Guide To A Kids Spa Day At Home

When you're stuck with kids in the house, it's important to plan lots of activities to distract them. But what happens when you have played all the games, watched enough TV and have no more things to do? It's a spa day for children to save.

Although nothing replaces a visit to an actual spa, a simple home session is the perfect opportunity for the family to experience a little much-needed relaxation for you. and it offers children something new and exciting to try. Whether you want to make spa time a future weekend program or just need something to pass the time, a children's spa day is a therapeutic solution for everyone involved.

Mother and daughter meditate for a spa day at home

First of all, it is important to choose safe products for a child's sensitive skin. Natural products based on plants are effective and harmonize with the skin. They are therefore perfect for people with sensitivities and normal skin. A spa day at home is not only a great opportunity to teach children good skin care habits, it also enables parents to care for and pamper the skin with gentle products.

Alana Henrikson, Product Support Officer at Eminence Organics, says: "For children who are just getting started with skin care products, it is best to keep the routine simple and straightforward. Choosing a cleanser and moisturizer that is appropriate for their skin type and concerns is a good one It will help to make everyday life stronger, just like brushing your teeth, where consistency is key to ensuring that it becomes a lifelong habit. ”

Eminence Organics Kids Spa Day

Kids Spa Day ideas

For your next kids spa day at home, consider the following steps:

  • 1. Clean
  • 2. Mask
  • 3. Moisturize
  • 4. Manicure

This is a great time to show kids how to take care of their skin. They can also practice safe skin care products under adult supervision. If you start a solid routine early on, you can also control changes in your skin as you get older.

1. Clean

The first step in any skin care routine is cleaning. However, it is important that you use cleaning agents that are supposed to soothe and care without too many active ingredients.

Eminence Organics coconut milk cleaner

These are two extraordinary formulas that are well suited for children's skin Stone Crop Gel Wash and Coconut Milk Cleanser.

For children with sensitive skin, Stone Crop Gel Wash is suitable for all skin types. Natural ingredients such as stone harvest and chamomile soothe and soothe the skin, while shea butter moisturizes. If your child is near the Between two and ten years, this cleansing laundry is perfect because it removes impurities from the pores without removing the natural moisture from the skin.

Use our coconut milk cleaner for a gentle cleansing that is more suitable for dry or irritated skin. The skin is hydrated and protected with antioxidants such as marigold oil and coconut oil, not to mention the abundant hydration thanks to coconut milk.

Show the best way to clean the skin by applying the products to the skin and gently emulsifying with water. Once you've thoroughly cleaned the skin, it's time for the next step: masking!

2. Mask

This is a step that children of all ages will surely enjoy. Again, you should make sure that every mask you provide is child-friendly and does not contain any particularly effective ingredients.

Three masks in particular are popular with all age groups, and children will definitely smell them: our coconut cream, the strawberry-rhubarb mask and the chocolate mousse moisturizing mask.

Eminence Organics Chocolate Mousse Hydration Masque

Deliciously fragrant, ours Chocolate Mousse Hydration Masque is as decadent as it sounds! With its antioxidant-rich cocoa and blend of moisturizing oils, this mask is a perfect option to refresh your skin. Likewise, Coconut Cream Masque is deeply moisturizing and contains coconut milk, oil and tiny pieces of ripe coconut that the kids are sure to love.

Try a child-friendly scrub Strawberry and rhubarb mask on the skin. Strawberries are a natural source of salicylic acid and a calming and entertaining way to illuminate the skin and make it fresh and plump thanks to its astringent and brightening properties.

3. Moisturize

The last important step in every spa day is humidification! This is another great opportunity to teach children the proper moisturizing to keep the skin healthy and strong.

Depending on your child's skin care needs, there are some moisturizing options. If you are looking for a moisturizer for normal skin, this is it Apricot Whip Moisturizer is perfect for beginners. For dry or dehydrated skin, we recommend our Stone Crop Whip Moisturizer, which relieves dryness and at the same time has a deeply moisturizing effect. If your child has sensitive skin or is prone to rosacea, the sensitive formula in Rosehip Whip Moisturizer offers pure, moisturizing ingredients.

Mother gives her daughter a manicure

4. Manicure

End your children's spa day at home with a gentle manicure that nourishes the skin while everyone washes their hands more.

Here is a simple step-by-step guide for a manicure at home:

For more ideas on creating treatments at home with Eminence Organics, see Check out our beautiful selection of botanical cleaners, masks and moisturizers. And let us know in the comments or on social media which part of the spa day your child enjoyed the most!

Sony WH-CH710N Headphones Review: A True Wireless Value

Sony WH-CH710N headphones

"Sony's WH-CH710N wireless headphones are great at being good."

  • Excellent battery life

  • Comfortable design

  • Integration of the stellar voice assistant

  • Inconspicuous noise cancellation

The Sony WH-CH710N is the middle ground in the extensive range of wireless headphones from Sony. They have more premium features than Sony's entry-level models, without the premium price of flagship models like the WH-1000XM3.

Without question, some corners had to be cut to achieve this. However, the $ 200 Sony WH-CH710N, which will be available for pre-sale this month, offers more than enough features to make it fascinating – and an important addition to the Sony roster.

Out of the box

Corner No. 1: The box in which the WH-CH710N is delivered is just a box. I will of course not hold that against Sony. If you save price, you will lose some pomp and that is understandable.

Sony WH-CH710N headphonesNick Woodard / Digital Trends

Likewise, the WH-CH710N does not include a carrying case. A USB-C charging cable and a headphone cable are also included, as is a picture book that is displayed as a user guide. I found Sony's online help much more useful.

The Bluetooth setup was routine and simple. The WH-CH710N also supports Near Field Communication (NFC), where compatible devices can be paired with the headphones by touching the left ear cup. It was also a breeze. After a week of intensive listening with these headphones paired with a Google Pixel 2, I had no noteworthy connection problems. I also found the range of these Bluetooth 5-supported headphones to be exceptional.

design

I was surprised at the smaller footprint of the WH-CH710N, at least compared to other headphones I've tested recently. They are not exactly light, but for me they were of a good size and weight for longer listening times.

Sony WH-CH710N headphonesNick Woodard / Digital Trends

The oval ear pads were soft, but not as soft as you would expect from higher quality products. The headband also felt a little stiffer than I would have liked. These are mostly minor annoyances that have not affected my overall experience.

A total of five buttons are integrated in the WH-CH710N. There is an on / off switch on the left auricle, three buttons for volume and action commands aligned in a row on the right auricle, and a button to toggle between noise canceling and ambient sounds located on the same right auricle. A little learning curve was required to get used to the different buttons, but I was able to use each functionally in no time.

properties

On paper, there seems to be a lot to like about the features of the Sony WH-CH710N. These include the battery life and the compatibility of the voice assistant.

Sony WH-CH710N headphonesNick Woodard / Digital Trends

The WH-CH710N offers an estimated playback time of 35 hours with noise reduction activated and 45 hours without noise reduction. This is better than the WH-1000XM3's 30-hour battery life and is enough to take a week's commute without needing to recharge.

For obvious reasons, I didn't commute when I used these headphones. But they survived me with fairly constant use all week, so I can vouch for the longevity of these headphones. It takes approximately seven hours to fully charge the WH-CH710N. However, after 10 minutes of charging, you can play for an hour. It's not quite as fast as the WH-1000XM3, but it's still decent.

My beef mentioned above with the physical instruction manual is about activating voice assistants with the headphones. Based on the physical instructions, it is difficult to set up your preferred voice assistant. However, the online guide contains detailed instructions and quickly guided me through choosing my preferred assistant from the settings on my phone.

I chose Amazon Alexa as my assistant and by long pressing this action button I was able to do everything that I normally use with my Alexa devices, from setting the timer when cooking to controlling light bulbs and other smart home products . It may not be a big deal for everyone, but for a person who often uses smart assistants, flawless integration was a solid benefit.

Audio quality

I'm just going to get this out of the way now: The WH-CH710N won't sound as good as the WH-1000XM3 or other high-end alternatives. You just can't keep up with the clarity and audio quality of these premium wireless headphones.

Sony WH-CH710N headphonesNick Woodard / Digital Trends

This is frankly not a big deal. They shouldn't be able to compete with high quality products in terms of sound, and they didn't have a price for it. What the Sony WH-CH710N had to do sounded good because if they weren't, they'd be a waste of great features.

I have good news. Equipped with 30 mm drivers and a frequency range from 20 to 20,000 Hz, the WH-CH710N offers what I can best describe as reliable audio quality. Even though I couldn't find a track that blew me away musically, it was difficult for me to come across a song that was misrepresented by the criminal.

If you're looking for high-fidelity sound for a fraction of the price, you'll be disappointed with the WH-CH710N, especially the limited codec support that includes SBC and AAC. But with realistic expectations, I think most people would enjoy how they sound.

Noise cancellation

The WH-CH710N is advertised as noise canceling headphones, but is not an active noise canceling headphones. Instead, Sony implemented a technology called AINC (Artificial Intelligence Noise Cancellation), which is designed to adapt continuously to the environment in order to create the most effective mode for noise suppression.

To support this, the headphones in each ear cup have a pair of microphones, one forward and one rear, to pick up as much ambient noise as possible. They also have an ambient sound mode to turn on outside noise without having to remove the headphones, and an option to turn off noise cancellation and ambient mode altogether.

