REVIEW – Is it possible for me to give an honest review of a drawing display from a company I admire? As good as XPPen’s new Artist Ultra 16 4K OLED Touch-screen Drawing Display is, I think I can provide a balanced review because some things bug me about it. ⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons) Price: $719.99 […]
REVIEW – After reviewing both the JLab Epic Lab Edition Earbuds and the JLab Epic Air Sport ANC earbuds, I concluded that, while JLab makes fun, affordable products, they face serious competition. When given a choice, I would rarely choose the JLab earphones. This is my first JLab speaker review. The Jlab Epic Party speaker
Jlab Epic Party speaker review – Near or far? Read More
After using the Fender x Teufel Rockster Air 2, I realized I’ve reviewed a Goldilocks array of Fender x Teufel speakers: the Rockster Go 2, Rockster Cross, and now the Rockster Air 2. Using this analogy, we’ll call the Air 2 the Papa Bear. He’s big, heavy, and loud. But how does he sound? ⬇︎ Jump
Fender x Teufel Rockster Air 2 speaker review – Your neighbors will not thank you Read More
Almost all of the gadgets I review “do” something. They blast music, mop and suck dirt off the floor, mow my yard, etc. They help me. At first glance, the TerraMaster D4 SSD 4-Bay All-Flash DAS (Direct-Attached Storage) is a gadget that quietly sits on my desk doing . . . nothing? It kinda feels
TerraMaster D4 SSD 4-Bay All-Flash DAS review – Take that, Apple! Read More
Review – Chairs are funny things, especially when being reviewed. What might be comfortable for me could annoy the heck out of you, and vice versa. I honestly don’t know how anyone can buy a chair to sit in for 8+ hours a day – online. But many people do, so I’m reviewing the Vari
Vari Ascent Chair review – A Comfortable office chair at a good price Read More
REVIEW – For a long time, my wife and I had concerns about robot vacuum cleaners — no way will we use one. It wasn’t that they didn’t perform as they should or that they were inferior. Our reluctance stemmed from privacy concerns, or the lack of it. Any “robot” device is connected to a
MOVA Z60 Ultra Roller review – Currently the best robot vacuum mop you can buy Read More
I love it when a pair of earbuds I’ve liked gets a noticeable upgrade across many areas. Back in 2023, I reviewed the Status Audio Between 3ANC earbuds and thought they were cool, but not quite enough to replace my trusted Apple AirPods Pro earbuds. It’s now 2025, and Status Audio has not been resting
Status Audio Pro X Wireless Earbuds review – Expensive, but worth it Read More
REVIEW – Any budding or professional artist who owns a PC/Mac desktop or laptop will eventually consider acquiring a drawing tablet or display to augment their toolset. A few years ago, Wacom was about the only game in town, and they were priced accordingly. Today, the digital landscape has changed dramatically. There are now so
Huion Kamvas 16 (Gen 3) drawing display review – It’s great at what it does Read More
REVIEW – The world of digital audio players (DAP) is a strange world indeed. What began as a niche market (early MP3 players) exploded in the early 2000s with Apple’s wildly successful iPod. Suddenly, portable digital music became the norm. It took Apple’s groundbreaking iPhone to kill the iPod. Smartphones could play music like DAPs,
Hidizs AP80 Pro Max Hi-Res Music Player review – So small, but packed with audio goodies Read More
REVIEW – Let’s be honest, earphones (earbuds) and headphones have gotten really good over the past few years, to the point that choice is more based on design and comfort rather than audio quality. It’s now hard to find a bad-sounding pair of earbuds in the $100+ price range. Recently, Soundpeats sent me the new
Soundpeats H3 Wireless Earbuds review – Reasonable can be great Read More
REVIEW – Portable Bluetooth speakers are populating almost every moment of our lives. Music is everywhere. Many Bluetooth speakers I admire are made by Tribit. They have figured out how to make good-sounding speakers priced so that anyone can afford them. One of Tribit’s latest smaller speakers is the new StormBox Mini+. Who said good
Tribit StormBox Mini+ portable Bluetooth speaker review – Mini size with maxi sound Read More
REVIEW – Let’s face it—sometimes a gadget we review is not what I would call a necessity, or even practical. But a gadget can be both impractical—and fun! 8849 is a maker of super-rugged, outdoors Android phones and tablets. The name 8849 comes from the height of Mt. Everest—8848 meters (+1 meter). Some of 8849’s
8849 Mars Mini Projector review – Tiny bit of big fun Read More
If you are a digital artist, you may have noticed that drawing displays have become remarkably good and affordable. Gone are the days when buying a drawing display almost required you to take out a second mortgage. We have XPPen and Huion to thank for that. Drawing display maker Wacom now has true competition. Just
XPpen Artist Pro 19 (Gen 2) Drawing Display review – It’s remarkably good AND affordable Read More
REVIEW – Sometimes, the best product is one you never have to think about. You unbox it, plug it in, and forget it exists. I retired last July and now work as a freelancer for the company I worked at for 23 years. It’s the same job, but without all the corporate nonsense. There’s a
UGREEN Revodok Max 213 Thunderbolt 13-in-1 Docking Station review Read More
REVIEW – When guitar amplifier maker Fender joined forces with Germany’s Teufel Audio, it solved two issues. First, Fender got instant recognition in the portable Bluetooth speaker market. Secondly, Fender can now compete with Marshall, another amp company who have made some popular Bluetooth speakers. It’s a win-win for Fender. When I reviewed the Fender
Fender x Teufel Rockster Cross Portable Bluetooth speaker review – Bigger and badder Read More
REVIEW – It’s fascinating how Apple’s decisions can make accessories obsolete or even boost the market for others. For instance, when Apple started charging exorbitant prices for memory/storage upgrades on their Macs and smart devices, companies like Satechi came up with solutions that let customers use more affordable memory chips for storage. I recently bought
Satechi USB4 Slim NVMe SSD Enclosure review – Perfect for a Mac mini, good for other Macs Read More
REVIEW – The Edifier Stax Spirit S5 wireless planar magnetic headphones are a definite upgrade from most ordinary dynamic speaker headphones. For those who just read that and have no idea what it means, read on if you want more from your favorite music … but it will cost you. ⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons) Price: $499.99
I’ve said it before, but I like reviewing gadgets that make my life a bit easier and more pleasant. But I love reviewing gadgets that surprise me in a good way. When I received the Thermacup Temperature Control Mug for review, my first thought was, “Oh, that’s nice (yawn).” After a month of everyday use,
Thermacup Temperature Control Mug review – My coffee will never be cold again Read More
REVIEW – Now that smart tablets have progressed over the years, they are becoming specialized in their core function. E-Ink technology has become popular because it offers a distraction-free environment for writing, note taking, and reading. What E-Ink lacks in screen color quality and refresh rates, it more than makes up for in an easy-to-read
Boox Note Air4 C review – A real E-ink tablet for die-hard note takers Read More
REVIEW – Back in the “old days” of graphics tablets and smart displays, there were two major players: Wacom for the graphics and Apple for the smarts. Over time, other companies entered this market with products that cost much less, but also had lower quality. However, that didn’t last long as these competitors—mostly Huion and
Huion Kamvas Slate 13 graphics tablet review – A work in progress Read More