John – Page 824

Gift Guide: Bags and backpacks

What do you buy for a Gadgeteer who loves gear, but you’re not sure what new gear to get them? Easy, you buy them a stylish but functional bag or backpack to carry their gear. We’ve created a gift guide of unique, useful, bags and related accessories. Enjoy!

Backpacks

Price range $100+

Timbuk2 Muttmover and Muttmover Light backpacks

Inspired by an employee’s commute with their dog, the folks at Timbuk2 designed a backpack to give your dog a safe place to ride while you walk, bike, or hike. The Muttmover bags have a clip inside to keep your dog from jumping out, and there are pockets and pouches on the outside to hold the gear you and your dog need for a day out. The Muttmover seen in the photo above is designed for dogs up to 20 pounds. The Muttmover Light is available in two sizes for dogs up to 35 pounds.

Price: $118; $159-$179 for Muttmover Light
Read our post: He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother – er, dog – Part Deux
Where you can buy one: Timbuk2

Pad & Quill Roll Top Leather Backpack

This Pad & Quill backpack is made to last, with full-grain, tumbled American bridle leather; parachute-grade, UV-resistant nylon stitching; hand-pounded copper rivets; and solid nickel hardware. Inside is a dedicated pocket for an iPad Pro 12.9 or up to a 15″ laptop. The roll-top closure is weatherproof, and a side zipper makes it easy to quickly grab something from the interior. The Roll Top Leather Backpack has a 25-year warranty and a 30-day money back promise.

Price: $319.00
Read our review: Pad & Quill Roll Top Leather Backpack review
Where you can buy one: Pad & Quill

Price range $50 – $100

Alpine Division 2017 McKenzie Backpack

The Alpine Division 2017 McKenzie Backpack is a simple & well-constructed rucksack. While its roots are in outdoor adventures, its streamlined profile and sophisticated styling make it an excellent (and durable) business commuter as well. Its size is ideal as a daypack or a travel companion when you need some of that extra flexible space.

Price: $54.00
Read our review: Alpine Division 2017 McKenzie Backpack review
Where you can buy one: Amazon

North St. Bags Pioneer 12 Hip Pack

If you’re not a fan of backpacks or shoulder bags, consider a hip pack. Nope, they are not called fanny packs anymore and they are actually…wait for it… HIP!

Price: $65.00 – $77.00
Read our review: North St. Bags Pioneer 12 Hip Pack review
Where you can buy one: North St. Bags

Price range $10 – $50

Star Wars R2D2 Knapsack Backpack

This Star Wars backpack is probably better suited to children or the young-at-heart who doesn’t need to carry a laptop or a lot of heavy textbooks. It’s made of 100% polyester and has snaps and a drawstring closure. This officially licensed backpack is 14″ X 17″ and has adjustable straps that some reviewers say will even fit adults.

Price: $23.45
Where you can buy one: Amazon

Shoulder Bags

Price range $100+

Timbuk2 Sunset Messenger Bag

The Timbuk2 Sunset Messenger bag is available in acid-washed cotton denim exterior and has a casual air that works in most environments. It has premium trims and hardware; snaps and magnetized closures keep everything securely inside. The interior is lined with soft fabric to protect all your gear. A padded interior sleeve holds up to a 13″ laptop, and there’s plenty of room for your phone and other gear.

Price: $109
Where you can buy one: Timbuk2

Sena Cases Heritage Leather Commuter Bag

The Timbuk2 Sunset Messenger is more casual, but the Heritage Leather Commuter Bag from Sena Cases will be right at home in the most formal situations. The commuter is handmade from Heritage leather, which is vegetable-tanned and tumbled to develop a natural texture. It will darken with age and develop a natural patina. The bag has a shoulder strap and double grip handles. Inside, you’ll find a laptop compartment that accommodates up to a 15″ laptop, plus pockets for phones, notebooks, and other items. On the exterior, a zippered front pocket and a magnetically-closed rear pocket provide even more storage. The corners of the bag are reinforced, and the bottom is protected by metal feet. The bag is available in a light and a dark (shown) brown; both bags have gunmetal hardware.

Price: $369.95
Where you can buy one: Sena Cases

Waterfield Designs Maverick Laptop Messenger Bag

You can always expect compact, sleek designs from WaterField, and the Maverick Laptop Messenger Bag is no exception. It’s made of distressed, full-grain leather that will develop a richer patina with use, and has a 1.5″ webbing strap. The hardware is black metal screw studs and industrial-grade rivets. The interior is left unlined to show the beauty of the rawhide. There are two padded interior pockets for a laptop and a tablet. It’s available in black, chocolate, or grizzly leather and in a compact or full size to best fit your gear.

