Consumer Tech for May

Some products and manufacturers that score better than the brands you know

And the fine tech support that beat their bigger rivals

By Richard M. Sherwin with Arlene Rosenberg, Jennifer Auspitz, Marc Burstein and Susan Davis

My new mobile phone, by the name of Huawei and my TV-PC streaming monitor, Scepter (another not well known brand), both outperformed my famous Samsung Galaxy Phone 9 and my LG Super Monitor….and my neighbors IPhone 10 and my friends Sony Pro Monitor, in a week long test.

A big test for the lesser known companies was when switching mobile providers, cable and Internet suppliers; I had to reach out to both big and small manufacturers to make some adjustments on the devices.

Some consumer testing companies warn their readers that unknown brands might not be the best in customer support and or have shortened hours that don’t serve their consumers 24-7.

Well, last week I was unbelievably surprised by the length breath and abilities of customer support at the not so well known manufacturers’

Samsung, LG provided decent weekend and holiday support. Apple’s support indicated that there would be a very long waits and that they would call me back…they did three hours later. Apple also suggested going to the nearest retail store…. except it was closed.

Figuring that if these behemoths of tech are closed or nearly closed over the weekend, than these unknown manufacturers wouldn’t be open.

I was wrong.  Huawei answered on first ring with clear concise advice and a followed up email in case I forgot what they told me.

And when I couldn’t figure out an advanced connection from my Roku to the Sceptre Monitor, Sceptre guided me through this via email and live chat which was open 24-7. The 34 year old American company has been in relative obscurity with second tier retailers. Yet they remain one of the leading manufacturers of affordable LED, LCD, and 4K displays and also devices, car cams, and car batteries.

More Surprises

But that wasn’t the only surprise of the night. The Scepter’s 4K- 27 inch screen was brighter, clearer and sharper than the equivalent Samsung or LG monitor and the Huawei smart phone had a better camera, audio, processor and “get this” a better transfer software (phone to phone) than Samsung’s top Galaxy Phone.

I also found great success with a company that used to be a major brand in its category, NETGEAR, which makes WIFI Extenders, Routers and other Internet support accessories. Over the last few years Belkin (Linksys), Action Tec (former Verizon partner) and Asus had overtaken NETGEAR in sales to consumers and with many service providers and customers. But now not only were NETGEAR’S products arguably better, but the company has reemerged as an industry leader. How did it just regain superiority?

NETGEAR ORBI

NETGEAR’S customer and tech support is now far superior to its competitors.  Because this industry has changed so drastically over the last few years and with many service providers now charging a monthly fee for their routers and modems and Wi-Fi apparatus, we also purchased and borrowed some of the leading modem-router devices.

NETGEAR’S new line of consumer based routers, Pro Gaming switch routers, and its Nighthawk Pro Gaming Routers, all beat its competition in reliability, service provider compatibility, speed and performance. One model in particular being used at my condo was the Orbi Wi-Fi System model AC2200 (a little pricey at $300, but well worth it). The Linksys and Action Tec don’t provide enough broadband coverage in this Comcast based neighborhood while NETGEAR’s Orbi literally made any Tablet, Roku, mobile phone or streaming device double in triple in broadband “bars” without any crashes. And when Comcast’s own Wi-Fi weakens the Orbi performs even better than Comcast’s router. All of a sudden Netflix, Amazon, MLB were clearer brighter and no “bandwidth or buffering” errors. (RBK23W) AC2200OrbiSystem (RBK23W) A Huawei, pronounced “Wah-Way” C2200

For those who like me are new to Huawei, pronounced “Wah-Way” Huawei’s products and services are available in more than 170 countries, and are used by a third of the world’s population. Fifteen R&D centers have been set up in the United States, Germany, Sweden, Russia, India and China. Huawei Consumer BG is one of Huawei’s three business units and covers smartphones, PC and tablets, wearables and cloud services, etc. Priced a lot lower than big names to get a foothold in the North American market, Huawei and ZTE, another terrific well priced smart phone,  have gotten great reviews from service providers, but the providers have become reluctant to OK deals because Huawei and ZTE have been described by a few politicians as being too close to the Chinese government. This is really ironic as Korea’s Samsung and LG, at ne time, were called by some of the same politicians as being responsible for the death of famous U.S.  Brands like RCA, Zenith, Westinghouse, and Emerson.

