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The New Bellroy Laptop Brief is ideal for streamlined professionals

I absolutely love what Bellroy is doing with their new lineup of bags. The Bellroy Duo Totepack that I reviewed last year is still one of my favorite bags of all time. The new laptop brief follows the same innovative design language and top-notch construction, in a slimmed-down business brief form made for your laptop and essentials.

Available in 2 sizes (for 13″ or 15″ laptops), the Laptop Brief features Bellroy’s proprietary water-resistant materials, a thoughtful combination of internal/external pocketing designed to manage all your tech and accessories, and a clamshell-style full opening to get into the depths of the bag. The contemporary look and minimalist style will pair well with any work ensemble in a lightweight package. It also includes a shoulder strap and pass-through handle to ride on your wheelie luggage in airports.

Bellroy retails the Laptop Brief for $159 (for 13 inch laptops, 8 L capacity) or $169 (for 15 inch laptops, 10 L capacity). Three colors are available. Based on my experience with the Tote Pack, I expect this one to be another winner. Check it out at the Bellroy web site.

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The New Bellroy Laptop Brief is ideal for streamlined professionals originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 17, 2018 at 12:58 pm.

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VentiFresh small space air purifier review

Do you have any small spaces in your home that are stinky? Maybe it’s a trashcan in the kitchen, a closet where you keep your sneakers, or maybe it’s your cat’s litter box? How do you get rid of odors without burning candles or spraying aerosol air fresheners that just cover up the stink with a new odor? That’s what I was wondering until I received the VentiFresh air purifier.

What is it?

The VentiFresh is a very small air purifier that uses photocatalyst technology which is the same tech used on the international space station. According to the VentiFresh website:

Put simply, the UV catalyst core inside VentiFresh decomposes odor through natural photosynthesis and produces clean air as a result.

What’s in the box?

VentiFresh air purifier
Mag dot steel mounting button
micro USB power cable
USB AC adapter

Design and features

Compared to 99.9% of the air purifiers that I’ve seen, the VentiFresh is absolutely tiny at only 2.5 x 2.0 inches.

It has a white plastic housing with a light sensor on the front and on top is an open blue covering over the built-in fan inside the unit.

On the back of the air purifier is a micro USB connector for power and a power switch.

The VentiFresh air purifier is so small, that it can be placed almost anywhere. You can set it on a flat surface or you can use the magnetic base and the included metal button to mount it on thin material like a trashcan lid or a litterbox cover.

It looks cute, but does it actually work?

I was excited to see if the VentiFresh air purifier would help with cat smells. To give you a little background, I share a house with a 15lb cat named Max. Max is mainly an indoor cat so we have a litter box in our spare bathroom which is now his bathroom. I don’t like going in there because he kicks litter on the floor. That is when he actually takes time to dig in the box.

Jeanne and I spend evenings downstairs on the couch in front of the TV. We’ll be watching a show and all of a sudden we’ll hear Max running around upstairs like a maniac and then he’ll come flying down the stairs. This is his “I just pooped and I’m amazing” celebration.  At this point, we will almost immediately notice the smell wafting its way downstairs because he almost NEVER covers up his mess. In the past, we’ll have to stop what we’re doing, go up the stairs, clean the litterbox, and spray a bunch of air freshener to cover up the poo smell which only masks the smell and doesn’t truly get rid of it. Ick!

As soon as the VentiFresh arrived, I plugged it in and set it up in Max’s bathroom.

We don’t have a cover over the litter box so I just hung the VentiFresh from an outlet next to the box like you see in the image above.

The VentiFresh didn’t come with much in the way of instructions. Just a small business card sized quick guide that showed how you can mount the unit using the magnetic base and that the unit is supposed to be used in a small space about 1.5 cubic feet in size. Max’s bathroom is tiny, but it’s obviously much larger than 1.5 cubic feet, but I set it up anyway.

Once you plug it in, it will start running when the room is dim. Light will cause the VentiFresh to turn off. But since I have the unit hanging with the light sensor pointed down, it runs continuously. When it’s running you’ll also see a blue light emitting from the vents in the sides and top of the unit. This is UV light and the instructions advise you not to look at it. The unit also has a slight fan noise as it’s running. I didn’t find it loud enough to be annoying, but I do notice it when I walk past the bathroom.

The million dollar question is: Does the VentiFresh actually work? I really didn’t think I was going to be impressed, but I have been very surprised just how well it has tamed Max’s litter box smells. If you have a cat and a litter box, you know what they can smell like even if you clean them every day like we do. With the VentiFresh next to the box, I’ve not smelled any of Max’s “presents” even when he doesn’t cover them up. I’ve even walked into the bathroom done a sniff test right over the box of uncovered “presents” and I can’t smell anything. I think it’s witchcraft and I love it and so does Jeanne. Max doesn’t seem to mind it either.

