I provide honest ratings and reviews on tech, toys, and consumer home goods that I've purchased and used. Reviews are based on hands-on testing and personal observations. All opinions and comments are my own.
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Takeaway: Eliminates shaky movements and creates smooth motion video with your phone, but Bluetooth is unreliable and app crashes often. The Vimble 2 comes in a semi-rigid zippered carrying case that's got a handle on one side, though no shoulder strap. Inside you'll find the gimbal, a wriststrap, a small tripod with ¼"-20 screw that can be attached to the bottom of the gimbal. When folded up, it extends the length of the handle by several inches allowing for a better two-handed grip and when open you can stand the gimbal up hands-free. In the zipper pocket you'll find the microUSB charging cable and instructions manuals in Chinese and English. On my unit, the tilt axis motor's metal accent cover wasn't adhered properly and had fallen off, though I was successfully able to stick it back on. Other than that, the construction is mostly a lightweight plastic, with a rubberized phone grip that can accommodate phones with widths of 2.25" to 3.25" and with max weight up to 210g. On the side against the motor is another rubber bumper for your phone to rest against. There's a microUSB port covered by a rubber door on top of the mounting arm that's supposed to allow you to charge your phone off the gimbal's battery, but it requires a special cable which is not included. All three axes have a limit of 320° rotation and cannot continuously rotate in the same direction past a certain point, so you won't be able to get 360° pans or revolutions and may encounter resistance or odd behavior from the gimbal in certain positions that approach those limits.
The mounting arm can be extended about 1.5cm to allow you to balance the roll-axis depending on the weight of the phone you use. The positions are marked so that you can easily set it to the same spot each time you attach your phone. The mounting bracket can also be rotated 90° to put your phone in portrait mode for filming vertical video and panoramic photos. On the handle are the LED status light, 4-way joystick for manipulating the position of your phone, a mode key, and a Bluetooth shutter/record key. On the right side is a slider that allows you to adjust the zoom of the camera when the gimbal is paired to your phone over Bluetooth and on the left hand side is the microUSB charging port for the gimbal's battery covered by a rubber door. Opposit the thumb controls is a trigger accessible with your index finger for locking the orientation of the camera. Towards the bottom of the handle is a small bridge where you can attach the wriststrap for extra security. In the hand, the gimbal is pretty light at 0.5 lb and is comfortable to hold and operate. Charging takes several hours, and when the battery is full, it can run for 5-10 hours depending on usage. This gimbal also serves as a selfie-stick with a telescoping handle that adds an extra 7 inches of reach while stabilizing. The column extends and retracts by simply pulling and pushing the pan axis motor in and out of the handle.
Due to the restrictive size of the phone mount, for most larger phones you'll find that you need to remove your phone case in order for it to fit in the bracket. Another issue I found was that due to the camera and charging port placement on my phone, I wasn't able to charge my phone in landscape mode while using the gimbal. In portrait mode, however, charging the phone would not have been an issue. Before turning on the gimbal, you may need to do some minor balancing by adjusting the side-to-side position of the mounting arm to get your phone as close to level as possible; however, it doesn't need to be perfect. You'll need to download the Vicool app and pair to it via Bluetooth if you want to use all the features of the gimbal. Unfortunately, I found the Bluetooth performance on the gimbal to be inconsistent, sometimes pairing, and sometimes not pairing and oftentimes disconnecting at some point during use. Some features are not available if the gimbal isn't connected to the app via Bluetooth either, for example zooming with the slider on the handle, using the onboard shutter for snapping photos or starting and stopping video. Bluetooth is also required for adjusting the gimbal and camera settings like motor power and speed, calibration, and wireless updating of the gimbal's firmware.
In addition to normal photo mode in the Vicool app, there's also a panoramic and time lapse photo mode. For time-lapse videos, you can setup the pan and tilt speeds in the auto rotation menu. The time-lapse function worked well and resulted in a pretty cool fast-forward style rotating video clip. The other feature that I though worked well was the face tracking feature, although your face has to be well lit and you should be at least several feet away from the camera otherwise it may not follow you correctly. One feature that didn't work at all during my testing was the object follow feature. You would think that because face tracking worked, this would work just as well, however, I couldn't get it to capture or follow any object and most of the time the app would just crash when I entered the mode. In general the app doesn't seem to be entirely stable most times and in addition to the Bluetooth connection cutting out, the app would also crash fairly reguarly, like in the middle of filming which was frustrating.
