Rapoo E6500 Bluetooth Keyboard (for Android)

These past two years I had the opportunities to travel to a few countries and each trip I will bring back loads of photographs and memories. I often will tell myself I will write or more accurately TYPE about it when I get home. I type faster than I write, however I normally do not carry my notebook with me when I travel. I do have a tablet but it does not feel the same typing on a screen instead of a keyboard; no feedback and the feeling of the keys springing back up as you strike the character keys.

Why can’t I type after I reach home?

• Perhaps it’s because I have to get back to work immediately
• My partner just says that I’m making excuses and being lazy.
• Perhaps it does not feel the same looking at hundreds of photographs and trying to recall a few days’ experience all in one go. 

Samsung Tab S - keyboard accessory

So to overcome this, I started looking for my latest gadget; a Bluetooth keyboard. We have a Samsung Tab S 8.4” and a Samsung Note 10.1 (2014 edition), and we were thinking which tablet should we get the keyboard for. To my shock, the keyboard accessories for Samsung (brand) cost between RM100 to RM450






I decided to look for an alternative and here are some of the criteria;

• it should be able to work with most if not all of my android devices. We also have Smartphones running on android.
• it should be light weight and easy to bring along during travel.
• it should be able to operate for a fair amount of time per charge. Personally I’m hoping for at least a day per charge.
• hopefully it will not cost more than RM100.

As usual I started looking online and this time at www.lelong.com.my first then followed by www.lazada.com.my. There were a number of options available when I searched for "Bluetooth Android Keyboard";

Results of Bluetooth Android Keyboard on Lelong

Results of Bluetooth Android Keyboard on Lazada

The model that caught my eye was this; Rapoo E6500 Bluetooth 3.0 Ultra-Slim Android Keyboard (http://www.rapoo.com/) at an IT shop before. It is not a new or latest model as I have seen at AllITMart at section 14 Digital Mall (www.digitalmall.com.my/) months ago. Finally got a reason to get it.

Rapoo E6500 Bluetooth 3.0 Ultra-Slim Android Keyboard
Here is my video of its un-boxing, describing its features and also a demonstration of connecting to a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition).

Other demonstrations;
Connecting to a Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4

Connecting to a Samsung Galaxy S4

Connecting to a Samsung Galaxy S3

There is another model which is mean for iPhone & iPad, the Rapoo E6300 Bluetooth 3.0 Ultra-Slim Android Keyboard.

Final Thoughts:
I am pleased with this purchase that cost me RM95 (including GST).
After years of tapping on the screens of my smart android devices, I now have the means to type naturally as I would with a normal physical keyboard. There will be a period of adjustment due the fact that the keyboard is more compact than the conventional computer keyboards, but in my opinion it is still better and faster than typing on the respective devices' screen. As demonstrated on the videos above, I only need one Rapoo E6500 keyboard and it will work with my different android devices.

Android Media / TV Box - HiMedia Q5

When I first moved into my home, I decided that I did not want to install ASTRO because my partner & I will not be able to enjoy it when we are at work most of the day. The monthly fee of above RM40 (depending on your selected package) was also another deterrent. So to watch the most basic channels available, we installed a television (UHS/VHS) antenna on the roof. It worked for a few months but the elements of rain and shine has affected the quality and clarity.

All is not lost because we have UniFI and it comes with HyppTV (https://www.tm.com.my/hypptv). The only drawback is we can only watch HyppTV in our master bedroom, where we placed the decoder. My television in my living room is mainly for watching DVDs, shared videos files and YouTube.

After many months, I thought of the inconvenience to watch free TV channels such as TV3 and NTV7 for the news and other still interesting shows (e.g. cooking / traveling). However, I still was not willing to pay a monthly fee for it – so the alternative I thought of was ASTRO NJOI (https://www.astro.com.my/njoi), free satellite TV from ASTRO. It was promoted to be a one-time payment of RM348 for the necessary equipment plus RM100 for standard installation (satellite dish).

I was going to contact the nearest ASTRO NJOI dealer when a friend introduce me to his android TV/media box and got a chance to play around with it. There are many models and brands out there but the one I was introduced to was the “Himedia Q5 Quad Core 4K H265 Ultra HD Android 4.4 Smart TV BOX” (http://www.himediatech.com/q5iv.html)

Key Features:

• ARM Cortex A9 1.6G Quad-core CPU + Octo-Core Mali 450 GPU
• Android 4.4
• Google Browser and HTML5 Support
• Google play support
• DLNA, NFS, Samba Support
• HiControl , HisHARE , Airplay , Miracast, wechat control Support
• 2D/3D Games Support
• 4k Output, H265 Support
• 3D BDISO Support
• Built-in 802.11N WIFI
• New designed remote control makes operation simple and confortable
• DTS-HDMA and TRUEHD 7.1 PassThrough Support
• External SATA, USB3.0, 1000mbs LAN Interface
• Live TV , XBMC , Netflix , Flash Support

Connection & Control:

Connected to my LG Smart TV via HDMI cable, and to my home network via WiFi.
It has a remote control, and I also used a wireless mouse (USB signal receiver plugged into one of the three USB ports).