Price: $289 for compact; $319 for full
Read our review: Waterfield Designs Maverick Laptop Messenger Bag review
Where you can buy one: WaterField Designs

Price range $50 – $100

Tom Bihn Swift Bag

Several years ago, we reviewed the Tom Bihn Little Swift bag, which was a smaller size of the Swift bag designed by Tom for knitters. Turns out, the Little Swift was a great everyday bag, with room to hold everything needed for the day, including ebook readers for even an iPad in a Cache sleeve. The new iPad Pro 12.9″ needs more room, which is amply provided by the full-sized Swift. The Pro fits inside the Horizontal iPad Pro 12.9 with Smart Keyboard Cache ($40.00), which in turn fits inside the Swift. The internal clear, zippered pockets and the included Yarn Stuff Sack organize and secure all your daily gear inside. It may be designed to hold knitting gear, but it works great as a daily gear bag. We haven’t reviewed the Swift, but check out our review of the Little Swift to learn more about these bags.

Price: $90.00
Read our review: Tom Bihn Little Swift Review
Where you can buy one: Tom Bihn

Rolling bags

Price range $100+

ec-bc Sparrow II Wheeled Garment Bag

This wheeled carry-on bag holds all your gear and can charge it too!

Price: $299.99
Read our review: ec-bc Sparrow II Wheeled Garment Bag review
Where you can buy one: Amazon

Biaggi Contempo 28″ Expandable 4 Wheel Spinner Upright folding luggage

This is a well made rolling case that has all the right features that you want in a piece of luggage. It expands to hold all your clothes and gear, and can then completely collapse for easy storage when you’re not traveling.

Price: $199.99
Read our review: Biaggi Contempo 28″ Expandable 4 Wheel Spinner Upright folding luggage review
Where you can buy one: Amazon

Price range $10 – $50

AmazonBasics Rolling Laptop Case

My husband recently pinched a nerve in his back, resulting in a lot of pain and a weakened right arm. His physical therapist told him to stop carrying heavy bags, so I went in search of a rolling laptop bag for him. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on it because I was afraid he would abandon it when his back was better. I found that Amazon offered a rolling laptop bag in their AmazonBasics line. I’ve loved every AmazonBasics product I’ve bought, so I decided I’d get this Rolling Laptop Case for Butch. He’s used it for a couple of weeks now, and he has found it carries his 15″ laptop, binder, and other stuff with room to spare. It rolls easily and quietly, and best of all, the handle extends to 39 or so inches, so my 6’2″-tall husband can pull it without it banging into his heels.

Price: $35.99
Where you can buy one: Amazon

Bag accessories

Price range $10 – $50

OP/TECH S.O.S. Curve Strap

This OP/Tech S.O.S. Curve Strap has been around for a long time, as witnessed by the 2004 Gadgeteer review (look at the bottom for this strap). This strap has a neoprene panel acts as a “shock absorber” to make even the heaviest bag feel up to 50% lighter. The back of the neoprene panel has a non-slip surface to help keep the bag in place. Heavy-duty 1.5″ webbing and sturdy metal hardware complete the S.O.S. (Saves on Shoulders) strap. The length is adjustable, and it will work on a variety of bags, including briefcases, laptop bags, and luggage.

Price: $23.95
Read our review: Bag Strap Review
Where you can buy one: Amazon

Packing Cubes and pouches

I know this might not seem like a very exciting gift idea, but once you start using packing cubes in your luggage, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without them. These zippered cubes with see-through tops and zippered pouches will keep everything in your luggage organized, neat, and tidy.

Price: $13.49
Where you can buy one: Amazon

Filed in categories: Articles

Tagged: Backpack, Bags, gift ideas

Gift Guide: Bags and backpacks originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 15, 2017 at 9:00 am.

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Pandora can now be controlled directly from within the Sonos App

Back in October, alongside the launch of the Sonos One, Sonos told us about several forth coming software updates which would include the ability to control Sonos directly from additional partner apps. Making true to that promise, today Sonos announced that you can now control your Sonos system directly through the Pandora app. And for those of you who own a Sonos One, you can now command Alexa to play Pandora stations. All three of Pandora’s services are supported by this new update – that includes Pandora, Pandora Plus, and now Pandora Premium. The Pandora app update is being rolled out to both iOS and Android versions and they are available to download today.

