Gadgets – Page 2 – frederikboving

Review: Hövding 3.0 – airbag protection for cyclists!

Warning!

The Swedish authorities (“Konsumverket”) have late 2023 stopped all sales of the Hövding 3 in Sweden until the safety issues have been investigated. It appears that the Hövding 3 in not all cases has provided the protection expected according to EU legislation and hence the sale of the product is on hold until further notice. Also, according to Swedish authorities, the helmet has not been tested at speeds above 20 km/h. The stop of sales has unfortunately challenged the company financially so much that they in December 2023 decided to file for bankruptcy.

The review below does not look into the efficiency or completeness of the safety provided by the Hövding 3. I simply review the product from my experience with daily usage, and luckily I have not yet been in need of the Hövding 3 actively providing protection for my head during an accident.

I suggest you consult with the latest status from the Swedish authorities and the bankruptcy case so you can factor this in when deciding if the Hövding 3 is the right product for you.

Cycle helmet alternative

In this review I will give you my thought on the Hövding 3.0 airbag for cyclist from a user perspective, assuming it works as promised should an accident occur. I have fortunately never needed the Hövding to do its job, and hence it is not a test or testimony related the ability of the Hövding to protect you when needed, rather it is my view on the Hövding as part of my daily commuting routine.

Notice that there are several generations of the Hövding, and the one in review here is version 3.0 – so if you are considering another version, the content of the review may not apply.

Hövding Size specifications. — Size specifications.

Also notice the size specifications. It does come with adjustable size around the neck, but you may want to consider if the ranges provided are acceptable to you.

Size adjustment — The size around the neck can be adjusted with a system similar to what many race cyclists know from their shoes or skiiers know from their boots.

In my case, with the Hövding at its widest position, it is a bit tight around the neck. I survive, but could have used just a few more centimeters of space. But I guess that safety is first, and that the design is made this way for safety reasons.

Angles matter

Be aware that the Höwding is not made for racing cycling or cycles where you do not sit up right when you bike. If you sit in a position where you lean too much forward, the Hövding will not be comfortable to wear. The lump at the rear of the Hövding will become more noticeable as you lean forward. So only for upright cycling!

Heavy Duty

Before you try on a Hövding you may think that it is super light, but that is not the case. You get rid of the helmet and can choose to wear a hat or whatever is to your liking, but it is at the expense of adding weight. My cycling helmet weighs only a fraction of the 800+ grams the Hövding is.

Hövding weight. — Be prepared to carry some weight.

That said, the weight is well distributed and a big part of it sits in the centre around your neck, so it feels less of a pain.

But I was surprised the first time I put on the Hövding how heavy it was. In all fairness, after some time, you get used to it!

However, what I still struggle with is the fact that the Hövding is like wearing a scarf constantly! It is fine in the winter time, as you would do that anyway, but during summer I find that it is an absolute pain and prefer a traditional helmet for that reason.

Electronics

The Hövding charges via USB-C and thank you for that! Great that an industry standard for charging is catching on! There is a small charging light and a button to push to get the battery status, and that is actually the vitals in terms of the electronics.

When you close the Hövding, a clear sound signal tells you that the helmet is now operational and will protect you if you fall. The instructions underlines the importance of only doing this while on the bicycle! Similarly, when you open the helmet, a different – but equally clear – sound signal tells you the helmet is no longer operational (and the light turns from green to red).

Hövding light. — Green light indicates the Hövding is closed and operational.

Of course the Hövding has an app, and it talks with the Hövding via bluetooth. The app works well and also keeps track of how far you have cycled and how many times you have been on the bicycle. And of course gives you a good conscience keeping track of how much CO2 you have saved the planet for, relative to travelling the same distance in a car.

Storage

The Hövding is fairly small folded and can be fitted into most backpacks or the like for storage. It also has a small strap that allows you hang it on a hook easily when not in use.

Hövding hook. — The design includes a strap for hanging the Hövding on a hook.

Price and conclusion

The Hövding is a little less than 300 EUR here November 2022, but with the inflation numbers we are seeing this day and age, it is probably wise if you check the current prices. The Hövding is a use-once-only product, but I find that 300 EUR for avoiding a serious head injury is what I am more than willing to pay. My main complaint when it comes to the daily use is that it is warm to wear the Hövding, and as such I only use it during winter time. The rest of the year I prefer a traditional cycling helmet. But it is great to be able to use it during winter time and wear a warm hat at the same time – the latter does not fit well under the “hood” of my cycling helmet.

Review: Roborock S7 robot vacuum cleaner

Skeptical!

