February 2018 – Page 5

Audew 12V DC Digital Tire Inflator / Air Compressor review

Think about the trunk of your car. What have you got in there to help you out in case of an emergency? Spare tire? Sure. Jumper cables? Nice. Maybe you’ve even got a road flare or some water bottles. But what if that spare of yours is flat, too? You may be missing an often overlooked but equally important element of roadside preparedness – a portable air compressor. Audew is here to fill that void with their small-yet-mighty Digital Tire Inflator.

What is it?

The Audew Digital Tire Inflator is a small air compressor that is powered by the automobile’s 12V DC outlet (cigarette lighter). It’s ideal for cars, bikes, motorcycles, RVs, SUVs, ATVs and trucks… basically anything with a tire. Also, sports equipment and inflatables adaptors are included, further extending its usefulness.

Built-in LED light right on the case, which is really handy.

Hardware specs

Product power: 120W
Operating voltage: DC12V
Maximum operating current: 10A
Maximum pressure: 150 PSI
Flow: 35 PSI / min
Power cord length: 3M
Continuous working time: 8 min

Everything you need in a nice, compact package.

What’s in the box?

tire inflator with built-in 3-meter power cord
multiple nozzles for air mattresses and sports balls
instruction booklet
extra fuse
carrying bag

Design and Features

What I liked best about the Audew air compressor was the fact that it had everything necessary to complete a regular tire fill on board. No hunting for the adapter cable, tire pressure gauge, or the nozzle. It’s all right there. It even includes a backlit display and a bright LED light on the side of the case, which is super-handy for finding those tire stems in a dark parking lot or roadside.

The built-in DC cable is 3 meters long, which should be long enough to easily reach every tire on an average vehicle. I didn’t get a chance to test if it would be long enough to reach, say the back tire of an extended cab truck, but I imagine it would do the trick.

It comes with extra nozzles for filling up air mattresses or sports balls, which is a nice inclusion, but you’re going to have to be right next to your car in order to do so, which is a very minor problem.

Living in an area of the country that sees wide shifts in temperature from day to day, it’s not surprising how often my car gives me those “low pressure” alerts. And since free air dispensers seem to be getting increasingly hard to find – most are like $1.50 for a few minutes of runtime – it’s super handy to simply pop this thing out of my trunk and pump up those tires to a proper air pressure.

Setup

Since all of the required cables, hoses, and nozzles are built into the compressor unit, setup is a snap. Simply plug the adapter into the outlet and LED lights on the compressor come on. Anyone who’s ever used a bike pump would be familiar with the clamp-type nozzle… just push the nozzle over the stem, fold down the clamp and you’ve got yourself a secure connection.

I’m sure you’ve used one of these on your bike at some point. Same story.

The LED on the unit should display the current pressure. In the instance of my tire, it was at 27 PSI.

All that needs to be done from there is to use the + or – buttons on the compressor unit to set the target PSI, and then flip the switch. The compressor roars to life and fills the tire to the set pressure and shuts off. That’s literally all there is to it.

Backlit LCD display for easy reading in the dark.

If you don’t happen to have your tire’s optimum PSI, that information is usually printed on the inside of the car door, or in your car’s manual.

Performance

The compressor seemed to be comparable to one you would find at a gas station, in terms of how quickly it inflated my tire. I saw the pressure increase half a PSI unit every 8-10 seconds. Total time to get the tire inflated to the desired pressure was a little over a minute. It works just like you’d imagine.

What I like

all-in-one, compact format
easy to use
lit display and built-in LED flashlight

What needs to be improved

must be within 3 meters of the DC outlet

Final thoughts

Audew’s diminutive air compressor is the perfect size to keep in the trunk right next to your jumper cables and extra windshield wiper fluid for those “just-in-case” scenarios. It’s inexpensive, simple to use, feature-rich, and all the necessary parts are built right in. You really can’t go wrong.

Price: $36.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Audew.

Don’t wait… get comfortable with the Now Kit

Crowded places, waiting in long lines, a messy home, an excessive workload, sitting in traffic, long days and sleepless nights… for some, these words alone might stress you out.

