One Minute Tech Reviews

Author Archives: Louie Tran

What’s On My Desk Winter 2019

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Some changes since my last post in the summer as I added a monitor arm as well as a floating laptop stand!

  • MSI GS65 9SE – currently my main rig for work and gaming.  This thing is an absolute beast and can handle all the new games you throw at it. My Macbook Pro 13 inch is now assigned to being a travel laptop and Final Cut Pro machine.
  • Monoprice Zero G Curved Gaming Monitor UWQHD 100hz – I finally replaced my aging 32 inch display and went with an Ultrawide. I’ve been using 60hz for the longest time and 100hz is incredible lol
  • NB North Bayou Monitor Desk Mount Stand Swivel Arm Gas Spring – This thing is a game changer. I’m able to adjust my display however I want. I love it. Buy it!
  • EZM Notebook Arm Extension Desk Mount Stand – This is great too as t also frees up some space on my desk. Plus being able to adjust the height makes using it as a second screen a lot better too!
  • Sony SRSHG1 HearGo Bluetooth Speaker – Small but mighty. It can connect USB, bluetooth 3.5, Wifi, Google Cast… you name it. This thing is amazing and sounds great
  • Logitech MX Keys – Replaced my Steelseries Apex 7 keyboard and went back to a wireless setup. This keyboard, although not as clicky as a mechanical keyboard works pretty great
  • Logitech MX Master 2S Wireless Mouse – Kind of tempted into upgrading to the MX Master 3 for the USB-C but other than that, it’s not that much of a difference from what I hear. I have this at my desk and an MX Anywhere 2s in my laptop bag
  • Xbox One Controller (White) – for gaming. I sometimes use the PS4 controller for PSP emulated games
  • Razer Nari Headphones – Picked these up when they were on sale. Sound quality is excellent especially when playing FPS games like Overwatch or Modern Warfare 2019. I’ve also screamed and jumped sevral times playing Resident Evil 2!
  • iPhone 11 Pro Max 256GB – Didn’t think I was going to upgrade this year but I was sold on the low light capabilities of this phone and I sold my Sony RX100 V but still keeing the Sony a6300 (camera that took this photo). iPhone 11 Pro Max is still paired with my Apple Watch Series 4 smartwatch

One Minute Review – Apple AirPods Pro

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airpods pro

One Minute Review

Like:

  • Stupid easy pairing with any Apple device such as iPhone, iPad, MacBooks, iMac, Apple Watch, yes the whole Apple Line thanks to the H1 Chip
  • Very impressed with the sound quality for music and phone calls – has nice clarity, bass and treble
  • 4.5 hours of listening time and 3.5 hours of talk time on a single charge. Battery case can charge the AirPods quickly to get you extra useage
  • Fits well in my ears thanks to the silicone tips – the OG AirPods kept falling off my ears. I can run and work out with these
  • Small, compact wireless charging case, unlike the PowerBeats Pro – these can easily fir in your pocket
  • Noise cancellation and transparency modes are welcome additions and they work pretty well
  • IPX4 rated water and sweat resistant

Don’t Like:

  • After 12-18 months, AirPods don’t hold their charge that well anymore
  • Apple’s battery replacement service is $49 an earbud… people will end up throwing these away contradicting Apple’s environmental values

Recommend?

  • YES if you are looking for a good overall pair of earbuds with noise cancellation features
  • YES if you are using this with your Apple devices
  • NO if you want Bose / Sony headphone quality noise cancellation

 


What’s Your Every Day Carry (EDC)?

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every day carry

I was working on my quick review of the AirPods Pro and was going to take a few photos of it. Ended up emptying my pockets and took an opportunity to take this shot using my Sony A6300 which has been collecting dust since I’ve been taking almost all my photos with the iPhone 11 Pro Max.

I don’t really carry that much stuff and this is basically everything you see here except for my driver’s license. What’s your EDC?

 

One Minute Review – Razer Blade Stealth 2019 (Late 2019) with NVIDIA GTX 1650

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One Minute Review Version

Specs:

  • 13-inch FHD (1080) Matte Display, 4K touch screen option available
  • Intel Core i7 – 1065G7 10th Gen Ice Lake
  • NVIDIA GTX 1650 Max Q 4GB GDDR5
  • 16GB LPDDR4 3733 Mhz RAM (Not Upgradeable)
  • 512GB M.2 PCIe SSD Samsung PM981 (Upgradeable)
  • Ports: 1 USB-C, 1 Thunderbolt / USB-C, 2 USB 3.1 Type A
  • Weight 3.26 lbs / 1.48 kg

Like:

