News - The Gadgeteer

OpticsPlanet opens up the world of Google Glass to those of us without perfect vision

By Janet Cloninger / January 15, 2014 / News / Gear, Glasses, Health and fitness / 1 Comment

If you require eyeglasses, you may find that Google Glass’s frame won’t work in conjunction with your current glasses. Luckily, an employee of OpticsPlanet was invited to try Google Glass (GG for short), and when he found he couldn’t wear them with his current glasses, he asked his company for a solution. OpticsPlanet came up […]

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Better sound from your mobile device is in the shell

By Janet Cloninger / January 15, 2014 / News / Audio, Video, TV, External speaker, Smartphone accessory, Tablet accessory / 1 Comment

It’s nice that phones and tablets usually have built-in external speakers so you can hear audio without needing earphones, but my experience has shown that those speakers are wimpy and don’t produce great sound or even decent volume. I doubt you’ll get audiophile-pleasing sound, but you’ll probably get more volume if you use the Mini Snail-shaped

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Tech Candy’s Get Cord 3-in-1 USB cable will consolidate your cables

By Julie Strietelmeier / January 15, 2014 / News / Android, Batteries and Chargers, cables, iOS / 14 Comments

Instead of carrying a 30pin cable for your iPod or older iPhone, a Lightning cable for your newer iPhone or iPad and a microUSB cable, you can buy one Get Cord that can be used for all three types of devices. This cable features an 6 foot long woven fabric cable with a USB connector

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SLXtreme 5 – Power packed protection for your iPhone 5 adventures

By Larry Geisz / January 15, 2014 / News / Batteries and Chargers, Cases and Covers, iOS, iPhone 5 cases / 2 Comments

Still squeamish when it comes to protecting your iPhone 5 and 5s? Looking for a rugged case with a little more functionality or maybe a little extra juice in the caboose? Then maybe you should be looking at the SLXTreme 5 from SnowLizard. The SLXTreme 5 is a rugged, waterproof backup battery case with a

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The world’s most flexible lunchbox comes from Norway

By Janet Cloninger / January 14, 2014 / News / Food, Home and Kitchen / 5 Comments

You spend time each morning carefully crafting your lunch sandwich just the way you like it, then you wrap it in waxed paper or a plastic zipper bag and put it in your lunchbag. When lunchtime comes, you pull out your lunch only to discover your sandwich has fallen apart into a mess, with condiments

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Move through space and time with this Tokyoflash Japan watch

By Janet Cloninger / January 14, 2014 / News / Clocks, Watches and Clocks / Leave a Comment

Tokyoflash Japan‘s latest watch features a two-tone wood case and band. The Kisai Space Digits watch features “a futuristic time display framed by a dual-layered laminated hardwood case.” (The watch above is displaying 08:50.) This watch has an alarm mode, an “always on” LCD display, and an electroluminescent backlight for nighttime viewing. The natural wood is

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Petbit is an activity tracker for your cat or dog

By Julie Strietelmeier / January 14, 2014 / News / Activity tracker, Health and fitness, Pet Gadgets / 3 Comments

Of all the product reviews that I wrote last year, I posted the most reviews about activity trackers. I wear an activity tracking device every day for two reasons. First, I like to see how many steps I’ve walked each day and two, I earn points that I can exchange for money through my day

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Tablet bag looks like a VW bus

By Janet Cloninger / January 13, 2014 / News / Bags, Gear for women / Leave a Comment

You can’t transport your friends around in this Volkswagen Bus, but you can give a small laptop or a tablet a ride inside. The Brisa Licensed Volkswagen VW Bus Orange Messenger Bag Cross-body Purse is made of vegan-friendly materials, and it measures 10″ X 13.5″ X 4″ and has an adjustable strap (up to 54″). It looks

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Now you DO have room for a foosball table

By Janet Cloninger / January 13, 2014 / News / Toys / Leave a Comment

You don’t have a game room at your house, and your spouse won’t let you replace the dining table with a foosball table. What to do? Well, you could buy the Kartoni Foosball Table. It’s made of cardboard with sustainable wood rods; it needs assembly, but you won’t need tools, glue, or screws. The Kartoni

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Fugoo speakers are all wet

By Bill Henderson / January 13, 2014 / News / Audio, Video, TV, Bluetooth, Bluetooth speaker / 3 Comments

If there is one thing that’s indicative of the changing audio landscape, it’s the explosion of headphone and Bluetooth speaker choices. Just a few years ago, decent headphones were an expensive luxury and you could count the number of Bluetooth speakers available on one hand. At the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show, countless portable speakers were

