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Valentine’s Day 2019 gift guide

ARTICLE – Sound the alarms and get out your wallets because there are only seven days left until Valentine’s Day! If you haven’t already bought something for your partner in crime, significant other, sweetie, girlfriend, boyfriend, etc., here are a few gift ideas to help you out.

NixPlay Seed Wave digital photo frame

Nixplay makes nice digital photo frames and the new Seed Wave features a high definition IPS 13.1-inch or 10-inch widescreen display and built-in Bluetooth speakers that will let you play a soundtrack while viewing your photos or you can stream Spotify Connect, Pandora and Internet Radio directly from the Nixplay app or from a paired Bluetooth-enabled device.

The Seed Wave’s digital photo frame features include Google Photos connectivity which will let you create live albums that are will update as you add new images. If you’re not a Google fan, you can connect the frame to your photo albums on other social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Dropbox, and Verizon Cloud.

But wait, there’s more! The Nixplay Seed Wave (I don’t quite understand where they got the name…), has a feature called Smart-Hu which is a motion sensor that wakes up the display when it detects motion. This helps it save power when no one is around to look at it. It also works with Amazon Alexa so you can control it with your voice. I reviewed their Cloud Frame last summer and felt it was one of the nicest digital photo frames I’d ever tested.

Price: $149.99 – $249.99
Where to buy: Nixplay.com

SodaStream Fizzi One Touch

The SodaStream Fizzi One Touch is a gift that is sure to make your Valentine all tingly inside. It’s the best sparkling water maker that I’ve tried so far and I’ve been using one since last summer when I posted my review. You only have to press one button to get the water as fizzy as you like it. The only thing to keep in mind with this particular model is that you have to plug it in.

I use mine to make my own calorie-free carbonated drinks using Capella’s flavor drops and some packets of Stevia sweetener. Using a SodaStream and these drops helped me kick my Diet Coke habit with ease.

Price: $109.99
Where to buy: SodaStream and Amazon

Mavin Air-X True Wireless earbuds

There’s a quote that says that “music hath charms to soothe a savage breast”. I don’t know how savage my breast is, but I know that music is my friend throughout my day, on my drive to and from work, and during my workout sessions. Finding a pair of wireless earbuds that sound good and are comfortable has been a quest that I’ve been on for quite a while and I’ve found a couple pairs of truly wireless earbuds that fit that criteria. One such pair is the Mavin Air-X earbuds. These earbuds feature Qualcomm TrueWireless Stereo Plus technology, 100 ft. connection range, 50 hours of battery life with the charging case, splash resistant, and voice assistant-enabled (Siri/Google/Alexa). They even come in pink and red for Valentine’s day or more guy-friendly colors like black and white.

Price: $139.99 for one pair or $249.99 for two pairs (Valentine’s Day special pricing)
Where to buy: Mavinlife.com and Amazon

Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 Instant Camera

blurb by Julian Perry

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, many of us are going through the yearly ritual of trying to figure out what gift to get for that special lady in our life. If you have been with her for a while, then you have likely exhausted many of the customary and commonly accepted gifts and the task has become much harder. If your favorite lady happens to be a gadget nerd, then there are usually many options to choose from. With the constant release of new gadgets or new versions of older gadgets, your chances of please here are likely good.

My wife loves to take pictures, and many women love to have those wallet-sized photos to show and in many cases to keep tucked away in their wallet. While we do walk around with 1000s of pictures on our phones, the physical wallet photo is usually a more personal and memorable treasure.

The FujiFilm INSTAX Mini 9 Instant Film Camera with Instant Film Kit is a compact and versatile camera that holds 20 sheets of film at a time and produces credit card sized prints on demand. There is a built-in selfie mirror that also allows you to capture your own moments. With its built-in flash and versatile settings controls, this little gem measuring just 4.6 x 4.7 x 2.7″ is the perfect companion to live comfortably in her purse. And, just in case she has a preferred color, it is available in Cobalt Blue, Flamingo Pink, Ice Blue, Lime Green, and Smokey White.

Price: $62:50 ~ $64.50 with the Instant Film Kit and depending on the color; $49.99 without the Instant Film Kit (Amazon)
Where to buy: B&H Photo and Amazon

Folding Massage Chair

blurb by Julian Perry

In a couple of days it will be Valentine’s Day 2019, and just as men are scrambling to find the right gift for the lady in their life, women are also window shopping looking for the right fit for that man. In my opinion, most men like gadgets of some sort, and if your man is a gadget nerd then he is like me. When I think about myself, I begin to understand how difficult a task this is for my wife. I own so many gadgets that it is impossible to count or for her to remember what I have and don’t have. This is especially true for smaller gadgets. However, like most men, I have my moments when I want to just stop fiddling with any gadget and sit outdoors on the deck or in my Man Cave or maybe more realistically I should call it my Man Space since technically I have to share every room (lol), and just watch TV or listen to music without distractions.

