Corprit Power Bank Wireless Hidden Spy Camera

A very clever and powerful device backed up by an impressive app that allows you full control at the touch of the screen. This arrived in a neat little box with everything you need to get it up and running including a 16GB micro SD card, this will take a 32GB card but as it has loop recording I have decided to stay with the 16GB card not feeling I will need to store a whole 32GB of recording.

The manual is glossy and very comprehensive unlike some which are no more than photocopies, it walks you through the setup with illustrations highlighted with corresponding functions and features, the manual gives you a QR code for both Android and iOS which takes you directly to the application if you have and use a QR scanner on your mobile device and if not a search in the relevant store for iMiniCam will find it.

After inserting the micro SD card and putting one of the facia covers on (it comes with four although personally I do not see any need to remove this again unless it becomes damaged) I installed the iMiniCam application then set it up on a WiFi connection following the instructions and formatted the micro SD card via the WiFi connection using the app, a very simple process. I gave the camera a good test and adjusted the settings via the app testing the features such as motion detection which worked very well. 

I set the power bank spy camera up so I could view it anywhere through my phone (iPhone 6) using the add new online camera in the app which again was a very simple process clearly explained in the manual, to test this I switched the WiFi connection off on my phone and used mobile data and this worked flawlessly giving great picture quality and also having the ability to change a multitude of settings from the other side of the world if you have an internet connection and want/need to.

I have recorded a video showing a short recording using the camera and will also add some pictures, please be aware the video quality often degrades considerable when uploaded.

• This is not only one large capacity power bank, but extremely stealth hidden camera. Unique design(USB2.0 port output) will allow you to charge your mobile devices anywhere, but take the photo and video in the app you like
• With APP "iMiniCam" installed, you can use the IOS and Android mobile devices such as smartphone, mac to control the camera. What's more, install the app in the CD, you can see the video on your computer. To see the real-time and playback video, to take the photo, to manage the files in your phone or computer.
• First mode: search the power bank camera wifi signal, to connect it. You can see the video and take the photo within the range of 10 meters. Second mode: based on the first mode, to connect this camera with your home or office wifi, after successful configuration, you can see the real time video anywhere .
• 1080P HD video recording. Press the button, four indicating lights to show the battery capacity. This power bank camera is advised to work with smartphone.
• Motion detection: when this wireless hidden security camera catches something moving, it will automatically take photos to show the scene at that time. This camera supports loop recording function. You can adjust the image up to down, or left to right in the app.

What I liked

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- Slim, light and very discrete

- Very good glossy and comprehensive manual

- Backed up with an impressive mobile device application

- Motion detection

- Option of WiFi or Network connection

- Loop recording

- 90 degree lens angle

- Comes with a 16GB Micro SD card

- Ability to record to phone and SD card

- You can invert the screen via the app should you place it upside down along with flipping horizontally

What I Didn’t Like

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- Really hard to find anything I don’t like but if I really want to be extremely picky and it is really picky the sleeve on the box was very tight and I had to cut it to open the box.

Summary

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This is a very clever device that gives great quality covert pictures and video, has a very professional application giving you full control and the ability to record footage, be notified if it detects movement and so much more, this is the reason it gets five stars from me.  If you have any questions please feel free to ask I will do my best to answer.

Price: £57.99

PRODUCT LINK

Excelvan 4-Cup Steam Espresso and Cappuccino Maker

Starting from a point of being a complete novice with coffee machines this is something new for me, while seeing many of my friends getting all singing and dancing coffee machines I have been very dubious mainly because they take cartridges, I am not really even sure what they are apart from they seem really expensive to me.

When making coffee I have always used a French press or the old style machine you put paper filters in both having their own issues so decided it was time for me to purchase a proper dedicated coffee machine and had a few prerequisites, I wanted something that would take proper coffee that came in a pack rather than a sealed cartridge, I wanted something basic and simple to use but that also had a steam jet for frothing the milk, wasn’t huge taking up loads of space in the kitchen as my kitchen is small and didn’t cost a fortune, this fitted my requirements.

It arrived in a nice branded box with a UK plug and everything I needed to be up and running, after reading the instruction booklet I gave it a good clean and ran several full tanks of water through it then I was ready to give it a test. Although the instructions are very basic they are clear and easy to follow so nothing difficult or complicated or a mass of different buttons and settings so the process was quite simple.

