Tech
Frugality Tech: TCL A30 Review
This is a review of the TCL A30. It’s the type of phone \that doesn’t get a lot of reviews done on it. There are tons of unboxings and reviews on the internet, with many of the top sites reviewing the latest and greatest in technology, which is excellent, I’m going to read some, and you should too. But with that said, there are a lot of people out there who won’t be getting the iPhone 14 this month or the Pixel 7 when it launches in October,
Maybe you’re broke, or the fancy flagship devices aren’t for you. Either way, this segment is for you. Here we will only feature tech that is $100 or less. I do my best to vet each device before I review it so I can get devices that have at least the potential to be good. The goal is for this to be helpful and not just an avenue to make fun of the products. If you’re in the market for a piece of tech that generally costs hundreds of dollars but settling for something under $100, it’s easy to get scammed. But I’ll guide you through it because the internet is dark and full of terrors.
TCL A30 Key Details
TCL A30 is a 4G 5.5″ smartphone running Android 11 with a 3000 mAh battery, 32GB of expandable storage, 3GB of RAM, and an 8MP rear camera.
My philosophy is that you must adjust your expectations regarding the products we review with this segment. The idea is, “Does this product do what I need it to do?” And the answer is yes, and no. You can’t compare a $99 phone to an $800+ flagship phone. But the phone does its job well enough. The rear camera isn’t amazing, all the pictures come out looking blurry unless you take the picture and stand there for a few seconds, and even then, they still come out blurry half the time. The front-facing camera is a potato, and videos come out pixilated, which is expected with a phone at this price point.
Somehow this phone has face-unlock. But considering the price, I wouldn’t trust it. So stick with the PIN.
The display is decent enough. Images were clear, and the colors were accurate, but the screen was dark unless the phone is on full brightness. Battery life can last a whole day, but because the screen needs to be on full brightness, you’re going to drain the battery a lot quicker and will need to be charged halfway through the day.
The Speaker sounds like it’s coming from a tin can, but the call quality is good.
The phone can handle apps like Facebook and even Pokemon Go, but the loading for games will take a while to load. But once it’s up and running, it’s pretty smooth.
TCL A30 Full Break Down
When the phone arrived, I said farewell to my Pixel 6 and used the TCL A30 for over 24 hours. It wasn’t a great experience going from a Pixel 6 to a TCL, but it wasn’t as horrible as I thought. The Pixel is pretty snappy, so the slower speed was noticeable enough to be annoying, but after a few hours, I got used to it. The other thing I had to get used to was the odd design choice to have the power button below the volume rocker instead of on top. It felt like a different design for the sake of being different.
The phone has a 3.5mm headphone jack and a removable battery. Talk about a blast from the past. Being able to replace your battery is unheard of in flagship phones nowadays, so it gave me a bit of a nostalgic chuckle to put the battery in the phone. It was nice to have a headphone jack to plug into. I honestly did miss having a headphone jack, even though I soon remembered that chords are annoying.
As I mentioned, the phone lags a bit with just about everything. On TikTok and swipe a video? There’s just an ever-so-subtle delay before the next video appears. Strangely enough, the most responsive app for me was Pokemon Go. It took a while to load, but the app was responsive once it did. And speaking of Pokemon Go, the AR functionality will not work with this phone.
When my 24 hours with the phone were winding down, I decided to test the GPS functionality. Google maps worked well. The phone knew my orientation on the map and did everything you’d expect.
Call quality is excellent, and apps like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram run smoothly enough, but they all have that slight delay I mentioned earlier.
The camera takes pictures, which is probably the nicest thing I can say about it. The images aren’t bad to the point where you can’t make out what’s being photographed, but it’s not the quality most of us have come accustomed to.
The pictures are grainy and perpetually out of focus. You have to keep your hand incredibly still to take photos. The lighting is never quite right, either. On the inside, pictures always appear too dark, but on the outside, they look like they have too much contrast.
TCL A30 rear facing camera example.
