Home 2019 August

How to Browse the Internet Anonymously with Garlic Routing

Garlic routing is an improved browsing technology that leverages multiple encryption routes to anonymize your Internet traffic from corporations, governments, hackers and ISPs. In this regard, it has a similar purpose as onion routing, which uses Tor-encrypted networks to deliver anonymity. However, there are a few key differences. In onion routing, the data passes through intermediary nodes which are peeled back one at a time much like an onion. Also, Tor uses bidirectional tunnels to ensure more efficient memory usage, low bandwidth overheads and centralized controls. What Is Garlic Routing? Garlic routing is an extension… Read more

How to Move Your Photos from Google to Amazon Photos

Most people are aware of the free photo storage offered by Google. However, many of you, even those of you who are Amazon Prime subscribers, don’t realize that Amazon has free unlimited photo storage, even of full-resolution RAW image files. With Google, you only get 15GB of storage if you don’t want the images to be compressed. If you compress the images, you can have unlimited storage, but the photos will not have the quality they initially did. If you would like to move your Google photos (or copy them for another backup), you’ll need to download them from Google and move them into the… Read more

CatTongue Grips non-slip phone grip review

REVIEW – Let’s face it, phones are as slippery as they are expensive. But what do we do? We buy these fancy phones that make our wallets cry, only to cover them up with a bulky and ugly case to protect them. There has to be a better way right? That’s where CatTongue Grips come in. Let’s check them out and you can be sure that no actual cat tongues were harmed in the making of this review.

What is it?

CatTongue Grips are specially designed peel & stick sheets of material that add “gription” to the back of your phone.

Design and features

CatTongue Grips are available in a variety of colors and patterns and in two sizes, Kitty cat and Tom cat. As you probably can guess, the Kitty cat size is 2.25 x 4.00 inches for smaller phones, while the Tom cat size is 2.50 x 5.00 inches for larger phones.

I was sent 2 of the Kitty cat size grips in gray and a cool blue/green gradient.

For this review, I used my Huawei P30 Pro which is insanely slippery. So slippery in fact, that Huawei includes a clear case with the phone. I used this freebie case for a long time and then one day I decided to be daring and took it off because I don’t particularly like cases. Long story short, The caseless phone slipped out of my fingers and fell onto the concrete floor in my garage from about waist high (I’m 5’6″). Luckily the screen didn’t break, but the fall did scuff up two of the corners. Needless to say, the case went back on. 🙁

But then I was offered the CatTongue Grip and the case came back off again because I like to live dangerously (sorta).

Each CatTongue is a flexible soft almost quilted sheet of plastic.

Although you think it would be sticky like a cat’s tongue, it really isn’t. Instead, it reminds me of one of those bottle gripper thingies that helps you grab the top of a bottle to open it.

Installing the Grip on the back of your phone is as easy as you would imagine it would be. Just remove the protective sheet over the adhesive…

And press the CatTongue Grip to the back of the phone. Done!

I was sure that a product that has been designed to “stick” to surfaces would a magnet for all manner of dust, dirt, hair, and fluff, but I am happy to report that I was wrong in that assumption. I insert and remove my phone from pockets all day long and nothing at all is stuck to it.

The Grip isn’t very thick which can actually be a problem because it’s not thicker than the camera bump on the back of my phone. That means that the phone doesn’t always lay flat so that the full surface of the Grip comes in contact with the surface that it’s placed on.

Even so, I was able to drive with the phone on my dash as you can see above. Even driving over potholes didn’t dislodge it. I didn’t see if stopping suddenly would cause it to fall though. I don’t drive around with my phone on my dash, but I have found that the Grip does add just enough gription for me to pull the phone out of my pocket without me worrying that it’s going to slip from my fingers and fall on the ground.

What I like

  • Easy to apply
  • Adds grip without being a magnet for dirt

What I’d change

  • Nothing

Final thoughts

This material is an interesting alternative to a case for people who don’t usually drop their devices. If you already use a case because you’re a clutz, I would not expect this product to change that and it should be obvious that it will not protect the corners or display of your phone if you do drop it on a hard surface. CatTongue Grips are easy to apply sheets of material that provide some extra grip to an otherwise super slippery device.

Price: $14.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by CatTongue Grips.

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CatTongue Grips non-slip phone grip review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 20, 2019 at 1:26 pm.

