Angetube 1080p Webcam Privacy Shutter

Priced on Amazon at £39.99 this budget priced camera Angetube does have a few features not often seen at this price.

The camera arrived in an attractive and surprisingly small product box. Inside was the camera itself, a small cleaning cloth, a User Guide, and FAQ booklet.

The two printed Guides are a bit intimidating and I thought there might be a lot of configuration and setting up involved but in fact, no. For what I wanted from the camera it could not have been more simple. I plugged the camera into my Windows 10 PC and it was instantly recognised with no drivers or software needed. The Windows Camera app allowed me to configure it although the default settings were fine as it was with Skype. The User Guide is there to help users use the camera with more sophisticated software, such as the Amcap application they recommend, which allows it to be used for more advanced video techniques and to resolve any issues with the computer. The guide also helps when setting the camera up with older systems.

The camera itself is small and lightweight, with a physical sliding cover for the lens. The versatile mount can be used to position the camera securely to the top of the computer monitor, as a self-supporting desktop stand, or using the screw hole to any standard tripod mount. When on a tripod the camera can be rotated through 90 degrees using the camera mount and slid from side to side. The screw mount is metal and so will not degrade over time if regularly used for tripod mounting. The hard-wired USB cable appears to be the standard 2M in length but it is a pity it is not longer. There are no physical controls to vary focus or exposure but they can be changed using the software.

Both video and audio quality are fine for the price point. Video is clear and sharp with a viewing angle of 76 degrees and available in two formats: 1920 x 1080, 1280 x 720 both at 30fp/s. Audio quality is OK too from the twin internal microphones is excellent too over the same distance. Unlike many cheap webcams which are either fixed focus or at best manual focus this camera has a fast-acting and effective autofocus system built-in. Manual focus and exposure control are possible but this has to be done through the software being used. When using the Windows Camera app full control is available  although 30fps is the fastest frame rate available.

If you want a decent quality webcam for Skype or other streaming purposes then you would have to go a long way to find a better one than this. There are plenty of cheaper rivals available but I suspect few offer the high-quality results of this one.

The Good
Good price
Good Build Quality
Plug and Play
Good video Quality
Good Audio Quality
Rotatable Mount

The Bad
No Manual Focus Dial
Cable rather Short
30fps Only

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FUJIWAY 10m LED Remote Control Strip Lights

As Christmas approaches, the season of fairy lights, it is maybe time to start looking around for easy ways to illuminate the house ready for the festive season. This kit from FUJIWAY contains all you need to get going and allows for room for expansion later.

In the mid-market box were two 5M 150 LED light strips, UK power supply, 44 key infrared remote control, control box, a tiny strip joining adapter, a set of mounting clips and a well written and easy to read User Guide. I include a scan of it in my unboxing video.

To use the kit, first cut the LED strips to the desired lengths at the indicated cut marks only and of course do not snip the plugs off the end. The strips are self-adhesive but be sure the mounting area is clean and dry first. I would advise using the included mounting clips to secure the ends of the strips in place. The white control unit has two large connecting plugs each on the end of a short wire, connect the black end sockets on the LED strips to these taking care to ensure the arrows on each line up. the included tiny black pin adapter can be used to daisy chain LED strips together is needed but be careful not to exceed the 10m maximum length.

I prefer to use the LED strips for under counter and cupboard lighting and keep them set to white, low-level static lighting. Of course, using the remote control you can select from a range of colours and patterns. If using the infrared remote take care that the control unit is in line of sight of the remote. The fitted LED strips if discreetly mounted can be left in place for future festive occasions, otherwise, they can be carefully removed and returned to the box for next year. As with all LED strips over time the sticky surface will come loose and so for long time use a more permanent mounting method should be found.

Everything you need from a simple lighting kit is included here and at a very attractive price too at £17.99. It is attractively presented and would make a great buy for the Christmas season.

