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ByEric Sparenga

Samsung S10E – Worth updating to S20 models?

Hello everyone!

So now that the Samsung S20 series of phones is coming out in the next few weeks I have found myself wondering if it is worth upgrading to the S20 series?

After thinking about it and watching multiple Youtube videos of the new S20 models I have concluded…..

NO!

It is not worth updating yet. First a little background.

I got my S10e a year ago March of 2019. Again I spent lots of hours watching videos on each S10 model and felt this was the best phone for me for the following reasons:

  1. Small form factor for my little hands! I’ve been told I have “carny-size” hands for those of you that know that Austin Powers reference.
  2. Many reviews/videos rated this the best bang for your buck model
  3. The higher price tag of the others.

Having this phone for a year now I have to say Im still very impressed! I love using it everyday and have no issues with it!

So now for the topic of upgrading. For me when I upgrade I do enjoy having an upgraded camera, new features, and longer battery life then my previous phone. Which brings me to the new Samsung S20 series. These phones best and most excitable feature I would say are their cameras! Especially the S20 Ultra with its 108-megapixel camera. Now I know your probably asking yourself why would I say NO upgrade if the cameras are better and I like upgraded cameras? The reason is simply that I find the S10E camera that good of a camera for now! I take pictures today that still have me saying “now thats a good picture!”. Also the phone itself is just that good! There is nothing about this phone that I wish was little better or little faster.

Aside from this phone I just haven’t been that impressed with the new S20 models. Even with better cameras and higher processors when it comes to watching the videos of these new models im just not that impressed. I think phones nowadays are just so good overall that yearly upgrades are not needed. I watch the videos of the new models performing everyday tasks and none of them make me jump out of seat! Ya they may be a little faster then my S10E but not nearly as much as it was for me going from my S8 to the S10E. Not enough for me to notice! Also, back to the “carny-hands” reference I just really don’t need a bigger phone then the S10E. If Samsung’s new lineup had a smaller S20e type of model then that may be another story for me.

In closing, if you were to upgrade would I say that’s a mistake? No. Its always fun to get the new models and see what’s possible with technology! But do I think it’s worth it and see myself upgrading to the S20 models? No. Save your money for another year!

….if you want a bigger phone then the s10e for now, maybe try the s10 or s10+.

You’ll save some money and those models still have camera and feature improvements over the s10e that you may fully enjoy!

 

 

ByEric Sparenga

Willful T1 Earbuds – True wireless earbuds for $35. First experience with them

Welcome everyone!

If you guys remember the last pair of headphones I’ve been using for the last 2 years are the Phaiser BHS-730. Those were my first experience with Bluetooth headphones and even to this day I still love them! For under $50 they are just a blessing to listen to music on. And I have never had any complaints while using them for calls.

But nevertheless, I must transition onto the wireless bluetooth category.  So for my first experience I went with a pair of Willful T1 Earbuds. These headphones look similar to Galaxy earbuds which was the selling point for me aside from the under $40 pricetag. Upon opening them I will say the look pretty nice! The case doesn’t look or feel cheap and the earbuds themselves look pretty nice. That is where the “positives” started to end for me sadly. I find myself struggling a little bit to take them out of the case. If I were standing up trying to remove them I might be a little scared of mishandling them and dropping them. The case contains magnet to help them sit firmly in position which makes removing them a little difficult. But placing them back into the case for charging is very simple due to the magnets.  When it comes to actually using them I also am not as happy as I thought I’d be. They sit a little loose in my ears. They are actually pretty sturdy as shaking my head or walking I found them not falling out at all. But they still felt little loose as if they should have been closer to my ears to maybe provide more sound.

As far as music quality I tend to be a bass-heavy person as a fan of EDM music. In that category I find these headphones lacking. If your looking for something that bumps like your at a DJ concert, these ARE NOT THEM!  Maybe i’m asking for too much in the under $40-50 range of wireless earbuds. Listening to other genres again the experience just left me wanting more. More bass, more vocals, more natural sound and more overall volume! As I listen to them part of me just wants to go back to my Phaiser headphones.

