NEWS – If you work at a desk all day or like most people spend hours looking down at a computer or phone screen you probably experience some degree of neck pain. I know I do and it seems like nothing helps to relieve that nagging discomfort. The Neck Hammock is a cervical traction device created by a physical therapist that helps you gently stretch out the muscles in your neck. Providing a dose of relief from aches, kinks, and pain in as little as 10 minutes a day.
It’s basically a sling that cradles your head and neck that’s easily adjustable to hang at the right height from a doorknob or railing. How high you hang it and how long you use it is entirely up to you. And even if you don’t suffer from any kind of pain, it’s a perfect way to just relax and zen out for a few minutes after a long day.
Neck Hammock is hand washable, portable, and lightweight. Making it great for in-home use or stretching out post-travel stiffness.
It even comes complete with a travel pouch, eye cover, a “do not open” door sign, a guided meditation audio file, and instructions.
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REVIEW – For many years, I really disliked dash cameras. I felt like they were in the way of my vision, and always had some sort of shortcoming, whether it was the quality of the footage or connectivity that made me say away from them. Most recently I have been able to test and review a few of them, and I have begun to like them more as the overall quality has increased. This dashcam really caught my interest because of its really tiny size and yet indications of nice built-in features.
What is it?
The Vantrue Dash Cam is a “tiny” dash cam with a 1.5″ LCD and a 160-degree wide angle lens that produces full 1080P HD footage and includes features like Parking Mode and collision detection.
What’s in the box
1 x Vantrue N1 Pro Dash Cam
1 x Suction cup mount
1 x 3’ Micro USB data cable
1 x Car charger/power adapter with connected 10’ mini USB cable
1 x User Guide
1 x Quick Start Guide
1 x Warranty card
Design and features
This dash cam has a tiny and compact design and measures 1″ x 2 1/2″ x 1 1/2″.
Specifications:
Display: 1.5 inch TFT LCD (4:3) Lens: 160-degree wide viewing angle and a full 6 layer glass lens with a wide aperture of F/2.0 Languages: English/Japanese/Germany/简体中文 Video Format: .MOV; H.264 compressed format Video Resolution: 1920x1080P30, 1280x720P30 Image Resolution: 12M Pixels Image Format: JPEG Motion Detection: ON/OFF Parking Monitor: ON/OFF Audio Recording: ON/OFF Memory Card: Micro SD Card up to 64GB (Class 10; in FAT32 format) MIC/Speaker: Built-In Backlight: Off ON/OFF USB Port: USB 2.0, mini Battery Capacity: 130mAh PC Operation System: Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7/Windows 8/Window 10/Mac
On the front of the camera, there is the logo and to the right of it the camera lens. On the back on the top right-hand corner, there are 2 LED indicators that show when the camera is charging and when it is recording. In the column of the 4 buttons, the top button is on/off power button, the second is the upward selection button that also serves as the fast forward playback button and as the microphone on/off switch. Next, there is the OK button that starts and stops video recording and performs the “confirmed” function, and last, there is the downward selection button that also serves as the slow forward playback button and to turn the screen on or off.
On one side of the camera, there is a micro USB port on top for charging or data transfers, and a micro SD card slot below.
At the top of the dash cam to the left, there is the emergency mode button that you press to capture a photo while the camera is recording, and a long press, while the camera is recording, will put it in Parking Mode. To the right of the emergency mode button, is the connection that receives power for the camera once it is connected to the mount and the mount is plugged in. At the bottom of the camera as shown below is the HDMI port and the factory reset button.
The 3 pictures below are of the windshield mount and they show how it is positioned when connected to the dash cam, the mini USB power jack and how the power adapter is connected to the mount.
Performance
This dashcam really performs well. The settings are easy to navigate and the choices are very straightforward. The image stabilization works well and the video and images are clear even in overcast and/or rainy conditions. Its “tiny” size, it has no noticeable effect on your view when driving.
It includes features like 1080P/30 fps HD video with Supper Night Vision, seamless loop recording on micro SD cards up to 256GB, and a G-sensor that automatically detects a sudden shake/collision and locks the footage to prevent the video from being overwritten even in loop recording. The 24-hour Parking Monitor motion activated parking mode allows the camera to automatically record when it detects motion in front of your car. To take advantage of this feature, the power adapter should be plugged into an “always on” outlet or hard-wired to the battery. This way, if the dash cam is off and it detects a crash to the front of the vehicle, it will turn on and end recording after 20 seconds, and the recorded videos are saved and locked.
