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Editor in Chief Daemon Sands daemonsands@littlegatepublishing.com Sales Director Alex Smith alexsmith@littlegatepublishing.com Corporate Director Anthony Letchumaman anthonyl@littlegatepublishing.com Senior Writer Emma Hilling emmahilling@littlegatepublishing.com Lead Designer Alina Sandu studio@littlegatepublishing.com Publisher Stephen Warman stevewarman@littlegatepublishing.com
● Ghost S Drift Innovation Video Camera ● BrydgeAir Keyboard ● Drobo 5D ● Edifier Prisma Encore
Page 20 ● SeeMore PTM1 Black ● Cheap Monday x Teenage Engineering PO28 Robot ● Fatshark Dominator V3 Goggles ● GolfBuddy LR5 ● Hennessy Hammock Explorer Deluxe Asym Zip ● ifi Nano iDSD● Buffalo DriveStation Media ● Eyefi Mobi Pro ● Keith McMillen K Board
Page 30 ● Kitsound FLAIR Speaker ● Outrun Earphones ● Lazer Wasp Air Cycle Helmet and Inclination Sensor ● Lowe Alpine AirZone Pro 35:45 Rucksack ● Marshall Major II Bluetooth Headphones ● Merge VR Goggles
Page 40 ● Thule Motion XL ● Nuband Activ+ ● Orbitsound A70 AirSound Bar ● FREITAG F14 Dexter Messenger Bag ● Preston Innovations Space Maker Flat Back Brolly
Page 50 ● Primus Lite+ Stove ● Reef Rover XT Sandal ● Steel Series Nimbus Controller ● Pink Lining Wonder Bag True Love Changing Bag ● Zidoo X6 Pro
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Ghost S Drift Innovation Video Camera Helmet cameras and dash board cameras are becoming more and more popular. With the rise of selfpromoted YouTube stars and filming proof of fault in accidents, this type of camera is priceless. Last year a bus clipped my car and caused ÂŁ1000 worth of damage. At the time the bus driver admitted to me and the police who attended the crash that is was solely his fault. By the time the claim went in he had returned to his depot and had time to rethink the implications of admitting his mistake, therefore he changed his story and said he was shaken at the time and in hindsight it was my mistake that caused the accident. Anyway, after a long drawn out process my insurance company said it was not worth pursuing and I ended
up being £1000 lighter after I had to fix my car, a dash board camera would have save me this money and proven my innocence. The Ghost S Drift is a slim, well made top specification camera giving 1080p, 60 frames per second HD recording allowing for speed running and great slow-mo play. They have gone to town on the packaging of this device and the box it comes in looks as sleek as the device itself (I get so bored of opening up brown cardboard boxes with just a label on it). The device come with 3 brackets, one flat, one curved and one that can be put on a strap ie goggles. The sticky pads on these brackets are very strong and during testing did not come unattached once, so you don’t have to worry about losing the camera
in the middle of a black run!! I used the Drift on my Motorbike helmet and whereas other cameras are bulkier and can catch the wind at higher speeds the Drift is light and slim enough to not be affected. The Drift has a very innovative lens that you can twist to keep the camera level, which we found handy as you can fix the camera upside down and twist the lens so it is horizontal again. You can also get a wrist mounted two way remote which straps to your wrist allowing easy control of the camera. What I love about this camera is the 2-inch screen where you can replay the footage to decide if you want to keep it. Not all cameras offer this and is nice to have the option to have a look through the footage
on the day you filmed rather than having to hope it is ok until you can download it and view it on your computer. The battery is ok offering 3 ½ hour battery life, its waterproof up to 3m if you use the solid back however if you want to add an external microphone the camera uses a second back and really is only water resistant. It is very simple to operate with clear buttons. A nice big green light when on which turns to a big flashing red light whilst filming, the unit acts as a Wifi device too. It does cost a lot of money but it is one of the very best cameras available so do I think it offers value for money, hell yes!
RRP - ÂŁ330
www.driftinnovation.com
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BrydgeAir Keyboard We had the pleasure of testing the BrydgeAir Keyboard with the iPad Air 2, ideal if you type a lot on your iPad and want to transform it into a mini netbook. The Keyboard is not going to win any awards for being light it is beautiful designed from aluminium and weighs 520g / 1.15lb but this isn’t a cheap piece of tat it is a high quality tactile keyboard, user tip if you are using it as a laptop do not put it on bare legs as it is super cold. The BrydgeAir connected via Bluetooth without a hitch, the patented 180degree hinge that allows you to hold the screen in whatever position suits you best, the hinges are strong enough to hold the screen without it slowly drooping from the weight of the tablet or moving about whilst you use the touch screen, the hinges are
also coated with a thick silicone so as to keep you tablet firmly in place as well as protecting it from scratches. The keyboard has built in speakers that can be switched on and off at a touch of a button, ideal if you are trying to conserve the battery, they produce a clear stereo sound which won’t blow you away but is reasonably good for the size of them. The keyboard has a very impressive battery life, charge it up for as little as an hour and it will give you a whopping 3 months use before you need to charge it again. The keys themselves are laid out in a standard Qwerty layout, in my opinion they have the perfect amount of resistance, not to firm that you have to jab at the keys but not too sensitive that you will type letters by mistake whilst
resting you fingers on the keys. If you haven’t used a keyboard of this size before it may take a bit of adjustment but Brydge has made the most of all available horizontal space to give you the biggest keys possible. Unlike a standard accessory keyboard there are buttons design specifically for the iPad including a shortcut for Siri, home screen, screen lock and back light, a nice bright white glow which compliments the back keys and allows you to work in low light, as well as the normal volume, zoom etc. Overall the BrydgeAir is a lovely companion for the iPad Air, iPad Air 2 or iPad Pro 9.7-inch, it oozes quality construction and is a pleasure to type with. RRP $149.99
www.brydgekeyboards.com
Pros • • • • •
Looks stylish Solid aluminium body 180degree, secure hinges Backlit keys (optional) Speakers (optional)
Cons • Heavy • Speaker quality could be better
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Drobo 5D The Drobo 5D is a Direct Attached Storage Device (DAS) featuring 5 drive bays (they can take up to five 3.5” SATA II/III HDD’s or SSD’s), one mSATA SSD in the Accelerator Bay (not included) and is equipped with one USB 3.0 port and two Thunderbolt connections to the host computer. The Drobo 5D has an internal lithium ion battery to protect against power cuts and supports Drobo’s data-tiering system, this allows it to move regularly accessed data onto an optional mSATA SSD for increased read speeds. We only had one Drobo 5D to review but you can link up to six devices which can be daisy chained together with Thunderbolt cables. Drobo is known for bringing easy to use professional storage to the
consumer market with their own BeyondRAID technology, features of this are thin provisioning, instant expansion, mixed drive size utilization, automatic protection levels, single or dual disk redundancy, virtual hot spare, data aware and drive reordering. The device comes with 1 year warranty in the US or outside the EU and 2 years if you are within the EU and the dimension of the Drobo 5D are Width (150.3mm), Height (185.4mm), Depth (262.3mm) and with a weight of 3.9kg without the hard drives. The device comes nicely and securely packaged and within the contents there is the Drobo 5D, USB 3.0 Cable (6ft), Power Cord with Power Supply (6ft) and a Quick Start Guide.
