Car Gear - The Gadgeteer

Sweet deal on an Aukey Quick Charge 2.0 car charger with TWO Quick Charge USB ports

I currently have an Aukey two-port car charger with one Quick Charge 2.0 port. It charges my phone more quickly than conventional chargers and has been working wonderfully without problems. However, we have two phones in our family that support Quick Charge 2.0 so I have been on the lookout for an inexpensive dual port […]

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Magellan MiVue 658 HD dash cam review

By Julie Strietelmeier / November 1, 2015 / Reviews / Car Gear, dash cam / 33 Comments

Dash cams are one of those gadgets that you setup and forget about until something happens that makes you glad that you have one. Why would you be glad to have a dash cam? They can be useful for insurance purposes if you have an accident. They might capture something that you would ordinarily never

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Infernal Innovations magnetic air vent smartphone mount review

By Dennis Moore / October 11, 2015 / Reviews / Car Gear, Device mount / 10 Comments

As I’ve said time and time again, I’m in a car a lot. A good portion of the gadgets I buy are to make life easier on me while in my car. One of my constant sources of frustration is where to keep my phone while driving. When cell phones first came out, you could

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Avantek BC-L6 Bluetooth 4.0 hands-free car kit review

By Dennis Moore / October 10, 2015 / Reviews / Bluetooth, Bluetooth audio adapter, Car Gear / 5 Comments

I spend a lot of time driving, and I’ve grown tired of my local radio stations and the same 5 song set list. Fortunately, there are tons of apps that give me access to a variety of music and every vehicle I drive has an auxiliary input. Unfortunately, when using auxiliary inputs, simple things like

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Garmin GDR33 dash cam review

By Andy Chen / September 14, 2015 / Reviews / Car Gear, dash cam / 5 Comments

Dash cams can be pretty useful, or even capture some interesting footage, but consumers are faced with a motley assortment of brands you’ve probably never heard of before. Garmin is a name synonymous with quality GPS units, so this time I get to check out the Garmin GDR33 Dash Cam. Does the Garmin name live up

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Calculate the total gas cost of your next road-trip and save using Gasbuddy

By Kathleen Chapman / September 12, 2015 / News / Car Gear, Travel Gear / Leave a Comment

If there’s a tool available to help me save money, I’ll use it. One of the tools I use is the Gasbuddy app. I’ve been using it for a while now and I love it. Anytime I need to fill up my vehicles, I search for the cheapest gas prices near me using this app;

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Tronfy iWork Mini 4.0 Bluetooth headset review

By Raul Sanchez / September 2, 2015 / Reviews / Bluetooth, Bluetooth headset, Car Gear / 3 Comments

It wasn’t too long ago that many Bluetooth headsets came with the protruding boom mic so that you didn’t have to speak loudly and so that the person on the other end of the phone could hear you more clearly as you spoke. However, it was just a look I could not get used to out

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A8 OBD Heads Up Display (HUD) review

By Andy Chen / September 1, 2015 / Reviews / Car Gear / 78 Comments

I love the idea of a heads up display, or HUD. Jet fighters use them! Fancy sports cars have them! It’s the stuff of the future, right? I jumped at the chance to try out the A8 HUD unit with OBD connectivity.

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Papago GoSafe 520 dashcam review

By Julie Strietelmeier / August 28, 2015 / Reviews / Camera gear, Car Gear, dash cam / 6 Comments

“But officer, he caused the accident, not me. Really, I swear!” Although you may be telling the truth, you need evidence to back up your claims when it comes to traffic accidents. One way to do that is with a dashcam. Dashcams are windshield mounted cameras that automatically record everything you see out of your

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SCOSCHE’s reVOLT is a small car charger that is big on power

By Julie Strietelmeier / August 22, 2015 / News / Batteries and Chargers, Car Gear, USB charger / 1 Comment

The 12V port in my MINI Cooper is occupied with a USB car charger for my dashcam. I love using gadgets in my car, but hate how large and ugly the power adapters can be. I’ve been on the lookout for a smaller one for awhile now and may have found one that ticks all

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ClipSee hands-free iPhone speakerphone review