But earbuds are not just for music you may say, so hows the call quality? Much like the rest of this review, the call quality so far is not great. I haven’t had any issues with calls connecting and people hearing me which is great, but on my end hearing them the volume is a little quiet. Alone its easy to hear them but out in a crowd I think it would be fairly difficult to fully have a conversation.

On a positive note, I will say I have found on first use is the pairing has been easy and quick! Just take them out of the case and man do they connect fast! Also the controls on them are very nice! The controls for these earbuds are as follows:

Left earbud:

Press once: Play/Pause Answer/Hang-up

Press twice: Play previous song (Refuse to answer the call)

Press three times: volume down

Right earbud:

Press once: Play/Pause Answer/Hang-up

Press twice: Play next song (Refuse to answer the call)

Press three times: volume up

After reading those instructions I initially thought it may be difficult trying to remember which side performs which function, but upon use I find them working really well without fail.

So in closing upon first use of the Willful T1 earbuds I would say that I don’t find them to be worth the $35 price tag. Even though they are relatively cheap, and are true wireless, they just don’t offer enough positives for the $35 price. At least if your main priority is music over calls. If your looking for a pair of earbuds to use mainly for calls and maybe lite music listening then for now I’d say for $35 they may be worth a try if your nervous about spending more.

ByEric Sparenga

Phaiser BHS-750 VS JLab Epic2 Bluetooth Wireless Sport Earbuds (in progress)

Welcome everybody!

In comparing Phaiser’s $40 BHS-750 bluetooth headphones to JLab’s $100 Epic 2 headphones specifically during gym workouts, I was extremely surprised to find that the Phaisers were just as good if not better than the Epic 2. Having tried both headphones for several weeks, the only reason I would pick the Epic 2 is the playback time, which hits about 12 hours, whereas the BHS-750 has a playback time of only 8 hours. Both headphones suffer from the annoyance of having only a very small amount of time once the battery announces medium or low before it abruptly dies. I’m very surprised that the designers did not try to give equal time to each battery status.

 

Both Headphones come with multiple ear covers to match different ear shapes. In my opinion, the ear covers for the BHS-750 fit more snug and stay in place a lot longer than the ear pieces for the Epic 2, which I found to keep popping out of my ear constantly over the course of a work out.

 

When it came to sound, the 750 had both a better bass, and better sound in general due to the ear pieces fitting better and staying secure…..to be continued…

-Tutor Derek

ByEric Sparenga

Beexcellent GM-1? Worth $20?

Good afternoon everybody!

Todays topic is the GM-1 Pro Gaming Headset by Beexcellent.

Some features advertised by this headset:

Glittering

Deep Bass

120 Degree Microphone.

I have decided to start dabbling in video editing and Youtube streaming. My focus initially is to experience live streaming, video editing, and see where it takes me without going too far in debt upfront. After 20 hours of research searching Youtube videos and Google results for specifically headsets under $50 and headsets under $25 I decided to give these a try. Part of that is because they do appear on many top list of headphones for the $25-50 range but I also have to admit the red LED colors also helped sell me on them with Red being my favorite color. And now after using them for about 3 weeks I must say, $20 CAN BE BETTER SPENT ELSEWHERE. If you read my piece on the Phaiser bluetooth headphones you will know how excited I became in listening to those.

My experience with the Beexcellent GM-1 is the complete opposite! Both the microphone and the headphones disappointed me greatly.

Deep Bass, not even close! Listening to music in these headphones if not engaging at all.

It more hurts my ears. Don’t hear much bass and the treble is not even clear. It sounds like listening to music in a long hallway with the music bouncing off the walls and echoing.