When it comes to robots that help out in the garden or in the house, I am a bit skeptical. Some years back I had one of the first robot vacuum cleaners that was mass produced, and to make a long story short, it was not a good experience. Also, I have two different robot lawn movers, and that is also a mixed bag of experiences.

So maybe my excitement when it comes to the Roborock S7 is rooted in bad experience with other products. That is hard for me to say. But with that said, the rest of this blog will be one long praise of the Roborock S7, simply because I find that it is a brilliant product at a price point where it delivers value far beyond the retail price of 450 EUR (Denmark, Europe).

What is it?

Roborock S7 robot vacuum cleaner — The promise on the tin is spot on.

The Roborock S7 is a vacuum cleaner robot, that also facilitates light cleaning with a wet cloth for hard surfaces. It is smart in the sense that it can see the surface it is cleaning, and for example when it cleans a carpet, the vacuum motor powers up to give max suction.

It is also very systematic. It first walks the perimeter of the room to find the size and direction, and after that starts cleaning both horizontally and vertically. It is not like a lawn mower robot that takes pride in doing a random pattern – the Roborock S7 cleans in vertical and horizontal lines as depicted in the image above, taken from the app. You can also see where it has identified legs on the furniture and how it has walked around these obstacles in a circle, making sure to clean very close to these.

Is installation cumbersome?

Installation is easy. You download an app, and connect your smartphone to the WiFi network the Roborock provides. Then the Roborock uses the information provided by the app to log on to your Wifi (it needs the SSID and password) and after that the Roborock logs on to your WiFi network and you can now control the functions via the app. And you can follow the Roborock working via the app as the image above illustrates.

Another thing that makes the Roborock easy to work with is that every time you have done some change, like installing the water container at the rear of the Roborock, it will confirm with a computer voice what you have done. In the beginning I found this a bit annoying, but after a little while I started to appreciate the confirmation that the operation was successful.

The dust bin is accessed via a lid on top of the Roborock. It is easy to pull out and clean, and maybe the only complaint that I have is that it is also relatively small, so it runs full easily. However, after running the Roborock in a room for the first time, the second time picks up very little extra dust. So my take is that if you let the Roborock clean on a regular basis, the small dust bin will not be an issue, simply because there is not much dust to collect.

Does it work in real life?

Yes. First of all, the battery life is good. It can cover a lot of square meters in a single charge. And you can follow the battery percentage left in the app. I did notice that it takes a bit of time for the Roborock to charge, but as it in my case returns to charge when the job is done, this is less of an issue. I have not cleaned areas bigger than 45 square meters at the same time.

The same rules applies for the Roborock as for normal vacuum cleaning: the less items on the floor, the better the Roborock can get the job done. For large furniture like a bed, the Roborock does an excellent job cleaning around the legs very thoroughly. But of course, if you can remove obstacles and e.g. put dining chairs on the table prior to starting the Roborock, then you will get a better result. Also, as the Roborock is very systematic, it will find and pick-up anything that is left on the floor. In the image above, I forgot at small cable on the floor, and it got caught in the rotating parts of the Roborock. This halted operations, and I was notified via the app.

It also does cleaning edges really well. It does not only run along a wall or an edge, but constantly tries to “attack” the wall by driving slightly into it, meet its master, give up and go a bit out again, only to repeat the “attack” a bit further down the line. It is very convincing and makes sure the cleaning gets as close to the edges as possible. The Roborock has a small bumper so it can “feel” obstacles before it hits them, so no need to worry that these “attacks” will hurt your walls or furniture. It is gentle, but persistent.

The Roborock is low and easily finds it way under a table, a sofa and a bed. In my kitchen it is too tall to make it all the way under the kitchen cabinets, but it cleans some way under the cabinets (se image above) and does so well.

The little rotating arms at the side of the Roborock finds outside the main cleaning area and “throws” into the middle of the Roborock, that then picks it up there. These arms are prone to be tangled up in hairs and the like, but I find that cleaning them is easy.

Does the cleaning mop work?

Yes, if you don’t expect miracles, i.e. that it looks like you have been scrubbing the surface 100 times with a hard brush. That is not what happens.

The Roborock simply drags a wet cloth over the floor to wipe it clean. And it of course detects if the surface is a carpet, and lifts the mop.

The water reservoir is intended to keep the cloth wet during cleaning, but I find it works the best if you start with a wet piece of cloth at the outset, so the water reservoir is only used for “topping up” the moist of the cloth.

How long time to clean?

The largest area I have asked the Roborock to clean is 39 square meters. It took the Roborock 72 minutes to complete the work and the battery level dropped to 53%, starting at fully charged.

