Most all of us have moments when we’re just too warm. Whether it’s at your desk at work, while you’re sleeping at night, or any number of other places there are times when you’d love to have your own personal cooling system. Originally launched on Indiegogo, Evapolar wants to be your very own personal air cooler. Keep reading to see how it works in this full review.

Specifications

Evapolar includes the following features and specifications:

• Evaporative Air Cooler


• Functions: Cooling / Humidifying / Cleaning


• Cooling Capacity (BTU): 340-1200 BTU


• dBA Level: 28-40 dB


• Water Tank: 750 ml


• Power Supply: 5V / 2A Mirco USB


• ETL Listed: Yes


• Cooling power: 100-350 W


• Size: 174 x 170 x 170 mm


• Weight (without water): 1.3 kg


• Power consumption: 10 W


• Micro-USB plug 5V 2A; works with power bank


• Sleep Mode


• Cange the speed of the airflow


• Choose the color of the water tank light


• Adjust low water alert


• Choose C°/F°


• Won’t cool big rooms; designed for personal use


• Temperature drop depends on your conditions


• Won’t give desired results in climates with humidity higher than 70%


• Won’t cool if the temperature is lower than 65°F

What’s in the Box

• Evapolar


• Micro-USB to USB-A power cable


• USB AC Power Adapter


• Quick Start Guide


• Product Guide

Everything you need to get started.

Design

The Evapolar unit is a 6 ¾” rounded cube. The front of the unit includes the vent, through which the internal filter can be seen. The clear plastic removable water reservoir is on the left side, though you can see one end of that reservoir from the front as well. The back includes an air intake as well as the Micro-USB power input. The top includes the multi-function button, which acts as power as well as the display for the entire operation. That display is surrounded by a rotating dial which allows you to navigate the various menus and options as well as adjust the air output of your Evapolar during operation.

The water reservoir has a hinged plastic lid across the entire top for easy filling, plus a notch along the inside that fits into a ridge on the body of the unit itself in order to keep the reservoir aligned properly when putting it back together. The bottom of the reservoir includes a plug that allows the water to escape into the machine itself. My only complaint about the design of the Evapolar is that the water tank is a bit difficult to remove. The sides are smooth, so you kind of have to hold the machine in one hand, and rock the tank back and forth a bit in the other to remove it. If you lift the lid and try to pull it off that way, the cap on the top of the tank will simply come off. It would be nice to have maybe just a small lip or grip of some type near the top of the tank in order to make its removal a bit easier.

The water reservoir fits tightly (as it should) but that makes it a bit difficult to remove.

The outer casing of the Evapolar unit can be removed in order to get at the replaceable evaporative cooling filter cartridge or to clean out the inside of the machine if necessary. All in all, this is a well-designed machine that doesn’t take up a lot of room and looks good sitting on your desk. Evapolar is available in white, black, and blue.

Ease of Use

At its most basic, you really just have to fill the water reservoir, attach it to the machine, and plug in your Evapolar via either the included USB AC adapter or into an appropriately powered USB port. Evapolar will automatically turn on when plugged in, so you’ll want to be sure to fill the water reservoir first. To turn the device on or off otherwise, simply press and hold the multifunction button on top for a few seconds. The fan will start up, and the water will start to siphon out of the reservoir and into the machine itself. While running, the button — which doubles as the information panel/screen — will display the fan level as segments in a ring surrounding the outer edge of the button. On the inside, you’ll see two temperatures: the incoming air temperature on top, and the outgoing air temperature on the bottom. An animated spinning fan sits at the very bottom of the button in its default state.

The display is bright and shows all necessary information in an easy to read manner.

The dial surrounding the button will, by default, adjust the fan speed of your Evapolar. It also acts as the control dial for the menus, which are reached by tapping the button on top. The available menu options are: Night Mode (lighting turns off and display lighting dims), Lighting Color (change the color of your lighting from several options), Lighting Brightness (pretty self-explanatory), Measurement Units (choose from Celsius or Fahrenheit), and Notifications, which changes the color of the light when the water level gets too low. Here you can change the color of that alert, or turn that notification off altogether.

Once you’ve picked a lighting color that you like, the measurement unit that you prefer, and your other various settings, you’ll mostly just need to use the dial for its default purpose of adjusting the fan speed.

