The Polk Audio Assist Smart Speaker lets your music speak to you in every room


The audio industry has evolved along with everything else, and those of us who love music whether you are a casual listener or an audiophile, want as many capabilities as we can have in one small and “sexy’ looking device that complements our décor. While there are us audiophiles who still must have our relatively large left and right channel speakers along with our stereo rack, there are many others who want the big sound to still exist but vanish into a small package.

Polk Audio is a long-standing audio company that has been known for years for making speakers of every size to fit every type of room and lifestyle. Continuing with their desire to provide excellence to every level of the listener, they have introduced the Polk Audio Assist Smart Speaker. This voice-controlled smart speaker is built to provide the customary Polk premium sound, and it includes the Google Assistant for hands-free operation. Some of the additional features include music streaming via the built-in Google Chromecast, with access to services like Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Google Play Music, etc., and hi-res multi-room audio streaming utilizing Chromecast-enabled speakers and sound bars. All of the features that are offered can be controlled via the free Google Home app for iOS or Android devices.

The Polk Audio Assist Smart Speaker is available in midnight back or cool gray, and it will be available for purchase in the U.S. in June 2018 for $199.

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The Polk Audio Assist Smart Speaker lets your music speak to you in every room originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 2, 2018 at 9:37 am.

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With Apple Watch bands, the choices are epic

A month ago, my generous wife got me an Apple Watch for our anniversary. It’s a watch I wanted, but could not justify, so it was a nice surprise. However, I wasn’t happy with the supplied watch band, so I’ve been researching different styles and prices of available bands. As much as I like Apple products, their watch bands are shamelessly overpriced. So my options are either affordable bands offered by other companies or Apple’s uncomfortable stock band. As I was surfing around the web, I came across Epic Watch Bands. No, they don’t make bands, but curate premium bands from different manufacturers from around the world.

Epic offers various styles and colors of Apple Watch bands made of silicone, metal, stainless steel, nylon, leather, ceramic and even wood! Prices are competitive and a steal when compared to Apple’s own. All of Epic’s bands are compatible with every Apple Watch model including Series 1, 2, 3, Edition and Nike+.

All wrist sizes are available. For instance, silicone bands contain 3-pieces—SM (Small/Medium) and ML (Medium/Large) bands. If Link-type bands (such as our Stainless Steel, Ceramic and Natural Wood watch bands) need to have some links added or removed, Epic provides the proper DIY tools.

Prices range from $15 on up to $70. At these prices, you can have a band to fit every mood, outfit or activity. Epic offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Visit Epic Watch Bands for more information. 

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With Apple Watch bands, the choices are epic originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 2, 2018 at 8:23 am.

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Your home is smart – now with Elgato Eve Aqua, your lawn can be smart, too

Elgato Eve products can be used inside to automate your home.  The Gadgeteer has even reviewed some of them.  Now Elgato adds the Eve Aqua to turn your outdoor faucet into an “intelligent water outlet” to make watering your yard as easy as set-it-and-forget it scheduling or to allow you to water your lawn while you’re out doing errands.

You don’t need to buy a hub for Eve products.  They are designed to work with Apple’s HomeKit, so they will work out of the box with your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple Watch. Your Apple TV or iPad will serve as a home hub, seamlessly automating your accessories and keeping you connected anywhere you have internet connectivity.

Elgato says: “Eve accessories are exclusively HomeKit-enabled. Even when accessing your home remotely via your home hub, data is end-to-end encrypted and stored on your iPhone or iPad. Superior privacy, advanced security, and absolute peace of mind – it’s all here.  Equipped with Bluetooth low energy technology, Eve accessories ensure reliable operation independently of bridges. Setup is quick and easy. Energy consumption is minimal. And accessory response time is snappy.“

The Eve Aqua connects between your outdoor faucet and a garden hose.  It has IPX4 water resistance plus Australian-certified UV protection to keep the Aqua in prime working shape for years to come.  You can set it up once and let your schedules work independently without wireless connectivity.  Or you can control the Eve Aqua on the fly by using the app on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch or by issuing Siri voice commands.  In addition to controlling watering schedules, the Eve app will track water usage over time, so you’ll know.

The Elgato Eve Aqua is available for pre-order for $99.95.  Shipments begin on June 25th.  Place your pre-order now at the Elgato website.

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Your home is smart – now with Elgato Eve Aqua, your lawn can be smart, too originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 1, 2018 at 1:00 pm.