As you can ask the Roborock to go to work when you are not at home, the time required to clean your home may be less important. You can help the Roborock cleaning better by removing furniture from the floor. i.e. take small tables and chairs away from the floor by lifting them to higher ground, i.e. a sofa or a table. Pretty much like you would if you were to clean yourself. This will also make the Roborock work a bit faster, as it can get the job done in fewer uninterrupted sweeps across the floor.

Can I recommend the product?

Yes. We bought the Roborock 7 for the summer cottage, but we are seriously considering buying one for the home. It is that good. And it is priced very reasonably, so we are tempted. Think you will be as well.

Review: Garmin Varia RTL516 Rearview Radar and Taillight

What is it?

The Garmin Varia RTL 516 is a taillight and rearview radar in combination. It hence makes you more visible, and also makes it possible for you to see what is coming from behind, without turning your head. This is particularly useful for triathletes that due to their position on the bike have a hard time looking over their shoulder, but it is also very useful for racing bikes, where the same applies, maybe to a lesser extent.

Garmin promises that it will detect cars as far as 140 meters away. I have not tested this claim, but I have tested the product in real life, and I can say that it works very well. I am actually a bit impressed. Even if I was driving on a bike path with parked cars between the bike path and the road, the radar was still able to “see” though the parked cars and identify cars approaching.

What is in the box?

Left to right: Documentation, the box, charging cable, the unit itself and mount solution.

Other than the unit itself, the box contains a charging cable, documentation and some options for mounting the unit to the saddle post. You’ll quickly find the relevant parts for your size and shape of saddle post.

Left to right: User guide, safety instruction, box, charging cable, the rear light itself, and then a range of options for mounting the unit.

Is installation easy?

Yes. You just need to find the right length of rubber band and the best shape for your saddle post, and then you can mount it on your bike in 30 seconds.

The light mounted on my coffee stomper just to illustrate how it works.

The light is locked into position with the twist-and-lock system we know from many other Garmin products. Different options for mounting on more or less aerodynamic saddle posts.

Is pairing easy?

Yes. I used it with my Fenix 5 and just asked my watch to scan for new Bluetooth units nearby. By holding down the on/off button for a few seconds, the radar also starts pairing and 10 seconds later the handshake was complete and the units linked.

Connecting the rear light radar to my Fenix 5 watch was really easy and took no time.

The user guide is wonderfully simple to follow. Lots of illustrations. Very little text.

Is the battery life ok?

Yes. Garmin promises 9 hours, and although I have not tested it to the limit, it is my clear impression that there will be plenty of power on a full charge for most cyclists. Only if you cannot charge between rides, I would imagine the battery could run out. On other news, I was a bit disappointed to see that the charging cable – here in 2022 where EU has decided it is the future standard – is not USB-C.

Charging the unit with the supplied cable. Unfortunately it is not USB-C, but just mini USB.

How is it to use?

I tested the unit on a Fenix 5 watch, and the way it works is that a little bar appears to the right in the screen. It is green when no one is approaching and turns amber and red, subject to how fast and how close those approaching are.

The bar to the right is the radars graphical zone. Here it shows that there are no cars or objects approaching and hence it is colored green = no danger.

Cars approaching are illustrated as little dots that move from the bottom of the bar to the top as they approach. Several dots will appear if you’ve got several cars approaching. And it works really well and I am impressed how it is able to distinguish between objects that you just pass (like a parked car) and objects that are approaching. It is so fascinating to watch, that you may forget entirely to look forward! So be cautious when you start using it!

In the best of worlds I would have had a Garmin product to sit on my handlebar so I would be able to see the graphics easily. But I found that when danger really was high, the Fenix 5 watch vibrated just a bit, to draw my attention to the radar. It works really well, but of course can be a bit stressful until you get used to it.

Conclusion

As you probably have guessed by now, I find this to be a great product, and an invention that potentially could save lives in the traffic. It is a bit expensive, but it works really well and considering what damage it potentially can avoid, I really wished that more cyclists would start using this product.

Review: Asus TX-AX58U router – Smart WiFi 6

Back in the day…

I like Apple products. They are perhaps over-priced, but very nice in design and for me easy to understand. So when my trusty router, the Apple Airport Extreme finally gave in after many years of service, I was ready to make a replacement purchase. But I was to learn that Apple stopped producing routers back in 2018! I felt very alone all of a sudden, but also the pressure from the family missing the router for both work and streaming!

So there was nothing to do but consult the homepage of the local IT hardware pusher to see what I could find. And as I feared, the list of routers was long and intimidating, leaving only network engineers happy: routers of many different manufacturers with strange names and prices that range from next-to-nothing to crazy expensive.

I would love to claim that my purchase of the router was a rational man decision after scanning the market for all available options. It was not. This little label pushed me in the direction of the Asus router.