As for stabilization performance, the gimbal did a nice job with its primary function. There's a few quirks with setting the pan, yaw and tilt speeds just right and you have to try and avoid approaching the rotational limits otherwise the gimbal can change position unexpectedly, but with practice you can get pretty smooth shots. The deal breaker for the app though is that the video recorded in the app doesn't have great quality. The compression used dropped plenty of frames making footage look choppy. The video captured using the stock Android camera app with the gimbal was much smoother with a consistent frame rate, but the drawback is that you cannot use the onboard shutter and zoom controls. Overall, as a stabilizer the Vimble 2 will remove most of the shake and wobble from handheld filming with your phone. The Bluetooth connection isn't the best and the app could use a lot of work as it crashes a lot and doesn't capture great quality video. However, if you can live without the physical zoom and shutter controls, there's no reason why you can't use a different camera app while stabilizing with the gimbal.
Takeaway: Thin, simple to install, protective and durable. You'll receive two glass screen protectors and two sets of the application accessories. In the accessories pouch you'll find a microfiber cleaning cloth, an alcohol wipe, and dust and application guide stickers. The glass screen protector is pretty thin and very clear. I wasn't able to scratch the glass surface using a pen or a set of keys which it will probably encouter in a pocket or bag at some point.
Installation is pretty quick using the included accessories. The only trouble I had was getting the guide stickers to stay on the glass when I was using them to "save" the position of the screen before sticking it down. The plastic film on the back of the protector was stuck on pretty tight and pulling it off unseated the guide stickers more than once which was a bit annoying. But, once installed the glass protector performed flawlessly. The glass looks and feels just like the original iPhone screen and fits in most cases that don't already have a built-in screen protector. Just note that it's not an edge-to-edge screen protector and it may leave a bit of a gap between the edge of the glass and the case that you're using. The 3D touch and sensitivity do not appear to be affected at all by this extra layer. There's also a cutout on top to allow interference-free use of the front camera and sensors. When combined with a case, you'll have all-over protection for your iPhone X.
Takeaway: A decent budget phone for travel, doesn't have all the latest features, but it works fine. In the package, you'll receive the smartphone, tempered glass screen protector, clear silicone skin, microUSB cable, power adapter, SIM card pin, instruction manual, and optional microSD card (I purchased the version that included the extra 16 GB card). The phone is made with a brushed aluminum housing and has some pretty sharp, though beveled, edges like the older generation iPhone 5 and 6. The size is similar to an iPhone Plus. It comes with a PET plastic film protector pre-installed, so if you want to use the glass screen protector, you should remove the entire plastic film screen protector rather than install over it. This phone does not have a remove-able battery, and it measures 3"W x 6"L x just over ¼" thick. The phone weighs 5.5 oz and the SIM and SDcard are loaded in the tray on the right hand side that pops out when you insert the SIM pin tool. This phone is compatible with GSM networks like AT&T and T-mobile but not CDMA like Verizon.
On the back is a 13 MP camera, flash, and fingerprint scanner. The rear camera has better than expected quality for a budget smartphone and the front camera which is 5 MP was serviceable for video chat/calls like Facetime, Hangouts, Messenger, and Skype. The phone charges via microUSB which I found to be a bit slow and the charger that comes with the phone tends to get really hot while charging. The Android 7.0 Nougat interface appears to be custom, or at least custom skinned. The size of the view-able screen is just under 5.5" and it is nice and bright but only has a 720p resolution. While this counts as HD, it's not as crisp as current generation flagship phones with 1080p or higher resolution displays. Even so, reading text isn't difficult and watching video in 720p is suitable. The external speaker on the bottom is adequate but not amazing. It doesn't get that loud and distorts at higher volumes. For a better listening experience, I recommend headphones or an external speaker for playing music and watching video.
The phone has 12 GB of usable internal memory (out of the advertised 16GB) and about 1 GB is used by the OS out of the box. However, by installing an SD card you can add up to 32 GB more storage space. With the 2RB RAM and Quadcore 1.3 GHz processor, launching most apps, video playback, and browsing the internet is quick and responsive. Sometimes there's a bit of lag when tapping on icons before an app launches and other times soft taps go unregistered so I found that firm presses are required in most cases. Call quality is decent and callers didn't have any trouble hearing me on voice/video calls. The battery life is so-so and you'll get 5-6 hours of screen on time on a full charge which you can stretch by dropping the brightness a little. The fingerprint unlock did work fine after registering several fingers and was a nice security feature, even though it requires a less secure backup method like pin, password, or pattern.
