Heya! Finaaaally I got to publish this long overdue review on YouTube. The clips of this video have been sitting on my phone for months now and it takes up a lot of memory so it feels really good to finally have it out there. We've had the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick for around 3 already and I remember shooting the unboxing immediately, then totally forgot about it.
The video covers some of the basic stuff you need to know about the Xiaomi Mi TV stick, what's in the box, specs, setup, and my general feedback about the product, which is good. So this blog post will pretty much be just a repeat, but with more details about the pros and cons I encounter along the way.
Let's go.
What's in the box
Mi TV stick
Voice remote (2 AAA batteries required - not included)
English user manual
Power adapter
HDMI extension cable
Micro USB power cable
Specs
1080p@ 60fps max output resolution
Quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU
ARM Mali-450 GPU
1GB RAM
8GB storage
Android 9.0 OS
Wifi 802.11
Bluetooth 4.2
You may also check the full overview from Mi Global site
Feedback
I liked the Chromecast feature a lot because it lets me listen to Spotify
We normally just watch on Netflix, Prime Video, or Youtube so in terms of memory and capacity, we're not overloading the stick given that it has a pretty low RAM. My hopes is that Disney+ will be available soon in the Philippines so we can download that as well!
I like how simple and minimal the remote looks, but it's a downer that it doesn't have an infrared blaster so I can't control the TV with it.
That said, you have to turn on the TV, then turn on the stick. I don't remember if I could launch the Mi TV stick directly with the TV off.
Google voice assistant is pretty cool, but it doesn't work on all apps and it's not that accurate too.
It can be a bit sluggish when navigating.
It's not 4k ok? But that's ok for us. It's not like we have a big TV hehe.
It buffers a lot at home, which is weird because we're on Converge's 25mbps plan. We've tried it twice elsewhere and we didn't have any problems. We've tried it both on bigger TV's and slower internet speeds (hotel wifi and mobile hotspot) and it works flawlessly, so I wonder what gives.
I love how I'm able to connect my airpods to it so I can listen privately while watching. The only problem is it doesn't let me reconnect once the device is already paired. For example I just linked my airpods to the Mi TV stick, then I used it on my phone, then I want to get back on the TV. There's no option on the screen to reconnect. But somehow sometimes, it pairs automatically. It's so weird. So whenever I want to get back to listening on the TV, I have to unpair and pair my airpods again. Hassle lol.
Youtube buffering is bad. I rarely watch Youtube using the Mi TV stick because of how it buffers. The audio and video will just go out of sync, with the video paused while the audio keeps going, and then it catches up by fast forwarding the video until it's caught up with the audio. It's so bad lol. I'd rather have the video pause entirely instead of having the audio and video racing up to each other.
I wish it had a LAN port.
Overall it's still a pretty good portable streaming stick as it's very affordable. I mean, don't expect much for its price. If you're willing to shell out some more there's Roku!
It's a great staycation buddy. Now we don't have to bring a laptop to hotels anymore! Haha It's not our main though, to be honest. We have a Smart TV that's hooked up on LAN so it still gives the better experience.
Price and availability
I got the Xiaomi Mit TV Stick at Shopee Philippines for ₱1,699
Heya! Here's a review of yet another Xiaomi product (yeah, big fan), this time an ENDOSCOPIC EAR CLEANING STICK! Might be disgusting to some of you but we all know how satisfying it is to watch big lumps of hardened dust and earwax being taken out of our unsuspecting ears. Well, here's just the product for that:
If you don't like reading, I hope you appreciate this video version I uploaded on Youtube. Don't forget to like and subscribe!
Alright, on to the blabber:
Product is packaged nicely and simply, which is classic Xiaomi. Box contains English user manual, and a couple of ear cleaning accessories. The metallic black unit sits right below the packet of paperwork, and it looks so pretty.
So there are two parts to the main product: the round base with the USB charging cable attached, and the ear cleaning stick which is with a metal cap.
The body looks and feels great, thanks to the color and the metallic build. It looks like an expensive pen.
The charging base, which also works as a dock and a storage compartment for accessories looks really good too. Only thing is the USB charger is attached to it, so in case it snaps off I wouldn't know how to fix it.
You can unscrew the top part of the base to reveal this compartment containing 10 other cleaning attachments that you can use in rotation, or assign to family members if a lot of you will be using. Smart design right?
Personally I only use the standard spoon that's attached to the stick. I don't even know if I'll ever get the chance to use all of these hehe.
