iRULU eXpro X1s 8" Android tablet

Rating: 4/5

Review: A very good budget tablet

I was sent this 8" Android tablet for my objective review.  It has some weaknesses but I think it is very good, especially at this budget price.

The packaging is a sturdy cardboard box in which you get the tablet itself, a mains charger (plug with micro-USB lead built in) and a micro-USB lead for data transfer or charging from a USB port.  (There's no OTG lead.)  There's also a basic manual in questionable English which isn't a lot of help, but if you're familiar with Android this won't be a problem.

The tablet seems robustly made; it's a bit weighty at 400g and it's almost 1cm thick, but I find it fine in use and it looks nice, I think.  The back is brushed metal with solid white plastic bezel but and a very good screen: it is sharp and bright with good colours and has a good tolerance of viewing angle.  The tablet has Bluetooth (which is very solid) and ports for micro-USB, microSD card, HDMI and 3.5mm jack so connectivity is good.  

In use it's good, but set-up was a tricky experience for me.  This may just be the individual tablet I was sent as I see no other reviewers so far have mentioned any problems, but it wasn't easy.  On start-up, I didn't get the normal Android set-up screens but a series of screens for Google locate, wi-fi connection, and registration before it finally took me through the Android set-up.  I then found that Google Play kept crashing, and I eventually had to do a factory re-set and start again.  This time it worked OK and once set up I like it a lot. 

The specs are good at this price – the screen is especially impressive.  It runs Android 5.1 and has 1GB RAM and 16GB ROM.   The cameras aren't great (2mp front, 0.5 mp rear), but the tablet performs well for what I need.  Battery life is around 4 hours with my usage which is enough for me  It boots pretty quickly and programs run without any delays.  I don't game or use social media and I don't multi-task much so I can't comment on these things; my usage is mainly TV, music, web browsing and email. The tablet is fine for most of these, although some apps like ITV Hub and Demand 5 aren't compatible with this version, which is a disadvantage for me.

Things generally run smoothly and without problems.  Playing and streaming video is fine.  The speakers aren't great, but through headphones or an external speaker the sound is very good quality, both wired and via Bluetooth, although the maximum volume level is pretty low.  With slightly limited RAM, I find that although video streaming and Bluetooth are fine individually, running both together can sometimes cause annoying buffering.

Small problems aside, I think this is a really good tablet at this price.  It's well made and it just works for me.  It's not a high-end tablet, and if you use the cameras a lot it may not suit, but it does the basics very well and the screen in particular is very good to use and a pleasure to watch.   I think this is very good value at this price, and it's a good product which I enjoy using. Recommended.

Geemarc solar 4-alarm watch

This is a very good quality watch, designed for those who may need up to four alarm reminders per day. That makes it very useful for people with memory difficulties who need to take medication at set times, for example, and it would also be very handy for busy people who want reminders throughout the day.

The watch is plainly very well made and durable. It's quite chunky, but not excessive and it looks rather stylish, I think. It is powered by a solar battery which, with normal usage in the daylight shouldn't need extra charging or replacement. There are good, clear analogue hands and a smaller digital display which can be set for various configurations of time and date display and to set the alarms. The vibrating alarm function is very useful for anyone with hearing difficulties or for discreet reminders while in meetings and the like.

It all works well. I have to say, though, that it's not easy to set up. Once you're used to it, it's fine but the process isn't simple and the instructions, though good and clear, are printed in extremely small type. If this were to be used by an older person with any sort of sight problems, declining mental ability or problems with dexterity, they would definitely need someone to do the initial set-up for them, to program the alarms and so on. Once that's done, it should be fine because it just gets on with the job without the need for any intervention, but be warned that getting it to that point can be a little challenging.

That said, this is a good watch which I can see being very useful to a lot of people. Ceemarc make a lot of equipment for people whose sight, hearing or mental faculties are deteriorating, and they clearly understand the issues very well. Once set up, this is a really useful addition to that array of help, and I can recommend it.

