Andy Chen

Former electronics technician for the FBI, current Fire Prevention Officer. Background in electronics, trained EMT, Eagle Scout/Assistant Scoutmaster and dad.

Dyson Humdinger handheld vacuum review

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REVIEW – I may have too many vacuum cleaners. There’s one for the upstairs, another for downstairs, and a few handheld units around the house. I wondered if the new Dyson Humdinger would be a handheld vacuum to rule them all? What is it? The Dyson Humdinger is billed as the most powerful, lightweight handheld […]

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Function101 Heartsync for Apple Watch Review

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REVIEW – My indoor rower has a heart rate function, and I’ve been on the hunt for the “just right” bodyworn heart rate transmitter. I’ve tried chest straps and arm straps. But what if I could use something I was wearing already: my Apple Watch? This is where the Function101 Heartsync comes in. What is

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Speck Presidio Perfect Clear iPhone case with MagSafe review

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REVIEW – When the iPhone with MagSafe charging came out last year, there was only one clear case with Magsafe- the Apple one. I found that case extremely slippery with buttons that were hard to push. Eventually, a few “no name” brand cases trickled out into the market. I tried a handful, and they were

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Mophie Powerstation Go Rugged with Air Compressor review – A portable battery with extra features

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REVIEW – About 20 years ago, I had one of those older lead-acid jump start battery packs. It was very heavy, but it saved the day more than once. It even had an air compressor on board! Newer jump start battery packs are much smaller with lithium batteries. Today I get to try one with

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LA Police Gear Expedition packable waterproof rain jacket review

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REVIEW – As I’ve written before, I’m active in Scouting (Eagle Scout, Assistant Scoutmaster). One of the Ten Essentials for the outdoors is appropriate rain gear. I’m not sure if it’s because we’ve had crippling droughts in California for years, but I actually don’t own a packable rain jacket. Thankfully, now I have one to

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Scosche FrescheAir portable HEPA air purifier review – Clean air for your car

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REVIEW – Spring is here and allergy season has begun! This time, I’ve got a new weapon in my aresenal: A portable , USB powered air purifier from Scosche called the FrescheAir that fits into a cup holder. What is it? The Scosche FrescheAir is a compact air purifier with a 3 stage HEPA filter

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Scosche Rhythm+ 2.0 armband heart rate monitor review

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REVIEW – I strongly dislike exercise (see photo above). However, I do like my indoor rower (or “erg” for you crew fans) which is something I fell in love with in college. My particular machine has a heart rate monitor receiver, but that usually means supplying your own chest strap, which always felt slightly burdensome

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Gadgeteer team’s work from home (WFH) setups – Andy Chen

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ARTICLE – About a decade ago, the government agency I work for declared they were going “paperless”. Haven’t we heard that since electronics were invented? Just before the pandemic hit, our office was starting to have an all-electronic option for nearly every kind work we do- then we were told to Work From Home. Good

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RAVPower magnetic MagSafe charger review

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REVIEW – Ever since I picked up the iPhone 12 Pro, I’ve been looking around for MagSafe charger accessories. It’s still a little early, but RAVPower has released their own MagSafe compatible charger that comes with a pleasant surprise: A teeny, tiny 20W USB-C charger. What is it? This is RAVPower’s wireless charger with MagSafe

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