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Harber London Slim iPad Pro EVO with Apple Pencil Holder review

There’s nothing makes an impression like a fine piece of leather. If you’re looking to level up your style, I’d like to introduce you my new friend: the Slim iPad Pro EVO from Harber London. Think of it like a fine whiskey: simple and elegant, with a subtle complexity that just oozes class. To the review! 

What is it?

It’s a leather sleeve for your iPad Pro, Apple Keyboard, and Apple Pencil.

Hardware specs

  • 13″ wide by 10″ tall
  • Full grain vegetable tanned cowhide leather
  • 100% wool felt lining
  • Hand made
  • Fits the 12.9” iPad Pro with or without the Apple Keyboard
  • Internal security loop for the Apple Pencil

What’s in the box?

The sleeve is the only star of the show here, but we have to spend a moment talking about the packaging. Harber London delivers your sleeve in an elegant cotton white bag, sealed in an embossed black folio that sets the tone for a sophisticated brand experience. I love it when brands pay attention to the little details like this. 

Design and features

Let’s start our review with the construction. The Harber London Slim iPad Pro EVO uses full grain vegetable tanned cowhide leather that is rich, supple, and elegant. Little details like the tastefully-placed  embossed product logos just add to the sense of sophisticated style in the build:

Harber London’s products are all hand made in Spain, and the quality craftsmanship is obvious in the little assembly details. The 100% natural wool lining pairs perfectly with the leather. It’s got amazing hand feel, durability, and a wonderfully soft wrapper to protect your iPad’s delicate surfaces. The edging on both the wool and leather is left raw, letting the natural materials speak for themselves:

The interior leather loop is sized perfectly for your Apple Pencil. It’s tight enough to keep it from running away, but not so tight that you’re fighting to get your Pencil in and out when you need it.

The sleeve is sized to fit your iPad Pro while allowing enough extra depth to accommodate the Pencil, making it easy to slide your iPad in and out. It’s snug enough to accommodate your Apple Keyboard attached to your iPad without extra slack to slide about. You could probably add your iPad back cover if you want to stretch the leather a bit, but I wouldn’t recommend it. And if you’re using the sleeve, why would you need that anyway?

Total measurements on the sleeve are 13″ wide by 10″ tall, and about 3/4″ deep when you load up your iPad Pro, Apple Keyboard, and Apple Pencil. It adds about an inch all around and 1/2″ depth to your carry as opposed to running naked with the iPad Pro. Not a huge increase in volume if you’re throwing it in your bag.    

For me, the perfect use case for this sleeve is the business/creative professional who has pared down the meeting essentials to your iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. There’s no fumbling with zips or flaps in the design; slip out your tools, and get right to work. It also makes a serious style statement that looks great when you need to dress up for that big presentation or board meeting.

Harber London does offer a variety of hand crafted leather and EDC products, including sleeve designs for an assortment of devices with different features. Take a wander over to Harber London’s site for more information.

What I like

  • Hand-made with beautiful, natural materials
  • Simple and elegant
  • Sized perfectly for your iPad Pro and Apple Pencil

What needs to be improved

  • Not much at all

Final thoughts

There’s something magical about hand made leather products that let the quality of craftsmanship shine through. The Harber London Slim iPad Pro EVO ticks all of those boxes for me, with great functionality to boot. It’s simple, elegant, and classy. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more from this brand.  

Price: About $80 USD. Note that Harber London is based in the UK. This item ships worldwide for under $10 USD, but check shipping rates when purchasing.
Where to buy: You can buy direct from the Harber London web site.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Harber London.

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Harber London Slim iPad Pro EVO with Apple Pencil Holder review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 1, 2018 at 12:00 pm.

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Have an espresso anywhere using Nanopresso

You’re out camping enjoying your smokey campfire-cooked meal, but it’s missing something – an espresso! Now you can have one using a portable espresso maker called the Nanopresso. It doesn’t need electricity. All you need to provide is finely ground coffee and hot water. It uses a pump to extract the coffee, which provides upwards of 261 PSI according to the Wacaco website. It comes with a built-in espresso cup, filter basket, scoop, brush, and instructions. It is available from Wacaco for $64.90 USD and comes in black, yellow, orange or red colors. Ah, now you have enough energy to take on the rest of the day no matter where you are!

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Have an espresso anywhere using Nanopresso originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 1, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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