Arlo Ultra Review: Outstanding Video Quality at the Expense of All Else
10 Min Read
The Arlo Ultra ditches the standard micro-USB charging port for a proprietary magnetic connector.
Reviews
Impartial. No-nonsense. Real stuff.
All reviews on this website are based on thorough hands-on testing and real-world first-hand experience.
This category also includes previews and first-takes, derived from initial impressions, past experience, or preliminary assessments.
WD Blue SN500 SSD Review: An Easy NVMe Upgrade
4 Min Read
The WD Blue SN500 NVMe solid-state drive (SSD)—announced on March 14—is not to be confused with the existing SATA WD Blue. The new internal drive, among other things, is much faster. But it’s in no way the fastest on the market due to its modest NVMe specs. Still, at a … Continue Reading
Home Security Cameras: Arlo’s Rough Road to the Ultra
11 Min Read
The Arlo Ultra—Arlo’s first security camera since its spin-off from NETGEAR—is once again available for purchase, starting today. The camera’s initial launch was back in January, but Arlo pulled it from the market soon after due to some technical issues. Compared with the existing Arlo Pro 2, the Ultra is … Continue Reading
Synology DS1019+ Review: A Work and Fun Powerhouse
12 Min Read
The Synology DS1019+ is a formidable alternative to the DS1618+. The severs is the second revision of Synology DS10xx lineup since the DS1010+ that came out in 2010. The new server is affordable—costing just $650 disk-less—while delivering an excellent feature set. That includes dual-channel 4K transcoding capability and support for … Continue Reading
Micron Crucial BX500 Review: Totally a Great Deal
4 Min Read
If you’re looking for a replacement solid-state drive (SSD) for your budget computer, here’s my recommendation: The Crucial BX500. This drive takes SSD affordability to a new level. You can get the newly-released maximum capacity of 960GB for just $130, or about 13 cents per gigabyte. There are also 480GB, … Continue Reading
Dell Inspiron i5575 Review: Totally Worth an SSD Upgrade
6 Min Read
I didn’t expect much from the Dell Inspiron i5575-A217SLV-PUS notebook. I bought it because it was relatively cheap, and I just needed a simple machine for testing. But it turned out to be such a satisfying buy after I upgraded to a solid-state drive (SSD). So here’s the deal: If … Continue Reading
Samsung 970 EVO Plus Review: Totally Fast and a Bit More
6 Min Read
The name says it all. The new Samsung 970 EVO Plus NVMe solid-state drive (SSD), released today, is indeed what its older brother—the 970 EVO—is, plus a bit more. It has enough more for Samsung to decide to use it in the place of the 970 EVO going forward. The … Continue Reading
ASUS RT-AC88U Revisited: A Fine Wi-Fi 5 Router that Ages like Wine
7 Min Read
Today marks my 3rd anniversary of having used the ASUS RT-AC88U almost non-stop. It’s the only router I’ve continually used for such a long time. I originally reviewed this router (in my previous life) at its launch and called it the Nexus of wireless routers. Soon after, I got one … Continue Reading
