Best Work From Home Gadgets (2024 Update)

I am absolutely amazed but the capacity and delivery of this cooking tool. I think that this is a perfect companion for any kind of kitchen, cooking skills, or cooking need that you could have in mind. With its 6 options: frier, grill, roast, bake, roast, broil, and dehydrate. All of that in a countertop size and with the same stylish design that Ninja brings to all its products. Finally, I can assume by adding the Ninja Foodi smart XL you will be retiring a few of your cooking devices that are now obsolete, too bulky, or simply inefficient. I said that is ok for all types of kitchens and I see the little space that takes in the countertop in comparison with all types of cooking styles that you can use it for. The act that the grill can deliver perfectly prepared meat in an absolutely smokeless process will support my comment. All cooking skills are accepted. The functioning can not be more intuitive and less cumbersome. In fact, in a simple process of following basic instructions that are showing up on the screen, the final outcome can not be better. Turn on, select your elaboration method, and follow the steps that sometimes could include a preheat. When this is over the device will request your add the food and the elaboration will be ready in the expected time. An interesting addition is the use of a thermometer that with a single sensor introduced in the meat, will automatically shut off the grill when the inside reaches the suitable level predefined. A second great feature that exceed my expectations and sent the old air fryer to its retirement is the air crisp function. Faster, and less noisy than my previous model it reduced the same food preparation in five minutes. Our Sunday night winds are now Ninja prepared. I love the bake element because the heat is delivered from both sides top and bottom and this helps with the pizza cake preparation. The dough and the cheese are both cooked and prepared perfectly in no time. With only one week in the house, I can not report about the dehydrate function but looking forward to playing with it. A final element to keep in mind when buying a kitchen device: the cleaning. I already mentioned that the grill is smoke control so the kitchen is not smelling like an outside barbecue at the end of the process. Additionally, all the cooking parts are easy to clean or aluminum made which makes them absolutely removable and can go in the dishwasher (except the thermometer). Ninja is a great brand that also brings quality in all its products so there is an element of investment with a long term ROI that needs to be mentioned. I simply love it.Luis

Incredible! I purchased my grill two weeks ago in person. Two employees helped me out – both were fantastic! They answered all of my questions and volunteered other important information about the grill. And because I’m a “Total Tech” member, I got the grill for $219.99 instead of the $279.99 full price, and a 2 year warranty instead of the 1 yr manufacturer warranty. The grill is extremely easy to use and comes with great instructions and even a few recipes. The first thing I made was 2 New York strip steaks. The process was as follows: Turned on the grill, pressed preheat, the default setting was already on beef, chose medium well and hit start. The grill beeped when it reached the right temperature. I prepared the steaks by rubbing them with canola oil on all sides (the instructions tell you NOT to use olive oil – the burning pt is too low I think to be used with the high temperature of the grill) and flavored them with salt & pepper. Then I placed the thermometer in the steaks (the instructions are very explicit in the proper placment of the thermometer so that it works to the correct “doneness” level you’ve chosen). Using silicone tipped kitchen tongs, I placed the steaks on the grill and closed the lid (the instructions tell you to use only silicone tipped tongs – metal will scratch the finish of the grill, roast and griddle pans; and the air crisper basket). After a few minutes, the grill beeped and “flip” showed on the control panel. Flipped the steaks and closed the lid. In about 4 – 5 minutes, the grill beeped again, the control panel showed done and the temperature of the meat. Moved the steaks to plates and let them rest a few minutes where they continued cooking. Turned the grill off. I initially left the lid open so it would cool faster but it set off the smoke alarm in the kitchen area, so closed the lid. Served the steaks – they were incredible – so juicy and tender and were perfect restaurant quality. Clean-up was a breeze. Drained the grease from the drip pan, then washed it, the splatter shield and the grill plate in warm soapy water (you can also use the dishwasher). Wiped down the inside of the grill with a sponge – grease does splatter on the inside so it’s important to wipe down the inside after each use. One additional thing – the XL grill is quite large (& a bit heavy) and does not fit in any of my kitchen cabinets; I am storing it either on the stove top, counter tops, and kitchen table when I need space to prepare food & cook when not using the grill. I am totally in love with this product. It couldn’t be easier to use and clean. The recipes give detailed step by step directions in the food prep, when to preheat, and exactly how to use it when cooking multiple foods, i.e. meats and vegetables. There are more recipes online. I can’t wait to try the air crisper, roasting and additional cooking methods. I highly recommend this product! It value for your money is definitely worth it!MagicMuse13

When I first opened the box it was a lot heavier & larger than I expected. I don’t have a lot of counter space. The cord is a bit short also. I am not a chef nor do I like to cook but this made dinner easy for me, the panel is easy to use, display is large & the timer stops when you lift the lid & resumes when you close it. You can do many things with this & some features I may never use, you can grill, roast, air fry, bake, boil & dehydrate. A recipe book with about 15 recipes was included so I decided to try the barbecue/ honey mustard grilled chicken, I used canola oil & had no smoke at all even after adding marinade, this was great because every other indoor grill I purchased smoked & got super hot, this was warm but it didn’t get as hot as I expected it to, there is a vent on the top & fan in the back. The display told m3e at one point when to flip the meat. Our chicken was tasty but was dried out & over cooked. I used smaller breasts & think this is a learning process to get it just right. The thermometer is handy but must be inserted at the start of cooking & tucks away into the side. I am not a big fan of fried food at all but tried the air fry feature with sweet potatoes & also used canola oil again & they were perfect, delicious & not greasy at all. I haven’t tried the other settings yet. A drip pan is included which catches everything & is easy to clean, the fry basket is easy to clean also, the grill grate is easy to wash but hard to dry because of all the grooves, they are all non stick PTFE/PFOA free ceramic coating. I was hoping all accessories would fit inside but they don’t, one has to be left out. Other than the few things I mentioned this is a really fun way to make things, especially for those who hate cooking & the food is good, just takes a bit of practice on the timing to get it perfect.30stmrox

I love this. In fact, I bought a 2nd unit as a backup for when my current one dies. However, I learned I can't really use the "Grill" function for meat with the little guide that came with it. Tried an expensive cut of beef steak as first meat following the guide. Came out like a shrunken, dried up hockey puck. Use it mainly for air frying and cooking bacon on the single roasting rack. That alone makes it worth the $ spent. But I tried again last night with boneless pork loin chops, cut the suggested (lowest) cooking time in THIRD, and it still came out puck-like. At least we were able to cut and chew it. Would have not been possible had I went the whole time. ONLY thing I use the grilling function for now is charring / blistering my poblano peppers for stuffing and air frying afterwards. I don't even know how the writers of these directions can miss it by so much. Anyway, one of our fave meals is "re-roasted rotisserie chicken." Split in half, brush all surfaces with avocado oil, season each half according to person's taste (spicy, lemon pepper, etc), and "re-roast" on air fry at 300 for 20 minutes, kick up to 350 and go another 3-5 minutes and man, it's awesome!MO low carb cook

Bought this on 11/05/22, Got it by 11/08/22 Has been awesome, I've used it at least once a day. However it's 11/27/22 now and the fan is unbalancing (likely from poor placement of the fan on the lid that can be moved while fan is rotating, and shifting the axis) Fan should be in a fixed location unable to be tilted while rotating. It's now rattling as it's off-balance now. I'm hard of hearing so noticing the sound it's suddenly making along with the vibrations. It's disheartening. I'm also a certified electronic tech with mechatronics background. The design is poorly done, but not RC Willey's fault. It's a manufacturer defect. It happens because the fan is rotating still after it preheats, and wants you to add the food. When you lift the lid while the fan is rotating on the Vertical Axis, and suddenly change that, it exerts force against the shaft and bearings because the Rotating Fan does Not want to change from Horizontal to Vertical. Anyways sorry for the science lesson, hope this helps people understand what can cause this. Open the lid VERY slowly and change the rotation of the Axis SLOWLY, will help it last longer. However I was not Mistreating mine by jerking it open. I worried that this would be a problem in time… I had hoped for a much longer run. (It's still working just rattling as it tries to go up to speed for about 30 seconds, then slows down from rattling, then speeds up again and rattles….until it's done cooking)Caleb

