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Easily crack the top off soft- or hard-boiled eggs

I only eat hard-boiled eggs, but I’ve always loved the dishes and the style of eating soft-cooked eggs still in the shell while they are cradled in an egg cup.  I periodically think about getting some nice egg cups and setting my peeled hard-boiled egg in one while I eat breakfast.  But I’m going off on a tangent…  I really wanted to tell you about how you can easily crack and remove the top of the shell if you do eat soft-boiled eggs in the shell from an egg cup.  Instead of using your knife and tapping around the egg’s shell to crack and remove the top, you can just use the Rösle Stainless Steel Egg Topper with Silicone Handle to remove it with one movement.

Just set the Rösle over the top of the egg, pull back the handle and release.  The spring mechanism causes vibrations, and the sharp edge in the dome perfectly cuts the shell, so you can just lift it away.  It works to open both soft- and hard-boiled eggs.  

The Rösle Stainless Steel Egg Topper with Silicone Handle is $16.95 at Amazon. 

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Easily crack the top off soft- or hard-boiled eggs originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 24, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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Here’s a tiny Bluetooth speaker that you can wear

Sometimes you want to enjoy your music while you’re on the go without uncomfortable earbuds crammed in your ears. You can lug a bulky Bluetooth speaker with you, but that’s not the most convenient solution. Another option is the Boom Bit Bluetooth speaker from Polk Audio. Polk Audio has been around for decades, so they know their stuff when it comes to speakers.

The Boom Bit is so small that you can clip it to your shirt or bag using the steel spring clip and it is available in 5 different colors. It features a cap that you can remove to reveal a full-sized USB connector that you can use to charge the speaker from a port on your computer. A full charge will provide the small speaker with up to 3 hours of playback time.

The Polk Audio Boom Bit Bluetooth speaker can be used to listen to your favorite tunes and for hands-free calls. It is priced at $29.99 and you can buy one now from Amazon.

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Here’s a tiny Bluetooth speaker that you can wear originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 23, 2018 at 12:00 pm.

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Nonda ZUS Heavy-Duty USB-A to Lightning Cable review

Charging cables come with every new phone or tablet we buy. Here at the Gadgeteer, every time someone comes out with a new wrinkle in materials or configuration, however, we are asked if we want to review the third-party versions. When Nonda sent their ZUS USB-A to Lightning cable to us I jumped for it. There are a plethora of options and offerings out there, even if we limit them to just USB-A to Lightning cables. So, why would I particularly notice this one? It has a right-angle plug.

Note: Photos may be tapped or clicked for a larger image.

What is it?

The ZUS is a 4-foot (1.2 m) cable that has undergone the strenuous testing required to be approved in Apple’s MFI program. That means it can wear the label “Made for iPod/iPhone/iPad”. It has a heavy-duty layered construction in the wire and the connectors, making for a far superior product than the OEM versions. (The pictures in this article show a standard Apple cable in white and the ZUS cable in black for comparison. Note the thickness of materials in the connectors and the strain-relief collars.)

Hardware specs

  • Apple MFi certification.
  • Protected with Carbon Fiber.
  • Lifetime Warranty.

What’s in the box?

Cable with Velcro tie-strap and warranty card

Design and features

The ZUS is a heavy gauge wire, wrapped in a carbon-fiber sheath. This, in turn, is wrapped in an EMI shield, and then in a PVC jacket. This is already one layer more than run-of-the-mill cables, but Nonda then encases the whole thing again in a braided nylon outer skin. At each end, they add heavy-duty stress relief collars and a steel body around the inner wiring of the connector. The wiring just beyond the strain relief collar has been tested to see how many times it can be bent back onto itself. Normal cables are tested to still operate optimally after 5000 bends. Nonda cables surpass this more than ten times this level, with 52,000 bends.

I weighed one of my Apple cables (3 ft/1 m) and found it was 18 grams. The Nonda cable (4 ft/1.2 m) is 27 grams. Even if you give Apple another 6 grams for the extra foot of cable, the Nonda weighs 2 full grams more, meaning there are denser materials – or at least, more of the materials that are there. While weight can’t be counted directly as part of the durability of the cable, my experience has led me to believe this to be true. Your mileage may vary.

What I Like

  • High-Quality materials
  • Strong anti-stress collars to prevent fraying at connectors
  • Steel shell around connector core
  • Over-engineered wire structure for longer performance

What needs to be improved

  • I can’t think of anything

Final thoughts

I have bought dozens of cables, and have been given or had bundled with devices I have gotten probably double that. I used to buy the “cheaper than OEM but MFA-approved” versions, but lately, I have bought several cables similar to this Nonda cable for the same reason I like it: it is truly heavy-duty, and won’t fizzle out on me or damage my devices by developing a short. I’ve come to look at cables as an investment in my devices. If I charge it with a poor quality cable, there is a high likelihood that the power is going to be hampered in some way, and either take longer to charge, or somehow compromise the built-in safety mechanisms the device builders put in place. Or, at the time I need to depend on it, that cheap cable is going to burn out, and I’ll not be able to charge at all. In the immortal words of that internet meme: “Ain’t nobody got time for that!”

Price: $25.99
Where to buy: Nonda or Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Nonda.