Installing the Drobo 5D was very simple once the dashboard utility has been installed you simply connect the device via the Thunderbolt or USB and it is spotted immediately. For this review we used a 13in MacBook Pro with a 2.3GHz Intel Core i5 and 4GB of DDR3 memory and we used progressive WD SATA drives to gage performance. With the BeyondRAID technology thin provisioning is standard and capacity creation can be set between 1TB and 16GB during virtual volume creation and this is regardless of the number and size of physical drives. For example we used a pair of 2TB WD SATA drives and chose a single 16TB HFS+
formatted volume, as thin provisioning allocates blocks as they are used when we added two further 3TB WD SATA drives they were each detected straight away with ease. When testing speeds on the internal drive we were getting read and write speeds of around 78MB/Sec and through using the Thunderbolt link we noticed an increase to 194MB/ Sec, another thing you notice when the device is in action is it is a bit noisy with the fan. With an RRP of $699 this is the perfect DAS partner for both the professional or the average consumer with its easy to use technology.
www.drobo.com
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Edifier Prisma Encore My first ever Bluetooth speaker I owned was an Edifier MP260 that I bought in 2013 and I still have it to this day and bring it out when I go camping or too the beach, so I was looking forward to my next interaction with the brand and that has come in the form of their Prisma Encore. The Edifier Prisma Encore is a 2.1 Speaker Set which is very unusual in the way it looks, a fun way my other half described it was if you display it with the sub in the middle and the satellite speakers either side it kind of looks like Darth Vader drowning in an ocean – squint your eyes and look below! I think the design is marmite some will love it and others will hate it, I am on the pro side of the fence and like my equipment as a focal piece and along with its remote does look very sci-fi, the main unit features a triangular LED on top which glows
www.edifier.com
green for AUX, blue for Bluetooth and blinks when you have asked the device to do something. There are touch sensitive controls on the main unit allowing you to control the power, volume and to connect via Bluetooth, however it is a lot easier to use the awesome sci-fi remote control. The main unit contains the 40W Subwoofer where the audio output comes from a down-firing 5 inch driver, the two satellite speakers each contain a 3-inch midrange driver and ¾ inch silk-dome tweeters. For the price of the system RRP £129.99 you get great value for money with a balanced sound allowing for great bass without being overpowering, perfect for someone who lives in a town house or flat who wants to whack the music up but doesn’t want to annoy the neighbours with heavy bass to accompany.
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SeeMore PTM1 Black You will never hear me say I am great golfer but what I will say is I am an experienced one and I have owned more putters then most. I have owned Odyssey, Scotty Cameron, Ping, Nike, Titleist, Radius, Yonex, face balanced, toe balanced, mallets, blades, anything to try and improved my game! I was very excited to test my game with the SeeMore Precision Tour Milled (PTM1) Black Putter which having a look on their website www. seemore.com is essentially the same special tour model that is played by the 2007 Masters Champion Zach Johnson and the 2015 Open Champion Payne Stewart.
Each putter is put together for own specifications you can choose your length (30-39 inches), Lie Angle (66-74 degrees), Grip (52 different options), Head Cover (10 different options), along with this you can also add counter balancing grip (30g and 50g) and head (12g and 24g) weights, if you are confused with anything the helpful SeeMore team will talk you through it. All putter models from SeeMore have their patented RifleScope Technology (RST) Alignment System, this is to give you a true reference point for perfect alignment and set up on every putt, the putter is face balanced at impact or “balanced
to plane”, meaning its dynamically balanced to the angle you putt and naturally returns to square at impact – less manipulation during the stroke to keep the putter face on the correct path. I mentioned earlier that I have been a golfer for a long time and although I am not great, I am not terrible by any means either – the guys at SeeMore sent me a PDF with the Putter which is a 5-Step process that should help any golfer become a better putter, to get the most out of the putter and myself I thought it best to read
through it properly and it has actually really helped my putter game the last week. I really enjoyed using the putter the milled head softens the impact while at the same time is responsive to the hit, I have used the putter over 36 holes and my averages would be up if it wasn’t the fact my long game had fallen apart! The putter is affordable at RRP $225 and I would highly recommend trying it out as once I sort out my long game I can see my averages improve over the summer.
www.seemoreputters.co.uk
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Cheap Monday x Teenage Engineering PO-28 Robot Teenage Engineering has recently expanded its range of tiny Pocket Operator Synths with Cheap Monday bringing out three new models the Arcade, Office and Robot, expanding on the three models they launched last year. They have worked in collaboration here with clothing brand Cheap Monday with regards to the design and like last year’s models they are all battery powered and have an RRP of £49. We will be reviewing the PO-28 Robot which like the other 5 pocket operators looks like a mini scientific calculator although each have their own unique personalities, the PO28 Robot is a live synthesiser and
sequencer with parameter locks, glide control and punch in effects. Key features are the real 8-bit synthesiser engines for making live and sequenced melodies and leads, 15 sounds and micro drum, Live play and sequencer combo, 128 pattern chaining and the Step multiplier. I was very excited to play with the PO-28 Robot and see what these affordable little beauties from Cheap Monday and Teenage Engineering could do, the Robot on the front an LCD screen and 25 individual buttons with a breakaway hanger on top and at the back it has a wire stand. The PO-28 Robot runs off a pair of AAA batteries and has a built
in speaker hidden behind the LCD screen, the screen is there for style more than substance as it will tell you swing and tempo info and work as a calculator but it is more there or fun with the animations. There are 3.5mm input and output jacks which I used as audio ins and outs but can also be used to syncing other PO’s if you have them, the PO-28 Robot offers a range of 16 sounds with 16 performance focussed effects. There is a 16 step sequencer, with 16 slots for saving patterns and along with the step multiplier function allows you to make beat repeater style retriggered
sounds. The parameter tweaking is handled by a pair of rotaries on the top right and you can use these for editing individual sounds, editing step release length along with adjusting tempo and swing- the coolest thing I found with the PO-28 Robot was the Glide function which added expression and created vibrato in conjunction with the two rotaries. If you don’t fancy forking out €600 for the OD-11 these little Pocket Operators are the way to go and there are certainly worse things to collect!
www.cheapmonday.com
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Fatshark Dominator V3 Goggles If you haven’t tried FPV (First Person View) flying you are missing out, with a compatible drone, quad or helicopter you can feel like you are flying through the skies. At first look I love the white and blue combination they look pretty funky, the most noticeable difference from the version 2 is that the eye cups (like on a pair of swimming goggles) have gone, in their place we have a choice of two foam padded eye seals (similar to a pair of ski goggles), pick your favourite and stick it on, on my model you had to stick with this first choice but this has now been upgraded to have a Velcro base on the plate so can be swapped with ease. After a few
little adjustments with the straps they were very comfortable to wear, nice and light at just 1.6 pounds, there is a cool little fan that will clear any fog in a matter for seconds. The fan will run for 8 mins which is unnecessarily long and can drain your battery, it would be handy if you could switch it off with another push of the button. Now for the technical bit, the V3 series features an immersive 16:9 widescreen WVGA display, compatible with HD images and HD digital video. They are also fully side/side 3D compatible and also allow NTSC/ PAL auto switching while recording to the DVR without interruption. The DVR has auto save in case you run out
of battery, speaking of the battery it has a little display that at a press of a button will tell you how much charge you have left. The mini HDMI port gives you a secure connection to HD input devices and is compatible with up to 720p input. It even comes with a lead so you can stream it so your computer rather than wearing the headset so you have the best of both worlds, the downside to wearing the headset is you aren’t aware what is going on around you so we recommend you fly with a friend, preferably one you can trust who won’t mess with you when you are vulnerable.
