Digital Reviews Network

Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3 - Improvements all Around

AudioWritten by Martin Regtien on 18 October 2018.

We’ve been friends with the “Boom” family of bluetooth speakers for a few years now, having reviewed the Megaboom and Wonderboom models and more significantly, have them still in daily use. Until the next model comes around of course and then the older models get passed around to friends and family – except for the original Megaboom.

I’m holding onto that one just a while longer. Why?
Is the new Megaboom 3 not good enough?

On the contrary, my friend. Let me explain.

Nuance Power PDF - PDF Editor Powerhouse

SoftwareWritten by Kevin Cheng on 30 September 2018.

PDF as a document type requires no introduction. It is everywhere, it is unavoidable and it is here to stay. Through the years there has been many solutions for creating PDF files, and with the newer versions of Microsoft products, the ability to create PDF files on the fly is more convenient than ever for the average user.

For the power and corporate users, there is a need to push beyond basic conversion of a document into PDF format. With PDF/A-1 being the global electronic archiving standard for long-term preservation, the need for a full featured software that can create, manipulate, edit PDFs, and is is capable of checking for PDF/A compliance becomes much more important.

Nuance Power PDF Advanced is a full featured offering aimed at medium to large organisation. Nuance was kind enough to provide a review copy for DigitalReviews.

Victa Cordless 21” Mower Cuts More than Grass: 82V and Two Batteries for Hours of Mowing

MiscellaneousWritten by Martin Regtien on 24 September 2018.

Spoiler Alert: We’re giving you our recommendation first and the reasons why down below.

This Victa 82V Cordless Mower receives our highest praise: the Editor’s Choice Award.

Actually, because the other two Victa products in their 82V range also received our Highly Recommended rating, we would not hesitate to give our Editor’s Choice acclamation to the whole 82V product line because, more than just individual tools, they are a complete system.

So you reckon this Victa can nicely mow your typical suburban front lawn?
Sure, but when you see what else we have subjected this machine to, you’d be convinced that this is one heck of a powerful beast!

TOMTOM GO 620 Sat Nav – How to Use Your Smartphone Legally and Safely While Driving

NavigationWritten by Martin Regtien on 11 September 2018.

We know that TomTom has a reputation of bringing out great Sat Navs even before Google Maps took a fair slice out of the navigation market but the GO 620 notches up the usefulness of having a TomTom in your car quite a bit.

We’ve all been guilty of accessing our phone while driving: a quick glance to see who’s texting us, pressing the answer button or initiating a call. Distractions galore which can be fatal. No wonder that in Australia police have had enough of attending crash sites where the use of mobile phones have been a contributing or the main factor. I know as I have two family members who are in the police force...

So TomTom has found a way to not only be navigating us safely to our destination but also still be in communication legally with the outside world.

Let’s go on a road trip with the GO 620.

Drobo 5D3 – The Thunderbolt 3 DAS and The Advantages of Direct Attached Storage. An Australian Review

StorageWritten by Martin Regtien on 27 August 2018.

We’ve reviewed dozens of NAS units, from very small to enterprise rack mounted models.

The advantages of a Network Attached Storage unit are well-known but why would anyone still bother with just essentially a bunch of drives in a box connected to just one computer?

Come with us and we’ll show you why.

Philips Hue: Lighting that Matches Your Mood (Or Influences Your Mood?)

MiscellaneousWritten by Martin Regtien on 12 August 2018.

LED lamps are a dime a dozen – well, almost. And they are so common and ordinary that they don’t deserve our attention.

Until the Philips Hue series came along.

How would you like to play around with 16 million colours and be able to choose the brightness of them wirelessly and from your app?

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.