I did notice a few reviewers said this was very noisy but as I have never had one before I had nothing to compare it with, I didn’t find it noisy and really the only thing I could compare it with was my kettle and it was certainly a lot quieter than that, I found the steamer worked really well and after a couple of minutes once it started the jug filled at a good steady pace.

I have added a short video and will also add some pictures showing the process start to finish and was very pleased with the results, please be aware the video quality often degrades considerable when uploaded.

• 800 Watt espresso and cappuccino machine with 4-cup carafe capacity (240ml)
• 3.5 bar working pressure for rich taste coffee. With frothing function for making cappuccino
• Safety boiler cap with built-in valve, release pressure automatically system, aluminum alloy filter holder with protective thumb guard for safe use
• Single knob for function transform-coffee/steam selector and on/off, easy control with indicator light
• Stainless steel decoration, removable & washable drip tray for easy cleaning, carefe with water leve gauge, functional spoon and 0.02 inch stainless steel filter

What I liked
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- The price
- Simple and easy to use
- Nice and compact not taking up too much room
- The steamer works really well and is movable
- Takes proper coffee not cartridges
- Neat and simple design
- Comes with everything you need to be up and running apart from the coffee
- Delivers a great cup of coffee nice and quickly

What I Didn’t Like
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- Very picky as it’s not really an issue to the final product but I would have liked to see a nice glossy instruction manual

Summary
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For me this is great, I didn’t want an all singing and dancing coffee maker to impress my friends, I wanted a very simple basic coffee machine that was easy to use, didn’t take up a load of space, didn’t cost a fortune, quick and delivered a great cup of coffee and this gets five stars as it ticks all my boxes. If you have any questions please feel free to ask I will do my best to answer.

Price: £32.99
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Pocket Foldable Drone With WIFI FPV Camera

This really is a cracking little drone packed with features, it arrived in a nice box with a USB Charger, phone holder, four spare propellers, a little black carrying bag, an instruction manual and user’s manual. The instruction manual is like a quick start guide but more in depth with full details on installing and using the phone application along with getting started and flying the drone, the instruction manual is all in English and has good illustrations alongside descriptions to assist.

After giving the drone a full charge and installing the phone application it was time to give is a test flight, I did have reservations on the strength or resilience of the drone once I started flying and crashed it a few times but after a few crashes these disappeared as it is very strong and the arms fold back when flown into something avoiding damage.

This is a really easy drone to fly and has an excellent hover mode which means you are not fighting to keep it at a steady height and are able to concentrate more on flying the drone round, I am a million miles from being an expert and even with my novice experience I managed to look good. The phone application is excellent giving loads of features not least the recording from the drone’s on board camera which works very well, I did try flying from the application which works very well although I prefer the controller.

An interesting feature I didn’t get chance to try but would be really interested in trying was the 3D on the application using a virtual reality headset, I am sure this would be really fun although I think you would be brave to try flying this wearing a VR headset but would be very interested to hear how anyone who has used it got on.

The drone folds away very easily and ends up around the same size as the palm of your hand or at least the same size as mine, I really liked the fact it took away the need for a micro SD card and did the work via an app on your mobile or tablet along with having a very detailed instruction manual that makes getting started a breeze.

I have added some video showing me flying it along with footage from the camera and turning it off and folding it away at the end, please be aware video footage degrades considerably when uploaded.

• TRACK CONTROLLED MODE: You can draw the flight track you want on the smart phone, and the drone will fly following the flight track you drew. (advise to operate in the open space, the length of the flight track in direct proportion to the flight speed）
• FPV CAMERA & LIVE VIDEO: The WIFI enabled FPV camera is installed on the quadcopter. First person view real time video camera (0.3MP) of the drone is able to take aerial videos and photos while flying. Bring a new perspective to your photos and videos from the air. Images and videos will be listed in both App and mobile album system.
• FOLDABLE & FLEXIBLE ARM: With new technology of foldable motor arm, you can pack the drone easily and play with it wherever you go,small and portable but also prevent users from being cut and provide better and safer using experience.
• INTELLIGENT HEIGHT SET: Advanced barometer can achieve height set automatically without the limitation of height, stability , reliability and simple operation, which makes the vessel with facility.
• Steps To Connect The Drone To The Remote Controller: 1. Turn on the drone, 2. Turn on the remote controller, 3. Push the left throttle up then pull it down, 4. Click the "One key start" button (Check the sixth image listed in product page), then the propellers will start spinning.