I know from experience that buying the most expensive gear is seldom worth it, and the other end of the scale is also to be avoided. So a good middle-of-the-road alternative is what I was looking for. Me eyes fell on the Asus RT-AX58U for two reasons: it was on sale, and it had a little “readers choice” award that lifted my confidence from zero to just a little bit. The name itself (RT-AX58U) meant nothing to me, other than sending a strong signal that Asus has hired more engineers than marketing people!

From the tin. Lots of things I don’t understand!

The “key selling arguments” on the tin meant next to nothing to me, but I have later learned that the AiMesh is a way to connect several units into the same network in a smart way. So with only the worst of expectations, I pushed the purchase button and started to wait for the parcel to arrive at my doorstep.

Setup

When I opened the box, this is what met my eyes. Intimidating for a non-engineer. But it turned out to be not bad at all.

Opening the parcel, I found what I feared the most: a complex looking compilation of items to be assembled – my IKEA complex started growling in the distance. But I quickly learned that it essentially was the router itself, a power supply and a network cable! What a relief

Power supply and a network cable. That is all that is required other than the box itself. The intimidating booklet named “Quick start guide” to the left.

However, the “quick start guide” quickly reversed that: it was a thick booklet! What! Apple’s quick start guides can fit into a single A5 paper!

The user guide is a book! But the reason is that it comes in a large number of languages. The relevant section is only a few pages – phew!

But it turned out that the size of the booklet was related to the number of languages involved, and that the relevant pages were only a few! I was back in business!

Router rear. Leftmost the power supply, then the power on/off switch, then a USB plug that I have never used, 4 physical network connectors in yellow, the network connector for the internet, a WPC button and rightmost a reset button.

So I plugged the power supply cable into the rear of the router along with the supplied network cable, which I connected to my LAN. My ISP has provided another router that connects to the internet so the role of the Asus is to give WIFI on first floor where the ISP router has insufficient reach.

You can setup the router two ways I learned from the guide: using a browser and a URL, or by downloading the Asus app and take it from there. I chose the latter, and was asked for two things during the setup: A SSID plus password, and an ID and password for logging onto the router. That’s it! After that the network just worked!

Everything I buy seems to be in need of a firmware upgrade. This one is no different. Luckily it was a fast and hassle free experience.

Of course I cannot buy a gadget without the first thing that happens is that it demands to have the firmware updated! It seems to be a thing that haunts me, and this one was no different. But it was both quick and easy.

And then – of course – I misspelled the SSID! I found that the easiest was to reset the router to factory settings and re-do the installation process, this time with the correct spelled SSID. Although there is a “reset” button on the rear of the router, the way to reset it is to turn it off, hold the “WPS” button and then turn it on. I tried to do that holding the “reset” button instead and that led nowhere, so remember that reset to factory settings involves the “WPS” button and not the “reset” button.

I love this: you push a button in the app and the network optimizes itself. It could be a big make believe button, but it feels great that I don’t have dive into technical details to have a optimized network!

The app is easy to use and hold a lot of good information, for example a list of the units logged on to the WIFI, and you can rename them from mumbo jumbo to something useful like “Frederiks Ipad” or the like. Great! Also the app has features like network optimization and allows you to give priority to certain types of network traffic over others. I have no idea if this works or not, but it seems smart.

The app has lots of interesting screens and metrics. Here a real time traffic overview. Another useful screen is one that lists all units logged onto the WIFI.

Conclusion

I found this little router easy to set-up and install, despite my track record of messing up even the simplest network things. The app gives useful information in a not-too complicated user interface.

In terms of alternatives to this router or if the price around 120 EUR is fair or not, I have no idea or baseline to assess. There are cheaper alternatives out there, and maybe they can do the job as well, but I just wanted a hassle free solution with quick installation, and that I got.

I am glad the router is in a location in the house we seldom visit. It is a little black plastic thing with 4 antennas, and the design immediately makes you want to wear a silver hat and talk to UFO’s. I have no idea if the antennas play an important role or not, but this router has no better reach than my deceased and beautifully designed Apple router, unfortunately.

Review: Waycap refillable capsules

Save the planet, save Money

No, I did not make up the headline above – it is a quote from the Waycap cardboard box! And it certainly does sound promising! I am not sure your coffee capsules can save the world, but moving from disposable coffee capsules to re-usable ones sounds to me like a small step in the right direction in terms of doing something positive for the environment. If you then in addition can save some money and on top of that have better control of what coffee goes into your capsules, then I think we are approaching something that sounds like good answers to the “why?” question: (1) Eco-friendly, (2) saves you money and (3) potentially gives you better coffee.