  • Excellent build quality
  • Track Pad is on par with the Apple’s MacBook Pro
  • Fast overall performance
  • Runs cool and quiet
  • Windows Hello face unlock works great
  • USB A ports are always appreciated, this has 2!
  • Can handle just about any AAA title in a 13-inch form factor – Shadow of Tomb Raider and Modern Warfare 2019? No problem!
  • Good, bright and easy to read screen
  • Good battery life for productivity
  • Built in speakers sound good, although not as good as the MacBook Pro 13.
  • Decent keyboard, except for the misplaced Right Shift Key
  • Hard drive and WiFi card are upgradeable
  • Great for plane rides, gaming on the go, and a good overall productivity / work laptop
  • No ugly green glowing snake logo – great for working adults!
  • Almost no compromise portable solution

Don’t Like:

  • Screen is at 60hz – for a gaming laptop at this price it should at least be over 100hz
  • Right Shift Key will infuriate you. May not seem like a big deal until you type out a question. Trust me, you will freak out. Thankfully you can re-assign the key in Synapse
  • MSRP is $1799. Let that sink in.
  • Not a negative but I would like to see a 32GB RAM option!
  • Razer’s customer service is NOTORIOUS for being terrible, I recommend you buying this at a retailer with a good extended warranty

Recommend?

  • Yes if you want a good looking laptop with excellent build quality that can play games in a 13 inch form factor
  • Yes if you want a good overall laptop with a GTX 1650 graphics card and price is not an issue for you
  • NO if you are looking at overall value! You can get a better laptop for less
  • NO because you are happy playing with your Nintendo Switch on the go and can leave your PC games at home!
  • NO because the next generation will have an RTX based graphics card and faster refresh rate


 

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One Minute Review – iPhone 11 Pro Max (3 Months)

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One Minute Review Version

Like

  • Night Mode feature is excellent
  • Great video recording quality and the video image stabilization is excellent
  • Big improvement on battery life
  • Bright, easy to read screen
  • Overall a great reliable phone that checks all the important boxes
  • It’s an iPhone XS Max with a better camera 😄

Don’t Like

  • No Native RAW settings – it’s a PRO Phone! Why not?
  • Still connects at USB 2.0 in 2019
  • ProMotion 120hz display would be nice
  • Everything that’s missing will most likely be on the next gen iPhone in 2020
  • Siri is still meh
  • It’s an iPhone XS Max with a better camera 😒

Recommend?

  • Yes if coming from anything older than an iPhone XS Max
  • Yes if Night Mode and Wide Angle photos is important to you if you have the XS Max
  • No if iPhone and iOS is not your thing (duh)
  • No because you are the practical type and can get just about all the same features from the cheaper iPhone 11

Need more details?

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Monoprice 35in Zero-G Curved Gaming Monitor – 3440x1440p, UWQHD Review

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When I was offered a chance to do an honest review of Monoprice’s 35in Zero-G Curved Gaming Monitor I immediately said “YES!” They have been coming out with impressive displays and the timing was perfect since I recently sold off my Xbox One X and re-joined the PC Master Race after a half decade hiatus.

The Monoprice 35 inch gaming display is an ultra widescreen display at 3440×1440 resolution at 100hz with a 21:9 ratio. Right out of the box it was very easy to setup. I was quite surprised on how light this was when I was unpacking it. You can easily use the included stand or you can VESA mount on a wall or use a display arm. My one gripe that I have with the included stand is that you can’t adjust the height. In fact you can barely just tilt the screen up or down. If you are looking for more flexibility then you need to buy a third party VESA stand or arm. The monitor has 2 HDMI port and a display port and a 3.5 audio out. No USB-C or USB-A connectivity here which would have been nice. What I did notice though as that it has a set of red lights in the back as part of its aesthetic which looks really cool if you are into that kind of thing. Personally, I don’t really care.. what I do care about is performance and that’s where this monitor shines especially at this price point.

Since this is a gaming monitor, I of course connected my gaming PC which Windows 10 automatically detected the hardware, resolution and hertz. At 3440×1440 or 2K, it likes pretty amazing. Not exactly edge to edge but the bezels were thin enough to where it can be appreciated. The display was very responsive within Windows and being able to have multiple spreadsheets on an ultrawide was game changing. Websites, videos, and photos looked great and I just loved working on this thing all day. But you’re not really buying this for work aren’t you? I fired up Doom 2016 and set the game to the ultrawide ratio and it was one hell of an experience. I am upgrading from a 60hz display so I am absolutely appreciating the faster frame rate. Keep in mind that not all games natively support the 21:9 ratio so you will have black bars like Paladins but just about every modern title did take advantage of that 100hz which was just really smooth. When I had this connected to my MacBook Pro 2018, working with Final Cut Pro as well as other productivity software was really smooth. If you want take advantage of that 100hz on a Mac, make sure you have this connected through the display port or an adapter that supports HDMI 2.0.

