Product review: BSTPOWER Activity Fitness Tracker Smart Wristband Bracelet Bluethooth

There are many things about this wrist tracker than I like, however it is not perfect. I like having the information it shows right on the wrist, I much prefer it to the trackers that only collect and require you to look at the smart watch to show the collected information. However, the display show so many things on one screen that they are hard to read. There are some things in the display that I don't need to see all the time, it would have nice if I could remove them and what is left could be displayed in a larger font.

The app shows the same info as the watch, but also provides historical information for the day, week, and month. It also has social features that allow you to share the stats for those who are interested in doing so.

The watch displays 11 different stats :
The display shows:
~ time
~ steps
~ calories
~ heart rate
~ wrist humidity
~ barometric pressure
~ millage
~ sleep time
~ wrist temperature
~ wrist skin temperature
~ period date reminder

The pedometer appears to be reasonably accurate. The band is comfortable. It is 7/8" wide. The size of the display is 3/4" x 7/8". The font size is slightly smaller than 1/8". The screen has a back light activated by a button below the display.

Another strong point of the watch is the battery life. The display is black and white and is very efficient. I recharge the watch once a week. It take 2 hours to fully charge the battery. I have been using the watch for 3 weeks. The first time I fully charged it and let it run until the battery was exhausted and that took 9+ day.

The charging port is on the side of the watch, and the first time it is a little difficult to open. The port cover swings open to the side (shown in my video).

The default measurements are metric (the watch is made in China and they use metric measures). Even though there is an options under Settings to switch to British measure units the information is displayed in kilometers anyway. I also could not find a way to change the temperature from Celsius to Fahrenheit.

I am using the watch with Android OS. I had no problems connecting via Bluetooth or synching the information.

Overall, I am pleased and I hope the issue with the metric units gets fixed on the future app update.
You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: SJCAM SJ5000X Elite Action Camera 4K 1080P WiFi Waterproof 170°Wide Angle

The colors and clarity is excellent during the day and during the night. In attached video you can video taken with the camera during the day, dusk, and night. The 170° lens provides a wide view, but as any lens with such wide angle causes barrel distortion.

SJCAM is a 4K camera. On a 1080p monitor you cannot tell a difference between 1080p and 4K video, but if you need to blow up an image (say to get a license place after an accident) then 4K gives you more pixels to work with. If you own a 4K TV/monitor then you can take full advantage of 4K video.

The colors in the video are bright and accurate. Keep in mind that Amazon compresses video, and I had to compress my video in order to meet Amazon video size limits as well, so viewing it as a thumbprint gives you the best approximation of the real thing.

The camera has an intuitive menu-driven interface, it also has WI FI that allows me to see what the camera sees on phone. The camera is exactly the same size as GoPro camera and accessories designed for GoPro fit it.

Live video via WI FI works very well: it was easy to connect the phone to the camera and the delay between action and live video is minimal. The app for live product is called "CJCAM" and the icon looks exactly like the icon on the packaging so it is easy to identify.

The camera produces video in the following resolutions using degree HD 170 degree wide angle lens: 4K @ 24fps, 2K @ 30fps, 1080p @ 60fps. Some action cameras produce 4K at 10 fps and it is more jumpy, this camera does 4K video at 24 fps and it is smooth.

To recharge the camera takes about 3 hours from empty, I am getting about 2 hours of video on one charge. The camera can take video while charging if it is switched to the "auto" mode, so it can be used as a dash cam on a long drive.

The package includes a large number of clamps and holders as well as a waterproof case.

I received this camera from CJCAM for testing and review. If you are skeptical of my review because of this, please take a moment to look at my other reviews and see that I leave many critical review when the product deserves it. Getting a free product does not guarantee a glowing review and I always state this before accepting a product for review. I had a chance to review a number of small action cameras and this is one of the best in video quality and color.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Adams Manufacturing 9304-01-3700 36-Inch Garden Planter

I bought this planter last spring and waited to write this review until I saw how it aged through the summer and winter (I left it outside in the snow and rain). It held its shape and color well.

The planter is sturdy, it is roomy, it drains well, it looks pretty decent, and it is priced reasonably. The planter is 36" long, 15.5" wide, and 24" high. It can support 150 pounds. Then empty it weights about 10 pounds.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: PriorityChef Potato Ricer With 3 Interchangeable Discs, Premium 18/10 Stainless Steel

There are guzzilion ways to make mashed potatoes. I like my mashed potatoes even-textured but not as creamy as what I get with whipped mashed potatoes. This ricer gives me rich mouth texture without being "over processed" into gooey paste. I like my mashed potatoes with a bit of texture and with the skins. So even though you can peel potatoes before ricing them I do not. I boil them and then quarters or cut them in 8th put 3-4 chunks into the ricer and squeeze the handles. The skin remain in the ricer and I just dump them in the mashed potatoes after each squeezing session.

I often don't even add milk or cream to the potatoes it comes out so smooth that it does not need anything else. If you are watching calories that might be a bonus.