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Nonda ZUS Heavy-Duty USB-A to Lightning Cable review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 23, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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Yongnuo YN 50mm f/1.8 Lens for Canon EF is a good contender


Every photographer I know, including yours truly, has spent more money than we care to remember on lenses, all in an effort to get better pictures. When we “follow the crowd” and purchase the brand name lenses, we are usually mostly satisfied, and we just start saving for the next purchase. In many cases, our peers within our industry put a lot of emphasis on buying the “best” brand name lenses which like for example Canon’s L series lenses, are usually of incredible quality, but also incredibly priced. However, when I compare use, and relevant income, and level of photography, and the potential viewer/ customer, I often wonder why I must always shoot for the absolute best lenses when to be quite honest, many amateurs and professionals alike will never be able to tell the difference between a $600 lens and a $1000 lens, and sometimes even a $2000 lens. In my opinion, much of the success of a photo lies in the hands of the photographer’s eye and skills.

Recently, Yongnuo has raised the level of their products, and has been more noticeable with the photography gear they have been producing. Just today I was looking at the Yongnuo YN 50mm f/1.8 Lens for Canon EF, and on paper, the specifications are very comparable to the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens but its cost is considerably less. This prime lens has a maximum aperture of f/1.8, multi-coated glass elements, an AF/MF switch on the lens barrel and a minimal focus distance of 16 inches. It is designed to fit the Canon EF mount and works with both full-frame and APS-C sensors.

While I have not yet tried this lens, I do own the Canon version and I can’t wait for the opportunity to compare the two.

If you would like to try out the Yongnuo YN 50mm f/1.8 Lens for Canon EF you head over to Amazon or B&H Photo Video and pick one up for around $49.

Note: Yongnuo also makes this lens for the Nikon F mount.

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Yongnuo YN 50mm f/1.8 Lens for Canon EF is a good contender originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 23, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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Geekbes USB Smart WiFi Plug review

Over the past decade, I’ve slowly been adding automation to my home, starting with X-10. Powerful new devices, like Geekbes Smart WiFi Plug, have made it easy to remotely control lamps and appliances with ease, even when outside my home.

What is it?

The Geekbes Smart plugs are single-socket, WiFi modules that turn on or off plug-in electrical devices using a smartphone app, Alexa or IFTTT. Additionally, each unit is equipped with a pair of USB power sockets.

Hardware Specs

  • Plastic housing
  • Dimensions: 3.75” x 2.25” x 1.2” (94.7 x 56.8 x 30mm)
  • Weight :3.8oz (107g)
  • Power Rating: 125V AC 10A
  • AC Frequency: 50/60Hz
  • Operating Temperature: -10C~+40C
  • Wi-Fi Standard: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz b/g/n
  • App Support: Android 4.1 and iOS8.0 or higher

What’s in the box?

  • 2x Smart Socket
  • 1 x User Manual

Design and features

The Geekbes Smart Sockets arrived in a subdued cardboard box with black print. The instruction manual provides a QR code for downloading the app and walks through the configuration, Amazon Eco, and IFTTT integration. It’s simple and efficiently written, but be prepared to pull out your magnifying glass, the text is tiny.

A single Geekbes plug can be used in a duplex socket. Unfortunately, only two-prong, non-grounded plugs can occupy the adjacent socket.

Connecting the sockets was a simple process: using the app, scan the QR code, wait for the device to connect, give it a name and you’re off and running. I do have one caveat – if you use a VPN, it will need to be disabled during the connection process. I could not add any devices with my VPN enabled. As soon as the devices are connected, I reconnected my VPN and had no difficulties using the app. There is an icon-based list of devices that can be controlled with the Geekbes app, a much wider variety than other home-automation apps I’ve used.

The app is intuitive and has some desirable features.  There are several app screens one can use to turn the sockets on or off, each with different capabilities. There are also simple and complex timers and scenes that can be created. Scenes can be triggered by temperature, humidity, weather, air quality sunrise/sunset, or even another device. I found this particularly interesting as it’s possible to cascade one event through any number of Geekbes devices. Pretty slick.

Now the bad news: Temperature settings are only available in Celsius, and the list of cities is only available in (I think) Cantonese. This makes using local area weather conditions somewhat cumbersome as I don’t know what cities are represented. As the product matures, I hope to see language options improve, making usage easier.

There is a one-shot timer that can be used to turn a device on or off after a configurable delay, up to 23 hours, 59 minutes. I’ve used this function to keep the living room light on long enough to allow me to walk to the bedroom without tripping over the cat. Additionally, any number of schedules can be created to turn devise on or off at a specified time, on specific days. Think of this function as a lighting timer on steroids. For security, this works great, but I would eventually like to see the ability to turn lights on and off randomly within +/- 15 minutes of the scheduled time. This would give the home a much more “lived in” appearance as none of us turns the lights on or off at exactly the same time every day and helps avoid the “Home Alone Silver Tuna” phenomena.

Linking the Geekbes app to Alexa was as simple as opening the Alexa app and adding the skill. Alexa integration works flawlessly with a lag of only a few seconds. My wife and kids love this.

What I like

  • Well-constructed
  • Easy configuration
  • Capable app with many timing and automated control options
  • Alexa  and IFTTT integration

What needs to be improved?

  • City list in other supported languages (English, German and, Japanese are stated, but not available) is needed.
  • Fahrenheit temperature settings would be welcomed.

Final thoughts

I found the Geekbes WiFi smart plugs to be reliable, convenient and simple to set up. While some enhancements to the app would be welcomed, the system performed well. I am also particularly fond because my daughter has the habit of leaving every light in the house burning. From outside, my house looks like a cruise ship. Being able to turn lamps and other devices off without chasing my daughter all over the house is priceless.

Price: $29.99 for a pack of two
Where to buy:Amazon
Source: Geekbes

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Geekbes USB Smart WiFi Plug review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 23, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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