www.fatshark.com
Pros • Fits well • Fan keeps fog clear • Comes with all cables and a hard carry case • Good resolution
Cons • Fan runs for too long and drains battery • Inside looks a little unfinished • High price tag
RRP £297.99
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GolfBuddy LR5 If you haven’t played with a GolfBuddy before it could really be a game changer for you, of course it isn’t for everyone but it can make the game faster and more entertaining. The LR5 is a light weight laser range finder that will accurately judge distances on the range and let you choose your club accordingly. At first look it feels a strongly constructed piece of kit having said that the LR5 isn’t heavy, it only weighs 8oz/0.5lb, it looks eye-catching too with blue detailing. The case is dust and water resistant so if you get caught in some bad weather (or in a dust storm) there will be no need to worry and for added protection it comes with
a handy hard case, similar to that of a digital camera. the LR5 has 3 targeting modes, Standard provides a distance to the target, Scan Mode continually scans for 10 seconds to show distances to varying of targets and the Pin Mode continually scans for 10 seconds to show distances to varying of targets and displays the distance to the closest target. The GolfBuddy switches on and off with ease but if you forget to switch it off it will automatically switch off after being idle for 10 seconds saving your battery, the battery itself will give you up to 5000 uses, it takes one CR2 3V Lithium battery which comes included (The battery slots in easily without
the need of digging out that tiny screwdriver). Returning to the power down after 10 seconds feature this is almost too short a time, there were times that it had switched before we took a reading because we took too long, especially whilst learning to use it, an option to set this to a time of your choosing would be great. The GolfBuddy LR5 6x magnification offers clear readings to an accuracy of +/- 1 yard, we found it was as accurate as it claimed, we also believe it is good value for money and a great place to start if you are after an accurate and versatile laser range finder.
RRP €299.95
www.gpsgolfbuddy.eu
Pros • compact and light body design • 6x magnification offers accurate and clear readings • 3 targeting modes (standard, scan, pin) • Accuracy to +/- 1 yard • Water resistance • Hard case and battery included
Cons • Automatic shut off after 10 secs is sometimes too quick
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Hennessy Hammock Explorer Deluxe Asym Zip Tom Hennessy, hammock user and enthusiast, took 6 years and over 50 prototypes to make the perfect replacement hammock for his own personal hammock that was never returned to him by a friend, 18 years later Hennessy Hammocks produce a variety of hammocks as well as accessories all made to a similar high standard as if he was to use them that night himself. The Explorer Deluxe is suitable all year round and comes with attached mosquito netting, detachable rain fly, support ropes and stuff sack with set up instructions on the back. Also included are the standard 42” long “Tree Hugger” webbing straps to protect the bark of trees, immediately I love that this has been considered and without exaggerating it took one go in this to convince me that this hammock is a far superior way of sleeping outdoors than the tent. As I get older my camping gear is getting a bit ridiculous, tent, airbed, topper, sleeping bag, pillow that’s half the car full already, this is not only an extreme lightweight alternative, weighing a feather light 3 lb 9 oz / 1610 g, but it is easily the most comfortable way to spend a night outdoors. Its Deluxe Rainfly is made from 70D Polyurethane coated Rip-stop polyester and measures up in a parallelogram shape,
short side 70”, long side 110”, short diagonal 128”, long diagonal 140” will keep you protected even in the nastiest of weather. The Explore Deluxe also breathes better than my usual tent removing that horrible moment in the morning when you wake up in a sweat box gasping for fresh air and water. The hammock is easy to pop up all you need is two trees or objects you can attach the suspension ropes too, between 10 and 25 feet apart, or longer if you have extension rope, you wrap the suspension straps around the tree, tie off the rope 4 or 5 times either end and then slide out the hammock from the aptly named snake skins and you’re done. The rainfly attaches to the suspension straps and is simply pegged down, once you get the hang of what you are doing and where everything is you could easily do this in less than 5 mins. Inside there is plenty of room for all sleeping positions as well as pockets and hooks to store essentials, access to the hammock is through a zip on the side but you can also use it as a seat if you are lounging around the campsite. I enjoy picking holes in products it makes me feel superior from behind my keyboard but try as I might I couldn’t find a fault in this hammock, Tom Hennessy we salute you.
Specs: Height Limit: 7’ tall / 213 cm, Weight Limit: 300 lbs / 136 kg, Packed Weight: 3 lb 9 oz / 1610 g, Packed Size: 5” x 8” x 12”, Hammock Fabric: 210 D oxford nylon, Bottom Fabric Dimensions: 130” x 59”, Mesh: 30D No-See-Um netting, Suspending Ropes: 10’ long 2100 lb. test low-stretch polyester core ropes with polyester cover, Webbing Straps: 2” wide x 42” long nylon webbing straps called “tree huggers”, Rainfly Weight: 14.4 oz / 408g, Rainfly Fabric: 70D Polyeurethane coated Rip-stop polyester, Rainfly Dimensions: A parallelogram short side 70”, long side 110”, short diagonal 128”, long diagonal 140”. RRP $239.95
www.hennessyhammock.com
Pros • Extremely Comfortable • Cool • Quick and simple to set up and pack down • Light pack weight • Everything included • Quality build • Anti damage straps protect trees
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ifi Nano iDSD Without you even knowing it you probably use a DAC daily if you listen to music on anything other than vinyl or cassette tape, it is the key to transforming digital information into real audible sound, they live in your computer, cd player, mp3 player, tablets and phones but they are not all made in the same level of quality. The ifi Nano iDSD is the first serious portable DAC that can play ALL highresolution formats PCM, DSD and DXD. It is a lightweight device weighing only 163g and as well as having a rechargeable lithium-polymer battery, one charge lasting 10 hours, it really is completely portable, however the battery isn’t just for convenience it also means you get clearer audio without any background noise from the mains. PCM (32bit/384kHz), DSD256 (11.2MHz) and DXD (384kHz) via Computer or iPhone/iPad/ Android sound fantastic through the iDSD, it unleashes a whole depth of sound that is ordinarily lost with a standard DAC, that’s not to say
everyone will necessarily appreciate the difference, it’s like looking at a digital jpeg photograph and then looking at a medium format printed image, there is that layer and depth that enrichens the quality of the end product. It can be used with computers, smartphones or tablets and even features an SPDIF coax digital output for A/V receivers or similar to give it more flexibility. There is so much tech packed into this little gizmo so for the tech savvy amongst you will here is a quick overview of its specs; The Burr-Brown DAC chip used was developed by BB Japan and BB themselves, using trickle-down technology from AMR (who drafted the chipset code) to drive this Burr-Brown chipset, the original music format remains unchanged which is essential to attaining the zenith in high-end audio reproduction, it is able to play all formats, PCM from 16/44kHz all the way up to 32/384kHz, QuadSpeed DSD to 11.2/12.4MHz, DXD up to 384kHz. The iDSD has a 130mW
headphone amplifier and for use at home, it is possible to run it off the iUSB Power (via USB port) just by powering on the iDSD prior to connection to the PC. The ‘clocks’ used in the iDSD which have been supplied by AMR, are military-grade temperature compensated master clock modules which avoid the creation of unwanted beat frequencies, reduce overall digital noise and it also employs AMR’s Zero Jitter® Lite technology. The iDSD does not only supply an analogue signal, but its digital coax output means it can feed any suitably-equipped coax-DAC such as an A/V Receiver, to play high-end computer audio. If you have stuck with me through that mass of info well done, I realise it is potentially a lot to take in but I just don’t want to do the iDSD the injustice of underselling, it truly is packed with specifically designed high end features that will change the way you will listen to music forever. RRP £165
www.ifi-audio.com
Pros • So much tech squeezed into one little packaged • excellent sound quality • Solid build quality • portable • built in rechargeable battery (10 hour running with typical headphones) • Simple to use
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DriveStation™ Quad Direct Attached Storage USB 3.0
HD-QHU3/R5
Huge Capacity Direct Attached Storage Huge Capacity Direct Attached Storage
Buffalo Technology’s DriveStation™ Quad (HD-QHU3 series) is a 4-bay Direct Attached Storage device perfect for demanding SMB. The HD-QHU3 comes fully populated with high-reliability Buffalo Technology’s DriveStation™ WD Red™ drives in total capacities of up to 24TB.