This is the most handy small appliance I own. I've had this for almost a year. We mainly use the grill function, but also the air fryer from time to time. We do not have a covered deck, so when the weather is bad we can still grill without being out in the elements and we don't have to worry about smoke. I will say however, I will not be cooking steaks on this again. If you expect the same results when cooking steak as you would on an outdoor grill, you will be sorely disappointed. I assumed that going into it, but just wanted to experiment. Everything else I've tried has turned out very well. Chicken, burgers, salmon… The instruction manual that comes with it is helpful, but not completely accurate due to the sizing of meat. I mainly rely on the temps from the manual and then estimate the time. Also, cleanup is mostly a breeze. All attachments inside are dishwasher safe. But…if you like BBQ chicken (I REALLY DO), you will spend a little extra time scraping stuck on bbq sauce. That mess is sticky. Overall, I love this product, would recommend and would buy again.KScott

I am a newby to this type of cooking equipment. It does take a bit of experimenting to get used to pressure cooking and air frying. As a single person, my meal preparations are generally small, so the 6.5 quart model is perfect for me. If you are cooking for a family, I would suggest getting a larger unit. Overall, after only 1 week, I am pleased with the purchase of the Ninja. I own other Ninja brand appliances and have found them to be of high quality, this unit is as well. So I would recommend this unit to anyone looking to move to a device with so many different options for preparing food. Additionally, since you are only heating a much smaller space than a conventional oven, your electricity usage is much lower.John

I have a Ninja pressure cooker/air fryer that I love that I got a couple years ago that I use all the time! I received this new Ninja Foodi Pressure cooker/air fryer and it is an amazing upgrade and updated design! The first part is the all in one design. On the older model you had to switch the lids between pressure cooking and air frying. This has an adjustable slider that adjusts between pressure cooking, steam crisp, and air frying all under one lid! Next is a noticiably sturdier foot base, to give extra support when the lid is open and keep the pot from wanting to tip over. The upgraded control panel makes cooking so easy and gives you clear selections for each type of cooking. The pressure cookers only choice is pressure, where the steamcrisp setting offers steam & crisp, as well as steam and bake. The air fryer/ stovetop setting offers air fry, broil, bake/roast, dehydrate, proofing, sear/saute, steam, sous vide, slow cook, and a yogurt mode. All of which are described in a very thorough guidebook, and also comes with a extensive meal guide with recipes of all types. The accessories it comes with is a cooking plate, a reversible steam rack, a cooking pot, and the guide also said it is supposed to come with a multi-purpose pan but it didn't. Next to the pan in the guide it says "*Accessories may vary in each configuration". So this model aparently does not come with one. Cooking operation is extremely simple and way easier than my older version. Food cooks fast and evenly, air fryer makes foods taste amazing, crispy, and evenly as well. The steamer worked fanstastic when steaming brocoli and carrots, the slow cooker worked wonders on our white chicken chili, and am able to cook the chicken nuggets and tator tots, fries, pizza rolls, bagel bites with ease and great taste and texture. Browning hamburger is also easy on the sear/saute mode. Much easier than pan browning on the stove. The steaming modes require you to add water to the pan. It being 6.5 quarts is a bit small sometimes for a larger family, but it is still able to tackle mostly everything I have thrown at it. It is by far my most favorite pressure cooker with the new updates. The only thing I would ask for in the future is a storage lid for the pot. Love it and highly recommend!Viabledata

If you have never owned a Ninja Foodi, you are in for a treat! I have owned a Ninja Foodi TenderCrisp 6.5-Quart Pressure Cooker for three years and it is my favorite kitchen appliance and the one I use the most. The reason why is because it’s so versatile and can be used for just about every recipe you make. I love that it cooks food more efficiently and requires less attention. You can do everything in the same pan and it easily switches over from one cooking method to another. From someone who is always working two jobs and is a food snob who only wants to eat homemade food, this makes all my dreams come true. This multiple-functions item is such a money saver because it replaces the need to buy single-function appliances. And how great is it to have more room on my kitchen counter! Besides pressure cooking and air frying, you can steam & crisp or bake, broil, bake/roast, sear/sauté, steam, slow cook. The 14-in-1 upgrade from my original Foodi adds the functions that proof dough, dehydrate, sous vide food, and make yogurt, but it is still 1460 watts. Other models have 1760 watts). The Foodi TenderCrisp 6.5-Quart pressure cooker comes with a cooking pot, reversible rack, cook and crisp plate. Some units come with the multipurpose pan, but mine did not. I had bought it previously as a separate accessory as I wanted it for specific recipes. My other unit came with a Cook & Crisp basket which made it easy to get food in and out of the cooking pot with its handle and sides. I am not a fan of the crisp plate with no sides as the foods spills out when you remove it from the cooking pot. There will probably be a sling you can purchase separately. On the topic of accessories, the best accessory purchase I made was Foodi silicone mitts. The SmartLid marks the convenience of a single lid for cooking and storage. It is so much nicer not having to switch lids and reset the cooking function. As a result, I find it easier to set the function on the control panel. I learned that you can open the top for the SteamCrisp and Air/fry/stovetop. This unit has a handle in the front to raise the lid unlike my other model, which was the side handle. That will take some time for me to re-program my brain. One thing I love about all the Ninja products is the great support materials you get in the box. The 45+ recipe cookbook contains valuable tips, charts and easy-to-follow recipes. I chose five recipes in the Foodie recipe book that I wanted to make immediately and all were crowd pleasers. The Getting to Know Your Foodi Resource offers step-by-step directions on using the Foodi and an overview of the functions with hints and tips. If you are contemplating which of the Ninja Foodi cookers to purchase, each offers you something different depending on how many people you are cooking for and what items you want to be included in your box. Here is a quick at-a-glance look at the different models and what they offer. The 7-in-1 Compact Pressure Cooker & Air Fryer has 7 functions, a 5 qt capacity, 2 cooking lids, 1460 watts, the cook & crisp basket. The 11-in-1 6.5-qt Pro Pressure Cooker & Air Fryer has 11 functions, a 6.5 qt capacity, 2 cooking lids, 1460 watts, and the crisp plate. The 12-in-1 8-qt. Deluxe XL Pressure Cooker & Air Fryer has 12 functions, an 8 qt capacity, 2 cooking lids, 1760 watts, the cook & crisp basket. The 14-in-1 XL Pressure Cooker Steam Fryer has 14 functions, an 8 qt capacity, SmartLid, 1760 watts, cook & crisp basket. (also comes with the deluxe reversible rack) The 14-in-1 8-qt. SMART XL Pressure Cooker Steam Fryer has 14 functions, an 8 qt capacity, SmartLid, cook & crisp basket. (also comes with built-In thermometer, hands-free steam release, deluxe reversible rack) The Foodie has opened a new door to a world of easy, healthful cooking for busy people. If you are on Facebook, you can join any number of private groups on Facebook that focus on cooking with the Ninja Foodi, such as the Official Ninja Foodi Family™ Community. Members post questions and solutions, but best of all RECIPES with photos! Whether you decide to purchase the Foodi 14-in-1, 6.5-QT Pressure Cooker Steam Fryer with SmartLid or one of the four other models, I predict many years of wonderful meals in your future. This continues to be my go-to gift for bridal showers and weddings.NBCTeach05

The amazon echo is a great addition to your home if you are open to having mics listening in on your activities and conversations. I know some don't like that, but those who allow it will find great convenience in getting information about weather, movies, actors, jokes, and more. Plus, you'll be able to request music, and with a little effort in the app, you can have the same music playing via a group across multiple echos and fire sticks, giving you a great way to have a sonos-like environment. While the intelligence of the questions aren't up to par with Google's similar devices, the echo will suffice for most. Just don't expect it to answer complex questions, or provide extremely precise answers in all cases. And if you're a smart home user who likes to control lights, thermostats, etc., then the echo and its alexa app let you do lots of cool things, and even automate them with routines (e.g., say "goodnight" at the end of the day to turn off all the lights and lower the thermostat). What's especially nice is if you have multiple brands, the alexa app bridges that complexity so it all plays nicely together. Keep a spare echo ready in your music group and you can bring it outside on the deck on a nice day and have your music – and control of your music – at your side. Just wish they'd come out with a waterproof or outdoor version to have it out there all the time.johnny