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How to Monitor Nvidia GPU in Linux

Even with one of the best Linux distros for gaming installed, you may still struggle with the performance of your GPU if it isn’t properly configured. Checking the management tool for your particular graphics card could help you determine if there are any problems or issues. If you have an Nvidia GPU, there are two tools on Linux to help you monitor its performance — NVTOP and Nvidia-SMI. Using NVTOP If you want to monitor the usage of your GPU in real-time, you’ll need to give NVTOP a try. You’ll need to be using the… Read more

TaoTronics SoundSurge 60 active noise cancelling headphones review

REVIEW – TaoTronics SoundSurge60 headphones have a comfortable design, Bluetooth connection and built-in microphone.

What is it?

These over-the-ear headphones come with noise-canceling capabilities and fold up nicely to fit inside their hard-shell carrying case. 

What’s in the box?

  • Headphones 
  • Carrying case  
  • User guide 
  • 3.5mm audio cable 
  • Charging cable

Hardware specs

  • Connection: Bluetooth 5.0 or 3.5 mm audio cable
  • Playing time per full battery charge: 30 hours
  • Charge time: 5 minutes for 2 hours of playing time
  • Battery: 2 lithium metal batteries included
  • Dimensions: 7.7 x 6.4 x 3.1 inches
  • Item weight: 9.8 ounces
  • Shipping weight: 1.15 pounds
  • Model: TT-BH060
  • ASIN: B07L5LPSQT

Design and features

Setup

Our headphones arrived charged and ready to use. 

Pairing them with Bluetooth was quick and easy, almost as simple as plugging in the audio cable (which also came with it). Of course, the nice part of the Bluetooth connection was that it made them wire-free, certainly a bonus for anyone using them for exercising or gaming.

The headband is adjustable and fits everyone in my family, from my husband who has a larger-than-average noggin to my 11-year-old. We agreed that the over-ear cushioning was very comfortable, even cushy enough to sleep with them on during a long airplane ride or road trip. 

The charging port is located on the left earpiece.

On the right earpiece are all of the other controls: The volume up/down toggle, the power button, the audio input jack and noise-canceling on/off switch.

Performance

The overall sound quality was pretty good. They weren’t as striking or awe-inspiring as higher-end models, but for this price point, the sound was good. There wasn’t any static, and music quality was clear and consistent.

Similarly, the microphone was embedded into the design, and it was clearer and easier to hear than just using a phone or computer mic when we tested it on a Facetime call.

You can flick the switch for noise-canceling, which glows blue to let you know it’s on.

Again, it wasn’t 100 percent perfect. My son could still hear road noise while we were driving, though it certainly softened the sound and kind of felt like you were in a tunnel. However, if he turned his music up, the road noise was effectively canceled out. 

Inside our house, it does a good job muffling but not completely eliminating household noises like the air conditioner, ceiling fan or water running. When my husband had music on, he couldn’t hear the ambient noise around him at all, but could still hear me clapping my hands behind him and our voices were audible but hushed. 

There is some residual noise if you are standing next to someone wearing these headphones, so if your tunes are cranked up, the folks around you will hear some of it. Take note if you’re planning to travel with these!

Besides that minor issue, the headphones are a good choice for travel, work or school because they’re good quality yet aren’t so pricey that losing them would cost you hundreds of dollars. 

Plus, they come with a zip-close, hardshell carrying case with a mesh compartment perfect for stashing your cords and chargers.

The battery life is amazing, which is another bonus for taking them on a road trip or even an overseas flight. We’ve been using the Surge 60 for weeks, among all four of my family members, and we’ve only had to recharge once. The website says these run for 30 hours per battery charge, and I believe it. They also say that 5 minutes of charging time gives you 2 hours of playing time, another great benefit for traveling, taking to class or work, or really for anyone who’s often on the go.

What I like

  • Comfortable fit
  • Long battery life
  • Convenient, high quality carrying case

What I’d change

  • More effective noise-proofing

Final thoughts

These are a solid pair of headphones, with decent noise-canceling and easy Bluetooth pairing.

Price: $69.99 ($5 off coupon available now on Amazon)
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by TaoTronics.

Filed in categories: Reviews

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TaoTronics SoundSurge 60 active noise cancelling headphones review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 20, 2019 at 11:00 am.

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