Quad (HD-QHU3 series) is a 4-bay
™ The DriveStation Quad is RAID-enabled customised Direct Attached Storage deviceforperfect redundancy and capacity depending on your specific needs for demanding SMB. The HD-QHU3 and also comes with 10 licenses of NovaStor NovaBACKUP comes Essentials fully populated Business software. with high-
reliability WD Red™ drives in total
The DriveStation™ Quad features the capacity, redundancy, capacities of required up to 24TB. and performance for any demanding user – the perfect solution for backing up large servers, multimedia files, or databases. The HD-QHU3 series is sold fully populated with WD Red drives and total capacities of 8, 12, 16, or 24TB. HD-QHU3/R5
Features and Benefits • 4 bay Direct Attached Storage fully populated with WD Red™ hard drives - Available with 8, 12, 16, or 24TB capacities
• RAID-enabled for performance and reliability - Supports RAID 0/1/5/10/Spanning/JBOD
• Perfect for Server, PC, and/or Database Backup
Features and Benefits
- Also includes 10 free licenses of NovaStor NovaBackup Business Essentials
• Power Saving – Auto Power feature turns on and off automatically with your computer
4-bay Direct Attached Storage •• SuperSpeed connectivity with USB 3.0
fully populated with WD Red™ hard drives with 8, 12, 16, or 24TB capacities • RAID-enabled for performance and reliability - Supports RAID 0/1/5/10/Spanning/JBOD • Perfect for ™Server, PC, and/or Database Backup - Also includes 10 free licenses of NovaStor NovaBACKUP® Business Essentials • Power Saving – Auto Power feature turns on and off automatically with your computer ched Storage • SuperSpeed connectivity with USB 3.0 • 3 year warranty - Available • 3 year warranty
tation Quad
Buffalo DriveStation Media Over the last 12 months we have had the pleasure of reviewing two of Buffalo’s devices the MiniStation Air 2 and their DriveStation Quad and this month we have taken a look at their new HDV-SA series DriveStation Media Hard Drive. You can buy the HDV-SA series in three sizes 1TB, 2TB and 3TB so it all depends on how extensive you want to make your media library while allowing you to clear up space on your TV’s, Recorders and PCs. We tested out the 1TB version which I connected up to my TV set up and it looked right at home with my Virgin Box and Xbox One, the device is black with dimensions (W) 207mm, (H) 123mm and (D) 40.5mm so hides itself away nicely. Another great thing about the way this hard drive has been designed is the back where you plug in your power cable and data connector, these points have been pushed slightly forward meaning that you can press
the hard drive tight to the back of your wall without any push back. Now the real big pulling in point of this external drive is that it is an absolute warrior I have left this on now for almost 6 weeks and haven’t run into one problem, the reason for this is that the HDV-SA series comes fanless and has vibration dampening rubber feet. We have all used external hard drives where when you start pushing it too hard or the temperature of the room goes up 1 degree you can’t hear your film over the noise of the churning drive, you don’t get that from this device which makes it ideal for your living room. The hard drive automatically turns on and off with whatever device it is connected to and was automatically detected by everything it was connected too, I have become a massive fan they are just like the Lee Dixon of the football world “reliable”!
RRP £89.99
www.buffalo-technology.com
HD-QHU3/R5
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Eyefi Mobi Pro In a world where SD cards are now so commonly used I was keen to play with the new Eyefi Mobi Pro, their WiFi-connected SD card allowing the user to quickly transfer photos from their cameras to their computers, phones and tablets even when a WiFi network is unavailable! The Eyedi Mobi Pro comes in two different sizes 16GB and 32GB and when purchased both come with a 1 year membership to Eyefi Cloud service, we reviewed the 16GB size which can store roughly 8000 photos or 6 hours of video. The Eyefi Mobi Pro offers support for RAW file transfers and a wireless transfer
feature that lets the user choose which photos to upload, when on a home WiFi network you can transfer images at naturally high speeds but what I found to be very cool was when you are away from home it creates its own WiFi hotspot so you can still transfer from the SD Card to your computer, phone or tablet. Opening the packaging you will find the Mobi Pro, USB card adaptor and an Activation Card allowing you to pair the device with your computer or the apps you download on your Android or iOS device. You are given a website if you are setting up on your computer and the app is simply
named Eyefi Mobi on both Andoid and iOS if you are installing on your phone/tablet, the app is free and at this point will ask for your activation code in your pack. You will then need to insert the Eyefi Mobi Pro into your camera, I took a few photos of the cats and then searched on my phone for the Mobi Pro card network and typed in the activation code as the password. If you are the casual photographer who uploads photos a few times a year then this is not the item for you, but if you do find yourself a few times as week having to upload photos from
your standard SD card then the Eyefi Mobi Pro definitely makes sense as it will save you time and keep all your photos/videos together and easily accessible. Those with WiFi enabled DSLR’s and mirrorless cameras and are thinking well I already get this service please take into account that they don’t sync all photos to your desktop like the Eyefi Mobi Pro, finally be prepared that after the free year trial of the Eyefi Cloud Service it will then cost $4.99 a month. Eyefi Mobi Pro prices start from
£35.99
http://en.eyefi.com
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Keith McMillen K Board I have been keen to review the K Board from Keith McMillen Instruments for quite some time as an owner and fan of their previous QuNexus. When I received the K Board I did think I had been sent the QuNexus again as the display looks very similar but upon closer inspection I could see the control buttons on the left hand side had different labels. The device is designed to be portable with dimensions 325mm(L) x 84mm(W) x 11mm(D) and a weight of 0.76lbs. It features a two octave keyboard layout with 15 keys at the bottom and 10 at the top, rather than plastic keys they have their own signature drum pad style buttons. On the left hand side there are another further 8 keys which allow you to control Pitch Bend, Octave Down, Octave Up, Velocity, Toggle, Sustain, Tilt and Pressure. With the K Board you receive a 1m Micro USB cable and upon setting this up I noticed the first major difference between this new device and my QuNexus and that was that a lot of
www.keithmcmillen.com
the ports have been taken away there are no CV ports and there was no USB port which meant I couldn’t use my KMI MIDI Expander with the device. Without the option of plugging in the KMI MIDI Expander means to control other external devices you need to have it run through your PC, with this is mind I would say that this is more aimed at the consumer market more than the musician. This will definitely appeal to the consumer market with the affordable price of RRP £79, the way it is powered by what you connect it to as well, omitting need for a power pack also gives it great plug and playability. It has been marketed as being durable and I can confirm that it survived two minor accidents of being stood on by a 5 year old and having coffee spilt on it. My opinion of the K Board is it’s great if you don’t already own their QuNexus and if you are looking for a MIDI keyboard that is fun, affordable and portable you won’t be disappointed at all.
