Why yes, if your phone is like 99.9% of phones sold, it already has a speakerphone built in to it--why would you need this extra device?Well, you might need or want it for several reasons--even if your phone already has the ability to act as a speakerphone.First, speakerphone voice quality on cell phones is limited severely by the small size of their speakers. Second, if you are having an impromptu conference which requires a speakerphone, holding your cell up in the air and spinning it in the direction of the speaker to catch what they are saying can get tiring. There are many other reasons why stand alone, purpose built speakerphones are de rigueur in many office settings and why the addition of a competent portable model is desirable.So, having tested this one, let me tell you what I think.The listening voice quality is excellent--far better than any phone on speaker phone setting could hope to be. The speaker's voice is natural sounding with a rich timbre and easy to listen to. Volume can be adjusted to a level sufficient to fill a small conference room easily and without distortion. In fact, I seem to use this at full volume most of the time. The unit itself is solidly built and commercial quality. It comes with a carrying bag and an attachable wrist strap.Setting up the unit is simple, pair it to your computer or to your cell using the pairing button on the unit. A USB cord is built in and coiled around the base to charge it. The battery life is checked by touching the on/off button and the battery life is excellent--hours on a single charge but you can simply power the unit from a wall charger if you prefer. Touch controls on the face of the unit adjust the volume and mute.Ability to pick up conversation is about 10 feet from the unit functionally--obviously louder sounds further away will be picked up as well. The microphone setup is omnidirectional-- I did not detect a preference for picking up voices in one direction or another. So far so good.Unfortunately, this unit suffers from the same issues that most speakerphones suffer from--the need to be sensitive to conversation while not picking up the myriad background noises that people make--the paper shuffling, coughs and inadvertent table and door bangs that puncture every single conference call. While speech is intelligible, everyone will know you are using a speakerphone. That problem has not been solved.There is no ability that I can see to use auxiliary microphones around the table.Summary is that this is several grades above a cell phone speaker and not far off from most conference room speaker phones that I have used but only in limited settings as I describe above.

Plantronics and Polycom are both names I've long used in offices for business headsets and speakerphones so my expectations going into testing the Poly Sync 20 were pretty high despite it's very reasonable price for something that carries these names. I am not disappointed.The thing that impressed me the most about this little guy is it's fabulous echo cancelling. It is so good that even when I was using the Sync 20 as a speaker playing music, at maximum volume, and did a test recording of myself speaking normally with it on my desk the recording contained ZERO of the music and only contained my voice and my voice still sounded pretty good. Speakerphone echo is the absolute worst so this is a big deal.Overall microphone quality is pretty good. It can't match my expensive dedicated Teams headset for voice quality, and in placing a test phone call I was told that I "sounded like I was on a speakerphone" but still sounded good, fairly natural and easily understandable even when I was speaking quietly with the speakerphone a number of feet away. In my test recordings with it plugged into my PC, I thought all of my voice samples sounded more than good enough. It does also work as a PC speaker when directly connected via USB or as a streaming bluetooth speaker. As expected, it isn't a great speaker for music compared to something decent that is meant for the job BUT it is way better than my other small "no name" speakerphones and I'd say it is absolutely usable for this in a pinch. It's similar how a good bluetooth speaker that also has calling might be good for music, but just okay for calling... just reversed, and I think that's fine. One cool thing is that the speakerphone can be connected wired to a PC via USB and connected to a mobile device over bluetooth simultaneously though it doesn't mix the inputs and outputs at the same time but rather just makes switching from one to the other fast and easy.Build quality of the speaker is excellent... it looks and feels super solid, made of nice sturdy materials and it has an all around premium feel to it. Small details like the fact that it has a built in generously long USB cord for wired PC connectivity or charging that completely stows away on the speakerphone, and the cool LED bar across the top that visually shows you things like the volume level are appreciated. It comes with a really nice custom fabric travel case too, which is a nice addition considering that I think it's more than sturdy enough and self contained that I probably wouldn't have thought twice about throwing it in a bag without a case.

