Toothbrushes are one of those things we all use several times a day (I hope!) but don’t really give a lot of thought. If you’re like me, you buy a new one a few times a year from Walmart or Walgreens for a few bucks. But would you buy a toothbrush that costs $12 and uses $5 replaceable heads that you have to order online?
The Boie toothbrush comes in four colors and features a unique handle design and a replaceable bristle head that uses BPA and Phthalate-free rubber-like bristles that have been designed to last up to two times longer than the toothbrushes we find at our local big box store.
These toothbrushes also have silver embedded in the bristles and head that help kill bacteria.
What do you think? Are those extra features worth the extra price? For more info on the Boie toothbrush visit boieusa.com and Amazon to order one.
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Are you a bad coin flipper? You know the type who flips to resolve an issue only to have the coin go rolling away never to be found again? The Tempus Spin Coin from J.L. Lawson & Co. provides a better way to find out who goes first in a game or who has to pay for the next round of beer.
These coins are not your average quarter. They are larger and thicker and feature a small ceramic ball in the center that allows you to easily spin the coin on a flat surface. The embossed hand on the top of the coin will determine the “winner”. Think of it as spin the bottle, only with a coin.
The Tempus Spin Coins from J.L. Lawson & Co. are minted in the USA from metals like bronze, silver, copper, and Mokume (yea, I have no idea what that is either). Prices range from $48 to $145 depending on the metal. For more info visit jllawsonco.com
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Grab your wallet and take a look at our 5 picks for this week’s notable crowdfunding projects from Kickstarter and IndieGoGo.
VENTURE: The World’s Most Versatile 4-in-1 Camera
What is it?
VENTURE is an HD camera that can be used for live-streaming to Facebook and YouTube Live either via WiFi or 4G/LTE (through your smartphone).
Why do I like it?
I like the VENTURE because it’s much more than just another 1080p action cam GoPro style camera. It’s also a live-stream camera, a dash cam, a body cam, and even a flashlight.
The VENTURE camera has been designed by Wolfcom, the same company that makes law enforcement body cameras, so you know it’s built to last.
It’s expandable too. There is an optional 23hr battery pack, a night vision camera, POV camera, headset camera, pinhole camera and various mounting clips.
Where can I find more info?
With 21 days left in the campaign, the VENTURE campaign is close to reaching their funding goal of $25,000. You can pre-order the VENTURE camera starting at $149. After the VENTURE campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in February 2018. Visit their IndieGoGo page for all the details.
Rollgut: Bring your thoughts to roll
What is it?
Rollgut is a wooden clipboard. But it’s not your traditional clipboard, this one is round and is made of wood.
Why do I like it?
I like the Rollgut because it’s unique and it combines several of my favorite things like wood, pens, pencils, and paper into a portable holder that rolls up and stores in your bag or pocket. And best of all, you don’t to charge it or sync it. You just enjoy the analog way of writing down your thoughts, sketches, and notes.
Where can I find more info?
With 25 days left in the campaign, the Rollgut campaign is still working towards their funding goal of $83,481. You can pre-order the Rollgut starting at $66. After the Rollgut campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in December 2017. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.
Belle – Bluetooth Speaker and Wireless Hub by Podo Labs
blurb by: Bill Henderson What is it?
Podo Labs states the Belle has audiophile sound at a fraction of the cost with powerful bass and the ability to sync multiple speakers of any brands.
Why do I like it?
I like Belle because I’m familiar with the extremely expensive Devialet Phantom Bluetooth speaker. Belle appears to be based on the same principle at a fraction of the cost. It has a bass response as low as 35 Hz of window rattling bass. It can be synced up to six wireless speakers of any brand. Belle is a full-range speaker, with two full-range speaker drivers and a bass woofer for a 2.1 stereo system. It will play clear sound with deep and resonant bass that’s not overly boomy and also has a sub mode which will transform Belle into a full Bluetooth subwoofer.
