Canon MG3022

Canon MG3022 wireless printer

I purchased the printer only because I needed a printer right away and was on a budget. I had just purchased a new lap top and had to print some stuff and get it in the mail ASAP. I knew that you get what you pay for and here it really is the case.

My printer is black and ivory a lot bigger than my previous Canon iP 90 which crapped out on me 2 years ago. This one is not portable and needs wi-fi to work. It could be wired but it doesn’t come with a printer cable. Any printer cable will do and I happen to have a couple lying around so that won’t be an issue should I want to use it elsewhere.

The set up for the wi-fi can drive you crazy if you don’t watch their video for every step on YouTube. Most of the time, even if you do what they show you, won’t work. If you use the installation disk that came in the box for the software and drivers, chances are your computer will freeze up like mine did. I ended up downloading the latest install file from their website. If using the disk happens to work for you, you will still need to download the updates so you’re just better off downloading the new install file. All in all I spent 3 hours setting this printer up.

The ink that comes with the printer will not last very long. I printed an alignment and a trial print and used up half of my ink on just 2 sheets. Expect to purchase Pixma 245 xl black and 246 xl color ink immediately. Don’t even bother getting the standard capacity 245 and 246, it’s a waste of money and you will end up buying new ink cartridges very quickly. They are not cheap!

You will need a better software for printing should you want to do anything beyond basics. Their software won’t have it. I couldn’t even print a 2”x2” photo for a passport using their software. The size wasn’t included nor could I add it in. I had to use trial software that came with my new computer to print anything beyond the basic.

The printer has a scanner which is controlled through the software installed on the computer.

I give this printer Canon MG3022 only * (1 star) for price which is under $45 in store and under $40 on the internet. I would not recommend anyone buying this one unless you are a glutton for punishment.

ASUS Laptop X Series X550ZE-WBFX

                ASUS Laptop X Series X550ZE-WBFX AMD FX-Series FX-7500
(2.10 GHz) 8 GB Memory 1 TB HDD AMD Radeon R5 M230 15.6" Windows 10 Home
 64-Bit

ASUS Laptop X Series X550ZE-WBFX

The lap top looks very sleek, attractive and the speed on the Asus is okay and works well for what I need the lap top for. It also has plenty of memory all around. Overall, though, I am somewhat disappointed. I should have remembered the saying “you get what you pay for” but unfortunately I was on a budget. 

The lap top comes with the bare minimum software and at first start up you have a choice of installing some useless trial applications along with a lite version of anti-virus software. Not knowing that most of them were useless trial apps to me and what actually came with the lap top, I installed a few. It was like malware with constant nag windows to buy. The Asus online storage is okay but don’t need it. It too has constant nag windows to upgrade. I uninstalled everything but the Windows program, Office and a free PDF file reader which I had installed at my first startup which I like.  I installed my own anti-virus which I’ve used for decades.

The batteries are sub standard and although it shows that they are good for 3hrs, I only get about an hour of use out of them. They will not charge to 100% , only to 99%. After about 5 minutes of use the available power has dropped down to 65%. I had the laptop fully charged, after plugging it in and powering it up, I noticed that the batteries were in the process of being charged. I had lost approximately 20% of battery power as it sat sat unplugged and power turned off. I never had that situation with my other laptop.

The key pad works well but the mouse pad is garbage and doesn’t work well unless I’m a bit rough with it. I’m just going to have to get myself a mouse. The DVD/R is cheap but for now it works.

Windows 10 is a little getting used to especially when upgrading from Windows Xp. I hate the menu setup along with their browser. Maybe I'm used to xp or just getting old and like things a bit easier to navigate through but dislike Windows 10. Others say they like it.

Had I known that this lap top was not what I expected, I would have purchased one much better than this after several more months of saving up for one.

I give this ASUS Laptop X Series X550ZE-WBFX only ** (2 stars) because of good speed and memory.

