Terence Eden. He has a beard and is smiling.

Terence Eden’s Blog

Theme Switcher:

Gadget Review: Avigator 455W Projector. 1080p & WiFi for £150!

· 1,050 words · Viewed ~496 times


Product shot of the projector.

The good folks at ASAKUKI have sent me one of their fancy WiFi Projectors to review. Straight out of the gate, it's important to set expectations. This is a ~£150 projector. You aren't going to get the same fidelity as a £1,000 laser projector with quantum nano pixel marketing gibberish. Instead, you get a native 1080p resolution, an adequate speaker, and built-in WiFi screen-mirroring. Photos …

Review: A Cheap Microphone Arm

· 5 comments · 250 words · Viewed ~201 times


A microphone arm connected to my desk.

I am so easily influenced. After 18 months of watching streamers using nifty microphone arms, I cracked and purchased one. Oh, I could claim that I needed to free up space on my new desk. Or that I need the mic closer to my mouth to pick up the delicate sounds of my voice. Or perhaps that a spring-loaded arm would reduce vibration noise. But I just wanted to look cool on video calls. So sue me! …

Review: Putorsen Standing Desk Adapter

· 550 words · Viewed ~361 times


All the kit piled on.

Sitting down all day, every day, is killing me. Well, my doctor thinks it probably isn't brilliant for me and recommended trying a standing desk (as well as boring things like exercising more, drinking less, and eating fewer pies). I already have a fancy WFH desk which holds all my stuff. So I decided to get an adapter. I deliberately went with the largest I could find - while keeping the price…

Gadget Review: SubbyTech Magnetic Charge & Sync Cables

· 4 comments · 600 words · Viewed ~203 times


Five small pins on the head of a cable.

I've been raving about how magnetic chargers are the future. Paul from SubbyTech offered to send me some of their cables to review: Terence Eden is on Mastodon@edentMagnetic chargers are the future shkspr.mobi/blog/2021/09/m…shkspr.mobiMagnetic chargers are the futureApparently, Apple plans to make a port-less iPhone which only uses wireless charging. This is something I predicted 7 years ago! Q…

Gadget Review: Seek Thermal Compact Infrared Camera

· 2 comments · 700 words · Viewed ~1,306 times


A small camera with a big lens.

Winter is coming! And, as such, I want to check which parts of my house are leaking heat. So, the natural solution is to buy an Infrared Camera and point it at things! The Seek Thermal is a curious beast. While you can buy Android phones with built in thermal cameras, and dedicated devices, this is an add-on. Plug it into your existing phone, download an app, and off you go. In theory! …

Review: Boyue Likebook P78 eReader - the Anti-Kindle

· 9 comments · 1,250 words · Viewed ~4,333 times


An eInk tablet.

Before I start this blog post - here's a big fat warning. You will get no support from Boyue if things go wrong with your device. I have their previous model, the Likebook Ares. After less than a year of use, I noticed screen discolouration. The eBay reseller wasn't interested in helping me with a return. Boyue ignored my repeated complaints - and I was stuck with a defective unit. So I waited…

Gadget Review: USB-C powered Semiconductor Neck Cooler

· 16 comments · 250 words · Viewed ~2,863 times


Neck cooler with curved metal plates.

Are you too hot? Can't run an air-conditioner? Stuck on a sweaty tube train? You need a USB-C powered personal cooling device! There are loads of personal electric fans available - but I've gone for something slightly more high-tech. A neck-wearable Peltier cooler. It looks like this: And fits round your neck like this: Terence Eden is on Mastodon@edentReplying to @edentThere is a USB-C…

Review: Sennheiser EPOS ADAPT 560 Bluetooth Noise Cancelling Headset - plus Linux info

· 1,050 words · Viewed ~4,090 times


Diagram showing which buttons are which.

Back to the office! The only thing which makes other people bearable is being able to block out their chatter (sorry colleagues, I love you all dearly!). So I picked up this pair of on-ear Bluetooth headphones with active noise cancelation. They're pricey (a bit under £200) but are they any good? First impressions Not great. None of the buttons are labelled, so it's surprisingly hard to figure …

Gadget Review: SMT1500i UPS + Linux Instructions

· 6 comments · 500 words · Viewed ~594 times


Back of UPS with lots of ports.

I never get power cuts. But, we've had two in the last week. They've both been fixed quickly, but it takes an age for my cable modem to reboot - and then an age for my smarthome to reconnect to the WiFi. So it was time to invest in an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). My friend Paul Curry recommended the APC SMT1500i. It usually retails for around £700, but I found a refurbished one for £200 L…

Blimey! A WiFi smoke alarm for twenty quid!

· 11 comments · 550 words · Viewed ~1,071 times


Smoke detector and instruction manual.

After my rant a few weeks ago, I finally found a cheap WiFi smoke alarm. A few disclaimers before I get into this review: It was shipped from China, not from the UK as stated. The device doesn't exist on the manufacturer's website. Stock on Amazon keeps appearing and disappearing, so may be difficult to get. If you're happy with those limitations, let's crack on! This is the CS01W /…

Homebrew Wanker™! Review of the Pinter fresh brewing kit

· 22 comments · 1,150 words · Viewed ~19,470 times


A big red cask in a sea of cardboard.

Do you like beer? Do you like cider? Would you like to brew your own? Would you like a frustrating experience? Well, gang, do I have a treat for you! This is the Pinter from the Greater Good Fresh Brewing Company. It promises to introduce you to the wonderful world of beer and cider brewing. It is only mildly annoying to use. First up, cost. £75. That's a chunk of change - but it comes with …

DroidCam - use an old Android as your Webcam

· 2 comments · 600 words · Viewed ~2,047 times


A settings screen with options to stream over WiFi or USB.

Turn your Android phone into a USB webcam with DroidCam. I can't believe it took me a whole fucking year of pandemic-time to discover this app. My laptop's webcam is... basically fine. It's a cheap 720p sensor with a tiny lens. It doesn't really cope with low light, and the picture is a bit fuzzy and grey. If you're on a conference call with me, I look like this: I've got an old Samsung…