Let Bose Noise-Masking Sleepbuds help you sleep better at night

NEWS – Year round, my husband wants a big fan running in our bedroom at night.  In the summer, I don’t mind it so much, because it helps keep the room cooler.  In the colder months, I don’t want it running because it can make the room too chilly for me.  My husband needs it for the white noise, though, because every little sound can bother him.  If he had a pair of these Noise-Masking Sleepbuds from Bose, he wouldn’t hear the ambient sounds that bother him, and I could sleep without freezing.

Sleepbuds may look like regular earbuds, but they can’t stream music, nor do they have acoustic noise cancellation.  Instead, these truly wireless buds fit comfortably in your ears and, when paired with an app on your smartphones, play “pre-loaded, soothing masking sounds to cover up unwanted nighttime noises so you can get to sleep and stay asleep.”

Bose says: “Instead of streaming music, Bose sleepbuds deliver soothing sounds that mask unwanted nighttime noises. And while we’re the first to champion the use of active noise reduction, we discovered that, when it comes to sleep, noise-masking technology is a better solution for the range of sounds that keep you awake — especially voice-based frequencies. So all you will hear is a soothing sound that helps you fall asleep and stay asleep.”

With the app, you’ll choose a uniquely-engineered sound to mask unwanted noise – traffic, talking, snoring – and lull you to sleep.  And don’t worry that the noise-masking will prevent you from hearing your alarm, because the app has an alarm function built in to wake you without disturbing your bedmate.  If needed, you can adjust the volume of the masking sounds, so you won’t be completely shut off from sounds you need to hear, such as a crying child.

Of course, you won’t sleep if you are uncomfortable, so Bose did 3-D scans of scores of ears to help them design small, comfortable sleepbuds   The sleepbuds measure 0.94″ high x 1.06″ wide x 0.56″ deep and weigh  0.081 oz each.  To ensure they fit your ears, Bose includes S/M/L StayHear+ Sleep tips; pliable fins conform to the upper ridge of your ear to keep the sleepbuds in place all night.  Bose even has a video to help you get the best fit.

The battery in the sleepbuds last about 16 hours between charges, more than enough time for a good night’s sleep.  They come with a charging case that recharges the sleepbuds as it protects them.  The case’s internal battery provides a full charge, so you can keep the sleepbuds charged when you travel.  The case measures 1.06″ high x 3.03″  in diameter and weighs 3.93 oz.  It comes with a carrying pouch so you can pack the sleepbuds in your bag when you travel.

The Bose Noise-Masking Sleepbuds are $249.95.  You can purchase them directly from Bose, from Walmart, Amazon, and other retailers.

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Let Bose Noise-Masking Sleepbuds help you sleep better at night originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 16, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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Kano Computer Kit Touch review

REVIEW – Have you ever wanted to learn to program/code? Or maybe you have a young child who wants to write their own programs. The Computer Touch Kit from Kano will not only help you learn the fundamentals of programming, but it will let you do that learning on a touchscreen computer that you build yourself. How much fun is that? Let’s find out?

What is it?

The Kano Computer Touch Kit is a Raspberry Pi based computer kit that helps teach kids and adults how to program using Python and Javascript programming languages.

What’s in the box?

USB Board for connecting other devices
DIY Speaker
HDMI Cable connects the screen to computer
Blocks x3 keeps parts connected
Screen Case protects the screen
Power Cables
Battery
Touchscreen Cable
Custom Raspberry Pi – 1.2GHz quad Cortex A53 – 64bit with 1GB of RAM
Power Board
SD Card
Microphone
Screen
USB Keyboard
Stickers
Storybook / User manual

Build your own touchscreen computer

Kano includes everything you need to build a touchscreen computer along with easy to read step by step instructions with clear illustrations. I felt like a little kid spreading all the colorful components on the floor around me as I sat crosslegged flipping the pages in the storybook which lead me through the steps to build the computer.




No tools are necessary for the build as everything snaps into place on the back of the touchscreen just like your favorite building blocks. Kano even includes wire routing blocks for the cables to keep everything neat and tidy.



