Product review: UHURU ATSC HD TV Tuner Micro USB Digital Television Receiver for Android Phone or Tablet

The idea of being able to tune TV on my phone was very attractive. I worked very hard to make this tuner work (details below), but the bottom line is at the end it tuned 0 channels no matter what I tried.



Here what I have tried



1) I received the product for testing and review. The first version of the product I received required to download an app from the manufacture's web site in China. I am a software engineer, I have a lot of experience in web security. One thing I would never do is a download an Android app from any place other than GooglePlay or Amazon. I contacted the vendor and told him that until his app undergoes a security scan in GooglePlay his application is not suited for an American audience. The seller agreed to do so.



2) While he was working on getting his application into GooglePlay store I have tried a large number of apps designed for ATSC Pad TV. I have tried more than a dozen application on two different phones. One phone has the latest version of Android (6.1.1), the other phone has 4.4.2 Android. According to documentation the dongle supports both OS versions. None of the of the apps on either of the phones detected the presence of the dongle, generating an error "No device found".



3) When the seller notified me that the app is now available from Google Play I tried it. The seller uploaded two versions of the app, one is meant for USA and one for international market. They look identical, so my first try was with an internal app, it did not list USA as an option and tuned no channels when I tried other countries. Then I tried the second app, it had USA option was listed listed in the drop down. The dongle was detected and the wizard went through the motions of scanning for channels but tuned in 0 channels. I have tried the wizard in several different locations not only at home in hopes to find a better reception, but was not successful.



As you see I spent quite a bit of time trying to make this work... but with no luck.



I received PadTV from the vendor for testing and review. Unfortunately, there is nothing positive that I can say about it other than the vendor was responsive and was able to release his application to GooglePlay when I requested it.



You can find "UHURU ATSC HD TV Tuner" on Amazon via this link





AshopZones review

Product review: Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector

If you are looking for a product to remove dark spot (sun spots) this product does not help. It is pleasant in texture and odor free. It is absorbed well and does not leave the skin shiny as some other preparations. The skin is left softer after the application. However, it has no effect on dark spots. After using the serum for several months I saw a dermatologist and asked her if there is any chance that this serum will work. She said no. She said freezing the skin where the spots are however is very effective. I went ahead and did it. Several weeks later my spots were totally gone, there is not even a faint mark where they were. It cost me $25 per spot (insurance does not cover it since it is cosmetic). For a week it looked like I had a couple of pimples until the skin totally healed. If any spots appear again I would do the freezing again. I can't tell where the old spots used to be.



You can find "Clinique Dark Spot Corrector" on Amazon





AshopZones review ★☆☆☆☆

Product review: Invtepy Smart Watch Electrocardiogram

The package includes a watch and a charging station. The instructions say that a long push on the home button on the side is supposed to turn on the watch. After charging the watch for 24 hours and trying many different long holds I could not turn this watch on. My husband also gave it a try with the same lack of success.



When the watch is charging I can get the watch to respond with "Welcome" screen and see a battery showing animation, so I know the watch and the battery are communicating and the watch is being charged. However, I never got to watch to work. The home button is the smaller button on the side. The bigger button (where a crown is positioned on other watches) is actually the camera.



I got the black stainless steel band. It looks attractive, but thinner than any other watch I have with a stainless steel band, so they are lighter than a typical watch with stainless bracelet.



I received this watch from Invtepy for testing and review as part of the new product introduction. Getting a free product does not effect what I say, my review is purely based on my experience with the product. And this watch has been a disappointment. I am including the video which shows the watch being charged and my attempts to turn it on. I also included a picture of the watch on my husband's arm to show the relative size.



You can find it by following this link



AshopZones review ★☆☆☆☆

Product review: Solar LED Lights by Linkertech Waterproof

I got a pair of lights. One of them stayed on only for a few minutes after a full day of charging initially and a week later did not turn on at all. The other one stays on for about 3 hours (by 11 pm it is off). Both are very dim, they light only a tiny area right around the light. The stock photo makes them appear much brighter than they are in real life. Are the lights decorative given that they do not produce much light? No. The lights do not look as nice in person as they do in the stock photo. The plastic has a cheap look and they do not look nice when it is light outside.



I took several pictures (setting the camera to manual mode so the camera does not try to compensate for the darkness). I also measured the light it generates with a lux meter (which measures intensity of the light) for an unbiased measurement in addition to my perception of the light level.



This light produces 172 lux when the meter is placed right next to this solar light.

This light produces 10.3 lux when the meter is placed 12" away from this light.

For comparison a 60 watt fluorescent bulb at the same distance of 12" produces a reading of 1110 lux.



The light is 4.5" (tall) and 3.5" (wide), it extends 2" from the wall.



The light is photo sensitive (i.e. it turns on when it is dark). Inside the cap there is an on/off switch to preserve the battery during shipping. There is no label which shows the on/off position. On position is when the switch is pushed towards the narrow side of panel.



These lights were a disappointment.





You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★☆☆☆☆

Product review: Koch Dimmable "Book" LED Lamp

Update: In about 1 months the book light stopped working. I am no longer able to charge it. Even if I charge it for 24 hours it does not turn on.



Original 4 star review follows. The rating has been changed to 1 star.



This is a neat looking light. I saw a similar looking product on Shark Tank but this one is made by a different company. When closed this light looks like a book, when opened it provides light with an option of having 4 different colors. The intensity of the light is not dimmable, but each color provides a different level of lighting. The white light is the brightest but it is still not bright enough to read under. I would classify this light as a night light or a mood light. In my video I show the light in various configurations. I also show the reading of the lux meter which measures the intensity of the light.



The lux meter right next to the light shows 519 lux.

The lux meter at 12 inches shows 49 lux.