In my experience, the AINC included in the WH-CH710N works … to a certain extent. At normal listening volume, some lower frequencies are filtered out well. But some annoying noises still found their way into my listening experience. Such as the neighbors' power tools during a weekend project. The noise canceling has muffled that noise to some extent, but it was nothing more than what I am used to with more premium headphones.

Our opinion

For the right person, the Sony WH-CH710N offers excellent value for money. It has a number of features for its cost if you're okay with sacrificing sound quality and noise canceling ability to keep on budget.

Are there any better alternatives?

It depends on what concessions you want to make. The WH-1000XM3 has dropped significantly in price, but they still cost almost $ 80 more than the $ 199 WH-CH710N. The previous model in the range, the Sony WH-CH700N, has dropped to $ 129 and has similar features, namely an identical battery life. However, the latest model has new components and technologies, which may make the additional costs worthwhile.

How long will they last?

The Sony WH-CH710N headband is rigid, but feels durable just like the rest of the product. As long as they are not misused, they should be your daily doses for the foreseeable future.

Should you buy it

Yes. They are not their more expensive, popular older siblings. Ultimately, the WH-CH710N offers excellent battery life and reasonable sound at a manageable price. They're not the best, but they're great at being good.

Editor's recommendations




Flo by Moen Review | Money You’ll Save Is No Drop In The Bucket

Flo from Moen's review

"Moen's intuitive Flo helps you save water and protect yourself from costly leaks."

  • Protects against catastrophic water damage

  • Learn your water usage habits

  • Provides valuable information on water consumption

  • Great information dashboard

  • Integrates with Amazon Alexa

  • Requires a subscription for important benefits

  • Leakage location cannot be recognized

  • Cannot be connected to other home security systems

My first product review was the Current Cost ENVI Home Energy Monitor. That was nine years ago, and I've been studying television reviews intensively since then – but I've never got over having data on energy and resource consumption at hand. I'm still excited about it. When the people behind the Flo by Moen smart home water monitor (and also the leak detector!) Offered to install the device for this test, I took the chance.

It's a few months later now and I often wonder how I've ever lived without this clever device. Sure, it will detect a water leak, tell you about it, and even shut down your water pipe, but its capabilities go far beyond these basic functions. It's not perfect, but between the practical daily use and the security it offers, I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Mother Earth will surely appreciate this because there is not only an incentive to save money by using Flo by Moen, but also the more profound gesture to help the planet by saving water.

Why do i need that thing?

In the past two months, three of my homeowner friends have had installation problems that resulted in flooded land. Those who had good insurance were faced with a nasty deductible that didn't get a nasty bill, and in all cases the total cost of cleanup, repairs, and restoration exceeded $ 4,000.

Flo from Moen's review

In all three cases, Moen's $ 500 flo could have done practically none of these floods and damage. Reason enough to invest in Flo by Moen. It also monitors for leaks and, for a small monthly fee, identifies the water-consuming devices and fittings in your home. This way you get an insight – shower for shower, rinsing for rinsing and even washing machine load for washing machine load – into your home's water consumption. In any case, real money must be saved and not just a drop in the bucket. Over the course of his life, the Moen Flo could potentially save you thousands of dollars.

There is also the environmental good of water protection, which should not be underestimated.

installation

Flo by Moen is a small, weatherproof box with a valve button and incoming and outgoing connections that are connected to the main water pipe of your house. Practical people can install it themselves, but I would recommend hiring a plumber, especially if your water pipe is difficult to access. While contacting your plumber, you can also check if they are selling Flo by Moen as they may offer a discount on the purchase of the product and installation together.

There will come a time when you have to help the Flo to help you better.

Flo by Moen is not battery operated, so you need access to an electrical outlet. You should also make sure that your WiFi router's signal is strong enough to get to where the device is installed because there is no Ethernet port (not that an Ethernet cable is likely to be routed to the water pipe).

Once connected, Flo by Moen connects to Wi-Fi using the Flo by Moen app, available for iOS and Android. Once you're online, the app will ask you a number of questions to get you started. The app wants to know where your home is, how many people live in the house, the price per unit of water – all the data it can use to give you meaningful and informative dashboards.

From there, Flo by Moen will take water consumption at home into account and send this data to the cloud for processing via Flo by Moens Analytics.

What Flo does

In the first few days of operation, the Flo collects some basic data: how much water is consumed per day, when the consumption is highest and lowest, what the flow rate is for typical water consumption and how the water in the household is pressure and temperature measurement on average. The Flo also begins nightly tests for minor leaks by briefly turning off the water supply and monitoring for pressure changes. If the pressure drops, there is a leak somewhere. The Flo no longer recognizes where the leak is – it is intelligent, but does not have sensors in the entire sanitary system. So you have to go hunting yourself or call a plumber and have him sniff out.

Flo from Moen's review

With a feel for what is normal in your home, the Flo is equipped to understand what is not normal. If it sees that it is consuming too much water, a notification will be sent via SMS, email and / or phone call (you can choose one or all three notification options) to alert you. If notifications are not responded to, Flo will turn the water off, provided that it prevents potentially catastrophic damage or water loss. If you prefer, you can have Flo ignore the warning for two hours – something I had to do many, many times. More on that later.

The Moen Flo also looks for low pressure, indicating that there may be a problem with the water entering your home. water temperatures too low, which can be a warning that pipes can freeze; or too high pressure, which can be a sign of several problems (including already frozen pipes).

For those traveling on vacation or another long absence, an absence mode is available, which causes the Flo to react faster to warning signals.

But how does it really work?

Everything I've described so far is essentially automated, but there will come a time (probably actually many times) when you need to help the Flo do better to help you. Yes, as smart as the Flo is, it still needs an insight into what's actually happening in your home.

For example, watering my garden and / or lawn was a confusing event for the Flo. I have to admit that I was shocked that some drinking hoses let through up to 5 gallons of water per minute. But more importantly, Flo had never seen so much water in my home before – at least not for very long. While half of my vegetable garden was soaked with the much-needed hydration, Flo was busy letting me know that some nefarious things were coming down and warned of an impending water shutdown.

Flo not only protects my house from possible damage, but also prevents me from having to spend too much.

This scenario repeated itself several times, but I didn't know that every time I told the Flo app not to worry and keep pouring, Flo raised the ceiling for a shutdown event. This initially gave me cause for concern because what if the ceiling were raised so high that the Flo would be ineffective in the event of a real problem? It turned out that I didn't have to worry about it.

In addition to learning real-time usage habits, the Flo system allows users to assign usage events to certain types of usage, but only with a $ 5 FloProtect subscription. With the subscription it can be determined that the water consumption is at 1:10 p.m. On Thursday was the washing machine from which the Flo will likely learn to correctly allocate water consumption. This was practical for me as I was essentially able to tell the Flo device what applications were used for irrigation.

Today I have to blow up a good 57 gallons within 11 minutes before Flo warns me that I'm basically over-watering my garden. In this case, the Flo not only protects my house from possible damage, but also prevents me from over-watering and therefore paying too much when the water bill comes.

I have a huge bag of anecdotes praising the value of the Flo by Moen device, including stories of insanely long teenage showers that broke down after 25 minutes and overflowing bathtubs were barely averted, but I think you can imagine all kinds of cases In which a water monitor could be useful. Now we come to an even more convincing topic.

Get ready to save $$$

It may take a while to buy a used car with the money I saved with the Moen Flo, but I'm pretty sure this day could come. There are some real savings here.

Like any dashboard, the Flo by Moen app can be a real motivator. By setting water use goals and viewing reports of whether you have achieved or missed your goal, you tend to change your behavior (and that of others). In addition, it is instructive – and shocking in some cases – to see how much water is used to wash clothes or shower, for example, in a way that is difficult to describe.

"There's no way we're throwing so many gallons in our sinks," I cried in horror after checking my first monthly report. Unfortunately, our taps were our main consumers. They are still, but to a much lesser extent, since I installed water-saving aerators on every tap in the house. To be honest, I thought the existing aerators were highly efficient, and I wouldn't have known anything else without a detailed insight into my water consumption.

Flo from Moen's review

As convincing as saving may be, I think it may be more important to consider the positive effects of water conservation on our planet. Without realizing it, my kids had become a bit lazy turning off the faucet when brushing their teeth, and frankly it turned out that I was wasting a terrible amount of water washing up.

Treat the Flo by Moen app as a game, and conservation becomes a competition to find out who can save the most water. Given the high potential to save a valuable and sometimes scarce resource, I decided to give the Flo by Moen the Tech for Change Award from Digital Trends.

What's the catch?

The downside to many advantages of the Flo is that they live behind a FloProtect subscription paywall that costs $ 5 a month or $ 60 a year. With the subscription, you will also receive an insurance refund of up to $ 2,500 if water damage occurs under Flo's watch. This seems like a nice addition, but I'd rather see Moen bring that kind of support into the device for the $ 500 purchase price.

As long as I'm groaning, it would be great to see how Moen's Flo integrates with larger security systems to add an extra layer of protection. I personally have a Vivint home security system in operation that has flood sensors that can possibly detect water accumulations that the Flo cannot detect itself based on usage data. As it looks, the Flo is alone in its operation.

Our opinion

I love having the Moen Flo as part of my increasingly intelligent home. Not only do I feel like I have an extra layer of protection, I'm still moved by all the data I can get through well-designed dashboards. A little bit of manual work is required at the beginning, but the end result is an intuitive intelligent water monitoring system that more or less takes care of itself.

