There sometimes seems to be a war or an evolutionary struggle between device screens and screen protector makers. Back in the early days of Palm PDA’s, the screens were rather soft and you used a plastic stylus to write on them. They scratched easily so most of us used and recommended screen protectors. Store bought, home-made, [...]
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Screen Protector
I am a bag-aholic. Somewhere deep in my reptile brain I seem to be convinced that if I find just the right bag, I can get perfectly organized and my life will make sense. OK, so far that has never happened, but the Ogio Renegade RSS backpack has come closer to my ideal than any [...]
Tagged as:
Backpack,
gear bag,
Laptop Bag
The HY-204 Febreze Freshness™ Cool & Refresh Fan from Honeywell promises to cool, eliminate odors, and freshen for whole-room comfort. Big promises for a small tower fan, so can it deliver?
Tagged as:
air freshener,
fan,
Febreeze
One of the weirdest ‘Catch 22′s’ of portable electronics is where do you put it when you are not holding it? Whether it is because your hands are full, your desk space is limited, or you have troubles holding things, we often crave some way to hold our devices just right exactly there. The SpiderArm [...]
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iPad mounting system
A lot of people worry about getting help if something happens to them away from a phone. Maybe they are aging or becoming confused or forgetful. Perhaps they have limited mobility or a disability. Maybe they are concerned family members worried about their loved ones. One popular option is an emergency dialing system, like the [...]
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Medical alert,
personal emergency response,
Security
One of the most valuable public speaking tips I have ever gotten was that sheer volume is a powerful ally. It allows you to roll right over room or ambient noise, it allows the listeners to more easily focus on the message, it allows you to better modulate your tone for effect, and it gives [...]
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Amp,
Amplifier,
loudspeaker,
PA
Sigh. I love remote control stuff, especially helicopters, but I may well be the worst RC ‘copter pilot ever. I got the cool looking YD-711 2.4GHz 4-channel Avatar licensed RC helicopter from Attop, and broke one of the blades within about 10 minutes of actual flight time. More on that later.
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RC helicopter,
RC Toys
I’m a big believer in using refillable water bottles to stay hydrated, lose weight, be environmentally conscious, and so on, so we usually have half a dozen 32oz. wide-mouth bottles in the fridge. I’ve been thinking about upgrading my system though. Our local water is a little hard (but still pretty tasty), but about once a month [...]
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filtered water,
Water Bottle
Earth Day (April 22) not only reminds us to think about our impact on the Earth, it also signals the beginning of the travel season, so it is only natural to think about how to vacation in a more eco-friendly manner. How about a way to use your car, SUV, or mini-van instead of a [...]
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Car,
Earth Day,
Travel
A drill-mounted polishing/buffing device may not be as cool or as ‘gadget-y’ as a lot of the stuff we review here, but there is something to be said for a well-made device that does its designated job very nicely. The BufferBit kit is one of those not-so-fun but necessary items that keep you looking professional.
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buffer,
polisher
A reliable emergency radio radio is a great idea for anyone. Something that will work even if you forgot to replace the batteries and that can get the weather bands can literally be a lifesaver in an emergency. The Eton Corporation, in conjunction with the American Red Cross, offers several radios that fit this need. [...]
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Emergency preparedness,
NOAA weather band radio
I’ll admit that when I saw the ThingSling for the first time, I was not impressed – a small strap for the back of your phone? More basically – something else somebody wants to stick on my phone? I already have a case that demands I adhere some micro-Velcro to it, and a car mount [...]
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elastic strap,
grip,
secure grip
“One Charger. For All Your Devices.” The ChargeAll Wall Charger combines a wall wart-type plug with about six feet of cord and ten built-in tips along with ‘fast charge technology’ that allows this one device to charge literally hundreds of different devices – phones, MP3 players, hand-held game systems, etc. – without additional tips or [...]
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universal charger
Sometimes you find the oddest things in the comments sections. In a review about an interchangeable blade multi-tool, someone mentioned the CRKT’s ID Flex tool. When I looked that tool up, I was reminded about a tool I have long been interested in – the CRKT Guppie, a multi-tool designed around an adjustable wrench instead [...]
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multitool,
spork
Back in the day when Palms and PDAs ruled the portable electronics market, you could get several designs of folding or mini keyboards to connect to your PDA to turn it from a ‘consumptive’ device (that mostly displays content) to a ‘creative’ one (one that allows you to easily create new content). Sure, you could [...]
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Bluetooth keyboard,
folding keyboard
The Leatherman Skeletool has been on my ‘wish list’ for some time now (especially the carbon-fiber handled CX version), so when I saw them at a local Target over Christmas on clearance for 1/2 price, I finally snagged one!
Tagged as:
Leatherman,
multitool
We had a good Christmas season at our house this year, electronics wise! A combination of events from price drops and clearances to unexpected cash meant that my wife and I both ended up with a tablet. She got a white 16GB iPad2, and I got a 32GB Toshiba Thrive AT105 10″ tablet. (I am not [...]
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Android tablet,
tablet computer
How excited was I to try this product, a protective case that charges a wide variety of personal electronics – iPods, phones, GPS units, handheld game devices, and such – and has an amplified speaker built in? And can recharge itself with a built-in solar panel? And priced under $60! Woot woot! Sign me up! [...]
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External battery,
External speaker,
solar charger
A good label maker is one of those things that you do not realize how useful it can be until you have one. Pretty much every container, drawer, and file in my shop at work is labeled and it has made my life so much easier in so many ways (like trying to tell someone [...]
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label maker,
tape labeler