Lex Strickland

As a child I usually disassembled Christmas toys by lunchtime. I'm fascinated by cellphones, fountain pens, knives, flashlights, Chromebooks, and Chromeboxes. I play drums, workout, throw boomerangs, shoot paper targets and bike. I try to fit in my retirement when I have time.

LISEN 4 in 1 Car Charger review – It’s a charger, not a soup can

LISEN 7

REVIEW – The LISEN 4 in 1 Car Charger is a cable-equipped charger with retractable cables for your Android and Apple devices, plus it has two standard plugs for using your own cables for charging additional devices. I’m an Android guy so what do I do with a Lightning cable? Oh yeah, my wife’s iPad! […]

LISEN 4 in 1 Car Charger review – It’s a charger, not a soup can Read More

WURKKOS TS10 V2.0 flashlight review – A well made flashlight with challenges

WURKKOS 12 1

REVIEW – The WURKKOS TS10 V2.0 flashlight is a solid piece of hardware. It has some quirky features that use its miniature colored LEDs, but it shoots a 1400-lumen bright white beam and dials down to a moonlight dim for when a little light will do. It suffers from a couple of challenges. See if

WURKKOS TS10 V2.0 flashlight review – A well made flashlight with challenges Read More

OnePlus 12R Smartphone review – Hot on the heels of flagships

1PLUS 12R 12

REVIEW – The OnePlus 12R Smartphone has just been released in North America and Europe. It has specs dangerously close to its more expensive sibling, the OnePlus 12, recently reviewed by Julie, but is less expensive and has a bigger battery. Were any serious corners cut to make this an econo-phone or would a normal

OnePlus 12R Smartphone review – Hot on the heels of flagships Read More

Pixel Watch failed and out of warranty? Google may replace it at a discount

PIXEL WATCH 2 1

NEWS – Google has made a nice change for out of warranty Pixel Watch problems. Normally when our devices fail after the warranty expires, our choice is to buy another at retail price or do without.  From the Google Pixel Watch Help site: “If your Pixel Watch is out of warranty or your claim isn’t

Pixel Watch failed and out of warranty? Google may replace it at a discount Read More

Gerber Knife Company just introduced camping cookware

GERBER 1

NEWS – Gerber has just announced its first-ever outdoor cookware collection. I got on the early notice list last month when they announced a tease about something new coming. They say “The ComplEAT Camp Cook Collection allows you to prep, cook, and serve without sacrificing space and utility.“ On their website, I see a ComplEAT

Gerber Knife Company just introduced camping cookware Read More

POWERΛDD PRO Laptop Power Bank review – Power from its bank without robbing yours

POWERADD 11

REVIEW – The POWERΛDD PRO Laptop Power Bank was a reliable performer. Spoiler. But you won’t waste your time reading on to see what it can do and how it might be a useful tool to prevent dreaded dead devices. What is it? The POWERΛDD PRO Laptop Power Bank is a rechargeable, 100W, 20000mAh lithium

POWERΛDD PRO Laptop Power Bank review – Power from its bank without robbing yours Read More

Watchmaker Fossil has RIP’d its smartwatch business

FOSSIL 1

NEWS – The announcement here and many other places confirm that Fossil will stop making Wear OS smartwatches as of its ‘Gen 6 line’ which is currently sold at the fossil.com website and elsewhere.  9to5Google reports that Fossil never achieved better than 2.2% of the smartwatch market so the decision comes with little surprise.  Fossil

Watchmaker Fossil has RIP’d its smartwatch business Read More

Baseus Charger reviews – One for the wall, one for the pocket

BASEUS 21

REVIEW – You’re about to enter the sexy, exciting world of… Wall plug chargers ! I can’t do it. I’m not a hype-er. Chargers should just work. But isn’t that what we need them for? The best ones give us reliable, steady power when a device needs to be powered up. Baseus sent their PowerMega

Baseus Charger reviews – One for the wall, one for the pocket Read More

If you don’t get this mini-driver set at Harbor Freight, get one somewhere!

DRIVERS 1

NEWS – I don’t do advertisements or promotions and this is not a sponsored piece. I have found this to be among the best ten dollars I’ve spent. This set happens to have come from a local Harbor Freight store.  I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had to reach for my mini-driver set

If you don’t get this mini-driver set at Harbor Freight, get one somewhere! Read More

Amazon’s newest tablet is on sale – make it run Android apps

FIRE 10 1

NEWS – Amazon’s newest Fire Tablet, the Fire HD 10,  is on sale for $104.99. Other models also seem to be discounted. The 3GB RAM should be sufficient for browsing, reading, streaming and light gaming and it has 64GB of storage. If you don’t need to add a lot of apps the 32GB version is

Amazon’s newest tablet is on sale – make it run Android apps Read More

Oukitel BT20 Smartwatch review – A mix of great, and ‘opportunities’

OUKITEL 3

REVIEW – The Oukitel BT20 Smartwatch carries the same brand name as large, portable power stations Gadgeteer reviewers have published here. It figures it has a large-ish battery, but at $60 how close to ‘smart’ is this watch? I’ve reviewed some doozies before and this price range usually marks where I approach with lower expectations.

Oukitel BT20 Smartwatch review – A mix of great, and ‘opportunities’ Read More

FreeTiger FT51 Pocket Knife review – It doesn’t cut – into your wallet

FREETIGER 1

REVIEW – The FreeTiger FT51 pocket knife is one sharp cookie – cutter. Sorry if I said that in a previous review, but I was immediately impressed with the sharpness of the blade on this knife and the ‘no cheap feel,’ knowing this knife costs under $30. How will it stand up to my normal

FreeTiger FT51 Pocket Knife review – It doesn’t cut – into your wallet Read More

Can an app make a mediocre smartwatch great?

NOTIFY 1

NEWS – Notify for Smartwatches can elevate no-name smartwatches to a new level. I just reviewed two smartwatches back to back and both were brand names you probably don’t know. Those reviews will appear soon.  The major problem with both watches was zero customize-ability to the vibrations they deliver. If you don’t notice one, single,

Can an app make a mediocre smartwatch great? Read More

Strap this Game Boy-ish smartwatch on your wrist!

WATCH

CROWDFUNDING NEWS – A high tech retro gaming watch is on Kickstarter. The overachiever developer, Jason Rogers, crossed paths with the developer of the Pebble Watch, thought, planned and is about to produce a retro gaming watch with smartwatch features.  This guy was a naval submarine officer, and has degrees in physics, nuclear engineering, computer

Strap this Game Boy-ish smartwatch on your wrist! Read More

KOSPET TANK X1 Smartwatch review – Smarter than his older brother?

KOSPET TANK X1 33

REVIEW – The KOSPET TANK X1 smartwatch was offered for review and the brand was familiar to me. I reviewed a KOSPET watch in 2021 and after the review I promptly took it to electronic recycling with no regrets. I was interested to see if KOSPET had matured as a fitness tracker manufacturer. Other reviews

KOSPET TANK X1 Smartwatch review – Smarter than his older brother? Read More