To start using the tool you have to download the BeBird app and connect the M9 pro to it via wifi. Step by step is included in my video here: https://youtu.be/7bdcWCnzmSM?t=140 (it's a link to a specific part of the video)
Once you're good you'll be able to finally see inside your ears! Of course with the M9 pro poked inside. I'd say the camera quality of this product is good. It's not super HD, but it's enough to see the parts you're supposed to clean. You can take photos and record videos using this one too.
I also found it useful in capturing my pimple popping sessions with my husband hahaha. I use it as a micro camera to focus on those little mounds of whiteheads.
It's so freaking fun!
I'd like it to be more HD though but I really couldn't complain. I'm satisfied with how it works and it has truly made ear cleaning more enjoyable!
I waited over a month before writing this post so I could review it completely. In three words, the Xiaomi Mijia 4L Humidifier is such an ACE! Affordable, convenient, and effective! Ohaaaa hahahaha! This is model MJJSQ02LX.
Video review
Apart from this lengthy blahber you may also watch my Youtube review here:
Backstory
I got this product for health reasons. The air in our room becomes super dry with the AC on every night when we sleep. It has resulted in me waking up with sniffles and dry throat almost everyday. There were nights I had to sleep with a face mask on just so my throat wouldn't get super dehydrated in the morning. That's when I decided to invest in a humidifier. To relieve the dryness in the room, in my throat, in my life. Charot. I thought a small diffuser would help, but our current EO diffuser only works for 3hours max so it still doesn't do the job completely. Plus, it can only hold 150ml of water HAHAHA so wa-epek. It just makes the room smell nice.
Research
I have no idea about humidifiers but generally I just want something with a bigger water tank that could run for more than 8 hours, and can diffuse aromatics too. I looked around online and found that Xiaomi has the biggest variety of humidifiers out there.
There's a gazillion brands under Xiaomi I have no idea what to pick, there's SmartMi, Deerma, Mijia, all of them looking great and priced affordably too. So I used the The Three Great Shopee Filters in narrowing down my choices:
✔️ Price ✔️ Location ✔️ Ratings
The Deerma FXXX line turned out on top of the list. High star ratings, priced below ₱2k, big water tank, ultrasonic feature, smart capability, and loooks reaaaally pretty.
But one thing turned me off. The water inlet is AT THE BOTTOM of the tank. Which means you have to turn the fuselage upside down to put water in, then breathe in and muster some strength to set the 5kg water tank upright. For a weakling like me, that process sounds too troublesome and accident prone. In fact, the moment I saw where the water inlet is, so many unfortunate things ran in my head. My face flowing with frustrated tears, a broken humidifier, and my husband trying to calm me down. Oh yeah, a flooded kitchen too.
So I had to let it go and look for alternatives. And that's how I found this baby...
Xiaomi Mijia 4L Humidifier MJJSQ02LX
It's super basic, can carry 4 liters of water, runs up to 36 hours, and the best part? Water is added directly from the top making it so convenient, and with a spacious mouth like this I don't have to worry about dying spilling or having to carry it somewhere safe to refill water.
Note that it's not suitable for essential oils, it's not a smart humidifier, you can't link and control it using the Mi Home app. Below you'll see what happened when I tried using essential oils with it.
Unboxing
You may refer to my Youtube video for the unboxing but basically the package comes with the unit and a Chinese manual. That's it.
What I liked (aka all of its features haha)
Like mentioned, some of its key features include:
✔ 4L capacity ✔ Upper head injection
✔ Up to 36 hours of continuous humidification and it's not loud at all. You'll barely hear it and if you do, it sounds like raindrops.
But apart from those, it also boasts of the following:
✔ Adjustable fog settings (low, mid, high)
Low, mid, high respectively
It humidifies at a rate of 280ml/hour and has up to 99% bacteriostatic effect. Even at the low setting, the strength of the mist is strong enough for a small room.
✔ Low level indicator
Which automatically powers off when water level is low and when the water tank gets detached from the dock.
✔ Size is just right
A bit bigger than a kitchen towel, just the right size for a bedside table or even the floor.
✔ Comes with a 220V type A power plug (2 flat plugs)
Which is normal here in the Philippines so no need to use an adapter.
✔ Easy to clean ✔ Simple knob switch control ✔ Looks sleek and is made of hard and durable matte finished plastic ✔ Super affordable
What I don't like
✖ No English manual
✖ Not suitable for pure essential oils
See troubleshooting items. The seller mentioned I can use water-based aromas, but I have yet to find official literature confirming that it's indeed okay to use with EO's, specially that, unlike the Deerma line, it doesn't have that yellow tray at the base specifically for EOs. Maybe I can find this info from the manual, then again it's Chinese, so if you can help me translate or just give me a clue if it says anything about using essential oils... that would be awesome!