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Kitsound FLAIR Speaker Portable speakers are hugely popular and so readily available. So to stand out from the crowd a speaker must look good and more importantly sound fantastic. The KitSound Flair wouldn’t look out of place in any home and is nicely understated coming in a range of four colours Blue, Green, Grey and Red. The speaker has both Wired or Wireless Connectivity and the sound it produces wouldn’t be lost on a product double the price. The controls are simple and soft touch,the design is elegant and simple with the unit being well put together. It has a passive bass radiator which ensures that the sound is well rounded and rich, and when combined with 10 Watts you can be guaranteed a fantastic listening experience. The exterior has the same quality and
www.kitsound.co.uk
attention to detail, with tactile felt and a soft touch handle. I have a simple sound test with 4 of my favorite tunes that I listen to in a variety of volumes and poorer speakers struggle with the range. I am delighted to say that the Flair didn’t fail on any of my sound tests. It doesn’t take long to test a speaker and review it. How does it look, feel, sound, ease of use and how quickly can it connect via Bluetooth. Once you have done that bit the real proof of the pudding is do you continue to use it and with the Flair it has been a resounding yes. Love it!! We have tested much more expensive brands that sound poor in comparison and have real connectivity issues. They were not nearly as good as the Flair.
RRP £60.00
Outrun Earphones I do a lot of running and cycling and finding a good headset that sounds great and fits under a cycle helmet isn’t as easy as you might think. All too often the buds jiggle out of your ears, poorly manufactured cabling gets caught, sounds like you are listening through water and in some cases can actually cause you headaches. What I look for now in my running earbuds is one they are Bluetooth eradicating the problem of wire snag and two they must fit snugly and have ear supports so I can concentrate on my running posture rather than readjusting every 200 yards. I received the Outrun earphones and on first inspection they obviously ticked these two boxes as they are Bluetooth and have a support. The next and equally important area is sound quality and the wireless
sound is very, very good. Play time is estimated at around 6 hours, we managed to get an extra 26 minutes out of them and that was over the course of 5 uses. The units are really flexible and come with three different sizes of stabilizers and buds (small, medium and large) to ensure they’re the perfect fit for you. When these are linked to your phone you also have a built in microphone so you can chat away (I did this when I wasn’t running!). They have easy-touse volume and track controls, so you don’t have to search for your device every time you want to change the playlist. These are inexpensive and are a really useable headset. I am still using them and haven’t got any negative comments so all good Kitsound!
RRP £60.00
www.kitsound.co.uk
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Lazer Wasp Air Cycle Helmet and Inclination Sensor Lazer’s Wasp Air Cycle helmet is no ordinary cycling to the shops kind of lid, it is an aerodynamically designed helmet to suit triathlons, track racing and time trails. Unlike full fairing helmets there is no tail on the Wasp Air, the idea being that during longer sessions your head will move, causing the tail to create significant drag so by compromising the tail Lazer have made a more forgiving helmet that doesn’t lock you into position for the duration of the session. So If you don’t get on with a tail or you go on long rides where aerodynamics still play an important factor this could be a good helmet for you, the sides of the Wasp Air are designed to direct the air over the riders back reducing drag similar to that of the tail design. Unlike some helmets of this style the Wasp Air is very comfortable and easy to put on and take off (if your ears, like mine, stick out a little it takes a little manoeuvring but nothing that’s
too much trouble), with the Advanced Turnfit Retention System you can pop the lid on and tighten it up for a snug fit once it is on your head, it remains comfortable for long rides and with the integrated visor can be pushed forward for extra air flow when needed, this was a little fiddly and was a two hand job, probably because the helmet is new and a bit stiff. You may think that without a tail pressed firmly into you back you won’t know if you are always in the optimum riding position well Lazer has thought of that too with the inclination sensor (sold separately), a nifty little gadget the attaches to the back of the helmet that you configure to your optimum riding position and notifies you, either by noise or vibration, when you move out of that position. Now Lazer recommend you go to a wind tunnel to properly configure your position but you can get advice and support from your friendly local bike
shop, you get 6-8 hours’ battery life out of this sensor but it does take a rather lengthy 2 hours to charge up so make sure you plan ahead. Putting the two together forms a great duo that is ideal for long sessions or people who just can’t get the position right with a tail, the helmet gets warm like any other fairing helmet but the vision stays free and that push forward option on the visor can bring so sweet breezy relief. It comes with a hefty price tag but nothing more than its closest competitor. Without testing this out properly in a wind tunnel I cannot confidently say how much time it sheds off my PB but it has a good peripheral, great aerodynamics, that looks sharp as well as being comfortable for long periods of time twinned with the inclination sensor it helps you perfect your position and improve your overall ride. Laser Wasp Air Cycle Helmet RRP £249.99 Inclination Sensor RRP £149.99
www.lazersport.com
Pros • • • • •
Comfortable, snug fit Easy to put on and remove Good peripheral Adjustable visor for air circulation Sides designed to force air over the rider back • Light weight (380g) • Ideal for long distances against the clock and people who can’t get along with full fairings • Comes with soft draw string bag
Cons • Takes two hands to open up visor • Sizable price tag (but about average for this type of helmet)
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Lowe Alpine AirZone Pro 35:45 Rucksack The AirZone Pro is designed to be a four season hillwalking and lightweight trekking, it is absolutely rammed with special features, first and foremost is the most distinctive aspect about this bag and indeed its namesake, the AirZone cut out. The idea behind this is that it keeps as much of your body away from the rucksack allowing your skin to breathe, keeping you cooler and less sweaty, the parts of the bag that are touching your back are made from a breathable mesh this also reduces the weight and is anatomically shaped for increased comfort. I found this system worked pretty well, you still get a bit sweaty around the lower back where the bag rests on your tailbone but it’s nothing compared to using a normal rucksack. The AirZone has what it calls the Centro Adjustment System an interesting tool which is ideal for those looking for a fully adjustable rucksack, it means you can position the bag higher or lower on the body depending on how full or heavy the rucksack is, I found it simple enough to work, you winch the strap down to lower the position and then simply loosen
the strap off to bring the shoulder straps back up again. Some of the other many features include easyaccess side entry, hip-belt pockets for easy-access storage, unique walking pole tip grippers, hip-belt & harness, large front pocket, sternum strap with whistle, side compression, internal zippered pockets, hydration compatible, key clip, large stretch mesh side pockets, versatile Spider Plate bungee system for secure storage, rain-cover and an ice axe loop. The AirZone weighs a respectful 1.57 kg impressive really when you appreciate the number of accessories and zip pockets it has, it is a 35lt which can be extended an extra 10lt by loosening straps around the top and using the extension fabric within the bag. I love the look of this bag, I like the bluey green colour “Shaded Spruce” combined with yellow highlights on the Spider Plate, I think it would be useful to have all the clips, zip pulls, whistle for example in this colour to make them stand out against the rest of the bag for quick location. My biggest issue with the AirZone Pro is an issue that would stop me buying this bag, I found it
www.lowealpine.com
horribly uncomfortable, there is a buckle on the opening of the bag that with my height (5 foot 3) sits at the base of my head when the straps are at their highest and in the back of my head when they are at their lowest, as long as I lean forward it doesn’t really rub but because it sits at the top of the Tension Mesh whenever I was to straighten up it would clunk me in the back of the head. So this bag is no good for me that’s not to say on a taller person this bag wouldn’t be perfect and with so many other great features my bottom line is to try it on and see for yourself. RRP £125
Pros • Centro Adjustment System-Fully adjustable back • Arizone Cutout Space- helps keep you cool • Expandable capacity • Compatible with a hydration bladder • Light
Cons • Some features don’t stand out due to colour • Buckle at the top of the tension mesh cause irritation
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Marshall Major II Bluetooth Headphones For me and probably most people when you see the brand Marshall you think of huge amps and cabinets, rock concerts and the possibility of crowd surfing and then thinking against it as you could just crash to the bottom of the pit. I had no idea that they had branched out into headphones and having had a look into their collection they have quite a range of other tech including their own smartphone called London. The packaging is great as you would expect from this brand and inside the box you have the Major II Bluetooth Headphones, a Detachable 3.55mm cord and the USB charging cable. The headphones are collapsible and
look great with their trademark leather look ear cups as well as a brass effect analogue control button, the ear cup fits nicely as does the band with both the feel and flexibility. As the name suggests they are Bluetooth and use aptX to offer CD quality playback and minimal sync issues when watching a video, however as mentioned earlier you can just plug in the 3.55mm cord supplied with the headphones. I first started playing with these headphones with my iPhone 6 on the commute home, to sync you have to double click the power button and then look through your Bluetooth settings on your phone and select the
headphones. This is where the little brass analogue control button comes into play, with this you can control the shuffle of songs and volume as well as when you are receiving calls you can choose to answer or reject a call without having to touch your phone. I wasn’t sure what to expect with regards to sound quality, but as I always do I tested with Metallica ‘Enter the Sandman’ and found it picked up and separated the bass well, the sound was warm and were well balanced throughout offering clarity and depth. When I took these home I put them on charge and the following
morning took them back to work to test the battery life, now here is a real selling point of the headphones the battery life lasted for four 8 hour working days and five 40 minute commutes it died at the end of the fourth day when I got the dreaded beeps – so I made the battery life around 35 hours. With an RRP of £129 these are well worth the value, they sound and look good and the battery life is incredible – I look forward to reviewing more areas that Marshall have branched into and see if I can get my hands on their London Smart Phone!
