NEWS – To celebrate 10yrs in business, Mohu is offering 40% off every cord-cutting product on their website (using promo code MOHU10YEARS). This special sale is the perfect opportunity for those of you who have been thinking about cutting the cord but haven’t made the leap yet. Now you can grab some of the leading HDTV antennas on the market. Check out some of our Mohu reviews:
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NEWS – Do you ever buy something from Amazon and use it once or twice and stuff it in a drawer never to be used again? I think we all do that sometimes. That “sometimes” can add up and by add up, I mean in both money and unused stuff cluttering your home.
If you have a bunch of stuff that you purchased from Amazon that is no longer sparking joy, it’s time to get rid of it. But instead of taking it to Goodwill, having a garage sale, or eBaying it, there’s another option is coming soon. It’s called Amazon After and it’s an app that interfaces with Amazon and your purchase history to remind you if you haven’t used a product in a while so that you can sell it, donate it, rent it, lend it, and more. Check out the video to see how it works.
Amazon After is from Scott Amron, the same person that brought us the Keybrid Keyring Key. The app isn’t available just yet, but you can get more info and sign up to be a beta tester on his site.
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When you turn on your computer, after the operating system has booted up it will often land on the login screen where you have to enter your password to log in to your desktop. If your computer is already physically secured, or if there is little chance that others will have access to your computer, then you might want to enable automatic login so you can access the desktop faster. We have shown you how you can enable automatic login in Ubuntu, but if you are using LightDM, here are the steps to enable autologin in LightDM. How to Enable autologin in LighDM 1. Open… Read more
REVIEW – I live in NYC, and with the spring season beginning to emerge from the dark and cold winter, I am looking to replace my old and broken floor standing fan with a new fan that will provide effective and efficient cooling for that period of time before the air conditioner is a must. I recently got my hands on the Trustech Oscillating Tower Fan. Here is a summary of my experience with it.
What is it?
The Trustech fan is an oscillating tower pedestal Remote Control fan that is bladeless and quiet.
What’s in the box
1 x Trustech Fan (In 3 parts that require simple assembly)
1 x Remote Control
1 x User Guide
Design and features
Features
Air Multiplier Technology
Ultra Quiet
Custom Cooling Time with Timer
Remote Control
70 Degree Oscillating
Bladeless
The Trustech Fan is a 3.6-foot standing fan. It arrives in 3 main pieces that are the base, the bottom portion that houses the electronics and the top portion that houses the output design including the fins.
On the front of the fan, there are manual button controls that include, the swing on/off, the timer settings, the mode the speed and the power on/off.
Above the control buttons, there are the LED indicators for the swing on/off, the timer setting, the air flow mode, and the air volume setting. The LEDs that are next to the labeled indicators light blue when selected.
Performance
The fan arrives as 3 main parts in the box. Assembly is very simple. The bottom portion of the fan has a threaded base that fits into the fan base and can only fit one way. There is a plastic nut that then screws on to the threaded base to connect the two. The fan base has notches to neatly pass the power cable through. The top portion of the fan simply clicks into place on the bottom portion. The fan is made mostly of plastic but does not feel poorly made or really cheap. Once standing, the fan is also quite steady on its base. The remote control is small but functional. All that is left to do is to plug the fan into an AC power outlet and turn it on.
All of the functions are simple and work as expected including the timer functions, the swing mode, and the airflow modes. However, no matter what airflow mode you choose, the airflow pressure of this fan leaves much to be desired, and you can only get a proper cooling effect if you are quite close to the front of it.
What I like
The sleek design
The Oscillating capability
The sleep timer
What can be improved
The volume of air that it produces
A dimmer option for the bright LEDs that are on the front
Final thoughts
To be totally honest, this fan has been very disappointing for me. When I first received it I was quite pleased about the design, the features and the simplicity of the assembly. However, the most important task it is designed to perform is to blow an adequate volume of air to provide cooling. This fan cannot cool anything more than a tiny room. If you stand more than 5 feet in front of it, the effect is minimal at best. For my use, this inability is a deal breaker and even more so considering the price. Great design but a failing grade for performance.
Price: $122.99 Where to buy:Amazon Sample: The sample for this review was provided by Trustech.
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REVIEW – I love smart home gadgets. But I have yet to review any type of smart lock. That is up until now. Today I’ll be reviewing the Lockly Secure Pro Deadbolt Edition. This lock is loaded with a lot of unique security features, including a secure digital keypad and3D fingerprint sensor.Let’s take a look at the Lockly Secure Pro.
What is it?
The Lockly Secure Pro Deadbolt Edition smart lock is a smart lock that features a digital touch screen keypad, a 3D fingerprint sensor and compatibility with Alexa and Google Assistant.