I'd like to make a couple important points up front. First, at $24.99, this mike stand is at the low end of the price range for items of this nature and shouldn't be expected to perform as well as items that cost several times as much. As such, my rating is based mostly on the value for the money. Second, a couple reviews seemed to indicate that the mike stand isn't tall enough -- while I am only 5'10", fully extended the microphone would be quite a bit higher than would be useful. If you're 6',5", you might want to consider adding a boom arm as an extension, but I think this would work for most people.The stand has a nicely weighted and broad base. It comes in pieces but is easy to assemble. It comes with two types of mike holders -- a clamp type and a tube type. It comes with a 3/8" to 5/8" adapter to use with mike holders made for 5/8" threads. And it has a couple clips for securing mike cables -- one for the upper tube and one for the lower. The clips hold securely which means they are a little hard to get on and off.The stand is easy to assemble and feels reasonably sturdy if one gets all the joints tightly screwed together. However, while I wouldn't have any problem using this stand for practice or around the studio, I'd be reluctant to take it on the road. The tubes feel rather thin and the machining for the screw threads makes the material there even thinner -- I would worry about how well this could take the type of punishment it would likely see on the road. Most mike stands don't have multiple threaded tubes and tend to be heavier. The quality of machining is also of concern -- when I picked up the adapter, it had a sharp burr on it which pricked my finger. All that aside, I think it would work well enough for light duty in a home studio or practice room while helping keep the budget down.One of the biggest quality concerns with any mike stand is the quality of the clutch. They frequently give out faster than any other part of the stand. While I can't attest to longevity prospects, I can say that the clutch, here, has an impressively smooth operation and seems to hold tightly (though the addition of the extra threaded tube makes it awkward to operate without accidentally unscrewing the lower tube.While I do think that the quality here suggests that this probably isn't road-worthy, I am honestly impressed with the apparent value for the money. My usage should likely be fairly low-stress and I think it will work well for me. If it winds up breaking or failing early, I'll report back.

I have several Argus 3 pros and they're great little cameras since they're so compact. These have excellent resolution and battery life, made even better by the optional or included solar panel! Never worry about power cables or batteries again!Way better than an arlo... Way, way, way better - in every way.These cameras have been a lifesaver and so easy to get up and running.These wifi models support dual band wireless, so either 2.4ghz or 5ghz Banda will work. Not many cameras work on 5ghz so this is a huge bonus. I've never had any issues with dropped connections or mysterious stream interruptions. They detect my wireless network easily on setup and then stay connected after that. Piece of cake.The app has been consistent and reliable in terms of notifying me whenever theres movement, a person, or a car detected in the field of view.The Argus 3 pro has a standard field of view, which is ideal for monitoring targeted areas, like an entry door.This camera has a spotlight, but no PTZ. There are settings in the app to control when the spotlight activates. In reality, I haven't found the spotlight very useful since I tend to have my cameras mounted fairly high off the ground, so the spotlight just doesn't reach.It also supports two way audio, so you can activate the microphone to yell at people you see in the cameras view, which is always entertaining. Camera otherwise records audio with the video clips.Night vision is supported with excellent infrared illumination that makes it easy to identify vehicles, people, and the random stray cat or spider that walks by.I ended up purchasing a cheap 5v solar panel for the camera that didn't come with one (there's two options, one is with the other without solar panel), and now have it connected to the camera which keeps the battery charged at all times so I don't have to worry about wires or the battery running out.The app loads quickly, and provides recording of events that you can watch later since they're recorded to onboard sim card that comes included with the camera. You can add all your reolink cameras to the app and view all the streams from there. Battery operated cameras cannot be added to Reolink NVRs which is definitely a bummer.But overall performance has exceeded my expectations in every way, so much so that were doing the entire security camera system with exclusively reolink products. They have an excellent track record when it comes to dealing with new and emerging security flaws and threats and there's no shady phoning home to weird remote servers! Huge plus!Great camera, through and through .