Is there a better alternative?

There are cheaper options, like Stream Labs' Smart Home Water Monitor for $ 200, which doesn't require pipe cutting like Flo by Moen, but we can't guarantee the accuracy of that. There are also more expensive options, like the Phyn Plus for $ 700, but it's unclear what valuable benefits the higher sticker price will bring. We also prefer the appearance of the Flo by Moen user interface.

How long it will take?

The Flo from Moen seems to be very robust and weatherproof, so the signs of a long life are good. However, since this is a new product category, it remains to be seen how realistic life expectancy will be. Given that most of the data processing and analysis is done in the cloud, there is a good chance that the technology will not be out of date in the short term.

Should you buy it

Yes. It performs well and offers a wealth of accurate data and solid protection.

Editor's recommendations




Fitbit Charge 4 Review: The Fitness Tracker To Buy

Fitbit Charge 4 review 1

"The Fitbit Charge 4 is a great fitness tracker at an affordable price."

  • Excellent fitness tracking

  • Some intelligent functions

  • Good battery life

  • GPS installed

  • Solid value

  • Limited music support

  • Slightly outdated design

  • Ad could be better

It is important to me to keep track of my health. I use MyFitnessPal to track what I eat, Sleeptracker to monitor my sleep, and Apple Watch to track my fitness and activity. All of this information is linked in the Apple Health app. The Apple Watch even made me aware that I might have atrial fibrillation – a diagnosis that was later confirmed by cardiologists. In a world with all of these high-tech, artificially intelligent tracking systems, the humble Fitbit can feel a little old-fashioned.

While the Fitbit Charge 4 can't keep up with the Apple Watch in many areas, it's pretty much the best fitness tracker you can buy for the price. This is especially true since the device now finally offers integrated GPS and new heart monitoring functions.

Let’s take a closer look.

design

The Fitbit Charge 4 looks almost identical to the Fitbit Charge 3 – and although the Charge 3 offered an updated design, it still feels a bit dated at this point. That doesn't mean it's ugly. The device is small enough to look good on wrists of all sizes, and easily adaptable thanks to the wide range of straps.

There is a 1-inch monochrome OLED display with a resolution of 160 x 100 pixels on the front of the device. The display is pretty boring and sometimes frustrating to use. It is not always on and often does not wake up when you raise your wrist. In addition, it is not very bright and can sometimes be difficult to read in sunlight. An updated display would have been desirable here.

On the Charge 4 side there is a haptic button that activates the display and serves, among other things, as a home button in the device software. It works well, although sometimes you have to push harder to make it work. However, you will get used to it. The charging pins and a heart rate monitor are located on the underside of the device.

As you would expect from a fitness tracker in 2020, the device is waterproof up to 50 meters and therefore supports swimming tracking. I was unable to get to a pool due to the ongoing ban to test this.

In general, the overall design of the Fitbit Charge 4 could be described as "good". It does the job. It is not noticeable and the display is somewhat lackluster. After all, this is not a smartwatch, but a fitness tracker. And it looks like this.

Track fitness

Before you actually track your fitness, you should dive into the app and find out which activities you think will be used the most since the device contains only six shortcuts each. I actually thought the Charge 4 couldn't track tennis, but it can track a variety of activities – you just have to indicate which ones are most important to you. By default, the shortcuts include running, cycling, swimming, treadmill, outdoor training, and walking.

It's a little annoying that only six links can be included. I wouldn't call myself the most active person out there, but I'm still chasing walks, runs, weight training, and occasional tennis and swimming lessons. It's easy to imagine that someone has to do more than six types of activities on a regular basis.

New for the Charge 4 is the built-in GPS, a very welcome addition. With the GPS, you can finally leave your smartphone at home if you want to physically follow your run. I found the GPS accuracy to be pretty accurate – and even slightly more accurate than the Apple Watch.

The fact that the device has an integrated GPS surpasses most other trackers, especially in this price range. Most other GPS-enabled devices are fully functional smartwatches, with the exception of Garmin Vivosport, which deals with other features like swimming tracking and some other fitness metrics.

The workouts that use GPS track things like pace, speed, distance, time, and heart rate. Other workouts record time, calories burned, and heart rate. It's a good range of metrics, and these things can all be seen directly from the Fitbit app.

The Charge 4 can automatically track some workouts like running, walking, cycling, elliptical training and more. This has been useful more than once. During this period of social distancing, I try to take at least a few walks a day – and I may not remember starting a workout to follow them because I do not always see them as "workouts". The Fitbit Charge 4 covered me because I was pleasantly surprised to see all of my walks in the app.

You can also track your sleep with the Fitbit Charge 4. While wearing a device in bed takes a bit of getting used to, a lot of data is collected – and when you get Fitbit Premium, you'll see how Fitbit breaks down your score. It's hard to determine how accurate sleep tracking is without a dedicated sleep lab, but the results seem to match my attitudes toward my sleep and the rating I get from Sleeptracker.

Although I haven't tested it for obvious reasons, the Charge 4 offers menstrual cycle tracking. With the app you can log symptoms and moods and compare them with other users and previous months. The Charge 4 also helps with mental health – thanks to the integrated Relax app, which allows you to do breathing exercises.

Not quite a smart watch

Now let's get this out of the way. The Fitbit Charge 4 is not a smartwatch. If you want a smartwatch, you should look elsewhere.

That doesn't mean the Fitbit Charge 4 doesn't have intelligent features. On the contrary, it can do a number of things you would expect from a smartwatch. You can see many notifications on your wrist, including text messages, calls, and more. The device now supports Fitbit Pay, which makes mobile payment easier.

Another new feature is the ability to control music playback on your phone using Charge 4. Unfortunately, the feature is limited to Spotify and you cannot control the music during exercise. This makes the tracker function pretty useless for fitness purposes. You also cannot save music to your device. If you want to use GPS support to leave your phone at home but still want to listen to music, you're out of luck.

This essentially completes the Smartwatch-like list of functions in Charge 4. It does not have to be included in an app store. It cannot record audio. No calls are answered. GPS navigation cannot be provided. The local weather is not shown. And so on. The lack of this feature is not a real flaw on the Charge 4, as its focus on fitness undoubtedly adds to the tracker's reasonable price.

If you're looking for a real smartwatch, you should consider other options. If you're an Apple user, you can only pay a little extra for an Apple Watch Series 3. The Apple Watch is not quite as detailed in fitness tracking, but it is very powerful and offers all the other functions you would expect from a smartwatch.

The Fitbit app

Merging all the data the tracker collects is the app – and it's a home run. Fitbit has been working on his app for years and it is incredibly detailed. The app's dashboard shows things like the number of steps you've taken, the number of floors you've climbed, your heart rate, and more. Tap these metrics to see more detailed information.

During a run, you can see on a map where you ran, along with the “heart zones” reached on that map and your pace. Scroll down and you'll get an overview of your height, a breakdown of your heart zones, heart rate information, calories burned and much more.

The app is great for tracking and rewarding goals. You can find all types of goals on offer, including weekly and daily goals. Active Zone Minutes takes recommendations from the World Health Organization and the American Heart Association and converts these recommendations into minutes of training. It can be a little confusing, but the essence is that you give more credit to your goals for more intense training, which encourages users to push themselves.

You have to look in the settings to find some of the features offered. However, once you get used to the design of the app, it's easy to find out. For example, you can't just go to the Settings menu to tweak your device's settings, you have to tap your device first and then go to its own Settings menu. It makes sense if you think about it, but it can still be a little confusing.

Overall, the Fitbit app is fantastic. It is well designed and makes it easy to sort the huge amount of data that the Fitbit Charge 4 collects.

Battery life

The Fitbit Charge 4's battery life is up to an impressive week of use – but this largely depends on how often you use GPS. According to Fitbit, you only get five hours of operation when GPS is activated. In practice, the battery will be empty for a few days when you use the device to track workouts.

That's not bad. With “real” smartwatches, you can only work for a day or two.

Although battery life is good, the fact that you may be using this device to track your sleep means that you need to actively think about when to charge your charge. For some, it's in the shower or when you're sitting at your desk.

Our opinion

The Fitbit Charge 4 is the best fitness tracker on the market. Thanks to the built-in GPS, it's significantly better than the Charge 3, and the Fitbit app allows those who want to dive into their fitness metrics to do so.

However, the age of fitness trackers is coming to an end. If you're an Apple user, you can purchase a new Apple Watch Series 3 for just $ 50 more. If you can afford it, an Apple Watch Series 4 or 5 is even better. On the Android side there are watches like the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2.

On the fitness tracker side, the only competition comes from devices like the Samsung Galaxy Fit, the Huawei Band 4 Pro, and some Garmin devices – but in any case, you sacrifice either GPS or decent software. The Fitbit Charge 4 is the complete package.

Is there a better alternative?

If you're looking for a traditional fitness tracker, the Fitbit Charge 4 is the way to go, and competition is very little in the way. If you're looking for a versatile device that can do more than just fitness tracking, consider something like the Apple Watch.

Do you want more options? Check out the best fitness trackers for 2020.

How long it will take?

The Fitbit Charge 4 should last at least a few years under normal use. The body is designed to withstand a few bumps and has a water resistance of up to 50 meters.

Should you buy it

Yes. The Fitbit Charge 4 is a great fitness tracker, and the Fitbit app is an almost perfect companion.