✖ Ok, not advisable for aromatics at all
Since you can only use water-based essential oils, you have to keep adding and adding because the smell doesn't last long and eventually it starts smelling funny when it's only the residual aroma left to atomize. Also, it's a hassle to lift the water tank just to add the oil so I'd rather not bother with it. Aromas clog the system easily too so you have to clean more frequently. I like to diffuse scents pa naman when I'm sleeping but I find that the product works better with just pure water.
Troubleshooting
In the one and a half months I've been using it, I've ran into two problems, all because I tried to use essential oils with them.
1. Very little mist coming out And I mean less than what you'd expect from the Low setting. This happened when I tried adding waterbased essential oil in the tank. It worked for a night, then eventually residue formed and it clogged the system. Solution? Just clean it!
2. No mist coming out Now, this happened when I tried to put PURE essential oils on the base. I put a few drops of what I thought was waterbased EO (it's too cheap to be pure so I thought it's actually water-based even though it says PURE EO on the label haha!). It worked fine for a few minutes then suddenly the mist was gone. I could still feel some air coming out but there's totally no fogging going on.
I thought I broke the unit. Thank God I was able to save it by cleaning it. Now I can prove this model isn't meant for any type for EO at all. Just look at how dirty it turned:
Yikes right? That's oil residue that I scraped off using cotton buds. Fortunately, it's easy to clean. And after unclogging it from all that gunk, it starts to work fine again.
Cleaning
So how do you properly clean this thing? The water tank is fairly easy to clean, you can just reach inside with a damp cloth and wipe it clean.
I was also able to clean it with soap and water, it's pretty safe since there are no electronic things at the top part. Just make sure to dry it completely to remove the odor. And avoid getting water inside the mist outlet, just because it looks like it's not supposed to get wet hehe.
Now for the base...
I just use cotton buds to scrape off any residue. Just clean the sink area of the base, avoid wetting anything that's not touched by the water coming from the tank.
Our humidifier sits on a plank of laminated MDF and I noticed some kind of moisture settling at the bottom like this:
Just wipe it off, it's not a stain anyway hehe. It's probably due to the air coming in from the bottom of the humidifier because the air intake is positioned there (notice the round grills)
Maintenance tips
1. Avoid EOs, just use water. Pure or distilled water, preferrably.
It acquires residue faster when you use essential oils so I advise you to just use water and nothing else, if you don't want to clean more frequently! Also, I use water straight from the tap so maybe
2. Don't let the water run low
I refill the tank with a pitcher of water every night before going to sleep just to keep it running uninterrupted. In my experience a full tank lasts me 3 days on low setting so that's around 24 hours of sleep time.
3. Don't fill it to the max
Just for safety. I'm praning it might get knocked over or something so I only fill it with around 3 liters of water max.
4. Clean once a week
I thought now that I only use water and nothing else, it'll be easier to clean. But somehow, after around 3 weeks of use, I notice some dirt forming at the bottom of the water tank. Similar to the brown dirt I scrubbed off when I used EOs. The base is also showing some yellow stains that I can't remove so it's also nice to clean at least once a week to avoid these dirt from accumulating. I'm not sure if it's because I use tap water directly but maybe it's better to use filtered water?
So is it effective?
ABSOLUTELY. It's prevented my throat from drying and it's something that I noticed instantly like the moment I woke up after turning it on for the night. Amazeballs!
Our bedroom is only around 11sqm small and the low setting is strong enough to relieve dryness in the room the whole time. It's even positioned at the far end of the room (which isn't really that far maybe just 2 steps away from the bed lol) so I know it truly works.
Price and Availability
You can get this for less than ₱2,000 at Shopee or Lazada. I have no idea of its SRP. Usually it ships from China, but if you filter it by location (which is what I always do), you can save yourself at least a week of shipping time by purchasing from local Xiaomi retailers. Also, for a product like this you'd want to get it locally (the nearer the better) in case you had to return it.
I got it for ₱1,784.00 at Shopee PH from this store.
Congrats on reaching this part! That's it! Let me know if you have any questions on the comments area below. :)
I made a video on Youtube on how to install a matte screen protector on my iPad Mini. Here it is:
In this blog post however I'm gonna review how it's been like using a matte screen protector, especially its pros and cons with regards to using the Apple Pencil.
Let's start with WHY?
Why did I get a matte screen protector?
I like the texture and how it diffuses light for people with sensitive eyes like me. Also, the main reason I got a mini is for reading and drawing purposes and what better way to equip my screen than to get a matte protector? I think it's also a matter of preference, even for my phones I always choose to get matte over clear or tempered.
