Home Health and fitness

Airfree P2000 – Filterless Air Purifier may just be the answer to clean air!


Over the past few years, I have been back and forth to the pediatrician with my kids who have been suffering with allergies and asthma. After much testing, they were put on daily medications to help to control the effect of their allergies, which if not addressed would eventually trigger a full-fledged asthma attack.

In an effort to address the issue of pollutants within the home, I have invested in several air purifiers, with mixed results, and I continue to research these devices always looking for better technology and hopefully better results.

Today, I was reading about the Airfree P2000 – Filterless Air Purifier. This device claims to have “patented Thermodynamic TSS Technology”, that “destroys mold, dust mites, bacteria, viruses, pollens, pet dander, tobacco and other organic allergens”. It also claims to reduce harmful ozone levels within the home. I have heard about air filters that “boast” about this type of ability, and I have been very intrigued by these claims. They claim to be perfect in areas that may contain mold, and to be the best current solution for asthma and allergy sufferers. The coverage each one of these units claims to provide, is adequate for most small to medium sized rooms, and unlike my current air purifiers, they are filterless and completely silent. Since I spend quite a bit of money replacing filters, this would be a welcomed feature. In addition, as a photographer/videographer, the ability to clean the air so that my expensive camera equipment and lenses are in a better environment both for storage and operation is a plus.

If you would like more detailed information on the Airfree P2000 – Filterless Air Purifier or you would like to purchase one, head over to Amazon, or B&H Photo Video or Adorama, and check it out. It is available for purchase from any of these retailers for $269.

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Airfree P2000 – Filterless Air Purifier may just be the answer to clean air! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 14, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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CreaClip will save you money and a trip to the salon

I like to keep my hair short because it’s easier to take care of and I think it looks better that way. Heck, I even loved it when I was bald due to chemo 7 years ago. It was liberating not having to shampoo and blow dry my hair every morning and pay $20 or more every few weeks for a haircut. Not that I want to go to that extreme for hair care convenience now.

To save money and time, I sometimes have Jeanne trim my hair in between haircuts. She does a pretty good job at trimming bangs and around my ears and neck, but I’ve not had her try cutting the rest of my hair because she’s not trained and doesn’t feel confident. I’m thinking that maybe the CreaClip might be just the gadget to turn that around.

The CreaClip will let you cut your own hair or someone else’s hair. It’s a snap together clip with a built-in level that provides a guide so that you can trim bangs and even layer hair. You can check out their video on the CreaProducts website and you can buy a CreaClip set which comes with two sizes of clips for $24.95 on Amazon.

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CreaClip will save you money and a trip to the salon originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 6, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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DrinKup smart water bottle review

I have never been a big water drinker unless I was working out or physically working on something that was making me sweat.  Now living in south Texas that can be easily achieved by stepping outside.  However, working in a cubicle farm every day in my 7:30 – 4:30 office job never really required me to drink much if any water.   When I did make myself drink more water I seemed to be more focused on it in the morning hours and just before lunch.  Once I came back from lunch, I rarely ever drank any water.  I do know that I was finding myself to be very tired at the end of a work day which was probably a byproduct of being dehydrated.  Luckily for me, I received the opportunity to try out the new DrinKup smart water bottle.  It is supposed to remind you when to drink and keep you hydrated for the time periods you specify.  Let’s see how that worked out for me.

What is it?

The DrinKup Smart water bottle is a water bottle that is supposed to track your hydration levels throughout the day.  It tracks them by using a ‘smart’ bottle cap on the bottle that measures how much water you have drunk.  It has an associated app that works on iOS and Android that allows you to enter in drinks you have outside of the bottle and track things like exercise so it knows if you need more or less water during the day. Please excuse the line you see going through the middle of the box.   I apparently overindulged when it came to opening the outside packaging and cut through a bit too far into the actual item box.