Sonos says that a similar update for Tidal is on its way soon and that direct control and Alexa support will roll out to Audible, iHeartRadio and Kuke Music apps in 2018.

You can check out our review of the Sonos One here.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: Alexa, Bluetooth speaker, pandora, sonos

Pandora can now be controlled directly from within the Sonos App originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 15, 2017 at 8:00 am.

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Newsflash – GoPro Fusion 360-degree camera now shipping

GoPro is just about single-handedly responsible for bringing wide-angle action video to the masses. But GoPro is also an adaptive company and not complacent to rest on its past successes. In response to the growing trend of VR and 360-degree spherical content, GoPro has developed Fusion with the ability to capture immersive 5.2K 360-degree movies.

The camera features:

5.2K30 and 3K60 Spherical Video
18MP Spherical Photo
OverCapture Allows for Traditional Video Creation from 360 Footage
Advanced Stabilization
360 Audio
Waterproof to 16ft (5m)
Time Lapse Video + Photo, Night Lapse and Burst Modes
Voice Control in 10 Languages
GPS, Accelerometer, Gyroscope and Compass
Wi-Fi + Bluetooth
In-box with: Fusion Grip, protective case, sticky mounts, battery, charging cable

GoPro has a reputation for great design, and this camera is already receiving praise for its outstanding design and engineering, earning a CES 2018 Innovation Award in the digital imaging category. Users can control the camera, live preview their shots, and stitch, trim and share content with the iOS GoPro app (Android coming soon). Desktop editing software supports a GoPro feature called OverCapture, which lets you re-frame and save traditional fixed perspective videos from the captured 360-degree video. Yes, we’re much closer to being able to manipulate photos like Deckard. GoPro says a mobile OverCapture experience and new visual presets including Tiny Planet and PanoFlow will be released in early 2018.

Fusion is available today on GoPro.com and shipping 11/14/17 to USA, Canada, United Kingdom and the European Union for $699.99 (US); €749.99 EUR.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: Action Camera

Newsflash – GoPro Fusion 360-degree camera now shipping originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 14, 2017 at 8:41 pm.

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Lioe Phantom S420 scissors review

When Lioe design reached out to see if I would like to review the Lioe Titan business card holder they asked if I would also be interested in reviewing the Phantom S420 scissors. I told Julie I’d be happy to check them out. Many of the items reviewed on The Gadgeteer are evaluated to describe and demonstrate their technical or tactical features. These scissors were primarily designed to enhance the aesthetic of everyday scissors, but also to cut. We’ll demonstrate the various ways to show off these scissors but also evaluate how they cut. Read on to see what I think!

Unboxing

The Phantom S420 scissors come in a slipcase covered black box appropriate for gift giving.

Below the slipcover is a black box emblazoned with the Lioe (pronounced Lee-Oh) logo.

Inside the scissors and display stand are fit into a precision cut foam insert. The box also includes an instruction card on how to use the display stand and a warning card that brings attention to the fact that these scissors are a sharpened cutting tool recommended for adult use only. The card includes language that waives Lioe’s liability for injuries due to improper use. Apparently, these scissors were used to cut a check to the Lioe Design attorney.

Display

Scissors used for routine secretarial work still spend most of the time in storage. The idea behind these scissors was to get them out of a desk drawer or pencil cup and display them as a unique piece of functional art. The feature image at the start of this review and the images below demonstrate how the shapes, surface finishes, colors, and textures evoke artistic elements of industrial design that transcend functionality and have come to be appreciated as objets d’art. The flutes on the image above and voids on the image below remind me of the flutes and vents on a set of disc brake rotors of a world-class racing car, or the sides of a Reading Streamliner. The thumb and finger holes look like the voids cut out of steel beams. The red bushing on the central screw looks like a ruby jewel used in watchmaking. All these elements give the phantom scissors an appearance of something other than scissors.

The scissors are meant to be displayed. They come with a highly polished stainless steel display stand. The scissors slide into a groove and the stand widens the base enough for the scissors to stand upright on their side.The scissorss may be displayed as shown on the feature image or the image above, but may also be displayed by positioning the stand according to the images below. These positions give the display potential energy and adds a sense of strength. The scissors appear ‘stronger’ because they must support their own weight.

