Android - The Gadgeteer

Protect your new Samsung Galaxy S5 with a DRACOdesign Supernova Aluminum Bumper

By Julie Strietelmeier / April 21, 2014 / News / Android, Bumper case, Cases and Covers / 1 Comment

Available in 5 colors including the Electric Blue that you see above is DRACOdesign’s latest bumper case for Samsung’s latest smartphone, the Galaxy S5. The Supernova bumper is made of ultra-lightweight airplane grade aluminum and provides maximum protection for the S5 smartphone. The bumper edge is raised by 1mm in height, which protects the phone […]

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ZAGG introduces Auto-Fit keyboards for 7-10″ Android tablets

By Julie Strietelmeier / April 19, 2014 / News / Android, Bluetooth, Keyboard / Leave a Comment

The new line of Auto-Fit Bluetooth keyboards from ZAGG offers one-size fits all compatibility with a wide range of Android tablets from multiple manufacturers. The keyboards feature a spring-loaded cover that can expand to accommodate the specific height of the Android tablet. When inserted, the Auto-Fit keyboard turns the tablet into a pseudo mini laptop, with a cover that

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Amazon Fire TV review

By Julie Strietelmeier / April 15, 2014 / Reviews / Amazon, Android, Audio, Video, TV, Gaming Gear / 16 Comments

Three years ago, Janet and I posted a dual review of two of Roku’s latest video streaming devices at that time, and we’ve been using those devices ever since. Over the years, I’ve used similar devices like the Apple TV (original model), Boxee Box, Popcorn Hour and WDTV. Of all those devices, my favorite has

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Just Mobile AluCup Grande review

By Smythe Richbourg / April 7, 2014 / Reviews / Android, iOS, Stand / Leave a Comment

“They sent you an ashtray?” – Every single person in my family, when they saw the AluCup Grande The fine folks at Just Mobile make a lot of cool gadget-centric stuff: styli, iPad and Phone stands, batteries for your USB gadgets, USB chargers for your vehicle’s 12 volt system – the works. A while back,

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Adidas miCoach SMART RUN watch review

By Dave Rees / April 4, 2014 / Reviews / Android, Bluetooth, Health and fitness, Smartwatch, Sports, Watches and Clocks / 1 Comment

Winter is nearly over and it is time to get mentally prepared/excited for getting outside and exercising. For me that means tennis and running. As I age, the latter being less appealing than it use to be. Each year I do my best to augment my excitement for pounding pavement with fun and interesting tech,

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ADATA DashDrive Durable UD320 USB OTG flash drive review

By Julie Strietelmeier / April 2, 2014 / Reviews / Android, OTG, USB / 5 Comments

Here’s another portable and relatively inexpensive way to expand the memory of your Android device. It’s the ADATA DashDrive Durable UD320 USB OTG flash drive, which comes in 16 and 32GB capacities. I was sent the 32GB version to test. Let’s see how it works.

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Leef Access microSD card reader for Android review

By Julie Strietelmeier / April 1, 2014 / Reviews / Android, USB / 4 Comments

If you’re an Android user with a device that lacks a microSD card slot, you need to pay attention to this review. Don’t worry, I won’t take much of your time because there’s not a whole lot I can say about the Leef Access microSD card reader for Android, other than it’s tiny and only

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NKMOS Ultima car mount review

By Dave Rees / March 23, 2014 / Reviews / Android, Car Gear, Device mount, iOS / 5 Comments

There are countless cheap plastic mounts designed to hold your smart device while driving in an orientation that enables your device to function handsfree while keeping both hands on the wheel. Many of these mounts work just fine and fulfill their intended purpose. But when I can avoid plastic, I do and typically look for

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It won’t hold two of every animal, but the Arq Dock will hold your smart device

By Larry Geisz / March 10, 2014 / News / Android, charging stand, Crowdfunded, iOS / 4 Comments

The title of this post is kind of funny because my household seems to have amassed two of every smart device we use, two iPhones and two iPads you get the picture. And like every household, the way we protect or enhance these devices varies by user. Anywhere between full-blown rugged protection to skinny and

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Keep your Moto G smartphone warm and toasty with this laser cut cover

By Julie Strietelmeier / March 9, 2014 / News / Android, Cases and Covers, Motorola / Leave a Comment

