Umi. Essentials Digital Alarm Clock Review

A simple basic alarm clock, this arrived in a plain brown box protected in a bubble wrap sleeve along with the instructions, my daughter normally uses her phone as an alarm in the mornings to get up for school but more than a few times she has forgotten to put it on charge or left it in her coat so I thought this would be an ideal replacement.

The instructions are good clear print and are easy enough to follow so as you understand and are able to set up the clock along with alarm either setting it to a 12 or 24 hour display, enable or disable the snooze function, dim the display or even stop the flashing of the dots on the display.

I set it up to give it a full test, it takes four AA batteries (not supplied) which are easy enough to fit with a slide off cover, the setting of the time and alarm are also very simple and you can move the digit rapidly by holding down the button or slowly with single presses along with enabling or disabling the snooze function.

The snooze function works well repeating up to three times every seven minutes, the alarm has an increasing volume around every twenty seconds but the alarm stops automatically after one minute if not turned off or set to snooze which may be an issue for a very heavy sleeper.

My daughter really likes the clock and the alarm is loud enough to wake her up without problem, the display is good and clear and has a switch on the back to lower the brightness although it is only a minimal adjustment and would have been better with an adjustment wheel in my opinion.

Overall this is a very simple battery operated alarm clock that is easy to set up, has a good clear display, ideal for waking you in the mornings, I would have liked to see a more adjustable option for dimming the display and as the alarm only lasts for one minute increasing in volume then shuts off even if not stopped I would not think it suitable for a very heavy sleeper.

Price: £15.99
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Motorola Focus 89 Wireless Indoor Camera Review

This arrived in a branded Motorola box with the camera and micro USB power cable packed securely into foam, included in the box there is a quick start guide, this is adequate to get started but I was a little disappointed not to get a glossy manual listing and describing all details and adjustments in detail.

After unpacking and plugging the camera in I went through the setup, all very simple with prompts and onscreen help tutorials along the way, it gives the option of signing up for a trial of free cloud storage which is not an option I will be taking up, I put a 32gig micro SD card in the camera which records movement and sound, also depending on your settings will give you an alert on your mobile device regardless of your location as long as it is connected online overwriting old footage when full so as never to run out of space, this will also allow you to record footage or images to your mobile device. I didn’t like the regular screen popup offering the free trial which would then turn into a regular subscription after I had already declined and would have appreciated an option to disable this message.

The camera recording quality is superb and very simple to adjust and move the camera to different angles remotely along with pinch to zoom; the sound quality is adequate both ways. Night vision and low light recording is very clear and quite impressive. The camera has a multitude of settings easily navigated along with help and assistance within the Hubble application to assist with setting these.

The alert system works very well and gives you the option to go straight to a live feed of the camera to check out what’s going on, I had to search for the Hubble application on the app store as the QR code supplied on the quick start guide was too small to scan and once installed you have to register as you would expect for security reasons.

• Full HD 1080p resolution with remote pan and digital tilt/zoom
• Works with compatible smartphone or tablet and Wi-Fi connectivity for on-the-go viewing
• Two-way talk, night vision, 90-degree angle review and true colour filter for colour correction in low light
• Secure and private connection with local & cloud storage options
• Box contents include Wi-Fi indoor camera, power adapter and quick start guide

Overall I found the camera quality very good, the Hubble application is very polished giving a multitude of different options and settings, the ‘quick start’ guide supplied really should have been much better quality and been an addition to a full manual rather than a stand alone in my opinion, I found the popup free trial a bit intrusive once I had refused it but the bottom line for me is this is a very good security camera with high quality recording backed up with a very easy to navigate application for your mobile device and instant notification.

Price: £69.99
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Morphy Richards 1.6 litres Soupmaker Review

Good effective soup maker, this arrived well packed and protected in a simple Morphy Richards branded box containing the soupmaker, the power lead and instructions including an addendum to correct, add and clarify a small section of instructions.

