Whatever your browser of choice is, you’ll often get an option that asks: “Save password for this site?” If you have several passwords or can’t remember the last combination, browser-based password managers are terrific time-savers and make life more convenient. Most major browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Opera all come with a built-in password manager. The question is, how reliable are they? Related: What You Should Look Out for When Choosing a Password Manager Are Browser Password Managers Safe? As much as they’re convenient and save time, browser password managers offer a false sense of security, especially in the event of a browser breach. Let’s… Read more
It’s unfortunate but true: technology tends to leave seniors behind. Older folks find it more difficult to adopt new technologies, and with the cell phone industry on the forefront of emerging tech, some seniors find them simply too difficult to use. Do Grandma and Grandpa seem flabbergasted by the latest iPhone? Do they think an Android is the metal trashcan from “Lost In Space?” It’s time to take them under the arm and guide them into the modern age. The phones listed below should be enough to convince them that smartphone technology isn’t all that scary. 1. Google Pixel XL Yes, the first phone… Read more
Screensavers may feel like a bit of a relic these days, but the fact is that there are more jaw-dropping ones out there today than ever before. Whether you’re looking for something retro-tinged or a dynamic screensaver that really shows off the colours on that IPS display of yours, we have something for you here. How to Change the Windows 10 Screensaver Before we start, you should know the basics of setting your Windows 10 screensaver. To do so, right-click your desktop, then click “Personalise -> Lock screen -> Screen saver settings” (at the bottom). In the new window you can pick your screensaver as… Read more
REVIEW – The keto diet – everyone is on it. Thanks to my loving wife, and my extended middle, as of May 1, I am as well. I wanted to be able to tell if I am successfully into ketosis, so when the opportunity to test the KetoCoach blood ketone meter came up, I jumped at it.
What is it?
KetoCoach is an FDA-approved blood ketone meter. A blood ketone meter analyzes a small amount of capillary blood looking for ketones. What are ketones, you say? Ketones are produced when the body burns fat for energy or fuel. They are also produced when you lose weight or if there is not enough insulin to help your body use sugar for energy. Without enough insulin, glucose builds up in the blood. When this occurs, ketones form in the blood and spill into the urine.
Testing for ketones is a primary test for keto dieters and for folks with diabetes. This meter specifically measures beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), the most common ketone the body produces. Since the blood cannot get altered as much as urine can, blood is considered a more accurate, and more consistent measurement of ketosis.
What’s in the box?
KetoCoach unit
Carry case
User guide
Quick start guide
10 lancets
Lancing device
Lancet instructions
10 test strips
Test strip instructions
KetoCoach decal
Hardware specs
Test range: 0.1 – 8.0 mmol/L
Blood sample size: >= 0.8 microlitres
Hematocrit range: 20 – 60%
Display: Backlit LCD
Memory: 500 tests with date and time
Dimensions: 99L x 58w x 16H mm
Weight: 49g without batteries
Batteries: 2 x CR2032 3v lithium coin cell
Battery life: 1000 tests in continuous use or one year
Auto power-off: 1.5 minutes of inactivity
Design and features
The unit fits easily in the hand and has a large, easy-to-read display with a backlight for dim conditions. The test strip eject lever is on the right side of the meter. The test strip slot is on top of the meter. Beside the power button are up/down buttons used to cycle through historical tests and also for setting the date and time. Speaking of setup…
Setup
To power up/down the unit, you hold down the power button for three seconds. When you power up the unit for the first time, it steps you through setting the date and time. Once set, the unit is ready for a test strip.
Performance
To get ready to test, I washed my hands, removed one test strip from its protective foil packet and inserted it into the meter. The meter powered up and the blood drop icon started flashing above the test strip icon, indicating that the meter is ready for a blood sample.
I popped the top off the supplied lancing tool. Note that I have the depth set to “1”, the minimum lancing depth. You can vary to a deeper depth, up to “9”, if “1” doesn’t get to your capillaries. For me, “1” was perfect.
I inserted a lancet into the tool. Pushing it in automatically cocks the device, getting it ready to stab you. If it doesn’t cock completely, you can slide the large switch to complete the lancet cocking. That switch also doubles as the lancet ejection switch.
After twisting the protective cover off the lancet and replacing the tool cover, I was ready to pierce my finger. The actual needle is quite thin.
They recommend pushing the tool into the side of your finger to minimize pain. When you’re ready to go, you push the small gray button on the tool. The lance comes out very quickly and then immediately retracts.
With the thin lances supplied and shallow piercing depth, I didn’t feel anything. When I pulled it away, I could clearly see the indentations of the desensitizing knobs on the tip of the tool. It is designed to stimulate those nerve endings, minimizing the impact on the nerve endings when the lancet pierces your skin. It works as I didn’t feel it at all and a small droplet came out.
