Category Archives: Review

Air Purifiers, Podcast, Review

Gadget Man – Episode 167 – Kebao Air 3 – Game Changing Air Purification arrives in the UK

Audio Leave a comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | TuneIn | RSS | More

Having spent the summer starting new businesses, building websites and gadgets, as well as building global distribution networks and running the home for a short while, I return with my latest review and podcast episode.

This week I am talking to James Hazell at BBC Radio Suffolk about the NHS England Track and Trace App (part ii) and most excitingly, my experience with the Kebao Air 3 which is a truly futuristic gadget!

Listen in to the stream and read on to find out more about the Kebao Air 3 Air Purifer.

Kebao Air 3: Game-Changing air purification comes to the UK!

Poor air quality has become one of the largest environmental risks to the health of people of the United Kingdom and with the Coronavirus Pandemic, it has become more important than ever that we breathe healthy air that is free from harmful particles and unpleasant viruses.

So, it was incredibly timely that I was recently contacted by Kebao to test their new ‘filterless’ air purifier, namely the Kebao Air 3.

The Air 3 combines sleek design with cutting edge technology, which in turn completely eliminates 99.99% of airborne pollutants, viruses, bacteria and allergens and consequently provides ‘Surgical Grade’ air and deodorisation.

Instead of using standard High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters that can capture particulate matter of 0.3 microns or larger with 99.95% efficiency (a human hair is between 17 and 181 microns), the Kebao Air 3 is capable of eliminating particles down to a size of 0.01 microns. This is a big deal because COVID19 particles are around 0.12 microns in size, small enough to pass through a HEPA filter, but the too big to pass through the Air 3!

The Kebao Air 3 does this using a brand-new type of 5-stage filtration. Stage 1 is a pre-filter which removes larger particles from the air and can be cleaned and reused for the lifetime of the product. Stage 2 uses a high-voltage negative charge to deactivate viruses and bacteria and retains the debris on charged plates stopping re-release. Stage 3 using a mind-blowing ‘Photocatalytic Oxidisation’ based on Albert Einstein’s ‘Photon Energy’. UV light initiates a stepwise free radical decomposition of organic compounds, which produces water and carbon dioxide as a by-product. The Air 3 has 48 LED bulbs and a Ti02 alumina ceramic photocatalytic ozone-free filter. Stage 4 uses 4kg of loose granulated carbon, impregnated with amines which absorb and decomposes any harmful gasses. Stage 5 Surgical grade, deodorised air is circulated through you room clear of 99.99% of harmful particulates!

The display shows air quality in two readings, the first two numbers are the temperature and humidity, the second set are PM2.5 and TVOC readings. PM2.5 is a measure of the number of particles less than 2.5 microns in size and are caused by burning fuel, chemical reactions and forest fires. PM2.5 particles are very unhealthy, causing eye, nose and throat irritations, coughing, sneezing and shortness of breath. They can also cause asthma, chronic bronchitis and heart disease. In the UK, air must remain below 25, the WHO recommends below 10, London’s average is 10, my house is currently 1 after having the Air 3 running for over a week!

The second setting is TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Compound) which is another way of measuring air quality, again this was negligible at 0.02 after a week of running.

All of this amazing technology comes at a price. The unit is aimed at commercial enterprises who want to keep their staff and customers safe, so it would suit a restaurant or office space as it is actively cleaning the air the whole time. The price of £1600 reflects a premium commercial product, but I can honestly see it becoming something of a norm in the UK especially due to the current crisis!

The Kebao Air 3 is available to buy directly from Kebao

Stay safe

Audio, Edifier, Gadget Man, Headphones, Matt Porter, Review, Technology, The Gadget Man

Edifier TWS6 – True Wireless Earbuds with Knowles Balanced Armatures

Leave a comment

It’s not often I get to directly compare technology, but this month is an exception because I’m reviewing another set of wireless earbuds, this time from Edifier in the guise of the TWS6.

The Edifier TWS6 Earbuds come with Knowles balanced armature drivers which in turn, deliver great sound quality.  Without becoming too technical, Knowles is a world-leading manufacturer of ‘balanced armatures’ which use an electronic signal to vibrate a tiny reed that is balanced between two magnets inside a tiny enclosure. The motion of the reed is transferred to a very stiff aluminium diaphragm. This diaphragm is free of unwanted resonances in the audio band, allowing it to produce excellent clarity. They are also exceeding small components which mean that other functions can be added.

