News, reviews and articles about home and kitchen products.
I’ve reviewed several digital photo frames over the years, but this is the first
itty bitty frame I’ve had the opportunity to review. It’s the Digital Photo
Album from Brando. This frame has a
display that is only 2.4 inches. Sounds like it might be too small doesn’t it?
Let’s find out.
Brando USB 2.4″ Digital Photo Album Read More
My never ending quest to find the world’s coolest and most feature loaded clock recently led me to the chumby. What the heck is a chumby you ask? It’s a small touch screen device that functions as a clock and also displays information from the web such as news, stocks, photos and more by connecting to the internet via WiFi. At the time of this writing, the chumby is not yet selling to the public. I was lucky enough to get on a list to buy one of the first 50 units that were available. That means that it is possible that some features and hardware details may change in the production version of this product that should be available before the end of the year. With that said, let’s take a look at this cool little device.
chumby Internet Appliance / Clock Read More
Although I’ve never been camping in my life, I seem to have an unnatural fetish for outdoor gear like pocket knives, compasses and flashlights. I enjoy going into stores like Dick’s Sporting Goods and spending time looking at all their gear. If you prefer online browsing, a store that specializes in knives and flashlights is Discount LED Lights and Knives. In the past, they have sent me several LED flashlights to review and the most recent product that I’ve had the opportunity to try out is the Coast LED Lenser TT7105 LED Lantern. While I didn’t get a chance to test this product on an actual camping trip, I did test it a couple of times during my version of a ‘roughing it’ activity… power failures at home ;o)
Coast LED Lenser LED Lantern (TT7105CP) Read More
A new marketing trend is to promote organic, natural, or green-friendly products. I don’t know if you have noticed, but these items can be pricey. I am not a slave to overpriced trends, but I do believe in making eco-friendly decisions that are within my budget. If there is a product that will prevent my kids’ exposure to chemicals, then I am willing to use it. Nellie’s Laundry Products are touted as providing natural solutions to consumers and saving time & money. When I saw these dog-looking-chew-toys being promoted, I wanted to see if they would work. Julie asked for a sample and Nellie’s quickly sent two sets to The Gadgeteer Team.
A security system for your home can be very expensive to install and difficult to operate. For those of you that have a do-it-yourself attitude, you can buy kits and wire the system on your own, to save a lot of money. But, if you just want a quick and dirty method of monitoring an area, one solution to consider is the Swann Digital Private Eye.
Swann Digital Private Eye Read More
When it comes to your health, I’m a firm believer that it’s very important to be proactive. It’s a lesson that I learned due to the fact that my mother died at a young age (56) because she didn’t take her diabetes as seriously as she should have. As a kid, I remember numerous occasions finding her during a low sugar episode. During these scary times, I would have to mix sugar with orange juice and coax her to drink it. Not happy memories for sure… As a result, it was not hard for me to make drastic changes in my own life, when I learned almost 3 years ago that I was also a diabetic. I keep a close eye on my glucose levels using a inexpensive glucose monitor so that hopefully I will never require medication to control my disease. Besides health monitors for diabetes, there are home use devices for measuring blood pressure, cholesterol and today I’m going to tell you about The ReadMyHeart 100. This handheld device from DailyCare BioMedical can measure your heart’s electrical activity.
DailyCare ReadMyHeart 100 Handheld ECG Read More
Do you still write your weekly grocery shopping and errands lists on scraps of paper, only to lose them before it’s actually grocery day? Or maybe you keep your lists on a PDA or Smartphone, which requires time for formatting and sorting? If you would like an easier solution than those two methods, I have something really cool to show you today. It’s the SmartShopper Grocery List Organizer from SmartShopper Electronics, Inc.
SmartShopper Grocery List Organizer Read More
I hate going to the dentist. I joke around and say that I’m still dealing with post traumatic stress from when I was a kid. It seemed like every time my sister and I went to the dentist, we had a cavity. The hygienist used to yell at us saying that if we didn’t open our mouthes wider, she’d have to start all over again. Yikes, I get goose bumps just thinking about it. These days you practically have to drag me to go to my annual cleanings. I usually make them biannual just because I don’t want to go. I must be doing something right though because I haven’t had a cavity since I was a teenager and my dentist never yells at me for waiting so long in between visits.
Oral-B Triumph with SmartGuide ProfessionalCare 9910 Electric Toothbrush Read More
I’m sure you’ve all heard of 900MHz and 2.4GHz cordless phone systems. Maybe you’ve even heard of 5.8GHz phones, but have you heard of DECT 6.0 phones? I’ll admit that I hadn’t heard of them until VTech asked if I might like to review their model 6042 two handset cordless phone system. I then came to learn that DECT 6.0 is a newly available frequency band (WiFi-friendly 1.9GHz) that provides improved range without needing to boost the power. It also has better protection against eavesdropping, that the older frequency models do not.
