These zippered pouches were designed by a soldier to organize your EDC gear

How do you carry your favorite EDC gear? Is everything dumped into the bottom of your backpack or messenger bag where it’s hard to find? If you would like to improve your daily gear organization, check out these zippered pouches from Bond Travel Gear. They were designed by a soldier and world traveler, Chris Elfering.

The Bond bags that are made of 1000D ballistic nylon and feature YKK auto locking zippers. There are two bags to choose from. There’s the Dash dopp kit that has been designed to hold your toiletries and other bathroom gear, and the Escapade small gear bag that holds everything else.

The bags are abrasion and water resistant, have double-stitched zippers and double-stitching on stress points. A carabiner is included so you can hang the DASH anywhere.

The Bond pouches are backed by a lifetime guarantee and are priced from $39 for the Escapade and $44 for the Dash. You can find out more at bondtravelgear.com and order from Amazon.

Aurga DSLR Assistant, SUPRA TAG credit card multitool, Klips money clip, and more – Notable crowdfunding posts

This week we are bringing you five interesting crowdfunding campaigns from Kickstarter. We have gadgets for photographers, gadgets for EDC fans, coffee lovers, and more. Check out our picks for this week’s notable crowdfunding campaigns.

Aurga, World’s First Smart DSLR Assistant & Cloud Storage

Blurb by Ryan Pagel

What is it?
The Aurga-Smart Camera Assistant & Personal Cloud Storage device is a multifunctional gadget that connects your DSLR camera to your smartphone and the cloud.

Why do I like it?
When you have paired this with your phone and the app it is a remote for your camera’s shutter and also allows you to see the camera’s field of view on your phone. The battery allows you to charge your phone in a pinch and the detachable USB stick houses the SD card and can be easily removed to plug into your computer or you can automatically upload your pictures to the cloud. The app is very intuitive and is great for taking pictures when you are not behind the camera.

Drawbacks
The whole thing is pretty big and makes a noticeable difference in weight and balance of the camera when it is attached. WiFi SD card’s are available that gives the same functionality of uploading photos to the cloud or my computer if that is all you are wanting and don’t want to use something of this size or don’t need the remote functionality. The Aurga attaches where your flash would so they cannot be used at the same time.

Conclusion
I like this device and it offers a lot of additional functions to help you get the shot your looking for. The size is a bit big for me to keep this on my camera all the time and I see myself only using it in those occasions where I want to have my phone act as my viewfinder. It is definitely a niche-filling device so if the features fit your needs, I would recommend this. It is a quality product and the app software is easy to use right away.

Where can I find more info?
The Aurga campaign ends on 3/7/2018 and they have already met their funding goal of $20,000. You can pre-order an Aurga starting at $89. After the Aurga campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in May 2018. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

SUPRA TAG – Credit card multifunctional plier full Titanium

Blurb by Andy Jacobs

What is it?
The SUPRA TAG is a credit card-sized toolkit that includes a beefy pair of pliers in addition to other tools in a small, lightweight size.

Why do I like it?
You’ve seen other credit card-sized toolkits before, even some here at The Gadgeteer, but many of these have included more delicate, smaller tools for less demanding work. The SUPRA TAG not only folds down into a credit card size, it also includes what appears to be a pretty beefy set of pliers in addition to a screwdriver, knife blade, USB memory stick–in fact, it claims to have 14 tools total in a very small size. Plus, its made from lightweight Titanium.

Where can I find more info?
The SUPRA TAG campaign ends on February 28. To date, it has raised over $13,000 of its $20,730 funding goal with 83 backers. Pledge pricing starts at $72 and increases from there (but note that the first pledge tier doesn’t include drive bits or USB stick) and estimated delivery is September 2018. Visit the SUPRA TAG – Credit card multifunctional plier full Titanium Kickstarter campaign site for more info or to become a backer.