Performance

Evapolar is your personal air cooler, so it’s definitely not meant to cool large areas. As long as you understand that going in you’ll have the right frame of mind. Evapolar creates its own microclimate in the immediate area in front of the unit. It’s perfect for your desk at work, or even your bedside table while you’re sleeping. The evaporative process cools and humidifies the air, creating a comfortable environment for a few square feet around you.

Evapolar has a nice design in a compact package.

I’ve been using Evapolar on my desk at work. An unseasonably warm winter combined with my building’s complete and utter inability to keep a comfortable temperature at any time made for a great testing environment. I generally keep a fan running on my desk at all times, but swapped that out for Evapolar (and occasionally ran the two in tandem). Even at its highest fan speed, Evapolar is definitely quieter than my mini tower fan. Its cooling effect is immediately noticeable and was definitely more pronounced than my fan as well.

No matter what temperature of water you add to the reservoir, Evapolar will take a short time to “warm up” and start cooling as the evaporative filter absorbs water from the reservoir. The internal filter cartridge is removable, and it’s suggested that you replace it every 6-8 months, so you don’t need to worry about using tap water versus filtered or even distilled water. The replacement cartridges are $25 and can be purchased from Evapolar or other outlets.

A full reservoir of water should get you about 3-5 hours of cooling depending on the temperature and humidity where you set it up. The water will drain from the reservoir quite a lot more quickly than that though, so if you intend to use Evapolar while you’re sleeping you’ll want to turn it on maybe a half hour before you go to bed, and then refill the reservoir completely just before going to sleep. That will give you a few extra hours of cooling. When the water runs out, Evapolar will continue to run and cool as the evaporative elements will still be saturated. Even when it has dried out completely it will continue to circulate and filter the air, though there will be no additional cooling effect.

Price/Value

Priced at $179 USD along with a recurring charge for replacement cartridges, Evapolar is definitely more expensive than most normal desk fans. The added cooling and air filtering effects are absolutely above and beyond what normal desk fans offer under most circumstances though. If your desk is just uncomfortably warm, or you need a bit of extra cooling while you sleep, Evapolar will definitely be beneficial to you. If you buy in the next few days, you can save a couple of dollars at NewEgg, where Evapolar is only $159 until 4/22/2017.

Wrap Up

Evapolar was brought to life thanks to more than 6,000 backers on Indiegogo that believed in this project. Now that it is available to the public, you should really check it out if you need a personal air cooler of your own.

*We were sent a review sample of Evapolar for the purposes of this review.

Evapolar

$179.99 USD

Design

9/10

Ease of Use

9/10

Performance

9/10

Price/Value

9/10

Nailed it

• Compact size fits easily wherever you need it


• Strong cooling under most normal circumstances


• Provides a perfect personal area of cooling


• Can be powered via most external batteries

Needs work

• Water reservoir is a bit difficult to remove


• A longer lasting internal cartridge would be nice

T

he Spectre 13 x360 that I strangely loved from late last year is back with a 4K screen and pen support for the Windows Creators update that went global this month. There’s also a new EliteBook x360 for enterprise users, with beefed-up security via a fingerprint scanner, Windows Hello and always-on security monitoring for the BIOS.

One x360 laptop is better for work, the other for multimedia. Both are some of the best Windows machines out there, but with a few caveats.

A Secure Laptop Is Only As Good As The Network It’s On

HP EliteBooks are often sold in contracts to corporations or startups that need Windows systems in bulk for their employees. The EliteBook x360 is no different, except we haven’t seen the x360 hinge with a pen before on an EliteBook. The result is a work machine that can be laid flat with its dual microphones for a conference call, but can transform into a tablet with pen support — reminiscent of the Microsoft Surface experience. This functionality is assisted by the Windows Creators update that added Paint 3D, Windows Ink in Photos/Edge and a whole suite of features that I went over already.

Specs-wise, the EliteBook x360 is similar to its consumer-oriented counterpart. A Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, a sharp 1080p HD screen and lots of legacy ports — HDMI-out, microSD, secure card, Kensington lock slot, etc. — are all included.

But if it’s just a powerful Windows laptop you’re looking for, then the Spectre will suit you just fine.

The difference between the EliteBook and the Spectre is most notably: security. Every 15 seconds the BIOS is scanned for tampering. If detected, the EliteBook shuts down and installs a fresh copy of the BIOS. Of course, the whole system is also encrypted and supported by Windows 10 Pro.

There’s also quite a few ways to lock the system: Windows Hello facial recognition (via infrared camera), a fingerprint sensor or the HP WorkWise app (iOS/Android) that acts like as a proximity lock, like the key fob to a Tesla or similar luxury car.

