Product review: Budget tablet Pyle Astro PTBL9C 9-Inch 8 GB Tablet

In case someone reads just the first few lines of this review, let me start by saying that the technical specs for this tablet under Amazon product description contain several errors, the main one being the number of cores in the processor of this tablet. I note the errors and corrections at the end of the review and I notified the seller.

As a background for this review, I am a fairly heavy tablet user. We own three tablets: Nexus 7, Galaxy 7.7, and iPad Mini which we use for navigation, music streaming, game playing, reading, browsing, listening to internet radio and so forth. I received Pyle Astro Tablet from the manufacture for testing, evaluation and review. In my review I will compare my experiences with these tablets, especially the Android tablets, to Pyle Astro Tablet.

Given the price difference between the tablets (the Pyle Astro Tablets is under $100 at the time I am writing this review) any comparison must start with a price. Pyle Astro Tablet is less than half of the cheapest tablet listed above. It is a real bargain. The question is what are the main practical differences between the Pyle Astro Tablet and the other three tablets I mentioned.

✔ 1. The display resolution (which is 800 x 480) and brightness. In practical terms it means that even though Pyle tablet has a larger physical screen it will fit less on the screen than a display with a higher resolution. Reduced brightness means it is harder to read in the bright sun. I found that the image on the screen looks washed out at more angles than my other tablets. However, if you hold the tablet at the right angle and not in the bright sun the screen is acceptable. This is the biggest difference, and given the price difference it is a reasonable compromise.
I am attaching a collage of 2 photos, showing Pyle Astro tablet next to Galaxy 7.7 tablet (which has screen resolution 1280 x 800 pixels) so you can compare the display.

✔ 2. The processor of this tablet is not as powerful as the processors in my other tablets. It also comes with a relatively small amount memory (512MB). In practical terms it means it is a bit more sluggish than the tablets I compared it to. Doing the same operation on Pyle Astro Tablet and Galaxy 7.7 tablet (which runs the same version of the operating system) Pyle tablet took longer. To be specific, things take longer to display. For example, when I need to enter something the on-screen keyboard takes a bit longer to appear than with the other tablets. When I install something it takes a bit longer and so forth.

✔ 3. This tablet does not have a bluetooth capability. In my day-to-day usage of the tablets I use bluetooth quite a bit. I use bluetooth speaker when we use the tablet to navigate, for streaming music or audio books. I also use a bluetooth keyboard when I am doing a lot of typing on my tablet during travel. Whether missing bluetooth functionality is a deal breaker depends on whether you plan to use bluetooth devices.

✔ 4. The tablet is running Android 4.0.4 operating system. I tested many of the apps I use on my Galaxy 7.7 tablet and most of the worked with the exception of TuneIn Radio which gave me a message that it is not compatible with this device. Surprising! Pandora radio did work just fine. The error tells me that there is a potential that some apps will not work on this tablet even when they work with other tablets running Android 4.0.4.

✔ 5. I found the touch screen to be a little less responsive than my other tablets. Perhaps this could be explained by the slower processor rather than the screen itself. However, the responsiveness of the touch screen is something that you get used to and learn to use effectively relatively quickly.

With the price tag of under $100 Pyle Astro tablet performed rather well for a budget tablet. Whether you are on a budget or want to get a tablet for youngster this tablet will do a serviceable job.

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Technical specification errors as of 6/11/2013
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I am an engineer so several mistakes in the technical spec jumped out at me and caused me to look for another version of the spec, which I found on the Pyle Audio web site. This second version of the spec appears to be accurate. I am including that version after noting the errors.

1. Errors in the manufacture and processor description.
Processor Brand: Intel
Processor: 1.2 GHz A-Series Quad-Core A8
➨ ➨ A8 is an ARM processor and Intel does not make ARM processors at the current time
➨ ➨ The processor in this tablet is unlikely to be a high end quad-core based on performance and price of this tablet.
When I looked up the processor on the Pyle web site, the processor was descried as "1.2GHz Cortex A8 Processor Chip"
not mentioning the number of cores, which typically implies one core.

