This past August, I purchased a pair of Revel Tune audio glasses. It's hard to beat Bose Frames, but I was willing to see how this product from GlassesUSA stacked up.
If you already have a pair of Frames, don't bother with the Revel Tune.
If you are anything like me, you'll be disappointed with their audio performance.
If you are new to audio glasses and want something that has adequate sound for podcasts and phone calls with decent battery life and prefer how they look compared to the Frames, then maybe give these a go.
I returned mine after two days because the audio was not anywhere near that of the Bose Frames. Think AM radio vs. XM radio.
Other than that, they looked decent and felt reasonably well made.
I don't know why GlassesUSA even bothered to release a product with such inferior audio quality—and go out of their way to advertise that they would be great for listening to music. (see: Exhibit A below)
Final Thought:
The Revel Tune is a lukewarm product—three months of procrastination to even get around to writing this review proves that point.
TLDR: This gaming mouse punches significantly above its (light)weight. It's comfortable, responsive, and competitively priced.
I have reviewed several AUKEY products over the years. They provided each one free of charge and never asked me to change a word about what I've said. My reviews have been mostly positive. In general, AUKEY makes inexpensive electronic accessories, that for the price, have an exceptional build quality and exhibit thoughtful design. They use quality plastics with a high-end look and feel. My experience is that their products easily handle regular use.
This week, AUKEY sent me a Scarab gaming mouse to try out. It is no exception to the rule. If you want an affordable gaming mouse that precisely does what you ask and most likely will endure lengthy use without complaint, get the Scarab.
For my day to day activities - CAD design using Rhino, some light Photoshop or Illustrator work, and a whole bunch of typing - I prefer to use the Evoluent VM4R vertical mouse. It's a dependable workhorse of a mouse that has the heft and feel of an old Mercedes. It's hardly sporty, but it gets the job done comfortably and predictably. It's a beast.
When I took the Scarab out of the box, my first impression was, "This thing is light."
The Scarab feels like getting behind the wheel of BMW i3 BEV - light, responsive, and like it or not, pretty noticeable. If you like accurate tracking and prefer lightweight mice (the Scarab is just 75 grams), you'd be well served by this device. I'm not giving up my Evoluent for most of my tasks. Still, I see the appeal of something as light as AUKEY's Scarab - especially as a way to minimize fatigue during the rapid and near-constant movement experienced in gaming sessions.
For a non-vertical mouse, I found it ergonomic and comfortable. AUKEY put thought into the design, demonstrated by how it easily conforms to multiple grip styles. I'm used to a heftier mouse -- my Evoluent is nearly 200 grams. I've been using the Scarab for only a short time and found adjusting to its weight difficult. But, it is easily more accurate and responsive than my Evoluent.
I encountered zero tracking issues when using the mouse playing a game or during my more mundane day to day activities. I can't say the same of the Evoluent; I often have to go hunting for my cursor after when it jumps to another screen. It's just something I've gotten used to.
I was not the only person who tested the Scarab. Since everyone is stuck at home, I had some extra testers available, including my six-year-old son.
His eyes lit up, and he looked gleeful when I plugged the mouse into the old MacBook Air he's been using for online studies, and it lit up like a Christmas tree. Suffice to say his review was easily five-stars. But he did like the mouses' functionality too, especially the graduated feel of the scroll wheel. It made moving up and down the screen much more manageable for his little fingers and, since his school is now online, that's a tangible benefit.
I also have a doctor in the house doing telemedicine. So lots of box-ticking and moving around a cluttered EPIC screen. She found the tracking too accurate and had to go into Windows settings to fine-tune how the curser moved around on the screen. She's still reporting some overly twitchy behavior, but that's to be expected until she gets it dialed in.
The ability to set macros on the mouse intrigued her, but she has yet to test that functionality. On a side note, she swears by the KM-G6 that AUKEY donated to me for review. It continues to perform flawlessly after hundreds of hours of use.
That is where the Scarab will live for the next several months. Check back in for an updated long-term review.
In the meantime, in so far as I can say, after having used the Scarab for only a few short days, it seems like a good mouse at a reasonable price. I suspect it will be reliable. If you want to brighten up a six-year-old's day, with a mouse, AUKEY's Scarab would be a good one to purchase, especially since kids will be in front of screens more often because of COVID-19.
