Home 2018 December

Baksteen sling bag from Japan, keychain backup battery, MagnetDriver, and more – Notable crowdfunding campaigns

NEWS – This week I have four crowdfunding campaigns that are currently running on Kickstarter that I thought would be of interest to anyone with gadgets that need to be charged, gadgets that need to be carried, and more.

Baksteen – The last sling crossbody bag you’ll ever need!

What is it?

Baksteen is an anti-theft, crossbody sling bag made of waterproof canvas.

Why is it cool?

The Baksteen is different from other sling bags that I’ve seen and reviewed over the years. Instead of the typical teardrop shape of most sling bags, this one is boxier and although it is a unisex bag, it gives off more of a masculine vibe.

They sent me a pre-production version of the Baksteen bag and it’s well made and can collapse down pretty flat for easy storage in a larger bag. That makes it perfect for vacation use when you don’t need a huge bag that will hold your laptop and other daily gear.

This 5L capacity bag is better suited for holding just the essentials like your phone, wallet, notebook, small camera, snacks, etc.

Where can I find more info?

The Baksteen campaign ends on 1/21/19 they have already passed their funding goal of $2,643. You can pre-order a Baksteen bag starting at $84. After the Baksteen campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in February 2019. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

The first battery always charged – Useful & Stylish

What is it?

Useful & Stylish is a 1000mAh backup battery with a form factor that is small enough to fit on your keychain.

Why is it cool?

The Useful & Stylish backup battery is cool because it’s so small and it charges via a wirless charging pad. The cable to connect the useful backup battery to your phone is a stylish looking bracelet. I was a little unsure about the small capacity of only 1000mAh, but this isn’t a battery that you expect to completely recharge your device. It’s an emergency battery backup for those critical times when your phone is about to die.

Where can I find more info?

The Useful & Stylish campaign ends on 1/12/19 they are still working towards their funding goal of $34,085. You can pre-order a Useful & Stylish charger and bracelet starting at $52. After the Useful & Stylish campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in March 2019. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

Arriva Leo 5 Bluetooth v5 wireless headphones

What is it?

The Arriva Leo 5 is a Bluetooth v5 wireless headphone.

Why is it cool?

The Arriva Leo 5 is a Bluetooth v5 wireless headphone is cool because it’s built for extremes. Its unique customizable headband can be formed perfectly to the back of your head and it’s been designed not to get in the way of helmets, hats, glasses. The built-in battery will keep you entertained with your favorite tunes for up to 20hrs.

Where can I find more info?

The Arriva campaign ends on 1/10/19 they are still working towards their funding goal of $150,000. You can pre-order a Arriva Leo 5 Bluetooth headphone starting at $52. After the Arriva campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in March 2019. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

Magnet Driver™ Space Rocket

What is it?

The Magnet Driver from Micaton is a precision screwdriver toolkit for tiny projects.

Why is it cool?

I like the Magnet Driver because it has a strong magnet holder tip so you won’t lose those tiny screws that are used to hold together our favorite gadgets, glasses, and other products. I also like that it is designed for one-handed use and it can be extended to 4 lengths for hard to reach areas.

Where can I find more info?

The Magnet Driver campaign ends on 1/14/19 they have already met and passed their funding goal of $24,996. You can pre-order a Magnet Driver starting at $29. After the Magnet Driver campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in July 2019. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged:

Baksteen sling bag from Japan, keychain backup battery, MagnetDriver, and more – Notable crowdfunding campaigns originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 14, 2018 at 10:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Adonit Auto-Clamping Wireless Car Charger review


REVIEW – Almost every state in the USA now has laws prohibiting the handheld use of cell phones while driving. As a result, the marketplace has been flooded with auto mounts of various designs that hold your cell phone within reach and many offer wired or wireless charging as a feature. The Adonit Auto-Clamping Wireless Car Charger is a part of this very crowded field. Let’s see if it stands out as better than the rest.

What is it?