As you place each component on the board, the book explains in basic terms the function for each part without being too technical or boring.

The computer even comes with a plastic case to protect the parts and to give it a finished look that allows you to see your handy work.


The whole setup is pretty impressive and the build process was fun without taking too long. I didn’t time it, but I don’t think it took me more than 30 minutes to put everything together.

I built a computer, now what can I do?

After everything is assembled, it’s time to turn it on and start learning to program. This is the point where I ran into two issues. First of all, the USB power adapter that was included in the package that I was sent, had a European plug style. But you can use any USB adapter that you already have. That’s what I did and it worked fine.

The next problem that really threw me for a loop for a few minutes can be seen in the image above. When the Kano computer powered up, the screen was upside down. I immediately thought that I had assembled the computer incorrectly and started feeling bummed that I would have to take everything apart and go through the building steps again. But then I looked closer at the storybook/manual and saw a small note that said you could go into the settings to flip the screen. Whew! Crisis avoided. But, I think the screen flip option should come up immediately upon bootup instead of having to find the setting once everything is running. Or maybe even have a physical switch on the side that will flip the display.

The bootup process starts out at a command line and guides you through typing in a few commands. I liked this part because I’m a Unix nerd and this kind of stuff is right up my alley.  Yeah, don’t pay attention to the fact that I left a space out of the command shown in the screenshot above 😉

After the OS boots, you’ll be greeted with a more modern interface with menus and apps that you can launch with your finger or select with the included wireless keyboard which has a built-in touchpad.

You can learn to program by using the story mode option that lets you wander around a forest to talk to people and go on quests. It reminds me of an old-school Zelda style 8bit video game. The programming sections lead you through learning sessions that help you learn how to use drag and drop modules to build and customize a program.



You will learn the fundamentals of building a program including using loops and variables. You can then make the program which will let you compile and run it. Your completed programs can be saved to memory so you can revisit and change them later.

After you go through all the lessons and built-in games, you can add more by visiting the online Kano community for more creations.

The Kano computer isn’t a one trick pony, it’s an actual computer and even comes with other apps like a YouTube viewer and web browser pre-installed.

Be aware that this isn’t going to be a computer that your child or an adult will want to use as a full-time computer because it isn’t very speedy. Certain functions feel sluggish and sometimes I wondered if the computer had crashed because there wasn’t any type of live status message on the screen that indicated that it was still working.

What I like

  • Step by step instructions make it fun and easy to build
  • Teaches basic programming fundamentals
  • The computer can be used for other things

What needs to be improved

  • Make the internet browser and YouTube apps optional for a parent to install

Final thoughts

When I was a kid, I would have absolutely LOVED the Kano Computer Kit Touch. Heck, I’m an adult now and I thoroughly enjoyed building the computer and going through the learning quests. The colorful components and step by step instructions made the process fun while injecting STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering & Math) knowledge and skills.

Price: $279.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Kano.

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Kano Computer Kit Touch review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 15, 2018 at 3:49 pm.

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Get noticed this Halloween with a sound-reactive LED mask

NEWS – Make sure your costume stands out this Halloween by wearing a cool LED mask that turns music or rhythms into amazing electro-luminescent animations. The masks feature a layer of phosphorescent ink and a state-of-the-art rechargeable sound-responsive lithium modulator that converts sound waves into pulsing patterns of pure organic light on your face.

This lightweight and malleable mask can roll up to fit into a pocket or bag and has an adjustable strap that is designed to fit any head size. A hidden power cable links to a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack to keep the mask powered.

Check out this video that shows you what the masks look like in action.

You can buy a mask from Outline Montreal for $30 on their INDEMAND Indiegogo page, or from various other companies for around $10 and up on Amazon.

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Get noticed this Halloween with a sound-reactive LED mask originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 15, 2018 at 12:00 pm.

