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Organize your gadgets and accessories in the Tech Folio from Waterfield

NEWS – Have you noticed how some organizer bags are filled with fiddly little straps that require you to carefully wrap your charging cables before you can fit them in?  Or how some pockets are sized exactly to fit one particular brand, but you don’t have that brand and your gadget doesn’t fit?  With the Tech Folio bag from Waterfield, you won’t have to waste time and find ways to force your gear to fit in.


Waterfield surveyed many of their gear-loving customers to help them design gear bags that people actually want and can use.  The Tech Folio is one of the products of that Next Generation Gear Case community design project.  It was designed to be the everyday carry organizer for chargers, cables, USB flash drives or external drives, a mouse, or other similar gear, and it even has room for an iPad Pro 10.5, Surface Go with Typecover, or similarly-sized tablets.  (You’ll see a tablet peaking out from behind the pouches on the right, as seen in the top image.)

The interior has a series of see-through mesh pockets that are designed to hold your cables without requiring you to carefully wind them to exact dimensions before they’ll fit, plus there’s plenty of room for other gear.  The front has a zipper pocket with room for your phone, stylus, and more gear or cables.  The Folio measures 10.5″ x 8″ x 2″ and weighs 0.95 lb.  It can be used on its own, worn with an optional strap, or used as an organizer inside of a larger bag.

The Tech Folio works in a professional atmosphere as easily as it does in a more casual environment.  It’s available in black 1050-denier ballistic nylon with a distressed black leather panel or in waxed canvas with a chocolate brown distressed leather panel.  The Tech Folio is $119.  You can add a standard strap for an additional $12 or the Suspension strap for $22 extra.

The Tech Folio has proven quite successful, and all production runs have sold out.  The next production run ships by September 21.  Order your Tech Folio now to get one in the next shipments from Waterfield.

 

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Organize your gadgets and accessories in the Tech Folio from Waterfield originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 15, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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Sodastream Fizzi One Touch review

I used to be addicted to Diet Coke. But then I became sensitive to caffeine and had to cut out all caffeinated drinks. I took this problem and turned it into my motivation to stop drinking artificially sweetened drinks. But the problem is that I really missed fizzy drinks. For a while, I made my own using seltzer, stevia, and Cappella’s flavor drops. This worked fine but it meant that I needed to keep a supply of bottled seltzer. Then I switched to a SodaStream Crystal Sparkling Water Maker for on-demand fizzy drink goodness. I loved that machine. Well, except that I had problems getting consistent fizziness of my drinks. But those days are gone now that I’ve started using the SodaStream Fizzi One Touch. Let’s check it out.

What is it?

The SodaStream Fizzi One Touch is a table-top appliance that carbonates water with 3 levels of carbonation to choose from.

What’s in the box?

SodaStream Fizzi One Touch
60 liter co2 carbonator
1 liter BPA-free reusable source carbonating bottle
AC adapter

Design and features

The Fizzi One Touch looks similar to other SodaStream sparkling water makers. It’s a 5″ x 7 1/4″ x 17″ high gloss black plastic device with the SodaStream logo on the front.

The back of the One Touch pops off the back of the unit to reveal the holder for the CO2 cartridge.

Installing the cartridge takes just a few seconds. All you have to do is peel off the wrapper at the top and remove the cap. This reveals the connector.

Then you slide the cartridge in place and screw it into the receptacle.

The next step is to attach the AC adapter to the bottom of the unit and route the cable. This is the first SodaStream that I’ve used that requires power. The others that I’ve tried over the years were manual sparkling water makers that required me to press the button as many times as needed to carbonate the water. That’s where the Fizzi One Touch is so much better because it does all the work for you!

The Fizzi One Touch comes with one BPA-free 1 Liter plastic bottle. The bottle is clear with a chrome-covered cap and base. Printed on the bottom is a fill line that helps you fill the bottle to the appropriate level.

The One Touch has a nozzle that goes into the bottle to “inject” the carbonation into the water.