Editor's recommendations




Apple iPad Pro (2020) Review: The Definitive Tablet

Apple iPad Pro 2020 review back

"The iPad Pro 2020 is the best version of the best tablet you can buy, and no task will impress you."

  • Amazing screen

  • Versatile, easy-to-use software

  • Packed app store with tablet-specific apps

  • Neat, comfortable and light design

  • Good performance

  • Perfect for work or leisure

  • Important accessories increase costs

  • The LiDAR sensor currently has no advantage

  • Expensive against competitors

The Apple iPad is the most popular tablet in the world and that we would recommend to anyone buying a new tablet. There's a brand new version of the top iPad Pro for 2020 now, but does that mean you should buy it?

Oh well. Of course. The iPad Pro has dominated the tablet market since its launch. The 2020 iPad Pro is a small update, but it's still way ahead of its rivals.

design

I purchased the 11-inch iPad Pro for review. The only difference from the 12.9-inch version is the screen size. Even the pixel density is the same for both models at 265 pixels per inch. Quite simply, one is bigger than the other and you have to decide which one best suits your needs. The larger model is probably better for artists and anyone who is serious about working with the iPad, but it may also feel a bit too big to watch videos in bed or for general home use, which I think is great for 11- works better. Inch version.

Apple iPad Pro 2020Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

The tablet is super slim at 5.9 mm and light at 471 grams, and I've never felt tired when I propped it up or put it on my lap. The weight and dimensions are exactly the same as the iPad Pro 2018, and the overall design is similar. The back of the tablet is flat, as are the sides, which are only interrupted by perforations for the quad speakers, the USB charging port type C and three buttons. It's all very industrial, especially in space gray. It cannot be called beautiful, but there is no doubt that much has been thought about doing it just right.

For example, you would think that the flat edges would feel sharp after a while. You don't. The slightly beveled edge provides comfort and the curved corners fit exactly in the palm of your hand, so you can hold the iPad Pro for hours without digging into your hands. The matte metal case has a lot of grip and doesn't draw many fingerprints, which spoils the screen and puts it in a terrible state. The narrow 6mm bezels are just the right size to hold the tablet without accidentally touching the screen.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

The camera with two lenses on the back separates it from the 2018 model and brings it stylishly closer to the iPhone 11. It gives the design of the tablet character, does not protrude too much from the surface and means that the camera is more powerful here than on anyone iPad previously. Since the selfie camera is very well hidden in the thin screen bezels and the buttons are almost flush on the sides, the feeling for the camera shock is the best way to determine which end was "up".

An ergonomic problem related to Face Unlock occurs occasionally. The camera setup is in the narrow bezels. If you hold the tablet in landscape format, you can easily hide it. It is not uncommon for the tablet to accidentally go to sleep by pressing the button. You may also need to use Face Unlock to make purchases, and you'll need to readjust your grip for the cameras to work. Fortunately, there is an arrow on the screen that points to the camera location. Like the 2018 model, the iPad Pro 2020 unfortunately does not have a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

I haven't updated my iPad since the first generation iPad Pro 12.9 released in 2015. It is a tablet that I liked very much, but was often perceived as unwieldy. Switching to the 11-inch iPad Pro 2020 is like traveling back in time, as the tiny victim of 1.9-inch screen space is nothing compared to the benefits of improved design, weight reduction, and reduced space requirements. By comparing like this, you understand how slim and user-friendly the new iPad really is and how far Apple has gotten in design in a few years.

display

The iPad Pro's Liquid Retina IPS screen measures 11 inches and has a resolution of 2388 x 1668 pixels, Apple's ProMotion 120Hz technology, true tone colors and 600 nits of brightness. The iPad Pro was the ideal video partner not only thanks to the wonderfully calibrated screen, but also thanks to the abundance of available media apps.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

Although the iPad Pro doesn't show 4K video, the quality above 1080p is absolutely wonderful. The colors are perfectly coordinated – lively, bright and dynamic in equal measure, but never exaggerated or too saturated. Of course, the quality varies with the video content itself, but provided it has been filmed competently, it looks great.

The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime usually looked stunning – crisp, sharp, and full of detail. Watching Wheeler dealers via the Dplay app is not quite as nice, but not with the iPad. However, this doesn't make it any less pleasant. In contrast to a foldable smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy Fold or the Huawei Mate Xs, the aspect ratio of 4: 3 is better for watching videos, as the black bars are minimized. I preferred to watch videos on the 11-inch iPad Pro over my older 12.9-inch iPad Pro. It's just easier to use without compromising the screen size.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

One of the most striking aspects is the ProMotion 120Hz screen. If you're like me and you're from a first-generation iPad Pro or other tablet without a high-refresh screen, it's amazing to look at. There is no blurring at all, and this makes viewing menus about surfing the Internet and playing games more enjoyable. It is a wonderful addition to this stunning screen.

Disadvantage? It's a shame that the screen gets pretty greasy and doesn't clean very effectively even with special cloths. If you don't buy a case or stand for the tablet, you have to hold it or pry it against things to watch videos for extended periods of time. The compatibility of video files can also be incomplete, especially if they are run from external drives. Otherwise it is error-free.

Software and productivity

IPadOS 13.4 is installed on the iPad Pro 2020. This brings with it various improvements for iOS 13, which were published at the end of 2019 and brought the tablet closer to a laptop alternative for the first time. When used normally, it feels like the iOS it is based on, and is more suitable for the larger screen with the slide-up dock menu and other improvements. Multitasking has been significantly improved, and there are now two ways to use more than one app.

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Apple iPad Pro 2020 Review Dock "class =" m-Karussell - picture dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn5.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/ipad-pro-2020-dock-640x640.jpg " srcset = "https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7dock Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

Both are easy to use and logically set up. The first is split view, where two apps, or in some cases two views of the same app, appear on the screen at the same time. Once you've learned the swipe and tap combination to make it work, it's easy, but it's a shame that not all apps work with it. For example, you cannot open a browser window next to Autotrader. If you are swiping too fast to access the dock, you can simply exit the app instead.

Slide Over fixes the problem that not all apps work with Split View and instead hovers other app windows over a main full screen app. This is helpful because you can open many windows at the same time and then switch between them in the synopsis view. This is very helpful. I have found that using pages to write an article with a research browser window open has speeded up my workflow.

The new software also introduces USB device management. The iPad has a single USB Type-C port to which I connected a hub to provide USB Type-A ports and an SD card reader. It worked fine, read and played compatible video files from a USB stick and imported pictures and videos from an SD card. However, I found that the hub – a Vava multiport model – was drawing a lot of power from the tablet. Therefore, please note that the battery will discharge faster if you use it to work or play videos.

I like typing on the glass screen of the iPad during work. The size is correct so I can still touch the guy quickly, and the software's automatic fix is ​​activated when I make mistakes. I use Pages anyway and the quick sharing between the tablet and my Mac is very helpful. At the time of writing, I hadn't tried the new Magic Keyboard with the trackpad, which promises to really improve productivity. Without a case, the iPad Pro must be on your lap to type, which is not the most ergonomic solution. If you want to use the iPad this way, invest in a case or stand that tilts the tablet toward you.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

What else? Having widgets on the home screen is nice, rather than swiping in the left view as is required on iPhone. This leads to an excellent Apple News experience on the iPad. Here too, the 11-inch model is more suitable for reading in bed than the 12.9-inch tablet due to the space requirement. Books and comics can also be read excellently on the tablet. I could keep talking about iPadOS 13.5 and all the things I like about using the iPad Pro 2020. It's quick and easy to use, animations are nifty without being intrusive, and the app store is packed with apps optimized for tablets.

The iPad Pro 2020 without a keyboard case is a fabulous all-rounder that can play beautiful videos in one minute and is suitable for some quick e-mails and basic work tasks in the next. You can later read or play games. To use it seriously for work, you need a keyboard, but even without it, the way it is recorded and used for everything is appealing and practical, supported by the clever software and this amazing screen.

Performance and games

One of the most important changes compared to the 2018 version is the new Apple A12Z bionic processor with octa-core graphics, which focuses on hardcore work tasks such as 4K video editing. Apple claims it is faster than most PC laptops. We ran a benchmark test to see how it works:

The latest Samsung tablet, the Galaxy S6, does not even come close to this score and underlines the incredible performance of the new iPad Pro. Perhaps the least pleasing thing about the iPad is that holding the tablet is painful compared to a phone or console controller. How this affects you depends on the games you enjoy. Games that rely on swiping, like Asphalt 9 Legends, Minecraft, and Bullet Hell Monday, are better than others. Asphalt 9 also looks fantastic and the performance is undoubtedly excellent.

There's not much else to say, and that's proof of the iPad Pro's flawless performance. It undeniably beats any other tablet and is not even close. If you need a device that is faster than an iPad Pro, you need something that is not a tablet.

camera

There is a double camera on the back of the iPad Pro 2020, which is one of the most important hardware updates compared to previous models. The main lens is a 12 megapixel sensor with an aperture of 1: 1.8 and the other is a 10 megapixel wide angle lens. You get the Smart HDR function, 4K video recording at up to 60 frames per second in standard and wide angle, and five microphones. In addition, the iPad Pro has a lidar sensor for measuring distances, which currently has only limited functionality. On the front is a 7 megapixel TrueDepth front camera with face unlock.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

The lidar sensor is not much help at the moment. There's no obvious advantage to using the main camera, and Apple doesn't go into great detail outside of the Measure app for what you should use it for. In this way, you can quickly measure objects in the real world with the camera on the iPad. Basic shapes and elements can be recognized quickly. I think it's great that the closer you move the camera, the more detailed measurement data you can see. However, I'm not sure how often I would use it.