I use this phone as a backup device for international travel because I don't like to carry around my primary phone with all my stuff on it. It works great for that because it's unlocked and not too expensive if it gets lost, stolen, or damaged. It does enough of the features I need it to without distracting me from my actual vacation.
Takeaway: Lightweight, fluid motion, easy to handle and operate, great for those on a budget. The gimbal comes in a semi-rigid clamshell carrying case that you can wear with a 5' adjustable shoulder strap; included is a flat microUSB cable for charging and an instruction manual. The gimbal is made mostly from plastic that is lightweight yet seems fairly durable, considering. The gimbal uses a built-in rechargeable Li-ion battery rather than removable batteries, eschewing the need for a charger. Instead, it charges simply using a microUSB port on the side and that'll last up to 12 hours of use on a single charge. You can also use its battery as a mobile power pack via the full size USB output port on the front of the handle near the base. On the handle facing you where your thumb sits are some on-board controls. There's a 4-directional joystick for controlling pan, tilt, and roll, a zoom slider, mode button, and shutter/record/power button. All the buttons are easily accessible using your thumb and the handle is curved and ergonomic for a comfortable hold despite lacking any sort of rubber grip padding. There are also two indicator LEDs for battery life and status. On the bottom of the handle is a ¼" mounting hole for standard tripods and mounting systems.
The tension mount that holds your phone expands to accommodate phones with width of 3.25" and action cameras like the GoPro that are mounted in a special adapter (sold separately). My phone is on the large side with a 5.5" screen size and I found that with the case on it was a really tight fit and the thickness prevent the phone w/case from seating properly into the rubber grips. For most smartphones I think you'll find they'll fit a little better out of a case. The max payload for this gimbal is 200 grams or about 7 oz so consider this when deciding to add other accessories like a clip-on microphone or lens adapters.
The gimbal requires minimal balancing with a single thumb screw to control rotational level which can be accomplished in a few seconds. The grip mount itself slides up and down to a small degree which will also help with tilt and maybe even charging port/headphone access, but if the grip sits too far to either side, it will interfere with the tilt axis mobility.
When powering on the gimbal, it defaults into Pan-Follow mode which allows the camera to follow the movement of the gimbal when turning left/right but locks the tilt and roll axes. In this mode the joystick adjusts the tilt. The second mode is locked mode which freezes the motion of all three axes so that the camera is always pointing in the same direction. The joystick in this mode controls tilt and the pan. The third mode is Follow mode and the camera will pan and tilt based on the motion/direction of the gimbal. The joystick here controls the roll. Finally, triple clicking the mode button spins it around so the camera is facing you for selfie mode. The gimbal works in both upright mode and upside down orientation, although on some phones the video may appear upside-down.
There are some limitations to the tilt and roll compensations. While the pan lock allows you to turn the handle 360 degrees on end without a problem. The roll axis can only handle up to about +/-30° and the tilt axis -135° to +185° before it hits a safety stop. The other thing to know when using it is that you'll need to carry your weight differently when moving around with the gimbal since up/down, back and forth, and side-to-side motion are not accounted for by the gimbals' motors. There's still the potential for shakiness if you run with the gimbal but practicing moving fluidly with soft steps and flowing movements helps stabilize your footage even further.
While the plastic doesn't feel very high end and is more susceptible to damage than a full metal construction, it is remarkably lightweight weighing only 1.5 lb even with the max payload. This makes it more usable over long sessions by reducing fatigue and allows it to be very travel friendly. Zhiyun has two mobile apps available to control the gimbal over Bluetooth though from what I can tell they both cover the same features using different interfaces. The ZY Play and ZhiYun Assistant apps lets you manipulate the controls on your phone's screen or a separate device rather than using the controls on the handle. You'll also be able to better fine tune the transition speed of each axis for directional and joystick control. This is also a "face tracking" feature that lets you highlight a face for the camera to follow. This face tracking is not perfect but works most of the time.
Overall, the gimbal is a pretty nice stabilization solution is you prefer filming with your smartphone or action camera. It's lightweight, easy-to-use after a bit of practice, and budget-friendly.
Takeaway: Quick & responsive, speaker/camera/screen res just ok, good for calls/browsing. You'll receive the smartphone, instruction manual, tempered glass screen protector, microUSB cable, power adapter, and a clear silicone skin case. The phone comes with a PET plastic film protector pre-installed but if you want to use the glass screen protector, you should remove the plastic film screen protector first. I prefer the glass because it's more durable and protective and also resists oil and fingerprints better. The back cover opens from the bottom left corner to access the battery, dual SIM card slots (nano and micro) and microSD card solt.