Battery life is solid, ranging from 12 to 15 hours in my personal use.

However, your system is really only as secure as your connection to the internet is and the services you use. A VPN, good judgement of networks, sites, files and personal network security (or the corporate network managed by an IT manager) is what will decide whether your system gets compromised or not.

But fret not: if all of that physical access security isn’t enough, HP partnered with 3M to start shipping EliteBooks with an optional SureView privacy filter. It activates 35 degrees from the center viewpoint, getting brighter, not darker to provide a privacy filter. The con is you’ll take an hour battery life penalty, but the trade-off is it can be easily activated from the keyboard.

4K And Pen Support — That’s it?

I’m torn with the new Spectre x360: I recommended it wholeheartedly last year, as did a number of other publications. It’s been less than six months and now there’s a 4K option with the same internals.

In the real-world, having a 4K screen doesn’t offer that much of an advantage over the original model — other than limited high-res content consumption, or if you just like pixels. To top it off, 13-inch 4K screen doesn’t adhere to any color grading standard (like Adobe’s for example), which would make it great for multimedia editing.

So it really is just a pretty face, driven by otherwise compelling hardware.

However, the quality of the visual upgrade is highly noticeable. The regular full HD panel looks like an Etch-A-Sketch in comparison. When buying a new laptop like this, you’ll need to ask yourself if trading a few hours of battery life for 3,840 x 2,160 pixels is worth it — in this case, it really isn’t.

While I used to proudly reach 10 hours of usage on the HD Spectre x360, I can only get by 6-7 hours on the 4K model. Time I could have spent working or watching (with content) on a less crisp, but still vibrant and sharp HD screen.

In summary, I’d pass on the 4K for the consumer x360 and go for extra security on the enterprise x360.

Prices as Reviewed: $1,269+ for EliteBook x360, $1,599 for Spectre x360 with 4K

There are times when it is difficult, or even inappropriate to pull out your phone. But sometimes if you’re expecting an important phone call, email, or some other notification you’ll still want to be able to react quickly. We’ve talked about the Pinn Kickstarter campaign recently, and were lucky enough to get our hands on a near-final piece of hardware to see how it works. In this review, please keep in mind that Pinn is a nearly finished product, but there may still be some small changes to hardware, software, or both. Keep reading to see how Pinn handles your daily communication needs.

Specifications

Pinn includes the following features and specifications:

• Microphone
  
  • Directional Characteristic: Omni-directional
  
  
  • Frequency Range: 100Hz ~ KHz
  
  
  • Output Impedance: 450Ω @ 1kHz
  
  


• Audio Specifications
  
  • Impedance: 16 Ω at 1KHz
  
  
  • Frequency Range: 20-20,000 Hz
  
  
  • Output Sound: 105 dB SPL +1 2dB
  
  
  • Speaker Max Volume: +14 dB
  
  
  • Earbud Max Volume: -9 dB
  
  
  • Speaker Impedance (DC): Receiver: 160hm
  
  
  • Loud Speaker: 80hm (700mW)
  
  
  • Bandwidth: 20 hz~20khz
  
  
  • aptX: High-quality Bluetooth sound, audio codec (CD quality)
  
  
  • CVC: Clear voice capture and noise reduction
  
  


• Compatibility
  
  • iOS 7.0 or above with Bluetooth 4.0 or later
  
  
  • Android 5.0.0 or above with Bluetooth 4.0 or later
  
  


• Earbud
  
  • Dimensions: 22.5mm x 21.8mm x 27.4mm (.88” x .85” x 1.08”)
  
  
  • Weight: 4.59g
  
  
  • Battery: 25 mAh Rechargeable Li-ion Polymer
  
  
  • Charging Time: 120 minutes
  
  
  • Wireless: BT Classic 2.1
  
  
  • Wireless Range: 30 feet / 10 meters
  
  


• Clip
  
  • Dimensions: 21.69mm x 71.59mm x 15.47mm (.85” x 2.81” x .6”)
  
  
  • Weight: 20.5g
  
  
  • Battery: 80 mAh Rechargeable Li-ion Polymer
  
  
  • Charging Time: 140 minutes
  
  
  • Wireless: BLE 4.1
  
  
  • Charged Capsule Support: Clip docking charges
  
  
  • Charging Type: Standard MicroUSB Connection
  
  


• Materials
  
  • Earbuds: PC Plastic
  
  
  • Ear-tips: Silicone
  
  
  • Clip: Aluminum, PC Plastic, Urethane, Silicone
  
  

What’s in the Box

• Pinn — Earbud and Clip


• MicroUSB charging cable


• 3 x Replacement ear tips

All you’ll need to get started

Design

Pinn was inspired by the pager of the early 90s, but it looks a bit more like the elongated Bluetooth headset models. This is somewhat accurate, since it does include a detachable earphone, but there’s quite a lot more to this than just a pager or Bluetooth headset.