Received a echo dot with my purchase which was pretty cool. The little speaker is a fun addition to the household when you want to listen to music hands free. Or want to set alarms to wake you up in the morning. Can also use it to navigate your smart TV, amongst other things if you have more than one. Sounds pretty good for the size. Would've been cool if you were able to charge it and take it around the house. Definitely enjoying my little speaker. Might buy another to have in a second area soon. This would be a cool gift for someone older who wants to have a little speaker and isn't tech savy as far as hooking up to a Bluetooth speaker and having to use a music app to find music they like. They could just ask Alexa to create a playlist for them. Even the kids could enjoy this little device.GCas

This is way more fun than I expected. I dont use a lot of smarthome features, but now that I'm getting used to Alexa, things are about to change. Really convenient way to listen to tunes while I'm working on the computer or playing on my phone. I use it a lot for simple questions and information too. Im going to order some smart light bulbs soon so I can make her do even more for me. Haha My major complaint is that I can't use it to call or text someone unless they sign up with the Alexa app too. That's a loss of a whole star there, because Google smart devices do that just fine with my Samsung Galaxy devices. This was free with the purchase of a TV, but I've mulled around the idea of getting one for a few years. Ive got other speakers that are better sounding, but as far as convenience goes, this little Echo is great for me. It sits right beside my recliner on a table where I embarrassingly spend most of my time. There has never been a problem of hearing it or not hearing me. The reminders arw handy too. Hve been dabbling with the shopping lists feature too. I espect to use this more and more but really wish I could call and text my peeps with her.BigC

For years I have been struggling to find a home private network solution where I wouldn’t get my spouse or even my daughter to complain about lag, disconnects, unstable and intermittent connectivity. Getting Wi-Fi speeds of 350 – 420 Mbps on a 1.2 GB paid plan was blazing fast. Normally we would get 198 a 284 Mbps and with 3 people trying to do stuff (play games, watch Plex, or do research/work) let’s just say I got an earful regularly. Then Wi-Fi 6 emerged and I jumped at the chance to possibly see speed increases and less nagging. Picked up a TP-Link Deco x90 and saw no real improvement and actually more instability in connection. I finally decided to begrudgingly spend top dollar for a Netgear Orbi RBK752. Why didn’t I make the jump sooner raced through my mind immediately after setting up the new Wi-Fi system. On the same 1.2 GB plan I did the same speed tests as I did previously and this time my speeds were 934 Mbps regularly. I checked it multiple times a day, during peak and slow times, and continued for a 7 day period and I regularly hit 930s – 950s Mbps. Thus far the Netgear Orbi RBK752 has decreased the nagging, remained consistent with high speed internet and now it’s Happy Wife “Happy Life”. Don’t be cheap like I was. Don’t second guess the ability of getting what you pay for (both with the internet plan and the Wi-Fi router speeds). Save yourself from the ear punishment and non-stop nagging because lag caused the latest raid death. I certainly will not settle for mediocrity and in the future my first purchase will be a Netgear Orbi system. Thank you Netgear!Tom S.

So, in hindsight I wish I had a 3 pack, but nonetheless, these are great products. I had been considering adding mesh products to my network for some time, so when they went on sale for the holidays I finally pounced. The app (once setup) has great visibility into all devices and network details, the coverage is great (I have the base in my living room right next to my ISP modem/router combo, and the satellite upstairs in my loft) in all areas of the house. Over Wifi, my laptops are pulling anywhere from 300-650 down, and around 50+ up. Even my really old laptop was seeing speeds in that upper range (with only Wireless N capabilities). Wired I'm getting the 'up to' speeds that I'm actually paying Cox for! About 2 weeks in and so far so good. Truth be told, I also added this to the mix right after I upgraded my Cox modem to the newest model so there is a 2nd variable involved in the equation. However, I did tests with that new device before I added these in and while improved, it was not like the speeds and coverage I get with the Orbi devices. Downfalls-initial setup was not nearly as quick and easy as advertised. Definitely a little more difficult to get connected than I was lead to believe. It was not hard, it just wasn't quite as simple as I thought. Also would be nice if there was a desktop interface as opposed to ONLY through the app (though the app is pretty user friendly). Pros: Speeds, coverage area, ability to assign devices (and restrictions) to different users, analytics within the app, guest network Cons: Setup not as easy as I thought, somewhat cost prohibitive if not on sale.eonsdaddy

I must say when I first researched the Orbi I was skeptical. Lots of people said that it was amazing but for the price point I was sure that I could find something better. Well I tried multiple versions of a mesh network. Linksys, Eero even Google and although they were good Orb has truly set a standard for what Wi-Fi in the home should be like. The security is second to none. Something as simple as getting a notification when a device connects to your router is outstanding. Take it one set further and verify that your new device does not pose a threat to your current network or yourself and you have made me a customer for life. That's what NETGEAR and the Orbi system has achieved. A lifetime customer. The controls are so simple and they allow you to take full control of your home network in all ways. Not to mention the setup for me was so easy. I would consider myself a tech savvy person but this was WAY too easy. I love that for them. One Last thing. I believe the level of awesomeness Orbi has achieved is second to none. The aesthetic of the router and the satellite make it easy to fit into any room without being an eye sore. That was extremely important to me as I have a very clean modern setup. Thanks NETGEAR for making a product that does exactly what it's suppose to do and more. And thank you for making a product that LOOKS awesome while being awesome.QWalker

Bought the 3-pack and also added another 1. Very good and pretty much as advertised. Super easy setup. We got these to deal with some dead spots and because it allowed us to have rooms where we needed to plug in PCs that didn't have wifi (or wifi wasn't a good option) and the 2 available Ethernet slots per unit were the perfect solution. Got rid of the 50 foot ugly cables we had running around the baseboards of the house. The only 3 negatives which lost it the 5-star rating are that the security features are causing some devices to lose wifi here and there (only for a few seconds), the same security (which has nice features) is only free for 30 days (annoying, and not worth continuing), and the speed. The last one may be a big thing for some, so I'll explain. We have 1GB service. Our hardline devices generally get about 750-800 on speedtest.net. Our wifi devices were getting about 500. Now with the Eero (which replaced the "upgraded" spectrum hardware), we are at slightly less than those numbers. So for us, killing the dead zones and adding 8 ethernet ports around the house were worth losing a few percent on the speed. But again, starting with 1GB service allows you not to worry about losing some in translation. For those who may be at 200, 100 or lower, it could be an issue. Bottom line: I totally recommend this for effectively expanding wifi in larger areas, and for giving yourself those sometimes valuable Ethernet ports without running cables. If you're getting this to speed up your wifi, I would be cautious.IveBeenThinking

The Eero Pro 6 is a great upgrade from the Google Wifi mesh system. I was looking for something with Wi-Fi 6, AX capabilities, and improved speed. This delivered on all of those features and more. The setup was simple and made the transition as easy as possible. The app is very intuitive and makes managing the network a breeze. I'm also impressed with the added features of Eero Secure, especially when managing my children's devices. There were a few quirks initially, such as devices not connecting to the closest points, but after resetting the network after each setting change, that seemed to work itself out. I should mention that I purchased two of these 2-packs and the four devices work together seamlessly. I should also mention that I also tried the Netgear Orbi AX4200 before the Eero and that was completely useless for me. This is so much more stable, provides greater coverage and overall the speeds and latency are improved. I'd highly recommend this for anyone new to mesh networks or for anyone looking for an upgrade from an older system.Techhie

After trying several solutions for May dual story house, I finally settled with the eero pro and I have to say that network quality drastically improved. I had xfinity and nighthawk routers before and now of them could cover my whole house, specifically the outdoor cameras always dropped connections or more than two TV’s doing streaming. The eero pro have the bandwidth to not only manage lots of smart devices, but also satisfy the media consumption needs of my family while I can access bandwidth to get work done. I also like the device management capabilities that allow me to block content from all my kids devices with a single tap or get notified when a new device connects. I also have separate network for guests and I share a simple QR code and they are online. Great devices and great software. I also signed up for the basic security plan that blocks ads and threats at a network level. The eero a understand Wi-Fi 6 and WPA3. They are great. The best thing, they automatically learn and the Wi-Fi gets better over time. The first 24h were not too impressive, but after that all devices were connected to the best router (I have 3 eero pro 6 in total) and now everything works flawlessly.Tom2

