The front of the box.

The back of the box.

When I unboxed my iHeHa Qi, I was quite impressed. It came in very nice packaging and included 3 different wristbands—black, hot pink, and blue—which was a nice surprise. I also really liked that it comes with a waist clip. So you do get a lot of wonderful little add-ins. After using it a little over 2 weeks, what follows are my impressions.

Pros

Opening the box.

Good quality: Everything you get—the tracker, bands, waist clip, and charger–all feel very sturdy and like they can take a beating, which is certainly what you want if you are engaging in fitness activities. Also, while “Chinese made” has become synonymous with “cheap” and “low quality,” this fitness tracker doesn’t feel low quality or cheaply made and was nicely thought out.

What you get.

Holds charge: So far the device has been holding its charge. It has been well over a week now since I’ve charged it and it’s still going strong. The promise is 30 days or more, so I have yet to see how long it will ultimately go between charges, but I’m already thrilled. This is definitely an awesome feature for people like me who are not good about keeping devices charged!

Flexibility: As previously stated, the device comes with 3 wristbands and a waist clip, giving you maximum flexibility in how you wear it. And I love how easy it is to switch between wristbands or to the waist clip—simply slide the old band/clip off and the new one on. Takes literally a second (or two) to do, and the bands are flexible and soft, making them comfortable on the wrist.

Good tracking: So far, I’ve found the tracking to be quite accurate—better even than my Fitbit. There was one day where I was hardly able to do much of anything and the tracking did accurately reflect that. This wasn’t always the case with my Fitbit, which often seemed to inflate my activity levels. You can also easily check your heartrate on the iHeHa Qi, which is pretty cool. Simply scroll through the options on the digital display and when you get to the heartrate icon, place your finger on the little metal pad and hold until you get your reading—just takes a few seconds. Makes it easy to assess your target heartrate, especially if you are out and about.

The QR code you’ll have to scan.

Nice display that is easy to navigate: The display on the tracker is a good size and the time and function icons display clearly and are easy to navigate. You just press the metal pad below the display to move between options.

Waterproof: I haven’t gone swimming yet with it, but I’ve worn the device in the shower without issue. It seems watertight, so I don’t anticipate having any problems with it when it gets more immersed.

Cons

Charging.

Boxy/bulky: The device is a bit boxy and bulky. The tracker’s thickness is about the width of my pinky finger (0.4 inches). That said, in looking at the specs of other similar devices, the iHeHa Qi’s are comparable, so it isn’t necessarily much, if any, larger, but it has a more boxy design, leaving the impression of more heft. A more contoured, thinner tracker could be a good area for future improvement.

How it looks from the front.

Logo on tracker: The iHeHa Qi has a face logo. While it is cute, it looks like it was drawn by a child, which is absolutely fine (I have no problems with such type of art having children of my own) and OK for packaging, but it also appears on the metal plate on the tracker. Now, while I am no fashionista, I find it an odd choice that almost makes the device look comical. I feel like unless a company has a prestigious logo that is going to sell product, it is usually best to omit the logo altogether or place it where it is not so pronounced. I would be more inclined to put a heart or heartrate icon on the plate if an image is needed because then at least that image serves to indicate a function of that plate/button.

App challenges: Like other fitness trackers, the iHeHa Qi has an app that you can download so you can keep a log of your fitness activities and also help you get in touch with others in the community using the device. I had trouble getting the app set up. While it wasn’t a truly horrible experience, I had to go through the process a few times before it worked and some instructions and error message only came up in Chinese, which was part of the problem. Also, I don’t see the community function having much use here in the United States unless the device really took off. That said, I would recommend to the manufacturer that the app be better customized to its intended audience.

How it looks from the back.

In a nutshell, it’s a great tracker that has a lot more pros than cons, but with a few tweaks, it could be truly amazing.

Thanks to HeHa for the review unit.

The post Review: iHeHa Qi Fitness Band Health Manager appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

First, the headphones are very comfortable. The headpiece adjusts to the perfect length and the ear piece is nicely cushioned and a generous size so it does not squish or pinch the ears, even if your ears are more substantial like mine (kids called me Dumbo in grade school, so you get the picture). This is important to me because uncomfortable headphones ruin the whole auditory experience as far as I’m concerned—I just can’t concentrate on what I’m listening to, whether it’s music, an audio book, a recording I need to write about, or something else, and am instead focused on how I can adjust the headphones to make them tolerable for the duration I need them. That’s not a problem with these headphones because I forget they are on my head. Even when my three girls are being loud or rambunctious, I can remain immersed in what I’m listening to because the noise cancellation is excellent and very little ambient noise reaches my ears. I will, however, preface this by saying that when I’m able to get into the zone with things, I naturally have very good ability to tune the world out (as my husband will happily attest to), so any undesirable noise that might reach my ears is unlikely to phase me. If you are very sensitive to noise and distractions, the noise cancellation might not be sufficient for you, but I’d say you’d probably have to be hypersensitive for this to be a potential problem.