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Get all the juicy details with the USB Power Current / Voltage Tester

By Julie Strietelmeier / January 13, 2014 / News / Computer Gear, USB / 3 Comments

The USB Power Current/Voltage Tester from Brando lets you easily measure USB power and device operating current/voltage. Just plug the small USB adapter between the device and your computer or AC outlet and the built-in display shows current and voltage. It will work with smartphones, tablets or any devices with a USB charging port. It

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The Clean-Cut Wallet: leather + elastic = slim

By Andy Jacobs / January 12, 2014 / News / Crowdfunded, Wallets / Leave a Comment

I’m a fan of the slim wallet craze. I’ve tried a few of them, and it’s been good to minimize the amount of clutter in my wallet and to be able to carry it in my front or back pocket easily. One drawback of many of these slim wallet designs is that you miss out

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Kickstart your dead phone with the JUMP battery pack

By Larry Geisz / January 12, 2014 / News / Batteries and Chargers, cables, Crowdfunded, External power supply / Leave a Comment

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: “I was on the road and my phone’s battery died”. Oh, you have heard that one before; then you have probably seen a lot of news and reviews on backup batteries as well. So why am I doing another one? The simple answer is that the JUMP,

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Old becomes new with Ion Cassette Adapter Bluetooth

By Bill Henderson / January 11, 2014 / News / Audio, Video, TV, Bluetooth, Bluetooth audio adapter / 7 Comments

Anybody with an older car can relate to this: You have a smartphone with all the latest Bluetooth connectivity, but your car stereo is still oh so 90s with its cassette and maybe CD player. No USB. No AUX port. Certainly no Bluetooth… until now. Ion has made it possible for any Bluetooth-enabled device to

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Small beverage vending machine for your home

By Janet Cloninger / January 10, 2014 / News / Home and Kitchen / 3 Comments

This small, Coca-Cola-branded beverage refrigerator is perfect to keep drinks chilled and ready to drink in your family room, man cave, or even office. The Coca-Cola Vending Fridge holds 10 12-oz cans of your favorite beverages and dispenses them at the press of a button. This little tabletop vending machine won’t be able to keep

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Tired of typos on your iPhone? Maybe the Typo keyboard case can help you.

By Janet Cloninger / January 9, 2014 / News / Bluetooth, Bluetooth keyboard, iOS, iPhone 5/5S / 4 Comments

Because he was tired of the inefficient on-screen keyboard on his iPhone, Ryan Seacrest (yep, the guy on TV) joined with Laurence Hallier to develop the Typo iPhone Keyboard Case. The Bluetooth keyboard sits at the bottom of your iPhone and, according to early users, can increase your typing speed and reduce the number of mistakes.

Tired of typos on your iPhone? Maybe the Typo keyboard case can help you. Read More

Belkin expands its WeMo line with internet-connected light bulbs and a Crock Pot

By Janet Cloninger / January 9, 2014 / News / Home and Kitchen, Home Automation, LED lighting, Wireless / 1 Comment

According to Belkin’s latest press release, they are introducing new WeMo products at the 2014 CES. I’ve been using Belkin WeMo Switches to automate my lamps for months now, and they have worked flawlessly. I wanted to use some of their WeMo Light Switches to control ceiling lights, but the wiring in my older home

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iPad wireless charging + adjustable stand = iPort

By Julie Strietelmeier / January 9, 2014 / News / iOS, Stand, Wireless charging / Leave a Comment

iPad stands are a dime a dozen right? Not the iPort line of iPad stands. They combine a special all-in-one charging case with a magnetic stand to offer convenient wireless charging. Until Apple decides to add Qi wireless charging features to their next-gen iPads, the iPort might be the next best thing. The case is Smart Cover

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Add storage and extra power to your iPhone 5/5S with the new mophie space pack

By Janet Cloninger / January 8, 2014 / News / Batteries and Chargers, Cases and Covers, iOS, iPhone 5/5S / Leave a Comment

Because I have a family of three who all like new iPhones, we tend to stick with the lowest-storage model when we upgrade to keep cost under control. That means I tend to have to watch what I load up on my iPhone 5, which means I don’t have any music on there. It would

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Brando has your charging cable needs zipped up

By Janet Cloninger / January 8, 2014 / News / Batteries and Chargers, cables / Leave a Comment

brando lightning and microusb double cable

The XPOWER Zipper Lightning + Micro USB Cable combines the two most-used charging cables into one. You can even charge two devices simultaneously (2.4A maximum output). The zipper design gives it a cool look, but it’s functional, too – zip it up for storage, unzip it when you need to use it. Brando says that

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