I have always sworn by Turtle Beach’s $60 headphones, whatever the current generation is. I have literally told at least 20 other gamers over the years that whatever turtle beach’s current $60 headphones are, get those and they’ll be all you ever need. This is my 4th pair and I must say they are the best yet. I have had one pair (of that year $60 turtle beaches) for each xbox i’ve owned: 360, One, and now Series S. I had a pair of the 1st gen recon 200 that i bought actually before i purchased a series S, but those got kind of abused by me (used them for phones, laptop, etc) and it seems that that these gen 2s have been upgraded in all the right places: better battery, better material for ear piece, and they work exactly the same as my gen 1s. Actually the most important part of this specific pair for me was the value: i ended up going with an open box that was described as “very good” condition (didn’t mention anything about damage to the headphones, only the box) for ONLY $24! so i decided to risk it since i wasn’t in desperate need of a working pair yet. boy was this the right choice. the only “damage” on the box was that the seal was broken. there was no instruction guide or charging cable in the box but i didn’t need those. in the 3rd photo you can see a small blemish on the top of the headphones but that doesn’t bother me at all. the headphones were dead but that’s what happens when they are stuck in the on position. so i charged them up and tested them and they work like a charm. i have used the microphone in both party and game chat and it works perfectly fine. TWO IMPORTANT CAVEATS: first, I own this controller adapter (4th photo) from a previous headset (xbox one i think) that i believe is the only thing that allows me to use these headsets with my controllers, so i don’t know if it is needed in your case. second, the first gen recon 200 is charged with a micro-usb. this 2nd gen headset is charged with a usb-c. it wasn’t a problem for me as i have probably every cable known to man somewhere in my house, but my open box version didn’t come with a usb-c charging cable.TLDR: I swear by TB’s $60 headphones. this is my 4th pair across 3 generations of xboxes. i risked it on a $24 open box and they work perfectly fine. so a headset i think is worth $120, that i would have payed $60 for, i ended up getting for barely $25 :)

I must begin by saying I purchased this product for a little bit different use than that which it is specifically designed for. I have only had it for a few days so this review is based upon my very early initial evaluation. I got the stand to use as a boom microphone stand to use for voiceover work. I travel very frequently and needed a mic stand that would fit in my carry on bag. Having searched the internet, music stores, etc., this was really the only option I could see that was less than 26" in length when fully collapsed yet telescoped to over 72" at full extension. I separately purchased a telescoping boom arm to mount atop the Nano Stand. Further, from the boom I will be hanging a Harlan Hogan Portabooth Plus portable sound booth, a small Apogee Mic, a Sabra universal shock mount, and a pop screen.. So, all of these things together significantly exceed the published 3.3 pound maximum load capacity of the stand. That is why, even if this stand was unable to handle the load, it would have been unfair to ding it since it was outside the scope of its design capacity.That having been said, I tested out the stand with the load yesterday and it performed quite well. The stand actually has some pretty long legs so it has decent stability. Part of the problem of using a boom arm is that there is a significant moment introduced because the supported weight is so far from center. However, it worked OK. I did have to put a weight (suitcase, chair, etc.) on the leg extended opposite the boom arm to keep the stand from trying to tip. This is not the fault of the stand, it is simple physics. My only area of long term concern is with the clamps that tighten to hold each telescoping section in place once they are extended. The "t" handles and the straps themselves are plastic. Thus, there will likely come a day, hopefully far in the future, when they are going to crack and fail. However, I already have a contingency plan formulated. Metal hose clamps are available from Home Depot for about $1 each and should fit the bill if and when that day comes. Again, this has not happened yet and I am not faulting the product for a problem it has not yet shown but with the excess strain I am putting on it beware.In summary, this product does everything it is supposed to do. Sadly, like everything, it is made in China but appears to be well constructed. If you are going to use it within its designed load limits I would say it is superb. You will not find anything out there that is this portable yet offers this much size. I definitely recommend it. Be advised that if you want to use it as a mic stand you will need to purchase a thread adapter to allow the mic or boom arm to screw onto the top screw post on this stand.

