Moyu TangLong Review

Hey guys,

So I haven't posted in months, I know, as I've been much more busy with The Geek Circle YouTube channel- if you haven't checked that out, make sure to do so here. 

Onto the review.

Today, I'm going to be reviewing Moyu's latest 3x3, the TangLong. I got this cube for £12 on theCubicle.us, and if you haven't checked them out, you should as they are a very reliable source of cubes, the only problem being they charge A LOT to ship to the UK.

The TangLong was released in September last year, so is fairly new. My first impressions of the cube were that the turning is extremely crisp, like the AoLong, but my AoLong is extremely over - lubed, with cubicle weight 3, a lube way too heavy for me. I thought the TangLong would just be a remake of the AoLong, but it isn't - the mechanism is completely different, as can be seen here:

The corner-cutting off the TangLong is just under 45°, and reverse is half a cubie. Corner twisting is possible, but it requires some force, so would not happen during a solve. Stock tensions were perfect, and didn't need any tweaking, although the white face makes some springing noises when turning.

The stickers are of course of excellent quality, as is to be expected with Moyu cubes. The stickers are larger than the ones on the AoLong, leaving less border, which I quite like the look of. The Moyu shades are very bright and look excellent as usual, as can be seen here:

All in all, this cube is great, and I would greatly recommend it to any speedcuber, whether new or experienced.

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Argus Review

Hey Guys,

Today I've got another app review, but not for a game. Argus is a life-tracking app, that I mainly use for a pedometer, but can also be used to track things such as bike rides and other exercises. It puts all recent exercise into a cool looking hexagonal formation like so:

This formation is good looking, neat and easy to read. The items are a bit hard to determine what dey they are part of, as the dates are just another hexagon, but apart from that the view is excellent. The app automatically creates step battles against random people daily. One of the problems with this is that quite a lot of the people you can see here are inactive, with no steps for that day. This is probably because they have deleted the app and their account is still there.

One way to fix this problem would be to make it so that only people that had at least some steps the previous day get put in a face-off. One of the cool features of Argus is that it will recognise if you are doing a certain activity (eg. running) and start a running activity, gps tracking the run as well.

Thanks to the TWiT network (twit.tv) for recommending this app to me - I emailed a question in about what they would recommend as a pedometer app, and they mentioned this.

All in all, I would greatly recommend this to anyone that wants a pedometer app that will work well, have a social aspect and as well as being able to track a wide range of other activities.



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Slack Review

Hey Guys,

So if you've read my IFTTT review, you will know that lately I have been testing a free online application called Slack. Slack is a messaging service intended to be used by companies and their teams, but can be used for other things. As an example, I am currently in 3 slack groups (or 'teams') - the Geek Circle, a group of my school friends, and a group for my family. The Geek Circle is currently just me and Theo (another blogger from this blog), but anyone can join if they want to (just email me at thegeekcircle@gmail.com ). My school friends use it to talk to each other (or at least I'm trying to get them to!), and my family uses it to plan events and other things.

The interface, as you can see, is very good looking and polished, and it's easy to find your way around. This is a shot of the desktop app, that is also very similar to the web interface, but there's also an iOS and Android app.

One of the reasons people go for Slack is the integrations. You can integrate slack with many different programs and apps, such as Google Calander, IFTTT and many more (full list can be found here). Integrations allow you to make slack do more, and you can even write your own. I have IFTTT set up to automatically publish the weather daily, and Google Calendar gives me a daily roundup. 

All in all, I think that Slack is a better option of a messaging service, weather you want it for communication with your family, or managing your project at work. I would greatly recommend it to anyone.

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IFTTT Review

Hey Guys,

So I'm sure a lot of you saw my test IFTTT post a few days ago, as I was trying out one of the functionalities of IFTTT. So - what is IFTTT? It stands for If This Then That. No, it doesn't have some sort of crazy hidden meaning - It is just an app and webpage where you build recipes for if a certain thing happens, do another certain thing.

You are able to connect certain channels to your IFTTT account, for things such as Twitter, Facebook, Dropbox etc. (For the full list check out this page) and then use these channels in your recipes. The recipe I was testing was this:

If it detects a new post on this very blog (yes, this one!) it posts a Buffer Tweet to @TheGeekCircle following the template shown on the second photo. Another one of my recipes is to post the weather of the next day to my family Slack. Slack is a collaboration/messaging service, and there should be a review of that coming out soon.