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FUJIWAY Camera

FUJIWAY single Strip LED Kit

Azhien LED Book Light

I have tried plenty of clip-on lights before as I search for the best one to use with when watching the TV at night with my Chromebook on my lap. All the ones I have tried have worked to a greater or lesser extent but none have been without issues and most have packed in after a while.

This new clip light from Azhien is the best yet and ticks nearly all the boxes.

It arrived in a tiny mid-market box containing the lamp itself, a short USB charging cable and a one-page User Guide. Build quality seems genuinely good and better compared to the others I have tried and better by far than I expected for the crazy £5.99 price. this does not seem like a bargain-basement gadget likely to fall apart after a month of use.

The 22cm gooseneck is fully flexible and can almost be tied into a knot. The clamp is large and very firm with a ribbed rubber grip. Once in place, it is pretty firm, although not perfect. There is a single soft touch button on the head of the 7 LED lamp. Short press to scroll through the three modes: warm white at half power, daylight white at half power, daylight white at full power. You should be able to get between five and twelve hours of light depending on the mode selected.

The light can be powered either by USB or from the internal 850ma Lithium Polymer Battery. I was pleased to note that a standard USB to micro-USB cable has been used for charging, so should the cable fail a replacement can be easily found.

This little device has a quality feel to it, works well and is budget-priced. You cannot really go wrong by buying one.

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Zbrandy Wide Striped T-Shirt for Men

This T-Shirt can is best described as a Breton Style shirt as the true Breton shirt, adopted as the official uniform of the French Navy in 1858, has long sleeve and smaller more aligned stripes. That is no criticism of this is T-shirt, which is everything I hoped it might be.

The garment arrived simply packaged in a plain and unbranded plastic bag inside of which was just the shirt itself, with no external labelling or tags.

Made from 100% cotton, the shirt is soft and forgiving when worn and feels comfortable and warm. I selected the red striped version although it is also available in blue and black. I was pleased to see that the colour of the stripes was less garish than I was expecting and was far more pleasing to the eye. To avoid colour wash it is best to cold wash by hand or machine.

Build quality seems fine with all the seams well stitched and just one minor hanging thread. The T-shirt has Chinese sizing which is smaller than ours and so I would suggest selecting a garment two sizes larger than normal. I chose XXL and that fits me perfectly, and in any case better too large than too small!

For the £12.99, this attractive T-shirt is rather a good buy.

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Ally Mens Mountain Bike Cycling Shorts

For a shade under $38.00, you get two products in one. A pair of versatile and stylish MTB shorts and a separate foam padded liner or undershorts. The MTB shorts can be worn as regular ones without the lining and the lining can be worn with other shorts or MTB kit as required.

I am more of a runner than a biker, but when I do on my bike I know the importance of keeping my rear end protected when out on the trail. My usual cycling shorts are fine but the padding is rather more obvious than I would like and I always feel a bit awkward when wearing them when dismounted.

This new MTB shorts kit from Ally features a separate liner or undershorts with a thick and effective foam liner built in. The shorts themselves have no padding and so can be worn without the liner as a normal pair of outdoor or sporting shorts. There are no less than seven pockets, five of the zipped with two easy access hip pockets. You can get a 5.5″ phone, batteries, cards and all your usual bits and pieces into the pockets easily and without feeling overstuffed.

Both the shorts and undershorts feel lightweight and comfortable. The Polyester/Spandex shorts are elasticated and have velcro waist tabs to ensure a good fit. Sizing seems fine but if in doubt select a size up, as I did, to ensure they will not be too tight. The undershorts and shorts have effective wicking to keep moisture and sweat at bay and the shorts are listed as water repellent. They do a good job of protecting the rider and pocket contents from rain and splashes but they will not be much use against water immersion, so take care not to fall in!

The undershorts feature a large padded area on around the seat, this is foam rather than gel padding which I prefer for longer rides. The great thing about this system is that the padding is hardly visible when worn with separate shorts as the material of the shorts hangs away from the padding. This also allows the shorts to be worn separately as regular outdoor or sporting wear, impossible with normal cycling shorts.