Around the nozzle is an automatic clamp that holds the top of the bottom when you insert it.

You might be wondering if you can fill the bottle with something other than water and the answer to that question is no. The SodaStream is designed to only carbonate water. Trying other liquids can result in a mess and/or ruining your SodaStream, so don’t try it.

The nozzle swivels out from the unit to allow you to angle the bottle into the clamp.

When the bottle is in place, you press the bottle back into the unit so it’s in an upright position and is ready for carbonation.

As I mentioned earlier, the SodaStream Fizzi One Touch is a powered carbonator. On the top of the unit are three buttons that light up in blue when the unit is active. The left button (one drop) is for light fizz, the middle button (two drops) is for medium fizz, and the right button (three drops) is for high fizz.

It takes one button press to wake up the unit at which point the buttons will light up. Then you can press the button you want for the desired amount of fizz. Then the Fizzi will carbonate the water in the attached bottle. As soon as the lights on the buttons go out, you can remove the bottle.

See it in action

Using the One Touch is pretty much effortless. I prefer to fill the bottle with water and put it in the fridge so it gets cold BEFORE I make my drinks. But that’s just because I don’t want to water down the flavor with melting ice.

I like my homemade flavored soda drinks to be very fizzy, so I always use the max fizz button. I’ve been VERY happy with the performance of the Fizzi One Touch. Each time the fizz level is exactly the same unlike other SodaStream that I’ve used that have different fizz levels based on how many times and how long you press the manual button. I much prefer the One Touch do the work to get it the same fizz level each and every time.

Time will tell if the CO2 cartridge in the One Touch actually ends up lasting longer or not as long as the cartridge in a manual sparkling water maker. From what I’ve read, one cartridge should be able to carbonate up to 60 liters. New cartridges cost about $15 when you trade in your old one at Best Buy, Walmart, Bed Bath and Beyond, etc.

What I like

  • Consistent results with one button press
  • Easy to use

What needs to be improved

  • A 2nd bottle would be nice

Final thoughts

I love the SodaStream Fizzi One Touch. It has removed the only pain point that I had from the previous SodaStream that I used but adding the one touch carbonation feature. The only way that I could be better would be to include an extra bottle but otherwise, it’s a definite keeper and popular gadget in our kitchen.

Price: $129.99
Where to buy: SodaStream and William Sonoma
Source: The sample for this review was provided by SodaStream.

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Sodastream Fizzi One Touch review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 14, 2018 at 12:46 pm.

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Protect the lives of your most precious cargo with Athena by Eve

NEWS – It’s summer, and it’s hot, and I’ve already seen stories of several children who died in hot cars.  Infants, children, and pets (or K9 police officers) die because someone forgot they were in the car and went in to work or to the mall.  With the Athena by Eve, no other baby, child, or animal will have to suffer in a hot car.

Athena mounts to the interior roof of a car.  It connects to an app on your smartphone (iOS or Android), and it uses both low-energy Bluetooth and cellular data for connectivity.  You can log on through any computer or mobile device to customize the settings or to respond to alerts.  Athena is powered by rechargeable lithium polymer batteries, which should last 1-2 months between chargings.  You should, of course, recharge the batteries before they completely drain to be sure that your car is always being monitored.

The company says Athena’s  “patented multi-sensor technology uses an advanced in-cabin sensing system designed specifically for detecting babies or pets accidentally left behind in the car.”  The sensor turns on automatically when you leave the car, and it begins detecting a child or animal left in the car, no matter where they are located within the cabin.  If it detects a presence in the car, it immediately notifies you via the app, text message, phone call, and/or email with a photo of the car’s cabin plus the location of the car.  If you don’t respond within 60 seconds, it will alert the next person on your emergency contacts list – and repeats until someone responds.  You can even have Athena automatically call emergency services.

The technology is in the process of mass-production. It will be available throughout the States in 2019, priced between $150-$199.  Available colors are white, stainless, or black to match or complement your car’s interior.  You can leave your name and information at the website to reserve your unit, and the company will contact you when the Athena is ready to ship.  Learn more and reserve your unit at the Athena by Eve website.