Umi Iron Pro smartphone

Rating: 5/5

Review:
A very good phone

I was sent this phone for review and, like its predecessor the Umi Iron, I like it very much. I have now tried several different Umi phones and I am impressed with their quality and the very good specifications for the price.  This Umi Iron Pro is actually very similar in build and specs to the Umi Iron (so there is a good deal of overlap between my review of the Iron and this one) but it has a few extra features – most notably in security and USB type-C.  It is only marginally more expensive than the Iron, so it's probably a better choice, although both are very good phones.

When reading this review, do bear in mind that I am in late middle age and that my use may not reflect yours. I don't game or tweet, for example, and I don't use data; I use the phone for calls and texts, music, checking email sometimes, some catch-up TV, occasional photos and occasional web browsing. This means that I cannot advise on comparisons, lots of technical specification and so on, but my take on the Iron Pro is this:

The packaging is very stylish and you get a charger, USB type-C lead for charging and data transfer, and a neat OTG lead. I think the phone itself is very attractive: it's slim, stylish and has a very nice, robust aluminium case with a rounded back which is very comfortable in the hand. The screen is excellent to my eyes; it's a generous 5.5" and a pleasure to use: bright, true colours and very tolerant of viewing angle. Video, TV catch-up and so on look great and everything works very nicely for me. It runs Android version 5.1, and with 3GB RAM everything seems very quick, smooth and pretty intuitive. The internal memory is 16GB and you can expand with a micro-SD card of up to 64GB capacity (I use a 32 GB and it works fine). Set-up was very easy, but there is no manual available. The quick-start manual is OK, access to SIM and micro-SD card slots is very easy and if you're familiar with Android the lack of a manual may not bother you, but for the more timid user like me it might be a drawback.

This is a dual-SIM phone, which can be a very handy feature, but note that the memory card and second SIM share a slot, so you can't have two SIM cards and a memory card installed at the same time.  The phone is 4G enabled, but doesn't support all bands, so if 4G data is important to you, ensure that it's compatible with your network.

Security is a big feature of the Iron Pro, with fingerprint and eye-scan unlocking, which work reasonably well for me.  Personally I'm pretty happy with the old PIN security, but I know a lot of users will like the biometrics.

Plenty of apps are pre-installed, including Google Play and new apps install very quickly and simply.  In use, everything I want works very well. Wi-fi connection was very straightforward as was syncing with my account. The battery lasts for several days with my use.  (It's not replaceable, by the way, which may be a drawback). The speakers aren't bad for smartphone speakers (which isn't saying much) and through headphones or an external speaker - both wired and via Bluetooth 4.0 - the sound is excellent. There's no NFC, but normal Bluetooth pairing is very quick and simple, and stable up to a decent range. The rear camera has a very good 13mp resolution and the front camera has a pretty impressive 8mp. I have found both to be fine, and other functions also seem very good.

I have been using the Umi Iron as my main phone for a few months now, and  I think it is a very stylish phone which does everything I want very well. This is very similar, with a few enhancements: it is simple to use, seems robust, it works well and has very good specs for this price.  I can recommend it warmly, certainly to fellow non-techies who want a decent smartphone which just does the job.

iRULU Walknbook 8-inch Windows 10 Tablet

Rating: 5/5

Review:
A very good budget Windows tablet

I was sent this Windows 10 tablet for my objective review. I think it is excellent, especially at this budget price.

The packaging is a nice, sturdy cardboard box in which you get the tablet itself, a mains charger (plug with micro-USB lead built in) and a micro-USB lead for data transfer or charging from a USB port. (There's no OTG lead, which is a shame, although they're very cheap and easy to get.) There's also a manual which I found pretty poor. The English is eccentric and although it's just about adequate a s a quick-start guide it's not much help, so if like me you're new to the touch-screen Windows 10, it can be a bit of a struggle.