I would definitely recommend IFTTT to anyone, especially if they find themselves doing the same thing whenever a certain thing happens. It's free, so... Why not give it a go! You would be surprised at what it can do!

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Mazecraft Review

Hey Guys,

So today, I'm reviewing another free mobile app, but this one’s a bit different. Mazecraft is, as the name would suggest, a maze building game. You build mazes, share them, and play other people’s mazes. You can collect coins in people’s mazes, and these coins can be used to build other mazes. This aspect I like, as it makes sure that you play mazes as well as build them. However, this can also be a bit of a problem, as some people just created empty levels with paths to all the coins.

This is one of my mazes that I have made, with many aspects such as doors, saws and spikes. You can see the total cost of the maze in the top right corner. When people play your levels, they can tip it 1-5 coins. this determines the rating of the level, that can be seen by other players.

All in all, I think this game is excellent for anyone that likes puzzle games, as well as building.

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King of Thieves Review

Hey Guys,

Sorry that I haven't posted in a while, but I've been on holiday in California. I've been vlogging about it on my YouTube Channel, so make sure to check that out if you haven’t done so already. Today I’m going to be reviewing King of Thieves. King of Thieves (or KoT) is the mix of a platformer and a PvP multiplayer, free for Android or iOS. Below is a screenshot of my current base design.

You can see the 3 different traps of my base: the Red Guy, the Green Cannon and the Fly one. This is my defence: the way you protect your gold and gems. You can edit the layout of your base so that is more difficult for attackers to get your loot. You also have the statue (centre top with 3 gems and a progress bar). This is what attackers have to get to when attacking, and the dungeon door (below and to the right of the statue with the key holes). Before attacking, the attackers must use up their lock picks to open your door (a slowly regenerating nanocurrency). Only one of the locks is the correct one, so it is chance to how many lock picks it takes to break in.

Once you are in, you have to complete their dungeon. Your character moves when it can, but if it hits a wall it stops. The only way to change direction is to wall-jump, and while on a wall, you would slowly slide down it. You have to dodge the traps: the cannons shoot, the flies follow you and the red blobs fly repeatedly between two points.

Like most games in this style, there is a ‘supercurrency’ for players who pay extra to build up their character quickly. As well as this, there are two other currencies. Gold is the thing you use to upgrade your traps and other misc. items such as the speed your lock picks take to regenerate. Gems are the items that define your status. Every so often, you get a gem from a gem mine, and these gems have a value. When you collect the gems they go into storage, and you use these gems in rituals to combine them, making bigger gems. The risk of this, though, is that when you have a ritual ongoing, other players have a chance of stealing your gems after attacking you. Your personal overall gem value is the sum of every gem you have, defining your rank and status. Here is a photo of my current gem collection.

One of the very well-made parts of this game is the collaboration with other players. When a gem is stolen off you, you are able to try to retrieve it by attacking the player that stole the gem originally. If you fail, people in your alliance are able to also attack that person, giving you a higher chance that you will get your gem back. You also compete in wars, where you have a few day’s battle with another alliance, and the group that gains the most gems during that time wins some of the supercurrency.

All in all, I think that this game is excellent for anyone that wants a game they don’t want to be playing all the time, but can play occasionally. People that like platformers such as Mario and multiplayer games like Clash of Clans would enjoy this game.

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Moyu AoLong Review

Hey Guys,

So recently I ordered a Moyu AoLong V2 from Amazon, but it was from China so I expected not to get it before I went on holiday (check out my YouTube Channel for videos on that soon!). I got the cube a week or so ago, and have had some time to get used to it. First of all, I don't think what I was sent was an AoLong V2 - I heard one of the main changes in the V2 was that it reduces corner twists, yet my cube has frequent corner twists.

The turning is good along with corner cutting, although there are infrequent minor locks. All in all, I think that this is one of the best speedcubes on the market, and is definitely worth the £12 ($18).

Keep checking here for the latest in geek!

Moyu LingPo 2x2 Review

Hey Guys,

Sorry that I've not posted recently, but I've been very busy working on the new Geek Circle website that should be up soon. If you want to check that out, you can download the latest release here. I've recently had the Stickerless Moyu LingPo delivered, and after using it a bit, decided to write a post about it.