Edifier TWS6 - True Wireless Earbuds with Knowles Balanced Armatures

The earbuds connect using Bluetooth 5 which means they can also be used for handsfree calls with microphones in both left and right buds and provide excellent clarity using CVC noise cancellation when making calls.

As with most other wireless earbuds, the TWS6 have their own charger case which can itself be charged wirelessly by placing it on a charging pad which features in most modern cars or via USB-C cable. The buds are magnetically docked in the charger meaning they make good contact themselves and provide 8 hours of battery life but can be recharged three times before the case needs recharging itself

Edifier TWS6 - True Wireless Earbuds with Knowles Balanced Armatures

Playback can be controlled by tapping either the left or right buds and simply provide stop/start and track skipping, it would have been nice to see some more functionality, but generally, you have your phone at hand when listening to music, so it wasn’t a big deal.

In the box were a large variety of interchangeable earbuds of different sizes including two different sizes of Memory Foam which I found really comfortable and they were less prone to falling out of your ears.

They are IPX5 waterproof and sweatproof, so if you get caught in the rain or overdo it in the gym, they will survive just fine.

Edifier TWS6 - True Wireless Earbuds with Knowles Balanced Armatures
As a child of the 80s, I was used to listening to horrible tinny music through headphones, so listening to today’s wireless earbuds in supreme quality still blows me away, especially when they are APTx and Dolby Atmos compatible which makes watching movies really impressive.
The Edifier TWS6 can be purchase through many online retailers for around £90 and thought they are great value for money.

You can currently pick them up on Amazon at this link

Another fab product from Edifier!

Matt

Amazon, Dashcam, Gadget Man, Matt Porter, Review, Technology, The Gadget Man

NextBase 422GW Dash Cam with Emergency Service Notification and Alexa

Leave a comment

Dash Cams have become a hugely popular and important piece of in-car technology. Not only do they act as an independent witness in court by recording everything that happens both in front of your car as well as behind (if you have a rear-view camera), in fact, Tesla has recently updated their vehicles to support ‘Sentry’ mode to monitor all around the car using their multiple cameras.

422GW Dash Cam
422GW Dash Cam

The increase in Dash Cam use has by recognised by insurance companies and police as an extremely helpful accessory in the event of both accidents and other investigations where individuals have gone missing and have been picked up on dashcam.

In the UK, the law states that a Dash Cam must NOT distract the driver or obscure the view of the road. If you decide to share the footage, faces and number plates should be blurred and unrecognisable. so bear this in mind if you decide to upload some footage to Facebook or YouTube.

422GW Dash Cam
422GW Dash Cam

NextBase 422GW with the rear camera module.

I have spent the last couple of weeks reviewing the NextBase 422GW a dashcam bursting with so many features, it would be impossible to list everything here!

Out of the boxes, the main dashcam and the additional rear camera module are both solidly built devices with a comforting amount of weight about them that feels durable. I also had a NextBase MicroSD card to store my footage. You also receive a very long power cable with 12v connector and the option of using either suction or sticky mount to affix the camera to your windscreen.

422GW Dash Cam
Nextbase App connected to 422GW Dash Cam

The 422GW’s features rely heavily on the use of an iOS or Android App which connects over both Bluetooth for general communication and WiFi for downloading videos to your device. It also supports Alexa and Handsfree calling which was quite useful as it allows voice instructions to download the recorded video to your mobile device (if that’s your thing!). You can also enter emergency information into the app which allows the device to automatically contact the emergency services if it detects an accident. Don’t worry, it won’t do this immediately, you do get to intervene before Police or Ambulances are summoned.

The most obvious feature of a dashcam is the quality of the video that it takes. The 422GW packs a F1.3 sensor recording at 1440p at 30 FPS or 1080p at 60 FPS. The quality of the video is excellent even in low light and darkness, I was seriously impressed. If you (like I did) installed the additional rear camera, the unit records both videos at the same time and you can set the rear camera to either record inside the cockpit or the rear window. I was unsure how this would turn out, but again I was really impressed with the results.

422GW Dash Cam
422GW Dash Cam – what’s in the box

If you are looking for a dashcam with Crash Protection, Emergency Service Alert, Auto-Sync, Intelligent Parking Monitoring, Alexa and the tool for installing the cable in your vehicle, you won’t go far wrong with this device! At £129 it’s great value too.