2. Hard Drive Rotational Speed 5400 RPM
➨ ➨ Tablets do not use hard drives that rotate, they use flash RAM

3. Hard Drive 8 GB
➨ ➨ This device does not have a hard drive, it has is 8GB flash RAM storage capacity
The difference between hard drives and flash RAM is that hard drives are mechanical devices that rotate, flash RAM is solid state memory (no moving parts). This makes flash RAM shockproof, which makes it very useful for a mobile device which is being carried around. If this tablet actually had a hard drive it would be bad news. But the spec from Pyle web site does not include a mention of the hard drive and refers to 8GB Storage Capacity instead.

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Here is the spec from the Pyle web site
==========================================
Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Operating System)
1.2GHz Cortex A8 Processor Chip with 3D Graphic Acceleration
2 Built-in Cameras: .3 Megapixel Front & 2 Megapixel Back Cameras
Multi-Touch Capacitive Screen with 4-Direction Gravity Sensing
High-Speed Wireless Network: 802.11 b/g/n
TF card Port (Supports up to 32GB)
8GB Storage Capacity
Integrated Flash Player
Multi Language Support
512MB DDR3 RAM
Pixel Resolution: 800 x 480
Up to 8-Hour Battery Life (4000mAh Battery)
Headphone Jack & Side-Button Volume Control
USB wall charger adapter, USB charging cable

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Grace Digital GDI-EGSCM Suction Cup Mount

I am using Grace Digital suction mount to mount ECOROX Bluetooth Speaker. The speaker is 5.5"L x 3.5"W x 2.5"H. Its weight is 10.6 oz. The mount holds this weight easily.

I mounted suction mount with the speaker in my shower. It has been installed over a week ago and it still holds well without needing any adjustments. The mount attaches with a vacuum seal mount and has a quick release/lock lever. The mount allows the speaker to be pivoted 360 degrees. The suction mount and the pivot give me a lot of flexibility of where to place the speaker. I put it right inside of the shower stall, so I have great acoustics when I am in the shower.

I received this suction mount from the manufacture for testing and an honest review be it positive or negative. The mount works great, the hold is very strong. It will mount well on any smooth surface.

I am posting a photo of the suction mount holding the bluetooth speaker. The photo can be located by following 'customer photos' link under the main photo.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Chef's Star® Manual Hand Crank Juicer - Single Auger Juice Press

ChefSmartTM Hand Crank Juicer is easier to crank than I expected. It is made out of hard plastic and I expected that I would need to apply some muscle when cranking, but the muscle was not really required. As you see in the video I cut the apple in fairly small chunks as recommended in the documentation. And the cranking did not require much force. The juicer has a very good suction mechanism and stayed firmly in place. If anything I had a bit of hard time getting it off the table (not complaining, just pointing out how good the suction is).

The juice produced pulp from the front of the spout and juice from the middle. I thought I would eat the pulp after the juicing is done not to waste anything but the juicer did such a good job that the pulp was totally tasteless and I tossed it. As you see in the video the apples got stuck to the auger a couple of times and I used a spoon to dislodge and move them around. Then the juicer was producing juice at a good clip again.

The ChefSmart juicer disassembled easily, it has no sharp pieces so it was quick and easy to clean. Manual cranking does take longer than juicing with an electric juicer, but cranking itself is not hard. Plus it is quiet!

I received this juicer for testing and sharing my experience with potential future buyers. I liked it and will be using it on regular basis. I hope the video gives you a good idea what to expect.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: comparison of four LED lights from Ideal LED Light

When I shop for LED bulbs the amount of choices is dizzying. When I can't see them turned on side by side I am never quite sure what they will look like when I get home this is because manufactures do not have a standard of how they specify what their light is equivalent to.

In this review I am including a comparison of the 4 IDEAL LED lights by using standard EFI charts and side-by-side photos of the 4 lights.