After opening it all up and cleaning it I had a good read through the instructions, all very easy to follow and including instructive diagrams taking you through the process step by step. The top section with the blending blade detaches from the main base and is quite heavy compared to the weight of the base unit but also very easy to remove and replace.

The instructions contain some recipe suggestions but I wanted to try it with a soup I have made before to give it a good test, using the soupmaker is really very straight forward with no complicated or complex settings to go through, all you do after filling the base with the ingredients, top it up with liquid/stock to the max level, replace the lid, turn the power on, select the soup consistency you want with the mode button, press start and sit back and wait for it to be ready.

The whole process takes between 21 and 30 minutes depending on the finished consistency you have selected, it makes a noise while mixing but I didn’t consider it very loud or annoying. The soup I made came out well cooked, perfectly blended and smooth and had not left or missed any larger chunks in the mix. I have since tried three other soups and all turned out great.

Cleaning is as they claim a fairly simple process and didn’t take long at all, it may sound a small thing to mention but I do have several kitchen gadgets that get little use not because they aren’t effective but because they take ages to clean after use.

• 4 different settings - smooth soup in 21 minutes, chunky in 28 minutes, juice in 2 minutes and a blend function to ensure the texture is to your own taste.
• 1. 6L working capacity - serves up to 4 people in one go
• Innovative top down blade makes it quick and easy to clean.
• An easy clean, non-stick coating makes cleaning a breeze

Overall I think this is a very good kitchen gadget, my wife is a member of slimming world so is always making soup, myself and children love it and there is nothing better than homemade soup knowing what has gone into it. The Morphy Richards soupmaker is very easy to use without complex and confusing controls, easy to clean and gives great results so gets top marks from me.

Price: £69.83
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Sabrent Rocket Pro 1TB USB 3.2 External Aluminum SSD (SB-1TB-PRO) Review

The Rocket Pro arrived in very nice metal tin with a Sabrent branded sleeved around it, inside the tin the drive fitted into a hard rubber cut out along with another cut out for the cable. The tin container gives excellent protection for the drive and ideal for packing when you are on the move.

I plugged this into my desktop PC for testing; my desktop PC only has USB 3.0 so I was fully aware there would be limitations on the speed results I could obtain but as I was planning to use this on my Xbox One as an external drive it is a good and realistic test as the Xbox One has USB 3.0 on all ports so although I have included my speed test in the video and a screen capture they only reflect a USB 3.0 test and you would obtain far higher with USB 3.1 or USB 3.2.

This drive is almost exactly three times the speed of my internal hard drive even with it going through the USB port, I dropped some videos and large images onto it and the loading speed was almost instant with the comparison of loading this from my internal hard drive taking several seconds to start the video or load a large picture.

After running a number of tests on the drive I was more than happy with its speed and stability so it was time to set it up on my Xbox One, I would also add it is plug and play no messing about, you plug it in and it’s there ready to use.

Setting this up on an Xbox One is a very simple process of plugging it into one of the USB ports and the Xbox One recognises it letting you set it up for either games or media, I set it up for games and moved several games across from the 240gig external SSD I already have attached to my Xbox One which all worked flawlessly. For anyone who uses an Xbox One a SSD makes a huge difference to loading times and anyone who plays games such as Destiny 2 it takes away all of the annoying ‘Loading’ messages you get during the game.

Overall this is a really nice fast external SSD, its compact, plug and play, sleek metal design, small enough to fit in your pocket if you need to and also coming with a metal tin with excellent protection should you want to pack it away for transit. It sits nicely on top of my Xbox One and really makes a huge difference to loading times.

• SUPPORTS - Designed to work with both Windows and Mac OS, so you can transfer data between almost any computer in the world. Complies with trim, UASP, and firmware is upgradable.
• PLUG & PLAY - OS independent, and fully bus powered, No drivers required.
• SPEED - Ultra-fast 10Gbps throughput, low latency and power efficient. At up to 1000MB/s,
• DESIGN - Ultra slim aluminum alloy sandblasted shell. Sleek, Durable, and Convenient. Portable yet durable, ideal for traveling.
• USE - Perfect for a variety of uses including data transfer, high-speed storage, data backup, cloning an existing drive, running a mobile operating system, and more.