If you’re wondering about power consumption, it only uses 3W per hour and according to the VentiFresh website, even if it runs 24hrs a day, it’s only going to cost you about 50 cents per month.

What I like

  • Tiny size
  • No consumables
  • Doesn’t use much power

What needs to be improved

  • Nothing needs to be improved except that I want a bigger one for the whole house!

Final thoughts

The VentiFresh air purifier is amazing. No more litter box smells means I don’t have to worry if visitors can smell something bad when they come in my house. I love this little thing. I’m thinking about ordering another one just to have on hand if the one I have now ever decides to die on me. I’ll definitely update this review after a couple of months to let you all know how it’s standing the test of time.

Price: $64.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by VentiFresh.

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VentiFresh small space air purifier review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 17, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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The LENSKIRT Flexible Lens Hood makes shooting through glass easier

For those of us photographers and videographers who enjoy shooting cityscapes, or aquariums, or other types of photography that may require us to shoot through glass, the challenge of light reflections is a real one. If this challenge is not managed correctly, the “stray” light will definitely show up in your photo, and may not always be easily removed via editing.

The LENSKIRT Flexible Lens Hood blocks out unwanted environmental light reflections when shooting through glass. It is an affordable solution used by many professional photographers for shooting photos, videos, and even for shooting in time-lapse mode. It allows for wide lenses up to 15mm, and for lens up to 8 inches in diameter. The front of the Lenskirt has a 9 x 10-inch opening that has suction cups built-in to adhere it to the glass. It has a drawstring that allows you to easily secure it around almost any lens.

The simple but effective LENSKIRT Flexible Lens Hood can be purchased at B&H Photo Video for $48.

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The LENSKIRT Flexible Lens Hood makes shooting through glass easier originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 17, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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Pop your gear into Tom Bihn’s Pop Tote

People had been requesting a zip-top tote from Tom Bihn for years, but it wasn’t until 2017 that Tom designed a bag that he felt was substantially better than other zip totes out there.  At first, you could only have a Pop Tote if you were one of the lucky folks who received a gift bag at the 2017 Kennedy Center Mark Twain Awards for Humor honoring David Letterman, but now you can order your own bag directly from Tom Bihn.

The Pop Tote, at 12.8” (w) x 11.8” (h) x 8.7″ (d), is big enough to carry your EDC kit, a small laptop or tablet, or you could even use it as a shopping bag to tote home groceries or books.  The bag is made of:

  • 525 denier 2×2 ballistic nylon for the exterior
  • PORON foam handles
  • #8 YKK zippers
  • Tough Duraflex®, Nexus, and Woojin buckles and related components

The top closes with a zipper and/or snaps.  With just the snaps closed and the zipper open (as above), you can use the Pop Tote as an open-top tote that works great as a shopping bag.  Leave the snaps open and close the zipper, and you’ve got a secure bag that protects your daily gear or your electronics.  And if you close both the zipper and the snaps, it will change the shape of the top of the bag into a pleasing rounded shape like in the top photo.  You could even carry a sweater or jacket in the curved top of the bag in this mode.

The exterior has a couple of slip-in pockets and a couple of zippered pockets on the exterior sides.  The inside is open, but both the interior and the exterior pockets have a variety of O-rings so you can clip your items into the bag.

The Pop Tote is available in deep blue (shown), olive, Mars red, cloud, black, and alphaviolet for $95.00 at Tom Bihn.

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Pop your gear into Tom Bihn’s Pop Tote originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 17, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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Master & Dynamic pad the MW50 wireless headphone and charge less for it

In a review of the Master & Dynamic MW50 (and MW60) wireless headphones, I stated that surprisingly, I slightly preferred the sound and comfort of the “on-ear” MW50s over the more expensive “over-ear” MW60s. However, some people simply prefer over-ear pads on their headphones. Well, what if you could have your cake and eat it too? Now you can, because M&D have introduced the MW50+ Wireless On-Ear + Over-Ear Headphones.

The MW50+ headphones are identical to the MW50 headphones, but now come with both styles of ear pads. In fact, the MW50+ headphones have replaced the regular MW50 model, which is no longer available. Yet, even with the added ear pads, M&D has dropped the price by fifty bucks!

M&D states that “Users of existing MW50s, as well as those opting to buy now, will have the flexibility to change the ear pads out as they please, allowing them to best fit a variety of settings.” Note that if you already own a pair of MW50 headphones, M&D will offer the over-ear pads separately after mid-June—price TBD.

“Now, for the first time, the decision is not about on-ear versus over-ear, but simply which color.” said Master & Dynamic’s Founder and CEO Jonathan Levine. The MW50+ come in three color choices: Silver/Brown, Silver/Black and Black/Black.

The MW50+ Wireless On-Ear + Over-Ear Headphones will sell for $399 and are available for pre-order with shipping in mid-June. Visit Master & Dynamic for more information.

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Master & Dynamic pad the MW50 wireless headphone and charge less for it originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 17, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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