I touched the droplet to the top of the test strip. The strip is designed to pull the blood in. As soon as it did, the meter started a countdown of about five seconds.
After the countdown, the meter displays the ketone level in your blood. I was at 3.3 mmol/L – actually a tad on the high side for ketosis. This is most likely due to the fact that I was severely limiting my carb intake over the past four days to get into ketosis. This test indicates that I need to up my carb intake a bit
Just prior to doing this test, I also used a urine ketone test strip. That test indicated I was really deeply into ketosis. The blood test backed that up.
About the test strips…in my opinion, they’re costly, but that’s relative. You have to use the specific one designed for, and available exclusively through KetoCoach. Per the KetoCoach documentation, others will not work with KetoCoach. They run $34.95 for 50 strips or $0.70 per test. In addition, you need lancets. Those cost $9.95 for 100, or $0.10 per test, also from KetoCoach. That adds up to $0.80 per test. If you regularly test your ketones, that can add up quickly. You can buy generic lancets from your favorite pharmacy or online for as low as $0.04 each, bringing the total cost per test down to $0.74. This price compares favorably with other ketone blood test strips I found on Amazon. Most run between $0.87 and $1.00 per test, plus the cost of lancets.
Alternatively, you can buy urine-based test strips as low as $0.04 each online from Amazon. Of course, you have the tradeoff of cost versus accuracy, and there’s no argument that blood ketone testing is more accurate than urine ketone testing. Urine ketone testing is much less invasive. While not as accurate as blood ketone testing, it may be accurate enough.
What I like
Easy to use (but not as easy as urine test strips)
Accurate
Nice carry kit allows you to easily take it with you
Low start-up cost
What needs to be improved
Cost of test strips is a bit high but is lower than competing brands
Final thoughts
I am pretty impressed with the KetoCoach. As home-based medical devices go, it is easy to use, and the supplied lancing tool does a good job minimizing the pain usually associated with finger-prick testing. They kept the cost of the required supplies reasonable when compared to competing brands. When compared to urine-based ketone testing, however, the cost is significantly higher.
So, is it worth it? That’s up to you. The initial cost at just under $50 is pretty reasonable. If the ongoing costs work for you, then getting the accuracy of a blood ketone test at a relatively low cost is a pretty good deal. Combine that with a good design and easy interface and KetoCoach may be for you.
Price: $49.95 Where to buy: Direct from KetoCoachx.com Source: The sample of this product was provided by KetoCoach.
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REVIEW – The appeal of noise canceling/isolating headphones and earphones is increasing as more people listen to personalized audio. Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) headphones are becoming a more popular option as the availability of sound processing technology converges with lower cost and higher demand. The TaoTronics TT-BH046 Hybrid ANC wireless stereo headphones are a new entry into this market. Read on to see what I think!
What is it?
The TaoTronics TT-BH046 Hybrid ANC wireless stereo headphones have many of the same features that can be found on other high-end headphones: Bluetooth 4.2 compliance, Hybrid Active Noise Canceling, 30 hours of use battery, and 40 mm drivers, for instance. What sets this item apart is the low sale price of about $90. This is significantly less than the $200 – $500 price of competitive products. The real question about these headphones is how do they compare to the competition? Is this gadget a game changer or pack trailer?
What’s in the box?
TaoTronics Hybrid ANC Wireless Headphones
USB Charging cable
3.5mm audio cable
User guide
support contact pamphlet
airline headphone adapter
carrying case
Hardware specs
The hardware specs are gathered from the Taotronics website, the Taotronics Amazon page, and the FCC Part 15C Measurement and Test Report
Active Noise Cancellation – Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation significantly reduces low-frequency sound by up to 96%
Item Weight – 7.7 ounces
Headphone Fit – Over Ear & Rotatable Design
Item Dimensions – 6.89 x 7.87 x 2.17 in
Playing Time – Enjoy an impressive 2 hours of music with just 5 minutes of charge; completely recharges in just 45 minutes for 30 hours of music playback
Super soft protein cushions, adjustable headband, 90° rotation axis for comfy all-day wear; safe storage & transportation with the carry case.
Dual 40 mm drivers deliver audio reproduction at 20Hz-20KHz
built in cVc 6.0 noise-canceling microphone for clear hands-free calls
Rated Voltage: Battery: DC3.7V
Battery Capacity: 550mAh
Bluetooth Version: V4.2 (BR/EDR mode)
Design and features
Unboxing
The TaoTronics TT-BH046 Hybrid ANC wireless stereo headphones come in a silver high-quality corrugated box with an image of the side of the headphones printed on the front. The rear of the box lists some of the main features. The box and presentation are suitable for gift giving.