The camera is acceptable for a tablet and takes decent photos, but can't keep up with the iPhone 11 Pro or similarly powerful Android camera phones. The color balance is pleasant, the blue sky appears natural, the definition is good in cloudy conditions and the level of detail in close-ups. I felt that the tablet was too big to use as a camera on a regular basis. Since many tablets don't leave the house, the camera of the iPad Pro is perfectly acceptable, especially the video camera for taking quick pictures of your children or pets. However, don't be too excited about the wide-angle camera as the field of view is narrower than that of the iPhone 11 Pro and is only slightly different from the main lens.

battery

The battery in the iPad Pro lasted approximately five days with moderate daily use of approximately two hours. Charging with the included 18-watt charger took an hour to reach 47% and reached 100% in about two and a half hours. With Apple's 29W fast charger, which has to be purchased separately, the battery reached 68% in one hour and it took another hour to reach 100%.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

How quickly the battery drains depends on what you do. Of course, video requires a lot of power, and at least 35% of the battery energy is used for two and a half hours. This corresponds to about seven to seven and a half hours of total video playback, which is less than the 10 hours of video usage Apple has specified. Otherwise, after two hours of general use a day, the tablet lasted five days before it needed to be recharged.

Like the last iPad Pro, the charging port is a USB Type-C port, so the Lightning cable used for the iPhone doesn't work. The included charging cable has a USB Type-C connector at both ends and not a USB Type-A connector, which may limit the wall charging blocks you use. This means you may have to carry multiple chargers around or invest in a single new charging block.

Price, guarantee and availability

The iPad Pro we spent time with is the 11-inch version with 128 GB of internal storage. It costs $ 800. If you want the same version with a 12-9 inch screen, it costs $ 1,000. Choosing more storage increases the price to a maximum of $ 1,500 for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with 1 TB. If you want a cellular connection, the total cost of your new tablet will increase by $ 150.

Apple grants a 1-year basic warranty against manufacturing and material defects. You can also pay for the extended AppleCare warranty, which also covers accidental damage and the battery, and provides technical support for two years. The prices vary depending on the coverage and product. The iPad Pro 2020 is available from Apple's own online shop and retailers such as Best Buy, as well as from mobile operators.

Our opinion

It's not often that a product meets the criteria for being "expensive but worth it", but the Apple iPad Pro 2020 does just that. It's the best version of the best tablet you can buy. If you already have version 2018, you don't really need to update it. This underscores the fact that there is nothing drastically new here, other than more power and the promise of augmented reality functions that will be activated with the lidar sensor in the future version.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes, but it depends on how you imagine using your iPad in the next few years. There's no question that the iPad Pro 2020 is the best tablet you can buy today because it's so versatile – but it's expensive. If you want a very similar experience at a lower price, you might want to look around for an iPad Pro 2018. which can still be found for less money. The simple 10.2-inch iPad only costs $ 330 and is also ideal if you don't expect a lot of work.

However, if you want to switch from a laptop to an iPad, the extra performance is worth it in the long run. If you want an Android tablet, we are fans of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 worth $ 650 and the media-oriented Galaxy Tab S5e worth $ 400. Although we haven't tested it for a long time, the Huawei MatePad Pro 5G impressed during our practical time and certainly has an enormous amount of technology, including wireless charging and a 5G connection.

You can find more recommendations in our favorite tablets from 2020.

How long it will take?

The replacement of your tablet is not carried out as regularly as with your smartphone. Depending on how often you use your tablet and what you use it for, up to five years are roughly correct. If you plan to use the iPad Pro for work, it may need to be replaced earlier, depending on your needs. If you buy a model with more internal storage, it will last longer.

The iPad Pro 2020 is not waterproof and although it has a metal back cover, the screen is still made of glass, so it can easily break when dropped. As iPad tablets focus more on productivity, they spend more time outdoors making a case and Apple's extended warranty investments. Apple regularly delivers software updates and the iPad will be supported for a few more years. For example, iPadOS 13.4.1 is also running on my original iPad Pro 12.9 2015.

Should you buy it

Yes absolutely. It is difficult to find a common entertainment or productivity task. The iPad Pro 2020 doesn't work very well, but you'll need to buy a few accessories to get the most out of its talents, and there's little reason for last-generation owners to upgrade to it.

Editor's recommendations




Lensbaby Velvet 28 Review: The McDreamy of Camera Lenses

Lensbaby Velvet 28 Rating 16

"With a wonderful sheen, the Velvet 28 is an excellent creative tool – for the right photographer."

  • Dreamy soft glow

  • Robust metal construction

  • 1: 2 macro functions

  • Unique range of functions

  • Manual focus

  • You need to decrease the aperture to focus

  • Not compatible with auto mode

If McDreamy were a lens, it would be the Lensbaby Velvet 28. From the company known for its lenses, which avoid optical perfection in favor of creative effects, the Velvet series was developed to capture an ethereal glow.

While most lens manufacturers aim to develop sharp, distortion-free lenses, Portland, OR, based Lensbaby is an art lens company that accepts the strange, unusual, and surprising. The simple, electronics-free lenses produce a variety of in-camera effects, from swirling blur to a controllable vignette.

Like the Velvet 56 and 85 before, the Lensbaby Velvet 28 creates a soft glow that is strongest at large openings and dissolves with increasing aperture. The larger focal length brings the popular effect on landscapes and environmental portraits for headshots and floral close-ups. Close-ups remain an option as well, as the Velvet 28 retains the 1: 2 macro functions of other Velvet lenses.

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Launched on April 21 for $ 550, the Velvet 28 is a manual focus lens that is available in both DSLR and mirrorless mounts, including Canon EF, Nikon F, Canon RF, Nikon Z , Sony E, Fujifilm X and Micro Four Thirds. We tried an early Nikon F-Mount model to see what types of shots this new lens baby can imagine.

All-metal design

The Lensbaby Velvet 28 looks a little different than the other high-end lenses in my kit, but still feels ready for professional use. Although there is a lack of autofocus and automatic exposure, the all-metal housing is robust and well made.

It's a powerful lens, but the small stature and lack of an auto focus motor help make up for this. It doesn't feel particularly heavy on the front of my Nikon D850, a fairly large DSLR. This version of the lens weighs a touch over a pound, while the mirrorless version weighs about 1.3 pounds.

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The focus ring takes up most of the lens barrel. As a lens with manual focus, the ring rotates smoothly and has much more degrees of movement than a typical autofocus lens, which allows the smallest settings. There is also a traditional aperture ring, because you cannot control the aperture from the camera due to the lack of electronic contacts.

The lens also includes a nice metal lens cap and can accommodate 67mm filters.

Note: We tested a pre-production model of this lens. The exterior has some minor changes from the lens shown, including the 1:22 aperture setting label.

A fun experience

Manual focus can be both good and bad. Good, because manual focus forces you to slow down. And as you slow down to get the right focus, you may be more inclined to think more about the composition.

However, the convenience of autofocus cannot be denied. While the focus tip simplifies the task with mirrorless cameras and in live view mode with DSLRs, a sharp image requires more time and effort. It is difficult to take a sharp image with a lens that is both manually focused and somewhat soft. The best way to get a sharp picture is to focus with a f-stop of at least 1: 4 and open it if necessary before taking the picture. This is not ideal and will result in manual focus taking longer.

While working with manual focus is tedious, the Velvet 28 has a wide focus range. The lens can take 1: 2 macro shots so you can focus on objects just two inches from the lens. This makes it more versatile than the typical 28 mm.

Without an electronic connection to the camera, not only is the automatic exposure removed from the table, you also have no lens metadata stored in your files.

Manual focus may be a problem, but there's nothing like the creative thrill of using such a lens. Working with the Velvet 28 is simply a blast. The soft focus effect is another tool for creativity in the camera that goes beyond aperture and shutter speed.

Dreamy picture quality

The maximum aperture starts at 1: 2.5, but a “+” symbol on the lens allows the user to rotate beyond it to achieve an additional 1/3 light stop and even more of this glow effect. With the largest aperture, the entire image is soft and bright, while with the narrowest aperture, the Velvet 28 looks almost like a normal lens.

At the widest setting, the entire image looks as if it is covered by fog. Colors bleed across edges and objects appear to glow, especially white or overexposed areas of the image. The contrast decreases again at 1: 2.8, although the middle is still soft. At 1: 4, a certain sharpness begins to build up in the middle of the photo, while the edges retain this ethereal glow. The sweet spot is 1: 5.6, which ensures decent sharpness without completely erasing the glow effect. The image center is still not quite as sharp as a typical lens, but admittedly, this can also be a user error with manual focus.

At 1:16 or 1:22, this velvety glow is much less obvious throughout the picture.

The white areas of the photo tend to capture most of the glow when shooting wide open. With this setting, the color of white objects bleeds across the edges and creates a halo effect. This can be increased if the image is intentionally overexposed. This creates another way to use the velvet creatively by adding lights to create a halo.

Despite the wide angle, I still filled the frame with my motifs to make these dreamy edges much more obvious. Otherwise, the glow fuses to the edges with the blur of the background. However, the lens can still be used for landscapes, causing deliberate hazing over the entire image or creating a soft blur at the edges.