IDEAL LED 18 Watt Reveal Warm
2900K PAR38 Flood light
800 lumen
65 degrees light beam
Replaces 55 Watt incandescent
Indoor and outdoor use
Cost savings $19 - $6.24 = $12.76 (calculations explained below)

IDEAL LED 18 Watt Neutral White
4300K PAR38 Flood Light
900 lumen
65 degree light beam
Replaces 61 Watt incandescent
Indoor and outdoor use
Annual cost savings $21.08 - $6.24 = $14.84

IDEAL LED 13 Watt Neutral White
4300K PAR30 Flood Light
990 lumen
90 degrees beam
Replace 67 Watt incandescent
Indoor use
Annual cost savings $23.15 - $4.49 = $18.66

IDEAL LED 13 Watt Reveal Warm
2900K PAR30 Flood Light
860 lumen
90 Degree Beam
Replaces 59 Watt incandescent
Indoor use
Annual cost savings $20.39 - $4.49 = $15.90

How I calculated incandescent equivalent
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In my description above I am using efi.org lumen equivalents to calculate the power of the incandescent light this LED light replaces rather than the information provided by the manufacture (manufacture's numbers are higher). I believe EFI numbers are more accurate in giving a consumer an idea of the brightness they will get.

EFI standards are:
75 watts is 1100 lumens
60 watts is 890 lumens

How I calculated cost savings
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When we use 1000 watts for 1 hour we used a kilowatt-hour.
The formula to figure the cost of running a device:
wattage x hours used ÷ 1000 x price per kWh = cost of electricity

Assuming usage of one light bulb 8 hours a day each day for 1 year and the cost of electricity 0.12 cents per kwh
55w Incandescent bulb ~~~ $1.58 per month, $19 per year
59w Incandescent bulb ~~~ $1.70 per month, $20.39 per year
61w Incandescent bulb ~~~ $1.75 per month, $21.08 per year
67w Incandescent bulb ~~~ $1.92 per month, $23.15 per year
13w LED bulb ~~~~~~~~~~~~ $0.27 per month, $4.49 per year
18w LED bulb ~~~~~~~~~~~~ $0.52 per month, $6.24 per year

Visual comparison of the LED lights
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To illustrate this review I am attaching 10 photos in two photo collages (they can be located by following 'customer photos' link under the main photo)

✔ Photo #1 shows 18W Watt Reveal Warm and 18W Neutral White next to each other so you can see the color difference.
✔ Photo #2 and Photo #3 show white appliances in the light of each of these two bulbs.
✔ Photo #3 shows 13W Watt Reveal Warm and 13W Neutral White next to each other so you can see the color difference.
✔ Photo #5 and Photo #6 show white appliances in the light of second set of bulbs.

As you see the lightening provided by the 18w and 13w bulbs are very similar (and you would expect that based on lumens). The biggest difference between the bulbs is the width of the light beam. I liked 13w bulbs which have 90 degree beam light better as they lighted up a larger area.

✔ Photo #7 shows 18W light on a digital scale. It weighs in at 9.3 oz. You can also see the front lens of the bulb. It is clear.
✔ Photo #8 shows 13W light on a digital scale. It weighs in at 6.3 oz. You can also see the front lens of the bulb. It is lightly frosted.
✔ Photo #9 shows 18W light on a one inch gridded mat for size reference.
✔ Photo #10 shows 13W light on a one inch gridded mat for size reference.

I liked the lightly frosted lens on 13W better than the clear lens on 18W as it diffused the light and if you happened to look up and see the light it was more attractive to look at and easier on your eyes.

Manufacture of these lights asked me as one of the reviewers who have a history of writing informative reviews to test these lights and post my opinion about them to make it easier for future potential customers make their buying decisions.

Overall, all four lights are well made. They worked well, their finish is neat, they did not rattle when I shook them, there are no visible sloppy soldering as I have seen on some other LED lights. Out of the four lights I tested my top pick is IDEAL LED 13 Watt Reveal Warm with IDEAL LED 13 Watt Neutral White a close runner-up.

You can find neutral bulb on Amazon by following this link.


You can find warm bulb on Amazon by following this link.

You can find warm bulb on Amazon by following this link.


