NEWS – There is a multitude of smartphone grips on the market today. The Monet 3-in-1 smartphone grip is just a little different. It not only acts as a grip for your smartphone but, it also doubles a wallet and kickstand.
Monet is made of leather and adheres to the back of your smartphone using a 3M adhesive backing that won’t leave residue when removed.
The slim profile wallet pocket is capable of holding up to 3 cards or cash. And the slide-out grip slides flat when your phone is in your pocket.
The grip can also be used as a convenient kickstand. Perfect for video calls or watching movies or videos.
Because the Monet 3-in1 grip is made of leather, it adds a bit of luxury to your phone. And it’s available in a bevy of different colors to match your phone or case. The colors include Dark Teal, Lilac, Peach, Steel Grey, and Underwater Blue.
The Monet 3-in-1 smartphone grip sells for $19.95 and is available on The Grommet.
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REVIEW – Back in January of this year, I reviewed the Rowkin’s Micro Wireless earbuds and liked them quite a bit. So I was happy when Rowkin recently asked if I would be interested in reviewing their latest Micro Touch Bluetooth earbuds. I didn’t hesitate to accept their offer because I thought newer meant that they would be even better than their previous version. Was my assumption correct? Let’s find out.
What is it?
Rowkin Micro Touch wireless Bluetooth 5.0/Bluetooth BLE earbuds are exactly what you would guess that they are. They are earbuds that connect to your mobile device via Bluetooth and don’t have a cable that connects the left earbud to the right earbud.
What’s in the box?
A Pair of Bluetooth Earbuds
Charging Case
USB Charging Cable
Ear Tips: Small, Medium, Large
Design and features
Except for a smaller battery charging case, the new Micro Touch earbuds do not look much different than the previous generation of Rowkin’s wireless earbuds. That is until you look closely at the earbuds. Then you notice that the small bullet style earbuds lack the multifunction button on the end of each bud. Instead, all you find is the Rowkin logo and a tiny LED.
The reason why these Bluetooth earbuds don’t have a physical button is that they are controlled by touch. All the features that were accessible by pressing the button on the older earbuds are now accessible by tapping, double tapping, triple tapping, and even touch and holding. But more about that in a minute.
Let’s get back to the battery case. As I mentioned earlier, the battery charging case that is included with the new Rowkin micro touch earbuds is smaller than the previous case. This black plastic case holds the earbuds in place with magnets and has a spring loaded cover.
I like the case except for two things. First, it’s a little difficult to remove the earbuds because only about a quarter inch or so of the earbuds stick out from the slots. If your fingertips are dry, it makes it tough to get a grip on the ends of the earbuds to extract them.
The other issue that I have with the battery charging case is that you can’t see through the lid on the case to see the charging status of the earbuds like you could with the previous case. You have to open the lid to check if the LEDs are pulsing red while charging or have turned off to mean that charging has completed.
Fit, comfort, and sound quality
As far as fit and comfort, the Micro Touch earbuds are no different than previous versions of Rowkin’s earbuds. If you tried them before and they didn’t work/fit in your ears, this new version will not be any different. For me, they fit pretty well except that I am never able to get a good seal on the right earbud due to something weird with the shape of my ear. If you can’t get a good seal then music will not sound as good. This is especially true for music with a lot of bass. Without a good seal in your ears, bass will be sorely lacking.
If you can get past the lack of bass, do they sound ok? Not really. I don’t have the previous version of the Rowkin earbuds to compare with, but from daily testing with Spotify, Google Music, Amazon music, YouTube, and Netflix, I have been disappointed in the sound quality of these earbuds. They just sound blah to me no matter what I listen to.
Don’t touch me there!
And then there are the touch features. That has to be cool right? Wrong. I hate them. Yes, that’s a strong thing to say but that’s how I feel. For one thing, when you have the earbuds in your ears, the touch-enabled surface can be partially blocked by your ear like it is for me (see image above). So, when I try to tap the earbud, I’m only able to tap half of it and the earbuds rarely recognize what I’m trying to do if it’s something other than toggling between play and pause.
Then there’s the fact that you’ll need to remember that some touch commands have to be performed on the left earbud and some on the right earbud. Here are the commands that are supposed to work.
It’s frustrating when you have to pull out your phone to skip to the next song while you’re working out because the touch controls don’t work and you look like a moron tapping your ear over and over again with no results.
What I like
Small size
Charging case
What needs to be improved
Sound quality is mediocre
Hard to remove earbuds from charging case
Touch controls don’t work very well
Final thoughts
I wondered if I was being overly negative while working on this review but was “happy” to find out that another person shares my feelings. Our own Bill Henderson happened to see the pictures for the review when he was working on one of his own posts and he emailed and asked me if I liked the Rowkin earbuds. I summed up my feelings with three words: they completely suck. Bill had similar feelings. Sorry Rowkin.
Price: $119.99 Where to buy: Rowkin and Amazon Source: The sample for this review was provided by Rowkin.
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NEWS – Recently, we told you about the Tech Folio from WaterField. It was one of the products of their Next Generation Gear Case community design project, in which WaterField surveyed many of their gear-loving customers to help them design gear bags that people actually want and can use. The Tech Folio was a large pocket capable of holding a lot of gear, including a tablet. The next product from the community design project is the Tech Pocket, which is designed for the minimalist who carries only a few tech items.
The Tech Pocket reminds me of WaterField’s Finn wallets in a way. It, like the Finn, has a couple of interior pockets to hold smaller gear with an open center space to hold bigger items. It measures 7.50” x 4.75″ and weighs 4.3 oz. It organizes the small EDC items that don’t fit in your pockets in a pouch small enough to hand carry or stow in a larger bag as your organizer pouch.
The top of the bag opens like some coin purses I’ve seen, with two magnetic, hinged bars that bow open for access then snap shut and hold the bag closed. Inside, the soft, plush, cashmere-like lining protects your gear. A front zipper pocket gives easy access to earbuds or other often-used items.
Two loops on the ends allow you to attach a carabiner. They can also be used to attach the Tech Pocket inside another bag or even to attach a shoulder strap. It’s made of 1050-denier black ballistic nylon or of waxed canvas.
The Tech Pocket can be ordered today for $49.00. It will ship by August 31. Learn more at WaterField.
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REVIEW – I’ve been an avid gamer since I could pick up an Atari joystick. During the last decade, online gaming has exploded, and with it, the need for gaming headsets built for clear communication and long play sessions. That’s why I was stoked to try out the Stealth 300 Headset from Turtle Beach.
What is it?
The Turtle Beach Stealth 300 is a wired, amplified stereo gaming headset that provides clear, powerful audio as well as a sensitive, flip-down mic. In addition, the headset pipes in the mic audio, allowing you to hear and adjust the volume of your own voice inside the headset, avoiding talking louder than necessary.
Hardware specs
3.5mm Audio Connection compatible with PS4, PS4 Pro, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch as well as mobile devices
20Hz – 20kHz Speaker Frequency Response
50mm speakers with Neodymium magnets
Rechargeable 900mAh Lithium Polymer for up to 40 hours of gaming per charge
Flip-up Omni-Directional mic
Mesh Fabric Headband Material with Foam Cushioning
Over-Ear (Closed), Fabric (Black) Ear Cushion with Memory Foam Cushioning
What’s in the box?
Stealth 300 Gaming Headset
Micro USB Charging Cable
Quick Start Guide
Turtle Beach Sticker
Design and Features
The Stealth 300 is the first over the ear headset that I can recall being able to stand wearing for longer than an hour or so. I’ve owned several pairs of standard headphones and have always regretted those purchases, simply because they would end up hurting the top of my head, or press my glasses into my temples. But this headset is a different story.
The earphones fold to the side so it packs a bit flatter in a backpack.
It’s worth noting that this is a wired headset and that the wire is not very long, but that’s really a design feature since most of the situations you’d find yourself using it would be with a wireless PS4 or Xbox controller in your hand. The wire only has to reach down to your lap. It’s also compatible with the Nintendo Switch… I tested out the one game I had that used voice chat – Fortnite – and it worked very well.
Fit
The engineers who designed the fit of these headphones must have had the same issues with over the ear headsets as I had. Too much force on top of the head, causing discomfort rubbing against my hair, too much force against the frames of my glasses, and sweaty ears from ear cushions that seal in heat.
With the Stealth 300, I experienced none of those. I tried them in several-hour gaming sessions and they remained cool, comfortable and nearly weightless. The headband and ear cushions are breathable and wrapped in soft fabric. The ear cushions, in particular, feel like they have a double layer of foam, a softer foam that allows the frames of your glasses to interact with the material, and a layer of firmer memory foam to conform to the contours of your head.
This double layer of foam does allow for some sound leakage, though it’s not as bad as open-ear style headphones. Other people in a quiet room would be able to hear the sounds.
Sound Quality
I thought the sound quality was fairly impressive for the price range of these cans. They’re plenty loud, due to the amplified sound, powered by a rechargeable 900mAh battery. The headphones come with 4 built-in (but not customizable) EQ presets: bass boost, signature sound, bass and treble boost and vocal boost.
The volume control, mic volume, power and EQ settings button.
I personally didn’t hear much of a difference between the 4 settings, some slight changes in the amount of bass and treble, but I may need to test them some more under different non-gaming conditions, like listening to music or a movie.
I did watch one movie wearing the headphones and they sounded great. I think most movies and games are pretty heavy with the bass, anyway, so those big 50mm speakers pushed out some decent sound.
Microphone
A lot of thought was put into the way the microphone works. The flip-down mic is situated on the left ear and is activated once deployed in the down position. The mic turns off once it’s flipped up, in case you need to speak without broadcasting to your teammates.
The mic flips down with a snap. Flipping it back up disables it in case you need to have a quick chat with another human in the room.
One of my favorite features is something they coined as Variable Mic Monitoring. Anyone who has used a gaming headset with a mic attached knows all too well the muffled sound of their own voice shouting over gunfire, music, and explosions. Before you know it, you’re practically screaming at your own team trying to hear yourself over the chaos.
But with the Stealth 300, there is an additional control that adjusts the volume of the mic input being fed into the headphones. So when you talk, you hear your own voice inside the headset, sort of like a musician’s monitor. The omnidirectional mic is strong enough to pick up a nearby conversation and ambient noise, so if someone in the room is trying to get your attention, you’d be able to pick that up in your headphones as well.
What I like
very comfortable for extended use, even over glasses
audio feedback in the headset from the microphone is awesome
sound quality is great
What needs to be improved
some light sound leakage through the headphone cushions
Final thoughts
The Stealth 300 is an excellent headset, and without a doubt, the most comfortable I’ve ever come across. This headset can be purchased for Xbox One or PS4 in a color scheme that matches your hardware (Green for Xbox and blue for PS4), however, I believe either color will work with all of the compatible hardware. If you need a good wired headset with an excellent mic and comfort to spare, look no further.
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NEWS – Philips has announced a new fixture that can replace both the mirror and the over-mirror light in your bathroom. It can be used as general lighting for the room, and it can provide task lighting for shaving or applying makeup. The new Philips Adore bathroom mirror adds to your existing Hue bridge that controls all your other Hue lights. Just like those lights, the Adore mirror can be controlled using your smart phone app, Alexa voice commands, or with the included switch/remote control.
The switch mounts to the wall and is used to power the mirror on or off or to dim the light. The button bar pops off the mounting plate so you can use the remote to adjust the lighting while you’re relaxing in the bath.
The circular mirror has a 22″ diameter and protrudes 2.0″ from the wall. It uses a 40W LED bulb to produce 2400 lumens. The light color is 2200-6500 Hue White Ambiance. It can be adjusted from energizing white light to get you awake and ready for the day to a warm, relaxing light to help you wind down from a busy day while showering or soaking in the tub.
The Adore mirror was designed for the humid environment of a bathroom; it is DAMP-rated by UL. Philips says: “It was tested rigorously to ensure its water resistance. The IP level is described by two figures: the first one refers to the protection level against dust, the second against water. This bathroom light is designed with IP44: it is protected against splashing water, this product is most common and ideal for bathroom use.”
The Adore mirror isn’t yet available, but Hue says it will sell for $249.99. Learn more at Philips.
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