VTech 6042 Two Handset Cordless Phone System Read More
You can’t turn on the television, open a magazine or read a newspaper these days without hearing stories about global warming and hearing terms like carbon neutral and green power. Whether or not you subscribe to the belief that we humans are accelerating our damage to this planet, I think we can all agree that the more power we use, the more we have to pay. Unless you live off the grid (another term we often hear…), you most likely have to pay a monthly bill to your electric company. If you would like to lower your electric bills and maybe even help save the planet a little bit, I have a product that can help you do just that.
Kill-A-Watt EZ Electricity Usage Monitor Read More
I remember this episode of “Roseanne” from years ago. The Connors were sitting at the breakfast able and Dan was yelling at Roseanne. The reason being, she was double dipping into the butter and leaving food crumbs in the bowl. I remember laughing and going, “I know, I hate it when someone does that!” May sound strange, but hey, I get annoyed by seeing someone’s food crumbs in my butter. Here to possibly save “Dan” and me from the crumbs is the One Click Butter Cutter.
One Click Butter Cutter Read More
Looking for a solution to stop the rattle-your-windows-snorer sleeping next to you? Do you need a Father’s Day gift that also rewards your Mom? Then, you might want to take a look at Hivox’ SnoreStopper. This innovative device is worn like a watch. When you start to snore, it produces a 5-second electronic impulse on your wrist, resulting in the snorer to reposition and stop snoring. The distributor claims that within 3 weeks, the SnoreStopper naturally coaches your body to snore less. To test this claim, Hivox graciously sent me a sample to review.
This might seem odd, but I’m as picky about my alarm clocks as I am about my gear bags and smart phones! I’m the kind of person that likes flexibility and for the most part, the typical alarm clock does not offer that feature. Usually you get 1 alarm and if you’re really lucky, you might get 2. Today I’m going to show you the RiteAlarm Clock from Rayna Creations Inc. which has 3 alarms. One for weekdays, one for Saturdays and one for Sundays.
Are you the type of person that prides themselves as always being prepared for any situation? You know the type, they pack 5 pairs of socks and underwear for an overnight trip. They carry a first aid kit in their car, stow extra house keys at work, etc. Well, if you fall into this category, then I think you will be very interested in the FlareSafe flashlight from FlareBrands Limited. What’s that? You say you already carry a flashlight with you? Ok, I knew that… But does your flashlight double as a smoke detector and a distress alarm? I didn’t think so!
I am a huge fan of white LEDs. Light Emitting Diodes are bright, compact, and require little power, which makes them perfect for small spaces. While reorganizing my utility closet last winter, I became frustrated that it did not have any built-in source of light. Briefly contemplating the idea of rewiring of my house, I decided to look for a battery powered light source made to stick to a wall or ceiling.
Sylvania’s Dot-it mini LED Light Read More
“Don’t worry honey, I just fed the dog for today”
“Um.. I already fed the dog two hours ago!”
This type of conversation is a common one in my household. From feeding the dog to cleaning out the fridge, it can be complicated to keep track of it all. When I saw the DaysAgo timer, I knew that I had try one as soon as possible, so that we could stave off potential canine obesity in my household.
DaysAgo Digital Day Counter Read More
We all know or remember seeing someone at one time or another that has worn a medical alert ID bracelet or necklace. I think I vaguely recall my Dad buying one for my Mom when she was first diagnosed with Diabetes. These days you don’t really see people wearing this method of medical identification. I don’t know if they are
just considered old fashioned or if the companies that make them have stopped promoting them. That’s why I was
intrigued when the folks at CWI Medical asked me if I would review the MedicTag.
And now for a review that isn’t quite a gadget, but since a lot of gadgeteers might be able to use it, I thought what the heck. First of all, how many of you have a counter top or cabinet crammed full of snack bags that require clips to keep them closed and their contents fresh? If you’re anything like me, you have more packages then clips and have to resort to double clipping or using weird items as clip substitutes.
Have you ever left your house, gotten a few miles away and asked yourself or a passenger in your car, did I close the garage door? Maybe you have even turned around to check, just to put your mind at ease. I know that I have. To be completely honest, I have done this numerous times. To the point that it is a running joke between my wife and I, since I often ask her if I closed the garage door.
Protectrix Automatic Garage Door Closer Read More
Now here’s a great idea that gave me one of those “Why didn’t I think of that?” feelings when I first saw it. It’s the Rise & Shine Deluxe Natural Alarm Clock Bedside Lamp from Verilux. This company sells a variety of illumination products. I actually reviewed their HappyLite Mini Ultra earlier this month. The Rise & Shine combines a clock, radio and lamp all in one device.
Verilux Rise & Shine Deluxe Natural Alarm Clock Bedside Lamp Read More