Throw some shade on your iPhone with the myFlipShade

It’s summer. You want to be outside in the fresh air and sunshine, but if you want to look something up on your phone, send a text, or read a book, it’s pretty difficult to see the display when the sun is shining. Even with the phone’s display setting at the max brightness level, the glare from the sun will make the phone’s screen appear to be almost black. Is there a solution other than going back indoors? myCharge thinks their myFlipShade will do the trick.


myFlipShade is a shade for iPhone 6 and newer iPhones including the iPhone X. It attaches to the back of the phone with sticky tape and folds flat when it’s not needed and opens up into a sun shade when you do. The plastic shade helps improve the visibility of your iPhone screen outdoors and provides a measure of privacy for people who like to look over your shoulder.

It’s priced at $9.99 and you can find it on Amazon.

The post Throw some shade on your iPhone with the myFlipShade appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: ,

Throw some shade on your iPhone with the myFlipShade originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 11, 2018 at 11:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Know the time, if not the star date, with the Star Trek Clock

Fans of Star Trek will like these clocks from the YOUgNeek shop on Etsy.  The body is made of glass and brushed metal.  The hour markers and the center of the clock are all populated with vintage, classic Action Fleet Micro Machine starships, warships and other vessels.  The clocks are hand finished in a black and silver pewter-like color.

The vessel in the middle can be either Deep Space 9, Borg Cube, Federation SpaceDock, or Space Station K-7, or you can request the Star Trek logo.  The maker uses whatever vessels they have on hand, but you can specify your favorite series or even specify particular vehicles you’d like to have.  Be aware that special requests can take longer and may cost extra if rare vessels, like Voyager and Defiant, are used.

The clock itself measures 11-11/16″ in diameter, but may be as wide as 14″ (at the widest point) with the vessels attached. The Star Trek Clock is $129.99.  It is handmade to order, so allow some extra time for delivery.  Order your Star Trek Clock at the YOUgNeek shop.

The post Know the time, if not the star date, with the Star Trek Clock appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged:

Know the time, if not the star date, with the Star Trek Clock originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 11, 2018 at 10:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

IOGEAR Wireless TV Connection Kit review

We love to entertain, and with our recent house remodel we added an outdoor movie theater to enjoy those cool Seattle summer nights.  With a small backyard it is hard to put the entertainment everywhere our guests are without an abundance of wires.  The IOGEAR Wireless TV Connection Kit promises to solve that problem and do it in full HD.  How does that claim stack up against reality?  Read on to find out…

What is it?

The IOGEAR Wireless TV Connection Kit is a transmitter and receiver combo which allows you to stream video via an HDMI connection from a source like your laptop or a cable/satellite receiver to a display device like a TV or projector.  It does so without wires up to a claimed 150 feet, and at a full 1080p and 60 frames per second without sacrificing sound or picture quality.  It uses the 5.8 GHz frequency so it should not interfere with any existing wireless networks, Bluetooth devices or home automation hubs.

What’s in the box?

The kit includes a clearly labeled transmitter and receiver plus associated antennas.  You also get 2-3 foot HDMI cables (HDMI 1.3), 2 power supplies, and an IR Blaster (for the transmitter to control your device remotely) and an IR receiver (plugged into the receiver, it transmits commands from your remote back to the transmitter).

Design and Features

Our intended use is for our outdoor movie theater, and our projector is a full 1080p model.  In order to support simulcasting on our living room TV, we need a transmitter that also supports this.  Our original design included a 45 foot run of HDMI cable from a media connection box in the backyard, an HDMI splitter to handle one signal to two devices, and the ugly notion that we would end up cutting holes in the outside of the house, the open basement beams, and the living room floor to accommodate the cable run.

So, when IOGEAR offered this kit for review, I jumped at the opportunity to try it out.  Did it solve my problem?  In a word, yes.  As with any solution, there are some gotchas waiting along the way.  But nothing at all earth-shattering to overcome.

The kit comes with two boxes – one transmitter and one receiver.  Because the kit was originally intended to connect a cable box or satellite dish receiver to a TV, the box also includes an IR blaster and extender to allow you to remote control your input.  As my setup is driven by my laptop, these were not important – I tested them on my cable box and they work as well as any IR setup will.  If you use a Roku or other streaming setup that uses a different connection technology, though, you will have to come up with an alternate solution to remote control.  Thankfully there are apps to cover most of these scenarios, but your mileage may vary.

The antennas on each unit are omnidirectional, so you do not need to worry about orientation other than just being up.  The back of each unit has the antenna barrel connector, power input, IR blaster receiver/transmitter input and an HDMI connection.  Pretty simple.  The front of the unit has a power indicator and a channel button.  More on that in a moment.  Unless you have been living in a Luddite bubble for the last dozen or so years, setting this up should be drop-dead simple.  And the boxes tell you which is which, so again – easy to set up.