The front of the box.

Second, and equally importantly to me, the overall sound quality is excellent. Granted, I’m not a music aficionado who can pick up on the most miniscule subtleties, but I’ve had headphones where the bass was too overpowering or the overall sound was too hollow. The sound with these is very clear and nicely balanced.

The back of the box.

Third, I love that these babies fold, making them much easier to carry in my small laptop bag, where space is at a premium, and I appreciate the durable braided cord. I’ve had quite a few headphone cords fray or get worn away in certain spots, making them unusable (granted many were very cheap earbud types), but I don’t see that being an issue with these. There would really have to be a whole lot of force or abuse for the cord to get messed up, so now I don’t have to worry about my little one potentially tugging at it, even if she seems like the Incredible Hulk at times.

The Sound Intone I65 headphones look great and fold up nicely.

Finally, I appreciate that the headphones have a microphone so it can be used for phone calls. I have used these on my iPhone for phone calls and while I can hear the person crystal clear, he or she don’t always hear me very well, even though I tend to speak much louder because I can’t really hear myself speaking. So I don’t use them for calls and, if I did, I certainly wouldn’t use them to speak with anyone while out in public, such as a coffee shop with Wi-fi, because I’d likely be too disruptive. But that’s not something I really have to worry about because even alone time in the bathroom is hard to come by these days. However, by the microphone are also volume controls, and that’s something I really like because it makes it so much easier to adjust the sound than having to do that on the device the headphone is plugged into.

I would definitely recommend these headphones. They may not be Dr. Dre or whatever newfangled expensive headphones are trendy these days, but they look good, fit comfortably, have great sound, and you don’t have to shell out a lot of greenbacks to get your hands on them, so if they break, it’s not a major hardship.

Thanks to Bios Sound for the review unit.

The post Review: Sound Intone I65 Stereo Foldable Headphone appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

HipoGlos has been used for more than 60 years in Latin America, but is new to the United States. Currently, it can be purchased through Amazon and select Walgreen’s stores. What makes HipoGlos unique is its formulation. It contains both lanolin and zinc oxide as its active ingredients, each at 15% concentration. Lanolin is an emollient that softens and moisturizes the skin and decreases itching and flaking, whereas zinc oxide serves as a barrier, preventing the moisture from reaching the skin. Having both of these ingredients in one product appealed to me because I sometimes combined the two to treat my daughter’s diaper rash. I first applied a lanolin nipple cream (which was rather challenging to spread) and then put a zinc-oxide–based diaper rash cream on top of that. So when I saw that there was a diaper rash ointment that contained both of these ingredients, which I had not previously seen, I wanted to give it a try. I also liked that the cream had a higher concentration of zinc oxide than one of my favorite diaper rash creams.

HipoGlos packaging.

The cream is light and comes out looking glossy. Hence the “Glos” in the name. It has a slight smell, but it isn’t unpleasant like some other diaper rash creams. Although I’m not sensitive to smells, there are others in my household who have a tough time stomaching strong scents. And HipoGlos passed the sniff test with these individuals, who will remain nameless. It also applies very easily and smoothly, which is nice, because I’ve used diaper rash creams that come out like wet cement. Not fun, especially when you have a squirmy baby who wants nothing to do with diaper changes!

The HipoGlos packaging and tube.

I haven’t used the cream on a severe diaper rash because that opportunity has not presented itself, so I cannot attest to how well it works in such cases, but it has worked well for me in preventing diaper rash and treating mild cases. I have no reason to believe it would disappoint in more severe cases. But every baby is different. Sometimes it’s a matter of trial and error. I’ve read a lot about diaper rash because it was something we struggled with for a while when my daughter was a newborn, and I’ve learned that everyone eventually finds a favorite remedy. But if you haven’t yet found your go-to antidote or simply want to expand your arsenal, HipoGlos is worth a try. I’ll definitely be keeping a tube of it in my diaper bag.

The post Review: HipoGlos Skin Protectant Ointment appeared first on Armchair Arcade.