The two configurations above are probably the easiest way to display the scissors. Getting the scissors to sit in the stand at the end of the handle requires the stand be in a particular location versus it being positioned anywhere along the handle as in above. The configurations below require two-hands to hold the stand up on edge and also place the handle steel into the notch.

Use

The Phantom scissors have an artistic compromise that makes them a little bit different to use than the typical pair of scissors. The edges of the blades are positioned behind the knuckles of the thumb and fingers when holding the scissors and the edges do not pivot directly opposite the screw. Because of this design (or even in spite of it) the cutting seems a bit more difficult to control than compared to using a standard scissors from OfficeMax. The tension can be adjusted by the central screw, but it is a Torx T8 style bolt.

Although the design is somewhat ambidextrous in that the thumb and finger holes are not contoured, the design of the scissors is actually left-handed, with the thumb blade on top of the finger blade when the thumb is positioned on the left. This means that right-handed users will tend to force the blades apart when closing. The area where the screw is located is very large so perhaps this effect will be minimized. My impression of this phenomenon is poor because I’m a lefty who has used right handed scissors all my life. Even if the alignment of the blades is unaffected by the asymmetric mechanics of the left and fight hands, right-handed individuals will need to cut across their body to see the paper being cut because the finger blade will obscure the view if the scissors are held out strait.

Performance

Since I don’t have access to one of these I needed to come up with my own performance evaluation. The first test was to cut precisely across the lines of a piece of paper. The results below are from the Phantom 420.

The results below are from the OfficeMax scissors pictured above. I think that the OfficeMax scissors were easier to use. The results may appear to be the same but I had to concentrate a lot more to complete the cuts with the Phantom.

The next test was seeing how many sheets of paper the scissors could cut through and how those cuts looked. The paper below demonstrates the cutting performance through the indicated number of sheets. In reality, I just foled the paper upon itself and cut across the bundle. The sheet below was cut by the Phantom 420.

This sheet was cut by the OfficeMax scissors. There is barely a difference. The OfficeMax scissors were more comfortable because the handle is padded, but overall the results of the cuts look very similar. Both scissors had difficulty with the 32 sheet count.

Conclusion

These scissors are fantastic to look at and I can admire them all day, but when it come time to use them I miss my generic (right-handed) OfficeMax scissors. Also, in keeping with the maxim “good art isn’t cheap, cheap art isn’t good” the Phantom scissors cost $65; quite a bit more than the $5.99 OfficeMax pair. Maybe if I keep using them I’ll learn to like them more, but for now I feel like they are like a great looking pop music act with only an average voice. Perhaps with some refinements they will be more appreciated, but for now they don’t make the cut.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Lioe. Please visit their site for more info and you can order one from Amazon.

Product Information

Price:	$65
Manufacturer:	Lioe
Retailer:	Amazon
Requirements:	Light Duty Office Use – Paper or Card Stock Only
Pros:	style left handed design for left handed people
Cons:	price performance left handed design for right handed people unpadded finger/thumb hole

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Office, stationery

Lioe Phantom S420 scissors review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 14, 2017 at 2:00 pm.

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FABRIQ Chorus Portable Smart Speaker with Amazon Alexa review

Give me a speaker, a Bluetooth or wifi connection, throw in a dollop of Amazon Alexa’s brains and witty personality and top that off with a pinch of Spotify or Amazon Music and it looks like a recipe for sheer gadget bliss. The great thing about this recipe is that all the ingredients are accessible through the Fabriq Chorus Smart Speaker. Let’s have a look-see.

In the Box (See pic below)

1 Chorus speaker
1 Charging dock
1 Cable for charging with USB to wall adapter

Set up

The set up was pretty simple for both wifi and Bluetooth. After you plug in the unit (it does come precharged, but why not charge it more?) and download the app from either the Apple Store or Google Play, you’ll go through the setup process which is guided by the Fabriq app.

One thing to keep in mind is that you need to make sure you are connecting to the same network that your phone is connected to. I know that seems painfully obvious, but you could run into problems if you have two networks in your home like I do.

After the device is powered on, the ring around the bottom lights up like the pic below and blinks white and plays a little tune. This white light lets you know it’s either connected to wifi, or it’s ready to be connected (the device is pictured here off the charging dock). After the initial setup, whenever it is turned on, it will still blink, but after a couple of seconds, it says, “connected” so you know you are ready to rock.

