Aukey Cortex 4K VR headset review: A lot of pixels at a low price

Not enough resolution is one of the most common complaints about the current crop of VR headsets. They’re all more or less roughly 1080p (or 2K), split between the two lenses. So I was really interested when Aukey came out with the AUKEY VR )) — substantially below the Rift or Vive. However, while specs are one thing, real world performance is another. I’ve been taking an Aukey Cortex 4K through its paces. So far, my test results have been mixed.
Unboxing the Aukey Cortex 4K

The headset weighs in at 17.6 ounces — an ounce heavier than the Rift and a little over an ounce lighter than the Vive. I found it easy to use over my prescription glasses, which was a nice benefit. The unit is well put together, with side straps and a top strap. You can get it with matching over-ear headphones, that plug into audio jacks on the unit. You assemble those by routing the straps through them. The headset itself is about the same comfort level as a DK2, but not quite as nice as a production Rift or Vive. Some other reviewers complained about the hard-plastic nose piece, but in my case it didn’t actually sit on my nose at all, so it didn’t bother me.

Cable-wise, the Cortex 4K has an HDMI and a USB cable. The USB cable is apparently fine going into either USB 2 or USB 3 ports. Before you start using the headset, you need to download and install the Piplay software. It includes drivers for the device, as well as an intermediate layer that allows it to work with some Steam and Oculus-native titles, and access to the Piplay library of 3D and 360-degree content. Once I disconnected my Oculus headset, the Piplay software recognized the Cortex 4K immediately. It automatically prompted me to update its firmware, which was quick and painless. One quick tip is that for full functionality, you’ll want to launch Piplay as Administrator.


The unit has 1000Hz dual gyroscopes, and an acceptable 110-degree field of view. It can operate at up to 60fps (or up to 90fps in async mode). However, the gyros have an 18ms response, which may have contributed to the motion issues I felt while using it. It appears to be essentially equivalent to the Pimax 4K headset, and uses the same software. It can operate in Video mode (extended display), Direct Mode (more modern interface where applications can drive it directly), and Pimax mode (which is an enhanced version of Direct Mode that helps it do its emulation of other headsets).



If you need to access the support resources, you’ll find that many of them are in Chinese. Fortunately there is an active user community, so answers to many common questions can be found by searching, but Aukey clearly hasn’t invested much in polishing its user experience for the English-speaking market.

Are mobile solar chargers worth it?

I think most people would agree that a solar charging back cover for their mobile phone is a good idea. Not only will it bathe you in rays of eco-friendliness and goodwill toward humanity, but a sun-powered backing could also top off an ebbing battery. And also you can control the charge with the: RENOGY 40 AMP MPPT CHARGE CONTROLLER

That is, of course, if the charger lives up to the hype. The worthiness of a solar boost boils down to how much the charger costs, how quickly it transmits a charge, and how well it soaks in the rays.

The Samsung Replenish for Sprint, for instance, is an environmentally minded handset with an optional $30 Samsung-made solar-slurping back cover. Like most of its ilk, the Replenish's solar cover is high-maintenance. As long as it's snapped onto the phone, it will convert direct sunlight into electronic energy, but it isn't effective through glass. The manual only promises a charge if you hold the phone at a 90-degree angle to the sun, and Sprint estimates that you'll receive 20 minutes more talk time after an hour of sun worship.

That means, in order for the solar backing to pull any charging weight, you'll have to be outdoors for at least 30 minutes on a sunny day, with the case positioned just so. We were able to pull in enough rays to reboot a completely drained phone. When we tried again an hour later, however, holding the Replenish aloft in an extended sun salute only earned us nervous looks from passers-by, but not enough extra juice to once again wake up the dormant phone. (Unfortunately, San Francisco has been so consistently pummeled with clouds, we didn't receive many other opportunities to repeat our tests. We'll stick with it, though.)

On top of that, the panel on the unit we have isn't well-made; one corner rises above the surface.

The solar cover on Sagem's Puma Phoneoffers more promise, mostly because it's already integrated into the primary back cover. Solar panels aren't cheap, so they could contribute to the price of the phone overall, but it's neat to see this cover as a fixture on a phone that isn't particularly marketed as environmentally aware.

