Health Tech | Gear Diary

Events, News & Features January 5, 2016

CES 2016 Is a GO with Withings New Activity Tracker

Seems as if Withings is wasting NO time getting out ahead of the competition for CES week as they’ve already released ANOTHER product that will for sure make you keep certain resolutions you made in 2015 stick in the New Year. Today the company announced the Withings Go, which is an automatic activity and sleep tracker. At a modest price of $69, the Withings Go is easily one of the more versatile activity trackers out there on the market today. With it’s always-on E Ink multiscreen display and the ability to automatically track steps, distance, running, swimming on TOP of…

Events, News & Features January 5, 2016

Fitbit Announces the Fitbit Blaze Smartwatch!

Fitbit is putting their mark on 2016 early, with a new device called the Fitbit Blaze. It’s a smartwatch with a full color touchscreen, but no GPS, and it will sit between the Charge HR and the Surge price-wise, at $199.95. The Blaze will be able to receive basic smartphone notifications, tracks your steps, various workouts, and heart rate, but it does not have standalone GPS; instead it uses what Fitbit calls “connected GPS”, which is just a smokescreen way to say the Blaze uses the GPS from your smartphone for outdoor distance tracking. There’s DNA from the Fitbit Flex…

Events, News & Features January 5, 2016

Under Armour and HTC Will Whip You into Shape with Under Armour Healthbox!

Under Armour has been slowly building a fitness empire. They absorbed the MapMyRun suite of apps, Endomondo, and MyFitnessPal, but software was only phase one. Now they’ve made the leap from software to hardware, debuting a fitness tracker, heart rate monitor, connected scale and more, all bundled and sold as “Under Armour Healthbox“, and designed through a partnership with HTC. The UA Band looks suspiciously similar to the HTC Grip tracker that was announced but never released, but with a slightly different feature set. There’s no GPS on board, but it tracks steps, sleep, prompts you to move, picks up…

Events, News & Features January 4, 2016

Withings Thermo Will Give You an Accurate Reading in Seconds!

Today, the leader in connected health products Withings announced they’ve extended their reach on the health market by unveiling their Withings Thermo.

Health and Fitness, News & Features January 4, 2016

Mio Global Announces a Revolutionary Metric System to Help Your Lifestyle

There are plenty of heart rate monitors out there on the market that are pretty half-baked when it comes to actual functionality, and only a true handful of them are highly accurate on a consistent basis. That’s what Mio Global is attempting to change with their revolutionary new fitness metric system!

News & Features January 2, 2016

Grush Gaming Toothbrush Now Available!

The hardest part of having a toddler is the “I do it myself!” phase. Independence is a huge development step, but inevitably your child needs more parental involvement than they believe they do. Toothbrushing is a big part of this push/pull battle, but Grush has an idea to use connected gaming to make toothbrushing fun and easy for everyone! Grush is designed to appeal to both parents and kids. It uses a Bluetooth connected toothbrush and a companion app with games-kids succeed in the games by brushing properly and for the full amount of time. Parents can use the app…

Reviews December 24, 2015

The Vapir Prima Vaporizer Review: An Awesome Little Package

WARNING: The products discussed may contain or use nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical; in many cities and a few states, you must be 21 to purchase vaping products or products containing nicotine. Please familiarize yourself with and obey the law in your location. I’ve only reviewed a few dry herb vaporizers, but I have a strong sense of what works for me and what doesn’t. As I’ve mentioned before, I like to vape a mixture of 12 Aromatic Dry Blends that produce a calming effect — specifically a combo of damiana and lavender.

Reviews December 18, 2015

Enerskin Compression Sleeves are the Skin You Wish You Had!

I have what I somewhat affectionately call a persnickety knee. It has earned the right to be picky after a torn ACL in 2008 and a torn meniscus in 2014. So while I was excited to test out the Enerskin Compression Sleeves, I knew they had to pass an often grumpy and slightly arthritic critic!

Reviews December 14, 2015

ZeroWater Filtration System Lives Up to Its Name!

Do you have a filtered water pitcher or system in your house? Most people keep some sort of filtered water around, either because they like the taste or they distrust their tap water. Whatever the reason, have you ever considered HOW filtered your water is? ZeroWater has, and they claim to offer the most filtered water possible!

Reviews December 11, 2015

The Oral-B Black 7000 Bluetooth Toothbrush Review: One Smart Brush!