The device itself measures about 2 ¾” long and just about ¾” wide at its widest. It tapers slightly towards the front of the device. Pinn is just over ½” tall including the clip but excluding the Bluetooth earbud, and just barely over 1” tall taking the earbud into account.

Pinn is constructed out of aluminum and plastics, with a black plastic ring around the OLED display on the front. The Pinn logo is located just above the display as well as on the removable Bluetooth earbud, while just below the display is the speaker. On the tip of the device, you’ll find a 3.5mm audio port, while on one edge you’ll find the power/escape button and covered MicroUSB charging input. The Pinn team will be tweaking the final design for the charging port cover very slightly to make it easier to open. The other edge includes multi-function up and down buttons as well as a select button.

The Bluetooth earbud is shaped as a rounded trapezoid with a small button on one end and the microphone on the other. The earbud has an LED indicator in the middle of the Pinn logo as well. The earbud has a relatively long “neck” which includes the connection socket where the contact pins on the main body connect to the earbud. At the end is a pretty standard ear tip. The tip is white, which will obviously show dirt, dust, and other contaminates (i.e. earwax) more clearly. The earbud connects to the main body via the aforementioned pins, while two retractable plastic arms grip the earbud, keeping it attached.

The pins and retractable plastic arms that hold the Earbud in place.

On the bottom of the device is the clip. The fulcrum is near the tip of the device just under the 3.5mm jack, so the clip opens near the Bluetooth earbud. The clip opens easily and clamps down pretty securely to keep your Pinn attached to whatever you want to clip it to.

Display

The OLED display is bright and very easy to read. The default state shows the time, battery level, and message status in large letters. When you receive a notification, the screen will display appropriate information based on the type of notification. For example for a text message, the sender’s name will appear on the top line while the message will scroll underneath. Caller ID information will be displayed with a phone icon on the left side, the caller’s phone number (or contact information if they are in your contacts) on the top line and “Incoming Call” on the bottom line. The information displayed will vary based on the notification, and you can set up nearly any app on your phone to display notifications on Pinn, but I’ll talk more about that in the software section below.

Ease of Use

Setting up your Pinn is pretty easy, as it’s really a Bluetooth device at heart. You’ll want to make sure the earbud is docked to the clip before starting. Then, simply power on the Pinn, at which time both the clip and the earbud will enter pairing mode. Pair both items in the Bluetooth settings on your phone and you’re ready to go. Once paired, you’ll want to dig into the app (available for iOS and Android) to set up what types of notifications Pinn should display. One pretty important setting you’ll want to check will be based on how you intend to clip your Pinn. You are able to flip the display 180° in the device settings so that you’re able to see and read the display no matter which direction you clip it.

The clip covers most of the length of the Pinn Clip.

Navigating the different options on the clip are handled via the buttons, and most of them act as you’d probably expect. Tapping the power button turns on the screen, while double tapping the power button brings up the menu. The up/down buttons are, as you’d probably already guessed, used to navigate up/down or right/left in the various option menus as well as controlling volume. The select button selects things, and will also turn on the screen with a double tap. Navigating around through the screens takes a bit of getting used to, but it is really pretty straightforward and has only a very small learning curve.

Software

The app is available for iOS and Android and covers the basics that Pinn needs to work. In the app, you’ll need to provide access to several permissions in order for your Pinn to work properly, and once permitted you’ll have options to either turn on or off various notifications. The basic notifications include call information for incoming and missed calls, Caller ID, Text Messages, and Other Notifications, which allows any other app to push notifications to your device.

The next menu item under “Other Notifications” allows you to choose any additional apps that you’d like to see displayed. You’re given a full list of all installed apps and simply check or un-check the box next to each app to turn notifications on or off. All apps are un-checked by default, so you’ll need to turn on any apps you’d like to see.

The Android app is mostly there to turn notifications on or off and select the apps you’d like to ping your Pinn.