I must admit that I recycle also my disposable coffee capsules from Nespresso, so maybe the gain in that light is less, but saving money and making better coffee also sounds attractive to me. The review here is using a Nespresso coffee machine, but it works with many other brands according to the tin.

Waycap in the front, more traditional disposable alternative in the back. Notice the hollow ring where the needles from the coffee machine will go to.

The content of the package is two capsules, a tamper, a dispenser and a set of rubber rings to replace the ones mounted from the factory.

Content according to the tin, but you also get a range of plates to control the water flow and spare rubber bands to seal the capsules.

In addition to this a few plates with L-shaped holes in it is supplied. The point is that you can vary how long the water is to flow though the capsule, and you can experiment with different options to adjust to taste.

The plates to be mounted inside the capsule. The number of holes (L-shaped) determines how long time the coffee is in contact with the water. More holes, less time.

After you have mounted a plate inside the capsule, the simple process is to use the dispenser to get coffee into the capsule and after that use the stamper to pack the coffee.

The user guide is a bit intimidating at first, but once you get a hang of the system it quickly becomes a routine. But my first attempt at reading it Christmas eve was not successful. Find a quiet moment to take in the details.

The two capsules comes with a plastic tube to aid filling coffee into the capsule and a plastic tamper (right) to help you pack the coffee in the capsule.

A precision made super thin thread allows you to screw the lid on the capsule. It seems to me like really well made precision work by the Italian factory, and although I have not used the system for more than a few days, I would expect this to be a durable product that will last many years.

Also, there seems to be a solid supply of rubber rings to keep you going for many years forward, so this product should last you for many years.

The two capsules comes with a lot of rubber rings to replace the ones mounted from the factory.

I do miss somewhere to store both the extra plates and the rubber rings, but in daily use (once you have selected your favorite plates) the only thing you need is the capsules themselves, and they store neatly in the dispenser using the supplied lids for the top and bottom.

The plastic tube to aid filling the coffee into the capsules, doubles as a storage container, when the two lids (top and bottom) are added.

Verdict

Does it work? Yes, it does. I will say though that mounting the capsules, as well as removing it again, requires use of more force with my Nespresso machine than the disposable capsules, actually to a level where I in the beginning suspected that something was wrong. I am not sure if this will have a negative long term effect on my machine – time will tell, but there definitely is a big difference in the force you need to apply.

Any downsides? Yes, the time required to prepare a cup of coffee. One of the wonderful things about the Nespresso system is the ease and speed. And that you only make one cup, so you don’t waste coffee by brewing a full bowl only to drink a fraction. The latter is still maintained with the Waycap system, but it takes a lot more time to fill the capsule yourself. The speed and convenience drops. If you are willing to make this investment in going from fast-food to slow-food, then of course it is not an issue. But brewing 4 fast cups when friends drop by is not that easy. The use case is a bit different.

Any upsides? Yes, other than the gain for the environment, I can confirm that it is both cheaper and that you get better coffee. I love the Nespresso coffee, but you can afford to buy some really good coffee and still save money relative to the 1/2 EUR per cup that Nespresso charges. You will have to play a bit with the number of holes in the plates, the coffee type and how fine the coffee is grinded, but once you get that under control, it is a pure pleasure.

Any quirks? Yes, other than the capsules being a bit tougher to mount in the machine, I find that removing the plates with the holes from the capsules can be a pain. I think it is because water between the plate and the capsule creates a small vacuum that is difficult to overcome. The user guide also mentions that the capsules are rather hot just after you’ve made a cup, but I find that it gets cold much faster than the 10 minutes the guide recommends you wait.

Bottom line? I really like the Waycap system. It seems like a solid product of very high quality. And its key selling arguments are solid if you ask me. But sometimes I miss the speed of my disposable capsules. And for that reason I probably will use both, but the Waycap system will definitely make my use of disposable capsules drop dramatically. And that is not bad at all.

My iPhone walking steadiness generates no data – or does it?

Walking steadiness does not work – or does it?

You can find plenty of posts related to the setup and activation of the walking steadiness, that works with more modern iPhones and more recent versions of IOS. It uses data from the sensors in the iPhone together with number of steps, step length and walking stability to calculate a walking steadiness index number, that translates onto: OK (best score), low or very low (worst score). The idea is to monitor your walking patterns and predict if you have a heightened risk of falling, as injuries from citizens age 65+ is a problem in growth. So the intention is good.

The problem however is that it appears not to work! I have followed every instruction on how to switch on the walking steadiness to minute detail, and re-done it over and over again: no result. Then I tried to google if others had the same issue, and yes! But no solution.

What to do? I waited!

I do not know how the software or the logic works, but suddenly my iPhone (a 12 with IOS 15.1) generated a walking steadiness score! It was on a Thursday. And after that? Silence. No update. Until it became Thursday again! New update!