Where can I find more info?
The Belle Bluetooth Speaker campaign has surpassed the funding goal of $50,000 with plenty of spots left. You can donate to the campaign starting with $219 for the slightly less powerful Belle Lite speaker and charger. A $299 pledge gets you the more powerful Belle speaker with charger. The levels of involvement go up to $5,000 which includes 6 Belle speakers and an invitation to a VIP party for you and 25 of your closest friends in Los Angeles. After the campaign ends, shipping is estimated to begin in May 2018. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.
Cubiio: The Most Compact Laser Engraver
What is it?
Cubiio is a table top laser engraver and cutter.
Why do I like it?
I like Cubiio because it can engrave and/or cut many types of materials including paper, wood, cardboard, felt, leather and more.
It’s small so it doesn’t require a lot of space, it uses your smartphone or tablet to create a G-code file from an image that you want to engrave on the material.
The only bummer is that the Cubiio can not engrave metals… But it still looks like fun for makers and crafty types.
Where can I find more info?
With 12 days left in the campaign, the Cubiio campaign has already earned over 1.2 million more than their funding goal of $25,000. You can pre-order the Cubiio starting at $319. After the Cubiio campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in November 2017. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.
The BitzBlade 2.0 – The Last Multi-Tool You’ll Ever Need
What is it?
The BitzBlade 2.0 is an updated version of the original BitzBlade. The new version is a multi-tool with 26 features.
Why do I like it?
I like the BitzBlade 2.0 because it’s a multi-function tool and I’m a sucker for small tools and tool kits. The BitzBlade 2.0 is interesting because it not only offers driver bits, but it also has blades, wrenches, and a flashlight in a small pen-like form factor.
Where can I find more info?
With 41 days left in the campaign, the BitzBlade 2.0 campaign has met their funding goal of $10,000. You can pre-order the BitzBlade 2.0 starting at $55. After the BitzBlade 2.0 campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in January 2018. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.
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This is the first book mark that I’ve seen that doubles as a “flashlight”. It’s the Book Mark Light from the Design Bloom Shop. The book mark is actually a circuit board that has been printed on a thin film with special conductive ink.
The Book Mark Light performs like a traditional book mark to save your page, but when you sandwich a CR2032 lithium coin cell battery between both ends, it lights up.
You can read more about the Book Mark Light and order one for $16 from designbloom.com
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You gotta love promotional videos for outdoor Bluetooth speakers. There always seems to be young, beautiful people in great shape running and laughing near water. Reality is more like an overweight guy (me) plopping himself down on Cocoa Beach and sweating in the humidity and heat while my beautiful wife complains that the music is too loud. Oh well, at least the Braven Stryde 360 portable Bluetooth speaker I’m testing sounds good.
As someone who has reviewed many Braven speakers, I’m always amazed how they come out with so many models priced for anyone’s budget—from the $50 105 palm-sized speaker to the monstrous $300 BRV-XXL—not to mention a line of quality home speakers. The new Stryde 360 Bluetooth speaker fits into the lower-priced range but with a few extra features.
The portable Stryde 360 is made for the outdoors. It has IP67 waterproofing (it can be completely underwater up to 3 ft. for 30 minutes) in a tough, plastic exterior. It’s circular shape can fit into some (but not all) car cupholders—think elongated coke can and you get the picture. The ends are circled in a bright, day-glow yellow/green color which helps the speaker be seen in the dark.
The circular shape allows sound to go in a 360° pattern, so it doesn’t matter where anyone is standing when near the speaker.
The body of the speaker is a neutral silver/gray with black rubberized buttons and port cover which protects charging, AUX and USB charging-out ports. The Stryde 360 has a built-in 2500MAH rechargeable battery that can recharge a smartphone—always a handy option for a portable speaker to have. Opposite the ports are on/off, Bluetooth pairing and play/pause/answer call buttons. There’s also an LED power status light which changes colors depending on the level of charge remaining. Battery life is a respectable 12 hours.