On the back is an 8 MP camera and flash seated in a textured carbon fiber finish back cover. The front camera is stated to be 2 MP (although I calculated image sizes to be 5MP, so it actually might have a higher resolution). Along the top is the headphone jack and microUSB charging port. On the right side is the volume rocker and power button, and there are no keys on the left hand side. Along the bottom are the mic and speaker.
This phone runs Android 6.0 Mashmallow on an ARM Cortex-A7 Quad Core processor with 1.3 GHz of RAM. It's not super fast, but opening apps is pretty responsive and the lag is minimal. That said, playing resource intensive action games and multi-player arenas might not run as smoothly as on a flagship device from a big name brand. Also the screen resolution, while HD is only 720p. The screen diagonal on this phone is 5". This seems perfectly adequate for watching video and streaming movies, but the external speaker isn't that great and distorts at high volume so you're better off using headphones (Bluetooth or wired) or an external speaker.
Along the bottom of the screen you have a hamburger menu, home, and back key (standard Android keys). The phone has 11 GB of internal storage although 1GB is taken up by pre-installed apps. You can install a microSD card memory card adding up to 32 GB more space. This phone has optional smart wake features, for example double tap to wake up the screen, or drawing specific letters to wake and open a specific app like the camera.
This phone is great for browsing, checking, email and even just taking calls. Call quality is decent and callers didn't have any trouble hearing me on voice calls; even the front camera wasn't too bad for video calling. It's simple and user friendly, so unless you need a powerful phone for very specific needs, this phone is great as an entry/mid-level device, and the dual SIM capability makes it a good companion for traveling as well.
Takeaway: Fairly easy and quick setup, clear HD video (no audio), handy mobile app, instructions could be better. The NVR unit comes with a quick installation guide, a pack of 4 hard drive screws (for 3.5" HDD), a remote control, an A/C adapter for the main unit, a USB mouse, a 3 ft CAT5 Ethernet cable, and 4 individually packed wireless cameras with A/C adapters. The only thing you'll need to provide is a SATA hard drive up to 6GB for recording the video footage. I used a Western Digital 500 GB 2.5" HDD, but because it's smaller I had to use different screws than the ones that were included to mount it to the NVR housing. On the back of the NVR are two 7 inch wireless antennae and along the bottom is the VGA outout, HDMI output, WAN port, USB port, and power port. In front, you have some on-board playback controls and menu selection keys as well as various indicator LEDs. This model does not have a front USB port so only one USB device can be used at a time e.g. mouse, USB thumb drive.
Each camera comes with a 7" antenna, waterproof housing for the Ethernet connection, a pack of wall mounting hardware, and A/C adapter. On the front under the lens is a light sensor so that the camera can detect when there is low light to activate infrared night vision. The camera can pivot 90 degrees and to set the angle at the joint use the small Allen wrench in the hardware package to loosen the adjustment screw. Rotation can only be set at the point of installation when you drill the holes to mount the camera. The camera body is made of metal and very durable for weather-resistance. Setup is basically plug and play. The power cable connects to the barrel port on the extending cable. The other connector is for an optional LAN connection but does not need to be used (no cap is included to cover the unused port). Once plugged in and powered on, the camera will be transmitting a live feed, so all you need to do is turn on the NVR unit.
When connecting the NVR to my TV via HDMI for monitoring the output resolution is HD at 1080p; each camera when viewed indivually also supports 1920x1080 resolution. Once booted up, the NVR will search for the 4 cameras and connect to them automatically which takes a few minutes. You do have to format the hard drive before it can record to it, and I found it easiest to navigate the menus using the USB mouse since the cursor is tricky to maneuver with the arrow keys on the remote. The remote control which requires 2 AAA batteries which are not included. In the settings you can change the network settings, schedules, and triggers for the camera for recording. You can also monitor the cameras using your smart phone by downloading the CamView Cloud app from the Google Play or Apple store. The app requires you to sign up for an account to use it. The instructions don't tell you how to add the NVR to the list of device in the app, but in the app, tap the '+' icon in the upper right and select "Add device by ID." Then use the "Cloud ID" found in the bottom right corner of the monitor screen (hook up NVR to TV) and provide the default login of 'Admin' and a blank password.