What I liked
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- Good clear instruction manual
- Impressive and feature packed application for flying, recording and loads more
- Comes with a handy little carrying bag
- Very easy to fly and extremely stable
- Strong and resilient, very hard to damage
- Takes away the need for a micro SD card and records on your phone
- Very compact with near design folding rotor arms

What I Didn’t Like
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- I can’t find anything I don’t like with this drone but if I come across any issues I will return and edit my review.

Summary
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I really like this drone and its great fun and really easy to fly, has a really good application that is packed with features along with giving the ability to record footage from the drone camera, it’s small but very strong and folds up nice and compact slipping away into its own little carry case. If you have any questions please feel free to ask I will do my best to answer.

Price: £32.99

Junsun Dash Cam Full HD 1080P With Rear View Camera

High quality recording with plenty of options and added extras, the dash cam arrived in a nice custom made black box with a Junsun sleeve, the main camera at the top of the box protected by a foam cut out and all the listed contents under this including the 16gig micro SD memory card which is something most cameras don’t come with.

After I had opened it all up I had a good read through the manual, I found the manual to be very clear text and had supporting images with labels to identify all the buttons and functions on the camera, after setting it up indoors and going through the menu getting familiar with the settings and features I fitted it into the car, it comes with a suction fitting for the window that screws into the top of the camera with a locking system that is a very secure fit to the screen.

The rear camera plugs into the top of the camera and you need to run the cable to the rear of the car, I set it up on the top of the rear screen to the left corner, I was pleased to see it captured the full road behind from that point, the rear camera gives a in picture smaller screen on the main screen of the camera but the storing of the recordings is separated on the memory card in their own folders called ‘F’ and ‘R’ to indicate front and rear camera and each recording corresponds to the rear recording for example FILE180130-082234F.MOV and FILE180130-082234R.MOV which makes matching the recordings very simple.

The first thing I did on starting it up was to go through the LDWS (Lane Departure Warning System) calibration clearly explained in the manual, this can be turned on and off in the menu as can the FCDS (Forward Collision Detection System), both give verbal warnings when you are either too close to the car in front or drift out of lane. Once this was set up I went for a drive to test it out, I was very pleased with the recording quality which I found to be crystal clear on both of the highest level settings and although lower quality recording levels are available I can’t see any point or need to use them as the camera has a loop recording feature so you won't need to keep changing the card or deleting it's contents.

I was really pleased with the quality of the rear view camera capture and tested out the G-Sensor mode with a bit of sharp braking and this worked how it should as did the parking monitoring and motion detection putting the files in separate folders on the memory card which is also a nice helpful feature and you can view the clips using the mode button.

I have added a short video going through the menu system and giving day time and night time footage from both front and rear camera, my original video is of high quality but please be aware the video quality often degrades considerable when uploaded.

• 4.0 inch IPS screen, Video resolution: Front camera (1920 * 1080P), rear-view camera (720 * 480P)
• Junsun Car recorder, HD Dash Cam, DVR Accident Video Recorder with super wide-angle 170 degree lens infrared filter glass imports 6 glass lens, high temperature does not change color, 1080P HD night vision.
• Wide Dynamic Range (WDR): for local exposure control frame (eliminates glare and dimming), HDR High Dynamic treatment: either high light or dark light, can efficiently synthesize high-quality images, lifelike color reproduction.
• Loop-Cycle Recording: when the SD card is full, the camera will overwrite the previous recordings with the new files. You don't need to worry about the recording when the memory is full.
• Lane position Warning. Automatic Motion/Crash/Vibration Detection/ Recording. With Highly sensitive G-sensor. Automatic video recording when a collision or crash is detected and the related video file will be locked and cannot be deleted.

