RM Mini 3 Smart Home Controller Review: Broadlink Universal WIFI / IR Remote Controller

While the Amazon Echo is a widely known as one of the most popular smart home devices in the United States, there are actually an array of smart home monitors worldwide. Xiaomi has one, as does Broadlink. The Broadlink RM Mini 3 controller (Broadlink Universal WIFI / IR Remote Controller), courtesy of Gearbest, reportedly allows the user to control the TV, AC, and more remotely. This is through both voice commands and pre-programmed settings using the Broadlink smart home app. The device connects to the app with ease, and it's very easy to program devices (such as a TV remote). However, the remote feature (and others) don't appear to be compatible with US-based equipment (in my case, the remote wouldn't turn on the TV, despite successful sync-up). furthermore, the voice command feature only works in Chinese, severely limiting its use outside of the People's Republic of China. While it's a near gadget, it isn't very useful at all in the USA. 

Sky Vampire Review: HeliCMax's Latest Quadcopter

One of the most popular quadcopter models is the Tarantula X6. I love flying it, with great range and reliability. However, it lacks several features, and at times can be cumbersome to work with. Recently, the HeliCMax Sky Vampire drone was released. This one is supposedly very similar to the Tarantula X6, but with some unique features setting it apart. I spent several weeks with the Sky Vampire courtesty of HeliCMax, filmed constantly with a mounted action camera (ELE Explorer Pro, EKEN H9, and SJ7000), in a variety of environments.

It's a very nice drone with great features that set it apart from the Tarantula X6 (altitude hold mode, beefier look, battery compartment door, and on/off switch), but suffered from drone board reliability issues as well as intermittent transmitter range difficulties. If these problems can be fixed, the Sky Vampire could replace the Tarantula X6 easily. Take a gander at my video review of the Sky Vampire drone above!

Check out HeliCMax here: http://www.helicmax.com

Also, here's another flight with the Sky Vampire. YouTube's stabilization feature was used.

Can ELE Explorer Pro Beat GitUp2?

Mmmm, another action camera for a great price! The ELE Explorer was a very popular model I reviewed several months ago, and now the PRO version has been released. The ELE Explorer Pro is nice, compact, powerful action camera with excellent photo AND video quality. Check out the video review below:
Buy the ELE Explorer Pro Online here: https://goo.gl/lPIFTH