Content:

Since it is using Internet, it is not affected by the weather. It does not interfere with the HyppTV too.
I am now able to the free channels via an pre-installed Application (App) called CloudTV (http://cloudtv.bz/).

This Himedia Q5 was pre-installed with a number of applications (Apps)

The free content are categorized & you will need to search for what's available

You can add the channels you wish to see to a 'Favourites' list

Here's NTV7 from Media Prima

I was advised that I should have at least a 5MB Internet line to avoid slow buffering issue. However even though I have a UniFI5 internet access, I noticed I still encountered buffering issue. Initially I thought it was because I was using WiFi instead of Ethernet-wired connection, tried that but it still had the same issue - so my assumption now is shifted to the content providers – perhaps the location of the servers or there is high demand for the shows/movies that I wish to watch.

Movies:

An App called 'Cartoon HD' which allows to watch movies

There are loads of new and old cartoons too.

Price:

I ordered this unit via an online site for RM422.94 + RM9 for shipping.

Final Thoughts:

I am still exploring the different features and the pre-installed Apps, however I am personally convinced that this was a good purchase because;

• one-time investment fee.
• got to watch the channels that I initially wanted plus more.
• setup was easy (i.e. connect to the TV via HDMI and connect to wireless network).
• there was no need to for messy installation such as mounting a satellite dish, pulling wires and drilling holes in the walls.
• the android box is portable and can be moved any location (where there is access to reliable internet)

I will share the unboxing, connection and usage video when I’m done processing them. Stay Tune.

Philips Driving Camera CVR300 - Finally the one

Our first purchase of a car camera was a horrible failure. So for our second purchase we decided to go for a more reputable brand.

On 5th April, we saw walking at Ikano Power Centre (IPC) and Popular Bookstore was having a Fair on the ground floor, and we saw one of their concessionaire called Ascom. They were selling projectors, storage devices and car camcorders. They had three models available;

• CVR700 (RM499) - has a built in GPS logger
• CVR300 (RM399) - has a rotatable camera
• CVR200 (RM369)

My first instinct was to check the prices online, and I had the Lazada mobile app installed. From my previous posting you’ll noticed I’d made numerous purchases online as it was more economical, but this time I was shocked.

Lessons here:

• Not everything sold online is cheaper from physical stores.
• Don’t believe the claims of so called ‘discounts’ - do more survey & comparison.

Hence our second purchase of a car camcorder is the Philips Car Driving Recorder CVR300 for RM399.00. On top of already great price, we gotten 3 x RM10 book vouchers from Popular (there was an ongoing promotion for every RM120 spent, a RM10 voucher will be given).

Here are the videos of the Unboxing, and Usage experience;

[Updated, 20 April 2015] Here are some sample videos that have been uploaded unto YouTube.

The videos were not edited in anyway prior to uploading to YouTube. The camera was set to record at Full HD 1920x1080 30fps 16:9. Time stamp enabled. Audio disabled.
 
If you wish to view the original video files, please click here.

Here is the list of the Philips Car Driving Camera model CVR300 detail specifications;

Video Quality
Resolution

• Full HD(1920x1080p) at 30 fps
• HD (1280 x 720p) at 60 fps

Formats

• AAC Audio compression
• H.264 video compression
• MP4 files format

Photo Resolution

• 5MP

Camera
Picture resolution: 12/8/5/3MP

Lens & Sensor
Lens: 4G Wide Angle
Sensor: 1:3.2 inch, 5MP CMOS
File format: MP4
Video format: H.264 video compression, AAC Audio compression

Recorder features
Video loop recording: 3/5/10 min
Motion Detect function
Record auto start at power on
Auto save at power off
Microphone mute in recording
Date stamp

Lens & Sensor
Lens: 4G Wide Angle
Sensor: 1:3.2 inch, 5MP CMOS
File format: MP4
Video format: H.264 video compression, AAC Audio compression

Display
Resolution: 480(RGB) x 240
Auto screen switch off: off/1/3/5min
LCD size: 2"

