Product review: Fenniu Ultra Thin 14 inch laptop, Windows 10 PC, Rose Gold

This laptop is Microsoft's answer to Chromebook.  It similarly sleek and thin, long battery life, built-in virus protection.  It is best for surfing the internet, watching YouTube or Netflix's videos, answering mail, using Skype.  It is not a replacement for a gaming laptop, or a laptop where you want run complicated memory and disk intense programs like Photoshop or Video editing.

The package include the laptop and the power supply.  It comes with 4GB of memory and a 64GB SSD drive (which can be upgraded to 512GB at an additional cost by the owner). The laptop comes without a manual. Even though the built drive is small, it has more space available than I expected.  The operating system and pre-installed programs took only 15.7 GB (which is pretty good for Windows!) leaving 42.5 GB free to use.  This laptop comes with a stripped version of Windows, but it has everything you need for doing Chromebook-like activities.

For a slim computer it has in a reasonable selection of ports, with two USB 3 ports, a display port, a USB  type C port and a micro SD card reader.  It has a large sensitive track pad. I prefer to use a mouse and I am using one of the USB ports for a mouse.

The keyboard is responsive and has a nice feel to it.

This laptop is 14" 1920x1080.  The actual screen measurements are 12" wide and 7" high. Its weight is 2 pounds and 15.2 oz.

In my video you see some typical uses such as YouTube and Skype.  Overall, it is a nice computer for the price and its usage as an internet computer.

The laptop comes without documentation.  If you need to boot into BIOS you need to hit "delete" key multiple times as soon as it starts booting. To start booting from a USB stick (which you would need to do if you plan to replaces the SSD drive) you need to format the USB stick as FAT32,

and then use F7 to boot from USB stick.

This laptop has an expansion slot M.2 2242 SSD (support up to 512Gb), it can be used add an external SSD to get more storage without replacing the  SSD that contains the operating system.  The first photo below (the one with the door open) is the SSD compartment, all you have to do is remove one screw, open the door and put in the card. The second picture shows the latop with the back cover removed. The M.2 slot is on the bottom right just below the copper shield, the M.2 connector is clearly visible.

Here are a couple of updates after using the laptop for a while:

To create a recovery disk (needed for upgrading the SSD or just to have a backup of the operating system) you need to use a USB stick with a minimum 8G space.

The power plug on the laptop is made out of two parts.  The body which is common to all countries, and prongs attachment which is specific to each country.  This two part construction is not as good as a once piece power plug.
I noticed that my laptop does not always charge as the prongs become loose.  When the laptop drains to 7% the screen does not stay on for long, just enough to show you that it is almost out of juice.

WiFi on the laptop is not very speedy and it has no Ethernet plug. So doing updates is pretty time consuming.  I found that using USB to Ethernet converter gives me better speed than WiFi.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: PYLE PLDM22 Handheld Laser Distance Meter with Backlit Lcd Display

This laser meter is very accurate. It is rated to be accurate within 1/16 of an inch. The key to getting a good reading is to position the back of the unit (i.e. the side opposite to where the laser is emitted) where you want the measuring to begin. The meter is 5 inches long so if you think you are measuring from the front of the unit it would look like the measurement is 5 inches off.

I started by measuring the accuracy on the gridded mat which is 18 inches long. As you in attached video I placed the laser meter one inch into the grid and got a reading of 17" inches. In all experiments with different distances and different background colors the measurements were accurate.

I also liked that the I could turn on back lighting on the meter, so I could see the numbers very clearly. The meter comes with study canvas pouch, which has a loop on the back so you can carry it on a belt or hang on something when you need free hands.

The laser meter runs on two AAA batteries (which are included). It auto-shut offs after 3 minute of inactivity.

The unit is 5.1" x 2.16" x 1.1" and is splash proof.