I would be perfectly happy to pay the asking price were these just normal shorts, as they are stylish, comfortable and very practical for day to day wear. The separate padded liner in many ways can be looked on as a bonus and should disaster befall the shorts, the liner can be worn with any other pair of unpadded shorts or pants.

This will be a good addition to my summer MTB and outdoor kit and I am happy to recommend them.

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HULKER Extension Plugboard with USB slots

I have seen plenty of plugboards at this price, but none with the build quality and attention to detail that this one has. I have tried other high-end plugboards but none at the budget price of this model from HULKER.

The product one arrived packaged like a techy gadget in a rather posh gold coloured box. The upmarket presentation makes a difference in how the product is perceived and this is not just the same as the rest. This one is designed to sit on the desk rather than under it and the attractive design makes it look not at all out of place there. It comes with a 1.6M heavy-duty power cord with a three-pin UK fused 13A plug hard-wired in place. In the box were just the plugboard and a well written but annoyingly small and hard to read User Guide, which I reproduce at the end of my unboxing video.

As a powerboard, the device is more versatile than most with the three sockets all capable of handling a range of plug formats and voltages: UK, EU, USA, Australia, etc. The sockets are all controlled from a single switch and there are no separate switches for each socket. Keep in mind that this is a power adapter and not a transformer and check that your foreign device will work on UK 240v before plugging it in! Remember too that the plugboard will support devices with a total load of 3250W, so don’t go plugging three kettles into it! That said, this plugboard is fully fused and offers surge protection in case disaster strikes.

The unit has a single control button with a good positive click to turn the whole plugboard off, plugs and USB together, with a status LED visible through the USB slots.

Often plugboards now come equipped with USB charging sockets but too often they output a have a low power standard output of just 1A or even lower. Not so here as this plugboard comes with three smart sockets and will automatically detect and deliver the amount of power your USB device needs between 0.1 to 2.4 A. It is a pity, however, that there is no USB-C output, a feature I have yet to see on any similar powerboard.

The thing that strikes me most about this plugboard is the high-end build quality together with the care and attention detail used in the production. There are plenty of equally well-specified rivals out there but I am sure none for the same budget price.

This is an excellent plugboard designed for the modern home or office use, and for the current Amazon price of £9.99, it is a very attractive buy.

The Good
Attractive Design
Good price
Smart USB sockets
Fast Charge USB socket
International Power sockets

The Bad
No wifi or Voice control
No USB-C socket
No individual socket switches

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DJI Osmo Mobile 3 Case from Kismaple

The new and excellent DJI Osmo 3 gimbal can be bought alone for £99 or as the DJI Osmo Mobile 3 Combo which gives you the gimbal and standard accessories plus a semi-rigid case and mini-tripod for £158. When I received mine I was annoyed to discover that the supplied mini-tripod would not fit into the case and it was such a tight fit that it was all I could do to get the two cables needed in there!!

Checking online I found there was a wide selection of Osmo 3 cases now available. There were multiple versions of the case under test today from Kismaple with prices between £12 and £20. I suspect they are all the same item rebranded.

The case arrived with no external packaging other than a ziplock bag and the Amazon box it was sent in. There were no instructions or paperwork and none was needed.

The 23.5 x 18.5 x 6.4cm 290gm case is of the semi-rigid type – slightly flexible, not hard plastic but robust enough to protect the contents and very similar in build quality to the much smaller DJI official case. The box has a full-length zip with two grippers, and a full-size internal mesh pouch again with a zip opener. Inside the case are five padded flexible spacers which can be positioned to protect the gimbal and tripod with the spare spacers used to pad the small extra space which can otherwise contain extra items. There is a padded internal flap which offers further protection and this flap has eight elasticated openings each capable of housing an SD card or other small items.

I am very impressed by the design and build quality particularly for this low cost.

I would advise any prospective Osmo 3 buyers to avoid the official Combo set and instead buy the Osmo 3 alone and pick up a case like this and third party mini tripod. That should get you a better protected kit and save £25 or more.

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