Hardware Specs

It comes packaged in a really nice box and is available in four different colors (yellow, red, white and blue).  The aluminum bottle cap includes a touch sensor screen with a LED display and a rechargeable battery.  The bottle is stainless steel with a 316 double wall vacuum insulated body.  It is supposed to keep cold water cold up to 24 hours and hot water hot up to 12 hours.  I have left water with ice in it at 4:30 pm and come in the next day at 7:30 am and there is still ice in the bottle.  The bottle is also BPA free.  The bottle will hold 17oz or 500ml of liquid. The battery is rated to last up to 2-3 months depending on how much you use it.  The app does show a battery level indicator in it.  You can see that you charge the bottle cap via a USB port in the lid.  This port is covered by a rubber cover and you then must twist the lid to fully cover the port when charging is complete.

What’s in the box?

Inside the box, you will find three items.

  1. The water bottle with the lid attached.
  2. A quick user manual
  3. A USB cable for charging the lid

Design and Features

The first thing I had to do was to charge up the water bottle cap.  I plugged the USB cable into the port on the bottle and put the other end into a USB socket on my wall outlet.  You can see from the image above what it looked like when charging.    When charging was complete the display no longer showed the battery.   Once the cap was charged I downloaded the app onto my phone.  I am currently running a Samsung S9 so I downloaded the Android version.

The first screen asked me to log in or create an account.  I clicked the create account button and received the following screen below.

I entered my email, password and agreed to the terms and conditions.  Once done I clicked the ‘next’ button.

The next page asked me to fill in basic profile information.  I do have a couple of issues with this page.   The height would only allow me to enter in my height in decimal feet.  It would have been much easier to enter 5ft 7in rather than 5.58.  I am sad to admit I had to find a Google converter to figure that one out.  I really do not like math!   My other complaint has to do with the record period.   This is the period of time in which the bottle will nag you to drink if it feels you are dehydrated.   It only lets you put in whole hours.  I wanted to track from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm but had to stick with 7 am to 5 pm.  It should be noted that the ID field is how you can get friends to find you on the app.  Once set it cannot be changed.  The display name is just the name the app will display on the home page of the app.  I then chose the option to pair the bottle.  At this point, I had to put the cap on the bottle to activate it.  The app found the bottle pretty quickly and I gave my bottle a name.   Note that it is on the bottle settings page where you can apply firmware updates to the cap itself.

As my day went along I would periodically be reminded to drink up.  The bottle cap will vibrate pretty quietly 3 times and you will get a notification on your phone.   It is pretty quiet, but I have to admit if you are in a meeting and only one person is talking everyone around me did notice.   Fortunately, there is a setting under the bottle settings that lets you turn off the lid vibration.  Each time I drank, I put the lid back on.  Within 5 seconds or so, I would hear a high pitched electrical whine and then the display would show how hydrated I was.  The above picture is showing the display indicating I was 80% hydrated.   Notice the black dot on the top of the display.  I actually put that there with a permanent marker.  There is no way to tell which way is the right way ‘up’ so when the devices display the percentage, half the time I was trying to read the results sideways or upside down.  You are supposed to be able to tap on the cap with your finger at any time to display your hydration level.  I found this to be a bit hit or miss.

The above picture shows my hydration graph for a single day.  You can see when it starts to drop around 80% it will notify me to drink up.  At that point, you see the jump in the hydration level.

What I like

I love that the lid will stay charged for such a long period of time.  I have used it for a little over a week and it just lost one of the bars on the battery.  It does do an excellent job of keeping me hydrated.  I forgot to mention that the app will connect to Fitbit and Apple watches.  I have neither one, but according to the website, once connected the app will prompt you to drink more if it knows you are being more active.   It does give you the ability to manually enter an exercise in 30-minute intervals from 30 to 300 minutes in categories of low, medium or high intensity.  I used that and did notice the amount of nagging to drink did increase.  The other thing I like is the app gives you the ability to enter in drinks taken without the bottle.  Maybe you go to lunch and have a glass of water for lunch.  You can manually enter that into the app.  The app also lets you connect to friends who also have a DrinKup bottle which could make staying hydrated a bit more fun.  Finally, the app will let you know if the water in your bottle has gone stale.  I left the bottle over the weekend at work.  When I got back on Monday it was flashing an X to indicate that I had stale water and should refresh it.

