Home 2018 February

WaterField’s new Via wallet retains it sleek profile even when loaded

You’ve pared your EDC kit down, but did you remember your wallet?  If you need to lighten your wallet and slim it down, check out the new Via wallet from WaterField Designs.  The Via is designed to carry some cash and up to eight cards.  There are two front pockets to hold your most frequently used cards, one back pocket holds cash, and one back pocket holds a few other important cards.  You could even hold a membership or employee ID card in that back pocket so it can be read through the leather without removing it from the wallet.

Via is made from distressed premium full-grain leather that will only improve with use.  It’s 4.12″ x 3.25″ and weighs 1.7 ounces.  Even loaded up, it will stay slim and thin.  It’s available in grizzly leather with black leather accents, gray leather with grizzly leather accents, or black leather with red leather accents.  The Via is $59; order now from WaterField and it will ship on February 8th.

5 awesome gadgets for your kids that they won’t outgrow too quickly

Children are rapidly growing up which implies they can get bored quickly with any toy or gadget. Because of that, it is an awesome plan to get them a toy which can keep them involved for a long time. If you plan to search for that sort of toy, search for something that will empower their little brains. I have discovered a bunch of toys that will occupy them and I am certain your loved ones will love:

Jimu DIY Robot Buzzbot & Muttbot Robotics Kit

I wanted to find the perfect present for future mechanical architects and I have found it. It is a DIY robot. I am almost certain you and your son will play with it with for hours. When you a building a robot you will be proud to see that the robot can walk, move its hands and even hops. You can download the directions on your mobile phone to make the robot. When you make sense of the procedure feel free to make something without directions. Creativity is the key! You can find this kit for $137.27 on Amazon.

Cognitoys Dino

The innovation has made some amazing progress since we were children and I trust that we should exploit it. I am not discussing computer games, I am discussing toys which can educate our children and this delightful green dinosaur is one of them. It is a toy for kids 5-9 years and it can make talk with your kid, answer questions and make jokes. It is an incredible device to enhance social interaction and it is completely safe for your child. You can find it for $39.99 on Amazon.

Code-a-Pillar

Code-a-Pillar is a toy like Jimu DIY Robots, however for more youthful children. It is a caterpillar you can program to influence it to go where you need it to go. All aspects of the caterpillar have one request on it; turn right, stop, turn left… When you want the caterpillar to go right, you need to fix that piece of the caterpillar on the head et cetera. The caterpillar is additionally an instructive toy and it practices critical thinking and sensible intuition which are imperative for your child’s advancement. This kit is $30.85 on Amazon.

R2-D2 App-Enabled Droid

R2-D2 is the best droid in the Galaxy and it should have its own toy. The droid will make you speechless because it resembles the real R2D2 in so many details! Bonus feature: You will hear the most famous R2-D2 beep sound. You can download the application for the droid on your mobile phone so you don’t need to have the joystick to control the droid. You can find one for $115.99 on Amazon.

Classic Foosball Match

The Classic Foosball Match is an awesome combination of virtual and real foosball for all children. The device is really a small foosball table for iPad with legs, bars and scoring system. It looks and acts like the genuine foosball table. But, to make it work you need to have an iPad because you use the iPad as the playing field. Basically, you are turning the poles on the foosball table and they are turning in the application. I am absolutely certain your grandkids will be impressed with this application/gadget and they will play it for hours. This iPad accessory is only $8 on Amazon right now!

AUKEY Floor Lamp (LT-ST35) review

I spend a lot of time looking at devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops that provide their own light. But for those times when I am flipping through an actual magazine or book or writing in my notebooks, I like to have some extra light to help me see what I’m doing. This is especially true when I’m sitting on the couch where I don’t have a ceiling light shining directly down on me. For this reason, I’ve been on the lookout for a small floor lamp for a long time and was happy to accept an offer from AUKEY to review their space-saving LT-ST35 floor lamp. Let’s check it out.

What is it?

The AUKEY Floor Lamp (LT-ST35) is an adjustable floor lamp that uses long-lasting power-saving LEDs instead of fluorescent style bulbs.

Specifications

Model: LT-ST35
Lumens: 1000
Color Temperature: 3000K/4500K/6000K
Color Rendering Index: >80 Ra
Input: AC 100–240V 50/60Hz
Power Consumption: 12W
LED Type: SMD 5730
Materials: ABS, steel, and silicone
Lamp Height: 1.80m / 70.9″
Lamp Base Diameter: 270mm / 10.63″
Weight: 3.2kg / 7.05lb

What’s in the box?

