The GitUp 2 Action Camera is simply the best GoPro alternative I have tried out. It is more expensive than most of the budget action cameras I typically use, but it offers premium features such as gyroscopic stabilization for a fraction of the price of a GoPro. It's still a bargain and is compatible with GoPro accessories. The GitUp2 also has fantastic customer service, something of a rarity for companies based out of China. The footage is very smooth, video quality is sharp, and depth of color is very impressive. Get one!
I really love RC aircraft, and my first RC plane was a Champ RTF. It cost $90 and provided me with a great introduction to outdoor RC flying. However, it was not very resilient and didn't fly all that well after several repairs to it. I have since moved on to RC quadcopters and drones, as they are extremely fun to fly, very affordable, and can easily lift small action cameras. However, I have always wanted to get back into flying RC planes as well.
Along came the Fly Bear 802. At $20, how could I pass it up? After watching a nice review of it on YouTube at Quadcopter101, I ordered it. It has not dissapointed. Sure, it's not Champ RTF, and it's basically the cheapest RC plane you can get, but it has great range, surprisingly durability, glides great, and has provided me with many enjoyable flights. It's not meant to carry a camera, so don't even try it--and watch out for any significant wind. Check out my video review of the Flybear 802 above. You can order it online through Banggood as well as many other websites.
I was a little hesitant about these running shoes from Aliexpress, but they looked too intriguing to pass up. Plus, the $16 price was extremely attractive. They've held up well over several months of use, on a variety of trails. However, the cool holes in the bottom are a terrible option if you run on a trail with loose gravel or rocks. Unfortunately, since I bought these shoes, the price has jumped up--however they have several new versions of the same design for the < $20 price here: http://tinyurl.com/j2tljbu
This little portable gas camping stove adapter is fantastic. I've used it on multiple camping trips, in a wide variety of environments, from temperatures from 25 F to 75 F, from the beach to the mountains, and it's performed admirably. There are multiple versions available, usually no more than $10 or so. Check out the video review here and get the portable stove online here (EtekCity Amazon) or Aliexpress.
Smart gadgets are everywhere, and smart lights are no exception. Xiaomi is one of my favorite Chinese companies offering high-quality, budget-priced tech, and their Yeelight is another fantastic example of this. Gearbest provided me with this new smart lamp to try out and I'm happy to report it is fantastic.
The Yeelight connects to your phone using the Yeelight app. It can also be controlled manually, using a touch slider on the top of the light, or the two buttons (power and color switch) on the top of the light. The buttons are inconspicuous and don't detract from the nice form factor of this minimalist lamp.
The sheer variety of colors available (claims to have 16millions RGB lights) is impressive. You'll really get a feel for it through adjusting the colors on the Yeelight app. There are multiple modes available: Flow (alternates between a variety of colors), Color, and White. In all of these modes, you can use the touch feature to adjust the warmth or brightness of the colors.
Now, I mentioned this is a "smart" lamp. It can connect via bluetooth to your phone or tablet using the Yeelight app, and here is where the fun really starts. You can remotely turn it on or off, set a wake-up light (super useful, slowly brightens over a 30 minute period to gently wake you), or set a sleep timer feature (slowly turn darken over a preset time, presumably while you go to sleep). In addition, you can adjust the hue, flow, white settings, as well as load pre-set "scene" colors, or even select a color to display using your phone's camera. There is even supposed link with the Xiaomi Mi Band, with the ability to sync the lights wake-up feature with actual waking from sleep, although I haven't tested this yet. The only critiques I have for this lamp so far is 1) wishing the wake up feature could be set from 30 to 5 mins (a range would be nice rather than fixed), 2)providing an instruction manual in English. It's fairly easy to figure out how to use the lamp, but finding the app was not easy.
Overall, the Yeelight is a fairly impressive smart lamp. Xiaomi has consistently impressed me with their array of gadgets, including the Yi action camera and the Mi band activity tracker, and this Yeelight further adds to their impressive collection of devices. You can purchase it online through Gearbest.
