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2018 Holiday gadget giveaway!

NEWS – To celebrate the holidays, we are giving away six awesome prizes. Entering is easy! Just answer three questions in a comment at the bottom of this post. And if you’re willing to jump through a few extra hoops, you can get up to three additional entries which greatly increases your chances of winning. Please click through to read the details on the prizes and to submit your entries for a chance to win our Holiday gadget giveaway prize pack!

Prizes:

First place: One person will win a prize pack consisting of 1 of each of the 6 products shown below:

Lasso Compression Socks

Lasso is the first in-garment joint support that was created with medical technology that prevents ankle rolls by 75%.

  • Lasso socks utilize the science of medical taping to form a pattern of compression that surrounds and complements your ligaments and tendons
  • Lasso’s special blend of yarns mimic the support of kinesio taping & shorten the timeframe of existing injuries
  • Formed with high tensile strength fabrics that create pressure along critical ankle muscles and ligaments
  • Patent-pending technology stimulates the reactive support of ligaments and tendons in the foot
  • Lasso studied kinesio-taping and ankle braces to create an all-in-one ankle support solution that is built into the comfort of an athletics and sports sock for men, women and kids
  • For runners, athletes, kids, military and those with ankle injuries and worn by many pro-athletes, including investor NFL legend Champ Bailey

Price: $29.99
Read our review: Lasso Compression Sock review
Available at: www.lassogear.com.

Tile Pro and Tile Mate

Tile Pro and Tile Mate Bluetooth trackers will make sure you never lose your stuff again.

  • Tile has updated the Tile Mate and Tile Pro models, which will now include longer range, louder volumes and replaceable batteries – one of the leading pieces of feedback from customers.

  • Tile Pro will have increased ring volume, and Bluetooth range for both products will expand as well.

Price: $20 – $35
Read our review: Tile Mate and Tile Pro Bluetooth trackers review
Available at: Tile

PhoneSoap: PhoneSoap 3

The first and only cellphone charger that cleans and sanitizes your phone while it charges, leaving your phone cleaner than when you bought it.

  • UV-C light sanitizer kills 99.99% of germs multiplying on your phone in just 10 minutes
  • Fits all phone and case sizes
  • Acoustic audio amplifier allows you to hear alarms and notifications so you can leave your phone in the PhoneSoap overnight
  • Two charging ports allow it to act as a universal charger for any device
  • Comes in 7 fun colors
  • Microfiber cleaning pad included

Price: $59.95
Available at: PhoneSoap.com, Amazon.com 

Eve Room (2nd Generation)

Compact, Newly Redesigned Air Quality Monitor with HomeKit Technology

  • Indoor air quality, temperature and humidity sensors. Customizable high-contrast E-Ink display with anodized aluminum body
  • Precise measurements and historical data can be viewed via the Eve app
  • Micro-USB-rechargeable battery lasts 6 weeks or longer
  • Support for sensor-based automations of other HomeKit-enabled accessories
  • Fast and easy configuration thanks to Bluetooth Low Energy technology, no bridge required
  • Requirements: iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 11.4 or later
  • Automation & Remote Access: HomePod, Apple TV with tvOS 11 or later or an iPad with iOS 11 or later set up as a home hub
  • Dimensions: 2.1  x 2.1 x 0.5 Inch

Price: $99.95
Available at: evehome.com, Amazon

Kano: Computer Kit Complete

Build-it-yourself laptop is a powerful learn-to-code tool designed to unlock potential and unleash creativity

 Fully working computer featuring a web browser, YouTube, Google Docs, Wikipedia, WhatsApp, Google Maps and more apps access online

  • Share your creations on Kano World, and play and change the rules of games created by friends
  • Get creative with your technology: hack Minecraft; create art with Javascript; code shapes and patterns; follow along with Story Mode to learn about hardware, software and code; solve a mystery and choose your own adventure using Linux commands
  • 100 step-by-step challenges and tutorials guide people of all ages as they learn to code and begin to understand loops, variables, and logic
  • Build and code your own Raspberry Pi 3-powered portable computer, with a 10.1′” HD screen, speaker, wireless keyboard, sound sensor and battery.

Price: $249.99
Read our review: Kano Computer Kit Touch review
Available at: kano.me/store, Amazon

Roland: GO:MIXER

 

A compact audio mixer for smartphone video production that can be used with iOS and Android.