The Adonit Auto-Clamping Wireless Car Charger is a dashboard/windshield/vent mount for your cell phone that offers easy access to your phone and charges your phone while it is in the mount.

What is in the box


1 x Adonit Auto-Clamping Wireless Car Charger
1 x Micro USB cable
1 x DC Car Adapter Power Plug
1 x Air Vent Adapter
1 x Dashboard/Windshield Mounting Arm
1 x Instruction Manual
1 x Warranty Card

Design and features

Specifications:
Input: DC 5V/2A or 9V/1.67A
Output: 5W, 7.5W, 10W fast charging supported
Charging Distance: ≤ 8mm
Conversion Efficiency: > 75%
Working Frequency: 110 – 205KHz
Product Weight: 245g
Product Dimension: 131x77x13mm
Materials: ABS + Silicon Rubber

On the back of the charging unit, there is a ball mount that allows you to mount either the Air Vent Clip or the Windshield/Dashboard mounting arm.

The dashboard/windshield mount includes the ball mount on an extension arm that allows you to move the charging base and therefore the phone closer or further away from you. At the base of the mount, there is the suction mount pad and the mechanism to depress or lift to secure or remove the suction mount to or from the surface in the car. There is also a knob at the side that allows you to raise or lower the extension arm.


At the bottom of the charging unit, there it the micro USB port that you plug the micro USB cable into to provide power to the unit and to the left of that port is a LED that shines green when the unit is receiving power and a phone is in the mount.



On the face of the charging unit/cell phone holder, there is the Qi wireless charging interface in the middle and an infrared sensor at the bottom that allows the unit to detect when a phone is near so that it opens and closes the securing arms.


On the lower left side of the charging unit, there is a silver touchpad that when touched triggers the arms to open so that you can remove the phone.


The DC power adapter plug has 2 ports, a quick charge 3.0 port, and a 3.1A port and a blue LED light around its surface.

Performance



The Adonit Auto-Clamping Wireless Car Charger performs as expected. As you can see in the pictures below, I use the mount on my dashboard. While I did quickly test the air vent mount and can confirm that it does clamp onto the vent louver as it is designed to do, I absolutely despise air vent mounts and chose to use the dashboard mount since I have other devices mounted to my windshield. The mount with the phone it is very stable even when driving on rough surfaces. So far, the phone has never dislodged from the base unit. The one issue that I have with it is that the infrared sensor in the base unit is very sensitive and even when I am sitting back in my seat, it will at times detect me or some movement and the arms will repeatedly open and close even though I am not attempting to mount a phone. The arms also make a very annoying squeaking sound when moving. In terms of charging my phone, I usually have varying amounts of charge remaining on my battery phone when I place it in the mount, and I have never tested the charging when my phone battery is completely drained. However, I am very impressed at how quickly this mount charges my iPhone 10 XS Max.

What I like

  • The build quality
  • The grip of the securing arms
  • The wireless charging feature’
  • The sturdy dashboard/windshield mount
  • The overall appearance

What can be improved

  • The sensitivity of the sensor that controls the gripping arms so that it does not activate so easily and from so far away
  • Possible the addition of a baseplate for the bottom of the phone to rest on

Final thoughts

This dash mount/windshield mount wireless charger works well and I have been using it continuously since the day I opened the box. I was concerned that with just 2 side arms/clamps and no baseplate to hold the phone, that it would fall when driving on bumpy roads or in the case of a sudden stop. So far, it has proven me wrong and has held strong. Only time will tell if continuous use reduces the clamping power and grip on the phone. Other than the overly sensitive sensor for the automatic arms that grip the phone, this charger is well made and a good buy.

Price: $48.74
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Adonit.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: ,

Adonit Auto-Clamping Wireless Car Charger review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 14, 2018 at 9:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

2018 Gift Guide – Senior gift ideas

ARTICLE – If you have older parents, grandparents, and friends on your holiday list this year, here are some gift ideas to help you out with your shopping tasks.