Pairing is simple with the Stryde 360. Just press and hold down the Bluetooth button until an audio signal lets you know it’s looking for a device to pair with. You should then see the Stryde in any smartphone Bluetooth settings. My iPhone 7+ paired without any issues. The Stryde remembers my iPhone, so when I come back to it, It re-pairs immediately. A nice feature is that the Stryde will shut itself down after 30 minutes of no signal. This helps prevent undesired battery drain.
Two passive radiators sit at each end of the tubular shape, giving the Stryde 360 a decent amount of bass for a speaker its size. Unfortunately, bass doesn’t travel far in the big outdoors since there’s not a lot that low-frequency sound waves to bounce off of. That’s not the Stryde 360’s fault, it’s physics. However, the speaker packs a satisfying punch when sitting close to it—as long as it’s placed horizontally. If set up vertically, one of the passive radiators is blocked and can alter the audio quality. There is some bass distortion at max volume, but that’s when the bass is at maximum levels in the recording itself.
Vocals (mostly middle frequencies) sound natural and up front. This is good for two reasons: Music can sound more personal and talking (whether podcasts or radio) can be both strong and easily understood. Sometimes, larger and more bass heavy speakers can be problematic for spoken sources.
Higher frequencies on the Stryde 360 can border on harsh if the volume is pushed or the recording source is already a bit treble-happy. Most people are not fans of bright-sounding music, so this shouldn’t usually be an issue.
The Stryde 360 has speakerphones capabilities which work okay. The audio quality is much better than using only the iPhone’s speaker, but my voice comes across to the other person clearer using the iPhone’s mic as opposed to the Stryde’s built-in mic. Unfortunately, a lot of Bluetooth speakers suffer from inferior mics.
Music sounds a bit better than you might expect on a similarly sized speaker. Volume is more than adequate unless you’re trying to have a party. The Stryde 360 is better suited to a small circle of friends.
I prefer listening rock and pop on the Stryde 360. The main reason is that these genres usually have little subtlety. More challenging and complex music is too much for the small speaker’s abilities, especially outdoors, where the speaker is expected to be used. Blame that physics thing again.
Quibbling aside, I quite liked the sound of the Stryde 360. Even with the size limitations, music sounded fun and engaging. An extended version of the 80s classic “Cry” by Godley and Creme has an insistent beat with falsetto vocals that give a slightly expanded sound stage despite the restricted stereo of a single Bluetooth speaker. A less appreciated Godley and Creme gem, “Under Your Thumb” also sounds good on the Stryde 360. It sports fast synth playing that remains distinct with no muddiness in the sound.
Just for kicks, I chose a 50s country classic, “Blue, Blue Day” by Don Gibson. Both the vocals and guitar playing were sharp and clear although the drums and bass were a bit recessed due to the recording. The Stryde 360 was able to reproduce the clarity of the recording with ease. Audio from older recordings carries farther outdoors simply because the recordings were made for AM radio and are geared more for middle frequencies than most modern music.
That’s not to say if you like hip-hop or electronica, the Stryde 360 will disappoint you. The speaker will still sound good, it just can’t go as deep into the bass as a larger speaker can. Again, physics.
As I’ve said earlier, I have reviewed many Braven speakers. It’s interesting that they all have different sound signatures, some that I like and some, not so much. I like how the Stryde 360 sounds. It’s musical and extremely easy to operate.
Yes, I may never look as good as those laughing people in the promotional videos (I never did actually), but I still appreciate music everywhere I go. The Stryde 360 portable Bluetooth speaker goes anywhere without worrying about how wet or dirty it may get. And that’s exactly how it should be.
The Braven Stryde 360 portable Bluetooth speaker sells for $99.99 and is available from Amazon.
Source: The samples for this review were provided by Braven. Please visit their site for more information and Amazon to order.
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