Julie Strietelmeier

I created The Gadgeteer in 1997 as a fun way to share my passion for gadgets which began when I was a little kid. Some of my other interests include ukulele, photography, productivity hacks, and minimalism. Learn more about me and my favorite gear.

DailyCare ReadMyHeart 100 Handheld ECG

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When it comes to your health, I’m a firm believer that it’s very important to be proactive. It’s a lesson that I learned due to the fact that my mother died at a young age (56) because she didn’t take her diabetes as seriously as she should have. As a kid, I remember numerous occasions finding her during a low sugar episode. During these scary times, I would have to mix sugar with orange juice and coax her to drink it. Not happy memories for sure… As a result, it was not hard for me to make drastic changes in my own life, when I learned almost 3 years ago that I was also a diabetic. I keep a close eye on my glucose levels using a inexpensive glucose monitor so that hopefully I will never require medication to control my disease. Besides health monitors for diabetes, there are home use devices for measuring blood pressure, cholesterol and today I’m going to tell you about The ReadMyHeart 100. This handheld device from DailyCare BioMedical can measure your heart’s electrical activity.

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AblePlanet Clear Harmony Active Noise Canceling Headphones with LINX AUDIO

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Are you one of those people that find earbuds uncomfortable to wear for an extended period of time? I know I have that problem myself and I find this especially true when I try to wear the noise canceling in-ear style earbuds. As a result, I’ve been looking at various full size over-ear style headphones as an alternative solution. One of the first headphones I’ve had the opportunity to try are the Clear Harmony Active Noise Canceling Headphones from AblePlanet.

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Sierra Sound iN Studio 5 Smart Speakers

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For over a year now, I’ve been in love with the Audioengine 5 Speaker System. I have them sitting next to me on the custom U shaped desk in my basement office. I use them with my various iPods, and the sound that they provide is just wonderful. When the people at Sierra Sound contacted me to ask if I would be interested in reviewing their iN Studio 5.0 Smart Speakers, I was happy to oblige as I was anxious to see how they compared to my faves.

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SmartShopper Grocery List Organizer

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Do you still write your weekly grocery shopping and errands lists on scraps of paper, only to lose them before it’s actually grocery day? Or maybe you keep your lists on a PDA or Smartphone, which requires time for formatting and sorting? If you would like an easier solution than those two methods, I have something really cool to show you today. It’s the SmartShopper Grocery List Organizer from SmartShopper Electronics, Inc.

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LapWorks Laptop Desk Futura

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I think laptop users are luckier than desktop users because they can move their computer easily and quickly from one location to another. One minute they can be surfing at their office desk and in a blink of an eye, they can be surfing while sitting in their Lazy Boy recliner. I’m going to tell you about an accessory that can enhance laptop in both places. It’s the Futura laptop stand / laptop desk from LapWorks.

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Do you worry about how much energy your gadgets use?

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After completing my review of the Kill-A-Watt Electricity Usage Monitor a few weeks ago, I’ve been much more interested in the how much power my gadgets and appliances use. That’s why I was interested in reading about the new VIA based computer from Systemax that only requires 20 Watts. Systemax is marketing the Venture VE

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Planet Waves Strobe-On-String Guitar Tuner

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If you play guitar, either acoustic or electric, you probably own some type of tuner. Tuners come in several varieties. There are pitch pipe type tuners that make a sound for each guitar string. Your task is to then tighten or loosen the string until the sound it makes matches the reference note that the pitch pipe makes. Unless you have a really good ear, this is a very hard way to tune your instrument. Electronic tuners are much easier to use. These tuners have a microphone that picks up the sound a string makes when you pluck it. Then using a meter or some other method, it tells you if you need to loosen or tighten the string to bring it to the right pitch. The only problem with this type of tuner is that it requires a relatively quiet environment to work or if the guitar has a pick-up, you can connect the tuner using a cable. Today I’m going to tell you about a tuner that can work in the noisiest places, doesn’t need a cable and is tiny enough to fit in your pocket. It’s the Strobe-On-String Guitar Tuner from
Planet Waves.