NurtureWatch

Everybody wants their independence, but some people have physical, emotional, mental, or other problems that mean they may need a little extra help maintaining that independence.  If you have a loved one who needs a little extra help from you, get them the NutureWatch.  This watch is a lifeline between you and them.  And because they wear it, your loved one will have that lifeline with them wherever they are, even when they aren’t at home.

The watch allows you to monitor their heart rate from anywhere in the world using the associated app.  You can see their GPS location, and you can even set up geofencing around Safe Zones for them and get an alarm if they leave that area.  You can pre-define three contacts on the watch, which can be dialed quickly just with a tap on the screen whenever the wearer needs to talk to a caregiver.  The NutureWatch can sense falls and send out alarms to all three caregivers within seconds of the fall.  And there’s a red button the wearer can push and make a phone call in an emergency.

“With heart rate monitoring technology, SOS Distress Alert options, abrupt movement detection (which may indicate a fall), watch location history and navigation, and Safe Zones, the NurtureWatch offers a sense of security and connection and will aid in improving quality of life for seniors.”

Price: $199, but can be free with certain monthly monitoring plans.  A monitoring plan is required.
Where to buy: NutureWatch

Nixplay WiFi Cloud Frame

Need a way to send photos to grandparents without having to have your digital photos printed out and mailed?  Get your folks the Nixplay WiFi Cloud Frame, and you can send them updated photos without ever licking a stamp.  Julie reviewed this digital frame, and she said she liked it better than any of the other digital frames she’s reviewed.  She said it had great images, and it was controllable by remote control, motion detection, or scheduling.  It’s even easier now to send photos to the Nixplay frame than when she first reviewed it.  Google opened their API partner program for Google Photos. Nixplay is one of the first companies to join this partnership program, and they have integrated it into their Nixplay mobile application. What does this mean for the Nixplay frames? It means that when you connect your Google Photos account to your frame, albums that you create in Google Photos will automatically sync with the frame every hour.  Gramma and Gramps are going to love all the photos they’ll be getting daily!

Price: $289.99
Read our review: Nixplay WiFi Cloud Frame review
Where to buy: Amazon

Bamboo Reading Rest book holder

After some years of living, your hands and wrists start to show the wear-and-tear of daily living, working, and playing.  Reading may not be as enjoyable anymore because books, or even tablets, can be uncomfortable to hold.  Or maybe your hands are fine, but you have more time to enjoy hobbies now and need a stand to hold a cookbook while you whip up dinner or to hold sheet music or knitting patterns while you enjoy your leisure time.  The Bamboo Reading Rest book stand can hold anything you need it to hold.

It can be adjusted to six viewing angles, so you can find the one most comfortable for you.  It’s sturdy and stable, and the holding arms can accommodate even thick books.  And it folds up flat for storage when you aren’t using it.

Price: $35
Read our review: Roborock S5 Robotic Vacuum and Mop cleaner
Where to buy: Amazon

Roborock S5 Robotic Vacuum and Mop cleaner

I’ve found now that I’m of a certain age, I just don’t want to vacuum and mop floors.  Unfortunately, neither does anyone else in my house, so I need a friendly little robot to do those chores for me.  The Roborock S5 will not only vacuum, it will also mop your floors!  It also has the GPS functionality to map out your house and all its rooms, finding and avoiding obstacles.  And it handles carpets, rugs, hardwoods, and other hard floors without a problem.  The app allows you to send the robot out to vacuum your whole house at once, or it will allow you to draw a zone on the house map to show the robot which room or area to clean now.  It does a great job, and it’s quiet enough to even use at night so you wake up to a clean floor.  It’s not cheap, but it’s much cheaper than maid service!

Price: $570
Read our review: Roborock S5 Robotic Vacuum and Mop cleaner review
Where to buy: Amazon

Kindle Oasis E-reader

For avid readers who may find they can’t hold books because of arthritic hands or who have downsized and don’t have storage for physical books, an eBook reader is ideal.  Amazon’s Kindle Oasis is great for seniors.  The shape of the back makes it easier to hold.  The eInk screen is easy to read because of the high-contrast, non-reflective display.  If you need a little extra light for easier reading, the Oasis has a built-in book light that uniformly illuminates the screen.  It has enough storage for a library of books and magazines, and you can easily send new reading material from Amazon to their Oasis even if they don’t have WiFi at home.  And Oasis is Amazon’s first waterproof Kindle, which means it’s safe from accidental spills.  And the battery lasts for days, not hours, for longer reading times between battery charges.