www.marshallheadphones.com
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Merge VR Goggles The Merge VR Goggles are a bright purple VR headset made out of squidgy foam that is compatible with nearly any iOS and Android device released in the last two years. I love the look of these, they are colourful and while the chunky block edges look great they more importantly form a massive protective case for your phone whilst it’s in there, you can throw it in your bag or let the kids pull it about without too much worry. There are holes in all the right places so you can still access charging ports and volume keys for example. The elasticated Velcro straps make putting it on easy and its simple to adjust whilst you are wearing it, it can be made very small or massive I doubt there is a head out there it wouldn’t fit. The two buttons at the top allow you to interact with apps as well as acting as slides to adjust the lenses to bring the screen into the correct focus, there are a couple of ventilation holes at the top to keep the lenses from fogging up, this seemed to work
well as I experience zero fogging whilst using the goggles. There is a chucky wedge that can be removed to free up your phones camera to allow for augmented reality games, a mixture of the real world with virtual reality elements thrown it (imagine cartoon rabbits jumping around your living room). I found it worked really well with my Samsung S6 but not without a couple of downsides, firstly the foam body is very firm and weighing in at a hefty 12 ounces, (compared with the Gear VR’s 6.9 ounces), after a few minutes of wear there was pressure on my nose which after 15mins became really uncomfortable. A spongey lining around the edges like you get on a regular pair of ski goggles could eradicate this issue, another problem I had was when I used the buttons to interact with the app the lenses would slowly slide across making the screen out of focus, however it isn’t difficult to re-adjust but a lens lock would be a nice addition and learnt that if you keep your thumbs on the bottom
knobs this keeps the focus in place as you’re pressing straight down with any angle. After 30 mins of game time my S6 got quite hot in the headset, it also gets very hot when I charge my phone so I wasn’t overly concerned but perhaps the foam isn’t the most breathable material for the job. As for the Apps, Merge have their own range of apps on the website as well as being compatible with Google Cardboard which features loads of entertainment ranging from games to the educational and the majority are free. I think the Merge is fairly good value for money and with a few simple adjustments could be awesome, it is one of the few headsets that can house a variety of phones whilst offering AR and interactive buttons, if you are interested in trying out VR and AR this is a more durable and comfortable alternative to Googles DIY option. RRP £39.99
www.mergevr.com
Pros • • • • •
Clear image, no blurry edges Tough foam body Adjustable lens Bright colourful design Interactive buttons
Cons • Phone got very hot • Lense move when pressing the buttons • Heavy, created pressure on my face
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Thule Motion XL The Motion XL from Thule has big boots to fill as we gave exceptional reviews to his brothers the Carrier (Aug 15 issue) and the Carrier (Sep 15 issue) so we were excited to test this roof box. The Thule Motion XL can take weights up to 75KG and the dimensions are 205cm (L) x 84cm (W) x 45cm (H), basically I could stuff a couple of the kids in there and there would still be room. As you expect from Thule it is very well made and looks sleek parked on top of my Audi A3 with its black gloss finish and its forwarded position even allows me plenty of room to open the boot. Empty, the Thule Motion XL weighs 19KG so one person can capably fix it to the rack and what I really liked was the pre-installed power-click quick-mount system with its integrated torque indicator which after I worked out what I was doing I realised you can securely fit with one
www.thule.com
hand while carrying the screaming toddler in the other. Loading has also been made simple with its dualside opening and outside lid handles, when you have crammed in your gear you can rid yourself of the anxiety of your goods flying out on the M1 with the central locking system, the grip friendly Thule Comfort Key can only be removed if all locking points are securely fastened. RRP ÂŁ440 The Motion XL comes with a 5 year guarantee from Thule and they offer a 90 day exchange scheme on all their roof boxes as they are aware that it is hard to determine how the roof box will fit and look on your vehicle by just using the dimensions on the website as guidelines. To take advantage of the exchange scheme however please make sure you keep the box you received the roof box in and the roof box must be still in an as new condition.
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Nuband Activ+ The Nuband Activ+ is a fitness tracker that monitors activity and sleep, it allows you to set silent alarms, will give you reminders when you have been inactive for too long and works alongside a companion app. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get an activity tracker these days and the Nuband Activ+ is a prime example of this, the strap and tracker feel and look good quality, I like that the Nuband Activ+ can display the time unlike my Fitbit Flex (much to the annoyance of my very young nephew who keeps calling it a clock). The app is intuitive and the tracker synchronises up with the app via Bluetooth without any trouble, it is here you can set your goals, for example steps per day or how long
periods of inactivity can be. It has recently come to light that moving little and often can be just as effective if not more effective than one long bout of activity, the Nuband Activ+ will set an alarm off (vibrating discreetly on your wrist) to remind you that you have been sat on your bottom for too long. The app will give you a history of how well you have done in the last day, week, month and year and will display your sleep with details of how many hours you have slept, broken into deep, light and awake. Similarly, the activity is broken down into steps km and kcals, we found the steps a little inaccurate at times as I was sat at my desk and I managed to walk 11 steps in about 20mins so we have had trackers that are more
inaccurate. Another issue we had was that the band popped off occasionally, most of the time it happened in the night so it’s difficult to tell as to why but on another occasion it was when I either removed my coat or jumper it would ping off. It takes three hours to charge and we were finding that the battery was lasting about 6 days which was impressive. The Nuband Activ+ is a good value basic tracker, it will monitor any activity involving steps so cycling and swimming are out of the question but the inactivity alarm and sleep tracker are useful features and if nothing else it makes a cool looking watch. RRP £39.99
www.nubandsports.com
Pros • Looks smart • Inactivity and morning silent alarm • App shows daily achievements and achieves history • Battery lasts 5-7 days
Cons • Strap comes undone • Step count slightly inaccurate (over generous) • Limited to the activity it will monitor, won’t record gardening, cycling and swimming for example.