Yes there are gaming laptops with the same resolution at 144hz but if you try finding one at 35-inches, they go for $650 and up. I say that this rivals the Alienware 1900 which goes for about $1000. Now compare that with the specs of the Monoprice display at you are looking at about a $600 price difference. The Monoprice 35in Zero G Curved Gaming Monitor is such a great value for it’s price, performance and display quality. Also keep in mind that Monoprice includes a 1 Year PixelPerfect Warranty so if you find a single dead pixel, they will take care of you.

Even though it’s not perfect with some shortcomings such as the lack of USB-C connectivity and very basic stand, I can confidently recommend this display for its performance, display quality and value.er whether you would recommend this product and what you like or dislike about it.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5


 

What’s On My Desk Summer 2019

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Been awhile since I’ve done one of these. I normally have a MacBook Pro 13 2018 on my desk but I just recently got back into PC gaming and also sold my Xbox One X a few days ago. I’m still keeping the Sony PS4 Pro and Nintendo Switch for exclusives though. So here’s what’s on my desk!

  • MSI GS65 9SE – currently my main rig for work and gaming.  This thing is an absolute beast and can handle all the new games you throw at it. My Macbook Pro 13 inch is now assigned to being a travel laptop and Final Cut Pro machine.
  • HP Envy 32 – 32 inch display 2560×1440 resolution. I think I’ve had this for about 5 years
  • Sony SRSHG1 HearGo Bluetooth Speaker – Small but mighty. It can connect USB, bluetooth 3.5, Wifi, Google Cast… you name it. This thing is amazing and sounds great
  • SteelSeries Apex 7 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard – This is the best keyboard I have ever typed on. No joke. I don’t even care about the gimmicky lights!
  • Logitech MX Master 2S Wireless Mouse – I finally upgrade from an old Logitech M510 and the difference is night and day. Love how comfortable it feels to use and the horizontal scroll wheel is a game changer for working on spreadhseets. I have this at my desk and an MX Anywhere 2s in my laptop bag
  • Xbox One Controller (White) – for gaming. I sometimes use the PS4 controller for PSP emulated games
  • Sony RX100 Mark V Digital Camera – I just recently upgraded from the Sony RX100 III earlier this year and I’ve taken that across six continents. I am planning on taking this camera to 7 in a year or two. This camera is amazing to carry around on trips especially when you want to take better quality photos than your smartphone.
  • iPhone XS Max 256GB Space Gray – Trusty iPhone that goes everywhere with me. It’s a smartphone that does it’s job and does it reliably. Running the developer version of iOS13 and it paired with my Apple Watch Series 4 smartwatch


 

Cable Management 101 – For your desktop workspace or entertainment system

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There was a post on reddit where a user /u/VergingRivals posted a thread needing help on getting the this monstrosity (posted above) on how to get his desktop cables in order. I was in a similar situation not too long ago, albeit not as bad as this but it did take some time to get everything organized. Both my desktop and especially the TV for my game consoles were a freaking fire hazard so I wrote up a response on how he should get started in cleaning up his setup. Below is my response to his dilemma.

I had a very similar situation to yours… well not as bad. As some other people mentioned, unplug everything. To take it a step further, unplug everything, clear off all your desk. Pair the cables that go with each device.

Decide which devices you use in a regular basis and which ones you hardly or never use. Place the devices you do use back in your desk first, do not add the cables yet until you have all the devices you need. I discovered like 3 things I don’t use anymore… like a WiiU I had on my desk, a usb hub, extra game pad, and an egpu that i barely use since i switched to a PC for gaming instead of using my Mac.

Now, one by one, connect the cables to each device, without plugging them in the outlet / surge protector.

Once you do that, have all the power cords routed in the same direction towards the power outlet. If the are too long, fold them to shorten the length and zip tie.

You can use zip ties or to make things easier, pick up one or a few of these https://amzn.to/2xs47Ms and it will help hide the surge protectors and lengthy cables. Just remember that when you shorten or fold the cables you do it towards the plug so you can place it in these cable management boxes.

I’ve never done this before doing it myself a few weeks ago but these steps is what made the most sense to me and I had some trial and error along the way. Hope that helps!

And here’s a look at my setup!

By the way, before anyone freaks out, those “black bars” are built in SPEAKERS on my display, not a resolution issue!

Pick up the Cable Management Box here: https://amzn.to/2xs47Ms


 

Oculus Quest VR One Month Review Impressions – The Future is Here

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I remember my fascination with VR going way back to the time of the Sega Master System when it had the 3D glasses. It was clunky but cool at the same time. Well it wasn’t really VR but to have a more interactive “realistic” experience where you are part of the game was how I pictured the future.

