene and have a pong board in the middle of the screen.  You can use the arrow buttons to move your character and talk to Gregory or Allan the Pong teller or the Info teller.  If you talk to Allan, you can select “Play Pong, Make Pong and Maybe Later.”  If you choose to make pong, you can drag objects to change the startups, color, logic, events, actions, numbers, getters, setters.  You can adjust the color of the board, the ball size, speed, and style.  You can essentially adjust every aspect of the game.  The kids have to use the keyboard to control the character, use the mouse to navigate to the appropriate location and then type, program and move objects.  The best part of this activity is that they have to read constantly.  Some of the words “exploring” may be a little difficult for smaller children, but a nearby parent could quickly cultivate a love for science, reading, and gaming within their child. To return to the menu, you can press the Esc button and then select the home icon with the mouse click button.  The apps along the middle seem to be shortcuts to the activities inside of the “Story Mode.”

It is important to note that this device will connect to networks and children can access the internet.  There are included apps like Gmail, Google Drive, ePDFView, GoogleMaps, Leafpad, Painter and Tux Typing.  One of the most useful skills in our modern tech-heavy world is a mastery of typing.  The Tux Typing teaches children how to memorize and use the keyboard to complete a variety of tasks.  Destroy asteroids with comet zap, catch fish with a penguin on Fish Cascade and work on lessons.  When they are tired of that activity, they can paint or work on other games. Hack Minecraft allows you to quickly program some of the features of the game.  You can learn about coding while building and the kids absolutely loved this game as well.  Truthfully, this may be one of the best devices that I have seen for children.  The bright screen, the portability and the educational nature of the kit make this product shine.

I highly encourage this kit for those with children over the age of six.  My sons have actually asked to play these games, and without realizing it, they are learning.  I am a huge Apple fan and love my iPad as much as the next person, but we often use them for simple personal interest activities, rather than work/business or education.  I have work related apps on my device but spend more time internet surfing or playing War Robots than working.  Kano focuses on the education alongside the fun.  This clearly proves the overall strength of the kit.  Enhance the computer with motion sensors and pixel kits and simply let your kids play.  They will quickly learn how the computer works, the basics of coding and all before they realize that they were playing more than a game.   I rate the overall experience at 5/5 stars.
BUY FROM AMAZON

Learn more about the Kano Computer Kit.
Follow Kano on Facebook and Twitter.

I was taught to love games of all kinds from a young age, but it wasn’t until I was in my 20s that I really found something I love— playing games with friends. We sort of majored in tabletop gaming and I fell in love with games like Hero Quest and Arkham Asylum and couldn’t wait for the weekends when we would play. Our core group of friends loved games of all kinds but the guys really got into online gaming and loved to set up LAN parties. At the time, I only had a MacBook and even though Steam was available, it was hard to find games that would be both enjoyable and compatible with both my Mac and all their PCs. It was a very rare occurrence that the two conditions were actually met. Because of those experiences, I have really taken an interest in gaming laptops — PCs in particular.

This Razer Blade Stealth laptop is really a beautiful machine. I was immediately struck with the immaculate design when I removed it from its box. In fact, the box itself was a work of art. When you open the outside brown cardboard box, you will see the black Razer-branded box of the laptop. There is a second smaller box that contains the power cable that completes the package. When you open the black box that is the home for the laptop, you will also find the packet of information that includes a sticker, a soft cloth for cleaning, and the user manual. Upon opening the laptop, I was greeted by the familiar Windows 10 interface.

