Bike-sharing in the 21st century

I love riding a bicycle. I started riding again about 10 years ago and spent a lot of time riding in the town I used to live in. In 2013, we moved to a place that is a little more remote, and the roads around the house are a little more car-oriented than those where we previously lived. Recently, though, the city has started issuing permits to companies that do Dockless Bike share. This is a system that allows anyone to download an app on your smartphone, scan a code for the bike, pay whatever fee is involved, and be able to ride pretty much anywhere, and then lock the bike up and remove your responsibility for it. Docked bike share means you have to get and return the bike to/from a dedicated place – an installed rack that the company or municipality installs. “Dockless” means the bike itself has a lock, GPS, and power elements to allow it to report it’s position and to respond to a connected smartphone that is seeking to rent it out.

Here in Durham, NC, there are currently two companies that have permits from the city and started placing bikes around town last week: Spin Bike and Lime Bike. I have tried them both, and they are pretty similar. You download the app, create an account with the company, scan the individual bike’s registration number, and ride off into the sunset. Both have similar pricing – $1 for 30 minutes. I have been using Spin Bike more because they accept ApplePay, which made the initial few rides absolutely seamless. LimeBike gives you a free first ride, but then wants a credit card entered into the app directly.

I park about a 10-minute walk away from my office, but it’s much more fun to grab a bike and take a bit longer route. At $1 a day, I can ride from garage to office, take a spin at lunch, then ride back to the parking deck at the end of my shift. Since both deck and office are in places where there are a lot of folks leave bikes, I have yet to walk out and not find one when I’m wanting one.

If you live in a town where dockless bike sharing has or may become a service, I encourage you to try it out.

Jelly smartphone, ZTE Axon M smartphone, Cat S41 smartphone, and more – Weekly roundup

We posted reviews of three different Android smartphones this week, from the tiny Jelly Pro to the double screened Axon M, and the ruggedized Cat S41. I don’t think we’ve ever posted that many phone reviews in one week. I also changed site themes this week and am still working out a few kinks so let me know if you see anything obvious that needs to be fixed. Here’s a full list of everything that we posted this week, enjoy!

Reviews

News

This tiny USB Type-C to HDMI adapter is perfect for travel

I have a USB Type-C to HDMI adapter that I use to connect my 12-inch MacBook to an LG 29″ monitor on my desk. The size of that adapter doesn’t matter to me because it never leaves the desk. But if I carried a USB Type-C to HDMI adapter with me in my gear bag every day, I would prefer to have the smallest adapter available. Nonda offers just such an adapter.

The Nonda USB-C to HDMI Adapter is very small and features 4K with resolutions up to 4096 x 2160 @60Hz in a fold-up form factor that you’ll have no trouble finding space to store it in your bag or pocket.

The wrap around braided cable helps keep the adapter small and compact, and the $22.99 price tag won’t empty your wallet.

Read more about the Nonda adapter at nonda.co or head over to Amazon to order one.

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This tiny USB Type-C to HDMI adapter is perfect for travel originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 9, 2017 at 2:37 pm.

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Üllo Wine Purifier review

We drink a fair amount of wine in our world. From my wife’s Friday evening wine club to our many social engagements, we have the opportunity to indulge in some very good vino. A majority of the wine we consume comes from what most would consider classic vineyards. That said, we have several friends and coworkers who only drink sulfite-free wines. They usually pay extra and do not have nearly the selection we do across the board. So, when Julie asked if we wanted to try the Üllo Wine Purifier, the chemist in me thought it would be fun and interesting to see if it really removes the sulfites without impacting the wine itself.

The Üllo Wine Purifier is relatively simplistic in its design. The housing is engineered to hold a filter meant to remove a majority of the sulfites as you pour wine thru the assembly. The Üllo can de-sulfite both white and red wines, removing the sulfites added during the bottling process as a preservative.

According to the Üllo Kickstarter page — “An estimated three million Americans are sensitive to sulfites resulting in allergies or respiratory problems, while countless others blame these chemicals for headaches and hangovers”.