Our opinion

The Lensbaby Velvet 28 gives wide-angle shots a dreamy shine. It's a look that, if done right, can be great, but without time and foresight, it just looks like a blurry picture. Art photographers will love it; Pixel peeper, not so much.

The metal construction and the easily rotatable focus and aperture rings give it a first-class feeling, while the macro focusing further expands the creative possibilities.

The lack of auto focus and auto exposure mixed with the deliberate softness means that taking pictures with this lens requires patience and a few tries.

Is there a better alternative?

The Lensbaby optics are unique – but in this case Lensbaby competes with itself. While the new lens is the widest in the Velvet series, the Trio 28 is a 3-in-1 lens that allows photographers to rotate a dial to switch between the Swirl, Velvet and Sweet effects. That means there is already a 28 mm option with a velvet effect.

However, there are some differences between the effect on the trio and the velvet. The trio's aperture is fixed at 1: 3.5 so that the soft effect cannot be adjusted. The trio also lacks the macro functions and is only intended for mirrorless mounts, so you can't put it on a DSLR. Some photographers may still overlook these missing features because the trio is a 3-in-1 lens that costs half the price of the Velvet 28.

Lensbaby also offers the Velvet in the 85 mm and 58 mm versions, which makes it easier to fill the frame and exaggerate these soft edges.

How long it will take?

Well built and without an auto focus motor, there is no reason why the Lensbaby Velvet 28 doesn't last many years. While other lenses with advancing technology are being replaced by sharper versions, this does not apply to the Velvet 28. However, this does not mean that you will continue to enjoy the effect in the future – some photographers may get tired of it over time.

Should you buy it

Yes, if you want to have control over creative effects in the camera. For photographers whose style harmonizes with the softness and shine of the Velvet 28, the lens could be a valuable creative tool. Do not buy it if you need autofocus or automatic exposure, or if you want the pictures to be as sharp as possible.

Editor's recommendations




3Doodler 2.0 Review | Digital Trends

3Doodler pen

"While you probably won't find many practical uses for it, 3Doodler is an incredibly entertaining tool for creative people of all ages, abilities, and skills."

  • Simple, intuitive and fun

  • Smart, comfortable design

  • Lots of accessories and add-ons

  • The precision of conventional printers is lacking

  • Not particularly practical

When the original 3Doodler pen fell on Kickstarter in 2013, it was a success almost immediately. After the original funding goal was reached within a few hours, the device, which was the world's first “3D printing pen” at the time, raised more than $ 2.4 million before the campaign ended.

Now, less than two years later, the company is back with a new and improved design that's slimmer, leaner, and more user-friendly than ever. We did a round to see if drawing three-dimensional objects in the air is as easy as it would look in this Kickstarter pitch video. We found the following:

Features and specifications

The 3Doodler 2.0 offers some significant improvements over its predecessor. In addition to a significantly smaller form factor, the second generation 3Doodler also offers a new and improved nozzle design, a better heating algorithm and variable speed and temperature controls. It also has a new feed system that makes extrusion more reliable and consistent, and is compatible with a number of new accessories. No matter how you look at it, version 2.0 is better than ever.

Setup and configuration

Getting started with 3Doodler 2.0 is absurdly easy. It is essentially a freehand 3D printer, and what you lose in precision you gain in simplicity. Simply connect it to a power source, insert a rod made of ABS or PLA plastic and set the switch to "High". An indicator light shows when the nozzle tip is hot enough to start extruding. At this point, just hold down the spray button until molten plastic comes out. It takes a few seconds to get started, but once it does, you're good to go.

Construction quality & design

3Doodler 2.0 cuts the socks off version 1.0 in almost every way, but build quality and design are definitely the most important. In addition to a new slim new aluminum housing, the new version is also ¼ the size of its predecessor, so you can hold it much more comfortably in your hand.

Other additions such as variable speed buttons and temperature controls make it easier for users to draw at the pace they feel comfortable with. There is even a new "continuous feed" mode that you can activate by double clicking the "extrude" button. This feature allows you to draw large objects without having to strain your hand by holding down a key for the duration of your scribbling.

Printing performance and learning curve

Simply put, 3Doodler for 3D printing is what the ballpoint pen is for the inkjet printer. Because it is designed for hands-free operation, it is nowhere near as accurate or precise as a conventional 3D printer. But that doesn't mean it's not a useful tool for creativity. With a little practice and imagination, you can do some amazing things with this gizmo.

3Doodler 2.0 cuts the socks off from version 1.0 in almost every way.

What we liked best about 3Doodler 2 was that you don't need any technical knowledge to use it. You don't have to mess around with 3D modeling software or download pre-made STL files to download to your printer. The device offers creativity in the truest sense of the word. It removes the technological barriers between your mind's eye and what comes out of the nozzle.

The disadvantage is that with this freehand approach, printing performance is directly related to your drawing skills. Just like sketching in two dimensions, it takes a bit of practice before you can start doing really cool things. For the first half hour, the only “doodles” we could do were abstract clumps of plastic with irregular lines and spirals. But after a few failed attempts to do things, you start to get the hang of it.

Maintenance, repairability and upgradeability

The simplicity of 3Doodler goes beyond drawing and creating objects. It's also ridiculously easy to wait. Thanks to its incredibly simple design, it almost never gets clogged or jammed – and if it doesn't, the tips can be easily unscrewed for easy inspection or simply removed with a needle.

3Doodler Pen "data-image-id =" 821805BIll Roberson / Digital Trends

BIll Roberson / Digital Trends

The design of the pen also offers a number of upgrade options. You can't change any of the machine's innards, but 3Doodler offers a variety of different extruder tips, as well as a portable battery that allows you to use the pen without being tied to an electrical outlet.

judgment

Honestly, you won't create many practical, functional, or really useful objects with 3Doodler – but it's not really made for that. Ultimately, it's really just a fun artistic tool. If you are looking for a real 3D printer that you can use to create useful objects, you should definitely look elsewhere. 3Doodler is probably not what you want.

However, if you like the idea of ​​drawing objects in three dimensions without having to overcome all the hurdles that lie between idea generation and creation (such as software, computer models and properly calibrated machines), the latest 3Doodler should definitely be in your possession as an artist -Toolkit.

Available from: Amazon Brookstone

Heights

  • Simple, intuitive and fun
  • Smart, comfortable design
  • Lots of accessories and add-ons

Lows

  • The precision of conventional printers is lacking
  • Not particularly practical

Editor's recommendations




Dyson V11 Outsize review: In This Case, Bigger is Better

Dyson V11 oversized cleaning

"A full-size cleaning foot and 18 cyclones of air make this cordless vacuum cleaner clean like no other."

  • Super suction power

  • Self-cleaning trash can

  • LCD screen

  • Large trash can

  • Large cleaning foot

  • Expensive

  • No self-cleaning filters

The Dyson V11 outsize is exactly what it sounds like. It's bigger than any other Dyson wireless vacuum on the market and, at $ 800, more expensive than the other leaders in the wireless vacuum category. Do its size and capabilities justify the price?

Here's what we liked about this powerful cordless device and what we didn't like.

Bigger and better

Think of the outsize as the older brother of the Dyson V11 torque drive. The outsize has almost the same functions as the torque, it is only bigger. The container is 150 percent larger and is the same size as a container that you would find in a corded vacuum cleaner. This is great because you don't have to empty it as often. The cleaning head is also 25 percent larger, which is the same size as most upright vacuum cleaners.

Dyson V11 oversized cleaningAlina Bradford / Digital Trends

Somehow, Dyson was able to add these additional features and make the outsize less than a pound heavier than the V11 Torque Drive. This means that it weighs 7.85 Pounds overall, slightly heavier than its biggest competitor, the Tineco Pure One S12that weighs 6.61 lbs.

A clean swing

The Outsize is a monster when it comes to sucking up clutter. The motor rotates the brush bar up to 60 times per second at 125,000 rpm and generates 18 cyclones to generate centrifugal forces of up to 79,000 Gs to suck up lint and dust. The six-layer filter system traps 99.99 percent of the particles, which are only 0.3 micrometers in size, to ensure that these little guys don't escape.

Dyson V11 outsize displayAlina Bradford / Digital Trends

The overall performance is controlled by three different modes. Eco mode has less suction power and offers a longer battery life. The auto mode automatically adjusts the suction power to the needs of your floor and the boost mode is basically a super suction mode. The elegant LCD display on the handle of the outsize shows which mode you are in and when there is a blockage.

I wonder if the pull is too strong.

It all sounds good, but how well does it really suck? As I tested, my huskies accidentally took egg shells from the trash can and crumbled them all over the carpet. The outsize soaked them up in one pass in auto mode, no problem, and even soaked up any piece of husky hair without clogging it up. In fact, I wonder if the pull is too strong. There were times when I had big problems pushing the cleaning foot across the floor, especially in boost mode.

Dyson V11 oversized canister and handleAlina Bradford / Digital Trends

The cleaning foot consists of two bristle lines that are wrapped around the roller. It does a really good job of clearing up clutter, although it seems to have some problems throwing small pieces around. I tried cleaning up some nerd candy that I dropped on the floor, for example, and the brush tossed the tiny candy all over the place. On the top, hair and pieces of thread don't seem to be wrapped around the brush. This is a big win for people with long hair.

