Home 2017 June

Brookstone wants to bring Big sound to your summer with their all-weather Big Blue Party Wi-Fi Speaker


Summer’s almost here! Time for family, friends and of course good music. Whether it’s the loud get up and dance kind, or the nice relaxing mood setting kind, we all have a summer soundtrack. Most of us own a Bluetooth speaker of one kind or another but either they don’t get loud enough, or, you have to worry about them getting wet. Brookstone’s Big Blue Party Indoor-Outdoor WI-Fi speaker solves both of these problems.

The Big Blue Party speaker is not your everyday wireless speaker. First off this speaker is BIG (hence the name.) Big Blue comes in at just under 16” tall and weighs a whopping 12lbs. But in this case, its size and weight are indicative of its quality build. It’s water resistant so you can take it anywhere – poolside, on your deck, or even to the beach. It also features 4 built-in stereo speakers and a subwoofer that fire at different angles for awesome sound that reaches every corner of the room (or backyard!) no matter where you put it.

Big Blue has Wi-Fi and Chromecast built-in, so you can stream your favorite music from your phone, tablet or laptop. To stream music, simply tap the “Cast” button that’s already built into major music, news and entertainment apps like Spotify, Pandora, and iHeart Radio. Casting via Wi-Fi also lets you say goodbye to staying within 30 feet of your speaker. And with Wi-Fi, you’ll always get crystal clear sound without interruption. However, if you’re using Big Blue somewhere Wi-Fi isn’t available don’t fret because it’s also an old school Bluetooth speaker (hence the “blue” in the name, if you hadn’t guessed). You can also add other Chromecast enabled speakers to create a multi-room listening experience.

The Big Blue Party Wi-Fi Speaker is $249.99 and is only available at Brookstone.com. If that’s a little too rich for your blood, Brookstone also offers a Bluetooth-only version which is available for $169.99 and can be purchased through their website or Amazon. Both are great gift options for Father’s Day, and Brookstone is guaranteeing delivery in time for Father’s Day if you place your order by 1 PM EST on June 12th.

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Brookstone wants to bring Big sound to your summer with their all-weather Big Blue Party Wi-Fi Speaker originally appeared on on June 11, 2017 at 8:33 am.

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Insect traps, fidget spinners, #$@! woodpeckers, and more


Hello Gadgeteers! I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far.  Mine has been a little frustrating… you can find out why by reading my latest gadget diary post which is included in this week’s list of all of our news, reviews, and articles. Click through to see this week’s list. 

Reviews

Articles

News

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Insect traps, fidget spinners, #$@! woodpeckers, and more originally appeared on on June 10, 2017 at 6:00 pm.

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Carved Acoustic Acorn Bluetooth speaker review


As good as the speakers are on some smartphones and tablets may be, there are times you want more depth to the sound. Bluetooth speakers bring this sound to you, but sometimes there are tradeoffs – the speakers are too large, too twiddly, or run out of power too quickly. In an effort to try and correct these shortcomings as well as add their own handcrafted, natural wood beauty to your listening experience, the folks at Carved have introduced the Acoustic Acorn. It is a single speaker with a single button, a single LED, and a single port for charging. I was sent this singular speaker in Walnut to review.

Note: Photos may be tapped or clicked for a larger image.

Overall, the Acorn looks very much like it’s autumnal namesake, turned out of bamboo or walnut. There is a rubberized oval to keep it from rolling around on your work surface, and a black lacquered metal grille over the opening. The opening is 3″ in diameter, and the Acorn is 2.5″ deep. When it’s set on a level surface, the oval holds the face of the speaker ~40º from the surface, which directs it toward your face, if it’s near your keyboard. Inside the oval, there is a single button for on/off/pairing. From the off setting, hold it until the LED blinks blue and red, and the Acorn is in pairing mode. Press it once again and it turns off. Nearby is a reset pinhole. There is a “Carved” logo cut into the edge, just under the center by the rubber oval, so that it doesn’t show.


