Kathleen Chapman - The Gadgeteer

Microsoft Band: Microsoft’s cross-platform activity tracker/smart watch

The Microsoft Band is Microsoft’s contribution to the wearables market. It is a cross-platform Bluetooth device that works on Windows Phone 8.1 update, iOS 7.1 and 8, and Android 4.3-4.4 devices. It has a full-color touch display and will track your sleep patterns, number of steps taken, calories burned, and heart rate and has watch functions such […]

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Problems with stale pantry food? Evak Glass Food Storage to the rescue!

By Kathleen Chapman / November 1, 2014 / News / Cooking, Home and Kitchen / Leave a Comment

Want to organize your pantry and keep food from going stale? The Prepara Evak Airtight Glass Food Storage solution may be just the thing for you. I have been looking around for a durable airtight solution, but not necessarily to stave off stale food. My desire is to find a product that is truly airtight to

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Denon Heos 3 wireless speaker review

By Kathleen Chapman / October 31, 2014 / Reviews / Audio, TV, Video, Wireless speakers / 4 Comments

Installing a whole home audio system used to be a chore. Now with wireless systems like the Korus V400 and V600 (reviewed on the Gadgeteer), Sonos, and others, you no longer have to deal with the hassle of hard wiring the speakers into your home. You can even buy speakers one at a time and easily expand

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LifeBEAM bicycling helmet monitors your heart rate, calories, and performance

By Kathleen Chapman / October 26, 2014 / News / Activity tracker, Bicycle, Health and fitness / 2 Comments

The LifeBEAM bicycling helmet has an all weather compatible “advanced optical” sensor in the helmet to collect data on your heart rate, calories and performance. But the best thing about this helmet is that you are not tied down to communicating that data to only one device or app. This helmet will transmit the data via

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Dyson’s new humidifier kills bacteria using ultraviolet light

By Kathleen Chapman / October 25, 2014 / News / Appliance, Home and Kitchen / 12 Comments

Living in Wisconsin (we lived there years ago) meant aeon long winters, heart stopping heating bills, and desert dry air. We used humidifiers to try to add invaluable moisture to the air to help decrease respiratory illnesses or alleviate the symptoms, but also to keep from shocking each other to a fine char. While cleaning

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Buffalo AirStation AC433 Wireless Travel Router review

By Kathleen Chapman / October 3, 2014 / Reviews / Routers, Wireless / 2 Comments

Even though WiFi is usually provided for free in hotels here in the United States, it is very common to have a weak signal. Enter the travel router. It will connect to the hotel’s internet connection via Ethernet cable (or wirelessly via WiFi) and allow you to connect all your devices to it wirelessly. Travel

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Text without routers, towers, or satellites using goTenna

By Kathleen Chapman / October 1, 2014 / News / Bluetooth / 5 Comments

You can now text anyone without internet access or cell service, as long as you and the person you are texting have a goTenna device AND you are within a few miles of each other. How does it work? You first link your phone to goTenna via Bluetooth LE, then download the goTenna app, and

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ClearStream Eclipse HDTV Amplified Indoor Antenna review

By Kathleen Chapman / September 29, 2014 / Reviews / Antenna, Audio, Video, TV / 3 Comments

We lost our internet connection for about 24 hours recently. After each of us wandered around aimlessly wondering what to do, we finally found some other things to occupy our time – you know, fun things like cleaning the house, playing board games, and being chased by angry wasps whose nest we had just sprayed

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Compost your food waste in just hours – no kidding

By Kathleen Chapman / September 23, 2014 / News / composter, gardening, Home and Kitchen / 9 Comments

I’ve been thinking about composting and buying a composter (or at least the materials for building one) for a long time now, yet the time, energy and space requirements have always been a discouragement for me. However, the Food Cycler CS-10 in-home composter from Food Cycle Science has brought composting back to the forefront of my

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The Inkless 4.EVER Pininfarina Cambiano – the Ferrari of pens has arrived

By Kathleen Chapman / September 22, 2014 / News / Pens / 4 Comments

4.Ever Pininfarina Cambiano inkless pen 1

I have never spent a lot of money on a pen, although I do thoroughly appreciate a well designed, highly functional tool. The 4.Ever Pininfarina Cambiano inkless pen appears to be one of those tools. Pininfarina and Napkin collaborated to create this hand crafted (in Italy), beautifully sleek, classy pen that was inspired by the

