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Connect a large tablet to your laptop as a second screen with the Mountie+

A couple of years ago, Julie told us about the Mountie clip from Ten One Design that connects a phone or tablet to your laptop screen for use as a second monitor.  Ten One Design now offers the Mountie+, which is bigger and sturdier and designed for use with larger-format tablets.  The Mountie+ clip works with all tablets 5.0mm to 9.0mm thick, and it will work with all laptops and with tablets as big as the 12.9″ iPad Pro.  Mountie+ has two grip units with a 2.6X increase in front grip surface area and gripping strength compared to the original Mountie with its single grip unit.  There’s a charging cord pass through that keeps the cord hidden behind the laptop’s screen.  The Mountie+ is $34.95, or you can get a set with a Mountie+ and an original Mountie for $49.95 at Ten One Design and Amazon.

Radius insect repellant keeps mosquitoes away without having to apply chemicals to yourself

I’m always the prime target for mosquitoes;  I’ve spent most of my summers covered in itchy bites.  I’ve found the true cure for mosquitoes is living over 100 feet in the air – it’s apparently too high for them to fly, and they aren’t strong enough to push the elevator call button.  😉  But even I have to come down to earth sometimes, and it would be nice to have a way to keep mosquitoes away when I’m enjoying the outdoors without having to coat myself in insect repellent sprays.

Enter Radius, which sprays the area to repel bugs with a compound based on a chemical naturally occurring in chrysanthemum flowers.  This compound has been used for ages as an insect repellent, but Radius uses a modified version that can be dispersed at a lower temperature.  In the past, actual combustion was needed to reach the necessary temperature for dispersal, but Radius can use a battery-powered heat source with the modified compound.  The effective treated area is 110 square feet, and the repellent cartridges can last up to 40 hours.  The lithium-ion battery is USB chargeable.  Radius is small enough to fit in your hand, which makes it portable enough to take with you wherever you go.

Radius is a current Kickstarter campaign.  It’s more than met its funding goal, but you still have until Friday, January 12, 2018 at 8:06 AM EST to pledge to get one of your own.  A minimum pledge of $40 gets you a Radius with a 12-hour repellent cartridge.  Shipment is expected in February 2018.

This Two Minute Turtle Timer teaches your children how to brush their teeth

I saw a conversation between Julie and a reader named Carol in the quip electric toothbrush review yesterday.  The gist of the conversation was that it seemed to be a normal toothbrush with a two minute quad-timer that told you how long to spend brushing each quadrant of your mouth.  Many other electric toothbrushes have this quad-timer function, but those toothbrushes can be expensive – and not everyone wants to use an electric toothbrush.  There are apps for smartphones that can time your brushing, but who wants to potentially end up with a foam-covered phone in the bathroom sink?  I don’t always like to use an electric brush, but I do love that quad-timer function, so I went looking for a standalone timer.  I found the Two Minute Turtle Timer.

Invent Boston, parents who needed, and invented, a method to help their children know how long to brush their teeth for best results.  The Two Minute Turtle Timer is a turtle-shaped circuit board, battery, and four LEDs embedded in a 2″-diameter, 0.5″-thick plastic puck.  Press a button, and one of the LEDs starts to blink for 30 seconds.  When a second LED starts to blink, it’s time to move to the next quadrant.  This continues for a full two minutes to guide you or your child through cleaning your entire mouth.  Assuming two button presses a day, the battery in the Two Minute Turtle Timer will last three years.  The Timer comes with a piece of Velcro to attach it to the bathroom mirror.

A single Two Minute Turtle Timer is $24.95, a family pack of three timers is $54.95, and a wholesale pack of 20 timers is $380.00 for dentists who want to make them available to their patients.

Blink adds an affordable wireless video doorbell to their line up

Today, Blink who make the popular Blink wireless home security camera system which I’ve reviewed and continue to use is announcing the addition of the new battery-powered Blink Video Doorbell to their selection of smart home products.

The weatherproof Blink Video Doorbell features HD video alerts, motion-detection, live streaming video with 2-way audio, and infrared night vision.

Anyone can install this video doorbell because it doesn’t require special wiring or an existing wired doorbell. It’s is powered by 2 AA lithium-ion batteries that will last for up to 2 years!

“While other companies try to wow early-adopters with tech and unnecessary features, at Blink we are disrupting the smart home industry through a zealous focus on simple products that provide huge value at an unmatchable price,” said Peter Besen, CEO of Blink. “We’ve taken our award-winning experience from our security cameras and applied it to the doorbell. We feel this has resulted in the absolute easiest to install, full-featured video doorbell on the market today. Combined with our existing wire-free cameras, consumers will have peace of mind that their entire home is safe when they are away.”

Unlike many other video doorbells on the market, the Blink Video Doorbell won’t lock you into a monthly service plan.

If you already own other Blink home security products, you can add the video doorbell for just $99. New Blink customers can purchase a stand-alone system consisting of a Blink Video Doorbell and a Blink Sync Module for $129. Pre-orders will be available soon at the blinkforhome.com.

This LED bulb simulates a flame to turn any light fixture into a gaslight fixture

The SIXDEFLY LED bulb screws into any E26 fixture (this is the normal size used in most US fixtures), and it uses 4W of electricity to produce 300 lumens of 1900-2200K light.  The bulb has three modes:  standard, flame, and breathing.  Apparently, you switch the light switch on/off to switch between the three modes.  For best results, you should use the bulb in a lamp with a frosted shade, a lantern, or a salt lamp.  The SIXDEFLY Flame bulbs are available from Amazon; they are $18.50 (with free Prime shipping) for one or $56.99 for a set of three.