Deal: Mint SIM is offering 6 Months of Mint service for $45

Mint, the ultra-affordable wireless service that uses T-Mobile towers, just announced their Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals that can save you a lot of cash on your wireless bill that you can turn around and use to buy other gifts (for yourself!). 

Deal 1: 3 FREE months of Mint SIM service with the purchase of 3 Months of service. Unlimited Talk & Text along with customer choice of 2Gb, 5Gb, or 10GB of 4G LTE data per month. Priced at $45, $60, and $75 respectively. This deal is exclusive to www.MintSim.com. This deal starts on Black Friday 11/24 and is for a limited time only (end date not specified).

Deal 2: 3 FREE months of Mint SIM service, 5GB of 4G LTE data, Unlimited Talk & Text starting Cyber Monday and running through Cyber Week (with the purchase of any GSM unlocked phone on www.bestbuy.com). This deal starts on Cyber Monday 11/27 and ends on 12/2.

Check out my Mint SIM review.

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Deal: Mint SIM is offering 6 Months of Mint service for $45 originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 22, 2017 at 9:00 am.

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New Extreme Sport: synchronized binge-watching and peddling! Made possible with Harvil’s Foldable Exercise Bike

Exercising might have just gotten a lot more convenient… no more excuses!

With this foldable exercise bike, now we can ride essentially anywhere. It’s slim design and foldable technology allows wonderful transportation abilities and very easy storage. The assembled dimensions are 26.4 in L x 20 in W x 46 in H and it weighs 44 pounds. On Amazon, they come in the fun and vibrant colors of aqua and peach. 

The bike features 10 levels of magnetic resistance which can be adjusted to achieve your desired routine. Like most bikes, the cushioned seat can be adjusted to suit any height and preference. The pedals are anti-slip and have straps to keep your feet secure. The digital monitor displays speed, distance, time, calories burned, and heart rate. 

There’s no need to drive to the gym anymore, which means that you don’t even have to go out in public! So, workout in your “I’m with stupid” t-shirt and Spongebob pajama shorts in your living room while binge-watching Stranger Things 2 on Netflix. You won’t regret it. How would I know? …Nevermind. Have a glass of wine, because after that ride, you deserve it. Then place your bike back in its super small and secret hiding place until next time.

It gets better! We can help our economy by supporting Harvil, a family owned company out of the USA!

Purchase a Foldable Magnetic Exercise Bike by Harvil on Amazon now for @129.99.

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New Extreme Sport: synchronized binge-watching and peddling! Made possible with Harvil’s Foldable Exercise Bike originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 22, 2017 at 8:16 am.

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qottle 30oz Double-wall Vacuum Insulated Tumbler review

The often referenced requirement of eight glasses of water a day may not be based in pure medical fact, but I know that if I don’t drink enough during the day, I feel sluggish and blah. Any product that can help me want to drink water and tea is worth a look in my opinion. So let’s take a look and a sip from a qottle insulated tumbler.

What is it?

qottles are 30oz/878ml drink tumblers that are double-wall vacuum insulated stainless steel BPA free, sweat proof beverage holders.

Design and features

qottle tumblers (just typing that makes me smile) both look and feel nice in hand. First of all, they have a tapered shape that allows smaller hands to grip the approximately 3-inch base. The power coded exterior adds to the ability to grip the tumbler.

qottles are available in black, blue, red, and white. I was sent a black and a blue version of the 30 ounce tumbler.

The 30 ounce tumbler is lined with BPA-Free, 18/8 Stainless Steel.

The clear plastic lid has an opening that allows you to drink from the tumbler or use a straw.

Around the edge of the lid is a thick black silicone seal that is designed to keep liquids from leaking out of the tumbler when you drink from it.

Also included with each qottle is a rubber stopper that you can use to plug the opening in the lid.

I guess the idea is that you plug the lid when you have the qottle in the cup holder in your car or in the bottle holder in your backpack, to keep the contents of the bottle from leaking if the bottle tips over.

When you’re ready to drink, you can remove the stopper and hang it over the edge of the tumbler. Yeah, I think this is a weird design too. I’d much rather have a better lid that has a spring loaded opening than a stopper that will get misplaced within a day or less.

Keeping cold things cold and hot things hot

qottle tumblers are double wall vacuum insulated and are able to keep liquids cold for up to 24 hrs and hot liquids hot for up to 6 hours. That sounds impressive and I wasn’t sure I believed the claims till I tried it myself and sure enough, I was able to fill the tumbler with water and ice cubes and there was still ice in the tumbler the next day with no condensation on the outside of the tumbler.

And for hot liquids, ooooh boy, you have to be really careful if you fill the qottle with boiling water to make tea and then try to drink it. The outside of the tumbler only becomes very slightly warm, so it tricks you into thinking that you can safely drink from it. Trust me, this tumbler will keep hot liquids hot for hours and hours. I made a tumbler of tea and wasn’t able to take a drink without burning myself for about 45 minutes after I filled the tumbler. And that was after I removed the lid for about 20 minutes.

I’m also happy to report that the stainless steel tumbler does not impart any flavor to your beverage.

What I like

I like the look of the qottle tumbler and the power coated exterior that makes it easy to grip.

I also like that it delivers on the claims that it will keep your cold beverages cold and your hot beverages hot for many hours.

What needs improvement

The qottle tumblers need a better lid with a spring-loaded drink opening because that plug thing is pretty lame.

It would also be nice if the tumbler came with a removable handle.

