Home 2019

Take videography to the next level with the Shure MV88+ video kit

NEWS – Since most smartphones now record 4K video, why not equip them with some pro-level accessories and make your videos the best you can? Shure, a global manufacturer of audio equipment, has launched the MV88+ video kit featuring a digital stereo condenser microphone that provides videographers with an all-in-one solution for capturing recordings on-the-go. The MV88+ kit also includes a Manfrotto PIXI tripod, phone clamp, and mount as well as iOS and USB-C cables for next-level compatibility and connectivity.

The MV88+ video kit builds on the success of Shure’s original MV88 iOS digital stereo condenser microphone, delivering audio quality for podcasters, videographers, content creators, field recordists, and musicians looking to record high-quality audio. The MV88+ helps transform a smartphone device into a professional-level mobile audio and video rig.

“The MV88+ Video Kit provides multiple configurations straight out of the box,” said Matt Engstrom, Senior Category Director, Global Product Management at Shure. “You shouldn’t have to buy half a dozen products to film a high-quality piece of video content one day, and then an audio interview or field recording the next. With the MV88+, you don’t have to. We listened to you and worked to develop a superior microphone with superior accessories. This package gives you everything you’ll need to film in your studio, on-the-go, at home—or wherever life takes you.”

Compatible with iOS and other selected devices, the MV88+ Video Kit comes with new and improved accessories, arming you with tools for recording on-the-go. A headphone jack lets you record in real-time audio. A phone clamp and tripod stand multiplies the environments in which you can record. Whether recording in your studio, filming a YouTube video, or live streaming, you can easily thread your devices into a mounted platform for stable recording. The MV88+ can also be used for standalone audio capture, replacing the need for portable audio recorders.

“The MV88+ takes into account the little things, too,” said Engstrom. “We understand the value of efficiency and improved the design to seamlessly record with or without a protective smartphone case. The included phone mount is also compatible with your existing setup, allowing you to connect to any tripod with a ¼” connector. This empowers you to use the setup that best suits your needs. You’ll also be able to tap into the capabilities of the free Shure MOTIV Video and Audio Recording applications to access our state-of-the-art audio quality in tandem with the microphone.”

The MV88+ Video Kit sells for $249 US and is available from Shure or Amazon.

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Take videography to the next level with the Shure MV88+ video kit originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 20, 2019 at 10:00 am.

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Meridio Vintage Apple Watch Band review

REVIEW – When Apple debuted their Watch nearly 4 years ago, one of the selling points was the option to swap out the bands … sporty silicone, stainless steel links, and of course, classic leather, like Meridio’s Vintage Apple Watch Band.

What is it?

Meridio’s Vintage style watch band is a rugged, stylish leather watch band specifically made for the Apple Watch. It comes in several colors and includes matching hardware to fit the style of your Apple Watch’s finish.

Fine leather, nice details.

Hardware specs

  • Color: brown
  • Materials: soft calf’s leather
  • Origin: Italy
  • Hardware color options: Gold, Silver, Space Grey, Black, Rose Gold, Stainless
  • Designed for Apple Watch Series 4, works with all previous versions
  • Optional initial engraving

What’s in the box?

  • the leather Watch band (Watch not included, obviously)
The packaging is nice but maybe a little excessive.

Design and Features

One of my favorite features of my Apple Watch is how easy it is to swap the bands. I have around 5 different bands that I cycle through depending on what I’m wearing that day or what I’ll be doing. So I was excited to get my hands on what would be my first leather band, Meridio’s Vintage style Apple Watch band.

The construction and quality of this band is very good. It is made from thick, Italian soft calf’s leather (which may be a turn-off for some). So it’s sure to last for quite some time and look better with age. Indeed, when I first started wearing it, there were no marks on the band, but after just a couple weeks of daily wear, there were a plenty of creases and nicks. I love that worn look.

You can see the creases and wear from as little as a couple weeks of normal use. They even punched my initials into the end of the band.

During the initial break-in period, the band was fairly stiff, even uncomfortable, until it started forming to the shape of my wrist. The hardware used in the buckle and watch fasters matches the finish on the watch and comes in several colors. Being a belt-style fastener, it offers the possibility of being either a little too tight or a little too loose. My wrist always seems to fall into that trap, but I usually just go with the looser option.

Overall, I really like the band. The color of the fine leather is practical for casual or formal dress, and it has nice details in the hardware and the thread looped near the base of the watch. The only negative I could think of would be the price, as is the case with most leather goods. You’d be looking at just over $100 for the band.