After adding the NVR to the list of devices, you'll be able to see the four camera feeds live on your phone. Tapping one screen will zoom in on it. The infrared lights allows you to see everything in total darkness as if it were daytime, but in black and white. On the phone, the video image appears slightly washed out, but the color representation and resolution are actually decent on a TV/computer monitor. In the app, you can playback and save previously recorded video and capture still images. You can also download videos directly to a thumb drive on the NVR with a USB thumb drive, though you won't be able to use the mouse the navigate the menus while the thumb drive is plugged in.
Overall, the security camera system is pretty quick the setup, and it's easy to use. The instructions could be clearer on how to add the NVR to the mobile app and it doesn't tell you the default login for the menu is 'admin' with a blank password. However, once you're up and running it's dead simple to check on the cameras and review or save recorded video.
Takeaway: Compact/portable, works great w/Android TV and powered antenna, mini antenna not as strong. The mini TV receiver comes with a pre-installed antenna and optional coaxial connector. The unit is super tiny measuring 2" x 1.25" x 0.25" thick. The antenna on the unit measures 1.5" when retracted and 6.5" when extended. The unit has a male microUSB connector that can plug into an Android phone charging port that supports OTG. On the other side is a micoUSB in port that you can use with a standard microUSB cable to connect to a full sized USB port like a PC or Android TV box. Swapping the connectors is pretty easy.
I was able to use the device with a microUSB to USB-C adapter for my LG G5 phone. With this receiver is that you don't have to use your WiFi or data plan to receive the content. It's completely free since it's over the air waves. I verified this by receiving content with my WiFi and Data turned off.
You'll need to download the LiveStation Player app to your phone which is available in the Google Play store. If you need the PC software, the manufacturer can email it to you on request. Scanning for channels takes about 10 minutes. With the mini antenna (indoors), I was able to find 11 TV stations and 1 radio station. If the signal isn't strong you might end up with a lot of digital noise and distortion in the video and audio. I wasn't able to get channel information like station name or program info. I also received some foreign language programming in my local area. The one thing that I didn't like is that the input USB cannot be used for pass through power. That means this device will eventually drain your mobile device of battery if you don't have a splitter for the OTG.
The unit performed better with a powered antenna connected through the coaxial connector. The picture and audio quality was a little more reliable but the initial loading of each channel always took about 15 seconds for the audio to catch up to the video. I tested the antenna with the computer software and received about 45 channels with fairly good quality for the video and audio overall. The difference here is that since my computer is powered, I don't have to worry about it running out of battery as I would using it with OTG on a mobile device.
Overall, the receiver worked a lot better than I thought it would using the indoor powered antenna and I think it could be a great supplement to my Android TV box since I no longer use cable service as most of my content is streamed via the internet. The mini built in antenna is more of a novelty but that could be nice to have for a picnic and it's something you can carry around easily.
Takeaway: Longer than most selfie sticks, versatile, with a few quirks. The selfie stick is 19.5" when retracted which is fairly large for a selfie stick so it'll be tougher to travel with, but in exchange for compactness, you get a longer reach of four feet when fully extended. The telescoping portion is made of a lightweight and strong aluminum alloy, much like a camera tripod. It uses three tension snaps, also like a tripod, that can be set to any length in between max/min length. The phone mount on top has foam pads on the back and arms to help keep a firm grip on your phone and accommodates phones with widths between 2.25" and 3.5". The mount can swivel forward or back 180 degrees and is locked by a plastic thumbscrew. It's not my favorite phone grip because its core is light duty plastic versus sturdy metal. The arms don't wrap or bevel around the front of your phone for a better grip, so there's a chance it could slip forward and fall out. It's also pretty shallow so some phones will have to be removed from their cases to fit in it or stay firmly gripped.
What's interesting about this monopod is that the phone mount on top is removable because it's screw on using a 1/4" mounting screw. This is the standard screw used for most camera mounting holes and allows you to swap to a GoPro adapter mount, change the orientation of the mount from vertical to planar, or even mount a compatible digital camera to use with an infrared remote or Bluetooth if it supports it.
The USB port for charging and the power switch are located on the bottom of the handle. Pairing to the device was straight forward and quick by selecting LR-1288Plus in the Bluetooth menu. There are three buttons on this selfie stick, a shutter button and what I assume are two buttons meant for zooming ("+"/"-"). However, on my LG G2 Android phone, all three buttons resulted in a photo being taken, so no zooming capabilities. Also, I had to be careful not to press any button too hard or for more than a click or the camera would fire multiple times, and I'd end up with 2 or more rapid fire photos (one time 5 shots!). The selfie stick works for starting and stopping video too, as long as you are in video mode in you camera app when using it.