With the receiver connected to my TV, I plugged the transmitter into a USB-C cable with an HDMI plug running from my laptop.  Windows 10 immediately recognized the transmitter as an HDMI-capable device operating at 1080p and mirrored my desktop to the transmitter.  Here is where I ran into my first “issue” (and I put that in quotes because it is easily overcome, but may take a little sneaker-work if you are doing this alone).  The transmitter and receiver have to operate on the same channel, and unfortunately, there is not a channel indicator on the device – nor is there a scan feature that I could find.  This means you have to press the channel button on one unit and then see if the devices sync.  Best to have someone help you if there is a gap between the transmitter and receiver that won’t allow you to see both at the same time.

Once synced, however, both devices displayed my desktop in great color.  This being a still image, the real test is in handling video.  So I fired up VLC and started playing Black Panther.  And I have to say I am impressed – if you didn’t know otherwise, you would swear the connection was wired.  No artifacts, no interference, no lag – just a clear, bright signal with perfectly synced sound.

My laptop was running in my backyard and the TV/receiver combo was in my living room.  The signal had to go through my kitchen and a brick fireplace.  Total distance was about 25 feet, so I figured I would see what a little distance and the walls of a 101 year old house would do to the performance.  I took my laptop out the back fence and then set up a monitor just outside my front fence.  In addition to the house, there were trees, dogs and all manner of other signal disruptors.  The total distance between the transmitter and receiver was about 65 feet, with my wifi network, microwaves, smart home appliances, and Bluetooth devices in between.

The IOGEAR devices never skipped a beat.  Clear, strong signal with no apparent lag or artifacting.  The thing just worked.

What I Like

  • Very easy to set up and use
  • Even at 60+ feet through walls and foliage, the signal was strong, the audio clear and no static
  • If I wanted to use this inside with a hidden cable or satellite receiver the IR Blaster would likely work
  • It is a very cost-effective solution to a specific problem

What needs to be improved

  • Channel selection and synchronization between the transmitter and receiver can be tricky – a display on the front of the transmitter and receiver would remedy this

Final thoughts

Some things to keep in mind: if you are using this with a computer of any sort you will want to mirror your desktop, not extend it – unless, of course, you are able to see the receiver.  Without mirroring you will be unable to see where your cursor or windows are on the receiver.

Also, your receiver will only be as good as your transmission device – if the device hooked up to the transmitter does not run at a full 1080p or if the sound coming from the HDMI is not stereo, this device will do nothing to help you (to be fair, this is true of most devices in this class unless the transmitter specifically states that it will upscale the image).

And finally, if you use protected content (say a Blu-ray disc on your computer) you may have problems with security protocols built into those devices.  This means that a computer will likely not transmit the signal from a Blu-ray disc playing on it like a standalone Blu-ray player will because of the High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (or HDCP) built into devices.

At $170 this is a great solution to a specific problem.  If you share my situation and are looking for a way to get a 1080p signal across a distance without a cable run, the IOGEAR connection kit could be your answer as well.  I did have to contact technical support during the course of this review, and I found their team responsive and highly supportive, so you can be assured if you run into issues there is someone on the other side of the sale ready to help you.

Price: $169.95 as described
Where to buy: IOGEAR’s web site has additional information and you can buy there or at Amazon.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by IOGEAR.

The post IOGEAR Wireless TV Connection Kit review appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged:

IOGEAR Wireless TV Connection Kit review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 11, 2018 at 9:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

The all new BlackBerry KEY2 may be the biggest “comeback” smartphone of the year!


In the current smart device landscape, when we think about the smartphones that we consider as top tier, names like Apple iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, and Google Pixel dominate as attention grabbers.

However, for many years, much of the growth and breakthroughs have been successful because of pioneer and groundbreaking companies that laid the foundation.

One such company is BlackBerry, and most recently, this company has been chasing the leaders in an effort to regain its place in the hierarchy. They have just introduced the BlackBerry KEY2, which is the newest offering of their Smartphone with the iconic BlackBerry physical keyboard. The BlackBerry KEY2 runs on the latest Android 8.1 Oreo operating system and is the first BlackBerry Smartphone to feature a dual rear camera. They have also added a speed key and a universal shortcut key that is capable of up to 52 shortcuts for instant access to apps, contacts, and other frequently used functions. The phone also features a 4.5-inch touch display that is built with 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass and incorporates an all-around seamless look. Touted as the most advanced BlackBerry Smartphone ever, it has 6GB of memory, is offered in both 64GB and 128GB models, and includes a Micro SD port for expandable storage, dual rear 12MP cameras, and 2 days worth of battery life. All of that along with its enhanced security and privacy measures may just make this the comeback Smartphone of the year.

The BlackBerry KEY2 will begin shipping this month, June 2018, with the suggested retail price starting at $649 USD. You can head over to the BlackBerry website for more details.