Pros of using a matte screen protector
✱ It's great for artists. The glide of the Apple Pencil on a matte surface really gives it a familiar paper-like feel. Attaching tempered glass creates a gap between the screen and that pencil that I don't like, and drawing on a glass screen feels weird too hehe.
✱ It's great for reading, I almost wanted to say it's kindle-like now but it's still a far cry from Kindle's e-paper display.
Cons of using a matte screen protector
Before and after applying matte screen protector
✱ It reduces sharpness and clarity. So much for retina display right? But it doesn't ruin the experience entirely. In fact, I enjoy reading more on my iPad because of the screen.
Before and After 1 month of daily use
✱ It wears down the Apple Pencil faster. True enough. The paper-like texture kinda sands the tip, making it pointier but it's expected. Although not at this rate!
The tip of the Apple Pencil is replaceable by design anyway so sooner or later it will really wear down, no matter what your screen protector is. If you look at the photo above you'll notice how the tip used to be rounder originally. In the After photo the tip looks a bit pointier. And it's only been a month.
Does it affect drawing experience? Not at all, at least not yet. I don't know how blunt it has to be to affect note-taking ability but pressure sensitivity is still there.
Note that the level of wear depends on how often you use it. In this case, that kind of pointiness was achieved after 1 month of DAILY usage. It's really case to case. That's my husband's pencil actually and he's uses the pencil to create dark art pieces using Procreate app. Just for context, here's his portfolio and the type of work he does: https://www.instagram.com/jecdaveart, He does lots of manual strokes and shading I can see why the pencil would give up easily. hehe
UPDATE: After a month and a half of daily use, we had to replace the nib already because the tip has been sanded to the point that the metal thingy inside is getting exposed. Look,
Look there's like a ball point poking out of it hehe. It's kinda disappointing how fast it deteriorates the nib like that. The exposed metal, or whatever that is, scratches the screen protector so it's no use keeping it. Luckily the Apple Pencil comes with 1 extra nib so we don't have to worry for now.
Apple sells replacement nibs too for ₱1,090.00/pack of 4 tips. So that sets the nib at around ₱250/pc. Alright. But if we had to replace it every two months or so, that's gonna be very costly!
So we thought we'd look for cheaper alternatives. Like this nib protector from Shopee!
It's just a silicon sleeve that you attach at the tip. It's supposed to project your tip from wearing down faster BUT I find that it's not so good for drawing! It totally killed the paper-like feel of our matte screen protector. Though some of the feedback mentioned it's okay for drawing, I guess it's just a matter of getting used to it. hehe
Finally
My husband's iPad
If you only do regular note-taking you probably don't need a matte screen protector unless it's your preference.
BUT for artists using the Apple Pencil? You might want to consider getting a paper-like screen protector like this one! If you hate it you can just peel it off and get a clear one, right?
Xiaomi MIIIW Wireless Keybaord and Mouse Combo is a full wireless keyboard that's great for everyday use. It's simple and elegant, works with both PC and Mac, water resistant, and also very affordable.
Here's a quick review of the . As usual, we'll go with the following order:
✓ Specs and features
✓ Price and availability
✓ What I like
✓ What I didn't like
But before that, here's an unboxing and first impressions video I uploaded on Youtube.
Alright. I chanced upon the Xiaomi Wireless Combo while browsing for wireless keyboards on Shopee and Lazada. I wanted a full and wireless keyboard to improve my work from home setup and I think I scored a good product with Xiaomi.
Specs and features
Mouse:
1000dpi optical sensor
2.4GHz wireless receiver
Anti-slip texture
Plug and use, no additional drivers needed
Keyboard:
IPX4 waterproof
Sensitive button for PC/Mac switching
4° or 8° keyboard typing angle
Full sized keyboard layout (104 keys + PC/Mac switch key)
There's really not much to say about keyboards in general. My requirements are simple: full sized, wireless, and affordable and this product is just about perfect. It's simple and elegant, I like how the edges are tapered round and that there's not a lot of empty space around it. It's not thin but it doesn't look bulky, and it looks really neat and it looks great on my desk.
What I didn't like
The mouse. It's good enough, it clicks and scrolls well but for some it could be hard to click. That said, it could be better. It's also too big for me. Well, I have small hands and I have my own Logitech mini-mouse that I intend to continue using simply because it's smaller.
Also, the sound of the keyboard. I sounds click-clacky and like a plastic mechanical keyboard, you know? I mean it's no big deal but I just noticed how it sounds different from the usual keyboards. You may hear the typing sounds on the Youtube video above, towards the end. On second thought, I actually thought it sounds cool hehe.
Overall I really like this product. I may even bring this with me once I go back to the office.