SPECS

As is important with any computer system, the Razer Blade Stealth has some very impressive specs under its hood. First of all, the laptop is available in either black or gun-metal. I had the black finish and it was very slick-looking. Second, the battery life is quite impressive. Razer claims that the machine will last up to 10 hours on a single charge. You can add the Razer Power Bank for an additional 5 hours of use time on the laptop. The Razer Blade Stealth is equipped with a 13.3″ QHD+ Touchscreen with a resolution of 3200 x 1800. The screen is quite responsive to tactile taps and it’s compatible with styluses as well. Here is a more in-depth look at what’s inside:

• Processor: Quad-core 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8550U (up to 4.0 GHz)
• Memory: 16GB dual-channel
• Graphics Card: Intel UHD Graphics 620
• Storage: Up to 1TB PCIe SSD
• Keyboard: Razer Chroma (on black models of laptop — white backlighting, anti-ghosting in gun-metal models) features 16.8 million colors, individually backlit keys, fully customizable lighting effects
• OS: Windows 10
• Input/Output: Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), USB 3.0 port x 2 (SuperSpeed), HDMI 2.0a audio and video output
• Camera: 720P web camera
• Audio: Built-in stereo speakers, 3.5mm headphone/microphone port, Array microphone, Dolby Digital Plus Home Theater Edition, 7.1 Codec support (via HDMI)
• Power: 65W USB-C power adapter

BASIC COMPUTING TASKS

Even though Razer is known for its gaming prowess with computers, I can’t ignore that most people want a machine that can serve many purposes. After all, when you make an investment like this, you want it to work well on many levels. Because of its compact size, I could see the Razer Blade Stealth (RBS) being used as a daily commuter especially for college students. With that in mind, I decided to use the RBS to type and just walk through some basic computing tasks. As a writer, I probably compose 2-3 articles per day each having 1,300 words or more on average. That’s a lot of typing for one person in a day. Even so, it’s enough for me to be able to definitively make comments on the feel of the keyboard.

The RBS keyboard is a Razer Chroma keyboard (on the black model of the laptop). That means it’s a full RGB, programmable keyboard. The keys are built on a membrane keyboard and not mechanical. My regular personal computer is a 2016 MacBook Pro which features butterfly switches under its keyboard. Even though they technically aren’t considered ‘mechanical’ they have a more mechanical feel than a membrane keyboard. As a result, I found myself tapping quite a bit harder on the Razer’s keyboard and that meant that I was spending more time with traveling around the keys than I did on my MBP. To test the theory, I looked up a basic typing test to find out how many words I was typing per minute on each computer. As it turns out, I was quite a bit faster on the MacBook Pro than when I was on the Razer Blade Stealth — 65WPM versus 51WPM. You can see the results of the typing test below. The first screenshot shows the Razer Blade Stealth and the one below that shows the MacBook Pro results.

CPU/GPU & OVERALL PERFORMANCE

I was impressed with the overall speed at which the laptop ran. It was very responsive and it was able to handle any task I threw at it. To measure the performance of the CPU and GPU, I used two different benchmarking tools — Geekbench 4 and NovaBench.

Geekbench 4 Results

The Razer Blade Stealth ended up with a single-core score of 4151 and multi-core score of 13919. It also returned an OpenCL score of 22298. According to the current results on Geekbench, here are the top 5 machines and where the Razer Blade Stealth ranks in conjunction with them. I did limit the results to only include computers with the Intel Core i7-8550U running Windows 64-bit with 4 cores.

The average score for an Intel Core i7-8550U (1.8GHz, 4 cores) was 4197/12941. Even though other computers with similar processors had a higher ranking than the RBS, it was still inline/slightly above the average score for the processor.

The next test from Geekbench was specifically looking at the GPU performance — OpenCL. The Razer Blade Stealth has an Intel(R) UHD Graphics 620 built-in graphics processor. The average ranking for this graphics processor is 19844. The Razer Blade Stealth’s score of 22298 was well above the average.

Novabench Results

Novabench does a similar type of testing on your system but provides you with a different set of scores and analysis than Geekbench. I don’t know that one type of testing is better than the other — they are just different. The nice thing about this system of testing is that it gives you a Percentile Ranking of where your system ranks within other computers in the Novabench database. The percentile is the percentage of results in our database, for the exact same part (CPU/GPU) or configuration, that have scored lower. The overall score of the Razer Blade Stealth with Novabench was 1432 and ranks in the 42nd percentile for CPU score and 34th percentile in GPU score. The full results can be seen in the screenshots included below.

