Home Tech

Forever Lazy: Lazy at Home, Good – At Work, Not So Much

In early December I spotted a video on the Yahoo home page about Forever Lazy.  AP had run the story which was sort of a rags to riches success tale about how the company’s two founders had left their corporate jobs and created a product, basically from their sofa and because of a few celebrities liking their idea had begun to see serious growth. The Forever Lazy bills itself as an adult “onesie”.  Like a one-piece sweat-suit, it’s meant to be worn offering ease and comfort.  It’s complete with pockets, a hood and even zippered hatches in the front and…


Gear Diary Deal or Dud #8: The Perfect Brownie Pan

If you’ve ever made brownies at home you know the toughest part is the cutting.  You basically need a degree in geometry to determine where to make your cuts to guarantee you get finished brownies that are all even in size and shape.  Not to mention the problem of the brownies, which so often end up stuck together. The Perfect Brownie Pan promises to take the guess work out of making brownies.  It features a non-stick pan, divider and stand which combine to create brownie perfection. The pan is available at your local “As Seen On TV” store for $19.99….


Gear Review: VTech LS6245 DECT 6.0 Touch-Sensitive Bluetooth Cordless Phone System

A home telephone is just a home telephone right? Of course not. That hasn’t been the case for years. While we used to rent our telephones from “Ma Bell” and could have our phone in any color and style so long as we liked black rotary phones we now have a wide range of options with regard to both look and functionality. Most recently many people have even gone so far as to get rid of their home phone entirely and rely only on their cell phone. We happen to have two lines coming into our house but both use…


Home Gear Review: Aluratek Internet Radio Alarm Clock with Built-in WiFi (v2)

I’ve had a chance to check out more than a few Internet radios in the past year or so and I am impressed with the growing feature-set and fidelity we are beginning to see. I have been checking out Aluratek’s current offering and can safely say that while it doesn’t stand out from an increasingly competitive market it does have some compelling features and a price point that make it a worthy contender. Here’s a closer look… From Aluratek: Aluratek’s new Internet Radio Alarm Clock with Built in WiFi allows you to easily access more than 11,000 radio stations in…


Internet Radio Review- Allegro Wi-Fi Radio Portable Wireless Radio & Streamer

I HATE Elana’s transistor radio. It has the most annoying crackle when AM radio is on and even FM radio sounds terrible. I’ve tried to throw it out and replace it with a WiFi radio or an iPod touch numerous times. But like a bad penny it keeps coming back. Yup, none of the solutions I offered to Elana as replacements for her radio were good enough for her. She kept going back to that THING. Until now! Grace Audio was kind enough to send me a review unit of their Allegro Wi-Fi Radio Portable Wireless Radio & Streamer. I…


iPad Accessory Review: Pad Bracket iPad Mounting System

I recently purchased a treadmill so that I could continue running once the weather turn icy cold. I shopped around quite a bit and ended up with a rather high-end treadmill with all the bells and whistles. (Well, maybe not ALL but MOST of the bells and whistles.) Among the extra features are a built-in speaker system for your iPod or other media device that can get quite loud and sounds pretty good. It also has a built-in 7″ TV that can accept both cable and composite plugs. I used it yesterday for the first time with my Roku box…


Home Gear Review: Larry G Checks Out The BottleMate

I drink a lot of microbrews. One of the challenges anyone who does often faces is the dilemma, “is it a twist-off or not”. The last thing you want to do on a hot summer afternoon is struggle to get the top off your ice cold beer. With the BottleMate there isn’t even a need to guess. The BottleMate is touted as the world’s best bottle opener. It claims to easily and effortless open bottles in a manner that will have your friends bowing in amazement. The BottleMate fits over the top of most bottles and in one swift motion…


Gear Diary Deal or Dud #7: The Bacon Wave

Cooking bacon at home often presents challenges.  If you cook it on top of the stove you’re left to deal with the large amount of grease that continually builds up in the pan while cooking.  If you go the microwave route you’re dealing with paper towels and are limited by the amount you can cook at one time. The As Seen On TV Bacon Wave promises an easy and efficient way to cooking large quantities of bacon with simple clean up. The product claims to uniformly cook up to 14 slices at one time as well as lower both calories, cholesterol and fat. This…


ADT PULSE Interactive Security System Review

When the new ADT PULSE system became available in my area I immediate jumped at the chance to have it installed in my home.  PULSE not only allows for the ability to arm and disarm one’s home security system from anywhere in the world, it does much more.  The new ADT PULSE system is all about home automation.  It includes lighting, temperature control, video, and more. As a kid this sort of thing seemed like something that would exist in the far, far future, maybe not even in my lifetime.  But it turns out that future isn’t far off at…


Relive Your First Love with a Classic Car Shelf

My first car, the one that I actually picked out and paid for on my own, was NOT a 1969 Corvette. It was a 1981 Toyota Celica Supra, back when they were still Celica Supras. It had a sunroof which leaked when it rained, and it was the most god-awful maroon. It didn’t matter; I loved that car. Evidently the Celica Supra wasn’t a cool enough (or American enough) car to be made available as one of the Classic Car Shelf Collection from Gadgets & Gear, but I suppose I’m not really surprised. Because the others that have been replicated…


Teach Me Sushi for iPhone Sounds Tasty

I’ve flirted with making my own sushi, but I can never seem to get my rice just right or my rolls just so. If you are in the same (sushi) boat, then here’s an app that might be able to help. The new app offers helpful tools and over 45 minutes of instructional videos demonstrating how users can make advanced sushi rolls in their own homes. The Expert offering takes the lessons a step further, teaching users to create advanced rolls including Shrimp Tempura, Volcano Rolls and Spicy Crunchy Tuna Rolls. And just like that … I am now craving…


