It’s now possible to do more than ever on the iPhone and iPad. Some people are even eschewing laptops entirely, opting to go iPad-only for the vast majority of their work. Whether that sounds like you or not, Apple introduced a tool with iOS 12 that can make your life a lot easier. Siri Shortcuts, once known as Workflow, is almost like an iOS version of the Automator Mac app. With Shortcuts you can link together small actions to produce powerful results. Whether you already use Shortcuts or have just installed the app for the first time, here are some Shortcuts you should definitely try…. Read more
It’s one of the big frustrations of the modern age when you find yourself in an area or region where your cell signal just isn’t strong enough for either making calls or getting those sweet 4G waves. Whether you’re in a rural area or in an inexplicable cell signal dead zone in an otherwise strong-signal area, you may need a cell signal booster to get a stable connection. Here we’ve listed the best cell signal boosters you can buy today – whether you need one at home or on the go. Related: Everything You Need to Know About Fake Cell Towers 1. weBoost Connect 4G-X… Read more
REVIEW – If I were browsing the Personal Ads for the perfect flashlight, I’d look for the following qualities: small, rechargeable, bright, rugged and loves long walks on the beach. Well, maybe not that last part. Is NITECORE’s TIP2 Keychain Flashlight a perfect match? Read on!
What is it?
The TIP2 is a small, rechargeable LED flashlight with a surprisingly powerful maximum output of 720 lumens. Its rugged design and diminutive size, along with a magnetic tail and multipurpose clip, makes it highly versatile.
What’s in the box?
NITECORE TIP2
Removable pocket clip
Keychain clasp
User manual
Warranty card
Hardware specs
Max output of 720 lumens with over 100 yards of throw
4 levels of brightness with direct access to turbo
1m impact resistance
L-2.46″xW-1.06″xH-0.53″
1.35oz
Separated magnetic tail cap for hands-free use & quick detachment
USB rechargeable, built-in Li-ion battery
Detachable multipurpose clip ideal for carrying in a pocket, backpack and more
Design and features
I don’t know if it’s just a geek thing, or a guy thing, or just a me thing, but the first thing I always have to do whenever I get a new flashlight is to turn it on, at its highest setting, directly into my face. Most of the time, I think, “Ooh, that’s pretty bright.” And then you pick up a little keychain light like the TIP2, turn it on Turbo brightness, get blinded for a good 60 seconds and think, “Okay, now that’s bright.”
NITECORE’s TIP2, the sequel product to their TIP keychain LED flashlight, is compact, rugged, and all the brightness you’ll likely need out of something this small.
The buttons and the clip.
Sporting a max brightness of 720 lumens, twice as bright as their previous model, the TIP2 provides almost too much brightness for such a small flashlight. What I mean by that is that yes, you can generate that might light, but only for about 15 minutes until the battery straight up dies.
I’ve been carrying this small torch around for a few weeks, now, primarily keeping it attached to the magnetic key ring attachment on my keychain. It’s no larger than the key fob for my Mazda. Having a flashlight within the same proximity as my car keys makes it indispensable.
There is a row of tiny LEDs in between the buttons that acts as a battery power indicator.
Holding the TIP2 in your hand, it does feel about the size and weight of an average modern car key fob, maybe a couple ounces heavier. There are two buttons on the side of the flashlight, a power button and a mode selection button, with a row of 3 tiny LEDs in between. Pressing the mode button quickly flashes the small LEDs, which display the amount of battery power. By holding down the power button for a few seconds, the light turns on at whatever the last setting was: low, medium or high.
It does take about 4 seconds to power on, preventing from accidental lighting in your pocket or pack. Pressing the power button while it’s on turns the light off immediately. While lit, the mode selection button cycles from low to medium to high and back to low again.
Two CREE XP-G3 S3 LEDs in the front of this flashlight.
While the TIP2 does offer a lighting power of 720 lumens, it’s a limited feature in that the battery will only supply, at most, 15 minutes of juice in this maximum “Turbo” mode. To access this mode, you must hold down the tiny mode select button, the entire time you want it to shine that brightly. So the 720 lumens Turbo mode is really meant for very short bursts when you need a lot of extra light, like a during a quick sweep of a darkened field or trail.
Below is the approximate amount of time you can use each of the levels of lightning per charge:
This is a pretty rudimentary way of showing the brightness settings, since the camera’s own settings — shutter speed, ISO and aperture — changed a bit in between shots.
Turbo • 720 lumens • 15 min High • 200 lumens • 1 hr 15 min Mid • 30 lumens • 8 hr Low • 1 lumen • 55 hr
Mid power is pretty much what you would expect from a typical LED keychain light, and that’s what I’d recommend using in most cases. High is quite bright. I think in most use cases, like a darkened room or parking lot, high would only be needed if you wanted to see far off into the darkness.
I really like the inclusion of a Low power. One lumen sounds paltry compared to the super-bright maximum of 720, but in an absolutely dark room or tent, it’s perfect. Just enough to see where you’re going without ruining your night vision, or to just leave on, clipped to a backpack or hat brim. And since a full batter lasts for around 55 hours at this level, it’s sort of nice to have a light you can stick virtually anywhere for the entire evening, if needed.
The “tail” end of the TIP2 contains a powerful magnet, which keeps it firmly attached to the metal keyring cap, but also detaches with a quick tug. This also allows the TIP2 to be placed on any metal steel surface, such as a car hood. This cap also shields the micro-USB port, keeping out water and dust.