Üllo is a Chicago startup with a simple mission to bring wine back to its natural state. Doctor James Kornacki is the inventor of Selective Sulfite Capture™ technology and holds a doctorate in chemistry from Northwestern University. He founded Üllo in 2014 in Chicago as a Kickstarter effort that raised over $150k with thousands of backers.

  1. POUR – All wine contains sulfites, which are artificial preservatives added during production. They are no longer needed once the bottle is opened.
  2. PURIFY – Proprietary polymer technology filters away free sulfites and their bitter taste, while allowing other compounds in wine to flow through unaffected.
  3. PURE WINE – Through Selective Sulfite Capture™, free sulfites are reduced to a more naturally occurring level for most wines.

The ultimate goal is to “return wine to its natural state as if you opened the bottle right at the vineyard.” The Üllo is designed to remove the sulfites, restoring wine to its natural, preservative-free state thus reducing the bitter aftertaste that the chemical many times causes.

In the Box:

  • Üllo Wine Purifier
  • Travel bag
  • Display base
  • 4 Selective Sulfite Capture single bottle filters

Specifications:

  • Dishwasher safe, BPA-free materials
  • Height: 5 7/8” x Width: 4 3/8”
  • Üllo filters are made in the USA

The Üllo assembly is made from three pieces of BPA-free plastic and rubber that all click together, are easily pried apart, and dishwasher safe. Here you see the filter that contains a porous, food-grade polymer which selectively removes sulfites while allowing the other compounds in the wine to flow through unaffected. Each filter is supposed to reduce sulfites to less than 10 ppm (parts per million) for one bottle of wine.

The Üllo is engineered to be flexible in how you use it. If you prefer wine by the glass, the Üllo is designed to sit on top of a variety of wine glasses.

Or by the bottle, the Üllo can also fit inside or on top of the mouths of a multitude of carafes and decanters as well.

As I mentioned above, the Üllo Wine Purifier can not only remove/reduce sulfites, but the internal design can aerate red wine or allow white wine to flow thru. That said, I have to add this is the Üllo’s only design weakness. We tried a multitude of different bottles of wine thru the Üllo and even sitting minutes after pouring, we found the aeration it provided lacking. We have gotten used to and prefer the substantial aeration that the Aervana electric aerator produces. But we did try the Üllo in tandem with the Aervana and I believe that achieved the best results.

Does it work…

Well, that is the 24,000 dollar question. And truth be told, I cannot give you a concrete answer without sending samples to a lab for analysis. Being the nerdy scientist I am, I would LOVE to give you some cold, hard numbers into what is a pretty subjective review.  All I can give you (for the moment) is the report out from the Wine Club. And sadly results were all over the board. We tried the Üllo wine purifier on several occasions with a variety of nice wines: I found it smoothed out the flavor, a few found no change, and one thought it made the wine more acidic. Like I said…extremely subjective :-/ .

My hope…

We have friends and coworkers who happen to make wine, with several of them owning full-scale wineries. We stopped by one of them to pick up a case for the holiday get-togethers and my wife mentioned the Üllo wine purifier to Steve, the owner. Well as the story goes, Steve was very interested in not only the chemistry of it but the potential for selling it to those sulfite-sensitive/allergic folks. He says sulfite content is a question that is regularly asked. Steve was so interested, that he volunteered to not only try the Üllo but send a few samples to his lab to see if it truly works. If/when he has results I’ll update this review with some rubber meets the road data. But until then, all I can say is that I found the wine smoother with the Üllo than without it.

Bottom line…

The Üllo Wine Purifier seems like an ideal gift for those sulfite-sensitive/allergic folks you know. The Üllo itself comes with four filters and costs $80. The Selective Sulfite Capture single bottle filters cost approximately $3 each and are available in packs of 6 or 15. The Wine Club thought the filters were a bit pricey on a per bottle basis. But considering how expensive and limited sulfite-free wine is, the cost may be worth it for those needing/preferring low sulfite wines.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Üllo. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order.

 

Product Information

Price: $80
Manufacturer: Üllo
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • Removes a majority of sulfite from wine
  • Restores wine to its natural, preservative-free state
  • Easy to clean and store
Cons:
  • Aeration could be better
  • Filter cost

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Üllo Wine Purifier review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 9, 2017 at 11:47 am.