According to overseas news agencies where Huawei is one of the most well regarded and best in class manufacturers. Huawei is readying the first foldable mobile phone and or tablet.

The downside of Huawei might be political. According to interviews with CNBC, a spokesperson for Huawei told CNBC: “Huawei is aware of a range of U.S. government activities seemingly aimed at inhibiting Huawei’s business in the U.S. market. Huawei is trusted by governments and customers in 170 countries worldwide and poses no greater cybersecurity risk than any ICT vendor, sharing as we do common global supply chains and production capabilities.”

Advice from Digital Family Advisor:

Since the U.S. government claim against ZTE and Huawei is based more on the non-wireless phone technology for these two mobile manufacturers, and because we think the feature, performance and price of Huawei’s Mate 10 Pro is so compelling, if you can purchase it legally through a website like Amazon and because its returnable from some retailers, why not see for yourself how great the line of Huawei’s mobile phones are.

ZTE also told CNBC, saying: “As a publicly traded company, we are committed to adhering to all applicable laws and regulations of the United States, work with carriers to pass strict testing protocols, and adhere to the highest business standards.  ZTE takes cybersecurity and privacy seriously and remains a trusted partner to our US suppliers, US customers and the people who use our products.”

Bytes and Pieces:

Ultimate Ears’ Amazon Alexa Hands-Free Voice Control portable speaker arrives.

• About 9 months ago we previewed Logitech’s Ultimate Ears Alexa enabled speaker and right away we thought it had better sound, bass and clarity than Amazon’s own speakers. Now the long awaited UE Blast ($179.99) is at retail and the audio performance is even better than our preview sampled it.  We used the non-Alexa enabled Blast speaker at one of my lectures a few weeks ago and the audience was very impressed with its Blue Tooth quick connection and especially impressed by its sound in a big auditorium. Well now imagine that at home with your own or Amazon’s music playing and you’ll see why this line of speakers is very very good. Though as tall as the Amazon Echo, this Waterproof device is still very portable with terrific battery life. Allegedly smarter over time, you can update your speaker with the Ultimate Ears app as new features become available and or the Alexa App upgrades too. Drivers: Two 1.4 inches active drivers and two 3.2 inches x 1.5 inches passive radiators.

Popuband’s Populelee Very Popular

Another product that seems to have improved its “Smart designation” is the Populele, the first smart ukulele to hit the market. When we tested it six months ago, its mobile App based approach to learning how to play this great instrument , was little difficult (but doable) now the electric Uke is much much better.

PopuBand aims to solve the problem of learning to play an instrument for people without a ton of time, money or a private teacher. By integrating technology within the musical instrument, PopuBand is able to offer aspiring and present and raw rookie musicians likesome on my team a solution.  

Founder and CEO Bohan Zhang:  “We started PopuBand with the conviction that music education can change lives. Private tutors are expensive, and the average person’s schedule doesn’t suit regular classroom attendance. Self-study is fine, but not the best way for everyone. We wanted to make something affordable that empowers one to truly learn an instrument.”

At DFA, we’ve found that almost anyone can use and play this device. The Populele ukulele is handcrafted with premium European maple and Italian Aquila strings. This smart ukulele sports an innovative fretboard learning system with 72 built-in LEDs that connect via blue tooth to deliver an unparalleled gamified app experience. With LEDs and sound-responsive technologies, musically and non-musically inclined individuals can learn to play real songs and receive instant feedback.  

The companion app also includes musical games, a tuner, a more than 100 song library, recording capabilities,   tutorial videos and easy sharing to social networks. The price for the instrument is well under $200 at Amazon, Popuband Music and other musical instrument retailers.