Final thoughts

Stop refilling your old plastic water bottles and get a stainless steel tumbler. It will keep your beverage cold (or hot) and is better for the environment. You can make the switch easily with a qottle tumbler because it’s nicely designed and doesn’t have an outrageous price tag.

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

 

Product Information

Price: $13.99
Manufacturer: qottle
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • Nice style
  • Power coating provides grip
  • Keeps cold liquid cold and hot liquid hot for hours
Cons:
  • Lid and stopper design needs improvement

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qottle 30oz Double-wall Vacuum Insulated Tumbler review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 21, 2017 at 1:00 pm.

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Wait, what? Tom Bihn has new bags for the holidays?  Hold my turkey leg!

Just when you thought your shopping list was complete… Tom Bihn serves up some new holiday treats!

The Pop Tote is a completely new design. This 19.5 liter multipurpose carryall features snap- or zip-closures, multiple internal and external stash pockets, and Tom’s o-rings for hanging additional organizational options. Retail price is $95.

We’ve also got a new edition of a classic: The Guide’s Edition Synapse 25 Backpack. Taking styling cues from Tom’s outdoor-oriented Guide’s Pack, this new edition of the Synapse adds a removable/adjustable internal frame with an aluminum stay for additional stability & back protection during extended hiking expeditions. The design also includes additional external attachment points for your outdoor gear. Retail price is $240.

If you’ve already got a Synapse but want that internal frame, Tom has also designed an accessory version of the frame & aluminum stay that you can add to your current bag, provided it has the rail loops. Retail price is $30.

All of these goodies will be ready to order/ship on Monday, November 27 at 8:00 AM. You’ll want to jump on this one… Tom’s new products have a tendency to go quickly! Check out Tom Bihn’s new designs page for more information.

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Wait, what? Tom Bihn has new bags for the holidays?  Hold my turkey leg! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 21, 2017 at 12:00 pm.

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Plantronics Voyager 3240 Bluetooth headset review

There used to be a time when a new Bluetooth headset would come out every other day. I rarely speak on the phone anymore, but I do have a collection of Bluetooth headset lying around. The Plantronics Voyager 3240 is the latest version of their Voyager lineup, and I just happen to have the previous version the Voyager Edge. How different is the 3240 vs, the older Edge?

  • Listen/talk time: Up to 6 hours plus up to 10 extra hours with charging case (available in select bundles); up to 7 days standby time
  • Range: Up to 98 feet (30 meters) with Class 1 Bluetooth enabled device
  • Audio performance: Triple-mic DSP noise-canceling technology, mobile wideband compatibility up to 6,800 Hz; echo cancellation, proprietary DSP, A2DP, mobile wideband compatibility (HD Voice enabled)
  • Hearing protection: SoundGuard®: Sound leveling for listening comfort and acoustic limiting for protection against sounds above 118 dBA
  • Headset controls: Call answer/ignore/end/redial, mute, volume +/-, smartphone VPA access, power on/off
  • Weight: 9 g/0.019 lbs
  • Wireless frequency: Bluetooth v4.1
  • Smart sensors: Answer calls by simply putting on the headset. Automatically transfer calls between mobile phone and headset based on wearing state (enabled using Plantronics Hub mobile app)
  • Multipoint technology: Stay connected to two phones and answer calls from either one
  • Streams audio: Stream music, driving directions, podcasts, and more with Bluetooth Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP)
  • Voice alerts: Enhanced voice alerts announce talk-time, mute, connection status, and more
  • Firmware: Update firmware and change language settings using Plantronics Hub for iOS/Android

My sample came with the headset, ear accessories, charging cable and the external battery “dock”.

Thankfully, Plantronics provides this handy reference sheet to decipher what all the buttons and controls are for.

The 3240 is a “shove in your ear” kind of headset.  It does not wrap around your ear unless you use the optional hook. I’ve never had an issue with poor fit. This dock gives you the option to top off your headset battery when your’e away from a home charger.  Yes, you can charge the headset itself directly from a microUSB cable, or you can just leave the “dock” plugged in and drop in the headset when you need to fuel up. Tapping the top of the dock illuminates red or blue LEDs showing the charge status of each battery.

Keen-eyed readers will notice the similarity to the previous headset version, the excellent Voyager Edge. It is difficult to tell them apart aside from differences in color and finish.  The charging docks are different, of course.  In case you’re curious, the two docks are cross-compatible.

But how does the headset sound?  Incoming audio is loud and clear, but to me, the outgoing audio is just as important.  To test this, I recorded samples of both the older Edge and the newer 3240 in my garage with a Shop Vac running.

It seems they both cancel out background noise pretty well, but I’d give the “edge” to the newer 3240 for sounding slightly more natural and recovering from the effects of background noise a little better.

If you already own the Plantronics Voyager Edge and you’re happy with it, there’s not any huge reason to upgrade. But if you’re looking to move up to a high-quality Bluetooth headset with excellent outgoing voice quality, consider the Plantronics Voyager 3240.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Plantronics. Please visit their site for more info and you can order one from Amazon.

 

Product Information

Price: $129.99 MSRP
Manufacturer: Plantronics
Retailer: Amazon
Requirements:
  • Bluetooth
Pros:
  • Lightweight, excellent outgoing voice clarity
Cons:
  • A little expensive. Only slightly better than the older Voyager Edge headset.

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Plantronics Voyager 3240 Bluetooth headset review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 21, 2017 at 11:00 am.

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