So currently it looks like my iPhone calculates the walking steadiness once every week!

The strange thing is, that my wife who also has an iPhone with the IOS 15.1 installed gets daily updates! Not real time updates though, but daily updates. The only difference I can spot between the two is that I have a Garmin Phenix 3 connected to the iPhone and she has a Garmin Vivoactive watch. I doubt however, that this is the cause of the difference, as the waking steadiness is based primarily on data generated by the sensors in the iPhone.

So what to make of all this? My point is that if you experience lack of data and results when it comes to the walking steadiness function in the iPhone, maybe a bit of patience is all you need. Keep walking with your iPhone in your pocket for a week or so, and see if it results in scores generated.

As you can see from the image below, a few weeks later, it is confirmed that the updates follow a weekly pattern. Every Thursday the data is updated. I am not sure if the Thursday is the day of updating, or of it is a coincidence that is more determined by when I started to log data. But it does confirm that when you have turned on walking steadiness, patience is key, subject to what tracker you use to collect the data.

Please let me know in the comments how you are doing and what frequency your iPhone has in updating the steadiness score – it seems to me there is very little data on the subject out there, so it would be great if we could fix that via this post.

Review: RAVPower PD Pioneer Power Bank

Review of the RAVPower PD Pioneer 2-Ports Power Bank with impressive specs.

Long name

The RAVPower PD Pioneer Power Bank actually has an even longer name: The RAVPower PD Pioneer 20000mAh 60W 2-Ports Power Bank!

And what’s in a name? Well, in this case, actually a lot! Notice the 20000mAh with can be translated to 20Ah! An impressive amount of energy, only found in batteries you would normally plug into your power tools – provided you have pro-level power tools, that is.

And further: 60 Watts! If you have ever tried to hold a light bulb back in the days long before LEDs and energy saving light bulbs were invented, you know how hot a 60 watts light bulb “classic” can get – it is an impressive amount of energy this little battery delivers!

No nonsense

4-level power indicator with blue LEDs. Here the power bank is fully charged.

The design is not very advanced: Only one button that activates the 4-LED power indicator and two connectors: USB-C and USB-A. It only comes with one short black cable for the USB-C port. The USB-C port will deliver 45 Watts when used together with the USB-A port delivering 15 Watts. If the USB-C port is used only, it will deliver up to 60 Watts using the so called PD (Power Delivery) technology! The instructions urges you only to use the supplied USB-C cable, as older cables may not be designed for as much power as the PD technology can deliver.

The power bank body design is of the no nonsense kind: a rounded black box weighing 370 grams, and with a size of 15 x 6,5 x 2,5 centimeters. (H x W x D). It is a little less than 2 iPhone 12’s on top of each other. So it fits nicely into one hand. You can also get it in white if you prefer, but that’s it!

Same height as an iPhone 12, but not as wide and approx. 2 times as deep…

Real world test

I bought this product to keep my demanding PC at work happy during the late hours of the working day. It is a Lenovo Thinkpad that requires 45 Watts power input, and it will certainly make you aware during boot if you try to feed it with anything less! Normally at 3 in the afternoon, the Lenovo battery runs flat and start to go into (intensive) power saving mode, then gives me half an hour more and dies completely. With the RAVPower attached using the USB-C connector, it keeps my PC going almost a full working day, and only towards the end of the day will the RAVPower run out, and the PC starts to make use of it’s own battery! That is truly impressive! The Lenovo charger can then stay at home, and I have the freedom to move around during the day without looking for a power plug or worry about battery depletion!

According to the marketing specs, the RAVPower can charge an MacBook Pro 13″ from 0% to 50% during an hour. I have not tested this, but I find it very likely based on my own experience with the power available in this little gadget. And with my 20 watts apple charger, I have found that in 3-4 hours the RAVPower is back from close-to-flat to fully charged.

Is it for you?

The RAVPower will set you back around 70 EUR here in Denmark, and I would imagine it can be found even less expensive in both the rest of Europe and in the US (although Amazon have removed products from RAVPower for reasons unknown to me).

I have not long term tested it and cannot say if the battery will stay fresh for many years, but the Chinese company behind RAVPower started their business based on battery technology, so I am optimistic it will stand the test of time.

So if you are in the market for a powerful no nonsense power bank , I think this option should be on your short list, if available where you live.

However, if you need more thank 2 ports, there are alternatives available with 2×2 ports, and if you need even more power, there are models with up to 26.000 mAh, but then you will also need to pay significantly more.

Thank you for reading this far! Questions and comments are more than welcome!

Review: Apple AirTag

Seek … and you shall find!