Product Description

The Sabrent Rocket Pro 1TB USB 3.2 External Aluminum SSD (SB-1TB-PRO) delivers all the advantages of flash disk technology.

Based on 3D TLC NAND Flash memory, its performance speeds can reach up to 1000MB/s. Power consumption is much lower than traditional hard drives, making it the best solution for your external storage needs.

Designed to work with both Windows and Mac, this enclosure is equipped with a USB 3.2 Type-C connector, also includes a USB Type-C to Type-A cable and a Type-A to Type-C adapter, basically everything you need to be able to transfer data between almost any computer in the world.

Features:

• SPEED - With USB 3.2 interface, the Rocket Pro provides speeds of up to 1000MB/s, thats 9x faster than traditional external HDDs. Transfer and backup large-sized data files and 4k videos within seconds. Backward compatible with USB 3.1 and USB 3.0 at respective speed limits.

• DESIGN - Ultra slim aluminum alloy sandblasted shell. Sleek, Durable, and Convenient. Portable yet durable, ideal for traveling.

• HEAT MANAGEMENT - Professional Aluminum Case. Designed for optimal heat Dissipation and reduced power consumption.

• Supports SMART and TRIM commands. Supports ONFi 2.3, ONFi 3.0, ONFi 3.2 and ONFi 4.0 interface.

• Advanced Wear Leveling, Bad Block Management, and Over-Provision.

Package contents:

• 1TB External Aluminum SSD.

• USB 3.2 Type-C to Type-A Cable & Type-A to Type-C Adapter.

• User Manual

Price: £199.00

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Revamp Progloss Digital Ceramic Straightener Review

These arrived in a Revamp branded sleeved box with a side lift opening containing the hair straighteners on the top fitted in moulded plastic and secured with a rubber tie, underneath this the manual and a rubber heat resistant protection mat.

First impressions these have a nice smooth black matt coating which looks and feels very nice, the design has the temperature display LED in the top with the power and temperature adjustment buttons under rubber set back from the ceramic straightener plates in the centre avoiding any accidental adjustment while in use but still safe and easy to use.

After fully unpacking them I had a good read through the manual and asked my wife to start using them and give her opinion, my wife uses the ghd original IV styler but they are quite old and worn now, although she has been happy with them they are not without issues. She was really impressed with how quickly they heat up and are ready to use along with the colour changing LED display indicating the temperature heat range, she found the 360º swivel cable worked great avoiding having to keep moving and adjusting the cable.

My wife has coarse hair so used them at the higher temperature range and she loves them, finding them smooth and easy to use and really liked how quickly after turning them on they are ready to go along with the swivel cable design which avoided the irritating cable tangling, she did say they are far better than her ghd original IV styler even when they were new but I would say these are quite old and it’s not a comparison to any newer versions they may have.

• ULTRA FAST STYLING: The Progloss Digital Straightener features new, one-stroke styling technology. Smoothly glide over the hair with the floating ceramic plates for a frizz-free, pin-straight style, or give it a little twist to create salon enhanced curls
• INFUSED WITH SUPER SMOOTH OILS: The ceramic ionic plates in the Progloss Digital Ceramic Straightener are equipped with keratin, argan and coconut oil for versatile styling, for the ultimate enhanced shine and salon smooth hair
• TEMPERATURE CONTROL: Variable heat options between 80-235 degrees, ensures your hair stays healthy! The digital heat display changes colour based on the temperature: yellow for lower temperatures, orange for mid and red for higher temperatures
• SMARTER STRAIGHTENERS: The Progloss Digital Ceramic Straightener's temperature control allows you to find the right setting for your hair type, ensuring you don't damage your hair: yellow for fine hair, orange for normal and red for coarse hair
• EASY TO USE: The hair straightener comes with a 3m, 360º swivel cable, so you don't get yourself wrapped up during styling, and an automatic shut-off mode which will turn your straighteners off after 60 minutes.