If you enable the time-lapse feature, the Vantrue N1 will keep taking photos at the set time interval and then auto edit them together to a video clip. This reduces the size of the video file. The dash cam also provides excellent audio quality. I also like that the power adapter has a nice blue LED on the end that plugs into your vehicle. Not only does it indicate power on/off, but it is a nice interior light.
Videos
What I like
I love the size
The video quality
The features and ease of use
What can be improved
The connector to the dash/windshield mount
Final thoughts
Out of all of the dash cams that I have owned and/or tested, I like this one the best. It is so small that it does not present any type of bothersome obstruction of your view and yet it functions much like the bigger and more expensive dash cams. While it is not 4K, its footage is perfect for its function and quite “crisp and clean”. It is simple and effective, and gets an exuberant thumbs up from me!!
Price: $79.99 Where to buy: Amazon Source: The sample for this review was provided by Vantrue.
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NEWS – If your home lacks room for a wine cellar but you want something a little nicer than the common wine fridge, look at the Sand & Birch Opale wine cellar. This piece is as much of a modern-art sculpture as it is a wine fridge. Sand & Birch tells us the Opale evokes “a precious black stone wedged and gem-setted in a white, smooth base that enhances the equilibrium and purity of its design, creating a contrast that emphasize the elegant break between the elliptical shape of its vertical body and the roundness of its foothold.”
In more practical terms, the body of the Opale is made of metal and hard polyurethane with an insulating smoked glass door. Its self-regulating controls maintains perfect conditions for red, white, and sparkling wines. The automatic door opens with a remote control or by touch. It stands about 83 inches high and 22 inches deep, with a base that’s about 53″ wide. Opale holds about 60 bottles of wine. The interior is lighted with LEDs.
If you want this beautiful wine cellar, you need to be prepared for a price that’s more expected for a sculpture. The Sand & Birch Opale wine cellar is $35,000.00 at Saatchi Art.
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REVIEW – I haven’t vacuumed the floors in my home for almost 3 years. Before you think I live in squalor, I said that I haven’t vacuumed. That doesn’t mean that my floors haven’t been cleaned. They have, just not by me. I have a robot that does that for me. Since my review of the Neato Botvac 80 back in 2015, I’ve been completely spoiled by the fact that I don’t have to push a vacuum cleaner around my 2 story home. A few years after reviewing the Botvac 80, I was sent the Neato Botvac Connected WiFi and have been using both units. One on the first floor and one on the 2nd floor of my home. And now I have been given the opportunity to review Neato’s latest robot vac, the D7. Let’s see if it sucks but in a good way.
What is it?
The Neato Botvac Connected D7 is a robot vacuum that maps out your home and cleans the floors while you do something more fun and productive.
What’s in the box?
Neato Botvac D7 Connected robot vacuum
Charge Base
Power Cord
Spiral Combo Brush
Ultra Performance Filter
Brush and Filter Cleaning Tool
Boundary Markers (2M)
Manual
Hardware specs
Connectivity – Wifi 2.4Ghz + 5Ghz
Dimension – 13.21 inch x 12.56 inch x 3.92 inch
Weight – 7.5lbs
Dustbin Capacity – 0.7 liters
Cleaning Path – 12 inch
Battery – Lithium Ion
Run Time – Up to 120 minutes
Charge Time – Up to 150 minutes
Design and features
Like the other two Neato Botvacs that I have reviewed, the D7 has the same D shape body that helps it clean close to walls and corners, unlike other brands of circular robot vacuums that can’t get into tight corners.
The D7 has a dark gray/black body with brushed silver accents. The front bumper has a handle cutout so you can carry the vacuum with one hand.
The other Neato Botvacs had a small display and touch buttons for navigating the menus that were used for setting the time and configuring the cleaning schedule. The newer D7 doesn’t have a display because the settings are all done using the Neato app.
There is one button and four status LEDs on the top of the D7. The start button turns the vacuum on and can be used to manually initiate a whole house cleaning session when pressed once or a 7ft x 7ft spot cleaning session when pressed twice. Pressing the button while the vacuum is in a cleaning session will pause cleaning and pressing and holding the start button will cancel the cleaning session.
The two icons next to the start button show the whole house clean status and the spot clean status. On the other side of the handle cutout are two more LED status icons for the WiFi connection and the battery charge status. The battery status icon glows green when the battery is full, yellow when low, and red when empty.
The lid on the top of the vacuum lifts off to reveal the dirt bin and filter holder which is built into the lid.
The D7 ships with one filter already installed and two extras in the box. The filter is easy to remove from the dirt bin by just pinching the clip between two fingers and lifting it off the bin. The bin’s contents can then be dumped in a trash can.
