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Home Automation and the Meross Dual Outdoor Smart Plug

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Tested Technology is proactive on your behalf. We go out into the consumer marketplace actively seeking devices (mostly, software sometimes) that are going to be of interest to you. Occasionally, manufacturers seek us out. This has started to happen more often, now that the publication is gaining momentum. But we’re not a manufacturer’s showcase and our time is yours, not theirs. However, when the Chinese manufacturer, Meross, contacted us we paid attention. They make good… Now read on…

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Let your rooms bloom with Plume (part 1)

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Joni Mitchell writes great songs with insightful lyrics. “Don’t it always seem to go That you don’t know what you’ve got til its gone…” It took a disaster to kick me into doing this review. Note to manufacturers: if you want to show up in this publication don’t make your products so good that they disappear from view the moment they’re installed. And only become visible when things go wrong. (I’m kidding. A good WiFi… Now read on…

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Hear Better with BeHear Access Bluetooth

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We’ve talked here before about the rapidly growing, global problem of hearing loss. So why do fewer than 20% of those who could benefit from hearing aids not use them? The answer to this question embraces a paradox. An irrational sense among the public of shame about the disability is part of the answer. This has steered hearing aid manufacturers toward the creation of ever smaller devices. Most are now hidden behind the ear and… Now read on…

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Espresso and the Fracino Piccino

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This review is something of an outlier. Tested Technology takes a catholic view of its remit to present products to its readers: we’ve covered everything from a single USB cable, to fidget spinners, to complexly capable computing equipment. All, it is to be hoped, at arm’s length from the manufacturer and with the interest of the reader solely in mind. Products arrive from manufacturers, queuing up to be reviewed, some on loan, many are donations.… Now read on…

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Welcome to the Oppo Reno 2 [part two]

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We ended part one of this review with a promise that there was a lot more to tell. There probably is a lot more to tell, but we’re not in the position to tell it for the simple reason that the update to ColorOS 7—Oppo’s version of Android 10—targetted at the end of last year, still hasn’t reached us. It’s out there, all right. Over the Air (OTA) updates of a “trial version” went out… Now read on…

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Tuning in to ReSound’s LiNX Quattro (Part 3)

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Since we published the previous section of this review there have been two very relevant developments. The arrival (at last) of Google’s ASHA (audio streaming for hearing aids) is worth celebrating. But it’s been overshadowed by the announcement of the new official Bluetooth standard called Bluetooth 5.2. Bluetooth 5.2 includes a major revision to the standard that introduces audio streaming over Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio). And that includes hearing aids. In theory, all hearing… Now read on…

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Synology DS120j: The Review

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In our teaser for this review at the end of last year I posited the idea that perhaps a single drive NAS might be the best way of making use of the new, monstrous capacity drives like Seagate’s latest 16TB Iron Wolf. Domestically, that is. And for small businesses. Enterprise is a different matter. Let’s test this hypothesis. The single-bay DS120j is pretty much the identical twin of the DS119j we reviewed last year. The… Now read on…

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Sense and the AlcoSense Pro

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Driving while drunk has been a serious public issue ever since 1967 when the Road Safety Act made it an offence to be in charge of a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of over 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. Up until then, drunk-driving was typically seen as a joke. Five years earlier, the Road Traffic Act of  1962 had created the offence of driving, attempting to drive or being in charge of… Now read on…

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Welcome to the Oppo Reno 2 (part one)

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Yes, it’s a YASP—yet another smartphone. But I definitely welcome this latest offering from Oppo. Considered purely on a YASP basis, the new Reno 2 scores well on price per feature. But it also has a few unique selling propositions that, while not out-and-out sales cinchers, certainly sweeten the pot. Would I swap the Reno 2 for the Huawei P30 Pro that has been my daily companion since its launch back in March of this… Now read on…

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Synology DS120j: Prelude

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I’m about to contradict myself. This is an interesting experiment for me and one I hope you’ll feel the same way about. In our earlier review of the Synology entry level DS119j I wrote confidently: The single drive isn’t technically a limitation on capacity—the DS119j’s specs allow for a drive as large as Toshiba’s magnificent helium-sealed MG07ACA14TE. Yes, that’s 14TB. But even if you can stump up the necessary £550, this is not an upgrade… Now read on…