I’ve become enamored of smart lighting recently and have been playing around with a few brands. Elgato, who just recently rolled out their Eve smart home accessories, also offers a line of smarter lights. These aren’t part of the Eve system but they are impressive. I was sent the $99.95 egg-shaped Avea Flare for review.
The Dell XPS 13 has turned out to be such a fantastic travel laptop that I’d find myself wishing for a larger version, and the Dell XPS 15 does not disappoint. With its machined aluminum body, carbon fiber composite interior, and Gorilla Glass Infinity Edge touchscreen, the XPS 15″ manages to wedge a 15.6″ laptop into a 14″ body.
I’ve been intrigued by HP’s new line of connected printers that anticipate when you’ll need ink refills — and they send them to you before you run out! The service is called HP Instant Ink, and to try it, I was sent the new HP OfficeJet 4650 MultiFunction Printer.
Over the past couple of years, I had managed to gain some very unwanted pounds rather rapidly. I thought at first that my weight gain was hormonal, or perhaps I had a thyroid problem. I was running and walking long distances regularly, and I was (sporadically) writing down what I ate, but I wasn’t seeing any results.
A little over a year ago, I received a “bed in a box” for review. Fast forward a year, and my wife Raina suggested moving from a queen mattress to a king. Eve Mattress was one of two companies kind enough to send one of their kind mattresses for review; I’ve been sleeping on it for two weeks.
The EZVIZ Mini is an affordable mini camera that streams audio and 720p video over your home’s WiFi network. This tiny HD camera packs a great set of features, including a 130-degree diagonal wide-angle lens, night vision, low 3.5W power consumption, motion sensing ability, and cloud/microSD video storage. The impressive EZVIZ Mini can be purchased for under $70.
Fitness apps are a growing business, but not all of them are created equal. Some offer great tracking for running and biking. Others offer a few broad cross training choices, but nothing more substantive. Pear Sports aims to be a bit of everything, from cross training to cardio, with training programs and experts from multiple fields all in your pocket!
Of all the cases that I have tried on my iPhone 6S Plus, my favorite by far has been the Just Mobile TENC; I like it so much that after I dropped my phone and managed to crack it (the case, not the phone), I immediately ordered a replacement. My favorite iPhone screen protector? The Just Mobile AutoHeal.
Running in good weather is easy. All you need is shorts and a t-shirt and off you go. Rain and cold are a bit tougher since you need to balance comfort with layers. Brooks, whose motto is “Run Happy”, wants you to be comfortable in all weather, and they asked us to test their Seattle Shell jacket for that reason!
My wife Sarah usually carries her wallet, phone, and keys in the backpack we use as a diaper bag. Sometimes, though, she just needs to grab and go, and the enormous backpack is too much. When we were offered the chance to review the Peralta Abby iPhone Case, I asked Sarah to give it a whirl.
2016 is shaping up to be the year where I constantly go back and forth between iOS and Android. As much as I love my chargers with built-in Lightning cables, they get left at home more often than not because I’m carrying an Android device. It’s better to have options, and that’s where the myCharge HubUltra comes in.
When it comes to fitness trackers, you can usually follow the age-old adage “cheap, fast, or good” with a few modifications: “cheap, feature-filled, or attractive”, pick two. Depending on what you think of Fitbit’s style, maybe not even two. The LifeTrak Zone R420 aims to change that with an attractive design, a slew of great features, and a wallet-friendly price!
The Jam Alloy Wireless Bluetooth Speaker is a marvelous speaker. It might be little, but it packs a big punch, all the while being affordable. Probably one of the more cooler speakers I’ve seen in a while, the Jam Alloy is one of the more simpler models on the market, leaving just three buttons on the top portion of the speaker itself for volume control and for the pausing or playing the actual track. The rechargeable stereo speaker I’ve been putting through the paces for a few weeks at my office is not only super lightweight, but I can easily…
I’ve had the opportunity over the past month of reviewing the W020i Wifi Alarm System & HD Wifi Camera made by SMANOS after stopping past their booth at CES 2016, and I can honestly say I love it. Smanos is well known for their home security products, and the W020 Wifi Alarm and IP6 WiFi camera is a whole lot more than the same. Living in an apartment, you might not think that you need a “smart home”, mainly because a lot of smart HomeKit products require installation, which may or may not be possibly without breaking some term of…
Full disclosure: All winter I’ve attempted to stay in the house as much as possible and do as much gaming as I possibly could. Over the Christmas holiday I ended up receiving an Xbox One bundle set with Madden 2016 included, and the only thing Microsoft did not include in the package was a headset. Luckily for me, Creative sent me over their Sound BlasterX H5 Gaming Headset to review, and over the course of a few months, I’ve yet to find a single flaw in them. At only $129 at the time I received them, it seems as if…
Synology’s first entry into the router game is a strong one with the RT1900ac. It’s a high-speed, 802.11ac dual band router with speeds up to 1900 mbps. And it’s managed using Synology’s brand of award winning, intuitive operating systems with excellent parental controls and mobile app support. Check out Synology’s RT1900ac now for $149, which is a great value!
The first time I went to visit Raina, I made fun of the huge speakers attached to her stereo. “Those are freaking huge!?” I said. Fast forward a year, and I’m using the AudioEngine HD6 Powered Speakers. These speakers are fairly large bookshelf speakers. They are also the best speakers I have heard in a long time.
Over the past few weeks I’ve been testing out the HIFIMAN HE400s Over Ear Planar Magnetic Headphones, after talking to a friend at CES about what company is set to take over the headphone market, and the first name they mentioned was, you guessed it, HiFiMAN. So let’s get into it! If you’re not familiar with the term “planar magnetic” (I wasn’t either until having it explained to me) there are some significant factors. Unlike dynamic headphones that are what you’d find in more common headphones out in the market, planar magnetic headphones use two magnetic fields to cause motion…
When AKG says the AKG N60NC Noise Cancelling Headphones deliver, “First class noise cancelling headphones fine-tuned for travelling” they aren’t using hyperbole. No, they are describing their newest on-ear headphones with NC. I used them for a weekend trip to Atlanta and they were nothing short of terrific. They sound great, are comfortable, and the noise cancellation is excellent!
While Dan and I were at CES, we attended the Huawei press conference; at the end, they gave each attendee the choice of their new flagship, the Mate 8, or their Nexus 6P. Based on my positive experience with the Huawei Mate S Dan and I lined up for the Mate 8. Did we choose wisely?
If you are looking for a minimalist wallet that isn’t minimal in style or functionality you don’t want to look any further than the Essentialist Wallet. This wallet is serious about carrying your cards and cash and that’s just the beginning. Plus it looks like it means serious business. Add in the optional bottle opener and USB 3.0 drive and your wallet is much more than a wallet!