Clean the cleaner

I really like how easy it is to empty the 0.5 gallon container. You simply lower it into the trash can, press the release button and all the dust falls directly into the trash can. Most other vacuum cleaners, both cordless and not, have a filter in the container that can trap dog hair, lint, and other debris and prevent them from falling out of the canister. This means that you have to put your hand inside to free everything that's up there. Outsize has solved the hand-in-bin problem. When you press the canister release button, the entire canister moves down from the filter. This frees everything that is trapped.

Dyson V11 outsize canister openedAlina Bradford / Digital Trends

One thing the outsize lacks is a self-cleaning tool for its filters, like the one included in the Tineco Pure One S12. This is only a small point of criticism when you consider how well this wireless vacuum cleaner cleans. By regularly cleaning the filter, the vacuum cleaner sucks better and extends the life of the vacuum. To clean a filter, you need to dust it in a trash can, rinse it with clean water, and air dry it, which doesn't take much work.

Battery life

The outsize has a running time that is comparable to other first-class cordless vacuum cleaners. For example, the Tineco Pure One S12 runs for 100 minutes and the Roborock H6 can clean for about 90 minutes, while the outsize can run for up to 120 minutes. The runtime of course depends on the energy mode used, the soil type and the type of attachments used.

While I was doing outsize on auto on a low pile carpet, the display on the handle showed me that the run time was a little over 40 minutes. Under the same conditions in Eco mode, the display indicated that I had about 65 minutes of cleaning time and Boost had about 10 minutes of cleaning time. This is not bad for a vacuum cleaner. I was hoping to see the 120 minutes appear on the screen, but no matter what I did, I couldn't make it. That was a little disappointment.

The outsize also has replaceable batteries and two chargers. So if you have a really big job, you can keep going as long as you want. However, each pack takes 4.5 hours to charge.

Not so loud

Dyson V11 oversized cleaning footAlina Bradford / Digital Trends

The outsize is quieter than many vacuum cleaners, but don't expect to be able to watch TV while vacuuming. It won't blow your ears, though there are moments when you wonder if you have hearing loss. When the outsize switches to boost mode, it is understandably very loud. Fortunately, you don't need it very often.

Our opinion

If you want a cordless vacuum that works like a wired post, the Dyson V11 Outsize ($ 800) is a good choice. It has a large container, a large brush and a lot of power for most cleaning tasks. The suction power is strong and very difficult to beat and the battery life is pretty good. Overall, it's an excellent vacuum.

Is there a better alternative?

It is quite a bit more expensive than the top of the line Tineco Pure One S12 ($ 430) and a little heavier. There are no self-cleaning filters like the S12, but if you want a cordless vacuum that cleans like a post, you can't beat the outsize.

How long it will take?

Dyson doesn't have a great track record with longevity in its cordless vacuum cleaners. In fact, consumer reports found that almost half of Dyson's vacuum cleaners develop problems within the first five years. This includes V-rated vacuum cleaners. I hope the outsize breaks away from this trend, but it seems to be very similar to its predecessors.

Fortunately, there is a 2-year warranty on parts and labor. When I turned to Dyson, they disproved the reliability of the results of the consumer report, and a representative said: “We conduct stringent battery life tests, including thousands of battery life cycles, when we develop our products. We also run very intensive reliability tests where we subject our machines to the worst conditions to ensure that they can withstand the long term use our owners expect. "

Should you buy it

Yes. I would definitely recommend it.

Editor's recommendations




2020 Toyota Avalon TRD Review: Are We Having Fun yet?

2020 Toyota Avalon TRD

2020 Toyota Avalon TRD rating: Big on space, short on hustle and bustle

"The 2020 Toyota Avalon TRD is a full-size entertaining sedan, but not a good value."

  • Powerful engine

  • Composite chassis

  • Spacious interior

  • Overwhelming technology

  • Inconspicuous interior materials

  • Performance increases don't go far enough

  • Bad value

It is hard to imagine that a car currently in production has a less exciting image than the Toyota Avalon. The largest sedan from Toyota is traditionally geared towards an older population group and attaches importance to comfort and space compared to sportiness and technology. Why does this new Avalon have a TRD emblem on the trunk? After all, TRD stands for Toyota Racing Development.

The Toyota Avalon TRD 2020 is an attempt to break out of a clumsy stereotype. Toyota hasn't changed anything under the hood of this sedan, but it did give the Avalon TRD stiffer suspension, bigger front brakes and other performance improvements, and a sportier design inside and out.

These upgrades are not cheap. Prices for the TRD model start at $ 43,330. That's $ 6,500 more than a basic Avalon XLE and puts the TRD at the top of the trim hierarchy. Given the limited performance improvements, the TRD had to work hard to justify its price and meet its bill as an exciting Avalon.

Design and interior

The current generation Avalon, launched for the 2019 model year, already had a rather extrovert design as part of Toyota's ongoing effort to make it more distinctive. The massive grille takes the Avalon XSE model, and the TRD adds a body kit with a new front splitter, side skirts, rear diffuser and tailgate spoiler. The TRD also gets model-specific 18-inch wheels. Overall, the car looks like it was designed by an Uber driver who watched too many Fast and Furious films. But unlike previous Avalons, it stands out.

We are used to seeing traditional wood and leather in Avalon interiors. So it was surprising to open the driver's door and find seats with suede inserts and red stitching, red seat belts, and aluminum pedal covers. This is the kind of thing you'd normally expect in a Honda Civic Type R, not a big sedan. That's not a bad thing as these boy racer elements give the Avalon TRD the sporty feel that Toyota wanted.

2020 Toyota Avalon TRD2020 Toyota Avalon TRD

It's just a shame that the materials look so cheap. Although this car cost over $ 40,000, it didn't have real leather seats and other materials weren't a significant step up from cheaper Toyota models.

When you buy an Avalon, you really pay for the space. The interior volume is a big step up from the medium-sized Toyota Camry and is cheap compared to other large sedans like the Dodge Charger, the Kia Cadenza and the Nissan Maxima. The Avalon has more rear legroom than the competition, although the Cadenza and Maxima have a little more space in the front. At 16.0 cubic feet, the trunk space is average for a large sedan, but the Kia Stinger hatchback offers 23.3 cubic feet of cargo space.

Technology, infotainment and driver assistance

The Avalon is Toyota's flagship, but that doesn't happen technically. This car has a decent array of technical features, but Toyota could have gone further.

While some Toyota vehicles received both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for the 2020 model year, the Avalon is only available with CarPlay (along with Amazon Alexa connectivity). The standard 9.0-inch infotainment screen is easy to reach from the driver's seat and is supported by strategically placed analog controls. However, the integration into the dashboard is cumbersome.

2020 Toyota Avalon TRDStephen Edelstein / Digital Trends

The 7.0-inch screen, which is clamped between the analog speedometer and the tachometer, provides important information such as fuel consumption. However, the setup seems a bit dated, as other automakers offer fully digital instrument clusters. The TRD model is charged with Qi mobile phones as standard, but does not have the head-up display that is available in the Touring and Limited equipment variants.

The Avalon has the same standard Toyota Safety Sense-P bundle of driver aids as most of the automaker's models. These include autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning with steering assistant, adaptive cruise control, automatic high beam, blind spot monitoring and rear traffic warning.

2020 Toyota Avalon TRD

Experience behind the wheel

The TRD model has the same 3.5-liter V6, the eight-speed automatic transmission and the same front-wheel drive as the basic Avalon. Engine power remains unchanged at 301 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque. That roughly corresponds to the closest rival of the Avalon TRD, the Nissan Maxima. Like the TRD, the Maxima is a light, sporty large sedan with front-wheel drive and a 3.5-liter V6 that produces 300 hp and 261 lb.-ft. accomplishes. The Maxima's continuously variable transmission (CVT) has nothing to do with the fast-switching eight-speed automatic transmission of the Avalon.

However, broaden your horizons and it is possible to get more horsepower per dollar. For around $ 6,000 less than the TRD, you can buy a Dodge Charger R / T with a 5.7-liter V8 that delivers 370 horsepower and 395 lb.-ft. accomplishes. The Kia Stinger GT is also a little cheaper than the Avalon TRD. It packs a 3.3-liter V6 with two turbochargers with 365 HP and 376 lb.-ft. The Dodge and Kia are both fitted with rear-wheel drive, and Kia offers all-wheel drive at an additional cost.

However, the Avalon still has a lot of power for a car of its size, and the cat-back exhaust system of the TRD model gives the V6 a nice growl. Toyota also threw more resources into the car's chassis.

The relatively small increases in performance work on the go, but only up to a point.

Most TRD upgrades relate to handling. Toyota added thicker underbody struts to increase torsional rigidity, TRD-specific shock absorbers, new stabilizers, and new springs that lower the car by 0.6 inches. According to Toyota, the stabilizers and springs increase the roll stiffness at the front by 44 percent and at the rear by 67 percent to prevent the car from fluttering around corners. The TRD also has larger front brakes than a standard Avalon.

Stephen Edelstein / Digital Trends

These relatively small changes work on the road, but only up to a point. The Avalon TRD feels much more relaxed on a winding road than such a big car. The brakes are fantastic too. But like a person with social fear at a party, you feel like the Avalon would rather do something different.