Portland Oregon based company Toast has just announced an addition to their line up of real wood thin, lightweight covers. This new easy to apply – peel and stick cover has been designed especially for the Motorola G Android smartphone. There are four woods to choose from including Walnut, Bamboo, Ebony and Ash. You also

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Add an eInk screen to your smartphone

By Janet Cloninger / March 4, 2014 / News / Android, Bluetooth, Cases and Covers, iOS / 6 Comments

OAXIS produces cases for your iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy Note II that incorporate a 3.5″ ePaper screen into the back of the case. The ePaper screen connects via Bluetooth and serves as an auxiliary screen. Using a special app “allows users to control and manage the second screen to display images, notifications, reminders, and

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ChargerLeash review

By Smythe Richbourg / March 3, 2014 / Reviews / Android, Batteries and Chargers, iOS, Travel Gear, USB / 2 Comments

It’s happened to me several times: I charge my device in a hotel room, disconnect in the morning to move to a different seat or go down for breakfast, come back, pack and leave, and abandon my cable under the nightstand. Now that we have multiple devices to charge, the likelihood that we’re going to

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SlideStand review

By Ryan Chapman / March 1, 2014 / Reviews / Android, Cases and Covers, iOS, iPhone Stand / 7 Comments

Sometimes you have a case you love, but you need a stand so you can FaceTime, Skype, or watch videos on your phone. Problem is, a lot of the cases that have stands built in are not as stylish as the ones you find without stands. In comes the SlideStand, a stick on stand for

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Snugg Executive Case for the Nexus 7 review

By Bryan Sherman / February 27, 2014 / Reviews / Android, Cases and Covers, Nexus 7 / 4 Comments

As the proud owner of a first-generation Nexus 7, I was looking for a good case for my tablet. Pretty much the only thing I am jealous of regarding i-gadgets is the selection of accessories. Add to this the fact that the Nexus 7 is positioned as an affordable tablet, and your options further decrease.

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Give your device some hold while on the road with the Kanex Foldable iDevice stand

By Larry Geisz / February 25, 2014 / News / Android, iOS, tablet stand, Travel Gear / Leave a Comment

Kanex Foldable iDevice Stand e1393289686868

We live in an ever-increasing mobile society, so I am always looking for items to help me function on the road. One item in particular is a decent portable stand for my iPad or iPhone. I have reviewed one stand here that is my current travel buddy, but it’s kind of big and bulky. Recently,

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Brando STAR WARS Darth Vader Lightsaber Portable Battery Charger review

By Dave Rees / February 20, 2014 / Reviews / Android, Batteries and Chargers, iOS, Star Wars / 1 Comment

As huge Sci-Fi geeks and Star Wars fans, the Gadgeteer Kid and I have literally dozens of lightsabers kicking around our house. So, when Brando recently introduced a novelty smartphone accessory in the shape of Darth Vader’s lightsaber, I offered to take a look to see if the PowerBank was worthy enough to represent the

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LYNKtec Apex active stylus review

By Julie Strietelmeier / February 19, 2014 / Reviews / Android, iOS, Styluses, Windows Phone / 37 Comments

Back in the good old days of PDAs, fine tipped styluses were everywhere. When PDAs were replaced by smartphones and tablets, styluses went on the endangered gadgets list . However, it didn’t take too long for them to start appearing again, but they all had wide tips that made writing with them feel more like you

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Keep your eyes on the road with Garmin’s HUD+

By Julie Strietelmeier / February 18, 2014 / News / Android, Car Gear, GPS, iOS, Windows Phone / 1 Comment

Using your smartphone to help you navigate while driving is obviously commonplace these days. But the problem with using your phone or even a stand alone GPS is that they require you to look away from the road to view navigation information. Garmin’s new HUD+ is a small device that uses Bluetooth to pair with

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Julie’s gadget diary – Is Gmail sucking the life out of your Android smartphone?

By Julie Strietelmeier / February 16, 2014 / Articles / Android, gadget diary, Gmail / 27 Comments

This is a quick tip for all my fellow Android users. Have you noticed that your Android smartphone is always warm to the touch or that your battery life has taken a nose dive? When I was using the Samsung Galaxy S3 as my primary phone, it would often feel warm even when I had

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