The main issue here is that the battery does deplete itself over time between uses, even if you never turn the selfie-stick on. I'm not sure how long this takes, since I don't use my selfie stick often (maybe a week?), so what usually happens is, if I know I'm going to need my selfie stick, like on vacation or for a shoot, I will charge it up the night before just to make sure it won't be dead when I go to turn it on. You can charge with any standard microUSB cable plugged into the base of the stick and make sure the power switch is set to off while charging. When charging the LED light will be a solid red. Depending on the output of the USB port you're using this can take anywhere from 2-4 hours.
When the unit is done charging the LED will shut off. When you turn the power switch to on, the light will flash blue indicating that it is in Bluetooth pairing mode and looking for a device to pair with. After a device is paired with the selfie stick the light will turn off. In general the selfie stick worked fine, has a long reach and allowed me to take photos that I wouldn't have been able to without it. I like that it's adaptable with the changeable mount and orientations, but it's a large unit and cumbersome to carry, the battery doesn't last long between charges, and there are a few quirks in the software, and it potentially has some compatibility issues with some devices.
Takeaway: Longer battery life and drop protection without a lot of bulk. The case is a two piece hard-shell plastic with a one-third, two-thirds split. At first I thought this case would have trouble staying together, being a two piece case that simply slides apart, but I was happy to find that it holds together well when putting it in and taking it out of my pocket. It even takes a little effort to pull apart.
The entire case is coated in a soft feel matte rubber. It provides a decent grip and somewhat resists fingerprints. The cutouts for all the buttons and the camera were precise and not too large or small. The back of the case has a kickstand that allows you to view your phone handsfree in landscape mode for videos and movie playback. The case weighs 1.5 oz on its own and 5.5oz with the iPhone. It charges using a Lightning connector style plug on the bottom. Note that it didn't come with a charging cable and you'll need to use the one that came with your iPhone.
The case takes about 2 hours to charge and you will get at least one full charge for your iPhone with the 3500mAh battery. You can use your phone while it is charging in the case, however, your battery may drain faster than it is being charged. You can stop the charging to your phone at any time by pressing and holding the power button on the back of the case. If you plug the case in while your phone is charging in it, your phone will charge up fully before the backup battery begins charging.
Inserting your phone in the case is straightforward and easy. In terms of protection, the rubber absorbs some of the shock from bumps and drops. The battery acts as an additional layer of protection. Like many cases, be aware that there's no there's no protection on the front for the screen (there's no recession ridge). Also, this case covers the rounded edges of the phone so if you have an edge to edge screen protector that also covers the edges, this case may not fit your phone at all, or the screen protector may become dislodged.
The volume buttons are somewhat inhibited by the case because they are deeper and harder to reach once the phone is in the case. You might also need a separate headphone jack extension cord to access the headphone port as some accessories's headphone jacks may not be long enough to reach the port through the case. Note that the sound comes out of the front of this case, rather than the bottom as it would on the phone itself.
Overall this case provides a decent amount of protection for the back and sides of your phone while giving you the benefit of the kickstand and double battery life without adding a lot of weight.
Takeaway: The base is magnetic so I can stick it to my dash where there's metal underneath vs typical suction cup or sticky mounts. The unit on a whole was smaller than I anticipated, about the size of a tic-tac container. There are only 3 buttons but they allow you to power on, pair, change the volume, skip tracks in a playlist, answer calls, mute, and redial the last phone number. The drawback here is that you have to remember how to do all those things when you want to use them, but it makes the interface a lot simpler allowing the unit to look minimalist, clean, and stylish.
The paired quickly to my phone using bluetooth discovery mode and NFC connection. The connection and sound quality was clear and smooth. I had no problem with stuttering, digital noise or dropped connections when in range of the receiver. Like most bluetooth devices, once paired, the receiver remembers the last device it was paired with. You can store up to two devices in its memory so it will pair automatically when it detects those devices again. You can also pair two devices with the unit at the same time which is interesting. Not sure how useful that is since only one person can stream audio at the same time, but I guess it'll make for some interesting playlist battles. I appreciate the fact that the power adapter that came with it has two USB ports, so that you can charge your phone at the same time the receiver is operating.
The main drawback to this product is that with older cars, you probably won't have an audio-in AUX jack, so you cannot use this product... at least not in your car. However, since the USB cable can be plugged into any standard 1000 mAh USB power adapter, you could still use this as a bluetooth receiver with any speaker system that DOES have an audio-in jack or combine it with an appropriate adapter.
