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Take well-constructed notes in this blueprint-paper notebook

NEWS – When I was in college – and even now, if I’m honest – I loved using graph paper for taking notes.  I loved the close spacing so I could pack a lot of info on a single sheet of paper.  And I was a chemistry major who took a lot of math classes, so I’m not ashamed to say I just love the look of graph paper.  These BLU Notebooks take grid paper to a new level by giving it the distinctive blue color of blueprints – but without the smell of ammonia that actual blueprints have.

BLU Notebooks are filled with acid-free, FSC- and SFI-certified paper.  The paper has a smooth finish that still has a velvety feel of actual blueprint paper.  The grid is a 10:1” grid within a finer 2:1″ grid.  Although I’m not fluent in paper-speak, the paper also has 160m text / 4 points of thickness.  The pages aren’t quite traditional notebook size at 8.25” X 11”.  The notebook has cardboard covers and a spiral binding, so it can lay flat.

BLU says you should use an opaque white or bright coloured gel or paint pens for a true blueprint appearance,  but standard ballpoint pens and other writing instruments will work.  Each notebook comes with a Sakura White Gelly Roll 10 Bold Gel Pen to get you started.

Each BLU Notebook is $16.39 USD.  Shipping from Canada is $4.50 USD.  Order your notebook from the BLU Notebooks website.

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Take well-constructed notes in this blueprint-paper notebook originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 3, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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Ten One Design Stella illuminated laptop charging cord review

REVIEW – Have you ever seen a new product and thought wow, why didn’t someone think of that a long time ago? That’s what I thought of the first time I saw the Stella illuminated laptop charging cord from Ten One Design.

What is it?

The Ten One Design Stella illuminated laptop charging cord is a premium charging cable that has the coolest feature you never knew you needed – a built-in light.

Design and features

The Stella laptop cord is currently available in two versions. One for Apple MacBook charging adapters (as you can see above) and some iOS adapters rated for 10 watts or higher and another version made for Windows laptop charging adapters with 2 prong cables. Soon Ten One Design will offer another PC version of the cable for 3 prong Mickey Mouse style power cables. You can also buy the Stella cables in either blue (like the one I’m showing here) or aqua.



The cord itself is a thick but flexible 6-foot cord with a soft braided nylon cover. The 2 prong plug has a polycarbonate shell that is attached to the cord at a 45-degree angle and has a built-in LED above the prongs.

On the opposite end of the cord is the connector that attaches to the Apple MacBook charging adapter. This connector has a slide out clip that is designed to hold the end of the cord when it has been wound around the charging adapter.

Installing the Stella cord

To use the Stella cord, you just take your Apple MacBook charging adapter and remove the 2-prong folding adapter attached to it.

Your existing MacBook folding 2-prong adapter slides out of the charger for easy removal.

Then the Stella adapter attaches to the MacBook adapter with a perfect fit.

Witchcraft or science?

The magic happens when the Stella plug is placed near an outlet. The LED above the prongs on the plug lights up.

The light provides just enough illumination so that you can see to plug in the cord when you’re in the dark or a dimly lit environment. But it does this without the aid of a battery. It’s like it’s using power from the air… and actually, that’s exactly what it’s doing. Stella uses patent-pending technologies to detect faint electrical fields present near common household electrical receptacles. I found that it will even light up sometimes when you’re not even near an outlet. Or maybe I just have an electrical personality!

You’re probably wondering if the LED stays lit when the cord is plugged into the outlet. No, it doesn’t. It just lights up for about 5 seconds and then automatically turns off.

When you’re not using the cord, you can use the built-in clip to keep things neat and tidy.

What I like

  • Works like magic without batteries
  • Provides light so I can see to plug in the cord when it’s dark

What needs to be improved

  • Expensive

Final thoughts

Ten One Design Stella illuminated laptop charging cord is definitely cool as heck but is it worth paying $35 to switch out your existing power cord just to get a little light? That’s the obvious question, isn’t it? It all comes down to if you use your laptop charging adapters in dimly light areas on a frequent basis and if you have problems orienting the plug into the receptacle when you do. I’m trying to figure out the last time I needed light to plug in a cord and I nothing comes to mind but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t people out there that could use a cord like this every day. If you’re one of those people, the Stella cord might be perfect for you. But most people will probably just think it’s cool and move on.

Price: $34.95
Where to buy: Ten One Design and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Ten One Design.