Whenever I go to the mall, I always find myself sitting in the public massage chairs and paying the $1 required to experience the most relaxing 3 minute back massage that I wish would just keep going and going. I easily spend $5 or more on each visit. I have explored getting a massage chair for home, but they are typically big, heavy, and don’t usually meet the decor requirements that would deem them to be an addition that pleases my wife.

Urban Outfitters sells a folding massage chair that is compact, portable, and it offers the massage that I constantly seek.

Finally, a way to relax any place you choose and to experience that “ultra-soothing, deep-tissue massage in a compact design that you can store away in a cinch.” The chair features 4 massage modes with 3 pressure settings to customize your relaxation preferences just how you like it to target neck, shoulders, and back. It also features a built-in USB port so that you can charge your phone or tablet with ease. This may be just the right Valentine’s Day gift for the man in your life.

Price: $269.00
Where to buy: Urban Outfitters website

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Valentine’s Day 2019 gift guide originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 7, 2019 at 1:02 pm.

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The Grovemade Apple Watch Dock is tech that doesn’t look like tech

NEWS – Most charging docks available today for the Apple Watch are either too gadgety or too techy looking. The new Grovemade Apple Watch Dock is a fresh, elegant option for charging your Apple Watch. This disk-shaped charger forgoes the plastic that many chargers use for more elegant materials. The top of the dock is made of a soft and smooth natural cork. While the base is made from 1/4-inch brushed steel, giving the dock some heft, so it stays put. The design also does a great job of cleverly hiding that ugly bright white charging puck. When laid flat the Apple Watch magnetically snaps into charging position when placed on the center of the dock.

Each Grovemade dock is made one at a time by a single person who takes the product from start to finish.

The dock comes in either Light or Dark and is currently available at the introductory pricing of $50 and $60 respectively.

The black cork (Dark model) is actually hand-stained with Japanese calligraphy ink which accounts for it being $10 more in price.

For more info or to purchase the Grovemade Apple Watch Dock head over to their website. 

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The Grovemade Apple Watch Dock is tech that doesn’t look like tech originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 7, 2019 at 10:00 am.

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WRZ S8 Bluetooth Wireless Stereo Magnetic Earbuds review

REVIEW – Here at the Gadgeteer I have reviewed numerous earbuds/headphones, both large and small, wired and wireless.  I have never really fallen in love with any one product when it comes to this category.  I use a Bluetooth headset daily because I talk all day long on the phone, so I have basically resorted to using my daily headset to listen to music if the mood hits me.  And honestly, the Bluetooth headsets I use aren’t really designed to listen to music, they are designed to take phone calls. But the $22 WRZ S8 earbuds peaked my interest.  So let’s see how they performed.

What is it?

Bluetooth wireless earbuds that can be used to listen to audio from your device, as well as take phone calls.

Product specs from the manufacturer:

  • Weight: .5 ounces
  • Up to 10 hours of usage time, 240 hours standby
  • 120mAh battery
  • IPX6 Waterproof suitable for sports, running, Gym, workout, travelling
  • Bluetooth 5.0 with microphone Stereo Noise Cancelling
  • Different size ear tips and ergonomic C-shaped ear hooks to make sure S8 earphones will comfortably fit any shape of ears
  • The magnetic absorption abilities let earbuds easily merge together so they don’t get slip off or tangled when not in use
  • 6 Color Choices
  • Waterproof, suitable for exposure to sweat and water
  • Compatible with most of smartphones, tablet PCs, laptops.
  • 30 day money back guarantee & 12 months warranty

What’s in the box?

  • S8 Wireless Bluetooth Headphones
  • Multiple Ear Tips (S, M, L) & Ear Hooks (1 pair)
  • Cable Clip Management
  • Micro-USB Charging Cable
  • Carrying zippered pouch
  • User Manual

Design and function

First of all, I have never had a set of earbuds that fit as well as the S8s.  Not once have I even felt the slightest fear that the earbuds were getting ready to fall out, regardless of what I was doing.  This design, with the earwings, ensured that they fit perfectly in my ears.  And the soft tips were very comfortable in my ears.  These are the best-fitting earbuds I have ever used. Full stop.