The tablet seems very good. It seems robustly made; it's a bit weighty at 400g and it's almost 1cm thick, but I find it fine in use and it looks nice, I think. The back is white plastic but solid and the screen is very good to my eyes: it's bright with good, true colours and has a good tolerance of viewing angle. It has Bluetooth (which is very solid) and ports for micro-USB, microSD card, HDMI and 3.5mm jack so connectivity is good. Set-up was simple (after a bit of a wait for Widows to update itself), wi-fi connection was easy and remains solid and syncing with my Windows/Hotmail account was quick and trouble-free.

The specs are a little basic and in particular the cameras aren't great (2mp front, 0.5 mp rear), but the tablet performs very well for what I need. Battery life is around 4 hours with my usage which is enough for me It boots pretty quickly and programs run without any delays. I don't game or use social media and I don't multi-task much so I can't comment on these things; my usage is mainly TV, music, web browsing, email and some work in programs like Word and Excel. The tablet is just fine for all of these and everything I want just runs smoothly and without problems. Playing and streaming video is smooth. The speakers aren't bad for a tablet (which isn't saying much, I know) and through headphones or an external speaker the sound is excellent, both wired and via Bluetooth.

Pretty obviously, lots of Android apps don't run on a Windows tablet. I can do most of what I want (like watching TV) via the browser, which I find excellent, but if you have a lot of favourite Android apps you'd need to check carefully that you can do what you want in Windows 10. Where this tablet does score very highly is that it comes with Word, Powerpoint and Excel installed. If you want a tablet to work on and you use these programs, it's excellent, and data transfer is very simple to a PC.

Overall, I think this is a really good tablet at this price. It's well made and it just works for me. It will depend on what you want it for, but if a Windows tablet will suit your needs I can warmly recommend this one. It's excellent value and a good product which I enjoy using.

Comanro Ergonomic Vertical Mouse

Rating: 5/5

Review:
A very good vertical mouse

I was kindly sent this ergonomic vertical mouse for my objective review. I wasn't at all sure how I'd get on with it but after several days' continuous use I like it very much. It's a good quality item and it seems to help.

The idea, pretty obviously, is that this mouse can be used with your hand in the position your hand naturally falls into. It looks like a pretty big unit for a mouse, but it needs to be to support your hand in the right position and it does the job very well. I'm surprised by how much difference it makes; I do get sore tendons sometimes from excessive mouse-use and this seems to have solved the problem.

It does take a bit of getting used to, to be honest, but once I'd settled in with it (only an hour or so) it was fine. The buttons are pretty much the same as my old conventional mouse: left and right buttons and scroll wheel are the same, but nearly vertical rather than horizontal. Forward and back buttons are above and below the thumb respectively and are simple to use. There's also a button to scroll through cursor speed settings which I like a lot. I don't game and will probably leave it on the setting I've found best for me, but it's good to be able to adjust so easily.

There are two things I'm not quite so keen on. Firstly, the left and right buttons are very light-touch and sensitive, so I do find myself clicking when I didn't mean to occasionally. I'm getting more used to it now and it will probably be OK in the end, but it can be a bit of a nuisance. The second is the illuminated, pulsing logo on the side which changes colour depending on what cursor speed you've selected. It's only a small thing, but I could do with a less bling, more discreet indicator.

These minor things aside, this is a very good-quality item and I think it works very well. It is certainly much more comfortable for me than a normal mouse and I can recommend it.

RoadsterPro Tyre Pressure Gauge

Rating: 5/5

Review:
A good tyre pressure gauge

I was sent this tyre pressure gauge for my objective review, and I think it is very good.

The gauge is very well made; it feels robust and it has a good rubberized protective sleeve which should keep it safe from damage if dropped or bashed. The gauge itself is good and clear, the nozzle which goes on the valve rotates through 360 degrees, so it's nice and easy to use and there's a handy little valve to let out any excess pressure from an over-inflated tyre. As far as I can tell, the gauge is accurate (but I have nothing to calibrate it against except the gauge on a garage air-hose).

There's not much more to say about a tyre gauge. It's a good quality item which should last for years and which does the job well. Recommended.

Divoix DV550 earphones

Rating: 5/5

Review:
Excellent earphones

I was kindly sent these earphones for review and I am very impressed.  I have tested a lot of earphones in this price range and I think these are the best I have heard by quite some distance.