Opposite, on the back, there is a hole for the LED to show through, and a hole for the charging cable. That’s about it. You can listen while it’s charging if you’d like, but I found the battery life to be quite long. I never had a problem listening to several podcasts while cooking dinner, watching a movie streamed to my iPad, or letting Spotify or iTunes run rampant through the eternal shuffle of my music collection.
The sound is really mellow for such a small speaker. It’s not a heavy thumping bass, but the full vocal range of speaking and most acoustic music is covered adequately. I never noticed any lessening of the highs, but then, I’m not hearing them as well as I did 20 years ago. 😉


Carved, the company, is no stranger to this site. They are one of my favorite companies. It’s all US-based, they celebrate every step of the job as something that should be done to perfection, from design to packaging, and they use high-quality woods. Each piece has a card signed by the artisan that made it, and they take customer service to an obsessive level.

I do have a few quibbles. There is no speakerphone mic. Not really an issue, if you just want to pick up the phone and talk through the mic on it. (Please don’t hold it like you’re talking to a pizza slice!) But depending on how far away you are from your speaker or phone, it may be difficult to pick up in time. Also, since it’s not going to happen frequently, there is a certain confusion that happens when you get a call while the speaker is active.

The biggest issue I have with the Acorn is the charging cable. It is a USB to propriety center-pin charging tip. I have other speakers that use this type tip, (I actually reviewed one here a few years ago) and none of them are compatible with each other. So, should I mix up or lose those cables, I’m not going to be able to use the device. Why not just use a miniUSB or microUSB plug, so it will be compatible with the most common cables you can find? Having a “special” cable mars the experience of having the device, worrying that you’re going to push the cable in at the wrong angle, bend the little pin in the jack, leave the cable behind at a hotel, or forget to take it along on a long trip.

In spite of the charging cable thing, I’d still recommend the Acorn. Carved is gonna be around a while, and they are good folks, so I’m sure there is a way to get a replacement cable, should you need one.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Carved. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order.

 

Product Information

Price: $59 – $65
Manufacturer: Carved
Retailer: Amazon
Requirements:
  • Bluetooth sound source, USB power source
Pros:
  • Beautiful wood exterior
  • Focused, well-balanced sound
  • Pleasing shape and feel
Cons:
  • Proprietary charging cable

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Carved Acoustic Acorn Bluetooth speaker review originally appeared on on June 10, 2017 at 9:15 am.

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Relieve tension and sleep better with Relax Pro by Thync


If you are having trouble sleeping or you’re feeling overly anxious, trying Relax Pro by Thync could be a drug-free and fairly inexpensive way to get some relief. This device stimulates your nerves to trigger a natural mechanism inside your body which signals your autonomic nervous system to allow your mind to tell your body to relax. Sounds fantastic to me! 

You simply select a neurostimulation program to play through the app controlled Pod which you place at the back of your neck. The device itself costs $149 and you can choose to pay month by month for the neurostimulation programs and pads which are $29.oo per month, or get the 12-month plan and pay $19.00 per month.  For the diehards out there…you can spend $429 and get a lifetime subscription and enough pads for 100 sessions.  All plans come with a 30-day money back guarantee.

To dive into the details and get more information on this seemingly too-good-to-be-true gadget, visit www.thync.com.

 

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Relieve tension and sleep better with Relax Pro by Thync originally appeared on on June 10, 2017 at 8:01 am.

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Luke, I am your toaster


We showed you a Star Wars inspired toaster about seven years ago that burned the image of Darth Vader into the piece of toast. Cool yes, but not as cool as this toaster which is actually shaped like Darth Vader’s helmet!

The Darth Vader Toaster from Pangea Brands is a two slice toaster that is an officially licensed Star Wars product.

In addition to looking cool on its own, it makes your toast look cool too by burning the Star War’s logo into it.

The toaster is made of black plastic in the shape of Darth Vader’s iconic helmet and features a removable crumb tray, an adjustable thermostat, and a quick stop button to pop up the toast.

If you like your toast on the dark side (see what I did there?), grab yourself a Darth Vader Toaster for $39.99 from Amazon where they also sell Death Star and Stormtrooper toasters too.

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Luke, I am your toaster originally appeared on on June 9, 2017 at 9:03 am.

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