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Dittrich Designs AllDock multi-device charging station review

Organizing our workspace and dealing with the perpetual need to charge our devices frequently seem to work at cross-purposes. Cables sprawl around mice, keyboards, and desk trinkets. A stand just for charging can seem like a lot – unless it can organize all the cables and charging devices into a single location. This is the mission of the AllDock, a new product series from Dittrich Designs. I was sent a medium model in walnut to test.

Note: Photos may be tapped or clicked for a larger image.

The AllDock is attempting to cover the ground that other charging platforms have in the past, but it uses warm, full grain, real wood to hide the technology. The base itself is a solid box of walnut or bamboo, 2.75” x 6” x 9”. Lengthwise across the top are four channels with three tear-drop cord holders in the bottom. Under the top, a 4-port high-quality USB charger is installed, so that you can attach cables to each port, and thread them up through the ports. From there, you can plug your device in, and stick it down into the channel with the power plug in the teardrop hole, and your screen upright for use. This could work great for a conference room, break area, or coffee shop, where you want to provide charging, but don’t want a bunch of ugly chargers and cables strewn about.


The top is held in place by six pairs of rare earth magnets along the long sides. They are strong enough that I can lift the box by one of the top crosspieces and shake it, and it won’t let go. Once you “help” it with the other hand, it lifts readily, and you can change the cable arrangement at will.


The channels are of two sizes: the rear-most is .75”, while the other three are .5” each. My iPhone can fit into the smaller ones, even with the Apple Leather cover attached, but most cases forced usage of the rear slot. Without a case, my iPad Pro 10.5” can fit any channel in portrait, but even the thinnest case is too much for them, mainly because all my cases have covers, so they have to fold over. My Lovely Bride’s OG iPad mini fits either orientation without a case, but the case, again, is too thick, since it is a fold-over.
The front bar has a one-inch gap in the middle, which makes it perfect to press the home button of the device in that front-and-center position. The weight and bulk of the box make it very sturdy for using an iPad in portrait mode (as I’m doing now) so that you can use a standalone keyboard.


A few add-ons are available. One, a one-handed dock for Lightning, was included. You insert your cable, clip the holder up into the teardrop slot, and the cable is perfectly placed to receive your phone or iPad. Other add-ons include a hanging mount for an Apple Watch and a “sidecar” for Apple AirPods. You can even get a wireless charger to install, and lean your Qi comparable device against it.


I lied earlier when I said it was only available in wood. I didn’t want to spoil the mood. They also make slightly cheaper versions in a black or white ABS plastic, and the rack tops can all be mixed and matched. There are other sizes as well. A 6-port “Large” model, and an 8-port Tower with no rack are available. One thing to note is that each device has a full 2.4 mAh connection per port. The 8-port model delivers a whopping 19.2 mAh, the 6-port totals 14.4, and the 4 port 9.6. Few multi-port chargers deliver this amount of power per port.

I have a friend who claims I have a stand addiction. He said at dinner the other night “Smythe has never seen a stand he didn’t like – or buy.” He’s only partly wrong. There are some I like but didn’t buy because they weren’t something that would fit in my life. There were also some that I really wanted to like, but just had too many negatives to overcome. Sadly, for me, the Alldock falls into this category. It’s beautiful and made from quality materials, and the electronics are first-rate. The issue I have is that the grooves are too narrow to use with all but naked devices. I have cases on my iPads and my iPhones. Taking them out of the case is a hassle if I’m only doing it for charging, or even to leave on my desk while working. What do I do with those cases while I’m working with the naked iPad or iPhone? I have several different stands – some at work, others in various places around my home, and the only one that requires me to remove the case is the Flote stand, which I use least of all.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Dittrich Designs. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order.

 

Product Information

Price: varies by size and material. As reviewed, $159.00.
Manufacturer: AllDock
Retailer: Amazon
Requirements:
  • Device cables, Thin devices for charging
Pros:
  • Full power per port for charging
  • many options for how to arrange devices
  • extra "sidecars" for earpods and Apple Watch
Cons:
  • channels for devices are too narrow for cases
  • Nothing wider than portrait for iPad

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Dittrich Designs AllDock multi-device charging station review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 9, 2017 at 8:37 am.

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