The Puma Phone has the same basic set of limitations as the Replenish, technological restrictions that my colleague Kent German has also detailed in his review of the Revolve XeMini Plus, a free-standing solar charger. Even in Kent's weeks-long tests, he wasn't able to use the Revolve charger to fully power a phone.

In the end, having an extra solar cover (in addition to a conventional charging port) may have some practical and earthly benefits if you're an outdoorsy person who doesn't mind topping off your phone a bit at a time.

Integrated solar chargers are certainly more sensical for those emergency top-ups than a separate cover that you have to remember to bring with you outside, although selling the cover as an accessory may reduce the phone's overall cost. Still, for its modest amount of juice, an aftermarket charging add-on won't adequately return most people's investment.

Boost Business Performance by Using These Brilliant Strategies

The performance of your business is very important and plays a big role in developing a successful future. That’s why you have to do whatever you can to think about your business performance. What can you do to improve this? What is business performance, and why is it so vital to the future of the company. You’ll find some ideas and suggestions on here that will help you with that.

Use Software Programs

When you are developing your brand, you need to think hard about efficiency. This is something that a lot of people don’t pay too much attention to, and their companies can often struggle as a result. You’ve got to make sure you focus on what makes a company tick, and what helps businesses run better. Software programs should be an integral part of the day to day running of your company. They can make things so much easier and help the company perform at a higher level. You have to check out Wonderment Apps and see the sorts of things they have on offer. Improving your web development and business intelligence is crucial for boosting your importance as a company.

Have Specialist Areas

Another important thing to do is to make sure you have specialist areas in your business. These are the areas where you need to focus on improvement and driving the company toward success and profit. So you need to make sure you hire the right employees to take charge of these specialist areas as much as possible. You will need to train people up to ensure that they understand how to fulfill the requirements of the job in hand. But, you also have to ensure that you hire people who have specialist skills that you can use to improve your business. The performance of the company links to the sort of staff you have in the company and how the perform. And, in order to get the best possible performance, it’s time to make sure you focus on these specialist areas.

Guide to Best Mobile Apps for Your Business Needs

It would not be an exaggeration to say that we are living in the age of mobile apps. There are apps for virtually anything you want to do in your personal or business life. Apple’s iTune store has tens of thousands of apps available to download. The downside is that it becomes difficult to find the few good apps that help you achieve your goal. How do you find the best apps for a given task? Below we help you do just that for your business needs.

Using apps as a management tool

If you are running a business, you will know exactly how challenging it can be at times when you are trying to spin all the plates at the same time, which is why a helping hand in the form of a few well chosen apps, might just turn out to be helpful in keeping those plates in the air.

You can find plenty of useful apps via Google Play, some of which could definitely prove to be an asset when planning your day ahead and logistics plans, such as keeping a close eye on weather updates as they happen.

You can also consider using apps like Tripit and OmniFocus to help with your travel plans and to organize your time as efficiently as possible.

An app like Tripit for example, helps to put all your travel plans into an easy format that you can access and check any time you like. OmniFocus displays and reviews completed tasks so that you can keep a handle on what has been done and what still needs completing.

Feeling Taxed? What Expenses You Can Claim As a Business Owner

Being an entrepreneur or a business owner requires knowing everything about your company, inside and out. So when the topic of taxes crops up, can you honestly say that you know everything about how to save on them? The whole tax return process can be a very daunting one to say the least, but small businesses need to keep a close eye on what they can deduct and what benefits are available to them so they can reduce what they are liable for. We are all looking for ways to save money, and when you are starting a small business, saving money is the name of the game! So use some of these methods to help make your business as cost-effective and tax-deductible as you can.

Use the Cost of the Startup as A Deduction

The IRS provides tax breaks for small businesses. You can deduct up to $5000 of your startup costs during the first year of trading. As a result, you can reduce your taxable income, which includes income tax and self-employment tax, which covers Medicare tax and Social Security. Other costs that you can deduct include the purchasing of supplies and equipment, and other operational fees. The remainder of the startup costs should then be depreciated over the course of 15 years.