Tag: test

Patriot FUEL+ 5200mAh Dual-Port Power Bank Review

September 29, 2014

The Patriot FUEL+ 5200 mAh power bank is interesting as it balances features and size well. Most power banks that have a dual output system or a 2.5 amp output are much larger than this one. It is nice to see good build quality and solid functionality on a power bank of this size. It is more expensive than its generic siblings but those usually have a single 1 amp output. The 2.5 amp output is great because it allows me to charge big devices such as my OnePlus One much quicker than most other power banks.

IMG_20140921_165915
Packaging
IMG_20140921_170038
Dual Outputs: 2.5A and 1A
IMG_20140921_170248
Bright Blue Charging Lights

Pros:

  • Great Build Quality
  • Looks Great
  • Sits Flat on a Table
  • Blue Lights
  • 2.5A Output
  • Dual Charging Capability
  • Ability Charge a Device and the Power Bank Simultaneously
  • Very Portable

Cons:

  • The Power Button Isn’t Raised For Easy Pressing
  • Expensive Compared to Others

Moto G (2014) 2nd Gen In Depth Review

September 18, 2014

I have made an in depth video review and I will list the key points under it:

Pros:

  • Affordable
  • Fast
  • Smooth
  • Responsive
  • All Day Battery
  • Great Screen
  • Great Size
  • Very Good Camera at Night (No Noise)
  • Surprisingly Good Photos For A Budget Device
  • Stereo Speaker Configuration
  • Great Call Quality
  • Micro SD Card Slot

Cons:

  • Speakers are weak
  • Audio Output is weak
  • Camera Can’t Focus Close Objects Well
  • Display Contrast isn’t Great
  • Buttons Feel Cheap
  • Feels A Bit Fat Sometimes

Moto G (2014) 2nd Gen Camera Test and Comparison

September 15, 2014
Moto G (2014)
Moto G (2014)

In the video I show many different scenarios in which the camera may be used and I compare it directly to the Moto X (2013) and the OnePlus One. It performed very well in most scenes and really passed my expectations for a phone of this price. It’s worst performance was during a macro shot as the camera doesn’t allow for getting very close. In most situations, its colors were more accurate than the Moto X and overall they looked great. It takes low res 720p videos which are decent in day time and surprisingly clear in low light, even out performing the OnePlus One while in low lit situations. It also does a great job when recording very loud audio keeping away any saturation and holding the volume at an acceptable level.

Watch the video to see for yourself whether or not it is worth it and look under the video for the raw images:

IMG_20140914_175659862
Moto G (2014) Front Cam

IMG_20140914_170133998 IMG_20140914_170139468_HDR IMG_20140914_170343714 IMG_20140914_170548600 IMG_20140914_170808105 IMG_20140914_172759176 IMG_20140914_174709056 IMG_20140914_174734653 IMG_20140914_174942877 IMG_20140914_175002778

Moto G (2014) 2nd Gen Stereo Speaker Test and Comparison

September 14, 2014

IMG_20140913_124056

I test and compare the stereo speakers and audio out of the Moto G (2014) to the Moto X (2013) and the OnePlus One.

The speakers aren’t that loud and don’t sound the best, but in a stereo configuration they do just fine. The audio out is good quality but doesn’t have much output power.

Personal Opinion:

Speaker Quality: OnePlus One > Moto X > Moto G

Speaker Loudness: OnePlus One > Moto X > Moto G

Audio Out Quality: OnePlus One > Moto X > Moto G

Audio Out Loudness: OnePlus One > Moto X > Moto G

Immersive Ability: Moto G > OnePlus One > Moto X

Asus AMD R5 230 Unboxing, Benchmarks and Overclocking

September 8, 2014
Asus R5 230
Asus R5 230

The R5 230 is the cheapest and smallest of the new generation of GPUs from AMD. It can’t do much in terms of graphically intensive tasks, but when you are in need of a cheap solution that is strong enough to do anything other than game or create videos, it runs suprisingly well. It was able to play even 4k video content smoothly when loaded locally (YouTube 4k lagged as it does on my R9 270). Everything ran great in terms of operating system and web browsing tasks. I was able to easily overclock it using the built in AMD Overdrive software and temperatures never even reached 60 degrees during the Furmark benchmark. In the video below I show the card and the results of the tests I ran on both stock clocks and the overclocked clocks.

