Home 2017 July

ClimateCase will keep your phone cool or warm, you choose

Whether or not you believe in global warming, you have to agree that this is one of the warmest years so far for this planet. It was in the upper 90’s here in Southern Indiana yesterday. Ugh. I stayed indoors in the air conditioning and so did my phone. But for people that have to be outside in the extreme heat or cold, how do you keep your phone from overheating or freezing?

The ClimateCase is a potential solution. It’s a universal smartphone case that is made of impact resistant Neoprene and has multi-layers to protect against extreme heat and cold.

The idea is that you keep the case in the refrigerator when you plan to use it to protect against heat and you place it in the microwave for a few seconds when you want to prepare it to project your device from the cold.

When it comes time to use the ClimateCase, you just insert the device, seal the top and you’re ready to go. Check out this video which shows how it’s used.

The ClimateCase is available in several colors and has an sells through the ClimateCase site for $34.95 and through Amazon.

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ClimateCase will keep your phone cool or warm, you choose originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 23, 2017 at 3:21 pm.

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Survivor Hax Tactical Flashlight review

Like any Gadgeteer worth his/her salt, I love, Love, LOVE flashlights! Even though the most common use is when walking the dog at night, I still like to have a light that can pierce the darkness at the push of a button. The Survival Hax Tactical Flashlight is very similar to many that you’ve seen reviewed on this site, but there are a few little things they bring to the table that set it apart.

Note: Photos may be tapped or clicked for a larger image.

A 10 watt LED at 1000 lumens is not too shabby of a place to start. The Survival Hax encases this bright LED behind a zoom lens that will throw a beam hundreds of feet through the darkness, or pull back to fully illuminate an area about 80° in front of you with bright white light.


The simple tail switch cycles through the five included modes – Full, Medium, Low, Strobe, and SOS. Once the light is on, a partial press of the rubber covered button will cycle to the next mode. The only drawback to this cycle is that when you turn it off while in, say, Low power when you next turn it on, it’s in Strobe. I’d love to have a way to keep it at a setting every time I turn it on.


Included in the package are two nice add-ons: a battery charger for the (included) 18650 Lithium battery, and an insert that will allow you to run the torch with three AAA batteries, should you not have a charged 18650 handy. The life of three AAAs pushing that much power is not nearly as long as the 3 hours of full power the Lithium will provide, but they are available everywhere and may be easier to find in a pinch. (AA and AAA batteries will be useful as currency during the Zombie Apocalypse, I hear!)


To top off the package, there’s a nice webbing wrist strap that attaches to the tailpiece through an eyelet, and the rubber gasket over the button glows in the dark.
It is IP66 rated, which means it is protected from total dust ingress and protected from high-pressure water jets from any direction. Not for your next snorkeling adventure, but for that plumbing leak you’re fighting under the sink or searching for that lost cotter pin in your woodshed amid the sawdust, it’s not going to kill the light.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Survival Hax. Please visit http://survivalhax.com for more info and check Amazon for pricing.

 

Product Information

Price: $39.99
Manufacturer: Survival Hax
Retailer: Amazon
Requirements:
  • None
Pros:
  • Comes with charger and Lithium battery
  • Adapter for very common batteries included
  • Weatherproof
Cons:
  • Adjustment takes two hands
  • No way to lock unit into one mode – each off/on switch progresses it to the next mode.

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Survivor Hax Tactical Flashlight review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 23, 2017 at 9:56 am.

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Bodyguardz iPhone case, ANNKE security system, M&D headphones, and more – Weekly roundup

Where did Saturday go? I usually post these weekly roundups late on Saturday afternoons, but somehow the day got away from me, so I’m a day late. That’s ok though, browse through this list of the news, reviews, and articles that we posted last week. It will go prefect with your Sunday breakfast.

Reviews

Articles

News

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Bodyguardz iPhone case, ANNKE security system, M&D headphones, and more – Weekly roundup originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 23, 2017 at 8:35 am.

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VR Real Feel Racing 3D reality simulator review

Virtual reality gaming continues to grow in popularity and VR headsets are all over Amazon and other online retailers. Today I want to show you the VR Real Feel Racing set. This is a VR headset that comes with a wireless steering wheel controller for a fun 3D racing simulation. Let’s check it out. 