The only settings currently listed are the incoming call ringtone, of which there are five available options. Below that is Find my Pinn, which will make your device beep if it’s within Bluetooth range of your phone (tap once to start, tap again to stop). Below that is a software update option.

There are a few features mentioned in the Kickstarter campaign that at least in this software build aren’t quite ready. The selfie-clicker function, for example, is a bit of a work in progress at the moment. On Android, you’re asked to open the Pinn app and then select the selfie clicker function on the Pinn itself via the menu. As of right now, selecting the selfie clicker (with the app open or closed) starts to open the camera app, but it hangs at a black screen with the camera icon overlaid on my Nexus 6P. This is a known issue, and the team is hammering out a few issues with devices running Android 7.0 or higher. This will be a useful function for some once it is available though.

The app will see updates to add functionality and polish prior to launch, but for now, even in its current state, it does enough to get you up and going.

Performance

After the initial setup, your experience will depend largely on how you expect to use your Pinn. Your first decision will likely be where you plan on clipping it. For the most part during my testing, I’d wear Pinn in the button flap of my polo shirts, and set it on my desk for a quick way to check notifications. This worked pretty well, though I’d sometimes have to move it a bit when driving since my seat belt would go directly across where it was clipped. Wherever you end up clipping, you’ll barely even notice that it’s there. Pinn is very small and light.

Clip and Earbud

I’ll talk more about the mic and audio performance in later sections, but using Pinn to make phone calls or listen to media was pretty effective. I did find that I needed to stick the earbud pretty deep into my ear to ensure that it wouldn’t fall out. This gave me a bit of a problem being able to hit the button on the earbud, as it was jammed back into my ear. Provided you’re in a quiet enough location, I found out entirely by accident (I was driving and just put the earbud in backward) that you can just flip the earbud around so the button is on the front. You’ll need to be in a quiet location though because that puts the mic back in the interior area of your ear.

Reading notifications is easy on the OLED screen. You should not take this as an alternative to staring at your phone while driving, as neither is safe and I’d imagine both could get you pulled over and ticketed, or worse. In appropriate settings though, seeing and reading notifications is easy. The text of the notification will scroll along on the bottom line, allowing you to check your notification without looking at your phone. For more detailed notifications you may still want to grab your phone, but Pinn will let you check and dismiss the easy stuff without getting your phone every time. You can not only read these notifications but also reply using your voice, which is a perfect segue into my next thoughts.

Using voice controls works as you would anticipate. Anything you’re able to do with Siri or Google Assistant/Google Now via the mic on your phone, you can do via the mic on your Pinn. A double tap on the earbud button will invoke Siri or Google Now. Reply to messages, search for directions, Pinn will be able to handle those sorts of things via your phone’s voice controls.

Earbud connectors and multi-function button.

Pinn will also let you know if you’ve wandered too far away from your phone. That was also a bit of a surprise at first. I walked into my house and Pinn wouldn’t stop beeping, until I realized that I’d left my phone in my car, and it was just reminding me of that fact.

Pinn is definitely in a pretty near-final state. Most everything works exactly as it’s supposed to, and a couple of items that aren’t quite ready are actively being worked on. If you’re backing this campaign you’re going to get a functional product when all is said and done.

Sound Quality

I wasn’t expecting too much from a speaker as small as what’s on board here, though, for a speaker of its size, Pinn is able to put out pretty decent sound. You’re obviously not going to get anything earth-shaking here, but for a speakerphone device you can definitely use it for a little bit of music, or GPS directions, or video watching in a pinch. The earbud works similarly well.

I didn’t have any issues on the Pinn that I used for testing, but the team is making a slight change to the earbud for the final hardware that will ship to Kickstarter backers and to retail. They discovered a small air gap during the assembly process that in some instances affected the sound quality of the earbud. Backers should end up getting an even better sounding earbud, though as I mentioned I did not have any problems with what I heard.

Plugging headphones into the 3.5mm jack provides a pretty standard Bluetooth audio experience. Your results will obviously vary based on what you’re plugging in, but the audio quality is what you’d expect from a streaming Bluetooth setup.

Did your phone ditch the 3.5mm jack? No worries, Pinn has you covered.

Running audio through Pinn is especially nice when you’re in public, where you can quickly pop off the earbud and listen to your videos, Snapchat stories, or any other audio without blaring it for all to hear.