What needs to be improved

This bottle is pretty darn pricey for what it is.  I could only find this water bottle for purchase on the DrinKup bottle website and they charge $79 for the bottle.   I know there are apps out there that will remind you to drink no matter what device you are drinking from, but this could be good for those times you don’t have your phone with you.  The couple of issues I mentioned with setting up my profile in the app could be corrected – allow half hour increments in tracking period, allow height in feet and inches.  Another thing that could be made to work better is the ability to tap on the cap and display your hydration level.  I found myself tapping multiple times with the flat of my finger as described in the FAQ before I could finally get it to display.   Finally, they could put an indicator on the top of the bottle to show where the top of the display is located.

Final thoughts

I can say for certain that this bottle did an excellent job of keeping me hydrated.  I think a few things could be fine tuned in the app that would make it a whole lot more usable.   I do think the bottle and app are priced quite a bit higher than I would ever pay to get one.   I would recommend this to folks who feel like they have the $79 to burn, but I don’t think too many people would be jumping at the opportunity.

Price: $79
Where to buy: DrinKup Website
Source: The sample for this review was provided by DrinKup.

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DrinKup smart water bottle review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 2, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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Loop High Fidelity Earplugs review

Over the last several years, I’ve noticed a problem developing in my left ear when exposed to continuous loud sounds (it sounds like there is cotton constantly moving around in my ear). I haven’t gone to a doctor about this because it happens infrequently. I’ve tried using inexpensive protective foam earplugs (those intended for use in loud industrial environments) to help with this problem. However, I despise using them because I can’t seem to get a good seal in my ear canal.

When I saw the Loop High Fidelity Earplugs news post on the Gadgeteer, I thought they were attractive and I liked the fact that you can replace the eartips with standard silicone or memory foam eartips. I put in a request to review them and after receiving them and trying them out, I found that I enjoy using them and they help alleviate my problem.

What is it?

The Loop High Fidelity Earplugs are plugs inserted into your ear canals designed to decrease the level of sound when exposed to a loud environment without decreasing the quality of the sound. They come in many colors: Midnight Black, Glorious Gold, Raving Red, Swinging Silver, Flirty Rose Gold, Brilliant Black, Funky Blue, and Electric White.

What’s in the box?

Loop High Fidelity Earplugs
Medium hybrid silicone eartips
Small hybrid silicone eartips
Comply memory foam eartips
Artificial leather pouch
User guide

Design and features

The Loop High Fidelity Earplugs are attractive earplugs made out of a hollow hard plastic material.

Many of the inexpensive protective foam earplugs create a muffled sound because they block your ear canals which act as resonators. To improve the clarity of speech and music and avoid a muffled sound, Loop earplugs use 3D printing technology to create a round compact acoustic hollow channel that mimics the resonator function of your ear canals.

Sound waves enter Loop via a small opening. They then travel through the hollow channel on the inside of Loop. This acoustic resonator has the same length as your ear canal and has a quarter wavelength resonance at 2700 Hz. … At the end of this sound tube we placed an acoustic filter which lowers all frequencies equally. This filter is installed in a laboratory by Dynamic Ear Company. To make sure there are no leaks, they use a UV light technology.” (the Loop website).

In order for the Loop earplugs to work, you must seal your ear canals. The earplugs come with small and medium-sized hybrid silicone tips as well as a pair of Comply memory foam tips. The top of the photo above shows the hybrid silicone tips which, when viewed from the underside, illustrate how the hollow spaces behind the eartips are filled with foam (they are filled with foam from the inner diameter of the tips to the outer diameter of the tips). The eartips are easily attached to the Loop earplugs by pushing and twisting the tips onto the stem of the earplugs.