But, there are plenty of individuals who end up spending more money on watch bands than on the Apple Watch itself. Since nearly all bands have been compatible ever since the Series 1, and likely will be with future iterations of the Apple Watch, owning a band that will look even better years later is an attractive option for many collectors.

Like with any other belt style attachment, it could run a little loose or tight.

What I like

  • very handsome, goes with everything
  • will certainly last longer than your Apple Watch
  • looks better with age

What needs to be improved

  • may take a while to break in
  • expensive

Final thoughts

One of the best parts about owning an Apple Watch is collecting bands to adjust your style and function to your activity or mood. And Meridio’s offering adds a touch of class that will likely last longer than your Watch, albeit for a high price of entry.

Price: $104.00 (but currently on sale at $76)
Where to buy: You can pick up a Vintage Watch Band in several colors directly from Meridio’s website.
Source: The sample of this Apple Watch band was provided by Meridio. You can find out more and check out their other fine leather products on their website.

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Meridio Vintage Apple Watch Band review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 20, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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Meridio Vintage Apple Watch Band review

REVIEW – When Apple debuted their Watch nearly 4 years ago, one of the selling points was the option to swap out the bands … sporty silicone, stainless steel links, and of course, classic leather, like Meridio’s Vintage Apple Watch Band.

What is it?

Meridio’s Vintage style watch band is a rugged, stylish leather watch band specifically made for the Apple Watch. It comes in several colors and includes matching hardware to fit the style of your Apple Watch’s finish.

Fine leather, nice details.

Hardware specs

  • Color: brown
  • Materials: soft calf’s leather
  • Origin: Italy
  • Hardware color options: Gold, Silver, Space Grey, Black, Rose Gold, Stainless
  • Designed for Apple Watch Series 4, works with all previous versions
  • Optional initial engraving

What’s in the box?

  • the leather Watch band (Watch not included, obviously)
The packaging is nice but maybe a little excessive.

Design and Features

One of my favorite features of my Apple Watch is how easy it is to swap the bands. I have around 5 different bands that I cycle through depending on what I’m wearing that day or what I’ll be doing. So I was excited to get my hands on what would be my first leather band, Meridio’s Vintage style Apple Watch band.

The construction and quality of this band is very good. It is made from thick, Italian soft calf’s leather (which may be a turn-off for some). So it’s sure to last for quite some time and look better with age. Indeed, when I first started wearing it, there were no marks on the band, but after just a couple weeks of daily wear, there were a plenty of creases and nicks. I love that worn look.

You can see the creases and wear from as little as a couple weeks of normal use. They even punched my initials into the end of the band.

During the initial break-in period, the band was fairly stiff, even uncomfortable, until it started forming to the shape of my wrist. The hardware used in the buckle and watch fasters matches the finish on the watch and comes in several colors. Being a belt-style fastener, it offers the possibility of being either a little too tight or a little too loose. My wrist always seems to fall into that trap, but I usually just go with the looser option.

Overall, I really like the band. The color of the fine leather is practical for casual or formal dress, and it has nice details in the hardware and the thread looped near the base of the watch. The only negative I could think of would be the price, as is the case with most leather goods. You’d be looking at just over $100 for the band.

But, there are plenty of individuals who end up spending more money on watch bands than on the Apple Watch itself. Since nearly all bands have been compatible ever since the Series 1, and likely will be with future iterations of the Apple Watch, owning a band that will look even better years later is an attractive option for many collectors.

Like with any other belt style attachment, it could run a little loose or tight.

What I like

  • very handsome, goes with everything
  • will certainly last longer than your Apple Watch
  • looks better with age

What needs to be improved

  • may take a while to break in
  • expensive

Final thoughts

One of the best parts about owning an Apple Watch is collecting bands to adjust your style and function to your activity or mood. And Meridio’s offering adds a touch of class that will likely last longer than your Watch, albeit for a high price of entry.

Price: $104.00 (but currently on sale at $76)
Where to buy: You can pick up a Vintage Watch Band in several colors directly from Meridio’s website.
Source: The sample of this Apple Watch band was provided by Meridio. You can find out more and check out their other fine leather products on their website.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged:

Meridio Vintage Apple Watch Band review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 20, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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Fromaggio Home Cheesemaker lets you get creative


NEWS – I don’t know about you, but I love cheese. Perhaps too regularly, we make a meal out of cheese, crackers, and wine. When I saw that the Fromaggio Home Cheesemaker is about to initiate their Kickstarter, it was very exciting to think I could make my cheese at home.