Microphone/Voice Quality

The microphone is located on the earbud, so that’s what will pick up your voice whether you have the earbud in your ear, or docked to the clip. Since the earbud is relatively small, I did have callers occasionally need me to repeat myself, especially in noisy surroundings, since the mic is several inches away from my mouth. In quiet areas, callers had no issues hearing and understanding me. Other than the occasional request to repeat myself, callers could hear me clearly, and I could hear callers without issue via the earbud.

Docked into the clip lets Pinn act as a speakerphone, and the same conditions as the earbud apply. In quiet locations, I had no issues at all. Callers could hear me and I could hear callers without issue. In noisier environments, there is again a slight drop but you are still able to hear callers pretty clearly.

Battery Life

If you don’t have a lot of notifications set up, or don’t make a lot of phone calls, your Pinn should run in standby mode for well over a full day — it’s estimated at approximately 38 hours. If you do get a lot of notifications and phone calls you should probably expect to recharge your Pinn every night while you’re sleeping, but should otherwise get a full day of use out of it.

Pinn profile shot.

The earbud should last for around 75 minutes per charge and can be recharged two full times when plugged back into the clip. My phone calls generally aren’t anywhere close to that long, and I really just plugged the earbud back into the clip when it wasn’t in use. I could definitely get a full day on a single charge though, and usually a few days with light use when turning Pinn off at night.

Price/Value

Pinn will ultimately have an MSRP of $199USD, though right now while the Kickstarter is still active you have a few chances to get one for a bit less. The Early Bird tier is still available at $129USD, and the Kickstarter Special gets you in on the action at $169USD. The value you’ll find in Pinn depends very largely on how you’re planning on using it. I see definite value for those who spend a lot of time on the phone or need a quick and easy way to interact with their phone without pulling it out of their pocket all the time.

Wrap Up

Pinn is a unique way to use your phone without actually looking at your phone. It gives you pertinent information at a glance, gives you easy voice control options, and offers multiple ways to make calls or listen to music/GPS directions/etc. It might not be for everyone, but for people that are looking for what Pinn can provide, it’s definitely a solid piece of hardware. Pinn is also successfully funded already, so you won’t have to worry if you’re considering backing the project during its final few days. Give Pinn a look, it does what it says, and does it well.

*We were sent a review sample of Pinn for the purposes of this review.

Pinn

$199 USD

Design

9/10

Display

9/10

Ease of Use

9/10

Software

9/10

Performance

9/10

Sound Quality

9/10

Microphone/Voice Quality

9/10

Battery Life

10/10

Price/Value

9/10

Nailed it

• Solid design


• Easy to read display


• Works as expected


• Very small and light


• Multiple options for audio


• Adds a 3.5mm jack if your phone doesn’t have one

Needs work

• Earbud has to stick pretty deep in your ear


• White eartips show dirt and debris more easily


• Small learning curve to get the hang of the button combinations

Sleep and light therapy aren’t anything new, but there are certainly more products available on the market today that combine the two with optional apps. If you’re unfamiliar with either, colour light therapy simulates wavelengths which trigger subtle biological responses which can help improve sleep, energy, and mood. Sound therapy, on the other hand, uses pre-recorded and engineered sounds to cancel out distractions and allow your mind to calm.

Our iHome Zenergy review takes a look at a bedside sleep therapy machine with both color light and sound therapy, Bluetooth clock radio, and USB charging.

Specifications

The iHome Zenergy has the following features and specifications:

• Built-in sound therapy with relaxing sound modes with Tone Adjust EQ
  
  • Natural Sounds: Heart Beat, Ocean, Nature, Storm
  
  
  • Tonal Sounds: Dream Tones, Peace, Zen
  
  
  • White Noise: Air (brown noise), Focus (pink noise), Peace (white noise), Quiet (white noise)
  
  


• 11 Light Therapy patterns
  
  • Nighttime Lighting: Calm, Breath, Sunset
  
  
  • Morning Lighting: Flash, Energy, Dawn
  
  
  • Daytime Lighting: Aurora, Pulse, Glow, Color, Lamp
  
  


• Bluetooth


• Aux-in


• Dual Alarm Clocks


• Alarm battery backup


• Dual Sleep Timers


• 6 FM Radio Presets


• Speakerphone


• USB Charging


• Auto Display Mode


• Dimensions: 5.56″ W x 5.83″ H x 4.96″ D


• Weight: 1.35 lbs

What’s in the box

• iHome Zenergy Bedside Sleep Therapy Machine


• Power adapter


• 3.5mm AUX cable


• Instruction manual

Design

The iHome Zenergy Sleep Therapy Machine has a pretty nice design. When looking from any of the three sides, it’s rectangular with curved left and right edges. All three sides are covered in a soft white fabric which wraps around each of the corners with the exception of the back strip. On the front face, you’ll find the iHome logo in the lower left-hand corner and the display screen which shows the time, sound mode, light mode, and other information sits centered near the bottom of the front.