Are you still using a manual toothbrush? I did for years until I found out that I was over-brushing to the point that I needed a gum transplant on the left side of my mouth. Gross, right? I’d brushed my gums so hard that they had prematurely receded! How did I correct my bad habit? By using an electric toothbrush.

News & Features December 1, 2015

Vanity Fair Shares a Must Watch Video on World AIDS Day

Today, December 1st, is World AIDS Day, a chance to remember people lost to AIDS and to remind everyone it is still an ongoing epidemic. As part of this, Vanity Fair has shared a short video that showcases the casual, unconcerned response the White House Press Secretary Larry Speakes had to any questions about AIDS.

Gift Guides & Round-Ups November 27, 2015

Holiday Gifts for the Fitness Buff

We all have someone in our life who likes to work out, or who needs a little extra push to keep their fitness momentum going. We’ve put together a few ideas for every budget for the fitness lover in your life!

Health and Fitness, Reviews November 24, 2015

You Are Your Own Gym, a Review

There have been a few times where I was left feeling utterly physically destroyed. One was definitely the day after my first rugby tournament, one was the first time I tried to run a mile as fast as I could, and one was the first week after starting You Are Your Own Gym.

Crowdfunding, News & Features November 24, 2015

Power Toothpaste Supercharges Your Morning

Have you ever woken up and thought, “I need some caffeine, but making coffee is so much work…and it takes too long to kick in! If only there were a way to quickly pick up a caffeine buzz AND keep my dentist happy!” Well, for all two of you who had that exact thought, Power Toothpaste is crowdfunding a solution.

Reviews November 21, 2015

Keep Your HVAC Healthy with FilterSnap’s Subscription Filter Service

I have a confession to make: Kev and I once forgot to change the filter in our HVAC central return unit for over 6 months. The first clue of our negligence was that there was more dust than usual floating around our home. We live in the country, so dust is an issue anyway; I didn’t catch on at first.

News & Features November 20, 2015

Pear Fitness Partners with TRX to Coach You From Your Phone!

I am a big fan of phone-based fitness apps. It’s a great way to guide your workouts without the cost of a personal trainer or having to conform to a group or class workout schedule. Pear Fitness offers a tremendous number of workout options, and now they are adding TRX suspension training to the list!

Reviews November 18, 2015

The Dyson AM10 Humidifier: Puts Humidity Where It Belongs — in the Air and Not on Your Floor!

Unless you live in a humid climate, it’s almost always a good idea to have a humidifier running in your home. They can help with everything from breathing issues, to preventing sinus infections, or providing relief from dry skin and hair. But knowing which humidifier to buy can be tricky. I’ve tried several brands; my favorite is the Dyson Humidifier.

Reviews November 17, 2015

Jungle Gym XT Review: Make Anywhere Your Home Gym!

I’ve been committed to getting in better shape this year. We ended up canceling our gym membership at the start of the summer, and I switched to bodyweight workouts for strength training. There are a few ways to take bodyweight training up a notch, including suspension straps, and Lifeline Fitness sent me their Jungle Gym XT straps to test!

Health and Fitness, News & Features November 12, 2015

Runtastic Introduces ‘Results’ App Focused on Personalized Training for Success!

While some people can simply include exercise as part of their healthy lifestyle, most people need more incentive: they need goals, motivation, and a PLAN. Simply tracking isn’t enough, something that Runtastic gets and has implemented in their new Results app. Results delivers focused training plans to help you reach your goals! Online training programs are becoming more and more popular and effective, replacing DVD and old VHS ‘Sweatin’ to the Oldies’ routines by focusing on shorter, more rigorous workouts that deliver visible results more quickly and effectively. It does this by maximizing the effectiveness of your workout time. “Runtastic…

Reviews October 30, 2015

HoMedics AirMaster Air Purifier: Tame Those Pet Odors Once and for All!

Kev and I recently adopted Hephaestus, a similarly colored cat to my darling departed Avah. Heph was about six-months-old when we moved in with us, so one of the first things we did was get him fixed, and then we introduced him to the LitterRobot, which he took to like a champ. (Formerly) male cats are awesome, but the smell!

Health and Fitness October 28, 2015

Auvi-Q Epinephrine Injectors Recall Alert!

If you have an Auvi-Q auto injector, call your doctor immediately for a new prescription for an epipen. Sanofi Aventis is recalling ALL Auvi-Q injectors due to a potential flaw that may prevent medicine from being injected properly. They will reimburse you for the costs of the competitor’s replacement, so save your receipts.