The 120 Degree Microphone – Seems more like 90 degree to me. But that’s not my issue with these. My issue is that in recording my voice with this microphone it also picks up an echo in my voice. I’ve tried covering the microphone a little to reduce the echo but that doesn’t make any difference.

In closing, I cannot recommend nor would I suggest even giving these a try. For $20 there has to be better quality headset unless this performance is the common outcome for headsets in the range of $20. Can’t wait til I can get another headset to replace this one by Beexcellent.

https://amzn.to/2MYAFDV

ByEric Sparenga

Phaiser BHS-750 – Best Bluetooth Headphones under $40?

Morning class!

I am very excited to talk to you today about the Phaiser BHS-750 bluetooth headphones! Let me start off by saying Wow!

My experience prior to owning these was from a pair of $25 over the ear Kinivo headphones that I tried out.
I must say that these Phaiser headphones simply blow away those headphones as well as my assumption of what bluetooth audio could sound like for  well under $100, let alone under $40 on Amazon. The bass on these headphones is great!
I consider myself a basshead when it comes to listening to music.  I’m a big fan of House music which to those not familiar with house may know it as electronic music, or techno music, or EDM as its often classified.
Now I don’t want to get into a debate on what House music should and should not be called, that’s a different subject, I’m just stating what some casual listeners may know it as. And for that type of music these headphones are simply amazing!  You’ll get plenty of bass to move dance to, but you also hear all the unique sounds that take place within the songs. Listening in these headphones you can easily get lost in the music they sound that good!
I was very excited when I bought these headphones for a few reasons. One for the magnetic feature they have. Which is the ability to connect them when not in use so that they are not dangling around your neck or getting tied into knots as other headphones tend to do. Upon opening my package I was pleasantly surprise to see how many different options they included to find the right fit for my ears. So many options for both ear buds as well as the wings to hold it in place!
Second, I was also excited for the memory foam tips which are very nice and very comfortable even over the course of a normal 8 hour work day! 🙂
One thing I will say I can NOT offer in this review at this point is how they hold up on regular gym use.
I myself am not an active gym goer so I could not give them a very well tested review or comparison. If I can get my hands on another pair then I will use those as my test subject for my friends and family that do engage in the gym on a regular basis. I will say that I did test them for some cardio exercise and I did not have to adjust them or worry about them falling out of my ears at all for one workout!
Bottom line: For under $40 dollar you can’t go wrong with these headphones. If your looking to test bluetooth headphones for the first time or even replace your current under $50 bluetooth headphones I highly recommend the Phaiser BHS-750s.
Feel free to click on the picture below if your mind is made up and you would like to purchase the BHS-750s.

 

ByEric Sparenga

Hi Bixby! Worthwhile or worthless?

Morning Class,

Todays topic! Samsungs Personal Assistant Bixby!

With the arrival of the Samsung S8 and S8+ came Samsung’s new artificial intelligence assistant, Bixby! This feature is a voice recognition mobile assistant that takes what you do by touch and makes it possible via your voice!

Let me first say it is really cool when it works right!

Whether i’m laying in bed and want to set an alarm without reaching for my phone, or in some cases being able to lock my phone while in the hands of a friend some situations show the amazing potential of Bixby.

Other situations, such as in a group if others are talking, or basically other situations with background noise, shows the weakness of this feature. Bixby works when it recognizes your voice, but when it doesn’t then it makes you think “I could be done now with what I wanted to do instead of saying my command over and over”.

Now I know that makes it sound pretty negative but thats the same problem with any voice recognition feature whether on android, or Iphone, orany other phone or computer. So I personally don’t see it as a negative of Bixby, more just the limitations of voice recognition in general.