Matt Porter
www.thegadgetman.org.uk

 

 

Amazon, GPS, Review, The Gadget Man, tracking devices, Vodafone

Half Price Alert! Vodafone V-Multi Tracker, a Multi-Use Lightweight GPS Tracker with Bluetooth and Data Connection

2 Comments

This is a bit of a heads up for those of that are prone to putting things down and forgetting them, those that might be carrying around valuable items and usefully, those who are flying drones and would like to be able to track a fly-away!

Vodafone V-Multi Tracker
Vodafone V-Multi Tracker

The Vodafone V-Multi Trackers keep an eye on your possession using a simple iOS or Android app. I reckon the current price of £22.50 + £2 per month for your data plan is a no-brainer.

The tracker also gives you speed alerts if your things start moving and will notify you through the app on your smartphone.

There’s also an emergency SOS button which can be set up to notify a loved one of the trackers current location.

At just 39mm wide, 12mm high and weighing less than 20g, it can be attached to items using the variety of included accessories, such as USB charging cable, Hard case, Carabiner, Pouch, Clip and built-on V-Sim.

Setup was reasonably painless using Vodafone’s V app and TrackiSafe’s app.

I’ve tested it and can confirm it will send the current location using the built in Vodafone data connection and will use with GPS, WiFi or Cell Tower triangulation to get the coordinates, which it sends back to the app and shows on an interactive map.

You can purchase the Vodafone V-Multi Tracker for £22.50 (until the 31 January 2020) using this link or the link below!

Audio, BBC Radio Suffolk, Cars, Gadget Man, James Hazell, Matt Porter, Nextbase, Radio, Radio Interview, Review, Technology, The Gadget Man, YouTube

Gadget Man – Episode 153 – Talking about Dashcams

Audio Leave a comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | TuneIn | RSS | More

This morning I spoke to James Hazell on BBC Radio Suffolk about the benefits of Dash Cams in cars.

During the interview, we discussed both the negatives and positives of these devices and how they can be used as an Independent Witness of an accident or other car-related crime.

I’ve been reviewing the Nextbase 422GW Dash Cam over the past two weeks, which will be published soon.

In the meantime, listen into the stream via my podcast link above or by playing the embedded video below.

Enjoy this episode and see you next time!!

Matt

Audio, BBC Radio Suffolk, Blog Post, Electric Car, Electric Car Challenge, Electric Vehicles, Gadget Man, Hyundai, James Hazell, Matt Porter, News, Radio, Radio Interview, Review, Technology, The Gadget Man

Gadget Man – Episode 152 – Hyundai Drive Different Test – Radio Interview

Audio Leave a comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | TuneIn | RSS | More

This week I travelled to London to take part in the Hyundai Drive Different Test. In my previous post, I provided details on the thinking behind this initiative.

Today, I spoke to James Hazell on BBC Radio Suffolk about my experience and what I think made driving each car different.

Listen to the stream above and view the cockpit videos below to see some of what I experienced during the day.

Hyundai Drive Different Results for Matt Porter
Hyundai Drive Different Results for Matt Porter

[videopress h9uiJhtw]

[videopress 35zbNsRv]

[videopress DsOjCdKO]

 

 

Audio, Edifier, Gadget Man, Headphones, Matt Porter, Radio, Review, Technology, The Gadget Man, Wearables

Edifier H880 – High Fidelity Stereo Headphones

Leave a comment

 

I’ve recently returned from a family summer holiday in Wales which took us through the beautiful mountains and valleys and onto the even more spectacular coasts of beaches of a very beautiful part of Great Britain. Our holiday gave us plenty of chances for quiet evenings snuggled together in an old converted farmhouse.

What better time but to slip on a set of headphones and listen to my favourite music and while away the evening. Fortunately, I was armed with a set of Edifier H880 Over-ear wired headphones and boy was I impressed!

Edifier H880 Headphones
Edifier H880 Headphones

As is now the want in this age of ‘product unboxing’, the H880’s come in a sleek matt black foam padded box, with the headphones sitting securely in the purpose made inset. After taking them out of the box and fitting them over my ears, I found the fit both comfortable and snugly over my ears and instantly silenced a large amount of background noise.