Pyle laser meter has several functions: it can measure as a single measure, do continuous measuring, perform additions and subtractions of the measurements, it can calculate areas, volumes, Pythagoras (given 2 sides of a triangle calculate the length of the third side) and so forth. I found the manual explained the functions clearly.

The only negative I can say is that the laser meter has no memory of my settings. For example, when I switch units to inches the next time I turn it back on the units go back to meters, so I have to reset it every time.

Overall, I am impressed. Very accurate measurements and it is easy to use.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Cambond Clip On Fan (5" fan fan battery powered)

This fan is 5" across and it can be moved 360 degrees in two directions, so I can aim it at any angle I want. It has a large clip which can serve as a stand, the clip opens up to 2" wide and holds well. I can mount it in various places, I use this clip fan at work clipping it to a shelf.

The fan has three speeds from low to medium to high. On the low setting the fan is very quite and it gets progressively louder with increased air flow.  I show all three speeds in the video.

The fan rans on 18650 battery.  One was included in the package but it appears to be defective.  When I put in the charger it shows that it is full, but the fan does not run when it is inserted. However, when I used another 18650 battery it works fine. The battery can be charged in the fan or in an external charger.


The fan has been in use for a week, and functions well. It has not developed any noises and I had it running all the time for these two weeks.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Book review: Knitting: Learn To Arm Knit Scarves & Blankets In Under 30 Minutes! by Kitty Moore

I am pretty sure this is worst craft book I have ever seen. This book is not for beginner knitters. It is impossible to learn to knit without seeing pictures that show how to do it.  This book has only short verbal descriptions. 

The book also has no images of completed project.  Only text, so one has no idea what the project would look like. What is worse the author provides links that promise images of completed products, but the link lead to advertizing pages for the author's other books not images related to the products.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★☆☆☆☆

Product review: the fifteen twelve 4 Reusable Silicone Food Bags

I liked this bags because they can be used in a microwave and freezer and a nice alternative to zip lock bags.

These bags are a little difficult to open the first time because silicone sides really were stuck to each initially, but this happened only for the initial opening of the bags.  The lock slides in and out from the side and the lock is water tight as I show in the attached video.

The bags come without any instructions, so the first time it is a little difficult to figure out what to do to open it especially because the sides are stuck to each other, so the thing I would change is packaging. Adding a little flyer would remove much of the frustration on the initial attempt to use these bags.  If you pull the lock up rather than sideways it is possible to break it.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Sept.Filles Socks Women's Sock Ultra-thin Transparent Lace Socks

These socks are pretty unique. The soles, the toes, and the cuffs are very much like a regular sock, but the middles section is made out sheer material similar to a sheer stocking. The sheer material keeps the skin cooler than cotton, they will be good to wear when it is hot. They are made out of 90% acrylic and 10% cotton.

I normally wear size 7.5 shoe. Many socks labeled the standard 7-9 size are a little large on me, these socks are perfect. From the way they fit me I would say they run small, so if you have a large foot that maybe a negative, for me it was a plus. They have a little stretch and likely to fit a somewhat larger foot (size 8) as well, I think they will be too small for size 9 foot.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Handmade HM&LN Genuine Leather Planner Organizer

I am a big note taker, so always have various lists with me anywhere I go.  This journal is small 6.5" by 4.25" in size and fits well in  my purse. Its thickness can vary as inserts can be added and removed easily, as the sections are held together by elastic cords attached to the binding.

It comes with 4 inserts in the organizer and one spare insert.  To make it a little thinner for every day use I removed two inserts, and right now have just two of them.  It is a big plus that it can be so flexible.

In addition to the writable pagest it has a couple of card slots and a zipper pouch for notes, receipts, or business cards.

The  cover is made out of leather and it is a mauve color with "antique" type finish.

This package also includes a set of stickers.  The stickers I really liked have a calendar with a tab, so I can add dividers into the organizer as months change.

Pretty nice organizer, I particularly like how easy it is to change which inserts I carry with me.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★