  • GO:MIXER connects digitally via an included cable, providing clear stereo sound that’s a marked upgrade over using the phone’s built-in mono mic or analog line input.
  • Supports connecting five sources at once via inputs for a vocal mic, guitar/bass, stereo keyboard, and two stereo line-level devices (such as music players, drum machines, etc.).
  • Powered by the smartphone connection, so no batteries are required.
  • Compact in size, just 3.75 inches (95 mm) square and 1.1 inches (28 mm) tall
  • One of GO:MIXER’s line-level inputs offers a selectable Center Cancel function, which reduces the volume of the main vocal in a music track that’s playing through the input. This is a great feature for singers, allowing them to create karaoke-style tracks on the fly.
  • Works with Roland’s Virtual Stage Camera, New Beat Sync App and the 4XCAMERA App.

Price: $99
Read our review: Roland GO:MIXER audio mixer review
Available at: Roland and Amazon

How to enter (please read carefully – any missed steps and your entry will be disqualified):

Between now and 12/19/2018 midnight EST leave a comment on this page answering the questions below.

  1. Would you like to see us do more video reviews or do you prefer reading written reviews?
  2. What is your favorite gadget topic?
  3. Are you a new visitor or a long time reader?

Get a 2nd bonus entry by subscribing to our newsletter:
You’ll receive 3 emails a week with latest post info. Subscribe here.

Get a 3rd bonus entry by tweeting:
Celebrate the holidays and win six gadgets from The Gadgeteer https://the-gadgeteer.com/2018/12/16/2018-holiday-gadget-giveaway/

Get a 4th bonus entry by linking to The Gadgeteer home page on Facebook.

Make sure you come back to this page and leave a separate 2nd comment stating that you subscribed to the newsletter, a 3rd comment with a link to your tweet and a 4th comment with a link to your Facebook post. To get the links for Twitter and Facebook, just click the time stamp of your post and it will give you the page with that post so you can grab the link.

At some point on 12/20/2018, I’ll pick 1 random winner using random.org. The winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hrs to claim their prizes. If I do not receive an answer to my emails in that time period, I’ll do other random.org drawings until the prizes are gone.

Rules:

1. Only one entry per person (warning: I check IP addresses).

2. Gadgeteer writers and their immediate family members may not enter this contest.

3. the-gadgeteer.com is not responsible for any lost packages due to incorrect shipping addresses.

4. the-gadgeteer.com is not responsible for the winner not accepting their prize offer within 48hrs. The winner will be posted on this contest page, in the contest page comment section and will be emailed using the email provided in the comment section. Check your spam folder.

5. Winner must have a US shipping address.

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2018 Holiday gadget giveaway! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 16, 2018 at 4:41 pm.

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Get a cool foldable Bluetooth keyboard as a stocking stuffer

Do you need ideas for stocking stuffers or perhaps a gift for the office Christmas party? The BATTOP Upgrade Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard with Kickstand may be the ticket. It’s not your typical foldable keyboard. This one folds lengthwise. What a great idea! It works with iOS, Android, and Windows devices. You’ll have to use a key combination to select operating systems: FN+Q for Android devices, FN+E for iOS devices, and FN+W for Windows devices. In addition, you’ll get about 40 hours of use before you have to charge it using the provided USB cable. The keyboard will also go into power savings mode if it is idle for more than 12 minutes and pressing any key will wake the keyboard. When unfolded it measures 9.25″ x 6.29″ x 0.19″, and when folded it measures 9.25″ x 2.16″ x 0.72″. The BATTOP Upgrade Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard with Kickstand normally costs $26.99 but if you use the code VXXFCUVF, it will only cost you $15.92 on Amazon.

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Get a cool foldable Bluetooth keyboard as a stocking stuffer originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 16, 2018 at 10:30 am.

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Dreampad Memory Support Pillow with Music & Sleep Technology review


REVIEW – For many years, I have struggled with getting a good night of sleep and it usually starts with difficulty falling asleep. I have tried many things including sound machines, but I have found that listening to Contemporary Jazz music that I love gives me the best chance to easily fall asleep. The problem is that although my wife enjoys that type of music as well, she needs the room to be quiet when she is really ready to sleep. So, what do I do? The Dreampad Memory Support Pillow with Music & Sleep Technology from SleepScore Labs seems like a possible solution.

What is it?

The Dreampad is a 20” x 28” pillow that utilizes embedded transducers to deliver music through gentle vibration that only the user can hear and will not disturb anyone sleeping nearby.

What’s in the box

1 x Dreampad Pillow
1 x AC Adapter and Micro USB Charging Cable
1 x Bluetooth Adapter
1 x Quick Start Guide

Design and features

The Dreampad pillow is covered in a very soft and smooth white cover that is 100% cotton. There is a zipper on one side that reveals a pocket that includes a built-in wire with a 3.5mm plug that connects to the Bluetooth adapter. They also include an extension 3.5mm cable so that you have the option of a wired connection to maybe a larger radio or music source on your nightstand or otherwise some distance away.

The Bluetooth adapter connects to the micro USB cable to be charged and has a touch plower/play/pause button on the front.