Liked just about everything pertaining to laptop but had to return it for three reasons. First, no microSD care slot. Second, no HDMI port. I could live with the first two reasons. But the third reason, combined with the first two reasons, became a deal-breaker. Since I use my laptop as my desktop, the screen mode that interested me the most was being about to flip the screen over away from the keyboard and use the laptop as a desktop hooked to an external monitor. Unfortunately, the screen did not hold that position and would immediately flip over to the keyboard side of the laptop. This caused me to question the longevity of the SLS's hinge. This shortcoming is unfortunate because the build quality, keyboard, trackpad, display, fan noise, and battery life were all great. I was able to run YouTube continuously for over 12 hours with screen brightness at 40%, wifi and battery saver on, Bluetooth off, and refresh rate at 120hz. Also, the SLS's speakers are AMAZING. Finally, Geekbench 5.4 single-core scores were in the mid-1400s and multi-core scores were between 5400s and 5500s. For those who don't share my use-case, this particular SLS is a great laptop IF you can get it on sale or as an open-box item like I did ($1155).1a2b3c

Needed something to replace my aging all-in-one Asus desktop along with my Surface Pro 6 to minimize the number of devices I had. I was only using the Pro 6 to watch movies on the airplane, so I wasn't maximizing its benefit. Narrowed down my search between the HP Spectre 15.6" x360 and this unit. Had the 13.5" Spectre x360 OLED been readily available, I well may have gone that direction. But as I was already familiar with the Surface lineup, I went with this unit. In some respects, I felt like this was a little less clunky than the bigger HP at 4.5 pounds. The screen is definitely better on the HP (3840 x 2160) than the Studio (2400 x 1600), but while discernable, it wasn't that significant for me personally. However, I couldn't be happier with the Surface Studio laptop and its performance for all desktop and entertainment purposes. Now I'm finally using the laptop as it should to do all of my MS Office functions and movies on the plane (where the tablet form really comes into play). The keyboard is excellent! Fits very nicely in my Speck Transfer Pro Pocket Sleeve 14" which then slips into my excellent ebags laptop briefcase with my work laptop. PROS *Attractive and definitely unusual form *Excellent keyboard *Touch screen responsiveness *Speed *A very solid build CONS *Heavy *Really wide touchpad and I seem to drift to the right *Better resolution out there but not a deal breaker *Price for a i7, 16GB, 512GB SSD is hightatersqueezins

I’ve owned the original Surface as well as a Surface 4. This time I needed more power so I chose this guy and because of the laptop factor. I cant say enough about this machine. It is FAST, quiet and does everything I need to do. I’m a developer so I almost always have Visual Studio and SQL Serverr Mgmt Studio open on one virtual desktop. On another I almost always have Outlook open and sometimes other Office apps. And I trade some stocks so I have my broker’s website open plus I use a browser for general searching and research and some light shopping. Not once has the machine slowed down or given any hiccup like it was having problems keeping up. It really is a monster machine in a very manageable, non-bulky package that wont weigh you down. Note that I dont game on it. This machine though in tablet mode just cries out for a stylus. I do not understand why Microsoft won’t package this high-end version with the Surface Pen 2 at a discounted price. When I buy a high-end product such as this one, I just expect all the bells and whistles to be included and not to have to go back to the store to pick up a stylus later. It would’ve saved heartburn. But that doesnt change the fact that the Surface Laptop Studio with the 512 SSD, i7 processor and 16GB of RAM is quite possibly the best laptop available at this time, weighing only 4 pounds, with built-in magnetic storage for the Surface Pen 2. And it’s versatile! The screen doesn’t fold back around when you want a tablet like other convertibles. The bottom of the screen pushes inward (toward the front) and it lies flat onto the keys so now I don’t have a convertible that leaves my keyboard vulnerable to bumps and damage. Its a VERY nice physical design that makes me feel more secure about it when its in tablet mode. Lastly, when its in tablet mode, it offers one of the largest tablet screens you could ask for while still weighing just 4 pounds. Very easy to take to meetings or move around and still be on-the-go in tablet mode. Just superb design, functionality and performance. If you get one of these, dont settle for an i5. Just shell out a few bucks extra and get this model which will give you this level of performance and is designed to last over time.Rettogo

Sound: While the Blue Yeti may not be THE best sounding USB mic right out of the box, it does have good sound quality. With a little tweaking through a free audio mixer software like Voice Meeter Banana will result in a very professional sounding mic without spending the big bucks. Stock settings will give you more than sufficient sound quality though. With easy access to the knobs to control the gain and pic up pattern makes for easy adjusting on the fly. Due to the pic up patterns I would only recommend this mic for individual use and not for an interview setting. Price: Being priced at $130 isn't terrible, but should probably be closer to the $100.00 mic segment given it doesn't have XLR. Personally, I would opt to buy the Blue Yeticaster Broadcast Bundle which includes the mic (no desktop stand), boom arm, and shockmount for $180-$200 vs the stand alone Blue Yeti Mic for reasons below. Purchasing all three items individually would be in the $280 range Keep in Mind/Cons: I would highly, highly, highly recommend a boom arm for this mic. The desk stand for the mic is not very useful. I found myself slouching over due to having no height adjustment. Additionally, to get your mouth the appropriate distance from the mic for optimal sound quality (without cranking the gain) means the mic stand is sitting at an awkward spot in relation to your keyboard/mouse. I also found that with the desk stand no matter how I positioned the mic, set the pickup, gain or gate I could not eliminate picking up desk noise such as keyboard clicks, mouse clicks, or even setting my phone down on the desk due no shock dampening. Even setting the stand on a towel did not assist much. Mounting the mic to the Blue Boom Arm completely fixed the unwanted sound and positioning issues. If you are going to mount this mic to the Blue Boom Arm I would recommend installing it with the shock mount. The shock mount isn't much of an advantage sound quality wise, but definitely helps weight wise with the boom arm. While this mic is heavier than normal it's not quite heavy enough on it's on for the Blue Boom Arm. I found the boom arm wanting to "snap open" on the loosest tension settings due to there not being enough weight at the end of it. Adding the yeti shock mount to the mic and boom arm allowed for the proper weight to adjust the mic to my desired position without any sagging or raising. In conclusion, I would highly recommend this mic being purchased in the Yesticaster bundle due to the savings vs buying the individual components. While I still can recommend the mic being purchased individually, I believe you're going to be wanting a boom arm sooner rather than later due to the desk stand offering no dampening or height adjustment.Preston H

So far so good, sounds excellent as expected. I will likely need to put it on a box to elevate it, or get a boom mount. Installation was removing from packaging and plugging in the usb cable. Done. This review is taking longer to write than the installation. What surprised me though is that it's about twice the size I expected. I figured it was maybe an inch and a half wide, subconsciously extrapolating from smaller hand held mikes I've had previously. It's 2-1/2 wide at the screen, 2-3/4 on the main body. 11-1/4 or so tall. I've seen complaints that the stand is flimsy, but it sure isn't, it's pretty weighty and metal, not plastic, which is good. You do need to tighten the side screws to firm positioning up, but that's done with fingers. There's a threaded hole on the bottom that's about 1/2 wide, apparently you can get a 1/4-20 adapter for it. I'm guessing it'll screw into a mike stand, but I don't have one to check. Nice rubber bottom, anti-skid and won't mark your desk up. I'm pretty happy with it, the build quality is good, no complaints there. Using with a Mac, just showed up in preferences as a selection for both input and output (has a headset amp built in, 1/8 jack). Recorded a test video screen capture with voice over, no problem. The multiple patterns are nice, I haven't tried them all yet, but I'll probably just use the Cardoid/single person pattern mostly. Ideal speaking distance seems to be around a foot, but you can easily use it from a yard or more away. Has gain control that I didn't even need to turn up at all. All in all, it seems like a no-brainer. I see why the major reviews are pretty unanimous in recommending it.Jay

White-out is gorgeous, nice to have software support but also physical buttons. Yeti mics used to not have any native software controls but now they are recognized inside Ghub so if you want to do things like equalizing via that, you can (or whatever other audio software you are using). The physical buttons are also great though because you can make adjustments on the fly without having to navigate to software. That makes it pretty versatile for a lot of different use cases. Some people are experts and doing some serious audio work, others just want a nice mic for their zoom meetings. I'm in the latter category. I do think there are better mics out there for audio experts but for the price, this is an awesome mic for someone who just wants to sound better than everyone else in their meeting or want some good controls for things like background nosie.Spacey

