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Organized travel with the Everyday Dopp kit

Traveling is always better when you have all your gear with you and have it organized so you can always find what you need.  It doesn’t matter if you’re commuting to work with your EDC kit or if you’re traveling with your grooming kit, things are easier when you are organized.  The folks at Supply have a beautiful leather Everyday Dopp bag that can organize what you need to carry.

The Dopp bag has pockets for pens, razors, toothbrush, or the like.  The larger tray area holds bigger things, like bottles of toiletries, or headphones.  The removable zipper pouch holds cables, chargers, or even some glasses.  If you need more room in the tray area, you can remove the zipper pouch and carry it separately.

Supply says the kit is made from “nothing but 100% premium, extra-thick full grain leather from a premier tanner in Leon, Mexico. We never use bonded, genuine, or any other lesser quality leather.”  The leather is “tanned all the way through the hide“, which means the “leather lasts longer and looks better as it ages“.  Both the Dopp and the removable magnetic pouch use custom, quality YKK zippers.  The  flat clam shell profile makes the kit easy to throw in your everyday gear bag or into your suitcase.

The Everyday Dopp is available in midnight black, bourbon, or dark brown.  Supply is accepting pre-orders now for $189.00 (normal price is $219.00).  All orders containing the Everyday Dopp will ship in 6-8 weeks.  Learn more and place a pre-order at Supply.

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Organized travel with the Everyday Dopp kit originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 14, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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IOGEAR HVER RGB Aluminum Gaming Keyboard review

I’ve been a gadget geek all my life, and a computer gadget geek for over 36 years. I’ve had so many gadgets that I’m pretty used to everything from the mediocre to the fabulous. I have boxes of old keyboards, and I’m very picky about the kind I like – mechanical clicky of course! It’s not that often that I’m surprised with a gadget being of a very poor quality, but the IOGEAR HVER RGB Aluminum Gaming Keyboard succeeded in doing just that.

What is it?

The IOGEAR HVER RGB Aluminum Gaming Keyboard is an RGB multi-zone backlit keyboard with a brushed aluminum chassis and the ability for 3 user profiles and programmable keys.

What’s in the box?

  • IOGEAR HVER RGB Aluminum Gaming Keyboard
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Warranty Card


Design and features

The HVER keyboard has an open frame design with elevated keys that appear to “hover” above the brushed aluminum chassis. In addition to the standard HVER features like 26 anti-ghosting keys, Windows key lockout, and heavy-weight gaming base, the HVER RGB also adds the ability to program individual keys as macros for in-game use or shortcuts to system controls, PC functions, etc.


When I first plugged in this keyboard I wanted to see what I could do before I installed any of their software. Surprisingly all of the special function (FN) key options worked, except for the programmable keys of course. I was able to change all 13 of the backlighting effects. The backlighting was fairly good. I really liked the various options for the lighting:

  • Multicolor light dance
  • Multicolor breathing
  • Multicolor techno beat
  • Solid color fixed (7 colors)
  • Solid color rotation breathing
  • Solid color techno beat
  • Multicolor fixed




The lighting can be turned off, or set to one of three levels of brightness.

Then I installed the software. This is where everything went downhill.

First, neither the installer nor the app itself is digitally signed. On Windows, this causes windows to display the “Unknown Publisher” warning when launching, and for limited users, it can even prevent the software from running at all. In this day and age, signed installers and executable programs are a must.

With no instructions on how to use the software, it took me a few minutes to learn that you click on a function, then click on a key to assign it. That worked great. Then it took me a while to figure out how to undo that assignment. Turns out that you have to select Default, then the Default effect, and assign that to the key to restore the original keys function.

I didn’t notice exactly when, but I think when I clicked Apply, the app applied the settings (which is odd, since the changes already worked), but the backlighting on the keyboard stopped working. No amount of unplugging, restoring, rebooting, or resetting made it work again. The backlighting does flash when changing profiles, but it doesn’t stay on.

To make matters worse, the lettering on the keys are barely visible without the backlighting.






What I like

  • Function keys for lighting works without installing software
  • Windows Key Lockout feature

What needs to be improved

  • Software seems broken
  • Uneven key lettering backlighting on some keys

Final thoughts

This is a definite “don’t buy” unless you don’t want to customize any of the keys.

Price: $42.97
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by IOGEAR

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IOGEAR HVER RGB Aluminum Gaming Keyboard review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 14, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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myCharge celebrates Pride Month with a Limited-Edition Pride power bank

June is Pride Month, which commemorates the Stonewall Riots and the impact that LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, queer) people have had and are currently having on history. The folks at myCharge want to be part of Pride celebrations by offering a Limited-Edition Pride power bank that reflects the spirit of Pride Month by featuring distinctive artwork on the charger and by donating 5% of sales from the charger to The Trevor Project.

The Trevor Project is an organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13-24.