SNOW-C | Charge Your Phone Wirelessly In Your Pocket

What is it?
The SNOW-C is a water-resistant jacket that features a flexible 15W wireless charger in the pocket that can be used to charge qi-enabled smartphones like the iPhone 8, X, Samsung Galaxy devices, and others.

Why do I like it?
I’ve been a big fan of wireless charging for years and love any kind of tech that allows me to keep my smartphone’s battery topped off when I’m out and about.

Where can I find more info?
The SNOW-C campaign ends on 2/18/2018 and they still have work to do before they can reach their funding goal of $12,000. You can pre-order a SNOW-C jacket starting at $149. After the SNOW-C campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in March 2018. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

ESPRO Ultralight Travel Press| Caffeinate & Hydrate Anywhere

Blurb by Andy Jacobs

What is it?
ESPRO is both a lightweight, compact, durable-looking coffee press that can also be used as hydration bottle while on the go.

Why do I like it?
I like my java, and I like the idea of being able to brew it anywhere, while on-the-go or off the beaten path, and also to keep it piping hot. ESPRO fulfills both of these wants, but also give the ability to just fill it with water and keep it cold as well. It features double micro-filters to reduce brew sludge, a 16oz-capacity vacuum-sealed insulated bottle and a threaded, leakproof carry lid—and the whole thing only weighs 9.5oz. ESPRO is available in grey, black and stainless steel.

Where can I find more info?
The ESPRO campaign ends on February 16. It has already met the funding $20,730 funding goal with over 800 backers. Pledge pricing starts at $25 (though this level is already sold out) and increases from there. Estimated delivery is May 2018. Visit the ESPRO Kickstarter campaign site for more info or to become a backer.

Klips – Ban the Bulge!

What is it?
Klips is a plastic money clip that can hold 1-3 plastic credit cards and a folded bill.

Why do I like it?
This money clip is about as minimalist as you can get without using a rubber band or a binder clip and I like that. I also like that it comes in a variety of colors instead of only every man’s favorite color of black 🙂

Where can I find more info?
The Klips campaign ends on 2/11/2018 and they still have quite a bit of work to do before they can reach their funding goal of $4,398. You can pre-order a Klips money clip starting at $18. After the Klips campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in March 2018. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

Skyroam, Contour Design Unimouse, Ember Mug, and more – Review updates

Today we have another selection of past reviews that we’ve updated. What are review updates? They are quick blurbs added to the end of our past reviews where we comment about how the product has performed since the review was originally posted or since the previous update. You can click the links below and scroll to the bottom to see the newest update.

RapidX Ferrino gaming and lifestyle chair review by Julie Strietelmeier

Skyroam SOLIS 4G LTE Global WiFi hotspot review by Julie Strietelmeier, update by William Ray Jr.

Contour Design Unimouse mouse review by Julie Strietelmeier

CanDroid Review by Julie Strietelmeier

Ember Ceramic Mug review by Julie Strietelmeier

Posted by / February 2, 2018 / Posted in Reviews

Ditch your boring wireless charger with a stylish Cooper Ecostand Qi wireless charging stand

Slowly but surely Qi charging is being integrated into more of our personal devices. With the iPhone 8 and X having Qi charging, more companies are looking to take advantage of the upswing in Qi charging technology. One of the easiest ways to take advantage of this charging method is charging stands. There are a lot of these stands on the market today, but I have noticed that there seems to be a lack of style in most of them. Cooper Cases has changed that with their introduction of the Cooper Ecostand Qi wireless charging stand. The Cooper stand is made of aluminum and rosewood, not boring plastic like a lot of current Qi charging stands. With a triple coil charge plate for a wider charging area and an ergonomic stand design (allowing you to comfortably read your device while it is charging), the Cooper Ecostand Qi wireless charging stand has style. At a price of $29.95 from the Cooper Case web site, you can afford to Qi charge in style.