Overall the Revamp progloss digital ceramic straightener are of very high quality performing really well, with good attention to detail along with functions and as my wife loves them, I can’t find any faults with them I have given them top marks.

Price: £89.99
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Umi. by Amazon - TWS Bluetooth 5.0 IPX7 W9 True Wireless Earbud Review

These arrived in a Umi branded lift top square box with a quick start guide on the top with the main more comprehensive manual at the bottom of the box, there is a small accessories box containing different size replacement earbud ends and a flat micro USB charging lead.

After putting the earbud case on charge I had a good read through the manual, its multilingual but has a separate English language section along with diagrams and very easy to follow. Pairing them to the Bluetooth device you are using is very simple and once paired they auto pair once switched on so you don’t have to keep doing it every use.

The sound is crisp, clear and distortion free even at a high volume, these don’t have ear hooks so I would suggest finding the right size replacement end fitting for your ears and once you have they are very comfortable and don’t feel loose or fall out.

I tested the various features and when taking a phone call the earbuds cut the music you are listening to and once the call has finished return seamlessly from the place you left off, pause and volume up/down along with navigating to the next or previous track work well once you get used to how to activate each function.

The case is very small with charging indicator lights on the reverse so you know when they have a full charge and is very small ideal to slip in your pocket or bag, even though these have a small case they will fully charge three to four times before the case needs charging which I found impressive.

Overall these are very nice earbuds with a great sound, the case is very small but delivers multiple charges without needing to be recharged itself, they fit well and the functions all work well so they get top marks from me.

• [W9 with intelligent charging case] The earbuds automatically charge when the case cover is closed, and the charging case is also rechargeable. W9 can be used for 6 hours per single full charge, and the charging box can charge the earbuds fully 3-4 times. That means a full 24 hours of music or talk time, or 100 hours on standby, with fast 1-hour charging
• [Bluetooth 5.0 and deep stereo bass] The Bluetooth transmission communication speed reaches up to 48MBps from 15 metres away, thanks to the strong anti-interference technology. This means smoother, clearer conversations and no music cut-outs when you're on the move. The unique stereo design delivers high-quality sound so you can really feel the music
• [Mini ergonomic design and IPX7 protection] The textured surface, invisible in-ear design, soft sleeves and true wireless technology make these headphones cool, convenient and high-quality. Free your hands and your music: IPX7 protection resists rain and sweat with ease. The charging station is stylish and pocket-sized, or can be carried in the hand so you can charge as you go
• [High-end charging case with patented independent power management technology] The exclusive patented independent power management technology allows you to separately charge the left and right earbuds separately for maximum use time. Place either or both earbuds into the station: one red LED indicates no power, one blue LED indicates full charge. The earbuds will charge automatically
• [Mono and binaural mode] The two earbuds can be used alone or in two channels, and each earphone can be paired independently. Both "L" and "R" can control play/pause/previous/next/volume up/volume down /answer/end/reject call. It's like you have two completely separate headphones. Connect to the same device to share music with your friends or use two headphones to enjoy stereo surround sound.

Price: £34.99

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Maxi-Cosi Pebble Plus Baby Car Seat Review

Top quality baby seat, this arrived in a large box within a box with a cellophane bag covering it, first impressions you can see this is a very high quality product, there are a couple of things you need to remove before use secured with plastic ties, a small tab at the bottom of the harness and the instruction and usage manuals at the top of the seat.

After removing the manuals and tab ticket at the bottom I gave the manual a good read through, it’s very clear and easy to understand along with diagrams to assist. After reading through the manual I had a good look over the baby seat, the quality is really top notch and the finishing and attention to detail top to bottom is flawless as far as I can see.

With the seat weight being under 5kg it’s very light and easy to lift and move about, the handle has release buttons and locks into place once extended and works really well making it easy to carry around and folds back down the same way. The easy-in harness has a nice smooth operation, easy to adjust and not being the common ridged material it can be moved right out of the way when you are placing or removing the baby from the seat.