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StarTech.com WiFi Detector with LCD (WIFIDETG)

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Wi-Fi finders or detectors are nifty little gadgets to keep in your gear bag for those times when you want to scope out nearby hotspots, without booting up your laptop or traversing menus on your WiFi enabled phone / PDA. These finders are typically small pocket friendly devices, whose sole purpose is to report information regarding detectable hotspots. I have one today from StarTech.com that not only will help you find nearby access points (hotspots), but can turn your computer into one.

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Maxtor Shared Storage II NAS Device

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“You can never be too skinny or have too much money.” Isn’t that the way the old saying goes? I would like to make an update and reword it to now say: “You can never too skinny or have too much disk storage”. With 10MP digital cameras, digital audio and video, file space can quickly become filled to capacity. I have four computers in my home, and they all have this issue. I also have an issue regarding backing each drive up. Right now I back up my primary computer, but not the others. This is definitely not a good practice. Lucky for me, I found a possible solution for both of these problems, with Maxtor’s Shared Storage II NAS (Network Attached Storage) device.

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Oral-B Triumph with SmartGuide ProfessionalCare 9910 Electric Toothbrush

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I hate going to the dentist. I joke around and say that I’m still dealing with post traumatic stress from when I was a kid. It seemed like every time my sister and I went to the dentist, we had a cavity. The hygienist used to yell at us saying that if we didn’t open our mouthes wider, she’d have to start all over again. Yikes, I get goose bumps just thinking about it. These days you practically have to drag me to go to my annual cleanings. I usually make them biannual just because I don’t want to go. I must be doing something right though because I haven’t had a cavity since I was a teenager and my dentist never yells at me for waiting so long in between visits.

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Piano Wizard PREMIER Keystation 49e Package

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As a kid, I remember sitting in front of my Mom’s vertical Baldwin piano, trying to learn to play Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 Ode To Joy. I never had real lessons, I just used the many lesson books that my Mom had used when she was a little girl. The piano bench was full of them and I loved paging through them, seeing the cartoon-like pictures for each new song. Once in awhile my Mom would sit down on the bench with me to give me pointers, but for the most part she never criticized my talent or lack there of. I just loved plunking those keys, making music. It didn’t matter if I was any good at it or not. Wow, I’m tearing up just writing this. I miss my mom…

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Dream Cheeky USB Roll-Up Drum Kit

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Did you ever want a drum kit when you were a kid, but your parents vetoed the idea because you didn’t have the space and they didn’t want to deal with all of the crash boom bangs? What about now, do you still fancy yourself as the next Larry Mullen Jr. of U2? If so, I have a nifty little electronic drum pad from Dream Cheeky that just might start you down the path of stardom. Or not…

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VTech 6042 Two Handset Cordless Phone System

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I’m sure you’ve all heard of 900MHz and 2.4GHz cordless phone systems. Maybe you’ve even heard of 5.8GHz phones, but have you heard of DECT 6.0 phones? I’ll admit that I hadn’t heard of them until VTech asked if I might like to review their model 6042 two handset cordless phone system. I then came to learn that DECT 6.0 is a newly available frequency band (WiFi-friendly 1.9GHz) that provides improved range without needing to boost the power. It also has better protection against eavesdropping, that the older frequency models do not.

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iSkin revo for iPhone

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I don’t use cases for my mobile devices very often these days. I prefer to just put them in a pocket in my gear bag, or jeans. Same goes for my iPhone. I typically just put it in my right cargo pants pocket or back pocket when I’m walking around, and on my desk when I’m not. Even though I don’t use a case very often with my iPhone, I’m always up for testing one. As a result, my first iPhone case review is of iSkin’s revo.

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Mophie Bevy iPod shuffle Keychain and Bottle Opener

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The Mophie Illuminator project started earlier this year at MacWorld 2007. Attendees doodled product ideas and submitted them for the community to vote on. The Bevy iPod shuffle case, keychain, bottle opener, is the first such product to come out of this project.

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