My sister-in-law gifted us one of these machines about a year and a half ago. I’m not sure where she purchased it from, so this review is no reflection on Best Buy. I’m just hoping to let as many people know as I can, so they don’t spend and extreme amount of money on a crummy product. The ice this machine makes is absolutely fantastic, but there are so many problems. First of all, we started off by using water from our Burkey water filter. I assumed that would be sufficient, but it quickly became apparent that it was not. The water started getting black stuff in it. I had a friend with an opal, and she said she only uses distilled water – so I’ve started using that, and it’s helped, but not gotten rid of it completely. Secondly, the cleaning is a huge pain. It says to clean weekly, but it’s such a process, that I’m never able to get to that quickly. It says to run the water with cleaning solution through a few times, but I swear it takes like 10 times for it to work. Of course, this might be better resolved with more frequent cleaning, but what a pain! Thirdly, the machine produces so much heat! I’ve vacuumed out the fan several times, but it still produces so much heat – which in turn causes the ice to melt. Lastly, and definitely worst of all, my ice maker has developed a bulge behknd where the tray goes. Like the plastic has warped from the heat of the motor. It seems like a major malfunction which should be resolved by the company, but of course the warranty is only good for a year. The bulge causes the tray to pop out slightly which then causes the machine to stop producing ice. For a machine that costs so much, you’d think there’d be better customer care and warranties. This thing is a piece of crap – but it produces fantastic ice – when it works!Carebear

I purchased an Opal original approximately 2 years ago. Worked great, then one day stopped producing ice. Disappointing to say the least, but I crunch this ice every day so I immediately purchased a replacement (plus an extended warranty so I don't find myself in this situation again. On to the 2.0. It looks better than the original. Less fingerprints and the pull out handle on the ice bin is nice. I never used the extra water bin on my first so I started out using it on this one. I couldn't get it to work. Connected the tube and filled with water, the water would only slightly move to the machine and then I'd get the message to add water. No big deal, I'm used to filling up the main container. Took the extra tank off. The app is great — tells you when the bin is full, needs more water, or is defrosting or the very best status – Making Ice. This brings me to the defrosting issue. My first Opal would go into defrost mode maybe once or twice a week. The 2.0 defrost a lot. A lot. Like 50% of the time at first. This was enough to make me consider returning because it was literally making 1/3 bin of ice then defrosting, making it hours before a bin would be full (I package the ice so I can take it to work with me and crunch throughout the day – yes, this is an addiction) so this output would not be enough. I kept trying and it seems as though after 2 weeks or so, the machine has started producing an output similar to my OG Opal in its heyday. It seems that this product still has strides to make to improve, but if you did a deep dive into reviews like I did, you'll notice that there is no perfect version of this scale pebble ice maker. For now, it will have to do. The machine makes the ice that at this point, I have to have – but to improve would be to increase the life of the product, hopefully bring the price down a bit, and make sure that the Opal can stay in ice making mode as much as possible. It's pricey, but the ice is great — my recommendation would be to make sure to spring for the extended warranty.Jen522

Since our newer fridge didn't have an ice dispenser in the door we were on the hunt. My wife likes ice coffee and spending $5 a day at the gas station or coffee shop, I told her she should try making them herself. She thought that was a great idea except she don't like the square ice bought in bags from the store. Decided to look at nugget ice machines and went with this one. It produces ice in about 10-15 minutes and keeps dropping every so often after. If left on the cubes melt and get recycled back into the water tub and it continues to make ice. The unit does not keep cold so this is inevitable unless you bag and freeze your cubs and shut off after you get the desired amount. I like the fact that you can turn the light off or even dim it if you would like. The wifi setup was a breeze as well as connecting it to Google home. Now I can tell google "make some ice" and the machine powers on and starts working, you can even set a schedule for the ice machine to turn on at a specific time and have cubes when you need. There is a light that turns to let you know you need more water, we have been using gallon jugs of drinking water, hoping this will make cleaning quick and easy. We have hard water and no softener so I definitely didn't want to use our tap water. We have only had the unit for a week now but it has been great so far, I also purchased the 5 year replacement plan from Amazon just in case it does have issues down the road. Pros- nice sized chewable ice – relatively quick – looks great with our white cabinets and black countertop – easy integration with our smart home, app is nice too – the ability to have the water tank on either side – all around just easy to setup and use Cons- PRICE, PRICE, hoping its quality matches it's price tag – somewhat noisy, we don't spend tons of time in the kitchen so this isn't a deal breakerJake FromStatefarm

I recently purchased this on sale from Walmart. Its a decent Chromebook that still gets updates but like all Chromebooks it is not as functional as a Windows or Linux laptop. It runs the android app store and many of the apps like VLC work but several common apps do not work for example word and excel are limited online versions so if these are important to you then you are out of luck. I am also struggling to find a decent email app although Thunderbird will run under Linux if you create a Linux environment. All in all its much better and more flexible than my previous ACER Chromebook C720 which did not support android apps but its still intended mostly for online browsing and gmail. On the hardware side its a fairly solid machine but the external connections are very limited. There is a single USB C which doubles as the only power connector, a single USB 3.0 port and a headphone socket. As mentioned in other reviews there is no HDMI port and no SD card slots but I was able to use a powered USB C dongle with the missing ports/slots which seemed to work. Overall its a good value at the sale price and might make a decent travel companion if you have a wifi connection but it has very limited offline functionality and definitely not worth the full MSRP.Den

You'll be hard pressed to find a laptop at this price point, especially one with a great battery life. Battery lasts ~10 hours with normal use in a small form laptop, making it great for travelling and daily driving. This laptop is one of the 2019 chromebook models, which is where the true benefits start to come in. Chromebooks produced in 2019 and later can have Linux installed on them, and so far, it has worked flawlessly for me! Its a great addition as a sidepiece for your main computer. Using various VPNs and remote desktops, it allows me to access high computational resources in a $70 laptop. Using a usb-c hub, the relatively weak processor does an impressive job of handling a 1080p monitor at 60 hz, along with external mouse and keyboard. Of course, the cheapest laptop has some significant downsides. The speakers are laughably bad, but there is a coax port that works great for any audio. The screen is also pretty low resolution which can make reading difficult, but its easy to zoom. Also, since this is refurbished, youre kind of "rolling the dice" with what youll get. For me, the laptop seemed perfectly fine and I couldnt find any signs of damage. One big issue was that the laptop shipped with the wrong charger. This is a pretty inexcusable mistake, but Walmart very quickly corrected it by taking $20 off the price and allowing me to purchase one for ~$15 on Amazon. Annoying for sure, but not a deal breaker.Ryan

I got this chromebook on cyber monday for $87. Which is a great deal, can't complain about that. The only thing I not happy with is that I've read and make sure the descriptions also states along with the picture that this chromebook will have a micro sd slot expandable storage. That was a main feature I wanted in a chromebook since 32Gb is way to small. The one I received did not come with it at all. I've tried talking to a rep online 2 times and 1 rep at a local store, and talking to samsung rep online twice. Since its a sale, if you want to get the correct one with the microsd card, you will have to pay extra and return the one you have. At the time I was asking for help, they said the one with micro slot will cost $199. So I decided to keep this laptop and buy an extra usb hub port micro sd slot $9 for it. Because I didn't want to pay extra $112 just to get that slot. My first chromebook and I don't like how the screen is so dim too bright, that I have to bend the laptop screen way back just to see it clearly normally. I don't know how long this will last if I have to always pull the screen way back to see what I'm typing. The keyboard is a tad smaller than your regular laptop. And the mouse track is a hit a miss sometimes. So this laptop is not the greatest for someone who wants to edit videos as touchscreen is needed for apps such as inshot and to be more efficient of a laptop. Reasons why I wanted to try a chromebook, fast and virus free safer, and how I can download google apps for work. Don't like the screen, poor quality screen, and harder to navigate, smaller keyboard, iffy trackpad, only 32GB space storage, not enough usb ports. Since I'm stuck with this laptop, I suggest you find a different one that has touchscreen and more storage if you want to use it efficiently and better for your money. Please thumbs up if you find this helpful! Thanks.Starlight

