Home 2017 April

Amazon announces the Echo Look style assistant


Amazon has announced a new member of the Echo device family, the Echo Look. The Echo Look has the same basic functionality as the Echo Dot and original Echo (aka Alexa), but with a new, sleek design and an added built-in depth-sensing camera and flash.

Being marketed as an Amazon Echo and “Style Assistant”, the Echo Look’s camera and LED flash allows you to take full-length photos or videos of yourself via voice command. You can share the photos or add them to a daily lookbook to keep track of outfits you’ve worn recently.

Once you build up your lookbook, Style Check will start showing you recommendations based on your style which you can then purchase via your Look or Amazon’s website.

You can also use your photos to compare two outfits using Amazon’s Style Check. Style Check is a new Amazon service that “combines machine learning algorithms with advice from fashion specialists” to help you pick which outfit to wear. The videos taken with the Echo Look can be viewed via the companion app as well, allowing you to check out all angles of an outfit before heading out the door.

You can also still use the Echo Look like any other Echo device, asking it questions, playing music, getting weather updates, etc.

Amazon is constantly upgrading the functionality of their Echo devices via software updates, this is the first new hardware offering since the release of the Echo Dot.

The Amazon Echo Look is priced at $199.99 and currently is available only by invitation.

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Amazon announces the Echo Look style assistant originally appeared on on April 29, 2017 at 8:36 am.

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Now you can garden like Wolverine


Live out your wildest Wolverine fantasies – in the garden – with Garden Genie gloves. These latex and nylon gloves are waterproof, puncture resistant, and feature ABS plastic claws which make them perfect for dangerous outdoor projects like planting flowers.

The gloves are one size fits most, but only the right-hand glove has the built-in claws. Lefties like me are left out. Boo!

Garden Genie gloves look like they would be handy for other jobs in addition to digging in the dirt. I can see using them when pruning plants with thorns or other prickly plants.

I found a bunch of different branded gloves like these online from a variety of sources, but the best deal I found has two pairs of Garden Genie gloves for $5.50 and that also includes free shipping. Head over to Amazon for more info.

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Now you can garden like Wolverine originally appeared on on April 28, 2017 at 1:56 pm.

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IOGEAR USB-C Ultra-Slim Dual Display Docking Station review


Recently Julie and I both purchased 12″ MacBooks and while extremely light and portable, the sleek and slim laptop is lacking in ports to say the least. That is a known “design feature” and for me, really is not an issue when on the move. But there are definitely moments where going port-less is a bit of an inconvenience. That said, IOGEAR has several USB-C docking stations engineered to provide you with what Apple has taken away 😉 including monitor support, USB ports, SD card slots, and everything in between. For this review IOGEAR sent me their Ultra-Slim dock to checkout. 

Note: Images can be clicked to view a larger size.

Here you can see (or perhaps you can’t) my MacBook resting on the Ultra-Slim stand, not only being powered but connected to wired ethernet and pumping video to my 25″ QHD monitor. If I didn’t know better, I would say this IOGEAR dock was designed specifically for the 12″ MacBook. The docking station is the exact width of the MacBook with insets/divots perfectly placed for the back feet of the laptop to sit in.

Features:

  • Stylish and ultra slim docking station
  • Instantly dock up to 10 devices including
    • 3 x USB 3.0 (USB Type-A) with 1 x BC 1.2 Quick Charge Port
    • Built-in memory card readers (SD/MMC/Micro SD)
    • 3.5mm audio input/output
    • Gigabit Ethernet
    • HDMI (4K), Mini DisplayPort (4K) and VGA
  • Charge your laptop while docked-Power Delivery Pass Through*
  • Stunning 4K resolution

* PD Pass-Thru requires USB-C charger from your laptop. Up to 60W can be charged to the laptop.

The Ultra-Slim docking station provides all the ports your MacBook or ultra-portable USB-C enabled Windows laptop are missing: three standard USB 3.0 ports (one has quick-charge), SD & microSD slots, gigabit ethernet connection, DisplayPort, HDMI, VGA, and docked-power delivery pass through.

Requirements:

  • USB-C compatible laptops with DP Alt-Mode support
  • USB-C AC Adapter from Laptop is needed for Power Delivery Pass-Thru Function
  • Mac OS X 10.10.5+ (*MST is not supported by Mac OS)
  • Only one additional video output can be utilized for extended desktop using Mac OS
  • For dual screen extended desktop in Windows, you must use HDMI with Mini Display Port
  • When VGA output is utilized, only one additional extended desktop screen will be available

The IOGEAR docking station is made from high-grade aluminum and is as small and compact as its name implies. It measures: 11″ (27.94cm) x 3.0″ (7.62cm) x 0.6″ (1.52cm) and weighs in at a mere 0.70 lbs (0.32kg). Here you can see the two insets in the top of the dock for the feet of the laptop to sit in.

The dock is sloped downward for a better typing angle if you do not use a separate keyboard and mouse. According to IOGEAR, “the intelligently contoured design provides the best ergonomic typing experience for your laptop.” The right side of the dock has an earphone jack andthe left side has a non-detachable USB-C cable for connecting to your laptop.