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Orbitsound A70 AirSound Bar Sound bars are increasing in popularity and can set you back anything from 50 quid to quadruple figures, but are they always really worth the money? Orbitsounds’ A70 airSound Bar is this British company’s flagship sound bar and claims to be perfect for clear dialogue on TV, music streaming and offering a thrilling movie experience. Two years in the making the A70 features a 74mm x 750mm x 65mm sound bar and a 340mm x 140mm x 340mm wireless Subwoofer, with 6 touch sensitive buttons, aptX Lossless codec Bluetooth connectivity and comes with wall mounts and all the cables you could possibly need. A smart feature the A70 has to offer is that it is capable of learning volume commands from your regular remote so you don’t have to add another remote to your coffee table. We tested the A70 whilst watching Beauty and The Beast, the combination of an orchestral soundtrack, vocals and songs made
it a good excuse to watch my favourite Disney film again. The A70 airSound uses loudspeaker drivers, the front speaker uses the latest digital amplification with an analogue audiophile-grade Hi-Fi crossover featuring precision components, this is then coupled to two 2” loudspeaker drivers and a high definition tweeter. The bar connects wirelessly to the sub to produce a bass response down to 45Hza and the side-firing speakers help create an overall sound throughout the room rather than the one perfect sweet spot. We found that overall the sound filled the room well (we have a standard terrace sized square living space), It performed well with vocals and action sounds in the film with a good bass adding emphasis to dramatic scenes without drowning out the treble or mid-tones. The treble stands out when it needs to and generally the A70 gives you a well balanced rich sound at whatever volume you set
it too, however if you decide to use the Bluetooth for streaming music you will notice a big difference. We found that at times the bass dropped out and we were left with too much treble generating which made for uncomfortable listening, saying that though we had friends who swore it still sounded balanced so maybe its best left to the individual to judge. As for the aesthetics of the A70 it really is an elegant addition to your home entertainment centre, its integrated glossy wood and tough PVC casing really are impressive to behold but without being too obtrusive. To sum up, when it comes to playing music the Orbit airSound Bar A70 doesn’t quite hit the spot for us so perhaps it isn’t worth its full RRP £499 price tag, however what it will do is work in harmony with your television to greatly enhance you viewing experience whilst looking rather beautiful at the same time.
www.orbitsound.com
Pros • Elegant design and build • Simple to set up and operate • Well balance and rich tones with clear crisp vocals
Cons • Poor at playing streamed music • Costly
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FREITAG F14 Dexter Messenger Bag In 1993 two inventive Swiss brothers, Markus and Daniel Freitag, created a weatherproof messenger bag from recycled truck tarpaulins, bicycle inner tube and a car seatbelt consequently the FREITAG company was born. Anytime a company uses recycled goods in their production they immediately score brownie points in our books but the FREITAG F14 Dexter Messenger bag really has gone above and beyond when it comes to upcycling. These funky looking bags are completely unique; no two bags are alike making yours as individual as your finger print. The Dexter is designed around the classic messenger bag design, it features a recycled car seat belt for a shoulder strap and another waist strap to keeping the bag secure making it an ideal companion for the cyclist, especially as the use of a bicycle inner tube edging around the main flap makes it a distant relative of the bike. The F14 Dexter features a small pocket (roughly A5 size) under the main flap that has a Velcro closure, inside there are two more small pockets and two elastic straps to help keep your gear secure whilst on the move. Inside the main
compartment are four more pockets to keep belongings organised as well as a good sized main compartment, 12.6 × 3.7 × 11.4 inch (10 litre) with can be extended to 12.6 × 3.7 × 19.7 inch by pulling the inside lining out and closing up the sides with the Velcro strips provided. I think a bag like this is a love it or hate it kind of product, it is not a highly polished creation, it is rough around the edges, the tarp has scuffs from its previous lifestyle travelling around Europe, there is no lining inside the bag or padded shoulder straps, but for me this adds to the charm of the bag. The straps are comfortable to wear and we the waist strap is a useful addition, the edges of the tarp that are not lined with recycled rubber are quite rough, repeatedly putting your hand in and out of the front pocket for example can be a bit rough on your skin, recycled rubber edging on all rough edges would easily combat this problem. Other than that we loved the look and feel of the F14 Dexter, it is a trendy and distinctive water repellent messenger bag that proved comfortable to wear as well as looking awesome. RRP £150
www.freitag.ch
Pros • Recycled lorry tarp, bike tube lining and seat belts • Each bag is unique • Water resistant • On Trend • Waist strap • Extendable
Cons • Rough edges • The smaller pockets are a bit tight • Plastic mechanism to tighten/loosen shoulder strap feels cheap
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Preston Innovations Space Maker Flat Back Brolly The Preston Innovations Space Maker is a flat back umbrella that gives you 20% extra coverage than the average umbrella ensuring you stay dry in the rain and protected in the sun. Preston has created the Space Maker Flat Back Brolly with short spokes to reduce the excess unusable space at the back of the brolly when it is used at a tilted angle, it means you don’t have metal spokes pressed into your head as you try to keep out of the rain. The Space Maker comes with two pegging points and Preston has also supplied the pegs and cords as well as a carry bag to make the trip to and from the water edge easier. The Space Maker goes up and down easy enough, it feels strong with a good build quality and the tilting mechanism is made from a high quality brass. The fiberglass arm helps keep the umbrella as light as possible and because of the aforementioned brass tilting mechanism you can get a really firm vertical hold in the ground rather than
trying to shove it in at an angle. All the umbrellas seams are taped with waterproof tape guaranteed to keep you dry, we had no problem at all with leakage even during some really nasty weather you can tuck yourself right back into the brolly comfortably. The Space Maker gives you protection from the sun as well as the rain, 50+ Ultra violet protection to be exact, it generates a large shaded area for you to keep cool and safe on those sunnier days. Overall the Preston Innovations Space Maker Flat Back Brolly is a solid but light piece of kit with bags of room in the back that won’t let you down rain or shine. RRP
£66.99
www.prestoninnovations.com
Pros • • • • • •
20% more coverage Waterproof taped seams 50+ UV protection Light weight fiberglass arms Brass tilt mechanism Pegs, cords and carry bag included
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Primus Lite+ Stove Have you even been put in charge of tea duty whilst out in the wilderness, only to turn you back for a second and then find the whole thing has tipped over? The Primus Lite+ stove features a unique locking system and a lower burner that makes the whole system much more sturdy than the usual camp stove. There are so many great little things about this stove, firstly it packs down to a really compact little bundle, if you are using a 100-gram gas cartridge, that and all the accessories can be safely stored inside the 500ml cooking pot. The cooking pot itself is made from hard anodized aluminium and will provide you with boiling water in about 3 minutes, it has a heat proof sleeve and handle that can also be clipped over the top so you can hang the stove making it easier to use in snow or very uneven terrain. The pot locks onto the canister creating a windproof low burner that has to be the least top heavy stove of this nature that we have used, but if boiling just under a pint of water isn’t enough, you can adapt the burner with 3 little screw
in pins that you can then place a larger cooker or pan on. Downside to these little things are that we almost lost one straight away as they are small and fiddly and you will need to wait for them to cool down after use before you are able to remove them, a chunky clip on extension might be easier to remove when warm and less likely to get lost in the grass. The cafetiere accessory is a great added extra, it is simply a cafetiere style lid with the plunger and filter that allows you to brew your favourite coffee anywhere, as a huge coffee fan I loved this optional extra. The Primus Lite+ Stove is a great light weight compact and sturdy stove, with a lower centre of gravity than the average. The lock on, windproof burner coupled with the lid cuts the time it takes to bring the water to boil resulting in you getting more from your gas. This is an ideal stove for daytrips or overnight camping, taking it to border line glamping level with the cafetiere lid. RRP â‚Ź129.95