What sets Bixby apart from the other voice assistant features on phones is how advanced it can go it its processes. For example, when I’m heading to work where I don’t have great reception and don’t use my phone very much , I simply say “Hi Bixby, Work” which then causes the following:

  1. Turn on wifi
  2. Lower display brightness
  3. Turn volume down.

And then when I would leave for the day and wanted different setup I’d say, “Hi Bixby, Car” which would lead to the following:

  1. Increase brightness to 60%
  2. Turn volume to max
  3. Turn off wifi.
  4. Turn on bluetooth.

I believe Bixby is the only voice feature on a phone that can do those types of activity with only 1 command.  Now Bixby does have some other features, such as Bixby Vision which uses your camera and can pull up information based on what your looking at. For example, if your camera is looking at a toy you could shop for that toy online or find more pictures of it on the internet  all through Bixby Vision.

Now I must say that this feature of it I haven’t used as often, and from my experience was not very successful in searching for what I thought would be very easy products to search for.

In closing, I enjoy Bixby on my Samsung S8. It’s not perfect, but no voice recognition is. The feature is very fun, and the fact that its on the S8 and on the S9 series as well without having to buy the app or spend any additional money make it all the sweeter.

I’ve talked enough for one class, If you wanna know more drop a message and I will follow up if needed.

 

 

 

 

ByEric Sparenga

Sony Action Camera AS100V – The camera for music festivals!

Good morning students!

Today we will be talking about the Sony Action Camera model AS100V.

In this article I will answer the following in relation to the camera being used for specifically outdoor music festivals:

Why sony over GoPro?

Positives and Negatives?

Lets begin!

When I bought this Sony Action Camera AS100VR back in the summer of 2014 I bought it for 1 reason. To use at an event that had music and took place during the night. This event was the Electric Daisy Carnival or EDC in Las Vegas. So why did I pick this over the more popular GoPro? 2 reasons.

First and main selling point for me is that the Sony had better reviews at night time then did the GoPro. Not to say GoPro’s won’t work at night, I simply found more reviews for the Sony being used at night. I could post some statistics or specifications that you nor I will understand, but the simple fact is that all my research for night time cameras, sony came out ahead.

The second reason I went with the sony camera was the audio factor. Just like my research with the night specific requirement, I found that when reading reviews for both, the GoPro reviews were more regarding their video quality then their audio. For me I wanted the audio to be as clear and loud as it could be since my videos would have loud background music included.

After getting this device and now using it for multiple festivals as well as other activities I would like to give my positives and negatives:

Positives:

Good audio quality

Good video quality

Long battery life

Many 3rd party accessories are compatible with the camera.

Cheaper then GoPros

Negatives: 

With respect to a longer event (longer then  8 hours) you will need multiple batteries. And if the event is outside, expect those batteries to be affected by the weather. I found a fully charged battery out in the 100+ degree weather would last maybe an hour or 90 minutes only. Although this year I arrived to EDC with 7 batteries, and since the weather was more below 90 degrees I didn’t use more then 2 per night. So the battery issue is more a negative if your going to be in hot weather, not the device itself.

Another negative would be that since the camera itself is in a form that protrudes forward, the use of a chest holder is not as night as it good. It looks goofy, and if walking in a crowd your going to need to protect it or place your hand over it to make sure it does not get knocked around. The GoPro is much better for use with a chest piece.

One more negative is not device related but user related.

Make sure you practice using it and watching your result before your planned recording.

I keep finding my results a little too much “action-packed” as in I did not keep the camera stable. Even in using a selfie stick I found that my videos often times are a little bouncy and I enjoy the music around me. If your planning to do video production with your videos then you will definitely want to concentrate on keeping your camera stable when in use.

In closing, you may notice that my negatives are more non-device issues. That’s because I really do not see any issue with the Sony Action Camera AS100V. It has worked really well for me in my music activities as well as some other outdoor activities.  I will be posting a more in-depth review of the camera in the next weeks to follow.

-Tutor Eric

Please click the image below to be taken to the amazon product page for purchase.

ByEric Sparenga

Oontz XL: Review

Hello students!

I have had the pleasure of owning an Oontz XL bluetooth speaker by Cambridge Soundworks for the last 4-5 years. And I am very happy with this bluetooth speaker.