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Ten One Design Stella illuminated laptop charging cord review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 2, 2018 at 12:00 pm.

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Gadgeteer Team EDC 2018 updates – Alex Birch

ARTICLE – It’s always fun to see what is in someone’s pack. Here’s what I travel with on a daily basis.

What is that and where can I get one?

  1. MacBook Pro

    1. Lego baseplate

      • Allows me to get my lego fix daily as I use any of the items I’ve stuck on there
      • I’ve been running this system for probably 10 years and it’s started more conversations than anything else
      • Trimmed by hand and held on with Nitto double stick tape
      • All connected items have flat-top lego pieces stuck on the bottom with 3M VHB tape
    2. Seagate Backup Slim 2GB USB 3.0 drive with Cable Creation USB 3.0 to USB-C cable

      • 1GB partition for a full time-machine backup and the other for data storage and music library
      • Swapped out the one that came with the Seagate so it would work directly on MacBook if needed
    3. Satechi Aluminum TypeC Hub Adapter

      • 2 USB 3.o, 2 USB-C, micro and SD slots and HDMI
      • Ports also serve as cable/drive storage spots when not in actual use
    4. 32GB Leef USB drive with a zipper pull from Solo NY backpack
    5. Thinoptics Reading glasses

      • I’m getting old and now need reading glasses. This keeps them on me.
  2. Lamy Swift pen

    • Love the way this thing writes
  3. Fisher X-Mark Bullet Space Pen

    • Works when everything else won’t
  4. United Bees Meeting Notebook

    • Also usually have their Gantt and ToDo notebooks on me as well
    • Found these in a Singapore mall stationary store
  5. Crank Brothers Y16 Multi-tool

    • I ride a bicycle multiple times a week and this has the tools I need
  6. Yoobao battery pack with Anker Powerline II USB cable
    • Inexpensive and works, but no longer available with Lightning
    • Had to upgrade the cable
  7. Airpods with ACOUS ear gels and Elago Cable Button

    • I really like my Airpods, but they don’t fit my ears at all (not even close)
    • The ACOUS ear gels solved that problem completely
    • The cable button sticks to the Airpods case and gives the gels a home
  8. MacBook Power adapter and Power Trend Magnetic USB-C Charging Cable
    • I really missed Apple’s magnetic connector
  9. Stanley water bottle with requisite stickers
  10. iPad Pro 9.7″ in iVapo folio case with Apple Pencil
  11. Marmot PreCip Jacket

    • Lightweight rain/wind jacket.
    • San Francisco is notorious for sudden weather changes.

The Bag it all goes in

Mission Workshop R6 Field Pack

This is a great modular pack with interchangeable pouches and pockets. The Commuter is closest to what I’m running here. It’s crazy comfortable even when overloaded. The Arkiv hardware is metal which is awesome but compounds the empty weight when you keep adding pouches. @MissionWorkshop – Please make some glass-filled nylon hardware!

Other items that find themselves in/on the bag frequently…

Bern bike helmet, Various bike locks, Patagonia hooded puffy, Dainese moto gloves, Ten-One Mountie Plus, Assorted carabiners, A’s ballcap (Go A’s!)

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Gadgeteer Team EDC 2018 updates – Alex Birch originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 2, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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This tea infuser isn’t cute, but it doesn’t require washing

NEWS – Over the years, The Gadgeteer has featured a lot of cute tea infusers for making a cup of tea.  The T-Sac Tea Filter isn’t cute like those infusers.  It’s a single-use, disposable paper bag that’s suitable for steeping all types of loose teas.  The bag is made of paper fibers that don’t interfere with brewing but prevent sediment and small leaves from passing through into your cup.  You can blend teas to make your own flavor, or you can add spices for brewing.  Fill the bag, fold over the top, steep, then toss the infuser bag.

T-Sac bags are made in Germany from all-natural, unbleached paper with no chemicals or artificial ingredients to taint the flavor of the tea. They are environmentally sensitive, completely biodegradable, and fully compostable.  A package of 100 1-cup T-Sac Tea Filter bags is $6.64 at Amazon.

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This tea infuser isn’t cute, but it doesn’t require washing originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 2, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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TREBLAB X5 Earbuds review


REVIEW – As the beat goes on along with what has now become my obsession with finding the absolute best wireless Bluetooth earbuds that work for me, I jump at every opportunity to test and review these devices. Here is another experience. Let’s see what happened!!