The earphones are nicely packaged in a stylish tin and come with memory-foam tips fitted.  These suit my ears well, but if you need something different there's a good range of silicone tips, too.  Everything is very well made, with a gold-plated plug and decent strain relief so I'd expect them to last well. The cable is detachable from the earbuds themselves, and is good quality with low friction noise.

Functionally they work as you'd want, with a microphone and simple control for the phone on the lead. The "triple press" to skip to the previous track can be tricky, but everything else is fine.  (By the way, this page currently mentions noise cancelling, but there is no active noise cancelling, just passive noise reduction with a good sound seal with the foam tip.  It is a good seal, but "noise cancelling" isn't really accurate.)

 
I think the sound is exceptionally good for earphones at this price.  The articulation is remarkably clear and it's beautifully balanced.  Trebles are very bright and hiss-free, middles are lovely and rich and the bass is excellent.  These aren't engineered to give a massive, boomy bass at the expense of everything else, but it's very deep and full.  If you want a real bass kick they respond well to a boost from an equalizer, but I find them very well balanced for my listening.  I have a Test Playlist which I use for audio products beginning with 15th Century choral music, ending up with The Rolling Stones, Leonard Cohen and London Grammar and going through most things in between; these perform excellently throughout, and I thought everything sounded really good.  Articulation of individual instruments and voices in classical music was excellent, and rock and the like was just as good.  To my ears they sound like earphones costing twice as much and it's a pleasure to use them.

I don't often gush like this over earphones costing under thirty quid, but I genuinely think these are exceptionally good.  They are well made, stylish and, to my ears anyway, give outstandingly good sound for the price.  Very warmly recommended.

Umenice collapsible umbrella

Rating 5/5

Review:
A very good quality umbrella

Amazon UK page

I was sent this collapsible umbrella for review and I am very impressed. I was surprised at what a good quality item it is.

The umbrella is very well made. It has a quality feel about it and both the materials and the engineering are excellent. The metal ribs are sturdy and are reinforced with tough fibreglass struts making them very strong. I haven't tried this in a strong wind (and hope I don't have to!) but it is very solid and I think it will stand up to some pretty rough treatment. The fabric is Teflon-coated which genuinely does make it very easy to dry because almost all the water just runs or shakes off, and it's a good size so it gives good protection against the rain for a collapsible umbrella.

It's very easy to use. One press of the button and it springs into full umbrella shape. Another press collapses the canopy and you then just have to collapse the shaft and wrap the Velcro-secured band around to secure the fabric. Both are very easily done and you can then slip it into the nice protective sleeve. The handle is large and comfy in the hand and gives a good grip.

The only slight disadvantage of this umbrella may be its weight. It is heavier than many collapsible umbrellas because of the quality of its construction. I find it fine in a bag, but you may like to be warned if you're looking for something really light weight.

Other than that, this is excellent. It now has a permanent home in the bag I carry with me and I expect it to last there for many years. I will update this review if I have any durability problems, but I'm not expecting any. This is a robust, practical and smart umbrella - and, to be honest, far better quality than I expected. Warmly recommended.

Elephone P8000 smartphone

Rating: 5/5

Review:
A very nice smartphone

I was sent this phone for an objective review and I like it very much. It has good build quality and very good specifications for the price.

When reading this review, please bear in mind that I am in late middle age and that my use may not be the same as many people's. I don't game or tweet, for example; I use the phone for calls and texts, music, checking email, some catch-up TV, occasional photos and occasional web browsing. I don't use data. All this means that I cannot advise on comparisons, lots of technical specification and so on, but my non-techie take in the Elephone P8000 is this:

I think the phone itself is attractive: it's stylish and fairly slim. It is pretty weighty at about 200g, largely due to the big, replaceable battery which gives excellent life and a long while between charges – several days with my use. The back is plastic, but it's robust and looks metallic and it feels comfortable in the hand. The fingerprint security works pretty well, although I do need a couple of goes sometimes before it recognises me.