Works great! I wanted something that was affordable in a mesh router system. I have a 2000 plus sq ft octagon shaped home with lots of weird internal walls and 3 floors. I was using one wireless router previously that only provided about 2-10 mbps down to an office area. The internet connection I pay for is advertised as 50 mbps down. I chose this particular product because it has a dedicated band for talking to each other AND each unit has an ethernet connection available. Set up was easy with my mobile phone. My down speeds went to around 58 mbps after installing all 3 units. In my office, it didn't seem to make much difference if my computer was plugged in directly to the ethernet jack or just communicated wirelessly. However, my smart TV had some trouble keeping a good connection. My guess is that my Sony TV's wifi components weren't working well with the eero. Regardless, I then just put the upstairs eero nearby the TV, and plugged the TV into the eero with the ethernet jack. Bingo, works like a charm. While this system was more expensive because of the ethernet, I feel it was great insurance for problem devices. I highly recommend this older, but more affordable system. The newest systems from Eero have more up to date tech (WiFi 6), but I didn't need that yet, and didn't want to pay a premium for it. I think my wife likes the units because there are no visible antenna, and they seem to work equally well under things like chairs, or behind cabinets, to hide them. Having 3 units probably makes all the difference. I might consider upgrading my internet speed now.tron

Bought this system to get wifi outside in my portable shed office. We live rural and due to the distance from towers, we don't have the greatest speeds compared to someone living in a city. We use AT&T as a provider. I have not had any issues running multiple devices on this simultaneously. The main unit is connected to the router, one of the units is located 50+' away at the other end of our ranch home, and the last unit is 40+' away outside in my steel roof building. At the furthest distance away (office) the connection has always been stable for my wireless office equipment, online streaming, online class teaching, and even with using an X box out there. I like the control I have with this system; being able to block things from the wifi if needed (ie; teenagers. Lol) by using the eero app. On average, we run 11 devices on our wifi. We did the "override" to not have this conflict with the AT&T router, making the eero system the "master". That was a bit tricky because even though we are gadget techy, we are not IT people. Luckily, eero had very good instructions on how to do that. I would definitely recommend this product. Pricey, but good.Tanya

This product is so good at delivering on its promise we bought it for two properties. At home, even with signal boosters, we had dead zones, one of which was an extreme irritant. We brought in eero and the dead zones disappeared, replaced with strong, meshed Internet (and smiles) everywhere. Up next was a three story, concrete-block-constructed town house. The internet feed comes in on the second floor. Again we had signal boosters in place, but trying to watch streaming tv on the first or third floors was hit or miss and mostly frustrating. Eero entered, cable boxes exited, and streaming video is a pleasure to watch everywhere. New visitors don't realize there ever was an issue, but repeat guests are so amazed at the difference we often find notes telling us how delighted they are with the Internet upgrade" even though the Internet feed itself is unchanged. It's pretty easy to tell how pleased we are. eero is awesome!Excellent

I bought one of these to have a simpler lighter and smaller laptop to take on vacation. I had some strange video problems happen once or twice in the couple of days before we left on the trip, but figured it wasn't too important. However, when we got to our destination, it happened over and over. The screen would display random patterns and the computer wouldn't respond at all unless I did a reset that I discovered searching using my phone. Luckily there was a Best Buy near our vacation site, and I had only had the laptop for a week, so I took it in and got a replacement. The person at the service desk said it was a bad video card. Thankfully my new one has worked fine for a month. Now my problem is trying to register it with ASUS for warranty etc. Apparently the model name or number isn't in their list of models so it can't be registered and I get no response from ASUS to help me. So I like the Chromebook but not sure about the company and hope my new one works for years instead of failing in days. I'm writing this review to get an extension on the warranty from ASUS but not sure how that is going to work out.tooWisJimistooshort

Right out of the box, it would not charge or power on. I had to hard reset (hold refresh button and click power key) before it would power on. After powering on, it still had issues charging until I did a few more hard resets. Now it’s working just fine. It’s fairly quick surfing the internet and works fine for streaming movies. It does the very minimal tasks that I need it to do. Screen looks good and is matte finish. Build quality feels good, but touchpad is touchy…it sometimes doesn’t accept touches but it always accepts clicks. Purchased as a cheap travel computer that won’t upset me if it gets stolen or broken. Full disclosure…I am receiving a warranty extension from ASUS for this feedback.abcchickadee

Decided on less bells and whistles for my Chromebook as I'm now retired and don't need all the software. Came from fully loaded Windows 10 Lenovo with CD drive, touchscreen etc. to some of the basics. I'm still trying to locate some files that are downloaded but it's getting easier. Good/bad in that there are no icons on desktop – I tend to clutter the desktop so it's probably better that I don't have it. I'm with other reviewers complaint that the Shelf icons are too big. Hopefully they will give option to minimize. I had a problem two days ago getting the connection to charge the battery. Not sure if that's a going concern., if so I'll have to contact customer service. Using it every day now and so far so good. Hot keys are fairly good – still figuring some of them out. Much lighter to pick up with one hand than the other laptop which is nice. Would recommend to others – the 'less is more' is good for me. Hardly ever used the cd drive other than itunes copying. I hope it lasts a few years – got it on sale so I'm happy so far. Will not give 5 stars as it's still only been a couple of months – could possibly review again after one year.JMacLeod0902

I would advise anyone who buys the Ring Alarm system to thoroughly read the instruction manual, lay out the products and accessories before starting. Installation will go smoother if you are familiar with the manual, products and accessories. The instruction manual is very helpful and it guides installation step by step from beginning to end. The instruction manual during set up mentions the Base Station will need to update the software when it connects to the internet. I would suggest connecting to the internet via an Ethernet cable to the modem instead of using WI-FI. This will speed up the software update to the base unit. Once the Base Station has been set up the rest of the installation will go very quickly. The white contact sensors and white motion detector is a breeze to install and are inconspicuous. When each sensor is installed verification is performed to ensure the sensor is working. The Ring Alert product has great features such as being able to purchase additional products, like contact sensors. The Base Unit and Keypad contain audible settings for volume of chimes/tones. Different audible chimes/tones can be selected for each door entrance into the home. Even if you choose not to have your home monitored by a third party, the system is still functional for home monitoring. Home monitoring without a third party will still allow alerts to be sent to your cell phone. I would recommend this product to anyone.norris47

I have been using the gen 1 Ring system for a couple years now and love the service. The system is incredibly easy to set up. You just take it out of the box, install the app, and follow directions. At the end, you're set up with a security system that rivals the big names that require expensive subscriptions and professional installation. You can monitor and control status away from home, set up custom codes, and many other cool features that are too numerous to list. The function from gen 1 to gen 2 seems to not have changed much, but the design and form of the hardware has improved dramatically. You can see in the photo the gen 1 system on the right and the gen 2 system on the right. The motion sensor and contact sensor have improved size considerably. The keypad has improved as well, and is way more attractive visually, and also more intuitive to use. Ring also made some good improvements on battery selection on the devices. The gen 1 motion and contact sensors both use CR123A batteries. Ring has now made it so the motion sensor uses AA, and the contact sensor uses CR2032. While it was nice that both gen 1 use the same batteries, they are not as readily available as the gen 2 selection. You can go to any local store and find both easily. Overall, Ring knocked it out of the park with the design improvements. They have taken an already great platform and improved the hardware in both size and aesthetics. Bravo, Ring!Rodney D

Before you purchase any Ring alarm system you must know that the app doesn't require your code to disarm. If a home invader knows this then the Duress code used on the keypad is worthless. All the invader has to do while you are under duress is to have you disarm from your smart home. I unfortunately invested in one of these systems found this out after getting to know the app and getting to know the system. Sure, the app can be deleted but what good would that be when you are away and not able to monitor from your smartphone? The Ring company builds their reputation on being able to use the app to monitor your home while away while away so you wouldn't want to delete the app. The app is a friend of the home invader since a code isn't needed to disarm your system. Perhaps readers might I just tipped off home invaders with this review. Well maybe because of this Ring will correct this major mistake. I already informed Ring about this. Ring also doesn't have a review section on their website for anyone to use to write a review. Buyer Beware!!!Disappointed