Work Gear Review- The Ergotron WorkFit Sit-Stand Desk

I have a bad back, and when it goes out I have a very difficult time sitting for extended period. This can be more than a slight problem in light of the fact that, between my work as a rabbi and my work on the site, I do so much writing. At times I’ve ended up placing my keyboard on a box and typing … and that way works, but it’s not the best solution. That is the reason I was thrilled when Ergotron reached out to me and asked if I might be interested in reviewing one of their…


Gear Gadget Review- The Violight UV Cell Phone Sanitizer

Fall is upon us. That means more time inside. That means coughing. That means flu. That means… we had all do our best to stay healthy. Obviously the best way to do that is to wash your hands frequently with soap and water. In addition, a new gadget can help. The VIOlight Cellphone Sanitizer uses UV light to quickly and safely kill 99.9% of bacteria and germs that might be living on your cellphone, earbuds and other small gadgets. It is battery operated, simple to use and silent. Best of all it is under $50. It is super simple to…


How ETS-Lindgren Makes the Products You Use Every Day Even Better

Along with a very small group of bloggers, earlier this month I had the opportunity to visit ETS-Lindgren in Cedar Park, Texas. If you are as uninformed as I was before this trip, that name will mean absolutely nothing to you. However, I can promise you that by the time you finish this trip report you will understand why you should be familiar with this company, and how they have most definitely had an effect on you. My initial introduction to the company was a link to their site and a slightly cryptic email from a contact saying that “they…


Pad Brackets Lets You Hang Your iPad Anywhere That You Have a Wall…

As the iPad continues to find its way into more and more homes there are more and more uses being found for it. One of the more interesting iPad “accessories” I saw a few weeks back is a mounting kit that literally embeds an iPad in the wall so that it is flush with the sheet rock. It looked great but that strikes me as a bit obsessive… not to mention a whole lot of work to hang an iPad. And then there is the whole… “now how do I get the iPad out so I can use it elsewhere”-thing. Well…


Gear Diary Deal or Dud #6: The EZ Cracker

It’s time for another episode of “Gear Diary, Deal or Dud?”  This month I take a look at the As Seen on TV EZ Cracker.  This kitchen tool promises to make egg cracking effortless and mess free.  It also comes with a special add-on attachment that helps separate the egg yolk from the egg white. Here’s what the As Seen on TV website has to say about the EZ Cracker….. The EZ Cracker cracks eggs with one simple motion and separates eggs whites in seconds. There’s no mess, no fuss, no shells in your food. Just place the egg in…


Maybe It’s Time to Revisit the DutchTub

Yesterday was a cold, damp day here in the northeast., and tomorrow looks like more of the same. This is the type weather that makes you want to do anything you can to warm up, which prompted my wife Elana to say, “This is when you want… no, you need a hot tub.” Of course, the problem is that the place where we would like to put it is nowhere near an electrical outlet. Luckily there is a solution. photo courtesy of BizIvy photo courtesy of Design Crack The DutchTub, which we first heard about year ago, is a self-contained hot…


For the Swankest Party Pad, Just Add the Spyra Glowing LED Bar Table

Gadgets and Gear’s Spyra Glowing LED Bar Table looks like it would be right at home in an Austin Powers’ movie, and I mean that in the best possible way!  At 42″ tall with a 23″ round top, the Spyra will hold your drinks and give you some pretty groovy mood lighting. The multi-colored LEDs hidden in the table phase between red, blue and green, giving the table its one-of-a-kind glowing edges. The table is made of clear acrylic with visible etching when off or in the daylight. At this price you could get a few to scatter around your basement gameroom…


The Vizit Mobile Network 10.4″ Touch Screen Photo Frame Review

The premise behind the Isabella Products Vizit 10.4″ Touch Screen Photo Frame is simple: You use it to “view and share photos with anyone, from anywhere, instantly over the mobile network.” The Vizit has a 10.4″ touchscreen and it can send or receive pictures over its 3G connection. Photos sent to the frame’s email address are stored in their original resolution at vizitme.com, scaled appropriately and sent to the frame for display. This eliminates the tedious task of swapping out memory cards, as well as makes it easier to keep photos updated via the cellular network. Since the Vizit experience is as…


Home Tech Accessory Review- IDAPT i4 Charging Station

I have way too many devices that need to be charged on a regular basis. There’s my iPhone, my iPod touch, my LiveScribe Echo smartpen, an assortment of Bluetooth headsets, the Motorola headset I use for running and more. The result is a jumble of wall chargers and a tangle of cables that is annoying, collects dust and just looks terrible. That’s why I was excited to check out IDAPT’s latest Universal charger, the IDAPT i4. The i4 looks similar to the i3 but with one significant, and useful change, it now has a USB port on the side that…


Home Tech Review: Setting Up the Cisco Valet… How Simple is It?

Cisco recently released a new family of Valet routers. The new routers are stylish and, more importantly, they offer easy setup via their “Easy Setup Key” and Cisco Connect software”. The Valet has an MSRP of $99.99, the Valet Plus an MSRP of $149.99 and the Valet Connector, a wireless adapter, has an MSRP of $69.99. Cisco sent on of the Valet routers for review and I decided to see just how easy it is to set up. How did I do that? I gave the unit to my college-age neighbor Chase. Chase knows almost nothing about computers so I…