Use



After receiving the Loop earplugs, I tried using the medium sized silicone tips first, but they were too loose for my ear canals. I needed to use the Comply memory foam eartips to obtain an adequate seal; apparently, even though I am a small person, I have very large ear canals.

Inserting the earplugs into my ears was very easy to do once I figured out the correct orientation. The loop portion of the earplugs should not be oriented in an up or down position relative to the eartips but instead should be oriented horizontally. Once they were inserted, they were very comfortable to wear, although I must admit that I only wore them for about 15 minutes at a time.

I use the Loop earplugs each week when attending our church services. The music is quite loud and when I tested the sound level using the Sound Meter Android app by Abc Apps, the music level hovered around 80 dB. The Loop website states that the earplugs reduce the sound by 20 dB equally across all frequencies. I cannot say how much the sound level decreased when using the earplugs, but it made a significant difference to me and alleviated the issues I’ve been having with my left ear.

Also when using the Loop earplugs, I was unable to differentiate the sound quality of the Loop earplugs versus the inexpensive foam earplugs, but I was still able to hear people talking to me.

Protection

It is also important to note that the inexpensive protective foam earplugs that I’ve used have an ANSI/OSHA noise reduction rating (NRR) of 33 which equates to a 13 dB sound reduction. The Loop website does not state anything about being ANSI/OSHA compliant. It does state that the Loop earplugs are not suitable to use when shooting.

What I like

  • Reduces sound in loud environments
  • Very attractive design
  • Lightweight and comfortable
  • Easy to use
  • Eartips can be replaced using standard silicone eartips or memory foam eartips
  • Comes with nice zippered artificial leather pouch for storage

What needs to be improved

  • A little expensive

Final Thoughts

The Loop High Fidelity Earplug are wonderful to use. I have used inexpensive protective foam earplugs in the past and have so much trouble getting them to fit properly, but the Loop earplugs insert in seconds and fit perfectly and comfortably using the Comply memory foam eartips. They create a great seal and really help to decrease the sound around me when in a loud environment. Would I have purchased them at $29.95? Probably not, but at $20 or less, I definitely would have.

Price: $29.95
Where to buy: Loop and Amazon
Source: The product used in this review was provided by Loop

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Loop High Fidelity Earplugs review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 28, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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Liaboe Electric Rechargeable Toothbrush review

At the recommendation of my dentist, I switched from a manual to an electric toothbrush many years ago. Since then, I’ve used multiple brands with varying degrees of success, solely judged on the observations of my hygienist.  Liaboe’s Electric Toothbrush looked to be a worthy contender to my long-time preferred Sonicare Elite.

What is it?

The Liaboe Electric Rechargeable toothbrush is… a toothbrush. The toothbrush charges using an inductive base and is equipped with three modes, Clean, White, and Massage. Wait… Yes, I checked it – the toothbrush has a massage mode, no kidding. The replaceable heads vibrate at up to 40,000 strokes per minute to help abate plaque deposits, freshen breath and whiten teeth.

Hardware Specs

  • Plastic housing
  • Dimensions: Handle – 183 x 32.6 x 30.6mm; 7.2 x 1.3 x 1.2 in.
  • Dimensions: Base –  88 x 92x 32mm; 3.5 x 3.6 x 1.3 in
  • Weight : 9.91oz / 0.28kg
  • Power Rating: 100 ~ 240 VAC , 50/60Hz
  • Rated Voltage: 3.6 V
  • Clean mode current: 400mA ± 150mA
  • Whiten mode current: 330mA ± 100mA
  • Massage mode current: 200mA ~ 550mA
  • Clean mode: 31,000 strikes per minute
  • Whiten mode: 40,000 strikes per minute
  • Massage mode: clean mode alternates with whiten mode
  • App Support: Android 4.1 and iOS8.0 or higher

What’s in the box?