FIXD car health sensor review

Have you ever had the check engine light on your car’s dash light up and wondered what it meant but didn’t know if you should call a mechanic right away? I’ve been having that same question lately with my MINI Cooper. Sometimes when I start the engine, I’ll see an icon of a car on a lift show up on my dashboard. The info in my manual about that light isn’t very detailed and my dealer is over 70 miles away, so I’ve been ignoring the light because it will sometimes go away for days at a time before lighting up again.

When I was asked If I would be interested in reviewing the FIXR OBD car sensor, I was happy to check it out with hopes that it would solve my dash light concerns. Let’s see if it has.

What is it?

FIXD is a small sensor that plugs into your vehicle’s OBD sensor and then pairs with your smartphone and an app to display information about check engine lights, maintenance requirements, and more.

Design and features

The FIXD is a small white plastic sensor with two rows of pins. This adapter plugs into the OBD-II port on your car which is usually located under the dash. The FIXD sensor is compatible with gas-powered cars that were manufactured after 1996. This adapter will not work with all-electric or diesel vehicles.

Installation and usage




To install and use FIXD, you have to download the iOS or Android app on your mobile device and then follow the prompts in the app that tell you to register and then plug in and connect to the sensor with your phone. FYI: the app requires that you create an account to use it which is kind of annoying considering every gadget we buy these days requires an account and password to be created just to use it.

When prompted, you plug the FIXD sensor into the OBD-II port on your car. On my MINI Cooper, the port is under the dash near the driver’s side door.




Once plugged in, the app will search for the FIXD sensor and connect to it. This can take around 30 seconds and happens every time you launch the app. The first time you run the app, you are prompted to enter the mileage and then the app will report if there’s a check engine light on and is supposed to tell you what that light means. That’s actually the only light this product can help with. It can’t help you with other dash lights like TPMS, ABS, Airbag, Maintenance lights, Stability Control, etc which are only accessible through manufacturer-specific information. But there’s a screen in the app that shows other lights and what they might mean. That screen didn’t include the dash light that I have been seeing on my car.

The FIXD app is also supposed to alert you when it’s time for an oil change and other regular maintenance tasks.

 


The app has a screen where it looks like it will let you see the tire pressure in each tire. My MINI Cooper has built-in warnings when it detects if the pressure is low, but the FIXD app didn’t show any pressure info when I tapped the tires. It just prompted me to do the penny in the tire tread test so it could compute when I might need new tires. Disappointment #1.

I wasn’t interested in being reminded when to change my oil or when to get new tires. I already have reminders to schedule an oil change built into my car. I was only interested in figuring out what the light on my dash meant. Unfortunately, the light on my dash was NOT a check engine light, so the FIXD adapter was not able to help me. Bummer. Disappointment #2.

After some digging, I think I figured out that my problem may be due to my MINI’s battery which is the original battery that was installed in the 2013 model when I bought it.

I used the FIXD app to check the resting voltage of the battery and it showed 11.6 V which I learned is low considering I’d just driven for about 20 minutes before checking it. Funny thing is that the app didn’t warn me that my battery might be bad with that reading. Disappointment #3.

What I like

  • Easy to install
  • Maintenance reminders (if you need them)
  • Displays resting battery voltage test
  • Supposed to tell you what the check engine light means

What needs to be improved

  • Slow to connect to the sensor
  • Didn’t warn me when my battery’s resting voltage was low
  • Only reports check engine light issues and not other dash lights
  • Have to create an account to use it

Final thoughts

The FIXD sensor seems like it would be a cool car gadget, but it doesn’t do much that’s useful until you actually have a check engine light come on. I’ve been using this sensor in my car for weeks and haven’t had a check engine light and the FIXD sensor can’t tell me what the other light on my dash means. That and the fact that the sensor can’t tell me my tire pressures or warn me that my battery is low doesn’t really inspire confidence that it will even be able to help me in the event that the check engine light on my dash actually does come on.

I can’t say that the FIXD sensor is a complete waste of money because I am unable to test that its main feature even works. But from what I was able to test, I’m not impressed and can’t recommend buying one.

Price: $59.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by FIXD.