TCL Tender Care Love Revisited

TCL 32S305 32-Inch 720p Roku Smart LED TV (2017 Model)

Two years ago, TCL the derivative CE maker of TVs under the Thomson,   RCA and other Chinese brands sent us a few of their large screen and entry level TVs, some of the first with built-in Roku. Roku is a device that streams media (shows, movies, and even music) from the internet to your TV. Our first experience with TCL was that it was better to buy a TV and add a separate Roku because the Roku built in TV was too confusing and made for a needlessly bad customer experience. Now TCL’s 2017-18 models seemed to have solved the problem. Their incorporation of Roku is easy to use, easy to set up and easy to configure. You can easily switch from cable to antenna and Roku.

Bissell once again becomes best in class

The new Multi Reach™ Cordless Vacuum is the latest in Bissell’s industry leading Ultralight multi-function cordless vacuums

The new model (we loved its predecessor) combines powerful performance and lightweight versatility for varied types of floor cleaning. As a powerful stick vacuum, the motorized brush roll and suction power cleans carpets and bare floors with ease. The highly versatile unit features removable hand vacuum allowing you to easily spot clean above floors while you vacuum. The lightweight and maneuverable motor-in-hand design makes it easy to handle and control. The top features:

• Up to 20 minutes of run time with 22V lithium ion battery
• Converts to powerful hand vacuum with variety of tools
• Extension wand to reach up high and into corners
• Bright LED lights to see dirt where it hides
• Ultralight and easy to use at 5 lbs. and ergonomic handle with swivel steering
• 2-year limited warranty

Fabulous new paper thin Antenna

Cord cutters rejoice, a really stylish indoor antenna which works as much as 40 miles away from regular TV stations is now available. Ontario, California based technology company Antop has a new model AT122B antenna that uses a Smartpass based amplifier system that can increase the reception on its indoor antenna enabling better picture, sound and station choice. We installed it in seconds and our home base was exactly between two cities just about at the 40 mile mark. The Antop AT122B Antenna lined up over 20 free channels including all the networks in a few minutes. If our TV didn’t have a powered USB input we could have used the included AC power adapter. Reportedly the Antop antenna uses a filter to block 3G and 4G wireless interference and yet though we have tons of products here that have 3G and 4G signals, we saw no deterioration of our local TV signals. Priced at under $45 (a little higher than some of the antennas we tried from Amazon and Best Buy). A reminder for all of you using indoor or outdoor antennas, some local stations even within the usual 35 mile range may still be broadcasting at very weak signal especially at night, so you might have to move your antenna nearer a window or door no matter how much you spend on an antenna.

• Other Antop features: The Smartpass models Support HDTV, 1080P TV and 4K ULTRA HD and compatible with all  TV converter boxes
• Offer High Gain reception technology, shielded for minimum interference.
• World Map Antenna Range: AT-121B, 35 to 50 miles / AT-122B, 40 to 55 miles / AT-123, 40-mile
• VHF Enhanced: AT-122B / AT-123
• Both the AT-121B and AT-122B include the Smartpass Amplifier, an exclusive ANTOP technology that features an all-in-one design allowing for easier connection while delivering the correct balance between short and long-range reception.

RunLites

We have a dog, a 7 pound black one, and, oh yeah, we live on the top of a mountain where there are no street lights. So, you can see the problem, yes? But we can’t see him at night.

So, in addition to attaching a doggie light to his harness, or using a lighted collar, which helped see him but not where I was walking, I’ve tried various things… including lights on elastic headbands, none of which were very bright. So lately, I’ve been walking him with a big flashlight around my neck, which I have to hold when I’m trying to pick up after him. And I only have 2 hands.

But now I found Runlites! They’re mittens, gloves, or glove-like slings (pictured) with rechargeable easily through USB ports, very bright LED lights (sold separately). Great for nighttime, dawn or dusk running, cycling, camping and other activities, but I only needed something to light our way on Ziggy’s night time walks. They’re really great.

• Set to 40 or 80 lumens.
• Light projects 35 feet ahead.
• Velcro on top and bottom guarantees a secure attachment.
• Rechargeable, no batteries required.

https://www.gorunlites.com