You can find this review in full at GBAtemp.net:
https://gbatemp.net/review/helix-dura-portable-nvme-ssd.1315/

In years gone by, we lamented the limits of capacity. We cheered at the thought of 30 whole gigabytes of storage, blind to the speed our games and applications loaded. Time, as it often does, kept moving forwards. We now find ourselves in an age of capacity beyond what we can reasonably expect to fill, and shift our focus to dizzying new heights. We find ourselves in an age of speed.

As flowery as that may sound, SSDs are swiftly becoming the norm as we prioritise speed over raw capacity for our everyday activities. While you’ll find them an essential component of any modern gaming PC, their potential is often overlooked as external storage. It’s here Oyen Digital aim to join the ranks of Seagate and Samsung among others in delivering a quality and speedy choice for your portable storage needs.

Out of the box, the Helix Dura looks incredibly sleek. With what they describe to be a shockproof heat-sink design, wrapped in a silicon rubber sleeve, it is perhaps the most durable storage device I’ve ever owned. To say I’d be comfortable leaving it loose in my bag would be an understatement; I don’t think I’d bat an eye dropping this off a bridge. Having never owned an NVMe SSD before, the form factor also stood out to me. Compared to your standard 2.5 inch SSD, it’s remarkably tiny, coming in at around half the width. Between the durability and size alone, you have two great arguments for picking this over your more standard portable drives, and even your slightly less standard 2.5 inch portable SSDs. It feels like a device built to last, and Oyen clearly think so too with a four year warranty backing it up. Of course, durability is only half of the problem. The driving factor behind a purchase such as this is, as you might expect, the speed. I wasn’t disappointed.

On the official store page, you can find descriptions outlining the kind of speeds you’re to expect, advertising up to 980 MB/s, with a screenshot of their own tests showing 945 MB/s write speed and 964 MB/s read speed. Putting it to the test myself with a delightfully-themed CrystalDiskMark via a USB 3.1 port, I can say they’re bang on. Hitting just above the advertised speeds for both read and write, the Helix Dura does what it sets out to. In my brief time with this SSD, I’ve used it for a fun variety of things.

Between backing up and subsequently playing my media library, it faced no issues. You wouldn’t expect it to when Oyen themselves advertise it as a device for A/V professionals. It’s at this point it hit me. I have a whole terabyte to play with, why not just install an operating system on it? Using it as an excuse to finally try Linux, I managed to install a few different distributions to it as I found my feet, each surprising me in just how snappily they ran. If I hadn’t the cable trailing from my laptop, I wouldn’t have known I was running from an external drive. Its performance really did impress me as what I would describe as an average user.

As for the SSD under the hood, the Helix Dura sporting a Mushkin Pilot (MKNSSDPL1TB-D8). Knowing the SSD inside helps us then look at the price, and see to what degree the parts add up. This particular SSD coming in around $160, and NVMe enclosures ranging from $25 to $60 on Amazon, not to mention the warranty on top, I don’t think you’re getting a bad deal. With the Helix Dura, you have a drive that’s built to last, with the performance to back up the price point. For those looking to expand their external storage horizons, I can recommend it without hesitation, and look forward to seeing what Oyen Digital do next.

You can find this review in full at GBAtemp.net:
https://gbatemp.net/review/keychron-k2-wireless-mechanical-keyboard.1311/

When it comes to keyboards, I’ve owned a few. Big ones, small ones, fat ones, skinny ones, and even one that comes in two parts. What I have however always wanted, is a 60% keyboard, a tenkeyless keyboard. One that is portable, yet mechanical. A joy to type on, and a joy to travel with. Until now, the closest I’ve had to this ideal was the keyboard included with Pokémon Typing Adventure: a surprisingly good but non-mechanical device. Seeing Keychron’s K2 keyboard got me excited. It’s portable, it’s sleek, it’s mechanical, and it’s surprisingly affordable.

Out of the box, first impressions are something special. The keyboard has an air of simplicity to it, rocking a sleek design that would be at home with a Mac setup. Unusual to me, it also features keycaps for both Mac and Windows, as well as a key prying tool to swap them on the fly to suit your preferences. As well as these keys, you also get two orange keys for the Esc and light configuration buttons in the top-left and top-right of the keyboard respectively. As much as I like the overall aesthetic of these keys, the appeal quickly wears off when you turn the keyboard on and see how the RGB lights filter through. The entire keycap lights up. It’s not so much an issue when you know what these keys are, but when I really want to see the colours dancing across the keyboard, it’s a little distracting.

So it has a few extras for the Mac users among us. That’s great, but what about everybody else? What makes this keyboard special? I can break this down to three key areas: the battery life, the connectivity, and the design. Perhaps the standout feature, the K2 rocks a huge 4000mAh battery. What does this mean for the average user? 72 hours of continuous Bluetooth usage, lights and all. I’ve used this keyboard for a few hours each day for the past few weeks, and I’m happy to report it’s still going strong. Only needing a reported three hours to fully charge however, running out of battery barely feels an issue.

When it comes to Bluetooth keyboards, there’s one aspect that stands as an irritation to many: usage across devices. With my Pokémon Typing Adventure keyboard, switching devices meant pairing it to the new device. And if I wanted to use it again on the first device? Pair it again. It’s a small irritation sure, but it’s a real irritation all the same. The K2 doesn’t necessarily solve this problem, but it goes a long way in minimising it. When in Bluetooth mode, you can pick between three saved connections as simply as pressing the Function key, along with the appropriate number. On top of this, you can plug in a USB-C cable to connect it to any computer, game console, whatever has a USB port. Though it’s generally the standard nowadays, it’s still good to see USB-C over its mini or micro counterparts.

Finally, the design. I honestly love it so much I want to bring it up again. The model I have is the most expensive one on offer, featuring RGB lighting and an aluminium frame, coming in at $89. If you want something a little bit cheaper, you can opt for a plastic frame with RGB backlighting for $79, or a plastic frame and white backlighting for $69. If the build quality of the plastic frame is even half as nice as this one, the price more than justifies itself. I love seeing this keyboard on my desk. I love pulling it out of my bag, and most of all I love using it.

With the option of Gateron Reds, Browns, or Blues, you have your standard array of switch types available. Though I’ve never tried Cherry MX Reds, I can say the Gateron Reds are a joy to type with. If I were to pick a word to describe it, it’d be smooth. There’s no distinctive press or click where you feel your input is registered. Unlike the more tactile Blues and Browns, these are quiet and satisfying in a way I struggle to really describe. If you haven’t tried Reds before, I do recommend giving them a shot.

Both a positive and a negative for the K2 is the distinct lack of a companion app. This ultimately means usage is as simple as plug and play, but you are limited to the keyboard’s base feature set. This means no macros, no remapping, and no configurable lighting. While there is a fantastic assortment of lighting to scroll through, and likely one for every conceivable occasion, there is a slight sadness in knowing I can’t make my own. Something like the Ultimate Hacking Keyboard’s companion app is the gold standard to me: an app that allows you to configure, without requiring a background process at all times to fully utilise. It’s a shame the same isn’t on offer here, but the keyboard does ultimately tick all the right boxes for me out of the box. 

All in all, the K2 is everything I wanted in a tenkeyless keyboard and more. Sleek, portable, and an overall joy to use, it’s a keyboard that would find a home in any office or on any desk. It’s stunning, with a build quality and battery life to match. Whether $89 is a good price is something I can’t really decide for another person, but I can tell you this is something I’ve had no issue recommending to friends and family. It really just ticks all the right boxes.