Smythe Richbourg

A gadget nerd from childhood, Smythe has always been drawn to solving everyday problems with clever tools. An Apple fan since his Mac Plus in 1987, he's usually pretty current with devices. Sometimes, however, he still misses his Newton 2100 MessagePad.

Tokkidas baby gate review – Corral your precious little ones – furry or human

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REVIEW – There are times when we need to corral animals or children into or away from certain areas, either for their own protection or for the preservation of the things being cordoned off. Traditionally, in North America, at least, this is done with a temporary solution called a baby gate. I was recently sent […]

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AceBeam E70 mini flashlight review – A flashlight for the fashion conscious

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REVIEW – We all love our flashlights, the more powerful the better. But there’s one thing missing from most EDC high-power flashlights: a sense of style. They all look like you’re outfitting for an armed assault, rather than just wanting to have a decent light available while you’re going about your life. Few of us

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IMALENT MR90 50000 lumen flashlight review – The sun in your hand

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REVIEW – For a good while, LEDs for flashlights were quite underpowered. They used batteries quickly and did not have much throw when it came to piercing through the darkness. Well, I’m here to tell you that those days are long gone! I’ve reviewed a few lights on this site that had high lumens and

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FurZapper review – How much fur can a FurZapper zap? Turns out, not a lot.

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REVIEW – If you have an animal that sheds – long- or short-haired – you know the aggravation of seeing those pesky hairs on every single piece of clothing you own. A new product – the FurZapper – promises to remove this irritation from your life. Can it be done? Is this the answer to

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Pitaka MagEZ iPad mini charging stand review – power through the case and power through your day

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REVIEW – There are cases, stands, and other options everywhere for the standard and iPad Pro models. The iPad mini, however, is usually limited to e-reader-type cases, rather than ones that expect pen or keyboard input. Pitaka has recently updated their business-class case for the mini to add their MagEZ (Pita!Flow?) charger attachment. They were

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EHO 100W 4-port GaN wall charger review – Any port in a charger

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REVIEW – After an embarrassingly long time with no higher wattage chargers (like, above 30 Watt) being available because of manufacturing and shipping issues caused by (or, at least blamed on) the pandemic, suddenly everyone seems to have gallium nitride (GaN) chargers available that offer flexibility beyond anything we’ve seen in the past. Take today’s

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Pitaka will open orders for their new iPad mini charging case and stand on June 1st

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NEWS – On June 1st, 2022, Pitaka will launch its new MagEZ line of magnetically/wirelessly charged iPad mini charging accessories. The MagEZ case system adds wireless charging to the iPad mini. When it comes to attention from case designers, the basic iPad (the 9th Generation) and the iPad Pros hog all the limelight, (just do

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Mingda Magician X 3D printer review – It’s not Capt Kirk’s replicator, but it’s close!

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REVIEW – Ever since Captain Kirk pulled a plate of food from the replicator on Star Trek in the 60s, I think we’ve all harbored dreams of having everyday objects provided for us in a just-in-time manner. For some, that means 3D printing. There are several folks here who have reviewed 3D printers over the

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Paris-Rhône PE-FD001 Food Dehydrator review – Make your own GORP and fruit roll-ups!

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REVIEW – I love dried fruits and nuts. When the Paris-Rhône PE-FD001 Food Dehydrator came up for review, I thought it might be a chance to see if homemade really is better. I’ve been testing with various food items and am now ready to report my findings. What is it? The Paris-Rhône PE-FD001 Food Dehydrator

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Lion Energy Eclipse wireless charger review

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REVIEW – Battery makers continue to innovate, and we users keep expecting more from them. Now that many folks are carrying a second battery-charged item in addition to their smartphone, there’s the need to provide simultaneous charging. If you’re carrying the modern geek trifecta, you’ll actually need to charge three items: your smartphone, your wireless

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Qfun Digital Caliper Measuring Tool review – brings digital accuracy to a centuries-old measurement tool

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REVIEW – Highly accurate measurements help everything from cooking and mixology to engine performance, aircraft stabilization, and a host of other engineering tasks. For physical measurements of objects, it’s hard to beat a set of Vernier Calipers. I was sent a set of digital Vernier calipers from Qfun to test, and have been measuring all

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ScootHop B1 Electric scooter review – It’s not just for kids, adults can scoot too!

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REVIEW – Unless you’ve not walked around in a city or college campus town in a while (I know, there’s been a pandemic and all), you’ll know that electric scooters are a thing. There are companies that rent them, and there are many companies that sell them directly to end-users. One such company is ScootHop,

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Fanttik EVO 300 portable power station review – power for your next emergency or outing

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REVIEW – Whether it’s due to a natural disaster or a choice to go somewhere off-grid, we sometimes find ourselves needing portable electricity. For whatever situation you’re in, the Fanttik EVO 300 Portable Power Station can give you power for a good long time – at least, that’s what the marketing material states. I was

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Positive Grid Spark mini battery-powered amplifier review

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REVIEW – Guitarists of all types want an amp at some point. Acoustic players want to be heard above the other instruments or voices they may be playing with. Electric players want to just hear the actual sounds, but also usually want to add some effects to the bare sound, which, until the age of

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FlexiSpot Sit2Go Pro fitness chair review – Workout while surfing the web!

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REVIEW – For years, we have been trying to find ways to get exercise while sitting at our desks. There are treadmill desks, cycling pedal footrests, and, ultimately, the cycling chair. I was recently sent the FlexiSpot Sit2Go Pro fitness chair, and have been testing it diligently. Let’s see what happened. What is it? The

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Mophie 3-in-1 travel charger with MagSafe review

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REVIEW – Something we all have learned about wireless charging: there are always wires somewhere in the mix. And with several different types of wireless chargers, there could be a different wire for each one. Recently, Mophie released a charging kit I wish I had owned a month earlier when I took my iPhone, Apple

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Monoprice Harmony Capsule 200 Bluetooth speaker review

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REVIEW – Speakers – we need them to share the music and words we’re listening to, and there are a bazillion options out there. Today, I’m going to review the Monoprice Harmony Capsule 200 speaker, which is a capsule/cylinder-shaped speaker system. What is it? The Monoprice Harmony Capsule 200 is a black tubular Bluetooth speaker

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iStorage datAshur SD drive review – Security and USB-C come to thumb drives

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REVIEW – Ah, those portable USB drives! Now that the world is moving to USB-C, what will we do? iStorage has created the datAsure SD for just this world. Not only does it have a USB-C jack, but it can be changed out easily with different TF cards, and has a built-in PIN-based security system.

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