Hardware
The headphones come stored in the carrying case included with the product. The carrying case is zippered on three sides and hinged with fabric on the remaining side.
The case has a shiny textured surface that will stand up to a lot of wear and still look good afterward.
The unit I received is still emblazoned with the existing TaoTronics logo, although units manufactured later will have a newer logo. The new logo is shown on the product registration card included with my sample.
One side of the case is a nylon mesh pocket which can hold the included cables and airplane adapter. The opposite side of the case includes a velcro closure that crosses where the slider attaches to the headband.
The item weight of 7.7 ounces is on the lighter side for ANC wireless headphones. The Sony WH1000XM3 headphones weigh 9 ounces, the Bose QuietComfort 35 II weighs 8.3 ounces, and the Beats Solo³ weighs 7.5 ounces, but are not ANC. The headphones feel very solid; the rotation and extension/retraction of the sliders seems very secure and the cushioning of the headband and ear cups seems very thorough and smooth. The earcups do not rotate freely but have to be pushed around, which appears to make them a more sturdy product. The openings in each earcup are large and I have no trouble fitting my ears into them. The headband sits nicely on the top of my head and due to the lightweight design doesn’t tend to flip forwards or back.
The ear cushions seem soft enough to let the temples of glasses by, but since I don’t wear glasses I can’t be sure, and I cannot verify how glasses would impact the ANC if the earcup seal wasn’t perfect. The headphones do have a couple of design issues that I feel may pose a problem: the steel of the headband seems very sharp behind the imitation leather surrounding the top, uncushioned part of the headband. I wonder if one day it will cut through the imitation leather. Also, the ear cup pivot is only on one side of the cup, and it seems that there is the potential that the plastic or metal may become overstressed where this pivot enters the cup and that the joint may fail.
The headphones look sharp. The metal back to the earcups, with the beveled chrome surround, is a nice touch.
I wonder if this is purely aesthetic or if the added stiffness of the metal is part of the hybrid ANC design or dual speaker design. The plastic parts of the rest of the unit seem untreated after they are cast. The plastic buttons on the earcup look very plain, but at least they do not rattle in place. The bezel around the 3.5mm audio jack is also a nice touch. The inside of the ear cups is a nylon material that is an upgrade from a foam sponge that could be found on lower quality headphones.
Operation
All of the buttons for the system, the 3.5mm input, and the headset microphone (for telephone calls) is on the right earcup. The microUSB input is on the left earcup. The battery is charged in 5 minutes for up to 2 hours of constant use with ANC, or about an hour for a full charge. This 5 minute charge feature is only available with a source greater than 5 Watts (5 v, 1 amp). My measurement of the drawn amperage is about 0.83 amps, so the need for a higher amperage charger is confusing. The headphones don’t come with a charger of their own, but I estimate that most people have 10 or 12 watt chargers available.
The Bluetooth functions of the headphones are controlled using the power and volume buttons. The ANC is operated with a separate switch and switch mounted LED. The Bluetooth is version 4.2 and the headphones support the A2DP, AVRCP profiles for remote control functionality. This results in a lot of Bluetooth functionality for 3 total buttons but most are intuitive.
Function
Keypad Operation
Power on / off
Press and hold the Power Button until the power / Bluetooth indicator flashes / the headphones turn off.
Play / Pause / Answer / Hang up Phone Calls
Press the Power Button once.
Reject Phone Calls
Press and hold the Power Button for 3 seconds.
Mute the Call / Music
Press Volume + and Volume – Buttons at the same time.
Redial
Press the Power Button twice.
Volume + / –
Press the Volume + / – Button.
Previous / Next Track
Press and hold the Volume – / + Button.
Bluetooth Pairing
Press and hold Power Button for 5s when off.
I wish that the redial function was not supported. I have inadvertently dialed my last called number this way; when you butt-dial someone with your head it makes you a…
The type of noise canceling used on these headphones is Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling (HANC) technology. It takes advantage of a feedforward design that creates a noise canceling waveform based on sounds picked up on the outside of the earcup. It also takes advantage of a feedback design that creates a noise canceling waveform from a sample of the sound inside of the earcups (subtracting the waveform of any music being played). This type of ANC is the most advanced approach available. The execution of this approach depends on the ANC electronics and software. Taotronics claims it can reduce ambient low-frequency sound by up to 96 percent (about 2.5 dB). You can see the mic hole at the top of the ear cup.
The headphones can also be used with a 3.5mm cord and ANC for situations when the Bluetooth radio should not be used (if an airline steward requests you turn off your headphones, legally, you must comply with their request.) If the battery is completely dead then the headphones will still function using the 3.5mm cable.
A nice feature is that if the Bluetooth headphones are not connected to a Bluetooth device for 10 minutes they will shut down.