TCL A30 outdoors rear facing camera example.
The front face camera is even worse, as you can imagine.
TCL A30 front facing camera example.
The videos are pixelated and have way too much contrast.
Again keep in mind this is a $99 phone, so even though pictures and videos aren’t great, I’m surprised the quality isn’t worse.
Who is the TCL A30 For?
My fiancee’s grandmother has an old flip phone but has been missing on the Facebook photos of her family. She gave away her iPhone because she thought it was too complicated. So we don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a phone she might not use. So this could be a good yet simple phone for her, especially if you use an app like “Less Phone” to simplify it even more.
This could be useful if you need an extra phone. For example, maybe you need an additional line or something to control apps. For instance, I have a friend who uses smart apps to manage their home but doesn’t want to add guests to their home so they can turn on the lights. So they have an extra phone so guests can control their house’s different functions.
I don’t have kids, but I’d imagine the phone would be useful for a dumb kid you don’t exactly trust with a more expensive phone.
Verdict
The phone has its issues, but if you need a phone and only have about $100 to spend, I don’t think this is a bad phone. It makes calls, and you can use essential apps like google maps and Facebook.
The worst part of this phone is the camera and its speaker. The picture quality is poor, but you can still make out what the photos are. This phone isn’t winning any awards, but it’s perfectly serviceable if you absolutely need a phone. If you’re not in desperate need of a phone or have more than $100 to spend, I recommend you save your money and get a slightly more expensive phone.
FAQ
How big is the TCL a30?
Is TCL made by Samsung?
Does TCL A30 phone have NFC?
AuKing Mini Projector Key Details
The Auking is a 1080p Mini Projector with built-in speakers that is compatible with Smartphones and laptops.* (Notice the asterisk) The ports are HDMI, USB, VGA, AV, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It’s $99.99, but you can usually catch it on sale for cheaper.
This projector is pretty popular online. There are tons of glowing reviews for it on Amazon, but I’m assuming if you’re reading this, you care about what I think. And what I think is that this projector is kinda bad.
Also, keep in mind I believe that this projector is being sold on amazon with different branding and shells, but essentially, they’re all the same projector.
These are just some I’ve found.
ALVAR 8000 Lumens Mini Portable Projector
TMY Projector 7500
Projector with WiFi, 2022 Upgrade 8500L
Mini Projector, Aokang 7500 Lumens HD Portable Projector
These all pretty much the same projector with different housing and branding
It is most certainly not for everyone, and it’s not for everyone who loves projectors. The projector has some issues with only a few positives.
Android smartphones are compatible, but only certain Androids, which they don’t tell you before purchasing.
List of Phones compatible with the projector
I’m guessing it’s “compatible” with all iPhones, but oddly enough, they don’t mention it. But I think it’s a safe bet to say that it is. Because saying the Aukling is compatible with smart devices and mac books is technically true, and it’s somewhat misleading.
It has no built-in features to make it compatible with other devices, just an HDMI input. This, combined with poor image and audio quality, means you’d be better off saving your money and buying something a little more expensive.
AuKing Mini Projector Full Break Down
The Auking has an HDMI port, which means it’s compatible with any device that can output through HDMI. But unfortunately, it doesn’t have any ports or software that would intrinsically allow smartphones to project video.
To get your iPhone or Android phone to connect to the projector, you have to do it through HDMI. So, you’ll need a USB-C to HDMI adapter for android and Mac Book or a lightning port to HDMI if you’re using an iPhone. The instructions also recommend a wireless dongle so you can connect your laptop or smart device via BlueTooth (more on that later)
Now here’s the thing, the projector only comes with a regular HDMI cord, so you would have to buy the other cords separately. They don’t mention that before you buy it, so it feels very misleading. Regarding the wireless adapter they recommend, you must connect to it via Bluetooth. Unfortunately, most streaming services have copyright features that won’t allow you to stream content via BlueTooth.
You could connect a chrome cast, Apple TV, or a Roku and mirror or cast your phone to that, but if you don’t have those devices on hand, you’re out of luck.