The iHome Zenergy has a pretty decent design.

When viewed from above, the Zenergy has a rounded triangular shape. The top cap has a silver outer edge which curves over the left- and right-hand sides. The main portion of the top houses a soft grey plastic piece and many of the control and function buttons.

The “control panel” looks confusing at first but is pretty straightforward.

Both the right and left-hand faces have five buttons across the top inset within the silver top cap. The right-hand side has your Zen, Dream, Ocean, Storm, and Nature relaxing sound mode buttons while the left-hand side is where you’ll find the Air, Focus, Quiet, Peace, and Heartbeat white noise sound mode buttons.

The left side sound mode buttons.

The back edge is where you’ll find the Time and Bluetooth Pairing buttons, as well as the 3.5mm AUX jack, USB-A port for charging a mobile device, and the DC 12V/2.5A power port. Just below the power port is an FM antenna wire to help you get a stronger radio signal.

The back ports on the iHome Zenergy.

The bottom has three small rubber feet as well as a battery compartment where you can replace the CR2450 backup battery.

Ease of Use

The iHome Zenergy Bedside Sleep Therapy Machine is pretty easy to use. If you’ve set up and used an alarm clock in the past, the iHome Zenergy isn’t much different, although there are a few more things to set up.

The first thing you’ll probably want to do is sync it to your smartphone via Bluetooth. The first time you turn on the Zenergy, it will automatically enter pairing mode. You can also enter this mode by holding the Bluetooth button on the back of the Zenergy and entering pairing mode. Once paired, you can set the time while holding the Time Set Button on the back of the unit to enable Time Sync, which will sync the time with your paired device whenever they are connected.

There are two alarms that you can set with options that include 7 day, 5 day (weekday), or 2 day (weekend) alarms, wake to phone (which plays the last music track played on your smartphone), wake to radio, wake to buzzer, snooze duration, pre-alarm tone, and pre-alarm light.

You can also set two different sleep timers including audio source, light, and sleep duration.

When the Zenergy is turned on, you can adjust the sound therapy or light therapy mode, as well as stream music from your Bluetooth device, AUX device, listen to FM radio stations, and even use it as a speakerphone if you get an incoming call.

While it sounds like a lot to set up, it is pretty straightforward and the display prompts let you know exactly what you are adjusting and setting.

Software

iHome Zenergy app screenshot. Unfortunately it doesn’t work on Android 7.x.

You can also download the iHome Zenergy app which allows you to control the Zenergy Bedside Sleep Therapy Machine from your phone instead of the buttons on top of it. While it does make it a bit quicker to set your alarm times and sleep modes, you’ll be out of luck if your smartphone runs Android 7.

I tried both the Nexus 6P and Moto Z running Android 7.x and could not get the Zenergy to pair with the app, even though it pairs with both devices through the Bluetooth pairing mode just fine. After numerous attempts of troubleshooting with iHome Support — which consisted of the usual forget Bluetooth connection, uninstall the app, reboot phone, install the app, pair Zenergy to the app before pairing to the phone, I tried with a Nexus 5 running Android 6.x and had no issues connecting to the app.

To be honest, I was a bit annoyed with iHome Support considering I specified that I was using an Android 7 device and that I’d also tried it on two Android 7.x devices. At any rate, the app works but doesn’t offer anything you can’t do on the Zenergy unit itself and isn’t really needed so you won’t be missing anything if you are using an unsupported device.

Performance

There are those who swear by light and sleep therapy machines, while others don’t find them very useful or effective. In the case of the iHome Zenergy Bedside Sleep Therapy Machine, I definitely found the waking cycle made it easier to wake up. After the ten-minute pre-alarm cycle of the Zen sound preset and Energy light preset, I found that once the alarm went off, it wasn’t as jarring as just being woken up without the pre-alarm cycle.

The Energy light therapy mode preset.

On the other hand, I didn’t notice much difference in my sleeping habits when I tried out the sleep timers. I usually find it pretty easy to fall asleep quickly, not to mention it can be a bit tricky to find the right sleep timer when you don’t sleep alone. While I can’t speak to the actual science of light and sound therapy, I can say that I definitely felt a positive difference in the morning when waking up to the Zenergy than without. Unfortunately, I didn’t really notice a difference using the sleep therapy mode the couple times I tried it. As such, your results will most likely vary depending on the type of person you are.