www.primus.eu
Pros • Compact- Height 150mm, Diameter 100mm, Weight 390g and packs away into the cooking pot • Just under 3minute boil time • Very sturdy • Quality construction • Cafetiere lid • Foot support for added stability on uneven surfaces and a suspending cord included • Heat proof sleeve and handle on cook pot
Cons • Adapter pegs are fiddly, get very hot and easy to misplace
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Reef Rover XT Sandal Reef was established over 30 years ago by two South American brothers Fernando and Santiago Aguerre, their vision, to produce a high quality active lifestyle sandal. The Rover XT sandal isn’t the typical socks and sandal, dads on holiday kind of footwear, these are all action sports sandals (yes there is such a thing). Featuring thick multi-cross straps across the top of the foot and another around the ankle, lined with a soft slightly padded material that feels comfortable against the skin even when wet. The moulded shape compliments the contours of the foot and the “triple density construction” as reef describe, or “nice squidgy sole” as I describe it, feels great to walk about in, there is enough grip on the sole to stay grippy when wet also. The outsole uses
Reef’s signature Swellular Technology, deep grooves that mimic the natural patterns produced in the sand by the waves, they are angled downwards at the top half of the foot and upwards from the bottom of the foot, these grooves make for a good traction in or out of the water. The Rover RT can be adjusted with a buckle that tightens or loosens on the outside of the ankle, as the strap wraps around the ankle and over the foot a simple adjustment holds the whole foot not just the ankle in place. It is easy enough to adjust and the buckle holds the strap securely so they don’t loosen up whilst you walk, it would be nice if you were able to adjust the other top strap just for added comfort for those with a wider foot or hot swollen holiday feet. We tested
out the brown version but they are also available in black and in a speckled grey (my personal favourite), this brings me to my only real negative which is with their thick shiny straps they just don’t look very stylish, some people may roll their eyes at this comment but I think it’s something that some might find a deal breaker, I think a matt look on the straps could perhaps improve the look. These are good active outdoor sandals that will protect your feet whether you are walking along pebble beaches or pushing your canoe out on the slip way, these will give you good traction while remaining comfortable without breaking the bank. RRP £44
www.reef.com
Pros • • • • •
Comfortable 3 colours available Strong but soft straps Good traction Inexpensive
Cons • Look a little unfashionable
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Steel Series Nimbus Controller A market I am shocked that Apple hasn’t cornered already is that of the controller with the amount of games available on Apple Store for your phone, tablet and Apple TV there must be one on the way? However, in the meantime Steel Series are taking full advantage with their latest offering for Apple devices the Nimbus Controller, I have reviewed products for Steel Series in the past so I am looking forward to having some fun with this, I mean playing games as an actual job does it get much better!!! The first thing I noticed when receiving the Nimbus was on the packaging
where it said made for Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and iPod – having done some research I understand that Apple actually worked with Steel Series on the design of the controller and on the official Apple website it is listed under accessories as the preferred unofficial Apple controller which is a great endorsement. I would describe the design of the Nimbus as a mash up of both the Xbox One and PS4 controllers, leaning slightly more towards Xbox, although it has the YBAX format of Playstation. The controller comes in black and feels well made, it has a large menu button in the middle and a glowing light
above indicating how many controllers you have currently got connected. When connecting the controller to the Apple TV I was impressing with the Bluetooth 4.1 as there wasn’t any lag the only problem I faced was a few times the Bluetooth signal dropped out and I had to reconnect. It is also worth mentioning here that Apple has released the tvOS App Store where game controller support is clearly identified which I found really helpful, this made using the Nimbus Controller itself a more enjoyable experience as I knew the titles I was
downloading would work. One thing to bear in mind is to charge the Nimbus Controller you need a lightning cable and you don’t get one of these in your box so you will need to use one you have lying round the house, however you won’t need to use it that often as the remote has an impressive battery life of 40 hours. This is by far the best controller I have used on Apple software and if you looking to get the best out of the games available on the Apple Store this is the controller to go for. RRP €59.95
www.steelseries.com
Gadgethead Magazine
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Pink Lining Wonder Bag True Love Changing Bag This London based company have tried to think of everything when it comes to aptly named bags and with the Wonder Bag, don’t let its sweet heart shape design fool you this is an intelligently designed multifunctional bag that has a place for everything and keeps everything in its place. It has shoulder straps (rucksack style) that can be tucked away when not in use, detachable stroller straps and can be carried as either a tote or shoulder bag, lots of options to play with whilst jugging a child, pushchair and/or shopping bags. When looking inside we find plenty of practical aspects, there are 4 dividing pockets, in various sizes, as well as the main compartment, making grabbing what you need a fast, effortless action. The interior has a water-resistant bright pink lining (hence the name) making it easy to see inside and find what you need, also included is place padded changing mats and an insulated detachable bottle holder.
Moving to the outside of the bag there are 5 pockets and the area where the shoulder straps are stored can double up as a pocket as well, two pockets on the side are ideal for bottles, the front compartment has a zip access and a handy pocket inside that is ideal for used nappies, it is kept separate from everything else in the bag and the lining can be pulled completely inside out to make it stress-free to clean. The zipped compartment behind that is designed with mum in mind, there is a compartment for a pen, a pocket for a phone or mp3 and a detachable mirror. The wonder Bag True Love has been produced to a very high quality, the stitching is faultless and all the materials used feel high end, additionally it is a very practical bag that will help you keep one part of your life organised in what could one of the most disorganised stages of your life. RRP ÂŁ95
www.pinklining.com
Pros • Multifunctional straps • Lots of organising pockets and compartments • High quality materials and stitching • Removable insulated bottle pocket • Padded changing mat included
Cons • Only available in one design • High end bag has high end price tag
Gadgethead Magazine
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Zidoo X6 Pro The Zidoo X6 Pro is a 64 bit ARM Android TV Box powered by a Rockchip RK3368 Processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of eMMC Flash Storage. So whats inside the box? You receive a Zidoo X6 Pro Unit, Power Adaptor, HDMI Cable, IR Remote Control, Instruction Manual, Warranty Card and a Quality Control Card. I like the design of the X6 Pro with a 100mm square box design with a height of 20mm it can be tucked away easily, connections are on the rear and left hand side of the device and include two USB 2.0, Micro SD card slot, Toslink digital audio out, HDMI 2.0 Port and LAN connection. I really enjoyed the simplicity of the user interface, very simple to navigate through with the remote and it was easy to create customisable shortcuts. It is worth mentioning at this point that I was very impressed with both
www.zidoo.tv
the design and layout of the remote control and the fact you can turn the X6 Pro on and off with the remote as with a lot of competitors in this price bracket you don’t get this luxury. The real USP of the device is that they have produced a really well designed Remote app for Android which allows your phone/tablet to take full control of the X6 Pro, once you have downloaded the app you get a remote control interface as well as a games controller with touchscreen operation which is a real nice touch. Video playback was really good up to the point where I started testing in 4K where it wasn’t as smooth, for me this is the best RK3368 box I have reviewed to date and with good to excellent handling of both video and gaming content and an RRP of £79 makes the Zidoo X6 Pro a great Android Box choice.
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Gadgethead Magazine
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