Performance
It appears that the headphones have two 40 mm drivers on each cup. I wonder what the crossover is between the two speakers because it seems one is entirely for bass boost. Overall I found the listening experience compromising with these headphones. An audiophile would conclude that the sound was muddy and veiled and lacked clarity and presence. Turning on the ANC helped a little bit. I have to guess that some of the muddied sound field may be intentional – like Dolby noise reduction recordings were made on cassette tapes 35 years ago. I listened to Hours from Karakusa by Toshiki Hayashi. Normally, I’m convinced there’s a live bass player on my left shoulder, but not while listening to this. I also listened to the other recordings I used as samples for the V-MODA Forza Metallo Wireless Bluetooth headphone review. When I listen to Bahia by John Coltrane I can usually feel like I’m listening to a live performance on the upper west side of Broadway, but with the TaoTronics it’s just a recording and not a very crisp one. Listening to There’s No Underwear in Space by The Claypool Lennon Delirium with the Taotronics, the sound of the bow against the bass is muddy and the drums, which are distant to begin with, sound too far away. The rain at the beginning of La femme d’argent by Air sounds like static and the bass line is too overpowering. TheFrench Suites by Bach played by Murry Perahia is an excellent recording but seems veiled and flat when listening with the TaoTronics. All of these criticisms are made while comparing the sound to some very good alternative headphone and earphones. Using these headphones for daily use,
The microphone for telephone communication also sounds distant and unclear on the transmitted audio, although the received audio sounds very loud and clear.
The headphones have a fast charge feature. To test this feature I left the headphones on until they were out of juice. Neither the power button not the noise canceling was functioning. I left the headphones alone for a few hours to allow the condition of the battery to normalize. I attached the headphones to a high power charger and the headphones drew only 0.83 amps. I set a timer and charged the headphones for 5 minutes. The tester indicated 69 mAh of charging had occurred.
After charging I immediately started listening to music from my iPhone at 5-6 volume segments (31% to 38% full volume) with the noise canceling on. I got 2:15 minutes of listening before the 20% low battery alarm started.
What I like
Low Cost
Fast Charge
Effective ANC for loud environments
What needs to be improved
Sound Quality
Cantilevered earbud may break
the redial feature is accident prone.
Final thoughts
The TaoTronics TT-BH046 Hybrid ANC wireless stereo headphones provide excellent ANC isolation from your environment, but with average sound quality. With ANC off, the sound is muffled and clogged by heavy bass. Turning ANC on improves the sound, but not enough to recommend using these headphones for serious audio. At this low price, however, these may be the perfect set for commuting on a bus or train.
Price: $84.99 Where to buy: Amazon Source: The sample of this product was provided by TaoTronics.
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REVIEW – The appeal of noise canceling/isolating headphones and earphones is increasing as more people listen to personalized audio. Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) headphones are becoming a more popular option as the availability of sound processing technology converges with lower cost and higher demand. The TaoTronics TT-BH046 Hybrid ANC wireless stereo headphones are a new entry into this market. Read on to see what I think!
The case has a shiny textured surface that will stand up to a lot of wear and still look good afterward.
The unit I received is still emblazoned with the existing TaoTronics logo, although units manufactured later will have a newer logo. The new logo is shown on the product registration card included with my sample.
One side of the case is a nylon mesh pocket which can hold the included cables and airplane adapter. The opposite side of the case includes a velcro closure that crosses where the slider attaches to the headband.
The headband sits nicely on the top of my head and due to the lightweight design doesn’t tend to flip forwards or back. 
The ear cushions seem soft enough to let the temples of glasses by, but since I don’t wear glasses I can’t be sure, and I cannot verify how glasses would impact the ANC if the earcup seal wasn’t perfect. The headphones do have a couple of design issues that I feel may pose a problem: the steel of the headband seems very sharp behind the imitation leather surrounding the top, uncushioned part of the headband. I wonder if one day it will cut through the imitation leather. Also, the ear cup pivot is only on one side of the cup, and it seems that there is the potential that the plastic or metal may become overstressed where this pivot enters the cup and that the joint may fail. 
I wonder if this is purely aesthetic or if the added stiffness of the metal is part of the hybrid ANC design or dual speaker design. The plastic parts of the rest of the unit seem untreated after they are cast. The plastic buttons on the earcup look very plain, but at least they do not rattle in place. The bezel around the 3.5mm audio jack is also a nice touch. The inside of the ear cups is a nylon material that is an upgrade from a foam sponge that could be found on lower quality headphones.
After charging I immediately started listening to music from my iPhone at 5-6 volume segments (31% to 38% full volume) with the noise canceling on. I got 2:15 minutes of listening before the 20% low battery alarm started.