You can find neutral white on Amazon by following this link

Ali Julia review ★★★★★ and ★★★★☆

Product review: The GoldenValley Mini Ultra High-Flux Cree XR-E Q5 LED Adjustable Flash Light

This is a pretty bright LED light flashlight. It has two modes: a steady light and a strobe. The flashlight runs on one AA battery (not included).

I am attaching a video which demonstrates the flashlight in action.

The length of this flashlight can be changed from 4 inches to 3.5 inches. This such a small difference that I don't really see the point why it is made this way. It is not a negative but I did not find the difference in length to be significant enough to be useful. The flashlight has a pen-like clip which could be handy both in storage and attaching during usage.

Overall, I liked the flashlight but I found the battery compartment hard to open. After a bit of struggle I managed to do it once to put in the battery, but when I wanted to do it again for the video I could not open the battery compartment again.

I received this flashlight for testing and review from the manufacture. I wrote to the manufacture to ask them if there was a trick to opening the battery compartment. No. There was no secret button. They suggested putting a drop of oil on the threads. If you have trouble opening it too keep this suggestion in mind. I will try this again when it is time to change the battery. Since this is a LED light flashlight I hope this will not happen for a very long time.

Other than the battery compartment glitch, I am pleased with the flashlight.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: J-style 3D Tri-Axis Multifunction Belt Clip Pedometer with Technology Large LCD Screen

What do I want from pedometer? I want it to be accurate and I want it to be easy to wear. J-Style pedometer accomplishes exactly that. I have been using it daily for over a month and it has worked well without problems. Note that I only care about counting steps, some measurements are shown as metric measures such as kilometers rather miles.

The pedometer has a nice lever style clip, which is easy to open and close. The pedometer is worn closed, to see the statistics it collected you need to open it. In addition to the step count, it keeps track of walking distance, burned calories, activity time, average speed, and time of the day.

Display shows from 0 to 99,999 steps, from 0 to 99,999km, from 0 to 99,999 calories, from 0 to 59 hours 59 minutes.

Dimensions of the unit are 2.5" x 1.5" (closed), 2.5" x 2.5" (opened).

The timer runs on one CR2032 battery (included). Estimate life of the battery is 1 year.

Before using it you need to calibrate it to your stride. This is accomplished by hitting a small recessed system reset button (I used a sewing needle to press it). Then you need to specify time and your stride length. The interface requires you to specify this information in centimeters. The stride is measured toe to toe or heel to heel. To get more accurate measurement is better to walk a good number of steps and then divide the total distance by the number of steps taken.

If you are not concerned about the accuracy then you can use average stride length:
Average stride length for ladies: 70 cm (Note! This info has to be in metric measurements)
Average stride length for men: 78 cm

I received this pedometer from the manufacture to provide honest feedback and review (good or bad) for this newly launched product. I hope my description and video helps you to know what to expect.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Pocket Chain Saw Survival Gear Cool Outdoor Camping Tools

This pocket chain saw is a 25" long chain saw blade attached to two nylon handles. The length of the saw with the handles is 40 inches. It comes in a handy pouch which keeps the package neat and compact. It weighs only 4.7 oz on my digital postal scare.

To test the saw I enlisted the help of my husband to do the sawing while I held the end of the branch he was working on in place. The video shows the cutting of 1/2 inch branch. The entire process took slightly over 5 minutes. The attached video includes two short snippets in the beginning and the end of the sawing session.

Observations:
1. The saw worked but required a lot of energy and a good amount of time
2. The blade did not flip while it was in use, no adjustments were required
3. The blade came out pretty clean and no time consuming cleaning was required

The chain saw is most effective for cutting old trees or stumps still standing upright. Limbs on the ground require stepping on the tree limb to give it enough weight to counter the sawing motion. To cut a horizontal branch on a tree it helps to have two people, as the second person can hold the branch steady.

I received this saw from Stunning Gadgets with a request for an honest review, be it good or bad. This is a useful gadget to have in emergency, its small size and light weight are its biggest assets. Putting it to use does require effort and time, which is not unexpected, of course.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