Buy the R5 230 on Amazon

Buy the RX 460 on Amazon

ART vs. Dalvik – OnePlus One Battery Life Review

August 7, 2014

We are all wondering…which gets better battery and which performs better? Watch the video to find out. I show two usual cases of standby and screen on time for each. Comparing the same usage on them both with several days of use on each after giving them time to settle in first, I have come to a definite conclusion. ART destroys Dalvik on the OnePlus One. Not only are things more responsive but it feels just lighter as if it is having an easier time running Android. This really showed in the battery life tests as I reached up to 7 hours of screen on time! If you have a OnePlus One, switch it to ART and see what I am talking about.

Here is the video review showing some screencasts and screenshots:

I have finally fixed my audio/mic recording issues and I will share how I did that soon.

 

Neewer Condenser Microphone Unboxing Review

August 6, 2014
Neewar Shotgun Condenser Mic
Neewer Shotgun Condenser Mic

Finally, I have a way to record better quality audio, but is it really that big of a difference? This is a question I have not been able to answer yet. The mic is solid, has a metal body, and seems to have good recording quality, but for some reason I am not fully impressed by it. The recording quality is good but not amazing. For a budget mic I know I can’t expect much, but I expect at least a full sound from my voice. Don’t get me wrong, it recorded just fine as you can hear in the video below, but I want better. I tried many different settings along with my USB Creative Soundblaster and my Internal Realtek Chip and I couldn’t find a level of audio that I was pleased with. I am new to the audio recording game and there may be some things/settings that would make a big difference, but I just haven’t found the right ones yet. So for the price of $30 it is worth it, but until I find a way to unlock its full potential I can’t say its a steal. I have embedded a video unboxing and review below if you want to hear how it sounds so far.

Gigabyte Radeon R9 270 OC Version

July 17, 2014
The R9 270OC
The R9 270OC

This video card, even though it is priced well, is a beast. Installation was easy, uninstall the previous card drivers, remove the old card, put in the new card, and install the drivers. Immediately things were running well and much better than they used to. I was previously running a Radeon 5750 and the difference in performance is massive. Even though I have an Intel Core i5-750 CPU, the new card wasn’t bottle necked at all. Performance gains were huge in every benchmark.

Furmark 720 test: Before (1500) After (4000)

Passmark GPU: Before (1500) After (4300)

Windows: Before (7.2) After (7.9)

Homefront: Before (30 fps) After (110 fps)

Bad Company 2 Online Multiplayer: Before (30 fps) After (85-100 fps)

Top: R9 270 Bottom: 5750
Top: R9 270
Bottom: 5750
Bad Company 2 Online
Bad Company 2 Online

Moto X: Balanced Perfection (Micro Review/Comparison with G2)

March 23, 2014

Moto X back

I have recently switched to a Moto X from the LG G2 and the device is surprisingly great. On paper, it doesn’t seem like it would be the best phone to use, but in actuality, it runs smoother and faster than my LG G2 ever did. This holds true for all of the roms I had tried, even stable builds of CyanogenMod 11.

The active display comes on an any slight hint of movement which is a nice way to check notifications without draining the battery. The video below shows how I check the time by just holding the phone.

The screen is only 720p but because it has a full RGB matrix and isn’t pentile, it is a much better experience than previous 720p AMOLED devices as text is not crunchy on the edges. I wouldn’t mind better whites but it isn’t too bothersome.

The battery lasts for around 5 hours of solid screen time but not for over a day off of the charger as the standby isn’t as great as the G2. The G2 would also reach 5 hours of screen time but if used minimally could reach 2 days off of charge as well. The speaker is great as it balances a loud volume with a full range of sound and is one of the better phone speakers I have heard.

The camera so far seems to be good enough for my nature shots but maybe not as good as the G2.

Macro Moto x Moto X flower macro Moto x flower macro

The BUILD is my favorite thing about the Moto X, from the way it feels to the way it looks, it is all done right. The attention to detail is much better than that of the G2 as a device is only as good as its weakest component and the Moto X is just a pleasurable device to use.

Pros:

– Performance

– Build Quality

– Battery Life

– Features Without Bloat

– Speaker

– Active Display

Cons:

– Display Resolution and Whites

– Standby Time