Price: $249.99
Where to buy: Amazon

Cuisinart CPK-17 PerfecTemp 1.7-liter electric kettle

Having a quick, easy source of hot water for tea, coffee, and instant soups, oatmeal, or noodles without having to heat up the stove every time makes meals and snacks easier.  The Cuisinart CPK-17 PerfecTemp electric kettle is a great tool for anyone’s kitchen.  The pot quickly heats up water to your pre-selected temperature and can hold it there for 30 minutes so you can decide to have a second serving without having to start the kettle again.  You don’t have to worry about the dangers of a kettle boiling dry with the Cuisinart, because it will automatically turn off.  The pot lifts off the base, so you can easily pour without worrying about getting the electrical cord tangled up and causing a spill.

Price: $69.97
Where to buy: Amazon

Filed in categories: Articles

Tagged: ,

2018 Gift Guide – Senior gift ideas originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 14, 2018 at 8:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

ScreenBeam Mini2 wireless display adapter review

REVIEW – Have you ever wanted to display content from your smartphone, tablet, or laptop wirelessly to a TV or monitor without bringing your home’s WiFi to its knees? Actiontec has a solution for Windows and Android devices called the ScreenBeam Mini2. Let’s take a look.

What is it?

The ScreenBeam Mini2 is a wireless display adapter that plugs into an open HDMI port on a display/TV and receives streaming video from a Windows laptop, Android smartphone, or Android tablet through the WiFi network created by the ScreenBeam Mini2 adapter and not your home’s wireless network.

Hardware specs

  • Supports up to full 1080p30 HD video and 2 channel stereo
  • Dual Band: Supports both 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi frequencies

Compatibility

  • Windows device running Windows 8.1 or newer AND supports WiDi
  • Android device running v4.2 or newer AND have native Miracast, Smart View, or Mirroring support.

What’s in the box?

  • ScreenBeam Mini2 wireless display adapter
  • HDMI extender cable
  • Micro USB cable
  • AC adapter
  • Instructions

Design and features

The ScreenBeam Mini2 looks like an oversized USB thumb drive, but instead of a USB-A connector on the end, it has a full-sized HDMI connector.

On one side is a reset switch and a micro USB port which is used to power the adapter.

Installing the ScreenBeam Mini2 adapter is simple as long as you have a TV or monitor that has an available full-sized HDMI port.

All you have to do is plug the adapter into the HDMI port and also connect the included micro USB cable to the power adapter and plug it in. If you don’t have an outlet near the TV or monitor, you can do like I did and plug the micro USB cable into a USB port on my Denon AV receiver or even one on your TV or monitor.

I tested the ScreenBeam Mini2 with two different displays and four devices. The first test was with the BenQ 27 inch PD2710QC monitor and the Huawei MediaPad M5.

After plugging in the ScreenBeam Mini2 adapter, I switched to the HDMI input with the ScreenBeam Mini2 adapter and was greeted by the screen you see above.

The next step was to go into the MediaPad’s settings and start MirrorShare which is a built-in feature of this tablet. As soon as I enabled it, it started scanning for available devices and displayed the ScreenBeam Mini2 as an option.

Tapping the icon on the MediaPad changed the display on the monitor to show that it was connecting to it.

Just as a reminder… Unlike Google’s Chromecast dongle, the ScreenBeam Mini2 does not require that you have a WiFi network in your home or any internet connectivity at all for that matter. The adapter itself uses its own WiFi to connect the two devices without any need to configure, type in login IDs or passwords.