While the suspension keeps the body swaying at bay, the TRD doesn't feel as agile as a Nissan Maxima built with a similar template. This is probably due to the Avalon's longer wheelbase, which is great for space in the rear seats, but not for carving in corners. The front tires of the Toyota were also slightly overwhelmed by multitasking. Steering, braking, and channeling 301 horsepower is a big question as to why performance sedans typically have rear-wheel or all-wheel drive. Drive the Avalon back and forth with a Kia Stinger and you'll see why.

Fuel consumption and security

The TRD treatment has no influence on the fuel consumption values. This version of the Avalon has the same 25 mpg (22 mpg city, 31 mpg highway) as most other trim levels. Toyota also offers a hybrid powertrain up to 44 mpg, which however cannot be combined with the TRD upgrades. According to the car's on-board computer, we reached an average of 24.8 mpg over a week's drive.

The 2020 Avalon received the highest Top Safety Pick + rating from the Road Safety Insurance Institute (IIHS) and a five-star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Toyota offers a three-year warranty of 36,000 miles and a five-year warranty of 60,000 miles for the powertrain. The Avalon and other Toyota models enjoy an excellent reputation for reliability.

How DT would configure this car

Since the TRD is a specific equipment variant in the Avalon series, not many configuration decisions need to be made beyond the color. We thought the white color of our test car caused the black grille, the wheels and the body kit to burst well.

But is the TRD the best Avalon you can buy? It's worth noting that the Limited trim level offers more features (including leather seats and a 360-degree camera system) for about the same price. The Limited is also available with the hybrid powertrain. This combination shows the strengths of the Avalon better than the sporty TRD.

Our opinion

The Toyota Avalon TRD 2020 is a good idea with poor execution. It's possible to turn a large sedan into a high-performance car – just look at the BMW M5 – but Toyota hasn't gone far enough with the Avalon TRD. The TRD upgrades make the Avalon better to drive (and look at), but they don't transform it.

If you want four doors, lots of space, and a little fun, other cars offer more for the money. For the base price of the Avalon TRD, you could have the most expensive Nissan Maxima. The Nissan is not without its flaws, but it is a better implementation of the idea that Toyota was aiming for. The Maxima has less interior than the Avalon, but its interior also feels more upscale. While the Maxima is equipped with a slow-reacting CVT, it feels more comfortable on winding roads.

Similar money could also buy a Kia Stinger GT with more power and better handling than the Toyota or a Dodge Charger R / T, a real muscle car with a Hemi V8 under the hood. The Avalon TRD is cool and different, but so are these cars. They also have more substance to support their style.

The Toyota Avalon is simply not designed for aggressive driving, and no changes can fix that. If you want a really beautiful Avalon, the XLE model is the way to go. If you are looking for a large sedan that looks more aggressive and moves faster, you should buy another car.

Should you get one?

No, the price-performance ratio is bad.

Editor's recommendations




Garmin Quatix 6 Review: It’s Much More Than a Boat Watch

Garmin Quatix 6 review img 1728

"Garmin's Quatix 6 is a great multisport watch that is easy to look at."

  • Multiple fitness sensors

  • Battery life

  • Build quality

  • Music storage

  • Suitability for everyday use

  • Expensive

  • One size only

  • No touch screen

Whenever a product contains the words "marine" or "boat connection" in the description, I turn away as soon as possible. These words are usually reserved for overpriced niche articles that are flooded with features that I will never use. When I found out that the Garmin Quatix 6 was going to arrive on my doorstep, my first thought was: "I'm not going by boat." How am I supposed to check this? "

Fortunately, the Quatix 6 is not just a boat watch. It could be the best multisport smartwatch you can buy today.

Furnishing and design

While the packaging says Quatix 6, it is essentially a variant of the Garmin Fenix ​​6 Pro that can do everything the Fenix ​​6 Pro does. It only has a number of pre-installed boat functions.

Starting with the basics, the Quatix 6 monitors the usual suspects: steps, calories burned, sleep and climbed floors. It also connects to your iPhone or Android device to receive notifications. Such features are expected these days, but the Quatix 6 offers GPS, a heart rate monitor, a barometric altimeter, a compass, a thermometer, an accelerometer, a pulsox, and a gyroscope. What is special about the Quatix 6 is not that it has all these sensors, but what it does with the data.

Garmin's new user interface is certainly an improvement over previous iterations. If there are several complications on the standard screen, I get all the data fields I want without the face feeling cluttered.

I usually make a sacrifice when I select "home screens," but the Quatix 6's various facial options strike a balance between clean aesthetics and the information available at a glance. In the meantime, the widget loop shows a list instead of taking up the entire screen, which enables faster scrolling. These minor changes make the user interface less cumbersome.

Battery life

Another minor change from previous models is the battery format, which is now displayed in days for charging instead of being full in percentage. The battery life depends heavily on your usage mode. Garmin offers the following:

  • Smartwatch mode: Up to 14 days
  • GPS mode: up to 36 hours
  • GPS and music: up to 10 hours
  • Maximum battery GPS mode: 72 hours
  • Expedition GPS activity: 28 days
  • Battery saving mode: 48 days

This type of adjustability for battery usage is helpful when you are out on the water or in the wild.

Activity tracking

Life on the water is the goal of the Quatix 6, and for this reason all possible widgets are pre-installed so that you can switch from landlubber to seal in no time. With full connectivity from all chartplotters to autopilot controls to Garmin's Sailing Assistant, the Quatix 6 is ready to go to meet all of your boat needs.

But as I said, the Quatix 6 is much more than a water dog – it's a multisport pony that improves your fitness game regardless of activity.

In addition to the skills the Fenix ​​6S Pro demonstrated in a previous wilderness test, the Quatix 6 can guide you through home workouts, including yoga, P.ilates, weight training and cardio, all with on-screen animations to guide you through the process. For the most part, these are extremely practical and I had to mix in various workouts that I would normally not have looked up.

My only criticism are the noises that the watch makes when switching between positions during yoga training. They are shrill electronic beeps that are not wanted when I try to turn on my Zen.

I mainly train indoors these days and the Quatix 6 has a special tracking for indoor cycling. Most of the time I search for my readings at Zwift, but the Quatix 6 can connect directly to my Wahoo Kickr to show my performance and distance without interrupting my Zwift training. This may seem a little unnecessary, but for anyone who has decided which apps to connect to your Strava, this is a nice addition that allows you to keep your data in one place.

If running, swimming or cycling are part of your weekly work, the Quatix 6 with PacePro keeps track of your target pace, offers new bike courses with Cycle Map and monitors your swimming efficiency in the pool. And if you like to play golf, 41,000 golf courses are preinstalled.

To be honest, there are far too many features to mention here. So if you are interested in the full list, you can read it on the website Garmin site.

The Quatix 6 can combine your activities and evaluate them with its numerous functions. With features like a heart rate sensor, GPS and the Pulsox sensor, which estimates the amount of oxygen in your blood, the Quatix 6 can estimate your fitness level.

What I liked most about the Quatix 6 was the stress and body battery functions. In all likelihood, this has more to do with checking this watch during a pandemic. Nevertheless, it was a nice change to pay more attention to my stress and my energy level.

That doesn't mean I needed a watch to say I'm more stressed than usual, but when the Quatix 6 asked if I wanted to do a breathing exercise because he knew I was nervous, I was happy to remember to get offered. This is a small part of the general capabilities of the Quatix 6, but this was a welcome addition for this journalist who struggles to meet deadlines in a world that works a little differently than before.

Additional functions

The onslaught of functionality doesn't stop with breathing exercises and sports. With 32 GB of storage space, the Quatix 6 can record 2,000 songs. Since it is Bluetooth and Wi-Fi compatible, you can stream from Spotify, Amazon Music and more.

Another smart feature is Garmin Pay, which allows you to set up a virtual wallet for contactless payments.

Everything I've mentioned up to that point applies to the Fenix ​​6 Pro at $ 700. The only difference is that the marine functions automatically included in the Quatix 6 must be downloaded to the Fenix ​​6 Pro via the Garmin Connect app.

So why buy the Quatix 6 and not the Fenix ​​6 Pro? Aesthetics matter.

With its silicone band "Captain Blue", the bezel made of brushed stainless steel and a touch of red, the Quatix 6 gives a completely different atmosphere than its all-black tactical brother. I'm usually a fan of the all-black options, but the classy look of the Quatix 6 is a wonderful change from the watches I've had in the past. If you want to stand out even more, the Quatix 6 is available in a titanium version for $ 1,000, which is equipped with a sapphire crystal lens, a titanium bezel and a titanium band, as well as a weight loss from 83 to 72 grams.

Our opinion

You may not know Quatix 6, but you should be. It has the same functionality as the Fenix ​​6 Pro, with a different look that's as classy on a boat as it is on the trail or in the gym.

Is there a better alternative?

In the north of the $ 500 price range, look for the best smartwatches available on the market, such as the Apple Watch, Suunto 9 Baro, and Polar Vantage V Titan. Much of this choice depends on your personal preferences, price, and willingness to learn how different brands work.

The main blow against the Quatix 6 is the high price that can throw it out of competition for many people. However, if you want to be patient, Garmin watches are often on sale, more than most other brands.

How long it will take?

Garmin watches are built to throw around, and the Quatix 6 is no exception. If previous experience indicates this, you will wear your Quatix 6 for at least three to four years. From this point on, you will notice something shiny and new long before it lets you down or runs out. The watch comes with a one year warranty.

Should you buy it

Yes. If you can afford it, it is arguably the most robust multisport smartwatch currently available.

Editor's recommendations