Digital Storage
Recording Media: Micro SD card (class 6 or higher, up to 32GB)

Connectivity
USB: Mini-USB port
HDMI: 1080i/720p
Microphone: Stereo directional microphone
Speaker: Built-in

Battery & Power
Charge Time: 10min
Power supply: 5.5V DC
Backup battery: Built-in 300mAh lithium battery
Life: 2 Min for last capture backup

Dimensions
Product dimensions (WxDxH): 50 x 25.5 x 100 mm
Product weight (g): 55.5 g

Accessories included
User Manual

• Simplified Chinese
• Traditional Chinese

Suction cup mount
USB cable
Car Charger: 12V Power adapter with 2.5m long cable

Xiaomi Yi Action Camera - My Very First Action Cam.

Capturing memories, I have an entry-level Sony camcorder and a compact camera from Samsung (W250F), and most of the time I take photos and videos with my Xioami Redmi Note 3G phone. So I normally wonder how people can spend hundreds to thousand of ringgit to buy something that small - I am referring to Action Cameras.

I must admit that I have no experience with these type of cameras, and since the prices of these gadgets are deemed high (to me), I did not explore or research further. However on 2 March 2015, Xiaomi launched an action camera called 'Xiaomi Yi Action Camera' that cost only RMB 399 (converted to approximately MYR 233.96) - that caught my attention!

I thought it was within my price range but alas it was only available in China and knowing from history how long it takes for Xiaomi to launch new products in Malaysia, I was left dishearten again. On 26 March 2015 I saw the camera on my usual online shopping site, Lazada and it was priced at RM 349.00 and after applying a discount code for 10% off, I secured the item at RM 314.10. The item was 'Sold & Fulfilled by Lazada' and it came with '1 Year Supplier Warranty'.

Since this was my very first action camera, I was very excited! & I was going to make sure I studied it properly and find out how to maximize the my enjoyment using it. Below are the videos of my review of the Xiaomi Yi Action Camera and also the accompanying App.

Xiaomi Yi Action Camera (JAT Part 1: Unboxing)

Xiaomi Yi Action Camera (JAT Part 2: Functions & Usage)

Xiaomi Yi Action Camera (JAT Part 3: App Connection & Settings)

Xiaomi Yi Action Camera (JAT Part 4: Maximizing The Experience)

And here is a playlist of videos captured from the camera;

• The first five videos are captured during the night time driving around residential roads to highways. Some videos have 'Lens Rectification' enabled.
• There are two videos during the morning and one in the afternoon. 'Lens Rectification' enabled.
• Two videos driving during the evening, and one is of them was in the rain.

 

Below are some sample photographs taken indoors and outdoors (click to enlarge);

A view overlooking a car park - taken during high noon

A view overlooking a car park - taken during high noon

On the roof of an industrial lot.

The indoor open area of Sunway Pyramid

Visual Effect

The car park of Citta Mall, Ara Damansara

Lens Rectification ENABLED

Lens Rectification DISABLED - default

2.5" HD Car DVR IR Night Vision 270° In-Car AV Recorder - Dashed

My first purchase of a car dash camera - dashed. There is an old saying, "If it's too good to be true, then it probably is."

I had no idea about car dash cameras hence what I usually do in a situation like this, I'd 'Googled It'. There are a lot of good tips & write-ups available online and one of the sites that explained them very well is Techmoan. After reading and watching some of these reviews, I thought I was ready to make my first purchase. Since this was my first attempt, I wanted to be 'safe' and not spent too much money on it ... so as usual I looked online for the best deal. I found on MyDeals.com.my this: "2.5" HD Car DVR IR Night Vision 270° In-Car AV Recorder" sold at discounted price of RM59.00.

Extracted from the online deal site;

• Comes with 6 IR lights that will help you record day and night or in a dark environment
• Records automatically after the car starts
• High speed recording
• Support Real Time & Date display on video
• Cycled recording and repeat storage by section
• Image sensor: 1/4 color CMOS WXGA Sensor  
• Recording resolution: SXGA 1280 x 960 Pixels, 30fps(interpolation)  VGA 640 x 480 Pixels , 30fps
• Support SD/MMC Cards: Up to 32GB(memory card not included in the package)

(Source: http://www.ensogo.com.my/deals/7-day-delivery-25-hd-car-dvr-ir-night-vision-270-car-av-recorder)

What was included;

1. 2.5" HD Car DVR IR Night Vision 270° In-Car AV Recorder
2. Mounting bracket
3. USB Cable
4. Box
5. Car Charger
6. Battery

The overall experience;

 Purchasing & Customer Experience

• The product had a delivery promise, it was suppose to be delivered within 7 days, the item was ordered on 21 Nov and was estimated to arrive on 28 Nov - That did not happen.
• When the product was not delivered at the promised time, I'd wrote an email to the Customer Service. The Customer Service was not helpful and told me to contact their supplier directly via email. However, the email address provided by the Customer Service was incorrect which resulted further delay in proper follow-up and delivery. It was only delivered on 12 Dec.