By Greg Carter / August 21, 2015 / Reviews / Car Gear, iOS / 4 Comments

On July 1, 2015, New Hampshire became the fifteenth state to adopt a hands-free law that prohibits the use of hand-held electronic devices unless they are supported by a Bluetooth or other hands-free technology. Now, it’s hard to buy a car today without Bluetooth support, but what if you have an older car? Sure, waiting

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Koomus CD-Slot Smartphone Car Mount review

By Julie Strietelmeier / August 17, 2015 / Reviews / Car Gear, Device mount / 7 Comments

There are a variety of device mounting solutions for vehicles including dash mounts, cup holder mounts, vent mounts, windshield mounts and more. I’m really picky when it comes to which ones I want to use in my car, because I will not use adhesives, I don’t want to drill holes, I’m not a fan

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MagKey Magnetic Smart Key Holder review

By Julie Strietelmeier / August 5, 2015 / Reviews / Car Gear, Crowdfunded, Keychain, Pocket Gear / 9 Comments

I’m currently going through a minimalist stage where I am reducing my “stuff” down to just the items that I actually use on a regular basis. Case in point, this past weekend, I did a major gadget purge of my office (Gadgeteer HQ) and ended up taking four overflowing storage tubs of old review items

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Scotty, give me that power! You’ve got it Captain…

By Kathleen Chapman / August 3, 2015 / News / Batteries and Chargers, Car Gear / 7 Comments

Not all of us have the inexhaustible power of the Star Trek communicators, which is invaluable when you venture out on a five-year mission. Instead, we have to rely on chargers for our phones for the foreseeable future. We constantly demand more power and faster charging speeds, so engineers have provided us with the Aukey CC-T1 2-Port

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Evenflo infant car seat reminds you that your baby is still in the back seat

By Julie Strietelmeier / July 26, 2015 / News / Car Gear, Kid Gadgets / 7 Comments

Walmart and Evenflo have teamed up to announce a new baby car seat that has built-in technology to alert the driver when the child’s harness clip becomes unbuckled and when the child is still in the seat after arriving at their destination. Last summer it seemed like each week that passed we were hearing about

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iClever Bluetooth receiver & FM transmitter review

By Dennis Moore / July 23, 2015 / Reviews / Audio, Video, TV, Car Gear, FM Transmitter / 3 Comments

As a police officer, I spend a significant portion of my day in a vehicle, patrolling. While on patrol, I enjoy having something to listen to in the background. In the past I was satisfied listening to terrestrial radio, but more and more I find I’d rather listen to streaming radio or podcasts. None of our

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Satechi CD-NT Universal CD car mount and SCH-121 Cup Holder Mount reviews

By Smythe Richbourg / July 3, 2015 / Reviews / Car Gear, Device mount / 2 Comments

We Gadgeteers carry our phones everywhere. Even using wearable tech, we still want a phone with us, especially when we’re driving. The GPS/Mapping apps and constant connectivity your phone gives you can be the difference between sitting at a confusing intersection, trying to unfold that stupid gas station map and breezing through, confident of your

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Never wander the parking lot searching for your car again

By Janet Cloninger / June 24, 2015 / News / Car Gear / 1 Comment

The shopping malls around here are always busy, and sometimes they are so jammed you’re lucky to find a parking place. After a few trips around the giant lot looking for an empty space, and it all starts to look alike. If you don’t make a concerted effort to find a landmark, you may find

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XPower E1 3-port USB car charger review

By Andy Chen / June 9, 2015 / Reviews / Batteries and Chargers, Car Gear, USB charger / 1 Comment

You can’t have too many USB charging outlets when traveling, I say. Today we look at the XPower E1, a rather unique take on the 12V to USB accessory with 3 ports, a built-in voltage display and a long power cord.

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TYLT RIBBN 4.8A Car Charger with flat ribbon cable review

By Andy Chen / June 7, 2015 / Reviews / cables, Car Gear / Leave a Comment

I love flat charging cables. Ever since I came across the flat micro USB cable that came with the Logitech Ultimate Ears Boom speaker, I’ve been snapping up flat cables if there’s a choice. Now, there’s a car charger with a flat cable!

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