  • 1 x Charging Base
  • 3 x Brush Heads
  • 1 x User Manual

Design and features

 

According to the manufacturer:

  • Cost Effectiveness: The same function and quality as Sonicare toothbrush, but only half price. This toothbrush uses an innovative magnetic levitation motor. Super strong vibration makes water and toothpaste transform into tiny bubbles in the oral cavity, and uses the impact force produced by tiny bubbles to scour the dead corners of the mouth, so as to reduce dental plaque. Compared with the ordinary toothbrush, the cleaning force is increased by more than 3 times.
  • Cleaner: As you know, the more vibrant frequency, the stronger cleaning effect, but over-high frequency makes the brush swing range too narrow that can’t clean teeth well. After a lot of experimental analysis, the 40000 times per minute vibration and the 8 millimeters left and right swing range is the perfect combination.
  • More Careful: The electric toothbrush has 3 different modes to meet different needs. After carefully rounding the tip of every single brush-hair, it can more deeply clean the tooth gap and reduce the bleeding of sensitive gum.
  • Smarter: Liaboe electric toothbrush cleans your teeth in only 2 minutes with 30 seconds intervals to remind you to brush all 4 quadrants of your teeth. Waken your teeth in the early morning to enjoy a whole day full of happiness and confidence.
  • 60 Days Money Back & 2 Years Replacement Guarantee: We are always here to support you by providing the best customer service to ensure 100% customer satisfaction

My observations:

The Liaboe Electric toothbrush comes in a full-color box, nestled in a plastic tray and sealed in plastic bags. The manual recommends charging for 24 hours before use. The cord is quite long and the base does not have a location to store the excess. If your countertop is as crowded as mine, save the twist-tie to lasso the renegade cord and keep it out of the way.

After waiting the prescribed charging time, the Liaboe toothbrush took its maiden voyage in my mouth. Please note: sonic toothbrushes take some time to become accustomed. Initially, the motion of this brush will feel ticklish to sensitive gums.

The handle is comfortable and the brush head is small enough to fit easily behind my molars. This sub $30 toothbrush feels similar to my Sonicare Elite, but the amplitude of the vibrations is significantly lower. That being said, to my layman’s perspective, the Liaboe left my pearly-whites feeling equally as clean as the Sonicare, but the dentist will need to be the final judge. I admit I prefer the more aggressive oscillations of the Sonicare.

The two-minute timer is great to ensure I’m brushing long enough. There is a “blip” every 30 seconds I used as a reminder to switch to each quadrant of my teeth, (upper inside, upper outside, lower inside, lower outside) ensuring equal care from incisor to molar.

Impressively, the entire Liaboe toothbrush, charger, and heads are less expensive than a five-pack of genuine Sonicare Elite replacement heads. Sure, you can buy after-market heads, but I’m not a big fan of picking brush filaments out of my mouth. Disappointingly, Liaboe replacement brush heads could not be located and, according to an answer provided on Amazon, have to be ordered via email at Service@liaboe.com. I suspect after-market heads can be located somewhere.

I tried all three settings and found the “Whiten” setting to be the best for me. The “Clean” mode feels less aggressive. The “Massage” mode’s changing frequency is an odd sensation, but may be soothing or add an element of fun to induce the kids to brush longer It’s worth mentioning that if modes are changed during brushing, the 30-second and 2-minute timers restart.

Another note of caution: Try not to pull the toothbrush out of your mouth while turned on. The vibrations will send tiny droplets of toothpaste and saliva everywhere! If you do, be prepared to clean your mirror.

What I like

  • Easy to use and clean
  • Inexpensive
  • Timers prevent under-brushing

What needs to be improved?

  • Replacement heads should be readily available
  • Some bathroom counters are crowded. Cord management in the base would help.

Liaboe’s Rechargeable Electric toothbrush is inexpensive and has similar results to much more expensive models. The multiple speed modes I found to be somewhat of a gimmick, but others may find them appealing. I’m picky about my oral health and even floss daily. Even so, I would definitely trust my teeth to daily Liaboe scrubbings.

Price:$29.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample was provided by Liaboe.

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Liaboe Electric Rechargeable Toothbrush review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 21, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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