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Protect the lives of your most precious cargo with Athena by Eve originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 14, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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Posture Stand review


REVIEW – For folks like me and my wife who spend a lot of time working on a laptop or tablet, finding a comfortable position to do so is not always easy. Sometimes I work at night in bed or sitting on the floor or even the sofa. There are many companies that offer solutions for this type of working situation, and this device is just such a solution.

What is it?

The Posture Stand is an ergonomically designed stand that helps you to find the most comfortable and supportive position when working with your laptop or mobile device or even reading a book. It supports good posture and spinal alignment.

What’s in the box


1 x Posture Stand
1 x Accessory Rest
1 x Informational Booklet

Design and features

The Posture Stand is a great versatile mobile work platform that has the adjustability to adapt to your most comfortable work position. Whether you are sitting on the floor, or in bed, or sitting on the sofa, and whether you are using your laptop or tablet or just reading a book.




There is an accessory rest that can be attached to the end section of either side of the stand, and it can be used to place whatever accessory you choose within reason.


Each leg section of the stand can be adjusted incrementally up to 180 degrees in either direction. There is a metal locking ring that can be moved side to side to adjust and lock each section.


This stand is also versatile enough that it can be used as a side table or end table and can accommodate a lamp or ornament or maybe you just use it as a food tray as well and enjoy lunch.

What I like

  • The build quality
  • The flexibility and versatility
  • The ability to be folded away in a compact form when not in use

What can be improved

  • An accessory tray that can be mounted in more locations for better use

Final thoughts

The Posture Stand is a very convenient and versatile stand that works very well for me. I have found many uses beyond the use of mobile devices and reading that include a tray for eating while sitting on the floor or in bed, a display stand for taking pictures, etc. It is very sturdy and yet relatively lightweight. It is definitely a good product that will be continuously utilized in my household. In my opinion, it is a good value for the price.

Price: $74.99
Where to buy: Back Pain Help website.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Back Pain Help.

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Posture Stand review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 14, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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Fluance raises the affordable bar with their new Ai40 speakers

NEWS – Here’s a question for you: At what point does the price of a set of speakers matter less and less? In other words, at what price do you stop hearing major differences in audio quality as the cost creeps up? It’s an interesting question that I’ve grappled with for years. Here’s my take: As the cost of speakers goes higher, sound quality differences become smaller and smaller. It’s a law of diminishing returns. Now, once you realize that, where is that pricing cutoff? There’s the rub. It’s different for everyone. That’s why you have speakers at every price level. Here’s what I consider an almost golden price point for small personal/bookshelf speakers: $200-500. Once you’re over that price, differences dwindle—unless you are an audiophile. Which brings us to the new Fluance Ai40 Powered 5” Bookshelf Speakers.

Fluance hopes they have nailed it with the Ai40 speakers.  At $200 ($199.99), they are designed for someone who is not an avid sound-o-holic, but someone who has space (bedroom, home office, etc.) to fill with good audio that they can enjoy without hassle. The Ai40 speakers are self-powered (no amp required) and have the wireless option of aptX Bluetooth. This is now becoming a requirement for speakers in this era of convenience.

These speakers include an integrated 70 watt (2x 35 watts) class D amplifier that delivers powerful sound. The 1″ inch silk soft-dome tweeters produce natural highs, while the woven, 5″ glass fiber drivers round out the performance with detailed mids and deep bass. Forget figuring out inputs and channels on an audio receiver; the plug and play Ai40 speakers connect either through RCA or Bluetooth aptX, allowing you to connect your audio system in no time.

The Ai40 speakers come with a remote and all the wiring you need. They come in three colors: Black Ash, Lucky Bamboo, and Natural Walnut. They are available now for $199.99. Visit Fluance for more information.

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Fluance raises the affordable bar with their new Ai40 speakers originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 14, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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