Uncategorized Archives - Electronics Tutor

Kaabo Mantis King GT – Off Road review

Hello everyone! So I was fortunate enough to go on a ride in Casa Grande Arizona with some PEV friends recently. I was in for a surprise as our approx 32 mile ride was full of off-road adventuring! So not only was this my first off-road session with the Kaabo Mantis King GT but my first off-road session on any electric device! And I was very happy with the experience!

Terrain: Green-level trails. Mostly packed dirt with some sand patches. No declines (due to my off-road newb status), some inclines.

Pros: Adjustable suspension! I rode the whole ride with my suspension more on the default setting but at the end of the ride the “terrain park” type of area I did check out the adjustable suspension and it does make a great difference! If your wanting a scooter that can handle the normal roads and go off-roading a little bit, this one definitely can handle it!

Cons: I didn’t notice any on my 1st experience. Any negatives would be more in relation to my own off-road familiarity or skill level. The scooter itself handled very well I’d say. The 10-inch hybrid tires are definitely nice for off-roading. There were some sand patches that the tires would sink in, so i’d have to walk it out of. But a more experienced off-road rider may possibly have been able to navigate through them.

Tips:
Even if you have to walk it up a incline, use the throttle to move it along, verse just pushing it.
In sand patches it may help to put more of your weight on your back tire to help prevent the front tires from digging in.

Update: 2/19/2023

I went on another off-road adventure. This time is was still green-level terrain but little more build up of dirt. The Kaabo Mantis King GT still went through it like a champ! I was cruising through going about 13-15mph. Slow pace but no issues getting through!

ByEric Sparenga

TurboAnt X7 Pro Review – Pros & Cons

Pros:
Specs say up to 20mph, and at 245lbs I can get to 20mph on flat surfaces.
Not too heavy to carry for things such as into a place to grab a bite to eat.
I would say that on inclines it does was I hoped it would do which is successfully carry me up even most that i’ve tried even if it is around 4-8mph on the climb.
The bell – It’s what a call a “cute” bell. People hearing it may expect it to be a kid coming up but at least its easily heard.

Cons:
Acceleration is really slow.
The battery does make the stem a lot wider which I’m finding now makes using a storage bag unlikely. If your a DIY person then you can probably make it work but as for just buying a bag and attaching it, it doesn’t really work out well.

*I’m still not certain if the “range” is a pro or con yet. From talking with others there are a lot of factors that can affect range such as weight, speed you ride at, amount of inclines and steepness of inclines, wind and temperature. So I will need additional rides before I can make that judgement.

Summary:
I think for $500-600 this scooter is definitely worth buying. If your more flexible and can go higher then the better scooters will start around $900. But as a “budget scooter” i’m definitely happy with this scooter!

The scooter can be purchased at the link below:

https://bit.ly/3ok5VBJ

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:

Turn on wifi
Lower display brightness
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:

Increase brightness to 60%
Turn volume to max
Turn off wifi.
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

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!

Category Archive Uncategorized

Kaabo Mantis King GT – Off Road review

TurboAnt X7 Pro Review – Pros & Cons

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

Hi Bixby! Worthwhile or worthless?

Sony Action Camera AS100V – The camera for music festivals!

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

The Journey Begins

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