What’s in the box?
Secure Pro smart lock
Bolt assembly
Screws
Strike plate
Strike plate housing
Backplate
2 x physical keys
4 x AA alkaline batteries
Secure Link – Wi-Fi hub
Secure Link – Power adaptor
Secure Link – Door sensor
Quick start guide
Installation manual
User manual
Design and features
The Lockly Secure Pro has a modern, clean design. The lock is available in two colors, Satin Nickel and Venetian Bronze. I chose to go with the Satin Nickel because it was a close match to my door’s existing hardware.
The front of the outer assembly features a digital keypad and keyhole w/keyhole cover. The fingerprint sensor is located on the right side of the assembly. On the bottom, there’s a reboot button and a 9V battery emergency charging socket.
The inside assembly has the Battery Compartment (Operated by 4 x AA Batteries), Battery Cover, Display Keypad on/off Switch (switches off and locks the keypad), and Thumb-turn. Inside the battery compartment, there’s a reset button, Program Button and Beep Alert.
With Secure Pro, you can choose from five unique methods of entry, which include: the PIN Genie keypad, 3D fingerprint sensor, Lockly app, virtual assistant and traditional key.
The PIN Genie keypad allows you to unlock the door using a 6-8 digit access code.
Lockly’s patented PIN Genie Technology makes it virtually impossible for someone to use your access code unwillingly. The video below explains Lockly’s PIN Genie Algorithm and how it works.
The Lockly keypad has 3 different modes Standard, PIN Genie mode, and Random mode. The video below explains how each mode works.
The Secure Pro comes equipped with a capacitive fingerprint reader. Secure Pro uses capacitors and electrical current to form an image of the fingerprint, meaning only physical fingers will be accepted, preventing the use of lifted prints.
With the Lockly app, you can monitor and control your lock using either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
Using Wi-Fi requires the use of the included Secure Link WiFi Hub. The hub allows you to lock, unlock, and monitor your smart lock remotely wherever you have a Wi-Fi connection. Setting up the Hub is easy using the Lockly app.
The Hub comes with a door sensor.
The sensor provides the ability to verify that your door is securely closed and not ajar and also send push notifications to your phone on the status of your door when someone opens and closes the door.
Installation
Installing the lock is pretty easy, especially if you’re replacing an existing deadbolt. If you’re not Lockly provides templates to help you out.
The only tools you’ll need are a Phillips head screwdriver and a little patience.
The installation instructions are easy to follow and very detailed. Take it from someone that usually doesn’t bother reading instruction, read these carefully before you get started.
Setup
The lock can be set up with or without the Lockly app, but using the app is recommended and much easier.
After downloading and launching the app choose Setup a New Device from the slide over menu and follow the instructions.
The Lockly app not only allows you to monitor and control your lock, but it also gives you access to the locks key functions.
You can check the access log, grant, monitor, and revoke user access. Issue temporary eKeys, one-time use codes, and set custom durations.
One of the codes you can issue is the Offline Access Code. This unique code allows you to grant access to guests remotely without guests needing to download the app.
The app is also where you can add and manage Fingerprints. To add a Fingerprint your phone must be connected to the lock via Bluetooth. Select Add a New Fingerprint and watch the brief video. The Secure Pro can store up to 99 different fingerprints.
In the app’s Settings, you can change your Access code and enable the Auto-Lock Timer. With Auto Lock enabled, Lockly will automatically auto-lock the door based on your customized timing set between 5 seconds and 5 minutes.
Using Lockly couldn’t be easier. When leaving the house, all I have to do to lock the door is slide my hand across the keypad.
Unlocking the door is just as easy using my access code, the fingerprint sensor, or the Lockly app on my phone.
The Secure Pro also comes Alexa and Google Assistant enabled.
I love this feature. I have a bad habit of not locking my door at night and asking Alexa if the door is locked beats getting out of bed and trudging to the front door to check. And if I do forget to lock it, I can just tell Alexa to lock it for me.
In order to use Alexa, you’ll need to enable the “Lockly” skill in the Amazon Alexa app.
What I like
Easy to install
Five different ways to unlock
PIN Genie digital keypad
3D fingerprint sensor
Easy to share secure access codes
Alexa compatibility
Long battery life
Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity
What needs to be improved
Nothing
Final thoughts
I like everything about the Lockly Secure Pro Deadbolt Edition smart lock. From being able to monitor and control my door through my phone. To easy and secure access via the secure digital keypad or fingerprint sensor. And the added bonus of easily being able to share access codes with family and friends. This is my first smart lock, and after using it over the past couple of weeks, I’m convinced it’s the last one that I’ll ever need.
Price: $299 Where to buy: Lockly and Amazon Source: The sample of this product was provided by Lockly.
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