The Limited-Edition Pride power bank features a 4000mAh battery that can be recharged by plugging it directly into a wall outlet. That means you don’t need any extra cables. Just unfold the prongs and plug it in. With the built-in USB port, you can plugin your existing micro USB, USB-C, or lightning style cable to recharge your Android or iOS devices when you’re mobile or at one of this month’s Pride parades or festivals.

The Pride Limited Edition power bank retails for $34.99 and is available for purchase on Amazon. Use the code 5OFFPRIDE when you buy from Amazon and you’ll receive a $5 discount (valid until June 30th). For more information on myCharge products, you can visit www.myCharge.com.

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myCharge celebrates Pride Month with a Limited-Edition Pride power bank originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 14, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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Azpen DockAll D108 wireless docking station review

There are so many QI wireless chargers and Bluetooth docks available to consumers today, that manufacturers must provide well built, feature-packed devices to appeal to customers, and to win the battle to be the device of choice. Let’s see how this one “stands up”.

What is it?

The Azpen DockAll wireless docking station is a QI wireless fast charging dock with Bluetooth connectivity and hands-free phone capability.

What’s in the box


In the box, you will find the dock, the manual, the AC adapter,  and the warranty card.

Design and features

This Azpen dock is a well-built dock, with a good solid feel to it, and very nice features. When you first turn on the dock, there is a voice announcement that confirms that it is in Bluetooth mode and ready to be paired. Pairing is very simple. The dock appears as “DOCK ALL” in your Bluetooth settings, and once selected, it pairs immediately.

On the back of the dock, there are 2 USB charging ports that allow you to charge two devices in addition to the QI wireless charging capability. To the right of the USB charging ports, there is a micro SD port that allows you to insert a micro SD card as large as 64GB  with the music of your choice, and the dock will automatically play the music. The music controls on the front of the dock work for music played from the SD card as well. To the right of the micro SD slot, there is the power jack and to the right of the jack, there is the power button. There are air vents on both ends of the back of the dock.

On each side of the dock, there is a really nice sounding speaker. Together, the 2 speakers sound well-balanced and are loud enough to easily fill a 200 square foot room.

On the lower front of the dock, there are the controls for the music and sound, including volume up and down, track forward and backward, play/pause, the microphone, and the phone handsfree control.

When your phone is connected to the dock via Bluetooth, the handsfree function can be used for phone calls. When the phone or tablet is properly docked, there is a blue LED along the lower front of the dock that confirms the proper connection to the QI wireless charging pad. The ledge that the phone rests on is wide enough and deep enough to even accommodate a full-sized tablet.


What I like

I really like the build quality of this dock, and the sound it produces both for music and for phone calls. Its ability to play music from a micro SD card is a real bonus. The additional features of the charging ports work really well, along with the easy Bluetooth connectivity.

What can be improved

The only issue I encountered with this dock is that several times when I disconnected from the Bluetooth connection, it would randomly reconnect and my music or conversations would then be played via the dock, sometimes even when I was in another room. I am not sure whether the dock or my smartphone is to blame for this, but maybe a Bluetooth on/off button would be a good addition.

Final thoughts

The Azpen DockAll wireless docking station does enough of what it is designed to do well enough, that it is a good choice for an all-in-one solution of this kind. Its functions work well and with ease, and it seems like it would stand up to normal “wear and tear” for years to come. While its longevity is still to be determined, it now has a permanent place on the counter in my kitchen where my wife uses it to listen to music from her phone and to carry on her normal phone conversations while free to move around, because of the very capable handsfree function.

Price: $99.00
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: Sample for this review provided by Azpen Innovation

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Azpen DockAll D108 wireless docking station review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 13, 2018 at 3:40 pm.

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Is TableCoaster the ultimate anti-spill drink holder?

The same folks who created the CouchCoaster we told you about earlier this year have introduced the TableCoaster. Even when sitting on a flat, stable table top, it’s possible to knock your drink over – and always on your computer, phone, or important papers it seems.  That won’t happen with the TableCoaster.

Unlike a regular, flat coaster, the TableCoaster doesn’t just absorb moisture from the glass or prevent scratches on the table.  TableCoaster holds mugs, tumblers, bottles, and cans up to 3.5″ (90mm) wide, and it works for hot or cold drinks.  An inner sleeve acts as an adapter to tighten the fit for drinks up to 2.75″ (70mm) wide, and it removes to reveal a mug handle slot. The micro-suction base has a strong adhesive to hold the coaster firmly to a smooth surface.  It leaves behind no residue, and it can be re-used over and over again without losing any sticking power.  The inventor says the outer wall “deflects outside forces down to the base instead of side to side, ensuring drinks stay upright.”

You can use the TableCoaster indoors or outside, home or office, and even in a car or RV.  It’s available now at Amazon in the US in jet black or glacier white for $11.95.  Learn more at the TableCoaster website or order at Amazon.

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Is TableCoaster the ultimate anti-spill drink holder? originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 13, 2018 at 12:04 pm.

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