The LingPo has extremely fast turning - the best I've ever seen on a cube. Corner-cutting is good, at 45° and 15 reverse. When the cube came, it needed a bit of work - tensioning and lubing, but after that it was fine. Pops and lockups are non-existent, apart from the occasional minor catch. 

All in all, I'd greatly recommend this 2x2 to absolutely anyone that wants a good 2x2, wether you're a beginner or the new Feliks Zemdigs - especially as it is only £12 (~$18).

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Moyu Skewb Review

Hey Guys,

So I've recently bought a few cubes, the Moyu Skewb being one of them. This is  my first Skewb, so I had to also learn how to solve it. I used Monkeydude1313's 1-algorithm method, which allowed me to solve Skewb easily. When I first tried to solve the Skewb, I had a lot of trouble, and even with the tutorial I was struggling to understand how it worked. After watching the tutorial a few times, I got my head around how the Skewb worked and I am now able to easily solve it. 

Onto the cube itself. The cube was out of the box tensioned, but needed lubing. The stickers are bright and easily recognisable, as well as being thick and sturdy. Corner-cutting is ok, but is not needed due to the ball bearings that click the pieces into place. Pops are non-existent, along with lock-ups - making the cube reliable and lets you feel more free.

All in all, I would greatly recommend this cube to anyone who wants a high quality Skewb, as this is probably the best on the market and is only £11 (~$15) so good value for money.

Keep checking here for the latest in geek!

Logitech C270 Webcam Review

Hey Guys,

So another thing I got for my birthday is a Logitech C270 Webcam, for use in my YouTube videos. It was £20 (~30)) and is can be seen here:

It has a clever stand for clipping to screens etc. and looks good with it's polished shiny plastic. It does 720p 30fps video and 3 megapixel stills, which is perfect for me. The software is easy to use and polished, allowing for recording, stills, and motion detection.

It also allows me to add it as a source in OBS so that if I stream or record, I can use the webcam too.

All in all, I think this webcam is useful and extremely good value for money, so I would greatly recommend this one if you have a need for one.

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iOS 9 Review

Hey Guys,

So recently the open beta of iOS 9 came out, and so I decided to give it a test. The installation process was not difficult - I just had to go to the webpage, and put my apple ID in. I then was able to download the 'profile' onto my device, enabling the option to update to the latest version of iOS 9.

The aim of iOS 9 is all about learning about you - what webpages and places you visit, what news and books you like to read etc. This ties in with the new Apple Music service, which learns the music you like and gives you new recommendations of what to listen to next.

There are also some graphical changes - the multitasking screen looks slightly different, as well as the siri graphic and a new default font. Here is images of some of he new graphical additions:

The news app was useful when it worked,  but it has stopped functioning and crashes every time I try to open it. I have submitted this as a bug report, along with other bugs I have found. There is a new "mode" to put your phone in - power saver mode. Power saver mode reduces power consumption until you fully charge your iPhone by turning of mail fetch, background app refresh and automatic downloads, and reducing some visual effects.

All in all, I think that iOS 9 is a good thing but only if you are prepared for the bugs and crashes. Due to this, I would only recommend it if you have a use for it for example to review it (like me!) or if you are a software developer.

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Mic Boom Arm Review

Hey Guys,

So if you've read my previous posts, you will know that I have got quite a lot of tech for my birthday. One of the pieces of equipment I got was a boom arm for my mic. his allows my mic to be closer to me, so I am not leaning over into my mic. Here is a picture of the arm in action:

It is clamped onto the shelf that my monitor sits on - the perfect place for it to be held, as it is accessible and at the correct level. The mic attaches to the arm via an included piece that allows certain other mic types to attach. The arm is also the perfect place to screw my pop filter to, as it has perfect sized bolts to hold it in place.

All in all, I would recommend this boom arm to anyone that needs a functional but not too professional boom arm, as it is one of the cheaper ones on the market at only £10(~$17).



