The best LED lightbulb

By Casey Johnston

This post was done in partnership with The Sweethome, a buyer’s guide to the best things for your home. Read the full article here.

After researching more than 70 LED bulb options, selecting 18 finalists, and testing them in an alcove with a light meter and a dimmer switch, we found that Walmart’s Great Value LED 60 Watt Equivalent (10 Watts) Dimmable Soft White hits all the marks that make a bulb great. Walmart’s bulb spreads light in all directions, lights well, dims evenly, and turns on instantly at full brightness. At $6 per bulb, our pick was the least expensive dimmable bulb we tried. With regular use, each bulb can pay for itself in the first year.

YouView lands on Sony’s Bravia TVs next month, no set-top box needed

After announcing a tie-up earlier this year, we now know that November 4th will mark the launch of YouView on Sony’s 2015 range of Bravia TVs. Arriving a little later than originally planned, the update for Sony’s Android-based TVs will add YouView’s time-travelling EPG and various other content discovery features. It will be the first time YouView has ever been available without a dedicated set-top box, which is actually a pretty big deal in the advent of Freeview Play. One of the unique features of YouView is being able to scroll back through the past seven days of programming and jump seamlessly into catch-up services when you come across a broadcast you’d rather not have missed. Well, it was unique until Freeview launched Play, a new service that affords exactly the same functionality.

Source: YouView

TalkTalk hack: what you need to know

Late last night, quad-play provider TalkTalk issued an urgent statement alerting customers that its website had been hacked. Following a “significant and sustained cyberattack,” the company warned that names, addresses, account information and credit card/bank information may have been stolen. Subscribers have been told that they may be contacted by nefarious third-parties asking for personal information and to look out for any irregular activity on their online accounts. It’s worrying when something like this happens once, but for TalkTalk, this is the second big data scare in a year.

Inateck BH1001 Bluetooth headset review

One of the great things about listening to music via a headset is the ability to get into the moment, shut out the world outside, and move with the beat, especially when exercising. I’ve found that wearing a normal headset can be quite frustrating, though, the pesky cable never stays where I put it. Inevitably, I’ll end up catching the cable on something that results in the earpiece being yanked out, which can be painful. Mostly, though, it’s just extremely frustrating. That’s why I’ve looked forward to reviewing Inateck’s BH1001 Bluetooth headset. 

Unlike some wireless headsets that feature a sturdy neckband, the BH1001 simply consists of an audio cable with in-line controls and then the two ear plugs. When not in use, the two ends snap together to make a whole thanks to built-in magnets. Snapping the ends together serves to pause the music, as well as keeping the headphones safely around your neck in a necklace-like fashion. In case you were curious, the headset weighs 19 grams (according to my kitchen scale).

Volume controls inhabit the space on the rear of the in-line control; while on the front the Inateck logo; the power button, microphone, and LED are present.  It’s a perfunctory piece of equipment that does the job with no unnecessary fuss. The buttons are easy to navigate, and the LED is bright but not blinding. When pairing with a new device, you just have to press the power button until the LED flashes Red/Blue to pair it via Bluetooth 4.1. Pressing the power button again will switch the headphones off. Simples.

The headphones are neatly packed into a useful little carrying case, which also has space for a USB cable and spare ear plugs. The carry-case material is water-resistant and helps protect the headphones when not in use. I found it especially useful at the gym, and it also minimized the risk of losing the cable or spare ear tips.

The ear plugs are made out of silicon, making them easy to maintain. The BH1001 headset carries the IPX4 rating, which enables them to withstand water splashing against them for around 5 minutes, basically, they are sweat-proof. Which is no bad thing, whether you are exercising or just out and about.

As you can see in the image above, the BH1001 headset is rechargeable, all you have to do is connect the included USB cable to a USB socket. The headset takes around 3 hours to charge fully from zero and is then good for around 8 hours of playback, or 20 hours of standby time if using the headset for taking calls from your smartphone.

So, after all that, you might like to know how good the audio is. It’s good, pretty good, in fact. For a $32.99 headset, the level of bass is solid, and the sound itself is loud and clear. I listened to primarily 80’s hits with a good helping of Queen, Guns ‘N Roses, and Metallica, and the sound was good. When Axl Rose hits the high notes in Welcome to the Jungle, there is clarity and power. Make no mistake, though, the BH1001 headset will not take the place of your $265 headphones by Bose. But, if you’re looking for a headset you can listen to music while exercising, with solid, clear sound, and for a reasonable cost, then the BH1001 Bluetooth headset by Inateck could just be the one you are looking for.

As is customary at this point in the review, I do have a couple of niggly complaints. Firstly, the ear plugs would sometimes fall out of my ears. To be fair, it’s a complaint I have with most headsets, and its the reason I tend to stick to over-the-ear headphones. So for that, I must blame my physiology, I obviously have oddly shaped ear openings. Secondly, when both ends of the headset are magnetically joined, the heavy section of the headset rests against the chest. This can become a little uncomfortable after an extended period of running or jumping around. The obvious moral of that story is to plug the earplugs back in and carry on listening to music.

In conclusion, apart from the one complaint that is almost certainly caused by the shape of my ears, there is very little to say against the headset, especially when taking its $32.99 price into consideration. It’s a solid, durable performer that won’t disappoint, so long as you have realistic expectations. You can snag the Inateck BH1001 Bluetooth headset for $32.99 from here.

[Inateck] [Amazon]

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