Each earbud has a magnet on it so that when you aren’t using them and just have them hanging around your neck the earbuds will connect to each other.  That’s a nice touch.  I was able to use them to answer calls and I got mostly positive feedback from people on the other end of the call.  It wasn’t as good a call quality as my Plantronics headset, but my goodness, for this price point of around $22 I was pleased.  The S8s also comes with several other earbud tips to make sure you have some that fit.

It wasn’t all good though.  Some things that I don’t like about the S8s are that there aren’t enough voice prompts.  For example, it speaks to you when you turn the S8s on and it says “connecting” when it is connecting your phone, but it never says “connected”.  So I was never sure it actually connected unless I went to the Bluetooth settings and checked, or just tried to play some music.  That is annoying.  Also, the buttons on the in-line controls don’t have enough tactile indicators on them so that you are sure you are pressing the right button.  I was a little disappointed that the sound wasn’t as loud as other earbuds I have owned.  There isn’t much deep bass sound either.  When I was on a plane recently and used the earbuds, I turned the S8s all the way up and it still wasn’t loud enough to drown out all the noise from the plane.

Final thoughts

I have chosen these earbuds as my daily go-to for listening to music.  I wish they were a little louder sometimes, and I wish there were more voice prompts to tell me what was happening, but for a price of around $22, I can’t complain.  Throw in the zippered pouch to keep everything together and easy to carry, and I do recommend these earbuds for everyone.

Price: $21.98
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by WRZ.

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WRZ S8 Bluetooth Wireless Stereo Magnetic Earbuds review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 7, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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Vroom-vroom becomes shhh-shhh with Harley-Davidson’s Livewire all-electric motorcycle

NEWS – Harley-Davidson is jumping into the electric vehicle fray with their new Livewire, all-electric motorcycle. Offering stomach-into-your-spine acceleration of a claimed 0-60 MPH under 3.5 seconds, the Livewire is expected to offer great, albeit nearly silent performance. With an estimated range of 110 miles on a full change, this bike is more of a whisper-quiet city cruiser than a roaring open highway tourer. One benefit of electric vehicles is that 100% of their torque is available instantly.  Rather than having to wait for an engine to spin up to get your go-fast-now feeling, you get it with a flick of the wrist, now, now, now. After driving a Chevrolet Volt for over four years, I can tell you that electric vehicle acceleration is something you need to experience to understand. Couple that with a new lightweight frame and the Livewire should feel like a performance motorcycle. It will also offer a new 4.3″ touchscreen display for vehicle status, music and navigation. Of course, you will be able to add on lots of Harley-Davidson accessories to personalize everything.

Harley-Davidson provides multiple charging methods.  The Livewire has a built-in Level 1 charger, allowing you to plug in to any 110V socket to recharge. You should get about 13 miles charge per hour, or a full charge in about 8.5 hours. You can also plug into any publically available Level 3 DC Fast Charge station. Level 3 charges much faster at 192 miles of charge per hour, so a full charge should take about 35 minutes or less.  The Livewire can also be charged on the more widely available public Level 2 charging network, although it will only charge at the slower Level 1 rate.

The Livewire will offer a very connected experience via the Harley-Davidson app.  The app will report location, battery status and alert the user if the bike is bumped or moved. The service is free for the first year with a subscription fee after that.

Purchasers will have three color choices, vivid black (above), yellow fuse or orange fuse.

The Livewire is available now for pre-order starting at $29,799 with anticipated deliveries in August 2019.  For more information check out the Livewire page at Harley-Davidson.com.

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Vroom-vroom becomes shhh-shhh with Harley-Davidson’s Livewire all-electric motorcycle originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 7, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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The wandrd Travel Journal is packed with useful features for travelers

NEWS – We’ve been very blessed to have taken some nice family vacation of varying duration and in different parts of the world.  Two aspects of these trips that would have been nice to have a good place to record information are the planning prior to the trip and journaling during the trip itself.  I wish I’d known about the wandrd Travel Journal a few years back, because I’d have certainly used one.  It’a an 8″ x 5″ book with a soft-touch, hardbound cover, 240 pages of 100 GSM paper, three bookmark ribbons, an integrated pen slot, elastic strap closure, and a pocket for keepsakes.  But those are just the tip of the iceberg.  It also has space for 12 trips of varying durations (3 long, 3 medium, 6 short), and each trip’s allotted space includes pages for planning, itineraries, pre-trip checklists, maps and travel logs.  There is also a fold-out world map, universal communications symbols section, and tear-out notecards.  The wandrd Travel Journal is available in Black and Yellow for $35 each.  Note that wandrd also has a blank, grid-page Notebook version in the same two cover colors for $25.  Wander over to wandrd.com for more info or to order.

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The wandrd Travel Journal is packed with useful features for travelers originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 6, 2019 at 11:00 am.

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