TOP 5 GADGETS UNDER $30

Genius LuxePad 9000

The Genius company is a well—known player in the market of computer manipulators. Its keyboards also work great with tablets. A vivid confirmation of this is the Genius LuxePad 9000.

The model was released to help those who often work with texts and are tired of typing them by tapping their finger on the tablet screen. The keyboard connects to the device via Bluetooth and works within a radius of about 10 metres from it. The power is provided by two mini-finger batteries (type AAA), which are enough for six months or a year of operation - it all depends on how often you will use the keyboard and how often you will turn it off.

Externally, the Genius LuxePad 9000 looks very elegant, which emphasizes its white attire. The buttons are full-sized and made to match the colour of the case. They have a slight roughness, so that when typing, the fingers do not even think of slipping off. Users note pleasant tactile sensations and quiet keystrokes in general. At the same time, the modest size of the keyboard did not allow you to place a block of cursor control keys (Home, End, etc.), which some users will miss.

When sharing a keyboard with a tablet, it's worth thinking about a stand for the latter. The gadget itself lies well on any surface and does not fidget under your hands when working — 5 rubber inserts securely hold it in place.

The Bluetooth keyboard is suitable for those who often work with texts and limit themselves to the touch screen of the tablet. It will greatly simplify life at a very affordable cost.

Logitech Gamepad F310 Price from 1 149 up to 2 399 ₴ →

The gamepad from the Swiss company Logitech is a low-cost alternative to Microsoft's solution with its Xbox 360.

The main advantages of the joystick with the F310 index are the price and compatibility with most modern games without dancing with a tambourine around its settings. It will also work with old games without problems. To switch from the new to the old way on the back of the gadget, they were not too lazy to make a separate mode switch "xinput / directinput". This solution pleases, since most gamepads do not have such a mechanical switch.

Laudatory reviews from the owners of the gadget relate to the rest of the controls: both triggers have an elastic and predictable course, the buttons are responsive and additionally rubberized, so as not to slip out of your hands inadvertently at the most crucial moment of the game. Only the crosspiece causes complaints — its faces look too fused and are located on the same axis, i.e. you can accidentally click the wrong place.

Minor disadvantages include the lack of feedback (the gamepad cannot vibrate) and excessively loud RB and LB keys, sharpened by pressing the index fingers. Well, the presence of a wire — the joystick is connected to the PC via a USB cable. The flip side of the coin is that the gamepad has a very fast response and does not need to be charged. That's just the length of the wire is not enough to comfortably play from your favorite sofa.

The gadget will definitely appeal to gamers. No matter what they like to play. Whether you're an Assassin's Creed fan or a Doom3 follower, the gamepad will handle the controls equally well in any of these games.

Reference. Xinput is an input standard developed by Microsoft for Xbox series devices. Most modern games work in this standard and all the functions of the gamepad are recognized by them automatically. Directinput is an input standard in which the gamepad controls are manually configured for each individual game. Allows you to configure the gadget for its compatibility with older games.

Xiaomi Mi Band

Gadgets from the Chinese company Xiaomi are almost the most affordable solutions on the market. Who else makes a wearable bracelet with a wide functionality for less than $20? Most likely, that no one.

The main purpose of Xiaomi Mi Band is a fitness tracker. The bracelet is equipped with a smart pedometer that not only counts the number of steps, but also keeps parallel statistics of the distance traveled, calories burned, etc. However, calculations are not always very accurate — the tracker can record some hand movements in the steps taken. To view the statistics, you need to connect with your smartphone via Bluetooth and download the proprietary Mi Fit application. In addition to counting steps, the bracelet can build schedules, set tasks and monitor their implementation, track other exercises, a list of which can be found in the application.

Another useful feature of the gadget is an alarm clock. And not some ordinary one, but also smart. It tracks the phases of sleep and determines when it is best to wake up its owner. I must say that the device determines the most suitable rem sleep phase for awakening "with a bang". But there are problems with the awakening itself — numerous users note the insufficient vibration strength of the bracelet and the absence of a parallel sound signal.

But that's not all! The bracelet is able to notify the owner by vibration when an incoming call is received, SMS is received or a notification is received from an application. You can configure the device for each individual task in the proprietary application.

The main trump card of the gadget is battery life. It doesn't need to be charged every 2-3 days. On a single battery charge, the device will live quietly for a whole month, which, coupled with its water resistance, allows you not to remove the device from your hand at all.

Koss The Plug Price from 687 up to 1 353 ₴ →

Sharpened for audio playback, the products of the American company Koss inspire confidence in users around the world for a reason. Koss The Plug headphones were also not left without attention.

The design of the headphones is simple and reliable. They are made in the form of droplets that hold tightly in the ears, providing almost complete sound insulation. You can ride the subway in them and listen to your favorite music. At first glance, ear pads do not inspire much confidence, which in fact turn out to be very elastic. They can lose their properties only on a frosty day — then it is advisable to hide the headphones under the hat more securely so that they do not fall out of the ears.

Praise from the owners of headphones deserves their bassiness. Users note a deep and soft bass and a clear middle. Things are a little worse with the upper frequencies, but this is excusable, because the sound as a whole gets very good ratings. The main merit of pure sound is excellent noise insulation of headphones.

The sensitivity threshold of Koss The Plug exceeds 110 dB. In players with weak audio output, this will play into the hands, because the sound in the headphones will be loud and will not put the phone battery.

Among the closest colleagues in the shop, headphones from Koss stand out for their accessibility. That is why the model has been at the peak of popularity for several years in a row.

Reference. Ear pads are part of the design of headphones, made in the form of a soft cushion that fits directly to the auricle. Designed for noise isolation and increased comfort when wearing headphones.

Xiaomi Mi Power Bank 10000

The Xiaomi model was released in early 2015 to replace the Xiaomi Mi PowerBank 10400. Its main purpose is to help phones and tablets that cannot live without recharging all day.

In comparison with its predecessor, the external battery has lost a little in capacity, but it has become lighter and more compact. A 200-gram PowerBank enclosed in an aluminium case can be carried both in a pocket and in a woman's handbag — it will not take up much space and will not add extra pounds of weight.

Visually, the battery is made in a minimalist style — only the on/off button located on the upper edge of the device is available from the controls. Next to it are two connectors: microUSB (for charging the device itself) and USB 2.0 (for charging plug—in gadgets). 4 light indicators were placed there, by which you can determine the remaining battery capacity. Each of them is responsible for 1/4 of the total charge volume of the device.

Although the external battery tank has a volume of 10000 mAh, only 6250 mAh of effective battery capacity is available for charging plug-in gadgets. But this is enough to charge three times from scratch, for example, Asus Zenfone 5. The time to fully charge the phone will be about 2 hours. The external battery itself, if completely discharged, will be chained to the outlet for about 5.5 hours.

Xiaomi Mi PowerBank 10000 will be an excellent inexpensive gift for any holiday. It will be appreciated by both women on March 8, and men on their birthday, and those who by chance often happen to be in places where it is impossible to find an outlet for charging a smartphone right away (tourists, avid fishermen, etc.).