Ace, Hinged Knee Brace

Ace, Hinged Knee Brace

I’ve been suffering from arthritis and often times my right knee ends up getting the blunt of it and becomes very painful to walk and could last for weeks. This brace is intended for knee injuries, but I thought that I would try it anyway hoping it would help. The brace is much bulkier than it looks like on the box. It’s made from Butyl neoprene, nylon, polyester, polypropylene and Eva foam. It can be used on either leg. It was easy enough but a little time consuming putting it on. It has several hook and loop straps along with Velcro.

There are very rigid edges which were digging into my leg. The Velcro was also doing the same thing making the brace uncomfortable to wear. The box says nothing about needing some sort of a knee sleeve to go under for protection. I picked up one from a sporting goods store and put it under the brace, no more pinching the skin. I wore it for two days comfortably, even to bed and removed it after the pain had disappeared. I don’t know whether the metal hinges make any difference on the brace or if it’s just hype. I would surmise that their hingeless brace would work just as well. Make sure that you get some sort of a sleeve to go under to protect your skin from the edges and Velcro otherwise you will be in more discomfort. Yes, it’s another product made in China.

I give this **** (4 stars) out of 5 because I had to go out and buy a sleeve for it before I could wear it.

Sound Spa Rejuvenate by Homedics

Sound Spa Rejuvenate by Homedics

The sound spa Rejuvenate is a sound machine made in China for the purpose of helping those with difficulties in falling asleep. You definitely get what you pay for here! It has 6 nature sounds, one of which is white noise. The others being thunder, summer night, brook, ocean and rain. To me the worst sound is the summer night that has an annoying ventilation fan along with the sound of a cricket in it. The added fan sound is nothing in the summer nights in nature I’m accustomed to. For that matter it isn’t even a nature sound. All sounds are mono/lo-fi with the lack of ability to combine one with another. I don’t know about you but I don’t hear nature in lo-fi. There is no way of changing the event time, slower or faster loop repeat. The cost is just under twenty bucks.

My purpose in getting the Sound Spa was not for sleep deprivation but for background ambiance for an area I created to simulate a cottage by the lake feel, using my art. It’s a place I spend a lot of time relaxing and entertaining. I purchased my first one not knowing the quality of sounds and the lack of information on the box. I was also hoping to find some birds chirping somewhere on it… nope. It was white but compact and portable. It needed 4 double AA batteries, not included. It comes with a power adapter but I have no outlets near by.

When I turned it on, it played the thunder. I wasn’t very impressed by it and then played the other sounds in sequence. They were just as bad, poor quality sound. There are 6 buttons below the speaker to change the sounds and volume controls on the right. Volume levels are digitally set with no adjustment for infinite levels. The on/off switch and the 15, 30 and 60 minute timer is to the left of the speaker.

I was hoping to see an output for a second or external speaker for a wider effect but it had none. I placed the unit in an inconspicuous place to see what kind of effect I would have with just mono. I wasn’t too impressed. I went out to my local Walmart and bought a second unit. I set it up and placed it on the opposite wall away from the first one and turned both units on; first the one on my right and then the left. I wanted to hear the first sound in my right ear rather than my left giving it a wider prospective. Because there is a slight delay in sound from one unit to the other, I now have stereo effect. I can also play 2 different sounds simultaneously i.e. thunder and rain. I also get much more realistic sounds of nature now using two units rather than one with a crappy lo-fi.

I did try it to help me fall a sleep as I do have a problem in that area as well. I've been listening to the fan of a window air conditioner which has helped, however with winter coming, I'm going to need something else. I find that the sounds are too harsh for me with no decent adjustment for the volume. Since it's digital, the volume settings are either too loud or too quiet...nothing in between. The harsh sounds are annoying and instead of helping me fall a sleep, they hinder it. If there was a tone control on the unit, it would help soften the sound. I can also hear the loop in each of the sounds as I concentrate on them.

If I had to rate this item from 1-10 stars, I would give it ** (2 stars) due to the lack in quality of sound and options. If you are looking to purchase this inexpensive sound machine with harsh sounds, want a little more than just poor quality mono, get two and run them at the same time. They’re inexpensive enough not to. They don’t need to be in sync to work well, just remember to separate them so that they hit each different ear, one for the right and one for the left. I would have them far enough away from your ears so that the harshness might be absorbed somewhere in the room softening the sound. Try the ocean sound that way!