April 2013

Apple makes it easier to redeem iTunes gift cards

itunes gift card redemption

You can now use your computer’s camera to read and enter an iTunes gift card code.  This only works on Apple computers, and it’s not available (yet?) on iOS devices.  You just log into your iTunes account on your Mac, select the Redeem option, and you’ll see the redemption page shown above.  It only works […]

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iPad iBed stand let’s you enjoy breakfast in bed with your tablet

ipad ibed

Now you can safely enjoy breakfast in bed while reading the newspaper on your iPad.  The Kikkerland iPad iBed Stand looks like a lapdesk with a padded bottom, but it has a slot that acts as an iPad stand.  You can use the rest of the desk to hold your Sunday breakfast, papers, or even

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Charge two devices at once with the sCharger-12 solar charger

sCharger 12

The sCharger-12 USB Solar Charger from SunTactics isn’t like most solar chargers on the market.  It uses “mono-crystalline solar cells, the most efficient solar cell technology of the 21st century” instead of the plastic panels and weak solar cells used in other chargers.  It doesn’t charge up a battery, because those will quickly die after

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Here’s an LED flashlight that you can use underwater

YP 9304 CREE XM L T6 500lm diving flashlight

The  YP-9304 CREE 5-Mode White Diving Flashlight will laugh at any rainstorm you find yourself in, because this flashlight has been designed to operate up to 40 meters underwater!  It has a black anodized aluminum body, one XM-L cool-white emitter, and produces 500 lumens.  Operating modes are high, medium, low, slow strobe, and SOS.  A

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Charge your devices without an outlet with a Folding USB Solar Cell

browndog solarcell 1

I love to be away from the world at times. Whether I am at the beach, up in the mountains, or just hanging outside, I always have my phone with me. The thought of being ‘green’ and being able to keep my devices charged when I am out on the go made me take interest

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Vaja Nuova Pelle Case for iPhone 5 review

vaja Nuova Pelle iphone5 1

I’ve always admired Vaja cases, but I’ve never had the chance to try one with any of my devices.  I’m an instant-gratification kinda gal, and I couldn’t stand waiting to have a case custom-made for me and the ready-to-ship cases usually were in colors that didn’t appeal to me.  Recently Vaja Cases contacted Julie about

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The Fusion Plate – two camera accessories in one package

Fushion Plate

Do you own a camera? Do you use a sling-style shoulder strap to carry that camera instead of an old-fashioned neck strap? Are you tired of screwing on and off the attachment loop to mount your camera to a tripod? The Fusion Plate camera accessory Kickstarter project may just be your solution. It’s a dual-purpose camera

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Julie’s Gadget Diary – 2nd look at Qi wireless charging

nokia dt910 2

A few weeks ago I published a gadget diary post sharing my experiences with trying to get Qi wireless charging working with my Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3. Long story short, I ordered a wireless charging patch (receiver) and a Nokia DT-900 Wireless Charging pad and it didn’t work. One of our frequent readers (Haesslich) left

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Here’s the Kid Mode for iOS devices that I mentioned earlier

guided mode ios

In my  recent How to prevent your child from making in-app purchases on your iPad article, I mentioned that Apple should make it possible to restrict access to only certain apps for kids.  Little did I know that there was already a way to lock a user into only a single app.  Combine this feature with blocking

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