What is it?

The Treblab X5 Bluetooth Wireless Earbuds are similar in function to other such devices, but these have a form factor that is more like the Apple Airpods design, and they use Beryllium speakers to produce their sound.

What’s in the box


1 x Pair of Treblab X5 Earbuds
1 x Charging Case
3 x Pairs of Ear-fins
3 x Pairs of Eartips (I got 6 pairs in my set)
1 x Micro USB Charging Cable
1 x Instruction Booklet
1 x Warranty card

Design and features


Specifications:

  • Bluetooth 4.2
  • Chipset: CSR Qualcomm
  • Noise-Cancellation: Passive, cVc 6.0
  • Playtime: up to 6 hours + 4 additional charges with Charging Case
  • Charging time: 2 hours
  • Water resistance: IPX4
  • Phone Calls: Built-in Mic
  • Signal range: 33 feet
  • Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz

The earbuds come in a nice compact charging case, that has internal contacts for charging and an on/of button for charging the earbuds. With the case facing you as in the picture below, the right earbud charges in the left slot and the left in the right.


Each earbud has 2 charging contacts and 2 function buttons.


On the front of the charging case from left to right, there are 2 charging indicator LEDs, one for each earbud, a micro USB port for charging, and an on/off button.

Performance

These earbuds arrived fully charged. I took them out of the case and turned them on while holding down the power button the right earbud that put them into pairing mode. Pairing is straightforward and easy.

Functions:
Right Earbud:
Power button (+): Power On/Off, Play/Pause, Volume Up/ Answer Phone Call
Mode button (-): Volume Down, Reject Phone Call, Hang Up Phone Call, Siri/ Google Voice Assistant

Left Earbud:
Top button: Power On/Off, Play/Pause, Previous Track
Bottom button: Next Track

These earbuds are really great sounding. the highs, mids, and lows are well balanced, and there is enough of a volume range for just about every type of listening situation and genre. I tested them with jazz, easy listening, gospel, soul, rock, and reggae and they were outstanding in every way and for each genre, There is very little to no distortion, at least none that was the fault of the earbuds. One important factor to enjoy the full potential of these earbuds is to make sure that you try the various ear tips and choose the right ones that not only fit comfortably but also provide a seal with your ears. Not only will this allow you to enjoy the full frequency range of the music and potential of the Beryllium speakers, but also you will gain the full effectiveness of the Noise Cancelling ability.

Treblab specifications boast playtime up to 6 hours with 4 additional charges via the charging case. It has been my experience, that the specs are not only true, but I likely got a bit more out of each charge. The X5 earbuds are also water resistant. Contrary to my personal issues with using earbuds for phone conversations, these earbuds performed well for me and I was able to not only hear the other party clearly, but they could hear me albeit that I had to speak a bit louder than my normal volume. I always reiterate in my reviews that I think my issue with earbuds and phone use are personal and not truly reflective of the ability of most earbuds.

The picture below shows the case while being charged with the earbuds in it also being charged. The blue LEDs oscillate back and forth while the red LED remains steady.


The following is a video showing the LEDs movement back and forth as both the earbuds and the case are being charged. If the power button is pressed off to stop charging the earbuds, the red LED remains on indicating that the case alone is being charged.

What I like

  • The number of included ear tips to accommodate comfort
  • The sound
  • Did I mention the sound?
  • The compact size and weight
  • Charge lasts a long time

What can be improved

  • The form factor is still a bit dorky much like the Airpods
  • Could be slightly more comfortable: Because of the form factor, you always feel their presence in your ears

Final thoughts

When I first saw these earbuds, I was intrigued because of the design, and the similarity in style to the Apple Airpods. I have to be completely honest, that based on the price and the brand name that I had never heard of, I did not expect much. Boy!! was I wrong!! These earbuds come with enough ear tips to ensure a perfect fit, and they sound absolutely amazing for anything less than what is considered to be “true” Audiophile. So far on this testing journey of mine, I have reviewed some major and well-known brands and models. While several of them are really good, when comparing them in categories like “most reliable connectivity”, and “sound”, these most reasonably priced earbuds have edged out all others to currently occupy the pole position all by themselves. Very well done and two thumbs up!!

Price: $79.97
Where to buy: treblab.com  or Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Treblab.

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TREBLAB X5 Earbuds review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 2, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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