This is a great little light that easily fits in a shirt pocket, but it comes with some accessories that other similarly priced lights don't. Included are a USB-A to USB-C charging cable, metal ball head/swivel, a metal clip to attach it to a laptop screen, a roughly 40" collapsible "selfie stick" pole and a set of tripod feet that screw into the pole so it will stand up by itself. The accessories are light-duty designs but more than good enough for holding up a light of this size.The laptop mount, ball head, selfie stick and tripod feet all have standard 1/4-20 thread mounts, so they can be used together in any combination to put the light low on the table, up in the air or on a laptop screen. I would use care with the laptop clip. It has some rubber pads but over tightening it could still cause damage. The light itself has a 1/4-20 thread hole on two sides and a shoe-style mount on the top where you could mount a lightweight microphone.The light is quite bright but diffused enough to not be blinding when it is sitting right in front of you. It's always possible to turn the brightness down if you find it uncomfortable. For video conference lighting where the light is near your camera, this should be fine. Build quality is good, it feels very solid and has no loose parts.As far as color, you can run the light in color temperature mode from a sunset orange up to pure white. Or you can set it to any color using RGB or Hue-saturation-intensity modes. It also has a number of special effects modes that simulate things like police lights or lightening flashes.It has two small dials on the side for controls, one can be clicked to turn the light on and off, switch modes or adjust color. The other dial controls brightness. There is a small display on the back that shows the current settings/modes and remaining charge for the light.I used the light for a 90 minute conference call today and it still had plenty of charge left when I was done.The only unusual thing I've seen is that sometimes when I plug the light in to charge it, the display on the back doesn't light up so I'm not sure if its charging or not. Turning the light on and then plugging it into the charger seems to work, once it's charging switch the light off and the display will continue to show the charge.So I would recommend this as a budget light with some good accessories included. It's not going to light up a whole room by itself, but if you keep it fairly close to the subject it should give plenty of light. You can also use it to put some soft color light on the wall behind you or stick it up inside a lamp shade to put some color in it.

Pricing for this is quite high, but once you use it, it makes sense. It definitely has a use, and its best features are considered best in class in my opinion. Plantronics makes excellent professional audio video hardware and software for many larger corporation uses, especially for meetings, taking calls and general calling. Plantronics and PolyCom, another large professional communications hardware/software company have merged to become "Poly".This Poly Sync 20 is a simple device. It's an excellent voice tuned bluetooth speaker with multiple microphones, with custom hardware and software from Poly that specialize in noise and echo cancellation, and dedicated control and software that impliments within MicroSoft Teams and Zoom.With a very small size, the volume can be increased quite high without any static or blown out voices. It has an array of microphones that pick up voices, eliminates both echos and background noises, and does an amazing job alongside MicroSoft Teams. I have not tested Zoom. Voice Calls, both VOLTE and 5G work well and is very clear.Music-wise, its fine, nothing special, voices are great, so this is really good for podcasts and audio books, but it lacks punchy bass. It's there, and can be tuned in with software EQ, but its not great which is understandable.The design is very classy and modern, with a textured fabric top, matte plastic in black and grey, with the bottom of the speaker being a "salt and pepper" colour, not sure if this is plastic or some sort of polymer. The built in USB cable is very useful for charging, and it even comes with a USB port for battery bank features. No fast charging but I can see connecting this speaker to a phone to charge while using the speaker during a conference call.There are touch buttons, which I dislike, but they're large and few, so I can give it a pass. There is one custom button which is great, but software must be installed for this to work. The volume up and down is seperated which is nice, a mute button is standard and a no brainer to include. Lastly, a call/hang up button is there as well. Additionally, this comes with a carry case, nothing special but nice to have.Overall, this is a travelling business persons best friend, using it as a conference call speaker and voice, delkivering exceptional voice clarity on both sides. It can work as a bluetooth speaker as well, its not great. But I can see the use case for someone who travels to have conference meetings. We all have experienced conference calls from one laptop with really bad audio quality, and even worse microphone, and its a mess. This product delivers a solution, at a cost, but with a 2 year warranty and a product from Plantronics (now Poly), it should be trusted.