Digital Reviews Network

Australian Review: Meade LX 90 ACF Telescope - Stellar Access to the Heavens Made Easier with GPS, Wi-Fi and Remote Control

MiscellaneousWritten by Martin Regtien on 10 July 2018.

Last year we reviewed the Meade ETX 90 Observer telescope which is an excellent unit for people getting serious about wanting to study the observable universe. We liked the build quality and portability of that scope.

This time around Meade sent us the LX 90, which at the AUD4500 price point is a much more advanced unit though similar in design and operation.
The 8" LX90 we reviewed has an 8” diameter f/10 ACF optical system (focal length 2000mm). It’s the smallest in the LX90 series.

Interestingly, this scope incorporates the two features that we would like on every computer telescope: GPS based easy set up and remote access and viewing.

Our anticipation to start imaging the heavens with the optional colour camera as well as with my Nikon DSLR is building as we begin assembling the unit.

Do Try This At Home (or at the Office): Unleash the Power of Your Galaxy S8 or S9 With DeX! A hands-on with the Samsung DeX Pad. Part 2

Mobile DevicesWritten by Martin Regtien on 08 July 2018.

Do Try This At Home (or at the Office): Unleash the Power of Your Galaxy S8 or S9 With DeX!
A hands-on with the Samsung DeX Pad. Part 2

So, did we whet your appetite in Part 1 for more features and a cheaper price point for the Samsung DeX Desktop Experience?

Let’s have a close looks at the DeX Pad which Samsung introduced with the Galaxy S9 series.

Do Try This At Home (or at the Office): Unleash the Power of Your Galaxy S8 or S9 With DeX! A hands-on with the Samsung DeX Station Part 1

Mobile DevicesWritten by Martin Regtien on 08 July 2018.

Alright, so what is DeX?

DeX stands for Desktop Experience – allowing your Android phone to be used with a big screen through an HDMI cable connected with either the DeX Station or the DeX Pad.
In a way it’s similar to Microsoft’s Display Dock for the Windows 10 phones. Which was not a great success a few years back...

Will Samsung’s DeX really give you a good Desktop Experience? Can we throw out our laptops?

This review consists of 2 Parts: we’ll check out the DeX Station that came out with the Galaxy S8, followed by the even handier DeX Pad that was announced with the Galaxy S9.

Capturing the Unseen: Reviewing the Pluto Trigger for Photography

Digital CamerasWritten by Martin Regtien on 14 June 2018.

(This article is written by Richard Gaspari -- Ed)

Pluto Trigger is a high-speed smart camera trigger that is controlled through a free iPhone or Android app via Bluetooth. It is a very practical gadget, highly appreciated by DIY and commercial photographers who are involved in specialized projects with specific requests.

The Pluto Trigger can be used for remote shooting, time lapse, High Dynamic Range Photography, video recording, lighting photography and many other things. The reason why it is called a ‘’trigger’’ is simply because it is activated by light, sound, or anything that breaks the laser beam aimed in the direction of the Pluto Trigger.

QNAP TVS-673e Business NAS with Multimedia Focus

StorageWritten by Martin Regtien on 07 June 2018.

About a year ago we reviewed the QNAP TVS-473 which is very closely related to this model. So in this article we’ll focus mostly on what’s different from the model we wrote about before.

The TVS-673e is the middle brother in the brand-new QNAP TVS-x73e series. The line-up of these high-performance SMB NAS units consist of the TVS-873e (8-bay), TVS-673e (6-bay) and QNAP TVS-473e (4-bay) models (the first number indicating the number of bays).

Okay, so what’s the “e” stand for in the TVS-673e?

Could be for Enhanced (more features) or Economy (fewer features) than the 473 we had on the bench earlier?

Hands-on with the Victa 82V Lithium-Ion Chainsaw – Time to Ditch my Petrol Saw?

MiscellaneousWritten by Martin Regtien on 25 May 2018.

Readers of this review site will have seen our previous article on the Victa 82V Rapid Trimmer.

We were/are pretty enthusiastic about that quiet yet very capable unit and even more gushy about the Victa chainsaw in that same 82V product group.

Let me tell you why.

Better yet: I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking.

Review: Hands-on with the Akaso EK7000 Action Camera

Digital CamerasWritten by Martin Regtien on 12 May 2018.

Action cameras became extremely popular over the last 10 years. Because of this fact, more and more manufacturers are trying to put new models on the market. This is why you need to take a few things into consideration before you purchase an action camera. Besides the price of the device, you should also check the video and image quality and the battery life.

In this article, we are going to tell you what the main specs and features of this model are. This is one of the best and the most affordable devices available on the market. If you need to know more about it, you should check out this Akaso EK7000 4K WIFI Sports Action Camera in-depth review, made by CreativePhotoConnect. Now, let’s analyze the specs, features, design, and controls of this amazing camera.

(This article is written by Richard Gaspari)

Personal Cloud — Synology DS918+ Helps Us Explore the Synology Cloud

StorageWritten by Paul Moons on 18 March 2018.

While it is always exciting to take a look at Synology’s latest NAS hardware, Synology’s new additions to its DiskStation Manager and support packages makes the DS918+ a powerful personal cloud device.

Read on for our exploration of these features on Synology’s latest Network Attached Storage device.

Your Data in the Cloud or on your own NAS? We Look at the QNAP TS-873U-RP for Businesses

StorageWritten by Martin Regtien on 21 February 2018.

What’s the most important asset for most businesses? People, products or premises will probably make your shortlist. How about Data?
It’s alright to pump all your data into “the Cloud” and hope that it will be secure and uncompromised but how about at least having access to your own data in your own company at the local level? In other words, having it on a Networked Attached Storage (NAS) system.

In today’s review we look at a low cost, high performance, rack mounted unit from one of the best NAS companies in the world.
Here’s our take on the QNAP TS-873U-RP.

(This article was written by Paul Maranzano, Technical Director for an IT company in Melbourne, Vic)