The appliance has an interactive phone app as well as a touch LED screen to guide you through the cheese making process. All you have to do is add the cheese and cultures/rennet and the machine takes care of every step along the way. It can make a variety of cheeses, yogurt and even tofu; additionally it can be used as a sous vide to prepare additional foods. Simple cheeses can take a little as 30 minutes, while more complex hard cheeses can take 48 hours. This product recently impressed attendees of the CES conference in Las Vegas and while we currently don’t have information on price point, the Kickstarter will begin March 6th. They are currently giving away three of these machines, so you can enter to win ahead of the start date.

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Fromaggio Home Cheesemaker lets you get creative originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 20, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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Mo-Tactic EDC pen, MOFT invisible folding laptop stand, and more – Notable crowdfunding campaigns

NEWS – Today I’m going to show you five Kickstarter campaigns that caught my eye this week for pen lovers, mobile warriors, and urban gardeners. Let’s get to it.

“Mo-Tactic” EDC Urban Pen.

What is it?

Mo-Tactic is a ballpoint pen that is available in steel, titanium or aviation aluminum. It features a design styled after military weapons and it can be used as a regular pen or a tactical close up striking weapon.

Why do I like it?

I like the Mo-Tactic pen mainly for its looks. I don’t personally care about the tactical features of this pen as I believe any ballpoint pen can be used as an up close weapon. I think the Mo-Tactic pen just looks cool and for some reason, it reminds me of the video game Doom.

Where can I find more info?

The Mo-Tactic campaign ends on 3/22/19 they are working towards their funding goal of $7,000. You can pre-order a Mo-Tactic starting at $90. After the Mo-Tactic campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in May 2019. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

INKI Pen: a new kind of drawing pen

What is it?

INKI Pen is…wait for it… a pen! It’s a special drawing pen if we want to be exact. This AAA battery-powered pen has a built-in mechanism that causes the pen’s writing tip to move up and down to give your drawings a unique stippling effect on paper.

Why do I like it?

I’ve never seen a pen like this one and I’d love to try creating some drawings with it. The really cool thing is that adjusting the pressure or angle on the paper will cause it to create different dot pattern effects.

Where can I find more info?

The INKI Pen campaign ends on 3/16/19 and they have already met their funding goal of $27,149. You can pre-order an INKI Pen starting at $40. After the INKI Pen campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in July 2019. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

MOFT – World’s First Invisible Laptop Stand

What is it?

MOFT is a folding stand for your laptop.

Why do I like it?

MOFT is a laptop stand that sticks to the back of the laptop and is so thin that you can just leave it there even when you’re not using it. It allows for two height levels and only weighs 2.3 ounces.

Where can I find more info?

The MOFT campaign ends on 3/9/19 they have already blasted past their funding goal of $1,000. You can pre-order a MOFT starting at $19. After the MOFT campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in April 2019. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

H2Joe – Two-In-One Coffee & Water Bottle

What is it?

H2Joe is a travel bottle that has a hot section and a cold section.

Why do I like it?

If you’ve ever wanted to carry a cold beverage AND a hot beverage with you but don’t want to lug two bottles, the H2Joe might be your dream bottle because it has a 12 oz cold and a 12 oz hot section. The top has two spouts so you can choose which beverage to sip from.

Where can I find more info?

The H2Joe campaign ends on 3/15/19 they already met their funding goal of $20,000. You can pre-order an H2Joe starting at $39. After the H2Joe campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in October 2019. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

OGarden Smart: Grow An Indoor Garden of 90 Fruits & Veggies

What is it?

OGarden Smart is an indoor gardening system that grows up to 90 fruits and veggies at once.

Why do I like it?

I like indoor gardening gadgets because I like to eat but I don’t like to actually go outside and take care of a garden. The OGarden does all the work for you. It provides like and automatic watering. All you have to do is put the seed cups in the slots and plug it in.

What to consider before pledging?

The OGarden Smart is almost $600 and you will need to buy seed cups which have the seeds, fertilizer and growing material. If the company goes out of business, it’s unclear if the system will be useless without a source for the seed cups. Also, although it’s a large growing cabinet, it’s not like you’ll be able to grow enough of any one plant to make an entire meal. This system looks like it would work best for growing smaller herbs instead of larger plants like green beans, tomatoes, cucumber, etc.

It reminds me a lot of the Click & Grow Smart Garden 9 which I reviewed last year. It was fun for awhile and then became a huge paper weight.

Where can I find more info?

The OGarden Smart campaign ends on 3/15/19 they have already passed their funding goal of $15,113. You can pre-order an OGarden Smart starting at $597. After the OGarden Smart campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in May 2019. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

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Mo-Tactic EDC pen, MOFT invisible folding laptop stand, and more – Notable crowdfunding campaigns originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 19, 2019 at 1:22 pm.

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