Battery performance

According to the specs, the battery should provide enough power for a 10-hour day. Because this is an important factor to me (and others who work in remote locations), I decided to run the Razer Blade Stealth through some battery endurance testing. The day I was running the benchmarking tests, I captured battery percentages at different times during the day. I have noted them in the chart below. To see how battery life would suffer from different types of use, I tried a few different options while checking the battery percentages.

By my calculations, if you are a heavy video user, the Razer Blade Stealth will only last around 6.5 hours on a full charge — it was around the same percentage even with the brightness turned up to 100%. With regular computing tasks, I estimate the battery might last up to 8.3 hours. I think that if you are using the laptop moderately with periods of rest throughout a 10-hour day, the battery may last that long.

Hard Drive Speed

One of the final tests I wanted to complete was on the speed of the hard drive. The black model of the RBS comes with a 1TB PCIe SSD. The gun-metal model also has 512GB and 256GB hard drive options. Depending on the brand of the hard drive, you can expect to get up to sequential read/write speeds up to 3500MB/s and 2100MB/s. I used CrystalDiskMark to test out the hard drive speed of the Razer Blade Stealth. The test results are listed below. Overall, I was impressed with the results. While the sequential read/write speeds weren’t quite up to spec, I thought it was still within an acceptable range.

Gaming Experience

During my time with the Razer Blade Stealth, I did enjoy a few games. One was Dead Maze, a multiplayer zombie game (2D MMO) where you move your character through expansive maps, collecting items that might help you along the way. You do end up fighting off zombies and making friends with other players and characters along the way. While it’s not what I would consider a ‘graphics heavy’ game, I did feel that the game played very smoothly. My little female heroine moved to and fro with no effort. I didn’t experience any lag or issues with the game underperforming due to the computer. The other game I concentrated on was a city builder game and while I wasn’t as enthused about that game as I was Dead Maze, I did note that it did not seem to be impaired by the Razer Blade Stealth. I didn’t try any FPS games, but I feel that maybe they would run quite as well as the 2D MMO did.

Conclusions

The Razer Blade Stealth is a fabulous multipurpose laptop. Even though it’s built by a gaming company, I don’t think it’s really fair to class it with other gaming laptops based off of the test results I compiled. After a bit of research, it appears that one of the main reasons for the Razer Blade Stealth is to be paired with the Razer Core, an external graphics enclosure. The Razer Core is designed to transform a laptop into a full-sized gaming machine. It’s Thunderbolt 3 compatible and VR ready. Here is how the product’s description reads on the website:

The Razer Core V2 Thunderbolt 3 external desktop graphics enclosure enables the full transformation of your compatible laptop into a VR-Ready desktop-class gaming or workstation setup. The new Razer Core V2 features an all-new internal design with improved headroom for larger graphics cards. The world’s first dual Thunderbolt 3 design provides dedicated lanes for both graphics and I/O ensuring fluid gameplay. Connect to the future with the most advanced and versatile eGPU solution available.

So if you are looking for a powerhouse, standalone laptop for gaming, the Razer Blade Stealth is not what you are looking for. But if you want a solid all-around laptop that can be used for occasional gaming, the RBS is perfect.
BUY FROM AMAZON

For more information, visit razerzone.com/gaming-laptops/razer-blade-stealth.
Find Razer on Facebook and Twitter.

Even though I am partial to Apple computers, I do enjoy working with other operating systems on occasion. I’m particularly intrigued by the convertible laptops that can act as a tablet or a laptop computer. This class of machine is typically more powerful than your typical tablet, which is the basis of its appeal to me. So when the opportunity to take a look at the HP Envy x360 came up, I jumped on it. Not only is it a powerful computer, but it’s also a ‘convertible’ laptop, which puts it in a class all on its own.