The next step is locating the “pair” button that is hidden under the secret plastic door on the back of the device (see photo below). This is the button you will use to connect to Bluetooth or a wifi connection. If your phone is connected to a wifi network, the speaker will try and connect to it, so if you want to use Bluetooth, you need to turn off the wifi connection on your phone and press the pair button again. Note: If you use the speaker with a Bluetooth connection and you arrive home again and wish to use it on the wifi network, you must repair the device using the app. Don’t worry, it’s a very quick process, but it’s good to know. I didn’t realize this and I just kept pressing the pair button over and over and it wouldn’t pair. It tells you to see the app for help though (here’s your sign!), and when you do, the app walks you through connection again.

After pairing, you can begin to explore the wonderfulness of the speaker. I haven’t personally tried, but the directions say that you can pair up to 10 Fabriq speakers and use them together, or control them individually….that would be some pretty cool surround sound.

A great thing about this speaker, in my opinion, is once you set it up to use on wifi, you don’t have to keep referring to the app to control it. The lighted ring around the bottom can tell you what you need to know and there are volume control buttons on the back. I already discussed the white light, the blue light (above pic) is when you’ve enabled the Bluetooth setting…go figure! There is a red light also and that is what tells you the battery is about to die. This happens typically after about 5-6 hours after being off the charger, depending on what the speaker is being used for. I feel like my face is in my phone enough and being able to use this speaker easily, by just speaking to it and observing what color the rings are has been great!

What can it do?

If you already have an Amazon Alexa app on your phone, you simply need to connect Fabriq to the account. If you don’t have it, you need to get it in order to use the Amazon Alexa functions. Once you do that, you can say the wake word, “Alexa” and then any command that you would tell your Amazon Echo. The one problem that I have found with this device is that she doesn’t “hear” as well as my Echo, and I find myself having to raise my voice, or my other devices in other rooms will pick up my command first. In order to combat this, I changed the wake word on my Echo to “Amazon” and my Echo Dot is now called “Echo”. The Fabriq speaker gets to have the name “Alexa” because I went into the Alexa app and the option to change the wake word was not available…but it’s okay with me because I think she looks more like an Alexa anyway. So now, just like with my children, I end up saying all of their names before I get to the one I want. It’s pretty comical actually…Alexa, Echo…. Amazon!

The above pic allows you see how the unit sets on the charger and what the connectors look like on the bottom. It doesn’t have to click, lock, or be set down in any certain way in order to charge or to be removed from the dock.

The sound quality of this little speaker is actually comparable to the Amazon Echo, and much better sounding than the Dot. I was hoping to add this speaker to my group I named “Everywhere” so that I could have my Amazon Music play from all three devices simultaneously instead of just the two, however, that option is not available. So, if you want to connect this speaker to others to play together for a multi-room effect, you’ll just have to get more Fabriq speakers!

Final Thoughts

I’ve been pretty impressed by this speaker and it’s sound quality, it’s portability and frankly, I think its got a pretty cool look. I have enjoyed being able to take it to the tennis court for some motivational hype music while my daughter and I hit the ball around and to the beach for some relaxing music as we sunbathe. I found the setup to be simple, and once I renamed my other Alexa devices, there was harmony in the house once again, and everyone was able to “listen” without interrupting each other. I don’t think that this Fabriq Smart Speaker hears as well as the Amazon Echo speakers, but that is a pretty high bar because Echo speakers hear it all! Lastly, it looks as if Elsa the cat has accepted the Fabriq speaker into our home….and that is not something you see every day!

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Fabriq. Please visit www.thefabriq.com for more information and go to Amazon to order.

Product Information

Price:	$99.99
Manufacturer:	Fabriq
Retailer:	Amazon
Requirements:	A smartphone An electrical outlet or USB port for charging The Amazon Alexa app (or you won't be able to use those features) Wifi or Bluetooth connection
Pros:	Portable, can be used away from wifi connection with Bluetooth Can be used to control smart home features and most other skills that Alexa uses Has great sound quality Can pair up to 10 Fabriq speakers After pairing, heavy App usage is not needed
Cons:	Charge only lasts 5-6 hours Doesn't "hear" quite as well as the Amazon Echo products Does not pair with other Echo Speakers to play Amazon Music simultaneously

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: Alexa, Bluetooth speaker

FABRIQ Chorus Portable Smart Speaker with Amazon Alexa review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 14, 2017 at 11:00 am.

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