I spend many hours on my computer each day. I am either typing and programming, or am involved in design work (using CAD, illustration, and image editing software). On those days when I am doing design work I "fly a mouse" A LOT! And if I have a full size keyboard attached to my computer (with dual 27" monitors) that means my right shoulder "takes a beating" as I try to manipulate the mouse off at the right end of my keyboard. The solution is a TKL or "mini" keyboard. I also prefer mechanical keyboards for the typing I do – the tactile feedback allows me to type as quickly as possible. And I prefer single-color backlighting. So when I decided it was time to make a TKL/mini purchase, I had a strong sense of what I wanted. I found this Logitech MX Mechanical Mini on BestBuy.com and read the specs. At the price, it appeared this little unit would perform very nicely. So I drove out to my local BestBuy and bought it. I took it back the next day. The size of this keyboard required Logitech's designers to make too many compromises. Keys are positioned in places that are unusual, making it difficult to find them (compared to a full size keyboard). And the size of the keyboard also appears to have caused the designers to decide the key caps should "form an uninterrupted plane" – there is little space between key caps, they are not well-differentiated, and it is really difficult to know "where you are" on the keyboard from feel alone. My typing r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w-e-d d-o-w-n. Not what you need when you need to "crank it out". As for the backlighting. Ugh! This is a battery-operated wireless unit. Period. Yes, you can plug in its short charging cable, but it still communicates with your computer wirelessly. So, to save the battery charge, the backlighting turns off soon after your hands move off of the keyboard. It is supposed to sense when your hands are near and turn the backlighting back on – but I had to physically have my fingers on the keyboard for at least half a second to get the backlighting back on. That, combined with the unusual feel of the keys/the keyboard slowed my work flow even more. And, of course, the keyboard requires installation of software to get its "customization" completed. I won't go far into this topic, except to say that the software always caused a hiccup when I went to shut down my computer (it was still running in the background). I just don't get what Logitech was trying to do when they designed this keyboard. Given that I want to switch back and forth from a full size to a TKL/"mini" keyboard depending on the work in front of me, this MX Mechanical Mini was going to slow me down dramatically. It required too many compromises for me to add it to my work flow. It's "pretty", but I just don't get it.Bill

As a long time Mac user I've been through the cycles of being betrothed to the Apple peripherals, and then getting frustrated with them, and then when they release a new version going through the cycle all over again. Logitech seems to be the only vendor who consistently makes good peripherals that I keep coming back – and the MX Mechanical keyboard is now another one to add to my list. I've actually been using the original MX Keys for Mac for a couple of years, and although it's been great for the home office I've been looking for something with a little more feedback and tactile touch. The MX mechanical keyboard delivers, with just enough to keep you in touch with the typing motion but not so loud that it sounds like you're living in an 80's office typing pool. The main reason you're here is to hear about the noise – does it make a noise? Yes, but as I mentioned this is part of the whole tactile experience that people like me miss with regular soft-touch laptop keyboards. The keyboard is available in 3 different 'experiences' ( Tactile Quiet, Clicky and Linear.) so if you're in any doubt, I would suggest a trip to your local Best Buy to try them out in person. The example in my video is the tactile quiet version, which is just the write balance but it will be entirely down to you personal preference. The MX retains all the features I loved from the original MX – with the ability to quick-switch between multiple devices (I use it to control 2 laptops connected to the same monitor). The only thing to call out here is that although you can still pair the keyboard through bluetooth, it no longer appears to support the Logitech Unified receiver – it instead ships with the new Logitech Bolt adapter. I only mention this in case like me you are already using the unified receiver for other devices – you may need to consider upgrading those to to be Bolt compliant. There are some nice options for the backlighting (including a 'random' mode and one where only the key you touch lights up – which is a cool gimmick but practically the only useful backlighting is constant so you can actually see the keys in the dark). I would still recommend this full size keyboard over the mini version – its down to personal preference but the dedicated page navigation and number pad just seem to make my workflow a bit more streamlined without constantly flipping for FN or option keys to get what I need done.DickieUK

The Logitech MX mechanical keyboard is a new professional keyboard that brings the best of gaming keyboards to the business world. The keyboard is wireless and connects with Bluetooth LE or the included Logitech dongle if your computer does not have Bluetooth. The keyboard is rechargeable lasting up to 15 days with lighting on or 10 months with it turned off. The keyboard is outfitted with Low-profile backlit mechanical switches with smooth feel and reduced actuation depth are great for typing. There are 3 switch types available the Tactile quiet, Linear or clicky. I have the tactile quiet keys and I think I would prefer the clicky type as they provide additional tactile feedback. The backlighting has what Logitech calls smart illumination automatically turning on when your hands approach the keys extending the battery life. You can use the Logi Options+ application to change the effects or directly from the keyboard by pressing the Function and bulb key. The keyboard has programmable keys and can be configured to have the function or media keys active with direct keypresses. The Logi Options+ application allows you to set the backlighting pattern, customize key functions, gives status and notifications and supports Logitech Flow. With flow you can copy content on one device and past it to another paired device even across operating systems. You can pair the keyboard with up to 3 devices and it supports all major operating systems. The keyboard layout is optimized for both Windows and Apple Macintosh. The keyboard has a built in battery and has a USB C charge port Logitech includes an USB A to USB C cable. You can get a full days use with just 15 minutes of charging. The build quality is great with an aluminum frame giving a solid feel and good weight. Logitech has made the keys and other plastic parts from 45% recycled plastic. Logitech has created a great keyboard with quality hardware and well thought out software to the business world!Idoc

I got this because I recently purchased the Arlo pro security cameras and I read these cameras will sync with this particular Echo. I wish I would have researched this on line before I purchased it because it seems this feature does not compute. All I read were complaints about this feature not working. They were right. I set it up exactly as stated and Alexa keeps telling me she can't find the cameras even tho it found the devices when I set it up. I am sending it back tomorrow. Thank goodness for QVC's return policy. This is why I do most of this kind of shopping here because I know they will accept my return on electronics with no kind of restocking fee what so ever. Great customer service!!calliekoo

I’m always the late person when it comes to buying technical gadgets—and I’m glad I waited until Amazon came out with an Echo with a small screen. I mainly bought this to use as my alarm clock, since my old fashioned clock was on its last leg. This little amazing gadget is so much more! It’s really not fair to call it a gadget, but it’s definitely what I call an assistant! No more messing with buttons to turn on and off my alarm, and with the included smart plug, I don’t need to fumble in the dark for the light switch in the morning to turn on my bedroom lamp that’s across the room! There are so many fun features and things to do I’m learning more and more every day! You can even download free apps to use your Echo As a sound machine, etc! I am SO glad I purchased this! I think it was worth every Penny.Ninnie

I love this Echo Spot and the TP Link smart plug!! We have a total of 4 Alexa devices in our home and 5 TP Link smart plugs, along with 4 TP Link smart bulbs. First off, you do not have to use a smart phone for all users involved as stated in a previous review. You do initially set up your TP Link via iOS or Android app, but you then link your TP Link plug or bulb to your Alexa device and can control the device via Alexa. It’s a s simple as saying, “Alexa, turn on the bedroom lamp”, or “Alexa, turn on the box fan” or whatever device you have plugged into your TP Link. I have been using My Echo (gen 2) with two TP Link smart plugs in my room with a lamp and a box fan for over a year and I rarely use the phone app to control my devices. I even set up a TP Link smart bulb in my daughters room and she doesn’t have the TP Link app! I set it all up for her and she controls the device with her Echo Dot. When I do use the app it’s usually when I’m at work to make sure I told Alexa to turn one of them off before I walked out the door. These two products work wonderfully together and I have not had any difficulty or inconveniences at all with either of them. I’ve had The Echo Spot for 2 days now and it is a great addition to my family of Echo devices. If you have questions or difficulty with either device I would suggest seeking out websites offering tips and tricks for new users prior to sending it back or stating information that could possibly prevent someone else from purchasing either device.Msrharp

This ice machine makes the absolute best ice and the best part is you can finally have it at home. This machine makes that crunchy ice that you tend to see from commercial ice machines that you see in the service station or restaurant that's fun to eat because it's chewable. Aside to being fun to eat it's hard to say exactly why but it just seems to make most drinks taste better and colder. Like many people I have a fridge with an ice maker too but there's two reasons I like this machine over it, the first is, it makes ice MUCH faster and the second is the taste and quality of the ice just seems better for beverages and sure blends easier for smoothies. Next to that, I would say the WiFi feature is actually pretty cool and lets you schedule when you want ice so that it's ready and helps you by saving energy and keeping the ice fresh! The wifi feature also enables you to use Google or Alexa to control it, turn it on/off, turn the light on/off or dim the light. For what it does and how much it holds it surprisingly doesn't take up as much space as I thought it would on my counter. It runs quiet compared to the other countertop ice maker I have and most of the time and you can schedule it so it doesn't run at the times you don't want to hear it anyway. The light makes the ice just look awesome and isn't too bright so if it's in an area that you want darker like on bar or in your entertainment room, it won't be too bright. It holds plenty of ice to make more than a several drinks at a time and if you run low it goes to work making new ice right away. Unlike the other countertop ice maker I have, this machine filters the water recycled from ice melting and has a UV light that keeps bacteria in check. We have really enjoyed this machine so far, it looks great, is easy to use and most importantly makes that good chewy ice! Would absolutely recommend this machine!btb2k

