Handy Tech Under $100 Episode 5
Linus Tech Tips
·Linus Tech Tips
·2015-05-07
·
1,414 words · ~7 min read
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It's time for Handy Tech again, where companies send us stuff or I buy it and
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then I tell you what I think is
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good. With the purchase of a qualifying Intel processor, SSD, or Knuck, you
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could instantly win an Intel gaming jersey and be entered in the draw for
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the Ultimate System. Click now to learn more. So, let's get this kicked off with
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something I've been meaning to buy forever. Looking back at older videos,
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you can see me taking the temperature of a notebook with a Ktype probe taped down
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to some thermal goop to ensure I'm getting a reasonably accurate reading.
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This method worked, but is more timeconuming and certainly messier than
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I'd like. Welcome to the new age. I don't know that this particular model is
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super amazing or anything, but it's very well reviewed on Amazon. And for a mere
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$44, I can now take the temperature of
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pretty much anything I can aim it at. It records temperatures from minus60 to 500
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degrees C. Has a laser guide so you know
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where you're pointing. Uses AAA batteries instead of the for me less
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common 9V batteries. And has a distance to spot ratio of 12:1. Meaning the patch
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it's measuring is 1 12th the size of the distance you're holding the unit away
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from a given surface. It's got some limitations though. It won't take air
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temperature solids and liquids only. It doesn't have adjustable emissivity, so
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it can read higher or lower depending on the reflective consistency of the
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surface. And it doesn't come with any kind of certified calibration or
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anything like that. But there are tons of things it could be useful for,
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including anything you don't want to damage or contaminate by touching it,
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anywhere that's difficult or dangerous to reach, or even taking the temperature
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of moving objects with the 1 second delay between the trigger press and
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readout. What I use it for is quick and dirty temperature readings on products.
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With notebooks, it allows me to find hot spots very quickly. And for things like
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graphics cards, it lets us take a look
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at Sorry, we're back. And for things like graphics cards, it lets us take a
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look at at least the surface temperature of components that aren't normally read
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by software. Great for diagnosing problems. Next up, we've got a product
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that has generated a ton of confusion over the years because apparently lots
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of people didn't know that you can simply buy a dongle for 12 bucks and
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connect up to four wireless Xbox 360 controllers to your PC for single or
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multiplayer use. I always get people being like, "What controller is that?"
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Or like, "OMG, Lionus is gaming on Xbox when a picture or video shows up with a
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wireless Xbox controller in it." Nope, not the case. You just plug this bad boy
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in, install the driver from the disc or download one and force the install, then
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bind it to the controller in the same way that presumably you do it on a
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console. I've actually never done it on a console, but uh if you need instructions, you can find them on the
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official Microsoft product page. Because every game today is basically a console
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port, I find using an Xbox controller is a super easy way to make sure that all
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the buttons are bound correctly out of the box. And I've been doing this for years. It's awesome and well worth the
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$12, especially if you already have a controller or two lying around. The last
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product for today is one that I only bought because I felt like I was forced
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to. LG managed to make one of the finest
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monitors on the market, the 34UM95 ultrawide 3440x440 21x9 aspect ratio
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monitor that I reviewed here with one of the worst monitor stands that I've ever
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seen. It only has two height settings and even worse, at the highest fixed
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setting, it's still not high enough for me. So, the Sitechi F1 smart monitor
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stand looked like a good bet to get the monitor up a little higher and add front
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audio extensions and a USB 2 hub to my desk at the same time. From the
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pictures, it looked to be wellbuilt, attractive in a minimalist sort of way,
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and practical because it allows you to use the space under it for storage
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instead of just wasting it. In practice, the platform is solid enough for me.
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Although the 22 lb weight rating doesn't seem deserved given the complaints from
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27in iMac users. And while it does allow you to store stuff under it, I just
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don't find it that nice looking. The picture made it look like it would kind
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of match an aluminum finish on the top, but when it arrived, I found that aside
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from the attractive aluminum legs, the finish is very cheap and plasticky
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feeling. It can be assembled two different ways to either elevate your
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display 8 or 10 1/2 cm by either folding out or not folding out the two plastic
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tabs. But this mechanism, while once again solid enough for my use, just
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didn't inspire that much confidence. My last complaint is that the built-in
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four- port USB hub isn't powered. Not even a power jack to give me the option
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to buy a 5volt adapter and use one myself. That would have gone a long way
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towards making me feel a little better about the purchase. Maybe I'm asking too
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much of this one though. It was only 35 bucks and I'm still planning to use it
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because at that price I consider it very fair. Um, if I wasn't going to use it, I
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wouldn't have featured it in the video. But next time I might use a little bit
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more of my less than $100 budget for a monitor stand that we're going to
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showcase on the channel here. Maybe something a little bit nicer. Speaking
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of showcase, that's the channel, at least here in Canada anyway, where as a
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kid I was able to find all the soft core or sorry, what was I talking about? Oh,
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right. Uh, Hulu Plus. It offers simple and reliable video streaming service for
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your PC, smartphone, TV, or tablet with a wide range of network TV shows,
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criterion movies, kids shows, and anime. Hulu Plus has the quantity and variety
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to suit a wide range of viewing needs. Personally, I'd be pretty stoked that
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starting September, Hulu Plus will feature the entire archive of previous
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Self-Park episodes as well as new ones. Yay. Now, I've had a number of our
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viewers point out to me that Hulu Plus, like regular Hulu, cost $7.99 a month
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and still has ads. Yes, we know the
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point of the plus part is that you get
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more archived content and the ability to view it across a wider variety of
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devices. Maybe that's not compelling enough for you. or maybe it is. Why not
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give it a shot? Visit huloopplus.com/Linus and get a twoe
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trial of the service so you can decide for yourself. Time for the full
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disclosure part of this video, which um I think you guys need to know since
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Handytech is kind of straight up recommendations rather than reviews. For
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this episode, it's easy. I bought the thermometer and the monitor stand for
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work and the generic Xbox dongle to replace my broken official Microsoft
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one. Anyway, thanks for watching, guys. Like if you liked, dislike if you
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disliked. Leave a comment with other suggestions for future Handytech under
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100 episodes. If you like our videos, the links for where to buy these products with our affiliate code are in
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the video description along with the support us link where you can buy a t-shirt, give us a monthly contribution,
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or just change your Amazon bookmark in general to one with our affiliate code
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embedded. So, whenever you buy stuff, we get a small kickback. That kind of stuff
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helps us out a lot. Thanks again for watching, and as always, don't forget to subscribe if you haven't already.