The Apple AirTag is as it says, a little tag that you can attach to literally anything, but most of us probably want to start with our keys. Then comes the wallet, backpack, laptop, etc. The options are endless. Thats probably why Apple offers a package of 4 with a good discount.

The leather key ring is designed to hold the AirTag and provide a key ring at the same time. It comes in many different vibrant colors, but as you can see I chose to go with a more conservative option:

Apple Leather Key Ring box. Apple AirTag box to the right. — Apple Leather Key Ring box to the left, Apple AirTag box to the right – combined result in the key ring in the middle.

Setup is easy

Setup is easy – hold the AirTag to your iPhone 11 or 12, and it will initiate the installation process. Select from the list of pre-defined options (in my case: keys) and you are good to go.

IPhone 12 and keys with the AirTag and Leather Key ring.

Use

The AirTag can be followed in the “Find My” app. It took me a bit to dig it out from one of the folders, as it was not an app I have used previously.

You can also just say “Hey Siri, find my keys” and it will activate sound from the AirTag and after that open the “Find My” app. It works really well.

The sound is especially useful if know the keys are close nearby, and you just forgot exactly where you left them. If distance is greater, the “Find My” app comes in handy.

How it works

If your iPhone and the AirTag are close nearby, the the AirTag communicates with your iPhone via Bluetooth. If not, then the AirTag sends out a Bluetooth signal that can be received by Apple iPhones, iPads etc. close nearby. They listen to the Bluetooth signal, and forward the position encrypted and anonymously to you via iCloud. So provided you have “friends” nearby, the location of your AirTag can always be found. If not, then you can find the most recent location a “friend” of yours was close to the AirTag.

You can also register your AirTag as lost, and get a notification if it suddenly appears “on the grid”. It really is a clever design.

Conclusion

I cannot really find something not to like here.

Normally I find Apples prices a bit steep, but the price of 33 EUR here in Denmark seems more than fair, and you can drive the price down even further if you buy a package of 4 AirTags.

The design and ease of use is as always with Apple from the top shelf.

I cannot speak to the battery life. Apple promises that the batteries will last long as as it is an advanced version of Bluetooth that puts very little strain on the batteries, but that remains to be seen.

With regards to anonymity of the data we can only hope that Apple delivers to promise, otherwise hacking these apps would be the shoplifters dream come true! And then of course you need a lot of “friends” out there, but I guess that someone eventually will drop by your AirTag if you live in a not too desolated area of the world.

Shopping link

Apple Airtag

Review: Worx Landroid M700

At approx. 750 EUR the Landroid M700 is certainly amongst one of the more budget friendly lawn mover robots, but will it get the job done?

Price

The Landroid M700 will set you back around 750 EUR, and hence it is one of the less expensive lawn mover robots available. You should however be aware that it comes without GPS tracking, which is an additional 200 EUR approximately. It is sold as a separate module you plug into the Landroid. You may not need it if your WIFI covers your entire lawn and if you don’t want to be able to track your Landroid, if stolen.

How it works

The Landroid needs you to install a boundary cable that defines the area in which the Landroid is to work. It is very important that you follow the installation instructions and give sufficient room between the cable and objects, as the Landroid follows the cable when it returns home to the base.

Landroid and boundary cable. — Make sure to make room between the boundary cable and objects like stones and walls – here the Landroid cannot pass the concrete block….

Compared to more expensive robots that have a so called guiding cable, which is a separate cable guiding the robot back to the base, the Landroid finds it way back to the base by searching for the boundary cable and following this counterclockwise until it is at the base. Any object along the boundary cable that stops the Landroid will be a show stopper, as the Landroid logically follows the boundary cable to find home.

Landroid and charging. — Two metal arms stick out to the right hand side of the Landroid and connects to the base for charging. The green flashing light shows charging is in progress.

It is also important that the lawn is free from any obstacles like fallen down branches, apples and tools from the shed, otherwise it will impair the operation of the Landroid. This was a little new to me, it is just like having a toddler where you keep objects out of reach to avoid problems…

Landroid and objects. — The Landroid has decided to battle a rake and at this point it is difficult to call a winner…

The philosophy

Maybe a big word to use about a lawn mover, but it does operate somewhat differently from the Husquarna that I also have had the pleasure to test:

First, the Landroid has only one nose wheel, and this makes it very vulnerable to holes in the lawn. I had to fix several holes that I did not know I had before the Landroid would operate without interruptions. So you may want to get a lawn mover robot with 2 nose wheels if you plan to use it in less-than-perfect lawns.