Purchase on Amazon: That's an affiliate link. If you click on it and buy something Amazon will give me money - not house in the country money, ut maybe extra cup of coffee money.
AUKEY GM-F3 RGB - Specifications
Model: GM-F3
Number of Buttons: 6
Switch for Left & Right Buttons: HUANO 65±15gf
Lifespan of Left & Right Buttons: 20 million clicks
I never knew I needed a folding table until AUKEY sent me one to review.
Do you really need a folding lap desk. No, but for real, it is a very convenient and inexpensive bit of furniture to have lying around.
The Looks
Aesthetically, the HD-LT05 isn’t a bad looking piece of contemporary furniture, though I doubt it will grace the pages of Dwell or Wallpaper*. But it's primary role in your home is not to wow guests or fashion bloggers. It's made for function and made from functional materials. The top, where you'll be spending most of your time, is an imitation wood Formica-like material. The wrist-pads and nearly everything else but the legs and screws are creamy plastic. Those legs? Brushed aluminum - which was a nice decision by AUKEY because chrome would have been cheaper but not nearly as nice or damage resistant; anyone reading this who remembers eating off of Dukes of Hazzard T.V. trays knows that it had chrome legs, which peeled off and was unpleasant to look at and feel. Speaking of which, there's also some nice corner cushions so you don't knick anything with the table as you are moving it around.
Using It
Starting from 9 o'clock and going to 3: It has a drawer on the left had side that pulls out that can be used to hold pencils & pens or coffee. If you opt to use it for the latter you won’t be using it for the former. The drawer also has a rubber mount where you can stick your mobile phone. I used an iPhone X with a Roxxlyn cover and it fit fine. I’m sure you phone will too (unless you dropped $2k or more on a Galaxy Fold in which case it definitely wouldn't fit because (a) that thing is the definition of girth in a phone, and (b) if you can afford that device you probably aren't doing any research on portable desks anyway.)
The surface of the desk is flat. There’s a rubber cutout on the top to prop up a tablet. If you reach under the right hand side you’ll pull out a book stand which you can plug into that tablet slot. The stand also works on it’s own if you just need a book stand. Theres a little red pull that acts as a handle. I sort of like that it's bright red. It’s a nice touch - maybe AUKEY should add red flourishes to all their products as a sort of brand insignia.
How Do I Use It?
Surprisingly, in a lot of ways! For example, I found myself using it as a standing desk. It’s big enough to hold a full sized keyboard and mouse comfortably but small enough to fit on top of my desk. I was able to turn my normal work space into a standing one (note: my monitors are elevated about 8 inches/20 cm above my desk). It's a nice thing to be able to do when you need a little change.
Like how AUKEY markets the thing, this desk is great with your laptop or tablet, especially if you want to set it on the floor and get down to business there. That alone makes it so that you can basically work anywhere in relative comfort.
Additionally, I’ve pulled it out to use as a platform to do little outdoor photo shoots. Propped up on the ground or a table, just throw something over it like a table cloth or a sheet, and you can have a nice impromptu studio space for product photography. Here's a couple photos I took outside of a Hringpoki Egg.
Conclusion
This desk is just very convenient to have. And for $40 it's a good value considering how handy it is. For $40 you can buy a lot of stuff, but some of those things might only be used once or hardly at all. You might not use this desk every day, but you'll grab it often enough that you'll feel like it was a worthwhile splurge.
If you have no space or who just want a portable space to work - it's worth the price of admission. Even if you don’t use it with electronics, it’s more than big enough to use with a notebook to write longhand.
And when not in use fold it up and tuck it neatly away.
So, if you are wondering what to do with $40 and think you might like to have a little writing/working/eating nook that’s portable, definitely give this writing one a look.
Right now we're in an in-between period for device connectors. We are edging towards a world that's more and more wireless but we'll never be completely sans wires. USB-C is the latest entrant in the world of wired device connectors.
It's got a lot going for it, including wide industry support including the likes of Apple, Intel, Dell, and SAMSUNG. As many of the world's most recognized manufacturers are supporting this new technology, it is likely to be widely adopted. With that kind of backing it's only a matter of time until USB-C gradually replaces previous connector types, including USB-A, USB-B and USB Mini-B (and even Apple's lightning port).