This means the easiest way to use this device would be with your windows laptop unless you have one of the cords they recommend.
But how does it perform once you get it set up and running? It’s ok.
We have to set our expectations for this price range. The project shows saturated color palettes well but struggles with darker colors.
Darker scenes come out looking grainy and blurry.
While brighter colors look ok.
But all things considered, the video quality will be worse than whatever you have connected to the HDMI. To its credit, however, the projector is bright enough to watch it outside with minimal light pollution.
The audio can be pretty loud, but loud doesn’t necessarily mean good. It does sound like it comes from out of a tin can, but it’s clear enough to hear what’s going on in a movie, so you don’t have to only rely on headphones.
Despite its small size, the Auking’s fans can be pretty loud when it’s on. (Imagine starting up your first-gen PS4 and trying to play Cyberpunk).
This projector isn’t for everyone. I wouldn’t recommend it to most people. However, if you’re a person who wants a bigger screen, you can buy a cheap 22′ monitor and connect you your phone or laptop to it, and the image quality would be better.
Verdict
In most cases, I suggest you save money and get something more expensive, like the ANKER Nebula capsule.
If you find yourself in a situation where you need a projector immediately, this will be ok. For instance, a backyard BBQ where it’s more about the people you’re around than what you’re watching or a party where you want to keep the kids distracted while the adults use the TV (shame on you).
Other than that, it’s worth saving your money.
FAQ
How do I connect my phone to my mini AuKing projector?
Through USB-C to HDMI cord or lighting to HDMI cord
Does AuKing projector support Bluetooth?
Tech
Facebook Refuses to Stop Misleading ads on HIV Prevention Drug
As of writing this article I have written 3 stories on Facebook’s shady business practices. This week. The company that came right out and said they won’t stop politicians from lying in their ads has refused to take down medically inaccurate ads being displayed on Facebook and Instagram. PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), sold under the brand […]
As of writing this article I have written 3 stories on Facebook’s shady business practices. This week.
The company that came right out and said they won’t stop politicians from lying in their ads has refused to take down medically inaccurate ads being displayed on Facebook and Instagram.
PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), sold under the brand name Truvada, a one-pill-a-day pharmaceutical that has been demonstrated to reduce the likelihood of HIV transmissions by as much as 99% has been the subject of several misleading ads. Targeted towards members of the LGBTQ+ community, the ads promise financial compensation for those who’ve taken the medicine by being a part of a class action lawsuit.
The ads claim that the drug causes bone and kidney damage however JONATHAN VAN NUYS, RN, MS, NP, writes on the San Francisco AIDS Foundation blog;
“Truvada is known to cause changes to bone mineral density that are not clinically significant. On average, Truvada has been shown to cause a 1% decrease in bone mineral density, a change that reverses once the medication is stopped. We say this change is “not clinically significant” because bones are not more likely to fracture or break despite a small but measurable change in bone mineral density.”
In response to these ads, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) have released an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg. In the letter they claim the biggest issue with the misleading ads, besides lying being wrong, is that it’s “scaring away at-risk HIV negative people from the leading drug that blocks HIV infections.”
GLAAD’s letter, which is co-signed by more than 50 LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, calls for Zuckerberg and Facebook to remove the ads. A Facebook rep told Business Insider the ads did not violate the platforms’ ad policies “nor have they been rated false by third-party fact-checkers.”
Some of the ads that can be seen on Facebook
The ads do seem to be misleading because Truvada has not been linked to kidney disease or renal failure. The open letter from GLAAD is calling for Facebook Inc to take down the ads and to take measures to prevent misinformation from their ads.
Tech
Facebook Employee Data Stolen
Facebook Inc hasn’t had the best year. Between issues with the government, difficulty launching products and services outside of Facebook and Instagram and just general criticism from the public. Facebook has seen better days. Now this – Bloomberg is reporting that several hard drives containing thousands of Facebook Inc workers information were stolen on Nov.17th […]
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