An Ice maker is just what we needed during this time, and I got to see exactly what temperatures it could handle making ice in. Once your temperature gets above about 90 degrees it takes extra long to get usable ice because the first ice to land melts extremely fast. How many people will be using this indoors above 90 degrees, hopefully very few. After about an hour the ice got high enough that it was usable. So, it is still usable in hot weather, we were able to keep ice going nicely in our air-conditioned space that sat at about 96 (It hit 118 outside). At about half capacity a quarter of the ice melted overnight at 70 degrees indoors. If you are an ice chewer this is amazing. I love the consistency of the ice and the perfect softness that it has. It is amazing for making any type of drink you want with. This machine can actually keep up with our ice consumption unlike the one in our freezer that always runs on empty during the summer months (especially now that I work from home). If this is your only ice machine you might not be the happiest with smoothie consistency, try freezing a bag of this ice to make sure it is nice and solid at least. But that isn’t what this is designed for this is designed for those that enjoy ice. I’d fill up a large cup halfway throw in some cranberry juice, pineapple juice, maybe a little orange juice, and Caribbean rum and be ready for the sun after work. During work the last few days I’d start my day with an iced American that just hit the spot. Then I’d just keep my cup full of water with the chewable ice. Usability wise, there are vents on both sides so I gave it a little space on both sides. The water reservoir is a little annoying to get to, it being directly under the ice bucket and seeing the water level isn’t possible in anyway except pulling the ice bucket out a little. The app enables me to turn the device on and off, set schedules, turn the light on/off, and shows that it wants to be cleaned. Once I set it up on one device it is available on any device I log into their app on. I wish push notifications could be enabled especially for water level but if you check the app you can see when it wants you to add water. Lastly, it is a tad loud, not annoyingly loud, just noticeable.Benb

I was SUPER excited to try this ice maker. One, the ice maker in my fridge is hit or miss at best and leaks, so I was already in the market for something new. Add to that that this makes nugget ice (the good ice as many call it), I thought, no brainer! I struggled with two things on this ice maker though. First, at this cost, I really thought it would have some sort of cooling feature to keep the ice cold as it produces it. It does not. The ice is small, which is great for crunching on, but that means it starts melting almost as soon as the machine spits out. I also thought I'd be able to have it produce ice and then keep that ice easily accessible on the counter for at least the day. Nope, doesn't work that way. We used it for the holiday weekend yesterday and had to keep transferring it to the freezer to keep it cold enough to use…which compromises the nugget ice quality…it gets harder and not easy "crunchable" like you want. That defeats the whole point of getting a nugget ice machine. The second issue I have with this machine is how often you're expected to clean it. I followed the initial instructions and made a cleaning solution with bleach and then thoroughly flushed it with clean water….I do not want to have to do that every week. Again, defeats the purpose of a product like this, way too much work. Here's the bottom line for me. The ice, when freshly produced is everything promised. BUT it melts fast and isn't super convenient when you want to just have ice on hand throughout the day. I understand some sort of cooling device would be expensive…but this is an expensive ice machine and that really doesn't seem like that big of an ask to me.glspark2007

This item works fine when only one USB port is being used. If however one of the USB ports on this unit is in use and another port, either on this unit or somewhere else on the computer, is also in use, the OS is unable to eject any of the attached USB units (yes, I am using USB memory units that normally can be ejected). Further in at least one case, the system was unable to shut down. My OS is windows 7. It appears that with multiple USB memory units in use, while one is on this unit, the OS is unable to unmount the units, and this locks up shutdown. I stick with using only one USB unit at a time on this unit, which for me is fine (I got the unit to protect my USB port as I am plugging and unplugging memory units frequently). And I have never lost any data. Maybe a later Windows works better with this unit; maybe my Windows 7 is not up-to-date.John

This was my second powered Sabrent 4-Port USB 3.0 Hub. The first one is used on a desktop computer and seems to work without any problems. Therefore, when I wanted to add USB ports to my Raspberry Pi 4B I purchased a second Sabrent hub (powered). My experience was less than satisfactory. If the hub was plugged in to external power the Pi would not boot. Unplugging the power supply from the 110 volt plug (not the hub from the Pi) would allow the Pi to boot. This ""feature"" existed with nothing plugged in to the hub ports, as well as with some devices plugged in. I did an Home Essentials Direct search for powered USB 3.0 hubs and checked the customer Q&A's for each listing, looking for ""Raspberry"" and again for ""backfeed"" to locate another powered hub that should work. Using those search criteria I did find some with good reviews (i.e. worked with the Pi) and purchased one. Success – the Pi now boots with power on the hub. My best guess is that this Sabrent hub backfeeds power to the Pi, preventing the Pi from booting. Knowing what I now know I have found the issue described on several web pages. Apparently there are many hubs that don't correctly isolate the upstream device from the hub supplied power. This hub does still work for my desktop, just not for my Raspberry Pi 4B.R.

It's very easy to use and compact. It can travel easy should you need to take it with you or if it's plugged into a laptop or other computer, it won't take up space. I only have one complaint: I wish that the slots were spaced further apart as some USB thumb-drives are bulkier than others. I often need to use all of the slots and had to alternate the plug-ins to use it efficiently. Other than that, it's a handy little thing.VEdwards

Even the packaging is well thought out. As far as the components themselves, the Eero system was easy to set up using the Android phone app my smart phone. No surprises. Although there is no web interface and the phone app is not as capable as my old Netgear Orbi, it's far better to have a mesh router and beacons that are reliable than to have bells and whistles for a system that is not 100% reliable. Eero provides a strong signal as well as excellent coverage with no dead spots. I did end up buying an unmanaged switch (TP-Link TL-SG105 5 Port Gigabit Unmanaged Ethernet Network Switch) to provide more outputs but that was inexpensive and easy to do. Picture shows the Eero router sitting on top of the switch.yomanne

I was ready to throw my WiFi router out the window. It would drop things all the time. At the recommendation of a friend I bought the Eero system. It was simple to set up and I havent had a drop since I installed it. I love that I can see exactly whats connected and disable individual connections at will. My house is not large, but built in the 1920s, it has lathe and plaster walls that seem to destroy WiFi signals. I have not had a single connection problem since installing Eero. Also, I run a lot of home automation. There are typically 16-20 devices connected to my WiFi at once and Eero is handling them all without issue.911targasc

Awesome internet connectivity and great app to control it. The extenders work great I have 3 that give me over 4000ft of coverage even into my yard. Which is great because cell reception where I live is terrible so I needed if for WiFi calling. I never have issues with it but if the internet ever gets slow (usually my internet service providers fault) I just reboot the WiFi from the app and it works great. Mesh WiFi works so well.leylani .b

I registered for this blender 7 years ago for my wedding. I have used it’s a lot over the years and it still works great. My sister just got married and I got this for her bridal shower. Then my mother in law has had the same blender for 30 years. I bought her this for her birthday. They both loved it! I loved it so much I can’t wait to buy myself and new one and donate mine.Court

I found this on sale and bought it. Wasn't really sure I needed it but the price was so good I couldn't pass it up. I use it to chop veggies, blend refried beans, make hummus, smoothies and salad dressing. Several reviews say you have to continuously hold the lock button down – you don't! It's a two-part switch. You have to press both parts of the lock to get it started, but once in motion, you can let go of the lock part of the switch. It's really not a big deal. I also had trouble unscrewing the cap from the chopping cup, but once I got the hang of it, it's really easy.Teresa

This Smart Stick was a replacement for my previous Smart Stick (18+ yrs old). The chopper and blender attachments on the old one were not working. Once I got the new one, I discovered it's actually the attachments and not the power part. That worked just fine with all the new attachments. Such a versatile tool! I use it often. Highly recommend this!CN14