The Neato Botvac has a built-in laser which helps the vacuum navigate around the room to build a map and not run into things. The disc-shaped protrusion on top of the vacuum covers the laser and helps protect it from dirt and dust.
Here’s a side view of the Botvac D7. It shows the large wheels in the back and the side brush along with the front bumper.
A view of the bottom of the vacuum lets you see the main wheels and smaller back wheels. You can also see the brush and in the upper corners of the front bumper, you can see two rectangular windows that cover the drop sensors so the vacuum doesn’t take a tumble down stairs.
The side brush is held in place with a magnet. This small brush is used to clean dirt and dust from edges as the vacuum travels around the room.
The plastic brush guard lifts off to provide access to the brush.
The brush lifts out so that you can easily clean it when needed.
The D7’s brush has bristles for cleaning carpet and flat flexible plastic flaps that clean up dirt from surfaces like wood, vinyl, and tile.
Like the other Botvacs that I’ve reviewed, the D7 ships with a charging dock. This dock has a cord that plugs into a wall outlet and is where your Botvac “lives” when it’s not cleaning your floors. The vacuum automatically goes back to the dock after each cleaning session to recharge and get ready to clean the next time you need it.
The Neato App
Although you can use the Neato Botvac D7 without using the mobile app, you’ll want to use the app in order to take advantage of the extra features that it provides, like scheduling cleanings and setting up no-go lines.
When the D7 cleans a floor, it will create a map which you can then add no-go lines to keep the vacuum from going into certain areas or rooms. I used the no-go lines to prevent the vac from going into our bathroom when it cleans because we have a fuzzy rug in there that we sometimes forget to roll up on cleaning days. If we forget and the vac cleans that room, it will usually suck up the corner of the rug and get stuck there until someone comes home and rescues it.
The app will let you scheduled days and cleaning times and will show you when the vac is cleaning and the status of the session.
The app will also send notifications to your device if there are problems.
I wasn’t sure that I was going to like the fact that Neato removed the display on the vacs, but in all honesty, using the app is a lot easier than stooping over the vac trying to see the small display and navigate using the touch buttons.
See it in action
NOTE: The video has been sped up, but you can see the time in the right corner.
As far as how the Neato Botvac D7 performs compared to my other two Botvacs, I would say that it seems to be similar to the Neato Botvac Connected WiFi model as far as how well it does navigating around obstacles.
I even set up a complicated “web” of objects in my office and the D7 was able to sweep around the stool and table legs and was able to keep from getting stuck under the low bar on the rolling desk. I was impressed.
As far as how well it does at vacuuming, it does an awesome job of picking up all the dirt and dust on our carpeted floors and hard surface floors. We have a cat who has a litter box, and the D7 is able to pick up the little litter granules that end up getting scattered on the bathroom floor where we keep his litter box. It also picks up his long cat hair. It just does an all-around excellent job of keeping our floors clean without us having to do any of the work.
What I like
Easy to set up using the app or manually
Very good suction
Long run time per charge
Only consumable is the filter, but they can be cleaned and reused over and over again
What needs to be improved
Expensive
Final thoughts
I’ve been impressed with Neato Botvacs from the first day I started using them back in 2015. I know that statement sort of sounds like something a shill might say, but I can’t say enough good things about this particular brand of robot vacuum. I’ve tried several other robot vacs that are nowhere near as good as far as cleaning up dirt and navigating obstacles.
Price: $799.99 Where to buy: Amazon Source: The sample for this review was provided by Neato.
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Hyddin has developed a Hidden Flap Belt in which the flap is stored on the inside of the belt or behind the belt. It may not be high tech, but it is a cool idea. Having the flap hidden ensures a slimmer profile and a tidier, more professional look. The belt is currently a Kickstarter campaign that will end on October 10. This is an all-or-nothing campaign, but no worries, they have already met their fundraising goal.
They have two types of belts available: the web belt (made from high-quality polyester) and the leather belt.
All of the belts have angle cut ends to “make them easier to tuck behind the belt.” The web belts have added reinforcement with “ribbon finished holes” and come in solid colors or come with patterns.
The leather belts come in black or brown leather.
All belts are 1.5″ in width and come in different lengths to accommodate your size (30″ – 38″ long or custom made according to your needs). A single web belt is $35 and a single leather belt is $59. After pledging, you will have to wait for the campaign to end at which time you will be sent a survey where you will select the style(s) and size(s) of your belt(s). If this interests you, head over to the Hidden Flap Belt Kickstarter page to select your type of pledge.
Gosh, it’s simple ideas like this that make me say, “Now, why didn’t I think of that?”
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