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Blue 'the Pop' filter review

Hey Guys,

So if you didn't know already, I have a YouTube channel that I post mainly cubing and Minecraft videos (feel free to check it out here). On my videos, I have commentary, and so need a mic. I have a Blue Yeti mic, and have recently been given the official Blue 'the Pop'. This is a pop filter, and if you didn't know a pop filter is to stop the sounds of Ps and Bs as well as breathing from being too loud in the footage. The pop filter looks very nice, and can be seen here:

I have it screwed onto my mic boom arm through one of the arm's attaching bolts, as I tried to use the clamp provided and it wouldn't stay on and dented the arm. The filter consists of two gauzes - a fine gauze on the front to be the actual filter, and a rougher gauze on the back to hold the front one in place.

I would recommend this to anyone with a mic that wants a pop filter that is aesthetically as well as physically functional, as it is £25(~$40) - quite a lot for a pop filter.


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QJ Speedtimer Review

Hey Guys,

So If you've read any of my earlier posts, I've recently had a birthday, and have got plenty of technology. One of the cubing related things is a QJ speed timer. This is a timer for things such as cubing or cup stacking, but mine is made by QJ - a speedcube manufacturer. It has two pads to put your hands on, and when you take your hands off, the timer starts. You then solve the cube, and once you are done you put your hands back on the pads. Here is a picture of the timer:

One of the problems with the timer is that the green and red ready lights flash while you are solving. This can be distracting and can mess up your colour recognition. Also, I occasionally have times where I finish, but the timer doesn't stop - I have to take my hands off and put them back on the timer.

Other than that, I would recommend this timer if you are a cuber wanting some practise for competitions.

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DotVPN review

Hey Guys,

So I've recently been recommended a chrome plugin called DotVPN by Will Melbourne. It is a blocker for an array of things, such as ads, trackers and firewalls. I use this program for blocking the firewall at my school, as for example I wanted to use a bit of CSS from a page, but I couldn't get to the page as it was blocked. I wouldn't use this program all the time, as I have been told there are few servers, and with few servers dealing with all of the requests, the speed isn't brilliant. One of the features I like is the colourfulness of the icon and main page of it. It is a small touch, but very nice, and as a kid I think this is cool. I also find the movement of the graph in the icon satisfying, as if I'm physically doing something, and it's giving a live feed of my activity.

All in all, I think that DotVPN is a useful tool if you have a use for it, but I wouldn't just use it as an ad blocker. 

Keep checking here for the latest in geek!

Moyu HuaChuang 5x5 Review

Hey Guys,

So I was lucky enough to be given a Moyu HuaChuang (Can be bought here) as an early birthday present. The HuaChuang is Moyu's latest 5x5, and is a highly commended one too. The cube is pre fluorine-modded like the Yuxin 4x4 (if you have not already, check out my post about it here) the colors are very nice, and the stickers are very thick and sturdy - not like normal factory stickers. This can be seen here:

The size of the cube is a bit more than the Yuxin and can be seen next to a standard 55mm DaYan ZhanChi here:

The corner cutting is just under a piece, and the turning is extremely smooth. One of my only problems with this cube is the fact that it can get out of shape if you try to corner-cut with is too far. This can be seen here: 

It happens fairly frequently when trying to speedsolve it, and can be a pain to resolve. For anyone who was wondering, here is a photo of the mechanism: 

All in all, I think this is a good cube for anyone wanting a quality 5x5, the only problem being the disforming issue. If you just want a 5x5 but not for speedcubing, I do not recommend this as it is quite expensive - ~£28 ($38). 

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Yuxin 4x4 Review

Hey Guys,

So this is my second review of the cubes I got from theCubicle.US, and today it's going to be about the Yuxin 4x4 (can be bought here). The Yuxin is a medium-speed and very stable puzzle, as I have never had a pop. The shades of the cube are very similar to that of a Rubik's brand and can be seen here:

The inner layers are smoother than the outer ones, with the outer layers having slight lockups regularly. The corner-cutting is OK, with both layers cutting 1/2 a piece and a full piece with force. There is no inverted cutting at all. This puzzle is pre florain-modded, meaning it has rounded off edges on the insides of pieces, making the smoothness and corner cutting better. Here is a picture where you can see the roundness of the edges easier.

The mechanism is fairly simple, not like an old 4x4 mechanism I have seen. This can be seen here: 

There is no corner twists at all, and I have even tried turning and it gets 80% of the way then when you let go it just pops back to it's original position.