Will it be nice when there's one port to rule them all? Yes, but it’s going to be a while until all of our accessories are able to talk through USB-C. So if you have a device (laptop, tablet, or phone, etc) whose only physical connection to the outside world is a USB-C port, you my friend are going to have to invest in, wait for it, a dongle. You also might want a travel charger and maybe some high quality braided wires.
AUKEY sent me all those things to review. So here we go.
USB-C to 4-Port USB 3.0 Hub | CB-C64
Ever want to plug a LOT of stuff into your phone? Image - AUKEY
The AUKEY CB-64 is a four port C to 3 hub takes advantage of every bit of the usability of this new standard. Plug your keyboard, mouse, etc. and it will still run an external hard drive with no problem. Pretty impressive from a $16.00 hub that's not externally powered.
That being said, it does have limitations. The max output of USB 3.0 ports is 5V 0.9A. Because of the high power demand you can't connect an Apple Superdrive or charge a tablet via the USB ports. Also, the hub supports a maximum of 2 hard drives but for best performance, the power demand of connected devices shouldn't exceed the Max current output of 0.9A.
LIKE: Very slim and light, nice quality brushed-plastic case, compatible with tons of devices, comes with a 24-month warranty.
NO LIKE: Power limitations. It would be great if it could do some double duty. Like if you could pair it with a wall charger and use it as a USB power bar to charge multiple devices.
And speaking of wall chargers.
18W Power Delivery Wall Charger | PA-Y18
The PA-Y18 is a compact USB-C wall charger packs an 18W punch in a crazy small space. The plugs fold for easy portability and storage and the piano black finish looks especially slick. I mean, for a wall charger it looks nice.
Did I mention it was small? Take a look at this photo.
I don't know about you but my iPhone chomps through the battery like packman eating pellets. It dynamically negotiates power output over the USB-C connection to safely and efficiently recharge a wide range of compatible devices. You can fast charge the new iPhone XS/XS Max/XR up to 50% in just 30 minutes - using the Apple brand usb-c to lightning cable. It's nice to be able to throw this thing in a bag and be able to get a quick charge when I can.
LIKE: This $17 charger is small and sturdy. The size is really nice because it’s also feather light. Why is this a good thing? If a wall plug is worn and doesn’t grab hold of the prongs very well this charger won't fall out. This isn’t the case with some of the larger wall plugs - I'm looking at you MacBook and iPad Pro chargers.
These 6 foot braided USB-C to 3 cables are a nice upgrade because the OEM cables that ship standard typically tend to break apart near the joins after some time. This right angle one? Way more flexible, convenient, and sturdy.
The stats on these cables are decent as well. You can safely charge up to 3A and they support data transfer at up to 480Mbps. AUKEY also claims that they will survive 5000+ bends which sounds like a lot of USB limbo if you ask me.
But what I really like is the length. They sent me the 6 footer - they also sell a shorter 3 foot model - so you can get these wires to reach those inconvenient office or airport outlets making it easier to use and charge your phone while your on the go.
The 90º connection is nice.
Just checked into your hotel room? Want to watch a movie and charge your phone while relaxing in bed? With these right angled cables, it's very convenient to do so. Th cord is parallel to the phone so it's easier to hold.
Say you use a USB hub on your desk. Normal cables sprout over the top of the hub. Since both sides of this cord are angled the plugs lie in perfect order over the top.
USB C to USB C - 6ft | CB-CD6-N-US
Finally AUKEY sent over the CB-CD6 C2C cable for me to try. It doesn't have the 90º angle of the other cords but they are braided nylon and the joins look much better constructed than OEM cables. If you’re traveling and constantly pulling the cord out of your bag that means these should be able to take that kind of use and not break.
Also, this cord and the 90º one comes with a handy cable strap. So not only is the braided nylon tangle-resistant but they store nice and easy in your bag or drawer. No frustrating tangled mess when you reach for the cable.
Quality nylon AND a cable strap. I wonder if AUKEY makes earbuds/headphones with this same level of care?
LIKE: Quality nylon. Nice lengths. Cable strap. Good price.
