Janet Cloninger

Turn your old speakers with 30-pin dock into wireless AirPlay or DLNA speakers

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auris skye wifi receiver

I don’t usually like to write about active Kickstarter projects, but the auris skye project caught my eye.  I’ve bought Bluetooth receivers for some old docking speakers, and they worked great for turning them into wireless Bluetooth speakers.  No matter how well they work, it’s still Bluetooth, though, with its inherent problems of sound compression […]

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Planet Audio Lynx PB252C Bluetooth Speaker review

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planet audio lynx pb242 speaker 1

Because the external speaker on my iPad mini is wimpy, I’m always happy to try out another portable, Bluetooth speaker.  When Planet Audio offered their Lynx PB252C Bluetooth Speaker for a Gadgeteer review, I raised my hand.  It looks nice, and it has a compact shape that should make it great to throw in your gear bag.  How does

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A backup battery that stands up to the elements

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newtrent powerpak xtreme

The PowerPak Xtreme NT120R from NewTrent has a 12000mAh lithium-ion battery, so it has plenty of reserve power to keep your portable charged.  (It can recharge phones up to six times.)  It has two USB ports, one 5V/1A and one 5V/2A, so you charge phones, most tablets, and most other USB-chargeable devices, like GPS units,

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NFC portable keyboard for Android phones

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elecom nfc android keyboard

If you’re looking for a portable keyboard for your NFC-enabled Android phone, check out the ELECOM NFC Android Wireless keyboard.  This keyboard folds up for travel, and it unfolds to work with most Android 4.0 and higher phones.  It weighs 5 ounces and measures about 13.4″ X 2.6″ X 0.4″.  It has an internal lithium-ion

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Control your entire house with the Revolv system

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revolv home automation

If you’ve started trying to automate your house and find you’ve now got a variety of systems doing various tasks, you should check out the Revolv Smart Home Solution.  Simply power up the Revolv hub in your home, and it uses the proprietary FlashLink system to join your local network (you’ll need to enter the

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Nix Color Sensor helps you match your paint to your new shirt

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nix color sensor

Years ago, I worked for a company that developed color matching, formulation, correction, and quality control software for the textile industry.  Before you could create a formula or correction with our software, you had to first know what color you were trying to match (and what color you had created, for doing corrections).  Spectrophotometers costing

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Charge an emergency flashlight in your bed-side lamp’s socket

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moma led lightbulb and flashlight

Here’s a new one for me.  This low-heat LED lightbulb from the MoMA Store becomes an emergency flashlight when you need one.  It screws into a standard socket, and it produces as much light as a 40W bulb using only 6W of electricity.  The LEDs will produces up to 60,000 hours of light.  When you

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Be visible when walking at night with this umbrella

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suckuk reflective umbrella

When walking at night, you need to be conscious of your clothing choices to make sure that you are visible to drivers.  When it’s raining, it can be even harder for drivers to see clearly, so you want to make sure there is no way they can miss seeing you.  With the Hi-reflective Umbrella from

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Now you can log your daily thoughts in River Song’s journal

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thinkgeek tardis journal

If you or someone you know is a journal-keeper and a devoted Dr. Who fan, here’s the perfect journal.  The blue, faux leather cover is embossed with a design reminiscent of the Tardis.  There are 440 thick, “aged” pages inside, and there’s even an encoded message for you to decipher (right image).  ThinkGeek says the Limited

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Disney introduces a second-screen app to complement the return of The Little Mermaid to theaters

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little mermaid second screen app

Firmly in the “what in heck were they thinking camp”, Disney has released a second-screen app that complements The Little Mermaid.  You may be wondering what’s so bad about that, after all, lots of TV shows have second-screen apps to increase your involvement with their shows.  Well, this Second Screen Live: The Little Mermaid app

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Brenthaven BX2 Sleeve for 11″ MacBook Air review

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brenthaven 11 inch sleeve 1

I have a couple of different bags that I use as my laptop bag.  One of them has a built-in, cushioned, zippered sleeve to hold my MacBook Air; my laptop is safe from scratches in there.  The other bag only has a laptop “divider” panel that’s open at the bottom and top, and my laptop

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An iPad mini case that promises to strengthen WiFi reception

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absolute linkbook ipad mini

The thing I most hear people say about the iPad mini is that they can just throw it in their pocket or bag and take it everywhere.  With a WiFi-only mini, you’ll probably find yourself somewhere where you’re limited by a weak WiFi signal.  If you had the LINKBOOK case for iPad mini from Absolute

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Grow your own food on your windowsill

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modern sprout

There’s a hydroponics supply store near my house, but I’ve never been in there because I always think of illegal substances when I think of in-home hydroponics systems.  These planter boxes from Modern Sprout take hydroponics out of the musty basements and put them on your windowsill.  They may look like simple wooden boxes, but

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TouchTone wireless Bluetooth speaker and speakerphone

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Id america touchtone speaker

The new TouchTone Bluetooth Portable Wireless Speaker from id America connects with phones, tablets, computers, or other Bluetooth-enabled device to let you share your music or to act as a speakerphone for hands-free calling.  Two 2W speakers “deliver deep base and clear highs” in a package small enough to take with you.  The rechargeable battery

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