The Calm light therapy mode preset.

The various light and sound modes offered enough variation to suit pretty much any mood or time of day. The included light therapy modes are listed below, I’ll talk more about the sound therapy modes in the next section.

• Aurora: swirling spectrum of colors for day or night mood lighting (not recommended before sleep)


• Pulse: randomized, pulsing colors bring life to your music and visual fun to your environment (not recommended before sleep)


• Glow: gentle fading spectrum of solid colors for day or night mood lighting (not recommended before sleep)


• 1 Color: select the current color


• Energy: swirling blue-toned lights inhibit melatonin, increase morning alertness, and energize the mind


• Calm: swirling red-toned lights calm the mind at night and stimulate the production of melatonin, helping to prepare the body for sleep


• Breath: inhale and hold with the amber light and exhale with the red to lower your heart rate and calm your mind


• Lamp: warm white light, similar to an incandescent bulb (not recommended before sleep)

Aside from the pre-alarm and sleep timer modes, the iHome Zenergy performed well and I never missed an alarm. The Bluetooth time sync is a great feature for time zone changes.

The USB Charging port is a great feature as well, allowing you to plug in your smartphone to charge while you sleep. Charging worked as expected, and you won’t be getting any fast or quick charging out of this but it will easily fully charge your phone overnight.

Sound Quality

Sound quality on the iHome Zenergy falls into two categories: the relaxing/white noise sounds and your Bluetooth/AUX music. One the tonal side, the relaxing and white noise sounds are very pleasant and offer a nice variety depending on your mood.

The various sound options offered on the Zenergy include:

• Zen: tonal melody in frequencies that mimic the Delta brainwaves of a mind in meditation or healing sleep


• Dream: tonal melody in frequencies that mimic the Theta brainwaves of a mind dreaming in REM sleep


• Ocean: authentic, digitally recorded ocean sounds


• Storm: authentic, digitally recorded storm and rainfall sounds


• Nature: authentic, digitally recorded springtime woodland sounds


• Air: brown noise is a low-toned repeating frequency, like a fan, which helps to negate distracting environmental noises


• Focus: pink noise is a medium-toned repeating frequency, like a soothing waterfall, which helps to negate distracting environmental noises


• Quiet: the standard white noise repeating frequency, like radio static, which helps to negate distracting environmental noises


• Peace: white noise and Delta tone melodies layered together help to quiet a noisy environment and an over-active mind


• Hearbeat: listening to a relaxed heart beat encourages your own heart beat to slow to match it

The Bluetooth mode offers independent audio controls, which allows you to set one volume on your smartphone or other paired device and then control the speaker volume separately. This allows you much more control over getting a much more precise listening volume. While the music audio is clear and crisp, there’s really not much bass here so don’t expect to be pumping out some heavy EDM or old school hip hop. The unit does go quite loud as well and was still relatively clear at higher volumes but I found leaving it set to around 10 was plenty loud for waking up in the morning.

Price/Value

The iHome Zenergy Bedside Sleep Therapy Machine has an MSRP of $99.99USD. Considering it combines both light and sleep therapy modes with Bluetooth streaming and USB charging, it’s priced reasonably well. You can save yourself a few dollars as it is currently selling on Amazon for just under $92USD.

Wrap-up

As I mentioned above, I can’t speak to the science of light and sound therapy, but I definitely noticed a difference in waking up — for the positive — when using the iHome Zenergy. If you’re looking for a bedside unit that combines light therapy, sound therapy, alarm clocks, Bluetooth streaming, and USB charging, the Zenergy is a solid choice.

*We were sent a sample of the iHome Zenergy Bedside Sleep Therapy Machine for the purposes of this review.

iHome Zenergy Bedside Sleep Therapy Machine

$99.99 USD

Design

9/10

Ease of Use

9/10

Software

6/10

Performance

9/10

Sound Quality

8/10

Price/Value

9/10

Nailed it

• Various light modes for different times of the day


• Great selection of sound modes for different modes


• Easy to set up


• Dual alarms


• Dual sleep timers


• Bluetooth audio


• AUX audio


• USB charging


• Solid, easy to use design

Needs work

• App doesn’t work with Android 7


• App doesn’t add any extra functionality


• Not much on the bass end for music

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