Parts to assemble the floor lamp
Power adapter
Assembly instructions
User manual

Let’s build a lamp!

Assembling the AUKEY floor lamp is easy and requires no special tools other than your two hands and the ability to follow the included instructions. The lamp goes together like I’ve laid it out in the image above. The lamp is made up of 5 sections including the base. All you have to do is make sure you put them together in the correct order with the power cable going from the lamp head to the base.

The first step is to plug the top most lamp section with the LEDs to the controller section. The hardest part of this step is to connect the two cable connectors.

When you’re done with step one, this is what you have.

Then you screw in the next section of the lamp making sure that the power cable is inserted through the hollow steel black powder coated tube.

Then you screw in the final pole section of the lamp.

Connect the power cable from the last tube to the base and screw the assembly into the base.

A short length of the power cable extends from the bottom of the base. This cable has a connector at the end that accepts the cable from the included power adapter. So all you have to do is connect the cable to the adapter and you’re done. Assembly completed.

Here’s the assembled AUKEY LT-ST35 floor lamp. The whole assembly takes about 10 minutes or less. You don’t want to speed through it because it’s possible to cross thread the lengths of tubing or kink the power cable which would not be a good thing.

How well does it work?

You can easily adjust the angle of the lamp head just by bending it in the desired direction or angle.

To turn on the lamp, you just press and hold the control knob for a couple of seconds. Then you can turn the knob to adjust the brightness level or quickly press the knob to adjust the color temperature.

The color temperature for the LEDs can be set to cool white, nature white, or warm white and the lamp will remember the brightness and color temperatures settings after cycling power with the control knob.

The 1000 lumen version of the AUKEY space saving floor lamp puts out ample light without much heat. I left the lamp set on at full brightness setting for over an hour and was able to touch the lamp head with no problems. It was warm, but not hot.

What I like

  • Easy to put together
  • Easy controls
  • Light temperature and brightness are adjustable
  • Doesn’t put out much heat

What needs to be improved

  • Nothing

Final thoughts

I really like this lamp. It is easy to assemble and just as easy to operate. It’s a simple lamp, but it provides a lot of light with the ability to adjust the brightness, color temperature, and the angle of the lamp head. The fact that it’s an energy efficient LED lamp means that you won’t need to buy replacement bulbs as it should last for many years to come.

Price: $69.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Aukey.

Organize your nightstand with this glasses case

If you like your gear to serve more than one purpose, you’ll like the BOB 3-in-1 Unisex Glasses case.  When closed, the case measures 5.76″ x 1.6″ x 1.5″ and holds most standard-sized eyeglasses or sunglasses.  The case is made of strong ABS plastic, and it’s lined with protective, soft-touch fabrics, so your glasses will be safe from harm in the case.  The magnetic closure ensures that your glasses stay safely inside the case.  The beauty of this case is that there are two other functions it performs.

In addition to carrying your glasses, the BOB 3-in-1 case opens up to organize your nightstand or desktop.  Your glasses are stored safely in a center pocket, while the sides of the case open up to form a phone / tablet stand on one side and a tray to hold your pocket stuff on the other side.

The BOB 3-in-1 Unisex Glasses case is available in black, red, or white for $14.99 at Amazon.

Enjoy some tunes while protecting your hearing with Plugfones

A few years ago, I noticed that some of the folks running the heavy equipment on our manufacturing floor at work were wearing what looked like a cross between company-issued earplugs and earbuds. Fast forward to a few weeks ago. I was talking to a buddy of mine who was wearing some of these things. He said, “Plugfones! They’re great! I can wear them out on the shop floor and they work as hearing protection, AND I can listed to music, podcasts—whatever I want—at the same time!” I investigated and found that Plugfones do indeed make several types of hybrid hearing protection/earbuds that have been independently tested and certified to meet various US, EU and Australian safety standards. Their Liberate 2.0 model (pictured) is priced at $99.99 and is a fully Bluetooth wireless system that is rechargeable and includes an in-line remote, different types of tips for best ear canal fit, a charge cable and case. Plugfones also has some wired models that are lower in price. I think these could work well not only for folks who work in areas where hearing protection is required, but for anyone who wants to block out ambient sound and just focus on whatever it is they want to listen to. Visit Plugfones.com for more info or to order.