Product Experience;

• It is made of plastic and the finishing is very poor. It feels like it will break very easily. The buttons are hard to press, and if I applied a bit of force, I am afraid I will break them.
• The bracket was not able to secure tightly around the ball-joint, this resulted the camera to shift/move slightly when the car goes over bumps or uneven roads.

• Battery cannot hold a charge even after a full day of charging via USB connected to a notebook. 
• There is no proper marking to indicate the direction the SD card is suppose to be inserted into the slot. (Refer to Arrow #1 below).
• Since the battery was useless the only way to power the device is with the car charger to the USB point (Refer to Arrow #2 below). Later, I noticed because it solely depended on the car charger, once the car engine is switched off, the device powers off immediately and could miss saving the last segment of the video it was recording.

Video Quality;
I believe the videos captured by this dashcam will speak for itself. The following video playlist consist of 9 situations (1 minute each);

1. Car is stationary during daytime.
2. Car moving slowly making some turns during daytime.
3. Car traveling down a highway during daytime.
4. Car moving through KL Sentral station during daytime.
5. Car exiting a car park.
6. Car traveling on a highway in the rain during the evening.
7. Car traveling at night in the rain. 
8. Car traveling on a highway at night in the rain. 
9. Car turning into a row of shops at night.

You can download the original video files produced here by clicking the link here.

In summary, this car dash camera is a piece of crap. I would not recommend it to anyone to buy it.


I am still looking forward to owning a car dash camera ... just be careful about this one (2.5" HD Car DVR IR Night Vision 270° In-Car AV Recorder).

Butterfly Air Fryer BAF-601D (JAT Demo)

In our previous posting we shared about our purchase of the Butterfly Air Fryer BAF-601D (http://www.justathoughtah.com/2015/01/a-step-to-healthier-living-air-fryer.html)

To provide a bit more information on the product, we prepared this simple 3 minute clip to demonstrate its usage.

A Step to Healthier Living - Air Fryer

Before the start of the New Year 2015, I decided to start eating healthier and get fitter. To aid me with this goal, I needed to get the right equipment. My partner and I started looking around electrical appliance stores for Air Fryers; the idea of frying food without oil. We came upon two different brands, Philips and Tefal, and were quite surprised with the hefty price tag.

It ranged between RM799 to RM1699 … that was just too much when we are not sure how often we will be using it.

I started searching online, and there were quite a number of choices from different online deals websites. I thought it would be better to purchase a more economical model and try out the general features first. If we find that we can really use the air fryer to cook and eat healthier, then only will I invest in a more established brand (with hopefully more advanced features).

In the end, I settled for this one,
Brand: Butterfly (Since 1935)
Model No: BAF-601D

It was ordered from www.Lazada.com.my at a price tag of RM399.00 on 30 December 2014 (apparently the price has gone up to RM429.00 at the start of 1 Jan 2015) - Sold & fulfilled by Super Budget.

It was delivered by GDEX on 2 January 2015 - I was very surprised by the fast delivery as the website had initially indicated ‘Delivery in 5 - 8 Business days’. It was properly sealed with cling wrap and marked ‘Fragile’.

Here is the Product Description extracted from the site;

Living in a generation obsessed with unhealthy fast foods and deep fried snacks are fast becoming a social pandemic. Health issues such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and a myriad of other problems can usually be attributed to a lifestyle bereft of exercise and healthy eating. With the Butterfly Air Fryer BAF-601D, you don't have to think twice about the foods you're eating! Using high speed air circulation, the BAF-601D heats up the ingredients from all sides at the same time, making it healthier but still retaining the food's original flavour and taste! Instead of buying snacks soaked in oil, choose the BAF-601D for a healthier, more nutritious and inevitably more delicious option.

Being healthy never tasted this good!
Unlike conventional deep fryers that use the same oil to fry different batches of ingredients, the Butterfly Air Fryer BAF-601D doesn't even need oil to create foods with the wonderfully crispy exterior and moist interior that we love. That way, you can create scrumptious and healthy French fries, nuggets, curry puffs and all sorts of yummy snacks without worrying about how much oil you're consuming, because there isn't any! The BAF-601D is the perfect cooking partner because you can still create a more nutritious version of your favourite meals for your loved ones without ever compromising on quality and taste.