On one of the thin sides, it has a volume up/down control.

On the other side if the 3.5mm port for connecting the adapter to the pillow.

Performance

The Dreampad is very easy to set up and you can quickly start to enjoy the benefit of it. The Bluetooth adapter arrived with some amount of charge and I charged it the day before I started using it. Once I turned on the adapter, it showed up in the list of the available Bluetooth devices on my phone as Dreampad. The pairing was easy, and it was ready to go. My first test was to play music wirelessly from my iPhone. At first, I could not hear anything, then I realized that it is designed to be used with very little to no ambient noise and that for me, I could only really hear it with my head turned to the side with an ear on the pillow. If I was lying flat with the back of my head on the pillow, I could not hear it. Maybe someone with better hearing than I have might. This was not a big issue for me since I tend to sleep on either side but rarely face up with the back of my head on the pillow. I was also able to test the pillow using a transistor radio with a 3.5mm output auxiliary jack since you can use the 3.5mm cable that is built into the pillow to connect directly to the music source as opposed to the Bluetooth adapter. I went back to my iPhone, and I opened my Pandora app and started playing my Contemporary jazz selections, and soon dozed off to sleep. For me, it is a very soothing experience and it does help me to fall asleep easier and faster. One important point to note is that I decided to purchase a zippered pillow cover to cover the Dreampad and then I put the pillow cover on. I did this to keep the Dreampad clean and to protect it in case I spill water on it while taking a sip during the night and especially so if I fail to completely close its zipper. I am not sure how water resistant it is.

APP

The Dreampad also can be managed via a mobile app, that can broadcast any selection of music or sounds you select. It comes with 10 songs that are designed to specifically support sleep. The app also features volume control, play time control, and an alarm. The following are some screenshots from the app:



What I like

  • The quality of the pillow
  • The design and capability to connect to various audio sources and in multiple ways

What can be improved

  • The price

Final thoughts

When I first heard about the Dreampad, I was not certain that I would actually use it regularly, but I was willing to try it because of the difficulty I have sleeping. While it does have its limitations, it actually works quite well and succeeds at helping me to drift off to sleep. I do think that it is the kind of product that you will either use regularly if you like it or not at all if you are on the fence about it. Having said that, I personally like it. However, the sample I received is the medium support version, and  I do need it to be much firmer for me to use it as my only pillow. I checked the ordering process on the website, and they do offer a selection of levels of firmness that includes a firm support version, and apparently a variety of material types that includes memory foam. I use the Dreampad almost every night along with another pillow, even when at times I fall asleep before actually connecting it to music.

Price: $127.20
Where to buy: SleepScore Labs
Source: the sample for this review was provided by SleepScore Labs.

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Dreampad Memory Support Pillow with Music & Sleep Technology review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 16, 2018 at 9:31 am.

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Make your own plea to Obi Wan with Litiholo

NEWS – While R2-D2 may make producing a hologram look easy enough, in reality, it is a technically challenging procedure. A laser and a recording plate must be set up so that the interference pattern that occurs when light returning from a laser-light illuminated object is captured. The laser and object being recorded must not be moved more than a micrometer. Normally a laser lab is required in order to provide the power to the laser, the precise optical arrangement and the motion isolating apparatus. A few years ago, Janet Cloninger reported that a DIY Litiholo kit was available on the Litiholo website. Now, this home laser holography kit is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

Not to be confused with a mirascope which uses parabolic mirrors to create a holographic illusion or a 3D hologram pyramid for your smartphone, the Litiholo is a real laser hologram. The Hologram Kit is an invention of Paul Christie, an MIT Media Lab grad. Christie says “Our research lab was doing amazing things with holograms…but the equipment would take up an entire basement, and you had to be an MIT student to understand it!” Christie created the Hologram Kit because he wanted a way for individuals to make their own holograms without all the complexity and cost of a lab.

The Hologram Kit creates real 3D laser holograms and is a fun and educational experience for both kids and adults. Each kit can make up to 20 holograms and provides a step-by-step guide through the process as well as additional background on the science of holography. The Hologram Kit is being carried in 330 Barnes & Noble stores across the US and retails for $129.99. The same kit is also being sold on Amazon for $110.00 while supplies last.

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Make your own plea to Obi Wan with Litiholo originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 16, 2018 at 8:23 am.

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Remote controlled candles, dashcams, 3D printing, and more – Weekly roundup

NEWS – You’ve been busy, we’ve been busy, so here’s a complete list of everything we posted on the site this week. Enjoy!

ARTICLES

REVIEWS

NEWS

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Remote controlled candles, dashcams, 3D printing, and more – Weekly roundup originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 15, 2018 at 10:24 pm.

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