The rubber feet on the base of the docking station do a decent enough job of keeping the unit where you place it on your desk. Though due to its lightweight, the dock does slide around if you’re not careful inserting cables, SD cards, and thumb drives.

The IOGEAR Ultra-Slim dock enables you to connect a single 4K monitor or two 1080p monitors to your laptop concurrently.

The dock allows you to mirror or extend your Windows USB-C laptop to two monitors or extend your USB-C MacBook to one additional monitor (due to MacOS limitations).

Here you can see the ethernet, DisplayPort and power cables connected to the dock in addition to a thumb drive and SD card inserted as well. Overall the Ultra-Slim docking system works very well, delivering great connectivity and video quality.

The wired gigabit ethernet provides very zippy connectivity.

The only design tweak I would make on this docking station would be to shorten the USB-C cable that connects the dock to the laptop. Or better yet, engineer a standard USB 3.0 port on the side of the dock so you could choose any length of USB-C cable you want. The integrated cable is unnecessarily long and sticks out pretty far, lessening the tech-Zen the dock brings to my desk space.

A few other noteworthy limitations or nuances worth calling out:

  1. the dock is not able to power Apple’s optical SuperDrive,
  2. inserting and removing the microSD card is a bit of a pain/hassle. I found it difficult to do with the MB on the dock,
  3. the metal on metal design of resting your finely crafted 12″ MacBook on the dock’s metal casing worries me that the dock may eventually scratch or mare the underside of the MacBook. But a skin of some type would eliminate this issue.

The IOGEAR USB-C Ultra-Slim Dual Display Docking Station is a great way to expand the port and viewing options of a USB-C laptop lacking such features. There is little doubt in my mind this minimalist trend is with us to stay. And for the most part, I believe the average laptop user would trade ports for portability a majority of the time. Especially if when they are tied to their desk an integrated single-cable solution dock is waiting for them to plug into giving them a full suite of port options and expanding their workspace experience. The bottom line is the IOGEAR Ultra-Slim dock is making the transition from 15″ MBPro to the port-less 12″ MacBook nearly seamless.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by IOGEAR. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order. See below for latest price.

 

Product Information

Price: $129.95
Manufacturer: IOGEAR
Retailer: Amazon
Requirements:
  • USB-C laptop
Pros:
  • Quality construction
  • Well thought out design
  • Excellent single cable solution
  • Dual monitor support (Windows only)
  • Adds a multitude of ports – dock up to 10 devices
  • Supports HDMI (4K), Mini DisplayPort (4K) and VGA
Cons:
  • USB-C cable is longer than need be
  • Difficult inserting/removing microSD card
  • Metal on metal design

Filed in categories: Laptops and Gear, Reviews

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IOGEAR USB-C Ultra-Slim Dual Display Docking Station review originally appeared on on April 28, 2017 at 11:00 am.

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Your dream of a mousepad with programmable lights has come true


The QcK Prism mousepad is no ordinary mouse pad. Made for gamers by SteelSeries, the QcK Prism features wrap around illumination with 12 programmable zones that light up in millions of color combinations. But light effects is not the only trick up this mousepad’s sleeve. Do mousepads even have sleeves? Don’t answer that.

The QcK Prism mousepad also offers two surfaces for your gaming pleasure. There’s a micro-textured cloth on one side of the mousepad that adds friction for more deliberate movements and when you flip the mousepad to the other side, there’s a hard polymer surface for a fast-paced glide.

The QcK Prism is now available at steelseries.com/qckprism for $59.99 and online retailers including Amazon. For more information about SteelSeries’ QcK Prism or SteelSeries complete selection of gaming accessories, visit SteelSeries.com.

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Your dream of a mousepad with programmable lights has come true originally appeared on on April 28, 2017 at 9:52 am.

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Add more luxury to your EDC with the Connoisseur collection from This Is Ground


This Is Ground is known for leather carry accessories that are handmade in Los Angeles, California. The new Connoisseur collection introduces updated designs wrapped in a new series of luxurious Italian leathers.

This Is Ground’s product line offers a unique take on refined small-carry items and modular folios that can be customized based on your specific needs. As we have reviewed here at The Gadgeteer, their reputation is well-deserved for quality construction and beautiful materials. The new collection focuses on leathers from their Italian tannery in warm brown tones called Nutmeg (a medium brown), Mole (a dark brown), and Amaranth (a lighter tan). 

As with previous products, This Is Ground collections they exude high-end style, and should only look better with age.

The lineup includes the updated Mod folio for your tablet & essentials ($450), an Apple Watch band ($115), a basic zippered wallet ($99), a phone wallet ($130), and an assortment of cases for accessories ($20-$129, depending on the item). If you’re looking to add a bit of style to your carry collection, check out the Connoisseur collection here.

 

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Add more luxury to your EDC with the Connoisseur collection from This Is Ground originally appeared on on April 28, 2017 at 7:03 am.

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