SPECS
The HP Envy x360 has a lot of first-class features to it that make it a capable computer no matter what your primary use is.

• Windows 10 comes preinstalled on the computer.
• The Envy x360 is built to work with Windows Ink so you can use a digital pen right on the screen.
• 15.6″ Full HD Multitouch Screen
• 8GB system memory allows for advanced multitasking
• 1TB hard drive with 7200 RPM spin
• 360-degree flip-and-fold design
• AMD Radeon Vega integrated graphics chipset provides solid image quality for Internet use, movies, basic photo editing and casual gaming
• Built-in HD webcam with two microphones

USER EXPERIENCE
My first impression of the HP Envy was good. It’s a sleek-looking laptop and fits with the modern style that most companies are following. The color is called “Dark Ash Silver,” which is similar to the Space Gray from Apple. It is a shade darker though. The next thing I noticed was the computer’s weight. It weighs 4.74 pounds. This is almost a full pound more than the 15-inch MacBook Pro. It may not seem like much to most people, but when you are talking about portability and laptops, 1 pound is quite a lot. When I got the laptop opened up, I have to admit that it ‘feels’ bigger than my MacBook Pro, too. It almost feels like the difference between a 13-inch laptop and a 17-inch laptop.

Set-up for the laptop was very easy. I turned it on and after I connected it to WiFi, Cortana took over and walked me through the entire set-up process. You are encouraged to connect the computer to an online Microsoft account. This is not mandatory to set-up the computer though. You can skip this step and just create a login ID for the computer without it being connected to the cloud. Once I was 100% connected and ready to start working, the Envy flew through the tasks I put before it. Most people might end up using this for standard office tasks and with a 1TB hard drive (7200 RPM — it’s not solid state) and 8GB of memory, you won’t be disappointed with this laptop’s performance.

The keyboard took a little getting used to for me. I think that’s because it’s a full-size keyboard with the number keypad included. That means that the main part of the keyboard is offset from the center of the screen. Therefore, I found myself mistyping quite a bit until I got used to the keyboard. The other thing I was really impressed with right off the bat was the screen. It’s a full 1080P HD widescreen LED display. The screen is smooth and clear. It’s also quite fragile. When I first received this laptop, I powered it on and connected it to my WiFi. At that particular time, I could not finish the set-up so I closed the lid with the protective fabric provided by HP. There were no wrinkles or folds when I closed the lid and the next time I opened it, I noticed a sizeable scratch on the screen. No one else had used the laptop so the only thing I can think of is that the fabric somehow caused the scratch. This was indeed disappointing considering that this is a convertible laptop and can also be used as a tablet. You would think a touchscreen laptop would have a more durable screen.

Switching to tablet mode is an automatic process. When you flip the keyboard around on its axis, the computer detects that it’s been rotated around and asks you if you want to switch over to tablet mode or exit it if you are switching back to laptop mode. When you answer ‘yes’, the screen enters full-screen mode for the tablet use. Even when you are in laptop mode, you have the option to still use the touchscreen and the other tablet features. Typing in tablet mode is easy. The on-screen keyboard is very responsive — more so than even my 12-inch iPad Pro. This is one feature I really enjoy. At times, I actually felt as though I was typing faster in tablet mode than with the keyboard. I have two main concerns about using this particular laptop in tablet mode. First, even though I like typing with the on-screen keyboard, the screen tends to shake quite a bit. This is really unavoidable since the computer is as stable and locked in as it can be, but it’s still something that bothered me a bit. The other issue I have is the sensitivity of the screen to scratches. Working on this computer in tablet mode concerns me because I feel that the screen could become easily damaged.

I like that this computer has 2 USB-A ports, an HDMI port, an SD card reader and a USB-C port. This makes for a very versatile laptop. Because it does have a standard USB port, I was able to connect a USB mouse quickly and easily so that I had maximum functionality.