Fast and environmentally-friendly
With a 10L cooking capacity and powered by an impressive 1200 to 1400W, you can now produce amazing culinary results faster than ever before. No need to worry about your ingredients overdrying, with the digital preset cooking programme, you can leave the BAF-601D to do its job and be amazed by its prompt results! In addition to being a much healthier cooking option, the BAF-601D is also environmentally friendly due to its use of energy free, radiation free and smoke free technology. So what are you waiting for? Get the healthier cooking option for you and your family with the Butterfly Air Fryer BAF-601D.

The Unboxing

The Accessories

1. Low / High Rack - Low Rack: Good for cooking large food items such as roast poultry (full size), rice casserole, vegetable, etc. High Rack: Suitable for cooking food with the medium size, such as chicken wing and pizza.
2. Steak Cage - Suitable for grilling fillet steak and seafood.
3. Baking Cage - Suitable for french fries or other small size food to cook more evenly, crispy and less fat.
4. Tong - A handy tool for carrying food or plate in and out of the air fryer.
5. Chicken Fork - Suitable for skewing whole chicken and large steak.
6. Baking Pan - Suitable for the brochette
7. Butterfly Air Fryer BAF-601D

The First Test

To test our the Butterfly Air Fryer BAF-601D, I decided to fry some chicken nuggets.
I loaded the Baking Cage with 10 pieces of Ayamas Golden Chicken Nuggets (direct from the freezer without defrosting), pressed the 'Fry' button which preset the temperature at 230'C and the cooking time for 25 minutes.

The temperature and cooking time can be adjusted using the (+) and (-) buttons.

The result, the chicken nuggets were cooked right through and it was crispy when we bite into them.

As you can see from the paper towel, there was very little oil produced from the nuggets itself. 

I will include a short video of the cooking processing once it is ready.
In the mean time, I am thinking what other foods I am going to try out next.

Bayers Dual Stage Slow Juicer (JAT Demo)

A month ago we shared about a purchase, Bayers Dual Stage Slow Juicer.
Write-up: http://www.justathoughtah.com/2014/09/bayers-dual-stage-slow-juicer.html

To provide a bit more information on the product, we prepared this simple 2 minute clip to demonstrate its usage.

Citrus Zinger Bottle (2.0)

During a walkabout after dinner I spotted that a local supermarket, Aeon (www.aeonmalaysia.com.my) has started selling bottles similar to the Citrus Zinger Bottle. There were two sizes available, 428ml which cost RM29.90 and another larger one, 628ml which cost RM39.90.

Mine was cheaper, 28 OZ (approx 828ML) for RM14.55 (find out how I got the best deal here). I looked around the bottle sold at Aeon and I could not find any information on where the bottles were made. Mine had imprints at the base of the bottle;

Citrus Zinger 28 oz. www.zinganything.com. 

Patent Pending - BPA and EA free - Made In Taiwan

Tips to improving the bottle (D.I.Y. style)
After using the bottle for some time now, I am quite satisfied with it and the added lemon flavour to my drinking water.

Then a friend suggested that after each drink of the lemon water, I should rinse my mouth with plain water. This was because the lemon can corrode my teeth (she claimed). Since I am not a doctor nor a dentist, I did the only logical thing - Google for the information. There were some articles and write-ups but nothing definitive.

I thought it was too much hassle to drink lemon water and then plain water each time. So what choice do I have now?

One option to reduce the effect is to drink through a STRAW.
Prior to my online purchase, I had seen citrus zinger bottles with straws fixed unto the top cap. I felt it was not necessary, and the fixed straw will obstruct me if I choose to drink from the unscrewed cap. 

Remember my walkabout earlier? well knew of a brand of bottle supplier called 'Bros' (www.bros.com.my) that sell a wide range of plastic drinking bottles that comes with colourful designs, various sizes and accessories. The best thing of that brand was they also sell replacement parts.

I found one pack of replacement straws for their 550ml and 750ml bottles which only cost RM7.90.

The Outcome
The Bros straws was the appropriate length for my bottle but due to the juicing apparatus, the straw could not go all the way down & was protruding on the top. No worries, the top portion is made of rubber which is bendable. Alternatively, you can snip/cut off the excess.

Another plus point is if I do not wish to use the straw anyone; since it is not fixed to the cap, I could just take it out, wash it and store it (for use at another time).

All in all another satisfied purchase and enhanced experience.

What other ways can you think of improving your experience? feel free to share in the comments below.