*Just a reminder a bluetooth speaker is a device that does not need cables to connect to your music device (ie. computer, phone, laptop, mp3 player). When you are searching for bluetooth speakers there are many questions;

How much money do I wanna spend?

How would I use this device?

How loud is it?

Hows it sound?

Allow me to answer those for you in relation to the Oontz. First,  the Oontz has been out for a few years now so it is pretty difficult to buy new. I have seen it used around $90. When I bought it brand new it was around $100 so unfortunately the price has not dropped very much over the years. Amazon has moved on to offer the newer  Oontz Angle 3 versions. But ebay still has it for around $90.

How would I use this speaker? This speaker has a nice feature that not all bluetooth speakers have which is the option to plug a stereo cable in for devices that are not bluetooth compatible. So for me I use this as my regular computer speaker as well as my bluetooth speaker for portable use. When connected to my computer I leave it connected to the AC adapter to stay fully charged. That way the speaker is fully charged anytime I remove it for portable use.From my first use to even now that if I unplug the speaker for nighttime use, I can get through most nights without needing to charge it which is very nice to experience. Quick note, this speaker ONLY uses AC adapter to charge, NOT USB compatible.

As for the sound,I will say that this speaker is not loud enough to carry a full house party. But the bass on this guy is good enough and the volume is loud enough to get a group of people dancing in your living room. The bass I find especially nice for electronic music listening.

Last, one feature worth noting is that the device although does not use USB to charge, it does have a USB input to charge your USB devices. This feature I did not experience as I have portable chargers for that need.

Finally, I’ll conclude by stating whether I think this is worth purchasing today in the year 2018.

If you can find this device for dirt cheap, i’m talking around $20-30 then I would say buy it. It’s lasted me longer then 4 years and I’ve used this speaker for all my personal speaker needs. If you have the money to spend more then I would suggest buying newer speakers as there are ones now that will outdo the performance of these speakers for not much more in price. Maybe even give the new Oontz models a try!

-Tutor Eric

Please click the link below to be taken to the Amazon page for the Oontz Angle 3 Ultra as the Oontz XL is no longer on Amazon.

https://amzn.to/2JW1Eh3

ByEric Sparenga

Samsung S8 – Stick with it after a year or get the S9?

April 24th 2017 was the day I decide to come back to Samsung and their wonderful Android phones.

I had a Samsung S5 for 2 years before moving on to test the murky waters known as Apple.

But after that experience I decided to come back to familiarity and try Samsungs flagship phone the Samsung S8.  I was very excited and loved everything about it.

Flash forward one year.

I still find myself very happy with the phone. The camera is amazing, the battery life is sufficient and the customization options are endless! When I bought the phone I purchased the warranty that allows me to upgrade to a new phone each year without having to pay off the rest of  phone.. Having that option is nice but I must say I WILL NOT BE UPGRADING TO THE S9.

Here’s why.

First, the S9 offers newer hardware and the better cameras. Now better cameras is nice but trust me when I say the S8 camera is awesome in its own right.  My favorite feature with the camera has to be the Selective Focus feature. It will blow your socks off! Take a regular picture then try a selective focus picture and you may just think a professional photographer took the picture! It is that exciting to see the results. Now this feature only works on close up pictures as the feature focuses on the main object within 20 inches from the screen and then blurs out the rest. You may think 20 inches that’s so close that’s really only useful for selfie pictures isn’t it? I would say you are correct! Which is why this feature is on both the front AND the rear camera. So whether your taking a picture of a friend or just a selfie picture for social media your picture will come out ready for people to hit the “like” button!

-Tutor Eric S

 

 

 

 

 

ByEric Sparenga

The Journey Begins

Thanks for joining us on this journey through the world of electronics! Like a math tutor makes math simple for the student, so shall I make electronic purchases simple for you. No ranting about the technical specs that nobody understands. Just providing the information that you can use and understand to help with your electronic purchases!

 

 

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