What is it?

VR Real Feel is a VR headset that connects via Bluetooth to a handheld controller to give you a real world feel of racing a car.

What’s in the box?

VR Real Feel VR headset
Handheld controller
Quick start guide

Design and features

The VR headset is similar to other VR headsets that I’ve reviewed in the past. It’s made of plastic, doesn’t require any batteries or power to operate.

It’s basically a holder that you wear on your head that has bee designed to hold your smartphone in front of your eyes and two lenses.

Adjustable elastic straps are attached to the headset so that you can customize the fit.

The front of the headset unlocks to reveal a spring-loaded holder for your smartphone.

I used my iPhone 7 Plus in a Rock iPhone case to test the VR Real Feel. It fit just fine in the spring-loaded holder and I had no problems snapping the headset closed with the phone in place.

To round out the racing set, there’s a battery powered Bluetooth handheld remote controller that is included with the headset.

The controller has grips so that you can hold it between your hands like a racing steering wheel.

There are two round thumb buttons located perfectly where your thumbs rest while holding the controller. There are also two “shoulder buttons” on the edge above the thumb buttons that are placed where your index fingers rest.

The controller is powered by 3 AAA batteries which is a bummer if you don’t have any on hand when you unbox this device. Yes, I’m speaking from experience.

Drivers, start your engines!

To start racing, you will need to find 3 AAA batteries and load them into the handheld controller. You’ll also need to install the VR Real Feel racing app on your iPhone or Android device.

When you start the app, it will ask you to scan for the steering wheel controller. To do that, flip the power switch on the back of the controller and press the scan button in the app. It will find the controller and connect via Bluetooth.

It will then ask if you want to play the game with or without the VR headset and will then instruct you to load your phone into the headset and put it on.

I wear glasses and am happy to say that the headset fits over my glasses without any issues. That said, the headset felt heavy on the bridge of my nose. When I tried to wear the headset without my glasses, the plastic nose piece in the headset felt sharp against the bridge of my nose so I did not find the headset to be comfortable no matter how I tried to adjust it.

Even though the headset was not comfortable to wear for very long, I was able to race several times with the headset, controller and VR Real Feel app and found it to be pretty fun once I got used to the controls and navigating the menus.

The game has several race tracks and levels that you can drive.

There’s a dirt track race.

A city track race.

 

 

There are even wacky tracks like dino world, under water, robot factory, and more.

The controller is easy to use while driving as it’s a simple matter of pressing the thumb buttons to control gas and braking.

While racing, I was surprised to find out that the handheld controller has some force feedback features that cause it to vibrate when you hit an object or go off the road. This contributes to the virtual reality feel of the game to make it feel more realistic and fun.

Final thoughts

If you can get past the comfort issue with the headset, this virtual reality headset, and controller racing set is a lot of fun. At least than $30, it’s inexpensive and can be used to play other VR games. I would say the VR Real Feel is the least comfortable of the VR headsets that I’ve reviewed so far, but it’s definitely better than the other VR headsets that I’ve reviewed so far because it comes with a controller.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by VR Entertainment. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order.

 

Product Information

Price: $29.99
Manufacturer: VR Entertainment
Retailer: Amazon
Requirements:
  • iOS or Android mobile device with Bluetooth 4.0 BLE
Pros:
  • Fun to play
  • Multiple tracks
  • Handheld controller with force feedback
Cons:
  • Controller requires 3 AAA batteries which aren't included
  • Headset can feel heavy and uncomfortable

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VR Real Feel Racing 3D reality simulator review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 22, 2017 at 4:18 pm.

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Let the solar system tell you the time of day

The Galaxy Magnetic Clock from Brando is a unique wall or table top timepiece that mimics the rotation of planets in the solar system to tell the time of day. The circular clock holds three magnetic balls which represent planets and the sun.

In the center of the clock is the sun and Earth, Venus, and Mars orbit around it by a hidden mechanism that uses magnets.

The blue Earth ball is the hour “hand”, Mars is the minute “hand”, and Venus is the second “hand”. The motorized clockworks is powered by 1 AA battery which is not included.

The Galaxy Magnetic Clock is priced at $56 and can be purchased from Brando.

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Let the solar system tell you the time of day originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 22, 2017 at 2:21 pm.

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