Home and Kitchen

News, reviews and articles about home and kitchen products.

OBi100 VoIP Telephone Adapter and Voice Service Bridge Review

Obi3

Just when I thought I’d gotten a handle on the best deal in VOIP offerings, along comes Obihai with the OBI 100 VOIP telephone adapter.  In conjunction with a Google Voice account, they claim unlimited calling to POTS users in the USA.  Frankly, I didn’t believe it, so I received one of their devices and have been

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Epson Debuts New Small-in-One Printer

epson stylus

Epson is introducing a new, smaller printer for home printing, scanning, and copying.  The Epson Stylus NX430 Small-in-One printer has a small footprint but a large set of features.  The NX430 has a 2.5″ color screen, and it has built-in memory card slots so you can print without needing a PC.  It comes with Epson

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The Best Part of Waking Up? Is Starbucks in your K Cup!

SBux k Cup

At Last!!!!!!!!  My cry has been heard! Not to be outdone by Dunkin Doughnuts, Starbucks is now getting into bed or…waking up…not sure which… with Keurig K Cup.   Dunkin Doughnuts has announced that you can now purchase their coffee blend in the single serve K Cups designed for the Keurig Coffee Brewers. Earlier they

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Twist ‘n Sparkle – Make your own soda without cluttering the counter

twistnsparkle

I was watching a rerun of Dr. Oz yesterday, which had a segment on kitchen gadgets. One of the products that caught my attention was the iSi Twist ‘n Sparkle beverage carbonation system. Instead of using a kitchen counter cluttering appliance like the SodaStream product that I reviewed 2yrs ago, it just uses an easy

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Never Complain Of the Couch Eating the Remote Again With the L5 Remote

The L5 Remote, released by L5 Technology and debuted in 2010, can be used with your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.  It connects to your device with a universal dock connector.   L5 Remote is a tiny accessory and free app (from iTunes App Store) that acts as a  powerful universal remote, helping you control the cable

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Smart String Tape Measure

smart string

Everyone knows the adage “measure twice, cut once” when it comes to construction/home renovations/clothing alterations/etc and it’s absolutely vital since even with the sharpest of eyes, those notches on a measuring tape can seem to run together.  Wouldn’t it be great to have an instant readout instead of going blind figuring out if the measurement

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New Aus Samsung LED TVs – Powerful and Stylish (?)

Samsung LED TV

Samsung Electronics Australia  announced the local availability of its new range of powerful and stylish edge-lit LED monitors, the 3D capable SA 9 series, Smart Hub enabled TA9 Series as well as their CA5 Central Station Monitor. The SA 9 is available in 23 and 27″ configurations, full HD with  3D playback from a wide

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Bananaguard – Is that a banana in your pocket or….?

We all know fruit’s good for you however in Australia, due to Cyclone Yasi devastating Australia’s  crops, bananas are very expensive.   So I don’t want to chuck a banana in my gadget bag or pocket and end up with bruised, mushy and inedible  fruit, they’re just too expensive to waste.  That’s besides the devastating effect that

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Let Your BBQ Tongs Tell You When the Food’s Done

The built-in thermometer in these BBQ tongs will give you a temperature reading within 5 seconds of picking up a piece of meat from the grill.  The Parasia International Digital BBQ Tongs have a LCD digital display that shows the temperature, sounds an alarm when the food has reached the set point, and detaches so

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Husqvarna Automower – Lock up the dog first

husqvarna automower 1

I love my Roomba  so why not the same for my lawn ? Husqvarna has a range of  three robotic lawn mowers covering from 1800-3000m2 capability. Just like the Roomba, they find their own way home when they’re low on battery to recharge. They have a timer/scheduler, are weatherproof  and include a theft alarm. There’s

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Gargoyle Router – A Not So Ugly Solution to Bandwidth Monitoring and Quotas – Mini Review

Gargoyle staticip 2

GARGOYLE- [gahr-goil] NOUN – a grotesquely carved figure of a human or animal Gargoyle Router  is an alternative firmware for a number of different routers that allows you to monitor bandwidth usage by user  and set and enforce bandwidth quotas on particular users. Let me preface this review with a warning. I’m an alternate firmware junkie. Any

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VueZone Motion Detection Personal Video Network Review

vuezone v2 9

A couple years ago I had the opportunity to review the VueZone Personal Video Network System. I liked it for its ease of setup, but wished it could do a few things that it couldn’t at the time. Fast forward almost 2yrs later and VueZone is now offering their 2nd generation motion detecting cameras and

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Brother PT 1290 Label Maker Review

Brother PT 1290 labeler in package

I had previously reviewed another label maker by Dymo which is plugged into the USB port of your computer. Using built-in software, you could create and print labels from your PC. I also made a snarky comment about handheld labelers and needing to be an expert texter.  The P-touch 1290 label maker from Brother is

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iPhone Paintings – iPhone Icons as Artwork

iphonepaintings

Show your fanboy (girl?) pride with this artwork collection of iOS icons from iPhone Paintings. Choose from a set of 16 hand painted icons on stretched canvas over a wood frame or 16 digitally printed icons on Italian artist canvas. Each individual painting/print is 20cm x 20cm. These icons don’t come cheap… If you choose

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Pack Away Kettle – A Collapsible Teapot

Wacky Practicals has developed a new take on the conventional tea kettle, a collapsible version that is made of silicone.  The Pack Away Kettle has a stainless steel base that does conduct heat so it will stay hot after boiling.  It is safe for all heat sources, electric, conduction, and gas stoves.  Now you can

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