The exposed magnets and micro-USB port.
The TIP2 also comes with a handy pocket clip, which can be attached to, obviously, a pocket, or even something as thick as the brim of a hat. You can essentially turn any ball cap into a mining helmet using this clip… it’s such an easy and useful hack.
Check it out, and instant mining cap.
All in all, NITECORE put a lot of thought into refining their TIP light to create the quintessential keychain flashlight. It’s waterproof, shock-resistant, super-bright, pocketable and rechargeable, which ticks off all the requirements for a truly essential flashlight in my book.
What I like
Very small and very bright
Rechargeable battery
Clip/magnet combo make it extremely versatile
What I’d change
Make the buttons larger
A better way to activate TURBO brightness
Final thoughts
The TIP2 is a great addition to any everyday-carry fan’s arsenal. Not only is it only the size of your car’s key fob, it’s powerful enough to light almost any situation you’d find yourself in, save for needing an extremely bright light for extended periods of time.
Price: $44.99 Where to buy: You can pick up your own NITECORE TIP2 directly from the NITECORE Store website. Source: The sample of this product was provided by NITECORE.
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There are many reasons why you might want to unpair your Apple Watch from your iPhone. You may have upgraded your iPhone, you may want to erase your watch before you sell it to a new owner, or you may be having a technical problem and need to restore your watch to factory settings. Unpairing your Apple Watch is a relatively painless process. You can do it either through the Watch app on your iPhone or directly on the Apple Watch itself. Let’s run through how. Related: How to Make Custom Watch Faces for Apple Watch Unpairing from Your iPhone In order to unpair your… Read more
REVIEW – By now, almost everyone who uses an internet connected device knows something about the dangers that lurk online. For those of us that have children, there is or should be a greater sense of awareness and desire to monitor and control what content they are exposed to, at least when they are home in an environment that we can control. I have tried a couple of firewall devices in the past, but they required major configuration and they came preset to block traffic that actually was required for some online college portals and other needed websites. The process of reconfiguring them was very tedious and ultimately, I unplugged them. I just got an opportunity to test and review a similar device called Firewalla. Let’s see if it is more of the same or a more user-friendly yet effective device and experience.
What is it?
The Firewalla Red is a Cyber Security Firewall device that is designed mostly for home use. Its features include network protection from Viruses & Malware, Parental Control, the blocking of unwanted Ads, and a free VPN Server. It connects directly to your router via its 100Mbs Ethernet port and there is no associated monthly fee. There is also a Firewalla Blue device that offers additional features and is designed with business users as its focus.
What’s in the box
1 x Firewalla Red
1 x Ethernet Cable
1 x Micro USB Cable and AC Adapter
1 x Information Card
Design and features
Specifications
Dedicated hardware for cybersecurity at 100 Mbit
Quad-Core 32bit 1.0 GHz CPU, 512MB RAM, 16GB SD Storage
Device Management: manage who can get on the network, and what they can do when on the network.
Multiple apps manage one Firewalla: allow you to manage firewalla from anywhere in the world
Bandwidth Usage: prevent internet over usage, know your bandwidth usage from minutes to days to a month
Internal and External vulnerability scans: allow you to manage “open doors” in your network
Dynamic DNS: allows you to safely expose certain internet services
Alarm Management: easily view, allow, block, and archive alarms
Content Filtering and activity detection: always know what each device is doing
COMPLETE CYBERSECURITY PROTECTION – “Firewalla’s unique intrusion prevention system (IDS and IPS) protects all of your home wire and wireless internet of things devices from threats like viruses, malware, hacking, phishing, and unwanted data theft when you’re using public WiFi.”
One one side of the Firewalla, there is a USB port and an Ethernet port. The ethernet port connects to your router.
The micro USB port seen below is used for power via the micro USB cable and the provided wall adapter or you can also connect Firewalla Box to any power source that has 2A current. To the right of the power port, there is the installed SD storage.
There are air vents on the other 2 sides of the device.
At the bottom of the device, there is a QR Code that you scan via the Firewalla app to initiate the setup process.
Performance
This device is very easy to set up and use. I simply downloaded and installed the app from the IOS app store. Android is also supported. I then plugged in the device and scanned the QR code on the bottom of the device from within the app. The rest of the setup was automatic, and with a few selections like the mode option, in my case, I chose the Enhanced Mode (Beta), everything was operational. The operation and features of this device are better showcased via the following screenshots from the app:
Important note: COMPATIBILITY: This is * Firewalla RED * (NOT THE FIREWALLA BLUE), The IPS functionality is limited to 100 Mbits. The manufacturer suggests that not all routers are compatible with Firewalla. Click here to view the router compatibility list. You msy be required to log in to your router to do the basic configuration.
What I like
Compact size
Ease of installation
Ease of use
Performance
What I’d change
I would prefer an included hard copy basic user guide
Final thoughts
The Firewall was very easy to install, and so far I like it much better than other similar devices that I have tried. It is set up wide-open in its initial state, so you get to observe and make choices as you go as opposed to others that have preset values that can be a headache to configure if the setup is complicated. I have read reviews that suggest that this device slows down the network, but I have not experienced that, and it has been simple and easy to use. I would prefer that a hard copy manual is included as opposed to having to look for the desired info on their website, but so far it is doing a good job and in my opinion, it gets a thumbs up!!
Price: $119 Where to buy:Amazon Sample: The sample for this review was provided by Firewalla
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