But don’t exaggerate; everything will be fine! Have you tried to meditate?

The Now Kit comes with the Now Bench, the Now Mat, and complete instructions on how to use the Now Kit, and finally relieve some of that build up anxiety and pressure.

The Now Bench is an ergonomic meditation block that allows you to reach blissful comfort in seconds. The light blue side is softer and the dark blue side is more firm, and you can reverse to decide which option feels the best on your bum. The curved bottom allows the Now Bench to roll, so you can find the perfect angle to focus and breathe. You won’t wear it out, or stink it up, because made from a durable and washable material.

The Now Mat is the thickest rubberized exercise mat on the market. It is a 3/4″ thick of spongey, rubberized material, measuring 22″ wide by 31″ long. The Now Mat is also made from a washable material, and it’s so soft that you’ll forget you’re on the ground.

Meditation isn’t for everyone, we know that. But the Now Kit has a multi-purpose…and I know you’ve been thinking it… so I’m going to say it… Yes! You can use the Now Bench as a yoga block and the Now Mat as a yoga mat!

So whether you are using the Now Kit for meditation or yoga, feel the tensions and stressors evaporate from your sou and your life.

Close the door, dim the lights, spark up some candles, get out your Now Kit, and for the first time in a long time, just relax. You deserve that.

The Now Kit is available on Amazon for $58.54 with free shipping through Amazon Prime.

Charge your iPhone in style with this Everpurse Kate Spade crossbody

Even when you don’t need to carry a full gear bag, you still need some basic necessities for your day: wallet, keys, phone, and a backup battery, if you’re a power user. Of course, you’ll probably need a small bag to carry these things in, since women’s clothing still doesn’t have useful pockets. The Everpurse Kate Spade Zana crossbody is just the right size for keys, wallet, and phone, and best of all, it has a backup battery built in.

The bag is made of Saffiano leather with 14k gold-plated hardware. It measures 8″h x 10″w x 1″d with a 22″ strap drop. The internal battery recharges on the included wireless charging mat. To charge your phone, you just slide it into the pocket mounted on the interior back wall of the bag; there’s a Lighting connector built into the bottom of the charging pocket. It charges the iPhone 5/5s, iPhone 6/6s, and iPhone 7. It is not recommended for the Plus models.

The Kate Spade Zana crossbody is $328.00 at Everpurse.

Techno Jewelry – The perfect geek gift!

I have to admit I am not a big jewelry wearer. I tend to put on a favorite pair of earrings and my wedding ring and call it a day. Once in a blue moon I will wear a necklace. However, this project I found on Kickstarter has me thinking I could be wearing this necklace every day. The necklace is called ‘Styleables: The fully customizable future of fashion’. It is a necklace (the more expensive option lets you wear it as a brooch or a bowtie including a necklace) that essentially has a mini 1.63 inch screen (320 x 320 pixels) that lets you modify what it displays through an app on your phone. The app is supported by IOS and Android. It has up to a 12 hour battery life. The black plastic frame version with a matching chain and charger will cost you about $78. If you want a metal frame (in black, silver, gold or rose gold) it will cost about $121. The campaign ends on March 4th. Check it out at: Kickstarter.

The 2hr documentary about Commodore airs today

If you grew up in the 80’s, chances are that you had a Commodore computer in your home. The Commodore 64 is one of the main reasons why I became interested in computers, programming, BBSes, and ultimately gadgets. So you can all thank the Commodore 64 for bringing you The Gadgeteer for the last 20 years. Seriously though, I had a LOT of fun with the C64 and I’m incredibly excited to hear about The Commodore Story 2-hour documentary will be airing starting today on your fave streaming service: NETFLIX, Amazon, and iTunes.

The Commodore Story – Changing the world 8-bits at a time was the successful UK based Kickstarter campaign from last year and earned £48,990 to create the movie, Blu-Ray disc, and 150-page book which can be purchased at thecommodorestory.com.

I’m not seeing the documentary listed on any of the streaming sites yet but I will be looking for it tonight… although I doubt that I’ll be able to talk Jeanne into watching it with me this weekend.