Within seconds, I was viewing the same thing on the monitor that was displaying on the tablet. I was able to see a mirror of the Android tablet’s display while running apps, browsing the web, viewing pictures from the image gallery, videos I’d recorded, etc.

But within minutes I ran into some issues worth noting. Although the Netflix app launches and displays the interface on the mirrored display, as soon as you begin watching a video, the mirrored display turns black. You can still hear audio though. I then tried the Hulu app and had the same disappointing results.

But when I tried YouTube, I had success. Videos played fine and looked great. Look, it’s Casey Neistat. Love that guy!

One other thing to note is when I turned off the display on the tablet, the connection between the two devices was broken.

I then tested the Huawei P20 with the ScreenBeam Mini2 and my VIZIO M-Series (M65-F0) 4K HDR Smart TV by plugging the ScreenBeam Mini2 into the AUX HDMI port on my Denon AV receiver.



As expected, the setup was pretty much identical to using the MediaPad with the BenQ monitor as the P20 also has the MirrorShare feature.

One thing to keep in mind is that for best video and audio results, the source device (in this case the P20 smartphone) should be placed within 30 feet of the receiver (in this case, the Denon AV receiver connected to the Vizio TV).

Just like with the MediaPad, viewing my pics, local video, apps, browser, and YouTube all worked fine and turning the phone to landscape view would cause the video to go full screen – or almost full screen. You can see that there is a big “frame” around the video on the Vizio TV.

But as soon as I tried to play a Netflix flick, I was denied…

Hulu fared the same. 🙁

My third test was with my Pixel 2 XL and I had even worse luck with the previous tests because good ole Google removed screen sharing features like Miracast from Pixel devices because they want people to buy their Chromecast. Grrrrrrrrrr… Google, you’re not my friend right now.

For my fourth and final test, I tried my Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 and whaddya know, it was the best combo yet!

Samsung’s mirroring feature is called Smart View and it works wonderfully in a couple different ways. First of all, Netflix works perfectly, no black screen of sorrow!

And second of all, the screen will blank out on the tablet to conserve battery life. Yay!

What I like

  • Easy to install
  • Doesn’t require an existing network

What needs to be improved

  • Needs support for Apple devices
  • Needs to be able to work with Netflix, Hulu, and other popular streaming services through all mirroring types
  • Needs to support streaming 4K Ultra HD videos.

Final thoughts

If you’re looking for a dirt simple way to mirror your Android or Windows screen on a TV or Monitor without using your network or wires, the ScreenBeam Mini2 might be the perfect solution for you. That is if you have an Android device that supports Miracast, or a Windows device that supports WiDi AND you don’t mind potentially not being able to use it for Netflix or Hulu depending on your device. Yes, there are a lot of caveats to this product, but I think it will be an easy way to bring my favorite shows with me when I’m on vacation and want to watch them on a larger screen.

Price: $49.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by ScreenBeam. Please visit their site for more info.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: , ,

ScreenBeam Mini2 wireless display adapter review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 13, 2018 at 12:52 pm.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Phiaton just released the Curve wireless headphones, and I think I love them

NEWS – If you’re still finishing up your holiday shopping list, your procrastination is about to be rewarded! Phiaton just dropped their new Curve wireless active noise canceling headphones today. I’ve had a week to play with a pre-release model, and it’s a good one.

Phiaton has won numerous awards for their innovative headphone designs, and the Curve looks to continue that tradition. I’m really liking the yoke-style design with the controls set in the neckband for easy access to the controls. It’s got an IPX4 sweat and splash-resistant rating as well as active noise canceling technology, which makes it perfect for the gym and the commute. The unit boasts 8.5 hours of continuous use on a single charge, and includes a fast-charge option to get an hour of use out of a 5 minute charge if you forgot to juice it up before you hit the gym. And it’s really comfortable to wear. I’ll post a full review in the next couple of weeks, but I think it’s a winner based on my experience so far.

The Phiaton Curve wireless headphones retail for $79.99, and are available now on Amazon.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged:

Phiaton just released the Curve wireless headphones, and I think I love them originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 13, 2018 at 11:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.