For comparison a 60 watt light at 12" produces a reading of 1110 lux.



The light is charged with a regular micro USB cable. When it is charging the light next to the port is blue, when it is fully charged the light turns off.



After I fully charged the light, I turned it on timed how long it stayed on. The light stayed on for 12 hours. It took 5 hours to fully recharge it.



This is a fun novelty light and a good looking night light.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★☆☆☆☆

Product review: Bags for LessTM Jumbo Sports Duffel Bag on Wheels, 30"

This rolling duffel would have a been a very nice bag if the wheels did not fall off in transit. I saw that another reviewer had the same issue when he took this bag on a trip, so I guess I was lucky to get an early warning. If the wheels do come off I rather have them come off before I took the bag on a trip. This duffel is so large that it would have been super heavy to carry without wheels. It has built in straps but for me it would be uncomfortably heavy to carry as a backpack if it was jammed packed.



The canvas bag construction is very nice and the duffel bag itself is very large, it fits as much as a large suitcase, except it is built as a duffel bag with two large compartments one on top of another. Its dimensions are 30" W x 14" H x 15" D. However, the plastic that holds the wheels is very flimsy. One wheel totally came off in shipment and another one had cracked plastic and was hanging on by one sliver of plastic. You can see the bag itself and the breakage in the attached video.



I received this bag with a request for a fair and honest review. If you are looking for a large duffel on wheels this is not the one to get.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★☆☆☆☆

Ferry-Morse 1930 Annual Cut Flower Seed Mixture

This was a disappointing purchase in several aspects.



First, the amount of seeds you get in the package is quite small. I am attaching a photo which shows the entire content of the package on a white sheet of paper (placed on 1 inch gridded mat for size reference).

My local nurseries sell this amount of seeds for around $1.



Second, three weeks after I planted the seeds, watered them daily, I have practically zero germination rate. I planted another bag of seeds in another flower bed at the same time and it has quite a few seedlings. Both areas were watered at the same time and are located in the same sunny area.



I am attaching a photo collage containing four photos (1) the seeds contained in this package (2) the back of the packet which shows different planting zones (3) Flower bed with Ferry Morse Flower Mix, you can see one tiny seedling in the middle of the flower bed (4) Another seed package planted at the same time totally brimming with seedlings of various size.



I can't recommend this flower seeds mix.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★☆☆☆☆

LUGULAKE Rechargeable Wireless Vertical Ergonomic Optical Mouse

I received a vertical mouse for evaluation and an honest review. The mouse was defective and had a short. I posted a 1 star review and notified the manufacture of the problem. Lugulake, the manufacture, asked me if I would be willing to test another mouse, and I agreed provided that any consumer reporting the same problem would be able to receive a replacement mouse free of cost. Lugulake confirmed that this is in fact is their policy.



The second mouse worked briefly and then stopped working as well.



I tested it both with Windows operating system and Linux operating system and it worked on both.



The mouse can operate in one of two modes:

1) using the batteries in the battery compartment

2) using USB cable (turning it into a wired mouse)



The mouse comes without a manual, but Amazon description contains some bare bones documentation. The Amazob description states that the USB cable is a charging cable. This description is somewhat ambiguous. It could mean that the mouse needs to connected to be used without batteries, or that the mouse has a built-in battery that would be charged by this cable. I left the mouse attached via this cable (with the batteries removed) for a number of hours and unless the cable remained attached to the computer the mouse did not function. The cable is 40 inches, which is a fairly short wire. I was able to use it with my laptop for testing, but not with my desktop where the distance between the case and my desk is larger than 40 inches. For comparison my old wired mouse has a wire that is 74 inches.



In both configuration you need to use the dongle in one of the USB 2.0 slots, so if you are using a USB cable you would need to dedicate two slots to the mouse. Using the mouse with the batteries is a lot more convenient. Note that the bottom of the mouse contains a small on/off switch. This switch needs to be turned on to use the mouse with the batteries.



This is my first encounter with a vertical mouse and I found it comfortable to hold. If you are a righty your thumb rests in an indention on the left hand side of the mouse, and the controls (buttons and the wheel) on the left hand side of the mouse, so the position of your wrist is different from a regular mouse. If you have issues using a regular mouse the ability to change the position of your hand is a good thing. I am attaching collage of several pictures which show me holding it. Note that if you are left-handed you need to order a mouse designed for a lefthander.





You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★☆☆☆☆

E-Z Ancor Tap-N-Lock Utility Hooks

I picked up a set of Tab-N-Lock ancors for hollow walls at a local store. The pictures shows that 3/4 of an inch of the green plastic will fold and will form a fairly long anchor compared to the other models of anchors I have tried. That sounded like a good idea,



Before starting the job I checked for studs. The area I needed to put the hook in did not have a stud. The instructions said to just tap in the green ancor without pre-drilling. I made a small pilot hole just so the anchor went in exactly where I wanted. Then I began tapping in the anchor. The ancor went in about half way but as the ancor got thicker and had more resistance from the wall it would not budge. I pounded it harder and was able to get in more but the thick head of the anchor  just would not go in. I attempted to remove the anchor first my hand, then with pliers. At which point the head of the anchor broke off, leaving a couple of mi-limiters of green plastic sticking out of the wall, and chucks of the anchor head in my hand (those chucks are included in the photo). Then I had to spend a lot of time sanding the plastic and re-speckling the wall. I tried again in a new spot with similar results - the thick part of the anchor is just no strong enough to go through plaster. At least the second time I was able to pull out the ancor without leaving plastic in the wall. After another re-speckling session, I went back to the standard anchors and the job was completed quickly.



These anchors sounded like a good approach unfortunately in practice they do not work.





You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★☆☆☆☆