Then came the 90s when Sega announced that they were coming out with a VR platform and I was just super excited and waited month after month reading EGM, GamePro, and Sega Visions magazines to see if there was any news or development on the VR. Unfortunately, it faded into vaporware. Let’s ignore the Virtual Boy and the Stuntmaster because they were both garbage…

Fast forward a decade (or two) later when VR went mainstream with the Vive, Rift, and PSVR. I was on and off in the PC Master Race so I grabbed the PSVR on launch day and was just amazed out how well executed and easy to setup it was. Plus the PSVR was also more affordable than the Vive and Rift a few years ago. The games were engaging, the experience just draws you in and I was able to do it all CONNECTED to my PS4. I will admit I was scared playing Resident Evil and playing one of my favorite racing games, Wipe Out is a whole different experience in VR. Problem was that:

  1. I had limited space in my game room
  2. It had to be tethered to the PS4 which takes the realism away in terms of movement
  3. Playstation Move controllers, although effective were a bit awkward to use

Now here we are with the introduction of the Oculus Quest which is a standalone VR unit with all the hardware build in. No console, no phone, no PC or any device that it had to be tethered to. A device where I can dive into VR anywhere! It actually sounded to good to be true. Let me tell you this… after using this for a month, I can confidently say that the future is here.

I picked up the 128GB version at a local Best Buy on launch day. I’m sure it was a little overkill and I would have been fine with the 64GB but I didn’t want to think about storage running out. Anyway, I took it out of the box, downloaded the app and some games while it was charging, did the initial setup and had some fun playing around with the tutorial.

Speakers are kinda weak but not THAT bad. The headset is very responsive but it does get uncomfortable after using it for long periods of time. However, it was no more uncomfortable as the PSVR and the fact that I can play this without yanking my PS4 or being connected to another device is just amazing. Sure it doesn’t have the latest hardware being powered by a Snapdragon 835 (yeah the same CPU as the Samsung Galaxy S8) but it is just so well executed.

Finally loaded up Vader Immortal and then got a low battery warning because over an hour had gone by without me realizing it.

I also purchased and bought Beat Saber. To this day, I use it as part of my morning work outs to get the blood running when I start my day. I’ve been hooked on the game and it brought me back to the old Dance Dance Revolution days except this is so much better. I just hope that continue to come out with more songs.

Other game that I really enjoy playing is Robo Recall. It reminds of of those arcade shooters like Virtua Cop except you are actually in the game and you grab robots, rip them limb from limb and throw them around. This is definitely a must buy.

A non-game app that I tried was Virtual Desktop. Virtual Desktop wghich is sort of like LogMeIn or other remote desktop apps, but in VR. I even fired out some YouTube videos through Chrome on my desktop but it was a little laggy. You are better off using the browser on the Oculus. Opened up Microsoft Outlook and was able to read through my emails. There a handful of instances where you can play some Steam VR games on a desktop using this, but I personally haven’t tried it. I’m sure this application will be a lot better as the continue to develop this.

I wanted to make sure I just wasn’t going through a honeymoon phase because I remember being wowed and amazed right when I got the PSVR and now it’s just collecting dust, and that’s just mainly because it was sort of a hassle getting it setup.

It’s been a month and I have been using this every day. Like I mentioned, it doesn’t have the best graphics due to hardware limitations but the games are well ported where it doesn’t take away from the experience. Games do run smoothly and it’s just so easy to just pick up and start playing.

I can go on and on in this review but I can only describe the VR experience in so many words. You have to try it for yourself to fully understand how great the Oculus Quest is. The Quest is not perfect but it has taken me to a future that I dreamed of as a child.  What a wonderful time to be alive.

Overall Rating: 4.9/5

Pick up the Oculus Quest Here: https://amzn.to/2Np1oya


 

Logitech MX Master 2S Wireless Bluetooth Mouse Quick Review

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I’ve been using the Logitech 510 for over 3 years. Although it was a great mouse simple mouse, it was time to retire it. Also, my hands are not as young as they used to be so I needed a more mouse that was more ergonomic. as I was getting a lot of fatigue in working on the desktop several hours a day.

I was actually on the fence for on the MX Master 2S for the longest time but was put off by the price and was actually content with the m510. However this came on sale and I snatched it up and wow… it was night and day difference in my productivity work flow. Also, like the MX Anywhere, you can pair this up to 3 devices which is perfect as I have a PC for gaming, a Mac for video editing and travel, and I have a work laptop. Pairing and switching in between devices is so easy to do. No more unplugging receivers or dongles.

The mouse is shaped perfectly for my hands and is very responsive not only in productivity software such as Office, but it’s great for gaming as well. I’m quite happy in using this to play a few hours of Overwatch and Apex Legends daily. Also I want to note that the side scrolling wheel is a blessing especially for huge spreadsheets such as Excel.

On top of all that, there are no batteries to mess with, this thing is rechargeable and it can last up to two months.

If you are looking for looking for the perfect mouse, this is it right here!

Pick one up on Amazon – https://amzn.to/2Jc4K2k