What I liked
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- Good solid screen fitting
- Crystal clear recordings
- Rear camera is very good and clear
- The addition of LDWS and FCDS something you won’t find on many cameras
- Very nice custom made box
- Comes with a 16gb memory card
- Glass screen which always seems to give a better viewing experience
- Wide angle 170 degree recording capturing both sides of the road including paths and side roads
- A wide variety of settings and features with the ability to enable and disable ones you need or don’t need

What I Didn’t Like
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- A very minor personal preference issue with the angled mini USB connection to the camera coming off to the left rather than straight up or to the left

Summary
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This is a good solid dash cam with many features not available on other cameras, it’s a good solid unit with nice glass display which gives a good picture in picture view from the rear view camera, has a nice easy to navigate menu system and the footage is crystal clear. If you have any questions please feel free to ask I will do my best to answer.

Price: £63.35
PRODUCT LINK

ELEGIANT Bluetooth Headphones with Microphone

I’m generally an in-ear headphone fan and I’ve a number of both wired and Bluetooth headsets, that I use frequently. Lately though I’ve been searching for a set of over ear type.

I had 3 fundamental requirements:

They needed to be foldable.
They needed to be capable of being hardwired
They needed to produce top-draw sound.

The first two boxes were easily ticked and having tested them both via Bluetooth and wired modes, the sound wasn’t far behind. I put these through a standard stereo and bass test on youtube and they passed with flying colours. I also tested them with several genres of music,: Classical to drum n bass, Arctic Monkeys to Zepplin. Excellent volume, rich bass and dynamic mid ranges, these performed as well as some of my branded (and breathlessly more expensive) other sets.
I charged these overnight to ensure they were full and wore them on and off for the next 6 hours. They never missed a beat, (if you’ll forgive the pun). Following the instructions, these were very easy to pair with a Bluetooth enabled player and worked well at just over 8m - even through a stud wall.

Taking a phone call in stereo takes a bit of getting used to. I’d recommend being mindful regarding the volume. The test call I received from a friend nearly blew my head off, as he was on hands free in his car, with the radio on. He advised that my voice was clear – a testament to the discreet in-built mike in the headset
The buttons, located on the outside ear piece feel sturdy and robust and the overall feel of these is one of quality. The general look of these headphones is very sleek and they are very nicely presented in a presentation box, which also contains a USB charging cable and a male to male 3.5mm lead for a hardwire connection.

 

Price: £27.77

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Sabrent Jaws Flex Clamp Mount with Adjustable Neck for GoPro cameras

Very impressed by this clamp.

It twists, it turns, it bends, yet it is very very strong.
Arrives with a "GoPro" type top plate, however with the right clip ( I used one from a generic action camera), it's easily changed to be capable of holding a screw fix camera,

The clamp is extremely strong and once affixed provides brilliant support. I was more than confident to fix my bridge camera and camcorder to this and it held them with no sag or wobble,

I feel this product will stand the test of time. I've had others in the past that have snapped, fallen apart or cracked, however the build quality of this one is superb.

 

Price: £12.98

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ELEGIANT wired Stereo SoundBar USB Powered

I was really impressed by this.
USB powered, with 3.5mm male jack leads for headphone and mike connections to your source

Soundbar also has female ports for adding a set of headphones, or an external mike.
Volume and power controlled by a stylish knob on the right of the bar, with an attractive design, capable of integrating discreetly into your home system, or laptop/PC setup:---

I found the sound produced by this to be extremely good. Excellent volume and capable of producing some extremely rich tones, with considerable depth, despite its size.
I tested it with a classical/pop mix and then a standard stereo test, which it handled very well indeed.

Recommended

Price: £21.77
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USB powered sub-woofer computer speakers

I’ve an old tower PC that I primarily use as a server, so I’ve never really bothered with using it as a mainstream PC.

I’m redecorating at the moment however, meaning that my posh telly has been packed away, so I’ve been forced to watch my movies etc directly on an old monitor I had knocking about.... But it had no speakers..
I picked these due to other reviews and their “cubish” appearance – I can be quite clumsy, so I wanted a set that wouldn’t topple over if I knocked against them.
There were two things that stood out for me: --

USB Powered
In line volume control.
As to the sound, these performed very well, although at their highest volume, there was a little distortion. That said, I’d be unlikely to have them set to max, as I prefer to find the sweet spot and control the volume via my PC.

Price: £19.95
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