The H880’s are wired headphones and stored neatly underneath the headphones are two boxes, the first comes with a very long 3.5mm to 3.5mm gold plated connector lead, you also receive a shorter 3.5mm to 3.5mm lead which includes inline volume control and hands-free function for use with smartphones. Finally, there is a 3.5mm to 6.35 mm adapter. The second box contains a very smart soft-touch material storage bag which the headphones neatly fold up into for safe and portable carrying.

Once set up and plugged into my phone, it was now time to test them out. I connected them to my Sony Xperia 1 phone using a USB Type-C adapter and cranked on the music.

On a technical level, the H880’s use 40mm polymer drivers with cavity control technology which gives a superior bass response. Frequency response is in a range of 20Hz – 20kHz, sound pressure is 100dB, nominal impedance is 24ohm all powered by a closed moving coil.

Edifier H880 Headphones
The Gold plated connectors give superior performance

The headphones feel very well constructed using alloy and durable metallic connectors. The leatherette ear pads along with the padded head attachment were extremely comfortable and although very well insulated, didn’t get too warm after wearing them for extended periods.

Most importantly, the music reproduction was superb, my Xperia 1 supports Dolby Atmos, so the sound is very good and I found the H880’s provided a very enjoyable listening experience. Bass wasn’t overbearing and treble and midranges were excellent too. Vocals were crisp and clear and on the whole, I was really impressed! It really goes to show that wired headphones are still the obvious choices of music fans as they don’t suffer delay and compression that can sometimes be obvious on Bluetooth headphones.

At a shade over £100, the Edifier H880 over-ear wired headphones are a contender for those of us that don’t mind sitting in a chair enjoying music.

Matt Porter, The Gadget Man

Gadget Man, Matt Porter, Review, Speakers, Technology, The Gadget Man

Edifier MP200 – Portable Bluetooth Speakers that are as colourful as life

Leave a comment

Like many of us, I have become used to playing music through my smartphone in hands-free mode, especially when I’m getting ready for work in the morning. Our phones now have sufficient audio production and volume to produce music at a respectable quality, but their physical size limitations mean that they aren’t able to produce similar results to traditional speakers.

Rubber Sealed SD Card and USB Socket
Rubber Sealed SD Card and USB Socket

Portable speakers have become a popular addition for the music enthusiasts and casual listeners and we now expect excellent audio quality from extremely low-cost devices and fill the gap where our smartphones fail. So, this month I have been testing the Edifier MP200 Bluetooth 4.1 Portable Speaker.

Edifier MP200
Edifier MP200

The MP200 is a relatively small cubic speaker measuring 2-inches in each direction. Featuring both IP54 rated splash and dust protection, the speaker is coated in brightly coloured rubberised material with the addition of a hand-string to carry around your wrist or hang in your bathroom. The Micro SD card slot and Micro USB charging port are both sealed with a rubber cap which means it will function appropriately in a bathroom or even outdoors on a camping trip or barbeque courtesy of its IP54 rating. You may have seen IP ratings on your smartphone packaging, it’s a 2 digit rating scale the ‘5’ of IP54 means it is ‘dust protected’, whereas the ‘4’ means it is ‘splash proof’.

Answer, Power and Music Controls
Answer, Power and Music Controls

The speaker comes with three buttons on the top which control which allows you to power on the device (with a pleasant start-up sound), pause or stop the music and a ‘call answer’ function when it is paired to your phone (although I’m not sure I would be up for conducting a hands-free call in the shower!). On the side of the speaker up two further volume up and down buttons. All these buttons situated underneath the rubberised material and easy to operate.

Edifier is quoting 12 hours playing time between charges which fits in well with my experience of using the speaker for a few minutes every morning and not needing to charge it for weeks. So it should happily provide entertainment for many hours at a time.

Audio quality, the speaker really shines and provides an incredibly impressive full range of sound and when cranked up, it doesn’t lose quality. I’ve used several of these kinds of this type speaker and I was really impressed with the MP200.

The audiophiles, the specs are as follows:-

RMS 5.5W
Noise Level: ≥30dB(A)
Freq. Response: 150Hz~14kHz
Input Sens: Bluetooth / USB audio streaming: 300 ± 50mFFS
Input Type: microSD card / Bluetooth 4.1 / USB audio streaming
Speaker Unit: 2 inches (48 mm)
Range: 10 metres (Bluetooth 4.1)

The MP200 is a fabulous speaker, available in seven colours and at £29.99, it’s a bargain (and a great gift idea for the up and coming festivities).

Matt Porter
www.thegadgetman.org.uk