The post The all new BlackBerry KEY2 may be the biggest “comeback” smartphone of the year! appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: ,

The all new BlackBerry KEY2 may be the biggest “comeback” smartphone of the year! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 11, 2018 at 8:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Scribit art robot, Atom mini 4G smartphone, ProPoint tiny mouse, and more – Notable crowdfunding campaigns

This week we are bringing you fix crowdfunding campaigns that are currently running on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. This week’s campaigns are for people who like art, music, building things, tiny gadgets and more. Check out our picks for this week’s notable crowdfunding campaigns.

Scribit – Turn your wall into an interactive canvas

What is it?
Scribit is a robot that has been designed to draw artwork on walls vertically.

Why do I like it?
I think Scribit unique and interesting because it can be used to add artwork to walls, erase the art and draw new artwork. It can draw on a surface up to 6.5 x 6.5 feet using 4 colored erasable markers and there’s a pod on its back that heats up to (149°F) 65°C and rolls across the design to erase the ink so a new drawing can be applied. You can use existing art or add your own using an app that can import file formats that include: .svg, .png, .ai, .pdf, .jpeg, .tiff.

Where can I find more info?
The Scribit campaign ends on 7/5/18 and they have already passed their funding goal of $50,000. You can pre-order a Scribit starting at $349. After the Scribit campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in December 2018. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

Atom, World`s Smallest 4G Rugged Smartphone

What is it?
Atom is a 4G smartphone powered by Android 8.1 that is tiny enough to fit in almost any pocket.

Why do I like it?
I reviewed Unihertz’s first phone the Jelly and thought it was a cute little Android phone that fit in my pocket. Atom is their next phone and it has an IP68 certification that means that’s waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof. Atom also features a fingerprint scanner, a programmable button, dual SIM card capability, NFC, and more. If you’re tired of big phones, Atom looks like a fun alternative. You can even take pictures using it while under water.

Where can I find more info?
The Atom campaign ends on 7/10/18 and they have already passed their funding goal of $50,000. You can pre-order an Atom starting at $210. After the Atom campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in October 2018. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

ProPoint™ Mouse & Presenter. iPad/PC/Mac, office or travel.

What is it?
ProPoint is a tiny 3 button ergonomic pen-grip wireless mouse that can be used with your laptop and an iPad when remoted into a computer. It even doubles as a pointer for presentations.

Why do I like it?
ProPoint is an updated version of the Swiftpoint mouse that I reviewed over 7 years ago. It’s got to be the smallest full-featured mouse that I’ve ever seen and it even has a tiny USB charging dock that provides up to an hour of usage time just by plugging it in for 30 seconds. I also like that you can use it right on your laptop if you don’t have room for a mouse pad or you’re using your computer on your lap. That makes it perfect for travel.

Where can I find more info?
The ProPoint campaign ends on 7/11/18 and they have already passed their funding goal of $20,000. You can pre-order a ProPoint starting at $117. After the ProPoint campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in October 2018. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

HUMU Augmented Audio Cushion

What is it?
HUMU is a speaker built into a cushion that will not only let you hear sound, but it will let you feel it too. It uses patented hifi technology used by cinemas to provide an audio immersive experience for your music, games, and more.

Why do I like it?
I don’t really like wearing headphones most of the time and HUMU provides a similar experience without cutting you off from the outside world and without blasting your music so that it bothers everyone around you.

Where can I find more info?
The HUMU campaign ends on 7/5/18 and they are still working towards reaching their funding goal of $30,000. You can pre-order a HUMU starting at $199. After the HUMU campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in September 2018. Visit their Indiegogo page for all the details.

INFENTO®: Build Amazing Life-Size Rides With Your Kids

What is it?
INFENTO is a collection of modular kits that will enable you and your kids ages 0-14yrs to build llife-sizevehicles that they can ride.

Why do I like it?
I want an INFENTO kit for adults! It looks like so much fun to build your own bike, wagon, scooters, and more. They even have a kit with an electric motor.

Where can I find more info?
The INFENTO campaign ends on 7/12/18 and they have already past their funding goal of $50,000. You can pre-order a INFENTO kit starting at $179. After the INFENTO campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in September 2018. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

EARTH: An immersive AR/AI experience & model of our planet

What is it?
EARTH is a 3D-printed, hand-painted globe that you use with a mobile app to learn about our planet using augmented reality.

Why do I like it?
I’ve always been fascinated with regular globes and EARTH looks like a very nice miniature globe. But when you use it with the app, it becomes a great learning tool for kids, and adults.

Where can I find more info?
The EARTH campaign ends on 7/6/18 and they have already past their funding goal of $30,000. You can pre-order EARTH starting at $199. After the EARTH campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in November 2018. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

The post Scribit art robot, Atom mini 4G smartphone, ProPoint tiny mouse, and more – Notable crowdfunding campaigns appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged:

Scribit art robot, Atom mini 4G smartphone, ProPoint tiny mouse, and more – Notable crowdfunding campaigns originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 10, 2018 at 4:52 pm.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.