The seat is very well padded giving a comfortable ride for the baby and with the main cover being removable easy to wash, the seat has the most recent European standard for child car seats R129 (i-Size) so has passed frontal, rear and side-impact tests along with other rigorous tests giving safety reassurance.

• Baby car seat, suitable from birth to approximate 1 year (0-13 kg, 45-75 cm)
• Fits with compatible Maxi-Cosi base unit for ISOFIX installation
• i-Size for enhanced safety and optimal protection against side impacts
• Baby hugg inlay offers a better fit and laying position for newborns
• Easy-in harness, stays open to easily place baby in car seat
• This Maxi-Cosi car seat is compatible with Maxi-Cosi and Quinny pushchairs for a complete travel system

Overall the Maxi-Cosi Pebble is a really high quality baby car seat, it has safety reassurance, is under 5kg so very easy to carry around, the material used and padding is superb also being removable for washing, is compatible with Maxi-Cosi and Quinny pushchairs so can be used for pushing the baby around if you have the base and very easy to fix and remove from the car. I can’t fault this product so it gets full marks.

Price: £199.00
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SOOTEWAY Mp3 Player Review

The last MP3 player I had was about five times the size and didn’t have Bluetooth so this is certainly an upgrade to that. It arrived in very basic plastic packaging with an apple style set of headphones; the instructions are reasonable taking you through the features and functions. The Mp3 player is really small and fits in the palm of your hand and the matte material gives a good finish feeling nice in the hand.

After opening it up I put it on charge and gave the manual a read through, once it was fully charged I gave all the features and functions a good try out, the radio is reasonable but relies on the headset being plugged in to get a signal, the movie player is really a bit pointless as it only seems to supports amv format, the voice recorder works although the record quality is average, it has an e-book reader limited to text which works.

The screen and menu are very clear and I found easy to navigate once I was familiar with how it controlled, I added some albums to the player a very simple process just using the supplied USB to micro USB connector linked to my computer, I also added some albums to a micro SD card to test the expanded memory.

I found the sound quality very good once I linked it to a Bluetooth headset and also to a Bluetooth speaker; the music on the micro SD card worked perfectly giving a massive boost to the storage and listing everything on it.

Overall this is a very nice and tiny MP3 player but I feel it tries to do too much and the added features such as movies, e-book, pictures, radio are underwhelming and should either been worked on more or left off the player. As an MP3 player I found it really nice with good sound quality, really small and lightweight, extra storage capacity, Bluetooth connection and a good menu listing system with easy to navigate menu on a good clear screen so although I wouldn’t give it top marks I would recommend it just for its MP3 playing features.

• [16GB and fast charging] 16GB of memory can store up to 5000 songs, Micro SD card slot can support up to 128GB TF card (not included). The SOOTEWAY MP3 player can be quickly charged and you can enjoy music quickly.
• [Grinding material and exquisite] matte material, soft light, clear vision, wear resistance, give you a smooth touch and ultimate experience. The 1.8-inch body is compact and easy to carry. You can easily put it in your pocket.
• [Backlight button and high-sensitivity button] The backlit button allows you to easily access the music world at night. It has a high resolution color TFT screen. Simply press the power button to lock/unlock the screen. Six high-sensitivity touch buttons are easy to operate and feature independent.
• [Wireless Bluetooth 4.1 & HIFI lossless sound quality] Bluetooth 4.1 technology mp3 player, fast and stable transmission, easily enjoy wireless high-fidelity lossless music! It can be paired with most Bluetooth speakers and headphones, supporting background music playback, music fast forward/rewind, and playback. This MP3 player uses a professional intelligent digital noise reduction chip to provide close to the original HIFI level sound.
• [Multi-function MP3 player and premium service] This versatile MP3 player features music playback, one-click lock, voice recording, FM radio, photo browsing, and e-book (only supports TXT format). 

Price: £20.99

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