All in all, I think this is a great cube for anyone with prior cubing knowledge, as a 4x4 is not a good cube to start with. This cube is a brilliant bargain at only £10 ($14) and I would definitely recommend it. 

Shengshou Pyraminx Review

Hey guys!

So a few days ago I got a delivery from theCubicle.us containing 3 items - a tube of cube lube, a Yuxin 4x4 and a Shengshou pyraminx. Today, I am going to be reviewing the Shengshou pyraminx (can be bought here). First of all, a pyraminx is a four sided pyramidal puzzle simmilar to a 2x2 in difficulty. This is what a pyraminx looks like:

It had two ways of moving per axis, the tips and the main segment. This can be seen in the next picture:

Here you can see the base layer, the middle turned layer and the tip. The center pieces (the blue pieces) can be seen here:

The centers, unlike a 3x3 or other odd numbered cube, have three showing faces, and can rotate so are not always the same. Although the pieces may rotate, they cannot actually move relative to the other faces of that piece as they are fixed to the core. The pieces between two centre pieces are the moving pieces like edges on a 3x3, and are what you have to solve.

Onto the review. The puzzle turns extremely fast, only partially hindered by the ball bearings to keep the layers in place. This problem is not relevant, as you would never need to turn a pyraminx more than one as it has only three possible places to turn to. The ball bearings in the sides of the pieces add speed to the turning as well as lock the pieces into place so that you don't have to be as accurate with turning. For a size comparison, here is a picture of the pyraminx next to a standard 55mm ZhanChi:

One piece on the pyraminx is the size of one and a half pieces on the ZhanChi. The corner-cutting is a third of a piece and no inverted, but this is not needed due to the ball bearings. Locks and pops are both non-existent, as the puzzle turns very well. I have brought my average down to 20s and my PB is 12s

I would greatly recommend this cube to anyone with a previous puzzle knowledge, as a pyraminx is not the best puzzle to start with. This puzzle is extremely cheap at only ~£8 (~$12) at theCubicle.us and is definitel worth it.

War Thunder Review

Hey Guys,

So today I'm going to be doing another game review, and today I'm going to be checking out War Thunder (Can be found here). War Thunder is a free-to-play World War 2 third-person fighter. You get a mission objective, such as to destroy all ground units. You are in teams of about 12 people, battling the other side. Here is a picture of the gameplay: 

You can see the names of all of the other players, blue being friendly, red being hostile. The map is at the top right, your stats such as speed and throttle at the top left. Once you complete that game, you get a report like this: 

It tells you what you destroyed, how long the battle was and what rewards you got. You can then use these rewards to research and buy new aircraft. My problem with the game is that there is nothing to do, and I get bored after a few games. Unlike Minecraft or Terraria, you don't have any free building abilities, it's just a war game.

All in all, I think this is a good game for people that like war games or aircraft, but not for me as I am more of the creative type.

Make sure to keep checking here to see the latest geek news!

PC Specialist Review

Hey Guys,

Today I’m going to be reviewing PC specialist. PC SPECIALIST is a website that allows a custom build without the hassle and as cheap as possible. Their website can be found here.

From gaming to editing from work to holiday from small money to huge money, they will make any kind of computer/laptop for you.I have ordered myself a ‘mini PC’ from PC specialist for mild gaming and office work and possibly a bot setup if I get a new PC in years to come. My experiences with this company were great and their PC customization software was easy to use and had many options. I am looking forward to getting this computer because I will be able to access more programming languages as it will be much better than my old laptop.

Below will be the specs for my PC


Make sure to keep checking here to see the latest geek news!

I also have bought a wonderfully cheap mini PC with these specs;

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core G3260T (2.9GHz, 3MB Cache) + HD Graphics Card

Case

Inwin Mini-ITX BQ660 Case + 120W PSU
Motherboard
ASUS® H97I-PLUS: Mini-ITX, LG1150, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
INTEL® HD GRAPHICS MEDIA ACCELERATOR 4000
1st Hard Disk
500GB SERIAL ATA II 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (5,400rpm)
Processor Cooling
INTEL STANDARD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS-N (150Mbps) 3dBi HIGH GAIN USB ADAPTER
USB Options
2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 8.1 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Windows 10 Upgrade
FREE Upgrade to Windows 10 with all Windows 7 & Windows 8.1 Purchases*
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL