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2 new styles of backpack goodness from Bellroy!

NEWS – I love what Bellroy is doing with their innovative carry products; the Duo Tote Pack made my list of favorite products in 2017 (see the review here). Now they’ve added two 22-liter daypacks to their collection that give you a *bit* more room for your stuff.

The Shift (top left, $229) is a commuter pack for biking and walking. It features a water-resistant design and a flap-over style closure that can expand for larger loads when you need it like a messenger bag.  The Classic Backpack Plus (top right, $179) features a traditional U-shaped clam shell design with a bevvy of pockets and pouches to organize your laptop and work gear. Both feature the contemporary styling, the innovative design elements, and the unique material combinations that give Bellroy products their distinctive edge. They are also available in multiple colors.

Check ’em out at Bellroy’s web site!

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2 new styles of backpack goodness from Bellroy! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 14, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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The Gel Blade is a flexible new take on the traditional squeegee

It may just look like a big piece of silicone, but the One Pass Gel Blade will help with cleanup jobs from the driveway to the kitchen. This flexible silicone squeegee is perfect for cleaning water off your car, cleaning your shower door, or even whisking away messy kitchen spills.

The Gel Blade uses a patented Y-bar edge design that easily removes over 90% of standing fluids. It’s very flexible, making it perfect for working around edges and the ergonomic handle makes it easy to hold onto.

Because It’s made of medical-grade silicone, you won’t have to worry about mold or bacteria. To clean it just toss it in the dishwasher.

The Gel Blade is so versatile it can even be used to remove pet hair from upholstery. And because it won’t scratch it’s safe to use on any surface or paint

The One Pass Gel Blade comes in two sizes. The 9” size ($14.95) is great for kitchen spills and for smaller surfaces and the 12” size ($21.95) for larger jobs like drying cars and large windows.

The One Pass Gel blade is available on The Grommet.

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The Gel Blade is a flexible new take on the traditional squeegee originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 11, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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The Kwilt Shoebox Plus review


Not very long ago, I tested and reviewed the Kwilt Mini Shoebox, which is a device that allows me to transfer and/or backup any or all of the videos and photos from my phone or tablet to storage attached to this device via my network. I found it to be a very nice and useful gadget, but with some flaws. Just recently, Kwilt released the Kwilt Shoebox Plus and allowed me the honor of reviewing their upgraded device. So, here we go:

What is it?

The Kwilt Shoebox Plus allows you to transfer/backup your photos and videos from your phone or tablet, and to have access to them and any other media attached to the shoebox from anywhere in the world and at any time, as long as you have internet access.

What’s in the box



1 x Kwilt Shoebox Plus
1 x 64GB Thumb Drive
1 x Micro USB Power Adapter
1 x Quick Start Guide
1 x Additional Information Leaflet
1 x Ethernet Cable

Design and features

Much like the previous model, the Kwilt Shoebox Plus is a small and lightweight device that allows you to connect a relatively limitless amount of hard drive storage via its 4 built-in USB ports. You can transfer your pictures and videos from your mobile device to “free up” storage, or you can create a backup of your content. The device allows you to have access to the content from anywhere in the world as long as you have internet access and the app configured on your device. You can set up additional accounts for family and friends and others. You can display the photos and videos on a display via the HDMI port and hear any audio via the audio port.
On one of the long sides of this device, there are 3 ports. From left to right there is a power port, an HDMI display port and an audio out port.


On one of the short sides of the device, there are 4 USB ports and an Ethernet jack.

Performance

Once again, much like the previous model, the initial setup of the Kwilt was very easy right out of the box, with no issues at all. This time around, they provided a 64GB flash drive to get you started which as I stated in the first review, is simply amazing and a great gesture by the manufacturer. Since the app was already loaded on my devices, as soon as I connected the Kwilt Shoebox Plus to my network, it showed up as a second Kwilt in the app. (This time around, I connected the Kwilt via the Ethernet cable). The instructions were easy to follow, and since I had already created an account for the first Kwilt, in a few seconds, all was set and ready to go. When I opened the app, the first screen asked me to create a name and password for the new device.


Once I gave the device a name, (Unlike my first Kwilt, I just named this one Kwilt Plus), the next screen was the main screen with a thumbnail view of some of my photos/videos, and the icon in the upper left corner for the choices.


First I selected Manage Kwilt Shoebox to see what the app showed for my devices.


Once that selection looked good, I selected the choice to Transfer to Shoebox and both Kwilt devices were displayed for my selection.


This time around, when I selected the Kwilt Plus option to transfer my photos and videos together, I had no problem with the app. I selected the option to transfer all files including both videos and photos, and the process was flawless. When I tested the first Kwilt, whenever my phone went into sleep mode, the app would stop the transfer. This time around, the phone stayed awake and successfully completed the transfer.


Another great improvement and also a pleasant surprise is that unlike my failed efforts to contact support during my testing of the previous Kwilt device, on this occasion, I received the following email shortly after setting up the Kwilt Plus:


All of the functions included in the original Kwilt Shoebox are also included in this version. To see the review of the first Kwilt Mini Shoebox, click here: Kwilt Shoebox review.
In addition to the app functions to edit and share your photos, you can also perform the following functions:

  • The KwiltKeys photo keyboard for IOS allows you find any picture and place it into any relevant app.
  • The Kwilt for MS Office365 add-on allows you to find and insert any photos into Word or PowerPoint.
  • The Kwilt for MS Outlook add-on that allows you to find and insert any photos into MS Outlook.

What I like

  • The addition of wired Ethernet for this new model.
  • The great improvement of the functionality of the app.
  • The great improvement in the Customer Support function.
  • The addition of multiple USB ports for flexibility and expansion.

What can be improved

  • In my opinion, there is nothing to be improved. They got it right.

Final thoughts

The Kwilt Shoebox Plus is a great improvement to the first model and continues to be a really nice device that is designed to perform a very useful and convenient function. Just like its predecessor, it provides for virtually limitless storage for your mobile picture and videos, far beyond the built-in storage capacity of any phone on the market today. It continues to allow access to others persons of your choice, and with a bit of imagination, it can be useful in more ways than mentioned in my review, including as an example, when you get a new cell phone and you are switching from say Android to IOS. The Kwilt Shoebox Plus makes the process of safeguarding your priceless pictures and videos that are on your cell phone, easy and painless. I can’t wait to see what Kwilt comes up with next. In my opinion, this is a win.

Price: $119.00
Where to buy: Kwilt Shoebox Website.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Kwilt Shoebox.

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The Kwilt Shoebox Plus review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 11, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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Protect your student’s laptop with the iPearl cover from mCover

NEWS – Starting in junior year of high school, Rachel was encouraged to bring a laptop to school.  We’re an Apple family, and I didn’t want her (at the time) 11″ MacBook Air getting scratched up when thrown into her backpack with books, pencils, and who know what else.  I found a great snap-on hard cover from iPearl for that little Air, and she’s had one on each of her laptops since then.  Don’t worry if you don’t have a MacBook, because mCover has covers for many different laptops.

The iPearl mCover Hard Shell Cases are made of shatterproof, USA-made, high-quality DOW polycarbonate material.  The case consists of separate top and bottom covers that snap on and stay securely on the laptop.  (You’ll need to follow the directions for ease of installation and removal of the case.)  iPearl cases are available in a variety of translucent colors and in clear.  Rachel has always chosen the clear ones.

Her favorite feature is the pair of fold-down feet on the back of the bottom case.  The little bit of tilt when the feet are down makes the laptop more comfortable for her to see and use.  After a year or so of use, one of the feet broke off the Air case, and she immediately asked me to order her a new case.  Rachel is someone who doesn’t usually like cases on her electronics, so her request is a testament to how much she likes the iPearl case.  That little Air has long since been replaced, and she’s had an iPearl on both of the 13″ MBPs she’s had since then.

You can find the iPearl mCover Hard Shell Cases to fit a variety of MacBooks, Windows laptops, Chromebooks, and for the Microsoft Surface laptop at Amazon.  Prices vary from $12 – $25.

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Protect your student’s laptop with the iPearl cover from mCover originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 11, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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Julie’s gadget diary – The Huawei MateBook X Pro could actually replace my MacBook

ARTICLE – I have been using iMacs and MacBooks to do my Gadgeteer work for the past 13 years. I love the simplicity of macOS and although I use a Windows 10 laptop all day long at my day job, I’m always happy to go home and use my 12-inch MacBook. However, a few weeks ago my MB had to be admitted into the “hospital” to fix the keyboard and I was without it for 2 whole weeks. During that time I used a Windows notebook and I survived the experience quite well. So well in fact that it made me start thinking about my next notebook computer and if it will be a Windows notebook instead of another MacBook. One such Windows notebook to catch my eye lately as a potential replacement is the Huawei MateBook X Pro which I’ve had the opportunity to test drive.

I will let you know right away that if you came here to read a full review of the MateBook X Pro, that you’re going to be disappointed because this article is not a review. At least not in the traditional sense. You can read a bazillion reviews on other tech sites if that is what you’re looking for because talking about the ins and outs of hardware specs makes my eyes glaze over and might do the same for you. Nope, this article is going to be my general impressions after using this notebook for a few days to do the type of tasks that I do with my MacBook.

First of all, the Huawei MateBook X Pro is a gorgeous piece of hardware that looks and feels like a premium device. The brushed metal housing comes in either Mystic Silver or Space Gray. Hey, can they really call it that? 😉 I was sent the Space Gray version and it’s a looker. It looks like it has a blue or even purple tint to it in some light conditions. Regardless, it looks nice.

Then you open the display and wow. Super thin bezels and a gorgeous bright, vivid, crisp picture with 178-degree viewing angles. It’s a touchscreen too which I always forget about. There’s something about notebooks with touchscreens, I just can’t make myself touch the display. I guess it comes from years of knowing that doing so would leave smudges and could even harm the screens that keep me from wanting to use that feature.

This display blows my 12-inch MacBook away as far as resolution (3000 x 2000) which is a silly statement given the MateBook X Pro is 13.9-inches and my little MacBook is only 12-inches. Using the Huawei made me feel like I could easily do away with an external monitor, not that I really want to ditch my BenQ PD2710QC DesignView 27-inch Designer Monitor which I’ve been enjoying the last few months.

Besides macOS, what I love most about MacBooks are the keyboard (well at least until mine died!) and even more, the trackpad. I’ve tried several other Windows laptops over the years and the main thing that I hate about them is the trackpad. So I wasn’t expecting to like the Hauwei’s but I was pleasantly surprised by how roomy, smooth, tactile, and responsive it was. If trackpads were the main reason I’ve not switched back to a Windows computer, that excuse died when I started using the MateBook X Pro.

The backlit keyboard is also roomy and comfortable to type on. Another bonus is that it is spill proof. I wonder if that means that it is also dust proof… I’m looking at you Apple. The keys look very much like my MacBook’s keys as far as shape, color, etc. But the larger sized keys really make this keyboard a joy to type on if you’re a touch typist like I am. My fingers can absolutely fly on this notebook.

There are also two surprises hidden in the keyboard if you include the power button as part of the keyboard. The power button has a built-in fingerprint reader so you can turn on the notebook and sign in to the homescreen all with just one press.

The other surprise is hidden in the center function key above the 7 key. Press this key and a little camera pops up out of the keyboard. Nifty, but the only problem is that it’s not best angle if you have a double chin since the camera is pointing up at a very unflattering angle instead of straight at you.

Another plus is that even though the MateBook X Pro is thin and relatively lightweight at 2.93 pounds. It doesn’t skimp on ports either as there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB-C port, and a Thunderbolt 3 USB-C port on the left side of the notebook.

And on the right side is a USB 3.0 type A port for all of your legacy devices like flash drives, etc. The only thing missing is a card reader and another thing to consider is that the MateBook X Pro doesn’t have a fanless design. While using it, the fan did kick on a few times which reminded me just how much I hate fan noise. So that’s something to consider.

I have really enjoyed using the MateBook X Pro and I’m a little sad to send it back to Huawei. The battery life has been stellar, the display is killer, the Dolby Atmos speaker system is top notch, and the overall build quality is excellent.

As I’ve said many times in my other gadget diary posts, I do about 90% of my work in a web browser (my current favorite is Chrome) and the rest of my work is done in Photoshop and a few other apps like AirDroid, FileZilla, DayOne, ToDoist, etc. I’m not a gamer and don’t need to edit video all that often. So it all honesty, I can do the bulk of my Gadgeteer work in Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, or even Linux. So for me, when it comes to choosing hardware, it comes down to things like the keyboard, the trackpad, the display, available ports, size, weight, etc. Other than the built-in fan and that it runs Windows OS, I really like this notebook. A lot.

It would be nice if Huawei notebooks were available for people to see in person here in the US in stores like Best Buy because I bet they’d sell a lot more of them if people could touch and feel them. It can be scary to spend over $1000 on a computer without actually seeing one in person, but from the short time that I’ve spent with the Huawei MateBook X Pro, I am smitten with it. It’s a premium notebook that is on my short list of options when the time comes for me to upgrade.

When it comes to price, the MateBook X Pro starts at $1,199.99 which gets you the Intel Core i5 8th gen 1.60GHz CPU, 256GB SSD, and 8GB of memory. If you want to fully load it with an Intel Core i7 8th gen 1.80GHz CPU, 256GB SSD and 16GB of memory, that will set you back $1,499.99. Either configuration is less expensive than a 13-inch MacBook so if Windows OS is your preference, this notebook offers a great value and a real bang for your buck and should be considered if you’re needing to upgrade, buy a laptop for a kid going off to college, etc.

You can read all the specs and info about the Huawei MateBook X Pro on Huawei’s site and you can buy one from Newegg or Microsoft.com

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Julie’s gadget diary – The Huawei MateBook X Pro could actually replace my MacBook originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 10, 2018 at 4:10 pm.

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