Second, the Landroid only cuts 1/2 the width of the body. You can see here in the image below that the black area is where the crass is cut (my fingers show the cut area), behind the orange area there is nothing going on! So the Landroid needs to do a lot of back and forth in order to cut the lawn, as the blade is rather small. My guess is that the advantage is that the motor is less a strain on the battery and hence the Landroid can go for much longer stints than had it needed to power the motor to drive a larger blade. And it brutally drives the battery down to 10% before returning to base – other more conservative robots do that at 30%. And the battery can be used in other power tools from Worx and the other way around. So if you have several tools from Worx, you can share battery “pool” with the Landroid.

Cutting width. — The “mouth” where the grass is cut. It is not the full width of the robot.

Third, the designers at Worx have prioritized that the robot is not to work when it rains! I have always been told that cutting the grass in rain is a waste of time, as the grass just bends and is not cut. But the much more expensive Husquarna I have tested did not have this ability.

The Landroid comes with sensors to detect rain, and if it is working, it returns to base, and if it is about to start, you can set up how long time it should delay its work, once the rain has stopped.

In contrast to the rain sensor, the cutting height cannot be controlled via an app as some of the more expensive robots offer. On the Landroid the height is controlled by a large turning knob on top of the body that determines the cutting height in mm’s. It feels a bit primitive, but when I think about how few times I have changed the cutting height, this seems to be a good place to lower the ambitions.

Setting cutting height. — Cutting height is set to 50 mm here.

Operation

The Landroid is rather quiet. You can hear it working, but it is certainly not bad at all. Actually, it has several times bumped into me, as I was so absorbed in garden work that I did not hear it approaching.

The name M700 indicates that it can handle a lawn up to 700 square meters – mine is a bit smaller than that, and the Landroid seems rather relaxed maintaining the back yard of my house. In order to also handle the very small front yard that I have, I would need to install a second boundary cable, and move the robot. The front yard is simply too small for that, so my trusty old petrol driven lawn mover is still with me, and we cut the front yard in approx. 5 minutes. Notice also that the Landroid does not do corners very well, nor the area just outside the boundary wire (remember: you need some safety margin) so the good old petrol driven one also helps me out here.

The Landroid drive is pretty powerful. The two large rear wheels and a very small front wheel gives it lots of traction and it happily pushes smaller chairs around on the patio. It also detects non-movable objects such as a wall and makes recovery moves to get on with the job. In few cases have I seen the Landroid trapped, but that has been when the arms on the right hand side of the body have been caught in a branch or two, otherwise the Landroid does an pretty good job of pulling itself out of problems. But mind you that it does not like lack of space between the boundary cable and solid objects. And if holes in the lawn catches the tiny front wheel, then the Landroid gets stuck.

In terms of configuration I have simply asked the Landroid to generate a standard scheme, and made a few modifications on top of that. That works fine. You can see here in the display below that the Landroid is charging (43%) and that the schedule covers all days of the week – if no black box behind the letter of the day, then the Landroid has a day off (I’m a tough employer and it has duties all 7 days a week, but starts later in the day Saturday and Sunday).

You protect the Landroid settings with a passcode, but I am not sure how effective that is when it comes to theft – in that case you need to buy the GPS module to find your Landroid again.

The Landroid will make lines in the grass when cutting. In the image below, the morning dew clearly shows where the Landroid has been, but that quickly disappears and in general the lawn appears very neat and tidy when the Landroid takes care of it.

What is worse is that the Landroid works along the boundary cable so much that it eventually makes small tracks in the grass… Even if you ask the Landroid not to cut along the boundary wire, the Landroid will make tracks in the grass. Here I really miss the guiding cable from more expensive models…

Conclusion

What I like:

Price
Battery life / stint duration
Quiet operation
Easy setup
Good traction and trap recovery
Battery share with other Worx products

What I did not like:

Leaves tracks along the boundary cable
Does not handle corners well, nor the outside if the perimeter cable
Only one nose wheel – vulnerable to holes in the lawn
No GPS tracking (additional investment)
Vulnerable to boundary cable blunders
App does not work then WiFi coverage is missing / weak

Warning!

Cycle helmet alternative

Angles matter

Heavy Duty

Electronics

Storage

Price and conclusion

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Skeptical!

What is it?

Is installation cumbersome?

Does it work in real life?

Does the cleaning mop work?

How long time to clean?

Can I recommend the product?

Related reading

Recommended

What is it?

What is in the box?

Is installation easy?

Is pairing easy?

Is the battery life ok?

How is it to use?

Conclusion

Back in the day…

Setup

Conclusion

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Save the planet, save Money

Verdict

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Walking steadiness does not work – or does it?

Long name

No nonsense

Real world test

Is it for you?

Seek … and you shall find!

Setup is easy

Use

Conclusion

Shopping link

Related reading

Price

How it works

The philosophy

Operation

Conclusion