The screen is excellent to my eyes; it's a generous 5.5" and I find it a pleasure to use: bright, true colours and very tolerant of viewing angle. Video, TV catch-up and so on look great and everything works very nicely for me. The phone runs Android version 5.1. Mine needed a system update when it arrived but it was easy and trouble-free and the result is a very nice user experience. There is 3GB of RAM and everything seems very quick, smooth and pretty intuitive. The internal memory is big at 16GB and you can expand with a micro-SD card of up to 64GB capacity (I use a 32 GB and it works fine).

Set-up was very easy: there is a very good manual explaining how to use Android, but nothing specific to the phone. This isn't a big problem, but I could have done with some instructions, especially on how to remove the back and how the SIM and micro-SD slots work – it took me three goes to get it right. This is a dual-SIM phone which allows two SIM cards and a memory card to be installed, all of which work fine once I'd got them in correctly. You will need to check whether the 4G band (FDD-LTE: Band 3/7/20 (800/1800/2600)) is supported on your network. On Vodaphone I only seem to get 3G (not a problem for me as I don't use data) so make sure before you buy.

Plenty of apps are pre-installed, including Google Play and new apps install very quickly and simply. In use, everything I want works very well. Wi-fi connection was very straightforward as was syncing with my account. The battery lasts for several days with my use. The speakers aren't bad for smartphone speakers (which isn't saying much, I know) and through headphones or an external speaker - both wired and via Bluetooth 4.0 - the sound is excellent. There's no NFC, but normal Bluetooth pairing is very quick and simple, and stable up to a decent range. The rear camera has a very good 13Mp resolution and the front camera has a pretty impressive 5Mp. I have found both to be fine, and other functions also seem very good.

I think this is a very nice phone. It does everything I want very well, it is simple to use, it seems robust and it works well. It seems to have very good specs for this price and I am very happy with mine. I can recommend it warmly, certainly to fellow non-techies who want a decent smartphone which just does the job.

Umi eMax mini smartphone

Rating: 5/5

Review:
A very good budget smartphone

The distributor sent me this phone for an objective review. I really like it. This is now the third Umi phone I have tried and I am impressed with their quality and the very good specifications (listed at the end of this review) for the price. The other phones are in very regular use and have performed excellently.

When reading this review, do bear in mind that I am in late middle age and that my use may not be typical. I don't game or use any social media, for example; I use the phone for calls and texts, music, checking email, some catch-up TV and YouTube, occasional photos and occasional web browsing. I don't use data. All this means that I cannot advise on comparisons, lots of technical specification and so on, but my non-techie take in the eMax Mini is this:

The packaging is very stylish and you get a charger and a micro-USB lead for charging and data transfer. I think the phone itself is very attractive: it's compact, very slim and stylish. It's light and sits very comfortably in the hand. The surround is smoothly curved grey metal and the back is grey plastic, although it looks metallic. You need to remove the back for access to SIM and SD cards, which even this rather numptyish user found very simple. (The manual, by the way, is very poor and I had to figure this out myself. Don't look to the manual for any real help with anything; if you're familiar with Android the lack of a manual may not bother you, but for the more timid user like me it might be a drawback.)

Set-up was very easy, which is just as well given the poor manual. This is a dual-SIM phone, which can be a very handy feature, and unlike with some phones, you can have two SIM cards and a memory card installed at the same time. The 4G band is FDD-LTE 1800/2100/2600 MHz which is not supported on all networks so you need to check whether this will work with your network.

The screen is excellent to my eyes; it's a 5" screen and a pleasure to use: bright, true colours and very tolerant of viewing angle. Video, TV catch-up and so on look great and everything works very nicely for me. The phone runs Android version 5.0.2, with 2GB of RAM which isn't the biggest, but everything seems very quick, smooth and pretty intuitive. The internal memory is 16GB and you can expand with a micro-SD card of up to 64GB capacity.