CONCLUSIONS
The HP Envy x360 is a really great option for most types of users. It came pre-loaded with Microsoft Office (subscription required after trial) and a few other standard utility applications, but I think that this powerful laptop could handle other applications easily. I believe it could even handle being a design-driven laptop. It’s great for presentations and a powerful workhorse for most purposes.
BUY FROM AMAZON

For more information, visit hp.com.
Find HP on Facebook and Twitter.

When I was younger, I used to spend a lot of time with my dad in his workshop. He was putting together motorcycle parts and I was playing with modeling paints. It was a simple period of time when we could just be together. I watched him work with efficiency and accuracy with tools like soldering irons and Exacto knives. It wasn’t too long before I was in high school and working with various tools myself. I found that I really liked the construction of objects from the ground up. I was in a class that taught me how to design and build a bridge from balsa wood and find out how much weight it could hold. It was unfortunate that I wasn’t apart of the group that was constructing circuit boards in that class because that would have come in handy when I was working with my latest review — the Thimble Learning Platform.

Thimble sought to develop a learning space for everyone to be able to ‘make’ things. They call it the ‘makerspace’ and the concept of the platform is to provide monthly projects in the form of a DIY kit so that everyone — no matter the age — can build electronics and better understand how they work.

As you progress from project to project, you will learn the art of soldering, programming languages, micro-controllers, and theory.
Our hope is that you will learn enough to build, operate, and manipulate your own projects in the near future.

The Thimble time is dedicated to providing pure, open source technology and systems for people to use. They provide numerous tutorials and for each learning module, there are both written and video instructions. Even though it’s a subscription-based model for distribution, you are under no commitment to continue with the program. You can choose between 1, 3, 6, or 12 month subscriptions and you can cancel anytime. Once you select your preference for subscription, your first kit will be delivered to you within a few days. When it arrives, you can use the provided tutorials to build your project.

I personally love the concept of Thimble. I think it’s a great way to get more people involved in having fun with electronics. I had the opportunity to build one of the Thimble projects — an LED compass. The idea of the compass is that once it is assembled properly the LED lights will point to magnetic north. The compass arrived with a 4×6 postcard that had the ‘getting started’ instructions, which told me to get online to view the tutorials. While I really appreciate the online learning module, I would have liked to have a written set of instructions, too.

I would suggest before getting started that you lay all of the parts out in front of you and take stock of what you have. You don’t want to spend time working on the project only to find that you don’t have the parts. Once I determined that all the parts were present, I set to work.  One thing I want to note is that you will need to provide your own soldering iron and solder. I actually had to go out and purchase one. When I did, I found there are many different styles available and different price points. I bought an iron that was inexpensive since this was supposed to be a one-time project. I don’t recommend going the ‘cheap’ route. I had a lot of difficulties with getting the soldering iron to work the way it was supposed to and I feel like some of my headaches would probably have been solved with a better quality iron.

In the introduction tutorial, the members of the Thimble team that walk you through the process say that it will take about an hour to assemble and program. The first step of my process was to solder the 16 resistors into place and then clip off the excess wiring. This process took me about two hours. Now, I know some of that was because of the tools I was using, but some of it was because I was a beginner with electronics engineering.

In addition to Thimble giving people an outlet for electronic creativity, it’s also a valuable lesson in following instructions. I thought I was doing a pretty good job until I got to the step where I attach the battery pack to the main compass body. It was here that I realized that I clipped the headers when I should have left them alone. In the previous two steps, you cut the leads of the resistors and the LEDs so they don’t stick out and I thought you were supposed to do the same with the headers. The written instructions and images that were included in the tutorial didn’t say that you shouldn’t. So, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to complete the build of the compass. I will say this, the parts seemed to be coming together well and even though my soldering job wasn’t as neat as the tutorials, the pieces were holding pretty well on the compass.