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TYLT ENERGI 5K+ 5200 mAh Battery Pack review

By Kathleen Chapman / September 12, 2014 / Reviews / Batteries and Chargers / Leave a Comment

Backup batteries are a necessity for me and my husband. There have been times when both of our phones were on their last leg while sight seeing on vacation and we only had one portable battery. It would charge one device at a time and would do so very, VERY slowly. Nothing screams “Get a

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Pivos Xios XS Media Center review

By Kathleen Chapman / August 25, 2014 / Reviews / Android, Android TV, Audio, Video, TV, Media player / 5 Comments

There are a lot of TV set top boxes out there. The closest I’ve come to using one is using Chromecast or our Xbox for streaming various forms of media. That’s not to say that I haven’t been interested, so when The Gadgeteer was offered the Pivos Xios XS Media Center for review (an Android/XBMC

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Simplify your home automation with the SmartThings Hub and app

By Kathleen Chapman / August 17, 2014 / News / Android, Home and Kitchen, Home Automation, iOS / 4 Comments

There are a lot of home automation devices out there, each with their own app. As you work towards the smart home of your dreams, before long, you’ll have multiple apps for your multiple devices. You can simplify things by controlling everything with the SmartThings Hub and iOS/Android app (you’ll need at least iOS 7.0

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Make a statement with the OM/ONE levitating Bluetooth speaker

By Kathleen Chapman / August 16, 2014 / News / Audio, Video, TV, Bluetooth speaker, Crowdfunded / 3 Comments

One thing I used to daydream about as a child is having the power of levitation/telekinesis. To this day, that would be my super power if I could have one. And guess what? Now there’s a LEVITATING Bluetooth speaker in the works! The OM/ONE is a small orb speaker that measures 3.6 inches in diameter

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TaoTronics Elune Dimmable LED Desk Lamp review

By Kathleen Chapman / August 13, 2014 / Reviews / Home and Kitchen, LED lamp / 8 Comments

Who doesn’t need a desk lamp? How about an energy efficient LED desk lamp? Often when I think of LED lighting, I think of the sometimes harsh blue tinted lights, but the TaoTronics Elune Dimmable LED Desk Lamp has several light settings so it is time to set my presuppositions aside and give it a

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IOGEAR Wireless 5×2 HD Matrix review

By Kathleen Chapman / August 11, 2014 / Reviews / Audio, Video, TV, Video Streaming, Wireless / Leave a Comment

We love our family room/den. It’s the place to be in our house probably because it’s a really comfortable room and most of our devices are in there: the Wii, the Chromecast, the Xbox, and our computer. One thing in particular that I have been wanting for a while is to be able to play our

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Spree Fitness Monitor review

By Kathleen Chapman / August 1, 2014 / Reviews / Android, Bluetooth, Health and fitness, iOS / 1 Comment

Exercise has been an important part of my life for the past 17 years. My biggest challenge is staying motivated. I don’t like gyms or running and since I exercise at home using DVD programs (Insanity, Insanity The Asylum, and Tae Bo Get Ripped Advanced), I don’t have anyone to motivate me or hold me

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Knock ’em dead with iPunch

By Kathleen Chapman / July 21, 2014 / News / Bluetooth, Crowdfunded, Health and fitness, Sports / Leave a Comment

“We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We can make him better than he was. Better… stronger… faster” (cue the 6 Million Dollar Man theme). Responsive Sports has developed this exciting new sports training tool to help you improve your punching skills with the 4 ounce MMA style iPunch smart combat gloves. They have sensors incorporated

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Zetta Z16 HD Wide Angle Intelligent Security Camcorder review

By Kathleen Chapman / July 17, 2014 / Reviews / Audio, Video, TV, Camcorder, Home and Kitchen, security camera / 4 Comments

We live in a gated community and just a few years ago, things were stolen out of our car while it was parked in our driveway in broad daylight (we had forgotten to lock it that day). We never found out who had perpetrated the crime, but I remember wishing I had some kind of

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Expert Shield Screen Protector review

By Kathleen Chapman / July 10, 2014 / Reviews / Android, Camera gear, eBook Readers, iOS, Screen Protector, tablets, Ultra Portables / Leave a Comment

I have a Fujifilm X-M1 camera that I purchased not too long ago. I thoroughly enjoy using this camera and intend to take good care of it. I had been thinking about purchasing a screen protector for the LCD screen to protect it from scratches, especially when I wear the camera around my neck and

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