Plenty of apps are pre-installed, including Google Play and new apps install very quickly and simply. In use, everything I want works very well. Wi-fi connection was very straightforward as was syncing with my account. The battery lasts for several days with my use; I charged it fully on arrival and after 24 hours of intermittent use setting up, making calls and so on with the rest on standby it was still at 83%. The speaker is actually pretty good for a phone speaker (which isn't saying much, I know) and through headphones or an external speaker - both wired and via Bluetooth 4.0 - the sound is excellent. There's no NFC, but normal Bluetooth pairing is very quick and simple, and stable up to a decent range. The rear camera has a very good 13mp resolution and the front camera has a pretty impressive 8mp. I have found both to be fine, and other functions also seem very good.

I think this is a very neat stylish phone which does everything I want very well. It is small, slim and light, it is simple to use, seems robust and works well. It seems to have very good specs for this price and I am very happy with mine. I can recommend it warmly, certainly to fellow non-techies who want a very decent smartphone which does the job.

Specifications:

Operating System:Android Lollipop 5.0
CPU:MSM8939 Octacore 1.5GHz
GPU:Adreno 405
RAM:2GB
ROM:16GB
Extended Storage:64GB

Screen type:IPS OGS Full lamination technology
Screen size:5.0 inch
Screen resolution:1920*1080 Pixels

Wireless connectiveity:GSM, 3G, 4G, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth
Frequency: GSM, 3G, 4G, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth
2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
3G: WCDMA 900/1900/2100MHz
4G: FDD-LTE 1800/2100/2600 MHz
Bluetooth:Yes, 4.0
WiFi:Yes, IEEE 802.11b/g/n, Support Wi-Fi hotspot
GPS:Support GPS and AGPS

Camera type:Dual cameras Back camera:13.0MP, with flash light and auto focus Front camera:8.0 MP
Video recording:Yes
SIM card slot:Two Standard micro sim card, Dual standby
TF card slot:Yes
Micro USB slot:Yes
Audio output:Yes Microphone:Supported
Speaker:Supported
Video format:3GP, MP4, RMVB
Audio format:WAV, AMR, MP3
Image format:GIF, JPEG, BMP, PNG
FM radio:Yes, earphone needed.
Sensor:Gravity sensor, Light sensor, Proximity sensor

Additional features:4G,3G,WIFI,GPS,Bluetooth,etc
Battery:3050mAh lithium
Standby time:About 8~10 days
Charger:USB, travel charger
Dimension: 139.8x69.6x8.9mm
Weight:130g

Liger Blaze Bluetooth sport earphones

Rating: 5/5

Review:
Good sound and build quality

The manufacturer sent me these Bluetooth earphones for my objective review; I think they are very good. I have tested a lot of earphones now and I think these give good sound and build quality for the price.

The earphones come in a perfectly nice cardboard box, with a selection of silicone tips so you can position them comfortably in your ears, a USB charging lead and a decent user manual. They look good, I think – they are a little bulky, but they are well styled and sit nicely in the ears. They seem well made and solid, and the ear-hooks are very good. I wasn't keen on the idea of them, but I find them surprisingly comfortable and they hold the earphones in place very well, so I think these would be fine for even pretty vigorous movement during exercise.

Bluetooth connection was simple (conventional only – there's no NFC) and I found it solid up to a range of at least 8 metres. I find the controls on the right-hand earpiece easy to use. Phone calls work well, the microphone is good and controlling music is simple.

The sound is very good for earphones at this price. The trebles are pretty bright, the middles are rich and the bass is very strong. I find them a little bass-heavy in some classical music but it's not too boomy, and rock and the like sounds great. I have a Test Playlist which I use for audio products beginning with 15th Century choral music, ending up with The Rolling Stones, Leonard Cohen and London Grammar and going through most things in between; these perform pretty well on everything with clear articulation and distinction of instruments and voices in classical music, for example, and a really good, solid sound throughout in modern rocky stuff. That deep, rolling bass in the second half of London Grammar's Hey Now sounds brilliant, and if you like a real kick in the bass these will suit you very well, I think.

In summary, these are good earphones at this price. They are well made, very solidly anchored on the ears and give good sound with a very solid bass; I can recommend them.