Wombat Pine Pro

An Unfamiliar Name Proves Intriguing

Continuing the fall keyboard review season with the interesting Wombat Pine Pro:

Mechanical keyboard makers generally fall into two broad categories: established gaming peripheral companies and a series of upstarts, like Keychron and Epomaker, focused purely on mechanical boards. Wombat Keyboards is neither and, like the company, its Pine Pro keyboard feels like a unique entry into a market flooded with very similar offerings.

Das Keyboard MacTigr

Metadot Exquisitely Crafts a Mac-focused Keyboard

I’ve been reviewing keyboards once again on OFB, this week a new Mac-focused keyboard from one of my favorite keyboard makers, Metadot:

At the height of the rage around the first consumer marketed Hummer, later rechristened the H1, I remember getting the chance to climb into one at the nation’s leading dealer of that incredibly robust SUV. The vehicle was capable of tackling terrain no car I’ve ever owned could, but also was incredibly basic on certain creature comforts. This is a professional tool. That analogy aptly fits the Das Keyboard MacTigr, the curiously spelled, newly released keyboard from Metadot.

Buying an iPad in Fall 2022

The Choices are Great -- and Clearer than Before

I know a lot of people get confused about which iPad they need to buy for what they want to do. This guide is my stab at helping to sort out the options and what might be right for you.

RavPower Mini External SSD Pro Hard Drive

It is Better than a Thumb Drive

I take a look at RavPower’s tiny, portable SSD:

When the pandemic hit last year, it threw me into a world where I was doing vastly more video editing than I did previously. Anyone who has spent time splicing and dicing video files knows those files can fill up storage devices really quickly and they are a pain to transfer between computers. Enter the new class of tiny, pocketable, external SSDs like the RavPower Mini External SSD Pro.

Compression Issues Mar a Nifty, Cheap Live Streaming Tool

A Look at the Esywen USB 3.0 Video Capture Card

I’m continuing a series of reviews of live streaming gear with a look at one of the plethora of generic video capture devices that have shown up in the last year:

For most of last year, it was nearly impossible to get a name brand video capture card for a computer. These devices help to take video from a camera, video game console or other device and make it usable on your computer to record or stream. In a world that was dependent on streaming, well known cards like Elgato’s were selling for several times over their original price, giving room for a whole range of generic cards. Some of them are pretty good, so let’s consider one of them.

Pixel Voical Wireless Mic System

A Highly Portable Wireless Mic for Your Camera

I’ve learned more than I thought I ever would about microphones this past year courtesy of the pandemic. So, why not review a few? Here’s my latest take on an oddly named microphone system:

Can an affordable and seemingly misspelled wireless mic system help you with your live streams, Zoom meetings and other audio and video projects? We’ll find out as OFB Labs puts the Pixel’s Voical (sic) Wireless Mic system to the test.

A Look at the Weeylite Sprite 20 Light Kit

The Impressively Light Lights for Photo and Video

If you are new to photography or videography, it is easy to overlook the importance of lighting in producing truly great results. Advances driven by machine learning photography from Apple and Google are seriously reducing the utter necessity of lighting in many situations, but if you are aiming for the best quality video, pushing your live stream into pro territory or leveraging light for artistic photography, lighting gear is your friend. And an affordable set from the maker of Viltrox lenses is a really good way to get started.

Improving My Coffee Game

Testing the Miroco 1.7 Liter Electric Tea Kettle

I have slowly been trying to improve my home barista skills for years, using the delightfully clever Areopress to make coffee when I have time for more than my normal rush to Keurigland. Recently, I have added pour over coffee into my repertoire as well. Both methods have the “flaw” of being dependent on that old fashioned task of boiling water. Both are improved with an electric tea kettle like one Miroco provided for us to test.

Live Streaming with Mevo

Last year, I put together a little overview of using the Mevo line of live streaming cameras for churches rushing to do live streaming in the midst of the pandemic. Since then, Mevo also released a new camera with a lot of additional features. We haven’t been able to look at that new model yet, but below is the guide I put together last year, which still serves as a good entry point into the world of live streaming with Mevo.

Buzzing About the Neat Worker Bee

A High Quality and Affordable Microphone

My work has become highly dependent on live streaming since COVID hit. I wanted a good quality microphone to improve live stream quality without breaking the bank. I found a lot of options that were of uncertain quality, but affordable, and plenty of well known quality with a price to match. Then, I found something neat: the Neat Worker Bee.