I would recommend this kit system to someone who is interested in working with their hands, has patience when it comes to small parts, and want to learn more about how electronics and robotics works. I really was enjoying myself and learning a lot about how to work with small components. I was looking forward to working with the programming aspect of it, too, but wasn’t able to because of my building error.  Thimble Learning Platform is a very unique way to explore your creative side.

For more information, visit thimble.io.
Find Thimble on Facebook and Twitter.

Quite some time ago, I had a Dell desktop tower. At the time, it was intended to be used for basic office-type tasks and some light gaming. Over time, I decided to convert it into more of a media box and I connected it to my television. This was a time when Netflix was still primarily a DVD order company and they weren’t streaming 99% of their inventory. I stored numerous movies on the Dell and finally, I had to upgrade my hard drive for additional storage. A friend of mine had a spare drive, but we discovered that the Dell computer required a special bracket in order for the hard drive to fit into it properly. This was another hassle because we had to special order it (from eBay at the time).

I said all that to say that today — there is a better way. Icy Dock, a company that specializes in the design and manufacturing of state-of-the-art hard disk enclosures and removable storage kits, happens to have solutions for problems like mine. And when I recently found myself needing to make a 2.5″ inch hard drive fit into a 3.5 inch hard drive slot, I looked to Icy Dock for a way to make it happen. And they did — with their EZCovert Air Lite kit.

SPECS
The EZConvert Air Lite kit is made from stainless steel and has a chrome finish to it. The power input is a 15-pin connector and it is made to fit 3.5″ SAS drive bays. Depending on the hard drive speed, the EZConvert can transfer data at a rate of up to 6 Gb/s. The frame weighs 210 grams and it comes packaged with a user manual and mounting screws. The kit supports 7-15mm drive heights and is made to fit the exact 3.5″ hard drive form factor. There are slits in the frame for ventilation so that the hard drive doesn’t overheat.

The kit came packaged in a fairly standard brown cardboard box with some description written on it. When you open the box, the EZConvert kit will slide right out and you will find the manual along with two small plastic bags with screws placed inside the frame. The user manual is pretty straightforward even though there are a lot of different languages included.

USER EXPERIENCE
I found the EZConvert Air Lite to be pretty easy to use. I’m no IT person, but I found that connecting the 2.5″ drive was pretty simple. The only struggle I had was making sure the connector on the 2.5″ drive lined up with the EZConvert internal connector. Once it did, the drive was a fairly tight fit. I was able to screw the drive screws into the bottom of the kit so that the 2.5″ drive stayed in place. I’m happy to say that the frame and drive really seemed like one piece of equipment rather than two put together.

My original plan to use this converter kit ended up falling a little flat. I have a 2.5″ hard drive that I wanted to use in a Drobo backup system. The Drobo 5D3 holds 5 – 3.5″ drives and since I had a spare hard drive, I wanted to try and use it with that system. So, once I had the hard drive in place, I tried to insert it into an empty slot on the Drobo. The EZConvert Air Lite slid into the slot with little issues, but there is a spring on this inside of the hard drive slot that has a lot of tension to it. When I tried to slide the EZConvert into the slot and lock it into place, I discovered that the frame was too lightweight to engage the spring and I had to push really hard to make a connection with the Drobo. Fearing that I might damage either device, I opted to remove the EZConvert Air Lite kit from the Drobo and use it elsewhere.

SUMMARY
I am impressed with the build quality of the EZConvert kit. I think it’s superior to any other adapter units I’ve seen. It’s very easy to install and it’s a very cost-effective option to purchasing a brand new drive. The support team is phenomenal and I’ve had nothing but good things to say about this product. There are a lot of different kinds of options for converter kits so if you aren’t sure if it will work, reach out to Icy Dock support and they will help you figure out the best option for your situation.
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For more information, visit icydock.com.
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