The ricer is made out of stainless steel and comes with three different disks. My video shows the results with each. The one with small circles is my favorite, as it works best with potato skins and is the easiest to clean.

I received this ricer for evaluation and review. If you are skeptical of my review because of this, please take a moment to look at my other reviews and see that I leave many critical review (1 star, 2 star, 3 star) when the product deserves it. Getting a free product does not guarantee a glowing review and I always state this before accepting a product for review.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Window Bird Feeder by Kanaryware

We have a large number of bird feeders including four different window bird feeders. This style is our favorite for several reasons:

(1) The birds love the little perch. In my video you can see how they use it to crack the seeds. We have another window bird feeder with a different style which does not have a perch and it was less popular until we glued a perch made out of a twig. As soon as we added this twig the bird feeder became more popular.

(2) The size is perfect for one bird and too small for squirrels. The other window bird feeder (the one that we improved by adding a twig perch) is bigger and was just big enough for a squirrel to squeeze herself into it. The squirrels leave these little bird feeders alone.

This bird feeder is 6.5" wide, 7.5" tall, and 3.5" front to back. The bird feeder is held by two suction cups. They provide sufficient suction power to hold the feeder, the seeds, and the birds. The installation instruction recommend cleaning the window and rubbing the suction cups with your fingers to deposit some oil on the cups for a better hold. Our old bird feeders of similar style have not fallen off once (in more than one year) even when a squirrel got into the bigger one.

Does the rain get into it? Yes. But the birds do not seem to mind. They are used to wet seeds on the trees.

What fun to see the birds so up close! If this is your first feeder it will likely that the birds will take a week to find it. In fact for the first window bird feeder in about a week my husband spread some seeds under the bird feeder and that seemed to help the birds find it. Now that we have a couple of window bird feeders it did not take them long to find the new one. The bird's favorite seeds are sunflower seeds. We spoiled the local bird population with sunflower seeds and if we put out the mixed seeds it barely gets touched where as the sunflower seeds disappear very quickly.

I was provided this bird feeder by KanaryWare for testing and review. This style of window bird feeder is our favorite because of the size and the perch.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: JunJun Aviator Polarized Square Sunglasses

I use each product I review for 2 weeks before writing a review to make sure the products works well during a reasonable period of time. In the case of these sunglasses it really made a difference in my rating. My initial impression was great. These are good looking sunglasses. They are a good fit for my face and my husbanded commented how well they look on me. The nose pads are made out of gel and they feel comfortable. The sunglasses are very lightweight. They weight 0.09 oz.

However this weekend one of the arms broke off as I was putting them in my case. This happened because the arm joint jammed and no longer folds and that caused the the arm to separate. Looking at how it broke I believe the arm was glued to the joint.

The lenses are polarized. At the end of my video I include a test that shows that lenses are polarized. The lenses change color when rotated against a stationary computer monitor screen (which is also polarized). If you rotate lenses that are not polarized the color does not change.

It comes in attractive gold box, which looks attractive as a gift box. However the gold box which houses the sunglasses is not a case I can see using as a regular case. It color, size and shape are not well suited for general use to carry around. I only mention this because the Amazon product description describes the packaging as a "case".

I received these sunglasses for evaluation and review as part of the new product introduction. My initial impression was great, however because it broke so quickly I am not able to rate it as high as I wanted when I saw its good looks.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★☆☆☆

Product review: W Led Plant Grow light with Clip and Flexible Neck Desk Lamp

In attached video you can see a 10 day dairy of four cucumber seedlings - one was growing in a sunny window, one under a 15W grow bulb, one under 12W grow bulb, and finally one using the 5W grow lamp offered in this listing. The plant growing in a sunny window in April in New England does not have ideal conditions, this is why we have been using grow lamps for our seedlings for several years. You can that the plant in the window is the smallest at the end of 10 days. All grow lamps were turned on for 14 hours a day using a timer (off at night). I expected the plant under 5W plant to be smaller than a the plants under the stronger lamps but as you see in the photos that is not the case. The plant under the 5W plant is bigger and has larger more robust looking leaves.

In attempt to satisfy my curiosity why the plant under this grow lamp did so well I used the lux meter (which measures light intensity) to compare the three grow bulbs. Turns that that 5W registered the highest lux reading, 12W lamp generated the next highest reading and 15w lamp had the lowest reading. The area that 5W lamp lights up is small, it is good for one plant. 12W and 15W bulbs are larger, we can fit 6 seedlings under each. But the Watts reading does not tell the whole story, turns out that our 15W bulb is just less efficient - it uses more electricity to generate less light.

As a final thought I want to share a tip I learned from several years of experience of using grow bulbs: having a fixture with a goose neck is very important. If the plant gets too close to the bulb it can be burned, so I adjust the neck as the plant grows. This grow lamp has an excellent neck. The neck is 18" long and is very flexible and stays exactly where I put it. The clip opens easily and the jaws open 2.5" wide. The cord has in-line on/off switch and a regular plug.

This grow lamp is provided by Nanu Nanu. As you see in the photo diary, the plant under this lamp did really well.

http://amzn.to/1SUSMZc

Ali Julia review