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Jamie Clawson leather iPhone Xs Max skin review

REVIEW – As some of you may have read, Julie and I purchased and reviewed Apple’s latest and greatest smartphone, the iPhone Xs Max. And where Julie returned hers, I continue to love using mine with zero buyers regret. Even though I got AppleCare Plus, I hesitate using the Max without protection (aka naked). The iPhone X(s) is slippery and very droppable, the Max’s larger form factor makes it even more so. From the beginning, I’ve debated case vs skin vs nothing but a screen protector. For this review, I am trying out a handmade leather skin from Jamie Clawson’s workshop in black cowhide.

What is it?

The leather skin is made from a single piece of leather that adheres to the back of your iPhone adding protection and grippability to the very slick piece of metal and glass.

Design and features

The leather skin is handmade, laser cut, and fits the back of iPhone Xs perfectly. The skin protects the Max’s very expensive to replace glass back.

The adhesive Jamie uses is made by 3M “specifically for our products”. Installing the skin is quick (less than a minute) and easy. And as I said, the leather is perfectly sized/shaped for the iPhone.

The skin is surprisingly thick, approximately 1/4 the thickness of the iPhone Xs itself. My fear is that the high edge of the leather will catch on something or the constant taking the phone in and out of my pocket will cause the edges of the skin will stop sticking/fail. Unlike Slickwraps and Brandb skins much longer warranties, Jamie only provides a 7-day guarantee against defects vs any sort of failure to adhere. 

There is no way you could put your iPhone into a case with this skin on…or at least not a very form-fitted one. Supposedly you can remove and reapply it as long as you keep the sticky side clean and schmutz-free. I will be testing this out in the next few weeks, I have several cases inbound where I will have to remove this skin when I start my reviews.

The leather skin feels great on my iPhone Xs Max and adds solid grippability to the sleek and slim device. I was a bit worried the height of the leather being an issue or irritating but surprisingly its not. Based on how I hold my iPhone, other than feeling the leather, the edge doesn’t really affect the form factor of the smartphone when in use.

What I like

  • Precision fitted for the iPhone
  • Made from high quality leathers
  • Adds excellent feel and grippability to the slippery device.
  • Protects the iPhone’s glass back

What needs to be improved

  • Surprisingly thick
  • No warranty

Here you can see just how handmade and personal Jamir Clawson’s products are…right down to the handwritten note thanking me for my order (to the best of my knowledge, he had no idea I was planning on reviewing it 😉 ).

Jamie Clawson makes his skins out of a multitude of leathers including genuine premium cowhide, calf, crocodile, ostrich, pony hair, python, stingray, etc.

Final thoughts

I have been using Jamie’s leather skin for a few weeks now and it continues to get the job done. The edges remain firmly stuck to the glass back of my iPhone Xs Max. And while the skin provides minimal overall protection, it does add grippability and provides decent protection for the back of the smartphone. With it, a tempered glass screen protector, a sure set of hands, and AppleCare Plus…I believe my fancy new $1500 tech-toy, not only feels as Jony Ives intended but is protected enough to face my hectic go, go, go lifestyle.

Price: $25
Where to buy: jamieclawson.com
Source: Purchased with my own funds from jamieclawson.com.

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Jamie Clawson leather iPhone Xs Max skin review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 15, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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This LED table lamp also serves as an emergency lantern

NEWS – Most emergency lighting is designed more for function than for beauty.  That’s why you often have to go searching for flashlights and emergency lanterns in the dark when there’s a power outage, because you’ve hidden them away in drawers or utility rooms.  This Carrier Portable LED Lamp will always sitting out and adding to the design of your room, because it is described as being designed around the Danish sense of “hygge”, which is a cosy, comfortable feeling.  The Danish have a love of candles to light their long, cold, dark winters, and this lamp is said to honor that.

In any event, you can use this lamp on a tabletop, powered by its USB cable.  The internal battery also allows you to unplug and carry the lamp with you, whether you’re going outdoors or if you are dealing with a blackout.  If desired, you can even remove the loop handle for a different look.  The Carrier Portable LED Lamp is $210 from Blackthumb.

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This LED table lamp also serves as an emergency lantern originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 15, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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